Without pretending to make a very accurate estimate, I shall attempt to give an outline of those expences to which every person keeping house, though in the most retired manner, and on the most economical plan, must be subjected. In doing this, I consider the instructions given for the outfit to have been duly attended to; and, that wearing apparel, plate, bedding, blankets, sheets, and pillow cases, have been provided. If they have not, the whole of those articles may be rated at from fifty to a hundred per cent. more than they would cost in England. The following brief catalogue will be found to contain only those conveniences which are indispensable.
| Rupees. | |
| One dozen of chairs; say at four rupees each | 48 |
| One dining table for six, say | 25 |
| Two tepoys (tripods) 3½ each | 7 |
| One writing-table, with drawers | 25 |
| One bedstead of 6 feet 4 in. by 4 feet 6 in. | 30 |
| Curtains to ditto; those for the exterior of chintz | 20 |
| Inside ditto, of gauze, to keep out musquitoes | 10 |
| Bookcase upon chest of drawers | 100 |
| China and glass-ware, say | 100 |
| Shades to put over candles, one pair, say | 40 |
| (Those with wooden pedestals to be preferred.) | |
| A chillumchee (or metal bason) for washing hands, with its tripod, &c. | 25 |
| A palanquin and bedding | 100 |
| Table cloths and towels | 50 |
| One large, and one small, satringe (cotton carpet) 25 and 10 | 35 |
| Various culinary articles, say | 40 |
| A variety of small articles in cutlery, &c. say | 45 |
| ——— | |
| Making in all, on a rough estimate | 700 |
| ——— | |
In this I have not included a horse, because it is not every body who keeps one, nor is it peremptorily needful; but, both as a convenience, and as tending to health, I recommend that a cheap, safe, and quiet poney be provided: numbers are sold every week, at all prices; but I should think that, including the saddle and bridle, from 250 to 300 rupees, would be going far enough: say the whole expence should be 1000 sicca rupees, or £125; which will, I apprehend, be as little as any person can expend, so as to be either creditable or comfortable. The necessary stock of wines, spirits, wax-candles, sauces, sugar-candy, tea, coffee, salt-petre, and a number of lesser items, would require full 600 rupees more; under the supposition that a year’s stock were laid in. At that rate we may compute £200. to be necessary to establish a gentleman at his residence, supposing it to be fixed. Travelling makes quite another concern, and will be found to encrease the disbursements considerably.
A comparison with the prices of those articles we, in Europe, consider to be requisite for the furniture of two or three rooms, will shew that Calcutta is by no means a favourable market for the purchase, either of furniture, or of wines, cattle, &c.; and should at once satisfy every free-mariner, free-merchant, &c. proceeding to India on speculation, that he must be provided with at least six hundred pounds to answer the demands of his outset, including house rent, which cannot well be taken at less than £150. per annum; his servants will amount to about as much more; and his table expences, pocket-money, &c., on the most moderate scale, will demand one hundred, after laying in his stock of wines, tea, &c. So that, in all, we may think he does very well on the £600. If, indeed, he should be so fortunate as to make numerous respectable acquaintances, at whose tables he may frequently become a guest, a considerable portion of the expences, stated at £100. may, perhaps, be retrenched; but such good fortune does not happen to all; and, when it does, rarely comes at once; it requires some time to gain that footing which may relieve the pressure of table charges; and when that footing has been gained, it may not be attended with more than common civility, without the smallest prospect of being served.
I say thus much with the view to correct an opinion known to prevail, that it is easy to get into society in India; and that then a gentleman may put his hands in his pockets, while his friends forward him rapidly. Such, assuredly, was the case in days of yore; but, within the last twenty years, there have been so many retrenchments in all the public offices, so many young men have gone to India with the hope of being engaged in merchants’ houses, and so many have failed in those prospects, that I should omit a very important branch of that duty I have imposed on myself, in offering my advice to those who are about to proceed to India, were I to encourage the idea of such supposed facilities being realized. It should never be forgotten, that all persons who are ignorant of the language spoken in common, namely, the Hindui, (vulgarly called the Moors’,) are incompetent to any duty, beyond what may relate to making out copies of accounts-current, and registering correspondence: even these demand some local knowledge, to be performed with correctness. This consideration will lead to the conviction, that full one year must be provided for before any employment, on which dependance can be placed for a livelihood, and affording the prospect of future rise, should be expected.
Of such importance does this appear, that, were I to advice any young friend, about to proceed to India, as to the manner in which he should pass his first year, it would be nearly in the following terms: ‘Rise at daybreak, and ride gently for one hour in the hot season, and two hours in the cold season; make a moderate breakfast, avoiding melted butter, salt meats, salt fish, sweetmeats, &c., good tea or coffee being assuredly the most wholesome; study the language for an hour; attend some office gratuitously, with the view to become acquainted with the accounts, price-currents, markets, provisions, commodities, &c.; about two o’clock retire to rest; about an hour before sun-set bathe, by means of three or four large pots of water poured over the head; put on clean linen, and dine moderately upon plain viands, taking care never to exceed four or five glasses of the best Madeira; proceed for two hours with studying the language, and, after taking a cup or two of tea, or of coffee, or a crust of bread and a glass of Madeira, go to bed, avoiding to sleep in a strong current of air.’
Possibly, it may be urged, that a person intent on learning the Hindui, so as to be competent to transact business in the course of twelve months, would not attain that object by three hours only of daily assiduity. I am, however, completely satisfied, that such a portion of time, appropriated under the guidance of an intelligent linguist, may enable the student to make a wonderful progress; especially when combined with the resolution to enter as much as possible into familiar colloquy in that language.
An old friend, long since gone to ‘kingdom come,’ began the study of Persian at rather an advanced age; which caused many to rally him on the new turn he had taken. He, however, persevered, and, in the course of two years, made himself more than commonly proficient. The explanation he gave, regarding the plan he had laid down, was such as convinced me, that any person, with a tolerable memory, may, in a moderate time, acquire any regular language. His mode was, for the first month never to retire to bed until he had learned twenty words perfectly by heart, so as to explain them with promptitude, however catechized: after that first month, he was master of no less than six hundred words. During the next month, finding that former acquirements greatly facilitated his progress, he made a point of gaining twenty-five words daily; therefore that month gave him seven hundred and fifty words; which, added to the six hundred of the preceding, made a total of thirteen hundred and fifty.
In this way he added five words[five words] every month, until he found, that, by aid of derivations and compounds, he was well grounded in the language. His computation was, that, as few languages contain more than forty thousand words in common use, when ever he should be able to learn fifty words daily, he might, to use his own terms, ‘make the language fall before him in two years.’
This is an arithmetical demonstration of the powers annexed to persevering regularity, and ought to induce every youth, for that is the season for acquirements, to adopt such a system as should insure the great object in view. So steady a mode of carrying on a pursuit, cannot, however, be expected in young folks, many of whom have just escaped from the trammels of parental vigilance; and who, having passed so many years at their studies, rarely feel much disposition to prolong academic labors; while, at the same time, the pleasures of society are open to their participation. Still, I feel a hope that this volume may prove intrinsically beneficial to a large portion, by pointing out the means whereby preferment may be obtained, and by shewing with what facility the foundation may be laid for a most superb superstructure.