The gardens of Europeans are, with few exceptions, laid out much in the same way as our kitchen-gardens; having one main walk, with a few ramifications and parallels, all of which are covered with soorkee, or brick-dust; though sometimes, where gravel, or rather shingle, can be found, it is used in preference. The whole area is intersected by little channels made of earth, or perhaps lined with semi-circular tiles, whereby water is conveyed to every part at pleasure. The peculiar gratification afforded to the eye, and, indeed, to the feelings, by the proximity of perpetual verdure, in a country where, for many months together, scarcely a green spot is to be seen, induces most persons, when laying down a garden, to appropriate such a piece of ground as may be in view, to the formation of a grass-plot. This is refreshed every third or fourth day by laying on water from the well, always made on some more elevated spot, so as to command every part to which the irrigation is to extend. The doob is invariably selected for this purpose; and, in consequence of its numerous seeds, as well as owing to the cool shelter it affords, never fails to attract great numbers of ants, of various colors and sizes; all of which are a perfect nuisance throughout the East. Gentlemen who rear turkies, find from experience, that few can be brought up except where such grass-plots exist; and where shade, and water, are at hand for the birds to avail themselves of at pleasure.
Most of our garden esculents thrive in India; cabbages, cauliflowers, lettuces, celery, beets, carrots, turnips, peas, cucumbers, French beans, radishes, potatoes, &c. are cultivated in abundance; together with capsicums, love-apples, egg-plants, gourds of various kinds, calavanses, yams, sweet potatoes, and hundreds of the indigenous tribe. The common fruits are guavas, peaches, nectarines, grapes, a few apples, but no pears, melons of sorts, pine-apples, mangoes, oranges, citrons, limes, pomegranates, byres of a very huge kind, comringahs, (or winged apples,) currindahs, and, in general, most of the tropical fruits. Within the last twenty years, very considerable additions have been made by the introduction of various trees, and also of gardeners, from China: the former have thriven admirably; while, to the latter we are indebted for many valuable practices, common among that industrious people, and which promise to contribute greatly to the perfection of Asiatic horticulture. The best of maullies could not be ranked with the least capable among the Chinese gardeners; though it cannot be denied, that they possess many strong recommendations; and are not a little proud of any improvements, or novelties, committed to their management. In the art of irrigation they cannot be surpassed. That indispensable operation is performed, in most instances, by drawing water from a narrow well, into a cistern, or hollow, at its edge; whence, by means of the channels before described, each bed receives the necessary supply of moisture. A pair of very small oxen, worth about twelve or fifteen shilling’s each, suffice to draw up a moot, or leather bag, containing from twenty-five to thirty gallons.
In general, a small hut is erected in the garden for the accommodation of the maully; most of whose operations are performed after sun-set: especially that of laying on water, and the setting of plants. Rat-catching is also an object of importance, and most successfully followed during moon-light nights; when those large black rats, called bandycoots, equalling most cats in bulk, are often speared, as they ramble among the cucumber and melon beds, wherein they make prodigious havoc. Nor is there any deficiency of other sorts, or sizes, of rats: they are to be found both in immense numbers, and in every variety; but the large Norway rat is most abundant. I never saw, nor heard of a mole in the country: most probably the soil does not suit; as it becomes so hard and dry during the hot season.
The Aub-dar, or water-cooler, is scarcely less indispensable than the cook; for, without the exercise of his art, all the delicacies of the table would be of no value. Hot wine, and hot water, are by no means acceptable to those who inhale so rarefied an atmosphere; and who generally prefer such made-dishes as abound in spice. It is true, that, sometimes, a khedmutgar, or a bearer, may be found, capable of cooling liquors nearly as well as aub-dars of the lower class; but such are rare, and cannot always be depended upon. In saying this, I do not mean to attribute the success of even the best qualified aub-dar to any chemical knowledge, or to much comprehension of the manner, or moment, in which the refrigeration takes place: far from it; they are all the children of imitation, and by keeping within certain parallels, wide enough asunder, hit upon their object; though not without much loss of materials, as well as of time.
The apparatus necessary for the operations of this servant, consist of a large pewter vessel, near half an inch in thickness, and in its form not unlike a very thick Cheshire cheese, of which the edges are much rounded off. At the top, a circular aperture, about a foot in diameter, is left, for the introduction of two pewter flasks, (each containing about a pint and a half,) of a spherical form, and furnished with long narrow necks, nearly cylindrical, about ten inches in length, and fitted with caps, of the same metal, that come down about an inch and a half, every where close. The great bason just described is called a taus, and the flasks are called soories. When water is to be cooled, about a gallon is put into the taus; which, by means of a small wooden frame, made for the purpose, or, for want of it, a few bricks, &c. is sloped a little, that the water may lie more towards one side: a handful or two of salt-petre is then put in, and the soories, being about two thirds filled with the water to be drank, are moved about in the taus, one in each hand, while the salt-petre is dissolving. So soon as that is effected, which is usually in two or three minutes, the soories are laid at rest; their necks projecting out at the opposite side of the aperture, the sphere part being immersed, and a wet cloth laid over the whole of the opening: in that manner the intense cold, generated by the solution, acts upon the water within the soories; so effectually indeed, in many instances, as to be unpleasantly condensed. As to cracking the glasses, that is extremely common, but is rather to be imputed to their being somewhat heated by the atmosphere; when the cold water, being suddenly poured in, causes nine in ten, so acted upon, to fly. Wine is always cooled in the common glass bottle wherein it is drawn from the cask, and so soon as taken from the taus, which may be in about five minutes after being left at rest, is covered with a petticoat made of karwah, or other cloth, well wetted. Being placed in a stand made of turned wood, to receive the drippings, the bottle is placed on the table; usually stopped with a silver-mounted cork. Decanters are rarely used in any part of India; both because they are extremely subject to crack, and, that they certainly do not keep wine so cool as the common glass bottles do.
The dress of the aub-dar generally resembles that of the khedmutgar, and his wages may rank with the superior classes serving in that capacity: he has, in general, some perquisites, both in charging for more salt-petre than is used, and from the sale of the salt-petre water; which, throughout Calcutta, and in many other places, is carefully preserved in large jars, to be sold to persons who boil it down for the purpose of producing the nitre in a more purified state. Aub-dars should not be allowed to cool water within the house; the salt-petre doing considerable injury to the walls, from which it cannot possibly be extracted.
Wherever a gentleman dines, thither his aub-dar repairs, in time to have water cooled as the dinner is served up: when a large party are assembled, it is curious to see perhaps two dozens of these servants, laboring at their profession under the shade of the house, and making a noise not very dissimilar to the quick motion of a stone-saw. Custom occasions it to pass unheeded, unless so far as relates to the anticipation of a cool draught. It should be remarked, that water is the common beverage: the smallest hole in the bottom of a soories utterly spoils it; therefore the defect must be well closed with solder. All the wine used at the table is cooled by the host’s own servant; though, when any particularly famous aub-dar is in attendance, he is often asked to exert his skill: a request always complied with, in a manner fully exhibiting that vanity pervades this, as well as other classes of mortals.
The Compadore, or Kurz-burdar, or Butler-konnah-sircar, are all designations for the same individual, who acts as purveyor, sometimes under the orders of the master, but more generally of the kansamah, who never fails to participate of the profits made by over-charges, and by the receipt of dustooree, (or customary gift,) from the venders of whatever may be provided for domestic, consumption. This servant may be considered as appertaining to the order of sircars, of which he should possess all the cunning, the smooth tongue, the audacious and persevering effrontery, when maintaining a palpable lie, together with that obsequiousness which should conciliate master, and make him believe it! Without these, the compadore could never thrive. The pay of such a rogue is generally about four, or, at the utmost, five, rupees per mensem; but that is comparatively no object, in any family where some hundreds are spent in house-keeping. In order to aid the deception, he invariably dresses so very meanly, as to claim our commiseration in behalf of his apparent poverty: while, at the same time, it is probable that, one way or other, he contrives to retain about an eighth part of the money entrusted to his disbursement. The usual custom is, for the kansamah to enquire, during the evening, what is to be done in the culinary department on the succeeding day: if the family dine abroad, no directions are necessary; otherwise, fish, flesh, and fowl must be laid in. As the best of the market is between day-light and sun-rise, after which all the prime articles will have disappeared, the compadore must proceed with his catalogue of desiderata, attended by one or two under-servants, (mosaulchies, kalashies, &c.) to purchase the required articles. No time must be lost in returning home, at least during the hot months; for such is the rapid progress towards putrefaction, that I have more than once seen veal, which had been killed after midnight, become perfectly offensive in ten hours, notwithstanding every possible precaution was taken to keep it cool.
It will be understood, that a compadore must, of necessity, be a good accountant; like the sircar, he is well versed in fractions, and carries his computations down to a single gundah of cowries, (i.e. four Blackamoors’ teeth). This minuteness passes with many for honesty; but by far the greater part of house-keepers either put those very small parts out of the question, (regardless of the old saying, that, ‘if the pence are well taken care of, they will nourish the shillings; while the pounds acquire strength to take care of themselves,’) or they content themselves with the reflection, that the accounts are correctly taken, without even examining their contents. Every charge thus becomes sanctioned when committed to paper; therefore each knave is anxious to have his items noted, under the full conviction, that, thenceforth, they are beyond the probability, if not the possibility, of refutation. But such will never be effected, unless a few of the filberts are, according to the old fable, dropped into the compadore’s bag; so as to diminish the bulk of the hand, and to allow its retiring with the remainder of the booty. Not a cowrie can stir without the compadore’s knowledge! Under the plea of fidelity to his employer, he insists upon being privy to every disbursement; never failing to preach up his own vigilance; and (which is the best of the joke,) making a point of attending every morning with his hands full of papers, and his ink-pot, &c., in readiness to give a detail of the expences of the preceding day; though he perfectly knows that detail is never attended to.
Let us not suppose that such deception is local: in other, or in various, forms, we may find it throughout the world. Some, who boast of the excellence of English menials, &c. may, perhaps, affect to believe them to be less infected with such knavery as is above displayed; but an appeal to that too correct history of the times, yclep’d ‘The Newgate Kalendar,’ must remove every doubt of the instability of such an exemption; and should assure us, that, whenever temptation solicits, and opportunity favors, few, of any sect, color, or rank, have the virtue to resist, provided the object be proportioned to the risk!