Their houses are adorned with the utmost magnificence, while the gardens or approaches to them are delightfully cool and refreshing, being shaded by fragrant trees, and shrubs, perfumed by the most beautiful flowers, and cooled by fountains, playing in marble basins. The Indian machinery is very clumsy indeed, and the mills are the funniest-looking things imaginable: I must show you an oil-mill.
A very cruel custom prevails in many parts of India, which I know will shock you very much: when a Hindoo of rank dies, his widow is laid by his side on a pile of faggots, which being set fire to, the poor creature is suffocated, or else burnt alive, and they pretend that she likes to be so destroyed. The ceremony is called a "Suttee," and is conducted with great pomp, all the relations of the woman and her dead husband being present, in addition to an immense crowd; before getting on the pile, the widow divides all her jewels and ornaments amongst her friends. Here is a picture of a widow about to bathe in a "consecrated" river, before going to be burnt.
Here are lovely specimens of the manufacture of gold, silver, silk, jewellery, and Lebanon horns, from Syria, with seeds, fruits, oils, and woods; and even ornaments and marble from Jerusalem! Little did the Crusaders of old think, when they were fighting in Jerusalem, and the Holy Land, that the Infidels, as they very incorrectly called them, would be sending in such a friendly way to England.
What splendid caps, slippers, veils, and perfumes, with such picturesque guns and swords, from Turkey! The Turks are a fine, handsome race of people, and very grave and sensible, except when they are angry, when they grow raging and furious; they are fond of ease; and the chief delight of those who can afford it is to sit cross-legged on a low couch, drinking coffee, and smokeing a long curled pipe, called a hookah. They often sit by the side of a canal for a whole day, looking at children flying kites. Instead of sitting at a table to dine, they put the dishes on a carpet of Turkey leather, and sit round it on the floor, eating, with wooden spoons, meat and rice stewed together, called pilau. They are not allowed to drink wine, or eat pork. A favourite diversion with them is playing on a kind of lute, and sometimes they amuse themselves with chess, draughts, and other games; but their principal amusement, like some of my little friends, is to sit and listen to stories, told by men who earn their livelihood by relating entertaining tales and romances.
The Turks do not undress and go to bed at any time, but being seated on a sofa, they smoke till they are sleepy, then laying themselves down, their slaves cover them over for the night. The poor people of the cities carry water, cakes, loaves, and other things, through the streets for a living, or act as buffoons, musicians, tumblers and wrestlers, at the Sultan's and other of the rich people's palaces.
They cannot use wheel carriages in Turkey, the streets are so narrow, and the pavements in many parts so bad; everything is therefore carried by men, horses, mules, and donkeys, which is very inconvenient, as the mules and donkeys very often tumble down, and throw their burdens right in everybody's way; as for a horse, when heavily laden, it takes up the entire road; and when two loaded horses meet, the bawling and confusion is dreadful.