has found a son-in-law, he describes his
bodily and mental qualities as well as his worldly circumstances to
his wife, and with this description she is obliged to content
herself, for she is never allowed to see her future son-in-law,
either as the betrothed, or the husband of her child. The
bridegroom is never considered to belong to the family of the bride,
but the latter leaves her own relations for those of her husband.
No woman, however, is allowed to see or speak with the male
relations of her husband, nor dare she ever appear before the men-
servants of her household without being veiled. If she wishes to
pay a visit to her mother, she is carried to her shut up in a
palanquin.

I also saw the Baboo's wife and one of his sisters-in-law. The
former was twenty-five years old and very corpulent, the latter was
fifteen and was slim and well made. The reason of this, as I was
told, is that the females, although married so young, seldom become
mothers before their fourteenth year, and until then preserve their
original slimness. After their first confinement, they remain for
six or eight weeks shut up in their room, without taking the least
exercise, and living all the time on the most sumptuous and dainty
food. This fattening process generally produces the desired effect.
The reader must know that the Hindoos, like the Mahomedans, are
partial to corpulent ladies. I never saw any specimens of this kind
of beauty, however, among the lower classes.

The two ladies were not very decently attired. Their bodies and
heads were enveloped in ample blue and white muslin drapery,
embroidered with gold, and bordered with lace of the same material
as broad as a man's hand, but the delicate texture {150} was so
ethereal, that every outline of the body was visible beneath it.
Besides this, whenever they moved their arms the muslin opened and
displayed not only their arm, but a portion of their bosom and body.
They appeared to pay a great deal of attention to their hair; their
chief care seemed to consist in replacing the muslin on their heads,
whenever it chanced to fall off. As long as a female is unmarried,
she is never allowed to lay aside her head-dress.

These ladies were so overloaded with gold, pearls, and diamonds,
that they really resembled beasts of burden. Large pearls, with
other precious stones strung together, adorned their head and neck,
as likewise did heavy gold chains and mounted gold coins. Their
e