1 })?!) former relation* and friends are treated as stringers; hi
2 never returns to the dwelling in which he had formerly re¬
3 sided, but wanders down the Ganges, until he arrives at Santipore,
4 near Calcutta, where he settles himself; and it is a eiriotis
5 fact, that nearly the whole population of Sant i pore is composed
6 Of such persons. These people never again hold any commitni
7 cation with those who had been nearest and dearest to them;
8 and they contract marriages amongst themselves only. This
9 town or colony, the only one, perhaps, of its kind in the world,
10 may Ik; called the Colony of < onvaleacenta. The Ganges teems
11 with crocodiles, and wild geese are found in grea- abundance.
12 When I arrived at Calcutta, I found that one of the Iinest
13 merchant vessels, Called die « Prince of Whies,” belonging to
14 Messieurs Green and Compy. was about to sail for England.
15 1 made arrangements for my passage, homeward, and after a
16 week’s stav only in Calcutta, went on board. This short stay
17 at the capital of Bengal, prevented my observing any of the
18 operations of the celebrated Dr. dairies Esdaile (now in Scot*
19 land) whose cases of amputation, &e. performed without pain,
20 and without the. use of chloroform, &c. while the patient e as
21 under mesmeric influence, were then attracting considerable
22 attention. Th oDelhi Gazette of India observed — “Though Dr.
23 F.adaile’s performances are not yet countenanced by the faci tv,
24 let us hope that he possesses moral courage sufficient to prosecute
25 his measures.'"
26 We enjoyed the most delightful weather during the voyage;
27 the only annoyance being the frequent calms, which caused
28 us to be two months in reaching the Cape of Good Hope. In
29 the beginning of April we reached Cape Town, the aspect
30 of which, at the foot of the Table Mountain, is exceedingly
31 picturesque. The town is constructed with much regularity,
32 and the house are very comfortable dwellings, principally
33 of one flat only. Almost every European comfort is to be
34 found there; they have good hotels, elegant shops, handsome
35 public buildings, an exchange, a theatre, and several others,
36 and the town is well lighted with gas; I was surprised at no'