PLATE XVI.
INDIAN ELEPHANT TRAPPING.
The gorgeous specimen of embroidery which forms the subject of this plate, conveys some faint ideaof the florid style of ornament which decorates the beautiful offerings made by His Highness the NawabNazim of Moorshedabad to Her Majesty the Queen of England. It forms part of a splendid velvet covering,worked with gold and silver, descending from the lower part of the howdah, or small pavilion, which, borneupon the back of an elephant, serves to shelter its rider from the intense rays of a tropical sun.
A magnificent howdah of this description, carved in ivory, and completely fitted up for use, with all itsaccessories, together with a complete suit of elephant trapping, forms the principal portion of the present towhich we have alluded. To this truly regal gift the Nawab has added a superb throne, or nativereception seat, with its canopy, and a frame-work of silver, serving to support the pillows. Two mookals(emblems of rank), and two palanquins, one richly fitted up for state occasions, and the other without acanopy, complete the present. The style and character of these elaborate objects admirably illustrate theOriental splendour with which the native princes make their visits of pomp, and their progresses of parade.
The state trappings of an elephant consist of a large cloth, which completely covers the body of theanimal, and falls down to within a short distance of his feet. In the present instance this covering is ofvelvet, embroidered all over, in a style similar to that exhibited in the accompanying plate. Upon this cloththe howdah, or pavilion, is placed, the frame-work of which serves to support a canopy, beneath whichthe prince or noble takes his seat. Behind rises a distinct and less lofty canopy, which is occupied by anattendant, whose duty it is, with a plume of feathers, to whisk away the insects which buzz around, and,but for his interference, would much annoy his lord. The dexterity with which this duty is performed, isa theme of admiration to all who have witnessed it. In front of the howdah, astride upon the neck ofthe elephant, and furnished with a goad, by means of which he directs the movements of the animal, sitsthe driver. Over his head is stretched an awning, supported by two rods projecting from the lower partof the howdah. In front of the driver, and covering the head of the elephant, is spread another piece of cloth,embroidered even more richly than the rest of the trappings. On each side of the animal s ears, and almostconcealing them, hang long cords of gold and silver twist. From each side of the howdah depends a goigeouspiece of embroidery, partially covering the great cloth already mentioned; and from one angle of this smalleior uppermost cloth our illustration is taken, serving but imperfectly to represent the extreme brilliancy of theoriginal, the gold of which is highly burnished and of the greatest purity. The beauty of the patterns woikedin bullion which enrich the velvet, and the woven silk, or kincob, which forms the coveiing of the howdah,is most remarkable; and, when lit up by the intense rays of an Eastern sun, we can imagine the whole panoplyto present a gorgeous appearance, investing the movements of the unwieldy animal with as near an appi oxi-dation to grace and dignity as its clumsy action will permit.
From the earliest periods, the elephants of India have been peculiarly identified with legal magnificence.When Alexander the Great first came in contact with them, and perceived their splendoui in state and theirutility in war, he determined upon introducing them into Greece . The experiment, howevei, pioved unsuccessful,since the expense and difficulty of maintaining them offered an insupeiable obstacle to his project. Introducedat a subsequent period into Italy, by the armies of Pyrrhus , however imposing their appearance, they provedan unequal match for the ingenuity of Hannibal and the valour of the Roman soldiers. Degraded from