8.  The author, unfortunately, does not give the dimensions of this piece.  Rumi Khan’s gun at Bijapur, which was cast in the sixteenth century at Ahmadnagar, is generally considered the largest ancient cannon in India.  It is fifteen feet long, and weighs about forty-one tons, the calibre being two feet four inches.  Like the gun at Datiya, it is painted with red lead, and is worshipped by Hindoos, who are always ready to worship every manifestation of power.  Another big gun at Bijapur is thirty feet in length, built up of bars bound together.  Other very large pieces exist at Gawilgarh in Berar, and Bidar in the Nizam’s dominions. (Balfour, Cyclopaedia, 3rd ed., s.v.  Gun, Bijapur, Gawilgarh Hill Range, and Beder.)

9.  The Dasahra festival, celebrated at the beginning of October, marks the close of the rains and the commencement of the cold season.  It is observed by all classes of Hindus, but especially by Rajas and the military classes, for whom this festival has peculiar importance.  In the old days no prince or commander, whether his command consisted of soldiers or robbers, ever undertook regular operations until the Dasahra had been duly observed.  All Rajas still receive valuable offerings on this occasion, which form an important element in their revenue.  In some places buffaloes are sacrificed by the Raja in person.  The soldiers worship the weapons which they hope to use during the coming season.  Among the Marathas the ordnance received especial attention and worship.  The ceremony of worshipping certain leguminous trees at this festival has been noticed ante, Chapter 26 note 8.

10.  Few Europeans nowadays could join in the author’s enthusiastic admiration of the Datiya garden.  The arrangements seem to have been those usual in large formal native gardens in Northern India.

11.  This lad has since succeeded his adoptive father as the chief of the Datiya principality.  The old chief found him one day lying in the grass, as he was shooting through one of his preserves.  His elephant was very near treading upon the infant before he saw it.  He brought home the boy, adopted him as his son, and declared him his successor, from having no son of his own.  The British Government, finding that the people generally seemed to acquiesce in the old man’s wishes, sanctioned the measure, as the paramount power. [W.  H. S.] The old Raja died in 1839, and the succession of the boy, Bijai Bahadur, thus strangely favoured by fortune, was unsuccessfully opposed by one of the nobles of the state.  Bijai Bahadur governed the state with sufficient success until his death in 1857.  The succession was then again disputed, and disturbances took place which were suppressed by an armed British force.  The state is still governed by its hereditary ruler, who has been granted the privilege of adoption (N.W.P.  Gazetteer, 1st ed., vol. i, p. 410, s.v.  Datiya).

12.  The fact is that all Oriental rulers thoroughly enjoy the most outrageous flattery, and would feel defrauded if they did not get it in abundance.  Even Akbar, the greatest of them, could enjoy it, and allow the courtly poet to say ‘See Akbar, and you see God’.  Indians find it difficult to believe that European officials really dislike attentions which are exacted by rulers of their own races.