DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.12673#0194
CALICUT.
175
a knife conveniently slung to his waistband. Those
dark-faced gentlemen, in imitation European dresses,
are familiar to our eyes : they are Portuguese, not,
however, from Goa, but born, bred, and likely to be
buried at Calicut. A little colony, of fifty or sixty
families of the race is settled here; they employ
themselves either in commerce, or as writers in the
different government offices.
The bazaars appear to be well stocked with every-
thing but vegetables and butcher's meat, these two
articles being as scarce and bad as the poultry; fish
and fruit are plentiful and good. The shops are
poor ; there is not a single Parsee or European
store in the town, so that all supplies must be
procured from the neighbouring stations. Every-
where the houses are much more comfortably and
substantially built than in the Bombay presidency ;
the nature of the climate requires a good roof, and
as much shade on and around it as possible : the
streets and roads, also, look civilised compared with
the narrow and filthy alleys of our native towns
in general. But we shall find little amusement in
inspecting the mass of huts and hovels, mosques
and schools, gardens and tanks, so we might as well
prolong our stroll beyond the town, and visit the
venerable pagoda of Varkool.
175
a knife conveniently slung to his waistband. Those
dark-faced gentlemen, in imitation European dresses,
are familiar to our eyes : they are Portuguese, not,
however, from Goa, but born, bred, and likely to be
buried at Calicut. A little colony, of fifty or sixty
families of the race is settled here; they employ
themselves either in commerce, or as writers in the
different government offices.
The bazaars appear to be well stocked with every-
thing but vegetables and butcher's meat, these two
articles being as scarce and bad as the poultry; fish
and fruit are plentiful and good. The shops are
poor ; there is not a single Parsee or European
store in the town, so that all supplies must be
procured from the neighbouring stations. Every-
where the houses are much more comfortably and
substantially built than in the Bombay presidency ;
the nature of the climate requires a good roof, and
as much shade on and around it as possible : the
streets and roads, also, look civilised compared with
the narrow and filthy alleys of our native towns
in general. But we shall find little amusement in
inspecting the mass of huts and hovels, mosques
and schools, gardens and tanks, so we might as well
prolong our stroll beyond the town, and visit the
venerable pagoda of Varkool.