Letter to Cork
by Dean Mahomed
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Dean Mahomed (1759–1851), a native of Patna, Bihar, has the historic distinction of being the very first Indian author to write and publish a book in English. This chapter is an extract from his travel letters, written to a friend in Cork, Ireland, describing his observations of Indian wildlife during his travels with the East India Company. He dedicates much of the letter to a detailed description of the elephant, which he calls the largest and most magnificent quadruped in the universe, noting its tough skin, small eyes, large ears, arched back and long, flexible trunk that it uses to breathe, eat and pick up the smallest coin. He explains how hunters (hotteewallies) trap wild elephants in grass-covered trenches and train them for the service of rulers and military campaigns, and shares a touching anecdote of a tamed elephant that gently rocked a keeper's crying baby to sleep. He also describes the Rhinoceros (locally 'Abadu'), covered with hard blackish scales like a crocodile with a sharp horn on its snout, and praises the camel for its patience, fatigue-resistance and usefulness as a beast of burden guided only by its driver's voice.
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Dean Mahomed (1759–1851), a native of Patna, Bihar, holds the historic distinction of being the very first Indian author to write and publish a book in English. This chapter is an extract from his travel letters, written to a friend in Cork, Ireland, describing his observations of Indian wildlife during his travels with the East India Company.
The description of the elephant
Mahomed dedicates a large part of his letter to a highly detailed description of the elephant, which he calls the largest and most magnificent quadruped in the universe. He details its physical features: its tough skin, small eyes, large ears, arched back, and its long, flexible trunk (extremity) which it uses to breathe, eat, and pick up the smallest coin from the ground.
He describes how hunters (hotteewallies) trap wild elephants by digging deep trenches covered with grass, training them afterward for the service of Indian rulers and military campaigns. He shares a touching anecdote showing the elephant's gentle nature: a tamed elephant once gently picked up a keeper's crying baby from its cradle, rocked it to sleep, and laid it back down with the utmost care.
The rhinoceros and the camel
Mahomed also describes the Rhinoceros (locally called Abadu), which is covered with hard, blackish scales similar to a crocodile, and possesses a sharp, thick horn on its snout that makes it terrifying to other animals.
He then discusses the camel, praising its incredible patience, fatigue-resistance, and usefulness as a beast of burden in the eastern territories, controlled entirely by the simple voice of its driver.