you meet with shamchand. (Takes shamchand, the leather strap, from the wall.)

Sadhu. My lord, the hand is only blackened by kill ing a fly-your beating only injures you. I am too

mean. We

Ray. (Angrily.) O my brother, you had better stop; let them take what they can; our very stomach is on the point of falling down from hunger. The whole day is passed; we have not been able yet

either to bathe or take our food.

Amin. O rascal! where is your court now? (Twists his ears.)

Ray. (With violent panting.) I now die! My mother! my mother!

Wood. Beat that cursed nigger! (Beats with shamchand.)

While this scene is enacting, Nobin Madhab enters; he intercedes for Sadhu in vain; the latter is led off to receive his fifty rupees in advance, and to engage to cultivate indigo, Gopi encouraging him with the assurance "that ashes have fallen upon his ready-made rice;" that the "Yama (Death, the King of Terror) of Indigo has attacked him, and that he has no safety."

nature breaks out into scandal. Reboti says that "the wife of the planter, in order to make her husband's case strong (pucca), sent a letter to the magistrate, since it is said that the magistrate hears her words most attentively." To this Aduri, the waiting-maid, whose want of repose in manner has been already noticed, adds a frank statement of her own experience. She says: I saw the lady; she has no shame at all. When the magistrate of the Zillah (whose name occasions great terror) goes riding about through the village, the lady also rides on horseback with him."

The scene concludes with the elder lady telling the two younger to go to the ghât together, while the evening light continues, and wash themselves; a desirable process, doubtless, for, throughout the act, there are several allusions to the fact that none of the characters-owing to the hurried action of the drama-have had time to perform their ablutions during the day.

The second act begins with a scene at the In the next scene, which is laid in "Goluk godown (cellar) of Begunbari Factory. Torapa Chunder Basu's hall," we are introduced to and four other ryots are discovered sitting and Sabitri, wife of Goluk Chunder, Soirindri, wife abusing the planters. One says that they have of Nobin, Saralota, wife of Bindu Madhab, and nothing for it but to submit. "Before sticks Reboti, wife of Sadhu Churn. These ladies are there can be no words." This, like several other all models of virtue and innocence, but all appa- sentences which we have marked in italics, is an rently yield the palm to Khetromani, who joins aphorism in common use, and must not be unthem, and whose modesty is such that she is derstood as arising from the ready wit of the found to have cut off the curls of her beautiful ryot. Another says that they must assert themhair, because she had heard that such adorn- selves: "By speaking the truth we shall ride on ments were becoming only to ladies either of horseback." The planters, he says, always get rich family or loose character. In the course of a good magistrate removed as soon as they can. conversation it becomes apparent that the de-In a district of which they are speaking, he says signs of Amin upon the young lady are begin- that the planters prepared a dinner for the ning to develop. A woman named Podi Moy-magistrate, in order to get him into their rani, a sweetmeat-seller, noted for her intrigues, but he concealed himself like a stolen cow, and has been to Sadhu's house that day, and Reboti, would not go. He was a person of good family. Sadhu's wife, declares that the woman has told Why should he go to the dinner? The planters her "that the young Sahib has become mad, as are the low people of Belata, or England. Yet it were, at seeing Khetromani, and wants to see a former governor allowed himself to be feasted her in the factory." Aduri, a maid-servant in at the factories, like a bridegroom before the the house, overhears the statement. Her man- celebration of his marriage. Some of their ners have not, apparently, that repose which number have composed some verses, which are stamps the caste of her mistress. She is at quoted in the course of conversation. once suspicious; and doesn't care who knows is: it; but the metaphorical manner in which she expresses her feelings would be considered rather strong on the British stage:

Aduri. Fie! fie! fie! bad smell of the onion!

Can we go to the Sahib? Fie! fie! bad smell of the onion! I shall never be out any more alone. I can bear every other thing, but the smell of the

onion I never could bear. Fie! fie! bad smell of the onion!

It appears that the agent of the Sahib has said that if Khetromani refuses to go to the house, she will be brought away by force. Reboti says that it is easy for the planter to carry her away, as no ryot's wife is safe from him; the planters, one of the other ladies says, are not Sahibs, but they are the dregs (chandál) of Sahibs. They then go on to say that the planters get the magistrate to throw anybody who of fends them into prison, and here the feminine

power;

One

The man with eyes like those of the cat, is an ig

norant fool:

So the indigo of the indigo factory is an instrument
of punishment.

We must confess that we do not see the bearing
of the above. As a late facetious judge remarked
of another judge, who had been “ trying" a
joke: "His lordship has reserved the point."
Another quotation is more comprehensible:
The missionaries have destroyed the caste;
The factory-monkeys have destroyed the rice.
The conference is disturbed by the entrance
of Gopi Churn, the Dewan, with Mr. Rose, a
planter, carrying his ramkanta: an instrument
much resembling shamchand. The ryots are all
beaten and kicked, and one of them falls in a
position described in the stage direction as "up-
side down on the ground.”

The scene then changes to "the bedroom of Bindu Madhab," whose wife is discoverved read-the

There are more direct allusions in the course of the piece to the alleged corruption of some of local journals.

ing a letter from her husband, who tells het of an accusation brought against his father by the The next scene (the bedroom of Nobin Madplanters. He intimates that he believes in the hab) is mainly occupied by a consultation among ultimate triumph of justice, because he is taught the family as to the measures to be taken in so by the works that he has studied. My consequence of Khetromani having been carried dear," he says, "I have not forgotten the Benga- off. Reboti calls aloud for her daughter. lee translation of Shakespeare; it cannot be got Bring me Khetromani! bring me my puppet now in the shops; but one of my friends, Bon- of gold!" Nobin, after a great deal of talk, kima by name, has given me one copy. When prepares for action. "The indigo frog," he I come home I will bring it with me. My dear, declares, I can never sit on the white waterwhat a great source of pleasure is the acquisi-lily-like constancy of a woman!" "The jewel,” tion of learning!" The liberality of Bonkima as one of the ladies says, with less grace, perappears to touch the heart of Saralota, but, like haps, but more force, "must be taken from the a true woman, she is sufficiently self-possessed indigo-monkey," at any hazard. for the duties of the toilette; for, upon the entrance of Aduri (the waiting maid with the keen sense of the onion of treachery), she suggests to that damsel, "Let us now rub ourselves with | oil in the cook-room." The scene then closes with "exit both" (in Bengalee Latin) for that purpose.

In the scene which follows, the interest of the piece is worked up to the highest pitch. Mr. Rose is sitting in his chamber, and the woman Podi Moyrani brings the fair Khetromani to him. Khetromani remonstrates with Podi for the part she has taken, but Podi says, "You must speak to the Sahib; to speak to me, is like crying in The next scene is mystically described as the wilderness." The planter makes some un"A road, pointing three ways," the kind of feeling remarks; but he is interrupted by Nobin road, we suppose, that would be taken by the and another ryot breaking into the room. They celebrated oyster which required a similar num-rescue Khetromani, and treat the planter with ber of persons to swallow him whole. The woman Podi Moyrani is found indulging in a repentant soliloquy on account of the part she has been taking in placing the fair Khetromani in the power of the English Sahib. A cowherd comes and taunts her with having gone into the indigo business; but he is soon driven off by the lattial (club-man) of the factory, who makes love to her. But still her conscience pursues her, and makes her unpleasantly sensitive to raillery-a talent which the Hindoos have always greatly at their command. The lattial gone, four native boys come dancing round her, clapping their hands, and singing the following chant, which is Shakespearean in its simple force:

My dear Moyrani, where is your indigo?
My dear Moyrani, where is your indigo?
My dear Moyrani, where is your indigo?
Human nature can endure the shame no longer.
The guilty woman flies from the face of her
fellow-countrymen-behind the scenes.

The third act commences with a scene at the factory between Mr. Wood and Gopi, his Dewan, in which we gather that Nobin is ruined, his land taken away from him, and that he has been twice in court. The planter discourses about his schemes in general, and of a native who writes against him in the newspapers. Gopi consoles him by saying, "Their papers can never stand before yours-can by no means bear a comparison; and, moreover, they are as the earthen bottles for cooling water, compared with the jars of Dacca. But to bring the newspapers within your influence great expense has been incurred." That takes place according to time; as is said,

According to circumstances the friend becomes the

enemy:

The lame ass is sold at the price of the horse.

some roughness: Nobin, however, restraining
his friend with beautiful hypocrisy by saying,
"We ought not to be cruel because they are
so." Then there comes a change to the
'Hall in the house of Goluk." Sabitri, his wife,
is lamenting that her husband has been sum-
moned to the court. But with her bous
(daughters-in-law) she seeks the old consola-
tion of the toilette, and one of the stage direc-
tions in the scene is, "Saralota rubs the oil on
her mother-in-law's body"-
'-a precaution, by the
way, much practised in the East before bathing,
for the somewhat curious reason that it prevents
the water from touching the skin.

The next scene is laid in the magistrate's court. Mr. Wood, the plaintiff, sits and talks with the magistrate, who asks his advice upon several points. Goluk is sentenced to pay two hundred rupees, or find sureties to that amount, binding him to plant indigo. In the course of the trial the magistrate writes a note to Mrs. Wood, the wife of the plaintiff, and despatches it by one of the court messengers, sending a message also to Mr. Wood's head butler, to say that his master will not be home to dinner. The magistrate and the plaintiff then leave the court together.

We are next introduced to the dwelling of Bindu Madhab, where Nobin Bindu and Sadhu are discovered, talking of Goluk, their father, who is now imprisoned by order of the magistrate, "the slave of the indigo-planters;" they also mention the "deadly sorrow" of Khetromani. All adjourn to the jail, where, on the scene changing, the dead body of Goluk is seen hanging by his outer garment, twisted like a rope. He has died by his own hand. Until the doctor arrives, the policeman says he cannot cut the body down. As for the magistrate, he was not to be there for four days. "At Sachigunge, on Saturday, they have a

champagne party, and ladies dance. Mrs. Wood die with her husband Nobin, and will not be can never dance with any other but our Sahib prevented. She runs out. Bindu makes a (the magistrate); that I saw, when I was a funeral oration upon the family, which he says hearer. Mrs. Wood is very kind; through the" has been destroyed by indigo, the great influence of one letter she got me the jemedary destroyer of honour." The curtain falls, leavof the jail." ing him sitting, clasping his mother's feet.

tical squib, therefore, it comes rather late in the day. As a dramatic production, it may be sufficient to remark that it is about twice as long as Macbeth.

A NEW DISEASE?

In the fifth and last act there occurs in the Such is the drama of Nil Darpan-as far as first scene a conversation between Mr. Wood its most essential features are concerned. Conand his Dewan upon the subject of a disturbance sidering that it pretends to be a true picture of among the ryots. The Dewan ventures to speak the indigo-planting system, it would certainly a little candidly, for which he gets knocked down warrant an investigation of the nature of that and kicked, and called "a diabolical nigger." system on the part of government, were it not In the next scene, which is "The Bedroom of for the fact that the investigation was made last Nobin," that unfortunate ryot is brought in year, and that all the charges here so pathetically senseless, with a fractured skull, which he has re-illustrated were found to be false. As a policeived from the Sahib at the factory. Both he and his friend Torapa had made a brave resistance, but had been overpowered; but not before Torapa had made a rush at the elder Sahib (Wood) and bitten off his nose! "That nose I have kept with me," adds Torapa, in telling the story," and when the baboo (Nobin) will rise up to life again I will show him that." (Here he produces the DURING a journey in Brittany, Monsieur nose.) Had the baboo been able to fly off him- Hardy, Doctor to the Hospital Saint-Louis, self, I would have taken his (Wood's) ears; but Paris, spent several days at Brest; and there, I would not have killed him, as he is a creature of both in civil and medical society, he heard much God." After this, all the ladies of the drama, talk of a singular malady which, for some years and the entire female population of the neigh-past, had affected a certain number of young bourhood, enter. Sabitri falls senseless at finding her son on the point of death; but Soirindri commands herself sufficiently to "sit near his mouth." Looking at Sabitri, she says, "As the cow losing her young wanders about with loud cries, then being bit by a serpent falls down dead on the field, so the mother is lying dead on the ground, being grieved for her dear son.' After this, she herself falls upon the breast of Nobin. Nobin's aunt tries to raise her from the ground, but fails, and falls also near her. Sabitri next goes mad, and talks wildly. A physician is afterwards brought to try and revive Nobin.

women resident in that city. The complaint, characterised by a black discoloration of the eyelids, has been very carefully described by its discoverer, M. Leroy de Méricourt, Principal Physician to the Navy, and Professor at the Naval School at Brest. Dr. Hardy was so startled by the peculiarity of this affection, which was only known by hearsay at Paris, that he felt a strong desire to see a case. M. Leroy de Méricourt gratified his wish, by introducing him to one of his patients suffering under black dropsy of the eyelids.

society. One Sunday, two years ago, as she came out of church after mass, something occurred to annoy her excessively. In the evening, observing some black spots upon her eyelids, she feared she was going to have the black disease of which she had already seen instances, and which was the terror of all the girls in Brest. Unfortunately, her apprehensions turned out too true. On the next and the following days, the spots remained and increased, without, however, her general health's showing the least derangement or irregularity. A few very slight and small pimples only made their appearance once or twice, and took their departure as harmless shadows as they came.

Mademoiselle X., nineteen years of age, of lymphatic temperament and average strength, a tall The following scene is laid in the "Room of and handsome girl, in the habitual enjoyment of the Sadhu Churn." Khetromani lies in great tor-excellent health, belongs to the middle class of ment on her bed; Sadhu and Reboti are with her. The physician does all in his power, but she dies amidst the loud cries and lamentations of her family. Then comes the last scene, the "Hall in the house of Goluk," where Sabitri, still insane, is found sitting with the dead body of Nobin on her lap. She is performing some wild incantations, which are interrupted by Saralota, her daughter-in-law, whom she seizes in a frenzy and strangles-standing afterwards on her neck. Bindu Madhab, the husband of Saralota, enters during this proceeding. Bindu says that he cannot live now that his father is hanged, that his brother Nobin has died of his wounds, and that his mother has destroyed his wife. Upon hearing this, Sabitri suddenly recovers her understanding, and aroused to a sense of the crime she has committed, herself drops down dead. Her son kneels and weeps beside the body, taking some of the dust from her feet and placing it on his head, eating also some of the same dust, to purify his body." Next appears Soirindri, who says that she is going to

66

On the 17th of September, 1859, the patient was found in the following condition at the first glance you are struck with the black discoloration which covers the cutaneous surface of the two eyelids; both, and especially the lower lid, are covered with a stratum of slightly greyish black, as if they had been daubed over with some dark dye. On closer inspection, the

black stratum is slightly granulated, and resembles a deposition of coal-dust on the skin. The mucous membrane of the eyelid is slightly injected, but the eyes present nothing remarkable, unless it be a more brilliant aspect, which is certainly due to the colouring of the eyelids. The patient, besides, experiences neither heat ror smarting, nor any other disturbance of the visual organs.

black stratum spread over almost the whole of her countenance when she went out of doors, the colouring matter being dispersed by the wind. As to the black matter itself, on being submitted to chemical analysis and examined by the microscope, it appeared to consist of pigmentary matter, except that the microscope could find no trace of cells.

Dr. Hardy wanted much to discover the seat of this extraordinary secretion. At first sight, he was inclined to believe in a sebaceous flux; but the layer of black contained no greasy particles; it appeared on the part of the face where there are few sebaceous follicules, and did not appear on the nose, where there are plenty and well developed. Is the perspiring apparatus of the skin the seat of the malady, and must the secretion be really considered as a coloured local

On rubbing the coloured portions rather roughly with a piece of linen dipped in olive oil, the dungy plaster came away, and was found on the linen in the shape of a black spot, exactly the same as would result from wiping an object that had been dirtied by smoke. The eyelids were then clean and of a natural hue, and the skin presented its usual aspect to the naked eye; examined with a lens, the cutaneous surface of the eyelids appeared equally clean, ex-sweat, according to M. de Méricourt's belief cept that a few grains of black dust were found and nomenclature? Dr. Hardy could not exto be still adhering in the folds of the skin, and plain to his own satisfaction how the sudorific some were also seen at the root of the eyelashes, glands could secrete a pigment, nor could he where the action of the linen was less direct. discover how the pigment got out of the glands, The sebaceous follicules were in no way deve- supposing it to be there. To his mind, there loped, nor their orifices enlarged. After the was something in the case quite unknown and removal of the colouring matter, the patient ex-unprecedented. perienced a slight smarting in the eyes, which At all events, the development of this affection were more sensible to the light, slightly injected, in the city of Brest was very singular; the fact and watery. These phenomena were manifested of residing there appeared to be of some imevery time the coloured stratum was removed; portance; for hitherto, amongst all the persons they diminish and disappear in proportion as attacked, one only was cured, and that after the colouring is reproduced, which takes place leaving Brest for an inland town. Mental emoin a very short time. According to the patient's tions appear to exercise considerable influence observations, in a couple of hours the colora- in causing the disease. As remedies, the most tion is completely renewed. This interval, re-promising seemed to be local applications of quired for the secretion, allowed the patient astringent solution of alum, of tannin, or merto remove the black stratum and to walk out curial ointments, which act powerfully on the for an hour or two without her complaint being skin. unpleasantly apparent.

With the exception of this strange affection, the young lady in question (the niece of the mistress of a ladies' boarding school) had nothing whatever the matter with her. During the two years that the malady had existed, she had employed in vain alkaline lotions, sulphureous lotions, and divers pomades; it obstinately resisted every means of cure; it maintained its ground without diminution or augmentation.

This case will give a sufficient idea of the curious affection which has developed itself in certain persons living at Brest. Within five years seven or eight people have been attacked by it; they are all females, and young females, too. Most of them are in easy circumstances; one is the wife of a captain of a frigate, another is a young nursemaid. Dr. Hardy also noticed, as he was looking in at a café window, that the lady who presided at the counter was affected with the same disease.

Nobody said that M. de Méricourt had not seen what he said he saw; but several incredulous members of the faculty believed that he and others had been made the victims of clever juggling. They wished that those witnesses could say that they had seen the darkness of the eyelids reappear before their eyes, after it had been well wiped away. Naturally, a discussion arose in the Medical Society of the Paris Hospitals, which resulted in the appointment, last June, of a commission to inquire whether there were no means of coming to an understanding with M. de Méricourt, to hold a rigorous inquest (before death) on one of his chromidrosiac patients. There were named members of the commission, Messieurs Béhier (reporter), Guérard, Lallier, Legroux, and H. Roger; Messieurs Dechambre, Associated Member, and Robin, the distinguished microscopist, participate in the committee's labours. The summary of their result is this:

The coloration which constitutes the malady The affection to which M. le Docteur Leroy is ordinarily black; but two cases occurred in de Méricourt has given the name of chromidrose which it was blue. Its extent is more variable; it would be more correctly spelt chromhidrosis sometimes inconsiderable, it resembles the dye is more specially observed in the vicinity of which the women of certain nations apply, to the sea. More frequent with women, it has still give greater brightness to their eyes; at other been seen in men. With one male patient, it times, it extends to the cheeks. M. de Méri-occurred on the back of the hand instead of on court noticed that, on one of his patients, the the lower eyelids, and always made its appear

ance during the night, going away at eleven in the statement of Madame Z. and her husband, the forenoon. The age of this subject was forty-nothing can be more irregular than the interval seven, whereas that of the ladies ranged from between these returns of the blackness, or than sixteen to thirty-two. The very precise state-the circumstances which tend to induce them. ments that have been put forth respecting the Madame Z. confessed that, to keep the skin of existence of this disease have excited great in- her face in good condition, she habitually made credulity and provoked the strongest denials of use of a composition called Anti-ephelic Milk, the fact. The duty of the committee was to or Water. obtain complete information respecting the subject in dispute.