The noisy puja (worship), about which our conversation began, took place at Sagar in April, 1832, while I was at that station.  More than four-fifths of the people of the city and cantonments had been affected by a violent influenza, which commenced with a distressing cough, was followed by fever, and, in some cases, terminated in death.  I had an application from the old Queen Dowager of Sagar, who received a pension of ten thousand pounds a year from the British Government,[9] and resided in the city, to allow of a noisy religious procession to implore deliverance from this great calamity.  Men, women, and children in this procession were to do their utmost to add to the noise by ‘raising their voices in psalmody’, beating upon their brass pots and pans with all their might, and discharging fire-arms where they could get them; and before the noisy crowd was to be driven a buffalo, which had been purchased by a general subscription, in order that every family might participate in the merit.  They were to follow it out for eight miles, where it was to be turned loose for any man who would take it.  If the animal returned, the disease, it was said, must return with it, and the ceremony be performed over again.  I was requested to intimate the circumstance to the officer commanding the troops in cantonments, in order that the hideous noise they intended to make might not excite any alarm, and bring down upon them the visit of the soldiery.  It was, however, subsequently determined that the animal should be a goat, and he was driven before the crowd accordingly.  I have on several occasions been requested to allow of such noisy pujas in cases of epidemics; and the confidence they feel in their efficiency has, no doubt, a good effect.

While in civil charge of the district of Narsinghpur, in the valley of the Nerbudda, in April 1823, the cholera morbus raged in almost every house of Narsinghpur and Kandeli, situated near each other,[l0] and one of them close to my dwelling-house and court.  The European physicians lost all confidence in their prescriptions, and the people declared that the hand of God was upon them, and by appeasing Him could they alone hope to be saved.[11] A religious procession was determined upon; but the population of both towns was divided upon the point whether a silent or a noisy one would be most acceptable to God.  Hundreds were dying around me when I was applied to to settle this knotty point between the parties.  I found that both in point of numbers and respectability the majority was in favour of the silent procession, and I recommended that this should be adopted.  The procession took place about nine the same night, with all due ceremony; but the advocates for noise would none of them assist in it.  Strange as it may appear, the disease abated from that moment; and the great majority of the population of both towns believed that their prayers had been heard; and I went to bed