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LETTERS 
 
 FROM 
 
 THE FAR EAST 
 
 BEING IMPRESSIONS OF 
 
 A TOUR AROUND THE WORLD 
 
 BY WAY OF 
 
 ENGLAND, INDIA, CHINA, AND JAPAN 
 DURING 1885-86 
 
 BY 
 
 De Lancey Floyd-Jones 
 
 COLONEL UNITED STATES ARMY 
 
 NEW YORK 
 PUBLIC SERVICE PUBLISHING CO. 
 
 1887 
 
Copyright, 1887, 
 Br DE LANCEY FLOYD-JONES. 
 
TO 
 
 MY BROTHER AND SISTERS, 
 
 FOR WHOSE INFORMATION 
 THESE LETTERS WERE MAINLY WRITTEN, 
 
 I DEDICATE THIS VOLUME. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The letters in this volume were written in the 
 course of a tour around the world, in 1885-6, and 
 appeared in journals of the time. They are pre- 
 sented now in book form, in the hope that they 
 may interest friends and fellow travellers. 
 
 The only claim made for them is, that they give 
 a plain narrative of the journey, and some details 
 concerning the places of note which I visited. 
 
 ' DeL. F-J. 
 
 Unqua, 
 South Oyster Bay, L. I., 
 January yth, i88j. 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 I. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Outward Bound — New York's Beautiful Harbor — Visiting the Statue — 
 Bartholdi, Lesseps, and the French Delegation — The Island of Bed- 
 loe — Fellow Passengers — Comforts of the Germanic — Queenstown 
 Harbor 10 
 
 II. 
 
 Liverpool'to London — Up the Mersey — Liverpool Docks — How they 
 are Constructed — London Dray Horses — Fast Trains of the North- 
 western Road — Beautiful Country 17 
 
 III. 
 
 English Country Life — Hotel Regent at Leamington — An Afternoon 
 Drive — Kenilworth Castle — Rooks and Rookeries — Comfortable 
 Apartments — Warwick Castle — Some Handsome Rooms — Bedwell 
 Park — Driving from Station — Game and Fruit — A Family Dinner — 
 Household Items — A Spacious Home-Guest's Register — Hatfield 
 House 32 
 
 IV. 
 
 London to the Adriatic — Hotels of Venice — The Gondolas — Travelling 
 Expenses — Paris American Colony — Modern Paris — Through the 
 St. Gothard Tunnel — City of the Doges — Leaving Venice 40 
 
 v. 
 
 Venice to the Red Sea — The Harbof^ of Ancona and Brindisi — The 
 Good Ship Assa?n — A Large India Mail — Alexandria in Egypt — A 
 Comfortable Dinner on the Quinnebaug — The Suez Canal — The 
 Red Sea — Collecting the Revenue 50 
 
Vlii TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 VI. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Aden to Bombay — English Coaling Points — Aden's Water-Works — 
 Pack Camels and their Drivers — First Impressions — Appearance of 
 Bombay Harbor — Bombay Tramways — Taking your own Servant 
 to a Dinner-party 5^ 
 
 VII. 
 
 Hindoo and Parsee — Street Scenes — Funeral Rites — Towers of Silence 
 — Cremating — Arabian and Persian Horses — Arab Horse Dealers 
 — Bullock Carts and Mode of Driving 67 
 
 VIII. 
 
 The Camp of Exercise — Visiting Officers and some of their Entertain- 
 ments — Various Nations Represented at the Manoeuvres — Prospects 
 of a Pleasant Journey — The Military Problem and Military Oper- 
 ations — The Umpire's Criticism 76 
 
 IX. 
 
 Bombay to Delhi — Prospect from a Car-window — Irrigation in India — 
 Breakfasting at Ajmere — The Maharaja's Palace at Jeypoor and 
 the Stables — The Great Mosque at Delhi and its Construction — 
 The Kutoob Minar and its Beautiful Proportions 85 
 
 X. 
 
 Delhi to Lahore — Indian Railways and some Scenes along the Line — 
 Simla and Amritzar — The Golden Temple at Amritzar — Siks and 
 Fakirs — A Drive about Amritzar — The American Christian Mission 
 at Lahore — Mausoleum of Ranjit Singh — Some Account of the 
 Koh-i-nur Diamond, and its Value — Museum and Gardens of 
 Lahore 98 
 
 XI. 
 
 Soldiering in India — Description of a Luxurious Tent — The Headquar- 
 ters Mess — The Rank and File of the India Army — East India 
 Uniforms — The Pay of the Enlisted Men — An Elephant Battery — 
 Manly Sports of Officers and Men — The March Past — Native 
 Chiefs — The Viceroy's Tribute no 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS. IX 
 
 XII. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Delhi to Agra — Buildings at Futhepoor Sikri — The Lions of Agra — A 
 Wedding Procession — Tomb of Akbar the Great — Best Route to 
 Approach the Taj Mahal — Ferguson's Description of the Taj — The 
 Pearl Mosque, and Bayard Taylor's Description of it — An East 
 Indian Prison 122 
 
 XIII. 
 
 Agra to Benares — Mrs. Clark's Hotel at Benares — The Monkey Tem- 
 ple and Car of Juggernaut — A Morning's Sail upon the Ganges, 
 along the City Front — A Visit to the Palace of the Maharaja of 
 Benares — Approaching Calcutta — The Opium Trade, and the 
 Method of Preparing this Narcotic 131 
 
 XIV. 
 
 Calcutta to Darjeeling — Some of the Tall Peaks of the Himalayas — 
 Scenes along the Route — Cast Iron Railway Tics — India Tea and 
 some Account of its Growth — View of Himalayas from Woodland 
 Hotel — A Trip to Senchal and View of Mount Everest 140 
 
 XV. 
 
 Calcutta to Madras — Government House at Calcutta, and Ball given in 
 Honor of the Foreign Officers — A Visit to the Botanical Gardens — 
 A Royal Menagerie — Bidding Good-bye to Rama — Domestic Ser- 
 vants in India — Sailing down the Hoogly — A Profitable Journey . . 149 
 
 XVI. 
 
 Appearance of Madras from the Sea, and a Drive about the City — The 
 Native Fishing Boats, and Madras Natives — A Splendid Excursion 
 by Rail to the Mountains of Ceylon — Its Tea Plantations — On the 
 Track of some Wild Elephants — Cyngolese at Home and Fancy for 
 Jewelry 15S 
 
 XVII. 
 
 Ceylon to Hong Kong — Lunching at Mount Lavinia — The Jin-rick- 
 shaw — Pleasant Company on the Hydaspes — Harbor of Penang — 
 Some Noticeable Stars in the Low Latitudes — Straits of Malacca — 
 Singapore and a Lunch at the Club — Halfway around the World, 
 and the Distances Travelled — The China Sea 160, 
 
X TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Hong Kong,* Canton, and Macao — Impressions of Hong Kong Harbor 
 — Some of the Attractive Features of the City — Hong Kong Ama- 
 teur Athletic Sports — Canton Sights, and a Tramp through the 
 City — Chinese Architecture — View of the City from the Five-story 
 Pagoda — A Chinese Lunch — Court of Justice — Chinese Prisons.. . . 184 
 
 XIX. 
 
 Hong Kong to Shanghai — Travelling by the Messagerie Line — First 
 View of Shanghai — Comfortable Quarters at the Shanghai Club — 
 Filial Devotion — Starting up the Yang-tsze River — Some of the 
 Prominent Cities of the River 195 
 
 XX. 
 
 Chinese Fortifications — Some Earthworks on the Chinese Rivers — Li- 
 hung-Chang, the Bismarck of China — Collecting Chinese Revenue 
 through Foreign Officials — Chinese Troops and some Impressions 
 of them — A Chinese Theatre — Deformed Feet, and how Pro- 
 duced — The Yang-tsze River, and its Tributaries — Chinese Walled 
 Cities 208 
 
 xxi: 
 
 Shanghai to Nagasaki — the Sea Voyage — Landing at Nagasaki — Japan- 
 ese Politeness — Tablet of General Grant — Japanese Crest — Island 
 of Deshima — Straits of Simoni-saki — The Inland Sea 218 
 
 ' XXII. 
 
 Kobe to Kioto — Passports still Necessary in Japan — Paper Windows — 
 Japanese Sandals and Clogs — Heating their Houses — Japanese 
 Temples — The Cherry-blossom Season, and some of their Amuse- 
 ments — Down the Rapids — Odd Modes of Carrying Produce — 
 Japanese Carpenters and their Tools — Their Universal Politeness — 
 Excellent Farming 231 
 
 * While the official title of this city is Victoria, I have called it Hong Kong, in con- 
 formity with the general practice of its residents. See page 174 for good authority. 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS. XI 
 
 XXIII. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Yokohama to Nikko — Japanese Guides, and their Usefulness as Cooks 
 — Joining Excellent Company — A Beautiful Drive — Passing en 
 route some Japanese Troops — Comfortable Quarters — Visiting the 
 Tombs of the Great Shoguns, and some of their Noticeable Feat- 
 ures — Lake Chiu-zen-ji, and a Ride Thither — A Comfortable Tea 
 House — Through the Silk Producing District — Faithful Men 246 
 
 XXIV. 
 
 Yokohama, and its Vicinity — Firing Tea — The European Residences 
 . — A Cordial Welcome — Visiting Miyanoshita — Boys' Day — Some 
 Account of Tokio — The Gesha Girls — A Glimpse of the Empress 
 — Exhibition of Flowers 257 
 
 • XXV. 
 
 Across the Pacific Ocean — A Comfortable Ship — Our Fellow Voyagers 
 — Great Circle Sailing — Passing the 180" Meridian, and gain of a 
 Day — The Daily Recess — Remarks on the Character of Weather, 
 etc. etc. — Two June ists — Completion of Voyage 266 
 
 XXVI. 
 
 Visiting the Yosemite — Misleading R.R. Agents — My Companions on 
 the Trip — San Francisco Bay, and View of the City — A Mountain 
 Veteran — Best Plan of Seeing the Valley — Splendid Mountains — 
 An Impressive Scene — A Monster Tree 277 
 
! LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Native Hack, Drawn by Bullocks, Bombay Frontispiece. 
 
 The Jumma Musjid, Delhi To face page 83 
 
 Golden Temple and Lake, Amritzar 89 
 
 Tomb of the Great Akbar, Sikandarah 115 
 
 The Taj Mahal, Agra 117 
 
 Dorjeeling, Himalayas in the Distance, India 139 
 
 Near Colombo, Ceylon, Showing Out-rigger Canoes 158 
 
 City and Harbor of Hong Kong 171 
 
 City and Harbor of Macao 183 
 
 Jin-rickshaw, Japan 245 
 
 Girls Picking Tea, Japan 249 
 
ERRATA. 
 
 Page 17. For " racks," read " ricks." 
 
 Page 27. For "stated," read "started." 
 
 Page 33. For " Plazzo," read " Palazzo." 
 
 Page 35. For " part," read " port." 
 
 Page 61. For "of," read " on." 
 
 Page 64. For/' Jumma," read " Jumna." 
 
 Page S3. For " an," read "on." 
 
 Page 97. For " Maharana," read " Maharaja." 
 
 Page 110. For "Bengal," read " Bombay." 
 
 Page 131. For "related," read "selected." 
 
 Page 133. For " matured," read "maturing." 
 
 Page 144. For " King Oudh," read " King of Oudh." 
 
I. 
 OUTWARD BOUND. 
 
 ROYAL MAIL S.S. "GERMANIC," 
 AT SEA, 200 MILES FROM QUEENSTOWN. 
 
 October 16th, 1883. 
 
 A VOYAGE across the Atlantic in these days has 
 so little of novelty about it that it's unreason- 
 able to expect this letter to prove very interesting 
 or entertaining. The trip is so speedily accomplish- 
 ed, and so many of your readers have made it, that 
 it would be egotistical in me to assume that I could 
 tell anything that has not been repeated over and 
 over again ; but, as this may form one of a series, 
 I venture to send it, giving some items of the trip — 
 particularly as I feel grateful to the good ship " Ger- 
 manic," as, also, my fellow-passengers, for the pleas- 
 ant days I've passed on board. 
 
 The steamer left her wharf promptly at 3.30 p. m. 
 on October 8th, but had some little difficulty in turn- 
 ing her head down stream, owing to a strong tide 
 and head wind. This was, however, after some de- 
 lay, and the aid of a strong tug, effected, and we 
 proceeded down the Bay. 
 
2 OUTWARD BO UND. 
 
 There was a slight haze in the atmosphere, accom- 
 panied by occasional showers, which prevented our 
 beautiful harbor from appearing at its best, and the 
 passengers from seeing it to advantage ; still we en- 
 joyed the sail, and caught an occasional expression 
 of admiration from our trans- Atlantic friends, a num- 
 ber of whom we have on board. As we passed the 
 Bartholdi pedestal, which has increased materially in 
 height since I last saw it, I could not avoid express- 
 ' ing the hope that the next time I passed it, the statue 
 of Liberty would be in place and its entire surround- 
 ings completed ; for I've always been of the impres- 
 sion that from its location, added to the idea it repre- 
 sents, it would form a grand feature of New York's 
 superb harbor, and excite the admiration of the 
 thousands that are to pass it in the future. 
 
 Since the above was written, both the pedestal 
 and statue have been completed, and the result has 
 more than equaled my expectations. The pedestal 
 is grand ; its proportions, and general design, do 
 great credit to the architect Mr. Richard F. Hunt, 
 and the substantial and solid manner in which its 
 base, together with the pedestal and the bronze statue 
 itself have been carried up, reflects the highest credit 
 upon its engineer, General Charles P. Stone, and 
 will serve as a monument to his engineering skill. 
 
 Its inauguration and acceptance by the U. S. Gov- 
 ernment through President Cleveland, was attended 
 with marked ceremonies, and numerous demonstra- 
 
 RBC 
 McU 
 
VISITING THE STATUE. 3 
 
 tions of military, naval and civic honors. A large 
 delegation from the French Republic, made up of 
 its best representatives, were invited guests and 
 joined in the celebration. I clip from the journals of 
 the day the impressions made on their first seeing it. 
 On the visitors landing at Bedlow's Island, they were 
 met by a vender of photographs of the statue and 
 pedestal, who sang out " Souvenirs of the Statue ! 
 
 " Souvenirs of the Statue ! The only authentic 
 Souvenirs ! Picture on one side, words on the other." 
 
 " Very charming," said M. Bartholdi, stopping to 
 examine them. " It is just what should have been." 
 Then for the next half hour he was lost in admiring 
 criticism of the statue. 
 
 " The only thing I find against it," he said, "is the 
 wall which is too high for the porportions of the fig- 
 ure and the statue. I'll tell you what you ought to 
 do one of these days [to Mr. Butler]. You should 
 grade the wall with earth, so that its height be 
 diminished. I don't like the looks of it at present. 
 The whole thing, however, I must say is most har- 
 monious. It is a magnificent thing. Of course, I 
 saw photographs of the statue and pedestal in Paris, 
 but they gave me no idea what it looked like, be- 
 cause the sea was not included in the pictures. Peo- 
 ple say that the height of the Brooklyn bridge de- 
 tracts from the height of the statue. Not at all. 
 They don't conflict in the least. The distance be- 
 tween them is too great for that. They are both big 
 
4 OUTWARD BOUND. 
 
 things, but they have nothing at all to do with one 
 another. 
 
 " When I first came to America," said M. Bar- 
 tholdi, radiantly, " I dreamed of this. I said to my- 
 self, ' What a great thing it would be for this enorm- 
 ous statue to be placed in the midst of such a scene 
 of life and liberty!' My dream has been realized. I 
 can only say that I am enchanted. This thing will 
 live to eternity," said M. Bartholdi, looking with an 
 expression heavenward ; " when we shall have pass- 
 ed away, and everything living with us has moldered 
 away." 
 
 M. de Lesseps sat on the wall surrounding the 
 pedestal and surveyed it, keenly appreciative. "What 
 can I say, mon dieu/" he asked. " I can only say 
 that it is a triumph. It represents the progress of 
 the two nations. It tells of liberty on these shores. 
 Let the American people abide by its precepts." M. 
 de Lesseps insisted upon going up among the scaf- 
 folding, and declined the least assistance. He ex- 
 amined everything, talked with Bartholdi, and was 
 quite as interested in what he saw as that gentleman. 
 Mile. Tototte caused much anxiety to her friend and 
 temporary chaperone, Mme. Leon Max, by scamper- 
 ing about in all directions. She always brought back 
 with her the latest bulletins of the gentlemen's 
 doings. 
 
 " It is sublime ! " said M. le General de Pelissier, 
 who went everywhere, though his wounds in the 
 
THE ISLAND OF BEDLOW. 5 
 
 Crimean war had made him lame. " Everything 
 connected with this statue is impressive. I am lost 
 in admiration of it." 
 
 " I saw the statue in Paris at the Exposition of 
 1878," said M. Desmons, of the Chamber of De- 
 puties, " and I never hoped then to see it here. I 
 can't express the honor I felt when I was asked to 
 make the visit. It seems to me that the statue 
 wasn't built for Bedlow's Island, but that Bedlow's 
 Island was built for the statue." 
 
 Such were the honest impressions of its author 
 and the honored representatives of the French na- 
 tion, and I do not think it egotistical in pronouncing 
 it one of the grandest and most imposing monu- 
 ments of the world, and a credit to all connected 
 with it; and in saying this I must not omit to mention 
 the New York * World, which by its zeal and volun- 
 tary use of its own columns, did so much toward 
 arousing the spirit of all classes, to contribute to the 
 completion of the work. 
 
 But to resume my narrative. Our pilot left us at 
 6 p. m., and as he stepped into his boat waved a 
 parting salutation, adding the wish for a prosperous 
 voyage — a sentiment that fully responded to our own 
 feelings. We were now fairly at sea, and I began 
 looking about to ascertain who were to be my fel- 
 low-voyagers, and learned upon inquiry, that we had 
 a comfortable number in the first cabin (about one 
 hundred), with something more than double that 
 
OUT WA RD BO UND. 
 
 number in the steerage. A day or two later on, 
 when the weather became fine, and after the cabin 
 passengers had recovered from the effects of sea- 
 sickness, I was able to make a little closer scrutiny 
 of my companions, who I found were made up of 
 various nationalities and professions — the English be- 
 ing rather in the majority. The published list shows 
 a Member of Parliament from Scotland and his wife ; 
 the Law has its representative in one of the Queen's 
 counsel ; the English service by a major, and our 
 own by a colonel U. S. Army and an ex-captain of 
 the U. S. Engineers ; the Press by an entertaining 
 Irishman who represents a well-known London daily. 
 I learned that a few of the English element had 
 ranches in the West and are on their way to England 
 to pass the winter with their friends, but the largest 
 share are travelers who are returning from a hurried 
 "run" of a few weeks in the United States, and upon 
 questioning them I found that the greater number 
 had been in America less than a month; and yet I've 
 no doubt that many — even with this limited stay — 
 thought themselves thoroughly acquainted with our 
 people, their manners and customs, and perhaps the 
 institutions of the Republic, and possibly some would 
 go so far as to say they were prepared to write a 
 book on America ; the usual round being up the 
 Hudson to Albany ; thence to Niagara, and from there 
 down the Lakes and St. Lawrence to Quebec, and 
 so around, by the way of Boston, back to New York 
 
FELLOW PASSENGERS. 7 
 
 city. Some extend their journey farther westward, 
 reachine Chicago and St. Louis, and on their return 
 take in Washington and Philadelphia. The Ameri- 
 can element on board is chiefly composed of pleas- 
 ure travelers, who are to pass the winter abroad, but 
 there are a few bent on business, who will return 
 after a month or more. Several well-established 
 houses of New York city and Chicago have their 
 buyers on board, who go out to purchase for the 
 coming spring styles and fashions ; and here I wish 
 to add that this class, who make frequent trips across 
 the Atlantic and have choice of the various lines, I 
 find give the preference to the White Star ships. 
 
 And now what shall I say of the good ship "Ger- 
 manic," which has brought us so safely and comfort- 
 ably across the Atlantic ? That she is one of the 
 very best I've had the good fortune to cross in, is 
 most certain. Her complement of cabin passengers 
 — less than 200 — is about the proper number to in- 
 sure the best attendance. The interior arrangements 
 are admirable. The dining-room is amidships, and 
 is supplied with revolving chairs ; a nicely propor- 
 tioned sitting-room, just over the dining-saloon, well 
 lighted by side ports, and a gracefully-shaped dome 
 of stained glass, furnishes a most agreeable lounging 
 place during the day or evening. This, as well as 
 every other portion of the vessel, is beautifully 
 lighted by the most approved mode of electric lights 
 of the incandescent system. Those in the staterooms 
 
8 UTWARD BO UND. 
 
 (English cabins), are under the control of the occu- 
 pant, so that he may retire at any hour, and light his 
 room at pleasure. An immense improvement over 
 the old system of lighting (through a lamp or candle 
 placed in a small closet with a glass front, and con- 
 nected with the cabin, but over which the inmates 
 had no control) and how often have I, in common 
 with many others, begged the room steward to give 
 me a half hour's more light, that I might not retire 
 in the dark. The present system has changed all 
 this, and a simple thumb-screw near at hand, turned 
 to the right or left, does it all, and lights up the cabin 
 in the most perfect manner. 
 
 So fully am I impressed with the comfort which 
 this light gives, that I hardly think I shall be content 
 to cross again unless it be in a ship supplied with this 
 improvement. Electric bells reach every part of the 
 vessel, and not only respond to a gentle push, but 
 are immediately answered by respectful and attentive 
 waiters. The police of this ship is most admirable. 
 The woodwork is constantly scoured, and the main 
 halls and passageways — many of them covered with 
 wood carpeting — are polished as bright as they can 
 be made, and I never saw the kitchen table of the 
 most dainty cook, present a cleaner or brighter ap- 
 pearance than the floor of the passage that leads to 
 my state room. The table is well supplied, and the 
 me7iu offers each day, beside all the substantial 
 dishes, some choice articles of game, and oysters on 
 
QUEEN STOWN HARBOR. 9 
 
 the half-shell are given at nearly every lunch. All 
 dishes are served after the French style, and the food 
 generally comes to the table piping hot. 
 
 The voyage has been a rough one, especially so 
 for this season ; still, our good ship has averaged 
 about 330 miles daily, and has made the passage 
 across in eight days and eight hours ; but so com- 
 fortable have we been that I, in common with many 
 others, almost regret that the voyage is so near at. 
 an end. 
 
 Quee?istown, October 1 7th, 7 a. m. — We touched at 
 this beautiful harbor at an early hour this morning, 
 and the anchor was let fall just as the sun was mak- 
 ing its appearance in the horizon. The shores were 
 near at hand — so near that we could see distinctly the 
 stone walls which separate the'various fields, as, also 
 the sheep and cattle that were scattered through 
 them — but the town was some miles away, and we 
 could only catch a glimpse of some parts of it in the 
 far distance. To save time, the steamers of this, 
 "The White Star Line," as well as most others, are 
 met near the entrance of Oueenstown, by steam- 
 tenders that take off the English mails and passen- 
 gers bound for Ireland. Quite a number of steerage, 
 but only two or three cabin passengers disembarked 
 here. This was speedily accomplished, and we were 
 soon again steaming away up St. George's Channel, 
 with our prow toward Liverpool. I observed, as 
 we passed along, that the shores presented a much 
 
IO OUTWARD BOUND. 
 
 grayer appearance than I'd ever before seen in Ire- 
 land. This was new to me, as I never before ap- 
 proached the Emerald Isle without finding its ver- 
 dure almost perfect, and the grass a beautiful rich 
 green, that reminded me of spring in America. 
 
 This I was told, was due in a measure to the 
 stubble fields — most of the oat crop having been re- 
 cently gathered — but is mainly owing to the very dry 
 season, which has been unprecedented throughout 
 many parts of Ireland. 
 
 We have still nearly two hundred and forty miles 
 to make before reaching Liverpool, but, as our voy- 
 age is practically over, I bring my letter to a close. 
 You may hear from me again somewhere in England; 
 till then I say au revoir. 
 
II. 
 LIVERPOOL TO LONDON. 
 
 REGENT HOTEL, 
 ROYAL LEAMINGTON SPA, ENGLAND. 
 
 October 220I, 1885. 
 
 MY last closed on October 17th, as we were 
 steaming through the Irish Sea, with our 
 prow pointed towards Liverpool. We were not 
 lucky in regard to the tide, and when the " Ger- 
 manic " reached the bar of the Mersey river, at 10 
 o'clock p. m., it was found it could not be crossed 
 'till the following morning — hence we anchored for 
 the night. I, not being among the impatient ones, 
 rather liked the idea of sailing up the river in broad 
 daylight, than of arriving in pitch-darkness. We 
 were under weigh again about 7 a. m. the following 
 morning and steamed rapidly up the twelve miles 
 that intervene between the bar and the city. 
 
 The fairly-observing American traveler who enters 
 for the first time the Port of Liverpool will naturally 
 be on the lookout for that forest of masts which he 
 is accustomed to see along the piers of New York 
 city and other commercial ports, and, not finding it, 
 would with reason exclaim, " Where is that immense 
 
12 LIVERPOOL TO LONDON. 
 
 fleet of vessels that I observe daily reported as enter- 
 ing and departing from this port ? Surely, they 
 have not hidden them away, and yet I see only a 
 straggling vessel or two in the river." A little closer 
 observation; and by looking over the roofs of the 
 warehouses which line the river front of the city, will 
 enable him to see the topmasts and upper spars of 
 the ships he is looking for, and this again begets the 
 question, " What are they doing there, away up in 
 the city ? Why not leave them in the river and 
 along piers, as in all the seaport cities of the United 
 States?" 
 
 The answer to this calls up the superb dock sys- 
 tem of Liverpool — one that has been in existence 
 for very many years and is contemporary with its 
 earliest existence as an extensive commercial port. 
 The tides, which with us do not have usually a rise 
 or fall of over three feet, at Liverpool rise and fall 
 21, and the springtides even 26 feet; the conse- 
 quence is that the river front of the city at low water 
 is almost bare, and vessels that anchor in midstream 
 must necessarily be a long way from the warehouses, 
 necessitating expensive lightering in discharging and 
 receiving cargo, beside being exposed to accident 
 from storms while lying in the river. It was to 
 obviate this that the dock system was introduced, 
 and although made in the most substantial manner 
 and at great expense, yet the convenience it offers 
 renders it most attractive to the average shipmaster 
 
LIVERPOOL DOCKS. I 3 
 
 and owner, in spite of the dues which it entails. 
 I passed two days in Liverpool, one of which I 
 devoted to the examination of its beautiful docks, 
 and without entering into the minute details of their 
 construction, I will simply state that excavations are 
 made along the river front, and the basins thus 
 formed surrounded by massive walls and quays, with 
 lock gates on the river front. These, at high tide, 
 are opened by hydraulic power, and the water 
 admitted, and with it the vessels. When the tide 
 ebbs the gates are closed — the pressure from the 
 water in the basins keeping them almost water-tight. 
 These various basins are connected by interior locks, 
 which increase the berthing space, and add to their 
 efficiency. Along the borders of these docks are 
 constructed the warehouses and sheds, in which are 
 stored the various cargoes while awaiting shipment 
 or transportation to the interior. In many instances 
 railway tracks connect them with the main lines of 
 roads, thus materially reducing the expense of dray- 
 age. The docks cover an immense space — the area 
 on the Liverpool side being 1,000 acres, while that 
 at Birkenhead (the Brooklyn of Liverpool) is about 
 5oo, making an aggregate' of over i,5oo acres. 
 Besides this style of dock there are immense " grav- 
 ing docks" (we call them ".dry docks"), built of 
 massive masonry, provided with every convenience 
 and able to accommodate the largest class of vessels. 
 While making the tour of these docks, which I did 
 
14 LIVERPOOL TO LONDON. 
 
 in company with the intelligent agent of the Atlantic 
 Mutual Insurance Company, I did not fail to remark 
 upon the large number of vessels that were lyino- 
 idle, and among them some old favorites of mine, in 
 which I had made voyages across the Atlantic. I 
 was told the number of vessels lying up for want of 
 employment was still greater at Birkenhead— a sub- 
 stantial proof of hard times in the shipping interest. 
 These docks have been constructed at various 
 periods, and usually bear the names of the distin- 
 guished person who opened them to the public. The 
 " Princess" Dock is the one near which is the land- 
 ing stage, where most of the travelers to or from 
 America embark or land. Then there are " The 
 George," -Nelson," « Trafalgar," "Wellington," "Vic- 
 toria," " Albert," and one of the latest bears the name 
 of the Crown Princess, Alexandra, who assisted at 
 its opening ; and a magnificent dock it is, extensive 
 in area (covering 44 acres), with 1 2,000 feet of berth- 
 ing space, and surrounded with most massive quays, 
 on which are the neatest and most convenient of brick 
 warehouses, giving the impression, like its lovely 
 and graceful sponsor, of something fair to look upon. 
 When I passed it the Oregon was lying in its basin, 
 being refitted preparatory to resuming her place as a 
 passenger ship in the Cunard line, after six months in 
 naval service as a fast cruiser. I believe the only 
 work she did was to carry some distinguished naval 
 commander to the Irish coast. While upon the sub- 
 
LONDON DRA Y HORSES. I 5 
 
 ject of docks and shipping, it may not be out of place 
 to correct the impression which obtains among many 
 Americans, that the English trans -Atlantic lines are 
 the largest in point of tonnage in the world ; such, 
 however, is not a fact. The first being the Peninsu- 
 lar and Oriental Company, which has 5i steamers 
 and trades to the far East ; the next is the French 
 Trans-Atlantic, which in addition to its line to this 
 country has a large fleet trading to South America 
 and the West Indies. Then comes the British India, 
 whose commerce is with the East Indies and Aus- 
 tralia ; then, I believe, follows the Austrian Lloyds. 
 While wandering along the quays and looking 
 through the large warehouses I did not fail to 
 remark upon the superb dray horses with which 
 Liverpool abounds. I stopped and questioned the 
 driver of a very fine team, and learned that his 
 animals averaged 18 hundred each — 112 pounds to 
 the hundred weight. He told me that the largest 
 dray horse he had known weighed 22 hundred — 
 2,464 pounds. A share of these animals are raised 
 in the neighborhood, but a goodly number come 
 from Wales and about York, and from the Clyde 
 district. From this fact, I believe, they are often 
 called Clydesdale horses. Many of the best cost 
 from $5oo upward. Most of the teams were com- 
 posed of two horses, driven tandem before tip carts 
 with very broad beds and high sides, capable of con- 
 taining immense loads. 
 
1 6 LIVERPOOL TO LONDON. 
 
 Not being in any great haste to reach London, as 
 so many of my fellow-passengers were — most of 
 them having left by the earliest train — I decided to 
 reach it by easy stages and not miss the beauti- 
 ful country which lies between Liverpool and the 
 great metropolis. I also wished to take in some 
 places never before visited, and accordingly fixed 
 upon this beautiful section of England, generally re- 
 garded as one of the most attractive portions of the 
 entire kingdom, not alone from its great productive- 
 ness, fine parks and forests, but also from its prox- 
 imity to such historical points as Kennilworth, War- 
 wick Castle, Stoneleigh Abbey, Coventry, etc. 
 These places are all within easy drives of Leaming- 
 ton, and through a beautifully picturesque country. 
 
 For leaving Liverpool I chose a rapid train of the 
 North Western Line, one of the best managed in the 
 kingdom, and which runs some of its fast trains at 
 the rate of 45 miles per hour. 
 
 Being early at the station, I had a good oppor- 
 tunity of inspecting the train, which was made up of 
 saloon carriages and which were connected by an odd 
 contrivance, a species of bellows door-way, through 
 which the occupants could pass from one to the 
 other, this leather bellows arrangement admitting 
 the play necessary between carriages, when the train 
 was moving rapidly. I chose one of the former, and 
 found it exceedingly comfortable — hardly as much so 
 as the Pullman drawing-room car, but still very easy, 
 
BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY. \J 
 
 nicely upholstered, and provided with very complete 
 toilet arrangements, and a connecting smoking-apart- 
 ment. The main line of this road runs through a very 
 fertile district, very attractive to the agriculturist — but 
 hardly as varied and picturesque as that of the Great 
 Western — passing such well-known places as 
 Crewe, Stafford, Litchfield and Rugby. The day 
 was rather dark and grey, so that the view from the 
 car windows was not as attractive as I've sometimes 
 found it ; still, I took great pleasure in watching the 
 highly- cultivated fields, the well-kept thorn hedges, 
 which enclose them, and the heavy crops of potatoes, 
 turnips and beets, which were being gathered. The 
 beautifully-proportioned racks of hay and grain — 
 nearly all protected by a neatly-thatched covering 
 that must have cost no little labor and skill — were 
 my especial admiration, and ever have been on 
 former visits. At Rugby I changed trains and came 
 to this place. I had time to get a very comfortable 
 lunch at that point and was reminded of its famous 
 school by one of its pupils, who met his father at the 
 station. 
 
 I am comfortably lodged at this hotel and have 
 one of the tallest of four-post bedsteads, with the 
 cleanest of linen sheets on it, in my apartment. 
 
 What I saw here and in the vicinity I must reserve 
 for a future letter. 
 
III. 
 
 ENGLISH COUNTRY LIFE. 
 
 HOTEL METROPOLE, LONDON, ENGLAND. 
 November jth, iSSj. 
 
 I MAI LED my last from Leamington, in War- 
 wickshire, one of the finest counties of England 
 — not only at the present time, but evidently so in 
 the past, as within its limits some of the most noted 
 castles and baronial residences of former days were 
 located, as also, some of the most interesting and 
 important events in English history have transpired. 
 As soon as practicable, after securing my room at 
 the " Hotel Regent," which is located on a broad 
 street called " The Parade," I made arrangements 
 with the landlord for an open Victoria, to drive about 
 the surrounding country, wishing to avail myself of 
 the fine weather then prevailing, knowing how 
 speedily the clouds gather at this season of the year, 
 and how quickly sunshine is followed by rain. Driv- 
 ing up " The Parade" — the principal thoroughfare and 
 • site of the larger shops — we were soon in the suburbs 
 of the town, where are situated the handsome villas 
 
 
AN AFTERNOON DRIVE. \ g 
 
 which form the residences of its best citizens, and of 
 visitors, who occupy them for some months, and of 
 some wealthy Manchester merchants, who make 
 their homes here. Leamington being quite a hunt^ 
 ing centre, these villas are sought for by that class, 
 and I was told that three or four Americans, fond of 
 the chase, lived here during the hunting season. 
 
 Turning to the right, after leaving " The Parade," 
 we entered the Lillington road, and drove past the 
 " Midland Oak," said to be as near as possible in the 
 centre of England, but whether this means territor- 
 ially or geographically, I could not ascertain, and I 
 discussed the matter with an officer of the Royal 
 Engineers. 
 
 A drive of two or three miles further along a 
 beautiful macadamized road, bordered by well-tilled 
 fields, brought us to the entrance of Stoneleigh Park. 
 A pretty porter's lodge guards the entrance ; and a 
 neatly-dressed matron opened the gate. After pass- 
 ing some fine old beech, chestnut and elm trees, we 
 came upon what remains of the Abbey — a brick 
 structure, highly picturesque, from being nearly over- 
 grown with ivy. Beyond this is the present family 
 residence — a fine large mansion of stone in the Cor- 
 inthian style, located near the Avon, with its grounds 
 handsomely terraced down to the river. The family 
 being in residence, admission could not be obtained, 
 but I was informed that there were some interesting 
 portraits in its various apartments. Continuing the 
 
20 ENGLISH COUNTRY LIFE. 
 
 drive through Leigh Park and estate, which must 
 cover several thousand acres, we crossed the Avon 
 river by a pretty bridge, and then passed into the 
 shooting preserves, where we saw large numbers of 
 pheasants and rabbits. It being near sunset they 
 were out feeding, and many crossed the road in front 
 of us. I was told there was also a deer park, but we 
 did not pass it. The portion of the drive through the 
 shooting preserve is beautiful. Large trees border 
 the road, and, in many instances, interlace overhead. 
 From Leigh Park we continued on to Kenilworth 
 Castle, which is in ruins, but a grand old ruin it is. 
 I wandered for a time through the most notable re- 
 mains, such as " Caesar's Tower," " Great Hall," 
 " Leicester Buildings/' " The Kitchens " and "Strong 
 Tower." In the latter, Sir Walter Scott locates the 
 prison of "Amy Robsart," Countess of Leicester. I 
 returned to the carriage and drove back by a more 
 direct route to Leamington, making in all, a drive of 
 about twelve miles. In the course of this trip, I had 
 a fine opportunity of observing the autumn foliage of 
 England, which is more striking than I imagined. 
 While the deep, rich tints of some of our forest trees, 
 such as the swamp and soft maples and the like, are 
 wanting, yet the general effect produced by a large 
 park or forest of trees in their autumn dress, is fine. 
 The beech, of which there are many fine specimens, 
 has the most pronounced coloring — a deep, reddish- 
 brown that contrasts well with the delicate yellow of 
 
ROOKS AND ROOKERIES. 2 I 
 
 the chestnut. One passes, too, fine specimens of the 
 holly, covered with the richest of red berries. 
 
 My attention was called to some of the rookeries, 
 usually a clump of trees apart from the main forest, 
 where the rooks assemble and nest. This bird is one 
 of the pets of the farmer, as also the country gentle- 
 man, who take great pride in them, and are careful 
 to see that they are protected. I was told that when 
 the birds become numerous, they quarrel frightfully, 
 and the result will be a general scattering of the 
 colony, unless their numbers are reduced ; this can 
 only be done by a long-range rifle, when the rooks 
 are full grown, as the bird is a shy one. He resem- 
 bles, in many particulars, the crow of our country, and 
 only a close observer would detect any material dif- 
 ference. The most noticeable thing I saw was his 
 size, which is considerably less than our bird, and a 
 whitish color about the base of the beak. Another 
 difference, that I was told of, was that the rook never 
 feeds upon carrion, or decomposed flesh, but he is of 
 great service to the farmer by reason of the number 
 of slugs he destroys. We saw also a number of sky- 
 larks, but at this season that bird soars but a short 
 distance in the air and his song is faint. 
 
 I returned to the Regent Hotel in time for an ex- 
 cellent six o'clock dinner, and I will add, for the in- 
 formation of your readers, that the cost of the vic- 
 toria, single horse with driver, for the afternoon, was 
 $3.00, and I supplement this with a day's charges at 
 
2 2 ENGLISH COUNTRY LIFE. 
 
 that well-kept hotel, regarded as the best in Leam- 
 ington. 
 
 Shillings. Pence. 
 
 Apartments 3 o 
 
 Attendance 1 6 
 
 Dinner 5 o 
 
 Breakfast 3 o 
 
 Lunch 2 o 
 
 Total 14 6 — about $3.50. 
 
 I was advised by the landlord that board by the 
 week would be furnished at the rate of $2.62 a day, 
 not high figures for one of the best hotels in an at- 
 tractive watering place. By referring to the guide 
 book, I found that the Leamington Spa has a very 
 considerable celebrity, and its saline waters are 
 claimed to be efficacious incases of gout and rheuma- 
 tism. " The Royal Pump Rooms ' and baths are 
 most conveniently fitted up, and have handsome 
 gardens attached, where visitors may pass their 
 time. Altogether, my impressions of the town 
 and its vicinity are most agreeable, and I'm quite 
 sure of wandering back there some day. 
 
 My next excursion was to Warwick Castle, which 
 is but two miles from Leamington, and easily reached 
 by tram car — a very considerable saving of expense, 
 as I believe the fare was only six cents. Warwick 
 Castle is one of the most interesting, as also one of 
 the best-preserved, of the baronial residences in the 
 United Kingdom. A recent regulation of its present 
 owner renders it accessible nearly every day of the 
 week. A fee of twenty-five cents is exacted from 
 
WARWICK CASTLE. 2$ 
 
 each visitor, but for this you have intelligent guides 
 to conduct you through its various halls and apart- 
 ments and the adjoining grounds. The Castle is 
 reached by a roadway, cut out of the solid rock, and 
 with handsome trees bordering the drive. You cross 
 the moat (now dry,) by a drawbridge, with its port- 
 cullis still in place, and enter the interior. Immedi- 
 ately opposite, as you enter, are two fine towers, used 
 in former days as defences for the place — the guard 
 rooms being in the upper stories, and commanding a 
 view of the exterior country. From the top, I saw 
 one of the finest parks in England, and in the far 
 distance Edgehill, where Cromwell fought one of his 
 important battles. The prison of the Castle, which 
 I visited, is in the basement of one of these towers, 
 and is a dark, gloomy-looking place. 
 
 From the interior court you enter the main apart- 
 ments. A neat, gothic portico protects the entrance. 
 The first to which you are conducted is the " Great 
 Hall," a handsomely-proportioned room of about 60 
 feet in length, 40 feet in width, and 2 5 in height. It 
 has an immense open fire-place, a heavy oak ceiling 
 in panels, tnarble floor, and its walls are wainscotted 
 in oak to a considerable height Four superb pairs 
 of antlers of the Irish elk, dug up from the bogs of 
 Ireland, adorn its walls, or as our guide expressed it, 
 "Those are four pairs of h'antlers of the h'Irish h'elk 
 from the bogs of h'Ireland." 
 
 The objects of interest in this grand banqueting 
 
24 
 
 ENGLISH COUNTRY LIFE. 
 
 hall are numerous. Several suits of armor, belonging 
 to different periods, are arranged on one side. Crom- 
 well's helmet and a Puritan hat in iron are among the 
 curiosities. Guy's punch-bowl, capable of containing 
 over ioo gallons, and several handsomely-carved 
 pieces of furniture in oak, are also on exhibition. I 
 was greatly impressed with this room, and admired 
 its fine proportions. The views, from its windows, 
 of the river Avon and the park beyond were superb. 
 The water here, being of considerable depth, formed 
 one of the defenses of this side of the place, while a 
 high crenelated wall, with an interior banquette, fur- 
 nished, with the towers, the defenses of the other sides. 
 From the banqueting hall we were taken through 
 several other apartments, such as the red drawing- 
 room (or ante-room), the cedar drawing-room, gilt 
 drawing-room, state bed-room, chapel, etc. In all 
 of them were more or less historical portraits by 
 the old masters. After this we visited the gardens 
 and the greenhouse, where the Warwick vase, an 
 antique dug up near Adrian's villa, at Tivoli, is placed. 
 It is a superb specimen of ancient art, and the largest 
 marble vase extant. Its fine proportions and grace- 
 ful decorations have been the admiration of all who 
 have visited it. I finished my day's work at War- 
 wick, by visiting Lord Leicester's Hospital and St. 
 Mary's Church, a very old structure, containing sev- 
 eral objects of interest, and where lie the remains of 
 Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. Then, after a 
 
BED WELL PARK. 2 5 
 
 simple lunch at the railway station, I took an express 
 train for London, passing by Banbury and Oxford, 
 and came at once to this large and convenient hotel, 
 where I've been more comfortable than ever before 
 in England. It is superbly built and finely decor- 
 ated and furnished. The lower floor is taken up with 
 the vestibule, and offices, dining rooms, reception 
 room, library and salon, which are as fine as any 
 thing I've ever seen. Over $5,ooo,ooo have been ex- 
 pended in its construction alone. Its prices are not 
 high, and one lives very comfortably for about $4.5o 
 per day. I've done very little sight-seeing in London, 
 but have availed myself of the hospitality of some 
 friends to visit them at their country seats — espec- 
 ially General Sir Frederick Fitz-Wygram, in Hamp- 
 shire, and Mr. Edmund S. Hanbury, in Hertford- 
 shire. The English are very fond of their country 
 homes. It is there they collect their household 
 treasures, and the living at a well-conducted English 
 place is almost perfection. 
 
 In this connection, it seems quite appropriate to 
 give my experience at one of these handsome houses, 
 as described in a letter written in the autumn of '81. 
 My brother and self were enjoying at that time the 
 sights of London, when we received a note asking us 
 to pass Saturday and Sunday at Bedwell Park, an 
 old country seat in Hertfordshire, England ; an in- 
 vitation which we gladly accepted. 
 
 We were fortunate in our visit to Bedwell Park as 
 
26 ENGLISH COUNTRY LIFE. 
 
 the country was looking particularly fine. The late 
 autumn rains having given a freshness to the entire 
 vegetable world that was particularly pleasing and I 
 never saw English turf wear a brighter green. 
 Taking the 3 p. m. train from King's Cross station, 
 London, we were about an hour by the Great Nor- 
 thern Railway making the journey to Potter's Bar, 
 the usual railway station of the residents of Bedwell 
 Park. Here we were met by our kind host and 
 his charming wife, who had also just come from 
 London. 
 
 After the usual salutations we were invited to 
 enter the carriages that were in waiting ; my brother 
 being asked to take a seat in the phaeton with 
 madam, who drove a pair of spirited blacks, while I 
 followed with Mr. H y, in his dog cart. 
 
 The drive of five miles was delightful, the road 
 passing through a highly cultivated country, and, at 
 times, through avenues of superb beech and oak trees 
 which were in full leaf, although turned by recent 
 frosts. The entrance to the park is marked by a 
 handsome gate and porter's lodge, and, as we passed 
 through, a kindly bow and pleasant smile from the 
 porteress assured us we 'were welcome. The road 
 that leads up to the residence is lined with some su- 
 perb trees, evidently of great age and probably 
 placed there by some of its earliest residents. We 
 were asked immediately on our arrival to the library, 
 a large and handsome room, overlooking the lawn, 
 
GA ME A XD /• R LIT. 2 / 
 
 and, soon after, the usual five o'clock tea, with the ac- 
 companiment of brown bread and butter was served. 
 This custom of offering tea at this hour is quite gen- 
 eral throughout England, and is not confined to 
 country homes. The city residents also observe it, 
 and in the London season the lady of the house will 
 generally be found at home at that hour, after which 
 driving or walking is in order, until time to return 
 and dress for dinner, usually about 7:30 p. m. 
 
 Our walk on this occasion was through one of the 
 handsome groves of the park, a portion of which was 
 wild and filled with thick underbrush, a safe place of 
 retreat for the various species of game that we stated 
 on the way. Among them were pheasants, partridges, 
 rabbits and hares. As we were returning home, the 
 cock-pheasants were settling themselves for the night 
 in the branches of some of the large oaks, and I ob- 
 served that they uttered a cackling sound. This my 
 hostess told me was intended as a warning to the 
 flock of their roosting place — a most indiscreet mea- 
 sure as the poachers can mark the trees, and at night 
 make sure of their prey. We had seen, in various 
 parts of England, evidences of certain methods to 
 prevent the poacher from exercising his unlawful 
 practices, such as dotting the fields with branches of 
 the thorn tree which prevents his using his nets 
 successfully in catching partridges. 
 
 On our way back to the house we passed through 
 the vegetable garden, which was in excellent con- 
 
 
2 8 ENGLISH COUNTRY LIFE. 
 
 dition, and filled with every variety pertaining to the 
 climate of England. We also visited the hot houses, 
 graperies and fruit houses. In the former we saw 
 the cantaloupe melon growing upon trellis work, each 
 melon being supported by a bracket or hanging 
 basket. I mention this as showing at what great 
 expense this fruit is raised in England, and how lim- 
 ited must be the number that can indulge their taste 
 for it. We reached home, from our brisk walk of 
 more than an hour, in time to dress for dinner and 
 feeling all the better for the exercise. The gong 
 gave us warning of the dinner-hour. By-the-by, 
 this fashion of announcing the hour of breakfast and 
 dinner by the Chinese gong is quite general through- 
 out England, and its propriety becomes very appar- 
 ent when one is lodged in a house of forty or fifty 
 rooms. Scarcely any other method could make the 
 guest aware of the hour, as English houses are not, 
 like French ones, liberally supplied with clocks. 
 Dinner was served mainly in the French style, with 
 the exception of one or two dishes which were carved 
 by the host and hostess. The three men servants 
 who attended at table, performed their duties, and 
 moved about so noislessly that their presence was 
 hardly perceived, and to my taste, there are no better 
 trained nor more expert servants than one finds in a 
 well regulated English home. 
 
 We retired quite early, and our day of active work 
 secured for us a sound and refreshing sleep. 
 
HOUSEHOLD ITEMS. 29 
 
 We were roused in time to join the family in 
 prayers, a few minutes before nine, at which service 
 nearly the entire household assembled — at least all 
 that could be spared; and as there were eighteen 
 servants in this establishment, exclusive of some 
 employed about the stables, the congregation was 
 
 quite respectable in numbers. Mrs. H y kindly 
 
 gave me some items relative to her household that 
 may be interesting to Long Island housekeepers. 
 Servants' wages vary, of course somewhat, but she 
 usually gave her cook $200 per annum, for which 
 compensation she was expected to cook meats, game 
 and vegetables well, and also supply the necessary 
 desserts, and with her assistant cook, for the servants 
 who have an entirely different character of table. 
 Housemaids receive from $ 1 00 to $ 1 5o per annum. All 
 get a certain allowance of beer or porter. Domes- 
 tics that wish to give up their situations are required 
 to give one month's notice of their intention, and, 
 on the other hand, the mistress of the house, if in- 
 tending to discharge any in her employ, is compelled 
 to notify them one month in advance. But changes 
 of this nature are far from being as frequent as with 
 us, and servants often continue many years in the 
 same family. 
 
 An English breakfast is usually a very informal 
 meal, the guests taking their seats at table, irrespec- 
 tive of those they occupied at the more formal one 
 of dinner, and after the tea and coffee is served, the 
 
30 • ENGLISH COUNTRY LIFE. 
 
 waiters generally retire. Cold meats and game 
 usually are to be found on a side table, and if one 
 wishes them he helps himself. This strikes an 
 American rather oddly at first, but one soon gets ac- 
 customed to it. If the post has arrived the letters 
 and papers are brought in, and any one is free to 
 read them if they will, and it gives the host and 
 hostess of a large establishment an opportunity of 
 attending to their correspondence early in the day 
 and to send replies by the first mail. 
 
 After breakfast we made quite a thorough inspec- 
 tion of the interior of the house, and also surveyed 
 it from its exterior. It is not an easy matter for me 
 to describe Bedwell Park Mansion House, especially 
 to the well instructed architect, as it does not belong 
 to any of the well established orders. It is a long, 
 rather low, rambling pile of brick, which appears to 
 have grown at different periods — portions of it date- 
 ing back 200 years — and it evidently resembles the 
 residences of that date. A central tower over the 
 majn entrance is one of its most prominent features 
 and others of less height are at each end. 
 
 The grounds immediately adjoining the house are 
 terraced and laid out in the Italian villa style, and are 
 in beautiful condition. The number of rooms would 
 be rather startling to an American house-wife. I 
 counted twenty-seven on the second floor alone. 
 Those of the first floor are not so numerous, but are 
 larger. The salon, or drawing room, is j5 by 35 
 
A GUEST REGISTER. 3 I 
 
 feet with proportional height of ceiling, and is a very 
 handsome and well proportioned one. Its walls are 
 covered with pictures, many by the best masters. I 
 noticed two Murrillos, a Rembrandt, one or two by 
 Rubens and a Van Dyck. There are also several 
 portraits of the Eardley family from whom this valu- 
 able property of about 800 acres descended. The 
 furniture of the salon I observed was, in its general 
 character, of the style of Louis XIV. The library is 
 a large room much used by the family, and an inspec- 
 tion of its shelves showed that the collection of 
 works was not only extensive, but very choice. 
 
 One of the noticeable features of this establish- 
 ment, is that of keeping a daily register of the oc- 
 cupants of the sleeping apartments ; and I observed 
 too, it was in the hand writing of the lady of the 
 house. All the rooms are numbered and those of 
 the register correspond with those on the doors. Our 
 host also asked us to record our names in a book kept 
 for the purpose, a practice adopted by his father, who 
 occupied this mansion many years, and which has 
 been continued since his death. As time passes on 
 this will certainly become a most interesting vol- 
 ume for him and his descendants. 
 
 As Sunday was included in our visit, we attended 
 the parish church, only a short walk from the Man- 
 sion House. We found a very old building, with its 
 interior arranged with high backed square pews. 
 Our host and family occupying the one on the right 
 
32 ENGLISH COUNTRY LIFE. 
 
 of the pulpit, while another family of the gentry 
 filled the one on the opposite side. 
 
 The pastor gave us a good, sensible discourse, and 
 the congregation, made up chiefly of the villagers 
 and farmers of the neighborhood, took an active part 
 in the services, Among the drives we took in the 
 neighborhood was one to Hatfield House, the resi- 
 dence of the Marquis of Salisbury. We were dis- 
 appointed in not seeing its interior. More than 200 
 years ago it was a royal residence, and during the 
 latter part of the reign of Queen Mary, Elizabeth 
 lived there as a sort of prisoner. The old oak 
 tree, under which it is said she was sitting when 
 she received the news of the death of Queen Mary 
 and her accession to the throne, is carefully pro- 
 tected by an iron fence. 
 
 The grounds of Hatfield House are beautifully 
 laid out, and numerous avenues of fine old oaks 
 and linden trees lead from it in various directions, 
 furnishing most attractive drives, to which the gen- 
 eral public have access. We saw immense num- 
 bers of pheasants, and other varieties of game, 
 while driving through the estate, but was told the 
 Marquis cared little for sport of this nature — his 
 taste being for political distinction which he has 
 certainly attained. 
 
IV. 
 LONDON TO THE ADRIATIC. 
 
 ROYAL HOTEL, DANIELI, 
 FORMERLY PLAZZO BERNARDO, VENICE, ITALY. 
 
 December 2d, iSSj. 
 
 THE above caption gives the locality from which 
 I write, and will convey to your readers some 
 idea of the nature of the buildings which furnish the 
 hotels for the modern traveler. The hotels, "l'Eu- 
 rope," "Grand Britannia." and " Grand Hotel" — all 
 located on the Grand Canal — were formerly resi- 
 dences of the grandees of this quaint and fascinating 
 old city. It is seventeen years since I was last here 
 — time sufficient, in America, to bring about many 
 changes, but I discover scarcely any. The gondolas 
 — about 3,000 in number — have the same sombre 
 appearance externally, and are as comfortable and 
 fascinating internally, as then. A row in one of them 
 upon the Grand Canal of a bright sunny day like the 
 present, with palaces on either hand, is as charming 
 as I found it in the month of May, 1868. Byron's 
 description of them, as given in " Beppo," appears 
 
34 
 
 LONDON TO THE ADR I A TIC. 
 
 to me so thorough and accurate that I cannot refrain 
 from quoting it: 
 
 " Didst ever see a gondola? For fear 
 
 You should not, I'll describe it you exactly : 
 
 "Tis a long, covered boat that's common here ; 
 Carved at the prow, built lightly, but compactly; 
 Row'd by two rowers, each called gondolier, 
 
 It glides along the water looking blackly — 
 
 Just like a coffin clap't in a canoe; 
 
 "Where none can make out what you say or do. 
 
 And up and down the long canals they go, 
 
 And under the Rialto shoot along ; 
 By night and day, all paces, swift or slow ; 
 
 And round the theatres a sable throng, 
 They wait in their dusk livery of woe ; 
 
 But not to them do woeful things belong, 
 For sometimes they contain a deal of fun, 
 Like mourning coaches when the funeral's done." 
 
 I add for your information the fact, that under the 
 Venetian Republic the extravagance exhibited in the 
 decoration of these gondolas called forth an edict of 
 the Government requiring that they should be 
 painted black and their furnishings be of the same 
 color, from which there has been no change. Steam 
 has, however, intruded itself even here, and a line of 
 small ferry boats now shoot under the arches where 
 Shylock, the Jew, loaned the 3,000 ducats to Anto- 
 nio. Only fifty years since the far-named Rialto was 
 still an important place to the money changers and 
 dealers in gold fabrics, but its glory and importance 
 has departed, and as I passed by this afternoon I saw 
 only a few poor tenants with the most inferior wares 
 on sale. 
 
 But I am getting in advance of my journey, and 
 must turn back and tell of the trip from London to 
 
TRA FELLING EXPENSES. $5 
 
 the Adriatic. It is by no means a short one, yet I 
 accomplished it with very considerable comfort, quite 
 leisurely and with no little interest. That portion of 
 the journey between London and Paris is now made 
 in eight hours. They have increased the speed on 
 the rail lines, and added to this is a material improve- 
 ment in the harbor of Boulogne ; hence a larger and 
 finer class of steamers now run between Folkstone 
 and that part in France. Leaving London at 9.40 
 a. m. by the South Eastern Railway, no stop is 
 made between it and Folkstone. The crossing to 
 Boulogne is accomplished in something more than an 
 hour, and the run from there to Paris is made in four 
 hours. This service is now a fixed one and no longer 
 dependent, as formerly on the tides. I can't say that 
 the journey is cheap, costing, as it does, first-class, 
 $i5 ; and while on the subject of fares I will add that 
 those of all the rail lines, both in England and on the 
 Continent, seem very high to us. The distance be- 
 tween Paris and Venice is 730 miles ; time, 32 hours ; 
 fare, first-class, $30 — something more than four cents 
 per mile ; and when one selects such a luxury as a 
 sleeping car a round sum is exacted. The following 
 is my bill for less than twelve hours in a sleeper be- 
 tween Paris and Basle, occupying only a single berth: 
 
 Francs. 
 
 Sleeping car ticket 21.00 
 
 Tax for purchasing in advance 1.75 
 
 Government tax on each ticket 4.50 
 
 Stamp o. 10 
 
 Total 27.35 
 
 
36 LONDON TO THE ADRIATIC. 
 
 Or about $5.47 — figures rather startling to the av- 
 erage American and rather disposing him to travel 
 only by day, as hotel prices for an entire day are 
 usually less. All this comes from the great monopo- 
 lies that exist here, as, also, the high Government 
 tax. We would regard in America such figures as 
 almost prohibitive and the Pullman Company, with 
 such charges, would soon be forced into bankruptcy 
 from lack of travel. Baggage, too— which, by the 
 by, becomes " luggage" as soon as it crosses the Atl- 
 antic — is also an expensive luxury. My trunk, 
 weighing about 100 pounds, cost, between Paris and 
 Venice, $4.5o— neither Switzerland nor Italy allowing 
 any free baggage ; only a moderate-sized hand-bag 
 is allowed in the carriage with each passenger. 
 
 Of course, I passed some time in Paris. All good 
 Americans find it an attractive city, but possibly less 
 so than formerly Having a number of friends 
 there, I mingled quite a good deal in the 
 American Colony, and I think they all agreed 
 that Paris was losing many of its former attractions 
 and that there were now fewer permanent residents. 
 On the other hand, England is gaining in this respect, 
 and one hears of Americans renting houses by the 
 year. The natural inference is that they like it better 
 and are cordially received in society, where they 
 mingle freely with the best intelligence of the coun- 
 try. 
 
 Thanksgiving day was observed in Paris by a good 
 
MODERN PARIS. 2)7 
 
 share of the American residents attending church in 
 the morning and a family gathering in the evening. 
 I was fortunate in having an invite to the home of my 
 
 friend, Mr. Charles J. CI h, who has a charming 
 
 family and a most delightful apartment on the Ave- 
 nue d'Jena, near the "Arc de Triompe," one of the 
 best quarters of the city. Among the numerous 
 tempting dishes that were served our "national bird" 
 was conspicuous, Of course, we drank to sweet- 
 hearts, wives and absent friends. It was a late hour 
 when the party broke up. 
 
 I found Paris exceedingly neat and clean — at least 
 it was so in the parts I visited. The streets are in 
 admirable condition, and many are now paved with 
 wood — this having been laid down within the past 
 three years. It seems to stand the heavy traffic 
 well, as I saw no holes or broken places ; but it re- 
 mains to be seen if this style of pavement lasts. It 
 seems, however, to be a success in London, where it 
 has been down some years longer. 
 
 Coming from Paris to this city one has a choice of 
 routes. He may reach here either by way of the 
 Mont-Cenis Tunnel, which route passes through 
 Macon, Aix-les-bains and Modene, Turin and Milan, 
 or by the St. Gothard Tunnel, which takes you by 
 Basle, Lucerne, Bellinzona and Milan. I chose the 
 latter, as being to me the most novel and furnishing 
 the finest scenery. The journey of that section of 
 the road running from Paris to Basle, in Switzerland, 
 
 
38 LONDON TO THE ADRIATIC. 
 
 was made at night, as the country, especially at this 
 season, is not particularly attractive. We break- 
 fasted at the capital of Switzerland at an early hour, 
 and then continued on towards Lucerne — the coun- 
 try growing more and more attractive ; from Lucerne 
 the scenery becomes grand. The line follows the 
 border of the lake for some distance and then plunges 
 into the gorge of the river Reuss. From this point 
 on, the views are superb and the engineering skill 
 shown in the construction of the road excites our 
 admiration. At times we could see the track both 
 above and below us, so rapid is the ascent. The 
 tops of the higher peaks were covered with snow, 
 and the day being rather mild, the melted snows 
 formed pretty cascades that streaked the mountain 
 sides, churned into foamy whiteness through their 
 successive leaps from cliff to cliff. We dined at 
 Goschenen at one o'clock and immediately after 
 entered the Grand Tunnel — the longest in the world, 
 measuring ten miles, which we made in twenty-three 
 minutes — good work considering the rapid rise that 
 is made in passing through it. At its highest point 
 my pocket aneroid barometer marked about 4,000 
 feet. We came out of the tunnel at Ariola, at which 
 place the waters flow towards the Adriatic. The 
 descent by the Italian side is less abrupt and. fewer 
 tunnels were necessary in the construction of this 
 portion of the work. We arrived at Milan on time 
 and quite ready to enjoy the real comforts of the 
 
CITY OF THE DOGES. 39 
 
 famous " Hotel de la Ville, " one of the very best in 
 Italy. Fog prevailed during the day and a half I 
 could spare for Milan, and to some degree destroyed 
 the external effect of its famous cathedral ; but I 
 passed some hours wandering through its massive 
 interior and inspecting its various monuments and 
 tombs. 
 
 I have been most comfortable during the two days 
 passed in this quaint and unique old town. My 
 room faces the harbor — and the entrance of the 
 Grand Canal, and, as we have had the brightest of 
 skies, Venice has appeared at' its best. The gondo- 
 las have been in their summer dress and apparently 
 all brought out from their hiding places, as I counted 
 this morning seventy-five just in front of my balcony. 
 This building bears many evidences of having been 
 the residence of one of the Doges, and there is one 
 apartment that is especially worth inspecting — the 
 suite to which it belongs being usually occupied by 
 royalty when it passes this way. The walls and ceil- 
 ings are richly decorated, and there are several em- 
 blems — notably the "Cap of Liberty" that gives 
 good evidence of its having been occupied by one 
 of the heads of the republic. The casings of the 
 doors are of variegated marble, and the massive 
 beams of the ceiling show the room to have been 
 built a long time ago, and that it was intended to 
 stand through many ages — a fact which has been 
 fully verified. 
 
40 LONDON TO THE ADRIATIC, 
 
 But I must leave off writing and get ready to 
 embark in the P. & O. steamer, which sails at 3 p. m. 
 for Alexandria, Egypt. As we touch at Brindisi, 
 Italy, I will close this at that place. 
 
 P. and O. S.S. "Assam," Brindisi, Italy, Sunday \ 
 Dec. 6, 1 885. — We reached here yesterday morning, 
 after a run of about thirty-four hours, the balance of 
 the time being consumed in taking on cargo at An- 
 conaand in waiting for daylight by which to enter the 
 harbor. I've rarely ever seen a more quiet sea than 
 we have had since leaving Venice, and the sky is 
 beautifully bright. I hope it may continue so 'till we 
 reach Egypt. We get quite an accession to our 
 cabin passengers by the India mail train that left 
 London on Friday night, and which reaches here at 
 1 a. m. to-morrow, and by daylight we shall be 
 steaming toward the Land of the Pharaohs. At 
 Alexandria we leave this ship and proceed by rail to 
 Suez, where we meet the Nepaul, which takes us to 
 Bombay. 
 
VENICE TO THE RED SEA. 
 
 P. & O. S.S. " ASSAM," 
 AT SEA, XEARING ALEXANDRIA, 
 
 December 8th, 1885. 
 
 I CLOSED my last at Brindisi, Italy, but had not 
 told you anything of the character of the various 
 ports we touched at ; hence it is not unseasonable to 
 retrace our steps and go back to Venice, the starting 
 point on this journey to the East. The entrance to 
 the harbor of this city is made through a narrow 
 and tortuous channel, the line of which is well de- 
 fined by a series of wooden piles, in some cases 
 driven in clusters — some of these sufficiently strong 
 to bear a heavy strain, as at the narrow turns the 
 ship had to be warped around. 
 
 The distance from Venice to the Adriatic, I should 
 judge to be from four to five miles, which took us 
 about one and one-half hours to run. The depth of 
 water in the channel is about 24 feet, but the harbor 
 about the city has a greater depth. I was told the 
 
42 VENICE TO THE RED SEA. 
 
 rise and fall of the tide is about one foot. The ap- 
 proaches to the city appear well protected by mili- 
 tary works, and every available spot through the 
 marshy district, which lies below the town, is forti- 
 fied. At Ancona, which we reached in twelve 
 hours from Venice, we found a very snug and much 
 deeper harbor, and vessels of the largest class can 
 lay quite close to the town. This small harbor is al- 
 most entirely artificial, and is protected from the 
 heavier storms by the form of the coast, aided by 
 artificial breakwaters of stone. The town presented 
 a pretty appearance from the ship, and a number of 
 our passengers consumed the time passed there — 
 some four hours — in strolling through it and visiting 
 an old cathedral prominently located on the 
 heights. 
 
 Brindisi, some 400 miles from Venice, has quite a 
 spacious harbor, which is well protected, both natur- 
 ally and artificially. A prominent island, with a pic- 
 turesque fort upon it, is immediately opposite the 
 entrance, and there is ample room after crossing the 
 bar for a large fleet ; but the depth of water does not 
 permit the entrance of a large class of vessels. The 
 present depth, both here and at Venice, is kept up 
 mainly through dredging. 
 
 Now let us turn our attention to the good ship "As- 
 sam " one of the numerous fleet — 5i in all — run by 
 the " P. and O." Company. One of the most 
 interesting features about her is the crew and cabin 
 
THE GOOD SHIP "ASSAM." 43 
 
 boys, as they bring me, for the first time, in con- 
 tact with the people of the East. The working sail- 
 ors are called Lascars, and come from the west 
 coast of India, about Surat, and are Musselmen in 
 religion. They are lightly-built men not possessed 
 of any great physical strength, but many have intel- 
 ligent and regular features, especially those selected 
 for petty officers. All have dark complexion and 
 straight black hair, and among themselves speak Hin- 
 dostani but know sufficient Eno-lish to understand 
 the commands of their officers. The firemen and 
 coal-heavers are chiefly Africans, and most of them 
 come direct from that country. The usual character- 
 istics of that people are prominent ; short, curly 
 hair, thick lips and broad, flat noses prevailing. The 
 under-stewards and cabin boys are Portugese 
 Indians — that is, descendants of those who were first 
 taught the Christian religion by the Portugese, who 
 were the first European settlers at and about Bom- 
 bay. They are bright, intelligent fellows, who speak 
 more or less English and are most respectful. 
 4i Picto " looks after my cabin and " Sanches '" waits 
 upon me at the table. All the above classes have 
 over them a certain number of English officers — en- 
 gineers and stewards — who have the direct manage- 
 ment of the various departments. The ship is roomy, 
 and is provided with large, square ports, adapted for 
 a tropical climate. Most of the cabins are arranged 
 for three persons, but they rarely fill them. 
 
44 VENICE TO THE RED SEA. 
 
 The India and Australia mail, which we received 
 on board at Brindisi, is a large one, numbering over 
 900 sacks. No doubt the Xmas holidays have done 
 much towards swelling it to this great bulk by home 
 contributions of books and Xmas cards to their friends 
 resident in India; but I learn that the natives are 
 large subscribers to English journals and periodicals, 
 and an examination of the post office book for India 
 tells me, there are 8,000 post offices in the Empire, 
 widely distributed. Truly, the English Government, 
 in its paternal character, gives the native some return 
 for taxes imposed. 
 
 The police and discipline, under Captain Cole, are 
 excellent, but these ships have not all the conven- 
 iences found in the passenger vessels of the Atlantic 
 trade. Their speed, too, is but something more than 
 twelve miles per hour. Under this speed, and by 
 the schedule, we reach Alexandria, 825 miles from 
 Brindisi, on December 10, and leave the same morn- 
 ing (by rail), and arrive at Suez, 220 miles from Alex- 
 andria, that evening. We start at midnight on 
 Thursday and reach Aden (1,308 miles) on the i5th, 
 remain six hours, to " coal up," and then arrive at 
 Bombay, 1,664 miles from Aden, on Tuesday noon 
 (2 2d inst). Whole distance from Venice by this 
 route, 4,400 miles. It is a little longer via Port Said 
 and the Canal. 
 
 Hotel Suez, Suez, Egypt, December 11, 188 5. — We 
 had a detention of 12 hours at Alexandria, which 
 
ALEXANDRIA IN EGYPT. /\S 
 
 was not disappointing, as it made a pleasant break 
 in the journey and enabled us to have a comforta- 
 ble drive in and about the city. A party of us 
 passed a part of the morning in driving through the 
 principal streets and visiting the various bazars. We 
 also visited the forts, which still show the destructive 
 effects of the English bombardment. That portion 
 of the city about the " Grand Square," and which 
 was burned during the siege, is being rebuilt in a 
 superior style to that which obtained in 1875, when 
 I was last in Alexandria. In the course of this drive 
 we passed the Mahamoud Canal, and several gar- 
 dens bordering upon it, rich in tropical plants and 
 flowers. I saw numerous flowers of the poinsettsia, 
 the leaves of which were as large as my hand ; and 
 oleanders that were in full bloom and almost as large 
 as trees. There were also numerous cadi, and the 
 fragrance from the sweet-scented acacia was delic- 
 ious. Morning glories, in full bloom, were climbing 
 nearly every protected wall — quite a contrast, is it 
 not, to the character of vegetation and temperature 
 that this will find you in ? 
 
 The older parts of Alexandria are very picturesque 
 indeed ; the projecting or over-hanging stories of 
 the houses ; the Moorish blinds to the windows ; 
 the bazars with the workmen sitting in front of their 
 doors — all engaged in manufacturing various articles, 
 particularly in silver and gold ; the narrow streets ; 
 picturesque Moorish costumes, and the varied scene 
 
46 VENICE TO THE RED SEA. 
 
 one meets with will all tend towards making it, especi- 
 ally to the new-comer, a novel and interesting sight, 
 that is in pleasing contrast to the land one has just 
 left ; but the smells encountered do not incline one to 
 linger long in the quarters especially occupied by the 
 Arab. 
 
 The afternoon I passed with Commander Nicoll 
 Ludlow, U. S. Navy, a Suffolk County man, who 
 commands the snug little steamer Quinnebaug, 
 then lying in the harbor, and which he keeps 
 in tip-top order. I was invited to inspect his 
 vessel, and every part of her showed the closest 
 attention to police and discipline. The men 
 looked contented and remarkably healthy. He 
 had not a man in hospital out of two hundred. 
 He greeted me with genuine Long Island hospi- 
 tality, and in his steam launch we made a tour of 
 the Harbor of Alexandria, where he pointed out the 
 various objects of interest. We also visited the 
 Khedive's yacht — a very spacious and richly decora- 
 ted vessel, and after giving me a very comfortable 
 and homelike dinner, he bid me good speed on my 
 voyage, as the train was starting for this place. As 
 the run was made by night, we saw but little of the 
 canal, but from daylight 'till 7 a. m. we passed near 
 enough to see numerous large steamers ploughing 
 their way, as it were, through the desert. 
 
 As we reach here in advance of the Nepaul — the 
 steamer which is to take us through the Red Sea to 
 
THE SUEZ CANAL. 47 
 
 Bombay (she having been detained by rough weather 
 on her voyage to London and by fog on the canal) 
 —we have passed the day rather profitably by visit- 
 ing the street and bazars of this old town (once the 
 starting point for the overland mail by coaches to 
 Alexandria), and also by a ride on donkeys to the 
 offices of the Canal Company, which are pleasantly 
 located near its mouth. Here we were permitted to 
 inspect the system by which the officers can see at a 
 glance the location of any ship that has entered the 
 canal from either mouth. I also saw some figures 
 that give one a good idea of its enormous traffic. 
 While in 1870 the number of vessels was only 486, 
 of 436,609 tons — dues about $870,000 — m 1884 the 
 number of vessels was 3,284; tonnage 5, 871,500; 
 and dues amounting in round figures to over $1 1,- 
 700,000. 
 
 We go on board the Nepaul about sunset and by 
 1 o'clock will be steaming down the Red Sea. 
 
 P, and O. Stmr. A T epaul, Red Sea, (La/. ij° N.), 
 Dec. ijth, 1885. — We sailed promptly at the hour above 
 named, and have been making good time towards 
 Aden, where I shall mail this. The Red Sea has 
 proved a very quiet one to us, but hot, as I believe 
 it always is. The prevailing breeze is from the north 
 — hence we have had it following us — but as every 
 convenience is made to provide against heat we have 
 not suffered. It is only in the cabins and on the 
 sunny side that one experiences any discomfort. On 
 
48 VENICE TO THE RED SEA. 
 
 deck, with a double awning, it is almost always pleas- 
 ant, but I am told that in the summer time the heat 
 is intense. I think the highest the thermometer has 
 marked has been 87 degrees. Passengers are al- 
 lowed to take their mattresses on deck, which gives 
 one comfortable nights and refreshing sleep. The 
 "punka," or table fan, was started the second day 
 after leaving Suez, so that all our meals are taken 
 with a gentle current of wind blowing over the table. 
 There are some features of this sea that are striking 
 and deserve notice — not the least attraction being 
 the superb sunsets which we had while in the Gulf 
 of Suez — the upper portion of the sea. The coloring, 
 combined with the highly-marked outline of the 
 mountains which have a reddish tint, produced an 
 effect at sunset that I've rarely seen surpassed — and 
 the red coloring of its rocky shores would seem to 
 have given it the name of Red Sea. At least it's 
 the best explanation I can learn, for there is certain- 
 ly nothing peculiar about its waters. The rise and 
 fall of the tide at Suez, is often eight or nine feet, and 
 is felt some miles up the canal. 
 
 I meet on board this ship a large number of India- 
 bound passengers, the major part being made up of 
 military and civilian officials returning to their posts. 
 All have been exceedingly kind and polite, and I've 
 learned many details of the inner life of the Indian 
 native. We have on board Surgeon Hewlett, whose 
 duties are confined to inspecting certain districts, re- 
 
COLLECTING THE REVENUE. 49 
 
 porting upon their sanitary conditions and recom- 
 mending the best modes of improving them. There is 
 also an Inspector of Prisons, who is full of informa- 
 tion and has given me many interesting facts. The 
 Collectors, of which there are several on board, are 
 very entertaining men. Their duties, in addition to 
 collecting the Government revenue, are somewhat 
 magisterial, and in the tours through their districts — 
 often embracing areas of country twenty-five by fifty 
 miles in extent, and containing 7,000,000 of people — 
 they exercise the duties of magistrates, settling dis- 
 putes between farmers, etc. The roads are also 
 largely in their charge. They are thrown more in- 
 timately in contact with the people than almost any 
 other class, and are often for weeks camped in their 
 midst. The details of the domestic life and of the 
 household, the hours of labor, of repose, and of their 
 meals, as also their ceremonies, are all familiar to 
 these officials, and they have suggested that I pass a 
 few days with a Collector while on his round, which 
 I may do if time permits. 
 
 We reach Aden to-morrow about noon, and will 
 probably pass a few hours and add some coal to our 
 present stock. I'm informed that the chief objects of 
 interest are "The Tanks," constructed in Roman 
 times for the storage of water. They are in the hands 
 of the English, and rightly, too, for no nation is so 
 deeply interested in keeping this route to the East 
 open for traffic. My Xmas dinner I expect to eat in 
 
5o VENICE TO THE RED SEA. 
 
 Bombay, and as evidence of Indian hospitality, I will 
 add, that I've already been asked to dine on that 
 
 day by Mr. and Mrs. W r, two as agreeable and 
 
 interesting people as we have on board, and long res- 
 idents of Bombay. 
 
VI. 
 
 ADEN TO BOMBAY. 
 
 P. AND O. STMR. " NEPAUL," INDIAN OCEAN. 
 (LAT. 17° N., LONG. 63° E., " LINE OF NO VARIATION.") 
 
 Sunday, December 20th, 1883. 
 
 IT is not often that a Long- Island man crosses the 
 line of " no variation," in the Indian Ocean — 
 hence I gave it a prominent place in the heading of 
 this letter. It is probably superfluous to tell your 
 readers that this line is where the magnetic meridian 
 and the true meridian coincide — or, in other words, 
 that the needle of the compass points to the true 
 north and there is no variation either to the right or 
 left, as is usually the case. 
 
 We were a day late in reaching Aden, but that 
 did not prevent our making the usual stop of six 
 hours — time sufficient to see everything of interest. 
 We were on shore by 2 p. m. of the 16th — landing 
 at the post office pier. After securing the necessary 
 stamps and mailing our letters, we hired a covered 
 carriage, drawn by a small, but active pony, for an 
 
52 
 
 ADEN TO BOMBAY. 
 
 excursion to the old town of Aden and " The Tanks " 
 near it. The charge was not high — being less than 
 50 cents for a drive of five miles and back. As we 
 passed along the shores of the harbor we saw numer- 
 ous large coal yards belonging to the various steam- 
 ship companies trading to the East, all of which gave 
 evidence of the importance of this place as a coaling 
 port on the route to and from the Isthmus of Suez ; 
 and here I wish to add that England has shown her 
 foresight in the acquisition and holding of such 
 strategic coaling points as Gibraltar, Malta, the 
 Island of Perim, Colombo and Singapore, Hong 
 Kong and Shanghai, etc. — places so essential to a 
 commercial nation like her, whose vast commerce 
 penetrates to the extreme East and to the furthermost 
 points in the Southern Hemisphere — and I, for one, 
 am heartily glad that she does hold them, as good 
 government, free and fair trade, excellent police, 
 broad and well-kept streets and good public convey- 
 ances usually attend where she controls. 
 
 In reference to the occupation of Perim — an island 
 in the narrowest part of the Straits of Babelmandeb, 
 and about ninety miles from Aden — I must relate the 
 story, as given by a fellow-passenger, a Judge from 
 India. It appears that, many years since, the French 
 had fitted out an expedition for its occupation, which 
 stopped at Aden en route. While being entertained 
 by the English commander it leaked out whither the 
 party was bound. The Aden commander at once 
 
ADEN'S WATERWORKS. 03 
 
 secretly despatched a party to occupy it, so that 
 when the French arrived they found the English flag 
 flying, and were necessarily defeated in their pur- 
 pose. 
 
 We found the old city of Aden, which lies in the 
 crater of an extinct volcano, built in the Moorish 
 style, with wide streets and a central square, around 
 which are numerous cafes, where the natives were 
 enjoying themselves in various ways. "The Tanks," 
 which are at the farther end of the old town, date 
 back to an earlier period, and show evidence of 
 good engineering skill. They are capable of hold- 
 ing 8,000,000 gallons, which would be a most useful 
 supply in case of siege. I believe most of the water 
 now consumed is from distillation of sea water — 'the 
 tank water is being reserved for an emergency. 
 Aden is far from attractive-looking, and I fancied it 
 would be shunned by the military, but was assured 
 by an officer who had been stationed there that he 
 did not regard it, by any means, as the worst of 
 English military stations. 
 
 In the course of our drive we met numerous 
 trains of camels packed with various articles of mer- 
 chandise, which they were conveying to the interior. 
 These packs weigh about 300 pounds each. The 
 animals follow in single file and move at the rate of 
 about three miles an hour — their Arab drivers fol- 
 lowing on foot or riding other camels. Among 
 them were some fine specimens of men — tall, erect, 
 
54 ADEN TO BOMB A Y. 
 
 and rather handsome-featured fellows, who stepped 
 out with a vim. Still, neither their legs nor arms 
 showed much muscular development, and I fancy 
 they are little given to hard work. Every care 
 seemed to be given to the protection of the head 
 from the burning sun, and immense turbans of varied 
 colors covered them, but their bodies were often at- 
 tired with only the scantiest description of clothing. 
 We met one or two patriarchal-looking men wear- 
 ing the green turban — an unmistakable sign, I was 
 told ; that they had made the pilgrimage to Mecca — 
 and they looked so well satisfied that I'm sure they 
 were enjoying the fruits of the long journey to 
 their Holy Land. 
 
 The harbor of Aden owes its protection to the for- 
 mation of the coast, and the port lies at the upper 
 end of quite an extended bay. It is here the Gov- 
 ernor resides and the various steam lines have their 
 agencies. The old town is five miles away, but is 
 connected with the port by an excellent Mcadamized 
 road. I judged from the appearance of the shores 
 that there was a very considerable tide, and upon 
 inquiry found that its rise and fall were between eight 
 and nine feet. 
 
 I will finish this letter on reaching Bombay (where 
 we expect to be on the 2 2d), merely adding that our 
 voyage has been an exceedingly pleasant one, with 
 very fine weather — the slight breeze which we've en- 
 joyed being ahead and serving to cool the ship. The 
 
FIRST IMPRESSIONS. 55 
 
 temperature has risen from jS degrees to 80 degrees 
 Farenheit. and, that you may the better appreciate 
 the calmness of the sea, I will say that since leaving 
 Suez there has been dancing on deck nearly every 
 evening. 
 
 Byculla Chcb, Bombay, Friday, X?nas, 1885. — It is 
 81 degrees in the shade, and I've wandered about 
 this immense establishment hoping to find some 
 cool spot in which to complete this letter, begun 
 on the 20th inst., and have finally settled upon 
 the " Hon. Secretary's" desk in the basement, where 
 I find the faintest possible breeze ; and here on a 
 Xmas morning, I purpose giving some impressions 
 of Bombay, for first impressions are apt to be most 
 vivid and most heartfelt. 
 
 We entered the harbor and cast anchor at 5 p. m. 
 on the 2 2d. Our good ship, having been pushed a 
 little, responded and brought us in on schedule time. 
 Our anchorage was immediately opposite the fort, 
 as it is still called, although at the present time there 
 is no evidence of any military work, and the Govern- 
 ment has appropriated it as sites for its various pub- 
 lic buildings — many of them being superb structures 
 and nearly all built in a semi-Moorish style — combin- 
 ing the best features of the Gothic with those of the 
 Oriental. As we steamed in, Malabar and Colaba 
 Points showed up well and we could detect, by the 
 aid of our glasses, the handsome residences of the 
 Europeans and rich natives, which cover the former, 
 
56 ADEN TO BOMBAY. 
 
 embowered in a mass of tropical vegetation. Prom- 
 inent among the residences is Government House, 
 the winter residence of the Military Governor. In 
 the far distance the Ghauts Mountains were discerni- 
 ble, whose clay looking sides, enveloped in a slight 
 haze, gave to them a peculiar effect. An immense 
 fleet of merchant vessels of nearly every nationality 
 lay at anchor near us, and the harbor seemed spacious 
 enough to contain a good share of the shipping of 
 the world. Altogether it is one of the most exten- 
 sive and picturesque harbors I've ever visited. 
 
 The Port Surgeon had hardly boarded us before 
 we were surrounded by as motley and varied crafts as 
 one often meets with — from the snug- steam launch 
 to the native boat, with its graceful lateen sail and 
 picturesque sailors ; conspicuous among which were 
 the Parsees, whose striking black hats at once 
 attract your attention. I could liken it to noth- 
 ing better than a section of a stovepipe with its up- 
 per part cut off at an angle less than forty-five de- 
 grees, and with its base set into a sort of cup to fit 
 the head. The Parsee priests wear the same shaped 
 hat, but of white material. We soon passed the in- 
 spection of the Customs official, were warmly greeted 
 by some European friends, who were on the lookout 
 for us, and sailed to the landing place at the Apollo 
 Bunder, and, climbing a long flight of stone steps 
 (for the rise and fall of the tide is from 18 to 19 feet), 
 were in India. 
 
BOMBAY TRAMWAYS. Sj 
 
 A drive of two and a half miles, through the dusty, 
 populous streets of the old town, brought us to this 
 spacious and comfortable club, where I am most 
 comfortably placed — for all of which I feel grateful to 
 my kind friend, Mr. Pickering Clark, one of Bom- 
 bay's most useful citizens, and to whom that city 
 largely owes her well-conducted and excellent tram- 
 way system. I've thoroughly inspected its stables, 
 shops, and offices, and for good order, thorough con- 
 struction, and neatness of appearance they compare 
 well with similar systems in any section of the globe- 
 Mr. Clark is ably seconded in his work by Mr. 
 George A. Kittredge, another American gentleman 
 and a twenty-five years' resident of Bombay. 
 
 To give you an idea of the care bestowed by this 
 company upon its horses, I can add that when the 
 sun has great power, not an animal is hitched in — , 
 without having a light cork hood, attached to the 
 head stall and raised above the animal's head. The 
 result is that they are rarely overcome by heat and 
 sunstroke, and while 1 am told the loss of animals 
 from over-fatigue and other causes, and on street 
 railroads, in New York City, is about 10 per cent, 
 here it does not exceed 7. 
 
 As I'm making this letter rather lengthy, I must 
 reserve for another, some descriptions of the street 
 scenes and the varied objects of interest to be met 
 with here. Before closing, however, I must intro- 
 duce to you "Ramah,'' the gentle Hindoo servant, 
 
58 ADEN TO BOMB A V. 
 
 who is to be my attendant in this trip through a part 
 of India. Fancy to yourself a man of about thirty 
 years ; of medium height and light build; rather 
 regular features; color something darker than mulatto: 
 and clothed in a species of white tunic extending to 
 the knees (called angurker), and with white pants; 
 to this add a gorgeous turban of red and gold, with 
 blue sash about the waist, and you have a rough pen 
 picture of the native who is to serve me (unless he 
 proves unfaithful) till I depart for more Eastern 
 lands. He has been, now, two days in my service, 
 and you can imagine how oddly it seemed when, last 
 evening, upon entering the dining room of Mr. and 
 Mrs. C A. Winter, who had kindly asked me to dine 
 with them, to find "Ramah" at the back of my chair; 
 but, like all things else, one soon accomodates him- 
 self to new customs. At some houses I would not 
 have had any attention unless provided with a servant 
 of my own ; the only exception to this is Govern- 
 ment House, where one is not expected to bring 
 their own servant, but at all other houses, dinners or 
 evening entertainments, you take your own atten- 
 dant. This applies equally to all railway stations and 
 hotels. I pay what is regarded as rather a high price 
 for "Raman's" services $10 per month, but he finds 
 himself with board and lodging; of course I pay his 
 railway fare, which third class is about one cent per 
 mile. 
 
VII. 
 
 HINDOO AND PARSEE. 
 
 BYCULLA CLUB, BOMBAY. 
 (LAT. l8° 53' N., LONG. 72° 53' E., TEMP. AT 8 A. M., 75°) 
 
 December joth, 1885. 
 
 I HAVE been more than a week in Bombay, and 
 it's not unreasonable that you ask for my 
 impressions. — " Is it disappointing, or are you pleased, 
 and what are some of its striking- features ? " So far 
 from being disappointed, I'm not only pleased, but 
 it has even surpassed my expectations ; and, except- 
 ing Cairo, in Egypt, I know no city that furnishes so 
 great a variety and is so decidedly Eastern in its 
 details, as well as in its general appearance, as this. 
 Its location is superb — being upon a peninsula with 
 a grand bay on one side and the Indian Ocean on 
 the other — far the greater part of the city being on 
 high ground, with its principal residences scattered 
 over the hills and along the sea-shore, and it presents 
 to me a most picturesque appearance. The views 
 
OO HINDOO AND PARSER. 
 
 from Malabar Hill (one of its highest points) at sun- 
 set, are among the most striking and beautiful I've 
 ever seen. It is in this vicinity that the rich Parsees 
 and Hindoos have built their finest bungalows — some 
 of them rivalling in extent, beauty of design and or- 
 namentation the handsomest villas I've ever met 
 with in any portion of the world. Spacious grounds 
 surround each, and scattered through them are rich 
 tropical plants and trees, whose ample branches keep 
 out a portion of the burning sun and give a most 
 luxurious, as well as comfortable, appearance to these 
 Eastern homes. Many of them are temporarily oc- 
 cupied by the European residents. 
 
 But it is the street scenes that are most diverting 
 and interesting to me, and these are to be found 
 mainly in the old town and in the populous districts, 
 where in some instances Jo or 80 people occupy a 
 single house. Here, sitting in front of their little 
 workshops or grocery stores, and in the street ped-" 1 
 dling their various wares, are to be found, at the 
 cooler hours, the most varied collection imaginable, 
 and these furnish the most interesting objects of 
 study. The Hindoo, with his white dress and varied- 
 colored turban ; the Mussulman, similarly clad ; and 
 the rather neat and natty Parsee, are all to be found 
 collected in these localities. Only the lower classes 
 of women are to be met in the streets — that is, ex- 
 posed to the public gaze — excepting the families of 
 the Parsees, who are no longer polygamists and 
 
9 
 
 FUNERAL RITES. 6 I 
 
 seem anxious to follow the manners and customs of 
 the English, with whom they've long been on the 
 best of terms. The Parsee, when driven from his 
 Persian home, sought the shores of the Indian Ocean 
 above Bombay, and, showing skill in various descrip- 
 tions of trade, he naturally attracted the attention of 
 the earliest English settlers of this country, and as 
 he has never, like the Hindoo, been the advocate of 
 excessively youthful marriages, he has preserved his 
 stature and vigor, which is shown both in his person 
 and features. 
 
 In religion the Parsees are fireworshippers, but 
 they endeavor, also, to preserve the purity of all the 
 elements — hence the bodies of their dead are never 
 committed to the ground, but are exposed in towers 
 of high eminences, where they are devoured by vul- 
 tures. The following description of the manner in 
 which the dead are treated was given me by one of 
 my fellow-voyagers : " It seems that in every Parsee 
 house there is, near the stairway or well of the 
 house, covered with lattice, an aperture. As soon 
 as life has left the body of the deceased it is taken to 
 this opening and lowered to the ground floor, where 
 it is received by a class of priests called "Nesersala," 
 or death men (as their presence in the house would 
 pollute it, the 1 body is lowered to them), who prepare 
 it for the last ceremonies. After it is appropriately 
 dressed in white, the forehead is smeared with a 
 kind of butter called ghie, and immediately afterward 
 
62 HINDOO AND PARSEE. 
 
 the dog, which is always found in every Parsee 
 house, is admitted. Should he go to the body and 
 lick the forehead it is regarded as a good omen and 
 evidence that the departed is enjoying Paradise ; but 
 on the other hand, should he refuse, the decree has 
 been purgatory. A procession is then formed of the 
 friends of the deceased, preceded by the priests, who 
 convey the body on a bier to the "Towers of 
 Silence." Only the male relatives attend, and they 
 are clothed in white and follow the corpse in pairs, 
 each pair holding a white handkerchief between 
 them. Having arrived at the main gate of the en- 
 closure, the body is taken in charge of by another set 
 of priests who carry the body to the tower intended 
 for its reception. These towers, five in number, 
 differ somewhat in size — the largest being about 270 
 feet in circumference and some 40 feet in height. 
 The interior of each tower, which is open to the sky ; 
 is covered at a height of ten feet from the ground, 
 with a circular-flooring, which slopes towards a cen- 
 tral well and contains numerous open grooves on 
 which the bodies are laid. The outer ring of this 
 flooring, or one nearest the inner wall of the tower, 
 is appropriated for men, and signifies good actions ; 
 the second ring, signifying good words, is for wo- 
 men, and the inner ring, meaning good thoughts, for 
 children. Before the body is taken into the tower — 
 which is through an aperture in its wall a few feet 
 from the gronnd — it is stripped of its clothing, which 
 
TOWERS OF SILENCE. 63 
 
 is cast into another tower. As soon as the priests 
 retire, a cloud of vultures alight and in a few mo- 
 ments strip the bones of the flesh. A few days later 
 the priests return and with long-handled pincers 
 seize the bones and throw them down the central 
 well, which is 40 feet or more in width, where they re- 
 main to be decomposed by air and rain. The mois- 
 ture runs off into the ground through filters of char- 
 coal and sand, and leaves only the bones to crumble 
 into their natural elements. I visited these towers 
 one evening near sunset, and found the grounds 
 about them converted into a beautiful garden. There, 
 were numerous vultures sitting on the tower edge 
 and perched upon the trees about. Every portion 
 of the grounds was scrupulously clean and neat. I 
 was told that the priests who perform these various 
 services in connection with the dead are a distinct 
 class, and do not mingle with the other members of 
 the Parsee community. They live apart from the 
 world, and often in small colonies made up entirely 
 of their own sect, and their marriages limited to 
 members of their own calling — in truth, while re- 
 garded as necessary, they are shunned by their fel- 
 low Parsees. 
 
 The guide, who accompanied me, showed every- 
 thing but the interior of the towers ; but there was a 
 working model of one, which he fully explained, and 
 I then, after giving him a few "annas" (three cents 
 each), withdrew to a prominent point on the hill to 
 
64 HINDOO AND PARSEE. 
 
 view the harbor and city and witness a most glorious 
 sunset, for the views from the hill where the towers 
 are. located are the best in the city. Coming down, 
 I got into my carriage and drove along the sea shore 
 and, it so chanced, passed the cremating enclosure of 
 the Hindoos. Thinking I'd make a single day of 
 this species of sight-seeing, I descended, and enter- 
 ing the main gate was conducted by a rear passage 
 to a point where I could witness the burning without 
 being seen by the mourners. The corpse is placed 
 between dry and inflammable logs of wood, which are 
 confined in iron ricks, and I believe the torch is ap- 
 plied by some friend of the deceased. I saw some 
 mourners sitting near, beating drums and uttering 
 lamentations ; but not fancying either the sight or 
 odor, I did not tarry long ; but I was told that all that 
 remained after cremation was gathered up and cast 
 into the sea, as in like manner is done along the 
 shores of the sacred rivers Jumma and Ganges. 
 
 Among the most interesting places that I have 
 visited in the city have been the stables of Arab and 
 Persian horses. My friend, Mr. Clark, is an admir- 
 able judge and proved an excellent guide, as he is 
 well known by the proprietors of the best stables. 
 Those of Abdool Rayman are but a short walk from 
 the Club, and contain some of the best Arabians in 
 India. He has " Young Revenge," a beautiful bay, 
 who has won more races than any horse in India. 
 "The Doctor," a handsome white in an adjoining box 
 
AA'AP/.t.Y AND PERSIAN HORSES. 65 
 
 stall, has sometimes beaten him. There were about 
 three hundred horses in these stables, and among 
 them were some fifty Persians — an animal not as much 
 esteemed as the Arab. Another morning we visited 
 the stables of Abdul Rizak Dobachell, who had also 
 a fine stud — I" believe about four hundred Arabs and 
 Persians. He is regarded as a fair dealer, and his 
 stables are popular. All these animals— as, in fact, 
 everywhere in India — are hobbled with long ropes 
 about their hind hocks, and these ropes are tied to a 
 peg some feet in the rear. Their halters, or head- 
 stalls, are also attached by cords to pegs on each side 
 of them, and the animal takes his hay directly from 
 the ground or floor of the stall. The system applies 
 as well to the cavalry service, thus dispensing with 
 the picket rope, which we use in the United States 
 Army. I notice, with animals not stabled and much 
 exposed to the sun, the headstall is provided with a 
 fringe which falls over the eyes for their protection. 
 Not the least striking feature of these stable scenes 
 is the group of Arab horse dealers that one usually 
 finds sitting just within the entrance of the stables. 
 We were invited to take a cup of coffee with them, 
 which I found excellent— being made from the true 
 Mocha. They are tall, fine-looking men, with rather 
 Roman features — prominent noses — and their cos- 
 tumes of rather rich colors are picturesque ones. 
 They usually have two or three Persian or Angora 
 cats with them, which they bring from their homes 
 
66 HINDOO AND PARSEE. 
 
 and which command good prices. Puss is usually 
 tied, by a cord about her neck, to a post and seems 
 to be used to it. These men also bring over some 
 flat-tailed sheep, which one finds roaming about the 
 stables. 
 
 While upon the subject of animals I must not for- 
 get the Hindoo bullocks, which are used by the 
 natives before their odd-looking vehicles. These are 
 small compact animals of about ten hands in height, 
 and move with great quickness — some of them mak- 
 ing as good time as the ponies of the country. I'd 
 like to describe, also, the carriage that a pair of these 
 fellows pull, but it's rather beyond my descriptive 
 powers. Nor can I think of anything on Long 
 Island or elsewhere in the United States that I might 
 liken it to. I can simply state that it is a two- 
 wheeled affair on springs, with two seats, and has a 
 round-shaped body, highly ornamented in flaming 
 colors, with a top and white curtains to protect the 
 occupants from the sun. The driver sits astride the 
 tongue and urges the oullocks forward by a kick or 
 poke of his foot in the rear and a twist of the tail. 
 A pair of rope reins passes over the head and 
 through the noses of the animals, and with these he 
 guides them. I've not taken a ride in this style of 
 vehicle, but intend to, for I've taken a great liking 
 to these bullocks, and wish to ride behind them. I'm 
 sure your readers would have been amused if they 
 could have been on the road with me this afternoon 
 
BULLOCK CARTS. 6 J 
 
 and seen a grocery wagon, not unlike one of Park & 
 Tilford's very finest, drawn by a pair of these ani- 
 mals ; only in this instance the wagon was marked 
 "Kemp & Co., Limited," and the bullocks were 
 creamy white, large-sized animals. 
 
 I'd like to tell you more of this amusing city, but 
 I can't spare the time, as I must make preparations 
 for continuing my journey toward the North. 
 Through the kindness of Colonel Upperton, of the 
 Bengal staff, I have been asked to take a seat in the 
 special train which leaves for Delhi to-morrow 
 night, and before going I've lots to do, including a 
 dinner I give this evening, at this club, to a few 
 friends, and one I attend at the Yacht Club, given by 
 Col. Rivett Carnac to-morrow night, when we dance 
 the old year out and the new year in. I shall there 
 meet a large number of Bombay residents. Were it 
 not for the heat of this place, I should be sorry 
 to leave, as I found it most entertaining and have 
 experienced nothing but hospitality from the mo- 
 ment of entering the city. 
 
 "Ramah'' and myself continue to get on well to- 
 gether, and I feel satisfied I shall find him a useful ser- 
 vant in my wanderings about India. I observed that 
 he has added to the number of silver rings that he 
 first wore, so I imagine he has invested a share of the 
 advance made him in these adornments. I rather 
 think however, he has his mind upon some from Delhi 
 which is rather famous for its gold and silver works. 
 
VIII. 
 THE CAMP OF EXERCISE. 
 
 BYCULLA CLUB, 
 
 BOMBAY, INDIA. 
 Tuesday, December, jo, 1885. 
 
 I PROMISED you a few items, from some point in 
 my journey to the East, and this may do as well as 
 any other for a commencement, especially as I can 
 announce the arrival of the officers invited to attend 
 the grand manoeuvres of the Indian Army, or, as it 
 is more frequently called, "The Camp of Exercise;" a 
 term which appears particularly applicable, for, since 
 the 1 5th of December, the two forces have been as- 
 sembling about Umballa and Delhi, the former called 
 the Northern and the latter the Southern Force. 
 A course of drill and instruction has been going on 
 ever since — first, under their brigade commanders; 
 second, under their divisional chiefs ; and now they 
 are manoeuvring separately, but after the 2d of 
 January the two forces are to engage in mimic war- 
 fare, gradually approaching each other, and during 
 
/ 'IS/ TING OFFICERS. 
 
 6 9 
 
 the last ten days of the exercise fighting over old 
 historic ground, where Ackbar, the Great Mogul, 
 gained his decisive victories, and where the mutiny 
 of 1857 was stamped out. But to return; the officers, 
 alluded to above, came in on the Peninsular and 
 Oriental steamer Assam, on Monday, and are all in 
 excellent spirits. They were at once taken to 
 Watson's Hotel, the finest in the city, and were each 
 assigned a servant, who will continue with them till 
 the close of their military visit; some have Portu- 
 guese and others ye gentle Hindoo, but all speak 
 sufficient English to enable them to come and go and 
 satisfy the wants of those they are attending. Colonel 
 Lazelle and Captain Mills of our Service by dint of 
 close appilcation to travel, managed to reach Suez in 
 time to join those from Europe, many of whom, com- 
 ing on in advance, had taken in Cairo in Egypt. 
 From Suez all have been under the care and kind 
 protection of Colonel J. Upperton, C. B., of the Bengal 
 Staff Corps, who is a charming man and a most ex- 
 cellent fellow, conversing with the various nationali- 
 ties, he is thrown with, as glibly as possible. At this 
 point he is joined by Captain A. L. Montanaro, also 
 of Bengal Staff and likewise an excellent linguist, 
 who seems to delight in doing kind and agreeable 
 things. 
 
 There has been a round of dinners and lunches 
 (tiffin) provided for the military guests, so that I 
 imagine few have tested the Watson Hotel fare. The 
 
 
JO THE CAMP OF EXERCISE. 
 
 first night they dined at the Yacht Club, a capitally 
 built and well managed-institution, located directly 
 on the harbor; a very pleasant feature of it is that 
 ladies are admitted, so that one lunches or dines in 
 their charming company; it also serves as a capital 
 point to meet their husbands and friends and take 
 tea after the business hours of the day, and then 
 probably off for a drive, as it is only in the cool of 
 the early morning or near sun-set that such open-air 
 recreation is possible, for the thermometer has marked 
 8o° to 90 much of the time I've been here — nearly 
 ten days. Mr. Farnham, U. S. Consul, entertained 
 our officers and a few friends last evening; to-night 
 Lieut.-General Sir R. Phayre, K. C. B., Commander- 
 in-Chief of the military force in the Bombay Presi- 
 dency, gives all the accredited officers a dinner; and 
 to-morrow night His Excellency, Lord Reay, Gov- 
 ernor of Bombay Presidency, entertains them ; 
 immediately after which they take a special train of 
 sleeping carriages, and start at 1 a. m. for Delhi, stop- 
 ping one day at Jeypore, some six hundred miles 
 from here, for rest and sight-seeing; as Jeypore is 
 regarded as one of the handsomest cities in India, and 
 noted for its superb and extensive parks and flower- 
 gardens. In addition to the dinners and tiffins there 
 have been excursions to various points, such as visit- 
 ing the "Caves of Elephanta," "Towers of Silence," 
 'Malabar Hill," and drives along the sea-shore and 
 ''Esplanade." I've not heard that any "Nautch danc- 
 
POWERS REPRESENTED. J I 
 
 ing parties have been visited, and if they had I don't 
 think I'd tell who were there. 
 
 All the important Powers of Europe are repre- 
 sented, in this collection of officers. France has two 
 representatives, one I believe a Major of Artillery, 
 the other a Colonel of Cavalry. Germany has a 
 Major and a Captain ; the former, on occasions of 
 ceremony wears an immense number of decorations, 
 but some one has intimated that they were bestowed, 
 mainly, for attending grand manoeuvres, in various 
 parts of Europe, rather than for service on the field 
 of battle. Austria is represented by a Colonel of 
 the Hussars, a very agreeable gentleman, and a 
 member of the well-known Esterhazy family. 
 
 Russia has two officers, one a Colonel and the 
 other a Russian Prince, but I have not learned the 
 military rank of the latter. 
 
 Italy has sent two officers and one of these, a 
 Brigadier-General, is the senior in rank of the 
 entire group, and upon him devolves much of the 
 duty of replying to speeches of welcome and toasts 
 at dinners, &c, a duty that he modestly performs 
 and I believe in a very happy manner; while he speaks 
 English with tolerable fluency his remarks are usually 
 made in French. Those from our Service I've alluded 
 to before, one a Captain of Artillery, and the other a 
 Lieutenant Colonel of Infantry. 
 
 The India Government took charge of these officers 
 from the time of their arrival at Suez, and will defray 
 
J 2 THE CAMP OF EXERCISE. 
 
 all their expenses, up to date of their leaving the 
 country, including their return passage as far as Suez. 
 Nearly all, I believe, are to leave India shortly after 
 the close of the manoeuvres, the only exception that 
 I've heard of, being Colonel Esterhazy, who told me 
 he expected to pass the summer in Kashmir and the 
 following winter here in India. 
 
 I am glad that I am able to say that I've greatly 
 enjoyed my ten days' stay in Bombay, having met 
 with an unbounded hospitality, and have also had a 
 share in the entertainments provided for the military 
 visitors accredited from the various countries. 
 Through the kindness of Colonel Upperton I join 
 the special train provided, and will have agreeable 
 and congenial companionship en route, as I've found 
 all the guests most delightful men. At Delhi I am 
 promised, by the Military Secretary of General Rob- 
 erts, a tent, — probably the other fixtures, — so that 
 there is a good prospect of my seeing the manoeu- 
 vres under favorable circumstances, and you may 
 hear from me again before leaving India. 
 
 Northbrook Hotel, Delhi, Jan. 8, 1886. — I enclose 
 the military scheme relating to the manoeuvres now 
 in progress. * * * The entire force is now some 
 distance from this, and the accredited officers (who 
 have a flying camp) near it. They are to return 
 in the course of the next five days, which time I pur- 
 pose consuming in a hurried trip to Amritzer and 
 Lahore ; after this I return to my tent, which is in 
 the head-quarters camp. 
 
THE MILITARY PROBLEM. 73 
 
 I have not seen any thing of the main body of 
 troops. * * The few native organizations that I 
 have met are a fine-looking class — that is, as na- 
 tives go. The police of all the cities visited are re- 
 cruited from the Punjab, have good physique, and 
 carry themselves well ; they salute all Europeans, as 
 do also most of the natives, which keeps one busy 
 when in the streets. 
 
 Delhi has proved rich in mosques and places for- 
 merly occupied by their great moguls, but the great- 
 est treat is still in store in the Audience Halls and 
 the superb tomb of " Taj Ma/ial," at Agra, which I 
 take in on my way southward. 
 
 The following is the military scheme for the gov- 
 ernment of the manoeuvres : 
 
 ' The Southern Army Corps, numbering about 16,000 men, is now en- 
 camped before Delhi. The 1st and 2d Divisions, which were encamped 
 at Sultanpur and Gurgaon respectively, have been concentrated with the 
 right resting on Badlika-Serai, facing north, awaiting orders to move for- 
 ward on the 4th January for the final manoeuvres, of which the following 
 is the ' problem ' issued from Army Headquarters : 
 
 Two hostile forces, distant 100 miles, are set in movement towards 
 each other with the object of delivering battle as soon as contact occurs. 
 Their movements are restricted to the following daily marches: 
 For cavalry and horse artillery ... 20 miles. 
 
 For infantry and field artillery . . . 15 " 
 
 Collision and separation of the forces after battle. 
 
 Reinforcement of one side and retirement of the weaker force under 
 pursuit. 
 
 On the 3d January a field force, strength as follows: 2 infantry divisions, 
 2 cavalry brigades, 10 batteries artillery, 3 companies sappers and miners 
 (about 16,000 men) — is encamped along the line Thol-Shahabad, facing 
 south, its base at Umballa. Orders are received to march for Delhi with 
 the idea of raising the seige of that place, then in progress. 
 
74 THE CAMP OF EXERCISE. 
 
 On the same date a field force, strength as follows: 2 infantry divisions, 
 2 cavalry brigades, io batteries artillery, 3 companies sappers and miners 
 (about 16,000 men) — which is covering the siege of Delhi, is encamped 
 along the line Bahadurgah, Badlika-Serai facing north, when information 
 is received that a hostile army moving south has passed Umballa. 
 
 The commander of this force is directed to march northward and deliver 
 battle as far from Delhi as may be possible. 
 
 Operations are limited to the east by the line of the river Jumna; no re- 
 striction is placed on movements westward. 
 
 Operations will be carried on daily from g a.m. to 3 p.m., when the halt 
 will be sounded, and no further movement will take place till 9 o'clock the 
 following morning, by which hour the troops will be in position on the 
 ground occupied by them at 3 o'clock on the previous afternoon. 
 
 Outposts will be thrown out, as on service, after the halt has been 
 sounded, and will not be withdrawn until the divisional commanders have 
 satisfied themselves that their position has been made secure from sudden 
 attack. 
 
 It is desirable that troops should be encamped or bivouacked as near as 
 possible to the positions occupied by them at the close of each day's pro- 
 ceedings, having due regard to the position of the supply depots. 
 
 Camps, hospitals, baggage, transport animals, are not liable to capture. 
 
 The time should be regulated daily by the Chief Umpire's watch. 
 
 Infantry will not be conveyed on gun-limbers, carts, or animals during 
 the manoeuvres. 
 
 These manoeuvres will, no doubt, fully test the marching powers of both 
 Army corps, as well as their organization and equipment. 
 
 The following remarks have been made by the 
 Umpire-in-Chief (General Sir Frederick Roberts, 
 Commander-in-Chief in India), on the operations of 
 the 7th January, 1886. 
 
 ' The lesson we have learned to-day is the inutility of bodies of mounted 
 troops pushing on at an unusually rapid rate without some very distinct 
 objective, such as the seizure of a bridge over an unfordable river, or the 
 
THE UM TIRE'S CRITICISM. J 5 
 
 occupation of a pass, or some very important position which it might be 
 capable of holding until reinforced by infantry. 
 
 " Under such circumstances it would be permissible on the part of a 
 commander to force the pace even at the risk of losing a certain number of 
 horses, but when no such objective is to be attained, or when the position 
 is one which can be avoided, or turned by any enemy, such rapid move- 
 ment is a waste of power. 
 
 "On the present occasion Brigadier-General Marter reached Paniput at 
 an early hour yesterday, but was forced to retreat this afternoon by the 
 cavalry of the Southern Force supported by its ist Division of infantry. 
 
 " With reference to this day's proceedings the following points call for 
 observation: 
 
 " The Southern Force. — Had the reconnaissance in force whicji Sir C. 
 Gough originally intended to make on Paniput been carried out, the weak- 
 ness of the enemy would probably have been ascertained, and a forward 
 movement would have obliged Brigadier-General Marter to retire. 
 
 "For want of this information the commander of the Southern Force 
 hesitated to attack until his infantry arrived, while his cavalry, consisting 
 of two" brigades with 12 guns, was kept in check by one brigade of the 
 Northern Force with 6 guns, without the latter having any material advan- 
 tage of ground. During the ?,% hours the Southern Cavalry remained 
 stationary the main body was too close to its pickets, and was kept mounted 
 unnecessarily; moreover, no adequate means were taken to guard the 
 flanks. 
 
 ' The action of the cavalry of the Southern Force was slow, and showed 
 a want of dash and enterprise throughout the day's proceedings, more 
 especially on the left; if this portion had been boldly used it would have 
 seriously harassed the retreating enemy; as it was the Northern Cavalry 
 were allowed to retire with little or no loss. 
 
 " No attempt apparently was made to scout in any direction either be- 
 yond the canal to the left or towards the Jumna to the right; scouts well 
 pushed to either flank would have inevitably gained miich valuable inform- 
 ation and might possibly have enabled the Southern Cavalry to advance at 
 an earlier hour, and to throw its entire strength upon the communications 
 of the Northern Cavalry. 
 
 "Owing to a want of proper scouting, a half battery of E-A Royal Horse 
 Artillery came into action within easy (700 yards) range of a well-posted 
 body of dismounted cavalry. 
 
 " The march of the divisional artillery and infantry was well timed and 
 the attack on Paniput well directed. 
 
 " With regard to the advance of the infantry, however, the special atten- 
 
 
J 6 THE CAMP OF EXERCISE. 
 
 tion of commanders is drawn to the instructions contained in Adjutant- 
 General's memorandum issued on 19th ultimo, which point out that during 
 the early part of an advance.no more men should be brought into the fight- 
 ing line than are actually required for fighting purposes. This order was 
 not complied with in the formation of the infantry during the advance on 
 Paniput, two companies (four half-companies) per battalion being extended 
 before the troops came under any fire whatsoever. At that stage of the 
 advance, only sufficient men to cover the front of each battalion should 
 have been extended, the remainder of each company forming supports, 
 which should have moved in such formation as the nature of the ground 
 might admit of, the main object being to keep the maximum number of 
 men as long as possible in hand in a close formation until the fire of the 
 enemy compels the attacking line to be strengthened. 
 
 " The six batteries of field artillery which came into action on the arrival 
 of the 1st Division, were apparently firing at an indefinite object, a'nd sub- 
 sequently were not moved forward in sufficient time to prepare the way for 
 the infantry, whose advance they were supposed to be covering. 
 
 The Northern Force. — The commander of the cavalry of the Northern 
 Force carried out effectually the difficult task assigned to him. With one 
 brigade of cavalry he held his ground and compelled the enemy to develop 
 his attack with the whole of his cavalry, six batteries of field artillery, and 
 one infantry division; his retirement was carried out in good order, aided 
 by his second brigade which came up in time to support his right. 
 
 " On both flanks the scouting was good, and the action of small parties 
 pushed forward to ascertain the whereabouts of the enemy was effective. 
 
 " Several parties of dismounted cavalry were well placed and did good 
 work, notably one of the 14th Bengal Cavalry under Major Harenc. 
 
 "The guns of L-A Royal Horse Artillery were judiciously posted in 
 three separate divisions, and by their fire materially checked the advance 
 of the Southern Force. 
 
 " Three guns of F-A Royal Horse Artillery had to be put out of action 
 on the right of the Northern Force, in consequence of being charged by a 
 regiment of cavalry who came upon them at the moment their escort was 
 dismounted and consequently unable to act. 
 
 "The camp of the cavalry commander of the Northern Force should 
 have been struck and packed ready for loading, in case retirement took 
 place. 
 
 " Paniput remains in possession of the Southern Force, but had the com- 
 mander of the Northern Force been aware that he was at liberty to push 
 his infantry in movement near enough to support his cavalry as the 
 Southern commander did, to-day's operations might possibly have had a 
 different result." 
 
IX. 
 BOMBAY TO DELHI. 
 
 NORTHBROOK HOTEL, DELHI, 
 
 LAT. 28 N.; LONG., 77 E., TEMP. 63 . 
 
 January 8th, 1S86. 
 
 THE ride from Bombay to this place, which we 
 reached on the 3d inst., proved a very 
 pleasant one. We started, as was proposed in my 
 last, from Calaba Station, in Bombay, at 1.30 a. m. on 
 the first day of the year — after witnessing a very 
 pretty dancing party at the Yacht Club, where some 
 of the best people of the city had assembled ; and 
 after seeing the old year out and the new year in — 
 singing, at the same time, "Auld Lang Syne," — we 
 bade good-bye to our guests and went to the station 
 in time to get well stowed away previous to the hour 
 of starting. Ample accommodations had been se- 
 cured by Colonel Upperton, English Army, and each 
 compartment was provided with the necessary re- 
 freshments for the journey. As each one had secured 
 in advance a pillow, a comforter and a couple of 
 
yS BOMBAY TO DELHI. 
 
 wraps (all of which articles are absolutely necessary 
 for travel in India), it mattered not whither we went. 
 We had our beds made up on the long seats with 
 which these railway carriages are provided. As the 
 first 1 60 miles were made at night, I saw nothing of 
 the country along the line — which was that of the 
 Baroda, Bombay and Central India Railway — but I 
 know from the map that the road runs near the 
 coast, in a northerly direction, just far enough to 
 head the numerous little indentations in it, and that 
 we reached Surat at 8 a. m., where we had a most 
 comfortable breakfast. 
 
 Shortly after leaving Surat we crossed the Tapti 
 River, a very large stream. At this season the water 
 is low and the river confined to a narrow channel, 
 but the very wide, sandy, bed showed what a huge 
 stream it could become in high water. It reminded 
 me greatly of one of our Western streams. At 
 Broach we crossed the Nerbudda, a river that rises 
 far in the interior of India, and, I was told, would 
 become in a few years a sacred one, like the Jumna 
 and Ganges. , The country along this section of the 
 line indicated that it was cultivated at every point, 
 and w T e passed numerous fields of millet, several 
 large ones of the castor bean, and very extensive 
 ones of winter wheat, now some five or six inches 
 high, and which is gathered in April ; it was sown 
 in October and November. Some time in the after- 
 noon we met with our first specimens of monkeys — 
 
IRRIGATION IN INDIA. 79 
 
 along, ring-tailed species, which when running carry 
 their tails in the air, curved almost into a complete 
 circle. There were some groups of ten or fifteen. 
 We also saw numerous birds, such as quail, a variety 
 of the grouse, and doves and pigeons innumerable. 
 
 As this is the dry season, we had a good oppor- 
 tunity of observing the mode of irrigation, the water 
 for which was drawn from wells either by the old 
 well pole process — one man to each pole — or with 
 bullocks, which pull the water up in immense skin buck- 
 ets, the cord passing over a pulley, two sets of oxen 
 being used. They build a ramp up to the edge of 
 the well, down which the animals travel, thus giving 
 them the full power of their weight and strength. As 
 soon as the bucket reaches the top and is landed on 
 the platform they are unhitched and travel around by 
 another incline, and are ready for the next bucket. 
 The water is poured into a trough and thus runs 
 through the various irrigating ditches prepared for it, 
 and thence into the little field — each household hav- 
 ing about four acres of land on which to subsist, and 
 of the product of this, I was told, one-third goes to 
 the State. Rather heavy taxation, we would say; 
 but I believe it has been the rate since the ereat 
 mogul kings first conquered the country. The land 
 is all owned by the Government, and the farmers 
 lease from it, which leases are renewed from time 
 to time. 
 
 We reached Ahmedabad at 4 p.m., where we 
 
80 BOMB A Y TO DELHI. 
 
 lunched. It is quite an important town, and has 
 numerous mosques. It is also the headquarters of 
 the Northern division of the Bombay Army. We 
 arrived at Palanpore at 8 p. m., where we took our 
 New Year's dinner, and after it continued our route, 
 passing, about 1 1 p. m., near Mount Aboo, the high- 
 est elevation in our journey — some 2,000 feet. We 
 reached Ajmar about 8 a. m., where we were taken 
 in charge by some English officers and driven to their 
 snug little club for breakfast, and after it inspected 
 one of the summer palaces of the great Ackbar, chief 
 of the Mogul kings, which is beautifully situated on 
 the borders of an artificial lake. Sufficient of it 
 remains to indicate the luxury which he enjoyed, and 
 the rich decorations of the marble of which it is con- 
 structed tell that he employed the best talent of his 
 clay. From this we visited the palm gardens, but 
 had not time to look through Mayo College, an in- 
 stitution for the education of sons of wealthy natives, 
 whose minds are there given such a turn as will be 
 for the interest of the State. It is now in charge of 
 Major Loch of the English service, and he told 
 me that the number of pupils was increasing and the 
 institution flourishing. 
 
 Ajmar is beautifully situated, being in a pretty 
 valley surrounded by an amphitheatre of mountains. 
 I was greatly taken with its site and surroundings. 
 As time pressed, we could not linger as long as we 
 wished in this attractive spot, but were driven back 
 
THE MAHARAJA'S PALACE. 8 1 
 
 to the station and resumed our journey — reaching 
 Jeypoor about i p. m., where we lunched and at once 
 took carriages in order to inspect that handsome 
 town, which is one of the finest in India. It is a 
 walled city, and, driving through its imposing gate, 
 we came first to the School of Arts, where the youth 
 are being instructed in drawing, modeling, etc. Their 
 work showed considerable proficiency, and in the 
 metal working department we purchased several 
 of their constructions. 
 
 From this we drove to the palace of the Maharaja 
 there, an inspection of which was very inter- 
 esting, as it was my first introduction to the resi- 
 dences of these native princes. He is one of the 
 richest of them, having an income of about ^1,200,- 
 000 ; ^5oo,ooo of this is required for the support of 
 his Government, and the remainder he has for his 
 own use and pleasure. Rather a handsome sum to 
 live and sport upon. His palace, however, shows 
 that he needs large funds, as it covers, with the 
 grounds and gardens, an extensive area and can 
 only be kept up with a large force. The first part 
 of the palace we entered was painted in a dark pink, 
 and in the centre of the court was the audience or re- 
 ception room for the masses. Passing beyond this, 
 we ascend by a gently-sloped ramp into the recep- 
 tion apartment for the higher classes of natives and 
 where the great durbars are held. The throne upon 
 which the Prince sits, during these audiences, is of 
 
 
82 BOMBAY TO DELI/I. 
 
 silver and gold, and the guide told us that the Euro- 
 peans were seated on one side and the natives upon 
 the other. We also ascended the tower and had 
 some fine views from its summit. We could see the 
 apartments of his wives, but were not asked to 
 enter. 
 
 After descending from the tower, we inspected the 
 blue palace, which we reached by walking through a 
 handsome garden, where nearly every tropical plant 
 was being cultivated. In this were also very exten- 
 sive arrangements for the display, on festive occasions, 
 of fountains and waterspouts. The entire area, I 
 should judge, covers about forty acres. We were 
 next shown the stables, which must contain some 
 fifty riding animals alone, and a share of carriage 
 horses of English breeds. The hostlers gave us 
 some exhibitions of their training, showing that the 
 Maharaja employs useful men. Leaving the stables, 
 we resumed our carriages and drove to Prince Albert 
 Hall, which contains some very interesting native 
 work — most of which is to be sent to an exhibition 
 to be held shortly in England. We also drove 
 through the gardens and saw the fine tigers, bears 
 and birds which form its zoological collection. 
 
 We were only "choked off "from further sight- 
 seeing by the coming of darkness, which, in the 
 tropics, follows almost immediately upon the setting 
 of the sun ; and driving to the Kaiser-I-Hind Hotel, 
 found an excellent dinner awaiting us, after which 
 
THE GREAT MOSQUE. 83 
 
 we returned to our train, which started at midnight 
 for this city — reaching here the following morning 
 (2d) at 10 a. m. We were driven at once to the 
 headquarter-camp of General Sir Frederick Roberts, 
 the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army, whom 
 we found most genial and attractive. At the dinner 
 given in the evening, where there were some forty 
 ladies and gentlemen present, all made up from the 
 military, he gave us a few remarks — chiefly to wel- 
 come the officers accredited from the various foreign 
 Governments — which were exceedingly happy, and 
 I can readily understand the warm attachment, I 
 hear expressed on all sides, which both officers and 
 men have for him. 
 
 As the seat of the great Mogul kings, I've found 
 much in Delhi to interest me. They have left be- 
 hind them many mosques and audience halls that are 
 beautiful in design and rich in decoration. The Jam'i 
 Masjid, or Great Mosque as it is more commonly 
 known, is more imposing than any I've ever seen, 
 those at Constantinople not excepted. It has superb 
 gateways, and it's interior court (325 feet square), is 
 capable of holding 10,000 men. 
 
 The external appearance of this superb mosque is 
 very striking. It is built mainly of red sandstone 
 and upon a slightly rocky eminence, and approached 
 an three sides by grand flights of steps that lead up 
 to its imposing gateways. The lowest of these steps 
 is about i5o feet in length and they diminish as 
 
84 BOMB A Y TO DELHI. 
 
 they approach the top. Its gateways are 40 feet 
 high and surmounted by marble domes. The mosque 
 proper — or place of worship, has three large marble 
 domes. The minarets of the mosque rise to a height 
 of 130 feet, and contain stairways which enable one 
 to reach the top. I ascended one of these and had 
 a splendid view of the City of Delhi. It is said that 
 5,ooo workmen were employed for six years in the 
 construction of this work. Near one of the gateways 
 are kept the sacred relics and writings. I was shown 
 a copy of the Koran written in Kufik about the VII. 
 Century of our era, a slipper of the Prophet fil- 
 led with jasmine, footprint of the Prophet imprinted 
 on a stone, and a hair from the Prophet's mustache. A 
 venerable looking priest was the custodian, and his 
 appearance interested me. 
 
 The Diwan-I-Khas, or " Private Hall of Aud- 
 ience," where the King received his highest princes, 
 is a beautiful structure of white marble, ornamented 
 with gold and precious stones, and a nook where 
 one delights to linger. I've already passed some 
 hours in it and the Moti Masjid, or "Pearl Mosque," 
 and always left them with regret. The latter is truly 
 a gem. It is built of exquisitely white marble, and 
 when you enter its court there is experienced a feel- 
 ing of purity and repose I've rarely ever felt in any 
 other structure. You simply wish to sit down and 
 admire its beautiful proportions and examine its 
 chaste decorations, cut in relief, for there is no inlaid 
 
"KUTOOB MINAR." 85 
 
 work. It appears to me that if I were aresident of 
 this city, nothing could give me greater pleasure 
 than a daily visit, and it puzzles me how a people 
 daily accustomed to see so much beauty and taste 
 should not have risen above the level they now 
 hold. 
 
 I have named what to me appear to be the gems 
 of the City, but there are many other mosques and 
 tombs scattered over the plains of Delhi — many ot 
 them deserving close attention. Eleven miles from 
 this is the Kutoob Minar, a beautiful tower of 240 
 feet, built of a combination of light red and buff sand- 
 stone and marble, that is greatly admired. I'm not 
 sure that I've ever seen a finer tower, and one can 
 with pleasure examine its minutest details. Murray, 
 after describing it at great length, sums up by giv- 
 ing four particular points as constituting its chief 
 attractions : First, its great height ; second, the 
 magnificent bands of inscriptions in Arabic that en- 
 circle it ; the next point is its flutings and the fourth 
 its perfect symmetry. But I must bring this letter 
 to a close as it is getting late and I start to-morrow 
 on a hurried trip to Amritzer and Lahore, some 35o 
 miles to the north of this — returning in time, I trust 
 to witness the " March Past " on the 19th. 
 
X. 
 
 DELHI TO LAHORE. 
 
 MONTGOMERY HOTEL. LAHORE, EAST INDIA, 
 
 (about lat. 31 30. n., long. 75 45 E. 
 
 TEMP. AT 8 A. M., 55°.; 
 
 January ijth, 1886. 
 
 SINCE mailing my Delhi letter I've traveled to this 
 city, some 35o miles further towards the northern 
 frontier of India, and the limit of my journey in this 
 direction. I could make the distance from this to 
 Peshawur — 300 miles beyond, and what may now 
 be regarded as the extreme frontier station of India, 
 in the northeast — very comfortably indeed ; but, as 
 there is nothing in particular to be gained, and no 
 ancient objects of interest to be met with, I shall turn 
 back from this city — having in mind the fact that one 
 who contemplates a journey around the world must 
 consider what is before him, and not devote too much 
 time to any particular country. 
 
 The city of Lahore is prettily situated near the 
 river Ravee, and is an important one of the Punjab, 
 distant from Bombay 1,238 miles, and in time J 2 
 hours. As the junction of the Scinde, Punjab and 
 
INDIAN RAILWAYS. 87 
 
 Delhi Railway, with the Indus Valley and Punjab 
 Northern State Railway — the entire system is now 
 known as the Northwestern Railway — its import- 
 ance, both in a commercial and military sense, is very 
 great. No doubt, in case of collision with Russia, this 
 city would be important as a base of supplies. 
 
 But I must turn back a little and tell you of my trip 
 from Delhi, which I left at noon on the 9th. We 
 stopped some half hour at Ghaziabad (fifteen miles 
 from Delhi) for lunch or tiffin— a term, by the by, 
 more in general use in India than lunch. Ghaziabad 
 is quite a railway centre, and here the line from 
 Delhi joins the one from Calcutta, and on starting we 
 found the number in our compartment increased by 
 two— one of whom was Dr. Webb, an inspecting sur- 
 geon of the English service.who gave much valuable 
 information concerning the country we were passing 
 through. 
 
 The face of the country is very similar to that pre- 
 viously passed over, and is exceeding flat and level. 
 A species of the mimosa, or acacia tree, scattered here 
 and there, furnished the only variety. As you may 
 imagine, fuel is expensive, and you naturally ask 
 whence the native derives his supply. This is ob- 
 tained from the " bois de vache," or droppings from 
 cows and bullocks, which they mix with cut straw and 
 make up into cakes, this they plaster on the side of 
 their mud huts to dry, and I'm told it makes very 
 good fuel. I've sometimes used the same on the 
 
88 DELHI TO LAHORE. 
 
 frontier of our own country — where, as droppings 
 from the buffalo, it is called buffalo chips, and have 
 found it a very fair substitute for wood. 
 
 The country between Ghaziabad and Saharunpore, 
 where we stopped, about 6 p. m., for dinner, is highly 
 cultivated, and well supplied with water through arti- 
 ficial canals. The sugar cane is extensively grown, 
 and I saw many fields of it still standing. As frosts 
 are rare, I presume they can take their own time in 
 gathering the crop. The stalk was small, and, com- 
 pared with cane grown in Louisiana, very inferior. 
 I saw no sugar works along the line, but was told 
 that each planter had his own apparatus for crushing 
 the cane and boiling the juice down to a proper con- 
 sistency. 
 
 We awoke on the morning of the ioth at Umrit- 
 zar, an interesting point on the line, and where we 
 left the train. During the night we had passed Um- 
 balla, where travelers take stages for Simla — distant 
 a day's drive. Those intending to go to Mossoorie 
 another hill station and sanitarium, leave the line at 
 Saharunpore. I had a very tempting offer from Mr. 
 H. Vansittart, a barrister, to visit him at Mossoo- 
 rie, and see a little of Indian hill life, but I re- 
 sisted, knowing that I intended to make an excursion 
 to Darjeeling, which is some 8,000 or 9,000 feet 
 above the sea, and where I'd have an excellent op- 
 portunity of seeing the Himalaya Mountains. 
 
 Simla is the summer resort of the Viceroy of In- 
 
SIMLA AND AMRITZAR. 89 
 
 dia, and the chief officers of the Government are 
 transferred to that point during the hot season. 
 Most extensive and substantial public offices have 
 been erected for their accommodation. Just fancy the 
 Government at Washington transferred for the sum- 
 mer to St. Louis, Mo., and you can form an idea of 
 the distance it is sent from the actual capital, Cal- 
 cutta — something more than 1,200 miles. 
 
 Umritzar (or Amritzar), derives its name from the 
 Sanskrit words (a,) (not,) (mrit,) (death,) (zar,) foun- 
 tain signifying "fountain of immortality." The great 
 attraction of the city is its golden temple. It is not a 
 large structure, but beautifully situated in the midst 
 of a lake of pure water. Built of marble, it has its 
 upper portion covered with copper gilt, and the ef- 
 fect is very fine, particularly when the sun is shining 
 upon it. As we approached the borders of the lake 
 we were politely asked to take off our shoes and don 
 a pair of slippers, which, of course, we did ; and fol- 
 lowing the guide, we proceeded along the marble 
 border of the lake, to a massive gateway, which 
 guards the entrance, and is highly decorated. This 
 gateway has on one of its side posts an inscription 
 announcing that many years since (I forget the date) 
 a thunderbolt passed through the temple without in- 
 juring the worshipers or doing any damage to the 
 strcuure. 
 
 Passing through the gateway, we continued over a 
 marble causeway to the temple itself, which is in the 
 
 
go DELHI TO LAHORE. 
 
 centre of the lake. Entering we found two or three 
 jolly looking priests sitting behind the sacred writings 
 of the Sikhs, which are contained in a large book 
 called " The Granth." There were three others who 
 were performing a weird kind of music on odd 
 shaped instruments. Two had a species of violin, and 
 the other, two drums upon which he beat the time 
 with his fingers. A number of devotees were sitting 
 about, saying their prayers and casting votive of- 
 ferings on a sheet in the front of the priests, in return 
 for which flowers, that been under the holy book, 
 were given the worshipers. Some were given to 
 me and I enclose you a few leaves. They will be 
 withered by the time they reach Long Island ; still, 
 they may have a charm. My servant, Ramah, being 
 a good Hindoo went through all the necessary 
 duties and was quite lavish with his copper coins, 
 which he distributed among the priests and musicians. 
 Many of the inlaid decorations of this temple (and 
 most of the lower part of it is so finished) were 
 brought by the Sikhs from the tomb of Iehangir, at 
 Shahdera, near Lahore. 
 
 Amritzar is in the heart of the Sikh country, and 
 they gave the English more trouble to subdue than 
 almost any other tribe in the Punjab ; but, once 
 subdued, they have been among the most loyal and 
 devoted of her Majesty's subjects. They rendered 
 excellent service to the British during the mutiny of 
 1857-8. They have fine forms, are stalwart and en- 
 
SIKHS AND FAKIRS. QI 
 
 terprising, and scarcely any finer specimens of the 
 human race can be found anywhere. The secret of 
 their success lies in their great endurance, rapidity of 
 movement and the slight amount of food they carry 
 when making long marches. I've omitted stating 
 that we saw along the borders of the lake the sacred 
 bull, a fine slick-looking specimen of the Hindoo 
 animal. He was rubbing himself against the trunk 
 of a tree at the time we were inspecting him, and seem- 
 ed entirely satisfied with his position — but on no con- 
 dition would they permit us to touch him. 
 
 There were other objects of interest about the 
 lake, that attracted our attention. Some enterpris- 
 ing merchants were plying their trades, such as comb 
 makers, sellers of steel ornaments, writers of Sikh 
 books and Fakirs. The latter are religious enthu- 
 siasts, who devote their whole lives to what they 
 deem religious service. They are not attractive 
 looking men, with their half-naked bodies, long, mat- 
 ted hair, which is never combed, and their heads 
 and faces smeared with ashes. Some distort their 
 legs or arms by sitting in one position for a long 
 period, or by holding the arm erect in the air until 
 it becomes paralyzed. They often add to this by 
 forcing the thumb nail into the palm of the hand. 
 Still, they are received by even the higher classes, 
 and you sometimes see them riding about in the 
 carriages of the rich Marajahs. 
 
 The bazaars of the city contain large stores of 
 
92 DELHI TO LAHORE. 
 
 goods from various parts of the world, and here are 
 manufactured some of the best articles to be found 
 in the Punjab. Of course, I was a victim to these 
 adroit traders who are about as persistent in their 
 endeavors to dispose of their wares as any people 
 I've ever met. A handsome rug, a pair of Pulgarees 
 a large ivory cutter, and some other small articles 
 were almost forced upon me, and although I beat 
 them down to about one-third of the asking price, 
 yet I imagine they made a good profit. 
 
 We found, in the course of an hour's drive about 
 the suburbs of the city, that roses and various flowers 
 grow well, as, also, the orange and lemon. Some of 
 the orange groves that we passed were the largest 
 I've yet met with. Handsome bungalows were 
 located near, or in their midst, and I imagined their 
 occupants had about as much comfort as anybody in 
 India; for they have rather a temperate climate and 
 are only compelled to resort to the hill stations dur- 
 ing the very hottest months — viz., from July to Oc- 
 tober. For nearly four months fires are requisite, 
 and the ruddy complexions of the Europeans we 
 met gave evidence that they were not sufferers from 
 the heat. 
 
 I visited the carpet and rug manufactory of one of 
 their best firms, Davee, Sahai, Chumba, Hull, and 
 saw a large number of looms in operation. All the 
 articles here were hand-made, and they employed 
 some three hundred or four hundred workmen, whom 
 
 
THE XMERICAN CHRISTIAN MISSION. 93 
 
 they pay at a rate of from i5 to 35 cents per day — 
 depending upon the skill of the laborer. We would 
 regard such wages as excessively low, but when it 
 is remembered that their board and clothing cost 
 them but ten cents per day, it will be seen that they 
 are fairly well paid. 
 
 We completed our sight-seeing about 2 p. m., and 
 then drove to the railway station, where, by-the-by, 
 we had left our traps, as nearly all the large stations 
 in India are provided with cloak-rooms, where articles 
 can be left by paying six cents per package for each 
 day's care. We then ordered a comfortable lunch, 
 which was washed down with very good Scotch 
 whiskey and soda, usually styled a "peg," and at half 
 past three p. m. left for this city, which was reached in 
 two hours, and without meeting with any especial 
 object of interest. 
 
 From one of the minarets of a tomb at Amritzar,. 
 I had a fine view of the Himalaya Mountains, so that 
 one of the objects of my visit to India has been ac- 
 complished. 
 
 My time here has been so completely occupied by 
 sight-seeing that I've not had time to tell you of 
 this city, which is highly interesting in many particu- 
 lars. Shortly after reaching it I was called upon by 
 the Rev. John Newton, of the American Christian 
 Mission, who gave me many interesting facts con- 
 cerning the city and also some useful hints as to what 
 objects were most worth seeing, and further increased 
 
94 DELHI TO LAHORE. 
 
 my obligation by asking me to dine with him, which 
 I did, in company with Mrs. Newton and the Rev. 
 Mr. Formon and wife, of the same mission; so that I 
 had not only a comfortable, home-like dinner, but an 
 agreeable chat about home and home life. I was also 
 invited to inspect their school, which is large and 
 flourishing — native boys answering questions in Eng- 
 lish as promptly as one could wish. One little chap 
 of eleven, who gave me his name as "Surjon Dass, 
 Nation Sude, from Lahore," pointed out on a chart 
 my route to New York from this city and thence 
 around the world — I, of course, calling off the points 
 that I had passed and expected to pass in the course 
 of my journey. 
 
 Lahore is a very old city, and was noticed both by 
 Chinese and Greek travelers of an early date; but it 
 was not until some time in i5oo that the Moguls 
 made it a royal residence, and embelished it with 
 mosques, palaces and gardens. Its domestic archi- 
 tecture was also greatly improved, and there now 
 exists in the old portion of the city, some as fine 
 specimens and as picturesque house fronts as I've 
 met in India. 
 
 The oriole windows and carved window screens — 
 the latter so common in the East, and designed to 
 permit the wives of the owner of the house to see the 
 outside world without being seen themselves — are 
 especially noticeable. Some of the old mosques, now 
 greatly neglected, show rich coloring in various por- 
 
MAUSOLEUM OF RANJIT SINGH. g5 
 
 tions, and although very old their freshness is thor- 
 oughly maintained. 
 
 Perhaps the greatest attraction to me was the old 
 fort of Lahore, which contains the remains of a hand- 
 some palace, a very large mosque and a handsome 
 mausoleum of Ranjit Singh — the latter a mixture of 
 Hindoo and Mohammaden architecture ; but its ef- 
 fect is striking. In the centre, and immediately under 
 the dome is a raised stone platform, on which are the 
 marble urns which contain the ashes of himself, his 
 four wives and seven concubines — the wives and con- 
 cubines having been burned alive at the same time 
 that his body underwent cremation. The urns are 
 decorated with the lotus flower, save those of the 
 concubines, which are perfectly plain. The urns con- 
 taining the ashes of two pigeons that flew into the 
 flame during the process of burning the bodies are 
 placed on the border of the collection. Ranjit Singh 
 was the last of the Mogul Kings. His son is now 
 living in England on a handsome pension granted by 
 the British Government, but I believe he is anxious 
 to return, and I recently saw that his extensive 
 landed property, with its well-stocked game pre- 
 serves, was offered for sale. Perhaps he has been 
 too extravagant. 
 
 It was in this city that the famous Koh-i-nur ("moun- 
 tain of light ") diamond was secured to the Queen of 
 England. Tradition had it that this diamond came 
 originally from the mines of Golconda, and as far 
 
g6 DELHI TO LAHORE. 
 
 back as from 3,000 to 5, 000 years B.C. It being 
 >at first in the hands of the Hindoo rulers and after- 
 wards possessed by the Musselmen. Baba, one of the 
 earlier of the Mogul conquerors, held it. After that 
 it passed through various hands until it reached Shah 
 Sujah, who was treacherously imprisoned while on a 
 visit to Kashmir. His wife visited Ranjit Singh, at 
 Lahore, and promised the diamond on condition of 
 his securing the release of her husband. His release 
 was finally effected, but not through the aid of 
 Ranjit. He went by invitation to Lahore, where, 
 through persuasions of rather a harsh character — 
 such as having a guard placed about his person and 
 the reduction of an allowance of food — he yielded 
 it to Marahja Singh. On the conquest of the Pun- 
 jab it was, in 1 849, given to the English and shortly 
 after presented to the Queen. What sort of per- 
 suasions were used to induce the holder to turn it 
 over to the English, history does not record. It has 
 been held at fabulous sums by the various possessors, 
 but I believe that its true value is about $1,000,000. 
 I have from Mr. David Ross in his book cal- 
 led " The land of the five rivers " that the wife of 
 Shah Sujah estimated its value in the following novel 
 manner. " According to what she had heard from 
 her ancestors, its value is equal to a heap of precious 
 stones and gold mohurs filling a space marked by 
 five stones, each thrown on four sides and upwards 
 by a strong young man. Some have declared even 
 
THE KOH-I-NUR. gj 
 
 this an inadequate estimate ; others have said that 
 its value is equal to half the daily income of the 
 whole world. The real price at which it has passed 
 from one hand to another is the submission of the 
 weak to the powerful. That purchased it for the 
 Saduzai family, and that transferred it at last into the 
 hands of the Maharana. 
 
 As before stated, the fort at Lahore I found very 
 interesting. The old palace within its walls indicates 
 that the royal residence was a handsome one. I ex- 
 amined several of its apartments, and was struck 
 with those formerly occupied as the living rooms, the 
 ceilings being of various colored glass, as also the 
 walls. The grand saloon, of glass and gold,musthave 
 been extremely rich in early days, and the effect at 
 night, when lighted with numerous lamps, must have 
 been brilliant. 
 
 Among the excursions, I made, was one to the tomb 
 of Jehangir, some five miles from the city and on the 
 opposite side of the Ravi River. The tomb with its 
 enclosure still covers a large space, and both its 
 internal and external decorations indicate that a 
 large sum was expended in its construction. Many 
 of the precious stones which were inlaid in the walls 
 have been carried away, but there are still traces 
 of great beauty. It was built by Nur Jehan (" Light 
 of the World ") — also called Nur Mahal — the favorite 
 wife of the Emperor. In reaching it we crossed 
 the river on a bridge of boats, the first I've met with. 
 
98 DELHI TO LAHORE. 
 
 The gardens of Lahore are both extensive and 
 beautiful. Those named in honor of Lawrence show 
 great care and have some rare plants. There is also 
 a very respectable zoological collection attached to 
 them. In the museum I found much to interest me. 
 There are complete models of all the native vehicles 
 and agricultural implements ; also correct represen- 
 tations of the natives cultivating the fields, and good 
 specimens of native industries, in the form of silks, 
 cloths, pottery, etc. In front of the museum is the 
 famous gun Zamzama, a huge piece brought from 
 Kabul. It is mounted upon a strong wooden car- 
 riage, heavily bound with iron. I believe the natives 
 are greatly attached to it. 
 
 The railway workshops are very extensive, and 
 the company has provided substantial houses for its 
 employees, with a good swimming bath, library, bil- 
 liard room, theatre and recreation grounds — all for 
 their exclusive use. 
 
 I turn back to-morrow and will probably reach 
 Delhi on 1 5th, passing over, on my return trip, the 
 same line I came by ; but as it will be daylight, over 
 parts of the country that the upcoming train makes 
 at night, I shall probably find something new and in- 
 teresting. I shall see the beds of the large rivers 
 Beas and Sutlej, both comparatively dry at this sea- 
 on, but indicating from their wide and sandy beds 
 the enormous volumes of water that must flow down 
 them in the rainy season and after the snows in the 
 Himalaya mountains begin melting. 
 
I 
 
 XI. 
 
 SOLDIERING IN INDIA. 
 
 HEADQRS. GEN. SIR F. ROBERTS, NEAR DELHI, 
 
 January 20th, 1 88b. 
 
 REACHED this camp on the i5th inst., where, 
 thanks to "The Chief and his military secretary, 
 Col. Pole-Carew, of the Coldstreams, I was furnished 
 with a most comfortable tent, and also one of the "A " 
 pattern for my servant; the " A " somewhat larger 
 than that used in our Service — say about twelve by 
 fifteen feet, a little higher, and with a small wall of 
 eighteen inches, and lined with yellow cotton cloth. 
 I am thus particular, as it is the identical field-tent 
 used by the enlisted men of the Indian army. 
 
 Usually, in hot weather, this has the addition of a 
 " fly," which gives an air-space between it and the 
 body of the tent, and adds to its coolness. The slight 
 wall when raised, admits the passage of a current of 
 air. The cavalry use a similar tent, but about double 
 
IOO SOLDIERING IN INDIA. 
 
 the depth, and intended for a great number of men. 
 
 As for my own canvas home, it is almost palatial. 
 Imagine two conical-roofed tents with square walls, 
 one within the other, and supported by a single pole 
 through the centre, the interior space being about 
 twenty-four feet square; walls some six and a half to> 
 seven feet high, the outer tent walls somewhat higher 
 and separated from the inner by a space of three 
 feet. Each tent has four doors, which roll up, and an 
 additional protection of a green blind made of light 
 bamboo ; both inner and outer tents being lined with 
 colored cotton cloth, generally of yellow ground ; and 
 agreeable to the eyes. 
 
 The accredited foreign officers have still larger 
 tents, mostly hipped roofs, provided with fire-places, 
 and divided by canvas partitions, their fronts and ap- 
 proaches to the entrances made bright and cheerful 
 by pots of tropical plants. In truth, everything has 
 been done to render their visit agreeable, and no 
 pains spared to enable them to have a thorough in- 
 sight of the material, organization, and inner working 
 of the Indian army. 
 
 During the manoeuvres they were provided with 
 a flying camp, where every reasonable comfort was 
 arranged. In truth, I believe they had a dinner 
 party nearly every night while in the field. 
 
 Before dismissing the subject of tents, I wish to 
 note some of the still larger — as, for instance, the re- 
 ception and dining tents of the commander-in-chief. 
 
THE FfEADQUARTEXS' MESS. IOI 
 
 In the former, at an evening party in honor of the 
 Viceroy, Earl Dufferin, I saw some two hundred 
 guests, and have dined with General Roberts when 
 there were at least forty at table. The headquarters' 
 mess-tent, which was at my service, could dine, read- 
 ily, forty- five. English officers make a good deal of 
 their mess, and rarely dine save in the prescribed 
 uniform, which is a mess-jacket, rather elaborately 
 embroidered and a vest that is richly decorated. 
 
 My tent is but a few yards from the mess-tent, 
 and its annex the reception tent, which has an open 
 wood-fire, and serves as an excellent lounging place, 
 when not more profitably employed. 1 was invited 
 to join, and paid the regular initiation fee of five ru- 
 pees. Three rather luxurious meals are served each 
 day for the moderate sum of five rupees — about $2.00. 
 The hours as established are : Breakfast from 8:30 
 to 10 a. m, lunch from 1 to 3 p.m., and dinner at 8 
 p. m. Colonel Keyser, of the Royal Fusiliers, has 
 undertaken the mess duties, and is a most genial and 
 popular man, as also an intelligent and efficient officer. 
 
 Most of the gentlemen, I'm here thrown with, are 
 of considerable rank, and have been, from their pe- 
 culiar fitness, selected from various regiments and 
 sections of India to perform duty at headquarters 
 •during the " Camp of Exercise," — such as umpires 
 in the various engagements in the field, signal 
 services, etc , Colonel Keyser has the Signal De- 
 partment. 
 
1 02 SOLDIERING IN INDIA . 
 
 But to return to the rank and file of the Service. 
 The native troops struck me, and I believe our accred- 
 ited officers are equally impressed, as beingfar in ad- 
 vance of what was looked for, the Ghoorkas and 
 Sikhs being especially noticeable — the latter from their 
 good height, fine physique, intelligence, and general 
 fondness for the Service. They were among the last 
 of the native tribes to yield to British rule, but have 
 ever since been the most loyal of Her Majesty's 
 Indian subjects. They were thoroughly devoted 
 during the Mutiny of i857, and did good service 
 against the rebels. Their stronghold is about Am- 
 ritzar, a city near Lahore, where they have one of 
 their most sacred temples, known as the Golden 
 Temple. The Ghoorkas come from Nipaul, in the 
 Himalayas, and show much more of the Mongolian 
 type of feature. They are rather short, but a natty- 
 looking set of men, armed, in addition to their rifle, 
 with a large, curved sheath-knife, which is worn on 
 the belt. They are said to be unrelenting, and rarely 
 spare the life of even a fallen foe. 
 
 Nipaul is an independent province on the borders 
 of Oude, but I understand there is no serious ob- 
 jection to recruiting for the English Service. 
 
 The Guides are a fine body of cavalry, the men 
 for which are almost entirely recruited on the north- 
 ern and northwestern frontier. The Putans also fur- 
 nish a share of the rank and file, but I am not fully 
 informed as to their native district. 
 
EAST TNDIAN UNIFORMS. 103 
 
 The field uniform of all arms of the Service is 
 made of a material called karkee. It is a species of 
 American duck of yellowish clay color, and consists 
 of a jacket, short trousers, and a pair of leggings cal- 
 led ''putties," a roll of cloth wound around the leg 
 in a spiral form from the ankle to the knee, in a 
 manner similar to that in which race horses' leg's are 
 bandaged. 
 
 For full dress the native as well as the European 
 troops wear the tunic of various colors and of differ- 
 ent facings. Red is still the prevailing color, but in 
 conversation with officers, I gathered the impression 
 that the karkee color, or drab, is the one which many 
 favor, as it so nearly approaches that of the soil, as 
 to make the soldiers almost indistinguishable ; and 
 I observed that when in the field, except for the tur- 
 ban which the natives wear at all times, it was 
 difficult to discover a body of troops, especially if 
 they were not on the march. The European soldier 
 also wears his 'tope or sun-hat with the karkee, and 
 is less observable than the native. The Ghoorkas 
 are an exception, and do not wear the turban, but in 
 its stead a species of skull-cap, not unlike the jaunty 
 head piece of the English soldier, with whom, by-the- 
 by, he fraternizes more than any other of the native 
 troops. 
 
 He drinks whiskey and associates more freely ■ 
 with " Tommy Atkins " than any other native, and I 
 have heard that he imitates him in w the use of strong 
 
104 SOLDIERING IN INDIA. 
 
 language. I observed that the Chief had him as 
 guard in front of his and the tents of his personal 
 staff, which rather argues that he is a favorite in that 
 quarter. 
 
 The method of pay and subsistence of the native 
 troops forms a feature of the Indian Service that is 
 worthy of notice. The cavalry recruit brings with 
 him either his own horse or two hundred rupees (a 
 rupee is supposed to be worth about forty cents, but 
 it is at present greatly depreciated), and his colonel 
 prefers the rupees, as he can mount the man on a 
 horse of government selection, generally on one of 
 the animals imported from New South Wales, and 
 usually termed " walers." Should he have neither 
 horse nor money, the two hundred rupees are 
 charged against him, and paid off in monthly instal- 
 ments. His monthly pay differs in the different 
 Presidencies, but averages about twenty-eight rupees. 
 On this he must subsist himself, purchasing his food 
 from the natives, and, as he rarely eats meat, his 
 wants are readily satisfied. He must also pay for 
 the services of a grass-cutter, as one grass-cutter is 
 allowed to two horses, and he also pays the grain 
 contractor for the necessary short forage required for 
 his horse. 
 
 The infantryman's pay averages about seven rupees 
 per month, on which he must subsist himself and 
 provide his own cooks. Even the rough quarters of 
 a cantonment for the native troops is paid for from 
 
AN ELEPHANT BATTERY. 105 
 
 the soldiers allowance, and as garrisons are changed 
 they are appraised, and the incoming troops re- 
 quired to take them at valuation. It will be seen 
 that the native gives far less trouble than " Tommy 
 Atkins," as the European soldier is usually styled. I 
 was induced to ask how the latter got his cognomen, 
 so generally in use. and learned that it came from the 
 printed forms used in the English Service being 
 signed " T. Atkins." There is a certain allowance 
 of clothing made to all native troops on enlist- 
 ment, which is afterward kept from their pay. 
 
 One of the features of this command, that is espe- 
 cially striking to an American, is its elephant battery 
 of heavy guns, which I took the pains to examine 
 quite minutely There were really two kinds of 
 draught, the elephant and the bullock, there being 
 eighteen of the former and three hundred of the lat- 
 ter. The wheel-elephant is placed in a pair of wide 
 shafts, and has a very large, heavy, and strong 
 saddle, not unlike a huge cart-saddle. This is at- 
 tached by a heavy leathern band and iron chains to 
 the shafts. He has also a strong breast-strap and 
 breeching. The lead elephant is hitched in a similar 
 manner to that in which the lead horse in a tandem 
 team would be. The bullocks accompany the battery 
 not only for draught purposes, for which they use 
 from four to six yokes to each gun, but because they 
 are indispensible in time of action, as the elephant 
 will not stand fire. He, realizing the danger, would 
 
106 SOLDIERING IN INDIA. 
 
 be liable to stampede the guns, and hence is detached 
 when the enemy is near, and bullocks yoked in- 
 There were some superb specimens of the latter at- 
 tached to the battery. There were also two or three 
 mountain batteries, in which the guns and parts of 
 carriages were on the oacks of mules. I did not see 
 any very fine specimens of the latter, and don't think 
 there are any, particularly when viewed from an 
 American standpoint, as I believe we have the finest 
 mules in the world. Both the horse-and field-artil- 
 ery looked well, and the batteries are in the hands 
 of efficient and intelligent commanders. Since the 
 Mutiny of 1 857 none but Europeans have been used 
 for this service. 
 
 Not the least interesting or noticeable feature of 
 this Indian Service, is the great attention given to 
 manly sports and exercises. Every opportunity is 
 furnished for the development of physique and for 
 acquiring skill in the amusements, in which the most 
 daring and probably the most popular is tent-peg- 
 ging. This consists in riding at full tilt and taking, 
 with the lance a rather short and broad tent-peg from 
 the ground ; and you may be a little surprised when 
 I tell you that Gen. Roberts led off in this sport, and 
 with his team of four made the best score of the 
 season. There were numerous other mounted and 
 foot sports, such as lance against sword, sword 
 against bayonet, sword against sword, bayonet 
 against bayonet, tent-pegging with sword, cutting 
 
THE MARCH PAST. 107 
 
 lemons with sword, tug of war, foot racing, and ac- 
 robatic and gymnastic feats, and also pony and 
 camel races. 
 
 The latter, while very novel, did not develop any 
 very great speed, and I hardly think, at any time 
 in the course, exceeded more than eight miles per 
 hour; thus disposing of the repeated assertion of the 
 novelist, who frequently likens the fleetness of the 
 camel to that of the wind. 
 
 The "march past" of the entire force, some 35,000, 
 closed the Camp of Exercise. It was done in the 
 midst of a pouring rain. By the time the cavalry 
 and horse, and foot, artillery had passed the review- 
 ing point, the dark soil had been churned into the 
 consistency of a bed of thin mortar, and when the 
 native infantry came by, many of whom wore only 
 the slipper, there was a sad loss of this rather neces- 
 sary appendage of the foot soldier, and I rather think 
 this test may bring about a change. All troops, 
 native as well as European, marched by with great 
 precision, and the line and dress of the double compan- 
 ies — we style them divisions — were admirably ob- 
 served. 
 
 As the elephant battery passed, the know- 
 ing animals raised their trunks and saluted, for which 
 purpose they folded the trunk into the form of 
 the letter S, holding it square to the front. 
 
 The appearance of the ground, in and about the 
 slight mound where the reviewing officer was 
 
 
I08 SOLDIER I XG IN INDIA. 
 
 posted, calls for some attention, as it was made 
 up of all sorts and conditions of men, from those 
 who were in the handsome four-in-hand with 
 native out-riders, to the humble peasant who 
 had trudged out five miles to see the grand 
 parade. There were all sorts of mounts, but chiefly 
 noticeable were the camels and elephants. I count- 
 ed seventy-five of the latter, many richly caparisoned 
 and provided with howdahs for carrying the families 
 of chiefs. The sight was truly Eastern, as all the 
 natives were in holiday attire, and the gaudy colors 
 of their dresses made the assembly all the more pictur- 
 esque. 
 
 I was a little disappointed in the number of im- 
 portant native chiefs, Maharaja Scindia, Raja of 
 Gwalior, Maharaja of Kutch Behar, Maharaja of 
 Jodhpur, Maharaja of Ulwar, Maharaja of Nadir, 
 being all of any great importance that I heard of as 
 being on the ground. The native contingents, how- 
 ever, were out in considerable force, and, although 
 the last to march past, made a very respectable ap- 
 pearance. 
 
 Although the Camp of Exercise virtually closed 
 with the review and "march past" given to the Vice- 
 roy on the 19th, yet the troops remained in camp for 
 the purpose of drying their equipments and uniforms 
 and also to take part in the various sports. The 
 accredited officers take their departure to-morrow 
 night, and are to wind up their visit by sight-seeing 
 
/ HE I 'It 'ERO V'S TRIB I ' TE. 1 09 
 
 in various parts of India, at government expense. 
 I think they must be pleased with their reception, as 
 everything possible has been done to render their 
 stay agreeable. I enclose the speech of the Vice- 
 roy welcoming them to India, which strikes me as 
 
 particularly happy. 
 
 ******* 
 
 "Again, on the other side are two officers whose 
 presence here is as grateful to my feelings as that of 
 any of their colleagues, inasmuch as they represent 
 the Army of the United States, a country which I 
 had often occasion to visit when Governor-General 
 of Canada, and whose border I never passed without 
 experiencing at the hands of its inhabitants such an 
 amount of kindness and hospitality as it would be im- 
 possible for me to forget." 
 
 ****** 
 
 Before closing I wish to add my testimony to the 
 personal magnetism of General Roberts, the Com- 
 mander-in-Chief. I listened to the brief and extem- 
 poraneous dinner speech welcoming the foreign offi- 
 cers, and it seemed so happy, so easily delivered, 
 and so telling, that I regretted seeing him sit down. 
 He is known among the troops as " Our Bobs," and 
 I can readily understand how it is that I hear from 
 every quarter that they are greatly attached and 
 ready to go wherever he leads. 
 
 Previous to dismissing the subject of the Camp of 
 Exercise I wish to bear testimony to the universal 
 
IIO , SOLDIERING IN INDIA. 
 
 kindness and hospitality that I enjoyed from every 
 one I was thrown in contact with, but I desire, par- 
 ticularly, to thank Brigr. General Luck and Colonel 
 Heyland, First Bengal Lancers, both of whom were 
 most kind and attentive. 
 
 I leave this camp to-morrow afternoon for Agra 
 and other points further to the eastward, and it's 
 possible, if I find anything that I think may interest 
 you, you may hear from me again. ***** 
 
 
XII. 
 
 DPXHI TO AGRA. 
 
 LAURIE'S HOTEL. AGRA, TEMP. IN SHADE, 62°. 
 January 2jth, 1SS6, 
 
 REALISING that there would be a crowd at the 
 railway station, I left camp quite early in the 
 morning of the 21st, and arrived some two hours in 
 advance of the starting of the train from Delhi, but it 
 was only by the best of good luck that I got my bag- 
 gage weighed and was able to get aboard the train. 
 Such utter confusion and want of system I've rarely 
 ever witnessed. It seemed to demonstrate that native 
 employees, while working in a regular routine, are 
 equal to the task, but the moment they are unusually 
 pressed, by heavy traffic, they break down com- 
 pletely. This is not the only complaint. I've heard 
 that several others expressed themselves more de- 
 cidedly and in more forcible language than I have 
 given. However, I did get away and, although a 
 little late, reached this hotel after a pleasant journey 
 
 
I 12 DELHI TO AGRA. 
 
 of some six hours, early in the evening, and I am 
 most comfortably lodged. It is one of the best inns 
 I've yet found in India. 
 
 And now, where and how shall I begin to describe 
 the many and highly interesting objects of this city 
 — the seat of Moslem architecture during the best 
 building period of the great Mogul kings ? It was 
 some twenty miles from this city, at Futhepoor Sikri 
 that the great Ackbar began his first permanent resi- 
 dence — selecting for the site a commanding ridge, 
 which he enclosed with a strong wall, flanked by 
 towers and pierced for musketry. The remains, 
 still standing, indicate the immense labor that was 
 performed. In this stronghold were placed the sa- 
 cred mosque, the residence of his favorite wives and 
 his own palace, with its adjuncts of baths, etc., and 
 stables for horses, camels and elephants, together 
 with an immense palace for his guests. 
 
 All the buildings are of permanent material — be- 
 ing either of marble or red sandstone — quarries of 
 the latter abounding a few miles from Futhepoor. 
 The residences of his wives are interesting places to 
 visit, showing that, in spite of his Moslem faith, he 
 was sufficiently liberal to think that there were other 
 creeds that he could accept, and that he permitted 
 his Hindoo wife to practice her religion is evidenced 
 from the character of her home, which displays not 
 only the Hindoo architecture in various forms, but 
 has numerous shrines devoted to Hindoo gods. 
 
THE LIONS OF AGRA. I I 3. 
 
 The home of Mariam, or Marie Begam, his Chris- 
 tian wife, is a small house of red sandstone, rather 
 simple in its style, and devoid of ornamentation, ex- 
 cept some frescoes, now much defaced, showing that 
 the subjects were taken from the Scriptures. She is 
 said to have been a Portuguese, which is not at all 
 improbable, as they were residents in the country at 
 an early period. Whether this tradition be correct 
 or not, I must acknowledge to have greatly enjoyed 
 there the lunch we took with us from Agra, as the 
 building is now used as a place of refreshment, and 
 our servants spread the table in what is now called, 
 " Mariam's House." 
 
 One of the most interesting relics of the past is the 
 shrine of Shekh Salim Chisti.a faithful priest of Ack- 
 bar's reign, and who, tradition relates, furnished a son 
 and heir to the throne in the person of Jahangir. The 
 tomb is a beautiful specimen of Oriental work in 
 pure white marble, and the marble screen which en- 
 closes the sarcophagus is one of the finest specimens 
 of the kind to be found in India. The number of 
 geometrical figures of which it is composed, is mar- 
 velous, and it would require hours to work them all 
 out, so completely do they run into each other. 
 The brackets which support the projecting roof of 
 this shrine are particularly noticeable — being similar 
 in style to those over the entrances to many of the 
 Hindoo temples I've seen. Visitors to the exhib- 
 ition in London, to be held, I believe in April, will 
 
I 14 DELHI TO AGRA. 
 
 see some excellent specimens of them, as I saw them 
 being packed at the studios of the best sculptors in 
 Agra. 
 
 Our guide, through the remains of the royal resi- 
 dence of Futhepoor Sikri was a bright looking lad of 
 fourteen, whom his grandfather introduced to us as 
 a direct descendant of some royal blood that I'll not 
 attempt to record. He was ready with his tongue, 
 and when I asked him for his name he wrote it out 
 correctly, thus, "Walyooddeen" and he further in- 
 sisted upon taking us to the school where he had ac- 
 quired his English, and we were detained some time 
 in listening to the boy's reading. As a bit of family 
 news he stated that "he had been married one month 
 but would not see his wife 'till next year," so little 
 have the youth of the country to say in reference to 
 their first marriage. 
 
 We passed, on our return to Agra, a most gor- 
 geous wedding procession, made up of friends and 
 relatives on foot, in carriages and in bullock carts. 
 There was also an attempt at a band, in which 
 the native drum, a barrel shaped affair, on 
 which the drummer made much noise, played 
 a prominent part. Two or three gorgeous imita- 
 tions of elephants were also borne in the pro- 
 cession. We stopped and asked to see the groom, 
 who was brought in the arms of an old man. The 
 child's apparel — for he was not more than six or 
 seven years old — was very gaudy, and his neck 
 
TOMB (>/■ ACKBAR THE GREA /'. I 1 D 
 
 and arms were covered with silver jewelry, 
 which I handled and admired. This attention the 
 child evidently enjoyed. The bride was in a closed 
 palanquin, and we did not see her, but I was told 
 that she was even younger. This is called, I be- 
 lieve the first marriage (we would style it betrothal), 
 but I understand the marriage is not consummated 
 until the girl is twelve and the boy is fourteen years 
 •of age. 
 
 The tomb of Ackbar the Great is located at Sikan- 
 darah, some four or five miles from Agra. To this 
 we devoted a special pilgrimage, and were well 
 repaid. The mausoleum occupies the centre of a 
 large garden, which is enclosed with a heavy wall. 
 I liked exceedingly the appearance of the grounds 
 which are dotted over with fine, large trees, with 
 here and there some bright-colored climbing plant 
 like the Bouqainvillea and honey-suckle to give life 
 to the scene. The space enclosed must cover sev- 
 eral acres. Its walks are overgrown, but some of 
 the roads are well kept up. You enter this through 
 a massive gateway of red sandstone, on which are 
 inscriptions taken from the Koran. It is of great 
 height, and the views from its upper platform are 
 very fine and comprehensive. At each angle rises 
 a marble minaret of two stories. Two of them 
 have their upper stories knocked off. I believe this 
 vandalism is charged to the Jats. Who they were, 
 or now are, I don't at present know. The mauso- 
 
u6 
 
 DELHI TO AGRA. 
 
 leum itself is an imposing building of red sandstone 
 and of several stories. In a gloomy vault beneath 
 lies all that remains of this great leader and ruler- 
 Ascending the building to the fourth platform, you 
 reach the white marble corridor which enclosed the 
 cenotaph of Ackbar. It is a beautiful block of white 
 marble, totally unadorned or uninscribed, for his 
 works and deeds needed no recording ; they spoke 
 for themselves. The outside lattice work (in marble) 
 of the corridor is exquisitely done, and the squares of 
 which it is made up are each of a different pattern. 
 We lingered a long time at this elevation, viewing 
 Jumna, the fort at Agra, and the Taj Mahal, in 
 the distance, and the scene was a beautiful one. 
 
 Having given some account of the interesting 
 objects, in the suburbs of Agra I must attempt to 
 tell you of the attractions of the city itself.. 
 
 So much of beauty and so much of interest centres 
 in and about .Agra that it is difficult to decide at 
 what point to begin describing what is to be seen. 
 Perhaps the best plan is to follow the order in which 
 I saw it myself, be it right or wrong. 
 
 Murray recommends the traveler to see the Taj, 
 Mahal (or Taj, as it is more frequently called) as 
 often as possible during his stay, and this plan I 
 followed — going there immediately after my arrival 
 in this city, and by the road constructed during the 
 famine of 1838. By this route you come directly 
 upon this beautiful mausoleum without catching 
 
f~*«s. 
 
THE TAJ MAHAL. I if 
 
 glimpses here and there. At least, that was my ex- 
 perience. I entered the grand south gate — and here 
 I must stop a moment and admire this beautiful work 
 of red sandstone, some 140 feet high by 110 wide, 
 and having its inner face inlaid with ornaments and 
 inscriptions from the Koran, and the under side of 
 its large dome covered with geometrical figures in 
 white marble. It is certainly a most fitting entrance 
 to the superb structure beyond, and were it not 
 placed so near the latter would receive far greater 
 attention. Passing through this, I came suddenly 
 into a beautiful garden, with the Taj immediately in 
 front of me, as it is at the end of a broad avenue, 
 having a pretty lake in the middle portion and rich 
 tropical foliage on either border. I involuntarily- 
 stopped and for many moments could do nothing 
 more than admire this pearly white mausoleum so 
 admirably placed, and so aided by its surroundings 
 as to give me the most beautiful impressions ever 
 made by any work of man. I saw it repeatedly after- 
 ward — by moonlight, when its interior was illumin- 
 ated, and from every possible point — but from none 
 did it please so well as when viewed from the great 
 south gate. In my haste to tell my impressions of 
 this superb work — the most beautiful in India and 
 possibly in the world. I have failed to give its origin 
 or enumerate some of its proportions. The work is 
 a labor of love and affection, and was built by Shah 
 Jahan, the fifth in the order of succession, of the great 
 
I iS DELHI TO AGRA. 
 
 Mogul kings, who reigned from 1627 to f658, as a 
 tomb for his favorite Queen, Mumtaz Mahal, which 
 freely translated, means "Pride of the Palace." There 
 is a love story in connection with this marriage, which 
 can be appropriately introduced here: 
 
 It seems that in early life Shah Jahan fell desper- 
 ately in love with Mumtaz, but from reasons of state 
 was forbidden to marry her, and another bride was 
 selected for him. After ascending the throne he 
 again sought her out, and, finding her a widow, re- 
 newed his devotion and speedily made her Queen — - 
 and she was truly a Queen and helpmate. So much 
 did he realize this that he directed her image to be 
 stamped on the coin of the realm alongside his own, 
 and consulted her in all important State affairs. The 
 following description is condensed from Ferguson, 
 and will give the reader an admirable and correct 
 idea of its proportions : 
 
 " The enclosure includes an inner and outer court, the entire width 
 of which is about one fifth of a mile, and extends along the banks of the- 
 Jumna River some 500 yards. The mausoleum stands above the level of 
 the eye, on a double terrace — the first of red sandstone twenty feet high 
 and a thousand broad, at the extremities of which stand two mosques, of 
 some dark stone, facing each other ; midway between rises the second 
 terrace of marble, fifteen feet high and three hundred feet square, on the 
 corners of which are four round, tapering minarets. In the centre of all 
 stands the Taj, of pure white marble, its large central dome rising nearly 
 200 feet above the pavement below. The mausoleum is a square of 186 
 feet, with its corners cut off. Four smaller marble domes rise about these 
 truncated angles. The tombs of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahall lie im- 
 mediately beneath the central dome, and are surrounded by an exquisite mar- 
 ble screen, made up of geometrical figures. The tombs are inlaid with 
 some rare stones arranged in floral designs, and have escaped almost en- 
 tirely the ravages which one finds in the royal tombs elsewhere in India."" 
 
 
THE PEARL MOSQUE. I I 9 
 
 I hope Fve conveyed some idea of this beautiful 
 work ; if not, all I can say to your readers is, that if 
 they have the leisure and wish to pass a winter away 
 from the frosts and snows of our latitude, they should 
 take a ticket for India, and I'm sure they would get 
 their reward. 
 
 Let us now proceed to the Fort of Agra, which 
 contained the royal residence, or palace, the private 
 and public audience halls, the family mosque and 
 several private mosques ; the treasury, etc. It is a 
 strong work, with its walls and flanking defenses of 
 red sandstone. It has an imposing effect, its walls 
 being 70 feet high, pierced for musketry at most 
 points, and its projecting portions arranged for artill- 
 ery. The ditch is thirty feet wide, and opposite the 
 main entrance is a most formidable and well-propor- 
 tioned work of red sandstone that would have made 
 the storming of the fort almost a hopeless task. 
 
 One of the first objects of our visit was " The 
 Moti Masjid," or " Pearl Mosque," an account of 
 which I take from Bayard Taylor, whose great en- 
 thusiasm, added to his superb command of language, 
 well fitted him to give the following glowing descrip- 
 tion : 
 
 ' This is the Moti Masjid, or Pearl Mosque, as it is poetically termed. 
 It is in truth the pearl of all mosques — of small dimensions, but absolutely 
 perfect in style and proportion. It is lifted on a lofty sandstone platform, 
 and from without nothing can be seen but its three domes of white marble 
 and gilded spires. In all distant views of the fort these domes are seen 
 like silvery bubbles which have rested a moment on its walls, and which 
 the next breeze will sweep away. Ascending a long flight of steps, a heavv 
 
I 20 DELHI TO AGRA. 
 
 door was opened for me, and I stood in the court yard of the mosque, on 
 its eastern side, and the pure blue of the sky overhead. The three domes 
 crown a corridor and open towards the court, and are divided in three 
 aisles by a triple row of the most exquisitely proportioned Saracenic arches. 
 The Moti Masjid can be compared to no other edifice that I have ever 
 seen. To my eye it is absolutely perfect. While its architecture is the 
 purest Saracenic, which some suppose cannot exist without an ornament, 
 it has he severe simplicity of Doric art. It has, in fact, nothing which 
 can properly be called ornament. It is a sanctuary so pure and stainless, 
 revealing so exalted a spirit of worship, that I felt humbled, as a Christian, 
 to think that our noble religion has never inspired its architects to surpass 
 this temple to God and Mahomed.*' 
 
 In spite of all he has said, it did not impress me as 
 did the Pearl Mosque at Delhi. Perhaps that was 
 my fault, or perhaps because one can't repeat so 
 often the sense of the beautiful, especially when the 
 first impression has been so vivid. 
 
 The Diwanji Khas, or private audincee hall, is one 
 of the gems of the fort. It was here that the Em- 
 peror gave audience to his chief princes. Composed 
 of white marble, it has some fine carving, and the 
 columns supporting the Saracenic arches, are deco- 
 rated with floral designs of inlaid marble and prec 
 ious stones, the red carnelion being conspicuous. The 
 view from the terrace in front of it is one of the fin- 
 est about Agra, and takes in the River Jumna, which 
 runs close to the base of the fort wall, the residence 
 and garden across the river, including a glimpse of 
 the beautiful tomb, in white marble, of I'timadu 'd 
 daulah, and down the stream, about a mile away, the 
 superb Taj. I made frequent visits to the fort, but 
 never failed to mount this terrace, especially at sun- 
 
AX EAST INDIAN PRISON. 121 
 
 set, when the scene from it was sometimes gorgeous. 
 I usually met there, and also at the Taj, Mrs. Taylor, 
 wife of an English Colonel, who was filling her port- 
 folio with choice bits of Aera's best works. 
 
 There are many other points of interest about this 
 old city, but I can't enumerate them all. 
 
 A morning visit to the Agra jail was an interesting 
 one. There are some i,5oo inmates at present — 
 about 1,000 less than usual. Great neatness was 
 displayed in every portion, and I should judge 
 from their healthy appearance, that the prisoners 
 were well cared for. The looms where the 
 famous Agra carpets are made were especially 
 interesting. These carpets are all hand made, and 
 are of heavy texture. Each loom has its "reader," 
 who sings out the colors from a pattern before him. 
 These readers were uunsually bright-looking lads of 
 12 to 14 years. Most of the looms were engaged in 
 making carpets for the Indian exhibit, to be held in 
 London this Spring. Of the foreign houses that 
 patronize this establishment I observed that the 
 Magazin du Louvre, at Paris, was the heaviest pur- 
 chaser. 
 
 I leave Agra with regret, and with the feeling 
 that there are many beauties that I have not fully 
 looked into, but possibly this may be for good and 
 the means of tempting me back to India, for it is the 
 Mecca of this Eastern land, which all travelers even- 
 tually reach, as about it centers more and richer speci- 
 
122 DELHI TO AGRA. 
 
 mens of Moslem architecture during its best period 
 than in any other portion of India. 
 
 Before closing my letter I think it but fair to 
 enumerate the great Mogul kings and give the 
 date of their control of this portion of India: 
 
 Baber reigned from 1 526 to 1530; Humayun from 
 1530 to 1 556; Ackbar from 1 556 to i6o5; Jehangir 
 from i6o5 to 1627; Shah Jehan from 1627 to i658; 
 Aurungzeb from i658 to 1707. 
 
 The greatest builder — the one who displayed the 
 highest and most delicate taste — was Shah Jehan. 
 
 A comparison of these dates with those of the 
 most active rulers of Western Europe, such as Henry 
 VIII. and Queen Elizabeth, of England, Francis I.. 
 and Charles V., of Continental Europe, shows that 
 while the latter were making history in their respect- 
 ive lands the Moslem Kings of India were not idle. 
 
 
XIII. 
 
 AGRA TO BENARES. 
 
 clark's hotel, 
 
 ll'U.V HINDOO CITY OF BENARES, 
 January j/st, 1886. 
 
 COMING directly from Agra to this old city 
 does not add either to its beauty or attractive- 
 ness, as the traveler, who has found so much of grace 
 and beauty in the works of the Mogul kings, feels 
 rather disappointed at the stiff and contracted style 
 of the Hindoo temples. The very best I've seen 
 consist only of an outer court of rather narrow di- 
 mensions, with the main building in the centre, and 
 rising from it is the pyramidal-shaped tower, which 
 is always the chief feature. The exterior of this 
 tower is usually elaborately decorated with a variety 
 of images, among which are all sorts of animals, such 
 as the elephant, cow, monkey, etc., and also a num- 
 ber of human figures. I've never attempted to mas- 
 ter their mythology hence I am supremely ignorant 
 of the meaning of all these, and only know that they 
 enter into, or are a part of, their religion. 
 
124 A GR. I TO BENARES. 
 
 The Golden Temple at Amritzar is an exception 
 to the above rather disparaging comments, but it is 
 so beautifully placed — being in the centre of a pretty 
 lake, bordered by a marble pavement— and of a style 
 of architecture so strongly resembling the Moslem, 
 that I at first mistook it for a Mahommedan edifice, 
 so that I hardly class it among the Hindoo works. 
 
 Still, I am glad to be here, and can recall that as a 
 boy, while studying the map of India, that Benares 
 had a mysterious attraction that I've not forgotten. 
 The East India Railway line does not bring you di- 
 rectly to the city, but one changes at a station about 
 half a hourfrom this, and voucome down bv a branch 
 road — crossing the Ganges on a bridge of boats. You 
 have still a drive of four miles before reaching this 
 very comfortable hotel — one of the very best I've 
 met with. There is a home, cottage-like look about 
 it that indicates both comfort and neatness. All the 
 archways to the various apartments are draped with 
 morning glories, and the entire grounds or space with- 
 in the enclosure (here called compound) are kept scru- 
 pulously neat and clean, and Mrs. Clark's flower gar- 
 den, although limited in extent, can boast many very 
 handsome and choice roses. The interior of the hotel 
 is alike cozy and home-like, and as an English lady 
 remarked to me : '' It's quite like a nice country 
 hotel at home." 
 
 One of my first visits was to the Durga Temple — 
 generally called by Europeans the " Monkey Tern- 
 
THE MONKEY TEMPLE. 125 
 
 pie. " On our way to it we passed the " Car of Jur- 
 ganaut, " an immense affair on some dozen or more 
 wheels A large platform, with a canopy above it, 
 forms the upper portion of the car, which I presume 
 the idols occupied in the course of the procession. I 
 believe this car is still used in some of their ceremo- 
 nies, but it is scrupulously guarded by the police to 
 prevent fanatics from throwing themselves under the 
 wheels. 
 
 As we neared the Monkey Temple I stopped the 
 carriage at a fruit stand and purchased some sweets 
 and fruits to give the monkeys. These creatures ap- 
 proached us slyly and grabbed our offerings in a most 
 animal-like way, and then ran off to devour them. 
 
 The temple is surrounded by a number of large 
 trees, in the hollows of which the monkeys live. This 
 temple, which is stained red with ochre, stands in 
 the centre of a quadrangle, and near the entrance is 
 a band stand, where the priests beat a large drum 
 three times each day. A sacrificial stone, also near 
 the entrance, had its upper part and base covered 
 with blood, showing that some animal had recently 
 been offered up to propitiate the gods. 
 
 The number of temples in this city is enormous, 
 and they are met with at nearly every turn, and new 
 ones are in course of erection. I visited two or three 
 more —such as the "Golden Temple" and "Cow Tem- 
 ple," and then gave up the job. In the latter I found a 
 number of Hindoo cows, which are regarded as sa- 
 
 i 
 
126 AGRA TO BENARES. 
 
 cred. They looked fat and sleek, and were chew- 
 ing their cuds like ordinary animals of their class. 
 
 One of the most interesting mornings that I've 
 passed was on the river Ganges at the early hour of 
 7 a. m , when the residents and pilgrims are engaged 
 in bathing and saying their prayers. Surgeon Genl. 
 and Mrs. Webb, English Army, kindly invited me to 
 join their party for this excursion. Starting well up 
 the river, we floated down stream, past the various 
 palaces and ghats, (or steps) in front of them, where 
 there were large numbers of bathers, and also past 
 the burning ghat, where the bodies are cremated. 
 The process was not in operation, but a body on a 
 bier was brought down and placed in the Ganges 
 while awaiting the preparation of the funeral pile. 
 The pilgrims to whom I've alluded form a very large 
 element in the population of the city, and one en- 
 counters them everywhere in the streets — usually 
 accompanied by bearers, who carry two earthen jars 
 at the end of a bamboo pole — one containing the 
 ashes of some deceased relative, whichis to be cast 
 into the sacred river and the other designed to carry a 
 away supply of the holy water from the Ganges. An- 
 other and noticeable feature of our morning's visit to 
 the river was the number of priests that we saw along 
 the river bank, seated upon raised platforms and ex- 
 pounding in Hindustani passages from the Sanskrit. 
 Their audiences were chiefly made up of women, 
 who were squatting in front of them. 
 
THE GANGES. I 2/ 
 
 We stopped near one of the assemblages and 
 watched for some time the speaker, who was round 
 both in face and figure. His gesticulations and facial 
 expressions were marked. I was disposed to think 
 them comical, and we fancied that on our approach 
 he raised his voice and directed his explanations at us 
 unbelievers, but I regret to say that his eloquence 
 was entirely lost on me. I believe Mrs. Webb, who 
 has been some years in the country, was able to 
 understand some of his remarks. As we were return- 
 ing to our carriage a priest, with his little pots of 
 colored earth and the stamps with which the good 
 Hindoo has his forehead marked, stopped us and 
 asked us to witness the operation of marking, which 
 we did. He then asked for backshish, but as Mrs. 
 B. expressed a wish to possess these stamps, in place 
 of backshish I gave him a small sum and carried 
 away the sacred seals. As these marks denote the 
 caste of the wearer, I should go into a further expla- 
 nation of their meaning, but. I respectfully decline — 
 it being a subject beyond my comprehension. 
 Various explanations have been given by different 
 writers as to the origin of caste and its meanings, but 
 beyond knowing that it indicates various grades in 
 social life, I positively can tell nothing. I recall that 
 shortly after my arrival at the Byculla Club, at Bom- 
 bay, I asked a most intelligent member if he had in 
 any way mastered the subject of caste, and his reply 
 was; "I've been now more than thirty years in 
 
]28 AGRA TO BENARES. 
 
 the country, and know scarcely anything of it." 
 
 I don't think I've alluded in any previous letters to 
 the social status of women, and may as well introduce 
 the subject here. Nothing is more striking than the 
 entire exclusion of women from all vocations which 
 are likely to bring her in contact with strangers or 
 others than members of her own family. One never 
 meets them in the hotels, private houses, shops— or, 
 in truth, anywhere. All your wants at a hotel are 
 supplied by men, and even your washwoman, or 
 " Uhobi," is a man, and my linen is standing proof 
 that he has been a vigorous one, and shows in a 
 most lamentable form the effects of pounding the ar- 
 ticles upon stones the usual' method of washing in 
 this country. 
 
 Another excursion that I found very agreeable was 
 to the palace of the Maharaja of Benares, which is lo- 
 cated on the opposite side of the river from the city. 
 A drive of some three miles brought us to the banks 
 of the river, which we -crossed in a native boat, and 
 then walked up the bank to the entrance of the palace. 
 I sent in my card, which was promptly acknowledged, 
 and an intelligent secretary of the Maharaja accom- 
 panied me through the audience room and one or 
 two reception rooms. There was nothing very re- 
 markable about them —their furniture being of modern 
 European styles. The portraits of the various mem- 
 bers of the royal family were the most interesting 
 subjects that I saw, and which the secretary explain- 
 
APPROACHING CALCUTTA. I 2Q 
 
 ed. We were shown, also, the howdah and trap- 
 pings of the elephants, some of which were rich and 
 expensive ; but the great charm of the place was the 
 fine view one gets from the balconies, of the city and 
 the river, which flows at the base of the castle walls. 
 The river is navigable for light-draught steamers, 
 even up to Allahabad, but since the introduction of 
 the railway they have almost entirely disappeared. 
 
 As I propose mailing this at Calcutta, #I'll leave off 
 writing for the present. 
 
 Spencer s Hotel, Calcutta, February jd, 1886. — The 
 ride from Benares to this city, by the East India 
 Railway, proved an interesting one. Leaving 
 that city about midday, we reached the terminus, 
 Howrah, as it is called, on the opposite side of the 
 Hoogly River from this city, at six o'clock in the 
 morning of the following day ; time, about 18 hours; 
 distance 360 miles. This is by the mail or fast train. 
 All other trains are far slower, and make innumer- 
 able stops. The first-class carriages of this line — and 
 they may be taken as samples of most roads — are very 
 roomy and rather comfortable — each compartment 
 containing two long sofas that are nicely upholstered, 
 and two hanging shelves, all of which can be convert- 
 ed into beds at night, but it is seldom that the upper 
 berths are required. There is attached to each com- 
 partment a toilet room, but every traveler must supply 
 his own bedding, and hence a pillow and a roll of 
 wraps become an essential part of nearly every Indian 
 
130 AGRA TO BENARES. 
 
 traveler's outfit, as most all the fast trains start from 
 the chief points at night. 
 
 Shortly after leaving Benares we entered the 
 largest opium growing district of India, and at Patna 
 passed its chief shipping point. Fortunately, I fell in 
 with a very intelligent engineer, who explained the 
 mode of preparing the drug. It is only the white 
 flowered poppy that is grown, and the fields were in 
 a mass of bloom. It seems that the bulb of the 
 plant, containing the seeds, upon being scratched 
 exudes a gummy substance, which is carefully col- 
 lected. This bulb is worked at until all the gum is 
 exhausted. The aggregate of various collections is 
 then heated, and its watery particles driven off. The 
 residue is collected in two-pound balls, enclosed in 
 the poppy leaves, and is then ready for market. Of 
 course, this is only a rough description, as great care 
 is necessary, in driving off the water, not to exceed 
 a certain temperature, and experts are employed in 
 the preparation of the drug. I have seen in the 
 course of my few days' stay here, many cart loads of 
 this pernicious drug on its way to the Government 
 warehouses, from whence it is shipped by a special 
 line of steamers (known as the opium line) to China 
 and elsewhere. What a pity that a great Government 
 like that of England should be engaged in encourag- 
 ing the growth of this article, for it does encourage its 
 growth and to that end often advances the farmer the 
 necessary funds. It also designates the amount of 
 
THE OPIUM TRAFFIC. 1 3 I 
 
 soil that shall be cultivated, and all this that it may 
 secure the paltry sum of $i 5, 000,000 towards its 
 India revenue. I don't wonder that the thinking and 
 philanthropic spirits of London are holding meetings 
 and endeavoring to bring about a different order of 
 things. 
 
 Near Patna there is a branch line of this road that 
 runs southward almost to Buddha Gay, a pilgrim- 
 age to which I should have made, as it is of great 
 interest from being the spot related by Buddha, for 
 his long fast and meditation. Murray quoting from 
 high authority states that " it continued through 
 six years, and that he began by living on a plum 
 a day, then on a grain of rice, then on a 
 grain of sesum, and then he took nothing." It con- 
 tains a handsome temple, and many interesting ob- 
 jects connected with the early life of this great 
 teacher, whose disciples far out-number any other 
 faith on the globe. 
 
 From this point he went to Benares, where he first 
 preached; hence both places are sacred to the faith- 
 ful Buddhist. 
 
M 
 
 XIV. 
 CALCUTTA TO DARJEELING. 
 
 WOODLAND HOTEL, DARJEELING, 
 
 7,300 FEET ABOVE THE SEA. 
 
 TEMP. IN SHADE AT SUNRISE, 32 . 
 February j t/i, 1SS6. 
 
 Y excursion to this mountain resort and sanitar- 
 ium for the troops and residents of Calcutta has 
 been not only successful, but most interesting. Dar- 
 jeeling is one of those points that 'the tourist does 
 not care to leave out; yet, as it requires nearly four 
 days from Calcutta to go and return, with a possibil- 
 ity of making the mountain section of the journey in 
 a fog, and not even getting a glimpse of the snow- 
 peaks he is in search of, it requires some little deter- 
 mination to face these posssible disappointments.. 
 Happily I've accomplished the journey under the 
 most favorable of skies and have been rewarded 
 by seeing the tallest mountain peaks in the 
 world — the highest, Mount Everest, being 29,002: 
 
THE HIM ALA Y-AS. I 33 
 
 feet, and having as neighbors Kinchinjunga, 28,1 56 
 feet; Janu, 25,304 feet; Kabru, 24,015 feet, and 
 others. I might add to the list, but this will suffice 
 to give you an idea of the enormous altitude to which 
 the highest peaks of the Himalaya range attain. The 
 excursion, as made from Calcutta, can be accom- 
 plished entirely by rail. The first portion, over the 
 level country lying between the Hoogly and Ganges, 
 is made by the Eastern Bengal State Railway, of five- 
 foot gauge. After crossing the Ganges you take the 
 Northern Bengal State Railway, of the metre gauge, 
 and the last, or mountain section, is traveled by the 
 Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, of two -feet gauge. 
 The country passed over is in the main densely pop- 
 ulated, and we saw along the line most extensive 
 fields of various kinds of grain, prominent among 
 them being barley, which is rapidly matured and will 
 be cut within thirty days. Sugar cane is also grown to 
 a considerable extent, and we saw numerous camps 
 where the natives were grinding it and converting 
 the juice into sugar. There were, beside, a number 
 of other grains in various stages of advancement. 
 
 As we approached the mountains the native vil- 
 lages showed a different style of architecture, and in 
 place of the mud huts, so common in the Northern 
 and Middle sections of India, we found their homes 
 largely constructed of bamboo, which grows in great 
 luxuriance and attains immense size. They use sec- 
 tions of the bamboo at Darjeeling for milk cans. 
 
134 
 
 DELHI TO AGRA. 
 
 The roofs of their houses are closely thatched, and 
 are constructed with a curved ridge not unlike a 
 hog's back, and with long, descending eaves— car- 
 rying off readily the heavy rains to which the region 
 is subject, and protecting the walls of the cottages. 
 There were no evidences of irrigation, and I infer 
 that they have ample water for all crops. 
 
 The peculiar form of roof that I've attempted to 
 describe especially attracted my attention— not only 
 from its. rather odd, yet graceful appearance, but also 
 because I had seen its counterpart in the roofs ot the 
 various "Audience Halls" in and about Delhi and 
 Lahore, as constructed under the Mogul kings ; and 
 I'm quite of the opinion that the builder in stone and 
 marble, recognizing the graceful shape, borrowed 
 the idea from the native hut of this region. 
 
 Before leaving the " Eastern Bengal line ' I must 
 speak of a cast-iron sleeper I noticed, which is gradu- 
 ally replacing the wooden one. and as all the world 
 is interested in finding a good substitute for wood, 
 I'll attempt to describe it. Under each rail is placed 
 a cast-iron disk about three feet long and fifteen in- 
 ches wide ; these are connected transversely by an 
 iron rod. Each of the disks has a permanent cheek, 
 cast with it, that rests snugly against the outer face 
 of the rail. There is also a movable cheek for each 
 rail, that rests against the inner face, through which 
 the transverse rod runs. By means of a wedge driv- 
 en through a slot in this movable cheek andthetrans- 
 
 
CAST IRON RAILWAY TIES. I 35 
 
 verse bar all is made snug and firm. The simplicity 
 of the various parts, and the facility with which they 
 are laid down, seemed to commend the system and 
 struck me as being quite worthy of notice. I ques- 
 tioned an intelligent engineer connected with the 
 public works of India, and whom I met on the train. 
 He stated that the system had been very thoroughly 
 tested, and he believed in its permanent usefulness. 
 The wooden sleeper in this country is very short- 
 lived, owing to the dry-rot. It has also an enemy in 
 the white ant, which eats it up. 
 
 We reached the mountain section of our journey 
 early in the morning, and, as the sky was beautifully 
 clear, caught a glimpse of the Himalayan snows in 
 the far distance. Besides, we were assured, by the 
 Assistant Superintendent of the line, that we would 
 have fine weather, and all indications pointed in that 
 direction. The tiny cars and engine which made up 
 our last train were amusing to look at ; still we found 
 them quite equal to the work required, and they 
 took us up the mountains in a very comfortable way. 
 
 The line follows, in the main, the old wagon road 
 constructed under the direction of Lieut. Napier, 
 now Lord Napier, of Magdala. This road has been 
 in existence for many years, and .was the earliest 
 made for reaching this much-needed sanitarium, 
 which was established as early as 1840. As the 
 mountains rise almost directly from the plain, a rap- 
 id ascent is noticeable from the first, and we had 
 
I36 CALCUTTA TO DARJEEI.IXG. 
 
 been but a mile or two on our way when sharp 
 curves became frequent — in some instances not ex- 
 ceeding a radius of J 5 feet. The forest-trees also in 
 creased in number, and at some points we passed 
 thick jungles of enormous bamboo and cane, and as 
 we turned the sharp projecting points of the moun- 
 tain, beautiful views of the valleys and plains beyond 
 presented themselves. At 2,000 feet we met the 
 tea plantations, which became an object of interest. 
 The plant itself does not, in this section, exceed 
 three feet in height, and resembles the gooseberry 
 bush as much as anything I now think of. Fortu- 
 nately I met on the train Mr. Henry Wathen, man- 
 ager of the " Springside Tea Gardens," who gave 
 me a great deal of interesting and valuable informa- 
 tion respecting the culture of tea. I was surprised to 
 learn from him that the best Darjeeling tea com- 
 manded the highest price in London market of any 
 in the world. You lovers of good tea may as well 
 make a note of that. The amount sent out is not 
 great — about 10,000,000 pounds The entire India 
 product is about 60,000,000 pounds. The tea is grown 
 at all available points along the side of the mountains 
 up to this point, and in very many instances the 
 land is terraced in order to sustain the plant and 
 prevent the rains from washing it away. Tea re- 
 quires considerable moisture, combined with heat. 
 From 140 to i5o inches of rainfall gives the requisite 
 amount. So far as I could learn, the only difference 
 
TEA TABLE TALK. I 37 
 
 between green and black tea lies in the curing — the 
 former being subject to longer and greater heat than 
 black tea. Both teas are picked from the same 
 plants, and the young and tender leaves give the 
 best article. As tea can be grown in the plain be- 
 low, and the yield is greater per acre, I naturally 
 asked why the mountains were chosen. The reply 
 was that the mountain tea was stronger and of a 
 finer flavor — hence it is much used in mixing with 
 other teas. The yield in the plain country is about 
 540 pounds per acre, while up here it varies 240 to 
 320 pounds. 
 
 We reached this comfortable hotel at 4 p. m., and 
 were cordially greeted by our hostess, Mrs. Roberts, 
 who at once directed fires to be built in our rooms 
 and offered us a refreshing cup of tea. During the 
 last part of the journey a fog had settled about us, 
 and every one was anxious to learn the prospects of 
 seeing the snowy range at sunset or in the early 
 morning. Mrs. Roberts was positive that we would 
 have that pleasure, as all indications pointed that 
 way ; and just before the sun went down we caught 
 a glimpse of Kinchinjunga and some of its neighbor- 
 ing peaks. I ordered a pony to be ready at 7 o'clock 
 the following morning, that I might make the ex- 
 cursion to Senchal, six miles away, from which the 
 peak of Mount Everest is visible. I was roused at 
 6 a. m., and was out on the terrace just as the sun 
 was tinging the topmost peaks of the snowy range — 
 
1 3S CALCUTTA TO DARJEELING. 
 
 prominent among which is " Old Kinchan," as he is 
 called for short. The morning was beautifully clear 
 and the whole range, although 5o miles away, seemed 
 only a short distance off, 
 
 Securing a cup of coffee and a couple of soft boiled 
 eggs, I was soon away on the active mountain pony 
 that had been ordered for me. The rise is continuous 
 almost the entire journey, and you have some superb 
 views of Darjeeling, the Snowy Mountains and the 
 various valleys of the Himalyas. The ride takes you 
 through the Military Sanitarium of Jalapah and one 
 or two mountain villages, where you meet the hardy, 
 strongly-built mountain man — an entirely different 
 type from the resident of the plain. The mountain- 
 eers show most distinctly the Tartar peculiarities of 
 feature — broad faces, the almond eye of the Chinese, 
 etc., and some even wore " pig tails " — showing their 
 connection with that race. Along the mountain road 
 I met numerous parties of wood-carriers, who were 
 on their way to the Darjeeling market with a back- 
 load of wood. Their burdens would have crushed 
 the ordinary Calcutta native. They all greeted me 
 cordially, and there was an air of independence about 
 them that called for attention. Many of their women 
 were exceedingly fair, and in some faces the rich 
 blush of the European was visible. 
 
 I reached Senchal at 8 a. m., where the pocket an- 
 eroid marked 8,45o feet, and a little more climbing 
 brought me to Tiger Hill, 8,800 feet. From this 
 
MOUNTAIN CLIMBING. I 39 
 
 elevation the view of the entire range was complete, 
 and included Mount Everest (over ioo miles away) 
 and its two adjoining peaks. Like the one from the 
 top of Rhigi, in Switzerland, it is very comprehensive, 
 and is most satisfactory. You may naturally ask 
 which I prefer, and I'm compelled to say the Swiss 
 one, as the latter combines more beauties, such as 
 lake and river scenery. The volume of snow, too, 
 in the Himalayas is much less — owing no doubt, to 
 its lower latitude. 
 
 I returned to the hotel in time for a late breakfast, 
 and at 1 1 a. m. shall be off for Calcutta. I would like 
 to remain longer in this grand place, but when one 
 is making a tour of the world an eye must be had to 
 the countries beyond, and which should be reached 
 at the proper season — particularly Japan, which all 
 travelers unite in pronouncing one of the most at- 
 tractive and interesting that they meet with in the 
 course of this 2 5,ooo miles trip. I find up here sev- 
 eral agreeable and interesting English people — all, 
 like myself, visiting it for a view of the snowy range, 
 and to make a journey over the Darjeeling and Hima- 
 laya Railway — one of the most remarkable in English 
 territory. 
 
 I observe on the books of this hotel the names of 
 quite a number of our countrymen, some of whom 
 I've met before in my journey; but some are evi- 
 dently bound to the westward, and have come from 
 Japan, China and elsewhere. As the dates of all 
 
I40 CALCUTTA TO DARJEELIiVG. 
 
 are quite recent, this may reasonably be regarded as 
 a sort of half-way house in the journey round the 
 world. 
 
XY. 
 CALCUTTA TO MADRAS. 
 
 AUSTRIO-HUN'GARIAN STEAMER "ARGO", 
 MOUTH OF HOOGLY RIVER, INDIA, TEMP. IN SHADE, 820. 
 
 February 14th, 1886. 
 
 FROM the caption of this you will see that I am 
 leaving India, where I've passed nearly two 
 months most agreeably and, I trust, profitably. My 
 last impressions are certainly delightful, as at Cal- 
 cutta I fell into most hospitable hands, and the last 
 week was passed at the cozy home of Mr. and Mrs. 
 
 J. Go n — he a member of the Bengal Bank. I 
 
 made their acquaintance on the way from Brindisi to 
 Bombay, and on reaching Calcutta (on my return 
 from Darjeeling) they insisted upon my coming to 
 their house — a change I was glad to accept, as India 
 hotels are not over attractive, and those of Calcutta 
 seemed to be placed in the midst of the " smelliest" 
 district of the city. 
 
 Government House is near the same locality, and 
 
142 CALCUTTA TO MADRAS. 
 
 I wonder how the Viceroy can stand the foul smells 
 that I noticed when passing in front of his residence. 
 Perhaps this accounts for his passing such a small 
 portion of the time in the city, as he goes every week 
 to a country place near town, and in the hot weather 
 to Simla, a hill station up in the Punjab, some 1,200 
 miles from Calcutta. I would not have you think 
 Government House an unattractive one, as every- 
 thing is done to render it a desirable residence. It 
 is in the midst of a large " compound " — containing, 
 I should judge, some seven acres — which is shut off 
 from the streets that surround it by dense tropical 
 foliage, conspicuous among which is the bamboo. 
 The structure itself is large and in the classical style 
 of architecture — the main building having a circular 
 portico supported by Ionic columns. The wings are 
 connected with the main building by semi-circular 
 galleries. The grounds are well kept and numerous 
 plants are distributed through them. One or two 
 pieces of ordnance have conspicuous positions at both 
 the north and south fronts. The state rooms of the 
 interior are very large and imposing ; the throne- 
 room is especially so. Numerous portraits of former 
 Governor-Generals (as they were originally styled) 
 adorn its walls, as also those of the dining and ball 
 rooms. 
 
 The entire house was thrown open on the night 
 of February ist.when a grand ball was given in honor 
 of the foreign officers. It was a large assemblage, 
 
A GOVERNMENT BALL. I 43 
 
 principally, made up from the military, and the num- 
 ber of gaudy uniforms, added to the rich toilets of the 
 ladies, made it a gay affair. The Viceroy wore a 
 rich uniform, and Lady Dufferin was handsomely 
 dressed in dark velvet and wore a species of crown, 
 or tiara, of precious stones upon her head. Dancing 
 was kept up 'till a late hour; but, as I had attended 
 rather a large dinner party before going, I did not 
 feel disposed to remain late — hence must be excused 
 from telling who were the belles of the evening. 
 
 The Viceroy rarely goes out unattended, and a 
 large troop of native lancers forms his body guard. 
 They are picked men, mounted upon large English 
 horses, and their rich uniform and fine appearance 
 usually attract attention. It is probably good policy 
 to have the Viceroy thus escorted, as the native mind 
 is impressed by such stately show. On the other 
 hand, without an escort, their estimate of him would 
 probably be lessened. 
 
 Calcutta has long borne the reputation of being a 
 city of palaces. I don't know that it fully maintains 
 this title, but certainly the old merchant princes of 
 Calcutta built handsome residences, the principal 
 portion of which are located on Chowringee Road 
 and face a large open mall, where most of the sports 
 are held by the Europeans. It is a pretty feature 
 of the city, and is nicely kept. Most of the driving is 
 done, in the afternoons, along roads that border it. 
 The club houses are also fine buildings and many are 
 
144 CALCUTTA TO MADRAS. 
 
 located on Chowringee Road. Prominent among 
 these are the Bengal and the United Service, the 
 former at one time the residence of Mr. T. B. 
 Macaulay afterwards Lord Macaulay; it was founded 
 in 1827. In case of temporary residence in the city 
 it is well to become a member. You pay a small 
 sum as an initiation fee, and after that only for your 
 room and such refreshments as you may order. 
 Many travelers having friends among the members, 
 and only passing a few days, prefer paying the in- 
 itiation fee, as one is made so much more comfort- 
 able than at a hotel. Mr. Pa n, manager of the 
 
 French Bank kindly offered to put me up, but added: 
 "As you are to stop at a private house, I don't think 
 anything will be gained." Hence I did not seek an 
 election. One of the most interesting excursions that 
 I made was to the Botanical .Gardens, which are 
 down the river (on the right bank) and some three 
 miles from the city. The collection of plants and rare 
 trees is most extensive, and the managers have the 
 reputation of having distributed more plants than 
 any other garden in the world. The gardens cover 
 some 270 acres and near the centre is the famous 
 Banyan tree {Ficus indica), the arms of which cover 
 ground 800 feet in circumference. Immediately 
 opposite these gardens and on the Calcutta side of 
 the river, is the residence of the King Oudh and his 
 numerous retainers. He is kept under surveillance 
 and amuses himself after his pleasure. One of his 
 
A ROYAL MENAGERIE. 1 45 
 
 hobbies is the collection of animals and birds. I saw 
 swarms of pigeons flying about the various buildings, 
 and it was stated he had 5o,ooo — many of choice 
 varieties. I did not visit his palace, being rather 
 "used up" with a cold and fatigued by sight seeing 
 elsewhere. 
 
 Old Fort William, completed in 1773 under Lord 
 Clive, is an interesting work and a very strong one 
 for its day; it is on the side of the Esplanade nearest 
 the river, and but a short distance from it. Its plan is 
 sort of an irregular octagon, with five sides looking 
 landward and three on the river; it is surrounded by 
 a ditch 30 feet deep and 5o broad, can mount 600 
 guns, and hold a garrison of 10,000 men. 
 
 Coming from the upper country, one is rather 
 struck with the absence of the turban among the 
 natives — a feature that did not impress me pleasantly, 
 as it is always picturesque and to my taste adds great- 
 ly to the appearance of the average native ; but it is 
 a fact that a great many go entirely bare-headed, and 
 I noticed this the case with the merchant and legal 
 class (or, at least, I took them as such); on the river 
 and among the boatmen the practice of going with- 
 out any head covering is almost general. 
 
 I should be glad if I could describe the ordinary 
 river boat, for it is a most picturesque affair, with its 
 stern elevated high above the rowers, who occupy 
 the bow, or forward part ; but I hardly think myself 
 up to making it plain to your readers. I am sure the 
 
I46 CALCUTTA TO MAORIS. 
 
 average South Side bayman would be amused if he 
 could see one of these native crafts. 
 
 I bade good-bye to my friends in the city late in 
 the afternoon of the 1 ith — preferring to come on 
 board the day before, as the ship was advertised to 
 sail early on the morning of the 12th. " Rama" my 
 servant, accompanied me to the steamer, and really 
 seemed to regret parting. He was profuse in his 
 gratitude for what I had done for hin, and especially 
 gratified that I had given him the opportunity of 
 visiting so many of the places sacred to his Hindoo 
 gods. I know that he spent his money freely among 
 the Hindoo priests at Benares, and I believe he had 
 to pay well at other points, so that when settling 
 with him I gave quite a liberal sum as " backshish." 
 His eyes brightened up and he made several demon- 
 strations of gratefulness. Well, he was in the main 
 a good servant and, I believe, honest and faithful, and 
 I trust my certificate of character will soon secure 
 him another place. I know that those who have 
 employed Portuguese servants, who are usually Chris* 
 tians, often complain that they were lazy and, when 
 they got a chance, would drink up their master's 
 liquor. " Rama " never drank anything intoxicating 
 as it is against the Hindoo creed, and was never 
 absent except by permission. 
 
 While on the subject of servants I will state that 
 in course of conversation, my hostess at Calcutta 
 told me it required sixteen men servants for her 
 
DOMESTIC SERVANTS IN INDIA. I 47 
 
 rather quiet establishment, and their average pay 
 per month was something more than $4 each, with 
 which sum they supported themselves entirely. She 
 also said that when they kept their own horses three 
 additional men would be necessary. At the present 
 time they were using a livery stable horse and 
 coupe, for which they paid about $5o per month. 
 All these items sound absurdly cheap to us, but un- 
 der the caste system only certain men can perform 
 certain styles of work, and hence the necessity for 
 so large a force. Three or four good servants, with 
 us, would really accomplish more than the entire 19 
 Indian natives — their methods of doing everything 
 being so crude that no attempt is made to save 
 labor, and where population is so dense as in India, 
 it might be fatal to the masses if the labor of a few 
 could be made to accomplish as much as is now per- 
 formed by the many. The average daily compen- 
 sation for agricultural labor is from two to four 
 " anas " per day — that is, from 6 to 1 2 cents, of our 
 money — on which they subsist themselves. 
 
 I had ample time, while lying in the river, to ob- 
 serve the shipping, most of which was anchored to 
 buoys. Very few vessels were alongside of piers. 
 In truth, the rise and fall of tide (from 10 to i5 feet) 
 does not easily admit of piers, I believe only the 
 P. & O. and the British India Lines have accommo- 
 dations of this description. There are some points 
 where other steamers receive and discharge their 
 
I48 CALCUTTA TO MADRAS. 
 
 freight, but they are only permitted to occupy such 
 places for a short time. The navigation of the 
 Hoogly is exceedingly difficult, and is attended with 
 many dangers. Most captains have a great dread 
 of it, and they have reason for their fears, as, owing 
 to shifting sands, vessels grounding are liable to turn 
 over in a few moments, and there are many instances 
 given of loss from this cause. Fortunately they 
 have a superior class of pilots, and this inspires con- 
 fidence. Owing to river regulations (all no doubt 
 most wise and necessary), sand bars, etc., we were 
 from 8 a. m. on the 12th, to 1 p. m. on the 13th 
 making a distance of about 90 miles, and this in a 
 steamer drawing little more than 18 feet of water. 
 This will give your seafaring readers an idea of the 
 difficulties of navigating the Hoogly — which, by the 
 by, in many features resembles the Mississippi, par- 
 ticularly on its left bank, which has a levee along a 
 portion of the distance. The crooks and turns in 
 the river, sand bars, etc., all tend to remind one 
 of America's great stream, but the vegetation of this 
 is more of a tropical character, and the date and 
 other varieties of the palm tree form the chief foli- 
 age along its banks. 
 
 This letter is probably the last you will get from 
 India, and your readers may naturally ask the ques- 
 tion : " Will a trip to India pay? " I answer : "Most 
 emphatically, Yes. " The interest in the journey has 
 never for a moment flagged, and it undoubtedly would 
 
I PROFITABLE JOURNEY. 1 49 
 
 have been far greater had I prepared myself more 
 thoroughly for the journey. My appreciation would 
 have been keener, and less time would have been 
 consumed in looking up the chief objects of interest, 
 had I known exactly what they were and where they 
 were to be found. Let those who have the time and 
 inclination, and sufficient zest for travel not to care for 
 a few discomforts, come and see for themselves. A 
 first class return ticket by the best steamers will not 
 cost much more than a winter passed in Florida, and 
 I am confident that the variety and change of scene 
 will be tenfold greater and more diverting. 
 
 Our steamer touches for a few hours at Madras, 
 where I mail this, and then proceeds direct to Colom- 
 bo, in Ceylon, where I shall be detained some four 
 or five days for a P. & O. steamer to take me to Pe- 
 nang, Singapore and Hong Kong. As I do not pro- 
 pose making any longer stay at those points than a 
 through steamer usually does, you may not hear from 
 me more than once until reaching Hong Kong, about 
 March i5th. 
 
 I enclose with this some leaves of the tea plant, 
 which I intended to send in a letter from Darjeeling 
 They will be thoroughly dried up and may be crum- 
 bled before reaching Long Island, but you may be 
 able to form some idea of the leaf, which in its pre- 
 pared state furnishes the beverage that stimulates 
 without intoxicating. 
 
XVI. 
 MADRAS TO CEYLON. 
 
 AUSTRIO-HUNGARIAN STEAMER "ARGO", 
 
 HEARING COLOMBO, CEYLON. 
 
 TEMP. IN SHADE, 8o°. 
 
 February igth, 1886. 
 
 OUR stay in Madras was longer than anticipated 
 (being some twenty-two hours), which gave 
 us a good opportunity of seeing the city. Approach- 
 ing Madras from the sea, you get a fine view of its 
 public buildings, several of which are located immedi- 
 ately upon the shore, leaving only a wide drive and 
 traffic-way between them and the water. The post 
 office is the most prominent, and presents a good 
 appearance, with its conspicuous towers, visible a long 
 way up and down the coast. None of the other pub- 
 lic buildings are especially noticeable. 
 
 Driving through the city does not greatly impress 
 one with either its beauty or attractiveness, but some 
 of the roads in the European quarter are beautifully 
 lined with trees and furnish fine drives. Mount 
 Road, which leads to a mount some eight miles away, 
 
HARBOR OF MADRAS. I 5 I 
 
 is one of the most prominent, and I saw some fine 
 equipages in the course of the hour I was on it. A 
 drive along the Beach Road, in the direction of Fort 
 St. George, is another favorite resort and gives one" 
 a refreshing breeze from the sea — most acceptable, I 
 should judge, as Madras seems to have the reputa- 
 tion of being an intensely hot place. When I visited 
 the office of the agent of this line and remarked 
 that he kept the "punka" going, his reply was: "Yes, 
 and it's necessary all the year round." 
 
 The harbor of Madras is entirely artificial, and 
 owes every safety it posseses to its breakwater, con- 
 structed originally in the form of the letter "U,"with 
 an opening in its base towards the sea. This portion 
 was materially damaged during a cyclone of three or 
 four years since. Nearly all steamers receive and 
 discharge their cargoes from lighters, and during the 
 stormy season the natives use a species of high-sided 
 surf boat, without knees or braces, and the planks 
 which lap each other, are sewed instead of being 
 nailed together — their keel, stern and bow pieces be- 
 ing the only substantial parts. I was told the planks 
 were exceeding light and porous, and many are cut 
 from the palm tree. They swim very high and, 
 having large crews can be run well up on the beach 
 on landing. (See representation on cover of book.; 
 
 The fishing boat, large numbers of which we pas- 
 sed some distance at sea and on entering and leaving- 
 the harbor, is an odd-looking affair (a species of 
 
1 52 MADRAS TO CEYLON. 
 
 catamaran), made up of three or four logs bound to- 
 gether, which are brought to a point in front so as to 
 form a species of bow. They were usually occupied 
 by a couple of natives, who were entirely nude 
 except a strip of cotton cloth about their loins and an 
 odd-shaped, comical straw hat. The hot sun has no 
 terrors for them, and their black bodies actually glist- 
 ened under its fierce rays. Some varieties of the 
 fish taken are excellent and firm in flesh, as I can 
 testify from those we had the following morning for 
 breakfast. 
 
 Nothing of material interest has occurred upon 
 this voyage from Calcutta. The sea has been, for 
 most of the way, as calm as the poorest sailor could 
 desire. I've passed a good share of the time on deck, 
 under the double canvas awning, and often sleeping 
 there in preference to the cabin. Our rate of speed 
 averaged about 9 knots per hour, and the distance, 
 some 1,380 miles, has consumed — owing to various 
 detentions already alluded to —about eight days. I 
 shan't be sorry to have a few days on shore before 
 embarking on another sea trip. The table fare has 
 been in the main good, and the dishes (largely made 
 up of ragouts) have been nicely served — a pleasant 
 change from much of the Calcutta and India cooking; 
 but I shall be glad to get back to English tastes and 
 modes, which I'm likely to find on the P. &0. steam- 
 er, and which I take from Colombo to Hong Kong 
 
 I was not very pleasantly impressed with the 
 
MADRAS VI TIVES. I 53 
 
 Madras native. All are exceedingly dark. Their 
 skins are about the color of that of the African, 
 and the type of feature far less attractive than that 
 met with in the northern section of India. I feel quite 
 confident that the most interesting portion of this 
 country — at least to the average traveler — is the 
 Northwestern Provinces. As I shall complete this 
 letter after reaching Colombo, I close for the present. 
 Grand Hotel, Nuwara Eliya, Ceylon, February 23^, 
 jSS6.— We reached Colombo early on the 20th, and 
 had a fine view of the harbor and the town, which is 
 built along the water. The native houses are low 
 and unattractive in appearance, but some of the 
 Government buildings are substantially built, and are 
 quite imposing. The Grand Oriental Hotel, where 
 I passed one night, is one of the cleanest and very 
 best met with in the East, but the night was too hot 
 for sleeping with any comfort, and I was not sorry 
 after a visit to the banker's, and a short drive through 
 the town, to take the train for this point, which is in 
 the interior of the island, and some i5o miles from 
 Colombo. It has been for many years a sanitarium 
 for the residents of that city, who are only too glad 
 tc escape the hottest months — March, April and 
 May — by resorting to this elevated region, some 
 6,200 feet above the sea. I am here a little in ad- 
 vance, as you see, of the fashionable season ; still I'm 
 very glad to be here and breathe an atmosphere 
 which has some real ozone in it. 
 
I 54 MADRAS TO CEYLON. 
 
 Of the ride here I can't speak in too high terms, 
 as it impressed me as one of the very finest, for a 
 railway journey, that I've taken. For the first twen- 
 ty-five miles out from Colombo the line of road 
 passes through a flat country, much of which is de- 
 voted to the cultivation of rice, and we saw that grain 
 in various stages ; the larger portion had, however, 
 been gathered. At Ambepussa — or even below it — 
 we entered the mountains, when the scenery becomes 
 grand. The line skirts along bolcl mountain preci- 
 pices, furnishing superb views of valleys and moun- 
 tain streams, the beauty of which is heightened by 
 rich tropical foliage, and some of the grandest- colored 
 flowers I've ever seen. There is such a rapid suc- 
 cession of these beautiful views that one is kept con- 
 stantly on the alert if he does not care to miss any, 
 and I certainly was on the look out for most of them. 
 At Peredeniya the road branches — one going to 
 Kandy, where there is a very comfortable hotel and 
 quite a resort (as it's some 3,000 feet or more above 
 the sea.) The main line, however, continues on in a 
 south-easterly course, and soon enters the great tea- 
 and .coffee-growing districts of the island. The 
 ascent is not, perhaps, so rapid as before ; still, the 
 rise is continuous, and as the train passes from one 
 ridge to another, or turns the sharp projecting bluff, 
 some beautiful views of the mountain streams and 
 valleys present themselves. We are now in the 
 midst of the largest tea plantations, or estates, as they 
 
TEA PLANTATIONS. 1 55 
 
 are variously styled. A few years since, only coffee 
 was grown, but a blight (I believe a species of rust) 
 attacked the plant and the coffee grower's prospects 
 were ruined. Fortunately he tried the tea plant, and 
 its success has been so great that he now talks boldly 
 of driving the India tea from the English market. 
 However true this may prove, I believe the quota- 
 tion of Ceylon tea in the London market does in 
 some degree warrant the high stand the present 
 planter claims for.it, and the crop (now some 8,000,- 
 000 of pounds) it is estimated will exceed 12,000,000 
 pounds in the course of the next two years. 
 
 Nearly the entire labor employed in the tea and 
 coffee culture is imported from Southern India, and 
 is largely from a class, or tribe, called Tamals, the 
 average Ceylonese holding himself above this class 
 of work. Still, they are agriculturists, and grow 
 most of the rice that is produced in Ceylon, and it is 
 possible that in time they may fall into line. This 
 method of importing labor has been going on some 
 thirty years or more. The planters tell -me that 
 wages are higher in Ceylon than in India — the rate 
 here being from four to six anas (12 to 18 cents) 
 per day, while in India it is 6 to 12 cents — in each 
 case the laborer finding- himself. 
 
 Nearly all the first- class travelers on the train were 
 tea planters or friends recently from England, who 
 had come out to Ceylon to pass a few weeks. At 
 Hatton we left a number, and at Kotagala station a 
 
1 56 MADRAS TO CEYLON. 
 
 party of eight ladies and gentlemen left the train, 
 bound for the hospitable bungalow of some success- 
 ful tea planter ; so that when the train arrived at 
 Nanuoya, the terminus of the line, there was left only 
 some five or six travelers (or "globetrotters" as 
 some times designated,) bound for this point, distant 
 about four and one-half miles, and made by coach 
 in something less than an hour. 
 
 We are very comfortable at this house, managed 
 by a European, but owing to rain we have been kept 
 indoors. However, as there is not a very great deal 
 to be seen, the deprivation is not great; but in fine 
 weather there are some pretty drives, and for the 
 Alpine climber some peaks that will test the mettle. 
 
 There is a choice of hotels in this place — the 
 Criterion being almost next door — but as this is better 
 filled, and as Prince Napoleon (son of Prince Jerome 
 Napoleon) and his companions are to arrive this 
 evening, I presume we may flatter ourselves that we 
 are at the best one. 
 
 The above is rather a rough description of a trip 
 to the mountains of Ceylon, but let me urge upon 
 any of your readers who contemplate a visit to this 
 Island not to leave this journey out, as it more than 
 pays; besides it may save the necessity of a trip to 
 Java; at least, I propose making it answer. 
 
 I have not encountered any ferocious animals in 
 the course of this trip to the mountains, but during a 
 visit made this afternoon to the botanical gardens, 
 
CYNGOLESE .1 T HOME. I 5/ 
 
 which are some six miles from this place, the man- 
 ager conducted us to a tank, about which we saw 
 abundant evidence of there having been quite a large 
 band of wild elephants, and as this is likely to be 
 as near as I shall come to shooting one of those 
 enormous beasts, I make the most of what I saw. 
 They are very fond of the tree fern, and had they 
 come a little nearer his bungalow might have gotten 
 into the fernery, and played sad havoc with one of 
 the choicest and most attractive parts of the garden. 
 
 I return to Colombo by train to-morrow, and the 
 following day take passage in the P. & O. steamer 
 "Hydaspes," for Penang, Singapore and Hong Kong 
 — the only stops being about a day each at the two 
 ports first named — and I shall continue in this vessel 
 to her destination — a trip of over 3,000 miles. 
 
 I've neglected mentioning the native Cyngolese— 
 an omission I wish to amend by saying I find him 
 very similar, in feature and manners, to the Indian 
 of the North — his dress differing in some essential 
 features, but especially in the absence of the turban 
 for which he substitutes a comb, precisely the same 
 as is often worn by young girls, with us to keep the 
 hair from their eyes. His wife, on the other hand, 
 never wears any, but in place uses a large pointed 
 hair pin, usually highly ornamental. Both sexes "do 
 up" the back hair after the Grecian style, and its 
 often puzzling to discover the sex when the comb 
 does not happen to be visible. 
 
I 58 MADRAS TO CEYLON. 
 
 I observe in, Ceylon the same propensity or pas- 
 sion, on the part of the women, for jewelry as pre- 
 vails in India, and enormous rings for the nostrils 
 and ears are worn. In some instances the ear is 
 pierced in half a dozen places. In addition to these 
 she wears rings on her toes and fingers, and anklets 
 and bracelets. Even the men display a passion for 
 finger rings, and some financiers say it would be im- 
 possible to make gold a standard medium in India, 
 as it would be melted up as soon as issued the 
 mass of the population not understanding the use- 
 fulness of placing it in a savings institution or in 
 some solid investment. 
 
 In the first portion of this letter I've spoken of 
 the Madras fishing boat as an odd affair ; and not 
 easily described ; but the Ceylonese one is still more 
 odd, and defies my powers of giving any correct 
 idea of it. I thought over it for a time, and finally 
 settled the question by purchasing a model of one, 
 and if I can manage to put it together again (for it 
 was too cumbersome to pack up in full rig,) I shall 
 be able to give my friends a correct impression of it 
 without taxing my descriptive powers. 
 
 I enclose some flowers of the coffee plant, gather- 
 ed at the terminus of the line of rail ; the flower of 
 this plant is pure white, with a decidedly strong per- 
 fume, and resembles the orange blossom as much as 
 anything I now think of. 
 

XVII. 
 
 CEYLON TO HONG KONG. 
 
 SJ'.MK. "UYDASPES," STRAIT^ nI MALACCA, NEARINC PENANG, 
 ABOUT LAT. 5.38 N., LONG., 95.58 E. , 
 
 March ist, 1886. 
 
 ALTHOUGH my stay in Colombo was short, by 
 making good use of the time I managed to 
 accomplish considerable, and visited many of the 
 places of interest, a description of which was given 
 in my last. I omitted, however, to speak of a pleasant 
 afternoon's excursion to Mount Lavinia, which I made 
 in company with Mr. H. H. Sparkes, of Bangalore, 
 a fellow passenger from Madras to Colombo on the 
 steamer Argo. Mount Lavinia is a small eminence 
 on the coast, some ten miles south of Colombo, and 
 is reached by rail. It was formerly the residence of 
 Sir E. Barnes, one of the Governors of Colombo, 
 and the marine villa built by him is now the Grand 
 Hotel. The point on which it is located is open to 
 
l60 CEYLON TO HONG KONG. 
 
 the sea on three sides, and it is rare that one does 
 not get a refreshing breeze. As we had planned to 
 take a late lunch, or "tiffin," there, our appetites 
 were none the less keen from the long wait, and also 
 from the tempting dishes that were supplied. The 
 whitebait was cooked to perfection, and the tender- 
 loin steak was the best I've found in India. All 
 was washed down with a bottle of excellent Rhenish 
 wine. 
 
 On our way to and from Mount Lavinia we passsd 
 many of the bungalows, of the European residents, 
 which are prettily placed in groves of cocoanut 
 palms, with their fronts directly on the sea. Many 
 are of modern styles, but all are arranged with refer- 
 ence to catching every breath of air coming from the 
 water, as Colombo is very hot and one requires all 
 the air that is stirring. The line of rail also passes 
 near the Galle-Face-Esplanade and Club House, 
 where we saw a large assemblage of Europeans and 
 natives indulging in various sports, such as polo, 
 pony racing, tennis, cricket and golf. It certainly is 
 most creditable to the English residents that they keep 
 alive these many exercises, as one would hardly look 
 for them in a place where the heat is so excessive; 
 but they usually practice just at sunset, when the 
 direct rays of the sun have lost much of their power. 
 The sports are most healthful and prevent the liver 
 from becoming torpid — one of the consequences oi 
 inactivity in hot climates. 
 
THE JIX-RIt KI-SH. Ill: I 6 [ 
 
 The Colombo Club is one of the pleasant resorts 
 of the island, and thanks to Mr. A. Forsyth, of the 
 firm of Delmege, Reed & Co., I was given not only 
 an excellent dinner, but also enjoyed the privileges 
 of the Club during my stay; a compliment I fully ap- 
 preciated, as the club house is so constructed, and 
 so placed with reference to the sea, that if there 
 is a cool spot on the island it is apt to be found 
 there, and I think my friends on Long Island owe to 
 the comfort there, as, also, the facilities furnished for 
 letter writing, some of the missives dispatched to 
 them. 
 
 I had in Colombo my first experience in a jinricki- 
 shaw, a species of perambulator, or baby carriage 
 of large growth. 
 
 The Coolie who draws you, lowers the shafts and 
 you take your seat, when he steps between them 
 and, raising them to the height of his waist, trots off 
 with his load. This two-wheeled vehicle is provided 
 with a top, is hung on light springs, and is very com- 
 fortable indeed. I timed the Coolie that brought me 
 from the Club to the Grand Oriental Hotel, distance, 
 about one mile — and he, was some fifteen minutes 
 making the trip. As I'm likely to use this species 
 of carriage very extensively in my travels in China 
 and Japan, it occurred to me that some description 
 might be of interest. 
 
 We left the pretty harbor of Colombo, on the 
 ■afternoon of February 2 5th, and have been since 
 
I 62 CEYLON TO HONG KONG. 
 
 making good progress toward Penang — the ship 
 averaging some 260 miles per day — about as good 
 speed as most of them make. She is of the old type 
 of steamers, with flush deck, but I find her very com- 
 fortable indeed. My cabin is on the port side — a 
 point to be remembered in making the passage to 
 the Eastward — and by the aid of a species of wind- 
 sail in the large square port a constant current of air 
 is passing directly over .me, making it possible to 
 write with the thermometer marking S5 degrees and 
 over. We passed, this morning, shortly after break- 
 fast, Acheen, the most northerly point of the Island 
 of Sumatra. The land is very bold, and it makes a 
 most excellent point of departure for Penang — lying 
 almost due east. 
 
 We have an unusually large number of first cabin 
 passengers — about fifty. Some of these, like myself, 
 are making the grand tour du Monde. Several of 
 them I've met before in my travels in India, and it's 
 very agreeable comparing notes on the country pas- 
 sed over, or scenes that each have encountered ; but 
 the larger share are temporary residents ol the 
 Straits, Settlements, China, etc., returning from a 
 good long vacation in England to resume their 
 various duties. All the various houses of the East 
 seem to encourage their employees by giving them 
 liberal leaves of absence without reduction of pay — 
 I think one year out of every five. It seems to in- 
 sure a heartier interest in their work, besides render- 
 
HARBOR OF PENANG. I 63 
 
 ing the individual more vigorous and better able to 
 resist the debilitating effects of this hot climate. 
 
 I stop writing for the present, but will resume 
 again after leaving Penang, where we are due some 
 time to-morrow afternoon. 
 
 P. & 0. Steamer "Hydaspes" March 3rd, 1S86.— 
 The approach to the harbor of Penang was an agree- 
 able one, as we skirted alonor the shores of Penane 
 Island for many miles. High hills, almost moun- 
 tains, come directly down to the water's edge — 
 heavily wooded, save where the farmer or planter 
 has made a clearing. As we approached the anchor- 
 age we passed numerous fish wiers, made by plant- 
 ing stakes in a square form. I did not learn the 
 method of "•ettino- said fish into these inclosures, but 
 presume there is one. We anchored about 4 p. m. 
 on the 2d, and, finding there would be a delay of 
 five hours, a party of us started for the shore in one 
 of the native boats, called sampan — a triangular- 
 shapd affair. The stern is broader than the bow, 
 and the former terminates in a couple of pointed and 
 upward curved gunwales — the rower standing and 
 facincr the bow. 
 
 As soon as possible after landing we secured a 
 carriage, as the sun was still hot. and made a tour of 
 the town. We also drove some four miles into the 
 country, to a pretty garden and water-fall. We 
 passed on the way several carriages and dog carts 
 driven by Chinamen — all stylish — and one of the 
 
164 CEYLON TO HONG KONG. 
 
 finest bungalows we passed proved to be the resi- 
 dence of a wealthy Chinese. In truth, "John China- 
 man " is fast driving out the original proprietors of 
 this land — the Malays. Leaving Penang at 1 1 p. m. 
 on the 2d, we continued our course down the Straits 
 of Malacca towards Singapore, which is about Lati- 
 tude 1.20 N. — at least so my map says, this will be 
 the lowest point reached. After leaving there our 
 course will be northward and toward cooler lati- 
 tudes. 
 
 One of the noticeable features of these very low 
 latitudes is the position of some of the heavenly 
 bodies — as, for instance, the north star, so prominent 
 in our country, is here so near the horizon that it is 
 hardly visible to the naked eye — much below 5 de- 
 grees. The Southern Cross, a well-defined collec- 
 tion of stars, in the Southern Hemisphere, although 
 not an early riser, is very conspicuous when once 
 up, and the arrangement of its four, bright stars 
 forms an admirable Roman crucifix ; but the Great 
 Bear still retains its prominence in the heavens, and 
 I don't think anyone from our clime feels like ex- 
 changing it for the Southern beauty. Its " pointers " 
 are still as true to their work and indicate as accur- 
 ately the position of the Pole Star, in spite of the 
 fact that the light from it — owing to the density of 
 the medium near the horizon — fails to reach us. 
 
 The straits have been exceedingly warm — the 
 thermometer often marking from 87 to 90 degrees 
 
STR. I I TS OF M. 1 1. .ICC. I. ] 65 
 
 and with but little breeze. I observed from the color 
 of the water that we were on soundings, and ques- 
 tioning our captain concerning it, learned that it 
 does not exceed six or seven fathoms for much of 
 the way, and that the channel is a narrow one. He 
 added that in former days, before the coast was so 
 well lighted, vessels were often compelled to anchor 
 at night 
 
 The Strait Settlements, of which Penang, Malacca 
 and Singapore are the principal towns, are all under 
 a Colonial Governor (English), who resides at Sing- 
 apore, and since the threatened Russian war of last 
 year, liberal provision has been made for the forti- 
 fication of its most important harbor, Singapore, 
 where extensive earth-works have been constructed, 
 We reach that port early to-morrow, and, as we 
 take on quite a large supply of coal, some time will 
 be necessary, thus enabling us to have a good look 
 at that rather extensive and important port — one of 
 the most so, in fact, in the route to the far East. 
 
 I leave off for the present, and will continue this 
 after sailing from Singapore. 
 
 At Sea, March ytk, 1886. — We entered the harbor 
 of Singapore on the morning of the 4th — a very 
 snug one indeed — and where the P. & O. and other 
 steam lines have their piers — most convenient — as 
 the water is of sufficient depth to permit ships lying 
 alongside wharves, as with us — one of the very few 
 instances met with in the course of this journey. 
 
I 66 CEYLON TO HONG KONG. 
 
 " Ship sails at 5 p.m., " was the announcement on 
 the bulletin board of our steamer shortly after she 
 had been laid alongside her wharf, so that all who 
 had the intention of visiting the city were soon seek- 
 ing a carriage to take them — the distance being 
 some four miles. I looked over the carriage stand 
 and picked out what I thought the most active of 
 the ponies, for none were animals more than ten 
 or twelve hands hia-h. The one I selected was not 
 a beauty, and was rather thin in flesh ; but as I had 
 some six hours' work out of him, I can testify 
 to the fact that he was " a good one." 
 
 Nearly all these animals are brought from the 
 mountain districts of Sumatra — a section of it called 
 Deli furnishing the principal portion. The driver 
 seemed to sympathize with my impatience to reach 
 the city, and kept his pony at a good pace. We 
 were soon at the business office of Behn, Meyr & 
 Co. — passing on the way lots of other vehicles, 
 among which were numerous jin-ricki-shaws. I was 
 very kindly received by one of the members of the 
 firm, arfd after transacting my little business affair 
 was urged to return at i o'clock and lunch with him 
 at the Singapore Club, which invitation I accepted. 
 I then drove to the office of our Consul, Major 
 Studor, who gave me the latest information from our 
 country and also a supply of New York papers — the 
 only ones I had seen since leaving Venice, on Dec- 
 ember 3d, last. The Major has been for many years 
 
SIATGAPORJi. I 67 
 
 our representative at this city, and I learned, was 
 very popular. The lunch at the Club proved to be 
 a good one, and was a most agreeable change from 
 ship fare. " Ye heathen Chinee," in a white dress 
 and with a long pig-tail waited upon us and did his 
 work well. My host stated " that he was a good 
 waiter, but required watching." 
 
 The Club House is one of the finest buildings of 
 the city, and its location, directly facing the harbor, 
 insures a breeze at almost all hours. 
 
 I was fortunate in finding at Singapore a number 
 of letters from home friends, for which I wish here to 
 acknowledge my thanks- 
 
 On leaving Singapore we had a superb view of its 
 harbor and the surrounding hills, which serve as an 
 admirable setting for the lower town. Conspicuous 
 among its tropical vegetation is the so-called " trav- 
 eler's palm," the leaves of which shoot out, at a con- 
 siderable height, from a central stalk in a fan-like 
 form, and are most graceful. It derives its name 
 from the fact that the weary traveler can, by cutting 
 an incision in its bark, draw from the tree a cup of 
 •cool and refreshing water. 
 
 Some hours after leaving Singapore we passed 
 the meridian of io5 degrees and 57 minutes East 
 Longitude, and as New York City is 74 degrees and 
 3 minutes West, it placed us as near as practicable 
 180 degrees from that point, or half way around the 
 world. As it may interest vou to learn the distance 
 
l6S CEYLON TO HONG KONG. 
 
 traveled in order to reach this prominent position, I 
 append a list of the various journeys: 
 
 Miles, 
 
 From New York City to Queenstown by sea 2,601 
 
 From Queenstown to Liverpool by sea 221 
 
 From Liverpool to London by land, about 180 
 
 From London to Paris, by land and water, about 220 
 
 From Paris to Venice by land, about 720 
 
 From Venice to Brindisi, by water, about 395 
 
 From Brindisi to Alexandria, by water, about 825 
 
 From Alexandria to Suez, by rail, about 220 
 
 From Suez to Aden, by water, about 1,308 
 
 From Aden to Bombay, by water, about 1,664 
 
 From Bombay to Lahore, via Jeypore and Delhi, by rail, 
 
 about 1,300 
 
 From Lahore to Calcutta, via Allahabad and Benares, by 
 
 rail, about 1,300 
 
 From Calcutta to Madras, by water, about 770 
 
 From Madras to Colombo, by water, about 610 
 
 From Colombo to Penang, by water, about 1,278 
 
 From Penang to Singapore, by water, about 381 
 
 13.993 
 
 And, adding to these the distance likely to be 
 made in further journeys to the Eastward, viz: 
 
 From Singapore to Hong Kong, by water, about 1,437 
 
 From Hong Kong to Shanghai, by water, about 870 
 
 From Shanghai to Nagasaki, by water, about 500 
 
 From Nagasaki to Yokohama, by water, about 735 
 
 From Yokohama to San Francisco, by water, about 4, 500 
 
 From San Francisco to New York, by rail, about 3,300 
 
 11,342 
 Or, total of distances traveled in a tour around the world 
 — starting from New York City and going Eastward, 
 about 25,335 
 
 We are steaming alone finely through the China 
 
THE CHINA SEA. I 69 
 
 Sea, and with every indication that we will be in 
 Hong Kong by the ioth or 1 ith of March — a haven 
 all will be glad to reach, as fifteen days at sea is no 
 slight test of one's powers of endurance, and during 
 the last days of our voyage we have been subject to 
 rather a strong northeast " Monsoon '' — Chinese for 
 "big wind*' — which has shaken us up considerably, 
 and placed our amiability to no slight test. 
 
XVIII. 
 HONG KONG, CANTON AND MACAO. 
 
 HONG KONG HOTEL, HONG KONG, CHINA, 
 TEMP. BETWEEN 65° AND 70°. 
 
 ManJi 21st, 1SS6. 
 
 AS predicted in my last, land was sighted very- 
 early on the morning of the ioth, but it was 
 somewhat obscured by a fog, which frequently pre- 
 vails along the coast during this month. However, 
 by dint of persevering, our captain managed to "get 
 hold" of one of the numerous islands which lie to 
 the south and west of this, and which he recognized 
 in the fog. Skirting along it, we came upon the 
 Island of Hong Kong, which should be written (or, 
 rather is called by the Chinese)*' Heung Kong," signi- 
 fying " good harbor." The approach to this city is one 
 the finest I've ever seen. Bold hills, almost moun- 
 tains, lie on either shore, and the water is sufficiently 
 deep to permit the larger class of vessels to steam 
 close along them. The first peep you get of the 
 
.- 
 
THE " GOOD HARBOR" I ~ I 
 
 city, coming- from the Southward is of some of its 
 suburban villas, perched high up the mountain sides. 
 Prominent among these is the so-called " Douglas 
 Castle," and near it a Roman Catholic sanitarium, 
 built of light granite ; and, from its commanding sit- 
 uation, a very conspicuous object. These prepare 
 one for the more extended view which you get 
 as the steamer makes a sharp turn to the right, 
 when the entire city and its beautiful harbor come 
 in view. The latter seems entirely enclosed save 
 on the side you enter, but a close observation shows 
 that there is a break in the mountain through which 
 vessels departing for the North make their way. 
 When the harbor and city were in full sight, I could 
 not avoid exclaiming : ''This is certainly one of the 
 most beautiful and picturesque sights I've ever be- 
 held, and how is it I've never heard more of it?' 
 The water was dotted over with Chinese junks, 
 ships and steamers, and the city, built on terraces, 
 stood out boldly and grandly from the mountain side, 
 and seemed almost to say: 'Am I not fair to look 
 upon ?" 
 
 We were not permitted to reach the wharf before 
 numerous " sampans " (Chinese boats) were along- 
 side, and runners from various quarters of the city 
 boarded our steamer to secure the Chinese passen- 
 gers, quite a large number of whom we had brought 
 from Penang and Singapore. The manner in which 
 they handled their boats and boarded us — the steamer 
 
 
172 HONGKONG, CANTON AND MACAO. 
 
 running all the while at fair speed — excited both 
 our curiosity and admiration. I frequently, after 
 this, had occasion to use the harbor boats, and found 
 them skilfully handled. Most generally they are in 
 the hands of women, and in some instances I've 
 found a mother, two daughters and a son composing 
 the crew. These families rarely leave the boat, and 
 make it their home. 
 
 The pleasant impressions produced on our entering 
 the harbor were not dissipated on landing. The 
 houses are substantially built. The streets of the 
 city are of good width, beautifully kept, and, I should 
 imagine, the drainage very complete. The principal 
 thoroughfare, running parallel with the shores of the 
 harbor, is called Queen's Road, and has some of the 
 finest shops upon it. The Europeans have posses- 
 sion of the part near the hotel, but the Chinese are 
 possesed of equally good buildings but short distances 
 from it, and my experience is that they sell consider- 
 ably cheaper. It is very evident that the mass of 
 Europeans throughout the East " are not here for 
 their health," but as they usually have but one price 
 for their wares, and stick to these figures — which is 
 not the case with the native dealer — travelers are apt 
 to patronize them when in need of staple articles. 
 
 One of the most striking features of the city, to 
 the newly-arrived, is the entire absence of carriages, 
 or the usual vehicles, of cities, but in their place 
 you have a host of jin-ricki-shaws and chairs, the 
 
 
THE JJN-RICKI-SH. III'. I 
 
 / J 
 
 latter a light bamboo affair with a moveable top 
 and easily carried by two men. As the city is 
 built upon the sides of the mountain, much ol the 
 travel is up and down hill, and they are in great 
 favor. Nearly every house has one or more, with 
 regularly assigned bearers, who do very Little else ; 
 but there are numerous public ones, and whenever 
 you leave the hotel a number rush to secure your 
 patronage, and as the tariff is very light one is 
 tempted to use them frequently. The jin-ricki-shaw 
 is rather better for the level road, as you are taken 
 along at a good pace, and can make some five miles 
 or more per hour. 
 
 One of the attractive features of the city is its 
 public gardens, some distance up the sides of the 
 mountain, where one finds beautifully-shaded walks 
 and a rare collection of tropical and northern plants. 
 The present temperature, averaging about 70 
 degrees, is favorable to the latter, and I find some 
 superb specimens of roses and other valued northern 
 flowers. Flowers are also sold in the streets, and at 
 very low figures. A large basket can be purchased 
 for something more than fifty cents. 
 
 Adjoining these gardens are numerous private 
 lawn tennis courts; where both ladies and gentlemen 
 indulge in this healthful game. To the credit of 
 the English be it said, that wherever they establish 
 themselves they are sure to introduce their healthful 
 sports. I attended, a few days since, the meet of 
 
1/4 HONG KONG, CANTON AND MACAO. 
 
 the " Hong Kong Amateur Athletic Sports," pat- 
 ronized by the chief officers of the Government, 
 both civil and military, and found the principal mer- 
 chants, with, their assistants, taking part. Prizes 
 were offered for the winners and every inducement 
 held out for the young men to participate, and even 
 the veterans contested in a foot race for a piece of 
 plate. There were all sorts of contests, such as fiat 
 and hurdle races, high and long jumps, " putting the 
 shot," and tugs of war, and most of those who took 
 part showed splendid physiques. The attendance 
 was almost general on the part of the Europeans, 
 while a large number of Chinese were also on the 
 ground. 
 
 I find here, as I've done in most of their colonies, 
 another excellent English organization, and that is 
 their police, made up of a few Europeans and some 
 Chinese, but mainly of Sikhs from about Delhi and 
 Lahore, India. The latter seem to be entrusted 
 with important posts, and the night service, when 
 they are usually armed with rifles, is largely per- 
 formed by them. They wear a dark-blue uniform, 
 but retain the red turban of their native country, to 
 which they return, after a certain number of years 
 abroad, with a life pension. 
 
 Hong Kong's position renders it an admirable point 
 for excursions in various directions. Manila, Canton, 
 Macao and other places are easily reached — the two 
 latter in less than a day's sail. As Camton is regard- 
 
CANTON SI (i I IIS. I 75 
 
 ed as a typical Chinese city, and rather the least 
 dirty and " smelly," I made my first visit there. A 
 regular line of steamboats ply between this city and 
 Canton. They are modeled after our North River 
 boats. The one we went on is called the "Han Kow, 1 ' 
 after a large city on the Yangtsze River, and where 
 she formerly ran. We found her exceedingly com- 
 fortable — the lower deck beine devoted to third-class 
 passengers, the after saloon to seconds, and the first- 
 class occupying the forward saloon. Visiting the 
 lower deck of this steamer, in the course of the 
 journey, I saw as motley a crowd as could well be 
 imagined, most of whom were smoking, and at the 
 same time listening to a professional story teller, who 
 occupied a prominent seat; he had commenced his 
 story as the steamer left, the wharf, and it would not 
 end till the boat reached her destination, when he 
 would hand around the hat. I was told that he was 
 a great favorite and drew so well, that the company 
 gave him a free pass, no doubt in the view of in- 
 creasing the travel by this line. 
 
 There were only six of us, and chiefly old com- 
 panions from the '' Hydaspes." Captain Lloyd 
 was exceedingly polite, and pointed out the chief 
 objects of interest along the Canton, or Pearl River, 
 as it now appears on the maps. Chief among these 
 attractions were some islands and the Bogue Forts, 
 which the Chinese have greatly strengthened since 
 or during their trouble with the French. The coun- 
 
1/6 HONGKONG, CANTON AND MACAO. 
 
 try along the river is generally flat and devoted to 
 rice culture. At Whompoo, some miles down the 
 river, and near the barrier, we passed the United 
 States war steamer "Marion," Capt. Miller. It was 
 very refreshing to see our flag and feel I was under 
 the protection of American guns. She has since 
 been joined by the "Alert," of lighter draught, which 
 is able to go directly up to the city and lie off that 
 portion of it occupied by Europeans. Our Consul, 
 Mr. Seymour, had asked for this display of force, 
 fearing that the treatment received by the Chinese 
 on the Pacific coast would result in retaliation out 
 here. Perhaps not at present, but when the friends 
 of the murdered and persecuted Chinese begin to re- 
 turn home it is not unreasonable to suppose that 
 their reports may stir up bad feeling, of which the 
 missionaries and a few public officials are liable to be 
 the victims. Still, I wandered through all sections 
 of the city, attended only by a guide — and he a 
 Chinese — and did not meet with any insults, except 
 that I was called a "foreign devil;" but that is a 
 title that Europeans have long since enjoyed, and I 
 believe their friends, the English, are alike so desig- 
 nated; and as a member of the club here told me he 
 had, before knowing me, bet that I was an English- 
 man, I fancy I could pass muster as one of the 
 Chinaman's friends, 
 
 The city of Canton, as you approach it from the 
 river, does not present either an attractive or impos- 
 
CHINESE A Rt 'III I EC TURE. I 7 7 
 
 ing appearance. Nearly all the houses are low — be- 
 ing of a single story — of a grey color, with no preten- 
 tions to architectural effect. The few prominent 
 structures that are striking are the pagodas and the 
 pawnbrokers' houses, the latter often three stories 
 high, and having peculiar shaped gable -ends. I was 
 told that, in addition to being devoted to the special 
 trade of their owners, they were often patronized as 
 store houses. Being well built and towering high 
 above other buildings, they are not approachable by 
 thieves from the roof, as the average Chinese house 
 is. 
 
 Our steamer was not permitted to reach the wharf 
 before she was literally surrounded by a swarm of 
 river boats, seeking the patronage of the Chinese pass- 
 engers and of the freight. These Canton River 
 boats are a feature of that city, and must number 
 many thousand. The population of them is set down 
 as between two and four hundred thousand, not a 
 member of which own or occupy an acre of ground 
 and who live and bring up families on their small 
 craft. The peculiar shape of some, styled the slipper 
 boat, from their resemblance to the ordinary slipper, 
 is very noticeable. The front portion is covered over 
 and painted, and the rowers propel them from the 
 rear part, and they force them along at high speed. 
 
 Having a letter of introduction to Mr. Cunningham, 
 the agent of the house of Russell & Co., in Canton, 
 I was met at the boat by that gentleman, who kindly 
 
I78 HONG KONG, CANTON AND MACAO. 
 
 asked me to his home, and had already secured me 
 a guide for visiting the chief objects of interest in the 
 city; and here I wish to tender my thanks, not only 
 to him, but also to Mr. Huntington, the representa- 
 tive of the house here, who has been as kind as pos- 
 sible — putting me up at the club, dining and giving 
 me letters to their various houses in other parts of 
 China, all of which kindness and attention I fully ap- 
 preciate. 
 
 Having but a limited time to devote to Canton, I 
 had no sooner deposited, my valise at the comfort- 
 fortable bungalow of Russell & Co. — for this firm 
 own the residences of their agents in the principal 
 Chinese cities — than I made arrangements with Mac, 
 the guide, for a tour, that afternoon, through the por- 
 tion of the city nearest our home, and accordingly 
 visited quite a number of shops and a few of the 
 temples, also some of their manufactories. The 
 average Chinese temple is rather a striking struc- 
 ture, and consists of several courts — the high altar 
 or seat of the chief god to which the temple is 
 devoted, being one of the inner buildings. The im- 
 age, God of War, is a favorite one, being represented 
 by a man of large statue, with long black beard, and 
 with rich Chinese robes. I saw very few worship- 
 ers, and I visited temples at various hours, but I did 
 observe a good deal of burning of tapers in jars in 
 front of their images. The practice, too, of burning 
 these tapers in niches at the door of their shops is 
 
P. I CODA S A. YD /A'CEVSE. I J O. 
 
 almost universal, the object of which is, so far as I 
 could gather, to invoke good fortune upon their busi- 
 ness affairs. Some Europeans regard this burning 
 of tapers as having a purifying effect upon the atmos- 
 phere of Canton, and to a certain degree it disinfects 
 the city. This seems reasonable, and if true, should 
 be encouraged, as its odors are horrible. A most 
 striking architectural feature of these temples is the 
 peculiar and concave form of the ridge, which usually 
 terminates in the figure of a dragon. The eaves are 
 also similarly curved and have dragon ornaments. 
 
 Their streets are exceedingly narrow — should not 
 think them over six to eight feet — and their widest 
 thoroughfare, the street of Benevolence and Love, 
 which is in the old town and extends from the east 
 to the west gate, can't be more than twelve feet. Of 
 course, there are no sidewalks, and two good-sized 
 chairs just manage to pass each other. I did all my 
 sight-seeing in a Sedan chair, and the guide claimed 
 a similar luxury. 
 
 The pagodas are circular towers of several stories, 
 some reaching nine. They are built of brick and 
 have balconies at each story. I believe the original 
 object of them was for the preservation of some relic 
 of Buddha, but they have since filled the purpose, in 
 Chinese philosophy or religion, of averting evils — 
 at least that is as near their present purpose as I 
 could get at. 
 
 My second day's visit in the city was nearly a 
 
l8o HONG KONG, CANTON A. YD MACAO 
 
 repetition of the first, save that I started earlier and 
 saw it after its morning ablutions, and must do it the 
 credit of admittino- that there were fewer and less dis- 
 agreeable smells. I ascended the five-story pagoda, 
 which is at the extreme northern end of the city, and 
 is built upon the wall — for Old Canton is walled in, 
 and its parapets have a number of old iron guns 
 mounted upon them. The view from this pagoda 
 is very extensive and covers the entire city, 
 which presents the same grey, sombre appearance as 
 when approaching it by the river. In this pagoda 
 were several images of heroic size — one, I believe, 
 representing Buddha. 
 
 I took some refreshments and then continued my 
 journey, directing my steps towards the Examination 
 Hall— an institution where candidates for political 
 and literary honors are examined every three years. 
 It is capable of holding at one time more than ten 
 thousand persons, who are assigned a species of cell, 
 given a text, and at the end of twenty-four hours are 
 compelled to hand in their treatment of it. Three 
 days are consumed in their examination — a different 
 subject being given each day. Of this large number 
 of candidates something more than ioo are accepted, 
 and they again have to pass a final examination at 
 Pekin, if they wish to attain the highest grades. This 
 is civil service examination of the highest order, 
 but I learn it does not bring about honesty in orifice, 
 for the reason that the Government itself is not 
 
A CHINESE LUNCH. I 8 I 
 
 honest, and cares not what the methods of the Man- 
 darins are in collecting taxes, provided the necessary 
 funds reach the capitol. The wonder is how a 
 government so conducted, could have existed for 
 4,000 years without any material change of form. 
 
 After leaving the Examination Hall Mac, the 
 guide, suggested lunch, and took me to what he said 
 was a swell Chinese restaurant. The landlord, Tin- 
 fuk greeted us, on entering, much as Delmonico 
 would, and we were assigned the most select apart- 
 ment. Mac, who was for 22 years the servant of 
 Archdeacon Gray, of the English Episcopal Church, 
 I naturally inferred knew how to order a dinner, and 
 he did order one — but he did most of the eating, as 
 I could not stand Chinese cooking and did not know 
 how to handle chop sticks. There were no knives 
 and forks, so I contented myself with eating some 
 sweet cakes and taking some refreshing tea. We were 
 offered a beverage, distilled from rice, called sam-su> 
 which I found very palatable. At the close of lunch 
 basins of hot water were offered us for washing our 
 hand and faces. 
 
 After lunch, I told Mac I wished to visit the court 
 for the examination of criminals, which we did, and 
 after passing through a long line of offices approp- 
 riated for lawyers and business matters connected 
 with the court, we entered the apartment where the 
 Judge was trying several cases ; and, I should judge, 
 of various offences. Most of the prisoners were in 
 
I 82 HONG A'OXG, CANTON AND MACAO. 
 
 chains, and on entering to have a hearing, threw 
 themselves on their knees and asked the Judge for 
 mercy, when the examination went on — the object of 
 the Judge being, apparently, to compel the accused 
 to confess or admit the charge against him. There 
 were three prisoners, who at the same time, were 
 undergoing torture in order to make them confess, 
 as under the Chinese law, capital punishment cannot 
 be inflicted, until the accused admits his crime. The 
 mode of torture consisted in tying them with their 
 backs to a board, their thumbs and toes brought 
 together behind it, and then pulled as closely as pos- 
 sible — the pain from which must have been ex- 
 cruciating ; but they were not disposed to confess, 
 and I did not care to wait any longer and witness 
 such a scene. 
 
 There was no jury, but there appeared to be an 
 attorney who was brow-beating the various prison- 
 ers. Unfortunately a full understanding of the cases 
 was impossible, as Mac's knowledge of English is 
 very limited, and I could not have the en- 
 tire process explained ; but it seemed to me that 
 Justice in a Chinese court, when one is wrongfully 
 accused, would all depend upon the amouut of money 
 that could be produced to clear the charges. I've 
 since been told that the cases are all pretty thorough- 
 ly investigated by the various subordinates, and a 
 very complete description sent to the Judge previous 
 to trial. And further, without some compulsory pro- 
 
 i 
 
 
CHINESE PRISONS. I 83 
 
 cess, justice would rarely be reached, as Chinese evi- 
 dence can be purchased at very low figures. 
 
 I also visited some of the prisons, and saw the 
 criminals wearing boards which encircled their necks ; 
 these are some three feet square, are securely fasten- 
 ed on, and have the offences marked on them, one of 
 the prisoners begged me to intercede and get the 
 board removed, as he had not been able to lie down 
 since he was sentenced, but I preferred giving him a 
 small sum, for which he was extremely grateful — 
 These prisons are exceedingly filthy places and I 
 was glad to get away for fear of being covered with 
 vermin. These scenes about tired me of Canton 
 city, and I gladly returned to my comfortable quar- 
 ters at Mr. Cunningham's. The following morning 
 I took a steamer for Macao, some eighty miles. It 
 is an old Portugese settlement, and, inthe early days 
 of trading with the East, a very prosperous one, as 
 the rich merchants resided there. But its glory has 
 departed, and Hong Kong, from its much finer har- 
 bor and greater facilities for business, has robbed it 
 of all its trade, and the port is now almost deserted. 
 The town is prettily situated, and the sea breeze has 
 a fine sweep over it, so that resicjents of this city 
 often go there for a change. 
 
 I have greatly enjoyed my twelve days' stay at 
 this hotel, which, under the management of Mr. 
 Greeley an American, is admirably kept. I believe it 
 ranks first among all hotels in the East. I've also 
 
184 HONG KONG, CANTON AND MACAO. 
 
 had the pleasure of meeting, at it, Mr. and Mrs. 
 
 G e, of West Islip, Suffolk County, Long Island. 
 
 They are now off on a combined business and plea- 
 sure trip to Manila, but are soon to return to their 
 Long Island home. 
 
XIX. 
 HONG KONG TO SHANGHAI. 
 
 STMR. "• MELBOURNE," EASTERN SEA, NEARING SHANGHAI, 
 
 TEMPERATURE 55°., 
 
 March 2jth /SS6. 
 
 FROM the caption of this you will learn I'm now 
 traveling in a French steamer, my first exper- 
 ience in this loner Eastern tour. Three times have I 
 tried the Peninsular and Oriental boats; once the 
 Austrian Lloyds, and now a Messagerie; and I'm 
 bound to admit that I find this ship exceedingly com- 
 fortable. The hours of meals are not as congenial 
 to my taste, but the food, combined with the mode 
 of serving, is the best I've yet found, and in point of 
 speed this French boat is much the faster. I also 
 discover that many of the most cosmopolitan class of 
 travelers in this Eastern land give the French line 
 the preference. I've generally chosen the P. & O. 
 boats, as I felt more sure of meeting travelers of 
 
I 86 HONG KONG TO SHANGHAI. 
 
 similar tastes, as well as speaking my own language, 
 and from the further reason that, in case of accident 
 or break-down, that line has the means and spare ves- 
 sels to go to your assistance. We have no Chinese 
 passengers — a comfort I duly appreciate. Not only 
 are the decks clear and open from bow to stern, but 
 we escape the horrible smells attending Chinese 
 cooking ; for I believe they indulge in those articles 
 which have to the average Anglo-Saxon the most 
 unsavory odors in the world. 
 
 You will notice there has been a material change 
 of temperature, for while in Hong Kong we were in 
 warm summer weather, and wore our lightest cloth- 
 ing. Now, less than two days' travel to the north of 
 it we find winter garments most acceptable, and we 
 go about the decks muffled up in our warmest uls- 
 ters. Of course, the suddenness of the change makes 
 a greater impression, and demands much warmer 
 dressing than if we had approached these colder lat- 
 itudes more gradually. 
 
 The prospects are now (if fog does not prevent), 
 that we shall reach Shanghai to-morrow afternoon, 
 and as I do not intend closing this' till I've seen that 
 city and, perhaps, a portion of the great Yangtse ri- 
 ver, I leave off writing for the present. 
 
 Shanghai Club, Shanghai, China, April 12th 1886. 
 — Our good ship even exceeded my expectations, 
 and reached the mouth of the Woosung River quite 
 early on the morning of the 26th; but the tide being out 
 
FIRST VIEW OF SHANGHAI. I 87 
 
 she was not able to cross the bar — hence we were 
 transferred to a tug which brought us to the city. The 
 approach to this town is quite different from that of 
 its rival, Hong-Kong, which, you may recall, is most 
 picturesque. Here the country is flat, and in coming 
 up the river one might fancy himself steaming toward 
 the city of New Orleans, so much does the winding 
 river, muddy water, and general flatness of country 
 resemble the approach to that city, 
 
 Shanghai is about 14 miles from the mouth of the 
 Woosung, and the European quarter is the first 
 reached, the native city being further inland. First 
 in order along the river, comes the American Con- 
 cession, then the English, and after it the French. On 
 the opening of the port this land was set apart by 
 the Chinese Government for the exclusive use of the 
 various powers above mentioned, and the Govern- 
 ment of these several colonies is in the hands of their 
 respective representatives. The English system 
 seems to be the prevailing one, and the result is, 
 good broad streets, that are well kept, and good 
 police. The residences are usually large brick struc- 
 tures, stuccoed and built with reference to the heat, 
 which in mid-summer is rather trying. 
 
 These residences usually, front on the river, and 
 the warehouses, or " godowns," are in the rear. The 
 system of Concessions above noticed, obtains at 
 nearly all the treaty ports, such as Amoy, Fouchow, 
 Canton, Kiew Kiang, Chinkiang, Hankow and the 
 
T 88 HONG KONG TO SHANGHAI. 
 
 like, so that in each of the colonies attached to these 
 cities there are most of the conveniences and com- 
 forts which pertain to life in Europe or America. 
 
 As usual, as you observe from the caption of this, 
 I'm in good luck and enjoying all the comforts of a 
 well-organized club. My room overlooks the river, 
 where most of the shipping is at anchor — the wharf- 
 ing facilities not being sufficiently extensive to admit 
 of all vessels lying alongside piers. The American 
 flag that floats from the U. S. steamers, Omaha and 
 Marion, is in full view, so that I feel not only com- 
 fortable and happy, but also in the land of friends. 
 In truth, it has been my good fortune to feel so 
 at almost every city in the East that I've visited. 
 Armed with a fair amount of letters of introduction, 
 I've never failed to have access to the houses, of 
 the most interesting and intelligent class ; and I've 
 every reason to testify to the hospitality and kindly 
 feelings of all the various nationalities in this far-oft 
 land. I'm especially indebted to Mr. C. Vincent 
 Smith, of the American house of Russell & Cor, 
 for kind favors here. 
 
 I find here, as I have done in all the other English 
 colonies, that the love of sport has a strong hold 
 upon its residents, and a good race track with the 
 accompanying grand stand and refreshment rooms, 
 has been established in the suburbs of Shanghai. 
 A large share of the business men are out 
 every morning before sunrise, exercising their 
 
FILIAL DEVOTION. I 89 
 
 ponies, a small compact animal brought from the 
 mountain districts of China. A few are tried ani- 
 mals and have a record, but the majority were pur- 
 chased this season from the traders, and are entirely 
 green and untrained. These last are called griffins, 
 and the purchaser has to exercise his best horse 
 knowledge in order to secure even a fair racer. Some 
 
 O 
 
 amusing scenes occur at these exercises, and there is 
 often an amount of buck-jumping that would com- 
 pare favorably with that of the wildest Mexican 
 mustang. 
 
 As an example of Chinese discipline, which, under 
 the Confucian code exacts the most explicit obe- 
 dience on the part of children towards the parent, 
 and in case of need the latter can claim a support 
 from their hands. And, as illustrating the ex- 
 tent to which this is carried in China, I will give a 
 most remarkable case of filial devotion on the 
 part of a son towards a widowed and dependent 
 mother. It was told me by a very reliable officer, a 
 member at the time of the staff of General Cameron, 
 commanding: English forces in China, and I feel con- 
 fident he gave it as presented to the English officials. 
 
 It appears that the young Chinaman above alluded 
 to had committed an offence which, under the 
 Chinese laws, was capital, and to save his neck had 
 concealed himself from the officers of justice. For 
 his capture a reward of $i,ood was offered, and the 
 mother, being cognizant of his place of refuge, ap- 
 
190 HONGKONG TO SHANGHAI. 
 
 pealed to him in person after the following manner : 
 
 1 st. That she was entitled to a support from him, 
 and as then situated he was unable to supply it. 
 
 2nd. That the income from the sum offered for his 
 apprehension would support her for the remainder of 
 her life, and hence it was his duty to surrender himself 
 and thus enable her to deliver him to justice and to 
 claim the reward. This he did, and for the offence 
 against the law was decapitated ; the mother re- 
 ceived the reward and lived upon its proceeds. 
 
 It hardly seems possible that any mother could 
 act in such an inhuman and unnatural way, but un- 
 less this officer, as well as all others at headquarters, 
 were imposed upon, which is not very probable, 
 there is every reason for accepting it as a well sub- 
 stantiated fact. 
 
 I had been but a few days at Shanghai, when I 
 began making inquiries concerning a trip up the 
 Yangtse Kiang, and learned that it could easily be 
 accomplished by anyone of the three lines of steamers 
 plying between this city and Hankow, a port 600 
 miles in the interior. Accordingly I started on the 
 morning of March 3 1st, by the steamboat "Shanghai" 
 a river steamer modeled after our North River boats, 
 and having many of the conveniences of our best 
 vessels. First-class passengers are especially well 
 provided for, and have large roomy state-rooms 
 (English cabins). 
 
 In passing down the Woosung, which joins the 
 
THE YANGTSE. 19 I 
 
 Yangtse some fourteen miles from this city, I had an 
 excellent opportunity of seeing its shores and the 
 high cultivation which obtains. One of its most 
 striking features is the immense number of mounds, 
 resembling cocks of hay. These are Chinese graves, 
 and, as you may imagine, many are decidedly ances- 
 tral. They have been burying in this mode for centu- 
 ries, as under their Confucian code all ancestral re- 
 mains must be respected. I could not avoid think- 
 ing, as I viewed the effects of private burying 
 grounds in China, that if some of our Long Island 
 friends who have them upon their farms could see 
 what they are liable to come to, they would soon seek 
 some common cemetery for the disposal of the dead. 
 But to return to the Yangtse. We found its waters 
 very muddy and, like those of the Mississippi, filled 
 with sand-bars, and the channel liable to constant 
 changes — thus calling for great care at many points, 
 in order to follow its channel. The river, at the point 
 we entered it, is several miles in width, but narrow- 
 ed as we ascended, and the banks increased slightly 
 in height. The shores were highly cultivated, 
 and covered with wheat fields and every variety of 
 vegetable. This wheat, I was told, would be ripe by 
 the end of May, and would give place to some other 
 crop. In some cases they are able to gather, in the 
 twelve months, three good ones. The farmers' huts 
 line the river through much of its course. They 
 are very rude affairs, with only mud walls and thatch- 
 
192 HONG KONG TO SHANGHAI. 
 
 ed roofs, and no flooring. The untidy habits of this 
 class are fully shown by the pigs and chickens Tun- 
 ing in and out of the cottages at will. 
 
 Fifty five miles from Shanghai we passed the vil- 
 lage of Langshan. There is nothing remarkable about 
 it, save that the original Langshan breed of black fowl, 
 much prized in Europe and America, came from there. 
 
 One hundred and fifty-six miles above Shanghai 
 we reached Chinkiang. This is the first treaty port 
 on the river ; and, having a good deal of cargo for 
 that place, we stopped there some hours. 
 
 Nanking, the capital of the Empire under the Ming 
 dynasty, is 200 miles from our starting point, but, as 
 it is not open to trade, we merely stopped long 
 enough to discharge the passengers— all Chinese — 
 who had started with us and receive others on board 
 from one of their river boats. The approach to this 
 city is marked by several pagodas, perched upon high 
 eminences, and several joss houses. Its city wall is 
 also a feature, and is said to measure 21 miles. It 
 seemed in a good state of repair. Like the walls of 
 most of the Chinese cities, it is crenelated for musket- 
 try, and has at its back a heavy embankment of earth. 
 This is one of the cities that suffered heavily during 
 the Taiping rebellion, which prevailed during a good 
 portion of the period from i852 to i858. 
 
 Kiew Kiang, 400 miles up the river, is near some 
 of the finest scenery. Just above that city there are 
 some stretches that would compare favorably with our 
 
REACHING HAN-KOW. T93 
 
 Hudson River ; but in the main the country is flat, 
 and were it not for the lar^e number of villages, the 
 boat life, and the constant change of scene, the trip 
 would not be especially interesting. 
 
 Han-Kow, the end of our up-river journey, was 
 reached on the fourth day from starting. It should 
 not have taken us more than three, but we were 
 heavily loaded and there were other detentions that 
 kept us back. Han-Kow, with its two adjoining cities 
 of Hanyan and YVochan, is put down as containing 
 more than 1.000,000 of people. Some estimate the 
 ao-orecrate as greater, but as I have no means of 
 judging, I accept the former. It is exceedingly dif- 
 ficult to estimate, with any degree of accuracy, a 
 Chinese population, as their towns are built so much 
 more compactly than ours, and the streets are so 
 much narrower. All space is covered over ; but, 
 on the other hand, nearly all the houses are of but 
 one story, and did they not huddle together, their 
 cities would not be so very populous. 
 
 I was not sorry to reach the limit of the up-river 
 journey, but I could not avoid exclaiming : " What a 
 mighty river the Yang-tsze is ! " for at this distance 
 (600 miles in the interior and very heart of China) 
 there was sufficient depth of water to float the 
 largest ocean steamers, numbers of which load, every 
 tea season, direct for London. Han-Kow is about 
 100 miles from the tea-growing section, which plant 
 (as in India) is chiefly cultivated on the sides of 
 13 
 
194 HONG KONG TO SHANGHAI. 
 
 mountains — much of the land beino- terraced, the 
 better to protect the plants from washing, through 
 the rains, a large fall of which is essential to tea 
 culture. 
 
 At Han-Kow I was introduced to a new industry 
 — the making of brick tea. That is the fine pow- 
 dered tea and refuse, which, not being salable in 
 European markets, is here, after being moistened, 
 pressed into bricks weighing 25 pounds, packed into 
 basket crates of 180 pounds each, and shipped to 
 Tientsin, from whence it goes, by pack trains, to 
 Siberia and the remote sections of Russia. This, 
 of course, is an inferior article, but it has grown to 
 be a staple commodity in distant Russia and Thibet, 
 and, in the absence of coin, serves as a medium of 
 exchange. The making of this brick tea is entirely 
 in the hands of Russians, and they form quite a ma- 
 terial part of the Han-Kow European colony. 
 
 Our return trip enabled us to see points that we 
 had passed at night on our way up — such, for in- 
 stance, as the mouth of the Grand Canal, which 
 crosses the Yang-tsze near Chin-Kiang, and serves as 
 a great feeder to this river, as it reaches as high up 
 as Pekin, at the north, and to the south near Canton. 
 Besides this, there are a vast number of rivers and 
 many lakes that are tributary to this mighty river, 
 which has a length of over 3,000 miles. 
 
 We reached this city, on our return, eight days 
 from the time of departure — pleased with the jour- 
 
AN IMMENSE RIVER. I 95 
 
 ney, and feeling that we had gained not a little in- 
 formation by penetrating so far into the interior of 
 the country ; and feeling, also, greatly impressed 
 with the magnitude of this immense river — perhaps 
 the greatest, viewed from all stand-points, in the 
 world. 
 
XX. 
 
 CHINESE FORTIFICATIONS. 
 
 HAN-KOW, CHINA. 
 (ABOUT EAT. 30° 32' N., LONG. II4 Ig' E. 
 
 TEMP. IN SHADE, 69'.) 
 
 April 6th, 1886. 
 
 WHEN I closed my letter from India, I rather 
 intimated you might hear from me again at 
 some point farther to the eastward, and I must con- 
 fess in doing so I had China in my mind. Thinking 
 that in that distant and little explored land there 
 would be some military novelty that I could pick up 
 for the benefit of your readers — something like a 
 guard mount, a parade, or some military procession, 
 or a barrack scene, so different from aught else I've 
 witnessed, that would serve as a real treat to the pa- 
 trons of the Military Service Journal ;* but I fear 
 my hopes are likely to be thwarted, as three weeks 
 in China have failed to produce anything that seems 
 especially appropriate for a military letter. In truth, 
 
 * Journal Military Service Institution of the U. S. 
 
SOME EARTHWORKS. I 97 
 
 I've seen very little of Chinese troops. On my visit 
 to Canton, an excursion which I made from Hong- 
 Kong, I had the good fortune to travel with Captain 
 Lloyd of the steamboat Hau-Kow, which makes 
 daily trips between Canton and Hong-Kong, a fine 
 boat modelled after our North River steamers, and 
 as roomy and comfortable as could be wished. Cap- 
 tain Lloyd's knowledge of the river, and the various 
 batteries which have been constructed on the Can- 
 ton or Pearl River for the defences of the city of 
 Canton, gave me a good idea of its fortifications, 
 most of which are of recent construction. The late 
 unpleasantness between the Chinese and French 
 frightened them into doing something for their city. 
 These batteries are evidently well placed, and have 
 mounted some of the most improved and best con- 
 structed modern guns. I think Krupp has supplied 
 some of the best ; European engineers have evi- 
 dently been employed in these defences, to which 
 they add a good system of torpedoes. This scare 
 has had another good effect, viz., to connect the cen- 
 tral government at Pekin with their various prov- 
 inces and military works by a good system of tele- 
 graphs. This latter is regarded by the Europeans 
 as the forerunner of the railway. Both, I believe, 
 are opposed by the literary and political mandarins, 
 who desire to keep the people in ignorance and the 
 power in their own hands ; but nothing would do so 
 much toward bringing to light the acts of those offi- 
 
I98 CHINESE FORTIFICATIONS. 
 
 cials as a good and rapid system of communications 
 with the various parts of the Empire. One hears 
 from every quarter of the "squeezes" of these offi- 
 cials, which are practised as largely in military mat- 
 ters as in their civil callings. I have been told that 
 their military mandarins, who seem to have most 
 arbitrary power, are in the habit of reporting and 
 drawing funds for the payment of a number of troops, 
 sometimes double that which they actually have 
 under their command. Even their great Li-hun?- 
 Chang, Viceroy of the province of Pe-chi-ti, and 
 with Tien-Tsin as his head-quarters, has been re- 
 ported as having drawn payment for a much larger 
 number of troops than was actually in service. Such 
 acts could not be successfully carried out if the com- 
 munication with various sections of the Empire were 
 rapid and frequent. 
 
 Notwithstanding such charges, Li-hunsf-ChanQf is 
 justly regarded as the great man of the Empire, is 
 more advanced in his views than any other official, 
 and is actually making greater innovations upon the 
 time-honored customs and traditions than any prom- 
 inent official that China has produced for many 
 years. I believe he favors the introduction of the 
 railroad system and the improvement of roads. At 
 present China has only foot-paths, or such as would 
 only pass for these, between its most important and 
 populous cities. Its commerce for centuries has de- 
 pended upon its canals and rivers. He is one of the 
 
/./-// UNG- CHA NG. I 9 9 
 
 men of whom it is reported General Grant spoke when 
 asked what great men he had met in the course of 
 his tour around the world, and his reply was : " Bea- 
 consfield in England, Gambetta in France, Bismarck 
 in Germany, and Li- hung- Chang in China." These 
 squeezes, to which I have made reference, are re- 
 peated at the central government, and the mandarins 
 who chance to receive good appointments from the 
 Emperor are, at the expiration of their term of office, 
 invited to Pekin to pay their respects to him. And 
 should they fail to grease the palms of his subordi- 
 nates, some of their weak points will be brought to 
 light, and in place of paying a moderate sum it may 
 cost them many thousands of taels to escape with 
 their heads. The Chief Inspector of Trade at 
 Canton holds his appointment for three years. At 
 the time of retiring he visits Pekin on the accus- 
 tomed visit to the Emperor, and he rarely gets off 
 with less than 100,000 taels (about $142,000), and, 
 besides it, he has probably put away a large fortune 
 for future use, all of which has been made out of a 
 salary of $2,500. I would not repeat these stories 
 had I not heard the same thine from different sources 
 in various parts of China, and from parties whom I 
 have reason to credit. 
 
 Another evidence of lack of faith in the honesty 
 of 'their own officials, is shown in the custom-house 
 system of the country, especially the dues collected 
 from foreign nations. At the close of the last Eng- 
 
200 CHINESE FORTIFICATIONS. 
 
 lish and French war in China, about 1859, a large 
 indemnity was demanded, but, not having- faith in its 
 payment, these Powers claimed the right to collect, 
 through a commission of their own, the dues at cer- 
 tain ports, which was done, they transmitting the 
 surplus to the central government. The latter, find- 
 ing that the work was so honestly performed and so 
 much more money flowing into the general treasury 
 than before, asked this commission to organize a com- 
 plete system, covering all the ports of entry through- 
 out the Empire open to foreign trade, which is in 
 force at the present moment. The officer in charge 
 of this system is Sir Robert Hart. This commission 
 has greatly extended its labors, and it now covers a 
 good deal of ground, such as the lighting of the 
 coast and navigable rivers, the police of harbors and 
 rivers, and even the purchase of gunboats for the 
 protection of shipping against pirates. The officials 
 composing this service are made up from all the 
 various nationalities trading with China, the number 
 from each nation being about in proportion to the 
 revenues paid in. The pay is liberal, and the ser- 
 vice has called to its aid a most honorable and intel- 
 ligent body of gentlemen, so that it ranks second 
 only to the civil service of India. Unlike that, it 
 has no pension system attached to it, but, in lieu, a 
 bonus of one year's pay is given its officers at the 
 end of each seven years' service. I believe it is in 
 contemplation to tax the officials and create a fund 
 
CHINESE TROOPS. 201 
 
 securely placed, so that in the event of the Chi- 
 nese government doing' away with this system the 
 interest of this fund will serve as a pension to those 
 who may have honorably retired. But I have wan- 
 dered far from my subject, and must now return to 
 the military items variously picked up. 
 
 Respecting the Chinese army as an organized body, 
 I've not been able to learn that such an institution 
 exists. The viceroys governing the various prov- 
 inces are held responsible for the peace and good 
 order of their respective charges, and it seems to 
 rest with them to call out the local militia to the ex- 
 tent that they deem necessary, and this is largely 
 made up from the coolie class, which is the lowest 
 order in the Chinese social scale, all menial labor 
 falling to their lot. At most all the capitals of the 
 various provinces that I've passed there has been 
 some little display of military, especially at the river 
 ports, and I presume they keep there a certain 
 nucleus into which the drafted men are received, and 
 where they get a certain amount of military instruc- 
 tion. A large display of banners seems an essential 
 feature of all their manoeuvres. As I was entering 
 the Woosung River, on my way to Shanghai, the 
 sailors from their gunboats were being landed, pre- 
 sumably for some field exercises, and the number, of 
 banners that were in line as they formed on shore 
 was prodigious. I presume they'd soon get over 
 such ideas if engaged in a long war, and when they 
 
202 CHINESE FORTIFICATIONS. 
 
 discovered that such objects served as excellent tar- 
 gets for the enemy. 
 
 A trip up this great river has .added materially to 
 my information and opened my eyes to the numbers 
 and extent of their river defences, for at numerous 
 points along its course apparently strong earthworks 
 have been erected, and they seem to have shown 
 good judgment in selecting the best sites for its 
 defence, often, however, omitting the important con- 
 sideration of protecting themselves from an attack in 
 the rear, and forgetting that an enemy is not likely 
 to approach from the direction you are best prepared 
 to resist him. The earthworks below Nan-Kin fur- 
 nish an example of this character, and the same may 
 be said of some others. At many of these mili- 
 tary stations we have observed their men idling 
 about, but at scarcely any did we see them engaged 
 in drilling or performing any of the duties of a sol- 
 dier. Their dress is precisely the same as any 
 civilian Chinese (colors dark and light blue), and 
 apparently without any marks to identify them as 
 soldiers. There was an exception to this at one or 
 two of the military works we passed, and at these 
 the dark blue sack or coat had its skirts edged with 
 a broad band of red, with a red badge upon the 
 breast containing the number of the regiment, and I 
 am led to believe that this is the chief distinguishing 
 facing of most of their troops ; it also extends to the 
 retainers of many of the mandarins, as I've observed 
 
A CHINESE THE A IRE. 203 
 
 them in passing through the streets, the mandarin 
 himself being usually borne in a sedan chair. I've 
 used the latter quijte frequently, and have found it 
 rather comfortable. About Hong-Kong, which city 
 is built upon the side of a mountain, its use was 
 almost indispensable, the climate being, at the time 
 I visited it, too debilitating to admit of walking up 
 its steep streets. In visiting Chinese cities, I've 
 usually adopted the open sedan chair (with three 
 bearers), in order to avoid the filth of their narrow 
 streets, and also to escape the annoyance of being 
 jostled and surrounded by a crowd of curious men 
 and boys. I passed a portion of yesterday in Han- 
 Kow City, and was glad I had taken this precaution ; 
 for, whenever I entered a shop to make purchases, 
 I had no alternative but submit to their following, 
 and at times must have had more than fifty of them 
 pressing uncomfortably close upon me. However, I 
 submitted with the best grace possible, to the exam- 
 ination of the various articles of my clothing, watch, 
 chain, and the like. In the course of my wanderings 
 through the town, or, to speak more correctly, in 
 my sedan chair-ride, I came upon one of their finest 
 joss-houses, and through the guide asked for per- 
 mission to enter, which was granted. After inspect- 
 ing the central court, and the high altar or place 
 where their chief images are kept, and before which 
 they usually burn their joss-sticks and say their pray- 
 ers, I was asked into an adjoining court, where I 
 
204 CHINESE FORTIFICATIONS. 
 
 found a most respectable assemblage witnessing a 
 theatrical performance. I was given a choice seat, 
 asked to partake of some refreshment, such as tea, 
 melon seeds, preserved fruits and cakes, and treated 
 with every consideration. I naturally inferred that 
 I was to pay for all this attention, but they posi- 
 tively declined any remuneration, and I could only 
 return their hospitality by thanks, which were uttered 
 in English, and, I fear, were poorly understood. I 
 have since learned that it is often the custom for 
 some of their wealthy citizens, especially when mem- 
 bers of certain guilds, to entertain their friends in 
 this mode, and this one was given on the anni- 
 versary of one of their religious festivals. The 
 host received his guests (all men) at the entrance of 
 the theatre, where he welcomed them by repeated 
 bows, which were returned, neither host nor guests 
 offering to shake hands, but holding them in front 
 with palms together, and when bowing, bringing the 
 chin down close to them. One might almost say 
 that each one shook his own hands, and this, I must 
 conclude,' is the fashion in the best Chinese circles, 
 as I've never seen collected a more distinguished- 
 looking set than those occupying the best seats in 
 this theatre. 
 
 It was a new experience for me to find the theatre 
 an accompaniment of their religious edifice, but upon 
 enquiry, learned it was quite general with the wealthy 
 class. I watched the performance for more than an 
 
DEFORMED FEET. 205 
 
 hour, and was naturally interested, as it was my first 
 experience. There were no women on the stage, 
 but two were personated by men, whose make-up 
 was so good, even to the pinched small feet, that I 
 was thoroughly deceived as to their sex. And here 
 I propose adding an item, for the benefit of your 
 lady readers, respecting the mode of pinching the 
 feet into the shapeless mass, as we "■foreign 
 devils " view it. and which so generally obtains with 
 the aristocratic class. It is less practised in the south 
 of China, but, in the north, no mother will permit 
 her daughter to grow up with the feet that naturally 
 belong to the child, as in the eyes of the " jeunesse 
 doree " she would not be a fit subject for their atten- 
 tions or admiration. This operation, so far as I have 
 been able to learn, begins at an early age, the child 
 not being more than two or three years old. The 
 first step is to bandage the four smaller toes so 
 tightly under the ball of the foot that they are almost 
 buried into the flesh. The next move is to force 
 these up so that they rest in the hollow of the foot, 
 making the whole thing into a lump, and leaving 
 onlv it, the heel, and bigf toe, on which to walk. This 
 operation is continued up to the age of fifteen or six- 
 teen, and is attended with intense pain, the screams 
 and moanings of the child bearing testimony to the 
 sufferings it endures, and after the operation is com- 
 plete they go stamping about much as one would 
 who had lost both feet. There is no elasticity to 
 
206 CHINESE FORTIFICATIONS. 
 
 the walk, and often they have to support themselves 
 by some object. Such is the power of fashion, which 
 is said to have had its origin with some arbitrary 
 ruler, in order to prevent women from gadding. The 
 universal habit of wearing pig-tails by the men is 
 another evidence of the influence of fashion, origi- 
 nally imposed upon the Chinese race by their Tartar* 
 conquerors as a symbol of servitude. It has grown 
 to be an essential part of them, and the man con- 
 demned to cut off this appendage regards himself 
 as disgraced. 
 
 But to return to the Yang-tsze, on which I've been 
 travelling for the past week. It certainly is a noble 
 river, and probably has tributary to it one of the 
 richest sections of the globe. Its banks are lined 
 with peasants' cottages almost the entire distance 
 from Shanghai to this city, and the population along 
 its entire course, added to that which lives upon the 
 lakes, canals, and rivers that are tributary to it, is 
 estimated at 150,000,000. The soil is very rich, 
 and often produces three crops per year. The largest 
 ocean steamers navigate its waters up to this city, 
 six hundred miles above Shanghai, and, but for the 
 two rapids, heavy-draught vessels could go six hun- 
 dred miles above this. Its entire length is variously 
 stated at between twenty-five hundred and three 
 thousand miles. Its shores bear a strong resemblance 
 to some of our Western rivers, and like them have 
 to be protected from overflows by dikes or artificial 
 

 CHINESE WALLED CITIES. 20/ 
 
 embankments. Many of China's most populous 
 cities are situated upon its banks. 1 mention Chin- 
 Kiang, Nan-king, Wukee, Ngdu-King-Foo, Kiu- 
 Kiang, and this city with its two suburban ones of 
 Han-Yang and Wu-Chang, are placed at over 
 1,000,000 of inhabitants. Most of the cities are walled, 
 and can only be entered by the gates, where a duty, 
 resembling the octroi of France, is collected. So far 
 as I am able to judge, these walls are in good con- 
 dition, and are backed by a heavy earthen embank- 
 ment. That at Han-Kow, I know to be at least 
 twenty feet thick, and I presume many of the others 
 are equally strong. These walls are all crenelated, 
 which produces a pretty effect ; the perimeter of the 
 wall at Nan-king is put at twenty- one miles, and I 
 don't think it exaggerated. The approaches to most 
 of their cities are usually marked by one or more 
 pagodas, and if high ground or an eminence can be 
 found, it is placed on the top ; but the appearance of 
 their towns is far from attractive, houses of a single 
 story, and usually of a sombre-gray color, the most 
 prominent structures being the joss-houses and 
 pagodas, the former with the peculiar concave-shaped 
 ridges and upturned eaves, the effect of which is 
 'rather odd and picturesque. 
 
 Before closing this rather lengthy epistle, I wish 
 to speak of a very nice and appropriate compliment 
 paid by Captain Selfridge, U. S. Navy, commanding 
 U. S. Steamer Omaha, who, on a recent visit of 
 
208 CHINESE FORTIFICATIONS. 
 
 Major-General Cameron, commanding the British 
 troops in China, turned out his marines and a share 
 of his sailors, and escorted the General to the race- 
 course, where he inspected a body of the Shanghai 
 volunteers. The blue-jackets looked and marched 
 well, and were highly complimented. This act of 
 courtesy struck me as being well placed, and a good 
 promoter of friendly feeling between the two nations, 
 who have so much in common ; besides, it gave the 
 captain an opportunity of showing the Chinese that, 
 in addition to his naval guns, he was prepared to 
 land a respectable force, and do some fighting on 
 shore. 
 
XXI. 
 
 SHANGHAI TO NAGASAKI. 
 
 MITSU BISHI, STEAMER YOKOHAMA MART, 
 JAPAN WATERS, Aplil l8th, 1886. 
 
 I AM again afloat, and as you observe, in a veri- 
 table Japanese vessel — she forming one of a 
 valuable line running between Shanghai and Yoko- 
 hama, and having connections in various parts of 
 Japan and Corea. Europeans, however, fill the most 
 important posts, such as captain, chief engineer, and 
 mates, but the working of the ship is with Japanese, 
 who are expert sailors and have had their tuition 
 through the extensive fisheries of this land ; for, I 
 imagine, there are few countries with Japan's area 
 that can show such an extended coast line of navi- 
 gable waters, bays, and inland seas ; and, as fish is 
 one of the staple articles of food, the handling of 
 boats in their capacities as fishermen furnishes a 
 good education and fits them for making excellent 
 sailors. I believe for some time after their acquisition 
 of war ships (they have now a far more powerful 
 14 
 
2IO SHANGHAI TO NAGASAKI. 
 
 fleet than our own proud nation can show) some 
 of their ships were commanded by Europeans, but 
 at the present date all their war vessels are in the 
 hands of natives, and a share of the merchants' ships 
 — particularly the cargo boats — are navigated by their 
 own countrymen. 
 
 We left Shanghai on the 14th. The morning was 
 a beautiful one, and as we steamed down the Woo- 
 sung River its shores looked exceedingly attractive. 
 Peach, plum, and cherry trees were in blossom, and 
 the leaves of the willow were partly formed. The 
 latter appears to be the prevailing tree along these 
 Chinese rivers, and I saw but little else in my long 
 journey up the Yang-tsze. I can't account for this, 
 save that I've heard that during the Taeping rebellion 
 in China the rebels destroyed most of the forest trees 
 along the line they occupied, and there does not ap- 
 pear to have been any law compelling the planting 
 of others, as obtains in many countries, and which 
 most travellers wish was thoroughly enforced in all — 
 our own being no exception, as we are sadly in need 
 of some well-executed law on this point. 
 
 Our two days' journey across the Eastern Sea, 
 separating China from Japan, was a pleasant one, 
 the ship's company agreeable and the waves calm — 
 enabling all to come on deck. 
 
 We passed, on the 15th, the large island of Quel- 
 part, which lies directly in the track of vessels run- 
 ning between Shanghai and Japan, and on the even- 
 
LANDING A T NAGASAKI. 2 I I 
 
 ing of that day entered the beautiful harbor of Na- 
 gasaki — one of the most picturesque I've ever seen. 
 It being night, its beauties were not revealed to us 
 till the next morning, when we awoke. The town 
 was just opposite, and our anchorage so near shore 
 as to enable us to recognize friends passing along 
 the " bund." This term, which I first heard in India, 
 is applied to the water-fronts of the various foreign 
 " concessions " throughout the East. It is usually 
 a broad space in front of the European residences, 
 planted with one or more rows of trees. Its face is 
 protected from the washing of the waters by a stone 
 wall, and it serves as an admirable lounging place for 
 the foreign element. It is also an excellent play- 
 ground for their children — the natives only visiting 
 it when called there by business. 
 
 We were some twenty-four hours in the port of 
 Nagasaki — time which was industriously employed 
 by all, particularly the new-comers, who were eager 
 to see all that was novel in this most interesting 
 country. In spite of a pouring rain, we were early 
 on shore and visiting the various shops. Porcelain 
 and tortoise-shell shops were the most attractive to 
 me, and at one of the latter I purchased two excel- 
 lent miniature copies, in shell, of the native boats 
 and jinrickishaws. There is an extensive bazaar, 
 filled with every variety of native productions, that 
 I was much interested in, and that consumed a share 
 of the rainy morning. The afternoon was fine, and 
 
 
2 12 SHANGHAI TO NAGASAKI. 
 
 we profited by it in wandering over the hills and 
 through their principal park, where we saw our first 
 Japanese temple. We also visited one or two tea 
 houses. These are attractive places — the ladies of 
 the house coming out to meet and welcome us. 
 There is no shaking of hands, but they make most 
 graceful bows, smiling all the while, and welcoming 
 us by kindly words, which, I'm sorry to say, I did 
 not understand. 
 
 I was aided, however, by a friend, Mr. Hunt, long 
 a Japanese resident, who was kind enough to explain 
 what the young waitresses were saying. After tak- 
 ing a cup of tea, which is offered without milk or 
 sugar, and in tiny cups, we bid them good-by, 
 receiving in return the most profound bows, which 
 they made while kneeling — the head being brought 
 almost down to the floor. This form of politeness 
 is striking, and the new comer to this picturesque 
 land at once remarks upon it. It is as common to 
 see two of the peasant or working class, when pass- 
 ing each other on the street, stop and make a low 
 bow, as with us for the best class to raise their hats. 
 This courtly demeanor of all classes toward each 
 other at once attracts, and when it is coupled with 
 a kindly smile and every evidence of good feelings, 
 you conclude they are the most polite people in the 
 world, and are naturally led to ask whence it arises. 
 The guide books tell us that it is taught through 
 their religion and a national regard for etiquette 
 
TABLET OF GEN. GRANT. 213 
 
 which is held in hio-h esteem. Their relioion incul- 
 cates the reverence to parents as one of the highest 
 of virtues, and to it as much as any one cause may 
 be traced the foundation of such universal politeness. 
 
 Continuing our walk through the park to which 
 I've alluded, we could not help admiring the beauti- 
 ful cherry blossoms, which, although late for this 
 portion of Japan, were still in considerable numbers, 
 and which the Japanese so greatly admire that almost 
 all grounds have a share of them. The fruit of this 
 species is small and hardly edible, and the tree is 
 grown chiefly for the beauty of its blossoms. One 
 of their most popular out-of-door festivals is held 
 when these trees are in full flower. 
 
 In the course of our wanderings, and at a point in 
 the park commanding one of the finest views of the 
 city and harbor, we came upon a stone slab erected 
 to commemorate the visit of Gen. Grant, U. S. 
 Army, to this hospitable town, when he and his good 
 wife each planted a tree. The slab bears the follow- 
 ing inscription, which is an exact copy of the Gene- 
 ral's well-known hand, and with which I was for many 
 years familiar (as I served for eight years as a subal- 
 tern in the same regiment), and I could not but re- 
 mark upon the faithfulness of the copy, which is thus : 
 
 " Nagasaki, Japan, June 23d, i8jg. 
 "At the request of Governor Watsumi Tada Kalemi, Mrs. Grant and I 
 each planted a tree in the Nagasaki Park. I hope that both trees may 
 prosper, grow large, live long, and their growth and prosperity and long life 
 be emblematic of the future of Japan. U. S. Gram." 
 
214 
 
 SHANGHAI TO NAGASAKI. 
 
 The above is followed by the same sentiment in 
 Japanese characters. One of these trees is dead — 
 possibly the one planted by the General. The other, 
 on the left of the tablet, facing the harbor, is about 
 1 5 feet high and apparently doing well. It was not 
 in leaf, being of rather a late species and of the 
 variety known to the Japanese as Kiri — botanically 
 Pauloivnia Imper talis. A branch of this tree, with 
 its flower — a light purple one — forms one of the 
 emblems on the reverse side of the coin of the em- 
 pire. It was, I understand, the crest of the Shoguns 
 during the military reign of that class of monarchs, 
 and is found on the doors and friezes of their temples. 
 The chrysanthemum is the crest of the Mikado, and 
 it now has first place in the various decorations, and 
 since the revolution of 1868, when he became the 
 temporal as well as spiritual head of the empire, no 
 other emblem has been used on public edifices. I 
 will add that the Kiri is much prized by the Japanese 
 as a cabinet wood, being light and durable. Many 
 of the boxes that one sees in Japanese shops are 
 made from it. 
 
 On modern buildings, especially those of a 
 national character, the chrysanthemum is the only 
 crest, and one finds it on almost all the post-offices, 
 halls of justice, telegraph and municipal buildings. 
 The soldiery and police wear it as a species of but- 
 ton on the bands of their fatigue caps, and not 
 associated with the Shoeun crest — doubtless show- 
 
ISLAND OF DESHIMA. 215 
 
 inof that the Mikado is determined to rule alone and 
 not as formerly, when the Daimios and Shoguns con- 
 trolled the political affairs of the nation. 
 
 Before quitting the harbor of Nagasaki I must 
 remark upon the little island of Deshima, which was 
 assigned by the Japanese to the Dutch Trading 
 Company, and for 200 years they were confined to 
 this narrow bit of land, 600 feet in length by 200 in 
 width. It was connected with the town by two 
 stone bridges, which were, however, carefully guard- 
 ed, and its residents were never permitted to enter 
 the city. Their trading vessels were admitted to the 
 factory through water-gates, which were kept closed. 
 Only a privileged few, with the officials, had access 
 to the island. The Dutch were forbidden brino-ino- 
 their families, and only a few loose women were per- 
 mitted to have intercourse with the sailors and fac- 
 tory men. I presume it was then that these women 
 were taught the dance known as "Jon-kino," which 
 is exceedingly indecent and immoral in its character. 
 This dance begins by taking out their hair-pins, and 
 throwing off, in turn, each article of dress, till not a 
 stitch is left to lay aside. The dance is now prohib- 
 ited by law, and it can only be given surreptitiously. 
 The ordinary dance of the Ghesa, or dancing girls, 
 consists mainly of a series of posturings, and is as 
 modest as the most scrupulous could wish. 
 
 We left Nagasaki at midnight on the 1 7th, and 
 had a good passage, reaching the Straits of Simoni- 
 
2l6 SHANGHAI TO NAGASAKI. 
 
 saki about midday, and came to anchor off the town 
 of the same name. These straits separate the island 
 of Kiu-Shiu from that of Nippon, or the main island 
 of Japan, and here begins what is called the Inland 
 Sea — that famous body of inland water, nearly 300 
 miles in length, and navigable for ocean-going steam- 
 ers, that has no equal in my experience, and possibly 
 is not excelled in any section of the globe, for beauty 
 and the picturesque. 
 
 We were some three hours taking in a supply of 
 rice — some 1,000 sacks of one pecul each (133^- 
 pounds). The sacks, or coverings, were entirely 
 composed of straw, but so completely made that I 
 did not observe the slightest leakage of the grain, 
 and yet there was no inner covering of cotton or 
 gunny cloth. 
 
 The straits are something less than one-half a mile 
 wide at their narrowest part, and being surrounded 
 by high mountains, are capable of being easily de- 
 fended ; and they have been the scene of numerous 
 encounters. 
 
 Near this point we caught our first glimpse of the 
 Tokaido — a national road leading along, or near, the 
 coast as far as the capital — Tokio (Yeddo), some 600 
 miles away. It seemed well constructed, and, when 
 running near the sea, was protected by a wall of 
 stone. The roadway was apparently not more than 
 fifteen feet wide. 
 
 "The Inland Sea," as it is generally styled, con- 
 
THE 1XLAXD SEA. 2\J 
 
 sists of a succession of seas and narrow straits, 
 separating the main islands from each other ; and 
 these large bodies of water are known on Japan- 
 ese charts as, ist. " Suwo Nada;" 2d, " Iyo Nada ; " 
 3d, " Bingo Nada ; " 4th, " Harima Nada," and " Isumi 
 Nada." The islands are most numerous near the 
 narrower points of the channel, and of the 3,000 
 that belong to Japan a goodly number are to be 
 found in this inland sea. The North Channel, as it 
 is termed, and which we reached early this morning, 
 has some of the finest scenery to be found in the 
 entire length of this beautiful sail. Here the ship 
 skirts along the base of bold mountains (many evi- 
 dently the remains of extinct volcanoes), the sides of 
 which are clothed in verdure, and often terraced and 
 cultivated up to their very summits. I counted the 
 terraces on one of these mountains, and they ex- 
 ceeded thirty — all sustained by solidly-built walls of 
 stone. One sees, too, picturesque villages hid away, 
 as it were, in narrow ravines ; the straw-thatched 
 roofs, coming almost down to the ground, form a 
 pretty feature of this interesting trip. There were 
 also Shinto temples and shrines, embowered in groves 
 of trees, sometimes perched upon the highest peaks, 
 but always so placed as to give a pretty effect to the 
 picture. As the day was fine, we watched for hours 
 this ever-varied, but never-tiring, scene, and were 
 rather sorry when, about 4 p.m., it was announced 
 that Kobe was in sight. We entered its pretty little 
 
2l8 SHANGHAI TO NAGASAKI. 
 
 harbor before sunset, and steamed quite close up to 
 the " bund " of the European Concession, which is 
 handsomely laid out, and bordered by the homes of 
 the foreign eolony, which are usually square wooden 
 structures, with good wide porches and galleries. 
 We were soon on shore and comfortably housed at 
 the " Hiogo Hotel," where this letter must close. 
 
XXII. 
 KOBE TO KIOTO. 
 
 YA-AMI HOTEL, KIOTO, JAPAN, 
 (LAT. 34. 30 N., LONG. I35 E. ; TEMP. 50°.) 
 
 April 24th, 18S6. 
 
 KIOTO seems very properly to deserve the good 
 reputation it bears among most travellers, as 
 one of the choice places in Japan. Located at the 
 head of a rich valley, — in fact the city extends well 
 up the sides of a mountain, bountifully supplied by 
 several streams of water, which come directly from 
 the adjacent mountains, and connected with the 
 coast by a well-conducted railway, — there are few 
 spots where one is more disposed to linger than 
 this. The city itself is very attractive. Being for 
 many centuries the seat of the Imperial Government, 
 and at a time when the Mikado was regarded as the 
 spiritual head of the nation, it naturally attracted 
 thither the best talent of the country, and the. re- 
 mains of their work are found in the ornaments and 
 decorations of its temples, and the skill of its work- 
 men in various forms of art. 
 
 
2 20 KOBE TO KIOTO. 
 
 It may be well to state that passports are still re- 
 quired from those who wish to travel to the interior, 
 and away from the treaty ports. Hence, before 
 setting out on my journey to this city I secured in 
 advance, through the U. S. Minister at Tokio, a 
 passport which designated the various districts of 
 Japan that I wished to visit. It is well to make a 
 note of this, as travellers are sometimes turned back 
 and subject to great delays. The railway ticket 
 agents require passports to be shown before issuing 
 tickets, and hotel proprietors will not entertain you 
 unless you can produce one. 
 
 The situation of this hotel is especially good, being 
 at one of the highest points in the city, — in fact, it 
 may properly be called a suburb, — and commanding 
 a superb view of the entire town, a good share of 
 the valley, and the high mountains opposite. Japan- 
 ese, like the Chinese, cities do not furnish much that 
 is admirable in the way of house architecture — the 
 buildings being usually of one or one and a half 
 stories and with little decoration to relieve the 
 monotony of the tiled roofs and rather bare walls. 
 The latter are, however, varied by wooden lattice 
 work, which in some cases forms the outside protec- 
 tion of the sliding paper windows of the inside, and 
 are separated from the former by a considerable 
 interval. In many instances there is still another 
 outside covering, especially to the lower story. This 
 is formed by a series of board frames that slide in 
 
PATER WINDOWS. 22 1 
 
 grooves in the upper and lower galleries, and are 
 securely fastened. By day these are put into a small 
 closet, especially designed for them, and the opera- 
 tion of opening the windows in the early morning" 
 is likely to arouse the most profound sleeper, and 
 possibly to call forth some savage remarks from the 
 tired traveller, as personal experience on my part 
 can attest. 
 
 It seems very odd to live in a city where glass is 
 scarcely used, and where light is admitted by the aid 
 of translucent paper. Still it has its advantages, 
 and I recall, that at one hotel, the dining-room win- 
 dows of which one had become a little torn — going 
 out for a short walk I found on my return that the 
 proprietor had put in an entire new set, and he could 
 not have consumed more than an hour in doing it. 
 Even the partitions of the rooms are often made of 
 paper, and the parts of these partitions so slide within 
 each other that each floor is capable of being con- 
 verted into a single apartment. The shops do not 
 differ materially from the private dwellings. In 
 truth, the shop and habitable rooms so run into each 
 other that it is difficult to say which is the real family 
 residence. I observe that the most valuable goods 
 are usually kept in the upper stories, and when there 
 is anything choice and rich to be exhibited you are 
 often invited to the upper rooms, which are reached 
 by a narrow stairway leading directly up from the 
 shop below. In my wanderings about these estab- 
 
2 22 KOBE TO KIOTO. 
 
 lishments I often happen upon a neat little kitchen, 
 fitted up with the tiniest of charcoal ranges, and it is 
 delightful to see with what good nature the lady of 
 the house submits to my rather prying disposition 
 to examine the various cooking utensils, cupboards, 
 etc., all of which are kept scrupulously neat and clean. 
 Their apartments, covered with the newest of mat- 
 ting, are alike neatly kept. One is usually asked to 
 remove their shoes and accept of a pair of sandals 
 when entering the living rooms. As foreigners 
 generally wear some sort of foot covering that is not 
 readily removed, an exception is usually made in 
 their favor, but I believe never with their own country 
 people. 
 
 Upon entering the temples we also are compelled 
 to observe this rule, and travellers often provide 
 themselves with linen or cotton covers that can be 
 slipped over the leather s'hoe, and thus save time and 
 trouble. Sandals, or clogs, are almost universally 
 worn by the natives, and are kept on by the use of 
 straps or thongs passing between the big toe and its 
 neighbor and over the instep to the sides of the 
 sandal. The better to effect this, the stocking, which 
 is almost invariably of white material, is so made that 
 the big toe fits into a separate part. 
 
 One feature of their house architecture, which is 
 especially striking, is the entire absence of chimneys 
 or anything approaching them. In many of the resi- 
 dences there appears to be a species of ventilator 
 
HEATING THEIR HOUSES. 223 
 
 along the ridge, but no sign of a chimney. Their 
 chief mode of warming themselves is from a kind 
 of brazier filled with coals, and you will find them 
 sitting for hours over this highly-polished heater, 
 occasionally smoking a pipe and chatting. I'm in- 
 clined to think that the lack of erectness in their 
 carriage is due to this constant stooping over this 
 little furnace of theirs. In the far North, where the 
 cold is intense, they burn fuel in a species of oven, 
 which warms the apartments, or else they make use 
 of large metal pots, hung in the centre of the room — 
 the smoke passing out through the ridge of the roof. 
 There is no lack of fuel, as in China and India, 
 where, as I've before noticed, the droppings of ani- 
 mals, mixed with straw and sun-dried, constitute the 
 largest share of their cooking material. Why it has 
 never occurred to the rather active brains of this 
 people to construct some sort of chimney I can't well 
 understand. Another mode of keeping wajm is to 
 put on additional clothing, the natural effect of which 
 is to add materially to the bulkiness of their appear- 
 ance. The children, under their three or four 
 jackets, as I've sometimes seen them, look very 
 funny. Infants are almost invariably carried on the 
 backs of mothers or young girls, and are strapped 
 on almost the same as I've seen amonor the North 
 American Indians. They seem to have the best of 
 tempers, as I have not, up to the present writing, 
 heard any cries from them. 
 
2 24 KOBE TO KIOTO. 
 
 Since writing" these lines a friend has suggested 
 that this lack of erectness in the women is due to 
 their always having had to carry something on their 
 backs. The youngest girls of the family take care 
 of the babies by having them strapped to their backs, 
 and it is as common to see a girl of five or six with 
 a baby strapped on her back as to see the child her- 
 self ; and when the baby shows signs of uneasiness 
 she quiets it by raising herself quite rapidly up and 
 down on her toes and heels, which produces a simi- 
 lar effect to dancing the child in one's arms. 
 
 Their temples are much the largest of the various 
 edifices that one sees in or about the city. The 
 approach to them is usually marked by a stone or 
 wooden gateway. Once within this, you pass through 
 a line of stone lanterns, and possibly come upon 
 another gateway, or smaller shrine, before reaching 
 the main temple ; and after ascending several steps, 
 you enter upon the body of the building, where are 
 placed the high altar and the sacred image before 
 which the people offer their prayers — the petitioner 
 usually beginning prayer by clapping his hands, as 
 it were to call the attention of the god to his sup- 
 plications. In some instances bells or gongs are 
 hung at the entrance, which are sounded previous to 
 commencing prayer. 
 
 Probably the most notice'able, as well as the most 
 interesting, of all the temples about Kioto is the 
 Nishi Hongwanji, where in olden times the nobles 
 
A HANDSOME TEMPLE. 2 25 
 
 of the court and high functionaries worshipped. It 
 has attached to it extensive apartments, decorated 
 by the best artists of the times — the subjects being 
 usually some characteristics of Japanese life. Some 
 of these rooms, or audience-chambers, are really very 
 handsome. The Hondo, or principal building, of 
 this Buddhist temple is 138 feet in length by 93 in 
 depth, and the floor covers an area of 477 Japanese 
 mats. I did not learn the exact size of a mat, but 
 judged it to be about 3 feet square. One is struck 
 in this, as in many other of their places of worship, 
 by the great resemblance of the high altar, incense- 
 burners, candlesticks, etc. (all of which are accom- 
 paniments of these temples), to those of the Roman 
 Catholic churches. Even the priests that one sees 
 about them and in the streets dress in a similar man- 
 ner, except that the Japanese priests shave their 
 heads completely, and not alone the crown, as obtains 
 with many Roman priests. 
 
 This hotel seems to be especially favored with 
 churches, as there are some three or four in our 
 immediate vicinity. To one belongs an enormous 
 bell, which is sounded every morning at daylight, 
 and of which we have full benefit. However, as its 
 tone is excellent, I can't say that it disturbs me. In 
 form it resembles the Chinese, being of cupola shape 
 and tongueless. The sound is produced by striking 
 a circular boss, moulded for the purpose, upon the 
 outer surface of the bell with a heavy oscillating 
 
2 26 KOBE TO KIOTO. 
 
 beam suspended by a rope. It requires eight men 
 to work this beam, and they give the bell eighty 
 strokes each morning. It usually awoke me, but 
 its tone was so soft and musical, that I did not 
 object in the least to lying awake and listening to it. 
 This only goes on during the festival season, which, 
 for the want of the Japanese name, is usually called 
 the "cherry blossom" one. It opens with the first 
 appearance of those flowers and lasts till they have 
 fallen. It is a species of wild cherry, and is valued 
 alone for its flowers, which are very large and beau- 
 tiful. It does bear a small fruit, but I hear it is 
 hardly edible. 
 
 This seems to be the season for general merry- 
 making, as all the theatres and places of amusement 
 are. crowded, the country people flocking in to swell 
 the number. There is a species of ballet now going 
 on that has attracted all the Europeans. I've seen 
 it twice. It lasts about half an hour, when the cur- 
 tain falls and the house is emptied for another 
 audience, when precisely the same thing is repeated. 
 There are some seven of these given in the course 
 of an evening. It can hardly be called a ballet, but 
 is rather a series of posturings, in which fans and 
 wreaths of flowers are freely used. I believe this is 
 the only city where such a representation is given. 
 The dresses are of very decided colors — blue and 
 red predominating — and the usual amount of powder 
 and paint that generally adorns the young Japanese 
 
DOWN THE RAPIDS. 22/ 
 
 lady is used in this dance. The orchestra, also made 
 up of women, is a feature of the performance. They 
 sing during the dance, and accompany themselves 
 with a species of guitar, and odd-shaped drums and 
 small gongs. I believe that Gilbert and Sullivan 
 have introduced in their opera of " The Mikado " 
 something of this ballet. 
 
 In addition to some of the attractions I've enu- 
 merated, and which render Kioto such a desirable 
 city to visit, I can add numerous excursions by rail 
 and jinrickishaw. That to Nara, a two days' trip, 
 where the largest bronze Buddha in Japan can be 
 seen, as also some fine mountain scenery, is most 
 enjoyable. Then there are the rapids — partly made 
 by jinrickishaw and partly by boat. The descent ol 
 these rapids, which are very numerous through a 
 course of some seven miles, is very exciting, and 
 exhibits great skill on the part of the boatmen in 
 managing their boats. The scenery along the river 
 is grand, and with an early morning start, by the 
 time you reach the foot of the rapids you are quite 
 prepared for the comfortable lunch that is spread for 
 you in one of the native tea houses. Our trip was 
 made with a jolly party of six, and we considered 
 the day as well passed. 
 
 These country excursions are profitable in other 
 ways, throwing one in contact with the people, and 
 enabling you to form an idea of how they live, etc. 
 We passed on the road many of them coming to the 
 
2 28 KOBE TO KIOTO. 
 
 city with various descriptions of produce, and their 
 different methods of transporting it were striking. 
 A favorite one seemed to be in long two-wheeled 
 carts, either drawn by men or bullocks. The roads 
 being very narrow, only very narrow-gauged — say 
 two feet — carts can be used. Another very common 
 mode was to pack it upon bullocks, which are driven 
 by a cord attached to a ring in the animal's nose. 
 Nearly all the bullocks were shod with straw san- 
 dals as a protection to their feet over mountain 
 roads, and my guide informed me that it was only 
 recently that the Japanese had even taken to shoeing 
 their horses, of which they have a very limited num- 
 ber. I've only seen, in this city of some 225,000 
 people, about half a dozen very shabby-looking po- 
 nies. I don't know what I shall find elsewhere, but 
 certainly horses are not numerous here. 
 
 The trip to Otsu, a pretty town on Lake Biwa, 
 which is the largest lake in Japan — some thirty-seven 
 miles in length and navigated by steamers — proved 
 a very agreeable one, and is easily made by rail in 
 an hour. The scenery along the line is bold and 
 picturesque. On the way you pass through numer- 
 ous tea fields and much good farming country, which 
 is cultivated to the greatest perfection. Many of the 
 tea gardens were protected by straw mats on bam- 
 boo poles. This is done for the purpose of forcing 
 the young tea shoots, which furnish the earliest and 
 best teas. You may imagine that labor is cheap 
 
JAPANESE CARPENTERS. 2 2Q. 
 
 where such methods are employed. I inquired and 
 learned that the ordinary laborer gets twenty cents 
 per day and finds himself; best carpenters, seventy- 
 five cents ; ordinary ones, sixty cents ; and so on 
 down the scale. While speaking of mechanics, I will 
 add that the owners of this hotel are building- an ad- 
 dition to the same, which has given me an opportu- 
 nity of examining their various implements of the 
 trade, many of which would astonish " Boss Terry," 
 our favorite South Side builder ; and perhaps their 
 method of ifsing them more so — as, for example, the 
 Japanese in planing never pushes the tool from him, 
 but draws it toward the body — and in many in- 
 stances, especially where he has to plane the edge 
 of a board, he stands it upright and pulls the plane 
 down, such an affair as a carpenter's bench not being 
 dreamed of. And yet they do very neat work, and 
 finish off mouldings very handsomely with exceed- 
 ingly simple tools. Their hours of labor are much 
 the same as with us — that is, they begin work at 7 
 a. m., take an hour at mid-day for dinner, and " knock 
 off" about 6 p. m. — but I hardly think they work as 
 industriously as our mechanics. 
 
 As a people I should say that they were very fond 
 of merry-making, and managed to take a good many 
 holidays. One sees, too, great crowds in the street 
 that do not appear to be doing anything, and you 
 are apt to infer they do not over-work. But as I 
 see but few beggars, and those chiefly young chil- 
 
23O KOBE TO KIOTO. 
 
 dren who ask for pennies, I'm equally inclined to 
 conclude that they labor sufficiently to secure the 
 necessities of life. They certainly are a most good- 
 natured and polite race ; even the commonest peas- 
 ant will give you a bow that would grace the draw- 
 ing-room of any nationality, and it is usually accom- 
 panied by a smile, and probably a kind word — cer- 
 tainly one if you address him. Of course, in remote 
 districts, where foreigners are rarely seen, they are 
 likely to exhibit some curiosity, and are inclined to 
 gather about if you stop on the streets, and, maybe, 
 examine any article of dress or jewelry ; but it is all 
 done in a most polite matter, and you can't well take 
 offence. They are nothing like as pushing as the 
 Chinese, who would crowd about in a manner that 
 was far from pleasant — especially in view of their 
 untidy habits. The Japanese, on the other hand, is 
 very cleanly in his person, and one can push through 
 a dense crowd without discomfort or observing any 
 unpleasant odor rising from their bodies. 
 
 But to return to the town of Otsu and the lake on 
 which it is situated, which, the guide-book tells us, 
 takes its name from a fancied resemblance in its out- 
 line to a Chinese guitar. Legend also says that it 
 owes its origin to an earthquake which occurred at a 
 very early period — the same one bringing their 
 famous mountain, " Fuji," to the surface. 
 
 I'd like to remain longer in this beautiful place, 
 and examine more closely some of its varied attrac- 
 
EXCELLENT FARMING. 23 I 
 
 tions, but time rather presses, and, further, my 
 travelling companions have gone ahead, which is 
 another reason for shortening the stay. Hence I 
 return to-morrow by rail to Kobe, and from there 
 take steamer direct for Yokohama. This city is some 
 two and one-half hours, by rail, from Kobe — the line 
 passing through a highly-cultivated farming district, 
 which at present is largely covered with barley and 
 wheat — the former grain being much used, especially 
 when the rice crop is short. I wish our American 
 farmers could have a peep at Japanese cultivation — 
 it is so thorough and neatly done. Night-soil is 
 much used as a fertilizer — this, mixed with other 
 materials, being the chief mode of enriching the 
 land. This railroad passes through the large city of 
 Osaka, a town on the coast above Kobe, where I 
 shall pass a few hours. It, like this city, is well sup- 
 plied by canals, the water of which is drawn from the 
 river ; and this method of transporting various pro- 
 ducts greatly reduces the cost, besides relieving the 
 streets from bulky and cumbersome articles of mer- 
 chandise. The streets of Japanese cities almost in- 
 variably cross each other at right angles, and are laid 
 out with great regularity. No one need get lost 
 if they have any idea of the points of the compass, 
 or have taken the slightest pains to form some plan 
 of the city where they may chance to be stopping. 
 
XXIII. 
 
 YOKOHAMA TO NIKKO. 
 
 suzuki's hotel or tea house, nikko 
 (sun's brightness), japan, May 18th, 1886. 
 
 THERE is a Japanese saying, " Until you have 
 seen Nikko don't say ' Kekko ' " — grand or 
 splendid. Of course, I was not one to disregard this 
 proverb, and shortly after my arrival at Yokohama 
 decided on a visit to this sacred spot and the tombs 
 of two of Japan's important and renowned Shoguns, 
 viz., Iye-yasu and Iye-mitsu. There are several 
 ways of reaching it, but I naturally followed the 
 modern one of railroad, omnibus, and jinrickishaw. 
 It was formerly made solely by jinrickishaw, and 
 occupied several days ; it can now be accomplished 
 in a single day, if a very early start is made from 
 Yokohama ; but I took it leisurely and made a halt 
 of two days at Tokio (Yeddo), and saw a share of 
 the sights of the Japanese capital. Still, I'm not 
 2foine to tell you of these now, but reserve them for 
 a future letter. 
 
JAPANESE GUIDES. 233 
 
 
 As the trip to Nikko was likely to involve that of 
 a visit to other points of the empire, and consume 
 several days. I naturally secured the services of a 
 Japanese guide, who was also able to fill the position 
 of cook — an important one on an excursion of this 
 character, as Japanese food only can be secured at 
 the teahouses of the interior; and unless one is pre- 
 pared to live solely upon vegetables, rice, and fish, 
 with an occasional chicken and eggs, some provision 
 must be made for excursions which take you more 
 than a day's journey from European food and hotels. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Scobell, of Gloucester, England, agree- 
 able and interesting travelling companions of mine 
 in the East, had recently made this excursion, and 
 they warmly recommended a guide called Hakodate, 
 whose services I secured, and he proved worthy of 
 their commendation — being a bright, active fellow, 
 with lots of endurance, always ready for work, and 
 full of resources. He had written recommendations 
 from various parties, but I laid more stress upon one 
 from some American naval officers, who had 
 recently gone over the route, and they warmly 
 praised his usefulness, together with his economical 
 expenditures for the journey. I left to his judgment 
 the purchasing of the various canned articles that he 
 regarded necessary, insisting, however, that he 
 should lay in a certain amount of soft wheaten 
 bread, and several pounds of boiled ham — an article 
 which I've always found fills a most important place 
 
234 YOKOHAMA TO NIKKO. 
 
 and can be called in on most occasions to fill up a 
 gap. He spoke English fairly well, and knew the 
 route thoroughly, having been over it four times this 
 year. 
 
 Leaving Yokohama by rail, in something less 
 than an hour we reached Tokio (Yeddo), where we 
 joined a party consisting of General James H. Wil- 
 son, of cavalry fame during our Rebellion, and Mr. 
 D. Stevens. The latter, although an American, 
 holds a desirable position in the Japanese diplomatic 
 service, and from his familiarity with the Japanese 
 lano-uaofe, added to his intimate knowledge of much 
 of the country, proved a most valuable acquisition, 
 as well as being a jolly good fellow. He added a 
 servant from his well-supplied household at Tokio, 
 as, also, a goodly quantity of stores. I have also 
 to thank him for much hospitality extended during 
 my two days' stay in the Japanese capital. 
 
 All preparations having been completed, we 
 started by rail on a bright, fresh morning for Utsu- 
 nomiya, distant about 70 miles from Tokio. The 
 line runs through a level country, which at the time 
 was filled with barley and wheat, much of which was 
 nearly ripe. The road passes for a good portion of 
 the way along the valley of the Yeddogawa River, 
 and crosses the Tonegfawa at or near Kurikaski. 
 The bridge is not yet complete — hence we were 
 pulled across in a flat boat and changed to another 
 train on the opposite side. Continuing our journey, 
 
A BEAUTIFUL DRIVE. 235 
 
 the line passes, at various points, in sight of the 
 Oshinkaido, one of the national piked roads of the 
 empire, along the borders of which are planted 
 pines and cryptomeria — some of the latter of enor- 
 mous size. The train reached Utsunomiya about 
 mid-day, and we were at once driven to the Ineyd 
 Tea House, where lunch was taken, and then, in a 
 species of omnibus or wagonette, started for Nikko. 
 
 The drive for the entire distance is a beautiful one, 
 through an avenue of cryptomeria, a species of 
 cedar, many of which are over 200 years old and of 
 great size. We passed on the way several villages 
 and made two halts for change of horses. The por- 
 tion of the road from Utsunomiya is called the Rei- 
 pei-shi Kai-do, and is the one along which the rep- 
 resentative of the Mikado travelled in his annual 
 visits to the shrine of Iyeyasu. The following ex- 
 plains the name : " (rei) envoy (shi) sent to offer 
 presents (pei) at the chapel in front of the tomb." 
 Kaido means road. At Imaichi, some seven miles 
 from Nikko. it is joined by another national road — 
 also lined with cryptomeria — coming from the west. 
 The effect where these two splendid avenues of 
 trees unite is very fine indeed. I measured the 
 diameter of one of the largest of these trees near its 
 base, and found it over 30 feet. 
 
 At Imaichi we found, lining the road, a regiment 
 of cavalry and one of infantry. They were evidently- 
 just in from a march, and had halted for a rest or 
 
236 YOKOHAMA TO NIKKO. 
 
 preparatory to bivouacking for the night. The cav- 
 alry men were mounted on the native horse of the 
 country — a small animal of 12 or 13 hands, gener- 
 ally entire and capable of a good deal of hard work. 
 They were in good flesh, and both men and horses 
 appeared as if they were well looked after. An 
 officer of the French service, who is in Government 
 employ, was with them, and I understand he was 
 there for the purpose of instructing them in the vari- 
 ous arms of the military service, and also in what is 
 equally important — the best method of marching 
 and caring for troops while on the march. We 
 halted at Suzuki's Hotel, or Tea House, at 5 p. m., 
 having driven the distance of 22 miles in less than 
 four hours, which was remarkably good, consider- 
 ing the small, light ponies that drew us and the load 
 — five grown men. So well pleased were we that 
 the driver was rewarded by a respectable potir boire, 
 for which he was exceedingly grateful. The re- 
 mainder of the afternoon was consumed in a walk 
 about the suburbs of Nikko and along the banks of 
 the rushing Daiyagawa, which has all the character- 
 istics of a bold mountain stream, and the deposit of 
 debris near the town is proof positive that in high 
 water it must assume the characteristics of a torrent. 
 At 7 p. m. we sat down to dinner with appetites 
 that fully prepared us to do justice to the very com- 
 fortable and nicely-served meal that Hakodate had 
 gotten up. First came a course of soup, followed by 
 
COMFORTABLE QUARTERS. 2 2,7 
 
 some mountain trout that our provider had picked 
 up. These were followed in turn by some substan- 
 tial dishes, to all of which we did ample justice. We 
 retired early. This being one of my first experiences 
 in a tea house, I felt somewhat concerned as to how 
 I should fare in the way of a bed ; but my guide 
 having taken the precaution of bringing along a pair 
 of sheets, I found, on entering the sleeping apart- 
 ment, a most comfortable one on the floor — made 
 up of a number of Japanese comforters, which are 
 heavily wadded, and make a very soft bed. There 
 are no bedsteads in Japanese houses — hence the 
 necessity of sleeping on the floor. As an additional 
 precaution, the sheets were sprinkled with flea-pow- 
 der, but I'm fully of the opinion that this was unnec- 
 essary, nor did I find any in the houses that I 
 afterwards occupied ; but I'm told, on good author- 
 ity, that in midsummer they are abundant and very 
 annoying. 
 
 Having a busy day before us, we were aroused 
 quite early, and, taking a good hearty breakfast, set 
 out to inspect the famous shrines and tombs, which 
 were chiefly the objects of our visit. Almost the 
 first interesting object that one meets on leaving the 
 tea house is the sacred bridge, called in Japanese 
 Mihashi. It is rather graceful, built of wood, and 
 painted red, and spans the Daiyagawa River. Its 
 chief importance grows out of a legend that is 
 attached to it. One of the holy men of Japan, who 
 
238 YOKOHAMA TO NIKKO. 
 
 visited Nikko many years since, reached this stream, 
 which at the time was a raging torrent. Not being 
 able to cross, he fell on his knees and earnestly 
 prayed to Buddha and the gods for assistance. In 
 answer to his petition the god appeared on the oppo- 
 site bank, holding two green and red snakes, 
 which he cast into the torrent, and immediately a 
 bridge was seen to span the stream, and the holy 
 man and his followers crossed in safety. It is closed 
 to the general public, and in former times only the 
 Shoguns and pilgrims were permitted to cross it. 
 
 The view up the valley of the river from the pub- 
 lic bridge, near at hand, is very fine, and one delights 
 to linger in this vicinity at the close of the day. This 
 view is a favorite one with photographers, and 
 one finds it in almost every collection of Japanese 
 scenery. 
 
 Crossing the bridge and continuing our walk 
 through a well-paved avenue, bordered by splendid 
 cedars, we reached the residence of the Shinto 
 priests, who have charge of the tombs and shrines. 
 We were invited in, and passed some time in exam- 
 ining some printed and worked scrolls, which con- 
 tained incidents in the life of their great Shogun, 
 Iyeyasu — one who had been instrumental in quell- 
 ing the various dissensions in the Empire, and who, 
 by his firm government, was able to administer the 
 laws of the nation, and to keep the Daimios, or feudal 
 lords, in quietude. He was canonized after death, 
 
X07ICEABLE OBJECTS. 23Q 
 
 and hence Nikko became a pilgrimage to the loyal 
 and faithful. 
 
 Continuing our rounds, we proceeded to the broad 
 and paved avenue, which leads to some steps. 
 Ascending these, we pass under the granite torii, 
 which is nearly twenty-eight feet high, and the 
 diameter of its columns more than three feet. On 
 the left was a wooden pagoda, which is exceed- 
 ingly graceful and beautifully painted. If my mem- 
 ory is correct, it is of five stories. The signs of the 
 Japanese zodiac adorn the lower story. Passing on, 
 and ascending a few steps more, we pass through 
 the " Gate of the Two Kings." In this court are some 
 beautiful storehouses, painted a bright red, contain- 
 ing the utensils used at the ceremonies in honor of 
 Iyeyasu, and the furniture and other articles used 
 by that hero during his lifetime ; observing, as we 
 pass on, a fine holy-water cistern of gray granite, 
 made from a single block, with granite columns sup- 
 porting its roof: all are worthy of notice. After 
 this we came to the bell tower, of handsome work- 
 manship, and near it a bronze candelabra ; also a 
 bell presented by the King of Corea. Then, con- 
 tinuing our walk, we ascend some steps and come 
 upon a superb chapel, an apartment of which was 
 devoted to the use of the Shogun. In this we were 
 permitted to examine some of the precious relics of 
 the great man — such as his sword, armor, etc. In 
 this chapel I observed that some of the ornaments 
 
24O YOKOHAMA TO NIKKO. 
 
 represented the flower of the peony (Buddha is 
 usually represented as seated on the lotus). At nu- 
 merous points about these various shrines and altars 
 we saw the crest of the Shogun, which consists of 
 three leaves — I believe those of the Kiri {Paulow- 
 nia Imperialis), which has a purple flower, not un- 
 like, in appearance, that of the wisteria, only the 
 flower stalks, instead of hanging down, shoot upwards. 
 Passing out of the last chapel court and ascending 
 a flight of 200 stone steps, we came upon the tomb 
 of the great hero, which is of bronze, of cylindrical 
 form, and surmounted by a graceful cap. Before it, 
 on a low stone table, is an immense bronze stork, 
 holding a brass candle, a bronze incense-burner, and 
 a vase with artificial lotus flowers. Two amainu 
 (heavenly dogs) stand guard near by. One of the 
 great features of this tomb and its adjuncts is the 
 superb manner in which it is located — being on the 
 side of a mountain and surrounded by as beautiful 
 and grand old trees (cryptomeria) as I've ever seen. 
 The shrine and tomb of Iyemitsu is some little dis- 
 tance from that of his grandfather, and is, perhaps, 
 not quite as rich in some of its details ; still, it is 
 very fine, and we were conducted through every 
 part ; but I will not tire you with a detailed descrip- 
 tion. We were some four hours making the rounds, 
 and at the end quite ready for lunch, which was in 
 waiting. This disposed of, we made arrangements 
 for continuing our journey to Lake Chiu-zen-ji. 
 
VISITING LAKE CHIU-ZEN-JI 24 1 
 
 But before leaving Nikko I must speak of its at- 
 tractions as a summer resort. Already the British 
 minister and some members of the Leeation have 
 arranged for passing the hot months there, and I 
 believe there are other Europeans who will join 
 them. Its elevation (2,000 feet) above the sea, 
 added to the numerous picturesque walks and excur- 
 • sions in the neighborhood, renders it particularly 
 attractive to those who wish to escape the heat and 
 impure atmosphere of the crowded cities. 
 
 The route from Nikko to Lake Chiu-zen-ji was 
 along and up the valley of the Daiyagawa, and is a 
 pretty steep climb for a share of the way. Realizing 
 this, I had directed Hakodate to secure me a saddle 
 horse, which proved to be a black stallion pony, 
 without any very malicious tricks that I discov- 
 ered, except, perhaps, the habit he occasionally had 
 of stopping and refusing to proceed further until 
 the betto (horse tender or groom) had turned him 
 around two or three times, when he would continue 
 the journey. The other gentlemen of the party, 
 being younger and rather proud of their climbing 
 powers, made the journey on foot — a distance of 
 some ten miles. The road crosses the river at sev- 
 eral points, on rather shaky and unprotected bridges ; 
 still I stuck to my pony, and he proved worthy of 
 my confidence. The views along some of the 
 mountain gorges were superb, and at one or two* 
 
 places they included some pretty water-falls, and the 
 16 
 
242 YOKOHAMA TO NIKKO. 
 
 mountain sides were covered with a delicate pink 
 azalia, adding greatly to the beauty of the scene. I 
 also saw, on the way, several varieties of trees com- 
 mon to our own latitude, such as the birch, oak, 
 chestnut, maple, and some handsome specimens of 
 the elm. I was told the stream abounded in trout, 
 the best evidence of which were some fine speci- 
 mens that we had that evening for dinner. We 
 reached the lake about 6 p. m., and, travelling along 
 its border for something less than a mile, came upon 
 the village of the same name, and halted at the 
 Komeya, a comfortable tea house with rooms over- 
 looking the lake. It is one of the few houses 
 occupied at this season — most of the others being 
 closed and open only in August, when the faithful 
 pilgrims resort here in great numbers to bathe in 
 the lake and worship at a favorite temple. Nan-tai- 
 zan, a sacred mountain some 8,000 feet above the 
 sea, borders the lake, and before retiring for the 
 night my companions made arrangements for a guide 
 to ascend it, which they accomplished before break- 
 fast the next morning — a sharp climb of 5,000 feet, 
 the lake being over 3,000 feet above the sea. 
 
 We left Chiu-zen-ji in the morning after breakfast, 
 and crossed the lake in one of the native boats. 
 This pull of something more than a mile was a 
 charming one. The waters were beautifully clear 
 and placid, and reflected in the most perfect manner 
 the mountains which border the lake, as also the 
 
AN INTERESTING TRIP. ,243 
 
 beautiful azalias, which were in perfection. Gen. 
 Wilson, having a good pair of lungs, produced some 
 wonderful echoes that were repeated more than 
 once. Thfs lake reminded me of that beautiful body 
 of water in Austria, not far from Salzburg, called 
 the Koenig Sea. After crossing the lake, we struck 
 into a mountain path which, after a sharp climb of 
 about half a mile, brought us to the top of the divide 
 and near the source of one of the tributaries of the 
 Watarassegawa. The view from this divide was 
 splendid, and we lingered for a few moments to ad- 
 mire it, and then began, by a zigzag path, the 
 descent. The declivity is very great, and the path 
 difficult — being for a part of the way along the bed 
 of the stream, filled with boulders and sharp stones. 
 We passed, on the way, numerous charcoal pits, the 
 coal from which was intended for the copper smelt- 
 ing works below, which we passed later in the day. 
 The charcoal laborers were powerful men, and we 
 saw them stao-orerincr under some enormous loads. 
 After about one hour's walk down the mountain the 
 path began to widen, and soon after we came upon 
 our jinrickishaws, which we had directed to meet us. 
 Most of the party were glad to exchange for this less 
 fatiguing mode of travel. I had before my two- 
 wheeled carriage two splendid specimens of men, 
 who took eood care of me during much of the 
 journey of that day. 
 
 The trip down the valley of the Watarassegawa is 
 
244 YOKOHAMA TO NIKKO. 
 
 very fine indeed, and in the course of its numerous 
 windings one has some splendid views. The river 
 at some places takes some bold leaps, forming pretty 
 waterfalls that enliven the scene. 
 
 We passed, during the day, numerous villages and 
 through large groves of mulberry trees, where the 
 silk-worm is extensively grown. Lower down in the 
 valley I examined their method of feeding the worms, 
 which simply consists of placing them in large wicker 
 baskets that are arranged on bamboo shelves. In 
 the first stage of their growth the mulberry leaves 
 are chopped up for the young worms, and a proper 
 temperature kept up by the use of charcoal heaters. 
 When sufficiently large the entire leaf is fed to them. 
 All this work is carried on in the cottages of the 
 peasant farmers, and not, as some might suppose, in 
 establishments especially set apart for the culture of 
 the silk-worm. It requires some forty-five or fifty 
 days for the worm to reach the stage where he begins 
 forming the cocoon. 
 
 We lunched about noon at Ashiwo and, continu- 
 ing down the river, halted, about 6 p. m., for the 
 night at Omama — at a tea house called Tsutuya. 
 Hakodate, with his usual foresight, had taken the 
 precaution of sending our baggage on in advance, 
 and had secured for us the best quarters in the vil- 
 lage. As the day's journey had been a severe one, 
 we were rather glad when the guide announced that 
 our next day's journey would be a short one. We 
 
FAITHFUL MEN. 245 
 
 therefore took it leisurely, and did not get away 
 from Omama until after 8 a. m. It rained and driz- 
 zled most of the morning, and from the soft character 
 of the roads the going was very heavy and severe 
 upon our men. We passed through immense fields 
 of mulberry trees, as, also, large ones of wheat and 
 barley. About mid-day we came upon the Tone- 
 gawa River — a rapid mountain stream — which we 
 crossed on a bridge of boats, and thence across its 
 dry bed to the town of Hongo, where we stopped 
 for lunch, and here terminated our jinrickishaw 
 journey, as we were now on the line of railway run- 
 ning from Tokio (Yeddo) to Takasake. After a 
 good lunch, we parted with our faithful men, giving 
 them a substantial pour boire, for which they were 
 exceedingly grateful — acknowledging their appreci- 
 ation by coming to our apartment and making re- 
 peated and profound bows — this being done while 
 kneeling in our presence. One or two, I think, had 
 already indulged in some " sake," and were more 
 profuse than the others, but they were an excellent 
 set of men, and I wish to do justice to faithful work. 
 At 3 p. m., we boarded the downward train, and at 
 a point on the line I parted with my companions, 
 they going to Tokio, while I continued to Yokohama, 
 reaching there in time for dinner. Thus termi- 
 nated one of the most agreeable and interesting ex- 
 cursions that I made in Japan — a trip that was most 
 instructive in its character and furnished as much of 
 
246 YOKOHAMA TO NIKKO. 
 
 beauty and varied interest as can be found, and in 
 which I enjoyed the intelligent companionship of 
 •two as good fellows as are to be met. in any part of 
 the globe. This letter has grown to rather unusual 
 length, but I could hardly make it less so and com- 
 plete the excursion in a single epistle, which must 
 be my excuse for consuming so much space. 
 
XXIV. 
 
 YOKOHAMA AND ITS VICINITY. 
 
 GRAND HOTEL, YOKOHAMA, JAPAN. 
 
 (LAT. 35° 26' N., LONG. I39 39' E.) 
 
 May 22d, 18S6. 
 
 I HAVE made this city head-quarters during a 
 good share of my stay in Japan, and from it 
 made frequent excursions to interesting points in 
 the interior. The city is very prettily situated on 
 the bay, and immediately in front of it lies the 
 shipping, which embraces representatives from nearly 
 every nation. It is also a favorite rendezvous for 
 our naval vessels, and as I write the war-ships Owa/ia, 
 Ossipee, and Alert are at anchor within less than 
 a half mile of the shore. A well-cared-for " bund " 
 lines the water-front, and serves as an excellent 
 lounging place and a good drive. The English and 
 American ladies of Yokohama are usually good 
 whips, and you generally find them holding the 
 lines, even though there be a gentleman in the 
 vehicle. Japanese ponies are cheap, and the cost 
 
248 YOKOHAMA AND ITS VICINITY. 
 
 of keeping one does not often exceed $20 per month, 
 including the pay of the " betto," who fills the posi- 
 tion of hostler, outrider, and outrunner. In the 
 latter capacity he runs in advance of the team and 
 clears the way. This is especially necessary when 
 you drive through the rather narrow and crowded 
 streets of the Japanese portion of the city. 
 
 Kanagawa, a mile or more up the coast, was the 
 original port designated in the first treaty as the port 
 of entry, but as the water was deeper and the harbor 
 generally better on the Yokohama side, the former 
 was soon deserted and the present site built upon. 
 Our consuls are still accredited to Kanagawa, but 
 their residence is in Yokohama, and one rarely 
 hears the former place mentioned. I, however, paid 
 it an afternoon visit, and wandered through a pretty 
 Japanese garden, where there are some odd-shaped 
 plants trained in various ways — a fancy in which the 
 Japanese gardener delights. From the high ground 
 in this deserted town one has a fine view of the bay, 
 its shipping, and of Yokohama. 
 
 On the " bund." of which I have spoken, are 
 located the hotels, the " Yokohama United Club," 
 a few of the residences, and the agencies of the 
 various steamship lines ; but the principal tea ware- 
 houses and establishments for firing the tea are on 
 streets back of it, as are also some of the best shops 
 for the sale of English goods and Japanese curios. 
 It was the opening season of the tea trade during 
 
FIRING TEA. 249 
 
 my first day's stay in this city, and every one was 
 exceedingly busy in looking after the early crop, 
 which furnishes some of the best specimens of tea. 
 The young shoots of the tea plant are the first 
 gathered, and make the best teas, and it becomes a 
 •question both of pride and profit for the merchant 
 to secure a share of this first picking. The tea, as 
 sold by the Japanese grower or farmer, is not in a 
 state that suits the taste or fancy of the foreign 
 market; hence it is fired again under the supervision 
 of Chinese experts. For this purpose large houses 
 are constructed, containing long rows of open kettles, 
 heated by small charcoal furnaces. Each kettle has 
 its workman, or workwoman, — usually the latter,- 
 and only a limited quantity is fired at a time. My 
 impression is, that it takes less than a half hour to 
 "fire a cdven batch — the attendant stirring it all the 
 while. I visited one or more of these establish- 
 ments, and saw in one instance over three hundred 
 hands employed in this firing process. Besides this, 
 there were numerous other operations going on at 
 the same time — such as assorting, mixing, and pack- 
 ing teas, and preparing the chests for shipment. So 
 anxious are the merchants to ^et this new tea to 
 market that the day of sailing of the San Pablo (one 
 of the steamers of the Pacific Mail Line) was de- 
 ferred two days that she might take the earliest pro- 
 duct to the American market. 
 
 The best quality of Japanese tea comes from the 
 
25O YOKOHAMA AND ITS VICINITY. 
 
 vicinity of the town of Uji and not far from Lake 
 Biwa. It begins to reach the market about the 10th 
 of May. The finest kinds are known as Sabo Mu- 
 kashi and Gioku-ro, and these are sold at from $5.00 
 to $7.50 per pound. 
 
 The prettiest section of Yokohama, and where 
 the lareest merchants and wealthiest residents have 
 their homes, is on " The Bluff," which is behind the 
 city and elevated some two or three hundred feet 
 above it. " The Bluff" consists of a long ridge, 
 wider at some points than at others, and along it 
 many pretty cottage homes are built. Each has 
 quite a plot of ground attached, which is laid out in 
 fine taste and ornamented by Japanese gardeners, 
 who are celebrated for their skill and odd fancies in 
 this species of landscape gardening. From the bluff 
 you have a splendid view of the bay, and some of 
 the residences command long stretches of water 
 views, and in fine weather the great snow peak Fuji 
 (the sacred mountain and pride of Japan) and its 
 adjacent mountain ranges are in sight. In a short 
 walk you reach, also, the race-track and a back bay, 
 where bathing is excellent. 
 
 As you may imagine from the above, Yokohama 
 is far from being an undesirable residence, and it is 
 not at all surprising, when you put the question as 
 to the length of their stay in Japan, to get the reply : 
 " It is very uncertain." They have a temperate 
 climate, a good market, and excellent society, so that, 
 
A CORDIAL WELCOME. 
 
 2 5I 
 
 excepting the loved ones at home, they have but little 
 else to ask for. It is quite different at most other 
 places in the East, where every one is looking for- 
 ward to the time of their return to their native land. 
 My friends, Messrs. Elliott and N. Ferdinand Smith, 
 two men from Smithtown, Suffolk County, L. I., 
 have charming homes on " The Bluff," where I was 
 made most welcome. In truth, I was urged to drop 
 in at all times, and was assured that there was al- 
 ways a seat at the table for me. They are both fond 
 of field sports, and in the shooting season bag their 
 portion of game. On entering their grounds I was 
 always greeted by one or more hunting dogs of the 
 setter or pointer breed. I am glad to report that the 
 firm they represent, Smith, Baker & Co., stands as 
 well as any in Yokohama. 
 
 Of the excursions made in the vicinity of Yoko- 
 hama that to Miyanoshita was among the very pleas- 
 ant ones. It is something more than forty miles 
 distant, and the route is along a well-travelled road, 
 lined with villages. I had excellent company, and the 
 trip was highly interesting. After passing Odawara, 
 a town of considerable historic interest, the road be- 
 gins ascending, and at the small village of Yumoto the 
 carriage road stops, and from that point on you must 
 walk or be taken in chairs or " kagoes," a species of 
 palanquin that I could not stand, as in it the body is 
 half doubled up ; so that I had a chair follow me, 
 and used it in .the steep parts of the road. Miyano- 
 
252 YOKOHAMA AND ITS VICINITY. 
 
 shita is a favorite summer resort for the foreign popu- 
 lation of Yokohama, and has a delightful summer 
 temperature. There are two hotels, and that called 
 Fujiya is remarkably well kept, although the propri- 
 etor is a Japanese. Yet he understands European 
 tastes, and his house is arranged for their comfort. 
 Even at this early season (May 3) I found some 
 travelling companions that I had met in China, who 
 were so pleased with the place that they were pass- 
 ing some time there. There are numerous hot 
 springs in the neighborhood, and the water from 
 these is conducted through the town, so that you 
 have excellent hot baths at all hours. There are 
 many picturesque walks in the vicinity, and one can 
 have a choice of several delightful ones. 
 
 The pretty little town of Kiga, situated in a very 
 narrow valley, and near which you have a fine view 
 of Fuji (Fusiyama of Europeans), furnishes a short 
 walk, and is a favorite one if you have an hour or 
 two only to spare. 
 
 The trip to Hakone and the lake on which it lies 
 is a longer one, and occupies some hours, but fur- 
 nishes some grand scenery. During the month of 
 May the sides of these mountains are clothed with 
 the beautiful pink azalea, which adds greatly to the 
 beauty of the scene. I saw them afterward in 
 greater perfection about the mountains near Lake 
 Chiu-zen-ji, of which I have already spoken. On our 
 return trip from Miyanoshita, which was made on 
 
BOYS' DA Y. 253 
 
 May 5, we had an excellent opportunity of observing 
 one of the peculiar customs of Japan. It was what 
 is called "" Boys' day," and at every house where 
 there had been a boy-baby born during the year 
 there was a tall bamboo-pole, from which were fix- 
 ing one or more silk or paper fish. Some of these 
 were very large, and, being of varied colors, the 
 effect was pretty. The mouth of the fish is kept 
 open by a small hoop, and the wind flowing in inflates 
 the fish and gives it a remarkable resemblance to 
 the live one. I counted at one house as many as 
 seven fish on a single pole. I don't imagine these 
 represented the number of boy-babies born to that 
 house, but rather the joy of the parents, for in Japan, 
 as elsewhere throughout the East, the male child is 
 greatly prized over the female. Kite-flying was also 
 indulged in on the 5th of May, and it seemed a gen- 
 eral holiday. Old as well as young were engaged 
 in this amusement, and at one village I counted over 
 fifty large kites in the air at one time. These were 
 of various patterns — some representing birds, others 
 monsters, but the favorite form is rather rectangular- 
 shaped. All were gaudily painted, and many had 
 the cords so arranged as to produce musical sounds. 
 Strange to say, I don't recollect seeing one of the 
 bowed or kite shape — the one so popular with our 
 boys. 
 
 The proximity of this city to Tokio (Yeddo), the 
 Imperial capital, and the easy access by rail, en- 
 
2 54 
 
 YOKOHAMA AND ITS VICINITY. 
 
 abled me to make frequent visits there. It is a very 
 large city — having nearly 900,000 inhabitants — and 
 bountifully supplied with water. A large river and 
 numerous canals traverse it in various directions, 
 thus facilitating the transportation of heavy products 
 to different sections. Along these canals are the chief 
 " o-odowns," or warehouses, where are stored most 
 of the supplies. Even lumber is protected in this 
 substantial way, and in case of fire there is sufficient 
 on hand with which to begin building. I believe it 
 is estimated that nearly all Japan is burned down 
 once in ten years. No doubt some villages escape 
 much longer, but the average life of a Japanese 
 wooden house is about ten years. 
 
 There is much to be seen in Tokio, especially in 
 the way of temples. Those about a section of the 
 city called Shiba are large, and the grounds and 
 walks are well kept. Here are buried several of the 
 Shoguns, or military rulers of the country under the 
 old regime, and their tombs are handsomely con- 
 structed. The bodies of others rest at Ueno, in an- 
 other quarter of the city. This is a pretty part of 
 Tokio, and is much frequented. There is a beauti- 
 ful park, handsome tea gardens, and a race-course 
 with a small lake in the centre — all within conve- 
 nient distance of each other — and a museum, the rich- 
 ness of whose collection would compare favorably 
 with that of many on the continent of Europe. 
 
 At a prominent point in the park the guide pointed 
 
THE GESHA GIRLS. 
 
 255 
 
 out two trees that were planted by General and Mrs. 
 Grant during their visit to that city. One of these 
 is a fir and the other a species of magnolia. Both 
 are apparently doing well and seemed flourishing. 
 
 On one of my visits to this city I was treated to a 
 native entertainment, where the " gesha," or dancing 
 ofirls, contributed to our amusement. It beofan at 
 an early hour (6 p.m.) and lasted till 11 p.m. The 
 first part consisted of a feast, or dinner, largely made 
 up of fish, rice, and sweets — all washed down by 
 frequent cups of " sake," a light beverage made from 
 rice, with about the same alcoholic strength as mild 
 beer. The girls waited On us, and after the repast 
 was finished, entertained us by a series of dances, or 
 posturings, in which they introduced several figures. 
 Fans were freely used, and the dance was very simi- 
 lar to that I've described in my letter from Kioto. 
 After that we had some good juggling and legerde- 
 main, and a ventriloquist gave us some good ex- 
 hibits of his powers. Sometimes, I'm told, profes- 
 sional wrestlers form a part of such entertainments. 
 I was fortunate in one of my visits at Tokio 
 (Yeddo) to get a peep at the Empress, who I learned 
 intended visiting one of the handspme parks. By 
 stationing myself along the route I heard she was 
 coming, I caught just a glimpse of her. Her carriage 
 was preceded by an officer in full uniform and an 
 escort of lancers. Then followed the Oueen in a 
 light barouche, drawn by a pair of black horses of 
 
256 YOKOHAMA AND ITS VICINITY. 
 
 the country. The harness was trimmed in red and 
 gold. There were two footmen and a valet, all in 
 dark, tight-fitting clothes, trimmed in red and gold, 
 and each wearing a gold cockade. The housing 
 of the carriage was in blue, and handsomely orna- 
 mented. As the curtains were down, I only caught 
 a passing glimpse of the Empress, who, with her 
 attendant, was in Japanese costume ; but in the 
 otheV carriage which followed were both ladies and 
 gentlemen, all in European dress, showing that it is 
 accepted at court. This change of dress is, I think, 
 to be regretted, as the Japanese, being of small 
 stature, do not appear as well in European costume 
 as in their own flowing style of garments. The 
 Mikado, when he attends the races at Yokohama, 
 wears the European dress. His court or reception 
 dress, I'm told, is a uniform with swoed. 
 
 Social life in Yokohama I find very agreeable. 
 The English mode of entertaining, with rather 
 lengthy and set dinners, prevails. The ladies have 
 their afternoon teas, and there are occasionally balls 
 and evening parties. A large one, given by the 
 ''Yokohama United Club" just after my arrival, 
 gave me a good opportunity of seeing the best ele- 
 ment in social life. There have been some exhibi- 
 tions of flowers that were well worth a visit. A fine 
 collection of peonies, exhibited by a native gardener, 
 was very attractive. I saw there the greatest vari- 
 ety and some of the most delicate colors, as well as 
 
EXHIBITION OF FLOIYERS. 257 
 
 the largest specimens, of this flower I have ever 
 seen. The ladies of the city also held an exhibit of 
 flowers in the principal hall of the town, which 
 brought out a fine collection of flowers and plants, 
 and showed some excellent designs for decorating 
 dinner tables and some modes of training plants that 
 were odd and interesting. Among the number was 
 a pagoda, made up of growing ferns, that was beau- 
 tiful in form and one of the prettiest things of the 
 kind I've ever seen. The Japanese have a great 
 fondness for training plants in odd shapes. They 
 first dwarf them by cutting the tap-root — say of the 
 pine or larch — leaving some of the minor roots, and 
 then by tying the boughs in peculiar shapes, produce 
 almost anything the fancy dictates. They grow 
 them in a spiral form and various other designs. 
 I've seen some very good imitations of birds — 
 particularly the stork. The roofs of cottages and 
 gateways are also imitated. 
 
 This must be my last letter from Japan, as I sail 
 on the 25th inst., in the Oceanic, for San Francisco. 
 In parting from this picturesque and very interest- 
 ing country, as also from its polite, amiable, and ap- 
 parently very happy people, I can't avoid express- 
 ing the feeling, which I believe is shared by most 
 travellers, that this has proved one of the most in- 
 teresting and attractive of all the lands I've visited 
 in the course of this long journey. 
 17 
 
XXV. 
 
 ACROSS THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
 
 OCCIDENTAL & ORIENTAL S.S. " OCEANIC," 
 
 NEARING SAN FRANCISCO, CAL., 
 
 June 8th, 1886. 
 
 WHEN one has over 4,500 miles of water sep- 
 arating them from " the land where they 
 would be," a fair amount of caution suggests that 
 they select in time a good and comfortable ship in 
 which to cross it. Such were my reflections when, 
 at the agency of the Pacific Mail, in Hong-Kong, 
 some months in advance of my contemplated cross- 
 ing the Pacific Ocean, I requested the agent to 
 secure me a good stateroom (English cabin) on this 
 popular and well-fitted ship. At best it is a long 
 journey and well tries the patience and resources of 
 those who have to take it, and therefore the voyage 
 should be made under the most favorable auspices. 
 A good and popular ship usually implies good 
 company and plenty of it. The Gaelic and Belgic> 
 of the same line, are entirely new ships and beauti- 
 
A COMFORTABLE SHIP. 259 
 
 fully fitted with the addition of the electric light, but 
 their dates for leaving Yokohama were rather later 
 than suited my purposes ; hence I chose this vessel, 
 and certainly have had no reason to regret it. She 
 is the sister ship of the ill-fated Atlantic, which was 
 lost, and with her so many lives, and was among the 
 earliest vessels built by the White Star Line for the 
 Atlantic trade. She has, however, been materially 
 altered to suit the Pacific traffic, and has some fine 
 large staterooms on the upper deck that are particu- 
 larly light and airy and much sought for. Being 
 among the earliest applicants, I was fortunate in 
 securing one. 
 
 Our runs have not been very great — averaging 
 about 290 miles in twenty-four hours — or, say, about 
 1 2 miles per hour — something faster than the steam- 
 ers of the P. and O. service, but not quite up to 
 the speed of the new Gaelic or Belgic of this line, 
 and considerably slower than the trans-Atlantic 
 steamers. 
 
 We have a fair number of passengers — some 
 thirty in the first cabin, or saloon, a few Japanese in 
 the second cabin, and over 800 Chinese in the steer- 
 age. Most of the latter are bound for San Francisco, 
 and are returning under the last Chinese emigrant 
 law — having been former residents of the United 
 States. Why they will face the growing opposition 
 in our country I can't well understand, but John 
 Chinaman is a persistent fellow, and will take some 
 
26o ACROSS THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
 
 risks in order to accumulate money. He shows his 
 force as an emigrant in the " Strait Settlements," 
 especially in such cities as Penang and Singapore, 
 where he has monopolized many branches of indus- 
 try. You can't help respecting him for his manly 
 efforts, although you may not like Chinese as a body 
 or think them desirable citizens. 
 
 Of the cabin passengers some nine or ten, like 
 myself, are " round-the-world " travellers, or, as 
 they are frequently styled, " G. T.'s" — " Globe-Trot- 
 ters. " Some of these have been companions in 
 many of my excursions in the East, and encounter- 
 ing them again on this long voyage is like meeting 
 with old friends. A share are officers of the India 
 Service, either civil or military, returning to England 
 via the United States, and a few are Hong-Kong 
 and China merchants that for variety are taking this 
 route home. We have a few ladies to enliven the 
 whole, who materially assist in passing the long 
 hours on shipboard. The days, having been particu- 
 larly bright and sunny, have also been quiet ones, 
 so that exercise on deck has been practicable during 
 most of the voyage. The track of our steamer, as 
 shown by the small chart exhibited in the companion- 
 way of the ship, and on which is recorded the daily 
 runs and a map of our courses, is interesting as 
 showing the advantages of " Great Circle " sailing, in 
 place of sailing what may be termed a direct line 
 from port to port. 
 
GREAT CIRCLE SAILING. 26 1 
 
 An examination of the position of the ship, as 
 given by her latitude and longitude, tells us that we 
 started from Yokohama in latitude 35 degrees 26 
 minutes north and longitude 139 degrees 39 minutes 
 east — only about two degrees south of San Francisco, 
 where the latitude is $J degrees and 49 minutes 
 north, and that we have travelled northward on the 
 arc of a curve as high as 48 degrees 26 minutes, or 
 made quite 1 3 degrees of northing, and that we were 
 over ten degrees to the northward of the place of 
 destination. This apparent increase in distance is 
 fully made up to us by the shortness of the degrees 
 of longitude in the higher latitudes — being only about 
 48 geographical miles at the highest point ; and fur- 
 ther, we were likely to get the favorable northwesterly 
 winds which prevail at this season near the Ameri- 
 can continent, which in some degree we have done. 
 The difference in distance in favor of the track we 
 have followed over the one that would be made if 
 we had sailed directly for San Francisco is about 
 300 miles, and in point of time about 24 hours. 
 
 If your readers will take the pains to follow our 
 path on a globe, which they readily can from the 
 record below, they will easily understand the force 
 of the old saying (slightly altered) that " what seems 
 the longest way round is actually the shortest way 
 home." 
 
 Another feature of the voyage that was novel and 
 interesting, and which can only be experienced by 
 
262 ACROSS THE PACIFIC OCEAN 
 
 \ 
 
 the traveller who crosses the 180th meridian while 
 coming from the westward, is the gain in a day. 
 We passed that point on Tuesday, June 1st, and, 
 accordingly, the record shows two firsts of June and 
 two Tuesdays ; and as we sailed on Tuesday, May 
 25, we had three Tuesdays in nine days. By making 
 the record thus, we entered San Francisco with our 
 calendars to correspond with those of that city, else 
 we should be a day in advance. You may recall 
 that Jules Verne, in his Tour du Monde en Quatre- 
 vi?igt Jours" makes a point of this, and the hero 
 really wins a wager, that he fancied he had lost, on his 
 ability to travel around the world in 80 days. There 
 is another point to remark upon, and that is the 
 change of longitude from east to west, immediately 
 upon crossing the 180th meridian — this in order to 
 make it correspond with the charts, which are so 
 constructed — the longitude becoming west as soon 
 as you pass that point. The following record of our 
 daily runs and the few incidents of the voyage may 
 not be particularly interesting reading ; still it serves 
 to show the " Great Circle " system of sailing, and 
 the dry details may be appreciated by those who 
 have made long voyages : 
 
 Record of voyage in O. & O. steamship Oceanic, 
 Captain Thompson, between Yokohama, Japan, and 
 San Francisco, Cal. Distance, about 4,530 miles ; 
 average length of passage, 15 days; left Yokohama 
 at 10.30 a. m. on Tuesday, May 25, 1886 : 
 
THE DAILY RUNS. 
 
 26' 
 
 Date, May, 
 1SS6. 
 
 Position at Noon. 
 
 Temperature. 
 
 Dis. since last rec. 
 
 Total. 
 
 Lat. N. 
 
 Long. E. 
 14424 
 
 
 
 Wed. 26.. 
 
 37-14 
 
 60 
 
 300 
 
 300 
 
 Thu. 27. . 
 
 39-48 
 
 149.09 
 
 54 
 
 271 
 
 571 
 
 Fri. 2S. . . 
 
 42.24 
 
 154.31 
 
 5i 
 
 2S9 
 
 860 
 
 Sat. 29. . . 
 
 44.30 
 
 160.04 
 
 43 
 
 274 
 
 H34 
 
 Sun. 30. . . 
 
 46.17 
 
 166.40 
 
 41 
 
 300 
 
 1434 
 
 Mon. 31. . 
 
 48.05 
 
 173-37 
 
 43 
 
 303 
 
 1737 
 
 June. 
 
 Lat. N. 
 
 Long.W. 
 
 
 
 
 Tue. 1 . . . 
 
 48.19 
 
 179.30 
 
 38 
 
 276 
 
 2013 
 
 Tue. 1. . . 
 
 48.26 
 
 172.43 
 
 38 
 
 270 
 
 2283 
 
 Wed. 2... 
 
 48.10 
 
 165.39 
 
 42 
 
 2S3 
 
 2566 
 
 Thu. 3... 
 
 47-47 
 
 158.15 
 
 42 
 
 29S 
 
 2864 
 
 Fri. 4. . . . 
 
 46.54 
 
 151.04 
 
 45 
 
 297 
 
 3161 
 
 Sat. 5.... 
 
 45-34 
 
 M3-54 
 
 49 
 
 310 
 
 347i 
 
 Sun. 6. . . 
 
 43-55 
 
 137.20 
 
 50 
 
 297 
 
 376S 
 
 Mon. 7. . . 
 
 41.51 
 
 131-21 
 
 58 
 
 291 
 
 4059 
 
 Tue. 8. .. 
 
 39.20 
 
 125.38 
 
 5. 8 
 
 301 
 
 436o 
 
 Wed. g. . . 
 
 Distance 
 
 rom San 
 
 
 
 170 
 
 Total of ship's runs 4.530 
 
 Remarks. — Yokohama's position by chart, latitude 
 35.26 north, longitude 139.39 east ; position of San 
 Francisco by chart, latitude 37.49 north, longitude 
 122.28 west. Remarks on state of weather, runs, 
 etc. 
 
 May 25th. — Sailed from Yokohama ; morning 
 warm, and light clothing desirable ; temperature 
 about 70°. Many friends came on board to see us 
 off; among those of mine were Gen. James H. Wil- 
 son, Lieut. T. Bailey, Myers, Mason, U. S. Navy, 
 and Mr. Ferdinand Smith, of Smith, Baker & Co. 
 
 26th. — Bright, clear day, but cooler, and one felt 
 
 like sitting in the sun 
 
 sea smooth. 
 
264 ACHOSS THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
 
 27th. — Considerably cooler and overcoats neces- 
 sary ; three blankets at night, day decidedly gray. 
 
 28th. — Morning cloudy and gray, but sun came 
 out about mid-day ; sea still very calm. We passed, 
 yesterday morning, immense streaks of the spawn of 
 the porpoise and other fish ; it is of a dark reddish 
 color, and often, the captain says, extends for miles. 
 Many porpoises and whales in sight yesterday and 
 to-day. 
 
 2Qtli. — Weather dull and gray ; some rain ; cool- 
 est temperature since sailing from Yokohama. 
 
 joth. — Weather cooler ; wind fair since daylight, 
 and most of sail set ; day rainy and disagreeable ; 
 no Sunday services ; first omission since I left home 
 in October last ; sea smooth. 
 
 jist. — Bad weather continued yesterday afternoon 
 and into the night ; fog whistle began about 4 r. m. 
 and continued till about midnight ; awoke with 
 clear sky ; wind aft and fair, but rather too slight to 
 be of much service. 
 
 June 1st. — Weather continued fine all the after- 
 noon of yesterday, and the wind, though light, was 
 favorable ; rather a heavy roll on and several sea- 
 sick. Reached the highest point in the " Great Cir- 
 cle " sailing and crossed the 180th meridian; the 
 longitude now changes from east to west, and as we 
 have gained a day, Tuesday, June i, will be repeated 
 to-morrow. 
 
 June 1 st. — Wind still ahead and temperature low, 
 
TWO JUNE iSTS. 265 
 
 rendering it disagreeable on deck. Celebrated the 
 event of two- June i's and two Tuesdays by treatino- 
 all our table to champagne. As we sailed on Tues- 
 day, we have had three in nine days. 
 
 2d. — Weather continues cold, but wind, although 
 light, has been favorable and gives us hopes of a 
 good run, which were partially realized. Sun came 
 out, and brought many on deck, where they indulged 
 in "shuffle quoits," etc. 
 
 3d. — Fine in afternoon ; somewhat foggy at night ; 
 wind too light to assist us ; cold and raw ; sea calm, 
 but considerable swell. 
 
 jth.— Sea has been calm for the past twenty-four 
 hours, and yesterday afternoon was pleasant ; many 
 up on deck playing " shuffle quoits ; " to-day foggy 
 and misty and generally raw and unpleasant. Passed, 
 about ten a. m., a sail, far away ; this is the first met 
 since leaving". 
 
 5///. — Pleasant in afternoon of yesterday and night 
 clear ; sails drew well all night and all of to-day ; 
 considerably milder, but still cold enough for over- 
 coats. 
 
 6th. — Wind fair during night, but light ; night 
 clear and warmer ; sun rose beautifully clear this 
 morning, and then it became cloudy. Services of 
 Episcopal Church held in dining hall at 1 1 a. m. 
 
 yth. — Day all that could be wished ; beautiful, 
 bright, clear, and mild ; no wind. 
 
 8th. — Day continued fine ; night beautifully star- 
 
266 ACROSS THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
 
 light ; wind sprung up about midnight from north- 
 west, and we have been running at good speed ever 
 since ; will probably anchor about midnight in San 
 Francisco Harbor. 
 
 gth. — Palace Hotel, San Francisco ; arrived as 
 anticipated ; passed Custom House inspection with- 
 out difficulty, and were at this comfortable hotel 
 by 1 1 a. m. 
 
 The completion of this ocean voyage — the tenth 
 since leaving New York City — virtually terminates 
 my journey around the world, although our conti- 
 nent has still to be crossed before reaching the start- 
 ing point ; yet it is so well known that I shall hardly 
 venture to keep up this journal in the detailed form 
 that I have been doing. I may, however, if I visit 
 places of special interest, send one or more letters. 
 
A 
 
 XXVI. 
 VISITING THE YOSEMITE. 
 
 Barnard's hotel, yosemite valley, cal., 
 
 June jyth, 1886. 
 
 TOUR around the world without visiting the 
 
 Yosemite Valley would hardly be complete, 
 especially in these days, when most travellers, and 
 particularly those from foreign lands, are so full of it. 
 They all know more or less of its attractions, and 
 I'm free to confess that I learned more of the 
 wonders and grandeur of this valley from my fellow- 
 travellers abroad than I had ever before heard of. 
 It seems to be one of the points that Europeans are 
 bent upon visiting when they reach America. 
 
 Under such circumstances I could hardly do less 
 than include it in my " run around the world," and 
 the object of this letter is to give some of the im- 
 pressions. 
 
 There are two principal routes to the great canon 
 of the Merced River — one by way of Stockton ; the 
 other (called the Berenda) that takes you by way of 
 
2 68 VISITING THE YO SEMITE. 
 
 Raymond, Grant's, and the Mariposa Big Trees. 
 Visitino- the agencies of these routes in San Fran- 
 cisco entirely unprejudiced, and with the most 
 honest intentions of finding out the best, you come 
 away from each with a feeling that you are in greater 
 perplexity as to choice than before you began your 
 investigation. Each agent makes his so much the 
 superior of the other that you wish you had avoided 
 both and asked the first intelligent citizen you met 
 on the street. Fortunately for me, I encountered a 
 party that had determined upon the Berenda route, 
 and as it was made up of fellow-travellers across the 
 Pacific Ocean, I was not long in making up my mind 
 to accept the proposition of joining them. 
 
 We made a party of six — just about the number 
 to fill a coach without overcrowding — and as all 
 proved most harmonious and entertaining, I take the 
 liberty of adding their names : Mr. Cromie, of Lon- 
 don, an old travelling companion of mine in a trip 
 across the Atlantic in '83 ; Mr. Lind, of Scotland, 
 long time representing the P. & O. Steamship Com- 
 pany ; Mr. Michaelson, of Bremen, of the firm of 
 Melchers & Co., of Shanghai ; Mr. Townsend, of 
 Manilla ; and Mr. Green, of a banking house in this 
 city (San Francisco). 
 
 Leaving San Francisco by the 3.30 p.m. train, we 
 crossed in a very comfortable ferry-boat to the op- 
 posite side of the bay, and in a large wooden station 
 took a sleeper by the Southern Pacific Road. 
 
SAN FRANCISCO BAY. 269 
 
 The sail across San Francisco Bay — some twenty- 
 five minutes — was interesting, and gave an admira- 
 ble view of the shipping, the islands, and of San 
 Francisco itself, the site of which is picturesque, but, 
 owing to the irregular manner in which it is built, 
 and the great variety of structures (mostly of wood), 
 and these painted a dull gray color, it did not appear 
 to me particularly pleasing. We started punctually, 
 and in a few minutes reached Oakland, the Brook- 
 lyn of San Francisco. It is a pretty town and a 
 favorite place of residence, as you escape the chilly 
 winds which blow continually, during the summer, 
 about San Francisco. Shortly after leaving Oak- 
 land we reached Berkley, a handsome village, sit- 
 uated on the slope of a high range of hills and with 
 a southern exposure. Both it and Oakland have 
 long avenues of trees — chiefly the Eucalyptus Glo- 
 bulus — which add greatly to their attractiveness. 
 These trees are the growth of recent years, as the 
 last time I saw Oakland it had only the low native 
 live-oak, and those were not numerous. 
 
 The line of railway skirts along the shore of San 
 Pablo Bay and the Straits of Carquinez, which con- 
 nect it with Suisun Bay. We stopped for a few 
 minutes at Port Costa, the narrowest point in the 
 strait, and immediately opposite Be'nicia. At this 
 place trains bound for the north and eastward are 
 taken on a large transfer-boat, capable of holding 
 nearly fifty cars, and crossed to Benicia. While the 
 
27O VISITING THE YO SEMITE. 
 
 train stopped I had an opportunity of looking across 
 the strait at Benicia, which I knew thirty-four years 
 ago. Then it was a barren-looking spot, with 
 scarcely a green thing to be seen. It now has quite 
 dense foliage — so thick at some points as to hide 
 many of the buildings of the town. Continuing our 
 journey southward, the line leaves the border of the 
 straits near Antioch, and then strikes across country 
 through a rich agricultural and wheat-growing dis- 
 trict. Most of the wheat had been gathered, but 
 there were still some enormous fields where the grain 
 was still standing, and which attracted the attention 
 of my English travelling companions. Many of the 
 farmers along the line were engaged in gathering 
 their hay crop, which consists largely of oats, bar- 
 ley, and wheat, cut while in the milk and when the 
 largest amount of nutriment is found in the stalk of 
 the plant. This makes excellent feed, as the sleek 
 coats of the California horses attest. Of course, the 
 climate has something to do with the good condition 
 of all animals on the Pacific Coast. 
 
 We stopped for supper at Lathrop, 95 miles from 
 San Francisco ; and if there is a meaner and less 
 attractive station for refreshment than this, I hope 
 I shall not encounter it. Berenda, 178 miles, was 
 reached about half past eleven, when our car was 
 detached from the train, and we passed the night on 
 a side track — starting, early next morning, for Ray- 
 mond, where we breakfasted and at once took a 
 
A MOUNTAIN VETERAN. 2/1 
 
 four-horse coach for Grant's, 22 miles away. The 
 country passed over was rolling and at many points 
 finely wooded with good specimens of the oak. Be- 
 fore reaching Grant's, where we dined, the country 
 became almost mountainous, and we passed some 
 quartz mining establishments. 
 
 Judge Grant, as he is known in this section — a 
 man of over seventy-three years- 2 — came out to wel- 
 come us, and busied himself about our various needs 
 — such as showing us the washroom, taking our 
 hats, dusting us off — in fact, filling the position of 
 both host and helper. He also assisted at table 
 during dinner, and was ready to answer the numer- 
 ous questions propounded by curious travellers. I 
 am thus minute in my details concerning our host, 
 as we learned afterwards that he was a man of 
 large wealth — variously estimated at from a million 
 upward — and had chosen this spot to end his days 
 in — believing the climate of the country would add 
 a few more years to his present three score and 
 twelve. Some of my European friends were amazed 
 when his history, and especially his large wealth, 
 was told them, and were loath to credit it — remark- 
 ing, as they became satisfied of the truth of his life, 
 that "such an instance could only be found in 
 America — never in Europe." The country from 
 Grant's to Clark's (twelve miles) grew bolder, and 
 some of the mountains we crossed were exceedingly 
 abrupt ; but as we were on a well-engineered road, 
 
2/2 VISITING THE YO SEMITE. 
 
 our animals were not over-fatigued. Splendid spe- 
 cimens of pine and cedar, with some fir and oak, 
 covered the country — many of the former rising over 
 200 feet. 
 
 We reached Clark's about 6 p. m., where we 
 stopped for the night. In a small studio near the 
 hotel we saw some well-painted views of the noted 
 points in the Yosemite (Indian, " Large Grizzly 
 Bear"), by Mr. Hill, an artist who ranks well in his 
 mountain views. He was represented by his son, who 
 received us very kindly, and also gave us some use- 
 ful hints as to the best mode of seeing- the most in- 
 teresting points. He recommended that after our 
 arrival and lunch on the following day, we take a 
 drive through the valley and see the wondrous 
 mountains from that level ; the next day visit Mirror 
 Lake, Vernal and Nevada Falls ; and on the third 
 day Glacier Point and Sentinel Dome. This order 
 we followed, and after my experience I don't think 
 any more comprehensive plan could be taken ; and 
 in the course of these excursions you are repeatedly 
 in view of the main valley and of the mountain peaks 
 which border it, as well as numerous beautiful falls. 
 
 Our drive from Clark's to this hotel was over much 
 the same character of country as on the previous 
 afternoon — the road following alone the south fork 
 of the Merced River, and rising constantly till you 
 reach the summit — 6,700 feet. At Lookout Point 
 we had a fine view of Signal Peak, the canon of the 
 
SPLENDID MOUNTAINS. 273 
 
 Merced, and distant valley of the San Joaquin. The 
 country is heavily timbered with superb trees of tin 
 Coniferous family. The first glimpse we caught of 
 the Yosemite Valley was a good one — El Capitan 
 (7,000 feet) being directly in front. Beyond that 
 were the Three Brothers (6,700), and in the farther 
 distance North Dome (7,525), and Basket Dome 
 (7,600). As we descended, other peaks became 
 prominent, such as the Cathedral Spire (5,900), etc. 
 At Artist's Point, directly on the stage road and 
 some 5,000 feet above the sea, we had the most 
 comprehensive view. It is a favorite one for taking 
 a general view of the valley, and was named by Hill, 
 the artist already spoken of. 
 
 After our descent to the level of -this valley, we 
 had a splendid drive of some three miles through 
 famous forest trees to this hotel, passing en route 
 that gem, the Maiden's Fall. It certainly is one of 
 the prettiest that is to be found in this valley, and 
 near sunset, when the sun shines directly upon it, 
 is developed a superb rainbow that heightens its 
 beauty. 
 
 We found comfortable rooms and fare at this hotel, 
 which is the farthest up the valley and borders the 
 Merced River. From its rear gallery one has a 
 splendid view of the Yosemite Falls, the water of 
 which takes its first leap of 1,600 feet, the second of 
 534, and the third of 500 feet, the view of the upp<-i 
 
 fall being especially fine from this hotel. 
 
 18 
 
2 74 VISITING THE YOSEMITE. 
 
 Our excursion to Mirror Lake and Vernal and 
 Nevada Falls — all made in one day — was to me the 
 most interesting of our trips about the valley. Mak- 
 ing an early morning start, we were at the lake just 
 in time to see the massive mountains which rise 
 above it beautifully reflected from its surface. The 
 foliage, too, which surrounds it, was equally dis- 
 tinct. After admiring it for a time, we mounted our 
 ponies and travelled up the mountain side till near 
 the Vernal Fall — a beautiful one of 350 feet, which 
 comes down in a most graceful manner, and with its 
 surroundings forms a beautiful picture. Continuing 
 the ascent, we reached, by a circuitous route, the 
 level of the fall, and near it, as if especially placed 
 for our pleasure, nature has arranged a regular stone 
 parapet, over which we looked down upon as beau- 
 tiful a rainbow as I've ever beheld. After admirine 
 it for a long time we continued on up the stream 
 and stopped upon a graceful wooden bridge which 
 crosses the river, where we lingered for some con- 
 siderable time, admiring the grand rapids passing 
 under us. The waters of these rapids are converted 
 into the largest imaginable globules, the sunlight 
 upon which gives them the effect of large, sparkling 
 diamonds. A little beyond this is Snow's Hotel, 
 where we halted for lunch. 
 
 The view of the Nevada Fall, which is only a 
 short distance above the house, was to me a most 
 impressive one, and I watched it from the piazza of 
 
AN IMPRESSIVE SCENE. 275 
 
 an adjoining- cottage with great interest and admira- 
 tion. The waters, contracted into a narrow Sforgre, 
 come rushing along to the brink of the precipice, 
 when they suddenly take a fearful leap of 700 feet 
 and are soon dissolved into a series of massive 
 ridges of foamy whiteness, interspersed with numer- 
 ous and beautiful shooting darts, greatly resembling 
 in form, though not in color, the track made by me- 
 teors when shooting through the sky, and like them, 
 too, they imperceptibly disappear as they descend 
 through space. The entire surroundings are grand 
 and ennobling. An enormous amphitheatre of tow- 
 ering granite rocks, among them the " Cap of 
 Liberty" (7,060 feet), incloses the basin, into which 
 the waters descend, and tall, graceful pines stand 
 about as if admiring the scene and these wonderful 
 works of nature. 
 
 The excursion to Glacier Point (7,200 feet) and 
 Sentinel Dome (8,120 feet) proved a most interest- 
 ing one and crave us beautiful and commanding 
 views of the valley, its various water-falls, and the 
 mountains which surround it. From Sentinel Dome 
 you have a view of many of the peaks of the Sierra 
 Nevada range — one over 13,000 feet in height. 
 
 To the lover of sport I would say that this locality 
 furnishes a good field. Large strings of the rainbow 
 trout are daily brought in by the Indians, who are 
 good fishermen, and later in the season deer can be 
 found in considerable numbers. In our excursion to 
 
276 VISITING THE YO SEMITE. 
 
 the Nevada Fall I passed, on the trail, the tracks of 
 two bears, which the guide said had been there that 
 morning. 
 
 We leave here to-morrow morning — returning by 
 the same route we came ; but as we visit the Mari- 
 posa Grove of Big Trees after reaching Clark's, I'll 
 keep this letter open, that I may tell something 
 about these monsters of the forest. 
 
 Palace Hotel, San Francisco, 
 
 June 20th, 1886. 
 
 Back aeain at this comfortable hotel, and rio-ht 
 glad we were to reach it after two days of hot, dusty 
 travelling. We arrived at Clark's on our return (26 
 miles) at 12 m., and after a hurried dinner were 
 rushed off in the hottest part of the day to the Big 
 Tree Grove, nine miles away, and not in a very 
 good frame of mind to do justice to these stupendous 
 monarchs of the Sierra Nevadas. However, that 
 was not the fault of the trees, but of the stage agents 
 and employees, who wish to consult their own con- 
 venience rather than the pleasure of travellers. 
 
 The big trees are certainly wonders, and grow 
 upon one the longer they are examined. The fol- 
 lowing- are the names and dimensions of a few that 
 I observed : " Grizzly Giant," 72 feet in circumfer- 
 ence and at least 200 feet in height ; " Faithful 
 Couple," 67 feet ; and " Lafayette," 70 feet. A 
 very tall, handsome specimen is named in honor of 
 that great and good man, Abraham Lincoln. The 
 
A MONSTER TREE. 2 J J 
 
 poets Longfellow and Whittier are also remem- 
 bered by two fine specimens standing near each 
 other. The mountain road, which makes a circuit 
 of the Big Tree Grove, passing near the finest 
 specimens, is so constructed that it runs directly 
 through one of these living monsters, and with our 
 four-horse coach we drove through the one called 
 " Wawona," halting just as the leaders reached the 
 opposite side — the hind wheels being on a line with 
 the side on which we had entered. This grave us 
 probably one of the best and strongest proofs of 
 their great dimensions, viz., a four-horse coach 
 within the circumference of a standing and living 
 tree. 
 
 This grove, like the Yosemite Valley, is now the 
 property of the State — having been presented by 
 the General Government under certain wise pro- 
 visions — and each has a <niardian who looks after 
 them and assigns camping ground for those who 
 wish to visit there in that manner. For the in- 
 formation of the visitor of the future to either of 
 these interesting points, I will add that I've heard 
 that the railroad company is pushing forward its 
 line, and that probably within a year or two both 
 will be reached with great ease and rapidity. 
 
- 
 
RARE BOOK 
 COLLECTION 
 
 THE LIBRARY OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF 
 
 NORTH CAROLINA 
 
 AT 
 
 CHAPEL HILL 
 
 Travel 
 
 G440 
 
 .F65 
 
 I