ABSTRACT
Nothing in the history of mankind in general, and of the peoples of Europe in particular, has been so significant as the discovery of the New World and the route to India by the Cape of Good Hope. These events marked the beginning of a revolution in the commerce and the power of nations, and in the way of life, the industry and the government of all peoples. It was from this moment on that the inhabitants of the most far-flung lands were brought closer together by new relationships and new needs. The productions of equatorial climes began to be consumed in polar regions; the manufactures of the North were transported to the South; the fabrics of the Orient became prized luxuries in the West; and everywhere, men exchanged their opinions, their laws, their customs, their sicknesses, their remedies, their virtues and their vices. [...]
Extract II (Chapter 8): The society of India: castes and suttee
[...] There are several orders of Brahmins. Those who live in society are usually very corrupt. Convinced as they are that the waters of the Ganges cleanse them of all their crimes, and not being subject to any civil jurisdiction, they are without curb and without virtue. They do, however, still have the compassion and the charity which are so common in the gentle climate of India.
