FATHER MECAZENAS. 77 calotte, and a triangular hat, who announced himself as Father Mecazenas of the Dominican order, and come to pass the day with me! I found he was a native of Teflis, but brought up in one of the Roman Catholic Armenian Convents established in Asia, and that he had passed his later years at Rome. He spoke wretched Italian, a very little French, no English or Hindoostanee, and scarcely more than a few words of Latin. I had an engagement at the Government House during a part of the morning, which I pleaded, and hunted about to find if I had any books which could enable the poor man to pass his time rather less irksomely in my absence, but I found that the few Latin books which I had unpacked were in Calcutta, that I had no Italian of any kind, and that the only French books which I could get at, were the tragedies of Voltaire, a harmless work certainly, but bearing so formidable a name that I doubted whether, even if he could, he would read them. I was not mistaken, the name was enough for him, and though he made no objection in my presence, I was told that no sooner was my back turned than, with a deep groan, he laid them down, and desired a servant to take them away. Accordingly he passed the greater part of the morning in walking up and down the room, and looking out at the boats on the Hooghly. I pitied the poor man, and when I had finished my necessary business, on my return renewed my conversation with him, which got on better than I at first expected. I asked him some questions about Georgia and Armenia, but the most -- 78 FATHER MECAZENAS. which I got was a list of the different tribes of Caucasus, a specimen of the Georgian vocabulary for the most common articles, and the Georgian alphabet, which he wrote out for me, and which I was surprised to find differ very materially from the Slavonic, the Armenian, and every other with which I am acquainted. At last dinner came to his relief as well as mine, and he soon began to display the appetite of a hardy mountaineer. I have seldom seen any one make such quick dispatch with whatever was put on his plate, and he made a no less good use of the three French words with which he seemed most familiar, "a votre santé !" tossing down one bumper of wine after another, laughing all the time with the voice of a lion, till I began to fear some exhibition would follow, not very creditable either to the Church of Rome or to the table of a Protestant Bishop. He was, however, too strong to be affected by what he drank, except that it a little increased his fluency and noisy hilarity; and as soon as the cloth was fairly off the table, I thought it high time to call for coffee. I had been all this time expecting to be asked to subscribe to something or other, since, the dinner always excepted, I could not perceive why else the good man should have shewn so much anxiety for my acquaintance; and accordingly at length he rose, brought out an immense paper book, and after a short complimentary speech, solicited my patronage to a fund he was employed in collecting, to repair the temple of Fortuna Virilis, in Rome, which was, he said, appropriated as a hospital and place of instruction for Armenian and other youths, and pilgrims, but had been grievously injured by certain excavations which the French made while in Rome, in order to examine the nature of its substruction and foundations. His paper was to the same effect, but was written in English, and evidently the composition of some of the Calcutta native writers. He then talked of credentials from Rome; but though I asked for them, both in Latin and Italian, he produced none, but evaded the question. However, had he produced them, he would not have been at all more likely to gain his object with me, since I neither quite believed the story of the French having committed an outrage at variance with their general conduct, nor did I conceive myself called on to build up churches for the members of a different communion in Rome, when all which I can do is likely to fall so far short of the claims of charity in India. If the poor man, who was very pressing, had asked me for himself, and in the capacity which I suspect really belonged to him, of a mendicant, he would have fared better. As it was I was unrelenting, though civil; and we parted, with at least the satisfaction on my part, that I had given him a good dinner. February 7.-I went down to Calcutta this morning, to attend a " Durbar," or native levee of the Governor's, which all the principal native residents in Calcutta were expected to attend, as well as the vakeels from several Indian princes. I found on my arrival the levee had begun, and that Lord Amherst, attended by his Aides-de-camp and Per sian secretary, had already walked down one side, where the persons of most rank, and who were to receive "khelâts," or honorary dresses, were stationed. I therefore missed this ceremony, but joined him and walked round those to whom he had not yet spoken, comprising some persons of considerable rank and wealth, and some learned men, travellers from different eastern countries, who each in turn addressed his compliments, or petitions, or complaints to the Governor. There were several whom we thus passed who spoke English not only fluently but gracefully. Among these were Baboo Ramchunder Roy and his four brothers, all fine, tall, stout young men, the eldest of whom is about to build one of Mr. Shakespear's rope-bridges over the Caramnasa. After Lord Amherst had completed the circle, he stood on the lower step of the throne, and the visitors advanced one by one to take leave. First came a young Raja of the Rajpootana district, who had received that day the investiture of his father's territories, in a splendid brocade khelât and turban ; he was a little, pale, shy-looking boy, of 12 years old. Lord Amherst, in addition to these splendid robes, placed a large diamond aigrette in his turban, tied a string of valuable pearls round his neck, then gave him a small silver bottle of attar of roses, and a lump of pawn, or betel, wrapped up in a plaintain leaf. Next came forwards the "vakeel," or envoy of the Maharaja Sindia, also a boy, not above sixteen, but smart, self-possessed, and dandy-looking. His khelât and presents were a little, and but a little, less splendid than those of his precursor. Then followed Oude, Nagpoor, Nepaul, all represented by their vakeels, and each in turn honoured by similar, though less splendid, marks of attention. The next was a Persian Khân, a fine military-looking man, rather corpulent, and of a complexion not differing from that of a Turk, or other southern Europeans, with a magnificent black beard, and a very pleasing and animated address. A vakeel from Sind succeeded, with a high red cap, and was followed by an Arab, handsomely dressed, and as fair nearly, though not so good-looking, as the Persian. These were all distinguished, and received each some mark of favour. Those who followed had only a little attar poured on their handkerchiefs, and some pawn. On the whole it was an interesting and striking sight, though less magnificent than I had expected, and less so I think than the levee of an European monarch. The sameness of the greater part of the dresses (white muslin) was not sufficiently relieved by the splendour of the few khelâts; and even these which were of gold and silver brocade were in a great measure eclipsed by the scarlet and blue uniforms, gold lace, and feathers, of the English. One of the most striking figures was the Governor-general's native Aid-decamp, a tall, strong-built, and remarkably handsome man, in the flower of his age, and of a countenance at once kind and bold. His dress was a very rich hussar uniform, and he advanced last of the circle, with the usual military salute; then, instead of the offering of money which each of the rest made, he |