Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2013 
 
 http://archive.org/details/roundworldletterOOfogg 
 
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"ROUND THE WORLD." 
 
 LETTERS 
 
 FROM 
 
 JAPAN, CHINA, 
 
 INDIA, AND EGYPT 
 
 Br WM. PERRY FOGG. 
 
 CLEVELAND, OHIO, 
 
 1872. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 This volume is not published in its present form for public sale, but design - 
 ed as a souvenir to personal friends who have expressed a desire to have copies 
 of these " Letters " for preservation ; and I have endeavored to enhance its 
 value by sketches and photographs of scenery and costumes in the countries 
 through which I passed. The " letter press," I regret to say, is not what it 
 should be, as it was printed before my return from the forms as originally 
 published in the Daily Leader, and abounds in errors resulting from hasty 
 proof-reading, unavoidable in a morning paper. The annexed Errata will 
 rectify some of these most glaring mistakes, but the minor errors in orthogra- 
 phy and punctuation are left to the intelligence of the reader to correct for him- 
 self. 
 
 I was not ordered abroad "by the doctors," but started in perfect health, 
 which I retained through all the vicissitudes of climate, and was so fortunate as 
 not to meet with any serious mishap to mar the pleasure of the journey. Only 
 once, during that eventful night of the typhoon on the Chinese coast, did I 
 question my prudence in being there, without the excuse of ill-health or busi- 
 ness. My motive was not merely the pursuit of pleasure, but the desire to 
 gratify a long-cherished passion to see once in my lifetime the strange and 
 carious nations of the Orient, books of travel among whom have always had 
 for me a strange fascination. 
 
 In these sketches I have confined my descriptions, in a great measure, to 
 what passed under my own observation ; and have endeavored to paint the 
 curious and novel scenes in Japan, China, and India, as they appeared to a 
 fresh traveler, without any attempt at fine writing, or high-flown description. 
 The unexpected courtesy and kindness everywhere met from both foreigners 
 and natives, and the many chance acquaintances which have ripened into 
 friendships that will endure for a lifetime, are among the pleasantest souvenirs 
 of my journey. 
 
 This first volume does not complete the circuit "round the world." Perhaps 
 another may follow giving the incidents of travel from Egypt through the 
 Holy Land, over the Lebanon to Baalbec and Damascus, to Smyrna and the 
 site of Ephesus, to Greece and Constantinople, up the Black Sea and the 
 Danube, through Hungary and Austria, Germany and France to England, 
 thence home across the Atlantic. A portion of the latter series of letters has 
 been published over the signature of "Nebula" in the Daily Herald. 
 
 With this explanation of the anomalous form of the present volume, I so- 
 licit the kindness and indulgence of the reader to overlook the many faults and 
 imperfections of these hastily-written sketches, 
 
 W. P. F. 
 
 Cleveland, May, 1872. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 NUMBER ONE. 
 
 Good-Bye to Cleveland; The Kansas Pacific Route ; Buffalos, Antel- 
 opes, and Prairie Dogs ; A savory Stew ; Denver and the Rocky 
 Mountains; Greeley; Cheyenne to the Summit; Down grade to 
 the Salt Lake Valley; The City of Deseret; Several landladies in 
 One Hotel ; Visit to the Theatre ; The Prophet's Wives and Daugh- 
 ters; A Mormon audience 7 — 13 
 
 NUMBER TWO. 
 
 The Mormon City by daylight ; Its location and surroundings ; The 
 Tabernacle ; A Polygamist in theory, but not in practice ; The 
 Mormon Banker ; Bishop and Colonel Little ; Lo, the poor Indian ; 
 Not for Joe ; No outsiders admitted ; The Bishop's benediction ; 
 Interview with Brigham Young ; He is not Posted in Politics ; But 
 too shrewd to be caught napping ; Solution of the Mormon prob- 
 lem 11— 20 
 
 NUMBER THREE. 
 
 From Ogden over the Central Pacific : Alkali and sage brush ; The 
 Sierra Nevadas ; Rounding Cape Horn ; Glimpse at the Golden 
 State ; San Francisco Approached at night ; Aladdin's Lamp ; 
 Hotels, Stores, and Public Buildings ; Churches and Schools ; Starr 
 King ; The Cliff House and the Lions ; Lone Mountain Cemetery ; 
 Mission Dolores ; The Chinese ; Adieu 21 — 24 
 
 NUMBER FOUE. 
 
 Pacific Mail Steamers ; Splendid ships ; Creditable to America; Chi- 
 nese Passengers ; How John Chinaman eats ; Chop-Sticks lively 
 and useful tools; Smoking Opium; An Invitation declined ; The 
 Opium Trade; England's shame; A Day lost; Thrown over- 
 board; Our Thanksgiving and Christmas ahead; Fusiyama al- 
 most in Sight ; The first glimpse of Asia 25 — 30 
 
 NUMBER FIVE. 
 
 A pleasant Sunday ; The Pacific Gulf Stream and what came of it; 
 A Typhoon ; Frightful scenes on ship; Cyclones ahead of Hat- 
 teras ; Peruvian repentant ; The dangers over ; All's Well that 
 ends well ; A Bright Morning after the gale ; Good resolutions 
 forgotten; A Genuine Thanksgiving 31—34 
 
NUMBER SIX. 
 
 Arrival in Japan : Bay of Yeddo ; Junks and Fishing Boats; Har- 
 bor of Yokohama ; No hacks, but fat and jolly porters ; A Good 
 European Hotel; Situation of Yokohama; A former American 
 Consul disgraces his country ; Bettos or Grooms ; Their unique 
 dress ; Out for a walk; Japanese Group; How they are dressed ; 
 A Paradise of babies ; Married "Women sacrifice their beauty ; A 
 pair of Moos-mies; A Jaconin ; Street Performers; Porters and 
 Coolies; "Ohaio and Saionara" 35 — 41 
 
 NUMBER SEVEN. 
 
 The Shops, and how customers are treated ; Very sharp at a bar- 
 gain ; The Currency ; Mexican Silver Dollars the standard ; 
 Pasteboard money drives out coin : A Financial smash not im- 
 probable ; Calculating Machines ; Chinamen in Yokohama ; Sta- 
 tistics of trade with this country ; Political sketch of Japan ; The 
 Mjkado and the Tycoon; A Dual Government; The late Civil 
 War ; North against the South ; A great mistake ; The Mikado 
 triumphs and the Tycoon is deposed ; The British Minister om- 
 nipotent in Foreign Affairs; Americans can take a back seat 4'2 — 40 
 
 NUMBER EIGHT. 
 
 An Excursion to Duibutz ; Japanese Horses ; Country roads and 
 shady lanes ; Hedges unrivalled in the world : Everybody in 
 Japan knows "Ohaio ; " Large crops with rude implements ; Two 
 Trilogies, One poetical and one true ; Kamakura and its Tem- 
 ples : Colossal Statue of Buddha ; A wonderful work of art ; A 
 Sacrilegious Betto : A Japanese dinner ; The Original Grecian 
 Bend ; The ride back : A Funeral procession ; A Pleasant ex- 
 perience leaves a painful impression 50 — 55 
 
 NUMBER NINE. 
 
 The Le vder'.s Correspondent in Luck ; Interviewing one of the Royal 
 Family ; No show for a high private, but a colonel can go in ; 
 His High Mightiness good natured and affable : Inquiry after 
 Mr. Emperor President Grant's Health ; A short lesson in His- 
 tory and Geography; Invited to Yeddo : The Officers curious but 
 very courteous ; Homage paid to Royalty in Europe as well a* 
 Asia; Americans Can't See It 56 — 60 
 
 NUMBER TEN. 
 
 Exc irsiorj to Yeddo; A Cosmopolitan turnout; The Asiatic has no 
 rights the African is bound to respect; An Undress Uniform; 
 Musicians without melody ; Blind Beggars ; A Siate Carriage ; 
 Norimons and Cangos ; A Traveling Dentist : A Fa-hionable Tea 
 Houpe; Suggestion to Y'oung Housekeepers: Grimalkin minus 
 the tail ; Fancy Pigs; Cheap and primitive clothing; The Un- 
 fortunate Mr. Richardson : A Family Moving; Young sprigs of 
 aristocracy; Sinagawa : Inside the Capital 61 — 67 
 
 NUMBER ELEVEN. 
 
 A Spanish Legend ; Wonderful progress in three years; "Foreign 
 Devils " now treated as equals ; Curious but respectful ; The Mi- 
 kado's Castle ; A Progressive Ruler and People ; Residences of the 
 Daimios; Mount Atango; A Beautiful view; A Doubtful Leg- 
 end ; Frequent fires and no insurance ; Temples of Shiva ; 
 Cleanliness not reverence required ; Catholic or Buddhist; Christ- 
 ian or Pagan ; An Enormous Bell ; Stone Lanterns ; Spirits over 
 the water; Pic-Nic Grounds Oh' — 7o 
 
NUMBER TWELVE. 
 
 From Yokohama to Hiogo ; The Moon Temple ; Osaca the Venice 
 of Japan ; Manufacture of Paper and its use ; Paper Handker- 
 chiefs and Pillow Cases ; The Inland Sea ; Outlines of a Picture ; 
 Simonasaki ; The Gateway of Rock ; Entrance to Nagasaki ; An 
 Episode in History ; Japanese Junk ; Decima ; Fine Porcelain ; 
 Arts and Manufactures; Departure for China ; "Sionara," Japan... 74 —80 
 
 NUMBER THIRTEEN. 
 
 Approach to the Flowery Kingdom; The Yellow Sea; Yangsle 
 River ; Shanghai ; Fight of the Coolies ; The Astor House ; John 
 Chinaman at Home ; Street Sights ; The Wheelbarrow a Chinese 
 carriage ; Nursery Rhymes ; Opium Hulks and Custom House 
 Officials ; Government of China ; Squeeze ; How Taxes are collect- 
 ed; Competitive Examinations ; Qualifications for office in China 
 and America; The Taiping Rebellion ; General Ward 81 — 87 
 
 NUMBER FOURTEEN. 
 
 Odd and Curious Sights ; A Story of Paradoxes ; Respect for parents ; 
 New theory of Women's Rights ; Visit to a Chinese Theatre ; Ex- 
 cessive politeness ; Great display of finger ornaments ; A Chinese 
 Signorita ; Serio-Comedy; Laughable and absurd performance; 
 Fighters stop and take a smile ; Dead men walk ; Japs ahead 
 of Chinese in the Mimic Art ; Wedding Procession ; Gentle Elia's 
 Roast Pig ; Marriage Ceremonies; Jump in the dark; Not mar- 
 ried in haste, but with leisure to repent ; Cupid waits for Hy- 
 men 88—94 
 
 NUMBER FIFTEEN. 
 
 Departure of distinguished guests ; Secretary Seward in Japan and 
 China; He visits Pekin and the Great Wall; Prince Kung is 
 grouty ; The Senator and Sailor exchange salutes ; The Prince 
 relents ; All lovely and serene over sharks' fins and birds' 
 nests ; The Chinese language ; Pigeon English ; Coin and Cur- 
 rency ; Compradores, costumes, and queues ; Pawnbrokers' Shops ; 
 Small Feet ; Fashion makes hideous things beautiful ; Visit to 
 a wealthy Chinaman ; Tea as is Tea ; A Gentleman, though 
 wearing a pigtail ; Luxury next door to Penury 95__103 
 
 NUMBER SIXTEEN. 
 
 Approach to Hong Kong; Safely landed under the protection of a 
 young Amazon ; Wonderful prosperity of Hong Keng ; The great- 
 est Smuggling Depot in the World ; Manners and Customs of the 
 people ; The most snobbish place in China ; Street Scenes ; Sepoys 
 trom India ; Parsees ; Black Policemen; Justice swift and sure; 
 A Chinese Jack Cade; Broad brimmed hats; Sedan Chairs; 
 Climbing Victoria Peak; Reception to Mr. Seward; A Buckeye 
 abroad who is creditable to his country 104 — 111 
 
 NUMBER SEVENTEEN. 
 
 American Steamers in China; Up the Canton River; My fellow 
 Passengers; The Bogue Forts; Pagodas; Commodore Foote and 
 the Barrier Forts ; Fleet of Boats ; Charmine ; Temple of Honam ; 
 Transmigration of souls ; Street Scenes in Canton ; Cat and Dog 
 Meat Shops; Pawnbrokers; Curiosity Shops; Soothing Syrup; 
 Temple of 500 Genii ; Temple of Confucius ; Temple of Longevity ; 
 Flower Pagoda ; Execution ground; Examination hall *..1I2 — 120 
 
NUMBER EIGHTEEN. 
 
 Steamer life in the tropics; Arrival at Singapore; A Boat ride 
 by moonlight ; Chinese Festival ; An English Toddy Shop ; Pop- 
 ulation and Climate of Singapore; Character of the Malays; The 
 Creese ; Running a muck ; Nature so lavish that mankind de- 
 generates ; Picturesque Costumes : The Gharry and its driver ; 
 A Morning Ride; The Asiatic Gardens; Fan Palms; Victoria 
 Regias; Tropical Vegetation; A Chinese Millionaire; A Court- 
 eous gentleman ; The Whampoa Garden 121 — 128 
 
 NUMBER NINETEEN. 
 
 Up the Straits of Malacca ; Penang, and the Province of Wellesley ; 
 Malay Pirates; "Old John Brown;" The Penang Lawyer : 
 Mount Pleasant ; Pure laziness ; The "Marvel of Tropical Beauty ; " 
 A Granite bath tub and natural shower bath; Loyal Britons 
 Abroad ; Royal Scapegraces; The Dorian ; Difference of opinion ; 
 A Wager; John Bull against Jonathan; An exciting national 
 Contest; Yankee comes off victorious; The Andaman Isles; 
 "Life On the Ocean Wave;" Not all pure romance 129-135 
 
 NUMBER TWENTY. 
 
 Approach to India ; The Hooghly ; Garden Reach; Calcutta; The 
 King of Oude; The Landing; Native Magpies and Blackbirds; 
 The Grent Eastern; "New Varmint;" Morning Races; A Gay 
 Crowd; The Eurasians; Commerce of Calcutta; The "Black 
 Hole;" The East India Company; Government of India; The 
 Viceroy; A Perambulating Government ; Palanquins; A Catas- 
 trophe; Good-Bye to "New Varmint ; " India Railways ; Iron Re- 
 places wood; Delights of Summer Travel; Native Servants 13G— 144 
 
 NUMBER TWENTY-ONE. 
 
 Currency in India; Small Change always wanted; Requisites for 
 a journey; An Unique head gear; Sleeping Carriages; Irriga- 
 tion; Opium Monopoly; Scenes on the Railway ; Native Villages ; 
 Benares, ihe Holy City; Shiva-Dona. Pundit; The Ganges; The 
 Monkey Temple ; The Ghauts of Benares ; Burning Bodies ; An 
 Ancient Observatory; Mosque of Aurrangzebe ; A Glimpse be- 
 hind the scenes; The Curtain suddenly dropped; The Golden 
 Pagoda; Hindoo Worship ; A String of marigolds ; England man- 
 ufactures idols for India 14-j — 154 
 
 NUMBER TWENTY-TWO. 
 
 Allahabad Junction ; The City of Allah ; An Invisible River ; Par- 
 adise for the Faithful ; The Fort ; A Puzzle for Savans ; Club for 
 a (iiant; The Future Capital : Krusru Garden ; Tame Sparrows; 
 Cawnpore; The Sepoy Rebellion ; The .Memorial Garden ; Euck- 
 now, The City of Palaces ; First inipres&ions illusive; The Heart's 
 Delight ; Martiniere ; "Sccundra Bagh," the ''Palace of Casar ; " 
 The Museum; The Residency; An impressive ruin; "Dinna ye 
 Hear the Slogan ?" The Grave of Havelcck ; Barbarity of the con- 
 querors; Treatment of the natives 155 — 163 
 
 NUMBER TWENTY-THREE. 
 
 Approach to Agra ; Cotton Boats; The Sights of Agra; The Fort: 
 Hall of Judgment ; The Sandal wood Gates ; The Emperor's Pal- 
 ace ; A Mammoth Paehisi-Board ; The Pearl Mosque; Becundra 
 Bagh ; A Fancy Team ; Akbar's Mausoleum ; The Taj ; A 'I bing 
 of beauty, and a wonderful echo; The Taj seen by blue lights; 
 
A Persian Description ; Delhi ; A Great Scoundrel ; Visit to the 
 Citadel; The Hall of Audience ; The Peacock Throne ; Chandnee 
 Chowk ; The Great Mosque; A Field of animated poppies; Rel- 
 ics of Mahomet ; "By the Prophet's Beard ; " The Cashmere Gate ; 
 A Gallant Deed 161—172 
 
 NUMBER TWENTY-FOUR. 
 
 Indian Conjurors; Making a Mango tree grow from the seed; Her- 
 editary (ccupations in India; Snake Charmers; Bitten by a 
 cobra; Shopping in Delhi ; Shawl Store of Manick Chund ; Ind- 
 ian Costumes; Observatory; Mausoleums; The Koontub Minar; 
 Legend of the Iron Pillar ; Humayoon's Tomb ; The Last of the 
 Moguls; A Sam Patch leap; Memorial of a wicked old king; 
 One of the results of polygamy ; "Laying a Dak ; " The Horse 
 Dak of India; Unique style of traveling; Tame squirrels and 
 birds ; The Mohun Pass ; "Sudden Death" for chickens ; Drawn 
 by Coolies ; "Whiling the Hours by cheerful discourse" of man- 
 eating Tigers; Arrival at Deyra 173 — 182 
 
 NUMBER TWENTY-FIVE. 
 
 A Lively start from Deyra ; Scenes along the road ; "Caravanseries ; " 
 Warfare against wild beasts; Hindoos take no part in it; Man- 
 eating Tigers ; A Paradise of Snakes; White Skins are patents of 
 nobility ; Salaam All ; Approach to the Himalayas ; Up the moun- 
 tains ; The Jampans ; Charming scenery ; Caught in a storm ; Des- 
 perate situation; Mussoorie in winter quarters; Jolly as Mark 
 Tapley; Simla, the Hill Capital of India; The Snowy Range; 
 Magnificent Views of the Mountains ; A Beautiful apparition ; A 
 Bengalese Handy Andy; "Grilled Boots;" Elephant and Tiger 
 Hunters; Right Royal Sport ; Return to Saharunpore 183 — 191 
 
 NUMBER TWENTY-SIX. 
 
 Return Southward ; .lubbalpore; Legend of the Nerbudda ; The Mar- 
 ble Rocks; Prison of the Thugs; Traveling companions ; A Cigar 
 well invested; The Russian Question; Will the Russian Bear 
 drive the English Bull out of India? 102—105 
 
 NUMBER TWENTY-SEVEN. 
 
 Lucky Crows; Summit of the Ghauts; Perilous Descent ; Bombay, the 
 Cotton Metropolis of India ; Founded by the Portugese, given to 
 the English ; King Cotton here absolute ; The Parsees ; Street 
 Scenes ; Byculla Hotel ; Yacht Race ; The "Live Yankee" almost 
 wins; Wenham Lake Ice ; Caves of Elephanta; Hindoo Ideal of 
 God; Farewell to India 10G— 200 
 
 NUMBER TWENTY-EIGHT. 
 
 From Bombay to Suez; The "Arabia;" My Fellow Passengers; 
 "Susianna ; " The Stage Yankee ; Sea Voyaging in the Tropics ; 
 Aden, the Gibralter of the Red Sea ; A most desolate situation ; 
 The Harbor landing; The Padre and I take a run ashore; John 
 Chinaman; An Abyssinian exquisite and his bride; The Water 
 Tanks and Bazaar*; The Padre's generosity gets us into trouble; 
 Perim ; The British play a Yankee Trick on the French ; Mocha, 
 the Coffee City; Navigation of the Red Sea ; Why "Red?" Winds 
 Always Ahead ; Sinai in sight, but Ave can't see the chariot 
 wheels ; Welcome Suez 201 — 209 
 
NUMBER THIRTY. 
 
 The Suez Canal an accomplished fact; Reasons alleged for its fail- 
 ure; Bugbears Exploded; Ferdinand de Lesseps : Is i: a pecuniary 
 success? Rates of Toll; New Lines of Steamer-;; The Tides; Width, 
 Depth, and Rate of speed allowed ; Mammoth Dredging Machine- ; 
 Lac Amer ; Lake Timsah; Ismailia; Lake Menzaleh; Port Said, 
 the "Silver Grate ; " The Sweet-water Canal: "Water is Gold;" 
 ''Have a shine, Sir?" A. Showy old Turk ; Across the Desert: 
 Egyptian Soldiers; An amusing sight ; Mud Hovels for Peasants, 
 and Palaces for Princes: Arrive at "Grand Cairo'' "210 — 21S 
 
 NUMBER THIRTY-ONE. 
 
 Cairo; Church bells do not make a Sabbath ; Dragomen; Scenes in 
 
 front of the Hotel ; Peddlers and Mountebanks ; Donkeys and don- 
 key boys; A'T)onk" with an illustrious name; The Fez; The 
 Bazaars; Sprinkling Machines; The "'Light of the Harem; " Old 
 Abraham comes to grief; The Citadel: The Mamelukes' Leap: 
 The Great Mosque : Island of Rhoda; Moses in the bulrushes; The 
 Nilometer; Joseph's Granaries; The Shoobra Gardens; A Mo- 
 hamedan's Paradise: Mohamet Ali ; Heliopolis ; The Virgin's syc- 
 amore tree ; Dancing Dervishes 219 — 228 
 
 NUMBER THIRTY-THREE. 
 
 El Kaherah ; The Nile; Ancient knowledge of the Egyptians; Lost 
 Arts; Visit to Memphis and Sakharra; An early start; Sand 
 Storm in the Desert : The City of the Pharaohs ; Temple of Apis: 
 Cemetery of the Sacred Bulls ; Lunch among the "Old Master.-:" 
 An "Antique " factory ; Typhoons at sea and Siroccos on land ; 
 Pyramids of Ghizah : Egyptian Soldiers; Fertility of the soil; 
 Old Cheops; Up we go; View from the summit: The King's 
 chamber ; The Sphynx 22C — 237 
 
ERRATA, 
 
 nth r 
 
 age, 3 2d Line, 
 
 23d 
 
 " 28th " 
 
 30th 
 
 " 4th " 
 
 37th 
 
 " 20th " 
 
 37th 
 
 " 33d " 
 
 40th 
 
 " 16th " 
 
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 " 10th (: 
 
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 2d 
 
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 " 27th < ; 
 
 48th 
 
 li 30th " 
 
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 " 25th " 
 
 54th 
 
 " 24th " 
 
 54th 
 
 " 2d 
 
 55th 
 
 " 6th " 
 
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 " 2d 
 
 59th 
 
 " 15th " 
 
 Gist 
 
 " 21st " 
 
 75th 
 
 " 22d " 
 
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 " 11th " 
 
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 " 18th _ " 
 
 89th 
 
 " last line, 
 
 97th 
 
 " 8th " 
 
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 " 23d " 
 
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 " 2d •' 
 
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 " 16th " 
 
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 " 1st " 
 
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 " 2d " 
 
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 " 5th " 
 
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 " 31st " 
 
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 " 25th " 
 
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 " 7th " 
 
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 " 9th ' : 
 
 116th 
 
 <: 3d li 
 
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 " 19th " 
 
 123d 
 
 " 9th " 
 
 124th 
 
 u 27th " 
 
 126th 
 
 •' 11th " 
 
 128th 
 
 " 11th " 
 
 130th 
 
 " 9th " 
 
 132d 
 
 " 9th '■ 
 
 135th 
 
 " 5th " 
 
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 " 12th " 
 
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 " 14th " 
 
 139th 
 
 " 11th " 
 
 139th 
 
 " 16th '• 
 
 142d 
 
 " 22d " 
 
 1 49th 
 
 " 24th " 
 
 , for one read our. 
 
 add expected. 
 
 from bottom, for happy read matchless. 
 discard the word of. 
 for ong read long. 
 
 from bottom, after the word higher insert rank. 
 for Duel read Dual. 
 from bottom, for raising read using. 
 
 " " " have read /?«s. 
 
 " top, after the word sold insert to them. 
 
 " " for saerifieiously read .sacrilegiously. 
 
 " bottom, forpeafe read pates. 
 
 " " for Sea read Tea. 
 
 n li for notions read natives. 
 
 " " for e# read te/V. 
 
 " top, after the word and insert ^real was. 
 
 for second read sacred. 
 
 " wAew read where. 
 
 " wove/ read naval. 
 
 " pari?/ read family. 
 
 " wte» read m olden. 
 
 " hurried read honied. 
 
 from bottom, for started read stared. 
 
 " top, for .s/ta// read should. 
 
 11 " for o/read on. 
 
 " " for pair ial read pat riir. 
 
 " bot'om, for /ir??i read ./me. 
 
 " " for Domingo read Francisro. 
 
 '' top, for arrows read cotjis. 
 
 " "for sZwfe read ^ide. 
 
 ' " for /u'e readme. 
 
 " bottom, for Albert read albeit. 
 
 " top, for sio/ti read site. 
 
 " " after the word grounds insert attached. 
 
 " bottom, for Kennshaw read cumshav. 
 
 " top, for ow< read few*. 
 
 " bottom, for sloped read shaped. 
 
 11 " for orchards read orchids. 
 
 Ci top, for cunnshaw read cumshair. 
 
 " bottom, for s/wrc read board. 
 
 " " for cologne read Cologne 
 
 " top, for servants read steamers. 
 
 " bottom, for nor/A read car/A. 
 
 " top, for music read mimic 
 
 " '' for drays read drags. 
 
 " bottom, for nations read natives 
 
 '• " for so read as. 
 
 " top, for c/au read clang. 
 
151st 
 
 152.1 
 
 153d 
 
 155th 
 
 158th 
 
 130ch 
 
 164th 
 
 169th 
 
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 223d 
 
 227th 
 
 229th 
 
 229th 
 
 page, 15th line from bottrm, for cento acted read committed. 
 
 11th " " " for river read view. 
 
 12th " " top, for hand read hands. 
 
 5th " " bottom, for miles read yards 
 
 19th " " top, for onelcan read unclean. 
 
 11th " *' bottom, for break read breach. 
 
 21st " " " for o.s- read and. 
 top line, should read, ''The cenotaphs arc of marble. 
 
 6;h line from top, for vested read rested. 
 
 loth '' " bottom, for dean read clear. 
 
 22d " " top, for remarkable read venerable. 
 
 23d " M bottom, for head read beard. 
 
 8th " " " for brick read breach. 
 
 18th " '' top, for ear-rings read carvings. 
 
 24th '' " bottom, for and culture read in colon. 
 
 13th '' " " for covering read carving. 
 
 8th " " " for for read from. 
 
 1 1 tli " " '• for shule read thule. 
 
 7th " " ,; for touper read toupee. 
 
 24th " " " for parts read yards. 
 
 4th " '• top for leave read visit. 
 
 12th " " bottom, for small read much. 
 
 29th " " ' ; for that read than. 
 
 26th " " " for Wait re read Maiire. 
 
 17th '' " top, for when read where. 
 
 6th " " bottom, for when read where. 
 
 8th < ; < : " for hold read neM. 
 
 14th " '' top, for thin read their. 
 
 23d " " " before the word all insert from. 
 
 bottom line, for ornament read armament. 
 
 5th line from top, for Hint-locks read flint*. 
 
 5th " " bottom, for by read in the. 
 
 18th line " top, for August read March. 
 
 15th " " bottom, for unnecessary read incessant. 
 
 23d " " " for Zoo.se read lose. 
 
 11th " " " erase the last these. 
 
 8th " u " add in Paradise. 
 
 15th " " top, for September read April. 
 
 10th " " bottom, for when read where. 
 
ROUND THE WORLD, 
 
 NUMBER ONE. 
 
 Good-Bye to Cleveland— The Kansas 
 Pacific Route— Buffalos, Antelopes 
 and Prairie Dogs— A Savory Stew- 
 Denver and the Rocky Mountains— 
 Greeley— Cheyenne to the Summit- 
 Down Grade to the Salt Lake Val- 
 ley—The City of Deseret— Several 
 Landladies in One Hotel— Visit to 
 the Theater— The Prophets' Wives 
 and Daughters— A Mormon Audi- 
 ence* 
 [Special Correspondence of Cleveland Leader,] 
 Salt Lake City, October 2G, 1S70. 
 "Westward the Star of Empire takes its 
 way," This is my motto ; and as the lights 
 of our Forest City grow dim in the dis- 
 tance, I try in vain to realize that, leaving 
 all that is so dear to me behind, I am really 
 started on my way "Round the World." A 
 day in Chicago, another in St. Louis, and I 
 take the Kansas Pacific route to California, 
 via Denver, in preference to the Omaha or 
 Northern road. This route takes the trav- 
 eler across the young and growing State of 
 Kansas to Denver, the central city and cap- 
 ital of Colorado, about nine hundred miles 
 west of St. Louis ; thence north along the 
 base of the Kocky Mountains, one hundred 
 and ten miles, to Cheyenne, where he con- 
 nects with the Union Ffciflu road at a point 
 five hundred miles west of Omaha. The 
 through fare is the same by either route, 
 and although this may be half a day longer, 
 it is far more interesting, as it. passes 
 through the towns of Leavenworth, Law- 
 rence, Topeka and Lecompton, places his- 
 torical in "border ruffian" times, where 
 still lingers the memory of John Brown and 
 his friends, many of whom sacrificed their 
 lives in trying to save Kansas to freedom. 
 The events of the great rebellion that fol- 
 lowed, and the names and places then made 
 famous forever, have almost driven from 
 recollection these famous men. 
 Of the six hundred miles from Kansas 
 
City to Drnver, the first two hundred it ay- 
 be briefly described as prairie, where thuv- 
 ing towns are t rapidlyjspringiBg up along 
 the line of the railroad, and well cultivated 
 farms will ;soon ; form a continuous line to 
 the border of the plains, which stretch 
 westward another two hundred miles, over 
 which the buffalo still range, but are grow- 
 ing scarcer every year ; then two hundred 
 miles of desert, parched and arid, where 
 the great drawback to settlement 
 and culture will always be the lack 
 of water. Here the stations on the 
 road are few and far between, being 
 rarely dignified by names, and distinguished 
 only by numbers. But exactly where the 
 plains end and the desert begins is difficult 
 to tell. 5 This is the famous "Smoky Hi}l 
 route/' the scene of nearly all the Indian 
 outrages upon overland travelers before the 
 railroad was completed. As it passes 
 through the great buffalo range, the sweetest 
 pastures and best hunting-grounds of the 
 Indians, they resisted the encroachment of 
 the "iron horse" for a considerable time 
 after they had yielded the valley of the 
 Platte. And now it is an attractive feature 
 to the traveler by this route, that speeding 
 along twenty five miles an hour in a Pull- 
 man car he can see occasional herds 
 of buffilo, and be regaled on buffalo and 
 antelope meat at every eating station. A 
 few weeks ago a large herd of buffalo cross- 
 ing the track compelled the engineer to stop 
 his train. Antelopes are almost constantly 
 in sight from the cars, and fall an 
 easy pray to the hunter. Hs fastens a red 
 flag to a stick, and, lying quietly on the 
 ground within rifle distance, the graceful, 
 gazelle-like animal, with ears erect, 
 gradually approaches, and falls an easy vic- 
 tim to his curiosity. 
 
 As we approach Denver, the second 
 morning irom St. Louis, we catch our first 
 view of the magnificsnt scenery enjoyed by 
 the traveler "across the continent." We 
 have been gradually and almost impercepti- 
 bly climbing until we reacb the plain upon 
 which Denver is built, over five thousand 
 feet above the level of the sea, and stretch- 
 ing westward twenty miles further to the 
 "Black Hi 11 s," behind which rise the lofty, 
 snow-covered peaks of the Rocky Moun- 
 tains. Silvered with the first rays of the 
 morning sud, we see Pike's Peak, fourteen 
 thousand feet high, on the extreme south of 
 the range, and Long's peak, still higher, as 
 far north as the eye can reach. Between 
 
9 
 
 these is a continuous line of snow-cipped 
 summits, some clear and distinct in lines, a-> 
 if cut from marble, others partly obscured 
 by clouds and mist. The mountain air at 
 this elevation is remarkably clear, and ob- 
 jects can be discsrned at a great distance. 
 It is hard ro believe that Pike'3 Peak is 
 over seventv miles away, and the nearest 
 summit of the Rocky Mountain range fully 
 fifty miles distant. 
 
 Denver is a quiet, well-built city of seven 
 thousand inhabitants. Brick blocks hive 
 taken the place of board and canvas shan- 
 ties ; a good city government, enforcing law 
 and order, has replacsd the vigilance com- 
 mittees that found it necessary a few years 
 ago to hang the cut throats and desperadoes 
 who infested the place. The mineral wealth 
 of Colorado is almost boundless, and all she 
 needs now is the discovery of some simple 
 atjd cheap process by which her ores can be 
 desulphurized. 
 
 From Denver to Cheyenne the road runs 
 due north over a smooth plain, with the 
 "JEtockys" in plain sight on our left. We 
 watch with interest the herds cf antelope 
 almost within rifle range of the cars, while 
 the fat little prairie dogs attracted by the 
 bright warm sun can be seen in thousands 
 as they sit barking at the passing train 
 within a few yards of the track. Each one 
 is squatted on the little mound of earth 
 thrown up from his hole, and they seem to 
 wink at us with a comical self-satisfied air, 
 as much as to say, "We know you are in too 
 much of a hurry to trouble us;" but if the 
 train stops they dodge into their holes as 
 quick as a flash. They are not, in fact, "dogs" 
 at ail, but a species of rabbit, light brown in 
 color and but little larger than grey squirrels. 
 They frequently share their holes with 
 rattlesnakes and owls, and all fraternize like 
 Barnum's happy family. Their great ene- 
 my is the prowling cayote, the cowardly 
 wolf of the plains, whose teeth are against 
 every animal smaller and weaker than him- 
 self. One of the most savory dishes yester- 
 day morning at the eating station was called 
 a "rabbit stew," of which we all partook 
 freely. Before leaving the table it occurred 
 to me to enquire of the colored waiter 
 whether rabbits were plenty in that region. 
 His reply was rather startling— "Oh yes, 
 mas a, de prairie dogs is nice and fat just 
 now." 
 
 Half way from Denver to Cheyenne we 
 stop for a few minutes at the new town of 
 Greeley, containing 1,500 people, and only 
 
10 
 
 five months old. This place has sprung up 
 like magic. The father and projector of this 
 colony is Mr. Meeker, lor many years the 
 agricultural editor of the New York Tribune. 
 This town is a marvel ot industry and enter* 
 prise, established and managed on eastern 
 principles. Xo liquor saloons are al- 
 lowed in the plac?, which so scan- 
 dalizes the rough Coloradans in that 
 region that as one of these outsiders ex- 
 pressed himself to me, they are "down on 
 the d— d Republican puritanical fanatics.'* 
 However, their heads are level, they mind 
 their own business, ask no favors of their 
 rough neighbor?, and are going straight for- 
 ward on the road to prosperity and wealth. 
 If Greeley meets with no setback it bids 
 fair in a few years to outstrip even Denver 
 in population. 
 
 At Cheyenne we strike the Union Pacific 
 line, and here commences the ascent of the 
 great mountain range, the backbone of this 
 continent. A steep up-grade for fifty miles 
 briegs us to Sherman— named after the tall- 
 est general in the service— the highest point 
 on the whole route to the Pacific, and per- 
 haps on any railway in the world. "We are 
 now 8,242 feet above the sea, nearly half a 
 mile higher than the summit of Mount 
 TVshington. The extreme lightness of the 
 atmosphere tries our lungs as we draw in 
 lorg breaths of the pure mountain air. 
 Active exercise is here very difficult, and 
 although our wind may be good, a short 
 foot race makes us puff like so many por- 
 poises. Then comes the descent of the 
 grade, and we pass through some of the 
 grandest mountain scenery in the world. 
 Another Eight and a day brings us across 
 Wyoming and into Utah territory, over the 
 Laramie plains— a splendid grazing coun 
 try— through the wonderful Echo canon, 
 where 1.000 feet above our heads we see the 
 fortifications built by the Mormons thirteen 
 years ago to resist the passage of Uncle 
 Sam's troops, under Johnston, afterward a 
 famous general in the rebel service. Thence 
 through the Weber canon, past the thou- 
 sand mile tree, winding round the 
 mountains on a narrow shelf, with 
 a steep rock on one side and 
 a dizzy precipice on the other— dashing 
 through dark channels, rattling over high 
 trestle-work bridges across deep gorges, 
 and now through a narrow cleft in the rock 
 called the * 'Devil's Gate," we emerge from 
 the Wahsatch range of mountains to j. scene 
 of light and beauty. Before us in the dim 
 
11 
 
 distance is the great Salt Lake, at our feet 
 are broad plains and green fields, dotted 
 with cosy houses and surrounded with gar- 
 dens and orchards. This is Salt Lake Val- 
 ley, the Canaan of the "Latter Day Saints.' 
 Soon we reach Ogden, one thousand and 
 thirty -two miles from Omaha, the junction 
 of the Union Pacific with the Central Pa- 
 cific railroad, from which point Brigham 
 Young has built a road thirty-six miles long 
 to Salt Lake City. A visit to Brigham and 
 the Mormons being on our programme, we 
 here branch cff, and, soon after 
 dark, find ourselves in the midst of 
 Mormondom at a hotel which has one land- 
 lord and three landladies. Which one of the 
 latter attend to the culinary department I 
 cannot say, ut she deserves the credit of 
 giving us th best 6upper of tender steak 
 and fresh brook trout that we have tasted 
 for weeks. We notice that the landlord has 
 a sad,downcast look, which, under other cir- 
 cumstances, would excite our sympathy and 
 compassion. 
 
 It is Wednesday evening, and we are in- 
 formed tbat the theater, one of the Mormon 
 institutions, is open on this and Saturday 
 evenings, so we hasten up the street two or 
 three squares to this temple of histrionic 
 art, regardless of mud, rain and darkness, 
 gaslight being here unknown. We are a 
 little late, but paying a dollar for one ticket 
 we quietly make our way to near the center 
 of the parquette, with a view to see 
 the audience rather than the play. 
 
 The theater is plainly finished, painted 
 white, without gilding or fresco. Four 
 tiers of boxes rise one above another from 
 the parquette to the ceiling, and it will seat 
 about two thousand five hundred people. 
 To-night it is but partly filled, owing to the 
 mud and rain, but the audience seems in a 
 very appreciative and enjoyable mood. Af« 
 ter glancing quietly around for a few min- 
 utes I asked an intelligent looking man in 
 front of me whether President Young is 
 hero. "No sir, he is not here to-night, as 
 usual, as he has just returned to-day from 
 Provo and is tired out.'' Encouraged by 
 his polite answer I ventured to inquire if 
 any of his wives are present. "Oh, yes, 
 those two ladies in tho proscenium or stage 
 box are his wives, and that little boy with 
 them is his son, and there," pointing to a pri- 
 vate box on the right, "are a dozen or more of 
 his daughters." For the next fi if teen minutes 
 ray opera glass was directed as often as could 
 be done without attracting attention to the 
 
12 
 
 wives and daughters of the prophet. They 
 were all well and even fashionably dressed, 
 one of the wives decidedly good looking, 
 the daughters having healthy, ruddy com- 
 plexions, none of them handsome, however, 
 and in the dim light of coal oil chandeliers 
 I could not detect any family likeness. Sev- 
 eral of them had opera glasses, which they 
 handled as gracefully as any habitue of the 
 opera; all were neatly gloved, and they 
 formed an attractive group. Returning to 
 the charge I quietly asked my friend 
 in front whether any other distinguished 
 persons were in the house. "Oh, yes, those 
 two young ladies directly behind us with 
 light hair are Elder Smith's daughters, one 
 of the two associate presidents of the church 
 with Brigham, and yonder is Bishop So and 
 So, and there is Elder Brown and his family. 
 A little to the right of them is Elder Jones 
 and two of his wives," etc. My communi- 
 cative Mend, who saw that I was a stranger 
 in pursuit of knowledge, kindly pointed out 
 a dozen or more family group3, all cf whom 
 were paying such close attention to thep ay 
 as to scarcely notice that our eyes w re 
 directed towards them. Up to this tim I 
 had hardly glanced toward the stage, but 
 when I was told that one of the actresses 
 was the daughter of a high dignitary in the 
 church, I looked at my bill and found they 
 were playing the comedy of the "Wonder- 
 ful "Woman." All were amateurs, and tho 
 acting was decidedly good. Noticing quite a 
 number of small children in the audience, 1 
 asked my Mormon friend whether it was cus- 
 tomary for so many young people to attend 
 the theater. "Ye?," he replied, "we never 
 put on the stage those immoral plays 
 so common in other theaters"— a good 
 hit at the Oentiles, thought I. The 
 orchestra consisted of nine musi- 
 cians, all amateurs. After the comedy 
 came the "Essence of Ole Virginny," in the 
 shape of a negro dance, which set the young 
 people half crazy. The performance then 
 closed with a laughable farce called the 
 4 'Young Widow." 
 
 A survey of the audience convinced me that 
 the female portion were decidedly superior 
 in intelligence and refinement of manners and 
 dress to the males. Many of the latter 
 were rough and coarse in look? and dress, 
 and they especially enjoyed the negro dance, 
 which they loudly encored. They did not 
 look rowdyish, nor were there any cat calls 
 or other such demonstrations not uncommon 
 in Eastern theaters,. but they seemed to be- 
 
la 
 
 long to a lower order of society than their 
 fair companions. Brigham owns and runs 
 the theater. He believes in a ' 'personal gov- 
 ernment, " and caters for the amusement 01 
 his people. The performance'was over before 
 eleven o'clock, and I picked my way through 
 the mud back to the hotel without the 
 slightest feeling of danger, for the streets of 
 Salt Lake are safer in the darkest night 
 than are those of most cities of half its size. 
 To morrow I must see the institutions, 
 call on the Mormon prophet and the elder?, 
 an account of which will be found in my 
 next letter. W. P. F. 
 
NUMBEK TWO. 
 
 The Mormon City by Daylight— Its 
 Location and Surroundings -- The 
 Tabernacle— A Polygamist in The- 
 ory, But Not in Practice— The Mor- 
 mon Banker— Bishop and Colonel 
 Little— Lo, the Poor Indian— Not 
 for Joe— No Outsiders Admitted— The 
 Bishop's Benediction — Interview 
 With Brigham Young— He Is Not 
 Posted in Pohtics--But too Shrewd 
 to be Caught Napping— Solution of 
 the Mormon Problem. 
 [Special Correspondence of the Cleveland Leader.] 
 Salt Lake City, October 27, 1870. 
 As 1 arrived here last night after dark I 
 could form but an imperfect idea of the lo- 
 cation and appearance of the city. Taking 
 an early start this morning I am surprised 
 at the beauty and impressed with the gran- 
 deur of the surrounding scenery. The city 
 is located in the center of a broad basin, 
 the "Wahsatch Mountains on the north 
 and east, a spur of the same range ex- 
 tending across the southern horizon -on the 
 west, perhaps ten miles distant, is the great 
 Salt Lake, a body of water eighty mile s long 
 by forty to fifty in width, and so salty that 
 it is literally a "dead sea." No living 
 thing can be found in its waters. Lofty 
 promontories on the further side jut out 
 into the lake and bound our view in that di- 
 rection. The city covers a space of three by 
 four miles, and is laid out in squares of ten 
 acres. The squares are subdivided into eight 
 lots of about one and a quarter acres each. 
 "Water is brought from the mountains on the 
 north and flows through every street on 
 either side. It is pure and cold, and never 
 tails in the dryest season. Double rows of 
 shade trees line the streets and the water is 
 conducted into the gardens and orchards. 
 This is the secret of the wonderful fruitful- 
 ness of this land, which, without artificial 
 irrigation, would be an arid desert. When 
 the Mormons came down through the 
 canon of the Wahsatch into this 
 valley, twenty-three years ago, it was 
 
15 
 
 literally a desert. They had fled a 
 thousand miles from their enemies across 
 the barren plains, and the one master mind 
 and controlling spirit, Brigham Young, told 
 them here to halt and lay ths foundations of 
 the "City of Deseret." The sufferings of 
 this infatuated people for the iirst year or 
 two were intense ; but labor skillfully di- 
 rected soon changed the face of nature, and 
 they have "made the desert to bloom and 
 blossom like the rose." However much wo 
 may condemn the practices and institutions, 
 we cannot deny that their material prosper- 
 ity is something wonderful. To-day there 
 dwells in this once desert waste a popula- 
 tion of 120,000 souls. Everywhere maybe 
 seen the fruits cf enterprise and persistent 
 energy. 
 
 This city contains about 25,000 inhabit- 
 ants, and its appearance is very attractive. 
 The houses are nearly all built of adobe, or 
 sun dried brick, and if more than two sto- 
 ries in height, the upper one is built of 
 wood, as is the case with the Theater and 
 some other public buildings. 
 
 The lirst place visited this morning was 
 the Square, inclosed by a high adobe wall, 
 which contains the Tabernacle and the 
 foundations of the Temple. There is an 
 entrance from the street on each of the four 
 sides. Passing in by the east gate, I foucd 
 the Superintendent, who very politely 
 showed me everything of interest. The 
 Tabernacle, which takes the place of the 
 former "Bowery," is an immense building, 
 oval inform, 250 feet long by 150 wide; the 
 roof of wood, and self-supporting, being 80 
 feet in height. From the outside it has the 
 appearance of an immense dish-cover. The 
 audience room one of the largest in the 
 world, wiil seat by measurement 13,000 peo- 
 ple. It contains an organ built entirely by 
 Mormon mechanics that is second in siz? 
 only to that in Boston Music Hal!. This 
 immense room is a perfect whispering gal- 
 lery, the arched form of the ceiling carrying 
 the slightest sound from one extreme end to 
 the other without echo. A gallery extends 
 around the whole interior, and my con- 
 ductor says that the ordinary congregatloL 
 on Sunday is from 8,000 to 10,000 people, 
 but he has seen 14,500 here on one occaaion. 
 There is no means of heating this immense 
 building, and a smaller tabernacle is used in 
 winter, which will seat 3,000 My inform- 
 ant is an intelligent man, English oy birth, 
 has been here eighteen years, and in answer 
 to my inquiries talks with apparent frank- 
 
16 
 
 ne-s of their institutions, including, of 
 course polygamy. He says he has but one 
 wife, but believes that polygamy is right, 
 and ordained of God. "Brother Brigham" 
 has seventeen regular wives, besides a great 
 many others who are spiritually sealed to 
 him, and each one expects to be a queen in 
 heaven. He says a plurality of wives is 
 not obligatory, but every true Mormon must 
 be a poiygamist in theory if not in practice. 
 When I tell him that this institution is a 
 ccandai and disgrace to the civilization of 
 the nineteenth century— that it is degrading 
 to woman and debasing to man— that on ac- 
 count of it the whole civilized world re- 
 gards them as outcasts, disgracing hu- 
 manity, etc, without taking offense, he 
 says: ki Nevertheless it is right— it is no 
 more degrading to us than it was 
 to the patriarchs of old. God has 
 ordained it, and if Gcd be with us 
 we can not fail if the whole world be against 
 U3." He is an enthusiast and a fanatic, and 
 I think is sincere. Whetoer the same can 
 be said of the other brethren remains to be 
 seen. While talking we are standing upon 
 the granite foundations of the great Temple, 
 wnich, when completed, will cost $5,000,- 
 C0O. Upon the foundations alone they have 
 spent a million. It will be, if ever built, 
 the finest structure on this continent. I do 
 not believe it will ever be completed. 
 Brigham is the architect, as he is the all in 
 all of Mormondom. 
 
 When at St. Lou's a friend gave me a let- 
 ter to Hon. W. H. Hooper, delegate in Con- 
 gress from Utah. He remarked at the time 
 that it would "introduce me into the bosom 
 of his famiiy !" This was rather startling; 
 but he relieved my apprehensions by tell- 
 ing me that Mr. Hooper had "but one 
 wife." Mr. Hooper is the head of a large 
 banking house— the only one in Utah. He 
 is an an'able and courteous gentleman, and 
 received me very cordially. His office was 
 full of bishops, eiders, generals and colonels, 
 to all tt whom he introduced me, and, 
 though full of business, he kindly offered 
 me every service in his power. And here 
 let me say that there was a frankness, cor- 
 diality and heartiness in the greeting of 
 every Mormon whom I met in Salt Lake 
 that surprised me. They couit investigation, 
 and say they have nothing to conceal. This 
 is not entirely sincere, but is partly as- 
 sumed for eflect. Mr. Hooper put me in 
 charge of Bishop Little : a colonel in the 
 Mormon Legion as we I as a dignitary in 
 
the chui cb. The Bishop, who is a nati?e oi 
 New Hampshire, came here with the first 
 settlers. A plain speaking, plainly-dressed 
 man, hearty and bluff in manner, with 
 only jive or six wives. The functions of his 
 office are more civil than religious. A 
 Bishop is appointed over each ward, who 
 settles all quarrels and disputes among his 
 people, kcep3 them out of lawsuits and 
 sadly interferes with the business of law- 
 yers. He took me first to the City Hall, a 
 fine brick building, and from the cupola 
 pointed out the interesting localities in the 
 city and surrounding country. " Now," he 
 says, "come down to my house, and let me 
 show you my carriage factory." Walking 
 along we were overtaken by a mounted In- 
 dian, whom he introduced to me as " Sol- 
 dier," a Utah chief. Soldier was short and 
 fat, wore a red blanket, his face daubfd with 
 red paint, hands not, very clean, and he car- 
 ried across the saddle in front a fine rifle. 
 He gave an Indian grunt as I shook his 
 hand, and turning to the Bishop said, 
 " Squaw rui. away ; you catch him ; gimme 
 paper." "Where has she gone?" Soldier 
 pointed to the South. The Bishop told him 
 where to apply for the proper document, 
 and was turning to leave when the chief 
 extended his dirty hand and jerked out, "two 
 bits." There was no mistaking the panto- 
 mime, and my Mormon friend handed him 
 a quarter. Soldier looked as if he would like 
 to make "two bits" of me, but relented 
 and without a word of thanks, rode off. 
 " That's the way with these red skins, al- 
 ways begging," said the Bishop, "but we 
 must keep on the right side of them." I 
 am told that every Indian within two hun- 
 dred miles of Salt Lake will stand by the 
 Mormons in event of any collision with 
 the United States Government. 
 
 Approaching the Bishop'^ residenca 
 I felt quite sure that I should now see 
 something of the inside of Mormon life. 
 But I was doomed to disappointment. He 
 showed me into his office, took me through 
 his large workshops, introduced me to 
 Brothers Smith, Jones and Brown, his part- 
 ners, blacksmiths snd wagon-makers, and, 
 returning to his office, said he was sorry 
 that his family were "house cleaniug," so 
 that he could not ask me into his house. 
 Although overrun with business, he devoted 
 halt an hour to the hist jry of the Church, 
 told me about Mormon, Maroni and Nephi, 
 quoted fluently from the Old and New Tes- 
 taments, defended polygamy and pitched 
 
18 
 
 into the Gentiles, and as I rose to leave 
 gave me a dollar bill of Salt Lake currency 
 for a memento, and bestowed upon me with 
 great fervor his apostolic benediction. 
 
 At twelve o'clock I called, by appoint- 
 ment, on President Brigham Young. His 
 houses and grounds occupy two ten-acre 
 fquares, enclosed on all sidts by a wall ten 
 feet high. Two long buildings, one sur- 
 mounted by a bee hive, the other having a 
 large stone lion over the porch, could be 
 seen within the enclosure. They are con- 
 nected by a row of offices, into which the 
 gate opened from th3 street. Sending in 
 my card, I was soon ushered inte "the pres- 
 ence." He received me quite cordially, and 
 I took a rapid mental photograph of one of 
 the most remarkable men of this genera- 
 tion. He is in his seventieth year, but 
 looks at least five years younger ; about five 
 feet ten inches in height, portly in form, 
 liond in complexion, with small gray eyes 
 se- far apart, 3andy whiskers closely 
 trimmed, abundant hair, false teeth, which 
 makes his mouth seem prominent, some- 
 what Garelessly dressed, wearing a 
 black over- coat, with a red handkerchief 
 tied loosely around his neck outside his 
 coat— a quiet, self-possessed air and manner, 
 as of a man conscious of his power,— such 
 was the inventory I took of the man who is 
 to-day a more absolute ruler of 129,000 peo- 
 ple than any potentate, prince or president 
 in the civilized world. 
 
 I told him I was about to go abroad, and 
 as I expected frequently to be asked about 
 Utah and the Mormons,I wished to take with 
 me some more positive knowledge of the 
 community than I had been aole to gather 
 frem books or new&paper accounts. He 
 glanced at me rather sharply, surmising 
 perhaps that I was "interviewing" him as 
 a newspaper correspondent, and said that 
 he was glad that the Pacific railroad had 
 opened Utah to intelligent travelers. He 
 and his people had been cruelly misrepre- 
 sented, and he referred with some bitter- 
 ness to the speech of Senator Cra^in of New 
 Hampshire, which I had mentioned as my 
 native State, said it was a tissue of lies; 
 "but," he said, with a malicious twinkle in 
 his eyes, "he is not re-elected to the Senate." 
 This remark surprised me, for I knew Mr. 
 Cragin was re-elected last June, but I did 
 not undeceive him. "All we ask is to be 
 let alone. Congress had been very unfair 
 in not admitting Utah as a State, and in 
 legislating against our institutions." There 
 
19 
 
 is where the shoe pinches, thought I. In 
 answer to my enquiry whether Utah as a 
 State would be Kepublican or Democratic, 
 he said, "that depends upon which party 
 does us justice." He spoke of the wonder- 
 ful prospeiity of his people, driven into 
 the wilderness with nothing but their 
 strong arms, they had in little more 
 than twenty years converted a Sahara- 
 like desert into well cultivated farms, 
 producing larger crops to the acre 
 than any eastern state. Neither Utah nor 
 Salt Lake City owed any public debt. He 
 referred to the "Cullom bill," passed at the 
 last session, making polygamy a crime, and 
 providing for the appointment of jurors 
 who shall all be "Gentiles." I ventured to 
 inquire whether he thought that law could 
 be enforced. But he was too shrewd to be 
 caught, and was non-committal on that 
 point. I complimented him on being the 
 heart and brains of his community, and tha 
 to his good management they were indebted 
 for their wonderful prosperity, and asked 
 if, in the course of nature, he should be 
 taken away, could any other man carry his 
 people forward as he had done. He replied 
 with energy, "We are God's chosen people ; 
 I am his servant ; He will never permit me 
 to be removed until in His own good time 
 He has provided another to take my place." 
 After spending an hour I rose to leave and 
 apologized for having occupied so much of 
 his time while others were waiting to see 
 him. He walked with me to the door of 
 the outer office, shook my hand warmly at 
 parting and wished me a pleasant journey 
 and a safe return. He said, "Come and see 
 us again after you have been round the 
 world." 
 
 As I walked down the street, I glanced at 
 the buildings inside the wall which con- 
 tained the prophet's harem, and thought, 
 this is all fair on the outside, but within is 
 rottenness and corruption. Is Brigham a 
 sincere and honest enthusiast, or a corrupt 
 and sensuous knave? His cold gray eyes 
 and calm, unimpassioned manner do not in- 
 dicate the fanatic ; nor do the lines about 
 his mouth, or his face generally seem that 
 of a gross sensualist. I can understand now 
 why he is so popular, or rather so wor- 
 shipped among his followers, He can read 
 human nature and can adapt himself to and 
 make a favorable impression upon any one 
 with whom he comes in contact. 
 
 I stepped into a store to buy some stereo- 
 scopic views, and picking up one of Brig- 
 
20 
 
 ham, I remarked that he is a good looking 
 man. ''Yes," said the artist with fervor, 
 "and he is just as good as he looks." 
 
 The solution of this Mormon problem is 
 puzzling wiser heads than mine, but the end 
 is not far distant. In the course of human 
 events Brigham cannot live much longer. 
 The mantle of the prophet cannot fall upon 
 any other living Mormon. I trust no event 
 will occur to precipitate a collision between 
 the government and this people while he 
 live?. When he dies the bubble will burst. 
 The Pacific railroads and the opening of 
 new mme3 are drawing crowds to Utah. 
 The Gentile population is increasing much 
 faster than the Mormon, and in ten years 
 Mormonism, or its accursed feature, 
 polygamy, will be a thing of the past. 
 
 W. P. F. 
 
NUMBER III. 
 
 From Ogden Over the Central Pacific- 
 Alkali and Sage Brush— The Sierra 
 Nevadas— Rounding Cape Horn— 
 &limpse at the Golden State— San 
 Francisco Approached at Night- 
 Aladdin's Lamp— Hotels, Stores and 
 Publie Buildings — Churches and 
 Schools—Starr King— The Cliff House 
 and the Lions— Lone Mountain Cem- 
 etery—Mission Dolores— The Chinese 
 —Adieu. 
 
 San Francisco, Nov. 1, 1870. 
 The Central Pacific from Ogden to Cali- 
 fornia is by no means a duplicate of the Un- 
 ion Pacific from Omaha to Ogden. The 
 sleeping cars and eating stations are inferior ; 
 gold and silver take the place of scrip, and 
 a "good square meal" cannot always be had. 
 Chinese laborers and track-repairers replace 
 the Irish. California fruits, especially pears 
 and grapes, grow cheaper at every station, 
 and we begin to realize that we are on the 
 "Western Slope of the Continent. But one 
 train a day each way is run between Omaha 
 and San Francisco, which leaves Ogden at 
 6 pm. We wake the next morning in the 
 valley of the Humboldt, and the day before 
 us is perhaps the dreariest and most un- 
 uncomfortable on the whole route. 
 Vast Alkali plains surround us, 
 where sage brush alone grows, and 
 ot a drop of water can be had which man 
 or beast can swallow. The ground is white 
 with alkali as if covered with snow, the fine 
 dust penetrates even through double win- 
 dows and makes our hands and faces feel 
 sticky and uncomfortable. Our eyes are 
 slightly inflamed and reading becomes diffi- 
 cult. Water affords but a temporary relief, 
 and a "dry wash" with a soft towel is much 
 better. Such are a few of the annoy? nces of 
 the railway traveler, while dashing over 
 this worse than Sahara desert, twenty-five 
 miles an hour in a first class car. Imagine 
 what were the sufferings of the early emi- 
 grants, hundreds of whom perished miser- 
 
ably on the way, overtaken by storms of 
 alkali sand, and the bones of thousands of 
 oxen and horses bleach on these barren 
 plains. 
 
 After three hundred miles of sage brush 
 and alkali, we commence to climb tbe Sierra 
 Nevadas, and for the next ten hours we 
 see results of engineering skill that seem 
 almost marvellous. Constantly ascending, 
 we wind around the mountains on narrow 
 shelves of rock, bri ge chasms at dizzy 
 heights on trestle-work, and where no 
 other course is practicable; boldly plunge 
 through the hill?, and emerge from dark 
 tunnels to dash onward through the gloom 
 of miles of snow-sheds, by which slone this 
 route is kept open in winter, and the road 
 protected from the avalanches which sweep 
 down the mountain sides. There are over 
 fifty miles of these snow-sheds, built of 
 heavy timbers, and covered, roof and side?, 
 with four-inch planks. They are somewhat 
 aggravating to the traveler, as they cut on 
 all view of the scenery, and leave him in a 
 gloomy twilight which is neither night nor 
 day. 
 
 On we glide past the summit, and the 
 second morning after leaving Ogden com- 
 mence the descent of the "Western slope. 
 We round " Cape Horn," a bold promon- 
 tory, which juts out and overhangs a valley 
 -2,000 feet below, and half way up the face 
 of the mountain on a narrow shelf of rock 
 the trains wind round like some huge 
 monster, where but a few years ago there 
 was not even a foot trail— a place well cal- 
 culated to unsettle the nsrves of timid 
 ladies. We pass it in safety, and turning to 
 the left cress the valley on the high trestle 
 work bridge, and we feel inclined to hold 
 our breath until the train reaches the solid 
 embankment on the opposite side cf the 
 chasm. 
 
 Lower and lower we go, leaving the 
 Alpine scenery behind us, and now, as if 
 by magic, there opens before us the beauti- 
 ful valley of the Sacramento. It is our first 
 glimpse of the u Golden State," and the pic- 
 ture is one long to be remembered. Pleas- 
 ant farm houses, orchards loaded with fruit, 
 smiling fields and fertile meadows, as far as 
 the eye can reach, are In striking contrast 
 with the desolate scenes of the past thirty- 
 six hours. A short delay at Sacramenta, 
 the second city and Capital of California, 
 and we continue on to Stockton, near which 
 gold was first discovered in 1S48. 
 
Thence through several western looking 
 towns, over the coast range of mountain!? , 
 the high volcanic peak of Monta Diabolo, 
 looming up 3,800 feet on our right— a land- 
 mark far out in the Pacific— and just at dusk 
 we reached Oakland, the teTminus of the 
 railroad, and the Brooklyn of San Francisco. 
 Here we are transferred to a steam ferry 
 boat, and crossing over the broad bay we 
 watch with no little interest the myriad 
 lights from the great city before us which 
 reflected and doubled in number on the 
 smooth water, stretch from the wharves high 
 up to the summit of the hill upon which the 
 city is built. Arriving at the pier the rush 
 of passengers, shouting of hackmen and om- 
 nibus drivers, and the general confusion are 
 worthy of New York City. The streets 
 through which we are driven to the "Grand 
 Hotel" are most brilliantly lighted. We 
 pass block after block of splendid 
 stores where the plat' glass and rich dis- 
 play of wares remind us of Broadway. On 
 the street corners the large, white Califor- 
 nia grapes are being sold, "eight pounds for 
 a quarter." The pears, which we have fre- 
 quently seen East, but rarely felt rich enough 
 to buy, are here offered "three for a dime." 
 No indication this of the high prices we had 
 on the Pacific coast. 
 
 I have heard it predicted that in a few 
 years this trip across the Continent will be- 
 come as stale a subject for description as 
 that over the Alleghenies from Pittsburgh 
 to Philadelphia, and such was my own im- 
 pressions before passing over it. And now, 
 perhaps, I owe your readers an apology 
 for occupying so much space in trying, 
 though very imperfectly, to sketch the sa- 
 lient points of the route. The novelty, 
 beauty, and grandeur of the scenery can 
 hardly be exaggerated. One should return 
 by ths same route, at least as far as Chey- 
 enne, to properly appreciate it, and then he 
 will agree with me that no word painting 
 can do it justice. 
 
 We reach San Francisco on Saturday 
 night. The "China steamer" sails at noon 
 on Tuesday, so what we see of this city 
 which has grown up within a few years as 
 if the genii of Alladin were the slaves of 
 the builders, must be quickly accomplished. 
 Here are hotels that compare favorably 
 with the "St. Nicholas" or the "Fifth 
 Avenue"— stores on Montgomery street that 
 can only be matched on Broadway. But 
 splendid blocks, expensive public buildings 
 and fine hotels alone do not constitute a 
 3 
 
24 
 
 great and prosperous city. In churches and 
 and schools and in the quiet observance of 
 the Sabbath, San Francisco compares favor- 
 ably with any city of its size on the eastern 
 slope of the continent. The prosperity of 
 this city is not all material. Boston has 
 furnished the model of her public school 
 system, and New England blood and train- 
 ing can be recognized in many of her insti- 
 tutions of charity and benevolence. 
 
 On Sunday we attended the church found- 
 ed by Starr King, beside which he is buried. 
 Kind hands still supply the flowers that 
 decorate the grave of one whose loving 
 heart so attached his friends, and whose 
 genius and patriotic labors did so much to 
 save California to the Union. 
 
 The vicinity of the city is full of places of 
 interest. Every stranger is; taken to the 
 Clifl House to see "the lions"— here real 
 "sea lions," or Jmonster seals, which seem 
 half human as they splash, gambol and 
 climb over the conical rocks near the shore. 
 Lone Mountain Cemetery is one of the most 
 beautiful and romantic burial places in 
 America— a splendid marble monument of 
 tie lamented B Roderick is here a conspicu- 
 ous object. In the outskirts of the city is 
 the old Mission Dolores— where for more 
 than a century the Jesuits held absolute 
 sway over thousaEds of their dependant In- 
 dians and Mexicans— now occupied in part 
 as a woolen factory. The "Celestials" are 
 here an institution— every third person one 
 meets in the streets wears the loose, dark 
 blue blouse, baggy trousers, pointed shoes 
 and long, braided "pig-tail" of a Chinaman. 
 They are quiet and reserved in manner, go 
 about their business, turning neither to the 
 right nor the left. Housekeepers here are 
 unanimous in their praise as servants— but 
 I will leave the "Chinese question" for dis- 
 cussion hereafter when I have seen them at 
 home. 
 
 At twelve o'clock the largest and newest 
 of t"ie China steamships, the America, will 
 leave her dock. Our Cleveland friends, 
 Messrs. Worthington, Beckwith and Pan- 
 nel, will come down and see ua off. My 
 next letter must be dated beyond the 
 "Golden Gate," iar over the waters of the 
 broad Pacific. W. P. F, 
 
NUMBER IV. 
 
 Pacific Mail Steamers— Splendid Ships 
 —Creditable to America — Chinese 
 Passengers— How John Chinaman 
 Eats -Chop- Sticks Lively and Useful 
 Tools— Smoking Opium— An Invita- 
 tion Declined— The Opium Trade- 
 England's Sbame— A Day Lost- 
 Thrown Oveiboard— Our Thanks- 
 giving and Christmas Ahead— Fusi- 
 yama Almost in Sight— The First 
 Glimpse of Asia. 
 
 Steamship America, > 
 November 21, 1870, > 
 N.L.30deg. 30min.,L. 158deg.24min.E ) 
 The great disparity of sur'ace on this 
 globe between land and water is forced upon 
 our minds by the thought that we have now 
 for twenty -one days been pu*hin» stesdily 
 westward over the vast desert of waters, 
 and have Eean neither land nor sail. Day 
 after day is the same dreary expanse, and 
 during the twenty-fi^e days from San Fran- 
 cisco to Japan it is rarely that a vessel of 
 any kind is seen. When about eignt days 
 out, and 1,800 miles from land, we anxiously 
 watched for the smoke of the eastern bound 
 steamer, hoping to meet her and exchange 
 mails. For two days we had all been writing 
 letters full of last parting words to dear ones 
 at horn?, but to oar great disappointment we 
 missed seeing ber, having probably passed 
 during the night, which was cloudy, so that 
 the smoke or lights could not have been 
 seen more than eight or ten miles away. It 
 would ssem surprising that we had any 
 chance to meet on this trackless Pacific. 
 Nigbt and day there has been no cessation 
 of the steady clang of the machinery, the 
 quiver and crackling of the immense steamer, 
 as she pushes westward ten miles an hour, 
 never varying from her cauree, end regard- 
 less alike of wind or ttorm. We have seen 
 old Ocean in all his mo ads— for days smooth 
 and glassy, reflecting the bright sun and 
 cloudless sky with scarcely a ripple, remind- 
 ing me of Lake Erie in midsummer. Then 
 gathering clouds aedthe angry waves lashed 
 into fury, tossing our huge ship to and fro 
 
like a cockle shell. "Pacific" seemed then 
 a misnomer for thU wild Ocean. But the 
 steady clang of the engine never ceased as 
 it pushed our leviathan onward— a triumph 
 of skill and brains over the elements, of 
 science over matter. 
 
 I had read of this Pacific mail line as on- 
 equaled in the world in siza of ships, com- 
 pleteness of appointments, and comfort to 
 passengers, but I was unprepared for such a 
 fbatind: palace as the "America" proves to 
 be. If there cm anywhere be comfort or 
 even pleasure in a sea voyage, it is here. 
 Our fifty cabin passengers have more space 
 in state rooms and saloons than would be 
 allowed to two hundred on a Cunarder. The 
 table is supplied with every delicacy of a 
 first class hotel. Vegetables and fruits, 
 either fresh or canned— beef, mutton and 
 poultry, were shipped, "on the hoof," be- 
 fore leaving port, and the steward is saving 
 the fattest of turkeys for our Thanksgivicg 
 dinner. The crew, firemen and waiters, one 
 hundred and fifty in number, are Chinese-— 
 the officers, of course, being American. 
 The captain says they are as good sailors as 
 the average of white men, and much more 
 docile and obedient. They do not seem to 
 me as strong limbed and broad chested as 
 our Yankee sailors and fishermen, but few 
 of these can be found in this section except 
 in the position of officers. As table waiters 
 the Chinese are remarkably quick and 
 active, and very quiet. A glance of the eye 
 toward any dish you may want is enough, 
 they seem to know by intuition almost, what 
 you require. They never hand you a cup of 
 tea or coffee and leave you to get the sugar 
 and milk as best you can. 
 
 This line of steamers consists of four ships, 
 the China, Japan, America and Great Re- 
 public. The three first are in constant serv- 
 ice, and the last named is held in reserve in 
 case ot accidents. They make one trip a 
 month each way from San Francisco to 
 Hong Kong, touching at Yokohama, in Ja- 
 pan, where they connect with a branch line 
 to Shanghai. They are allowed a govern- 
 ment subsidy of half a million dollars a year 
 for carrying the mails between these ports. 
 They are wooden, side-wheel steamers, with 
 air-tight compartments, built in New York, 
 and cost over a million dollars each. They 
 are about 5,000 tons measurement, the 
 "America," the largest and newest, being 
 5,600 tons, and the larg°st merchant ship 
 afloat except the Great Eastern. It is grat- 
 ifying to our national pride that this line ol 
 
27 
 
 ocean steamers, the only one we have, is a 
 success. They cannot carry all the freight 
 (principally teas) that is offered in China 
 and Japan, and the number will soon be in- 
 creased so as to make semi-monthly trips. 
 These ships are the continuation of our na- 
 tional Pacific railroad, and the pioneers of a 
 commerce the extent of which we cannot 
 now realize between Europe and Asia across 
 our continent. When they first appeared 
 in Hong Kong, their sizs and elegant ac- 
 commodations for passengers surprised the 
 English, who build only screw ocean steam- 
 ers, and they predicted that the first ty • 
 phoon they encountered would send them 
 under. But for four years they have run 
 without accident, riding out in safety the 
 fiercest storms, typhoons and cyclones of the 
 Chinese and Pacific seas. Their great size 
 and breadth of beam give them steadiness 
 in rough weather, and also enaoles them to 
 carry a large number of passengers. 
 
 This ship will accommodate fourteen hun- 
 dred persons in the steerage, and is always 
 full going east. These are all Chinese, who 
 pay $45 each for passage to California, there 
 to be kicked and cuffed by the roughs, de- 
 nied all the rights which "a white man is 
 bound to respect," but economical and sav- 
 ing in his habits, patiently enduring in- 
 sults, quiet and reserved in manners, in a 
 few years he saves enough of his earnings 
 to return to China a rich man. 
 
 We have now on board seven hundred re- 
 turning Chinamen, each with his little for- 
 tune of two or three hundred dollars, the 
 saving of two to five years hard labor and 
 exile irom the "flowery kingdom" among 
 "western barbarians." What wonderful 
 stories they will have to tell to their friends 
 and neighbors ! Stories as marvelous as the 
 early voyagers four centuries ago, carried 
 back from the far west to Spain and Portu- 
 gal. The space on this sbip is so large, and 
 the discipline so perfect, that we see noth- 
 ing of the Chinese snless we go forward 
 among them. They occupy the whole main 
 deck, 400 by 50 feet in size, and also 
 a portion of the upper deck forward. Sev- 
 eral are pointed out to me as wealthy mer- 
 chants of Ssn Francisco, who could well 
 afford if they chose to pay $300 for cabin 
 passage. 
 
 They are all neatly dressed and clean in 
 personal appearance, and politely answer in 
 "pigeon English" all my questions. The 
 Chinese are inveterate gamblers, and many 
 groups are scattered around the deck play- 
 
ing dominoes, the little piles cf copper coin 
 indicating the stakes. They are so intent on 
 the game that they do not notice my stand- 
 ing by and watching them. "Win- 
 ning or losing, they take it very 
 philosophically, without loud words or 
 quarreling. Presently the gong sounds 
 for dinner, and all start up "eager for the 
 fray"— for eating, whether in cabin or steer- 
 age, is an important matter on board ship. 
 The 700 Chinese are divided into fifty messes 
 of fourteen each. Two from each mess, as 
 its number is called, are detailed to bring the 
 rations, consisting to-day of a large tin pan 
 of boiled rice, another of beef and vegeta- 
 bles chopped up into pieces about an inch 
 square, and a small dish of pickle3 by way 
 of relish. Each mes3 has, also, a tin can 
 holding about two gallons of tea. Plscing 
 the provisions on the deck, the mess forms 
 a group around, and each man, squatted on 
 his hells, pulls out his " chop-sticks" and 
 " goes in" without csiremony or saying 
 grace. The chop- sticks are of dark wood, 
 about the size of a penholder or lead pencil, 
 but longer, a? d are held between the thumb 
 and two first finsers of the right band. This 
 is the " knife and forS " of nearly one half 
 of the human race, and it is a curious sight 
 to watch with what dexterity they are ena- 
 bled by habit and practice to use them. 
 Holding them like a pair of tongs they can 
 pick up the smallest kernels cf rice and 
 transfer them to the mouth as rapidly as we 
 could accomplish the same by the use of a 
 table spoon. Besides chop-sticks, each one 
 is provided with a small bowl, which he 
 fills with re?, and, holding near his mouth 
 with his left hand, its contents are speedily 
 transferred down his throat. This exercise 
 is varied by an occasional dive with the- 
 chop sticks into the dish of meat and the 
 transfer of a choice bit to accompany the 
 rice in its downward course. Wo to the 
 slow eater in this crowd, if any there be ! 
 The typical American who bolts his dinner 
 in five minutes at a railway eating house, 
 using knife and fork indiscriminately, is 
 slow compared with John Chicaman, armed 
 with his two bits of wood. The pan of 
 lice is soon empty and is refilled as : many 
 times as desired, and the quantity of rice 
 these people can eat when the supply is un- 
 stinted is wonderful. At last the (i chop' 
 stick exercise" flags, the last kernel of rice 
 and scrap of meat has disappeared. With a 
 sigh of regret at the transitory nature of all 
 human happiness, John carefully wipes his 
 
29 
 
 "tools" and stores them away in his poctet 
 for future use. In the meantime the can of 
 tea has remained uniasted, for the Chinese 
 never drink while eating. And now he 
 closes his repast with several bowls full of 
 tea, of course, without milk or sugar, then 
 he smokes his cigar or pipe with all the 
 gusto inspired by a well filled s'omach. 
 These ships are very liberal in the food pro- 
 vided far the steerage, the quantity being 
 unstinted, and the quality much superior to 
 the average fare of the Chinese at home or 
 in California ; and yet the cost [of boarding 
 them for the thirty days trip is less than 
 five dollars each. 
 
 In the centre of the forward deck I notice 
 a temporary room of thick canvas, about 
 eight feet square, on the door of which is an 
 inscription in Chinese. Upon inquiry I am 
 told with a grin on the face of my informant 
 that it is the "Opium smoking room." He 
 opens the door and I glance inside. At first 
 it seems dark, the only light being from a 
 small lamp upon the floor, beside which is a 
 box about half as large as a sardine can, 
 which contains the drug prepared for use. 
 There are three or four persons in the room, 
 squatted on a floor or reclining on a bench 
 in various stages cf intoxication. One of 
 them, with a silly smile on his cadaverous 
 face, holds up a pipe and invites me to take 
 a whiff. I decline and beat a hasty retreat, 
 tor the air of the place is so loaded with 
 mephivic vapors that a few minutes stay 
 would have overcome my senses. The pipe 
 used for smoking opium is quite different 
 from that ordinarily used for tobacco. It is 
 of bamboo, as large in diameter as a flute, 
 and two-thirds as long. About three inches 
 from one end is a small bowl, in which the 
 drug i3 placed, which is of the color and 
 consistency of tar. A small quantity being 
 put in the bowl, it is held in the lamp while 
 from the other end of the pipe the fumes 
 are drawn into the lungs and then slowly 
 ejected through the nostrils. The intoxica- 
 tion, unlike that from alcohol, produces no 
 howling maniacs, but lulls its victims to 
 dreams of bliss from which he wakes to 
 horrors worse than delirium tremens, 
 which can only be assuaged by another in- 
 dulgence and another descent into his infer- 
 nal paradise. The habit once contracted, it 
 is next to impossible to break off, and the 
 miserable victim, possessed, as the Chinese 
 say, by an "opium devil," becomes imbecile 
 in mind and thoroughly demoralized body 
 and soul, is speedily carried to a worse than 
 
30 
 
 prunkard's grave. The cost of opium is so 
 great that but few of the very poor class can 
 afford to U3e it. The Chinese authorities 
 have used every effort to stop its sale, but 
 the British government, to afford a market 
 for the opium of India, has forced the ac- 
 cursed drug upon the Chinese at the can- 
 non's mouth. Tbe Emperor of China, when 
 asked to licenbe its sale, replied in words 
 that should mantle the cheek of every Eng- 
 lishman with shame. "It is true," said he, 
 "that I cannot prevent the introduction of 
 the flowing poison. Gain-seeking and cor- 
 rupt men will, for profit and sensuality, de- 
 feat my wishes, but nothing will induce me 
 to derive a revenue for the vice and mis- 
 ery of my people." So Christian England 
 deals with heathen China! 
 
 On Monday. 14th of November, we 
 passed the 180 th meridian from Greenwich, 
 and were just half round the world from 
 London. At this time my watch— set in 
 Cleveland— was eight hours too fast, and 
 when the dinner gong sounded at five 
 o'clock, it was one o'clock at night in 
 Cleveland and five a. m. in England. It 
 makes one feel that he is indeed far away 
 when his noon lunch or "tiffin" comes at 
 the moment when his friends are seated 
 round the evening lamp in that quiet room 
 at home to which his mind so fondly turns. 
 But to U3 the day following Monday, the 
 14th, was "Wednesday, 16th of November. 
 Tuesday, the loth, was an unknown day — 
 dropped in the bosom of the Pacific ocean. 
 This will make our calendar agree with that 
 of China and the East Indias, who have 
 taken theirs from the Europeans coming 
 eastward round the world. We are now 
 eleven hours ahead of London and fifteen 
 ahead of Cleveland. In a few days we shall 
 eat our five o'clock Thanksgiving diDr.er 
 long before daylight on the lake shore, and 
 my Christmas at Shanghai will be thirteen 
 and a half hours ahead of Cleveland. The 
 day lost is past recovery to us who go on 
 round the world, but it will be picked up 
 by the steamer on her return, and if she 
 should pass the 180th meridian on Sunday, 
 the 25th of December, her passengers will 
 have two Sundays in that week and a du- 
 plicate Christmas for 1870. 
 
 I can only wish them as pleasant weather 
 and as agreeable a ship's company as we 
 have been favored with. On Thursday we 
 expect to sight Fusiyama, the "happy 
 mountain" of Japan, whose volcanic peair, 
 rising 14 000 feet above the sea will be the 
 first object to meet our gaze in Asia. 
 
 W. P. F. 
 
NUMBER FIVE. 
 
 A Pleasant Sunday— The Pacific, Uult 
 Stream and What tame of It— A 
 Typhoon— Frightful Scenes on Ship- 
 Cyclones Ahead of Hatteras— Peru- 
 vian Repentant —The Dangers Over- 
 All's Well That Ends Well— A Bright 
 Morning- After the Gale— Good Itesoiu 
 tions Forgotten— A Genuine Thanks- 
 giving. 
 
 Steamship America. 
 Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 24, 1870 
 Lat. 32, 55., LON. 142, 57. 
 Our third and last Sunday on the America 
 was a very pleasant one. We had on board 
 three missionaries who were returning with 
 their families after a briet absence to the 
 ecenes of their labors— one to Yokohama, 
 one to China, and the other to India. As 
 usual, we had religious services in the mai i 
 saloon in the morning, and in the evening 
 Rev. Dr. Scudder gave us a very interesting 
 lecture on India. The weather was de- 
 lightful, a bright sun at- d a cloudless sky, 
 the sea as smooth as an inland lake, and the 
 air as warm as a September day at home. In 
 four days more we expected to sight Japan. 
 But, as our Scotch friends say, "The best 
 laid plans of mice and men aft gang agloe." 
 
 On Monday night we were within eight 
 hundred miles of Yokohama, in the edge of 
 that current of warm water which corre - 
 sponds with the u Gulf Stream" of the At- 
 lantic—here as there the fruitful source of 
 typhoons, cyclones and hurricanes. This 
 current, which is supposed by some savans 
 to have its origin in submarine volcanoes 
 south of the Island of Formosa, sweeps 
 thence along the coast of Japan, through 
 tha North Pacific to the Aleutian Island?, 
 then over to the coast of California, down 
 which it follows until lost in the warm seas 
 about the equator. The day had been warm 
 and sultry, with occasional snowers, but 
 the barometer had indicated no storm brew- 
 ing, until at ten o'clock it dropped in forty 
 minutes from 29-80 to 28-G8, S3 sudden 
 a fall boded U3 no good, and our vigilant 
 captain at once prepared for one of those 
 
32 
 
 terrific storms, cilled typhoons or cyclones, 
 p°culiar to the east coast of Asia, and the 
 dread of all navigators in these waters. 
 
 Within less than an hour from the first 
 premonition it struck the ship, the tremen- 
 dous force ot the wind throwing her in- 
 stantly almost upon her beam end*. I had 
 retired early and was rudely awakened by 
 being pitched out of my berth, and with 
 trunk and other looss article?, shot over to 
 the lee side of my state room. Fortunately 
 the room was small so that I did not have 
 far to go. Hastily dressing I managed with 
 some difficulty to open the door leading to 
 the main saloon, and Ihsre the sight was 
 truly appalling. The skylights had all been 
 dashed in, chairs and everything moveable 
 were sweeping to and Iro acro?s the room, 
 the floor was covered with broken glass 
 from the racks over the tables, the lamps 
 wf,re all extinguished, the howling of the 
 wind and dashing of the rain and spray 
 through the open sky lights, the lurid glare 
 of th^ lightning which seemed one inces- 
 sant flash, made up the mo3t frightlul scene 
 I ever witnessed. But more startling than 
 all this were the shrieks of some of the 
 ladies who had rashed half-clad from their 
 rooms, and losing a'l presence of mind at 
 every lurch of the ship uttered most heart- 
 rending screams. 
 
 My experience of storms oil' Cape Hatte- 
 ras, and in the Gulf of Mexico, was nothing 
 compared with a typhoon in the Chinese 
 sea. Every few minutes a heavy wave 
 would strike the ship, dash the water ever 
 the top of the cabins, and as it thundered 
 against the guards our staunch vessel would 
 quiver and tremble as if going to pieces. 
 
 Being high up out of the water the wind 
 had a tremendous sweep against her cabins 
 and paddle boxes. But she was very strong- 
 ly built, and having one thousand tons less 
 coal on board than when she left San Fran- 
 cisco was very buoyant ; her machinery was 
 strong, and her officers all thorough seamen. 
 Every man was at his post, and when Cap- 
 tain Doane came down and spoke a few 
 cheerful words to the affrighted passengers 
 the panic subsided. By his direction the 
 ladies and children were removed for greater 
 safety to a small cabin on the lower deck, 
 in case the upper works should be carried 
 away. After the first fright was over tbe 
 passengers became quiet and t-clf-possesscd. 
 The course of this storm was from South- 
 west to Northeast, an J it moved with great 
 rapidity, probably three hundred miles an 
 
33 
 
 hour. ThcBe typhoons are circular and 
 perhaps a mile or more in diameter. In 
 half an hour we had passed through the 
 outer rim into the center, acd for about 
 twenty minutes there was a lull of the wind, 
 although the » a was running very high. 
 Then as we again approached the edge of 
 the cyclone it struck the ship with increased 
 fury from the opposite direction. This was 
 the crisis of the storm. For a few minutes 
 we lay in a trough of the sea, and before 
 steerage way could be got on the vessel she 
 shipped several heavy teas, which tore up 
 the guards around the paddle boxes, demol- 
 ished the bath rooms and cattle pens, dashed 
 one of the sailors from the upper deck, in- 
 juring him so severely that the poor fellow 
 died the next day. Any accident at this 
 moment to the machinery would have been 
 fatal to the ship. She would have become a 
 wreck and foundered in spite of the most 
 skillful seamanship. No small boat could 
 lve for a moment or even be launched in 
 such a gale. 
 
 We clung to the positions we had taken 
 in the upper cabin and main deck, and for 
 a while we held our breath, waiting for 
 what was to come next. Such was the 
 noise of the wind and banging against the 
 ship of the waves, that we could not tell 
 whether the engines had stopped or not. 
 The Chinese passengers had been securely 
 fastened below, lest they should rush on 
 deck in a panic and do some mischief. To 
 say that at such a time I was not alarmed, 
 would be idle bravado ; at all events I kept 
 quiet and held on, and thought what a fool 
 I had been to put myself, without any good 
 excuse, in such a position. Evei then I 
 could not help laughing at a comical scene 
 within a few feet of where I was standing. 
 Among our passengers was a Peruvian, of 
 very gentlemanly appearance and excess- 
 ively polite manners, who was on his way 
 to China to purchase a cargo of coolies. He 
 was now the worst frightened man on the 
 ship. He fell on his knees, and, crossing 
 himself, muttered his long neglected prayers 
 in Spanish to the Holy Virgin and all the 
 saints in the Romish calendar. 
 
 But the engines moved steadily or, al- 
 though at times one of the paddle-boxes 
 would be completely under water, so that 
 the strain upon the shafts was feariul. In 
 the meantime, while the gale was at its 
 height, one of the boats and all the settees 
 upper deck had broken loose from their 
 fastenings, and were dancing a lively jig 
 
34 
 
 over cur heads before they finally chassaed 
 into the ocean. 
 
 About three o'clock the Captain came 
 down and assured us that the danger was 
 over, although it was yet very rough, as 
 we had passed through the outer rim of 
 the cyclone, and most of the passengers re* 
 turned to their rooms to find everything in 
 confusion, and their bedding and clothes 
 soaking wet. This, however, we cared 
 very little for. I threw myself, in my wet 
 clothing, upon the sofa, and in half an hour 
 was iast asleep. 
 
 The next morning the gun shone bright 
 and clear, and as we gathered in the saloon 
 to a late breakfast we were a hard looking 
 set. Everybody shook hands with every- 
 body else, and each had his or her personal 
 experience to relate. The events of the 
 night before seemed like a horrible dream. 
 But the bruises some of us had received, the 
 head3 of some of the waiters cut in falling 
 against tables and over chairs, the pmashed 
 bulwarks and battered guard?, and the stains 
 of the salt spray to the very top of the 
 smokestack, were evidence that our expe- 
 rience of a typhoon had been real. The cap- 
 tain said that in his twenty-three year's ex- 
 perience he had never seen a harder blow, 
 although fortunately for us it was of short 
 duration. Our Peruvian was especially de- 
 monstrative in his congratulations. If he 
 made any good resolutions in the hour of 
 peril to let the poor Coolies alone, I fear 
 he has since forgotten them, for I overheard 
 him yesterday discussing with another pas- 
 senger the chances of getting a cargo. 
 
 To-day is Thanksgiving, and to us it is 
 an occasion of genuine heartfelt thanksgiv- 
 ing and gratitude to Almighty God for the 
 dangers we have escaped, and we need no 
 fat turkeys nor sparkling champagne to 
 give fervor to our thanks. "W. P. F. 
 
NUMBER SIX. 
 
 Arrival in Japan— Bay of Yeddo— 
 Junk's and Fishing Boats— Harbor of 
 Yokohama— No Hacks, But Fat and 
 Jolly Porters — A Good European 
 Hotel— Situation of Yokohama — A 
 Former American Consul Disgraces 
 His Country— Bettos or Grooms— 
 Their Unique Dress — Out For a 
 Walk— Japanese Group— How They 
 Are Dressed— A Paradise of Ba- 
 bies—Married Women Sacrifice Their 
 Beauty— A Pair of Moos-mies— A Jac- 
 onin— Street Performers— Porters and 
 and Coolies— Ohaio and Saionara. 
 Yokohama, Japan, Dec. 1, 1870. 
 On the morning of the 25th of November 
 I was awakened by a rapping at the door of 
 my room on the America, and recognized 
 the voice of my friend, the Consul at Swa- 
 tow, saying, "Come out and see Japan ; it 
 is in plain sight, right before us." In a few 
 minutes I was on deck, and no one, unless 
 he has been for twenty-five days without 
 seeing land or even a sail, can appreciate 
 our delight as we gazed on the scene. We 
 were approaching the entrance of the Bay 
 of Yeddo, which very much resembles the 
 "Narrows" at New York. The high wooded 
 hills in front were dotted with small houses, 
 looking very cosy, surrounded with ever- 
 greens and fruit trees ; on our left were sev- 
 eral conical-shaped mountains rising out of 
 the water, some of which were extinct vol- 
 canoes; all around us were fleets of junks 
 and fishing boats, manned by a strange 
 race, dark-skinned, bare-headed, with no su- 
 perabundance of clothing, who watched our 
 steamer as she glided by with even greater 
 curiosity than we looked at their queer 
 craft, outlandish and clumsy as if modeled 
 from Noah's Ark. The sun was not yet 
 above the horizon ; but, through an occa- 
 sional rift in the clouds which obscured 
 Fusiyama, we could see the gilding of the 
 snow-covered cone of this "Matchless Moun- 
 tain," which forms the background of every 
 Japanese landscape. Attracted by so many 
 strange sights we lingered on deck even 
 
36 
 
 after the gong had called us to our last meal 
 on the ship, for at eleven o'clock we expect- 
 ed to reach Yokohama twenty miles up 
 this beautiful bay. 
 
 Trunks are packed and baggage put in 
 older for shore, stovepipe hats replace the 
 wideawakes and Scotch caps, which have 
 seen service on ship board, and after break- 
 fast all are gathered on the upper deck as 
 we pass the light ship -nd carefully thread 
 cur way through the fleet of foreign ships 
 anchored in front of the city. Besides the 
 eight war vessels, two, each, of French, 
 American, British and German, there are 
 now in this port over fifty sailing ships 
 and fifteen steamers, representing every 
 maritime nation in the world. The gun is 
 fired, the anchor dropped, and the wheels 
 stop for the first time since leaving San 
 Francisco. 
 
 Trim looking boats come along side from 
 the different men-of-war for letters and 
 papers, for we bring ten days later news 
 from the seat of war in Europe. We rec- 
 ognize the tricolored flag, and notice the 
 disappointed locks of the French officer 
 when told of the surrender of Metz. The 
 steward and waiters are especially polite 
 thi3 morning and have an expectant air as 
 they help us off with our baggage. We go 
 ashore in a Japanese boat which lands us at 
 the custom house pier, where we submit 
 our trunks to the inspection of the officials, 
 two-sworded men, in semi-European uni- 
 form, wearing no hats, but sometimes car - 
 rying one UEder the arm. They are very 
 civil, and take our word that we have noth- 
 ing subject to duty, which may be a rash 
 statement, as we profess to know little 
 about Japan " tariffs." A crowd of cool- 
 ies surround us. each eager for the job of 
 carrying our baggage to the International 
 Hotel. These fellows are both diity and 
 ragged— if the latter term is possible, in 
 view of the small amount of clothing they 
 wear— but they are faithful and honest, fat 
 and jolly, and satisfied with what seems 
 to us very trifling compensation for their 
 labor. 
 
 Yokohama is situated on the south shore 
 of the bay of Yeddo, and contains about 35,- 
 000 inhabitants. It is one of the four ports 
 open to foreigners, and has nearly all the 
 export trade of Japan. Along the Bund 
 facing the harbor are the foreign commer- 
 cial houses, mostly twe stories high, built 
 of stone, and many oi them enclosed in sub- 
 stantial stone walls. Each erclosure is 
 
;;? 
 
 called a Compound, and contains an elegant 
 residence surrounded by shrubbery, ware- 
 houses or go-downs, offices, &c. Other 
 streets parallel with the Bund, extend back 
 for some distance, and are occupied by the 
 European retail dealers. Separated by a 
 large canal on the ea3t are the heights, an 
 aristccratic quarter, where the foreign min- 
 isters reside, and also some of the wealth- 
 iest merchants. Back of the European town 
 and adjoining it on the west, is the native 
 quarter, full of curio shops, where Japan- 
 ese life and manners can be seen, and a 
 place especially interesting to strangers. 
 There are only about twelve hundred for- 
 eign residents here, one half of whom are 
 English ; perhaps two hundred American? , 
 and the balance French and German. jK^n- 
 agawa is a large native town twomilea frcm 
 here, and was by the treaty <rf the! port to 
 be opened to foreigners in 1860. But the 
 government, in accordance with its policy 
 to keep foreigners distinct from the Japan- 
 ese, laid out the town of Yokohama on the 
 low, inarehy shore of the bay, isolated it 
 from the main land by canals, filled up the 
 marsh from the adjoining hills, built exten- 
 sive piers of granite, a large custom house, 
 and gave the land without charge for con- 
 sulates, warehouses and stores. Its location 
 is much better for harbor facilities than 
 Kanagawa, with which it is connected by a 
 ong causeway, and it can be more easily 
 defended in case cf disturbance. At that 
 time the exclusion policy of the Yeduo gov- 
 "ernment was gradually giving way, but a 
 strong party in the country was bitterly op- 
 posed to the foreigners and had to be concil- 
 iated. By making the foreign settlement an 
 island the government could say that no 
 Aliens had been allowed a dwelling place 
 in Nippon, and the letter of the unrepealed 
 law against the admission of "barbarian s" 
 was evaded. 
 
 After securing comfortable quarters at 
 the European hotel, let us go out for a walk. 
 Holding a horse in front of the hotel is a 
 betto, or groom. He wears neither coat 
 nor pants, but his clothing is elaborate, and 
 is easily washed, and certainly is a perfect 
 fit. It^consists of a very narrow Bgirdie 
 and suit of tattooing, the colors being red 
 aud blue. On his back is a frightful dragon 
 with his tail curled around under the betto's 
 arm. Nondescript monsters, and curious 
 designs of tigers, lions and human figures 
 cover nearly his whole body, and he is evi- 
 dently gratified at my admiration of his 
 
unique dress. It may be said that be ia 
 "scantily dressed but decently painted." 
 Toe custom is said to have originated with 
 the fishermen, who being much employed 
 ia the water, imagined that in this way 
 they could frighten away sharks. As, how- 
 ever, this beautifying struck the fancy of 
 the bettos, it was next adopted by them 
 from motives of vanity. These bettos al- 
 ways run alongside of horsemen and in front 
 of carriages when out for a drive or on a 
 journey. They have- wonderful power of 
 endurance, and will keep up with a fast 
 trotting horse without apparent fatigue. 
 
 Walking down the nicely swept street, 
 past the custom house, we come to a large 
 compound where the British flag is flying. 
 This is their Consulate, and a high stone 
 wall encloses several acres. A red-coated 
 soldier stands in the doorway ef a large 
 building containing the dwelling and offices 
 of the Consul. A friend points out to me a 
 large tree inside the wall, called "the treaty 
 oak. ; ' Here the treaty with Commodore 
 Perry was signed in 1854. As an Ameri- 
 can, I am ashamed to say that this piece of 
 land, which is the most desirable in Yoko- 
 hama, after being assigned fcr our Consu- 
 late, was sold for seven tnousacd dollars to 
 the English and the money put in the Con- 
 sul's pocket. The American Consulate was 
 pushed back on to a small piece of land in 
 the rear, and is not even the property of 
 the United States. 
 
 A short distance further and we come 
 to a broad street which separates the foreign 
 from the native town. Here is a group of 
 men and womsnof the laboring class. Their 
 dress is very n\uch alike in cut, as well as 
 color, which is generally sombre. The 
 broad sleeves of their outer garments, which 
 are sewed up half way, serve as pockets. 
 They all wear straw sandals on their feet, 
 but no covering for their heads. Their hair 
 is universally black, the heads of the men 
 being partially shaved, and the hair drawn 
 up and tied in a little cue on the top. The 
 women wear their hair most elaborately 
 dressed in waves and bands, with bright- 
 colored skewers for hair pins. More than 
 half the women in the street have babies in 
 their arms, or slung at their backs, whose 
 heads, shaved in fantastic patterns, look 
 very comical peeping over their mother's 
 shoulders. The race is undoubtedly pro- 
 lific, and Japan must be a paradise of babies. 
 Here we meet a woman of the better class 
 — perhap3 some shopkeeper's wife. That 
 
so 
 
 she is married is evident, for every hair is 
 plucked from her eyebrows, and her teeth 
 are varnished jet black. Theee are the dis- 
 tinguishing marks of married women, and 
 are said to have been originally adopted by 
 the wife of the Emperor many hundred 
 years ago, as a sacrifice cffared on the shrine 
 of conjugal fidelity, she having thus de- 
 stroyed her beauty to prove the abserce of 
 ail wish or design to captivate admirers 1 
 It seems to me that it was making the hus- 
 band pay rather dear, although it doubtless 
 fully answered the purpose. But the fash- 
 ion set by the wife of the Emperor of Ja- 
 pan five hundred years ago was universally 
 adopted and remains to this day, in perma- 
 nancy quite different from the fashions sat 
 by the late Empress of France. 
 
 In all countries the appearance of the 
 female population *M interesting to the 
 stranger. This is espscially true in the 
 East; the status accorded to them, and their 
 treatment by the "lords of creation," dif- 
 fering so widely lrom what is seen in west- 
 ern lands. In some eastern countries Jardly 
 any females are seen out ot doors, and those 
 who are visible are only of the poorer class. 
 la few of them is the freedom allowed equal 
 to that enjoyed by the sterner sex. But in 
 Japan, although the wives and daughters of 
 the aristocracy 'are seldom seen, all other 
 classes of women enjoy perfect liberty, 
 Women and girls are met with— shopping, 
 walking, or visiting— in numbers hardly in 
 ferior to the men, and their nice, tidy, mod- 
 est demeanor is remarkable. Their peculiar 
 dress— perhaps it is the absence of crinoline 
 —at first seems unbecoming, and the awk- 
 ward, shuffling gait, producsd by their high 
 wooden pattens, i3 anything but graceful, 
 But it is the "fashion of the country" and 
 as the eye becomes accustomed to them tho 
 females convey a very pleasiog impressior, 
 both in appearance and manner. 
 
 Here come two girls nicely dressed, of 
 the respectable middle class. One is carry- 
 ing an umbrella of bamboo, which are made 
 here very light and cheap, and universally 
 used as a sunshade, as well as for protection 
 again3train. Their teeth are very white, 
 their complexion light as Octoroons, their 
 robes are of fine, dark-colored materia!, 
 which is relieved by the large, bright-col- 
 ored sashes worn around the waist, This, 
 with the Japan lady, 13 the article of drcsu 
 par excellence. It is called the Obi, and is 
 always of the finest texture that her means 
 will afford. It is tied in a very large knot 
 5 
 
40 
 
 behind, and falls in a neat fold about half a 
 yard from the waist. These young ladies 
 are chatting together bo lively about their 
 beaux, perhaps, that they do not even 
 glance at us, while behind them are follow- 
 ing two little girls, or moosmies, about 
 eight years old, and evidently sisters. 
 I notice that their shoes, or pattens, 
 are highly polished with; lacquer round 
 the sides, and the sandals by which they 
 are held by the toes to the foot are neatly 
 covered with red velvet. Their eyes are 
 black and sparkling with fun, and they are 
 really very attractive and pretty. In pass- 
 ing one of them looked at us who were 
 watching her so closely, and made eome re- 
 mark to her sister, which pleased them im- 
 mensely. Perhaps they were laughing at 
 our funny looking European dress and hands 
 covered with gloves, which by them are 
 never worn. 
 
 But here comes a very important person 
 age, in bis own estimation. He is Yaconin 
 and a government employe. He puts on 
 much the same airs as persons sometimes as- 
 sume in civilized lands when "dressed in a 
 little brief authority." His rank is shown 
 by the two swords, one very long and one 
 short, which are stuck through his girdle. 
 His wide trousers are made of silk, which 
 can only be worn by men of his rank ; his 
 tunic is semi-European in cut, a sort of 
 Raglan. He wears no hat and has adopted 
 the innovation of letting his hair grow like 
 a foreigner. His countenance shows that 
 he is proud and overbearing. It is likely 
 that he can be genial in his manner toward 
 his equals, but the common people sur- 
 rounding him in the street, honest, indus- 
 trious and polite, as they are, he regards as 
 scum. The tradesman here bows very low 
 to an officer, and should he meet a Daimio, 
 or one of higher^the officer bows as low in 
 turn. Such is fhe custom of the country. 
 The Yaconin glances at us, but we look him 
 square in the eye without flinching, as an 
 "American sovereign" should, and he bows 
 politely, which we return with equal ci- 
 vility. 
 
 As we walk back a group of little urch- 
 ins, street performers, wearing caps deco- 
 rated with feathers, run in front of 
 us, turning somersaults, walking on their 
 hands with feet in the air,'trundling along 
 like [cart-wheels, and performing a variety 
 of gymnastic exercises creditable to a well 
 trained circui troupe. They keep along- 
 side of us for several squares, and we can 
 
41 
 
 only get rid of them by throwing them a 
 dozen copper coins called tempos, about the 
 value of one cent each. Before we reach 
 the hotel we meet several coolies propelling 
 heavy two-wheeled carts loaded with 
 boxes of tea, or sugar and rice in sacke, 
 marking time with a laud monotonous cry, 
 whang-hai! whang hai! Other pDrters are 
 bearing merchandize to and from the quay, 
 each pair with a burden between them on a 
 pole, others singly, with baskets slung on 
 each end of a pole about six feet long, 
 which rests upon the shoulder. These por- 
 ters are very mus ular acd healthy-looking 
 fellows, although their diet is entirely fish 
 and rice, both of which are very cheap, and 
 of excellent quality. 
 
 The first word which I have learned in 
 the Japanese vocabulary is one easily re- 
 membered, and reminds me of home. The 
 ordinary salutation is "Ohaio," signifying 
 "good day." When uttered by a "Jap" it is 
 always accompanied with a graceful incli- 
 nation of the body, in strong contrast with 
 the slight bob of the head with wh'ch 
 Jones, Smith and Brown jerk out "How 
 are you ? : ' The parting word is "Saionara," 
 which loses nothing in softness by contrast 
 with the French adieu, or the Italian addio, 
 and the elaborate courtesy of all classes in 
 Japan makes a very favorable impression 
 on the stranger. W. P. F. 
 
NUMBER SEVENS. 
 
 The Shops and How Customers are 
 Treated— Very Sharp at a Bargain— 
 The Currency— Mexican Silver Dol- 
 lars the Standard— Pasteboard Money 
 Drives Oat Coin— A Financial Smash 
 not Improbable— Calculating Ma- 
 chines—Chinamen in Yokohama- 
 Statistics of Trade With this Coun- 
 try—Political Sketch of Japan— The 
 Mikado and the Tycoon— A Dutl 
 Government— The Late Civil War- 
 North Against the South— A Great 
 Mistake— The Mikado Triumphs and 
 the Tycoon is Deposed— The British 
 Minister Omnipotent in Foreign 
 Affairs— Americans Can Take a Back 
 Seat. 
 
 Yokohama, Japan, Dec. 6, 1870. 
 The islands forming the Japanese empire 
 stretch along the east coast of Asia, and are 
 ihe barriers which separate a great ocean 
 from a great continent. Except Formosa 
 all the islands of this chain belong to Japan. 
 The number is variously estimated from 
 1,000 to 3,800, large and small, having an 
 aggregate area of 170,000 square miles, and 
 a population of about 35,000,000. The 
 four largest islands are Nippon, 900 miles 
 long by about 100 miles wide, with about 
 95,000 square miles; Yesso, about 30,000; 
 Kinsieu, about 16,000; and Sikok about 10,- 
 000. Nippon signifies the " Land of the 
 Rising Sun," and the imperial banner is a 
 red sun on a white ground. Near the cen- 
 ter, on the east side of Nippon, is Yoko- 
 hama, in about tbe latitude of Philadelphia, 
 although the average temperature is con- 
 siderably warmer than the corresponding 
 points on the eastern coast of America. To- 
 day, the Gth of December, the sun is quite 
 warm, and I sit with my window open, 
 although the nights are chilly as October. 
 Snow sometimes falls to the depth of a few 
 inches, and ice an inch thick is not unusual 
 in January, which is the coldest month of 
 the year. Farther north, in Yesso, they 
 have weather as cold and snow as deep as in 
 
43 
 
 New England. This chain of islands ex- 
 tend from northeast to southwest, through 
 so many degrees of latitude as to give every 
 variety of climate from that of Canada to 
 Florida. The houses are never built with 
 chimneys, the whole group being subject to 
 earthquakes, and are rarely more than one 
 story in height. "Air-tight" stoves and 
 1 'base-burners" are unknown, the 
 only means of heating rooms being 
 brasiers of charcoal, around wbich 
 on a dam? and chilly day, in 
 every shop one can see a group of natives 
 squatted on their heels, warming their 
 hands, smoking pipes with bowls half as 
 large as a thimble, and sipping from tiny 
 porcelain cups hot tea, or a rice wine called 
 saki. The family of the shop-keeper lives in 
 the rear, separated from the salesroom by 
 light sliding screens covered with thin oiled 
 paper. Window glass is never used except 
 in the foreign houses, although the Japanese 
 are quite skilllul in the manufacture of glass 
 into ornamental articles. These paper win- 
 dows are very cheap, easily repaired, and 
 said to be as effectual in keepiug cut the 
 cold as thin sheets of glass. The Japanese 
 depend in cold weather more upon thickly 
 wadded clothing than artificial heat for com. 
 fort. The floors of the shops are raised 
 about a foot above the ground, and are cov- 
 ered with nice straw matting. The cus- 
 tomer always slips off his clogs or sandals, 
 which he leaves outside and in front of the 
 shop, There are sometimes a dozen pair, 
 which to me all look alike, and suggest the 
 very natural mistake of stepping into and 
 walking off with another man's shoes. Of 
 course foreigners are exception?, and are 
 permitted to tread with muddy boots on the 
 clean mats of the shops ; but if invited to 
 visit the house of a Japanese gentleman, I 
 would take a pair of slippers along in my 
 pocket. 
 
 The places most visited by strangers in 
 Japan are the curio shops. The outsides of 
 these stores are by no means imposing. No 
 high marble or granite structures, no plate 
 glass windows, no army of elegantly dressed 
 salesmen are to be seen, but.a room perhaps 
 fifteen feet square, open to the street, the 
 shelves crowdad with lacquer- ware, bronzes, 
 fancy goods of every imaginable description, 
 iewelry, straw-covered boxes, and hundreds 
 of articles that are made nowhere else in 
 the world. If you are a "Buckeye," the 
 proprietor salutes you with the name of 
 your state, which you return with equal po- 
 
44 
 
 liteness. You look about, and there beiDg 
 no counters, can handle all the goods in 
 sight. If he thinks you want 
 to purchase, and can appreciate a 
 nice piece of bronze or a fine lacquered cab- 
 inet, he will perhaps invite you into the 
 back room or up into the attic, where his 
 choicest goods are kept. Although the 
 front shop is so small ycu are surprised at 
 the extent of the rear premises, and the 
 large amount of stock on hand. He can 
 furnish you with a hundred lacquered cabi- 
 nets of which you have only seen one sam- 
 ple—or five hundred fans of any one ef 
 twenty different varieties. It is just at this 
 time an expecially favorable opportunity to 
 buy old and rare bronzes and lacquend 
 ware. The recent revolution having ruined 
 many of the rich Daimios, who formerly 
 kept up large establishments at Yeddo, 
 where they were compelled by law to re- 
 side six months of every year, all the arti- 
 cles of veriu with which their palaces were 
 filled, are now offered for sale. The best 
 and most valuable pieces of bronze and 
 lacquer the proprietor assures you are "very 
 old," and "came from Yeddo." 
 
 If ycu believe all this literally you are in 
 danger of being made to pay double price, 
 although it would scarcely be polite to 
 look incredulous. The "Japs" are good 
 trader?, and to one of their own people it is 
 said that they never ask more than the 
 actual value of their goods. But the curio 
 dealers have become demoralized by con- 
 tact with foreigners, and ha\e as many 
 prices for their gocds as they have custo- 
 mers. Unless you have been round enough 
 to know the actual market value of the 
 goods, it will not be safe to offer more than 
 a half or a third the price asked. He will 
 never take offense at the smallness of the 
 offer, but if he claps his hands, which 
 means that "it is a bargain" too quick, you 
 may be sure that your offer was too high. 
 If after spending an hour in examining his 
 finest goods, he does not accept your offer?, 
 and permits you to go away, you can return 
 the next day, add a trifle to your bids, and 
 canclude your purchase, tolerably certain 
 that you have secured a bargain. But wheth- 
 er you purchase or not, you are treated with 
 equal courtesy, offered a cup of tea, and, 
 with a polite "sionara," bowed into the 
 street. 
 
 Shopping in this way takes a great deal 
 of time, and is not altogether pleasant to 
 one who counts his "time as money." But 
 
45 
 
 it would be a perfect delight to some ladies 
 whom I know in Cleveland, and whose 
 sharpness at a "bargain" would be more 
 than a match for any one of the two million 
 Japanese in Yeddo. I will say, to their 
 credit, however, that two or three shops 
 here have established a reputation for hav- 
 ing but one price— a, reform which all for- 
 eigners, not "shoppers" from taste and in- 
 clination, should encourage. 
 
 But before starting out on a shopping 
 excursion, we mu3t be provided with the 
 right kind of money. No foreign gold, 
 much less greenbacks or scrip, is current 
 here. The standard of currency in Japan, 
 China and India is the Mexican silver dol- 
 lar, which is worth ten per cent, more than 
 European or American gold. Your gold 
 eagle can be exchanged at the banks here, 
 or in China, for nine "Mexicans." The 
 Japanese coins are, a gold cdbang, formerly 
 worth five dollars, but now depreciated ; 
 silver itzaboos—ov 'boos, for short— four for 
 a dollar ; half and quarter 'boos ; an oval 
 copper coin, the tempo, one hundred to the 
 dollar ; and copper or bronze cash, about 
 ten to the tempo, or one thousand to a dollar, 
 which circulates only among the very poor 
 classes. But the government has learned 
 some lessons in finance from the Western 
 nations, and within two or three years 
 have issued a large quantity of paper 
 money, representing every denomination 
 from a cobang to a quarter boo. It is printed 
 on thick paper like pasteboard, covered 
 on both sides by Japanese charac- 
 ters, the smallest denomination being 
 about three inches long by one inch 
 wide, the size increasing with the 
 value represented. This paper money 
 has driven the gold and silver coin out of 
 circulation, and is received by everybody, 
 foreign and native, more readily than "Mex- 
 ican dollars," which are inconvenient to 
 cairy and dangerous from the number coun- 
 terfeited. It is hinted that the government 
 has no record of the quantity of paper 
 money issued, and in adopting the con- 
 venience of making paper represent coin, 
 they must take the chance of an over-issue 
 and a financial crash, of which we Ameri- 
 cans have had several experiences in our 
 history. 
 
 The "Japs" have no faculty for mental 
 arithmetic. If you ask how much for a 
 dozen or a hundred pieces of an article, in- 
 stead of iiifaig a pencil to figure it out, they 
 have recourse to a calculating machine, 
 
46 
 
 made of wooden buttons strung on a wire 
 frame, much like those used in primary 
 schools at home. Every shop is provided 
 with these machines, as are, also, the bank- 
 ing offices, where the receiving and paying 
 tellers are generally Chinamen. There are 
 hundreds of Chinese here holding the posi- 
 tions of higher servants and compradores for 
 the hotels, banks and business houses. They 
 are to be seen in the streets nicely dressed 
 in silk and broadcloth, and as many of them 
 occupy positions of trusts in the largest es- 
 tablishments, they consider thsmselves very 
 much above the natives. The "Japs," in 
 writing, use the Chinese characters, and 
 like them, commence at the right hand up- 
 per corner, the lines running from top to 
 bottom of the page. 
 
 Yokohama is the great shipping em- 
 porium of Japan. The present United 
 States Consul at this port, Mr. Lyons, unlike 
 some of his predecessors, is very popular 
 with the American merchants here, and has 
 the reputation of being a thoroughly up- 
 right, honest man. The importance of the 
 trade will be seen from the fact that the ex- 
 port of merchandize to the United States in 
 1870 will exceed five and a half million 
 of dollars. The greater part of this is tea, 
 of which the export to the United States in 
 1870 will he over fourteen rriliion pounds, 
 paying a duty to the government of 
 $3,500,000. Nearly all the Japan tea goes 
 to America. The first cargo ever shipped 
 was to England, but finding no sale there, 
 was sent to New York. Unlike the Chinese 
 teas, it is all uncolored, the natural leaf, and 
 free from the copperas poison of the green 
 teas of China. 
 
 The political situation of Japan ha« 
 changed so materially within the last two 
 years that no books or account of the method 
 of government written five years ago are at 
 all applicable to the present status of affairs. 
 By Japanese chronology the history of the 
 Mikados, or Emperors, goes back six 
 hundred years before the Christian era. 
 Honors were paid to. him as the great high 
 priest, son of heaven, and absolute spiritual 
 a3 well as temporal ruler. His person was 
 so sacred as to be veiled from all profane 
 eyes. If he ever left his palace at Miakc, 
 every face was laid in the dust, as if in the 
 presence of a god. In the twelfth century 
 one of the most powerful of the Daimios, a 
 man of great ability and ambition, during a 
 period of civil commotion, assumed the real 
 sovereignty of the empire, under the name 
 
of Tycoon. The Mikado then became a 
 mere shadow, retaining the name of em- 
 peror, and all the honors and reverence due 
 him in his spiritual capacity, but the 
 Tycoon and his successors, who established 
 their capital at Yeddo, were the actual 
 rulers of the empire. Law, however, or 
 custom and usage rather— for I believe there 
 has been until lately no written law in 
 Japan— required that all the acts of the Ty- 
 coon should be latilisd by the Mikado. 
 Many of the Mikados have devoted their 
 lives to literary pursuits, and Miako has 
 been the center of learning for the empire, 
 while the spirit of war and military science 
 has found its home in Yeddo. 
 
 In the early part of the seventeenth cen- 
 tury the Jesuit missionaries under Xavier, 
 the disciple and friend of Loyola, obtained a 
 foothold in Japan, and made convetis by 
 thousands, including some of the princes of 
 high rank. They soon incurred the enmity 
 of the powerful priesthood by their whole- 
 sale destruction of the temples of Buddha 
 and Sintoo, which led to an edict of banish- 
 ment. The Portuguese, who then monopo- 
 lized the foreign trade with Japan, took 
 sides with the missionaries, and a decree 
 ordered that the whole race of Portuguese 
 should be banished forever. The foreign 
 trade then passed into the hands of the Pro- 
 testant Dutch, which they retained under 
 the most humiliating restrictions and indig- 
 nities, being imprisoned on a small island 
 at Decima, and never allowed to penetrate 
 beyond the limits of their own trading 
 post, for over two hundred year?, until in 
 1864 Commodore Perry inaugurated a new 
 era in the history of the country. The 
 Christians were bitterly persecuted, and 
 after a bloody struggle were exterminated. 
 The decree cf the Emperor, issued two 
 centuries and a half ago, prohibits any for- 
 eigner from setting foot on Japanese soil, 
 and renders it lawful for any subject to kill 
 any one of the hated race. This law is still 
 unrepealed, although it has become a detd 
 letter. 
 
 The treaties negotiated by Commodore 
 Perry and his successors were made with 
 the Tycoon, and it was not until several 
 years later that the dual government of 
 Japan was understood, and it was found 
 that none of these treaties had been ratified 
 by the Mikado. In the meaiatime, the for- 
 eigners had obtained a foothold in somo 
 places, and could not be dislodged. Many 
 of the most powerful of the Southern 
 
48 
 
 Daimios, who are almost absolute rulers in 
 their own districts, and number their 
 armed retainers by thousands and their in- 
 comes by millions of dollars, were bitterly 
 opposed to the foreign policy of the Ty- 
 coon's government, and the numerous mur- 
 ders and assassinations of Europeans were 
 attributed to them. The law requiring all 
 tbe Daimios to reside with their families 
 half the time at Yeddo gave frequent oppor- 
 tunities for foreign residents to meet these 
 bitterly hostile soldieis while travelling 
 back and forth on the Imperial road, or 
 Tocaido, which passes through Kanagara, 
 and was one reason why the Tycoon's gov- 
 ernment removed the foreign settlement to 
 Yokohama two miles away, and built upon 
 the causeway connecting the two places a 
 strong gateway for their protection. Al 
 though it was doubted at the time, it is now 
 well understood, that the Tycoon's govern- 
 ment was sincere in their professions of in- 
 ability otherwise to protect foreigners from 
 assassination. 
 
 The hostility between the North and 
 South, the latter supporting the Mikado and 
 the former rallying around the Tycoon, at 
 last culminated in a civil war two years 
 ago. An immense quantity of military sup- 
 plies had been sold by foreigners, Enfield 
 and Springfield rifles, breech loaders, re- 
 volvers, rifled cannon, shells and solid shot. 
 Both sides had a navy composed of 
 English and American built ships 
 of war commanded and manned en- 
 tirely by Japanese. Just at this crisis 
 the ex-rebel ram Stonewall, sold by us to 
 the Tycoon, arrived at Yokohama. She 
 came into port with the Tycoon's flag fly- 
 ing , but Sir Harry Parks, the British Min- 
 ister, who favored the Mikado and the 
 Southern side in the quarrel— not the first 
 time England has favored the South— per- 
 suaded our Minister, Geo. E. Yan Volken- 
 burgh, not to deliver her up to the Tycoon. 
 This was^a great mistake, and probably 
 turned the scr.le in favor of the rebels, for 
 the Stonewall with her powerful batteries 
 and formidable ram could have run down 
 and destroyed the whole Southern fleet. 
 
 The struggle was short and decisive. The 
 Tycoon's army was beaten in several bloody 
 battles, he gave up the game as lost, abdica- 
 ted his office which was then abolished, 
 and was allowed to retire to his estates 
 where he now lives a quasi-prisoner of war. 
 The Mikado is now the sole ruler, temporal 
 and spiritual of Japan. He is a young man 
 
49 
 
 of about twenty-one, said to be of no great 
 mental ability, but is in the hands of his 
 ministers, the ruling spirit among whom 
 is Satsuma, the most restless and ambitious 
 of all the great Sautkern Daimaos. The 
 Mikado now resides part of the time at 
 Yeddo, and his government has shown 
 great leniency toward the deieated and de- 
 throned Tycoon and his adherents. Sir 
 Harry and British influence is now all pow- 
 erful in Japan, and controls the foreign pol- 
 icy of the government, The country ap- 
 pears to be tranquil. Foreigners can travel 
 freely anywhere within the treaty limits, 
 which extend from ten to fifteen miles 
 around Yokohama, and by obtaining a pats 
 from theigovernment can visit Yeddo or any 
 other place of interest. A large tract of 
 land on the heights near the city has been 
 granted to the British, where they have 
 built a marine hospital and have a camp of 
 one thousand men. A most beautiful site 
 and spacious grounds have been assigned to 
 the British Legation, and we Americans, 
 who are entitled to the credit of having fir&t 
 opened Japan to the world,must take a back 
 seat and euck our thumbs until another 
 revolution brings us to the front. 
 
 W. P. F. 
 
DUMBER EIGHT. 
 
 An Excursion to Daibutz— Japanese 
 Horses— County Roads and Shady 
 Lanes— Hedges Unrivalled in the 
 World— Everybody in Japan Knows 
 Ohaio— Large Crops With Rude Im- 
 plements — Two Triologies, One 
 Poetical and One True— Kamakura 
 and Its Temples— Collossal Statue of 
 Buddha— A. Wonderful Work of 
 Ait— A Sacrilegious Betto— A Japan- 
 ese Dinner— The Original Grecian 
 Bend— The Ride Back— A Funeral 
 Procession— A Pleasant Experience 
 Leaves a Painful Impression. 
 
 Yokohama, Japan, 
 December 12, 1870. 
 Taking thi3 place as the base of opera- 
 tions, I have made two ex3ursions into the 
 interior— one to the great city of Yeddo, 
 eighteen miles distant to the west; the 
 other to Kamakura, the site of the ancient 
 capital of the Empire, about the same dis- 
 tance in the opposite direction. Near the 
 latter place is the famous bronze statue of 
 Buddha, called "Daibutz," to see which, 
 was the special object of the excursion. I 
 started before the sun was up, the sky clear 
 and bright, and the sharp morning air ex- 
 hilarating for active exercise. A white 
 f rost covered the ground, which disappeared 
 as the sun came up, and for the first mile or 
 two we gave our ponies loose rein to try 
 their quality. My companion was a youog 
 Englishman, and we were accompanied by 
 a "Betto," who professed to know the way, 
 and who kept alongside the horses, with 
 less appearance of fatigue than the horses 
 showed, for the whole distance out ana 
 back. After my forty miles' experience of 
 the tender mercies of a Japanese horse— or 
 pony, rather, for the breed is quite small- 
 untrained, hard-bitted, rough in gait and 
 vicious in disposition, I would recommend 
 the traveler to go on foot. It would, how- 
 ever, be unjust to the Japanese pony not to 
 give him credit for being remarkably tough 
 and sure-footed. Our route for a short dis- 
 
~-*—- =*» MM 
 
 
 m 
 ^ 
 
 
 10n 
 
 73ronzc Statue oj ftudclh a 
 
51 
 
 tance was along the main road, which was 
 crowded with market people, some loaded 
 with vegetables in baskets slung across 
 their shoulders, others leading ponies al- 
 most buried under huge panniers of all 
 kinds of country produce. No wheeled 
 vehicle did we see of any description on the 
 whole journey. 
 
 Turning to the left, we iollowed a bridle 
 path, which skirted the shore of a beautiful 
 bay, dotted with small islands and fishing 
 boats, and named after the Mississippi, one 
 of the first American men-of-war that vis- 
 ited Japan. The country was very broken, 
 full of hills and ravines, up and down 
 which our pathway led, in many places so 
 narrow that two horsemen could not ride 
 abreast. From the summits of the hills we 
 had beautiful views of the bay on our left, 
 the white sails glistening in the morning 
 sun, and on our right was a most, pictur- 
 esque, undulating country? stretching many 
 miles away, teeming with an industrious 
 population. la the background, sixty 
 miles distant, was the conical peak of 
 "matchless Fusigama," from base to summit 
 white with snow, the lines clear and dis- 
 tinct against the blue sky. 
 
 The highly cultivated valleys were un- 
 marred by fences, but divided off by em- 
 bankments into paddy or rice fields at dif- 
 ferent levels, which permits them to be 
 overflowed at certain seasons of the year. 
 The ravines are terraced to the hill tops, 
 the upper part being devoted to wheat and 
 vegitables, while the lower half, as well as 
 the valleys to which the ravines open,' are 
 given up to rice culture. 
 
 Our course lay through shaded lanes 
 past brown farm houses with strawthatched 
 roofs. Some groen with moss and climbing 
 plants, and shaded with handsome live-oak 
 and evergreen trees over innumerable little 
 rivulets, across which our ponies stepped 
 daintily on plank or stone bridge?, scarcely 
 two feet in width, without railings or par- 
 apets on the sides. Then the path would 
 lead along the narrow partitions between 
 the rice fialds, where a misstep would leave 
 both horse and rider floundering in the mud. 
 We passed several water wheels turning 
 the rude machinery of rice mills, through 
 frequent villages where the, people, especi- 
 ally the women and children, turned out to 
 see us go by, the latter greeting us with 
 the salutation, "Ohaio!" "Ohaio!" It 
 seemed as if at least one Slate of America 
 
52 
 
 was well known to the people here, for it 
 was called after us from nearly every 
 cottage and hamlet which we passed. 
 
 We wind along through shady lanes 
 where the sun's rays pierce only at inter- 
 vals, while on the banks above, the pine, 
 evergreen, oak and bamboo are mingled 
 with the bright crimson foliage of the ma- 
 ples ; all making a picture of autumnal tints, 
 which in richness and variety, surpass 
 anything I have ever seen. The dark 
 glossy leaves of the camelia, a native of 
 Japan, are frequently seen. It grows wild 
 in the woods, covered with flowers of va- 
 rious colors, some red and single like holly- 
 hocks. Japanese gardeners here at- 
 tained great skill in cultivating the 
 camelia, which, in America is more 
 frequently called from its native coun- 
 try, the "Japonica." Very large, double 
 asters and crysonthenums of various colors 
 are seen in the gardens which we pass, and 
 very many other late autumn flowers, the 
 name of which, with my limited knowledge 
 cf botany, I cannot give. 
 
 But the most beautiful feature of the road 
 is the extent and great variety of the hedges, 
 which, in some places line the path for miles. 
 It is said that nowhere out of England can 
 iuch hedges be seen, and not even there, in 
 such variety.' They are well kept and nice- 
 ly trimmed in the Dutch style, (which was 
 introduced, perhaps, from Japan to Europe,) 
 Wild-orange, camelia, bamboo, and the tea- 
 plant, all give variety to the hedgerows, 
 which enclose fields of rich dark soil, with- 
 out a pebble or weed. The implements of 
 husbandry are very rude, and not construct- 
 ed on the labor-saving plan. It is to the 
 credit of Japan that women are seldom seen 
 at work in the fields, their time being devo- 
 ted to the lighter labors of the household. 
 Large crops are raised, but the land is never 
 allowed to rest, and without any proper 
 succession of crops. It is richly dressed to 
 keep up its fertility. Perhaps perpetuating 
 the same seeds and plants without change 
 may be the cause why many fruits and veg- 
 etables are either rank or tasteless. Some 
 one disgusted with Japan has said that, al- 
 though it is one of the most fertile and beau- 
 tiful countries in the world, "There the 
 flowers have no scent, the birds no song, the 
 fruit and vegetables no flavor," To which 
 another triology may be added, which is 
 much more literally true, if not so 
 practical. ""Women wear no crino- 
 
53 
 
 line, houses harbor no bugs, and 
 the country no lawyers." Since I have been 
 in Japan I have heard the singing of birds, 
 have scented the Cape- Jasmine, and have 
 eaten many fine-flavored oranges, but I have 
 seen neither "crinoline, bugs, nor attor- 
 neys," native to the country. 
 
 But as we must return before dark to Yo- 
 kohama it will not answer to linger among 
 these charming green lanes, however at- 
 tractive they may be. At eleven o'clock we 
 reached Kenesawa, a pretty fishing village 
 on the bay, and a great resort among the 
 natives for spending a holiday and for pic- 
 nics. The road from here to Eamakura 
 passes through a narrow clett in the rock, 
 sixty feet deep, with perpendicular sides ; 
 a pass that a handful of men could defend 
 against thousands. The old city which, 
 ssven hundred years ago was the capitol of 
 the empire, is said to contain, even now, 
 over a hundred temples and shrines. The 
 road to it is thronged with pilgrims to the 
 sacred city. But its glory has departed, and 
 many of its temples are in ruins. "We vis- 
 ited a few which, like all the temples of 
 Japan, were built very strongly of wood, 
 with very heavy cornices and gateways, 
 carved with figures of dragons, fish, birds 
 and flowers. They are situated on high ter- 
 races, approached by wide stone steps, and 
 command beautiful views over the sur- 
 rounding country. The elaborate carvings 
 were once covered with gold, but now the 
 gilding has become dim with age and neg- 
 lect, and nearly all have a dilapidated ap- 
 pearance. 
 
 About a mile South-west of what remains 
 of the ancient city, surrounded by a grove of 
 evergreen, and approached through a broad 
 avenue, flagged with stones, is the famous 
 colassal statue of the Great Buddha, which 
 is one of the most wonderful works of artlin 
 the world. It is of Bronze, 50 feet in height, 
 96 feet in circumference at the base, and 
 rests upon a granite pedestal abi ut six feet 
 high. It represents the great prophet sit- 
 ting in the oriental manner upon a lotus. 
 The head is covered with small knobs rep- 
 resenting the snails which, according to 
 tradition, came to protect Buddha from the 
 heat of the burning sun. It is no grotesque 
 idol, but a work of high art, executed more 
 than 600 years ago, and is said to have been 
 originally covered by an immense temple, 
 which was swept away by an earthquake 
 wave from the sea. The face is of Hindoo 
 type, the hands are folded in front, and the 
 
54 
 
 attitude easy, with an expression of placid 
 
 repose. It is Buddha in Nirvana, a state of 
 
 utter annibilation of external consciousness, 
 
 attained after ages of purification. The 
 
 bronze plates of which it is composed were 
 
 cast in sections of a few feet square, and 
 
 joined so skilfully that the seams can with 
 
 dfficulty be detected. The features are all 
 
 in perfect harmony and proportion. The 
 
 nose is three and a half feet long, the ears 
 
 six and a half, the thumb nailes eight by 
 
 ten inches. The thumbs an pined in 
 
 front of the body, and upon them is room 
 
 .or six persons to sit abreast. £ The statue is 
 
 hollow, and contains within many small gilt 
 
 images of the Buddish pantheon. 
 
 Upon the walls are inscribed the 
 
 autographs of many visitors in red 
 
 and black paint, which the old priest in 
 
 charge offered to us, that we might attain a 
 
 cheap immortality by leaving our names or 
 
 initials upon the ceiling. While looking 
 
 about the room inside for some relic to bring 
 
 away, our Belto, who seemed to divine my , 
 
 wish, most wickedly and sacri fiEimlgr .',- j 
 
 broke off the hand of one ot the gilt images. ~sJ 
 
 As I noticed that the other hand was gone, 
 and this one could easily bs replaced, I quiet- 
 ly slipped tne "relic" into my pocket and 
 handed the fellow a Boo as a salve for his 
 conscience. 
 
 Returning to the town of Kamakura we 
 took dinner at a native inn, where we were 
 served with the best the place afforded. 
 Hot tea and saki, then little paste of sweet-^ 
 meats and confectionary; next came fish 
 and rice, which we ate with chopsticks. 
 After that several courses of native di?hes, 
 the material of which were to us unknown, 
 but as they were savory and our ride had 
 given a sharp appetite, we asked no ques- 
 tions. I am sure no "bill of fare" at Del - 
 monico'd, or any other restaurant in Eu- 
 rope or America includes them. We were 
 awaited upon by very pretty attendants, 
 (according to Japanese style of beauty,) and 
 here we noticed the original "Grecian 
 bend," the gracaful wave called by Hogarth 
 the "line of beauty." The wide tcarfs 
 around their waists were tied in very large 
 knots behind, and represented the fashion- 
 able "panniers." As they stooped very 
 low in handing us the various dishes, we 
 could readily understand how her Parisian 
 sisters copied this posture from the Japan- 
 ese "Moosmies" who waited on the visiters 
 at the "Sea house erected at the "Exposi- 
 tion Universelle" in 18GT. 
 

 
55 
 
 The difference between the "Moosmie" 
 and the Farisionne is, that what the latter 
 attains by much study and practice, the 
 former grows into naturally, from polite- 
 ness inculcated from the earliest childhood. 
 
 Our ride back was by an entirely different 
 route, and our "Betto : ' several times lost 
 the way. The country people were very 
 kind in directing u?, and in several cases 
 insisted upon going along quite a distance to 
 show the road. Just before reaching town 
 we met a funeral procession, headed by 
 priest?, and a band of musicians playing 
 upon ssmisens, a sort of barjo, and small 
 drums, or torn toms. White is the color of 
 mourning in both Japan and China. The 
 coffins are large earthen jars, the Japanese 
 being buried as he lives, with his heels 
 tucked under him, in a sitting posture. 
 This has the advantage of saving space in 
 cemeteries, which is increased by burning 
 the bodies of the poorer classes, and burying 
 the ashes in still smaller jars. Their funer- 
 als are always at sunset, and they have a 
 stiange superstition against sleeping or 
 being buried with their heads to the north. 
 In sleeping rooms the points of the compass 
 are frequently marked on the ceiling, that 
 the sleeping mats may be placed 'in the 
 right direction. 
 
 Soon after sunset we reached the hotel, 
 our day's experience having given me a 
 better insight of the n4ti£al, their manners 
 and customs at home, away from the influ- 
 ence of foreigner?, than I could ever have 
 obtained in the city of Yokohama. It, also 
 -left, for several days, zpainfful impression, 
 of my forty miles ride on a Japanese pony. 
 
 W. P. F. 
 
NUMBER NINE. 
 
 The Leader *s Correspondent in Luck— 
 Interviewing One of the Royal Fam- 
 ily-No Show for a High Private, but 
 a Colonel Can Go In— His High 
 Mightiness Good Natured and Affa- 
 ble—Enquiry After Mr. Emperor Pres- 
 ident Grant's Health— A Short Lesson 
 in History and Geography— Invited 
 to Yeddo— The Officers Carious but 
 Very Courteous— Homage Paid to 
 Royalty in Europe as Well as Asia- 
 Americans Can't See It. 
 
 Yokohama, Japan, Dec. 12, 1870. 
 Some philosopher has said that "one 
 '•'might as well be born lucky as rich." 
 When I came to Japan, a private traveler, I 
 had no expectation of being able to approach 
 within gun-shot of any of the "biood royal ;" 
 but my lucky star is in the ascendant and 
 to-day I have had the satisfaction, in behalf 
 of the Leader, of "interviewing" the uncle 
 of the Micado, one of the royal family, and 
 the Minister of Marine and "War. It hap- 
 pened in this wise : "When I returned at one 
 o'clock from my morning walk in Curio - 
 town, I found the hall of the hotel filled 
 with Japanese officers of high ranK, in vari- 
 ous uniforms, military and naval, but all 
 wearing the two swords, and the coat-of- 
 arms of the Makado. 
 
 Upon enquiry as to what was up, I was 
 told that his "High Mightiness, uncle of 
 Emperor," etc., etc., had arrived, and was 
 taking breakfast in the grand parlor on the 
 ground floor. The landlord was in a flurry, 
 the waiters were running to and fro, and 
 the house was the seer e of as much excite- 
 ment as if the Queen ot England herself was 
 the gusst 
 
 Glancing at the door of the room which 
 was guarded by a crowd of officers, I deter- 
 mined some way or other to interview this 
 high personage. I quietly took my lunch 
 while I studied the plan of the campaign. 
 Then I went up to my room, put on my 
 best toggery, which was not very dashing— 
 neither sword, gilt buttons nor shoulder- 
 straps— and descending, card In had, I 
 "Ohaio'd" a young officer, and requested him 
 
57 
 
 to take in my card to Hi3 Excslleccy, and re- 
 quest permission to pay my respects. He 
 could not understand my English and po 
 litely referred me to the interpreter, a pleas- 
 ant looking "Jap," whose knowledge of 
 English was not very extensive. He looked 
 at me with surprise, as I repeated my re- 
 quest, glanced at the card and spelled out 
 the name which he pronounced with a deci- 
 dedly foreiga accent, and asked me who I 
 was. I told him I was an American gentle- 
 man traveling for information and pleasure, 
 an independent "citizen sovereign" in my 
 own country, who expected to see some- 
 what of the world before I returned home , 
 and named some of the countries which I 
 designed to visit— that it would afford me 
 great pleasure to pay my respects to one of 
 ihe Micado's family and a high officer of the 
 government of Japan. I did not mention 
 that I was "connected with the Pres?," 
 which would have been an open sesame to 
 any great man's presence in America— for 
 1 do not suppose that any Japanese 
 i9 civilized enough to appreciate the 
 importance and value of newspapers. With 
 some hesitation he took in my card, and re- 
 turning in a few minutes he handed it back 
 and courteously informed me that HisExcel- 
 leEcy was to remain but a short time and 
 Degged to be excused from receiving any 
 private traveler. Nothing daunted, I then 
 played my best trump, which I bad held in 
 reserve- I took my card and wrote on it 
 the military title which 1 held by virtue of 
 a commission from the Governor of Ohio, 
 and explained to the officers the rank it 
 signified, which at once raised me many de- 
 grees in their estimation. I said that I 
 would detain His Excellency bat a moment. 
 In the meantime I had formed a rapid ac- 
 quaintance with a young fellow, the captain 
 of one of the Japanese men-ot-war, and 
 pleased him by admiring his sword, which 
 he told me was presented to him by the 
 Micado. He went into the room with the 
 interpreter and immediately came back with 
 the request for me to enter. Literally my 
 last card had won. At the door I wa9 met 
 by an officer next in rank to the Minister, 
 who shook hands and led me to the other 
 end of the large room and presented me to 
 the great man, who rose from his seat, 
 shook hands very cordially and offered me a 
 chair. He seemed about fifty years old, 
 short and fat, with a. very intelligent face 
 and remarkably bright and sparkling eyes. 
 I noticed on the table some bottles, which 
 showed me that he had washed down hi 3 
 
58 
 
 breakfast with some good English ale, and 
 he seemed a HU'e mellow, and in good 
 humor with himself and all the world. 
 His hair was not tied up in cup, but cut very 
 snort, and his dres-s was in Japanese style 
 of very rich material. One sword was in 
 hie belt, and the larger one was lying on 
 the table. They were by far the most ele- 
 gant I have 6een in J*pan. The scabbards 
 and handles were inlaid with gold and pearl. 
 His hat lay befoe him on the table, shaped 
 like an inverted wash-bowl, and richly dec- 
 orated with geld lace. His lieutenant's hat 
 was similar, only with silver decoration. 
 He did not seem in a bit of a hurry, but of- 
 fered me a cigar, while one of his attendant?, 
 on his knees and with his head bowed to the 
 floor, handed tim an elegant Japanese pipe. 
 His Knowledge of the English vocabulary 
 seemed about equal to mine of the Japanese. 
 He could say "yes," "co,""Howdoyoudo," 
 and "good bye" So cur conversation wa9 
 through the interpreter. He touched me on 
 the coat and intimated that I wore no uni- 
 form, which I explained by saying that I was 
 in traveling dress. The next question as put 
 by the interpreter so amused me that I could 
 with difficulty keep a sober countenance. 
 It ww, "How do Mr. Grant, Emperor, 
 America?" I assured him the "Emperor" 
 was quite well the last time I heard from 
 him, and then tried to explain that we call 
 our "Emperor" by the title of "President." 
 I don't think he appreciated the difference. 
 I an iwered to the best of my ability many 
 q aestions about our army and how our battle s 
 were fought, whether at long or short range, 
 hand to hand, or with big guns, with troops 
 massed or as skirmishers, told him some- 
 thing about the great battles of our war, the 
 number of men engaged, and the part taken 
 in ths war by "Emperor" President Grant. 
 He asked the number of men in my regi- 
 ment, and whether thay were brave. I can 
 assure, I gave the Sixth and Seventh Ward 
 Germans, who composed the Third Regi- 
 ment O. Y. M., the credit of being as gal- 
 Jant a set of fellows as ever shouldered a 
 musket. He seemed quite interested in 
 hearing about our war, of which he knew 
 scarcely anything. When I rose to take 
 leave, and apologized for detaining him so 
 long, he requested me again to be seated, 
 and asked me where I was going. I think 
 his knowledge of geography was too lim- 
 ited to understand the route I propose to 
 take. When I told him I had been to 
 Yeddo, he said: "You go again and come 
 see me." Perhaps I shall do so. While I 
 
59 
 
 was talking with him his officers were 
 standing around, but none presumed to be 
 reated in t is presence. He offered me an- 
 other cigar, shook hands, and I bowed my- 
 self out, with a pleasant impression 
 of the only one of the Mikado's nsar rela- 
 tives whom I expect ever to see. 
 
 After my interview with His Excellency, 
 his cfficers were very friendly and agree- 
 able. Their Uniterm and arms were a 
 hybrid between the foreign and Japanese. 
 They were very curious in examining my 
 watch, and my sword-cane was something 
 entirely new to them. I showed them some 
 photographs which I had in my pocket, and 
 their admiration of the "moosmies," or 
 young ladies. They enjoyed being compli- 
 mented on the good fit and elegance of their 
 European uniforms and equipments. The 
 whole Japanese race is singularly imita- 
 tive, and ready to copy aud adopt foreign 
 dress and customs. The late civil war has 
 done much to hasten the alteration in uni- 
 form of all the military class, and it is more 
 than probable that in a very few years the 
 time-honored snd by no means unbecoming 
 national dress will no more be seen among 
 the military officers. The non-combatant 
 officials, the princes, and the imperial house- 
 hold will for some time longer resist any 
 change, and considering that the Japaneee 
 have worn the same style of dress for many 
 centuries, it seems almost a matter of regret 
 that it should pass away. 
 
 Etiquette, through all grades, is more ob- 
 served In Japan than in almost any other 
 country. The highest nobles might pas3 
 from the cradle (if cradles were used in 
 Japan, which they are not,) to the grave, 
 and hardly have spoken to persons of low 
 station. All service is done in a posture of 
 humility, and no trouble is undertaken by 
 any man that his servants can relieve him 
 of. The utmost respect and reverence is 
 paid to the Mikado and to the members of 
 his family. It is said that even the dishes 
 used in serving his food are destroyed im- 
 mediately after, for fear that may be put to 
 some profane use. 
 
 When His Excellency passed from the 
 hotel to his carriage, through the ranks of 
 his officers and attendants, every head was 
 bowed, the lower grade of servants almost 
 to the ground. His bearing was that of one 
 accustomed all his lifetime to such homage. 
 To us Americans such servility on the part 
 of the lower ranks inspires no awe, although 
 the persons to whom it is paid may have de- 
 scended from a long line of sovereigns, and 
 
60 
 
 as Mikado, be a representative of heaven, 
 himself a deity of high rank, in whom is 
 centered the glory and veneration of a na- 
 tion of thirty-five millions cf ^people. What 
 is it but an exaggeration of the honnge 
 which the more civilized nations of Europe 
 pay to the nobility and royalty "crowned 
 by the grace of God P> W. P. F. 
 
NUMBER TEN. 
 
 Excursion to Yeddo— A Cosmopolitan 
 Turnout— The Asiastic has no Rights 
 the African is Bound To Respect— An 
 Undress Uniform— Musicians Without 
 Melody— Blind Beggars— A State Car- 
 riage — Norimons and Ganges — A 
 Traveling Dentist— A Fashionable 
 Tea House— Suggestion to Young 
 Housekeepers— Grimalkin Minus the 
 Tail— Fancy Pigs— Cheap and Primi- 
 tive Clothing— The Unfortunate Mr. 
 Richardson — A Family Moving- 
 Young Sprigs of Aristocracy— Sinag- 
 awa- Inside the Capital. 
 
 Yeddo, Japan, December, 1870. 
 
 This famous city which school boys class 
 with Pekin and London, among the largest 
 in the world, and for over four hundred 
 years the "capital of the Tycoons," is, ac - 
 cording to Japanese chronology, a modern 
 city. Kamakura, the-eeeon4 city, with its s^<yye./C 
 hundred temples, its collossal bronze statue 
 of Buddha, though now but an insignificant 
 village, dates one thousand years further 
 back than Yeddo, when it was the great 
 Eastern capital of the empire. The Tycoon 
 dynasty removed the capital to Yeddo, and 
 under their rule it has become the most 
 populous and wealthy city in Japan. Its 
 name signifies "the river gate," and its loca- 
 tion, about eighteen miles above Yokohama, 
 on the shores of the bay of the same name, 
 is very beautiful. It is beyond the treaty 
 limits for foreigners, but passes can readily 
 be obtained from the government upon ap- 
 plication through the foreign consuls. 
 
 Starting from Yokohama for the excur- 
 sion our turnout was indeed cosmopolitan, 
 and represented the four great continents. 
 An English built "trap" was drawn by 
 Japanese ponies and driven by an African 
 Jehu, whose style of handling the ribbons 
 seemed to us quite reckless. I did not feel 
 much compassion for the ponies, for they 
 are perhaps the worst horses in the world ; 
 iil-shaped and vicious, given to kicking, bit- 
 ing, shying, rearing and bolting. Curiously 
 enough, except on the breeding grounds, 
 
the horses and mares are carefully kept 
 apart. For two hundred miles on the to- 
 kaido, or imperial road, from Osaka to 
 Yedde, a mare is never seen, and on other 
 portions of the high road horses are equally 
 scarce. But our driver, while lashing his 
 ponies into a sharp canter along the narrow 
 road, in many places crowded with pedes- 
 trians, seemed to take delight in occasion- 
 ally upsetting the baskets of the street ped- 
 dlers and trying the cracker of hie whip upon 
 the back of an unfortunate beggar, who was 
 not quick enough in petting out of the way. 
 A betto accompanied u<>, running along side 
 the horses and keeping up a warning cry of 
 " Ah ! hay ! Ah ! hay Y> to clear the tract. 
 He started with a fair amount of clothing, 
 but gradually threw it cffard tcssed it to 
 the driver until nearly reduced to first prin- 
 ciples, a blue handkerchief tied around his 
 head, and a very narrow girdle around his 
 loins. This undress uniform, however, 
 showed his tattooing to the best advantage, 
 his body being completely covered with 
 blue and red dragGns, birds, fishes, and non- 
 descript animals* 
 
 Passing through the native town, over a 
 handsome stone bridge which spans the 
 canal, across the narrow causeway connec- 
 ting Yokohama with the main land, we 
 reached Kanagawa, and turning into the 
 tokaido, we were fairly on the road to the 
 capital, which is a continuous street nearly 
 all the way to Yeddo, linsd with shops, tea 
 houses and wayside inns, and swarming 
 with travellers on foot and horseback, ped- 
 dlers, priests and beggars, in every variety 
 of strange costume. We insisted that Jehu 
 should lessen his speed that we might enjoy 
 the curious scenes, and also for fear of 
 accident to the little j half-naked urchins 
 who insisted upon running across the road 
 in front of our horses, to their eminent peril 
 of life and limb. Many of these sights 
 would have been enigmas to me, cut for the 
 explanation of a gentleman accompanying 
 us, who had been a resident of Japan for 
 several years. 
 
 Here comes a strolling b?nd of musicians, 
 who make up in noise and discord what 
 they lack in music and melody, and we are 
 glad to get past theerowd at their heels and 
 beyond the hearing of their ear-splitting 
 tunes. Now we overtake a blind beggar 
 leaning on a staff. His head is shaved en- 
 tirely smootn, and shines like a white ball. 
 It seems to me that in this country all the 
 beggars are blind, or else all the blind are 
 beggars. There are no good oculists in 
 
■■■ 
 
 11,1 
 
6$ 
 
 Japan, and eye diseases are quite common, 
 Next comes a 6edan chair or palanquin, 
 called here a norimon. It is suspended on 
 the shoulders of four men, two before and 
 two behind, very much as a wild beast 
 might be slung in a cage (or safe transport. 
 This vehicle is elegantly decorated with 
 lacquer work and gilt, and its bearers wear 
 a sort of uniform. It is doubtless the state 
 carriage of some high dignitary, as it is ac- 
 companied by half a dozen two-swordef 
 yaconins on horseback. It passes us so 
 quickly that we can barely catch a glance a 
 the occupant. It may be "my lady" out for 
 an airing. The Cango is a more simple ve- 
 hicle, and is quite frequently met on the 
 road. It is carried by two met], and looks 
 like a wicker basket without sides, slung 
 near the ground upon two poles ten feet 
 long. It is used for long journeys by the 
 middle class, and kept lor hire at the inns 
 on the main road. A quilt is laid on the 
 bottom, and with legs curled up under him, 
 in what seems a very cramped and uncom- 
 fortable position, the occupant will ride for 
 hours or even whole days without apparent 
 fatigue or discomfort. A Japanese wnen 
 tired, drops on his heels and squats with 
 no other support than his legs and heels can 
 afford, just as naturally as a European drops 
 into a chair. It is said that as soon as the 
 baby leaves its mothers arms, the first 
 thing it learns is not to walk or run, but 
 to squat on its heels in this baboon fashion. 
 
 A travelling dentist next attracts our at- 
 tention. He indulges in the rare luxury of 
 a beard, and is quite a venerable looking old 
 fellow. His instruments, which are of very 
 primitive discription, doubtless inflict 
 the full amount of torture which may- 
 be expected for a fee. They are (a-ried 
 in a basket, which also contains 
 charms as well as medicines of various de- 
 scriptions for sale. As a class the members 
 of this profession in Japan are not above 
 tricks of jugglery and necromancy, and will 
 extract teeth, cut out corns, and even de- 
 scend to amusing the children with tricks', 
 like swallowing swords, &c, when not oth- 
 erwise employed. It may be to their 
 credit, however, that the teeth of the men 
 and also of the women before marriage 
 when they make "open sepulchers" ot their 
 mouths by varnishing , them jet black, are 
 remarkably white and regular. 
 
 Our road winds along towards the head 
 of the bay^ and occasionally we come to 
 spaces on the roadside unoccupied by houses 
 
64 
 
 and shops, where we catch glimpses of the 
 water beyond fields and gardens nicely laid 
 eut and r ultivated in vegetables and fruits. 
 When about half way we reach the river 
 Logo, the boundary of the treaty limits, 
 within which foreigners may travel with- 
 out a passport. Here is a famous tea- 
 house, and while our horses are being 
 changed we accept the invitation to alight 
 and refresh ourselves with little cups 
 of tea, and minute dishes of sweet- 
 meats and confectionery. The garden about 
 the inn is laid out with much taste in min- 
 iature cascades, fountains, rockeries, etc., a 
 style of ornamental gardening of which the 
 Japanese are very fond. The proprietor 
 has added to the attractions of the place, 
 by employing very pretty and modest-ap- 
 pearing girls as waitresses, who show us 
 into a room about twelve feet square, which 
 is divided off from adjoining rooms by slid- 
 ing paper screens,so arranged that to accom- 
 modate large parties all these rooms can be 
 thrown into one. Across the side is a plat- 
 form about a foot high, and the floor is cov- 
 ered with white straw mats, very soft and 
 perfectly clean. A mat and a fan in this 
 country are the units of measurement ; the 
 latter being about a foot, while mats are al- 
 ways made of one exact size, three feet by 
 six. In building houses, rooms>re arranged 
 in size with reference to Uhe number of 
 mats that will exactly cover the floor. The 
 room seems empty, but according* to their 
 ideas it is completely furnished. ; A young 
 couple]can go to housekeeping in Japan with- 
 out making large bills at furniture ware - 
 houses and upholsterers. Two or three 
 rooms covered with soft mats, a few 
 cotton -stuffed quilts for bed clothing, 
 a pan to cook the rice, half a dozen 
 laequer caps and trays to eat from, a 
 large .tub to bathe in, and a charcoal 
 brazier to warm the room in cold 
 weather— this completes the outfit of very 
 respectable young people ; no chairs, tables, 
 and array of furniture, with which civilized 
 people crowd their rooms to the great detri- 
 ment of their finances, are required. Per- 
 haps some of our young folk? at home, who 
 cherish a wholesome horror of running into 
 debt, may long for a country of such Spar- 
 tan simplicity of manners, dress and house- 
 keeping. While at the tea-house I made 
 friends with a large and very handsome cat, 
 but expressed pity that she had been mu- 
 tilated by cutting off her tail. My friend 
 laughingly informed me that such is the 
 
65 
 
 nature ef the breed of cats in Japan. 
 I afterward saw hundreds of beautiful 
 "tortoise-shell" felines, all minus the "flag- 
 staff." European cats with Ion? caudal ap- 
 pendages were looked upon as very curious 
 when first brought to the country by for- 
 eigners, and much sought by the natives. 
 Except the wild boar of the mountains, 
 swice were unknown in J apan. But lately, 
 with the fondness of the people for novel- 
 ties, they have come to be in great demand. 
 A wealthy Daimio, who is establishing a 
 farm on the European plan, has been paying 
 almost fabulous prices for pigs. His agent 
 will go aboard every vessel arriving in port 
 in search of fancy styles He is very critical 
 on this point,and only pure white, with sharp 
 pointed ears and curly tails will answer. 
 For a choice specimen of this description 
 he lately paid in Yokohama $150, but would 
 not take a lop-eared, long-tailed one at any 
 price. A hundred "Chester county whites" 
 would be a fortune to a speculator if they 
 should arrive before the "pig fever" sub- 
 sides. 
 
 But cur driver is getting impatient. We 
 pay our bill, only one 600, (twenty-five 
 cents) and the smiling moosmies bow very 
 low and gracsfully as they sionara us away. 
 
 We walk down to the bank of the river, 
 show our passes to the two sworded offi- 
 cials, and are ferried across in a large flat- 
 boat, on which men, women and children, 
 horses, carriages and dogs are promis- 
 cuously crowded together. On the boat we 
 notice a peasant whose coat is made ol long 
 finely-split reeds, which besides the advant- 
 age of being cheap, is light, warm 
 and nearly waterproof. A countryman 
 equipped for a journev in winter looks as if 
 he had taken the cover of a basket for his 
 head gear, a wisp of straw for his sandals, 
 and a bundle of reeds for his cloak. 
 
 Crossing the river, we are again on the 
 tokaido, and we are joined by two mounted 
 Yaconins, which are furnished by 
 the government for the protec- 
 tion of strangers. They wear the usual 
 complement of swords, and on their heads 
 are black lacquered hats, sharp pointed at 
 the crown and secured by straps under the 
 chin. I do not believe that a foreigner, con- 
 ducting himself properly, needs protection 
 anywhere in Japan from the unprivileged 
 classes, civilians, merchants, shop-keepers 
 and peasants. They are as harmless and 
 well-disposed people as can be found any- 
 where in the world. But the twc-3worded 
 
66 
 
 gentry, soldiers and hangen-on of the feudal 
 princes, idle, lszy and overbearing, when 
 full of saki, are sometimes dangerous, and 
 have given foreigners in times past much 
 trouble. The spot on the road is here pointed 
 out to us where Mr. Richardson,a youngEng- 
 lishman,was killed eight years ago. He was 
 riding with two other gentlemen and a lady 
 towards Yeddo, and met by a band of Prince 
 Satsuma's retainers, who stopped and as- 
 saulted them, killing Mr. Richardson, and 
 severely wounding the other gentlemen of 
 the party. Few foreigners can pass this 
 spot without a sympathising inter- 
 est in the fate of this unfortunate 
 young man, who was just on the eve 
 of his departure for home, afcer a long so- 
 journ in the East. For this outrage $100,- 
 000 indemnity was demanded, and after 
 much evasion on the part of the Japanese, 
 exacted. The murderers not being given 
 up for punishment, the town of Kagoslma, 
 the capital of Satsuma's dominions, was laid 
 in ashes by a British fleet. Thus England 
 takes care of her subjects in the East, and 
 no wonder that to claim that nationality 
 here is like the regis of a "Roman citizen," 
 2,000 years ago. 
 
 A ride of about an hour brings us in sight 
 of what may be regarded as the entrance to 
 Yeddo, which encircles the head of a sickle- 
 shaped bay, with small insular forts to the 
 right, and many houses and temples, and 
 gradually ascending heights covered with 
 stately trees to the left. Slowly we make 
 our way through the crowded street, and as 
 we approach the capital the traffic 
 on the road increases. Here is a fam- 
 ily of the poorer class, apparently with 
 all their worldly goods, leaving the city, 
 the wife and her child doubled up in a cango, 
 the husband, with two boys and a porter, 
 carrying the heavier baggage. And here 
 we pass two little boys, certainly not over 
 eight years old. They belong to the upper 
 class, for each one wears a sword stuck 
 through his girdle, nearly as long as the 
 boy himself. It would seem quite impossible 
 for the little fellow to draw his weapon, but 
 the young sprig of aristocracy struts along 
 with an important air, other boys, as well 
 as men of lower rank, carefully making 
 way for him. This seems most absurd and 
 laughable to us, but here, as in England 
 only a century ago, to wear a sword is the 
 distinguishing mark of a gentleman. 
 
 As we approach Sinagawa, the great sul- 
 urb a mile long Immediately before Yeddo, 
 
<;; 
 
 we notice that the tea houses and saki shops 
 increase, until they almost line the way. 
 Long rows of fancy colored lanterns hang in 
 front, which are illuminated at night, giv- 
 ing the street a gay appearance. But this is 
 a place of ill-repute and not entirely sate 
 after dark. And now we pass through a 
 heavily barred gate, and are within the city, 
 although three miles of streets must yet be 
 passed before we reach our stoppicg place 
 for the night. W. P. F. 
 
NUMBER ELEVEN. 
 
 A Spanish Legend— Wonderful Progress 
 in Three Years— Foreign Devils Now 
 Treated as Equals— Curious, but Re- 
 spectful— The Mikado's Castle— A Pro- 
 gressive Ruler and People— Residences 
 of the Daimios— Mount Atango— A 
 Beautiful View— A Doubtful Legend- 
 Frequent Fires and No Insurance- 
 Temples of Shiva— Cleanliness, Not 
 Reverence Required — Catholic or 
 Buddhist— Christian or Pagan— An 
 Enormous Bell — Stone Lanterns- 
 Spirits Over the Water — Pic-Nic 
 Grounds. 
 
 Yeddo, Japan, December, 1870. 
 A fruitful soil, a fine climate and an in- 
 dustrious people seem3 to be all that can be 
 desired lor any country in the way of mate- 
 rial elements of prosperity, unless they are 
 in the case described in an old legend of 
 Spain, which tells how St. Jago, the Patron 
 Saint of Iberia, went to his master and begged 
 some special favor for the country he had 
 adopted. And, first, he asked for a fertile 
 soil, for a fine climate, for brave sons to de- 
 fend, and for fair daughters to grace it, 
 all of which were successively grant- 
 ed. Emboldened by his success ho asked 
 that they should be blessed with a good 
 government, When his master, according to 
 the Spanish version, eitber wearied with so 
 much importunity, or in a spirit of justice 
 to other lands, by way of compensation for 
 so many rich giftp, replied with emphasis, 
 "That was a blessing they would never 
 have." And how all other advantages 
 have been neutralized by the want of this 
 one crowning gilt is shown on the page of 
 history. 
 
 Japan under the servile abuses of the feu- 
 dal system, which for centuries has drawn 
 the life blood from her common people, may 
 be classed with Spain, as a country blessed 
 with every material element of prosperity, 
 except a good government. But a change is 
 taking placo more rapidly than ever before 
 In the history of this nation. But 
 
69 
 
 a few years ago, it was a common 
 occurrence in the broad streets of Yeddo, 
 for the retainers and men-at-arms, follow- 
 ing some petty Daimio, as he passed along, 
 to cry to the people " shita-nirio y " down, 
 down— and as if by magic, a wide path was 
 opened, and every head was bowed, the 
 body disappearing in some mavellous way 
 behind the legs and knees of its owner. 
 The attendants, bearing their masters' en* 
 feigns and badges, stood ready to punish 
 with instant death any insolent fellow who 
 dared cross their line of march, while they 
 scowled fiercely at every foreigner, mutter- 
 ing " intruders," v< barbarians," " sorcer- 
 ers," " devils." But all this is changed. 
 Japanese officials of the highest rank now 
 receive the foreigner as an equal, and visi- 
 him as a friend. Socially the people have 
 been great gainers by the revolution. Ex- 
 cept in some remote country districts the 
 cry of " shita-nirio'' is no longer heard. 
 The people have cast off the manners of 
 slaves and are taking to themselves the 
 hearts of men, and before many years they 
 will claim a voice in the affairs of the 
 country, which has heretofore been ruled 
 exclusively by the military class. 
 
 In all our excursions about Yeddo we 
 were accompanied by Taconius, and the 
 distances from one point ot interest to an* 
 other were so great that we were com- 
 pelled to ride, either on horseback or in a 
 carriage. Foreigners are here but rarely 
 seen, and as we alight to look through the 
 shops, the people gather about the door, al- 
 most blocking up the street, and follow in a 
 long trocp behind. They are very curious 
 n examining our clothes and watching our 
 motions, but are perfectly quiet and re- 
 spectful. How a couple of Japanese, in 
 their odd costume, would be chaffed and 
 hooted at, if strolling through some streets 
 in New York. 
 
 One of the first places visited by us was 
 the Castle of the Tycoon, now occupied by 
 the Mikado. It is inclosed by three sepa- 
 rate walls and moats, and the space occu- 
 pied by the official buildings, gardens and 
 parks is over three square miles. Few 
 foreigners have Eeen the inside of 
 the castle, and we are only permitted 
 to pass within the first wall, which 
 is of stone, perhaps forty feet in height, and 
 surrounded by a broad moat with beautiful 
 sloping banks of green turf. The gates are 
 very massive, and the portals of hewn stone, 
 fitted, not cemented, and look strong enough 
 
ro 
 
 to withstand anything but the fire of heavy 
 artillery. Within this triple tier of walls 
 and moats are extensive pleasure ground?, 
 shrubberies, gardens and dainty little tea 
 houses. In one place the Mikado has caused 
 a road to be constructed between an avenue 
 of trees in imitation of the great high road 
 of the Empire, with exact models of the 
 houses occupied by the peasants, surrounded 
 by rice fields, that he may see how his peo* 
 pie live and how rice is produced. Here he 
 takes his daily rides and walks, and occa- 
 sionally goes to the gardens of the palace by 
 the seashore, and sometimes reviews his 
 troops and ships of war. His life is as yet 
 very secluded, but he is gradually breaking 
 through the holy imprisonment in which 
 his ancestors have lived and died. He is 
 surrounded by men of advanced and liberal 
 ideas, who encourage him in his desire to 
 learn to become an intelligent ruler of an 
 empire of forty millions of people. 
 
 Nothing is more striking to the eye of a 
 Btranger when passing from the commercial 
 part of the city to the official quarter than 
 the vast dimensions of all the residences of 
 the feudal Daimios. Several hundred of 
 these princes, each with five or ten thousand 
 armed retainers within his houses ana 
 grounds, one would think, would be danger- 
 ous guests of the government, and under 
 the new order of things the Mikado has 
 wisely changed the law, and they now usu- 
 ally reside on their estates, except such as 
 hold office under the government. But, 
 perhaps, being less under espionage, they 
 may plot a revolution and be even more 
 mischievous to the powers that be. 
 
 From the castle we drive about a mile to 
 Mount Atango, one of the highest 
 points near the center of the city, so-called 
 from the god Atango, whose temple once 
 crowned the summit. A giddy flight of 
 one hundred stone step3, called Otoko Zaka, 
 or men's steps, leads directly to the top, to 
 which, however, there is an easier 
 flight winding around the side, called 
 OnnaZaka, or Women's Steps. There is a 
 tradition of a young Japanese prince who, 
 many years ago, was dared by his lady 
 love, as the price of her hand, to ride on 
 horseback up and down this steepest flight, 
 and having safely performed the feat, he 
 claimed and received his bride. It may be 
 a very pretty story, but unless the breed of 
 Japanese horses has very much degenerated 
 since then, I must consider it a legend and 
 a myth. General Putnam's feat at Rox« 
 
71 
 
 bury, in Revolutionary times, wss but 
 child's play compared with such an exploit 
 as tbis. 
 
 From the summit of Atango we have a 
 grand panoramic view of the city and bay. 
 From the fiot of the hill, for perhaps two 
 miiesdown to the very watei's edge, the 
 countless dwelling* stretch away in monot- 
 onous straight lines of gray-tile J roofs, be- 
 yond which is the gradual curve of the 
 bay, studded with the now di&m untied 
 forts upon which the Tycoon's govern- 
 ment spent millions, in the vain hope 
 of preventing the Western barbarians from 
 approaching the cipital, and with war ships 
 and steamers of foreign build, but bearing 
 the J ipanese fi «g, side by side with heavy 
 native janks and tUhing craft. Oa our left 
 the view is bounded by the castle, which 
 stacd-i in the midst ot the palaces of the 
 noble?, like a prince among his vassals, a 
 splendid monument of feudality. On the 
 north and east as far as the eye can reach 
 are streets and houses, with here and there 
 the heavy cornices of a temple surrounded 
 by groves of fine old trees. At intervals on 
 all sides are high, black, wooden watch 
 towers, which are used during the fires, 
 which occasionally con ume a square mile 
 or so of the town. Owing to the inflamma- 
 ble material of which the houses are built, 
 fires are very frfquent and destructive. 
 Fire insurance offices are unknown, and it 
 is said that every Japanese counts upon be- 
 ing burnt out once in seven or eight years, 
 and such is their elasticity of temperament 
 that almost before the embers are cool, they 
 quietly, rapidly and good-humoredly set 
 about rebuilding their homes. These fires 
 ard the frequency of earthquakes account 
 for the fact that in the whole of Yeddo, 
 giant city as it is, there are very few large 
 or ancient buildings to be seen. The tem- 
 ples being located in large groves, and the 
 residences of the Daimios being detached, 
 escape these conflagrations. But the charm 
 of the scene lies not in the architecture of 
 the city, but in the gardens and trees; for 
 here and there in the heart of the town are 
 to be found spots which seem to be trans- 
 sported from some fair country scene, where 
 the dark pines and firs are relieved by the 
 bright green of the bamboo, and the came- 
 lias and laurels are mixed with the tree- 
 fern, the sagopalm and the fruitless plain- 
 tain. 
 
 Atango would not be in Japan if without 
 its tea houses, and while we are admiring 
 
the view, the young ladies are serving us 
 with hot tea, fruits and other light refresh- 
 ments. When we ask " how much ? " they 
 shake their heads, leaving us to bestow such 
 gratuity as we please, which is, of course, 
 many times their ordinary charge. 
 
 Our next visit is to the famous temples of 
 Shiva, the burial place of the Tycoons. There 
 are twelve or hiteen separate temples within 
 the spacious grounds, overshadowed by very 
 large and beautiful trees. Each building is 
 surrounded by a nicely paved courtyard, 
 and there is a great similarity both of out- 
 side decoration and arrangement of the in- 
 teriors. These temples and the grounds 
 around them are kept in perfect order, and 
 are richer in architectural ornament than 
 any others we have seen in Japan. A flight 
 of fifteen or twenty broad stone steps leads 
 to the main entrance. These buildings are 
 all of wood, heavily framed, with room left 
 at the joints for the whole structure to os« 
 cillate. Some are very old, and have doubt- 
 1 ess withstood macy earthquake shocks 
 without injury, which would have destroyed 
 buildings of stone or brick. The cornices, 
 doors, and outside walls are most elaborate- 
 y carved in fantastic and allegorical designs, 
 and are richly gilt or lacquered. An old 
 priest, with head completely shaved, invites 
 us to enter. In anticipation of a fee, per- 
 haps, he is very polite ; and from regard to 
 the sacredness of the place I remove my hat, 
 which was quite unnecessary ; but he points 
 t o my boots as the objectionable article of 
 dress. Glancing in at the clean straw matting 
 on the floor, I see the point. It is not from 
 reverence, as in a Turkish Mosque, but 
 from motives of cleanliness that he objects 
 to my muddy boots. I am bound to see the 
 interior of the temple, and I pull off my 
 boots— and here let me suggest to any reader 
 who may travel in Japan, that he should 
 always carry about a pair of slippers in his 
 pocket. There are large bronze images of 
 Buddha upon the central altar, immense 
 vases of the 6ame material, and a great va - 
 riety of curiously carved figures and other 
 decorations, such as artificial flowers, elab« 
 orately wrought candlesticks, etc. At the 
 sides are smaller shrines, where the gilt 
 images and votive ornaments were suggest- 
 ive of a Roman Catholic church, only that 
 the symbol of the cross was wanting. There 
 were the same "bell and book" priests in 
 their robes, behind them rows of chanting 
 choristers, the same burning of incense and 
 repeating ot prayers and rituals in an un- 
 
73 
 
 known tongue— unknown not only to us but 
 to the crowd of worshippers around. The 
 great similarity between the Catholic and 
 Buddhist form of worship prompts the sug- 
 gestion that one must have been borrowed 
 from the other— I will not say which— but 
 to the devout Catholic the one is of apos- 
 tolic or heavenin c pired origin, while the 
 other is the "devil's CDunterfeit." 
 
 Outside the temple, and near by, is a bel- 
 fry, open on all four sides and ornamented 
 in the same style as the larger buildings. 
 In it hangs an enormous bell, covered with 
 Japanese inscriptions, shaped like a minnie 
 bullet. It is eight or nine inches in thick- 
 ness, and as I touch it with my cane it gives 
 forth a very sweet and melodious sound. 
 It has no tongue, but is struck by a wooden 
 beam suspended by iron chains. Some of 
 these bells are very large, and one is men- 
 tioned by an old writer on Japan, at Miako, 
 said to be five times larger than the great 
 bell at Moscow. 
 
 In the court yards surrounding the 
 temples are long rows of carved 
 stone pillars, six to ten feet in height. 
 These are lanterns and are the votive 
 offerings of rich devotees. Every year in 
 the month of August the spirits of the dead 
 are supposed to visit these sacred shrines. 
 They come from somewhere over the sea, 
 and are welcomed with a grand illumina- 
 tion, music and curious ceremonies. After 
 spending the night in the sacred precincts 
 of the temples, they are escorted at early 
 dawn by long processions of priests and 
 people to the water's edge, and launched in 
 miniature paper boats to float off to the 
 great unknown regions beyond the sea. 
 
 Besides the temples of Shiva, which are, 
 perhaps, the finest in Japan, we visited 
 several others in the neighborhood, all 
 located in large parks and surrounded by 
 magnificent trees. Some of these grounds 
 comprise hundreds of acres, and are great 
 places of resort for pleasure-seekers and 
 picnic parties, of which the Japanese are 
 very fond; and it would certainly be diffi- 
 cult to find spots more lovely for a day's 
 pleasure and recreation. 
 
 Other interesting features of our excur- 
 sions about Yeddo— our Visits to the thea- 
 tres, shops and bazaars, bath-houses and 
 market places, would occupy too much 
 time and space to describe here. 
 
 W. P. F. 
 
NUMBER TWELVE. 
 
 From Yokohama to Hiogo — The noon 
 Temple— Osaca— The Venice of Japan 
 —Manufacture of Paper and Its Use — 
 Paper Handkerchiefs and Pillow- 
 cases— The Inland Sea— Outlines of 
 a Picture— Simotiasaki— The Gate- 
 way of Rock— Entrance to Nagasaki 
 —An Episode in History— Japanese 
 Jnnk— Deciina— Fine Porcelain— Arts 
 and Manufactures— Departure for 
 China— Sionara, Japan. 
 
 Nagasaki, Japan, Dscember, 1870. 
 The route from Yokohama to Shanghai, a 
 distance of about 850 miles, is down the 
 coast of Nippon to Hiogo, which lies at the 
 entrance of the fimous Inland Sea; theme 
 250 miles through this wondeiful strait— 
 which is rather a succession of inland lakes, 
 connected by narrow channels, than a sea— 
 to Nagasaki, where, leaving Japan, we 
 strike across the Yellow Sea to the east 
 coast of China. 
 
 A branch of the Pacific mail line makes 
 three trips a month each way, and is com- 
 posed of American-built steamers of the 
 sama style, but not so large, as the levia- 
 thans that cross the Pacific. 
 
 Hiogo, our first stopping place, is 350 
 miles from Yokohama by water, though 
 but 200 by land, and is on the 
 tckaido, or imperial road, which traverses 
 the whole empire. It is one of the four 
 treaty ports open to !. foreign trade, and is 
 rapidly increasing in business and import- 
 ance. Oar steamer, the Costa Rica, came 
 to anchor early in the morning in front of 
 the town, and having the whole dav to re- 
 main in port, we improve the time by visit- 
 ing the places of interest in the vicinity. 
 The town is built along the shore of a beau- 
 tiful bay, with a oackgrcucd of mountains 
 rising by a gradual slope nearly two thou- 
 sand feet ab.ve the water. Ssveral fresh 
 wAter streams fn m this range fljwdown 
 iRto the harbor, which the Japanese nave 
 availed thera?ev 3 s of for irrigating the rice 
 lands, grain fields and garden pa'cies in the 
 rear cf the to*n, acd .for seme distance up 
 the mountain side. Seven miles up the 
 iteep path, and almost at the summit, is the 
 
"Moon Temple," a very curious and inter- 
 eating specimen of a Buddhist sanctuary, 
 which well repays the wearisome climb, for 
 it can only be reached on foot, with a mag- 
 nificent view, which stretches away for 
 many miles, over land and water, islands, 
 bays and harbors, dotted with junks and 
 fishing craft. At our feet is the town, 
 which seems so near that we can almost toss 
 a stone into its strests. About half way up 
 a little streamlet issues from the side of the 
 mountain, and dancts down from rock to 
 rock, until in one fall of one hundred ?nd 
 fifty feet it is lost in spray, like a miniature 
 Yo-semite cascade. 
 
 Hiogo is the port of the foreign trade ot 
 Osaca, twenty miles distant, on a river 
 which empties into the bay, Osaca is one 
 of the great cities of the empire, with a 
 population of half a million. This city is 
 the center of a very fertile and populous 
 district, famous for its manufactures cf silk, 
 sugar, coiton goods and paper. It is trav- 
 ersed by a windiDg riv:r and numerous 
 canals, over which there are about lour 
 hundred bridges, all of stone, and some of 
 great architectural beauty and elaborate 
 workmanship. It is the Venice of Jipan, 
 and a favorite dwelling place of the great 
 Princss or Daimios,;;whose estates are in 
 this part of the empire. The paper made 
 here is remarkably tough and in great va- 
 riety. The material used is the inner bark 
 of the mulberry tree. Chinese and India 
 paper is made of bamboo, and is much in- 
 ferior in strength and finish to that of Ja- 
 pan, whew" it fcuppiies for many domestic 
 uses the placa of linen ana cotton. From 
 paper the Japanese make a very ingenious 
 imitation of ieather, and pockit handker- 
 chiefs of the material ere universally used. 
 A roll of paper handkerchiefs is always seen 
 in the girdle of a Japanese lady. The nar- 
 row wooden blocks upon wbich they rest 
 their heads at night are covered with a pad- 
 ding ot several thicknesses of paper, re- 
 moving the outside ote every morning 
 affords a clean p ; ilow case without the 
 trouble of washing. 
 
 Leaving the harbor of Hiogo we enter the 
 inland sea, which fcas been deicribid by 
 every traveler in such glowing terms, that 
 all I can ?ay in the way of descriptions of 
 its surpassing beauty of fccsnery seems but a 
 repetition of what others have said before. 
 The lamented Bishop King?iey, whom none 
 will accuse of exaggeration, says, "I have 
 and admired the farfamad Loch Lo- 
 
mond in Sco?-Mn<?, but it was meagre com- 
 pared with the gorgeous beauty of this inland 
 sea. If we could put twenty Loch Lomonds 
 together, and for every beautiful mountain 
 on the margin, and every lovely island in 
 the placid waters, plant a hundred moun- 
 tains and a hundred islands, we should ap- 
 proximate the wealth and beauty seen in 
 these heathen waters." 
 
 Carleton, in his charming "New Way 
 Round the "World," exhausts his vocabu 
 lary of glowing prose description, and can 
 only express bis admiration of what he cills 
 "the indescribable glories of this inland 
 sea," by a beautiful poetic quotation, the 
 last line of which is, 
 
 "Hitter, come Mther and see!" 
 
 Now, I doubt whether I can conscien- 
 tiously advise my friends to come eight 
 thousand miles to witness anything, how- 
 ever grand, or picturesque, or beau- 
 tiful in the way of natural 
 scenery, but I may safely say that 
 in going "round the world," I expect to 
 find nowhere else such a combination of all 
 the elements of beauty, such a feast of the 
 senses and delight of the eyes, as here. 
 Take the thousand isles of the St. Lawrence, 
 the grand mountains cf the S^guenav, mul- 
 tiplied without limit, and extending 
 through two hundred and fifty miles of 
 smooth and placid water— a bright sun and 
 a pure atmosphere, wooded hills and shaded 
 ravines, a pretty village nestling in every 
 narrow valley, fishing boats and sails almost 
 innumerable, and ybu have the outline of a 
 pictuie so beautiful as to be an excuse for 
 any rhapsody of description. I know that 
 we sometimes weary of other people's rap- 
 tures in describing BCeitery, even when we 
 ourselves are not insensible to such emo* 
 tions when the scenes themselves are be- 
 fore us; and so I leave the unrivalled beau- 
 ties of this inland sea to be fully realized 
 and appreciated by sixii of my resders as 
 may come after me in what will, in a few 
 years, be a b :atcn track roin'! the world. 
 
 At sunset we p; ss through its v 
 gateway— a narrow strait, called Simona- 
 sftk ; . between the islands of Nippon and 
 Kiusin, past a town of the same n*roe con- 
 taining about fifteen thousand inhabitants. 
 The Daimio who owns this place thou^t 
 proper, a few years ago, to levy toll 
 upon the foreign as well as the immense 
 native flret that passed through this narrow 
 gat a , but was quickly brnght to his senses 
 by a descent of the w? r ship? of the foreign 
 
77 
 
 allied powers, who sunk his gunboats, dis- 
 mounted hid cannon, and threatened to burn 
 the town if his piratical attempts were re- 
 newed. 
 
 All night we coasted along the western 
 shore of Kiusin, and soon after daylight we 
 passed close to a remarkable gateway, which 
 lies directly in our track. It is formed of 
 two tall masses of granite, fifty feet apart, 
 and perhaps one hundred and fifty in height, 
 and pointed at the top. Between these two 
 pillars, by some convulsion of nature, is 
 lodged an immense boulder of rock. The 
 water is deep on all sides at the base and be- 
 tween these pillars, and through this naut* 
 ral gateway a fleet might sail in grand pro- 
 cession. 
 
 It was a beautiful morning when we 
 steamed in towards the entrance of Naga- 
 saki harbor, which to ©ur eyes seemed com- 
 pletely hidden from view. After twisting 
 and turning round one island after another 
 the long bay became visicle with the town 
 at the further end, clustering at the foot of 
 a range of hills, and in some places creeping 
 up the terraced side* nearly to the summit. 
 The bay is most spacious, and so completely 
 land-locked as to be secure against the most 
 violent gales or typhoons. Just at the en- 
 trance to the inner harbor we pass close to 
 an island of perhaps one hundred acres, 
 witn a steep, rocky precipice toward the 
 lea, and a gradual slope on the opposite sida 
 next to the main land. This little islet, 
 which now looks so bright and pleasant in 
 the early morning sun, is said to be the 
 place where twenty thousand native Chris- 
 tians were slaughtered, being driven up the 
 sloping bank and forced over the edge of the 
 precipice to be dashed upon the rocks a hun- 
 dred feet below. The same year when the 
 last of the Roman Catholic converts were 
 buried under the ruins of the captured city 
 of Nagasaki, or hurled from this rocky islet, 
 just two hundred and fifty years ago, a few 
 exiles landed on Pi y mouth Rock, in a newly 
 discovered continent, where they were des- 
 tined to plant the seeds of a Protestant faith 
 and found a great Protestant empire. And 
 it was the descendants of these Pilgrim 
 Fathers who, two centuries later, were the 
 first among western nations to brin?; a 
 lapsed Heathen raae once more within the 
 circle of Christian communion, and invite 
 them anew to take their place in the family 
 of civilized nations. 
 
 In the harbor of Nagasaki we find a large 
 fleet of foreign vessels, besides almost innu- 
 
78 
 
 merable native junks. To show how rap- 
 idly the Japanese government is adopting 
 western ideas, especially in methods of 
 war-fare, I count no less than six trim- 
 loofcing, foreign-built gunboats, carrying 
 the Imperial fiig, wh'cb in appaarance 
 would not discredit any navy in the world. 
 As we drop anchor wi'hin a few yards ot 
 one of the trading junks, it may be inter- 
 esting to describe the appearance of this 
 curious specimen of n*v»l architecture. 
 For many eentuiies boat and f-hip building 
 have stood still on account of laws prescrib- 
 ing the shape and sz? ot all water craft. 
 The largest native ships are rarely over one 
 hundred tons burden, and quite uc fit for 
 long voyages. The policy of the govern- 
 ment has been to prevent a bold, sea faring 
 population from hazarding voyages beyond 
 their own coasts, and to visit foreign coun- 
 tries was especially forbidden. The junk 
 has but one mast, which is a little aft of the 
 centre, and but one large square sail, at- 
 tachea to the yard, which is raiser! or low- 
 ered by a windlass in the cabin. From the 
 foot of the mast to the stern, the de:k rises 
 at an angle wf fifty degrees, and the long 
 curved helm lock* like the proboscis of a co- 
 lossal elephant. It is a mystery how sail- 
 ors can keep their feet in stormy weather 
 on such an inclined plane as the quarter 
 deck of this craft. They are built with open 
 stern?, and strong bulwarks to keep out the 
 water, and the rudder, which is very large 
 and unwieldy, is almost out of sight. Being 
 flat-bjttomed, without centre-boards, they 
 can sail before the wind with great rapid- 
 ity, but on the wind they go sadly to lee- 
 ward. They have certain marks on the 
 sails which look like patches, designating 
 the owners and the sec' ion where they be- 
 long. From the high deck ol our steamer I 
 can overlook the proceedings on board our 
 neighbor. Sicks of rice are piled so high 
 m dhips, that, being covered top and sides 
 with matting, it locks like a small house. 
 This craft is evidently the home of a large 
 family, tor the skipper, his wifa and nearly 
 a fiozen children are squatted on deck, par- 
 taking of their morning meal of rice and 
 fi3h. Forward I see four or five sailors 
 smoking the pipe of idleness. Their long 
 robes look inconvenient sis the "toggery" of 
 a sailor; but when occasion requires they 
 have a way of slipping out of their clothes, 
 and appearing in a costume well adapted to 
 the agile feats of their profession, but rather 
 shocking to the unaccustomed eyes of west- 
 ern barbarian. 
 
70 
 
 We laud at the stone jetty of Decima, a 
 email island in front of the town, separated 
 from the main land by a wide csnal, where 
 for centuries the Dutch cinsented to be 
 penned up and submit to every indignity, 
 while they monopolized the whole foreign 
 trade of Japan. The street through which 
 we passed is lined with their warehouses 
 now going to decay, while a new era of pro- 
 gress and advancement is opening to the 
 country. The canal is now Fpanned by a 
 wide stone bridge, leading to broad, well- 
 paved streetp, through which we strol), 
 making our last purchases of "cunop." This 
 place has a population of over ICO.OOO, and 
 is famous for its manufacture of fine por- 
 celain, a few specimens of which I had sp?n 
 in Yeddo. We visit several large shops 
 where the display of beautiful vases and 
 china ware, elegant in design, and decorated 
 in good taste, surpassed anything to be seen 
 even in Paris. The teacups are all covered 
 to retain the aroma of the fragrant leaf, and 
 are as delicate and fragile as egg shells. If 
 I were only a few thousand miles nearer 
 home, I should be tempted to send a large 
 consignment of this beautiful ware to my 
 friends on Superior street. 
 
 It is surprising that, with the remarkable 
 skill, ingenuity and taste the Japanese show 
 in some branches of the mechanic arts 
 and manufactures, in the higher de- 
 partments of art they are so rude 
 and unskilled. In their porcelain, 
 bronz?, lacquer-ware, temper of s*eel for 
 sword blades, and fabrics of silk and paper, 
 they rival any nation of the civilized world. 
 But painting, sculpture and mu9ic have few 
 votaries. In knowledge of perspective they 
 excel the Chinese, but take low rank com- 
 pared with Western nations. Printing in 
 colors from blocks of wood, with graduated 
 ihading, like our lithographic color print- 
 ing, has been known for age3; but their 
 drawing is dsfective, and the execution 
 rude. Their books of highly-colored prints 
 are curious and interesting only as illustra- 
 tive of their life, costumes and scenery. 
 Their caiving in ivory of figures and ani- 
 mals are skillful, but said to be inferior to 
 the Chinese; and in all these there is a ten- 
 dency towards the grate que. It is easy to 
 see that the pursuit of the arts and sciences 
 requiring actual labor is r?ot common among 
 the higher classes, while to the lower ranks 
 of society no inducements of reward?, hon- 
 ors and competition are held out for excel- 
 lence in these accomplishments. 
 
so 
 
 "Street life" in Nagasaki, as everywhere 
 else in J.^pan, is full of interest, and we 
 linger until the warning gun from the 
 '•Costa Rica" urgas U9 to re-embark. "We 
 steam out of this beautiful bay, winding 
 around the islands that so effectually hide 
 its entrance, and now in the open sea we 
 ?hape our course due west for China 
 We look back upon the hills, not vine-clad, 
 but terraced and cultivated in crops of more 
 practical value, and watch the fertile val- 
 leys that shelter an industrious, contented 
 and happy people, as they fade from sight in 
 tbe distance. Japan is a country with a 
 future. Nature ha9 been lavish in her gifts 
 of a fertile soil and a genial climate. We 
 wonder whether the change now so rapidly 
 spreading in the manners, customs and life 
 of her psopla will result in making them 
 more virtusus, happy and contented. 
 
 With many regrets at parting, and car- 
 rying with me pleasant memories of the few 
 weeks spent in this interesting country. I 
 can only say "Sionara, Japan.*' 
 
 W. P. F. 
 
Approach to the Flowery King* 
 dom-ihe Yellow Sea.-shaughal— 
 The Astor House-John Chinamau 
 at Home «-• Street Sights— The 
 Wheelbarrow a Chine§e Carriage- 
 Opium «lu Iks and Custom House 
 Off icials— Government of China— 
 Squeeze— How Taxes are collected 
 —Competitive Examinations- 
 Qualifications for Office in China 
 —The Tai-ping Rebellion— General 
 Ward. 
 
 NUMBER THIRTEEN. 
 
 My first impressions of this great empire, 
 containing one third the whole population 
 of the globe, were not altogether favora- 
 ble. The lour hundred miles of "Yellow 
 Sea" that separate it from Japan has a rep- 
 utation almost as bad as the English Chan- 
 nel. One may escape tea-sickness during a 
 month's voyage across the Pacific, but here 
 the rough weather and short, chopping 
 seas are pretty certain to bring him down . 
 When one hundred miles away our ap- 
 proach to the cosst was indicated by tbe 
 color of the water from the sediment ot tfce 
 great Yangtss River which, rising in the 
 Himalayas, three thousand miles away, 
 flaws through the heart of China and emp- 
 ties into the sea to which its discolored 
 waters give the name. la size and extent 
 of territory which it drains, the Yangtze 
 should rank with the Amazon and Miss-is 
 sippi. But both these together cannot com- 
 pare with this great artery of China in the 
 population which crowd its banks, and the 
 commerce it bears upon its bosom. 
 
 The mouth of the Yangtse strongly re- 
 sembles the lower Mississippi. Ths shores 
 are a dead level for nearly a hundred miles 
 througn the delta which its waters nave 
 formed, and are dyked to prevent inunda- 
 tion. It is so wide that for thirty miles but 
 one shore is visible from the deck of our 
 steamer. As it gradually narrows I catch 
 glimpses of frequent dwellings, neatly 
 whitewashed and thaiched with bamboo, 
 surrounded with groves of bananas and 
 plantains. A dense population is indicated 
 by the number of people working in the 
 fields, which are cultivated down to the 
 water's edge. Tni3 rich alluvial soil is de- 
 voted to rice and grain, not a foot of land is 
 wasted, and even the mounds under which 
 dead are burried are green with crops cf 
 millet or wheat. Hundreds of junks are a*. 
 anchor, or sailing up and down the yellow 
 current, thousands cf fishing boats are 
 closer in shore, and though the steam whit- 
 tle is constantly sounded as a warning, col- 
 lisions seem at times inevitable. 
 
 These Chinese navigators have the facui- 
 ty of running across the bows of a steamer, 
 
K 
 
 and calculating their distance so exactly, as 
 usually to escape being run down. Some- 
 times, however, they are sunk and set up 
 such exhorbitant claims for the loss of their 
 craft that they are accused of purposely 
 cai 6ing their destruction. 
 
 Fifty miles up tne Yangtse we turn to 
 the left into the Woosung, a clear stream 
 three quarters of a mile wide, upon which 
 about twelve miles above its confluence 
 with the Yangtse is built the city of Shang- 
 hai, the great ioreign commercial mart of 
 Northern China. The name suggests to us 
 all that great, coarse, overgrown chicken, 
 which (the word not the fowl) was in every- 
 body's mouth while the **hen fever' raged. 
 It is unfortunate that so fine a city should 
 be associated in our minds with so awk- 
 ward a bird. As we approach it from the 
 water the magnificent buildings occupied by 
 the merchants, which face the bund or 
 praya, a wide avenue aloDg the river, give 
 it a very imposing appearance. We 
 ome to anchor and are immediately sur- 
 rounded by a flaet of sampans or passenger 
 boats, and are quickly landed at the j ;tty, 
 where a fierce onslaught on my baggage is 
 made by a score of coolies. It is a war of 
 word3 in which I can take no part, and I 
 stand quietly by and let them fight it out. 
 After fifteen minutes of fierce conflict, I 
 follow the six victorious "Celestials," who 
 have slung my trunk and satchels on bam- 
 boo poles, to the Astor House, not a six- 
 storied granite hotel, but a modest building 
 of two stories, with a garden in front, as un- 
 Lke its great namesake as cm well be im- 
 agined. Why called the "Astor Hou?e" I 
 have been unable to ascertain, for it is kopt 
 in the English style by a full-blooded John 
 Bull. After seeming a comfortable room I 
 stroll alorig the bund, over a handsome 
 iron bridge that spans a creek crowded with 
 boats, and begin to realize that I am indeed 
 in the "fljwery kingdom," and receiving 
 my first impressions of John Chinaman at 
 home. The streets are full of people, cook- 
 ies carrying heavy burdens on poles across 
 their shouldiers, or slung between them in 
 pairs, sedan-chairs of light bamboo, be- 
 hind the silken curtams of which are stolid 
 Chinamen or bright-eyed "Canton girls," 
 Europeans dashing along in two-wheeled 
 traps behind diminutive ponies, who make 
 up in speed what they lack in size. But the 
 conveyance par excellence of Shanghai seems 
 to be the wheelbarrow, of which there are 
 thousands here, though entirely unknown 
 
S3 
 
 in Canton or any part of southern China. 
 This machine must be the germ of the Irish 
 jaunting car. It carries two persons, who 
 sit back to back on a narrow board on eith- 
 er side of the wheel, with one foot thrust 
 into a rope stirrup. The "propeller" 
 pushes along his Equeaking vehicle, 
 whose wooden axle is innocent of 
 any lubricator, assisted in bearing up the 
 weight by a leathern strap across his shoul- 
 ders. With but one passenger he is obliged 
 to tilt it up very awkwardly on one side to 
 keep the equilibrium. Since the wheelbar- 
 row has became a recognized institution in 
 the foreign quarter of the city various de- 
 vices have been suggested for improving its 
 construction. But John is slow in adopting 
 foreien innovations, and especially obstinate 
 in adhering to the dismal squeak of his ma- 
 chine. No amount of persuasion, short of 
 a municipal ordinance enforced by the 
 dreaded policeman, can induce him to apply 
 a little oil to the axle. It is enough for him 
 that his father and grandfather used no 
 grease, and the dismal wail of a score of 
 machines is music in his ears. As I stand 
 watching these novel velocipedes go by 
 loaded with Chinese of both sexes I am re- 
 minded of the nursery ballad, but here the 
 roads are smooth and the streets broad, and 
 1 see no necessity for the happy Benedict to 
 "carry his wife home on a wheelbarrow/' 
 The final catastrophe, too, is wanting, un- 
 less some luckless sailor, out on a bender, is 
 unable to maintain his balance. 
 
 In the river opposite the city is anchored 
 a large fleet of foreign ships and steamers, 
 and near the shore are moored several large 
 hulks in which is stored the opium from 
 India. These opium hulks are under the 
 strictest surveillance of the Chinese custom 
 house officials, as this article pays a very 
 high import duty and offers great tempta- 
 tions to smugglers. For some years past 
 the maritime custom3 department of ChiLa 
 has been under the control of foreigners, 
 mostly English and Americans, holding 
 cflise from the Chinese government. They 
 aie paid large salaries, and if not absolutely 
 proof against fraud and speculation, they are 
 reported to be as honest public servants as 
 the custom house officials of any foreign 
 civilized government. They are certainly a 
 great improvement on the native Chinese, 
 who formerly held the positions, under 
 whose administration scarcely a tithe of the 
 duties collected ever found its way to the 
 Imperial treasury. It is the commonly ac- 
 
84 
 
 cepted belief amoug ior^gners that the 
 Mandarins and native officials of every 
 rant, from the Imperial Council down, are 
 corrupt. The stranger constantly hears one 
 word used, which is most insignificant, and 
 has a world of meaning; that word is 
 
 •squeeze 
 
 The government of this country is patri- 
 archal. The Empsrcr is called the "Son of 
 Heaven," and exercises supreme control 
 over the whole Empire, becauge Heaven 
 has empowered and n quired bim to do so. 
 But with this power is imposed the obliga- 
 tion to treat his people with leniency, sym- 
 pathy and love. He lives in unapproachable 
 erandeur, and is never seen except by mem- 
 l^^^jL bers of his own pm ' frj and high state officers. 
 / In governing fcuch an immense realm the 
 people understand that he must dslegate his 
 authority to a large number of officerp, 
 whom they regard as his agents and rep* 
 resentativea. When they consider them- 
 selves injured or oppressed by thes-? official?, 
 they do not blame the Emperor, but some 
 times riee in reb, llion against their imme- 
 diate rulers, upon whom they wreak fearful 
 vengeance, and then appeal to their great 
 father to appoint more merciful officials in 
 their place. 
 
 The method of collecting the revenue is 
 peculiar, and ualiks any civil. : Z3d nation of 
 the West. Tne empire is divided into 
 eighteen provinces, and some of them larger 
 in extent and with four times the popula- 
 tion of New York or Pennsylvania. Each 
 of these is ruled by a Viceroy. The pro- 
 vinces are subdivided into departments, 
 governed by Tou-Tais. The departments 
 are again sub divided into districts, under 
 Mandarins cf various grades. There is no 
 system of uniform taxation wh ; ch bears 
 equally upon ali parts of the empire. The 
 Supreme Council signifies to each Viceroy 
 how much money is required from his pro- 
 vince, and the Viceroy in turn notifies each 
 Tou-Tai, ai-d so on down to the Mandarine, 
 who must collet it from the people as best 
 they can. It is one grand system of 
 "squeeze," from the apex of the pyramid to 
 its base. Each official pays over to the 
 next higher in rank the sum absolutely de- 
 manded, which he must do at the peril of 
 his head, and putting the surplus, if any, In 
 his own pocket. Under such a system the 
 people who form the base of the pyramid 
 are often sutj acted to intolerable exactions, 
 and if the Chinese were not the most patient 
 and long-suffering race upon the face of the 
 
85 
 
 globe, the country would be in a chronic 
 state of rebellion. 
 
 The ruling dynasty is Mancbu or Tartar. 
 When this race, coming from the north, 
 overrun and cjEquered the "Flowery King- 
 dom," they imposed upon the Chinese the 
 wearing of the long queue or pigtail in token 
 of subjection- In the course of many cen- 
 turies it has become the most necessary and 
 essential part of the Chinese dress, and to be 
 deprived of it is the greatest indignity. To 
 cat off a man's pigtail is a worse punisn- 
 ment even than to cut tff his heed, and 
 would result in suicide. The military offi- 
 cers throughout the empire are all of the 
 Tartar race, and in most of the large walled 
 cities there 13 an inner wall, within which 
 the Tartar families reside. Upon this col- 
 ony or garrison the Emperor depends to 
 hold possession of the city in case of a rebel- 
 lion or ineurn ction. In every province and 
 district there is a military cfficer, whose 
 ar- thority is co-ordinate with that of the civil 
 governor. Although the government is an 
 absolute despotism, it embodies some deci- 
 dedly republican features, and the people 
 have a good degree of personal liberty. The 
 civil officials are all selected from the literary 
 graduates, and persons of almost any condi- 
 tion in life may rise to the highest position 
 of honor and irfluence through a most com- 
 plex system of competitive literary examin- 
 ations. Hundreds of thousands spend years 
 in study, and yet fail to pass this ordeal; or 
 if successful in taking the first degree, are 
 unable to reach the second or third, which 
 would make them eligible to the higher 
 offices under the government. This class 
 of literati scattered throughout the whole 
 empire, are thoroughly imbued with the 
 doctrines of Confucius, are earnest support • 
 ers of the government, (which they regard 
 as the embodiment of the wisdom of tteir 
 ancient sages), and exercise great influence 
 ever the common people. Some idea of the 
 enormous scale on which these competitive 
 examinations are carried out, may be had 
 from the fact that at the last triennial exam- 
 ination at Nanking in September, 18T0, over 
 eighteen thousand candidates appeared, and 
 they were from only three of the eighteen 
 provinces. A novel feature on this occasion 
 was that Kiang-si, the Governor, placed two 
 steamers at the disposal of the candidates to 
 convey them to and from their homes with- 
 out charge. These examinations are ire- 
 quentlv attended by demonstrations of dis- 
 like to foreigners, a feeling which generally 
 
S6 
 
 pervades the whole literati, as a class. 
 
 Now we lock upon the Chinese as bar- 
 barian?, but is not this system of govern- 
 ment appointments an improvement on 
 that of our own enlightened land, 
 where puty service, personal favor 
 and politic*! considerations, and some- 
 times beer and whi>ky, are the open 
 sesame to official position?, regardless ot 
 merit or qualiticition. When Mr. Jancke'a 
 civil service bill sball become a law, as in 
 time it certainly must, we may hope for a 
 reform that will place U3 in this respect al- 
 most on a par with the '« Heathen Chinee " 
 
 No event connected with China during 
 the present generation has created so much 
 interest in foreign lands, or raised such 
 great expectations which were doomed to 
 disappointment, as the great Tai-ping re- 
 bellion. It commenced in 1850, and after a 
 struggle of fourteen years duration, which 
 nearly overthrew the Manchu dynasty and 
 destroyed millions of lives, it was only put 
 down at last by the h?lp of foreign bayo- 
 nets. It rendered desolate some of the 
 richest and most fertile portions of the em- 
 pire, leaving behind it tracts hundreds of 
 miles in extent, marked with blsckened 
 walls and heaps of ruins, uncultivated 
 fields and depopulated towns and cities. It 
 originated with a man who had received 
 from a native teacher near Canton some 
 imperfect ideas of Christianity, and at first 
 it seemtd that he was to be the instrument 
 of a great religious rcf jrm and the downfall 
 of paganism. Having overcome a greater 
 portion of Ssuthern Caina the Tai-piogs 
 swept northward, and after a siege of two 
 years captured Nanking, the second great 
 city and ancient capital of the empire. In 
 thi3 contest the loss of life was frightful, as 
 no prisoners were taken on either 6ide. 
 The professed objact of the rebellion was the 
 destruction of the Tartar dynasty and the 
 restoration of the ancient Chinese race to 
 the government of the empire. They al- 
 lowed their hair to grow, repudiating the 
 Manchu custom of shaving the front part of 
 the head and cultivating the queue, and so 
 were called "Long-hairs," this being 
 a synonym for rebels. In the meantime the 
 early promise that the success of the rebel- 
 lion would result in a more beneficent gov- 
 ernment, with medern ideas and a Christian 
 civilization, had fided away. The leader 
 announced himself the brother of Jisu* 
 Christ, and his fjllowers became more and 
 more erratic and fanatical, until they degen ■ 
 
87 
 
 erated into a superstition more absurd than 
 the paganism it sought to replace. At this 
 crisis, when the Peking government was 
 tottering, and its downfall seemed inevita- 
 ble, there appeared Upon the stage a man 
 whose career is one of the most remarkable 
 in modern times, and seems like a romance 
 of the middle ages. An American, who had 
 first come to China as a common sailor, and 
 had acquired some influence with the Man- 
 darins, offered his services to the imperial 
 government, and, as drowning men catch at 
 straws, they were promptly accepted. Al- 
 though entirely without military education 
 or training, he showed such remarkable 
 talent and energy in the reorganization and 
 management of the Chinese army, every- 
 where defeated and demoralized, that he 
 soon rose to supreme authority in the con- 
 duct of the war. He raised a foreign legion, 
 established order and discipline in the im- 
 perial army, procured improved arms, 
 checked and drove back the rebels marching 
 on Pekieg, retook city after city, and in two 
 years, having broken the bacK of the rebel- 
 lion, met an untimely death at the storming 
 of an insignificant town in one of the central 
 provinces. 
 
 If General Ward's life had been spared ten 
 years longer it is impossible to calculate 
 what his unlimited influence with the gov- 
 ernment he had served might have enabled 
 him to accomplish in reforming ancient 
 abuses and corruptions, and introducing 
 western ideas and civilization. Since his 
 death the Chinese have placed his effigy in 
 their pantheon of gods, and regard him as a 
 special gift from heaven to save their na- 
 tion. Here, on the bund at Shanghai, they 
 have erected a marble monument to the 
 memory of General Ward and the brave for- 
 eign officers of "that ever-victorious army" 
 which he commanded, who fell in the strug- 
 gle with the "long-haired" rebels. 
 
 And now, having returned at last to the 
 hind whence we started, let us go back to 
 the "Astor" for tiffin, leaving further record 
 of experience among the Chinese for another 
 day. W. P. F. 
 
Odd and Carious Mghts.-A Story of 
 Paradoxes—Respect for Parents- 
 Visit to a Chinese Theatre-- Exces- 
 sive Politeness-- Great Display of 
 Finger Ornaments— Serio-Comedy 
 Dead'TOen AValk — Japs Ahead of 
 Chinese in the Mimic Art—Wed- 
 ding Procession— marriage Cere- 
 monies -Jump in the Dark— Not 
 Married in Haste— Cupid Walts 
 for Hymen. 
 
 NUMBER FOURTEEN. 
 
 Shanghai, China, January, 1871. 
 
 First impressions are not always the best , 
 but in attempting to describe the strange 
 and curious sights of a foreign country, 
 where the traveler expects only to skim 
 over the surface, and has no time to dive be- 
 neath and comprehend the rationale and 
 philosophy of the people,his first impressions 
 are often of interest, if photographed at 
 once. An old traveller or long resident will 
 cease to notice and wonder that a stranger 
 is interested in scenes which are full of in- 
 terest and novelty to the fresh comer. To 
 Bayard Taylor, there would be nothing 
 novel in seeing people eat with chop-sticks, 
 old men flying kites, or women toddling 
 through the streets with feet only three 
 inches long. I do not propose to wait until 
 familiarity with such sights has destroyed 
 their novelty and freshness, but shall try 
 and give the first impressions, which to me 
 are very curious and vivid, of the habits and 
 manners of this strange race. 
 
 China is said to be a country of paradoxes 
 and anomalies. Many familiar things are 
 strangely reversed. The people do not 
 walk upon their heads, to be sure ; but the 
 old men fly their kites, while the children 
 look on ; they write and print their books 
 from top to bottom, from right to left, in 
 perpendicular instead of horizontal lines 
 and their books end where ours begin ; their 
 locks are made to fasten by turning the 
 keys from left to right ; the carpenter uses 
 his plane and saw by drawing it towards 
 him, and the tailors stitch from them. 
 Their horses stand in the stables with their 
 heads where we place their tails; they 
 mount them from the q/f-side, and fasten the 
 bells upon the hind quarters instead of 
 round the neck; the anti-crinoline style 
 of their garments seriously impede locomo- 
 tion, and destroy all grace of move- 
 ment; white is the color of mourning, and 
 their religion consists not in love of God, 
 but in fear of the devil. In this respect, 
 however, they do not differ so very much 
 from some so-called Christian natioHs. 
 Some other customs of the Chinese differ 
 materially from ours, but the comparison is 
 rather to their advantage. The children 
 
89 
 
 pay the greatest deference and respect to 
 their parents. The most heinous offence 
 that a child can commit would be to strike 
 his father or mother; and by law and cus- 
 tom the parent would be justified in pun- 
 ishing the child with death. "Young Chi- 
 na" never ignores or snubs "the governor." 
 So far is filial affection carried that grand- 
 parents are almost worshipped. "Sharpsr 
 than a serpent's tooth to have a thankless 
 child," has a significance ten-fold great- 
 er here than in America. The Scripture 
 injunction to "leave father and mother and 
 cleave unto the wife,? is not according to 
 Confucius. The claim of one's parent upon 
 the affections and love of the married son 
 is considered to be paramount to that of his 
 wife. The reason given is that the 
 loss of a father or mother is irre- 
 parable, but that of the wife is 
 not. Women are treated with more re- 
 spect and consideration as they advance 
 in years, and mothers are universally re- 
 garded with great affection and tenderness. 
 Although the husband and wife never see 
 each other before marriage, and have noth- 
 ing to do with making choice of their part- 
 ner for life, a strong attachment often 
 springs up between them, and divorces are 
 rare and only justifiable if the wife is so 
 unfortunate as to be childless. While cus- 
 toms and theories vary, human nature and 
 woman's nature is the same the world over. 
 The Chinese have a theory of the infe- 
 riority of woman, which they often find it 
 difficult to carry into practice. They pay a 
 tribute to the "weaker" sex whsn they de- 
 ny them education, for the professed reason 
 that they find it sufficiently difficult to keep 
 them in their proper place without it. In 
 many families here as well as in America, 
 the superiority of the wife's will and au- 
 thority is sufficiently manifest and cheerful- 
 ly acknowledged, although "hen-pecked 
 husbands" are perhaps more rare than 
 among Western nations. 
 
 I attended, last evening, the Chinese thea- 
 ter by invitation of a friend, who took along 
 with him his compradore as guide and inter- 
 preter. It is situated in the Chinese quar- 
 ter, and the streets in the vicinity were full 
 of restaurants and the walks crowded with 
 venders of fruits, sweetmeats and ail kinds 
 of eatables. The outside of the building was 
 covered with immense pictures of the sensa- 
 tion order, representing dragons, lions and 
 nondescript animals, giants and dwarfs, and 
 reminded me of Barnum's Museum v*, olden 
 
90 
 
 times. Inside we found a large and well- 
 ventilated room, plainly finished, without 
 gilding or decoration, with a gallery around 
 three sides. The parquette was furnished 
 with small tables, at which parties were re- 
 galing themselves with tea and refresh- 
 ments. Most of the audience were men of 
 the better class, some few of whom had their 
 wives and children with them. A polite at- 
 tendant showed us to our 9eats, which had 
 been secured beforehand near the stage, and 
 then placed before us very thin porcelain 
 cups with covers. In each he put some tea 
 leaves and poured hot water from small 
 bronze kettles, which were carried around 
 all the evening to replenish the cupe. He 
 then brought little dishes of dried fruit and 
 sweetmeats, miniature oranges and roasted 
 water-melon seeds, which are furnished to 
 the audience gratuitously, and supply the 
 place of peanuts in western theatres. Play- 
 bills were furnished printed in Chinese on 
 red paper. As we were the only foreigners 
 present our entrance attracted some atten- 
 tion, but no rude staring annoyed us, and 
 everybody around seemed studiously polite. 
 Indeed, with the better class of Chinese, po- 
 liteness is a science and gracefulness of man- 
 ners, a study. I was much amused at watch- 
 ing a party of four gentlemen who came in 
 and occupied a table near us. It was full 
 ten minutes before they were seated, from 
 the most excessive and persistent efforts 
 on the part of each that every other one 
 should occupy a better seat than himself. 
 One seat being back to the stage each 
 seemed determined to occupy it, with infinite 
 bowings and compliments to his companions. 
 The party were provided with the usual re- 
 freshments, and when the attendant brought 
 a joss stick to light their pipes, which were 
 ornamented with silver and very handsome, 
 each insisted that the others should light 
 first. The proverbial politeness of the 
 Frenchman was not to be compared to this 
 exhibition of Chinese manners. 
 
 Near us was seated a lady with nails on 
 the third and fourth fingers of her left hand 
 fully three inches in length. She frequently 
 held this hand up to her face, as ladies some- 
 times do at horns who wear elegant rings, 
 and probably with the same motive. Sho 
 was "got up" in great style, and often con- 
 sulted a small mirror to make sure that her 
 face and head dress were all right. She 
 flirted her elegant ivory fan with all the 
 grace of a Spanish Signorita, and ought to 
 have had the mirror inserted in it— an Idea 
 
91 
 
 that the Chinese ladies have not yet adopted 
 from the French. Every person in the audi- 
 ence carried a fan, which when not in use 
 was placed between the collar and the back 
 of the neck. 
 
 I can only describe the play as a "comical, 
 melo-dramatic farce." It seemed to me a 
 most whimsical and ridiculous travesty ; but 
 the audience listened with the most serious 
 earnestness, from the entree of the principal 
 characters, which were harlequindike, with 
 a series of somersets over tables and chairs, 
 to the finale, when the hero, after a painful 
 and agonizing death, got up and quietly 
 walked off the stage. I doubt whether the 
 Chinese have any adequate conception of the 
 ludicrous, either on the stage or in actual 
 life. Making all allowance for the differ- 
 ence of national tastes and habits in dramatic 
 performances, their more than Turkish 
 gravity and impassiveness opened to me a 
 new phase in the character of this strange 
 race. The actors, who belonged to a famous 
 troupe from Peking, and were all "stars," 
 recited their parts in a high, drawling fal- 
 setto tone, frequently advancing and re- 
 tiring, bowing, gesturing, twisting and turn- 
 ing in the most grotesque and ludicrous man- 
 ner. There was an undue amount of action, 
 loud altercations, the most violent gestures 
 and frequent mocK conflicts, with a great 
 flourish of gongs, which seemed to inspire 
 awe in the minds of the spectators. The 
 play was in the Mandarin dialect, quite dif- 
 ferent from the colloquial language of 
 Shanghai, and must have been unintelligible 
 to the greater part of the audience, to 
 whom, as well as to ourselves, it was a 
 pantomime, The Emperor and other high 
 officials were represented with a vast 
 amount of tinsel, and long processions of 
 "supes," with spears and tin helmets, 
 marched in and out, looking as little like 
 real soldiers as these characters do at home. 
 Fire-crackers and blue lights, gong3 and 
 tom-toms, enlivened the battle scenes, and 
 the whole wound up, like our evening cam- 
 paign speeches on the Square, with "a 
 grand exhibition of fireworks." 
 
 It is but just to Chinese theaters to eay 
 that vulgar and immoral plays are un- 
 known, and the associations cf the stage are 
 quite different from those of western lands. 
 The female characters are always performed 
 by boys, and with remarkable accuracy 
 in their imitation of voice and general ap- 
 peararci. The prompter sits on the stage, 
 and beside him is a bowl of said, or rice 
 
92 
 
 wine, of which the actor partakes after vio- 
 lent exercire. One of the most ludicrous 
 things I saw was the two cbampione, who 
 seemed to be rivals for the hand of the beau- 
 tiful heroine of the play, after fighting 
 mo3t fiercely for ten minutes, agree to a 
 truce, take a friendly diink together, acd 
 then resume their deadly conflict, which 
 resulted fatally, of course, to the poor fel- 
 low who was. not favored by the young 
 lady. 
 
 In histrionic art the Chinese are far in- 
 ferior to the Japanese. I saw a play acted 
 at the Yeddo theater that showed an appre* 
 ciation of the proprieties of "mimic life" 
 that would be creditable in Europe or 
 America. They had a revolving stage 
 and very fair scenery. The acting in 
 some parts was positively good, particu- 
 larly the "old man" who in dress and man- 
 ner, for of course it was all pantomime to 
 me, reminded me of Ellsler at the Academy 
 of Music. There were none of the absurdi- 
 ties which the Chinese auditors view with 
 so much gravity, and frequent outbursts of 
 laughter showed that the "Japs" appreci- 
 ated the humorous passages of the play. 
 
 While walking yesterday along the Nan- 
 kin road, in the Chinese quarters of Shang- 
 hai, I encountered a curious precession, and 
 stepping into Chee-Kiaug's shop I inquired 
 in my best "pigeon English" what it all 
 meant. Mr. "Chee" politely informed me 
 that it was a wedding party, and explained 
 to me in that part'cular dialect, which is 
 the only medium of communication between 
 natives and foreigners, some particulars 
 which may be of interest to the reader. 
 First came a dozen musicians beating gongs 
 and blowing horns, each one apparently on 
 his own account, and making the most ear- 
 piercing and discordant article ever con- 
 ceived of under the name of "music." They 
 were dressed in fantastic costume of which 
 yellow seemed the predominant color. Then 
 a lot of boys carrying flags and lanterns, of 
 which they seemed very proud. After 
 them several coolies bearing between them 
 the show presents, boxes and bales, includ- 
 ing, I presume, the trousseau of the bride. 
 Then a long procession of the bride's rela- 
 tions, all dressed in holiday attire, looking 
 especially festive and jolly, as if bound to 
 make a day of it, for behind them followed 
 more coolies, loaded with baskets of fruit 
 and every variety of eatables, among which 
 I noticed a roast pig, brown and crisp, and 
 uone to a turn. These were to set c if the 
 
93 
 
 wedding feast. % Next came a gorgeous look- 
 ing palanquin, decorated with paper flowers 
 eilk and satin embroideries in the highest 
 style of the Chinese art, and carried by 
 eight coolies. This I suppose contained the 
 bride, but the curtains were drawn too 
 closely for any profane eyes to penetrate, 
 although I suspect that the "adorable crea- 
 ture" inside was peeping out. Then more 
 sedan chairs, but not quite so "stunning" in 
 appearance, containing the female relatives 
 of the family, and another lot of friends in- 
 vited to the feast, and the long procession 
 wound up with more musicians, who seemed 
 trying their best to outdo their 
 rival performersiwho led the van. Behind 
 all were scores of beggars and street gamins, 
 the latter running I fronfside to side of the 
 narrow road, as full of .^excitement and de- 
 light at the show as the^same class would be 
 in following a military procession at home, 
 Having never had the pleasure of accepting 
 an invitation to a Chinese wedding, I can 
 only describe the show'part f which is open 
 to the public, but I am told that they are 
 celebrated with a great deal of formality and 
 expense, £ Betrothals., are contracted at a 
 very early age, and even among "intimate 
 friends it is etiquette that all the negotiations 
 shall be conducted by a claBs of women called 
 "go-betweens," or match-makers. The boys 
 and girls arelsupposed to be entirely indif- 
 ferent as to the whole matter. The idea of 
 courtship or love letters .would b3 quite 
 shocking to all right minded persons. After 
 betrothal, which is consummated by an ex- 
 change of presents, and the making over of 
 a formal document to the parents of the 
 groom, the engagement is considered as legal 
 and binding as if the marriage had been per- 
 formed. If the boy should die it is consid- 
 ered the proper and filial thing for the girl 
 to remain a widow for life, and devote her- 
 self to the care of her deceased husband's 
 parents— a custom which our girls at home 
 would consider particularly hard. Before 
 the wedding day the bride has her eyebrows 
 pulled out, which in China is the distin- 
 guishing mark of a married woman. On 
 the morning of the * 'lucky day" chosen for 
 the mai riage, the bride is carried from her 
 own home to that of her future husband in 
 great state and ceremony. With her face 
 closely veiled, she kneels with her husband 
 before an altar, and they worship together 
 the spirit tablets of the ancestors of the 
 groom. The parties first see each other's 
 face when the bride's veil is removed and 
 
94 
 
 they drink wine out of the same cup, after 
 the redding day spent in feasting, congrafc. 
 illation?, and general hilarity by their mu-= 
 tual friend9 and relations. If not entirely 
 patisfied with the choice in which they have 
 had no part, it is certainly too late to repent, 
 and they have only to "make the best of it,' 
 —a conclusion which sensible in other lands 
 sometimes arrive at when they have entered 
 into the marriage relation with eyes wide 
 open, as they suppose, but in reality closely 
 bandaged by that blind little imp and match 
 maker, Cupid. W. P. F. 
 
NUMBER FIFTEEN. 
 
 Departure of Distinguished Guests— 
 Secretary Seward in Japan and Chi- 
 na-He Visits Pek'n and the Great 
 Wall -Prince Kung is Grouty— The 
 Senator and Sailor Exchange Sa- 
 lutes—The Prince Relents— All Love- 
 ly and Serene over Sharks' Fins and 
 Birds' Nests— The Chinese Language- 
 Pigeon English-Coin and Currency 
 — Com prad ores Costumes and Queues 
 —Pawnbrokers Shops— Small Feet- 
 Fashion Slakes Hideous Things Beau- 
 tiful—Visit to a Wealthy Chinaman 
 —Tea as is Tea — A Gentleman, 
 Though Wearing a Pigtail— Luxury 
 Next Door to Penury. 
 
 Hong Kong, China, January, 1871. 
 The morning on which I left Shanghai, I 
 was awakened by a terrific din of firecrack- 
 ers under my window. Fourth of July was 
 the first idea suggested, but then it occur- 
 red to me that it was nearer the fourth of 
 January than July. The fusilade was kept 
 up for several hours in the streets around 
 the landing place. The departure of distin- 
 guished guests is always celebrated in China 
 by burning firecrackers as a sacrifice to 
 "Joss" for good luck arid a pleasant voyage. 
 Not that your humble correspondent was 
 the "distinguished personage" who drew 
 forth such a demonstration. The Hon. W. 
 H. Seward, who is "swinging round the cir* 
 cle," was to leave that day in the Hang 
 Kong steamer. The great sensation in 
 China this winter, especially among the 
 American residents, is the visit of the ven- 
 erable ex-Sscretary, who left San Francisco 
 in September, spent a month in Japan, and 
 after visiting North China, Peking and the 
 Great Wall, is now on the way to Hong 
 Kong, thence via. India to Europe. He is 
 accompanied in this tour through the East 
 by the two Misses Risley of Washington, the 
 elder of whom, Miss Risley Seward, his 
 adopted daughter, is hia private Secretary. 
 A nephew of the distinguished Statesman, 
 Mr. George F. Seward, has for nine years 
 past held the position of Consul General in 
 China, and returned to Shanghai with the 
 party, bringing his young bride, one of the 
 
most beautiful and accomplished daughters 
 of the Golden State. "When appointed to 
 this important cffice, which is diplomatic as 
 well as consular, he was scaicely of age, and 
 it was looked upon by Americans in China 
 as a family affair, but during his long serv- 
 ice he has won the respect and esteem of his 
 own countrymen as well as of the Chinese 
 officials. 
 
 In Japan Mr* Seward was received by the 
 Micado with all the honors accorded to the 
 Duke of Edinburgh, son of Qieen Victoria, 
 last year. This was only accomplished 
 after long negotiations on the part of our 
 Minister to Japan, Mr. DsLong. Since the 
 arrival of the party in Shanghai, this city, 
 which is more American than any other 
 place in China, has been unusually gay with 
 balls and dinner parties In their visit to 
 Peking, they were accompanied by Admiral 
 Rodders and a large escort of marines from 
 the United States war *hip^ on this statior. 
 A full band of mus'c from the flag ship 
 Colorado enlivened the march, and the fes- 
 tive array of gold lace and blue jackets put 
 the visit on a semi official footing. Their 
 route was eight hundred miles by steam up 
 the Yellow Sea to Tientsin, thence eighty 
 miles by donkeis, mule litters, and Chinese 
 carts to the capital, The weather was very 
 cold, and the party suffered many discom- 
 forts, for this part of China is only accessi- 
 ble to travelers during the summer months; 
 In winter it is frozen up as solid as Canada. 
 The common people in the crowded cities 
 and villages through which they passed 
 doubtless thought it was a cortege bearing 
 tribute to their mighty Emperor, the "Son 
 of Heaven," from some tribe of western bar- 
 barians. 
 
 At the capital the party was most hospi- 
 tably entertained at the American and Ris- 
 sian legations, the English, of course, hold- 
 ing aloof, from that jealousy of American 
 influence in this country, which one sees 
 everywhere in China. Prince Kung, the 
 representative of royalty and Prime Minis- 
 ter of the Celestial Empire, declined to re- 
 ceive Mr. Ssward at the Foreign Office, 
 on the ground of illness, and when it 
 was proposed to call at his private 
 residence, he replied that his house 
 was too small and mean to receive so great 
 a personage, but the proposal was so 
 fl»tte r ing to him that he shou d "engrave 
 it on his heart and write it on his bones." 
 Such extravagant expressions are merelv 
 the conventional fcims cf Chinease etiquette 
 
97 
 
 and mean nothing. If a consul proposes to 
 call upon a Tou tai, or Mandarien, they 
 "will sweep their mean threshholds clean 
 in honor of your preeence, engrave your 
 words upon their hearts, escort you bt ck to 
 their doorways and there wait weeping un- 
 til your glorious return," &?. Notwith- 
 standing these h urriod words they both ■ < <., ,7* 
 hate and diepisa you, although near the 
 coast, where the power of outside barba- 
 rians is seen and realized, their dislike is 
 tempered by a wholesome fear of foreign 
 gunboats and bayonets. 
 
 Leaving the Prime Minister to reccver 
 from his "colic" the Ssward party penetrat* 
 ed fifty miles further north to the great wall, 
 that famous type of Chinese greatness and 
 feebleness. The Shanghai News Letter gives 
 a full report of the speeches made by the 
 venerable statesman and the gallant Admi- 
 ral while standing on this interesting spot, 
 "surveying on one side the vast plains of 
 China, teeming with population, on the 
 other the desolate wilds of Tartary." The 
 English newspapers in their account of the 
 affair take occasion to speak of the American 
 mania for speech-making on all and every 
 occasion, and under the most adverse cir- 
 cumstances. They delicately hint at the 
 slightly absurd aspect of these two old gen- 
 tlemen standing upon a ruined wall, shiver- 
 ing in the keen blasts sweeping down from 
 the plains of Tartary, and firing off a pair of 
 formal speeches at each other. As the gal- 
 lant old sailor was never before in his life 
 known to make a speech, they intimate that 
 these extended "remarks" were * 'cooked" 
 by reporters for home consumption. But 
 such ill natured feelings at one of our most 
 cherished national chars cterlstics is no more 
 than we ought to expect from an English- 
 man. 
 
 After visiting the great wall and the 
 Ming Tombs, where the Emperors of the 
 Ming, or native Chinese dynasty were 
 buried for thousands of years before 
 the Tartars overrun and subjugated 
 the Empire, the party returned 
 to Peking, where in the meantime some 
 pressure had been brought to bear on the 
 government, and the Prince consented to 
 invite the august visitors to an entertain- 
 ment. There over a banquet of shark fins, 
 birds' nests, and other Chinese delicacies, 
 the best of feelings were mutually expressed, 
 and compliments tossed back and forth be- 
 tween "China's best friend and treaty ma- 
 ker," ard the head of a Ministry that rules 
 one third of the whole human race. 
 
98 
 
 Some one has said that the march of im- 
 provement in China has been a dead march, 
 and one great impediment in the way of the 
 introduction of foreign ideas is the difficulty 
 of acquiring the laDguage; which in part 
 accounts for the ex' re me isolation ot the 
 Chinese race from the other nations of the 
 world. The written language has no al- 
 phabet, but is made up of forty thousand 
 arbitrary characters, of which about five 
 thousand are in common use. Each of these 
 characters represent a word or syllable. 
 "While it is possible for the vocal organs to 
 express only about five hundred distinct 
 sounds, there are ten times that number of 
 characters, so that the same sound may rep- 
 resent either one of ten different words. In 
 English the number of words alika in sound 
 but with different meaning* are limited. In 
 Chinese it is universal. Oae can readily 
 see what an immense amount of study and 
 how retentive a memory is required to learn 
 this written language, which is understood 
 by the learned class not only over the whole 
 Chinese empire, but also in Japan, Loo- 
 Choo, Cjrea, and the neighboring islands. 
 Through it a far larger proportion of the 
 human race can be reached than through 
 any other language of the world. 
 
 The hundreds of thousands who are com- 
 petitors for literary honors at the annual 
 examinations perfect themselves by long 
 and patient study in the written language, 
 and become familiar with the writings of 
 Confucius and the other Chinese classics. 
 Of these but a small fraction are euccessful, 
 and become the employees of the govern- 
 ment, to whom every channel of wealth and 
 power is open, from the Mandarin's button 
 to the peacock feather of the prime min- 
 ister. The great mass of unsuccessful can- 
 didates settle down into village schoolmas- 
 ters and teachers, and form an influential 
 literary class of society scattered through- 
 out the whole empire. 
 
 The spoken language of China so differs 
 in every separa'e province, that people 
 living within a hundred miles can no more 
 understand each other's dialect than an 
 Englishman can understand a Spaniard. 
 The Mandarin or court dialect is more com- 
 mon than any other, and is used at the capi- 
 tal and among officials throughout the 
 empire. 
 
 The difficulty of acquiring a language so 
 artificial and elaborate as the Chinese, and 
 which only the missionaries attempt te 
 learn, has given nse to a curious jargon 
 
90 
 
 called "Pigeon English," which is the ex- 
 clusive medium of communication between 
 natives and foreigners at the open ports. I 
 found merchants who had been for a score 
 of years residents of China, and could 
 neither read nor speak the first word of 
 Chinese. Ask a native to pronounce the 
 word "business," and he will produca a 
 sound that more resembles "pigeon" than 
 anything else, and hercs the term "Pigeon 
 English." This dialect, which has to me a 
 most comical sound, consists of but a few 
 hundred words, and one can learn it so as 
 to be understood in a very short time. Many 
 natives think it pure English, and it one 
 seeks foreign employment he will some- 
 times take lessons from a native professor 
 for, a few days, who advertises to teach 
 "Red-haired talk " It is a mixture of Eng- 
 lish, French and Portuguese, stirred up 
 with a plentiful sprinkling of Chinese, and 
 forms a hodge-podge which shocks peo- 
 ple of very strict literary notions. It 
 dispenses with pronouns and swrplus words, 
 is remarkably laconic and especially con- 
 venient for a traveler to learn who cannot 
 stay long enough in the country to acquire 
 a more elegant or polished language. I go 
 into a shop and ask "John" for some article, 
 he replies sententiously "got" or "no got," 
 which he jarksout with a good naturcd 
 grin that always makes me laugh. Before 
 I became proficient in the language I one 
 day told a servant at the hotel to go up to 
 my room and bring the book I was reading 
 yesterday. He staged but stirred not, evi- 
 dently not understanding my request. A 
 friend translated my message thus: "Go 
 topside and calchee one piecee bookee, all 
 same read yesterday." Off he started like a 
 shot. Built in the wall, just outside the 
 door of every shop is a little recess where 
 the proprietor, Chin chin Joss, or burns the 
 sacred Joss-sticks to ensure a good trade. 
 I go into Toe-Shing's shop, here in Hong 
 Kong, where I have made extensive pur- 
 chases, and inquire how business is. He re- 
 plies, "No good pigeon, I, Chin-chin Joss, 
 he catchee melican man, all the same you 
 muchee buy." 
 
 The Chinese currency in dealing with 
 foreigners is, like that of the Japanese, ex- 
 clusively Mexican dollars. They have no 
 coin of their own, excopt copppr cisb, value 
 one-tenth of a cent, and you will sometimes 
 meet Coolies loaded down with this coin in 
 strings of 100 or 1,000. Tea is purchased 
 in the interior with cash, and steamers up 
 
100 
 
 the Yangt se river frequently carry tons of 
 it, bringing down about the same weight of 
 tea. The Mexicans in common cir eolation 
 are usually chopped, that is stamped with 
 the name cf well known Chinese merchant?, 
 which makes them more current among the 
 people, and is a partial guaranty against 
 their being counterfeit. So much bogus sil- 
 ver is in circulation that a Chinaman will 
 hesitate to take a Mexican that has not 
 the chop. Every shopkeeper is provided 
 with cuiious little scales for weighing coin, 
 and will take any foreign silver according 
 to its weight. There are in circulation for 
 larger transactions silver ingots, shaped like 
 a Chinese woman's shoe, and hence called 
 sycees. Their weight is stamped upon 
 tnem and they pass for their value in silver, 
 from ten to fifty dollars each. The native 
 merchants and banners have a system of 
 bills of exchange, which are good all over 
 the empire. They are capital accountants, 
 and every foreign mercantile house has its 
 compradore, a person of education and some- 
 times o considerable wealth, who cculd 
 lend large Eum3 to his employers if they re- 
 quire it. He dresses in broadcloth and silk, 
 and occupies a position of high trust. He 
 has charge of all the funds of the house, and 
 checks are made on him as the treasurer of 
 the establishment. His accounts are kept 
 with great exactness, and instances of mis- 
 placed confidence are almost unknown. 
 Every Chinaman received into the service 
 of a foreigner is expected to give a bail bond 
 for his honesty, which binds all his rela- 
 tives. Father, mother, wife and children 
 would ail be ruiaed by his misconduct. 
 Perhaps in western lards some such system 
 will have to be adopted to insure honeBty in 
 positions of trust. 
 
 When a Chinaman has committed a crime 
 which has made him amenable to the laws 
 he is very apt to commit suicide and cheat 
 the gallows. He is very sensitive to the 
 disgrace which would be brought upon him- 
 self and his family ; although I do not think 
 the Chinese entertain any high moral senti- 
 ment which would lead them to do right 
 because it is right. They are generous and 
 hospitable to a fault, aLd for the sake of ap- 
 pearances will often involve themselves in 
 expenditures, especially at weddings and 
 funerals, that keep them under the harrow 
 for years. 
 
 la the streets I have sometimss seen men 
 quarreling in ths fiercest manner, and the 
 blustering tone indicated an immediate re- 
 
101 
 
 sort to blows ; but it was sound and fury, 
 signifying nothing. The sing-song tone of 
 two Chinese talking together is very cu- 
 rious, and unlike an j thing I ever heard in 
 any other language. Sometimes, in case of 
 deep resentment, their method of obtaining 
 revenge on an adversary is characteristic. 
 He commits suicide by taking opium, hav- 
 ing previously hired Coolies to take him to 
 die at the door of his adversary. In this 
 way ho hopes for a double revenge, by the 
 terrible fright he will give his enemy, and 
 also the opportunity he expects to have, as 
 a disembodied spirit, to do him harm. 
 
 Even in the cold climate of northern Chi- 
 na there are scarcely any conveniences for 
 heating the houses. Wood and fuel of all 
 kinds are very scarce, and extra garments 
 and furs are everywhere resorted to as pro- 
 lection against the ccM. Furs of the most 
 expensive kinds are worn by the wealthy 
 classes, ard seem to be looked upon as an 
 indication of rank arid weaith. In summer 
 the pawnbroker^ shops are tilled with ex- 
 pensive clothing, which is redeemed in the 
 fall upon the payment of a rate of interest 
 quite low compared with the extortions of 
 these establishments among western na- 
 tions. They are usually large, high, and 
 nearly fire-proof buildings, under strict 
 govemmont surveillance, and the salest 
 places for the storage of valuables to be 
 found in the large cities where fires are fre- 
 quent and very destructive. 
 
 The garments worn by both sexes are 
 loose and fl jwing. the styles never changing 
 and being the same for all classes. The 
 fabric worn by the great mass of the people 
 is blue hone spun cotton, while the wealthy 
 classes wear silk?, satins, gauzes, furs and 
 broadcloth. The front of the head is shaved, 
 but the hair on the top and back part is 
 braided into the queue. To this false hair 
 is added and a braid of silk at the end, so 
 that it reaches almost to the ground* For 
 full mourning, white silk is braided into 
 the qusue, for half mourning blue is the ap- 
 propriate color. A small silk cap is usually 
 worn both in the house and street. While 
 to work the Chinaman usually twists his 
 "pigtail" round his head to be out of tie 
 way ; but it is considered as disrespectful 
 for a servant to come into your house with 
 his queue round his head as to wear his hat 
 into your drawing room. The women, of 
 course, never shave the head or wear the 
 queue, but they comb their hair back from 
 the forehead and do it up in the most elab- 
 
102 
 
 orate maimer, with a profusion of gold and 
 silver ornaments. What I shall call the 
 '•jag handle" style ssems to be the most 
 popular. 
 
 The custom of binding the girls' feet is 
 not so universal as I first supposed. It is a 
 mark of gentility, and among the fashionable 
 and wealthy classes of women of whom the 
 strarger pees very few, it is said to be uni 
 versal. But the great mass of the poorer 
 women in the city and country appear to 
 have feet of the natural size. I have seen 
 in the shops elegant little fchoes, wnich are 
 designed for the use of full grown women, 
 less than three inches long; and occasionally 
 in the streets ladies dressed in silks 
 and satins may be seen toddling 
 along, as proud of their little feet, 
 as a western belle would be of her 
 wasp like waist. Fond mothers commence 
 to bind their daughter's feet when very 
 young with narrow strips of cotton wound 
 tightly about them, until the foot assumes 
 the form of an acute triangle, the big toe 
 forming the apex, the others being bent 
 under the foot and almost absorbed The ef- 
 fect of this deformity is to produce an un- 
 graceful, tottering gait, which, however, is 
 associated here with the idea of good breed- 
 ing and gentility. 
 
 While at Shanghai I was glad to accapt 
 the invitation of a very wealthy Chinese 
 merchant to visit his hcus?, which was situ- 
 ated in the old Chinese city. Accompanied 
 by a friend, I entered through a half ruined 
 gateway, and threaded the narrow streets 
 reeking with filth, an abomination to any 
 one possessed of eyes to see or nose to smell 
 with. On one of these streets, where the 
 green and slimy water standing in the gut- 
 ters on either feide would breed a pestilence, 
 even in the temperate zone, was a high brick 
 wall and in the csnter a heavily barred gate. 
 At our summons the gate was opened by a 
 well dressed porter, and we entered a hand- 
 some courtyard, through which we passed 
 into the house of the merchant. He met us 
 at the threshhold and bade u« welcome, then 
 led the way through several suites of rooms 
 elegantly furnished in the Chinese style. 
 Most el&borate carvings in stone and marble 
 over the doorwayB, and in one room the 
 wainscoating of dark wood was carve i in 
 bas relief, so as to represent a legend or 
 story of Chinese history. Through lour or 
 live rooms, each more elegant than the pre- 
 ceding, then across a miniature garden filled 
 with rare flowers, and bordered with dwarf 
 
103 
 
 orange traea not more than two feet high, 
 but covered with full-sized fruit, and we 
 reached the inner sanctum. 
 
 Here our host showed us his most valuable 
 "eurios," rare gems and precious stones, a 
 picture on silk which once belonged to the 
 Emperor of China, and was five hundred 
 years old. H? took much pride in his eie 
 gant house, which we told him was "num- 
 ber one," to a Chinaman the highest praise 
 you can express. 
 
 Inviting us to be seated he regaled U3 with 
 tea served in the thinnest of porcelain cups 
 —and such tea I I never was especially fond 
 of the "cap that cheers but not inebriates," 
 but this was delicious. A few dry leaves 
 were put in, the hot water poured on them, 
 and the cup covered to retain the aroma. 
 Then partially removing the cover we sipped 
 a beverage as muea superior to ordinary tea 
 as the delicate Chablis of the Rhine diff rs 
 from last year's cider. 
 
 We were shown into the room especially 
 fitted up for opium smoking, and invited to 
 take a pipe, which we declined. Oar hosts' 
 wife is said to be very handsome, and we 
 wanted to have a glimpse of her, but we 
 were not gratified, and it is not etiquette to 
 enquire after the wife and family. The 
 higher class of Chinese never allow their 
 wives or daughters to be seen by foreign- 
 ers. 
 
 Wealth, luxury and good taste were every- 
 where to be seen about the man?ion, and the 
 owner in courtesy of manner is a polished 
 gentleman. If he showed a pardona ble van- 
 ity and pride in exhibiting his place to us, 1 
 thick we have all eeen the Earns feeling in 
 showing one's beautiful house to visitors 
 among western barbarians. After spending 
 an hour very agreeably we took our leave, 
 our pjlite host accompanying us to the 
 outer gate, and urging us to come agair. 
 Outside the gate the squalor and the filth 
 of the street seemed more disgusting than 
 ever by contrast with the luxury we had 
 just left, and we hastened away feeling that 
 it is but a thin wall that divides great wealth 
 and extreme penury here in China as well 
 as in London, Paris and New York. 
 
 W. P. F. 
 
NUMBER SIXTEEN. 
 
 Approach to Hong Kong-Safely Land- 
 ed Under the Protection of a Young: 
 Amazon— Wonderful Prosperity of 
 Hong Kong— The Greatest Smuggling 
 Depot in the World-Manners and 
 Customs of the People— The Most 
 Snobbish Place in China — Street 
 Scenes— Sepoys from India— Parsees— 
 Black Policemen— Justice Swift and 
 Sure— A Chinese Jack Cade— Broad 
 Primmed Hats— Sedan Chairs-Climb- 
 ing Victoria Peak— Reception to Mr* 
 Seward— A Buckeye Abroad Who is 
 Creditable to His Country. 
 
 Hong Kong, January, 1871. 
 It was a warm and bright Sunday morn- 
 ing when the French steamer "Phase" 
 dropped anchor in the beautiful harbor of 
 Hong Kong, and my impression at the time 
 has been confirmed by a ten days' residence, 
 that this is the most picturesque as well as 
 one of the most spacious harbors in the 
 world. Rio Janeiro is said to resemble it, 
 but neither it nor the Bay of Naplss can 
 rival the beauty of the scene before us. The 
 mountain rises abruptly from the water's 
 edge, and is crowned by " Victoria Peak," 
 seventeen hundred feet above the sea. The 
 houses are built tier above tier, and from 
 the water it seems a city of palacss, stretch- 
 ing far up the hill side, and for more than 
 two miles along the shore. Beyond the 
 town, on the left, I see the "Happy Valley," 
 whTe I can catch a glimpse of the Englich 
 cemetery embowered in tropical foliage; 
 for with all its beauty of location Horg 
 Kong is not healthy, and many an Ameri- 
 can and European who has come to this 
 Eastern land in search of a fortune, remains 
 here in possession only of six feet of Chinese 
 earth. 
 
 Landing here is but a repetition cf the 
 scene at Shanghai, but I have learned some, 
 thing by experienee. A hundred sampans 
 surrounded the steamer, some manned by 
 males, tut the greater number by female?, 
 and the shrill pipes cf the women drown 
 the bass tcne3 of their male competitors. I 
 ean over the rail, and before leaving the 
 deck close my contract with a young Ama- 
 
iff 
 
 AS 
 
 I- 
 
 :1 
 
105 
 
 zon to take me ashore, and have no further 
 trouble. Sae fought her way to my pile of 
 luggage, manfully shouldered trunk and 
 valise, and I had only to follow in her 
 w»ke to the boat., the crew of which, 
 from a family likeness, I judged to be 
 her mother and Bister. In five minutes more 
 I am landed at a fine granite pier, and fol- 
 low six coolies carrying my luggage, which 
 would be a light load for one Irish porter, 
 to the Hong Kong Hotel, a spacious, airy 
 Duilding, with wide verandas extending 
 round each of its five stories. This city, 
 which is sometimes called the St. Helena of 
 the Chinese seas, has grown very rapidly, 
 and has a most motley population, made up 
 of every European and Asiatic nation. It 
 is not a part of the Chinese Empire, but the 
 island on which it is situated, containing 
 about thirty square miles, was ceded by the 
 Chinese government to Great Britain thirty 
 years ago, and forms the colony of Victoria, 
 with an English Governor and a full set of 
 officials appointed and sent out from home. 
 The population is about 150,000, and it is 
 growing more rapidly than any other place 
 in the East. It is a free port, with no cus- 
 tom house or port charges of any descrip- 
 tion. The sum of five dollars, which a ves- 
 sel pays on entering the harbor, is returned 
 when she leaves. With a land-locked har- 
 bor, safe against any storm, and spacious 
 enough to hold all the navies of Europe, eo 
 close to the ocean and easy of access that no 
 pilots, are required, Hong Kong has be- 
 come the central depot for shipping and 
 merchandise on the coast of China. The 
 native population from the main land have 
 made this barren rock their home, and 
 built up a Chinese town of S0,000 people, 
 which stretches along the western shore 01 
 the bay, and is creeping through the ra- 
 vines and up the hillside, attesting the un- 
 tiring industry, perseverenca and enterprise 
 of the native Chinese when in the pursuit of 
 gain. Hong Kong is the postal and financial 
 centre of the Chinese seas, and here are lo- 
 cated the heads of msrcantile firms, who de- 
 termine the destination of ships and cargoes 
 composing the foreign trade with China. 
 Trade converges here as to a great centre of 
 attraction. From my room in the hotel I 
 can see ships of war, trading iunks and 
 mercantile craft from almost every country. 
 Over twenty steamers are anchored in the 
 harbor, and native vessels in great numbers 
 from the adjoining coast, each differing in 
 shape and color, according to the port they 
 
106 
 
 are from, crowd the anchorage on the west 
 &ide of the hartnr. Here are junks from 
 every port between Shantung, 1,200 miles 
 north, and Siam, Singapore, J<*va and the 
 PhLlipine Islands. A Ca*nese sailor will 
 distinguish where they ccme from by differ- 
 ence in shape and rigging, paint and decora- 
 tion ; and, if honest, may tell you where 
 stout-built junks are lying undisturbed, with 
 a pirate crew, and nearly fitted out with a 
 fresh supply of guns and powder. Only it 
 would not answer to trust him implicitly, 
 for he may belong to a piratical craft him- 
 self, and put you on a false scent. 
 
 It may be asked what is the secret of this 
 sudden and enormous growth of a barren 
 rock in population and commercial impor- 
 tance, when the main land close by has 
 many commodious harbors, nearer the pro- 
 ducing markets and the native purchasers of 
 foreign goods. The answer to this question 
 shows another side of the picture, not cred- 
 itable to British commercial ethics. When 
 poor China was forced, at the mouth of the 
 cannon, to cede this island, lying in the 
 highway of the immense cammerce of Can- 
 ton river, to Great Britain, she did not 
 dream that it would become the greatest 
 smuggling depot in the world. That the body 
 and soul destroying drug, which she was 
 trying to keep out of the reach of her teem- 
 ing millions, would here be stored in im- 
 mense quantities, and smuggled to;the main- 
 land in spite of all her efforts to prevent 
 that cargoes of foreign goods en which she 
 had the right to levy an import duty, would 
 from this central point be run into every 
 creek and bay along the coast where they 
 could be landed by bribing the officials. 
 That tea, camphor, cassia, sugar aed other 
 products of China, which pay an export duty 
 at the consular ports should go to Hong Kong 
 free. This illicit trade which an English 
 writer speaks of as the "encouragement of 
 commerce at the expense of revenue," is 
 neither more or less than smuggling, and 
 from it the fortunes of the Hong Kong mer- 
 chants have been made. Verily the poor 
 "heathen Chinee" has very few rights which 
 J ohn Bull is bound to respect. 
 
 Hong Kong has the reputation of being 
 the most snobbish place in the east, and in my 
 short experience I have seen much to con- 
 firm this idea. Being a miniature provirce 
 with a governor who represents royalty, 
 and a set of tide-writers and hangers-on 
 Jresh from the old country, English habits 
 and manners are not ctly adopted as the 
 
107 
 
 standard, but exaggerated, so as to become 
 almost ludicrous. To be a "Boyal Britain" 
 here is to worship everything that bears the 
 semblance of royalty— unicorns, lions grif- 
 fins and crown. The effrontery and arro- 
 gates of John Bull is proverbial all over the 
 world, but in the east the bovine animal 
 roars and bellows in his loudest ton?, paws 
 the ground and tosses his head in the most 
 defiant manner. This may be excusable in 
 a nation on •' whose dominions the sun never 
 sets," but what shall I say of Americans re- 
 siding here for a few years, who adopt the 
 tone and air of the cockney, cultivate side 
 whiskers, sneer at everything American, 
 and especially affect to dsspise Rgpublican 
 institutions. At dinner parties you will 
 hear sentiments expressed by Americans 
 anything but complimentary to their native 
 lard, sneers at American consuls and cffi. 
 cials abroad, and that, too, in the presence 
 of foreigners. I am almost ashamed to re- 
 cord an instance of snobbery that occurred 
 here not long since. An American mer- 
 chant, born in Boston, but for some years a 
 resident of Hong Kong, who aspires to social 
 position among the English nobs, said to the 
 Governor of the colony that "he would wil- 
 lingly give ten years of his life if he had 
 only been born an Englishman." The bluff 
 . old Governor, disgusted at such flunkeyism, 
 administered a stinging rebuke that brought 
 the mantle of shame to the cheek of the ren- 
 egade American. That line of Saxe, "Born 
 in Boston needs no second birth," does not 
 apply to him. 
 
 This loss ot national prids among Ameri- 
 cans which the air of China seems to pro- 
 duce, was illustrated last fourth of July by 
 the captain of the Pac'fic Mail steamer 
 China, on her way from Hong Kong to San 
 Francisco. It was suggested by the Amer- 
 icans abroad that he ought to dress the ship 
 with flasks, and in some suitable manner cel- 
 ebrate our national holiday. But the cer- 
 tain declined to do so for fear that the Eng- 
 lish passengers might take offence. This, 
 too, on an American built steamer, sailing 
 under the Amercan 11 ig, and belonging to a 
 line that was receiving a subsidy of half a 
 million dollars a year from the American 
 government. 
 
 I do not say that all Americans in China 
 are like thesi I have noticed above— but 
 the feeling which I condemn is so common 
 as to give a tone to American society, espe- 
 cially in Hong Kong, and be noticeable to 
 any one fresh irom home, who cherishes 
 
lu> 
 
 that amor patria&whiuli, while not blind to 
 our national faults, would at least never pa- 
 rade our soiled linen before our neighbors 
 eyes. 
 
 One class of Americans wherever 1 have 
 met them seem to cherish a deep love and 
 sffaction for their native land, the Missiona- 
 ries. There seems to be very little social 
 h.timacy between them and the merchants. 
 They give no expensive dinner parties nor 
 entertainments, but devote themselves quiet- 
 ly to their blessed work. They are eoms- 
 times refered to snesrinaiiy by their money - 
 making countrymen, whose conduct, as an 
 illustration of christian morality, is not al- 
 ways a bright example to tfie heathen. 
 
 These small communities of Europeans 
 are subjsct to rules of etiquette as inexora- 
 ble as the laws of the Medes and Persians. 
 The gentlemen in society being far more 
 numerous than the ladies, it is considered 
 proper for a stranger to call on any or all 
 the ladies without special permission, or 
 even an introduction. If considered an eli- 
 gible acquaintance, the husband of the lady 
 returns the call, the new-comer is invited to 
 dine, and considered as admitted to terms 
 of social intercourse. If not considered a 
 desirable acquaintance, his csll is simply ig- 
 nored. The Hong Kong club excludes every 
 person who sells goods by retail. He ia not 
 considered by the snobs here a gentleman, no 
 matter how extensive his business or how 
 great his wealth or culture. A. T. Stewart, 
 if residing here, could not become 
 a member of this woud-be austo- 
 cratic and very exclusive c^ub, which 
 is the only one in the place. The thermom- 
 eter may stand at 120° in the shade, but a 
 black dress coat must always be worn at 
 dinner, whether ladies are present or not. I 
 was told that in some of the bachelor hongs, 
 as the dwellings attached to the large mer- 
 cantile houses are called, it is not considered 
 the thing to appear at breakfast even except 
 in full drees. .Suah snobbishness carries its 
 own penalty and is a subject of ridicule to 
 strangers from every other country than 
 England, instead of impressing them with 
 the wonderful exclusiveness and high breed- 
 ing of society here. 
 
 The streets of Hong Kong are more cos- 
 mopolitan than any others I have seen in 
 China. A regiment of red-coated Sepoys 
 from India is stationed here and I frequently 
 meet the soldiers in the street. They are 
 tall, firm looking men, dark complexion, 
 Asiatic profile, keen black eyes, and have 
 
3r 
 
 ion 
 
 the bearing of men who can fight. Their 
 c ommissioned officers are all Englishmen, 
 but the chevrous on the sleeves show that 
 there is a chance for* promotion to a native 
 up to a certain grade. I am told that they 
 are Sikhs from the Paunjaub in Morthern 
 India, which did cot join in the revolt 
 against the British in 1857. They all wear 
 white helmet-shaped pith hats, which are 
 universal in India, 
 
 Here I sec for the first time the Parsees, 
 disciples of Zoroaster, and sun- worshippers. 
 They are most numerous in Bombay, I u ; a 
 few can be seen scattered throughout the 
 whole east. They are no daiker in com- 
 plexion than Cubans, but are a larger and 
 finer-looking race 3 msn of education, and 
 first-class merchants. Their dress is Euro- 
 pean, except the tall Mitre or hat, which is 
 peculiar to the sect, It reminds me of a 
 brown, gbzed muff box, worn a little on the 
 back of the head, without visor or any pro- 
 tection for the eyes. 
 
 The motly population of Hong Kong in- 
 cludes a large proportion of rascals from 
 e?e v y clime,and makes a very large number 
 of psiiea nec3S3ary, over six hundred, ot 
 whom nearly one half are negroes. In answer 
 to my enquiry to-day, one of them told me 
 he "was a subject of the Qieen from Jamai- 
 ca." He had never bsen in the United 
 States and thought there was too much 
 prejudice against color there to suit him." 
 
 In the heart of the city is an immense 
 jail with seven hundred inmatss, mostly 
 Chinese, who work on the street chained 
 together and guarded by soldiers. Punish- 
 ment to a Chinaman is swift and sure if 
 caught transgressing the laws. A few days 
 ago a friend of mine arrived on the Pacific 
 Mail steamer "G-est R2public," from Sin 
 1 Domicgo, and leaving his luggage locked 
 in his stateroom, he tock a walk up town. 
 A waiter who was passing his room heard a 
 slight rustling noise, and looking through 
 the keyhole he espied a Coolie, who had 
 crawled in through the window, rifling the 
 baggage. Ha gave the alarm and the fellow 
 was secured and taken ashore to the office 
 of the Company. Here he broke away 
 from his captors and dashed through the 
 crowd, but was caught by his pigtail, which 
 streamed out behind in his rapid movement. 
 He was then led by the queuo to the 
 Magistrate's office, and within an hour 
 from the time he was first caught, he found 
 himself in the chain gang, with six months 
 before him of hard work. 
 
110 
 
 A C'Dinc-.-e "Jack Cade," before starting 
 out oils his body, wearing only such gar- 
 ments as will readily slip cff, and fills bis 
 queue with bits of glass. As they rarely 
 carry ar**#s they are not very darg^rous, 
 but decidedly slppery customers and bard 
 to hold. 
 
 The hits worn by the natives are very 
 odd looking, and quite different from thesa 
 usually seen in Northern China It is of 
 bamboo, very light, and often three feet in 
 diameter, curving up from the edge cf the 
 brim to the centre like the lid of a tea-pc*. 
 In Chinese towns, where the streets are 
 narrow, two such hats cannot pass each 
 other without colliding, and they have to be 
 carried under the arm. 
 
 The b2st institution I b&vs seen in Horg 
 Kong is the Sedan chairs. Tne doors of the 
 hotel are besieged with them, and they are 
 everywhere to be hired for a very small 
 sum, which is regulated bv the city govern- 
 ment like ihefare cf hackney coaches. It 
 is cheaper to ride than go on foot, and they 
 are used by everybody, as the streets are 
 mostly tco steep for carriages drawn by 
 horses. They are made of bamboo and cane, 
 very light, and comfortable, with ■ greet 
 canopy to keep cff the sun, a; d supported 
 by bamboo poles about ten feet long, restirg 
 on the shoulders of two coolies, who slide 
 rapidly over the ground at a pace between 
 a walk and a trot. As I look from my win- 
 dow I see a sailor coming up the street in a 
 chair, with his feet eievated over the ^dash- 
 board n and lying back with great dignity, 
 smoking a cigar. Late every night I hear 
 the ■ 'won't go heme till morning," eung in 
 full chorus by bands of sailors, cut en a 
 bender, who sweep through the center of 
 the street arm in arm. The police never 
 seem to interfere wiih such demoiietratiors 
 on the part o' ich'ie men. 
 
 A few days ago, with some friends, I a r - 
 cended to the summit cf Victoria Peak, 
 from which there is a magnificent view of 
 the whole island of Horg Ksng and many 
 mile? out to sea. Four coolies to each chair 
 carried us up the wicding path, and in some 
 places the ascent was so steep that I 
 pitied my perspiring ■ -bearers" and got 
 out and walked— a piece cf human- 
 ity quite unexpected. On the summit 
 is a tall flag-staff, a powerful telescope, and 
 a cannon in charge of a guard, who sig- 
 nals to the town below the approach of 
 every shiD long before see can reach the 
 anchorage. He explained to us his system 
 
::: 
 
 
NUMBER SEVENTEEN. 
 
 American Steamrm in China— Up the 
 Canton Rivtr— My Fellow Passen- 
 ger*— The £ogue Forts— Pagodas- 
 Commodore F'iote and the Barrier 
 Forts— Fleet of Boats— Charmine— 
 Temple of Honam— Tranimigration 
 of Souls— Street Scenes in l anton— 
 Cat and Dog Meat Shops— Pa wnbro 
 kers— Curiosity Shops— Soothing Syr- 
 up—Temple of 500 Genii— Temple of 
 Confucius— Temple of Longevity- 
 Flower Pagoda— Execution Ground- 
 Examination Hal'. 
 
 Canton, China, January 1871. 
 Although Americans are far behind the 
 British in commercial importance on the 
 Chinese coast, in the matter of river steam 
 ers, we have the monopoly. The swift, 
 side-wheel, Amer.can built steamboats have 
 driven the slower, blsck, English boats out 
 f f the market. The navigation of the great 
 Yangtse river for 600 miles from Shanghai 
 to Haakow is in the hands of Americans. 
 The n>'e large steamers that ply on the 
 Yangtse, some'of them 1,500Loe8 burden, 
 lock precisely like those on the Sound or 
 Hudson river. This great artery of the Chi- 
 nese Empire, the Yangtse, is sometimes by 
 our English cousins in derision, called the 
 "Yankee," from the many American steam- 
 ers on its waters. 
 
 From Hong Hong to Canton there is an 
 other line of American-built boats which 
 control the immense passenger traffic be- 
 tween these two places. The distance is 
 over one hundred miles, and boats leave 
 daily at an early hour in the morning, reach- 
 ing their destination in about seven hours. 
 I stepped on board the "Fire King," was 
 introduced to the Csptain, an American, 
 Albert, an ex-rebel officer from Georgia, 
 but now tolerably well reconstructed, and 
 cculd almost imagine I was in America and 
 about to take a trip up the Hudson. One 
 peculiarity of all these river boats is that 
 the first-class cabins are forward, which 
 makes them much pleasanter in a warm cli- 
 
113 
 
 mate, as we are sure of a fine coast breeze, 
 with a better view of the Ecenery, no smoke 
 or bad odors from beited oil, and much lees 
 j *r from the machinery. 
 
 After breakfast the cxptain very kindly 
 showed me over the boat, which was 
 crowded with Chinese passengers, although 
 there were only ten or twelve Europeans in 
 the forward saloon. The main cabin aft 
 was filled with the better class of Chinese, 
 mostly merchant?, and quite a number of 
 small footed ladies. Every party had their 
 chiw chovo, or lurch boxes. Most of the 
 people were dressed in silk or broadcloth 
 robes, and were squatted on fine mats on the 
 flaor, while the luggage was piled on chairs 
 and seats. On the main dsck were the sec- 
 ond class natives, piled in so close that it 
 was difficult to pass through. They were 
 gathered in groups smoking, some tobacco, 
 and a few opium, and nearly all were gam- 
 bling. So inveterate is the habit of gam- 
 bling that when a boy invests his copper 
 cash in a handful of nuts he will bet with 
 the seller whether the number is odd or 
 even, or as to the number of seeds in an 
 orange, agreeing if he loses to pay two cash 
 instead of one. The officers of the Fire King 
 are Americans, but of course the crew are 
 coolies. The Chinese appreciate the value 
 of time, for the common people pay a dollar 
 fare for a seven hours ride in the steamer, 
 rather than go in a junk for a quarter that 
 sum and be two or three days on the way. 
 To show how much behind the times are 
 the English guide book*, if you refer to 
 'Bradshaw" you will find it recorded ihat 
 "to go from Hong Kong to Canton you must 
 tske a native junk," although a daily line of 
 steamers have been running for over ton 
 years. 
 
 The first fifty miles of the route seems 
 more like a broad bay than a river, aid we 
 thread our way swiftly, without a collision 
 fortunately, through fleets of jucke, some 
 very large and gay*y painted, and nearly all 
 armed with rusty old cannon, that look 
 more dangerous to the gunners than to the 
 target they are aimed at. 
 
 At the narrow entrance to the Pearl 
 River we pass quite close to the JBogue 
 forts, once quite formidable tut now in 
 ruins. The British battered them down in 
 1856, and the shattered granite blocks re- 
 main as they were left; at the close of the 
 bombardment. Here I catch the first sight 
 of a pagoda, perhaps 150 feet high with nine 
 stories. It is curious that all the pagodas in 
 
114 
 
 China are built with three, five, seven or 
 nine stories— always an odd number. These 
 towers or monuments, theugh sometimes 
 connected with temples, are not considered 
 especially sacred. Some of them are very 
 o d and nearly all dilapidated. Frequently 
 large shrubs and bushes are growing from 
 crannies in the walls, where seeds have been 
 ledged by the winds. They are substan- 
 tially built of bricks or stone, with outside 
 galleries round every story, and foim a very 
 characteristic and beautiful feature in Chi- 
 nese lard scapes. It is supposed that they 
 were originally designed as depositories of 
 revered relics or to commemorate some 
 noted person. That they are now neglected 
 and in ruins is quoted by Chinese Old Fcgiea 
 as an illustration of the degeneracy of mod* 
 em times. 
 
 As the river narrows we see on both sides 
 people at work in the rice fielde, and the 
 country seems highly cultivated and very 
 populous. We now approach Whampoa, 
 quite a large city, where all the foreign 
 ships are anchored, as there is not sufficient 
 depth of water above for them to ascend the 
 ten mile3 between here and Canton. Near 
 by are the famous Barrier forts, dismantled 
 and in ruins. These had an especial in- 
 terest to me as the scene when the 
 gallant Commodore Foote laid his ship along- 
 side the Chinese forts and qu cily battered 
 them down, the soldiers skedaddling through 
 the gates in the rear and never returning. 
 The boats from our squadron, carrying the 
 American flag, had been frequently fired en 
 from these forts, and to remonstrances and 
 demands tor explanation and apology, noth- 
 ing but Chinese verbiage could be obtained ; 
 until at last the Commodore's patience be- 
 ing exhausted, he taught them to respect 
 the "stars and stripes" by battering down 
 their forts. This is, I believe, the only 
 time the American eagle has set his claws 
 in the Chinese dragon, and the lesson has 
 had a very salutary ffect. As an illustration 
 of Chinese inconsistency and insolence, the 
 Mandarin Governor of Canton, after an 
 humble apology for the " mistake" of firing 
 on the boats of a friendly nation carrying 
 the national flier, proposes that an Ameri- 
 can flsgoesent to him, so that in future 
 his officers might know and be able to rec- 
 ognize it. This, after half a century of in- 
 ternational intercourse ! 
 As we approach the great city the " Fire 
 
 King" slackens speed, for the beats and 
 native craft seem to almost completely cover 
 
115 
 
 the water around us, and for miles ahead. 
 Many of these boats are the homes of whole 
 families who spend their lives upon the 
 water. Here they are bora, here they eat 
 and sleep and here they die. It is said that 
 more than one hundred thousand people 
 thu3 spend their lives upon the river and 
 know no other home. "We land near the 
 eigbt of the foreign " factories," or business 
 houses, which were all destroyed by the 
 Chinese in 1856 After the war the govern- 
 ment conceded a tract ot several hundred 
 acres to the foreigners for their sole occupa. 
 tion, which is called " Charm jie." 
 It is certainly charmingly situated 
 along the river bank, separated 
 from the native city by a wide 
 canal, and laid out in grass plots and avenues 
 of trees. Here are the fligstaff- of the for- 
 eign consuls, a neat English church, and 
 twelve or fifteen large and stately edifices of 
 foreign merchants, that Icok like palpces in 
 contrast with the vast collection of mean, 
 one-story hcu-es that spread out for miles in 
 the rear. There are altogether but about 
 fifty Europeans and Americans in this city 
 of over a million inhabitants. The govern- 
 ment is weak and feeble, and in case of a 
 P9pular outbreak, nothing could save them 
 from instant destruction. 
 
 Most of the city is built on the north side 
 cf the river, and the houses seem very low 
 and mean. Ihe pawnbrokers establish- 
 ments, large, tall, fqia.re towers, rise high 
 above the tiled roofs, and in the very heart 
 of the town is an immense lattice work of 
 bamboo poles, looking like a gigantic bird 
 cige, which I am told is the staging around 
 the new Catholic Cathedral, commenced 
 three years ago and yet unfinished. 
 
 We reached Canton at two o'clock, and 
 after reporting myself at Oliphant & Co'?, 
 whose guest I wa3 during my three days 
 visit, for there are no hotels here. I started 
 out to see the sights, but I could not venture 
 into such a msza of narrow streets, where 
 not a soul understands a word even of 
 "pigeon English,'' without a guide. I found 
 Arr-Kum,avery intelligent Chinaman, who 
 had been in California, and speaks quite 
 good English. 1 can recommend him as one 
 o' the most civil ana obliging of guides. He 
 laid out a three days programme which we 
 afterwards carried out to the letter. Our 
 first visit was to the grest Temple of Hon- 
 am one of the oldest and richest in Canton, 
 which is located on the south or 
 Honam side of the river. Taking a 
 
116 
 
 Sampsan we were quickly set across, 
 and lauded at a stone pier near 
 the gate of the temple. The grounds to this 
 establishment, which is a Buddhist monas- 
 tery, comprise perhaps fifty acres. Enter- 
 ing a long avenue shaded by fine old trees, 
 we came to a flight of stone steps leading to 
 a terrace, upon which is the principal tem- 
 ple, a very large building with projecting 
 eaves and cornices richly carved with fig- 
 ures of dragons and other non-descript ani- 
 mals. The high curved roof and bright 
 color?, as well as the general style of archi- 
 tecture, were similar to the Buddhist tem- 
 ple in Japan. Oa eacn side of the doorway 
 was a huge, grotesque wocden image, armed 
 with a club, to keep out; bad spirits. Inside, 
 upon a raised platform ia the the center, 
 were three idols, at least twenty feet high 
 and sitting cross-legged upon a bed of lotus 
 flowers. These, I was told, represented the 
 Past, Present and Future. In front of the 
 idob were burning many joss sticks, about 
 the size of pipe-etems, made ot sandal-wood 
 and filling the building with fragrance. 
 Worshippers were coming in and out, each 
 one kneeling before the altar, bowing and 
 muttering prayers, especially before the 
 "Future," and lighting their votive joss- 
 sticks, which they stuck in little jars dl]ed 
 with earth. There are about sixty priests 
 attached to this temple, and we walked 
 through the wide stone cloisters and large 
 open courts to the gardens, where there is a 
 pond well stocked with fish, and a great va- 
 riety of tropical fruits and v?g stables. We 
 looked into the spacious kitchen and dining 
 roem, and met several of the priests, who 
 looked as well fed and jolly as any lot of 
 monks to be ;ound in a Christian country. 
 
 The Buddhists believe in the transmigra- 
 tion of souls, and thst in the future life we 
 may have to do penance for cur sins, by a 
 descent in the scale of creation, and being 
 condemned for a time to occupy the bodies 
 of animals. This is a most suggestive idea, 
 and will account for certain qualities which 
 sometime crop out in the character and action 
 of persons we know. Illustrations of this 
 will occur to every reader. It also leads to 
 humanity in the treatment of animals, for 
 who knows but the as?, the horse, or the 
 dog about him, may contain the imprisoned 
 soul *f some near relative. In the grounds 
 attached to the temple, I was shown a 
 dozen or more hogs, very fat and better fed 
 than half the Chinese population. When 
 I innocently poked them with my cane, they 
 
117 
 
 grunted entire satisfaction with their pres- 
 ent condition. The priests caie for them 
 very tenderly, for they b 'lieve that they 
 contain the imprisoned spirits of soma de- 
 funct members of their own order. It is to 
 be heped that when they are once more ele- 
 vated to the grade of humanity, thty will 
 leave behind all their swinish propensities 
 and traits of character. 
 
 I arranged with Arr-Kum for an early 
 start the next morning, and he was on hand 
 at nine o'clock, with two Bedim chairs, each 
 provided with an extra set of coolies for a 
 hard day's tramp, and we dove into the 
 heart of the great city. I c?.u give but the 
 merest outline of the curious sights of these 
 two days. To de&cribe them all would oc- 
 cupy too much space. The streets are very 
 narrow, scarcely admitting of two chairs 
 passing each other, and all were naved with 
 flat stones and tolerably clean* Each street 
 is devoted to some especial trade, and the 
 din of the venders of all sorts of eatables 
 was sometimes terrifis. The signs were all 
 vertical, and in red or yellow letters. Every 
 bhop is open to the street, and all sorts of 
 manufacturing can be seen without enter- 
 ing. My coolias slid along as rapidly as 
 the crowded thoroughfare would permit, 
 and in the two days they must have trav- 
 eled twenty-five miles, winding, twisting 
 and turning in every direction. I did not 
 meet a European or American anywhere in 
 the city, and was, of course, stared at by 
 ihe natives wherever I went. A few 
 years ago I should have been hooted at 
 and called a Fankwei, or "foreign devil," 
 but now the salutation waR "Taipan" or 
 "Lord," and many with outstretched palms 
 solicited " Kennshaw*" or a gratuity of cop- 
 per cash. In some of the fashionable streets 
 there are large shops filled with elegant 
 silks, gold and silver embroideries, fine 
 porcelain, most expensive furs and rich jew- 
 elry. In the silk-weaving quarter they 
 were weaving with hand looms, the beauti- 
 ful fabrics at the rate of half a yard a day 
 In the paper joss shops are all sorts of cu- 
 rious decorations for their idols. Oie street 
 was devoted to "wedding chairs," where 
 these gay ard festive vehicles are kept for 
 hire. The cap business occupied a very 
 long street, und the shoe trade another. The 
 flour mills were most primitive, the work 
 being all done by hand labor. In the cafes 
 and eating houses were all sorts of tempting 
 viands, among which the brown, crisp 
 roast pig was the most conspicuous. One 
 
118 
 
 narrow lane was devoted to cat and dog 
 meat, where pussy and Carlo were sizzling 
 in the frying pans, and others with legs 
 tied were lying on the floor, mewing and 
 yelping most piteously. "While in front of 
 one of these shops a little girl came along 
 with a pretty white kitten in her arms, 
 destined for the spit. White is the favorite 
 color with epicures in cats, but black is 
 generally preferred in doga. It i3 but fair 
 to the ■ 'Heathen Chinee" to eay, that this 
 diet is not considered "first-class." and is 
 only eaten by the poorer classes. 
 
 I called at a pawnbroker's shop, and was 
 introducod to the proprietor, a hard faced, 
 book- nosed old fellow, with a corps of 
 clerks behind him, busy making entries in 
 large folios Ha was seated on a high bench 
 paseing judgment as to the value of some 
 article which & poor woman with downcast 
 eyes was cff iiing. Just the sight one may 
 see in London, Paris or New York, for hu- 
 man Kature is the same all the world over. 
 One of the young Levis was detailed 
 to show me up to the top of the 
 building. Every story wa3 crammed 
 fall of packages, each neatly tied up and 
 laoeled. As I stood on the roof, from which 
 there was a fine view of the whole city, and 
 of the White Cloud Hills far away to the 
 south, I noticed that Levi was examining 
 closely the quality of my coat, and with an 
 eye to business, looking very sharply at the 
 small diamond pin I wore. He was doubt - 
 less making an estimate of how much it 
 would be prudent to advance on these arti- 
 cles in case I desired to put them "up the 
 spout." 
 
 Fish in China are always sold alive, and 
 are kept in large tanks of running water, 
 from which the seller catches with a dip-net 
 the one selected by the customer. The gold 
 beaters' shops, lacquered and glassware fac- 
 tories, streets filled with carvers in ivory 
 and sandal wood, fan-makers, jadestone 
 shops, a blue stone like turquoise, of which 
 most of the ornaments worn by Chinese 
 women are made. These and many other 
 similar places occupied the first day. 1 
 must not omit to mention the "curiosity 
 shops," filled with odds and ends ef every 
 description, among which were a broken 
 ivory-handled knife, and a pair of spectacles 
 of European manufacture. Looking about 
 I noticed a small bottle that had a familiar 
 look, and upon examination I found it bore 
 the label, "Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup," 
 with an uncancelled United States revenue 
 
119 
 
 stamp. How it found its way hero to th« 
 interior of the Celestial Empire is to me a 
 mystery. 
 
 The next day was devoted to temples, 
 pagodas and public buildings, only •» few of 
 which 1 have space to mention. The ''Tem- 
 ple of the 500 Genii," where that number of 
 hideous wooden idols are ranged around the 
 interior of a large building, looking like a 
 lot of tobacconists signs, once gay with 
 paint and gilding, but now dusty and 
 dilapidated. The Temple of Confucius— 
 where there is a colossal statue of 
 that old sage. The roof and decorations of 
 this temple are painted green— to him the 
 sacred color. "We entered the court-yard 
 by a side door, and my guide pointed out 
 the front gate, and just inside the incloeure 
 a small bridge, over which, he said, no one 
 had ever passed but the Emperor. Desir- 
 ing what Margaret Fuller calls "a univer- 
 sal experience," I told Orr-Kum to engage 
 the attention of the attending priest, while 
 I quietly slipped round and passed over the 
 bridge hitherto sfcred to the foot of the 
 Chinese "Son of Heaven." 
 
 In the "Temple of Longevity" was a fat 
 and jolly looking old idol, with six hands. 
 He was reclining on his side, with mouth 
 wide open, apparently erjoying a hearty 
 laugh. This is consistent with the idea 
 that length of days is promoted by good 
 humor. As I lit my cigar from a joss-stick 
 burning in front of this "jolly old cove," 
 the attendant stared at me with astonish- 
 ment, but the usual doceur of a small piece 
 of silver reconciled him to my seeming ir- 
 reverence. 
 
 The "Flower Pagoda" was the most 
 charming of all the sights in Canton. No 
 hideous idols here, but beautiful flowers of 
 every hue render it fit placa of worship for 
 Christian or heathen. 
 
 The execution ground is a small court 
 surrounded by high walls. Here 75,000 
 rebels were executed in a 6ingle year dur- 
 ing the Taeping rebellion. 
 
 We visited the Examination Halls at the 
 southeast angle of the city wall. This is 
 used ones every three years at the competi- 
 tive examinations. Here, ranged in long 
 rows, are 14,000 celis, each 3£ by 6 feet, 
 where the candidates are isolated during 
 the examination, being allowed only writ- 
 ing material to compose their theses. Oaly 
 five months ago all these cells were occu- 
 pied. 
 
 It was quite dark before we finished cur 
 
120 
 
 last da> 'a sight-seeing in Canton. The 
 shops were all shut, and such a thieg as a 
 street lamp is unknown in China, Oar 
 coolies groped their way through the dark 
 streets, compelling the porters to open 
 some of the heavily barred wooden gates, 
 which are closed at night to cut cff com- 
 munication between the different wards. 
 When at last I reached my hospitable quar- 
 ters at "Ciarmine," I felt that I had left 
 beh'nd the dark, hideous barbarism ot the 
 East, and, almost by enchantment, had 
 reached the bright and cheei ful civilization 
 of the nineteenth century. W. P. F. 
 
^\4m 
 
NUMBER EIGHTEEN. 
 
 Steamer Life in the Tropics - Arrival 
 at Singapore— A Boat Ride by Moon- 
 light— Chinese Festival— An Enplith 
 Toddy Shop— Population and Climate 
 of Singapore— Character of the Ma- 
 lays—The Creese-Running a Muck- 
 Nature so Lavish tbat Mankind De- 
 generates— Picturefque Costumes— The 
 Gharry and its Driver— A Morning 
 Ride— The Asiatic Gardens— Fan 
 Palms — Victoria Regias — Tropical 
 Vegetation— A Chinese Millionaire— 
 A Courteous Gentleman— The Wham- 
 poa Garden. 
 
 Singapore, February 5, 1871. 
 After six days of steamer life in the 
 tropic\ with all its Btiflng annoyances 
 below deck, and a vertical sun tempered 
 only by an awning above, at noon to day 
 we enter the straits of Malacca, 1,400 miles 
 from Hong Kong, and steam past a light 
 house, a hundred feet in height, built upon 
 a dangerous rock in the center of this great 
 highway of commerce from Europe to 
 China. We hope to reach Singapore befoie 
 dark, and the engineer crowdi on steam 
 and every stitch of canvass is spread to the 
 fair wind. We passe ogers are anxious to 
 spend the night on shore, for our cupply of 
 ice haa been exhausted for two days, and 
 we lone for an iced-lemonade and a taste of 
 the delicious pine apples, bananas and other 
 fruit for which Singapore is famous. 
 
 It is eight o'clock before we drop anchor 
 within the ere f cent- shaped harbor, and see 
 the lights of the city spread out before us 
 three miles away. But it is too late and we 
 are too far off for the sampans, or shore 
 boats to reach us before morning. So we 
 resign ourselves to the inevitable, though 
 we dread the ni 6 ht before us, which will 
 be doubly hot now that tb.3 steamer is at 
 anchor. But the captain, pitying our dis- 
 appointment, orders the gig to be cleared 
 away, and in a few minutes we are speeding 
 along over the moonlit water as fast as four 
 stout sailors can propel our light craft. The 
 
122 
 
 phosphorescence in these Eastern seas is 
 brighter than I have ever seen elsewhere. 
 The water sparkles with gems at every dip 
 oitheo&rs, and our boat leaves a train of 
 snow glistening with jewels in its wske. 
 The soft air wafted frGm the shore is laden 
 with incense, for we are now among the 
 spiee islands of the trepic?, and almost un- 
 der the equator. 
 
 "We wind among tee shipping at anchor, 
 steamers and sail vessels from almost every 
 pirt ol Europe, iunks from China and curi- 
 cu3 craft from India. Now we pass a levia- 
 than steamer laden with the cable which 
 is to connect Singapore with Hong Kong, 
 and see upon her deck and over her stern 
 the wheels and complicated machinery for 
 paying out the wire thread which will soon 
 put China in instant communication with 
 London and New York. In a few minutes 
 more we are landed at the stone jstty, 
 from which a short walk bri»s:3 us in 
 front of the large inciosure et the Hotel 
 D'Europc. It is bright with lights stream- 
 ing through the open window?, across the 
 broad piszz \s of several detached buildings 
 in a large garden filled with tropical 
 shrubbery. Th^re is no glass in the win- 
 dows, for in this hot climate the air must 
 circulate freely everywhere, obstructed only 
 by Venetian blinds. We register our names, 
 are assigned large airy rooms, and stroll cut 
 to see the place by gas and moonlight. But 
 one of our party had ever been here before, 
 and accepting his guidance we cross the 
 river by an elegant iron bridge toward 
 the commercial part of the ci y, where 
 from the music and many flashing lights 
 we think some celebration is going on. 
 Passing through several quiet streets, we 
 turn a corner and suddenly come upon a 
 broad square crowded with people, all Chi- 
 nese. Firecrackers are popping all around, 
 and the venders of fruits and eatable?, with 
 Aiming light?, make the place bright as Gay. 
 At the further end of the street, in a booth 
 erected for tha purpose, is a Chinese theatre 
 in full operation. Iz is covered with gay 
 fligs and bright colored lanterns, and we 
 quietly edge our way towards tke stage and 
 watch the curious pantomime and fantastic 
 performances of the Chinese drama. If 
 there is any dialogue it is drowned in the 
 incesiant rattling of bamboo sticks, beating 
 on torn toms, varied with an occasional 
 boom of heavy gones. Ic is evidently some 
 Chinese festival and we have arrived just in 
 time for the celebration. 
 
123 
 
 Sjon weary of the din and glare, we pass 
 on and cross another fine bridge in the di- 
 rection of our hotel. Stopping at a native 
 shop to er quire the way and we learn that 
 the Hotel d'Europeis known totheMaylays 
 uader the significant name of the "English 
 Toddy S'aop." For more than three months 
 I had been beyond the rsnge of telegraphs, 
 cu^ here once more we seem to touch civili- 
 zition, and tie evening paper upon the 
 hotel tab'e, gives us the war news from 
 Pari? of yesterday. 
 
 Singapore, or the "town of lions" as the 
 vrord signifies, is situated on an island twen- 
 ty-five miles long by about fi'teen broad, at 
 the lower extremity of the peninsula of Ma- 
 laces, which extends southward one thou- 
 sand miles below the Continent of Asia. It 
 is a British colony and a free port, and wa9 
 ceded to the English by the Rsjah of Ja- 
 bore, a native prince who lives in great bar- 
 fa iric splendor on the main land about 
 :wenty miles from the city, and is the ruler 
 of a large portion of the Malayan peninsula. 
 He receives frcm the British government 
 a heavy annual payment in consideration of 
 the cession of this island and is nominally 
 at least, an independent prince- But if he 
 should quarrel with the Governor of Singa- 
 p3re a tew gunboats and a regiment or two 
 Oi red-coats wculd squelch his sovereignty 
 as they have already done with the many 
 native princ39 of India. The Malays ar. all 
 Mohammedans and as a race have no envia- 
 ble reputation among Eastern nations. They 
 are ef light copper color, with 
 h'gh and very prominent cheek bones, 
 and a larger and better developed 
 physique than the Chinese. They 
 cm be firm friends or malignant ene- 
 mies, and in the latter case are most treach- 
 erous and ejuel. There national weapon is 
 the creese, of which I secured a specimen in 
 a native shop. Ic is a wicked looking dag- 
 ger, about eighteen inches long, with a ser- 
 pentine blsde, keen and glittering, in shape 
 like the deadly cobra, and, like it, the 
 point is charged with a fatal poison for 
 which there is no antidote. The sheath is 
 of hsrd wood, the handle carved and orna- 
 mented with gold and silver. In the in- 
 terior every Malay carries this deadly 
 weapon in his belt, but in the territory con- 
 trolled by the English no one is permitted 
 to *ear it. Bitter meet the cobra 
 or the tiger in the thicknesses of the 
 jungle than an enraged Malay armed with 
 thi3 savage weapon. In this country the 
 
124 
 
 term "running a muck" had its origin, and 
 it is not an unusual occurrence. After a 
 native has gambled away his money, wife 
 and children, and his own life been staked 
 and lest, instead of blowing out his brains 
 like a sensible Christian, he diaws his 
 creese and dashes through the village, cry* 
 ing "A-mok! Amokl" striking at every- 
 one be meets. The whole population turns 
 out in pursuit, and hunts him down like a 
 wild beast through thicket and jungle, a 
 large reward being given to whoever slays 
 the desperado. 
 
 The language of the Maylays is the Ital- 
 ian of the East, full of soft, liquid souads, 
 very musical and sweet and easy to be 
 karned by a foreigner. 
 
 Notwithstanding the cruel and blood- 
 thirsty character of the men, the women 
 are said to be kind and gentle. They have 
 Boft, lustrous eyes, with drooping lashes, 
 and mild, pleasing countenances, indicative 
 of a ffactionate dispositions. They are neat 
 and tasty in dress, and in deportment are 
 modest and unassumirg. Such a contrast 
 between the sexes seems an anomaly. In 
 lidirg outside the city I have frequently 
 met the native women wearing a curious 
 head gear made of bamboo, two feet or 
 more in diameter, and stoped like a cheese. 
 It is very light, and a perfect protection 
 from the sun. 
 
 The population of Singapore is about 120,- 
 800, of whom more than half are Chinese. 
 Their energy and enterprise is more than a 
 match for the native Malays and they con- 
 trol the business of the place. Every 
 steamer and j nk brings a crowd of these 
 emigrants from the Chinese ports, and in 
 a few years by industry and economy they 
 accumulate what is to them a fortune, and 
 return to China, rich men. The climate 
 here is said to be the most agreeable in the 
 world, and is a perpetual summer. Though 
 but seventy miles north of the equator the 
 mercury rarely rises above ninety degrees, 
 with a variation of only about ten degrees 
 between summer and winter. No long 
 summer days nor long winter nights, for 
 the sun rises all the year round within a 
 few minutes of six o'clock. The abundance 
 and variety of fruits is unsurpassed in the 
 world, and nature seems to have bestowed 
 her choicest gifts with a lavish hand. The 
 typhoon of the Chinese seas and the cy- 
 clones of the Indian ocean are alike un- 
 known. 
 
125 
 
 But there is another Bide of the picture. 
 The woods swarm with venomous reptiles 
 and poisonous plants. In the jungles the 
 tiger lies in wait for his prey, and the Da- 
 tive inhabitants, not unlike him in disposi- 
 tion, have not advanced a step in civiliza- 
 tion, nor changed the face of nature by cul- 
 tivating the soil. The waters around abound 
 in fish, the woods with fruit. The bamboo 
 and the palm furnish them with shelter and 
 the little clothing they care to wear. The 
 European degenerates, morally and phys > 
 cally, by residence in this too favored clime. 
 He comes here to make money, and this he 
 is bound to do, regardless of the rights of 
 the miserable and de graded native papula- 
 tion. But he pays the penalty in the loss 
 of health and stamina, in a diseased liver, 
 and blood thinned by a tropical eun. Ten 
 years' residence here counts for fifteen or 
 twenty in the length of a m^n's life in the 
 Temperate Zane. Such is the inexorable 
 law of compensation. 
 
 In the streets and shop3 we see every 
 shade of color and every caste of racf . 
 Scarcely five per cent of the inhabitants are 
 European. But Java and Ceylon, Hindos- 
 tan and Burmah, and every island of tho 
 East Indian Achipelago has here its repre- 
 sentatives. Turbans of every color, and 
 costumes aB varied and bright as the flow- 
 ers that everywhere blossom in the gardens 
 and woods, with red and scarlet intermin- 
 gled with white, and set cff by the foil ct 
 their dark skins give a picturesqueness to 
 the looks of the people quite in contrast 
 with the sombre hue of the costumes uni- 
 versally worn in Japan and China. 
 
 In this climate, to Europeans as well as 
 natives, a bath Is the first duty of the morn- 
 ing, and every hotel and steamer has bath 
 rooms free to the guests. Before the sun is 
 up we take a gharry to ride out to the gar- 
 dens of the Asiatic Society, about three 
 miles from the city. Oar gharry is so pecu- 
 liar a vehicle that it deserves a description. 
 It is a square, black van mounted on four 
 wheels, with two seats, and moveable slats 
 for windows— a rattling, j siting concern in 
 which every bolt and nut seems loose, and 
 ready, on the slightest provocation to col- 
 lapse into "everlasting smash. " It is drawn 
 by a single horse, small as a Shetland pony, 
 with harness enough for a load in itself. 
 The driver is a dark skinned Malay, with 
 glittering black eyes, wearing a bright red 
 turban, which is his principal article of 
 attire, for besides that he wears only a nar 
 
126 
 
 row strip of cloth about his loins, and dang- 
 ling around his neck a me*al badge with the 
 number of his vehicle, (310) Having se- 
 cured his "fare" inside, he runs alongside 
 the pony, plying hi3 lash and screaming, 
 until the animal is excited into a sharp trot. 
 Then he jamps on to the shafts behind him. 
 
 We set cff at a rattling pace through the 
 European quarter, past two pretty 
 churches and many foreign residences sur- 
 rounded by fine gardens, thence through the 
 outskirts of the city thickly populated by 
 natives, and soon reach an avenue lined 
 with palm tree?, where we meet the market 
 people leaded with vegetables and fruit. 
 They are mostly Chinese, and baskets which 
 they carry on their heads or swung on bam- 
 boo poles, are filled with curious fruit-, 
 many of which we have never tssted nor 
 even heard the names. A half hour r:?e 
 over this smooth road, past laces shaded 
 with cocoanut trees acd lined with hedg;s 
 of light green bamboo, leading to the bung- 
 alows of Europeans which we see on every 
 elevation, and wo reach the cntmnce to a 
 park of several hundred acres, laid out with 
 winding carriage roads and smooth graveled 
 walks in tha highest style of English land- 
 scape gardening. Clumps cf tropical trees 
 and shrubs, and parterres of gorgeous flow- 
 ers are everywhere around us. Ttie rare 
 flowering plants which I had only seen in 
 green-house s, are here growing to immense 
 size in the open air. Oyer our heat's are 
 stately palms, wild almonds, and tall feath- 
 ery bamboos. 
 
 But the most curious tree which I have 
 never ceased to admire, is the fan-palm, 
 each leaf six or eight leet long and radia- 
 ting from the stem like the sticks of a fan. 
 Imagine a fan for a giant, the hatdle ten 
 feet long and six inches thick, the Ian itself 
 fifteen feet in diameter. la a small pond 
 an immsnse victoria rtg'xap, with leaves two 
 feet across which will bear the weight of a 
 child. Mingled with the grass beside the 
 path are large masses of the sensitive plant. 
 Orchirds in endless variety are hang 
 ing in rustic baskets under the trees. 
 Wild heliotrope, masses of English 
 roses and most beautiful ferns are arranged 
 so as to give an artistic effect to the scene. 
 Every plant and fljwer which I recognize 
 seems magnified in s:'z? and intensified in 
 color under this tropical sun. Run rarely 
 falls at this season, but the grass smoothly 
 shorn, sparkles with dew drops in the early 
 morning sun. 
 
127 
 
 Afte* an hour ppeiit Here which was 
 crowded with views of the brilliant color- 
 ing and luxuriant vegetation only to be 
 seen near the Equator, we return to break 
 fast, o! wh ch pine-apples, bananas, mansro- 
 s f eens and orargs^ formed the most agreea- 
 ble pirt. This fruit was taken fre*fa from 
 the trees surrounding the hotel, and I need 
 not say that the H ivor was delicious. 
 
 One of the sights of Singapore i3 Wham 
 poah's Gardens. Mr. Whampoah (it seems 
 strange to put this prefix to the name of a 
 Chinaman) is a millionaire Chinese mer- 
 chant, at whose offica I called with a letter 
 of ntroduction from our Consul. His count- 
 ing-houee is fitted up in first class European 
 style, and he received me with the most 
 flittering politeness. He is a man about 
 fifty years old. in looks and drees as much a 
 Chinamau as if in his native Canton. He 
 told me that he had been a resident here for 
 nearly forty years, and although he has sev- 
 eral times returned to China on business, he 
 is contented to live and end his days in Sin- 
 gapore. He speaks English perfectly, and his 
 table is covered with corresponded 3 in that 
 and other European languages. Among hi* 
 clerks and bookeepers I notice a Bengalese 
 and a Parsee, and several others whose 
 dress and complexion indicate either Portu- 
 guese or mixed European and Asiatic blood. 
 He is evidently gratified at my desire to see 
 his famous gardens, and expresses a regret 
 that he cannot be at h^me to do the honors. 
 As ha writes an order, or "chap," in 
 Chinese, to his head servant to show me his 
 place, I notice upon his fingers two most 
 brilliant sapphire rings. Ha insisted upon 
 sending his clerk to procure for me some 
 Siamese coins of which I desired specimen?, 
 and I left his office with the impression that 
 he is the most courteous and thorough bred 
 gentleman I have thus far met in the east. 
 It is an illustration of what a Chinaman is 
 capable of, that Wampoa commenced his 
 career as a ship's compardop, or steward, 
 and by his energy and schrewdness has ac- 
 quired great wealth and an enviable posi- 
 tion for honor and probity among the 
 highest merchants here. 
 
 Wo found his house and grounds most 
 curious and interesting. Here everything 
 is thoroughly Chinese in style, and in 
 strong contrast with the Asiatic gardens 
 visited yesterday. Miniature tea-houses, 
 fanciful arbors, canals spanned by rustic 
 bridges. Little ponds stocked with gold 
 fish, gardens within gardens, curious irni 
 
128 
 
 tations of grotefque animals formed by 
 plants trained on wire frames, and such an 
 endless viriety of shrubs, plantB and vines, 
 all kept in the most perfect order, as wool 1 
 fill with deliarht the heart of our esteeme i 
 Iriend, the venerable Professor, whose 
 place we pass on our way to Rocky River. 
 Thanks to my " chop " the attendant 
 showed us the moU assiduous attentions, 
 and, to my surprise respectfully declined 
 '■cunsshan" which I offered them at part- 
 ing—an instance of self-denial alike rare in 
 Christian or heathen lands. W. P. F. 
 
NUMBER NINETEEN. 
 
 Up the Straits of Malacca-Penang, 
 and the Province of Wellesley— Malay 
 Pirate*— * 'Old John Brown"— The 
 Penan s: Lawyer— Mount Pleasant— 
 Pare Laziness— The "Marvel of Trop- 
 ical Beauty"— A Granite Bath Tub 
 and Natural Shower Bath— Loyal 
 Britons Abroad— Royal Scapegraces 
 —The Dorian— Difference ef Opin- 
 ion—A Wagrr-John Bull Against 
 Jonathan— An Exciting National 
 Contest— Yankee Comes Off Victor- 
 ious— The Andaman Isles— "Life on 
 the Ocean Wave"— Not All Pure Ro- 
 mance* 
 
 On Board Stkamer ''Thales," ? 
 Indian Ocean, Feb'y 10, 1811 3 
 After a sail of 360 miles up the Straits of 
 Malacca, winding among islands covered 
 from watei'a edge to summit with tropical 
 foliage, where the air is fragrant with 
 spicy odors, and the jingles swarm with 
 venomous serpents and man eating tigers, 
 with Sumatra on our left, and Java behind 
 up, early this morning our steamer, the 
 "Thales" dropped archor in front of the 
 town of Penang. This is another English 
 possession like Singapore, and with the 
 neighboring islands is known as the ^Prov- 
 ince of Wellesley." It has a population of 
 125,000, one third of whom are Chinese em- 
 igrants, the balanca native Malays and Asi- 
 atics of various races, with only a few hun- 
 dred Europeans, who by virtue of forts and 
 gunboats, rule these vast hordes of natives 
 in perfect security. The whole commerce 
 by steam and sail vessels between western 
 nations and China passes through the Straits 
 of Malacca, of wnich Singapore guards the 
 southern and Penang the northern entrance, 
 S3 that the positions of these two depend- 
 encies of Great Britain are of great commei - 
 cial importance. Penang is the limit of 
 Chinese emigration in this direction, for to 
 the westward stretches the broad expanse 
 of the Bay of Bengal, 1,200 miles across 
 which is India. Several very large Chinese 
 junks are anchored near ue which have 
 
130 
 
 oa*ted down all the way from Tiea-tsin, 
 2 500 miles irom here, and within a single 
 daj'i journey of the capital of Chins. 
 They make but one round trip a 
 year, coming down with the favoring 
 monsocn during the winter months, and 
 returning the following summer, when tae 
 winds blow steadily from the South. For 
 these huge, unwieldy craft to beat up 
 agaiust a head wind would be quite impos- 
 siole. Oa the one nearest I count twelve 
 large old fashioned iron cannon, which I 
 tuspec; are more for show than service 
 against the piratical Malays, who despite all 
 the watchfulness of the English cruisers, 
 will occasionally gcoop up a Junk, rob and 
 murder all on board, then sink the vessel 
 and dodge back into some iolet or sheltered 
 cove along the coast. These pirates now 
 rarely attack European craft, but lie in 
 wait fer the more defenceless Chinese, 
 against whom they nourish a most bitter 
 hatred. Oi our steamers the sailors are 
 Malays, and the cabin servatts and firemen 
 Chinese. The traditional ill-will between 
 the two races sometimes breaks out in a 
 tight in which knives are freely used. But 
 the control of the English officers, backed 
 by their revolverp, is supreme over ill 
 these semi-savages. 
 
 Not two month3 ago there came floating 
 with the tide into the harbor of Penang 
 thirty Chinamen all creesed by Malay pi- 
 rates. An E aglish gunboat started at once 
 in pursuit, overtook the pirates before they 
 could reach the shelter of the coast, and sent 
 their craft with all on board to the bottom. 
 Amorg the fligs of every nation I notice 
 over one large ship the "Stars and Stripes"— 
 the handsomest fl ig in the world. In going 
 ashore we pass close under her stern and I 
 read the name "Columbia of New York." 
 The sailorsare hoisting in packages of nut- 
 megs, pimento aud other tpices, and I catch 
 a few notes ot an air that sound* like "Old 
 John Brown." My companions in the 
 boat are all Englishmen, and cannot 
 understand the memories suggested by 
 the inspiring refrain, " Glory, Glory, . 
 Hillelujih." I want to go on ah e rc and 
 shake hands with a genuine Yankee who 
 believes that " his soul is marching on." 
 
 We land at the government pier and are 
 beset by venders of fruit and rough sticks 
 to be made into canes. There are two kinds, 
 both a specialty here, tho "M»lac ca joints," 
 very light and ttugh from which all our 
 expensive canes ar.d wtrp stalks are made, 
 
131 
 
 and a heavy ironlike sprout, with a solid, 
 knobby head, called a "Penang Lawyer." 
 The origin of this name 1 could not ascer- 
 tain, but when polished into a cine 1 can 
 imagine that it would furnish "knock- 
 down arguments" on a dry, knotty point of 
 law to any belligerent member of the legal 
 profession. 
 
 The stree's are wide, and near the harbor 
 are large warehouses filled with pepper, 
 nutmegs and other spices, of which Pe- 
 nang is one of the greatest shipping ports in 
 the world. After a look at the fort and 
 public buildings, all of which are most sub- 
 stantially built and guarded by dark skinned 
 native soldiers in red coats, we take a 
 gharry and drive a few miles into 'the 
 country to a famous waterfall at the foot 
 of u Mount Pleasant." which rises abruptly 
 from the plain two thousand feet and com- 
 mands a splendid view of the harbor and 
 the shipping. The roads are smooth and 
 shaded by cocoanut, nutmeg and bread-fruit 
 trees. Bananas and plantains stretch their 
 long leaves over hedges of bamboo, and the 
 bungalows of Europeans seem almost buried 
 ia the luxuriant vegetation. The houtes of 
 the Malayans are all built on posts, thus in- 
 suring dryness during the rainy season, al- 
 io wing a free circulation of air, and keep- 
 ing out snakes and other vermin. 
 The entrance is by a ladder, and on 
 this the mistress of the house is usually 
 lounging, with half a dozen or more naked 
 urchins playing around, white the father 
 lies asleep in the shade of his domicile. 
 Nobody is at work, and nature, in the pro- 
 luseness of her gifts, seems here to have re- 
 lieved man from the iio junction to earn his 
 bread by the sweat of his face. 
 
 At the end of our drive we came to the 
 Alexandra Hotel and Bathing Efstablish- 
 lishment, kept by an Englishman, whose 
 circular inviting us to visit his place which 
 is described as "a marvel of beauty, em- 
 bowered in mosses and flowering plants, 
 where the murmuriDg fbw of crystal 
 streams delight the ear and intoxicate the 
 senses," was put in our hands on landing 
 from the steamer. We find the waterfall 
 and bath?, and the Bungalow or Hotel, sur- 
 rounded by shade trees and covered by the 
 blossoms of bright tropical flowers, quite 
 up to the high flown description. A pretty 
 mountain stream comes tumbling down 
 the ravine, dashing in spray from rock 
 to rock, and conducted through a series 
 of bath-rooms cut in the solid rock. The 
 
132 
 
 water is very pure, and the luxury of a 
 swim in a bath-tub of granite, sixty by 
 thirty, shaded from the sun by a light bam- 
 boo roof, where a natural waterfall furnishes 
 the shower-bath, can only be appreciated 
 in this hot tropical climate. But the hotel 
 attached, where we ordered a tiffia after 
 our bath, is more pretentious than deserv- 
 icg. Tt claims, after the style of the loyal 
 Briton, to be "under the patronage of H. 
 R. H. the Princess of Wales, the Governor 
 of the Province," and a long list of other 
 local dignitaries. In the public room the 
 walls are decorated with engravings repre- 
 senting the "heir apparent" in the midst of 
 a happy domestic circle, a picture of home 
 felicity so notoriously belied by the facts 
 as to excite only pity for the poor 
 Princess. Here were also two engrav- 
 ings of the gay young Duke of Edinburgh, 
 whose escapades during his visit last year 
 to Australia and India so scandalized his 
 good mother as to lead to his being sent 
 home to England. Though but moderately 
 loyal at home, the Britain becomes intensely 
 so when abroad, and ruffles his feathers at 
 any allusion by a foreigner to the discredit- 
 able acts of these royal brothers. But I am 
 told that among themselves they do not 
 hesitate to condemn such conduct in terms 
 as severe as a republican would use in 
 speaking of rulers elected by his own vote. 
 
 Of all the iruits for which Penang is 
 famous, none has given rise to so much dis- 
 cussion on our way up the coast as the 
 dorian. One of our passengers, an old resi- 
 dent of India, is extravagant in its praise. 
 He says it is very wholesome and nutri- 
 tious, that he always eats at least one before 
 breakfast, and his wife and children prefer 
 it to pine apples, oranges or bananas. He 
 admits that to a stranger it has a slightly 
 unpleasant odor, but he describes the taste 
 as resembling custards flavored with pine 
 apple and strawberry. Another passenger 
 tells quite a different story. He says it is 
 the vilest and most horrid smelling fruit in 
 the world ; that garlic, fried onions, assa- 
 foetida, and the seventy distinct smells of 
 Cologne condensed in one cannot be com- 
 pared with the nauseating stench of the 
 dorian. 
 
 Such a diversity of opinion results in a 
 wager between a full-blooded, rosy «cheeked 
 young Englishman, who has lately "come 
 out," and an American, as to which shall 
 partake most freely of this delectable fruit 
 when we reach Penang. In our rides about 
 
133 
 
 the neighborhood we have seen dorians 
 growing upon large trees and piled up for 
 sale in the market. It is oval in shape, 
 a third larger tnan the pineapple, and 
 greenish-yellow in color. We selected three 
 fine specimens, and sent them on board 
 with our baskets of fruits. As they axe 
 brought on deck the Captain snirls the air 
 and calls out, "take them i— d dorians for- 
 ward.'' 
 
 The next day at eleven o'clock is the time 
 fixed for the trial. A majority of our pas- 
 sengers are English, but the few Americans 
 on board are retdy to back their natioral 
 champion. The Secretary of the Russian 
 Legation at Pekin is selected as umpire, and 
 the preliminary arrangements are very 
 simple. Oa the main deck, jast forward cf 
 the engines, is a sma 1 table, on which :s 
 placed a dorian, a knife and two teaspoonr. 
 Beside the table are two caairs f3r the prin- 
 cipal actors. Tne conditions are that nei- 
 ther champion shall have the right of hold- 
 ing his nose during the contest. At tte 
 given hour the table is surrounded by all the 
 passengers and most of the cfilcers of the 
 ship. The question arises who shall cat the 
 dorian? Umpire declines and the steward 
 volunteers. The fruit is severed length- 
 wise, disclosing a white, custard-like pulp, 
 rather inviting to the eye— but, oh! the 
 smell is overpowering. The crowd fail 
 back to the rail, every man holding his 
 nose. At this stage the chances seem in fa- 
 vor of the Englishman, who is the younger 
 and more vigorous of the two; but Yankee 
 is tough, and not wanting in nerve, when it 
 comes to a question of national credit. Um- 
 pire gives the word "charge," and each 
 champion makes a dive with his spoon, and 
 swallows without blinking a mouthlu' of 
 the custard. It is done so quickly that 
 American can scarcely detect the flivor, 
 which is really not disagreeable* Russia 
 falls back one pace and again calls "charge." 
 Another mouthful is simultaneously swal- 
 lowed by the champions. At the third 
 charge, as American coolly raised a spoon- 
 ful to his mouth, he glanced across the ta- 
 ble and saw the game was up. Britons' 
 cheek had lost its roses, his spoon dropped 
 before it reached his lips, and he bolted to 
 the side of the ship— he had thrown up the 
 spoon. 
 
 Umpire's decision in favor of "our Amer- 
 ican Cousin" was received with cheers, and 
 the waiters were summoned to throw over- 
 board the remnant of the dorian, and wash 
 
134 
 
 down the table and the deck. Yankee 
 qaietly withdrew to his stateroom, removed 
 a wad of cotton from his nostrils, and re- 
 turned on deck to receive the congratula- 
 tions of all parties, who fumigated them- 
 selves with cheroots and washed down the 
 flavor of the dorian with several bottles of 
 champagne at the expense of Johnny Ball. 
 We left Penang late in the evening in the 
 midst of a terrific squall of rain and wind. 
 The water seemed to pour down in solid 
 sheets. Half an hour later it was bright 
 moonlight, and we steamed along the nar< 
 r3w channel, winding among islets for 
 about thirty miles, when we reached the en- 
 trance to the Straits of Malacca. Here we 
 dropped the native pilot into his boat with- 
 out checking the speed of the steamer, and 
 casting off the rope he was almost instantly 
 lost to sight astern. O^r course is now 
 northwest across the B*y of Bengal to Cal- 
 cutta. When aboat half way we sight the 
 Andaman Isles, lofty, cone -shaped moun- 
 tains, covered with verdure to their very 
 summit?, and a conepicious land mark 
 for sailore. Oi one cf these is'ar.ds the 
 English government ha3 established apensl 
 eolory which is visited only twico a year. 
 The Andaman group comprises several 
 large island?, some of which are ssdd to be 
 inhabited by cannibals. The suggestion of 
 a possibility of a shipwreck in this neigh- 
 borhood is not very pleasant. We pass the 
 days on deck, where, protected from the 
 blazing tun by a double awning, we can 
 enioy the breeze caused by the motion ot 
 the ship. But the monotony of a sea voy- 
 age in the Indian Ocsan is very wearisome. 
 Every day the same bright sua and cleat 
 sky. Books, conversation and cheroots lose 
 their power to while away the listlessness, 
 the absolute inanity of such a life. In the 
 evening we lounge on deck with a full 
 moon sailing over our heads, the water 
 smooth as gla r s and sparkling in the phos 
 phorescent light. What can be more charm 
 i eg than this Wife on the ocean wave.'' I 
 lingered late on deck er.joying this lovely 
 picture, which all the elements have com- 
 bined to render perfect, and at last reluc- 
 tantly went below. The lamp is burn- 
 ing in the main cabin, which is deserted, 
 and the air is close and stifling. I enter 
 my state room and strike a match. Horror 
 of horrors I at the gleam of the light a fcore 
 of enormous cockrotches scamper over the 
 floor, trunks and bedclothes. I glance at the 
 narrow berth and the thought of vermin 
 
135 
 
 worse than these, cf which I had discovered 
 "signs," makes me shudder. There is a 
 most disagreeable odor prevading the whole 
 ship below. Perhaps it is from the opium 
 with which these ■iivaati are freighted on 
 their return voyage from India to China. I 
 call to the steward for a ~lass of water. Ifc is 
 lukewarm, for the ica is all gone, la disgust 
 I go otice more on deck, light a cheroot, 
 pace back and forth, then lean over the rail 
 and watch the glimmer of the moonbeams 
 on the smooth sea, and calculate how many 
 more such days and nights before we can 
 reach Calcutta. The illusion cf romance 
 and beauty in a ssa«life is fast fading away. 
 R dining on a settee, I am soon asleep, but 
 the cffisar of the deck taps me on the shoul- 
 der and very civilly says, "Excuse me, sir, 
 but you ought not to sleep on deck ; it is 
 not prudent in this climate." I grope my 
 way down to the main saloon, draw a chair 
 to the. table, rest my head on my arms, and 
 fall into a fitful, uneasy, unrefreshing sleep. 
 £a my . dreams I find "John Whopper V 
 hole through the Berth. I am in the rink, 
 listening to the music and watching the gay 
 crowd of skaters. Then I hear the jingle of 
 the sleigh bells and the crunching of the 
 snow beneath the runners as they fly along 
 the avenue. Anon and it is the splash cf 
 water clear as crystal and cdo! as melted 
 icicles. I awake with a start, and I find it 
 is daylight. The noise I hear is the sailors 
 washing down the decks. 
 
 Sailing through tropical seas is not pure 
 delight— by no manner of means. 
 
 W. P. F. 
 
 jrtj 
 
NUMBER TWENTY. 
 
 Approach to India— The Hooghly- 
 Garden Reach— Calcutta— The King 
 of Oude— The Landing -Native Mag- 
 pies and Blackbirds— The Great 
 Eastern-"Xew Varmint"- Morning 
 Races -A Gar Crowd— The Euras- 
 ians—Commerce of Calcutta— The 
 "Black Hole"— The East India Com- 
 pany—Government of India— The 
 Viceroy— A Perambulating Govern- 
 ment— Palanquins- A Catastrophe- 
 Good-bye to "New Varmint''— India 
 Railways— Iron Replaces Wood— De- 
 lfghts of Summer Travel— Native 
 Servants, 
 
 Up Country, India, ) 
 February, 1871. S 
 My first sight of India was from the deck 
 of our steamer as at early dawn we entered 
 the Hooghly River, whone strong current 
 and shifting sand-bars render the navigation 
 extremely difficult. The many mouths of 
 the Ganger, of which the Hooghly is one, 
 have formsd an aliuvxal delta of several hun- 
 dred square miles like that of the Mississippi, 
 which is a wilderness of timber and brush- 
 wood, the tall grass forming a jangle where 
 tigers and other beasts of prey have their 
 favorite haunts. Advancing up the river 
 the scenery gradually improves, the coun- 
 try seems more and more cultivated, the 
 shipping and bustle on the river increase, 
 and he many beautiful country seats on its 
 banks indicate that we are approaching the 
 capital. At length we enter "Garden 
 Keach" which for two miles is lined on both 
 tides with splendid Bungalows of the 
 wealthy European and native residents 
 which are shaded with palms and other 
 tropical vegetation, and surrounded with 
 highly cultivated grounds. As we approach 
 Calcutta, the metropolis of India, we are 
 struck with the magnificence of thetuild- 
 ingg, public and private, the forest of masts, 
 and the many steamers anchored in the 
 
13< 
 
 stream, the numerous spires and vast extent 
 of the city which baB a population cf over 
 600,000. It is situated on a broad plain on the 
 left bank and but little raised above the Hoo" 
 ghly, 100 miles from its moutb, and extends 
 nearly five miles along the shore. Above 
 "Garden Ka&cb," on our right is the resi- 
 dence cf the ex Kins of Oude. The grounds 
 have a frontage of half a mile on the river, 
 and include several detached palaces vast 
 in siz3 and gaudy in decorations. Amorg 
 them is a Mo* que, whose Kilt dome sur- 
 mounted by a crescant glitters in the sun. 
 Here the King keeps up a raaafr e court upon vw^v <wi t & 
 an allowance of two lacji of rupees, $100,000, 
 a month from the government. He is said 
 to be a profligate old scamp, with a hundred 
 or more wives, and is surrounded by a set 
 of native princes and rs j ahs, who are alto- 
 gether a bad lot. Always notorious for de- 
 bauchery, he has now btoms infamous for 
 his vices. Although his income is over a 
 million dollars a year he spends nearly 
 double that sum, and runs so recklessly into 
 debt that the government has lately ap- 
 pointed a guardian to check his extrava- 
 gance. 
 
 We anchor opposite the "old fort Qhaut," 
 an Indian word signifying steps, the public 
 landing, which rises in a broad flight of 
 stone steps from th3 water's edge to the top 
 of the bank. The deck is instantly swarm- 
 ing with the native Bengalese boatmen who 
 chatter like a lot of black -birds. A dozen 
 or more seize my baggage, hurry it into a 
 boat and in a few minutes I am on the soil 
 of India. As goon as the boat touches the 
 jetty a dozen more of these black fellows, 
 tall and slender, whose long, lank arms and 
 Bpindle legs make them look like a flock of 
 half starved crows, pounce upon my trunks, 
 carry them up the steps and pile them on a 
 gharry. It is useless to contend , so I quiet- 
 ly submit, and climb into the carriago for 
 protection. The magp'es eurround the 
 gharry, each clamorous after pay for a eer- 
 vice which a single Irish porter cmld easily 
 have performed in two minutes. Not one 
 of these coolies has any other clothing than 
 a strip of dirty white cotton cloth around 
 the loins. I had procured from the pur- 
 ser of the ship a handful of copper coin 
 which 1 scatter at random among th« 
 crowd and shout to the driver to go 
 on. In a quarter of an hour we reach 
 the "Great Eastern Hotel," where 
 I am saluted by another crowd 
 of Coolies seemingly identical with these I 
 
138 
 
 escaped from at the landing. Four of them 
 tug away at a moderate eized trunk, twice 
 as many more cling to the other small par- 
 esis, and when I reach the office of the hotel 
 they are after me once more for bucksheesK 
 My copper coin is exhausted and I hand 
 them ever to the tender mercies of the 
 clerk who makes short work of them, for 
 he talk3 Bsngalese like a native. H2 makes 
 one dash at them with hand, foot and ton- 
 gue and they fly cut of the door like a fleck 
 of b'ack sheep. 
 
 The "Great Eastern" is an immense cara- 
 vansary, occupying a whole square. The 
 lower floor is used aa a Bazaar for the sale 
 of everything to eat, drink, or wear of Eu- 
 ropean or eastern manufacture. The same 
 stcck company runs the hotel and the ba - 
 ziars, and, of course, such a mammoth con- 
 cern pays no dividend. This hotel, though 
 said to be the largest and best in India, is 
 not comfortable nor first class according to 
 our American standard. The roots s are 
 lofty and spacicu^, but ill-furnished and 
 dingy. Having secured one of these barn- 
 like apartments, my first movement is to 
 engRge a servant, for every guest is expect- 
 ed to have an especial lackey to take care of 
 his room, bring his cc ffae, wait on him at 
 the table, etc. For this position worth half 
 a rupee (twentv nve cent*-) a day, there are 
 twenty applicants, and each has his written 
 "karacter" from a former employer. These 
 are in English and soms are curious and not 
 entirely complimentary to the bearers. 
 The candidates are dressed in white from 
 head to foot, except the sash round the 
 waist which is of fancy colors. I selected an 
 honest looking fellow whose colors are red, 
 white and blue stripes, only needing the 
 stars to seem girded by an American fUg. 
 He repeats his name several times, and at 
 last I catch the sound as * 'New Var- 
 mint." He i3 immediately installed, address- 
 es me as "Sahib" makes a low salaam, touch- 
 ing his hands to his forehead and bowing 
 almost to the fbor. Nothing can exceed 
 the obsequiousness of manners in these na- 
 tive servant. 11 , but most of them are great 
 rascals. "New Varmint" never speaks to 
 his master without a ealaam so low that 
 long practice alone prevents his losing his 
 balance. But I am warned not to leave val- 
 uables lying around loose, and I soon find 
 that in every purchase in any shop, native 
 or European, the " VarmirS' gets a com- 
 mission. 
 Calcutta is just now in the height of the 
 
139 
 
 season, and this is race week, a great attrac 
 tioa to the English at home or abroad. The 
 races are advertised from 7 to 10 o'clock in 
 the morning-, before the heat of the sul 
 drives everybody within doors. At this 
 early hour the race ground is covered with 
 stylish carriages containing the wealth and 
 fashion of the metropolis. Europeans and 
 Bengalese, Turks and Arabs, Hindoos and 
 Mohometan?, in clarences and broughamr, 
 gharries, dog-carts, traps, drajg3, and every 
 conceivable style of vehicle, drawn by 
 horses, mules and donkeys, crowd the road. 
 The costumes are of every color of the rain- 
 bow, and the complexions of every shad?, 
 from the jat black with straight glossy hair, 
 whose shiny skins are an excellent foil for 
 their white cotton robes, up through half- 
 caste and every shade of mixture to pure 
 white blood. The gay turbans and rich 
 flawing robes of silk and satin worn by 
 the Baboos, or native merchants, give a 
 pictures queness to the scsno peculiar to the 
 East. The track is of soli*?, firm turf; the 
 horses of Arabian stock, the jockeys dressed 
 in fancy colore, the races run at full speed ae 
 at Epsom or Aecot in Ola England. But 
 I am more interested in lookirg at the spsc- 
 tatora than in wa cching the race. I notice 
 that no person on foot, horseback or in car- 
 riage, unless of pure European blood, is ad- 
 mitted to the inner circle, or rear the grand 
 stand. There is in Isdia a lar fe e class of 
 well educated, assd often very wealthy peo- 
 ple, called Eurasians, or English- speaking 
 half castes, who inter-marry with the 
 European, but who seem to be 
 an intermediate race between the Hin- 
 doo and the Caucasian. T~e predjudice 
 of color shuts them out from the best Eng- 
 lish ewcioty, while their own pride and su- 
 periority in culture keeps them distinct 
 from the wealthy nations of full Indian 
 blood. 
 
 Of the whole resident population cf Cal- 
 cutta, less than ten thousand are Europeans. 
 Many of the English merchants are very 
 wealthy and live in a style of luxury and 
 splendor that impresses the stranger. Their 
 houses are literally palaces, and their hospi- 
 tality unbounded. The Armenians are a 
 very numercu3 and influential body of 
 merchants, and the native Hindoos, though 
 forinerely timorous, now as bankers, 
 agents and money lender?, venture upon 
 every kind of mercantile speculation, and 
 goods belonging to native merchant*, val- 
 ued at several millions sterling are lying 
 
140 
 
 for sale in the warehouses. Calcutta ia the 
 great emporium of India. Its staple com- 
 modities of export, are indigo, opium, cot 
 ton, sugar, rice and silk, and by means of 
 the Ganges, and its extensive connection 
 with the interior, it commands an immense 
 commerce. 
 
 Almost two centuries ago, the Emperor 
 of Dalhi granted to the East Icdia Com- 
 pany, a tract of land on the banks of the 
 Hooghly, which is the site now occupied by 
 Calcutta. On it was then a native village, 
 called "Kallcuttah," from Kali, a goddess, 
 Cutiah, a temple, hetcs the name of what is 
 now one of the most splendid cities of Asia, 
 and the seat of the supreme government of 
 the British in Irdia. Many years ago, in 
 the time of Warren Hastings, when EDg- 
 lish power in India was almost extinguished, 
 after a long siege, Calcutta was surrendered 
 to J?jad Dowlah, the Rsjih of Bengal, and 
 one hundred and fifty Englishmen were 
 shut up for a night in an under ground call. 
 The next morning all were found suffocated 
 in the "Black Hole" of Calcutta. The ex- 
 act location of this spot, which is so often 
 quoted, is between the Post Office and 
 Court House, both large marble buildings 
 oa the strand. 
 
 Since the Sepoy rebellion in 1857 that great 
 monopoly, the "East India Company," has 
 ceased to exist. It was an anomaly in his- 
 tory, an imperium m imperio, with an army 
 of o^er two hundred thousand men, levy- 
 ing war and making treaties, and ruling 
 with despotic sway more than a hundred 
 and fifty millions of human beings. The 
 terrible exactions of this powerful corpora- 
 tion culminated in a blocdy rebellion, which 
 was trampled out with an iron heel at a cost 
 to England of $200,000,000. During the 
 mutiny the horrible atrocities of the half - 
 civilized natives, goaded on by religious 
 fanaticisms, were not more shocking to the 
 world than the terrible punishment inflicted 
 by Christian Englishmen in blowing Sepoy 
 prisoners from the mouths of their cannon. 
 After the mutiny wss suppressed, the Eng- 
 lish government assumed the sovereignty 
 of this immense territory, extending from 
 the Himalayas two thousand miles to Cape 
 Cormorin, and from the Indian ocean on the 
 west fifteen hundred miles to the Bay of 
 Bengal— as large as all the States east of 
 the Mississippi* The change in the govern- 
 ment has resulted in the reform of many 
 abuse?, whica, in the old times of Lord 
 Clive and Warren Hastings, were the text 
 
141 
 
 of burning denunciation in the British Par- 
 liament. But the country is still many years 
 behind the age. Neither native nor Euro- 
 pean residents have any voice in making or 
 administering the laws, or the appointment 
 of their rulers. The members of the gov- 
 ernment, all being sent out from England. 
 have an exaggerated sense of their import- 
 ance and dignity. Laws for the government 
 of this vast empire are enacted ten thousand 
 miles away, taxes are imposed and tariffs 
 arranged with little regard to the wants or 
 wishes of the people of India. The salary 
 of the Viceroy, or Governor General, is 
 $125,000 a year, and every evening his car- 
 riage appears on the strand drawn by six 
 horses, with postillions in scarlet livery, 
 preceded and followed by red coated lancers. 
 All this is but a part of the system of gov- 
 erning this country, to impress upon the 
 ignorant natives the grandeur and power of 
 their British rulers. 
 
 Calcutta boasts many large and imposing 
 public buildings, among which is the Gov* 
 ernment House, which cost about $700,000, 
 and affords ample accommodation for ctU- 
 cial business and grand levees for the repre- 
 sentatives of royalty. The Mint is an ele* 
 gant Doric edifice on the bank of the river, 
 and is said to be the largest in the world, 
 having a capacity of striking 300,000 pieces 
 in a working day of seven hour i. Besides 
 these, there are numerous museums, libra- 
 ries, churches and public halls, and scat- 
 tered through the park and near the Gov ■ 
 ernment House are bronze statues of Lord 
 Hardinge, the Earl of Auckland, Lord Ben- 
 tinck, and several other rulers and benefac- 
 tors of Iodia. 
 
 Every year, as soon as the hot weather 
 sets in, or by the middle of March, the Vice- 
 royal court, with the whole machinery of 
 the government, is packed off by railway to 
 Simla, 1,500 miles north, at the foot of the 
 Himalayas, and here it remains until the 
 close of the rainy season in Nove tuber. A 
 more inconvenient arrangement, so far as 
 the public business is concerned, can 
 scarcely be imagined; but to the govern- 
 ment officials their personal comfort is of 
 more consequence than efficiency or regard 
 for the public Interest. 
 
 A week in Calcutta exhausted all the 
 novelties, including a ride in a palanquin, 
 which is a large sized black coffia borne by 
 two dark skinned mournful -looking Coolies 
 in white robes. It is tilted on one side to 
 erawl in, and you must lie flat on your back 
 
142 
 
 and perfectly still. U you turn you are in 
 dinger of upsetting the machine and being 
 spilt cut. One trial of the Indian ' palky," 
 a3 it is called, was enough, and I VGted the 
 machine a humbug and not to be compared 
 for comfort with the sedan chair of Chins. 
 
 One evening I found myself in a gharry, 
 with my baggage and New Varmint on tbe 
 top of the vehicle, bound to the 
 station of tne East India Eailway, en route 
 for the up country. On the way to the ter- 
 minus I stepped into another hotel to say 
 good bye to my Russian friend who had 
 acted as umpire in the dorian contest, and 
 while there 1 heard ths boom of the nine 
 o'clock evening gun in the Palace grounds 
 near by, and then a loud shouting in the 
 street followed by a crash. ThQ driver h~d 
 left his seat to gossip with another native, 
 and the horse frightened at the report of the 
 gun, had dashed away, the vehicle collided 
 with a lamp post &nci upset, tossing poor N» 
 V. amid a shower of boxe?, satchels and 
 bundles into the middle of the street, when 
 he roiled over severel times in the white 
 dust. The poor fellow wa3 not hurt, how- 
 ever, but so badly frightened that his com- 
 plexion with the addition ol a thick coat of 
 dust wss decidedly more European than 
 Asiatic in color. After some delay I se- 
 cured another carriage, but train time was 
 so near at hand that I barely escaped being 
 left by the ferry boat which conveys pas- 
 sengers across the Hooghly to the suburb of 
 Howrah where the railway station 
 is located. "New Varmint" slu;k 
 to me to the last, and so the train 
 whirled away and I saw him from the 
 window of my compartment bowing and 
 salaaming lower than ever in consideration 
 of the liberal douceur which he received in 
 addition to his paj and perquisites. 
 
 I had not seen a railway since I left San 
 Francisco four months previous, and the 
 novelty was quite er jay able. A few years 
 ago the traveller who would penetrate -into 
 the interior ot India was obliged to travel 
 in a Dak Gharry at tho rate of forty or fifty 
 miles a day, and my proposed trip of nearly 
 throe thousand miles up the valley of the 
 Ganges to Delhi, thencs to the Himalayas, 
 and back through Northwestern and Cen- 
 tral India to Bombay, would have occupied 
 many months, and involved too much risk 
 and hardship to pay as a pleasure excur- 
 sion. But to-day there are over six 
 thousand miles of complete railway in India 
 and several thousand more arc building. 
 
143 
 
 Since the Sepoy mutiny which came eo near 
 being successful, owing to the difficulty of 
 transportation, the government has favored 
 all railway projects for their military value 
 in controlling provinces thousands of miles 
 distant. But a much stronger impulse wat; 
 given in this direction by our rebellion, in 
 raising the price cf cotton and stimulating 
 its culture over a vast extent cf territory. 
 
 These roads are all built and worked by 
 companies, but the government guarantees 
 a five per cent, dividend to the stockhold- 
 ers and exercises a general control over the 
 management. It was at first supposed that 
 the natives would not ride in carriages 
 where thsy would lose caste by touching an 
 inferior ; but happily this proved to be a 
 mistake, and the principal income from pas- 
 senger traffic is derived from the natives, 
 who travel third and fourth class, at from a 
 third to half a cent per mile. The great 
 moral effect of railways upon India in 
 weakening the ties of caste ia perhaps of 
 even more importance than the wonderful 
 development of the country, in stimulating 
 the production of the great staples bv pro- 
 viding an easy and rapid transportation to 
 the seaboard. 
 
 The Indian railways, like everything else 
 English, are well and substantially built. 
 Owing to the scarcity of wood and to the 
 destructivecess of the white ants, iron takes 
 its place almost everywhere. The station 
 houses are ail of stone or brick, with corru- 
 gated iron roofs ; the ties and sleepers, all 
 the bridges, and even the telegraph pole?, 
 are of iron. When it is considered that the 
 engines and cars, as well as every p und cf 
 iron used in the construction and equipment 
 of these 6,000 miles of road has been brought 
 out from Eagland, it will be understood 
 how immensely expansive theee railways 
 have been. In the management everything 
 is English, with only such modifications as 
 are absolutely necessary in this climate. 
 Here as in England the word "car" is un- 
 known—we ride in "carriages" or "wag- 
 ons," and the gentlemanly "conductor" is 
 transformed into a "guard," who wears the 
 uniform, buttons and badge of the railway. 
 Aa in Europe the carriages are divided into 
 compartments holding ei?ht persons, with 
 doors opening on both sides to the platform, 
 which are locked by the guard before the 
 train starts. Freight cars are here termed 
 "goods vans"— every employee, from the 
 General Superintendent down to the coolie, 
 is spoken of as a "servant" of the compacy. 
 
144 
 
 The first and second c.ass are alike, except 
 that one is cushioned and the other caned. 
 The latter is just half the price, but quite as 
 comfortable in hot weather. The carriages 
 sre stronger, larger and loftier than the 
 English model, an 1 are protected from the 
 sun by a double roof, the upper one a few 
 inches abovs the lower and projecting 
 slightly on either side. Every window, in 
 addition to glasses, has Venetian blinds, and 
 frequently sun-shades beside, and ventilation 
 is especially provided for. Bat what avail 
 double roof, Venetian blind or sun-shade 
 against the terrible heat of an Indian sum- 
 mer ? Then the carriages became like fur- 
 naces seven times heated. The very seat is 
 hot;to the touch, and you are afraid to lean 
 back lest your coat stick to the varnished 
 panel. If no ladies are present you relapse 
 into the free-and-easy, take off the boots 
 from your swollen feet, denude yourself of 
 coat and vest, hang your soaked collar up 
 to dry, elevate your feet, if possible, to the 
 level of your nose, light a cheroot, and 
 dreamily subside into a patient endurance 
 of the miseries of th9 situation. 
 
 Everywhere else but in the East a ser- 
 vant is considered a luxuryj to be indulged 
 in only by those who can travel "regard- 
 less of expense ;" but here it seems an indis- 
 pensable requisite to comfort. A first-class 
 ticket on railways, steamers and hotels in- 
 cludes the fare of a native servant, and one 
 can er j :>y the luxury of being called "Sa- 
 hib" by his own "boy" at a very trifling 
 draft on his purse. W. P. F. 
 
NUMBEU TWENTY-ONE. 
 
 Currency in India— Small Change Al- 
 ways Wanted— Requisites for a Jour- 
 ney— A. Unique Head-gear-Sleeping 
 Carriages — Irrigation — Opium mo- 
 nopoly—Scenes on the Railway— Na- 
 tive Villa ges-Benarer, the Holy City 
 — Shiva-Dotta, Pundit— The Ganges 
 —The Monkey Temple— The Ghants 
 of Benares — Burning Bodies— An 
 Ancient Observatory — Motque «f 
 Aurrangzebe — A Glimpse Behind 
 the Scenes— The Curtain Suddenly 
 Dropped— The Golden Pagoda- Hin- 
 doo Worship— A String of Marigolds 
 —England Manufactures Idols for 
 India* 
 
 Benares, on the Ganges, ) 
 February, 1871. S 
 The unit of currency in India is the rupee, 
 worth about two shillings or half a dollar. 
 The other denominations of coin are annas, 
 sixteen to a rupee, and pice, twelve to an 
 anna. Besides tliese, cowries, white, glosey 
 shells, are used for small payments among 
 the natives in the bazaars. The great bulk 
 of the currency is silver rupees with their 
 fractions, all of which is coined in Calcutta. 
 The Ionian government also issues currency 
 notes of ten rupees and upward, but these 
 are redeemable only at the the presidency 
 where issued, so that Calcutta notes are at 
 a small discount in Bombay, and vice versa. 
 A good supply of small coin is very desira- 
 ble, and saves one from throwing away 
 annas where pice would do just as well. The 
 railway company furnishes no porters and 
 the demand for small change soon depletes 
 the deepest purse, for the Coolies Hock 
 round you at every station and tease you for 
 bucksheesh if they barely touch the smallest 
 piece of luggage, not to mention the poor 
 beggars "whom ye have always with you" 
 in the east. The European residents com- 
 plain that travelers have spoiled the nativta 
 by paying them three or four times too 
 much for trilling services, and it teems nat- 
 ural to an American to give a Coolie half a 
 rupee for carrying his luggage a mile under 
 a boiling sun, while a resident would pay 
 him but a quarter that sum or two annas, 
 
146 
 
 asd he would salaam quite as low and con- 
 elder himself well paid. 
 
 Too much bsggage in traveling is pro- 
 verbially a nuisance— but no one cin travel 
 ia Iadia without a rasa i (a stuffed cotton 
 quilt), a pillow and a railway rug. The 
 distances sie long, and although even in 
 winter the heat at midday is oppressive, at 
 night it is quite coo!. The differerce in 
 temperature between midday and midnight 
 i* excessive. Every one here wears a solar 
 topee, a hat made of pith half an inch thick, 
 but very light, ventilated around the head, 
 aLd shaped sometimes like an antique hel- 
 DH4 , but m-ire frequently resembling a 
 wooden chopping-bcwl. Around it is wound 
 a puggree of white cambric, or thin lawn. 
 Though very odd in appearance to a stranger, 
 this is by far the most comfortable head- 
 gear for a tropical climate I have ever seen. 
 0:e is allowed all the luggage free that 
 will go undsr the seat or can be piled in the 
 rick overhead, but trunk3 have to be regis- 
 tered and receipted for by a very compli- 
 cated system and paid for at a high rate of 
 transportation. Baggage checks, as well as 
 Pullman sleeping car?, are unknown any- 
 where in the world except in America. 
 My first n?ght on the train was anything 
 but comfortable, although the misery of sit- 
 ting up all night was mitigated by an ar- 
 rangement peculiar to these India carriages, 
 o e raising the cushion behind the seat and 
 strapping it to the roof, thus affording 
 shelves for four persons. The first-class car* 
 riages are nevar crowded, and I have fre- 
 quently rode hundreds of miles with a 
 whole compartment to myself. In this train 
 there are m>e fourth-class cars, each of 
 which is crowded with at least forty natives, 
 bat not more than twenty Europeans all 
 told. 
 
 As I described to an English fellow* 
 trader this morning, the luxury of our 
 drawing-room and sleeping cars he seemed 
 much interested and surprised ; but I was 
 somewhat annoyed at a slight raising of the 
 eyebrows, as if he thought I was drawing 
 a long bow. 
 
 Our course wa* to the north-west, up the 
 valley cf the Ganges, five hurdred and 
 forty mile to Benares, a journey of about 
 twenty-four hours, ineluding stoppages. 
 The country is very level, and thoroughly 
 cultivated. Tbis valley for fifteen hundred 
 miles is the most populous and fertile in 
 India, but every crop depends on irrigation 
 by the numerous Cinal. ; and wells with 
 
14/ 
 
 the old fashioned sweeps, or where bullocks 
 are drawing water to be poured by hand 
 upon the fields are everywhere to be seen. 
 Rice, tobacco, castor oil-beane, and poppies 
 are the principal crops. The poppy is cul- 
 tivated under the immediate supervision of 
 the Government authorities, who take the 
 crop at a fixed price and manufacture it 
 into opium. This monopoly yields a year- 
 ly income to the Indian Government of 
 seven million pounds sterling . The horizon 
 is fringed with palms, and over there broad 
 prairies the mango trees are scattered like 
 the oaks in an Eoglish park. An occa- 
 sional glimpse of the Ganges calls up no 
 enthusiasm. It is now the dry season and 
 the Sscred River is very low, with broad, 
 nandy banks. The current is as rapid as the 
 Missouri, and the water of the same dingy, 
 yellow color. The railway is fenced with 
 cactus hedges and its showy yellow 
 blossoms form a bright feature in the land - 
 scape. 
 
 The native3 have very little idea of time* 
 tables and departure hours. They walk 
 down to the stations and there sit on the 
 platforms smoking their hookahs, waiting 
 patiently for the train to arrive whether it 
 is ( ne hour or ten. But when they hear tho 
 train coming thej loose all self-control and 
 rush like a flock of sheep crowding and 
 jamming, with an uproar that sounds like 
 a Babel of tongues, towards the pens pro- 
 vided for them, as if for dear life, where 
 they are stowed away like tightly-packed 
 herrings. Here once seated the hubbub 
 subsides, and they whiff at their hubble- 
 bubbles in stolid in difference, and never com- 
 plain to the guard at being behind time. 
 For the convenience of this class of travel- 
 ers, from whom the chief income of the 
 company is derived, the stations are very 
 close together, and as the trains stop at every 
 station the rate of speed rarely exceeds 
 twenty miles an hour. Nearly all the rail- 
 way employees are natives, and the ticket 
 clerks and book-keepers are usually half- 
 castes, who speak Eaglish as well as Hin- 
 doostanic. They are addressed as Baboos, a 
 title of honor, and feel infinitely above their 
 native brethren. They are very civil to 
 Europeans, but the way they kick and cuff 
 the natives is an illustration of the effect of 
 "a little brief authority"— the same all the 
 world over. 
 
 During tne night the incumerable stop- 
 ping places with unprcnouncable names dis- 
 turbed many a comfortable "forty winks," 
 
14S 
 
 and when morning came, and I tried to as- 
 certain Gur whereabouts, it was quite im- 
 possible to understand the names of the sta- 
 tions as shouted b7 the attendant porter, 
 who yells cut in a barbaric manner some 
 such euphonious name as Chandaragore, or 
 Dildaranaggur, meanwhile clanging his bell 
 to announce the approach of the train. As 
 the day grew hot a water-carrier with a 
 well-filled skin upon his back appeared at 
 every station and ran alongside the native 
 cars in answer to the universal shcu; of 
 'ah! ah! Beestie!" The dust and glare was 
 almost intolerable, but I had been warned 
 not to partake of this "cholera mixture," al- 
 though an occasional ablution taken al fresco 
 at the carriage doo", with a towel, soap and 
 sponge from my traveling bag, wa3 quite a 
 luxury. 
 
 The scene when we stopped for dinner was 
 unique. The station-master and the spar- 
 rows alone were EDgiish— everything else 
 locked Eastern. Black Sepoy soldiers rushed 
 frantically among the screaming natives 
 who were crowding into the train, each 
 hugging a big bundle, sometimes containing 
 household stuff and sometimes babies— pal- 
 kees and doolies— palanquins and sedans, as 
 we should call them— waited at the back 
 door of the station— natives were crowded 
 around the "booking office" for tickets, 
 where the Baboo in attendance was coolly 
 smoking his water-pipe— an ibis was drink- 
 ing at the engine tank ; a sacred cow looking 
 over the cactus hedge; a tame elephant 
 reaching up with his trunk at the telegraph 
 wire, on which was perched a bird with 
 bright plumage, while an Indian vulture 
 crowned the iron telegraph post. I wa9 so 
 much amused at watching these strange 
 sights that I quite forgot my dinner, and 
 when the starting bell rung I made a rush 
 to the dining room and seizad a couple of 
 sandwiches, for which I paid a rup°e, and, 
 without stopping for the change, jumpsdon 
 board the train, whica was already in mo 
 tion. 
 
 In the broad cultivated plain through 
 which we pass there are no detached houses 
 to be seen, but we frequently rush past mud 
 villages which contain quite a colony of 
 people, and are the most wretched and 
 filthy imaginable. A moat full of black 
 looking water surrounds each, which an- 
 swers the double purpose of keeping eff 
 snakes and wild animals, and of breeding 
 mosquitoes — especially the latter. The 
 thatched roofs and mud walls have a tumble 
 
149 
 
 down look, and as there are no chimneys, 
 the smoke escapes through the roof or low 
 doorway, and keeps out the mosquitoes. 
 The ditch is usually spanned by a narrow 
 plank, which seems to be a favorite spot to 
 perform the operation of tooth cleaning, for 
 we rarely pass one of these narrow bridges 
 upon which one or more natives is not 
 perched, industriously scrubbing at his 
 mouth, which I think must be a part of the 
 religion of a Hindoo, for though his black 
 skin may be filthy, and his hair frowsly, I 
 notice that their teeth are universally white 
 and clean. 
 
 Passing by one of these villages by mid- 
 day one cannot appreciate the multitude of 
 inhabitants it shelters. All is still and 
 somnolent— even the trees. The men are 
 away at work in the fields, their better- 
 halves are asleep, and the children are at the 
 schools supported by the government but 
 for which the people have to pay in taxes. 
 But in the early morning, or an hour before 
 dark in the evening, all is clazrpr and bustle. 
 The children are noisily playing and making 
 mud-pies, the "lasses" are gathering cow- 
 manure, which is stuck against the walls to 
 dry for fuel, the father is washing himself 
 and his linen in the ditch in front of the 
 village, from which the women are filling 
 water jars for culinary purposes. Here the 
 village barber is removing the hair from tho 
 poll of a slightly clad gentleman sitting on 
 his haunches in the street, while a Brahmin 
 near by daubs a would-be dandy with a 
 finishing touch of ochre on his forehead and 
 nose. As the "fire carriage" whirls by, a 
 crowd of swarthy, naked little imps line the 
 moat to gaze at the sight, and the head of 
 the family standing up to his waist in the 
 filthy pond, ceases for a moment the cleans- 
 ing process of daubing himself with mud to 
 lock at the t*ain, which, though no longer 
 a novelty, will always remain to him an 
 unfathomable mystery. 
 
 Just before dark we reach Mogul-Seran 
 the junction of a branch road six miles long 
 to Benares, the sacred city of the Hindoos. 
 Here we cross the Ganges by a bridge of 
 boats, and drive two miles through the nar- 
 row streets to the English Cantonment, 
 where a one- story Bungalow, called the 
 "Victoria Hotel," the only one here, though 
 not very promising in appearance, affords 
 us a good supper and a comfortable bed. 
 
 We took an early start the next morning 
 to "do" the sights of this curious place. 
 Our guide was a high-caste Brahmin, a 
 
150 
 
 fine-looking and very intelligent young man 
 who was educated at the Queens' College in 
 that city. He wrote his name in a Sanscrit 
 book which he gave me as "ShiYa Dotta, 
 Pundit." He laughed at the superstition 
 of his countrymen and professed to disbe- 
 lieve in Brahma and in his namesake Shir a ; 
 but I could not make out that in objuring 
 Paganism he had embraced Christianity. 
 Like many Hindoos who have been educated 
 above the religion of their ancestors he was 
 skeptical, and had no religion or theology of 
 any kind to speak of. 
 
 This city has been over a century under 
 the rule of the English, but it has changed 
 leas than any other large place in India. 
 The most intense bigotry and superstition 
 rules everywhere supreme. The inhabi- 
 tants are almost exclusively Hindoos who 
 support hundred of temples, while the 
 Mohamedans have but one great Mosque 
 whose stately minarets mark the triumph 
 of the crescent over the object and super* 
 stitous Hindoos. As we rode through the 
 suburbs we passed nundreds of women step* 
 ping gracefully along, bearing water jugs 
 on their heads, while many others were 
 crowded around the well waiting their 
 turn to dip the bright copper cans holding 
 about a quart, which every Hindoo carries, 
 into the water to fill their jugs. They kept 
 up a continual clatter like so many mag- 
 pies, ehouting and gesticulating in the 
 most excited manner. A true Hindoo when 
 not asleep, is always talking or playing on 
 the torn torn. 
 
 The great sight in Benares is the river 
 front, which is lined with palaces, temples, 
 and ghants for two miles, and where the 
 Hindoo pilgrims como from ah over India 
 to wash in the sacred river. A drive of half 
 an houf brought us to the Ganges at the 
 upper end of the city. On the way we 
 stopped 10 see the famous "Monkey Tem- 
 ple," where swarms of huge, fat-paunched, 
 yellow-headed holy monkeys fill the en- 
 closure, hang from roofs, are strung along 
 every beam, and grin at you from all 
 sides. Before we reached their temple we 
 met the outposts running along the walls 
 keeping alongside our gharry > and lumping 
 down to secure the handfulls of parched peas 
 thrown to them by my guide. Inside the 
 temple and around the large sacred tank 
 adjoining, are many thousands of these fat, 
 well-fed fellows from the venerable pa- 
 triarch to the "babe in its mother's arms." 
 They are cunning, mischievous and quite 
 

 
 
 «5 v^r 
 
 ^3W- v 
 
 
 *>■■ 
 
 
151 
 
 i gnorant of the laws of meum and teum, for 
 they steal everything they can put their 
 paws on ; but the Hindoo venerates the ape, 
 and their sscred character protects them 
 from all molestation. They believe that 
 these are dee candants from the Monkey God 
 himself who came to India thousands of 
 years ago. At the call of the priests, to 
 whom I gave some money to buy food, they 
 came noisily flocking from every direction, 
 along roof and parapet, from turret and pin- 
 nacle, down pillars, from every corner and 
 crannie each eager to receive his share, 
 cramming their pouches with frightened 
 haste, keeping one eye on up, as if ready for 
 attack or retreat. Some were large, ugly- 
 looking customers as if disposed to show 
 fight. When I shook my cane at them they 
 scampered away, but stopped at a safe dis- 
 tance to grin and "make f&css," mocking 
 every motion in that comical, semi-human 
 manner peculiar to the tribe. My "shaking 
 a stick at them" made the attendant priests 
 ecowl at me, and to strike one would lead to 
 serious consequences. 
 
 Arriving at the ? iver's edge, we embarked 
 on a boat and floated slowly down the 
 stream, which is about six hundred yards 
 wide, keeping just near enough to the shore 
 to witness one of the strangest sights in the 
 world. The Ghants, or stone steps rise 
 eighty feet from the water, and arc crowned 
 with splendid palaces of cut stone, four and 
 five stories in height, with carved saracenic 
 arches over the door-ways and windows. 
 Facing the east the early mornin? sun 
 gave a splendid architectural effect to this 
 river front, whicli Bayard Taylor says, 
 "cannot be paralleled or surpassed by any 
 similar scsne in India, or in the world." 
 Many of these buildings are the palaces of 
 wealthy Hindoo princss who make peri- 
 odical visits to Benares to purge themselves 
 from sins contracted in lees holy habita- 
 tions. There is no sin so abominable, not 
 even the crime of murder, which a dip in 
 the fetid waters of the Ganges does not in- 
 stantly effic?. At the foot of the Ghants 
 were thousands of bathers, men, women 
 and children, ducking and splashing in the 
 sacred stream. Many were entirely nude, 
 others were "next to nothing" in the way 
 of drapery, and as they stood waist-deep in 
 in the water, going through tbeir prostra- 
 tions and pcuring the filthy stuff over their 
 heads, they seemed perfectly indifferent to 
 the gftze of the crowd around. Mingled to- 
 gether and seemingly quite ucconcious of 
 
15l> 
 
 each others' presence, ould be seen the so* 
 ber, sedate matron, the young maiden, the 
 venerable priest with his young disciple, 
 and the nude ascetic with weasened aspect 
 and withered limbs, engaged in rites and 
 ceremonies hallowed to them by the usage 
 of centuries. Thick, black smoke rose to 
 the clear blue sky from bonfires between 
 the Ghants on the bank, where the bodies 
 of th9 dead are being consimed, after which 
 the ashes would be thrown into the river to 
 float straight to paradise. But the most 
 horrible sights were the dead bodies, some 
 of them partially consumed, which we saw 
 floating around in the river. Along the 
 bank in other pJaces, were lines of prostrate 
 sick people, brought to the sacred Ganges 
 to die, or perhaps to be murdered by suf- 
 focation with sacred mud by impatient 
 heirs, which is said to be not an unusual 
 occurrence. No where in the world unless 
 in Central Africa, can be seen such besotted 
 superstition and idolatry coupled with such 
 intolerant fanaticism as in Benares. 
 
 We land near a large stone building of 
 tasteful architecture, but somewhat decayed, 
 called the observatory of Jai- Singh, founded 
 in 1680. Upon the flit roof are several 
 charts of the heavens on stone, and a mural 
 quadrant for taking the sun's altitude. In 
 old times a po3se of astrologers was main- 
 tained here to observe and record the mo- 
 tion of the sun, moon and planets. 
 
 From here we drove to the Great Mosqut 
 of Aurremzebe of Vishnu, which he demol- 
 ished, to signalize the triumph of Islam over 
 Brahminism. The foundation is eighty feet 
 above the river, upon which is built the 
 mosque, with high arched dome and two 
 slender mm are, each one hundred and forty- 
 seven feet in height. Their diameter at the 
 base is only eight and one fourth feet, de- 
 creasing to seven and one-half feet at the 
 top. Though so tall and slender tbey have 
 an interior staircase of one hundred and 
 thirty steps. Our a£C9nt was not devoid of 
 risk, for each is said to lean fifteen inches 
 from the perpendicular. But the river from 
 the summit was superb, and well repaid the 
 trouble and fatigue of the climb. At our 
 feet, for miles around, was stretched the 
 crowded city, with its gaudily-painted build- 
 ings heaped together in tangled confusion, 
 while the streets were so narrow and. 
 crooked as hardly to be distinguished in the 
 mass. 
 
 Looking down from this lofty pinnacle I 
 caught sight of a bevy of gaily- dressed 
 
15' 
 
 ladiee, who were sitting in a little garden 
 within a high enclosure— the family per- 
 haps of some wealthy native. Although 
 women of the common class cm be seen 
 anywhere in the street, all ladies of high 
 rank are kept in the strictest seclusion. 
 These were riehly dressed and seemed quite 
 pretty ; but perhaps it was the "distance 
 that lent enchantment to the view." While 
 I was watching them through my opera- 
 glass they caught sight of me, and looked 
 up through their hand, in imitation of my 
 glass, with a curiosiLy greater perhaps than 
 my own— for I presume they had nevsr be 
 fore seen the face of a Frank. But suddenly 
 an old grey-headed fellow (he might be hus 
 band or father) appeared on the ecene, 
 glanced up at me, and drove the ladiee, with 
 threatening gestures, into the house. I 
 hope my innocent curiosity was not the 
 cause of trouble in the family. Descending 
 from our lofty view-point to the busy hive 
 below we slowly threaded our way out of 
 the labyrinth to the wider street, where 
 our gharry was waiting, stopping at a toy- 
 shop to buy some curiously painted and var- 
 nished toys which are a specialty of Be- 
 nares manufacture, the peculiarity of which 
 is that the bright-colored pigment is not re- 
 movable by use. 
 
 Later in the day, under the guidance of 
 "Shiva Dotta," I went to visit the famous 
 "Golden Pagoda," dedicated to the god 
 Shiva. It is situated in the most crowded 
 part of the city and only accessible on loot. 
 From the roof rise three irregular spires 
 and domes, covered with sheet copper gilt, 
 presenting the appearence in the sun of 
 glittering masses of burnished gold. The 
 throng around the temple was so dense that 
 it was only after a fearful amount of push- 
 ing and crowding through an excited throng 
 of both sex as and all ages that we could 
 penetrate the vestibule. The "holy of 
 holies" none were permitted to enter but 
 the priests and privileged worshippers. 
 Around us in the doorway was a frantic 
 crowd shouting, screaming and howling in 
 their eagerness to gain a sight of the holy 
 chamber. Not being peimitted to advance, 
 the pushing and crowding behind us of 
 hese, who seemed frantic with religious 
 frenzy, nearly took us off our feet. Within 
 the sacred inclosure before the lingam, or 
 emblem of worship, was a marble basin into 
 which the priests were throwing yellow 
 flowers, and those permitted to enter were 
 pouring from their brass utensils the 
 
154 
 
 holy water they had brought from the Gan - 
 ges. After dipping the flowers, which 
 seemed to me like yellow marigolds, into the 
 fountain the priests threw them through the 
 doorway to the pecpie, who Ecrambled after 
 them most frantically, believing that they 
 possessed some marvelous charm. A fat, 
 oily-looking Brahmin waddled to the door 
 and threw round my neck a strirg of fl »w 
 ers, at the same time holding out his han 
 for bucksheesh. The crowd behind ecowled 
 at my good luck, and my guide dre v me 
 away, for no one could tell what the zsal 
 these deluded facatic3 would lead them t 
 do to an unbeliever. Ten years ago my life 
 would not have been worth a minute's pur» 
 chase in such a place. I bestowed my strin 
 of marigolc s upon some one who could ap- 
 preciate their value, and we elbowed our 
 way into the comparatively fresh air of the 
 street, having seen enough of Hindoo idol 
 atry. 
 
 On our way back to the "Victoria," we 
 passed hundreds of 6hops devoted to the 
 manufacture of brass and copper idols of 
 Vishnu, Shiva and Buddha. In other shops 
 where no manufacturing was going on 1 
 saw large quantities of hideous little idols 
 made of iron and covered with gilt lacquer, 
 which my guide assured me were [made in 
 Birmingham. Verily, not India alone, but 
 Christian England also, is somewhat given 
 up to I-dollar-try. W. P. F. 
 
1 &.35.1S -, 
 
NUMBER TWENTY-TWO. 
 
 Allahabad Junction-The City of Al- 
 lah—An Invisible River— Paradise far 
 the Faithfal— The Fort— A Puzzle for 
 Savant— Club for a Giant— The Fu- 
 ture Capital -Krusra Garden— Tame 
 Sparrow* — Cawnpore — The Sepoy 
 Rebellion— The Memorial Garden— 
 Lucknow, the City of Palaces— First 
 Impressions Illative— The Heart's De- 
 light— Martiniere- "Secunder Bagh" 
 —The "Palace of Csesai"~The Mu- 
 seum—The Residency— An Impressive 
 Ruin-"Dinna Ye Hear the Slogan !" 
 —The Grave of Havelock— Barbarity 
 of the Conquerors— Treatment of the 
 Natives. 
 
 Lucknow, India, February, 1871. 
 Iremembsr seeing upon one of the coupons 
 of a fanciful ticket, "Round the World," 
 issued by the Erie Railway, "Calcutta to 
 Bombay (l s 500 miles) via Allahabad Junc- 
 tion." The latter placs sotmded to me like 
 a mylh, but Mere I am, and fird 
 the "City of Allah," aa the name 
 signifies, a very substantial reality. 
 It is situated about cne hundred miles above 
 Benares, at the goe Science of the Jumna 
 and the Ganges. The Hindoos, from time 
 immemorial, have, considered Allahabad one 
 of the most sacred places in India. Here 
 they say three rivers join. Only two of theee 
 are visible— the third, unseen by mortal 
 eyes, flows direct from Heaven. It is said 
 that over two hundred thousand pilgrims 
 visit this spot every year. When a pilgrim 
 arrives, he sits on the bank of the river, 
 and has his head and body shaved so that 
 his hair may fall into the water; for his 
 sacred writings promise him for every hair 
 thus deposited a thousand years of Para- 
 dise. 
 
 At the junction of the two rivers is a 
 very strong fort, built three hundred years 
 ago by Akbar, one of the Mogul Emperors, 
 when the Mohamedan power in India was 
 in its glory. The walls are of red eand- 
 stone, and 2,500 Mil ts in circuit, and present Ma > - . 
 a very imposing appearance. It is thor- 
 oughly armed and garrisoned, and one of the 
 strongest places held by the British in this 
 country. An English officer very politely 
 
156 
 
 showed me through the fortress, and point* 
 ed out the vaults where all the Europeans 
 of the station took refuge during the mu- 
 tiny of 1857, where many fell victims to 
 cholera brought on by pestilence and suffer- 
 ing. Under the fort is a curious subterran- 
 ean passage which the natives believe runs 
 all the way to B snares. I penetrated about 
 two hundred feet to a spot where a sacred 
 tamarind tree is shown, which the Hindoos 
 eay grew in this very place. The water 
 trickling from the roof and the bad air made 
 it impossible for me to proceed further. 
 The fort contains an immense quantity of 
 cannon and munitions of war, and large re- 
 pair shops where several hundred men were 
 at work. "Within the walls was once the 
 favorite residence of Shah-Jehan, but all 
 that remains of his beautiful palace is the 
 *'Hall of Akbar," a magnificent room, two 
 hundred and seventy-two feet long, now 
 used as an armory. Here are arranged 
 with great taste along the walls, and 
 through the center of the hall, over 50,000 
 stand of arms. 
 
 In the center of the fort stands an ancient 
 monolith, forty-two feet in height by about 
 three in diameter, and slightly tapering at 
 the top. On it are two long Sanscrit in- 
 scriptions, obviously of remote antiquity, 
 which have puzzled the most learned anti- 
 quarians. The popular belief is that it is 
 the Club of Bhim Sen, a hero who figures 
 in the romantic legends of Hindostan. 
 
 Allahabad has a population of about one 
 hundred thousand natives, besides many 
 civil and military officials, being the cipital 
 of the Northwestern Provinces, and the 
 junction of the two great lines of railway 
 connecting Bombay and Calcutta. It is in- 
 creasing rapidly in business and importance, 
 and from its csntral location, healthy cli- 
 mate and important strategic position it is 
 predicted that it will some day become the 
 capital of British India. The new town is 
 laid out with wide, handsome roads, lined 
 with well-built bungalows, and when the 
 trees are fully grown, which are planted 
 along the avenues and so essential in this 
 hot climate, it will become a very attractive 
 place of residence. 
 
 After the fort the most interesting sight 
 is the Krusru Garden, which adjoins the 
 railway station. This garden, or pleasure 
 ground, is surrounded by a high embattled 
 wall, and is five hundred feet square. In- 
 side it is tastelully arranged and cultivated, 
 and contains some very fine old Mango trees 
 
157 
 
 of immense size. In the centre are three 
 large stone mausoleums, surmounted by 
 marble domes, from the roof of which is a 
 splendid view of the city and surrounding 
 country. 
 
 The dining room at the Allahabad Hotel 
 is very lofty and opens with large doors to 
 the surrounding gardens. At breakfast 
 this morning I heard the twittering of spar- 
 rows, and was surprised to see them flying 
 all about the room, so tame as to pick 
 crumbs from the hands of the guests at the 
 table. E very where in India I have remark- 
 ed the abundance and tameness of the birds. 
 It is part of the religion of a Hindoo never 
 to kill a living being when avoidable. This 
 is carried si most too far, when applied to 
 wild beasts and noxious vermin, but it soft- 
 ens their treatment of animals, and is one 
 ennobling feature in their system of idolatry 
 and superstition, which might well be im- 
 itated by Christians. 
 
 Another hundred miles to the north and 
 we reach Cawnpore, ever memorable as the 
 scene of the most barbarous act of the mu- 
 tiny of 1857. It is situated on the right 
 bank of the Ganges, and was once a place of 
 considerable importance and busy traffic. 
 It is now a large military station, with long 
 ranges of barracks and store-houses, and 
 usually several regiments of troops are sta- 
 tioned here. I presume the sad story of 
 the massacre of nearly three hundred wo- 
 men and children, and the casting of their 
 bodies into a well, by order of the infamous 
 Nana Sahib, is familiar to most of my read- 
 ers. 
 
 The sudden breaking out of the mutiny 
 and revolt of the Sepoy soldiers in May, 
 1867, found the government qaite unpre- 
 pared for such an emergency. At that time 
 there were no railways or telegraphs in 
 Indis, and these distant stations were com- 
 pletely isolated. The rebellion broke out 
 simultaneously at several points and spread 
 like wild-fi-e ; and in a few weeks the whole 
 northwestern provinces were in the posses- 
 sion of the rebels. The East India Company 
 had an army of about two hundred thousand 
 men, of whom only thirty thousand were 
 English, and these were scattered in small 
 detachments over an immense territory. 
 The native troops were officered by Europe- 
 ans, most of whom were instantly dis- 
 patched by the mutineers, and their places 
 supplied by natives, who displayed consid- 
 erable military ability during the struggle 
 that followed. They fought with ropes 
 
158 
 
 round their neck*, and little quarter was 
 given on either side. The Sepoys were 
 well drilled and disciplined soldiers, and 
 amply provided with cannon, arms and mu- 
 nitions of war- 
 
 Only a portion of the native troops re • 
 volted, and in several provinces the judi- 
 cious management and prompt action of the 
 civil and military authorities kept them 
 faithlul to the EngMsh, with whom 
 they united in putting down the 
 rebels. Had the disaffection been general, 
 and any unity of action existed among the 
 rebels, every vestige of British rule would 
 have been swept from India. 
 
 The immediate pretext of the mutiny 
 was the use of cartridges greased with lard, 
 which the Sepoys were compelled to bite 
 off. To touch "the «nclean animal" was to 
 them a defilement against which their reli- 
 gion revolted. Fortunately, though both 
 Masselmen and Hindoos united in hating 
 their foreign rulers, they bore no affection 
 for each oth^r. The former numbered but 
 one in twelve of the native population, and 
 aro high -spirited and brave. Their ances- 
 tors hsd overrun India and ruled the coun- 
 try for five hundred years beior e the En- 
 glish acquired poesession. The Kings of 
 Delhi and Oade, with many less powerful 
 Rajahs, still retained their titles, but were 
 only nominal cr titular princes, keeping up 
 the semblance of royalty, but in fact stipen- 
 diaries, supported by the allowances made 
 to them by their English masters. Jeal- 
 ousy between Mohamedans and Hindoos 
 created a division in their counsel?, and 
 made the suppression of the rebellion com- 
 paratively easy. 
 
 But it was a narrow escape, and the En- 
 glish learned a lesson, costing them dearly 
 in blocd and treasure, which resulted in a 
 more humane and loss oppressive system of 
 government, under which the country is 
 now more prosperous than ever before. 
 
 The rebellion broke out in the spring, 
 and during the awfully hot summer that fol- 
 lowed it was very difficult for the Esglish 
 soldiers, sent cut to Iadia from home, to re- 
 lieve the few isolated forts that held out 
 against the insurgents, in which were 
 crowded all the English residents with 
 tbpir wives and children. The whole coun- 
 try from Delhi to Calcutta, more than 
 twelve hundred miles in extent, was in the 
 hands of the rebels ; and in Delhi, the an- 
 cient capital, a de?C3ndant of the Moguls 
 was proclaimed Emperor of India. Herein 
 

 \JJB$5t\^F^ 
 
159 
 
 Cawnpore a large army of Sepoys, com- 
 manded by Nana Sahib, besieged the hand- 
 ful of British troops and half caste residents, 
 and forced them at last t9 surrender, with 
 the promise of being permitted to embark 
 on the river. But before they could leave 
 the shore fire was opened upon them, and 
 only two escaped alive. In another part of 
 the town, where several hundred invalid 
 soldiers and women and children were col- 
 lected, all were slaughtered, and their 
 bodies, yet warm, thrown into an old well. 
 
 My first visit in Cawnpoie was to this 
 spot, where now on a raised mound is a 
 beautiful memorial, erected over the wcl'. 
 It consists cf a high stone platform, on 
 which stands a marble statue of a female 
 with wings, designed by Baron Marochetti. 
 This is surrounded by a stone gothic screen 
 of beautiful design and workmanship. Near 
 by are the tombs of those who fell at Cawn- 
 pore during the mutiny. There are many 
 nameless, grass-grown mounds, among 
 which are shrubs and flowers. The keeper 
 of the place pointed out some patches of 
 ground where the grass but feebly sprouted, 
 aud which resembled the "fairy rings" one 
 sometimes sees in country places, and said, 
 "These are the places where the little chil- 
 dren are buried, the grass won't grow here 
 if I water it ever so much. It seems to me 
 as if the curse of God is on the spot, and on 
 the men who committed the horrible deed " 
 A large tract of ground neatly laid out and 
 beautifully kept, called the Memorial Qar - 
 den, surrounds the spot, and no native is 
 allowed under any consideration to enter 
 the enclosure. 
 
 From Cawnpore there is a branch road, 
 forty- two miles to Lucknow, the capital 
 of Oude, which contains a population of over 
 300,000 people. It is a purely oriental city 
 of great extent and very picturesque ap- 
 pearance. More properly than any other 
 place in India it is entitled to the name of 
 the "City of Palaces. 
 
 Approaching the city from the railway 
 station, a mile distant, the picture was like 
 a dream of fairy land. Msjeetic buildings, 
 apparently of white marble, crowned with 
 domes of burnished gold, scores of pinna- 
 cles and minarets, many of them very high 
 and graceful, spacious grounds filled with 
 choice shrubbery and flowers, made the 
 first impression very gratifying. But a 
 nearer view destroyed much of the illusion. 
 What at a distance seemed the purest mar- 
 ble turned to whitewashed brick and plaster, 
 
and burnished gold became very dingy gilt. 
 During the two days spent there I visited 
 many very interesting places, of which I 
 have space for only a slight sketch. With 
 an intelligent native who spoke good Eng- 
 lish for a guide, I drove first to the Dilkoo- 
 shah Palace, or "Heart's D alight," an im- 
 posing, square edifice, with Sinking towers 
 and a gilt dome. It was built ty Sadut- 
 Ah'Khan, and was a favorite country resi- 
 dence of the ladies cf his harem. The en- 
 trance ia a noble portico, as high a3 the 
 buildiEg, to which leads a grand flight of 
 seeps. This place was the headquarters of 
 Sir Colin Campbell's force at the final at- 
 tack and capture of Lucknow, duriEg the 
 mutiny. 
 
 Not far from the Dilkooshah is a whimsical 
 pile of buildings of every species of archi- 
 tecture, exiled the "ilartiniere." or "Con- 
 stantia." The front is adorned with ex- 
 travagant figures of animals and gods, enor- 
 mous lions with gaping mouths , and lamps 
 in placa of eyes, goddesses with shaking 
 heads, and fantastic figures of heathen my- 
 thology. This building was erected about 
 seventy years ago by an eccentric French 
 adventurer named Claude Martine, who 
 came out to India as private soldier, amassed 
 immense wealth, and died a M?JDr General 
 in the service of one of the native princes. 
 He left five hundred thousand pounds ster- 
 ling to endow schools in Lucknow, Calcutta 
 and Lyons. In this buildiEg one hundred 
 and eighty boys are provided wit ha good 
 education free of expense. The interior 
 contains seme handsome apartments, with 
 richly ornamented ceilings, which when 
 new must have been strikingly beautiful , 
 but now they are diogy and defaced. 
 
 From "Constantia" we drove to "Secun - 
 der Bagb,'' a garden one hundred and 
 twenty yards square, surrounded by a high 
 brick wall with a gateway. It wa3 laid out 
 by one of the eid kings of Oade for his 
 favorite wife, and i9 now inte;esting as the 
 place where 2,000 Sepoys took refuge duiiEg 
 the siege. A break was made in the wall, 
 and it was carried by storm, and the rebels 
 slaughtered to a man. 
 
 Ojlt next visit was to the "Kaiser Bagfc,'' 
 or "Palace of Caesar," the title adopted 
 by the Kings of Oude. This immense pile 
 of buildings is of marble and decorated in 
 the mo-t extravagant manner. It was 
 built by the last King and finished in 1S50. 
 The co9t is said to have been eighty lac3 of 
 i upees, or forty million dollars. Its shape 
 
161 
 
 is that of a series of quadrangles, ap- 
 proached through nassive gateways of 
 marble, adorned with royal emblems. The 
 courts and gardens, fountains and paviilions 
 must have presented in the days of its foun- 
 der, a truly brilliant spectacle, surrounded 
 by all gaudy and striking appurtenances 
 of an eastern court, which knew no bounds 
 to its extravagance. 
 
 Two other splendid pakc83 stand upon 
 the banks of the river, one of which is called 
 the "Chutter Munzil,' 1 ' from the gilt wm- 
 brellas with which the domes are crowned. 
 This sheltered the ladies of the harem, and 
 is now used as a club house and a public 
 library. In the other is a very interesting 
 museum of natural history with one of the 
 most complete collections of Indian animals, 
 birds acd reptiles in the world. On one side 
 of the room I noticed a series of the skele- 
 tons of monkeys, evidently arranged by a 
 believer in the Darwinian theory. Com- 
 mencing at the lowest grade, there was a 
 gradual rise through the diffarent species 
 (the tails becoming less prominent) up to 
 the ourang outang and gorilla, and the series 
 was crowned by the skeleton of a man. 
 
 Lucknow has the credit of being the 
 original source from whence the rebellion 
 of 1857 sprang, and has become memorable 
 as the scene of one of the most remarkable 
 sieges on record. Here in a building called 
 the Besidency, for five long months, during 
 the heat of summer, a little band of noble 
 hearts held out with unexampled courage 
 and endurance against a horde of well-armed 
 and ferocious enemies. Within the enclosure 
 were several large buildings used as public 
 offices, and surrounded by a low walh 
 Close outside the Eesidency were other 
 buildings occupied by the rebels, and it was 
 wholly unfit for defense against an enemy 
 provided with an abundance of cannon and 
 skilled in the use of arms. The ruins have 
 been allowed to remain as far as possible in 
 the same state in which they were left after 
 "the relief." The buildings were terribly 
 shattered with shot and shell, and every 
 spot has a sad story connected with the 
 siege. In this room a plate on the wall 
 shows where the gallant Sir Henry Law- 
 rence was mortally wounded by the burst 
 ing of a shell. We descend here into the 
 cellars, where the women and children and 
 the sick were driven for refuge from the 
 hail of shot, anu where so many died. The 
 roofless buildings stand in solemn ruin, 
 a monument alike of the bravery and devo- 
 
162 
 
 tion of that handful of heroic men who held 
 it so long against overwhelming numbers, 
 and of the self denying heroism of the 
 women and children, who perished uncom- 
 plainingly in its cellars. In the church 
 yard adjoining which is kept in perfect 
 order and beautifully decorated with flower?, 
 are buried those who perished during the 
 siege. 
 
 The armies under Generals Campbell aEd 
 Havelock were twice repulsed in trying to 
 penetrate to their relief, and the garrison 
 were ready to despair, when the fainting 
 girl raised her head and cried, "Dinna ye 
 hear the slogan ?" Her quick ear had caught 
 the sound of the bag-pipes, and the familiar 
 air of her native Highlands, "The Camp- 
 bells are coming." 
 
 Upon the tomb of Sir Henry Lawrence is 
 the simple inscription, "jHere lies Sir Eenry 
 Lawrence, who tried to do his duly." About 
 two miles from Lucknow on the Cawnpore 
 road is the Alumbagh, formerly a garden 
 pilace of the King of Oude. In the center of 
 this garden rest the remains of Sir Henry 
 Havalock, "the Christian soldier." A plain 
 stone obelisk marks his grave. 
 
 The atrocities of the mutineers at Cawn- 
 pore and Lucknow aroused the worst pas- 
 sions of the British soldiers. These were 
 the deeds of a race of half-civilized pagans. 
 By what name can we call the horrible cru- 
 elties by which theee deeds W6re avenged ? 
 For every English victim a score of natives 
 suffered death. The horrors of blowing 
 prisoners from the mouth of cannon have 
 never been half told. When all civilized 
 nations were shocked at the barbarity of 
 these proceedings the perpetrators became 
 cautious about mentioning the subject to 
 strangers. 
 
 On the railway between Cawnpore and 
 Lucknow I met a "guard," who was an offi- 
 cer in the army during the mutiny, and 
 from whom, by judicious questioning, I 
 drew some particulars on this eubjsct. He 
 related among other things the method of 
 execution. It was a string of helpless men 
 tied In front of a cannon, a few pounds of 
 powder, and that was all. "A very simple 
 method, you see," said he. "Did they sub- 
 mit quietly?" I asked. "Oh, yes, they are 
 all fatalists in their religion, and sometimes 
 didn't need to be tied ; but I remember one 
 keen-eyed fellow, who cursed me as I was 
 tying him up, and said he would come back 
 as a crow and pick out my eyes." "How 
 many do you think were executed here and 
 
o 
 
 H 
 
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 ft 
 
 b 
 z 
 
 2 
 
 < 
 w 
 
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163 
 
 at Delhi?" "Oh, many thousands. We 
 made short work of them. Sir, I caught a 
 dozen or more Sikhs one night trying to 
 escape from the camp with stolen cartridges 
 ia their knapsacks. We blew them to 
 pieces the next morning." These stories of 
 deliberate barbarity were related, as he sup- 
 posed, to a sympathizing auditor, with per- 
 fect sang froid. These atrocities were not 
 confined to rebels taken with arms in their 
 hands, for very few prisoners were taken ; 
 but whole villages were arrested on suspi- 
 cion of "aiding and abetting," and thou- 
 sands executed with a mere form of trial. 
 
 I heard often in India of the splendid 
 "loot" at the capture of Delhi; and in 
 marching through the country the soldiers 
 could hardly set eyes on a native prince or a 
 Hindoo palace without exclaiming, "What 
 a place to "break up!" "What a fellow to 
 loot!" It is plain that the Danish- Anglo - 
 Saxon still has the taint of the old sea-king 
 robbers in his blood. 
 
 It was a maxim of the Portuguese Jesuits 
 that men who live long among Asiatics sel- 
 dom fail to learn their vices, and this is often 
 illustrated here; but the older residents 
 treat the natives with much more kindness 
 than new-comers, especially soldiers. The 
 pompous young sprigs of officers who have 
 j net "come out" are the most harsh and cruel 
 masters. In some hotels I noticed the sig- 
 nificant notice, "Gentlemen are requested 
 not to strike the servants." No comment is 
 necessary. W. P. F. 
 
NUMBER TWENTY-THREE. 
 
 Approach to Agra— Cotton Boats— The 
 Sight* of Agra— The Fort— Hall cf 
 Judgment— The Sandal Wood Gates 
 — he Emperor's Palace— A Mam- 
 moth Pachisi-Board— The Peail 
 Mosque— Secundra Bagh— A Fancy 
 Team— Akbai's Mausoleum— The Taj 
 —A Thing of Beauty, and a Wonder- 
 ful Echo— The Taj Seen by Blue- 
 Lights— A Persian Description— Delhi 
 —A Great Scoundrel— Visit to the 
 Citadel— The Hall of Audience— The 
 Peacock Throne— Chandnee Chowk— 
 The Great Mosque- A Field of Anima- 
 ted Poppies— Relics of Mahomet— "Bjr 
 the Prophet's Beard"— The Cashmere 
 Gate -A Gallant Deed. 
 Returning to Cawnpore on the main lire, 
 I took an early morning train, and in teven 
 hours reached Toondla Jurc v ioD, from 
 whence a branch road runs twelve miles to 
 Agra, the once famed city of the Emperor 
 Akbar. "What wondrous changes have oc- 
 curred since the days when the Mussulman 
 dynasty held sway over these rich and fer- 
 tile countries, where now speeds the all- 
 civilizing locomotive, then swept by the de- 
 vasting hordes of Timour the Tartar; and 
 the battalions of " Akbar the magnificent" 
 in all the pomp ?nd splendor of unbounded 
 eastern wealth, delighted the eye, as struck 
 terror to the heart of the worshipping 
 thousands who flock to the city to greet the 
 mighty Emperor. 
 
 Agra, or Akbarabad as it was formerly 
 called, stands on the left bank of the Jum- 
 na, and in the days of its splendor the 
 v* hole space from the river's bank to tue 
 Fort, is said to have been covered with pal- 
 aces, of which nothing now remains but the 
 ruins. Engaging a gharry at the station 
 after much chaffering with the native dri- 
 ver, for I have found that in India as well 
 as elsewhere in the world, to save trouble one 
 must always make a bargain before-hand 
 with a Jehu, and never agree to pay above 
 half the price a&ked, and rescuing ray traps 
 from a dozen coolies, all of whom demanded 
 bucksheesh, I took refuge in the vehicle 
 from a crowd of beggars, halt, biind and 
 maimed, and drove across the rickety fljat- 
 
165 
 
 ing bridge to Beaumont's Hotel, within the 
 "civil lines" where the English officials 
 reside. 
 
 Alongside the bridge I noticed two ele- 
 phants fording the river and spirting the 
 water about with their trunks in great glee, 
 to the infinite disgust, it seemed, of their 
 black drivers, who, seated just back of their 
 necks, prodded them on with their iron- 
 tipped poles. 
 
 Along the banks of the rapid stream I 
 counted over thirty fhtboats laden with 
 cotton, their bows fastened to the bank, as 
 one sees them in Memphis or Nashville. 
 Their freight, brought down from the up 
 country, is here transferred to the railway 
 for Calcutta or Bombay, 
 
 The three principal objects of interest in 
 Agra are the Fort, Akbar's Tomb and the 
 Taj, the last named built by Shah-Jehan, 
 about two hundred years ago, as the Mauso- 
 leum of his favorite wife Noor Jehan, or 
 the "light of the world," who is said to have 
 been of surpassing beauty. (Here let m's 
 say that in Hindoostanee words the letter a 
 always has the broad sound, as if followed 
 by r.) Besides these, at Fettehpore, twenty- 
 four miles distant, are the magnificent ruins 
 of a favorite residence of the Emperor 
 Akbar, which he deserted at the instigation 
 of a Mussulman ascetic, who passed for a 
 saint, and who complained that his devo- 
 tions were interfered with by the bustle of 
 a city and the gaieties of the court. Akbar 
 therefore built the city of Agra upon what 
 was then an unpeopled waste. The court 
 and towns-people removed thither, and 
 Fettehpore, with a massive palace, its noole 
 residences and its deserted streets, remains 
 to this day a monument of the splendor and 
 wealth of its founder, and a testimony to 
 the despotic power which a reputation for 
 sanctity has in all ages conferred. As a 
 journey to this place could only be made in 
 a Dak Gharry, and would occupy two days 
 time, I left it oui of my programme. 
 
 My first visit was to the Fort, the wails of 
 which built of huge blocks of red sandstone, 
 are sixty feet in height, with macchiola- 
 ted battlements, and a mile and a half in 
 length. It was considered of enormous 
 strength when it wa9 built, three hundred 
 years ago, and the arrangem ent of its trav- 
 erses, covered passages and inner bastions, 
 every approach being commanded by guns, 
 shows that the engineers of those days were 
 well skilled in the art of fortification. It 
 contains the Arsenal, Ak bar's palace, and 
 
166 
 
 th3 celebrated Motee Mutjeed, or "Pearl 
 Mosque." Passing through a noble court- 
 yard, five hundred feet by three hundred 
 and seventy, we entered a splendid hall, 
 now used as an armory, which was once 
 the de wan, or judgment hall of Emperor 
 Akbar. In a recess near the center is the 
 throne of white marble, inlaid with mosaics. 
 The lofty roof is supported by three rows 
 of pillars connected by saracenic arche3 of 
 great beauty. At the upper end of the hali 
 are the celebrated gates of Somnath, cap - 
 tured by Lord Ellenborough in the A Af- 
 ghan campaign. They are twelve feet high, 
 very massive, and composed entirely of 
 sandal-wood, elaborately carved and inlaid. 
 
 .Beyond th9 Arsenal, overhanging the 
 Jamna is the Emperor's palace, still in tol- 
 erable preservation. In the galleries, the 
 balconies and the corridors is a perfect 
 forest of carving and ornamentation— all of 
 the finest white marble, which in the hands 
 of the artists of those days seemed as tract,- 
 able as wood. Perhaps the greatest curi- 
 osity of the palace is the Shish-Mehal, or 
 "Hall of Glass." It was Intended for a bath, 
 and the walls and ceilings are covered with 
 thousands of small mirrors, arranged in ibe 
 most intricate designs. In the center was a 
 marble basin into which mimic cascades 
 poured from the walls. "When lighted with 
 colored lamps behind these tiny waterfalls, 
 the fairy-like chamber must have realizd 
 all the fable splendors of Arabian story 
 
 In a tesselated courtyard of white and 
 black marble, the Emperoi's favorite gams 
 of Pachisi used to be played. Each square 
 of this titanic board is large enough for a 
 parson to stand upon, and sixteen little 
 girls, each four of whom were dressed in 
 distinctive colors, ranlrom square to square, 
 in accordance with the throw of the cow- 
 ries or dice. 
 
 I was shown the curious under ground 
 passage, near what was once the Zenana or 
 women's apartments, where the ladies ot 
 the harem played hide and seek before the 
 Emperor, clad only in the garb of Eve. At 
 the end of the passage is an old and veiy 
 deep well, in which the unfaithful ones were 
 put when sentenced to death. 
 
 The remaining object ol interest in the 
 Fort, is the Pearl Mosque, of small dimen- 
 sions, but absolutely perfect in style and 
 proportions. It is an exquisitly beautiful 
 building, surmounted by three domes of 
 white marble, which in distant views of 
 the Fort are seen like silver bubbles, rest- 
 
If/; 
 
 ing for a moment on its walls, which the 
 next breeze may sweep away. 
 
 Leaving the Taj for the last, I drove from 
 the Fart eight miles down the river to 
 Secundra .Bagh, the Mausoleum of the great 
 Emperor, over a road said to have once 
 been lined with palaces, the ruins of which 
 cin be seen on either side. On tbe way 
 we overtook an English built open ba- 
 rouche, drawn by apair of milk-white oxen, 
 whose harness was decorated with geld and 
 silver ornaments- la the carriage were two 
 wealthy nabob?, richly dressed and wearing 
 larg8 turbans of alternate white and red 
 tilk. My ambitious Qhamwan, who ought 
 to have known better, essayed to pass this 
 elegant establishment, but soon found his 
 mistake, for tbe "cattle" when touched 
 with the whip, were eff at a pace that left 
 our sorry steed far in the rea r . 
 
 The tomb of Akb&r stands in a spacious 
 garden, entered by four gatewayp, seventy 
 feet high, leading to a stone platform, four 
 hundred feet square, on which is a splendid 
 building of sandstone, with the two upper 
 stories of marble. In a vaulted hall in the 
 centre of this structure, which is five stories 
 high and three hundred feet on each side, is 
 a srmli plain sarcophagus, en whfci is 
 sculptured a wreath of n^wers. Beneath it 
 is the dust of Akbar, the fourth descendant 
 from lamanlane, and one of the greatest 
 men who ever wielded a scepter. Qa the 
 tap of the building under a gilded dome, 
 and surrounded by screens of marb'e, 
 wrought into patterns of marvellous rich- 
 ness and variety, stands another sarcopha- 
 gus on which are sculptured in raised Ara- 
 bic characters the ninety- nino attributes cf 
 Allah. This splendid tomb perpetuates no 
 less the affection of the builder, Jehangen, 
 the son of the Emperor, than the greatness 
 of him in honor of whose memory it was 
 erected. 
 
 Keturning rapidly to the city we drove to 
 the T?j, which is esteemed the most beau- 
 tiful building in the world. It is situated 
 in a noble quadrangle, enclosed by lofty 
 sandstone walls, and approached by a gate- 
 way, itself a splendid structure, with twen- 
 ty«six white marble cupolas. The grounds 
 are beautifully laid out with stately trees, 
 shrubs and flower beds, and 'kept in perfect 
 order at tho expense of the government. 
 The firet view ot the T?j is obtained as you 
 pass the gateway at the end of a long avenue 
 of tall cypress tress. Upon a platform cf 
 sandstone is raised a terrace of white mar- 
 
16* 
 
 ble three hundred and thirteen feet square, 
 upcn which i3 the beautiful pile Itself! Its 
 shape is an irregular cctagon , the sides 
 facing the four cardinal points, in which are 
 the entrsrcss, being ab:ut one hundred ard 
 thirty feet long. From the centre of the 
 roof springs a marble dome, expanding 
 erandly and rising to a height of eighty 
 feet, tipped on its fumrait with a silt cres- 
 cent-pointed spire, two hundred sad ninety- 
 six feet from the basement. At each of the 
 four corners nf the platform i<? a minaret 
 one tuodred ard thirty-three feet high, cf 
 exquisite proportion-, and the smallest pos- 
 sible eiieomference in proportion to its 
 height m Oa either side of the Tsj is a red 
 sandstone building, with loity domes and 
 handsome portals, erected, it is supposed, to 
 enhanc3 by contrast the beamy of the main 
 building User, and showing a more than re- 
 gal disregard of east in order to secure the 
 greatest possible en\c. 
 
 la the centre, immediately beneath the 
 dome, are two sarcophagi, side by side, of 
 Shah Jehan and hi3 wife, the actual tomb 
 being in the marble basement underneath. 
 They are cf the purest white marble, such 
 as is said to be now unobtainable, and inlaid 
 with flDwers in a mosvic work of precious 
 stones, each fliwer being a woik of art in 
 itself. The cornelian, aga'e, blood-Etcroe 
 and lapis-lszuli mostly preva ; l, wrcuzht 
 into a most perfect resemblance in 
 shape and size of the lotus, the iris, and the 
 tulip. An octagonal screen cf trellis-work 
 in marble, wrought in cpon tracery of most 
 intricate design, surrounds the tombs. Upon 
 the cornice, the arches of the doors and win- 
 dows, and along the entranco passages, are 
 inlaid in black marble, verses irom the Koran ; 
 the whole book, it is said, being ttu? repro- 
 duced upon the wtl!s of the building. 
 
 Under the dome li an echo 30 sweet, pure 
 and prolonged, that it eeem3 almost mar- 
 velous. A single mu3icai note uttered by 
 toe voici, fl )ats and soars overhead in a long, 
 delicious undulation, fading away so slowly 
 and iuipercaptibly that you seem to hear it 
 after it is silent. I listened entranced and 
 amsz-datita wonderful eff:cr, the strains 
 sweetly prolonging themselves around the 
 high-arched dome, liko the harmonies of 
 angels in parsdise. 
 
 D sending a sloping marble passage from 
 the outside near the main entrance, and sur- 
 rounded by a crowd cf chatteiing native 
 guides with candles, we now inspected the 
 actual tomb of S'aah Jehan snd his beautiful 
 
169 
 
 queen. The ccnotap afcfcrare marble, pro- 
 fusely inlaid with precious stones, and in- 
 scribed with Persian characters. This 
 chamber has no light but that reflected 
 through the entrance, which falls directly 
 on the marble tombs, greatly increasing the 
 solemnity of the effect. 
 
 Not satisfied with having seen the Taj bv 
 the light of the eua, we resolved to view it 
 again by night, illuminated by blue-lights; 
 and it would have been a loss to have miss- 
 ed this aspect of the wonderful building. 
 The many hangers-on who call themselves 
 "guardians," will arrange the exhibition for 
 a few rupees. Standing mid way down the 
 long garden walk we witnessed the brilliant 
 illumination from minarets and terraces, the 
 exquisite outline of the building thrown 
 into striking relief on the dark sky, render - 
 icg the scene almost fairy-like, as in an in- 
 stant, when the lights weie extinguished 
 the building vanished from sight. 
 
 Bishop Heber has said, "The Pathans de- 
 signed like Titans and finished lik3 J3wel- 
 ers " Great as are the dimensions of the 
 Tsj it is as laboriously finished as a Chinese 
 caEket carved in ivory. It cost fifteen mil- 
 lion dollars and was twenty years in build- 
 ing. An old Persian manuscript gives a 
 mismte description of the T?j, in exaggera- 
 ted Eastern phraseology, giving the quan- 
 tity of the different marbles used, the names 
 and cost of the various precious stones, many 
 of which wero received as tributes from dif- 
 ferent nations under the Emperoi'd rule; 
 and in referring to its origin, says: "Zoue 
 was its author ; Beauty its inspiration." 
 
 Next to their Mosques, the Mueeulmen 
 conquerors of India seem to have delighted 
 in lavishing wealth upon their tombs. It is 
 said that the Tombs of the Turks and Mo- 
 guls form a complete and unbroken series of 
 architectural monuments from the first year 
 of the Moslem invasion to the present hour, 
 la no country of the world do we find such 
 wondrousiy beautiful sepulcherF, in eueh a 
 perfect state of preservation. They were 
 built to last for all time, and the designs 
 show us how much we have yet to learn be- 
 fore we can hope to rival the magnificence 
 and exquisite beauty found in the Tombs 
 and Palaces of the Mahometan era. 
 
 Leaving Agra with regret, and looking 
 often back at the beautiful dome of the Taj , 
 which can be seen for miles away, in five 
 hours we reached Delhi, the famed capital 
 of the Moslem Kings, whic'i is situated on 
 the left bank of the Jumna, one thousand 
 
170 
 
 and nineteen miles from Calcutta. This 
 place, made famous by the posts of Hin- 
 dostan, whence in the days of its splendor 
 iscutd the devastating armies of the Moguls 
 obtains on its site the ruins of ten cities of 
 the same name, having been captured, 
 sacked, destroyed and rebuilt no less than 
 eleven times, not always upon the same ex- 
 act spot, but extending over an area of about 
 forty square miles. This change of location 
 was caused sometimes by the total destruc- 
 tion of the old towns, sometimes by a change 
 in the bed of the river, and sometimes from 
 the ambition of sn Emperor who wished to 
 build a more splendid residence. For wher* 
 ever the King bunt his fortified palace, the 
 nobles flrcked around, and the people soon 
 followed for the protection of the King's 
 soldiers against the robber tribes. 
 
 Modern Delhi was built about two hun- 
 dred years ago by the Empsror Shah Jehan, 
 and is enclosed by a turreted wall five and 
 a half mile3 in circuu, and is approached 
 through twelve strongly fortified entrances, 
 the principal of wh'c'i are known as the 
 Cashmere, Delhi, Lahore and Calcutta 
 gates. 
 
 "We arrived in Delhi late in the evening, 
 and had the choice of the only two placf s 
 where strangers can be accommodated, the 
 Dak Bangalcw (or government caravan- 
 serai,) and the 'United Service Hotel." 
 We chese the latter, which wa3 under the 
 management of a native Bengalese, whose 
 name gporoximated in sound, "Barrabbas." 
 He proved to be a "thief and a robber," and 
 his name was appropriate, for a more un- 
 mitigated scamp I did not meet in Icdis. 
 Smooth as oil in speech, cringing and fawn- 
 ing in manner, he watched over us as birds 
 for his ebpecial plucking, keeping every- 
 body away except those who would pay the 
 highest commission on our purchases, and 
 coaxing silver rupees out of us which he 
 pretended to pay as buckshetsh at the sev- 
 eral places we vi6ited, but coolly pocketed, 
 giving only copper p:'c3; and at last pre- 
 senting a bill that was perf ciy stunning. 
 In fine, "we were strangers and he took us 
 in." 
 
 Oar first vuit on the morning after our 
 srrival was to the citadel, within which was 
 the pah co of theEnperor. It is enclosed 
 on three sides by a high wall of red granite, 
 the fourth side, which faces the river, being 
 the wsl! of the city. The Palace and Hall 
 of Auierc:, though now shorn of their 
 grandeur and partly in ruins, attest the lav- 
 

 I^^^HIi 
 
 X 
 
 c: 
 
 C 
 
 o 
 
 X 
 w 
 
 as 
 o 
 
171 
 
 ish decoration and beauty which once made 
 it the wonder and admiration of every be- 
 holder. The ceiling of this hall was once 
 composed entirely of gold and silver filagree 
 work, and the walls richly ornamented 
 with gold arabesque. The roof jested ot 
 massive square marble arches, around the 
 cornice of which is the inscription, quoted 
 by Mcere in "lalla RDokh:" 
 1 'If there be a Paradise on earth it is this, it is this " 
 
 In the center of this room stood the fa* 
 mous •'Peacock Throne, " so called from its 
 back being formed by jaweled representa- 
 tions oi peacocks' tails. It was composed of 
 gold, studded with diamonds and precious 
 stones, and its value was estimated by Tave- 
 nier, a Frenchman, who saw it, at six mil- 
 lions of pounds sterling. A suite of apart- 
 ments which formed the Seraglio and royal 
 baths, overlooking the river, were partially 
 restored and regilded last year on the occa- 
 sion of the visit of the Duke of Edinburgh. 
 In etch of these rooms is a fountain, and the 
 floor, wails and ceiling are of white mar- 
 ble, with inlaid borders of arabesque de- 
 signs. A large portion of the palaca has 
 been cleared away since the mutiny to make 
 room for a splendid range of barracks which 
 have been built far the European troops. 
 
 Leaving the Fort, we drove through 
 Chaudnee Chowk, ths principal street, one 
 hundred and twenty feet wide, a mile in 
 lergth, and adorned with an avenue of trees 
 Hare are the best shops and several build- 
 ings handsomely decorated. In front of 
 their shops stand the richly-dressed, tur- 
 baned owners, who beseech you, in Pareee- 
 E aglish, to come in and inspect their wares. 
 In the cool of the evening you will see the 
 native merchant in the narrow, projecting 
 balcony espying his otium with a hubble* 
 bubble, clad in a most invitingly cool disha- 
 bille of white muslin. _ 
 
 A canal of pure, elesa water, brought 
 from the hills twenty miles distant, flows 
 through the centre of the city, adding much 
 to the health and comfort of the inhabitants* 
 
 We nexi vi&ited the Jumna Musjid, the 
 largest and finest of all the Mahometan 
 temples ia India. It is built on a small 
 rocky eminence, and is approached on three 
 sides by noble gateways, to which lead broad 
 flights of step3. I a the center of the open 
 court is a large fountain, around which a 
 space, three hundred and twenty-five feet 
 square, is paved with blocks of white marble 
 three feet long and one and a half broad, 
 each being surrounded by a black border. 
 
IrrL^e^ 
 
 172 
 
 At the regular time of morula 2 or evening 
 devotion one can see four or live thousand 
 worshippers in this vast open court, each 
 kneeling upon one of these marble squares. 
 Their flowing white rebss and parti-colored 
 turbans, as they bow with perfect uniform- 
 ity towards the Kibla, or that part of the 
 building which indicates the direction of 
 Mecca, have a mo3t picturesque eff:ct, like 
 a field of immense poppies swept over by 
 the wind. 
 
 From the comers cf the Mosque rise two 
 graceful minarets one hundred and twenty 
 feet high, inlaid throughout their whole 
 height with flatingg of white marble, and 
 surmounted with the usual white marbie 
 cupalos. The view from the summit U 
 magnificent. The vast city becomes an ant 
 heap at your feet, and you instinctively 
 peer out into apace, and try to discern the 
 sea in the direction of Calcutta or Bombay. 
 
 As we descended an aged and remarkable 
 looking priest led us to one corner of the 
 mosque, where he unlocked a strong door 
 and took from a chest a manuscript volume 
 carefully wrapped in folds of silk. It was 
 an illuminated copy of the Koran, said to 
 bs seven hundred years old, It is in Arabic 
 and the color of the ink, evan now, a bril- 
 liant j3t. He handled the sacred relic with 
 all possible reverence, and wss unwilling 
 that our vile hands should touch it. He 
 next displayed to our admiring g£Z3 a lock 
 of hair frcm the Prophets h*m&, (bsing the yc^rA^ 
 sort, I suppote, by which the Mussulmen 
 swear,) and a stone upon which was the 
 print of hi3 foot. This last relic capped the 
 climax and we laughed outright, which so 
 disgusted the old fellow, that he slammed 
 down the lid of the chest, and seemed in- 
 clined to turn U3 scoffing unbelievers out of 
 the room. But the sight of two silver ru- 
 pees had a magical effect to smooth his 
 scowling brow, and he salammed us to the 
 door with great deference. 
 
 Near our fcotel was the famous Cash- 
 mere Gate, where the British troops en- 
 tered at the capture of Dilhi in 1857. The 
 -tetek then made yet remains, and is a me- 
 morial of the gallant >y of the two soldiers, 
 who carried the bags of powder along the 
 ditch, piled them against the gate and 
 lighted the fuse, with not one chance in a 
 hundred of escaping the bullets of the be* 
 sieged. One of the brave fellows was 
 killed, but the other escaped unhurt. 
 
 W. P. F. 
 
NUMBER TWENTY-FOUR. 
 
 Indian Cob jurors— Making a Mango 
 Tf ee Grow from the Seed— Hereditary 
 Occupations in India— Snake Charm- 
 ers—Bit by a Cobra— Shopping in 
 Delhi— Shawl Store of Manick Chund 
 — Ind ian Costumes — O bser vator y — 
 Mausoleums— The Koontub Minar— 
 Legend of the Iron Pillar— Husna- 
 yoon.'s Tomb— The Last of the Moguls 
 —A. Sam Patch Leap— Memorial of a 
 Wicked Old King— One of the Results 
 of Polygamy— "Laying a Dak"— The 
 Horse Dak of India- Unique Style of 
 Traveling— Tame Squirrels and Birds 
 —The Mohun Pass— "Sudden Death" 
 for Chickens— Drawn by Coolies— 
 "Wilin? the Hours by Cheerful Dis- 
 course" of Man-Eating Tigers— A ruve 
 at Deyra* 
 
 Delhi is famous for the skill ©f her con- 
 jurors and snake charmers; and isarrabbas 
 arranged for an exhibition to come off after 
 our late dinner. There were yet three hours 
 of daylight and we ranged ourselves in a 
 semi circle on the porch of the hotel— a 
 small and select audience of five persons— 
 with an indefinite number of natives in the 
 background, The chief performer, a thin, 
 wiry native, with keen and restless black 
 eyes, Fquatted on the stone pavement in 
 front, flanked on either side by his wife and 
 sister. Their entire apparatus consisted of 
 a few bowl?, pipes, boxes and wicker 
 basket?, most rude in construction and not 
 suggestive of any marvelous mechanism. 
 And yet our conjurers went through with a 
 most astonishing: series of tricks, some of 
 which would b£ ill 3 even Hermann, the pres- 
 tidigitateur. A constant fire of word3 was 
 kept up in Hindoostanee between the per- 
 formers, which seemed a sort of by-play, 
 connected with the various tricks, and wss 
 translated by Barrabbas. Besides the ordi- 
 nary performances, such as swallowing 
 swords, knives, and nails, and afterward 
 drawing a complete "old junk shop" from 
 his mouth, smashing our watches and burn- 
 ing up our handkerchiefs, which were after- 
 ward returned unhurt to our pockets, the 
 performer drank a mixture of three pow- 
 ders—red, white and blus— in a glass of 
 
174 
 
 water, and immediately afterward produced 
 the three powders in a dry state, sepa- 
 rately, from his mcuth. The formula often 
 repeated was "ek-do-teen, choulon," (one, 
 two, three, lock sharp, sister,) a rolling up 
 of the eyes and pretended appeal to Vishnu, 
 Shiva and Buddha, when a difficult trans- 
 formation was about to take place. But the 
 mest wonderful thing was making a mango 
 tree grow from the seed, which he planted 
 in a pot of earth before our eye?. A trick 
 which I think has never been performed out 
 of Icdia. These things and many others, 
 showing wonderful skill in the conjuring 
 art, were done in broad daylight, within a 
 few feet of us, and in the absencs of the 
 usual mechanical contrivances of staga ex- 
 hibitions. 
 
 All occupations in the East are heredi- 
 tary—even '-beggars" and "robbers." la 
 the last census returns of the north-western 
 Provinces, 2000 are set down as "heredi- 
 tary buffoons and corjurers," and 1100 as 
 "snake charmers"— and most curious of all, 
 6 ; ST2 are returned as "poets." I saw an ex« 
 hibition of snake charming in Benare?, 
 which had almost a spice of tragedy in it. 
 The performer opened out his stock in front 
 of the Bungalow, where we were sitting, 
 consisting of a boaccnstrlclor, ten or twelve 
 feet long and as large round as my arm, two 
 lively cobras, the most deadly of snakes, and 
 a variety of scorpions He teased the cobras 
 until they raised their hissing heads two 
 feet from the ground, and with distended 
 hoods, and quivering tongues, repeatedly 
 struck at the man's hand. Not drawing it 
 away quick enough he was bitten by the 
 snake on the fore linger, and a drop of blocd 
 appeared en the wound. The man took 
 from his pecket a small, black stone, lock 
 ing like a bean, and pressed it for a mo- 
 ment on the wound to which it adhered, 
 and went on with his exhibition. Then 
 taking a small bit of lght colored wocd, he 
 held it toward the cobras and they instantly 
 slunk back, as if terrified and completely 
 cowed ; another piece of wood had the same 
 effect upon the scorpion?. A rupee paid the 
 snake charmer and secured for me the two 
 bits of wood and the little stone, which I 
 brought away as mementos. 
 
 Oar hotel was literally beseiged by a host 
 of itinerant venders of the specialties of 
 Delhi. They tried to get across to us by 
 bribing Barrabbas, who made a good thing 
 out of the ten to twenty per cent, on all our 
 purchases, which of course came out of our 
 
pockets. Most; of these venders are pro- 
 prietors of shops in the Chandnee-Chowd, 
 acd bring quantities of Cashmere shawls, 
 Delhi embroidery, paintings and jswolry 
 for ycur inspection, some of which are very 
 tempting. Oace admitted to your room, 
 before you have time to forbid them, these 
 men will have opened their bundles, and 
 displayed before your now longing eyes tho 
 most exquisite fabrics of every color of the 
 rainbow , covered with the finest embroid- 
 ery in gold, silver-thread and silk. If there 
 should be any ladies in your party you may 
 as well surrender at once, only stipulating 
 for enough to be left in yaur purse for the 
 expenses to Bombay; for the beautiful 
 opera cloak?, ravishing Cashmere shawls, 
 sandalwood gaisricgs, and miniature paint- 
 ings on ivory, gold and silver filagree orna- 
 ments, with which you find yourself sur- 
 rounded would tempt an anchorite, or any 
 other hater of the pomps and vanities of 
 life. The pric3S asked are of course very 
 different from what i3 gladly taken after a 
 half hour's bargaining; but it is a very un- 
 safe method of purchase, unless one knows 
 the actual value of the goods, for although 
 you may get the article at half the price 
 first demanded, you are by no means certain 
 that you have made a good bargain. 
 
 There are one or two shops, however, 
 where the prices asked are the fair market 
 value, and to these the traveler in search of 
 genuine articles should go direct. At the 
 shawl store of Manick Chund we were 
 shown up a narrow and steep flight of steps 
 to a small room, opening on one side to the 
 court, and on the other to a narrow balcony 
 overlooking the street. Chairs having been 
 provided for us by the proprietor and his as- 
 sistants, he unlocked a door leading into a 
 large closet, and brought out a bundle, like 
 a peddler's pack, tied up in white cloth. 
 When untied we fouad this contained about 
 twenty cashmere shawls, worth from five 
 hundred to one thousand rupees each. 
 These were held up for our inspection, one 
 after another, then pushed away, and an- 
 other bundle brought out, exhibited to us 
 and thrown aside in the most careless man- 
 ner. Bundles of bernouses and jackets of 
 cashmere cloth and velvet, most beauti- 
 fully embroidered in silk and gold, chogas, 
 or loose dressing-gowns for gentlemen, 
 smoking caps, table covers, etc., until the 
 floor was two feet deep in a confused litter 
 ot the richest dry goods I ever saw. To my 
 unsophisticated eyes these ravishing "cam- 
 
17C 
 
 eW hair" shawls are nothing near so hand- 
 some as the imitations made in England 
 and France. They are neither smooth nor 
 glossy, and suggested the idea of having 
 been washed, but not ironed. But my judg- 
 ment on dry goods nad been laughed at so 
 many times that I had lost all confidence in 
 it, and under the instruction of 
 the ladies of cur party, who were 
 familar with Stewart's stock, I soon 
 began to admire them. They are not made 
 of "camels hair" at all, but of wool ot the 
 Cashmf re goat; each shawl being composed 
 of many pieces, woven by different fami- 
 lies, perhaps, and the labor of months. They 
 are sewed very nicely together, the skill of 
 blending colors being something marvelou?, 
 and cin be altered and changed, in borders 
 and centre?, and washed and mussed up 
 without damage. la the East the wealthy 
 natives do not wear them over the should- 
 ers, but male and female alike, tie them 
 around their waist. In India, dress serves 
 the purpose of denoting rank. The peasant 
 is clothed in cotton, and the prince in cloth 
 of gold ; and even religion, caste and occu - 
 pation are distinguished by well known 
 and urchanging marks in co?tumes. The 
 fixity of fashion is as singular in Hindoo* tan 
 as its infinite changeableness in New York 
 and Paris. The pattern we see in the brziar 
 to-day are those which were popular in the 
 dsys of ShahJehan. Hindoo workmen, 
 though of the, lowest . class, possess such 
 wonderful tastel&S o*MflTr"f^ that their com- 
 monest productions are like poems in silk 
 and velvet, which seems to prove the say- 
 ing, that the finest taste is consistent with 
 the deepest slavery of body and mind 
 Dress with the Oriental is an art, and a 
 Hindoo will never wear a robe or a turban, 
 the ornamentation of which is not consist 
 ent with his idea of symmetry and grace. 
 
 The expensive amusement of shopping in 
 bazaar and hotel relieved the monotony of 
 sight seeing for the first two days in Delhi. 
 Early on the morning of the third day we 
 started, under the guidance of Barrabbas, 
 for an excursion to the many interesting 
 places outside the city walls. Emerging by 
 the Ajmere gate, a half hour's ride brought 
 us to the observatory of Jai-Swgh, the 
 fcientific Rajah of Jeypore, who erected a 
 similar establishment, alluded to in a former 
 letter, at Benares. The buildings are unin- 
 habited, and in a very dilapidated condi- 
 tion. Three miles further wo reach the 
 Mausoleum of the Grand Vizier of the Em- 
 
177 
 
 peror and Viceroy ot Oudc, erected about 
 one hundred years ago. 15 is a va&t struct- 
 ure, occupying the center of a large en- 
 closure. Under the marble dome is an 
 elegantly carved sarcophagus, but in accord- 
 ance with the wish of the deceased the grave 
 is in a vaulted chamber, beneath, of plain 
 earth covered with a c'.otb, on which were 
 6trewn fresh flowers. 
 
 Eleven miles from the city we reached the 
 famous Koontub Minar, which had been in 
 sight for an hour before we reached it, and 
 is sud to be the loftiest column in the 
 world. It is built of red sandstone almost 
 as hard as granite, in five stories, narrow- 
 ing gradually from fifty feet in diameter at 
 the base to twelve feet at the top. A pro- 
 j acting balcony, supported by heavy stone 
 brackets, separates each story, and on hori- 
 z intal bands extending around the tower, 
 are passages of the Koran carved in bold 
 relief. Its present height is two hundred 
 and forty-two feet, but it was originally 
 sixty feet higher ; the top canopy having 
 baen struck by lightning some few years 
 ago. The Kcontub was built about seven 
 hundred years ago, and from the chaos of 
 legends and superstitious chronicles, it is 
 difficult to tell the real origin of this famous 
 structure. Oae legend is that it was erected 
 by the R?jah of Prithie for a favorite 
 daughter who desired to possess a tower 
 with its top nigh to heaven, frcm which she 
 might offer up her prayers. 
 
 From the summit, to which we ascended 
 by a spiral stone staircase, a most superb 
 view of the surrounding country is obtained. 
 Immediately below lie picturieque ivy- 
 covered ruins surrounding the tower, while 
 scattered in masses for miles around are 
 eeen the ruins of the old cities of Delhi. 
 
 Adjoining the Koontub are extensive 
 Hindoo remains that date back to the ninth 
 century. The open colonnades which once 
 surrounded the E^jah'd palace are so orna- 
 mented with S e ver ing that not an inch of 
 plain surface can be seen. In front of a tall, 
 wide spanning arch, covered with creeping 
 plants, stards a curious pillar of wrought 
 iron, sixteen inches in diameter and twenty- 
 two feet in height above ground, and as 
 much more in depth below the surface 
 This pillar, a3 the Hindoos believe, was 
 erected by the Rajah who built the Koon- 
 tub, by advice of the Brahmins, as he diead- 
 ed the fall of his dynasty, and was assured 
 that if he could pierce the head of the snake 
 god who supported the world his kingdom 
 
171 
 
 would endure forever. Ee accordingly 
 
 sunk the shaft, and his priestly advisers 
 told him it was "'all right."' Eut he was 
 skeptical, end against the advice of the 
 priests, had the pillir raised, when they 
 found the end covered vriih blc-od, to the 
 great consternation of the sovereign, *ho 
 was then told that the scepter would seen 
 pass away from the Hindoos. He checked 
 the pillar back in the ground, but tee ser- 
 pent b^low had had enough of cold irct, 
 and the charm was brcken. The B jah 
 soon af:er lost his life and hh kingdom, and 
 from that day to this no Hindoo king has 
 ever ruled in DdhL 
 
 After a lunch at the government £ . 
 low, si Cited in a grevs which seemed a.ive 
 with b'res of brilliant plumsge, we started 
 homeward, stopping at several interesting 
 places on cur w^y. Oie of the gra 
 
 ■jea in the neighborhood is the Tomb 
 of the Eapnot Humayocc, wqo was the 
 first of toe Grand Moguls buried in India. 
 The shape of the building is an octagon, of 
 the usual red ssndi-'oue. most artistically 
 picked cut in relief vrith while marble. At 
 a distance it has the appearance of delicate 
 inlaying. It stands in the center cf 
 an enclosure cf abcut twelve acre 1 , and ii 
 npoa a dcubie platform, or terrsce, 
 ;:e upper one two hundred and eiahtv feet 
 Y.u enter the building through a 
 vast porch, with a pointed arch forty feet 
 high, and in the center is an octagonal dome 
 of marble forty-fiye feet in diameter and 
 eighty feet high. Here are the sacrophagi 
 of the Emperor, his wife and children; the 
 sctual graves being, as usual, below in ihe 
 vault?. B? s store staircase in the thick- 
 the walls we a-cenced to a gailery, 
 from which spring? the buge dome, and 
 looked down the giddy depth into the vast 
 hail beneath. The wall of the dome is 
 eleven feet thick, and covered with slabs of 
 pure white marble. Thtugh ever three 
 kindled years c!d mis splendid mausoleum 
 is in admirable preservation, and impressed 
 me as a woncerful masterpiece of a by-gone 
 sge. 
 It was to Humiycoi'i tomb that Baha- 
 -t of the Moguls, fl*d with 
 nig sons and hid themselves, afc^r the cap. 
 ture of Delhi in S?ptember, 1S57. They 
 gave themselves up the nest day, being 
 promised that their lives should hi spared; 
 out on their way to Delhi, the two older 
 princ.s w^e barbarcusly shot by Major 
 Hcdflon. Ihe spot where this tragedy oc- 
 
■:ji 
 M 
 
 IHI KOOTI'B II1NAK 
 
179 
 
 curred was afterwards poised out by our 
 guide. The King and his two younger 
 eons were transported to Rangoon, where 
 he died about two years ago. 
 
 In the neighborhood are sevsral smaller 
 tombs and mosques, one of which is built 
 around a large tank, forty feet deep. While 
 we were standing at the water's edge, a 
 man suddenly appeared on top of the mosqup, 
 ran nimbly down the course of the dome, 
 and sprang, feet foremost into the tank be- 
 low. Several others followed in rapid suc- 
 cession, and swimming quickly to the back, 
 held out their hands for buckshees; then 
 clambered up again to repeat tbe perform- 
 ance. It appeared to us a very dangeroua 
 feat, for the height could not have been less 
 than one hundred feet, and the water, sur- 
 rounded by tall buildings, was very cold : 
 but they seemed to erpy the plunge bath 
 and kept it up as long as we threw them 
 coppers. 
 
 Here is also the tomb of the poet Chusero, 
 the reputed author of the 4 'Arabian Nights," 
 who died in the fourteenth century. Look- 
 ing through the open-work marble screen, I 
 Saw upon the tomb a handful of rose leaver, 
 some of which I secured as a memento. 
 
 About two miles from the D3lhi gate we 
 came to the massive ruins of a palace built 
 by the Emperor Ferose, four hundred years 
 ago, which was then the center of his capi - 
 tal city. Near it is a pillar three and a half 
 feet in diameter, and forty feet high, of red 
 sandstone, without a joint, called the Lat, or 
 staff of Ferose- Shah. It was brought here 
 by that Emperor, and is covered by an in- 
 scription so ancient that it puzzled for a 
 long time the most skilled European savans. 
 It has, however, been deciphered recently, 
 and proves to be certain edicts in farther* 
 arc3 of religion and virtua, enacted by a 
 king who reigned B. C. 320. This king ob- 
 tained his throne by the murder of ninety of 
 his relations, who had prior claims, and 
 must have changed his character in his old 
 age. The column is at least 2,200 years old, 
 and is supposed to be the most ancient writ- 
 ing in India. 
 
 The records of these old Musseiman Kings 
 are rarely free from the murders of rela- 
 tions, especially brothers. They were, 
 however, but half brothers, and the jealousy 
 and ambition of the mother often iDStigated 
 the killing or putting out of the eyes cf the 
 sons of her rivals who were constantly plot- 
 ting against the successful aspirant to the 
 throne. 
 
>'."' 
 
 We left Diihi with a 'left-headed 
 
 ing" for Batrrabbas, and at midnight found 
 ourselves at S:\ir\.-.p?ri, s station one hun- 
 dred and ten miles farther north, where we 
 took a dsk gharrv the next morning for 
 Bsjjore, hfty m'cs ik-t ant. Beer the foot 
 hills of the E.n: : 
 
 mountain? in the world, which form the 
 "backbone*' of the continent of Ail a. 
 The arraagHMMki for our * '": - 
 :..-7- of horses si:n^ c'.e rcut? to the Htm- 
 
 M Ha day?, were rnaie wi:h t^e hotel 
 keep?'. ::;k." A'l 
 
 our heavy luggage ws- 
 cur re: we st sited en the ei 
 
 tionin *«light marchicg order.*' The horse, 
 rf Northern liar an 
 
 institution, that it merit; a shei 
 tion. Like the gharry it i3 a square 
 f ed van. wi i - . i ■ . . 
 
 I: accommodates two persons sid is 
 Dp for continuous lay '.. The 
 
 space between the scats is '-floored over," 
 and covered with a thin mattress, ever 
 md resa'-s, or thick act- 
 ion wnddbd quilts, an i roswls 
 aid sundry '-wrap?.' 2 ac our ene 
 an J ni -, :- . comfortati:. Tie 
 
 with 
 bamboo, which : , ? ■-:< l\ tut 
 
 does not in 
 road is are wound 
 
 - _ - .\ : t : ■: l ■: : , c ■ - c. . : : : . 1 1 e c I B E t 
 
 b am boo 
 to the - c, and 
 
 projecting severs: teet on 000 s ; d> of the 
 cat. 1 
 broken, and can rareii 
 
 each whes . and two more 
 _ at their bits. Bat when they do 
 go, it Is with a :_ . . 
 
 bean-legged rem t shoaling and 
 
 emcknej Ik erhi] the hangers on 
 
 taein voice-. This break-n-: . . ■ kept 
 
 up utfl the nEx 
 
 In this style, after Jever^. 
 rtenhul away for the bungalow at Sah* a 
 
 ■tttaBnefjinBd^Chnddy-LalJ,'* a na- 
 tive servant whom mv 
 from C 
 
 irir life. 
 
 Before the day- -sys tbiswasthe 
 
 universal mt Errore^n^ 
 
 in India: in- &J the dak: ce-n to hav = 
 
181 
 
 come down from a past generation, where 
 they have figured in such trifling incidents 
 as breakdowns and "spills," which even 
 now are not of un frequent occurrence and 
 give a zest to the unique style of convey- 
 ance. 
 
 The stations are stout six miles apart, 
 and we maise good time, for the horses are 
 seldom allowed to hold up from the sharp 
 canter into which they were started, except 
 when we approached the river-channels, 
 which at this season are nearly dry, but are 
 frequently flooded by sudden storms, 
 and by melted snow frcm the Himalayas, 
 when all communication is stopped for days. 
 Before passing one of these places the horses 
 are always taken out, and bullocks har- 
 nessed to the dak, for the horses would ba 
 sure to "balk" in the middle of the stream, 
 or in ascending the steep aclivity on the 
 ot^er side. 
 
 Our road was ever a smooth plaic, and 
 the novelty and excitement of our convey- 
 ance, added to the cool, refreshing breeze 
 sweeping down from the mountain peaks, 
 which in the dim distance ahead seemed 
 fleecy white clouds, produced an exhilara- 
 tion like champaign. Along the road in 
 front of the dak the ground squirrels trooped, 
 ana birds without number hopped fearlessly 
 by our side, while paroquets, brilliant in 
 blue and red plumage, weve perched on thn 
 trees gnd gave us sidelong glances, as if 
 amused and edified at our songs and laugh- 
 ter. 
 
 Bsfore noon we reached the entrancs of 
 the Mohun Pass, and halted for three hours 
 at the government bungalow, which is 
 located on the summit of a high hill, com- 
 mandiug a beautiful view of the plain over 
 which we had passed. The native Kliansa- 
 mah, the genius of the place, provided an 
 excellent dinner, though his bill of fare was 
 not very extensive. The omelet was deli- 
 cious, and the "sudden death"— a fowl 
 which we heard cackling in the yard as we 
 drew up, and served up half an hour after- 
 ward in a/ncasee, as appetizing as Delmon- 
 ico'e— together with our "small stores," 
 were all that an epicure could desire. 
 
 Through the Pass, a distance of eight 
 miles, our dak was drawn by nine coolies. 
 The reason why horses are not used here 
 was to us incomprehensible; for the road 
 was smooth, and an American horse could 
 easily have trotted up the steepest ascent. 
 But in India the hire of nine men is less 
 than that of two horses, land a pas-seul ol 
 
LSI 
 
 ore of the?e unbroken beasts might have 
 sect cur vehicle spinning over a precipice. 
 At the end cf the Pass, which occupies 
 four hours, horses were once more atts 
 after considerable delay; bu: it was now 
 dark and we had ten miles before us, psrt 
 of the way through thick woods and jan- 
 gles. We closed the door of our carriage 
 and recounted all the frightful stories we 
 CDuld remember of "man-eating" tigers, 
 which here are supposed to abound; con- 
 cluding, however, that Chuddy L\ll and 
 the driver would be the first victims in case 
 of attack, while we could defend our fort- 
 ress with our revolvers. With such "pleas 
 ant discourse" we enlivened the hours, un- 
 til at last the lights of the village of Deyra 
 appeared in the distance, where we roused 
 the keeper cf the dak bungalow, who put 
 the whole establishment a: our disposal, 
 an: scon made us comfortable for the night, 
 
 W, P. F. 
 
NUMBER TWENTY- FIVE. 
 
 A Lively Start from Deyra— Scenes along 
 the Road -"Caravan Serai*"— War 
 fare against Wild Beasts— Hindoo* 
 take no part in it— Man-Eating Ti- 
 gers-A Paradise of Snakes— White 
 Skins are Patents of Nobility- Sa- 
 laam all- Approach to the Himalayas 
 —Up the Mountains— The Jampans 
 —Charming Scenery— Caught in a 
 Storm— Desperate Situation— Muisoo- 
 rie in Winter Quarters— Jolly as Mark 
 Taplcy— Simla, the Hill Capital of In- 
 dia—The Snowy Range— Magnificent 
 Views of the Mountains -A Beautiful 
 Apparition— A Bengalese Handy An- 
 dy— "Grilled Boots"— Elephant and 
 Tiger Hunters— Right Royal Sport— 
 Return to Saharunpore. 
 We planned an early start from Dayra the 
 next morning to reach Rsjpore in good sea 
 eon for our ascent of the Himalayas. Bat to 
 plan is one thing, to execute quite another* 
 Oar late arrival the night before was unfa- 
 vorable to early rising, and when at last 
 breakfast was dispatched, the Daks were 
 not on hand. After much delay we were 
 packed bag and baggage, but then arose the 
 chronic trouble about starting the horse?. 
 One horse was willing, the other refused to 
 budge an inch. Six grooms came running 
 from the stable, four placed themselves ojqo 
 at each wheel, one held the horse by the bit, 
 another held up his fore leg, while eeverai 
 boys pushed behind, The driver gave the 
 signal, the wheel men threw their whole 
 weight on the spokes, the obstinate brute 
 was fairly forced off the ground, ana with a 
 wild yell of triumph we dashed off at full 
 speed, which the driver took care should 
 not to let up until we arrived at the end of 
 the stage. 
 
 Our road was again over the level rliin, 
 and there was no lack of variety and charm 
 in watching the traffic on the road, and the 
 novel scenes in the villages through which 
 we passed. At frequent intervals are serais 
 or corrols, built by the Mogul E tnperors or 
 the British Government, for the use of na- 
 tives traveling,, in caravans. Hence our 
 
184 
 
 word "caravansary" or "caravan-serai." 
 The keepers of these places supply water, 
 provender and food, and at night the serais 
 along the road are aglow with the cooking 
 fires, and resound with the chattering and 
 laughter cf thousands of natives. The vil- 
 lage?, or sera£s,are about three miles apart, 
 and between them you never see a human 
 habitation. Although the north western 
 provinces are the most densely populated 
 country in the world, the jackals and wild 
 cattle roam over the space between these 
 villages, which are fortified with walls of 
 mui or brick, as freely as if it were>n un- 
 trodden wilderness. 
 
 This is what makes India, despite its teem 
 ing population of two hundred millions, so 
 eubject to the depredations of wild beasts. 
 The Hindoos are not a race of Nimrods. 
 They are naturally timid, and their religion 
 makes them averse to taking life, even of a 
 beast of prey. The government pays a re- 
 ward of fifty rupees for every tiger killed, 
 and for leopards, hyenas and wolves, suias 
 that represent weeks of labor to a native ; 
 yet these "varmints" are nearly all killed 
 by Europeans, and in the war between the 
 white man and the 3ungle owners, it is 
 doubtful which party are ahead. In some 
 interior districts a pair of man-eating tigers 
 have been known to eject the people of a 
 whole village and grimly hold it so long as 
 they likad the lodgings. In other places 
 the road is deserted because a tiger has pos- 
 session. 
 
 The term man-eater is applied to a tiger 
 that has once tasted human blood. From 
 that time he becomes a cannibal, and dou- 
 bly dangerous and savage. No longer satis- 
 tied with his former food, he prowls singly 
 or in pairs around the outskirts of a village, 
 watching his opportunity to gobble up somo 
 unfortunate native. 
 
 The premium paid for & cobra's head is 
 three annas (ten cents), and the return of the 
 number annually killed is only about 
 20,000, while it is estimated that full that 
 number of men, women and children die 
 every year in India from the bites of cobras 
 and other venomous snakes. This country 
 is the paradise of snakes, for here they are 
 not only feared but worshipped. Some- 
 times a cobra will take up its abode ia the 
 thatched roof or under the mud walls of a 
 native house, but the Hindoo will not kill 
 it ; he sends for a snake-charmer to come and 
 play to it upon a reed or gourd, and respect- 
 fully ask it to go elsewhere. All this is 
 
185 
 
 wonderfully in favor of the hideous reptile. 
 Some witty essayist has written a paper "on 
 the advantage of being a cantankerous old 
 fool " It a cobra could reason he migbt 
 congratulate himself "on the advantages of 
 being an ugly, horrible «sarpinV with a 
 fiend's eves, and a mouth full of certain 
 death." 
 
 As we ride along the smooth road this 
 beautiful morning we see neither wild 
 beasts nor venomous reptiles, but meet long 
 strines of camels, and great lumbering ele- 
 phants loaded with packs larger than them- 
 selves, or carrying howdahs with gaily 
 colored decorations, in which are stowed 
 the family of some wealthy native traveler. 
 At the villages the military police in dark- 
 blue tucic3, yellow trowsers, and bright red 
 turbans, rise up from sleep or hookah, and 
 give us the military salute— due in India to 
 the white face from all native troops. Here 
 your skin is your pateU of nobility and 
 paseport, all in one. On the road the na- 
 tives all salaam to us— except mere coolies, 
 who do not think themselves worthy even 
 to offer a salute— and as I make it a part of 
 my religion never to be outdone in cour - 
 tesy, I always return the low bow and 
 humble "salaam, sahib," with a civil and 
 polite "salaam." 
 
 At noon we reach Raj pore, a pretty vil- 
 lage nestled at the loot of the hills that 
 form the first range of the Himalayas. 
 There can be no mistake now about our 
 proximity to these grand old mountains. 
 What all day yesterday seemed lite white 
 flaecy clouds, piled up along the northern 
 horizon, and gradually rising as we sp- 
 proached, now stand sharply defined in lofty 
 heights, uprising one above another, and 
 extending as far as the eye can reach. Im 
 mediately before us are the mighty spurs of 
 this mighty range, upon which is perched 
 the town of Mussoorie, while a mile or two 
 further on, at the summit of these hills, we 
 discern the pretty white cottages of Lan 
 dour, over 8,000 feet above the sc», and the 
 ultima^huh of our journey. 
 
 From where we stand in the piazza of the 
 hotel we can trace the narrow zig-zag path 
 winding up the mountain side, in some 
 places seeming like a shelf cut from the 
 solid rock. By the path we are told that it 
 is ten miles to Landour, although it can be 
 scarely one fourth that distance "as the 
 bird flies." Here we exchange our Dafe- 
 gharry for ponies and Jampans ; and all the 
 luggage is packed on the backs of Coolies. 
 
186 
 
 The Jampa n which is usually preferred by 
 ladie?, for a skittish horse might back the 
 j icier ever a precipice, i8 a kind of sedan 
 chair, made very light, like tho<e of China, 
 acd closed on Its four sides by curtains. It 
 is carried on the shoulders of four men by a 
 pole front and rear. Nine men are the com- 
 plement of each Jimpan, four to carry and 
 four as relays— :he odd man assuming the 
 command of the squad, and becoming a 
 nominal i ecurity for their good behavior. 
 
 The Jampan wallahs have a most pecu* 
 Jiar shuffling gait, caused apparently by 
 wearing slippers much too large for them. 
 Your comfort depends upon the sort of 
 bearers you get, as some keep step very 
 imperfectly, and the result is that you feel 
 the motion in every bone in your body. But 
 where they carry you with an easy sling 
 trot, you scon get accustomed and indiffer- 
 ent to the motion. 
 
 When our cavalcade started from R*jpore 
 the sun wss shining brightly and it was 
 quite warm although a cool breez3 was 
 sweeping down from the snow clad moun- 
 tains; and I imprudently had my overcoat 
 strapped on the back of coolie, who started 
 half an hour ahead. The scenery, as we 
 ascended the winding path, was grand and 
 imposing- Huge reeky hill3 rise abruptly 
 to the height of live hundred to one thou- 
 sand feet, or undulate along to a much 
 steeper ascent in the distance; down the 
 valleys through many a rrcky ravine rush 
 bright, sparkling waterfalls, tumbling and 
 leaping in frothy beauty, as they are checked 
 in their course by massive boulders of stone. 
 Occasionally a troop of wild monkeys rush 
 eaattering up the cliff, pelting you from the 
 top with pebbles— and loosening in their 
 ascent the shingly soil, which comes rattling 
 in a bhower down the hillside. Masses of 
 wild honeysuckle, cactus ard creeping 
 plants run over and clothe the rugged 
 points of rock, and the delicate foliage of 
 the feathery bamboo contrasts fancifully 
 with the lofty pine that towers by its side. 
 
 We came frequently to dangerous looking 
 curves, where it seems to require only a 
 strong puff of wine- to tilt one over the 
 precipice. The path is usually about ten 
 feet wide and protected by a low Etone par- 
 apet. But in some places it is too narrow 
 for two leaded horses to pass in safety, and 
 we here keep a sharp lookout that we may 
 meet no cavalcades bound down toward the 
 valley. 
 ^ Having as we supposed plenty of time we 
 
187 
 
 loitered on the way, frequently turning in 
 cur saddles to gaze at the beautiful pictures 
 spread out on the plain below, for as we rise 
 higher and higher we can trace the road 
 oyer which we passed, all the way to Deyra. 
 But a sudden clouding in of the sun and 
 rumbling of thunder over our heads admon- 
 ished us that a storm was coming down the 
 mountain to meet us. A pattering of rain* 
 drops and a chilly blast of wind made the 
 Coolies drop the curtains of the Jampans ; 
 but we on horseback had no such protection 
 from the rain that now came pouring down 
 in torrents. We were scarcely half way 
 up the mountain, and halting for a moment 
 under the protection of a cliff, we held a 
 "council of war," in which it was decided 
 that I should push ahead and secure quar- 
 ters for the party, as the prospect of a severe 
 storm was now imminent. I gave my pony 
 the rattan freely and dashed ahead up the 
 winding path. 
 
 The higher I aecended the fiercer and 
 colder grew the blast, until the rain turned 
 to sleet and seemed to penetrate to the bone. 
 My poor nag could hardly be worried out 
 of a walk, and my wet clothes were fast be- 
 ing covered over with a coat of sleety mail. 
 Now I bitterly repented parting with my 
 over coat, on which the Coolie was prob 
 ably snoozing comfortably, having crowded 
 into some drv hole in the cliff. Through 
 the driving mist and sleet, the town of Mus* 
 soorie could be plainly seen, and I thought 
 every curve of the road would certainly 
 bring me to the summit. But tantalus like 
 it seemed to recede as I climbed upwards. 
 f fear my jaded poney thought I was a cruel 
 rider, as I plied my rattan and dug my heels 
 into his sides in the vain attempt to force 
 him into a trot. 
 
 Despite the desperate situation, wet to 
 the skin and chilled to the marrow, I halted 
 for a moment under a projecting cliff, im- 
 pressed with the novelty and sublimity of 
 the scene. Looking back, I could see the 
 Bun shining serenely on the plain below, 
 while half way up the mountain was a 
 pouring shower, which at my elevation 
 was turned to driving sleet. Over my head 
 and 
 
 "Far along, 
 
 Frcm peak to peak, the rattling crags among, 
 Leaped the live thunder— not in one lone cleud, 
 Urn every mountain now had fou ad a tongue." 
 
 But a short time could be given to the 
 poetry of the situation, unless I was willing 
 to realize the fate of that unfortunate 
 ♦'youth who bore 'mid snow and ice a ban - 
 
188 
 
 ner with a strange device." Another de8' 
 perate push, and a few more curves of the 
 road, which seemed interminable, and my 
 pony pricked up his ears and struck into a 
 lively gait, which soon brought us into the 
 winding streets of the town. He instinct- 
 ively trotted up hill and down through what 
 might have passed for Goldsmith's "Desert- 
 ed Village," straight to the hotel, without 
 my seeing a single human being of whom 1 
 could have enquired the way. 
 
 Mussoorie is a summer watering place for 
 Europeans residing on the hot and scorched 
 plains, which extend for thousands of miles 
 southward and is now in winter Quarters. 
 The hotel is dismantled with not a white 
 man about the premises, and the furniture 
 is piled promiscuously in parlors, drawing- 
 rooms and bed-rooms. I am afraid I flour- 
 ished my rattan threateningly over the heads 
 of the native servants in charge of the estab- 
 lishment to expedite their movements. With 
 poor Hindoostanee but good pantomime 1 
 made them understand that I wanted some 
 rooms put in order and fires built for the 
 " memsahib," or ladies, who were coming; 
 a ad before they arrived there were bright 
 fires blazing in two rooms, whicb, barring 
 the Bmoke, made the place quite a cosy and 
 comfortable retreat from the storm that 
 raged out of doors. With hot water, et cet 
 era, we soon made ourselves as jolly as a trio 
 of Mark Tapleys, turning round and round 
 like roasting jacks before the fire to dry our 
 clothes. In the meantime the whole forco 
 of the establishment, with the addition of 
 " Chuddy LalV busied themselves in pre- 
 paring something hot to eat and drink. Be- 
 fore dark the Coolies arrived with our lug- 
 gage, and the evening was passed most 
 pleasantly in "recounting the dangers we 
 bad passed," while the storm be*t fiercely 
 against the glass and rattled the casements 
 as if enraged at our escape. 
 
 The next morning the sun rose bright and 
 clear, and we found six inches of enow upon 
 the ground, which to me was a novelty, as 
 the only "winter landscape" I had seen lor 
 nearly two years. We started after break- 
 fast, on foot, to ascend toLandour, the high- 
 est point, from which the best view can be 
 had of the famous "Snowy Range." The 
 buildings of Mussoorie, which in winter 
 are uninhabited, are perched upon all sorts 
 of funny places— here on the top of a hill, 
 now on its slope, then deep in some cosy 
 valley; and the streets leading to them 
 twine, twist and turn in every direction. 
 
189 
 
 Trie names over the gateways, "RoseVilla," 
 "Waterloo Terrace," "Ivy Lodge," etc., 
 have a thoroughly English look. Bat now 
 the shutters are closed, the gates nailed up, 
 acd straw is twisted around the tender 
 vines that in summer clamber over porch 
 and doorways. It would be hard to real- 
 i£3, were it not for the signs over the 
 closed and deserted shops, that within lees 
 than sixty days this place will be the home 
 of five or six thousand Europeans, with 
 bank and billiards, assembly room and 
 theater, and possibly a daily newspaper, in 
 full operation. 
 
 Bat the most fashionable resort for Eu- 
 ropeans among the Himalavas is at Simla, 
 where the government of India, seeking 
 reiuge from the boat of Calcutta, is located 
 for half the year. This place is called the 
 > 5 Hiil Versailles," and is made up of cot- 
 tages and bungalows, built like Mussoorie 
 along a narrow mountain ridge, and up 
 and down the steep sides of an Alpine 
 peak It is connected by telegraph with 
 the rest of the world, and during "the 
 Reason" is gay with balls, picnics and pri 
 vate theatricals. The baggage of the 
 Viceroy and suite fills a whole railway 
 train, and is conveyed from the nearest 
 station on elephants, camels, pack horses 
 and coolies to this pleasant retreat among 
 the mountains. 
 
 The enow is fast melting in the warm sun, 
 as we climb up towards Landour. The air 
 is exhiliarating, but sorarified at this eleva- 
 tion of 8.000 feet, as to make active exercise 
 rather fatiguing. At last we reach the 
 highest point, on which is located a pretty 
 cottage, now deserted, and taking posses- 
 sion of the porch we enjoy at our ease or. a 
 of the grandest sights of mountain scenery 
 in the world. In front, and extending to 
 the right and left until lost in the dim dis- 
 tance are snow-covered peaks from 20,000 
 to 29,000 feet in height. Beicg draped in 
 spotless white from base to summit the 
 bright eun is reflected in dazzling brillian- 
 cy. The storm of yesterday has cleared the 
 atmosphere, and the outlines are distinctly 
 marked against the blue sky. The view of 
 the Rocky Mountains from the plains ot 
 Denver is grand— perhaps the finest on the 
 American continent. But here the moun- 
 tains rise to double the height of either 
 Pike's Peak or Mont Blanc. Covered with 
 eternal ica and snow these lofty mountains 
 seem radiantly brilliant, or frowningly 
 gloomy, as the sun appears, or Is hid by a 
 
190 
 
 passing cioud or by the uprising mists from 
 the valleys. This beautiful view of the 
 Himalayas impresses a picture on the mem- 
 ory of the beholder which can never be 
 effaced; and amply repays the toil and 
 fatigue of a journey thither. 
 
 In.returnlng to the hotel at a point where 
 the path for half a mile was nearly level, 
 we were startled and almost run over by a 
 horse that came dashing by at full speed 
 along the road. We could catch but a rapid 
 glace 3 at the sudden apparition, but it 
 allowed us a pure white Arab, ridden by a 
 beautiful girl, whose rosy cheeks belonged 
 to some more northern clime than India. 
 We all exclaimed, in one breath, " How 
 beautiful!" "The horse or the rider?" 
 "Both," was the unanimous verdict, as 
 the apparition quickly vanished around a 
 curve in the road. " Wao can she be?" 
 11 Where does she belong ?"' were the ques • 
 tiona asked, but thev remain yet unan- 
 swered. 
 
 Melted snow is dampening to the feet, and 
 our extra boots had all been left behind 
 with the heavy baggage. So, eneconsed in 
 slippers, we gave our wet boots to Chuddy 
 L"iil to be dried at the kitchen fire. This 
 henchman of my friends was a Bengalese 
 edition of u Handy- Andy "—simple, honest, 
 and blundering as his Irish prototype— if as 
 witty, it w&3 hidden from us in his un- 
 known tongue. 
 
 My friend wants his boots. Bells are 
 rare in the East ; when one wishes for a ser- 
 vant he steps into the hall and claps his 
 hands. After some unaccountable delay 
 Chuddy opens the door. His complexion, 
 usually about "half-and-half," seems now 
 almost white, and he looks frightened out 
 of his wits. In his hands are the remains of 
 a pair of boots, burned to a crisp. Leaving 
 the door open to secure his retreat, he stam- 
 mers out, "I go to sleep, fire blaze up and 
 burn de boots— berry sorry, Sahib," and 
 with both hands touching his forehead he 
 salaams almost to the floor, then takes a step 
 or two backwards towards the door. 
 
 His former experience with English mat- 
 ters led him to anticipate a volley of curscf , 
 emphasized by some missile like a boot- jack 
 or a bottle. The provocation was certainly 
 enough to start the ire of an even tempered 
 man, thus condemned for three days in a 
 wintry climate to wear his slippers, for 
 no boots could be had short of S&harun 
 pore. 
 
 But my friend is a gentleman, an Ameri- 
 
191 
 
 cib, and a New Yorker- 
 
 DisnjiKeing Handy Andy with a miid rep- 
 rimand , he j jined the rest of us in a hearty 
 laugh at the irresistibly comical and fright- 
 ened look of poor Chuddy, who kept shady 
 tbe rest of the day as if afraid hi-j master 
 would change his mood. We had just fin* 
 iehed dinner, and ever after, in speaking of 
 our Himaiayan experience?, "grilled boote" 
 were referred to as a part of cur "Bill of 
 fare." 
 
 Another day was spent amid this splendid 
 Alpine scenery, and then we descended to 
 R*jpore, where our Dak 3 were waiting to 
 convey us back over the plains to S&harun- 
 pore. 
 
 At the Mohun Pas?, where we exchanged 
 quadrupeds for bipeds, we found a native 
 Ksjah encamped with several hundred at- 
 tendants. They were on an elephant and 
 tiger hunt ; and with the party were tin e 
 or four English officers, who very polite; y 
 showed us through the camp and into the 
 correl,'where there were about &eventy wild 
 elephants, all captured within the past week. 
 Several splendid animals were chained by 
 the leg to large trees, from which they had 
 twisted in their fury every branch within 
 reach of their trunks, and pawed great holes 
 in the ground. They are allowed to give 
 free vent to their rage, and after a few days 
 they cool down and become docile and obe- 
 dient. We were much interested in the 
 description of the modus operandi of hunting 
 elephants and tigers, and were strongly in- 
 clined to accept the invitation given us to 
 join the partv for a few day's sport. The 
 possible chance of carrying heme as a trophy 
 the skin of a "Royal Bengal Tiger" was in- 
 deed a temptation— while the risk of leaving 
 one's own skin in India as a trophy to tbe 
 "Man-eater," would have been of no consid- 
 eration whatever, if our other plans had not 
 rendered this episode impossible. 
 
 When we reached Saharunpore after an 
 absence of six days, and again took the cars 
 southward, it seemed as if we had been on a 
 grand pic -nic excursion, which to me had 
 been made especially enjoyable by the so- 
 ciety and companionship of most agreeable 
 and pleasant friends, W. F. F. 
 
DUMBER TWENTY SIX. 
 
 Retarn Southwards— Jubbalpore-Le 
 sranrt of the Nerbudda— The Marble 
 Rocks— Prison of the Thugs— Travel 
 ing Companion!- A Cigar Well In- 
 vetted— The Russian Question- Will 
 The Russian Bear Drive the English 
 Bull oat of India? 
 
 Bombay, India, March 1871. 
 We now retrace our steps from Saharun- 
 pore to Allahabad, 500 miles, and here turn 
 to the southward in the direction of Bom- 
 bay, 850 miles distant. We gradually 
 3limb the Ghants, a long rat ge of mountains 
 stretching across Isdia from West to East; 
 and in ten hours had ascended ICCO feet 
 and reached Jubbalpore, one ot the most 
 important cities of esntral India. It is situ- 
 ated on the Nerbudda, a large and rapid 
 stream, which has its source in a fl it-topped 
 mountain, forming the eastern terminus of 
 this range of hills. The legend is that Her 
 Msj38ty, theNerbudda, and another river, 
 rising in the same mountain, had intended 
 to be united in marriage, and to roll their 
 waters together toward tne eastern sea*; 
 but the course of true love failed to run 
 soomth; the little river Johille, which has 
 its source hard by, cast in the apple of dis- 
 card, and Her Msjssty declared she would 
 not go a single pacs in the same direction 
 with such wretches, and would Hdw west, 
 though all the other rivers in India might 
 flow east. So west she turned, and after a 
 thousand miles of wandering, jours her 
 waters into the Arabian Ssa. 
 
 Ten miles from J ubbalpjre are the cele- 
 brated "Marble Rocks," where the petulant 
 Nerbudda, bceoming pent up between lime- 
 stone recks, fliegs herself tumultuously over 
 a ledge with a fall of thirty feet, called the 
 "Misty Shoot," then enters a deeply-cut 
 channel, carved through a mass of marble 
 and basalt for about two mile9. The river 
 is here compressed into scms twenty yard.?, 
 though more than five times that width 
 above the falls, and glides along in its nar- 
 row bed very timothl/ and with great 
 depth, between a double wall of marble 
 frcm fifty to eighty feet in height. In some 
 places large maitej of basalt, black as jet, 
 contrast strongly with the dszzling wnite 
 
1 93 
 
 marble, and the reunion upon the water, 
 which has a bluish-green tint, is iuo«t cu- 
 rious and weird-like, especially when seen 
 by moonlight. Even at mid day the utter 
 silence and solitude of the spot— as if the 
 spectator were left alone with the 
 Nerbudda in her marbb dwelling— 
 strike the senses with a sort of awe. 
 The streets of Jubbalpore are wide and 
 well kept, and its many pretty bungalows, 
 surrounded by gardens and groves of mango 
 trees, make it an attractive place of resi- 
 dent during the hot season to the Europe&na 
 from the plains. Here is located a prison 
 quite famous for the manufacture of tentp, 
 carpets and other fabrics. The workers are 
 almost exclusively Thugs and their families, 
 many of them villainous looking fellow*, 
 heavily ironed. They are the remnants of 
 that race of murderers and robbers that 
 once infested India, and were the dread 
 alike cf natives and Europeans. The strong 
 hand cf government has put an end to their 
 atrocities, and the few hundred here are 
 strictly guarded by soldiers, and made to 
 work to vara their own living. 
 
 From this place to Nagpoye, one hundred 
 and sixty- two miles, is the connecting link 
 of the railway between Calcutta and Bom- 
 bay, and has been opened but a short time. 
 The passengers and mails were formerly con- 
 veyed across this gap by Dik gharries, oc- 
 cupying thirty hours of most fatiguing 
 travel. The station house here is not fin- 
 ished, and while waiting for the train, 
 which was an hour late, I couid but notice 
 how uncomplainingly the passengers, ladies 
 as well as gentlemen, sat upon their bag- 
 gage on the stone platform, the mid- 
 day sun pouring its trop:'c*l heat upon 
 their heads. A few only were protected by 
 white umbrellas held over them by coolies. 
 It occurred to me that in America there 
 would have been terrible growling over 
 such a matter ; but to these Anglo-Indians, 
 who have been long in the country, the 
 railway is such an infiaite improvement and 
 luxury in traveling, compared with the dak, 
 that this little annoyance was not considered 
 worth making a fuss about. But the sun 
 was too much for me, notwithstanding my 
 solar toupe& or pith hat, and leaving my 
 "traps" in charge of a native, I was glad to 
 take refug ' in the shade of the unfinished 
 building. The train came up at last, and 
 with nearly a whole compartment to myself 
 where I could stretch out at full length on 
 a cane aeat, I enjoyed tbe cool bree/3 that 
 
I'.'l 
 
 swept through ine ear. 
 
 One advantage of traveling alone is the 
 better opportunity it offers of making the 
 acquaintanea of your fellow passengers. 1 
 have met Americans aboard who boasted 
 tuat they never spoke to their neighbors in 
 ratlway cars, afraid, perhap?, of compro- 
 mising their dignity. Such foolish people 
 are to be pitied, for they miss many oppor- 
 tunities of gaining information about the 
 ccuntry and people through which they are 
 traveling. To my surprise I have found 
 the English everywhere in the cast ex- 
 tremely civil and polite to stranger?, espe- 
 cially to Americans. I am told at home i*. 
 is quito the reverse. 
 
 My ccmpanon du Voyage today was a 
 very intelligent Englishman, to whom mv 
 cigar case was a letter cf introduction. He 
 had been for twelve years in the civil ser- 
 vic?, and was thoroughly posted on every 
 point connected with the government of 
 India. It was gratifying to see that he was 
 as much interested in what I could tell him 
 about America, as I was in the exceedingly 
 valuable information so freely imparted by 
 him, and which I could not have acquired 
 from books. 
 
 Ojr route lay together for several days 
 after, and I shall place to the credit of that 
 cheroot one of the most intelligent and agree 
 able of the maoy pleasant travelling com- 
 panions I have met abroad. But when my 
 friend asked in a voics almost plaintive, 
 whether ws Americans would join Russia 
 in a war against "our mother country,' I 
 was at a loss what to reply. I have been 
 a3ked the same question many times before, 
 and it implies a respect, perhap3 a dread, of 
 our power which was not shown before the 
 rebellion. 
 
 The fear of Ru36ia and the dread that the 
 Muscovite will work down and eventually 
 drive them out cf India, is the great night- 
 mare that rests upon the English in the 
 East. The Russiane are steadily advancing 
 southward in Asia, conquering their way 
 step by step, until England and Russia ara 
 now almost face to faca. That the English 
 have got to fight for the possession of this 
 magnificent empire in the East upon the 
 plains of India is "manifest destiny;" but 
 I am not the prophet to foretell the result. 
 The intelligent natives watch, with great in- 
 terest the advance of Russia; not that they 
 would be any better off under her than un- 
 der the British, whom they fear, but do 
 not love; but they would like to see the 
 
19; 
 
 English thrashed at all events, like the 
 echool boy who would be g*ad to see a new 
 bully thrash his former master, even though 
 he proves a severer tyrant. The country is 
 infinitely better governed now than before 
 the mutiny, and the wide -spread hatred of 
 the English does not prove that they are 
 bad rulers. It is merely the hatred that 
 easterns always bear their masters; yet 
 masters the Hindoos will always have. The 
 English judges and civil officials are incor- 
 ruptible, and the native, who is fond 
 of law suits, is sure of exact and even 
 justice, although his opponent may bo 
 a European. Under native rulers justice 
 uninfluenced by bribes wag unknown. For 
 scores of centuries the Hindoos have bribed 
 and taken bribes, and corruption has eaten 
 into the Eational character so deeply that 
 many people declare it can never be washed 
 out. Bribes are constantly offered to Eng- 
 lish onlcials, and that they should be re 
 i?cted is something incomprehensible to the 
 ignorant native. The Euspians are not 
 thoroughly civiazed: they are semi-bar- 
 harians, and their officials are notoriously 
 the most CDrrupt and venal in Europe, 
 '•scratch a Russian and you will find a bear 
 beneath the sain." Were they a civilized 
 European Power with "a mission" in the 
 East, or even an enlightened Commercial 
 Power, with benevolent instincts, but with 
 no policy outside their pockets— *uch as the 
 rule in India was under the East India 
 Company— mankind might be benefited by 
 their advance into Southern Asia. But aa 
 an organizad Barbarism, of Asiatic origin, 
 to replace the English would be a step 
 backwards to the people of India. The 
 gr*>at mass of tho people are quite in- 
 d If rirent as to who their rulers are, if only 
 their taxes are kept down. The Govern- 
 ment is establishing schools and colleges in 
 all the large cities, and thousands of young 
 men are growing up with western ideas 
 who will stand by the English in case of any 
 future insurrection. They are identified 
 with the government by minor official po- 
 sitions, and many thousands are employed 
 on the railwavs. The danger is from the 
 outside, not from any internal disaffection. 
 There are 70,000 English soldiers in the 
 country, and In reorganizing the native 
 troops since the mutiny the government has 
 wisely drawn most of their recruits from 
 the Sikhs and other war-like tribes of the 
 Punjaub in Northern India, who are all 
 Mahometans and hate as well as de* pise the 
 more effsminate Hindoos of the South. 
 
 My views of tho "Eastern Question" are 
 submitted in all modesty, and may not be 
 correct. I can only say that they are the 
 result of over 3.000 miles travel through the 
 country, and the honest endeavor, without 
 any partiality to the present rulers, against 
 whom I was strongly'preiudiced, to gain all 
 possible information on the subject, 
 
NUMBER TWENTY-SEVEN. 
 
 Lucky Crows— Summit of the Ghauts 
 -Perilous Descent— Bombay, the Cot- 
 ton Metropolis of India— Founded 
 by the Portuguese, Given to the 
 English— King Cotton Here Abso 
 lute— The Parsees— Street Scenes— 
 Bycuila Hotel-Yacht Race— The 
 44 Live Yankee" Almost Wins— We u- 
 1mm Lake Ice— Caves of Elephanta 
 Hindoo Ideal of Goi— Fareweli t» 
 India. 
 
 Bomb a. y, India, March 1S71. 
 All day we have been slowly climbing the 
 Ghante; the Begra Hills on our 
 left are seen many miles away. Now 
 we torn sharply to the south, 
 pass thiough a deep reck cutting, then 
 dash through a half mile tunnel, and 
 cross the B?gra river on a high iron bridge. 
 Again we pass over a hundred miles or 
 more of table land, highly cultivated, with 
 wheat fields of one thousand acres on either 
 bide, almost ripe for the harvest. In the 
 middle of these fields upon high platforms 
 men are'stationed to drive away the preda- 
 tory crows; but no one kills these marau- 
 ders, who ought to be thankful that their 
 lot is;cast in a Hindoo not a Christian land. 
 During the iew hours of darkness, for the 
 nights are here very short, we pass through 
 a wild section covered with wood and jun- 
 gle, said to be infested by tigers and wild 
 beasts. Stopping at an early hour the next 
 morniug lor breakfast we find ourselves 
 upon the summit and enjoy a splendid sun - 
 rise five thousand feet above the sea. Now 
 commences the descent of the western slops 
 of the Ghaatp. The grade is very steep and 
 our train is divided, each section being held 
 back by all the power of engine and brakes. 
 The curves are very sharp and the road rico- 
 chets like the tape on a care-rack. Around 
 the shorter curves there are three rails in- 
 stead of two. One is laid so close to the cn°- 
 rail that there is barely space between them 
 for the flange of the wheel, and this is called 
 the guard rail. 1 do not remember ever to 
 have seen this in crossing the Alleghaniea 
 by the Pennsylvania or Baltimore and Ohio 
 routes. The scenery is wild and grand, and 
 theia are more bridges over cha=nia atU 
 
IX 
 
 gjrgee, dark and deep, and more frequent 
 tunnels for the nest ten miles tha* 1 ever 
 bsw before in the same distance. At ore 
 place the train comes to a lull stop a bun- 
 d red yards from the verge of a precipice cf 
 one thousand feet; and here the track, 
 forming the letter Y, starts off again in the 
 opposite direction. A freight train coming 
 down this grade a few months ago during 
 the rainy season, when the track was slip- 
 pery got beyond the control of the brakes 
 and went dashing over the precipice. We 
 run very slowly and are two hours in mak- 
 ing the descent of fifteen miles. There is a 
 dt elded feeling of relief among the passen • 
 gers when we "touch bottom." 
 
 For four hours more we glide smoothly 
 over a comparatively level country where 
 cotton seems to be the principal crop, and 
 most of the cars on the side tracks are 
 marked "cotton wagons." We are evi- 
 dently approaching Bombay, the great cot- 
 ton metropolis of India. This portion of 
 the road is old, and the track is lined with 
 hedges of cactus. The station houses are 
 pretty crttage-liko buildings, surrounded 
 by flowers; and long rows oi plants in pot?, 
 gorgeous creepers and beds cf rotes and bal- 
 sams show the pains taken by these railway 
 gardener?, and the good teste of the (super- 
 intendent of the line. Why cannot some of 
 our older roads in America follow the exam- 
 ple of England and the continent in thus em- 
 belishing those most dreary looking places, 
 the country railway station ? 
 
 At noon we reach Bombay, which claims 
 to be the second city in sizo in the British 
 empire, with a population of nearly a mil* 
 lion, the rival of Calcutta as a aeaport, and 
 the postal centre cf India. 
 
 It is built on a number of email islands, 
 connected with each other and the main- 
 land by causeways, forming altogether a 
 peninsular so low and flat that during the 
 rainy season large tracts are under water. 
 Notwithstanding its location it is so open to 
 the invigorating sea breeze that Bom- 
 bay in said to be one of the health- 
 ies i-Hces in India for Europeans. Many 
 of the rich merchants have beautiful villas 
 on Malabsr Hill in the suburbs, which, sur- 
 rounded by gardens and shrubbery, resem- 
 ble the New Yorkers' cottages on Staten 
 Island. This city was founded three hun- 
 dred years ago by the Portuguese under 
 mat fearless old sea-dog, Vasco da Gama, 
 who won the title of "Admiral of the In- 
 dian, Persian and Arabian Seas,'* by first 
 
198 
 
 doubling the stormy cape, asd pointing out 
 the new route to the Indies. For many 
 years the Portuguese monopoliz3d the rich 
 trade of Indis, founding cities on both east - 
 ern and western coaste, which they enriched 
 with most splendid churches, and like the 
 Spaniards in the west, laid the foundation of 
 an empire in ir.ju3tic3, and cemented it with 
 innocent blood. 
 
 All that remains to them tow is the little 
 settlement of Goa, btlow Bombay on the 
 western cjast, once great and opulent, now 
 a poor, faded place, with a harbor half 
 choked with mud. There is said to be a 
 caste in Western India called "Goaeae," or 
 "Portuguese,"— black as crows, and good 
 for little except cDoking— which represents 
 the hybrid Lusitanian and native mixture. 
 The city of Bombay was given away as a 
 marriage trosseau along with tae Infanta 
 Catharine to Charles II. 
 
 But the Barnbay of to-day is ruled by a 
 potentate whom we once knew in America, 
 'King Cotton," and his sway is here as ab- 
 solute as it ever was in Charleston or New 
 Orleans. Cotton has built the splendid 
 stores and warehouses, which are unequaled 
 in any city of the Bast. Cotton has collect- 
 ed the hundred steamers and the thousands 
 of native boats that are anchored in the 
 harbor. The export of cotton rose from 
 twenty-five million dollars worth in 1859 to 
 nearly two hundred millions in 1864; and 
 the population from 400,000 to a million. 
 Not even Chicago ever to 3k a greater leap 
 than did Bombay in these five years. But 
 the suddan decline in cotton in 1865 brought 
 on a commsrciai crisis that ruined nearly 
 ev^.ry merchant in the city. It has now in 
 a measure recovered from the panic, and the 
 rapid development of railways in India, of 
 which Bombay is the western terminus, acd 
 the opening of the Suez canal, maks this 
 place tho great entrepot for European goods 
 as well as the most important export point 
 for raw products, such as cotton, jute, spices, 
 ivory and gums. 
 
 In numbers, intelligence and wealth the 
 Parsees are the strongest of all the mer- 
 chants of Bombay. This position they have 
 gained by their superior capacity for busi- 
 ness, enterprise and absence of caste preju- 
 dices, which have made the name of leading 
 Parsee merchants widely known in Europe 
 as well as their native land. Disciples of 
 Zoroaster, and driven to India many hun- 
 dred years ago, they have no nationality of 
 their own, but are everywhere attached to 
 
199 
 
 the English rule. 
 
 In religion and education the Parsees are 
 far in advance of Mahomitans and Hindoos. 
 Their creed is a pure deism, in which God'* 
 works, such as fire, the sun and the sea, are 
 worshiped as the manifestations or visible 
 representatives of God on earth. Their tem« 
 pies are as plain as a Quaker meeting house, 
 and disfigured by no idols or tawdry deco- 
 ration. The men are well educated, and 
 there is not a pauper in the whole race. 
 The women of the higher class of Parsees 
 are not secluded, but are frequently to be 
 Been on the fashionable drives and prome- 
 nades. They are quite good looking and 
 but little darker in complexion than the 
 southern races of Europe. The Parsee 
 names on the street signs are as peculiar as 
 Chinese. They are of many syllables, hard 
 to pronounce, and all end in "jee V 
 
 Bombay is farther south than Calcutta, 
 and more Oriental and tropical than any 
 other place I have seen in India. The street 
 scenes are curious and novel, even to one 
 who has been through Japan and China. 
 Th8 turbans, in size and gay colors, beat 
 the world. They are from two to three 
 feet in diameter, of bright colored fabrics, 
 alternately twisted in the most elaborate and 
 artistic style. Loose, flowing trowsers of 
 pink or blue silk, and tunics to correspond, 
 mako the street costumes decidedly gay and 
 lively. The turbans are sometimes com- 
 posed of forty or fifty fmrta of different col- 
 ored silks or cotton. Jf^"^ 
 
 The "Byculla Hotel" is an immense build* 
 ing 200 feet long and perhaps eighty wid3. 
 The whole lower floor is in one room, 
 twenty- five feet high, with doors and win- 
 dows of Venetian blinds orx every side, 
 through which the air sweeps freely. The 
 long dining table is down the center, and on 
 one side are a few private rooms, luxuriously 
 furnished and arranged with low moveable 
 screens. The table is excellent and the 
 variety of the fruits unsurpasssd. Our 
 landlord is a Parsee, who speaks English 
 perfectly, but his dress is a strange mixture 
 of the European and the Oriental— a tall 
 Parsee miter-shaped hat, an English coat, 
 vest and necktie, and loose trowsers c f 
 bright blue silk, tied round the ankle ana 
 flowing over Turkish slippers. The twit- 
 tering of sparrows who fly in and out free 
 as the wind and tame a«i canary birds, is a 
 novel accompaniment to our meals. Besides 
 the "voluntary" by the birds, during the 
 
*fo ' 
 
 200 
 
 dinner a band is playing behind a screen at 
 Me end of the room. 
 
 The spring races and regatta of the yacht 
 club are now in full blast, so that we leave 
 Bombay in its most attactive season. The 
 yacht race in the spacious harbor was a 
 beautiful sight. There were over forty 
 boats of various classes called "Duboshee," 
 "Lateens," "Sliding Guntere," &3,, most of 
 them very long, sharp and graceful in form, 
 with immense lateen sails, and masts raking 
 forward. One is named the "Live Yankee,' 
 and her colors were "blue and red with a 
 white star." She was entered for the fifth 
 r&oe, and came within one of beating. As 
 she swept past the "flag ship" I thought I 
 detected in her captain the face of a man 
 born in Yankee land. 
 
 There are but few American ships or mer- 
 chants in Bombay, but "Wenham Lake ice" 
 is as well known here as in Boston. The 
 company has five thousand tons in store- 
 enough for a year's supply— and it is sold 
 for an anna (three cents) a pound. Cheap 
 enough after a voyage of fifteen thousand 
 miles. 
 
 Among the sights in the neighborhood 
 the most celebrated are the "Caves of Ele - 
 phanta," situated on an island in the harbor, 
 about two hours' sail from the pier. They 
 are immense caverns cut in the solid rock, 
 probably by the Buddhists, two thousand 
 years ago. Though now partly in ruins, 
 the gigantic statues and carvings upon the 
 the rocky walls are very impressive. They 
 embody the highest ideal of a pagan god. A 
 three-faced colossal bust represents the 
 Buddhist' i idea of God in his three-fold 
 character of Creator, Preserver and De- 
 stroyer, which is the Hindoo trinity. The 
 grand repose of the two first is not the med- 
 itation of a saint, but the calmness of un- 
 bounded power. The Destroyer's head por- 
 tends not so 1111(111 destruction as annihila- 
 tion to the world. 
 
 The week spent in Bombay has been full 
 o! interest; and now with sincere regret I 
 must say "farewell" to India. My travels 
 here, so far from exhausting, have only in- 
 creased my interest in this strange country, 
 the home of one -sixth of the human race— a 
 land where western ideas and a Christian 
 civilization are now struggling for a foot, 
 hold, but must eventually replace the efFete 
 idolatrvand paganism of the past. 
 
 W. P. F. 
 
ROUND THE WOULD 
 
 Nl'MBEK TWEXTY-TIir.HT 
 
 Prom Bomay to Suez— The " Arabia "— 
 My Fellow Passeng .^ianna"— 
 
 The Stage Yankee— Sea Voyaging in 
 the Tropics— Aden, the Gibralter of 
 the Eed Sea— A most Desolate Situa- 
 ation — The Harbor Landing, — The 
 Padre and I Take a Kun Ashore— 
 John Chinaman— An Abyssinian Ex- 
 quisite and his Bride— The Water 
 Tanks and Bazaars— The Padre's 
 erosity Gets Us into Trouble— Perim— 
 The British Play a Yankee Trick on 
 the Prench— Mocha, the Coffee City- 
 Navigation of the Eed Sea— Why 
 " Eed?"— Winds Always Ahead— Sinai 
 in Sight, but We Can't See the Chariot 
 Wheels — Welcome Suez, 
 Special Correspondence Cleveland Li 
 Bombay, Jul] 
 Bombay to Suez is a voyag 
 about three thousand miles, and usually oc- 
 cupies fourteen days. One half the route 
 r iss the Arabian Sea to Aden, the 
 great coaling station where all ad 
 touch, and the other half is up tl 
 to the mouth of the Suez canal. Our steamer, 
 the " Arabia." i- one of the " Rubitin ." 
 Italian line, that make monthly tri; 
 
 I , , passing 
 
 erranean to Port Said, through thi S 
 canal, don o the R ; S to Ad a, ami 
 
 sixteen hundred mil - 
 of Arabia to Bombay . She is Clyde-mult, of 
 iron, nearly new, with v. ry civil and ati 
 officers who speak no English, but under- 
 stand a little French as well as Italian. 
 Thefirsl sa abins are'forward — i . 
 improvement in a warm climate, I 
 lure gel pure air and much less 
 jar from the machinery. Th< 
 
 . ra are nearly all English orti- 
 cera with their families returning home 
 • ■a a two year*.' furlough, which they are 
 allowed after seven years' e India. 
 
 Of the eight oiJl - i I, *i\ 
 
 it ent out to India a> brides, and are now on 
 their way back for the first til 9 al hr.v < 
 children *ent home to "Grandpa*' in L: 
 
J02 
 
 and the younger .sheaves they are carrying 
 home with them are generally healthy 
 looking - , and race about the ship, keeping 
 their Ayahs, or native nurses, in constant 
 tribulation, for fear they will fall overboard. 
 In India every European child is expected 
 to have a native attendant, from whom they 
 learn Hindoostanee before they know a word 
 of English. Upon their parents the tropical 
 climate has left its mark. Their fresh com- 
 plexions have turned sallow, their blood be- 
 eome thin, and their systems lost energy and 
 elasticity. But now the thought of merry 
 homes in Old England, to which they are 
 bound, brings an unusual glow to the cheek 
 and sparkle to the eyes. 
 
 Among our passengers and my next neigh- 
 i >or at the table, is a Greek priest, for twenty 
 years the " padre " of the Greek church at 
 Calcutta. PIis long white beard gives him a 
 venerable, patriarchial appearance, but fa e 
 full of fun and jollity as the youngest, 
 and an especial favorite with the children. 
 A Prussian of noble family sits on my left. 
 To the disgust of his aristocratic relations he 
 those the life of a merchant in India in 
 preference to the career cf a younger son in 
 the army; and has boon so successful that 
 he now returns home with an ample fortune 
 He believes in Bismarck and German unit) . 
 King "William and a constitutional monar- 
 chy, but is more democratic, J*c lie says, tha*w 
 v. l)on he left Germany fifteen years agqffhe 
 bead steward, or "^OTaitre d> hotel." who is 
 known to us by the Royal title of Victor 
 Emanuel, is continually making the most 
 comical mistakes in misunderstanding our 
 orders. But he is something of a war/, and 
 the twinkle of his keen black eyes implies 
 that he enjoys the fun as much as ourselves 
 
 " Our American ( .1 complain of 
 
 no lack of courtesy on the part of the i . 
 lish fellow passengers; but their ignorance 
 of America is amusing, and far exceeds thai 
 of well educated Americans about India. 
 One of them told me he had it on good au- 
 thority that the negroes had all refused to 
 work, and the whole South was in a dread- 
 ful state of anarchy and desolation. That 
 ho expected to hear of their marching on 
 Washington, getting possession of the gov- 
 ernrnent, and making a negro president ! 
 I was seriously asked if there was not a 
 state in the South, somewhere near the 
 mouth of the Mississippi, called " Susianna.*' 
 The English in the East nearly all sympa- 
 thized with the rebels, and I have been 
 moved to give them pretty strong doses of 
 the Northern Bide aestion of the 
 
20; 
 
 American war, and the Alabama claims. I 
 laugh at their conventual idea of a Yankee 
 as represented on the stage, who is sup- 
 posed to talk through his nose, wear trowsers 
 strapped half way up to his knees, and a 
 hat and long-tailed coat of the last century. 
 The new route from England westward to 
 India is becoming better known and more 
 popular every year, and opens to these 
 Anglo-Indians new T and more correct ideas 
 of the American continent. 
 
 Our route is westward, inclining a little 
 to the south, for Aden is three hundred miles 
 nearer the equator than the last land we saw 
 in India. This voyage has long been dreaded 
 as hot, wearisome and full of discomfort. 
 But the consolation is that it is the last Ion g 
 sea trip before reaching Europe. Sea voy- 
 aging in the tropics has its pleasures, bin 
 they are not unmixed. A month later and 
 the Arabian Sea will be hot as a furnace, 
 and even now the noonday sun pours down 
 so fiercely that the awnings are an insuffi- 
 cient protection, while the air in the cabiiw 
 below T is stifling. We go down to meals and 
 hurry up again on deck leaving our dinner 
 half eaten, and gasping for a breath of fresh 
 air. The sea is calm and the water smooth 
 as a mirror. The engine has broken down 
 and for half a day we float like a " ; painted 
 >hip upon a painted ocean." The captain 
 and officers are annoyed at the accident and 
 in bad humor so that we do not like to ask 
 questions; and, besides, the sum total i t' 
 Italian among the pass< ngers i- insufficient 
 for much conversation. The nature of the 
 accident we know not, but the relief is 
 mentally as well as physically, when \w 
 once more feel the jar of the machinery and 
 welcome the refreshing breeze caused by the 
 motion of the ship. 
 
 After eight days steaming over the smooth 
 and trackless Indian Ocean, without once 
 seeing a sail or a speek of land, we sight far 
 away the high peaks and desolate crags of 
 Aden,which at first seemed like hazy clouds. 
 hut for five hours have been gradually be- 
 coming more and more distinct, until ai sun« 
 *et Ave anchor in a spacing sheltered harbor, 
 so easy of access and with water bo deep 
 that no pilot is required. Unless the reader 
 is well posted in geography, or fond of books 
 of travel, he may know very little about 
 this possession of England in tie 1 northwest 
 corner of the Arabian Sea, which she ban 
 fortified like another Gibraltar. 
 
 Aden, the o T cat half-wav coaling station 
 
204 
 
 between the Mediterranean and India, Is 
 situated on a peninsular that juts out from 
 
 the Arabian coast, and in appearance is the 
 most desolate, barren and forbidding place 
 that it is possible to conceive of. 
 Naked cliffs and volcanic ridges, without u 
 tr< e, shrub, or Bcarcely a blade of grass, sur- 
 round us on every aide— some rising to the 
 height of 1,800 feet — while forts mounting 
 heavy guns, crown every peak, and water 
 batteries command every part of the harbor 
 and its entrance. Two years ago, during the 
 Abyssinian war, Aden was the base of sup- 
 plies for the English troops operating again- 1 
 King Theodore. Then the harbor was full 
 of ships of war and transports. Annesley 
 bay,whe2lhe British disembarked to march 
 against Abyssinia, is about three hundred 
 miles up the coast, full of small, rocky 
 islands, and very difficult and dangerous of 
 access. At Aden there are daily arrivals 
 and departures of steamers, plying through 
 the Suez canal between Europe and India 
 and China. It is ninety-six miles from here 
 to the entrance of the Red Sea, and this 
 lonely, barren rock, this treeless, grassless, 
 black ruin, which can most expressively be 
 described as "Hell with the fires put out," 
 where not a drop of fresh water can be had 
 i scepl that which is caught from the cloud* 
 or condensed from the sea. is growing into a 
 husj town with a population of 30,000 peo- 
 ple. A score of small native craft are' in the 
 inner harbor, and anchored around us are 
 tn s or six large steamers and as man 3 sail- 
 oips. 
 Besides iis Important e as a coaling station 
 Aden ha- secured to itself the export trade 
 in tfocha coffee, amounting to 20,000tonsa 
 ;. ear. 
 
 rachor is scarcely down when we are 
 boarded by t!i«' port-officer, and live minutes 
 afterwards I am on ray waj ashore in hid 
 boat. We land at the government pier, and 
 on the Bund are adozen two-storied build- 
 ings, Including a hotel, post-office, custom- 
 liou -' . and a tow mercantile establishment • 
 with Parsee names over the doors. These 
 are the Greeks of the east, and can 
 be found among the most enterprising mer- 
 chants of every city whelftbe English h<>i<i 
 •way (and whemclo they not?) between 
 Ceylon and Astrakau. Here are the ware- 
 houses and w'ater distilling machines of the 
 t\ and O. steamship company, and immense 
 quantities of coals from New Castle are piled 
 on the adjacent dock-. This is the "Harbo] 
 
205 
 
 Landing/' the town and cantonments of the 
 troops is situated in a hollow among the vol- 
 canic hills fi\e miies away. 
 
 The "Padre-' and I had an early start the 
 next morning, before the sun was visible 
 over the hills that bound the horizon on the 
 east. Our steamer was already surrounded 
 by 1 he natives in curious boats, sonic of them 
 small canoes, scarcely larger than chopping 
 bowls, and propelled by one man with si 
 paddle shaped like a mustard spoon. These 
 fellows were coal black, unincumbered 
 ;:nv surplus clothing, and ready to dive and 
 quarrel under the water for the possession of 
 Hie smallest silver coin thrown over by the 
 passengers. Other larger boats were filled 
 with men, who held up to us bunches of os- 
 trich featchers, eggs :ts big as babies' heads, 
 and corals of the brightest tints, which they 
 offered for sale with great clamor. They 
 were not allowed to come on board, for they 
 have the reputation of being arrant thieves, 
 and even the ports below were, closed, lest 
 the insinuating and slippery^little scamps 
 should crawl up from the boats into our 
 state rooms. We selected a boat from the 
 score soliciting our patronage, and six naked 
 Ethiopians set us ashore in a jiffy. At the 
 pier we engaged a dilapidated, one-horse, 
 springless vehicle to convey us to the town. 
 We had the choice between this and donkeys, 
 which I would have chosen, but the Padre 
 objected on the ground that his long black 
 serge gown was not a convenient costume for 
 riding a la Turk. 
 
 The road was hard and smooth, and for 
 half the distance wound along the shore, 
 then turned inland, and wound with max 
 sharp curves through ravines and round the 
 base of cliffs hundreds of feet high, on which 
 not a particle of vegetable life could be 
 seen. The scenery was unirpie and grand, 
 but the very picture of desolation. We were 
 in high spirits, like a couple of sailors t a king 
 a run ashore after a long confinement on 
 ship. The Padre laughed jovially at the comi- 
 cal sights on the road, sung snatches of songs 
 ('perhaps they were hymns) in his native 
 tongue, and seemed as full of fun and frolic 
 as a boy. We met long trains of camels and 
 dromedaries, some ladened with bags of 
 •' Mocha," others earring each a dozen goat- 
 skins of water from a small stream 
 miles away on the main bind. These un- 
 gainly beasts, with crane-like necksand 
 awkward gait, plodding along in 
 each one surmounted by a black urchin. 
 perched high in the nir, were in strong con- 
 
206 
 
 Lth the little donkey.-. Bcarcely bigger 
 than a Newfoundland dog, and carrying 
 
 burdens larger than themselves, or mounted 
 by natives whose feet dangled to the ground. 
 The people here pre of every race known in 
 the east, and we met one unmistakable 
 " Johnny " with pig-tail and slanting, al- 
 mond eyes, who told me in ''pigeon English" 
 cook on a steamer in the harbor. 
 Hut most of the natives we met were Abys- 
 sinians, very black, with Asiatic, not negro 
 features, and hair cultivated in long cork- 
 screw curls, sticking out in all directions, 
 and by the application of lime faded out from 
 black to a dingy brown. These shock heads 
 in which both sexes £ oi to take great 
 not unlike the prevailing style 
 of young girls' hair at home. The appearance 
 of the women was by no means attractive. 
 All wore enormous silver ear ornaments and 
 nose rings, strings of glass beads, anklets and 
 than ornamental. One 
 couple especially attracted our attention. 
 They were got up in the most exquisite 
 style of Abyssinian art, especially the yougn 
 woman, and seemed to create quite a sensation 
 on the road. She was profusely decorated and 
 wore in her nose a large ring with the three 
 
 . indicating that she was a bride. 
 Her " fellar's " wool, originally black, had 
 been colored to a dingy blonde, and 
 was elaborately curled until it 
 
 i half bushel measure. I 
 
 lady rode a donkey and the groom 
 walked by her side (barefooted, of 
 course), and so absorbed were they in each 
 other that we drove slowly by and stared al 
 them without attracting their notice. 
 
 The entrance to the town was through a 
 gorge, where for a space of 100 yards 
 lis rose from eighty to one hundred 
 feet in height on each side. A in 
 rrateway and cannon guarded the entrance, 
 and a squad of native soldiers in redcoats 
 Mkhs from India), presented arms as v. < 
 passed. Emerging from the narrow ravim 
 the town was before us, occuping a basin 
 about a mile in diameter, evidently the 
 erater of an extinct volcano. A circle of 
 tagged peaks surrounded it, some of them 
 covered with forts and batteries. Several 
 regiments of troops are quartered here in 
 airy stone cantonments, forming a large foil 
 in the centre of the town. Notwithstand- 
 ing its desolate and oven-like situation, 
 Aden is said to be quite healthy from Oc- 
 tober to April. If the "fires are put out » 
 during these months, thetcrriric, schorching 
 heat of summer must give the inhabitants ;i 
 
2C 
 
 foretaste of the lower regions with the firk- 
 in full blast; 
 
 .- The most curious thing about Aden is th* 
 seiies of immense water tanks, eleven in' 
 number, arranged en chelon. in a ravine 
 opening to the north, where the rain falling 
 upon a wide stretch of bare rocks is caught 
 and carried through a succession of irregu- 
 lar-shaped tanks, cut in the solid rocks, or 
 lined with masonry. These communicate- 
 through gates and sluiceways, and from the 
 (invest one the water is conducted by an un-" 
 derground aqueduct to a largo reservoir.' 
 which is always kepi, full, in the center of; 
 the town. Stone steps guarded by iron rail- 
 ings lead up to and around the tanks, each of 
 which is numbered and marked with 
 parity; the aggregate I made to be over 
 fen million gallons. There is sometimes an, 
 interval of four or live years between the.- 
 showers, but when it does rain it literally, 
 pours, and then the sight of these artificial \ 
 cascades down the gorge and from one tank • 
 to another is said to be very beautiful. . 
 When the English took possession of Aden 
 they found these tanks, which are very 
 ancient, filled up with rubbish. They have 
 spent immense sums in cleaning out, repair- 
 ing and enlarging them; and they are now 
 not only very curious and interesting, but 
 absolutely essential to the occupation of the 
 place. 
 
 Erom the lank.- vt e droi e through the ba- 
 zaars which are very filthy and mean, with 
 more gew-gaws of European manufacture 
 than native goods. The specialities of Aden 
 are ostrich and marabout feathers, ostrich 
 eggs, leopard and lion skins, which we 
 found very cheap. The Padre's profuseness., 
 in expenditure for ostrich eggs and feathers 
 was only surpassed by his generosity in 
 scattering small change among the crowd of 
 beggars, that beset us on every side. This ' 
 was pleasant enough at first, but the rumor 
 spread that the venerable looking old patri- 
 arch was a real Crcesus; and we were soon ' 
 surrounded by such numbers as to block up 
 our way, and were glad to take refuge in our 
 crazy vehicle and whip up our boney Eo- ' 
 Mnante. But escape was not so easy, for a 
 crowd followed us at full run, ■ and, despite 
 our efforts, kept along side,- hold" out their 
 hands and screaming for backsheesh, like a 
 pack of half-famished wolves. While I be- ' 
 labored the poor horse the Padre threw the ' 
 coin as tar as he could on either side, which. 
 as they stopped to scramble for, we at last 
 escaped being devoured. Before we reached 
 thfe wharf we beard the warning gun from 
 
208 
 
 our steamer, and hurried on board just as 
 'b c was getting under -weigh. 
 
 Ten hours from Aden we come to the lit- 
 Ue British island of Perim at the entrance 
 oftheRedSea. Here is a lighthouse and 
 flagstaff, but as yet no fortifications. This 
 key which commands the gates is a rocky 
 inland some acres in extent, situated in mid 
 channel, and we pass so near that a biscuit 
 might be tossed from the high rock on board 
 our steamer. The Suez canal being a 
 French work and Egypt under French in- 
 fluence, the seizure of Perim by the Eng- 
 lish was especially annoying to their neigh- 
 bors. It happened in this wise: The French 
 Emperor had determined to take possession 
 of the little island, and despatched a fleet for 
 that purpose which put into Aden for coal. 
 The Governor, of course, invited the French 
 Admiral and his oflicrs to dinner, and re- 
 galed them with unexceptionable cham- 
 pagne. In the course of the evening some 
 of the junior officers "let on" that they 
 were bound to Perirn. The shrewd old gov- 
 ernor, penciled a note to the harbor master 
 to delay the coaling of the French ships ; 
 and the same night two British men-of-war 
 left Aden and started up the coast. The 
 next day after a ceremonious leave-taking, 
 and courteous farewell to their British hosts, 
 the French fleet sailed for Perim. But 
 when they arrived to their great mortifica- 
 tion and chagrin, they found the British 
 flag flying and a great show of guns in posi- 
 tion. "Whether they put into Aden on their 
 return history does not say. 
 
 Fifty miles above Perim, on the east 
 coast, we pass within sight of the half-de- 
 serted coftec city of Mocha. Its minarets 
 glitter in the morning sun, and a few small 
 native craft can be seen in the harbor," but 
 it is no longer a place of any commercial im- 
 portance, the trade in its principal staple 
 having been transferred to Aden. 
 
 That the navigation of the Red Sea is both 
 difficult and dangerous is testified by the 
 many .wrecks scattered along its coasts. For 
 thirteen hundred miles there is but one light 
 house, which is located on a rock nearly in 
 the center of the sea. The channel is not 
 wide, and near the shores are many danger- 
 ous rocks and treacherous currents. They 
 fay the wind on the Red Sea is always 
 ahead, whether a vessel is bound up or 
 down. The shores which are either barren, 
 f-andy deserts, or sparsely inhabited by hos- 
 tile tribes of Arabs, offer no hospitable re- 
 ception to the shipwrecked sailor. Why it i* 
 /-.ailed " Red n is a mystery. 1 could not see 
 
- * 
 
 any -*- 
 
 Weak, sandy shore?, or Toleari 
 Our fir>t three day- 
 
 Then th to to give - i 
 
 of its quality. A fierce gale -prang up from 
 the north and sweeping down right in our 
 .- to lose half our speed, a :-- 
 feet in the machinery now, and wi dMwld 
 have been driven back before the gale, or 
 been dashed upon some i-land or rook. 
 
 erature has suddenly fallen under this 
 fierce north wind, and linen ha* ei\ .. pla . 
 
 Our Indian friends fee: 
 change keenly, and th*snativf- servants look 
 - m - - • r in whit» 
 
 i, i I repent * 
 ed to leave their sunny India- Bu: 
 oner poshes steadily though at 
 
 times making but four or five miles an hour- 
 reaching the "Gulf Sv ."'the list 
 ene hundred i 9 is in -moother water. 
 Mount Sinai is now -e^n far away on our 
 right, its summit wreathed in .-is; 
 
 but between u- and its hat - - - ' 
 
 - .nd hills and bar read 
 
 somewhere that when this - 11 1 and 
 
 it— hich U - — the ehai 
 
 wheels of the Egyptian hosts may 
 beneath the wares. We "Arabians** unani- 
 
 • ith old Pharaoh that thr I 
 Sea is a ui -agreeable and treacherous pie- 
 water; and we m - 
 
 -.iez. W*. P. I . 
 
NUMBER THIRTY. 
 
 The Suez Canal— An Accomplished Pact 
 — Eeasons Alleged for Its Failure—- 
 Bugbears Exploded— Ferdinand de 
 Lesseps— Is it a Pecuniary Success ?— 
 Eates of Toll— New Lines of Steamers 
 . —The Tides— Width, Depth and Kate 
 of Speed Allowed— Mammoth Dredg- 
 ing Machines— Lac Anier— LakeTirnsah 
 — Ismaiiia — Lake Menzaleh — Port 
 Said, the Silver G-ate— The Sweet 
 Water Canal— " Water is Gold"- 
 "Have a Shine, Sir"— A Showy Old 
 Turk— Across the Desert— Egyptian 
 Soldiers— An Amusing Sight— Mud 
 Hovels for Peasants and Palaces for 
 Princes— Arrive at Grand Cairo. 
 
 Cairo, Egypt, March, 1871. 
 The Suez canal, one of the greatest achieve- 
 ments of the century, was opened at the 
 grand fete in November, 18G9, at which the 
 Empress Eugenie assisted. It was then / 
 fully described by special correspondents 
 ail over the world. 
 
 "What I propose to say now is that which 
 L have myself seen, and Blich items as I have 
 been able to gather in regard to its practical 
 working, a matter which, eighteen months 
 ago, was all conjecture, and about which 
 the letter writers di tie red so widely. Thai 
 it is now an accomplished fact, and a sucees-, 
 no one with his eyes open can deny. As 
 Larduer scouted the idea of ships propelled 
 by steam ever crossing the Atlantic, so 
 Stephenson, the great engineer, and tin- 
 English generally for years insisted that the 
 Suez canal would be a failure. Perhaps 
 "the wish was father to the thought." Tin- 
 English government, too, must now feel 
 heartily ashamed of its intrigues with tu 
 Sultan to throw obstacles in the way of this 
 great work, from that national jealousy of 
 the French which Beems Inbred in every • 
 Englishman— on the ground of philanthropy 
 in behalf of the forced and unpaid labor of 
 the Egyptians— for no nation i< now reaping 
 so much benelit from this new route ot 
 steamers to India a- the English people 
 [hemselvesi 
 
 The first great bugbear was the fancied 
 difference in level between the Red Sea and 
 the Mediterranean, bv which locks would be 
 
211 
 
 required, in accordance with the report of a 
 commission sent out by Napoleon I. in 1798; 
 This idea was exploded by more accurate 
 surveys made fifty years afterward*. The 
 next objection was that the channel would 
 have to be made through hopeless quicksands 
 at the southern or Suez end, and through 
 centuries of Nile ooze at the northern part 
 near the Mediterranean, where no channel 
 could be made permanent, but the more you 
 dug and dredged the worse it would be. This 
 obstacle disappeared when it was proved 
 that for most of the route the banks of the 
 canal would not be of fluid sand, but of mud, 
 clay and shelly earth— that below the Nile 
 ooze and slippery mud of Lake 3Ienzaleh 
 there was a "hard pan" of clay, which, 
 thrown up, gave solidity to the banks— and 
 that so small a portion of the route passed 
 through loose sand that no real trouble 
 threatened the canal from the instability of 
 its banks. These objections being disposed 
 of, it was then urged that the sand drift 
 from the sirroccos of the desert would refill 
 the canal as fast as it could be removed, 
 thereby causing such immense expense in 
 keeping the channel open, as to ruin the 
 great enterprise financially. But it has been 
 demonstrated by experience that not more 
 than five miles of its entire length is liable 
 to this drifting in of the sand; and at these 
 places the encroachments of sand never ex- 
 ceed two yards in depth a month, which 
 the company has contracted to be removed, 
 at no great expense, as fast as it accumu- 
 lates. 
 
 To Ferdinand de Lesseps, the " Fonda- 
 teur" of the canal, as he is called, the world 
 is indebted for having pushed through this 
 magnificent work in the face of every ob- 
 stacle, real and imaginary. With perfect 
 iaith in the eventual success of the enter- 
 prise, like Cyrus W. Field of Atlantic cable 
 memory, he persevered when less sanguine 
 men would have given up in despair; and 
 to him belongs the credit of having opened 
 this second Gibraltar inlet and outlet to the 
 commerce of the world. I had the pleasure 
 of meeting 31. de Lesseps in Suez— a tine- 
 looking man of sixty, with more brains than 
 half the potentates of Europe, whose name 
 should rank with Bismarck as one of the 
 great men of the nineteenth century. 
 
 It is true that the Suez canal is a French 
 work, but it is not owned, nor in any way 
 controlled by the French government. Of 
 the 400,000 shares representing the stock, 
 176,000 belong to the Viceroy of Egypt, 
 Ismail Facha, without whose active ana 
 
212 
 
 energetic assistance it nei er could have been 
 completed. The balance of the stock be- 
 longs to individuals, mostly Frenchmen. 
 The first " Act of Concession n from the 
 Egyptian government for a canal across the 
 Isthmus of Suez was granted in 1851. Then 
 followed five years of preliminary surveys 
 and preparations, and the first ground was 
 broken at Port Said in 1859. The i.ed Sea 
 entered and mingled with the waters of the 
 Mediterranean on the loth of August, 1869. 
 But it was not until about the 1st of Janua- 
 ry, 1870, that this thoroughfare, which all 
 ages have wished for, but till now in vain, 
 was opened as a highway to the commerce 
 of the world. 
 
 And now after fifteen months trial it will 
 be asked whether this costly wort 
 pecuniary success. Probably not as yet. 
 The preferred stock last issued was guaran- 
 teed 5 per cent.— but to realize this dividend 
 on its whole cost requires an income of four 
 millions dollars a year, and two millions more 
 for running expenses, repairs and manage- 
 ment. The rate of toll is two dollars a ton 
 register on every steamer, and two dollars 
 for every passenger; sailing ships half that 
 rate, beside pilotage, etc. It costs the steamer 
 I am on SI, GOO for passing through the canal, 
 which seems a large sum for one day's toll, 
 but it is a trifle compared with the e 
 of sending her around Cape Horn. T< 
 the canal pay from tolls alone would require 
 live such steamers to pass each way 
 every day ; and at present I am told that the 
 average is about half that number. But the 
 Suez Canal Company has other sou i 
 income. The Viceroy made liberal gran! - of 
 land to the company, a part of which Lave 
 since reverted to him in consideration i f a 
 large sum of ready money ; but 50 p< I 
 of all land sales in the towns of For 
 lsmailia and Suez, where the company owns 
 large tracts of valuable property, comes Into 
 Its treasury land since the. opening of the 
 canal new lines of passenger and freight 
 Bteamers have been established, by which 
 Russia, Austria, Italy and France are coming 
 into competition with England for the trade 
 of the Fast. When all the steamers now 
 building for this purpose are afloat, it is es- 
 timated that the daily arrivals and depart- 
 ures at Port Said will be doubled. 
 
 During our half day's detention at Suex 
 we had an opportunity of seeing this old 
 town, which within a few years has taken a 
 new lease of life. The harbor is mostly ar- 
 tificial, and contains a splendid stone dry- 
 Jock built for the Khedive, or Viceroy. 
 
21S 
 
 Anchored in the roads outside I counted not 
 less than twelve war steamers flying the 
 Turkish or Egyptian colors, the " Crescent 
 and Star." 
 
 At noon the " Arabia," under the charge 
 of a pilot, steamed slowly toward the en- 
 trance to the canal, and was soon enclosed 
 between two walls of sand. There is here 
 neither " tow-path " nor "heel-path," and 
 little to remind an American of his former 
 experience who has in old times traveled on 
 the " raging eanawl " in New York or Ohio. 
 All measurements and distances being in 
 French meters, kilometers and hectares, I 
 will, for the convenience of the reader, re- 
 duce them to English. Our steamer draws 
 sixteen feet, but under her keel is six feet to 
 spare, which is increased three feet more at 
 high tide. And here I may as well explain 
 the matter of tides. The ordinary rise and 
 fall of the tide at Port Said, on the Mediter- 
 ranean, is one and a half feet, and at Suez 
 three and a half feet. At the Equinox the 
 maximum rise and fall is about double. 
 
 There being no gates or locks to interfere 
 with the free inflow and egress of the ocean 
 at either end, the tides slightly effect the 
 depth of water in the canal, and produce a 
 current which never exceeds two miles an 
 hour, and is lost in the lakes which form 
 over one-half the whole course. At the 
 water line the width of the'eanal when fin- 
 ished according to its enlarged scale will bo 
 three hunred feet, the depth thirty feet, and 
 the breadth at the bottom seventy feet. 
 This will give space enough for the keels of 
 two large ships to pass each other without 
 inconvenience. At present the average 
 w idth is about two hundred feet, with not 
 loss than twenty-four feet of water in the 
 shallowest spots. At frequent intervals 
 there are wider basins where ships can meet 
 and pass each other. The management i* 
 by telegraph, and every few miles we see 
 upon the banks a neatly fitted up telegraph 
 station, from which the position of even- 
 ship in the canal is reported at head- 
 quarters. The maximum speed allowed is 
 eight miles an hour, which would take a 
 ship through the ninety-six miles between 
 Suez and Fort Said in twelve hours, but no 
 steaming is allowed after dark, so that we 
 ran only reach Ismailia, the halfway station 
 to-night. 
 
 From the deck of our steamer the view is 
 unique. We are high out of the water and 
 r can see'over the top of the banks a deserr 
 of sand strethcingaway as far as the eye can 
 reach. Near the entrance at Suez and moor- 
 
214 
 
 eel to the banks we notice mammoth dredg- 
 ing machine?, built entirely of iron. These 
 were not only constructed but invented by 
 rhe contractors to meet the special difficul- 
 ties and requirements of this service. Ten 
 of these gigantic machines, the use of which 
 I never should imagine if I had seen them 
 anywhere else, cost eighty thousand dollars 
 each, and twenty-five steam barges to carry 
 offthe dirt brought up by the excavators. 
 cost fifty thousand dollars each. That the^o 
 were built by the contractors will give an 
 idea of the magnitude of the work. 
 
 Four hours slowly steaming through the 
 desert brought us to the Lac Amer or "Bit- 
 ter Lake.-' This was an oval depression in 
 the hind, directly in the track of the pro- 
 posed canal, and is supposed to have been 
 originally the head of the Gulf of Suez. Tho 
 receding of the water of the Bed Sea left it 
 an inland basin, from which the water 
 has long ago evaporated. Upon the bed of 
 this hollow was a layer ofsalt,in many places 
 several feet in thickness. When the water 
 of the Bed Sea was again let into this bed it 
 formed a ready-made canal, twenty-one 
 miles long, in the widest part ten miles 
 across, aud deep enough for the largest 
 ship. The water dissolving, the salt accu- 
 mulated in the bed of the lake is very bitter. 
 and hence the name given to it. Steaming 
 more rapidly through this we came to an- 
 other section of the canal proper, eight 
 miles long, which connects the Bitter Lake 
 with Lake Timsah, six miles across, upon 
 the western shore of which is the new de-- 
 ert-founded city of Ismailia. From here to 
 Port Said is forty-live miles, of which three 
 is through Lake Timsah, nineteen across tho 
 desert, and then twenty-six miles to tho 
 Mediterranean, through the shallow water 
 and deep mud of Lake Menzaleh. This 
 formed a part of the ^'ile delta, and was 
 originally one of its outlets. To excavate a 
 ship canal through the soft slippery mud of 
 this marsh, with banks that would stand ih* 
 rush of the Mediterranean within, and the 
 occasional storms on the lake outside, for a 
 long time battled the utmost ingenuity and 
 skill of the engineers. But when it was dis- 
 covered that by going deep enough they 
 would come to a strong, tenacious clay, un- 
 derlying the centuries of Nile ooze, which 
 being thrown out and mixed with the mud 
 would form a solid bank, this difficulty was 
 overcome. This double dyke is three or 
 four feet high, and within it is buried the 
 iron pipe through which the great "Pompt- 
 a-fcu'- (steam pump works . [gmailia, 
 
21, 
 
 forces all the water-supply for the 15,000 in- 
 habitants of Port Said, which U brought to 
 IsmaUia by the " Sweet-water canal " from 
 the Nile. 
 
 Port Said is a lively town. The popula- 
 tion is made up in great part of adventurers 
 from every nation bordering the Mediter- 
 ranean. The abounding hotel.-, restaurant?, 
 casinos, and the wide, sandy streets, remind 
 one of a new town in America. French, 
 Italian, Greek, Arabic and Turkish are 
 heard in the streets quite as often as Eng- 
 lish. Speculation is rife, and the business of 
 the place increasing rapidly. Every line of 
 coasting steamers between Alexandria and 
 Constantinople touch here, as it has the 
 most desirable harbor on the whole southern 
 coast of the Mediterranean. The sanguine 
 talk of Port Said as the "Silver Gate between 
 the Orient and the Occident," in fifty years 
 to be anotherVenice, the rival of Alexandria. 
 Its harbor is entirely artificial ; formed by 
 two parallel piers running out from the 
 shore into the open sea a mile and a half— 
 the longest piers in the world. They are 
 built of artificial blocks cf stone weighing 
 twenty tons each, composed of desert sand 
 and hydraulic cement. Some of these have 
 been exposed for over six years to all the fury 
 of the fiercest gales without in the lease effect- 
 ing their stability. This harbor is said to bo 
 better than that of Alexandria (one hundred 
 and fifty miles west), and can be safely en- 
 tered day or night at all seasons of the year. 
 
 Having thus made a rapid survey of the 
 whole length of the canal from Suez to Port 
 Said, we will return to Ismailia, which is 
 connected with Cairo by a railway across 
 the desert, where six years ago, was a track- 
 less desert on the shore of the salt lake Tin> 
 sah, without a tree or shrub within sight ; 
 there is now a pretty town of 5,000 people, 
 with an excellent hotel and several hand- 
 some residences surrounded^ by gardens. 
 The old bed of the canal, built perhaps by 
 the Pharaohs, connecting a branch of the 
 Nile with the Bed Sea at Suez, and passing 
 near this spot, has been widened and deep- 
 ened so as to supply with fresh water this 
 town and Port Said, forty-five miles 
 That " Water is Gold " is as 1 rue in Egypt 
 as in India. Its magic effect 
 in converting a d • [to a 
 
 garden I have already seen in Salt Lake 
 City. The public square and the wide 
 are planted with shade trees, near which, 
 along the gutters trickles a stream of pure , 
 fresh water. Behind the town, and between 
 
216 
 
 it and the desert, is a wide sweeping double 
 crescent of trees growing newly out of the 
 sand, but fresh and green from a channel of 
 water running near their roots. "When fully 
 grown these trees will protect the town from 
 the encroachment of sand swept in before 
 the fierce sirroccos from the desert. This 
 sand, which looks so hopeless and useless as 
 an element cf fertility, is not pure silicious 
 Band, but a mixture of calcarious loam and 
 sand, needing only the addition of fresh wa- 
 ter to form a rich and fertile soil. The desert 
 of Suez, which stretches for ninety miles 
 from the Nile t© the Red Sea, was doubtless 
 once well-watered and fertile, and cultivated 
 like a garden. That it has now become a 
 howling wilderness is accounted for by some 
 depression of the Nile bed, or change in its 
 course, by which its eastern outlets have be- 
 come closed. As it never rains in this coun- 
 try, cut off the supply of water and it would 
 all turn to a desert. Take away the Nile from 
 Egypt and the whole land would become a 
 mere continuation of the desert of Suez. 
 
 One of the first signs of western civiliza- 
 tion I saw in Ismailia were the boot blacks, 
 a dozen or more little black imps, who look- 
 ed as if they might have slept the night be- 
 fore in the dry-goods boxes of Ann street, 
 or the Bowery, surrounded the door of the 
 " Hotel Pagnon," with t; black your boots,'' 
 "have a shine, Sir," in pantomime just as 
 plain as if spoken in English. Of course I 
 went in for a " shine. " The whole double- 
 handed performance, concluding wi|;h a sharp 
 rap on the box, was so completely a la New 
 York, that I am sure it never originated in 
 this out of the way corner of Asia and 
 Africa, but was introduced by some enter- 
 prising New York gamin, probably at the 
 great celebration when the canal was opened. 
 Perhaps, like the wandering Jew, he is still 
 on his travel*, and future explorers may 
 trace this '•march of civilization-' among the 
 little "pigtail&jl of Canton and Pekin. 
 
 While waiting for the train at the railway 
 station I saw on the platform an old grey- 
 bearded Turkish officer, with bright turban, 
 loose blue trousers, and cashmere shawl tied 
 round his waist, in which was stuck a pair 
 of handsome silver mounted pistols. He 
 wore an elegant sword, scimiter shaped, in a 
 silver scabbard, and was what my English 
 friend called a M great swell" among the 
 humble fellahs, or Egytian peasants, around 
 him.* Nothing daunted by his formidable 
 appearance, I saluted him courteously, and 
 by pantomime expre-sed my admiration of 
 his ornament; which su g] atified him that he 
 
217 
 
 unbuckled liis scimiter for me to examine. 
 Though silver mounted and very handsome 
 i found it exceedingly dull and even rust) . 
 The pistols were old fashioned flint-locks, 
 without any flin £ U ok 8 ; and upon a close 
 examination I could see that his whole '*' get 
 up" was more for show than use. With my 
 little "Smith & Wesson n and a goodstoui. 
 club I should have been more, than a match 
 for him at close quarters. 
 
 This railway, like all in Egypt, is owned 
 by the Viceroy. It is smooth and well 
 equipped, the cars and loeomotives of French 
 manufacture. Our course for three hours 
 was over a sandy desert, that resembled the 
 white alkali plains of the Humbolt Valley. 
 The line of the ''Sweet Water Canal" could 
 be traced far away on our left, its green 
 trees and narrow strip of fertile soil, the 
 only relief to the eye in all that barren 
 waste. The train halts for a moment at the 
 edge of the desert, and as if by magic, the 
 howling wilderness is transformed into a 
 beautifully cultivated land, where every 
 acre seems like a girden. No better evi- 
 dence is wanted of the abject poverty and 
 degredation of the laboring class than their 
 miserable hovels, that look far less lit for hu- 
 man beings to dwell in than the worst mud 
 huts I have seen in India. 
 
 At a station a few miles further on an 
 amusing scene occurred. Near by is an en- 
 campment of perhaps a thousand Egyptian 
 soldiers. They wear a neat, white undress 
 uniform, are of fair size, and look well fed 
 and serviceable. Their arms are breech- 
 loading rifles of modern pattern. The offi- 
 cers are dressed in dark blue frock coats and 
 redtrowsers — and all, officers and men. 
 wear the red fez cap. As soon as the train 
 stops the soldiers make a rush for the cars, 
 and clamber over them in every direction. 
 The oflicers, armed with rattans, beat them 
 back with solid whacks, laid on with 
 a will. No one seems to take 
 offense, and they run like a flock of sheep. 
 To submit thus to blows show r s a want of 
 manliness and spirit characteristic of the 
 modern Egyptian. It would never be sub- 
 mitted to by the soldiers of any civilized na- 
 tion. Even in India a blow from an officer 
 would fire the blood of the lowest Sepoy, 
 and result either in immediate vengeance, or 
 by suicids of the poor fellow, whose self-re- 
 spect would be forever lost by such an out- 
 rage. Leaving the ''scrimmage" in full 
 blast we speed on, past more collections of 
 mud huts, through long stretehes of meadows 
 
2 IS 
 
 made amazingly fruitful by the eun-quick- 
 nied slime which the river leaves behind 
 after its annual rise, richer far than bone- 
 dust or guano; past fat cattle browsing in 
 rich pastures, like Pharoah's fat kine, in 
 striking contrast to the lean, ragged peas- 
 ants or fellaheen at work in the fields; past 
 rows of graceful palms shooting up like so 
 many obelisks, behiud which we catch a 
 glimpse of one of the Viceroy's many palaces : 
 and now the tall minarets of " Grand Cairo ? 
 arc before us. W. P. F. 
 
BOUND THE WOELD. 
 
 NUMBER THIRTY-OXE. 
 
 Cairo— Church Bells do not make a Sab- 
 bath— Dragomen— Scenes in Trout of 
 the Hotel— Peddlers and Mountebanks 
 —Donkeys and Donkey Boys— A"Donk" 
 with an Illustrious Name— The Pez— 
 The Bazaars— Sprinkling Machines— 
 The " Light of the Harem "-Old 
 Abraham Comes to Grief— The Cita- 
 del — The Mamelukes' Leap — The 
 Great Mosque— Island of Ehoda— 
 Moses in the Bulrushes— The Kilome- 
 ter— Joseph's Granaries— The Shoobra 
 Gardens— A Mohamedan's Paradise- 
 Mohamet Ali— Heliopolis— The Vir- 
 gins' Sycamore Tree— Dancing Der- 
 vishes. 
 
 [From our Special Correspondent.] 
 
 Cairo, August 24. 
 The sound of a sweet toned bell woke me 
 early this morning, and for a moment it 
 seemed that I must be once more in a 
 Christian land; but a glance from my win- 
 dow across the little garden by the side of 
 the hotel showed the sun rising over the 
 domes and minarets of the capital of Egypt, 
 and in the streets below were long lines of 
 camels, crowds of swarthy Egyptians all 
 wearing the universal red fez cap, and in- 
 numerable donkeys half buried under enor- 
 mous burdens of fresh cut grass. A sonorous 
 bray from one of these would for the 
 moment drown all other sounds, even the 
 chatter and clamor of their masters, which 
 is uimcot iBttiqf except during the hours of 
 darkness. I now fully realized that I was 
 not in America, nor in any other civilized 
 land, and that the sound of the bell did not 
 bring with it the Christian Sabbath. Open- 
 ing the door I clap my hands and a native 
 servant appears with a tray on which are 
 cafe-au-lait, eggs and bread, ihc regular 
 breakfast is not served until twelve o'clock. 
 Around the porch of the hotel, which faces 
 a large and handsome square, is a scene full 
 of amusement and novelty to the strauger. 
 But before I can reach the door I am assailed 
 by a crowd of gaily-dressed dragomen and 
 guides, all most anxious to serve me, eacji 
 
220 
 
 provided with a handful of testimonials in 
 various European languages. But I have 
 learned by experience that this class are al- 
 most universally a set of thieves and swind- 
 lers preying upon strangers, and their exac- 
 tions are only limited by the ignorance or 
 weakness of those who may fall into 
 their hands. It is a Levantine proverb 
 that the three nuisances of the East 
 are plague, fire and dragomen. So for the 
 present I decline their urgent offers of ser- 
 vice, and stand at the door watching the 
 curious scene. Here are a dozen pedlers of 
 antique relics from the pyramids, (probably 
 bogtis) canes, bright silk scarfs and turban* ; 
 another enterprising dealer has a basket full 
 of young alligators or crocodiles, about a 
 foot long, and holding up one of these charm- 
 ing productions of the Nile urges me to buy 
 it — 'only one franc, sar." On the oppo- 
 site side of the street a mountebank is swal- 
 lowing swords and snakes, surrounded by 
 an admiring crowd of donkey boys, cab- 
 drivers and "hangers-on." Dogs without 
 number fill every vacant space, their snarl- 
 ing and barking now and then varied, w^heu 
 a vigorous kick sends them yelping away. 
 A private carnage drawn by a pair of hand- 
 some Arabs drives rapidly by, and in front 
 of the horses run two Nubians with long 
 white rods screaming to the people to get 
 out of the way. 
 
 But a new face is descried by the donkey 
 boys and they go for me at once. These 
 boys and donkeys together form an institu- 
 tion without which Cairo would lo^se half 
 its attractions. The latter are generally fat 
 and tough, and endowed with all the lazi- 
 ness and obstinacy of their race. The large 
 soft saddles are covered with red morrocco, 
 and the trappings are flashy and ornamented 
 with cowrie shells. The stirrup straps are 
 not fastened to the saddle, but merely pass 
 over it, and unless the boy holds the oppo- 
 site one, in mounting or dismounting, you 
 come down wiih a run. The fall, however, 
 can never be much, although somewhat 
 awkward to the stranger with so large a 
 crowd of lookers on. The donkey boys, 
 generally about half-grown, are the keenest 
 little gamins I ever saw, and for antic 
 drollery have no equals. One steps up to 
 me, pulls his forelock with one hand aud 
 gives a corresponding kick behind, which 
 accidentally hits another boy in the region 
 of the stomach, aud with a grin of humor on 
 his dirty face says: "Take ride, sab.? 
 ^line splendid donkey. Name Prince"— then 
 
221 
 
 eatching an English word I uttered,he quick- 
 ly acids, " of Wales. Prince of Wales, sab"— 
 if I had uttered a French word the name 
 would have been "Prince Napoleon." Oth- 
 ers behind him taking the cue call out, 
 "Mine Billy Button," '-Tom Jones," "Wa- 
 terloo," "Duke Wellington^' etc. But one 
 bright-eyed little urchin (was he so much 
 brighter than the rest?) calls out "Mine 
 Berry good Jackass Yankee Doodle" "Gen- 
 eral Grant." That last shot told, and I fol- 
 lowedthe boy to take my first ride on the 
 " donk " with so illustrious a name. 
 
 Before I had been long in Cairo I dis- 
 covered that it would be a matter of econo- 
 my as well as comfort to invest in a fez. My 
 friends at home will understand that to wear 
 a fez in the East does not necessarily make 
 one a Turk] but it will save by about one- 
 half what you have to pay in the bazaars, as 
 it implies that you are not a stranger to be 
 taken in. English travelers are everywhere 
 the least inclined to adopt the costume or 
 language of a foreign country, and 
 are made to pay accordingly. The French 
 and Italians have that happy facility 
 of identifying themselves with the people 
 wherever they may be, which in the east 
 has very much increased their popularity and 
 influence. Here the nationality of a stove- 
 pipe hat is recognized on sight. In order to 
 see and understand the peculiar customs and 
 life of a strange people one should drop that 
 haughty air of disdain and superiority, and 
 so far as is consistent with propriety and 
 comfort, mix with the people in a dress that 
 will not attract the special attention of every- 
 one he meets. 
 
 The bazaars of Cairo are only surpassed by 
 those of Damascus and Constantinople in the 
 extent, richness and variety of the thousand- 
 and-one articles of oriental manufacture: 
 and can best be seen on foot and donkey. 
 The streets are so narrow and crooked that 
 the older part of the city resembles a huge 
 honey-comb. The upper stories project over 
 the one next below, and the front 
 is usually of lattice work, which enables 
 the bright-eyed damsels to watch all 
 that passes in the street without being seen 
 themselves. There are no sidewalks or 
 pavement, but the streets are cool and moist, 
 the high projecting buildings shutting out 
 the heat of the sun, and in many places 
 canvas or boards completely roof in the nar- 
 row space at the top and form an arcado. 
 Troops of hungry dogs do duty as scavengers 
 and keep the streets in tolerable sanitary 
 
222 
 
 condition. The only sprinkling machine 
 known here is the same generally used in 
 India— a water-carrier with a goat-skin slung 
 across his shoulders. 
 
 My donkey boy followed up the " Gen- 
 eral," making his presence known by fre- 
 quent whacks over the flanks of the poor 
 beast, and emphasising them with epithets 
 rather rough and emphatic, than compli- 
 mentary to his pedigree. The " donk " from 
 instinct or long experience seemed to know 
 when the blow was coming, 
 
 and would make a sudden spurt 
 to avoid it, which threatened 
 the rider with being dropped off behind. The 
 bazaars swarm with people. Men and 
 women, donkeys, camels and oxen bearing 
 heavy loads, are inextricably mingled, every 
 one in the way of others, with no rule of 
 turning out to the right or the left, all shout- 
 ing, screaming, pulling and whacking the 
 beasts, with most ludicrous appeals to the 
 Prophet. It now requires a sharp lookout, 
 not so much for fear of running over some 
 one— for the foot passengers have a miracu- 
 lous way of escaping danger — as to escape 
 coming to grief by being wedged in between 
 a camel laden with stone or wood, and the 
 projecting panniers of a mule filled with 
 vegetables or boxes of merchandise. Re- 
 gardless of the hubbub and confusion of the 
 street, you can see the turbanned merchant 
 sitting cross-legged on a mat in front of his 
 little seven by nine shop, smoking his 
 chibouk and sipping his coffee with true 
 Mussel man coolness and gravity. Turning 
 into a by-street I slipped off the 
 "General," and leaving him in charge of 
 the boy, I found a standing place on the cor- 
 ner to watch the passers by. As I wore the 
 fez I attracted no special notice and a grim 
 oid Turk made room for me on the board in 
 front of his shop. Here comes a woman out 
 shopping, an occupation of which the fair 
 sex are as fond of in Cairo as in Xew York, 
 followed by a eunuch, black as Erebus, with 
 an armful of parcels. She may be ''the light 
 of the harem," or her grand-iiiothcr, for all 
 I can tell, for she is wrapped in the univer- 
 sal white cottou winding sheet, and her face 
 is hidden behind a brown figured gauze veil. 
 As she does not vouchsafe to shoot " an eye- 
 lash arrow from an eyebrow bow " in this di- 
 rection, I presume she is old and ugly. Next 
 comes the very personification of the 
 " Father of the Faithful," with long white 
 beard, a massive wrinkled face, and oriental 
 dress, identical with that worn by the old 
 
C.7J 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 ^^r 
 
 
 
 
 BTRiET SCENE IN CAIKO 
 
223 
 
 patriarch. II" rides an easy going mule and 
 seems absorbed in holy meditation. But at 
 the intersection of a narrow side 
 street, he comes in contact with a 
 mettled Aral), ridden uy a young fellow 
 at a sharp canter, and over goes old Abra- 
 ham sprawling in the dust. This occurrence 
 s not so unusual as to cause any excitement, 
 and it is only the stranger who laughs at 
 the catastrophe. He picks himself up, re- 
 mounts his mule more astonished, per- 
 haps, than his rider, and jogs on again, as if 
 nothing had happened. Near by is a barber 
 shop where, if I understood Arabic, I could 
 hear the latest Caireen scandal, and in the 
 cafe over the way a story-teller is surrounded 
 by a crowd of eager listeners, as in the times 
 of the Caliphs and the Arabian nights. For 
 half an hour I watched the passing throng, 
 and long for the pencil of a Hogarth or a 
 Nast to fix on paper the comical scenes. 
 
 Then with "Billy Boy" and the "Gen- 
 eral," I take a quieter route toward the 
 Citadel, which is located on a high bluff 
 overlooking the whole city and its environs. 
 The glistening domes and minarets of the 
 four hundred mosques of which Cairo boasts 
 are at our feet; to the east are seen the ob- 
 elisk of Heliopolis and the tombs of the Mame- 
 lukes; on the west and south are the ruins 
 of old Cairo, the grand acqueduct, 
 the island and groves of Rhoda; while 
 farther on across the Xile are the pyramids 
 of Ghizah and Sakharra, and beyond these 
 the great Lybian desert. Close by is the 
 famous "Mamelukes' leap," where fifty years 
 ago that bloody old tyrant, Mahomet AH 
 having enticed these unruly chiefs into the 
 citadel, shut the gates and slaughtered them 
 all but one, Emii Bey, who dashed his horse 
 ever the low parapet, and down the face of 
 the wall, forty feet, escaping with his life, 
 although his horse was killed. As I looked 
 over the wall down the steep precipice, the 
 feat seemed a most daring one, and the es- 
 cape almost miraculous. The tombs of the 
 Mamelukes are magnificent monuments 
 of these descendants of I limn Circassian 
 girls, torn from their mountain homes by 
 ruthless slave-dealers. But their sons lived 
 to rule with iron hand the offspring of those 
 who wrought their mothers' shame, and a* 
 bold warriors twice to hurl back the Tartars 
 from Europe under the tierce Tamerlane. 
 
 in the center of the citadel is the mosque 
 of Mohamet Ali, the finest in Egypt, and 
 second only to that of St. Sophia at Constan- 
 tinople, At the entrance an old priest takes 
 
224 
 
 me in charge and points to my boots, which 
 f understand to mean, " Put oft* thy shoes 
 from oft' thy feet for the place whereon thou 
 standest is holy ground." 1 give him a franc. 
 and he brings a pair of large, loose slippers 
 which he ties on over my boots. Shade ot 
 the prophet! how degenerate have we be- 
 come in these hitter days! An unbelieving 
 dog of a Frank enters the holy precincts 
 with his boots on. A circular marble col- 
 lonade encloses the large courtyard into 
 which we first came. In the center is a 
 fountain of marble, elegently carved, where 
 the faithful, having left their slippers out- 
 ride, wash their feet before entering the 
 sacred mosque to perform their devotions. 
 
 Standing beneath the grand dome, which 
 is of beautifully-stained glass, the walls and 
 pillars of variegated marble, with hundreds 
 of lamps and chandeliers of fine crystal over- 
 head, the eftect was most impressive. A 
 <; dim religious light/' in strong contrast 
 with the noonday glare without, pervaded 
 the interior. The marble floor was covered 
 with Persian carpets, on which a crowd of 
 worshippers were kneeling, all facing toward 
 Mecca, and muttering prayers, while at reg- 
 ular intervals they reverently bumped their 
 foreheads on the ground. Some of them 
 glanced scowlingly at me, but I knew the 
 old priest, in view of the expected bak- 
 sheesh, would not let me come to grief. 
 In one corner, protected by a screen of 
 uilt lattice work, was the tomb of the 
 builder of the mosque, Mohamet Ah. In the 
 midst of all this magnificence, where mar- 
 ble and gold, crystal and precious stones had 
 been lavished without stint, I was surprised 
 at hearing the twittering of hundreds of 
 >parrows that seemed quite at home in the 
 cool and quiet interior of the mosque. They 
 were flying all around under the dome, and 
 their chirping could be heard above the 
 murmuring of the faithful kneeling on the 
 floor below. How much more acceptable to 
 the Almighty were their voices of praise 
 than the mummery of the ignorant and 
 superstitious crowd beneath. 
 
 This mosque, upon which immense sums 
 of money have been spent, with its stained 
 glass and somewhat gaudy decorations, bears 
 little resemblance to those beautiful tem- 
 ples erected by the Moslem conquerors 
 of India. There the lightness and ele- 
 gance of Saracenic architecture have united 
 with most wonderful >kill in carving the 
 pure white marble; and the "Pearl 
 Mosques" of Agra and Delhi seem infin- 
 itely superior in beauty and simplicity to 
 
225 
 
 this tawdry specimen *of the Mahomedan 
 architecture of the present ago. 
 
 During our ten days' stay in Cairo we vis- 
 ited many places and objects of interest. 
 One tine cool morning we crossed in a boal 
 to the island of Khoda, where the Pasha h:i- 
 a palace in the midst of a beautiful garden, 
 fragrant with orange blossoms. Here, ac- 
 cording to tradition the infant Moses was 
 launched among the bulrushes and found by 
 Pharaoh's daughter. While musing on the 
 strange scenes which this old river had wit- 
 nessed, the lines of Dr. Holmes occurred to 
 me, in which he comically inquires the 
 whereabouts of the good, far-gone days of 
 childhood, with their brightness and fresh- 
 ness: 
 
 " Where, oh, where are life's lilies and roses, 
 Bathed in the golden dawn's smile? 
 
 Dead as the bulrushes 'round little Moses, 
 On the old banks of the Nile." 
 
 Here on the Island of Khoda is the famed 
 Xilometer, a slender stone pillar in the cen- 
 ter of a well, graduated with cubits— one of 
 the most ancient relics of a remote age. 
 Herodotus mentions that the measurement 
 of the river's rise and fall, thereby to calcu- 
 late the probable extent of the harvest, was 
 a part of the priestcraft of the Pharaohs. 
 
 Returning to the main shore we visited 
 Boulac, a portion of the city which contains 
 an immense government foundry and a mu- 
 seum of Egyptian antiquities. In this 
 neighborhood w r e had been told were the 
 granaries of Joseph — the first great specu- 
 lator in wheat of whom we have any record 
 —but we were unable to find them, and 1 
 am inclined to think them a mith. 
 
 We also visited the Shoobra gardens and 
 palace, having first obtained a government 
 order through our Consul. The drive to 
 this famous place is through a splendid ave- 
 nue four miles long, shaded by very large and 
 old sycamore trees. Here in the center of a 
 beautiful garden was the favorite palace of old 
 Mohamet Ali. Sparkling fountains, marble 
 kiosks, elegant furniture, divans embroid- 
 ered with gold and covered with the rich- 
 est brocade, decorations of finest alabaster, 
 nothing had been spared to make 
 this an earthly paradise. The pres- 
 ent Viceroy rarely comes here, but 
 keeps up the place in honor of his grand- 
 father, whose memory is held in great re- 
 spect. Mohamet Ali, whose portraits hang 
 on the walls and appear In several places 
 among the frescoes, is represented as a griz- 
 zly old Turk, with an immense white beard, 
 In Oriental turban and costume, surrounded 
 
226 
 
 by the ladies of bis harem, as beautiful as th<- 
 houris of a Mohametau's paradise. He was 
 a crafty and ambitious, but a daring and 
 energetic ruler. He massacred the Mame- 
 lukes in cold blood because they stood in the 
 way of his ambitious schemes. Having 
 made himself master of Egypt and Syria, he 
 would have won Constantinople and per- 
 haps have established there a strong govern- 
 ment had not the English interfered to gave 
 the present effete dynasty. 
 
 It is a pleasant drive of six miles from 
 Cairo to Heliopolis, the " City of the Sun." 
 In old times, when Joseph ruled in Egypt, 
 this was a place of much importance. \\ 
 was called " On," and here Joseph lived and 
 look the priest's daughter for a wife. All 
 that now remains of the ancient city is a 
 single red granite obelisk seventy feet high, 
 covered with hieroglyphics. It waa erected 
 four thousand years ago, and successive in- 
 undations of the Xile have raised the sur- 
 face of the ground twenty-live feet above it> 
 base— perhaps even much more, as it waa 
 usual to place these structures on a high 
 mound. Near the site of this ancient city is 
 the old Sycamore tree under whose branches, 
 many centuries afterward, Joseph and Mar} . 
 as they journeyed to Egypt with their little 
 boy,sat down and drank from a cool spring, 
 the water of which instantly changed from 
 salt and bitter to the pure sweet fountain 
 which it remains to this day. Of course this 
 is perfectly authentic. To doubt or ques- 
 tion the genuineness of the old world's tradi- 
 tions and relics, would not only deprive these 
 places of half their interest, but dispel those 
 pleasant illusions so attractive to the visitor. 
 
 In the centre of Old Cairo, is a mosque 
 and college of dancing dervishes ov/akecrs, 
 and every Friday, they hold a seance. We 
 reached the place after threading a labaiynth 
 of crooked streets, and were ushered into a 
 room in a building adjoining the mosque, 
 where several other parties of foreigners 
 were assembled. "We were offered seats on 
 the divan extending round the room, and a 
 servant brought tiny cups of coffee 
 of tine flavor but thick and BWeel 
 ;i- Bjrup. Then came chibouks and 
 and cigarettes for the ladies. After a hall 
 hour's delay we were shown into the mosque, 
 Where the performance came off. A circular 
 space about forty feet in diameter and 
 smoothly floored was enclosed in a low rail- 
 ing, outside which were the spectator- una 
 in a small gallery Beats were provided for us 
 as specially invited guests. In the gallery 
 
opposite was the orchestra, consisting of 
 eight instruments like clarionets, and four 
 small drums. Twelve dervishes then marched 
 into the arena and ranged themselves around 
 the inner space, after bowing to each other 
 and to their superior or head priest, who 
 wore a green robe and turban, indicating 
 that he had made the pilgrimage to Mecca. 
 All but the head fakeer wore tall, steeple- 
 shaped felt hats, without any brim, short 
 jackets and long white robes tied about the 
 waist. Their faces looked pale and emaciated 
 with fasting. One of them went into the 
 musicians' gallery and read from the Koran 
 for about twenty minutes in a drawling, 
 sing-song tone, while his brethren knell; 
 on the floor below, frequently bowing 
 their heads to the ground. The music 
 then struck up and the performers rose from 
 their knees and marched several times round 
 the arena. The headdevrish, who seemed to 
 be held in special reverence, stood on a mat 
 by himself, and each one in passing him 
 stopped to make a low salaam, and then 
 turned round and salaamed the one next be- 
 hind. Then the music became gradually 
 more lively, and one after another threw up 
 their hands and began to whirl. Faster and 
 faster they whirled, their arms now ex- 
 tended at right angles, and with eyes closed 
 in a sort of dreamy ecstacy, they spun round 
 like tops, their gowns spreading out with 
 the rotarv motion to the size of most ex- 
 travagant crinoline. I timed them with my 
 watch and found that seventy times a min- 
 ute was the maximum speed. They kept 
 up this performance for about an hour with 
 occasional intervals of rest, when they would 
 suddenly stop, fold their arms over their 
 breasts, and march sltfwly around the arena, 
 apparently made no more dizzy by their 
 gyrations than the ball-room belle who ha> 
 been "taking a turn'' to the music of 
 Strauss. At last the orchestra ceased play- 
 ing and the seance was ended. As the per- 
 formers, having put on their outside robes, 
 quietly left the building, the true believers 
 bowed very low as they made room for them 
 to pass. They evidently considered them 
 very holy men who would whirl themselves 
 into very high seats/4o ^^^^ ^ 
 
 This perfomance comes oil' every week 
 and crowds of Mohaniedens, as well as near- 
 ly all the foreign visitors in Cairo, go to see 
 it. It is a free exhibition— no tickets being 
 taken at the door— nor is any contribution 
 box passed round. The dervishes are all 
 Turks, and their complexion, pale from 
 
223 
 
 fasting and abstinence, is bo much lighter 
 than that of the native Egyptian*, that they 
 teem to us as white as European-. This cu- 
 et i- of modern origin, and Mohamet 
 Ali brought them from Constantinople to 
 Cairo, about fifty year- ago. Nothing in 
 civilized lands resembles their performance-. 
 as much at the whirling of the Shakers. 
 
 our vj-it to Memphis and the pyramid! at 
 Ghizah and Sakara will he described in my 
 next letter. W. P. F. 
 
N UMBER THIRT r-T HE E E 
 
 El Kaherah— The Nile— Ancient Knowl- 
 edge of the Egyptians— Lost Arts- 
 Visit to Memphis and Sakharra— An 
 Early Start— Sand Storm in the Des- 
 ert—The City of the Pharaohs— Tem- 
 ple of Apis— Cemetery of the Sacred 
 Bulls— Lunch Among the " Old Mas- 
 ters"— An "Antique" Factory— Ty- 
 phoons at Sea and Sirroccos on Land- 
 Pyramids of Ghizah— Egyptian Sol- 
 diers—Fertility of the Soil — Old 
 Cheops— Up "We G-o— View From the 
 Summit— The King's Chamber— The 
 
 Sphynx, 
 
 Cairo, September 4. 
 
 It is written that " El Kaherah" "which 
 the Europeans have metamorphosed into 
 Cairo, was founded by a general appointed by 
 Ali, the husband ot Mahomet's fair daughter 
 Fatima; but the present city was not built 
 until some centuries later, and for Egypt is 
 quite a mushroom of a town only some nine 
 hundred years old. But it was built on the 
 ruins of much older cities, near the site of 
 the earliest temple-palaces of the Pharaohs ; 
 and, after Constantnople, is the oldest Ma- 
 hometan city in the world. 
 
 The Nile, the most mysterious of all 
 rivers, flows on the same from age to 
 age, its greasy, muddy, turbid waters the 
 source of fruitfulness in a land that without 
 them would speedily become a desert. Un- 
 changed they have rolled on since the touch- 
 ing story of Joseph and his brethren was en- 
 acted on their banks, since Pharaoh's daugh- 
 ter bathed in the turbid stream, since the 
 Israelites slaved along the shores, and many- 
 centuries later they bore the gorgeous gal- 
 leys of the voluptuous Cleopatra. 
 
 Egypt was for ages the storehouse of 
 knowledge, and the artpf magic is still 
 studied in the land, whei»oT old the potent- 
 ates, who united the Kingship and Priest- 
 hood in one person, called in its aid in hum- 
 bugging the masses of the people. >Ve arc 
 taught that the early race of men originally 
 was endowed with miraculous powers, the 
 knowledge of which lingered lor cen- 
 turies among the Chaldeans. They 
 were skilled,perhaps, in those wondrous sci- 
 ences, such as mesmeri>ni and clairvoyance. 
 
230 
 
 of winch the world is just now beginning to 
 regain the knowledge. If these are among 
 the "lost arts," it is not surprising that they 
 
 represented manic to the people in that early 
 age, for even now. with all the science and 
 skill of modern civilization, they are almost 
 a sealed hook. We read in thG Bible that 
 Moses was skilled in all the knowledge of 
 the Egyptians. AVI) at was his knowdedge, 
 known only to the wily priesthood to which 
 all the Pharaohs belonged, and into which 
 the adopted son of Pharaoh's daughter was 
 doubtless initiated!'' The story of Moses 
 leading God's chosen people through the 
 desert toward the promised land discloses 
 some of his skill in controlling the masses, 
 who were probably quite as ignorant as the 
 Egyptians among whom they had delved as 
 slaves. 
 
 Having exhausted the sights of Cairo, ex- 
 cept the bazaars, which one never tires of 
 visiting, we arranged for a trip to Memphis 
 and the pyramids of Sakharra. To accom- 
 plish this in one day required an early start, 
 and soon after the sun was up we found our- 
 selves on the banks of the Nile looking for 
 transportation across its rapid, muddy cur- 
 rent. The floating bridge had been render- 
 ed impassible by some accident, and we 
 could only cross by boat. The struggli 
 among the rival boatmen as to who should 
 take us over was exciting. Being only pas- 
 sengers, niy friend and I stepped back out 
 of the crowd of shouting, screaming, scolding 
 Arabs and let them settle the matter, in their 
 own way. Any attempt to touch us 
 or our effects was instantly resented with 
 a rap from our rattans, for although 
 we did not understand Arabic, the logic of 
 a stick is well understood everywhere in the 
 Bast. The shaking of lists and gesticula- 
 tions were numerous, but we knew they 
 were "mere sound and fury signifying 
 nothing." At last the din and hubbub 
 ceased, and avc stepped quietly into the boat 
 of the victorious party, and were quickly 
 >et across the river. At the railway station 
 on the west side we took the train to Buder- 
 shain, twelve miles up the river. There 
 were crowds of filthy Arabs swarming over 
 the third-class cars, and so much delay in 
 starting on account of the broken bridge 
 1 hat we did not arrive thereuntil ten o'clock. 
 We hired donkeys at the station to go to the 
 site of Memphis, five miles distant. IV- 
 I'ore starting "\ve noticed that the 
 sun was clouded in, and to me it 
 ! that a rain storm was coming Up. 
 
« 
 
 \ 
 
 L 
 
 
 1*4 
 
 ■ 
 
231 
 
 But it very rarely rains in Egypt, and to one 
 familiar with the climate the signs indicated 
 something infinitely worse— a sand storm. 
 We had not reached a mile from the station 
 when it came down upon us with great fury. 
 The force of the wind was terrific, and the 
 flying sand seemed to cut the skin like a 
 knife. In a minute we were blinded in 
 spite of the green goggles we wore, and the 
 sand penetrated eyes, nose, ears and mouth 
 We were in a desert of sand, and the air was 
 so full of the fine cloud that we could not see 
 ten feet before us. We turned our backs to 
 the gale, and the howling of the wind and 
 the braying of the donkeys made such music 
 as I never heard before and hope never to 
 hear again. I had read of caravans being- 
 overwhelmed and buried in the sands, but 
 could never before realize the horr6rs of 
 such a catastrophe. I took the puggree off 
 my hat and tied it over my face for a veil, 
 and holding on to our "donks" for dear 
 life we took refuge under the lee of a sand 
 hill until the gust had passed over. It 
 lasted about twenty minutes, and left the 
 sand drifted in places like snow. As soon as 
 the storm lulled we pushed forward to a col- 
 lection of mud huts w r here once stood the 
 great city of Memphis, the proud capital of 
 ancient Egypt — the city from which Pha- 
 raoh is supposed to have led forth the chiv- 
 alry of the land in pursuit of the hosts of 
 Israel on their march for freedom. A beau- 
 tiful forest of palms covers a portion of the 
 site, a noble burial place even for such a 
 city, its circumference, according to an- 
 cient writers, was over seventeen miles, 
 and the ruins of its famous temples 
 are now covered by the sand of 
 the desert, and the alluvial deposits 
 of the river. Excavations have been made 
 in various places, and the ground was Ut- 
 tered with broken statues of granite and 
 marble. One colossal figure lies prone upon 
 the ground, supposed to be the statue of 
 Sesostris. The expression upon the upturned 
 face is of quiet, benignant repose; or of 
 pensive sorrow, in harmony with the deso- 
 late aspect of the whole place. It represents 
 a once powerful king and ruler prostrate 
 amid the ruins of his capital. A crowd of 
 filthy Arabs surrounded us, screaming for 
 baksheeshyund they scrambled and quarreled 
 for the few copper coins we threw them 
 like a pack of half-starved dogs. 
 
 After a short rest w T e again started over 
 the plain for the pyramids of Sakharra, four 
 miles distant, but before reaching them we 
 were overtaken by another sand-storm 
 
232 
 
 fiercer, if possible, than the first Luckily 
 it came from behind, and we fled before 
 the blast which nearly took our poor 
 donkeys off their feet. These pyramid- are 
 older and much more dilapidated than those 
 vt' Ghizah. near Cairo. Xear these crum- 
 bling mounds are the Sarapeum, or "Temple 
 of Apis." and the tombs in which tLe sacred 
 bulls are buried. These have lately been 
 discovered aud are among the most inl 
 ing monuments of Egypt. An enterprising 
 Frenchman, 31. Mariette, has spent two 
 years and a large sum of money in bringing 
 to light these wonderful relics of antiquity. 
 We took refuge from the storm in a small 
 building erected for his residence while 
 superintending these excavations, where we 
 found an old Sheik who claimed authority 
 over this part of the desert— which simply 
 means the privilege of levying blackmail on 
 any visitor. We paid the fee, and with a 
 young Arab for a guide commenced our 
 explorations. The surface of the country for 
 miles in every direction is a desert, and 
 the sand-drift has covered many feet deep 
 these ancient remains. It is probable that 
 once this barren waste was as fertile as any 
 part of the Xile valley, but a change in the 
 bed of the river, and the gradual encroach- 
 ment of the de-ert has made it what it 
 now is. 
 
 We descend by a sloping path to the en- 
 trance, and lighting our candles find our- 
 selves in a long rock-hewn gallery, which 
 formed the cemetery for the bulls that were 
 worshipped in the adjoining temple of Apis. 
 Opening from this gallery like side chapels 
 are twenty-four recesses cut out of the lime- 
 stone rock, and in each of these an im- 
 mense Sarcophagus, formed from a single 
 piece of black porphyry. They are of uniform 
 shape and size, about sixteen feet long, eight 
 feet wide, and about nine feet in height. 
 The outside is covered with hieroglyphics, 
 with ii.}^u< as clean-cut and fresh 
 as if ju*t finished. On two or 
 three the figures are only traced, 
 a- if th_- work had been abruptly stopped, 
 re polished outside and iv smooth as 
 did the heavy lids of most of them 
 have been pushed off a few feet so that we 
 can see the interior. They are now all 
 empty, the sacred bulls they once contained 
 - long ago crumbled to dust. With the 
 - i nice of my companions I let myselt 
 down into one and examined the interior. 
 The space inside was large enough to contain 
 a mammoth ox, the surface was beautilully 
 polished, and the side, when aubi. by the 
 
233 
 
 hand, gave out a clear, bell-like sound. It 
 seemed strange and almost ludicrous thus to 
 stand, candle in hand, within the stone coffin 
 of a sacred bull! " These be thy gods, 
 O Egypt ! " Strange that a people so advanced 
 in the arts and sciences, so distinguished for 
 wisdom, who have left behind ruins that are 
 still the admiration of the world, should have 
 religious ideas so low as to worship four- 
 footed beasts, birds and creeping reptiles, 
 "What an immense amount of money, time 
 and labor have been expended to excavate 
 these long galleries, to bring these huge 
 blocks of porphyry many hundred miles, to 
 carve and polish them with almost miracu- 
 lous skill, and then to tit each one in a niche 
 to become the coffin of v.— bull. And this 
 was done, too, by a people without labor- 
 saving machinery, who knew nothing of the 
 use of iron tools— for I believe no iron in- 
 strument of any kind has been found in 
 Egypt. The tools they used were of copper, 
 but hard and pliant as steel. How to make 
 it so is one of the "lost arts," which all the 
 machinery and boasted knowledge of Birm- 
 ingham or Sheffield cannot now accomplish. 
 
 We afterwards visited the temple near by 
 and wandered through several rooms which 
 have hut lately been recovered from the 
 sand. They are lined w r ith white marble 
 or cement, and upon the walls and ceilings 
 are paintings as bright in colors and fresh- 
 looking as if executed only yesterday. 
 
 In one of these rooms, seated on the sand, 
 and surrounded by the works of the " old 
 masters " (probably 4,000 years old), we took 
 our frugal lunch, and drank in English ale 
 to the memory of the quaint old fellows 
 whose pictures stared at us from the walls- 
 then tossed the bones to their descendants, 
 a crowd of hungry Bedouins, who eagerly 
 picked up every scrap. 
 
 Outside we found a lot of Arabs employed 
 in unrolling mummies, thousands of which 
 are buried in a pit near the temple. Great 
 piles of skulls, crumbling bones and scraps 
 of mummy cloth were scattered around. 
 We secured here some genuine relics and 
 antiques, old as the Pharaohs. 3iost of the 
 so-called antiques sold in Cairo, especially 
 the scarabei, or sacred beetle 8, are made, 
 as I am told, at the factory of an enterpris- 
 ing Yankee or Englishman named Smith, in 
 Assouan, at the foot of the first cataract of 
 the Nile. 
 
 Having spent three hours at Sakharra we 
 started on our return. Our intention had 
 been to cross the desert from here to Ghizah, 
 but the weather made such an expedition 
 
234 
 
 dangerous, if not impossible. At intervals 
 all day the fierce sirrocco would break on 
 us, and we caught two more before we could 
 reach the station at Budershain. I have had 
 a little experience of typhoons at sea, and I 
 would much rather face the cyclone of the 
 Pacific with a good ship under me than the 
 sirocco of the Sahara desert when sand in- 
 stead of water is the moving element, 
 mounted on a miserable little half-starved 
 donkey. 
 
 The great pyramids of Ghizah are situated 
 at the edge of the desert on the opposite >idc 
 of the river, and about six miles distant 
 from Cairo. To see the sun rise from the 
 summit of Cheops is well worth the effort 
 required to ensure an early start. There is 
 a fine, smooth carriage road all the way. 
 Having crossed the Nile by the bridge of 
 boats, we drive for three miles through a 
 beautiful avenue of acasia trees, past a large 
 palace of the Viceroy, and long barracks 
 around which soldiers are lounging— fat, 
 saucy-looking fellows, who look better fed 
 and clothed, and more happy than the mis- 
 erable laborers from whom they are con- 
 scripted. In former tines, to save a son 
 from being forced into the Pasha's army, it 
 was not an unusual thing for a parent to put 
 out the right eye of his child, or cut off the 
 first joint of the forefinger of his right hand. 
 />ut this mutilation was stopped when 
 the Pasha formed a regiment of left- 
 handed men. which proved quite as 
 efficient as the rest of the army — which 
 is not saying much. The last three miles of 
 the road is on a dyke or embankment which 
 saves it from overflow by the river. The 
 date-palms which we see scattered over the 
 plain are now in blossom, and produce the 
 finest dates in the world. "We meet hun- 
 dreds of donkeys and camels plodding slowly 
 along towards the city, bearing immense 
 loads of vegetables and fresh cut grass. On 
 either side of the road are fields of grain, 
 maize, clover and lentils, growing most 
 luxuriantly from a soil so rich that it actually 
 looks greasy, It is entirely an alluvial de- 
 posit from the Nile, and on it the crops 
 spring up very swiftly, having a peculiarly 
 blight green appearance, and are very ten- 
 der to the touch from their rapid growth. 
 Two crops of grain, sometimes three, aud of 
 grass and vegetables usually four crops are 
 taken from the same soil every year. 
 
 For a long time the pyramids were right 
 before us,and so deceptive is their appearance 
 under the cloudless sky, with no other object 
 upon the vast plain with which to compare 
 
■■. -J> 
 
235 
 
 them, that they seemed actually to grow 
 smaller as we approached. We drove to the 
 very foot of the great pyramid of Cheops, 
 and our carriage was at once surrounded by 
 a crowd of Arabs. We drove them all away 
 and demanded to see the Sheik, who lives 
 here and professes to control these wild 
 children of the desert. We told him to se- 
 lect for each of us two good men from the 
 expectant crowd, and commenced at once 
 the ascent. Figures can convey but an in- 
 adequate idea of the immensity of this vast 
 pile. It is 480 feet high ; higher than the 
 tallest spire in Europe; 200 feet taller 
 than Trinity Church steeple. Ttie base is 
 764 feet on each side, and it covers an area 
 of twelve acres. The Public Square in 
 Cleveland, including the streets that sur- 
 round it, is, I believe, but ten acres. To 
 build the causeway to carry the stone from 
 the Nile, would require 100,000 men fo» ten 
 years, and to build the monument, 360,000 
 men for twenty years. The difficulty of 
 climbing the pyramid is not so much 
 from the steepness of the ascent, as the 
 great size of the blocks of stone com- 
 posing each layer. An Arab taking hold 
 of each hand lifts us up from one layer to the 
 next, and it is a succession of steps about 
 three feet high, with a space of one or two 
 feet to stand upon. When about a third of 
 the way up we stopped to rest, and another 
 Arab popped out from behind a stone and 
 urged us to engage his services. He ex- 
 plained by pantomime how useful he could 
 be in pushing us up behind. Boys carrying 
 small earthern bottles of water followed us 
 up, knowing that we should be thirsty 
 enough to give them a few piaster for a 
 drink before we reached the top. Our Arabs 
 wore no clothing, but a white cotton shirt, 
 and kept up a constant chattering like so 
 many black birds. To spring from block to 
 block and pull us up after them did not seem 
 to tire them in the least. On the summit is 
 a space about 25 feet square, the apex as well 
 as the casing of the pyramids having been 
 removed by the Caliphs for constructing 
 mosques and palaces at Cairo. We reached 
 the top just in time to see the sun rise above 
 the horizon of the great ocean desert, and 
 spread out before us was one of the finest 
 panoramas in the world. The dryness and 
 purity of the air in Egypt enables one to 
 see objects at a great distance. 
 
 We could see the Nile winding its way 
 through a carpet of verdure, on which are 
 many scattered villages— the city of Cairo 
 with its domes, minarets and palaces glitter- 
 
236 
 
 ing in the morning sun— and beyoxd all, the 
 white shining sands of the desert. 
 
 The Arabs pointed out the autograph on 
 stone of the Ptinceof Wales (very badly 
 cut,) and offered us hammer and chisel, but 
 we declined the cheap immortality of en- 
 rolling our names so high up on tablets of 
 stone, along with those of Jones, Smith and 
 Robinson which cover nearly every inch of 
 the space. To descend was more difficult 
 and dangerous than to climb up, for it re- 
 quires steady nerves to look off froin such a 
 dizzy height, standing upon a sht-lf scarcely 
 a foot in width. But our faithful Arabs 
 never let go of our hands for a moment until 
 we reached terra *irma, where a liberal 
 backsheesh made them dance round us like so 
 many wild Indians. " Yankee Doodle, good, 
 good," was the style of their returning 
 thanks. This title seems to denote high 
 rank in Egypt, and is used as an especial 
 compliment to all Americans. 
 
 Resting on the huge blocks of stone on the 
 shady side we took our lunch and indulged 
 in a fragrant chibouk, before entering the 
 long, narrow, dark passages that lead to the 
 heart of the great pyramid. After climbing 
 several inclines and sliding down others, 
 with barely room to stand upright, we stood 
 in the king's chamber, where our tapers 
 made little impression on darkness so in- 
 tense that it could almost be felt. This 
 apartment is lined with polished granite, 
 and is thirty-four feet long, eighteen broad, 
 and about twenty in length. In the centre 
 stands a red granite Sarcophagus, in which 
 King Cheops was buried, ages before the 
 time of Moses. The air here was so stifling 
 that we did not tarry long, and were glad to 
 escape into the open air once more. The 
 second and third pyramids are somewhat 
 less in size than that of Cheops ; and the six 
 others comparatively small. In front of the 
 great pyramid and facing the river is the 
 Sphinx. This most fantastic animal has 
 ever been looked upon as one of the greatest 
 wonders of Egypt. A colossal female head 
 rises above the sand, attached to the body 
 of a lioness, about which excavations have 
 been made so as to show its form hewn 
 from the solid rock. The features have the 
 thick lips and high cheek bones of the Nubian 
 which was the type of beauty to the ancient 
 Egyptians. The circumference of the head 
 measures over one hundred feet. 
 Time and ill-usage have made sad havoc 
 with the monstrous face, but there is a 
 placid beauty about its features, an abstract- 
 ed expression, resembling the large Budbist 
 
237 
 
 idols of Japan and India. The conception 
 is a grand one, and well calculated to inspire 
 with terror the weak minds of its worship- 
 ers. 
 
 As we ride back to Cairo we turn back to 
 gaze upon these marvelous structures, and 
 are lost in amazement at the immense 
 amount of labor expended for no practical 
 utility. If their »ole object was to perpet- 
 uate the names of the builders— Pharaohs, 
 Kings and Priests— whatever their titles 
 may have been, how futile the attempt at 
 immortality, for the names of the builders 
 have in most cases passed away. 
 Proud monuments of kings, whose very 
 
 names 
 Have perished from the records of the past. 
 
 W. P. F. 
 


 
 
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