Title
A Voyage to the East Indies: Page 58
Description
Yet altho these Girls perform those Feats in Honour of the Divinity and before their Temples, they are a set of abandon’d Prostitutes, & dance no longer than they are Paid. I have hitherto been speaking of the Gentoos but these are a great Many call’d Moors, who follow Mahometanism, but differ little in their Dress, Manner of Living, etc. from the Gentoos. Polygamy is not allow’d amongst the Gentoos, but they who can afford, generally keep a Number of Women; & as they are contracted to each other Young, without their Consent & even without their knowledge of each other, it generally happens that the poor Wife is sacrificd to the Rage of a disappointed Man who has the Power of treating her as his slave, as he generally does. I believe in some Cases Bigamy is admissable. The Gentoos burn their dead, & the so much talk’d of Custom of their wives burning with them voluntarily would prevail here, was it not prevented by the strict Injuctions of the English.
The Nabob of Arcot who nominally governs the Carnatic, resides at a House about two Miles from the Town, tho’ in Times of Danger he comes to Madras for Safety. He is said to be very poor & one great proof of it is, the slow Payment of his Troops. The Nabobs’ and Company’s Forces amount to the Number of ___. Who are dispers’d all over the Carnatic, to exact obedience & collect the Revenue which amounts annually to the sum of ___ [end page 58]
The Nabob of Arcot who nominally governs the Carnatic, resides at a House about two Miles from the Town, tho’ in Times of Danger he comes to Madras for Safety. He is said to be very poor & one great proof of it is, the slow Payment of his Troops. The Nabobs’ and Company’s Forces amount to the Number of ___. Who are dispers’d all over the Carnatic, to exact obedience & collect the Revenue which amounts annually to the sum of ___ [end page 58]
