'THE AUTHOR VISITED INDIA AND TRAVELLED EXTENSIVELY THERE, FOR THE EXPRESS PURPOSE
OF COLLECTING THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS VOLUME'.

Caleb Wright is believed to have been a missionary, who died 1869. The Book was entered in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Massachusetts in 1850. The fascinating text is accompanied by some 92 illustrations, being wood engravings, some full page with no text verso, others in text. (Illustrations from the 6th edition - Published Cincinnati by J A Brainerd. 1852).
SIZE: Octavo. Approx. 6x9 inches.
Scans are provided of some of the more interesting prints, which are listed below. Click those with an underlined link to view the illustration.

The book provides a fascinating view of life of ordinary, and extraordinary, Indian families in the mid 19th century. At the time when it was written, Tarshish (India) was reputed to have a population of some 130 million. There were virtually no roads and one can but wonder how long it must have taken Wright to travel the country.
It is divided into various sections :-

LECTURES ON INDIA
1. A devotee, who had been standing eight years.  2. A devotee, whose finger-nails were eight inches long.  3. A devotee, whose arms were constantly elevated.  4. Hindu of Bengal, of high rank, in full dress.  5. Mohammedan of Bengal, of high rank, in full dress.  6. Byragee playing on music.  7. Mohman Khaun, Nabob of Cambay. Wearing sword.   8. Culi chief. A tribe of Robbers and Pirates in the north-west part of Hindustan.  9. Culi soldier of the forests of Rajputana. Carrying Bow & arrows.  10. The Great Minaret at Delhi. 11. Columns of a temple at Benares. 12. Columns from the ruins of a temple at Barolli. 13. Temple of Vishnu, at Mahabalipooram, South India. 14. Entrance to the cave temple of Eliphanta  15. Great Choultry at Madura. 16. Hindu college at Calcutta.  17. Fort of Haje Ka, on the Indus.  18. Town and fort of Roree, on the Indus.  19. Fort of Burkhur, on the Indus. 20. Hindu family and dwelling. 21. Travelling in a Palankeen. 22. Specimens of Hindu jewelry. 23. Celebrating the Huli festival. 24. A Brahmin reading the Shasters. 25. A volume of the Shasters, written on palm leaf. 26. Vishnu reposing on his serpent couch. 27. Interior of a house in the city of Benares. 28. Temple of Kali near Calcutta. 29. The Goddess Kali. 30. Temple at Tanjore. 31. Images found among ancient ruins at Gaya. 32. Temple near Allahabad. 33. Two portraits. 34. A view in the city of Benares. 35. Presenting offerings to a mendicant priest. 36. An infant victim of superstition. 37. Interior of a chapel at Cuttack. 38. Baber, the founder of the Mogul empire. 39. Ruins in the city of Delhi. 40. Interior of a mosque at Delhi. 41. Union of the Ganges and Jumna. 42. The sick, brought to the Ganges. 43. A pilgrim at his devotions. 44. The god of wisdom, dancing girl, and musicians. 45. The great temple of Juggernaut at Puri. 46. Portrait of Juggernaut. 47. Car and procession of Juggernaut. 48. The goddess Luckshme, copied from an ancient sculpture. 49. A ceremony at the Temple of Juggernaut. 50. A tank and temple near Benares. 51. The India ox. 52. A devotee leaping from a precipice. 53. Transforming a woman into an evil spirit by burning her alive. 54. A group of women. 55. Interior of a dwelling. 56. Saugor island. 57. Bannian tree.

LECTURE ON WOMEN
58. Three Hindu girls, educated at Burdwan. 59. Women of Calcutta.  60. Hindu woman of Bengal, of high rank, in full dress.  61. Mohammedan woman of Bengal, of high rank, in full dress.  62. Parsee woman of Bombay, of high rank, in full dress.  63. Hindu woman. Carrying basket on her head.  64. Kyan woman. 65. Hindu woman of the Brahmin caste. 66. Hindu mother lamenting the death of her child.

DESCRIPTION OF THE THUGS
67. A thug disguised as a merchant. 68. Carrier of Ganges water. 69. Interior of a cave temple at Ellora. 70. A thug going to a feast. 71. A Mohammedan at prayer. 72. Indru, king of the minor deities. 73. Cottage in the forest.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FESTIVALS
74. Procession at a Hindu festival. 75. Image of the goddess Durga. 76. A Hindu family carrying offerings to an idol. 77. Returning from a sacrifice of animals. 78. Palankeen Bearer of the Rowaney caste dancing about in the streets in celebration of the Durga festival. 79. Consigning an image of Kali to the Ganges.

DESCRIPTION OF THE SHASTERS (By J J Weitbrecht)
80. Gautama, or Budh. 81. Chinese Budh. 82. Brahma. 83. Another form of Brahma. 84. Huneman. 85. Another form of Huneman. 86. Vishnu. 87. Ganesa, the god of wisdom. 88. Serpent god. 89. Colossal bust of Shiva, from the temple of Elephanta. 90. Shiva. 91. Temple of Nandi, at Tanjore. 92. Kartika, the god of war. 

EAST INDIAN CHARACTER AND CUSTOMS Illustrated by Anecdotes Etc.