Oriental memoirs - selected and abridged from a series of familiar letters written during seventeen years residence in India - including observations on parts of Africa and South America, and a (14781473551)

Identifier: orientalmemoirss02forb (find matches)
Title: Oriental memoirs : selected and abridged from a series of familiar letters written during seventeen years residence in India : including observations on parts of Africa and South America, and a narrative of occurrences in four India voyages : illustrated by engravings from original drawings
Year: 1813 (1810s)
Authors: Forbes, James, 1749-1819 Hooker, William Jackson, Sir, 1785-1865, ill
Subjects: Natural history Natural history
Publisher: London : Printed for the author by T. Bensley : Published by White, Cochrane, and Co.
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Institution Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library



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zing overmany towns and provinces of note, a great way distant: each ofwhich now enjoys peculiar podestates; howbeit, the Mogul hasreceived hereout, as an annual tax or tribute, no less than onemillion two hundred and threescore thousand mamooders, or shil-lings, which revenue, from one province, shews what a vast exche-quer all his empire yearly contributeth. The Baroche villages are rural and pleasant; each is embo-somed in its own mango and tamarind grove, and the surroundingcountry resembles a luxuriant garden; the rich crops of grain arecontrasted by extensive fields of capsicums, or chilies, glowingwith scarlet; large tracts of yellow cossumba, (carthamus) whichmakes a valuable red dye, and acres of tobacco, crowned withflowers of a pale rose-colour. Several villages cultivate the sugar-cane, as also the turmeric, amomum curcuma, Lin.; fenugreek ormeti; meti trigonella, faenum-grcecum, Lin.: benda, hibiscus escu-lentus, Lin.; fulsi, ocymum, and many other useful plants and vege-
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■I ■-e ■* a 4. 225 tables, peculiar to the country; it is almost unnecessary to mentionthat turmeric, ginger, and capsicums, are planted, wherever theywill grow, throughout Hindostan; they form a principal ingredientin most of the oriental dishes; spices, savoury herbs, and hot seeds,are particularly used in the vegetable curries of the Hindoos. The cultivated tracts abound with hares, antelopes, foxes, andjackals; also partridges, quails, and other game; and every villagehas its monkeys and pea-fowl; the wood-lands, and wilder partstowards the eastern hills, shelter tigers, leopards, hyenas, and hogs;the lakes and rivers are covered with flamingos, pelicans, ducks,and water-fowl in great variety. The partridges frequently rooston high trees; and several sorts of wild ducks settle on the loftybranches of the palmira, borassus flabelliformis, Lin. The bam-boo, bambusa, grows in many of the wilds; it is also cultivatednear some of the villages. In Guzerat the natives are seldomdis