features are well-formed, their teeth are white, and their eyes have a
soft expression. The women take much pains to dress their long black
hair, which is soft as silk: they gather it up in a knot at their heads,
and crown it with flowers. They have no occasion for a needle to make
their dresses, as they are all in one piece. They wind a long strip of
white muslin (called a saree) round their bodies, and fold it over their
heads like a veil, and then they are full dressed, except their
ornaments, and with these they load themselves; glass rings of different
colors on their arms, silver rings on their fingers and toes, and gold
rings in their ears, and a gold ring in their nose.

The men wear a long strip of calico twisted closely round their bodies,
and another thrown loosely over their shoulders; but this last they cast
off when they are at work: it is their upper garment. On their heads they
wear turbans, and on their feet sandals. The clothes of both men and
women are generally white or pink, or white bordered with red.

FOOD.--The most common food is rice; and with this curry is often mixed
to give it a relish. What is curry? It is a mixture of herbs, spices, and
oil.

Very poor people cannot afford to eat either rice or curry; and they eat
some coarse grain instead. A lady who made a feast for the poor provided
nothing but rice, and she found that it was thought as good as roast
beef and plum pudding are thought in England. The day after the feast
some of the poor creatures came to pick up the grains of rice that were
fallen upon the ground.

The rich Hindoos eat mutton and venison, but not beef; this they think it
wicked to eat, because they worship bulls and cows.