1 53
2 with water, they pour into the mouth of the horse, or use it as a
3 local embrocation : this I learnt from the celebrated naturalist,
4 Victor Jacquemont, on his visiting Lahore, en route to Cash-
5 mere, & c., and he declared glanders to be incurable. At
6 Vienna, as in England, I believe, they kill at once horses affected
7 with that disease.
8 During the congress of Rupore, on the frontier of India, I
9 attended, at Wuzeerabad, the governor of that province, General
10 Avitabile, who, having sprained his ancle, had called in the
11 native surgeons, barbers and bunglers, and they had so assi-
12 duously applied irritating poultices and embrocations, that the
13 leg became inflamed, and was approaching to mortification.
14 Under my treatment, the patient recovered, and the leg was
15 restored to its former functions. Subsequently, he was afflicted
16 with a contraction of the muscles of the face, which, on account
17 of his long, crooked nose, appeared the more striking; this
18 disease I ascribed to his immoderate indulgence in champagne,
19 which affected his brain. Although I cured him at that time,
20 two years ago he died suddenly of apoplexy, from continuing the
21 same excess, in his own country. Having acquired immense
22 riches, he returned to Europe, to enjoy in his native land (Naples)
23 the fruits of his exertions, and there he died in the autumn of his
24 life. Peace to his ashes ! although many an unfortunate man
25 was hung by his orders, at Wuzeerabad as well as at Peshawur,
26 where he exercised his sway in a most arbitrary manner. The plea-
27 sure which he took in seeing people hung by dozens must be
28 attributed to the affection of his brain. General Allard told me
29 that the maharajah once reprimanded him for having executed
30 some musselmans; whom General Avitabile had ordered to be
31 hung because they were of opinion, that, under the protection of
32 a European governor they might be at liberty to eat beef ! The
33 opinion of Runjeet Sing was, that he ought to have imprisoned
34 the criminals, and then allowed them to escape. It is well
35 known, however, that General Avitabile was an active man ;
36 that he introduced many useful reforms into the country, and
37 was of good service to the English army on their march to
38 g 2