[2]
It is a singular fact that the peasantry, and, I may say, the landed
interest of the country generally, have never been the friends of any
existing government, have never considered their interests and that
of their government the same; and, consequently, have never felt any
desire for its success or its duration.[3]
The towns and villages all stand upon high mounds formed of the
debris of former towns and villages, that have been accumulating,
most of them, for thousands of years. They are for the most part mere
collections of wretched hovels built of frail materials, and destined
only for a brief period.
Man wants but little here below,
Nor wants that little long.[4]
And certainly there is no climate in the world where man wants less
than in this of India generally, and Upper India particularly. The
peasant lives in the open air; and a house to him is merely a thing
to eat and sleep in, and to give him shelter in the storm, which
comes upon him but seldom, and never in a pitiless shape. The society
of his friends he enjoys in the open air, and he never furnishes his
house for their reception or for display.
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