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2 much difficulty over steep mountains through almost imprac-
3 ticable passes, the journey occupying three weeks ; and the
4 tea is brought from Thibet, in the shape of cakes, and is
5 very much inferior to that which is produced in India. I
6 explained to the maharajah, to his great astonishment, that
7 the soil of Cashmere was favourable to the production of
8 both these articles; and also that the sugar cane (which will
9 not grow there) was not essential for the production of sugar,
10 as it could be prepared of equal quality from a kind of
11 beet-root, for the cultivation of which that soil was eminently
12 adapted ; and informed him that I should therefore solicit
13 permission to establish a sugar manufactory, both land and
14 labour there being exceedingly cheap. The maharajah agreed
15 entirely with my plan, and gave me an order for the pur-
16 pose of enabling me to carry it out, which will be found
17 among the plates to this volume. God willing, I shall endea-
18 vour to carry that intention into effect.
19 As I have acquainted my readers, my hopes were to re-establish
20 my health in these hilly countries; but I had reckoned without
21 my host ; for the greater part of my domestics being natives of
22 Cashmere, and aware of my activity and zeal in assisting the
23 suffering part of mankind, they did not fail to trumpet my
24 medical success at Lahore to their countrymen, who flocked to
25 my abode with patients from morning till night. For two
26 months, there were not less than a hundred persons daily, to
27 solicit my assistance : I accorded it to them gratuitously ; and
28 from their incessant attendance, I was not only compelled to
29 expend the whole of the day in distributing medicaments,
30 which were administered in the form of lozenges, but was also
31 obliged to devote my evenings to the preparation of those which
32 were to be used on the day following. In fact, it frequently
33 happened that whole families came from some of the more
34 distant villages, and bringing their provision with them, they
35 encamped in my garden, and remained there for two or three
36 days, until I was able to furnish them with the requisite medi-
37 cines and advice.