The manufacture of inuslins of such qualities fl5 are produced at Dacca, and indeed in Europe, must necessarily be always of a very limited character, and their tise confined to very rich purchasers. For the masses of the people, the British manufacturer sends to India the plain and striped duria, mulmul, agliabani, and other figured fabrics, which have established themselves there, and which, both from their good quality and moderate prices, are acceptable to the ninuerous classes who make use of them. Some of the chintzes of Ma.sulipatain and of the south of India are as beautiful in design as they are chaste and elegant in colour. Printed cloths are worn oecasionMly, as in Berar and Bundelkhand, for sarees; and the ends and borders have peculiar local patterns. There is also a class of prints on coarse cloth, used for the skirts or petticoats of women of some of the lower classes in Upper India; but the greatest need of printed cloths is for the kind of bedcover called palampore, or single quilts.
In the costlier garments woven in India, the borders and ends are entirely of gold thread and silk, the former predominating. Many of the sarees, or women's cloths, made at Benares, Pytun, and Burhanpur in Gujerat, at Narrainpet and Dhanwarum in the Hyderabad territory, at Yeokla in Kandesli, and in other localities, have gold thread in broad and narrow stripes alternat ing with silk or inualin. Gold flowers, checks, or zigzag patterns are used, the colours of the grounds being green, black, violet, crimson, purple, and grey ; and in silk, black shot with crimson and yellow, crimson with green, blue, or white, yellow with deep crimson and blue, all producing rich, hannonious, and even gorgeous effects, but without the least appearance of or approach to glaring colour or offence to the most critical taste. They are colours and effects which suit the dark or fair complexions of the people of the country ; for an Indian lady who can afford to be choice in the selection of her wardrobe, is as particular as to what will suit her especial colour—dark or comparatively fair—as a lady of England or France.
Another exquisitely beautiful article of Indian costume for men and women is the do-patta or scarf, worn more frequently by Muliaminadan women than Hindu, and by the latter only when they have adopted the Muhammadan loongee or petticoat, but invariably by men in dress costume. By women, this is generally passed once round the waist over the petticoat or trousers, thence across the bosom and over the left shoulder and head ; by men, across the chest only. Do-pattas,
especially those of 13enares, are perhaps the most exquisitely beautiful of all the ornamental fabncs of India; and it is quite impossible to descnbe the effects of gold and silver thread, of the most delicate and ductile description imaginable, woven in broad rich borders, and profusion of gold and silver flowers, or the elegance and intricacy of inost of the arabesque patterns of the ribbon borders or broad stripes. How such articles are woven at MI, and how they are woven with their exquisite finish and strength, line as their quality is, in the rude luind-looms of the country, it is hard to understand. All these fabrics aro of the most delicate and delightful colour: the creamy white, and shades of pink, yellow, green, mauve, violet, and blue are clear yet sulxlued, and always accord with the thread used and the style of ornamentation, whether in gold or silver, or both combined. Many aro of more decided colours,— black, scarlet and crimson, chocolate, dark green, and madder ; but whatever the colour may be, the ornainentation is chaste and suitable. For the most part, the fabrics of Benares are not intended for ordinary washing ; but the dyers and scourers of India have a process by which the former colour can be discharged from the fabric, and it can then be re-dyed. The gold or silver work is also carefully pressed and ironed, and the piece is restored, if not to its original beauty, at least to a very wearable oondition. The do-pattas of Pytun, and indeed most otheis except Benares, aro of a stronger fabric. Many of them are woven in fast colours, aud the gold thread—silver is rarely used in them—is more substantial than that of Benares. On this account they are preferred in Central India and the Dekhan, not only because they are ordinarily more durable, but because they bear washing or cleaning better. In point of delicate beauty, however, if not of richness. they are not com parable with the fabrics of Benares. Scarfs are in use by every one,—plain muslins, or =silos with figured fields and borders without colour ; plain fields of inuslin with narrow edging of coloured silk or cotton (avoiding gold thread), and narrow ends. Such articles, called sela ' India, are in everyday use among millions of Hindus and Muhammadans, men and women. They are always open-textured muslins; and the .quality ranges from very ordinary yarn to that of the finest Dacca fibres.