scullions, make their appearance in the state apartments whenever they
please; and in Bengal even the lower orders of palanquin-bearers, who
wear but little clothing, will walk into a room without ceremony, and
endeavour to make themselves useful by dusting the furniture, setting it
in order; at the same time, any of the upper servants would deem it
highly disrespectful to their masters to appear without their turbans,
or their other usual clothing.

The punkah, a necessary appendage of every house, is worthy of
description. It is formed of a wooden framework, a foot and a half or
two feet broad, hung in the centre of the room, and extending nearly its
whole length. This frame is covered with painted canvas or fluted silk,
finished round the edges with gilt mouldings. It is suspended from the
ceiling by ropes, covered with scarlet cloth, very tastefully disposed,
and hangs within seven feet of the ground. A rope is fastened to the
centre, and the whole apparatus waves to and fro, creating, if pulled
vigorously, a strong current of air, and rendering the surrounding
atmosphere endurable, when the heat would, without it, be very
disagreeable.

Captain Clayton was stationed up the country, where Mrs Clayton took my
little sister, and Ellen Barrow accompanied them. I was very sorry to
part from all my kind friends, as well as my little sister, and often
used to ask when they were coming back again. I missed my sweet
playmate, Ellen Barrow, very much; for among all my obsequious
attendants, no one could romp with me as she did, or amuse me half so
much. I loved her dearly, and had I never again seen her, I think I
should never have forgotten her countenance.

I must be very brief with this part of my history, as the adventures I
afterwards met with will, I doubt not, prove more interesting to my
readers.

I must, however, while I am talking of India, recommend my young friends
to make themselves well acquainted with the geographical position of the
most important places in it. I have often, since coming to England,
been asked if I knew Mr So-and-so of India, as if India was a town or
an English county. A glance at the map will show the immense extent of
the British possessions in the East. They are divided into three
Presidencies, or Sub-governments--those of Bengal, Madras and Bombay.
Connected with these are a great number of subsidiary and protected
states. Some of the nominal rulers of these are tributary