221 
made scissors, tweezers, &c., and a small mirror, 
which is usually held in the hand of tlie person 
operated upon. 
780 (5,236). The Carpenter. “ Sutär. The Si 
lage carpenter is a very useful member of the 
small republic, but there are evidences that he has 
not advanced in skill during the last two genera- 
tions. There are inany beautifully carved old 
houses in Marathi towns and yillages, the work 
on which it would he difficult to equal now, and 
the technical points of squareness, truly fitted joints, 
and construction, generally are not so carefnlly 
attended to as of old. Still, the carpenter has 
some valuable traditions by which he faithfully 
abides, and although the greater part of his work 
is of a rough and ready sort, he is capable of 
better things than would be imagined from a 
survey of his scanty apparatus of tools. These 
consist of saws, hammers, sometimes planes, the 
universal and most useful adze, and two or three 
chisels. Holes are invariably bored by a variety 
of what English workmen call the fiddle-drill or 
bow-drill. The toes are used to grip the work 
tightly while both the ordinary plane and hand 
saw are made two-handed instruments. He 
makes and mends agricultural irnplements of 
all kinds, and is usually paid in grain at harvest 
time. 
781 (5,237). The Blacksmith. “Lohar.” — The 
blacksmith makes usually a good living in the 
cotton districts, where gins, ploughs, and cart- 
wheels constitute the greater part of his work. _ It 
is seldom that he is really skilful at welding. 
Sometimes the weld comes right, and sometimes it 
does not, the usual fault being that the iron is 
burnt. Blacksmiths’ bellows are of various kinds; 
those shown in the sketch are of the best pattem. 
They are frequently shapeless leathern bags, not 
fitted with ribs at all. A circular fire of pure cow- 
dung (cow-dung cakes of fuel are, for other pur- 
poses, mixed with straw, leaves, or chaff) prepares 
the tire for the wheel on which it is fitted precisely 
as by wheelwrights in Europe. The blacksmith is 
paid in money and also in grain. He does not 
shoe horses or bullocks, this being the duty of the 
«nälband.” Some of the best adzes, “ kuräd,” 
are made by travelling blacksmiths of gipsy-like 
appearance and habits. Near large towns, and 
in connexion with the numerous railway and 
other works, native smiths attain to great skill, 
and in light work they are, with careful super- 
vision, capable of rivalling the English workman. 
It is notable that the English anvil is used when- 
ever available by the “ lohar.” 
782 (5,238). The “Bunia.” — The “bunia” sells 
grain, cotton seed, ghee oil, and all sorts of pro- 
duce, and in the exercise of his business he perhaps 
comes in for even more abuse than the “ sankar ” 
or “ mahajun.” In seasons of scarcity the “ bunia ” 
usually gets the credit of keeping up the price of 
food grains, and he no doubt does his best to make 
hay while the sun shines. But in these times qf 
more free inter-communication between districts it 
does not so much avail him as of old to collect all 
the grain in his neighbourhood and to put a fancy 
price on it; for supplies now come in frqm all 
sides. He is a keen, if not always a very intelli 
gent trader. He prefers the seat in his little shop 
in the narrow Street, but goes out on business on 
his pony, which is somewhat gaily caparisoned 
with red and yellow headstall, crupper, martingalc, 
(8834.) 
and girths, in none of which is there a morsel of 
lc3.tli er 
783 (5,239). ThePotter. “ Kumär.”—The“kumär” 
or potter is not on the establishment of the village 
Community in the same official manner as some 
other craftsmen, but none the less he is a useful 
and important person. He is usually of wander- 
ing habits, but there are few villages in which the 
reek of his fires is not seen and smelt. He usually 
keeps many small donkeys, by the help of which 
he and the numerous members of his family collect 
fuel and clay. His irnplements are the potter’s 
wheel, and a small pick to dig clay. After his 
“ghurrahs” are shaped on the wheel he finishes 
them by hand, and the way in which he handles 
and pats the thin flexible vessel in the green state, 
and yet preserves its circular form, is a feat which 
most European potters who finish from the wheel 
on the lathe would consider almost impossible. 
He also makes roofing tiles ; these are “ thrown ” 
on the wheel in the shape of tapering cylinders, 
which are sliced in halves while wet. 
784 (5,240). The “ Mahar.”— 1 The “ mahar ” is one 
of the most useful of the village servants. He is 
recognisable by the long bamboo he invariably 
carries. He acts as an assistant to the “ patel,” 
and serves as guide to passengers, he is also post- 
runner and messenger to the village. He has a 
right to the skins of all dead animals, which it is 
his business to remove to a given spot near the 
village. He is of low caste, but he boasts that 
there are people lower still. The “ mahars ” and 
one of their caste subdivisions of a village near 
Nassiek have had a law-suit carried frqm court to 
court for some time concerning their right to 
certain fractions of the bodies and skins of dead 
cattle. Although the touch of the “ mahar ” is 
pollution to higher castes he is personally cheerful 
and contented enough, and he makes a tolerable 
living from his numerous duties, for which he 
receives both money and grain as payment. 
785 (5,241). The “ Mhang.”— 1 The “ mhang ” takes, 
without repining, the lowest place in the social 
scale. He is a musician, and plays on his most 
simple instruments at weddings and other cere- 
monies. He receives an allowance of grain at 
harvest time, but, generally speaking, he lives as 
he can. He may not be a very useful or distin- 
guished member of the commune, but at least_ he 
is a modest and unassuming one.—J. L. Kipling, 
Esq., Sir Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy School of Art and 
Industry, Bombay. 
J. Grifiiths, Bombay. 
Collection of Sketches in Water Colours by ths Ex- 
hibitor, Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy School of Arts, 
Bombay. (From the London Exhibition of 
1872.) 
1.268 ( — ). Mahar girl, carrying a vessel on her 
head. 
1.269 ( — ). Mahar girl, with a basket under her 
arm. 
1.270 ( — ). Mahar girl, with a basket on her head. 
.—Showing mode of wearing “ saree by this Com 
munity of the Deccan and lvonkan. 
1.271 ( —). Fisherwoman, carrying fish on her 
head. 
1.272 ( — ). Soortan.—Showing mode of wearing 
“saree” and “cholec” by Guzerathi women of 
the lower dass. 
0 7-1-