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 si*ottiswooue and co., new-strkct squakh 
 
 ANU rARLlAMBNT STRBBT 
 
M 
 
 ENGLAND TO DELHI : 
 
 A NARRATIVE OF INDIAN TRAVEL. 
 
 BY 
 
 JOHN MATHESON, 
 
 GLASGOW. 
 
 ' The proper means of increasing the love we bear our 
 native cotmtry is to reside some time in a foreign one.^ 
 
 Shenstone. 
 
 WITH A HAP AND BICHTV-TWO ILLUSTRATIONS DRAWN ON WOOD BY ROBERT TENNENT 
 
 AND ENGRAVED BY STEPHEN MILLER AND GEORGE PEARSON. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. 
 
 1870. 
 
• • • • % ' 
 •• • • • • 
 
 • • • • • • , 
 
 
 GIFT Off 
 
 PROFESSOR C.A. XOFOID 
 
TO HER 
 
 WHO WAS THE COMPANION OF THE WRITER 
 
 IN HIS VISIT TO THE FAR EAST 
 
 THIS BOOK 
 
 IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED. 
 
 IV.S1G^55 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 HE JOURNEY described 
 in the following pages was 
 undertaken from a desire 
 to form some personal ac- 
 quaintance with a country 
 chiefly known to me 
 through the medium of a 
 close mercantile connec- 
 tion. In a word, business, 
 not bookmaking, was its 
 primary object. 
 
 No one, however, who 
 visits our Eastern empire can fail to be forcibly 
 impressed with the novelty of its aspect, and with the 
 strong contrast which it presents to the ordinary routine 
 of European life. 
 
via PREFACE. 
 
 The result of this feeling, in my case, was a series 
 of jottings made on the spot, and designed for the 
 information or entertainment of friends at home ; but 
 which, having more recently undergone careful revision, 
 as well as some extension, with reference to later events, 
 are now accorded a wider publicity. 
 
 Although the preparation of these memoranda for the 
 press was thus due to an after-thought, and seven years 
 have elapsed since my return home, I have not been un- 
 mindful of what has taken place in the interval, and 
 would even indulge the hope that my narrative may be 
 found to have preserved its freshness, and to possess a 
 direct bearing on the existing situation of affairs in 
 British India. 
 
 For such information as I have been able to present, 
 apart from my own experience and the statistics gleaned 
 from official documents, I am indebted, not to other 
 volumes of a similar nature, but to the courtesy of 
 friends now or very recently resident in the East, and 
 to the columns of the current Anglo-Indian journals. 
 
 It would be vain to expect that the accuracy of the 
 particulars thus acquired should pass wholly unchal- 
 
PREFACE. ix- 
 
 lenged. I can only assert that I have recorded my own 
 impressions with scrupulous — perhaps prolix — fidelity, 
 and adopted no statement of fact on what I conceived 
 to be loose or insufficient data. At the same time, it 
 has been my desire and endeavour to avoid all expres- 
 sions calculated to produce in any quarter a just feeling 
 of offence. 
 
 If I have ventured to touch upon grave questions 
 affecting the condition and prospects of India, this has 
 been done rather to indicate the importance of such 
 topics than to interfere with their treatment in more 
 competent hands. Indeed, my aim has been simply to 
 afford those who are not conversant with the subject, 
 and who may choose to accompany me through these 
 incidents of travel, a passing glimpse of the social 
 features and material resources of that wonderful 
 Indian continent with which the welfare of our own 
 country is now so intimately associated. 
 
 J. M. 
 
 Glasgow: December, 1869. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 CHAPTER I. THE GATEWAY OF DEPARTURE . . . i 
 
 II. THE THRESHOLD OF THE EAST . . . s 
 
 III. THE MEETING OF THE WATERS . . .16 
 
 IV. THE SOUNDS AND SIGHTS OF CAIRO . . 23 
 V. LIFE IN DEATH 32 
 
 VI. A FIERY CHANNEL AND A BURNING ROCK . 35 
 
 VII. A SHIP AT SEA 46 
 
 VIII. OTHER WORLDS 51 
 
 IX. BOMBAY AND ITS PEOPLE . . . .59 
 
 X. BOMBAY LIFE AND INDUSTRY . . .77 
 
 XI. A CHAPTER OF VARIETIES . . . .88 
 
xii CONTENTS. 
 
 PACE 
 
 CHAP. XII. ASIATIC CREEDS: HINDOOISM . . .99 
 
 XIII. ASIATIC CREEDS: BUDDHISM . . .108 
 
 XIV. ADMINISTRATIVE AND TERRITORIAL . .110 
 XV. THE PARSEES' FAITH AND SEPULTURE . 118 
 
 XVI. THE NAUTCH 125 
 
 XVII. TANK AND TEMPLE 131 
 
 XVIII. THE HEIGHTS OF KENERY . . . ,135 
 
 XIX. MATERAN MOUNTAIN 140 
 
 XX. MALABAR AND PALKE 146 
 
 XXI. CEYLON AND ITS STORY . . . .152 
 
 XXII. CEYLON AND ITS STORY— continued . . .177 
 
 XXIII. COROMANDEL SANDS .... 185 
 
 XXIV. MADRAS WITHOUT ,88 
 
 XXV. MADRAS WITHIN ,94 
 
 XXVI. ORISSA—THE SUNDERBUNDS—THE HOOGHLY— 
 
 PORT CANNING . . • .221 
 
CONTENTS. xiii 
 
 PACK 
 
 CHAP. XXVII. THE CAPITAL OF INDIA . . . .236 
 
 XXVIII. RAILWAY GLIMPSES 
 
 ■ 277 
 
 XXIX. A ROLLING COUCH 287 
 
 XXX. INCIDENTS OP HILL AND PLAIN . . .292 
 
 XXXI. THE HEATHEN CAPITAL . . . .306 
 
 XXXII. ON THE GRAND TRUNK ROAD . . .324 
 
 XXXIII. OLD AND NEW ALLAHABAD . . .338 
 
 XXXIV. MORE INCIDENTS OF THE WAY . . .347 
 XXXV. DELHI, PAST AND PRESENT . . .354 
 
 XXXVI. MARRIAGE AND FEMALE EDUCATION . , 378 
 
 XXXVII. THE MOFUSSIL 387 
 
 XXXVIII. AGRA, AS IT WAS AND IS . • . .397 
 
 XXXIX. POLICE AFFAIRS AND THE CRIMINAL CLASSES 409 
 
 XL. MELANCHOLY CAWNPORE . . . .419 
 
 XLI. THE TALE OF LUCKNOW . . . .428 
 
XIV CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 CHAP. XLII. MERCANTILE MIRZAPORE . . . .452 
 
 XLIII. INDIGENOUS INDUSTRY 4^5 
 
 XLIV. THANATOPSIS . . . - . . .485 
 
 XLV. CONCLUSION 495 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 MAP SHOWING THE RAILWAYS IN INDIA IN 1869 
 
 PAGB 
 
 to face 509 
 
 BENARES 
 
 PAGE 
 
 . frontispiece 
 
 MOSQUE OF MAHOMED ABA, CITADEL, 
 
 CAIRO .... to face 23 
 
 TOMBS OF THE CALIPHS 
 
 CAIRO .... 
 
 CAIRO LADY 
 
 BOMBAY COAST . 
 
 BOMBAY FROM MALABAR HILL 
 
 PALANQUIN AND BEARERS . 
 
 ELPHINSTONE CIRCLE 
 
 STRIKING A BARGAIN 
 
 NAUTCH GIRLS . 
 
 PARSEE LADY AND CHILD . 
 
 ROCK CAVES OF KENERY . 
 
 COOLIES ON A COFFEE ESTATE 
 
 TAMIL WOMEN PICKING COFFEE 
 
 SCENE NEAR COLOMBO 
 
 CINNAMON PEELERS, CEYLON 
 
 KADUGINAWA PASS 
 
 LAKE AND TOWN OF KANDY 
 
 DRAWING TODDY 
 
 BUDDHIST TEMPLE, CEYLON 
 
 *4 
 to face 25 
 29 
 60 
 61 
 67 
 72 
 7S 
 127 
 129 
 to face 1 36 
 161 
 164 
 to face 165 
 170 
 172 
 «73 
 '79 
 181 
 
 CATAMARANS I9I 
 
 MUSSULAH BOAT . . . . I92 
 
 VIEW OP MADRAS . . to face I94 
 
 ST. ANDREW'S CHURCH, MADRAS . 1 96 
 
 BEACH OF MADRAS .... 202 
 
 GOVERNMENT HOUSE, MADRAS . 209 
 
 INDIAN LIBRA 2IO 
 
 GROUP OF JUGGLERS . . . .212 
 
 JUGGERNAUTH CAR .... 223 
 
 FAMINE IN ORISSA .... 225 
 
 COOLIE HUT, BENGAL . • 23I 
 
 CALCUTTA, WITH PART OF MAIDAN 
 
 to face 236 
 LANDING AT CALCUTTA . . . 238 
 OLD COURT HOUSE STREET, CAL- 
 CUTTA .... to face 239 
 
 THE BHEESTIE 242 
 
 PIECE-GOODS MERCHANTS . . 247 
 
 TEMPLES ON THE HOOGHLY . . 256 
 
 GHAUT NEAR BARRACKPORE 258 
 
 BARRACKPORE PARK .... 259 
 
 THE HOUSEHOLD STAFF . . 26I 
 
XVI 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 fACB 
 
 BENGAL RUSTIC SCENE . . . 28I 
 
 NATIVE ATTENDANT .... 29O 
 
 ELEPHANT WITH HOWDAH 329 
 
 RURAL VIEW, BENGAL 33$ 
 
 NATIVE BARBER 344 
 
 WORKING JEWELLER, DELHI . . 358 
 
 WEAVER AND WINDER OF THREAD . 36Q 
 
 JUMMA MUSJID, DELHI . . 361 
 DELHI, FROM THE OUTER COURT OF 
 
 THE JUMMA MUSJID . to face 362 
 
 RAILWAY BRIDGE OVER THE JUMNA . 364 
 
 RUINS OF OLD DELHI . . 366 
 
 TOMB OF HUMAYOON, DELHI . 368 
 
 THE OBSERVATORY, DELHI . . 369 
 KUTUB MINAR, DELHI . . -371 
 
 RYOT 388 
 
 GATEWAY AT FORT AGRA . . . 399 
 
 FORT AT AGRA 4OI 
 
 THE TAJ MAHAL, AGRA . . . 403 
 TAJ OF AGRA, FROM THE FOUNTAIN 
 
 to/ace 404 
 
 INTERIOR OF THE TAJ, AGRA . 405 
 
 CAV.'NPORE 
 
 OLD WELL OF CAWNPORE . 
 WELL OF CAWNPORE, AS IT IS . 
 INTERIOR OF WELL AT CAWNPORE 
 
 rxcB 
 420 
 
 422 
 
 4*3 
 
 424 
 
 GHAUT ON THE GANGES WHERE NANA 
 
 SAHIB FIRED ON THE ESCAPE BOAT 426 
 
 CITY OF LUCKNOW to fact 432 
 
 THE KAISERBAGH .... 433 
 
 GATEWAY OF THE KAISERBAGH . . 43S 
 
 BRIDGE NEAR LUCKNOW . . 437 
 
 RUINS OF THE RESIDENCY . . 439 
 
 GRAVES OF NEILL AND I^WRENCB . 44O 
 
 THE GREAT IMAMBARRA . . . 44I 
 
 THE tanner's yard .... 47a 
 
 OKOO WORKING HIS OIL-MILL . . 473 
 
 CAMPHOR REFINING .... 474 
 
 SHEIK CASSIM DYEING CLOTH . . 476 
 
 GOPAL DISTILLING TODDY . . . 479 
 
 ACHIN ADMINISTERING OPIUM . . 486 
 
 CATGUT MAKERS .... 481 
 
 THE HALALCORE .... 482 
 
 CHARNEL GROUND, BO.VIDAY tofaCi 488 
 
ENGLAND TO DELHI. 
 
 o5*Co 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE GATEWAY OF DEPARTURE. 
 
 Winter, ruler of the inverted year, 
 tiiou hold'st the sun 
 
 A prisoner in the yet undawning east. — Cowper. 
 
 Before me shone a glorious world. 
 Fresh as a banner bright unfurled 
 To music suddenly. 
 
 1 looked upon these hills and plains. 
 And seemed as if let loose from chains, 
 
 To live at liberty.— WORDSWORTH. 
 
 HE THEORY that the arts of civilization 
 have destroyed the romance of travel is not 
 one of universal application. We Britons, 
 for example, pale-faced inhabitants of a 
 northern latitude, as we shiver under the 
 first attack of winter, are supplied by modern 
 invention with the means of effecting an im- 
 mediate change in the outward circumstances 
 of our existence. We cannot of course re- 
 move the clouds that obscure the sun, or 
 withdraw from the earth its covering of 
 snow ; but, leaving such phases of nature behind us, we can 
 
 u 
 
2 THE GATEWAY OF DEPARTURE. [ch. 
 
 pass, with what our fathers would have deemed a supernatural 
 speed, into the fields of light that shine below the southern 
 horizon. 
 
 Let it not be supposed, however, that the eastward route 
 begun at Marseilles or Brindisi is also bright with the sunshine 
 of social intercourse. On the contrary, the voyager will be 
 more likely to discover himself lost to the world amidst a large 
 but by no means self-denying travelling party. The extent 
 to which this passenger traffic has grown may be illustrated 
 by reference to the last published accounts (June 1869) of the 
 Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, whose 
 ships still supply the great bulk of what is called the Overland 
 service to the East. From these accounts it appears that the 
 Company's fleet (not including the tugs and transport ships), 
 trading between this country and the ports of India, China, 
 Australia, and Japan, had then reached the extraordinary num- 
 ber of forty-eight large sea-going steamers, aggregating 88,532 
 tons, customs measurement, and 19,220 horse-power; such being, 
 I imagine, the largest shipping concern the world ever knew. 
 
 It were needless to recount the well-known routine of affairs 
 on shipboard between Europe and Alexandria, the more so 
 that I have shown my bias towards an unamlable view of the 
 subject. The steamboat party is usually sufficiently large to 
 form a stirring scene of life, while at the same time it is composed 
 of many heterogeneous elements, high and humble, military, civil, 
 and mercantile ; so that, however fancy may gild the picture, it 
 really consists of a shipload of people not at all en rapport with 
 one another, but here met in close contact, on common ground, 
 and altogether under circumstances by no means favourable for 
 
l] PACING THE DECK. 3 
 
 the development of the social amenities. Not that good fellow- 
 ship may not be cultivated on board by those who desire that 
 boon, for warm friendships frequently take root here. But, 
 speaking generally, it may instruct speculative philanthropists to 
 know that the so called sweetly romantic and sadly pathetic 
 spectacle of a handful of human beings cast together on the wide 
 ocean, and journeying for the most part to distant and friendless 
 shores, is by no means a melting scene of mutual sympathy and 
 love ; in short, that in the little world here created the Utopian 
 condition of ' liberty, fraternity, equality,' that shibboleth of revo- 
 lutionary heroes both at home and abroad, is tried and found 
 wanting. 
 
 It may besides benefit the uninitiated, to understand that the 
 rule of experience in such cases is to give assumption, in all its 
 forms, the widest possible berth. There are none who dislike 
 neglect so much as the would-be-great. It involves them in an 
 unhappy sense of failure to begin with, and is sure to elicit, if 
 anything on earth can, their respectful consideration in the end. 
 
 At the outset only is the scene brisk and jaunty, as the pas- 
 sengers congregate on deck, attired in fantastic habits de mer, 
 exhibiting all the hues of the rainbow, and every vagary of the 
 tailoring art Then privileged ships' officers, conspicuous with 
 glitter of lace and buttons, mingle expectantly with the throng, 
 canvassing the prospects of a flirtation, or at least searching for 
 smiles and affability where they may chance to be found ; while 
 wandering eyes everywhere ask the great question, 'Who's who ?' 
 The serio-comic interlude that ordinarily ensues is due to the 
 proverbial fickleness of the Mediterranean Sea. On such a 
 cradle, when it does swing, the most stirring of human passions 
 
 B 2 
 
4 THE GATEWAY OF DEPARTURE. [ch. i. 
 
 are lulled — the pride of life itself is rocked to rest No one 
 taking his place in the sick circle pauses to consider the status 
 of a near companion. Nautical-looking gentlemen, whose pro- 
 menade on deck was, but a moment ago, imposing to behold, 
 now fall into attitudes that evidently are no longer designed for 
 dignity of efifect. Great and small, reduced to a common level, 
 meekly consort together, and the wolf lies down with the lamb. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE THRESHOLD OF THE EAST. 
 
 Egypt, thou art no more ! thy hour is past ! 
 
 Thy solemn symbols and mysterious rites 
 
 Have sunk in fathomless oblivion ! — Cuthbert Collingwoou. 
 
 Here at the peep of morning, 
 
 Bedecked with dewy tears, 
 Wild weeds her brow adorning, 
 
 Lo! Enterprise appears. — Dr. E. D. Clarke. 
 
 HILDHOOD'S bright fancies and 
 indelible memories have conse- 
 crated to most of us the Bible 
 ' Land of Egypt' We first knew 
 it from the sacred record, as a 
 glorious enchanted realm — a land 
 of dreams, omens, and angels' 
 visits. If it be true, as indeed it 
 is, that not a lingering ray of that 
 spiritual sunshine now remains to 
 Egypt, no one will deny that in 
 the mundane sense at least it is 
 still a scene of wonders. For 
 Egypt, as all the world knows, is 
 a country made up of social ano- 
 malies and physical contradictions; 
 it is a land at once rainless and 
 copiously watered ; where poverty crouches among the records 
 
6 THE THRESHOLD OF THE EAST. [ch. 
 
 of wealth, and mouldering monuments on desert wastes alternate 
 with living herds and crops on rich alluvial soil. 
 
 No wonder, then, that a group of watchers should have occu- 
 pied the poop, gazing ahead for the first glimpse of Egypt, as 
 the dim outline of Alexandria rose out of the haze in front As 
 we approached nearer, that celebrated city became revealed 
 as a strange jumble of ancient and modern erections — palaces, 
 pillars, hovels, and earthen mounds — all massed together, with- 
 out plan or order, on a scorching coast, and forming the fore- 
 ground of a landscape that receded out of View, seemingly on a 
 dead level with the sea. Such is the gateway of the East ; but 
 once within its portals, and surrounded by the elegant buildings 
 styled the ' Grand Square,' whither everything that is European 
 tends and finds its location, we contemplate with pleasant sur- 
 prise a scene which, but for an admixture of swarthy Egyp- 
 tian coachmen and donkey boys, would precisely resemble the 
 fashionable centre of a continental city. For here, amidst fine 
 shops and handsome equipages, we find a gay concourse of 
 people in European costume. 
 
 A sufficient explanation of this animated prospect may be 
 read in the dry figures and prosaic details of commerce, the 
 trade of Egypt with our own and other countries having in- 
 creased very rapidly of late. This will appear by comparing 
 former statistics with those supplied last year by our English 
 consul at Alexandria, to the effect that, in 1867, upwards of 
 3,000 vessels of all nations, with a total tonnage of nearly 
 2,000,000, entered the port of Alexandria ; and that the value of 
 the exports in the same year was about 10,000,000/., while the 
 whole imports of the country exceeded 6,000,000/. sterling. As 
 showing the increasing resources of Egypt, the revenue for 
 
11.] ALEXANDRIA. Jr 
 
 1854 was estimated at a little over 3,000,000/., and that for 
 1868 (only fourteen years later) at close upon 7,500,000/. sterling. 
 The same attractions of fertility and geographical position, that 
 drew the Macedonian conqueror thither some two thousand 
 years ago, have been influencing less famous, but more honest 
 and peaceable, adventurers in our own times, as the field of 
 industry was gradually laid open by the rulers of the ' land of 
 Egypt' And thus European wealth and fashion have been 
 growing apace in Alexandria, improving at the same time, as 
 they are everywhere wont to do, in the circumstances, the con- 
 dition and prospects of a too long neglected and helpless race. 
 This historical city has recently drawn towards itself many of 
 the agencies of modern civilization. Side by side with ancient 
 minarets, tall chimney stacks have risen ; steam engines are in 
 active play, and within the spacious harbour the keels of every 
 nation ride securely. When, indeed, the probable results of the 
 Suez canal are considered in connection with the general pro- 
 gress of the country, it would seem that Alexandria is destined 
 to become an African Marseilles, as the natural centre of that 
 vast commerce between the eastern and western parts of the 
 world, the limits of whose further growth none can presume to 
 define. Thus revived into life and activity after many ages of 
 lassitude scarcely broken by the events of the thirteenth and 
 fourteenth centuries, the ancient port of Eunostos, now called 
 Alexandria, bustling with steamers from England, France, 
 Trieste, and Constantinople, besides sailing vessels from all parts 
 of the Western world, already presents a more healthful scene 
 of prosperity than it did in the grandest period of the Ptolemies. 
 Such, however, is only the foreground of the picture. In the 
 
 *B4 
 
8 THE THRESHOLD OF THE EAST. [cH. 
 
 handsome appearance of the harbour with its ships, and of the 
 Grand Square with its hotels and consulates, we behold but the 
 firstfruits of modern improvement Beyond this little nucleus 
 of civilization and the well-plenished bazaars, where the native 
 traders congregate, the mass of the population still swarms in 
 dusty dens clustered beside bald, exposed graveyards that over- 
 lie the buried remains of Ptolemaic times — the 4,000 palaces, 
 4,000 baths, 400 theatres, and the ' many other wonders,' which 
 Amrou the Conqueror said he ' could not describe ' in this in- 
 comparable ' city of the West' The work of excavating these 
 historical splendours is progressing with moderate success, under 
 the direction of the government, although it would appear they 
 are held by the desert sands in depths that only prolonged toil 
 can render accessible. Of such as had been recovered, at the 
 time of which I speak, few specimens remained on the spot 
 Cleopatra's Needles (one of them prostrate) served ingloriously 
 to decorate a waste enclosure adjoining a sculptor's yard ; and 
 Pompey's pillar, picturesque in its isolation, decorated a barren 
 mound above the common highway. The present year has 
 brought with it a happy calculation and suggestion, to the effect 
 that the fallen Needle, which is the property of the British nation, 
 might be raised and conveyed to England at the trifling cost of 
 3,000/., toadom the Thames Embankment, or the Temple Gardens, 
 with an important relic of the old world. Of the famous Cata- 
 combs no other traces remain than a few shapeless excavations 
 within a cave situated close to the long breakers of a retired Medi- 
 terranean shore ; and the most enthusiastic explorers, who enter 
 this classic sand-hole, are not accustomed to prolong their stay. 
 But the change that has lately occurred in the internal admi- 
 
ii;] ' SAID PACHA IN ENGLAND. ' -9: 
 
 nistration of Egypt is, of course, an important consideration 
 in the estimate of her progress. The familiar maxim among 
 social economists, ' What one loses another gets,' is especially 
 true when applied to nations ; and so out of the devastations 
 of the American war arose that widely extended growth of 
 cotton in Egypt, which constitutes the basis of her new-born 
 prosperity. 
 
 When Said Pacha visited England in 1862, the work of refor- 
 mation had begun, and no one can forget how many and loud 
 were the praises lavished on that Viceroy because of his so- 
 called enlightened views, and the spirit he was said to have 
 infused into the dormant powers of his country. Even clerical 
 bodies, in a mood somewhat broader than their wont, tendered 
 the Prophet's representative in England their humble meed of 
 admiration in addresses commenting on the religious liberty of 
 his rule. But subsequent events proved Said Pacha unworthy of 
 the ovation. With so much fresh glitter on the surface, the 
 fabric of his empire was still the old rotten sepulchre of slavery 
 and oppression within. The industry of the country had been 
 revived by means of forced labour, whereby thousands of poor 
 fellahs were constantly being torn from their homes and families 
 by the minions of the government. It turned out also that 
 the state contracts for machinery and utensils were generally 
 given out to favourites of the Viceroy, who did not scruple to 
 take the opportunity of enriching themselves at the public 
 expense. 
 
 Under Ismail Pacha, the present ruler, this latter evil at least 
 has been remedied ; and should he prove wise enough to relieve 
 the peasantry of those oppressive taxes on land, stores^ and 
 
lO THE THRESHOLD OF THE EAST. [cH. 
 
 cattle, which have ever been the bane of Egyptian policy, 
 no obstacle will remain to the rapid transformation of the 
 country. Steam ploughs and cotton gins for the land, and steam 
 pumps together with fresh watercourses to expand the slimy 
 overflow of the Nile, have of late years been multiplied with 
 extraordinary rapidity, the Egyptian army itself having literally 
 laid aside the sword for the ploughshare, and assisted to achieve 
 a victory whose fruits are more valuable and enduring than the 
 spoils of war. Cairo and Alexandria are already considerably 
 improved. The railway system, too, has been vigorously de- 
 veloped ; and branches from the main lines between Alexandria, 
 Cairo, and Suez, are gradually extending around. When it is 
 added that ' the telegraph is now in operation on all the lines, 
 and connects almost every village of importance in Lower Egypt,' 
 it will be seen that the work in progress involves the recon- 
 struction of the country on a hitherto unknown basis of prosperity. 
 
 How strange to think, that all this transformation should 
 have arisen from the simple act of an Italian doctor, who, 
 within the last forty years, planted a handful of cotton seed in 
 a garden near Baalbec ? 
 
 An overwhelming interest attaches to that vast maritime 
 achievement, regarding the ultimate success of which contra- 
 dictory opinions still continue to prevail. In any event Europe 
 has realized the fact of an open passage to the Red Sea in spite 
 of all prophecies to the contrary. We know also that this magni- 
 ficent water channel through the Desert, connecting the seas of the 
 northern and southern zones, although a novelty in these times, 
 is not one in the world's experience. History tells us tliat such 
 a passage was attempted by Pharaoh Necho ; but there are evi- 
 
II.] A 'STREAM' OF COMMUNICATION. \\ 
 
 dences of its formation by other rulers both before and after 
 his time. The work in our own day has been prosecuted with 
 a vigour and persistence which the Pharaohs might have desired 
 to emulate, and it may be added by an instrumentality not dis- 
 similar to theirs ; for till within the last few years the condition 
 of the wretched subjects of the Pacha, employed under the 
 direction of M. Lesseps, could scarcely be considered superior 
 to that of the Egyptian bondsmen of old. 
 
 The imposing character of the opening ceremony with its 
 solemn services and stately splendours, and the actual naviga- 
 tion (although not without some mishaps) of the canal from sea 
 to sea by a large fleet of vessels representing various nation- 
 alities, are the theme of to-day. On that memorable occasion 
 Moslem and Christian, meeting face to face on the scene of 
 their ancient strife, united in prayer for the divine blessing on 
 a scheme designed for the welfare of mankind. If the canal 
 should prove sufficient, in the practical sense, for the naviga- 
 tion of such steamers as those of the Peninsular and Oriental 
 and Messagerie Imperiale Companies, it can scarcely fail to 
 attract almost immediately the great bulk of the passenger and 
 fine goods traffic. Even if incapable in its present condition 
 we may still hope that the mighty acquisition it offers will not 
 be lost to the world ; for, should the necessity arise, civilized 
 Europe would doubtless unite in completing a work calculated 
 to abridge the passage to the East by thousands of miles. 
 Not, however, that the new ocean pathway thus opened up will 
 be all gain to the travelling public ; for we learn that the tolls 
 and charges to be levied on a ship of 2,000 tons will amount to 
 about 1,000/., and that the maximum authorized speed is five 
 and a half knots per hour. 
 
12 THE THRESHOLD OF THE EAST. [ch. 
 
 By the ' neutrality' of the canal, I presume we are to under- 
 stand the exclusion of war-ships, and an open passage to the 
 merchant service of all countries. 
 
 It is no doubt true, that barriers, hitherto considered insur- 
 mountable, still impede the way of human progress in Egypt 
 National greatness now-a-days can only be built on a healthy 
 condition of the social system, and may be considered impracti- 
 cable in a country whose ruler is its landlord, and where, above 
 all, woman's part in life is ignored and herself enslaved. That 
 false, miserable arrogance of manhood on the part of the mighty 
 lords of Islam hangs a millstone round the neck of every 
 country they inhabit, and clogs the steps alike of moral and 
 material advancement. The creed of Mahomet is essentially 
 more than a mere profession of faith. It is not the religion of 
 peace but of aggression. The intoxicating delights of Paradise 
 are not for those Mussulmans who, while cherishing their own 
 belief, desire to live at peace with other men. On the contrary, 
 the Koran teaches that the highest exercise of faith is to make 
 war against the unbeliever. It was on this point, indeed, that 
 the far-reaching imagination of the Prophet himself ran wildest 
 He declared ' the sword ' to be ' the key of Paradise and Hell,' 
 and promised the choicest treasures of immortality, including ' 72 
 wives of the girls of Paradise, together with 8o,cxDO servants, 
 bearing every day 300 new dishes, and 300 fresh varieties of 
 wine ' — not to those who cultivated the arts of industry and the 
 spirit of forbearance, but to those who fought and fell in battle 
 with the Infidel! Yet we also know, that although deeply 
 rooted in the strata of past centuries, and still to some extent 
 cleaving to its native soil, this gigantic growth of human folly 
 and fanaticism has to all appearance begun to wither and decay. 
 
ii.J INTERNATIONAL COURTESIES. 1 3 
 
 At last, and in our own times, the East and the West, discarding 
 the passions and prejudices of ages, have met and interchanged 
 assurances of friendship. That remarkable alliance, which has 
 scarcely yet passed into European history, was inaugurated at 
 Paris in the summer of 1867, when, among the potentates who 
 visited the French Exhibition and partook of the Emperor's 
 hospitality, appeared the Sultan Abdul Aziz — a very great 
 monarch indeed — not through wealth of state, or strength of 
 armies, but as ruler over 25,000,000 of men, and spiritual chief 
 of 140,000,000 besides, whose lives and worship are regulated 
 by the injunctions of the Koran. The circumstances, apart 
 from prospective results, connected with the Sultan's presence in 
 London now form an attractive page in English story. A pecu- 
 liar significance undoubtedly belonged to the arrival on our 
 shores of the grand Padishah, ruler of the Ottomans, successor 
 of those Mahomets and Solymans whose policy it had ever been 
 to shun such intercourse, and who were so long the terror and 
 the scourge of Christendom. It was then observed by the 
 ' Times ' newspaper, that throughout the four centuries elapsed 
 since the Ottoman conquest, no other Turkish Padishah had 
 crossed the boundary of his own country except in the capacity 
 of an invader, nor had any Christian sovereign beheld the city 
 of Constantinople. Already the latter remarkable statement 
 can hardly be said to hold good, for the Prince and Princess 
 of Wales and the French Empress have very recently seen 
 the spires and paced the mosques of the Turkish capital. But 
 bewildering, even now, to every Mussulman of the old school 
 must be the fact that, had he been in England in July, 1867, 
 his own eyes might have beheld the Turkish ensign stream- 
 ing in neighbourly proximity to the British flag ; or, more mar- 
 
14 THE THRESHOLD OF THE EAST. [ch. 
 
 vellous and revolutionary still, the crescent of Islam floating 
 over Buckingham Palace, to celebrate no other victory than the 
 triumph of friendship and good will ! Nor was the expression 
 of that feeling confined even to such emblems as these. The 
 language of the Sultan at Guildhall very amply confirmed their 
 import, and is, I think, worth recalling at this time. ' I have,' 
 said he, ' two objects in view in visiting this and other parts 
 of Europe ; one, to see in these centres of civilization what still 
 remains to be done in my own country to complete the work we 
 have begun ; the other, to show my desire"to establish, not only 
 among my own subjects, but between my people and the other 
 nations of Europe, that feeling of brotherhood which is the 
 foundation of human progress and the glory of our age.' 
 
 That the Viceroy of Egypt should have appeared on the 
 same occasion, and again, recently, in London, for the purpose of 
 expressing the like views, and of cultivating the friendly inter- 
 course now existing between his country and our own, must be 
 regarded as an incident of great practical value to both. The 
 altered position of His Highness, since the viceregal throne was 
 made hereditary, and the succession vested in his heirs male, 
 may be likened to the conversion of a duke into a king. Bearing 
 now the title, while wielding the actual power of a sovereign, the 
 Khedive lacks no opportunity of completing the work of regene- 
 ration already so far advanced. It may even be concluded, that 
 matters have gone too far to recede ; seeing that a network of 
 Western civilization at last holds the country in its meshes. 
 Vacillating, as all national progress must naturally be, ordinary 
 events can scarcely stem the tide that is overflowing Eg^pt, 
 more richly than the waters of its own Nile, with the elements of 
 internal prosperity. Let Ismail reverse the policy of Mahomed 
 
11.] SPLENDOURS OF THE KHEDIVES PALACE. 15 
 
 AH and stimulate the public industry by removing both from 
 agricultural toil and its produce the heavy burdens imposed upon 
 them ; at the same time let him abolish the obnoxious system 
 of forced labour ; and, with the assistance of Sir Samuel Baker, 
 whom he has worthily called to the task, rid both the Blue 
 Nile and the White of their brutal traffic in slaves ; and Egypt, at 
 length a land of liberty, and capable of feeding a greater empire 
 than Rome, of which it was once the granary, might become, 
 even under his own rule, a fairer dominion than it was in the 
 days of Meroe or Thebes. As matters stand, however, it behoves 
 him to remember his position as ruling with a delegated power ; 
 and to beware of again exciting the jealousy of his suzerain the 
 Sultan, to whom he has just been obliged to render submission. 
 
 But the early history of Egypt's greatness is repeating itself 
 in this, that the reputed magnificence of her ancient cities is 
 eclipsed by that of the existing surroundings of the Khedive, 
 who in his new Saracenic palace on the banks of the Nile, the 
 description of which reads like a page of romance, entertains 
 the representatives of all nationalities with more than regal hos- 
 pitality, the Prince and Princess of Wales and the Empress of 
 the French having been among his recent guests. 
 
 It is still more important to notice, however, that the circum- 
 stances attending the presence of these three royal strangers in 
 the streets of Pera and Stamboul are said to have created in 
 the Moslem capital new ideas on marriage and the question 
 of woman's rights. That question, indeed, has now been raised 
 in a very practical form, the Porte having promulgated a system 
 of national education, the most remarkable feature of which is the 
 compulsory instruction of females — a proceeding which of itself 
 warrants the conclusion that a new day is dawning on Islam. 
 
i6 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE MEETING OF THE WATERS. 
 
 Wherein I spake of most disastrous chances 
 
 Of moving accidents by flood and field. — OTHELLO. 
 
 There was a sound of revelrie by night. — Byron. 
 
 ALEXANDRIA, as 
 
 all Indian voyagers 
 know, takes place 
 the confluence of 
 two living streams 
 which flow simulta- 
 neously from South- 
 ampton and Mar- 
 seilles, making up 
 the complement of 
 the overland pass- 
 engers. This ' meet- 
 ing of the waters ' 
 was marked by an 
 adventure which 
 afforded the whole 
 collected party a practical retrospect of ante-railway days, 
 aggravated by all the extra miseries peculiar to the circum- 
 
CH. III.] STEAMING UP THE NILE. 1 7 
 
 Stances. The last rising of the Nile had resulted in a great 
 inundation, which carried away a portion of the railway, and 
 the journey to Cairo was continued, first in one frail little 
 steamer along the canal, and thence in another up the Nile 
 to Boulak — in the immediate vicinity of that city — such being 
 the utterly insufficient but only means of conveyance provided 
 by the Egyptian Government in our great emergency. To be 
 cooped up for the space of two days and a night in a crazy 
 craft, shaking and jangling slowly forward against the rapid 
 current of the Nile, was accordingly the exhilarating prospect 
 before us. The bewildering cram and confusion attending 
 the disposal of passengers and luggage, together with all the 
 amiabilities usually attendant on such a scene, which preceded 
 our outset by the canal, were thus prophetic of the ordeal that 
 awaited us on our arrival at the Nile — an event which, by way 
 of complicating the distress of the situation, came to pass some- 
 time about the middle of the night. There, revealed by the 
 star light at a short distance from the landing, in a creek of the 
 sacred stream, lay our Nile boat, not only without steam up, but, 
 to all appearance, entirely deserted. A provoking emblem of 
 Egyptian indifference and apathy this conveyance presented in 
 view of the duty it ought to have been ready to fulfil, mocking 
 the eager impatience of the jostling crowd of passengers who, 
 making frantic haste to land, rushed towards it, full-handed of 
 rugs and bags, all desirous to dispossess one another of such 
 limited accommodation as might be available. The deaf and 
 dumb indifference to all questions of the solitary official — a 
 black beard on his face, a white turban on his head, and a sickly 
 
 *c 
 
1 8 THE MEETING OF THE WATERS. [cH. 
 
 lamp in his hand, — who at last emerged somewhere out of the 
 gloom, flitting silently about the deck more like a phantom than 
 living form, served effectually to fill up the cup of general indig- 
 nation and wrath. A loud chorus of complaint arose, in which 
 the baritones of manhood mingled with those ' low, gentle, and 
 sweet ' notes which have been immortalized as ' an excellent thing 
 in woman.' At length the companion-door leading to the cabin 
 having been traced out and discovered to be inhospitably locked, 
 a storming party, improvised by a simultaneous impulse, removed 
 this obstruction in the manner most convenient to the occasion. 
 In other words, the offending door was kicked downstairs, and 
 down after it scrambled the multitude into the dense darkness 
 of the dungeon below. Lights having been with difficulty pro- 
 cured, it was finally arranged that the ladies alone should 
 have the privilege of being immured in this prison-house ; the 
 gentlemen betaking themselves aloft, to be cheered by the stars 
 and refreshed with the dews of heaven. But this latter merci- 
 ful provision of Nature being particularly copious on the night 
 in question, and no protection whatever being provided by the 
 steamboat ofificials, it soon became an object to get under cover 
 of some kind. As the soaking night wore on, indeed, the situa- 
 tion became intolerable, and a general sprawl ensued, in the 
 course of which sedate figures might be seen coiled cur-like under 
 a long table that traversed a portion of the deck, while digni- 
 fied arms and legs tossed and wriggled for an asylum within 
 the unaccommodating hollows of the benches on either side. 
 Sheltered below an old dinner-table in an outlying comer, which 
 I was fortunate in finding uninhabited, I was preparing to pass 
 the night in peace, when my privacy was invaded by a roystering 
 
III.] A TIMELY ESCAPR 19 
 
 FalstafT in search of rest, a strong weather-proof fellow, whose 
 supper seemed to have given him good heart even in circum- 
 stances like these. Unconscious of the ignominious presence of 
 a fellow-creature below, and preferring to stretch himself en haut, 
 he flung his huge bulk on the slender board with a boisterous 
 shout of satisfaction, melodiously chanting the cockney version 
 of a Yankee song — 
 
 I wish I were with Nancy; I do, I do. 
 
 But, alas! the crazy dinner-table resisted this freedom by 
 such audible signs of distress, as proved that it had never before 
 groaned beneath such a load of flesh. The groans, indeed, 
 being soon recognizable as those of impending dissolution, I was 
 fain to beat a precipitate retreat, which had just been safely 
 effected, when a grand crash broke the silence of the night, and 
 the bereaved of Nancy lay writhing on the deck, anathema- 
 tizing the fragments of his resting-place ! Thus warned and 
 instructed, I betook myself to the safer keeping of a chair, and, 
 wrapped in my rug (which gradually became weightier — with- 
 out, however, becoming warmer — under the influence of the 
 ' gentle dew '), endeavoured to chase the happy hours away 
 amidst a band of disconsolates similarly situated to myself, 
 who sought relief from their wretchedness in a round of growls 
 against the Egyptian government for providing no better means 
 of conveying them up the Nile. 
 
 Had the situation, however, been compatible with a quiet 
 observation of nature, there was a solemn charm in the dream- 
 like picture of the mazy current, traceable like threads of light 
 through the shadowy landscape, its banks fringed with a variety 
 of low shrubbery, including the bulrush of Scripture, and its 
 
 c 2 
 
20 THE MEETING OF THE WATERS. [ch. 
 
 depths mirroring a gleaming galaxy of stars. For if the days 
 of miracles are no more even here, heaven continues in this 
 way to shed a brilliant token of its presence on the hallowed 
 waters of the Nile. 
 
 In the morning, as the breakfast hour approached, a scene 
 of frolic ensued that ended in downright anarchy. The pro- 
 ceedings naturally enough commenced with a panic on the 
 question of supplies. A couple of perspiring stewards, moving 
 about in a coatless and spasmodic condition, were constantly 
 worried with the expression of fears which they as persistently 
 tried to dispel. But even after they had begun to prepare the 
 long table, assuming as they did so their most complacent and 
 reassuring looks, the apprehension gained ground that, all cir- 
 cumstances considered, there must and would be a deficiency 
 of rations. It was now evident too that some of the younger 
 members of the party considered this a favourable opportunity 
 for the exercise of their pent-up energies. Accordingly, as 
 soon as the viand-bearers emerged from their dens, they were 
 surrounded, and before they could reach the table, despoiled 
 of their edible burdens amidst shouts of laughter. This stage 
 of misrule being reached, the reign of mischief began in 
 earnest Gentleman housebreakers merrily assailed little cook- 
 shop doors, pushing with might and main against the wild 
 resistance of invisible protectors within. At the same time, 
 amateur burglars, deaf to the protesting shouts of steward 
 and assistants, gleefully ransacked small pantries, flying, each 
 man in turn, with the spoil towards the after-deck, where sat 
 some expectant (shall I dare to suggest hungry ?) lady-love, 
 for whom he had just shown that, like the village landlord 
 for Sterne's poor Lieutenant, he could ^almost steal.' 
 
irr.] LAND AND SEA-SCAPE. 21 
 
 At length, however, the spirit of propriety, which had fled 
 in terror at the alarming forebodings of hunger, returned and 
 resumed its sway, enabhng us to look forth undistractedly on 
 the extraordinary panorama of field and flood, through which 
 our little steamer was slowly tracing her course. The vast 
 level expanse of country visible around was covered with wide 
 lakes and long tracts of water receding to the horizon. In this 
 transient sea we beheld the residue of the still subsiding flood. 
 It was everywhere interspersed with trees, standing either in 
 solitary isolation, or in clumps, and among which the tall tufted 
 palm was conspicuous, together with the beautiful weeping 
 willow peculiar to that region, and an acacia with bright yellow 
 flowers. 
 
 The windings of the overflown river itself could be traced 
 not only by the course of the fine foliage that fringed its banks, 
 but more clearly by that of the numerous lateen boats which, 
 laden with the produce of the country, traversed it in every 
 direction, steering their way from village to village, among 
 palms and sycamores, the sunlight gleaming on their graceful 
 wing-like sails. Enlivening the glowing picture, flocks of white 
 ' paddy ' birds and other feathered tribes hovered by the banks 
 or skimmed the shining waste of waters. It was pitiful to think, 
 however, that this peaceful and lovely spectacle was but a mask 
 of woe — the garniture of a teeming necropolis. Here, with an 
 aspect of beauty, and steeped in sunshine, was in reality a sadly 
 suggestive scene of famine, misery, and death. Beneath the 
 flood lay blighted fields of corn and cotton, and submerged 
 homes of the poor. 
 
 Thus the destruction of a portion of the railway, the evil 
 
 *C3 
 
22 THE MEETING OF THE WATERS. [cH. in. 
 
 in which we unfortunate voyagers were concerned, was not 
 the only or chief calamity that had arisen from the great 
 inundation now subsiding around us. It was understood that 
 no fewer than a thousand villages had been engulphed in the 
 flow of waters, with inhabitants too numerous for accurate com- 
 putation in a country where human life is so lightly valued. 
 Yet what are the details of a fact so simply told but a romance 
 of horror which would have been celebrated over the earth by 
 vivid tongoies and pens had the scene been set in a populated 
 district of Europe, or perhaps anywhere but in Egypt ? 
 
 Of the numerous little towns and hamlets which we passed by 
 the way, it may be sufficient to remark that they were extremely 
 rude and heterogeneous in their construction, some of the build- 
 ings exhibiting such architectural taste and elegance as may be 
 conceded to mere mounds of earth in which man and beast are 
 wont to dwell together in reciprocal contentment and familiarity, 
 jostling one another in the narrow entrance as they pass out and 
 in. I may here recall an amusing, though not uncommon, 
 example of this homely association of the races. 
 
 As we drew near one of these strange habitations, we ob- 
 served its low roof decorated with an extraordinary ornament, 
 as if it had fructified with the flood and shot forth a couple of 
 long brown leaves, erect and of perfect symmetry. On nearer 
 inspection these twin excrescences turned out to be the great ears 
 of a donkey, whose placid face was dimly visible through the 
 opening made in the roof for his convenience, and who thus 
 stood revealed as having found accommodation for himself in 
 the family mansion — all but the ears ! 
 
MOSQUE OF MAHOMED ALL CITADEL, CAIRO. 
 
23 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE SOUNDS AND SIGHTS OF CAIRO. 
 
 'Tis pleasant through the loopholes of retreat 
 To peep at such a world ; to see the stir 
 Of the great Babel. — Cowper. 
 
 Dusk faces, with white silken turbans wreath'A— Milton. 
 
 I am an ass indeed ; you may prove it by ir.y long ears. I have served man 
 from the hour of my nativity to this instant, and have nothing at his hands for my 
 services but blows. — Comedy of Errors. 
 
 HOSE who desire to witness a thoroughly 
 Eastern city need scarcely go further than 
 Cairo, with its excellent native or Turkish ba- 
 zaar, its Frank bazaar, and its motley crowd of 
 denizens. The visitor is usually recommended ■ 
 to begin his inspection by repairing to the 
 citadel, situated on a level height of about 
 250 feet above the city, and further attractive 
 as the site of the Great Mosque, which, as every one who has 
 entered it knows, presents a magnificent interior, the effect of 
 which is materially vulgarized by the range of coarse, gaudy 
 windows that admit the ' dim religious light ' which fills the 
 enormous chamber. 
 
 The view from this elevation of the great city spread out 
 below, and of the surrounding country, is such as can only be 
 
24 
 
 THE SOUNDS AND SIGHTS OF CAIRO. 
 
 [CH. 
 
 partially realized from the photographic pictures of it now every- 
 where current. Inverting the ordinary rule of comparison, 
 photography cannot adequately depict the lifeless and petrified 
 aspect of Cairo as witnessed from this spot — a far stretch of 
 
 TOMBS OP THE CALIPHS. 
 
 miserable habitations densely massed together, intermingled 
 with lordly mansions, marble courts, and garden walks — the 
 whole surmounted by an extraordinary but highly picturesque 
 array of Saracenic domes and towers. But the deserted aspect 
 of the city, and the fiery sunshine which then illumined its miles 
 
iv] THE SOUNDS OF CAIRO. 45 
 
 of brick and stone, were suggestive of a place where all life had 
 withered through excess of light and heat Thus the tombs 
 of the caliphs, conspicuous in the midst, here formed an appro- 
 priate scene in the picture of Cairo, inasmuch as their ghostly 
 tenants were not better hidden from the eye than the other 
 inhabitants of the place. For, with the exception of a few 
 figures, moving in a square below, not a soul was visible of 
 all the two hundred thousand that live and move with infinite 
 noise and demonstration in the Egyptian capital. 
 
 But hark ! the ear if not the eye is cognizant of that great 
 stir of life. A weird sound floats up to the citadel, diffused 
 and commingled like the voice of many waters, from the loud 
 bawling multitude hidden beneath the sun's blaze in what 
 seems a city of the dead ! This, I confess, is all I can say in 
 favour of a spectacle so often vaunted as one of great natural 
 beauty and magnificence. It is true that beyond the city, on 
 the right, lay a pleasant prospect of low level land with fields 
 and trees dwarfed in the distance, among which the Nile, varied 
 at intervals with a lateen sail or a steamer's smoke, wound its de- 
 vious course, sparkling like a line of light. On the other side, 
 however, nothing met the eye but a far expanse of desert, in 
 which appeared the Pyramids looking anything but large or 
 wonderful. That this glowing, rainless land nevertheless bore 
 plants and flowers beyond the overflow of the Nile, was a fact as 
 apparent as that of its sterility. Below where we stood, and in 
 full view, lay the fine garden pertaining to a nobleman's house ; 
 but even the high prison-like wall with which it was surrounded 
 could not protect it from the hot drifting sand that speckled its 
 green luxuriance, and rested in suffocating heaps on every leaf 
 and stem. 
 
26 THE SOUNDS AND SIGHTS OF CAIRO. [ch. 
 
 I have no desire to dwell on so trite a subject as an excur- 
 sion to the Pyramids ; and in dismissing them with our depar- 
 ture from the citadel, will only state as the result of my own 
 experience, that, insignificant in size and close at hand as they 
 appear, nothing less than a good day's journey, spent in going 
 and returning, will serve to make any one thoroughly acquainted 
 with the nearest ; and that this ordeal, duly fulfilled, consists of 
 three separate acts. First : the act of reaching the Pyramid by 
 oscillating insecurely for some hours in the sun on the back of 
 a donkey, that being an exercise to which. skill in horsemanship, 
 properly so called, lends neither ease nor facility. Second : the 
 act of ascending the Pyramid in high, strained steps, directed 
 from stone to stone ; only rendered possible by means of the 
 helping hands of a couple of semi-savage attendants, whose 
 limbs are all the more elastic that they are not clogged with 
 drapery ; and, lastly, the act of penetrating the interior of the 
 Pyramid under the guidance of the same elegant pair, who, 
 jabbering without intermission, sometimes direct, sometimes 
 drag their victim up steep inclines, and through a labyrinth of 
 stone passages, rough, tortuous, low and narrow, to a large black 
 vault in the heart of the pile, where the peep of the two candles, 
 which had served thus far to reveal the via dolorosa, barely 
 suffices to make the darkness visible. 
 
 Such is the ordeal implied in what I have heard called * doing 
 the Pyramids,' a series of undertakings which the language of 
 experience (in this matter strangely inconsistent) pretty equally 
 denounces as a needless affliction, and extols as a gratification 
 that should not be lost. 
 
 It has been reserved for a few ingenious theorists of these 
 days to invest the Great Pyramid with a new and extraordinary 
 
IV.] THE NEW PYRAMIDAL THEORY: 27 
 
 signification, which, if" true, would render a visit to it infinitely 
 more attractive. The world of historical and mathematical 
 knowledge, however, will scarcely be startled into any serious 
 consideration of reasonings, to the effect that the building dates 
 from the days of Noah, and was constructed under Divine 
 guidance as the shrine of certain great fundamental truths, 
 intended for the instruction of all time — the base of the pyramid, 
 for example, being an 'inspired measure of length,' and the 
 central chamber a similarly inspired measure of ' capacity ; ' 
 while other peculiarities indicate not only the earth's size, 
 weight, and period of revolution round the sun, but xSxg. precise 
 distance (acknowledged by astronomers to be not yet accurately 
 ascertained) of the luminary itself ! By what process of pyra- 
 midal investigation this last item is brought out at 92,093,000 
 miles it will be difficult for the uninitiated to comprehend ; nor 
 does the assumed accuracy of the figures derive much strength 
 from the fact adduced in its favour — that the most recent com- 
 putation of astronomical science shows a near approximation to 
 the sum mentioned. 
 
 We read that in the days of Herodotus, wise men announced 
 the sun to be about ten miles away (giving it the dimensions of 
 a large balloon), and that Anaxagoras, who considered it a much 
 larger body, only extended his estimate to the comparatively 
 enormous distance of 18,000 miles, at the same time magnifying 
 the luminary's bulk to the size of the Peloponnesus. It would 
 indeed be a wonderful conclusion that, before Copernicus and 
 Galileo arose to dispel the delusions of the old world, the 
 Great Pyramid might have instructed mankind on the subject 
 
88 THB SOUNDS AND SIGHTS OF CAIRO. [cHi 
 
 with an accuracy which the science of astronomy has yet failed 
 to acquire ! 
 
 Descending to the principal thoroughfares of the city, we are 
 at once within the pale of Eastern life, for the native charac- 
 teristics are all here in great variety and thorough conservation. 
 In narrow dusty streets, formed of high rickety buildings, many 
 of them constructed of wood, and partially shut in from the 
 sun by awnings of patchwork laid across the top, a motley 
 gathering of human beings and beasts of burden, confusedly 
 mingled together, move through the alternate sunshine and 
 shadow. Among other living figures the proud-stalking camel 
 and the meek-trudging donkey are conspicuous, laden with 
 commodities or humanity, as the case may be, and jostling 
 for right of way with various shades and gradations of man- 
 kind, from the yellow-faced Turk with his silk turban and 
 Morocco slippers down to the sable Nubian, whose raiment 
 barely redeems him from the charge of having none. To 
 imagine such a grotesque multitude, surging along amidst a 
 great flourish of whips and staves, accompanied with frantic 
 shouts and gesticulations, is to form some idea of the principal 
 street in Cairo at the noontide hour. Through every available 
 passage in the crowd rushes the ubiquitous donkey, with a pair 
 of human legs, clad or unclad, native or foreign, dangling at his 
 pinched sides, and fleetly followed by a juvenile tormenter with a 
 stick. The shops are well stored with products both of the East 
 and West, although seldom remarkable for the bustle which pre- 
 vails outside. Nothing can be more ludicrous than the appear- 
 ance of some of their owners, each seated with lack-lustre expres- 
 sion, smoking his chibouk cis he looks forth upon the hubbub with 
 
IV.] 
 
 THE SIGHTS OF CAIRO. 
 
 29 
 
 an air of the most ludicrous composure ; an air, indeed, not 
 at all dissimilar to that with which oxen chewing their cud 
 contemplate with great placid eyes the still prospect of their 
 pasture field. 
 
 Amidst this gathering of the quick the dead also are repre- 
 sented, in appearance at least, by the better class of women, 
 
 CAIRO LADY. 
 
 who glide silently through the dust, shrouded from head to foot 
 in the similitude of grave-clothes, with only an aperture for the 
 eyes. Nor does the actual presence of death in the public ways 
 diminish in any degree the din of their traffic, for grief, like 
 every other emotion, is demonstrative in Egypt, and the lament- 
 ing shouts of bereaved mourners at a funeral are raised as 
 a nobler manifestation of sorrow than mere sighs and tears. 
 
30 THE SOUNDS AND SIGHTS OF CAIRO. [ch. 
 
 No one can mingle with the native crowds of Cairo without 
 discovering the ravages of ophthalmia in the excessive number 
 of persons who are either blind or to some extent afflicted with 
 sore eyes. So much for the fine dry climate of Egypt, its open 
 sky, wealth of sunshine, and immunity from provoking clouds 
 and rain ! To such a climate too is due the irrepressible ' plague 
 of flies,' a plague which affects all comers, and seems to be as 
 reliable as the weather itself The winged legions are notably 
 strong in Cairo, within doors attacking simultaneously the 
 viands on every table and the hands and" faces of those who 
 sit down to eat, while outside they gather in dark clusters 
 under the bright eyes of children, where they appear to find 
 dainty fare — a loathsome group of parasites, returning to the 
 attack if they are driven a thousand times away, and tolerated 
 at last because they have vanquished the carelessness and 
 irresolution of the young. 
 
 But of course the picture of Cairo, like that of other cities of 
 the kind, has its more open and agreeable background, and of 
 this the principal feature is the Esbekayah — a place of public 
 promenade, which may be shortly described as a dusty little 
 Champs Elysies. Here a lively and entertaining spectacle pre- 
 sents itself. The place is studded with refreshment booths, in 
 which liquor and ices are served, as well as with orchestral plat- 
 forms, whence nondescript bands of musicians radiate loud music 
 to delighted audiences seated on benches around. The variety 
 of instruments, too, is not less notable than that of the players 
 themselves, who are composed of men of all nations among the 
 many represented in Cairo. As the chief hotels are situated 
 in this neighbourhood, English visitors here mingle with the 
 
IV.] NATIVE MINSTRELSY. 3 1 
 
 concourse of Cairo fashionables — Turks, Greeks, Armenians, 
 Syrians, Nubians, Italians, and Jews — who, arrayed in lofty 
 turban, scarlet fez, or jaunty wide-awake, and associated with 
 feminine companions bedizened with excess of tinsel and gay 
 ribbons, promenade the dusty footpaths, or occupy chairs and 
 benches under the shadow of the trees, doubly regaling them- 
 selves with the hospitalities of the booths and the melodies of 
 • the players. The heterogeneous constitution of these performing 
 companies was perhaps the most amusing feature of the scene. 
 One of them in particular, as it appeared in spasmodic action 
 within its proper enclosure, attracted our attention as furnishing 
 an imposing variety of race and costume. A Greek with red 
 fez sounded the trumpet, while another beat the drum ; a brown 
 bright-eyed Italian thrummed the harp ; a dolorous yellow face, 
 frowning beneath a huge white turban, presided at the triangle ; 
 the cymbals clashed in hands that could be traced to no origin 
 in particular, and the flute was furiously whiffed by a little 
 hunchbacked Nubian as black as ebony ! Whatever may be the 
 status of Cairo in the musical world, the production of noise 
 rather than melody was plainly the aim of this strange brother- 
 hood of artistes. Yet, what alternative was theirs, seeing that 
 the close proximity of other similar troupes, rioting in the like 
 active play, rendered a tremendous effort to obtain a hearing 
 essential to being heard at all .■* 
 
 Far better music, however, may be enjoyed in the dusk of the 
 evening at the hotel doors, whither youthful Italian wanderers, 
 coming from Trieste, repair, with harp and accordion, to sing the 
 peerless strains of their native land. 
 
32 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 LIFE IN DBA T H. 
 
 In the desert a fountain is springing.— Byron. 
 
 And o'er the sand, dnd o'er the sand. 
 
 And round the sand, and round the sand. 
 
 As far as eye could see.— Rev. Chas. Kingsley. 
 
 RDINARY notions of a city's gates 
 and the green champaign beyond are 
 very strikingly reversed in the case of 
 Cairo, whence the eastward traveller 
 steps out at once into the wilderness. 
 Even from the outset of that unparal- 
 leled railway journey nothing is visible 
 but a territory of sand blending with 
 the sky at the horizon, and there form- 
 ing shadowy pictures of islands with 
 trees and hills. Through this sunlit land of desolation pas- 
 sengers are whirled at fair railway speed, free, as they view the 
 lifeless scene around them, to speculate on the freaks and 
 mysteries of nature ; and naturally feeling their own existence 
 an anomaly in such a universe of death. The means of pro- 
 longing human life, however, are abundantly provided at the 
 
CH. v.] DESERT IMPRESSIONS. 
 
 33 
 
 several stations by the way, wherein viands and attendants, 
 shut in by thick walls from the glowing waste around, are main- 
 tained in a state of preservation. The train having stopped 
 a short time at one of these, we availed ourselves of the 
 opportunity to take a stroll in the desert, using our umbrellas 
 as a shade. A dreary saunter it was, the monotony of which 
 only the very acquisitive could partially relieve by picking up 
 samples of the brittle shells with which the sand was strewn, or 
 in selecting fragmentary specimens from among the broken 
 anatomies of perished birds and camels that were scattered 
 around, forming in the absence of plants and flowers a kind of 
 natural decoration of the soil. It should be borne in mind that 
 the desert does not present a level surface, but a tract of hills 
 and valleys of sand, these being all fleeting and restless as the 
 wind that creates them. Nothing can be more picturesque 
 than the occasional example It afibrds of the only other mode 
 of traffic, besides the iron locomotive, which is yet known 
 throughout its solitudes — a line of camels and their attendants, 
 far distant perhaps in the bright landscape, slowly moving, no 
 doubt, but seemingly as still as the Sphinx, and looking like 
 sculptured figures on the sand. Occasionally, near the railway 
 line, appears an Arab dwelling or two — these being nothing 
 more than little smoky dens formed of baked earth, and covered 
 in at the top with branches. Within dwell men, women, and 
 children, together with fowls and donkeys, with what purpose 
 in life it seems difficult to divine ; but their existence in such 
 a spot, together with that of certain clumps of an unwholesome 
 green weed, blooming at distant Intervals on the waste, may be 
 
 D 
 
34 LIFE IN DEATH. [cH. v. 
 
 regarded as the only examples of vegetation pertaining to a 
 place apparently incapable of sustaining organic life. 
 
 As we approached Suez, however, we became conscious of the 
 existence of animal energy even here, by the appearance of 
 several fleet gazelles, nimbly engaged in the unnecessary act of 
 increasing the already ample distance between them and our- 
 selves. 
 
 The miserable place called Suez possesses the foreign element 
 of a splendid hotel, which may indeed be regarded as a luxuriant 
 oasis in the surrounding desert ; and here -the crowd of travellers 
 regale themselves with rest and refreshment ere they go forth 
 to swell the mel^e outside, which in these parts must needs 
 signalize so great an embarkation as that of the Bombay, 
 Calcutta, and China passengers at once. We were conveyed in 
 small steamers on board our several stately ships lying at an- 
 chor well out in the Gulf of Suez, that operation being effected 
 amidst endless heaps of luggage, a hubbub of squalling 
 children, and quite a profusion of adult crusty tempers, roused 
 into unwonted activity by the roasting heat of the day and the 
 general confusion of the scene. 
 
35 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 A FIERY CHANNEL AND A BURNING ROCK. 
 
 And strange and sad the whispering surges bore 
 The groans of Egypt to Arabia's shore. — Heber. 
 
 Sits the wind in that corner ? — Much Ado about Nothing. 
 
 So have I heard on Afric's burning shore 
 
 A hungry lion give a grievous roar. — T. B. Rhodes. 
 
 S the Red Sea stands in 
 -3fK; the map, it has the 
 "" appearance of a nar- 
 row line of water, 
 but extending at its 
 greatest breadth in 
 reality to 192 miles, 
 it assumes at cer- 
 tain stages of the 
 passage the aspect 
 of a wide ocean with 
 no land in sight 
 — a stormy ocean 
 sometimes, in which 
 high winds and 
 waves combine to aggravate the difficulties of navigating its 
 numerous coral reefs — a fiery sea always, whether sleeping 
 
 D 2 
 
36 A FIERY CHANNEL AND A BURNING ROCK. [cH. 
 
 or surging In Its deep bed between the elevated territories 
 of Egypt, Nubia, and Abyssinia on the one hand, and the 
 high table-land of Arabia on the other ; and studded, in 
 addition to these dangerous coral reefs, with numerous little 
 islands, chiefly of volcanic origin, some of which emit smoke 
 and flame from time to tlrne, in harmony with the climatic 
 character of the place. The general appearance of the coast 
 may be shortly described as a solitary belt of sand, ending 
 in a range of high barren hills stretching peak behind peak 
 into the hazy distance. This scene of desolation was then 
 strongly Illumined by a hot colourless sky, only relieved by 
 a few thin white clouds, and such was the situation In which 
 a compact sweltering multitude, of more than 300 persons, In- 
 cluding passengers and crew, bound for Bombay, were open to 
 look around them, and to make merry for the space of six days 
 during the passage of the Red Sea. 
 
 The long blank shore-line is known to be tenanted only by a 
 few wandering Arabs, from whose hands, it Is said, no helpless 
 living creature would be likely to escape with life. Are we, 
 therefore, to conclude that, In such a region, parched, sun-blasted, 
 and dead to the softer processes of nature, the efiect of combined 
 heat and sterility on the human heart Is to dry up its juices, and 
 make It sterile too .■* 
 
 Students of Bible history are aware that the locality generally 
 associated with the passage of the children of Israel across the 
 Red Sea and the destruction of Pharaoh's army is within a few 
 miles of Suez. Passing down the g^lf, the well-known vil- 
 lage of Torr appears on the left. It consists only of a few huts 
 among some date-trees, but is known as a place of debarkation 
 
VI.] SINAI IN THE DISTANCE. t^-j 
 
 for visitors to the supposed Mount Horeb and Mount Sinai, 
 the peaks of which, we were informed, are sometimes visible 
 from the sea. We were now contemplating a landscape of bare 
 conical hills, some of considerable height, undulating away, one 
 behind the other, until they melted out of view. Surveying 
 this picture we could well realize the horrors of the situation 
 in the long succession of hot, rainless valleys among these 
 mountains of rock, constituting that wilderness of Sinai where 
 the children of Israel wandered for forty years. The outline 
 of what is popularly considered the sacred mountain itself was 
 pointed out to us — with what accuracy I know not — looming 
 high in the far prospect, and looking as if the ' thunders and 
 lightnings' of the sacred record, and the glory that once ' shone 
 upon Mount Sinai,' had blasted it into the rugged crag we 
 beheld. 
 
 Further down, the steamer stopped at Ushruffee, a promontory 
 on which the lighthouse it now possesses was then in course 
 of erection, the little wooden dwellings of the workmen, thirty- 
 five in number, being visible on an adjacent island or rock. 
 Here the engineer of the works, conveyed in a rowing boat 
 by two of his men, came on board the steamer, and begged 
 for a couple of sheep by way of food for these solitary in- 
 habitants of a spot which yielded none, and the animals were 
 duly handed over the ship's side into the boat Among our 
 passengers was a good bishop of the English Church, who, 
 observing his opportunity, came up hastily from his cabin, 
 and threw a packet of papers over the ship's side to the men 
 in the boat just as they were pushing off. It fell into the water, 
 but was speedily rescued by the boatmen, who respectfully 
 
38 A FIERY CHANNEL AND A BURNING ROCK. [ch. 
 
 saluted the donor, apparently grateful for the gift, and quite 
 aware of its character — a bundle of religious tracts. And so, 
 as we steamed away, our visitors slowly pulled back to their 
 bright but cheerless home, laden with a supply of food both for 
 the body and the soul. 
 
 At Jubal, now a telegraphic station of the Red Sea, we were 
 also ' boarded,' and this time by a young Englishman in a small 
 sailing-boat. He came to advise us of something wrong in 
 the working of the line, and at once returned to his place of 
 exile, indicated by the appearance of four or five wooden huts 
 perched on an adjacent rock, where, without water to drink that 
 was not brought from a distance, and without a blade of grass to 
 refresh the eye, his fellow-unfortunates awaited him, broiling in 
 the sun. 
 
 The slow process of navigation through this hotbed of nature 
 has for some years past been a subject of serious complaint, and 
 not without reason. When it is considered that the Cunard and 
 Inman steamers have long been traversing the Atlantic Ocean 
 at a speed of fourteen or fifteen miles an hour, while those of 
 the Peninsular and Oriental Company continue to meander 
 through the furnace of the Red Sea at the rate of nine or ten, 
 there appears, after making every proper allowance for the 
 effects of climate, to be some room for complaint Not that 
 any blame attaches to the enterprising concern last named, since, 
 during the currency of their former contract (ended in Novem- 
 ber, 1867), their means and powers were exerted to the utmost, 
 with an unremunerative result. Now, however, that a new ar- 
 rangement has been effected, involving a larger subsidy to them, 
 together with higher requirements on the part of our Government 
 
VI.] LOCOMOTION ON THE RED SEA. 39 
 
 in respect of speed and general efficiency, we may probably look 
 forward to a service more commensurate with the needs of frail 
 humanity, and the nautical achievements of the time. 
 
 The fleet of fine steamships belonging to the Peninsular and 
 Oriental Company, together with those of the French Messagerie 
 Imperiale line, now connecting Suez with the far East by weekly 
 arrivals and departures, constitutes, though no other sail existed, 
 a mercantile marine far beyond that which prevailed here in 
 ancient times ; nor can we doubt that it will continue to expand 
 year by year. For great are the prospects of commercial in- 
 tercourse with the East, while for the purposes of the presei^t 
 generation, the face of the earth does not reveal any more conr 
 venient way of communication than that afforded by the Red Sea, 
 however desirable a change may be considered by shiploads of 
 perspiring voyagers. Nor is the mechanical prospect of relief 
 greatly more cheering than the geographical. Though much 
 certainly remains to be done as regards swifter progress, it must 
 be remembered that the propelling power of a steamship becomes 
 diminished in a hot climate by reason of the slower process of 
 condensation. Seeing, therefore, that we cannot control the 
 weather, nothing remains but to counteract its influence as far as 
 possible on shipboard, by cultivating those admirable devices 
 which already provide us with tolerably cold water and chatn- 
 pagne frapp6 &VQ.i\ in the Red Sea. 
 
 Allusion to the weather reminds me of that which, although 
 of the school-book order of studies, now first meets the observa- 
 tion of the inexperienced English voyager. Having witnessed 
 the marvel of a rainless land of plenty, and traversed a great 
 wilderness in a railway carriage, he is now invited to contem- 
 
 •d 4 
 
40 A FIERY CHANNEL AND A BURNING ROCK. [ch. 
 
 plate a grander novelty than either — the action of the meteoro- 
 logical laws in the wider fields of their operation. Weather- 
 wisdom, so complicated a study in the English Channel, scarcely 
 rises to the dignity of a science in the Red Sea, which from its 
 peculiar territorial position is swept by the winds mainly in the 
 direction of its length ; the S.S.E. prevailing with varying 
 strength from October till May or June, and the N.N.W. from 
 June till October. 
 
 Thus the traveller to the far East may, even at this early stage 
 of his journey, mark that play of the great machinery of nature 
 whose movements in our northern island are so disturbed by 
 conflicting influences. He has been tending towards a wider 
 and more central portion of the globe, where monsoons, fed on 
 desert wastes, blow in ascertained directions for known periods ; 
 and where trade winds, bom of intertropical heat, circulate in the 
 service of mankind with the order and regularity of the sun. 
 For a while at least he seems to live in a new world, where 
 nearly all the year through a blazing sun continuously, day by 
 day, overspreads the face of nature with vivid light ; where the 
 clouds drop rain at and through intervals of time that may be 
 unerringly foretold ; and where white folks, in light costume, wait 
 in shady verandahs for the land or the sea breeze, which, like a 
 spirit of health, comes to them at the expected time with 
 heaven-appointed regularity. 
 
 Such angels' visits constitute the sole natural blessing of Aden 
 — volcanic rock, military station, coal depot, and rendezvous of 
 dishevelled figures from either coast gathered together for pur- 
 poses of trade, beggary, or plunder. Aden, as seen from the 
 ship, consists only of a few houses straggling along the shore-line, 
 
VI.] ADEN. A\ 
 
 and crowning the summit of the rock ; its most prominent erec- 
 tion in fact being the black mass of coal piled up as a supply 
 for the steamers. The scene is hard, dry, and dead, as a portion 
 of the fossil world. 
 
 We landed at an early hour of the morning accompanied 
 by our captain, who politely conveyed us to the house of a 
 friend, where we were hospitably entertained at breakfast 
 Our visit, however, was not accomplished in peace, as might 
 have been expected from the desolate character of the place; 
 for although human life is preeminently artificial here, it is very 
 far from inactive. Steering through the native boatmen who 
 flocked about the steamer clamorous for a fare, and a num- 
 ber of amphibious boys who surrounded us ere we reached the 
 shore, diving for and bringing up the smallest coin of the many 
 that were thrown for that purpose into the sea, we encountered 
 an indescribable assemblage of individuals, chiefly of Nubian 
 and Arabian origin, awaiting our arrival on terra Jirma. Some 
 of these figures, professing the office of guides, shouted their 
 willingness to conduct us to the hotel ; some, determined to 
 accommodate us as porters, actually essayed to lay hands on 
 anything we happened to carry ; while another set, flourishing 
 improvised whips, as the symbols of their calling, proclaimed in 
 loud chorus that they had buggies in attendance, ready to con- 
 vey us where we chose. There, indeed, in a row before us, 
 stood a number of these lofty vehicles in a condition quite as 
 beggarly and untrustworthy as their owners ; the one into 
 which we were specially invited to clamber being manifestly 
 in peril of losing either of its two great wheels in the course 
 of a few turns. It was amusing to notice, that among those 
 of our fellow-passengers whom experience had made familiar 
 
42 A FIERY CHANNEL AND A BURNING ROCK. [ch. 
 
 with this troublesome ordeal, not a few were prepared to deal 
 with it in a summary fashion, being armed with canes in order 
 to whack the spindle legs and rap the bony fingers of the too 
 officious and importunate ; a design which was put in force 
 much too freely, as it seemed to me, but certainly with the effect 
 of vastly increasing the general tumult and confusion. 
 
 On board ship, on shore, and at the hotel, wild-looking crea- 
 tures appeared, offering for sale ostrich eggs and feathers, which 
 may be considered the proper merchandise of Aden. Some of 
 these men, belonging to the Somali tribe, were adorned with 
 dyed wigs exactly resembling a boat's mop, and others with 
 high conical hats of plaited straw ; the charm of their presence 
 being enhanced by the additional ornament of long, unkempt 
 locks, which might or might not have been their own, hanging io 
 tangled masses down the neck and face. The price they asked 
 for their wares, in the hope of fleecing a stray simpleton, bor? 
 no reasonable affinity to that which they were willing to accept ; 
 and this attempt to cheat, when practised with any degree of 
 persistence on the experienced buyer, was met by an expe- 
 dient altogether unknown among the recognized observances 
 of trade — that, namely, of snatching the property out of the 
 vendor's hands, and retaining it until he chose to allow the ele- 
 ment of reason to enter into the negotiation. On several such 
 occasions it was affecting to behold the contortions of the face 
 beneath the mop or cone of straw. One tall fellow, from whose 
 too unwary fingers an irascible 'old Indian' had plucked the 
 feathers he had attempted to overvalue ridiculously, immediately 
 and without a word of remonstrance threw back his head, and, 
 opening his mouth to the widest, bawled with stentorian lungs 
 
vi.J THE 'CANTONMENTS' AND 'TANKS' OF ADEN. 43 
 
 precisely after the manner of a whipped child. And this per- 
 formance might have succeeded in its object of moving the 
 bystanders to pity, but for the suspicious peculiarities attending 
 it of tearless eyes, and an occasional thoughtless collapse of the 
 whole facial deformity. 
 
 At the distance of about three miles round the shore and in the 
 heart of the rock is its little capital city, called ' the Cantonments ' 
 — the focus of life in Aden. Here we found the dwellings of the 
 military residents, who constitute of course the principal society 
 of the place, together with a range of shops, some of them ex- 
 hibiting a supply of delicious fruits from the Arabian coast, and 
 quite a stirring assemblage of natives in a variety of nondescript 
 costumes, together with British soldiers in scarlet uniform. 
 
 Here also, in an exotic corner, our eyes were refreshed with 
 the vision of a miniature garden of flowers, decorated with a 
 bright green plant in the centre, the whole plot in fine bloom. 
 The elements of productive nature had been brought to the 
 uncongenial rock, and there fostered into life and beauty in 
 spite of the consuming sun, the soil being watered every few 
 hours. 
 
 The ' tanks ' that preserve the precious rain-water may be 
 regarded as the grand treasury of Aden, besides being, as an 
 architectural achievement, its chief work of art. In such a 
 region it is pleasant even for strangers to look down into their 
 pellucid depths, but a resident may well do so with something 
 of that stronger feeling with which a miser contemplates his 
 hoard of gold. 
 
 Who that has witnessed this incomparable anomaly of an 
 active human community on a broiling rock could have imagined 
 
44 A FIERY CHANNEL AND A BURNING ROCK. [ch. 
 
 that by any chance it would be suddenly eclipsed by an 
 invasion on a much larger scale of the equally burning and 
 barren African coast directly opposite ? Yet such was the 
 landing of the Abyssinian expedition with its motley crowd of 
 followers — Hindoos, Egyptians, Persians, Arabs, and Chinese — 
 together with thousands of beasts of burden, transport waggons, 
 and all the requisite accompaniments of warfare in circum- 
 stances so arduous and strange ; a landing only rendered 
 possible by such instrumentality as a stone pier, stretching 
 200 yards into the sea at one end, and connected at the other 
 by a tramway leading some distance inland. A marvellous 
 ' turn-up ' indeed on that isolated and inhospitable shore ! 
 Never before were the fiery solitudes of the flat beach and 
 the ' twelve miles of level ground covered with brushwood ' in- 
 tervening between Annesley Bay and the high mountains which 
 wall in Abyssinia, pervaded by such a vivid stir of life as that 
 of which they were recently the theatre. Never before did 
 these rugged blue cliffs look down on such a scene. History 
 records that the town of Zoulah, the rendezvous of our forces a 
 few miles inland, although scarcely heard of in modern times, 
 was known to and visited by Egyptian mariners in the days of 
 the Pharaohs. But its bewildered inhabitants heard a new 
 and startling war-cry in the shriek of the railway locomotive, 
 steaming along with the stores and all the paraphernalia of an 
 invading force, which, whether as regards the variety of its 
 elements, the stir of its progress, or the extent of its ap- 
 pliances, was unparalleled in the history of invasion. Swift 
 and effectual in its mission — come and gone in a few months — 
 
VI.] SCALING MAG DA LA. 45 
 
 that grand tableau only appeared on the shores of the Red Sea 
 to fade from them like a dissolving view. 
 
 If there be a native bard such as Ossian dwelling among the. 
 mountains of Abyssinia, he may have sung of the event as a 
 fiery thunder-cloud, which, coming in by sea from the direction 
 of Bombay, crept up the ravines from the coast, and burst with 
 destructive power on the fortified slopes of Magdala I 
 
46 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 A SHIP AT SEA. 
 
 I am Power, I am Might, I am Steam. 
 
 On the far distant seas, through the storm and the spray, 
 
 Unflinching, swift-darting, I speed on my way, 
 
 With a pulse that ne'er stops, and with fins that ne'er tire. 
 
 A Leviathan filled with a soul that is Fire ! 
 
 Wind and tide strive in vain; I cleave sternly as Death, 
 
 Through the tempest above and the wild waves beneath ; 
 
 And the long-trailing smoke floats away o'er the main 
 
 As I lash the dark waters to foam in disdain. — Thomas Hood. 
 
 But now I am cabin'd, cribbed, confin'd. — Macbeth. 
 
 HE voyage from Aden to Bombay usually 
 occupies a week, and the breezes of the 
 Arabian Sea, though naturally warm and 
 enervating, now bring with them a pleasant 
 sense of relief It may be worthy of note 
 that, throughout the eastern portion of the 
 route to India, beginning at Suez, the change of life on board 
 ship is by no means so thorough as that of the climate and its 
 concomitants. Human nature, as represented by an English 
 nautical party, does not at once succumb to the power of those 
 physical laws whose province has been invaded True, the 
 
CH. VII. J 'SO EARLY IN THE MORNING: ^y 
 
 outward aspect of things on deck is changed as much as 
 are the elements themselves. A swarthy, barefooted crew of 
 Lascars, Chinamen, Hindoos, and other Easterns, in easy but 
 varied habiliments, only relieved by a sparse sprinkling of British 
 tars in white ducks, now man the ship, cook the passengers' 
 victuals, and, as often as they themselves eat, sit near the 
 galley, cross-legged, in a circle, round a cauldron of rice, using 
 their fingers as a spoon. This group is of itself a novelty con- 
 genial to the climate, belonging to it as exclusively as do the 
 large, brown, swift-running cockroaches that now infest the 
 cabins, intent on stealing a midnight supper, not of the Lascars' 
 rice, but of human flesh and blood, daintily selected from be- 
 neath the nail of the great toe ! 
 
 Captain, officers, and passengers, too, all appear arrayed in 
 those airy garments — thin, wide, and flapping — with which every 
 man provides himself before leaving home, as he would a life- 
 preserver in the prospect of another kind of danger. It being 
 understood that the back of the head must be specially guarded 
 from the sun, gentlemen turn out with a variously mounted flow of 
 drapery depending from thickly lined hats of straw. Some are 
 martial in appearance, with sun hats shaped exactly like Roman 
 helmets. All are effeminate so far as regards the appendage of 
 a blue or green veil. But oh! for a photograph of the early 
 morning, ante-breakfast group — the experience-taught, health-cul- 
 tivating voyagers who come up one by one, gliding ghostlike 
 from the depths below in the semi-darkness, ere the sun has risen, 
 to parade the deck for a cool, pleasant hour, while the sailors 
 are flooding it with sea water, and then to wait their turn at 
 the salt-water baths, with which the ship is always furnished, 
 
48 A SHIP AT SEA. [ch. 
 
 before returning to their respective dens to dress for the morning 
 meal — to dress, because of the urgent necessity existing for that 
 excellent conventional habit in a case like theirs, where the 
 better to enjoy the morning air, loose payjamas are rolled far 
 above the knee, and the sleeves of flannel shirts are tucked high 
 over the elbow, while an open neck and uncovered shock head 
 appropriately crown the spectacle ! 
 
 It must be admitted, however, that this is not only an agree- 
 able refreshment, but a particularly useful regimen in circum- 
 stances so destructive, both of mental and physical vitality, as 
 those of a tropical voyage. It is meet, no doubt, that such 
 a motley gathering should disperse before the advent of the 
 ladies, which indeed it does, fleetly decamping, with amusing 
 hurry-skurry, on any symptom of a surprise. 
 
 The interval between breakfast and dinner is naturally felt to 
 be the most tedious of the day, being the longest and hottest 
 By turns to move languidly about the ship, regaled, in the act of 
 going forward, with a variety of unpleasant odours — to loll in 
 an easy chair (every person does or ought to provide one for 
 himself) under the awning on the after-deck, engaging the mind, 
 whether by reading or conversation, with subjects that will not 
 strain its powers — or each man recumbent in his berth, to kill 
 time with a book, when it happens that the air-hole called a 
 window can be opened, such are the ordinary sources of enjoy- 
 ment pertaining to the situation. 
 
 In circumstances like these the sound of the dinner bell is 
 naturally heard with that overpowering emotion expressed in the 
 homely stanza : — 
 
VII.] MUSIC AND MEALS ON SHIPBOARD. 49 
 
 Sweet is the tinkling Sabbath bell, 
 
 As to the church we throng ; 
 But sweeter even to Mess John, 
 
 Is the booming dinner gong. 
 
 And more particularly is the call a cheerful one, when, accord- 
 ing to custom in some ships, it is sounded musically by a portion 
 of the band. In one steamer, especially, I remember that the 
 meal hours were heralded always within three minutes of the 
 proper time, by the apparition of two demure old tars standing 
 close, motionless, and erect at a certain spot near the cabin stairs, 
 and furnished with fife and drum, which, after the manner of the 
 mechanical figures over the Place Sl Mark at Venice, they in- 
 stantly commenced to ply when the clock sounded the hour. 
 Each appearance of to-day was in ludicrous conformity with that 
 of yesterday, as was also each performance, the breakfast or 
 tea summons being vigorously whiffed and beat out to the tune 
 of ' Polly put the Kettle on,' and that of dinner to the air of 
 the ' Roast Beef of Old England.' 
 
 Yet, notwithstanding the jolly character of this invitation to 
 eat, the occasion is not ' appetizing.' Besides the absence of 
 sharpening climatic influences, the palate encounters much that 
 is distasteful on shipboard in a tropical climate. Such viands 
 as fowl and flesh, for example, require to be consumed while 
 perfectly fresh, and must therefore accompany those who intend 
 to eat them in the vital condition of fellow-voyagers. And so it 
 comes about that, while one supply is being discussed at the 
 dinner-table below, another may be heard aloft crowing, quacking, 
 and bleating, as if in a chorus of protest. Of course these com- 
 forts on board ship, such as they are, imply a complete immunity 
 from sea-sickness. In other words, they are only to be enjoyed 
 
 E 
 
50 A SHIP AT SEA. [ch. vii. 
 
 (so far as most people are concerned) ' wind and weather per- 
 mitting.' Wind and weather «£>/ permitting, the situation simply 
 ceases to exist, if the fact that the company disappears be a 
 sufficient proof of the assertion. Then social life dies, and in- 
 dividual existence, cherished for the most part in close sleeping 
 berths, becomes a kind of stewy consciousness of being, in which 
 the mind is alive to little else than the tardy course of time. 
 
 Happily, however, this state of things is usually no more than 
 an episode in the routine of the voyage, and, as I have already 
 remarked, the force of our national habits and energies asserts 
 itself through all the ordinary depressing effects of a tropical 
 sail. The monotony is occasionally relieved by a theatrical 
 performance, or a pseudo-negro musical entertainment, in which 
 stewards and passengers are banded together for the nonce 
 as boon-cronies ; these displays being frequently arranged and 
 enacted in a style that would not discredit the members of either 
 profession. 
 
 A dance too is sometimes got up, in the cool of the evening, 
 to the music of the ship's own band, affording that opportunity 
 for a little flirtation which is denied by the light and the lan- 
 guor of the day. Nor is the situation unsuited to this species 
 of entertainment, for besides the attraction of so many youthful 
 cavaliers of the military and civil service on their way to Indian 
 quarters, the naval element is adroitly and even gaily repre- 
 sented in the circle by young officers of the ship in their ordi- 
 nary uniform. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 OTHER WORLDS. 
 
 Star unto star speaks light, and world to world 
 Repeats the password of the universe. — Fes/us. 
 
 And happy constellations on that hour 
 
 Shed their sclectest influence. — Paradise Lost. 
 
 EFORE leaving this 
 part of my narrative, 
 let me attempt to re- 
 call something of a 
 fascinating source of 
 enjoyment that is here 
 sent of heaven every 
 night. At sundown 
 the awning is with- 
 drawn from the after- 
 deck, leaving it open 
 to the cool air of the 
 evening. Then may be 
 witnessed a glorious 
 process of formation 
 in the sky, the lim- 
 ning out, as it were, 
 of the constellations 
 by the hand of night. 
 First appear the stars of chief magnitude faintly gleaming on 
 
 E 2 
 
52 OTHER WORLDS. \ca.. 
 
 the yet clear blue dome. As these deepen and brighten in the 
 rapidly waning light, the firmament becomes gradually over- 
 spread until it absolutely glows with a host of orbs, whose 
 sparkle far exceeds that of our latitudes. Among these the 
 form and shape of the sidereal groupings can be traced with 
 more or less distinctness, and we contemplate spangled diagrams 
 in the heavens, representing the objects from which the ancients 
 gave the constellations their names. 
 
 I do not remember a single evening of the many we passed 
 at sea, during our voyage to the several chief parts of India, 
 and thence through the Straits of Malacca to China, on which 
 this lovely recurring spectacle of the sky was overshadowed, or 
 failed to present itself in greater or lesser glory. It afforded, 
 indeed, to my mind a sufficient proof that the ancients, in 
 applying specific names to the constellations, were guided by 
 the resemblances they severally bore to the objects with whose 
 names they are associated. I know perfectly well that this re- 
 semblance is not generally admitted by modern astronomical 
 writers ; but we must bear in mind that our masters in astro- 
 nomy, the ancient Greeks, inhabited a region much more favour- 
 ably situated for observing the phenomena of the celestial 
 bodies ; and the remark applies with still greater force to the 
 nations of Assyria and Egypt, from whom, as the originators, 
 the nomenclature of the stars has, in all probability, come down 
 to us. 
 
 But as the sidereal scroll, though exceedingly brilliant on the 
 passage to Bombay, is still further unfolded towards the Line, 
 let us, for the purpose of a single illustration, transfer the scene 
 to the southern waters of the China Sea, on a March night a few 
 
VIII.] 'THE HEAVENS ARE TELLING.' 53 
 
 months afterwards. Take the ordinary occasion of a calm after- 
 noon, with nothing of nature visible around but a still prospect 
 of azure sky and ocean, blended together in the distance, with 
 the setting sun at the western horizon slowly sinking into the 
 sea with the appearance of a great globe of fire. No sooner 
 had the orb disappeared, than the horizon on either side be- 
 came (as is always the case in these parts) lustrous with bright 
 orange streaks, changing after a short interval into a rich ruby 
 glow. Simultaneously with this process, and while daylight yet 
 lingered in the vault overhead, some of the primary stars began 
 to peer forth with a pale feeble ray. In a few minutes more, 
 the short but beautiful twilight was over, and the heavens pre- 
 sented a deep blue background and a gleaming galaxy of stars. 
 
 Straight overhead appeared omnipresent Orion, looking pre- 
 cisely as he does in our northern latitudes, only much clearer 
 and better defined, set in a slanting or semi-prostrate position, 
 his right hand bright with Betelgeux, and his right foot with 
 Rigel, both outstretched as if in action. With the several shapes 
 of gleaming belt, dirk-like sword, and spangled cap of mail, to 
 complete the figure, I felt bound to admit that the ancient star- 
 gazers, who saw in this grouping something like the outline of a 
 warrior, were not misled either by their blindness or their fancy. 
 Orion was closely followed by the Great Dog (Canis Major), an 
 outline of life and energy, with ears erect and outstretched tail 
 and forepaw. The Great Dog, I may state, is one of the most 
 striking and distinct of the constellation forms ; the magnificent 
 star Sirius, which in our northern island reveals to us his place 
 in the heavens, adorning the point of his foxy chin. Before 
 Orion went the Twins, Castor and Pollux (represented in their 
 
54 OTHER WORLDS. [cH. 
 
 bodily form simply by two parallel lines of light proceeding 
 from these stars), like himself prostrate and moving backwards. 
 Underneath, in the West, appeared that well-known figure in 
 Taurus, resembling an isosceles triangle, with fiery Aldebaran 
 at the apex. This rough shape, however, of a ' bull's ear,' to- 
 gether with the two stars surmounting it, and said to represent 
 the tip of the animal's horns, was all I could distinguish of the 
 supposed figure of the Bull. Beyond these shone the Pleiades, 
 consisting, not of seven orbs as we are accustomed to see that 
 constellation with the naked eye at home, but of a large aggre- 
 gation of lights. 
 
 On the other side of the hemisphere, a considerable space 
 was occupied with the form of the Lion, revealing itself, of 
 course, as no more than a rough outline of some such figure, 
 yet sufficiently distinct when recognized repeatedly in its wonted 
 place, to afford a familiar illustration of the forest king. Truly 
 a royal beast, as there sketched in starlight — an enormous Lion 
 couchant, his great face turned towards us, one bright paw put 
 forth, and Regulus, like the star of his nobility, sparkling at his 
 breast. Beside him was coiled the Serpent (Hydra), of which 
 the shape was also distinctly recognizable, the snake-like head 
 working, as it were, upwards into the sky, and the body winding 
 out of sight below. Jupiter, large and bright, with Saturn as 
 a companion planet, followed in the track ; Procyon, glowing 
 and twinkling like a great sun as he Is, leading the Lion's way. 
 
 Looking next to the North, we could see the extensive 
 group of stars which is associated with the name of Ursa 
 Major (the Great Bear), but I could not in this case make out 
 anything like a coherent form. Although a bodily outline is 
 
VIII.] STELLAR SPLENDOURS. 55 
 
 said to be traceable, the only portion of it I could distinguish 
 was the semblance of four great paws gleaming far up in the 
 shining vault, together with that of the starry tail ending in Eta. 
 
 On the left at some distance below, the North or Pole Star, 
 so often looked for at sea, was plainly visible, but not so the 
 animal shape {if such exists) of the constellation Ursa Minor, of 
 which it is the terminating point. To the right was beautiful 
 Arcturus, and a little further on was Spica, these making, as 
 every one knows, an equilateral triangle with Denebola at the 
 point of the Lion's tail. Arcturus had just risen above the 
 horizon, and still lower down Corona Borealis, that splendid 
 bow in the heavens, familiar to our own skies, and popularly 
 known as the Northern Crown, was coming up into view, its 
 brightest jewel, Alpaca, sparkling with the light of countless 
 diamonds. 
 
 Chiefly attractive, however, was the aspect of the Southern 
 hemisphere, not only because it presented objects unknown to 
 European skies, but because it was glowing with the grandest 
 lights in the arch of the empyrean. Here the prow of the Great 
 Ship {Argo Navis), illumined by Canopus, was pointed towards 
 the Two Crosses farther down, both of which were objects of signal 
 magnificence. The ' False Cross,' the nearest of two contiguous 
 shapes of a cross, or rather, as it seemed to me, of a square, each 
 formed of four lovely stars, was the larger in size, though not so 
 surpassingly brilliant as its neighbour, the celebrated ' Golden 
 Cross.' In the latter indeed a fifth, but comparatively very small 
 star, appeared, not however so prominently as to mar the accu- 
 racy of the figure, which absolutely blazed with light, each of its 
 great orbs glittering and pulsing like a thing of life. What with 
 
56 OTHER WORLDS. [ch. 
 
 these several grandly luminous forms, the two principal stars of 
 Centaurus, a few degrees to the East, and several others of ex- 
 traordinary size and lustre which follow one another just below 
 the Golden Cross in a straight line to the horizon, — here, un- 
 doubtedly, was the chief locale of attraction in this glorious 
 pyrotechny of the sky. 
 
 Thus, as we moved through the soft genial atmosphere of a 
 tropical evening, it required no star-gazing propensity to trace 
 with admiration and wonder the heavenly groupings in their 
 wonted places at nightfall, and to notice -from time to time as 
 the hours passed on, the grand, silent revolution of the golden 
 wheel, as star and constellation in their turn floated upwards into 
 view, or sank flashing, as if instinct with vitality, below the 
 western horizon. 
 
 Such is a cursory description of the general aspect of the 
 stellar universe, as seen in more favourable circumstances than 
 those which prevail in our island home. That some of my 
 readers will consider it too fanciful, I am quite prepared to find, 
 although, at the same time, I feel assured that only those will 
 do so who have either never enjoyed or let slip the opportunity 
 of judging for themselves. I had sometimes a young com- 
 pagnon de voyage by my side, whom I may style my guiding 
 star in these contemplations of the night, an accomplished votary 
 of science, to whom even the deeper aspects of astronomical 
 knowledge were thoroughly familiar. 
 
 He was returning from China, whither he had gone in a 
 vain search for health. I occasionally found him in the even- 
 ing alone in some retired corner of the ship, occupied with 
 this, to him, never-failing source of pleasure; and more tlian 
 
vin.] THE REIGN OF IRON. 57 
 
 once, as I caught the expression of his mild eye roaming the 
 firmament, I thought of the day — probably not far distant — when 
 he would be numbered among 
 
 those who have won 
 
 The vantage-ground of light beyond the stars ; 
 
 and, it might be, realized a nearer and clearer view of the shining 
 scenery he loved so well. A few years have passed since then, 
 and the anticipation is verified. 
 
 One feature of the voyage alone is without change or vari- 
 ation. By night and day, in light or darkness, through all the 
 waking and sleeping hours alike, is heard, without intermission, 
 the sound of the great propelling power that speeds the vessel 
 on its way — a power gentle in the calm, but rising and roaring, 
 as if in sympathy, with the storm. There is no escape from 
 that monotonous music, which is thus incorporated with the 
 routine of the voyage. Nor is there, perhaps, anything more 
 haunting in the retrospect of its routine, than the never-tiring 
 play of the great engines, dimly revealed by midnight lamps, 
 working in their deep shadowy den at an hour when they have 
 all the stir to themselves, only that their muffled iron tones are 
 mingled with occasional faint noises, indicating the presence of 
 human life and action in the depths below. 
 
 Since leaving Suez we had passed two Sundays on the 
 voyage. On each of these the muster roll was called ; all hands, 
 English and foreign, coming aft to pass before the captain and 
 officers, and answer to their names. Another practice of the 
 sacred day is the reading of the English Church Service by the 
 captain. This duty, however, he only undertakes in the rare 
 
58 OTHER WORLDS. [ch. viii, 
 
 absence of a clergyman among the passengers. The ministerial 
 sermon, always cheerfully accorded and addressed to an earnest 
 audience assembled either on deck, or in the saloon cabin, as 
 the weather may render expedient, is heard, as is natural in 
 the circumstances, with unusual interest; and the psalmody, 
 which is generally raised with a harmonious, pre-arranged effect, 
 is all the more imposing when, as frequently happens, the 
 elements act as a choir, and it is accompanied by the music of 
 the wind and waves. 
 
 In this respect we were fortunately situated during the run to 
 Bombay, having on board, besides the English Church dignitary 
 to whom I have referred, a converted Hindoo in the position 
 of an ordained Christian minister, who having visited our 
 country, was returning to resume his labours in his own. It 
 may, as we are often told, be a difficult problem to draw aside 
 the veil, and read the heart of a man who has undergone 
 that extreme transformation. But this much is certain, that 
 
 B L confronted his little congregation on the sea with 
 
 an agreeable type of countenance and a calm earnest eye, when 
 he spoke, not without eloquence and enthusiasm, of the coming 
 day, when all heathendom would, like himself, be converted 
 through the means appointed by Heaven, and expressed in the 
 text which he had chosen, ' Not by might nor by power, but 
 by my Spirit, saith the Lord.' 
 
59 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 BOMBAY AND ITS PEOPLE. 
 
 Who can paint 
 Like Nature ? Can imagination boast 
 Amid its gay creation hues like hers ?— THOMSON. 
 
 The very life-blood of our enterprise. — King Henry IV. 
 
 Up-bubboo! Paddy had not — a shirt to his back!!! — ScoiT. 
 
 N due time 
 the hilly re- 
 gions of 
 Bombay be- 
 came dimly 
 visible a- 
 head. Be- 
 fore enter- 
 ing the port 
 
 let us remember that Bombay proper is a small island, with an 
 estimated area of about eighteen square miles, which was ceded, 
 in 1 66 1, by the Portuguese to Charles II. as a part of Queen 
 
6o 
 
 BOMB A Y AND ITS PEOPLE. 
 
 [CH. 
 
 Catherine's dowry, and transferred in 1669 to the East India 
 Company ; but that it is connected with the much larger Island 
 of Salsette (having an area of 1 50 square miles) which fell into 
 the hands of the Company by conquest early in 1775. Familiar 
 as is the progressive record of our Indian empire since then, 
 only an eye-witness can realize the vivid picture of life and en- 
 ergy that now bears testimony to the transformation of Bombay. 
 
 BOMBAY COAST. 
 
 As we approached the island, its truly magnificent harbour 
 (the only really good one in India), which is formed of a semi- 
 circle of small islands, appeared like a little inland sea with an 
 array of masts, extending to a great distance, representing not 
 only a variety of the native coasting craft at anchor, some with 
 strange spoon-like prows bobbing above the water, and others 
 
IX.] FEATURES OF THE HARBOUR. 6 1 
 
 moving along by the aid of beautiful lateen sails, but ships and 
 steamers from England and other distant countries, in the act of 
 discharging or receiving their cargoes. We had plainly arrived 
 at a great nucleus of traffic. 
 
 The engines being stopped, we were instantly surrounded on 
 both sides by quite a piratical-looking crew of black nude harpies 
 in boats — a race of creatures indigenous to all eastern harbours. 
 
 BOMBAY FROM MALABAR HILL. 
 
 For shouting and scuffling, these may be regarded as men without 
 worldly compeers. Yet, after all, what can we think in mercy 
 or say in reason, but that such is their way of striving to earn an 
 honest rupee in the nautical line, amidst the terrible competition 
 that exists in the hot blazing harbour of Bombay. 
 
 Before our eyes lay the city and its neighbourhood, a charming 
 
62 BO MB A Y AND ITS PEOPLE. [ch. 
 
 prospect to tempt us away from the din and clamour with which 
 we were surrounded — a prospect of square-buih, Venetian win- 
 dowed houses, glistening white in the sunshine, copiously in- 
 terspersed with rich tropical vegetation, and terminating in a 
 magnificent background of mountain scenery. The seaward 
 view, sparkling with light and dotted with sails, was also attrac- 
 tive, but not so the aspect of the shore, which was black, mo- 
 notonous, and deserted. 
 
 We landed in one of the native ' bunderboats ' — a huge hulking 
 craft, in shape and size similar to one of our Scotch coal gabbarts, 
 and furnished with no other protection from the sun than a 
 small receptacle at the stern, into which, of course, we crept 
 forthwith. This elegant specimen of marine architecture is pro- 
 pelled by ten or a dozen rowers, the oars being in the form of a 
 straight pole with a circle at the end. Having secured their 
 freight, the clamour with which the boatmen sought to obtain it 
 at once tones down to the point of sufferance, but the spectacle 
 of bare legs and otherwise undraped figures so unblushingly 
 presented by the squad, in near proximity to the eye, forms 
 the European stranger's first free introduction to one of the 
 most overwhelming novelties of the East. 
 
 The lesson is a rough one to begin with, and as the situation 
 demands that it must needs be thoroughly acquired, the feelings 
 of the too tenderly susceptible are thus scandalized and blunted 
 at a blow, ere yet their feet have touched the land where there 
 is no escape from the natural symmetry and proportions of the 
 human form divine ! 
 
 We were received on shore by the good friend whose hospi- 
 tality we had been invited to enjoy during our stay in Bombaj-, 
 
IX.] THE BUNGALOW. 63 
 
 and at once driven home in his carriage. A pleasant home it 
 was, situated, like most of the European residences, a few miles 
 out of town, having, besides the floral charms which surrounded 
 it, the advantage of being near the sea, which every day we 
 looked on it was bright and beautiful, although scarcely approach- 
 able, through the black slippery stones of the intervening shore. 
 The Indian bungalow may be described as a tidy, square- 
 built cottage consisting of one floor only, its doors wide, and its 
 windows (which are large and numerous) supplied with Venetian 
 blinds or shutters in the absence of glass. It is built of brick, 
 but white-plastered with chunam, a beautiful kind of lime manu- 
 factured from the ' shells of ocean,' and is always surrounded by 
 a wide verandah, in the grateful shadow of which the inmates 
 sit, or rather recline, on cane chairs so cunningly constructed as 
 to aflbrd sweet support to the whole languid anatomy of man. 
 Here the c/iola hasseree or 'little breakfast' of tea and toast is 
 served in the dawn of the morning to those who are wisely pre- 
 pared to go forth for an hour's ride or walk, before the sun rises 
 too high for purposes of Anglo-Saxon locomotion. Here, too, 
 gentlemen come after dinner to be refreshed by the cool even- 
 ing breeze, together with such additional exhilaration as may be 
 derived from ' \)r2iVL&^ pawnee' and cigars. Within, the bungalow 
 consists of clean spacious apartments, having asphalt floors 
 partially laid with matting, and not hampered with excess of 
 furniture, which in Bombay comprises a tasteful display of the 
 celebrated black wood indigenous to the place, together with or- 
 nate objects of native industry in sandal-wood or ivory. Punkahs 
 hang over the dining table, or wherever else pntil'a/ts may 
 be needful, and curtains of bobbinette, where curtains ought to 
 
64 BOMB A Y AND ITS PEOPLE. [ch. 
 
 be, complete the free airy aspect of this bright Eastern domicile. 
 With these draperies nearly every bed in a pukka or well-ap- 
 pointed house is enclosed, and even with the security they afford, 
 he who would find repose within their shade, after outwitting 
 the mosquitoes to the utmost of his ability by raising the light 
 folds of gossamer only so far as will enable him to wriggle quickly 
 through, should see, before he lays down his head, that not one 
 tiny tormentor has forestalled him in the occupation of his 
 downy den. If he happens to be a ' fresh man,' a single specimen 
 of this voracious tribe will serve to spoil his rest, and send him 
 forth disfigured in the morning to encounter renewed attacks 
 from greater forces, where no muslin curtains interpose their 
 protection. 
 
 The kitchen and offices are in the ' compound ' or enclosed 
 ground out of doors, where also the large staff of native servants 
 find the slender accommodation accorded them, sleeping at the 
 best on bare charpoys, or cotton-wadded rugs laid down any- 
 where. It was something of a novelty to find a complete domestic 
 establishment consisting, with the single exception of the nurse 
 or ayah, of the masculine gender. The turn out at dinner of 
 butler and assistants in clean light livery of turban and cotton 
 wrapper was very neat and presentable — the termination of these 
 habiliments in a display of bare feet and ankles notwithstanding. 
 
 Outside in the compound, palm, acacia, and other trees, some 
 of them bearing flowers, and mingled with shrubbery of much 
 beauty and variety, rear into the sunshine a canopy of green 
 leaves ; but all around, the grass (except for a short period 
 during the rains) is scorched into a yellow hue. The garden 
 may be and frequently is trim and blooming, but only where 
 
IX.] SHORE AND GARDEN. 65 
 
 daily labour and expense are freely bestowed on artificial means 
 of watering, is this result possible. Wanting these, it dies 
 sun-stricken, and speedily becomes a wilderness of dead leaves 
 and flowers. But even at the best, with its rank dusty luxu- 
 riance and bare walks of soil, it is but a poor substitute 
 for the green-carpeted and pebble-strewn Edens of the Western 
 world. 
 
 Such are the arrangements and general appearance of the 
 better class of modern residences in Bombay. The mass of the 
 poor population find sufficient shelter as of old in mud huts 
 and dwellings formed of bamboo and palm leaves. 
 
 Beyond the precincts of our friend's fine compound nothing 
 within view was unattractive but the seashore — a blank stretch 
 of dull brown sand or black flint stones — a scorching, shelter- 
 less spot, forsaken even by the natives themselves. The bright 
 -ocean beyond, enlivened with its shining, wing-shaped, lateen 
 sails, had thus the appearance of a luminous pattern surrounded 
 by a dark funereal border. One afternoon I picked my way 
 through the long tract of glistening trap-stones which lay 
 between the bank in front of our domicile and the water-line, 
 where a dingy green surge mingled its lonely strain with the 
 universal music of the sea. Here the mind of a new comer is 
 overwhelmed with the contrast between the dreary, deserted 
 beach of Bombay and the bracing shores of ' merry England,' 
 vocal with the sounds of life and health, down to the prattle of 
 infancy. • 
 
 The drive from the landing-stage had afforded us a glimpse 
 of the vicinity of Bombay, comprising a series of diverging 
 roads having on either side the pretty bungalows or handsome 
 
 F 
 
66 BOMB A V AND ITS PEOPLE. [cH. 
 
 villas of the European and native gentry. These dwellings 
 extend for several miles round the city, standing for the most 
 part in enclosures of variable though generally limited extent 
 Some are encircled with high walls, while all are surrounded by 
 a luxuriance of trees and plants, among which the date and 
 cocoa-nut palms abound. The enormous spread of gigantic 
 leaves, both here and in the country beyond, constituted to us 
 the chief novelty of the landscape, growing as these were, not 
 under glass as we had been accustomed to see tropical foliage 
 at home, but luxuriantly in the open air. 
 
 The social routine is not distinguished by much variety or 
 frequent change. It comprises the chota hasseree, or ' little break- 
 fast', at dawn, the ride or walk at sunrise, the delicious bath on 
 returning, and then the breakfast, properly so called — a sub- 
 stantial meal, exhibiting, like every other repast, the native skill 
 in cookery. Men of business afterwards go forth in a carriage 
 of some kind to their respective spheres of labour, where the 
 indispensable luncheon or ' tiffin,' of which all comers are in- 
 vited to partake, is served early in the afternoon. Thence they 
 return at nightfall (taking the Esplanade and a gossip by the 
 way) to enjoy the evening dinner and the sweets of social in- 
 tercourse, where cheering nectars flow, and cooling putikahs 
 swing. 
 
 The chief place of residence among the English in Bombay 
 is Malabar Hill — a wooded rising ground on the coast, about 
 three miles beyond the city ; the numerous bungalows being 
 built in terraces extending from the shore line to the top of the 
 eminence. 
 
 It was naturally with a strong feeling of expectancy that I 
 
.X.] 
 
 LIFE AND LOCOMOTION. 
 
 67 
 
 accompanied my friend next morning to his place of business in 
 the city there to witness and mingle with what I had always un- 
 derstood to be the most stirring nucleus of life in India And 
 stirring indeed it was. The hot dusty streets were thronged with 
 a multitude including nearly all the known characters of an 
 eastern crowd, together with the different conveyances common to 
 the place — carts and waggons, hackries, with patient bullocks in 
 
 '-.::>^A 
 
 PALANQUIN AND BEARERS. 
 
 front and bawling drivers behind, passenger-cabs, buggies.^ and 
 palanquins, shortly styled ' palkies.' These last are wooden 
 cribs with a pole at each end, wherein those who can afford 
 the luxury of their use and have acquired the art of entering 
 them without being ' spilt,' recline luxuriously sustained on 
 the shoulders of coolies, being thus cased like precious edibles 
 in boxes of suitable size, and delivered from door to door free 
 from the injurious effects of the sun. The poor city Arabs 
 or coolies perform all the rough work of the place, a light 
 
 F 3 
 
68 BOMB A Y AND ITS PEOPLE. [cH. 
 
 covering round the loins being usually their only clothing. 
 Among well dressed men the garment in general use is a piece 
 of bleached shirting, gracefully disposed round the body, the 
 legs being bare from a little below the knee, and the feet cased 
 in Morocco slippers with curved toes. Thus suitably attired 
 alike for freedom of movement and of ventilation, and crowned 
 with huge turbans, or fantastic ' puggeries ' (head-dresses) in 
 various colours, Hindoo and Mahometan citizens, some of them 
 men of material bulk as well as of solid wealth, parade the 
 business quarter, or stalk majestically through the European 
 ' go-downs ' (warehouses) in the prosecution of their really ex- 
 tensive transactions. Another feature of attraction in the crowd 
 is supplied by the members of the great Parsee community, who 
 appear clad in the usual angrika (a close-fitting coat of white silk 
 or cotton), with s^payjamas (trousers), and wearing the peculiar 
 high square hat by which they are everywhere distinguished. 
 The priesthood of the tribe alone are habited in hats 2lX\A pay- 
 jamas both of white cotton. 
 
 The extremes however of the heterogeneous multitude here 
 assembled may be said to meet when some Persian ' exquisite,' 
 gorgeous from head to foot in array of velvet and gold, is borne 
 past the spot where a fakeer with foul matted hair and naked 
 distorted body sits in the thick dust (itself polluted by his 
 touch), whining for an alms. Not, strange to say, that the 
 mendicant feels himself humiliated by the contrast ; on the 
 contrary he may be and often is the more selfish and conceited 
 personage of the two, being religiously of opinion that the filthy 
 squalor of which he furnishes a specimen is the true livery of 
 honour in this world and the surest passport to glory in the 
 next. 
 
IX.] NATIVE COSTUME. 69 
 
 This may be the proper place to introduce a passing word 
 on the modes of dress prevailing among the people of India. 
 Any one, however, who desires to be thoroughly conversant 
 with the subject, will find it fully discussed in the interesting 
 investigations of Dr. Forbes Watson, published last year. 
 
 The doctor, in the course of his researches, discovered one 
 small tribe of Gofids, who wore no dress at all, and he informs 
 us that there are at least two sects who consider the use of 
 clothes immoral as a violation of the law of nature ! He also 
 calculates that of the 200,000,000 people in India now more or 
 less under British rule, about 20,000,000 are destitute of clothing 
 of any kind. 
 
 As regards the dress of the men it mainly consists of turbans, 
 loongees, and dhooties. Of these the turban is the chief feature, 
 being an essential symbol of rank and wealth. It is usually 
 made of cotton, although sometimes of silk or wool, and is 
 coloured with all the hues of the rainbow, according to fancy, 
 or in conformity with the various social and religious distinctions. 
 
 The loongee is a scarf, varying in length and width from the 
 dimensions suitable for a child to those pertaining to the full 
 adult, and is simply but neatly disposed round the shoulders 
 and chest. There is now in use a very large and constantly 
 increasing variety of style and pattern in such scarfs, bright 
 colourings being greatly prized, more especially the celebrated 
 Turkey red ground, illuminated with yellow and green, or full 
 chintz flowers and figures, with large objects in the form of pines 
 and peacocks at either end. 
 
 The dhootie is simply a long narrow piece of cloth, which 
 the Hindoo, after giving the end two or three turns round 
 
70 BOMB A Y AND ITS PEOPLE. [ch. 
 
 the waist, passes between the legs and fastens under the folds 
 in front or behind, the Mahometan spreading it more out, and 
 allowing it to hang down. Where poverty precludes the use 
 of even such a garment as this, a mere rag of cambric is made 
 to answer the purpose, the end being turned over a string 
 circling the haunches. With or without a turban, however, 
 the dftootie in some form usually comprises the entire dress of 
 the poorer class, whether Mahometans or Hindoos, so that 
 the great majority of the men of India are not much encum- 
 bered with clothing. Nor do those Hindoos render themselves 
 more attractive who disfigure the brow with an unseemly daub 
 of paint, representing the mark of their caste, and communi- 
 cating to all men the interesting fact that they have on that 
 day said their prayers. 
 
 Indian women, and more especially the Mahometan por- 
 tion of them, sometimes assume petticoats in winter, but their 
 principal dress is the saree, a scarf of from one to two yards 
 wide, and varying in length according to the bulk of the 
 figure. ' As usually worn, one end is passed twice round the 
 waist, the upper border tied in a string knot, and allowed to 
 fall in graceful folds to the ankle, thus forming a sort of skirt 
 — a portion of one leg being only partially concealed by the 
 Hindoo. The other end is passed in front across the left arm 
 and shoulder, one end being brought over the top of the head. 
 It is then allowed to fall behind and over the right shoulder and 
 arm.' A showy kerchief also is often worn on the head, by 
 those who are able to afford that decoration. The material of the 
 saree is generally cotton, but it may be silk, or a mixture of 
 both fabrics. As a rule, Hindoo and Mahometan women have 
 
IX.] NATIVE COSTUME. 7 1 
 
 their own special patterns, and here too, among the bright 
 colours in vog^e, Turkey red is held in chief estimation. 
 
 So much on the general subject of dress, but it remains to be 
 added that, except perhaps in Bombay itself, the stranger sees no 
 more of the fair sex in India than such of its members as ne- 
 cessity or want may bring in his way. Owing, however, to the 
 advanced civilization of Bombay, the welcome face of woman 
 appears in its highways. She is readily distinguishable from 
 her lord by the absence of the turban or puggerie, and, when 
 well attired, is wrapped from head to foot in a stylish, many- 
 coloured print or saree, having ornamental ends, which hang 
 pendant at the sides. Her jet black hair, even her smooth 
 brown skin, glistens with cocoa-nut oil, and the well rounded 
 arms (which the saree is not permitted to confine) swing like 
 pendulums as she goes. In the all important matter of orna- 
 ment, the splendour of bracelets and anklets made of bright 
 coloured beads, and glittering rings for the ears and toes, min- 
 ister to that universal feminine desire, which in her case broid- 
 ered sleeves and silk stockings would fail to gratify. But un- 
 fortunately the list of decorations includes the disgusting nose- 
 ring which everywhere throughout the three Presidencies dis- 
 figures the female countenance as an indispensable requisite of 
 fashionable adornment, and which, being generally of large size, 
 and attached to one nostril only, assumes the appearance of 
 an unwholesome excrescence. 
 
 That woman's life in Bombay is usefully employed, as well 
 as openly spent, may be gathered from the fact that she is 
 usually observed to be carrying something, it may be a bundle 
 of food or clothing, a small living miniature of herself, or a lota 
 
72 
 
 BOMB A Y AND ITS PEOPLE. 
 
 [CH. 
 
 (pitcher) poised with the ease of practised dexterity on ' reason's 
 throne.' 
 
 Although Bombay, as a city, has been hitherto considered 
 inferior to Calcutta, the extraordinary changes now in progress 
 bid fair to reverse the comparison even with the city of palaces. 
 The spacious Square, around and in the vicinity of which the 
 European warehouses were situated at the period of my visit, 
 
 ELIUINSTONE CIRCLE. 
 
 may already be said to exist no more, the old buildings having 
 been pulled down, and a magnificent new range erected, to 
 which the name of ' Elphinstone Circle ' has been given. This 
 splendid amphitheatre of high elegant warehouses, enriched with 
 ornamental trellis-work, and with green painted iron balconies 
 on every stage, not only indicates the marvellous progress of the 
 city, but may be regarded as one of the noblest marts of com- 
 merce in the world. Within these palatial ' go-downs,' as well 
 
IX.] DEALERS AND ' GO-DO IVNS: 73 
 
 as in all the principal streets and buildings of the city, the modern 
 conveniences of water by gravitation and gas have been intro- 
 duced. The ground and sunk floors are used for storing the 
 bales and boxes of merchandise. Overhead are the ofifices 
 where, in a range of spacious apartments, native clerks exe- 
 cute in good English the counting-house work of the establish- 
 ment, and European partners, with their assistants, sit airily 
 attired in clean white linen, engaged in that voluminous corre- 
 spondence which the weekly Bombay mail now entails, or nego- 
 tiating with the native dealers, whose stately figures constantly 
 perambulate the place. * 
 
 It is only a natural result of the advanced social condition of 
 Bombay that these dealers should, generally speaking, be superior 
 to the members of their class elsewhere in India. With suffi- 
 cient independence to resent an injury, they unite a desire to be 
 on good terms with their European friends, with whom they are 
 rather fond of going through the ceremony of shaking hands. 
 Their brethren of Madras and Bengal on the contrary, while 
 maintaining, perhaps, a cringing deference of manner towards 
 the too ingenuous Sahib who may appear inclined to pay them 
 that compliment, are apt to retire on some pretext or other 
 before his advancing steps, in order to avoid the degradation of 
 the meditated contact ! I may here explain that the business 
 transactions of European firms in Bombay are mainly conducted 
 by a ' Broker' attached to the establishment, that he is paid by 
 a commission received from the buying or selling dealer (an ex- 
 tremely bad rule by the way), and that he guarantees the debts 
 to his employers, who have thus merely to provide the materials 
 of trade, and leave the rest to him. This system, however. 
 
74 BOMB A y AND ITS PEOPLE. [cH. 
 
 such as it is, exhibits a great improvement on the method 
 originally prevalent in Calcutta of engaging a wealthy native 
 trader, called a banyan, who also provided the capital ; and it 
 is further satisfactory to know that the position of the broker 
 himself is being gradually converted into that of a negotiator or 
 salesman, acting entirely in the pay of his employers. English 
 merchants themselves, indeed, with the aid of European assist- 
 ants, now conduct the transactions of some houses. 
 
 As an Indian city, Bombay possesses this interesting pecu- 
 liarity, that the Parsee community occupy, by reason of their 
 number, intelligence, and wealth, a prominent position in the 
 prosecution of its commerce and the regulation of its affairs. 
 The Parsee broker of Bombay is a man of mark in the mercan- 
 tile system, and not without reason, as every one knows who 
 has made his acquaintance and seen him ' in harness.' He is 
 indeed a highly capable man of business ; affable, sober, punc- 
 tual, vigilant, his eye bright and his head cool and clear. 
 
 Reversing European custom, the mode of conducting nego- 
 tiations is for the buyer to begin by making an offer. The bar- 
 gaining process is usually enacted by means of signs given with 
 the joined hands of buyer and seller hidden under a handker- 
 chief, or bit of cloth called the pachoori, which, on certain occa- 
 sions, must be sought and found in its corner before business in 
 the practical sense is possible. Not a word is spoken while the 
 pachoori sways to the hidden action of the men's fingers. As 
 the fencing proceeds, the countenance of the offering dealer 
 gives no sign, thus rendering all the more ludicrous the eager 
 face of the broker, whose repeatedly raised eyebrows and incre- 
 dulous stare serve to express his real or feigned astonishment 
 
IX.] 
 
 SECRETS OF THE PACHOORI. 
 
 75 
 
 at what he desires to characterize as the extraordinary illiberality 
 of his customer. 
 
 In due time the buyer may find reason to reciprocate these 
 gestures, and the pantomime occasionally ends by both the hands, 
 so lovingly clasped beneath the pachoori, being suddenly with- 
 
 STRIKING A BARGAIN. 
 
 drawn in a simultaneous ebullition of well affected irritation and 
 disgust ! As a rule, however, the transaction is conducted with 
 celerity and ease, and in a spirit on the part of the native buyer 
 which is all that an Englishman could desire. 
 
 Such is the Indian mode of business, whereby the products 
 of the West, in large and increasing measure, silently pass into 
 
76 BOMB A Y AND ITS PEOPLE. [CH. ix, 
 
 consumption, while European exchanges, notably on market 
 days, are ringing with noise and clamour. 
 
 The native bazaars of Bombay are of course the grand centres 
 of traffic. Here every variety of merchandise, home and foreign, 
 is displayed for sale in the dingy recesses called shops, the laby- 
 rinthine maze of which, together with the stifling habitations 
 of their possessors above, and the dusty ways between, consti- 
 tute the bazaar. In this serene and elegant retreat, native 
 merchants, wearing perhaps no other robe than the dhootie 
 or waistband, sit cross-legged within little shadowy chambers 
 surrounded by their wares — food, clothing, articles of vertu, gold 
 and silver ornaments, or brazen pots and pans. Between the 
 considerable trader ensconced among his high piles of piece 
 goods, or store of bales and boxes, and the vender of a paltry 
 handkerchief in the crowd, there may be no difference in appear- 
 ance. A man worth four or five lacs of rupees, looking out from 
 his den in an undraped condition for custom, is sometimes as 
 poor in his outward appearance as the anna-less wretch sitting in 
 the dust beside his door. Yet not a few of this unpresentable 
 order of bazaar traders engage in very extensive transactions 
 both in the disposal of produce and the purchase of imports, the 
 wonder being, according to our notions of society, that being thus 
 persons of wealth and consideration, they should choose to live 
 the life and wear the livery of want 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 BOMBAY LIFE AND INDUSTRY. 
 
 Thus while around the wave subjected soil 
 
 Impels the native to repeated toil, 
 
 Industrious habits in each bosom reign 
 
 And industry begets a love of gain. — Goldsmith. 
 Behold him setting in his western skies, 
 The shadows lengthening as the vapours rise.— Dryden. 
 
 [ASSING out of the ' Fort,' as 
 the city proper is still 
 called (although the walls 
 which till lately encircled 
 it have been removed), 
 our attention was first ar- 
 rested by the numerous 
 tents, which like a little 
 canvas town covered a 
 part of the plain, extend- 
 ing from the wayside to 
 the shore line, and known 
 as the ' Esplanade.' Those 
 laid down in regular rows 
 were manifestly the 'lines' 
 of a military encampment, 
 but all thfe rest were pri- 
 vate residences, in which 
 a portion of the European population had chosen to seek pro- 
 tection from the climate of Bombay. 
 
78 BOMBAY LIFE AND INDUSTRY. [ch. 
 
 And wherefore not ? It is now the month of November, 
 and with the exception, perhaps, of a sprinkling of rain in 
 January, every day that dawns between this and June will 
 probably run its course in a blaze of sunshine. These simple 
 dwellings are sectioned into small chambers, neatly furnished 
 with all the requisites of family life, and refreshingly open to 
 the breeze. 
 
 People who would be rid of the expensive arrangements per- 
 taining to a bungalow or house, properly so called, may here 
 reside in comfort, surrounded by all the' domestic luxuries; 
 though the position is one which we are accustomed to associate 
 with the rough, self-denying life of a warlike encampment 
 The time comes round, no doubt, when the camp is raised, 
 and its occupants retire before the advent of the monsoon, 
 as soldiers retreat from the impending attack of an invincible 
 foe. That is an invader, however, which neither advances 
 with insidious steps, nor lingers long on the scene thus aban- 
 doned to its power. Throughout the warm bright months of 
 fair weather, no elemental force ruffles or penetrates the canvas 
 thus spread beneath the glowing sky ; and there are those who, 
 speaking from experience, extol the airy accommodation it 
 affords as superior to that which is to be found in chambers of 
 brick and lime. The marquee then, as a place of habitation, 
 is one of the social institutions of India, and is frequently to be 
 seen, in groups within the compounds, or immediate vicinity 
 of handsome villas, whose hospitable accommodation it so far 
 supplements. Or the pavilion may belong to the guest himself, 
 who in this way brings not only his portmanteau, but his 
 bedroom along with him ! It is, indeed, no derogation from 
 
X.] ' CANVAS HOMES. 79 
 
 human dignity to dwell under canvas on the Esplanade, and it 
 may even be added (with of course becoming reverence), that 
 some of the tents of Bombay are, like those of ancient Israel, 
 honourable abodes through the popular position of their occu- 
 pants. Without speculating, then, on the status which families 
 residing in tents on an English common would be likely to 
 occupy in society, we have here an illustration, on a broad 
 scale, of the wholesome truth, that a man's social elevation is 
 not everywhere dependent on the magnitude of his domain. 
 
 It is said of a small community in the north of Europe, that 
 when the day comes round (as come it does every year) on which 
 the sun sets not to reappear during many weeks of starlight, the 
 people are accustomed to meet on the top of a neighbouring 
 hill, to witness the departure of the luminary, and wave it a 
 solemn farewell as it sinks from view. Somewhat similar in 
 external aspect to this ceremony is the scene enacted by our 
 countrymen at an appointed place, in each of the principal 
 cities of India, every evening towards sunset. The Bombay 
 rendezvous takes place on the Esplanade, and thither, as the 
 glowing orb draws near the horizon, friends congregate for 
 awhile, walking, riding, or driving, to wind up the day with an 
 interchange of greetings, and to enjoy the merry music of a 
 military band. Even here little or no intercourse prevails be- 
 tween the native and European inhabitants, but the gathering 
 is all the more imposing and picturesque that it includes Hin- 
 doos, Mahometans, and Parsees, whose wealthy surroundings, 
 comely presence, and dignified demeanour are features peculiar 
 to the Bombay Presidency. This daily convention, however, 
 like the twilight in which it is held, is of brief duration. Soon 
 
8o BOMBAY LIFE AND INDUSTRY. [ch. 
 
 the fast-gathering darkness overshadows every face, and speedily 
 disperses the crowd, which may be said, without exaggeration, 
 to betake itself helter-skelter from the place. Old residents, 
 who remember things as they were, still look with wonder on 
 the scene : a long line of dashing equipages, each drawn by a 
 pair of fine Arabian horses, rushing homeward amid the gather- 
 ing gloom, filled with the rank and gentility of Bombay. But 
 alas ! within the last few years, loceJ misfortunes have to a 
 large extent shorn the show of its glory. 
 
 There is not in the history of the world's commerce a more 
 startling tale than that of these reverses, from the rise of the 
 speculative mania in 1861 to its collapse four years afterwards, 
 when the incredible fortunes realized by native, Parsee, and 
 European adventurers melted away like the golden stores of 
 fairy-land. A few of the details are worth preserving. At the 
 present hour we have still the spectacle of a great wreck, in 
 course of being cleared away through the medium of commissions 
 and courts of law. To say nothing of the disasters encountered 
 by individuals and private copartneries, the ' Bombay Almanack ' 
 for 1868 gives a list of joint-stock companies in course of liquid- 
 ation, to the number of not fewer than ninety -eight ; viz. 
 
 Bank and Financial 56 
 
 Spinning i 
 
 Shipping 10 
 
 Land and Reclamation 2 
 
 Miscellaneous 29 
 
 "98" 
 
 Under the last-mentioned heading we have such titles as 
 ' Brick and Tile,' ' Hotels,' ' Farming,' ' Building,' ' Oil Press- 
 
X.] WRECK OF THE SPECULATIVE MANIA. 8 1 
 
 ing,' ' International Exhibition,' ' Land Investment,' ' Patent Slip 
 and Foundry,' ' Insurance,' ' Coffee Plantation,' and the various 
 projects altogether are calculated to represent the extraordinary 
 sums of 62,000,000/. sterling of subscribed and 24,000,000/. of 
 paid-up capital. Such figures afford a clue to the mysterious 
 disappearance of those fabulous fortunes, which were realized in 
 Bombay after the outbreak of the American war. 
 
 From the preceding returns it will be seen that the items of 
 spinning and weaving scarcely figure in the catalogue. This is 
 explained by the fact, that these trades constitute the principal 
 manufacturing industry of the place, the yarns and cloths pro- 
 duced, however, consisting, for obvious reasons, only of the 
 heavier and coarser kinds. As a rule, the mills, of which 
 there are a goodly number, are well appointed, supervised by 
 European managers and engineers, and furnished with the best 
 machinery from England. One establishment alone in the 
 present year has 60,000 spindles in operation, with an average 
 daily attendance of i ,600 employes ; in others the number of 
 hands engaged varies from 800 to 200. 
 
 It is true that the products of these works compete successfully 
 with the like manufactures from Europe, and will probably con- 
 tinue to do so; but the exclusion of the latter from the Indian 
 market need not, therefore, be apprehended. Machinery — a 
 product of our own country and a perishable commodity, which, 
 as it thus appears, is even in India superseding manual labour 
 — cannot be cheaply transmitted across the sea like cotton goods 
 and yarns, together with all the imported stuffs necessary to 
 their production. Iji Bombay, therefore, the application of this 
 
82 BOMBAY LIFE AND INDUSTRY. [cH. 
 
 mechanical power, is confined to certain stout and bulky fabrics, 
 in which alone competition, and that a close one, is possible. 
 
 The process of bringing home cotton from India in one ship 
 and returning it in another, manufactured into jacconet or cam- 
 bric cloths, may to the inexperienced appear to involve a con- 
 siderable loss both of labour and capital ; but a very simple 
 calculation of ' freight and charges ' will serve to show how 
 trifling is the whole cost, as applied to a large supply of light 
 clothing. The want of good coal, with which no other fuel 
 can compete in raising steam for the purposes of mechanical 
 production, is of itself more than sufficient to outweigh all the 
 drawbacks of distance ; and although the coal seams of India 
 (of which I shall have something to say in the proper place) are 
 now being rapidly developed and brought into use, the quality 
 of the yield everywhere is inferior to that of our own country. 
 When to this consideration is added that of the increased facil- 
 ity of internal conveyance arising from the rapid spread of rail- 
 ways, it is only reasonable to conclude that the field is becoming 
 more and more our own in the gradual extinction of the hand- 
 loom, and those other rough old modes of native manufacture 
 which still hold their ground in the more retired rural districts. 
 
 But the bursting of the speculative bubble, with all its dire 
 consequences, has not enfeebled the normal vitality of Bombay. 
 The current of business again flows in its natural course, with 
 perceptible progress. In 1866-67, the last year for which we 
 have returns, the sea-borne trade of the island (which in 1854-55 
 was about 16,000,000/., and in 1858-59 about 34,000,000/.) was 
 found to have risen to the value of 46,750,000/ sterling. 
 
 Nor were all the projects wholly unproductive which dis- 
 
x] INHERENT VITALITY. 83 
 
 tinguished that feverish episode in the mercantile historj' of the 
 island. The Elphinstone Land Company — coexistent with the 
 mania, but not its offspring — has already accomplished greater 
 ends than the most hopeful of the defeated schemes promised 
 to fulfil. A miserable foreshore and marshy waste adjoining 
 the city, and equal in extent to its former self, when comprised 
 within the walls of the Fort, have been converted into useful 
 land. Bombay has been rapidly enlarged in this direction. 
 Extensive shipping accommodation and a large railway station 
 now occupy the site of the offensive shore line and the sedgy 
 pools. When I have added that the materials of this great 
 work — the earth and stones which a fleet of steamers and other 
 boats, together with railway trains, daily bore to the busy scene 
 of reclamation — were quarried from the neighbouring hills, 
 accessible by land or sea, it will be sufficiently evident that 
 an Indian sun has no paralyzing influence on the enterprizing 
 settlers of Bombay. 
 
 So much for already accomplished projects in the capital of 
 a little Presidency, which last year expended nearly 1,500,000/. 
 sterling on public works. But the prospective change is still 
 more extensive. 
 
 The new Elphinstone College, costing 50,000/., is now com- 
 pleted, and among the numerous other buildings of which either 
 the plans have been drawn out or the foundations already laid, 
 we hear of the ' Secretariat,' expected to cost 1 20,000/. ; the 
 ' High Court,' 140,000/ ; the University, 100,000/ ; the new 
 Post Office, 60,000/. ; and the Public Works Office, 40,000/ 
 
 Bombay may thus be regarded somewhat in the light of a 
 splendid new city now being built in India. 
 
 G 3 
 
84 BOMBAY LIFE AND INDUSTRY. [CH. 
 
 Turning for a moment to the general condition of the country 
 in connection with such details of progress, we find, as regards 
 the commercial advancement of British India, that the imports 
 and exports of 1868 representing the value of the 'foreign trade,' 
 exceeded the enormous sum of 101,000,000/. sterling, having 
 thus been quadrupled in about a quarter of a century. Among 
 the important works, in addition to irrigation schemes, accom- 
 plished during the past ten years, several thousand miles of 
 good roads have been constructed throughout the ten provinces. 
 
 Of the 5,000 miles of railway planned during Lord Dalhousie's 
 term of office in 1853, upwards of 4,000 are now open for traffic, 
 and the remaining 1,000 are in course of construction. In ad- 
 dition to these, an extension of 820 more miles was afterwards 
 sanctioned. Such undertakings have hitherto been effected 
 under the security of the Indian Government The whole ex- 
 penditure involved (exclusive of the cost of land), amounting in 
 March last to about 79,000,000/. sterling, is, with the completion 
 of the sanctioned lines, estimated at about 90,000,000/. in all. 
 
 In such a novel sphere of speculation as the construction of 
 railways through the deserts and jungles of India, progress could 
 not otherwise be made. But the inducements offered by the 
 Secretary of State for the formation of companies were so un- 
 usually favourable, that Indian railways soon became a favourite 
 investment. Government, on its own part, only reserved the 
 power to purchase, after the lapse of twenty-five or fifty years, 
 any line at its then market value, calculated on an average of 
 three years, and in the meantime to serve the interest of the 
 travelling public by lowering the fares in cases where the profits 
 came to exceed ten per cent. On the other hand, however, any 
 
X.] THE RAILWAY SYSTEM. 85 
 
 railway company might, after a short existence of' three months, 
 hand over their scheme to the Government, which engaged, on 
 receiving six months' notice, to reimburse the whole of the 
 expenditure. The capital raised for this important object has 
 been almost wholly supplied from our own country ; to such an 
 extent, indeed, that out of 53,000 proprietors, scarcely 400 are 
 natives of India. 
 
 Such, as I have said, has been the policy in vogue ; but hence- 
 forth the construction of railways, for their original cost and 
 maintenance, will devolve on the Government. The deficiency 
 hitherto resulting from the inability of the railways to support 
 themselves, and provide the dividend of five per cent, guaranteed 
 by Government, has been lessening year by year ; and there is 
 reason to hope that at no distant period the State, while thus 
 raising the condition of the country, will be entirely relieved 
 from loss as regards the railways themselves. The progressive 
 plan comprises additional schemes to the extent of 10,000 miles, 
 so that the legislature is now, at least, fully alive to the great 
 social and commercial importance of the Indian railway system. 
 It cannot be said, however, that more than a beginning has yet 
 been made. The few thousand miles of rail now formed, at 
 wide intervals, on the immense continent of India, only traverse 
 the country like solitary tracks on the ocean. A system of 
 commensurate extent must be the work of many years ; how 
 rich and abundant its fruits may be it were difificult to con- 
 jecture. 
 
 Meanwhile, a glance at the map will show the extent of the 
 existing ramifications which, probably in the course of another 
 year,will be sufficiently advanced to connect Bombay with Madras 
 
86 BOMBAY LIFE AND INDUSTRY. [cH. 
 
 and Calcutta in unbroken lines, there being already through 
 communication between the latter city and Delhi, distant more 
 than 1,000 miles. In 1S71 the whole passenger traffic of India 
 will be streaming through Bombay. The great material trans- 
 formation thus being effected throughout the country must 
 immensely enhance the trade and traffic of that city, which, 
 important as it has hitherto been as the western capital of 
 India, now seems destined to expand even more rapidly than 
 heretofore — to become, in fact, the greatest among the harbours of 
 the world. Already the bulk of that immense current of human 
 life, comprehended in the phrase 'overland travellers to India,' 
 has begun to flow thither as to a centre of communication, ren- 
 dered especially convenient by the new weekly mail service 
 to and from Suez, carrying nearly all the Indian letters. The 
 frequency and regularity, however, of the overwhelming amount 
 of correspondence thus passing through Bombay in these days is 
 by no means a subject of unalloyed congratulation to those who 
 are personally concerned in its production. More especially is 
 this true of our toiling fellow-countrymen in India, who, in the 
 exercise of their competitive energies and unsparing zeal, have 
 long since accustomed the recipients of letters in Europe to ex- 
 pect full market advices by each successive mail, and to ima- 
 gine themselves extremely ill-used if these are not forthcoming. 
 Finally, there can be no doubt as to the healthy condition of this 
 magnificent arena for the prosecution of British industry, for we 
 find that the total revenue of India, as estimated for 1868-69, 
 amounts to between 48,000,000/. and 49,000,000/. sterling (an 
 increase of 4,000,000/. in four years, or 15,000,000/ since the 
 year preceding the Mutiny). The whole public debt which, 
 
X.] SPREAD OF COMMERCE. 87 
 
 in England and India together, at present, scarcely exceeds 
 96,000,000/. sterling, is thus no more than the equivalent of 
 two years' income. The receipts from land, about 20,000,000/. ; 
 from opium, 8,000,000/. ; and from salt, 5,700,000/, constitute 
 the chief items of this handsome revenue, the remainder being 
 derived from customs, stamps, and other duties, together with 
 the tributary contributions of native States. 
 
 So much for the achievements of our commerce (for such, 
 indeed, they are), in reference to which thousands of English- 
 men now trading to India can remember the East India 
 Company declaring that there was no outlet there for British 
 ■mamifactures ! Holding these views, and with no conception 
 of such a productive power as our country has now acquired, 
 the prophetic mind of that grand old association would then, 
 perhaps, have ridiculed the idea that before half-a-century had 
 elapsed our little island would possess the means of weaving 
 cotton cloth for the Indian markets every year, sufficient in 
 length, let us say, to girdle the two countries in a calico bond of 
 union. Yet an easy computation will show that the quantity, 
 of all widths, annually manufactured in Britain and shipped to 
 India, would encircle many worlds like our own ! 
 
 •g 4 
 
88 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 A CHAPTER OF VARIETIES. 
 
 History is indeed little more than the register of the crimes, follies, and 
 misfortunes of mankind. — Gibbon. 
 
 Here shall the Press the people's rights maintain, 
 
 Unawed by influence and unbribed by gain.— Joseph Story. 
 
 Tis education forms the common mind.— Pope. 
 
 Children of the sun. — YoUNG. 
 
 T now remains to supplement the details 
 of the preceding chapter with a cursory 
 gHmpse of the land and its teeming 
 populations, together with the strange 
 romantic history of which they form the 
 subject. 
 
 The official statistical tables published 
 in 1869 assign to British India an area of 
 983,902 square miles, with a population 
 of 148,457,654 ; and to the native States 
 an area of 690,697 square miles, with a population of 47,909,199. 
 The French and Portuguese possessions figure in the enume- 
 ration as having 1,254 miles of area, and a population of 5 1 7,149, 
 making up the grand totals to an area of 1,675,853 miles, and 
 a population of 196,884,002 souls. Thus the French and Portu- 
 guese scarcely retain a footing in the country, and as the rulers 
 
CH. XI.] THE MILLIONS AND THEIR LANGUAGES. 
 
 89 
 
 of these native States— Rajah, Thackur, Nawab or Maharajah — 
 are more or less under our control, it may be said that the British 
 sceptre is supreme among the numerous races of the Indian 
 plains. As regards the different nations comprised in these en- 
 ormous figures, the ' Bombay Almanack ' publishes in last year's 
 issue the following table : — 
 
 Hindus 
 
 150,000,000 
 
 Sikhs 
 
 2,000,000 
 
 Parsees 
 
 160,000 
 
 Native Christians 
 
 200,000 
 
 Europeans .... 
 
 150,000 
 
 Jains ..... 
 
 5,000,000 
 
 Mahometans .... 
 
 15,000,000 
 
 Aboriginal and other tribes 
 
 20,000,000 
 
 The principal languages are the 
 
 
 Hindi, spoken by about . 
 
 40,000,000 
 
 Hindustani „ 
 
 30,000,000 
 
 Bengali „ 
 
 30,000,000 
 
 Telegu „ 
 
 14,000,000 
 
 Tamil „ 
 
 12,000,000 
 
 Punabi, Mahrathi „ 
 
 10,000,000 
 
 In this somewhat general enumeration the number of the 
 Mahometan population (usually estimated at 30,000,000) is 
 evidently understated. But the most striking item it contains 
 is the strangely insignificant number representing the ruling 
 power. And Government is magnanimously engaged in im- 
 buing the native mind with that knowledge which is the source 
 of its own supremacy. There are now no fewer than 20,000 
 State-supported educational institutions in the country, with an 
 average attendance of nearly 700,000 pupils, of whom perhaps 
 one-fifth are Mahometans, nearly all the rest being Hindoos. 
 The whole system is maintained at an annual cost exceeding 
 755,000/., of which about 460,000/. is contributed by Govern- 
 
90 , A CHAPTER OF VARIETIES. [ca 
 
 ment In this return are comprised village schools for the 
 instruction of natives in their own language, and district schools 
 where English also is taught. Above these are colleges entirely 
 devoted to English education ; Presidency colleges, confined to 
 law and the arts ; colleges for engineering and medical studies ; 
 and normal seminaries. At the head of the system stand the 
 three universities of Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras, all modelled 
 on the London plan. 
 
 Speaking of these various establishments in general terms, 
 they are popularly known as well-appointed schools, imparting 
 the several branches of a practically useful education, together 
 with instruction in every department of science and art 
 
 The leaven of knowledge which such a system of tuition is 
 incorporating with the mass of native ignorance and bigotry, is 
 working out a great, and perhaps rapid, change in the moral 
 aspect of the country, the more so as the golden tide of British 
 bounty is flowing towards these seminaries with yearly increasing 
 strength, and still multiplying their number. Thus the hideous 
 structure called Brahminism is now everywhere confronted 
 with real temples of learning, wherein grave conclaves of dark- 
 visaged youths in turbans and puggeries may be seen from day 
 to day bending over the Bible, volumes on science and art, 
 geographical or geological charts, treatises on astronomy or 
 natural history, and other standard guides to knowledge. 
 Through the courtesy of the Rev. Dr. John Wilson, a gen- 
 tleman celebrated, not merely in Bombay but throughout India 
 alike for proficiency in Hindoo literature and good deeds in 
 the way of education and charity, we were afforded an oppor- 
 tunity of witnessing the large educational establishment so long 
 
XI.] POPULAR EDUCATION. 9I 
 
 fostered by his care. The children's classes were especially 
 interesting and suggestive of good results ; order, regularity, 
 and quietness being everywhere prevalent, and the pupils ap- 
 parently all influenced by a feeling of affectionate regard for 
 their learned and considerate instructor. 
 
 It will appear in the course of my narrative that such cities 
 as Calcutta, Madras, Lucknow, Agra, and Delhi are, like Bom- 
 bay, well provided with seminaries conducted by accomplished 
 English teachers, and regulated more or less on the same 
 useful basis. We must bear in mind, however, that even the 
 grown-up Hindoos, who, as I have stated, may be found in 
 these academies diligently studying the Bible, make no profes- 
 sion of faith in its doctrines. Nor are they required to express 
 any opinion on the subject. A mutual understanding exists, that 
 they are at liberty to make what use they please of the in- 
 struction thus generously provided for them, and this they ac- 
 quire with an aptitude of which, for my own part, I had not 
 deemed them capable. But let it not be supposed that these 
 are poor scholars ; their attendance as adult students, and con- 
 sequent command of leisure, rather indicate the contrary. Many 
 of the children also are sons and daughters of wealthy baboos, 
 whose free use of these Christian educational establishments 
 thus manifests a greater liberality of sentiment than of purse. 
 
 It now remains to be seen what new colouring the hand of 
 time will impart to this impressive picture of social life in India. 
 Not that any possible result can detract from the duty of edu- 
 cating the ignorant. But here we cannot help remembering the 
 paucity of our own numbers throughout the country and the 
 
92 A CHAPTER OF VARIETIES. [cH; 
 
 numerical insignificance of the British element in the Indian 
 army, shown by the last returns to consist of about 65,000 
 British associated with 123,000 native soldiers; and we are 
 forced to accept the conclusion to which such facts point — that 
 this empire of ours over a million and a half miles of territory 
 and two hundred millions of people is one which must either 
 give way at no distant date before the rapid stride of moral 
 advancement, or be permanently established on principles of 
 conciliation and justice. The latter is the policy which now 
 marks the administration of Indian affairs. In so broad a 
 field and with so great a population, more time and further 
 progress are required to make much impression on the con- 
 dition of the masses. The labourers among the village com- 
 munities of northern and central India, and the ryots of the 
 southern and western districts, have begun indeed to realize 
 the value of British skill and capital as applied to railways, 
 roads, works of reclamation or irrigation, improvements in the 
 tenure of land ; and, with the increasing yield of each successive 
 harvest, to find a corresponding advance in the value of their 
 scantily-rewarded toil. But while these and the legion of poor 
 coolies engaged in the rough work of the cities must still be 
 contented to earn a few annas (perhaps the value of sixpence) 
 per day, the middle and better classes, Hindoo, Mahometan, 
 or Parsee, are now amalgamated with the European community, 
 not only in the management of commercial and agricultural 
 affairs, but in the official administration of British rule. 
 
 Great and salutary progress has recently been made in the 
 admission of natives to a share of the honours at the disposal 
 of the Crown. In the lists of ' Honorary Magistrates,' Muni- 
 
XI.] HONOURABLE COMPANIONSHIPS. 93 
 
 cipal Commissioners, ' Civil Service,' and ' Bench of the High 
 Court,' as well as those of the banking and financial associations, 
 medical colleges, or charitable and educational institutions, which 
 now abound in Bombay and the other capitals — in all, indeed, 
 that signalizes the associated wealth and intelligence of the three 
 Presidencies, we find such names as the ' Honorable Mun- 
 guldass Nathoobhoy,' ' Meer Hoomayon J ah Bahadoor,' and 
 ' Nuwab Mahomed Kull AH Khan,' or ' Doctor Atmaram 
 Pandoorung, G.G.M.C.,' ' Mr. Ardaseer Framjees Moos,' and 
 ' Ram Chunder Mitter, Esquire,' mingled with the familiar 
 Macintosh, Gladstone, Crum, and Brown. An example of the 
 constitution of the ' Star of India,' an order which was insti- 
 tuted in 1 86 1 and enlarged in 1866 for the like wholesome pur- 
 pose of identifying native with British feelings and interests, 
 appears in the names of the Rajah Dinker Rao and ' His 
 Highness the Maharajah of Travancore,' being set forth re- 
 spectively as Knight Commander and Knight Grand Com- 
 mander on the same rolls with those of Lieutenant-General Sir 
 Robert Napier, K.C.B., and Sir Richard Temple; while the 
 Dewan Cheboo Lama and Baboo Prosunno Coomar Tagore 
 figure as ' Companions ' side by side with K. Williams and 
 John Fleming. 
 
 This companionship is undoubtedly the best foundation on 
 which to build the fabric of our power in India, and philan- 
 thropy itself invokes a blessing on the new bond of union. 
 Meanwhile we cannot doubt the bond fide character of this 
 association of the races in matters public so long as the Indian 
 press abounds with such daily items of news as that ' Baboo 
 Rajendra Lala Mittra,' in an address delivered at Calcutta 
 
94 
 
 A CHAPTER OF VARIETIES. 
 
 [ch: 
 
 before the British Indian Association, and ' Mr. Narrayen 
 Wassooden,' from his place as a member of the Bombay muni- 
 cipality, had just been taking their respective governments to 
 task on the score of ignorance and illiberality ! 
 
 Of the growth and magnitude of the Indian Press, we only 
 know, in the absence of general statistics, that the whole country 
 is flooded with newspapers, and with the other usual forms of 
 popular reading, written in a variety of languages, European and 
 Oriental. The authority, however, from which I have already 
 quoted, contains the following list of ' publications ' pertaining 
 to Bombay in 1 868, which may be regarded as throwing some 
 light on the subject : — 
 
 English, Daily . 
 
 
 2 
 
 Portugese, Weekly . 
 
 2 
 
 Weekly 
 
 
 7 
 
 Monthly . 
 
 I 
 
 Bi-monthly . 
 
 
 5 
 
 Guzerati, Daily 
 
 3 
 
 Monthly 
 
 
 5 
 
 Tri-weekly . 
 
 2 
 
 Quarterly . 
 
 
 I 
 
 Bi-weekly . 
 
 2 
 
 Half-yearly . 
 
 
 I 
 
 Weekly . 
 
 5 
 
 Annually . 
 
 
 4 
 
 Monthly . 
 
 4 
 
 Occasionally 
 
 
 5 
 
 Mahrathi, Weekly . 
 
 2 
 
 English and Guzerati, Weekly 
 
 • 3 
 
 Monthly . 
 
 I 
 
 „ Mahrathi, „ 
 
 2 
 
 Hindostanee, Weekly 
 
 2 
 
 Bi-m( 
 
 3nthl> 
 
 ' I . 
 
 Total Publications . 
 
 . 6o 
 
 But further, in proof that the Indian press, of which we have 
 here a good example, is as free in scope as it is varied in cha- 
 racter, we find periodicals with such titles as ' Bombay Sum- 
 mac/mr' and ' Rouzat-ool Ekhbar,' raising their voices in the 
 social and political medley as imperiously as those of the 
 ' Times of India,' or the ' Bombay Gazette.' 
 
 I have read in some story book of a certain sorcerer, called 
 Cornelius Agrippa, who had constructed a magic mirror, in 
 which, as he stood before it and waved his wand, the events of 
 
XT.] INDIAN HISTORY. 95 
 
 the past were successively depicted in the order of retrogression. 
 Thus traced from the standpoint of to-day, what scenes can we 
 recall from the lives of nations more sparkling than the series of 
 rapidly-dissolving views that make up the tale of Indian history ? 
 Of this nature are the incidents of the late Mutiny, in which 
 the ' last of the Moguls ' had his part, and of the Burmese, 
 Afghanistan, and Punjab wars, still fresh (as are the names of 
 the chief actors) in the recollection of the country. Behind 
 these follow, in swift succession, such tragedies as the bold but 
 fruitless incursions of the Pindarees, the Nepaul campaign, our 
 own struggles for power with the Mahratta chiefs, Scindia and 
 Holkar, the exciting events of Seringapatam, terminating with 
 the overthrow of Tippoo Sahib (whose dynasty was the most 
 vigorous that had sprung from the decline of the Mogul empire), 
 and the many other dramatic passages which carry us back to 
 the dawn of the present century. A host of illustrious names, 
 too, among them those of Lord Wellesley, the Marquis of 
 Hastings, Earl Dalhousie, Lord Canning, Sir Charles Napier, 
 Lord Gough, Lord Clyde, Havelock, and the two Lawrences, 
 are associated with that short but stirring period. 
 
 The subjugation in the south of Hyder Ali and his predatory 
 bands, and the war with the Rohilla tribe, from the mountains 
 between India and Persia, recall the times of Warren Hastings, 
 the first Governor-General, and of Lord Clive, who landed in 
 1765, with full powers as Commander-in-Chief and Governor 
 of Bengal. It was in 1748 that the East India Company 
 fully assumed the position of a military aud political power 
 — a position which was greatly favoured by the then effete 
 condition of the Mogul empire, and acquired a free field of 
 
96 A CHAPTER OF VARIETIES. [ch. 
 
 action on the defeat of the French forces in 1761. It is some 
 consolation to know that all those chiefs and potentates, with 
 whom Britain was thus engaged in the struggle for supremacy, 
 were themselves invaders, seeking to found a State on the 
 ruins of Delhi. 
 
 Through a period marked by the rise of the Mahratta power, 
 a conflict between the Engirsh and Portuguese fleets, and the 
 mission of Sir Thomas Roe to the Court of Delhi, whereby 
 important commercial privileges were secured to the East India 
 Company, we arrive at the establishment of that association in 
 the first year of the seventeenth century, as a result of the 
 exploits of Drake, Cavendish, and Stephens, in navigating the 
 route to India by the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn. 
 
 About the same time, the Dutch obtained a footing in the 
 country, by the formation of a similar company, both institu- 
 tions wisely eschewing the evil example of the Portuguese, who, 
 for a century past, or ever since the expedition of Vasco de Gama 
 in 1498, had monopolized nearly the whole foreign commerce 
 of the East Indies, and were now rapidly losing their ground 
 through the political tyranny and religious bigotry of their rule. 
 That century was the golden age of Portugal. It was also the 
 golden age of imperial pomp and power in India — the period 
 of the greatest Mogul dominion, when such autocrats as Baber 
 and Akbar dictated from jewelled thrones in Delhi to tributary 
 princes of their own appointment, and when the nations of 
 Europe were roused into eager cupidity by the wonderful 
 accounts that came across the sea of the wealth and grandeur 
 of Hindostan. 
 
 Baber himself, it will be recollected, was but a usurper from 
 
XI.] INVASIONS OF INDIA. 97 
 
 Tartary, although the founder of the renewed Mogul dynasty, 
 and perhaps the greatest and best of the Mahometan rulers of 
 Delhi. 
 
 For 300 years before his time, from about the end of the 
 twelfth century; when Shahab-u-din penetrated the country as 
 far as Benares, reduced Delhi, and first firmly planted the 
 religion of Mahomet in the heart of India, we have the period 
 of the Afghan or Patau sovereigns — a time of frightful turbu- 
 lence and massacre, exhibiting little else than a spectacle of 
 rival chiefs, among whom Tamerlane and Genghiz Khan occupy 
 the foreground, fighting like wild beasts for possession of the 
 land. The career of Shahab rendered him a worthy successor 
 of that Mahmood, Sultan of Ghuznee, who, about the year 
 1000, instigated at once by love of conquest and religious zeal, 
 made fierce war against the heathen gods, defacing their 
 grim images, and despoiling their holy temples from the 
 Ganges to the Nerbudda, an outrage from which the gods of 
 course rose like giants refreshed, as they will doubtless do 
 again in the case of any similar aggression. 
 
 An interval, during which we find the avarice and ambition of 
 Syrians, Arabians, Egyptians, and Persians, roused into action, 
 fair or foul, by the fame of Indian wealth, introduces the time 
 when the country supplied the luxuries of Greek and Roman 
 hospitality, and thus we reach the famous invasion of Alexander 
 the Great. 
 
 If half the tale that remains of that expedition be true, royal 
 indeed was the progress of the Macedonian king, and proud must 
 have been Lagus, Nearchus, and Aristobulus, the three officers 
 who were deputed to journalize the order of events, in recording 
 
98 A CHAPTER OF VARIETIES. [ch. xi. 
 
 for the admiration of friends at home, and of posterity at 
 large, how they sailed the Indus for a course of not less than 
 a thousand miles, receiving homage from nations on both sides ; 
 how they first conquered the kingdom of Porus, containing 
 no fewer than 2,000 towns; and then, on the banks of the 
 Ganges, subdued the king of the Prasii, with all his assembled 
 army, comprising 20,000 cavalry, 2,000 armed chariots, and a 
 host of trained elephants ! 
 
 Different opinions now exist as to whether Palibrotha, the 
 capital of the kingdom of the Prasii, was the modern Allahabad, 
 or Patna. 
 
 Prior to the invasion of Alexander, we read of the expedition 
 of Darius Hystaspes, soon after the destruction of the Baby- 
 lonian empire by the Persians, and behind that event looms a 
 dim background of unauthentic history, peopled with adventu- 
 rous Egyptians, Arabs, and Phoenicians, bringing home spices, 
 perfumes, cinnamon, and cassia, by the Persian Gulf, up the 
 Euphrates, and across the Syrian desert Among the thousand 
 conjectures which pertain to this early period of Indian history, 
 it is supposed that the spices which the company of Ishmaelites 
 mentioned in the Book of Genesis brought into Egypt, were 
 procured in India, as were the ' ivory, apes, and peacocks,' 
 which, as we are told in the First Book of Kings, ships brought 
 to Ophir — a supposed emporium of trade with India on the 
 Arabian coast. 
 
99 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 ASIATIC CREEDS: HINDOOISM. 
 
 Lo! the poor Indian, whose untutored mind 
 Sees God in clouds, or hears him in the wind. 
 
 ***** 
 Chaos of thought and passion, all confus'd. — Essay on Man. 
 
 ILANCING next at the religion proper of the 
 people of India, the foregoing brief rSsimtd 
 of historical events will serve to explain the 
 reason of the Mussulman creed being, although 
 so different from the Hindoo in its primary con- 
 stitution, to some extent assimilated in practice 
 with the mythology of the country. Of the Brahminical fasts 
 and festivals, it may be sufficient to say that they are so multi- 
 form and involved, that it would require a large volume to 
 describe them. They are thus constantly interfering with the 
 practical business of life, and are indeed held of infinitely greater 
 moment. The observance of holy days is enjoined as of primary 
 importance in the ancient sacred writings called the Four Books 
 of the Vedas, whence the rites and ceremonies, the science of 
 theology, the philosophy of metaphysics, the principles of divin- 
 ation, and the whole order of moral and religious duties per- 
 taining to the Brahminical religion are derived. But the essence 
 
 H2 
 
lOO ASIATIC CREEDS: HINDOOISM. [CH. 
 
 of that extraordinary faith is expounded in the Shastres, which 
 may be regarded as a commentary on the Vedas. The doctrine 
 of the Shastres points to one Supreme Being, or Good God, 
 variously known as Bhogabou, Esher, and Khodah, the ori- 
 ginator of three great powers or deities — Brahma the Creator, 
 Vishnu the Preserver, and Shiva the Destroyer of all things — 
 under whom live and rule the vast multitude (reckoned to 
 exceed 300,cxx),ooo) of the inferior gods and goddesses which 
 constitute the Hindoo Pantheon, and represent in their imputed 
 characters every phase of human vice and virtue. 
 
 In the fact that Shiva is a more general object of worship 
 than the other two members of the trimurti, and that the temples 
 bearing his name preponderate in grandeur as well as number 
 throughout the country, we have an example of the triumph 
 of human frailty in the East over all the good maxims of the 
 heathen gods. Vishnu is, doubtless, a more lovable character 
 than Shiva, and beautiful is the function he fulfils ; but the other 
 has power to ruin and destroy, and so the poor Hindoo stoops 
 low to Shiva, for the same reason that some sects of Chinamen 
 worship the Devil, saying, ' God is good and will not harm us, 
 what need to worship Him ?' 
 
 With an Irrepressible relish for the mystic and wonderful, 
 the Hindoo masses have continued throughout all their vicissi- 
 tudes rooted in a reverential regard for the Vedas and Shastres. 
 They even venerate the most preposterous stories detailed in the 
 traditions of their bards. Taking the very introduction of the 
 subject as an example of these writings, we are informed that 
 the country, many thousands of years ago, was divided between 
 two ruling powers, called the ' families of the sun and moon,' 
 
XII.] • 'THE CREDULITY OF UNBELIEF.' loi 
 
 both originally descended from Brahma ; and as the eventful 
 story of their career proceeds, it is enlivened by such actors 
 as Ravana, a giant with ten heads, and Sugriva and Hanuman 
 who were at once great kings and large monkeys ! The single 
 fact (afterwards enlarged upon) that at this hour there is a temple 
 in Benares which swarms with live monkeys, reputed to be the 
 lineal descendants of Hanuman, affords some idea of the mon- 
 strous character of the Hindoo faith. 
 
 On such a basis rests the whole structure of that system of 
 belief which now moulds the habits of the people and guides 
 the routine of family life in India under the rule of England as 
 it did in the days of the Persian invasion. What a contrast 
 does the history of our own country present to this condition 
 of stagnation ! Druidism and its priests with their charmed 
 circles and sacred trees — Odin, the ' chief of the gods,' with 
 his terrible son Thor, as worshipped by the early Saxons, 
 and the dark rites of the Heptarchy — have all passed away 
 like a dream, while the wild fancies of the Ramayana, more 
 ancient than them all, are still devoudy cherished by the people 
 of Hindostan. 
 
 Looking at the deities themselves, we can perceive that they 
 are by no means a very peculiar race of potentates, being only 
 somewhat more erratic in disposition and unattractive in appear- 
 ance than those Western brethren of theirs who once held sway 
 in Greece and Rome. It may, indeed, be said that Hindooism, 
 in its later developments, bears a close resemblance to our 
 classic mythology. Jupiter, Juno, Athena, Venus, Mercury, 
 Apollo, Hermes, Cyrene, Cupid, Pan^the members of the 
 whole Olympic conclave had each a history, reputed attributes 
 
 * H 3 
 
I02 ASIATIC CREED: HINDOOISM. [ch. 
 
 and heavenly affinities more or less resembling those ascribed 
 to the Hindoo gods — to Brahma, Ram, Vishnu, Shiva, Krishna, 
 Marvoti, Devo, Khundoba, or Juggernauth. The dominion 
 of the European order of divinities has naturally collapsed, 
 while that of the Asiatic, as naturally perhaps, still lingers 
 on earth. While, then, we are accustomed to look with 
 habitual indifference on the marble figures of the classical 
 deities in the galleries of Dresden or Paris, need we start with 
 amazement from the grim idol groupings displayed within the 
 murky temples of Bombay or Benares ? .It would appear that 
 the time is at length approaching when the latter also, in their 
 capacity of worshipful objects, will take their place for ever 
 among the shadows of the past. As matters stand, however, 
 and monstrous as the system is, it would be wrong to conclude 
 that the highpriests and apostles of Brahminism openly claim 
 for their images the attribute of supernatural powers, although 
 evidence is not wanting to show that the poor and ignorant 
 crowd are tacitly permitted, or more likely secretly encouraged, 
 to adopt that conclusion. We may reasonably suppose too 
 that the more intelligent of the Brahmins cannot cherish in 
 their hearts any belief in the faith they profess, but regarding 
 it as the worldly inheritance of their order, or, it may be, 
 reasoning with their scruples as the Egyptian sorcerer in the 
 ' Last Days of Pompeii ' did with those of the young priest of 
 I sis, plume themselves on the exercise of a useful office, in 
 which blue-fire and mysterious trumpet-tones are made to subdue 
 the passions and arrest the wickedness of mankind. 
 
 But, in any case, it is desirable to know that these cultivated 
 Brahmins, together with many of their educated followers among 
 
XII.] BRAHMIN AND BRAHMO. 1 03 
 
 the people, complain before the civilized world of being- unjustly 
 charged with polytheism in the face of sacred writings which 
 contain the real confession of their faith, to the effect that there 
 is only one God, manifested in three persons, after the manner 
 thus translated by an English author from the language of their 
 own poet Kalidasa : — 
 
 In those Three Persons the One God was shown, 
 Each First in place, each Last — not one alone; 
 Of Siva, Vishnu, Brahma, each may be 
 First, Second, Third, among the Blessed Three. 
 
 Observe now the language of a Hindoo orator who recently 
 delivered a lecture on this subject in Benares : — 
 
 ' If by idolatry is meant a system of worship which confines 
 our ideas of the Deity to a mere image of wood or stone, we 
 abhor and disclaim idolatry ; but if, while we firmly believe in 
 the power of God, we behold by the aid of our imaginations 
 any of His glorious manifestations in the form of an image, 
 ought we to be charged with identifying them with the matter 
 of the image, while, during these moments of sincere devotion, 
 we do not even think of the matter ? ' 
 
 Then as to the position assumed by another class of native 
 theologians on the abstract merits of the religious question, let 
 us hear Mr. Jodoo Nath Chuckerbutty addressing himself to the 
 people of Calcutta in the year 1869, through the medium of 
 ' The Friend of India' : — 
 
 Missionaries and Missionaries. 
 
 Sir, — The Editor of the ' Indian Mirror' has been misinformed that 
 two of the Missionaries of the Brahmo Somaj have left the good work 
 
104 ASIATIC CREEDS: HINDOOISM. [ch. 
 
 of propagating Brahmoism. Being one of the missionaries in question, 
 I think it meet to make a full disclosure of the circumstances. 
 
 Since the day I was initiated in the holy truths of Brahmoism, it has 
 been my pleasant duty, weak and sinful as I am, to spread the sweet 
 tidings of God's loving kindness wherever I went. I have since con- 
 sidered myself a missionary or servant of God, as all men who serve 
 Him and His children virtually are, and have tried to live myself and 
 persuade my brethren to live the soul-saving truths of the religion of 
 one God. Thus I worked on, though I had secular duties besides to 
 attend to. For the last few years I left secular employment and 
 depended upon the mission fund of the Brahmo Somaj, in its pro- 
 gressive section, for my earthly wants, in ordef that I may devote my 
 whole time and energies to the cause of Brahmoism. I am thankful to 
 my gracious Heavenly Father for the numerous blessings He has 
 poured upon my head during these latter days of my connection with 
 the mission, and I express my unqualified obligation to my brethren 
 who helped me both in physical and spiritual matters. I have, how- 
 ever, now bethought myself, for more reasons than one, to dissever my 
 pecuniary relation from the Somaj, the objects and motives that have 
 guided my life hitherto not being affected thereby. I do still embrace 
 the holy cause of propagating God's saving truths with my whole heart. 
 As, owing to the unformed state of our society, it is anything but 
 prudent to depend upon public charities for our physical wants, and as 
 it is anything but conformable to the will of God to forego the necessity 
 of ministering to the physical, not to say the intellectual and spiritual 
 wants of those who depend on us ; I believe it to be my duty to labour 
 for bread with the sweat of the brow. 
 
 In Christian and other communities none but those who take mission- 
 money are popularly called missionaries ; such is happily not the case 
 with us. It is not binding on a Brahmo missionary to receive mission- 
 money as one receives the money of his office master, it is not also 
 binding upon him to live upon public charities. He may adopt this 
 course or he may labour for himself We despise such Church govern- 
 ment, and we are earnestly on the guard that no such idea creep into 
 our community. Unlike Christian missionaries, our missionaries take 
 
XII.] KINDRED DELUSIONS. 105 
 
 upon themselves the holy burthen of the mission, no one making them 
 missionaries and no one unmaking them, God helping. Yours truly, 
 
 JODOO Nath Chuckerbutty, 
 
 Missionary of the 6. S. 
 16th January. 
 
 Unhappy as we may consider the delusions which such men 
 cherish, it would be plainly unfair to charge their religious pro- 
 fession, such as it is, with the crass superstition which prevails 
 among the more ignorant of their countrymen. 
 
 From this tendency to perversion a purer religion and a 
 higher civilization do not protect the Western world, as witness 
 the prevalence of palmistry and witchcraft in some of the rural 
 districts of our own country ; the winking virgins, charmed relics, 
 and other miracles periodically reported from France and Spain ; 
 not to speak of such yearly-recurring spectacles as those of 
 Florence and Naples, where in crowded churches thousands of 
 Christian peasantry watch, with a full persuasion of their own 
 welfare being concerned in the result, whether the blood of 
 St. Januarius will liquefy in the revolving reliquary on the 
 altar, or the 'Fiery Dove' will make a good ascent on the 
 apparatus provided for its flight. 
 
 Hindoo orators, however, cannot disprove the statement that 
 the creed they profess to believe sustains some of the silliest 
 fancies of ancient mythology, such as the worship of so-called 
 sacred rivers, plants, and animals, among which the Ganges, 
 the cow or bull, and the lotus (a beautiful water-lily), are familiar 
 objects. 
 
 But we have one great difficulty with which to grapple — that 
 not a few active spirits among the Brahminical teachers of the 
 
I06 ASIATIC CREEDS: HINDOOISM. [CH. 
 
 people having made themselves conversant with our Scriptures, 
 are in the habit of attempting to ridicule some of the sacred 
 truths they inculcate. Nor can it reasonably be regarded as a 
 matter of surprise that in this effort, however impious and vain 
 it may seem to us, such Brahmins should succeed to a large 
 extent in securing the sympathies of a native audience, whose 
 natural instructors they are. So also is it with the Parsee and 
 Mahometan classes. I remember, while passing a court open 
 to one of the streets of Bombay, being arrested by the appear- 
 ance within of a little knot of people gatTiered round an indi- 
 vidual addressing them from an impromptu platform. The 
 speaker, an earnest young Christian missionary, was discoursing 
 at that moment on the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, to an 
 audience which included Parsees and other natives, some of 
 whom were demonstrative in their expressions of dissent. He 
 resolutely proceeded, however, to illustrate his subject by ap- 
 pealing to the experience of the objectors themselves, each of 
 whom it was urged must feel himself to be a compound of 
 body, soul, and spirit, and thus a living example of the reality 
 of that faith which they were ignorantly disposed to deride. 
 Yet deride it they did — not, I must add, with any display of 
 animosity, but in a jestful spirit — two stout fellows near me 
 making merry eyes to each other beneath their turbans. One 
 of these jocularly struck an inflated attitude of surprise, and with 
 outspread arms, staring eyes, and puckered brow requested the 
 other 'just to look at him and say whether he was one man or 
 three ! ' 
 
 If there be those who would screen such a scene as being 
 offensive to the Christian eye, I take leave to differ from them. 
 
XII.] PROSPECTS OF CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA. 107 
 
 This was no doubt a chance rencontre in circumstances where 
 the usual inducements to reticence were wanting. But such 
 incidents bring us face to face with the true aspect of rehgious 
 life, and with the nature of that spiritual desert in which the 
 banner of our faith is unfurled. They at least serve to prove 
 that the foundations of the vast moral regeneration here sought 
 to be effected must be laid deep and wide. Education, as it 
 spreads, will assist in preparing the native mind for the reception 
 of divine truth ; and there are some who think that, even 
 now, a more general diffusion of friendly intercourse with the 
 people, accompanying the publication of gospel precepts, would 
 strengthen the efforts of those who are engaged in the good 
 work of Christianizing India. 
 
 In Scotland, at least, much interest attaches to the recent 
 eastern mission of the Rev. Drs. Macleod and. Watson, as 
 having assisted to shed the light of truth upon the more prac- 
 tical features of the question. 
 
 In the meantime, it seems important to notice that this 
 subject is not simply of an abstract religious character, but one 
 claiming the thoughtful consideration of all Englishmen who feel 
 any interest in the welfare of Hindostan. No one, indeed, can 
 fail to perceive that it possesses — apart from that more sacred 
 aspect which it is the province of the pulpit to reveal — a direct 
 bearing on the legislative system. Hindooism, the indigenous 
 faith of the country, has not only served hitherto to enslave the 
 popular mind, but is, in its very essence, antagonistic to the 
 civilizing policy of British rule. Nor does our colonizing experi- 
 ence in Asia tend to invalidate the statement of Burke, regarded 
 as a general truth, that ' Religion is the basis of civil society.' 
 
io8 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 ASIATIC CREEDS: BUDDHISM. 
 
 Clown. What is the opinion of Pythagoras concerning wildfowl ? 
 Malvolio. That the soul of our grandam might haply inhabit a bird. 
 Clown. What thinkcst thou of his opinion ? 
 Malvolio. I think nobly of the soul and no way approve his opinion. 
 
 Twelfth Night. 
 
 To be no more, sad cure, for who would lose, 
 
 Though full of pain this intellectual being. 
 
 Those thoughts that wander through eternity, 
 
 To perish ; rather swallowed up and lost 
 
 In the wide womb of uncreated night, 
 
 Devoid of sense and motion. — MiLTON. 
 
 ^•ONCERNING the Mahommedan population in 
 India, I have already alluded to the fact, that 
 the faith they profess in common with their 
 brethren of Turkey or Egypt has become mixed 
 up with the ceremonies of the Hindoo religion. 
 Here, therefore, it forms a mass of complica- 
 tions only inferior to the latter system. 
 
 There is, however, another ancient creed — that of the Buddh- 
 ists — which once was paramount in India, and still lingers 
 there like a shadow of the olden time. It is now confined to 
 the peninsula beyond the Ganges and the table-land north of the 
 Himalayas, together with Ceylon and some of the islands of the 
 Indian Archipelago ; but its temples yet exist in great numbers 
 throughout the country, each with its dagoba, or conical structure 
 
CH. XIII.] A BLANK ETERNITY. 1 09 
 
 containing some relic of Buddha, if not an actual image of the 
 saint. 
 
 The Buddhists acknowledge the earlier existence of Brahmin- 
 ism, and a fundamental point of difference between the two 
 creeds is that whereas the gods of the latter, such as Rama or 
 Krishna, are regarded as avatara, or incarnations of the Deity, 
 the Sakyasinka of the former (afterwards called Buddha, or the 
 sage) is worshipped as a mortal man who attained the highest 
 glory after death ; his life of great sanctity on earth, being 
 sufficient for that end in a single transition, without the inter- 
 vention of those Pythagorean transmigrations of the soul which, 
 according to this doctrine, await other men after their decease. 
 But from that common platform of agreement the different sects 
 that bow the knee to Buddha stray apart from one another in a 
 dark labyrinth of fancies, into which any attempt to follow them 
 were a waste of time. Conspicuous, however, in this region of 
 gloom and mysticism are the chimeras of an external universe, 
 which has no material existence, being only a transient manifest- 
 ation of the Divine Being, and of a heaven, whose ultimate good 
 and most glorious recompense is a state of utter annihilation ! 
 
 And when Buddhist theology tells us by way of explanation 
 that this annihilation means the absorption of the individual man 
 into nobler pre-existing elements — his return, so to speak, into 
 the bosom of the all-pervading creative power, whence he origi- 
 nally sprung — we feel scarcely wiser for the information. We are 
 still left to wonder that the human mind should find any comfort 
 or attraction in a system of belief so vague and empty, and that, 
 although long decadent in some parts of India, this should still 
 be the religion of a considerable section of the Eastern world. 
 
110 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 ADMINISTRATIVE AND TERRITORIAL. 
 
 To him, who in the love of nature holds 
 Communion with her visible forms, she speaks 
 A various language. — Bryant. 
 
 It is a goodly thing to see 
 What heaven hath done for this delicious land. 
 
 Childe Harold. 
 
 T WAS by an Act passed in 1858 that all 
 the territories formerly under the sway 
 of the East India Company were vested 
 in the Queen of England, and the teem- 
 ing millions of India became our adopted 
 countrymen. 
 
 The present plan of the Indian Govern- 
 ment is comprised in the following order 
 of arranofements : — 
 
 A Viceroy, or Governor-General, sitting at the head of a 
 Supreme Council in Calcutta. 
 
 A Governor of Madras. 
 
 A Governor of Bombay. 
 
 A Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal. 
 
 A Lieutenant-Governor of the North-VVest Provinces. 
 
 A Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab. 
 
CH. XIV.] GOVERNMENT FUNCTIONARIES. 1 1 1 
 
 A Chief Commissioner for the Central Provinces ; 
 
 A Chief Commissioner for the Province of Oude ; and 
 
 A Chief Commissioner for British Burmah. 
 
 Then follow, rank and file, the various members of the Cove- 
 nanted Civil Service, over which the above functionaries preside, 
 altogether numbering about 900 in the three Presidencies. This 
 small, but compact, governing body is entirely composed of Euro- 
 peans, educated for the purpose in this country. It is, however, 
 supplemented by the Uncovenanted Civil Service, the members 
 of which receive their appointments from the proper authorities 
 in India, and consist of Europeans, Eurasians (that class in 
 which the blood of the two countries is combined), and natives 
 of India. In the list of ' Principal Uncovenanted Servants,' for 
 example, given by the ' Bengal Directory ' this year, we find 
 329 European and 320 native names. This class fulfil the duties 
 of magistrates, collectors, &c., for which they must be well 
 qualified, through the necessary curriculum of studies. On the 
 occasion of the last Civil Service examination at Calcutta, in June 
 1869, Baboo Romesh Chunder Dutt obtained the second place 
 in English literature, while other natives distinguished themselves 
 in mathematics, Latin, Greek, and natural science. The salaries 
 of the ' Uncovenanted ' range from a few pounds up to 3,000/. a 
 year, and the legislature has here opened up a tempting sphere 
 of encouragement to native culture and emulation, whatever may 
 be said of its advantages to our own countrymen. Yet the 
 people of India at large do not seem to be satisfied with the 
 liberality of this arrangement. For example, an Armenian, in 
 a letter addressed to the editor of the ' Calcutta Englishman,' 
 
112 ADMINISTRATIVE AND TERRITORIAL. [cH. 
 
 after speaking of the pre-eminent loyalty and intelligence of his 
 class, concludes thus : — 
 
 It is difficult to conceive, therefore, the ground on which the exclusion 
 of Armenians from the public service can be maintained. 
 
 I have yet to learn that the selection from among subjects of the 
 Crown of men for the service of the State should rest on any other basis 
 than merit and administrative capacity, or that such selection should in 
 any way be regulated by birth or complexion. The primary object to 
 be attained is, I apprehend, good government; and wherever you find 
 the most capable men, be they English, Armenian, Eurasian or native, 
 it will not be disputed that the public interests (Remand their selection. 
 
 Until such time as this principle is recognized — and I rejoice to know 
 that day by day it is becoming more generally recognized — so long will 
 mediocrity and incapacity take the place of real ability, and so long 
 will the public good, to a corresponding degree, suffer. 
 
 As a British subject, and as one the security of whose property 
 depends absolutely on the stability and good government of this 
 country, as a citizen amenable to its laws, and as a taxpayer, I must 
 protest against the illiberal and selfish views of those who would exclude 
 me and mine from participation in the conduct of public affairs, and I 
 earnestly hope that we have heard the last of the bigotry and narrow- 
 minded injustice which, as it appears to me, have found fitting advocacy 
 in the obscure journal in whose columns the article under notice at first 
 appeared. 
 
 An Armenian. 
 
 Calcutta, May 31, 1869. 
 
 As regards the Civil Service proper, in which the general 
 administration of the country is vested, a few^ words will suffice 
 to indicate the character of the system. Successful candidates 
 are obliged to prosecute their studies at home for two years, 
 receiving as compensation a small alimentary pay ; and there- 
 after, on reaching India, are transferred to appointments, of 
 which the emoluments may be said to range from about 350/. to 
 
XIV.] STATE EMPLOYMENT. I13 
 
 700/. per annum ; situations yielding 900/. to 1,200/. annually 
 being open to them after the lapse of four years. Men of eight 
 years' standing may obtain posts with salaries reaching to 
 2,000/., after having filled which satisfactorily, they are supposed 
 to belong to the senior branch of the service, and to be qualified 
 for the higher grades of office, from that of collector, com- 
 missioner, or judge, with from 2,500/ to 4,000/, to a seat at the 
 Council Board, which is worth from 6,000/ to 8,000/ a-year. 
 For the invalided who resign, a small annuity, on a scale 
 graduated according to the period of employment, is provided ; 
 and twenty- two years' service in India is rewarded with a retir- 
 ing annuity of from 800/ to 1,000/ per annum, derived partly 
 from the subscriptions of the service, and partly from the con- 
 tributions of the Government. These emoluments will appear 
 by no means high when we consider the extensive legal and 
 linguistic knowledge required of every young civilian, and the 
 fact that he goes to his task — doomed, it may be, to some 
 Mofussil solitude — in a debilitating climate, where, as regards 
 the requisites of life compared with this country, the ' rupee 
 stands for the shilling.' It is a fact familiar to those acquainted 
 with the service, that few civilians contrive to save enough in six 
 or seven years for the purpose of enabling them to take their 
 furlough home and return free from debt But prior to ob- 
 taining a situation in the Indian Civil service, such as it is, the 
 candidate has to encounter the possibility of breaking down 
 under the rigid examination to which he is subjected, and, as a 
 necessary consequence, of being returned on the hands of his 
 friends. It cannot with propriety be said, therefore, that the 
 Indian Government is the munificent patron of young gentle- 
 
 *i 
 
114 ADMINISTRATIVE AND TERRITORIAL. [cH. 
 
 men who possess sufficient family influence to get under its 
 wing, or that it affords too attractive an opening to the educated 
 youth of this country. 
 
 There are those who would deny to this noble service, in 
 forgetfulness of its imperial claims, a reasonable participation in 
 the progressive advantages of the age. Such a feeling, however, 
 may be deprecated as alike dangerous and unjust. This is 
 the force which, conjoined with a military organization, equally 
 small in view of the work to be accomplished, and not more 
 liberally rewarded, saved India more than once in her hour of 
 peril, and which must be looked to again on each recurring 
 emergency. At present it offers to the neophyte no great in- 
 ducements ; let us not adopt a policy that would even risk any 
 reduction in the standard of its efficiency. 
 
 The heat (of which so much is said in these pages) prevailing 
 in different parts of the country may be estimated from a calcu- 
 lation which shows that, while the mean annual temperature in 
 London is 49'35°, it is in Bombay 81-9°, in Madras 844°, and in 
 Calcutta 7 9 '3 7". 
 
 Those periodical winds, called monsoons, by which the climate 
 is regulated, are far from being short and fitful in their action, 
 like the breezes which sweep our northern island — one blowing 
 from the north-east from October till March, and the other from 
 the south-west from April till September. The former, how- 
 ever, is mild and partial in its influence compared with the 
 latter, which not only blows with greater intensity, but brings 
 with it the rain-clouds which fertilize the whole of India, except- 
 ing a portion of the Coromandel coast. Territorial and other 
 influences render impossible any precise definition of the bound 
 
XIV.] MINING PROSPECTS. 1 15 
 
 aries between the different seasons, called ' rainy,' ' cool,' and 
 'hot.' In the localities just named, the cold weather generally 
 commences in November, and continues till March, the in- 
 creasing heat being greatly relieved by storms of wind from 
 that time till May, when the most enervating period sets in, 
 which, together with the rains commencing in June, continues 
 till towards the end of October, when both depart with gradually 
 lessening intensity. 
 
 Among the more important vegetable products of the country 
 are the sweet banana, the delicious mango, rice, wheat, yams, 
 maize, barley, mustard, and other articles of food, with cotton, 
 flax, hemp, indigo, jute, and other materials of manufacture. 
 
 Books on India have long since informed the world that the 
 country is ' poor in minerals,' nor can it yet be said that the 
 statement is substantially incorrect. It must be borne in mind, 
 however, that the survey of the vast area comprised in that 
 little word, ' India,' is only in course of progress, and, at the 
 present rate of advancement, is not likely to be completed for 
 ten or twelve years to come. The yearly accounts now rendered 
 by the Survey Department furnish an enormous mass of in- 
 teresting details, and the system involves an aggregate annual 
 cost to the country of about 200,000/. Large coal-beds have 
 been recently discovered where none were supposed to exist ; 
 and elsewhere geologists are directing the attention of the legis- 
 lature to strata containing lead and silver, apparently in workable 
 quantities. 
 
 Last year's ' Report on the Godavery Districts of the Central 
 Provinces ' informs Government that this portion of the country 
 is not so valuable for its agricultural as for its mineral products, 
 
 I 2 
 
Il6 ADMINISTRATIVE AND TERRITORIAL. [cH. 
 
 among which are mentioned iron ore in abundance, gold in 
 small quantities, and precious stones, such as the sapphire and 
 the amethyst, together with very pure rock crystal. 
 From the Punjab comes the following intelligence : — 
 
 The Punjab Government has just granted leases of the silver and 
 antimony mines at ' Shiqri ' to the proprietor of the Kulu Mines, who 
 has purchased the entire mineral rights of the whole of ' Vazeeri Rupi,' 
 including the silver mines at ' Manikarri ' and 'Terri'in the Parbutti 
 Valley. This argentiferous country yields also copper, lead, and gold. 
 Although it has undergone considerable exploration in the last twelve 
 months, there is no doubt that discoveries will be constantly made by 
 those who have knowledge and enterprise enough to visit this ' Silver 
 country of Vazeers,' which covers over 600 square miles of the district of 
 Kulu. 
 
 It is true that the rich old diamond mines of India are well- 
 nigh exhausted, but the progress of discovery points to the 
 possibility of greater productiveness. The few copper and iron 
 mines at present in operation appear to be giving a satisfactory 
 yield. It need scarcely be added that nitre and salt exist in 
 ample store, with the prospect of an increasing supply. 
 
 Fruitful in leaf and stem, the forests and hillsides abound 
 with trees, conspicuous among which are the teak, the universal 
 bamboo, and an endless variety of palms. 
 
 The zoology of India is as rich and extensive as its botany. 
 In the fields, and by the roadsides, travellers find the cow and 
 buffalo, the sheep, the goat, the horse, and many other tame 
 animals, together with the huge forms of the camel and the 
 elephant — both of them highly serviceable for purposes of mer- 
 chandise and of war also, as we have seen in the case of the 
 Abyssinian expedition. The vulture, eagle, kite, cormorant, and 
 
XIV.] LIFE AND VEGETATION. I17 
 
 crow are conspicuous among the winged tribes. These aerial 
 carnivora are the natural and unsalaried scavengers of the land, 
 unweariedly searching even on barren ground for the means of 
 subsistence. In the more retired districts appear wild peacocks, 
 paroquets, and other birds of bright plumage, glistening in the 
 sunlight Hideous alligators and snakes still haunt such waters 
 as the Indus and the Ganges, but in reduced numbers, and only 
 in localities beyond the highways of modern traffic And so of 
 the savage tribes of animals — the lion, tiger, leopard, panther, and 
 hyena — which, numerous as they still are, have been gradually 
 receding before the steps of material progress, into the more 
 retired jungles of the Mofussil. 
 
 The coasts and rivers afford a plentiful supply as well as a 
 great variety of fish, which however, as a rule, are not so well- 
 flavoured as those of colder latitudes. 
 
ii8 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THE PARSERS' FAITH AND SEPULTURE. 
 
 A sense sublime 
 Of something far more deeply interfused, 
 Whose dwelling is the light of setting suns, 
 And the round ocean, and the living air. 
 And the blue sky, and in the mind of man : 
 A motion and a spirit that impels 
 All thinking things, all objects of all thought, 
 And rolls through all things. — WORDSWORTH. 
 
 How fast has brother followed brother 
 From sunshine to the sunless land! — Ibid. 
 
 H E Parsee people, as I have already stated, 
 occupy an influential position in Bombay. 
 They are officially computed to consti- 
 tute about 50,000 of the 820,000 souls 
 to which the population of Bombay is 
 now believed to have risen. 
 
 This tribe claims to be the remnant 
 of that ancient Persian race which, in- 
 heriting the power and grandeur of the 
 old Babylonian and Assyrian empires, extended their conquests 
 to the borders of India. They refer with pride to what they 
 style the glory of their early history, and to the patriotic 
 struggles through which they saved their time-honoured reli- 
 gion from the furious bigotry of the Mahometan conquerors of 
 
CH. XV.] THE SIXTEEN SCHLOKES. 119 
 
 Persia, and were enabled to rekindle its sacred fires in the land 
 of their adoption. Strangely conservative in character, the 
 Parsees still abide unswervingly by the two prime conditions 
 on which they were originally permitted to settle in India; 
 namely, to venerate the cow and not to carry arms. They are 
 thus precluded from rendering military service to the state. 
 In habits and character the Parsee claims more affinity with 
 the English residents than with the followers of Brahma or 
 Mahomet ; and the better-educated adherents of Zoroaster aver 
 that the faith taught by their jarophet has nothing in common 
 with many of the superstitious ceremonies which are enacted in 
 its name, the latter being based on the religion of the Hindoos. 
 
 Mr. Dosabhoy Framjee, a Parsee gentleman of Bombay, in 
 his interesting work entitled ' The Parsees ; their History, Man- 
 ners, Customs and Religion,' does not hesitate to rank among 
 these so-called spurious observances even some portion of the 
 teaching comprised in the sixteen schlokes or distiches — a kind of 
 confession of faith, prepared by the priests early in the eighth 
 century, and still adopted as a guide to the devotions of the 
 lower orders. The schlokes, for example, while enunciating 
 more reasonable forms of belief as held by Mr. Framjee and 
 his class, enjoin a respectful regard for the cow, together with 
 ceremonies both childish and offensive, all which are denounced 
 by these polemics as contrary to the ' fundamental principles of 
 the Parsee religion.' 
 
 If such be indeed the case, the faith stands in urgent need 
 of enlightened advocates in Bombay, where, in practice, it 
 has become intimately allied with some of the worst features 
 of the Hindoo and Mahometan systems, such as the seclusion 
 
I20 THE PARSEES' FAITH AND SEPULTURE. [ch. 
 
 of women from society — even from ' the social board ' of their 
 lords — the betrothal and marriage of children, the use of charms, 
 and the belief in witchcraft and astrology. The astrologer, indeed, 
 who is summoned to cast the nativity of a child, may be a Parsee 
 priest or a Brahmin, either being accepted as an orthodox pro- 
 fessor of the art But Mr. Framjee styles him in any case a 
 'pretender' who ' gravely delivers himself of 'absurd stuff,' and 
 adds, that ' the fellow ' himself ' thoroughly understands the 
 worth of his own forecastings.' Such, however, is the practice 
 of the Parsee multitude in India. 
 
 Their place of sepulture, like that of their Persian ancestors, 
 is the Dokkma, or ' Tower of Silence,' always erected at some 
 solitary place — frequently on the mountain-top — and visible in 
 Bombay even above the high foliage of the Palmyra palm on 
 the peak of Malabar Hill. Here the rich landscape is crowned 
 with four square towers, built of greystone, and surrounded by 
 a wall of the same material. On the top is an iron grating, on 
 which the dead, borne thither with much lamentation, are left by 
 their friends to the silence indeed, but not to the solitude, of 
 the grave ; for, floating above in the sunlight, or perched round 
 the edges of the building, behold a grim company of patiently- 
 expectant kites and vultures ! The body being quickly de- 
 nuded of its flesh by these cormorants, the bones fall through 
 the grating into a pit below, whence they are removed into a 
 subterranean chamber constructed for the purpose. 
 
 Thus, while the King of Terrors consigns Christian and 
 Mussulman to the earth, and Hindoo to the flames, he gives the 
 Parsee to the fowls of the air; surely the most revolting end 
 of all. It is said in Bombay, that mourning friends are in the 
 
XV.] VESTAL FIRES IN BOMBAY. 121 
 
 habit of standing aside to see the birds begin their loathsome 
 work, and regard it as a good omen for the deceased, in the 
 new life on which he has entered, if the right eye be devoured 
 before the left ! 
 
 The earthly kingdom of the Parsee then, like that of the 
 Hindoo, contains no ' God's acre,' or ♦'city of the dead,' nor can 
 his family affections or sense of patriotism be stirred by any 
 appeal to the ' graves of his sires.' 
 
 Historically speaking, it appears that the era of Zoroaster, the 
 apostle and prophet of the Parsee faith, is involved in some 
 obscurity, but the tribe claim for the Zend Avesta, or sacred 
 books which contain the religious principles, as well as the ex- 
 cellent system of morals connected with his name, an antiquity 
 of not less than 2,500 years. The Avesta comprise twenty-one 
 volumes, written in the Zend, which is held to be one of the most 
 ancient of languages, and the belief they inculcate is, as Mr, 
 Framjee tells us, the existence of ' one God, the Creator, Ruler, 
 and Preserver of the universe, without form and invisible.' 
 Such is Ormuzd, the fountain of love and mercy, that ' immense 
 light from which all glory, bounty, and goodness flow.' Being 
 thus regarded as the ' emblem of glory, refulgence, and light,' 
 he is worshipped under the symbol of fire, and is especially 
 manifested to human eyes in the splendour of the sun, as being 
 the ' perfectest fire, and causing the perfectest light' 
 
 There are, or lately were, three Fire Temples for Parsee wor- 
 ship in Bombay, one of them erected, by a single individual of 
 the order, at an expense of about 25,000/. In these temples, 
 the sacred fires are kept continually alive, and before them 
 public worship is daily offered to the great Source of Light, 
 
jgf THE PAHSEES' FAITH AND SEPULTURE. [ch. 
 
 private devotions being similarly conducted by the faithful in 
 the presence of lesser lights, kindled in their own homes. 
 
 We are here arrested by the similarity between these fire 
 temples and those formerly dedicated by classic superstition to 
 the service of Vesta, which were presided over by Patrician 
 maidens, whose office was so strictly supervised that failure to 
 maintain the mystic flame entailed upon the unhappy virgin so 
 neglecting her duties a cruel punishment of stripes. Happily no 
 similar discipline obtains in Bombay ; but the mere fact of such 
 public and private shrines existing at the present time in 
 Heathendom, would seem to indicate a metaphysical affinity 
 between the ancient Roman and the Parsee of to-day. 
 
 The religion of Zoroaster, however, also teaches, with some 
 appearance of inconsistency, the independent existence of an Evil 
 principle, or ' author of evil,' called Ahriman, who is ever at war 
 with the works and ways of the good God, both in the outward 
 universe and within the human soul. But this difficulty the 
 more enlightened professors of the creed get rid of, by contend- 
 ing that 'Ahriman should be taken in an allegorical sense.' They 
 further indignantly repel the charge of being mere fire or sun 
 worshippers, maintaining that it is only as ' proper symbols of 
 the Almighty ' that they stand before the one or turn their faces 
 to the other. Yet it is impossible to comprehend in what sense 
 the object of their adoration can differ from these elements of 
 nature ; what can such a deity be but the whole of the visible 
 universe ? 
 
 Such a question was the natural finale to a conversation I 
 had on the subject with one of two Parsees who were pas- 
 sengers with us on the voyage out These were wealthy 
 
XV.] A NATIVE DISPUTANT. 1 23 
 
 merchants of Bombay, returning thither after a business visit 
 to England. For several successive days I had observed the 
 elder gentleman diligently studying a book, which, to my sur- 
 prise, turned out to be the ' Scriptures of the Old and New 
 Testaments.' Besides being a man of superior intelligence, he 
 was frank and social in manner. I therefore availed myself of 
 a favourable occasion to accost him on the subject 
 
 ' I am glad,' said I, 'to see you are reading our Bible.* 
 
 ' Oh, yes,' he replied, smiling, ' I read.' 
 
 ' I presume you quite understand it ? ' 
 
 ' Oh, yes ; I understand.' 
 
 These answers being more complimentary to the discernment 
 than gratifying to the curiosity of an enquirer, a bolder ques- 
 tion elicited the fact that he was reading the Bible precisely 
 as curiosity might have tempted myself to read a translation of 
 his Avesta, and not with any prospect or desire of being con- 
 verted to its tenets. It was impossible to find fault with such 
 an admission. In essaying, however, to feel my way towards 
 a better understanding, I became suddenly aware that I had 
 roused a sleeping lion, my friend, after a little preliminary cir- 
 cumlocution, broadly affirming that Christians were ' idolaters ! ' 
 On my denial of such a charge, he pointed to the practice in 
 Roman Catholic communities, and when I explained to him 
 that the image or other form to which he referred was merely 
 used as an emblem to assist the frailty of human thought, 
 he pointed to the sun, at that moment near the horizon, saying, 
 ' So is it with us, but there is the nobler emblem of the God 
 we worship.' Had our interview terminated here, I might have 
 been left in doubt whether he had not the best of the argument. 
 
1^4 THE PARSERS' FAITH AND SEPULTURE. [ch. xv. 
 
 But I found, as I had anticipated, that beyond this point he 
 failed to pursue our friendly debate with even a shadow of 
 reason. He could not — would not — deny that the sun was 
 in itself, and so far as it went, a glorious manifestation of 
 Divinity. It was indisputably an integral part of the Supreme 
 Existence he adored. Where, who, or what then is Ormuzd, 
 Creator and Ruler of the universe, ' without form and invisible,*^^ 
 impersonal as the elements, impalpable as light itself? Such 
 a system of belief may possess the merit of rising above all 
 carnal sense — of being thoroughly antithetical, for example, to 
 the material garniture and gross delights of the Mahometan 
 paradise ; yet, think of it as we may, we cannot recognise in 
 it a living object of contemplation or worship, or find any haven 
 of rest for the wearied wings of thought. 
 
125 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 THE NAUTCH. 
 
 These tell-tale women. — King Richard III. 
 
 Is it a party in a parlour ? — WoRDSWORTH. 
 
 Her feet beneath her petticoat, 
 Like little mice stroll in and out, 
 
 As if they feared the light :; 
 But O, she dances such a way ! 
 No sun upon an Easter-day 
 
 Is half so fine a sight.— Sir John Suckling. 
 
 NOW resume my narrative at that point where 
 we left the Esplanade party hurrying homewards 
 at nightfall, in their handsome equipages. 
 
 As I have already shortly described the Eng- 
 lishman's home in Bombay, let us follow the 
 cavalcade to that of one of those rich Parsee mer- 
 chants who inhabit some of the finest houses in 
 the neighbourhood. The occasion of our visit was a iiauick 
 
 party, given in our honour by Mr. N A , with whom 
 
 I had some business relations; and, as the nautch is still the 
 popular evening entertainment of the country, and many Hin- 
 doos as well as Parsees were present, we had thus an opportu- 
 nity of seeing the ' At home ' of a respectable native family. 
 We found the preparations for our reception on a scale of 
 
126 THE NAUTCH. [ch. 
 
 truly Oriental splendour. Not only the large two-storied man- 
 sion from all its windows, but the very compound and garden 
 from their trees and shrubbery, projected a blaze of light into 
 the public road, revealing, as in a picture by Rembrandt, the 
 close-packed eager faces of a crowd of idlers, collected round 
 the entrance-gate. Arrived at the hall-door, we were received 
 by our host himself, surrounded by a staff of native servants, 
 arrayed in the family livery, and at once conducted by the 
 grand staircase to the drawing-room above — a spacious chamber 
 or hall occupying the whole length of the building, and brilliantly 
 illuminated with more than a hundred lamps, emitting the clear 
 soft light peculiar to cocoa-nut oil. It was further radiant with 
 the gaily-coloured and richly-patterned dresses of the already 
 assembled guests, who were seated in a g^eat circle around, 
 presenting an imposing array of Indian shawls, turbans, and 
 puggeries, mingled with Persian hats and silk trousers. 
 
 Here we were led to seats of honour, and presented with 
 rose-water, flowers, and betel-nut, after which a nautch-girl 
 was introduced, accompanied by her attendant musicians. This 
 damsel was a young and well-favoured specimen of her class, 
 clad in wide silk trousers, a red silk saree laden with silver orna- 
 ments, and a natural flower analogous to the Gardenia of this 
 country (the celebrated sweet-scented Mogra) in her smoothly- 
 braided hair, which, of course, was black and glistening with 
 oil. Her small bare feet, during the brief moments of their 
 appearance, displayed ornamental toe-rings and anklets. A 
 profusion of rings and bracelets covered the fingers and arms ; 
 the neat little ears were burdened with large gold appendages ; 
 and last, not least, a nose-ring, inlaid with turquoise stones, dis- 
 
XVI.] 
 
 A SOLEMN MINUET. 
 
 127 
 
 figured, fine jewel though it was, the expression of a blithe 
 comely face. 
 
 The three instrumentalists having squatted on the floor, and 
 commingled the inharmonious strains of a triangle, a tom-tom (or 
 small drum), and a dolorous two-stringed instrument, not unlike 
 the banjo in appearance, the performer advanced to the centre 
 
 NAUTCH GIRLS. 
 
 of the room, and began a series of gentle movements with hands 
 and feet, adapted to the rhythm of the dreary melody, which, 
 combining an equal amount of spirit and variety, consisted of 
 the continual repetition of about two bars. Presently she broke 
 forth into song, or rather into a recitation of certain pathetic 
 truths, during the progress of which her voice gradually rose, 
 and her gestures increased in animation. 
 
128 THE NAUTCH. [cH. 
 
 This nautch-girl having fulfilled her part, another appeared, 
 and enacted a similar performance. Although older, and by no 
 means so attractive as her predecessor, the new comer was 
 also elaborately attired, and with expressive energy, amidst 
 much waving of arms and other graceful evolutions, chanted the 
 measure of a long sad tale. We were afterwards informed that 
 hers was a thrilling story of forsaken love ; hence, the greater 
 fervour of her look and action than those of her companion, 
 whose theme was only the mercy of God, as exhibited in the 
 date-tree dropping its ripe fruit to the ground for the benefit of 
 the poor, together with other similar examples of the bounty of 
 Providence. 
 
 The third part comprised the united action of both perfor- 
 mers ; and so on, if we had chosen, ad infinitum, or at least 
 throughout the night Our party, however, had now seen 
 enough of the nautch, and had even enjoyed It as a novelty, 
 although of any amusement It may have afforded to the native 
 guests solemnly ranged round the room, their blank faces gave 
 no sign. So far as their deportment went, the occasion might 
 have been rather a funeral than a festival ; and It may safely 
 be added, that they were ready. If no Interruption had occurred, 
 to sit quietly on for many hours throughout multiplied repeti- 
 tions of the performance. 
 
 The fair sex (such being the rule) were not represented at 
 this gathering, otherwise than by the performers themselves ; 
 and very unusual indeed was the honour next accorded us, of 
 being conducted to a private apartment, and introduced to the 
 ladles of the family — mother and two daughters — richly dressed 
 In broidered silk robes and cashmere shawls, set off with a pro- 
 
XVI.] MUTE CIVILITIES. 129 
 
 fusion of diamonds and other jewellery. The younger ladies, 
 although mere juveniles, were also both married. 
 
 Hands being shaken, and salutations exchanged, the mutual 
 entertainment consisted in silently contemplating one another, 
 and vainly striving to disguise an unhappy sense of awkward- 
 ness ; for the language of the eye is a failure in the case of 
 people who must neither look loving nor roguish. A child 
 
 PARSKE LADY AND CHILD. 
 
 about five years old, the wife of a youthful member of the 
 family, was present, while the husband himself, in a boy's dress 
 covered with spangles, and unconscious of the dignity becoming 
 a married man, romped about the room in companionship with 
 two other little harlequins. 
 
 That the diamonds worn by the ladies were of considerable 
 value, there could be no doubt. There are, indeed, few 
 spheres of domestic life in which the world's venders of the.se 
 
 K 
 
THE NAUTCH. 
 
 [CH. XVI. 
 
 ornaments find better custom. Not long ago an eminent firm 
 in Bombay had two celebrated diamonds consigned to them 
 for sale. One, known by the name of the 'Star of the South,' 
 was disposed of to the Guicowar— sovereign prince of Baroda 
 — on the occasion of his marriage, for the sum of 85,000/.; 
 and the other, styled the ' Dresden diamond,' at the price of 
 30,000/., to a well-known Parsee gentleman of Bombay, who 
 applied it to the laudable purpose of illuminating his wife's 
 nose! 
 
i;?i 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 TANK AND TEMPLE. 
 
 'Tis a little thing 
 To give a cup of water ; yet its draught 
 Of cool refreshment, drained by fever'd lips, 
 May give a shock of pleasure to the frame 
 More exquisite than when Nectarean juice 
 Renews the life of joy in happiest hours. 
 
 Thomas Noon Tai.fourd. 
 
 And be these juggling fiends no more believ'd 
 That palter with us in a double sense ; 
 That keep the word of promise to our ear, 
 And break it to our hope. — Macbeth. 
 
 N these regions of the sun, life and vegetation 
 are supported by a system of wells and tanks, 
 which everywhere, in town or country, form pro- 
 minent features in the landscape. The wells, 
 deep sunken like the shaft of an exhausted mine, 
 receive the precious rain-water that the earth is 
 permitted to draw to its bosom below the parched 
 surface, and form an adjunct of every well-appointed house. 
 Indian tanks vary in appearance from a small inland lake to a 
 common pond, and serve the natives for purposes of ablution, 
 besides affording passers-by the spectacle of an aquatic merry- 
 making, as often as a sufficient number of nude black figures 
 sociably disposed chance to meet in their turbid depths. 
 
 K 2 
 
132 TANK AND TEMPLE. [cH. 
 
 Among such a people it is only natural that some of these 
 watery receptacles should possess mystic associations ; one, 
 for example, marking the site of a healing miracle, and another 
 the earthly exit of a god. There is in Bombay a celebrated 
 tank of this order, which is held, all physical impossibilities 
 notwithstanding, to be supplied from the sacred waters of the 
 Ganges. It occupies the centre of a holy village, called 
 ' Walkeshwar,' nestling in a hollow of Malabar Hill, and is 
 surrounded by temples, together with the dwellings of their 
 priests and devotees. Here, at the door of the principal place 
 of worship, the reputation of which renders it a temple of 
 Eleusis in its own sphere, sat, on the occasion of our visit, one 
 of the archpriests of Brahma. I know not to what particular 
 order his reverence belonged, but the figure he presented in 
 the doorway was simply that of an undraped, tangled savage 
 of the gorilla type. He had, moreover, only one eye, which 
 he turned on us with a glance sufficiently sparkling for a 
 pair, as he curtly declined the request preferred through our 
 conductor, that we should be permitted to enter the temple, 
 in whose dungeon depths behind him we had just a glimpse 
 of certain gods ranged in line, and rendered invitingly terrible 
 by lamplight. At his right hand, dividing the entrance, 
 crouched a stone figure of the sacred bull, and before him, on 
 a small table, glittered a variety of brass conjuring implements, 
 his stock-in-trade, with which he was prepared to cast horo- 
 scopes, and unveil the fates for the benefit of all comers willing 
 to pay for the information. 
 
 What a strange medium this saint presented for the con- 
 veyance of that transcendent knowledge which he professed to 
 
XVII.] HINDOO TEMPLES. 1 33 
 
 expound ! As we instinctively turned, indeed, to' take a last 
 look of him, I could not help thinking, that if the frequent 
 statement were true regarding the priests of Hindooism per- 
 forming the Devil's work on earth, his Satanic Majesty had here 
 a most appropriate representative, at once bearing his similitude 
 and assuming his power. 
 
 On another occasion, while in company with the Rev. Dr. 
 John Wilson, we sought admission to a temple reported to be 
 under more liberal direction ; but even the influence of that 
 universally-esteemed gentleman was unavailing at the moment, 
 the reason assigned being that one of the constantly-recurring 
 festivals or ceremonies was then being enacted. We had thus 
 to content ourselves with a passing glance through the doorway 
 at the motley congregation inside, and with hearing the loud 
 clangour of the bells, rung by successive groups on their arrival 
 to invite the attention of the god. 
 
 The Hindoo temple, or pagoda, is everywhere conspicuous in 
 India. Its votaries do not despise architectural magnificence. 
 But, unlike the mosque, where Mussulmans seek to propitiate 
 heaven from broad marble platforms, or the highest peaks of 
 towers, anything will suffice for the Indian temple ; it may be a 
 model of beehive shape containing Liliputian idols, which are 
 supplicated from without, or an edifice with a great inner hall, 
 in which enormous deities are invoked by prostrate devotees. 
 
 The entrance to every complete structure is guarded by a 
 statue of the Brahmin bull, which lies squatted in the middle, 
 as if its duty and prerogative were to block the way — the thick 
 walls and short peaked tower of the building itself being usually 
 laden with carved mythological figures and other objects. 
 
134 TANK AND TEMPLE. [cH. xvii. 
 
 To construct and to endow (either or both) a tank or temple 
 is a favourite object of ambition in India. The current of 
 Hindoo piety, indeed, runs strongly in that direction : hence 
 the large emoluments attached to so many religious edifices 
 throughout the country, serving to maintain their priestly force 
 and influence. Such property, of course, has always been held 
 sacred by our Government, each building having its committee, 
 composed of natives, chosen by the popular voice, who receive 
 the revenue and undertake its proper application. Being open 
 to all comers, the worship of which it is the theatre is frequently 
 of a truly unsophisticated nature, expressing the actual desires 
 of the heart, without any regard to the appropriate character of 
 the sentiment. 
 
 A story on this subject is related in Bombay of the late 
 Rev. Dr, Stevenson, long an esteemed pastor of the Church of 
 Scotland there. While travelling with some friends in the 
 Southern Mahratta country, he was obliged (the party being 
 unprovided with tents) to take refuge for the night in the village 
 temples by the way. Very early one morning, as he lay in a 
 corner of a certain sanctuary, wrapped in his blanket, a wor- 
 shipper, whom a fit of devotion had incontinently roused from 
 slumber, entered the place, and not perceiving the recumbent 
 form of the reverend doctor, at once fell prostrate before the 
 deity (Ram) repeating a series of invocations which, although 
 somewhat diffuse and rambling in their character, invariably 
 terminated with the same urgent appeal : — ' Oh Ram, Ram, 
 mulla picea dke, mulla picea d/ie ! ' ' Give me money, give me 
 money ! ' 
 
135 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 THE HEIGHTS OF KENERY. 
 
 O, waly, waly up the bank, 
 
 And waly doon the brae. — Old song. 
 
 . . . Monastic brotherhood, upon rock 
 Aerial — Wordsworth. 
 
 If ancient tales say true, nor wrong these holy men. — Byron. 
 
 HE neighbourhood of Bombay, like that of 
 Naples, is rich in the material records of 
 a former age. Among these the most at- 
 tractive are a series of extraordinary ex- 
 cavations belonging to the Buddhist period, 
 cut out of the solid rock on the island of 
 Elephanta, and on the hill-sides of Kenery 
 and Karli. Although varying in extent and appearance, they 
 are all of a similar character, those of Elephanta being naturally 
 best known, in consequence of their greater accessibility. 
 
 Our generous host having arranged a picnic trip to Kenery, 
 we started (a party of seven, including two ladies) in carriages 
 from Bombay, and in about two hours reached the base of the 
 eminence which rises with a gradual slope into the sunshine, 
 seemingly covered throughout with a dense mass of jungle. 
 Here, waiting our arrival, we found horses and palanquins, the 
 latter accompanied by an ample supply of bearers, and intended 
 
1 36 THE HEIGHTS OF KENER V. [cH. 
 
 for the use of the ladies, as well as of those cavaliers who could 
 not, or would not, encounter in the saddle the scorching heat 
 and blinding light which on that brilliant forenoon enveloped 
 the hill of Kenery. 
 
 The ascent, which was begun without delay, occupied nearly 
 two hours. Through pathways winding among brushwood, over 
 rocks and mounds, at one time buried in jungle with a grateful 
 awning of branches, and at another exposed on open tracts of 
 tableland, our ascending train toiled slowly on. As one of the 
 horsemen of the party, I was at first under momentary appre- 
 hension of being deposited in some ditch or millah among the 
 many with which the way abounded. Gradually, however, 
 I acquired confidence on observing how expert the animals 
 were in the performance of their seemingly dangerous task, and 
 ultimately felt quite at ease, stumbling and clattering forward 
 through pleasant twilights of flint-paved glens and steep tracks 
 under the dazzling sky. But our movements were provokingly 
 protracted by the constantly-recurring necessity of waiting for 
 our litter-borne companions, who appeared successively at the 
 various turnings of the route, crawling upwards at irregular 
 intervals, each enclosed in his (or her) narrow receptacle, which 
 was borne by four coolies, and flanked by a relieving party 
 in attendance. A goodly force of jet-black figures, wearing 
 nothing but the simplest dhootie, thus sunned their symmetry 
 that day on the slopes of Kenery, and the effect of their pre- 
 sence was rendered all the more impressive by the method they 
 had of progressing in short spasmodic stages, to the melody of 
 their voices, united in a loud jabber of encouragement. The two 
 ■ladies subjected to this mode of elevation to the caves were 
 
xvm.] WITHIN THE CAVES. I2,y 
 
 frequently completely isolated from one another and left alone, 
 each with her fascinating staff of bearers — a situation which gave 
 one of them, who had the advantage of experience, no concern 
 whatever, and the other, to whom the situation was a novelty, 
 so terrible a fright as to necessitate, on our return, my close 
 attendance at the side of her palanquin during every step of 
 the descent 
 
 At length, turning a sharp corner, we passed suddenly out 
 of the jungle into the hill-side, and were within the great cave 
 — a lofty chamber eighty-eight feet long by forty in breadth. 
 It was adorned on either side by a row of massive pillars, 
 elaborately carved with elephants intermingled with semi-human 
 monsters, and at the farther end appeared the well-known conical 
 erection peculiar to Buddhist temples, which is supposed to be the 
 depository of some memorial of the god. 
 
 Opposite one another at the entrance stood two gigantic stone 
 figures of Buddh, each with a hand raised in the act of imparting 
 a blessing, and graciously contemplating our pigmy proportions 
 with great staring orbs. The other chambers (one of which, 
 styled the ' Hall of Audience,' although not so lofty in the 
 ceiling, has more floor space even than the great cave) are ap- 
 proached by means of steps cut in tortuous ways out of the 
 rocks above, and contain many well-executed specimens of 
 carving in sufficiently good preservation, among which images 
 of the god sitting cross-legged on a bunch of lotus-leaves, in 
 defiance of the law of gravitation, are most conspicuous. In 
 the absence of such visible evidence, it might scarcely have 
 been believed that the Buddhist monks of the tenth century 
 fled from the exterminating sword of Mahomet to the moun- 
 
138 THE HEIGHTS OF KENERY. [cH. 
 
 tains, and burrowed in their sides like hunted hares. All the 
 accommodation, however, necessary for an extensive religious 
 community is here, including numerous stone cells or dormitories 
 leading from the principal chambers. These bowers of rest are 
 simply a range of black holes in the wall of a dungeon, and 
 it may safely be averred that, taken as a whole, the appearance 
 of the domicile is such as would unhinge the resolution of any 
 modern anchorite. The bright warm days must have passed 
 wearily enough with this community of heathen religiosos, dwell- 
 ing like the elves of fable in the hollow oi a hill. On returning 
 to the principal chamber we found a welcome of higher relish 
 than is usually to be met with in caverns awaiting us in a corner 
 of the hall. Other attendants had now accomplished their task 
 of bearing aloft in baskets, and laying out on pure white linen, 
 such a repast as would have made the old monks of Kenery 
 hilarious in their living tomb. Even to our accustomed eyes, 
 the gleam of that gorgeous table in the wilderness, glittering 
 with silver covers and cut crystal, seemed to light up the whole 
 dingy den, and to make ' a sunshine in the shady place.' Here 
 was a sumptuous banquet, suddenly spread before us, like that of 
 the fairy tale, in apparently impossible circumstances ; and as 
 we sat in a circle around it, I for one felt disposed to conclude 
 that a day's active exercise on foot and horseback in the strong 
 sunshine of Bombay, with its unfailing accompaniments of heat, 
 thirst, and hunger, could scarcely terminate more happily than 
 with a cold collation served in a shady spot, and washed down 
 by draughts of the very rivers of bliss, from bottles of iced 
 champagne ! 
 
 After being thus regaled, we were disposed to listen benignly 
 
xviii.] A PRECIPITATE DESCENT. 1 39 
 
 to a short address from the Rev. Dr. John Wilson, with whose 
 presence, as I have stated, we were favoured on the occasion, 
 and to benefit, as I trust we all did, by its eloquence and good 
 sense. The giant figures dispensing their blessing at the door, 
 and the uncouth human deformities clustered on the pillars of 
 the hall, afforded, as they looked down on us, appropriate illus- 
 trations of the doctor's lecture. The scene was unique and 
 fascinating : a celebrated master of Indian history discoursing 
 to a select party on Buddhism, in one of the most isolated but 
 attractive of its temples ! 
 
 Outside, on a prominent pedestal, beneath the effigy of an 
 indescribable monster, we had early observed a quarter-anna 
 (a coin of the appearance and about the value of our farthing), 
 an offering no doubt by means of which some pious native had 
 sought to propitiate the Spirit of the place. It is quite probable 
 that the donor could ill spare the sacrifice, but as the money 
 was still there when we left, it had evidently failed to excite the 
 natur'al cupidity of our attendants ; for who would sacrilegiously 
 rob the altar? We were rather late in setting forth on our 
 descent, and in due time it became evident that sunset and the 
 fast falling night would overtake us ere we reached the high- 
 way. And so it happened, as the sun neared the horizon, 
 that the monotonous progress of this memorable journey was 
 diversified towards its close by quite a lively commotion in our 
 ranks. The gathering gloom in such a spot stirred the now 
 shouting, hurrying bearers into tremendous action ; this sudden 
 energy, however, being inspired less by a sense of duty than of 
 terror, lest we should all become benighted victims to the rapa- 
 city of the panther and the bear. 
 
I40 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 MATE RAN MOUNTAIN. 
 
 . . . . Climb with me the steep, 
 Nature's observatory. — Keats. 
 
 A pleasing land of drowsyhed it was, 
 
 Of dreams that wane before the half-shut eye ; 
 
 And of gay castles in the clouds that pass, 
 
 For ever flashing round a summer sky ; 
 
 There eke the soft delights, that witchingly 
 
 Instil a wanton sweetness through the breast, 
 
 And the calm pleasures, always hovered nigh ; 
 
 But whate'er smacked of noyance, or unrest. 
 
 Was far, far off, expell'd from this delicious nest. — THOMSON. 
 
 . . . . Verily, I think 
 Such place to me is sometimes like a dream. — WORDSWORTH. 
 
 UT as in the sunny East hills are 
 made to serve the purpose of oases 
 in the desert, there are elevations in 
 Bombay whose tops, unlike that of 
 Kenery, with its withered structures 
 of a former age, are sprinkled with 
 the dwellings of the living genera- 
 tion. Thither all who can afford to do so go up betimes, 
 climbing above the heated surface of the earth into the 
 cooling breezes of the sky. Such are the Indian sanatoria 
 where the sick and weakly are accustomed to recruit their 
 health ; wherft even the most robust are wont to nurse their 
 
CH. XIX.] INDIAN SANATORIA. 141 
 
 Strength, the better to enjoy the round of social intercourse, 
 and to eat curried mourgay with undiminished relish. Of these 
 habitable mountains, Mahableshwar and Materan have proved 
 chiefly attractive to the residents of Bombay. The former, 
 although farther off (being a good drive beyond Poonah, which 
 is a nine hours' railway journey from the city), has the advantage 
 of being the favourite resort of the Government. But to villas 
 planted on some elevation their fortunate owners are wont to 
 repair during the hot weather, and occasionally at other times, 
 to pass a pleasant holiday in the cooling upland air. 
 
 A visit paid to our friend's lofty retreat on Materan is an 
 incident never to be forgotten. The run of four hours by 
 railway from Bombay afforded us a glimpse of the magnificent 
 mountain scenery of the vicinity, among which Materan itself 
 was prominent in the distance, with rice-fields, palm-groves, and 
 meadow-land spread out below. This is a mountain of trap 
 rock, literally covered with hardy verdure ; and a stranger look- 
 ing up from the base to its inviting but seemingly inaccessible 
 luxuriance, might imagine the need of some aerial appliance 
 to convey him to the summit — a horse certainly would seem 
 useless. But that is approached by a zig-zag pathway, in 
 the manner by which even railways are now carried over 
 mountains ; and in our case the horse, with only the necessary 
 addition of a palanquin and bearers for the lady, proved to be 
 the auxiliary provided for the ascent. A lovely forenoon ride 
 we had, by a road about seven miles in length, winding through 
 alternate shade and sunshine, the way carpeted throughout with 
 a strongly-reflected, infinitely-varied pattern of leaf and stem. 
 On either hand rose a green forest wall, the shady recesses of 
 
142 MATER AN MOUNTAIN. [cH. 
 
 which, visible on the upland side, were gay with bright-coloured 
 birds and butterflies, together with a great variety of wild 
 flowers, and literally resonant with a loud chorus of sounds, the 
 chirp, click, drone, and burr of the multitudinous gnats, grass- 
 hoppers and other creatures by which they were tenanted. The 
 life-stir of this mountain forest was especially enlivened by the 
 gambols of troops of monkeys, the young clinging to the 
 mothers' breasts as they sprung from tree to tree, apparently 
 in the highest enjoyment of active freedom in these congenial 
 scenes. Here was a great hive of nature, reared on a scorching 
 plain, teeming with many forms of animated existence, and rich 
 in the materials of their sustenance. 
 
 Looking downwards through occasional breaks in the dense 
 foliage that hemmed us in, we could see what seemed huge 
 hollows in the mountain-side filled with a variety of trees — 
 banian, acacia, tamarind, teak, palms, and many others — as 
 closely crowded together as if they had risen from a common 
 stem. Beautiful, yet terrible, was the aspect of that moving 
 sea of leaves, in whose unexplored depths we knew that the 
 tiger and the wild boar still found a home. Beyond lay the 
 scenery of the country, gradually expanding as we ascended 
 until we gained the top, when the whole shining panorama lay 
 before us. 
 
 I remember seeing a lithograph illustrative of a passage in 
 Pollock's ' Course of Time,' representing two glorified beings 
 standing in a flood of sunshine, on the edge of a high cliff that 
 bounded a luxuriant landscape, and receiving with outstretched 
 arms a third figure floating up towards them from the misty re- 
 gions below. These were angels on the battlements of heaven 
 
XIX.] THE PROSPECT. 143 
 
 welcoming the ' new arrived ' spirit to their glorious home and 
 companionship. Of such a scene, so far as the actors are con- 
 cerned, this world supplies no parallel, but the picture of nature 
 spread out before us at an overhanging peak of Materan Hill, 
 to which we were at once conducted as the best point of obser- 
 vation, forcibly recalled that long-forgotten old print, depicting 
 after a mundane fancy the confines of the celestial land. 
 
 From amidst the dense growth of trees and shrubbery that 
 encircled the upper paradise to which we had climbed, we looked 
 down on a vast level plain, sleeping like a misty stretch of 
 dreamland in the excessive heat and light of the day. The 
 view was bounded by a wide amphitheatre of barren hills, the 
 well-known Ghauts over which the Great Indian Peninsular 
 Railway Company were then constructing their now celebrated 
 line, which, as a scientific project, outrivals even that of the 
 Simmering Alps in Austria. The Bhore Ghaut Railway in- 
 cline, indeed, is one of the steepest in the world, rising 1,831 
 feet in about 16 miles, while that of the Simmering increases 
 only 1,325 feet in 13^ miles. So much for modern engineer- 
 ing in Bombay. 
 
 Here then we stood contemplating an immense mountain-girt 
 valley filled with a luminous haze, its yellow floor of scorched 
 grass dimly visible at the distance of 2,000 feet. The whole 
 expanse was dotted with isolated groves of trees, mingled with 
 rich bushy mounds, and flecked as far as vision extended 
 with curling puffs of smoke, marking the sites of villages. At 
 intervals a precious thread of water glanced like a line of 
 light through the landscape, and in the midst of all, towering 
 from the earth almost to the level of our platform, rose a 
 
144 MATER AN MOUNTAIN. [cH» 
 
 series of fantastic rocky eminences, altogether unrivalled in our 
 experience of nature's freaks, giving the idea of enormous roughly- 
 built columns or monuments sustaining ruined castles in the air. 
 Evidently, however, these strange elevations could be accessible 
 only to the kites and crows, which were then circling round them. 
 Materan (itself, as I have said, a mountain of trap rock) is so 
 deluged with the rains in their season that its roads become 
 streams and its sides are washed with torrents. Will ages 
 of this elemental ablution denude the mountain of its breadth 
 and bloom, and are these tall, ragged crags the last remaining 
 vestiges of some ancient Materan ? 
 
 As we turned from the cliff towards our destination, the 
 branching roads developed on either side such a labyrinth of 
 tiny green groves and leafy ways as only the foot of familiarity 
 could hope to thread. These paths led to the various bunga- 
 lows of the inhabitants, nestling among the cover, at conve- 
 nient distances, and usually so situated as to command from 
 some point a view of the magnificent plain below. There is 
 now a village in its own corner here, together with a post-office 
 and a hotel ; but, except in their immediate vicinity, the resident 
 on Materan dwells in a land of silence as well as sunshine, 
 exalted far above the earth, amidst flowery walks and dense 
 shrubbery, in company with great humming-bees and gorgeous 
 birds and butterflies — a truly romantic retirement, of which the 
 western world affords no example. It is only, however, the sounds 
 pertainin^^ to human existence that are hushed ; actual silence 
 there is none. The whirring noise of multiform life that pervades 
 the day is prolonged with increased vigour into the night, pre- 
 cisely — if I may be permitted to indulge the fancy — as if the 
 
XIX.1 SUNSET GLORIES. 145 
 
 earth were endued with a voice, which whispered to the glorious 
 canopy of stars, while they in turn responded, sparkHng and pal- 
 pitating as with a living pulse. 
 
 From our afternoon seat in front of the bungalow we could 
 see the setting sun illumine the distant waters of Bombay har- 
 bour, ere it sank from view into the gloom of the hills beyond. 
 But it need scarcely be added that the aspect of the departing 
 day, although thus pre-eminently peaceful and lovely, was not 
 therefore quiet and still ; for as that crimson glory by which 
 sunset is immediately followed in the East spread along the line 
 of the horizon, and then faded into the fast-deepening obscurity, 
 every plot and copse gave forth its quota of sound, as if myriads 
 of tiny throats, sounding notes of jubilee, were exulting in the 
 beauty of the scene. 
 
146 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 MALABAR AND PALKE. 
 
 Such and so various are the tastes of men.— Mark Akenside. 
 I would not have given it for a wilderness of monkeys.^ — Merchant of Venice. 
 
 E left Bombay for Galle 
 in a much inferior steam- 
 er to that by which we 
 had come — a huge, hulk- 
 ing craft of slow and 
 unsteady motion. She 
 was bound for Sing- 
 apore and China, and 
 had on board several 
 of our fellow-passengers 
 from Suez to Bombay, 
 who, like ourselves, were 
 now prosecuting the next 
 stage of their journey. 
 Among these were an 
 old Indian general, who 
 at the approach of winter 
 had fled from what he 
 frequently and savagely styled the ' abominable climate of Eng- 
 
CH. XX.] LIFE IN MALABAR. 147 
 
 land ; ' B L , the Hindoo convert to Christian orders, 
 
 of whom I have already spoken ; and a Dutch gentleman who, 
 with the unusual accompaniment of several youthful members of 
 his family, was on his way to spend a few years of dreary dignity 
 as governor of the island of Celebes. 
 
 It was now the height of the cool season, and we experienced 
 a succession of pleasant breezes as the ship slowly skirted 
 the long, straight line of coast between Bombay and Cape 
 Comorin. The Malabar portion, extending to nearly 200 miles, 
 with its flat sandy shores and shallow havens, backed by a con- 
 tinuous panorama of low hills and dense forests, if rather tame 
 and monotonous as a picture, possessed some attraction in 
 its territorial and historical associations as one of the richest 
 and most interesting districts of India. By the banks of fine 
 rivers and in rich valleys among the hills the natives of Mala- 
 bar reside within clean, pretty villages, superior to any else- 
 where in India, raising rice, pepper, and other staple products 
 of the country. The hills themselves, flat and barren at the top, 
 are industriously cultivated, the fertile sides being formed into 
 terraces, and the woods so dimly visible before us were those 
 which have long supplied valuable teak-trees for shipbuilding, 
 together with cocoa-nut palms, yielding the oil that lights a 
 legion of homesteads near and far. 
 
 Here also certain very ancient laws relating to property 
 and to social habits immemorial in India continue to prevail. 
 When the country became a British possession at the down- 
 fall of Tippoo Saib, slavery and its persecutions were abo- 
 lished, but the people still retain their old caste distinctions and 
 strange conventional rules. Among the Hindoo inhabitants are 
 
 L 3 
 
148 MALABAR AND PALKE. [CH- 
 
 the Namburies, or Brahmins ; the Tiars, who till the soil ; the 
 Malears, magicians or conjurors, and the Patiars, or lowest 
 class, who once were slaves. Besides these, and most re- 
 markable of all, we find the Niars, a numerous and influen- 
 tial caste of the military order, next in rank to the Brahmins, 
 and ridiculously inflated with a sense of superior dignity. 
 Thanks to the humanizing influence of British rule, the time 
 has gone by when a Niar felt himself impelled to avenge a 
 supposed insult to his order by striking down with his sword 
 the too unobservant Tiar who might, however unconsciously, 
 obstruct his path, or the poor degraded Patiar who even by a 
 chance touch might defile his sacred person. Divided into 
 eleven distinctive ranks, and with only the Brahmins and Rajahs 
 as their superiors, the Niars still exercise high authority over 
 the people and affairs of Malabar. 
 
 The Niar marriage compact forms a unique transaction. 
 Ludicrous to relate, the wedded wife resides not with her 
 husband, but with her own relations. He, indeed, furnishes 
 his bride with food and clothing, but leaves her perfect freedom 
 of action, only stipulating that she will not choose her asso- 
 ciates from any of the inferior ranks ! And so the desired 
 result is brought about in the form of two monstrosities — that 
 no Niar knows his own father, and that the children of a 
 married couple belong to the mother alone. Surely the ' green- 
 eyed monster' can have no existence for the Niar of Malabar! 
 
 A glance at the map will show how provokingly tedious the 
 voyage between the east and west coasts of the peninsula is 
 rendered by the unnavigable condition of the Straits of Palkd. 
 By what process of nature the rocks that now block the direct 
 
XX.] A LEGEND OF THE STRAITS. 149 
 
 passage came to exist as we find them, it is of course beside 
 my purpose to inquire ; but, in order to show that various 
 theories exist on the subject, I may quote the account which, 
 according to my informant, is given in one of the epic poems 
 of the Hindoos. The story is believed to be very ancient, 
 of a date indeed anterior to Buddhist times, and the reason 
 why the world is encumbered with this sea barrier is therein 
 explained at great length, and in terms the most florid and 
 preposterous. A few words comprising the spirit of the nar- 
 rative will afford some idea of the grotesque fancies that per- 
 vade the traditions of the Brahminical faith. 
 
 To me the fable was the more interesting that I heard it 
 
 from the lips of B L himself, while we were passing in 
 
 view of the place, his large black eyes waggishly rolling on mine 
 as he recounted the more salient points of an absurdity in which 
 it was to be supposed he had once professed to believe. 
 
 Well, once upon a time, far antecedent to the puny records of 
 Christendom, there lived a certain King of Oude, whose army 
 was composed of a race of huge monkeys, which monkeys, not- 
 withstanding, were creatures extremely intelligent and brave ; 
 and they are said to have engaged in combat with a nation 
 of superlatively tall giants, who in those days inhabited the 
 island of Ceylon. Now the giant King of Ceylon had a brother 
 even more monstrous than himself, whose habit it was to sleep 
 soundly for one-half the year, and awake to tremendous action 
 during the other, his strength being as transcendent as his 
 bulk. The monkeys, having with admirable generalship in- 
 vaded the island while the invincible giant was asleep, bade 
 fair to reduce it speedily, when, as a last resource, although 
 
I50 MALABAR AND PALKE. [cH. 
 
 contrary to all rule, it was deemed necessary by their foes 
 to awaken the sleeper before the proper termination of his rest 
 This being done, instantaneous and dire was the retribution 
 that fell on the intruding monkeys, who were at once seized and 
 swallowed by the angry monster in immense numbers. But, 
 it is added, the devouring giant being possessed of good natural 
 proportions, and his ears and nostrils therefore being of dimen- 
 sions corresponding with his bodily size, the undigested victims 
 of his fury were enabled to escape with facility as fast as they 
 were bolted. 
 
 This great gastronomical effort to extinguish the monkey 
 horde having thus failed, the giant resolved to destroy their 
 general, an enormous fellow, possessed of indomitable courage, 
 and in whom it was supposed the strength of the army lay. He 
 was accordingly seized and bound with a number of thick ropes. 
 Thereafter he was encased in all the rags and inflammable 
 materials which the country could supply, and over these was 
 poured all the cocoa-nut oil contained in all the palm-trees of 
 the Malabar coast, which was rifled for that purpose along its 
 whole extent In this condition the General was set on fire, 
 when, in the hope of saving his life, he ran blazing into the sea ; 
 but so great was the conflagration, that the waters of the Indian 
 Ocean were for a time insufficient to quench it. At length, 
 however, this was nearly effected, all being extinguished but 
 the general's tail, which he accordingly ' took into his hands 
 and blew out.' But in the act of doing this he scorched his 
 face into blackftess, and thus acquired a physiognomy which was 
 transmitted to all his descendants in the direct line ! 
 
 Such is the origin and family record of the black-faced or 
 
XX.] THE MONKEYS BRIDGE. 1 51 
 
 sacred monkey, which occupies a distinguished place among 
 Hindoo objects of worship, and which, as will aftenvards ap- 
 pear, may be seen in great numbers swinging or squatting on 
 the tower and walls of the filthy temple reserved for their 
 dwelling in Benares. Such, too, is the historical page of events 
 which, on the authority of Hindoo tradition, accounts for the 
 existence of the rocks that deny to other vessels than small 
 craft the passage of Palke. These, we are informed, are stones 
 which the invading monkeys cast into the sea, being all that 
 now remains of a bridge thus constructed by them to connect 
 the two coasts, and by means of which they effected their 
 celebrated invasion of Ceylon ! 
 
152 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 CEYLON AND ITS STORY. 
 
 Like ships that sailed for sunny isles. — T. K. Hervey. 
 The mighty Moon she sits above 
 
 She seems to shine with a sunny ray^,- 
 
 And the night looks like a mellow'd day. — ^John Wilson. 
 
 T WAS on a fine breezy morning early in December 
 that we approached the shores of Ceylon. A num- 
 ber of fishing-boats, with rods astern, together with 
 dJwmies and other strange country craft, simply 
 rigged with square sails, were dancing about on a 
 moderately agitated sea. 
 Overhead, a curtain of white and grey clouds partially shaded 
 the dazzling blue of the sky, and rested in mingled masses on 
 the high mountain range of the interior, among which could be 
 distinguished the well-known eminence called Adam's Peak, 
 ascertained by measurement to be 7,420 feet high. Below this 
 picturesque assemblage of cloud-capped hills, a dense foliage of 
 palm and other trees sloped to the waves, the luxuriant green 
 shore-line thus produced being diversified, as far as our vision 
 extended, with shining bays of sand, each white-bordered with a 
 sparkling line of foam. 
 
 No wonder that our ' ancient mariners ' hailed with a feeling of 
 
CH. XXI.] HOUSES, HOTELS, AND SHOPS. 153 
 
 romantic enthusiasm the appearance, as it rose and grew before 
 them in the waters, of this luxuriant gem of the ocean, then 
 known to them as the ' utmost Indian isle' 
 
 The naturally inconvenient harbour of Galle has (in con- 
 sequence of its exposed situation) the extra disadvantage of 
 being always in a jumble. Fortunately, however, for the stream 
 of voyagers which now-a-days flows in and out as regularly 
 and almost as frequently as its tides, the town itself is a 
 clean, pleasant place, consisting of a fort and lighthouse in the 
 fore-ground, with well-formed streets of low-built houses, which, 
 white-cast and bright with painted verandahs, glisten amidst a 
 profusion of foliage ; the better class, besides, being set off with 
 trim lawns and flower-gardens. 
 
 Several of the hotels are excellent, convenient within as well 
 as externally attractive from their surroundings ; for here, and 
 indeed wellnigh throughout Ceylon, the green earth is not 
 withered up for long periods as on the Indian plains. A 
 mountainous island where ' clouds drop rain,' is naturally fresh 
 and blooming. 
 
 The shops of Galle are celebrated for their supplies of native 
 handicraft, and are well frequented by the unceasing concourse 
 of visitors, many of whom go on shore for the express purpose 
 of making purchases. Boxes and figures carved in ebony or 
 ivory, desks and cases constructed of porcupine quills, together 
 with many other attractive articles, are there exposed for sale. 
 The list includes a fine selection of precious stones, such as the 
 sapphire, ruby, amethyst, cat's-eye, carbuncle, moonstone, and 
 garnet — these jewels being chiefly imported from the Saffragan 
 district. 
 
154 CEYLON AND ITS STORY. [cm. 
 
 Since 1863 pearls have ceased to be among the products 
 of this island of gems, but Government has decided to renew 
 the fishery next year. The season of diving for the oysters 
 is limited to a few weeks in spring when the sea is calm ; but 
 the operation, while it lasts, takes the form of a gay and bust- 
 ling spectacle. In harmony, however, with so much that is 
 rich and rare, the sea banks of Ceylon yield a multiform supply 
 of shells, equally exquisite in material and symmetry. A goodly 
 collection of these arranged in a wooden box with divisions, 
 which we were fortunate in obtaining from a dealer in Galle, 
 has found more favour in the eyes of friends at home than 
 the precious stones, gold filagrees, carved ornaments, and all 
 else besides in our little store of Indian treasures. 
 
 In these times, with the recent extraordinary growth of eastern 
 navigation, the life-stir of Galle has become fluctuating and 
 changeful, like that of some great railway junction ; now swell- 
 ing into commotion, anon subsiding into quiescence, as the great 
 passenger steamers (often two or three together) come and go. 
 Its population of 3,000 includes, of course, but a small number 
 of Europeans, for whom Galle, except in the short intervals of 
 its spasmodic action, must be on the whole a quiet, dull place. 
 Mrs. Hemans, in one of her popular songs, apostrophizes the 
 ' melancholy sea,' and I imagine that our countrymen living 
 at Galle must have learned to appreciate the relevancy of 
 the phrase. So, at least, we thought on the single evening 
 we spent there, while mingling with them at the day's close, 
 in their usual saunter round the fort, which is a mile in circuit 
 and overlooks the sea. On this promenade a score or so of 
 solemn faces, engaged in subdued converse, looked wistfully 
 
XXI.] GALLE. ' 155 
 
 forth from high green ramparts in the direction of Europe, 
 on the large bright globe of the sun, as it sank from view at 
 the edge of a solitary expanse of ocean ; or, from the circular 
 wall which bounds the lighthouse, gazed down upon the surf 
 that lashed the shore with a monotonous rushing sound, 
 making melancholy music among the rocks below. 
 
 Before darkness set in we betook ourselves to the hotel 
 in the centre of the town, where we had left our luggage. 
 The house was chiefly remarkable for its spacious, carpetless, 
 and scantily furnished apartments ; its views of thick foliage 
 from latticed windows ; and its imperturbable landlord, large in 
 bulk and brown in colour, whose great placid eyes no hurry 
 or bustle around him could kindle into a responsive gleam, 
 and whose long languid legs no appeal of worrying, beseeching 
 guests could stir to active motion. Not that his rule was marked 
 either by mismanagement or stagnation, but only that he was 
 too much accustomed to such scenes, and had effectually out- 
 lived their influence. 
 
 A fresh influx of visitors scattered all over the house were en- 
 gaged in rummaging boxes and portmanteaux, or making some 
 kind of toilette, venting their impatience the while in loud calls 
 for dinner, which was at that moment being carried in. With 
 a large party of ladies and gentlemen, nearly all bound for 
 distant regions of the earth, and here met together for the first 
 and last time, we dined at an excellent table-d' ftote, preparatory 
 to the next move ; for although, as I have stated, we stayed 
 one evening in Galle, we did not pass the night there. That 
 portion of our short, precious time was not allotted to Galle 
 and sleep, but to Mr. White and his shaky, old hooded coach. 
 
156 CEYLON AND ITS STORY. \ca. 
 
 rumbling along the road to Colombo, distant about seventy 
 miles. Now Mr. White, as every one styled him, being both a 
 capable and a civil driver, was quite in unison with his calling, 
 the only discrepancy noticeable in his case being one personal 
 to himself, as an inheritor of eastern blood, namely, that his 
 colour flatly belied the truth and propriety of his name. As 
 often, indeed, as he turned his smiling face in response to an 
 interlocutor, he was ostensibly the good-natured subject of a 
 standing joke. 
 
 We started at nightfall, and arrived at Colombo about five 
 on the following morning. As the evening air was mild, the 
 circumstance of the coach being an open one, with no other pro- 
 tection than an awning overhead, did not render the drive too ex- 
 posed, while it afforded us a magnificent view of the route under 
 the bright stellar radiance which then happened to prevail. 
 
 The road, which is uniformly good, follows the seashore, 
 with an occasional divergence into the rich woods ; and our 
 coach, freighted with a few silent figures, rolled on towards its 
 destination through quiet night-scenes of home-bound herds, 
 of lamps glimmering in solitary roadside windows, and of vil- 
 lages whose swarthy inhabitants were dimly visible through 
 half-closed blinds, listlessly squatted round the family fire, or 
 preparing for the night's rest. 
 
 Isolated lights gleamed near and far in the depths of the forest 
 to our right, each marking the luxuriant and romantic, but silent 
 and cheerless, dwelling of a Cingalese cotter ; and the univer- 
 sal stillness of the scene was only broken when we suddenly 
 emerged on the seashore, where loud breakers spent their force 
 on the sand. The ocean itself, indigo-blue in colour, was swept 
 
XXI.] A MOONLIGHT JOURNEY. 157 
 
 by a fresh breeze, and flecked here and there with circles of 
 spray, whence the wind brought us, at momentary intervals of 
 quiet, the subdued sound of these distant waves lashing on the 
 many hidden rocks, which here render navigation so dangerous, 
 and the existence of which was thus revealed by the ' voice of 
 the waters.' The barren shore-line of mingled sand and rock 
 was relieved by a succession of little green promontories sus- 
 taining pine-trees, some of which, undermined by the ocean, 
 which was slowly drawing them to its embrace, bent low over 
 the surge as if listening to its ceaseless moan. And, finally, 
 this grand midnight panorama of sea and land glowed in the 
 light of an eastern full moon and cloudless canopy of stars. 
 
 It happened in our case, therefore, that a journey, which 
 some of those who have experienced it in less favourable circum- 
 stances associate with the discomforts of darkness and a crowded 
 jangling coach, became memorable as having afforded a charm- 
 ing glimpse of the isle of palms by moonlight. Nor was the 
 course wholly without variety in the social sense, for we stopped 
 at several places to change horses, and at one on our own 
 account for supper. Thus, by wood and water, passing alter- 
 nately from beneath the open sky into the shadow of deep 
 foliage, rattling over the wooden bridges which span the fre- 
 quent reservoirs and watercourses that here irrigate the land, 
 Mr. White gaily blowing his horn during the darker windings 
 of the way, and frightening shadowy figures of man and beast 
 into the hedges as he swept along, we accomplished the run to 
 Colombo, which was reached just at the dawn of day. 
 
 But having gone so far into the interior of the island, let us 
 now in the merest outline trace the record of its affairs. 
 
158 CEYLON AND ITS STORY. [cH. 
 
 History affirms that the first intelligence of Ceylon was 
 brought to Europe by two of the generals of Alexander the 
 Great, and that the country was then to all appearance in a rich 
 and flourishing condition. At the present day, indeed, scattered 
 throughout the land, extensive traces exist of ancient works of 
 irrigation, the signs of a prevalent agricultural industry. Many 
 ruins- of noble cities and sculptured monuments moreover bear 
 testimony to the energy and enterprise of its kings. 
 
 The last of these rulers, styled Sri Wikrema Raja Singha, 
 was deposed by the British in 181 5, at the instigation of the 
 principal chiefs, who were all highly displeased with his tyran- 
 nical sway. For a long time previously the country had been 
 the theatre of conflicts among European powers — Portuguese, 
 Dutch, French, and British — each fighting for the mastery. 
 
 With the Cingalese (the inhabitants proper of the island) are 
 associated Tamils and Malabars, the descendants of invaders 
 from the southern coast of India, and Moormen, sprung from 
 the neighbouring islands, a comparatively trifling number of 
 Europeans and negroes completing the population. The annals 
 of the Cingalese professedly comprise an uninterrupted record 
 of their history for the last twenty-four centuries ; a history more 
 stirring and eventful than might have been predicated from the 
 present character of the people, although they enjoy better 
 opportunities of advancement than could have been the case 
 when their native kings monopolized the export trade. The 
 commercial restrictions thus established, and which even the 
 Portuguese and Dutch Governments, during their terms of 
 supremacy, maintained with a severity that pressed cruelly 
 on the condition of the labouring poor, were gradually re- 
 
XXI.] INFLUENCE OF BUDDHISM. 159 
 
 moved by our Government. Yet the Cingalese, as we find 
 them, are equally destitute of the taste and capacity for mer- 
 cantile pursuits, exhibiting in their persons and lives an apathy 
 and languor analogous to the cheerless character of their re- 
 ligious faith. For the Cingalese are Buddhists, professing a 
 specific form of that cold, empty creed which mingles wild 
 fancies of spiritual transmigrations with filmy notions of the 
 creative power and eternal existence of matter. In their re- 
 ligious system the highest consummation and holiest heaven 
 is what is styled the Nirwana, or complete cessation of exist- 
 ence. Such is the condition at which it is averred the holy 
 Buddh himself arrived at length ; so that, in point of fact, 
 the supreme object of their adoration is eternally dead ; his 
 virtues while he did exist being alone the proper theme of 
 worship. How poor must be the influence of a faith of which 
 the ' end all and the be all ' is utter annihilation ! No palm of 
 triumph waves nor crown of glory gleams in the heaven of the 
 poor Cingalese, to beckon him forward on his journey, or to 
 illumine his path in life with a ray of cheerfulness or hope. 
 Need we wonder, that while the belief he professes is replete 
 with noble moralities (for such is undoubtedly the fact), it should 
 have failed to awaken a holy impulse in his mind, and left him 
 the poor, heartless, dishonest creature that he is ? It must be 
 added, however, that while this is the general character of the 
 lower orders of the people, the higher and more independent 
 class of Cingalese are, on the contrary, widely esteemed alike 
 for the innate gentleness of their manners, and the virtuous 
 practice of their lives. 
 
 On the subject of commerce, we learn that for six hundred 
 
i6o CEYLON AND ITS STORY. [ch. 
 
 years after the Christian era Ceylon was the great centre of 
 trade between Africa, India, and China, and that the Romans, 
 making it the limit of their navigation, here exchanged their 
 precious metals and other merchantable commodities for the 
 silks and carved ornaments of the far East. 
 
 At the present day the trade of the island has attained to the 
 value of about 4,4cx),oc)o/. sterling of imports, and 3,800,000/. 
 of exports, the principal items of the former being manu- 
 factures from England and rice from India, and of the latter, 
 coffee, cinnamon, coir, and cocoa-nut .oil. A large portion 
 of the whole value of these exports is represented by the 
 amount of coffee shipped to the United Kingdom alone. One 
 very solid article of export is the living elephant It is said 
 that the annual export from Mannaar to India for some years 
 past has averaged about 200 of these animals, the value of a 
 single good elephant arrived at its destination being from 100/. 
 to 200/., and as slaughter for the mere pleasure of the act dis- 
 poses of a much greater number, it is reasonably supposed that 
 the eastern jungles of Ceylon are being fast depopulated of 
 their huge inhabitants. The instrument employed in their cap- 
 ture is the lasso, dexterously thrown round their legs by a class 
 of fearless hunters, Malays and Moormen, in whose families the 
 dangerous calling has remained for generations. 
 
 The island, indeed, were well rid of the wild herds of ele- 
 phants that forage in the less frequented parts of the interior, 
 cumbering the earth in their uncouth march, the object of which 
 is frequently the invasion of cultivated ground. But this is only 
 true of the animal in its wild state ; for, in addition to more 
 familiar services as a beast' of burden, it can be taught to 
 
XXI.] 
 
 COFFEE PLANTING. 
 
 i6i 
 
 act as a ' builder,' an office in which it is extremely useful, 
 moving and adjusting large stones by a curious combined exer- 
 tion of the foot and trunk. 
 
 As regards the value of the pearl fishery, the revenues from 
 1855 to i860, with one blank year, exceeded wj.ooqL, the single 
 operation which has taken place since then having realized 
 
 COOLIKS ON A COFFEE ESTATE. 
 
 about 46,000/. For the reason already stated, the number of 
 fishing days have only ranged from 14 to 23. 
 
 But the details of coffee planting, which may be called the 
 chief industry of the island, present a strange alternation of 
 speculation and panic, a chequered retrospect of reckless com- 
 petition and collapsed credit, brilliant prospects and disappointed 
 hopes. The coffee estates of this ' Garden of the East,' while 
 supplying our country with a delightful beverage, have been 
 
 M 
 
1 62 CEYLON AND ITS STORY. [ch. 
 
 also fruitful In heavy losses and broken hearts. Succeeding the 
 panic, which in 1847 burst in upon a golden age, came the 
 rebellion of the following year, and, soon after, those who 
 retained the belief that such property was of any value, pur- 
 chased estates which had cost their owners 10,000/. and 15,000/., 
 at the modest reduction of about 95 per cent ! 
 
 It need scarcely be told, however, that this industry has again 
 entered on a new era of prosperity, although an extended system 
 of irrigation and a better supply of labour are requisite before 
 sufficient security can exist from the blighting and ruinous 
 results of recurring seasons of drought. As there is here no 
 class of Cingalese corresponding to that of the Indian Zemindars, 
 the work of superintendence falls entirely on European shoulders, 
 which must needs be strong to bear the burden and heat of 
 the roasting day on a Ceylon plantation. It may further be 
 worthy of notice that, as the capital required to cultivate these 
 estates is to a large extent supplied from England, they are 
 necessarily influenced by the fluctuations and smitten by the 
 disasters of our artificial monetary system at home. 
 
 Nevertheless, although the coffee planter's occupation here 
 has had so disastrous a history, it has continued to grow apace. 
 Local statistics afford information to the effect, that in 1868 there 
 were in the whole island 34 districts, comprising 380,883 acres, 
 in the possession of planters who had brought no less than 
 176,467 of that number under cultivation; that this acreage 
 included 1,017 separate properties, of which, however, only 
 894 were in operation ; and that these were superintended by 
 742 managers (nearly all highly paid Europeans), having under 
 their direction at least 250,000 labourers, chiefly imported from 
 the Indian continent. 
 
XXI.] ADMINISTRATION AND NATURAL HISTORY. 163 
 
 The progress of coffee cultivation in Ceylon, as indicated by 
 these figures, will appear by a glance at the quantity exported : 
 
 In 1852 the export was 349,109 cwt 
 „ 1863 „ „ 670,068 „ 
 „ 1868 „ „ 720,000 „ 
 
 According to a rough estimate, the value of the whole coffee 
 prof>erty of the island is put down roughly at 7,500,000/. 
 sterling. The other ' estates ' are — ' Cocoa-nut,' numbering 266 ; 
 'Cinnamon,' 75 ; and ' Sugar,' 9. It appears, however, that the 
 cultivation of sugar, for which the soil has been found un- 
 favourable, is gradually becoming extinct, while that of rice 
 is being rapidly extended, through the means now adopted by 
 the Government of opening up the tanks with which the land 
 was irrigated in former times. Finally, on the subject of com- 
 merce, we learn that the export duties on produce are to be 
 entirely abolished next year — a wholesome act of legislation, 
 which the Government of India might do well to imitate. 
 
 It should be borne in mind that Ceylon is subject to the 
 Colonial Department of the British Government ; although, as in 
 continental India, the administration is vested in a governor and 
 council, at the head of a civil establishment, in which educated 
 natives have a place. 
 
 The population of the island is supposed, in the absence of 
 any correct census, to amount to about 2,500,000 souls, of 
 whom 3,500 are Europeans. Its schools (716 in number) are 
 reported to contain 26,807 scholars, towards whose education 
 the Government contributes about 16,000/. a year. 
 
 Amidst all the inroads of European enterprise, Ceylon retains 
 a fauna and flora of unparalleled richness and variety. Besides 
 
 *M 2 
 
164 
 
 CEYLON AND ITS STORY. 
 
 [CH. 
 
 the elephant, the squirrel, bear, jackal, panther, monkey, elk, 
 deer, and boar abound within the extensive forests, which also 
 teem with snakes and other reptiles. Myriads of insects haunt 
 the rank foliage, or buzz and sparkle in the sultry air. The 
 birds, which are of great variety, and, in many cases, of magni- 
 ficent plumage, include the peacock, partridge, parrot, pigeon. 
 
 TAMIL WOMEN PICKING COFFEE, 
 
 sunbird, oriole, flamingo, ortolan, cormorant, snipe, and swallow, 
 together with the eagle and the hawk in mountainous districts. 
 Fish of many kinds, although generally of coarse quality, are 
 found in the bays and rivers. 
 
 The flora of the island comprises upwards of 400 varieties of 
 trees, among which the various species of the palm everywhere 
 
xxi.J FORT OF COLOMBO. 165 
 
 invest the landscape with luxuriant beauty. But chiefly useful 
 to the people is the cocoa-nut tree, the several parts of which — 
 fruit, sap, leaf, and stem — are made available for the various 
 purposes of everyday life. This remarkable tree yields leaves 
 for thatch, fibres for cordage, oil for lamps, sugar, milk, and the 
 drinks called toddy and arrack ; the refuse being suitable food 
 for elephants, pigs, and poultry. 
 
 The sun had not risen when we reached Colombo, but 
 there was sufficient light to reveal the blooming aspect of the 
 neighbourhood called Galle Face, by which we had entered, 
 with the villas of some of the European residents, situated, as 
 only Eastern domiciles can be, among sheltering trees close to 
 the seashore 
 
 Colombo itself, a picture of white glistening bungalows, gay 
 with painted verandahs and red-tiled roofs intermingled with 
 large green leaves, looked, as we approached it in the soft morn- 
 ing light, not unlike a neat English country town where palm 
 trees chanced to flourish ; this home aspect being farther en- 
 hanced by the familiar feature of several high chimney-stacks, 
 each with its dark wreath of smoke, indicating the sites of those 
 factories of coffee and cocoa-nut fibre for which Colombo is 
 famous. 
 
 The town possesses an additional attraction in the fine sheet 
 of water surrounding it, styled ' the Lake,' on the banks of 
 which stand some of the prettiest dwellings in the place, 
 among them that of the friends at whose invitation we had 
 come up from Galle. Having there refreshed ourselves with 
 the bath, in large square chambers floored with tiles, and suit- 
 ably furnished with little more than a bed carefully enclosed 
 
 •m3 
 
t66 CEYLON AND ITS STORY. [ch. 
 
 with mosquito curtains, a table, a chair or two, and a basin stand, 
 we drove forth to snatch the only observation of Colombo which 
 our hurried visit allowed. 
 
 Having soon surveyed the suburbs, the general aspect of 
 which I have sufficiently described, we entered the ' Fort,' a 
 place of great strength, more than a mile in circuit, and standing 
 on a promontory of the sea, the land approach being surrounded 
 by a deep moat A government house, an excellent barracks 
 with officers' quarters, several stately edifices used as banks 
 and civil service offices, together with. a beautiful lighthouse 
 called the ' Clock Tower,' are the more prominent objects of the 
 ' Fort' About a score of vessels, chiefly native craft, then occu- 
 pied the little harbour, the larger ships, three or four in number, 
 being anchored well out at sea, beyond the inhospitable rocks, 
 over which the white spray could be seen rolling at a great 
 distance from the shore. 
 
 Here are situated the wholesale business houses of Colombo, 
 which at the present time number about thirty European and 
 six native firms. The buildings consist of large open offices 
 with store-rooms below, as in Bombay, the only points of differ- 
 ence in the trade system of the two places being, that the 
 Ceylon brokers are not Cingalese (the inhabitants proper of 
 the island), but chiefly Tamil men, speaking their own language, 
 and that here we miss that life and energy which distinguish 
 the larger sphere of industry. 
 
 It is computed that the entire population of Colombo, in an 
 area of nine square miles, may, including the migrating class, 
 ' who sleep in the street verandahs,' now be estimated at 60,000. 
 
 The native town (situated outside the Fort, and styled the 
 
XXI.] CINGALESE COSTUME. 1 67 
 
 PettaJi) is however the great nucleus of life, exhibiting in its 
 unusually spacious streets all the noisy, heterogeneous features 
 of an Eastern bazaar. Here ag^in only a few Cingalese were 
 visible among the merchant class, which consists principally of 
 Moormen and Chetties from the Indian coast, but all were 
 alike engrossed with their own affairs. The native traders on 
 either side of the way, sitting cross-legged among bales and 
 boxes of unpacked British manufactures, mingled with articles 
 of native industry, seemed, as we approached them, to regard 
 us with the indifference that might be accorded to life-long 
 acquaintances. 
 
 It must be confessed, ho\yever, that we did not reciprocate 
 this dignified noncJialance on the part of the shopkeepers of 
 Colombo, for although the appearance of the Hindoo was now 
 sufificiently familiar to us, that of the Cingalese was still some- 
 what of a novelty. No doubt we had seen him at Galle, his 
 rather handsome dark figure enveloped in the universal cotnboy, 
 so as to leave the arms and legs free, and his luxuriant black 
 tresses gathered up, and confined by combs of different grades 
 in the scale of gentility. We had seen him too, on our way 
 hither, in a humbler sphere of life, and with scantier habili- 
 ments, sitting motionless on the ground at his heels, when de- 
 prived of the luxury of a stone, his bare skinny knees neces- 
 sarily raised to his chin, his mutilated combs shapeless as a 
 stunted growth of horns, and resembling in his stolid impertur- 
 bability a huge vulture, an old Egyptian efifigy — anything in 
 short rather than a living man. 
 
 Here, however, in the centre of industry and population, we 
 found a wider range for observation, with the Cingalese toilet 
 
1 68 CEYLON AND ITS STORY. [CH. 
 
 apparent in greater variety and completeness. And truly men 
 dressed in such a garment as the comboy (precisely resembling 
 a cotton petticoat), flowing beneath woollen or cotton jackets, 
 wearing large gold earrings, their long black hair rolled up 
 in a knot behind, and fastened by a high, ornate comb of 
 tortoiseshell, besides being parted in front, and adorned with 
 side-combs of the same material, bore in our eyes a ridiculous 
 resemblance to individuals of the other sex. So entirely was this 
 the case, that when the owner of a luxuriant crop of whiskers 
 thus arrayed presented his full face towards us, the incongruity 
 seemed as absurd as if certain native merchants of Colombo 
 had gone into masquerade for our especial entertainment 
 
 In the simple and sober routine of Cingalese life, one dis- 
 agreeable peculiarity alone is apparent — that of chewing all day 
 long a mixture compounded of areca-nut, betel-leaf, and c/mnam. 
 This habit seems to be" universal from childhood to old 
 age, so that all degrees of the people, whatever may be the 
 quality of their robes or combs, are usually alike in a display of 
 red teeth, and in the odious practice of squirting red juice around 
 them. It is well known, however, that a great part of conti- 
 nental India is pervaded by this offensive custom. 
 
 The Cingalese women dress so far differently from the men, 
 that they usually wear their hair without combs, but having 
 where it is gathered up at the back a showy ornament resembling 
 a large embossed gold or silver pin, which is set with jewels in 
 quality and number commensurate with the means and circum- 
 stances of the wearer. They ^re also, as a rule, much smaller 
 in stature. The additional fact that they wear the chignon, and 
 have done so for generations, may serve to enlighten European 
 
XXI.] CINNAMON GARDENS. 1 69 
 
 ladies on the frequently mysterious origin of supposed modern 
 fashions. Notwithstanding these tests, however, we found it 
 sometimes impossible to tell ' which was which,' many of the 
 men being women to our apprehension ; not only in respect of 
 dress, but also of a perfectly smooth face, without a semblance 
 of either beard or whisker. This difficulty is said to have pre- 
 sented itself in an amusing form to a well-known officer in Her 
 Majesty's service on the occasion of his first arrival, in company 
 with his wife, at a hotel in Colombo. On the following morn- 
 ing madame expressed her imqualified admiration of the expert 
 manner in which the lady's-maid of the establishment had 
 dressed her hair, and for a time could not be induced to believe 
 that she had sat under the manipulation of a Cingalese pro- 
 fessor of the opposite sex ! 
 
 It remains to be noticed, however, that the use of combs as 
 an ornament is confined to the maritime portion of the Cin- 
 galese population, the men of the interior, or Kandians, as they 
 are called, professing to regard the fashion as contemptible and 
 ridiculous. 
 
 Leaving the Fort, we visited the Cinnamon Gardens, a place 
 in the neighbourhood celebrated for its cultivated fertility and 
 producing a great variety of indigenous plants, besides the spice 
 from which it derives its name. Here we saw, blooming in 
 their native soil, some growths of European fame, with the taste 
 and flavour of which we had long been on intimate terms ; those, 
 for example, of the everyday condiments called mustard and 
 pepper, and that of the universally esteemed drug known as 
 castor oil ! In one place the ground was carpeted, to some 
 extent, with the lowly ' sensitive plant,' which rose and writhed 
 
170 
 
 CEYLON AND ITS STORY. 
 
 [CH. 
 
 at our feet like a countless living multitude of green, snaky 
 forms. A portion of the Cinnamon Gardens has now been 
 purchased for building purposes, and some handsome residences 
 
 CINNAMON PEELERS, CEVLON. 
 
 are in course of erection, to accommodate the increasing num- 
 bers of our countrymen in Ceylon. 
 
 A drive to Galle Face before dinner wound up an interesting 
 day in Colombo, and with it, I may add, our experience of the 
 
XXI.] 'BY THE SAD SEA WAVES.' 171 
 
 place, as it behoved us to return with the coach to Galle early on 
 the following morning, the steamer for Madras being expected 
 to sail on the evening of that day. Now the open area called 
 Galle Face, besides being a racecourse, is the afternoon rendez- 
 vous of the European residents of Colombo, where the band 
 plays thrice a week, and where the never-failing Eastern 
 exercises of riding and driving towards the close of day are 
 practised with characteristic solemnity. It may be that the 
 routine of this recreation ground would not have appeared so 
 dreary to my apprehension, but for my own sense of solitude, 
 as a stranger in a foreign country. The scene was a green belt 
 of land leading to a narrow sandy beach, on which crested 
 billows broke with a wailing sound. Beyond the racecourse, in 
 the direction of Galle, appeared a circle of European residences 
 situated on the noisy shore-line, with only some bald, crooked 
 palm-trees between them and the sea, and thus afflicted in per- 
 petuity with the sound of wind and waves as the penalty of an 
 airy situation in Colombo. Riders of both sexes cantered past, 
 and family groups in carriages rolled along the road, without, 
 however, manifesting any symptom of social animation. Nor 
 was this apparent listlessness out of harmony with the nature 
 of the place. The hot steamy atmosphere, the rank luxuriance of 
 the earth, the monotonous plash of the breakers, and the blank 
 stretch of ocean mingling in the distance with a pale lurid sky, 
 all combined to produce that vague sense of depression which 
 can be felt but not explained. This did not resemble any of 
 our fresh seaside pictures at home. Even the narrow strip of 
 sand constituting the shore was blotched and blurred through- 
 out with a pale sickly weed, and the sun glared large and red at 
 
172 
 
 CEYLON AND ITS STORY. 
 
 [CH. 
 
 the horizon as it slowly dipped into the sea. It was thus in no 
 lively mood that I strolled down to the water's edge to witness, 
 if haply I might, the novelty of a turtle's head raised inquiringly 
 out of its native surf after the alleged manner of turtles in Cey- 
 lon. But now I heard behind me the strains of a bright familiar 
 
 THE KADUGINAWA PASS. 
 
 music which rang pleasantly above the solemn roll and dash of 
 the ocean. Here even in the fading light of the sunset was 
 something congenial and happy at last — the prattle and laughter 
 (earth has no blither melodies) of two pretty little English girls, 
 
XXI.] 
 
 A RUN TO KANDY. 
 
 173 
 
 in charge of their ayah, coming, as the final exercise of the 
 day, to stream their flaxen tresses in the sea-breeze and watch the 
 white breakers curl along the shore. It was plain that no feel- 
 ing of estrangement existed in their case. This, probably, 
 was the scene of their birth, the only home they had ever 
 known. Though the life of England moved in their limbs and 
 sparkled in their eyes, they had never looked upon her shores. 
 
 LAKE AND TOWN OF KANDY. 
 
 But, as a run as far as Colombo can afford but an inadequate 
 notion of the interior scenery of Ceylon, I have been favoured 
 by a friend with permission to interpolate here the following in- 
 teresting description of his recent journey to Kandy, and the 
 lovely upland region of the island. 
 
174 CEYLON AND ITS STORY. [ch. 
 
 Starting from Colombo at six in the morning, we proceeded by rail- 
 way to the extent of thirty-two miles through a level, very luxuriant 
 country, full of palm and cocoa-nut trees, rich foliage, and flowers, but 
 all springing from a wet, swampy soil. You would think it entirely a 
 wild wood, and unpeopled, but for the numbers of nude brown savages 
 moving about gathering fruit or firewood, and the frequent, but always 
 isolated, mud-walled, leaf-covered hut, embosomed among the trees, 
 with no apparent road to or from it. We left the rail at a little village 
 called Ambepasse, where a coach waited to take us, together with the 
 mails, to Kandy, stopping at a government ' rest house ' for breakfast. 
 We then pushed on without delay, changing horses every six miles, to 
 Kandy, where we arrived at 5 o'clock P.M. The road, winding up-hill 
 all the way, is magnificent, with wonderful views suddenly unfolded at 
 sharp turnings of overhanging precipices and deep ravines. The moun- 
 tains are bold and high, covered with verdure to their summits, and the 
 valleys are overspread with a rich growth of tangled leaves and flowers 
 of varied hue. The scenery of the ' Kaduginawa Pass,' which we tra- 
 versed, is something like a combination of mountain views in Switzer- 
 land and Scotland. The road is a continuous line of traffic by ' bullock 
 bundles,' or covered carts, filled with produce and market goods, and 
 each drawn by two bullocks. It is studded with small villages in- 
 habited by a crew of dingy wretches, who earn a bare subsistence by 
 selling provisions and other articles to the bullock-men as they pass. 
 
 Kandy is beautifully situated in a sheltered basin among the hills. 
 It is an old little town — the capital of the island — and was the residence 
 of the kings before they were conquered and driven out of the district. 
 It swarms with natives, all busy trading in their own way, but Euro- 
 peans are seldom encountered in its thoroughfares. There is little or 
 nothing to be seen in Kandy except its temple, the chief attraction of 
 which is ' Buddha's tooth,' a large discoloured piece of ivory. We were 
 not however fortunate enough to see this interesting article, as sundry 
 forms and ceremonies, entailing the sacrifice of some time, require to be 
 gone through before that high privilege can be obtained. We heard 
 the priests playing their exquisite music morning and evening, at sun- 
 rise and sunset, to propitiate the Devil, who is supposed to be mollified 
 
XXI.] UP- CO UNTR Y LIFE. 1 7 5 
 
 by a nUlange of sweet sounds produced by beating tom-toms, blowing 
 cow-horns, and sounding a reed-instrument like a flageolet, none of 
 which are either in time or harmony. The effect was not over sooth- 
 ing to our ears, whatever it may ^have been to those of his Satanic 
 Majesty. 
 
 On our arrival at Kandy we found the friend to whom we were con- 
 signed absent from home for the day, and turned into a most wretched 
 little hovel, pretentiously styled the ' Queen's Hotel.' We were not 
 long there, however, as another friend soon made his appearance, who 
 at once insisted on transporting us, bag and baggage, to his bungalow, 
 well up on the hill overlooking the lake and town. This exalted 
 villa is called ' Arthur's Seat,' and a beautiful place it is, surrounded by 
 the richest roses, convolvuli, and other bright flowers, and commanding 
 one of the finest views of mountain scenery I ever beheld. Here we 
 were most kindly and handsomely entertained. During the day the 
 silence of nature is only broken by the slight buzzing of bees and 
 butterflies in the sunshine ; for the birds here, though numerous and of 
 gay plumage, do not sing, an occasional chirrup being their only effort in 
 that direction, but at night the woods and groves resound with loud 
 noises, which are continued without intermission till daylight. These 
 sounds emanate from frogs, grasshoppers, and such creatures, while the 
 whole air is illumined with fire-flies dancing and darting about in 
 myriads. 
 
 Within, during the evening, we sat of course with the doors open, 
 and were much troubled with flights of long-winged ants, which, at- 
 tracted by the light, nearly filled the lamps and choked the candles. 
 On Thursday morning we resumed our journey in a two-wheeled 
 ' bandy,' or high dog-cart, I driving, and the bare-legged, red-turbaned 
 ' horse-keeper ' perched on the springs behind. A magnificent drive we 
 had, winding up-hill with splendid views before us, but with sharp 
 turns and awfully unprotected precipices, which kept my companion 
 continually telling me to bestow my admiration on the horse and 
 not on the hills, as a stumble would in all likelihood serve to topple us 
 down into the valley below. 
 
 At ' Wangipilli,' twelve miles up, we found a fresh horse, which had 
 
176 CEYLON AND ITS STORY. [ch. xxi. 
 
 been sent on for us the day before, and after a glass of the never-failing 
 and ubiquitous ' Bass,' started again. Wangipilli is a small knot of 
 native huts, styled a village, in appearance like a little Highland 
 clachan, and with a government ' rest house.' These ' rest houses ' 
 are small open bungalows, provided by Government where an inn 
 would not pay, in order that travellers may halt for refreshment to man 
 and beast, and are very useful places indeed. 
 
 After leaving Wangipilli we were drenched with heavy rains, but at 
 the same time regaled with grand wild scenery. In the afternoon we 
 reached Madooltrellie, where the ' master ' of the estate directed us to 
 Conoonagola, our destination, which we reached with a little difficulty 
 just as darkness set in, and were very kindly received by the hospitable 
 proprietor. The planter's life is rather hard and decidedly comfortless. 
 Here we found a young gentleman of good family and superior edu- 
 cation — a Cambridge man — living alone with two coolies as servants. 
 He was dressed in easy trousers, a flannel shirt, and navvy boots, and in 
 this fashion spent the years in a pretty little bungalow on the hillside, 
 among trees and rocks, close to a dashing little brook. The bungalow, 
 though attractive externally, was bare within, and the cheer it afforded 
 was of the plainest kind, for all provisions (even bread) had to be 
 carried in a box poised on a coolie's head a distance of some thirty 
 miles. The routine of life is patriarchal in its simplicity, the settlers 
 rising at dawn and going to bed tired out at eight o'clock in the evening. 
 
177 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 CEYLON AND ITS STORY. 
 
 (IN WHICH WE RETURN TO GALLE AND INVEST IN JEWELLERY.) 
 
 To be honest, as this world goes, is to be 
 one man picked out of ten thousand. — Hamlet. 
 
 The boy hath sold him a bargain, a goose, that's flat. 
 
 Love's Labour's Lost- 
 
 ND now to resume my own story. 
 
 Having spent a quiet evening in 
 Colombo as the almost necessary result 
 of a visit to accomplish which we 
 had ridden all night and rambled all 
 day, we bade adieu to our friends in 
 the morning and started by coach on 
 our way back to Galle. 
 
 We had thus an opportunity of re- 
 newing our acquaintance with the moon- 
 lit scenes of the previous evening in 
 their everyday aspect of vivid sunshine, and of witnessing 
 other features of the country which had been hidden by the 
 ' night-side of nature.' 
 
 The rich indigo-coloured sea that lay under the full moon of 
 
 N 
 
178 CEYLON AND ITS STORY. [ch. 
 
 last night, now absolutely glowed in the strong light, in shade 
 a pale colourless blue, and had acquired the additional variety, 
 here and there, of a solitary ship in the distance, or a few fishing- 
 boats far out in the dazzling prospect, where the sea was foaming 
 round the hidden rocks. On the other hand lay the island it- 
 self — a fair and luxuriant landscape covered with dense foliage, 
 stretching away to the hills which, like an ascending range of 
 peaks and terraces, rose behind one another with gradually 
 fading distinctness, until the higher eminences became blended 
 with the fleecy clouds and glowing azure of the sky. Every- 
 where around, palm-trees of different species stood like the 
 natural warders of the soil amidst the thick flowering herbage 
 by which it was overspread, overlooking the rich foliage of the 
 banyan-tree and the huge leaves of the plantain and the jack, 
 with their varied hues of green. Great clusters of cocoa-nuts 
 hung over the way, high up on trees, whose tall trunks were 
 girt with circles of matting, by way of steps, the better to enable 
 the happy proprietor to reach his store, while a series of round 
 cuttings on the bark recorded the age of each, and enabled him 
 to estimate the duration of its fruitfulness. The boughs on 
 either side were also laden with abundant supplies of the large 
 jack fruit, the sweet plantain, and the delicious green orange. 
 
 The road and habitations by the way, so silent and deserted 
 during our recent midnight passage, had equally undergone a 
 metamorphosis, being now astir with their usual round of life. 
 Complacently crosslegged in front of their respective doors, sat 
 the village tailor and shoemaker, while wrights and other 
 tradesmen, visible within the airy precincts of little frame-like 
 workshops, quietly plied their several crafts, with an amount of 
 
xxii.] THE RISING GENERATION. 179 
 
 energy suited to the overpowering heat of the day. More than 
 
 DRAWING TODUY. 
 
 one proud mother, as we rolled quickly past her domicile, held 
 up her fine baby for our admiration, or hastily pointed to some 
 
 N 3 
 
l8o CEYLON AND ITS STORY. [ch. 
 
 nude young specimen of the race, who was staring at us with 
 dilated mouth and eyes, her object being to communicate the in- 
 teresting fact, that in him we beheld her offspring. 
 
 The glorious day had even brought with it some animation 
 to the solitary lagoons and compounds of the previous night, 
 for in the shining lakes (whose banks and shores we now 
 perceived, as we rattled across the loose planks that spanned 
 them, to be only a thick profusion of leaf and stem) a con- 
 siderable number of Cingalese were disporting their sable persons. 
 In the wayside enclosures, grown men, both Cingalese and 
 Madrasees, amused themselves like children, only in a greatly 
 more earnest way, with swings erected among the trees, one 
 tall fellow solemnly pushing, while the other's huge bulk in 
 silence skimmed the air, his face meanwhile displaying the 
 gravity of a senator. 
 
 Before reaching Galle, we stopped at a narrow pathway, 
 conducting us through a field and some shrubbery to a little 
 temple embowered among the luxuriance, where we ' looked in ' 
 on an enormous figure of Buddh, which, like the very large host 
 of a very small house, sat near the doorway, shedding down 
 upon all comers a well-depicted smile of affability and conde- 
 scension. 
 
 I must not, however, omit to recall a much more interesting 
 and suggestive incident of the way which we had encountered 
 an hour or two before. This was a long procession of 
 Cingalese — men, women, and children — all neatly and carefully 
 attired. The women especially (the customary bare feet not- 
 withstanding) presented a prepossessing exterior, wearing blue 
 woven sarongs and pure white jackets, their jet-black hair 
 
XXI!.] 
 
 PROSELYTES FROM PAGANISM. 
 
 i8l 
 
 brushed over the forehead, gathered in a knot behind, and 
 glistening with excess of cocoa-nut oil. Although, as every one 
 knows, the Cingalese women are somewhat diminutive in size, 
 and not celebrated for comeliness, the individuals composing 
 this feminine crowd might at least claim such admiration as is 
 due to beautiful black eyes, as well as the higher award which 
 
 lU UDHIST TEMPLE, CEYLON. 
 
 belongs to a modest deportment, the eager inspection of the 
 coach passengers being scarcely acknowledged by them with a 
 reciprocating glance. 
 
 Every individual in the multitude wore on the neck a string 
 of pearl-like beads, from which depended a silver cross ; so that 
 we scarcely needed the information communicated by the driver, 
 that we beheld a congregation of Roman Catholic converts, on 
 their way to a chapel belonging to that communion. Equally 
 evident was it that we beheld a very imposing spectacle — the 
 
l82 CEYLON AND ITS STORY. [cH. 
 
 accomplished transition, no less, of a large youthful band of 
 pagans from darkness into light. Let me add that, though a 
 member of the Protestant communion, I felt not less deeply 
 impressed with this conversion ; for, indeed, the gulf that too 
 widely separates the several divisions of the Christian Church 
 at home, becomes infinitely contracted on alien soil, and in pre- 
 sence of the common foe, where Christianity in all its branches 
 illustrates Solomon's allegory of ' a little city, and few men in it* 
 Then Christian polemics become lost in the recognition of a 
 great equality. Nor did it seem necessary to sound the depths 
 of theology, in order to estimate the value of the exchange which 
 these Cingalese had made. They had abandoned the empty 
 sophistries of their native priesthood, for the elevating doctrines 
 expounded by the Apostles of the New Testament 
 
 This glorious transformation the Roman Catholic Church was 
 competent to effect in Buddhist minds, inspiring them with new 
 and startling views of heaven and the life to come — no longer a 
 wild, empty dream of Pythagorean changes, leading to ' nothing- 
 ness,' but a land of joy and beauty, peopled with angels and 
 archangels, where human sorrow is healed and virtue wears a 
 crown. 
 
 I have said that these people bore a cross on the breast as 
 the symbol of their new faith, and may add that their looks 
 gave no sign either of stupidity or hypocrisy. Is it then un- 
 reasonable to suppose that such teaching as that to which I 
 have referred had already revolutionized the listless tenor of 
 their lives, by imbuing their minds with something for which 
 to live — and die ? 
 
 It was, I think, on that same afternoon, before leaving for 
 
xxit.] A SPARKLING SAPPHIRE. 1 83 
 
 Madras, while returning to the hotel with a friend from a shop 
 in Galle, whither he had taken us in his carriage to make some 
 purchases, that I acquired the very beautiful ring which I still 
 retain as a trophy of our visit to the land of sapphires. A 
 poorly-clad, half-starved-looking Cingalese thrust it in at the 
 window, glittering between his thumb and forefinger, stating 
 in broken English, as he ran beside the wheels, that he needed 
 money and would take 5/. for it The appearance of the 
 sapphire was too perfect to admit of much doubt as to its purity, 
 and the price was ridiculously low for such an article ; but then 
 there was a doubt, and I had already spent my allotted sum on 
 the alluring products of Ceylon. I therefore resisted the temp- 
 tation, declining the offer in that tone of mingled impatience and 
 command which I had heard the initiated employ in the like cir- 
 cumstances, as affording the best chance of being obeyed. I 
 was not obeyed however, my peremptory refusal to have any- 
 thing to do with the ring simply eliciting a pertinacious demand 
 to know how much I would be ' pleased to offer for it' Nor 
 was the loud, united ' Be off' of our party, three in number, of 
 the slightest avail. The vender continued to hold up the ring 
 before my face, crying, ' What you give, what you give ? ' 
 running the while at the open window of the carriage, with an 
 ease and determination that bade fair to tire out the horse or to 
 see us to our journey's end, as the case might be. At length 
 my friend, whom experience had taught the mystery of dealing 
 effectually with such an attack, explained that I must, with an 
 appearance of earnestness, offer the fellow some ridiculous sum 
 for the ring, and he would then probably turn away disgusted. 
 Acting on this suggestion, I asked him in a serious tone, if, as, 
 
184 CEYLON AND ITS STORY. [cH. xxii. 
 
 an honest man, he could vouch for the thorough purity of the 
 stone ; whereupon he put his hand to his heart, and solemnly 
 affirmed, 'Ring no gold, no — no; but stone good — true; yes, 
 yes, yes.' This ingenuous statement of facts we felt was 
 scarcely necessary to confirm our belief in the poor creature's 
 honesty ; still, in order to get rid of him at once, I said, with an 
 air of mock gpravity, ' Well, as you vow that the stone is quite 
 pure, I will give you half-a-crown for it' Our astonishment 
 may be conceived, but cannot be depicted, when, instead of 
 quitting us with an offended air, as had been predicted, he thrust 
 his hand holding the ring eagerly into the carriage, simply utter- 
 ing the expressive monosyllable ' Take.' Yes, we were invited 
 to take the charming ornament for half-a-crown, and at the same 
 time to realize the humiliating fact that, in taking it, even at that 
 price, we were ourselves ' taken in ! ' Following astonishment 
 of course came indignation, but the fellow was utterly deaf to 
 the epithets of ' knave ' and ' scoundrel,' with which we assailed 
 him, opposing an air of stolid indifference to our excitement, 
 which would have been magnanimous in any but a very bad 
 cause — his hand held open to receive the purchase-money at our 
 leisure, while we debated the propriety of repudiating the trans- 
 action. His perseverance was not in vain. We concluded that 
 the offer having been actually made, and the attempt to befool 
 having been mutual, we were in honour bound to implement 
 the bargain. And so I gave him half-a-crown, receiving in 
 exchange a really beautiful ring, composed of glittering brass 
 and blue crystal, worth, as I afterwards took the trouble to 
 ascertain, the sum of one shilling in a fair, honest market ! 
 
i85 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 COROMANDEL SANDS 
 
 Sole-sitting by the shores of old romance. — WORDSWORTH. 
 
 E were again at sea among a homo- 
 geneous crowd of passengers, lolling 
 languidly in their chairs, or shuffling 
 about the deck in sun-hats and loose 
 white habiliments down to the very 
 shoes they wore. The steamer was 
 bound for Calcutta, having as usual 
 touched at Galle on her way. Our course was now round the 
 eastern coast of Ceylon, in the circuit of which we enjoyed a 
 bright moving panorama of white bays and green promontories, 
 lashed with crested billows and presided over by high moun- 
 tains, the space between being crammed with a mighty 
 growth of vegetation. We had some fresh wind during the 
 passage, and experienced a ' blow ' while passing in front of the 
 Palke Straits. Soon, however, we crept into the shelter of the 
 Coromandel coast, that fickle and inhospitable region which, 
 blooming awhile with tropical wealth of verdure, becomes, under 
 the influence of hot winds, a barren wilderness with no other 
 
J 86 COROMANDEL SANDS. [cH. 
 
 remains of green life than the leaves of the deep-rooted trees ; 
 and which, through its whole extent of 350 miles, does not 
 afford a single natural harbour or landing-place by way of pro- 
 tection from an ever-rolling swell. Behind it lay the Carnatic — 
 in bygone days a chief seat of Oriental pomp and power in 
 Lower India, and notable for its many stately temples, forts of 
 defence, and other public monuments of wealth and civilization, 
 now crumbling into dust among the ruins of deserted cities. 
 There exists, nevertheless, throughout the Carnatic, a consider- 
 able export trade in produce and manufactures. Among the 
 former are indigo, grain, and other products of the soil, while 
 the latter include dyed and printed cloths, of a coarse descrip- 
 tion, together with such articles as gold or silver ornaments, and 
 figures printed on talc, all of which are executed in a manner 
 that fairly commends the artistic talent of the people. 
 
 The Carnatic was once the dominion of the Nabobs of Arcot, 
 and is celebrated in Indian history as an arena of military strife, 
 having, even since the beginning of last century, been subject to 
 the power of Delhi, under the Emperor Aurungzebe, and then 
 severed from its control by Nizam al Mulk ; next governed by 
 a ' Nabob of the Carnatic,' and afterwards fought for through a 
 series of desperate battles, in which French and English joined, 
 until at length, after being overrun by the forces of Hyder Ali, 
 it was conquered by British arms in the first year of the present 
 century. For some time afterwards the civil administration of 
 the country remained with the Nabobs of the Carnatic, by 
 whom, however, the revenues were squandered, and the British 
 Government was forced to assume the reins. On the death of 
 
XXIII.] THE CARNATIC. \Z^ 
 
 the last ruler without issue, the titular dynasty was abolished by 
 Lord Dalhousie in pursuance of his plan of ' lapse.' 
 
 Such, in a word, is the eventful story of the Camatic, the 
 population of which, numbering from 10,000,000 to 11,000,000, 
 chiefly Hindoos, subject as they still necessarily are to periods 
 of sore famine, now dwell in comparative peace and prosperity 
 amidst the ruins of their national grandeur. But, in truth, that 
 splendour was only an unstable glare shed by a system of 
 government which squandered the resources of the country on 
 the ambitious projects of the throne. 
 
1 88 
 
 CHAPTER XXI-V. 
 
 MADRAS WITHOUT. 
 
 But when loud surges lash the sounding shore. — POPE. 
 
 The knowledge of the natural advantages or defects of a country 
 form an essential part of political science and history. — JUSTUS MOSER. 
 
 j H E city of Madras seems, as the ship approaches, to 
 rise miraculously out of the sea Its first aspect is 
 that of a large group of white buildings, mingled 
 with spires and columns, like monumental relics, 
 standing on a solitary shore ; and were* it to be 
 criticized as witnessed only a short distance outside the foam- 
 line of its broad sandy beach, a stranger might wonder by what 
 perversity of judgment Madras had been planted on the ocean- 
 bound edge of a desert As a sea view, in short, with its crowd 
 of flat roofs interspersed with elegant shapes of pillar, portico, 
 and temple, Madras has the appearance of some deserted city, 
 which had been reared with Grecian skill, and left to waste on 
 a barren soil. In this respect, however, it reveals itself as the 
 converse of Constantinople — Constantinople, the magnificent and 
 alluring, as seen from the Bosphorus, with gilded domes and 
 minarets sparkling amidst a deep green profusion of tall cypress- 
 trees — Constantinople the foul and beggarly in reality, with 
 narrow filthy streets, rickety, poverty-stricken dwellings, and 
 
CH. XXIV.] - OCEAN SPRAY. 1 89 
 
 open crowded graveyards, where flourish the cypress-trees so 
 beautiful, amidst such surroundings as nothing, however beauti- 
 ful, could adorn or redeem. 
 
 The long sweep of the Indian Ocean never ceases to break 
 noisily on the Madras shore, marking it, as far as the eye can 
 reach, with a white border of spray. Even when the sea is 
 calm without, the crested breakers rise up near the water-line 
 and resound along the beach. It is seldom, however, that any- 
 thing approaching to smoothness exists, and we have here an 
 example of that to which the world does not furnish a parallel — 
 a large maritime city with no other receptacle or anchorage for 
 ships great and small than a place outside in the deep rolling 
 swell of the ocean. Through that surging mass of waters, in 
 mussiclah boats manned by native rowers, are borne all those 
 heavy stores that constitute the imports and exports of Madras, 
 as shown by the yearly statistical tables, — a traffic in native 
 growths of cotton, indigo, pepper, sugar, grains, together with 
 cloth, yams, beer, wine, metals, and the many other importations 
 (including that of Anglo-Saxon humanity) now so freely flowing 
 in to the people from the marts of western civilization. To 
 such an anchorage (as we find by summing up details given in 
 the ' Asylum Press Almanack ' for 1 868, and estimating by the 
 number of arrivals and departures) there came of vessels trading 
 between England and the Red Sea, in the year ended De- 
 cember 1867, 155 large sailing ships, besides the multitude of 
 smaller craft, together with ninety large steamers, reckoning 
 those of the Peninsular and Oriental Company alone, to load 
 and unload among the billows. 
 
 In these days science has revealed the means of constructing 
 
I90 MADRAS WITHOUT. [ch. 
 
 landing-places, even among the shifting sands of the ocean, 
 and the very solid, stately pier of Madras, extending into the 
 sea as far as i,ooo feet beyond the high-water mark, is a 
 triumph of engineering enterprise. This screw-pile pier was 
 contracted for in 1858, and only recently finished, at a cost of 
 about 108,000/. ; but with all the advantages which naturally 
 pertain to such a noble structure, with its four lines of railway 
 and fourteen cranes with varied lifting powers of from one and 
 a half to ten tons, it is here only usefully available when the in- 
 termittent pulse of the ocean is not high, and then only for 
 passenger or cargo boats, which at the best, when discharging 
 or receiving freight, swing on the troubled waters in a manner 
 that renders some caution necessary for the preservation of life 
 and property. 
 
 It remains to be added, however, that at length the star of 
 hope has arisen over the stormy roadstead of Madras. Lord 
 Mayo, the present Viceroy of India, during his visit to that 
 city in the early part of this year, discussed with its principal 
 merchants the practicability of constructing a suitable harbour 
 and breakwater. Should this scheme be carried into effect, then 
 indeed the blank barren line of the Coromandel coast will at 
 length have acquired an oasis, pleasant to approach, and teem- 
 ing with the seeds of commercial wealth and prosperity. 
 
 It is one of the familiar facts of observation, that men every- 
 where manage to adapt their powers to the circumstances of 
 their lives — to burrow like moles, for example, into the bowels 
 of the earth where the surface becomes uninhabitable, or at the 
 stern bidding of necessity to dive fathoms deep into the bed of 
 the sea. Need we wonder then, that the poor fishermen of 
 
XXIV.] 
 
 THE FISHERMEN OF MADRAS. 
 
 191 
 
 Madras, dwelling on a coast where no ordinary boat is manage- 
 able in a way which is practicable to them, should be found 
 conquering the opposition of surf and swell by launching two 
 or three wooden logs firmly tied together, and with no other 
 footing between them and the sharks, going forth singly or in 
 parties to ride the waves ? There they were in considerable 
 numbers as we came to anchor in the roadstead, lank dark figures 
 wholly unprotected from the sea breeze, oscillating on their 
 catamarans in standing or kneeling postures, with looks of perfect 
 
 CATAMARANS. 
 
 composure, and moving along by means of a flat piece of wood 
 dipped on either side alternately. Not that these accomplished 
 billow-riders are never ' spilt ' into the raging surge, but this 
 event, when it does occur, merely entails the trouble of re- 
 mounting their swing, which they do with great agility and small 
 concern, the sharks, according to local fancy, witnessing the 
 act with their hungry green eyes, but seldom offering any oppo- 
 sition. If it were true, as some aver, that these monsters of the 
 deep here exhibit a greater partiality for white flesh, so interest- 
 
192 
 
 MADRAS WITHOUT. 
 
 [CH. 
 
 ing a fact might engage the attention of icthyologists. Most 
 people, however, will be sceptical enough to conclude that the 
 frequent escape of these children of the surge from the natural 
 consequences of immersion among Coromandel sharks, is due 
 more to their own agility than the forbearance of the ever- 
 watchful foe. 
 
 More numerous and noisy were the mussulah boats, by which 
 the steamer was immediately surrounded. These extraordinary 
 looking craft are shaped something like a half cocoa-nut cut 
 
 MUSSULAH BOAT. 
 
 lengthwise, and are thus available for the apparently impossible 
 office of landing goods and passengers among the breakers at 
 the shore. Each boat being under the undirected guidance of 
 ten or a dozen rowers, and the crews of all being clamorous for 
 an engagement, the shouting and gesticulating, as they offered 
 their services, were necessarily on a scale of startling magnitude 
 and persistence. 
 
 So large and demonstrative an assemblage of Asiatics in their 
 
XXIV.] A STORMY RECEPTION. 193 
 
 native undress, convened to receive us on our arrival in the road- 
 stead of Madras, was thus, I fear, a sight more afflicting than 
 affecting to the ordinary eye. And yet I can testify that, as 
 we came to join them in their boats, this meeting of the races 
 was not without ' some show of affection ' ; for as each passenger 
 going ashore, choosing a moment of comparative calm, leaped 
 into the mussulah boat, he or she was caught in at least one pair 
 of outstretched tawny arms, closely embraced, and laid down 
 unscathed in the capacious hollow of the vessel. The signal 
 that we were ready to leave the ship provoked a fresh tumult 
 among the crew ; another outbreak, aggravated by the noise 
 of the waves, occurring as we reached the sands, to which the 
 boat, guided nevertheless with admirable skill, was turned 
 broadside, and allowed to bump as it might, while we, its 
 living freight, fantastically shrouded in anything within reach 
 by way of protection from the spray, were carried one by one 
 through the surf, in a chair borne on the shoulders of the 
 boatmen. 
 
194 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 MADRAS WITHIN. 
 
 Hail, social Life ! into thy pleasing bounds 
 
 Again I come to pay the common stock 
 
 My share of service, and in glad return. 
 
 To taste thy comforts, thy protected joys. — THOMSON. 
 
 Y first impression of Madras on landing was 
 such as to recall Brighton, minus its shops 
 (for the front buildings chiefly consist of the 
 large warehouses of mercantile firms), but 
 with a population — how very different ! We 
 found the friend whose hospitality we were 
 to enjoy while there waiting our arrival, and were at once con- 
 ducted to his beautiful residence in the suburbs. It being still 
 early in December, the country was bright and green. Through 
 a series of wide intersecting roads, each like a fine avenue, 
 extending for some miles beyond the city, and surrounded by 
 paddy-fields and meadow-land, the European merchants of Ma- 
 dras pass daily between their places of business near the beach 
 and the lovely habitations in which they are privileged to dwell. 
 These are mostly situated in parks or compounds, opening from 
 the luxuriant highway, and surrounded by trees, among which 
 are the date-palm and banyan, the feathery casuarina (or ' fir 
 of India '), and other rich growths, many of them blooming with 
 
CH. XXV.] EUROPEAN RESIDENCES. 195 
 
 a g^y crop of flowers. Some of the houses are of palatial dimen- 
 sions, and in nearly all the interior consists of large airy cham- 
 bers, opening into one another (a curtain partially covering the 
 entrance at each doorway), and surrounded by verandahs on 
 both floors. From every ceiling depends the ubiquitous punkah, 
 which is worked by a cord passing through the wall to an ad- 
 jacent apartment, or into the verandah, where, crouching on the 
 floor, the listless workman plies his simple yet ceaseless task. 
 The furniture chiefly in vogue is made of an ebony-wood in- 
 digenous to the country, enriched by the skill of native craftsmen 
 with an elaborate amount of carving ; and the spacious elegance 
 of the interior arrangements is admirably set off" by the beauti- 
 ful white lime, or chunam, of the walls, which is also a product 
 of the place. This lime is manufactured from the inexhaustible 
 supply of sea-shells spread over the neighbouring shores, and 
 has served to adorn many buildings in Madras with a splendid 
 coating of pure glistening white. Among such I can recall 
 more particularly the elegant English Cathedral of St George, 
 and the equally handsome Scotch Church of St Andrew, the 
 walls and columns of which glowed in the vivid light with a 
 sheen as clear as the finest marble. 
 
 The city of Madras, with its suburbs, may be said to occupy 
 a circuit of twelve or fourteen miles, so that its population 
 of 427,771 is much scattered, the Mahometan portion, who are 
 not considered very friendly to the Feringhi Raj, or foreign 
 rule, residing in a particular quarter of their own. I remember, 
 indeed, that while driving through this district, we were re- 
 garded from door and window by not a few bold black eyes, 
 
 whose language, whatever it might be, was clearly not that of 
 
 o 2 
 
196 
 
 MADRAS WITHIN. 
 
 [CH. 
 
 welcome. Of the entire inhabitants, according to an official 
 document recently published, about three-fourths are Hindoos 
 
 ST. ANDREW'S CHURCH, MADRAS. 
 
 and one-seventh Mussulmans, the remainder being Eurasians 
 and Europeans; for here, as it so happens, neither Jew, African, 
 Chinaman, nor Parsee has a place in the enumeration, although 
 
XXV.] BLACK TOWN. 197 
 
 all these are found in Calcutta and Bombay. Among the Hin- 
 doos, the Tamils, a docile and industrious race, who are very 
 useful as servants, form a numerous body ; and, as regards the 
 general appearance of the people, the Madras natives are plainer 
 than those of Bombay, the difference being especially remark- 
 able in the case of the dealers or merchants frequenting the 
 go-downs, who cut but a poor figure in contrast with the grand 
 puggeries, flowing robes, and consequential strut of some of 
 their western neighbours. 
 
 In a prominent position and close to the shore stands an ex- 
 tensive erection, which is at once the chief ornament of Madras 
 and the conservatory of British power there — Fort St George — 
 comprising a series of buildings with sufficient accommodation 
 for 1,000 men, and garrisoned, according to the military organ- 
 ization of the country, by a combined force of European and 
 native soldiery. But the centre of social life, called the Black 
 Town, is separated from the Fort by a wide esplanade, and 
 contains the principal shops and bazaars, the large storehouses 
 of European firms, together with a crowd of native dwellings 
 built of brick or bamboo. Here, through a close huddle of 
 streets, deep laid in dust, moves a busy throng of passengers, 
 bullocks, and creaking vehicles, raising stifling clouds, together 
 with a great babble of sound. Palanquins are in spare use in 
 Madras as compared with Calcutta and Bombay. The bazaar 
 shops are filled with the various productions of the country, 
 some of them exhibiting a -fine display of hand-loom muslins 
 and cloth of gold. There are boxes of lace and artificial flowers 
 from Pondicherry ; talc pictures, in glaring colours, from Trichin- 
 opoly ; specimens of tamarind-wood found in the sands ; gold 
 
198 MADRAS WITHIN. [cH. 
 
 and silver ornaments ; articles in coral and amber ; moco stones, 
 garnets, and many other characteristic wares. 
 
 From the close, crowded precincts of the Black Town it 
 is a refreshing transition to the adjoining esplanade, whither, 
 as in Bombay, European ladies drive every afternoon to meet 
 their husbands and accompany them home. 
 
 The vital energy of Madras city is apparent in the multitude 
 of its institutions, civil and religious. According to details 
 furnished by the ' Asylum Press Almanack,' the churches and 
 chapels ' represent every form of Christian faith,' — ' Established,' 
 ' Free,' ' Wesleyan,' ' Baptist,' ' Evangelical,' ' Lutheran,' ' Ar- 
 menian,' or ' Roman Catholic,' each with its own ' Missionary 
 Association.' Among other religious societies appear the 
 ' Auxiliary Bible Society,' the ' Scripture Readers' Society,' the 
 ' Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts,' 
 the ' Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge,' the ' Religious 
 Tract and Book Society,' and the ' Christian Vernacular Educa- 
 tion Society,' the various committees of which consist of familiar 
 English names, conjoined with such as ' Dr. S. Jesudasen Pillay,' 
 ' Rev. W. T. Satthianadhan,' and ' Rev. J. Rajahgopaul' 
 
 It thus appears, beyond doubt, that the machinery of Chris- 
 tian proselytism exists largely in Madras. The vineyard is sys- 
 tematically cultivated ; while among the labourers, a few at least 
 are native to the soil. 
 
 The secular associations include a ' Literary Society,' an 
 ' Agricultural and Horticultural Society,' a ' Philharmonic 
 Society,' a ' Widows' and Orphans' Fund Society,' a ' Friend in 
 Need Society,' and a ' Building Society,' as well as other in- 
 stitutions of a similar nature. Such bodies as the ' Native 
 
XXV.] FREEMASONRY. 199 
 
 Christian Brethren Society ' and the ' Native Christian Literary 
 Society ' are governed by a mixed native and European direc- 
 torate; while others — those, for example, of the ' Madras Hindu 
 Dravia Sakara Nidhi,' or ' Savings Fund,' and the ' Madras 
 Hindu Janopokara Nithie,' or 'General Benefit Fund' — are 
 regulated by an executive committee of native gentlemen alone. 
 And truly the circumstance that Mr. T. Streenevasa Chariar, 
 B.L., acts as ' President,' Mr. C. Lutchmenarayana Jyer as 
 ' Secretary,' and Mr. C. V. Kristnamasawmy Pillay as ' Trea- 
 surer,' in connection with such excellent Hindoo institutions 
 founded for the benefit of their poorer countrymen, may well 
 be recorded on earth, as doubtless it is in heaven. 
 
 If the theory be true that climate influences the mind, there 
 would appear to be something in the air of Madras calculated 
 to stimulate the sentiment of brotherly love, seeing that in the 
 city alone no fewer than nine Masonic bodies, under the re- 
 spective cognomens of ' Lodge,' ' Arch,' or ' Encampment,' are 
 engaged in the active exercise of their rites. More interest- 
 ing still is the fact, that, in nearly all of these, the native and 
 foreign elements are conjoined, even welded together, by a 
 very hearty mutual feeling, if we are to admit there is any- 
 thing in a name. This much, at least, may be said for the 
 'Perfect Unanimity Lodge,' wherein the name of 'Brother' 
 Briton alternates with that of ' Brother' East Indian in the 
 published list of members. Not being myself a member of the 
 Ancient Order of Masonry (of which I desire to speak with all 
 respect), I cannot estimate the practical value of the mystic tie 
 which here unites these sons of Europe and Asia in a congenial 
 bond of brotherhood. That will, of course, greatly depend on 
 
20O MADRAS WITHIN. [cH. 
 
 the extent to which the ' Perfect Unanimity Lodge ' conforms 
 to its title. Beyond all question this profession of fraternity 
 must be held to imply a real union of feeling and goodwill. But 
 if such a bond as that here indicated exists in any genuine or 
 hearty shape, on the part of these alien masonic ' brothers,' it 
 may be accepted as a realization of the Scottish poet's much- 
 quoted prophecy — 
 
 ' It's coming yet, for a' that, 
 That man to man the warld o'er 
 Shall brothers be for a' that ! ' 
 
 Madras, like Bombay, abounds in educational establishments, 
 instituted either by Government or public effort, through the 
 medium of which instruction in all branches of knowledge is 
 provided for the people. Here, as elsewhere, are free schools, 
 purely charitable in their constitution, while others, and these 
 the greater number, are founded on the principle of exacting 
 a small fee from the pupils, being supported othenvise by 
 voluntary contributions, with, perhaps, the assistance of a ' grant 
 in aid ' from the Government The ' Almanack ' gives a list of 
 twenty-six such institutions, many of them devoted entirely to 
 the education of natives. Among these the ' School of Indus- 
 trial Arts,' furnishing an attractive list of accomplishments, 
 only charges a fee of eight annas (about one shilling) per 
 month for ' artistic ' instructions, the pupils in the industrial de- 
 partment being ' paid for their labour ' ; while the attendance of 
 scholars in both departments of this establishment amounted 
 last year to ' about 332.' We further gather that the ' Madras 
 Medical College,' established for the instruction of ' Europeans, 
 Eurasians, and natives,' was attended on October i, 1867, by 
 
XXV.] THE EDUCATIONAL CAUSE. 201 
 
 1 19 pupils ; that the ' Native Female Education Society,' de- 
 signed to provide instruction, ' upon a Christian basis,' for ' the 
 female children of the poor native inhabitants of Madras,' had 
 an average attendance of 90 girls, among whom it is said that 
 'evidences have not been wanting of useful results'; that in 
 ' Bishop Corrie's Grammar School ' the ' tuition fee ' is four 
 rupees (about eight shillings) per month ; and that the 'S. P. G. 
 Anglo- Vernacular School ' (the object of which is to give boys 
 ' a sound education based on religious principles ' ) is conducted 
 by an English gentleman as acting-principal, assisted by ' four- 
 teen native masters, with one Tamil and two Telegu moonshees,' 
 and has ' upwards of 380 boys on the roll,' each of whom ' pays 
 on admission one rupee and a monthly fee of eight annas.' 
 
 It will thus be seen that, in the city of Madras also, the edu- 
 cational system, based on a liberal plan, is in active progress ; and 
 it only remains to be added that such institutions prevail in other 
 parts of the Presidency to an extent in some measure propor- 
 tionate to the population, the entire number receiving State 
 support being, according to the last published statistics, 1,386 
 schools and colleges, with an attendance of 5 1 , 1 1 8 pupils. 
 
 As a result of that estimable policy, founded on a primary 
 law of human nature, whereby the sympathy of the people has 
 been largely won, natives and foreigners are associated in the 
 rolls of the various educational establishments, not excepting 
 the senate of the University itself, whose list of fifty -four 
 ' Fellows' contains eleven Indian names. 
 
 Then as a natural accompaniment of so much moral and in- 
 tellectual culture, we find that the current literature of the city 
 now comprises six ' newspapers,' of which two arc daily ; and 
 
202 
 
 MADRAS WITHIN. 
 
 [CH. 
 
 twenty-three ' publications,' of which nine are monthly (the whole 
 of these being in the English language) ; together with one weekly 
 ' publication ' in ' Tamil ' and one tri-monthly in 'Telegu,' bearing 
 respectively the somewhat portentous titles of ' Dhinavurtamanni* 
 and 'Vurthamathurunghini.' 
 
 But numerous as are these schemes of religion, education, 
 and charity, they do not exhaust the list of friendly alliances in 
 
 Madras. English and native troops guard the Fort together ; 
 English and native merchants too, congregated in large airy 
 offices overlooking the sea, traffic daily in merchandise, the 
 interchange of which is a great and growing advantage on both 
 sides. 
 
 Whence, then, that morbid sentiment which bewails the so 
 called exclusive character of British rule in India and enslaved 
 condition of the 'poor Hindoo'? Facts sufficiently show that 
 
XXV.] THE DA TS ROUTINE. 203 
 
 the native people are now to a great extent united with our- 
 selves in the prosecution of those aims that concern alike the 
 moral welfare and the material prosperity of the country. 
 
 Although therefore, as an Indian city, Madras is more homo- 
 geneous than Bombay or Calcutta, it will be manifest that the 
 lives of our countrymen there are not without varied sources of 
 interest The ordinary routine of the day, indeed, is charming 
 in itself; including as it does the chota Jiasaree in the verandah 
 before dawn, succeeded by the early ride or walk, while the 
 large globe of the sun, rising from a bed of glory, disperses the 
 dewdrops that gem the grass and sparkle on every leaf and 
 bough ; the bright drive after breakfast, through wide fields 
 and long avenues, to the city proper ; the cool, shady retreat 
 of the many windowed ' go-down,' where airy-linen jackets, or, 
 it may be, the sweeter relief of shirt-sleeves, make pleasant 
 the business of the day ; the indispensable two o'clock tiffin, 
 hot, rich, and various — the better to repair the waste of nature 
 and, unless some self-denial be exercised, to ' spoil ' the major 
 meal ; all wound up with the delightful rendezvous on the 
 esplanade an hour before sunset, and the homeward ride or 
 drive with the ladies while the evening shadows fall. 
 
 Such was my own experience of Madras. The pleasant home 
 of our kind entertainer was situated about four miles from the 
 Black Town. Within it were children and bright smiles — while 
 without were flowers and sunshine — flowers on the lawn and 
 flowers in the garden, which the fervid rays that shone on 
 both would have withered but for the water which a sable 
 gardener, with unencumbered limbs, poured ever and anon over 
 the parched leaves. The garden, a little paradise in itself, was 
 
204 MADRAS WITHIN. [ch. 
 
 traversed by a channel leading to and around the flower-beds ; 
 and thus, through the instrumentality of a hose connected with an 
 adjacent well, the necessarily constant irrigation was maintained. 
 
 The well of which I speak was a thorough specimen of its 
 class, broad, round, and deep ; its position in the landscape 
 being distinguishable at some distance by the high wooden 
 apparatus whereby the bucket was let down empty and brought 
 up full of water. On that elevation, as often as a supply was 
 required from the still depths, appeared the presiding genius of 
 the well — a human form, marching to and fro in dark relief of 
 ' beauty unadorned ' against the sky, now moving aloft, then 
 apparently about to descend into the water, as the ends of the 
 long beam on which this exercise was performed, and to which 
 the vessel was slung, rose and fell by force of his bodily weight 
 
 Occasionally, when all was still, during the bright hours of 
 midday, the shady quietude of the bungalow was invaded by 
 a succession of unbidden visitors from among the teeming 
 forms of life revelling in the rich luxuriance without. Now a 
 little squirrel came and performed gymnastics for awhile on the 
 pillars of the verandah ; anon a lizard — not a beautiful but a 
 perfectly harmless guest — announcing its presence with a clear 
 ' click, click,' appeared disporting on the wall ; birds, almost as 
 confident as the doves of La Santissima Annunziaia, would also 
 drop in at times to circumnavigate the rooms ; even a frog one 
 day leapt enquiringly ' ben ' towards the room where we were 
 reading, and sat mouthing and staring at the door. 
 
 There was one creature however, which, more capable of self- 
 protection than all the others, and apparently quite at home, 
 never paid us the compliment to venture indoors. This was 
 
XXV.] DOMESTIC SERVICE. 205 
 
 the crow — a weird, antiquated little fellow, with a grey jacket 
 and an enormous hooked nose. His name was legion, for his 
 race overspread every field and homestead around, pervading 
 them with the deep, bass note of his muffled, melancholy ' caw.' 
 Being ubiquitous, he and his companions were also wont to feed 
 among the poultry in the back-yard, hopping peeringly among 
 the empty dishes which the cook might have chanced to leave 
 outside the kitchen-door, or watchfully perched on some pro- 
 jecting angle or other ' coign of vantage,' ready to pounce upon 
 any edible morsel which chance or negligence might place with- 
 in his reach. All movements in the court which could rea- 
 sonably be held as suggestive of the approaching meal were 
 favoured with his most careful observation. Of course he was 
 constantly chased away as a nuisance and a thief, but then he as 
 constantly returned to his place and opportunity ; and whither 
 he went, or whence he came, was sometimes, for aught that 
 could be seen by the bodily eye, so great a mystery, that he 
 might have been an imp of darkness, endued with the power 
 of appearing and vanishing at will. 
 
 I have already alluded to the fact that the wheels of European 
 life in India are kept in motion by a strong force of native ser- 
 vice. But for the command of bone and muscle not their own, 
 most ladies and gentlemen would be constrained to vegetate 
 throughout the bright solar hours like hot-house plants. Thus 
 the. goriwallah, or coachman, in light stylish livery, who handles 
 the reins and wields the whip ; the syce, his turbaned attendant, 
 who, with smooth ebony limbs, swift and lithe, leaps jauntily 
 up behind the equipage, or scampers on before to clear the 
 way ; and the pair of sturdy little horses, of Arabian or Aus- 
 
206 MADRAS WITHIN. [cH. 
 
 tralian breed, which run briskly through the glowing atmo- 
 sphere, are among the common requisites of family life. Not 
 that the establishment involves very great expense after all ; for 
 an ordinary domestic servant considers himself well rewarded 
 with seven or eight rupees (145. to i6s.) per month. And thus 
 it is that, in a country where men are sufficiently clothed with 
 a stripe of calico, and amply fed with a few handfuls of rice, we 
 find them contentedly engaged in occupations which the Western 
 world has voted beneath the dignity of their mission. For, in- 
 deed, the several parts we habitually assign to cooks, washer- 
 women, housemaids, and servants-of-all-work, are here supplied 
 from the teeming ranks of the male gender, and handy fellows 
 abound who are equally at home with the needle and the 
 besom. Here, too, men are the milliners and dressmakers, the 
 modistes and seamstresses of European families. The lady of 
 the house in which we stayed having arranged to get several 
 muslin dresses made for her visitor, a couple of tall, whiskered 
 figures forthwith appeared, and squatting cross-legged in the 
 verandah, with the light, rustling material spread out before 
 them, were soon stitching away as industriously as if they felt 
 their vocation to be the manliest on earth. 
 
 The tyranny of eastern habits has deprived all women of a 
 place in English family arrangements, except perhaps the Ayah 
 nurse for the children, and the Ayah maid for mamma. Even 
 the light swing of the punkah is due to the application of mascu- 
 line vigour, in the person of the punkah wallah — a fact, by the 
 way, which I have some cause to remember ; for it was my 
 fate, in Madras, to occupy a bed supplied, in lieu of mosquito 
 curtains, with this reputedly efficient means of protection, the 
 
XXV.] THE PUNKAH AT NIGHT. 207 
 
 ornamental fringe of which waved the livelong night within 
 an inch or two of my nose. Rather I should say, it waved 
 and stopped, swung and stuck again, as we got well into the 
 small hours ; and the invisible motive power, recumbent on the 
 verandah outside the chamber-wall, alternately collapsed into 
 sleep and awoke to consciousness. Now it will be admitted 
 that the situation here indicated was somewhat unfavourable for 
 the exercise of an indulgent spirit, and that on those occasions 
 when, the punkah being at rest, the mosquitoes seized their 
 opportunity, and rushed in to devour me — which indeed they 
 did — I was almost warranted in feeling as angry with the lazy 
 fellow as if he had slipped in and bitten me himself. But my 
 just indigTiation only rendered me the victim of an extra griev- 
 ance ; for the shout, born of the sentiment alluded to, with 
 which I recalled this drowsy native to his duty, was wont to 
 raise him with a jerk, and for an instant to nerve his arm with 
 an energy which bade fair to bring down the apparatus about 
 my ears ! Another and more conscientious attendant soon re- 
 lieved me of this infliction ; but although there are seasoned 
 sleepers in India, who profess actually to prefer the narcotic 
 influence of the punkah, I would for my own part recommend 
 mosquito curtains to the weary world at large as practically 
 more favourable to slumber. 
 
 It is customary in these parts for European visitors to 
 provide their own carriage and horses — a convenience readily 
 supplied from the livery-stables, which necessarily constitute an 
 important institution of the place. From one of these I procured 
 a riding horse, which proved vivacious enough to give me such a 
 sound shaking in the morning as precluded the necessity of any 
 
2o8 MADRAS WITHIN. [cH. 
 
 farther exercise during the rest of the day — a fact which, while it 
 constitutes a recommendation to others, may serve to illustrate 
 the error of those who imagine that the languor which pervades 
 human existence in India extends to equine life. 
 
 The piece-goods dealers, with whom I spent the midday 
 period, divided between the warehouse and the bazaar, differed 
 from those of Bombay not only, as I have said, in the absence 
 of style both as regards dress and manner, but in the exercise 
 of what may be termed a fossilized conservatism of taste as to 
 pattern or colouring, which excluded even a shadow of varia- 
 tion. There was, however, no falling off in the kindness and 
 hospitality of our compatriots. For three terrible days indeed, 
 during our stay, Madras was without ice, and there was 
 lamentation in every household we visited ! Throughout that 
 weary interval the ice-house displayed, as if in mockery, its 
 capacious proportions by the shore, and eager eyes explored 
 the misty expanse of ocean to, see if the expected ship was at 
 hand. 
 
 Our friend and host, whose business in life, unlike mine, 
 was altogether of a sacred and self-sacrificing character, found 
 his delight among the Christian institutions to which I have 
 alluded, and one day entertained us at home by subjecting an 
 entire school of children to the ordeal of an examination in the 
 verandah. The crowd of small dark figures, some of very tiny 
 size, yielded one by one, at the native master's call, a few of its 
 more advanced members, who, coming to the front, told us, 
 albeit in shrill and broken accents, many authentic truths about 
 Adam and Enoch, the Apostle Peter, and the Angel of the 
 Lord. The little scholars then sang in concert, and with the 
 
XXV.] GOVERNMENT HOSPITALITIES. 209 
 
 like success, a very beautiful hymn, every verse of which ended 
 with an appeal to ' Jesus, the Lamb of God.' That the spirit of 
 religion was here to consecrate the words lisped forth in its 
 name is hardly perhaps to be supposed ; but the scene sug- 
 gested the inference, that nothing is so well fitted to break the 
 adamant of Hindoo superstition as an appeal to the fresh instincts 
 and natural emotions of childhood. 
 
 Very properly, however, the work of religion, thus earnestly 
 
 GOVERNMENT HOUSE, &IAORAS. 
 
 pursued, did not prevent our friends from accompanying us to a 
 ball in Government House at Guindy, to which we had all been 
 invited by Sir William and Lady Denison. There, in elegant 
 chunam-v4\\\X.t halls, bright with a profusion of wax-lights and 
 gay with circling lace and epaulettes, amidst muslin robes flow- 
 ing and gilded punkahs swaying, we enjoyed the popular 
 Governor's hospitality and danced defiance to the climate. 
 
 It so happened at this time that a visitor of distinction, in the 
 
 p 
 
2IO MADRAS WITHIN. [ch. 
 
 person of a member of the House of Travancore, arrived in 
 Madras city ; for the Royal Families of Travancore, Hydera- 
 bad, and Cochin, besides a number of Rajahs, all in amicable 
 relationship with our countrymen and institutions, hold rule 
 under the British power in the wide Presidency of Madras. 
 And thus it befel that this young Prince of Travancore, slen- 
 der in form and of pleasant countenance, came to Madras 
 arrayed in Persian silks and glittering gems, the guest of a 
 
 wealthy English merchant, whose lordly mansion and profuse 
 hospitality afforded him a reception becoming his high rank and 
 the good feeling I have indicated. In common with many 
 others we were invited to meet His Highness at a /eie cham- 
 pHre, which was given in his honour. This was a gay and 
 crowded assembly held both within doors and without A full 
 instrumental band, stationed in the hall, filled the house with 
 melody, while, on the lawn, music, wonderful feats, and other 
 
XXV.] EASTERN JUGGLING. 2 1 1 
 
 entertainments were in progress, the delicate ladles of Madras 
 being protected from the sun by awnings, and all seasonable 
 refreshments being set forth within the shady precincts of a 
 long canvas tent. Madras, as every one knows, is celebrated 
 for its. conjurors, although that term is a misnomer as applied 
 to many of the performers. The feats we witnessed here were 
 marvellous enough in their way, but of conjuring in the proper 
 sense of the word there was none. Thus the power of one 
 wild-looking fellow lay, like that of Samson, in his hair, to 
 which, without any preliminary demonstration, a square block of 
 stone such as any ordinary mortal might have difficulty in lift- 
 ing was attached, and swung thus suspended round his head 
 with a rapidity that cleared the way around him. That man's 
 single accomplishment was the result of a life-long practice with 
 weights on a gradually augmented scale, although, even on that 
 understanding, it seemed impossible to account for the strength 
 and tenacity of his matted locks. Another poor skinny ' magi- 
 cian ' had a wonderfully tough lining within his leathern neck ; 
 and this was the secret of his preternatural powers. The throat 
 and thorax of this mountebank had been wrought into the con- 
 sistency of iron by a long, irksome process, begun in childhood, 
 of introducing gradually enlarged pieces of wood and sharp in- 
 struments, together with hot appliances, increased by degrees to 
 the burning temperature as the flesh gained hardihood. And 
 thus, like any demon, dragon, or salamander of fable, he could 
 and did inhale and respire flames of fire as if they had been the 
 very breath of his body, going through before our eyes the form 
 of consuming a quantity of burning rags, which he manipulated 
 the while, and ate piecemeal as he might his dinner of rice 
 
 P 2 
 
212 MADRAS WITHIN. [CH. 
 
 More astounding still, these unpalatable mouthfuls, after being 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 
 flT^mj'tlrZi 
 
 GROUP OF JUGGLERS. 
 
 as fairly out of sight as a finished luncheon, were restored still 
 burning to the light of day. The same performer also swal- 
 
XXV.] AN INDIAN CEMETERY. 213 
 
 lowed the blade of a sword, whose point to all appearance must 
 have sounded the depths of his internal organization, and drew 
 it forth in another minute with the tragic air of a stage warrior 
 unsheathing his weapon for some deed of valour. 
 
 But the most attractive, as well as the most conspicuous, 
 performer was a female acrobat. This was a young native, of 
 slender form, who balanced herself on the top of a very high 
 pole, up which she had run with the agility of a monkey, by 
 means of a rope connecting it with the ground at a suitable 
 angle. There, high in the sun's glare, she stood, first on one 
 foot then on the other, and finally on her head, with heels 
 waving triumphantly in the air. At last, lithely gathering her 
 really handsome figure somehow into the form of a ball, she slid 
 down the rope with an increasing rapidity, resembling the un- 
 checked force of gravity, the mortal danger of the momentum 
 thus attained being provided against by a linen sack which her 
 attendants below held open for her reception, and into which 
 she vanished with startling celerity. This tragic finale may 
 possibly have been meant to illustrate what would have hap- 
 pened had she been shot like a partridge in the air, and, falling 
 headlong to the earth, been unceremoniously bagged, for the 
 especial entertainment of the Prince of Travancore ! 
 
 It would be a mistake to suppose that the Eastern practice of 
 burning the dead implies a process of absolute annihilation. 
 One afternoon I accompanied my friend to what is called a 
 cremation ground. The place was set apart for the double 
 purpose of burning and burial, and afforded us some interest 
 both on its own account and because of the attendants in whose 
 charge we found it. We were under the guidance of a Tamil 
 
214 ' MADRAS WITHIN. [cH. 
 
 groom, who, if he came there with any feeling at all, might be 
 thinking of the probably coming day when he himself would 
 be consumed on the spot Within a dense wood, and ap- 
 proached by a narrow winding pathway among the boughs, lay 
 an open space filled with scattered stones, in appearance not 
 unlike the ruins of some ancient village. There was no plan, or 
 arrangement apparent in this strange cemetery, with its numerous 
 shapeless forms of masonry embedded amid the untended 
 growth of a luxuriant foliage. These were the graves, not of 
 humanity but of the ashes to which it had been reduced. 
 The foreign characters and rude images which many of the 
 tombstones bore were barely traceable in the deepening twi- 
 light, which imparted an ' eerie ' aspect to the scene. We were 
 thus quite on the qui vive to be startled by the spectacle of 
 two motionless human forms lying extended before our eyes in 
 an open shed adjoining the spot where the dead were habi- 
 tually given, by professional hands, to the flames. But we 
 were naturally startled the more when, as we stood denouncing 
 the official negligence which had apparently left them there 
 in their winding-sheets, both figures bounded to their feet as 
 by a simultaneous impulse, and approached us muttering what, 
 for aught we could tell, might be the language of another world ! 
 These, as it turned out, were bursters — firemen, so to speak, in 
 a ghastly branch of trade — who had fallen asleep while waiting 
 for the next benefaction of the Destroyer; and we had the 
 satisfaction of observing that they awoke to disappointment in 
 finding that none of us were in a condition to require their 
 services. But Death, who is somewhere aptly styled ' a good 
 paymaster,' did not baulk his humble attendants of their fee 
 
XXV.] HINDOO ASPIRATIONS. 215 
 
 that evening. As we gained the high road on our return home 
 we descried, through the darkness which had now set in, a 
 small company in white robes approaching the place of sepulture. 
 This simple cortege proved to be a Hindoo funeral (a ceremony 
 which is usually conducted by night), and a solemn dramatic 
 scene it was, — the pall-bearers chanting a measured dirge, in 
 which the word Rama was frequently repeated, and the un- 
 covered face of the dead, upturned on an elevated bier, irra- 
 diated for the last time by the stars. 
 
 The author of ' Ecce Homo ' makes bold to argnae that a man 
 might so train his mind as to obey in practice the Scriptural 
 injunction to love his etiemies, and cites among the means to be 
 employed to that end an earnest consideration of those trials, 
 sorrows, and bereavements to which such enemies, in common 
 with all mankind, are subject He must strive to realize their 
 inevitable misfortunes, to estimate the weight of their allotted 
 sufferings, and finally to imagine them in their winding-sheets 
 helplessly stretched out in death. Thus, the writer suggests, 
 feelings of hatred and vengeance might gradually give way to 
 emotions of pity and regard. It may well be doubted if the 
 human soul ever soared, by this or any other process of train- 
 ing, to such a heaven of sympathetic feeling, but unquestionably 
 the ennobling influence here indicated is awakened in some 
 measure by contact with such incidents as that to which I have 
 just adverted. Christian teachers in Asia tell us in effect that 
 the all-embracing sentiment, which this author has styled the 
 ' enthusiasm of humanity,' ought to raise us above the prejudices 
 of race and creed. These, indeed, are vain words of counsel ; 
 but here the observation of facts may have some power where the 
 
2l6 MADRAS WITHIN. [c«. 
 
 appeal to compassion has failed. It is, I believe, a truth, known 
 best to those who are personally acquainted with the subject, 
 that the annals of the Indian poor are rich in fine traits of family 
 affection, and that with all we know and are accustomed to hear 
 of the ignorance and poverty pertaining to the common Hindoo 
 mud hut, or cot of bamboo, are associated strong aspirations of 
 human love, and those hopes that point to a reunion of friends 
 in happier circumstances somewhere beyond the grave. 
 
 At last the people of India have found a historian. Mr. 
 W. W. Hunter, in his first volume of the ' History of Rural 
 Bengal,' and while yet on the threshold of the investigations in 
 which he is officially engaged, points out in eloquent terms, as 
 the result of his own experience, the need that exists for a 
 better acquaintance with the more private aspect of native life. 
 He suggests, as the ' Madras Mail ' states in an approbatory 
 article, that those who would form a just conclusion on the 
 subject, should 'go forth into the fields, penetrate the jungle, 
 linger in the thatch-roofed cottages, and mingle with the people, 
 trying to understand them as equals and friends, and to inter- 
 pret those undercurrents of joy and suffering which make their 
 inner life.' 
 
 At the time of which I write the grass had already begun 
 to lose its green appearance, but it was hoped that the pre- 
 cious days of rain were not yet at an end, the fall that season 
 having been unusually scanty. This expectation was encouraged 
 for a time by the ever-recurring appearance, in the hopeful 
 quarter of the sky, of some gathering shape of darkness, which 
 however, after lingering a while an object of even public 
 observation and interest, vanished away. For it must be 
 
XXV.] SOCIAL AND HISTORICAL. 217 
 
 remembered that the sun-obscuring clouds are not regarded 
 with disfavour here as in England, but are on the contrary 
 hailed with the welcome that might be accorded to angels with 
 healing in their wings. No wonder, then, that the ' Madras 
 Times ' should one morning during our stay have begun its 
 leader with the very ««-British sentiment, ' We much fear that 
 the weather is now settled,' or that, towards the evening of the 
 same day, the Esplanade party should have suspended pro- 
 ceedings, to question for a serious moment the intentions of a 
 great black cloud which suddenly made its appearance, sailing 
 in majestically from the sea. Alas ! this also proved a delusive 
 hope. It was the last dark flag that streamed at the rear of 
 the too brief north-east monsoon ; and the large shining drops 
 of rain, so few that they might have been numbered, which it 
 shed in the fleeting instant of its passage over the anxious 
 crowd, only served to aggravate the universal feeling of chagrin. 
 
 In speaking of Madras and its hospitable denizens I have en- 
 deavoured to represent the condition in which I found them 
 during my visit of a fortnight in the month of December. Of 
 the circumstances under which they glow and simmer through- 
 out the hot season (which means, I believe, with only some little 
 variation of degree, the period between February or March and 
 October), I have no personal knowledge. But t/ien, according to 
 all accounts, Anglo-Madras life and its surroundings are blighted 
 together. Outside, the grass, sun-painted to the colour of straw, 
 becomes dry and brittle; the very leaves of the trees droop 
 languishingly, and a burden of hot dust lies ankle-deep on the 
 highways. 
 
 Within-doors, the ornate black furniture, with its crowd of 
 
2l8 MADRAS WITHIN. [cH, 
 
 carved figures, creaks and cracks as with sharp cries of com- 
 plaint ; matting shrinks and shrivels, as if seeking relief in 
 smaller compass ; and the leaves and boards of books curl and 
 bend tortuously. Man pants and broils in a stifling atmo- 
 sphere, and the earth proclaims from every pore the language 
 of the dying warrior: 'I am athirst; give me to drink.' 
 
 The usual asylums from these throes of Nature are the higher 
 platforms of the Shervaroy Hills and Bangalore, or the distant 
 but more salubrious slopes of the Neilgherries, to one or other 
 of which all betake themselves who have the opportunity ; and 
 thrice blessed to the pallid invalid is the railway system, which 
 already conveys him to these comparatively cool retreats, and 
 still continues to spread its network of health and comfort to 
 oases beyond the fiery plains. 
 
 Of all the three Presidencies, Madras has been least subjected 
 to the influx of change. In the south, more especially, where 
 the country is isolated from the rest of India, the old scenes 
 of its early history, and these alone, are still being enacted. 
 Ancient laws and habits, which in Upper India were crushed 
 under foot by Mohammedan and Mahratta invaders, there re- 
 main intact. The people themselves are a different race from 
 those of the north, speaking other languages and dwelling in 
 peace, comparatively ignorant of the outward world, in their re- 
 mote land of magnificent old temples and time-hallowed shrines. 
 
 The history of British rule in Madras is distinguished by an 
 able succession of governors and by recurring outbreaks of 
 political feeling, the occasions of which happily exist no more. 
 Several of the mercantile firms of the capital were among the 
 earliest established in India. In the race of commercial pro- 
 
XXV.] POPULATION AND PROSPECTS. 219 
 
 gress, Madras has inevitably fallen behind Calcutta and Bom- 
 bay ; but its merchants are now more fortunate than their an- 
 cestors, inasmuch as they are enabled to pursue their avocations 
 tranquilly, undismayed by constant whisperings of internal re- 
 bellion, or the cry that some foe, such as Hyder or his son 
 Tippoo, is within a short march of their homes burning the 
 villages by the way. 
 
 One parting word of Madras with its little used, almost use- 
 less, pier and its large sea-borne trade, carried out and in through 
 the swell of an open shore. Hitherto the foreign commerce of 
 the Presidency has made fair progress, notwithstanding this tre- 
 mendous obstacle, having been doubled, for example, during the 
 time in which that of Bengal has increased threefold. But the 
 railway system has wrought a startling change in the relative 
 circumstances of the city, redeeming some ot the richest por- 
 tions of the country from that isolation in which they have 
 hitherto existed. The completion of the line which will con- 
 nect Madras with Bombay may be looked for in about a year 
 hence, and then the west coast will offer to the central districts 
 a more convenient outlet than the east, giving Bombay a de- 
 cided superiority. Countervailing advantages, no doubt, are in 
 prospect for Madras ; but who can doubt that the means of 
 appropriating these must be sought in the construction of a 
 seaport ? The wave of change, now sweeping the whole surface 
 of the Indian continent, cannot indeed deprive this city of its 
 ancient and honourable name as the seat of government in 
 Southern India ; but if it is to retain, in any important sense, 
 its pre-eminence as the commercial capital, there is immediate 
 work to be done. Lord Napier has ordered the preparation of 
 
2 20 MADRAS WITHIN. [cH. xxv. 
 
 plans for a breakwater, within which ships may find protection 
 sufficient for the competitive purposes of trade : Madras mer- 
 chants will surely be earnest and prompt in seeing this act of 
 self-preservation carried into effect. 
 
 According to the Administration Report for 1867-8, the 
 population of the whole Presidency had risen to 26,500,000, 
 there being 213 souls to each square mile, a denser mass of 
 human life than that of some European States. The Telegu 
 and Tamil speaking peoples, of whom two-thirds of the whole 
 number probably consist, are regarded as belonging to the more 
 industrious and energetic order of Indian natives. 
 
221 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 ORISSA.—THE SUNDERBUNDS.—THE HOOGHLY.—PORT CANNING. 
 
 The more honesty a man has, the less he affects the air of a saint. — Lavater. 
 
 Where hopeless Anguish poured his groan. 
 
 And lonely Want retired to die. — Samuel Johnson. 
 
 As brooks make rivers, rivers run to seas. — Dryden. 
 
 EFORE leaving Madras we had the mis- 
 fortune to part with two friends (a married 
 couple), who had been our steamboat com- 
 panions all the way from England, and 
 who now sailed for Calcutta in one of the 
 steamers belonging to the British India 
 Steam Navigation Company, in which the 
 gentleman was a shareholder. I recall a 
 circumstance so commonplace, and so uninteresting to all the 
 world but the leave-taking party, because it affords occasion for 
 a passing allusion to that company's splendid line of sea-going 
 passenger-ships as a very notable example of maritime progress 
 in the East There is not, indeed, such another shipping enter- 
 prise apart from the Western world ; for this fleet now supplies 
 a strong and regular chain of communication along the whole 
 east and west coasts of the Indian continent, from Calcutta on 
 the one hand to Kurrachee on the other, besides connecting 
 
222 ORISSA. [CH. 
 
 the latter port with Bushire in the Persian Gulf and the former 
 with Rangoon in Burmah, whence the route is further carried 
 down the Straits of Malacca to Singapore. Although instituted 
 no further back than the year 1856, with two steamers running 
 between Calcutta and Burmah only, the concern had, in 1869, 
 attained the magnitude of twenty-four steam vessels, with an 
 aggregate capacity of fully 22,000 tons, and of 4,330 horse- 
 power. The origin and successful progress of this noble scheme 
 are due to the energy and enterprise of Messrs. Mackinnon, 
 Mackenzie, and Company, of Calcutta ar\.d Glasgow. 
 
 In a few days afterwards the regular Calcutta steamer, punc- 
 tual to time, came to anchor in the roads, and, along with several 
 other passengers, we were once more borne through the surf to 
 pass a few days on shipboard, with the lagging hours alternating 
 between the society of unknown faces, crowned with blue veils 
 and sun hats, and the seclusion of a little crib haunted by a 
 creaking noise and a rushing sound of water. 
 
 It will be seen from the map that our course now lay up the 
 Bay of Bengal, along the coast of the large province of Orissa — 
 a name which recent events have rendered familiar to all who 
 take any interest in the affairs of our great Indian empire. Com- 
 paratively small occasion might the world have otherwise had to 
 think of Orissa, with its isolated population of 4,000,000, still 
 dwelling apart in the shadow of a barbarous faith, amidst vast 
 jungles, trackless forests, and deep, rolling rivers, haunted by 
 monstrous forms of life — in a country, too, where the tempera- 
 ture during the hot season reaches 1 1 5° Fahr. in the shade, and 
 Avhose plains are alternately withered by heat and flooded with 
 water. Nor need Orissa receive much consideration from the 
 
XXVI.] 
 
 DISEASE AND JUGGERNA UTH. 
 
 223 
 
 fact that it is the scene of that great temple of Juggernauth, 
 which has drawn eager crowds of pilgrims from all parts of the 
 
 JUGGERNAUTH CAR. 
 
 country for the last 700 years. While we are passing the resi- 
 dence in chief of Juggernauth and his temple, however, it may 
 be well to remember that he still exists, enthroned in state 
 
224 OmSSA. [CH. 
 
 like some demon of romance, within a large tower pertaining 
 to that uncouth series of buildings, surmounted by a dome like 
 an ancient pepperbox, which bear his name. The god himself 
 is known as a rough, painted figure, about six feet high, with 
 a very black face, great white eyes, a red mouth, a snout-like 
 nose, and arms without hands. It need scarcely be added 
 that the practice of self-immolation under the wheels of the 
 idol's car on the recurring festival days, when he is dragged 
 forth in triumph, has, thanks to the interference of our Govern- 
 ment ! ceased to exist ; although, according to all accounts, the 
 other time-honoured characteristics of the occasion remain un- 
 changed. Above all, Juggernauth is still an object of interest 
 and concern to the Indian Government ; and this not only be- 
 cause the annual gathering of his votaries is rendered hideous 
 by scenes of vice and obscenity. The Sanitary Commissioner 
 for Bengal, who visited the shrine last year, gives a most de- 
 plorable account of the amount of disease and death resulting 
 on that occasion from the terribly overcrowded state of Pooree 
 with its 6,363 houses, constituting the only accommodation for 
 the great multitude of visitors, apart from an ordinary popula- 
 tion of from 25,000 to 30,000. It has been ascertained that the 
 festival of 1868 attracted about 50,000 pilgrims to Pooree from 
 every quarter, and that the consequence was a loathsome mass 
 of corruption, both moral and physical, on which no one would 
 desire to dwell. Circumstances now render it reasonable to 
 suppose, that this monstrous tragedy of ages is at last drawing 
 to a close. Still, however, it is one of the facts of to-day that 
 Juggernauth reigns at Pooree, where he is attended by 640 
 servitors, who prepare his couch, put him to sleep, awake him, 
 supply him with food, wash his robes, and acquaint him with the 
 
XXVI.] 
 
 DROUGHT AND DEATH. 
 
 225 
 
 course of events. The temples of Pooree are said to contain 1 20 
 dancing girls, together with 3,000 priests 2i\\<\ pandahs, the latter 
 being a depraved class of wretches, who, professing to supply the 
 people with food prepared in the temple, shrink from no species 
 of iniquity to secure their personal aggrandizement. 
 
 But Orissa was lately the subject of a tale of famine more ter- 
 
 FAMINE IN Ok!:,^!A. 
 
 rible and devastating even than such horrors as these. The 
 dreadful story, indeed, has scarcely yet been told ; but some idea 
 of its nature may be gathered from the reports of the Relief 
 Committee, wherein we find details to the effect that men in the 
 last stage of weakness were offering all they possessed for a 
 handful of rice, and hungry women bartering their jewels for a 
 meal ; that, according to the most reliable estimate, about 
 
2 26 OmSSA. [cH. 
 
 1,000,000 out of a population of 4,000,000 perished; and that 
 at one period no fewer than 18,146 helpless orphans alone were 
 dependent on the Committee for the means of existence ! 
 
 A tragedy of this character in some modified sense is not new 
 to Orissa, or unknown in other parts of India. It was wont, 
 however, to be regarded by the Mohammedan rulers in a 
 passive spirit as inevitable, being ' the act of God,' and the fact 
 that Sir Cecil Beadon was so much blamed for the want of 
 anticipatory measures in the case before us is an earnest of the 
 better prospects of the people under British dominion. The 
 wisdom and forethought of all the Moguls, in their government 
 of Orissa, were as nothing compared with that searching exam- 
 ination of its affairs which was rendered by the late Commission 
 of Enquiry, headed by Mr. George Campbell ; and the extensive 
 operations presently going on in the way of irrigation works, 
 embankment buildings, and road-making, including • the comple- 
 tion, now nearly effected, of a Grand Trunk Road connecting the 
 Madras frontier with Calcutta, will, it may be expected, serve at 
 once to bring the people of Orissa more under the influence of 
 our institutions, and infinitely to diminish the sufferings which 
 the physical character of such a country entails. 
 
 Recurring seasons of drought have ever been the terror and 
 the scourge of India. To distribute economically and usefully 
 the water supply in a hot, parching land is now the principal 
 anxiety of a humane Government, and gigantic arrangements to 
 that end are everywhere in force. After all is done, however, 
 the cry of the people will still be for rain — rain, which saves 
 the wasting crops, renews the demand for labour, and averts 
 from millions of humble households the horrors of impend- 
 
XXVI.] THE CRY FOR RAIN. 227 
 
 ing famine. We hear, not without interest, from time to time of 
 rain having fallen in some portion of India, brightening our 
 mercantile prospects by reviving the sun-stricken soil ; but we do 
 not and cannot realize the extent to which that chief of earthly- 
 blessings in such a country affects the lot of the labouring poor. 
 The terrible force and significance of the calamity set forth in 
 the following impressive lines, which appeared in the ' Calcutta 
 Englishman ' of June last, can only be appreciated by those who 
 have some practical acquaintance with the ' thirsty land,' whence 
 the ' prayer ' has emanated r — 
 
 A PRAYER. 
 
 The thirsty land is lying scorch'd and dreary, 
 
 O'er hill and valley and outstretched plain ; 
 The hearts of men are waxing faint and weary — 
 
 God send Thy rain ! 
 
 From humble homesteads, where the fierce heart burnetii 
 The poor man's crops, and withers all his grain, 
 
 In answer to Thy wrath, the cry retumeth — 
 God send Thy rain ! 
 
 From rich men's houses, and where wealth has power 
 
 To purchase comfort and to lessen pain, 
 Voices from sickbeds crave the healing shower — 
 
 God send thy rain ! 
 
 Death the destroyer is abroad and reaping 
 
 His summer harvest — many are the slain ! 
 Lover of all men ! hear the mourners weeping — 
 
 God send thy rain ! 
 
 All Nature prays Thee — trees and plants and flowers. 
 
 The cattle searching for their food in vain. 
 Mutely appeal within these scorching hours — 
 
 God send thy rain ! 
 
 If thus in asking, forgotten is Thy teaching, 
 
 That all his order'd only for Man's gain. 
 Father, we bow even in our strong beseeching — 
 
 God send thy rain ! 
 
 •0 2 
 
2 28 THE SUNDERBUNDS. [cH. 
 
 But the thirsty land lieth scorch'd and dreary, 
 
 O'er hill and valley and outstretched plain ; 
 The hearts of men are waxing faint and weary — 
 
 God send Thy rain ! 
 
 We now approach the place where, during some months 
 of the year, the Ganges and Brahmapootra rivers, by their 
 various mouths, pour into the Bay of Bengal millions of tons of 
 water every hour. The deltas thus formed by the enormous 
 deposits of silt carried down from the Himalayas and the plains 
 on either side of these rapid streams are extending gradually 
 into the sea. Undoubtedly a great geographical change is in 
 progress here, its past scenes pointing to the plains of Bengal 
 under water, its future to the present bay of that name a 
 portion of terra firma. The strange border of territory, ninety 
 miles in depth, called the Sunderbunds, that here separates 
 Calcutta from the sea, is being slowly brought under cultivation, 
 fully 2,000 square miles out of the 6,000 of a fertile area which 
 it contains having been ploughed since Lord Dalhousie's time. 
 But on the whole it is yet a land of swamps and pestilence, 
 affording no means of access to the city of palaces by any of its 
 channels save that of the Hooghly. 
 
 As I write, what is called the ' Sunderbund problem ' is 
 being discussed in the columns of the Calcutta journals. A 
 general desire apparently exists that Government should, for 
 the purposes of discovery and reclamation, organize an explora- 
 tion of this mysterious region, wherein it is asserted (although 
 perhaps without sufficient data) that archaeological ruins indi- 
 cating the sites of ancient cities have been discovered. The 
 .stories told by a few adventurous sportsmen of its pathless 
 woods and swift-flowing rivers are fascinating and romantic. 
 
XXVI.] TRADE OF THE SUNDERBUNDS. 229 
 
 Elsewhere, nearer the mouths of the Ganges, the aspect of 
 Nature must resemble that of a world in one of the earlier geo- 
 logical stages of its formation, peopled with congenial forms of 
 life. Adjutants, marabouts, cranes, and pelicans, the inhabit- 
 ants proper of such a land, exist in great number and variety, 
 stalking through the waste of mud and water, on high stilt-like 
 l^p, intent on devouring the fish that abound in every pool and 
 channel. 
 
 As a soil so soft and plashy affords no foundation for human 
 dwellings, the native huts, sparsely sprinkled over its surface, 
 rest on elevations formed of reeds and branches ; and the 
 mystery of the situation consists in the occupants of these 
 marshy abodes finding here that remunerative employment which 
 it is so difficult to procure in places having less humidity and 
 a firmer footing. Fowlers as well as fishermen, they possess 
 in such a spot a fruitful field of labour. Birds innumerable, in- 
 cluding, besides those I have named, the king-fisher, the fla- 
 mingo, and the wild goose, are captured by ingenious contri- 
 vances for the sake of their feathers, for which there is always a 
 ready market in Calcutta. The long reeds and canes form the 
 materials of mats and baskets, while the mussels, sea-snails, and 
 other Crustacea, of which there is also an inexhaustible store, are 
 converted into lime. 
 
 Much controversy exists regarding the prospective condition 
 of the Hooghly, which, apparently shallower than it once was, 
 occasionally threatens to become altogether unnavigable for 
 large ships, thus keeping the numerous representatives of a 
 trade amounting to between forty and fifty millions sterling in 
 a state of chronic uneasiness. 
 
230 PORT CANNING. [cH. 
 
 In recent times, during the administration of Lord Dalhousie, 
 something like a panic prevailed on this subject, and measures 
 were inaugurated under his auspices to render available the only 
 visible means of escape from a catastrophe so appalling as the 
 isolation of Calcutta from the sea. Fortunately for Bengal, such 
 an opportunity is really afforded by the river Mutlah, one of the 
 mouths of the Ganges, by which large vessels may advance to 
 within twenty-eight miles of Calcutta ; and a company, formed 
 for the purpose a few years ago, succeeded, by dint of draining 
 the swampy land, in constructing a suitabfe port near the head 
 of the inlet A railway also was formed thence to the city 
 itself ; but, unfortunately, after the expenditure of three-quarters 
 of a million sterling on these projects, it was found that malaria, 
 destructive to the crews of European ships, rendered the place 
 uninhabitable in its existing state, and that unless new and widely 
 extended measures were adopted, the Hooghly, so long as it 
 remained open, would be the preferable way of access. 
 
 Thus Port Canning, with the foundations of a projected new 
 city lying in waste around it, stands in the meantime a monument 
 of disappointment and misfortune. Much difference of opinion 
 exists as to the proper action of the Government in the emer- 
 gency. But, pending the settlement of this question, we know 
 that the trade of Calcutta has been doubled in each of the last 
 two decades, and may reasonably conclude that if the Hooghly 
 is gradually closing, as surely as its commerce is expanding. 
 Port Canning, forsaken as it now is, will have an important 
 place in the future historj' of Hindostan. 
 
 As we proceeded, the vicinity of the Hooghly became appa- 
 rent in the increasing impurity of the sea. The river, which is 
 
XXVI.] INDIAN RIVER CRAFT. 23 1 
 
 about eight or ten miles wide at the entrance, gradually contracts, 
 and at Calcutta is less than three-quarters of a mile across. We 
 were agreeably surprised to find that the scenery of the banks 
 was not so tame and uninteresting as we had been led to 
 expect Our progress against the stream was, no doubt, te- 
 diously slow, but we encountered many warm, green pictures of 
 richly-wooded banks, with quiet little creeks winding into the 
 
 COOLIE HUT, BENGAL. 
 
 landscape, and huts of reed and matting embowered among the 
 trees. Canoe-shaped passenger boats, severally styled dinghy, 
 boghlio, and pansway, came successively into view, propelled at 
 great speed down the rapid stream, together with sailing craft of 
 primitive construction and ludicrous appearance, one class being 
 like floating hayricks or reed houses which the current had 
 pilfered from the banks. In some of these, a gang of black 
 figures, crowded together at a low projection in front, toiled 
 
232 STEMMING THE HOOGHLY. [ch. 
 
 against the tide with spoon-like oars ; while others were barely- 
 moving by the unaided instrumentality of a square sail. Occa- 
 sionally a steamboat appeared, breaking the surrounding silence 
 with the sounds so familiar on the Clyde or Thames, and matted 
 all over like a large aquatic tent, beneath which a sheeted 
 throng of passengers found shelter from the sun. One of the 
 most crowded among them was, we were told, freighted with 
 pilgrims bound to the Temple of Juggernauth, which, by attract- 
 ing devotees from all quarters, contributes periodically to swell 
 the traffic of the Hooghly. 
 
 At this period of the year — the height of the cool season — 
 our ship was naturally thronged with passengers, many of them 
 bound to up-country stations, even beyond Delhi, and having 
 thus the prospect before them of a long, tedious journey after 
 arriving at Calcutta Agreeable ladies and gentlemen, generously 
 bent on rendering hospitality to strangers, did us the honour of 
 making our acquaintance ; but only, alas ! for a brief period, and 
 thus through the bright memories of such scenes of travel there 
 runs just this shadow of alloy — that friendships, which we 
 would fain cultivate, and which under other circumstances might 
 endure for life, become lost for ever ere they are well begun. 
 
 It happened that no individual among the passengers was, 
 so to speak, afloat in life but ourselves. Each and all were 
 going ' home ' somewhere, to assume or resume their places in 
 the commercial, military, or legal systems of the country. In 
 the case of some, the magic word must have acquired a pain- 
 fully altered signification ; for the household evils incidental to 
 Anglo-Indian society can only be known to those by whom 
 they must needs be borne. We had more than one father on 
 
XXVI.] INCIDENTS ON SHIPBOARD. 233 
 
 board who had left a sick wife and children in the British Isles, 
 and was now on his way back to that distant dwelling, which 
 their presence alone had made happy. Our catalogue of social 
 miseries included the story of a mother, still young, who had 
 been obliged (the exigencies of business detaining her husband 
 in India) to proceed to England alone in company with a pros- 
 trate boy, and who was now returning to rejoin her husband 
 and other children in Calcutta. But, even such cases apart, it 
 would be a great mistake to suppose that the prevailing feel- 
 ing here was that with which the Honourable Mrs. Norton 
 thus pleasantly invests the situation : — 
 
 Our palm-trees are there with their stately stems ; 
 Our birds have a plumage like coloured gems ; 
 The fire-flies shine when the world's at rest, 
 And the lotus gleams bright on the Ganges' breast 
 Oh ! there lies a warm glory beyond the sea — 
 Hindoostan, Hindoostan, we return to thee ! 
 
 For it has been found in Anglo-Indian experience that the 
 sparkle of fire-flies or bright-coloured birds is not so alluring 
 as the longed-for glance of absent eyes, while the ' warm glory,' 
 here so attractively set forth, is, in point of fact, undesirably 
 bright and glaring. Although, however, we were not quite so 
 sprightly a party as the romance of the position might imply, 
 incidents naturally arose which imparted some variety to the 
 ordinary monotony of the voyage — the all-pervading vibration 
 of the ship, the incessant sound of rushing water, the engines' 
 ceaseless play, the daily lounge under the awning, and the 
 nightly glory of the stars. 
 
 The lovers of music, for example, were charmed by the 
 performances of a lady passenger, peculiarly accomplished in 
 
234 ^-^^ VOyAG£. [cH. 
 
 the art Her instrument, which was only a small harmonium, 
 occupying a corner in the captain's cabin, responded to her 
 practised touch with a volume and purity of sound that flooded 
 the ship with melody. I have seldom heard the music of Italy 
 sung with finer taste and execution, and never in circumstances 
 so interesting and welcome. This lady had naturally a number 
 of admiring auditors surrounding her — a circumstance which may 
 possibly have helped a few of the others to arrive at the con- 
 viction they expressed, that she must have been ' of the musical 
 profession.' However that might be, she was accompanying 
 her husband to his station in a lonely part of Burmah, where 
 such a vocation would be as useless as it is rare ; and we learn 
 from the incident itself, that the inspiring strains of Verdi and 
 Bellini, being among the products of Europe exported to the 
 Far East, may probably be heard to advantage in the vicinity of 
 Buddhist temples and sweltering groves of palms. 
 
 Twice in the day a strange and solemn scene was enacted 
 on the poop, whither, at the orthodox hours, a Mohammedan 
 passenger repaired to pray with his face towards Mecca, which 
 happened to be in the direction of the sun. This gentleman 
 was a rich shipowner in Calcutta, who frequently made such 
 voyages in the pursuit of his business. His originally dark 
 hair and whiskers were, according to the custom of his peculiar 
 tribe, converted by some dye-stuff into a ding^ red colour — a 
 practice which we can scarcely condemn as barbarous in Islam 
 while in Christendom we have also our ' fashionable colour,' 
 designed to replace the natural hue. But, this process of dis- 
 figurement notwithstanding, our fellow voyager was a comely 
 personage, carefully clad in purple and fine linen, with a well- 
 
XXVI.] MAHOMEDAN WORSHIP. 235 
 
 featured countenance beneath his high yellow turban, and a 
 small handsome bare foot within his fine morocco slipper. His 
 steps were closely attended by a servant, who had acquired the 
 art of adapting himself to his master's movements, as if he were 
 the other's very shadow. To the unaccustomed eye, therefore, 
 the diurnal performance on the poop had a most ludicrous 
 appearance in spite of its sacred character. The ceremony 
 began by the attendant laying down a little mat, on which his 
 master stood and knelt alternately, clasping and outspreading 
 his hands or stroking his beard, while he recited, or rather 
 muttered, with all possible rapidity, a prolonged routine of 
 prayers. These several exercises were devoutly copied by the 
 servant, stationed close behind, who, slim and supple as an 
 acrobat, slid down and rose up simultaneously with his master, 
 joining or extending his hands, elevating his eyes, and mumbling 
 his prayers with an exactitude of imitation that might have 
 passed for mockery, but for the lugubrious gravity of his face. 
 The scene, indeed, became quite dramatic, as the two figures, 
 standing alone on their elevation above the sea, caught the ruby 
 glare of the setting sun, towards which their faces were turned, 
 and charged it, as it sank from view, with the burden of their 
 dreary invocations. 
 
 These, no doubt, were righteous men in their way, for long 
 prayers are appropriately prescribed by the Koran to those 
 who would enjoy its lengthened list of delights in Paradise. 
 Nevertheless, it must be admitted that the part of the faithful 
 follower is fairly open to criticism. His look indeed, unlike 
 that of the other, was somewhat inane, and it certainly did 
 appear that, if he ever expected to get to heaven, it was by 
 following at his master's heels ! 
 
236 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 THE CAPITAL OF INDIA. 
 
 Here Wealth still swells the golden tide, 
 
 As busy Trade his labour plies ; 
 There Architecture's noble pride 
 
 Bids elegance and splendour rise. — BuRNj. 
 
 ,T length began that hum and bustle of prepa- 
 ration which ever attends the near termina- 
 tion of a sea voyage. There was g^eat ex- 
 citement among the passengers ; and well 
 there might be, for long and far-severed 
 friends — ^husbands, wives, parents, and children — were about to 
 meet in each other's embrace. As we approached Garden 
 Reach, the view had become diversified with handsome dwellings 
 and flowery parterres, and, at the landing-place, as we dropped 
 anchor, we found congregated, under the sheltering roof of a 
 large shed, the expectant friends of those who were happy in 
 such a possession. 
 
 The deck was crowded with voyagers, the shed was thronged 
 with their relatives, and an animated scene ensued as the parties 
 confronted one another. Such a simultaneous interchange of 
 loving salutes, such a gleaming and straining of eyes directed to 
 different points of the large assembly on shore, such reciprocal 
 
< 
 u 
 
CH. xxvTi.] y/£lV OF CALCUTTA. 237 
 
 kissing of hands and waving of handkerchiefs, were all illustra- 
 tive of the oft-sung truism that 
 
 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder.' 
 
 Then came a throng of boats to the ship's side — a rush of num- 
 bers up the steep gangway, and a commingling of the actors in 
 the recent pantomime. Here, however, I must drop the cur- 
 tain on a scene so sacred as that where grown men, young and 
 old, are fairly sobbing aloud for very joy in the arms of those 
 from whom they have been so long severed. 
 
 The appearance of Calcutta, approached from Garden Reach, 
 is decidedly that of a ' city of palaces.' It may be described in 
 a sentence as an immense crescent (perhaps two miles in extent) 
 mainly formed of elegant white buildings, having flat ornamented 
 roofs and broad balconies ; this view, adorned by several spires 
 and intermingled with rich foliage, forming the magnificent 
 boundary line of a wide, noble park, extending from the banks 
 of the river with its forest of tall masts. The park itself (or 
 Maidan, as it is called) is intersected through its whole level 
 surface by pathways, garden enclosures, and wide carriage drives 
 bordered with stone balustrades. 
 
 Here the eye takes in at a glance the best portion of the 
 city, including Cfiowringhee (the handsome ' West End '), Go- 
 vernment House and offices, with other public edifices. The 
 Maidan, which, in consequence of being the public exercise 
 ground, has been appropriately styled the ' lungs of Calcutta, 
 might with equal propriety have been called its strong arm ; 
 for here stands Fort William, encircled by green ramparts, and 
 wide entrenchments — an impregnable little city of soldiers. 
 
238 
 
 THE CAPITAL OF INDIA. 
 
 [CH. 
 
 bristling all over with guns, and well stored with British means 
 and appliances of offensive and defensive warfare. Here, too, 
 is ' the Course,' the scene of that afternoon gathering, which of 
 itself is something worth visiting Calcutta to witness. 
 
 Turning now to the river, from the mud banks of which we 
 are supposed to have taken this survey, we find it crowded with 
 shipping along the whole line of the city. Some of the finest 
 
 LANDING AT CALCUTTA. 
 
 vessels in the world enhance the display ; for in these days 
 our shipowners, competing with one another in so important 
 a market, have found that the craft which conveyed the in- 
 dustry of our forefathers to Indian ports are now too small to 
 pay. Nevertheless, these magnificent ships, strangely enough, 
 are all anchored in the river, grasping its slimy bed with huge 
 iron flukes, and landing and receiving their cargoes, by means 
 of small boats, with much labour and expense. It seems ridi- 
 
» * I J ■» > 
 

 liiiii 
 
 
 < 
 I- 
 1- 
 
 3 
 
 u 
 
 < 
 o 
 
xxvn.] SANITARY IMPROVEMENTS, 239 
 
 culous that a port which, for the extent and vakie of its ton- 
 nage, is exceeded by few others in the world should be thus 
 unprovided, not only with quays, but even with landing-jetties. 
 Yet now, at the end of 1869, so it is, and has ever been. At 
 length, however. Government has pronounced the doom of this 
 anomaly, by invitmg tenders for the construction of jetties ; and, 
 although the proposed scheme is generally regarded as inade- 
 quate to the exigencies of the case, it is at least a step in the 
 right direction. There is also a project under consideration for 
 connecting the two banks of the river by a floating-bridge at 
 Howrah, the ' Surrey Side ' of Calcutta. 
 
 It is only, indeed, during the last few years that any impor- 
 tant practical innovation has been made in the statu quo of that 
 entire century, during which the capital of British India re- 
 mained one of the most inconvenient and unhealthy places 
 within its bounds. Now gas has been introduced throughout 
 the city proper, and pipes are being laid down for the purpose 
 of supplying pure water to its population of 377,924. Of these 
 inhabitants the European and Indo-European classes (nearly 
 equal in number) together amount to about 22,000, and the 
 Hindoos to 239,000 ; while the remainder, in addition to Mo- 
 hammedans, comprises Armenians, Greeks, Jews, Chinese, Afri- 
 cans, and Parsees — the population being thus of a much more 
 heterogeneous character than that of Bombay or Madras. The 
 fairer parts of Calcutta have already been cleared, through the 
 formation of spacious streets and squares, of the filthy bustees or 
 hamlets that cumbered them like a growth of fungi, while a 
 system of drainage is In progress which will, when completed, 
 compass about two-thirds of the town. In a list of 'civil build- 
 
240 . THE CAPITAL OF INDIA. [ch. 
 
 ings/just finished or in course of erection, the latest Bengal 
 Administration Report mentions the ' Sailors' Home,' the ' Post 
 Office,' the ' Imperial Museum,' and the ' New Calcutta Uni- 
 versity.' Among other contemplated institutions, we hear of a 
 Pauper Hospital to shelter 400 patients, and a Lock Hospital, 
 intended for the relief of fallen women, who are said to exist 
 in the city and suburbs to the number of about 9,000. The 
 Hooghly itself has not been neglected ; those ghastly burdens, 
 in the form of half-consumed corpses, with which it was daily 
 wont to roll — towards the sea, as our eyes told us — towards 
 heaven, in the fancy of the weak Hindoo, having been with- 
 drawn from its current. Burning ghauts (mere blank spaces 
 enclosed by high walls) still occupy sites on the bank, for there 
 is no need of interference with the ancient rite of which they are 
 the temples. It has lately been enacted, however, that the fires 
 which blaze and crackle within shall be made to do their work 
 thoroughly ; and, further, a furnace erected at the public expense 
 now extinguishes with swift-consuming flames the bodies of the 
 poor departed whose friends lack the means of doing them that 
 final service. 
 
 Thus the capital of our Indian empire is a much more suitable 
 and healthy place for the important purpose it subserves than 
 it was five years ago, or at any former time ; and although 
 great improvements are still needful and possible, the growing 
 necessity that existed for removing the Government headquar- 
 ters to some more salubrious situation has been checked, and 
 is now less urgent. We must infer that the ' city proper,' to 
 which I have alluded, comprises only a part of what is usually 
 understood by the 'population of Calcutta.' 
 
XXVI r.] EXCLUSIVE SERVICE. 24 1 
 
 A writer in the ' Friend of India' calculates that, during the 
 pjist centur)% the entire inhabitants, including those of the subur- 
 ban and Howrah municipalities, 'have increased from a quarter 
 of a million to upwards of a million, the pure European residents 
 from five hundred to twenty thousand, and the mixed and other 
 Christians from seven hundred to twenty thousand.' The same 
 journal lately published the following list of those inhabitants 
 who paid the local licence tax in the previous year, as affording 
 ' an idea of the population of the business quarter of the city : ' — 
 
 98 Joint-stock Companies. 
 571 Merchants and Agents, Bankers and >Vholesale Traders. 
 64 Banians. 
 
 139 Miscellaneous Dealers. 
 181 Brokers. 
 
 104 Members of the I^egal Profession. 
 76 Medical Practitioners and Apothecaries. 
 44 Bazars and Screws. 
 7 Engineers and Architects. 
 9 Auctioneers. 
 2,073 Miscellaneous Traders in 3rd class. 
 
 114 Pawnbrokers. 
 6,097 Retail Dealers in 4th class. 
 14,181 Ditto ditto 5th class. 
 6,740 Itinerant Dealers. 
 
 But we know precisely that of the whole foreign trade of 
 British India, amounting, as has been stated, last year to the 
 magnificent sum of 101,000,000/. sterling, that of Calcutta alone 
 constituted about one-third. 
 
 The breadth and cleanliness of the main streets, with their 
 refreshing green squares and vistas, afford an agreeable change 
 to the eye that has been accustomed to the ordinary aspect of 
 Eastern cities. The dust which would otherwise render even 
 such thoroughfares disagreeable is kept down by a large staff 
 
242 THE CAPITAL OF INDIA. [cH. 
 
 of bheesties, or water-carriers, each bearing his mtcssack, an 
 object resembling at a short distance the form of a full-grown 
 pig. The mussack is, however, a thing formed of leather, or the 
 skin of an animal preserved in its entirety, and filled with water. 
 This useful and laborious service in Indian towns, with its salary 
 and emoluments, amounting in all to 8/. or lo/. per annum, is of 
 course fulfilled by Mohammedans, the Hindoo as a rule being 
 
 THE BHEESTIE. 
 
 inaccessible in respect of all functions connected with animal 
 flesh. 
 
 Hence the heterogeneous constitution and ridiculous rules of 
 domestic service throughout the country. The lithe fellow who 
 wields the broom will perhaps shrink from touching a dish 
 which had been used for the family dinner. If a rigid Brah- 
 minist, he will guard his own food from the slightest contact 
 
xxvTi.] STREET TRAFFIC. 243 
 
 with alien hands. He may start at the sound of his master's 
 voice, or cringe and crawl as if he were unworthy to stand be- 
 fore him, but may nevertheless choose to treat the great sahib's 
 very shadow as pollution, by secretly casting away the meal of 
 rice on which it had chanced to fall. 
 
 It was, I suppose, on the principle of anything which is per- 
 fectly novel constituting a source of attraction, that on entering 
 the business quarter of Calcutta our attention was first arrested 
 by an indescribable chorus of rasping, squeaking sounds which 
 seemed to pervade it throughout This proved to be an in- 
 dustrial melody, produced by the bullock hackries or carts which 
 traversed the thoroughfares, conducting the heavy traffic of the 
 city, and these vehicles being roughly constructed of bamboo, had 
 a dry neglected axle of that material, which thus brayed and 
 whimpered ludicrously, after the manner of a donkey under the 
 pressure of the burden. Each hackrie was drawn by a pair 
 of bullocks of the country, attached together by a pole laid 
 across the neck immediately in front of the hump, and sustain- 
 ing the entire weight of the load — a load in most cases so 
 excessive that the animals visibly writhed under the pain it 
 inflicted. It was apparent indeed, not in a few but in many 
 instances, that the pole had gashed the creatures' necks as with 
 a butcher's cleaver, and was working with every step they took 
 still deeper into the bleeding wound, while the letters or charac- 
 ters with which each animal was branded had been so brutally 
 impressed as to be literally written in blood ! 
 
 About the time of which I speak a Society for the Prevention 
 of Cruelty to Animals had been formed in Calcutta, and under 
 its humane action, I believe, a great reformation has recently 
 
 R 2 
 
244 ^^^ CAPITAL OF INDIA. [ch. 
 
 been effected. I regret to add, however, that we found such an 
 association required with at least equal urgency in other parts 
 of the country ; the lower orders of the people, regarded in a 
 wide sense, being to all appearance savagely indifferent to the 
 sufferings of the animals under their charge. 
 
 With those who may deem this matter too trivial for a place 
 in any sketch of the leading features of the Indian capital, 
 I am content to join issue. Feeling for the lower creation 
 apart, we at least profess an interest in the welfare of the insen- 
 sate wretch — I had almost said the inferior animal — who thus 
 wields his power over gentle beasts of burden (their necks, 
 it may be, streaming with blood), as he sits behind on the 
 grinding instrument of torture alluded to, accelerating their pro- 
 gress by the stroke of a bludgeon. A righteous Government 
 cannot fulfil its mission in Calcutta or elsewhere without frown- 
 ing down enormities which, however natural to the ignorant 
 native, or rooted in the habits of his race, are not the less an 
 outrage on that higher civilization the virtues and blessings of 
 which we are inviting him to share. 
 
 Touching the hackrie itself, which first so loudly claimed our 
 notice, it may be added that groaning axle as well as suffering 
 bullock has been taken under legal protection, the municipality 
 — unable, we may imagine, to hear the music of their own 
 voices for the creaking din outside — having recently passed 
 a measure compelling the owners of these noisy vehicles to keep 
 them quiet by a soothing process of lubrication ! 
 
 The business streets of Calcutta are entirely composed of the 
 usual large 'go-downs' of European traders, and are either con- 
 nected in direct lines with the river, or situated on its banks. 
 
xxvn.] NATIVE LIFE. 245 
 
 where the scene to be witnessed of public storehouses and 
 auction buildings, rows of sheds having piles of merchandise 
 within, bustle of carts and carriers, steamers still or moving, 
 and a crowd of cargo-boats noisily swarming round great ships 
 anchored in the stream, may be regarded as broadly resembling 
 a view of the Thames at Wapping. 
 
 But the native portion of the city presents a picture of human 
 existence which has no parallel in Western life. Rows of low 
 brick buildings, serving as shops and storerooms, earthen huts, 
 cottages formed of cane and mats, together with wooden dwell- 
 ings sustained on bamboo piles, all confusedly mingled, run on 
 for miles, the narrow street between being of course crowded 
 and noisy, as well as stifling with heat and dust Here in small 
 lowly recesses, or in lofts girt with a swaddling band of matting 
 to protect the inmates from the sun, the unvarying round of 
 poor Indian households proceeds from day to day, whole fami- 
 lies, down, it may be, to the third generation, dwelling under 
 the same roof While passing along we could perceive some of 
 the female members of the community, doomed to seclusion by 
 the tyranny of their creed, inspecting through the chinks of such 
 frail prison-houses the sundry interesting phases of the hubbub 
 below. It was to be presumed, of course, that the male portion 
 of these teeming households were absent on their several voca- 
 tions, wherefore the licence existing in such a place for mothers 
 and daughters to look forth on the light of heaven, even through 
 these ' loopholes of retreat.' 
 
 Interspersed, however, among the prevailing crowd of such 
 habitations, a few stately mansions appear, looking strangely 
 out of place beside their rickety neighbours. These are the 
 
 •R3 
 
246 THE CAPITAL OF INDIA. [cH, 
 
 residences of some of the wealthy baboos of Calcutta, by whom 
 a multitude of noisy neighbours and a plethora of dirt and dust 
 are seemingly not regarded as subversive of social dignity. On 
 the contrary, it is said that the situation is considered by some 
 of these magnates conducive to that end, on the principle that 
 magnitude is rendered more imposing by contrast. 
 
 But a pukka house is by no means regarded as a necessary 
 possession among the wealthy ; opulence is wont to content 
 itself with the glitter of jewellery. In the bazaars of Calcutta, 
 with their long rows of confined shops packed closely together 
 like the cells of a beehive, and filled with all the handiworks 
 of Europe and Asia, prosperous traders, squatting patiently 
 throughout the day on earthen floors in dusty dens, live and 
 die without a thought of turning their means to those purposes 
 in life which are to the world at iarge the grand stimulus to 
 industry — the golden future of toil. 
 
 In some cases, indeed, extensive dealers in goods and pro- 
 duce, who are worth six, seven, or eight lacs of rupees, dwell in 
 garrets such as English philanthropy would scarcely assign to 
 paupers. During a visit to one of the chief emporiums of the 
 piece-goods bazaar-men, I was conducted through a narrow lane 
 and up a shaky stair to a large square gallery open to the 
 sky, and overlooking a court below, in which, as the ' go-down ' 
 or store-room of the establishment, a number of men were em- 
 ployed in packing bales and boxes for transmission to the interior. 
 
 Above this gallery, on projecting ledges thick with dust, 
 large flower-pots, in every state of dilapidation from tear and 
 wear, held drooping plants in all stages of suffocation from the 
 heat ; and a cloud of pigeons, those birds of good omen in the 
 
XXVII.] 
 
 BAZAAR DEALERS. 
 
 247 
 
 estimation of many, hovered in the blazing sunlight that per- 
 vaded the place. Around it, within a series of diminutive cham- 
 bers entered by corresponding doors, the several dealers, alone, 
 or with their partners in trade, were engaged in examining pat- 
 terns, comparing samples, and following out that monotonous 
 
 PIECE-GOODS MERCHANTS. 
 
 round of business which constitutes the single pleasure of their 
 lives. Here, lolling on couches or sitting in characteristic 
 postures among their cloths and papers, we found the objects 
 of our search, who received us with that welcome which, to 
 their credit be it spoken, is always accorded to visitors. The 
 
248 THE CAPITAL OF INDIA. [cH, 
 
 apartment bore a precise resemblance to a child's toy-house ; 
 something, or rather anything, with a glitter being stuck Into 
 every available crevice and corner. Even the iron safe which 
 held the receipts and rupees did duty also as the gilded orna- 
 ment of a wall that was embellished with a hideous crew of 
 paint and porcelain divinities staring down upon the inmates. 
 Thanks to the supposed influence of this angelic host within 
 doors, and the flock of pigeons without, our business friends 
 looked forward to a continued course of prosperity, or at least 
 could console themselves with the reflection that they had not 
 neglected the legitimate means of securing it 
 
 These merchants were all trimly attired in the usual white 
 toga, and wore head-dresses of various designs, their hands 
 being generally decorated with valuable rings, which, as I have 
 already said, are possessions of themselves sufificient to confer 
 dignity and importance on the wearer. Jewellery, indeed, would 
 appear to be the natural concomitant of wealth in every Indian 
 household. 
 
 It may be interesting to notice that the piece-goods mer- 
 chants in Calcutta are chiefly Marwarries — ' up-country ' men — 
 acting either as traders on their own account, or as agents for 
 northern buyers ; and all with the same object in view — to make 
 money wherewith to return, that they may spend the autumn of 
 their lives and meet death at home. 
 
 While speaking of Bombay, I alluded to the great opulence 
 of some of its native traders ; and of course such fortunate 
 dealers are also numerous in Calcutta. One of the merchant 
 princes there had died a few years before, bequeathing to his 
 family property to a very large amount, acquired in the course 
 
XXVII.] ANGLO-INDIAN COMMERCE. 249 
 
 of transactions the history of which would supply the materials 
 of a new Eastern romance. The tale would open precisely like 
 that of Alnaschar in the ' Arabian Nights,' with the hero in 
 possession of nothing more valuable than a basket of crockery- 
 ware (in this case precisely a stock of beer-bottles) on his first 
 start in life, and might serve as an illustration per contra of the 
 same moral lesson. 
 
 It need not then excite surprise that diamonds as well as 
 diapers should be among the exports to India of articles 
 suited to the native consumption, nor that many a gem, which 
 by reason of its heavy value slips through the alabaster fingers 
 of European aristocracy, should find a resting-place on the 
 swarthy digits of some half-draped East Indian. But are we 
 therefore to conclude that neither is the gleam of jewellery, 
 wheresoever it may be encountered, one of the lights peculiar to 
 civilization ; nor the love of it, by whomsoever displayed, one 
 of the necessary signs of human elevation and refinement ? 
 
 In the business haunts of Calcutta, as the nucleus of North- 
 Western commerce, we naturally encounter a fresh variety of race 
 and costume. Some brown faces now mingle with the black, 
 and, side by side with the feebler form of the Bengalee, strong, 
 thickly clad, bearded figures of Afghans who have travelled 
 thus far with shawls from Cashmere, and fruits and spices from 
 Cabool, afford in their own stalwart persons a striking example 
 of the wide difference existing among Indian communities. 
 These men leave their camels to await their return at Delhi, 
 more than i ,000 miles behind, whence they now take the railway 
 to Calcutta, and there, following in a troop at the heels of an 
 interpreter, perambulate the European 'go-downs' in social 
 
250 THE CAPITAL OF INDIA. [cH. 
 
 parties to select the cotton stripe prints and the few other 
 articles which they carry back to their country in exchange for 
 its own merchandise. The bargaining process is here also 
 frequently conducted between the broker and buyer by signs 
 made with joined hands under cover of a cloth, the purchaser 
 first making his offer. That ancient commercial anomaly the 
 ' Banyan ' is still to be found in some houses, regulating their 
 transactions, and even employing several of the native clerks, 
 his own recompense being a commission, according to arrange- 
 ment, on the amount of sales and purchases. No doubt the 
 system of employing the ' broker ' alone is now more prevalent ; 
 but with only the addition of some gift, which that functionary 
 usually receives at the commencement of the Doorga Poojah 
 holidays from the firm he serves, he also is remunerated by a 
 small commission from the purchaser. I need scarcely add that 
 such business rules do not exist in these days through the choice 
 of British mercantile firms in India but of necessity, the force of 
 native habit in this matter having so far resisted the innovating 
 hand of change. 
 
 But the extensive commercial system created by Anglo-Indian 
 houses has now opened a wide door of industry to the people 
 themselves ; as witness in each establishment, besides its large 
 working staff, the numerous company of sleek native clerks 
 who, with closely cropped black hair and priest-like vestments, 
 sit round the desks engaged with the voluminous penmanship of 
 the day. There is generally no lack of bustle, in these places 
 the buying and selling dealers constantly moving out and in, 
 while the sahibs of the establishment go forth into the sunshine, 
 when go they must, pleasantl)- reclining within the shade of the 
 
xxvu.] SUPERSTITION IN TRADE. 25 1 
 
 'palki,' which with its attendant bearers is always waiting at the 
 door, or mount and descend the stair leading to that comfortable 
 dwelling-house on the flat above, where rest and refreshment 
 await them. 
 
 Nevertheless, the shadows of fanaticism and superstition still 
 mingle with the brighter prospect thus unfolded. While of course 
 there are many Indian traders who eschew the visionary in their 
 transactions, it is strange to observe how widely the laws of mo- 
 dern commerce are blended with the vagaries of Indian usage. 
 The belief of my shrewd constituents of the bazaar in the charm 
 of a flock of pigeons is a moderate fancy compared with other 
 delusions which are cherished with equal confidence. Nor is the 
 practical influence of all these confined to their native sphere. 
 In the present year, Glasgow shippers of certain fancy goods were 
 advised by their correspondents in Calcutta that such fabrics 
 would be unsaleable for a time, the cause not being one of those 
 which regulate the laws of supply and demand as indicated by 
 Adam Smith or any similar economist, but being due solely to 
 the fact that March and April were held to be unlucky months 
 for marriages, as predicated by the priesthood of Benares. 
 Indian lovers, thus forewarned, prudently declined being united 
 till the ill-fated period had run its course, and so the calico 
 chintz flowers and bright-coloured peacocks intended to adorn 
 them on the occasion must needs be regarded in the interval as 
 useless stock. Perhaps, however, it is not for us in Scotland to 
 rebuke too sternly this particular phase of Hindoo superstition, 
 seeing that, for similar reasons of our own, we are accustomed to 
 neglect the hymeneal altar during the month of May ! 
 
 But not to multiply examples, here is the story of the good 
 
252 THE CAPITAL OF INDIA. [ch 
 
 ship ' F R ,' the proprietor of which was a respectable 
 
 Mohammedan gentleman — a shipowner who, in the popular 
 phrase, ' flourished ' in Calcutta some years ago, and whose own 
 beard wagged to the recital of the details as they fell from his 
 lips in the hearing of my informant 
 
 One day the ' F R ' left the Hooghly for England 
 
 with a general cargo, and my friend, who was wont to engage in 
 shipping transactions with the owner, had remonstrated with him 
 in vain on the prejudice he entertained against insuring the vessel 
 and her freight. ' How can I do such a' thing ? ' was the reply. 
 ' It is part of my faith and daily confession to put my trust in 
 Providence. I have given the ship a name which signifies the 
 "gift of God to His poor slave " ; to insure her would be to violate 
 my avowed principles.' 
 
 It may be that Abdul felt his position the stronger that he 
 had hitherto escaped without loss, but as on this occasion time 
 passed without bringing the usual intelligence of or from the 
 ship, he became uneasy, and, eventually giving way, expressed 
 a desire to insure at any reasonable premium. But to insure 
 was now an impossibility, and as successive mails from England 
 arrived without bringing any notice of the ship or her arrival, she 
 was finally given up for lost. Strange to say however, at this 
 juncture, a native underwriter suddenly appeared on the scene 
 offering to insure the ship and cargo at a premium of twenty-five 
 per cent. As it afterwards transpired, the unexpected negotiator 
 had acted under the inspiration of a dream, in which, during the 
 
 preceding night, he had spied the ' F R ' careering in 
 
 full sail within a short distance of London ! But as, in the mer- 
 
XXVII.] A SPECTRE SHIP. 253 
 
 cantile community to which he belonged, this seer enjoyed the 
 reputation of being literally a far-seeing fellow, Abdul, shrewdly 
 conjecturing that he had somehow become informed of the ship's 
 safety, took fresh courage, and, instead of closing with the other 
 on the terms offered, as would otherwise have been desirable, 
 essayed to beat him down to fifteen per cent. Thus a week or 
 two passed in higgling, until a mail again arrived without any 
 tidings of the vessel, thus dispelling the night vision of the 
 would-be underwriter, who now not only declined Abdul's eager 
 offer to insure on the terms first offered, but peremptorily refused 
 
 to have anything whatever to do with the unfortunate ' F 
 
 R .' The old man was frantic at the loss to which his 
 
 cupidity had subjected him, and the passing months having 
 gradually confirmed the apprehension he had for some time 
 entertained, that he would never see or hear more of the ship, 
 eventually assured his adviser that he would for the future 
 insure his shipments even to the extent of 'a basket of potatoes, 
 and that protected by tlie average clause ! ' 
 
 It were a waste of time to dwell on the superstitious obser- 
 vances of the Indian capital ; for even were the subject a fresh 
 one, no great interest can belong to ridiculous details born of 
 Oriental fancy. 
 
 Among Indian festivals, however, great importance attaches 
 to the Doorga Poojah and Juggernauth Me/as of Bengal. These, 
 happily for Calcutta commerce, occur only once a year. The 
 former especially is the signal for a general holiday. It is wholly 
 free from those monstrous and objectionable ceremonies which 
 distinguish the system in general, being" in fact an occasion of 
 family reunion not unlike our own Christmastide, when the 
 
254 THE CAPITAL OF INDIA. [ch. 
 
 scattered members of the flock meet together to cultivate senti- 
 ments of filial love and duty, and to offer their devotions at the 
 altar of the ancestral god. 
 
 The Juggernauth festival, as held at Serampore (the most 
 sacred place but one for its celebration), becomes the occasion of 
 a regular fair, frequented by dancers and ballad-singers, as well 
 as by traders from all parts of the district, who drive a brisk 
 business in the current descriptions of Indian wares. Vene- 
 rated by a large section of the Hindoo community, as this time- 
 honoured occasion undoubtedly is, it now 'appears to have taken 
 the comparatively innocent form of a large, jolly gathering of 
 holiday seekers. Even the inmates of the Zenana, to whom 
 this kind of liberty is rarely accorded, mingle with the throng, 
 and may be seen inspecting the display of beads and bangles as 
 devoutly as if no other object of worship invited their regard ; 
 while half-tipsy priests decked with garlands are hoisting the 
 idol to his throne on an immense turreted car, or, having accom- 
 plished that feat, together with the work of robing the image 
 and other preliminaries of the ceremonial, lead off the procession 
 with maniacal gestures and howls. 
 
 The constructive ingenuity of France in matters puerile has 
 provided for the amusement of her young people toy-houses, in 
 the open apartments of which doll ladies and gentlemen appear 
 seated or standing in the various attitudes peculiar to polite 
 society. These figures are movable, in order that by arrange- 
 ment and transposition an interchange of visits may be effected 
 among them. Now this is very much the principle on which 
 some Hindoo festivals' are contrived. The course of procedure 
 actually comprises this ' playing with dolls ' on a large scale. 
 
XXVI t-l TOUR OF THE GODS. 255 
 
 for the gods are thus made to visit one another. Nor are they 
 all required to make the excursion alone. Juggernauth, for ex- 
 ample, enthroned on his lofty vehicle at Serampore, is associated 
 with his brother Balurama and his sister Subhudra, seated one 
 on either side ; and so, horses being harnessed and riders in 
 their places, the people rush forward to grasp the ropes, and the 
 worshipful trio proceed on their journey with a heavy rumbling 
 noise. A deity is brought forth from his shrine to greet them 
 by the way, and after some further ceremonial they are borne to 
 the temple of the god Radha-bullubh, with whom they abide 
 eight days, on the expiry of which Juggernauth returns to his 
 shrine with the like grandeur and dignity of escort. 
 
 That thousands of men and women everywhere throughout 
 the country regard this rude child's-play with an earnest and 
 reverential eye there is no room to doubt, inexplicable as the 
 circumstance may appear. It is, however, satisfactory to observe, 
 that a large portion of the multitudes who now attend such 
 scenes evidently regard them as mere holiday occasions enlivened 
 with a routine of pageantry. 
 
 Our dwelling-place in Calcutta was on a house-top — that is to 
 say, we resided in the spacious upper floor of a large warehouse, 
 whence it was pleasant to emerge on the breezy picturesque 
 elevation of the level balustraded roof Not during the heat of 
 the day, but late in the afternoon, or more especially at the still, 
 sombre hour of cockcrow, while the mists of night were rising 
 like a slowly lifted pall from the river and its far-winding range 
 of masts ; while kites and crows, perched on the rigging of ships 
 and other airy heights, awaking, we may suppose, from dreams 
 of some hideous death banquet, flapped the dew and the stiffness 
 
256 
 
 THE CAPITAL OF INDIA. 
 
 [CH. 
 
 from their wings preparatory to swooping down In search of the 
 ghastly reality ; and while looking below and around at the 
 wide stretch and multiform aspect of Calcutta, we could say 
 with Philip van Artevelde from his watch-tower in Ghent : — 
 
 ' Here lies a sleeping city ; God of dreams, 
 What an unreal and fantastic world 
 Is going on below ! ' 
 
 TEMPLES ON THE HOOGHLY. 
 
 Although, however, thus raised above the ordinary sphere ol 
 human life, we did not lack other company, for the ubiquitous 
 crows came in flocks to share with us a situation which was not 
 only congenial to their habits, but rendered exceptionally attrac- 
 tive by reason of the crumbs with which we were wont to regale 
 them. 
 
XXVII.] TITTIGHUR AND BARRACKPORE. 257 
 
 The friend with whom we resided here, in what he called 
 ' bachelor's quarters ' was then undergoing that life of penance 
 to which I have alluded as being frequently entailed on men 
 prosecuting business in India. A year or two before he had 
 taken his wife and young family to England, the lady having 
 succumbed to the effects of the climate, himself returning alone 
 to take his turn at the wheel. He possessed a handsome 
 villa at Tittighur, on the banks of the river, about twenty miles 
 beyond Calcutta, and together with other gentlemen similarly 
 situated was wont to repair thither at the week's end, driving in 
 a ' buggy,' by the spacious Barrackpore Road, bordered by fine 
 trees, with fields and farms on either hand, or floating in a 
 ' boghlio ' with the tide-stream past the varied panorama of the 
 river — by ghauts, mosques, and temples, scenes of living industry, 
 the smoke of death-fires, and the hideous feast of large birds 
 sailing along with fragments of the dead which had escaped 
 the consuming element and been committed to the stream. 
 
 Such are my own experiences of the journey to Tittighur, 
 itself a beautiful spot, and all the more attractive as a place of 
 residence for being situated within two miles of that celebrated 
 military station, Barrackpore, whose fine park, surrounded by 
 handsome residences, is also enriched by a fair collection of 
 Indian zoological specimens. But already both road and river, 
 with whatever fascinations they really possessed, have been for- 
 saken for the all-absorbing rail, and the Eastern Bengal line en- 
 ables the Calcutta merchant to accomplish in thirty minutes the 
 distance which constituted but yesterday a drive or sail of hours. 
 
 On arriving, however, we remained a few days at one of the 
 hotels, the better to enjoy the society of some friends with whom 
 
258 
 
 THE CAPITAL OF INDIA. 
 
 [cH. 
 
 we had become acquainted by the way, and who, after a short 
 rest there, intended pursuing their way to a far northern station. 
 There would have been no reason to notice this little ddtour 
 from our ordinary course, so tame and slow was the routine 
 of the hotel with its phlegmatic service and unsavoury cuisine, 
 but for the very sparkling incident that signalised our depar- 
 
 GHAUT ^^;AR BAKRACKI'ORE. 
 
 ture. This had been just effected, after much worry and trouble 
 (our baggage piled on the top of a crazy vehicle partly held 
 together with ropes), and we had rumbled away perhaps a hun- 
 dred yards from the door, when the driver came to a stop, and 
 engaged in leisurely conversation with one of the hotel ser- 
 vants, who had evidently run after him on some urgent errand. 
 
XXVII.] 
 
 'STOP THIEF." 
 
 259 
 
 Having managed with difficulty to get my head out of the win- 
 dow, what was my indignation and surprise to find this fellow 
 holding the horse by the bridle, and explaining with infinite 
 sang f raid that he had been sent to demand payment of the 
 hotel bill ! In vain I shouted that he was the messenger of a 
 set of blundering boobies ; in vain I commanded the driver to 
 
 BARRACKP<1RE PARK. 
 
 go on ; and presently we found a little crowd collecting around 
 us, eager no doubt to see the sahib and the mem sahib who 
 had been caught running away without defraying the reckoning. 
 Zounds ! here was a bombshell cast into the camp ; a rough 
 check to our hitherto smooth progress. To think of a man 
 who had travelled so far over a course strewn with the flowers 
 of welcome, and who had thus been induced to anticipate a 
 
26o THE CAPITAL OF INDIA. [cH. 
 
 distinguished reception in Calcutta, actually arrested in the 
 public street, seated with his poor wife in a dilapidated gharry, 
 and accused of decamping without paying his lodgings! Donner 
 und blitzen ! such an insult would shake the temper of a saint, 
 and was therefore too much for mine. Of course I knew my 
 own innocence of the abominable charge, but what trouble 
 might it not cause me, and what would Mrs. Grundy say ? Oh, 
 for a supple cane and the shoulders of the sleepy-eyed half-caste 
 whose receipt for the bill was happily safe in my pocket, but who 
 had himself forgotten all about the settlement, if indeed he had 
 roused himself to think at all ! Such was the amiable sentiment, 
 stimulated by which I was in the act of scrambling out of the 
 gharry with the intention of rushing back to the hotel, when a 
 second leisurely messenger appeared, quietly telling the first 
 that it was 'all right' The sleepy eyes had opened in due time 
 to a sense of their blindness ; and our meek driver, glad no 
 doubt to be released from custody, immediately bore us away 
 from the scene of our humiliation. 
 
 It may serve to throw some light on this episode when 
 I explain that Calcutta, at once a large shipping port and a 
 necessary way of approach to the populous North- Western 
 districts, is, or it may now be more correct to say was, a great 
 rendezvous of adventurers, who, when they did run away in 
 ante-railway days, were virtually beyond pursuit, seeing that 
 their hiding-place, ' the Mofussil,' signified an area of many 
 thousands of miles. Such a country, however, really possesses 
 no attractions for needy ramblers. On the contrary, lago's ad- 
 vice to the Venetian simpleton, ' put money in thy purse,' may 
 be addressed to all comers. 
 
xxvn.] 
 
 HOUSEHOLD SERVICE. 
 
 26 f 
 
 In reviewing the soldier's or the civilian's pay, the salary of 
 European assistants, or the profits of trade in India, let us 
 remember what has been already stated, that living is doubly 
 expensive there. Single men, or those who being married are 
 for the time unblessed with that much-prized possession mis- 
 named an ' incumbrance,' may reside at one of the many board- 
 
 THK HODSEHOLO STAFF. 
 
 ing-houses in Calcutta comfortably enough ; but such has been 
 the great advance in the value of property, that about 6cxd/. a 
 year is now only an ordinary rent for a respectable family house. 
 The hire of native bone and muscle has not risen, it is true, 
 proportionately with the value of brick and mortar, and the pay 
 of domestic servants ranges only from four to ten rupees per 
 
262 THE CAPITAL OF INDIA. [cH. 
 
 month ; still, so numerous are these native servitors that they 
 constitute an establishment of themselves. Another item of 
 expense belongs to the maintenance of carriage and horses as 
 the prevailing and only feasible means of locomotion for Euro- 
 peans during the heat of the day. 
 
 Were this all, the emoluments of our Indian commercial and 
 administrative systems might be sufficient for the end they are 
 supposed to subserve — which, no doubt, they are to the more 
 prudent order of recipients — but, alas ! the tyranny of fashion, 
 and the love of social distinction, prey like a blight on Anglo- 
 Indian life, and rob too many of our countrymen of the reward 
 for which they toil. In Calcutta more especially the dearly- 
 earned incomes of European residents are spent with a freedom 
 which furnishes a striking comment on the desire so universally 
 felt, and so frequently expressed, to save money and go home. 
 
 The ' course ' occupies a portion of the splendid Maidan, or 
 public park, to which I have alluded elsewhere, and encloses 
 a labyrinth of luxuriant walks, called Eden Gardens. Every 
 afternoon, a little before sunset, the native and European gentry 
 of Calcutta meet here on horseback or in carriages, to air their 
 dignity and survey each other according to Indian custom. 
 That strange gathering of the lieges, in circulating motion, alto- 
 gether eclipses, in sparkle and variety, such displays as those 
 of Hyde Park, or the Champs Elysdes. The preponderance of 
 military decorations on the one side and of native tinsel on the 
 other convert the meeting into a gilded spectacle. Here, radiant 
 with gold-broidered skull-cap, silken pantaloons, dashing cum- 
 merbund, and woof of chains, appear Bengal fashionables astride 
 well-trained chargers, or lolling in elegant equipages. Many 
 
XXVII.] THE EASTERN ROTTEN ROW. 263 
 
 handsome vehicles with attendants in a variety of Hveries, per- 
 ambulate the course, bearing English groups of 
 
 'City ladies, pale and splendid. 
 By moustachioed youths attended ; ' 
 
 or wealthy Mahometan and Hindoo families, arrayed in silk and 
 velvet, far transcending in fashionable exterior our nearer kins- 
 men the Eurasians, who go the round seated in their humbler 
 buggies, or packed in family parties within the cover of a one- 
 horse gharry. As with similar meetings elsewhere in India 
 there is little or no association of the races in this public conven- 
 tion of the citizens. On several occasions we were pointed out 
 an ex-Minister, or quondam native ruler, grandly reclining in 
 his barouche, and in whom it was evident that defeat and mis- 
 fortune had not extinguished the pride of state. Among such 
 notabilities were the Sikh sirdars, seated in a carriage drawn by 
 four splendid horses, and gracefully attired in white and pink 
 dresses of fine muslin, their broad intelligent faces adorned 
 with trim, black beards and whiskers. 
 
 Thus in itself the Maidan assembly presented an animated 
 scene, and the play of happy children round the band-stand 
 formed a bright dash in the Anglo- Indian picture ; but, other- 
 wise, I imagined (although I hope to be pardoned for any 
 mistake in this respect) it was devoid of cheerfulness. In 
 the waning light, a crowd of people paraded the walks with 
 ' measured step and slow,' discoursing in subdued tones, above 
 which might be heard the occasional ring of a scabbard on 
 the sward as it clanked at the heels of some military pro- 
 menader. In due time the scene suddenly closed, for the sun 
 had dipped into the forest that fringed the western sky, and 
 
264 THE CAPITAL OF INDIA. [cH. 
 
 the ruby glow fast spreading along the line of the horizon was 
 the signal of approaching night. The riders and pedestrians 
 dispersed, and the occupants of carriages, having lit their lamps, 
 streamed homeward, to wind up another day with the evening 
 dinner — some, no doubt, ruminating as they went on the sweet 
 summer gloamings and social winter joys of another land. 
 
 All this time, standing motionless as statues on the top of 
 Government House, or one of the adjoining buildings, several 
 of those large, weird birds called adjutants — Calcutta scaven- 
 gers, whose ordinary habit it is to stalk serenely among the 
 citizens, grubbing under the protection of the law — might be 
 observed looking down upon the proceedings. Now was heard 
 the short rapid yelp of roving bands of jackals, coming forth to 
 search for prey on the darkening and deserted plain. The busi- 
 ness of the day was ended, and the ' City of Palaces,' an hour ago 
 so bright and bustling, became a scene of solitude and gloom. 
 
 The organization of Calcutta life, like that of Bombay and 
 Madras, is distinguished by a long and noble list of charitable 
 societies and hospitals, together with institutions educational, 
 ecclesiastical, mechanical, geological, agricultural, or medical, 
 all flourishing under a mixed system of native and European 
 patronage. 
 
 The Church of Rome and its branches occupy a strong 
 position. There are churches ' Greek,' ' Armenian,' ' Baptist,' 
 ' Lutheran ; ' ' native churches,' with native pastors and com- 
 municants, and Jewish ' synagogues.' The catalogue also com- 
 prises the Parsee ' Temple of Silence ' and the Parsee ' Agiaree,' 
 or ' Temple of the Sacred Fire,' in which we are told ' the reli- 
 gious services are performed by five priests.' 
 
XXVII.] CHURCHES, CHARITIES, INDUSTRIES. 265 
 
 Among the learned bodies of the period appears the Maho- 
 metan Literary Society, of which Moulvie Mahomed Wujeeh 
 is president, and which is said to comprise among its members 
 ' more than 500 Mahometan gentlemen from all parts of India.' 
 Like. Madras, Calcutta is great in masonic societies, among 
 which, however, the native element, so prominent in the case of 
 the former city, seems to have no place. 
 
 In Bengal, with Calcutta as the centre of action, the number 
 of schools and colleges receiving aid from government, in 1868, 
 was 3,411, with an attendance of 145,142 male and female 
 scholars; being an increase of 503 schools and 23,662 pupils 
 on the numbers of the former year. Those having no govern- 
 ment assistance amounted to 2,196 schools and 65,212 pupils. 
 I have already explained that the several languages of India 
 are taught in these seminaries ; but the University, rightly or 
 wrongly, does not recognize any other than the English tongue 
 as the medium of high-class education. 
 
 ' Shipping ' and ' dock ' concerns, together with ' coal,' ' print- 
 ing,' ' irrigation,' ' screwing and press,' ' indigo ' and ' tea ' com- 
 panies, constitute the principal items of the commercial list ; 
 for Calcutta, although abounding in supplies of jute and cotton, 
 produces manufactures of either only to a small extent So far 
 as my knowledge goes, scarcely half-a-dozen cotton and jute 
 spinning or weaving-mills exist in the whole of Bengal and 
 North-Western India. These departments of productive indus- 
 try naturally belong to such a country as our own, and to such 
 places as Manchester, Glasgow, and Dundee. For the reasons 
 formerly given, with reference to the operations of the Bombay 
 mills, the cloth and yarn produced here are of heavy kinds, 
 
266 
 
 THE CAPITAL OF INDIA. 
 
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XXV1I.1 PRODUCE LOCATIONS. 267 
 
 and for local consumption alone. The few jute mills (which are 
 chiefly situated in the neighbourhood of Calcutta) are engaged 
 in the manufacture of gunny cloth and bags, intended for the 
 double purpose of baling produce in India and of export to 
 America and Ceylon. The annexed table, with which I have 
 been favoured by a long established and extensive Indian firm, 
 will afford any one unacquainted with the subject precise infor- 
 mation regarding the nature and progress of the normal trade of 
 the country, as represented by the Calcutta exports. It will be 
 observed that the columns comprise a period of twenty years, 
 the last ten, beginning with 1859, being given consecutively. 
 
 As regards the locations of the more important products in 
 so vast an area of growth, it may be explained, on the authority 
 of the Bengal Directory for last year, that there are 126 indigo 
 ' concerns ' (some of them with a large number of ' factories ') 
 scattered throughout Allahabad, Allyghur, Azimghur, Bancooral, 
 Beerbhoom, Benares, Bhaugulpore, Bustee, Burdwan, Chum- 
 parun, Chuprah, Etah, Furreedpore, Futteeghur, Ghazeepore, 
 Goruckpore, Jessore, Jounpore, Malda, Midnapore, Mirzapore, 
 Monghyr, Moorshedabad, Mymensing, Nuddea, Purneah, Raj- 
 hahye, Sarun, Shahabad, and Tirhoot ; one jute concern in 
 Mymensing having three factories ; three silk ' plantations,' com- 
 prising fifteen ' gardens,' located in Beerbhoom, Furreedpore, 
 Jessore, Midnapore, Rajhahye, and numerous tea 'plantations' 
 situated in Assam, Cachar, Chittagong, and Darjeeling. 
 
 From these columns (which, with the exception of sugar cul- 
 tivation, scarcely exhibit a retrograde movement) we miss, of 
 course, the two great items of productive labour, opium and 
 salt, which Government reserves to itself, and which also de- 
 mand a passing word of reference. 
 
268 THE CAPITAL OF INDIA. [cH. 
 
 A tax on salt seems at first sight a hardship for the people, 
 but such a revenue as 5,ooo,cxx)/. affords material aid to the 
 Administration in its plans for promoting the public welfare. 
 The quantity of this great necessary of life is fortunately 
 abundant throughout the land ; but important preparations are 
 being made, especially in Northern India, by means of rail 
 and water ways, to render the sources of supply more accessible. 
 In that region the Sambhur Lake alone, from which a large 
 portion of the consumption is derived, would (as was recently 
 stated by the Honourable Mr. Strachey in the Viceregal Legis- 
 lative Council of Calcutta), if properly utilized, yield a sufficient 
 supply to serve the country for 500 years. For the collection 
 of the duty, the Government maintains an inland customs line 
 more than 2,cx»o miles long, and i6,ckx) men at a cost exceeding 
 200,000/. per annum. 
 
 The opium trade continues to yield a large and increasing 
 revenue. If it be true, as is sometimes alleged, both in and out 
 of parliament, that we acquire from this traffic the wages of sin, 
 it appears that iniquity has high rewards, the emoluments here 
 amounting to nearly 9,000,000/. sterling per annum, and thus 
 forming a temptation which it may at least be said, on behalf 
 of the State, only extraordinary virtue could resist. But, indeed, 
 the opium trade, as an ethical question, is somewhat difficult and 
 involved. In itself, the drug is a rare gift of Providence — a real 
 blessing and proper source of comfort to mankind. That we 
 supply China every year with an enormous quantity of opium, 
 for which we receive an immense sum of money, and that 
 people there are in the habit of converting what in its proper 
 use is a boon into a curse by excessive indulgence, are facts 
 
XXVII.] SALT AND OPIUM. 269 
 
 which do not invalidate the foregoing statement Those who 
 denounce the traffic, however, will be glad to learn that our 
 hands may soon be found comparatively clean, without any 
 effort of our own being employed to render them so ; for we 
 now hear from China of an extensive growth and increasing 
 cultivation of the poppy, notwithstanding the stringent prohibi- 
 tion against its plantation, which had been issued by the Chinese 
 authorities. If a proper subject of regret, it is also a serious 
 consideration for us in another sense, that the Canton opium 
 shopkeepers are, according to the intelligence of the day, sup- 
 plied to some extent with the indigenous drug, which is rapidly 
 improving in quality, and is now taken by the native consumers 
 mixed in stated proportions with the product of Hindostan. 
 While fully recognizing the evil effects arising from the ex- 
 cessive consumption of opium, it behoves the social economist 
 to consider that any violent intermeddling with a trade of such 
 magnitude would not only seriously diminish the Indian revenue, 
 but affect the whole commerce of the East, and even overturn 
 the existing arrangements of Government 
 
 From a statement submitted in the ' Report on the Administra- 
 tion of the Bengal Presidency ' for 1868, we find that the number 
 of chests sold reached 47,999, and that the proceeds realized 
 amounted to 6,39,27,309 rupees, showing a net revenue, after 
 deducting charges, of 4,67,37,033 rupees, this being the 'highest 
 amount ever realized for the cultivation of opium in Bengal.' 
 So much for the trade in this famous drug, and the prospects 
 of opium-eaters throughout the world. It is a well-known fact 
 that many of the natives of India are, like the Chinese them- 
 selves, very fond of the narcotic, and only prevented by motives 
 of necessary economy from using it more freely. 
 
270 THE CAPITAL OF INDIA. [cH, 
 
 The indigo plant, which is indigenous to the soil, has an ancient 
 and interesting history, indigo being mentioned as an article of 
 export from India to Rome during the reign of Augustus. We 
 owe our knowledge of its manufacture to the Hindoos, and as 
 the operation is purely a chemical one, including the process of 
 fermentation in vats, it is believed that agricultural science now 
 at work throughout the country will yet effect gfreat improve- 
 ments in the mode of its production. 
 
 To jtite, which must also undergo a kind of fermenting pro- 
 cess before the fibre can be released, the last observation also 
 applies. But the trade in jute, unlike that in indigo, is a recent 
 one, of very rapid growth ; and the former article stands in the 
 anomalous position of being very little adapted to the circum- 
 stances of life on the soil which bears it in such abundance, 
 while it serves an excellent purpose in colder climates, supplying, 
 as everyone knows, our northern dwellings with sundry familiar 
 aids to family comfort 
 
 As regards the now all-important question of cotton-growing, 
 it is, I believe, a mistake to suppose that the production is re- 
 tarded by any prejudice, religious or otherwise, on the part of 
 the native cultivator, against the new modtis operandi. That he 
 should have been slow to appreciate the value of agricultural 
 implements and machinery, of which he had no experience, 
 will be scarcely a matter of surprise to those acquainted with the 
 Indian idiosyncrasy. But, according to popular opinion in the 
 country, a desire to produce the crop which he finds will pay 
 him best, is a stronger feeling with the ryot than any partiality 
 he may retain for the ancient system of culture. The prospect 
 certainly points to a gradual extension of the area now occupied 
 
xxvii.l INDIGO, JUTE, COTTON. 271 
 
 by this great staple, as irrigation and railways progress, and 
 the agriculturist becomes familiar with the improved modes 
 of husbandry. When the American war laid open the world's 
 market to India, the then existing means and appliances could 
 not fulfil the desired purpose of a much enlarged and more 
 economical production. The requirements of skill, experience, 
 machinery, and means of transit, all needed from the first, are 
 now about to combine their powers, as they have not hitherto 
 done, but even yet their united action in any effectual form is a 
 consummation, which can only be reached through the lapse of 
 years. 
 
 We learn that the latest Official Report on the condition of 
 those extensive cotton districts, the Central Provinces and the 
 Berars, is highly encouraging. Native cultivators begin to un- 
 derstand how to select the seed best adapted to the soil and 
 climate of different districts, and in this way, more than by the 
 introduction of exotic varieties, are succeeding in improving the 
 quality of the growth. They have also adopted improved 
 presses for turning out bales more convenient for transit, and 
 it remains for the public enterprize to go on making roads, 
 bridging nullahs, and opening up the way towards rail and 
 river. The vast extent of the field open for cultivation will 
 be found indicated on the map. Till within the last few years, 
 as will afterwards more particularly appear, the greater portion 
 of the cotton grown in these districts was conveyed by means ot 
 pack oxen moving at a snail's pace to Mirzapore on the Ganges 
 — a distance perhaps of 5CX3 miles, through byways, bridle-roads, 
 and jungle-paths, obstructed by thorns and briars, which rent 
 the bags and wasted their contents. Thence the cotton was 
 
272 THE CAPITAL OF INDIA. [cH. 
 
 taken chiefly in boats to Calcutta, a stretch of 721 miles by the 
 shortest passage, or 898 miles by that of the Sunderbunds. The 
 greater portion now finds its way to Bombay, but it is still 
 dragged over the country by oxen to the nearest railway station. 
 Meanwhile, the mercantile world has discovered that the re- 
 ciprocal interests of our own country and its great dependency 
 render this subject one of paramount interest and anxiety. The 
 course of events will necessarily, in some measure, depend on the 
 future circumstances attending the competition with America. 
 While that country has been engaged in. resuscitating, as best 
 it might, the scattered elements of its former industry, the in- 
 digenous staple of Indian cotton has undergone an immense 
 improvement. Cotton ' screwing ' and ' press ' companies have 
 sprung up in the proper localities, and Indian growers have 
 entered upon new land tenures, of a nature calculated to afford 
 a fresh stimulus to their exertions. At present the exports of 
 both countries to Great Britain are nearly equal, and the com- 
 mercial community will trace with interest every step in the 
 great race of competition which may now be held as begun. 
 Not that the successful progression of either of these important 
 movements implies the decline of the other. On the contrary, 
 there is every reason to conclude that the world has room 
 enough for the products of both countries, and that it would be 
 well to go on stimulating the growth of Indian cotton, without 
 fear of America monopolizing the demand. The circumstances, 
 actual as well as relative, are changed since the outbreak of the 
 American war. There is now a larger outlet of consumption, 
 and we are surrounded by the evidences of a short supply for 
 the increased and increasing wants of the day. America, as a 
 
xxvii.] 'THE CUP THAT CHEERS.' 273 
 
 country with a rapidly growing population, will probably have 
 greatly enlarged requirements of her own. India, whose future 
 welfare is deeply concerned in this question, has already, as 
 I have indicated, improved much, both as regards extent and 
 quality of production, and will no doubt continue to advance 
 with the labour and experience of each succeeding year. 
 
 But we are here arrested by a new and rich mine in the agri- 
 cultural wealth of the countrj'. It is not many years since the 
 tea company mania first set in, at which time there were few 
 gardens and a comparatively trifling production. Although the 
 eastern tea districts were, as they still are, isolated from other 
 parts of Bengal, and without a single road of approach, skilled 
 labour was imported from China, and gangs of coolies, under 
 the protection of Government, were sent up from Calcutta to 
 Cachar, Sylhet, and Assam. Leaseholds, at first nearly worth- 
 less, continued to rise in value, and for a while all went pros- 
 perously In due time, however, the magnificent prospects of 
 tea cultivation collapsed, their overthrow entailing wide-spread 
 disappointment and loss. The spirit of speculation had, as 
 usual, run too fast, and outstripped the natural progress of 
 events. During the height of the competition, jungle land 
 was purchased at enormous prices, and entrusted to incom- 
 petent management, thus doubly complicating the catastrophe. 
 Nor are the difficulties in which many plantations were in- 
 volved yet at an end. While I write, the Calcutta press is 
 busy with this topic, promulgating much valuable information 
 and good advice, for the benefit of unfortunate planters. 
 The truth seems to be, however, that the elements of con- 
 fusion are gradually subsiding into order. Few of those joint- 
 
2 74 THE CAPITAL OF INDIA. [ch. 
 
 Stock companies now remain, whose aim it was to enrich their 
 promoters without regard to ulterior results, and working estates 
 are in charge either of their owners or properly selected 
 agents. During the last four years, the yield has increased 
 threefold. The field open for cultivation is large enough to 
 supply the world, and considering the great improvements 
 going on, alike in the mode of manufacture and the economy 
 of management, we may hope to see the production gradually 
 expand, thus affording another solid and extensive sphere of 
 employment for the people. 
 
 The Government report for last year shows that the extent 
 of land under ctcltivation in the different districts amounted in 
 the aggregate to between 80,000 and 90,000 acres. Further 
 details could only be rendered complete in the case of Assam, 
 which will, however, serve the purpose of a general illustration, 
 when it is explained that the 43,556 acres under cultivation 
 there include 480 gardens, which give employment to 171 
 Europeans and 962 native 'assistants,' together with 22,600 
 imported and 11,633 local labourers. The entire quantity of 
 tea exported from Calcutta in 1867-8 was 8,789,344 lbs., being 
 an increase of fully 1,500,000 lbs. on that of the preceding 
 year. 
 
 It is so far unsatisfactory that tea is not an Indian luxury, 
 and that the poor Assamese and Cacharies, to whose door it has 
 thus been brought, regard the decoction somewhat in the light 
 of a not very disagreeable medicine, preferring to waste their 
 slender surplus means on the intoxicating delights of opium. 
 Success, however, may gradually attend the efforts now being 
 made to introduce tea to native consumption. Lovers of the 
 
xxvilJ spread of COFFEE CULTIVATION. ' 275 
 
 beverage in English households are aware that Indian tea is 
 rich and strong compared with that of China, a mixture of both 
 being generally prized. The quantity imported into Great 
 Britain last year (7,320,000 lbs.) exhibits an average increase 
 for the last three years of more than j ,000,000 lbs. per annum, 
 so that the article is gradually becoming better known among 
 us. In quitting this subject I need scarcely point out how well 
 worth the attention of our home government is the develop- 
 ment of this new branch of our eastern industry. A duty of 
 dd. per lb. is levied on all tea imported into this country. 
 The cultivation of that plant, therefore, on the hill tracts of 
 Assam and Cachar, not only implies a means of employment, 
 and a source of wealth in India itself, but a large and in- 
 creasing amount of revenue to the imperial treasury. 
 
 Indian coffee does not appear in the Bengal list of exports, 
 the great locale of its growth being Southern India, between 
 Comorin and Mysore. It will be seen from the map, that this 
 district is, like Ceylon itself, exposed to the influence of both 
 the north-east and south-west monsoons, being thus favourably 
 situated for the cultivation of the coffee plant, which requires 
 much moisture Attempts recently made by firms in Bombay 
 to form plantations as far north as Goa, are meeting with a fair 
 measure of success. But, like tea cultivation in India, that of 
 coffee is marked by an interesting history and favourable pro- 
 spects. Two centuries, indeed, have elapsed since a Mahom- 
 medan pilgrim planted some coffee-berries on the Babaooden 
 hills ; yet cultivation made slow progress until about a dozen 
 years ago, when a number of Ceylon planters, scared from that 
 
 T 2 
 
276 THE CAPITAL OF INDIA. [cH. xxvii. 
 
 Island by the exorbitant value of land, emigrated to Madras, 
 and gave an impetus to the movement which has already 
 transformed large tracts of forest and jungle into thriving plan- 
 tations along the slopes of the Western Ghauts. India now 
 ranks as fourth among coffee-producing countries. The whole 
 exports last year exceeded 1,000,000/. sterling in value, being 
 far ahead of the previous annual amount, and nearly equal to 
 one-half the shipments of Ceylon. 
 
277 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 JiAILWAV GLIMPSES. 
 
 Sampson. Gregory, o' my word, we'll not carry coals. 
 
 Gregory. No ; for then we should be colliers. — Romeo and yuliet. 
 
 HERE is no subject more charming than the 
 romance of history, no place more attrac- 
 tive than the scene of its events. The 
 chronicle of perished empires may be re- 
 garded as man's enduring storybook, when 
 that of childhood has ceased to interest. It 
 ■'S'ffl^tp is wanting, no doubt, in the greater charac- 
 
 ters who were wont to excite our admiration and awe — the 
 Giants and Demons, Genii and Fairies, working miracles and 
 magic to the utter subversion of reason and the material laws. 
 These legendary creations so fascinating to the youthful mind 
 soon pass away from the sphere of life, leaving no witness be- 
 hind them. Nevertheless, such a tale as that of the Moguls, 
 illustrated by the records of their grandeur — stupendous castles, 
 gorgeous halls, and jewelled thrones — almost awakens a spark 
 of the old enthusiasm. Who indeed could stand at the gateway 
 of the North-West without feeling desirous to advance in order 
 to explore the richest archives of India and the gilded sepulchres 
 of her kings ? 
 
278 RAILWAY GLIMPSES. [cH. 
 
 It was naturally, then, with a pleasant feeling of anticipation 
 that we took our way ' up-country.' We started from the How- 
 rah terminus of the East Indian Railway, then open to Ranee- 
 gurige, a distance of 1 20 miles ; and it may be premised that 
 the characteristic features, according to the example here fur- 
 nished, of a 'railway station' in India, would afford Mr. Frith, 
 who has immortalized the subject in England, a fresh and 
 lively theme for his pencil. The native mind does not take 
 matters easy while travelling, and the presence of a leisurely 
 person on the platform is quite a phenomenon. The place is 
 therefore a Babel of sound and confusion, in which the varied 
 tones of manhood mingle with the shrill call of women and 
 children, more or less lost to one another in the crowd. Dark 
 eyes flash, dishevelled turbans stream, and white togas flow, 
 in the impatient rush for places, as if such hot haste afforded 
 the only chance of securing them, while the staff of railway 
 porters, called chokydars or police, stylishly attired at Howrah 
 in black cloth edged with yellow (exchanged for a white cotton 
 dress in the hot season), red turban, and leathern belt adorned 
 with a large brass buckle, glide among the throng directing the 
 more bewildered passengers, or swelling the tumult by rapping 
 with official canes the knuckles of the unmanageable and re- 
 fractory. 
 
 Exclusive men of caste complicate the miUe in their eager, 
 but generally vain, search for a carriage where they may chiefly, 
 if not altogether, consort with their peculiar order ; and the con- 
 fusion is further enhanced by the presence of such articles as 
 cooking-pans, clothes, and bedding, which the owner desires to 
 carry about with him, and beseeches for permission to introduce 
 
xxviii.] THE PLATFORM. 279 
 
 into the crowded carriage. The passenger urges his suit, the 
 cliokydar shouts his refusal, while the picturesque bone of con- 
 tention is alternately seized and recaptured by either disputant. 
 
 Anon ensues a fresh bustle of official preparation, and a clear- 
 ing of the way, enlivened by an occasional sharp cry, as the jem- 
 midars (foreman's) cane is applied to the poor spindle-shanks of 
 some idle coolie who happens to block the passage. The signal 
 for this movement may be the arrival of a great English sahib, 
 or native nobleman, with attendant suite and profuse display of 
 railway comforts ; or some ' light of the harem ' closely encased 
 in a palanquin, which the bearers fairly thrust into the compart- 
 ment ere the lady emerges, the better to conceal her charms 
 from the prying gaze of man. 
 
 Strange in itself, and fraught with important results, is the fact 
 that the Indian public have elected to travel almost exclusively 
 in third class carriages ; first and even second class passengers 
 constituting a mere fraction of the whole number, as the official 
 details to be afterwards quoted will show. 
 
 The first class representative of so distinguished a minority 
 reclines comfortably in a cushioned compartment, provided with 
 a double roofing and Venetian blinds to shield him at once from 
 the heat and the glare of the day. But no padded interiors or 
 shaded windows await the eager crowd of ticket-holders, who 
 are simply provided with standing room in covered waggons 
 half open at the sides, into which they are content to flock like 
 sheep into a pen. Content too, not in all cases from necessity, 
 for such is the force of Indian frugality that it prompts the 
 aspiring baboo and the high caste dignitary to huddle thus 
 together with their poorer fellows, the attractions of cheap 
 
28o ' RAILWAY GLIMPSES. [ch. 
 
 travelling being paramount and irresistible. What a contrast 
 to the exclusive habits of ante-railway days is afforded by this 
 spectacle ! 
 
 As regards the visible staff of Indian railways it is of course 
 mainly composed of native officials, the European element being 
 generally represented only by the guard, engine-driver, and sta- 
 tion-master. The cost of traffic is as yet somewhat higher for 
 goods than the average European rate ; but the passenger fares 
 although greater in the first class, are lower in the third than 
 those of the West Meanwhile, it is satisfactory to know from 
 the public returns that, in giving a guarantee for these splendid 
 schemes, the Government had rightly calculated on their pro- 
 spective success. 
 
 Before starting we were glad to observe that a few other 
 white faces besides our own mingled with the calico-clad crowd 
 around us, and specially welcome were those of our friends and 
 fellow-travellers, a Rev. Doctor and his wife, to whom we had 
 had the good fortune of being introduced in Calcutta. They 
 were bound to their home in the far North, and what between 
 their knowledge (through former experience) of the way, and 
 their truly delightful society, were indeed serviceable friends 
 to us, smoothing all the asperities of the journey until we bade 
 them farewell in Delhi. Although the country through which 
 we passed between Calcutta and Raneegunge possessed no such 
 favourite attractions as ' mountain, cataract, and glen,' yet, as 
 strangers, we found in the total absence of these the negative 
 advantage of a change, while, on a soft couch under a pleasant 
 awning, we enjoyed the novel luxury of sweeping at railway speed 
 through the sunny plains of Bengal. The route was diversified 
 
XXVIII.] 
 
 WAYSIDE SCENES. 
 
 281 
 
 with picturesque glimpses of dense little woods and forests on 
 either side of the way, peopled with rustic figures almost entirely 
 luxuriating in beauty unadorned, and apparently in thorough 
 enjoyment of the dolce far niente ; brick works were in operation 
 
 BENGAL RUSTIC SCENE. 
 
 at intervals among the rank foliage ; and tiny dwellings, con- 
 structed of earth or reed-work, nestled beneath the shade of palm 
 and banyan trees, with ebony children whom scarf, saree, or other 
 habiliment had never yet encircled, staring or gambolling in the 
 
282 RAILWAY GLIMPSES. [cH. 
 
 foreground. Here, and during our further progress northward 
 we had peeps of villages where life seemed to stagnate through 
 excess of heat, and in which the Mussulman was visible at prayer 
 in his mosque, or the Hindoo in his temple. Bordering the 
 line tanks great and small came successively into view, wherein, 
 according to custom, men, women, and children were assembled, 
 holding a Bengal conversazione in refreshing conclave ; or, net 
 in hand, engaged together with an equally assiduous throng of 
 ducks and geese in grubbing for something of which the natural 
 element was mud. The rice-fields, to which the lines of irri- 
 gation crossing each other gave the appearance of a colossal 
 chessboard, had recently been shorn of their crops, and were 
 only diversified here and there by farmhouses shrouded in 
 clumps of trees, and stark human forms far out in the sunshine, 
 bending over the renewed work of cultivation. The wide level 
 plains, apparently devoid of knoll or mound, stretched away 
 until they melted into the horizon ; their only verdure, the 
 dense-leaved trees by which they were studded ; their only life, 
 the herds of cattle visible at intervals around. 
 
 A run of about five hours brought us to Raneegunge, a place 
 having a more English aspect than the scenes of wood and 
 jungle we had just traversed. Here was a more open country, 
 a harder soil, and the familiar spectacle of coal mounds and 
 colliery shafts, intermingled with trim white chimney stacks 
 emitting clouds of smoke in the glowing atmosphere. 
 
 This is, I believe, the largest of the twenty-seven known coal 
 fields of India, which are chiefly situated in the districts between 
 Calcutta and Bombay. It is described in the recent ' Memoirs 
 of the Geological Survey of India,' as covering an area of about 
 
xxviii.] RANEEGUNGE. " 283 
 
 500 square miles, and containing an available supply of more 
 than 14,000,000,000 tons. 
 
 According to a statement in the ' Calcutta Englishman,' the 
 total production of Raneegunge in 1868 amounted to 1,34,50,829 
 vtaunds — a quantity which, taking the maund at 80 lbs. 2 oz., 
 amounts to 493,608 tons. The out-turn of the five principal 
 mining concerns was estimated at 1,19,21,065 maunds (about 
 437,061 tons), that of the Bengal Coal Company, which is said 
 to employ 3,000 hands, alone amounting to 61,39,105 maunds or 
 225,077 tons. Next to the Bengal Company in order of extent 
 come the Sirsole mines belonging to an enterprising Bengalee. 
 
 It is to be remarked, however, that although extensive coal 
 fields thus exist in British India, the quality is much inferior to 
 that of our home supply, yielding, as I have been told, more 
 than five times the quantity of ash, and a deficiency of carbon 
 or heat-giving power to the extent of about one-third. 
 
 Till recently some difficulty was experienced in procuring a 
 sufficient supply of labour for the deeper mines, the Hindoos 
 having, naturally enough, had a strong objection to descend into 
 the bowels of the earth ; but these scruples were gradually over- 
 come, as the people became familiar with the situation. 
 
 With very few exceptions the construction and routine of 
 Indian coal mines are still of a rude primitive order. Many of 
 them are entered by means of steps cut in the solid rock, and 
 thence by ladders to the mine galleries. Below ground the 
 hewn coal is carried to the bottom of the shaft, chiefly by 
 women and children in baskets sustained on the head. It is 
 then raised to the surface through the instrumentality of a ' gin ' 
 or windlass, which is worked by from thirty to thirty-six women. 
 
284 HAIL WAY GLIMPSES. [cH. 
 
 Nevertheless, it appears that the number of steam engines at 
 work among the Raneegunge coal fields had increased from 
 twenty-eight with 490 horse-power in i860, to sixty-one, aggre- 
 gating 867 horse-power, in 1868. 
 
 The railway has for the present entirely superseded the ori- 
 ginal method of forwarding coals to Calcutta, the great sphere of 
 consumption ; and although the rate of carriage is dear, namely, 
 four and a half rupees per ton, or nearly a penny per mile, 
 this change is by no means surprising in view of the former 
 system of conveyance in boats by a long winding course, first 
 down the river Damoodah, and thence by the Hooghly to 
 the place of destination. The great obstacle presented by 
 the Damoodah itself, which is not always in a navigable con- 
 dition, was aggravated by the dilatory habits of the dhandies, or 
 rowers. In this, as in other departments of labour in Bengal, 
 the baneful system of money advances prevailed, and the dhan- 
 dies were frequently in no hurry to complete their voyage, so 
 tedious at the best, preferring to idle over, and sometimes en- 
 tirely to shirk a task, for which little or no remuneration re- 
 mained to be claimed. Then hope deferred sickened the heart 
 and soured the temper of disappointed employers in the capital, 
 and it became necessary to scour the hot banks of the Da- 
 moodah in search of the recalcitrant bargers. A long-expected 
 crew might be found to have abandoned their craft in some 
 solitary creek of the river after carousing with their friends for 
 weeks together in the villages by the way. Such was one 
 of the ' troubles ' incidental to the Bengal coal trade. Not less 
 vexatious to those concerned were the freaks of the colliers 
 proper of Raneegunge, who, when such was their pleasure, 
 
xxvni.] INDIAN COALS AND COLLIERS. 285 
 
 simply declined to work by the very effectual plan of absenting 
 themselves. For the furtherance of their views, no complicated 
 machinery, such as strikes or trades' unions, was requisite. 
 The fund on which each man fell back in any access of idleness, 
 was the supply of rice in the cupboard ; and, if that was enough 
 to admit of a few days' vacation, he felt himself sufficiently 
 independent to go into hiding, leaving the chokydar, who would 
 inevitably be despatched for the purpose of ferreting him out, 
 to succeed according to his diligence and ability. This Indian 
 game of hide and seek was or, I may say still, is by no means 
 confined to the area of the coal fields, but extends to other 
 spheres of labour. A salutary change, however, which all the 
 chokydars in the land could not accomplish, is being gradually 
 brought about by British capital and industry ; still if it be true, 
 as some aver, that colliers, even in civilized Europe, are a 
 somewhat troublesome order of ' blacks,' it need scarcely excite 
 our surprise, if the remark should yet apply in a measure to 
 the fast-coloured fraternity of Raneegunge. 
 
 Not, however, that the railway ought to or will have the 
 traffic of such districts to itself, for we now learn that the Indian 
 Government has given its sanction to the immediate formation 
 of a canal leading from the Damoodah river at Raneegunge to 
 a point on the Hooghly just below Calcutta. Such a mode of 
 conveyance, by reason of its greater economy, will undoubtedly 
 again divert not only the coal of Raneegunge but much cereal 
 produce to the boat, although of the fugitive dfiandies it may 
 safely be predicated that their race is run. 
 
 To wind up these ' railway glimpses,' one terrible glance 
 remains. In the roasting months of June and July, when the 
 
286 RAILWAY GLIMPSES. [ch. xxvm. 
 
 noonday heat in carriages rolling between Cawnpore and Cal- 
 cutta, packed with a dense crowd, sometimes approaches 120 
 degrees Fahrenheit, there are passengers who become faint and 
 prostrate in the course of the run. On these occasions the 
 guard in going his rounds rouses dormant figfures, in order to 
 ascertain if they are possessed of consciousness ; and European 
 travellers, as I have also heard from their own lips, have been 
 fain to call the bheestie engaged in watering the platform of any 
 station by the way, and, presenting their steaming heads, beseech 
 him for a gush of water from his niussack! 
 
287 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 A ROLLING COUCH. 
 
 A heap of strange materials packed up with wonderful art — Addison. 
 
 U T now the two dak gharries (that of the 
 Rev. Doctor and my own), in which we 
 were to pursue our journey, awaited us at 
 Raneegunge. Their appearance was alto- 
 gether at variance with ordinary notions 
 of a family travelling conveyance, resembling, more than any 
 thing else, a country tradesman's van. A single glance, indeed, 
 at these twin omens of evil, served to foreshadow the troubles on 
 which we were about to enter, and animated with that convic- 
 tion my friend and I contemplated, with rueful countenances, 
 the disposal of our baggage, each man's on his own housetop. 
 For, alas ! the gharry, in its exquisite discomfort, had to serve the 
 dual purpose of domicile and carriage. The little well or hollow 
 within, which renders the sitting posture possible, being overlaid 
 by a board at night, and the whole space thus made level covered 
 with a quilt purchased for the purpose in the Calcutta bazaar, 
 the vehicle is transformed into an enclosed travelling couch, 
 in which several members of a family, ingeniously dove-tailed 
 
288 A ROLLING COUCH. [ch. 
 
 into one another, contrive to find accommodation, and endeavour 
 to seek repose. The other furniture consists of a projecting 
 board or ledge over the occupant's feet, which fulfils the several 
 offices of table, cupboard, wardrobe, and in that triple capacity 
 sustains the usual variety of necessary domestic articles, food, 
 cutlery, books, bottles, and clothing, all of course mingled together 
 ' in most admired disorder.' On either side is a sliding door and 
 window by which it is possible to obtain a regulated amount 
 of ventilation, i.e. so much hot air and dust by day, and so much 
 cold air and dust by night. The straining and rolling of this 
 wheeled abode, together with the jingling and rasping of its 
 numerous bolts and hinges, are things beyond the influence 
 of time and temperature, never flagging for an instant while 
 motion lasts. 
 
 So much for the interior of the gharry. Without are a coach- 
 man (gorriwallali) and his syce or groom (the heads of both 
 swathed in cotton cloth as a protection from the sun), together 
 with a living skeleton of a horse always small in size and gene- 
 rally perverse in disposition. The extraordinary prevalence of 
 this latter peculiarity is difficult to understand on any other sup- 
 position than that of a not unnatural determination on the part 
 of the animal to repay the driver's cruelty with every means 
 of annoyance at its command ; and as the cruelty on the one 
 part is really great, and the perversity on the other undeniably 
 strong, the fact itself may serve to ' point a moral,' though 
 the particulars are not fitted to 'adorn a tale.' I would there- 
 fore remark on this subject, that the public service, even in India, 
 might be conducted by worthier means than that of buying up 
 old ' screws ' by the score and committing them to the hands of 
 
XXIX.] MAN AND BEAST. " 289 
 
 savages, to the end that the residue of their faihng strength 
 may be beaten out with rods of iron. Moderate as the stages 
 are (about seven or eight miles), the exertion demanded of these 
 wretched beasts is frightful. The object in view is simply to 
 accomplish the distance with the greatest possible speed, so that 
 the animal always reaches his destination covered with foam, 
 and generally trembling and tottering in every limb. At each 
 of the numerous halts he is apt to become a source of delay, 
 the ' start ' of this single quadruped being often as difficult of 
 accomplishment as that of the whole three-year-old competitors 
 for the blue riband of the turf on Epsom Downs. To begin 
 with any application of the lash is worse than useless, and is 
 therefore seldom attempted, for the thong, if administered, would 
 fall on a body that might be dead for any sign of yielding it 
 would exhibit. Coaxing, or simply waiting till the creature 
 chooses to move, is the device of experience to effect a start 
 This failing, the syce and gorriwallah each seize a wheel and 
 set the horse's legs into involuntary motion by forcing the 
 gharry forward, a process which he usually seems to acknow- 
 ledge in a dogged, dilly-dally way, as a reasonable compromise 
 of the case between him and them ; but which he sometimes 
 resists determinedly by planting his forelegjs in advance, and 
 opposing his strength to theirs. When the men imagine that 
 the victim is fairly in action, they vault nimbly into their place 
 in front (a moment's pause, or the slightest awkwardness, being 
 certain to bring the movement thus initiated to a close), and as 
 the poor rheumatic limbs of the animal warm into life with 
 exercise, he yields at length to the whip, or perhaps to the 
 application of its iron bound handle to his sharp, protruding 
 
 u 
 
290 A ROLLING COUCH. [cH. 
 
 bones, and away he goes careering with his heavy load through 
 the thick blinding dust and the bright burning sunshine. 
 
 It was just sunset when our two gharries, the established 
 preliminaries being overcome, trundled away from Raneegunge 
 on their long journey — my friend and I, seated outside our 
 respective vehicles, to enjoy the very transient luxury of an 
 Indian twilight. Such at least was our expressed understand- 
 ing, nor was it possible to question the wisdom of the arrange- 
 
 NATIVE ATTENDANT. 
 
 ment. But indeed I did not then well see how my excellent 
 associate could possibly avoid the advantageous position it was 
 his privilege to occupy, considering that his good lady and infant 
 child, together with the necessary appendage of an Ayah (and 
 she a fat one), were already packed in the box below. It is 
 customary with travellers by this route thus to enjoy the first 
 blush of morning and the last radiance of the afternoon when 
 the sun is low, since at any other than these short periods there is 
 the risk of encountering either a roasting from the beams of day, 
 
XXIX.] OUR NATIVE ATTENDANT. 29 1 
 
 or a drenching from the dews of evening. This sanitary mea- 
 sure, however, should always be preceded by a walk. My own 
 lot, accompanied by only one, and that my best companion, was 
 the most agreeable which is possible in the circumstances. As 
 soon as the sudden night fell, together with its sure concomitant, 
 the heavy dew, or when the early sun had attained an un- 
 comfortable altitude, my place and a welcome less variable than 
 the day awaited me within. 
 
 Among the other ' effects ' piled on the top of the gharry was 
 our native servant, Gophall, presenting in that elevated position, 
 with his solemn black eyes, massive red turban, and bright- 
 coloured robes, a most imposing and conspicuous figure. There 
 he was, perched aloft by day and night, as silent and undemon- 
 strative as the japanned tin case and pair of leather portmanteaux 
 with which he was associated ; and the fact that he survived 
 all the vicissitudes of that journey through heat and cold was 
 due, I imagine, to good protective preparations on his part, and 
 a frame thoroughly inured to the atmospheric transitions of the 
 country. Gophall, whom we were fortunate in securing at 
 Bombay, through the recommendation of friends there, was a 
 Hindoo, and a superior example of his class. He was willing 
 to minister to all our necessities, but on terms distinctly specified 
 by himself We had thus an early insight, which experience 
 fully confirmed, into the stereotyped habits and resolute cha- 
 racter of the man who accompanied us throughout our Indian 
 tour, and thereafter to China. He was, indeed, quite a model of 
 servitorship ; highly trained, handy, respectful, prompt ; speaking 
 English well, but naturally silent, and never manifesting a desire 
 to court familiarity. 
 
 u 2 
 
292 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 INCIDENTS OF HILL AND PLAIN. 
 
 To me 
 
 High mountains are a feeling, but the hum 
 Of human cities torture. — Childe Harold. 
 
 Forewarned — forearmed. — Proverb. 
 
 Methought what pain it was to drown, 
 
 What dreadful noise of waters in mine ears. — Kirtg Richard III. 
 
 UR first Stage was Doomree, a distance of 
 nearly eighty miles, which I may mention, 
 by way of example, was accomplished in 
 about eleven hours, ninety miles a day 
 being considered a fair rate of dak tra- 
 velling in North- Western India. This rate 
 of speed, however, of course implies that 
 the traveller must 'steal a few hours from 
 the night,' involving as it does so many stages, each more or 
 less a source of delay according to the nature and variety of 
 the equine freaks with which the journey may happen to be 
 enlivened. 
 
 My first look out as daylight appeared was upon the Paris- 
 nath ' range ' — for, as a sea has its islands, so there are hills on 
 the plains of Bengal. We were now in one of these elevated 
 districts. While peering forth from the window into the cold 
 
CH. XXX.] PARISNATH. 293 
 
 gjey dawn, I encountered my friend's nightcap in neighbourly 
 proximity, its wearer being at that moment engaged in a similar 
 survey of the land ; and emerging from our respective caravans, 
 we had our first walk on the magnificent Grand Trunk Road. 
 The scene before us by no means tallied with preconceived 
 ideas. A low chain of peaked eminences, clothed with jungle 
 to the top, extended for miles before us, displaying a secure 
 and healthy domain for the wild animals with which they were 
 populated. 
 
 In the dim morning light the night dews were rising in smoke 
 from the leafy heights, or resting in fleecy clouds among the 
 branches below. At the terminus of the range towered the 
 celebrated ' Hill of Parisnath ' proper, a high mountain rising 
 4,624 feet above the level of the sea, and at that moment 
 girdled by a dissolving chain of clouds. Here with its crags 
 and peaks piled up into a leaden sky, stood the loftiest of the 
 few breezy elevations of Bengal. 
 
 Why dont the perspiring inhabitants of Calcutta go up and 
 be cooled, in imitation of the good example set them by their 
 brethren of Madras and Bombay ? The journals of the capital 
 are at present dealing with that question. So far as I can 
 understand the subject at issue, it would appear, that with the 
 view of something being done the people of Calcutta are wait- 
 ing on the Government of Bengal, and that the Government 
 of Bengal is waiting on the people of Calcutta, while the winds 
 wanton idly on the brows of Parisnath. There are already 
 buildings on the hill erected by Government in 1861 as a sana- 
 torium for troops, and there were sick soldiers within them ; but 
 these are now all away, dead or alive; and the consideration 
 
294 INCIDENTS OF HILL AND PLAIN. [cH. 
 
 comes to be, how far the inroads of fever and other troubles, 
 which brought about this result, were due to defective arrange- 
 ments, or how far they were attributable to the inevitable effects 
 of a place where terrible storms and floods in their season make 
 havoc of bungalows, verandahs, and all the surroundings of 
 human life in India. 
 
 Parisnath, however, is not utterly deserted. During the first 
 three months of the year thousands of Buddhist pilgrims, called 
 Jains, frequent the hill to consecrate the memory of twenty-four 
 saints, of whom Parisnath was the chief, and whose shrines, 
 one for each, stand on different peaks near the summit. The 
 Jains believe that these holy men were alone of all the world 
 gifted with sufficient intelligence to comprehend the Creator ; 
 that they chose this mountain as a retreat for penance and 
 prayer, and that they ascended thence into heaven, leaving their 
 footprints behind them as these now appear on the floors of 
 the twenty-four small chapels. There is also a Jain temple on 
 the hill, and a bazaar where strangers may procure a few simple 
 articles of food. 
 
 The Anglo-Indian mode of ascending Parisnath is to be 
 borne in a crib on the shoulders of coolies. A writer in the 
 ' Calcutta Englishman ' describes it thus : — 
 
 The ascent is accomplished in doolies, or, more properly, dandies, a 
 kind of rude hammock, suspended from a pole. In one of these the 
 traveller lies comfortably enough with a pillow to support the head ; but 
 as it is difficult to carry an umbrella, it is wise to take the additional 
 precaution of having a water-proof cloak or large shawl to hang, tent- 
 wise, over the doolie pole in case of rain. With the same article 
 folded and hung in like manner over the head above, it might be quite 
 safe to make the ascent at any time, as the road winds under trees all 
 the way, and there is generally a fresh breeze. 
 
XXX.] FACT AND FANCY. 295 
 
 From the succeeding extract it would appear that the aspect 
 of the hill and the surrounding view combine with the mountain 
 breezes to render Parisnath a charming place of residence. Let 
 us hope, for the sake of our countrymen in these parts, for whom 
 no other sanatorium exists nearer than Darjeeling, that it may 
 yet be found available. 
 
 Go where you will, a panorama of varied loveliness opens before you. 
 You look down over bold precipices or wooded slopes on ridge after 
 ridge of billowy hills covered with foliage of the most vivid green, while 
 far below lie the wide plains, through which you can trace the straight 
 line of the Trunk Road and the serpentine courses of the Damooda, 
 the Jumna, and the Barrakur, till they vanish in the dim horizon. 
 
 Everywhere at Parisnath is wild and lovely beauty, and the singing of 
 the birds and the freshness of the air alike remind the wanderer of his 
 far distant English or Scottish home. It also appears to enjoy a complete 
 exemption from various reptiles and insects. There are no snakes, no 
 scorpions, no mosquitoes, cockroaches, or other more domestic plagues ; 
 and though we certainly once heard the far-off roar of a tiger in the lower 
 jungle, and once also tracked a leopard's footprints round the house, all 
 experience proves the perfect safety of the loneliest ramble on the heights 
 during the hours of daylight. 
 
 ' Obadiah left the caravanserai early in the morning, and 
 
 pursued his way through the plains of Hindostan' is a familiar 
 passage of school reading in which my mind was wont to depict 
 the bright-robed figure of Obadiah sauntering onwards in the 
 pleasant pursuit of a shining path. But here the vision of fancy 
 was confronted with the logic of facts and dissolved in gloom. 
 For it now appeared that the said Obadiah, on that same ' early 
 morning,' may possibly have set forth on his journey shivering 
 with cold, and in view perhaps of such cloud-capped heights as 
 we are accustomed to associate, not with the home of rambling 
 
296 INCIDENTS OF HILL AND PLAIN. [cH. 
 
 Asiatics, so much as with the poetry of Ossian or the birthplace 
 of Tell. Such certainly was the scene, and this the condition 
 of the wayfarers whom we encountered on the Grand Trunk 
 Road nov/ and on subsequent occasions ' early in the morning,' 
 closely enveloped in wrappers as they ' pursued their way ' with 
 bent, cringing figures and cold shivering limbs. 
 
 A peculiar erection, visible at intervals by the wayside, ap- 
 peared in this rugged and isolated portion of our route; namely 
 a rustic nest apparently well supplied with straw, elevated on 
 four bamboo poles perhaps twenty feet above the earth, and mani- 
 festly intended for the use of some creature having wings, or, 
 at least, great muscular agility. These, as it turned out, were 
 the retiring chambers of the chokydars (or guardians) in charge of 
 thissolitary region of jungle and beasts of prey. We had not the 
 satisfaction of witnessing the ascent of any of these functionaries: 
 such an eyrie, however, in itself warranted the conclusion that 
 the Mofussil watchman of ' that ilk ' had no experience of pul- 
 monary or rheumatic disorders, seeing that his very existence 
 depended on the daily performance of an exercise which im- 
 plied no small proficiency in the gymnastic art It was equally 
 evident that once within this strange receptacle, and stretched on 
 its bed of straw, he was out of harm's way, and in strains sug- 
 gestive of Chaucer's exquisite line — 
 
 'Entuned in hire nose ful swetely' — 
 
 might securely respond from dreamland to the jackal's bark at 
 the pillars of his dwelling, or the roar of the panther in the 
 jungle across the way. 
 
 At Doomree we made our first acquaintance with that cele- 
 
XXX.] THE DAK BUNGALOW. 297 
 
 brated tenement a ddk bungalow — house of refuge, restaurant, 
 and dormitory of the Indian plains. This is simply a low 
 square cottage, roofed with tiles or thatch, and comprising 
 several small apartments surrounded by a wide verandah. Like 
 other hostelries it professes to be thrice-blessed to the traveller 
 in its aids to comfort, providing service, refreshment, and repose. 
 The first of these requisites is rendered by a khanstima and a 
 khitmagar (cook and waiter), usually a pair of obsequious fellows 
 of most melancholy visage, who either in pretence or reality do 
 not understand a single sentence of English, notwithstanding 
 that their lives are spent in the service of those whose only 
 language it is. The refreshment consists frequently of no- 
 thing more than brown bread (musty almost of necessity) and 
 mourgky, or chicken, which the people of these parts, with a 
 dash of sanguinary pleasantry, style ' sudden death.' But not 
 without reason, for the biped may be seen, as visitors enter the 
 house, gaily promenading the compound, and the interval be- 
 tween the shriek that signalizes its capture and its presence 
 on the table, metamorphosed into a smoking dish of curry, 
 may be estimated at thirty-five minutes on the average. 
 
 When the traveller is overcome with fatigue, sleep may be 
 courted on a bare charpoy, which, with a table and two or three 
 chairs, constitutes the furniture of the room. Altogether the 
 little chamber, with its blank white walls and plain scanty acces- 
 sories, might be likened to one of our model prison cells, but 
 for the atmospheric brightness in which it is enveloped. Cer- 
 tainly, however, no cell could be drearier when at night a 
 feeble lamp scarcely serves to pierce the darkness, emitting along 
 with its mournful flicker a strong rancid smell. Then, too, the 
 
298 INCIDENTS OF HILL AND PLAIN. [cK. 
 
 lugubrious khitmagar appears at call, flitting silently from some- 
 where out of the gloom of the verandah, and during the long 
 evening, from sunset till bedtime, not a sound disturbs the utter 
 solitude of this ' sweet home,' unless it be the sturdy drone of the 
 mosquitoes which usually frequent it in strong force, and thus 
 make known by bugle-call their own presence and their vic- 
 tim's coming fate. Hence it is that so many travellers prefer 
 the jolt and jangle by night of the dak gharry to the hospi- 
 tality of the dak bungalow ; availing themselves of the latter 
 for rest and refreshment only, during the hottest period of the 
 day. This, as a rule, was the plan we ourselves adopted after 
 arranging with our companions the next place of meeting. Any 
 misunderstanding, or forgetful ness, in respect of this compact 
 would have been fatal to our prospects of reunion, since to keep 
 together was impossible, and through the inexplicable vagaries 
 of man and beast we were often lost to each other for hours 
 together by the way. But the most agreeable and earliest 
 sought provision of the dak bungalow, as each gharry-crumpled, 
 hair-tangled, dust-sprinkled ' arrival ' shuffles within its precincts, 
 is the bath ; which, as will readily be understood, is not elabo- 
 rated on the Turkish method. Rather, indeed, this delightful 
 accessory of the cottage commonly presents the anomaly of 
 a bathing-room in lieu of a bath — a place where the bather 
 crouches on an inclined brick floor, while the khitmagar, 
 or his own servant, standing over him administers a thorough 
 ' sousing ' from chatties (earthen pots) filled with cold water, the 
 deluge thus created gravitating to an aperture in the wall, and 
 thence anywhere into the sunshine without. 
 
 At the time of which I speak the impression left by the ter- 
 
XXX.] A DEFENSIVE WEAPON. 299 
 
 rible scenes of the Mutiny was still sufficiently fresh to influence 
 some minds with a feeling of apprehension. No doubt public 
 order had been long restored. Nana Sahib and a few minor 
 rebels, skulking in their respective retirements, were all that 
 could now be supposed to remain of the revolutionary powers. 
 It might thus be taken for granted that, so far as any action 
 on the part of the leaders of rebellion was concerned, the 
 chapter of horrors had been brought to a close. Yet it was only 
 reasonable to imagine, that in the secret depths of many fanatical 
 breasts the embers of disaffection still smouldered, ready to blaze 
 up in isolated acts of vengeance as a victim came quietly in the 
 way. And thus it happened, no doubt, that while we were pre- 
 paring for this North-West journey, several good friends in Cal- 
 cutta cheered my mind with hints of possible danger. One of 
 these, however, somewhat more practical in his sympathy than the 
 rest, suggested that I should provide myself with a revolver, 
 making me at the same time a present of one with which, he said, 
 I would be able to ' blow up' any scoundrel who might venture to 
 assail me. The terrible weapon was accompanied by two bags 
 containing a supply of powder and lead sufficient to exterminate 
 a whole band of dacoits. 
 
 Well, we were now fairly in the depths of the Mofussil. The 
 hour of peril, if such existed, had arrived; it behoved me to 
 inspect the revolver and ascertain that all was in order. This, 
 I may as well confess, was a most needful procedure in my case, 
 seeing that I had never in my life once handled that celebrated 
 firearm, and might not be able to use it without some observation 
 of the mechanism. But any difficulty on this score was imme- 
 diately dispelled by the condition in which I found the im- 
 
300 INCIDENTS OF HILL AND PLAIN. [cH. 
 
 plement itself. It was rusty, dislocated, hopelessly unfitted to 
 harm a fly ! My friend had trusted in his servant ; his servant 
 had trusted in him ; and my folly in trusting either was visible 
 in the thing before me. 
 
 Reparation of the injury being now impossible, I was 
 about to cast the gift away as lumber when a happy thought 
 struck me — there is a moral influence in the mere symbol of 
 power. This weapon certainly could not injure the most 
 vulnerable of rascals, but might it not rouse his fears ? How 
 often had not precisely such another disjointed engine of war, 
 confidently wielded, served to protect an intended victim, and 
 even to frighten a community out of their wits "i As a French 
 glove fits the hand, so did its morocco case my dilapidated re- 
 volver. Thus, its existence indicated and its impotency con- 
 cealed, a place among our baggage was reserved for the inno- 
 cent firearm, which became, to successive dusky attendants, 
 an object of special regard when jauntily dandled in the hand, 
 or laid down with just an audible clank beside the rugs and 
 shawls on the bungalow table at night. Although, therefore, I 
 neither felt nor saw danger, who will make bold to say that my 
 excellent friend in Calcutta did not provide me after all with a 
 needful weapon of defence ? 
 
 Having decided that Shergotty, distant 89 miles, should be 
 our next stage, we started in the afternoon, and arrived there 
 on the following morning. The country between these stations 
 is litde cultivated, nor does it seem well suited for agricultural 
 operations, consisting mainly of undulating sandy soil covered 
 with stunted vegetation. The hilly irregularities of the way 
 converge into the Dunwah Pass — a picturesque valley shadowed 
 
XXX.] SHERGOTTY. 301 
 
 by overhanging cliffs clothed with leaf and stem, and present- 
 ing a view of dry watercourses bordered with rich shrubbery, 
 winding into the recesses of the woods. It being impossible 
 for a single, fagged horse to drag the heavily-laden gharry up 
 such an incline (700 feet in one mile) as the road here pre- 
 sents, that task is confided to a band of coolies, who are always 
 in attendance for the purpose. With great demonstration this 
 elegant group surround and seize the gharry, each man wherever 
 he can obtain a hold, and adapt their movements to a series of 
 concerted yells. 
 
 Sherghotty, which is a small town in the district of Behar, 
 much used as a caravansarai, was crowded with rows of wag- 
 gons and hackries, piles of cotton bales, and groups of wearied 
 bullocks chewing the cud in little courts or compounds. A scene 
 of animated life at all times, Sherghotty happened to be at that 
 moment in a feverish condition of excitement, by reason of a mar- 
 riage procession which with a crowded attendance was then per- 
 ambulating its thoroughfares. We heard the noise intended for 
 music, and just caught a glimpse of the chief actor in the cere- 
 mony as he turned a corner and passed into the principal street. 
 The Sherghotty bridegroom was arrayed with a magnificence 
 calculated no doubt to do honour to the place. His dress of red 
 satin especially must have shone glorious in the eyes of the be- 
 holders, as, exalted on the back of a high lanky steed, and sur- 
 rounded, among other attractive accompaniments, by quite a blaze 
 of garish little flags waving in the hands of attendants, he held his 
 triumphant course down the crowded highway. To the Hindoo 
 mind the position of being the observed of all observers is pecu- 
 liarly charming ; and there is, therefore, nothing to hinder the 
 
302 INCIDENTS OF HILL AND PLAIN. [cH. 
 
 conclusion that Napoleon did not enter Paris after a victory with 
 a prouder sense of dignity than that of this Bengalee bridegroom 
 parading the streets of Sherghotty in his flaming coat of scarlet 
 
 The annals of Behar are renowned in Indian history. Here 
 it was that, before Delhi acquired its pre-eminence, the kings of 
 Magadha are said to have ruled in a style of unexampled splen- 
 dour as ' lords paramount and emperors of India.' The dis- 
 trict is still famous for the extent and variety of its manufac- 
 tures, which, besides more solid and useful productions, include 
 spirits and perfumes distilled from flowers and sandalwood. 
 We were now within the sphere of that great line of hills which 
 traverses the whole country between this point and Bombay. 
 Immediately beyond Sherghotty, we entered a tract of land 
 which would have resembled one of Horatio M'CuUoch's pic- 
 tures of the Scottish highlands but for the fiery flood of sunshine 
 in which it was bathed. This was a wide heath sprinkled with 
 loose stones and isolated mounds of granite, the vista appro- 
 priately terminating in a barren mountain line. On the left, 
 however, the memories of home were dispelled by an adjacent 
 scene of purely tropical luxuriance — of far-stretching hills 
 densely covered with trees, and receding out of view, range 
 behind range, like an undulating ocean of leaves. There is no 
 such picture among the ' peaks of Albion.' Here was a long 
 perspective of mountain forests to which, I presume, no human 
 being had yet dared to climb. Clothed though they were with 
 an evergreen mantle, and towering in a placid sky, who would 
 seek to penetrate into such fastnesses of nature, where beasts of 
 prey crouch within caves of trap-rock, or wander in a twilight 
 of arching boughs .■* 
 
 When, however, we had passed an old temple, the name of 
 
XXX.] A PILGRIM MARCH. 303 
 
 which was given us as Budgendth, romantically situated on the 
 shoulder of a hill, we saw no more of vale and mountain, but 
 emerged once for all into the unbroken plain spanned by a clear 
 dome of sky. 
 
 It so happened that the shrine of Budgendth was, at that 
 moment, an object of much pious consideration, for thither 
 tended the large crowd of pilgrims with which the road was 
 thronged. Among these no less a personage than the Rajah 
 of Bundelkund was on his way to offer gifts and perform pen- 
 ance there. And such a visitor imparted sanctity as well as 
 popularity to the occasion, for the Hindoo deities are under- 
 stood to recognize the attractions of wealth and state, and to 
 be susceptible of their universal influence. 
 
 At Nowbutpore, fourteen miles from Benares, we met the 
 main body of the Rajah's followers encamped by the wayside 
 amidst a profusion of tents, camels, and elephants — a motley 
 group of coolies, syces, zemindars, and tinselled courtiers, which 
 it must have cost His Highness a heavy purse to maintain. 
 
 During the night we had crossed the Soane — at that season 
 of the year nothing more than a wide bed of sand, in the midst 
 of which an occasional narrow stream shows how little the 
 thirsty sun has left of what was lately a great rolling river. 
 Now, however, the railway is carried across the Soane by a 
 magnificent bridge. 
 
 In all such emergencies as the intervention of a fordable river 
 the gharry is dragged by bullocks, — a patient, submissive class of 
 animals which trudge over the sand and plash through the flood 
 without indulging in rests or troublesome freaks of temper. We 
 were doomed to feel the want of their assistance in a 'situa- 
 tion' to which we awoke at a later hour of the night Beyond 
 
304 
 
 INCIDENTS OF HILL AND PLAIN. [cH. 
 
 all doubt we were in the midst of water, with, horrible to relate ! 
 a crew of fiendish-looking figures, dimly visible in the starlight, 
 dancing, splashing, and shouting around us. My first dreamy 
 impression, as I raised myself on my elbow, was that of being 
 in my berth at sea on the homeward voyage. But why was 
 the water so shallow ? It then flashed on my bewildered brain 
 that the steamer had grounded on the noisy sands of Madras, 
 or among the breakers that wash the shores of Galle. In due 
 time, however, it became apparent that the gharry was stuck fast 
 in a somewhat extensive pool of mud encountered in the course 
 of a detour which the gorriwallah had been obliged to make in 
 consequence of the breaking down of a bridge only a few hours 
 before. A troop of poor shivering coolies who had rushed to 
 the rescue were doing their best to extricate us, — a feat which 
 they accomplished after a little more pushing and many more 
 cries. The predicament of Gophall during this mSl^, trembling 
 on his perch aloft, was precisely that of a stranded mariner. 
 As he did not choose to encounter the cold bath that imme- 
 diately awaited his descent, his resolution seems to have been to 
 render important service by means of instructions issued from 
 his commanding position, and so being blest by nature with a 
 lusty voice, his shouts served to swell the chorus of confusion, 
 while his corporeal embonpoint gave so much more weight to 
 the difficulty which it was the object of all this hubbub to over- 
 come. Half spanning a high ravine, and broken fairly in twain, 
 appeared the bridge whose misfortune was the source of ours, 
 looking all the more a wreck in the cheerless gloom of a 
 morning that could scarcely be said to have dawned. 
 
 It was on the forenoon of this day that we were gratified 
 
XXX.] A CRAWLING PILGRIM. 305 
 
 with a sight often alluded to as one of the indigenous wonders 
 of India, — that, namely, of a crawling pilgrim. The wretch, as 
 we first beheld him, seemed to be literally swimming in the 
 thick dust of the road. His plan, however, really was to 
 measure his length thereon, stretching out his right hand to 
 mark the ground as far ahead as possible. To that point he 
 was privileged to get up and walk before repeating the act of 
 prostration, which on the whole he continued to do with a faci- 
 lity which betokened some familiarity with this peculiar style 
 of locomotion. He was a sturdy fellow, else would he not have 
 been equal to his task ; and as we passed him oscillating close 
 to the wheels of our vehicle, he turned upon us a pair of glowing 
 black eyes with a look which, whatever it may have meant, 
 certainly did not imply either shame for his own position or 
 respect for ours. 
 
 The value of self-torture as a means of earning divine regard, 
 although by no means confined to Brahminical teaching, is one 
 of the primary tenets of that creed. We are, of course, to un- 
 derstand that the presumptive advantages of an excursion like 
 that referred to are not of this world, and it has been jocularly 
 affirmed that some of these travellers are stimulated by such a 
 prospect in the next, as mountains of hot chupatties and savoury 
 oceans of ghee ! Whither this particular pilgrim was bound we 
 knew not, but it may have been to some far distant goal. A 
 gentleman in Benares informed us that he had seen and con- 
 versed with a muscular priest who had actually so journeyed 
 from the temple of Juggernauth in Orissa to that city (a dis- 
 tance of 670 miles), where he was then residing, a distinguished 
 object of popular admiration and respect. 
 
 X 
 
;o6 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 THE HEATHEN CAPITAL. 
 
 Never, believe me, 
 
 Appear the Immortals, 
 
 Never alone. — Coleridge. , 
 
 These astrologers undertook to determine the course of a man's cha- 
 racter and life from the configuration of the stars at the moment of his 
 birth. — Whewell. 
 
 T was Still early in the day when, after passing 
 through some miles of road bordered with 
 trees, we were suddenly confronted by the 
 Ganges with the holy city of Benares in full 
 view, standing on the opposite bank high 
 above the stream. 
 
 Having crossed a bridge of boats and clam- 
 bered up the steep incline, we were at once driven to the hotel 
 (situated at the distance of three miles), through a wide-spread 
 scene of ancient dwellings crumbling into dust, and deserted 
 temples from which the glory had departed with their gods. 
 The suburbs of the city however, beyond these symbols of 
 death, were alive with a smiling luxuriance of crops, among 
 which we could recognize in many forms the familiar aspect of 
 European vegetation. There, undoubtedly, lay fields of turnips, 
 peas, carrots, cabbage, potatoes, and barley, blooming amidst a 
 
CH. XXXI.] AN ARISTOCRATIC WEDDING. 307 
 
 variety of fine trees, including the neem, mango, tamarind, and 
 palm. But these rich plantations were everywhere encircled by 
 dingy walls of mud, whose unseemly embrace detracted, in some 
 measure, from the enchanting freshness of their natural ap- 
 pearance. 
 
 Very soon after our arrival at the hotel, we had the good 
 fortune to witness a marriage procession of unusual splendour. 
 The son of the Maharajah of Benares had, as the landlord 
 informed us, just formed a suitable alliance, and the occasion 
 had manifestly been deemed worthy of a very magnificent 
 ceremonial. First came an outrider on a monstrous elephant, 
 the oscillation of whose great proboscis cleared the way as 
 effectually as if it had swung with that intent. Next appeared 
 a band of musicians, followed by the bodyguard of his High- 
 ness the Maharajah, black but comely, in trim soldierly attire. 
 These were succeeded by a troop of fourteen or fifteen richly 
 caparisoned camels with riders, and a couple of high func- 
 tionaries on elephants. Then, following one another, came the 
 ' happy pair,' each seated in a dhoolie glittering with silver and 
 gold ornamentation, and borne on men's shoulders. The mag- 
 nificence of their apparel was partly hidden by their position, 
 but we could see that it was literally laden with jewels and 
 precious stones, which even hung in dangling pendants over 
 their brows. The youth looked straight before him, a circum- 
 stance which might betoken an excess either of dignity or dif- 
 fidence; but the bride, who was pretty, favoured our small 
 English party with a pleasant inspection as she passed. A 
 regiment of native soldiers now advanced, succeeded by another 
 troop of perhaps a dozen elephants, adorned with cloths and 
 
 X 2 
 
3o8 THE HEATHEN CAPITAL. [cH. 
 
 howdahs of gold and silver work. Among the riders of these 
 appeared the Maharajah himself splendidly attired, seated on a 
 howdah with a silver canopy, and nodding familiarly from his 
 elevated cradle to friends and acquaintances below. But hark ! 
 the bag-pipes ! Not surely at a wedding march in Benares ? 
 And yet our well accustomed ears can scarcely be mistaken. 
 The sound waxes louder and nearer, and proves to be the veri- 
 table music of the Scottish hills. There they come, four stalwart 
 pipers marching abreast, as they ' blaw wi' birr,' entertaining the 
 Benares public with the strains of an old Highland Strathspey. 
 Shade of Jessie Cameron ! these Rajahs were our friends ; and 
 it was only meet that the pipes which sounded the downfall of 
 rebellion in Lucknow, should be playing in the wake of this 
 Hindoo ceremonial. 
 
 The pipers preceded a detachment of the 92nd Highlanders 
 then located in Benares, and welcome in a distant land of 
 troubles shone the famous tartan supported by the bright energy 
 of the men who wore it A well-knit powerful band they were, 
 clad in spotless white jackets and green tartan kilts — a dress 
 which, considering the attire of the native crowd around them, 
 no one will deny was at once well-suited to the climate and 
 remarkably decent for the place. 
 
 A 'holy city' is a familiar term. But the odour of sanctity 
 which devout Roman Catholics, for instance, attach to Rome, or 
 Christians, in general, to Jerusalem — bears little analogy to that 
 which the Hindoos ascribe to Benares. The world indeed does 
 not contain such another example of urban consecration. It 
 may even be said that the city is deified in its whole material 
 mass, for there is scarcely a spot which is not associated with 
 
XXXI.] ITS SANCTITY. 309 
 
 some unseen power. Of the strength and prevalence of this 
 feeling we have ample proof The wealth of rajah and tna- 
 harajah is freely given to maintain the shrines. Now, as of 
 old, the streets are thronged with pious visitors from all parts 
 of the country a thousand miles round. Wicked men, stricken 
 with remorse, come hither to wash away their sins in supposed 
 cleansing waters. The sickly and infirm, fearing the near ap- 
 proach of death, are fain to make the journey while strength 
 remains, if haply they may breathe their last in the hallowed 
 atmosphere of Benares. 
 
 Nor have the extraordinary changes throughout the country 
 during the last few years affected in any appreciable degree 
 the influence of this alnia mater of Hindooism — if we except 
 the fact, that although its Brahmins are still regarded as high- 
 priests of the faith, the popularity of Sanscrit learning even 
 here seems to have declined with the growth of English schools 
 and colleges in Calcutta. The monstrous fabric of superstition 
 gives no sign of decay, and Benares is at this moment, as in 
 the days of dynasties that have long passed away, regarded 
 as the very gateway of Heaven by the piously disposed among 
 i40,cxx),C)00 souls. 
 
 The strange dramatic tale of the sacred city may be traced 
 backwards through the history of the country until it becomes 
 lost in the shadows of immemorial cycles. Among the records 
 of a period more than two thousand years gone by, it figures as 
 the city of Devadasa, capital of that kingdom of Kasi, to which 
 1 have alluded as the ancient centre of Indian wealth and 
 power. Even then it seems to have been equally the strong- 
 hold of Indian idolatry. In the present day Benares, besides its 
 
 *X3 
 
3 TO THE HEATHEN CAPITAL. ' [cH. 
 
 numerous sacred tanks, wells, and other shrines, with their host 
 of mystic associations, idol images, and attendant priests, has 
 been ascertained to contain no fewer than 1,454 temples, of 
 which upwards of 1,000 are Sivalas, or Hindoo pagodas. But 
 more astonishing and ridiculous, perhaps, than the hideous 
 creation itself is the plan by which it is regulated — the method 
 which rules this madness. Out of the bewildering multitude 
 of Hindoo deities with their separate characters and attributes, 
 a representative system has been elaborated. What conveys 
 the idea of an executive council of gods awaits the pilgrim's 
 arrival in Benares. His first act is to report himself to Bina- 
 yaka. If he fears the approach of death, he ought to impor- 
 tune Alprmteswar, who has power to avert the catastrophe ; 
 but, let the King of Terrors come when he may, a whisper from 
 Tarakeswar, ere the vital spark has fled, will abide in the 
 believer's ear to cheer his heart and direct his steps through 
 the valley of death. Amuipiirna is purveyor of the means of 
 existence and the averter of famine. Bhairnotfi protects the in- 
 habitants in general, warding off evil spirits, and dispensing the 
 blessings of immortality to those who expire within the walls. 
 
 Such details afford a glimpse of that teeming world of the 
 imagination in which the Hindoo mind delights to revel. 
 
 The nature and routine of the thousand shrines of Benares 
 are thus sufficiently apparent. Among them are the Gyan 
 Bapec, or Well of Knowledge, whence emanates wisdom ; the 
 Kalknp, or Well of Fate, with whose waters men imbibe a 
 knowledge of the future ; and the Manikarnika well, which 
 consists of the tears of Vishnu, — each and all fetid pools sur- 
 rounded by a constant succession of worshippers. 
 
XXXI.] BUSINESS ITEAfS. 311 
 
 We cannot wonder that the inhabitants of a city whose 
 affairs are thus based on the silliest creations of fancy, should 
 lack practical energy for the prosecution of commerce. Busi- 
 ness enough, as I shall have occasion to show, enlivens it 
 throughout ; but that is chiefly of an artificial nature, and much 
 devoted to those articles of merchandise which supply the re- 
 quirements of ignorance and fanaticism. Benares, no doubt, 
 has its manufactures of silk and cotton, together with gold and 
 silver lace Paintings in ialc, elaborately carved brazen vessels, 
 and bright-coloured wooden toys are also produced in abun- 
 dance. But, more perhaps than any of these, the appliances of 
 astrology are objects of public attraction, and, therefore, an im- 
 portant stock in trade. Books on the science of divination, and 
 coarsely executed diagrams of the heavenly bodies surrounded 
 by cabalistic shapes and figures, appear in the shop windows. 
 All may buy and read, but the skill to interpret the mysteries is 
 the patrimony of the Brahmins, whose services, more especially 
 on the occasions of births and marriages, are always in requi- 
 sition for that purpose. 
 
 Being the headquarters of an extensive Opium Agency, 
 Benares furnishes an excellent specimen of a factory of the 
 famous drug, where hundreds of native workmen are employed, 
 wading almost knee-deep in large vats in the process of pre- 
 paration. Soporific as the plant is in the ordinary modes of 
 use, it is said to have no greater influence on those engaged 
 all day in its manipulation than that of begetting a drowsy 
 feeling at an early hour of the night. 
 
 As the days of government monopolies are numbered, I pre- 
 sume this unique trade of supplying the Celestial Empire with 
 
 •X4 
 
312 THE HEATHEN CAPITAL. [cH. 
 
 the material of its visions of bliss will soon be an affair of con- 
 science for individual consideration. 
 
 Early on the following morning, accompanied by our obliging 
 landlord, Mr. Thomas, I set forth on the interesting tour of 
 Benares ; and here it may be stated, for the guidance of others 
 following our course, that friends in Calcutta are ever ready to 
 furnish introductions to English residents in the cities of the 
 North-West, although, the better to make use of our limited 
 time, we had ourselves declined that proffered kindness. My 
 guide first directed his steps to the Doorga Koond, a large 
 tank with a temple adjoining it, both dedicated to the goddess 
 Doorga. Practically, however, the edifice is consecrated to the 
 monkey-god Hanuman, referred to in a former portion of this 
 narrative ; and here dwell a very numerous family, comprising 
 young and old, of the worshipful fraternity of black-faced apes, 
 supposed to be his lineal descendants. 
 
 No travelling menagerie or zoological garden on earth con- 
 tains such a collection of these creatures (some of them hideous 
 and dangerous-looking old rascals), as may be seen in the imme- 
 diate vicinity of the Doorga Koond, scampering on the highway, 
 grinning and chattering from wall or housetop, overrunning the 
 filthy courts of the temple, and swinging from peak to comer 
 of its elaborately carved little tower. The only other occupants 
 of the court at the moment were several agonized-looking de- 
 votees, sitting cross-legged on the flags, having plates filled 
 with marigold before them, and droning an interminable wail 
 of prayers. Other emotions, however, seemed to animate the 
 smiling Brahmin in attendance, who, opening the door of the 
 shrine, favoured us with an inspection of the goddess — a doll 
 
XXXI.] VIEW FROM THE GANGES. 313 
 
 figoire decorated with wreaths of the golden flower just men- 
 tioned, and seated within a receptacle very much resembling an 
 English drawing-room grate adorned for the summer months. 
 
 Thence descending to the Ganges, we embarked in a dinghy 
 (one of the native canoes) of which there were many in waiting, 
 and passed down the entire front of the city. I regret having 
 failed in the attempt to obtain a photographic representation 
 of the scene we then witnessed, for by no other means could it 
 be realized. Even at that early hour the sun's rays had flooded 
 the land with brightness, converting the river into a bed of 
 light, and glancing in fiery scintillations from the gilded spires 
 that surmounted some of the city temples. Reared on the high 
 bank overhead, Benares gave unmistakable symptoms of being 
 slowly drawn towards the bosom of the beloved Gunga. The 
 priesthood, besides averring that this city was once built of 
 gold, although afterwards converted into stone because of the 
 sios of the people, maintain that, notwithstanding appearances 
 to the contrary, it does not pertain to the terrestrial globe 
 (which, according to Hindoo tradition, rests on the thousand- 
 headed serpent), but that it stands isolated on the points of 
 Siva's trident, whence its supposed immunity from earthquakes. 
 
 Whatever may be the fact as regards the geological ques- 
 tion, the heathen capital, from this point of view, actually looks 
 as if it had been shaken by a subterranean force. The solid 
 masonry is in many parts dislocated and destroyed. Certain 
 portions, indeed, have already disappeared, and others, judging 
 from the oblique gables and broken walls which mar the line of 
 buildings, seem likely soon to follow. As Pompeii, nestling at 
 the foot of Vesuvius, was finally ruined by its fires, so may 
 
314 THE HEATHEN CAPITAL. [ch. 
 
 Benares, embracing and worshipping the Ganges, be doomed to 
 destruction by its floods. 
 
 Meanwhile, however, a great city, bright with sunshine, 
 towered above the stream where its population of 300,000 
 idolaters delight to pass the morning hours in exercises of 
 devotion. The picture it presented was striking and unique. 
 Large square buildings (some of them six stories high), per- 
 forated to the roof with little apertures by way of windows, 
 and sundry indescribable structures of smaller dimensions were 
 mingled with a crowd of Hindoo pagodas. Above these and 
 their numerous short but ornate spires towered the stately 
 columns of the great Mahommedan mosque, which history tells 
 us the Emperor Aurungzebe, with a refinement of insult de- 
 signed to infuriate the Hindoos, reared on the site of one of 
 their favourite old temples, with the very stones of which the 
 latter had been composed ! Ostensibly, at least, his success has 
 been signal — Islam, from graceful minarets about 150 feet high 
 looks down on all the architectural pretensions of Brahminism 
 in Benares. The constructive features of the place comprised 
 some curious details. Tiny green gangways spanned yawning 
 depths of stone-work ; ladder-like stairs gave access to elevated 
 doors in high blank gables ; miniature gardens were blooming, 
 and sable figures promenading, on the flat roofs of the houses. 
 The extraordinary jumble of masonry (supplied from the quar- 
 ries of Chumar close by) which constitutes the city of Be- 
 nares, is painted to some extent of a brownish-red colour. 
 It extends nearly three miles along one bank of the Ganges, 
 with which, in addition to a series of pathways leading down 
 the steep earthen slope, it is connected by broad stone ghauts 
 of wide and handsome construction. 
 
XXXI.] AQUATIC DEVOTIONS. 315 
 
 But the chief attraction of Benares on that glorious morning 
 lay in its scenes of animated life. The banks, tinted with many- 
 coloured clothes spread out to dry, were resonant with the 
 progress of industrial employments, the mason, sawyer, and car- 
 penter being severally visible at work in their sheds. A pic- 
 turesque crowd in showy vestments of red, green, or yellow 
 moved up and down the steps of the great ghaut, branching 
 off in little streams by invisible streets or passages at either 
 side, and swarming out and in through the shadowy perspec- 
 tive of the main street in front. The city seemed to be astir 
 as if on some great holiday occasion, and we learned with 
 surprise that we were witnessing an occurrence of everyday life. 
 It was the proper hour of devotion, when no good citizen of 
 Benares who coveted the favour of the gods would fail to kneel 
 in prayer at the brink of the Ganges, if not to immerse him- 
 self wholly in its turbid waters. Among the congregated thou- 
 sands of both sexes, every individual was or had been engaged 
 in the act of prayer. Some were bathing, some standing 
 solemnly in the water with uplifted hands. Hundreds sat 
 shaded by huge umbrellas in covered rafts, dressing and dis- 
 robing (very simple processes), or diligently mumbling long 
 prayers amidst the loud chatter of their companions ; while the 
 bank was lined with bending figures of pilgrims filling their 
 brass lotas with the holy fluid, wherewith to sprinkle the altars 
 of the city gods. On an isolated stone pillar, built (for devo- 
 tional purposes, I presume) well out in the stream, a human 
 form, in a monkish shroud, knelt motionless in prayer, like a 
 sculptured image of adoration. In little square caves or cells, 
 constructed at intervals beside the river, undraped priests of 
 
3i6 THE HEATHEN CAPITAL. [ch, 
 
 the Ganges crouched, like a series of ill-favoured family portraits 
 framed in stone, ready in this comfortless receipt of custom to 
 impart their blessing to those who might desire to purchase 
 the boon. Right over their shaggy heads, on the flat blocks 
 of masonry forming the roofs of these dens, other devotees 
 were engaged in the utterance of loud prayers accompanied 
 by nimble genuflexions. One individual was especially con- 
 spicuous for pious enthusiasm, standing upright on his pedestal 
 and gesticulating violently at the sun, precisely as if he were 
 accusing the luminary of some misdemeanour, and daring it to 
 mortal combat — an exercise which he alternated with repeated 
 acts of prostration, at the termination of each striking, with no 
 gentle tap, his brow against the stone. Approaching the ' burn- 
 ing gJiaut ' (everywhere an institution of the Ganges), we found 
 the place black and charred with yet smoking cinders ; for, as 
 has been already hinted, the hideous practice of partially con- 
 suming the corpse with fire, and thus launching it into the 
 stream, is a popular mode among Hindoos of dealing with 
 their dead, wherever the Ganges is accessible to consecrate, 
 as it is supposed to do, every wreck of humanity committed 
 to its keeping. Hence such varieties in the wild spectacle 
 before us as a couple of pariah dogs at the brink of the river, 
 devouring what had been left by the flames of a contiguous 
 pyre. It appeared, however, that an occasional horror of this 
 kind mingling with the bathers served neither to disturb their 
 equanimity nor to allay their thirst. 
 
 A number of boats of the boghlio and dinghy forms, common 
 to the country, were moving lazily on the river, which seemed 
 to flow out of and into a quiet prospect of fields and sun- 
 
XXXI.] WITHIN THE CITY. 317 
 
 shine Even on the opposite bank of the stream, over which 
 this great nucleus of Hfe impended, a scene of thorough con- 
 trast presented itself — a tract of sand merging into a rich rural 
 plain, as still and silent as if the tumultuous city that overlooked 
 it had been a thousand miles away. 
 
 Landing at the great ghaut we found the very steps embel- 
 lished with the representation of deities. Gods and goddesses, 
 black, white, and brown, sprawled at our feet, extending unsightly 
 limbs and heads to be trodden upon ; and still as we ascended 
 we encountered objects pertaining to the teeming Hindoo 
 Pantheon. Not an inch of space was unappropriated. All 
 available nooks and corners, every projecting ledge, was bur- 
 dened with some monstrous shape of organized life, or some 
 semblance of a temple, into which the people threw flowers of 
 jessamine and marigold, together with water from the river, 
 muttering invocations all the while. 
 
 It need scarcely be told that the interior of such a city does 
 not afford a very pleasant or refreshing promenade. Far above 
 the din and dust, wise men and women were visible, parading 
 their respective housetops, where indeed, amidst a refreshing 
 display of plants and flowers, those who have the good fortune 
 to possess such a place of retreat are accustomed to spend the 
 greater portion of the day and to sleep at night in small 
 wooden chambers open to the breeze. At diminutive windows 
 in large buildings appeared clusters of eager faces, chiefly 
 pertaining to the gentler sex, looking forth on the interesting 
 microcosm below. Some of the close, narrow streets were 
 rendered all the more stifling from being festooned from roof 
 to basement with ropes, whereon the many-coloured garments 
 
3i8 THE HEATHEN CAPITAL. [CH 
 
 of the population were hung out to dry. Such an intermi- 
 nable prospect of suffocating little shops, with their owners busy 
 at work within — calico printers, and braziers plying tiny blocks 
 and hammers — printsellers, drapers, toy-merchants, victuallers, 
 all cooped up amidst their respective wares, comprising dliooties 
 and sarees, printed and dyed cloths, gold laced vestments, speci- 
 mens of divinity in wood or brass, astrological books and dia- 
 grams, jumping Jacks and spinning-tops — grain, jessamine, mari- 
 gold — and such a moving mass of human beings intermingled 
 with camels, elephants, and bulls, is, I imagine, only to be wit- 
 nessed in Benares. 
 
 The animal last-named occupies a distinguished place among 
 the living multitude, being the ' Brahmin bull ' consecrated to 
 Siva by the priest, and marked with the sign of a trident 
 Thus popularly introduced to Benares society, the creature 
 traverses the busy streets with an air of nonchalance indica- 
 tive of a mind at ease, eating green dainties from the hands of 
 passers-by. 
 
 But the crowded picture of Benares includes a much more 
 offensive element of citizenship than the Brahmin bull. For this 
 is the central rendezvous of fakirs and other religious mendicants 
 from all parts of the North- West, who accordingly line the public 
 highway in great force, with foul tangled hair and frightfully 
 distorted limbs, whining for the bread of beggary. 
 
 The well dressed portion of the people are habited in silk or 
 cotton robes, among which brightness and variety of hue are 
 held as expressive of gentility. As evening approached we ob- 
 served several respectable families, arrayed in their best for the 
 occasion, come forth in spangled groups to enjoy the refreshing 
 
XXXI.] ITS GUARDIAN ANGELS. 319 
 
 hour of sundown on their balconies over the street. In the light 
 of our Western experience, such a spectacle was ridiculously 
 suggestive of another similar, though infinitely more tawdry, 
 show once common and not yet obsolete in England, which 
 is always associated with an invitation to ' walk up,' and an 
 injunction to 'be in time.' In truth, Benares seemed to be in 
 holiday trim, and teeming with merry-andrews. 
 
 We did not go the round of the temples, nor is it my pur- 
 pose to dwell on details which other books have already made 
 familiar. But preeminent in popularity among the sacred edi- 
 fices, albeit a foul place in a poor locality, stands the Temple 
 of Bisheshwar, dedicated to Shiva, and misnamed the ' Golden 
 Temple,' so called, however, on account of two of its three 
 spires being covered with gilded copper. Bisheshwar seems 
 to be regarded as the patron in chief of Benares, its acting 
 guardian, the god Bhairnoih, being represented as no more 
 than his khotwal, or magistrate. 
 
 No magnificent cathedral or gilded basilica in Europe, where 
 music and incense float amidst saintly pictures and masonic 
 splendours, attracts such a large congregation of worshippers as 
 this filthy little pagoda in the metropolis of heathendom. We 
 entered it by a narrow passage, filled with a jostling, vociferating 
 crowd of going and returning devotees, whence we emerged on 
 the sacred court — a high-walled quadrangle plashing with water, 
 in which a number of sacred bulls dabbled their hoofs, and 
 looked quite at home as they munched the choice morsels of 
 food with which they were fed by the visitors. 
 
 This, however, was not the temple itself; and next, through 
 another close entrance equally crammed, noisy, and odoriferous, 
 
320 THR HEATHEN CAPITAL. [cH. 
 
 we literally fought our way into the principal hall. Here was 
 the great centre of attraction — the well of Bisheshwar's descent 
 from the earth, railed in and deep, with an iron grating over the 
 water below, and the lingam or emblem of worship affixed to 
 a shaft rising from the centre. Hundreds of men and women 
 thronged around it, dropping in the universally esteemed flowers 
 of jessamine and marigold (of which an accumulated mass lay at 
 the bottom), or, failing these, a more humble offering of Ganges 
 water from brazen lotas, muttering the while some words of 
 prayer, and saluting the iron fence with their foreheads. Strong, 
 furious-looking fellows elbowed their way roughly to the front, 
 rushing in hot haste and with scowling faces to invite the divine 
 favour. Mingled, however, with such devout desperadoes ap- 
 peared youthful and sickly-looking figoires, together with some 
 very aged persons, to whom the like energy of devotion was 
 impossible. We observed one woman so spent with years that 
 it must have cost her almost a final effort to totter to the spot 
 
 The presiding genius of the well was a Brahmin seated 
 near at hand, clothed in a robe and skull-cap of scarlet. At 
 his feet lay a vessel filled with water from the turbid depths ; 
 a precious modicum of the healing fluid which had been ren- 
 dered doubly efficacious from having received his blessing. 
 This valuable specific he was dispensing to a ceaseless stream of 
 worshippers — a small share to each crouching applicant, who 
 received the filthy liquid conserved in both hands, and greedily 
 drank it up. At the priest's side lay a box nearly filled with 
 the pice which the people were rapidly pouring .into it — a pro- 
 cess which this worthy collector of the ' Golden Temple ' 
 marked from time to time with a furtive glance. It was further 
 
XXXI.] PRIESTLY CIVILITIES. 32 1 
 
 instructive to observe that those who came empty-handed got 
 nothing but holy water, while those who contributed pice re- 
 ceived a blessing to boot, which the benefactor pronounced 
 audibly, with his hand on the suppliant's head. 
 
 Thence we passed into another chamber of smaller dimen- 
 sions, having in the centre a similar well or basin, to which 
 Hindoo tradition ascribes more miraculous properties still, but 
 which can only be approached by the priesthood, and those 
 whom they choose to favour. This inner sanctuary was wet 
 and filthy in a yet more nauseous degree, and the clamour of 
 the mob that filled it was aggravated not a little by the inter- 
 minable clangour of a row of bells suspended in the entrance- 
 way, which successive visitors set in motion by a 'cuff,' with 
 the view, as we were told, of announcing their arrival to the god. 
 
 Being curious to hear the native account of such a proce- 
 dure, I requested my companion to put the question in Hin- 
 dostanee to one of the two priests in attendance at the door. 
 The personage thus interrogated was a vigorous young fellow 
 of comely exterior ; for a Brahmin priest, as belonging to an 
 hereditary order, is not necessarily fanatical of expression, or 
 worn grim and austere in the celebration of heathen rites. H is 
 response, given with politeness and promptitude, was of an 
 oracular character, admirably suited to the place however little 
 to our edification: ' Ya hum logon ka dustoor hy' — 'It is one 
 of our customs,' said the smiling priest of Brahma. After which 
 deliverance he proceeded to invest my neck with a long white 
 wreath of jessamine — a token of welcome strikingly at variance 
 with our past experience of Hindoo temples. But, alas! it soon 
 became apparent that this act did not manifest, as for a moment 
 
 Y 
 
322 THE HEATHEN CAPITAL. [cH. 
 
 it seemed to do, a more than Christian spirit of toleration and 
 charity ; for, in another instant, the voice which had given such 
 soft answer to our query, was raised in loud angry shouts, and 
 the smooth bare arms that had so gently adorned me with jes- 
 samine, were clearing a passage for us through the crowd which 
 blocked up the door of the 'holy of holies,' by means of such 
 wicked thrusts and blows as an exasperated policeman would 
 scarcely venture to administer in a street riot. 
 
 A single glimpse, however, of the watery cell into which we 
 were about to be ushered, and of its unseemly crew of occupants, 
 was enough, and we were fain to retreat, with what celerity we 
 might, carrying along with us the conviction, that the worship 
 of Bisheshwar might appropriately have been that of Beelzebub, 
 so far as regarded the wild manner in which it was conducted. 
 
 Returning homeward through the city, we encountered a mar- 
 riage party rendered conspicuous by three camels, on which sat 
 some of the principals of the ceremony, glittering with gold and 
 silver tinsel. The company were preceded by a band of musi- 
 cians playing on discordant instruments, and followed by a 
 long train of bearers, carrying on their shoulders toy figures of 
 camels and elephants profusely ornamented with little flags. 
 On came the cavalcade and its crowd of followers, making 
 a great commotion, and quite filling (as it necessarily must in 
 an Indian town) the long, narrow street — a noisy, glittering 
 current of invasion which swept everything before it, compel- 
 ling the unfortunate passenger either to ' fall in,' or to effect a 
 speedy escape by the nearest opening. 
 
 Our next rencontre was one of a more delicate nature. Turning 
 a sharp corner, we suddenly stood in the presence of a Benares 
 
XXXI.] STREET INCIDENTS. 323 
 
 lady, who, with a sharp exclamation of mingled terror and 
 surprise, bounded towards the wall, enveloping her face in her 
 saree, in the act withdrawing a portion of that garment from 
 the region of a smooth, sable back ! She had not counted on 
 the presence of strangers in such a place, and felt her dignity 
 offended in the circumstance of her countenance being seen. 
 The alternative little exposi was, however, accepted without any 
 misgiving by this 'chaste Diana' of the East In striking 
 contrast was the conduct of a couple of Nautch girls, jingling 
 with brass chains and glass ornaments, whom we encountered 
 a little farther on, and who, instead of hiding their faces, pro- 
 posed to entertain us then and there with a dance, leering and 
 shuffling like true courtezans as they were. 
 
 But now came another parting of the crowd and the sound of 
 voices chanting ' Ram, Ram, such hi! — Ram, Ram, such hi ! ' This 
 interruption, however, proved to be one of a very commonplace 
 character. It was only the incident of a corpse being carried 
 down to the burning ghaut There lay the body, quite in con- 
 tact with the palpitating crowd — a grim, ghastly form partially 
 swathed in calico, and outstretched on a hand-barrow, the 
 bearers, as they hurried it along, droning ' God is Truth.' 
 
 Early on the following morning our gharry appeared at the 
 hotel-door as was arranged, and we set forth for Allahabad, 
 our observation of Benares terminating in the signboards of its 
 traders, some of which indicated that, even in this city so given 
 to idolatry, the affairs of civilized life were not unrepresented, 
 seeing, for example, that ' Oorioon Chunderdos ' was a ' Mili- 
 tary Tailor,' and that ' Ramchunder Singhee & Co.' owned a 
 ' Europe shop ' in the Indian Mecca. 
 
 Y 2 - 
 
324 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 ON THE GRAND TRUNK ROAD. 
 
 I see them on their winding way. — Heber. 
 He went not with the crowd to see a shrine. — Dryden. 
 
 HE Grand Trunk Road between Benares 
 and Allahabad is naturally a busy scene 
 of traffic, and our travelling companions, 
 who had fallen behind before reaching 
 the former city, having rejoined us at the 
 hotel there, our course for a time became more varied and 
 agreeable. True, the great arid plain, with its arch of lurid 
 sky ; the irksome change of horses — of one intractable steed for 
 another every hour — the endless whoa! whoa! of the gorri- 
 wallah, and the occasional blast of his bugle as we swept at 
 full gallop through the dust, were still the unfailing features 
 of the road. But now it had become thronged with an in- 
 teresting procession ; for here, in addition to the ordinary num- 
 ber and variety of travellers, pious Easterns in many forms were 
 wending their way to or from the healing precincts of Benares. 
 Nor was this by any means a mere plebeian movement — a 
 pedestrian excursion of the masses. It was rather a continuous 
 cavalcade in which appeared rows of little fancy cars drawn by 
 
CH. xxxii.] FAMILY EXCURSIONS. 325 
 
 ponies or oxen, with their patrician owners reposing in state, 
 under cotton or silken awnings, and streams of horsemen, some 
 of them astride spangled saddle-cloths, with their heads pro- 
 tected by voluminous folds of muslin, and bare legs dangling in 
 jaunty freedom from stirrups. On several occasions, indeed, 
 there were signs of a whole household being on the move. One 
 venerable dignitary, for example, made his appearance seated 
 along with two friends, all elegantly boxed in under a rich 
 canopy erected on the back of a huge camel, whence he saluted 
 us with an air of solemn dignity. Following in a large waggon 
 drawn by four oxen, travelled the female portion of his family ; 
 this being demonstrated by such revelations as a smooth round 
 arm, circled with gold ornaments, airing itself outside at one 
 part of the curtain, and a pair of bright black eyes at another, 
 flashing on us surreptitiously out of the cautiously manipulated 
 folds. 
 
 In the course of our journey, however, we had the oppor- 
 tunity of observing the components of a very extensive family 
 exodus, encamped on the field under trees and tents. The silk 
 dresses of the male, and the gold ornaments of the female, mem- 
 bers of the party, together with the imposing display oi gharries, 
 bullocks and ponies, rich, downy quilts, and bright, brazen uten- 
 sils, scattered over the sward around, indicated that these were 
 people of distinction. They might either have been emigrating 
 to a new home, or merely bent on some excursion of a social 
 or religious character. Meanwhile the scene of their bivouac 
 was highly picturesque. Little fires smouldered in the embrace 
 of assiduous cooks ; women were grouped under awnings, and 
 
 *y 3 
 
326 ON THE GRAND TRUNK ROAD. [cH. 
 
 children gambolled about among the detached vehicles and vora- 
 ciously feeding cattle. Some of the men, seated on the ground 
 after the fashion of the country, with knees and face almost 
 meeting, gravely regarded us as we passed, fanning them- 
 selves with feminine assiduity, while others lay outstretched 
 on the grass, looking with their inflated robes and great head- 
 dresses like slumbering ogres of pantomime. 
 
 We had now begun to realize a strange result of the force of 
 habit, by obtaining some sleep at night, notwithstanding the 
 ceaseless discords of our rolling couch. It must be borne in 
 mind that the day is by no means long in these regions, where 
 the sun, although irradiating the Eastern world with a stronger 
 beam, is much less lavish of its presence than to our own 
 Northern summers. Thus the dak traveller is consigned at an 
 early hour of the evening to such attractions as the darkness 
 may usher in. Nor can it be said that these are ordinarily 
 wanting. The moon, like an enchantress, transforms the whole 
 face of nature, overspreading the brown, arid plains around 
 with a carpet of glory, chequered with shadowy outlines of leaf 
 and stem, and illumining the distant groves with a soft silvery 
 light. In the moon's absence some compensation will be found 
 in the grandeur of the stellar universe, which, with each con- 
 stellation ever in its appointed place, appears to the mind pre- 
 occupied during the short period of twilight, almost to burst 
 into view. 
 
 But the Grand Trunk Road, connecting Calcutta with the 
 Punjab in a direct line, and all the cities of the North- West by 
 branches, is necessarily a busy highway throughout its wide 
 extent. Long and winding as was our course, rural and iso- 
 
XXXII.] ITS NORMAL SCENES. 327 
 
 lated as were many portions of the way, it was only at excep- 
 tional periods that we found ourselves alone. The scenery, 
 indeed, was but little varied. Everywhere as we advanced 
 appeared the flat, far-stretching plain of parched yellow grass, 
 dotted with cattle, looking like specks in the distance. It 
 was enriched with frequent woods, and coloured occasionally 
 with blooming crops, the earlier fruits of spring cultivation, 
 displaying the white flowers of the poppy and the blue and 
 yellow blossoms of dhal and mustard beds. Earthen villages, 
 simply enclosed serais, bamboo-huts, and mud-walled farms, 
 came successively into view, and over all was the bright, 
 blinding arch of sky, traversed by a silent, hungry multitude of 
 kites, crows, or vultures. So numerous and voracious are 
 these pariahs of the field, that the great gaunt skeletons of 
 camels, or the whitened bones of horses and bullocks, which 
 lay scattered along the route, might even yesterday have been 
 covered with flesh and instinct with life. 
 
 It was, however, especially interesting to observe the pic- 
 turesque current of humanity flow along the Grand Trunk 
 Road, more frequently threading its way in a narrow line, but 
 sometimes surging past in heavy volume. There were dak 
 gharries like our own, laden with sahibs and mem-sahibs, career- 
 ing to what in happier circumstances might have been called 
 the merry strains of the gorriwallah' s horn, and bullock Jmckries, 
 laden with goods and produce, creeping forward at a snail's 
 pace under the stimulus of the lash. There were also native 
 caravans (such as that to which I have alluded), with family 
 secrets closely curtained within, and many gaudy little pony 
 curricles, called eckhas, adorned with characteristic pavilions, 
 
 *V4 
 
328 ON THE GRAND TRUNK ROAD. [CH. 
 
 beneath which turban-swathed inmates found scanty shelter 
 from the sun. The line of pedestrians was diversified at inter- 
 vals with riders, whose elaborate trappings, as I have hinted, 
 were in many cases conspicuously at variance with the neglected 
 condition of their limbs. Parties of Afghan traders — large, 
 brawny, and brown, with flashing black eyes, bushy black beards, 
 and massive locks curling on Goliath-like shoulders — appeared 
 at intervals by the way, clothed in dusty woollen garments, 
 their heads rendered still more impervious to the effects of the 
 sun by many folds of calico. These men were usually accom- 
 panied by rows of camels slowly wending towards the South, 
 with shawls and fruits for the consumption of the great cities 
 of India; or homeward, with cotton goods, drugs, and indigo, 
 to supply the more genial regions of the North. 
 
 In this manner the famous shawls of Cashmere were wont to 
 find their way to the principal emporiums for their sale. That 
 trade, however, is much reduced since the period when 16,000 
 looms were said to be engaged in the manufacture of these 
 fabrics. 
 
 It is a gigantic march to and fro between Calcutta and Cabool, 
 but the performers here were in perfect keeping with the exer- 
 cise. The camels, with their firm, elastic tread, seemed born to 
 the road ; while the men, not dwarfed by comparison, looked in 
 their quaint flowing garb and broad hardy strength like some 
 of the burly figures of patriarchal times, as represented on the 
 convas of the old Italian masters. Occasionally an elephant, 
 caparisoned with more or less finery, came into view, moving 
 through the thick dust almost with the noiseless step of a cat, 
 its huge sides vibrating at every step, and bearing perhaps some 
 
XXXII.] THE BIVOUAC. 329 
 
 important personage, with or without companions, grandly en- 
 throned on the hozvdah. Pilgrims, emigrants, hucksters, now in 
 sparse numbers, anon in gathered masses, trudged along the 
 bright, silent highway. Nearly every tank or pool of the many 
 on either side was the rendezvous of some party of travellers 
 preparing their dinner on its brink, or filling lotas with the liquid 
 treasure ere they passed on their way. Family travelling parties 
 bivouacked in the fields, collected under improvised awnings, or, 
 
 ELEPHANT WITH HOWDAH. 
 
 better still, under pleasant canopies of greerf boughs, which, in the 
 absence of the ' shadow of a great rock,' are fortunately plenti- 
 ful in that ' weary land,' and surrounded by snug waggons fitted 
 up as domiciles, together with beasts of burden browsing on the 
 plain. 
 
 In one locality we observed some of the pedestrians armed 
 with long poles, borne over the shoulder, the better, as we were 
 informed, to repel any beast of prey that might chance to attack 
 
330 ON THE GRAND TRUNK ROAD. [cH. 
 
 them in solitary places. Everyone, however, carried some useful 
 or necessary appliance. The strong man of the North, journey- 
 ing without camels and merchandise, as he bent his course from 
 beyond the plains of Cashmere to Calcutta, on some mission 
 requiring his stalwart presence alone, was literally laden with 
 travelling gear, which always included a huge pipe, a brass 
 cooking-pan, and notably his own couch, a comfortable-looking 
 cotton-stuffed quilt, rolled up into a convenient form, and borne 
 on the back. 
 
 But where, when night with its soaking dews descended, 
 did all this weary half-clad multitude find shelter and repose ? 
 The serais which public contribution and private charity have 
 established at intervals on the road, not only here but in every 
 part of the country, amply supply the required accommodation. 
 These domiciles are of course peculiar to the East Where 
 crowds of men are constantly traversing the land through field 
 and jungle, commodious night asylums are required in places 
 apart from the centres of population. In maintaining this im- 
 portant provision, the Government has been largely aided by 
 individual generosity. Many of the best serais, indeed, were 
 built and endowed by native philanthropists, and bear the names 
 of their founders. I^or does it appear that the effects of the 
 railway system on the primitive mode of travelling have yet 
 extinguished either the necessity for these ancient places of re- 
 pose, or the spirit of charity to which in a large measure they 
 owe their existence ; for among the ordinary intelligence of the 
 day we find such announcements as the following, selected from 
 a recent number of the ' Calcutta Englishman ': — 
 
XXXII.] 'THE TIMELY inn: 33 1 
 
 Baboo Bunwarry Lall of Chuprah has lately given another in- 
 stance of his open-handed liberality to his fellow-countrymen. He has 
 offered to the Government the sum of one lac of rupees for constructing 
 and endowing a serai at Chuprah, in connection with a large tank which 
 he has lately excavated at his own expense. The Municipal Commis- 
 sioners of Chuprah are to be the trustees of the fund, and the gratui- 
 tous distribution of food to indigent travellers, at a cost of rs. 1,000 
 per annum, which the Baboo has already established, is to be carried 
 out from the fund, under the superintendence of two Brahmins. The 
 Lieutenant-Governor has accepted the proposed gift, and has publicly 
 thanked Baboo Bunwarry Lall in the ' Gazette ' for his liberality and 
 public spirit. 
 
 Here, besides contributing a sum equal to 10,000/. for the 
 purpose of ' constructing and endowing a serai^ the generous 
 Baboo provides the equally peculiar and apposite gift of a large 
 tank of water. Food also is to be supplied gratis to indigent 
 travellers, so that in due time we may imagine poor pedestrians 
 in the British district of Sarun stirring their limbs to reach 
 Chuprah ere nightfall. The common serai, however, is a 
 building constructed only of mud walls, and comprising a 
 series of covered sheds and other enclosures, wherein bullocks, 
 horses, and human beings may have rest and protection for 
 the night. The place is under the charge of a cJiokydar placed 
 there by the khotwal or village magistrate, by whose orders 
 the gates are closed soon after sundown ; so that there may 
 be neither ingress nor egress until the beams of day streak 
 the eastern horizon. At that glorious signal all is astir within 
 the serai, and a very small fee, where even that is required, 
 suffices to discharge the hospitality of the place, ere its incon- 
 gruous party of guests emerge into the short-lived freshness of 
 
332 ON THE GRAND TRUNK ROAD. [cH. 
 
 the morning. Each wayfarer arises, takes up his bed (if he 
 happens to carry such a luxury), and walks, with the prospect 
 before him of wandering all day long in sunshine, than which 
 nothing in fancy is more sweet and alluring — nothing in reality 
 more irksome and forlorn. 
 
 Thus it is that the sluggish stream of life flows on from day to 
 day through the great Indian plains: flows on still, no doubt, 
 but no longer with its old strength of current, for the moving 
 panorama of the Grand Trunk Road, which I have endeavoured 
 so shortly to describe, has now almost finished its course of 
 ages. The railway — that absorbing attraction where all other 
 innovations have failed — is open the entire distance between 
 Calcutta and Delhi, and notwithstanding the ancient stereotyped 
 habits and hitherto intractable prejudices of the people, may 
 be said, during the last two years, to have gathered in to itself 
 from the fiery air and the dusty road nearly all the dramatis 
 personce of the picturesque procession of former days. A few 
 more years, and perhaps the scene will have been played out 
 in all parts of the country, having given place to one of those 
 happier prospects which arise in the steps of human progress 
 and civilization. 
 
 I will not attempt to estimate the number of a unique, homo- 
 geneous multitude of pedestrians, whom we continued to meet 
 in straggling bands for several days during many miles of the 
 way. That these were ' up-country ' people of some peculiar 
 tribe was evident from their strong brown physique and warm, 
 buff-coloured clothing. Being all dressed alike, they were ap- 
 parently an immense brotherly company of excursionists — only 
 apparently, however, since the gathering represented both sexes ; 
 
XXXII.] THE 'GATE OF THE GANGES.' 333 
 
 the women, as far as appearance and occupation went, being 
 transformed for the nonce into men. Nor was the movement 
 wanting in those popular accompaniments of a great ' turn out ' 
 — music and decorations, which were, moreover, of a simple 
 undemonstrative kind, in pleasant harmony with the gentle 
 tread of many slippered feet in a soft rural highway. For 
 each individual was not only attired but laden alike, carrying 
 over the shoulder a pole balanced by a covered lota, or water- 
 jug hung at each end, and ornamented with tiny flags and little 
 tinkling bells, whose sweet liquid tones appropriately announced 
 the fact that holy water was being borne through the plains. 
 The universal burden, as we learned by enquiry through Gophall, 
 was indeed holy water from Hurdwar (that celebrated 'Gate 
 of the Ganges,' where the sacred river is supposed to possess 
 prime virtue ere It begins its course through the fields of 
 Hindostan), and thus carried from afar by a great host of bearers 
 to sprinkle the brows of numerous sinners and the altars of 
 many gods. We were farther informed that some of these pedes- 
 trians were bound to the Temple of Juggernauth, which, as the 
 map will show, is quite a bewildering distance from Hurdwar. 
 
 Such an incident illustrates the strange tenacity of belief with 
 which the people of India cling to the traditions of their country. 
 Only a strong sentiment rooted in the universal heart could 
 have supplied inducements sufficient to set this multitude astir 
 on such a journey ; and if we are to suppose that the comple- 
 tion of the railway line signalized the last grand march of these 
 Northern water-carriers, we can only conclude that the healing 
 properties of the Ganges at Hurdwar are being the more readily 
 diffused throughout the land by the new mode of conveyance. 
 
334 ON THE GRAND TRUNK ROAD. [cH. 
 
 There and then, however, as it so happened, we encountered 
 the annual stream of holy water flowing in its ancient living 
 channel, with jubilee of flags and bells, from the foot of the 
 northern hills to the far southern plains, and diverging from time 
 to time in lesser rills to refresh thirsty souls in the large com- 
 munities by the way. What sinner indeed would not desire to 
 intercept a little as it meandered by, though its price were 
 greater than the extract of roses from Ghazeepore ? 
 
 An Indian village is usually pervaded by a strong earthy 
 savour. The evening home aspect of those we passed by the 
 way flashed on us from little chambers of reed-work or cellars 
 of mud, each furnishing a gloomy exhibition of shadowy figTjres, 
 sitting motionless, or moving listlessly about where a sickly 
 speck of light scarcely served to reveal the way. There was 
 no ' sweet Auburn ' giving forth the sounds of exuberant life and 
 happiness among these dreary hamlets. Such blessings seem 
 to be only born of a fresher and more invigorating atmosphere. 
 Yet the eastern peasant is to some extent compensated for this 
 deprivation by the simple range and ready gratification of his 
 necessities. The dubious saying — regarded as a general truism 
 — of Goldsmith's hermit, that 
 
 'Man wants but little here below' — 
 
 is literally true in the case of the Indian ryot. The favourite 
 bread-fruit and delicious banana may be cultivated at his door ;' 
 and, even where these are wanting, a small quantity of rice for 
 food, a few yards of cloth by way of clothing, and a home which 
 his own hands may build with materials from the adjoining 
 field and copse, are to him those comforts of life which, except 
 
XXXII.] 
 
 INDIAN MENDICANCY. 
 
 335 
 
 in recurring seasons of famine, raise him above the need of 
 charity. 
 
 The fact that beggars are nevertheless a numerous class in 
 
 India, does not invalidate this statement The whole order of 
 
 /akeers, to begin with, are beggars from choice, cultivating a life 
 
 RUSTIC SCENE, BENGAL. 
 
 of vile indigence, together with a congenial aspect of hideous 
 deformity, as men who would show their contempt for popular 
 mundane advantages ; and the example, thus initiated under the 
 sanction of ' holy orders,' naturally finds a host of followers 
 among the idle and vagrant everywhere, in a country where 
 almsgiving ranks among the strongest of moral obligations. A 
 
336 ON THE GRAND TRUNK ROAD. [CH. 
 
 lazy or dissolute fellow having the farther consideration before 
 him, that the industrial system to which he belongs affords but 
 small pay for a hard day's work, is therefore the more prone to 
 prefer the beggar's seat under the shelter of a roadside tree, or 
 in the cooling shadow of an urban wall. The art of begging, 
 indeed, seems to be an accomplishment thoroughly adapted to 
 the native genius. At Sherghotty, Benares, and other places 
 on the route, we had opportunities of witnessing the several 
 varieties of the process which not unfrequently rises to the 
 height of an artistic performance. The prayerful folding of the 
 hands, the worshipful cringe, the pleading eyes, and the whine 
 of well-simulated misery, were each and all admirable in their 
 way ; and, horrible to relate, the cry of buckslieesh ! btukslieesh ! 
 by which they were accompanied, was sometimes enforced by a 
 series of slaps on the region of the stomach, in elegant advocacy 
 of its wants. That region, moreover, being wholly free from 
 the trammel of clothing, the delicate organ referred to was, in a 
 certain sense, capable of speaking for itself, and of course some- 
 times broadly contradicted the pretence of inanition ! 
 
 In semi-barbarous life, where the sentiment of pity is weak, 
 we naturally find efforts made to stimulate it by such coarse 
 expedients as a rude ingenuity can invent. Thus I recollect 
 witnessing in the very heart of the city of Constantinople a 
 wretch more than emulating the condition of an Indian fakeer, 
 as he sat in a public square minus an arm, but with the bony 
 skeleton of that limb, well preserved, down to the tips of his 
 fingers, spread out in the dust before him. Surely i/iai would 
 rouse the sensibility of the stolid crowd ! The man had in this 
 manner converted, with advantage no doubt, a portion of his 
 
XXXII.] POVERTY ILLUSTRATED. 337 
 
 own anatomy Into his stock in trade ; but I recall the incident 
 as a forcible illustration of the system prevailing among his 
 brethren of the farther East. Our friends in Mirzapore informed 
 us of an idle rascal belonging to that city, who, having obtained 
 possession of a human skull, carried it about with him wherever 
 he went, appealing successfully to the ghastly lesson it inculcated 
 of a coming eternity and its awards. Another beggar there 
 was wont to sit by the wayside, armed with a human bone in 
 one hand and a mug of putrid water in the other, in order to 
 illustrate the straits at which he had arrived. The charitably 
 disposed, as he loudly beseeched them to observe his condition," 
 could hardly refuse to rescue a parched and starving fellow- 
 creature from the double horror of drinking poison and eating a 
 fragment of his own kind ! 
 
338 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 OLD AND NEW ALLAHABAD. 
 
 Weary pilgrim, hither come. — MRS. Barbauld. 
 
 Delusive ideas are the motives of the greatest part of mankind, 
 and a heated imagination the power by which their actions are incited. 
 
 Mackenzie. 
 
 LLAHABAD is approached by a fine road, 
 terminating in a little wilderness of sand, 
 over which the traveller's gharry is dragged 
 by coolies. We arrived at night, and cheer- 
 less was our welcome — with the dim oil 
 lamps of the city, which barely served to 
 reveal its position, smouldering in front. 
 The rude bridge of boats, too, that spanned 
 the Jumna, creaked and pitched beneath 
 the weight of our conveyance and its attendant coolies, as if the 
 soft gurgling current underneath had been an agitated sea. 
 
 Passing through the streets which, as we had supposed, were 
 lighted just enough to render their outlines visible, our ears were 
 regaled with the melody of approaching fifes and tom-toms, and 
 we presently encountered a wedding party, surrounded by ser- 
 vitors bearing lanterns and torches, designed at once to enliven 
 the celebration and to show the way. 
 
CH. xxxiii.] OLD. 339 
 
 Among the numerous company thus assembled, some sat in 
 lillputian pony cars with bright-coloured canopies, and others 
 rode on horseback, adorned with gold-broidered caps or other 
 ornamental gear flashing in the glare of the flambeaux ; while 
 the main body marched in procession, bearing flags in honour 
 of the event. The bridegroom was a child of perhaps five or 
 six summers, sitting mute in a dhoolie, and decorated with a rich 
 display of counterfeit jewels. 
 
 We could not understand by what illusion it was that so 
 many of the good people of Allahabad appeared penned up in 
 square cages of wicker-work, within which, by the aid of small 
 sickly lights, they were engaged in concluding the routine of 
 the day. On the morrow, however, we found this to have been 
 no illusion, many of the houses consisting only of three walls of 
 earth (with or without an inner cell), shut in by an entrance door 
 or gate, constructed of plaited cane and reeds. Such dwellings, 
 together with their natural accessories of squalor and dirt, con- 
 stituted the normal aspect of the native city. Its immediate 
 surroundings, too, were a series of decayed temples and black 
 mouldering tombs, overrun with noxious fungi and haunted by 
 unsightly beggars, who, as in the case of the Hunchback of 
 Notre Dame, looked ' like the natural product of the place.' 
 
 No wonder then, that, notwithstanding the famous sanctity of 
 Allahabad, the priesthood should apparently have a poor calling 
 within its precincts, except during the short periods of its great 
 recurring festivals. The numerous temples seemed to be in a 
 crumbling, neglected condition. Through the open door of one, 
 as we passed down the street, we observed a single tenant 
 stretched out, in the attitude of a country bumpkin asleep in a 
 
 Z 3 
 
340 OLD AND NEW ALLAHABAD. [cH. 
 
 field. In another, notwithstanding the attractions of a ragged 
 flag, which floated invitingly from the roof, the only sign of life 
 visible was a hideous human figure crouched in a corner, and 
 indulging at the moment in a weary yawn beneath the efiigy 
 of a god, whose round protruding eyes ludicrously suggested 
 the fancy of their being dilated with astonishment at the 
 effrontery of the act ! 
 
 Nevertheless it remains to be told, that natural beauty and 
 fertility are things pertaining to Allahabad. The dwellings of 
 the English inhabitants, civil and military, are very handsome 
 villas, with fine gardens and compounds, situated at some dis- 
 tance from the old town, amidst magnificent roads intersected by 
 umbrageous avenues. The province itself, moreover, notwith- 
 standing the desolate character of its capital, is one of the 
 richest in Hindostan, abounding in cotton, sugar, indigo, and 
 other staple products of the soil. 
 
 The world has been sufficiently informed that Allahabad is a 
 small ancient city, built on a triangle, where the Ganges and 
 Jumna mingle their floods, and that its chief, almost only, attrac- 
 tion is a noble fort constructed of red stone — a place of great 
 strength, having high ramparts with turf parapets, and a fine 
 green glacis, besides being provided with 30 pieces of cannon and 
 arms for 30,cx)0 men. The Jumna Musjid, or Great Mosque, 
 is a plain spacious building, wherein the Faithful were wont to 
 pray and the Infidel has ventured to dance, the interior having 
 lately served the excellent purpose of an assembly room. 
 
 Apart from these erections, there is nothing in Allahabad to 
 strike the eye but a large quadrangle with four rich Gothic 
 gateways, called the Serai of Khusru, which is chiefly interesting 
 
xxxm.] NEW. 341 
 
 as an elegant abode of poverty, being surrounded by a series of 
 chambers in which indigent travellers are, through a benevolent 
 provision of the founder, lodged free of expense. 
 
 The rapid series of vicissitudes undergone by Allahabad 
 during the half-century before it fell into the hands of the East 
 India Company, form a sufficient explanation of its present 
 ruinous condition ; but if the Emperor Akbar could view it 
 from his tomb, sad to him, no doubt, would be the spectacle 
 now presented by the city, whose foundations he had laid in 
 a spirit of vainglorious emulation, and in which he himself de- 
 lighted to dwell. Allahabad is, however, again rising in the 
 world, and now with the prospect of a more vital and enduring 
 existence. A foretaste of that prosperity it already enjoys. 
 Ruins are being cleared away and handsome buildings erected 
 for purposes more honest and profitable than the ministry of 
 superstition or the glorification of kings. The railway is now 
 nearly completed, which will form a through line of communica- 
 tion with Bombay, and render Allahabad, as the chief point 
 of railway communication between the Bombay seaboard and the 
 North-West Provinces, a great nucleus of goods transit and 
 rendezvous of travellers to Upper India. It would be difficult 
 to overestimate the importance of this position. There can be 
 no doubt that Calcutta will require to part with its large 
 passenger traffic. Bombay and Galle being nearly equidistant 
 from Europe, the saving of time, even to Calcutta passengers 
 going round by Bombay, may be roughly estimated at about a 
 week, and the other important consideration of expense does not 
 seem likely to go against the railway. Then, too, it would 
 appear that the extensive trade in imported piece goods and 
 
342 OLD AND NEW ALLAHABAD. [ch. 
 
 other light articles for the consumption of the North-West, 
 hitherto passing through Calcutta, will fall to be conducted by 
 way of Bombay and Allahabad. This latter prospect alone is 
 no doubt a serious consideration for the Indian capital, but 
 happily the work of construction and reclamation now in pro- 
 gress has combined with the .railway system to afford Calcutta 
 countervailing advantages. Still the time has arrived when all 
 whom it may concern should look to the miserably inadequate 
 condition of the harbour of that city, as well as to the tedious 
 and expensive navigation of the Hooghly, its only existing 
 way of access from without. 
 
 The fort and castle of Allahabad, as represented pictorially, 
 may afford the notion of a delightful place of residence in a 
 pleasant neighbourhood. In reality, however, this imposing pile 
 is erected on the border of a dreary plain, and our garrison 
 soldiers within its walls have no choice between the exhilarating 
 view thus presented and the sullen roll of waters on the other side, 
 varied only by the occasional appearance of a cotton-laden raft or 
 nondescript country-boat floating past, with, perhaps, the aid of a 
 tattered square sail. The other dwellings adorning the adjoin- 
 ing banks of the river are chiefly huts, formed somewhat in the 
 fashion of coarse basket-work, where goats and donkeys, dwelling 
 in social concord with their owners, stroll out and in with a 
 placid air of unconcern, or with great ears erect, stand in the 
 family doorway observant of the surrounding landscape. 
 
 But the rickety material condition of Allahabad does not 
 weaken its moral influence on the Hindoo mind. Infinitely more 
 important than all architectural fancies is the consideration that 
 here occurs the confluence of three sacred rivers — the Ganges, 
 
XXXIII.] THE MAG MELA. 343 
 
 the Jumna, and the Sereswati ; nor does it matter that the last 
 of these, so far as human observation goes, meanders only 
 through the written records of Brahminical faith, being, as the 
 priesthood allege, hidden from the outward eye beneath the 
 sands of Sirkind. The properties of each stream are thus held 
 to be commingled in one potential flood, of which the healing 
 power must, on first principles of reason and all hydraulic laws, 
 be trebly efficacious. Hence the attractions of the Mag Mela, 
 or great fair, for which Allahabad is celebrated throughout Hin- 
 dostan. On the return journey we obtained a glimpse of this 
 yearly concourse of pilgrims as they flocked to the scene of 
 immersion. An immense heterogeneous multitude of people, 
 intermingled with the elephants, horses, camels, bullocks, hackries, 
 and echkas, which had been the means of conveying them thither, 
 in many cases from a great distance, crowded the banks where 
 the two rivers join. Unfortunately, however, for us, bathing 
 operations had not commenced. That the host of visitors was 
 yet incomplete, we soon found to our cost, the way as we pro- 
 ceeded being almost blocked up with the stream of fresh comers. 
 Near the bridge of boats we encountered an indescribable jumble 
 of man and beast, together with vehicles of all kinds, amid 
 which wealth and poverty were represented in every degree of 
 pomp and humility. At the other end of the bridge, confronting 
 the advancing crowd, four or five unclad figures were visible in 
 the focus of tumult and confusion, swaying from side to side of 
 a raised platform (where they appeared to have climbed for 
 refuge), while the infuriated mob never ceased thrusting clenched 
 hands in their faces with a universal but seemingly harmless 
 attitude of menace. These men, as we afterwards learned, were 
 
344 OLD AND NEW ALLAHABAD. [cH, 
 
 officials in the act of receiving a toll, which was levied for the 
 passage of animals across the bridge, the pass-ticket being a 
 chalk mark impressed by them on the owner's hand held up 
 for that purpose ! The prevailing disorder and excitement, 
 together with the eager impatience of the tax-payers, had served 
 to complete our delusion. Failing the explanation which thus 
 so completely changed the complexion of this incident, we might 
 have remained to this day under the impression that we had left 
 these poor creatures struggling for their lives with the furious 
 pilgrims of the Mag Mela. 
 
 NATIVf; BARBKR. 
 
 We heard afterwards that the bathing spectacle at the con- 
 fluence of the sacred rivers did not on that occasion attain to 
 its usual magnitude, and for the seemingly inexplicable reason 
 that the Naees, or native barbers, had put a serious obstacle in 
 the way! It will appear, however, that the Naee is an important 
 functionary of the Mela, when it is considered that the multitu- 
 dinous heads of these pilgrim bathers must needs be shaved 
 before the act of ablution, in order to render it efficacious. 
 
XXXIII.] PREPARATION FOR PARADISE. 345 
 
 The Hindoo scriptures, indeed, inculcate the belief that for 
 every hair of the worshipper's body thus committed to the river 
 he will be awarded a million years of heaven. No wonder then 
 that the Naees, availing themselves of what they conceived to 
 be a suitable occasion, should have combined to increase their 
 charge from one to three annas (i^^. to 4.V. sterling) per head, 
 a fee which, as it turned out, a considerable portion of the mul- 
 titude could not, or would not, pay. The acute barbers had, in 
 fact, obstinately ' struck work ' at the critical moment when their 
 services were supposed to be of infinite value to an immense 
 assembly of their countrymen, alleging as a reason that the ex- 
 orbitant amount at which the Government assessor had taxed 
 their incomes now rendered it impossible for them to work at 
 the old rate. 
 
 That some were present, however, to whom the barbers' fee 
 could be no serious obstacle, we gather from a statement 
 which appeared in the newspapers of the day regarding this 
 meeting, to the effect that many of the pilgrims had volunteered 
 to pay the local authorities large sums of money for admission 
 to a cavern, which is supposed to lead from below the fort to 
 Benares, as well as to other holy cities in India, and is generally 
 believed to have existed in Allahabad since the date of its con- 
 struction by Akbar. The fact that a closed passage does appear 
 in the place ascribed to this via sanda scarcely serves to account 
 for such extraordinary credulity, which, it is almost unnecessary 
 to add, is the national characteristic that '^x'x^'s.Xs, paiidahs, and 
 the entire host of harpies who attend to regulate the proceedings 
 of Indian melas are accustomed to turn to account. 
 
 Nor has this normal tendency to delusion yet yielded to the 
 
246 OLD AND NEW ALLAHABAD. [cH. xxxiii. 
 
 influences of European civilization. The pilgrim multitudes 
 of India are still ever on the march — to such holy cities as 
 Benares, Pokur, Muttra, and Gya — to such sanctifying melas as 
 those of Allahabad, Baroonee, Serampore, and Hurdwar. At 
 the last and most important place, where, as has been stated, the 
 Ganges first begins to flow towards the plains, the gathering of 
 1867 is reported to have reached the extraordinary number of 
 2,000,000 of persons, by which, however, I presume we are tQ 
 understand all who came and went during the several days of 
 the festival, and not those who were present at any one time. 
 
 But, unfortunately, these hallowed scenes of rendezvous for 
 the pious possess features altogether at variance with the clean- 
 sing flood and the open air. Within the very walls of the fort of 
 Allahabad there is a subterranean chamber, about eight to ten 
 feet high and thirty to forty feet long, which, at all times a popular 
 place of resort, is literally crowded with visitors during the Mela. 
 This cavern is entered by a narrow doorway, at which a native 
 warder stands to receive a charitable offering from all who enter. 
 It is very dimly lit by a few oil lamps, the rancid smell of which 
 serves to aggravate the nauseous gloom of the place, and is 
 literally crammed with uncouth images of deities, individually 
 named, and distinguished for peculiar imputed attributes. So 
 rude, indeed, are some of these objects of worship, that they do 
 not exhibit even the outline of an effigy — one of them being 
 merely the stump of a tree bound at the ends with an iron band. 
 
547 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 MORE INCIDENTS OF THE WAY. 
 
 Anything may become nature to man ; the rare thing is to find a nature 
 that is truly natural. — Anon. 
 
 ROM this point the railway was open as far as 
 Shekoabad, a distance of 264 miles. Cawnpore 
 lies between, and in a few hours we slid into 
 the shadow of its handsome and commodious 
 station. Here a mixed crowd of ticket-holders, 
 who, after being locked in a waiting-room pend- 
 ing the arrival of the train, had been just set loose, were .stream- 
 ing over the platform in great excitement. Threading the maze 
 of moving forms walked the inevitable railway chokydar, glorious 
 with spruce official cap and bright belted uniform, and remark- 
 ably active with the little cane which he was privileged to carry. 
 It was thus only natural that shouting, and rushing, and knuckle 
 rapping should be going on as we arrived at Cawnpore. The 
 platform seemed familiar ground ; nor less familiar the brass- 
 mounted locomotive, emitting its wonted hiss, and driven by an 
 English engineer. Yet there were features in the scene truly 
 oriental, for the place, heavily roofed to shut out the sun, 
 looked like some great twilight tunnel beneath a field of vivid 
 light ; and the engine, as it moved with a shriek from this 
 
348 MORE INCIDENTS OF THE WAY. [ch. 
 
 grateful shelter, sped away with its burden, not through fresh 
 green valleys and across flowing rivers, but through a hot glow- 
 ing landscape, in which tracts of jungle alternated with dry water- 
 courses and parched brown plains. 
 
 On this day, however, it so happened that the heavens were 
 propitious, and we witnessed what had become even to us a de- 
 lightful novelty. A more agreeable temperature seemed sud- 
 denly to pervade the air ; the strong light had waned sensibly ; 
 and looking forth from the carriage window, we perceived a sky 
 over which dark clouds were diffusing the folds in which they 
 had already shrouded the sun. A few minutes more and down 
 on the thirsty soil fell the precious rain torrent with a fine, 
 plashing music — Nature's prelude to man's harvest hymn. 
 
 But this unlooked-for deluge in such a place was in another 
 sense destructive, sweeping unsuspecting pilgrims and pedes- 
 trians from the highway into every possible place of pro- 
 tection, and making soaking havoc of the loose, bright colours 
 and tinsel decorations of the eastern wardrobe. In a very 
 short time the fields on either hand were streaked with watery 
 trenches, while groups of travellers might be seen crouching 
 under hastily constructed awnings. The transformation was 
 as complete as that upon a mimic stage ; for, indeed, the 
 spectacle of improvised tents erected beside the flood, with 
 draggled, half-clad figures cowering for shelter within them, 
 was more suggestive of a shipwreck than an incident of the 
 scorching plain. 
 
 It will, of course, be understood that I have hitherto spoken 
 of the phenomenon of rain in the sense of its natural and ordi- 
 nary occurrence. One of the disasters incidental to such a 
 
XXXIV.] A VALUED FRIEND. 349 
 
 climate is an occasional downfall so much out of season, and to 
 such an extent, as seriously to injure the growing crops. 
 
 The sun had set when we reached Shekoabad — a place 
 which revealed itself in the semi-darkness as a dreary mound 
 of sand surrounded by a few houses in which feeble lights 
 glimmered. My friend had rightly calculated that our ghar- 
 ries, with the advantage they afforded of progressing the while, 
 would be preferable as sleeping quarters to the nocturnal at- 
 tractions of Shekoabad. Other conveyances besides our own 
 awaited unhappy travellers on the sand, and great was the 
 noise and confusion as, aided by ghastly lanterns, the process 
 advanced of packing ladies and gentlemen, together with other 
 bulky objects, into seemingly impossible spaces. 
 
 On the following moaiing, when, at the earliest streak of dawn, 
 the Rev. Doctor and I met once more, loose-robed and slipshod, 
 to prosecute our wonted walk, we exchanged congratulations on 
 the prospect of reaching Delhi on the following day. The 
 events of the last few days, as we looked back upon them, 
 assumed a strangely prolonged aspect. Already it seemed as 
 if we were old friends, and had been travelling together for a 
 considerable period. Now that we were so soon to part, I could 
 not but reflect with gratitude on the Doctor's ever-welcoming 
 smile, so much brighter than the cold grey twilight as we met at 
 daybreak — of his guidance and advice both so freely extended, 
 and of his pleasant anecdotes recounted with high spirit and 
 humour amidst all the discomforts of the journey. Some of 
 these had reference to the Mutiny, in which I knew (although 
 not from himself) that he had acted a distinguished part, even 
 to the saving of others' lives at the imminent risk of his own. 
 
350 
 
 MORE INCIDENTS OF THE WAY. [cH. 
 
 The ladies also had striven to cheer one another throughout the 
 irksome trials of the hot dusty way. It was their wont to appear 
 at our daily reunions, which took place either within the shel- 
 tering verandah of the dak bungalow, that had afforded them 
 the means of making some show of a toilette, or under the 
 emerald canopy of a roadside tree, in a totally helpless and most 
 exquisite condition of deshabille, there to preside over an ancient 
 tea kettle flanked by a tin case of many divisions filled with 
 the common store. Even the baby, so far from exerting itself 
 as babies in general do, to spoil the harmony of the meeting, 
 proved an additional element of concord, its plump little face 
 radiating smiles from within the soft white and blue bundle 
 which constituted the remainder of its visible personality. 
 
 Two incidents of the road may serve to illustrate the nature of 
 those vagaries which puzzle some observers in estimating the 
 ethical constitution of the man whom Bishop Heber denomi- 
 nated the ' mild Hindoo.' 
 
 My friend, whose thorough knowledge of the native tongue 
 sometimes afforded him the opportunity of becoming acquainted 
 with language not spoken for his enlightenment, one day over- 
 heard his gorriwallah address a freshly harnessed horse, which 
 objected to move away, in the following words, uttered in a soft 
 persuasive tone : 
 
 ' My son, be a good horse ! Go on, my son ; why should 
 you be so disobedient ? You are not a horse that costs no- 
 thing ; you are a horse that eats five seers of grain every day ! 
 Remember, you are carrying the sahib, and the mem-sahib, and 
 the baby-sahib. Get along, my son, and be a good horse ! ' 
 
 Now the inexplicable absurdity of this parental address lay. 
 
xxxiv.] A PROVOKING CAPSIZR. 35 1 
 
 not so much in itself, as in the fact that it was spoken by way of 
 prelude to a series of most cruel strokes which instantly followed 
 its utterance. An iron-bound staff in a pitiless hand prolonged, 
 with scarcely the intervention of a pause, the argument thus 
 initiated by a gentle voice and soothing words of counsel ! 
 
 Of a similar idiosyncrasy to this Bengal groom was, we may 
 suppose, the Madras keeper who, according to a local journal, 
 when taxed by his mistress with stealing the food of an elephant 
 which had been placed under his charge, replied with a look of in- 
 jured innocence, ' Madam, can you imagine I would rob my child ?' 
 
 Again, one morning before sunrise we overtook a gharry, 
 from the window of which a young English traveller urged his 
 driver forward, an order which was echoed by his native ser- 
 vant on the roof, but in an undertone of provoking quietness. 
 The gorriwallah however, manifestly, paid not the slightest 
 heed to the injunction, whether because he was deaf in reality, 
 or because he did not choose to hear, who could tell ? But 
 we heard the victim of this genuine or feigned infirmity, after 
 he had been left some distance behind, shouting his reiterated 
 command, ' Go along, you brute ; go along, you brute ! ' the 
 uncomplimentary substantive being rendered with a rich tremu- 
 lous emphasis that betokened the last extremity of passion. 
 
 Presently, however, the gharry came up, and left us behind in 
 turn. That it was finally driven at a reckless pace became 
 evident when we had advanced a short distance, and found its 
 recent occupant standing, or rather stamping, in the dust beside 
 the wreck of the vehicle itself, which t\i& gorriwallah, through 
 some mishap, had capsized just before we approached. The 
 indignation of the unhappy youth, thus cast away where neither 
 
352 MORE INCIDENTS OF THE WA^' [cH. 
 
 help nor shelter could be obtained, was doubtless all the more 
 intense that the faces of his companions manifested not a spark 
 of sympathy with the excitement depicted on his own. Be- 
 side him stood his servant, but both syce and gorriwallah had 
 considerately established the breadth of the fallen gJiarry be- 
 tween him and them. ' Now, you old brute,' cried the enraged 
 Englishman, with a menacing gesture towards the gorriwallah, 
 ' do you see what you have done ? ' Evidently that functionary 
 saw what he had done, for he stood contemplating his work 
 with gently folded hands and a meek look of resignation ; 
 but he spoke not in reply, precisely as if he did not understand 
 the language in which he had been addressed. ' Tell him,' 
 exclaimed the exasperated traveller, turning to his native servant 
 as interpreter, 'tell him that he's a brute!' The man so in- 
 structed calmly faced the delinquent and told him in Hindos- 
 tanee literally how he stood in the sahib's estimation ; whereupon 
 the gorriwallah, bending towards his traducer with a salaam, 
 delivered his response, which, being interpreted through the 
 same listless medium, proved to be an expression of profound 
 regret for the accident, coupled with an acknowledgment in 
 general terms of the sahib's well-known character for intelligence 
 and perspicacity ! 
 
 This catastrophe, it may be proper to add, turned out less 
 serious than might have been supposed, for the gharry, when 
 raised and bound up with a rope, was found to be competent, 
 after a fashion, to complete the stage ; and the emaciated little 
 horse, which had meanwhile been cropping the grass and swing- 
 ing its tail with an evident sense of relief, was being captured 
 by its tormentor as we pursued our way. 
 
XXXI v.] THE CONFINES OF DELHI. 353 
 
 During our progress northward a change in things animate 
 and inanimate had been growing gradually more manifest. The 
 sun was now frequently obscured by clouds, the nights had 
 turned chilly, and in the early morning thin layers of ice 
 crunched beneath the wheels of our vehicle and under the san- 
 dalled feet of the few shivering pedestrians who had gone 
 forth on their march earlier than the sun. Nor was the face of 
 nature more altered than that of man himself The strong 
 brown figures of up-country people were now in excess of the 
 thin tawny forms of the farther south ; the very cattle in 
 the fields looked comparatively large and strong. Earth and 
 air teemed with more abundant forms of life. Flocks of white 
 ' paddy ' birds stood on high legs among the pools or beside 
 the tanks on either hand ; kites and crows in increased num- 
 bers hovered overhead ; and flights of green paroquets, their 
 hues sparkling in the sunshine, screamed across our path. 
 Many lovely ghughus (a small species of ringdove) were like- 
 wise visible by the way ; while lithe little squirrels gambolled 
 about the roots of the fine trees, which for miles together gave 
 our course the appearance of a rich green alley. 
 
 A A 
 
354 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 DELHI, PAST AND PRESENT. 
 
 For heaven's sake, let us sit upon the ground, 
 
 And tell sad stories of the death of kings. — King Richard II. 
 
 Whose game was empires, and whose stakes were thrones.— Byron. 
 
 And sleep in dull cold marble. — King Henry VIII. 
 
 Yet ere one bolt from home has struck the ioe, 
 
 Far Delhi crumbles under English guns — Hedderwick. 
 
 T was in a peculiar light that we first saw Delhi. 
 Looking forth from my crib early on the morning 
 of our approach, I found the sky still bright with 
 stars, and the earth obscured by a dense ground 
 mist, vocal with a chorus of invisible jackals. 
 The air was extremely cold, and the crackling 
 of ice beneath the carriage wheels served to 
 complete the wintry features of a scene which we 
 had never associated in imagination with the neighbourhood of 
 the Mogul capital. As the morning advanced the low-lying 
 fog expanded until it pervaded the air, and when immediately 
 afterwards the sun rose, kindling it by degrees into a strong 
 luminous haze, there, a short distance in advance, towering 
 in this glowing medium, stood the domes and cupolas of Delhi, 
 with the spires of the Jumna Musjid forming the centre of 
 attraction. 
 
CH. XXXV.] y/£IV OF THE CITY. 355 
 
 The enchantment, however, thus compounded of shade and 
 sunshine, was soon dissolved ; for the atmospheric glory gra- 
 dually disappeared as, through a waste of sand channeled by 
 many narrow winding streams, we approached the Jumna and its 
 dilapidated bridge of boats. On stone steps, leading from very 
 diminutive dwellings to the river's brink, washermen and 
 washerwomen, jocosely conversing, busily plied their trade. 
 The barren earth around gave no sign of productiveness, and 
 only served to sustain some huts of cane and reed-work — the 
 homes of a poor but apparently industrious class of natives. 
 
 On the opposite bank, and guarded by its stately Fort or 
 palace, stood the city — a characteristic mass of flat-roofed struc- 
 tures, interspersed with trees and columns. But chiefly con- 
 spicuous was the Fort itself, surrounded with embattled walls 
 of red granite about forty feet high, and enclosing within its 
 limits an elaborate display of Gothic and other architecture. 
 
 Although, as we have seen, so difficult of approach only a few 
 years ago, Delhi may at the present day be reached comfortably 
 enough by rail from Calcutta in the short interval between 
 Saturday afternoon and Monday morning. It is now not only a 
 rendezvous of tourists but the theme of a guidebook. To such a 
 vade mecum, therefore, I must refer for descriptive details, should 
 they be deemed wanting in this narrative. But, indeed, beyond 
 the few grander features which photography has already made 
 familiar to the world, there is little even in Delhi to engage 
 the eye. To the picture which these collectively present, add 
 the usual range of streets bustling with an eastern crowd, and 
 the rest is a scene of desolation and decay. It was only after 
 we had passed within the great gateway that we realized the ex- 
 
 A A 2 
 
356 DELHI, PAST AND PRESENT. [CH. 
 
 tent of this devastation. Time and the hand of violence had com- 
 bined to smite the imperial city with a twofold destruction. The 
 earthen mounds and deserted ruins that lay scattered about, the 
 battered aspect of the town walls as well as those of the maga- 
 zine, and even that of the iron cupola which surmounted the 
 handsome English church with its white marble cross in front, 
 commemorating the massacre of 1857, all gave evidence of the 
 terribly destructive force of the besieging artillery. 
 
 The principal thoroughfare, known as the Chandnee Chowk, or 
 Street of Light, to which reference is made in every account of 
 Delhi, was certainly the finest purely Indian street we had yet 
 seen. It struck us as resembling, after an Eastern fashion, the 
 Unter den Linden of Berlin, there being trees in the centre and 
 a road for traffic on either side. An occasional native family 
 carriage moved ostentatiously among the throng of pony carts 
 and bullock Iiackries that filled the way, and the picturesque 
 robes of Indian aristocracy shone at intervals among the scanty 
 garments of the masses. 
 
 The architectural features of the Chandnee Chowk were of the 
 minute ornate style, the buildings being usually small in size, 
 and provided with terraces and balconies. Some of these 
 domiciles still exhibited the traces of that fine gilding where- 
 with they had glittered for the gratification of more lordly 
 tenants in the light of other days. Many were yet laden with 
 sculptured ornaments which time had failed to destroy ; and 
 it was evident that the popular taste for such decorations had 
 not departed with the means of procuring them, as numerous 
 painted symbols and figures, chiefly of a religious character, 
 illuminated the walls and doorways. Depicted thus in many 
 
XXXV.] ASPECT OF THE STREETS. 357 
 
 parts appeared that sacred and universally esteemed bird the 
 peacock, generally with full spread tail and in an attitude of 
 intelligent observation. There were also elephants, some of 
 which stood on nothing and others on terrestrial spheres that 
 afforded them scanty accommodation. In one place a large 
 brown figoire of the Devil was pourtrayed terrifying a houseful 
 of unbelievers (Christians, perhaps) out of their wits; and else- 
 where were representations of Bramah sitting cross-legged on a 
 lotus leaf, or ascending to heaven with uplifted arms. It is to 
 be observed, however, that these various devices possessed a 
 greater significance than that pertaining to children's toys, being 
 designed for the double purpose of pictures to charm the eye 
 and talismans to guard the soul. 
 
 Now as the Chandtiee Cliowk may be styled the Regent Street 
 of North-Westem India, its little shops were, as a matter of 
 course, gay with the artistic products, and alive with the manu- 
 facturing industry of the district The array of tinsel and fancy 
 ornaments, including such things as beads and bangles, gold 
 and silver lace, flashy head-dresses and glittering marriage 
 boxes, not only outshone but far outnumbered the products of 
 sober usefulness, being to that extent in higher favour and 
 better demand. Strangely enough the jewellery quarter, to 
 which orders still flow from the Western world, was altogether 
 wanting in display. On the following morning, however, at 
 the earliest streak of dawn, the explanation of this seeming 
 anomaly appeared at the door of our dak bungalow in the 
 persons of sundry competitive jewellers and other craftsmen, 
 carrying in their packs a very beautiful variety of filagree 
 ornaments in gold or silver, and handsomely wrought gold studs, 
 
358 
 
 DELHI, PAST AND PRESENT. 
 
 [CH. 
 
 links, and breast pins, together with ivory paintings, inimitably 
 minute in design and brilliant in colouring. It thus appealed 
 that in Delhi these valuable articles partook more of the nature 
 of floating capital than of window ornaments. 
 
 It is a slight matter that the appearance of these itinerant 
 goldsmiths should have been curiously at variance with the at- 
 tractive quality of their wares, but I regret to add that, 
 in some cases at least, quite an equal disparity prevailed 
 
 WORKING JEWELLER, DELHL 
 
 between the prices they demanded and those they were willing 
 to accept. 
 
 Of course the Chandfiee Cfiowk was the centre of a labyrinth 
 of busy thoroughfares, among which we traversed the Kooncha 
 Nachubunda, the Ashurfee Kutra, the Billee Mghra, and other 
 streets, the better to observe the routine of business life in Delhi. 
 The various orders of tradesmen — pipe makers, men-milliners, 
 
XXXV.] SHOP INDUSTRIES. 359 
 
 toy-manufacturers, and the rest, usually seated in tailor fashion, 
 were at work in their respective shops, many of them in the 
 precise position of huge window figures. Even dyers and 
 calico printers plied their trade within these narrow recesses, 
 one end of the room constituting the dye-work, and the other 
 the print-shop. The work of the former, as I have previously 
 indicated, is effected by dipping the cloth in pots of clay or 
 brass containing a supply of the requisite liquors ; that of the 
 latter is accomplished through the instrumentality of tiny wooden 
 blocks, on which the patterns are cut, the printing table being a 
 board sustained on the crossed legs of the operator ! In this way 
 the dyers and calico printers of India impart dyed colours and 
 designs, in accordance with the native taste, to goods both of 
 native and foreign make — to the tatitas cloth and to Manchester 
 shirtings. They are also accustomed to print their own patterns 
 on British dyed fabrics, making use of an acid to extract the 
 colour in styles where that process is necessary to produce the 
 required effect. 
 
 Thus, while revolving in wide, lofty chambers, the swift 
 cylinder machines of Manchester and Glasgow are turning off 
 each one 600 yards of cloth (more or less) per hour, the manufac- 
 turing industry of India jogs slowly along in little holes and cor- 
 ners, after its own primitive plan ; both classes of production 
 competing with one another, and finding customers in the 
 bazaar. It is yet, to some extent at least, a question of ma- 
 chinery and capital versus manual labour with a diet of rice and 
 cimpatties. 
 
 Not very long ago, the late Colonel Baird Smith estimated 
 that about two-thirds of the population of India were clothed 
 
36o 
 
 DELHI, PAST AND PRESENT. 
 
 [CH. 
 
 with indigenous cotton manufactures. Such a calculation was 
 then only conjectural, nor could it be rendered with much greater 
 accuracy now. We can only conclude, as a matter of general 
 observation, that the native fabrics are slowly but surely 
 giving place to the products of British industry. Meanwhile, 
 the tanta, or weaver, not being yet a traditionary character, 
 may be seen even by the roadside in the Mofussil, dawdling 
 
 WEAVER AND WINDER OF THREAD. 
 
 over his task in company with a fellow-labourer or two ; their 
 apparatus being simply a bamboo framework set up within the 
 copse, which partly conceals them from observation. Or he may 
 be found alone, seated in a hole dug under a tree, which he has 
 selected as affording the twofold convenience of a shelter for 
 himself from the sun, and a projecting branch on which his 
 web may hang. From such sylvan workshops it is easy for the 
 tanta to betake himself homewards as often as the spirit moves 
 
XXXV.] 
 
 MANUFACTURING PROGRESS. 
 
 361 
 
 him, or fatigue renders irksome the dreary process by which his 
 material attains to the condition of cotton cloth. 
 
 These, however, may now be regarded as closing scenes 
 among the industrial occupations of India. The mere observa- 
 tion of a task so slow and thriftless scarcely leaves room to doubt, 
 that, even in such a country, human hands and heads must 
 eventually find more profitable employment. Another, although 
 
 JUMNA MUSJIU, IiKI.IlI. 
 
 of course less weighty, reason than economy of manufacture for 
 the gradual extinction of these crude operations of the past ex- 
 ists in the superior construction of the textile fabrics produced 
 by British mechanical art. This advantage the native himself has 
 not failed to appreciate. The single fact, as indicated by the 
 statistics of trade, that the imports into India of British cotton 
 manufactures may be roughly estimated as having increased 
 
362 DELHI, PAST AND PRESENT. [cH. 
 
 one-third in quantity in the last ten or twelve years, shows clearly 
 (making every reasonable allowance for the progressive wants of 
 the people) the direction in which the consumption is advancing. 
 The Jumna Musjid is entered by three broad flights of steps, 
 each leading through a magnificent gateway to an immense 
 terrace with a reservoir of white marble in the centre. At the 
 west end, and occupying the whole breadth of the platform, 
 stands the Mosque — a striking edifice, consisting outwardly of 
 a mixed stone and marble frontage, surmounted by three marble 
 domes and flanked by two minarets of great height ; and in- 
 wardly of a high vaulted white marble hall, where, squatted on 
 the smooth hard flags, we found a i&fi solitary worshippers, each 
 with face towards the Kibla, see-sawing through their usual 
 course of devotions. On certain festival occasions, however, the 
 vast terrace itself is literally crowded with an earnest multitude of 
 the faithful. Standing on that gorgeous architectural elevation, 
 with its elaborated piazzas of red granite, richly-carved marble 
 pavilions, and noble spires towering aloft in the sunlight, the 
 visitor is overwhelmed with the contrast it presents to the con- 
 fined dingy mass of buildings, some of them mere huts and 
 hovels, which occupy the barren soil below — so great, it seems, 
 in the midst of littleness, so fresh in a scene of ruin, so isolated 
 in the centre of a throng. Yet, to our apprehension, this hal- 
 lowed resort of Moslem piety was by no means a grateful retreat 
 from the bustle of life. For a temple of that order has nothing 
 in common with our notions of a sanctuary. The sombre, 
 void interior of the mosque is calculated to oppress the mind 
 rather than to touch the heart; and it may safely be concluded 
 that the spirit of devotion is not stimulated by the large marble 
 
< 
 z 
 a 
 
 o 
 o 
 
 2 
 O 
 
XXXV.] A GORGEOUS SANCTUARY. 363 
 
 pavement, so beautiful and so hard, on which the act of worship 
 is performed. The spacious terrace, open to the sky, was doubt- 
 less a very paradise of sculptural beauty ; but it possessed no 
 soothing features of shade or softness — wall and pillar seemed 
 to blaze with excess of heat and light. 
 
 From such a fiery, stone platform, with all its splendours, the 
 spirit of devotion might well turn for relief even to the green 
 carpet of nature, where, 
 
 ' 'Neatli cloistered boughs, each floral bell that swingeth, 
 
 And tolls its perfume on the balmy air. 
 Makes Sabbaths in the fields, and ever ringeth 
 A call to prayer.' 
 
 There are said to be forty other mosques in Delhi. 
 
 It is here necessary to state that, since the period of which 
 I speak, the city has been, to some extent, redeemed from its 
 ruinous condition. Much of the rubbish has been cleared 
 away, and the work of removal is still in progress. Two 
 good railway stations and a telegraph office, a new post-office, 
 and a handsome serai for the accommodation of travellers, have 
 served at once to enlarge the appearance of the city, and to 
 improve the ruin-stricken way ; while, instead of the tremu- 
 lous old bridge of boats, the Jumna is now spanned by such a 
 railway viaduct as would have excited the wonder and envy of 
 Akbar himself. 
 
 A visit to the palace of the Moguls strikingly illustrates 
 the historical fact, that it was designed for something more 
 than a place of residence in the ordinary sense. It was in 
 truth an imperium in imperio, wherein, defended by immense 
 turreted walls, and surrounded by quite an extensive circle of 
 
364 
 
 DELHI, PAST AND PRESENT. 
 
 [CH. 
 
 dependent followers and fawning parasites, His Majesty abode, 
 equally secure from outward aggression and internal revolt 
 
 In the shadow of the great gateway we perceived a curious 
 erection covered with green cloth, on which lay a slip of mari- 
 gold. This was a Mahommedan tomb enclosed by a low wall, 
 and having at one end a block of stone perforated with square 
 holes, in which lights were burned during the night The 
 
 RAILWAY BRIDGE OVER THE JUMNA. 
 
 green cloth was emblematical of the popular inscription, ' Here 
 lies one who was a Synd, or descendant of the Prophet,' 
 and had been laid there along with the golden flower, because 
 that was a sacred day in the Mahommedan calendar. We 
 might not have paused to notice this humble memorial beneath 
 the castle walls, but that it appeared in a strange place, and 
 was manifestly tended by some one in Delhi who believed in 
 the eternity of human love. Passing within the gateway we 
 
XXXV,] THE MOGUL AT HOME. 365 
 
 encountered a terrible spectacle of destruction, on which how- 
 ever, as it has often been described, there is no need for me to 
 dwell. Whole streets, formed of empty stables and deserted 
 dwellings, bore testimony to the strife that had raged in this city 
 of fallen royalty. The famous peepul tree, under which, during 
 the Mutiny, twenty-seven men, women, and children were mas- 
 sacred, still occupied its old comer, bending among the debris 
 with deeply furrowed trunk and drooping dusty branches, as if 
 it too had been smitten with the prevailing desolation of the 
 place. Her Majesty's 82nd Regiment and a party of artillery 
 were in possession of the Fort, but they were then at mess in 
 the barracks at the other end. The Aunt Khas, or courtyard, 
 where the imposing retinues of successive rulers were wont to 
 muster, was a scene of devastation ; not so, however, the Dewan 
 Khas, or hall of audience, where once shone that wonderful 
 peacock throne of Delhian history, whose gems, bright with all 
 the hues of the rainbow, manifested to all comers the peerless 
 grandeur of him who, from its royal dais, heard appeals and 
 dispensed justice. The building was still a chaste pavilion of 
 white marble, sustained on pillars of the same material enriched 
 with mosaic patterns. Within, however, we found this Paradise 
 Lost of the Moguls nothing more than a rather low-roofed hall 
 embellished with rich but now tawdry gilding, and, in lieu of 
 the peacock throne, appeared a series of glass cases containing 
 a characteristic nUlange of objects — scarlet coats and painted 
 toys, gold and silver trimmings, brazen gods, wicker baskets, and 
 many other articles tempting to the native eye laid out for inspec- 
 tion and approval. When grandeur and extravagance have run 
 their course, thrift and industry must be called in to repair the 
 
366 
 
 DELHI, PAST AND PRESENT. 
 
 [CH. 
 
 waste; and so the renowned Hall of Audience had been con- 
 verted into a museum of articles suitable to the wants of the 
 country, then and there displayed for sale. 
 
 Delhi has long been a celebrated emporium for Cashmere 
 shawls, although the peculiar advantage it naturally possessed, 
 in ante-railway days, for the prosecution of that trade exists no 
 longer. Such fabrics, however, still continue to be woven there, 
 
 RUINS OF OLD DELHI. 
 
 some of them gorgeously inwrought with gold and silver tissue 
 for the due maintenance of native rank and state. 
 
 So far I have been speaking of the modern city of Delhi, 
 which, built on a rocky eminence by the Emperor Shah Jehan, 
 about 200 years ago, is represented as being seven miles in 
 circuit, and now containing a population of about I50,0CX), nearly 
 equally divided between Mahommedans and Hindoos. Outside 
 
XXXV.] OUTSIDE THE WALLS. 367 
 
 the walls lie the ruins of ' old Delhi,' comprising several former 
 cities, and occupying a circumference of about twenty miles. 
 
 Passing out by the now historical Cashmere Gate, where the 
 battered and broken masonry showed how terrible had been 
 the assault of our troops, we proceeded first to a rising ground 
 about a mile to the right, sprinkled with dark waste mounds of 
 grranite, among which glistened little white tombstones and 
 crosses marking the graves of our fallen soldiers. The dis- 
 advantage under which the brave defenders of India had fought 
 in a place so unsuitable for the action of cavalry was clearly 
 apparent ; nor did we see the worst, for the brushwood had been 
 removed, under cover of which the Sepoys had harassed their 
 action and shot them down. 
 
 We were now provided with the almost forgotten luxury' of 
 a carriage and pair, driven, too, not by a morose Hindoo gorri- 
 wallah but by a spruce English jockey — a waif who, in beating 
 about the sea of life, had somehow drifted as far away from 
 home as the upper banks of the Jumna. Under his guidance we 
 traversed a region where it seemed as if the earth had withered 
 under the blighting incubus of the ruins it sustained. Mauso- 
 leums and temples, mosques, palaces, and columns in ever}' stage 
 of decay, from still handsome marble halls down to blackened 
 heaps of stones, lay scattered over ten miles of a soil chiefly 
 composed of rock and sand, except where, in an occasional 
 green spot, some miserable crop feebly essayed to struggle into 
 the light, and deepened, if that were possible, the melancholy 
 aspect of the scene. 
 
 On that day, however, there happened to be a stir of life 
 among the tombs. Close to the city walls appeared the en- 
 
368 
 
 DELHI, PAST AND PRESENT. 
 
 [CH. 
 
 campment of the Begum of Bhopaul on her return from Agra, 
 whither she had gone to be invested with the new order of 
 the Star of India, in recognition of her loyal attachment to 
 British rule during the Mutiny. The discreet and popular 
 Begum, whose death, which occurred within the last two years, 
 elicited from the British Government an expression of ' profound 
 regret,' may or may not have taken her whole staff of state along 
 with her on that occasion ; but there must have been several 
 
 TOMB OF HUMAYOON, DELHI. 
 
 hundreds of followers, high and low, moving about in the little 
 village of canvas tents which had been pitched in that strange 
 place, amidst carriages, horses, and elephants, the locomotive 
 forces of her peripatetic court. 
 
 Beyond this regal gathering, nothing lay before us save the 
 desert waste and its tenantless abodes. Among the latter the 
 most conspicuous and entire was the tomb of Humayoon, which, 
 being a favourable specimen of its class, merits a word of notice. 
 
XXXV. J 
 
 A GORGEOUS MAUSOLEUM. 
 
 369 
 
 It is a stately granite building, surmounted by a white marble 
 dome, and standing, as will be seen from the woodcut, on an im- 
 mense terrace. Within are a series of empty chambers sur- 
 rounding a great central hall, in which a cenotaph of white 
 marble, dwarfed by the magnitude of its surroundings into the 
 dimensions of a toy, indicates the resting place of one whose 
 
 THE OBSERVATORY, DELHI. 
 
 regal pleasure it was to seek posthumous distinction in the 
 splendour of his tomb. 
 
 The name of Humayoon belongs to an important epoch in 
 Delhian history. It was he who, coming from Persia in 1554, 
 inaugurated that rapid but brilliant series of reigns which 
 terminated towards the end of the seventeenth century with 
 those of Aurungzebe and Shah Jehan. In the days of the 
 former sovereign the growth of the city is said to have cul- 
 
370 DELHI, PAST AND PRESENT. [cH. 
 
 minated in a population of 2,000,000 ; and it was the latter who 
 founded the present Delhi, while the now desolate neighbour- 
 hood outside the walls was yet fresh and fair. 
 
 Among the ruins of the Observatory, or Junter Munter, lay 
 several of its huge astronomical appliances crumbling in the 
 dust. The most interesting of these was the great dial by 
 which the sun's azimuth was wont to be observed, and 
 which the Rajah of Jeypore, to whom it owed its existence, 
 delighted to name the ' Prince of Dials.' In such a country 
 this nobleman may well be remembered as himself a ' prince ' of 
 science and a worthy example to his class. For truly no more 
 effectual means could be employed to dispel the darkness that 
 overshadows a land of astrology and divination than an intelli- 
 gent observation of the truths revealed by astronomy. Nor is 
 the lesson specially difficult to acquire. To weigh the bulk, 
 compute the distance, and define the orbits of the celestial 
 bodies, through the instrumentality of complex mechanisms de- 
 vised for the purpose, is of course only the part of the great 
 mathematical astronomer. In that sense it may be truly said 
 of this science, Veritas in puteo. But the study, even in its 
 simpler form, is elevating, as furnishing an exposition of the 
 general laws of creation, and is in fact the natural antidote for 
 those wild fancies on that subject which enslave the Eastern 
 mind. Certain it is that, for centuries past, the nations of Asia 
 have been groping in darkness beneath the clear light of heaven ; 
 for it can scarcely be doubted that a moderate degree of familiar- 
 ity with astronomical knowledge among the people would go far 
 to diminish the pernicious influence of a priesthood whose astro- 
 logical books and implements are among the chief talismans 
 of their power. Nor is the glorious lesson likely to be less 
 
XXXV.] 
 
 AN ASTRONOMER ROYAL. 
 
 effectual now that photography and the spectroscope have un- 
 folded a clearer view of the stellar universe to mankind ; and 
 that, under the observation of such men as Kirchhoff and 
 
 KUTCB MINAR, DELHI. 
 
 Balfour Stewart, Lockyer and De la Rue, the heavenly orbs 
 are writing their own biography in sparkling lines of light. 
 
 A litde farther into the waste and we were amidst records of 
 the fourteenth century dating from the reign of Ferozeshah. 
 
 B B 2 
 
372 DELHI, PAST AND PRESENT. [ch. 
 
 Within some of these ruins, poor families had found convenient 
 homes. About a mile in advance from this spot, and nine 
 miles beyond the modern city, stands that wonderful leaning 
 tower of Delhi — the Kutub Minar — which is formed of five 
 balconies (the first four of red granite and the last of white 
 marble) gradually lessening ih circumference, and rises 242 feet 
 high, crowned with a beautiful cupola. The structure is aged, 
 and mocks by its perfect condition the futile efforts which have 
 been made to trace its history. So fresh, indeed, does the 
 peerless column look after having been repaired by the Indian 
 Government in 1826, that it bears the burden of 700 years as if 
 it were a trophy of the present century. Beside the Kutub stand 
 the remains of the Jumna Musjid of ancient Delhi, which, as the 
 story goes, was built out of the spoils of twenty-seven Hindoo 
 temples pulled down for that purpose, thus furnishing at once 
 a conspicuous example of Moslem grandeur and Moslem tole- 
 ration about the end of the twelfth centur)^ 
 
 Here, deeply imbedded in the soil, lies the centre of destruction, 
 partly concealed by a wild growth of trees and plants. Clustered 
 round the Kutub, in a dense heap, appear the ruins of a hand- 
 some Hindoo palace and temple, together with many others 
 of mosques, serais, and imperial tombs, among which rises the 
 famous deep-sunken iron pillar represented in the traditions of 
 the country as having rested on the head of the world-supporting 
 snake-god Lishay, during the sovereignty of the old Hindoo 
 kings. 
 
 Some of the Arabic inscriptions on the stones are not yet 
 obliterated, and one especially may be noticed as teaching the 
 moral lesson of the place : — 
 
XXXV.] ACROBATS OF THE WELL. 373 
 
 The Prophet, on whom be God's blessing, says, ' he who builds a 
 mosque for God, God will build a similar house for him in heaven.' 
 
 In the heart of ancient Delhi the course of several streets 
 may still be traced. A strange jumble they exhibit of shattered 
 marble steps and pillars mingled with the black, moss-covered 
 fragments of fallen walls and domes, among which appear, at 
 intervals, the signs of a human habitation formed among the 
 debris. As we walked through what seemed the main thorough- 
 fare of that once-crowded and handsome capital of the Patan 
 sovereigns, the only dwellers we encountered were two women 
 each sitting on a broken doorstep plying a tiny spinning wheel, 
 and one solitary old man weaving (if the process could be so 
 called) coarse cloth on a frame erected in a vacant space in the 
 shadow of a crumbling wall. It thus appeared, however, that 
 the industries of Patan Delhi, albeit at a low ebb, were not, like 
 its pride and pageantry, absolutely dead and gone. 
 
 Near at hand and surrounded by a few hamlets is the celebrated 
 well to which visitors are attracted through the performances 
 of which it is the theatre. The natives aver that it contains 
 sixty feet of water, the surface of which lies at a similar depth 
 below the ground level. Without being able to vouch for the 
 accuracy of their statement, I can testify to the giddy effect of 
 a glance down the shaft of this water mine, which may be about 
 double the diameter of that of an ordinary coal piL It was difficult 
 to believe that the little band of coolies, by whom we were quickly 
 surrounded, were about to commit themselves to this terrible gulf 
 Yet so it was. First, one tall fellow approached the brink and, 
 without condescending to preface his feat with the evolutions of 
 an ordinary mountebank, leapt lightly into the void which he 
 
374 " nELHi, past and present. [ch. 
 
 traversed, not head foremost like Satan in some picture of his 
 fall, but erect, with a complacent face and a fine airy poise, 
 cutting the water when he reached it as cleanly as a sharp-edged 
 stone by setting his feet close together and his arms flat to his 
 sides at the moment of immersion. A very slight departure 
 from the straight line, a trifling loss of balance, and he would 
 inevitably have impinged to the peril of his life on that circular 
 wall of stone the width of which left him little room for devi- 
 ation. As it was, 
 
 ' Scarce had he sunk beneath the aqueous floor ' 
 
 ere he reappeared at our side like an apparition, having escaped 
 through a submerged passage into an adjoining reservoir, pos- 
 sessing a ready way of egress. Then followed other divers in 
 gradually increasing swiftness of succession, until leap and plash 
 followed one another with the celerity and vigour of a schoolboy 
 game. Children here are trained almost from infancy to this 
 dangerous performance, which probably would be otherwise im- 
 possible of accomplishment. 
 
 No company of spangled artistes in European cirque or amphi- 
 theatre had ever afforded us so exciting an entertainment as that 
 here provided by a small group of poor natives among the ruins 
 of ancient Delhi; while the trifling fee we gave, to be divided 
 among them, was regarded as a liberal reward, and elicited 
 by way of a concluding performance a round of respectful 
 salaams. 
 
 Strange as it may appear, the suburbs of modern Delhi, now 
 such a wilderness of decay, must have been very beautiful 
 and luxuriant not more than a century and a half ago, when 
 
XXXV.] ANCIENT SUBURBAN LUXURIANCE. 375 
 
 the glory of the Moguls was at its zenith. Many of the 
 remains lie buried out of sight ; among them those subter- 
 ranean watercourses, which, we read, traversed the principal 
 districts and led to the mansions of the noblesse. In those 
 days, too, a splendid canal served to conduct water to the city 
 from a distance of seventy miles, and thus an extensive system 
 of irrigation imparted life and green fertility to a soil which is 
 now sandy and dead. Much has been achieved, and more is 
 being done, by the British Government to restore the means of 
 cultivation. But thorough and terrible is the present scene of 
 transformation in contrast with that not very distant period, when 
 the palaces of the Indian nobility occupied the sites of these 
 mouldering walls, and the deserted waste around was a popu- 
 lated, fruitful region intersected by royal roads, daily traversed 
 by state carriages and elephants caparisoned in gold. Then 
 the Mussulman inhabitant of the proud, stately city, leaving its 
 crowded streets, was wont to ramble far into the country among 
 fields and gardens, where Omrahs of the empire dwelt ; and 
 troops of pilgrims came from distant quarters of the land to 
 feast their eyes on the gorgeous palaces, and to worship at the 
 saintly shrines of Delhi. 
 
 And it so happens that the final incident in this tale of ruin 
 is the most tragic and impressive. The last Padshah died, 
 a few years ago, a pensioner on the bounty of the Indian 
 Government. The spectacle repeated through past generations 
 of an imperial ruler on a jewelled throne dissolves into that 
 of a plain wooden building on the banks of the Irrawaddy, 
 wherein Mahomed Bahadur, a mindless and decrepit old man, 
 the descendant of Baber, and Timour, and Ghengis Khan, 
 
376 DELHI, PAST AND PRESENT. [cH. 
 
 breathes out a life of impotence and desertion. As for the noble 
 followers who crowded his court in Delhi, those who escaped 
 with life dwell in judicial banishment or voluntary exile ; and the 
 intelligence of to-day runs, that of all these ' not half a dozen ' 
 remain who are qualified by position to appear at a viceregal 
 dtirbar. 
 
 Before leaving the city we witnessed a feat of jugglery in- 
 finitely more novel and attractive than any to which I have 
 elsewhere referred. One evening, ' 'tween the gloamin' and the 
 mirk,' or just as the twilight was lapsing into darkness, a demure, 
 silent figure appeared at the bungalow door, and making a short 
 salaam glided without further ceremony into the shadowy room, 
 as though he were the genius loci. Selecting in a moment 
 the spot that seemed to serve his purpose best, he seated him- 
 self with his back to the wall, and produced from the folds of 
 his dress a small tom-tom together with a large box. The 
 contents of the latter proved to be a number of lords and 
 ladies on foot or mounted, together with horses and carriages, 
 all formed of pasteboard or some such material, and these our 
 unbidden guest scattered on the floor around him, apparently 
 without plan or order. There they lay, nawabs, rajahs, and 
 baboos, among steeds and chariots in the like fallen condition. 
 But soon the monotonous thrum of the tom-tom seemed to 
 breathe energy into the prostrate figures. A carriage endea- 
 voured to jerk itself on end — a horse made a spasmodic effort to 
 rise. At length a noble lady enacted the part of awaking to con- 
 sciousness, and leaping to her feet hopped into a vehicle which, 
 from also occupying a recumbent position, had suddenly presented 
 itself, like that of Cinderella, ready for her use. No sooner 
 
XXXV.] MYSTERIOUS PUPPETS. 377 
 
 done than carriage and lady moved away. The journey indeed 
 was short and perilous, and the coach came to grief somewhere 
 about the window corner ; still the lady had had a ride. But 
 the drone of the life-inspiring tom-tom continued ; now a warrior 
 found his legs and mounted a horse which had stood up for his 
 accommodation ; and so for a few minutes the mimic actors rose, 
 moved, and fell, until the sound of the totn-tom ceased and all 
 was still. Then the mute magician, getting up, gathered them 
 together into their receptacle, and having thankfully received a 
 rupee for his performance slipped away into the gloom of the 
 verandah with the same ghostlike silence that had marked his 
 entrance. 
 
 We quite failed to observe the machinery of action in this 
 exhibition ; and were driven to imagine, as an after-thought, 
 that the ten supple fingers so diligently thrumming the tom-tom, 
 and even the ten bare toes of the performer, might, through the 
 instrumentality of invisible connecting threads, guided by some 
 high-trained skill, have been the motive powers of these com- 
 plicated evolutions with which we had been so curiously en- 
 tertained. 
 
378 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 
 MARRIAGE AND FEMALE EDUCATION. 
 
 Of earthly goods the best is a good wife ; 
 
 A bad, the bitterest curse of human life. — SlMONIDES. 
 
 Shalt show us how divine a thing 
 
 A Woman may be made.— WORDSWORTH. 
 
 (UESTIONS of human interest in India are 
 not resolved by the masses on the prin- 
 ciples of experience and common sense so 
 much as on the dictates of soothsaying, 
 divination, and astrology. Among the 
 events thus regulated, the all-important 
 one of marriage occupies a conspicuous 
 place. Lucky days for the ceremony are proclaimed by the 
 priesthood ; auspicious weeks and months are foretold, so that 
 of Asiatic marriages it can be truly said, if I may be pardoned 
 the familiar pleasantry, that they ' never come single.' It so 
 happened that we had arrived in Delhi during one of these pro- 
 pitious periods, and the city was each day alive with processions 
 filing through the streets to the strains of fife and drum. On 
 every such occasion a strenuous effort is made to render the 
 spectacle as imposing as possible, it being apparently understood, 
 between the observant public on the one part and the love-con- 
 
CH. xxxvi.] THE BEREAVED PEON. 379 
 
 tracting parties on the other, that the appearance of the turn-out 
 
 will be held as the measure of the social status and respectability 
 
 of the pair. Reputations for wealth are sustained and suspicions 
 
 of poverty averted by an artful exhibition of domestic resources, 
 
 in which, not unfrequently, beds, tables, even pots and pans — 
 
 the curta supellex of the couple — occupy a place. Thus the 
 
 family ' effects ' are often musically paraded through the streets 
 
 as a component part of the wedding march. 
 
 To the poor, therefore, marriage is a serious affair in another 
 
 sense besides that in which it is universally so regarded. A 
 
 friend in Bombay informed us that, on entering his office one 
 
 morning, he found a favourite peon (messenger) in tears. The 
 
 poor fellow was evidently in deep distress. He had lost his 
 
 wife on the preceding night ; and, as the humble dwelling of 
 
 such a man might be not the less an abode of love, our friend 
 
 could not but look with pity on his misery ; for, indeed, he 
 
 seemed a bereaved husband respecting whom the words of 
 
 Waller might be quoted, 
 
 ' O cruel death to those you are more kind 
 Than to the wretched mortals left behind.' 
 
 The good master then sought to console the unhappy peon, who 
 thereupon took courage to reveal the secret of his woe. It 
 had, he sobbed forth, ' cost him fifty rupees to get married, and 
 he could not decently espouse another wife under the like sum ! ' 
 The more common-place of two nuptial processions, which 
 came in our way at Delhi, was headed by a band of drummers, 
 making such a terrific noise that no other instrument — had 
 such been at hand — would have had the slightest chance of a 
 hearing. A few dhootte-cXsid figures followed, in the midst of 
 
380 MARRIAGE AND FEMALE EDUCATION. [cH. 
 
 which appeared the bridegroom mounted on a high horse and 
 radiant with scarlet trousers, beneath which dangled naked ankles 
 and feet Besides these magnificent pantaloons he was adorned 
 with nothing save a wreath of marigold, which however circled 
 his head with more than the grandeur of an imperial crown, the 
 horse also being decorated with a frontlet of the same favourite 
 flower. The desired result — a great show with little substance 
 - — could scarcely have been more ingeniously obtained. Then 
 came the bride, invisibly caged in a common close palanquin, 
 and after her a display of domestic articles, among which the 
 chief object of value and centre of attraction was the nuptial 
 couch ! A couple of square boxes, containing painted images 
 and borne aloft on poles, brought up the rear. 
 
 There were crowds in the streets of Delhi that day, in 
 whose eyes even this exhibition excited much interest. Soon, 
 however, a still more animated feeling was aroused. Streams 
 of citizens came pouring from the cross streets into the main 
 thoroughfare ; eager faces appeared at the windows of the 
 houses ; and all eyes were set intently in one direction, whence 
 came a hubbub of voices mingled with the sound of lively 
 music. Everything indicated the approach of another and. 
 more extensive marriage display. Here a really good band 
 of music first revealed itself, heading a train of handsomely 
 adorned palanquins, occupied, as we were told, by the immediate 
 friends of the youthful pair. These luxurious conveyances were 
 succeeded by an extraordinary chain of large square boards, to 
 the number, as we estimated, of between forty and fifty, each 
 borne on the heads or shoulders of a knot of male and female 
 coolies, and sustaining a variety of attractive objects — such 
 
XXXVI.] WEDDING GRANDEUR. 381 
 
 as trees and flowers, gods and temples, or human effigies 
 in spangled raiment. On some of these platforms bloomed 
 miniature gardens in real, not artificial, beauty, with foun- 
 tains of scented water actually playing ; while the attraction of 
 others was a nautch girl, swaying her bare arms and bending 
 her lithe figure to mark the evolutions of the dance, under cir- 
 cumstances where the wonder was she could even maintain her 
 equilibrium. This imposing show was succeeded by another 
 musical band, followed in its turn by a second long line of 
 palanquins, some of which were empty and only useful to swell 
 the show, the greater number, however, apparently being occu- 
 pied by children in gold and silver tinsel. Then came the so- 
 called family stud, comprising thirteen horses in rich trappings ; 
 and after these another party of native musicians, with flute, 
 drum, and cymbals vigorously discoursing, with what appre- 
 ciation on their own part it would be difficult to say, the popular 
 English air of ' The Girl I left behind me.' At length the boy 
 bridegroom made his appearance bedizened with gold lace, 
 as well as what may or may not have been precious stones, 
 and riding on a handsome white horse likewise in showy gear. 
 He was surrounded by a number of bearers carrying toy images 
 of deities, temples, and other characteristic objects ; and these, 
 with some more palanquins and a large shabby retinue, closed 
 a spectacle of the Chandnee Chowk, which must have gladdened 
 the public eye of Delhi for at least half an hour. 
 
 It may safely be concluded, that a change in the immemorial 
 marriage customs of the people of India will be among the ear- 
 liest fruits of the educational system now in progress. Some 
 Hindoo and Mahommedan husbands have begun to distrust the 
 
382 MARRIAGE AND FEMALE EDUCATION. [cH. 
 
 teaching of their ancient philosophy, to the effect that only 
 ignorant women can be good mothers and useful wives. The 
 Bengal Government in the Report to which I have already 
 alluded, officially announces that an offer had been received 
 and accepted from Koomer Chunder Nath Roy, of Nattore, to 
 contribute towards the establishment of a new female normal 
 school the sum of 125 rupees a month for ten years, provided 
 the Government would sanction a ' grant in aid ' of double that 
 amount. This is only one evidence out of many of an extensive 
 movement which has arisen everywhere throughout the three 
 Presidencies. Brahminical influence is, moreover, perceptibly on 
 the decline in households where the priest had sought and found 
 in the gentler sex that blind adherence to his dogmas which had 
 begun to wane in the case of men who were participating every 
 day in the more sensible routine of life growing up around them. 
 The well-instructed class of natives already take an interest in the 
 education of their girls. And it must be remembered that, up till 
 1854, no attempt had been made in the direction of female edu- 
 cation. Bengal has now 240 state-aided seminaries for native girls 
 with 4,685 pupils, and a large number of similar schools receiving 
 no assistance from the Government ; besides patshalas, or village 
 schools, with an attendance of 2,000 girls. But even this con- 
 dition of progress is not so encouraging as that apparent in 
 Bombay, where female education is still farther advanced. Re- 
 cent accounts from the North- West state that the average at- 
 tendance in all the female schools was estimated at about 6,000 ; 
 while from the Punjaub we learn that the work of the Zenana 
 missionaries was going on satisfactorily. The official account 
 rendered last year from the Central Provinces, under the ad- 
 
xxxvi.] CLASS PREJUDICE. 383 
 
 ministration of Mr. George Campbell (the able author of 
 ' Modern India ' and other important works), may be regarded 
 as peculiarly interesting with reference to social as well as 
 territorial questions. In that report Government received in- 
 formation to the effect that one person out of every 206 of the 
 population was at school, and that in these provinces neither 
 did females lead a secluded life, as in most other parts of 
 India, nor was there any prejudice against their mental culture. 
 The school examinations were freely attended by both sexes, 
 and boys and girls sat side by side in the same class-room 
 where, six years previously, the education of woman was a 
 reproach and a blank. 
 
 Hitherto a great obstacle to the spread of female schools has 
 existed in the prejudice entertained by Hindoo girls of high 
 caste against mixing with their humbler sisters in the social 
 scale. The Mahommedan classes, however, are not thus 
 shackled; and, as normal schools extend, this barrier appears 
 to be gradually giving way. Much difficulty has also at- 
 tended the effort to induce educated native females to become 
 teachers in these seminaries, such an occupation being at open 
 war with their social rules. A committee of native gentlemen 
 reporting their views to Government last year on this subject, 
 expressed their conviction that no important result in that di- 
 rection could be obtained until native ladies, the wives and 
 daughters of zetnitidars and other members of the higher class, 
 were gradually induced to forego their habits of seclusion. 
 
 It may be that a few prominent examples would serve to ini- 
 tiate the desiderated movement. European ladies everywhere 
 throughout India are warm supporters of the educational cause. 
 
384 MARRIAGE AND FEMALE EDUCATION. [cH. 
 
 Would it not be possible for them to devise some plan of union 
 with such wives and daughters in this work without offence 'to 
 self-respect on either side ? 
 
 In any event, however, it may be taken for granted as regards 
 female education in India, that the barrier of ages has been 
 broken through, and that the institution of marriage will gradu- 
 ally assume a more reasonable aspect as woman finds her true 
 place in life. The present system indeed, if system it can be 
 called, seems to be a mixture of confusion and barbarity. 
 While the Sums/ier Bahadoor of Ahmedabad is calling on 
 Government to put down the practice among certain Hindoos 
 ' of enriching themselves at the sacrifice of the interest and 
 happiness of their daughters, whom they ungrudgingly give in 
 marriage to the highest bidder, no matter if he be old and 
 infirm,' we hear of a tribe among whom the value of a bride 
 is definitely fixed at a pair of oxen, a cow, and seven rupees. 
 Elsewhere, on the contrary, whole clans exist whose habit it 
 is to accept no wife without a considerable dowry. So in- 
 tolerable had this latter evil become, that the Rajah of Bansee, 
 a leading man in the district of these extortionate bachelors, 
 lately set an example of reformation by having some of his 
 own family married ' without any dowry,' as well as ' with only 
 very small processions,' an act for which the estimable Rajah 
 duly received the written thanks of Government. 
 
 The ancient custom of marrying at an early age prevails alike 
 among Hindoos and Mussulmans, but, according to a writer in 
 one of the Calcutta newspapers, with this difference, that among 
 the latter the contracting parties do not even see the lady ; nor is 
 any relation, male or female, of the bridegroom permitted to look 
 
XXXVI.] ENGAGED LOVERS. 385 
 
 upon her previous to the marriage ceremony. When, however, 
 the father of the Hindoo bridegroom proceeds in company with 
 his friends to make proposals, the ceremony of what is called 
 ' seeing house and bride ' is gone through, both parties partaking 
 of sherbet and betel nut if all goes well. Of course the bride 
 thus wooed by proxy may or may not be a child. There is no 
 rule in point of age But it would appear that the custom of 
 betrothing young members of Indian families is in many cases 
 practically no more than a mutual overture of friendship between 
 the parents. To the native mind the interchange of such little 
 compliments is peculiarly pleasant, this feeling, in fact, often 
 predominating over that of responsibility as regards the con- 
 summation of the proposed transaction. 
 
 It would, however, be wrong to suppose that the habit itself 
 is universal. There are both Hindoo and Mahommedan parents 
 who repudiate such engagements on principle, while certain na- 
 tive teachers and lecturers exist who publicly denounce them. 
 The intelligent Mussulman correspondent of an Anglo-Indian 
 journal, for example, laments that such a rule should prevail 
 among his order, condemns it as an evil descended from pre- 
 Mahommedan times, and cites the example of Mahomet him- 
 self, who declined to see his daughter Fatima married until she 
 had passed her fifteenth year, so that she might use her discre- 
 tion in choosing a husband. 
 
 But, after all has been said, I imagine the popular account 
 rendered by Indian society itself is, that, ceremonials apart, the 
 affections of life are not, even as a rule, to be thus bought 
 and sold. Hindostan is proverbially a land of sentiment, 
 where it is meet that love should choose its own idol. Un- 
 
 c c 
 
386 MARRIAGE AND FEMALE EDUCATION. [ch. xxxvi. 
 
 happily, however, for the prospects of every Hindoo bride, 
 the intervention of death is rendered a double blow to the 
 widow. Suttee has been abolished, but the odour of its horrors 
 remains in the life of self-sacrifice which is generally exacted 
 from the bereaved wife. To deck her hair with a flower, or to 
 bestow a smile upon a member of the opposite sex, may suffice 
 to elicit the covert suspicion, if not the open rebuke, of her 
 neighbours as actions unbecoming in her, and disrespectful to 
 the memory of the departed — a species of persecution from 
 which the law that now happily shields her from the flames can 
 afford no protection. 
 
 Meanwhile education and marriage have been linked together 
 in another and more amusing sense. A great demand has 
 arisen for bridegrooms who have taken a university degree! 
 The young baboo who can add M.A. or B.A. to his name is a 
 highly favoured visitor in Indian society ; and if the popular 
 voice speaks true, these graduates may secure eligible wives and 
 dowries solely by reason of such potent initials. The mere pro- 
 spect indeed of gaining a degree is highly prized, and stands for 
 its proper value, like a spes successionis or fortune in the Court 
 of Chancery. And the pride of the paternal heart in this matter 
 rises to a height which British ladies will scarcely appreciate 
 or respect. Among the fresh items of public intelligence from 
 Calcutta we find it recorded that the father of one of the late 
 successful candidates at the Civil Service examination, when un- 
 able, after much entreaty, to persuade this recreant son to return 
 to his home from on board the Peninsular and Oriental Com- 
 pany's steamer, in which he had taken his passage for Europe, 
 extracted from him, as the only consolation remaining in the 
 circumstances, a promise that he would not marrj' in England ! 
 
3^7 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 THE MO FUSS I L. 
 
 God made the country and man made the town ; 
 
 What wonder, then, that health and virtue, gifts 
 
 That can alone make sweet the bitter draught 
 
 That life holds out to all, should most abound 
 
 And least be threaten'd in the fields and groves. — Cowper. 
 
 N our progress from city to city we traversed ' the 
 Mo/ussil,' an expression which, in the Indian vocabu- 
 lary, answers to our conventional term ' the country,' 
 signifying anywhere out of town. It need scarcely 
 be told that the affairs of such a vast area of 
 human existence are infinitely complicated and in- 
 volved. Many volumes would not contain the 
 story of rural India, nor has it yet been written. 
 
 We notice as a primary and peculiar feature in the annals 
 of the country, that both its literature and popular observances 
 are founded on the wildest creations of fancy. It is not enough 
 that there are holy cities and sanctifying shrines dispersed 
 throughout the land, to which the Hindoo peasant may direct 
 his steps on the occasion of any special pious festival or in- 
 dividual prompting to devotion ; the whole land of his birth is 
 for him alike bewitched and hallowed. The tree on one side of 
 his cot, the well on the other, and the shapeless block of stone 
 
 c C 2 
 
388 THE MOFUSSIL. [ch. 
 
 that lumbers the adjacent field, may one and all possess super- 
 natural associations and demand his reverence. Such, through- 
 out all the vicissitudes of many dynastic revolutions, has been 
 the moral condition of rural India from immemorial times. 
 
 Mr. James Ferguson, in his learned work published last year, 
 on ancient forms of worship, states as the result of his researches 
 that, 'before the Aryans reached India, the inhabitants of the 
 valley of the Ganges seem to have been Tree and Serpent wor- 
 shippers — a people without any distinct idea of God, and ap- 
 parently worshipping their ancestors.' Mr. W. W. Hunter, as 
 
 has been stated, is now writing the history of rural Bengal, and 
 the interesting information which has already emanated from his 
 powerful pen, together with such graphic details as those given 
 by Captain Lewin in his official report on the hill tracts of Chit- 
 tagong, prove at once the vast complexity of the subject, and the 
 fact that there exist among the non-Aryan populations of India 
 tribes with habits of life altogether different, and a worship in- 
 finitely more simple than those which are founded on the Vedas. 
 But everywhere mysticism and superstition in some form, from 
 the worship of unseen devils to the deification of natural objects, 
 
xxxvu.l OLD FARMING SYSTEM. 389 
 
 cloud and pervert the popular understanding. Nor was the 
 policy of the Mahommedan princes, under whom, prior to the 
 advent of British dominion, the poor ryot acted his part in the 
 cultivation of the soil, of a nature calculated to awaken him 
 from his dream. The government of the day owned the land, 
 which was let and sublet by involved and wasteful processes, 
 that rendered him the victim of tyrant masters, and held him in 
 the condition of a slave. 
 
 Under the old Hindoo rulers, indeed, there seems to have 
 been a better system of land tenure than that which subsequently 
 prevailed. There were, for example, such institutions as tillage 
 co-operative societies, the members of which, called Meerasidars, 
 paid their rent direct to the sovereign. But when Mussulman 
 rule became dominant, the Meerasidar class, so well fitted by 
 residence and association to be the poor man's employers, gra- 
 dually disappeared, and a great portion of the land was indis- 
 criminately allotted to farmers of the revenue, the money thus 
 obtained being carried off to uphold the monarchical glory of 
 the capital. 
 
 Such was the rural condition of the country when the East 
 India Company, constituted only as a trading body, although 
 eventually assuming the position of landlord, entered on their 
 new possession. Nor does it appear that the remedial measures 
 instituted by that association had much effect in putting down 
 the malpractices of zemindars, or improving the condition of the 
 ryot It is now a hundred years since British statesmen first 
 engaged with this gigantic subject The ' settlement of the lands 
 of India' was a vexed question in the days of Warren Hastings, 
 who in a letter to the East India Company, written in 1772, 
 
390 THE MOFUSSIL. [ch. 
 
 pointed out the pernicious results of the prevailing system as 
 manifested in the wretched condition of the peasantry, and 
 urged that governments had a graver duty to fulfil than that of 
 reaping the revenues of the soil. The discussions of recent years 
 were complicated with the conflicting arguments — which do not 
 require to be recounted here — of the ' leasehold ' and the ' fixed 
 assessment' schools ; but, after an earnest consideration of the 
 whole subject, the Indian Government proposed to adopt the 
 plan of a ' permatierit settlement of tlie land revenue throtigJwut 
 India' on the principle of giving to the native agricultural 
 '^O'^yjXdXxon permanency of temtre and Jixity of rent. The neces- 
 sity of respecting existing rights and claims among interests so 
 complicated and heterogeneous gave this measure no greater 
 scope than that of a change which time would gradually develop 
 and extend. Eventually, however, the proposed course was 
 abandoned, and the old system, or rather systems, of tenure 
 (for the circumstances are different in the several Presidencies) 
 were retained. In Bengal the zemindary plan under a perma- 
 nent settlement has existed since 1 794, to the great advantage, 
 as it has turned out, of the native contractors. In Bombay 
 and the North-West Provinces land is chiefly held under a 
 thirty years' lease, while in Madras the system of one year's 
 tenure still prevails, pending a solution of the peculiar difficulties 
 with which the question is there beset. 
 
 Taking the circumstances of Upper Bengal as an example of 
 the zemindary system, we find in these districts both native and 
 European zemindars, the latter, however, in small proportion. 
 The Government tax is, on an average, one rupee per beegah, 
 which comprises an area of 3,025 superficial yards. This as- 
 
xxxvii.] RYOT AND ZEMINDAR. ' 391 
 
 sessment is collected quarterly, and non-payment by sunset on 
 the fixed day entitles the State to take possession of the land ; 
 in which event it is sold by auction to the highest bidder, sub- 
 ject, of course, to the yearly tax. Among native zemindars the 
 custom is to farm out ground to the rj'ot or assaamee, who, on 
 the expiry of twelve years (if the lease contain no provision 
 to the contrary), becomes a Goojustah holder with a perpetual 
 title to the land on regular payment of the originally stipulated 
 rent — a tide of which he can only be dispossessed by a decree 
 obtained from the collector's court finding that such rent is 
 inadequate to the value of the property. As, however, the re- 
 quisite proof to that effect, when such does exist, can only be 
 rendered through a tedious legal process, the tenant is seldom 
 evicted, and may thus himself become a landlord in a small way. 
 European zemindars, on the other hand, do not permit their 
 ryots to become Goojustah holders, this being expressly pro- 
 vided for in th&poitahs or leases, which are granted for terms 
 of from three to seven years. As the land increases in value 
 through the effects of cultivation and more accessible markets, 
 the rent is raised precisely after the manner of improved Scotch 
 farms, which are put up to public competition on the expiry of a 
 tenant's lease. 
 
 Touching the views of Government regarding the respective 
 merits of the ryotwary, or peasant proprietor, and the zemindary, 
 or landlord, systems, between which the face of the country is 
 divided, it has been resolved to create no more of the latter in 
 their present form, leaving the regime as it now exists to die out. 
 The zemindary is commonly a cluster of villages with the land 
 pertaining to them, overruling which the native zemittdar or 
 
392 THE MOFUSSIL. [ch. 
 
 ntootah has hitherto occupied, more especially in retired localities, 
 a too independent position, enacting in many cases the part of a 
 petty prince, and holding the people in abject subjection to his 
 will. But now the railway system, which has already let in the 
 light on many of these isolated scenes of tyranny, will serve to 
 carry towards them the reforming influence of the law. 
 
 It should be observed, however, that native zemindars are an 
 immense body of very heterogeneous constitution, comprising 
 the extremes of small farmers even devoid of education, and of 
 lordly proprietors with a high position in the social scale, many 
 of their number being known as honest men and excellent land- 
 lords. Thus the whole province of Benares, including the dis- 
 tricts of Benares, Mirzapore, Ghazeepore, and Jounpore, which 
 received a permanent settlement seventy-five years ago, belongs 
 to the Maharajah Ishree Pershad Narain Singh Bahadoor. a 
 Veda Brahmin now about fifty years of age, who, in the culti- 
 vation of his magnificent estate, is said to exercise much kind- 
 ness and liberality towards his tenantry. It is well also to 
 remember that in secluded parts of the country the zemindary 
 proprietor may readily become the victim of mistake or malice ; 
 even now the Indian press abounds with letters of accusation 
 and recrimination on this subject, between which it is difficult 
 to judge. 
 
 The ryotwary system prevails in Bombayand Madras while 
 the plan of farming on a large scale, so long established in 
 Bengal, has taken firm root in that Presidency. 
 
 It would seem that the former of these methods, affording as it 
 does the cultivator an interest in the work of his hands, is, among 
 such a people, better calculated than the other to stimulate in- 
 
xxxvu.] LAND TENURE. 393 
 
 dustry, and so to develope the resources of the soil. This con- 
 sideration, however, is confronted with that of the extraordinary 
 amount of labour which the collection of rents necessarily entails 
 in districts comprising perhaps 50,000 or 60,000 individuals in 
 the position of tenants. 
 
 In a field so wide and chequered it is impossible to speak 
 shortly of the machinery employed for that important ofiice in 
 other than mere general terms, but the following may be regarded 
 as the main features of the system : — 
 
 The European superintendent of a series of districts is pro- 
 vided with a staff of native collectors, each of whom once a 
 year goes the round of the locality allotted to him, in order to 
 observe its condition, and obtain the information required by his 
 superior. The report which this collector furnishes is framed 
 with the assistance of a native accountant, and records the 
 name and family affairs of each individual ryot, his conduct and 
 character, the extent of his stock, the money he has paid, and 
 other necessary particulars. Having studied these details, the 
 superintendent himself appears on the scene and summons the 
 ryots around him, with a view to future arrangements and a 
 settlement of existing difficulties, affording each man the oppor- 
 tunity of preferring any complaint he may desire to make. 
 Strange and suggestive incidents arise at such meetings, for 
 the Hindoo mind is fertile in expedients when stimulated by 
 the prospect of gain, and the conduct of Indian village scribes is 
 not invariably regulated on principles of justice and impartiality. 
 
 European intercourse has not yet visibly changed the ancient 
 constitution of the Indian village, which, in its normal aspect, is 
 still a complete autonomy. There, along witJi the cultivators 
 
394 ^^^ MOFUSSIL. [cH. 
 
 who constitute the bulk of the inhabitants, reside the necessary 
 functionaries of the social system — baker, doctor, blacksmith, 
 potter, teacher, carpenter, policeman, as well as the superfluous 
 soothsayer and astrologer, each of these occupations being here- 
 ditary in families, and descending, like that of the French execu- 
 tioners, from father to son. In the North-West the people of 
 each village (Hindoo or Mahommedan) choose a head man, 
 called in Hindostanee the Lutndadar, who acts as a local jus- 
 tice of the peace and settles all disputes. None but popular 
 men are ever exalted to this position. There are also Clwwdrees, 
 whose part it is to find employment for the lower classes, and 
 to fulfil such duties as supplying travellers with palanquins, or 
 coolie service. 
 
 In the remoter Mofussil districts artisans are generally paid 
 for their services in kind, their poor employers discharging the 
 debt incurred in such agricultural produce (cotton, grain, or oil, 
 for instance), as they may happen to possess. Thus the ryot's 
 little crop is often his only bank account. So much of it may 
 belong to the zemindar for arrears of rent, so much to the 
 seth, or village banker, for money advanced to procure seed 
 and meet current expenses. The remainder, if happily there 
 be such, he is at liberty, after meeting all his obligations, to 
 convey in a bullock hackrie to the nearest town and sell for cash. 
 
 These simple villagers are, as a rule, both cleanly and orderly 
 in their habits ; although in many cases so ignorant as not to 
 know the name of neighbouring communities a few miles 
 away. The judicial system, under the protection of which 
 they live, is necessarily of an improvised and imperfect cha- 
 racter. The country is divided into districts, in one of the 
 
XXXVII.] RURAL LAW. 395 
 
 largest villages of which a court of justice is periodically held. 
 At this court the entire business of the district is finally dis- 
 posed of, unless there be some case of sufficient importance to 
 call for- an adjournment to the nearest headquarters of the 
 Government. From the simple fact that a court sitting for the 
 disposal of petty cases may be thus of necessity forty or fifty 
 miles distant from communities coming under its jurisdiction, 
 we obtain a glimpse of the magnitude of the difficulty involved 
 in the effort to administer justice in India. So long as a week's 
 journey, going and returning, stands between the poor native 
 and the ear of the law, he must continue to be the victim of 
 oppression and fraud. No better fate, however, has he ever 
 known, and it is satisfactory to think that the prospect is at last 
 brightening around him. 
 
 It was doubtless with the view of supplying this desideratum, 
 as well as to serve those purposes of life where delicacy forbids 
 the intervention of the law, that village communities instituted 
 \}a(\r pumliayct, a meeting consisting literally of five, but prac- 
 tically of from three to seven persons chosen from among them- 
 selves. It is one of the ' sights ' of the Mofussil to behold the 
 members of this deliberative assembly, in one of its humbler 
 forms, seated in a circle round a small fire in the usual attitude, 
 with knees and shoulders in proximity, debating some case of 
 default in their circle, and passing judgment on the offender. 
 The award may be expulsion from his caste, a fine payable in 
 rupees, or simply the provision of an entertainment for the 
 whole body politic, including, of course, the collective presence 
 of the. puttc/myei. Should this last be the finding of the conclave, 
 a more animated spectacle ensues, representing a score or so of 
 
396 THE MOFUSSIL. [ch. xxxvii. 
 
 villagers squatted somewhere on their own domain, actively re- 
 galing themselves, with the aid of both hands, on curried fowl 
 and boiled rice saturated in ghee, together with a service of 
 sweetmeats, the crestfallen host, perhaps, sitting apart- ruefully 
 contemplating the proceedings and calculating the cost ! 
 
 The villages of North-Western India are usually well con- 
 structed of baked mud and thatch, the interior of the houses 
 being clean and white-washed. The favourite form is three 
 sides of a square, with the entrance doors in the yard. It only 
 requires to be added that the rural organization to which I 
 have alluded applies only to the more populous villages. There 
 are thousands of hamlets in which the chokydar, or watchman, is 
 the only visible representative of authority, marching about with 
 a gaudy red turban and a shining brass plate (his badge of office), 
 a supreme potentate in his own little territory. 
 
397 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVIII. 
 
 AGRA, AS IT WAS AND IS. 
 
 O how weak is mortal man ! . . . 
 'Tis passing strange to mark his fallacies : 
 Behold him proudly view some pompous pile 
 Whose high dome swells to emulate the skies, 
 And smile, and say my name shall live with this 
 Till Time shall be no more. — Henry Kirke White. 
 
 ARLY on the morning after we had ex- 
 hausted the sights of Delhi, our gharries 
 stood at the door, but on this occasion to 
 take different ways (the course of our 
 friends being still northward), and, for the 
 first time since we met, there was no com- 
 paring and clubbing of our rations, — no 
 appointment for meeting by the way. It only remained to say 
 farewell, and to express the hope we all cherished of meeting 
 again to recall the incidents of the scenes we had traversed so 
 pleasantly together. Our native servant Gophall, who had 
 passed a too brief but truly glorious holiday in what was to 
 him an enchanted land, reassumed his place among the baggage 
 aloft, clothed like an eastern prince, and animated no doubt by 
 
398 AGRA, AS IT WAS AND IS. [cH. 
 
 a resolution to regale his compatriots at home with an account 
 of the wonders he had seen. 
 
 We were now on our way to Agra, and once more in the 
 midst of those peculiarities of the road to which I have already 
 sufficiently adverted. Again the gharry rolled and jingled to 
 the strains of the gorriwallaJi s horn ; again stubborn little horses 
 were coaxed or pushed into motion ; and again we encountered 
 the picturesque stream of life flowing in the Grand Trunk Road, 
 bounded on either side by the wide, shining plain haunted by 
 kites and crows. 
 
 As a few details even of the school-book kind cannot well 
 be avoided in a descriptive narrative, I must here recall the 
 historical facts — that the city of Agra is about 300 years old, 
 that it was the seat of the Mogul empire till the middle of the 
 seventeenth century, when it was superseded by Delhi, and that 
 it is now the Government capital of the North-West Provinces 
 of Bengal. 
 
 Of the Presidency itself no more need be said than that it is 
 a wide fertile tract of country irrigated by numerous canals, 
 besides being intersected by the two great rivers, Ganges and 
 Jumna, and that nowhere in India has the superiority of British 
 rule rendered itself more apparent in the increased welfare of 
 the people and the improved cultivation of the land. Never- 
 theless the city of Agra resembles Delhi in being girt for miles 
 around with the ruins of noble edifices that once lent glory to its 
 name, and presents a similar tout ensemble, when viewed from 
 the opposite bank of the Jumna, the high embattled walls of its 
 red granite fort occupying the foreground, and an agglomeration 
 of hovels and decayed buildings, mingled with a few stately erec- 
 
XXXVIII.] 
 
 HOVELS AND PALACES. 
 
 399 
 
 tions, stretching into the distance behind. The heaving, creak- 
 ing bridge of boats with its carpet of straw, on which we crossed 
 the river ; the display of native craft, loading and unloading, or 
 slowly stemming the current ; the hot banks of sand strewn with 
 piles of cotton bales, and the gjoup of washers, male and female, 
 at the edge of the stream, beating blue, yellow, and purple- 
 coloured garments on smooth stones, were already familiar 
 features normal to the place and people. 
 
 Those who judge of Indian cities from the photographic views, 
 now everywhere current, of their temples and palaces, or who 
 are led away by the rhapsodical strain of some writers on the 
 wealth and grandeur of Asiatic royalty, would, I fear, be 
 strangely disappointed with the reality. Photography is, to a 
 certain extent, an infallible interpreter; but the trophies of 
 Indian magnificence which it pourtrays usually stand in isolated 
 splendour apart from the habitations of the people which consti- 
 tute the city proper; Government House, and the military lines 
 
400 AGRA, AS IT WAS AND IS. [ch. 
 
 (where such exist), together with the usually beautiful villas 
 of the European residents, being, as in the case of Agra, 
 situated at some distance beyond the walls. 
 
 Thus Agra, the North-Western seat of government, where 
 the Viceroy now holds his dtirbars, to the neglect of imperial 
 Delhi — Agra, the scene of celebrated palatial splendours, such 
 as the Shish Mehal or Palace of Glass, the Motee Musjid or 
 Pearl Mosque, and even the world-renowned Taj — first reveals 
 itself to the intramural passenger as little more than a scene 
 of close, narrow thoroughfares, interspersed with waste ground, 
 and surmounted by a few spires. The principal street, no 
 doubt, is to some extent an exception to the rule, being paved 
 with stone, and illuminated in some parts with the tarnished 
 remains of gilding and other signs of departed greatness. The 
 better class of dwellings, too, are set off with terraced roofs and 
 balconies, whence we were scrutinized in passing by inquisitive 
 feminine eyes, though with what measure of approval did not 
 appear. These ladies of course knew that the conjugal ban 
 had been laid on such a wicked act of indulgence, but they 
 wisely relied, no doubt, on the circumstance of being elevated 
 far beyond the observation of their lords and masters, sitting 
 cross-legged at work in their shops below. 
 
 Among the industries of the place, that of dyeing cotton 
 cloth in purple and yellow colours appeared to be in extensive 
 operation. The process was effected in the open shop by means 
 of copper vessels sunk in the floor, the warehouse, or place 
 for storing goods and transacting business, being, as in the 
 similar shops of Delhi, the spaces between. It is a well- 
 known fact that the goods thus prepared and sold in premises 
 
xxxvin.] 
 
 THE NUCLEUS OF GRANDEUR. 
 
 401 
 
 of such small compass are not less brilliant in hue than those 
 which are dipped by steam revolving apparatus in the great 
 vats of British manufactories, and find buyers in the trade 
 palaces of London, Manchester, or Glasgow. 
 
 But, when the town has been traversed and the Fort reached, 
 the reason appears why Agra is celebrated as a scene of magni- 
 ficence. Within the spacious but almost deserted precincts of 
 
 FORT AT AGRA. 
 
 these high red walls stand the ' monarch's palace,' and the other 
 chief memorials of that grandeur which the pen of romance has 
 found delight in celebrating. Of a style of beauty far more 
 chaste than the Jumna Musjid of Delhi is the Pearl Mosque at 
 Agra, crowned with its imposing array of domes — the building 
 itself, and the terrace on which it stands, being one homo- 
 geneous pile of pure white marble. We entered by one of the 
 seven open passages (each a rich marble arcade with arched 
 
 D D 
 
402 AGRA, AS IT WAS AND IS. [cH. 
 
 roof), and in the principal hall or chamber, which is adapted 
 for 600 worshippers by means of as many spaces marked on 
 the marble floor, discovered a few natives as usual with face 
 towards the kibla, engaged in the rapid utterance of their pro- 
 lix devotions, bending their heads at momentary' pauses into 
 contact with the stone. The seat being hard, the bend laborious, 
 and the prayers long, the worship of this splendid sanctuary 
 was surely an irksome ordeal. 
 
 As regards the celebrated ' Halls of Marvel,' the only marvel 
 visible was the freshness and purity of their white marble walls 
 amidst the palatial wreck around. The Zenana, comprising a 
 number of small apartments (also of marble), supported by 
 many pillars and profusely inlaid with stones more or less 
 precious, is still in tolerable preservation. Here it was that, 
 according to Indian story, the Emperor Shah Jehan was wont 
 to regale himself with the evolutions of the fair inmates, while, 
 for his special pleasure, they romped together at hide and seek 
 in a condition of delectable ddshabille. No better prospect, I 
 presume, can have cheered the sparkling eyes of these young 
 maidens than the wide expanse of flat country, on which we 
 looked down from the windows of their gorgeous abode. The 
 situation indeed had been chosen and planned with admirable 
 regard to the views of the lord of the Zenana. The gulf below 
 was deep, the fortress wall was high, and the open plain around 
 prohibited the secret approach of a single serenading cavalier. 
 
 The magnificent steps and gateways which form the entrance 
 to the Taj of Agra are at some distance from the city, and come 
 suddenly into view at a bending in the fine country road. These 
 lead to a garden, intersected by paved walks, enriched with 
 
XXXVIII.] 
 
 THE TAJ U7TH0UT. 
 
 403 
 
 marble fountains, and blooming with many choice specimens of 
 eastern plants and flowers. The main approach to the Taj is 
 through a lovely green avenue formed by rows of noble 
 cypresses; and the building, exquisitely constructed of pure 
 
 IHK I'AJ MAllAI., Al-.KA. 
 
 white marble, and flanked with four minarets, stands upon one 
 of those lofty terraces peculiar to Moslem architecture. 
 
 To describe the Taj Mahal would, however, be to dwell upon 
 a trite subject To our minds it suggested the fancy of a hand- 
 some ivory toy, expanded by a strong magnifying influence into 
 palatial dimensions. Manifestly, however, the edifice thus so 
 fascinating in itself was infinitely enhanced in effect by its 
 
 D U 2 
 
404 • AGJ^A, AS IT WAS AND /S. [ch. 
 
 position and surroundings. What has been justly styled the 
 poetry of its loveliness seemed to spring from those influences 
 of earth and air among which it was set. The high walled gar- 
 den, with its flowers and fountains, was wholly bounded by the 
 palace itself, so reared on an elevation over the country beyond 
 as to have no other background than the sky, while in front 
 the deep green foliage of the cypress trees exquisitely mingled 
 with and partially concealed its pure white magnificence. In 
 the centre rose the dome, glistening with a flood of sunshine, 
 and on each side two graceful minarets, illusively stretching far 
 into the pale azure sky, with which they seemed to amalgamate 
 like some fair offspring of the light and air. If earthly magnifi- 
 cence were a passport to spiritual glory, there would be few 
 among the departed great so exalted as Shah Jehan, the ' king 
 of the world,' and his consort, familiarly known as Noor Jehan, 
 the ' light of the world,' whose cenotaphs, richly inlaid with 
 precious stones shaped into eulogistic sentences, along with texts 
 from the Koran, and enclosed by an elaborately carved screen 
 hewn out of the solid marble, adorn the centre of the great 
 hall. Their actual place of sepulture, however, is the vault 
 below. But how undeserved, in one case, is this princely 
 mausoleum ! how ironical are these words of praise, when we 
 reflect over whom the spotless marble is reared, and the ela- 
 borate falsehoods carved ! Did not Shah Jehan put out the 
 eyes of his brothers, and cause other relations to be strangled 
 for the furtherance of his ambitious plans ? 
 
 It was, as we have already seen, the fancy of the Mahommedan 
 princes of India to rear the grandest monuments of their reign 
 in honour of death, glorifying themselves in the act ; and of 
 
XXXVIII.] 
 
 THE TAJ WITHIN. 
 
 405 
 
 course it was to this peculiar trait of Moslem royalty that the 
 Taj of Agra owed its unparalleled magnificence. Shah Jehan, 
 we may suppose, looking forward to his own and favourite wife's 
 decease, built such a house as he might aspire to inhabit in the 
 material paradise of his creed, leaving Western strangers of a 
 
 INTERIOR OF THE TAJ, AGRA. 
 
 future day to wonder why he should have thought so much of 
 a splendid sepulchre, and so little of an honourable fame. 
 
 Emanuel Swedenborg records that he saw in a trance the 
 habitations of the angels, which were similar in appearance and 
 construction to earthly mansions, only infinitely more beautiful. 
 It seems unlikely that the dreaming fancy of the seer could 
 
4o6 AGRA, AS IT WAS AND IS. [ch. 
 
 have supplied him with a loveHer example of a building than 
 this which adorns the world of reality ; here, however, the analogy 
 stops, for no angelic forms wandered that day among the marble 
 glories of the Taj. The feet that trod its spacious floors were 
 those of some dolorous-eyed Mussulmans clad in shawls and 
 turbans, together with a grey-haired beggar and a couple of 
 starved-looking boys, who followed us through the echoing halls 
 whining- for bucslieesh. A few more attractive and exalted 
 visitors no doubt became revealed in another place ; for, as we 
 turned back to take a last view of the charming edifice from 
 the garden, we descried on the top of one of the minarets a 
 picturesque group of Mahommedan worshippers, looking, as 
 they rose and fell in the rapid course of their prostrations, 
 precisely like birds of fine plumage glittering in the sun. 
 
 Agra, as all mercantile men know, has a bank which bears its 
 name. It possesses also a large central college, a printing-office, 
 several Christian places of worship, and various charitable and 
 benevolent institutions. The completion, now near at hand, of 
 the railway across country, will bring Agra 1 14 miles nearer by 
 rail to Bombay than it is to Calcutta, and of course still more 
 within the pale of that rising prosperity which is everywhere 
 manifest in the direct line of traffic. 
 
 At the present moment it so happens that Agra is the 
 cynosure of all eyes in India. Contemplated from the Asiatic 
 point of view, the great dtirbar which may, before these pages 
 can appear, have been held there in honour of the Duke of 
 Edinburgh's visit becomes an event of much interest and sig- 
 nificance. For not only will all the feudatory nobles of the 
 country dwelling between Cape Coniorin and the Snowy Range 
 
xxxviii.] A ROYAL VICEROYS 407 
 
 be summoned to realize and acknowledge the sovereign power 
 of England in the presence of a member of her royal family, but 
 the occasion will greatly stimulate a desire, recently expressed 
 through some of the native journals, and reiterated since the 
 arrival of his Royal Highness in Calcutta, that one of the Queen's 
 sons should be appointed Viceroy. More than a year ago, in- 
 deed, the Oudh Ukhbar, an organ of some mark, advocated the 
 immediate choice of the Duke of Edinburgh himself, comment- 
 ing at the same time on the importance attached by Hindoo- 
 stanees to the ' caste of a viceroy,' and the feeling of ' veneration 
 and regard' with which His Royal Highness would be welcomed 
 to the viceregal throne. The subject has been further reasoned 
 in the following characteristic strain : — 
 
 'Another argument is this: by having a Prince for Viceroy, the 
 Government of England will be spared the expense of his pension, as 
 the Prince who receives the allowance of a Viceroy of India ought to 
 find it sufficient for his expenses.' 
 
 ' The Fenians are in England, are great rebels, and faithless to their 
 salt, whereas the Hindoostanees in general pay the Viceroy of Hind 
 great respect and gratitude. Still that amount of love and gratitude 
 will never be given to any Viceroy as would be given to a Prince. A 
 Viceroy is but a working man ; but a Prince is a Prince. And if Hin- 
 doostanees make so much of Europeans of no very exalted rank, what 
 would they do for a Prince .•• ' 
 
 There seems no reason to question the truth of this state- 
 ment If the worship of rank is dying out in England, it is 
 otherwise with her great Indian dependency, where the attrac- 
 tions of royalty appear to be as fresh and fascinating as they 
 
4o8 
 
 AGRA, AS IT WAS AND IS. 
 
 [cH. xxxvni. 
 
 were in the palmy days of the Moguls. Clearly, however, the 
 question here mooted involves considerations of a less favourable 
 nature than those on which such lucubrations are based, and our 
 legislators will, probably, think twice before adopting the 
 dubious policy of establishing an Anglo-Indian royal court in 
 Calcutta. 
 
409 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIX. 
 
 POLICE AFFAIRS AND THE CRIMINAL CLASSES. 
 
 lago. Awake! what ho, Brabantio, thieves! thieves! thieves! 
 Look to your house, your daughter, and your bags ! 
 Thieves ! thieves ! — Othello. 
 
 n 
 
 )^y^MONG the difficulties which beset the admi- 
 nistration of India the complicated topics 
 relating to police and prison regulations 
 occupy a conspicuous place. There are 
 now in Bengal four orders of public 
 guardians, styled respectively the ' regular 
 district,' the ' municipal,' the ' village,' and the ' railway ' police. 
 According to the last Administration Report, the strength of the 
 first-mentioned body amounts to 25,578, of the second to 3,734, 
 of the third to 184,846, and of the last to 690 men. These 
 constitute a large force, and entail no small expense upon the 
 country ; yet that a policeman cannot be always at hand when 
 he is wanted, and that much misdemeanour must necessarily 
 escape the eye of the law, is apparent from the fact that the 
 combined strength here indicated of the regular and organized 
 municipal bodies affords only one constable to something more 
 than seven square miles of country. It would appear, also, that 
 the legal eye as represented by these functionaries is sometimes 
 
4IO POLICE AFFAIRS AND THE CRIMINAL CLASSES. [cH. 
 
 wilfully blind to transgression, the native policeman being too 
 readily bought over, or induced to keep silence from sympathy 
 with his countrymen. Nevertheless, the force, such as it is, 
 has heavy work in hand. Besides the various classes of offenders 
 familiar to our own criminal courts, India is infested with large 
 bodies of armed dacaits, or highwaymen, systematically organized, 
 and constantly committing depredations in different parts of 
 the country. The newspapers regularly contain such items of 
 public intelligence as the discovery of ' a numerous band of 
 Sonarias, of whom fifteen had been apprehended at Dacca by 
 the detective department, and removed to Howrah jail.' San- 
 sees, Bhowrees, and other thieving communities known to past 
 history still figure in the current record of crime. 
 
 Reports are now being received from the Bikaneer and 
 Marwar districts of police contentions with the Meenas, a 
 tribe comprising whole families of robbers, in whom the pro- 
 fession has been hereditary, and of the misconduct of certain 
 TJiakoors (some of them men of position), in that quarter, who 
 derive regular incomes from conniving at, and even encou- 
 raging, the practice. 
 
 The art of coining, being peculiarly adapted to the genius 
 of a people celebrated for handicraft, is of course ably repre- 
 sented, and Benares in the present day furnishes the following 
 news : — 
 
 ' Pundit Raghoonath Pershad, the city Inspector of Police, has very 
 dexterously discovered a gang of coiners of counterfeit money, made of 
 three-fourths of silver and one-fourth of copper. They have been found 
 out to be residents of Mouzah Sawadpore, Furreedpore, Bheatah, Tara- 
 pore, Iradutpore, Sarsema, &c. in the district of Futtehporc. They ac- 
 
XXXIX.] THIEVISH TRICKS. . 411 
 
 knowledge that their gang set out from their houses in the beginning of 
 October, and went to various large cities, where they have been making 
 counterfeit coins for circulation. They have been captured with moulds 
 and all their apparatus. They used to make coins so nicely as to put 
 them beyond the power of detection, but on analysis the mixture could 
 be discovered. This band of coiners used to live at Juggut Gunj, Pisach, 
 Mechon, and Bhudainee. Two of them confessed their deeds and showed 
 the magistrate how they made them. These men will be made over to 
 the sessions very soon. If the authorities at Futtehpore would trace 
 them all, then both Government and the public will be saved from a 
 heavy loss.' 
 
 Then, further to complicate the evil, such native defauUers are 
 wont to cloak their designs by the exercise of great craft and 
 cunning. Idleness and poverty in India are largely associated 
 with an inventive capacity, the creations of which are sometimes 
 as ludicrous to contemplate as they are difficult to control. A 
 poor old woman on crutches, for example, appears at the door of 
 an English residence in Mirzapore. She is the widow of a de- 
 ceased zemindar who once owned large estates, but who, through 
 a series of misfortunes, lost all and left her in penury. The 
 appearance and manner of this unhappy lady confirm the truth 
 of her story, and she is about to receive assistance, when an un- 
 expected ddnouement occurs, on which she suddenly drops her 
 supports, and bounding with astonishing agility into a rather 
 handsome hackrie in waiting not far from the door, handles the 
 reins in a style which renders pursuit needless. This fellow 
 was a notorious thief and housebreaker. 
 
 Again, the wife of an office messenger in Madras observes 
 with surprise the premature return home of her husband, who 
 had been temporarily absent from duty. There could be no 
 doubt of the fact : having come in and at once resumed his 
 
412 POLICE AFFAIRS AND THE CRIMINAL CLASSES. [ch. 
 
 uniform, there he was, with his back towards her, rummaging 
 about the house for something he must have mislaid. Yet, as it 
 turned out, this was an interloper, who, aware of the husband's 
 absence, had contrived to enter quietly and don the other's 
 clothes, in which disguise he was attempting to rob the house ! 
 The registries of judicial courts throughout the country comprise 
 numerous similar cases of bold and ingenious knavery. 
 
 Unfortunately, however, such are not among the darkest 
 scenes of lawless life in India. Between crime and cruelty 
 there is a natural connection, which here manifests itself in deeds 
 of horror contrived with fiendish ingenuity. So much, at least, 
 may be said of the trade carried on by some Chamars in 
 poisoning cattle. The C/iamar is a dealer in hides (which it 
 will be observed form an item in the export trade of the 
 country), and in remote districts, where the nefarious practice 
 referred to chiefly prevails, is sometimes the employd of larger 
 dealers in the business marts, by whom he is furnished with 
 money advanced for the purpose of procuring supplies. Thus 
 situated, there are individuals of the class whose sole aim in life 
 it becomes to collect hides in large quantities by fair means or 
 foul. They accordingly sprinkle poison over the pasture on 
 which animals are feeding, or with a sharp poisoned awl prick 
 them in a tender part, watching the poor victims with malignant 
 eyes while they suddenly fall dead, or linger through days of 
 agony. The infamous deed of destruction once consummated, 
 a bargain on advantageous terms is readily effected with the 
 outraged and bewildered proprietor. 
 
 A volume issued this year by Dr. Mouat, Inspector-general 
 of Prisons, may be welcomed as unveiling the extraordinary 
 
XXXIX.J ROBBER TRIBES. 413 
 
 habits of some of the criminal classes both Hindoo and Ma- 
 hommedan. The field of investigation was probably found by 
 the learned inspector to be of a richer and more varied character 
 than all his previous knowledge of the subject had led him to 
 suppose. He tells us of entire sects and communities devoted 
 each to its particular part in the drama of crime. There are 
 Dosadhs, who employ their time and wits, in ferreting out 
 the whereabouts of accessible property. If the coveted pos- 
 session be cattle in the fields, these miscreants obtain the assist- 
 ance of the Gwallas (who are specially expert in the capture of 
 live stock) to secure such booty ; if it be rupees in a safe, a 
 band of trained cracksmen, devoted to the office of opening 
 lockfast places, is employed. There are Rujwars, who are 
 willing to work when employment is at hand, but who otherwise 
 roam abroad in the capacity of dacoits and burglars. Gipsy 
 Nuts wander from place to place, appropriating any petty 
 article on which they can lay hands. Fairs and bazaars are 
 haunted by quiet, meek-looking C/ieyties, provided with sharp 
 little knives, wherewith, after a fashion infinitely insinuating 
 and gentle, they cut open pockets and cummerbunds where 
 purses are usually kept Burryars or Sindhyas, burrowing 
 under ground, come up noiselessly through the floor of a house, 
 and having possessed themselves of anything worth taking 
 away, not excepting, perchance, the ring (softly removed by 
 means of a file) from the nose of slumbering beauty, glide 
 away as silently as they came, leaving no other memorial of 
 their visit than the passage by which it had been effected ! 
 
 Such a matured and complicated system of rascality must 
 be regarded as the hideous offspring of ignorance and poverty 
 
414 POLICE AFFAIRS AND THE CRTMINAL CLASSES. [cH. 
 
 goaded into action by tyranny and misrule. While the country 
 was being despoiled of its wealth and industrial resources, for 
 the purpose of sustaining the inflated fabric of the empire, the 
 oppressed and needy combined to help themselves, racking 
 their ingenuity for the means of acquiring a livelihood. The 
 priesthood, as a rule, avoiding inconvenient distinctions, 
 sanctified any act which happened to suit their ends ; and 
 the result has been a terribly confused condition of society, 
 presenting aspects more wild and monstrous than the ordinary 
 creations of fiction. 
 
 At Lucknow we met a young ofificer whose short residence 
 in the country had apparently only served to reveal to him the 
 dark side of the native character, as represented by lawless 
 habits like those I have been describing. He was, indeed, one 
 of a class of Englishmen in India who, to judge from their 
 conversation, would seem always to be possessed with the 
 notion that the Hindoo idiosyncrasy is an ethnical horror, 
 literally and exclusively compounded of the elements of 
 wickedness. ' Would you believe it,' he said one evening, 
 'that these scoundrels of Hindoos have attempted to steal the 
 very bed from under me ! ' While travelling northwards alone 
 in the autumn of the previous year, h.\s gharry had been delayed 
 for a time at a solitary station during the night, in order that 
 the wheels might be greased. All was quiet, and the fatigued 
 traveller sank into slumber, but presently awoke to the con- 
 sciousness of a cold sensation and a strange gentle motion 
 as if the vehicle were slowly slipping away from beneath him. 
 The action proceeded at irregular intervals, and in perfect 
 silence. At length, opening his eyes, he perceived to his horror 
 
XXXIX.] PILFERING EXTRAORDINARY. 415 
 
 and surprise, that not the gharry, but the bed-mat on which 
 he lay, was gradually leaving him by the partially open door, 
 and emerging into the darkness like a thing of life. Soon, how- 
 ever, his waking thoughts divined the cause of this provoking 
 disturbance. Cautiously turning his head, he observed by the 
 star-light the black hand and arm of the rascal, who, con- 
 cealed behind the vehicle, was thus actually engaged in the 
 attempt to ' steal the very bed from under him.' Then, nerved 
 by a paroxysm of tremendous indignation, it was the work 
 of a moment to collect all his energy and make a swift dash at 
 the arm. He caught it readily, full in his grasp; but, alas! the 
 thievish limb had been too well prepared for such a contin- 
 gency. It slipped through his eager clutch like an eel in deep 
 water, leaving him, as a sweet memorial of the contact, a hand- 
 ful of rancid 'ghee '! 
 
 In the returns to which I have adverted, it will be seen 
 that the ' village police ' greatly preponderate in number — a 
 result naturally arising from the circumstances of the country^ 
 These are a peculiar set of functionaries, to whose discretion and 
 sense of duty much more is necessarily entrusted in outlying 
 districts than all one's knowledge of their claim to these qua- 
 lities might seem to warrant They are generally reported 
 to be extremely fond of enacting, in their several subordi- 
 nate spheres of rule, the comedy of high life below stairs. 
 Some, however, are men of importance in their way — landed 
 proprietors to wit — ^for in reality these cliokydars are of two 
 kinds, one maintained by the village householders, and the 
 other by an assignment of service lands. The latter, called 
 ghatwnls, are in themselves a creation of the Mahommedan 
 
41 6 POLICE AFFAIRS AND THE CRIMINAL CLASSES. [cH. 
 
 government, and were first instituted for the purpose of de- 
 fending the passes which abound in hilly regions, a portion of 
 land being awarded them by way of remuneration. The system, 
 however, it may be added, belongs to the old institutions of 
 India ; and the principle oi 2L?,?,ignmg ghaiwake lands in return for 
 personal service exists in connection with other protective mea- 
 sures, such as defence against river pirates and dacoits. It is 
 interesting to note how nearly this ancient method of Indian 
 land tenure resembles the feudal system which originally pre- 
 vailed in our own country, where the vassal in most cases held 
 his land by military service to be rendered to his lord. 
 
 It is upwards of thirty years since Lord Macaulay first gave 
 an impetus to the question of prison reform in India. Since 
 that period the legislature has striven to cope with the magni- 
 tude of the task, and to bring its arrangements into harmony 
 with the ethnological distinctions of the people. More recently, 
 an Inspector-General of Prisons has been appointed to each 
 of the Provincial Governments. In jails and reformatories the 
 books are kept, and the interior economy is regulated as nearly 
 as possible on the English plan. Nothing could better confirm 
 the conclusion, that mere brutish ignorance is the fruitful source 
 of Brahminical influence among the peasantry than the statistical 
 details furnished by these establishments. Of the 67,037 indivi- 
 duals, for example, admitted to prison in 1867, under the Bengal 
 administration, it was found that 154 were fairly educated for 
 their sphere in life, and that 5,150 had a very slight acquaint- 
 ance with reading, while all the rest, numbering 61,733, were in 
 a condition of crass ignorance! 
 
 Heavy labour, such as the crank and wheel supply, not being 
 
XXXIX.] PRISON LIFE. 417 
 
 suited to the Bengalee physique, a variety of the lighter indus- 
 trial employments have been introduced into these reformatories, 
 with such success, in some cases, as to leave a remuneration to 
 the Government. 
 
 I associate this subject of crime and criminals with Agra, 
 because we had there an opportunity of inspecting the famous 
 convict prison, then under the superintendence of Dr. Walker, 
 who himself politely conducted us over the establishment We 
 found it to comprise a series of separate buildings with court- 
 yards between, all remarkably clean and pervaded by that air 
 of order and repose which bespeaks a thorough system of regu- 
 lation. There were then no fewer than 3,000 persons within 
 the walls, all variously employed upon some useful work. About 
 600 were engaged in the several processes of paper-making, 
 and the remainder in weaving cloth or blankets, letter-press 
 printing, and other serviceable occupations. In fact, all the Post 
 Office printing of Oude and the North-West was being exe- 
 cuted in this place. Several notorious dacoits were pointed out 
 to us sullenly pursuing their work. One of these, who had been 
 the terror of the neighbourhood for years previous to his cap- 
 ture, especially claimed our attention. Nor did the appearance 
 of the man belie his history, as he crouched on the floor beside 
 us, pushing with thick brawny arms a heavy iron roller over 
 something intended to be smoothed ; for the pair of fierce black 
 eyes that gleamed furtively up at us from beneath a low knotted 
 brow, plainly told that we were contemplating a caged tiger 
 engaged upon an uncongenial task. 
 
 This institution was regarded as perhaps the most thorough 
 of its class in India, although the same plan had previously 
 
 E E 
 
41 8 POLICE AFFAIRS AND CRIMINAL CLASSES. [ch. xxxix. 
 
 been followed in Allahabad, Meerut, and Bareilly. It would be 
 difficult to imagine a system better adapted to the purpose in- 
 tended — that of gathering in the stray wai/s of Indian society, 
 and subjecting their wayward and ferocious tendencies to the 
 humanizing influence of well-regulated occupations. And so 
 valuable everywhere is industry, contrived and directed by 
 intelligence, that the desired boon was here obtained on ex- 
 tremely advantageous terms, Dr. Walker's establishment, as we 
 were informed, being more than self-supporting. 
 
419 
 
 CHAPTER XL. 
 
 MELANCHOLY CAWNPORE. 
 
 The morning passed, and Asia's sun rode up 
 
 In the clear heaven, and every beam was heat — BRYANT. 
 
 'AWN PORE, as approached from the handsome 
 railway terminus which constitutes its principal 
 ornament, is a long straggling range of low 
 brick buildings and mud huts, with doors of 
 wicker work and plaited straw. In front of 
 the row a canal furnished with locks extends to the Ganges, 
 by which the city is bounded on the other side. This aqueduct 
 is navigable by small boats, and became revealed to us as the 
 resort of a lively throng of natives in the act of washing 
 clothes, or simply disporting their persons in its filthy depths. 
 The principal street, however, is a good one, built of brick 
 houses, and the population, which a few years ago was es- 
 timated at 60,000, must now be considerably greater. For 
 Cawnpore, however desolate in appearance, obtained a high 
 prize in the distribution of railway gifts, and has already be- 
 come the principal mart of commerce in the North-West 
 Though built on a hot sandy plain, and burning throughout 
 the summer months with a temperature which sometimes 
 
 E E 2 
 
420 
 
 MELANCHOL Y CA WNPORE. 
 
 [CH. 
 
 exceeds 140 degrees Fahr., it is, as the frontier station of 
 Oude, the scene of an extensive military encampment, whole 
 streets of canvass marking the site of the cantonments, which 
 of themselves cover an area of about ten square miles, and com- 
 prise a population of not few6r than 50,000 souls. There is now 
 quite a bustle of shipping and of arriving and departing pas- 
 sengers at the ghaiit or landing-place, whence the Ganges is 
 
 C AWN TORE. 
 
 navigable 1,000 miles in the seaward direction, and 300 miles up 
 country. Ludicrous-looking vessels of native build crowd the 
 river — budgerows, with the stern elevated high above the bow — 
 light pansways, uncouth bajilcahs, and huge hulking craft like 
 floating hayricks — all actively engaged in lading or unlading 
 goods and produce. The bazaars, too, have grown into busy 
 thoroughfares, as the principal rendezvous of the dealers in Upper 
 India, and are well stocked with shirtings, grey and white, from 
 
XL.] ITS APPEARANCE AND COMMERCE. 42 1 
 
 Manchester, and Turkey red cloths from Glasgow, together with 
 printed garments, scarfs, sarees, and other British imports pass- 
 ing through Calcutta. Cawnpore also possesses a new, and for 
 these parts an uncommon, element of industry in the Elgin 
 cotton-spinning and weaving mills, equipped with excellent ma- 
 chinery of modern construction, and daily thrumming with the 
 play of a considerable productive power, though with what 
 advantage I cannot tell otherwise than by quoting the report 
 of the ' Public Intelligence,' which, in a recent number, notices a 
 good demand for the cloth, though not for the thread, of the 
 Elgin mills. A further sign of material prosperity at Cawnpore 
 is, that, in the fruitful period of the year, the soil of the sur- 
 rounding country is rendered extremely fertile, the gardens and 
 their products being reckoned among the finest in India. 
 
 But in spite of these advantages this city of sad memories 
 remains as it ever was, in the dry season, a spectacle of ter- 
 ritorial desolation. As such, indeed, Cawnpore is celebrated 
 not only in the story of the Mutiny but in the annals of inter- 
 necine strife ; the battles that have here found their issue in the 
 effects of the blinding sand, being one of the most curious phases 
 of Indian history. 
 
 The town, as we approached it, seemed to be set in a desert, 
 only relieved by the green foliage of the trees, which drew their 
 sustenance from depths beyond the reach of the blighting sun- 
 shine, and shed cooling shadows on the heated surface of the soil. 
 The Fort, a small square building glistening in the strong light, 
 the English church of Gothic design, and the military barracks, 
 were pleasant objects enough, as were also the neat white- 
 cast habitations of the English residents visible in the distance, 
 
422 
 
 MELANCHOLY CAWNPORE. 
 
 [CH. 
 
 and gleaming among rich shrubbery, though surrounded with 
 mud walls. But these were only a few fresh tints in the faded 
 picture ; the general appearance of the place was as sad and 
 dreary as the story of its woes. 
 
 It was thus with the effect of devastating an already blasted 
 soil that the Mutiny raged -and rioted at Cawnpore. The 
 scorched earth for some distance from the town was covered 
 with ruins and excavations, among which appeared the remains 
 
 OI.I) WELL OF CAWNPORE. 
 
 of those entrenchments so famous in the story of the conflict. 
 Over this scene of destruction, strewn with loose stones, broken 
 barrels, and crumbling embankments, floated some filthy white 
 kites with ruffled feathers, and a number of carrion crows, on 
 the apparently hopeless quest for food. Around us a few 
 lean native figures rested on the ground, or listlessly pursued 
 their way. In the distance, on one side, a long row of camels 
 were slowly stalking across the blighted plain ; above the town, 
 
XL.] 
 
 TRACES OF THE MUTINY. 
 
 423 
 
 on the other, rose the black time-worn peaks of its execrable 
 temples ; and, as an example of its holiday delights, we could 
 perceive, issuing from one of the main thoroughfares, the active 
 agents in a marriage display, bearing tattered flags and raising 
 discordant sounds. 
 
 Such were then, and to some extent still are, the surroundings 
 
 WELL OF CAWNPORE, AS IT IS. 
 
 of the Well of Cawnpore, with its ' great company of Christian 
 people, chiefly women and children,' — an object now beautiful in 
 itself but occupying a terrible page in history. Three solitary 
 palm trees, to which we had been directed as indicating the site 
 of the well, grew at the foot of the embankment The native 
 masons then engaged in the work of construction, were plying 
 
424 
 
 MELANCHOL Y CA WNPORE. 
 
 [CH. 
 
 little mallets and chisels with an amount of energy suggestive of 
 the national prejudice against over-fatigue. On the walks within 
 
 INTERIOR OF WELL AT CAWNPORE. 
 
 the circular space, which had newly been formed, a couple of 
 
XL.] THE ANGEL OF THE WELL. 425 
 
 b/ieesiies, each laden with his uncouth burden, were employed in 
 laying the dust ; and a staff of gardeners, bending over the 
 sandy soil, were occupied with the task of making the desert 
 bloom. The result of this combined action has been the crea- 
 tion of a winged female figure, bearing the ' martyrs' holy palms,' 
 enclosed by a screen of exquisitely carved stone work, and 
 occupying the centre of a beautiful garden in the surrounding 
 waste. It seems almost a pity to add, that the art critics of the 
 North-West blame Baron Marochetti for the expressionless 
 character of the angel's face, while the lovely oasis surrounding 
 it is essentially artificial, and can only be preserved so long as 
 there are gardeners and blieesties at hand to counteract, by cease- 
 less labour, the blighting influence of nature in that arid region. 
 
 The landlord of the hotel where we passed the night had good 
 reason to remember the well, a brother and two sisters having 
 been among the number of the terror-stricken group of fugi- 
 tives who were fired upon by the perfidious Nana Sahib in 
 the escape boat, and afterwards consigned to those depths 
 over which the angel presides. This man was a half-cast, and 
 fond of recounting his tale of woe. His eyes were heavy and 
 sad, his voice lugubrious and low ; the inmost depths of his 
 being seemed to be penetrated by the prevailing melancholy of 
 the place. On the same evening we concluded that, what with 
 desolation out of doors and dulness within, there was nothing to 
 detain us in Cawnpore. 
 
 Leaving for Lucknow in the morning we crossed the Ganges 
 on a primitive bridge of boats, sustaining tiny dwellings formed 
 of reeds and branches on their elevated prows, the creaking 
 swaying passage itself being occasionally blocked up with troops 
 
426 
 
 MELANCHOLY CAWNPORE. 
 
 [CH. 
 
 of gaily dressed riders mingled with dust-covered coolies bearing 
 unimaginable burdens to supply the multifarious wants of Cawn- 
 pore. On the sandy flat at the other end of the bridge, houses 
 of wood and cane gave shelter to a community of bargemen 
 and hucksters, together with water nymphs, whose apparel con- 
 veniently suited the several avocations in which they were en- 
 gaged among the pools that encompassed their dwellings, and 
 the possession of which was disputed with them by a number of 
 
 GHAnT ON THE GANGES WHERE NANA SAHIB KIREI) ON THE ESCAPE BOAT. 
 
 waterfowl, either floating about luxuriously, or standing upright 
 on tall thin legs, intently contemplating the proceedings. Was 
 sport proscribed, or were sportsmen wanting in the environs of 
 Cawnpore, that such immunity existed for these feathered sen- 
 tinels of the stream ? 
 
 The railway not being then open to Lucknow (distant fifty- 
 three miles), this portion of our journey was also allotted to the 
 unwelcome gharry. Now, however, a pleasant prospect lay be- 
 
XL.] THE LUXURIANCE BEYOND. 427 
 
 fore us. Beyond the vicinity of Cawnpore the country assumed 
 an aspect of rich luxuriance, for the spring was advancing, and 
 Oude is one of the fairest provinces of India. Fields of linseed 
 and barley, apparently interminable, lay like rich emerald carpets 
 on the plain, which receded out of view to the horizon, where, 
 with its trees and cattle, it melted into a picture of islands in a 
 light blue sea. We had passed through a ruined gateway into a 
 blooming domain. 
 
428 
 
 CHAPTER XLI. 
 
 THE TALE OF LUCK NOW. 
 
 I built my soul a lordly pleasure house, 
 Wherein at ease for aye to dwell. — TENNYSON. 
 
 *N a few hours it became apparent that we were ap- 
 proaching a large city. The social respectability of 
 Lucknow was manifested by the appearance on the 
 road of gaily dressed horsemen and stylish little pony 
 pavilions laden with figures, arrayed in Persian silks 
 and Cashmere shawls. 
 Ample testimony to the piety of Lucknow was afforded by a 
 large party of those brown-clad carriers of Hurdwar water, of 
 whom I have already spoken, going in with supplies for the 
 spiritual refreshment of its inhabitants ; and its commercial im- 
 portance was evidenced in the spectacle of strings of camels 
 laden with merchandise, and driven by strong, tawdry Cabul 
 men. Natives say that some of these huge denizens of the 
 North, before setting out on their distant journey, record a vow 
 that they will neither wash nor change their clothing till they 
 return home. And truly their appearance does not tend to 
 invalidate the statement. 
 
 As we drew near the city, the luxuriance of the country 
 seemed to increase, until having reached the Alumbagh (or 
 
CH. XLi.] A HEROS GRA VE. 429 
 
 Queen's Garden), which is situated in the outskirts, we could 
 perceive its spires glistening above a luxuriance of vegetation, 
 apparently too dense to afford a site for a village. But the 
 A lumbagh, built as an abode of sensualism, had been trans- 
 formed into a temple of fame ; for there, fronting the entrance, 
 stood the grave of Havelock. This once beautiful garden is 
 at present, I believe, employed for the cultivation of grain and 
 vegetables. It was then no more than a neglected compound 
 surrounded by brick walls, which the strife of 1857 had partly 
 destroyed. In the centre rose the large square mansion wherein 
 the deliverer planned his attack, now charred and defaced by 
 the action of artillery, the sunlight gleaming through its void 
 windows, and flooding its deserted halls. A poor patch of d/ml, 
 sown in a solitary corner, was struggling through the barren 
 soil, and together with a tope of mango trees, which had some- 
 how escaped the devastation, formed the only oasis in a scene 
 of ruin, where half-a-dozen lean kine, attended by a couple of 
 children, were attempting the apparently impossible task of 
 picking up a subsistence. 
 
 Such is the resting-place of Sir Henry Havelock, whose 
 deeds, on which, as many will remember, the national anxiety 
 hung with terrible suspense during the early period of the 
 Mutiny, are recorded on a marble tablet affixed to the obelisk 
 which surmounts the tomb. On that spot where he first stood, 
 amidst a brave soldier band and the bristling accoutrements of 
 war, the hero found a retired and solitary grave. 
 
 It has been variously stated that Lucknow is a more attrac- 
 tive city than Rome, Constantinople, or even Paris ; but, for my 
 own part, I cannot recognize in any of these places a sufficient 
 
430 THE TALE OF LUCKNOW. [ch. 
 
 basis of comparison. To imagine some of the more ornate build- 
 ings of the three gathered together, adorned with a rich pro- 
 fusion of domes and columns, and planted at irregular inter- 
 vals in a grove many miles in circumference, is perhaps to realize 
 some notion of Lucknow, — so wide is the range of its mag- 
 nificence, so very beautiful is that Indian city as seen from the 
 vicinity of the river Goomtee, extending in a line of palaces 
 four miles along the opposite bank. A nearer and truer ac- 
 quaintance with this urban splendour, however, proves that dis- 
 tance had lent it enchantment by concealing some of the poorer 
 features of the town ; and it remains to be added that the 
 more elaborate erections themselves are chiefly of the gewgaw 
 order of architecture, being composed of brick white-cast with 
 ckujiam, while the gilded cupolas flashing so grandly in the 
 sunlight are in many cases but painted wooden shells. The 
 destruction which overtook some of these palaces during the 
 Mutiny, had the effect of sweeping away many of the filthy dens 
 then clustered around them ; and, as the spacious public tho- 
 roughfares have been more recently cleared and improved by 
 the local government, Lucknow is, at the present day, a very 
 attractive station, more so, indeed, than it was before the out- 
 break of those hostilities, the devastating marks of which it 
 continues to exhibit. 
 
 Unlike other great Indian cities, Lucknow only belongs to 
 modern history. A hundred years have not passed since it first 
 rose into prominence as the residence of the Court of Oude. 
 Time has not imparted to it the mouldering and obliterated 
 aspect of such places as Delhi and Agra ; it is still sufficiently 
 young to be fresh and fair. 
 
XLi.] ORIGIN AND PROGRESS. 431 
 
 The record goes that the present city occupies the site of 
 sixty-four villages which stood within the bounds of an ancient 
 forest, where 60,000 moonees, or Hindoo saints, read their sacred 
 books together and performed rigid acts of penance. History 
 tells us, however, that Asf-o-dowla was the first of the Viziers 
 who elevated Lucknow to the rank of a city and the dignity of 
 a capital. On the accession of that prince in 1 775, it was merely 
 a large town comprising a few hundreds of houses of ordinary 
 appearance ; yet, in the comparatively short interval between 
 that period and the time of annexation by the Marquis of Dal- 
 housie, it had risen to the height of its splendour, and was com- 
 puted to contain from 800,000 to 900,000 inhabitants — a number 
 equal to the united populations of Delhi and Benares. Thus 
 the volume describing the magnificence of Lucknow would be 
 greater than that recording its history. An ephemeral city it 
 may well be called ; not that the revolution was so widely de- 
 structive of its masonry, nor that the elements have made un- 
 usual haste to tarnish its finery, but because it sprung rapidly 
 into existence, served a short-lived purpose, and, in its capacity as 
 a nucleus of grandeur, has no proper vocation now. The present 
 population is estimated at about 300,000, the ranks of poverty 
 and idleness having been happily thinned since the period of 
 native rule. 
 
 Although, perhaps, some account in the form of a connected 
 narrative of the city of Lucknow and its short-lived glory might 
 not yet be altogether without interest to some readers, I need 
 scarcely say that I have no such purpose in view. Others, indeed, 
 may deem the subject in any form somewhat too trite. But in 
 the course of a very short allusion to the principal features of 
 
4ja THE TALE OF LCCKXOir. [ch. 
 
 diB fcnailable creation of royal \-aiim\ I viD endeavour only 
 to reoord my avn impressians, and to avi»d. except vhere a mere 
 aJksian aBy be necessary, rpralling the statentents of histmy. 
 Let k be imderslDod, faoirever, that my remarks are o&avd 
 apart froaiareluteclnfaldctaDs of vbicii I possess no knowiet^ie. 
 Tbere are ait p re s ea t several boteis in Lodoiow, althoi;^ at 
 die period of oar viat tbeic ha ppened to be no other bouse of 
 fMbfic arrwmo darioM than the *Jmk bm^alow,' toirards whidi 
 afooordfa^^ oar ^miiwmfUk drove in dashii^ style t hr oi^h 
 ways and m oa ^ d s of observant n a t i v es. Socfa a dak 
 had aot hahu l o fiden to oar lot. This was no pahxy 
 kovd €£ the plaias bat a stately mansiaa. oonsistii^ of large 
 lofey afOrtflMBbs «iih ^Ued waBs and ceilii^rs — the quondam 
 abode of a royal lady of Lockncnr. The adane and attendance 
 > bciag in caafbianiy vilk tUs rttrrnj] superiority, ve were 
 : hM%ed in « ii|uiJli vely regal splendoor. 
 It was soaMdiag to say that there were giants in Patna, but 
 : of my expenences first deaaads fiiii me the 
 that there are ^nrrows in 
 ; of fhiniii^ which awoke 
 ia dieeaffy ammiag mkHicA. my dr e am> senses with the 
 I had facea drrpi a g in the open air. In 
 I fadield Ae flock, not disportn^ 
 1 ba^^ or perched on ownku^i i^ eaves, ibr nothing of 
 the kind was viahie tram my pillow, but in full possession of the 
 omaae braksea roof of oar brdrhamb er ^ %it^ ixom bcJe to comer, 
 aad a^Bpeariog or mmAmf^ tlnn^^ rents in tamislied gilt \-ases 
 aad bAeA gariaads of roses. Stzai^el)- enoog^ as the seqnd 
 «9i skow. no more apprapnate symbol cf Ulie in Lucknow could 
 have nThrrrd in die day. 
 
XLI.J 
 
 TOUR OF THE CITY. 
 
 433 
 
 We had arranged that the khitmagar should procure a com- 
 fortable carriage for our tour of inspection in the morning, and 
 after breakfast found our conveyance at the door — a strange 
 vehicle resembling a long wooden box on wheels, and so flimsily 
 constructed, that, while moving, it creaked and oscillated in a 
 manner suggestive of an immediate breakdown. The gorri- 
 wallah however, having in reply to my remonstrance assured 
 
 THE KAISERBAGH. 
 
 US there was not a better carriage in Lucknow, Gophall took 
 his place on the roof, and we set forth to begin our round of 
 observation with the Kaiserbagh in the vicinity of our dwelling. 
 The kings of Oude having adopted the title of Caesar, the 
 name of this celebrated erection literally interpreted is Caesar's 
 palace. It was, as many Lucknow citizens will remember, com- 
 pleted by the ex-king Wajid AH Shah in 1850, and is said to 
 have cost no less a sum than 800,000/. On entering, we 
 
434 1'^E, TALE OF LUCKNOW. [cH. 
 
 traversed a series of high walled courts, shut in with huge gates 
 of brass, on which were delineated a variety of richly-wrought 
 objects, including figures of mermaids with wings (such being 
 the device of some Queen's crest) and of fish tied to flowers 
 with a string. These yards were crowded with diminutive tem- 
 ples and fanciful dwellings, prominent among which appeared 
 the Badshah Munzil, for some time a favourite residence of the 
 king, and the Chundiwalli Baradarri, once paved with silver. 
 Passing at length through the celebrated Luckhee Gate (erected 
 at the estimated cost of a lac of rupees, and hence its name), 
 we emerged into the grand square of the Kaiserbagh — a scene 
 of wonderful architectural beauty and extent, surrounded by 
 palatial buildings with massive pillars and sculptured terraces, 
 the great court itself being ornamented throughout with a gor- 
 geous variety of fountains, pagodas, watercourses, and elevated 
 platforms surmounted by gilded spires. 
 
 In this magnificent quadrangle dwelt the ex-king of Oude with 
 his crowd of wives, constituting a picture of supreme connubial 
 splendour, if not of high domestic felicity. But now some of the 
 gorgeous buildings were deserted. Windows which had let in 
 the light on the toilette mysteries of royal boudoirs were smashed 
 and broken, displaying empty apartments with the blue sky 
 beyond. At others, however, sat such interlopers as gentlemen 
 of our Indian Civil Service with their wives and families, looking 
 forth with a universally unmoved expression on the regal waste 
 below, while, in order to utilize this deserted zenana, the public 
 road which formerly wound round it by a long detour, now ran 
 right through the centre, and thus divided in twain the glories 
 of the Kaiserbagh. I have to add, however, that the talookdars, 
 whose property it became by the gift of Lord Canning, have lately 
 
XLI.] 
 
 REGAL EXTRA VAGANCR 
 
 435 
 
 repaired the waste, and converted the place into a range of 
 comfortable dwelling-houses. 
 
 Close at hand, with its gilt semicircle glittering in the strong 
 light, stood the Kaiser Pusuna, which the late king confiscated 
 from the vizier of a former ruler, and which attracts a melan- 
 choly interest as the place where, during the Mutiny, the 
 Dhowrera company of prisoners were confined previous to being 
 led forth to execution. 
 
 GATEWAY OF THE KAISEKBA(;ll. 
 
 We next visited the Chutter Munzil, erected by the second 
 king of Oude, who seems to have left no other reputation behind 
 him than that of an idle voluptuary. This palace served as 
 a separate residence for the ladies of the harem, and its name 
 is derived from the canopy representing a circle of gilt um- 
 brellas which crowns the so-called golden dome. It is now, I 
 understand, occupied partly as a club-house and partly by civil 
 offices. Minutely elaborate in design, and comprising four highly 
 
436 THE TALE OF LUCK NOW. [ch. 
 
 ornate balconies, the Chutter Munzil resembles in its general 
 outline nothing that I can imagine of European handiwork more 
 nearly than that highly artistic production, a handsome wedding 
 cake. From the upper stage we obtained a splendid view of the 
 neighbourhood. On one side was the Kaiserbagh and its rami- 
 fications, forming the foreground of a picture which melted into 
 a view of mingled trees and towers : on the other we looked 
 down on the Goomtee, a narrow blue river sparkling with 
 sunshine and winding out of sight into the distant landscape. 
 The Goomtee is spanned by three bridges, one constructed of 
 stone in 1 780 ; another of iron, the material for which was brought 
 more recently from England ; and the third, one of those bridges 
 of boats peculiar to the country. The stillness pervading the 
 fine rural prospect extended below, seemed to be intensified by 
 the silent motion of the few canoe-shaped boats which glided 
 along with the current, and was only broken by a constant slap- 
 ping sound (mellowed into softness by the height of our position) 
 produced by the washermen of Lucknow, whose figures, di- 
 minutive in the distance, were discernible on the brink of the 
 stream, beating heavy cloths on stones. Before us lay the Motee 
 Mahul which Sadut AH built about the beginning of the present 
 century, taking for his design the curve of a pearl, and within 
 whose walls Lucknow royalty, after the fashion of ancient Rome, 
 was wont to regale itself with the stirring spectacle of wild beast 
 fights ; the Khoorshid Munzil, or House of the Sun, with its 
 four spires, set apart for the very different and much more sea- 
 sonable purpose of a retirement in the hour of regal affliction ; 
 and the TarrawalKe Kothie, or Observatory, in front of which 
 were massacred the poor English captives sent in by the rebel 
 
XLI.] 
 
 UTILIZED MAGNIFICENCE. 
 
 437 
 
 rajahs. The existence of this last edifice must be held to 
 redeem in some measure the worthless memory of the second 
 king of Oude, by whom it was founded under the superin- 
 tendence of Colonel Wilcox, the astronomer royal, who died in 
 1847, leaving it well provided with astronomical instruments. 
 These, however, were either lost or stolen during the rebellion, 
 and no telescope or astro-scope incommoded the movements of 
 the gallant brigade major and his family whose dwelling for the 
 
 BRIDGE NEAR LUCKNOW. 
 
 time this temple of science had become. It was afterwards 
 converted into an office for the Bank of Bengal ; a purpose indi- 
 cative of material progress among the fading glories of Lucknow, 
 which I presume it continues to fulfil. The Khoorshid Munzil, 
 at the time of our visit, was the elegant residence of the officer 
 commanding Her Majesty's forces in Lucknow ; and concerning 
 the Motee Mahul, my last information was to the effect that its 
 splendours served to adorn a female seminary. 
 
438 THE TALE OF LUCK NOW. [ch. 
 
 The appearance presented by the Residency was eloquent of 
 the tragic story with which it is associated. The buildings were 
 smashed and broken, the walls indented with bullets, and the 
 ground strewn with tumuli of earth and stones. Where once 
 bloomed the garden of the Bailey Guard, a few goats were feed- 
 ing on a plot of thin grass — all that remained of its luxuriance 
 — and some native children, whom rent walls were of course 
 powerless to exclude, romped among the fragments of a once 
 highly ornamental fountain. This scene of devastation was ap- 
 propriately overlooked by the blank windows of the Residency, 
 which, in its turn, had become the abode of a new class of tenants, 
 for through what remained of the lower doorways we could 
 perceive in one corner the hind-quarters of a cow. These 
 chambers, having served their day as the offices of Sir Henry 
 Lawrence, were now in use as a byre ! 
 
 As for the chief actors in the defence, we traced out their 
 names in a little cemetery hard by — a solitary spot surrounded 
 by brick walls, but in trim order and adorned with flower-beds 
 overhung by weeping willows. The place was quite crowded 
 with plain gravestones inscribed with the names and sad end 
 of officers who fell during the rebellion, or perished afterwards 
 through suffering and fatigue. Among these memorials of 
 course appeared the tombs of Brigadier General Neill and 
 Major Banks, together with that of one of the noblest men ever 
 connected with the Indian Government — Sir Henry Lawrence 
 — of whom, in his own words, it is simply but eloquently 
 recorded on the stone, that he ' tried to do his duty.' 
 
 From the Residency it is only a short distance by the direct 
 road to the Muchee TBawn, or Fort of Lucknow, an extensive 
 
XLI.] 
 
 SAD MEMORIALS. 
 
 439 
 
 series of defences, including the ancient fortress of that name, 
 which was considered impregnable 2CX3 years ago. ' According 
 to an old proverb, he who holds the Muchee Bawn holds Luck- 
 now ' is the testimony of a pamphlet styled ' A Brief History of 
 Lucknow,' which I procured there, and to which I am indebted 
 for a few particulars included in this sketch. 
 
 Rl'INS OK TlIK RKSIDENCY. 
 
 The ' old proverb ' referred to, however, seems only worth 
 recalling now as indicating what a different place Lucknow must 
 have been at the period when an inconsiderable building within 
 the present fort, ' noticeable for its round earthen bastions,* was 
 sufficient to command the entire city, compared with that me- 
 morable day, the ist of July 1857, when the whole Muchee 
 Bawn of modern times was evacuated by its gallant little 
 
440 
 
 THE TALE OF LUCKNOW. 
 
 [CH. 
 
 garrison, who, after successfully destroying its defences, fled for 
 succour to the Residency. 
 
 GRAVES OK NEILL ANU LAWRENCE. 
 
 Our next stage was the great Imambarra, the crowning work 
 of Asf-o-dowla's reign, and correctly styled the ' architectural 
 
XI,I.] 
 
 ' THE ARCHITECTURAL GEM. ' 
 
 441 
 
 gem of Lucknow.' It is said that the Nawab's only stipulation 
 with Kyfeeut-ool-lah, the successful candidate among the com- 
 peting architects, was that the building should be entirely 
 original in style, and surpass in splendour any other of the kind 
 in existence. And who will make bold to say, that Kyfeeut- 
 ool-lah failed in the task thus confided to him ? The grand pile 
 of the Imambarra, as delineated in the woodcut below, rises from 
 
 nil-; GREAT IMAMBARRA. 
 
 a terrace in the centre of a spacious court, which is enriched 
 with a finely tesselated pavement, and surrounded by matchless 
 Saracenic walls and gateways. 
 
 Near this building, and greatly magnifying the architectural 
 grandeur of the view, stands the Roomie Durwaza or Turkish 
 gate, which, as the record states, was constructed after the model 
 of a gate in Constantinople, and which, regarded as an appendage 
 to the Imambarra, forms a gilded exterior porch of extraordinary 
 
442 THE TALE OF LUCKNOW. [ch. 
 
 magnificence. It appears, however, that the architect of the 
 Roomie Durwaza, while more than emulating his supposed 
 Turkish model as regards the element of beauty, altogether 
 failed in that of similitude. The great hall of the Imambarra, 
 measuring 167 feet long, is even now considered one of the 
 finest in the world. It is richly embellished within, having also 
 ornate verandahs on both sides, and a handsome apartment at 
 either end. 
 
 Little did the ambitious builder of the Imambarra, the Nawab 
 Vizier, who vouchsafed but scant allegiance to the Imperial 
 Cabinet of Delhi — little did he dream, as he gazed with pride 
 on this ' crowning work of his reign,' on which we are told he 
 spent a million sterling, that he had been providing noble bar- 
 racks and a storehouse for the troops of the Infidel ! Yet such 
 was the admirable purpose to which the great Imambarra (still 
 an arsenal) was devoted, and that of course with more than 
 sufficiency of accommodation. The rich, checkered courts were 
 further ornamented with the scarlet uniform of British soldiers, 
 and echoed, as it so happened at the moment, with the sound 
 of their bugle call. But the grand hall itself had undergone a 
 still greater transformation. Its many shining mirrors and crystal 
 chandeliers (one of them constructed for 100 wax candles), which, 
 indeed, had been broken up or carried off ere Sir Colin Camp- 
 bell took possession of the place, were now replaced by a large 
 and varied store of more useful and less brittle materials — 
 the implements and accoutrements of war. 
 
 Close at hand rose the towers of the Jumna Musjid, or Grand 
 Mosque, an erection of the usual kind. As a military guard 
 held the entrance door,- the Musjid was evidently in use for 
 some other end than the celebration of Mohammedan rites. It 
 
xLi.] THE HOSEINABAD IMAMBARRA. 443 
 
 had, in fact, as we found on enquiry, been turned to account 
 as di prison house, and doubtless a fine airy jail it was, consisting 
 not of such a series of cribs as we are apt to associate with the 
 abode of law breakers, but of one spacious apartment with a 
 huge overarching dome. 
 
 Inthis vicinity also stands the Hoseinabad I mambarra, erected 
 by Mahomed Ali Shah, third king of Oude. The Hoseinabad, 
 like other buildings of its class, is shut in by high walls, but can 
 scarcely claim any greater admiration than may be accorded to 
 a great exhibition of glass ware and general curiosity shop. The 
 large hall inside is literally crammed with an array of many- 
 coloured crystal globes, lanterns, and candelabra, in the midst of 
 which stands the king's silver throne ; and the court without is 
 a similarly crowded scene of gaudy little buildings with gilded 
 spires (including a rather poor representation of the Taj at Agra), 
 intermingled with, dusty trees and puny garden plots. The 
 centre is occupied by several marble fountains, together with 
 a reservoir spanned by a neat iron bridge. To render the 
 Hoseinabad a great glittering show was evidently the single 
 aim of its founder. The railings in the quadrangle are pointed 
 with brass, the windows are richly stained, doors and walls glare 
 with bright-painted hues, and every available nook or corner is 
 the receptacle of a lamp. Thus prepared to shine when lit up 
 in celebration of great Mahommedan festivals, the Hoseinabad 
 Imambarra, in the palmy days of Lucknow, was wont to glow and 
 sparkle in a style that gladdened the eyes of the Sheeahs of the 
 Mohurrum. Such is the place of the third king's sepulture, as 
 well as that of his mother, whom he chose to bury among these 
 evidences of his regal ostentation. 
 
 But it appears that Mahomed Ali had been ambitious to build 
 
444 THE TALE OF LUCKNOW. [CH. 
 
 a mosque larger than the Jumna Musjid. His death in 1841 
 interrupted the progress of the work, and here it stood near the 
 Hoseinabad, in a half-completed state, surrounded by heaps of 
 rubbish — a huge misshapen mass of masonry and scaffolding 
 gradually rotting away. Now the bulky but pitiful and un- 
 seemly object referred to is all the more memorable to us that 
 it was the scene of a lively episode in the round of our inspection. 
 At this waste spot the boy, who was acting in the capacity of our 
 syce, thoughtlessly conducted the horse at a trot round a sharp, 
 rough corner of the road, and crash ! over went our crazy vehicle 
 on its side with a brittle, crackling sound like the breaking of 
 lath ! Strange to say, not the slightest injury ensued to us who 
 were within. The right-hand window had now become a sky- 
 light, out of which I made haste to emerge, helping forth, with 
 the energy of fear for her safety, my frightened better-half. 
 This indeed was the work of a moment, and having gained our 
 feet, we found our fellow-sufferers from this catastrophe arranged 
 in befitting positions like the figures of a stage scene. Our 
 guide, in great excitement, was holding down the head of the 
 horse, needlessly indeed, for the poor animal, also unhurt, 
 evidently found its new position a relief ; the old gorriwallah 
 was on his knees, supplicating with clasped hands our forgive- 
 ness, for what he volubly assured us was no fault of his; and 
 Gophall, more frightened than hurt, with flushed face and dis- 
 arranged turban, stood like a statue of terror on a mound of 
 stones, whereon he had been pitched clean and clear from the 
 smooth roof of the gharry ! The boy alone was wanting, but his 
 retreating figure was visible at some distance, making a spasmodic 
 effort to escape the punishment which he somehow considered 
 
xLi.] A WRECK AMONG HUINS. 445 
 
 the natural consequence of this misadventure, so far as he him- 
 self was concerned. Thus wrecked among ruins, under a fiery 
 Indian sun which no lady unaccustomed to such excessive heat 
 could with impunity encounter, we thankfully retreated within 
 the shadow projected by the ponderous mass of Mahomed Ali's 
 unfinished Musjid ; and so, miserable waste as it was, we were 
 no longer open to the conviction that it had been built in vain. 
 Here, during the half hour which elapsed ere another convey- 
 ance could be brought, we found nothing to interest us save the 
 ridiculous spectacle of a couple of Lucknow ladies, whose high- 
 caste modesty demanded their personal concealment, carried 
 past us, each in a close basket of wicker-work, sustained on two 
 bamboo poles, with a semi-nude figure at either end. 
 
 We had afterwards reason to know, however, that the women 
 of Lucknow were not all living under the thrall of an etiquette so 
 idle and absurd ; for we found some of them engaged in an in- 
 dustrial occupation, which even afforded the advantages of fresh 
 air and exercise, that, namely, of assisting in the erection of a 
 handsome English church then being built in one of the principal 
 thoroughfares. Here their forms, all alike clad from head to 
 foot in wrappers of dark-coloured cloth, were mingled with 
 those of the other sex, aloft on the roof of the building, or 
 sliding down and toiling up gangways and steep planks, carry- 
 ing stones and sand for the masons. These women, we 
 were told, earned at the rate of two to three annas {^d. to 
 44</.) per day, the payment of ordinary workmen being four to 
 five annas, and that of foremen eight annas. Such a tariff of 
 wages, compared with our own, shows that the rulers of Lucknow, 
 like the kings of the Old World, had the advantage of economy 
 
446 THE TALE OF LUCKNOW. [ch. 
 
 in the prosecution of their ambitious schemes, and could rear 
 an imposing pile at a comparatively trifling cost so far as manual 
 work was concerned. The extraordinary cheapness and abun- 
 dance of labour indeed manifestly accounts, to some extent, for 
 the existence of so many huge masonic structures scattered over 
 the surface of North-Western India. These ineffectual sources 
 of employment have had their day, and the toiling millions are 
 obtaining better wages and more regular occupation in the new 
 fields of productive industry which have been opened up side by 
 side with these mouldering records of misspent toil. 
 
 The places we had been visiting were connected by wide 
 handsome roads, which, as I have said, had been further im- 
 proved during the strife of the rebellion, when many unseemly 
 incumbrances were removed. Yet these fine broad highways 
 do not represent all the healthful ' lungs ' of this elegant city. 
 Between the Secunder Bagh — a high-walled garden built by the 
 last king for one of his wives whose name it bears — and the 
 Nujeef Ashruf — an edifice with a great white dome, the work 
 and tomb of the first king — both memorable spots in the relief 
 of Lucknow, lie the fine gardens of the Agri- Horticultural 
 Society of Oude. These are bounded on one side by the pic- 
 turesque windings of the Goomtee, and contain among other 
 inviting features some peculiarly good specimens of tropical birds. 
 Another resort of the residents is Wingfield Park, an extensive 
 enclosure, comprising wide carriage drives and walks shaded by 
 rich foliage. This place is rendered further attractive by a fine 
 collection of deer, and is maintained in excellent order by a large 
 staff of assistants. Nor would it be fair, in the record of Luck- 
 now, to omit mention of the excellent benevolent institutions 
 
XLi.] ITS DECLINE. 447 
 
 from which it derives more honour than many palaces can confer. 
 Among these are a ' Lunatic Asylum,' a ' Refuge for the Poor,' 
 a ' Lock Hospital,' and a 'King's Hospital,' where the indigent 
 patient receives medical advice gratis. The Chinka Bazaar is 
 a wide street of good shops, with a massive gateway at either 
 end; but otherwise the native quarters, like similar nuclei of 
 life elsewhere in India, consist mainly of houses constructed of 
 mud, matting, and bamboo. Indeed the so-called glory of Luck- 
 now being no more than an empty show, departed with its 
 Mogul-appointed rulers; and the population has been diminish- 
 ing year by year. 
 
 It now only remained to inspect the eastern portion of the 
 city, where two principal objects of attraction are situated. At 
 the extremity stood the Dilkoosha, or Heart's Delight, erected 
 by Sadat AH as a ' hunting box ' and country residence. A 
 handsome ' box ' this was, flanked with gilt-tipped towers, and 
 ornamented with two rows of brass balls which glistened in the 
 sunlight like a double frontlet of gold. The Dilkoosha looked 
 all the fairer from the fresh contrast it presented to the sur- 
 rounding waste. The fine trees of the once beautiful park had 
 been cut down for firewood, and of course the game was no 
 longer there. In front stretched the arid plain by which we had 
 approached, and, behind, a mingled scene of grove, field, and 
 jungle extended to the horizon. The charming Dilkoosha, 
 where Sadut Ali and his ladies were wont to meet and make 
 merry, would have been the centre of a lifeless and silent scene 
 but for the ravens which were circling round its shining globes, 
 and the mellow sound of a bugle call that floated up for a 
 moment from the cantonments some distance below. 
 
448 THE TALE OF LUCK NOW. [ch. 
 
 Opposite, and not far from, the Dilkoosha stands that large 
 fantastic erection, the Martiniere, otherwise called Constantia, 
 built by the French soldier whose name it bears. The local 
 pamphlet states, that the Nawab Vizier offered Claude Martin 
 a million sterling for the building. We know, however, that 
 the general himself did not live to witness its completion, but 
 left funds sufficient for that purpose, together with the much 
 more admirable provision of a college for promoting general 
 education, to be established within its walls. It was a curious 
 fancy which prompted this benevolent Frenchman to direct that 
 the Martiniere should become his own place of interment ' as 
 a precaution to prevent any future ruler from confiscating it.' 
 He did not imagine the possibility of his poor bones being vio- 
 lently assailed and scattered about the precincts of their tomb. 
 Such, however, was one of the incidents of the Mutiny when 
 the Constantia was sacked for plunder, although we are told 
 that a portion of the general's remains were afterwards recovered 
 and restored to their resting-place. 
 
 The interior of this building, like its outward form, is an inde- 
 scribable architectural jumble, and is subdivided into a labyrinth 
 of passages and staircases. Around the spacious class-rooms, 
 which alone claim notice, were arranged a collection of excellent 
 illustrative diagrams in botany, zoology, ornithology, geology, 
 and astronomy, together with charts for facilitating the study of 
 history and natural philosophy. Here, undoubtedly, was a well- 
 spring of knowledge in the moral desert of Oude. In a country 
 where spells and amulets blessed by the priesthood are hung up 
 in the houses of the people, what were these illuminated scrolls 
 on the walls of the Martiniere class-rooms but counter charms, 
 
XLi.] THE PLAINS OF OUDE. 449 
 
 consecrated by wisdom and destined to prevail through the 
 witchery of truth ? 
 
 It thus appeared that the education here provided for the 
 native youth of Lucknow, chiefly through the HberaHty of 
 General Martin, embraced the whole round of the sciences. 
 The classes, as one of the masters informed us, were then con- 
 ducted by five European, assisted by three native, teachers, and 
 attended by about 1 50 pupils young and old. 
 
 The top of the edifice is decorated with a hollow dome, and 
 from the second terrace rise four towers ; while at the entrance 
 gfate crouch the figures of two enormous lions, which, with heads 
 constructed for the reception of lighted lamps, are rendered 
 terrible on suitable occasions, and guard the Constantia with eyes 
 of fire. 
 
 From the upper terrace an uninterrupted prospect of the city 
 and surrounding country is obtained. Standing amidst a hetero- 
 geneous crowd of life-size mythological figures, we feasted our 
 eyes for a little on that magnificent panorama — one side repre- 
 senting a great level solitude of field and grove fading into the 
 distant horizon — the other a foreground of courts and palaces, 
 merging into an array of gleaming spires intermingled with rich 
 foliage. 
 
 We had thus spread out around us as much as the eye could 
 take in of the celebrated province of Oude, the soil of which 
 abounding in crops of rice, opium, cotton, wheat, barley, hemp, 
 and mustard, is regarded as perhaps the richest in India. This 
 province is also famed for its teeming gardens of fruits, among 
 which are the mango, the tamarind, and the banyan ; and for 
 
 G G 
 
450 THE TALE OF LUCKNOW. [ch. 
 
 its extensive forests of wild beasts, including the elephant, tiger, 
 rhinoceros, wolf, and hyena. 
 
 According to the last ' Oude Administration Report,' the 
 country is now entirely at peace, the number of persons licensed 
 to carry arms having been gradually reduced to 1833 — a great 
 revolution certainly, when it is considered that, during the 
 Mutiny, the whole province was in rebellion, even the poorest 
 ryots being armed. We learn also that the population, 
 which was taken at 6,000,000 at the time of annexation, now 
 exceeds 11,000,000, and that this is the most densely inhabited 
 of the ten provinces of India. 
 
 Wajid Ali Shah, the late king, was known in Lucknow as a 
 poet and a man of literary tastes, although otherwise abandoned 
 to luxury and sloth. It was manifestly with no higher aim than 
 self-indulgence that he built the Kaiserbagh, in the splendid 
 seclusion of whose halls, amidst numerous wives and parasites, 
 he dreamed the perilous hours away, forgetful of the duties and 
 responsibilities of a throne. 
 
 All who are acquainted with Indian history will remember 
 that when, in the beginning of January, 1856, our Government, 
 through the instrumentality of the Marquis of Dalhousie, effected 
 the annexation of Oude, the deposed king was allowed the 
 munificent pension of twelve lacs of rupees (about 120,000/.) a 
 year, and retired to a handsome residence, formerly the abode 
 of Sir Lawrence Peel at Garden Reach, on the banks of the 
 Hooghly, in the immediate neighbourhood of Calcutta, and the 
 still nearer vicinity of Fort William. Here, no doubt, Wajid 
 Ali gained the advantage of witnessing the nature and extent 
 of our power, while we acquired the opportunity of observing 
 
XLI.] 
 
 EX-ROYALTY. 
 
 451 
 
 his actions. As a matter of course some semblance of a royal 
 court was duly constituted at Garden Reach. The surrounding 
 dwellings were bought up as opportunity occurred, and occupied 
 by the followers and retainers of the ex-king. High dignitaries, 
 wearing grave looks, and arrayed in the livery of former days, 
 appeared one by one on the scene, to swell his retinue and to 
 lend it importance. And so matters stand. True to the cha- 
 racter he had acquired, the deposed monarch, immured among 
 a collection of pigeons and other birds, and surrounded by 
 many wives, is rarely visible in public ; but his attendants are 
 among the Calcutta celebrities of whom I have spoken elsewhere, 
 as coming forth at sundown to circulate on the Maidan. 
 
 c. G 2 
 
452 
 
 CHAPTER XLII. 
 
 MERCANTILE MIRZAPORE. 
 
 Trade's proud empire hastes to swift decay. — JOHNSON. 
 
 jWING completed the tour of Lucknow in 
 three days, we fixed our departure for the 
 fourth morning, and then opened our eyes 
 for the last time on the sparrows disport- 
 ing in scarcely diminished strength among 
 the effete splendours of the bed-chamber. 
 Finding one of the wheels of the gharry, which now presented 
 itself at the door to convey us back to Cawnpore, secured with 
 a rope, my companion positively declined to enter it, and after 
 considerable delay another was procured. I mention the circum- 
 stance for behoof of others, as some gorrizvallahs are heedless of 
 danger, and this may have been a fortunate exchange, seeing 
 that we were driven the whole way in a thoroughly reckless style, 
 the vehicle creaking and oscillating like a ship at sea. The 
 railway run from Cawnpore to Allahabad was thus delightful 
 by comparison. We arrived on Saturday evening and remained 
 over Sunday at the hotel, the landlord of which directed 
 us to a small EngKsh church or meeting-house. There, in 
 a quiet bright room, whose four plain white walls then en- 
 
CH. XLii.] A CARRIAGE AND TWELVE. 453 
 
 closed nearly all of Sunday worship that prevailed in Allahabad, 
 we heard a sermon on the woes of exile addressed to a con- 
 gp^egation in full experience of the situation. The heavy burden 
 of the discourse, intensified by the fact so naturally present to our 
 minds, that outside the door which shut in this little gathering, 
 singing the psalms of David in a soft pathetic undertone, lay the 
 shrines and temples of heathendom, served to invest the meet- 
 ing with a solemn, almost mournful aspect, which the bright 
 sunshine that shot through every crevice of the close Venetian 
 blinds, and danced in luminous patches on the ceiling, was 
 powerless to dispel. 
 
 On the following morning we crossed the Jumna on our way 
 to Mirzapore, only pausing for a little to witness the Mag Mela 
 gathering, of which I have spoken elsewhere. There being 
 no horse dak at Gopeegunge, our next halting-place, we were 
 supplied with a carriage and twelve to convey us thence to 
 Mirzapore. In other words, our jaded quadruped was removed, 
 and the gharry committed to a team of just a dozen coolies, 
 by whom it was dragged over the remaining twelve miles of 
 our journey. This was indeed a motley crew, such as we 
 had never before encountered in close contact. Their plan of 
 operations was simply to surround the vehicle, grasping it any 
 where, and then to pull away with some attempt at concert — by 
 turns moving on lazily, stopping stock-still, and running swiftly 
 away with us in splendid stage-coach style ; but never ceasing 
 to shout and chatter, as if the energy thus expended were 
 the mainspring of locomotion. Movements so fitful and erratic 
 were utterly beyond control ; all attempts, indeed, at direction or 
 remonstrance, might as well have been addressed to the wind, and, 
 
454 MERCANTILE MIRZAPORE. [cH. 
 
 although often most needful, had invariably to be abandoned in 
 despair. I have already explained that the ordinary clothing of 
 the coolie consists of two pieces of cotton cloth, one compassing 
 the head and the other the loins. It so happened, however, 
 that the collective presence of this party was somewhat more 
 dashing and respectable than usual, one man luxuriating in a 
 pair of ancient slippers from which his toes protruded, while 
 another was arrayed in nothing less (or more) than a military 
 coat of scarlet, equally old and airy, that just clung to his 
 meagre shoulders, and streamed behind him as he ran, like a 
 gay pennant floating in honour of our progress. The troop con- 
 sidered themselves amply rewarded with a few annas each for 
 their long, arduous exertion in the heat of the day ; so that 
 those who confess themselves frightened at the ' alarming ra- 
 pidity ' with which wages are rising in India, will be glad to learn 
 that the poor coolies of the North- West have not yet reached 
 the golden goal of affluence. This, although a somewhat dis- 
 tracting and exceedingly ridiculous mode of conveyance, is 
 necessarily not an uncommon one. A gentleman residing in 
 Mirzapore informed us that, in company with several members 
 of his household, he had recently travelled in his own family 
 carriage, drawn by a group of twenty coolies, a distance of 
 thirty-seven miles in twelve hours. He rewarded the men for 
 their trouble with a rupee each, which was considered rather an 
 extravagant rate of remuneration. 
 
 It was already dark when we reached the Ganges, on the 
 opposite bank of which (the river being about half a mile wide) 
 we could perceive the dim lights of Mirzapore glimmering 
 amidst a shadowy prospect of trees. We crossed, gharry and all, 
 
XLii.] NATURES LAMP. 455 
 
 in a large, lumbering boat, of which some bamboo poles laid from 
 stem to stern constituted the deck, and two black lanky figures 
 with paddles the locomotive power. A ripple on the water might 
 have served to wreck this crazy craft, top-heavy with the high 
 bulk of the gharry ; and the slightest puff of wind would cer- 
 tainly have extinguished our only light — the stump of a tallow 
 candle with a long black wick, of which it was only denuded 
 at our request. The stars had not yet come out en masse, but 
 the crescent moon with Venus in its wake shone forth with 
 a rich silvery clearness, both serving usefully as lamps over- 
 head, and ornamentally as glorious objects mirrored in the 
 stream beneath. These, indeed, were the lights by means of 
 which we were able to cross the river. The comparative 
 value of the moon in this region of the earth as a ' light to 
 the path ' will be evident from the fact of its more certain ap- 
 pearance during the greater portion of the year, shining night 
 after night throughout the recurring weeks of its reign in un- 
 clouded beauty. Thus the brilliant presence of Luna is wel- 
 comed as a source of thrift, and as such is systematically turned 
 to account even in the regulation of public affairs. We learn 
 for example, from an official source, that the city of Bombay is 
 supplied with 1,888 ordinary gas lamps, of which no fewer than 
 1,253 are 'not lit at moonlight.' As, therefore, the sun sets 
 early in the evening, we must suppose that, as a rule, the glory 
 of the lesser orb, when above the horizon, is practically deemed 
 sufficient to irradiate the streets of an Indian city — holes and 
 corners excepted. 
 
 On the other side of the Ganges we arrived beneath a steep 
 frowning bank, looming above which we could perceive in the 
 
456 MERCANTILE MIRZAPORE. [cH. 
 
 starlight the black tower of a Hindoo temple, whence issued the 
 clangour of a bell tolling vigorously in the service of the Mir- 
 zapore gods. At the ghaut, or landing-place, lay another barge 
 similar to our own, filled with passengers, ready to cross the 
 stream. With its company of white-sheeted figures sitting in 
 the dark shadow of the high embankment, every tongue being 
 silent but that of the overpowering bell overhead, it reminded 
 us of a picture of Charon's ferryboat about to cross the Styx. 
 
 We had arranged while in Mirzapore to enjoy the hospitality 
 of a friend, whose carriage with a messenger now appeared to 
 conduct us home. Seated on the box with the driver, I found 
 myself invested with the freedom of that ancient city in a 
 more literal sense than the expression is intended to imply. 
 Although, as I have said, yet early in the evening, darkness 
 enveloped the town, and through innumerable small windows, 
 left open to admit the air, we caught, in rolling past, momentary 
 glimpses of a continuous series of tiny chambers, — cellars, par- 
 lours, and attics, dimly lighted with oil lamps, — the illuminated 
 cells of a crowded human hive, in which the various scenes 
 incidental to domestic life were being enacted. There was of 
 course little time for inspection if that had been desirable, but 
 Asmodeus himself, who from the pinnacle of St. Salvador 
 unroofed the houses and exposed their interiors, could scarcely 
 havfe furnished a better opportunity. A few minutes, however, 
 sufficed to traverse the shadowy thoroughfares of the city, and 
 to usher in a more soothing prospect of fields, and trees, and 
 stars, with the still more welcome lights that glowed for our 
 reception visible in our friend's residence a short way ahead. 
 
 Daylight, when it came, revealed nothing to excite curiosity 
 
XLii.] . GHAUT AND GARDEN. 457 
 
 or admiration about the native city, which, unlike most others 
 of importance in India, contains no special objects of attrac- 
 tion. Here, interspersed with mosques and temples, appear the 
 never-failing narrow streets, composed of low-built brick or 
 mud houses, the best of them distinguished by balconies, and 
 many having little shops on the ground-floor, with the proprie- 
 tors at work within. As the population is considered below 
 80,000, the public ways are not so crowded as those of Delhi and 
 Benares. Every morning about six, however, a lively scene 
 may be witnessed at the gkauis, whither, as in the case of 
 Benares, the people — clad in loose, bright-coloured garments, red, 
 yellow, and blue — repair to bathe in the sacred river, drinking a 
 portion of the fluid out of their joined hands while they repeat 
 their devotions. 
 
 The neighbourhood of Mirzapore is peculiarly rich in trees 
 and shrubbery. On the high ground over the windings of the 
 Ganges, and, in some instances, far too near the crumbling bank 
 to consort with the prospect of safety, stand the pretty, many- 
 windowed villas of the English residents, each with its vege- 
 table and flower-gardens maintained by artificial channels in 
 which water is frequently made to flow. This position, besides 
 being an airy one, affords an admirable view of the river and 
 the country around — the scene at sunset being rendered es- 
 pecially picturesque by the beautiful ruby and amber tints which 
 then emblazon the western sky. In the public garden, which 
 is here the afternoon rendezvous of European families, a few 
 gentlemen had erected a hall containing a large swimming-bath, 
 the luxury of which after morning exercise is a thing to be re- 
 membered. 
 
458 MERCANTILE MIRZAPORE. - [cH. 
 
 Mirzapore still retains a reputation for its manufactures of 
 carpets, shawls, shellac, lac-dye, and brazen utensils, as also for 
 the quality of its indigo produced at several factories in the 
 vicinity. 
 
 It was, not long ago, the central depot of merchandise in the 
 North- West, both for piece goods and cotton, and has hitherto 
 been known as the residence of rich native brokers and bankers, 
 who received and paid for supplies of imports ordered from 
 Calcutta to meet the wants of the surrounding district The 
 fluctuating commercial accounts of business received from Mir- 
 zapore were wont to affect the goods market in Calcutta to a 
 corresponding extent. Situated on the Ganges, in convenient 
 proximity to the western cotton-fields, Mirzapore prosecuted a 
 large trade in the export of that important staple throughout 
 the whole period of dearth occasioned by the American war. 
 On the strength of this fresh acquisition of business, cotton- 
 presses were erected and other arrangements made to meet the 
 happy emergency. But the motive cause being withdrawn, this 
 trading impetus naturally collapsed almost as suddenly as it had 
 arisen. The produce of the Berar fields besides was soon after, 
 in the re-arrangements of highways, chiefly directed to Bombay, 
 and, to make matters worse, the extension of the railway to 
 Cawnpore and other places more convenient for the consuming 
 districts diverted a large portion of the goods traffic. Thus the 
 recent course of enterprise has been disastrous to Mirzapore, 
 which, although it still retains the indigenous industries I have 
 named, and to which more detailed allusion is made in the next 
 chapter, has been gradually diminishing, and is now seriously 
 impaired, as a mart for the general purposes of commerce. Some 
 
XLii.] SZOIF SAILING. 459 
 
 idea of the revolution which the spread of railway commu- 
 nication has naturally effected in the trade of which Mirzapore 
 was long the centre, is afforded by the fact that, except during 
 the period of the rains — say from June till October, when the 
 passage is considerably shortened, — even the steamers plying 
 on the Ganges thence to Calcutta take from two to three weeks 
 to go down with the stream, a much longer period of course 
 being required for the upward journey, while the down trip of 
 the native sailing craft, or ' country boats,' occupies from a 
 month to six weeks, and their upward passage from two to 
 three months, according to circumstances. The boat's track 
 indeed is long and winding compared with that of the loco- 
 motive, and the wonder is that even the dreary traffic of the 
 sailing craft should not be yet extinct It appears, however, 
 that the dilatory voyages made by these vessels are due 
 scarcely so much to the influence of wind and weather, as to 
 the shallow and variable character of the stream, together with 
 the frequency and duration of the crew's carousals with friends 
 in the various villages by the way. They are wont to struggle 
 through the upward voyage against the rapid current by the 
 combined aid of a square sail, spread to the westerly wind, and 
 perhaps eight large oars, each plied by a couple of rowers. 
 Looking at them from the banks thus toiling on, the spectator 
 would find it difficult to imagine anything more slow and wear)' 
 in this world of progress. 
 
 Now, in ante-railway days, there was only one way of escape 
 from this method of conveyance. An alternative choice was 
 afforded by the equally lively and progressive bullock fiackrie, 
 which crawled all day long on the Grand Trunk Road, and 
 
46o MERCANTILE MIRZAPORE. [ch. 
 
 in spite of the owner's profession of accomplishing twenty miles 
 a day, was wont to traverse the distance between Mirzapore 
 and Calcutta (448 miles) in little less than a couple of months, 
 moving at the rate of about ten miles a day. Neither was 
 there any refuge here from such social proclivities as those 
 of the bargemen. The carriers were equally ready to luxuriate 
 for indefinite periods upon the hospitality of friends along the 
 route. Among dealers in cotton, indeed, this plan of for- 
 warding became latterly very unpopular, through the growth of 
 a much more intolerable evil than lazy carriers — every load being 
 more or less diminished in its passage through the villages by 
 the exactions of certain Brahminical depredators, each of whom 
 appropriated a handful by way of ' distooree^ or ' custom.' Such 
 a custom we find recorded in British history under the more de- 
 scriptive title of ' black mail,' and in circumstances scarcely more 
 discreditable than the kindred practice of these holy men. 
 
 Mirzapore has long been celebrated for its schools and 
 charities. That the former enjoyed a vigorous existence I 
 had myself good reason to know, having frequently occasion 
 to pass the door of one of these seminaries, whence at all 
 times issued a loud clamour of youthful voices. Concerning the 
 charities of the city no demonstration came in our way, except 
 one signifying that mercy had not gone too far in pampering the 
 criminal population — a gang of about twenty prisoners having 
 passed us one day on their way from the jail to the kutcherrie, 
 or court-house, all tied together with ropes circling their naked 
 limbs. 
 
 Tokens, however, were not wanting, that the native youth of 
 Mirzapore had made some progress in English education. A 
 
XLii.] NATIVE WRITING. 461 
 
 well-known Calcutta bank was then in the act of opening a 
 branch establishment here, and the manager was in daily receipt 
 of letters from young baboos desirous of being engaged as 
 clerks. No one acquainted with the Indian mind will be sur- 
 prised to learn that these productions were generally of the in- 
 flated or grandiloquent order. One applicant, as the recipient of 
 his letter informed me, out-heroded Herod by framing his com- 
 munication (a ludicrous jumble of humility and assumption) in 
 the regular petition form. It was ' The Petition of A. B. unto 
 the Most Honourable Banking Company ; ' and the document, 
 after recounting a long series of high qualifications and noble 
 resolutions on the part of the writer, ended with the words ' and 
 your petitioner will ever pray, in this vital air ! ' 
 
 About the same time the engineer of the railway works then 
 in progress received a letter from one of the native clerks under 
 his charge, intimating the writer's inability to attend in the office 
 on account of a swelling in the arm. This epistle, however, was 
 not confined to a simple intimation of the fact ; such a course 
 would scarcely have been creditable to one who plumed himself 
 on having received a thorough English education. The apolo- 
 gist accordingly drew up his excuse in the style of a medical 
 report, wherein he afforded his employer a detailed account of 
 the rise and progress of the tumour, exhibiting, as a final stroke 
 of precision, the condition at which it had arrived by a pen and 
 ink sketch of a huge conical excrescence ! 
 
 The following lucubration (copied from the 'Sindian'), which 
 I obtained at the same time in Mirzapore, will serve as a final 
 illustration of this subject. I am not aware whether the article 
 has appeared before in an English publication, but the occasion 
 
462 MERCANTILE MIRZAPORE. [cH. 
 
 that called it forth and the spirit which it displays invest it with 
 sufficient interest now. In any case this production may be ac- 
 cepted as an example, not certainly of the best kind, but of the 
 popular style of ' native English writing.' 
 
 ' " Prince Albert died of fever on Saturday (14th)," so announced the 
 ill-fated telegram of the " Times " of Tuesday last. After many efforts of 
 earnestness and assiduity, suggested by a philosophic taste rarely com- 
 bined with royal dignity, and a strength of mind worthy of the sternest 
 scholastic cynic, he was meditating the magnificent prospect he was to 
 lay open in this month to the curious gaze of the world, and anticipating 
 the grateful feelings with which adventurers from remotest distances left 
 his country, when death stretches forth his rough hand and snatches 
 him away from all his hopes and anticipations, his mistress and children, 
 and scenes of active exertions. Providence has so willed it, and his 
 ways, howsoever the frailty of human affections may refuse to acquiesce 
 in them, are past finding out. Mortal plummet cannot fathom them, and 
 all we can now do is to mourn and deplore over the melancholy occur- 
 rence. However man may value and justly value the proper enjoy- 
 ments of this world, the fact is ever apparent to him, that the pleasures, 
 whether rational or not of his existence and his existence itself in this 
 world must pass away. We have seen Prince Albert the husband, and 
 in other words, to our notion, the lord of the most potent sovereign the 
 world has ever beheld. We have seen him enjoy the most august majesty 
 on earth, homaged by his mistress, his ministers, and courtiers, full in 
 trappings of power and dignity, but we now see of all these things the 
 awful question, " to what complexion they must come at last." He has 
 undergone the same change which is the law of everything mundane — 
 he has been dead. 
 
 ' The sun of Prince Albert has gone down while it was yet day. He 
 was born on the 26th day of August 18 19, and married to our gracious 
 Queen (only three months and two days younger than her) on the loth 
 day of February, 1840 ; and, nine months and eleven days after his union, 
 gave birth to our Princess Royal, married, in January 1857, to Prince 
 Frederick William of Prussia.' 
 
xi.n.] RESULTS OF THE MAG MELA. 463 
 
 In a community like that of Mirzapore, where business affairs 
 brought home and foreign residents daily together, there was 
 naturally some knowledge to be acquired of its inner life. The 
 great event of the hour was the serious indisposition of one of 
 the principal shroffs (bankers) in the place — an old gentleman 
 much honoured for his wealth (which was said to exceed 
 eight lacs of rupees, or 80,000/.), and highly esteemed for his 
 generosity. The venerable shroff was suffering from the effects 
 of his well-known orthodox piety. He had been to Allahabad 
 joining in the great Mag Mela, and being now rather weak 
 of body for the refreshing stimulus of a cold bath, had suffered 
 severely from his immersion, and at that moment lay in a 
 dangerous state under the care of the doctors. 
 
 Another well-known but less estimable citizen of Mirzapore 
 was also reported at the point of death, having, by way of a 
 substitute for his favourite brandy, which had been forcibly with- 
 held, solaced himself with ' a mixture 0/ spirits of turpentine 
 and cayenne pepper.' 
 
 It is interesting to notice that the modern conveniences of 
 travelling have given a great impetus to such excursions as that 
 which resulted so unfavourably for the old Mirzapore shroff. 
 To render each hallowed place of popular rendezvous more 
 accessible without diminishing its attractiveness, has been, natu- 
 rally enough, the first effect of the railway system. Business in 
 Calcutta, for example, has been more seriously affected of late 
 years than formerly, by the annual recurrence of the very festival 
 alluded to, and the following extract from a letter written by an 
 extensive firm there to correspondents in Glasgow may be ac- 
 cepted as the latest intelligence on the subject : — 
 
464 MERCANTILE MIRZAPORE. [cH. xlii 
 
 ' All goods suitable for the up-country markets have been 
 little dealt in, in consequence of great numbers of Marwarries 
 having gone to Allahabad to join in the religious festival now 
 going on in that place ; and, at all the principal marts throughout 
 the North- West Provinces, business is at a standstill from the 
 same cause.' 
 
465 
 
 CHAPTER XLIII. 
 
 INDIGENOUS INDUSTRY. 
 
 Without Industry and Frugality nothing will do, and with them ever>'thing. 
 
 Franklin. 
 
 T NEED scarcely be told that the tradespeople of 
 India, however small the wages they earn, are 
 clever craftsmen. Many splendid works bear tes- 
 timony to their skill as artists, architects, masons, 
 Wrights, builders, and decorators. The elaborate 
 black-wood furniture of Madras and Bombay, the 
 gold and silver ornaments of Delhi, and the richly carved objects 
 in ebony, ivory, and other materials produced throughout the 
 country, are each and all held in appreciative demand by Anglo- 
 Indian families, and may even be purchased from stock in the 
 European capitals. 
 
 In the multiform aspect of Indian productive labour there are 
 few great objects to attract the eye. Among these, in addition 
 to the more popular industrial features to which I have already 
 had occasion to advert, we hear of a paper-work at Bally and a 
 sugar-work at Cossipore, both within a few miles of Calcutta ; as 
 also of a sawmill and two foundries at Bombay, each furnished 
 with steam power and more or less extensive in its line. There 
 are also in Madras, owned by two firms there, coffee-cleaning and 
 sugar-refining works, likewise driven by machinery. Although, 
 
 II II 
 
466 INDIGENOUS INDUSTRY. [cH. 
 
 however, such establishments as rum distilleries, biscuit manu- 
 factories, engineering, tanning, rope-spinning, shawl and carpet 
 weaving, calico printing and dyeing works, exist to some extent in 
 the great communities, or scattered at intervals throughout the 
 rural districts, they are, with scarcely an exception, conducted in 
 a rough fashion and on a small scale. When, indeed, we speak 
 of the cotton mills of Bombay, and the jute and cotton mills 
 of Calcutta (not many in all), we have well-nigh exhausted the 
 catalogue of extensive manufacturing movements in India regu- 
 lated by machinery. Capital and enterprise there have not 
 taken the direction of creating a Manchester or a Glasgow. 
 With the rude implements of former days, and by an infinite 
 number of minute operations going on in every portion of the 
 land, these native articles are fabricated, which still supply a 
 considerable, if not the greater, portion of the consumption. 
 The increasing quantity of yarns, plain and coloured, imported 
 into India, especially at the western ports, proves the existence 
 of an extensive manufacturing industry in foreign yarns, besides 
 that represented by the unknown quantity of the home-spun 
 article. I have endeavoured, in passing along, to notice the 
 simple process of weaving as practised by the natives, in their 
 own humble homes, or in some shady bower of nature, as well 
 as the methods of dyeing, printing, carving, or embellishing, as 
 conducted to a large extent within the narrow precincts of the 
 shops in which the articles resulting from such processes are 
 sold. And now as regards an Indian manufactory', properly so 
 called, I may recall, as a fair specimen of the bulk of such 
 establishments, the appearance of a celebrated native carpet- 
 work in the city of Mirzapore. It was situated in a small court- 
 yard, entered by a narrow passage leading from the street. On 
 
xuji.J CARPET tVEAV/NG. 467 
 
 one side extended a long narrow shed, from the roof of which 
 depended the frames, on which rugs or carpets were wrought. 
 The fining in of the design with wool of different colours is 
 a well-known process, and was here going on in slow, primitive 
 fashion, under the manipulation of several skilled but scarcely 
 presentable operatives, every morsel of the material thus ap- 
 plied being secured with a knot, and the confused mass cut 
 level as the work proceeded. This rude workshop was entirely 
 open in front, so that it might receive from the court some supply, 
 however inadequate, of fresher air. The whole place was thickly 
 covered with dust and dirt, and looked indeed more like some 
 back slum congenial to vagrancy, than a sphere of productive 
 labour and skill. The dyework of the establishment, where, in 
 small enclosures among heaps of rubbish and broken colour-pots, 
 the wool received its various brilliant hues, lay round about the 
 little yard, which, insufficient as it appeared to be for its proper 
 purpose, likewise afforded accommodation to several goats, and 
 a flock of starving fowls. Such were the main features of an 
 Indian manufactory renowned for the excellence of its wares. 
 The wages of the craftsmen employed in such concerns usually 
 range from five to six rupees (ten to twelve shillings) per month. 
 There are of course many establishments in India connected 
 with the preparation of agricultural products, which are both 
 extensive in themselves, and furnished with the appliances of 
 modern mechanical art. Such are the Government opium ' fac- 
 tories,' as well as some of the indigo ' factories,' tea ' plantations,' 
 and cotton ' screwing ' works of private enterprise, to all of which 
 I have already alluded, and the several processes of which are 
 familiarly known, 
 
 H H 2 
 
4'68 INDIGEN'OUS INDUSTRY. ' [cH. 
 
 « 
 
 The cotton industry now attracting the attention of Europe 
 is necessarily full of complications. When, for example, an 
 order, within practicable limits, is received by a house at Mir- 
 zapore from constituents in Calcutta, it is either executed from 
 supplies on the spot, or, these failing, transmitted to agents in 
 outlying districts convenient to the cotton fields, by whom it 
 is collected in small quantities from a number of petty dealers, 
 and forwarded in native carts or boats according to circum- 
 stances. Now, cash on delivery being very properly the terms 
 of such business, the district agents, or gomastahs, must be sup- 
 plied with money for their purchases, and that, too, in the form 
 of rupees, as neither has India yet acquired a gold currency, 
 nor are bank notes in sufficient favour with the natives for the 
 purposes of trade. The shroffs of the district town (in localities 
 where such a community exists), discounting bills drawn by the 
 goniastahs on their constituents, supply the funds ; otherwise, 
 however, the money must be sent in each instance direct from 
 Mirzapore. In any case the whole of the necessary amount must 
 needs be transmitted, sometime and somehow, in heavy bags of 
 rupees to distances of from thirty to sixty miles. The convey- 
 ance of these loads of treasure through wild and isolated districts 
 is naturally attended with many casualties ; and it seems safe to 
 conclude, that while such temptations to robbery exist, there will 
 be dacoits in India. The gomastahs themselves, according to 
 my information, have earned the respect of the European com- 
 munity by their honest mode of dealing with the wealth thus 
 committed to their charge. Meanwhile, there is really no remedy 
 for the evil, as the cotton-dealers must and will have their rupees. 
 The cotton, however, being thus procured, each bale„ prior to 
 
XLiii.] MANUFACTURES OF LACDYE AND SHELLAC. 469 
 
 being passed as in proper condition, is understood to be carefully 
 examined by a competent judge, either European or native ; 
 though, in the case of the latter, to find honesty combined with 
 skill, is said to be not always an easy matter. Then follows the 
 cleaning process, the wool being laid on ' charpoys ' (wooden 
 frames covered with a network of twine), and there tossed about 
 by women and girls, so as to be relieved of all dust and refuse, 
 which fall through the netting to the ground. Such female em- 
 ployees are paid at the rate of from 2d. to 3^'. a day. This 
 operation, as well as the final one of screwing in the press, is 
 usually superintended by native chuprassees in the interest of the 
 owners, European attendance being often too scarce, if not too 
 expensive, for such purposes ; so that the safe passage of the 
 cotton through these several stages without being tampered 
 with, depends on the somewhat fickle course of native good faith 
 in the persons of chuprassee and screw-owner — either or both. 
 
 The work thus completed in the screw-house may be either 
 pucka or kutcha (literally first or second rate), the bales being 
 either full-pressed and fastened with iron hoops ready for ship- 
 ment across the sea, or only half-screwed and bound by jute 
 lashings, with the view of being made perfect in Calcutta before 
 their final despatch. 
 
 Among the few more notable manufactories of India appear 
 the shellac and lac-dye works of Mirzapore, five or six in 
 number, and conducted either by European or native owners. 
 As I believe the details of this interesting item of indigenous 
 industry are not familiarly known, I shall endeavour merely to 
 indicate the process as pursued in the principal establishment of 
 the place of which our friend and host was proprietor. 
 
470 INDIGENOUS INDUSTRY. [cH. 
 
 The raw material, called ' stick lac,' is procured from the 
 jungles of the Central or Western districts (situated in some cases 
 hundreds of miles distant), whence it is borne in bags slung on 
 either side of a bullock to the nearest railway station for trans- 
 mission to the seat of manufacture. It consists of the resinous 
 deposit of a small insect, and is formed on the branches of a 
 particular species of tree, the creatures themselves being visible 
 like minute black specks within the excretion. Such ' lac sticks,' 
 we learn, are also to be found in Slam and Cochin China, 
 although I am not aware of their being turned to the like useful 
 account. The first process they undergo in the production of 
 lac-dye is that of clearing away the foreign matter ; in the course 
 of which they are passed through a small machine with grooved 
 rollers, being thereby converted into the form of fine gravel. 
 This product, in order to be freed from all wood and dust, is 
 sifted in baskets by a staff of women and children, who shake 
 and toss it until only the pure article remains. The lac is now 
 ready for the nawns, or large stone jars, wherein, after a certain 
 proportion of water has been added, it is beaten and stirred 
 thoroughly by men and boys standing with bare limbs in the 
 fluid. When the colouring matter has been thus extracted by a 
 course of several washings, the liquid is run off into a large vat, 
 whence, after the lapse of a day or two, it is strained through 
 cloth covering a shallow receptacle, where it presently assumes 
 the consistency of paste. This substance is transferred to a large 
 screw press, in which what remains of liquid is squeezed out, 
 and the solid residuum is removed, cut into square pieces, and 
 stamped with the manufacturer's trade-mark. Being finally 
 dried in a stove, it is packed in boxes and forwarded for sale to 
 Calcutta, if not directly addressed to London. 
 
XMii.] MANUFACTURES OF LAC-DYE AND SHELLAC. 471 
 
 So much for the article called lac-dye, extracted from material 
 bequeathed to the world by a self-immolating insect, whose post- 
 humous story is blazoned in the scarlet of opera cloaks and 
 military uniforms, the production of that flaring tint being one 
 of the chief ends of the manufacture. 
 
 Shellac is formed from the solid substance remaining in the 
 nawns after the process just named. This after being well 
 dried, sewn up in long bags, and subjected to the heat of a 
 charcoal fire, gives forth a glutinous substance, which is caught 
 as it oozes out, and kneaded with the hand (on an inclined iron 
 cylinder filled with hot water) into thin cakes about eighteen 
 inches square. When cool, the shellac is ready for packing — a 
 process, however, necessitating great care in consequence of its 
 brittle nature. As freight, also, this article requires to be 
 cautiously stowed, from its tendency to ' block,' or run together. 
 We have here the material of sealing-wax and fine transparent 
 varnishes, while the refuse of what the bags contained serves 
 to make ornaments for native use. 
 
 In the works where we witnessed these operations, about 500 
 persons — men, women, and children — were employed. The 
 cheerful appearance of the place, and the contented expression 
 of the operatives, illustrated the great advantage to India of 
 such fields of labour. Even the idly disposed would scarcely 
 desire to shirk occupations like these — healthful, sociable, com- 
 paratively remunerative, and under considerate supervision. It 
 is indeed a pity their number should be so few. Such manu- 
 factories, however, belong to the order of things that arise by 
 degrees in the steps of material progress and civilization. 
 
 The Bombay Municipality's Report for 1866 (with a copy of 
 
472 
 
 INDIGENOUS INDUSTRY. 
 
 [CH. 
 
 which I have been favoured by a friend) comprises the novel 
 and interesting feature of some detailed information on the 
 subject of Indian trades taken from the statements of the opera- 
 tives themselves, illustrated by a series of clever woodcuts 
 from which the following examples are copied. Such details, I 
 imagine, are not likely to have become familiar among English 
 readers. Although explanatory of the various occupations as 
 practised in the Bombay Presidency, they may be regarded in 
 
 THE TANNliKS YAKU 
 
 a wider sense as illustrating the simple modus operaitdi peculiar 
 to the industrial system of the country. 
 
 The several statements of the native tradesmen seem only 
 to require the prefatory explanation that chunam signifies- a 
 fine lime ; dungaree, a coarse description of calico ; seer, a 
 weight equivalent to about two pounds ; pailee, a measure of 
 two quarts ; mutka, an earthen jar ; tola, a rupee's weight ; 
 chatty, a common earthenware pot ; ?nau7td, a weight of variable 
 amount ; chula, a fire-place ; huldee, turmeric ; and papur kftar. 
 
.XLlii.] ■• - TANNING. - 473 
 
 some kind of soda. With reference to the money figures, it 
 must be borne in mind that a rupee represents the value of 
 about two shilHngs, and comprises sixteen annas, each consisting 
 of twelve pies. 
 
 Dewa Luximon Kurruck announces himself as a Tanner, in 
 
 UKOO VVOKKI.NU HIS UIL-MILL. 
 
 partnership with his brother Dewa Goonaje Kurruck, their 
 ancestors having 'followed this trade in Bombay for the last 
 150 years.' Dewa describes the operation of tanning as prac- 
 tised by him, stating in effect that the hides, being brought to 
 the tannery with the hair on, are first rubbed over with c/mnam, 
 and then steeped in the chunam vat for ten or fifteen days, 
 
474 
 
 INDIGENOUS INDUSTRY. 
 
 [cH. 
 
 after which the hair is scraped off with a chisel. He then 
 explains the expedients necessary to give the leather a red 
 colour when that is required. Dewa has ' six tan pits and 
 employs two men, whom he feeds, clothes, and lodges, paying 
 them besides twenty-five rupees annually.' 
 
 Okoo Dewa keeps an Oil-pressing shop near the Null Bazaar, 
 and has one mill. He mixes 'about one and a half seers of 
 
 CAMPHOR REFINING. 
 
 water' in the press with about ^vepailees of teel seed. Then 
 yoking the bullocks which drive round the mill he presses the 
 seed for about an hour and a half, when the oil begins to come, 
 running into an iron vessel which is left standing one night, 
 so that the contents may settle and allow the pure oil to be re- 
 moved on the following day. 
 
 ladooje Nanji, a Camphor Refiner, gives the following account 
 of his business : — 
 
xt.m.] CAMPHOR REFTNTNG AND INDIGO DYEING. 475 
 
 ' I am a native of Kotyana, in Joonaghur Zillah, in Kattiawar. I 
 came down to Bombay thirty-seven years ago. I am a Khutree by 
 caste, and by trade a refiner of camphor, and a maker of goolal. I buy 
 camphor in the boxes in which it comes from China. I pay rupees 34 
 for the Surat maund of 42 lbs. The Bombay maund weighs only 28 lbs. 
 I refine camphor in the following manner: — i^ maund of the China 
 camphor is mixed with 2\ seers of water, and is put into a copper 
 vessel which is about 2\ feet high. This quantity of camphor is made 
 into a pyramid, and after it is put into the vessel an additional 2\ 
 seers of camphor are thrown into the sides of the copper vessel. A 
 copper lid is then put on, and to make it perfectly air-tight an iron 
 bar is passed through the lid and the vessel by holes made for 
 the purpose. The vessel is then lifted by handles and put on to an 
 earthen chula, below which there is a fire ; the lid and the edges of 
 the vessel are smeared with wet clay, and the clay is formed into 
 a pyramidal shape. In about fifteen minutes steam comes through 
 the holes where the iron bar goes, and when this happens a cloth 
 attached to a bamboo is dipped into a receptacle filled with water, and 
 put over the clay at the top, so that the water runs down on all sides. 
 This is kept up for three hours, when the copper vessel is removed from 
 the chula, and the lid taken off. The camphor is found in a thick 
 crust, lining the sides of the vessel. Before removing the vessel from the 
 chula its sides are beaten by a stick. If this gives the sound of an empty 
 vessel I know that the camphor is properly done. As soon as the lid 
 is taken off, the camphor is divided into four pieces by a flat iron knife 
 and removed. The pieces are put into boxes and sold to the dealers. 
 When there is plenty of camphor in the market it is sold for about 
 rupees 24 or 25 per 40 lbs. : if it is scarce, for about rupees 30 to 40 
 per 40 lbs. These camphor cakes contain at least three or four seers 
 of water in the Surat maund,' 
 
 Noor Mahomed has been an Indigo Dyer (Neel Ke Run- 
 garee) in Bombay for the last thirty years. He prefers the 
 Bengal indigo to that which comes from Scinde. One maund of 
 indigo is sufficient to dye fifty pieces of cloth each measuring 
 forty yards long. He conducts his process thus : — 
 
476 
 
 INDIGENOUS INDUSTRY. 
 
 [CH; 
 
 ' Five seers of indigo are placed in a stone basin containing water, and 
 kneaded by the hand until the indigo is dissolved. Two seers of chunam 
 (burnt lime) are then mixed with two seers of sajee kakhar (impure car- 
 bonate of soda), and thrown into a wooden vat containing about five 
 maunds of water. The indigo water is then added, and a little jagree 
 (coarse sugar), or dry dates (Kujoor), are thrown in to prevent the lime 
 making our hands sore. This mixture is stirred at intervals and allowed 
 to stand for two days. The cloth to be dyed is put into a vessel con- 
 
 SKEIK CASSIM nVEING CLOTH. 
 
 taining fresh water, and after being thoroughly wrung out is dipped into 
 the indigo vat, where it is allowed to remain about five minutes. After 
 being taken out it is wrung dry, opened, and stretched in the open air 
 on the ground. After it is dried it is again dipped in the indigo, and 
 this process is repeated altogether four times. The colour is then fast. 
 The cloth is washed in fresh water, and placed on a plank, where it is 
 beaten with a wooden hammer. I charge rupees 3 for dyeing a bundle 
 weighing 10 lbs. and 4 annas for a seer. I employ five or six men, whose 
 
xuii.] DYEING. 477 
 
 wages vary from rupees 6 to lo per month. They live in my house, 
 and I supply them with food. I calculate that each man's food costs 
 me rupees 5 per mensem. I give them bread and kichlee (cooked rice 
 and dhall). Once during the week I eat meat, and then they have it 
 also.' 
 
 Sheik Cassim is a Rungaree (Dyer) in various colours. 
 
 For yellow dyeing the cloth is steeped during two hours in a 
 vessel containing half a seer of huldee and a tola of papur khar 
 ground together, and mixed in a sufficient quantity of water. This 
 operation being repeated four times (the cloth having been pre- 
 viously wrung dry on each occasion) a red colour is the result, 
 which, however, is converted into yellow by immersion for about 
 an hour in a certain quantity of water containing the juice of 
 about twelve limes. 
 
 For green dyeing the cloth is dipped into a strong solution of 
 indigo, and then treated as in huldee dyeing. 
 
 To produce a black colour, the cloth is immersed for four 
 hours in a vessel containing half a seer of hiirda (gall nuts) and 
 one tola of lieera kussie (sulphate of zinc), mixed in two maunds 
 of water, then taken out, washed in clean water and wrung dry. 
 
 The details given of dyeing in red and purple are too lengthy 
 for transcription, and I will only add that the trade of the 
 Rungaree is necessarily one of great extent and importance in 
 a country where gay habiliments are so popular, and that he 
 can claim the merit of producing hues of extraordinary brilliancy 
 by the simple means at his command. 
 
 I will give in full, however, the evidence of Gopal Babajee, 
 a Bhundaree, or toddy distiller, seeing that the routine of his 
 labour unfolds an interesting page in natural historj', and that 
 its product is a celebrated Indian intoxicant : — 
 
478 INDIGENOUS INDUSTRY. [cH. 
 
 ' I have carried on my trade as a Bhundaree for the last twenty years 
 in Bombay. I have i lO cocoanut trees, for the use of which I pay the 
 owner a monthly sum of rupees 60. I also pay the collector of Bombay 
 8 annas per tree per month. I employ seven men as toddy drawers, 
 and pay them rupees 10 and annas 5 each. I provide them with tools, 
 which cost rupees 14. These tools consist of a curved knife (broad- 
 bladed) called aood ; a waist-rope, to which, by means of a hook, they 
 attach the toomra (fruit of the pumpkin), and a cord to assist them in 
 ascending the trees. I pay about rupees 30 annually for tar, which is 
 smeared round the bottom of each tree to prevent the white ants going 
 up and eating the fruit. My annual expenses amount to 
 
 Yearly. 
 
 1 10 Trees. — To owner, monthly, Rs. 60 x 12 = 720 
 To collector „ 55 x 12 = 660 
 
 Wages. — Rs. 10.5 x 7 „ 72.3 x 12 = 866.4 
 
 Tools 14 
 
 Tar 30 
 
 Rupees 2,290.4 
 
 ' Cocoanut trees should not be cut before they are ten years old. They 
 would then be about 1 5 feet high. From this time a healthy tree would 
 give a daily supply of toddy for about forty years. When a new tree 
 is to be tapped the bhundaree cuts notches in the stem about 2\ feet 
 distant from each other. On reaching the top, the flower sheath (spathe) 
 is tied up in several places with the fibres of a cocoanut leaf. It is then 
 left for three days, when the end of it is cut off and a cocoanut leaf tied 
 over the cut end. On the next day and for the three succeeding days 
 the flower sheath is beaten all round with the handle of the knife. On 
 the fourth day a slice is taken off and it is left exposed for one day, 
 when a chatty pot is put on it to receive the toddy, which at first exudes 
 very slowly, but which after a few days will fill a quart bottle. The 
 flower sheath continues to yield toddy for about five weeks, when a 
 new flower sheath must be treated in a similar manner. 
 
 ' The toddy drawers visit their trees three times during the day. 
 They ascend the tree early in the morning, and take the toddy which 
 has collected during the night. After emptying the contents of the chatty 
 pot into the toomra, they cut a slice off the end of the flower stalk be- 
 
3CLin.] 
 
 TODDY DISTILLING. 
 
 479 
 
 fore putting it on again. They again ascend at 2 P.M., and after cutting 
 a slice off, they rub the cut end with a kind of brush made from the 
 leaves of the iasoond (shoe-flower), which are rolled tightly together. 
 This operation is said to clean the pores, and to allow the toddy to 
 exude more freely. They again go up at 6 P.M. and collect the toddy. 
 Each man has about fifteen trees to attend to. They bring the toddy to 
 me at 8 o'clock. I dispose of a large quantity to the bakers, and some 
 is sold to the dealers. A quart bottle full of toddy is sold for nine pies. 
 I distil dharoo (spirit) from the toddy in the following manner. About 
 
 GOPAL DISTILLING TODDY. 
 
 five maunds of toddy are put into a large copper vat, which stands over 
 a chula made of burnt earth. This copper vat communicates by a 
 wooden pipe with a large earthen mutka, called ghagur. The copper 
 vat has a tightly fitting copper lid, on which a large stone is put to 
 make it as air-tight as possible. A fire is lighted below, and the spirit 
 distils over into the ghagur, over which water is constantly poured. 
 This operation takes about nine hours. The spirit that distils into the 
 ghagur is called rhasee. It is sold for three annas a bottle. What 
 remains in the copper vat is given to bullocks and pigs, who eat it with 
 avidity. One and a half maund of toddy are mixed with one maund 
 
48o 
 
 INDIGENOUS INDUSTRY. 
 
 [CH." 
 
 of rhasee, and put into the copper vat. The spirit which distils over is 
 called phenee. One bottle of rhasee will make a man intoxicated, but 
 a quarter of a bottle of phenee will have the same effect. I sell these 
 spirits to the spirit dealers, tavern keepers, &c. They give me rupees 
 lo for half a maund of phenee. I am not allowed to retail spirits. I 
 have a police licence as a distiller, for which I pay rupees 50 for the 
 year. I sell toddy at rupees 5 per 100 bottles to itinerant vendors, on 
 the condition that whatever is not sold by evening ihay be returned. 
 
 ACHIN ADMINISTERS OPIUM. 
 
 This is made into phenee. My annual profits vary from rupees 200 to 
 300. There are several castes of bhundarees. All the Hindoo bhunda- 
 rees are allowed to drink rhasee or phenee, but are bound by an oath 
 not to drink toddy. They consider it a sin equal to drinking the blood 
 of a cow. The bhundarees eat fish and mutton.' 
 
 But the catalogue does not close with the bhundaree ; nor, 
 alas ! is his toddy the most injurious stimulant that muddles 
 
XLIIl.] 
 
 AN OPIUM SHOP. 
 
 481 
 
 the senses of his countrymen. Achin Ahoon is a Chandool 
 (Opium) shopkeeper, who occasionally administers the drug to 
 as many as fifty customers in one day. The Juibituis of his 
 shop comprise Mussulmans, Hindoos, Purvoes, Banians, Mah- 
 rattas, with sometimes a few Manilla men, but never include 
 a single European or Parsee The testimony of Achin is to 
 the following effect : — 
 
 ' I buy raw opium at the custom-house, and pay rupees twenty-four for a 
 Calcutta seer. I take a seer of raw opium and cut it up into small pieces, 
 
 CATGUT MAKERS. 
 
 which I put into a saucepan, and pour on them about seven pints of water. 
 I put the saucepan on the chula and boil the water, stirring it up with a 
 wooden spoon, and continue the stirring for one hour. The saucepan is 
 then taken off the chula, and the mixture is strained through a dungaree 
 * cloth into another saucepan. The residue, which will not pass through 
 the cloth, is thrown away, but the fluid which has passed through the 
 cloth is then boiled a second time and left to boil down until only four 
 pints remain. It is then thick, and is put into a jar, being ready for use. 
 When a customer comes he asks for the quantity he requires, varying 
 from nine pies to one rupee, eight annas worth. I always make the 
 
 I I 
 
482 
 
 INDIGENOUS INDUSTRY. 
 
 [CH. 
 
 customers pay first before giving them any opium. A person who can 
 smoke one rupee, eight annas worth, would take all day doing so. I 
 supply the opium in a little china cup, and give the smoker a pipe, 
 which is composed of a china bottle with a piece of bamboo thrust into 
 the mouth of it. The bottle has a small hole bored on one side. I also 
 
 THE HALALCORE. 
 
 give him an iron pin, pointed at one end, and called in Hindustan 
 siek, and an oil lamp defended from the air by the bottom of a bottle 
 (generally half a soda water bottle) with the end broken off. The 
 smoker lies on a raised wooden platform matted over, which I have fitted 
 in the centre of my shop. These articles are placed by his side. He dips 
 
XLiii.J CLASS TRADERS. 483 
 
 the point of the pin into the cup containing the opium, and then holds it 
 over the flame of the lamp. The opium bubbles up and becomes inspis- 
 sated. This is repeated until a small ball of porous opium is formed, which 
 is rolled round on the pipe. This is then made red hot, and pushed into 
 the hole on the side of the bottle. The smoke is then inhaled through 
 the stem, and taken into the lungs, and after a short time expelled 
 through the mouth and nose. It takes about fifteen minutes to finish a 
 cupful, which would cost about four annas. A cupful holds about eighty 
 minims, and will send a man to sleep. A confirmed opium smoker dare 
 not leave off; if he does, he gets sick and dies. The greatest number of 
 persons come to my shop at eight o'clock at night. I keep separate 
 pipes for Mussulmans and Hindoos. I smoke very little, about one 
 pipe every other day. My father smokes about twelve annas worth, or 
 about forty or fifty pipes a day. If I were to drink a cupful of the 
 opium it would kill me, but it would only make my father a little drunk. 
 I generally buy about two seers of opium during the month, and make 
 about twelve rupees profit on every seer ; but I have to pay for the oil 
 and the wages of one servant.' 
 
 We are further informed that the markets of Bombay are 
 supplied by country people, many of whom come a long way 
 with fruits, vegetables, and other commodities ; that herbs are 
 almost entirely furnished by the Poodenawallees, a class of women 
 who rent small gardens, or contract with gardeners for a supply ; 
 and that the trade in flowers also is conducted by a special class 
 of dealers on a similar plan. 
 
 It would appear that the meanest of all occupations is that 
 of the city dustmen (in Bombay called Halalcores, and in Cal- 
 cutta Z'//(?w^.y), a degraded order of Hindoos, whose very shadow 
 is shunned by the Brahminical class, and with whom all ordinary 
 mortals in the community disdain to eat or associate. Never- 
 theless the Bombay Municipality papers record that these poor 
 
 1 1 2 
 
484 
 
 INDIGENOUS INDUSTRY. 
 
 [CH. XLIII. 
 
 outcasts were fully alive to a sense of their importance as a 
 useful class of citizens ; and, although only 480 in number, had 
 recently felt strong enough in their associated capacity to strike 
 work, leaving the offal of Bombay to be dealt with by their only 
 rivals, kites and vultures, the winged halalcorcs of the air. 
 
485 
 
 CHAPTER XLIV. 
 
 THANATOPSIS. 
 
 All around us are evidences that death is living and life is dying. — Anon. 
 Large streams from little fountains flow. — David Everat. 
 
 PUNCTUALITY is a rule little honoured in the 
 navigation of the Ganges ; so little that we were 
 considered fortunate in having only an hour or so 
 to wait for the steamer, in which, for the sake of 
 variety, we had elected to descend to Benares on 
 our way back to Calcutta. This passage usually 
 occupies the period between daylight and dusk, 
 and happily that was nearly all before us, as it was yet early in 
 the morning when we arrived at the place of embarkation a 
 few miles above Mirzapore. We found it a deserted spot, 
 where, strangely enough, nothing stirred but the low sand-bank 
 on which we stood two or three feet above the stream. All 
 along the water line the bank was being rent by a succession 
 of fissures ; first one fragment, and then, after a brief inter- 
 val, another fell into the stream with a monotonous plash ; and 
 only the action of the voracious current, as it devoured its 
 boundary, broke the stillness of that solitary shore. 
 
 When the steamer did appear it proved to be one of the 
 
486 THANATOPSIS. [cH. 
 
 best of the fleet then plying on the Ganges, propelled by an 
 engine of seventy-five horse-power, and towing a ' flat ' laden 
 with about 140 tons of produce. Like the rest of its class this 
 was a flat bottomed boat — the better to suit the shifting shallows 
 of the river, and the ever-recurring emergency of sticking fast 
 by the way. Now this very common predicament of grounding 
 is encountered by all on board with a serenity which, but for the 
 frequency of the catastrophe, might be held as remarkable. It 
 is invariably succeeded by the rattling of a heavy chain, with 
 which a portion of the hands betake themselves to the bank, 
 where they attach it to a stake first driven into the ground, and 
 this chain being also connected with the capstan on board, 
 a few turns are generally sufficient to haul away the ship from 
 her superficial hold of the sand bed. Although the accommoda- 
 tion was ample and the living good, there were no other Euro- 
 pean passengers of the party on this occasion. The captain, 
 strangely enough, was a Yankee who had once followed the 
 scarcely analogous occupation of navigating the Atlantic, and 
 whose tall lean figure, cased in a loose white suit and crowned 
 with a straw hat of enormous brim, stood throughout the shining 
 hours quaintly conspicuous beneath the double awning that pro- 
 tected the afterdeck from the sun. 
 
 Among the rural songs and poetry of England there is no 
 subject more popular or fascinating than the ' flowing river,' its 
 verdant banks overhung with rich foliage, the home of song 
 birds, and bright with wild flowers, the haunt of bees and but- 
 terflies. Such, however, are not the terms in which we can 
 describe the Ganges in these parts. With a steep mud bank 
 on one side, and, on the other, a bare level plain receding from a 
 
XLtv.] THE STREAM OF DEATH 487 
 
 sandy margin ; alternate glimpses of jungle and partially culti- 
 vated soil formed the most constant features of the scene. The 
 few villages we passed looked silent and unpeopled ; and the 
 single prominent object on the route was the old garrison town 
 of Chunar, so famous in the history of Mussulman rule, whose 
 picturesque fort built on a rocky eminence 104 feet above the 
 river, displayed a flag hoisted half-mast high — the usual symbol 
 of death. Toiling along the bank under the lurid sky, an occa- 
 sional band of coolies came into view, dragging, ' with weary 
 steps and slow,' the cumbrous form of some country boat against 
 the current ; but what else of active life pervaded this dreary 
 region was due to the presence of death. 'Wheresoever the 
 carcass is there will the eagles be gathered together.' But here 
 the vulture band was swelled by a congenial brotherhood of 
 kites and crows, lean, starving jackals, and mangy pariah dogs. 
 As the steamer pursued her winding course we witnessed from 
 time to time, like vivid dioramic pictures, some strange and 
 suggestive groupings of this weird menagerie of the stream. 
 A mere sample of these, however, will doubtless be more 
 acceptable to the reader than many illustrations. 
 
 A solitary jackal, impelled no doubt by starvation, had 
 overcome his gregarious instincts, and gone forth on his own 
 account to the river's brink, where he was tearing voraciously 
 at the remains of a human body, while a couple of emaciated 
 pariah dogs made hot haste down the steep bank to share the 
 repast, barking wildly as they ran. 
 
 In the water, but near the brink, appeared a large white bird 
 consuming its meal almost within reach of the protruding snout 
 of a dog, whose wasted condition rendered him either unwilling 
 
488 THANATOPSIS. [ch. 
 
 or unable to take the water. Thus situated the animal vented 
 his rage and disappointment in alternate barks and howls, but, 
 strangely enough, without in the least disturbing his winged 
 neighbour. One short spring and the whole booty, dead and 
 alive, would have been his own. It would appear, however, 
 that no such contingency was apprehended by the other ; nor, 
 so far as our observation went, was that conclusion erroneous, 
 for the unsightly pair continued in the same position till they 
 were gradually lost to view. 
 
 Occasionally this floating banquet of kites and vultures was 
 enlivened by a group of spectators in the form of a sable re- 
 tinue of crows hopping attendance on the banks, in the expec- 
 tation that, when their superiors were gorged, their turn might 
 come. And, similarly, it could be observed, that when dogs 
 held possession of the prey, the vultures were required to bide 
 their time, which they did apparently with patience and resolu- 
 tion, sitting at a suitable distance for the double purpose of 
 observation and safety, close together and motionless like dark 
 images on the sand. Truly the philosophy of the proverb, 
 that ' hunger sharpens a man's wits,' seems equally applicable 
 to the lower creation. 
 
 But, ohe! jam satis, these certainly are not pleasant sketches. 
 They are, however, not only true pictures of life, but striking 
 examples of that providential dispensation which, ever guided 
 by a wise economy, makes even the despised pariah dog, or 
 obscene bird of the desert, perform a useful part in the great 
 scheme of the universe. In such an ordea],» repulsive as are 
 some of its aspects, we trace the operation of that divine law 
 of compensation which pervades every region of the earth. 
 
XLiv.] A ROLLING GRAVE. 489 
 
 Throughout the vast plains of India, where life in myriad 
 forms is teeming under a burning sun, the King of Terrors 
 would rule with pestilential results but for the office fulfilled by 
 these natural scavengers of the land and water. Thus it is 
 that the large 'adjutants' of Calcutta are not only permitted 
 to move among the people, but encouraged to pick up garbage 
 under shelter of the law, which inflicts a heavy fine for the 
 destruction of any one of their number. Elsewhere, isolated 
 spots are set apart as charnel grounds, where winged creatures, 
 congregating in great flocks round every carcase committed to 
 the place, forestall the process of decay. The annexed illustra- 
 tion of one of these localities is taken from the Bombay official 
 report, which I have already turned to account. It appears 
 that the vultures and other birds of prey sit watchfully on the 
 sides and summit of Cumballa Hill, a suitable midway station; 
 whence, marking the footsteps of death, they can turn a sharp 
 eye on one side to the Parsee ' Towers of Silence,' and on the 
 other to this terrible Golgotha, whither cattle rendered useless 
 by disease or decay are borne to be swiftly consumed. 
 
 And so the deep-rolling Ganges, with populous tracts of country 
 on either side, and crowded communities on its shores, is in 
 reality a long watery grave throughout its far-winding course, 
 from the Punjab to the Bay of Bengal. A reputed river of 
 bliss and very highway to paradise, it is naturally in great 
 requisition with the people as a receptacle for the ashes of 
 their dead. But, as we have already seen, wood for burning 
 proves in many cases too expensive an acquisition, and, in 
 these circumstances, the question naturally arises among the 
 poor — if the calcined ashes of the departed may thus be floated 
 
490 THANATOPSIS. [cH. 
 
 into glory, why not the entire anatomy ? Hence the repulsive 
 habit which, till lately, made ghastly even the banks of the 
 capital, of launching human forms, generally, though not always, 
 partly consumed by fire, promiscuously into the stream. 
 
 A friend whom we visited up country had a dittghy wallah 
 (boatman) in his employment, who one morning came begging 
 a few days' respite from work in order that he might perform 
 the funeral rites of his mother who had just died. The request 
 for this holiday was readily granted, it being a recognized habit 
 among Hindoos to celebrate such mournful events by a pro- 
 longed festival «"« memoriam. On entering his establishment 
 that same afternoon, however, the master was astonished to 
 perceive his dinghy wallah quietly at work as if nothing had 
 occurred to distract his thoughts. 
 
 ' Hallo, Ramghopa ! I thought you had gone to attend the 
 funeral of your mother ! ' ' So I had,' was the reply ; ' but when 
 we had carried her down to the river, and were in the act of 
 putting her in, we were astonished to perceive some signs of 
 life ; so we bore her home again on the bier, and she seems 
 likely to recover ! ' 
 
 Well-appointed houses near the river possess such a servitor 
 as the dhoitu, whose office it is to clear the premises of what- 
 ever dead bodies the current may float to the brink. In the 
 establishment of our host at Mirzapore this situation was filled 
 by an aged woman, whose bent and shrunken figure was visible 
 betimes, wandering on the banks, carrying a bamboo rod where- 
 with to push these unsightly objects out into the stream. Her 
 salary was one rupee per month, not high remuneration cer- 
 tainly for an armed retainer of the family. It sufficed, how- 
 
XLiv.] THE 'CINERATOR: 49 1 
 
 ever, that this office should be assigned to a feeble guardian, 
 seeing that no resistance could be offered by the visitors whose 
 unconscious intrusion it was her duty to repel. 
 
 Another branch of industry practised throughout the windings 
 of the Ganges is that of searching for any rag of clothing with 
 which corpses may have been committed to the flood. This 
 method of gaining a livelihood we once saw represented in the 
 person of a wild-looking creature with long tangled hair, who 
 haunted the river's brink provided with a far-reaching pole 
 having a hook at the end. 
 
 It is popularly understood that the orthodox and respectable 
 mode of sepulture is to burn the body, and to consign only the 
 ashes to the bosom of Gunga ; nor are those who bestow any 
 thought on the subject, and can afford to exercise a choice, by 
 any means indifferent to the nature of their own obsequies. A 
 wealthy broker, well known to my informant, died recently in 
 Mirzapore, leaving a sum of 1,000 rupees (about 100/.) appro- 
 priated with special instructions to this end in his will. He 
 could not, of course, indulge his fancy with a gilded coffin, 
 gorgeous mort cloths, or other trappings of the tomb, such 
 posthumous attractions having no existence for him. But he 
 chose to be burnt with sandal-wood, and it is recorded that 
 precisely the allotted amount was spent on the aromatic con- 
 flagration which wafted the old gentleman's remains from this 
 sublunary sphere. 
 
 Tradition and habit in our own country lead us to recoil with 
 horror from this speedy and thorough mode of exit from the 
 material world. Yet, strange as it may appear, such is not the 
 universal feeling among those of our countrymen, whom long 
 
492 • THANATOPSIS. [cH. 
 
 observation has rendered familiar with that last ceremonial in 
 the East Recently, and in a forcible letter addressed to 
 the Municipal Commissioner, the esteemed 'health officer' of 
 Bombay recommended the erection of a ' cinerator ' at one of 
 the burning g/muis, which would speedily reduce to ashes 
 every form of humanity exposed to its flames ; this, too, on the 
 magnanimous ground of charity towards the poor, seeing that 
 ' the cost of fuel for cremation is exceedingly heavy,' the time 
 required for consumption by the ordinary method being fully 
 four hours. So far we have nothing to do with a question in 
 which the health officer, the municipality, and the moribund 
 citizens of Bombay are the only parties concerned ; but it is 
 otherwise when the able statist proceeds to recommend the 
 ' cinerator ' for our adoption in Europe, supporting his sug- 
 gestion, moreover, with arguments which it would be impos- 
 sible to parry on principles of public convenience and national 
 economy. Nevertheless we feel instinctively as if the subject 
 were outside the sphere of such calculations. Our religion con- 
 secrates the ' natural body,' and the poetry of human feeling is 
 full of regard for the honoured lineaments of the dead. Where 
 our loved ones sleep there do we hope to lie. The soul natu- 
 rally yearns to merge the present world in the life to come, and 
 to perceive in death only the fate of one 
 
 * Who wraps the drapery of his couch 
 About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams.' 
 
 It is thus a deep-rooted sentiment which makes the heart cling 
 to the material form of the departed, and prompts the hand of 
 affection to clothe it in suitable garments for the grave. No 
 
xi.iv.] BENARES AT SUNDOWN. 493 
 
 doubt the earth to which we consign our dead is itself a ' cine- 
 rator ' in effect — a slow but sure annihilator of corporeal human- 
 ity. Yet, at least, it takes us peacefully to its bosom, and fulfils 
 its mission, not roughly, with swift-consuming, crackling fires, but 
 by a silent process of absorption prolonged through revolving 
 years. 
 
 The scenes to which I have referred naturally rendered our 
 day's sail on the Ganges more instructive as a lesson of life than 
 attractive as a tour of pleasure. Towards sunset we passed the 
 palace of the Maharajah of Benares — a large plain building, 
 situated in the immediate vicinity of the city, and chiefly 
 distinguished by the large number of handsome state barges 
 and gaily painted canoes moored in front The Maharajah 
 himself was absent, not having yet returned from Allahabad, 
 whither he had gone for the purpose of ' doing pooja/t' an 
 event which had manifestly been productive of most revo- 
 lutionary consequences in his household — the windows, even 
 including those of the state rooms, being literally crowded with 
 servants and retainers, looking forth, all evidently in a highly 
 sociable and jocular mood, on the imposing spectacle of a large 
 steamer navigating the waters of the Ganges. 
 
 As the vessel passed slowly in front of Benares to her moor- 
 ings at the other end, the short twilight was just lapsing into 
 darkness. We were glad of the opportunity thus afforded of 
 witnessing once more that huge towering mass of masonry, with 
 its distorted gables and sunken walls next the river, apparently 
 biding the time when they should be wholly engulphed in its 
 depths. But the picturesque population of the city had entirely 
 forsaken their favourite morning resort. The granite cells were 
 
494 THANATOPSTS. [cH. XLiv. 
 
 there, but no priestly occupants ; not a solitary figure appeared 
 in the blank row of rafts. The bright vision of life was gone. 
 The worshipping crowd on the banks or in the water, the 
 bright-robed throng of citizens streaming up and down the steps 
 of the great gliaut, the hum of multitudinous voices, and the 
 sounds of productive industry, might all have been born of the 
 sunshine in which they were first revealed to us, so com- 
 pletely had every trace of them departed. The people of India 
 are children of the sun by habit as well as by birth. And 
 so, although the theatre of action lay before us, unchanged but 
 for the falling shadows of night, nothing else remained to recall 
 the strange vivid life-drama we had recently seen enacted here 
 under the presidency of the metropolitan gods of Hindostan. 
 
 Here the odious dak gharry again awaited us, but we went on 
 our way rejoicing to think that, ere long, it would be no more 
 than a reminiscence of trouble. Thus Calcutta was regained by 
 the same route we had already traversed, so that any attempt 
 to record the incidents of the way might constitute me the 
 author of a twice-told tale. 
 
495 
 
 CHAPTER XLV. 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 The science of governing is merely a science of combinations, of applications, 
 and of exceptions, according to time, place, and circumstances. — Rousseau. 
 
 While the rapid shuttle rattles 
 
 Through the loom with grateful sound. 
 
 Lulling all the din of battles, 
 
 Weaving peace the world around. — Hedderwick. 
 
 Through the shadow of the globe, we sweep into the younger day ; 
 Better fifty years of Europe than a cycle of Cathay. — Locksley Hall. 
 
 /;' T is an axiom in political economy, that no 
 country can attain to a condition of solid 
 peace and prosperity apart from the unity 
 of its people. The aim, therefore, of 
 British rule in India is nothing less than 
 the creation of a national life. For in 
 ^^^v«f this lies the unparalleled difficulty of the 
 situation, that our Eastern empire more 
 resembles a continent than a state, and 
 that the millions now our countrymen comprise alien races, 
 whom many generations of a common lot have failed to con- 
 solidate or reconcile. 
 
 The sources of this social disunion may be traced back to an 
 
496 CONCLUSION. [ch. 
 
 early period of the country's history, when the Aryans — that 
 conquering race of Central Asian origin, known to the old world 
 as having settled in Persia and China, as well as by the Medi- 
 terranean shores — crossed the Himalayas, and after a series of 
 fierce struggles with the primitive population of India, became 
 paramount in Northern Hindostan. 
 
 Then, indeed, two races could scarcely have been more dis- 
 sin\ilar. The aboriginal Indians, or Dasyans, were black and 
 stunted, speaking a variety of cacophonous dialects, averse to 
 all forms of government, and possessing scarcely any notion of 
 the future life ; while the Aryans were fair and stalwart, having 
 a noble language, an excellent code of laws, and a lively con- 
 ception of the immortality of the soul. Yet, strange as it must 
 appear, the population of India to-day includes Aryan and 
 non-Aryan races, exhibiting distinctive features, that have not 
 been obliterated during the many centuries which have elapsed 
 since their progenitors fought for possession of the North- 
 Western plains. Notwithstanding the high stimulus supplied 
 by such advantages as theirs, the conquerors lapsed into habits 
 of luxury ; and, being enervated and demoralised through sloth, 
 were conquered and oppressed in turn ; Tartar, Afghan, and 
 Mogul successively became masters of the land, each wave of 
 invasion leaving its impression on the native constitution. 
 
 Although, therefore, we are accustomed in England to hear 
 the ' people of India ' spoken of as if they were a homoge- 
 neous nation, the truth is that the great peninsula is inhabited 
 by men of various origin and widely different character. To 
 take an extreme example, it may be held that the whole 
 Western world does not supply an instance of typical contrast 
 
XLv.J THE WORK OF GOVERNMENT. 497 
 
 SO marked as that existing between the lean, weakly denizen of 
 Southern Bengal and the broad robust Sikh of the Northern 
 frontier. The ethnical distinction between these two infinitely 
 transcends any dissimilarity in feeling, habit, or religion that 
 exists among the nations of Europe. 
 
 With what ultimate success then is the British Government 
 likely to pursue the Herculean task in which it is engaged, of 
 gathering together these scattered elements of the social system, 
 and building the compact fabric of a state ? 
 
 One thing at least is certain : it were needless to grope for 
 a solution of the difficulty among the dry bones of the past. 
 Those who would estimate the future of India must base their 
 calculations on the fact that the forces, moral and political, 
 which now guide its destiny,' were evoked within the memory 
 of men who still contemplate the country's progress. Not that 
 Indian history is without any evidence of civilization. The 
 reign of Akbar, for example, was a period of national glory, 
 when even Western nations heard with wonder what rumour 
 told of the power and grandeur of the empire. This, however, 
 was not a robust civilization born of productive industry and 
 the arts of peace ; it was the fleeting offspring of courts and 
 camps fed from the spoils of war. 
 
 Although a hundred years are gone since the Mogul dynasty 
 began to wane, scarcely half that period has elapsed since British 
 power became paramount. The policy of ' lapse,' or gradual 
 annexation, instituted by Lord Dalhousie, is of still more 
 recent origin ; and coming yet nearer the present day, it may be 
 said that the Mutiny of twelve years' ago, like the purifying 
 thunderstorm, ushered in what must be practically regarded as 
 
 K K 
 
498 CONCLUSION. [CH. 
 
 the history of British India. Only since then have those great 
 administrative questions been matured on which the progress of 
 the country and the fate of the people hang ; up to that hour, 
 the records of our rule unfold little else than a long fierce 
 struggle between the forces of European civilization and those 
 of Asiatic barbarism. 
 
 The American war, no doubt, exercised a powerful influence 
 on cotton cultivation in India, giving that extensive branch of 
 industry an impetus which it could not have otherwise acquired. 
 Nor, among the advantages externally derived, is it possible to 
 forget the benefit conferred on the country by the transfer of the 
 Government from the hands of the East India Company to 
 those of the Crown. The direct responsibility and superior 
 resources of the British nation not only served to accelerate the 
 work of material advancement, but to diffuse an increased sense 
 of security and confidence among the people. That g^nd 
 measure introduced a wider aim and a less selfish policy than 
 formerly prevailed, affording the native millions a stronger per- 
 sonal interest in the welfare of the State, and no longer sub- 
 jecting their claims to the maintenance of a good dividend on 
 East Indian stock. 
 
 Altogether, however, history does not record a kindred ex- 
 ample of colonization, whether as regards rapidity of growth or 
 brilliancy of result. Within the space of half a century, what 
 between the progress of cultivation and the acquisition of terri- 
 tory, the Gross Revenue of British India has been more than 
 doubled ; while thousands who have not yet become old in com- 
 mercial intercourse with the country, remember the day when, 
 instead of a weekly overland steamer carrying the post and 
 
XLV.] ELEMENTS OF PROGRESS. 499 
 
 passengers, the only means of intercourse was a monthly mail 
 service by the Red Sea, or a tedious route round the Cape, con- 
 veying them to their destination in a period varying from four 
 to five months. Then the course of our Indian trade was to 
 those engaged in it a mystery as fickle and unreliable as the 
 direction of the wind. A shipment of British manufactures, in- 
 deed, was not only deemed but designated a ' venture,' the 
 praiseworthy candour indicated by that term being popularly 
 shown forth in the lithographed preamble of the invoice by 
 which the goods were accompanied. 
 
 Yet with every desire for the world's advancement, our 
 Indian merchants, as has been formerly stated, regard the greatly 
 vaunted blessings of a weekly postage and daily telegraph with 
 partial favour only. Nor Is this at all surprising when we bear 
 in mind the fact, that they are thus practically subjected to the 
 intrusion of a succession of fleet, exacting messengers, arriving 
 in and out of season, always most importunate in troublous 
 times, and often peremptorily demanding an instantaneous de- 
 cision on some knotty point of business. From these assailing 
 forces of modern science the commercial man of to-day has no 
 means of escape. But especially hard is the case of the perspi- 
 ring Anglo-Indian, who, in that far land where his forefathers 
 luxuriated without fear of interruption in the long drowsy interval 
 of the outward and homeward mails, sits, it may be in a larger 
 office, and surrounded by superior appliances of comfort, but 
 with the arriving or departing post ever imminent, and uncertain 
 of the moment when the electric flash may rouse him to the 
 execution of yet another task. Steam and telegraphy have thus 
 vastly augmented the work of the mercantile system, although, 
 
 K K 2 
 
500 CONCLUSION. " IcH, 
 
 at the same time, they have steadied its course and dispersed 
 the mists of speculation. 
 
 Nor has the change, which a few years has wrought, been less 
 wonderful in the purely Asiatic sense. It is a striking fact to 
 begin with, that the national plan of education, so extensive and 
 fruitful, together with the native organs of the press, so numerous 
 and emphatic, had both their origin within the recollection of men 
 yet taking an active part in public affairs. 
 
 On the renewal of the East India Company's charter in 1813, 
 a grant of 10,000/. was voted for purposes designated as ' the 
 revival and promotion of literature,' &c. It was only however, 
 in the following year, that, roused apparently by Dr. Marshman's 
 admirable pamphlet, entitled ' Hints for the Establishment of 
 Native Schools,' the Government really began to provide in- 
 struction for the people. The Indian educational code, as now 
 established, is nevertheless a creation of yesterday. 
 
 At the period immediately preceding the Mutiny, the system 
 of vernacular education had scarcely taken j-ooL Normal and 
 female schools were unknown, and although some Government 
 colleges existed, there were no universities. Progress has been 
 greatest in Bombay and least in Madras ; but it is authorita- 
 tively alleged that, on the average, not less than one youth out 
 of every 400 of the population is now a pupil in one or other of 
 the state-supported seminaries scattered throughout the three 
 Presidencies, 
 
 It will be evident, however, from the diversified character of 
 the people, that in prosecuting this parental duty of educating 
 the young, Government is not ruling a happy and contented 
 family. That ancient and bitter enmity between Hindoo and 
 
XLV.] THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM. 501 
 
 Mahommedan, which is popularly regarded as the main source 
 of our own security, here presents a formidable obstacle. Loud 
 complaints are vented by the Mussulman body, regarding what 
 they do not hesitate to stigmatize as the greater favour shown 
 to their Hindoo fellow-subjects. One malcontent for example, 
 writing to the ' Calcutta Englishman,' denounces the ' neglect 
 and contempt ' with which his order has been treated for ' near 
 a quarter of a century ; ' and avers that the Hindoos have 
 ' extruded the Mahommedans alike from state literature and 
 state employ.' 
 
 The statement, indeed, is practically true ; for, without doubt, 
 the comparatively low ebb of Mussulman wealth and power in 
 the upper strata of life is reflected in the present condition of 
 the masses. It is to be observed, however, that this result is 
 not due so much to the wilful neglect of Government as to the 
 interposition by the people themselves of that old troublesome 
 spirit of bigotry and fanaticism which thwarted all administrative 
 efforts to deal with it, and led to the extinction of the Mahom- 
 medan dynasty. 
 
 This subject is a qiusstio vexata of to-day. The so-called 
 mal-arrangements of the two Madrissas established in Bengal 
 for the education of Mussulman youth are now being discussed 
 and exposed in the Calcutta press. One of these, called the 
 Hooghly Madrissa, founded by a benevolent countryman, at- 
 tracts very few Itudents ; nor can much more be said for the 
 other the Calcutta Madrissa, which is, however, the oldest insti- 
 tution of its class in India, having been established by Warren 
 Hastings about the year 1780, chiefly for the instruction of 
 Mahommedans in their favourite Arabic language. Since that 
 
502 CONCLUSION. [CH. 
 
 period a variety of changes have been made in the mode of 
 tuition, with the object of providing for the advancing require- 
 ments of the time. That some of these, however, were of an in- 
 judicious character, may be concluded from their entire want of 
 success, together with the fact stated, that an official ' com- 
 mission ' is at present making inquiry into the systems of instruc- 
 tion pursued in both Madrissas. The Mahommedan leaders of 
 opinion complain that no English is taught in the Arabic depart- 
 ment, and protest against the Government policy of prescribing 
 English as the only medium of communication for the higher 
 branches of knowledge. They and their followers decline to sit 
 side by side with their Hindoo brethren in the state-aided schools, 
 and claim to be provided with special seminaries, in which the 
 philosophy, science, and literature of the civilized world shall be 
 taught in their own classical and vernacular languages, Tlun, 
 it is asserted, Mahommedan youth would have the opportunity 
 of qualifying for that state employment from which they are 
 presently ' extruded ' by the Hindoos. 
 
 Undeniably one-sided as this argument is, the popular con- 
 viction, nevertheless, seems to be, that it will be better to con- 
 cede the demand than to brave the combined consequences of 
 prolonged ignorance and discontent among this important section 
 of the people. Meanwhile, as regards the number who are 
 actually taking advantage of the system of State education, we 
 learn that, in 1865-66, out of nearly half a million children 
 attending schools under Government inspection in Bengal, the 
 North-West Provinces, the Punjab, Bombay, and Madras, about 
 86,000, or 18 per cent, were Mussulmans. 
 
 Turning next to the interesting subject of the press, we learn 
 
XLv.] THE INDIAN 'FOURTH ESTATE: 503 
 
 that the first native newspaper appeared in Calcutta in the year 
 1 8 18. It was styled the Sutnachar Durpan (or ' Mirror of 
 Light '), and was soon followed by the Temirunasuk (' Destroyer 
 of Darkness '), and the Sumac/tar Chundrika (' Moon of Intelli- 
 gence '). The high promise of these titles, however, was not in 
 each case fulfilled. When for instance, not long afterwards, the 
 law abolishing suttee was proclaimed, and Hindoo society was 
 consequently agitated to its centre, the ' Mirror of Light ' indeed 
 reflected the humane principles of the measure, but the ' Moon 
 of Intelligence' shone coldly on it as oppressive and unwise. 
 
 Nor has this contrariety of sentiment disappeared with the 
 extraordinary expansion of journalism. The national mind, as 
 pourtrayed in the native press, is an indescribable medley of 
 conflicting thoughts and fancies. A few random selections may 
 serve to illustrate the present tone of the Indian vox populi. 
 
 'Y\i& Koh-i-Noor ^^Q\2\Tn%: 'Oh God! what rule is this b which no 
 governor is allowed to remain at the head of afifairs in Hindostan a longer 
 period than five years! No doubt there is no appointment in Hindos- 
 tan, or even in all the world, greater than this ; but because the term of 
 office is so limited, the poor governor does, or tries to do, his best ; and 
 even then he has not sufficient time to do anything.' The writer says, 
 there is an impression in history which is daily gaining ground, that 
 China will surpass Great Britain and Europe ; and goes on to say, that 
 when the term of a governor is drawing to a close, he tries to hurry on 
 with all he has left undone ; that ' Sir John Lawrence, during his latter 
 days of service, made great haste to pass resolutions that had, from year 
 to year, been neglected.' The writer is of opinion that it would be well 
 to add two more years, and ' even then the term would be too short.' 
 The dignity and honour of the governor-general are such as one sees of 
 the kings in a puppet-show, the strings of which arc held by those who 
 make the dolls dance.' 
 
5d4 ■ CONCLUSION. [cH. 
 
 The Chabook condemns the ' Times of India ' for its defence of the 
 'Bombay Bank directors, in doing which it has left the usual paths of 
 journalism. — The same sees no reason why rupees, fifteen lakhs and odd 
 of the Indian Revenue, should be spent in support of the Christian 
 Church. How many other useful things could be done with the same 
 money ! •- 
 
 A correspondent of the same paper writes upon the advisability of 
 female incarceration as heretofore in place of allowing the females of 
 India that liberty with their European sisters, which is sure to prove 
 dangerous in destroying their chastity, in the present immoral and 
 unregenerate state of the Hindu community. 
 
 The Mufid-ul-Alam of Futtehgurh has his doubts of the propriety of 
 natives visiting England to be educated, in case they may be tempted 
 to forget their wives at home and to marry again. 
 
 The Som Prokash says, the carelessness of the British Government 
 with respect to the ancient temples, buildings, and burying-places of 
 
 India has brought them a bad name The Christian Government 
 
 of Greece has rebuilt the temples of Jupiter and Theseus of ancient 
 times. In the same way it is the duty of the Government of this coun- 
 try to restore the ruined temples and mosques of India. 
 
 The Hindoo Hitoishince appeals to Government to lessen the postage 
 on native newspapers. The reasonableness of such a request will be 
 seen if a proper investigation be made into the condition of the readers 
 of these papers. Some can hardly afford to read them, owing to the 
 postage being more than the value of the paper. 
 
 The Dubdtibba Secitndree : ' Articles of consumption in England are 
 perfected by means of machinery, the perfection and economy of which 
 all the world approves. That articles made in Hindostan bear no 
 comparison, and even the natives themselves do not approve of them ; 
 but still there are exceptions, as some things are so well made in India 
 that the Chinese and English with all their skill and appliances cannot 
 make them. Cashmere shawls, for instance, are brought to such perfec- 
 tion that all the kings of the world wear them. The clever English have 
 constructed many a machine for working such things, but they could not 
 succeed in working the Cashmere shawls or Dacca muslins. Hi.story 
 
XLV.] NATIVE JUDGMENT. 505 
 
 clearly shows that this cannot be done in England. Even now in 
 Europe the fair and delicate ones wear dresses of Dacca muslin, which 
 were sold in the days of Akbar for from five to fifteen gold mohurs 
 according to quality, while even now in Cashmere shawls can be worked 
 up to Rs. 7,000. But, independent of this, the Cashmere paper, ink- 
 stands, gold and silver cloths, silks from Mooltan, carpets from Shaje- 
 hanpore, sugar, the Chunar earthenware, Jeypore and Gya marble work, 
 are all worthy of notice. And if Hindostan were to bring machinery 
 into use it would soon surpass Europe.' 
 
 The Hindoo Hitoishinee exposes the pride and insolence of the 
 educated natives, who assume quite a different character as soon as 
 they are installed in some high office under Government, from what they 
 maintained while prosecuting their studies in colleges and schools ; and 
 recommends that they should at least treat their own countrymen, and 
 especially the poorer classes, with respect and kindness. 
 
 The Post Office officials are said by the Akbar-i-Aliim to 'swallow 
 down the property of the public like their mother's milk.' 
 
 The Nujm-ool-Akbar offers some remarks upon the evils resulting 
 from the custom of dressing native children in costly jewellery, merely 
 for the purpose of displaying them. 
 
 The Zea-ool- Uklibar, under the heading ' False Ideas,' remarks that 
 ignorant people generally have an idea that the object of Government 
 in getting up schools is for the purpose of converting people to Chris- 
 tianity ; and in consequence of this they prefer keeping their children at 
 home and uneducated, rather than send them to school. The editor 
 thinks that this is not the case, and advises them to believe that the 
 only object Government have in view is the dispelling of the darkness 
 of ignorance, and bringing people to the light of knowledge. ' Our 
 Government has no wish to interfere in religious matters.' 
 
 The Sotn Prokash, remarking on the disestablishment of the Anglican 
 Church in Ireland, cannot see why Indian funds should be spent in the 
 support of chaplains and repair of churches. Hindoos hate Christianity; 
 Mussulmans regard it as an error; Brahmists look upon it as a refined 
 superstition ; and it is easy to see how exceedingly iniquitous it is to use 
 funds derived from a country where Hindooism and Mahomniedanism 
 
5o6 CONCLUSION. [ch. 
 
 are prevalent in the support of Christian ministers. The British Govern- 
 ment have once and again engaged not to interfere with the reHgion of 
 their subjects. Yet, from the time when Sir John Lawrence became 
 governor, in almost every week's Gazette, the appointments of Christian 
 ministers appear like those of Civil servants. For their support, their 
 travelling expenses, and the erection and repairs of Christian churches, 
 thirty lakhs, or half of the amount derived from the Licence Tax, have 
 been expended. Why should not Christians support their own ministers 
 and defray the expenses attending their religion, as we do ? 
 
 The Soodhabiirshnn Gazette is of opinion that some serious step 
 should be taken to check the rapid increase of destitute Europeans in 
 Calcutta. The place is completely overrun by individuals of the above 
 class, who have apparently no legitimate means of support. The whole 
 community are men of corrupt morals, who are a scourge to way- 
 farers, and are patrons of liquor-shops, brothels, and all haunts of evil 
 notoriety. 
 
 The Khair Khwah Punjab, under the heading, ' The Sonthal Country,' 
 says: — 'In each and every one of the non- regulation provinces, the 
 Government hen is hoping to hatch those non-regulated eggs similar to 
 the regulation ones, and doing her best to bring them up in a proper 
 manner. But the Sonthal egg, unlike those of Marwar, Khandeish, Pun- 
 jab, and Arracan, has been found too difficult to hatch, and the hen has 
 grown quite tired of sitting over it and hatching it properly.' 
 
 The Soin Prokash, referring to the order passed by the Governor- 
 General on the subject of native gentlemen and others keeping on their 
 shoes, when they come into the presence of the authorities, says, that in 
 one point His Excellency has done injustice ; in another, has made a 
 mistake- ' Why is he so bitter against native shoes .' Those our 
 Nawabs and Rajahs wear are most costly, and beautifully embroidered. 
 Each pair is worth more than SCX) pairs of English shoes. It is not 
 reasonable they should lay these aside. The order should have allowed 
 shoes of all kinds to be retained.' Further, Europeans take off their 
 hats in token of respect : to preserve consistency, there ought then to be 
 an order requiring Hindoos and Mahommedans to take off their ///^^rj. 
 This rule ought to have been made compulsory all over India ; it is a 
 
XLV.] NATIVE JUDGMENT. 507 
 
 mistake to confine it to certain portions, and render fresh difficulties in 
 other parts probable. 
 
 The Sholatur, an Urdu paper, published at Cawnpore, in an article 
 on the late famines, treats us to the following reading of an episode in 
 the book of Genesis : — ' During the seven years' famine in Egypt Joseph 
 is said to have made vast storehouses of grain, and in the first year of 
 famine to have sold the corn for money, in the second for jewels, in the 
 third for other kinds of property, in the fourth for land, in the fifth for 
 slaves. In the sixth year starving persons became slaves in return for 
 allowances of grain. In the seventh, all became slaves. In the eighth, 
 the money and property were returned, and all persons restored to their 
 former condition.' 
 
 The Unjumim Hind alludes to a meeting of Hindoos, at which the 
 Rajah of Bulrampoor and some pundits assembled to express regret, 
 and consider how it is, that the Hindoo creed does not make any progress, 
 but, on the contrary, is daily getting worse ; and to prevent this they were 
 all most anxious. ' But the editor of the " Indian Mirror," who is against 
 Infidels and defends the true faith, says, that all this is the same that 
 was at first created in the Dhurm Saba ; and with this kind of inter- 
 ference this creed cannot be discouraged, but will increase daily.* 
 
 The Probhakur, after passing certain strictures on the actual 
 
 or supposed plans of Lord Mayo, proceeds to review in detail, 
 
 and in the following strain, almost the entire constitution of the 
 
 State : — 
 
 Firstly. — There is no need of the Finance Minister. 
 
 We have observed that nothing has been done by him during these 
 ten years. So that it is desirable to have the post at once dispensed 
 with, and thus save the Government a sum of one lakh and twenty 
 thousand rupees a year. 
 
 Secondly.— Ihc annual flights of His Excellency the Governor-General 
 of India to the Indian Capua should be stopped. In that case there 
 will be a saving of about five lakhs of rupees. If this stay in the Hills 
 of the subordinate rulers and other authorities be discontinued, we 
 believe a sum equal and even greater than the above may be spared. 
 
5o8 CONCLUSION. [cHi 
 
 As the article is too long for insertion here, the other points 
 of maladministration that have provoked the Probhakurs cen- 
 sure are given, without the arguments by which they are 
 supported. 
 
 Thirdly. — The number of judges in the courts of Bengal can be con- 
 veniently reduced. 
 
 Fourthly. — A Sessions judge need not be kept in every zillah. 
 
 Fifthly. — The services of all the judges in the Small Cause Courts 
 located in the districts should be dispensed with. 
 
 Sixthly. — There is no necessity of retaining the services of separate 
 assessors of Income Tax. They are only oppressing the subjects at large. 
 
 Seventhly. — The empire is uselessly encumbered with extravagant 
 charges by the retention of the services of the director of public in- 
 struction and the inspectors of the educational department. 
 
 Eighthly. — We do not see any necessity of a separate Legislative 
 Council and a separate commander-in-chief in the Madras and Bombay 
 Presidencies. 
 
 Ninthly. — It seems to be of great importance to i-educe the number of 
 clerks in the several adawluts of the country. 
 
 Tenthly. — Along with the strenuous endeavours now directed towards 
 destroying the power of the thieves of the Public Works and the Com- 
 missariat departments, it is advisable to do away at once with the 
 contract system. 
 
 The language of other native writers, in upholding the pe- 
 culiar institutions of their own country, and commenting on 
 British life and manners, forms a curious and not uninstructive 
 study. As I write, we learn from English journals that Prince 
 Alfred's arrival in India was furnishing the native press with a 
 new and lively theme of comment, embracing not only the 
 official arrangements in connection with the event, but the real 
 or presumed conduct and proclivities of His Royal Highness; 
 himself. 
 
net JCuliMpv Am. __ %MW^ 
 QhU 
 
 
 l«t)f^Bdmii<M*iu^ 
 
XLV.] JV£ir AIDS TO ADVANCEMENT. 509 
 
 Such is the sphere of action within which the Government of 
 India prosecutes its onerous and responsible work. Above the 
 clamour of editorial voices is heard that of the Administration, 
 conciliatory though firm, enforcing its authority not solely on 
 approved principles of British law, but with due regard to the 
 complications of existing Hindoo and Mahommedan codes, as 
 well as to the dogmas of ancient usage. 
 
 TJie incongruous mass of land schemes, the muddle of muni- 
 cipal measures, the insecurity of the citizen, the indefinite posi- 
 tion of the ryot — all that legacy of confusion bequeathed by Ma- 
 hommedan rule — is gradually assuming an aspect of form and 
 order. Only twelve years have elapsed since the country was 
 smitten with social anarchy and an impoverished exchequer 
 Now it is blessed with peace throughout its bounds, and, 
 speaking in a general way, with ah income of fifty millions 
 sterling to pay a debt of only twice that amount Refreshing 
 signs of material progress begin to relieve the stagnation of 
 former times, while the work of moral regeneration proceeds 
 with a rapidity and precision unknown in the record of empires. 
 
 Annexed is a copy of the last official map of Indian railways, 
 completed, in progress, and projected. The first group, as was 
 indicated in a previous portion of this volume, embraces 4,096 
 miles ; the second comprises about 1,820 miles, and includes the 
 great trans-peninsula line (now said to be just on the point of 
 completion), which will connect Calcutta with Bombay; while the 
 •projected' routes consist of about 10,000 miles, which, if they 
 advance at the computed rate of 300 miles per annum, will be 
 finished, perhaps, in thirty-three years hence. 
 
 I have already alluded to the significant fact that nearly the 
 
5IO CONCLUSION. [CH. 
 
 whole of the people of India, yielding hereditary prejudices 
 to considerations of economy, have chosen to travel together in 
 third class carriages. The figures relating to this point, as now 
 given in the report of the ' Government Director of the Indian 
 Railway Companies,' are as follow : — 
 
 ' Total number of passengers conveyed, 15,066,530; being an 
 increase of more than a million per annum during the last two 
 years. 
 
 'Of the 15,000,000 carried last year, only 130,000, or less 
 than one per cent, were first class ; and 535,000, or about 
 three and a half per cent, were second class.' 
 
 Here is presented to the moral reformer a circumstance seem- 
 ingly insignificant, which involves a portentous consequence. A 
 practical benefit, offered impartially to all, is breaking down in 
 effect the evil it rebukes in principle. Men of high caste are 
 induced to associate with those whom their vanity had ever 
 taught them to shun ; the Brahmin rubs shoulders with the 
 Pariah. And so the power of caste, that ancient social monstro- 
 sity which no ethical or religious arguments could subdue, is 
 yielding to those influences which follow in the steps of human 
 progress through the intercourse of nations. 
 
 As in the railway map, so in the chart of reclamation and 
 irrigation schemes, we are impressed, not so much with what 
 Anglo- Indian energy has accomplished, as with the extent of the 
 task it has undertaken to fulfil. That task will not be the work 
 of a single generation. It is true, however strange, that our 
 very knowledge of the country is yet exceedingly imperfect 
 Throughout that wide expanse of territory, Government con- 
 tinues to prosecute its investigations, by means of scouts and 
 
XLV.] NEW AIDS TO ADVANCEMENT. 511 
 
 commissioners, and to receive ' reports ' concerning tribes of 
 whose history we are as ignorant as they are of ours. Far apart 
 from the great highways of intercourse, communities exist who, 
 as we are credibly informed, have scarcely heard a whisper of 
 the downfall of Delhi, or obtained a glimpse either of men or 
 things pertaining to the great innovating power which is now 
 transforming the face of the country. 
 
 It is equally true, however, that the work of progress in India 
 can appear small only when viewed in connection with the vast 
 field of action lying around it The millions who really are 
 cognizant of the change have at least partially realized its in- 
 fluence. Not only have they seen marts of commerce created, 
 waste lands redeemed, wide rivers spanned, and parched fields 
 watered, with a vigour of enterprise hitherto unknown in the 
 history of the country, but they have found new sources of in- 
 dustry growing up around them, and marked an increasing 
 yield of the Fusly Rubbee and Fusly K/ieree/—\he. spring and 
 autumn harvests. For we may reasonably attribute the more 
 frequent dearths of late years, in a great measure, to the temp- 
 tation which the enlarged demand for Indian cotton, jute, and 
 seeds offered zemindar and ryot, in many parts, to cultivate 
 these articles of produce on lands where food formerly was grown. 
 
 Hindoos, who have scarcely ceased to regard with feelings 
 of mingled distraction and awe the wonder-working power of the 
 electric telegraph, whereby friends far apart may hold instan- 
 taneous converse, and the fleet course of the fiery locomotive, 
 which bears the pilgrim band to shrines three hundred miles 
 distant in the interval between the rising and setting of the 
 sun, have begun to recognize the advantages which such agents 
 
512 CONCLUSTON. [ch. 
 
 are calculated to confer. It cannot but be seen and felt that 
 these are not merely means for self-extension which commerce 
 has devised, but also swift messengers of mercy and ready 
 ministers of justice, whereby famines are relieved, and man's life 
 is shielded from cruelty and wrong. And beyond towns and 
 villages the intelligence continues to spread, that British rule has 
 abolished all cruel customs like suttee or infanticide, and holds 
 such measures as schools of science and medicine, the formation 
 of roads and canals, the extension of commerce, and the culti- 
 vation of the land, to be more conducive to individual happiness 
 and national prosperity than the observance of Dewali or 
 Shivaratri festivals, or all the powers of divination and astro- 
 logy. So far we can trace the steps of the great revolution. 
 
 But overshadowing this land of promise appear two little 
 clouds, in which some political seers of our day distinguish a 
 presage of disaster. Of these sister evils, one is external and the 
 other local. There are Russians outside and Mahommedans 
 within. The Russo- Indian or Central Asian question, not long 
 since discussed in the British House of Commons, is by no 
 means a new source of interest and apprehension. Although 
 nothing came of the elder Napoleon's proposals (the first made 
 in 1800 to the Emperor Paul and the second to Alexander 
 seven years afterwards), to organize a joint invasion of India, 
 Russia has steadily continued to advance in the East ; and the 
 subject has acquired fresh prominence and importance since 
 1 864, when Prince Gortschakoff issued to the legations and em- 
 bassies that official circular regarding the limits of Russian pro- 
 gress the tenor of which has been falsified by subsequent events. 
 
 Of course I am not about to attempt any disquisition on the 
 
XLV.] THE MARCH OF RUSSIA. 513 
 
 question. But it may be well to notice regarding it that the views 
 which seem to be popular among English statesmen are, to some 
 extent, at variance with the tone of the Anglo-Indian press. 
 Among reputable authorities, indeed, purely opposite and con- 
 flicting opinions prevail. On one side it is maintained that 
 Russia, whatever her secret desire might be, could not possibly 
 push an army forward to our Indian frontier, the approaches 
 being virtually impassable. It is held that the political history 
 of Turkestan, where she is now extending her power, is a tale of 
 prolonged internecine strife ; and that before further progress is 
 practicable, many years must be devoted to the subjugation of 
 savage tribes and the reclamation of desert wastes. Added to 
 these barriers is the more material obstacle of the Himalayan 
 wall (the highest mountain range on earth), which towers above 
 Cashmere, and guards our whole northern boundary. Any 
 attempt to penetrate through Afghanistan, where the obstruction 
 is supposed to be weakest, would involve a march, by way of 
 Herat and Candahar, of 1,400 miles ere the British dominions 
 could be reached. And, it is maintained, whatever route might 
 be selected, the prospect of a Russian army wandering for some 
 hundreds of miles among glaciers and eternal snows, dragging 
 heavy ordnance and transport waggons over precipitous heights 
 and through abysmal ravines, is not one of which we need have 
 any serious dread. 
 
 But, on the other hand, we are invited to consider the his- 
 torical fact that invading armies have actually descended on the 
 Punjab from the North-West If Alexander the Great and the 
 Mongol conquerors could thus lead their forces into India, what 
 insuperable obstacle now bars the way to Russia ? Or granting 
 
 LL 
 
514 CONCLUSION. [CH. 
 
 that such elevations are naturally impassable for the ponder- 
 ous engines of modern warfare, what facilities may not be 
 furnished by engineering science, which has already pierced 
 huge mountains and spanned their heights with railways, 
 as witness the Alps in Italy, the Bhore Ghaut in Bom- 
 bay, the work now progressing in Mont Cenis, and that 
 wonderful achievement which connects the Atlantic and Pacific 
 Oceans ? 
 
 Then it is alleged, if the Russians should cross the Oxus, and 
 advance on Herat, that city, which certain authorities represent 
 as utterly defenceless, would readily become their prey. And, 
 finally, such a footing once gained, what forbids the supposition 
 that Mahommedan fanaticism, instinct with a special hatred to 
 British rule, and Afghan treachery, of which we have already 
 had some experience, might, won by the allurement of Russian 
 gold, combine to favour the scheme of the new Christian 
 power ? 
 
 Meanwhile, Russia continues to diffuse her influence through 
 the steppes beyond the Hindoo Koosh ; assuring the world, 
 as she does so, that her object is simply to quell the tumult 
 of confusion and disorder in a region where oppressed and 
 suffering tribes are misgoverned by tyrant Shahs and Khans, 
 and so to fulfil the task assigned her by Providence in the 
 glorious work of civilization on earth. 
 
 At the same time the Indian Government has deemed :: 
 expedient, by means of friendly intercourse and pecuniary assist- 
 ance, to conciliate the present Ameer of Afghanistan — a policy 
 formerly adopted with good effect in the case of his father, 
 Dost Mahomed. Shere Ali indeed, after his splendid reception 
 
XLV.] POLICY OF CONCILIATION. 515 
 
 by Lord Mayo at Umballah, went home to Cabul laden with 
 many gifts besides bags of rupees. His Highness, as we learn, 
 was presented with fifty-one ' trays ' for himself, twenty-one for 
 his son, and twenty-one for his chief sirdars, sustaining valu- 
 ables which must have dilated the dark eyes of the recipients 
 with wonder and delight For the sparkling variety comprised 
 such objects as jewelled turban-ornaments, gold and silver cups 
 and tankards, a gold snuff-box and keyless watch, expensive 
 diamond rings, gold embroidered silk and velvet dresses, guns 
 and revolvers embossed in silver or gold, and splendid Cashmere 
 shawls. A stud of beautiful Arab horses was also included in 
 the presentation. 
 
 It should be recollected, however, in view of possible contin- 
 gencies, that the Ameer was not thus complimented and assisted 
 by the State either in respect of ambitious projects of his own, 
 or of the possible encroachments of Russia. The chronic state 
 of political agitation existing among the tribes at our northern 
 frontier has been considered by Lord Mayo, as it was by Sir 
 John Lawrence, a sufficient reason for cultivating the friend- 
 ship and confirming the position of the de facto sovereign of 
 Afghanistan. 
 
 But now as regards the supposed enemy within the camp, 
 it is well known that, like the Jews in the days of the Roman 
 Empire, a considerable section of the Mahommedan population 
 in India look for a deliverer who will upset the ruling power 
 and restore their own supremacy. The Jehad, or ' Crescentade,' 
 according to the public news, is preached in many a mosque, 
 from Patna to Dacca. Wandering Wahabees (our deadly 
 
 L L 3 
 
5l6 CONCLUSION. [cH. 
 
 enemies for more than half a century) perambulate the North-West, 
 proclaiming in market-places and among tombs the approaching 
 downfall of the Kafir. The ignorant masses are encouraged to 
 believe that the Prophet's messenger will suddenly appear, a 
 resplendent figure on the northern hills, whence descending, he 
 will lead them to victory over the Infidel, and retire in glory 
 to await the dying Faithful among the delights of Paradise. 
 It is credibly stated that in Berar and North-Eastern Bengal, a 
 tax, levied by the leaders in support of the yehad, is cheerfully 
 paid by those who can afford to do so, the very poor contri- 
 buting even to the extent of a handful of rice abstracted from 
 their daily meal. 
 
 The authorities of Dacca, where, perhaps two-thirds of the 
 population are Mussulmans, have frequently importuned the 
 State on the serious nature of this movement, which, it will be 
 remembered, was broken up in 1864 at its head-quarters in 
 Patna, when some of the more active spirits were brought to 
 trial. Only last year measures were again taken to interpose 
 the authority of the law. The following is one of the most 
 recent items of newspaper intelligence on the subject : — 
 
 The Wahabees. — Our contemporaries are awakening to the danger 
 of the VVahabee conspiracy, to which we drew attention a year ago. The 
 'Englishman' throws some further light on the present condition of the 
 Sittana colony. The Wahabee cause still maintains its hold upon the 
 Mussulman population of Lower Bengal, and on even more distant 
 localities. Recently a remittance of Rs. 15,000 arrived from Mecca, at 
 the very time when Moulvie Abdoollah's funds had run out. A native 
 prince is said to have contributed Rs. 26,000 in one donation, and his 
 sister is called the ' Huzrut Mehal.' The ziarut, or contribution for the 
 maintenance of the sect, is collected from men of substance in all the 
 
XLV.] THE WAR OF CREEDS. 517 
 
 large towns, while all Mussulmans in the country, down to the peasant 
 who leaves his handful of rice at the village mosque, seek merit by their 
 offerings in support of the holy cause. 
 
 But here, again, a theory of tranquillity stands opposed to that 
 of alarm. The security we derive from the enmity existing 
 between Mahommedan and Hindoo is enhanced by the dissen- 
 sions prevailing in the Mahommedan body itself. For the reli- 
 gion of Islam, schismatic and unsettled, is pre-eminently a polemi- 
 cal creed in India — where different races are gathered under the 
 crescent flag, and local traditions are mingled with the orthodox 
 tenets of the Mussulman faith. 
 
 Further, it is popularly believed that, of the thirty millions 
 of Mahommedans in India, only a small proportion are of the 
 Mogul and Pathan races, to whom alone belong that energetic 
 character and vindictive temper from which we have anything 
 to fear. Among other authorities on this subject, an intelligent 
 Mussulman correspondent of the 'Friend of India' urges that 
 a yehad among his compatriots ' is not possible in this nine- 
 teenth century, or at any distant date,' the people being at 
 variance among themselves. ' A Soonee would more readily 
 join the Christians than he would a Sheeah ; and an Ahmedee 
 would more quickly co-operate with a Wahabee than with either 
 of these two sects.' This statement, however, seems scarcely 
 sufficient to dispel such apprehensions as may prevail on the 
 subject. Nor are alarmists likely to be reassured by the infor- 
 mation which follows, to the effect that the intelligent order 
 of Mahommedans are ' conscious ' that the sacred war of their 
 religion is to be waged only in ' Darul-Islam,' the seat of Ma- 
 hommedan government, and not in ' Darul-Harub,' the land of 
 
5i8 CONCLUSION. [cH. 
 
 the heathen. There can be no doubt that this division in their 
 ranks greatly disarms the Mahommedan body as an aggressive 
 power ; but the psychological argument fails as applied to a class 
 of partisans whose actions have never been regulated by consider- 
 ations of that nature, and whose common creed is the Koran, 
 in which no such distinction is taught. 
 
 One thing at least is certain, that if danger really exists, 
 whether through the prospect of insurrection or invasion, the 
 means of refuge must be sought in the sympathy and regard of 
 the main body of the people. In their hearts, more than in 
 city forts or frontier armaments, lies the true citadel of British 
 power. And manifestly this haven is not to be reached through 
 the guidance of those moral and religious enthusiasts who deem 
 it sinful to bear with any form of paganism. Men who are prac- 
 tically acquainted with India best know that rigid modes of re- 
 formation are unsuited to such a sphere of action — that in every 
 stage of advancement conciliation must go hand in hand with 
 justice. Experience, indeed, here only echoes the voice of rea- 
 son, which tells us that the trammels of ignorance and bigotry 
 cannot suddenly be snapt asunder — that the prejudices of ages 
 will not disappear at command. To curb therefore, with an 
 intolerant rein, even the wildest flights of native ignorance and 
 fanaticism, were an act worse than useless, and altogether at 
 variance with the lessons of observation. 
 
 So far as human foresight extends, the policy of Government 
 is suited to the purpose in view. That the English sceptre was 
 supreme would scarcely be a subject of congratulation, were not 
 its power manifestly transforming the face of the country, and 
 revolutionising the lives of the people. The present generation, 
 
XLV.] DECLINE OF HINDOOISM. 519 
 
 indeed, cannot witness the fruition of those remedial measures 
 which are already in progress, much less of such projected 
 schemes as an Euphrates Valley or trans- Persian Railway sys- 
 tem, connecting Europe with India. A portion of the Anglo- 
 Indian press urges the propriety of immediate attention to this 
 subject, with reference to which it may be observed that the 
 prospect of a 'through line' — say from Calais to Calcutta — 
 although necessarily distant, is by no means chimerical. A net- 
 work of railways already occupies a great portion of the inter- 
 vening ground ; and in view of the projected branch from 
 Bombay to Kurrachee, the formation thence of one or other of 
 the connecting links which have been suggested cannot be re- 
 garded as a totally impracticable project The obstacle indeed 
 seems to be more of an ethnical than engineering nature. A 
 road for facilitating British intercourse with India passing 
 through the dominions of Russia, Turkey, and Persia, not to 
 speak of other minor territories, suggests those uncertainties 
 which belong to State treaties and professions of international 
 good faith. In Hindostan, itself, moreover, such indigenous 
 evils as plagues and famines, unruly tribes, and an unwieldy 
 criminal population, occupy a place in the chequered prospect 
 of the future, and, for a time at least, must continue sufficiently 
 to perplex the Administration. 
 
 Not only, however, is the machinery of material advancement 
 in active play, but a light like the dawning of day at last gleams 
 through the moral darkness of the land. Those caste disputes, 
 which embittered human intercourse, and which the prejudiced 
 decisions of the Punchayet were only calculated to complicate 
 and prolong, are now being referred, by mutual consent, to the 
 
520 CONCLUSION. [cH. 
 
 judicial tribunals of the country. By the Brahmo Sotnaj — a 
 name now on the tapis of public affairs- — we are to understand 
 nothing less extraordinary than a movement among Hindoos 
 the object of which is tlie destruction of Hindooism. Like the 
 French deists of last century, the ' Progressive Brahmos' deny 
 the authenticity of all scriptures, having, strangely enough, 
 passed at once from amidst the multitude of the heathen 
 gods into the solitary region of theism. But their existence as 
 a class is a strange, suggestive feature of Hindoo society, deri- 
 ving fresh significance from the completed erection in Calcutta 
 of their temple, the Brahmo Mandir, wherein, for the first time 
 as an organised body, they met in August, 1 869. And it appears 
 that, while the congregation of the Bharatbarseea Brahmo Man- 
 dir were engaged, to use the precise language of their formula, 
 in worshipping ' one only God,' ' Creator of All, Omnipresent, 
 Almighty, All-knowing, All-merciful, All-holy,' abjuring that of 
 any ' man or inferior being or material object,' and inviting to 
 the tabernacle ' all men and women, irrespective of distinctions 
 of caste, colour, and condition,' the unwieldy cars of Jugger- 
 nauth, which had been dragged from their receptacle to cele- 
 brate the annual festival at Serampore near at hand, lay in the 
 ditch, ' with the idols on them, and flags flying,' for want of 
 willing hands to convey them to their destination ! There are 
 thus indications that the old unsightly fabric of Hindoo super- 
 stition is at last tottering to its fall. 
 
 Again, if the act of conquest or annexation is to be esti- 
 mated in the light of contemporary circumstances, England may 
 prosecute her great Asiatic scheme with a conscience unassailed 
 by remorse. Practically, we have known India as a vast theatre 
 
XLV.] EFFECTS OF BRITISH RULE. 52 1 
 
 of military strife, overrun in turn by such freebooters as Hyder 
 or Tippoo, and by tyrants like the Moguls and Mahrattas, aided 
 by certain 'royal families' — the agents of their misrule. No 
 one acquainted with the course of events can have failed to 
 mark the contrast existing between the circumstances of the 
 former regime, in any of its aspects, and the present condition 
 of affairs. The stolid apathy of Delhi in the recurring emer- 
 gencies of public life has been replaced by practical efforts to 
 relieve them ; and the overawed silence of the million has 
 broken forth into the voice of popular clamour, raised through 
 the medium of an extensive free press. The people have 
 fairly begun to reap the fruits of a higher legislative admini- 
 stration than that of native rule, in the scope and character 
 of the law, the regulation of courts of justice, the promotion 
 of popular education, and the extension of civil and religious 
 freedom. Above all, they are finding a new and profitable 
 source of occupation in the great scheme of land cultivation, 
 and those other extensive branches of industry which owe their 
 existence to the tropical growth of a foreign commerce, which 
 has increased in the manner already indicated. And here it 
 seems important to notice in a word the reciprocal influence 
 on our own country of the wide field of consumption thus 
 developed. The annual value of British produce and manu- 
 factures exported to British India (exclusive of Singapore and 
 Ceylon) may now-a-days be roughly estimated at twenty-two 
 millions sterling; a sum which represents nearly one-eighth 
 of the total amount of these exports to all countries, and in- 
 cludes in its extensive enumeration of articles the following 
 principal items : — 
 
522 CONCLUSION. [cH, 
 
 CONCLUSION 
 
 
 Cotton Goods 
 
 
 about ^ 
 
 10,500,000 
 
 Cotton Yarn 
 
 
 1) 
 
 2,000,000 
 
 Woollens 
 
 
 »j 
 
 500,000 
 
 Iron 
 
 
 »T 
 
 3,000,000 
 
 Machinery 
 
 
 ») 
 
 1,000,000 
 
 Copper 
 
 
 »' 
 
 1,000,000 
 
 Beer and Ale 
 
 
 )J 
 
 500,000 
 
 Coals, &c. 
 
 
 J> 
 
 250,000 
 
 Hardware and 
 
 Cutler>' 
 
 »» 
 
 250,000 
 
 Such figures afford an idea of the nature and extent of the 
 connection now subsisting between the markets of India and 
 the fabric of British productive power ; especially manifesting 
 the fact that our cotton industry, with all its numerous ramifica- 
 tions, is dependent to a large extent on this great outlet. 
 
 Finally, it is evident that in these and the other statistics of 
 trade to which I have alluded at intervals, we perceive the 
 source alike of past prosperity and of future hope — the power 
 which has been slowly but surely raising India above the sha- 
 dows of ignorance and mysticism into the light and liberty of 
 day. So noble is the vocation allotted to commerce in the 
 economy of national life — so faithless are those of its followers 
 who debase it with the word of falsehood or the act of fraud ! 
 
 Nor is there reason to doubt the further development of the 
 great moral and material reformation which has thus been in- 
 augurated. In each of the three Presidencies, the class of natives 
 with whom our Anglo-Indian countrymen are associated, alike 
 in the routine of public affairs and the ordinary work of life, 
 have proved themselves intelligent and steady ; while, as we 
 have seen, the rising generation are engaged in acquiring, 
 through the medium of efficient [schools and colleges, a know- 
 ledge of modern science and history, together with all the learn- 
 
XLV.] EFFECTS OF BRITISH RULE. 523 
 
 ing of Persia, Greece, and Rome If it be said that we are 
 thus rapidly creating a power capable of discarding our sove- 
 reignty, what then ? The world's business will pursue its course ; 
 and posterity, tracing the footsteps of British rule in India, will 
 say that here a great nation acted a noble part on the stage of 
 human progress. From the fulfilment of a purpose at once so 
 stupendous and beneficent, England might be well content to 
 retire ; not for the barren enjoyment of a name, however grandly 
 and worthily earned, but for the display of her energies in other 
 fields of labour, and the diffusion of fresh blessings among 
 mankind. 
 
INDEX 
 
 ABD 
 
 ABDUL AZIZ, Sultan, his visit to 
 France and England, 13, 14. His 
 speech in London, 14. His reforms in 
 his dominions, 15 
 
 Abyssinian expedition, the, 44 
 
 Acrobat, an Indian female, 213 
 
 Adam's Peak, view of, from the sea, 1 52 
 
 Aden, as seen from the ship, 40. Visit to, 
 41. Trade of, 42. The Cantonments 
 of, 43. The water-tanks, 43 
 
 Adjutant-bird, the scavenger of Calcutta, 
 264 
 
 Afghans, period of their rule of India, 97. 
 Afghan traders on the Grand Trunk 
 Road, 328. Their appearance at Luck- 
 now, 428 
 
 Afghanistan, policy of conciliation to- 
 wards, 515 
 
 Agra, its age and former importance, 398. 
 Present capital of the North-West 
 Provinces, 398. Its hovels and palaces, 
 398, 399. The Fort, 399, 401- The 
 streets, 400. Industries of the place, 
 400, 401. The Motee Musjid, 400, 401. 
 The Halls of Marvel, and Zenana, 402. 
 The Taj Mahal, 402-406. The bank, 
 406. The railway, 406. The proposed 
 great durbar at, 406. The convict 
 prison at, 417 
 Ahool, Achin, his opium shop, 480, 481. 
 
 His account of his business, 481 
 Ahriman, or author of evil, of the Parsees, 
 
 122 
 Akbar, the Emperor, his foundation of 
 Allahabad, 341 
 
 ASA 
 
 Alexander the Great, his conquest of, and 
 progress in, India, 97, 98 
 
 Alexandria, first view of, 6. Imports and 
 exports of, 6. Its importance, 7. The 
 city, 7. Excavations in, 8. Cleopatra's 
 Needle and Pompey's Pillar, 8. The 
 Catacombs, 8. Improvements in, 10 
 
 Allahabad, approach to, 338. The old 
 city, 339. A temple at, 339. The Fort 
 and Jumma Musjid of, 340 The Serai 
 of Khusru, 340. Railway from Bombay 
 to, 341. Trade of, 342. Native dwell- 
 ings on the river's banks, 342. The 
 Mag Mela, or great fair of, 343. 
 Barbers, 344. The cavern, 345, 346. 
 Divine service at, 453. Results of the 
 Mag Mela on individuals and business, 
 463, 464 
 
 Alligators of India, 1 17 
 
 Alprmteswar, the god, his office at 
 Benares, 310 
 
 Alumbagh, the, at Lucknow, 429 
 
 Amethysts found in India, 116 
 
 Animals worshipped by the Hindoos, 
 105. Of India, 116, 117 
 
 Anklets of Indian woman, 71 
 
 Annupurna, the god, his office at Benares, 
 310 
 
 Armenian, an, his letter on the Civil 
 Service, 112 
 
 'Arts, School of Industrial,' at Madras, 
 200 
 
 Asaf-o-dowla, King of Oude, raises Luck- 
 now to the dignity of a capital, 431. 
 His building the Imambarra, 440 . 
 
526 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 ASS 
 
 Assam, tea cultivation of, 273-275 
 
 Astrology, Parsee belief in, 120. Prac- 
 tised at Benares, 31 1 
 
 Astronomy, importance of a knowledge 
 of, in India, 371 
 
 Aurungzebe, Mogul Emperor, extent of 
 his city of Delhi, 369 
 
 BABAJEE, Gopal, his details of toddy 
 distilling, 477 
 Baber, the Emperor, his rule, 96, 97 
 Badshah Munzil, at Lucknow, 434 
 Baker, Sir Samuel, his campaign against 
 
 the slave trade in Egypt, 15 
 Bally, paper-mill at, 465 
 Balurama, the god, at Serampore, 255 
 Bangalore, a sanatorium for the Anglo- 
 Madras people, 218 
 Banks, Major, his grave at Lucknow, 
 
 438 
 Bansee, Rajah of, his reformation of some 
 
 marriage customs, 384 
 
 Banyans, or brokers, of Calcutta, 74. 
 The Banyan still employed in Calcutta, 
 248 
 
 Barbers, native, at Allahabad, 344. Their 
 importance, 344, 345 
 
 Barrackpore, military station of) 257. 
 Park of, 557, 259. Ghaut near, 258 
 
 Bath, a, at a dak bungalow, 298 
 
 Bazaars of Bombay, 74 
 
 Beggars, religious, at Benares, 318. And 
 throughout India, 335. The craft else- 
 where, 336 
 
 Behar, arrival in, 301. Ancient splen- 
 dour of, 302. Productions and manu- 
 factures of, 302. Forests of, 302 
 
 Benares, swarms of monkeys in a temple 
 at, loi, 151. The buildings of, 306. 
 Luxuriance of the crops in the suburbs 
 of, 306. An aristocratic wedding at, 
 307, Sanctity of the city, 309. Its 
 ancient name and power, 309. Im- 
 mense numbers of temples and gods at, 
 310. Sacred wells at, 310. Manufac- 
 tures of the city, 311. Astrologj- and 
 
 BOM 
 
 divination practised at, 311. The 
 opium agency at, 311. Visit to the 
 temple of the goddess Doorga, 312. 
 View of the city from the Ganges, 313, 
 
 314. Aquatic devotions of the people, 
 
 315. Description of the interior of the 
 city, 317. The Brahmin bull in the 
 streets of, 318. The rehgious mendi- 
 cants of, 318. Inside the temple of 
 Bisheshwar, 319. Devotees at his well, 
 320. Sights and sounds in the streets, 
 322, 323. View of the city at sundown, 
 
 493 
 
 Bengal, number of schools and colleges 
 of, 365. Wayside scenes in, from the 
 railway, 280 
 
 Bengal Coal Company, 283 
 
 Bhairnoth, the god, his office at Benares, 
 310, 319 
 
 Bheesties, or water-carriers, of Calcutta, 
 242 
 
 Bhopaul, Begum of, her encampment at 
 Delhi, 368. Invested with the Star of 
 India, 368 
 
 Bhore Ghaut Railway, 143 
 
 Bhowrees, a thieving community, in India, 
 410 
 
 Bible, study of the, in India, 90, 91 
 
 Bikaneerdistrict, families of robbers in the, 
 410 
 
 Binayaka, the god, at Benares, 310 
 
 Birds of India, 116. Of prey, 116, 117 
 
 Bisheswar, temple of, at Benares, 319. 
 The god regarded as the patron in chief 
 of the city, 319. His well, 320. Presi- 
 ding genius of the well, 320 
 
 Black Town, Madras, 197 
 
 Bombay, description of, 59. Coast of, 60. 
 View of, from Malabar Hill, 61. ' Bun- 
 derboats ' of, 62. European residences 
 at, 63. Gardens and vegetation of, 64. 
 Dwellings of the poor of, 65. The sea- 
 shore of, 65. The social routine of, 
 66. Conveyances of, 67. Citizens of, 
 68. The Parsees of, 68. Exquisites 
 and fakeers of, 68. Results of the ad- 
 vanced civilization of, 71. Elphinstone 
 
INDEX. 
 
 527 
 
 BRA 
 Circle, 72. Dealers and go-downs, 73. 
 Mode of doing business, 74. The na- 
 tive bazaars, 76. The Fort and Es- 
 planade, 77. Bombay life and industry, 
 78. Evenings on the Esplanade, 79. 
 Details of the speculative mania of 1 86 1 , 
 
 80. Textile products of the Presidency, 
 
 81. Inherent vitality of the trade of 
 the island, 82. Public works and im- 
 provements, 83. Influence and number 
 of the Parsees in, 118. The Dokkma 
 of the Parsees at, 120. Their fire-tem- 
 ples, 121. The land system of, 392. 
 Cotton mills of, 466. Supply of fruits 
 and vegetables in the markets of, 483. 
 A chamel ground at, 489. Progress of 
 education in, 5<X) 
 
 Bracelets of Indian women, 71 
 
 Brahma, as the Creator of all things, 100. 
 The two ' families of the sun and moon ' 
 descended from, 100 
 
 Brahmapootra river, deltas formed by the 
 silt of the, 228 
 
 Brahminism, now confronted with Chris- 
 tian learning, 90. Its fasts and festi- 
 vals ; its doctrines and three great 
 deities, 100. Relish of the people for 
 the mystic and wonderful, 100. Basis 
 on which the structure of Brahminism 
 rests, loi. Resemblance of the Hindoo 
 gods to those of classic mythology, loi. 
 Denial by the educated Hindoos of their 
 so-called idol worship, 102, 103. Mr. 
 Jodoo Xath Chuckerbutty's letter to the 
 'Friend of India,' 103. Kindred delu- 
 sions, 105. Rivers, plants, and animals, 
 worshipped, 105. Temples of Brahma 
 throughout India, 132, 133. The sacred 
 Bull, 133. Prejudices of Hindoos, 243. 
 The Brahminical value of self-torture, 
 305. The capital of Hindooism, Be- 
 nares, 306. Decline of Hindooism, 
 519, 520 
 
 Brahmo Somaj, missionaries of the, 103- 
 105. Object of the movement, 520 
 
 British India Steam Navigation Com- 
 pany, excellent condition of its ships, 
 
 CAL 
 
 221. Present magnitude of the scheme, 
 
 222 
 
 Brokers of Bombay, 73 
 
 Buddh, gigantic stone figures of, 137. In- 
 terior of a small temple of, near Galle, 
 180. His 'tooth' at Kandy, 174 
 
 Buddhism, present homes of, 108. Tenets 
 of, 109. Visit to the cave-temples of, 
 at Kenery, 137. Gloomy influence of 
 Buddhism over the Cingalese, 1 59. The 
 pilgrimages of the Jains to Parisnath, 
 294 
 
 Budgendth, shrine of, 303 
 
 Bull, the Brahmin, guarding the entrance 
 to the Hindoo temples, 133. In the 
 streets of Benares, 318 
 
 Bundelkund, Rajah of, at the shrine of 
 Budgenith, 303. His followers' camp 
 
 303 
 
 ' Bunderboats ' of Bombay, 62 
 
 Bungalow, the Indian, described, 63. Dak 
 bungalow, 297 
 
 Burning ghauts, 492 
 
 Burryars, their robberies, 413 
 
 Business negotiations, how arranged in 
 Bombay, 73. The Parsees, 74. The 
 secrets of the pachoori, 74. Negotia- 
 tions at Calcutta, 74 
 
 CACHAR, tea cultivation of, 273-275 
 Cairo, improvements in, 10. Journey 
 from Alexandria to, 17. Sounds and 
 sights of, 23. View of, from the citadel, 
 23. Tombs of the caliphs at, 25. The 
 Pyramids, 25. Scenes in the streets, 
 28. A Cairo lady, 29. Ophthalmia at, 
 30. ' Plague of flies,' 30. Scenes in 
 the Esbekayah, 30. Music at, 3 1 
 Calcutta, mode of conducting business 
 negotiations at, 74. Anxiety of the 
 residents of, as to the prospective condi- 
 tion of the Hooghly at, 229. Formation 
 and abandonment of Port Canning, 230. 
 Appearance -of the city from Garden 
 Reach, 237. The Maidan, or park, 237. 
 Chowringhee, 237. Fort William and 
 
528 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 CAL 
 
 the Course, 237, 238, 262. Shipping in 
 the river, 238. No quays or jetties at, 
 239. Proposed jetties and floating 
 bridge at, 239. Sanitary and other 
 improvements, 239. Population of the 
 city, 239, 241. Pubhc buildings and 
 contemplated institutions, 240. Burning 
 ghauts on the banks of the Hooghly, 
 24a Persons who pay the local license 
 tax, 241. Extent of the trade of the 
 city, 241. Streets of the city, 242. 
 Bullock hackries, or carts, 243. Cruelty 
 to animals in India, 243, 244. Business 
 streets and native life of the city, 244, 
 245. Pukka houses among poor habita- 
 tions, 246. Go-downs of piece-goods 
 merchants, 246, 247. Anglo-Indian 
 commerce at, 249. Bargaining at, 250. 
 View of the city at early morning, 256. 
 Temples on the Hooghly, 256. Journey 
 to Tittighur and Barrackporc, 256. 
 Cost of residing in Calcutta, 261, 262. 
 The adjutant birds, 264. Places of 
 worship, 264. Learned and masonic 
 societies, 265. Commerce and manu- 
 factures, 265. Table of exports from 
 Calcutta to Great Britain, 266. Produce 
 locations, 267. Jute and cotton mills 
 of, 466 
 Calico printers of Delhi, 359 
 Caliphs, tombs of the, at Cairo, 25 
 Campbell, Mr. George, his report respect- 
 ing the education of the Indian people, 
 
 383 
 
 Camels on the Great Trunk Road, 328 
 
 Camphor refining, mode of, 474, 475 
 
 Canning, Port, formation and abandon- 
 ment of, 230 
 
 ' Cantonments ' of Aden, 43. Of Cawn- 
 pore, 420 
 
 Carnatic, the, its former pomp and power, 
 186. Its export trade, 186. Its his- 
 tory, 186. Its population, 187 
 
 Carpet weaving, native, at Mirzapore, 
 466, 467 
 
 Carriage and twelve, a, 453 
 
 Cassim, Sheik, his dye works, 476, 477 
 
 CHU 
 Caste distinctions in Malabar, 147, 148 
 Catacombs of Alexandria, 8 
 Catamarans of Madras, igt 
 Catgut-makers at work, 481 
 Catholic, Roman, converts in Ceylon, 181 
 Cawnpore, the railway station at, 347. 
 View of, 419, 420. Its streets and popu- 
 lation, 419. Its cantonments, 420. Its 
 trade, 420, 421. And manufactures, 421. 
 The public buildings, 421. The Mutiny 
 at, 422. The old well of, as it was and 
 is, 422-424 
 Cemetery, an Indian, at Madras, 213 
 Ceylon, view of, from the sea, 152. 
 Adam's Peak, 152. Galle, 153. The 
 pearl fishery, 154. Anight drive from 
 Galle to Colombo, 156. History of the 
 island, 158. Character of the Cinga- 
 lese, 158, 159. Gloomy influence of 
 Buddhism, 159. Imports and exports 
 of the island, 160. The coffee planta- 
 tions and property, 161-163. Popula- 
 tion, 163. Schools, 163. Fauna and 
 flora, 163, 164. Dress of the people of 
 Colombo, 167. The road from Colombo 
 to Galle, 179. Temples of Buddh, 174, 
 181. Roman Cathohc converts, 181 
 Chamars, or dealers in hides, their 
 
 criminal practices, 412 
 Charms, Parsee belief in the use of, 120 
 Charnel grounds, in India, 489 
 Cheyncs, their robberies, 413 
 Chignons, worn by Cingalese women, 
 
 168 
 China, export of opium from India to, 268, 
 
 269 
 Chinaman, w-hy he worshipped the Devil, 
 
 100 
 Chokydars. See Police. 
 Chowdrees of villages in the North- West 
 
 of India, 394 
 Christianity in India, state of, 106. Mis- 
 sionary ground, 107. Mission of Drs. 
 Macleod and Watson, 107 
 Chuckerbutty, Mr. Jodoo Nath, his letter 
 
 to the ' Friend of India,' 103 
 Chunar, view of, from the Ganges, 487 
 
INDEX. 
 
 529 
 
 CIN 
 
 Cinerators, 491, 492 
 
 Cingalese, their dress, 167, 168. Their 
 habit of chewing the betel nut, 168. 
 The women and their dress, 168. 
 Toddy drawers, 179. Manly amuse- 
 ments, 180 
 
 Cinnamon estates, number of, in Cey- 
 lon, 163. Gardens near Colombo, 169. 
 Peelers at work, 1 70 
 
 Civil Service of India, Covenanted, 11 1. 
 Uncovenanted, ill. Character of the 
 Civil Service proper, 112-114 
 
 Cleopatra's Needle, 8 
 
 Climate of India, 1 14 
 
 Qive, Lord, Indian events of his times, 95 
 
 Coal-fields of India, 82, 1 15. Of Ranee- 
 gunge, 282, 283. Produce of the various 
 companies, 283. Quality of Indian 
 coal, 283. Mode of raising coal, 283. 
 And conveying it to Calcutta, 284, 
 Freaks of the native colliers and barge- 
 men, 284 
 
 Cocoa nut, number of estates of, in Ceylon, 
 163. Uses of the cocoa palm, 165. 
 Abundance of the fruit, 1 78 
 
 Coffee, exports of, from Ceylon to England, 
 160. Coolies on a coffee estate, 161. 
 Speculations and panics of coffee-plant- 
 ing, 161. Statistics of the cultivation, 
 162. Value of the coffee property of 
 the island, 163. Tamil women picking 
 coffee, 164. Districts in which it is 
 best cultivated, 275. The first coffee 
 plantation in India, 275. Present 
 quantity and value of its exports, 276 
 
 Coiners, gangs of, in India, 410 
 
 Colleges in India, 90 
 
 Colombo, aspect of, 165. The Lake at, 
 
 165. The Fort of, 166. Population of, 
 
 166. The Pettah, or native town, 167. 
 Dress of the people, 167, 168. Cinna- 
 mon gardens, 169. Galle Face, 173 
 
 Conoonagola, an EngUsh planter at, 176 
 Constellations, the, in the Tropics, 52-55 
 Coolie, hut of a, in Bengal, 231. Coolies 
 
 at Bombay, 67. Their appearance and 
 
 dress, 454 
 
 DAN 
 
 Copper mining in India, 116 
 
 Coromandcl Sands, arid and inhospitable 
 nature of the coast, 186 
 
 Corrie, Bishop, his Grammar school at 
 Madras, 201 
 
 Cossipore, sugar-mill at, 465 
 
 Cotton trade of Egypt, 9. Origin of cotton 
 in that country, 10. Cultivation of, in 
 India, 270. Cotton districts, 271. Vast 
 field open for cultivation, 271. Mode 
 of conveying it to Calcutta, 271, 272. 
 Improvements in screwing and press- 
 ing, 272, 273. Competition with 
 America, 272 
 
 Cotton manufactures, extent of indigenous, 
 in India, 359-361. A weaver and 
 winder of thread, 360 
 
 Cotton mills of Bombay and Calcutta, 
 466. Complications of the cotton in- 
 dustry, 468 
 
 ' Course,' the, at Calcutta, 238, 262 
 
 Cow, the, venerated by the Parsees, 1 19. 
 
 Cremation ground, a, at Madras, 213. 
 Burning ghauts on the banks of the 
 Hooghly, 240 
 
 Criminals in India, 410. Dr. Mouat's 
 volume upon, 412 
 
 Cross, the, worn by Cingalese converts, 
 181, 182 
 
 Crows at Madras, 204, 205. And on the 
 Great Trunk Road, 327. Near Delhi, 
 
 353 
 Crystal rock found in India, 1 16 
 
 DACOITS, or highwaymen, in India, 
 410. In the convict prison at 
 Agra, 417 
 
 Dagobas of the Buddhists, 108 
 
 Dik bungalow, a, 297. Refreshments at 
 a, 297 
 
 D4k gharry travelling, 287. Rate of pro- 
 gress per day, 292 
 
 Dalhousie, Lord, his policy of lapse, 497 
 
 Dancing girls of the temples of Pooree, 
 225 
 
 M M 
 
530 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 BAR 
 
 Darius Hystaspes, his expedition into 
 
 India, 98 
 Darjeeling a sanatorium, 295 
 Dead, treatment of the, 490, 491 
 Dealers, at Bombay, and elsewhere, 73 
 Debt, public, of India, 86 
 Delhi, states founded on the ruins of, 96. 
 Confines of the city, 353. First view of, 
 354. The Fort, 355. Distance of the 
 city by rail from Calcutta, 356. Effects 
 of the besieging artillery in 1857, 356. 
 Aspect of the streets, 356, 357. Gold- 
 smiths and their work, 357, 358. Trades 
 and shops, 358, 359. The Jumma 
 Musjid, 361, 362. Number of mosques 
 of the city, 363. The palace of the 
 Moguls, 363. Scene of the massacre in 
 1857, 365. Ruins of the old city, 366, 
 367. Once an emporium for Cashmere 
 shawls, 366. The new city, 366. The 
 battered and broken Cashmere Gate, 
 367. Tomb of Humayoon, 368. The 
 Observatory, or Junter Munter, 369, 
 370. Extent of the city in the time 
 of Aurungzcbe, 369. The Observa- 
 tory, 369, 370. The Kutub Minar, 
 or leaning tower, 371, 372. The old 
 mosque and streets, 372, 373. The 
 acrobats of the well, 373. Former 
 suburban luxuriance, 375. The last of 
 the Moguls, 375 
 Denison, Sir W. and Lady, their hospi- 
 talities at Madras, 209 
 Desert of Egypt, impressions of the, 33 
 Devadasa, the ancient name of Benares, 
 
 309 
 Devotees at Hindoo shrines, 320. At the 
 
 Jumma Musjid of Delhi, 362 
 Dhome, office of the, on the banks of the 
 
 Ganges, 490 
 Diamond mines of India, 116. Diamonds 
 
 worn in India, 129 
 Dilkoosha,or Heart's Delight, of Lucknow, 
 
 447 
 Divination practised in India, 311 
 Dogs, pariah, on the banks of the Ganges, 
 
 487 
 
 EGY 
 
 Dokkma, or 'Tower of Silence,' of the 
 
 Parsees, 120 
 Doomree, the dak bungalow at, 296 
 Doorga Poojah, festival of, in India, 253 
 Doorga, the goddess, temple of, at Benares, 
 
 312 
 Dosadhs, their crimes, 413 
 Dress of the jieople of India, 69. Of the 
 
 Cingalese, 167, 168. Of the piece-goods 
 
 merchants at Calcutta, 248 
 Drought, seasons of, in India, 226. That 
 
 in Orissa, 225 
 Dunwah Pass, the, 300. Mode of ascend- 
 ing the, 301 
 Dutch, foundation of their power in India, 
 
 96 
 Dyeing, process of, at Agra, 400. Details 
 
 of the work, 475, 476. The dyers of 
 
 Delhi, 359 
 
 EAST INDIA COMPANY, establish- 
 ment of the power of the, 95, 96. 
 Condition of rural affairs under their 
 rule, 389. Letter of Warren Hastings 
 on the condition of the Indian peasantry . 
 
 389, 390 
 
 East India Company, Dutch, establish- 
 ment of the, 96 
 
 ' Ecce Homo ' referred to, 215 
 
 Edinburgh, Duke of, wish of the people 
 of India for him as their viceroy, 407 
 
 Educational establishments in India, num- 
 ber and cost of the, 89. Colleges and 
 universities, 90. Dr. Wilson's estab- 
 lishment, 91. Progress of the educa- 
 tional system at Madras, 200, 201 
 
 Egypt, wonders of, 5. Alexandria, 6. 
 Trade of, 6. Revenue of, 7. Cotton 
 trade of, 9, 10. Rule of Said Pacha and 
 Ismail Pacha, 9. Railways in, 10. The 
 Suez Canal, 10, 1 1. Barriers to human 
 progress still existing in, 12. Work 
 before Ismail Pacha, 14, 15. Destruc- 
 tive effects of an inundation of the Nile, 
 21, 22. Villages and houses in Egypt, 
 
INDEX. 
 
 531 
 
 ELE 
 
 22. Cairo, 23. Impressions of the 
 
 Desert, 33. Suez, 34 
 Elephants, exports of, from India, 160. 
 
 Travelling on the Great Trunk Road, 
 
 328 
 Elphinstone Circle, at Bombay, 72 
 Elphinstone College, the New, at Ijombay, 
 
 83 
 
 Elphinstone Land Company, work ac- 
 complished by the, at Bombay, 83 
 
 Encampment on the Grand Trunk Road, 
 
 Eurasians in India, 11 1 
 
 FAIR, the great, of Allahabad, 343 
 Fakeers of Bombay, 68. The 
 
 fekeer central rendezvous at Benares, 
 
 318. Their life throughout India, 3 15 
 Farming systems of the old Hindoo rulers 
 
 and of the Mussulman princes, 389 
 Fate, Well of, at Benares, 310 
 Ferguson, Mr. James, his researches 
 
 touching the ancient inhabitants of 
 
 India, 388 
 Fete champetre at Madras, 210 
 Filigree work of Delhi, 357 
 Fire-worshippers. See Parsees. 
 Fire-temples in Bombay, 121 
 ' Flies, plague of,' in Cairo, 30 
 Forest trees of India, 116 
 Framjee, Mr. Dosabhoy, his work on the 
 
 Parsees, 119 
 Freemasonry at Madras, 199. Societies 
 
 at Calcutta, 265 
 French possessions in India, area and 
 
 population of the, 88 
 Funeral, a Hindoo, at Madras, 21$ 
 Funeral, a, in Benares, 323 
 
 GALLE, visit to, 153. Houses, hotels, 
 and shops of, 153 
 Ganges, the, worshipped by Hindoos, ibj. 
 Its formation of deltas by deposit of 
 silt, 328. Its junction with the Jumna 
 and Sereswati, 343. Steamers navi- 
 
 HEA 
 
 gating the, 485, 486. Character of the 
 banks of the river, 486. A long watery 
 gra\e, 489 
 
 Gardens at Madras, 203. At Bombay, 
 64 
 
 Garden Reach, Calcutta, 236 
 
 Gazelles, Egyptian, 34 
 
 Genghiz Khan, conquests of, in India, 97 
 
 George, P'ort St., at Madras, 197 
 
 Gharry, a dak, described, 287. Travel- 
 ling by, 289 
 
 Ghatwals, or landed-proprietor police, 
 
 41s 
 
 Gipsy Nuts, their robberies, 413 
 
 God, the Supreme, according to the 
 Shastres, 100 
 
 Gold found in India, 116 
 
 Goldsmiths of Delhi, 358 
 
 Gonds, the, devoid of dress, 69 
 
 Goomtee river at Lucknow, 436. Bridges 
 over the, 436, 437 
 
 Gophall, the native attendant, 290, 291 
 
 Government, the various members of the, 
 of India, 110, iii 
 
 Grand Trunk Road, walk on the, at day- 
 light, 293, 296. The road between 
 Benares and Allahabad, 324. Scenes 
 on the road, 325 et seq. The serais on 
 the, 330 
 
 Gwallas, their robberies, 413 
 
 TTACKRIES, bullock, in Calcutta, 
 
 
 243 
 
 Halalcores, or dustmen, of Indian cities, 
 
 484, 485 
 Hanuman, monkey-king of India, loi. 
 
 Swarms of monkeys in the temple at 
 
 Benares, loi 
 Hastings, Warren, Indian events of his 
 
 time, 95. His establishment of the 
 
 Calcutta Madrissa, 501 
 Havelock, Sir Henry, his grave at Luck- 
 now, 429 
 Heat of India in various places, 1 14 
 Heavens, beauty of the, in the China Sea, 
 
 53 
 
 M M 2 
 
532 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 HIG 
 
 High Court buildings, cost of the proposed, 
 at Bombay, 83 
 
 Highland pipers at Benares, 308 
 
 Hindoos, their study of the Bible, 90, 91 
 
 Hindooism. See Brahminism. 
 
 Hooghly river, anxiety at Calcutta as to 
 its prospective condition, 229. Width 
 of the, at its mouth, 231. Scenery of 
 the banks, 231. Half-burnt corpses for- 
 merly floating in, 240 
 
 Horeb, Mount, place of debarkation for 
 visitors to, 37 
 
 Howrah, the ' Surrey side ' of Calcutta, 
 239. Proposed floating bridge to, 239 
 
 Humayoon, Tomb of, at Delhi, 368. 
 Dynasty founded by him, 369 
 
 Hunter, Mr. W. W., his remarks on the 
 inner life of the people, 216. His his- 
 tory referred to, 388 
 
 Hurdwar, the ' Gate of the Ganges,' sup- 
 posed holiness of the water at, 333. 
 Extraordinary number of pilgrims at, in 
 1867, 347. People carrying the water 
 of, 428 
 
 Hyder Ali, subjugation of, 95 
 
 IMAMBARRA, the, of Lucknow, 440, 
 441 
 India, dress of the natives of, 69. Pro- 
 gress of commerce of the country during 
 the last quarter of a century, 84. The 
 railway system, 84, 85. The revenue 
 and public debt, 86, 87. Area and 
 population of British India and of the 
 Native States, 88. The different na- 
 tions and principal languages, 89. In- 
 significance of the number of the Euro- 
 peans in India, 89. Educational estab- 
 lishments, 89, 90. Present policy which 
 marks the administration of Indian 
 aflairs, 92. Union of the European 
 and native communities in public aflairs, 
 92. Admission of natives to a share of 
 the honours at the disposal of the Crown, 
 92, 93. Retrogressive view of Indian 
 history, 94, 95. Establishment of Eng- 
 
 IND 
 
 lish, Dutch, and Portuguese power, 95. 
 The various invasions of Hindostan, 
 97, 98. Account of Hindooism, 100, 
 loi. Stagnation of India, contrasted 
 with progress in England, loi. Bud- 
 dhism, 108. Act of 1858, vesting all the 
 territories of the East India Company in 
 the Queen of England, 1 10. The pre- 
 sent plan of the Indian government, 
 no. III. Character and inducements 
 of the Civil Service, 11 2-1 14. Cli- 
 mate, 114. Monsoons, 114. Vegetable 
 products and minerals, 115, 116. 
 Forests, 116. Zoology, 116, 117. Fish 
 found on the coasts and in the rivers, 
 117. The Parsees, 1 18-130. Wells 
 and tanks, 131. Rock-cut excava- 
 tions, 135. Sanatoria, 140. The Ma- 
 labar coast and people, 147, 148. Ma- 
 dras, 188 et seq. Friendly alliances 
 of natives and Europeans, 201, 202. 
 Indian domestic service, 205, 261. Re- 
 curring seasons of drought, 226. For- 
 mation and trade of the Sunderbunds, 
 229. Extent of the trade of British 
 India, 241. Indian festivals, 233. 
 Expenses of living in India, 261. Coal- 
 fields, 283. Dak travelling, 287, 292. 
 The Mofussil, 299. Behar, 302. 
 Benares, 306. Scenes on the Grand 
 Trunk Road, 325. Indian villages, 
 334. Indian beggars, 318, 335. Alla- 
 habad, 338. A downfall of rain, 348. 
 Changes in the country going north, 
 353. Delhi, 354. The industrial occu- 
 pations of the people, 359-361. Im- 
 provements in the education of women, 
 382. Marriages, 148, 301, 307, 322, 338, 
 378, 384. Condition of the Mofussil, 
 or country, 387. The various systems 
 of Indian land tenure, 390, 391, 393. 
 Constitution of an Indian village, 393. 
 The North-west Provinces, 398. Agra, 
 398. Desire of the natives for a royal 
 viceroy, 407. Police affairs and the 
 criminal classes, 409. Cawnpore, 419. 
 Lucknow, 428. Indigenous industry. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 533 
 
 IND 
 465. Aim of British rule, 495. The 
 Dasyans, or aboriginal Indians, 496. 
 The Bengalees, 497. The work of the 
 government in the future, 497. Lord 
 Dalhousie's policy of lapse, 497. Pro- 
 gress during the last half-century, 498. 
 Elements of this progress, 498. The 
 educational system, 500-502. The two 
 Madrissas, 501. The press of India, 
 503-508. New aids to advancement, 
 
 509. Map of the railways, 509. 
 Schemes of irrigation and reclamation, 
 
 510. Electric telegraphs, 511. The 
 Russo-Indian question, 512-514. Policy 
 of conciliation, 514, 515. Dangers from 
 the Mahommedans, 515. The war of 
 creeds, 517. Eflects of British rule, 
 521. Annual value of British produce 
 and manufactures exported to India, 
 521, 522 
 
 Indigo, ancient trade in, 270. Manufac- 
 ture of, 270 
 Indigo dyeing in India, 475 
 Industries, indigenous, of India, 465 
 Iron ore in India, 116 
 Irrigation schemes in India, 510 
 Ismail Pacha, his reformations in Eg>'pt, 
 9. His visits to England, 14. Work 
 before him, 14, 15. Splendours of his 
 palace, 15 
 
 JACKALS at Calcutta, 264 
 Jains, their pilgrimages to Parisnath, 
 294. Their shrines and temple there, 
 294 
 
 Jehad, the, or Crescentade, in India, 515 
 
 Jehan, Shah, Mogul Emperor, his founda- 
 tion of the modem Delhi, 370. The 
 Zenana at Agra, 402. The Taj there, 
 404, 405 
 
 Jehan, Noor, the favourite wife of Shah 
 Jehan, 404, 405 
 
 Jewellery, a concomitant of wealth in 
 India, 248, 249 
 
 Jeypore, Rajah of, his ' Prince of Dials ' 
 at Delhi, 370 
 
 LEW 
 
 Jubal, on the Red Sea, telegraph station 
 at, 38 
 
 Juggemauth, worship of, in Orissa, 223. 
 Car of, 223. Temple of, 223, 224. Self- 
 immolation under the wheels of the car 
 now at an end, 224. Disease and death 
 among the pilgrims to Pooree, 224. Pil- 
 grims on the Hooghly sailing to the 
 shrine, 232. The festival of the god, as 
 held at Serampore, 254. His tour, 255 
 
 Jugglers, Indian, at Madras, 211, 212. 
 At Delhi, 376, 377 
 
 Jumna river, its junction with the Ganges 
 and Sereswati, 343. Sacred to the 
 H indoos, 343. Railway bridge over the, 
 at Delhi, 364 
 
 Jumma Musjid, the, of Allahabad, 338. 
 Of Delhi, 361, 372. Of Lucknow, 442 
 
 Jute factories in India, 267. Trade and 
 manufacture of, 270. Of Calcutta, 466 
 
 KADUGINAWA Pass, the, 172, 174 
 Kaiserbagh, the, at Lucknow, 433, 435 
 Kandy, Lake and town of, 1 73. Buddlia's 
 
 tooth at, 174 
 Kasi, ancient kingdom of, 309 
 Kenery, heights of, visit to the, 135. And 
 
 to the caves, 137 
 Kites on the Great Trunk Road, 327. 
 
 Near Delhi, 353 
 Knowledge, Well of, at Benares, 310 
 Kurruck, Dewa Luximon, his tan yard, 
 
 473 
 Kutub Minar, or leaning tower of Delhi, 
 
 371, 372 
 
 LAC DYE WORKS of Mirzapore, 469. 
 Details of the lac manufacture, 470 
 Lall, Baboo Bunwarry, his endowment of 
 
 a serai at Chuprah, 331 
 Languages, principal, of India, 89 
 Lawrence, Sir Henry, his grave at Luck- 
 now, 438, 440 
 Lewin, Captain, his report on the hill 
 tracts of Chittagong, 388 
 
534 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 LIB 
 
 Libra, an Indian, 210 
 
 Lucknow, luxuriance of the country near, 
 428, 449. The Alumbagh, 429. The 
 grave of Havelock, 429. Magnificence 
 of the city, 430. Its origin and progress, 
 431. Its population, 431. The Kaiser- 
 bagh, 433. The Chutter Munzil, 435. 
 Bridges over the Goomtee, 436. The 
 Motee Mahul, 436. The Khoorshid 
 Munzil, 436. The Tarrawallie Kothie, 
 or Observatory, 436. Present condition 
 of the Residency, 438, 439. Graves of 
 Neill, Banks, and Lawrence, 438. The 
 Roomie Durwaza, 441,442. Thejumma 
 Musjid, 442. The Hoseinabad Imam- 
 barra of Mohamed Ali Shah, 443. A 
 wreck among ruins, 444. Cheapness 
 and abundance of labour in the city, 
 446. The gardens of the Agri-Horti- 
 cultural Society of Oude, 446. Wing- 
 field Park, 446. Streets and public 
 buildings, 447. DecHneof the city, 447. 
 The Dilkoosha, 447. The Martiniere,or 
 Constantia, 448 
 
 Lumbadars of villages in the North-West 
 of India, 394 
 
 MACLEOD, Rev. Dr., his mission to 
 India, 107 
 Madras, city of, its appearance from the 
 sea, 188. Imports and exports of the 
 town, 189. Its anchorage, 189. The 
 pier and its cost, 190. Proposed har- 
 bour and breakwater, 190, 219. The 
 fishermen and their catamarans, 191. 
 Description of the interior of the city, 
 192. DweUings of the merchants, 194, 
 Extent of the city, 195. St. Andrew's 
 Church, 196. The inhabitants, 196. 
 Fort St. George, 197. Black Town, 
 
 197. Religious and secular institutions, 
 
 198. Freemasonry and masonic lodges, 
 
 199. Schools, 200, 201. The beach, 
 
 202. The day's routine at Madras, 
 
 203. A home in the suburbs, 203. 
 Piece-goods dealers, 208. Examination 
 
 • MAR 
 
 of a native school, 208. Hospitalities 
 at Government House at Guindy, 209. 
 Visit of a Prince of Travancore to the 
 city, 210. Indian jugglers, 211, 212. 
 A cremation ground, 213. A Hindoo 
 funeral, 215. Scanty fall of rain, 216. 
 Anglo-Madras life in summer, 217. 
 Sanatoria at this time, 218. Commer- 
 cial position and prospects of Madras, 
 
 218, 219. Railway from it to Bombay, 
 
 219. Population of the Presidency, 220. 
 The land system of, 392. Indigenous 
 industry at, 465. Condition of educa- 
 tion in, 500 
 
 Magadha, ancient magnificence of, 302 
 
 Mahableshwar mountain, 141 
 
 Mahmood, Sultan of Ghuznee, his con- 
 quests, and war against the heathen 
 gods, in India, 97 
 
 Mahomed Bahadur, the last of the Empe- 
 rors of Delhi, 375 
 
 Mahomed Noor, his process of indigo 
 dyeing, 475, 476 
 
 Mahometanism, character of, 12. Decay 
 of its fanaticism, 12. Mixed up with 
 Hindooism in India, io8 
 
 Mahommedan worshipper, a, onshipboard, 
 235. At Agra, 406 
 
 Mahommedan Literary Society of Cal- 
 cutta, 265 
 
 Mahommedans, their objections to the po- 
 licy of the Government as to education, 
 500. Number of, attending schools, 
 500. Dangers to be apprehended from, 
 to British rule in India, 515 
 
 Maidan, or park, of Calcutta, 237, 262, 
 263 
 
 Malabar, coast of, 147. Ancient laws 
 existing in, 147. Caste distinctions in, 
 147, 148 
 
 Manikarnika Well at Benares, 310 
 
 Marquees of India, 78 
 
 Marriage, singular custom of the Niars of 
 Malabar, 148. One at Shergotty, 301. 
 Benares, 307, 322. At Allahabad, 338. 
 Lucky days for marriage, 378. Marriage 
 processions and their importance, 378. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 535 
 
 MAR 
 
 The bereaved peon, 379. Two proces- 
 sions in Delhi, 380, 381. The present 
 systems in various parts of India, 384. 
 Early marriages, 384, Engaged lovers, 
 385. Widows, 386. Demand for 
 bridegrooms who have taken university 
 degrees, 386 
 
 Martin, Claude, his building the Marti- 
 nifere, at Lucknow, 448 
 
 Marwar district, families of robbers in 
 the, 410 
 
 Marwarries in Calcutta, 248 
 
 Materan mountain, visit to a villa on, 141. 
 View from, 142, 143 
 
 Mayo, Lord, his policy of conciliation, 515 
 
 Meenas, the, or families of robbers, 400 
 
 Meerasidars of the old Hindoo rule, 
 
 389 
 
 Melas of Bengal, 253 
 
 Minerals and metals of India, llj 
 
 Mirzapore, by night, 456. And by day- 
 light, 456, 457. The neighbourhood of 
 the city, 457. Its manufactures and 
 depots for merchandise, 458. Impaired 
 as a mart for commerce, 458. Journey 
 to Benares down the Ganges, 459. 
 Schools and charities of the city, 460, 
 461. Carpet weaving at, 467. Manu- 
 factories of lac dye and shellac, 469 
 
 Mofussil, the, 299, 300. Meaning of the 
 term, 387. Moral condition of rural 
 India for ages past, 388. The ryot, and 
 his condition under the Mahommedan 
 princes, 388, 389. Under the old Hin- 
 doo rule, 389. And under the East 
 India Company, 389. The various 
 systems of tenure, 390, 391. Indian 
 villages and their constitution, 393- 
 
 396 
 
 Moguls, power and splendour of the do- 
 minion of the, in India, 96 
 
 Mohamed Ali Shah, King of Oude, his 
 building the Hoseinabad Imambarra at 
 Lucknow, 443 
 
 Monkey-kings in India, loi 
 
 Monkeys, swarms of, in a temple at Be- 
 nares, loi, 151. The monkey army of 
 
 OPH 
 the King of Oude, 149. Legend of the 
 sacred black-faced monkeys of the Hin- 
 doos, 149, 151 
 
 Monkey's Bridge, legend of the, at Palkd, 
 151 
 
 Monsoons, 14 
 
 Moon, her brightness in India, 326. Her 
 value as a 'light to the path,' 455 
 
 Mosquitoes in India, 64 
 
 Motee Musjid, or Pearl Mosque, of Agra, 
 400, 401. The interior and the wor- 
 shippers, 402 
 
 Mouat, Dr., Inspector-general of Indian 
 prisons, his report on the criminal 
 classes, 412 
 
 Muchee Bawn, or Fort of Lucknow, 438 
 
 Mussulah boats of Madras, 192 
 
 NANA SAHIB, scenes of his atroci- 
 ties, 422, 426 
 Nanji, ladooje, his account of camphor 
 
 refining, 475 
 Nautch, the, 125. Nautch girls, 126, 127. 
 
 In Benares, 323. 
 Neill, General, his grave at Lucknow, 438, 
 
 440 
 Neilgherries, the, a sanatorium for the 
 
 Anglo-Madras people, 218 
 Newspapers, Indian, 5C3. Native papers 
 
 and their views, 503-508 
 Niars, caste of the, in Malabar, 148. 
 
 Their marriages, 148 
 Nile, steamers and steaming on the, 17, 
 
 20. Night on the, 19. Destruction 
 
 caused by an inundation of the, 21, 22 
 Nitre, abundant in India, 116 
 Nose-rings of Indian ladies, 71 
 Nowbutpore, a Rajah's camp, 303 
 Nuts, gipsy, their robberies, 413 
 
 OBSERVATORY at Lucknow, 436 
 Okoo Dewa, his oil-pressing shop, 
 
 473, 474 
 Ophir, Indian wealth brought to, 98 
 Ophthalmia, prevalence of, at Cairo, 30 
 
536 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 OPI 
 
 Opium, trade and revenue, 268, 269. 
 The trade in, as an ethical question, 
 268. Export of, to China, 268, 269. 
 The Opium Agency and manufacture 
 at Benares, 311. An opium shop, 480. 
 Mode of taking the drug, 481-483 
 
 Orissa, province of, 222, Population and 
 temperature of, 222. Worship of Jug- 
 gernauth in, 223. The recent drought 
 and famine in, 225. Results of the 
 calamity, 226. The Commission of 
 Enquir)', 226 
 
 Ormuzd, worshipped by the Parsees, 121 
 
 Oude, fertility of, 427, 428, 449. Popula- 
 tion of, 450. Annexation of, 450. The 
 deposed king of, 450, 45 1 
 
 Overland passenger traffic, 2 
 
 PACHOORI, the secrets of the, 74 
 Paddy-birds, flocks of, 353 
 
 Palanquins at Bombay, 67 
 
 Palibrotha, capital of the kingdom of the 
 Prasii, 98 
 
 Palkd, Straits of, difficulties of navigating 
 the, 148, 149. Legend of the, 149-151 
 
 Palm-trees of Ceylon, 178 
 
 Paper-mill at Bally, 465 
 
 Parisnath hills, view of, from the road, 292. 
 The Hill of Parisnath proper, 293. 
 Considered as a sanatorium, 293. Jain 
 pilgrimages to, 294. The Anglo-Indian 
 mode of ascending, 294 
 
 Parsees, the, or fire-worshippers, of Bom- 
 bay, 68, 74. Their influence and num- 
 bers, 118. Their alleged ancestors, 
 118. Conditions under which they 
 were allowed to settle in India, 119. 
 Mr. Framjee's work, 1 19. Faith of 
 the Parsees, 119. Their notions of wo- 
 man's place in hfe, 120. Their super- 
 stitions, 1 20. Their places of sepulture, 
 
 120. Their fire-temples at Bombay, 
 
 121. Similarity between these fire- 
 temples and the Vestal shrines of Rome, 
 
 122. The Parsee principle of Evil, or 
 Ahriman, 122. Conversation with a 
 
 PUN 
 
 Parsee, 123. A nautch at a Parsee 
 gentleman's house, 125. A Parsee lady 
 
 and children, 129 
 Pass-tickets at the bridge of Allahabad, 
 
 344 
 Patiars, or lowest class, in Malabar, 148 
 Pearl-fishery of Ceylon, 152. Value of 
 
 the fishery, i6l 
 Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navi- 
 gation Company, passenger traffic of 
 
 the, 2 
 Piece-goods merchants at Calcutta, 246- 
 
 248 
 Pilgrim, a crawling, 304 
 Plants, worshipped by Hindoos, 105 
 Police, or chokydars, the four orders of, in 
 
 Bengal, 409. Their numbers and work, 
 
 409, 410, 415. The village police, 415. 
 
 The Ghatwals, 415 
 Pompey's Pillar at Alexandria, 8 
 Pondicherry, artificial flowers of, 197 
 Pooree, temple of Juggemauth at, 224. 
 
 Moral and physical loathsomeness of, 
 
 224, 225 
 Population of India, 88. Different nations 
 
 composing the, 89 
 Portugal, golden age of, 96 
 Portuguese possessions in India, area and 
 
 population of, 88. Power of Portugal 
 
 in India, 96. Causes of its decay, 96 
 Porus, kingdom of, conquest of, by Alex- 
 ander the Great, 98 
 Post Office, cost of the proposed new, at 
 
 Bombay, 83 
 Prasii, the, subdued by Alexander the 
 
 Great, 98 
 Press of India, growth and magnitude of 
 
 the, 94. Account of the Indian native 
 
 newspapers, 503 
 Prisons in India, Lord Macaulay on, 416. 
 
 Arrangements in the, 416. The convict 
 
 prison at Agra, 417 
 Public Works Office, cost of the proposed, 
 
 at Bombay, 83 
 Punchayet, the, of the Mofussil, 395 
 PunctuaUty of steamboat sailing on the 
 
 Ganges, 485 
 
INDEX. 
 
 537 
 
 PUX 
 Punjab, silver and antimony mines in the, 
 
 ii6 
 Punkahs and punkah wallahs in India, 206. 
 
 The punkah at night, 207 
 Puppets, Indian, at Delhi, 376, 377 
 Pyramids, view of the, from Cairo, 25. 
 
 Visit to the Pyramids, 26. The new 
 
 pyramidal theory, 27 
 
 RADHA-BULLUBH, temple of, at 
 Serampore, 255 
 
 Railways in Eg)'pt, 10 
 
 Railways of India, details of the, 84. 
 Present condition of the, 85. One from 
 Port Canning to Calcutta, 230. A rail- 
 way station, 278. The platform and 
 passengers, 279. The staff, 280. Way- 
 side scenes, 280. Heat of the carriages 
 in June and July, 286. Map of the lines 
 made, in progress, and projected, 509. 
 Number of passengers conveyed last 
 year, 510 
 
 Rain, anxiety with which it is expected, 
 216, 217, 226, 227. Prayer for, 227. 
 A downfall, 348 
 
 Raneegunge, aspect of, 282. Coal-fields 
 of, 282, 283. Freaks of the colliers of, 
 284, 28s 
 
 Ravana, the giant with ten heads, Hindoo 
 worship of, 10 1 
 
 Red Sea, appearance of the, and of its 
 coast, 35, 36. Arabs of the coast, 36. 
 Telegraph stations on the, 38. Loco- 
 motion on the, 39 
 
 Religions of India. See Brahminism; 
 Buddhism ; Parsees. 
 
 Revolver, present of a, 299. Its use, 300 
 
 Rice, cultivation of, in Ceylon, 163 
 
 Rice-fields of Bengal, 282 
 
 Riding-horse, a, at Madras, 207 
 
 Ringdoves on the confines of Delhi, 353 
 
 River, crossing a, by night, 304 
 
 Robbers in India, 410. Tribes of, 413 
 
 Roe, Sir Thomas, results of his mission to 
 the Court of Delhi, 96 
 
 Rotten Row of Calcutta, 238, 262, 263 
 
 SHA 
 Roy, Koomer Chunder Nath, his offer for 
 
 educating girls, 382 
 Rujwars, their robberies, 413 
 Russo-Indian question, the, 512 
 Ryots, 388. Their condition under vari- 
 ous rulers, 389-391, 394 
 Ryotwary system of land tenure in India, 
 391. Prevalent in Bombay and Ma- 
 dras, 392 
 
 SAID PACHA, his visit to England, 
 9. Benefits of his rule, 9 
 
 Salt, abundance of, in India, 116, 268. 
 Tax on, in India, 268. Cost of the 
 collection of the duty, 268 
 
 Sambhur Lake, salt supply of the, 268 
 
 Sanatoria, Indian, 140 
 
 Sansees, a thieving community, in India, 
 410 
 
 Sapphires found in India, 116. A spark- 
 ling specimen, purchased at Galle, 184. 
 
 Saree, the, of Indian women, 70 
 
 Schlokes of the Parsees, 119 
 
 Schools in India, number and cost of, 89. 
 Free, number and nature of, at Madras, 
 200. Examination of a native school, 
 208. Female schools, 382. Of Mirza- 
 pore, 460. State of the educational 
 system in India, 500 
 
 Secretariat, the proposed, at Bombay, 83 
 
 Secunder Bagh, the, at Lucknow, 446 
 
 Sepulture, mode and places of, Parsec, 
 1 20. See Burning Ghauts ; Cremation. 
 
 Serais on the Grand Trunk Road, 328. 
 The Serai of Khusru at Allahabad. 
 
 340 
 Serampore, festival of Juggemauth as 
 held at, 254. The tour of the gods at, 
 
 2SS 
 Sereswati river, its Junction with the 
 
 Ganges and Jumna, 343. Sacred to 
 
 the Hindoos, 343 
 Servants, domestic, in India, 205. The 
 
 household staff, 261. Pay of servants, 
 
 261. A native attendant, 290, 291 
 Shahab-u-din. his conquests in India, 97 
 
 N N 
 
bj( 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 SHA 
 
 Shastres, the, as the exponent of Brah- 
 minism, loo. Reverence of the Hin- 
 doos for the, loo 
 
 Shawls, Cashmere, Delhi an emporium 
 for, 366 
 
 Shekoabad, arrival at, 349 
 
 Shellac manufactories of Mirzapore, 469. 
 Details of the manufacture, 47 1 
 
 Shere Ali, Ameer of Afghanistan, con- 
 ciUation of, 514 
 
 Shergotty, town of, 301. A marriage pro- 
 cession at, 301 
 
 Shervaroy Hills, a refuge in summer for 
 the Anglo-Madras people, 218 
 
 Ship, scenes on board, bound to Bombay, 
 47. Appearances of the celestial bodies 
 from, 52. Sundays on board, 57. In- 
 cidents on shipboard, 232-235 
 
 Ship, a spectre, story of, 252 
 
 Shiva the Destroyer, why more generally 
 worshipped in India than Vishnu, 100 
 
 Silk plantations in India, 267 
 
 Silver mines in the Punjab, 116 
 
 Sinai, Mount, view of, in the distance, 
 37. The Israelites in the wilderness 
 of, 37 
 
 Sindhyas, their robberies, 413 
 
 Sirsole, coal mines of, 283 
 
 Sla\c trade in Egypt, Sir S. Baker's cam- 
 paign against the, 15 
 
 Snakes of the rivers of India, 1 17 
 
 Soanc river, the, in summer, 303. Rail- 
 way bridge over the, 303 
 
 Somalis, the, at Aden, 42 
 
 Sonarias, in India, 410 
 
 Spinning and weaving in the Bombay 
 Presidency, 81 
 
 Star of India, the order conferred on 
 natives and Europeans, 93 
 
 Stars, their brightness in India, 326 
 
 Stevenson, Rev. Dr., story of, in the tem- 
 ple, 134 
 
 Subhudra, the goddess, at Serampore, 255 
 
 Suez Canal, importance of the, 10. Cere- 
 mony of opening the, 11. Toll on 
 ships navigating the, 11. Neutrality of 
 the, 12 
 
 TRA 
 
 Suez, impressions of, 34. Embarkation 
 
 at, 34 
 
 Sugar estates in Ceylon, 163 
 
 Sugar-mill at Cossipore, 465 
 
 Sugriva, the monkey-king of India, loi 
 
 Sun, regarded by the Parsees as the sym- 
 bol of the Creator, 121 
 
 Sunderbunds, the, 228. People and trade 
 of the, 229 
 
 Sunset glories in India, 145 
 
 Superstitions of the Hindoos, 100, loi 
 
 Survey, Indian, 115 
 
 Sylhct, tea cultivation of, 273 
 
 Syud, or descendant of the Prophet, tomb 
 of a, at Delhi, 364 
 
 TAJ MAHAL, at Agra, steps and gate- 
 ways of the, 402. Its exterior, 403. 
 The interior, 405 
 
 Tamerlane, conquests of, in India, 97 
 
 Tamil women, 164. Tamil men of Colom- 
 bo, 166 
 
 Tanks, system of, in India, 131. Mystic 
 associations connected with some, 132. 
 Construction and endowment of, 134 
 
 Tanners, Indian, 472. Details of their 
 work, 473 
 
 Tarakeswar, the god, his office at Benares, 
 310 
 
 Tea, localities of the factories of, in India, 
 267. Cultivation of, at Cachar, Sylhet, 
 and Assam, 273. Land under cultiva- 
 tion, 274. Amount exported, 274, 275 
 
 Telegraph, electric, in India, 511 
 
 Temples of Brahma, 132. The Hindoo 
 temples throughout India, 133. Con- 
 struction and endowment of temples, 1 34 
 
 Thakoors, their misconduct in some dis- 
 tricts, 400 
 
 Thieves in India, 410-413. Their tricks, 
 411, 4'4 
 
 Tiars, or farmers, of Malabar, 148 
 
 Tittighur, visit to, 257 
 
 Toddy, Cingalese drawing, 179. Details 
 of distilling, 478 
 
 Trade of Bombay, of Calcutta, extent of 
 
INDEX. 
 
 539 
 
 TRA 
 
 the, 241. Modes of carrj-ing it on, 250. 
 
 Superstitions of, in India, 251 
 Travancore, Prince of, his visit to Madras, 
 
 210 
 Trichinopoly, talc pictures of, 197 
 Trinity, Holy, reception of the doctrine 
 
 of the, by the natives of India, 106 
 Turkey, effects of the visits of the Empress 
 
 of the French and of the Prince and 
 
 Princess of Wales to, 1 5 
 
 UNIVERSITY, cost of the proposed 
 building at Bombay, 83. Of Cal- 
 cutta, 90. Of Bombay, 90. And Ma- 
 dras, 90 
 Ushruffee, lighthouse at, 37 
 
 VEDAS, reverence of the Hindoos for 
 the, 100 
 Vegetable prodilcts in India, 115 
 Vestal fires of the Romans compared with 
 
 the fire-temples of the Parsees, 1 22 
 Villages, Indian, and their inhabitants, 
 
 334. A rural scene in Bengal, 335. 
 
 Constitution of, 393. The Lumbadars 
 
 and Chowdrees, 394. Rural law, 395. 
 
 The punchayet, 395. The appearance 
 
 of, in the North-Western Provinces, 396 
 Vishnu, why not so generally worshipped 
 
 as Shiva, 100. Well of the tears of, at 
 
 Benares, 310 
 Vultures on the Great Trunk Road, 327. 
 
 On the banks of the Ganges, 487 
 
 WAHABEES, their enmity to British 
 rule in India, 515-517 
 Wajid Ali Shah, King of Oude, in Luck- 
 now, 433. His residence near Cal- 
 cutta, 450 
 
 ZOR 
 Walker, Dr., his convict prison at Agra, 
 
 417 
 Walkeshwar, holy village of, 132. A 
 
 temple and priest of, 1 32 
 Wangipili, Cingalese village of, 176 
 Water-supply in India, 131 
 Watson, Dr. Forbes, his investigations as 
 
 to the dress of the people of India, 69 
 Weaver, a native cotton, 360 
 Well, a, at Madras, 204. Of old Delhi, 
 
 373. Of Cawnpore, 422, 423. The well 
 
 system of India, 131. Sacred wells at 
 
 Benares, 310, 320 
 Wilcox, Colonel, astronomer royal at 
 
 Lucknow, 437 
 William, Fort, Calcutta, 237, 238 
 Wilson, Rev. Dr. John, his good works 
 
 in education and charity, 90. His 
 
 address at the Buddhist temple of 
 
 Kenery, 139 
 Women, Indian, dress of, 70. Woman's 
 
 life in Bombay, 71. Her seclusion by 
 
 the Parsees, 120. Cingalese, 168, 169. 
 
 Growing interest taken in the education 
 
 of girls, 382. Difficulties caused by 
 
 class prejudices, 383, At work at 
 
 Lucknow, 445 
 Wood of the forests of India, 116 
 Writing, specimens of native English, 461, 
 
 462 
 
 ZEMINDARV system of land tenure 
 in India, 392. The main features of 
 the system, 393 
 Zend Avesta, antiquity of, and belief in- 
 culcated in the, 1 2 1 
 Zoology of India, 1 16, 1 17 
 Zoroaster, religion of. See Parsees. 
 
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