tude confined! To me therefore, the royal tears shed upon a reflection of this kind, seem not only pardonable, but worthy of praise; for they say, that Xerxes, upon a review of his immense army, wept to consider, that of such a number of men, in a very little time, not one would be living. But this ought to incite us to employ our time, fleeting and transitory as it is, if not in great actions, yet certainly in study: and as it may not be permitted us to live long, let us leave something behind to shew that we have lived. Noble is the contention, when friends, by mutual exhortations, spirit up each other to the love of immortality!”

On this melancholy occasion I cannot withhold a most pathetic observation, still more distressing, mentioned by Captain Williamson, on the mortality of Europeans in India, which I would rather give in his words than my own, after what I have said respecting the state of British society and manners in that part of the world, on different occasions, in these memoirs. I have no doubt of the truth of this quotation, but I have reason to hope the portrait no longer exists to such an extent; on the contrary, the manners and customs at Bengal are much improved.

"I cannot give a better idea of the state of society in Bengal upwards of twenty years ago, than by observing, that I was one of a party, not exceeding sixteen in number, who met to dine with a friend in the south barracks of Berhampore, in 1796; when, happening to meet with some friends we had not seen since occupying the same quarters in 1782, we casually mentioned our old comrades at the same place; but were generally found to wind up our retrospective details, with "Ah poor fellow, but he's dead!" The frequent repetition of the apostrophe induced two of us to take pen

and paper; when, one reckoning up those among our lost friends who had occupied the north, and the other recording the obituary of the South Rangers, we found that in the space of little more than twenty years, we had lost one hundred and sixty-three in one list, and one hundred and fifty-seven in the other! It is worthy of remark, that our record was confined to such officers and staff, as had occupied the cantonments during three years only; and that more than three hundred officers had never been quartered at any one time at the station! What adds to the wonder of such an occurrence is, that for the greater part of the time very little change took place; the same corps being fixed for several years!— With the exception of a few prudent men, whose moderation rendered them contemptible in the opinion of the major part of us, who were greatly attached not only to sport, but to every species of debauchery, I believe few quitted Berhampore in those days untainted by disease, or without some serious injury to their constitutions. Happily an entire reform has long since taken place throughout India.”

The exception to the prudent and moderate men abovementioned, is in my opinion entitled to more emphatic consideration than is there allowed to it. In the following observation I do not intend the smallest reflection, in contrasting the conduct of the company's servants, civil and military, during my residence in India. In each of those establishments were many noble characters, eminently virtuous and praiseworthy in all respects. I therefore only wish to point out the principal cause, which in my opinion produced so material a difference in the character and career of the youth sent to India: this was the employment of time, espe

cially in a morning. The writers at the period of my arrival at Bombay, and during the whole time of my officiating in that сараcity, were fully engaged from nine o'clock to twelve, when they retired from their respective offices to dinner, which was then at one o'clock in every class of English society. At two the writers returned to their employment until five; when, after a dish of tea, a social walk on a fine sandy beach, open to the salubrious western breeze, gave us a keener appetite for supper than our scanty pittance of thirty rupees per month could furnish. Such was our constant practice six days in the week. The cadets, on the cotrary, who were then soon promoted, and whether stationed at the presidency or the subordinate settlements, perhaps mounted guard once or twice a week, and did no other duty, had abundance of leisure time. On those idle days, the morning was generally occupied in calling upon each other at their different quarters, and at each visit taking a draught of punch, or arrack and water; which, however cool and pleasant at the moment, was succeeded by the most deleterious effects; indeed from its fatal consequences it might be called a slow poison; and from this cause alone, it may be confidently asserted, that a number proportionate to the Berhampore estimate, were annually committed to an untimely

grave.

There were many amiable exceptions of youth in the military department, who devoted their morning hours to professional studies, music, drawing, literary improvement, and other rational pursuits, who became eminent in their profession, and are now enjoying the fruits of their wise conduct, independent and happy in their native country. I do not mean to infer that physical

causes have no effect upon the European constitution in India; I know from long experience they are often very powerful; and it must be admitted, that, notwithstanding the utmost care and circumspection, they frequently produce a gradual and melancholy effect, especially on delicate females, who uniformly lead a life of temperance, tranquillity, and virtue. But in that class of Asiatic society which I allude to, I am persuaded that moral evil produces far more fatal consequences than any physical cause whatso

ever.

I can illustrate my position by two anecdotes, trifling perhaps in themselves, but not totally irrelevant to the purpose. The introduction of such circumstances sometimes throws more light upon a subject than learned and laborious discussion.

I was one day in company at Bombay, with twelve other gentlemen, in the civil service, most of them considerably under thirty years of age, when the conversation turning upon the mortality of Europeans in India, one of the company made use of the old remark, that there was something ominous in the number thirteen at a convivial meeting, and that certainly one of us would die before the anniversary of that day in the following year; the probability of which was certainly much in his favour in a climate deemed so inimical to European constitutions. I was, at the moment, cutting open the leaves of a book with an ivory papercutter; and merely to keep in mind the predicted death of one of the company within twelve months from the assertion, I wrote down on the ivory the name of each individual comprised in the fatal number: this was in the year 1770. The ensuing year passed over without the completion of the prophesy; not one of the com

pany died. In 1780, ten years after I made my nomenclature, the whole thirteen were in perfect health. The party consisted of the secretary, deputy secretary, and eleven assistants in their office, writers in the Company's service; several of them are now filling useful and honourable situations in the three different divisions of the United Kingdom, wherein they were born.

This fact evinces the advantages of moderation, employment, and diligence. The following, which is introduced purposely to show the effects of the contrary system, can give no offence; because the thoughtless youth has long since been numbered with the dead. And should the gentleman who wrote it from Tellicherry to his friend at Bombay in the year 1772, and has since appeared both as a senator and an author, peruse these memoirs, he will possibly recollect that he sent this humorous description of a morning visit on the island of Durmapatam, in a letter containing something of much greater importance, which was the cause of its being preserved.

Tellicherry, 14th January, 1772.

"ON sunday last after dinner I accompanied some of our friends belonging to this settlement on a visit to the island of Durmapatam. There was nothing interesting in the excursion, either as to the appearance or natives of the country; but it was impossible to help being diverted with the singularity of an European to whom I was introduced. I must however premise that our mirth was mingled with pity at this degradation of human nature. The person I allude to was no other than lieutenant B—,