d food;
the ladies make and receive visits; and the domenie attend to play and
sing in the zeenahnah. In short, the whole day is passed in cheerful
amusements, suited to the retirement of a zeenahnah and the habits of the
people.

* * * * *

There is a festival observed at Lucknow called Bussund[27] (spring-colour).
I should remark here, that almost all the trees of India have perpetual
foliage; as the season approaches for the new leaves to sprout, the young
buds force off the old leaves; and when the trees are thus clothed in
their first delicate foliage, there is a yellow tinge in the colour which
is denominated Bussund (Spring). A day is appointed to be kept under this
title, and then every one wears the Bussund colour: no one would be
admitted at Court without this badge of the day. The elephants, horses and
camels of the King, or of his nobles, are all ornamented with the same
colour on their trappings.

The King holds a Court, gives a public breakfast, and exhibits sports with
ferocious animals. The amusements of this day are chiefly confined to the
Court: I have not observed much notice taken of it in private life.

The last month of the periodical rains is called Sahbaund.[28] There is a
custom observed by the Mussulmaun population, the origin of which has
never been clearly explained to me; some say it is in remembrance of the
Prophet Elisha or Elijah, and commences the first Friday of Sahbaund, and
is followed up every succeeding Friday through this concluding month of
the rainy season.[29]

This ceremony may have had its origin with devout persons willing to
honour or to invoke the Prophet Elijah, who, as our Scripture informs us,
'prayed, and the clouds gave no rain for the space of three years; and
again he prayed and the heavens were opened to his prayer'. Or in that of
Elisha parting the waters with the mantle of Elijah, after succeeding him
in the Prophetic office, 2 Kings ii. 14; or a still more probable event,
calculated to excite the pious to some such annual notice as is observed
with these people, in the same chapter, the twentieth and following verses,
where we find it said of Elisha, 'And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and
put salt therein. And they brought it to him. And he went forth unto the
spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the
Lord, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more
dearth or barren lan