purchased by the Government from the cultivators.[13] The members of the civil service, in the other branches of public service, were all anxious to have it believed by their countrymen that they were well acquainted with their duties, and able and willing to perform them; but the Honourable Company’s commercial agents were, on the contrary, generally anxious to make their countrymen believe that they neither knew nor cared anything about their duties, because they were ashamed of them.  They were sinecure posts for the drones of the service, or for those who had great interest and no capacity.[14] Had any young man made it appear that he really thought W------n knew or cared anything about his duties, he would certainly never have been invited to his house again; and if any one knew, certainly no one seemed to know that he had any other duty than that of entertaining his guests.

No one ever spoke the native language so badly, because no man had ever so little intercourse with the natives; and it was, I have been told, to his ignorance of the native languages that his bosom friend, Mr. P------st, owed his life on one occasion.  W. sat by the sick-bed of his friend with unwearied attention, for some days and nights, after the doctors had declared his case entirely hopeless.  He proposed at last to try change of air, and take him on the river Ganges.  The doctors, thinking that he might as well die in his boat on the river as in his house at Calcutta, consented to his taking him on board.  They got up as far as Hooghly, when P. said that he felt better and thought he could eat something.  What should it be?  A little roasted kid perhaps.  The very thing that he was longing for!  W. went out upon the deck to give orders for the kid, that his friend might not be disturbed by the gruff voice of the old ‘khansama’ (butler).  P. heard the conversation, however.

‘Khansama’, said the Beau W., ’you know that my friend Mr. P. is very ill?’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘And that he has not eaten anything for a month?’

‘A long time for a man to fast, sir.’

’Yes, Khansama, and his stomach is now become very delicate, and could not stand anything strong.’

‘Certainly not, sir.’

‘Well, Khansama, then he has taken a fancy to a roasted mare’ (’madiyan’), meaning a ‘halwan’, or kid.’[15]

‘A roasted mare, sir?’

‘Yes, Khansama, a roasted mare, which you must have nicely prepared.’

‘What, the whole, sir?’

’Not the whole at one time; but have the whole ready as there is no knowing what part he may like best.’

The old butter had heard of the Tartars eating their horses when in robust health, but the idea of a sick man, not able to move in his bed without assistance, taking a fancy to a roasted mare, quite staggered him.

’But, sir, I may not be able to get such a thing as a mare at a moment’s notice; and if I get her she will be very dear.’