THIRTY-FIVE YEARS IN THE EAST. * Tars is a singular book
by.a singular man. Dr. Honigberger is one of those numerous foreigners who seek fortune or subsistence in the East, sometimes reaching eminence, but more frequently living a hard and despised life and dying prematurely. Kronstadt in Transylvania is the Doctor's native place ; whence he started; in 1815, in search of fortune as a medical practitioner in the Turk- ish dominions. For fifteen years after leaving home did Dr. Honig- berger knock about the countries on this side the Euphrates; some- times physician to a Pacha, sometimes "in practice,' and at times without a patient, on account of atmospheric disease which he could not cure and "physician cure thyself" seems an Oriental maxim. Asia iffinor, Palestine, Egypt, were in turn the Doctor's domicile. Hearing of an opening at Bagdad, he started with another European adventurer to cross the desert in company with a caravan, and seemed, as usual, to acquire a reputation and per- form cures; but his patron Pacha, having aspired to independence, was captured and carried to Constantinople. The Transylvanian, therefore, looked about him again, and, having been told that Runjeet Sing had European military officers but not surgeons he set off' for Lahore. The journey in itself was one which only a person who had been accustomed for a decade to take things as they came in Oriental life, could have undertaken with much chance of success. In our traveller's case, the perils and hard- ships were increased by the route he was driven to follow; which, after a " circumbendibus " through Persia, brought him back to Bagdad ; whence he made his way to Scinde,—a very different place then from what it is now. From Scinde he finally reached Lahore, in spite of the difficulties of the road, and of sickness aggravated by privations ; he and a faithful Christian servant travelling part of the time as Mahomedans. "Our camel-driver advised us to lodge in the mosques, in order to be taken for Mahomedans. By so doing, we were provided with food gratis, by the hospitable Mussulmans. I and my servant were dressed in the costume of the inhabitants of Bagdad ; we could speak the Persian, Arabic, and the Turkish languages, had long beards, and addressed each other as llajee, i.e. pilgrim. Our carpets, which constituted our beds, were quite similar, and were placed close to one another. We ate together, according to the Eastern custom using our fingers instead of knives and forks ; in fact, we played our. parth so well, that none recognized us as Christians. Having our quarters in the mosque, it was very annoying for us to see the Mussulmans come five times every twenty-four hours to offer up their prayers. They. thought it strange that we, as pilgrims and their guests, did not join in their devotions. It is true, we could easily have done so ; but, knowing how to excuse ourselves, we did not like to push our dissimulation any further. We had only to whisper into the ear of one of them that we were unclean."
On arriving at Lahore, Dr. llonigberger experienced the curse of a suitor either at European or Oriental courts; but the foreign generals took him in hand, and after a while he got several appointments. With the exception of a journey to Europe to visit his family, he remained at Lahore till the country was annexed by the British ; when he retired on a pension from the East India Company : and here lit has published his life and ex- periences.
If we consider the extent and circumstances of his travels the narrative by no means corresponds to the author's opportunities; for such a life as he had led might have produced an Asiatic "Gil Bias," with less than the genius of Le Sage. The story, in- deed, is written from memory ; for it was of course impossible, save at the risk of life, to take notes in the wilder regions where Dr. lionigberger travelled ; and his time, he says, was afterwards too much occupied in medical and other scientific pursuits to journalize. Still, a more vigorous mind would have infused more spirit, vi- tality, and fulness, into such a series of observations. Strange ad- ventures, curious incidents, medical facts and remarks, with per- sonal anecdotes, are found in the narrative ; indeed, it consists of little else : but the story partakes more of the simplicity of the old adventurers than of the literary and scientific character of books of the day : its interest arises from the pervading character of pushing adventure. Long residence, too among an unsophisticated people, has given to the author the philosophic plainness of speech which has always distinguished the East, though occasionally he calls a dead language to his aid. To the same cause must be traced the placidity with which he regards acts that under any rule but that of a despot would be considered atrocious. Take for example Gene- ral Avitabile and his penchant for champagne and hanging people. "I attended, at Wurzeerabad, the Governor of that province, GeneralAvi- tabile; who having sprained his ankle, had called in the native surgeons, barbers and bunglers, and they had so assiduously applied irritating poul- tices arid embrocations, that the leg became inflamed, and was approaching to mortification. Under my treatment, the patient recovered, and the leg was restored to its proper functions. Subsequently he was afflicted with a con- traction of the muscles of the face, which, on account of his long, crooked nose, appeared the more striking : this disease I ascribed to his immoderate indulgence in champagne, which affected his brain. Although I cured him at that time, two years ago he died suddenly of apoplexy, from continuing • Thirty-five Years in the East. Adventures, Discoveries, Experiments, and His- torical Sketches, relating to the Punjab and Cashmere, in connexion with Medicine, Botany, Pharmacy, &c.; together with an original Materia Medica and a Medical Vocabulary, in four European and five Eastern Languages. By John Martin Ho- nigberger, late Physician to the Court of Lahore. Two volumes in one. Published by Bailliere. the same excess, in his own country. Having acquired immense riches, he returned to Europe, to enjoy in his native land (Naples) the fruits of his ex- ertions; and there he died, in the autumn of his life. Peace to his ashes! although many an unfortunate man was hung by his orders, at Wurzeerabad, as well as at Peshawur, where he exercised his sway in a most arbitrary manner. The pleasure which he took in seeing people hung by dozens must be at- tributed to the affection of his brain. General Allard told me that the Ma- harajah once reprimanded him for having executed some Mussulmans, whom General Avitabile had ordered to be hung because they were of opinion that, under the protection of an European governor, they might be at liberty to eat beef! The opinion of Runjeet Sing was, that he ought to have imprisoned the criminals, and then allowed them to escape."
The other European generals, though they might not proceed so far as hanging, were yet off-hand and rather regal in their ways.
"My return to my native country was via Mooltan and Dhera-Ghasi- Khan, where General Ventura was then Governor. As I had provided'my- self with vaccine matter to use for my journey, the General wished me to vaticinate his darling child. Madame Ventura was opposed to my commen- cing with her little daughter Victorine ; so her husband ordered some poor children to be brought from the bazaar at Dhera, whom I vaccinated, and to each of them he gave a rupee as a remuneration. On the eighth day, on which the children ought to have come to me that I might take the vaccine matter for further use, no one appeared ; and I was told that their alarmed parents had removed them from the town. The parents had heard a rumour that on the eighth day, on their reappearance, the Feringhee (European) doctor would cut the moomiai from their arm' which operation was supposed to endanger life : but on General Ventura's threatening the kotoal (police- officer) with imprisonment, one of the boys was brought to me on the fol- lowing morning ; from whom I got vaccine matter enough to enable me to vaccinate several other children, among whom was Mias Victorine, at the harem of the GeneraL" Dr. Honigberger's homeward journey, in 1834, was made by way of Cabal, Balkh, Bokhara, and across the desert of Tartary to the Russian town of Orenburg. On this journey he picked up some facts of various kinds; among others' the flavour of the beverage drawn from mare's-milk, and the art of making it. "Among other objects which attracted ray attention in the desert, con- nected with scientific knowledge, was the kumiss, (fermented mare's-milk,) a favourite beverage with the Kirgis, and also with the inhabitants of the Russian boundaries. I could give a great many proofs that the kumiss is a very wholesome and nutritious beverage. It may suffice to mention here, that the Governor of Orenburg returned at that time from the Ural Moun- tains, where he had used the kumiss as a cure with great benefit. I may observe also, that it is introduced at the tables of the nobility at Orenburg and several other places. It was especially drunk by weak persons and children, as a wholesome potion. Kumiss is a palatable and intoxicating drink, it being produced by fermentation, and consequently spirituous. They prepare it by pouring the mare's-milk into seasoned goat's-skins, which are contin- ually tossed about until it begins to ferment. According to the opinion of the Rirgises, the kumiss is better when the milk is procured from mares of different colours. The fresher it is, the better for the health."
Dying by or in the Ganges is a well-known custom : this story of the Hindoo convalescents is new to us, at least to our recollection.
"As we approached Bengal, I observed, on both banks of the Ganges, a gradually increasing number of cane-mats, coverlets, drinking ves- sels, &c.; and also many sick persons lying upon mats, &c. On in- quiring the cause, I found that it was the custom of the country among the poorer classes, that when a patient was supposed to be past all hope of recovery, his relations conveyed him to the banks of the Ganges, so that he might die in the vicinity of the sacred river. The relations or Mends of the patients, visit the spot, to ascertain whether they are still living : when death ensues, they purchase a sufficiency of wood to make a funeral-pile, and commit the body to the flames; when their means do not afford the expense of doing this, they merely burn a portion of the face, and then push the body into the sacred river. When a patient, thus situated, happens to recover, he considers that he has, as it were, acquired a new life, and thenceforth all his former relations and friends are treated as strangers; he never returns to the dwelling in which he had formerly resided, but wanders down the Ganges, until he arrives at Santipore, near Calcutta, where he settles himself; and it is a. curious fact, that nearly the whole po- pulation of Santipore is composed of such persons. These people never again hold any communication with those who had been nearest and dearest to them ; and theycontract marriages amongst themselves only. This town or colony—the only one, perhaps, of its kind in the world—may be called the colony of convalescents."
The career of the author forms but one portion of his object or of his portly volume. The larger part of the book is devoted to a very elaborate pharmacopoeia or materia medica of Scinde, a sort of dic- tionary of terms in various languages, and an exposition of the au- thor's new system, termed by him the "medium system." This, in principle, is a kind of half-way between allopathy and homoeopathy; Dr. Honigberger prescribing less than the usual dose, but more than the homeopathists. Upon this part of the book it is not intended to enter. As a theoretical physician, Dr. Honigberger is somewhat credulous ; and though it is possible that useful medicines may be found in his long list, much of it must be superfluous. The Asia- tic system, like that in vogue during the middle ages in Europe, delights in numerous and often contradietory or useless ingredients. The best characteristic of modern prescriptions is their tendency to simplicity.
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