The Night Side of London by James Ewing Ritchie

It is the condition of a public-house that it must do a good business some way or other. Mr Hinton, who has just got his license for Highbury Barn, says the dining apartment fell off and he was obliged to institute Soirees Dansantes. Sometimes the publican gets a female dressed up in a Bloomer costume; sometimes he has for his barman a giant, or a dwarf, or an Albino, or a Kaffir chief -- actually as an attraction to decent people to go and drink their pot of beer. I find the following advertisement in the _Morning Advertiser_: --

"The Sheep-eater of Hindostan. -- To be seen, the Sheep-eater of / Hindostan, representing an exhibition which took place on the 3rd of / March, 1796, before Colonel Patrick Douglas and other officers of a / battalion of Native Infantry, and a great concourse of the / inhabitants of the military station of Futtehghur. It is engraved / from a sketch, taken on the spot by a native artist, and under the / inspection of Major-General Hardwicke, F. R. S. The Sheep-eater was a / native of India, about thirty years of age, five feet nine inches / high, slender, well formed, and rather muscular. He was attended by / a very old man, whom he called his father or preceptor, termed by the / natives Gooroo or Priest, who stated he had formerly followed the / same practice. He was above the ordinary stature of the natives of / India, and wore his hair, which was of great length, coiled into the / form of a turban; and his beard was twisted like a rope, and nearly / reached his feet, being five feet eight inches in length. The / exhibitor began his operation by raising the sheep from the ground / with his teeth. He then threw the animal on its back, and, with his / teeth and hands only, separated the limbs, and stript the flesh from / the bones.