Qui Hi?

My brother Quais is taking sailing lessons, and mentioned he was going to sail to Cross Island off the Bombay harbor. That got me to look up Cross Island references in my library of books on Bombay. In the entry for Cross Island in “Bombay Place-Names and Street-Names. An Excursion into the by-ways of the history of Bombay city” by Samuel T. Shepard, I found a quote from Qui Hi.

This is a fascinating and rare book called “The Grand Master or Adventures of Qui Hi? in Hindostan, A Hudibrastic Poem in Eight Cantos by Quiz.”. The book is hilarious and worth reading. I obtained a copy from the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts via the Ministry of Culture of the Indian government. It is published in 1816, and illustrated by Thomas Rowlandson, the famous caricaturist. As expected, the illustrations are as wonderful as the poem. The author of Qui Hi is supposed to be William Combe (see the note from the Graphic Arts Collection, Princeton University Library), which is likely, though I cannot easily find solid references to his authorship of the work.

I am not going to comment on the several Masonic references on the title page.

Here are a couple of frames by Rowlandson that captured my interest. I have provided Hindi transliterations from the 19th century English spellings to help with context. I have not translated the language, since it is not for polite company. If you are sufficiently motivated, you can translate them with Google Translate.

Missionary Influence or How to Make Converts

• Bishop: “Infidels. Barbarians! We are come to convert you to the European faith by Order of the great Authority whose image I bear on this Shield, the benignant beams of whose countenance enliven the ignorant inhabitants of this country therefore destroy your Gods, burn your books, be converted and be saved.”
  The benignant beams are intolerance, bigotry, injustice, oppression and vice.
• Sadhu: “Wah, wah! Topywalla.” (“वाह, वाह! टोपीवाला”)
• Priest: “Master, you very fine Gentleman got very fine Topy (“टोपी”) - but not speak too much good sense - Master I’m poor people all black fellow poor man all master slave. What for burra sahib ("बड़ा साहब") behauden(?) send Master for black man not become Christian ***(?) Got one God already. What can I say more?”

There is a reference to the XXXIX Articles of Religion, and also to Westley (sic?). If this is a reference to John Wesley, it is confusing, since the Methodists did not come to India until after the book was published. Is the second character an American Methodist missionary? 

It is interesting how the otherwise innocuous "topiwalla" ("टोपीवाला") or "one wearing a hat", becomes a high insult. It is repeated in the following frame too. 

Hindoo Prejudices

• Lady: “My dear Lord! We had better take some other road. These poor people are evidently disturbed by our presence. We had better turn!”
• Officer: “No, no, your ladyship is really too considerate. Let us continue our ride. These wretches are unworthy of our notice. Nothing but superstition curse their(?) prejudices. If I allow these liberties, I shall soon be as bad here as I was in England.”
• Gentoo (or Hindu): “Huther rusta ni. (“उधर रस्ता नहीं”) What for master come here, now spoil all peoples dinner. Master not proper character for Hindoo all same cast(e) as dog eat everything. All chatty broke rice make spill. Not eat dinner. All masters fault - other time master keep proper distance - see old man make too much angry”
• Old man (Gentoo's father): “Ban choot soor teri mau” (“बहन चूत - सुअर तेरी माँ”)
• Gentoo's wife, standing: “Decko! Decko! Jungilee walla” (“देखो! देखो! जंगली वाला”)
• Old woman (Gentoo's mother), seated: “Arra bobbery! kubbar dar” (“अरे बाप रे! खबरदार”)
• Child: “Topiwalla!” (“टोपीवाला!”)

The author explains on page 92: “The chatties are vessels made of earth, of little or no value: but the circumstance related here frequently occurs; for it is a fact, that when the poorest Hindoo is at his meals, although he should not have a pice to get him another grain of rice, he destroys his mess, should a European approach him; and even an European Emperor’s presence would have the effect of contamination, under similar circumstances.” Note that "mess" in this sense refers to semi-solid food, which is the meal of milk and rice of the Gentoos shown in the picture.

It is ironical that the British officer has come to India to further his social standing. He does this by dehumanizing the Hindoos, only to be considered by them to be the same caste as a dog. The artist wants to point out that it is not only Hindoo prejudices we are really talking about here.

The British officer in the book is Francis Edward Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings, who was also briefly The Grand Master Mason of the Grand Lodge of Scotland (hence the title of the book).