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sions of a middle sized ox were as follows: From the nose to the root of the horn, 21 inches. From the ropt of the horn to the highest part of the hump, 30 inches. From the height of the hump to the projecting part of the ossa ischia, 45 inches. From the hump to the ground, 46 inches. From the top of the hipbones to the ground, 51 inches.

The cows of this breed are pure white; but the bulls have generally an admixture of black on the neck and hind-quarters. These cattle are more subject to the disease than the cattle living in villages; and once in three years an epidemic generally prevails among them. It is reckoned severe when one-third of a man's stock perishes, although sometimes the whole is lost; but in general, as all the cows are reserved for breeding, the loss occasioned by one epidemic is made up before another comes.

These cattle are entirely managed by Goalas; and some of these people have a considerable property of this kind: but the greater part of these breeding flocks belong to the rich inhabitants of towns and villages, who hire the Goalas to take care of them; and, for the advantage of better bulls, send to the fold all their spare cows of the village breed. In procuring bulls of a good kind, some expence is incurred for the price given for them is from 10 to 20 pagodas (31. 7s. 1d. ́to 6l. 14s. 2d.), while from 8 to 15 pagodas is the price of an ox of this kind. Care is taken to emas culate all the young males that are not intended for breeding, before they can injure the flock.

The Goalas live in huts near the small villages, in parts of the country that contain much uncultivated

land, and are surrounded by the folds, in which they always keep as many cattle as will cultivate a little land, and as the pasture near the place will maintain. But as local failures of ran frequently occasion a want of forage near their huts, some of the men drive their flocks to other places where the season has been more favourable, and either take up their abode near the huts of some other Goalas, giving them the dung of their fold for the trouble which they occasion, or live in the midst of woods, in places where the small reservoirs, called cuttays, have been formed to supply their cattle with water. All the breeding and young cattle, with all the sheep and goats, are carried on these expeditions; but a few labouring cattle and the buffaloes are left at home in charge of the wo men, and of the men who can be spared from accompanying the flocks. During the whole time that they are absent the Goalas never sleep in a hut; but, wrapped up in their blankets, and accompanied by their dogs, they lie down among the cattle within the folds, where alt night they burn fires to keep away the tigers. This, however, is not always sufficient; and these ferocious animals sometimes break through the fence, and kill or wound the cattle. The men have no fire-arms, the report of which would terrify the cattle; and for driving away the tiger, they trust to the noise which they and their dogs make. They are also much distressed by robbers, who kill or carry away the sheep and goats; but unless it be a numerous rabble that call themselves the army of a Polygar, no thieves can annoy their black cattle; for these are too unruly to be driven by any

persons

persons but their keepers; and the most hardened villain would not dare to slaughter an animal of this sacred species.

Exclusive of the buffaloes, which are managed as I have described at Seringapatam, the cattle of the Goalas have nothing to eat, except what they pick up in the wastes. The cows and sheep eat grass, and the goats the leaves of every kind of tree, bush, or climber, those of the Periploca emetica W: excepted. Each kind of cattle must have a separate fold. From this, when at a distance from home, they are driven out at sun-rise, as then the calves get all the milk, except a little used by the herdsman; but near the village the cows are milked every morning; and this operation, which is performed by the men, takes up two hours. From each about 2 Seers, or 1 pint, only are taken. They are indeed miserably lean, and at twenty yards distance their ribs may be distinctly counted. The cattle are once a day conducted to the water; and the calves, after they are a month old, follow their mothers to pasture: before that they remain in the fold, under the charge of the man who cooks.

When a rich man sends a flock of a hundred cows under the care of the Goalas, he allows wages for two men, each of whom has annually 60 Fanams, with a blanket and pair of shoes; in all, worth about 21. 5s. 1d.; and when they come on business to their master's house they get their victuals. For grass he pays also five Fanams a year to the keeper of the forest. These (3s. 4d.) with the two men's wages, making in all 41. 13s. 2d. are the whole of his annual expence. The profits, when no disaster happens, will be:

for Ghee, or boiled butter, 8 Pagodas; for sour curds, butter-milk, &c. 4 Pagodas; for 20 three-yearold buttocks 60 Pagodas; in all 72 Pagodas, or 720 Fanams, or 241. 3s. 6d.: from this deduct the expence, and there will remain 191. 10s. as the gain upon the original stock, which may be estimated at 150 Pagodas for the 100 cows, and 30 Pagodas for the two bulls; in all, 1300 Fanams, or 431, 13s. which is almost 45 per cent. annually on the original value of the stock.

The Goalas keep many Curis, and Maykays, or sheep and goats. These always accompany them in their expeditions; and even those who are servants to the rich men generally carry with them flocks of sheep and goats, or are accompanied by some men possessed of that stock; so that less than four men never go together. The sheep are more subject to the disease than the cows, and the goats still more so than the sheep. A flock of a hundred small cattle requires the attendance of two men, and two dogs; and these have more profit from their own small herd, than the men who serve the rich to take

care of cows. This they acknow ledge themselves; yet they will only allow the profits of the 100 goats to amount to 100 Fanams a year; that is to say, 80 Fanams for 30 three-year-old males, and 20 Fanams for boiled butter. They eat the old females, and give the keeper of the forest two males for every hundred, in order to obtain his permission to cut the trees, that the goats may procure leaves.

A Goala, that is reckoned rich, will have 200 cows, 30 female buffaloes, 50 ewes, and 100 she

goats;

goats; and will keep as many labouring oxen as will work three ploughs. Such a man, Trimula Navaka says, besides paying rent, and finding his family in provisions, will annually make 100 Pagodas, or 331. 10s. 10d. His clothing, being a blanket, costs a mere trifle; and part of the money he expends in the marriages of the younger branches of the family, and in religious ceremonies; the remainder is in general buried, and a great deal of money is in this way lost; as when the men get old and stupid, they forget where their treasures are hidden, and sometimes die with out divulging the secret.

The farmers also keep small flocks of goats and sheep, which are sent, under the charge of a boy, to the pastures near the village. In the evening they are brought home; when the goats are taken into the house, and the sheep are folded on the field of their proprietor.

The cattle in this country, as I have already mentioned, are milked by the men, who carry the produce home to the women; for they pre pare the butter. The milk, on its arrival, is immediately boiled for at least one hour; but two or three hours are reckoned better. The earthen pots, in which this is done, are in general so nasty, that after this operation no part of the produce of the dairy is tolerable to an European; and whatever they use, their own servants must prepare. The natives never use raw milk, alleging that it has no flavour. The boiled milk, that the family has not used, is allowed to cool in the same vessel; and a little of the former days tyre, or curdled milk, is added to promote its coagulation, and the acid fermentation. Next morn

ing it has become tyre, or coagula ted acid milk. From the top of each potful, five or six inches of the Tyre are taken, and put into an earthen jar, where it is churned by turning round in it a split bamboo. This is done very expertly by a rope, which, like that of a turner's lathe, is passed two or three times round the bamboo, and a quick motion in contrary directions is given by pulling first one end of the rope, and then the other. After half an hour's churning, some hot water is added, and the operation is repeated for about half an hour more; when the butter forms. The natives never use butter; but prefer what is called Ghee, not only as that keeps better, but also as it has more taste and smell. In order to collect a quantity sufficient for making Ghee, the butter is often kept two or three days; and in that time a warm climate renders it highly rancid. When a sufficient quantity has been collected, it is melted in an earthen pot, and boiled until all the water mixed with the butter has evaporated. It is then taken from the fire; and, for what reason I could not learn, a little tyre anl salt, or betel-leaf and reddle, are added. It is kept in pots, has a very strong smell, and is best preserved from spoiling by a little tamarind and salt, which at any rate enter into the dishes of all the natives that can afford to use Ghee. It is eaten when even a year old. Three Pucka Seers, or 252 Rupees weight of buffaloes milk, give 100 Rupees weight of Ghee; the same quantity of cow and buffalo milk mixed, as usual, give 80 Rupees weight; cow milk alone gives 60 Rupees weight, and goat milk only 40 Rupees weight.

POETRY.

POETRY.

ODE for the NEW YEAR, 1807.
By HENRY JAMES PYE, Esq. Poet-Laureal.

I.

WHEN loud and drear the tempests roar,

When high the billowy mountains rise,
And headlong 'gainst the rocky shore,

Driven by the blast, the giddy vessel flies;
Unguided, by the wild waves borne,
Her rudder broke, her tackling torne,
Say, does the seaman's daring mind
Shrink from the angry frown of fate?
Does he, to abject fear resign'd,
Th' impending stroke in silence wait?
No-while he pours the fervent prayer
To Him whose will can punish or can spare,
Cool and intrepid 'mid the sound

Of winds and waves that rage around,
The powers that skill and strength impart,

The nervous arm, th' undaunted heart,

Collecting,-firm he fronts the threat'ning storm,

And braves, with fearless breast, fell Death's terrific form:

II.

So, though around our sea-encircled reigu,

The dreadful tempest seem to lower,

Dismay'd do Britain's hardy train

Await in doubt the threat'ning hour?

Lo! to his sons, with cheering voice,
Albion's bold Genius calls aloud:
Around him valiant myriads crowd,
Or death or victory their choice;
From ev'ry port astonish'd Europe sees
Britannia's white sails swelling with the breeze;
Not her imperial barks alone

L

Awe

Awe the proud foe on ev'ry side,
Commerce her vessels launches on the tide,
And her indignant sons awhile

Seceding from their wonted toil,

Turn from the arts of Peace their care,

Hurl from each deck the bolts of war,
To sweep th' injurious boasters from the main,
Who dare to circumscribe Britannia's naval reign.

III.

And see with emulative zeal

Our hosts congenial ardour feel;
The ardent spirit, that of yore

Flam'd high on Gallia's vanquish'd shore ;
Or burn'd by Danube's distant flood,

When flow'd his current ting'd with Gallic blood;
Or shone on Lincelles' later fight:

Or fir'd by Acre's tow'rs the Christian Knight;
Or taught on Maida's fields the Gaut to feel,
Urg'd by the Briton's arm, the British steel;
Now in each breast with heat redoubled glows,
And gleams dismay and death on Europe's ruthless foes.

IV.

Not to Ambition's specious charm,

Not to th' ensanguin'd Despot's hand,

Is conquest bound-a mightier Arm

Than Earth's proud tyrants can withstand,

The balance holds of human fate,

Raises the low and sinks the great;

Exerting then in Europe's cause
Each energy of arm and mind,

All that from force or skill the warrior draws,
Yet to th' Almighty power resign'd,
Whose high behest all Nature's movements guides,
Controls the battle's and the ocean's tides;

Britain still hopes that Heav'n her vows will hear,
While Mercy rears her shield, and Justice points her spear.

ODE for his MAJESTY'S BIRTH-Day, 1807.

By HENRY JAMES PYE, Esq. Poet-Laureat.

I.

TILL does the trumpet's brazen throat

STILL

Pour forth a martial sound,

Still do the notes of battle float

In warlike clangour round;

Nor

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