1 taken any remedy proscribed by a European physician, und that
2 bo used to give all the remedies winch had been ordered him by
3 the English doctors, Murray, Steel, and Mucgregor, to his
4 servants, to try the effect on them; hut that lie was now resolved
5 to tal e my medicines, which I was to prepare in his presence.
6 This I promised to do. It was then mid-day, the time when the
7 durbar (assembly) leaves die palace, so, accompanied by die
8 fakeer, T presented myself to the king. I found with him only
9 the minister, Dliyan Sing. I had brought with me the tincium
10 dulcamara , and three empty corked little phials. First of all, I
11 asked for a gudwai (water-carrier), and ordered him to bring
12 the spirit that the maharajah was in the habit of drinking; 'this
13 had been distilled, in my presence, from Calml grapes, and it was
14 rectified, because Rmvjeet Sing preferred strong spirits. I >ut
15 the three empty phials into the hands of the gudwai, and Ordered
16 then, to be rinsed witli the same spirit, and afterwards each of
17 them to be half filled with spirit, about one drachm in each phial.
18 When this was done, I put just one drop of the essence of
19 dulcamara (woody-nightshade) into one of those phials which tile
20 water-carrier held in his hand, and I ordered him to cork it and-'
21 shake it. Then I desired the f’akeer to mark it number “ one,"
22 and I put a drop out of it into the second phial, causing it to be
23 corked and shaken like the iirst, and marked number “ two."
24 In the same manner, the third dilution was made, and number
25 '• three" was marked on it. From this last, I ordered one single
26 drop to be let fall on a lump of sugar, which, at my request, the
27 maharajah put into his mouth, where it was retained until dis¬
28 solved. I ordered tKe same dose to, be administered to the patient
29 every morning and evening.
30 During the preparation of the medicine, some persons who
31 were standing by could not forbear smiling; and the fakee.
32 himself was of opinion that such a minute dose could not be
33 •hurtful, should it even be supposed to be poisoq. but what was
34 the result? On the first day there was no sensible amelioration
35 in the health of the maharajah; on (lie second day he felt some¬
36 what better; an. on the third be was in such a merry humor