brutifying power, are looked upon with mingled pity and contempt by all other classes of their fellow-citizens, and are morally mischievous, not from any bad influence which their vice can exercise over their own countrymen, but from the degree to which their sad propensity risks the degradation of the English character in the eyes of the native community, among all but the dregs of whom (and even among them the crime is rare, compared to its spread among our own lower orders) drunkenness is looked upon with detestation and disgust. On the whole, whatever bugbear-born apprehension fond parents may entertain of sending their junior offspring to India, on account of fever. liver. cholera sun-strokes and Thugs wa mor conesian

merits of this same tomata-sauce are somewhat unduly appreciated. We say this, not without some misgivings; for there may be a state of tomata-sauce perfectibility, to which our artistes have never attainedyet still attainable under the supervision of so thorough a savant as Colonel Davidson. It is undeniable, that the information on AngloIndian Gastronomy to be found in these two amusing volumes, is of an extremely valuable character. Under this conviction we proceed to

enrich our pages with a few extracts:

The Colonel recommends the Sauce.

"Persons, if they even be afflicted with chronic liver, will get hungry after abstinence; so I ordered a clean, snowy table-cloth to be neatly doubled up over the end of my bed, and sat down contented and happy to a most delicious cold sirloin of roast beef, with which, a little dry bread, and a glass of water from a neighbouring well, I made a most comfortable meal. I used my favourite condiment, tomata-sauce, with my beef. To all who are ignorant of this delicious vegetable, I may venture to recommend its sauce, as being at once wholesome and savoury-try it, after my receipt, and you will acknowledge my superiority to Kitchener. Eat it with beef,

mutton, fowl, fish, pilau, curly, stews, grills: eat it with everything but cranberry tart, or apple pie, and you will, I pledge my simplicity, swear by the cours gastronomique, that it is the autocrat of all the sauces; It is the glory of the gourmand, and would create an appetite "under the ribs of death!"-[Vol. I. pp. 12-13.]

The Colonel officiates as chef de cuisine.

"We dressed and sat down to dinner. The rotis had disappeared; wine had been drunk all round; but instead of the lively chat, there arose a dull expectant hum. It was evident, that the feelings of the party were highly excited. Eyes were constantly directed to the door of the tent, facing the batterie de cuisine, where it was well known that I had been exercising my skill. At last, when patience was nearly exhausted, the servants, with unusual stateliness and solemnity of manner, bore in a huge saucepan, in which I had carefully prepared a rich bread sauce. The conversation wholly ceased-the partridges were rapidly dismembered. "Shall I send you any of the sauce?"-"Thank you, most certainly!" It was liberally dispensed to all; and, as I had expected, one joyous universal burst of delight and surprise resounded through the dark grove. They felt that they were sitting in the presence of a master mind. "Capital! most capital! Never in England ate anything half so delicious! Superb! superb, indeed!" In fact it was-what in the Scotch kirk they designate--“ a harmonious call!" My spirit was soothed: it was clear that my talent had not been wasted on insensates. Happy, thrice happy is he, who can thus command the sincere praise, by increasing the honest enjoyments of his fellow-creatures!

Amongst a certain class of people, I have been told that gastronomy is despised. But, good souls, do they love their potatoes raw; their mutton chops smoked and tough; their cutlets stringy; their soups tasteless and cold; their beefsteaks thin, greasy, and cindered? No-no! the deuce a bit. They relish everything well dressed and delicious; yet thinking to blind the world by hypocrisy, they pretend that it is low and sensual to care for such things! Gentle reader, may you never be unawares surprised into the company of such knaves! Let your hearts expand, and your tongue delight, in showing how gloriously the earth is decked with goodly fruits of various flavours; how splendidly it is ornamented with gorgeous flowers of every hue and fragrance. Nature is all joyous, and inciting to joy. Bleak and barren indeed must that spot be, where the eye of a sound-hearted and skilful gastronomist cannot discover matter for thankfulness! For him does sad and solitary Ascension gather together her luscious and indescribable turtle; for him the dark rocks and arid plains of the dry Deccan produce their purple grapes, and cunning, but goodly bustard; for him burning Bundlecund its wonderful rock pigeon, and ortolan inimitable; the Jumna, most ancient of rivers, its large rich kala banse, and tasty crabs; for him yields the long and marshy Teraee her elegant florican; the mighty Gunga its melting mâhâseer; the Goomtee its exquisite mullet. And shall he not eat and delight in her fruits? Shall he not revel in her flowers? Shall he not gratefully and sedulously prepare the bounteous gifts, so as to obtain the highest possible regale?

Anything the raw-skate worshippers may say to the contrary notwithstanding, I am no advocate for excess, but for temperate social enjoyment. Let the ass eat its thistles, and the swallow its flies, au naturel; you and I, reader, know better."-[Vol. II. pp. 240-242.]

The Colonel is on Short Commons.

"March 18th.-Marched before sunrise, and about nine, arrived at and crossed the Mohun nuddee, not two feet deep, encamping on the west bank,

in a beautiful grove of young sissoo trees, whose delicate green leaves and snowy blossoms were unfolding their verdant beauties. Found our breakfast tent pitched, but the kitchen and artistes in the rear; so we got up a breakfast on such articles as had been despatched yesterday. At first we were a little distressed for chairs, but they came dropping in one by one. To be sure, there was little or nothing to eat; but a delicate brisket of corned gynee, or dwarf beef, cold roast and boiled gram-fed mutton, exquisite bread, and delicious butter; rich sweet cow's milk in abundance; green tea, salt, pepper, and sugar; currant and apricot jellies. People were a little out of spirits at these short commons: but for my own part, I reminded them that it was the duty of sportsmen and soldiers to bear privations and sufferings with a good grace. The example I had so cheerfully set was soon followed, and long faces were at a discount."—[Vol. II. pp. 294-295.]

The Colonel loses his bread-sauce.

"Arnold and Waugh had sallied out at four, and before dinner returned with seven delicious fat teal; and well was it for us that we had some appui"a green spot," on which to repose in the second course, for the floricans, although tender as ever, were decidedly fishy.

The increasing, rancorous, and most bitter jealousy of the Khansaman, had reached such" bad eminence," by the well-merited encomia which day by day regaled my ears, that in his blind and idiot fury, he actually denied me the butter that I required! In one word-for I am unwilling to enlist the passions, when my cause ought to command the judgment of my readersthere was no bread sauce!!

On remonstrating, the reply was, "I not got. and how must give? Every day he make it me trouble for butter! Where can I get? Suppose give perwanneh, then I get! 'Pon my honour, not got!" And the same evening, believe me, gentle reader, if there be truths in Ude! there was a pat large enough to have sufficed, placed on table after the second course, to be eaten with cheese! As the eastern barbarians say, "what need I say more?" Gastronomic ignorance could hardly go further!"-[Vol. II. p. 338 ]

The Colonel encounters a wag.

"Riding past this (Baboo's) Ghat one morning, I heard a loud call in my rear, and turning round, discovered that a Bengalee book-hawker wished to enjoy my conversation. He ran up quite breathless, and opening his wallet. took out a little octavo half-bound-in-Russia volume, which he placed in my hands with an air of triumphant satisfaction. “Lo, Sahib ! Lo!" Take it sirtake it! I took and opened the book, and the first glance displayed an old fat lady in a chair. Its title was, "Wade on Corpulency." I had never before seen, although I had heard of, the work. I saw another similar etching, and at last laughed heartily, "What do you want for this? How much?" "You know best, sir." "No, I don't. What is its value?" "You ought to be best judge of that, sir," said the niggur laughing in my face. I immediately looked round, to ascertain whether he had not been directed by some wag to bring it me as a joke, but I could not see any one."-[Vol. II. page 211]

This fellow ought to have received a rupee on the spot.

SANDERS AND CONES, TYPS., NO. 4, TANK-SQUARE, CALCUTTA.

THE

CALCUTTA REVIEW.

ART. I.-1. History of Astronomy. With an Appendix, containing a View of the principal elements of the Indian Astronomy as contained in the Surya Siddhanta. (Library of Useful Knowledge.) London: Baldwin and Cradock.

2. The Use of the Siddhantas in the Work of Native Education. By Lancelot Wilkinson, Esq., Bombay C. S.-Ass. Res. at Bhopal, (Calcutta Asiatic Society's Journal), 1834.

THE history of science is itself a science; and one of the most interesting and important of them all. To trace the stream of discovery from its lofty well-head, to follow its various windings, mark its frequent disappearances, its rapids and its stagnancies, is a work at once of the greatest interest, the greatest importance, and the greatest difficulty. The interest of the investigation is derived from our very nature and constitution as members of the great human brotherhood; in virtue of which nothing that belongs to man ought to be indifferent to man; and least of all that which has engrossed the attention and measured the enjoyment of the most gifted of our race. The importance of the study chiefly depends upon the fact that experience is our grand guide in philosophy; and therefore it is in a great measure by a knowledge of what has been accomplished by our predecessors, and of the methods by which it has been accomplished, that we are to be guided in the direction of our own observations. The difficulty of tracing distinctly the progress of science will be well exemplified in the course of our present article, which we purpose to devote mainly to an examination of the antiquity of the Hindu Astronomy. But while the subject we have undertaken is confessedly a difficult one, we shall endeavour as far as possible to encounter the difficulty ourselves, and by divesting the subject in a great measure of technicalities, to render it accessible and even attractive, to the general reader. In fact, we shall advance very little that is original, but shall be well contented if we can so

place the matter in an attractive light before our readers, as to inspire some of them with an interest in a subject from. which they have probably been repelled by the technicalities that have hitherto adhered to it.

That the Hindus have amongst them a considerable amount of astronomical knowledge, is a fact which is rendered unquestionable by their power of calculating the eclipses of the sun and moon with very considerable accuracy. That for a long period they have made no advancement, but have rather retrograded in their knowledge of the principles of the science, seems almost equally certain. It therefore follows, that the science of astronomy must have been cultivated among them at an early period; and the question is as to the actual remoteness of that period. As no formal records exist of the progress of discovery among them, the determination of the important question of the antiquity of their astronomical systems must depend almost exclusively on internal evidence furnished by the systems themselves. It must, therefore, be our first course to furnish a short sketch of the form in which their systems present themselves to us at the present day.

The astronomical works of the Hindus are of two classes, viz., astronomical tables and systematic treatises. Of the former class, four sets are known to the astronomers of Europe. The first was brought from Siam by M. La Loubere, in 1687. For some time, the tables were not intelligible to any of the European astronomers, but were at last satisfactorily explained by Cassini, one of the most illustrious astronomers of his age. Though brought immediately from Siam, they are of strictly Hindu origin; for they are constructed for a meridian 18° 15' to the westward of Siam. This meridian will very nearly coincide with the Hindu meridian of Lanka,* and also with that of Benares: and thus no doubt can exist as to the Intra-Gangetic origin of the Siamese tables.† The second set of tables was sent from Chrishnabouram, in the Carnatic, by the Jesuit Missionary, Du Champ, about 1750. They were thoroughly understood by Du Champ himself, who illustrated them by a set of examples and rules, which render them easily intelligible to one who is acquainted with the details of European

It is not exactly ascertained what is meant by the meridian of Lanka. This, as is well known, is the name usually given to the island of Ceylon. But the accuracy of the Indian tables is far too great to admit of the supposition of so much vagueness as would be implied in speaking of the meridian of a large island. The most probable supposition seems to be that the first meridian was that which bisected Ceylon.

May not the fact of the Siamese possessing and making use of the Hindu Astronomical tables indicate something in regard to the intercourse that subsisted at an early period between India and the Eastern Peninsula?