is so impure, that no one has been able to examine it. Another of these remarkable caverns is situated near Gayah, in Bahar. It is a room with a vaulted roof, forty-four feet in length, eighteen in breadth, and ten in height, and dug out of solid rock, with an entrance six feet high, and two and a half wide. On the interior there are several inscriptions; and in the hills around are a great many other caves, all supposed to have been dedicated to the worship of Budha. From the pilgrims who resort thither, a greater revenue is derived by government, than from the pagoda of Juggernaut, the sum received here annually being about 16,000%.

Dacca is such a modern city, that it is not noticed in the Ayeen Acbery, though it now contains 150,000 inhabitants, and exports the finest muslins in the whole world. These beautiful specimens of Indian manufacture are produced by the assistance of wheels, reels, and looms, of the most simple form that can be conceived. Nothing but Hindoo patience could accomplish such wonderfully elegant productions with such means. Some of the women spin with the distaff, sitting on the edge of a hole, which they make in the ground, sufficiently deep for the length of the thread, and it is amazing how even and fine they form it, with their deli cately small fingers.

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CHAPTER II.

PREPARATION FOR INDIA, AND PASSAGE OUT.

THE descriptions of young men who proceed to India, may be classed under the denominations of Company's civil, military, and marine servants; king's officers, and private adventurers. It is necessary that they should all be well educated, grounded in pure principles of moral and religious duty, and accustomed, by regular scholastic discipline, to notions of obedience and subordination; but it is certainly of more importance for a youth to be well acquainted with European literature, than to devote a precious portion of time in studying oriental languages at home, when he is so soon to be in a situation where he can assist theory with practice.

In the above classification, all the young men who go out as writers, curates, assistant-surgeons, cadets, midshipmen in the Bombay marine, ensigns in king's regiments, or as master's mates in the Bengal pilot service, have a good prospect before them. Certain allowances await them on arrival in the country. A proper exercise of wisdom, on their part, is not to fix their expectations

too high; for the sanguine disposition of youth is pregnant with great and very often fatal disappointment. It will also be judicious for them to treasure up this truth, that their prospects are in different degrees essentially good. It depends in a great measure upon their own good conduct, to command the smiles of health* and fortune. These two fundamental principles of thought will guard the mind against the encroaches of false hope and dangerous despair. It is proper for the other description of youth, I mean private adventurers, to bear in mind that, unless they go out to some commercial establishment as free traders in the Indian seas, or to be employed in some way by established European settlers, there is not on the face of the earth a worse theatre for action. The various offices under government are filled with native clerks, and there is scarcely an avenue open to a stranger. If he be a well-educated person, he can only look for employment as an assistant in some of the schools at the presidencies, or as an editor of a newspaper, or in some other chance capacity, for which he may long look in vain. If a tradesman he may find employment; but unless he has capital, the climate forbids his successful establishment, for all laborious occupations are performed by natives; and Europeans in India soon become so exhausted, as to be quite unfit for me

* Vide Addenda, LVII.

chanical exertion. A permission from the court of directors of the East India Company, is necessary, for a private adventurer, which is generally given in the form of a free mariner's indentures. This, however, does not prevent the local authorities from ordering the stranger out of the country if he misbehave, to do which they have absolute power. But many Europeans have smuggled themselves into India; and if an adventurer be very correct and circumspect in his conduct, he will not find much difficulty in evading the local regulations on this subject.

*

It is assumed, that all young men who adventure to India, embark for that distant region to better their condition, with the hope of returning to their native land for the purpose of enjoying that otium cum dignitate which ought to be the reward of an actively employed manhood. For this purpose, habits of economy and care should be early formed, and from the first conception of the idea of making India the sphere of exertion for independence, a regimen of both mind and body should be commenced, and undeviatingly pursued. To preserve health in India, strict temperance in all things is indispensably necessary; to acquire wealth, a fixed practice of living under income, whatever it may be. Youth most unfortunately often imagine that they are called upon, when mixing with society,

* Vide Appendix, note 16.

to imitate the highest in extravagance of expenditure. The generous principle from which this imagination of the heart flows, is honourable to man's nature, but discreditable to his judgment; for the increase of salaries is a reward for service, and as etiquette has established a scale for expence in proportion to rank, it is an absurdity for a junior to ape seniority. It is like the dwarf foolishly attempting the stature of the giant, and generally meets the fate of the frog in the fable, that burst by over-exertion to rival the ox in size.

In fitting out for India, we would strongly advise the young adventurer to take nothing with him but what may be absolutely necessary. In this small stock, we place a few very useful books of reference. But to carry out the stores of campequipage, the saddles, bridles, bales of broad cloth, and varieties which many young men do, is altogether mistaken profusion. In nine cases out of ten, the stock which a young gentleman takes out is injured by want of care, or is of a different description to that which he finds necessary on arrival in India. He also discovers that he could have equipped himself there at half the expence which he did in London, and his regret and chagrin are increased by the want of those means of which he was deprived by rash anticipation. The wisest plan is to embark with only what is necessary for the voyage; and with such scientific apparatus as may be useful in all situations, either for amuse