The author of this book, Baptist Wriothesley Noel, was an English aristocrat and Evangelical clergyman. He served as president for the Baptist Union for two terms and published over 80 books and pamphlets over his lifetime. Some of his other titles include Christian Missions to Heathen Nations , and Freedom and Slavery in the United States of America.

The practice of suttee was banned in India in December of 1829 by Governer-General William Bentinck. Despite Marston's claim that "this cruel practice has quite ceased" suttees continued even after it was made illegal.

A Palky, also commonly called a litter, was a mode of transportation that included a wheel-less carriage with poles attached to the sides so that servants could carry it. In her book, Marston states that for Hindu women, the palky was a plain black box with no windows. She also includes the following image.

The Kuleen Brahmins (usually spelled Kulin) were the highest-ranking Bengali Brahmins. Due to their elite status, Kulin Brahmin could only marry those within the Kulin caste. Hypergamy was also institutionalized among the Kulin. This meant that the women could only marry a superior Brahmin, while men could marry below their class. This resulted in only a small amount of suitable men and an excess of unmarried females. Since it was viewed as shameful to have an unmarried daughter, polygamy was often practiced among this caste. It was common for a Kulin men to have over a hundred wives. The result of this was when a Kulin man died, he left hundreds of widows. Many of these widows became prostitutes. http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0069966795029001008?journalCode=cisa

Hindus believe in reincarnation, or that after a person dies their soul is reborn. This process is said to continue until a soul achieves perfection. If a person has lived a good life but their soul has not yet achieved perfection, then they are reincarnated as a higher being. For example, this often means that they are born into a higher caste. Likewise, if a person lives a bad life, then they are reincarnated as a lower being such as an animal or plant. The widows feared that if they were not burned with their husbands than they would reincarnate as an animal for going against their religious tradition.

Despite what the title of this cartoon suggests, Queen Victoria was not officially granted the title "Empress of India" until 1877, 20 years after the British government took control of India. Victoria's successors held this title until 1947 when India gained independence from Imperial rule. https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/cartoon-of-queen-victoria-as-queen-of-india-from-punch-magazine

"Rám Rám" is a common greeting between Hindus. While all the Indian representatives at the Indian Exhibition where asked to greet the Queen in this way, this would not have been the customary greeting of the Muslims present. Many of the Muslims chose to also greet her with "Al-Ahmad-ul-illah" which translates to "all praise is due to God alone".

The Royal Albert Hall of Arts and Sciences, named after the Queen's late husband, was opened on March 29, 1871. The land that the Hall rests on was purchased on the advice of Prince Albert. At the opening of the Hall, Queen Victoria was too overcome with emotion to speak and her son the Prince of Whales announced the opening on her behalf. During the 19th century the hall housed a wide variety of events such as concerts, balls, exhibitions, and the first sci-fi convention. https://www.royalalberthall.com/about-the-hall/our-history/explore-our-history/time-machine/1800s/

After the death of her husband Prince Albert, Queen Victoria mourned him by wearing black for the rest of her life.

A Ghazi is a Muslim warrior who would have fought in Holy Wars.

Henry Grattan was an Irish politician and powerful orator during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. As a member of The Irish House of Commons, he supported the Irish Declaration of Rights which called for a separation from English rule and the right of Ireland to govern itself. Grattan also campaigned on behalf of the rights of Catholics who were discriminated against under English rule. http://www.libraryireland.com/biography/HenryGrattan.php

Nihilism is a philosophical stance that arose during the nineteenth century. Nihilism maintains that life has no purpose and denies religious morals and principles. The German Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) is one of the most well known nihilists.<br> https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/nihilism

The practice described in this passage is Sati. Sati is when an Indian widow would throw herself on her husband's funeral pyre in order to die with him. This practice was opposed by the English and outlawed under British rule.