THE ENGLISM IN IN DI A.

Tisess tales by a traveller possess much interest and exhibit much ability. The author has observed life, and studied the work- ings of the human heart ; he has acquired an easy command of lan- guage; and has made himself acquainted with the best fictions, imbibing their spirit, without servilely copying their forms or ca- ricaturing their prominent points. What is perhaps better, he is a man of the world, who has seen life, and paints it as it really is. His people are men and women, not angels er dromons; they are neither subjected to unalloyed happiness or pure evil, but taste of that mixture which, as divines tell us, is our lot on earth.

The sketches contained in the two volumes are six in number. "The Will" exhibits nothing particular, excepting the truthful mode of telling the story ; for the novels of Miss EDGEWORTH, Mrs. H DELAND, and others writers, have pretty well worn out the interest connected with forged documents and their detection by legal luck and ingenuity. " Knighthood" is an endeavour to paint the manners of a provincial borough : it excels Provincial Sketches by possessing a connected story and many characters, but falls a good deal below them in quiet yet effective satire and the minute truth of its painting. " The Suttee" and " The Natch" effect their purpose; which is that of exhibiting the perm- liar characters and customs that Hindoo superstitions and prac- tices give birth to. "The Half-Caste Daughter" is of a higher kind. The heroine is the daughter of a Colonel in the Com- pany's service, whom he had sent to England to be educated.

She arrives in India, beautiful, accomplished, affectionate, and pure- minded : but she is Half-caste. Her anxious father waits upon a leader of ton at Madras, who years befive was indebted to his hos- pitality for her means of appearing at all in the Indian world, to re- quest her to chaperon his daughter. The lady hesitntes—she would have refused; but she wishes to bring out a young woman who shall bear away the bell from the daughter of a rival. She therefore consents to see her; and, delighted with her appearance and her qualities, at once assumes her guardianship. Anne Berners be- comes the reigning belle of Madras, in spite of the prejudices against her birth ; though the fact itself subjects her to constant remark and mortification. One mode only exists of overcoming the stigma,—and that is, to marry a dignitary of the highest class; which, to do her justice, Mrs. Alton, the chaperon, is bent upon accomplishing.

Was Anne Boilers a passive instrument in the hands of her protectress—re- signing heart, feelings, 'hopes, to her management, as if she possessed none? Anne had passed through a severe noviciate since she landed in the Indian world. She had heard the constant "Who is she ? " and its terrible answer—" A half- caste ! " with such intense consciousness of humiliation, as can hardly be under- stood by those whose happier lot has exempted them from its experience. Quite aware of the extent of her own mental and personal claims to consideration, she was doubly sensible of that pressure which contiuually bowed down her spirit. There was hut one avenue of escape,—to become the wife of a person so influen- tial that the lustre of his dignity should dazzle the minds of the world—her world—into forgetfulness of all that his wife would wish forgotten. Having once clearly established this fact to her mind, every passion was disciplined into its proper place of subordination. Of her numerous suitors, she allowed herself to regard none with preference. If she detected her memory in dwelling on any amiable trait or attractive quality exhibited by a young man who had no other distinction, she ever afterwards treated that individual with marked cold- ness. She had left England artless, with all her talent,—naive, with all her polish ; six mouths in India, which implied six months' consciousness of the inexpiable infamy of her birth had rendered her al tificial and politic. Every day brought its lesson—an impressive one—that distinguished rank in her husband was the only shield between her and the contumely of the worthless world she despised, even whilst she could not brook its contempt. Mrs. Alton's counsels became the more oracular, in her estimation, from being identified with the re- sults of her own experience, and she seconded her patroness's views on Sir Henry Tresliam, with a skill the more effective from the display of modest indifference by which it was veiled.

The attempts upon "the extremely agreeable and gentlemanly- looking person/or a Chief Justice" are successful; the triumph over " that everlasting Kitty Browne and her horrible mother " was complete ; "and in that moment began the metamorphosis, which a few months perfected, of the ingenuous, vivacious, glow- ing Anne Berners, into the polished, correct, and heartless Lady Tresham.

The best and most striking tale in the collection, however, is " The English in India." The object of the writer, as he tells us, was to paint the manners of the Anglo-Indians in the up-country stations. In these places, society being limited and time difficult to kill, peculiarities, it appears, have full opportunity to grow; and the principal persons possess such absolute power, that they may, if so 'minded, play the bashaw with impunity, and almost without resistance, except from such a combination of prudence, worldly knowledge, and self-control, as are not often combined. The social system of Kirkpore is done well ; though, in spite of the author's denial of exaggeration, some of the dialogues appear very broad, and some of the persons have that weakness of individuality which produces a similar effect to the personal in argument. The lighter scenes are amusing, and occasionally happy ; but the author's forte is something higher than mere manner-painting. As in "The Half-Caste," the fault of the father and the prejudices of the world are so interwoven with the story that they are constantly present to the mind of the reader, though he is never called upon to moralize,—so in "The English in India," the miseries which spring from educating a daughter solely with a view to her set- tling ambitiously, are painted with considerable truth and power, whilst none of their effects are lost by absurd exaggeration. At the same time, as the moral derives its point from its natural development, both the incidents and the characters are as efe fectively and artfully worked up as if the writer had not the slightest idea of teaching.

The fable is a double plot very skilfully connected. Into the happy story we will not enter. Let it suffice that the family of the Mandevilles, who are good people, but not " faultless monsters,"

bring out with them to India the daughter of an old friend, who has been invited thither by her uncle. Harriet Albany has been

educated with one object—to marry ambitiously ; she is beautiful, accomplished, and (as she fancies) a heartless coquette. At Kirk- pore she meets a Captain Seymour, who represents the Anglo- Indian irresistible. This personage is painted to the life, though the life is not of so fascinating a kind as the writer thinks. The Captain is drawn as less insolent than our Tory exclusives at

home, but, from the absence of rivals, more conceited ; if not naturally a better, yet be is a somewhat stricter person, on account of the limited society he moves in ; but he has a lower tone in taste, manners, and fashionable morality; his finery is second-hand, his familiarity impudence; and in short, he is a colony coxcomb, not a courtly dandy. Between these two practised actors a flirtation takes place, which ends in the coquette getting caught in her own web : but Seymour is not a marrying man, for he is ever head and ears in debt. In a pique at his artfully insolent avoidance of com- mitting himself, Harriet accepts the proposals of Mr. Tomk ins, who is to succeed her uncle as Resident. Ile is a very able, but a re- served man ; whose excellencies his wife cannot comprehend, but whose manners and peculiarities alternately excite her ridicule and disgust. Seymour is constantly with her ; the old passion revives ; neither esteem nor principle nor religion interferes to check it ; the artful repetition of some reports by Mr. Tomkins favourite servant, Mahommed, causes an outbreak of jealousy, which perhaps pre- cipitates matters—at all events, Harriet falls, and Mahommed is the means of her detection. The growth of the various passions we have mentioned is painted by a master hand ; but, leaving graver scenes for the readers of the book, we will give an example of the writer's Hindoo manner. The allusions at the commence- ment of the following extract are to a former scene, where Mallow- med has wormed some information out of Cassini, by making him drunk and jealous of his mistress Fatimah.

On that very evening Cassim was intrusted by his master with a note for Mrs. Tonokins. He secured it in his cummerbund (sash), eager to deliver it punctually to the hands of Fatiniall, to atone, if possible, for his late delinquency. There was no moon, and lie rejoiced in the obscurity of the night which would secure his person, as he hoped, from the knowledge of the prying Mahommed. But, as he afterwards said, it was not in his destiny to escape from the snares of this misbelieving wine drinker. Probably Mahommed expected to find Cassim lurking about on some such mission as that which had actually brought him to the Residency. having pledged himself to his master to intercept a letter, of the period of the ari ival of which he had no positive knowledge, he judged it incumbent on him to expect that that time might come on any evening. Much, therefore, did he bless his favouring stars, which threw Cassim in his way almost as soon as he had com- menced his watch; as he was tolerably sure that lie could obtain from him, either by cajoleries or menance, any letter of which he was the bearer.

" Ah, Cassim," said he, as the luckless youth ran against him. "Did you soon get rid of the taste of the cafir's liquors? I have another supply ready for us whenever you will. Another time we will have no quarrels for women. Who are they, and what are we? You want Fetinuali; now, is it so?"

"Yes," said Cassim sullenly.

"Well, you will not be warned. Some of these nights Twill show you a sight. ah ! brother Cassim, a woman is too much for you; believe me, who have more years on my shoulders than you have. I can tell you—but of what use? She will cajole you and laugh at your beard as she has done before. I have had my day; I have done with women."

Cassim burnt to assure his tormentor he lied ; but he remembered the injunc- tion of Fatimah, and as he would have expressed it, put the finger of silence on his lips. He therefore endeavoured to pass on without further parley, but Mahommed prevented him.

"Not so fast, Cassim," said he, "I can tell you you are not wanted. There is a great dinner to-night, and Fatimah has slipped away. I watched her to the empty bungalow yonder : Seymour sahib never comes here, and you may guess where he is now.'

"He is riding to the cantonment," said Cassim vehemently, his anger rapidly getting the better of his discretion. " What is this you say, Mahommed ? My master is gone this hour." "Be not too sure! What ! shall I not believe my own eyes ?"

"Shall I doubt mine? I had this chit," pulling it from his cummerbund, " from his own hand as he mounted his horse. There, you see it : who lies now ?" "Let me see, let me see," said Mohammed, taking it from his companion ; who was too much excited to be sensible that in the present darkness, to see was impossible, and who allowed it to be drawn from his hand as passively as a man in a dream.

Mahommed instantly whispered a salam' and retreated with all the speed he could use. Cassim stood like one stupefied. He dared not pursue the thief in the direction of the house, because he could give no account of his errand, and feared to incur the consequences of raising an outcry. Whilst yet bewildered, a band gently touched his elbow. It was that of Fatimah. "Well, are you here?" she said in a whisper. "I have been looking for you this half hour. Why have you kept me waiting ? Come, what have you brought? Give it me directly."

"Nothing," said Cassim ; who between the effects of his former surprise, and his present fear of Fatimah's anger, became less and less able to give an account of himself.

" Nothing ! "said Fatimah, impatiently. "Well, if you have no chit, at least there is some word, is there riot? Speak, simpleton! Why you tremble as if you had seen a goul (ghost)."

Cassim did not speak, and Fatimah gave him a blow on the face not of the gentlest kind.

This was an argument to the force of which he could not be insensible. Gathering courage from desperation, he said hurriedly," What would you have? My master gave me a chit ; I brought it ; I have met the rascal Mahommed; be has robbed me ; such it is, and you know it."

"And he has got your master's letter, you mean," said Fatiniall, breathlessly. " That is it," returned Cassius, with the apathy of despair. Stie stooped and took off her slipper, with which she gave him a blow on the mouth so violent as to prostrate him on the earth. Without a word she flew to

the house, and found her mistress impatiently apeeting her in her own apartment.

The following is in a different style, and from an earlier part of the work, before the distress of the drama had commenced.

THE RAJAH'S EA TL.

It was as lovely a nitrirt as ever relieved the fervours of an Indian day, when all that were most distinguished, most brilliant, and most beautiful of the society both of the Residency and Cantonment of Kirkpore, were assembled in the gardens of the summer palace of the Rajah. The moon shone brightly, but its light, delicious as it was, was overwhelmed by the glare of the thousand lamps that threw an artificial day over the gay crowd. The air was fragrant with the

perfumes of orange-trees, limes, myrtles, jessaiiiines,—rich, in short, with that peculiar and spicy aroma, with which the breezes of the East are laden. A

band of English musicians were stationed amongst the trees, pouring forth loud strains of spirit-stirring and martial music. The waters of the lake in the midst of the gardens sparkled beneath the reflection of the lights in earth and heaven, whilst little illuminated boats scudded* twer the sin lice, seeming as they darted along like shooting stars. They were freighted with griams of flitch- girls, who, during the progress of the evening, poured firth those dramatic' strains in which the inhabitants of the East delight. Ilindoo nobles, wander- ing about in their picturesque national costume, wearing the richest shawls in drapery, or wreathed as turbans, or clad in gay and glitterifig scarfs of coloured muslin and gold, added a truly Oriental character to the whole spectacle, and reminded the crowds of Europeans that they were near an Asiatic prince, who at that moment was seated in his durbar.* Every thing breathed of regal state except the port of the sovereign himself. Placed by the prowess of British arms on the musnud (throne), from which his family had been expelled by civil dissensions, it seemed as if the young Pricce had lost in the miserable and abject obscurity of his boyhood all those qualities which the vulgar believe inherent in the blood royal. Eleveted to a thion could not shake off the influence of education ; and leaving the interests of his kingdom to the care of his Ministers, lie abandoned himself to the voluptuous indulgences of the zenanah, so that his mind had become "embodied and ens- touted, until it had quite lost the divine semblance of its that being." The costly pearls that were suspended from his neck, the magnificent diamonds that flashed like a sun upon his brow, did but increase the meanness of his whole person, by the contrast they forced upon the mind of the spectators. For hini, the lord of the feast, it seemed as if all that was brightest and most beautiful around him had no charms. He sat amongst his courtiers with half-closed eyes, gazing lan. guidly upon the forms that flitted before him, apparently oppressed with the most cruel languor, and shrinking beneath the weight of those dignities he was compelled to sustain. His reception of the more distinguished of the English ladies who were introduced to him—those of the family of the Resident and of the commanding officer of the force—was in the highest degree inigracious and repulsive. Ile muttered a few inaudible words as they curtseyed, which his vakeel interpreted into a compliment of most Oriental hyperbole, and ape peered to breathe freely only when they had retired from his presence.

Reliant in all the animation naturally inspired by a scsne se novel, Harriet Albany glittered in the throng as "some gay creatuie of the element." Dressed with the most exquisite taste, her complexion glowing with the excitement of the hour, her eyes sparkling, with the consciousness of deserving and attracting the most. intense admiration, even Seymour himself for a moment doubted whether there were not, in lieu dazzling beauty, something that eclipsed all the soft loveliness of the gentle Florence. Captivated by the witchery of her smile, he found hinv:elf near her, and was presently breathing him her ear all those intangible tendernesses which mean eve' y thing or nothing, as the speaker and the hearer choose to interpret them. hun this case there wile an unfortunate dis- agreement in the wishes of the two parties most interested. He who offered that adulation lahl it as an incense upon an altar dedicated to the idol of the hour, whilst she received it as the serious expression of feelings at length strong enough to be irresistible. Alive to emotions as new as they were dangerous, Ilarriet at that moment forgot all the ambition of her character. An indefinite hope of living with and for Seymour possessed her now for the first time, and imparted to her manner a softness AO unusual, that the object of it felt its danger too strongly to trust himself longer within its sphere. Ile dreaded being be- trayed into crossing the Rubicon, whence it would he impossible for him to retrace hie steps. Assuming a tone of sarcasm as unlike as possible to the vein of his previous conversation, he commenced his usual amusement of anatomizing the manner and style of every person on whom his eye rested. Awakened by the change in him from her momentary dream, Harriet, with one sigh perhaps that thoughts so sweet were but a dream, adopted immediately the tone he thought fit to assume, and assisted him with admirable tact in showing up poor Mrs. Huggius, who was parading the gardens in a dress of flame-coloured gauze, and glittering with ornaments in every part of her person on which it was possible to place one. Having mentioned Mrs. Huggins, we will introduce her to the reader. The lady, her husband, and her set, form the comic part of the piece.

MRS. AND COLONEL HUGGINS.

Mrs. Huggins belonged to that anomalous class known in India by the generic appellation of half-castes. Her English was not of so perfect a kind that she would have been pronounced not English from the purity of her language, as the Grecian of old was known to be a provincial by the purity of his -Attic dialect. She was, nevertheless, a star of the first magnitude in the intellectual. circles of Kirkpore. She had a faculty of repartee, the point of which was never blunted by any of those considerations of delicacy or charity which pre- vent so many witticisms from seeing the light of day. The hospitality of her house was unbounded ; and young men, not surrounded with two many tempta- tions to amusement, were not inclined to condemn the little errors of their hostess. She was not much beloved by the superior part of her own sex; but being a considerable patroness of those whose insignificance rendered her own importance more prominent, none could accuse her of being excluded from female society. Two or three, who were stigmatized by her and her followers as being exclusives, stood aloof; but, generally, she was on visiting terms with the whole cantoument. The Lady of the Residency and the ci.devant Lady of the Force embodied, in their own persons, all the virulent animosity towards each other which may be said to characterize the respective services of which they were appendages. Mrs. Norman hated beauties—Mrs. Huggins detested wits; consequently each had a particular penchant for the objects of the other's aversion. Mrs. Norman never spoke above her breath ; Mrs. Huggins talked like a dragoon. Mrs. Norman's toilette was the most recherclu'e imaginable ; Mrs. Huggins passed the greater part of the day in a slip.shod deshabille. Mrs. Norman affected the accomplishments of the modern school; Mrs. "ucgins disclaimed and ridi- culed them all. Mrs. Norman danced at every ball ; Mrs. Huggins at none. Mrs. Norman affected a fashionable indifference for her husband, and probably felt it ; Mrs. Huggins, on the contrary, patronized her lord and master with considerable empressement, never treating him with any of that caustic severity which distinguished her bearing to others, except when his conduct was immea- surably provoking. On such occasions, she was in the habit of alluding to cer-

• An open hall or saloon in which the princes of India give audiences

sain family circumstances, which he was particularly desirous of burying in eternal oblivion ; generally prefacing such disclosures by assuming her gentlest manner, and blandly addi easing the sufferer by the endearing appellation of " my dear Dickey."

Dickey himself, as be was called in familiar parlance, Colonel Huggins, when honoured with his own style and title, believed that, with the single exception of his own beloved wife, all the world looked on him as a most distinguished and illustrious personage. His countenance had that Roman outline which im- poses sometimes on superficial observers as being dignified and intellectual, whereas more accurate examiners find it as often appropriated by as moon-struck a calf as ever owned that unfortunate nasal appurtenance a Dutch pug. Dickey was extremely well satisfied with his person, and was most ambitious in Ins wardrobe. He talked quite as much in alt as his Lady, but with the advantage of rather better English; f.r he piqued himself on his acquaintance with " the humanities." His speech was deliberate, and his enunciation very pompous. He liked to be surrounded by young men who coati not possibly aim at the im- pertinence of affecting an equality with himself, and in short fully justified his claims to the title of Wad:1r" generally added to the fiiendly abbreviation "Dickey," by which the world at large knew him.

We cannot find room for all the hangers-on of the establish- ment, but here are

ENSIGN SIMMS AND CAPTAIN SUMMERS.

Mrs. Huggins had as many satellites as the Georgium Sides. At the head of her present list stood Ensign Simms, as gentle a youth as a red coat ever blushed upon. He was 2 very small gentleman, Whose delicate proportions seemed as if he were selected by his patroness for the sake of the marked con- trast he offered to the niagnitude of her full-blown person. He was a smooth- faced, sallow-complexioned youth, evidently designed by nature as a model fim the genus that figures on the wrong side of a haberdasher's counter. His genius, moreover, had a decided inclination for that line. His gloves' his stocks, all the paraphernalia of his wardrobe, were selected with the nicest discrimina- tion of their quality, and with a scrupulous regard to their fitting him accu- rately. Yet with that want of keeping common in poor human beings, with all his finical precision, his leading passion was a fondness for dogs. Wherever his quarters were fixed, it was his first care to erect kennels for the accommoda- tion of the four-fosted favourites he carried about with him, and he superin- tended in person their feeding, &c. &c. with a zeal that contrasted forcibly with his ordinary coldness. His principal recreation was shooting—a pur- suit to which he was addicted rather from a predilection for canine so• ciety, than from an unamiable propensity to slaughter any part of the creation. He found greater pleasure in the sound of his own " halloo " than in the report of his gun ; at least this inference was drawn from the fact that he rarely bagged any game. On the whole, lie was a very inoffen- sive specimen of selfishness, following his own inclinations with praiseworthy straightforwardness, and caring very little for the life or death of any individual in the world, except as his own promotion might thereby be advanced. With all these excellent qualities, with the additional negative characteristics of being DO swearer, no drunkard, no brawler, it is not surprising that " little Simms' was declared by the whole regiment, and the society in general, to be " a very

gentlemanly fellow." • •

Captain Summers, of the Horse Artillery, ranked next in the favour of Mn. Huggins; indeed, as the thermometer of the lady's preference was subject to frequent fluctuation, there were times when he took the pas of all compe- titors. His friends called him a remarkably fine man: his claims to which title depended on a tall, stout figure, and a complexion, boasting, by dint of temperance and constant exercise, a ruddy hue, not unworthy of an English yeoman. He was allowed by every body to be a most respectable man; that is, he was too dull to be disliked on account of his wit, too prudent to be betrayed into any departure from the precise line described by the dignitaries, and too selfish to incur the danger of making ingrates by doing a good office to any human being at the slightest sacrifice to himself. He reversed the epigram applied to Charles the Second—he never did a foolish thing, and never said a wise one. He was a good listener ; and if lie had been a ready laugher he would have been invaluable to his liege lady ; but though always earnest in his expressions of delight at her witticisms, his mind was so overloaded with ballast that it had Dot room for any light freight. His compliments were so ponderous that Mrs. Huggins not unfrequently compelled him to halt mid-way, by a command as peremptory as the celebrated " Tais.toi bete ! "of Napoleon. Captain Sum- mers was a devout optimist : he considered the British rule in India the best possible mcde of government for the millions of natives who lived, in idolatry and ignorance, in the enjoyment of its bles,,ings. He believed the method pur- sued by officials, from the Governor-General himself to the lowest subaltern in in the department of the Adjutant-General, too good for improvement ; and he based his arguments on the practical proof which the supporters of Ultra-Tory Administrations consider irresistible—that it always worked well. If any flagrant act of persecution or injustice came under his personal observation, he contented himself with the remark, that "if people would run into harm's

way, they must take the consequence." It is quite certain that having fallen Into danger, they were never helped out of it by him. Perhaps his chief re- commendation to the loving-kindness of Mrs. Huggins was his gastronomic capabilities. Piquing herself on the excellence of her table, and being highly accomplished in the recondite science of concocting a curry—the only accom- plishment which found favour in her sight—she received the homage paid wil- lingly by his appetite as a special tribute to her skill. As mothers see a thou- sand merits in the admirers of their daughters, so she bad an especial eye for discerning merit in those who carried on a tender flirtation with her ragouts.

Some other passages, especially one or two illustrative of the working of the system which Captain Summers so admired, deserve to be quoted ; but it is necessary to pause for the present. Should the writer feel inclined to appear again before the public, we shall gladly receive him; but we would recommend him to eschew provincials, and confine himself to the comparatively un- trodden field of Indian life, and not to travel out of his way to exhibit vulgarities and coarseness which have no connexion with the progress of the story.

• Literally a title or honour ; but applied generally by English residents in India to Persona affecting Me great man.