,>;^^ ■\\ I (S^otmll Uttinerattg 2Iibtarxj CHARLES WILLIAM WASON COLLECTION CHINA AND THE CHINESE THE GIFT OF CHARLES WILLIAM WASON CLASS OF 1S76 I9I8 Cornell University Library G 440.B8S Round the world in six months. 3 1924 023 252 509 The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924023252509 ROUND THE WOELD IN SIX MONTHS. %S^ ROUND THE WORLD IN SIX MONTHS. BY LIEUT.-COLONEL E, S. BRIDGES OBENADIEB aUABSS. IN ONE VOLUME. LONDON: HURST AND BLACKBTT, PUBLISHERS, 13, GREAT MAELBOROUGH STREET. 1879. Ml Bights Reserved. W. 1023L AUTHOR'S PREl^ACE. FTBR my return from making the Tour of the World, I almost daily received letters from friends and acquaintances, containing enquiries on the subject of my travels, and asking for hints. This gave me the idea that the publication of the Diary I kept during my journey, with a few addi- tional notes, might be useful to others outside my own immediate circle, and with the hope that such may be the case, I offer this volume to the " tra- veller of the future." E. S. BRIDGES. Guards' Club. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. DEPAETTIEE — ARRIVAL IN NEW TORE — NIAGARA PALLS — A CURRENT BATH— DINING IN THE TRAIN— COLORADO — A SODA- WATEE BATH— MEXICAN ASSASSINS— THE PUEBLO INDIANS — SNAKE WOESHIP— TICKLING EATTLE-SNAKES— AN INDIAN FESTIVAL— MORMON LAND . . . . .1 CHAPTER II. SALT LAKE CITY — A NAEEOW ESCAPE — THE TOSEMITE VALLEY — ADVANCED CIVILIZATION— A PEW HINTS — TEN YEARS AGO — SAN PEANCISCO — AN AMEEICAN BEEAKPAST — GAMBLING ON A LAEGE SCALE— TEOTTEES— ON BOARD THE " GAELIC"- LIVE AND DEAD CARGO- PROPITIATING NEPTUNE — LOSING A DAY 18 viii Contents. CHAPTER III. JAPAN IN SIGHT — JINEIKISHAS — ^YOKOHAMA — TOKIO— A JA- PANESE PAIR — TEA- HOUSES — JAPANESE GIELS — ^ PEMALB COTIBIEBS — TEA od MaMSeam— THE COOLIES— STEAW HORSE- SHOES — PRIMITIVE OOOKEBT — ENOSHIMA — A JAPANESE DINNER AND BED — SYMBOLS OF THE SEXES — LEGEND OF BENTEN . . . . . . .34 CHAPTER IV. DAI-BTTTZ — SHINTO TEMPLES— JAPANESE SWORDS — A PECULIAR FORM OF WORSHIP— CURIOS — CREMATION — A REVOLTING SPECTACLE — JAPANESE GRAVEYARDS — A TRIP IN THE COUNTRY — TRAVELLING UNDER DIFFICULTIES — STUDIES PROM THE NUDE — FEMALE SHAMPOOERS — A RESORT FOB INVALIDS— FLOODS . . . . . .61 CHAPTER V. GOING OUT TO SEA — A DIFFICULT LANDING — JAPANESE PACK- ING—KOBE — KIYOTO — FAIR AT OSAKA — A CONJUROR — THE THEATRE— NAGASAKI— A CURIOUS ENTERTAINMENT — LEAV- ING JAPAN— SHANGHAI • . . . . ,70 CHAPTER VI. THE EUROPEAN SETTLEMENT — DIMINUTIVE RACERS — SHOOTING IN CHINA — A REAL CHINESE DINNER— BIED's-NEST STEW — THE CHINESE ARSENAL — HONG-KONG — A TYPHOON — PID6E0N ENGLISH — CHITS — THE " SPRITE " — UP THE CANTON RIVER — SAMPANS . . . ■ • • .85 Contents. ix CHAPTER VII. SHAMIEN — CANTON STREETS AND SHOPS — BLACK DOGS' AND cats' FLESH — TOETUEES OF THE CHINESE DAMNED — PUNISH- MENT OF CAEELBSS SPOETSMBN — OF INCOMPETENT DOCTOES — EEFINED CEITELTT — CHINESE IDEAS OF TIETITE — THE GEEAT BELL— A HFNDEED HEADS FOE ONE — THE WATEE CLOCK — TIME-STICKS ..... 103 CHAPTER VIII. HALL OF EXAMINATION — THE PKISONS— TOETUEES— HOEBOBS — EXECUTIONS — PUNISHING THE INNOCENT— NINE-TAILED FISH — RECEIPT FOE PEODUCING THEM — SACEED PIGS — METHOD OF SOFTENING A HAED HEAET — FLOWEE BOATS — ErVEE POPULATION — DUCK BOATS— FIGHTING CEICKETS— KITE FLYING— HABDSHIPS OF CHINESE WOMEN — A HUS- BAND'S POWER OF EEVBNGE— A CYCLONE . . 119 CHAPTER IX. MACAO — A GAMBLING HOUSE — FANTAN — EEDUCED GENTLEWO- MEN — A BOOK TO BEAD — THE FEMALE CAEGO— THEIE AMUSE- MENTS—A TEDIOUS VOYAGE- SINGAPOEE — BAEGAINING— A PINE-APPLE FOE THBEE HALFPENCE— CHANGE OF PASSEN- GEES— FLIBTING IN PENANG— SHOALS IN THE HOOGHLY— CALCUTTA ....... 137 CHAPTER X. HEAT, FLIES, PUNKAHS — BENAESI — BUYING NECESSAEIES — STAETING FOE THE FEONT— PEGS — A DAK BUNGALOW — BENAEES — THE CITY OF IDOLS — SACEED MONKEYS — THE OB- SEBTATOBY — BATHBES IN THE GANGES— VISHNU'S PEBSPIEA- TION — THE GOLDEN TEMPLE — LUCKNOW — THE EESIDENCY — DEATH OF LAWEBNCE — HBEOES AND HEEOINES — THE BELIEF —A SUPEEME MOMENT — CAWNPORE . . . 154 X Contents. CHAPTER XI. THE WELLS — VHEELEE'S ENTEENCHMENT — THE NANA'S MES- SAGE —TREACHERY — THE MASSACRE — BrTCHERT — HA VELOCK AND HIS MEN— AGRA — THE FOET— THE PALACE OT GLASS — THE TAJ— AKBAR'S TOMB — TOWARDS " THE FRONT" — " SIE SAM'S sword belt" — JHELTJM . . . .177 CHAPTER Xn. TELEGRAPHIC arrangements — CROWS, HAWKS, TULTITEES — THE DRIVE TO EAWITL PINDEB — THE CAMP — RIDE TO PESHAWUE — AT MAJOR CATAGNARl's— THE GHOORKAS — RE- TURN TO LAHORE — GOLDEN TEMPLE AT UMRIT8T7R — DELHI — BUYING BANGLES— THE CITADEL — AKBAR'S AUDIENCE HALL — THE PEACOCK THRONE — BOMBAY DUCKS — INDIAN TEGE- TABLBS . . . . . . .196 CHAPTER Xin. THE RIDGE — ANXIETIES OF THE COMMAND — MURDER OP FEASEE AND DOUGLAS— MORE MUEDEES — THE GREAT MAGA- ZINE — THE NINE — THE RIDGE REGAINED — BABNAED's DEATH — JOHN NICHOLSON — BEINGING UP THE GUNS— THE ATTACK — THE CASHMERE GATE — OUR LOSSES — DELHI RETAKEN — THE MEMORIAL COLUMN . . . . ^ 216 CHAPTER XIV. THE KUTUB MINAE— HODSON, OP HODSON'S HORSE — TAKING THE KING AND PRINCES OP DELHI — DEATH FROM " SIGH- ING" — JBHANARA'S tomb— LEGEND OF THE IRON PILLAR A TREMENDOUS PLUNGE — THE METCALFE HOUSE— AN IN- GENIOUS DEVICE — JEYPOEE — ITS PICTUEESQUENESS — THE RAJAH . . .... 232 Contents. xi CHAPTER XV. AN ELEPHANT EIDE — VISIT TO THE PALACE— LIZAED LIQUEUE — THE PEIME MINISTEE — A NAtTTCH — A " LAY OF IND" — PEAC- TICAL JOKING — POLITENESS OP THE MINISTEE — ALLAHABAB — AN INDIAN SITPEESTITION — THE POET — JEHANGUIEB's EBVENGB— PARTING PEOM BENAESI — THUGS — BOMBAY 248 CHAPTER XVI. MALABAE HILL— CAVES OP ELEPHANTA — DELHI MBECHANTS— ADEN — THE TANKS — HOW WE TOOK PEEIM — SUEZ — DONKEYS AND DONKET-BOYS — OTTO OP EOSES AND TTTEQUOISES— BACK- SHEESH— CAIEO — BAZAARS— MASSACEB OP THE MAMELUKES — AN INCEEDIBLE STOEY — BOTJLAK MUSBtTM — A DAHABBAH — SPORT ON THE NILE . ... 264 CHAPTER XVII. ON — THE VIEGIN'S TREE— THE SPHINX — THE PYRAMIDS— A STIPPISH RUN — EGYPTIAN CAVALEY— DANCING DERVISHES- THE FASHIONABLE DEIVE— ALEXANDRIA — MALTA — ITS VA- RIOUS POSSESSORS — KNIGHTS OP MALTA — THE " KAISAR-I- HIND"— HOME ...... 280 CHAPTER XVIII. CONCLUDING EEMAEK8— THE TIME TO LEAVE ENGLAND — LUGGAGE — CLOTHES — MEDICINE — MONEY — COST OP THE JOURNEY ....... 296 ROUND THE WORLD IN SIX MONTHS. CHAPTER I. DBPAKTUEE — AKKIVAL IN NEW YOEK — NIAGAEA FALLS — A CUEEENT BATH— DINING IN THE TEAIN— COLOBADO — A SODA- WATER BATH— MEXICAN ASSASSINS— THE PUEBLO INDIANS — SNAKE WOESHIP — TICKLING EATTLE-SNAKES— AN INDIAN FESTIVAL — MOEMON LAND. N Friday, the 19th of July, 1878, I left London to make the tour of the world. I had taken my ticket at Cunard's OflSce in Pall Mall for Yokohama from Liverpool : the price of it was £86. The fol- lowing day I went on board the Russia. We were fortunate in our weather, and at seven a.m. on Sunday morning, we anchored J3 2 Bound the World m Six Months. off Queenstown. A tug-boat came along-side after breakfast, took those passengers who cared to land, ashore, and returned with them at half-past two p.m. Having got the mails on board, we weighed anchor and steamed away at four o'clock. The voyage offered but little to chronicle. Amongst the passengers was the author of " The Great Divide," en route for Colorado, accompanied by Dr. K , the well known joint-author of " The Earl and the Doctor." We had a head-wind the whole way, and were delayed four and twenty hours in con- sequence. Although it was the height of summer, the weather was almost cold, and I was glad that I had taken the precaution to keep out a trunk containing thick clothes. At daybreak on the 30th, a pilot came on board. The only news he brought was that the heat on shore was intense, and that numbers of people at Kew York and St. Louis were dying of sunstroke. It rained all day, and there was a thick fog. July Zlst. — Landed on the wharf at Jersey Ghoice of Route. 3 City at eight a.m., all my baggage was at once passed by a Custom House officer. I engaged a hack, i.e., fly, and went by the ferry across the Hudson River to the Clarendon Hotel, New York. These ferries carry twenty carriages or more, and any number of people each trip. I provided myself with Appleton's "Rail- way Guide," which answers to our " Brad- shaw." In America it is the custom to give travellers a time-table with their tickets. At this time of year, New York is quite empty, all the beauty and fashion having fled to Newport, Saratoga, Long Branch, West Point, and other resorts. I found the heat intense, and a perfect plague of flies. After breakfast I went to the Pacific Mail Steam- ship Company's Office in Broadway; gave up Cunard's through-ticket, and got in exchange a set of coupons to carry me as far as San Francisco, and a pass from thence to Yoko- hama. The choice was given me of three lines of railway, I took the Brie route, and recommend it to travellers in preference to B 2 4 Bound the World in Six Months. the others, by both of which I have travelled upon previous occasions. I stayed some days in the neighbourhood of New York on a visit to friends. On the 5th of August I took the steam-ferry at the bottom of Twenty-third Street, and crossed to Jersey City. Checked my baggage for Omaha, with the exception of one small portmanteau, which contained everything I was likely to want for the next week, including a revolver. Having a through ticket, I was allowed two hundred and fifty pounds weight of baggage, (one hundred more than ordinary passengers.) I may here mention, that by taking my ticket direct from Liverpool to Yokohama I saved £20. On reaching the train, I immediately engaged a sleeping berth, which, if you want any peace or comfort, is a necessity on this expedition. We commenced our journey at six p.m. At ten o'clock next morning we crossed the Niagara River, and had a splendid view of the Falls. Of course, anyone who has not previously visited the States, must stop to see Niagara, one of Niagara. 5 the finest sights in the world. To attempt a description, is only to feel the utter futility of trying to convey in words a spectacle before which every one must stand awed and surprised. This immense volume of water, taking every moment its tremendous leap of a hundred and sixty feet with a roar that may be heard twenty miles oflF, bafl9.es words. The principal hotel on the Canadian side is called the Clifton House, and on the American, the International. Both are much frequented by tourists. A " sensation" here is to take a " current bath." You descend into a sort of cage, something like an eel-trap, in a wooden bathing-house, on the bank of the river; the water rushes through the bars with a violence that nearly takes your breath away, and you have to hang on very tight to a rope to prevent yourself being dashed against the bars. Niagara looks its best in the winter, when, for a considerable distance round, the trees are gemmed with crystals of its frozen spray. In the sunshine, the eflFect 6 Bound the World in Six Months. of this is most lovely. There are many kinds of beautiful birds in the neighbourhood, and near the Falls lives a noted bird-stuffer, who makes charming fans and screens of them. Indians come about with bead-work slippers, trays and boxes of birch-bark, &c., for sale. To return to Niagara. I don't know that anything ever impressed me as being more wonderful than Blondin's feat in crossing the Falls on a rope, unless, indeed, it was the mad- ness of a friend of mine, who went over on his back. The best view is to be had in crossing the river a short distance below the cataract. On reaching Niagara, the Canadian Custom House officers walked through the cars and in- spected the baggage, but without giving any trouble. We reached London, Canada West, at two p.m., and alighted from the train to lunch at the station refreshment rooms. Half- an-hour was allowed us, and a capital table-dliote lunch provided ; charge seventy-five cents (three shillings). In the evening, most of the pas- sengers dined in the dining-car attached to the Dining in the Train. 7 train — the dinner was the same price as the lunch. Wine in America, unless you pay an extravagant price for it, is very indiflFerent. At half-past nine the same night we crossed the magnificent Detroit River in a steam-ferry ; the train being taken over all at once, but in two separate halves, one alongside the other. August 7th. — Arrived at Chicago at eight a.m. We were now " transferred " in an omnibus to the depot of the Chicago and North Western Railway over an infamous road, and were nearly stifled in transit by the dust. Although the city has been rebuilt since the great fire of 1871, no improve- ment has been made in the roads, which are as bad as they can be. An hour later we were ofi" again on our journey to Omaha. In this train, tables were put up between the seats when required for meals, cards, or any other purpose. Though it may be a convenience for ladies to lunch and dine in the train, I should recommend the active male traveller to descend for that purpose at the stations, as he will obtain much better fare at less expense. The trains always 8 Bound the World in Six Months. stop for twenty minutes three times a day, as near nine, one, and six as can conveniently be managed. The tariflF varies at different stations ; it ranges between fifty and a hundred cents, exclusive of wines and spirits. Americans drink tea, milk, or water, all iced and in large quantities. The heat was intense, averaging 88° in the shade, and the dust stifling. In the train all the men, women and children had provided themselves with telescopic metal cups, which they continued to fill as often as they were empty., running to and fro all day long between their seats and the cistern where iced water was kept. Large supplies of ice were taken in three or four times daily at various stations. Boys walked up and down the cars perpetually,- selling oranges, grapes, peaches, apples, pears, books and news- papers. Thursday, 8th. — At half-past nine we reached Council Bluffs, now a large town, formerly a Mormon settlement. Here we left the train and got into what is called a transfer car, and were conveyed across the suspension bridge, (said to be the largest in the world), that spans the Missouri Colorado. 9 river. We were now at Omaha. I lunched at the station refreshment rooms. The thermometer marked 93° in the shade. Two negroes stood over me with fans to cool the air and keep the flies off, a very necessary precaution. I heard that numbers of people were dying daily from sunstroke. In the course of the day we passed Fremont, Grand Island, and North Platte, all celebrated for sanguinary encounters a few years back between Western men and Indians. Friday, 9th. — Reached Cheyenne at forty minutes past one p.m. From this a branch line runs southwards to Denver, distant one hundred and seven miles. A train which leaves at one o'clock arrives there at eight p.m. Colorado is the most beautiful and healthy state in the United States. The fame of its springs and baths is now spreading far and wide, and it is a favourite resort of invalids, who flock to it from the Eastern States. Colorado is noted for its mines of gold, silver, iron, coal and copper ; its splendid climate, beautiful scenery, great agricultural and stock-raising resources ; high mountains, the two 10 Bound the World in Six Months. highest of which are Mount Lincoln, 16,090 feet, and Pike's Peak, near Colorado Springs, 14,336 feet. The capital, as everyone probably knows, is Denver, a good head-quarters to start from on shooting expeditions. There are plenty of good hotels. I prefer Chapieau's ; it has a good restaurant attached. If time allows, a trip should be taken by the Denver and Rio Grande Narrow Gauge (3 ft.) Railway to Colorado Springs, seventy-six miles from Denver. At Manitou, where the springs are, five miles from the station, there are three large hotels, the best of which is The Manitou House. The water tastes a good deal like German seltzer. I bathed in the springs, and the bubbling, effervescing water has a very refreshing effect on the system. Excur- sions should be made to The Garden of the Gods, Glen Eyrie, Queen's Canon, The Devil's Punch- bowl, all in the neighbourhood, and to the summit of Pike's Peak, a ten miles ride. Very good horses can be hired here, both for riding and driving. Going further south you come to Pueblo, and then, crossing the Veta Pass, 9,340 ft. above Mexican Assassins. 11 the level of the sea and 1,100 ft. higher than any- other railway in the States, you reach Fort- Garland, the last station on the line at thd present time. When there some years ago, I stayed with Mr. Tobin, noted for having killed two Mexican assassins who were for some time the scourge of the neighbouring country. It seems that when the American war broke out, one of the Generals of the Northern army seized the farms, horses, and all the belongings of two Mexicans, who were then well-to-do and peace- ably-disposed farmers, under the pretext that they had Southern proclivities. Robbed of all they possessed and turned adrift, they became maddened with rage and hatred, and, hiding themselves in the mountains, vowed revenge. Every American they could come near they murdered, until the number of their victims assumed alarming proportions. They were in the habit of lying in ambush and shooting stray travellers. A large reward was offered for their heads by the Government. Tobin, a Western man, and a first-rate shot, determined, if possible, 12 Bound the World in Six Months. to rid the country of these pests. Having ascertained that they were likely to pass by a certain road on one occasion, he concealed him- self behind a rock and waited. Presently they appeared in sight. As they came within range, he fired. One fell. The other knelt down beside him, but the wounded man exclaimed, " I'm a dead man ; run for your life," upon which the second assassin got up and hurried off. Tobin had meanwhile reloaded his heavy Kentucky rifle, and brought down the second man at two hundred yards. Subsequently he carried their heads to the ofiBcer commanding the fort. He never got the Government reward, but the inhabitants made up a purse for him. He now supplies the United States troops at Fort Garland with meat, and has a nice little adobi house, which he has converted into a miniature fort, as he formerly had occasional and very unwelcome visits from Indians and Mexicans. I was much amused by some tame ducks, which walked about the house, climbed up his children and sat on their shoulders, helping themselves up with their bills. Pueblo Indians. 13 From Fort Garland^ a stage, (coach), goes to Taos, eighty-eight miles, near which is a remark- ably-interesting village belonging to the Pueblo Indians. They live on a " Reservation " — that is, a tract of land reserved to them by the Govern- ment. There are only two buildings, something like barracks, made of " adobi," (dried mud), and four or five stories high. These are utterly im- pervious to musketry fire. They are only to be entered by the roof, against which numerous long ladders are placed, and the inhabitants then descend by a sort of bear's pole to the rooms in the various stories below. When I visited one of the old chiefs there, I had to make my entry in this manner. As soon as I arrived, his youngest squaw, a very pretty little creature, habited only in a chemise, politely spread me a buffalo robe, swarmed down a pole with great rapidity to the larder, and shortly reappeared with a basket of wild plums and grapes, grown close by. Numbers of curious flint implements, chiefly arrow-heads and adzes, are to be picked up in the neighbourhood. I remarked that the men wore their hair long. 14 Bound the World in Six Months. and the women short. Though they profess to be Roman Catholics, it is supposed that they are given to snake-worship in private. I went into an egg-shaped room underground, in which I saw a large live rattlesnake in a cage. I also saw several poor eagles in captivity, the only object of which was that when a chief wanted a new feather for his hair it might be obtained without delay. They have a curious method of poisoning arrows here. A bullock's heart is placed on the ground ; a rattlesnake is held down with a forked stick near it ; a second man tickles its stomach until it becomes infuriated and spits its venom on the heart. After this, arrows are stuck into the heart, and taken out again twenty-four hours later, and dried in the sun. A great festival takes place here every year about the end of September. I was fortunate enough to come in for one a few years ago. At this festival there is foot and horse-racing, shoot- ing with bows and arrows, dancing, &c. One of the racing games is as follows : — A course of a hundred to a hundred and fifty yards is marked out, and lined by spectators. At each end stand Foot Racing. 1 5 twelve " braves," gorgeously apparelled in paiat, with patches of a sort of cotton-wool gummed on to their ribs, arms, and legs. One starts from either end, and, with great speed, runs the course to the opposite side and back. Immediately he gets to his own circle, the second starts. By this means it will be seen that the contest is very exciting, as the race is not decided until the twenty-four have completed their runs, and the chances of each side are constantly fluctuating with the fresh runners, first one side and then the other getting the start. Bach side must, of course, wait to start a fresh "brave" until the one running on their side gets back. The spec- tators arm themselves with green boughs, with which they encouragingly flick the runners of their own tribe, shouting to them at the same time. A stage also goes from Fort Garland to Santa F6, the capital of New Mexico, distant one hun- dred and fifty-five miles. To-day, for the first time, we saw Indians. When I was here ten years ago, Cheyenne was one of the rowdiest places in the West. In those 16 Bound the World in Six Months. days every man carried a revolver in his belt ; but times are changed, and to-day it is the exception to meet an armed man, Saturday, lOth. — Arrived at Ogden at half-past six p.m., the junction of the Union and Central Pacific Railways. We were now in Mormon terri- tory, and at once remarked a great improvement in the cultivation of the land. There was a general appearance of comfort and prosperity; the farm-houses and dwellings looked substan- tial ; and the horses, mules, and cattle generally, seemed well-fed and cared for. At the station I bought some very fine fruit; also a Mormon bible and other books. Entering into conversa- tion with the vendor, I was not a little surprised to find that he was a countryman of my own, and had spent the greater part of his lite selling books and fruit in the neighbourhood of the Mansion House. He is quite a curiosity in his way — knew Brigham Young and most of the Mormon Elders intimately, and told me many amusing anecdotes about Salt Lake City and its inhabitants. Several passengers left the train here, and went by the Utah Central Railroad to the latter place, distant Salt Lake Gity. 17 thirty-nine miles. Everyone who has not already been there should take this opportunity of making himself acquainted with the dwelling place of this world-famed sect. Now, I am told, the Walker House is the best hotel. CHAPTER II. SALT LAKE CITY — A NAEEOW ESCAPE — THE TOSEMITE VALLEY — ^ADVANCED CIVILIZATION — ^A FEW HINTS — TEN TEABS AGO — SAN PEANCISCO— AN AMERICAN BEEAEFAST — GAMBLINS ON A LAEGE SCALE — TBOTTEES — ON BOAED THE " GAELIC" — LIVE AND DEAD CAEGO— PEOPITIATING NEPTUNE— LOSING A DAY. ITAH territory contains about sixty- five thousand square miles. The population is about a hundred and thirty thousand, mostly Mormons, but including some Indians aud Chinese. Twenty thousand Mormons live in Salt Lake City. The mineral wealth of the country is very great. Fish culture is carried on, and good trout-fishing may Bngham Young. 19 be had. The streets of the city are very broad. On either side is a row of trees and a stream of water. The Tabernacle is two hundred and fifty feet long, by one hundred and fifty wide : it will hold eight thousand people. The men sit on one side; the women on the other. There is an im- mense organ. A Temple is now in course of building. On my visit, I made the acquaintance of the late Brigham Young, and saw some of his wives ; but, with one exception, they were remarkably devoid of attractions. Perhaps, good-looking women might not be content with a tithe of a husband. From Camp Douglas, overlooking the city, you get a very good view. I and the other passengers bound for San Francisco rechecked our baggage, and started off again westwards. Ogden is one thou- sand and thirty-two miles from Omaha, and eight hundred and eighty-two from San Francisco. Sunday, August 11th. — To-day our route lay for some distance alongside Salt Lake. We crossed Bear River and Blue Creek, and saw a 2 20 Bound the World in Six Months. good many Indians of both sexes, good-looking and well dressed. The TJte Indians have for many years been on friendly terms with the Mor- mons, from whom they receive blankets and various necessaries. One " Buck" (the term which is applied to a male Indian in the West) carried a breech-loading revolver of the latest pattern. We also saw a few Chinese. The stations are now substantially built of wood, all alike in style and colour. In the dining-saloons we were waited upon sometimes by women, some- times by white men, and oftener still by Chinese or men of colour. Ten years ago the attendants were all girls, pretty, and. well-dressed. They wore short skirts and very neat boots, laced half- way up the leg, white aprons, and their hair dressed in the latest European fashion. They were a great attraction to Western men, who rarely had a chance of seeing a white member of the fair sex. Having for the last twenty-four hours been steadily ascending the Sierra Nevada, we presently reached the summit, and began to descend. August Ylth. — The day dawned hot and sultry. A Narroxo Escape. 21 My thoughts were thousands of miles away on a Scotch moor, where, but for this journey, I should have been looking forward with keen anticipation to my day's work, when my career was very near being cut short by an accident, which all but precipitated our train head fore- most into the adjoining abyss. A stack of wood by the side of the line had either caught or been set on fire. The sleepers were burned to tinder, causing the rails to sink into the earth, and our ' train to run off the line. Mercifully, however, it came to a stand-still just in time. We all got out, and, after an hour's delay, were able to resume our journey. Presently, we arrived at Sacramento, now a large and thriving town. On my last visit, travellers were compelled to leave the train here, and go by steamer down the Sacramento Eiver to San Francisco. At one o'clock we reached Lathrop (ninety miles from San Francisco). Here travellers, wishing to visit the Yosemite Valley, change cars, and proceed by a branch line to Merced, a distance of sixty miles. It takes at least seven clear days to see the Valley and big trees thoroughly. On arriving 22 Bound the World in Six Months. at Merced, the best plan is to go at once to the El Capitan Hotel, sleep there, and leave early next morning by stage-coach. The pleasantest route is by Mariposa to Clark's Hotel, in the neighbourhood of which there are big trees ; then on to the Tosemite Valley, and back to Merced via Coulterville. The cost of the trip is £30. We reached Oakland at half-past five p.m. It * is three thousand one hundred and twenty miles from New York, and six thousand one hundred and twenty from Liverpool. The streets are planted on either side with trees, but more thickly than the Continental Boulevards : and there are pretty, villa-like houses standing in gardens abounding with beautiful flowers and rare shrubs. Oakland (so called on account of the numerous oaks which grow in the neighbourhood) has 40,000 inhabitants, and is to San Francisco what Brooklyn is to New York. All the rich merchants and people who can afford it have mansions and villas here, and go every day to business in San Francisco. Here modern in- Advanced Civilization. 23 ventions and appliances are thorouglily utilised. In many of the houses there is in one of the rooms a dial connected by wires with a telegraph oflBce. The dial is marked with such words as express the possible wants of the householder, for instance, carriage, doctor, messenger, news- paper, policeman. Should an unprotected female suspect the vicinity of a burglar, she at once turns the hand on the dial to the word police- man, when the telegraph clerk immediately despatches one. Our train ran through the town and down a very long pier right into the sea. At the end of it is the wharf, where we pulled up and got into an enormous ferry-boat, which took us across the bay to San Francisco, three and a half miles. At this pier, merchandise is landed by steamers from. Japan, China, Australia, and other distant places; conveyed direct to New York in cars, and from thence on again to Europe. Before going on board, I handed all my checks and light baggage to a luggage agent, who gave me a ticket for the hotel-coach, which shortly dropped me at the Occidental Hotel. I 24 Bound the World in Six Months. was last here during the fearful earthquake of 186S, when the house rocked to and fro, and we all thought our last hour had come. A few hints as to expense may be useful. A sleeping-berth from New York to San Francisco costs twenty-two dollars, (a dollar, as every one knows, is four shillings ;) three meals a day at one dollar each, twenty-one dollars ; car-boys for newspapers, fruit, &c., say seven dollars ; in all £10, exclusive of wine. The fare from end to end is one hundred and forty dollars, (£28), but I had my through-ticket. Many men travelling with their families provide themselves with hampers, containing provisions for the journey, by which means a considerable saving of expense is effected. The cars were alive with children, who, it will be easily imagined, did not add either to the comfort or pleasure of the trip. Two friends travelling together should engage a section, the cost of which is forty-four dollars and should telegraph on ahead for one every time they have to change carriages. The com- Changes. 25 pletion of the line of railway has brought about great changes in the "West. Formerly, every man carried a loaded revolver in his belt, the Indians were on the war-path; rowdies, gam- blers, and road-agents, (highwaymen,) were ubiquitous. On this journey I only came across two armed men, and these were in charge of stock. Very few men of the old Western type were to be seen. In the days when railway- travelling in these parts was in its infancy, a sergeant would turn out his guard of six men at every station, and present arms as the train passed. Occasionally you might see an Indian scalp hanging from the belt of one of these men of war. At the stations there were block-houses built underground, with loop-holes just beneath the roof, through which the men could fire if attacked by Indians. Many a red man was picked off in this way. We did not see a single buffalo or antelope during the journey, and only a few jack-rabbits, resembling the blue hares of Scotland ; some cotton-tails, (rabbits,) prairie dogs, similar in shape to guinea-pigs, and a few prairie chicken. 26 Bound the World in Six Months. San Francisco is full of tram-roads, and as part of the town is built on the side of a hill, some of these run up a very steep incline, and the cars are drawn up by wires connected with an underground steam-engine. There are three new monster hotels — the Palace, the Grand, and the Baldwin — the last named has the reputa- tion of being the best. At nearly all American hotels it is the custom to pay a fixed sum daily, varying from three to five dollars, for board and lodging, but at the Baldwin you can engage a room and take your meals when you please, which is more convenient if you are an honorary member of any of the clubs. I was at once put down for the Union, which is the best, and will compare favourably with any London club. At the corner of Dupont and Bush Street there is a capital restaurant, which rejoices in the name of "The Poodle Dog," and is strongly to be recommended. The Californian wines are in- expensive and palatable, though very strong. A sort of hock, called Cahlbrnian white wine, is the best. The following bill of fare will give the reader An American Breakfast. 27 some idea of the profusion of an American break- fast table. OCCIDENTAL HOTEL. Fruit. Oolong tea, English breakfast tea, Japan tea, Black tea, Green tea. Coffee, Chocolate. Bread. French bread. Corn bread, Boston brown bread, Hot rolls, German rolls, English mufiBns, Egg muffins. Waffles, Graham bread: Flannel cakes. Oatmeal mush. Boiled hominy, Milk toast. Buttered and Dry toast, Boston cream toast, Buckwheat cakes. Fried mush, Wheaten grits. Bkoiled. Smoked salmon, Fresh fish. Veal cutlets plain and breaded. Liver, Pig's feet. Bacon, Tripe, Pork chops. Ham, Sirloin, Beef- steaks with tomatoes. Mutton chops plain, breaded, and with tomatoes. Fried. Fresh fish with pork, Fish cakes. Fresh fish. Salt codfish with cream, Bacon, Apples and pork. Ham and eggs, Sausages, Broiled salt mackerel. Stewed kidneys. Corned beef hash. Calf's liver. Potatoes. Baked fried, Lyonnaise, Stewed. Eggs. Omelettes plain or Spanish style. Scrambled eggs, Jelly omelette, Boiled eggs, Fried eggs. Oysters. Fried, Stewed, Stewed clams Cold. Roast beef, Corned beef. Boiled ham. Beef tongue, Mutton. 28 Bound the World in Six Months. The waiters seem to be endowed wifch wonder- ful memories. I have seen one take an order for ten dishes from a lady, then proceed to an- other guest, then to a third, after which he will depart on his errands and return, having appar- ently forgotten nothing. There is abundance of good fruit. The public buildings are very fine, every man is a stock- broker, and the streets present the appearance of a " Bourse." Enormous fortunes are constantly made and lost; the love of speculation amounts to mania, and is shared by the women as well. The Park, in former days little more than a sand-heap, is now tastefully laid out, and much frequented, principally on Saturdays. You may see numbers of ladies driving fast trotters, and though there is a notice that horses are not allowed to be driven more than ten miles an hour, this regulation is by no means observed. Members of the "half-world" were formerly dis- tinguished by a knot of blue ribbon tied to their whips. Quail run about the Park quite tame ; they are fed regularly, and no one is allowed to shoot them. Cliff House. 29 The CliflF House is a favourite resort. It is six miles from San Francisco, and parties drive there daily to breakfast and lunch. The chief amuse- ment when you get there is to sit on the verandah overhanging the sea and watch the seals at play on the adjacent rocks. Some of them are known by name. The largest is called General Grant ; another has been christened Ben Butler. If you have a day or two to spare it is as well to visit China Town, where the principal places of interest are the theatre, joss houses, and opium dens. San Francisco, in slang parlance Frisco, enjoys anything but a good reputation, and was once the resort of the scum of the earth. It is kept in good order, however, by an eflficient body of police. Woodward's garden and aquarium is worth a visit, and the barracks outside the town, called the Presidio, should be seen. The officers' quarters are excellent ; each house is separate and stands in a pretty garden. There are good shops in the city, but everything is outrageously dear. The charge for cutting your hair is two shillings, and they ask fourpence apiece for washing collars and pocket-handkerchiefs. 30 Bound the World vn Six Months. August IQth. — I have taken ray berth on board the Occidental and Oriental steamship Gaelic. I had neither time nor inclination to wait for one of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company's boats, which start the first of every month. They are much larger, and magnificently fitted up. August 17th. — Having laid in a stock of books on China and Japan for mental consumption on the voyage (which, by the way, turned out to be all but useless), I went on board at half-past eleven a.m. The Gaelic is very small. The dining saloon can only hold twenty-eight, all told, but for comfort the party should not exceed twenty. We were full, and a good deal crowded. There were two hundred and fifty live Chinamen on board, returning home with a few hundred dollars each, made in California, and, I believe, some dead ones, as they all like to be buried in their native country. Those who died on board were embalmed by the surgeon, who received a fee of twenty dollars for each operation. The oflEicers are all English, the crew Chinese. They are very quiet and hard-working. We got oflF Propitiating Neptune. 31 at three o'clock. As we steamed out of the harbour the Chinese passengers threw joss papers overboard, with a view of propitiating Neptune, or whatever name their sea-god goes by. The joss papers are made of thin paper about four inches square, with a gilt symbol in the centre. Many hundreds were scattered to the winds, and this offering was renewed every time the weather threatened to become boisterous. Sunday 18th. — We breakfast at half-past eight, lunch at one, dine at six. Our chef is a Chinese ; the cooking is admirable. I never in my life lived better on board ship, and I have travelled in a good many. For the excellent arrangements in this respect thanks are due to Captain Kidley and the head-steward. To show how liberally we are treated, I will give a bill of fare of one of our dinners, selected hap-hazard. Pea Soup. Fish. Codfish chouder. Boiled. Corned pork and cabbage, Turkey and Oyster sauce. 32 Bound the World in Six Motiths. Boasts. Rolled ribs of beef, Leg of mutton and Potatoes. Ente^es. Venison steak and Jelly sauce, Oxtail Haricot, Pork cutlets with Cauliflowers, Lobster vol au vent, Curry and Eice. Vegetables. Mashed and Boiled potatoes. Carrots and Turnips. Sweets. Eoly-poly jam pudding. Cold custard. Peach pie. Jam tarts, Genevoise pastry, Queen cakes, Bread-and-Butter pudding. The weather warm at starting became hotter every day, but was never unbearable. Among the passengers were five Italians, bound for Japan, where they intended to study the mysteries of silk-worm breeding. The rest of our party were English or American. The vovao-e was quite uneventful. Some birds followed us the whole way across, nearly five thousand miles, resting now and then on the waves. A tern and a sand-piper came on board a thousand miles from Japan. We saw numbers of flying-fish. Some of them flew on board and were immediately caught and subsequently cooked, and very good eating they proved. On what should have been Thursday, the 29th, Half-way Bound. 33 we crossed the 180°, and so lost that day, going from Wednesday, the 28th, to Friday, the 30th. I was now half way round the world, and exactly opposite Greenwich. CHAPTER III. JAPAN IN SIGHT — JINBIKISHAS — YOKOHAMA— TOKIO— A JA- PANESE FAIR — TBA-HOTTSES — JAPANESE GIBLS — FEMALE COTJEIEES — TEA ad nauseam — THE COOLIES — STEAW HORSE- SHOES — PRIMITIVE COOKERY — ENOSHIMA — A JAPANESE DINNER AND BED — SYMBOLS OF THE SEXES — LEGEND OF BBNTEN. [bPTEMBER 6th.— Japan is in sight. We first saw land at nine a.m., and caught a glimpse of the sacred mountain, Fusiyama, towering to the clouds, 14,000 ft. above the sea-level. It is only one month in the year, (August), without snow. Report says it was once a volcano, but there has been no eruption for nearly two hundred years. Everyone who has seen Japanese pictures A JinriMsha. 35 will be familiar with Fusiyaraa, as it almost invariably appears in the background. As we approach Yokohama, we have a capital view of the country. This city has sprung up with marvellous rapidity. Twenty years ago it was nothing more than a small fishing village, but the Japanese Government, finding what facilities it oflFered as a port for foreign commerce, made it the important town it is to-day. As we approached, we passed hundreds of boats full of naked men fishing with rod and line, and pulling in fish resembling small mackerel every moment. At four p.m. we anchored in the harbour amongst craft of every kind; English and foreign men-of-war, merchant- men, steamers, &c. Crowds of boats came round hoping to catch passengers, but we landed in the one' belonging to the International Hotel. Some people say the Grand is the best, but I believe there is very little to choose between them. I had no trouble at the Custom House. My baggage was taken to the hotel in a hand-cart, and I walked. Hired carriages, drawn by horses, are almost unknown here. The universal method of locomotion is a little, two-wheeled carriage, D 2 36 Bound the World in Six Months. called a jinrikisha. It is something like a minia- ture cabriolet, and is pulled by a man, who goes between the shafts like a pony and runs off at a smart pace. If you are going a long distance you have a second man, who either pushes behind or goes tandem. In the towns they wear gar- ments, but immediately they arrive at the out- skirts, they divest themselves of all but a loin- cloth, regardless of the sex of their fare. Many of them are beautifully tattooed — in fact, from their photographs, you might imagine them to be clad in a tight-fitting garment of some wonderful brocade. Blue is the prevailing colour of their adornment, and their persons exhibit every variety of subject : fishes, serpents, birds, human heads, scrolls, arabesques, &c., &c. I had taken the precaution to provide myself at San Francisco with a large bag of Mexican dollars, the money in use here. The International Hotel is kept by an American, and offered me nothing in the shape of a new experience. Our dinner was like the ordinary table-d'hote dinner. The game con- sisted of pheasants and snipe; somewhat unusual fare for an Englishman in September. The Glub at Yokohama. 37 I went to bed early, but could not sleep. My bed was the hardest it has ever been ray lot to meet with, and I was tormented by mos- quitoes. It seems that in hot climates hard mattrasses are the fashion — I imagine for the sake of coolness. I relinquished my English chemise de nuit and took to pyjamas — bed-clothes are not used at this time of year. Satarday 7th. — 1 rose early and tumbled into my tub, but no sooner had I dried myself than I had to begin again, having broken out into a profuse perspiration from the heat. This was my experience all through Japan and China ; the fact is, I was a month too early. Yokohama is a fine town ; the streets are broad and in good repair, and it is well lighted. There are some fine public buildings : the rail- way station, post and telegraph offices. The merchants' private residences on the Blufi" are handsome and imposing. I presented my letters of introduction, and was at once made an honorary member of the Yokohama Club, and offered a bed-room there. Unfortunately I declined, having unpacked all 38 Bound the World in Six Months. mj things at the hotel, but regretted it after- wards. The cuisine is particularly good; there is a table-d'hote lunch, or tiflQn, daily at one o'clock. Having presented my letters, I went with a party of friends to Tokio, or Yeddo, as it is often called : an hour's journey by train. The stations remind one a good deal of those at home; the names are written up both in Japanese and English. On our arrival at Tokio, we each engaged a jinrikisha and pair, and drove first to the princi- pal restaurant. It goes by the two names Uyeno and Seiyokin, but whether these signify the inn, the innkeeper, or both, I did not elicit. We spent the whole afternoon visiting temples, bath-houses, tea-houses, shops, and a large fair which was being held in the streets, and which was not unlike an English entertainment of the same nature. Wax-works formed a prominent part, and seem to have a great attraction for the Japanese. They represent gods and devils, and also dramatic scenes ; the figures were very well done, and might compare not unfavourably with Madame Tussaud's; indeed, whereas the Tea-houses. 39 appearance of many of the faces in Baker Street is stolid and vacant, those exhibited here smiled in a most natural and pleasing manner, and had, (if I may so call it), a most animated expression. Some fine monkeys were exposed for sale in the streets ; their coats were very smooth and silky, and they seemed in fine condition. The tea-house is an institution peculiar to Japan. I will do my best to give the reader an idea of one of these establishments. Alighting from your jinrikisha, you seat yourself on a mat under a verandah. Here, natives remove their shoes, but this is not expected of Europeans, unless they arrive with muddy boots. You can either sit here and have your tea, or go inside. The floors are covered with mats ; the walls are simply screens running in grooves, so that you may really make your room as large as you please, or partition it off into a number of small ones. You are waited upon jDy the most charming little Japanese girls, who run out to meet you as soon as you arrive, with a series of profound bows. They then scuttle off smiling, and re-appear with cups of tea, cakes, biscuits, and tumblers 40 Bound the World in Six Months. of cold water. Whilst you partake of this re- freshment, they squat about the room, anxious to anticipate your next requirement. They know a few words of English, and I managed to pick up enough Japanese to ask for what I wanted. Their costume is a sort of ample dress- ing-gown, tied round the waist with a broad sash, ornamented behind with a gigantic bow almost as big as themselves. Their feet are usually bare, and they wear straw sandals, kept on by a thong that passes between the great and second toes. In the street they use wooden sandals very like our grandmothers' pattens. Their hair is drawn up off the forehead, as if over a cushion, and is gummed and waxed into perfect stiffness, and adorned with pins and flowers. You may, in fact, form an excellent idea of what they look like from the hand- screens which are sold by thousands in London. So important, in their eyes, is it to preserve their hair in the shape in which it has been arranged, that they sleep with their heads on a little wooden block, the centre of which is hol- lowed out and covered with a pad encased in a Barial-place of Tycoons. 41 roll of soft paper. Sometimes, whilst awaiting your commands, these little waitresses smoke long pipes with tiny bowls, containing a pinch of mild tobacco. Having taken a couple of whiflFs, they knock out the ashes and begin again. When we had finished our tea, paid for it, and given them something for themselves, they made us deep obeisances, and called after us " Sianara," " Sianara." I won't be responsible for the spelling of the word : it means Goodbye. We then visited the Mikado's park and gardens, which are of considerable extent. The soldiers on guard were amusing themselves by shooting at large black birds like ravens, which occasionally perched in the tops of the high trees. These soldiers were armed and clothed much in the same way as their European brethren. There was nothing particularly worth chronicling to be seen in the gardens. We visited the Temple of Shiba, where many of the Tycoons are buried. It is in the centre of the town, and the grounds must, I think, be several acres in extent. The interiors of the 42 Round the World in Six Months. temples are beautifully carved, and rich with gilding, paint, and lacquer work. The colouring is gorgeous. It was eleven o'clock by the time we got back to Yokohama, Sunday 8th. — I had been strongly recom- mended to engage a native servant during my stay in Japan. I did so, but my experience was an unfortunate one, for though Ohashi Ching came to me with the highest testimonials, and knew enough English to assure me how very useful he meant to be to me as both courier and interpreter, I found that he failed entirely in the latter qualification. He packed and cooked well, and was honest, but very lazy, and would do nothing himself if he could get a girl or a coolie to do it for him. Even in my presence, he would squat about smoking his pipe and giving orders with the air of a Grand Turk. I was told that a female courier, or moesv/mi, is far more useful, but as this arrangement is opposed to the con- ventional English idea, I had, perhaps, better not dilate more fully upon its superior advan- tages. Tea ad nauseam 43 After tiflSn, I started with a party of friends, each in a jinrikisha drawn by two men, for Enoshima, a pretty little town seventeen miles distant, situated on what at high water is an island, but can usually be reached by a strip of sand stretching out from the mainland. On the way we passed numerous tea-houses. Every DOW and then our coolies would stop at one, bathe their legs at a small tank, and wash out their mouths. Japanese girls, of the kind I have already described, invariably ran out with tiny cups of tea, which we were obliged to drink in order not to hurt their feelings. As I am a total abstainer from tea, I found this rather a trial at first. They also brought us native fruit, but perhaps one's taste requires educating to appreciate it, for I found it anything but palatable. lam immensely pleased with the coolies; the hardiest, pluckiest little fellows imaginable. They are on their feet all day, perfectly good- tempered, dragging their jinrikishas over, often, very bad roads, or carrying one up a precipitous mountain path in a hago, pronounced konga, a 44 Bound the World in Six Months. sort- of basket liung from a pole and carried be- tween two of tbem, the pole resting on tlieir shoulders. From constantly carrying great weights, their shoulders occasionally get sore, so it is as well to examine before engaging them. You will see marks of burns all over their bodies and legs. These are self-inflicted under the impression that it makes them strong. Experience soon taught me that the small men were stronger and more capable of endurance than the bigger ones. Distances are measured by a ri, pronounced U, as the Japanese are afflicted in the same way as some of our own countrymen, and cannot pro- nounce their r's ; only that they exchange it for an I instead of a w. A ri is equal to two and a- half English miles. The great road, answering to our turn-pike road, is called the Tokaido, and one can travel upon it in a carriage from Yokohama to Katase. It is planted on either side with beautiful trees of the fir species. The Japanese are capital farmers, and their land is in a very high state of cultivation. The horses are shod almost universally with straw. The shoe is not Japanese Interiors. 45 like our horse-shoe, but covers the whole of the foot, and is fastened on with a thong. The roads are strewn with cast-off ones, as well as with the sandals, also straw, of the coolies. Every now and then, in the course of a journey, the latter will purchase a new pair at one of the tea-houses. They cost, I believe, about a half-penny. ^Xe passed through several villages. As the ground-floor rooms are always open to the street, and privacy is a habit which seems to have no par- ticular charm for the Japanese, we got a very good insight into their domestic life ; their ablu- tions, hair-dressing, and cooking arrangements. A great deal of time is devoted to shaving, about which they are very particular. You will see men in the streets performing this office for each other; the impromptu barber squatting in front of his friend. You may also see mothers with razors similarly engaged on the heads of their male children. Girls at the tea-houses were employed as we passed in cooking fish. They sat on the floor in front of little boxes of charcoal, over which they broiled six small fish, like smelts, at a time. 46 Bound the World in Six Months. stuck through with skewers. With one hand they fanned the embers, and with the other held and turned the fish. They called to us to come in and eat, and occasionally responding to their invitation, we entered and partook of their fare in the primitive manner which was in vogue before the introduction of knives and forks. The little fish proved excellent eating. Paper entirely supplies the place of table-napkins and pocket- handkerchiefs in Japan. Many of the tea-houses have little gardens with fountains and streams of water, in which are gold and silver fish. These invariably have a little bridge over them, and miniature hillocks at the back. Rooms on the ground-floor opening on these gardens are to be avoided, as they are infested by mosquitoes. I do not remember to have seen a single bird in the country, with the exception of rooks. Daring the whole time I was in Japan, I never saw a mare or a cow. On making inquiries, I was told they are kept entirely for breeding purposes. Neither milk, butter, nor cheese form part of the diet of the Japanese, nor did I ever see them eat bread. If you wanted it, you had to carry it with Home Luxuries. 47 you from the nearest large town. The natives eat rice, fish, and eggs. The poultry is small, and very handsome. Leaving our jinrikishas at Katase, we walked over the sands to Bnoshima, and ascended a narrow street. On either side are tea-houses and shops full of shells, coral, and seaweed. A curiosity peculiar to Enoshima is a substance like spun glass, which grows out of a sponge. This is an important item of marine ware exposed for sale ; it is purely ornamental. It was just seven o'clock when we arrived in the town, so we went to the principal hotel, by name Tachi- banaya Buhei. Dinner was soon prepared, and consisted of three excellent kinds of fish, boiled eggs, rice, potatoes, limes, fresh ginger, and native vegetables. We also got some very good light claret at sixty-two and a-half cents (two shillings and sixpence) a bottle. I was much surprised to find that in nearly all the large villages one can obtain French brandy, claret, champagne, bottled Bass, liqueurs of all sorts, pate defoie gras, besides tinned meats and vege- tables. Our coolies, ten in number, having eaten 48 Bound the World in Six Months. an enormous supper of rice, fish, and eggs, and washed it down with a native spirit called saki, got rather drunk, and began to dance and caper about. One became quarrelsome, and struck another in the eye, and I fear the poor fellow will lose the sight of it. He was sent back to Yokohama in a jinrikisha, and the culprit bolted to escape the law, and was no more seen by us. About ten o'clock the little maids spread mats and rugs on the floor, and we were soon asleep. Monday, 9 th.— The Japanese are a very cleanly people, and every house is well supplied with bath-rooms. I carried my own soap and towels. When we awoke, the rain was pouring in tor- rents, and we did not attempt to go out until nine a.m., when it cleared up. There are no bells in Japan. When you want a servant, you clap your hands. We started soon after breakfast to visit the temples of Benten, the goddess of the island. On ascending a long flight of steps, we imagined that we had reached our destination; but, though there was a very fine temple here, it was but the commencement of a series. On either side the portal sat a large stone dog; one Legend of Benten. 49 witli its mouth closed, the other wide open. 1 was told that these are intended for symbols of the sexes : man's reserve being pourtrayed by the former, and woman's loquacity by the latter. We then ascended another flight of stairs, and arrived at a second temple; then up more steps to a third, a very long and tiring pull. From this altitude we got a lovely view of the island, with its rich vegetation, rising from the exquisite blue of the sea and across the mainland for many miles. After this, we descended by a narrow path to the reef of rocks below. Here we were oflFered the novel spectacle of men diving and bringing up lobsters and cray fish in their hands. Urchins clamoured for us to throw coppers, which they went after, and speedily re-appeared with. We visited the cave and long subterranean passage leading to a shrine. Every now and then we came across a spring of pure, icy-cold water. I may here relate the legend of Benten, and the origin of Bnoshima, as given me by my guide. Nearly two thousand years ago, the coast of Sagami was visited by the most fearful storm that had ever been seen — the waves rose and - B &0 Bownd the World in Six Months. rose until they seemed to touch the sky. Then, suddenly, a burst of exquisite music fell on the ears of the terror-stricken people : the heavens opened, and a lady of divine beauty was seen. The waves subsided like magic, the island of Enoshima rose from the water, and the lady ahghted upon it. All the inhabitants fell upon their knees and worshipped her, and she was called Benten. Before the creation of Enoshima, the neighbouring coast had been ravaged by fierce dragons, but, at the entreaty of the people, the goddess caused them to disappear. In most of her statues and pictures, she is represented with a dragon by her side. CHAPTER IV. DAI-BXJTZ — SHINTO TEMPLES — JAPANESE SWOEDS — A PECULIAE FOEM OP WOESHIP— CtTEIOS — CEEMATION — A EEVOLTING SPECTACLE — JAPANESE GEATEYAEDS — A TBIP IN THE COTJNTET — TBATBLLING TJNDEK niPPICXJLTIES — STUDIES FEOM THE NUDE — FEMALE SHAMPOOBES — A EESOET FOE INVALIDS — FLOODS. HEN we had seen everything at Enoshima, our coolies shouldered our baggage, and we started for Katase. Our host went down on his knees, put his forehead to the ground by way of a parting salute, and the little attendants stood at the door, salaaming and calling out " Sianara !" At Katase I visited the great Buddhist temple ; then, mounting into myjinri- B 2 52 Round the World in Six Montha. kisha (which, being interpreted, means man- power-carriage), I started at a great pace to see the colossal statue of Buddha, called Dai-butz. This is indeed a marvel, from its stupendous size and the perfect repose expressed in its counte- nance. The figure sits cross-legged, the hands resting in the lap, the backs of the fingers, from the second joint, pressed against each other, and the thumb nails meeting evenly, the palms of the hands inwards. Half-a-dozen men might stand in a row along the two thumbs. This image was cast by Ohno Goroyemon, a distinguished bronze caster, at the desire of Yoritomo, in 12-3:^. It is 44 ft. in height, 87 ft. in circumference ; the face is 85 ft. long, the thumbs are 3g ft. round, while the knee is 34 ft. in diameter. A temple, of which the foundation stones still remain, formerly enshrined Dai-butz. Tradition asserts that the temple was destroyed by a tidal wave. Strewn near the figure are huge pieces of copper, shaped like the lotus leaf. The Buddhists believe that, in Paradise, the souls of the blessed rest for ever upon a lotus flower in blissful contempla- tion. On leaving Dai-butz we went to Kama- The Shinto Religion. 53 kura and visited the celebrated Shinto temple, Hachiman, which is approached by a wide avenue of trees. As usual, you have to mount a long flight of steps before you reach the en- trance. The Shinto religion is the oldest ; it is the worship of the goddess Ten-sio-dai-zin, who is the patron deity of Japan. The chief characteristic of a Shinto temple is a lookingj-glass, supposed to denote the purity of the soul, or to typify the power of the deity to look into the human heart as into a mirror. The worshipper prays opposite this, then rings a great bell adjacent, and finally, as an offering, throws money on one of the numerous little tables standing about. Slips of white paper with figures, called gohei, are also seen in Shinto temples. In front of the temple of Hachiman, I am told, sacred dances, characteristic of Shinto, are performed on certain feast days. Here is also the deified Emperor Xintoku, who once remitted his people's taxes for three years, during which time he suffered abject poverty for their sakes. The temple is enclosed by a court- yard built in compartments, and here reUcs are 54 Bound the World in Six Months. kept. There are swords of great antiquity, the scabbards beautifully inlaid with gold, silver, and pearl. There is one very long one, with a phcenix and flowers on the scabbard. This belonged to a great hero, called Odamara II6j6. The Japanese are most expert armourers, and perfectly understand the art of tempering steel. Though trade is looked down upon as a rule, a sword-maker is thought a great deal of, and, if he excels in his art, is occasionally, I am told, ennobled. The workmanship displayed in the handles is sometimes exquisite. There are some bows and arrows also highly decorated, a helmet, and other relics. Near stands a large square stone, to which Japanese women make pilgrimages when they desire, but are not blessed with, a family. We had tiffin at an excellent tea-house, Kadaya Shazaemon by name, and then visited more temples. At the entrance to many of the Buddhist temples are two huge red figures, one on either side. They are supposed to exercise a benevolent influence upon mankind. The unini- tiated might at first sight suppose that the A peculiar Form of Worship. 55 worshippers were heaping indignities upon the Ni6, (the name by which these deities go). They chew up bits of paper and fling them at the figures. If these stick, it is a good omen — the prayers will be answered. It was nine p.m. before we returned to Yokohama. To our dis- gust, we could get nothing to eat at the hotel but some untempting scraps of cold meat. This is the great drawback to the American system of only providing meals at stated times. One must either eat then or go with- out. Tuesday, September 10th. — Torrents of rain all day, and fearfully hot. This is the dampest place I have ever been in. My knives, keys, &c., are covered with rust, and all my boots and black clothes with mildew. I devoted the day to shopping. It is much better to go to the shops than to buy of the men who come round to the hotels. The goods of the latter are inferior, and they ask more for them. Japanese curios are much more expensive than formerly. As they are mostly made at Kiyoto, it is better to buy them there. Plain tortoise-shell ware should be 56 Bound the World in Six Months. bought at Nagasaki. As a rule, shopkeepers take two-thirds of the price they ask. Europeans should pay in Japanese paper-money, as it is of less value than Mexican dollars, and it is well to examine your change when it is given in silver dollars, as some are of inferior value, and it is diflBcult to get rid of them again in Japan. You may, however, dispose of them at Hong Kong. I ought to have bought some Whangu canes, which are knotted and very pliable, and cheap here, but I cnly heard of them too late. I went first to Shobee, the great silk merchant's. It is very much like an English shop, with counters and attendants standing behind them. I saw a quantity of silks, but am not a very good judge of this article, and contented myself with the purchase of some pocket-handkerchiefs. Then I visited various curio-shops, where I invested in swords, lacquer-ware, china, tortoise-shell buttons inlaid or embossed with gold and silver, netsukis, &c. The small netsukis are worn as charms, and are hung by silken cords to pipes by way of ornament. In many of the shops I was offered the inevitable tea. This is not so great an Cremation. 57 infliction as it may seem, as the cups are not like our English ones, but only about the size of a doll's cup. Wednesday, Mth. — No improvement in the weather. Happening to hear that some bodies were to be cremated at five o'clock in the after- noon, and having some curiosity as to the way in which the ceremony is performed, I went oflF to the cemetery with a friend. The Japanese dis- pose of their dead both by cremation and burial. At present, the latter method is the more in usage. As soon as a person dies, befora the body has time to stiflFen, it is doubled up into a squatting position, and placed in a square box. When we arrived, we found a large gathering of the rela- tives and friends of the deceased assembled round a sort of tea-house in the middle of the cemetery drinking tea. Some of that beverage was at once handed to us. Presently two coolies came in sight with a pole over their shoulders from which was suspended a plain deal box, about 2g feet square; they were followed by two more men with a smaller box. The boxes were car- 58 Bound the World vn Six Months. ried into a place resembling nothing so much as a slaughter-house. It had four doors, and the roof was raised a couple of feet or so above the walls. On the ground were four sets of stones, so that four bodies could be cremated at once. Each coffin rests upon three stones. In the hollow, straw and wood were placed. We had to wait an hour until the men who performed the ceremony arrived : they were at that moment engaged in disposing of other bodies by burial. Strictly speaking, I cannot say the officiators were stark naked, but they had the very least clothing on possible. They at once proceeded to kindle the straw, and as soon as the flames and smoke arose, they hacked the first box to pieces with axes. The effect of these naked fisrures brandishing aloft their arms in the lurid light was positively demoniacal. The horror of the scene was complete, when, suddenly, the box gave way and the body fell head-foremost into the fire, one arm and leg protruding over the stones, and being pitchforked back again. My friend here began to feel very uncomfortable, and thought we had seen enough. The axe-men A Bevolting Spectacle. 59 then set to work on the second box, but one of the relatives objected to the hacking perform- ance, so the box was left to consume gradually. Fuel was every moment added to the fires, and the bodies began to burn. The first, being that of a thin boy, burned very slowly, but the second, a stout man, burned more fiercely ; the operation reminded me of the singing of a dead pig, and the smell assisted the idea. I remained an hour; quite long enough to see that this was a very primitive and undesirable method. The bodies, T was informed, would burn all night, and would take twelve hours to consume. The nearest relatives would then gather up the bones ; pound them to powder in a mortar, and placing the dust in a jar, would plant it in the cemetery, half in the ground, as one might do a flower-pot. Japanese graveyards are not unlike ours, dotted with tombstones, and here and there planted with flowers. Near many of the stones, two hollow bamboo canes, holding bouquets of flowers, are stuck in the earth. The charge for cremating in the way described 60 Bound the World in Six Months. is only two dollars. When priests are engaged to pray over the bodies until they are consumed, the charge is much higher. Thursday, ].2th. — I started at nine a.m. with a friend, in a carriage and pair of horses, to see something of the country, intending to visit Oiso, Odawara, Miyanoshta, Kiga, Hakone, and Atami. The rain had at last ceased : the heat was still very great. The drive was pleasant enough ; all along the road were planted trees which shaded us partially from the sun's rays. On either side lay fields of rice, presenting much the appearance of green oats. The Japanese thoroughly understand the art of irrigation ; the fields are intersected by ditches full of water. At Fusiyama, sixteen miles from Yokohama, we changed horses. Fusiyama means Wisteria Meadow, from that lovely creeper growing here in abundance. We crossed the river, carriage and all, in a ferry-boat. Owing to the late rains, the Bainu was much swollen. On land- ing, we met with a returning party, who gave us the cheering information that the bridge over An Energetic Measure. 61 the next river was washed away. We, how- ever, proceeded on our way, but found that the story was only too true ; no bridge was visible. We decided to send back the carriage, and hired jinrikishas at the neighbouring village. This second river was very narrow, but deep : planks were thrown across, and we got safely over. I heard an amusing account of what happened the previous day to a party on their way back to Yokohama. They arrived at the brink of the ^ river on the opposite side from Fusiyama in their carriage. It was most important that they should get back to Yokohama the same night, but the bridge was gone, and how was it to be done ? They applied to the head man of the village ; men- tioned the urgency of their case, and he at once set a hundred coolies to work, who took the carriage to pieces, carried it over the river on planks, and put it together again on the other side. The horses they swam across. At two p.m. he arrived at Oiso, ten miles from Fusiyama, lunched at a tea-house, and then proceeded on our way to Odawara, to which, had it not been for the floods, we could have driven. 62 Bound the World in Six Months. Considerable historic importance is attached to this town, but I don't suppose the general reader would be entertained by particulars of the rise and fall of the various clans who have in turn reigned there. It has now a telegraph oflSce and several good hotels. We got fresh jinrikishas, and went on to Tonasawa, a village lying at the foot of a mountain. Here we dismissed the jinrikishas, and hired a coolie to carry our bag- gage which weighed about one hundred and twenty pounds. He divided this as nearly as possible into two equal portions ; attached them to each end of a bamboo, and, slinging it over his shoulder, started off at a great pace. We walked for a considerable distance up the side of the mountain ; below us rushed a delightful stream, brawling over the rocks. We were told that big trout were to be caught here, but at present the water was too thick. It was nine p.m. before we reached Miyanoshta utterly beat. We stopped at Fugeas Hotel, conducted on the American principle. I wanted to put up at the tea-house, a very noted one, but my friend, preferring, in his fatigued state, the idea of a bed to that of a mat Studies from the Ntide. 63 on the floor, was not to be induced to share my views. Friday, ISth. — Up early, and started imme- diately after breakfast. On our way we visited a pretty village called Kiga, situated on the banks of a charming trout-stream. It is noted for its bath-houses which adjoin the principal tea-house. We passed many sulphur springs, from which rivulets of boiling water ran down the mountain sides. At Obano, another village, we stopped for tififin. Here, in the centre of the street, quite exposed to public view, some twenty or thirty men and women, for the most part old and hideously ugly, and without a stitch of clothes on them, were bathing and squatting about. A more repulsive sight it was never my lot to witness. They were laughing and chatting in the best of spirits, and apparently as unconscious of their want of gar- ments as our first parents in Paradise before the fall. A mile from this, we came to a lovely lake, called Midsumie, some four miles long. It was surrounded by hills wooded dowa to the water's edge, and put me rather in mind of Canadian 64 Bound the World im, Six Months. scenery. After crossing it in a boat something like a punt, but sharp at the bow, and propelled in a somewhat curious manner, (the men standing up to row), we landed, and walked up many flights of steps past some temples, and down again the other side to a village called Ashinoya, where more aZ/resco bathing was going on. As, although we were in Japan, we were not inclined to do as the Japanese did in this matter, we each had a private bath. These baths were simply holes cut in the earth, and boarded round. The water was so hot," that I was obliged to call for several buckets of cold. These were brought by young women, who calmly walked in, smiled at riie, and poured in the contents, without exhibit- ing the shghtest symptom of embarrassment. After our bath, we returned to the lake, hired another boat, rowed for a mile, reached Hakone at dusk, and put up at a tea-house called Hafya. Hakone is a very favourite resort of travellers ; the village consists of a street of hotels. The lake is 3,000 feet above the sea-level, and is sup- posed to lie in the crater of an extinct volcano. The tea-house is charmingly situated on the lake ; Female Shampooers. 65 it has verandahs all round, and the water flows up to the door ; the view is delightful. Here I met an Enoflishman travelling: with his moesumi. He, like most of my countrymen, adopted the Japanese style of dress in the house — a loose dressing-gown, tied round the waist, and sandals; it is eminently . adapted to the country, and I rather regretted that I had not invested in one. On the evening of ray arrival at Hakone, feeling severe rheumatic pains in my shoulders, from having been drenched to the skin all day by tor- rents of rain, and hearing that Japanese women were great adepts in the art of shampooing, I told my servant to order one to attend. To my . horror, he shortly ushered in a hideous old wo- man with one eye. I was sure, the moment I looked at her, that I was not likely to derive any benefit from treatment at her hands, so, present- • ing her with a small donation, T hurriedly wished her good evening, blew up my servant, and sent him off in search of something more suitable. This time his quest was more successful, and he returned with a girl, whose specialite, he informed r 66 Bound the World in Six Months. me, was shampooing with her feet. This novelty, however, did not recommend itself to my imagi- nation, as I bade him inform her ; so, having prostrated myself on a mat, face downwards, as directed, she commenced to pommel me vigor- ously with her small fists with such good will that, after a very short time, I had to cry for mercy. The treatment, however, proved most efl&cacious, for, though the next morning my shoulders still ached from her blows, I had no return of rheumatism during the rest of my travels. Saturday, I4th. — Left Hakone en route for Atami. I recommend travellers, having seen Hakone, to retrace their steps from this point. We, unfortunately, decided to go on, and incurred considerable fatigue in consequence, without having anything to reward us for it. Atami is a small town on the sea-shore, noted for its hot springs. Our road lay over a steep mountain path. We constantly walked over rivulets of scalding water, and the ground was covered with a sulphureous deposit. At half-past twelve, we reached the summit, and came to a halt. Then we descended A Resort for Invalids. 67 on the other side, and reached Atami at three o'clock, very tired. The hotels and tea-houses were crowded with invalids come for the benefit of their health, and it was some time before we succeeded in getting rooms. These were on the ground-floor, overlooking a pretty little garden and stream, but the agreeableness of the situation by no means repaid us for being eaten up alive by mosquitoes. Orange and camphor trees flourish here in great abundance. The natives, who, like all Japanese, are skilful carpenters, make capital boxes of the camphor wood. The fish here is excellent. Most of the time is spent in bathing, and the patients walk from the hotels to the baths without taking the trouble to add to nature so much as a necklace or a feather in their hair. Sunday, September Ibth. — A tremendous gale raged all day — the waves rose mountains high, and the sui-f covered the beach. Torrents of rain fell. It was impossible to get out, and we cursed Fate and the weather with British energy. Monday, 16th. — We woke to find the water- F 2 68 Eovnd the World in Six Months. spout still coming down, but were so thoroughly sick of our quarters that we made up our minds that no power should keep us longer in Atami. We started at eight a.m., with a kango and two men to carry us alternately, and a third coolie for ourluggage. We meant to have gone to Odawara, distant seven ri; but, shortly after leaving Atami, we met a man, who gave us the agreeable infor- mation that we should only be able to get five miles, as one of the bridges had been washed away, and we could not cross until some means of getting us over could be procured. Our path was like a running stream. In places it was washed away, and we had to cut our way through the bush. Presently we reached the brink of the river. Here we found nothing but a deserted hut. The tea-house where we had hoped to find shelter was the other side of the river, and there was no means of crossing. To our infinite disgust, we had to retrace our steps to Atami, intending, after lunch, to walk back to Hakone. Vhomme, pro- pose ! No sooner did we reach Atami, than we received intelligence that a land-slip had carried away the mountain path, so that plan had to be Pnsoners. 69 abandoned. We then wanted to go by boat to Odowara or Oiso, but could find no boatmen will- ing to venture his craft on such a sea. We suc- ceeded, however, in getting better rooms at the chief hotel, where we sufiFered less from mos- Q uitoes. CHAPTER V. GOING OUT TO SEA — A DIFFICULT LANDING— JAPANESE! PACK- ING—KOBE — KITOTO — FAIR AT OSAKA — A CONJUEOE— THE THEATEB —NAGASAKI — A CUEIOrS BNTBRTAINMENT — LEAV- ING JAPAN— SHANGHAI. lUESDAY, September 17 th.— On waking this morning, I was de- lighted to find that the rain had ceased, and that the sea was less tempestuous. I sent my servant oflF at once to try and charter a boat. He returned declaring it was impossible to get one; but, as I had dis- covered that truthfulness was not one of his par- ticular virtues, I went on my errand myself, Going out to Sea. 71 desiring him to accompany me. Eventually, I succeeded in engaging a boat with six men to take us to Odowara or Oiso. At eleven a.m. we got into her. She was a large flat-bottomed boat, and did not look to me particularly well adapted for the sea. She was, besides, in a very ricketty state. She carried a good-sized sail, and was furnished with five oars. After interminable preparations, putting a small stove — wood, water, &c., on board, and a supply of provisions for the voyage, they were at last ready to start. The whole population turned out to see us off, rather hoping, I believe, for the agreeable excitement of seeing us wrecked. There was a heavy surf, but our crew knew their business, and we got safely off. For two hours we had a fair wind, and were able to sail ; but this dropped, and we were then entirely dependent upon the oars. When we arrived opposite Odowara, we found it impossible to land, so pulled oflF again, and arrived at Oiso at six p.m. Here, too, there was a heavy surf, with tremendous breakers, and it was a considerable time before our men could decide whether they would attempt a landing. At length, however, 72 Round the World in Six Months. they resolved to make the effort, and pulled with all their might for the shore, pausing every now and then to take advantage of the breakers as they rolled in. On nearing the beach, numbers of naked men rushed through the surf, resting on a plank which they held in their left hands. Some were soon on board, and m.ade fast two ropes to our boat ; then the men in the water laid hold of these, and hauled us up safely on the beach. . Arrived at the tea-house, we found that our carriage had gone to meet us at Odawara, and could not return as all the bridges "were washed away. We slept there that night. Wednesday, I8th. — We left Oiso in jinrikishas at seven a.m. The roads were in a dreadful state after the rain. We crossed three rivers in boats so crowded, that we were level with the water's edge, and stood a fair chance of being swamped. Over the next stream a man attempted to carry me on his back, but, owing to my weight, he stuck in the mud, and let me down in the middle. After that, I entrusted my eleven stone to three men, who managed, though even then with con- Japanese P aching. 73 siderable diflBculty, to get me across. We changed jinrikishas at Fusiyama, and reached Yokohama at three p.m., having done twenty-six miles in eight hours, which, considering the state of the roads and the time lost in crossing the rivers and lunching, was very good travellina:. I hear that the weather in our absence has been frightfully bad — tremendous floods, and the rail- way washed away in places. The steamer, by which I was to have left to-day, is, luckily for me, detained, and will not leave until Friday. I spent the afternoon in buying coloured photographs, (very good ones), and more curios. The Japanese are most expert packers, so that the best way is, if your purchases are extensive enough to fill a box, to have them packed here, and sent oflF to England by sea. I did this, and not one single article was bi"oken or damaged in transit. Unfortunately, I could not go to Nikko, one of the loveliest parts of the island, nearly a hundred miles north-east of Tokio; but it would have taken me ten days to do it properly, and I had 74 Bound the World in Six Months. not the time. For the same reason, I did not ascend Fusiyama. Before leaving Yokohama, I must once more express a high opinion of the club and its cook, who understands to perfection the roasting of game, which is now very plentiful. It is necessary to have a passport in order to visit the interior of Japan, I telegraphed for one to the English Consul at Kobe. Friday, 20th. — I took my ticket for Shanghai, price fifty-five dollars (£11), and went on board the paddle-steamer Horoshuma Maru. She be- longs to a Japanese (the Mitsu Bishi) Com- pany. The officers are English; the crew Japanese. Sunday, 22nd. — Reached Kobe ; landed, and went to the Hiogo Hotel, kept by Mrs. Green, an Englishwoman. Found my passport, and a letter from a friend. It may give a hint to future travellers, as it did to me, so I shall transcribe it:— " I recommend you only to stop a short time at Kobe, just long enough to see. the waterfall and the pretty- httle girls at the tea-houses. At Kiyoto. 76 Osaka there is tifete (Matsuri) now going on, so you had better go there immediately. From there to Nara, about six hours, in a jinrikisha. Do not omit to see the dancing at the temple. The girls are daughters of gentlemen and merchants of the town, and you had better give notice of your wish to see the performance immediately on your arrival. I paid five dollars for a first-class per- formance, with six girls, drums, cymbals, fifes, &c. You had better go, too, to Nakamurya's Hotel on the hill, and to the hotel of the same name at Kiyoto, which is six hours from Nara. At Kiyoto you must go down the rapids in a boat, for which you pay from two to four dollars, according to the state of the water. Everybody says this excursion is one of the finest in the country." I at once engaged a guide at the hotel, by name Maruda, and he turned out extremely well. Then I started for the waterfall, which, however, was a very ordinary one, and on my way back just man- aged to catch the twenty-five minutes past eight a.m. train to Kiyoto, where I arrived at twenty- five minutes past eleven. Here I engaged jinri- 76 Bound the World in Six, Months. kishas for myself and guide, and went over the town, -which is thoroughly Japanese. By this time I had had enough of temples, about which there is a great sameness, and confined my sight- seeing to the principal streets and shops. In one of tlie latter I found some beautiful but very gaudy trout and salmon flies. The hooks of the trout-flies were without barbs. Notwithstanding this, the Japanese catch great numbers of fish witli them, and, I am told, will beat any English- man who fishes with his own flies in these streams. I could not spend half the time I should have liked at Kiyoto, as I had to get back to my steamer. Leaving the train at Osaka, I went to the great fair which was going on there. The streets were lined with stalls, where fruit, sweets, and cur-ios were sold. The sweets are generally about the size and shape of dominoes ; they are made of grain, sugared over, and variously coloured, are pleasant to the taste, and crumble in the mouth. There were jugglers, acrobats, theatrical per- formances, and the usual accompaniments of an English fair, and the streets were so A Conjuror. 77 tlironged with sightseers that it was almost im- possible to move. Here, as at Yeddo, very fine monkeys, with beautiful glossy coats, were ex- posed for sale. I then visited the castle, now partly in ruins. It is built of enormous blocks of granite, so large that it is almost a miracle how they were ever got here. It is stated that each block was presented to the Emperor by a different nobleman. The castle is said to be six hundred years old. On arriving, I sent in my card to the Japanese officer, and he at once gave me permission to go over it. Outside the ramparts, troops were going through a course of musketry instruction, and firing at targets with Snider rifles. I returned to Kobe to dine, and afterwards went to see a very clever conjuror. Most of his tricks are now familiar to English sightseers who have visited the Egyptian Hall. First came the basket trick, which everyone knows ; then he called in a young woman, with whom he entered into a violent altercation, and pursued her from the room with a drawn sword. We heard a shriek, and in a second he returned with her head, which he 78 Bound the World in Six Months. flung, bleeding, on the floor. Presently he picked it up and placed it on a table, when it immediately opened its eyes and began to talk, and a moment later walked away, apparently on its original body. Then I visited a theatre, which put me rather in mind of Evans's. Tirst we went into the boxes, but not seeing very well from there, descended into the body of the hall, where everyone sat at little tables and drank tea and saki. I did not understand very much of the performance, but was told that Japanese plays represent loves of the gods or the deeds of favourite heroes. The women's parts are played by boys. I omitted to mention that the time- tables in Japan are photographed on cards rather larger than a playing-card, and beautifully clear. This is a very convenient system. Went on board my steamer at midnight, and four hours later we weighed anchor, and steamed all the following day through the Inland Sea. The weather was glorious, and the scenery exquisite. About five p.m. we passed Pappen- berg, a lovely island, but once the scene of inhuman horrors. St. Fran9ois Xavier and a Nagasaki. 79 band of devoted missionaries visited Japan some centuries ago, and succeeded in making great numbers of converts to Christianity. This seems to have been tolerated for a time, but there came a great revulsion of feeling, and priests and con- verts were most cruelly persecuted. The unfor- tunate victims were driven up to the top of the clifi", and compelled to fling themselves headlong upon the rocks below. I do not know whether the custom is still in force, but I am told that in former years every native of Nagasaki and the adjoining principalities was compelled once a year to trample on the image of the Virgin and Saviour, and that even the sick and infants were made to touch the picture with their feet. Many converts of the Jesuit fathers were cruciBed. At six o'clock we came to an anchor in the lovely bay of Nagasaki. I landed, and went to the Belle Vue Hotel, a very comfortable one. The town is close to the water, but the Europeans live in charming villas, situated on the hills above. Wednesday, 2bth. — I went to Desima, part of so Bound the World in Six Months. the town, and formerly the only part of Japan where Europeans were allowed to settle. Here I bought tortoise-shell ware, for which Nagasaki is celebrated. Just at this time there were a good many men-of-war in the harbour, and almost everything had been bought up, so the choice was not as good as usual. In the evening I had a Japanese dinner, consisting of various kinds of fish, eggs and rice, and some of the largest prawns I have ever seen. After dinner I went to a Japanese restaurant with some friends to witness a native dance, one of the sights of Nagasaki. We were ushered into a sort of double room, one raised a few inches higher than the other, and seated ourselves on the floor on mats. Presently four little female musicians appeared, and squatted about on the floor. Their instruments were a kind of guitar and tom- toms. Each also brought her pipe in her little box about a foot square, containing charcoal, tobacco, and ash-pan. The pipes have long thin stems and tiny bowls. The next part of the programme was for me to order supper, consisting of fish, boiled eggs, rice, A Curious Entertainment. 81 sweetmeats, saki and claret. One of the musicians hereupon confectioned a sort of punch out of saki, claret, sliced oranges, and quantities of sugar. Then six dancing girls came in, and the whole party set vigorously to work on the supper. This disposed of, the entertainment commenced. The little musicians struck up what seemed to me a most hideous noise, but I am told that I have no soul for music, so perhaps it was only my own want of appreciation that made this part of the performance disagreeable to me. The dancers stood up facing each other, three a side. They danced in couples, the two vis-a-vis together, and presently all joined in. There was a great deal of talking, singing and gesticulating, with both arms and legs. To commence with they wore the usual long robe, and in these they continued their gyrations for about an hour, stopping occasionally for refresh- ment, which we handed to them. The peculiarity of this dance is that it concludes with a game of forfeits, in which, by degrees, the performers divest themselves of the various articles of their attire. The fun then becomes fast and furious. G 82 Bound the World m Six Months. Shrieks of laughter follow each fresh forfeit, and I will not shock the reader's feelings by narrating how very little of the fair ones' cos- tume remains at the end of the performance. Suddenly they make a bolt out of the room. We call for the bill, and return to our hotel. Thursday, September 26th. — Went on board, and at noon we steamed out of the harbour. My visit to Japan has now come to an end, which I greatly regret. It is a charming country. The natives are most civil, good-tempered, and oblig- ing. As for the coolies, I can hardly praise them enough. They are most willing and hardwork- ing, always satisfied with what you give them, and never asking for more than their proper fare. Gladly would I have spent another month here, and I recommend everyone who has the time to spare to visit this most interesting country. With regard to one or two Japanese customs, I am delighted to find that the barbarous process of pulling out the eyebrows and blackening the teeth, to which all married women were formerly compelled to submit is now done away with, and The " Happy Despatch:' 83 that they rarely disfigure themselves in this manner. You now hear very little of the hara-kiri, or " happy despatch," once so much in vogue. To know how to accomplish this was part of the education of every male Japanese, and boys from their earliest youth were taught how to perform it. The Japanese are a most civilised and imitative people, and there is no doubt that the free contact with Europeans, which is now, contrary to former custom, encouraged, will have a most beneficial efilect upon the prosperity of the country. My expenses from the time I set foot in Japan to the day of leaving, twenty days, amounted to £45. I should advise any traveller with a tolerably long purse to invest in curios and Japanese wares, which are well worth bringing home. Saturday, 28th. — Passed the light-ship at the mouth of the Yang-tse-kiang at eight a.m. The water is quite thick and yellow here. I am told it is always so, although forty miles from Shanghai. The land on both sides of the river is swampy, and snipe abound. At a quarter past eleven we passed a new and very strong fort on Q 2 84 Bound the World in Six Months. the left bank, built from an English design and armed with English guns, which some day we shall probably find it convenient to do away with. At half-past twelve we came alongside the wharf at Shanghai. CHAPTER VI. THE ETTKOPEAN SETTLEMENT— DIMINTJTITE RACERS — SHOOTING IN CHINA— A REAL CHINESE DINNER- BIBD's-NEST STEW — THE CHINESE ARSENAL— HONG-KONQ—A TYPHOON— PIDGEON ENGLISH— CHITS — THE " SPRITE " — UP THE CANTON RIVER — SAMPANS. N arriving at Shanghai, you only see the European part of it. This is imposing — fine streets, large build- ings, a good public garden, where a band plays, and a general air of prosperity. The Central is the best hotel. On board the steamer, I had made the acquaintance of a gentleman residing here, and he most hospitably invited me to stay at his house during my visit. We drove first to the 86 Bound the World m Six Months, Club, of which I was made an honorary member. It is a fine building, and all the arrangements are good. After tiffin, ray host drove me to the Bub- bling Well, the fashionable drive. We passed great numbers, both of English and Chinese, driving. On the outskirts of the town, my atten- tion was attracted by numerous turf-covered mounds, and on inquiring about them was told that they were Chinese graves. One reason why the Chinese object to railways is because they would interfere with these " last resting-places." I saw much cotton growing. The foliage is dark green, and the flower yellow, but the blossom is over now. Sunday, 29i/i. — Spent a quiet day, reading the English papers at the Club. Monday, 30iL — Up early, and drove to the race-course, just outside the town. Here I saw over a hundred ponies training, nearly all grey. Some were being measured — no easy task for the measurer. It seems that though the ponies will let their Chinese attendants do anything with them, some have a rooted dislike to being touched by Europeans ; and as it was on one of the latter Sport in Ghina. 87 that the oflBce of measuring devolved, he had rather a bad time of it. The races take place twice a year — the first week in April and the first in November; these are periods of tremendous excitement in Shanghai, and for the time every- thing else gives way before it. Almost everyone seems to own a racing pony. November is the best month for snipe-shooting, but there are plenty to be had now. They appeared on our table at every meal. The pheasant-shooting in this part of China is, I am told, very good indeed. If you go in for shooting, the plan is to engage a house-boat, which is something in the style of a canal boat ; in this you live during the expedi- tion. You may get lots of duck from the boat as you go along. Good dogs are very necessary, but extremely difficult to get. If you take them with you from England, they are pretty sure to die, as the climate does not agree with them. The following is an extract from a friend's letter : — " I left Shanghai about the 1st of December. We were a party of five guns. It took us some days to get to our ground. We then shot for 88 Bound the World in Six Months. seventeen consecutive days, killing 1,600 phea- sants, 112 duck and teal, 90 deer, 6 hares, 5 bittern, 1 woodcock, 1 otter, 1 goose. Total, 1,716 head. We got back to Shanghai on New- Year's Day. There is not much shooting to be had in Japan, as Europeans are forbidden to shoot more than twenty-five miles from a Treaty port ; however, five of us went to a place called Nikko, about one hundred and fifty miles in the interior, and having bribed the head man of the village with a present of champagne, he gave us leave to shoot for ten days, and we got some fair sport — pheasant, duck, and woodcock. I also got three samber ; these are deer, much the same weight as the red deer in Scotland, and have pretty good heads." In the afternoon we drove to the cricket ground, where some very good play was going on. The match was numerously attended. The ordinary mode of locomotion here is the jinrikisha, as in Japan. The same evening, my host, know- ing that I had some curiosity to see a real Chinese dinner, was kind enough to give one for my benefit. He invited nine Chinese gentlemen, who A Chinese Dinner. 89 arrived in native dress, and at eight o'clock we sat down. The table was arranged very much like an English table, only that instead of knives and forks, ivory chopsticks were placed for the 'guests. We were waited on by six or eight Chinese servants in spotless white garments, with shining black pig-tails. The Chinese think an immense deal of ancestry. My host told me that some of the servants standing behind our chairs could trace their pedigree back a thousand years. My next neighbour, fortunately for me, spoke English perfectly, and was extremely agreeable and intelligent. Everyone smoked between the courses. This is a copy of the menu, but there were several more dishes than those mentioned : — MENU. Pigeons' eggs Soup. Mushroom stew. Chicken stew. Duck and Lily seeds. Shrimp stew. Birds-nest stew. 90 Bound the World in Six Months. Shark-fin stew. Dried mussels. Whole boiled duck. Fishmaw stew. Minced fish in balls. One has heard from childhood of birds-nest soup, and I had some curiosity to taste it. It seemed to me rather insipid, and not worth the value set upon it by the Chinese. There are both black and white nests, the latter of which are by far the more expensive, but both are very dear. These nests are built by a sort of swallow that inhabits caves in the islands of Sumatra and Java. The best are white and look like isinglass. Whole shops are devoted to the sale of them, and the shopkeeper will show you the diflFerent varieties in an inner chamber, if you care to see them. It is supposed that these nests are made of foam thrown up by the surf, and that the birds carry this in their beaks to the caves, and con- struct their " gelatinous nests " from it. I tasted everything from curiosity ; some of the dishes were delicious, especially the shrimp stew. I was pleased to find myself handling the chop- A Chinese Arsenal. 91 sticks with considerable success. They were afterwards presented to me. Mercifully these implements were supplemented by a very curious shaped spoon, like an oval sauce ladle, which, as there was a good deal of gravy to most of the plats, was very necessary. We drank champagne and a native spirit, but this was very strong and everyone seemed to prefer the former. After dinner most of the party repaired to the Chinese theatre. The piece was evidently of a comic nature, but, as may be imagined, did not convey much to my mind. On the two following days, I visited friends on board the English men-of-war and went up the the river in a steam-launch to look over the arsenal. My companion was an engineer, who has been employed a good deal by the Chinese Government. We first called on the principal oflficer, and lost a good deal of time in the inevit- able tea-drinking with him. He gave us leave to go everywhere and see everything. In the centre of the ground was a high tower. On inquiring the use of this, I was amused to hear that a 92 Bound the World in Six Months. previous Superintendant, being of an indolent nature, and objecting to the trouble involved by- walking about to look after his subordinates, had this erected as a " coign of vantage," where he could sit at ease, sip his tea, smoke his pipe, and satisfy himself at the same time that everyone was doing his duty. We looked over all the buildings, which con- tained some excellent machinery, but everything was in a very dirty state, and, although large quantities of munitions of war might be made here, we learned that they were only turning out a few hundred Remington rifles and sword bayonets weekly. Doubtless, the English au- thorities are fully aware of the capabilities of this arsenal for arming troops with breech-loaders at a short notice. There is also a Government powder manufactory in the neighbourhood. After our tour of inspection, we returned to take leave of the Superintendant. On our complimenting him upon the excellent work done by his men, he was so pleased that he insisted upon our drinking a bottle of champagne with him, and after showing us over his own Eong Kong. 93 house, conducted us to the large gates, which he had thrown open for our egress. This, I am told, is a mark of great honour. October Srd. — I took ray passage to Hong Kong, and paid £12 6s. for it. After dinner, my hospitable entertainer drove me down to the tug-boat, which took me to the Peninsular and Oriental Steamer Hindostan. I got on board at midnight. She is a fine vessel. The cooking is very indifferent. There are only six passengers beside myself. Saturday, bth. — The glass is going down and the wind rising. Sunday, 6th. — Could not sleep last night, owing to the rolling of the ship and the intense heat below. At six p.m. we stopped, put our pilot into a boat, and sent him on board the Peninsular and Oriental ship Nizam going to Shanghai. Monday, 7th. — We reached Hong Kong last night— the lights on shore had a very pretty effect from the ship. I landed after breakfast this morning ; looked up my friends ; was made an honorary member of the Club, and given a 94 Bound the World in Six Months. bed-room there. The great meal of the day here is the table-d'hdte tifl&n. Everything in the club is good, but the noise made by the coolies outside turns the place into a sort of Pandemonium. The Chinese are most inveterate chatterers, and have very unpleasant, discordant voices. There is a great commotion in the town to-day. Great dis-satisfaction is felt with the Governor, and an "indignation meeting" is about to be held, " to consider and discuss the existing state of insecurity of life and property in the Colony, and to pass such resolutions as may be deemed advisable." I am told, that owing to the ill-advised clemency of the Governor to Chinese criminals. Hong Kong has become a hot-bed for ruffians of the worst description. When the Europeans arrived at the City Hall, they found ic packed with Chinese, so proceeded at once to the cricket ground. Various resolu- tions were passed, but I have not heard the result. The glass is still going down and a typhoon is feared. Tuesday, 8th. — When I awoke, it was rainino- A Typhoon. 95 in torrents and blowing a gale. The barometer stood at 29-76. At a little before ten, the drum at the Harbour Master's office was hoisted, and a typhoon gun fired from the Police Court. The tide was then a foot over the Praya Wall, near the Harbour Master's office. The men-of-war struck their top-gallant masts and sent down all yards, and the merchant steamers got up steam, and some went over to the other side of the har- bour. Many Chinese with their families live on board boats, called sampans, and great numbers of these were wrecked in the storm. The Humane Society saved many lives, but with considerable difficulty, as the poor creatures were so anxious about their eflFects, they could hardly be prevailed upon to leave their sinking boats. One old woman, with a child in her arms, was thrown out of her sampan into the sea, but picked up and saved. By three o'clock the Praya was covered with small Hakka boats, drawn up to a place of safety, with their owners comfortably housed inside. The sea wall was very much damaged and the Praya strewn with wreckage. Fortunately, the typhoon did not last many 96 Bownd the World in Six Months. hours, but long enough, however, to do a great deal of damage. Some lives were lost, but more than two hundred were saved by the Royal Humane Society. Wednesday, 9th. — Still raining in torrents, with very hot, close weather. Devoted part of the day to shopping. I hear that at Eoochow things are in a very unsettled state, owing to the exces- sive zeal of our missionaries, who, it is said, have not combined that quality with as much tact or consideration for Chinese prejudices as might be desirable. Hong Kong is densely populated with Chinese. The Europeans live in very fine houses on the hill overlooking the town. They are most hos- pitable, and I dined out every night during my stay. Instead of the jinrikisha, you go about in a sedan-chair carried by two men. Pidgeon English, universally used in speaking to natives, grated very much on my unaccustomed ears, and reminded me a good deal of the language employed by nurses and fond mothers to babies. The mer- chants, also, talk a kind of slang amongst them- selves, the word pidgeon coming in on every Chits. 97 occasion. For instance, if one of them has made a satisfactory transaction on 'Change, he will say, " That was a good pidgeon of mine this morn- ing ;" or, "That is my affair," " That is my pid- geon." The word Hong is used to indicate a place of business, as, " Whose Hong is that ?" It is usual for men of business to dine at their Hongs, where they have two separate messes, one for the partners, and another for the clerks. You scarcely ever pay ready money in China (that is, if you are a resident or known there). Everything is done by what is called chits. A chit is a small card or ticket, on which your name or the name of your Hong is written. This you give to the shopman or coolies, having first written upon it the sum which they are to debit you. I was caused some inconvenience at hotels and clubs by my ready-money being refused, and chits asked for, as on one or two occasions, when I wanted to leave in a hurry, there was some diflBculty in collecting my chits. The reason of this seemingly strange aversion to ready-money may be that the " heathen Chinee " does not inspire confidence in the breast of his employer, H 98 Eornid the World in Six Months. who thinks himself not so likely to be done when he has the written testimony of a chit. Another reason may be, that as the coins in use are silver dollars as big as a crownpiece, it would be very inconvenient to carry any quantity in one's pocket. Once a month these chits are taken to the resi- dent's Hong, where the Comprador, or house- steward, pays them in dollars. Cricket is much played by the garrison and BngHsh here. There are also, as at Shanghai, races twice a year, which are looked forward to as great festivities. I am told the English troops suflFer frightfully from the heat, which, I can testify, is almost unbearable. At Hong Kong you buy capital bath-room slippers, made of a kind of grass. They are very comfortable, and only cost tenpence a pair. I also bought some horn riding-sticks very cheap. Thursday, October lOth. — Still raining in tor- rents. I took my passage for Canton, and went on board the steamer at eight a.m. She was built like an American river-steamer, with a large saloon on deck. I was rather surprised to see a sailor with a naked cutlass in his hand and a The " Spnte" 99 revolver in his belt, standing sentry at the hatch- way, over which there was a padlocked iron grating. On asking him if we had any prisoners on board, he said, " No ; but we always keep Chinese passengers on the lower deck, and place a watch over them." Not long ago, the steamer Sprite, in which I afterwards travelled, took a number of Chinamen on board. The officers and part of the crew were English, and there was one English passenger. In the middle of the day, when everyone was lying down, the pirates mur- dered the captain, the English crew, and, as they thought, the English passenger. They then robbed the ship, and made their escape in boats, which some confederates brought alongside.. Some time after this, an English vessel passing the Sprite thought something was wrong, and boarded her. They found the unfortunate captain and crew lying dead. The passenger, though terribly cut about, still breathed, and was taken to the hospital, where he ultimately re- covered. The English and Chinese police, though they made every attempt, could gain no clue to the murderers. Now comes the strange part of H 2 100 Bound the World in Six Months. the story. The captain's widow had a dream. In it she saw all the pirates together in a certain room in a certain village. So strong a hold did this dream take of her mind, that, to pacify her, the authorities caused a search to be made in the place she described, and there they found and captured one of the pirates. He confessed, im- plicated others, and, finally, six of the murderers were hanged. All the officers and crew on board our ship were armed with revolvers, and in the saloon there was a rack of loaded rifles, so that pas- sengers might arm themselves in case of an emergency. On leaving Hong Kong, the scenery is lovely, and reminded me a good deal of parts of Scot- land. Mountains rise from the water side. I was told that wild boar are to be found among the scrub. We passed a many-storied Pagoda. Presently, the scenery became flat, and villages dotted the banks. Occasionally, we observed a couple of tall red poles, which indicate either a joss-house or the residence of a Mandarin. Every now and then, on the summit of a hill, stood a Up the Canton River. 101 tall Pagoda, making an extremely picturesque object. The country near the water was well wooded. Lots of men were fishing with nets. The living on board these river-boats is excel- lent — different kinds of fish, very well cooked, cutlets, fowls, curry, sweets, native fruit, and vegetables. We reached Canton at two p.m. I was struck by the amazing quantity of craft of all shapes and sizes lying closely packed together. Many of these were enormous junks, drawing very little water, and standing out almost like houses. These invariably carried cannon, which rested on pivots, so that the muzzles could be de- pressed, in order to fire into small boats at close quarters, if necessary. These vessels are used for carrying merchandise into the interior, and are often attacked by pirates. As at Hong Kong, the river population is enormous ; whole families living in sampans. Many of them have never been ashore in their lives. The sampans are always rowed by women, with, generally, a baby tied on their backs. Some of them are very pretty. 102 Round the World in Six Months. The momeiit we let go our anchor, the steamer was surrounded by these boats ; the girls clamber- ing on board, and insisting upon carrying one's person and effects on shore. As, however, a friend had sent his boat for me, I had not occasion to avail myself of their services. CHAPTER VII. SHAMIEN — CANTON STBEETS AND SHOPS — BLACK DOGS' AND cats' flesh — T0ETT7EES OF THE CHINESE DAMNED — PUNISH- MENT OP CABELESS SPORTSMEN — OF INCOMPETENT DOCTORS — REFINED CEITELTT — CHINESE IDEAS OP VIRTUE — THE GREAT BELL — A HUNDRED HEADS FOB ONE — THE WATER CLOCK — TIME-STICKS. WAS rowed to the European settle- ment, called Shamien, on an island in the river. The houses are fine, with good gardens. There is a kind of esplanade along the bank, on which are lawn- tennis and croquet-grounds, fenced off" and planted round with shrubs. My host had engaged a guide for me, Ah Cum by name, who 104 Eownd the World in Six Months. is considered the very best in Canton. He is a great swell in his way, and speaks English perfectly. He lived for a great many years with the Yen. Archdeacon Gray, formerly Consular Chaplain at Canton, afterwards archdeacon at Hong Kong. There is only one hotel, a wretched place, and I congratulated myself that I had friends kind enough to put me up, instead of being obliged to take up my quarters there. We immediately started sight-seeing in chairs, one of which was chartered for the guide, an attention they invari- ably expect. We crossed the bridge between the settlement and the town. An armed policeman opened the gate, and in a few minutes we were in the heart of Canton. The streets are long and very narrow ; not wider, I should say, than the Burlington Arcade. The reason of this may be, and probably is, to keep out the sun, for, in spite of the great heat, the streets are remarkably cool. In places where they are wider, great awnings of matting are stretched across from house to house. The streets rejoice in the most extraordinary names, such as " Street of Benevolence and Dogs' and Gats' Flesh. 105 Love," " Street of One Thousand Grandsons," " Street of Five Happinesses," " Street of Accu- mulated Blessings," " Market of Golden Profits," &c., &c. Outside the shops are long boards placed per- pendicularly, painted in the brightest colours, on which are Chinese characters in gold. Large lanterns hang above the doors, painted gaily with birds, butterflies, &c. All this gives a very kaleidoscopic appearance to the streets. There seems to be no end to the shops, and the whole city teems with a vast population. I did not see it myself, but was told that dogs and cats are hung up in the butchers' shop windows, as sheep and pigs are here. Their flesh is largely eaten, (not unwittingly in sausages), but in a bond fide manner, and as advertised. For instance, I saw the tariff" of a restaurant. One basin black cat's flesh, five cents. Black dog's grease, one tael, four cents. One pair black cat's eyes, four cents. The flesh of black cats and dogs is held in par- ticular esteem, as it is considered highly nutritious. Rats are eaten salted and dried, and are supposed to have the same restorative properties in cases 106 Bound the World in Six Months. of baldness as Mrs. S. Allen's Hair Restorer at home. The dogs' and cats' flesh is cut up into small pieces, and fried in oil with garlic. There appears to be no legitimate mode of drainage, and the dirt and smells are too disgusting. I visited various joss-houses. The courtyards of these were infested by dogs, evidently kept to guard the place. They were mostly of a sandy colour, with fox-like heads, and seemed to enter- tain a particular aversion for Europeans. I went to the Temple of the Five Hundred Genii. The figures, rather larger than life, are gilded, and sit side by side in a large hall. The face and attitude of each is diflFerent. " Some are fat, others lean ; some tall, others short ; some old, others young ; some merry, others sad ; some speaking, others maintaining silence; some laugh- ing, others weeping ; some wearing gay clothing, others the ragged robes of poverty ; some wear- ing shoes, others having bare feet ; some sitting on chairs, others riding on the backs of fabulous animals ; some sitting on the leaves of the plantain-tree, others on the rugged rocks."* .... * Gray. Tortures of the Damned. 107 They not only had the power of trampling under foot noxious reptiles, but of subduing the ferocity of wild beasts, and of speaking in strange and unknown tongues. One of these figures is said by some to be that of Marco Polo, but Arch- deacon Gray won't have this at all, but declares that it is that of Shien-Tchu, a native of one of the northern provinces of India, highly renowned for his zeal as an apostle of Buddha. In front of each figure is a candlestick and a large stone bowl, which holds the ashes of the incense burnt before them. In the court -yard of one of the joss-houses the tortures of the damned are exhibited in recesses, showing much ingenuity both in the conception and carrying out. The figures are about half the size of life, and the expression of devilish delight on the countenances of the tormentors, and of agony on those of the tormented, is graphically pourtrayed. Women are being hewn limb from limb ; men sewn up alive in raw bullocks' skins; small parties stewed up together in boiling caul- drons ; hapless wretches thrust through with stakes, disembowelled, pounded in mortars, &c. 108 Bound the World in Six Months. My friend gave me a book to read, containing an account of the Chinese ideas (the Buddhist sect) on the subject of future punishment. Certainly, if they believe in it, it ought to deter them from committing crimes in this life — it does not, however, appear to have that effect. There are supposed, I read, to be ten kingdoms of hell, ruled over by separate kings, each of whom rejoices in the euphonious surname of Wong, though the christian names vary, as Ping- ting, Too-shu, and so on. In the first kingdom are punished suicides, with priests and nuns who have neglected to say masses which they have been paid for. Their spirits are made to ascend a high tower, whence they look into a large looking-glass suspended in mid air. In this they see loathsome beasts and reptiles, whose forms they will take on returning to earth. The priests and nuns are also condemned to live in a gloomy chamber, and by the light of a dim lamp, to read in mini- ature type the masses they have neglected to say in life. Those who commit suicide, are a prey to intolerable hunger and thirst, and twice every Various Offences. 1.09 month undergo the same pangs they suffered at the time of self-destruction. It would take too loner to relate the list of offences named and the punishments inflicted, so I will only mention a few. Men who have injured their fellow-creatures by the careless use of fire-arms, are sent to the second kingdom for torture, and I should not be sorry to think that some men, with whom I have occasionally gone shooting, will have it made hot for them here. Ignorant physicians, who have insisted on doctor- ing people, are among the sufferers. Fraudulent trustees are suffocated in sand. Mandarins who have oppressed the poor, are shut up in cages where they cannot stand upright. The virtuous, return to earth to enjoy great honour and riches. I read that one title to being considered virtuous, is not to have posted placards on walls. The variety of the offences jumbled up together is extremely curious. In the same boat are plough- men who have turned up coflins in digging and not re-buried them ; people who have written squibs on their neighbours ; scribes who have not pro- perly represented the meaning of the poor in 110 Boimd the World in Six Months. letters written for them, &c. Some of these are perpetually devoured by tigers, though their bodies, like the widow's cruse of oil, never diminish. Some are disembowelled without cessation, or bound to red-hot funnels of brass. The virtuous, • here, are those who have erected bridges, or paved highways at their own expense. The fourth kingdom is reserved for cheating tradesmen, for gamblers, drunkards, and people of loose lives. These are flung into pools of blood, brayed in mortars, and hung on beams like hams or joints, with hooks through a fleshy part. Here, virtue consists in having provided coffins for the poor. The fifth king, Yim-lo-Wong, is a very ingeni- ous and refined potentate in the way of torments. First, his victims are compelled to mount a pagoda from which they look down upon their birth-place, and see all the scenes in which in life they experienced happiness, delight, and love. Then they are sent down to the Hall of Judg- ment to suffer infernal torments, then taken up for another glimpse of the past, and so on, ad A great Virtue. Ill mfinitum. Backbiters, slanderers, and incendiaries are here. The next hell is for those who scrape gold from idols, read obscene books, embroider or paint the gods or angels, sun, moon, or stars, on silk or china, and to this hell, if it exists, I fear most of my countrymen are doomed, as it is for those " who have never been satisfied with the seasons." It is a comfort to know that from the penalties of the seventh kingdom, such as being boiled in oil and thrown down volcanoes, you my save yourself by the timely purchase and setting free of live birds from the poulterer. An immense virtue is to have let blood from the arm or leg for a sick parent to lie in. This is greatly believed in in China as a remedy, and dutiful children will also cut off bits of their flesh for the benefit of their progenitors. Great horrors are reserved in the eighth king- dom for people who have told improper stories, and for women who have hung clothes out to dry on the house-tops. This last, to us seemingly venial offence, is a very serious one to the 112 Bound the World In Six Months. Chinese, as they believe it interferes with the flight of departed spirits through the air. I don't know what is to become of butchers and poulterers, for all who have killed birds, fowls, fishes, and pigs, are in the next world eaten up by the birds and beasts they have destroyed here. With a view of impressing upon the minds of the people the awful fate that awaits them, sym- bolical processions are from time to time got up in the various towns. We went on to the Temple of the Five Genii, where, in the great Bell Tower, hangs the largest bell in China. It is never rung, as a superstition is current among the people that the sounding of it brings misfortune. It was cast in 1368. Once it was struck by accident, and immediately large numbers of children were smitten with disease, and died. During the bombardment of Canton by the French and English, a cannon-ball struck it, and the Chinese have always believed it was in consequence of this that the city was taken. At the time of our war with them, rewards were ofl^ered by the Chinese for European heads. A Hundred Heads for One. 113 and manyinofiFensive people were killed. Oq one occasion, a cook, belonging to one of the French men-of-war, went into the town to buy provisions, accompanied by two of the crew armed. They were set upon by Chinese cut- throats ; the cook was murdered and beheaded, the other two men escaped. Immediately upon hearing of this, the French Admiral resolved to give a lesson to the Chinese that they would not easily forget. He sent an armed party on shore, divided into two companies, who entered the street at either end, (Ah Cum took me through it), and killed every man, woman, and child, to the number of a hundred. After this, the Chinese came to the conclusion that a hundred heads for one wasn't fair play, and left off offering rewards for such trophies. We then had a look at the shops. Whole streets are devoted to the sale of jade — a favourite ornament with the Chinese, especially with the women of the lower class, who wear rings, bracelets, and ear-rings of it. Some is white ; some, different shades of green. It is extremely hard, and wire saws are used for cutting it. I 114 Bound the World in Six Months. Then T saw the gold-beaters hammering the precious metal into thin leaves, and afterwards had a look at the carpenters engaged in their work. They inyariablj held the object they were making between their toes ; their tools are made exactly in the reverse way from ours ; the saws and planes cut on being drawn towards the work- man, instead of when pushed away from him. One street is devoted to enamelling copper and silver with scrapings from the feathers of the kingfisher. These ornaments look pretty when first made, but are very perishable. I bought some, but, on unpacking them in London, found their beauty quite gone. Other streets are inhabited by carvers of ivory and sandal-wood. The Chinese, as everyone knows, excel particularly in this work. They squat about in the doorways and shops, busily engaged, and chatting all the while. Canton is the place to buy embroideries on silk and satin ; here you get those worked on both sides, which are the most esteemed. The Chinese either cannot or do not make watches. They burn time-sticks, which are mar- The Clepsydra. 115 vellously accurate, and are made according to the time given by the Clepsydra, or water-clock, to which, in the course of the day, I paid a visit. It will be easier for me, and probably more intel- ligible to the reader, if I describe this in the words of the Chinese Repository, quoted by Arch- deacon Gray : — " The clepsydra is called the Tung-Wu-Ti-Lom that is, copper-jar water-dropper — and is placed in a separate room, under the supervision of a man, who, beside his stipend and perquisites, obtains a livehood by selling time-sticks. There are four covered copper jars, standing on a brick- work stairway, the top of each of which is level •with the bottom of the one above it ; the largest measures 23 inches high, and the same broad, and contains 70 catties, or 97^ pints of water ; the second is 22 inches high, and 21 inches broad ; the third is 21 inches high, and 20 inches broad ; and the lowest, 23 inches high, and 19 broad. Each is connected with the other by an open trough, along which the water trickles. The wooden index in the lowest jar is set every morning and afternoon, at five o'clock, by placing 1 2 116 Bound the World in Six Months. the mark on it even with the cover, through which it rises and indicates the time. The water is dipped out, and poured back into the top jar when the index shows the completion of the half day, and the water is renewed every quarter." This clepsydra was made in 1324, but the copper vessels were re-cast in 1860. " At the commencement of each watch of the day, white boards, on which in large black Chinese characters the name of the watch or hour is specified, are, with the view of giving the time to the general public, placed on the top of the arch. In the hall, which contains the water- clock, a drum and an iron gong are placed. By means of these instruments of percussion, the keeper of the clock is enabled to announce the various watches or hours of the night. On the iron gong there are imprinted two Chinese cha- racters, of which one represents the sun, and the other the moon. Immediately above the small stone staircase, on the steps of which the vessels forming the water-clock are placed, there is a small shrine in honour of Pwan-Ku, who, in Chinese mythology, is described as having been Time Sticks. 117 the first man, and by whom, at the command of the gods, the heavens and the earth were formed. As Pwan-Ku flourished at a time when garments were unknown, he is generally represented as being in almost a nude state. " On leaving, we bought a small bundle of time- sticks. The sticks in question, each of which is thirty-two inches long, are used, as their name more or less implies, for the purpose of measur- ing time. For use by day, some are especially made, while others, for service by night, are particularly constructed. Bach burns during a period of twelve hours. Of these, King Alfred's candles — as some of our party termed them — we bought two, and from a printed circular, or advertisement, which was, at the same time, handed to us by the man from whom we pur- chased them, we learned the following par- ticulars. " The ingredients of which these time-measuring sticks are made, are prepared according to the directions of the ofl&cial, or Imperial astronomers, or astrologers. The duration of each time-stick, is adjusted according to the clepsydra, so that 118 Bound the World in Six Months. the time which it indicates when burning, may be regarded as correct. Time-sticks, which are manufactured to mark the hours of the day, must be lighted at day-dawn, when the lines on the palm of the hand are just visible ; while those which are constructed to mark the hours of the night, must be lighted at dusk, when the lines on the palm of the hand are not discernible. Each stick, when burning, must be placed in a per- pendicular position. It is also necessary that it should be placed in a room free from currents of air."* * Gray. CHAPTER yill. HALL OF EXAMINATION — THE PEISONS— TORTTTBES— HOEEORS — EXECUTIONS— PITNISHING THE INNOCENT— NINE-TAILED PISH — RECEIPT FOE PEODTJCING THEM — SACRED PIGS — METHOD OP SOFTENING A HARD HEART — FLOWER BOATS — EIVEE POPULATION — DXTCK BOATS— FIGHTING CEIOKETS — KITE FLYING— HARDSHIPS OF CHINESE WOMEN— A HUS- BAND'S POWER OF EBTBNGE— A CYCLONE. RIDAY, nth.— Ah Cum came for me immediately after breakfast, and we started for the "Hall of Examination," one of the prin- cipal objects of interest in Canton, where all can- didates for Government employment come to be examined once in three years. They are of all ages and ranks. 120 Bornid the World in Six Months. The hall is a gigantic building, as may be con- jectured from the fact that it accommodates ten thousand candidates separately, though I am bound to say the accommodation is extremely limited ; each apartment, or cell, being little more than a horse-stall. Here they must live for two days. They are supplied with planks, which make their table by day and their bed by night. Government provides them with food and attend- ance during their stay. On entering the first gateway, the candidates are searched, in case they should have " cribs," or reference-books secreted upon them. At the second gateway, they are again subjected to this ordeal. Then each of them "is given a ticket, bearing the num- ber of his cell and the name of the row in which it is situated. After the examination, the names of the suc- cessful candidates are published in a list, which is, of course, headed by the student who has won the highest honours. He receives the title of Kai-yuen ; is taken to the Governor's house, decorated with a golden flower and a richly-em- broidered collar. After this, he is given a ban- Frissons and Tortures. 121 quet. When a man takes the above degree, his family are amazingly proud and delighted, and make it the subject of great rejoicing. I am told that the Chinese have a most extra- ordinary veneration for anything vrritten or printed in their own language, and a particular horror of its being trodden under foot. Men, specially employed, go about collecting waste paper, which is subsequently taken to a temple to be burned. From the Hall of Examination, I went to the prisons. On entering the Police Station, I saw many curious looking instruments hanging on the walls and standing in corners. These were the instruments of torture, the uses of which were explained to me with infinite gusto by the gaoler, who seemed to take a devilish delight in the horrors he narrated. Some were for breaking the joints of the arms and legs, or for breaking fingers. Many of the instruments were of such fiendish cruelty that they made one sick. Over the door of the prison is carved in stone the head of a ferocious tiger with open jaws. This is the infernal deity of the place. Proceeding to the 122 Bound the World in Six Months. courtyard, I saw numbers of prisoners fearfully emaciated, unsborn, and with long, matted hair, who presented the most deplorable spectacle imaginable. They were standing or sitting about on the ground in chains, some fastened to huge stones. Many of them were nearly naked, and covered with dreadful sores from floggings and tortures. Some had their heads fastened into cangues — large square pieces of wood, worn round the neck like a collar. With great diffi- culty they rose from the ground and came to- wards me, begging for money. It seems that Government does not allow the miserable wretches food enough to support life, so that, if any of them are without friends or help, they are bound to die of starvation. Even when they get money given them, the gaolers, who are the most brutal wretches conceivable, take the greater part away from them. So absorbing is the passion for gambling amongst the Chinese, that I even saw these poor creatures occupied in trying the chances of Fortune with each other. The whole place was in a state of inconceivable Female Prisoners. 123 filth, and the stench from the open drains was unbearable. The mortality amongst the pri- soners is very great. Their dead 'bodies are not allowed to be taken out of the prison gates, but are flung into the street through a hole in the wall, where they are picked up by coolies, thrust into baskets, and carried outside the town for burial. I next visited the female prisoners, who looked equally dejected, and were even more clamorous for money. One rather good-looking girl had, I was told, poisoned her husband, and was awaiting execution. It is not a matter for surprise that these unhappy prisoners look eagerly forward to the time when death will release them from their misery. When a day is fixed for executions, an official comes to the prison and calls out the names of the condemned. They are brought to him separ- ately in a basket, and he proceeds to cross- examine each as to his identity, lest, in their eagerness to put an end to their wretchedness, one should attempt to take the place of another, and so be executed before his time. The official. J 24 Bound the World in Six Months. having ascertained that he has got the man he wants, gives him a ticket, and sends him off to the execution ground. As they emerge from the prison, their friends, (if they have any), are gene- rally waiting outside, and give them betel-nut to chew : (these produce drowsiness) : or, if they can afford it, wine and fat pork. Each convict has a placard on his head, stating his name and the crime which he is to expiate by death. Oq arriving at the execution-ground, (where pottery was being made when I visited it), the condemned are tumbled out of their baskets, picked up by the executioner's assistants, placed on their knees in a row at the distance of a few paces from each other, with their heads bent forward. The executioner, on receiving a signal from the magistrate, walks down the line with his two- handed sword, and chops off each head at a blow. Here prisoners sentenced to undergo a linger- ing death are bound to wooden crosses, and then cut into pieces with sharp knives. Some are divided into eight, others into twenty-four, thirty-six, seventy-two, or a hundred and twenty Punishing the Innocent. 125 pieces, according to the degree of their oflFence. A good deal of hair was lying about, also several skulls, others were covered up in quick-lime in earthen pots, resembling small bread pans. On making some remarks to a Chinese gentle- man on the cruel treatment and torture of prisoners, he said that as death is considered no punishment in his country, and is ineffectual in preventing crime; it is necessary to have recourse to these horrors to inspire fear. I heard, however, that the most terrible tortures were not suflBcient to prevent the commission of numerous and atrocious crimes. If a criminal escapes, the whole of his family are seized and kept in prison until he gives him- self up, and are even occasionally executed in default of the real criminal. I saw innocent people who had been vicariously imprisoned for many years. Having finished my survey of the prisons and the execution ground, 1 went round the walls of Canton. These are very massive, and wide enough to drive a carriage along. At intervals there are towers, with embrasures for guns, and 126 Bmmd the World in Six Months. loop-holes for muskets. These walls surround the whole of Canton. I lunched in an upper chamber of the J5ve-storied Pagoda, from which I had a capital view of the city, the river, the burial-grounds, and the adjacent country. The burial-grounds cover a large extent of ground on the sides of the hills. In the afternoon I visited more temples, to some of which beautiful gardens are attached. The Chinese are great gardeners, and have the Dutch fancy for cutting their trees and shrubs into grotesque shapes. In the gardens of the Monastery of Longevity are tanks, where fish culture is carried on. Innumerable quantities of gold and silver fish are bred here. The Chinese carry their love of the grotesque even into pisciculture, and contrive to breed fish with four and more tails, and eyes hanging right out of their heads. Their shapes are quite dif- ferent from any I ever saw before. Archdeacon Gray, quoting from a Chinese work compiled early in the seventeenth century, gives the following receipt : — " For those that have three tails and nine tails, and are white, with vermilion spots, take Nine-tailed Fish. 127 small red insects, and feed the fish with them for one hundred days, when they will all change their colour. From being at first white like silver, they will grow gradually yellow, and, in the course of time, become golden. Gold fish with triple and quintuple tails are produced by covering the spawn, when dropped, with a large prawn. If there be no prawn, the tails are of a common kind. The fish with ver- milion scales were first reared in confinement in the year 960, and now they are cultivated everywhere by families, for the sake of orna- ment." Quoting from another Chinese work, the Arch- deacon says : — " Since the year 1548 there has been produced at Hang-Chow a variety of Kin-tsi, called the fire- fish, from its intensely red colour. It is univer- sally admired, and there is not a household where it is not cultivated in rivalry as to its colour and as a source of profit." I visited the Honam Temple, in the garden of which is a pond where fish are thrown as an offering to Buddha by grateful persons whose 128 Round the World in Six Months. prayers have been answered. To buy a live fish or bird in the market and give it its liberty is considered an action well pleasing to their deity. The monks who die here are all cremated. I was shown their ashes in earthenware jars. Near this place is the abode of the sacred pigs, which are very handsome (as pigs go), and very fat. A notice-board request^ you not to tease or poke these animals, at the same time reminding you that should you indulge in this cruelty, an all-seeing eye will take note of it, and punish you on the day of retribution. Near this place may also be seen sacred goats, fowls, ducks, and geese, their sacredness consisting in their having been presented to Buddha by grateful dis- ciples. I went to see the temple of Tchu-Shing-Tai- Chong, a great physician. Here is a " Shrine for Disconsolate Wotaen." To this the supplicants, who are either unhappy wives or slaves sufifering from the tyranny of their mistresses, or women afflicted with quarrelsome neighbours, bring paper images, which they affix upside down to the rails The City of the Dead. 129 of the altar, in the hope that " The Three Ladies " who preside here will be pleased entirely to change the hearts and dispositions of their tormentors and oppressors. Young women who have quarrelled with their lovers apply in a similar way for assistance. I then paid a visit to what is called The City of the Dead. It resembles catacombs, except that it is above ground. Here corpses are brought and kept until the astrologers decide upon a lucky day and place for burial, when they are interred. The coffins are made of four planks, so arranged as to resemble as much as possible the trunk of a tree. Rice is placed beside them and cups of tea, for the benefit of the dead. I saw a street inhabited by makers of coffins, where this melancholy ware was exposed for sale. On my return, my hostess showed me nearly a hundred different shaped tea-pots, of which it is the fashion to make a collection. Before dinner I went on the river to look at the different kinds of boats. The river population of Canton is immense. K 130 Bound the World m Six Months. The number and varietf of the craft on the river is so great that it cannot be imagined by any one who has not seen it. The dwellers upon the water are looked down upon by their brethren on land, though they are really a finer and hardier race, more particularly the women. A very great institution is the flower-boat. This is a sort of floating cafe, very handsome and elaborately decorated, with much gilding, and, sometimes, stained glass windows. When a Chinese wishes to give an entertainment to his friends, he hires one of these and provides a grand banquet, with singing and dancing- women to amuse the company. At night the flower-boats are lighted with coloured lamps, and present a very gay appearance. I went over several that were lying alongside each other, stepping from one to the other. I am told that they are now comparatively few in number, the missionaries having induced Government to put them down. I saw several young women on board, but they were not expecting visitors, and were quite en desha- bille. Then there are "bed-boats," used by The Eiver Population. 131 travellers as hotels, and, it is said, as assignation- houses also. Other boats, in which priests live, and in which there are altars and idols, serve as river-temples. These never leave their moorings. Amongst the craft are huge floating kitchens, where the great banquets for the flower-boats are sometimes prepared; they are also used as restaurants. Then there are boats called Hongs, in which the Chinese take their families for pleasure trips up the river. Again, there are whole streets of boats inhabited by sailors, who live in them between their voyages ; police-boats, ferry-boats ; boats where marriage festivities are conducted, (and marriage amongst the water population is celebrated with extraordinary pomp and expense), boats containing every sort of commodity — rice-boats, fish-boats, pork- boats, green-pea boats, china-ware boats, and even barbers' boats. The barber sits in the stern of his little craft ; " paddles his own canoe " with one hand, and rings a bell with the other, to announce his approach. Then there are sampans by thousands — sampan means K 2 132 Bound the World in Six Months. three planks, and is indicative of the slight and unsubstantial nature of the craft. Most boats, (of all kinds), have pieces of red paper bearing cabalistic figures pasted on the bow and stern. I was anxious to see the duck-boats. Between one and two thousand ducks often live on board one boat. For an hour or two, twice a day, the proprietor lands his flock, to take their lunch and dinner on the banks and in the fields. They return at his call, and the last to arrive is whipped, " pour encourager les autres." Ducks form a great staple of consumption in China, and are not only eaten fresh, but dried and salted. I had heard a great deal of cricket -fighting as a national amusement, and was very anxious to see it, but unfortunately it was the wrong time of year, so I had to content myself with hearing it described. The greatest excitement is felt about it, and crickets are backed as freely and for as large stakes, as cocks were formerly in England. The owner of a good fighting cricket is not a little proud of it, and, when a match is Grichet Fights. 133 coming off, has its various performances and victories placarded about, to inspire confidence in the backers. The pugilist cricket is taken immense care of, and is fed on fish, honey, chestnuts, and rice. He lives in an earthen pot, where a bath is provided for him ; and lest he should feel dull, his solitude is every evening cheered by a lady cricket, who dines and spends a few hours with him. The cricket-fights take place in sheds. A small tub is placed on a table and the crickets fight in this. The winner's master receives the stakes, which are held by a committee, and, in addition, a roasted pig and a gilt ornament. When a celebrated champion cricket dies, he has the honour of being buried in a silver cofi&n. Sometimes a great fighter is sold for a large sum. Quail-fighting is another favourite sport. These have evidently long been national amuse- ments, for I have in my possession a very large Oriental dish, which has been in the family a hundred and fifty years, and on it are painted crickets fighting in various positions, and also a couple of quail similarly engaged. 134 Bound the World m Six Months. Kite-flying is a very popular amusement, and not only an amusement, but in some cases a sort of religious observance. Some of the kites are enormously large and very handsome. It takes several men to hold one of the very big ones, which are in all sorts of shapes — birds, men, fish, insects, flower-baskets, but unlike our English kites, they have no tails. Some, how- ever, are in the shape of serpents and are a great length. The ninth day of the ninth month is devoted to kite-flying, and all the population turns out to the hills or some breezy spot where they indulge in this amusement. Very often when the kites have risen to a great height, the string is cut, and the departing kite is supposed to carry away misfortune from the owner's house. Men seem to have a much better time than women in China. A woman cannot get a divorce under any circumstances, however great a brute or ruffian her husband may be, but he can put her away for very venial offences — incompatibility of temper, disrespect to himself or to his parents, disobedience, &c., &c. Should Mard Fate of Chinese Women. 135 she be guilty of infidelity, he may not only divorce her but may sell her to a house of ill- fame, or, if he is of a vindictive disposition, may beat her to death or chop off her head. Sometimes, when a woman is discovered with her lover, the offended husband will lock them up, (if the lover is rich), until the latter has paid a very handsome sum. This is certainly a simpler proceeding than an action for damages in our own country. If the unfortunate co- respondent should have no worldly goods, the indignant husband cuts off his pigtail and has him flogged through the streets of the town. A woman who commits bigamy is strangled ; if she deserts her husband, she is condemned to receive a hundred blows. Should she strike her father or mother-in-law, she is flogged through the streets and expelled from her home. I heard a good deal on board ship on this particular subject — the treatment of Chinese women. What with this and the tortures they must undergo with their poor little feet, they seem to have rather a bad time of it. 136 Bound the World in Six Months. Not very long ago, a fearful cyclone occurred in Canton, of such violence, that whole streets were demolished and many thousands of people perished. Trees were torn up and riven asunder — some large houses had only an angle blown off. This happened to the house of the friend with whom I' was staying. CHAPTER IX. MACAO— A GAMBIiINa HOtTSE — PANTAN— EEBUCED GENTLEWO- MEN — A BOOK TO EEAD — THE FEMALE CARGO— THEIE AMrSE- MENTS— A TEDIOUS VOYAGE- SINQAPOEE — BAEGAININQ — A PINE-APPLE EOE THEEE HALFPENCE— CHANGE OF PASSBN- GEKS— PLIETING IN PENANG— SHOALS IN THE HOOGHLT — CALCTITTA. ^niATUEDAY, 12th.— Left Canton for 5^1 rvl Macao at eight a.jn. in the Sprite, the vessel before alhided to as the scene of the murders by pirates. I am the only white passenger on board. There are a hundred and twenty-five Chinese, but they are confined below, and two sentries are stationed near the hatchways, armed 138 Bound the World in Six Months. with cutlass and revolver. We whites are all armed. Arrived at Macao at five p.m. The steamer from Hong Kong got in shortly after- wards. Many English come here from Hong Eong from Saturday until Monday to get fresh air, and indulge in a gamble. However, on this occasion, to the disgust of my land- lord, there was not a single English pas- senger. Macao is charmingly situated in a bay something similar to that of Naples. The hotel is a large, straggling one, and very in- different. After dinner I visited the Chinese quarter, and went into one of the gambling-houses, which are distinguishable by having several coloured lamps outside them. On entering, I observed a high table in the centre of the room. On it was a square board, the corners of which were marked respectively 1, 2, 3, 4. Three men sat round the table. The first was the croupier; the second, who occupied a place beside him, had scales, and weighed the money staked, to see that the coins were of their full value; and the third received and paid out money. The native gamblers stand Fan-tan. 139 round the table, but the Europeans sit above in a gallery, looking down on the table, and lower their stakes and raise their winnings in little bags attached to a string. There are several games, but all very much alike. The croupier places in the middle of the table a heap of small coins ; the gamblers stake their money on the numbers I, 2, 3, 4. The croupier then takes a chopstick, and begins rapidly to draw away the coins from the heap, four at a time. When he has raked in all the coins but the last .1, 2, 3, or 4, whichever number happens to remain, the game is de- cided — that is to say, all those who stake on the number which is left receive three times their stake ; the others, of course, lose. This game, the common one, is called fan -tan. The scene put me a good deal in mind of Hom- burg or Monaco, though it lacked the gilding, the gorgeous saloons and the ladies. The Chinese preserve perfectly impassive countenances, whether they win or lose. They are inveterate gamblers, and will gamble the very clothes off their backs. 140 Bound the World in Six Months. In the streets the cooHes are perpetually gambling; you see them squatting about in corners engaged at play. I am told that many of the keepers of low restaurants have a sort of roulette table. A man goes in, pays for his dinner, takes a turn at roulette. If he wins, he gets his dinner, and his money is returned to him ; if he loses, he goes dinner- less. In the times of the coolie-trade, Macao was a most flourishing town, but since that trade was abolished, the inhabitants are ruined ; the place is almost deserted, and grass grows in all the streets. At present the only source of revenue to the Por- . tuguese is the money they get for licensing the gambling-houses. Formei'ly, I am told, Macao was a very gay and cheery place ; balls and dinner parties being rife. Sunday, IBth. — After breakfast, hearing the sound of martial music, I went up to the barracks, and saw two companies of Portuguese Infantry parading for Church. They looked clean and smart, but were all sizes. I then went to the Cathedral — a fine building — and heard Mass. A Reduced Gp.ntlewomen. 141 good many people were present ; all the women had their faces shrouded by mantillas — no great loss, I am told, as they are the reverse of lovely. They wear very voluminous petticoats, and are all dressed in black. In the evening I went to the Gardens to hear the band play. There were a good many men, but only a few ladies. On inquiring the reason, I was informed that as they are all in very bad circumstances, and have no new gowns to show, they prefer to remain at home. I saw the garden of Camoens, the celebrated Portuguese poet, where he is supposed to have written some of his chief poems. I was rather tired of sight-seeing, but the fol- lowing are the objects of interest which the traveller is supposed to visit, and which the Chinese clerk at the hotel obligingly made me out a list of: — The public gardens (there are two), the light-house, burial ground, pagoda, barrier, market. Bar Fort, Senate house, and barracks. Monday, 1 4f A. — Returned to Hong Kong, where I arrived in time for tiffin. Devoted the after- 142 Bound the World in Six Months. noon to wishing my friends good-bye; packed up, and took my passage to Calcutta on board the opium steamer, Arratoon Apcar. The ticket cost £30, and included wine. It would be useless for me to give an account of what I spent in China, as, owing to the hospitality of friends who entertained me the greater part of the time, my hotel bills amounted to very little. I imagine that, had I been living at my own expense, my sixteen days in China would have cost me something under £40. Before quitting China, I may remark on the great difference I found between the inhabitants and the Japanese in their manner towards foreigners. In Japan all was civility ; even the dogs were friendly. In China, on the contrary, the small children invariably scowled and hooted at Euro- peans, and the dogs barked furiously, and were very much disposed to bite. Tuesday, October Ibth. — I went on board my steamer. She belongs to Sassoon & Co., and is used for bringing opium to Hong Kong. This opium trade is the curse of China, and, I fear, we The Female Cargo. 143 are anything but blameless in the matter, as we import it largely. It is a long, tedious journey from here to Cal- cutta, and I advise the traveller who intends going through India to supply himself with Kaye's " History of the Sepoy War " to read on the voyage. It will add immensely to the interest with which he will afterwards visit such places as Delhi, Lucknow, Cawnpore, Allahabad, &c., &c. By a very bad arrangement, of which I was unable to discover the motive, the steamers of the two diflFerent Companies, Sassoon's and Jardine's, both leave on the same day and hour the middle of each month. It would, of course, be infinitely more convenient to the public if they ran the boats alternately. The passen- gers were two Englishmen, three Americans (one a missionary with his wife), and some five hundred Chinese. Among these were about thirty girls going to Singapore and Penang. I was led to believe that they were not going as domestic servants, as it was represented, but for an illicit purpose. Although the Government do their utmost to keep down this traflic, the girls 144 Bound the World m Six Months. themselves assist in evading the law. Before coming on board, they were questioned by a Government official as to their destination and employment, and whether they were going of their own free will. They all, apparently, gave satisfactory answers, and each was then stamped on the arm with a mark in Indian ink. They were brought on board by a middle-aged woman, who, after seeing them settled, returned to the shore. I was told she made a great deal of money by collecting and importing these girls. I must say, however, that they all seemed happy, and were exceedingly well cared for on board ship. They spent the whole of the time in eat- ing, drinking, and arranging each other's hair, which, in some cases, was very long and beau- tiful, but they rather spoiled the appearance of it by plastering it over with quantities of thick oil. They also devoted a good deal of time to polishing their teeth, which were white as ivory, with bits of wood. Their feet were bare and very large, though that was infinitely preferable to seeing them distorted. A Tedious Voyage. 145 I was greatly amused to see several babies, little more than a year old, feeding themselves with chop-sticks, which they handled with great dexterity. These infant Cupids, for they had no more dress than the little god, dis- ported themselves all day on the lower deck, and seemed very happy. The day before arriving at Singapore and Penang was devoted by the Chinamen to shaving each other ; not only the cheeks and chin, but all over the face and nose that not a particle of down might be left. A great many of them smoked opium. The women and girls smoked pipes all day long : these were of such a complicated nature that I am at a loss how to describe them. The living was fairly good, but the meals were most inconveniently arranged as to time, there not being suflBcient interval between them. Breakfast at nine, lunch at half-past twelve, dinner at half-past five, which made the evening painfully long. The heat was almost unbearable, being ninety degrees in the cabins. Sleep was next to im- L 146 Bound the World in Six Months. possible^ and when you did doze off towards morning, you were soon aroused by the holy- stoning of the deck, which was done with an amount of noise utterly unnecessary. This con- tinued till half-past eight. As there is very little to see at Penang, I should recommend the traveller of the future to go from Hong Kong to Galle, and thence to Madras and Calcutta by Peninsular and Oriental steamer. The time hung very heavy on hand. My only occupation was in watching the Chinese pas- sengers, and chatting with my countrymen and the missionary, who had had some hair-breadth escapes in India. Monday, October 21st. — Arrived at Singapore at two p.m., seven days after leaving Hong Kong : distance, one thousand four hundred and thirty- seven miles. We found the town en fete, as the Maharajah of Johore had just arrived from Europe. He seems very popular here, and is extremely energetic ; has started large saw-mills, and sends great quantities of timber to Calcutta. We were Singapore. 147 delayed starting thrise hours next day by having to take on board several barge-loads of his wood. I went to the Hotel de I'Burope, a very large, straggling building. We sat down to dinner over a hundred of all nationalities. The land- lord was a German, whom T had seen before either at Hamburg or Heligoland, The heat here is unbearable. I spent the afternoon on the verandah of the hotel, occasionally making purchases amongst the crowd of itinerant ven- dors who thronged the road below. Bargaining here is necessary, as they always ask double what they mean to take. After some trouble, I succeeded in getting some very good Malacca canes extremely cheap, but I had considerable difficulty in making the men show me good ones, as they kept the best in reserve, and tried very hard to palm off inferior ones. Shells, caps, and slippers were also offered for sale- In the evening I went for a drive to see the town, but this gave me nothing in particular to chronicle. I was disappointed to find that, L 2 148 Bound the World in Six Months. although there is a large European population, there is no place of amusement. Tuesday, 22nd. — Hired a conveyance, a curious shaped carriage, drawn by a pony not much bigger than a Shetland, which, however, went at full gallop the whole time. I drove along an excellent road to the public gardens in which the tropical plants and trees are very fine. There are great numbers of cocoa-nut trees ; also a collection of very beautiful tropical birds. Won- derful accounts were given me of the gigantic boa-constrictors occasionally seen in this neigh- bourhood. The Malays are a fine, wiry race, and very muscular. There are pretty villas on the outskirts of the town, each standing in its own grounds. All the roads are good. I went on board again in the afternoon, and we left at half-past six. Most of the Chinese passengers had disappeared, and, on walking round the lower deck, I found their places filled by numerous cages of beautiful parrots, paro- quets, and small birds with lovely plumage ; also monkeys. This was a private speculation on Penang. 149 the part of the crew and of some Jew passengers with the most villanous countenances it was ever my lot to behold. There were also on deck a number of brass- bound camphor-wood boxes, very well finished. These came from Honff Kongf, and I learnt after- wards that I ought to have bought some there, as they are very good and cheap. They are invaluable for keeping clothes in, as moths will not go near them. One of the ship's officers had a military chest of drawers made of camphor- wood which excited my envy. A supply of excellent pine-apples had also been taken on board. They cost only three-halfpence each. Thursday, 24th. — Arrived at Penang, three hundred and eighty-one miles from Singapore, at eleven a.m., and went to the Hotel de TBurope, kept by a stout, good-natured Russian woman, who speaks every language and is a capital hostess. Drove to the waterfall, one of the sights. I made particular inquiries for " Penang lawyers," big canes, which I had always heard of as one of the products of the place, but not only ] 50 Bound the World in Six Months. could I not get one, but could not even hear of one. In the evening I vcalked on the esplanade, and saw a few carriages containing ladies I was rather amused to see several flirtations going on here, under somewhat unusual conditions. No sooner did the carriages arrive on the ground than the coachmen took out the horses, and led them away to a distance. The cavaliers then approached the side of the carriage, and, resting one foot on the step, proceeded to converse with the fair occupants. Friday, 2bth. — Rose at six with the intention of going to the top of the hill, which commauds a beautiful and most extensive view. On a clear day you may see eighty miles. The heat, however, was so intense that I was recom- mended not to attempt the ascent. Everyone here is suffering from prickly heat, I among the number, though I have not experienced much discomfort, owing, I fancy, to drinking nothing but light claret and water, and taking a dose of Bno's fruit salt every morning. Went on board at half-past three p.m. Found all the Chinese Shoals in the Hooghly. 151 passengers gone, but we picked up some Parsees and Malays bound for Calcutta. September, 26th. — In sight of land all day. Devoted most of the time to my journal and writing letters. September, 2Sth. — At eight a.m. passed the Coco Islands, which are prettily wooded and picturesque-looking. Wednesday, BOth. — At five a.m. the pilot came on board. He was a great swell, and not without a sense of his own importance. These Hooghly pilots are very superior men, and have a most diflBcult and dangerous task in navigating vessels up to Calcutta. Owing to the diflFerent currents acting on the bed of the river, the shoals and sand-banks constantly shift their positions. Fresh soundings have to be taken every day, and the result telegraphed to Calcutta. We passed the wrecks of several fine vessels buried in the sand, with their masts standing erect out of the water. When a steamer strikes one of these fatal sand-banks, she topples over, and, before she can right herself, is engulfed in mud and sand. Once ] 52 Bound the World in Six Months. wrecked, a vessel can never be raised, nor can any of the cargo be recovered, however valuable. It rained in torrents all day. I never saw such rain, except in Japan. The " James " and " Mary " are the names of the two most dangerous shoals. The country is very flat, but planted with bamboos, cocoa-nut, and mango trees. We passed the palaces of the ex-king of Oude. The roofs were covered with immense flocks of pigeons, and I noticed men with red flags employed in driving them off as soon as they settled. We came to an anchor in the river at half-past five p.m. The distance from Penang is one thousand two hundred and twenty miles. With some difficulty, I secured a boat, rowed by four men, to take me ashore. After rowing more than a mile, they landed on a muddy bank, and one carried me on his back to the hio-h road where he deposited me under a big tree. The others followed with the luggage. At this juncture, a porter came up with the badge of the Great Eastern Hotel on his cap, and told me that the manager, having heard of the arrival of Arrival in Gahutta. 153 the ship, had sent him to meet me. He pro- cured a ddk (pronounced dawk), which took me to the hotel. My baggage was put in a bullock- cart, and eventually followed me. CHAPTER X. HEAT, PLIES, PUNKAHS — BENAESI — BrTING NECESSARIES — STARTING FOR THE FRONT— PEGS — A DAK BUNGALOW — BENARES — THE CITY OF IDOI,S — SACRED MONKEYS — THE OB- SERTATORY— BATHERS IN THE GANGES— VISHNU'S PERSPIRA- TION — THE GOLDEN TEMPLE — LITCKNOW — THE RESIDENCY — DEATH OP LAWRENCE — HEROES AND HEROINES — THE RELIEF — A SUPREME MOMENT — CAWNPORE. N arriving at tbe hotel, which was very full, the manager informed me that he had kept rooms for me. I was very much disappointed not to find the servant who had been ordered for me. However, as several came to offer their services, I selected one fro tern, till I could look about me. A private servant in India is an absolute Engaging a Servant. 155 necessity. The hotel servants pay very little attention to visitors, and unless you have your own man behind your chair at meals, you stand very little chance of getting enough to eat. I was very thankful to find myself once more on terra firma, after my tedious voyage. The heat is still intense. This is mitigated by punkahs, but I have not yet got used to them, and they fidget me very much. I suppose, however, that without them, life and the flies would be unen- durable. Dinner over, I went to the theatre. The performance was very poor, and I soon came away. 1 was glad to get to bed, and, drawing my mosquito curtains round me, was soon ofi" to sleep. Thursday, October 31s^. — The greater part of the day was employed in looking out for a servant. Numbers with excellent testimonials presented themselves, but I did not like their appearance. They could not look me straight in the face, and had a cringing, servile manner, which disgusted me. Presently the manager came and told me that he had got the very 156 Bound the World in Six Months. man for me. He had been his second butler for years, but, owing to a quarrel with the head butler, had left. On seeing the man I was much taken with his appearance, and engaged him there and then. His name was Benarsi. He was a fine, soldier-like looking man, no longer very young, with a grey beard and moustache, and bright, intelligent eyes, capable at times of looking most ferocious. The great point about him was that he always looked you straight in the face. I paid him a rupee and a quarter a day. This is much higher pay than servants are accustomed to get, though, to English ideas, it will not seem extravagant, particularly as it included his food. The proper value of a rupee is two shillings, but now it is only worth one and ninepence. Sixteen annas (worth about three halfpence apiece) go to a rupee. These two coins are the principal ones in use throughout India. Benarsi spoke English perfectly— knew every part of India, and for thirty years had been servant to Bnghsh ofl&cers. He was a capital cook and could do everything — 1 mention this Necessaries. 157 as some servants have only one speoiaUte, and many men travel about with several. Wherever you go in India, except at hotels, it is customary to take your own bedding. The following list of things which I bought in Calcutta may be useful. One rizai, (a thick quilt), a rug or coloured blanket, a pillow and two pillow cases, two pairs of sheets, six towels, six dusters, boot brushes, and blacking. Also a solar hat, which is indis- pensable, and six cholera belts. I bought mine of Thresher & Glenny, in the Strand, (theirs are the best), and found them invaluable as a pre- ventive in Japan and China. The traveller should not fail to. get " The Indian Traveller's Railway Guide " answering to our Bradshaw, and Forbes's " Hindustani Manual " which enables you to pick up enough of the language to get on. These may be bought of Messrs. Thacker and Spink, the principal book- sellers in Calcutta. Finding that all my friends had gone up to the front, (Afghanistan), I resolved to follow them, in order, if possible, to get there before the taking 158 Bound the World in Six Months. of All Musjid, which it was supposed would happen on the 12th of November. I intended, however, to see as much as I could on my way. November 1st. — Took my ticket for Benares and left Howrah, (the Calcutta railway station), at three p.m. I set my watch by the railway clock, as Madras time is kept at all the stations on the line. Arrived at Burdwan, sixty-six miles from Calcutta, at six, and dined with some friends. The Rajah of Burdwan is the richest land- holder in Bengal — "his estates," says the guide- book, " pay an annual rental to Government of £400,000." He has a fine palace not far from the station, fitted up in European style. The Rajah is well disposed towards the English, and has built them an excellent club. I went over it, and refreshed myself with a " peg." This is the Indian expression for a " brandy and soda," and appears on all the wine-cards ; the origin or meaning being that each indulgence in this drink is another nail or peg in one's coffin. At this rate, I have a suspicion that Ddh Bungalows. 159 some of the youngsters' coffins will be composed of nothing but " pegs." There is a hotel and a dak bungalow. The latter is a sort of govern- ment hotel, expressly for the use of travellers passing rapidly through the country. No one is entitled to stay in one more than forty-eight hours if it happens to be full, and a fresh traveller should want a room. You must take your own servant and bedding, but are provided with food, wine, spirits, &c., at prices fixed by the Com- missioner. All charges are entered in a book, in which the traveller can write complaints if he has any. This book is inspected weekly by the Commissioner. I much regretted that, during the first part of my visit to India, I knew nothing about the convenience of these dak bungalows and always went to hotels, nearly all of which were very bad. Although they are kept by Europeans, the management is invariably entrusted to natives, who are very inattentive. In India, servants sleep outside their master's door. Just at present the inhabitants are suffer- 160 Bound the World in Six Months. ing dreadfully from fever. Europeans do not escape — indeed it is almost an epi- demic. Plenty of duck, teal, and snipe may be shot in the neighbourhood. At five minutes past eleven p.m., I got into the express train that left Calcutta at half-past eight and is to arrive at Bombay, one thousand four hundred and nine miles, at fifteen minutes past ten on Monday morning — sixty-one hours and three-quarters. The fare is a hundred and thirty-two rupees. The first class carriages are very comfortable, but exceedingly dusty at this time of year. Having made my bed, I, spread my rizai and went to sleep. November 2nd. — At forty minutes past seven a.m. we stopped at Mokameh for half-an-hour, and had a cup of tea; reached Dinapore at twenty-five minutes past ten, and were allowed twenty-five minutes for breakfast. Reached Mogul Serai at half-past three, and changed carriages. Arrived at Benares at four p.m., four hundred and sixty three miles from Calcutta. Went to Clark's Hotel, four miles from the The City of Idols. 161 station on the other side of the Ganges, whicli we crossed by a bridge of boats. Benares is the city specially devoted to the Hindu religion, and the fame of its marvellous temples is world-wide. These stretch along the banks of the Ganges for two miles, and the effect is most imposing from the water. Here all the great men come from time to time to be purged of their sins, much in the same way as Catholics make pilgrimages to Eome and other places. In consequence of the immense number of pilgrims, many of whom are men of great wealth, Benares is an exceedingly rich city. Silks and shawls are made here, and it is famous for gold embroidered cloths, and for its beautiful gold filagree work and brass work. I believe there are something like fifteen hundred temples and three hundred mosques — they seem countless. The idols are still more in number, and everywhere in the streets you come across niches and shrines. The Hindus are so devoted to idolatry, that not content with the innumerable idols here, both M 162 Bound the World in Six Months. men and women make themselves little clay- figures, and, after having worshipped them with immense devotion, fling them away. I was extremely amused by the monkeys in the Durga Kund. There are hundreds of them, all deified, but I regret to say the honour paid to them does not influence their manners, as they are as mischievous, troublesome, and thievish, as the rest of their species. They visit the neighbouring houses, and may be seen taking the air on the house-tops. Visitors to the temple buy grain to feed them with — as in the Zoo at home, one buys buns and nuts for their brethren. My guide told me that, regularly once a week, a band of monkeys residing at a little distance, comes and fights the Durga monkeys. Pitched battles ensue, and not un- frequently some of the combatants are left dead on the field. Sunday, November Srd. — Rose at six, got into a carriage and drove down to the river with my guide. Took a boat at the Dassa Sumed Ghat and was rowed up a mile or so. It is almost hopeless to attempt to describe the stately array The Observatory. 163 of palaces and temples that meet the eye one after the other. I have never seen anything else to compare with it. Massive flights of marble and stone steps descend to the water's edge; above them rise columns and arcades, towers, domes, minarets, and masses of masonry, the vastness of which one can hardly, without seeing, form any idea of. The two minarets are the finest in the world — they are a hundred and fifty feet high and only eight and a quarter feet in diameter. Some years ago there was a volcanic disturb- ance, and many of the buildings have sunk several feet into the earth, and a good deal of masonry is displaced. I suppose it was really a mild form of earthquake, for the Sindhia Ghat, then in course of building, went down many feet, and is still sinking, and on one occasion a loud report like the discharge of a pistol was heard, and one temple was rent from the top to the bottom. I landed, and saw the Observatory called Man-Mandir — it is the most ancient build- ing in Benares. Went up to the flat roof, where there are enormous astronomical instruments M 2 164 Bound the World in Six Months. made of stone. The first is the Mural Quadrant, which consists of a wall 11 feet high and 9 feet If inches broad, in the plane of the meridian. Then there are two large circles, one of stone and one of lime. There is also an enormous instrument called the Prince of Instruments, the wall of which is 36 feet in length, and slopes gradually upwards so as to point to the North Pole. As, however, I understand nothing of these matters, I will say very little about them. I next made a visit to tl:e Burning Grhat, where bodies are cremated, but nothing was going on there for the moment, and I only saw a few ashes. After my Japanese experience, I was not very keen about it. At the bottom of the, flights of steps were little bathing places, where numbers of men were drying themselves and saying their prayers, after bathing in the sacred Ganges. I was rather surprised, at this juncture, to see something like a porpoise tumbling about in the water. I should have mentioned that at the Burning Ghat, the bodies are not always entirely con- Vishnu's Perspiration. 165 sumed, but are thrown partly burnt into the river, where they are either finished by the crocodiles and fish, or, if washed ashore, eaten by dogs and vultures. This makes many Europeans averse from eating fish in India. Then I visited the famous well, Manikarnika. It is here that all the pilgrims first flock, for the waters are supposed to have the efficacy of cleansing the bather from the foulest sins, even from murder. The water is filthy and fetid to a degree, and the stench unbearable. Tradition says this fluid is the perspiration of Vishnu ; had I been told that it was com- posed of that of his followers, I should have had no hesitation in believing it. As I walked through the crowded streets, the native police came round and cleared a passage for me, but I was much annoyed by numbers of men and boys, who insisted on following me under pretence of acting as guides, and then clamorously demanding " backsheesh." The Golden Temple was the next object of mv attentions — this is dedicated to Siva, the 166 Bound the World in Six Months. reigning deity of Benares. I cannot enter into a description of this Divinity, suffice it to say, that it is of the same nature as the golden image set up by Nebuchadnezzar is sup- posed to have been. The worship consists in throwing on the stone, rice, flowers, &c., which are washed off again by a stream of Ganges water. This flows into a well called the " Well of Knowledge," surrounded by a fine colonnade with forty pillars. The well is putrid and filthy, but these attributes seem to charm the worshippers rather than otherwise. Near this is a large stone figure of a bull. The gilded tower of the temple presents a beautiful effect in the sun, as does an immense gilt dome adjacent. Both are covered with thin plates of gold, spread upon thick layers of copper. Were I to dwell on the temples and mosques I visited, it would only involve wearisome repeti- tion, so I will pass on to the shops. I went through whole streets devoted to brass work. Here numbers of men and boys were hammering away at trays, bowls, cups, dishes, little boxes. Guides. 167 &c., &c. No women were to be seen, a fact which impressed one disagreeably. I made some purchases in brass work, and returned to the hotel, tired out with my day's sight-seeing. Travellers should look after their guides, who do their best to cheat them in every way ; first by over-charging, secondly by pretending to give four times as much as they really do in backsheesh to priests and beggars, and thirdly in importuning you to buy things, that they may get, what is called in China, a " squeeze," out of it. At twenty minutes past five, p.m., I left Benares for Lucknow : the train was the slowest and worst I ever travelled in. November Mh. — Arrived at Lucknow at six a.m., and went to Hill's Imperial Hotel, where I was thankful to refresh myself with a bath. Before breakfasting, I drove to the Eesidency, so long and bravely defended by our people during the fiercest heats of summer. The privations and miseries they suffered were only second to those of the unhappy victims of Cawn- pore, but, thank God ! with a different ending. 168 Bound the World in Six Months. It is simply marvellous that two thousand Eng- lish should have held this place for three months against fifty thousand rebels. It is still pretty much in the same state that it was in 1857. The buildings are covered with bullet marks, and here and there are great holes made by cannon-balls. All the buildings have com- memoration tablets let into them relating to Sir Henry Lawrence, General Neill, and others. I went down into the cellars in which the wives and children of officers and non-commissioned officers lived during the siege. Sir Henry Lawrence had great faith in the Sepoy regiments with him at Lucknow, and, as events proved, he was right. Nothing could have exceeded the loyalty and devotion of these men during the siege. Whilst Sir Henry was so ill that he had been prevailed upon to take two or three days rest, the chief of the Provisional Council took upon himself to dis- arm the Sepoy regiments, having obtained the consent of their commanding officers, and to send them home. But when Sir Henry heard Luchnow. 169 of this, remembering how faithful they had already proved themselves, he sent messengers after them, who (as Kaye says) " brought numbers of them, with smiling faces, back to their posts." This was in June. Lawrence knew of the dreadful straits to which his fellow-countrymen at Cawnpore were reduced, and was broken- hearted when he got Wheeler's entreaty for help and could send him none. " May God Almighty defend Cawnpore," he said, " for we can give no aid." At the end of the month he heard that the enemy were marching upon Lucknow in great force, and determined to go out to attack them. Unfortunately, this affair turned out very badly for us. We lost five guns and a great number of men without effecting any good ; indeed, we suffered a severe defeat. The mutineers got into the town, occupied the houses in the most commanding positions, and day and night poured upon the Residency and the Mutchee-Bhawun an unceasing fire of musketry. 170 Bovmd the World in Six Months. Sir Heiiry sent off a messenger to Havelock, telling him of the peril of the position, and asking for relief. He then determined to abandon the Mutchee-Bhawun, and concentrate his whole force in the Residency. But the diflBculty was to know how to convey our people from one place to the other, since the enemy's fire commanded the ground between. The resolution and bravery of some of the officers, however, accomplished it in the night, without the loss of a man. Unfortunately, the commis- sariat stores, powder and ammunition, had to be left behind. Lieutenant Thomas laid the train as soon as our people reached the Resi- dency, and blew the Mutchee-Bhawun into the air. But the next day was a sad one for us. A shell came into the room where Lawrence was transacting business as he lay on his couch, burst, and gave him his death-wound. He lingered for two days, pccasionally in dreadful pain, but he bore it like a hero, and his last moments were devoted to care and thought for others. He desired that on his tomb should be Death of Lawrence. 171 engraven " Here lies Henry Lawrence, who tried to do his duty." Then he said good-bye to his comrades, and died on the morning of July 4th. At night " some European soldiers were sent to remove the remains of their late chief to a grave which had been prepared for him in a trench within the Residency grounds. They lifted up the coverlet and kissed him reverentially on the forehead, and then he was laid in the same grave with some men of his old regiment, who had been killed in the course of the day."* The siege raged on. Unfortunately, with the very best of motives, Lawrence, from a respect for the feeling of natives, had not allowed the mosques to be destroyed, and on the summit of these, skilled marksmen of the enemy took their place, and picked off" every European whom they sighted. " Into the work of defence," says Kaye, " our people, officers and men alike, flung themselves, with an amount of vigorous self-devotion seldom * Kaye. 172 Bound the World in Six Months. paralleled. There was no duty to which oflficers, of whatever rank, did not apply themselves with cheerful alacrity ; no labour, however arduous or revolting, from which they shrank ; no danger to which they did not expose them- selves. . . . They had to contend, too, with cholera, fever, small-pox, the plague of boils and flies, the stench of rotting carcases, and the fearful heat." It was not only the men who showed so much courage and devotion. The women evinced equal heroism, and shrank from no duty, however menial, and never complained. " How they comforted and consoled one another, how they tended the sick and wounded, how they soothed the last hours of the dying and carried help to those who needed it, has been gratefully recorded by men who survived those days of fiery trial."* Wonderful it seems that the besieged never lost hope. A letter had come from Colonel Tytler, saying that the relieving force might be expected about the 8th of August, but the * Kaye. TJngud. 173 days passed, and it came not. Many letters had been sent from Luoknow without any answer returning. " But there was a man called ' Ungud,' a noted scout, who succeeded where others failed." This gallant old fellow was presented to the Prince of Wales on his visit to Lucknow. On the 15th of August, Ungud brought in a letter dated the 4th, written on thin paper in minute characters, and rolled up in a quill, saying that relief was at hand. But it was not until the 22nd of September, . after the poor garrison were reduced to the most fearful straits, that the relieving force was actually near. On that day Ungud brought a letter with the glad news that they had crossed the Ganges. " Ungud was the hero of the hour," for he had all but met his death in his dangerous work. On the 25th " the glorious sight of our own people," writes Kaye, " fighting their way through the streets of Lucknow, sent such a thrill of joy through the garrison as perhaps had never been felt before." " The garrison's 174 Bound the World in Six Months. long pent-up feelings of anxiety and suspense," (Kaye quotes from Wilson), "burst forth in a succession of deafening cheers from every trench, pit and battery. From every post still held by a few gallant spirits rose cheer upon cheer. Even from the hospital, many of the wounded crawled forth to join in the glad shout of welcome. It was a moment never to be forgotten." The women rushed franti- cally about, kissing even the hands of their gallant and sturdy deliverers. Unhappily the heroic Neill, who made himself so famous at Allahabad, was shot down as he entered Lucknow at the head of his men, I went to see his grave and Lawrence's in the churchyard, and, later in the day, to the tomb of Sir Henry Havelock, Then I drove to the Martini^re, once belonging to Claude Martin, a Frenchman, " A simple soldier who died a general," leaving an immense fortune to be applied to charitable uses " in the land where he gained it," Then to the Secun- derbagh, where two thousand rebels were surrounded and killed to a man. They were Lee's Hotel. 175 part of the force which had besieged the Residency. I also visited the Dilkush Palace and the Mutchee-Bhawun, once a fort, and now a powder magazine. Time would not allow me to remain longer in Lucknow, which I regretted, as I should gladly have devoted more time to the Residency. At twenty minutes past eight p.m. I left for Cawnpore. Here there are two railway stations. Unfortunately, I got out at the first by mistake. The rascally dak-driver, instead of taking me to Lee's Railway Station Hotel, drove me to a small native inn, and I did not reach Lee's until after mid- night. I went to bed at once, tired out, and, indeed, I know few greater or more fatiguing labours than that of constant sight- seeing. Tuesday, November 6th. — This is a capital hotel, thoroughly well managed. Lee, the landlord, is a first-rate fellow, and invaluable as a guide to Cawnpore. He came with Sir Henry Havelock and the relieving party in 176 Bound the World m Six Months. 1 857. So vividly did he describe everything which took place, that one seemed almost to see the harrowing sights as he spoke of them, and, often as he must have told the tale, he cannot even now refer to it without becoming intensely excited. No wonder ! CHAPTER XI. THE WEILS — ■wheeler's ENTEENCHMENT — THE NAUA'S MES- SAGE — TREACHEET— THE MASSACEE — BUTCHEET — ^HATELOCK AND HIS MEN — AGEA — THE FOET — THE PALACE OP GLASS — THE TAJ — AXBAE'S TOMB — TOWARDS " THE FRONT" — " SIR SAM'S SWOED belt" — JHBLUiyi. E were up early, and Mr. Lee drove roe to the Well near the barracks, where our people used to bury their dead at night. It is now a little graveyard, full of tombstones to the memory of various oflBcers who fell near the spot, and is enclosed by an iron railing. "We next went to the remains of the Well from which General Wheeler's force had to draw water. 178 Bound the World in Six Months. Numbers of men and some women and children were shot down here by the mutineers as they attempted to get water. We were now inside General Wheeler's en- trenchment, marked out with white stones by the Prince of Wales's order. From this, we visited the fine Memorial Church close by. Re- turning to the carriage, we drove along the high road till we came to a bridge that crosses the ravine, along which the Europeans passed to meet, (many of them), their death in the boats. This river runs down to the Ganges, and at its mouth there is a landing-place and a building, part temple, part bathing-house, used by the Nana's women. This is called the Suttee Ohowra Ghat (pronounced Gaut). It was here that Mr. Lee gave me his version of the events that hap- pened at Cawnpore. For three weeks the be- sieged remained in their poor entrenchment, in which the only shelter for the women and chil- dren was a couple of bungalows. Every day the number decreased from the enemy's bullets and from fever. The most dangerous duty was the daily fetching of water. The Sepoys kept up a Wheeler's Entrenchment. 179 hot fire night and day upon the Well, and so many men were killed going to and fro, that, at la?t, some of the soldiers' wives volunteered, with the idea that the Sepoys would not fire upon women. The wretches, however, never ceased their fire. It was then thought that children would, at least, move some compassion in them, but the poor little things who were sent were ruthlessly shot down, so nothing more of the sort was attempted, and the men went daily to their death again. After the bungalows were battered down by the enemy's fire, pits were dug in the ground for the women and children to get into. Then fever and small-pox broke out. There is no doubt that the General should have chosen the powder-magazine as his place of defence, but still there were reasons against it, which he considered cogent. The entrenchment was thrown up in May, 1S57. As a fortification, it was a very poor one. In it were two buildings, in which the women and children took refuge on the 22nd of the same month. On the 4th of June the native troops mutinied, and on the 6th the rest of the English and such N 2 ISO Bound the World in Six Months. natives as remained faithful took up their quar- ters in the entrenchment. On that very day the attack commenced, and was carried on with- out intermission. On the 13th, the buildings were burned down. About this time, as pro- visions were getting low, the native oflBcers and men were either sent away or allowed to leave. On the 24th, nearly all the provisions were gone, and the little garrison was dreadfully thinned by the enemy's bullets and by disease. The Nana, hearing to what straits the besieged were reduced, on Wednesday, June 24th, 1867, sent a woman to Sir Hugh Wheeler with a letter, saying, that if he and his men would lay down their arms, the whole party should have a safe passage by water to Allahabad. A Council of War was held, at which opinions varied consider- ably ; many ofl&cers declaring it preferable to fight to the last man rather than to trust the word of a native. Others thought that surrender was the only way to save the lives of the women and children. Besides this, ammunition and provisions were falling short. It was finally determined to accept the Nana's terras. The The Nana^s Treachery. 181 following day, the latter sent two of his oflficers to arrange for the evacuation of the entrench- ment. They promised that the following morn- ing a sufficient number of daks and bullock-carts should be sent to carry the women, children, and baggage to the landing-place where boats should be in readiness. The morning arrived, but, to the consternation of our people, very few con- veyances appeared, and they were told that no baggage could be taken. The officers at once suspected treachery, and several ladies declared they could not possibly leave without taking at least a few things. Eventually, however, they all started in a body, surrounded by masses of the rebel army. They were not reassured by finding the banks of the river swarming with natives. It appears that the Nana had sent criers through the town the previous night ordering all the population to go down and witness the massacre of the English. Gu arriving at the landing-place, native boats came alongside, and General Wheeler ordered the party to embark. At this juncture, the Nana's chief officer held up his hand, saying, " You 182 Bound the World in Six Months. no longer command — yoijr day is over. I am commanding ofl&cer." At this, everyone's heart sank, and they gave themselves up for lost. Still the boats were gradually 611ed, and floated down the river. According to Lee's account, several of the younger women were kept back, though they were partially reassured by their male relatives being allowed to remain beside them. At length, all the boats were filled, but many of the party still remained on the steps. No sooner had the boats been shoved off, than the whole of the native rowers jumped into the water, and returned to the shore. A bugle sounded, and a murderous fire was opened upon the boats. Great numbers of the occupants were killed — others drowned in trying to reach the shore ; those who succeeded were instantly cut down. More fearful still, red-hot charcoal had been put amongst the straw-thatching of the boats, and now broke into a blaze, and many of the wounded were burnt to death. The Sepoys on shore continued their murderous fusillade, and bullets fell like hail upon the water. General Wheeler, who remained on shore, was cut down. The Massacre. 183 The banks of the river were covered with dead bodies, with bits of human flesh, and severed limbs, and the Ganges was dyed with blood. The survivors, (those who had previously been put aside), were marched back to the Ravada House, where, in the course of the afternoon, they received a visit from the Nana. God alone knows whether the fearful story of the fate of these hapless creatures related to me by Lee is true. It was evident that he believed it ; at all events, it will not bear repeating here. Within the next four days many died. On the 29th, other captives were brought in from Futteghur, and taken to the Assembly Rooms, where the Sepoys were ordered to shoot them. This they, at first, refused to do, but were eventually induced to fire a volley. They, however, fired so high that only two or three were wounded. Then five butchers were sent for, and for the next hour fearful shrieks rent the air as these fiends continued their bloody work. When they came out, the shrieks had ceased, but groans were heard all night long. In the morning, the 184 Bound the World in Six Months. bodies, some still breathing, were flung down the Well. Over this ghastly place a marble shrine now stands, and in the centre, at the base of the figure of an angel, these words are inscribed : — " Sacred to the Memory of a Great Company of Christian People, chiefly Women and Children, who were cruelly slaughtered here." In the meantime, Sir Henry Havelock was advancing by forced mswches to the relief. According to Lee's account, this gallant band suflFered intensely on the road from thirst, some- times from hunger, from intense heat, and from dust. Their boots were worn out, and blood and matter oozed from their feet as they marched. Nothing but the thought of the straits to which their fellow-countrymen and women were reduced enabled them to keep on. Many of them im- plored to be allowed to fall out and die, but Sir Henry, who marched all the way on foot himself, encouraged them to per- severe. After fighting two successful battles at Futteh- Retribution. 185 pore and Aong, be arrived at Cawnpore on the 16th, and defeated the rebels under the Nana; but it was not until the following morning that our soldiers learnt the fearful story of the mas- sacre. Then followed a just retribution. The rebels, having been summarily tried and con- victed, were shot, hanged, and blown from guns. For a long time after the dreadful occurrences at Cawnpore, the most fearful stories were rife of the horrors committed by the Nana and his oflBcers upon their unhappy victims, but these have since been contradicted. Lee told me that soldiers are not, as a rule, allowed to visit the Memorial, as, within the last few years, two young soldiers, having read and heard of the atrocities committed by the natives on this spot, went mad with rage and grief, and, secreting several rounds of ammunition, shot the first natives they came across. The first was hanged; the second was let off on the plea of in- sanity. On leaving the Suttee Chowrah Ghat, we drove to the site of the Assembly Kooms, now razed to 186 Bound the World in Six Months. the ground, the graveyard, and the Memorial over the "Well. After this, I returned to the hotel, and left Cawnpore at twenty minutes to two p.m. Changed carriages at Toondla, and arrived at Agra at eleven p.m. A friend's car- riage met me at the Station, and I drove at once to his house. Agra is eight hundred and forty- two miles from Calcutta. Wednesday, November 6th. — Up early, and drove to the fort. We crossed the draw-bridge over a wide and deep moat, and passed through the Delhi Gate. The fort covers an immense area of ground ; the walls, of red sandstone, are nearly 70 feet high, and about a mile and a-half round. On entering the gate, you walk up an inclined paved way to a large court-yard, about 400 feet square. On one side of this is an enormous hall, which contains the judgment-seat of Akbar, of pure white marble. Here there are three beautifully-sculptured chairs ; the roof of the hall is supported by marble pillars. At one end of this used to stand the gates of Somnath, captured by Lord Ellenborough in the Afghan War, 12 feet high, made of sandal- The Palace of Glass. 187 wood, and beautifully carved and inlaid. At the back of the throne is a door leading to the private Audience Hall. This is also of white marble, and wonderfully carved. Adjoining this is the Harem where the ladies used to live, aud near this are the baths. The residence of Jehangir, Akbar's son, is to the south of the Palace, and on the north of the private Audience Hall is the Pearl Mosque. This is small, but beautifully proportioned, and has three white marble domes with gilded spires. It was built bv Shah Jehan in 1656. Then you come to the Monarch's Palace, overlooking the Jumna, and from the balconies in the Zenana you get a charming view of the gardens and palm-groves on the opposite bank, and of the Taj in the distance. The pavilions overhanging the river are of marble, inlaid with lapis lazuli, agate, cornelian, and blood stone, and have gilt domes. Then there is the palace of glass or bath-room, •which Mr. Bayard Taylor describes as fol- lows : — " The most curious part of the palace is the Shish Mahal, or Palace of Glass, which is an 188 Bound the World in Six Months. Oriental bath, the chambers and passages whereof are adorned with thousands of small mirrors, disposed in the most intricate designs. The water fell, in a broad sheet, into a marble pool over brilliant lamps, and the fountains are so constructed as to be lighted from within. Mimic cascades tumbled from the walls, over slabs of veined marble, into basins so curiously carved that the motion of the water produced the appearance of fish. This bath must once have realised all the fabled splendours of Arabian story," Near this is a Court paved with squares of black and white marble, in which Akbar and his wives used to play a kind of chess, with girls to take the place of ivory figures. They could, therefore, move themselves at command, instead of giving the player the trouble of changing them. After breakfast I visited the Taj (pronounced Targe). It was built by Shah Jehan as a mauso- leum for his favourite wife, (said to have been a most beautiful woman), who died in giving birth to her eighth child. It took seventeen years to The Taj. 189 build, and cost three millions of pounds. It was begun in 16B0. On the left-hand side of Shah Jehan's tomb is written : — " The magnificent tomb of the King, inhabitant of the two Paradises, Eizwan and Khuld; the most sublime sitter on the throne in Illeeyn (the starry heaven), dweller in Firdos (Paradise), Shah Jehan Padishah i-Gazee, peace to his remains, heaven is for him ; his death took place the 26th day of Rajab, in the year 1076 of the Hijri (or 1665 a.d.). From this transitory world eternity has marched him oflF to the next." The inscription goes on to tell you how the workmen came from Persia, Turkey, Delhi, Cut- tack, and the Punjaub, and of the pay they received. White marble was brought from Jeypore, black from Charkoh, yellow from the banks of the Nerbudda, crystal from China, jasper from the Punjaub, cornelian from Bagdad, turquoises from Thibet, agate from Yeman, lapis lazuli from Ceylon, coral from Arabia, garnets from Bundelkund, diamonds from Pannah. Be- 190 Bound the World in Six Months. sides these, were onyxes, chalcedony, amethysts, and sapphires. Unfortunately all the most pre- cious stones have been picked out from time to time, principally, I am told, by soldiers quartered in the fort. It is still, however, very imposing and magnificent. The exterior, with its pure white marble domes, is the most beautiful thing I ever saw. From the Taj I drove to Secundrah, where the great Akbar, grandfather to Shah Jehan, was buried. The tomb stands in a garden, and is approached by four gateways. From these, stone causeways converge upon the mausoleum They are planted with orange, banana, and mango trees. The mausoleum is square, and something like 1,200 feet in circumference. It is 100 feet high, and has five terraces, round each of which runs an arched gallery surmounted by cupolas. The platform on which the mausoleum stands is of white stone; the greater part of the building red; the top of white marble. On the summit stands a tomb, made of a single block of white marble, exquisitely sculptured, and carved with The Gity of the Great Moguls. 191 the ninety-nine names of God in raised characters of Arabic. At the corners of the upper terrace are turrets, the domes of which are inlaid and gilded. Descending into the interior of the mausoleum, you come to another tomb, beneath which the remains of Akbar lie. This tomb is plain, in the form of a sarcophagus, and has a wreath of flowers lying upon it. Secundrah is eight miles from Agra. I greatly regretted that I had not time to visit the ruins of Futtehpore Sikri, one of the great excursions from Agra. It is, however, twenty-three miles off, and I was in a violent hurry to get to the front. This was Akbar's favourite residence, and ought, I am told, to be seen by every traveller. Agra, the city of the great Moguls, even now that so much of its beauty and magnificence is de- stroyed and ruined, gives one a true idea of Oriental splendour. The European feels struck dumb before such fabulous costliness and extravagance. It is related that Shah Jehan intended to have the verandah of one of the galleries (which is 192 Bound the World in Six Months. of gold and azure) covered with a trellis of rubies and emeralds, to imitate green grapes and those turning red. For a wonder, this design was relinquished as being too costly. I saw many more mosques and temples, all very fine and' interesting. Thursday, 7th. — Left at a quarter to seven for Lahore; changed carriages at Toondla; break- fasted at Allyghur ; luuched at Gaziabad; and dined at Saharunpoor. All the railway stations are crowded with officers and men going up to the front, in excellent spirits, and very anxious to fight. It would strike the European traveller as singular to see everyone carrying his bedding with him, as is the universal custom here. The railway carriages are very roomy, so there is no difficulty about stowing away your effects. The platforms of the large stations reminded me very much of Waterloo on a Sunday night, or more still of Euston on the 10th of August, except that here, instead of servants in charge of dogs and gun-cases, we have natives carrying their masters' bedding, swords, saddles, &c. I was particularly Sir Sam Brovme's Sword-beM. 193 struck by the very practical dress of our ofl&cers belonging to native cavalry regiments — boots and breeches, Norfolk jackets, and the usual Indian helmet. Their scabbards were of wood, covered with donkey-hide, and they all wore what is called " Sir Sara Browne's sword-belt," made of brown leather. The sword is placed in a frog, (a leather sheath similar to that used by our men for their bayonets), instead of hanging from slings, and rattling against your legs. The pistol-holster is fastened on the right side, which is the proper place for it. Our_gun-makers stupidly make all their revolver-holsters on the lefT^side. To prevent Too much weight resting on the hips, (as the carrying of a regulation sword, a full-sized revolver, and an ammunition pouch would entail), there is an extra strap, act- ing like a brace, attached to one side of the waist-belt, and crossing the opposite shoulder. This is a capital invention, and I was so much struck by it that I have recommended it, as well as the scabbard, to all my friends who are just off to the Cape, and several of them have adopted it. As far as I know, these sword-belts are only o 194 Bound the World in Six Months. made in London by Garden, of Piccadilly. I saw "some of the latter's bridles here; the reins and nearly all the straps have a lining of pliable steel, or some other metal, which can not be cut through by a sword or knife. I am told some of the officers, among whom are many excellent swordsmen, wear a kind of fine chain armour outside their gauntlets, and have strips of the same sewn inside their tunics, over the shoulders and down the arms, also inside the stripes of their over-alls, affording protection from sabre- cuts. November 8th. — ^Passed last night in the train, and very cold it was, in spite of my rizai and blankets. We had an early breakfast at Umrit- sur, and reached Lahore at nine o'clock. Went to Clarke's Hotel, but heard afterwards that the "Victoria" is better. There is little to be seen here but the large military cantonment of Meean Meer. I left the greater part of my baggage here, in order not to have any unnecessary impediment on my journey to Afghanistan. November 9th. — Left Lahore at eight am., and Jlielum. 195 arrived at Jhelutn at four p.m., and went to the Dak Bungalow, where I secured the only vacant room. At the present time, Jhelum is the ter- minus of the railway. 2 CHAPTER XII. TELEOBAPHIC AEEANGEMBNTS— CROWS, HAWKS, TtXTTTEES — THE DEIVE TO EAWIJL PINDEE — THE 'cAMP — BIDE ■ TO PESHAWUE — AT MAJOE CATAGNAEl's— THE GHOOEEAS — EE- TUEN TO LAHOEE — GOLDEN TEMPLE AT tTMEITSITE — DELHI — BTJTINa BANGLES— THE CITADEL— AKBAE'S AXTDIENOE HALL — THE PEACOCK THEONE — BOMBAY DUCKS— INDIAN VEGE- TABLES. HE platform at the Jhelutn Station is covered with commissariat stores. Numbers of oflBcers are hanging about, eagerly waiting for conveyances to take them to the front. Wishing to send a telegram to Kohat, I inquired of a staff officer where the office was, to which Telegraphic Arrangements 197 he replied that it was useless my going, as it closed at five, and that even he, if he had to send on Her Majesty's Service, had to pay double. I then remarked that I would send mine next day (Sunday), but he told me it would only be open one hour in the morning and one in the evening. And this on the verge of a cam- paign ! However, I proceeded to the office, and, having made some rather strong remarks, my telegram was forwarded, although it was after five. I dined al Jresco outside the bungalow with some staff officers and others, all, like myself, waiting for conveyances. Our movements were watched with interest by a body of the most impudent crows I ever met with. They observed us from the neighbouring trees, and the moment the ser- vants removed our plates, made a dash for the pickings. Occasionally, a large hawk would pounce upon a tit-bit that his keen eye had spotted in the distance, and then there would be a tremendous jabber of wrath and disgust from the crows. 198 Bound the World in Six Months. Large hawks and kites abound in India. They seem very tame, and no one shoots them for they are very useful as scavengers, and carry out this work to perfection. On some roads I saw vultures feeding on dead camels and horses. Some of them were so gorged that they were unable to move. The minar is also a very com- mon bird in India : its habits and manners put me a good deal in mind of those of a jackdaw. I was not a little surprised to find that, al- though the daks or carriages are in military hands, civilians are allowed to engage them. 1 hear that some ofl&cers have actually gone up in bullock-carts, and that nearly all their baggage travels in this way. It is a thousand pities that the railway is not finished to Rawul Pindee. It is about half made, but, instead of the work being pushed rapidly on, I only saw a few men and boys at work, and they seemed to sleep away half their time. The distance from Jhelum to Rawul Pindee is only sixty-eight miles, Sunday, November \Oth. — Wandered about all The Drive to Bawul Pindee. 199 day with nothing to do. Inspected the camels, mules, and oxen engaged in taking up stores. Monday, llth. — To my great delight, I heard that I could start after breakfast with an officer if I left my baggage behind. We left at twenty minutes to twelve a.m. in a dak, and reached Rawul Pindee at nine p.m. The stages are five miles distant from each other, and we did each stage in twenty-five minutes. Five minutes was allowed for changing horses. At times we were delayed by their refusing to start. In comparison with stage travelling in the Far West, our journey was a delightful one, though the sand and dust were anything but pleasant, and the country very uninteresting. It looked to me as though once upon a time there had been an earthquake that had cracked and broken up all the surface of the earth. There was little but scrub, with here and there a tree. The grass had been eaten by the camels on their journey up, and most of the bushes nibbled away. We passed strings of horses belonging to officers, and so good and trustworthy are the native 200 Bound the World in Six Months. syces, or grooms, that they never dream of mounting one of their master's animals, but lead them all the way. On reaching Eawul Pindee, I found the Dak Bungalow full, so, wrapping myself in my cloak, I passed the night in the d&k. I was lucky enough to secure a place in the mail-cart going to Kohat, and started at half-past five a.m., Tuesday morning. The mail cart is a very heavy, covered two-wheeled cart, drawn by three horses abreast ; it is low, with seats back to back. The road was fearfully dusty, and very bad in places. The country is quite barren, and put me in mind of the American plains. We stopped twenty minutes at Jung for tiflBn. I had to leave my servant behind at Rawul Pindee to await my return. Kohat is a hundred and two miles from the latter place. We arrived at nine p.m. I at once went to General Roberts's head- quarters. He and his staflF were at dinner, and I was not sorry to join them after my long drive. Dinner over, we went to the camp of the 72nd Highlanders. We found them and the men of The Gamp. 201 a native regiment in a circle round a huge camp fire. The Highlanders were indulging in national dances, the sword dance, &c. The natives, also, gave us a performance after their kind. Songs were sung, and it was late before we got to bed. The Commissioner kindly took me in. Wednesday, ISth. — Spent all day in walking round the camp, and looking at the men. I was much pleased with the native troops, who are very fine men, and eager to fight. Lunched and read the papers at the Garrison Mess, a sort of club-house. Thursday, 14th. — Left Kohat at half-past six a.m., with two officers and two troopers, and rode through the Kotal to Mutunni, changing horses half way. The Pass is over high moun- tains, through a territory which does not belong to us, Tor the right of way. Government pays an annual sum. Occasionally, travellers without an escort are attacked and robbed of their horses. The road in places is very bad, but might easily be made good enough for a mail-cart. Small forts and towers dot the hills and valleys in all directions. It appears that the families who live 202 Bound the World in Six Months. in these regions are perpetually quarrelling and fighting with each other, and no man ever stirs outside his door without sword and matchlock. At Mutunni, twenty miles from Kohat, we lun- ched at the Dak Bungalow. I had written on for a dog-cart, which met me here, and took me over a very fair road to Peshawur, distant eighteen miles. Sir Samuel Browne was com- manding, and very kindly put me up. I had letters to Major Oavagnari, but he was away. The General, however, insisted on entertaining me in the Major's house, where he was staying. In the afternoon, I rode with him round the various camps, and saw the mouth of the Khyber Pass in the distance. At night the enemy's watch-fires are plainly visible. In Major Cavagnari's house were some exqui- site marble busts which have lately been dug up in the neighbourhood, and are supposed to have been here since the time of Alexander the Great. The expression of the faces is marvel- lous. It is thought the advance will take place on the 21st, as here no answer to the Viceroy's The Ghoorkas. 203 letter is expected, and, in case of none arriving, a telegram from London will at once set the troops in motion. Fridaij, \Wh. — Luncted with the Rifle Bri- gade, and everyone is very cheery and longing to advance. Then I visited the camp of the Ghoorkas close by. They are wonderfully smart little fellows, and seem devoted to the Rifle Bri- gade, and wear a very similar uniform. Each carries a curious shaped curved knife in his belt, and, I am told, does great execution with it when at close quarters. They average about five feet in height, and are very wiry. I was greatly surprised to find many officers without revolvers, and some even who possessed them had no ammunition. We heard that every revolver in Calcutta had been bought up, so, as I happened to have a couple with me, I left them with two of my friends. The troops here are dressed in " khaki " (a Persian word, which means dust). It is a kind of strong brown holland, and appears to me to be made of flax. It is very cool, and, being of a neutral tint, is a capital colour to fight in. I 204 Bound the World in Six Months. saw the 81st on parade wearing it, and looking remarkably well. I should like very much to stay and see what happens, but am due at Bombay the end of the month, and must see Delhi and other places on the way. Bidding good-bye to my friends, I left Peshawur in the mail-cart at half-past six p.m., and arrived at Rawul Pindee at nine next morn- ing, the 17th, a hundred and two miles distant. If time had permitted, I should have gone for the day to Murree, a pretty hill station, thirty miles from this. Here I picked up my servant again, and went by dak to Jhelum ; arrived there at a quarter to eight p.m., and dined at the Dak Bungalow. Here I found some of my friends whom I left a week ago, still waiting for conveyances to take them to the front. After dinner, I started by the twenty minutes to ten train for Lahore, which I reached at seven the following morning, the 18th. Breakfasted at the Station, and left at nine for Umritsur, where I arrived at half- past eleven. Here I visited the Golden Temple, the only place in India where I was asked to The Golden Temple. 205 remove my boots. Boys were waiting about the entrance-gate with rush slippers for sale. 1 donned a pair, and went inside. It is a large, square bnilding, and stands in the centre of a piece of water called the Pool of Immortality, supposed, like the one at Benares, to possess the property of cleansing the bather from sin. It is not likely to purify them otherwise, as it is ex- tremely dirty, probably because thousands of natives bathe in it. There is a prodigious quan- tity of gold about the temple, and the effect is extremely gorgeous. The inside is partitioned off into rooms, painted in brilliant colours, and adorned with gold, being furthermore enriched by stained glass windows. I then climbed the Tower near, and had a view of the city, but it hardly repaid me for the trouble. TJmritsur is a walled city, the holy city of the Sikhs, and is principally celebrated for the manufacture of Cashmere shawls. The hotel is, as usual, managed, or rather mis- managed, by a native, and is an exceedingly in- different one. I left at twenty-five minutes past eight p.m., and passed the night in the train. 206 Bound the World in Six Months. At half-past four a.m., we passed Umballa, the nearest railway station to Simla. There are three or four hotels and a Dak Bungalow here. Government daks and hack garries run as far as Kalka, thirty-seven miles ; horses are changed eight times. The remainder of the journey (forty-one miles) is done in a tonga, a mountain carriage, drawn by three horses abreast, or on a saddle-pony called a jhampan. Ponies are changed four times, and the journey is performed in six hours. Most people take two days to reach Simla. The best hotels, both at Kalka and Simla, are kept by Lowrie. Tuesday, November 19th. — Arrived at Delhi at one p.m., and went to the Dak Bungalow, a very good one ; but I was pestered to> death by native merchants, who insisted on coming into my room with their wares, and, in the absence of my ser- vant, I had continually to get up and turn them out. Words made no impression upon them; they continued to stand in the doorway in a be- seeching attitude, and would not be induced to leave until forcibly ejected. So great was this nuisance, that, before leaving, I wrote a com- Delhi. 207 plaint in the book. As the bungalows have only- one story, and the doors open from the outside, anyone can intrude at pleasure, and the heat was so great as to render it impossible to keep the door shut, Delhi is a charming city. The roads are ex- cellent, the gardens beautifully laid out, and there is a club called " The Institute," where men and ladies meet in the afternoon to drink tea and chat. Delhi is enclosed by a wall of red granite, with battlements and turrets, and is five miles and a- half round. It has twelve gates- Palace building was evidently a favourite hobby of Indian potentates. If one sovereign had erected a magnificent palace, his successor was not happy until he had surpassed it. This accounts for the immense number to be found within an area of a few miles round Delhi. The present or modern Delhi, as it is called, was built by the same Shah Jehan who built the Taj. The principal street is the Chandi Chowk, a mile long and a hundred and twenty feet 208 Bound the World in Six Months. broad. It is here the silversmiths live. Delhi, as everyone knows, is noted for its artificers in silver and gold. Here the traveller should make his purchases. Wares are not exposed to view as in Europe. There are no windows to the shops, but they are open to the street, and you see men sitting cross-legged, engaged in hammering and engraving the precious metals. The way you buy silver-ware is as "follows. The article or ornament is placed in a scale, and in the other side you shovel in rupees until the scales balance. Then you count the coins, and, according to the workmanship, you pay from four to eight or more annas to every rupee for the labour. For a plain bangle four annas. All the gold and silver ornaments are kept carefully- put away in boxes, and are only produced when the customer arrives. You are immediately given a chair. A white cloth is spread upon the ground, and six or eight men seat themselves round you, and begin to unpack their boxes. Then the bargaining commences, as the vendors always try to make out that the workmanship is worth more than is really the A " Squeeze." 209 case. After all, the silver and gold work is very cheap, and I was sorry afterwards that 1 had not bought more. Although Benarsi is very honest, he is always anxious to know, when he is not with me, where I buy things, and what I give for them, and tells me he is entitled to a per- centage, and that the shopkeepers are bound to give it to him. He did not, however, get much out of them on my account. In China this is called a " squeeze," and I invariably found, when shopping there, that the native guide, or servant, was given some money on leaving by the shopkeeper. I have sometimes known them run back to the shop, in order that I might not see what passed. The squeeze is well understood in India, Egypt, and no doubt nearer home. Cashmere shawls and silks are sold here. Delhi is a great place for Turkish baths. You may have the privilege of being shampooed by dark members of the fair sex, if you desire it. In the Chandi Ohowk is the Kotwale, where p 210 Bound the World in Six Months. many of the rebels were executed after the city was taken. And at the adjacent mosque, it is related that Nadir Shah, the Persian, sat in 1738, and ordered the massacre of a hundred thousand Delhi people. There is another large street in which stands the arsenal, part of which was blown up by Lieutenant Willoughby in '57, to prevent its falling into the enemy's hands. I went first to see the Palace, or Citadel. It is beautifully situated on the banks of the Jumna. Three sides of it are enclosed by red walls 40 ft. high, with, every here and there, turrets and cupolas. On entering, you come to the Audience Hall, in which is the throne, raised considerably from the ground, and covered by a canopy. The throne is supported by white marble pillars inlaid with mosaic work, and behind it is a door leading to the Emperor's private apartments. The whole of the wall near the throne is covered with mo- saics, representing flowers, birds, fruit, and animals ; but unfortunately most of the stones have been picked out. One can, however. The Peacock Throne. 21 1 form an idea of how beautiful it must have been. Here, in olden days, the Emperor used to sit on his throne, with his sons beside him, and attended by eunuchs with peacock fans, who kept the flies from settling on the Great Mogul's nose. Below him, on a raised platform with silver rails, (I read), the rajahs and ambassadors used to stand, their eyes humbly bent on the ground, and hands crossed over their stomachs. Further off was a great crowd of all sorts of people. Those having petitions would hold them aloft in the distance, and the Emperor would command them to be brought to him. Occasionally he would desire the petitioner to approach, and would then and there order justice to be done. Near this, as at Agra, is the Private Audience Hall, a square pavilion of highly-polished marble. One side looks over the palace gardens, another across the river. The ceiling was once entirely covered with gold and silver filigree work. In the centre of the hall stood the celebrated Peacock Throne, which Nadir Shah afterwards p 2 212 Eovrnd the World in Six Months. carried away. It was estimated by Tavernier, a French jeweller, as being worth £6,000,000. The ceiling, valued at £170,000, was melted down, and taken as spoil by the Mahrattahs. I will give a written description I saw of the throne, which reads almost like a fairy-tale. " The Peacock Throne had the figures of two peacocks standing behind it, their tails being expanded, and the whole so inlaid with sapphires, rubies, emeralds, pearls, and other precious stones of appropriate colours as to represent life. The throne itself was 6 ft. long by 4 ft. broad. It stood on six massive feet, which, with the body, were of solid gold, inlaid with rubies, emeralds, and diamonds. It was sur- mounted by a canopy of gold supported by twelve pillars, all richly emblazoned with costly gems, and a fringe of pearls ornamented the borders of the canopy. Between the two peacocks stood the figure of a parrot, of the ordinary size, said to have been carved out of a single emerald (?). On either side of the throne stood an umbrella, one of the oriental emblems of royalty. They were formed of The Hamdms. 213 crimson velvet, richly embroidered and fringed with pearls. The handles were 8 ft. high, of solid gold, and studded with diamonds." Near this private Audience Hall are the Hamams, (royal baths), which are large marble rooms covered with domes. In the centre of each room is a marble bath, or hollow, cut in the floor, and the walls are of marble, beauti- fully inlaid. Next I visited the Pearl Mosque. From here, I went to Jami Musjid, situated on an elevation overlooking the city. This is con- sidered one of the most beautiful mosques in the East. As I fancy, however, that the reader will get very much bored with descriptions of palaces and temples, I will say very little about it. It was a repetition of marble, gold, and carving, to which my eyes were, by this time, getting as much accustomed as to the stucco and bricks of my native land. The mosque is flanked by two minarets of red sandstone and white marble, 180 feet high. In the evening, I dined with the Commissioner. One of his guests gave me a most interesting account of the siege, and kindly ofi'ered to take 214 Bound the World in Six Months. me round the following day and point out the diflferent places of interest. Our dinner was a very good one. In India, it is the universal custom to eat off hot water plates at every meal, whether at a private house, hotel, or Dak Bungalow. It is a capital plan, as the best dinner in the world is not worth eating in a lukewarm state. The dinner was very much like an English one. We had fish, but, as I have before mentioned, my countrymen are very chary of eating it, believing that it is fed and fattened on the dead bodies thrown into the rivers. I highly appreciate the curry served at every meal. It is utterly different from the abomination frequently sent to table in its name in England, and I do not think any English person, who has not been in India, has any idea what rice is, or ought to be, when boiled. Here, " Bombay Ducks " are always served with curry. These are small dried fish of a peculiar flavour, and are quite dry and crisp. I have seen them in England, but not properly cooked. I took the opportunity of having a lesson how to cook them on board ship coming home. Indian Vegetables. 215 I never saw pork during my stay in India. A great dish is buffalo hump which is excellent. The beef and mutton were poor. Fowls play a very large part in Indian cuisine. Snipe are abundant — indeed, ever since I reached Yokohama, these excellent little birds have formed part of my daily food, except on board ship. I have made acquaintance with many fresh vegetables — one of a glutinous nature called bandikai, I thought very good ; and still better is the brinjal, or egg plant, which is served in slices, covered (I think) with batter, and reminds one of apple-fritters. CHAPTER XIII. THE BID6E — AHXIETIE8 OF THE COMMAND — MTTEDEE OP FKASEB AND DOTJGI/AS — MOBE MTJEDEES — THE QBEAT MAOA- ZINE — THE NINE — THE EIDGE EEGAINED — EABNABD'S DEATH — JOHN NICHOLSON — BEINOIN& UP THE GUNS— THE ATTACK — THE CASHMEEE GATE — OTTE LOSSES— DELHI BETAKEN — THE MEMOBIAL COLUMN. I HE following morning we drove to the Ridge, where from May to September, the British Force waited its opportunity to re- cover the city of Delhi from the mutineers. The Ridge is a high plateau of ground, com- manding a beautiful view of the city with its mosques and minarets ; the broad blue Jumna, The Bidge. 217 and the masses of green groves and gardens surrounding stately houses. On the right of the position occupied by our troops, is Hindu Rao's house ; invaluable, at the time of the siege, as an advanced post and shelter for our men ; now a convalescent dep6t. JFew places could have a more intense interest for an Englishman than Delhi ; the scene of so much suffering and so much heroism on the part of our soldiers. Standing on the Ridge which they occupied for all those weary months, subject to frequent assaults, and under the burning rays of an Indian sun, it is wonderful and admirable to think that they did not once lose heart, but despite wearying delays, overwhelming odds, and severe sickness, never for an instant feared for the result. It had been supposed that the re- taking of Delhi would be a mere nothing— the work of one day — but little did those who held this opinion know of the actual circumstances of the case. Generals Anson and Barnard, died worn out and broken-hearted with the anxieties of the command; Reed broke down and was 218 Bound the World in Six Months. forced to resign ; and Wilson, who commanded when Delhi was taken, was overcome by fatigue and anxiety. So intolerable was the responsi- bility, that all these men became afflicted with insomnia, and could scarcely ever rest. And this fearful anxiety lasted from May to September 20th, when Delhi was finally taken. On the 11th of May, the revolted troopers of the 3rd Bengal Cavalry rode into Delhi and clamoured for admittance to the King's Palace, declaring that they had killed the English and had come to fight for the Faith. The old King, terrified, sent for Captain Douglas, who commanded the Palace Guard. Douglas said he would go and speak to the troopers, but the King implored him not to attempt it. Douglas, however, addressed them from a balcony, but in vain — they made their way under the palace walls to the Rajghat Gate, which was opened for them by Mahomedans. They cut down every European they could find, and rushed in, pro- claiming death to the Feringhees. The citizens shut their shops, and the rabble Massacre at Delhi. 2 19 followed the mutineers. Fraser and Douglas appealed to the Sepoys — in vain. They at once fraternised with the troopers. The two English- men drove to the Civil Guard House, where they were joined by others. Fraser shot the foremost trooper dead and the mass fell back. Then Fraser got into his buggy and drove to the Lahore Gate of the Palace. Douglas flung him- self into the ditch of the fort, and though dreadfully injured, crawled towards the Palace, and was carried inside. At the foot of the staircase, Fraser tried to make himself heard by the crowd, when a man sprang forward, cut him down, and the others finished him with their swords. Then they rushed upstairs and murdered Douglas who lay there, Jennings, the English Chaplain, his daughter, and another young lady. Whilst this went on in the Palace, similar atrocities were being committed in the city. Everyone in the Delhi Bank was murdered, after a gallant resistance. Then the Christian compositors of the Delhi press perished, and every Christian the mutineers could lay hands on fell by the sword. 220 Bound the World in Six Months. TV hen the news reached the cantonment on the Ridge, Colonel Eipley marched down with the 54th Native Infantry. The treacherous ruffians, arrived at the Cashmere Gate, refused to fire ; turned on their Colonel and hacked him and the other English officers to pieces. Presently on the Ridge was heard the sound of a tremendous explosion. All knew that it was the great Magazine, and whilst they were speculating about it, two artillery subalterns, with faces blackened, and almost unrecognisable, came to tell the tale. The Magazine was in charge of Lieutenant George Willoughby, with eight other men, . when news was brought him of the mutineers having got into the town. At once they closed and barricaded the gates, and brought out guns loaded with double charges of grape. Then a train was laid from the powder-magazine in order to blow it up, as a last resource, if they could no longer defend it. It was surrounded, and the enemy began to swarm over the walls. Round after round of grape-shot was poured upon them, but still they advanced. The nine The Nine. 221 held their ground, hoping in vain that aid would come, till all their available ammunition was gone, and further defence was hopeless. The mutineers were now forcing their way through an unprotected spot, and the nine made up their minds to die. The signal was given, Scully fired the train ; the Magazine was blown up. Pour of the nine escaped by a miracle — Willoughby, Forrest, Raynor, and Buckley — the other five were never seen again. Hundreds of mutineers perished. Some of our women and children, who had taken refuge in the flag-staflF tower, were saved after superhuman eflForts, and got to the cantonment, or Metcalfe House. But, at the cantonment, the Sepoys had mutinied, and the poor fugitives bad to escape from this place of refuge also. The story of their privations and sufferings is heart-rending. On the 16th, fifty of our men, women, and children were mur- dered in Delhi, and their bodies thrown into the Jumna. Towards the end of the month, a British force was marching from Umballa upon Delhi. 222 Bownd the World m Six Months. The mutineers came out to give them battle, but though the former fought with considerable determination, they were thoroughly beaten, and fled back to Delhi. They returned, how- ever, to the charge, and were again defeated. It was a blazing day ; our men suflFered agonies of thirst : numbers died of sunstroke and exhaustion. After the encounter, the gallant little Ghoorkas, who rendered invaluable service all through the campaign, arrived to join them. On the 8th of June, after hard fighting, the British troops won their position, (a splendid one, commanding the town) on the Ridge, and once more our flag floated in the breeze in sight of Delhi. Barnard brought with him some three thou- sand European soldiers and twenty-two field guns, the gallant Ghoorkas and the Guide Corps, who were staunch as steel, and some native corps whose fidelity was doubtful. The garrison of Delhi was to be reckoned by tens of thousands, and their guns were countless; their supply of ammunition inexhaustible. They had Barnard's Death. 223 24-pounders in every gate and bastion, and their gunners had been taught and trained by us. At first we proposed taking the town by a coup-de-main, but after repeated discussions and proposals of new plans, the idea was relin- quished. "What were two thousand bayonets dispersed over an immense city like Delhi, swarming with the enemy, every window in the place being a loop-hole for a rifle ! If we took it, how could we hold it ? Sortie after sortie, attack after attack the mutineers made upon us, always choosing the hottest hours of the hottest days, knowing of old how sorely the heat tried Europeans. The worst of it was that they so enormously out-matched us in artillery. We had a magnifi- cent position, but they had the guns. So the days wore to weeks and the weeks to months, and our men began to chafe furiously though they never lost heart. Poor Barnard was out in the sun all day, but at night he could get no sleep for his unceasing anxiety. On the 5th of July he died, stricken down by 224 Bound the World in Six Months. cholera, his shattered health unable to resist that dreadful scourge. General Eeed succeeded him, but on the 17th gave up the command to General Wilson, incapable of enduring, in his enfeebled state of health, the strain on his nerves. All through this dreadful time, however, our men kept up their spirits, and, when they were not fighting, played cricket and had pony races, and amused themselves as best they could. At last the hero, John Nicholson, came to join the Delhi force at the head of the moveable column, fighting his way as he came. He arrived on the 7th of August, and great was the joy with which he was received. He was a splendid man to look at, they say. His appearance alone was enough to fill troops with confidence. But they were still waiting for the siege-train before they could commence the attack on Delhi. We could not afibrd to be beaten now. The rebel force heard that the siege-train was coming, and went out to inter- cept it. Nicholson marched after them, in high glee at the prospect of cutting them to Bringing up the Guns. 225 pieces. The Sepoys fought well, but we fought better, and they fled, leaving thirteen guns and eight hundred dead behind them. At the beginning of September, we were nearly ready to commence the assault. I have no time to dwell on details, nor to relate the bravery and personal gallantry shown by our troops. Anyone who wants to know more on this deeply-interesting subject should read Kaye's account. On the 4th, elephants, drawing the siege guns, came on to the Ridge, with an immense number of carts laden with ammunition. Wilson, not without misgivings, issued the address to the army, and gave the order for attack. We were then scarcely a third of the number of the enemy. The front to be attacked contained the Moree, Cashmere, and Water bastions, which we ourselves, in bygone days, had done our best to strengthen. The first battery was traced out on the evening of the 7th, and the Artillery and Engineers worked night and day. Under the hottest fire from the enemy, the guns were Q 226 Bound the World m Six Months. dragged into position, though many of our men fell in the attempt. At eight o'clock on the 12th, our batteries opened fire at the same moment, amidst a ringing cheer from the Artillery. Then the walls of Delhi began to crumble to pieces, and the parapets to tumble by yards at a time into the ditch. The 14th was fixed for the attack, and John Nicholson was proclaimed, by the whole camp, to be the man to lead the storming column. It is said that the one thought prominent in his mind was of the dying words that his chief, Lawrence, wished to have written on his tomb, that he " tried to do his duty." The force was divided into four columns ; the first one commanded by Brigadier - General Nicholson. This was to storm the Cashmere Gate. The second column was ordered to the Water Bastion ; the third to assault the Cashmere Gate; the fourth to the Lahore Gate. At daybreak the whole force, except Reid's column, was assembled at Ludlow Castle. That was a day to be remembered in the John Nicholson. 227 annals of warfare. Despite the scathing fire of the enemy, and our men falling at every step; despite the fearful difficulties of the escalade, on they poured; the first column carrying the breach by the Cashmere Bastion, and taking up their position on the main-guard. At the Moree Bastion, the rebel gunners made a bold resistance, but our infantry went in amongst them, and flung them into the ditch. The greatest difficulty was at the Lahore Gate, where the enemy kept up a fierce fire on our men. Nicholson resolved to take it. The position was a horrid one. The men were gathered in a narrow lane, where they were being fired upon from both sides, and were dropping thick as hail. They were like men caught in a trap, and hardly knew what to do, Nicholson saw the state of affairs, and, raising his sword over his head, rushed to the front, calling on his men to follow him. A shot directed at him from some unknown quarter brought him down. He felt he had got his Q 2 228 Bound the World in Six Months. death-wound, but he begged they would not carry him back to camp till Delhi was secured. As Kaye says, " It was not a single life the markstnan took; it was the life of the whole army." He lingered for a week, and the surgeons believed that he might have recovered, but for the excessive anxiety and irritation of his mind. He grieved dreadfully because his brother was brought into camp with a shattered arm which had to be amputated. The story of the explosion of the Cashmere Gate is almost too well known to need relating here. The third column, as will be remembered, was to enter at this point, and a party of Engi- neers was told off" to blow in the gate with powder bags, under Lieutenants Home and Salkeld, Sergeants Oarmichael, Burgess, and Smith. Home and his bugler were first in the ditch, but the design of the exploding party was perceived by the enemy, and a volley of musketry was poured upon them. Home planted his bag; as Oarmichael advanced with his, he was shot down. Smith rushed forward to place the poor fellow's The Gashmere Gate. 229 bag and Ins own, and Salkeld stood ready with the slow match, but was shot in the act of light- ing it. Falling, he held out the match to Smith. Burgess took the match, but could not ignite the charge. Smith was handing him the matches, when Burgess was shot through the body. Smith thought he was alone, but, sliding down the ditch in the fog and smoke, put his hand on some one, and found it was Lieutenant Home, unhurt. They went together to look after their wounded comrades, but Smith begged Home to go forward, which he did. Burgess died, and Salkeld lingered but a few days. Home was killed a week or two after, and Smith and the bugler, Hawthorne, remained the only survivors ; all were given the Victoria Cross. But the Cashmere Gate was taken, and the column moved on to the Chandi Chowk, and seized the Kotwale. The enemy fought well, as beseemed the men whom we had trained, but the victory was likely to be with us, though at a terrible cost. The result of that morning's work was that sixty European officers and eleven hundred men were 230 Bound the World in Six Months. killed or disabled. And, after all, Delhi was not yet ours. The worst of it was that our men, worn out with fatigue, and longing, after their privations on the Ridge, for a carouse, got into the wine shops, disdaining all the treasures of gold, silver, and jewels, and proceeded to intoxi- cate themselves. Seeing this, the General reluct- antly ordered the destruction of all wine, spirits, and beer, and the streets ran with it, when it would have been everything to the hospitals. But it was the only thing to be done. All the next day the men were fit for little, and nothing was attempted. But the following day they pulled themselves together, and went to work with a will. The Lahore Gate, however, and the public buildings still belonged to the enemy, and it was hard work to dislodge them. Not till the 19th were the Lahore Bastion and Gate taken. On the 20th, the capture of the defensive works of Delhi was complete, and then there was a general rush for the Palace. The British stan- dard was hoisted upon it, and not a soul inside was left alive. That night saw a British party Delhi Regained. 231 dining in the Elysium of the Dewan- Khas. The population of Delhi had fled, and our men had the town nearly to themselves. Those, however, who did remain, (the men), were ruth- lessly bayonetted, for our soldiers were maddened by the recollection of the atrocities com- mitted upon our people ; but the women and children they treated with the utmost kindness, and, indeed, saw them safely out of the city. Then the plundering began, and the Sikhs carried ofi^ everything they could lay their hands on, being much more expert at looting than our Europeans, who probably had as good a will. So the reader will understand that everything about Delhi being connected more or less with the siege, makes it a place of intense interest to a British soldier; and, though he may be very much struck with its magnificent buildings and tombs, he is likely to think a good deal more about the events that went on there in '57. Part of my information was obtained from my 232 Bound the World in Six Months. companion, and part from Kaye's book before alluded to. On the Ridge is the Memorial Column, 110 feet high, erected to the officers and men who fell at the siege of Delhi. CHAPTER XIV. THE KTJTUB MINAR— HODSON, OP HODSOU'S HOESE — TAKING THE KING AND PEINCBS OF DELHI — DEATH PEOM "SIGH- ING" — jehanaea's tomb— legend op the IEON FILLAB — A TEEMENDOUS PLTTNGE — THE METCALFE HOUSE— AN IN- GENIOUS DEVICE— JETPOEE — ITS PICTUEESQTJENESS — THE EAJAH. HTJESDAY, November 21.— Imme- diately after breakfast, I started in a carriage to see the Kutub Minar and ruins, eleven miles dis- tant. Driving out of the Delhi gate, we presently came to the Lat. This is a pillar of red sand- stone, in a single piece, 40 feet high, and 10 round the base. It is set in the roof of a ruined 334 Bound the World in Six Months. building, and covered with inscriptions setting forth laws for the promoting of religion and virtue. It is two thousand, two hundred years old, and is believed to be the oldest writing in India. From here I drove to the Kila Kana Mosque, a very handsome building inside the Fort. It is of red sand-stone, inlaid with slate and coloured marbles, and has a balcony round it, supported by beautifully- designed brackets. It has, as usual, three domes, the middle one being very lofty. Next I went to the Shir Mandal, a three- storied building, of an octagon shape, used by one of the Emperors as a library, and containing beautiful enamels and mosaics. Then on to the tomb" of the Emperor Huma- yoon. This stands in the centre of a terrace, 200 feet square, and 24 high, supported by arches. Four flights of steps lead up to it, and each arch is a niche for a tomb. It is, as usual in this part of the country, made of red stone, inlaid with white marble, and has a fine white marble dome. Humayoon was the father of the Hodson of Hodson's Horse. 235 great Akbar, and met his death by falling over the staircase in the Shir Mandal. Two of his wives, and various other relatives, are buried in this tomb. When Delhi was taken, the old King fled here, accompanied by his Queen and her son, some of the Princes, and several thousand followers. Their whereabouts was betrayed by Meerza Elahee Buksh, father-in-law of the late heir-apparent. Captain Hodson, of Hodson's horse, (raised by himself), went to the Greneral, and asked permission to capture the King. As- sent being given, he rode off, with fifty troopers, to the tomb, hid himself and his men in some ruins near, and sent emissaries demanding the King's surrender. The terrified old man consented to give himself up to Captain Hodson, if he would promise with his own lips to spare his life. So Hodson went alone to the gate of the tomb, whence the King, Queen, and her son presently came out in a palanquin, and the King gave up his sword at Hodson's demand. The most ex- traordinary part of the affair was that, although vast crowds followed the procession, and Hodson had but fifty men with him, no rescue was 236 Bound the World in Six Months. attempted. Arrived in Delhi, they marched through the Chandi Chowk, and Hodson handed over his prisoners to a civil officer, and went to report himself to the General. Wilson gave him two swords in recognition of his bravery — one that had belonged to Nadir Shah, the other, to the Emperor Jehanguire. Not satisfied with this exploit, Hodson asked permission to capture the Princes. This time he took a hundred troopers, and rode off again to the tomb. The Princes wanted to make the same con- dition as the King, that their lives should be spared, but Hodson would make no terms — their surrender was to be unconditional. He declared he would take them, dead or alive, and at last they were brought out in bullock carts. Hodson sent them off, surrounded by troopers, but kept a few Sowars with him, and, turning back to the tomb, called on the rest of their followers to surrender. It is said that there were six thousand people in the tomb and its precincts; but, so awed were they by Hodson, and so crushed in spirit, Shooting the Princes. 237 that they laid down their arms without a word. Then Hodson galloped after his captives. A crowd was pressing upon them, with a threaten- ing attitude, and he thought a rescue would be attempted. So he made the Princes descend from the cart, strip to their under-clothes, and, taking a carbine from one of his troopers, shot them dead with his own hand. Hodson has been much abused for this act, but friends with whom I conversed on the spot defended him warmly, and declared that it was necessary, and that at such a time, when men's blood was on fire, life or death seemed a small consideration to them. Hodson afterwards rode into the city, and had the corpses flung in front of the Kotwale, where they lay for days. After visiting the tomb, I went on to the Hall of sixty-four pillars. More marble, more carv- ing, till one really becomes worn out with look- ing at this splendid sameness, and wonder and interest completely die away from satiety. If one could devote a whole afternoon once a week 238 Rownd the World in Six Months. to one of these triumphs of the workman's skill, it would be deeply interesting, but to have one's brain crowded with all these wonders in the space of three or four days, is almost oppressive. Then I visited the tomb of Prince Mirza Jehangir, whom our Government banished for attempting, more than once, to murder his elder brother. He died of cherry brandy, to which he was addicted, like a famous Russian Empress. He allowanced himself to a glass an hour, but it proved fatal in time. The real cause of his death was concealed from the Emperor, his father, who was told that the Prince died of " sighing ;" a statement which the fond parent implicitly believed. The tomb of Amir Khusrau, a great Persian poet of the fourteenth century, is here, and also that of Jehanara Begum, eldest daughter of Shah Jehan, who voluntarily went with her father into confinement, when he was imprisoned by Aurung- zebe, his son. She is supposed to have been poisoned by her sister. No slab covers her tomb, but on a head-stone is an inscription, dictated by herself : — ■ Jehdndrd's Epitaph. 239 " Let no rich canopy cover my grave ; grass is the best covering of the tomb of the lowly in spirit. The humble Jehanara, disciple of Chishtis (a sect of Mohammedan dervishes), and daughter of the Emperor, Shah Jehan." From here I went to the Kutub Minar, one of the wonders of the world j it is the highest column in existence. Its present height is 240 feet, but it was originally more. There are five stories, divided by balconies, and you ascend by a spiral staircase inside. From the top, the view is marvellous ; you overlook ancient and modern Delhi ; the Jumna glitters like a band of silver in the sun ; the country is verdant with groves ; and the gilt domes shine and sparkle. This Minar is nearly 50 feet in diameter, and tapers gradually towards the top. The first three stories are of red sand-stone, the top ones of white marble. Although 240 feet does not seem to be a very great height, this column gives you the idea of being gigantically tall. Round each story are inscriptions, taken from the Koran. At the foot of the Kutub Minar is a Dak 240 Bound the World in Six Months. Bungalow where visitors occasionally sleep and stay to take sketches. Near the Minar, and in the midst of a ruined Mosque, is the Iron Pillar. It only stands 22 feet above the ground, but its depth below the surface is unknown. Some time ago, work- men dug more than 60 feet into the earth without coming to the end, or rather the begin- ning, of it. The following legend is attached to the pillar : — One of the Rajahs, having a superstitious dread that his dynasty was coming to an end, went for advice on the subject to the Brahmins. They told him that if he could sink a shaft of iron into the ground, and, with it, pierce the head of the Snake God, who supports the world, his dynasty would last for ever. He literally obeyed his advisers; but some time later, being seized with a fatal curiosity, (which the Brahmins implored him not to gratify), he ordered the pillar to be dug up. Lo and behold ! to his anguish and horror, the end of it was found covered with blood, and the Brahmins declared that his rule would shortly cease. Hastily the repentant A Tremendous Plunge. 241 Eajah ordered the reburial of the column, but in vain ! he was soon afterwards murdered, the kingdom wrested from his family, and no Hindoo king ever reigned again in Delhi. From here I visited the Well, which is nearly 70 feet from the brink to the bottom, but is only about half full ; it is 40 feet square. A novel spectacle awaited me here, and one which was a little relief from tomb and column gazing. A man came rushing down the curved dome of an adjacent mosque, and jumped feet foremost into the well, coming to the surface a few seconds later, and rushing up to me, rather blown, for back- sheesh. The same startling performance was gone through by three or four more natives. The water in this well, or rather tank, is said to be intensely cold. Near the well is Metcalfe House, the tomb of Akbar's foster-father It seems that the con- version of the Metcalfe House from a tomb into a European's dwelling-house gave dreadful of- fence to the natives. The owner was murdered, and his successor, after being appealed to in vain to restore the tomb to its former state, shared B 242 Bound the World m Six Months. the same fate. To make room for his dining- tables, he had removed the marble slab that covered the dead, and put it in his garden. The enemy took possession of this house, which stood in beautiful grounds, and established a battery there to play upon the Ridge. So, one day we sallied forth, drove them out, and appropriated it ourselves. It is now used as a sort of hotel. I ought to have mentioned that the Kutub Minar and adjacent ruins are charmingly situated amongst trees and beautiful flowers. Dusky infants ran after me with bouquets, and green paroquets flew about in all directions, uttering discordant screeches. They seem to be as com- mon here as sparrows at home. I also saw some hoopooes and many beautiful plumaged birds. From here I ought to have driven to the ruins of the City of Tughlukabad, about three miles and a-half off", but the roads were impassable for a carriage, and it was too hot to walk. The tomb of Jona Khan, one of the most cruel tyrants on record, is there. He was succeeded An Ingenious Device. 243 by his cousin, who, however, must have had some aflfection for him, as he was anxious that Jona should escape the retribution due to him in a future world. He had recourse to the follow- ing device. He collected together the relatives of all the people whom the tyrant had put to death ; made them presents, and induced them to sign papers before the priests, containing a full pardon to Jona Khan for the wrongs he had inflicted upon them. These papers were put in a box, and placed in the tyrant's tomb, so that he should have them handy to present on the Day of Judgment. On ray way back to Delhi, I went over the ruins of the huge Observatory, built by the same scientific Rajah who erected the one at Benares. Doubtless, it would be very interesting to astronomers, but, as I said before, these matters are beyond me. I was thankful to get back to Delhi, and to enjoy the excellent dinner of my host, the Com- missioner. There is a fearful amount of illness here. For weeks the natives have been dying at the rate of 244 Bound the World in Six Months. a hundred a day. One meets nothing but funeral processions. Four men carry the body, covered with a sheet, on a stretcher ; the friends following, chanting a dismal dirge. It is first taken to a well and washed, and then carried outside the town to be burned. The remains are buried or thrown into the Jumna. Friday, November 22nd. — Left Delhi by the one o'clock train for Jeypore ; arrived at mid- day on Saturday, five hours late. This is a shocking bad line — as bad as the one between Benares and Lucknow. There is a Dak Bunga- low, but a very poor one, and it is better to go to the hotel. Jeypore is the handsomest city I have yet seen in India; the streets are very broad and clean, and are constantly swept and watered. Gas is laid on in the streets ; also filtered water, which is drawn from innumerable pumps and taps. At first, the natives would not use this water, as it flows from the mouths of stone or metal animals, thereby suggesting an unclean idea to them. However, they are now quite recoftciled to it. Here the people dress in a most picturesque manner. The native swells Jeypore. 245 ride about, richly attired, on beautiful Arabs, attended by their running footmen. Elephants and camels are also ridden about the streets. The houses are very bright-looking, many of them being painted red, and on this coloured ground are pictures of men and horses, elephants and tigers, with various other designs. Monkeys may be seen running about on the roofs. Num- bers of sacred bulls patrol the streets, according to their own sweet will, and jostle you off the pavement, if they are so minded. They have no occupation but to amuse themselves. The natives hold them in great, veneration, and feed them liberally. They are very handsome, small, and have great humps. Major Jacob, the resident engineer, kindly put me up during my stay. It is to him Jeypore is indebted for most of its improvements. At the waterworks he has a large factory for making ice, an inestimable boon in this hot climate. The public gardens, which are beautifully laid out, are under his superintendance. Utility is con- sidered as well as beauty, for fruit and vege- tables are grown here, and sold at a moderate 246 Bound the World in Six Months. price. Here, too, are aviaries, containing a fine collection of beautiful tropical birds, and a small menagerie. I saw some magnificent tigers in Jeypore, very large and very savage. One of them, which used to be led about when small by a girl with a string, is now most ferocious, and sprang at the cage with such violence and fury at sight of me that I thought the bars would give way. The Rajah takes great interest in the city, and, although he has never been to Europe, has very civilized ideas. He is extremely fond of theatri- cals, and is building a theatre, in which a native company, organised by himself, will act. He has also instituted a school of art for native indus- tries. Here you may buy gold, silver, and brass- work, pottery, &c., at moderate prices. I had been recommended to buy bangles here instead of at Delhi, and, unfortiinately, acting on this recommendation, I only got a few at Delhi. When I arrived here, they were out of these ornaments, and T could not wait to have them made. In the afternoon, 1 went to the Mint, which is The Mint. 247 well worth seeing, though remarkably primitive- The coins are, as nearly as possible, pure gold and silver, and are made by hand but very roughly finished. CHAPTBE XV. AN ELEPHANT EIDE — ^VISIT TO THE PALACE— LIZAED LIQTJEUE— THE PRIME MINISTBE — A NATJTCH — A " LAT OP IND" — PEAC- TICAL JOKING— POLITENESS OF THE MINISTEE — ALLAHABAD — AN INDIAN SUPERSTITION — THE POET — JEHANGTTIEB's REVENGE — PAETINO PROM BENARSI — THUGS — BOMBAY. UNDAY, November 24tk — At seven a.in., the Commissioner sent a carriage and a pair of horses for me. I drove through the town to the foot of a hill, six miles distant, where one of the Rajah's elephants was waiting for me. I got out of the carriage; the mahout made the elephant kneel down, and I climbed up a ladder on to his back. We went about two miles, and arrived at the remains of a wonderful old city. The tops An Elephant Bide. 249 of the surrounding hills, or rather small moun- tains, were crowned with forts and castlesj connected by massive walls, and in some instances rising sheer out of the rock, and reminding one of the wonderful castles in Gustav Dore's illustrations. On the left, as you enter the deserted city, is a large sheet of water, in the centre of which is an island, converted into a garden with a pavilion in the centre, and summer-houses, boat, and bathing-houses adjoining. To the left of the lake are the remains of a splendid palace. After seeing all that was to be seen, I re- mounted my elephant, and returned to Jeypore in the same manner that I had come, passing on the way another uninhabited palace, situated, as it seemed to me, in the midst of a morass. After tiflfin I went to the Observatory, another edition of those seen at Delhi and Benares, with gigantic instruments. It is now undergoing thorough repair. The inhabitants of India attach immense importance to the study of the 260 Bound the World in Six Months. stars, and never go on a journey or commence any serious undertaking without consulting au astrologer. After this I was taken to the Palace, and introduced to the Prime Minister; the Rajah being unwell and unable to receive me. Great 4 numbers of attendants were hanging about the courts. Before seeing the Minister, I was es- corted all round the beautiful gardens, full of tropical trees and flowers, with fountains and gold fish, and afterwards to the Banqueting Hall, where the Rajah gave a dinner to the Prince of Wales on his visit here. This hall overlooks a large tank, in which were numbers of big crocodiles. Some of them were on the top of the water, basking in the sun. An unlucky gardener tumbled in the other day, and was devoured in a moment. The Rajah's iaand was playing in the gardens, and members of the household were sitting on a balcony of the Palace, smoking and drink- ing coffee. On re-entering the Palace, the Prime Minister met me, shook me by the ' hand, and invited me Lizard Liqueur. 251 up-stairs. He was surrounded by attendants, whose demeanour, to English ideas, was painfully cringing and servile. Whenever he gave an order, they listened with their heads bowed, and hands clasped, as if in prayer, though nothing could have been kinder than his manner to them. CJiairs were placed and we entered into conversa- tion through the medium of a friend, who acted as interpreter. Cigars were brought, and a liqueur which he was particularly desirous I should taste. It was very strong, had a curious bouquet, and a re- markable flavour, which the reader will under- stand, when I mention that lizards formed one of the ingredients. Seeing that the expression of my countenance did not denote the ecstacy that he desired, the Minister was considerate enough to send for a brandy and soda — a welcome exchange. Sweets were also handed round. When he heard that I was curious to see a nautch, he promised that I should be gratified, and whilst the performers were getting ready, we went over the Palace. Instead of stairs, you walk up an incline, which 252 Bound the World in Six Months. winds round a pillar, and is just like a staircase "without the steps. Passages and doors, branch- ing off from this, lead to the various apartments. To my surprise, two dark figures rushed past me, calling out aloud in Hindustani. It was explained to me that they were ordering the women to shut themselves in their rooms, as men were approach- ing. From the top roof of the Palace we got a magnificent view of the town and adjacent country. Just then, the upper rooms were beings redecorated, and beautifully inlaid with mosaics and looking-glass. By this time the Nautch was ready. We entered a room surrounded by marble pillars, at one end of which was a recess, where there was something that looked like an altar. At the other end were three male musicians, with tom- toms and pipes. These men are the sons of women of bad character, and are the only people, I am told, allowed to play music for nautches. Great was my disappointment at the perform- ance. The prima donna was a hideous old woman, apparently about sixty - years of age, A Nautch. 253 with a ring in her nose, and her arms and ankles covered with heavy silver bangles. Her ears were studded with ornaments, and looked like lumps of beef-steak. Mj feelings were very much akin to those of the Eeverend MacPherson in " The Naughty Nautch," one of those capital ballads, "Lays of Ind ;" and so perfectly does this describe the performance, that I think it will be much more amusing to the reader if I give an extract from it, than if T narrate the experience in my own words. The "Lay " commences with this verse : — " The Reverend McPherson believed that a nautch Was a most diabolical sort of debauch ; He thonght that the dance's voluptuous mazes Would turn a man's brain and allure him to blazes ! That almond-eyed girls Dressed in bangles and pearls, And other scant jims Disclosing their limbs, With movement suggestive And harmony festive. With fire in their eyes, and love on their lips, And passion in each of their elegant skips. As beauteous as angels, as wicked as devils. Performed at these highly indelicate revels." 254 Bound the World in Six Months. The ballad goes on to tell, how upon one occa- sion, the Rajah having invited all the cantonment to a nautch, the Rev. McPherson found himself, much to 'his horror, assisting at it. The excel- lent man, however, determined not to put him- self in the way of temptation, and, seating himself beside his wife, resolved not to look at what was going on, " The Reverend MoPherson, he said to his bride, ' Come, Ellen, ait down vara close to ma side. This rampin' and reelin' is sorrowfu' wark, And it ill-becomes me the bravr witches to mark ; But they're childer' o' darkness and kin o' the de'il.' Said Ellen, ' Oh, Dooglas, of course it is wrang, But there's nae ane that's bonny thae witches amang. Tou may just tak' a \o6k, and I think you'll agree, Sae don't turn awa', noo, and open your e'e.' " The minister did As his douce lassie bid ; The minister took A pretty close look, And the minister said. With a shake of his head, ' If wi' lassies lik' thae, dear, Gehenna is graced, I don't think the de'il has got muckle gude taste !' The Reverend McPherson, relieved in his mind. Examined the dancers before and behind : A Lay of Ind. 255 He observed that their garb was extremely discreet. That they wore ample ^rments right down to their feet. On their heads golden bosses, and plaits to their hair. And that scarcely an inch of their bodies was bare : That they postured, bobbed, whirligigged, wriggled like eels. And all the time shuffled about on their heels. Keeping time to the pipers and tom-tommer's strains. With the chink of their anklets of resonant chains, Advancing, retiring, up-lifting their arms, Now mimicking joy, and now feigning alarms, Now figuring love, now portraying disdain. And doing it over and over again, TUl, after a good twenty minutes of play, He wished the whole boiling would nautch it away. " But still they kept shuG3ing and spinning about. And one of them, who was remarkably stout. More splendaciously dressed. Less opaque than the rest. Coming more to the front, Bearing more of the brunt. And forming the centre of every group. In fiust, the presiding danseuse of the troupe, Appeared to be acting a tragical drama, And worked herself into a state about ' Bama ;' She'd cloth of gold on her. And jewels of sorts — She had been prima donna At several courts, — She wore genuine rubies Presented by boobies, 256 Bound the World in Six Months. Who thought that her dancing Was something entrancing, Or fancied the charms Of the serpent-like arms, Or were turned outside in By her coppery skin. And now, as she played premiere coryphee. In our good little Rajah's dark corps de ballet. She threw herself into contortionings frightful. The native guests plainly thought highly delightful, And shrieked, 'Rama! Rama!' her eyes all aflame. As if she'd a love who rejoiced in the name. But in spite of her calling him much, never came; Whilst the rest, just as if 'twas a heart-rending shame, Shrieked ' Rama !' Yelled 'Rama!' Apparently called him a curious person. Till at length, sick of Rama, the Reverend McPherson, In a deep undertone, gave a vent to some hearty Remarks, which would hardly have flattered that party. This Rama, he never once dreamed was a god. If he had he'd have thought it remarkably odd. Would have felt it most certainly more than a joke. That a dancer of nautches a god should invoke. He was blissfully ignorant, quite in the mirk, Upon matters afiecting what wasn't his kirk. ' Oh, Ellen,' said he, with an audible groan, ' A nautch is a vara dool thing a' must own. And the mon whose seen ane and desires to see mair, I gie him my leave, he's fu' welcome to stare. Practical Johing. 257 If the de'il always fished with thae baits on his dish, I diana suppose he'd see mony white fish.' " Nothing could more admirably describe a nautch, and the impression it is calculated to make on the British beholder, than these capital lines. Having seen one, I certainly never experienced the slightest desire to see a repetition of the performance. The natives, however, seemed to appreciate it highly. I was afterwards told that very often at these nautches, the reason of the delight of the native audience is, that the dancing and singing women are all the time addressing the most risquees and amatory remarks to the unconscious European, who sits with stolid countenance, profoundly unconscious of the overtures addressed to him. For aught I know, I may have been the victim of one of these little practical jokes. On the following day, the Prime Minister was good enough to send me my dinner, (or, rather, lunch, as it came in the middle of the day). It was brought on large trays, and consisted of many dishes, dressed in s 258 Bound the World in Six Months. Indian style ; meats, curries, vegetables, sweets, &c. Some of them were remarkably good. I am told there is very fair shooting to be got in the neighbourhood. Tuesday, '26th September. — Left Jeypore at half- past eight p.m., with great regret. It is a most interesting town, and I could have spent several more days in it with pleasure. Arrived at Agra at half -past eight the following morning. Spent the day with the 60th Rifles, who have charming quarters and a capital mess ; cricket, lawn-tennis-ground, &c. Left again late in the afternoon, and reached Allahabad the next day at half-past six a.m., Thursday, 28th. Went to Lorien's Station Hotel. Allahabad is situated at the extreme point or promontory of the Doab, formed by the meeting of the rivers Jumna and Ganges, and is considered by the Hindus a most sacred spot. According to their idea, three rivers join here, but the third is solely in their own imagination, and is supposed by them to flow perpendicularly direct from Heaven. According An Indian Superstition. 259 to the guide-book, " when a pilgrim arrives here, he sits down on the bank of the river, and has his head and body shaved so that each hair may fall into the water; the sacred writings promising him one million years' residence in Heaven for every hair thus deposited. After shaving, he bathes, and the next day performs ' Shradh,' the obsequies of his deceased ancestors, January and February are the great months for pilgrimages." I hired a carriage and drove to the Fort on the banks of the river, built by Akbar, of the usual red stone. It is a large and imposing building, and is now used as a barrack. Great numbers of guns, shot and shell waggons, &c., are stored here. In the centre is a stone monolith, over two thousand years old. There is a temple under the Fort ; the entrance to which reminded me of going into a very damp cellar. Water was trickling about in every direction. As usual, there were a number of worshippers praying to little conical stones dispersed about. The greatest curiosity in the place is a banyan tree, which I was s 2 260 Bound the World in Six Months. assured is one thousand five hundred years old. It is worshipped by the natives. Many Europeans took refuge in the Fort during the mutiny. I visited the gardens of Sultan Khusru. He was the eldest son of the Emperor Jehanguire, with whom he was on very bad terms. When his father mounted the throne, Khusru, think- ing himself in danger, made for the Punjaub, and got together an army. It was, however, defeated by the Emperor's troops, and Jehanguire had seven hundred of the rebel army impaled at once, and forced his wretched son to walk up and down between the lines to behold the horrible spectacle. After this, Khusru was doomed to perpetual confinement. The gardens are full of fine trees, numbers of very large tamarinds amongst them. The foliage is very dense and of a dark green, and the fruit grows in pods like peas. In the gardens are three large tombs with marble domes. I ascended two of them by flights of steps from the outside, and got a good view of Allahabad, which looks picturesque from this Allahabad. 261 elevation. The meaning of the word Allahabad is The City of God. The European station is a considerable distance from the town. The roads are excellent, and the bungalows surrounded by capital gardens. The native city is large, and densely popu- lated. Here, greatly to my regret, I parted with my servant Benarsi. Allahabad, being on the direct line to Calcutta, it was not worth while to bring him all the way to Bombay just for a few days. He served me well and faithfully, and I can recommend him most strongly. The leave-taking was rather affecting, as he cried like a child. Allahabad is eight hundred and forty-five miles from Bombay, and five hundred and sixty-four from Calcutta. About half-way is the city of Jubbulpore, where I ought to have stopped to see the celebrated Marble Rocks, ten miles from the town. Here the river Nerbudda flows through a channel of marble and basalt rocks for 262 Bound the World in Six Months. nearly two miles. On either side, white marble rocks rise to a height of from 50 to 80 ft., and beautiful colours are reflected in them by the shifting lights. The School of Industry at Jubbulpore is well worth a visit. Very good tents, marquees, carpets and stuffs are made here by the Thugs and their families. Until the Government put them down with a strong hand, these Thugs used to go about murdering and garotting people wholesale. In a book entitled " Con- fessions of a Thug," one of these rufl&ans confessed to having disposed of over a hundred victims, and Dr. Russell mentions having con- versed with one who rather piqued himself on having murdered sixty-seven with his own hands. Everything in this school is made by hand, or with only native machinery. No modern appliance, except the sewing-machine, is em- ployed. I spent the whole of Friday in the train. After Jubbulpore, the character of the country changes considerably. It is undulating, well wooded, and intersected by broad streams. Bombay. 263 Saturday, November dOth. — Reached Bombay at eleven a.m., and was delayed an hour in getting my luggage, which I had previously sent on from Calcutta. I had been recom- mended to get out at the Byculla Station, two miles from Bombay. The well-known " By- culla Club " is situated here, in the midst of a nice garden, and near it is a large hotel of the same name, which has a good reputation. As, however, I wanted to be near the post, steam- ship, and other offices, I went to the Esplanade House, which is excessively dirty though con- veniently situated. CHAPTER XVI. MALABAE HILL— CATES OF ELEPHANTA — DELHI MEECHANTS— ADEN — THE TANKS — HOW WE TOOK PEEIM — SUEZ — DONKEYS AND DONKEY- BOTS — OTTO OF EOSBS AND TUEQUOISES— BACK- SHEESH— CAIEO — BAZAAES— MASSACEE OP THE MAMELTTKES — AN INCEEDIBLB STOEY — BOULAK MUSEUM — A DAHABEAH — SPOET ON THE NILE. ATURDAY, November 30tli.— Un- packed and went over the Penin- sular and Oriental boat, Nizam, in which I have taken my passage to Southampton, with the option of breaking the journey at Suez, Malta, and Gibraltar. The price of the ticket is six hundred and eighty rupees. Caves of Elephanta. 265 Sunday, December 1st. — The hotel is crowded with the wives and children of officers going home in the troop-ships. I drove round the town and saw the principal buildings, which are very fine. Then I went to the Malabar Hill, which, being on elevated ground, and getting a breeze off the sea, has been selected by the English for their quarters. The houses are large and roomy, and stand in good gardens planted with tropical trees. Kear the Esplanade Hotel is a kind of park, used at present as a camp. On the quay stands an excellent restaurant noted for its oysters; but some friends and I lunched there, and though everything else was very good, the oysters were decidedly poor. There is a broad Esplanade facing the sea, where, in the afternooji, a good many of the inhabitants drive. I am to leave to-morrow, or should like to see the Caves of Elephanta. Steamboats take visitors there once or twice a week, and notices of the time of their departure are posted up in the hotels. There is a temple there, and opposite the entrance, a gigantic bust 266 Bound the World in Six Months. with three heads, supposed to represent the Hindu Trinity. There are plenty of good shops in Bombay. The ground floor of the Esplanade Hotel is a store for books. It is as well for the home- ward-bound traveller to lay in a stock here, as the libraries in the Peninsular and Oriental boats are very meagre. On the first floor bal- cony of the hotel, (which is a broad one,) merchants from Delhi display their wares, and do a large business in bangles. Cashmeres, silk, brass, carving, and other manufactures and specialites of India. Their charges, however, are considerably higher than those of the merchants in Delhi. Before leaving Bombay, I changed all my rupees into English money. Monday, December 2nd. — Went on board the tug, which took me to the Nizam. There are very few passengers. We steamed out of the harbour at seven p.m. After a smooth passage with fair weather, we reached Aden, (sixteen hundred and sixty-four miles from Bombay), at half-past three p.m. On Sunday the 8th, I Aden. 267 went ashore, hired a carriage, and drove to the Artillery Mess, where I was glad to read the English newspapers. Then I drove into the town, four miles off. It is a picturesque place, and the natives are curious-looking creatures. The men are tall and muscular, and extremely erect ; their hair is like a mass of tangled wool, usually dyed a bright yellow, and is matted together like the hinder part of an unshorn poodle-dog. The principal trade here is in ostrich feathers. The traveller should not be induced to buy these from the boats which crowd round the steamer, as they are very inferior as well as very dear, but should buy them in the town. The immense tanks cut out of the rock are very old and curious, and should be visited. " When the first system of reservoirs was re- stored and constructed in 1857, a single fall of rain, we are told, gave a larger store of water than all the wells would have yielded in a year."* The fortifications are also interesting, the • Dr. Bussell. 268 Bound the World m Six Months. approach to tbem being hewn out of the solid rock. Aden itself is a dry and arid place, offering no inducement to any one to remain for plea- sure. I was a good deal surprised to see so many hotels there. Returned to the steamer, and left at half-past seven p.m. The following day we passed the Island of Perim, which we made ours by a little stratagem that was amusingly related to me. It seems that the French bethought themselves one day that they would take possession of this barren island at the mouth of the Red Sea, but they wished their intention kept a secret until they should have hoisted the French standard upon it. The English Governor at Aden, however, conceived some suspicion of the designs of the French frigate, and invited the Captain to dinner. During the meal, the Governor was still more strongly convinced that his surmise was correct, and whispering a few words to his aide-de-camp, that young gentleman presently went out with an innocent air, hied him down to the shore, where he got on board a fast gun-boat and Hmo uie took Perim. 269 made with all speed for Perim. Next morning, at day-break, the French frigate was on her way to the same spot. What was the disgust, rage and horror of the Captain, as he neared the island, to find the Union Jack floating boldly in the breeze from the highest point of the island. The acquisition may have been a desirable one, but I was told by a friend, once Governor there, that a more wretched, desolate place to be cast adrift on, could not be conceived by the mind of man. Saturday, December IMh. — Arrived off Suez at four a.m., thirteen hundred and eight miles from Aden. Here I left the Nizam, as the cap- tain would not undertake to land me at Ismalia. It would have been a great convenience to me could he have done so, (as it would to all Penin- sular and Oriental passengers wishing to stay at Cairo), as, by that means, one avoids stop- ping the night in Suez, and having a disagree- able and dusty journey of fifty miles to Ismalia. The latter place is half way between Suez and Port Said, and if you were landed there, you 270 Bound the World in, Six Months. could take the train to Cairo. At the landing- place at Suez, a train was waiting to take pas- sengers from the boat to the town. All those bound for Cairo and Brindisi came ashore here. There is a custom-house, but they gave us no trouble ; did not even ask to look at anything. It was a very repulsive sight on landing to see the Arab beggars, suffering horribly from opthal- mia; some were blind, others partially so, and the most disgusting part of it was that their eyes were covered with flies, which, seem still to be one of the plagues of Egypt. Many Jewish- looking men crowded round us, offering photo- graphs of the Pyramids, &c. All the time until the train started, they pestered us to buy, whilst the beggars thrust in their horrible countenances and clamoured with extended hands for " back- sheesh." On arriving at the Suez Station, we were beset by touts from the hotels and more beggars. I gave over my luggage to the porter of the " Suez Hotel," and proceeded to walk thither, as it is close to the station. I was immediately sur- rounded by donkey-boys, determined to make a Suez. 271 prey of me, and vociferously insisting that I should ride the Claimant, Mr. Gladstone, Mrs. Langtry, and other eminent personages, after whom their donkeys were named. What a thing is fame ! Having succeeded in making them understand that I positively declined to ride, I got through them, and reached the hotel. The mails and passengers for Brindisi left the same night at half-past eight to go on to Alexan- dria, but I remained, and found the hotel very bad and dear. Mounting one of the donkeys, I rode through the streets to look at the bazaars. A friend who was with me, and had an eye to business, pur- chased a large quantity of otto of roses, which was, comparatively, very cheap here. He also bought a good many turquoises, and, if I had known anything about precious stones, which I do not, I would also have made an investment. We saw a good deal of Egyptian pottery, amber, bright-coloured stuflFs, and such wares as one sees in the Oriental shops in Regent Street and at Brighton. 272 Bound the World in Six Months. The glory of Suez has departed. Formerly, there were cafes chantants and other places of amusement ; now there is nothing of the sort. On passing a guard-room, my companion asked the sentry the way to some particular bazaar, and, having given the information, the man im- mediately held out his hand for "backsheesh." Dined at the table d'hote ; it was an extremely indifferent one. The climate is splendid, and the sunsets and sunrises beautiful beyond all description. Sunday, December \bth. — Rose early, and, with great difficulty, got some breakfast and my bill. I very nearly lost my train by the dilatoriness of the hotel people. Everyone seems to be equally slow, and to act upon the principle that " Time is made for slaves." I had an immense deal of trouble to get my luggage weighed and procure my ticket. English money is the current coin here. I would recommend the traveller who wishes to visit Egypt and see the Pyramids to take his ticket from Bombay to Suez only. He can then go to Malta by any steamer he likes, whereas I Cairo. 273 had to pay twice over between Suez and Malta, as it suited my convenience better to go from Alexandria to Malta direct instead of going by Port Said, which entails making a great detour by sea. The train left at half-past eight a.m. It was very slow, and the carriages fearfully dusty from the sand of the desert through which we passed. Alongside the line, for a great part of the way, there runs a fresh water canal, and near this vegetation is abundant, but beyond, everything is dry and arid. I only passed through Ismalia in the train, so saw nothing of it. At the station I bought the most delicious oranges I ever tasted. Changed carriages at Zagazig, where half-an-hour was allowed for lunch. We were eight hours traversing the hundred and fifty miles from Suez to Cairo, and reached the latter place at half- past four in the afternoon. On my way to Shepherd's Hotel, I passed many smart carriages containing veiled ladies, whose eyes alone were visible. On the box-seat sat bloated-looking eunuchs. I was glad to find several friends and acquaint- T 274 Bound the World in Six Months. ances at the hotel. The dimate here at this time of year is simply perfect, and people sit about in front of the hotel all day long. But, as there is always a drawback to everything, the mosquitoes are intolerable. Monday, IQth.^Rode about all the morning on a donkey, a capital one. Every one rides donkeys here. The name of my donkey-boy was Joseph, and he is to be recommended. If you have an intelligent donkey-boy who speaks English well, there is no need to hire a drago- man. Numbers of these men hang about the hotel, and pester one to engage them, which is a great nuisance. I went first to the Turkish Bazaar, and saw the gold and silver-work and jewellery there ; then to a carpet bazaar and a shoe bazaar, where gaily-coloured and embroidered slippers are ex- posed for sale. Then I went to the different markets, where fish, meat, vegetables, and flowers are sold. The streets present a most animated appearance from the gay dresses of the people. Everyone jostles his neighbour ; the donkeys amble through the streets, followed by The Citadel. 276 their screaming drivers ; carriages drive full tilt through the throng, preceded by running foot- men, crying to the pedestrians to get out of the way. The City of Cairo presents a very heteroge- neous appearance : half of it looks like an un- finished piece of Paris, whilst the other half is quaint and old. The old houses are very curious, and, for windows, have a sort of stone or wooden lattice work, in order that the women may look out without being observed in return. I visited the mosque of Mahomed Ali, built ia 1819. This is much admired on account of its interior, lined with alabaster; but, after all the wonders of India, it seemed a poor thing to me. In the afternoon, I drove to the Citadel, the fortifications of which were, it is said, commenced by Saladin in the time of the Crusades. It is built on a hill commanding the city, and from it there is a lovely view — Cairo, with its picturesque domes, lies at your feet, the Nile flowing beside it, and, in the distance, the Pyramids stand out from the great Libyan desert. T 2 276 Round the World in Six Months, Here I saw the place where the Mamelukes were slaughtered in 1811, and the spot on the battlements from which, they tell you, Emir Bey jumped his hoi'se, and thereby saved his life. Looking at the tremendous height, it seems utterly incredible that he should have come to the ground alive. His horse was crushed to death. The massacre of the Mamelukes was one of the foulest acts of treachery ever conceived. Ma- homed Ali invited the Mameluke Beys to a feast, and they came, splendidly mounted, and wearing their grand uniforms. He expressed a wish to see them parade in the court-yard ; the portcullis was closed behind them ; and, in a moment, they knew that they were snared like rats in a trap. No valour could save them : volley after volley was fired upon them from the windows and ram- parts until everyone, save Emir Bey, who took that tremendous leap, was slain, to the number of four hundred and fifty. For my own part, I cannot believe the story of his escape. I afterwards visited their tombs, about a mile or more from Cairo. An Embarrassing Gift. 277 After dining at the table-d'hdte, I made en- quiries about a place of amusement in which to spend the evening, but, to my surprise and dis- gust, was told there was neither opera nor theatre — nothing but a cafe chantant, where a band of female musicians performed. People sat round and drank coffee at little tables, but there was no singing, and it was not very lively. Above the cafe is a gambling saloon ; I did not go there. Cairo used to be very gay a few years ago, but since the financial difficulties of the country, we keep rather a tight hand over the Khedive, and don't allow him to spend money. Not long ago, he was reduced to such straits that he had to part with some of the ladies of his harem, whom he kindly gave in marriage to his gallant officers, a present somewhat of the nature of a white elephant, as, these ladies having lived in the lap of luxury, were likely to prove very extravagant wives. Tuesday, 17th. — I spent the whole morning at the Museum of Boulak, which is open every day from eight till five, except on Friday, the Ma- 278 Bound the World in Six Months. homedan Sabbath. It contains the finest collec- tion of Egyptian remains in the world. One of the most curious objects is No. 492, a wooden figure of a man said to be four thousand years old. There is a great deal of expression in the face ; the head is as round as a bullet ; in one hand he grasps a long staiF; the other arm hangs down with clenched fist ; his garment is an apron. There are two curious figures of a king and queen in stone, supposed to be of even greater antiquity; they are in excellent preservation. Horus, standing on the heads of crocodiles, is a figure worthy of observation ; but there are too many to chronicle, and, when the traveller visits the Museum, he will be able to purchase at the door an excellent French catalogue, and also photographs of the principal figures. There is a fine collection of mummies ; also of vases, Egyptian ornaments, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, &c., and a boat of solid gold, with twelve silver rowers. After seeing the Museum, I crossed the Nile by the iron bridge, and looked over a dahabeah, which a friend had just hired for ninety days. A Dahabeah. 279 It seemed very roomy and comfortable, with first- class accommodation. There was a large saloon, four sleeping cabins, and beyond these a smoking- room over the stern, fitted with gun-racks. For travellers to whom neither time nor money is an object, this is the way to " do " the Nile ; but many people nowadays go up to the first and second cataracts by steamers. These are all in the hands of Mr. Cook, who is a very great man in Egypt. At his office, near Shepherd's Hotel, you can get a great deal of useful information, and his employes are most civil and obliging, will cash cheques, recommend you a dragoman; and arrange any tour for you in Egypt and the Holy Land without it being necessary for you to join his party. The regular journey in a dahabeah up the Nile and back occupies, as I have said, ninety days, and the cost, inclusive of everything, is from £400 to £600. By Cook's steamer, the journey to the First Cataract, five hundred and eighty- three miles from Cairo, is done (going and return- ing) in twenty days ; for a visit to the Second Cataract, two hundred and twenty miles further 280 Bound the World in Six Months. and back, an additional twelve days is required, and this of course is done at a very small expense, (compared with that of the trip by dahabeah). The sportsman should take, besides his usual twelve-bore guns, a double-barrelled eight-bore, as wild-fowl abound, A friend writing to me from his dahabeah, says, " There are great quantities of all sorts of wild-fowl; grey geese in thousands, storks, herons, ten kinds of duck, and teal ; spoonbills, pelicans, white herons, (mis- called ibis), flamingoes, cranes, egrets, kites, as common as rooks with us ; vultures, hawks, owls, hoopooes, golden oriels, king-fishers, &c., &c. The Delta between Cairo and Alexandria, and the Fyoom, to the north-east of Cairo, are the best places; time, December and January. I hear there are wild-boar and antelope to be got, with an occasional alligator or croco- dile." CHAPTER XYII. ON — THE VIEGIN S TEEE — THE SPHINX — THE PYBAMID8 — A STIFFISH BUN — EGYPTIAN CAVALET — DANCING DERVISHES — THE FASHIONABLE DRIVE — ALEXANDRIA — MALTA — ITS VA- RIOUS POSSESSORS — KNIGHTS OP MALTA — THE " KAISAR-I- HIND" — ^HOME. EDNESDAY 18th.— Drove to the remains of Heliopolis, the City of the Sun, called On in the Bible. It is about five miles from Cairo, and the drive to it is charming, through avenues of plane trees and sycamores. Saw numbers of white ibis on the way. My guide-book informs me that four thousand years ago this was the Oxford of Egypt ; that here, Joseph married the 282 Bound the World in Six Months. fair Asenath, daughter of Poti-pherah; here, Plato and Herodotus pursued philosophy and history, and here, " the darkness which veiled the great sacrifice on Calvary was observed by Dionysius the Areopagite." Not far from this is the Obelisk, in the middle of a corn-field, with a few trees round it. It is like Cleopatra's needle, only very much bigger (68 feet high), and, to quote my guide- book again, " was old when Abraham came down to Egypt." It is quite disgusting to see how the base has been knocked about by tourists wishing to carry away fragments, and how Jones, Brown, and Robinson, have sought to immortalise them- selves by scribbling their names on its venerable sides. On my way home I walked through the Khedive's gardens. In another garden stands a gigantic sycamore, called " The Virgin's Tree." It is supposed that she rested here with the Infant Saviour and Joseph, on her flight into Egypt. In the afternoon I went over the Khedive's stables, but was disappointed to find only Hie Sphinx. 283 French and English carriage-horses, and no Arabs. Thursdaij 19i/t. — Went with some friends to the Pyramids. The first half of the distance we drove between avenues of palms and acacia ; then we mounted donkeys, as the road which the Khedive had made expressly for the Prince of Wales, was just now washed away in places by the floods from the Nile. For some distance we followed a track through ploughed fields, in Tndian file, and then crossed the embankment, and found ourselves on the edge of the desert. First, we went to look at the Sphinx. It is so gigantic, and strikes one with such wonder, and I may say awe, that words hardly seem adequate to give an idea of this marvel of the world. It is grievous to see how the face has been wantonly mutilated. I am told that the Egyptian troops actually made a target of it to fire at. The head is hewn out of the solid rock. The face is 30 feet long and 15 feet broad. The throat and neck are rather worn away. The 284 Bound the World in Six Months. rock at the back forms its body, and has been patched up here and there with masoniy. Its fore legs and paws are hidden by the sand. From time to time this has been cleared away, but always drifts over them again. Ifear to the Sphinx are underground temples, where the worship of it used to be carried on. We next rode past the Pyramids, to the house intended, when built, for an hotel, but the Arabs refused to permit it to be used as such. Here, we went into a large room and ate the luncheon we had brought with us. It is a tremendous pull to the top of the Great Pyramid, and you are beset by Arabs, anxious to drag you up. If you consent, one takes you. by each arm, and if you are not a light weight, a couple more pull in front and push behind. As the day was not a clear one, we determined not to ascend, upon which the Arabs obligingly oflFered to run up to the top and down again for " backsheesh," We let one go to make him happy; the performance, however, was not excit- ing to witness, though very laborious for the performer. I timed him, and he took just ten Tlie Pyramids. 285 minutes for the journey there and back. The height is 480 feet ; that is 60 feet higher than the Cross of St. Paul's, but as each step is about three feet or more high, you may conjecture something of the difficulty of the ascent. Until you get to the foot of the Pyramids, and stand looking up at them, they do not give you the idea of great height, but from the base, they seem to tower into the sky. I had been told that we were likely to be dreadfully pestered here by the Arabs, and that it was desirable to go accompanied by a thick stick, and to lay it about freely, but having paid the head Sheik a certain sum, he prevented the others from annoying us. They were, however, extremely anxious to sell us spurious curiosities which thay swore they had picked up on the spot themselves, but, which we happened to know were all made at a large factory in the country. So perfectly do they imitate the antique coins and figures found in the Boulak Museum, that they defy detection by the inexperienced eye. A passage down an inclined plane, takes you 286 Bound the World m Six Months. to a subtfirranean chamber below the Pyramid. From there, an upward passage leads to the centre of the Pyramid and the Great Gallery, The latter is 150 feet long, 7 feet wide, and 28 feet in height, and has a smooth polished sur- face. The King's Chamber is beyond, and contains the remains of a sarcophagus of red granite. This is supposed to have once contained the body of Cheops. On the drive home, we passed a regi- ment of Egyptian cavalry — very well mounted. Instead of carrying carbines, they were armed with revolvers, to which was attached a nickel- plated skeleton stock, rendering it a most formid- able and useful weapon. These stocks are sold by " Colt's Company " to fit their large sized revolvers. Friday, December 20th. — At two o'clock I went to the Convent to see the Dancing Dervishes. This dance takes place every Friday at the same hour. The Dervishes wear voluminous skirts, sup- posed to be white, but of most doubtful cleanli- ness, or rather, undoubted dirtiness, and the Dancing Dervishes. 287 entertainment consists in seeing them spin round like teetotums, to discordant sounds, (by courtesy, music), until one is quite dizzy with looking at them. To the uninitiated, the connection between this and religion, seems vague. There is a circular space railed off by a balustrade, in which the performers stand in a ring. Amongst them was an old man, evidently the head-swell, whom each of the others ap- proached, and after making an obeisance to him commenced pirouetting until all were in motion. They continued to spin until they appeared to have worked themselves into a religious ecstacy. Their heads waggled about, and I expected every moment to see them drop. However, when I left, after looking on for some twenty minutes, they were still on their legs, though, for my part, I went out feeling very giddy. We then drove off to the " Howling Dervishes," but fortunately, perhaps, for us, there was no performance that day. I then proceeded to buy some rhinoceros- hide sticks at a shop near the Hotel de Nile. This hotel is noted for its cuisine, but is, 288 Bound the World in Six Months. unfortunately, in a very bad situation. Being Friday, we drove up the Shoobra Road, where all the beauty and fashion resort on this day of the week. You drive up and down a broad road, shaded by sycamore and acacia trees- Here you see numbers of Eastern ladies driving in handsome carriages, and evidently using great ingenuity to conceal as little of their faces as possible. Many of them had magni- ficent eyes and beautiful teeth, which made one long to see more. Egyptian officers galloped about on high-mettled Arabs, and plenty of Europeans were to be seen. Monday, December 2'ird. — Left Cairo by train at six p.m., and reached Alexandria, distant a hundred and thirty miles, at ten p.m. It was raining slightly, the first rain 1 had seen since landing at Calcutta. Went to the Hotel de I'Europe, now called the Prince of Wales's Hotel. Tuesday, 24th. — Went to see Cleopatra's Needle, which stands close to the sea-shore. The base is covered with rubbish. Afterwards I drove to Pompey's Pillar. It is of red granite, stands on a hillock, and is a 100 ft. high. I Christmas Bay. 289 had intended going from this to Port Said, in order to catch the Peninsular and Oriental steamer there, but, hearing that a very fast steamer was starting to-day for Malta, called the Magdala, belonging to Messrs. Moss & Co., I determined to go by her, in order to have more time at Malta. I paid £5 for my passage, and went on board in the afternoon. Having given my card to the Custom House official, he at once passed my luggage. The harbour is a very fine one. The Khedive's palace is situated upon it, and seems to rise sheer out of the water. His steam-yacht was lying alongside. There is a long break-water, built of enormous blocks of stone, or, rather, looking as if they had been flung one on the top of the other. There are some twenty thousand of them, each weighing twenty tons. It is blowing a gale, and the pilot says we shall not leave to-night. As I have unpacked my things, it hardly seems worth while to return to the shore. Wednesday, December 25th, Christmas Day. — The weather is still very bad, but we steamed V 290 Bound the World in Six Months. out of the harbour at eight a.m. On the left bank are many large houses, (or small palaces), and the country is dotted by numerous wind- mills. A strong N.W. wind all day. The weather is cold. The day was celebrated with an excellent turkey and plum-pudding. There was only one passenger besides myself, late of the Artillery. Sunday, December 29ife. — Arrived at Malta, eight hundred and sixteen miles from Alexandria, at daybreak. The Island presents a very fine appearance from the sea, and its fortifications are most imposing.' Went ashore after break- fast, took a carriage, and drove to the hotel, (Durnsford's). Then I looked up my friends ; was made an honorary member of the club and offered a bed-room there, which, however, I did not accept, and then took a turn in the streets. The principal one is called the Strada Eeale. Being Sunday, most of the shops were shut. The town of Valetta is very clean and bright-looking, and the climate delightful at this time of year. Valetta is on the east side of the island, and is called after the Grand Malta. 291 Master, John de La Vallette, of the Knights of Malta, who laid the first stone in 1566. ' Few places have been occupied by so many races, or have witnessed so much blood- shed, as this island. The Phoenicians are supposed to have been the first settlers, then the Greeks, soon after the siege of Troy. They, in turn, had to make way for the Carthaginians, under Hannibal, who, it is supposed, was buried here. After this, it fell into the hands of the Eomans. They built magnificent temples upon it, the remains of which are still to be seen. The turn of the Goths came next, but they only held it for seven-and-thirty years, when Beli- sarius wrested it fi^om them. The Emperors of Constantinople owned it until the end of the ninth century, when the Arabs conquered it, massacred all the men, and made slaves of the women and children. After the Arabs had possessed Malta for a couple of centuries, it fell into French hands, then German, then French again ; then to Charles V. of Germany, who gave it to the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. After this the Turks tried very hard to get TJ 2 292 Bownd the World in Six Months. it, but were repulsed, Napoleon Bonaparte took it in 1798, and the English, after a long blockade, captured it from the French in 1800. I visited St. John's Church, where the knights of the Order are buried. The interior is magni- ficent. A splendid altar, composed of various coloured marbles, stands at one end. Chapels of the different languages of the Order run parallel with the nave. There are some very- fine statues of the different Grand Masters. The pavement is very handsome, formed of beautiful mosaics. Beneath this many of the knights are interred. The Chapel of the Virgin is surrounded by a balustrade of solid silver. Monday, December SOth. — Went over the Palace. The principal thing to be seen here is the armoury. This is a hall of great length, with a double row of columns down the centre, at the base of each of which stands a figure in armour. On the walls are trophies of arms, and under glass cases are exhibited weapons and other articles belonging to Grand Masters and Knights of Malta, whose names are historical. Baked Monks. C93 In one room of the palace is some very fine tapestry. The afternoon I devoted to visiting some of the forts, and afterwards dined at the Artillery mess. Their quarters are in a fine old palace. After- wards we went to the opera, close by. Tuesday, Slst. — Went over the rest of the forts, which interested me immensely, and also visited the Capuchin Convent at Floriance, just outside the town. Beneath the church is the carneria, or charnel-house. In this, the monks of the order who die, are placed in niches in the walls, dressed in their ordinary clothes, their bodies having previously been baked. Wednesday, January 1st, 1879. — Went out with some friends in a steam-launch along the coast. It was a lovely warm day, with a clear sky overhead and blue waters beneath. We made for the rocky little Island of Filfla, which stands sheer out of the sea. Got back about four o'clock, and found that the Peninsular and Oriental boat Kaisar-i-hind, which was to take me to England had arrived, a day earlier than she was expected, having made a very quick 294 Bound the World in Six Months. passage. I hastily packed up, took leave of my friends, and went on board at half -past eight. Malta is a charming place at this time of year ; the hotel is a good one, and the charges very moderate. The Kaisar-i-hvnd is a very fine boat, the newest and largest on the line. The cooking is excellent ; very difierent from that on the two by which I had previously travelled, and I attribute this entirely to Captain Matthew's super- vision. The passengers are few. Sunday, January 5th. — Arrived at Gibraltar at seven a.m., nine hundred and eighty-one miles from Malta. I went ashore, got my letters, and returned to the ship. We were off again at ten o'clock. I hear that the new hotel. The Royal, is a good one, which was more than could be said for the old Club-House Hotel. January 9th. — Anchored in Southampton Water between eight and nine p.m., got into a tug with ray baggage, landed at the wharf, and went for the night to Eadley's Hotel. South- ampton is eleven hundred and fifty-one miles from Gibraltar. Home. 2y5 January 10th. — I started for London by the quarter past eleven train, and arrived at two p.m., having been absent twenty-five weeks to the day. The cold was intense, and the Thames covered with floating ice. CHAPTER XVIII. CONCLTTDINa EEMAEKS— THE TIME TO LEAVE ENGLAND— LTGOAOE — CLOTHES — MEDICINE — MONET — COST OP THE JOTJENEY. T occurs to me that a short summary of expenses and a few directions as to luggage and clothing may be useful to the traveller who contem- plates making the same tour or part of it. If his time is limited to six months, (as mine was), I should recommend him, if he can so arrange it, to start the middle of August if going by America, or the middle of November if wishing to visit Egypt and India first. My luggage was as follows : — What to Take. 297 A pair of very strong bullock-trunks ; a small portmanteau ; a black leather bag ; a bundle of rugs and coats ; a deep, round canvas bag, such as is used by sailors, (only that theirs are of tar- pauling), with a strap and padlock, for dirty linen; a small waterproof bag with partitions for odds and ends, to hang up in my cabin ; this was very useful on board ship. I did not take a hat-box, and had no occasion for a tall hat during my journey. The following articles of dress should be taken from England : — Besides ordinary clothes, a thin yachting suit and a couple of pairs of brown canvas shoes, one pair with India rubber soles, to wear on board ship; six white linen jackets and six pairs of white trousers ; plenty of thin flannel shirts, as well as linen ones ; two suits of pyjamas. There is so much damp and mildew in Japan that it is well to seize every opportunity of putting black clothes and boots in the sun. Boots : A pair of riding boots and breeches, two pairs of shooting boots, two pairs ordinary walking boots, one pair dress boots. 298 Bound the World in Six Months. Etceteras : Six cholera belts ; three white linen umbrella covers, (take care they have been shrunk) ; a pair of field glasses ; a revolver in bolster, with belt ; aneroid with thermometer ; a compass, drinking-cup, metal soap-box, small boot- jack, and house- wife. Medicine : Chlorodyne (in case of cholera or diarrhoea) ; Bno's Fruit Salt ; Cockle's Pills ; Alcock's Porous Plaster (for rheumatism) ; Ri- gollot's Mustard Leaves, or Sinapine (for sore throat, &c.) ; sticking plaster ; a bottle of car- bolic acid (in case of bad smells) . Money : A letter of credit from Messrs. Cox, or Coutts, is the most convenient form of carrying money, and, I think, better than circular notes. As little coin and as few notes as possible should be taken with one. You can get money in all the principal cities on presenting your letter to the chief banker. If you travel without a servant, (which is a great saving of trouble in the long run, unless he is a born traveller), £100 a month will com- fortably cover all expenses of the journey. Mine amounted to rather less than £500, but then I Cost of the Trip. 299 received a good deal of hospitality from friends, including the frequent use of horses and car- riages; and, owing to my drinking little but light claret, my expenses at hotels and on board ship were considerably less than those of a man who habitually drinks champagne would be. It is a good plan to allow a couple of hundred extra, as the traveller is sure to be tempted to make purchases in Japan, China, and India. I have said nothing on the subject of sport in India, for my time was so limited that it was useless thinking about it for myself, and, as all my friends were at the Seat of War, and engrossed with ideas of a different kind of shooting, I heard very little about tigers or other game. THE END. 13, Obkat Marlboeouqh Street. MESSRS. HURST AM) BLACKEITS LIST OF NEW WORKS. EOYAL WINDSOE. By W. Hepworth Dixon. Second Edition. Volumes I. and U. Demy 8to. 30s. To be completed in 2 more Tolumes. CONTENTS OP VOLa I. AND IL— Castle HUl, Norman Keep, First King's House, Lion Heart. Kingless Windsor, Windsor Won, (Jeoflrey Plantagenet, Windsor Lost, Tlie Fallen Depnty, Tlia Queen Mother, Maud de Braose, The Barons' War, Second King's House, Edward of Carnarvon, Perot de Gfaveston, Isabel de France, Edward of Windsor, Creoy, Patron Saints. St George, Society of St George, Lady Salisbniy, David King of Scots, Third King's Honse, Ballad Windsor, The Fair Countess, Bichard of Bordeaux, Court Parties. Eoyal Favour- ites. Rehearsing for Windsor. In the Great Hall, Simon do Burley, Badcote Bridge, A Feast of Death, Geoffrey Chaucer, At Winchester Tower. St George's Chapel, The Little Queen, At Windsor, Duchess Philippote, The Windsor Plot, Eolingbroke, Court of Chivalry. Wager ot Battle, Deserted Little Queen, Captive Little Queen, A New Tear's Plot Night of the Kings, Exit Little Queen, Dona Juana, Constance ot York. The Norman Tower, The Legal Heir, Prince Hal, The Devil's Tower, In Captivity Captive, Attempt at Bescue, Agincourt, Kaiser Sigismund, The Witch Queen, Sweet Kate, The Maid of Honour, Lady Jane, Henry of Windsor, Bichard ot Torfe, Two Duchesses, York and Lancaster, Union of the Boses. " ' Boyal Windsor ' follows in the same lines as ' Her Majesty's Tower,' and aims at weaving a series of popular sketches of striking events which centre round Windsor Castle. Mr. Dixon makes everything vivid and picturesque. Those who liked 'Her Majesty's Tower ' will find these volumes equally pleasant reading." — Atiieiueum. "A truly fine and interesting book. It is a valuable contribution to English history; worthy of Mr. Dixon's fame, worthy of its grand subject"— iforntn^ Post. "Mr. Dixon has supplied us with a highly entertaining book. * Royal Windsor * is eminently a popular work, bristling witk anecdotes and amusing sketches of historical characters. It is carefully written, and is exceedingly pleasant reading. The story is brightly told ; not a dull page can be found. Mr. Dixon is to be congra- tulated on having put so much information into so agreeable a shape" — Eramina: *' These volnmes will quickly find favour with the widest and most inclusive circle of readers. From the first days of Norman Windsor to the Plantagenet period Mr. Dixon tells the story ot this famous castle in his own picturesque, bright, and vigor- ous way." — I>aOy T^^tgraplL " Mr. Hepworth Dixon has found a congenial subject in 'Boyal Windsor.* His exploration of the Tower of London for a similar purpose, and the curious and care- ful researches which his study of that fatal fortress occasioned, had furnished him with an abundance and variety of materials for his present monograph on an ancient keep and palace of the English Monarchy. Under the sanction of the Queen, he has enjoyed exceptional opportonities of most searching and complete investiga- tion of the Boyal House and every other part of Windsor Castle, in and out, above ground and below ground." — Baiiy ifetos. "* Boyal Windsor' is a worthy companion to *Her Majesty's Tower.' It brings before the reader with no less fidelity the splendid pageants of history, and it gives an animated series of tableaux, the characters in which are so life-like that they seem again to pass in very flesh and blood before our eyes." — Sunday Times, ROUND THE WORLD IN SIX MONTHS. By LiEOT.-CoLONKL E. S. Bkidqes, Grenadier Guards. 1 vol. 8vo. 15s. LONDONIANA. By Edward Walford, M.A., Author of " The County Families," &c. 2 Toltmies crown 8vo. 21s. 18, Great Mablbobouqh Stbeet. MESSRS. HURST AND BLACKETT'S NEW WORKS— Continued. THE YOUTH OF QUEEN ELIZABETH. Edited, from the French of L. Wibseneb, by Cecablotte M. Yonoe, Author of " The Heir of Redclyffe," &c. 2 vols, crown 8vo. 21s. "M.WieBener is to be complimented on the completenesB, accnracy, and re- search shown in this work. He has drawn largely on the French Archives, the Pnblio Becord Office, and British Mueeum, for information contained in origmal documenta, to some of which notice is directed for the first time. M. Wiesener's work is well worth translating, for it is most interesting as showing the education and circumstances whicli tended to form the character of that extraordinary qneen. Miss Yonge appears to have succeBsfully accomplished the task which she has undertaken." — At?ierMBU7n. *' An. excellent and intercBtlng book. M. Wiesener has worked conscientiously and carefully from original sources." — Acadany. " M. Wiesener's volumes are a valuable contribution to an interesting chapter of our history, and we cordially thank Miss Yonge for introducing them in an English dress to a wider circle of readers. The book is full of solid information, but never dull, and the lively and agreeable style is often picturesque, and some- times rises to dramatic intensity." — Examiner. " M. Wiesener has done great service to English history in this book, so admir- ably translated and edited by the author of 'The Heir of Bedclyffe.' The story of the youth of Elizabeth is one of the most interesting possible." — Morning Post. HOLIDAYS IN EASTERN FRANCE. By M. Bbtham-Edwards, Author of "A Winter with the Swallows," &c. 1 vol., 8vo. "With Illustrations. 15s. A LEGACY: Being the Life and Eemains of John Mahtin, Schoolmaster and Poet. "Written and Edited by the Author of " John ECalip AX." 2 vola. crown 8vo. "With Portrait. 21s. " This is, in many respects, a remarkable book. It records the life, work, aspira- tions, and death of a schoolmaster and poet, of lowly birth but high-stnmg and ambitions soul. His writings brim with vivid thonght, keen analysis of feel- ing, touches of poetic sentiment, and trenchant criticism of men and books, ex- pressed in scholarly language. " — Qitardian. " Mrs. Craik has related a beautiful and pathetic story— a story of faith and courage and untiring energy on the part of a young and gifted man, who might under other circumstances have won a place in literature. The story is one worth reading." — Po^l Mall Qazette. " In these volnmes a well-known novelist presents us with a history so touching, BO marvellous, and so simple, as no invention conld produce. Few more pathetic or more instructive volnmes have fallen in our way." — Morning Post. " We strongly recommend our readers to procure this charming book, not only because it is a gem of beautiful writmg, showing the finished style and graceful heart of the talented authoress, but because the subject matter in itself is of absorbing interest" — Cliwch Review. A YOUNG SQUIRE OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY, from the Papers of Christopher Jeappreson, of Dul- lingham House, Cambridgeshire. Edited by John Cordt Jeaffre- sONjAuthor of "ABook about Doctors," &c. 2 vols, crown 8 vo. 2l8. " Two volumes of very attractive matter : — ^letters which illostrate agriculture, commerce, war, love, and social manners, accounts of passing public events, and details which are not to be found in the Gazettes, and which come with singular freshness from private letters." — AtheneeuTn. " Two agreeable and important volumes. They deserve to be placed on library shelves with Pepys, Evelyn, and Eeresby." — I^otes and Queries. " In the interests of history a publication such as the present is of almost in- calculable value. Every historical student ought to make himselC acquainted with these two very delightful volumes." — Morning Post. 13, Qbeat MAsiiBORonaH Stbbet. MESSRS. HURST AND BLACKETT'S YUBLlGA-TIOm— Continued. THE THEATRE FEANCAIS IN THE REIGN OF LOUIS SV. By Alexandek Baillie Cochrane, M.P. 1 vol. demy 8vo. 15s. " We sincerely hope Mr. Cochrane's book will meet with the popular reception it merits. It is a most valuable contribution to dramatic literature. All members of the profession should read it" — Morning Post. *' In this handsome volume Mr. Cochrane gives us a new work on a most attract- ive subject, which will be perused with keen interest by thousands or readers. It is written in a style singularly vivid, dramatic, and interesting. The variety of scenes described in this pleasant volume, the historical personages and dramatic artists crowded on the canvas, and the truthful account of the French stage, form an in- tellectual treat of the highest order. 'The Th^tre Fran^als' will take its place among the best standard works of the day, and find its way into every well-selected library, fully sustaining the reputation of its skilful author." — Court Journal CONVERSATIONS with M. Thiers, M. Guizot, and other Distinguished Persons, during the Second Empire. By the Late Nassau W. Senior. Edited by his Daughter, M. 0. M. SiMPSOX. 2 vols, demy 8vo. 30s. Among other persona whose conversations are recorded in these volumes are ELing Leopold: the Due de Broglie; Lord Cowley; Goonta Arrivabene, Cor- celle, Daru, Flahault, £ergolay, Montalembert ; Generals Lamorici^re and Chrzanowski; Sir Henry Ellis; Messieurs Ampere, Beaumont, Blauchard, Bouffet, Auguste Chevalier, Victor Cousin, De Witt, Duchfttel, Ducpetiaux, Dnmon, Dussard, Duvergier de Hauranne, L^on Fauoher, Frfere-Orban, Grira- blot, Guizot, Lafltte, Labaume. Ijamartine, Lanjuinaia, Mallac, Manin, M^rimde, Mignet Jules Mohl, Montanelli, OdiUon-Barrot, Quetelet. B^musat, Bogier, Bivet^ Bossini, Horace Say. Thiers, Trouv^-Chauvel, Villemain, "Wolowski; Mesdames Circourt, Comn, Bistori^ &a " This new series of Mr. Senior's * Conversations * has been for some years past known in manuscript to bis more intimate friends, and it has always been felt that no former series would prove more valuable or important Mr. Senior had a social position which gave him admission Into the best Uterary and political circles of Paris. He was a cultivated and sensible man, who knew how to take full advan- tage of such an opening. And above all, he had by long practice so trained his memory as to enable it to recall "bU the substance, and often the words, of the long conversations which he was always holding. These conversations he wrote down with a surprising accuracy, and Uien handed the manuscript to his friends, that they might correct or modify his report of what they had said. This book thus contains the opinions of eminent men given in the freedom of conversation, and afterwards carefully revised. Of their value there cannot be a question. The book is one of permanent historical interest There is scarcely a page without some memorable statement by some memorable man. Politics and society and literature the three great interests that make up life — are all discussed in turn, and there is no discussion whichis unproductive of weighty thought or striking lfi.ct."—Aihenseum. '^The present selection of Mr. Senior's Journals, edited with remarkable skill and judgment by Mrs. Simpson, is extraordinarily full and interesting. Although the xmreserved and original communications of Thiere are especially fascinating, the book would be abundantly interesting if it consisted only of the reports of conversations with Guizot, Montalembert, Cousin, Lamartihe, and other persons of celebrity and eminenca"— NSoitirdoy Becitw. " These conversations extend from the year 1853 to 1860, and will be found to refer to some of the most interesting public events of our time — the Eevolution of 1S4S, the Crimean "War, the French Alliance, the attempt on the life of Louis Na- poleon, the Indian Mutiny, and the Italian campaign of 1859. Besides these great pubhc occurrences of European celebrity, we have many very curious and piquant anecdotes of a private diaracter, and expressions of opinion on men and things by persons of eminence. All that is said in these volumes of France, England, and Russia, is as interesting now as when it was first uttered."-^«{WMfcir(t 13, Gbe^i Mablbobodqh Stbeei. MESSRS. HURST AND BLACKETT'S NEW WORKS— Continued. HISTORY OF TWO QUEENS: CATHARINE OF ARAGON and ANNE BOLEYN. By W. Hepworth Dixon.' Second Edition. Vols. 1&2. Demy 8vo. SOs. "In two handBome voIuiueB Mr. Dixon here gives ns the first instalment of a new historical work on a most attractive subject. The book is in many respects a favourable specimen of Mr. Dixon's powers. It is the most painstaking and elaborate that he has yet written On the whole, we may say that the book is one which will sustain the reputation of its author as a writer of great power and versatility, that it gives a new aspect to many an old subject, and presents in a very striking light some of the most recent diBCOverieB in H^glish history. "— AtTienieum. " In these volumes the author exhibits in a signal manner his special powers and finest endowments. It is obvious that the historian has been at especial pains to justify his reputation, to strengthen his hold upon the learned, and also to extend his sway over the many who prize an attractive style and interesting narra- tive more highly than laborious research and philosophic insight" — Morning Post. "The thanks of all students of English history are due to Mr. Hepworth Dixon for his clever and original work, ' History of two Queens,' The book is a valuable contribution to English history. The author has consulted a number of original sources of information — ^in particular the archives at Simancas, Alcala, and Venice. Mr. Dixon is a skilful writer. His style, singularly vivid, graphic, and dramatic — Is alive with human and artistic interest Some of the incidental descriptions reach a very high level of picturesque power." — Daily News. VOLS. III. & IV. OF THE HISTORY OF TWO QUEENS : CATHARINE OF ARAGON and ANNE BOLEYN. By W. Hepworth Dixon. Second Edition. Demy 8vo. Price SOs. Completing the Work. " These concluding volumes of Mr. Dixon's ' History of two Queens ' will be per- used with keen interest by thousands of readers. Whilst no less valuable to the student, they will be far more enthralling to the general reader than the earlier half of the history. Every page of what may he termed Anne £dleyn*s story affords a happy illustration of the author's vivid and picturesque 6tyl& The work should be found in every library," — Post. "Mr. Dixon has pre-eminently the art of interesting his readers. He has pro- duced a narrative of considerable value, conceited in a spirit of fairness, and written with power and picturesque effect" — Daily News. HISTORY OF WILLIAM PENN, Founder of Pennsylvania. By W. Hepworth Dixon. A New Libuart Edition. 1 vol. demy 8vo, with Portrait. 128. " Mr. Dixon's ' 'William Penn ' is, perhaps, the best of his booka He has now re- vised and issued it with the addition of much fresh matter. It is now offered in a sumptuous volume, matching with Mr. Dixon's recent books, to a new generation of readers, who will thank Mr. Dixon for his interesting and instructive memoir of one of the worthies of England." — Exammer. FEEEEUSSIA. By W. Hepworth Dixon. Tliird Edition. 2 vols. 8vo, with Colonred Illustrations. SOs. "Mr. Dixon's book will be certain not only to interest but to please its readers and it deserves to do so. It contains a great deal that is worthy of attention, and is likely to produce a very useful effect" — Saturday Review. THE SWITZEES. By W. Hepworth Dixon. Third Edition. 1 vol. demy 8vo. 15s. "A lively, intereBling, and altogether novel book on Switzerland, It is full of valuable information on social, political, and cccIesiaBtical questions, and, like all Mr. Dixon's books, is eminently readable."— Z>ai7ji Weivs. 18, QREiLT Maslbobouob Street. MESSRS. HUEST AND BLACKETT'S NEW WO'RKS— Continued. MEMOIES OF GEORGIANA, LADY OHATTER- TOX ; With some Passages from Her Diary. By E. Heneage Dehisg. 1 vol. demy 8vo. 15s. Among otber persons mentioned in this work are Lonls Lansdowne, Brougham Macaulay. Lytton, Houghton; Messrs. Wilhertorce. Woi-dsworth, Hallam' Sogers, Moore, Sydney Smith, Landor, Lookhart, Fonblanque, Warburton' Harness, Chantrey; Count Montalembert, Dr. UUathome, Dr. Newman Joanna BailUe, Lady Gifford, Lady Cork, Mrs. Somerrille, Mrs. Norton, &a "Lady Chatterton's Diary gives a sketch of society during a well known but eTer-mteresting period. Mr. Dering may be congratulated on having furnished a graceful epilogue to the story of an interesting life."— .^Moiasiun. "In this work we have the pleasant picture of a literary artist and an amiable lady, and some interesting anecdotes which give value to the volume" John Bull "In this agreeable volume Mr. Dering has succeeded in bringing before ns in vivid colours the portrait of a very remarkable, ulented, and excellent lady. Her Diary is full of charming reminiscences." — TIte TabliU. HISTORIC CHATEAUX: Blois, Fontainebleau, TmoENNEs. By Alsxanber Baillie CocHRANii, M.P. lvol.8vo. 15s. "A very interesting volume." — Times, "A lively and agreeable book, full of action and colour.'"— -KAmafuni "This book is bright, pleasant reading."— Bn'WsA Qum-terty Reeieiv. "A most valuable addition to the historical works of the time. It is full of life and colour." — Morning Post " A well executed book by a polished and vigorons writer." — The Wortd. THE SEA OF MOUNTAINS : An Account of Lord DtiFFKRiN's Toub through British Columbia m 1876. By MoLTNEUX St. John. 2 vols, crown 8vo. With. Portrait of Lord DufPerin. 21s. " 5tr. St. John has given us in these pa^es a record of all that was seen and done in a very successful Tisit His book is instruotiTe, and it should be interesting to the general reader." — Times. " Mr. St John is a shrewd and lively writer. The reader will find ample variety in his book, which is well worth perasal."^/*rt/i Mall Gazette. *' These volumes are amusing, interesting, and even valuable. They give ua a very cle^r idea of the great quarrel between British Columbia and the Dominion of Canada; and they contain a full report of Lord DufFerin's great speech at Victoria. Then there are some graphic sketches of social life and scenery, and some entertalnijg stories.' — SpectaU>r. A MAN OF OTHER DAYS : Recollections of the ^ABQUK DE Beauregard. Edited, from the French, by GHARLoriB M. YONGB, Author of " The Heir of Redclyffe," &c. 2 vols. 21s. " The * man of former times ' whose biography is now introduced to our notice, will be remembered by alt who have read the correspondence of Count Joseph de Maistre. A Savoyard by birth, M. Costa de Beauregard lived long enough to see the last years of the Monarchy, the Bevolution, and the early promise of General Bonaparte. The opening chapters of the work introduce ns to Paris society at the time when it was perhaps the most brilliant; and it is amusing to accompany our hero to Mm& Gtooffrin's salon, where Marmontel, Rochefoucauld, Greuze, Diderot, Cochin, and muiy others, discourse literature, art, and philosophy. Sent off to Paris for the purpose of flntahing his education by mixing with all the i^oice spirits of the day, young Costa writes home brilliant descriptions of the sights he has seen and the company to which he has been introduced. The variety of scenes described in Uiese pleasant memoirs, the historical personages crowded on the canvas, and the account of the noble struggle of Savoy against the French Bepub- lic, give to the whole work a dramatic interest which derives additional charm from the character of the Marquis himself — a character in which high principle, genuine wit, and patriotism are happily blended together." — Satur^if JReview. 13, Gbeat Mablbobough Street. MESSRS. HURST AND BLACKETT'S NEW VfORKS— Continued. VOLS. I. & II. OF HER MAJESTY'S TOWER. By W. HEPWORTH DIXON. DEDICATED BY EXPRESS PERMISSION TO THE QUEEN. Sixth Edition. 8vo. SOs. From the Times:— "All the civilized world— English, Continental, and Ame- rican— tukea an interest in the Tower of London. The Tower is the stage upon wliich has been enacted some of the grandest dramas and saddest tragedies in our national annals. If, in imagination, we take our stand on those time-worn wallp, and let century after century flit past us, we shall see in duo Bucceasion the majority of the most famous men and lovely women of England in the olden time. We shall see them jesting, joustmg, love-making, plotting, and then anon, per- haps, commending their souls to God in the presence of a hideous masked figure, bearing an axe in his hands. It is such pictures as these that Mr. Dixon, with considerable skill as an historical limner, has set before us in these volumes. Mr. Dixon dashes off the scenes of Tower history with great spirit His descriptions are given with such terseness and vigour that we should spoil them by any attempt at condensation, lu conclusion, we may congratulate the author on tide work. Both volumes are decidedly attractive, and throw much light on our national history." VOLS. III. & IV. OP HER MAJESTY'S TOWER. By W. HEPWORTH DIXON. DEDICATED BY EXPRESS PERMISSION TO THE QUEEN. Completing the Work. Third Edition. Demy 8vo. SOs. "These volumes are two galleries of richly painted portraits of the noblest men and most brilliant women, besides others, commemorated by English history. The grand old Eoyal Keep, palace and prison by turns, is revivifled in these volumes, which close the narrative, extending from the era of Sir John Eliot, who saw Baleigh die in Palace Yard, to that of Thistlewood, the last prisoner im- mured in the Tower. Few works are given to us, in these days, so abundant in originality and research as Mr. Dixon's." — Standard. RECOLLECTIONS of COLONEL DE GONNE- VILLE. Edited from the French by Charlotte M. Yongb, Author of the "Heir of Redclyffe," &c. 2 vols, crov^n 8vo. 2Ib. " This very interesting memoir brings ub within the presence of Napoleon I., and some of the chiefs who upheld the fortunes of the First Empire, and its anecdotes about that extraordinary nian are evidently genuine and very charac- teristic. It introduces us to the loner life and real state of the Grand Army, and lays bare the causes of its strength and weakness. The work discloses a variety of details of interest connected with Napoleon's escape from Elba, the Hundred Days, the Bourbon Restoration, and the Revolution of July, 1830. "We have dwelt at length on this instructive record of the experiences of a memorable age, and can commend it cordially to our readers." — T?ie Times. MY YOUTH, BY SEA AND LAND, from 1809 to 1816. By Charles Loftus, formerly of the Royal Navy, late of the Coldstream Guards. 2 vols, crown 8vo. 21s. "It was a happy thought that impelled Major Loftus to give ub these reminis* cences of 'the old war,' which still retains so strong a hold on our sympathies. Every word from an intelligent actor in these stirring scenes is now valuable. Major LoftuB played the part allotted to him with honour and ability, and he relates the story of his sea life with spirit and vigour. Some of his sea stories are as laughable as anything in 'Peter Simple,* while many of his adventures on shore remind us of Charles Lever in his freshest days. During his sea life Major Loftus became aisquaintcd with many distinguished pei-sons. Besides the Puke of Wellington, the Prince Regent, and William IV., he was brought into persona) relation with the allied Sovereigns, the Due D'Angoul&me, Lord William Bentinck, and Sir HudBon Lowe. A mure genial, pleasant, wholesome book we have not often read." — Standard. 18, Oreat Mablbobouoh Stbeet. MESSES. HUEST AND BLACKETT'S NEW WOnKS— Continued. CELEBRITIES I HAVE KNOWN. By Loed William Pitt Lennox. Second Series. 2 TolnmesdemySvo. SOs. Among other persons mentioned in the Second Series of this work are — The Princess Charlotte and Prince Leopold ; the Dakes of Wei lington and Beau- fort; the Earls of Durham and Carlisle ; Lords Byron, Clyde, Adolphus Fita- clarenoe, and Cockbnrn; Sirs Walter Scott, Q. Wombwell, A. Barnard, John EUey, Sidney, Harry, and O. P. Smith; Count D'Orsay; Dr. Dodd; Messrs. Thomas Moore, Theodore Hook, Leigh Hunt, Jerdan, James, Horace, and Albert Smith, Beazley, Tattersall, Hudson, Ude, George Colman, The Kembles, Q. F. Cooke, Charles Young, Edmund and Charles Kean, Yatee, Harley ; Miss Foote; Mrs. Nisbet; Mesdames Catalan!, Qrassini, Bachel, &c. " This new series of Lord William Lennox's reminiscences is fully as entertain- ing as the preceding one. Lord William makes good use of an excellent memory, and he writes easily and pleasantly." — Pail Afatt Oaxette. **One of the best books of the season. Pleasant anecdotes, exciting episodes, smart sayings, witticisms, and repartees are to be found on every page." — Court Journal. COACHING ; With ANECDOTES OF THE RoAD. By Lord William Pm Lennox, Author of " Celebrities I have Known," &c. Dedicated to His Grace the Duke of Beau- fort, K.Gr., President, and the Members of the Coaching Club. 1 vol. demy 8vo. 15s. ** Lord William's book is genial, discnrsiTe, and gossipy. We are indebted to the anther's personal recollections for some lively stories, and pleasant sketches of some of the more famous dragsmen. Nor does Lord William by any means limit himself to the English roads, and English coaches. Bianconi's Irish cars, the con- tinental diligences, with anecdotes of His Grace of Wellington, when Lord William was acting as his aide-de-camp during the occupation of Paris, with many other matters more or less germane to his subject, are all brought in more or less naturally. Altogether his volume, with the variety of its contents, will be found pleasant reading." — Pali Mail Cfaeette. LIFE OF MOSCHELES ; with Selections from HIS DIARIES AND CORRESPONDENCE. By His Wifb. 2 vols, large post 8to, with Portrait. 24s. "This life of Moacheles will be a valuable book of reference for tbe mnsical his- torian, for the contents extend over a period of threescore years^ commencing with 1794, and ending at 1870. We need scarcely state that all the portions of Mosche- les' diary which refer to his intercourse with Seethoven^ Hummel, Weber, Czemy, Spontini, Bossini, Anber, HaMvy, Schnmann, Gherabinif Spohr, Mendelssohn, F. David, Chopin, J R Cramer, dementi, John Field, Habeneck, Hanptmann, Kalk- brenner, Eiesewetter, 0. Klingemann, Lablacbe, Dra^onetti, Sontag, Persiani, Malibran, Paganini, Rachel, Bonzi de Begnis, De Beriot, Ernst, Donzelli, Cinti- Damorean, Chelard, Bochsa, Laporte, Charles Kemble, Paton (Mrs. Wood), StdirSder-Devrient, Mrs. Siddons, Sir H. Bishop, Sir G. Smart, Standigl, Thalberg, Berlioz, Vellati, C. Yoong, Balfe, Braham, and many other arUste of note in their time, will recall a flood of recollections. It was a delicate task for Madame Mos- oheles to select from the diaries in reference to living persons, bnther extracts have been jadicionsly made. Moscheles writes fairly of what is called the ^ Mnsio of the Future ^ and its disciples, and his jadgments on Herr Wagner, Dr. Liszt, Baben- stein. Dr. von Billow, Litolff, &c., whether as composers or executants, are in a liberal spirit He recognizes cheerfolly the talents of onr native artists, Sir Stem- dale Bennett, Mr. Mocfarren, Madame Arabella Gh)ddard, Mr. John Bamett, Mr. Hollah, Mrs. Shaw, Mr. A. Sullivan, &c The celebrities with whom Moscheles came in contact, include Sir Walter Scott, Sir Eobert Peel, the late Doke of Cam- bridge, the Bunsens, Louis Philippe, Napoleon the Third, Humboldt, Henry Heine, Thomas More, Count Nesselrode, the Duchess of Orleans, Prof. Wolf, &o. In- deed, the two volumes are fall of amusing anecdotes." — Athenxum^ 13, GbBAT MASLBOBOUaH STIlEm'. MESSRS. HURST AND BLACKETT'S NEW WORKS— Continued. WORDS OF HOPE AND COMFORT TO THOSE IN SORROW. Dedicated by Permission to The Queen, Fourth Edition. 1 vol. small ito, 58. bound. "These letters, the work of a pore and devout spirit, deservo to find many readers. They are greatly superior to the average of what is called religious literature."— 4(Aen«w7n. "The writer of the tenderl7-KH>nceived letters in this volume was Mrs. Julius Rare, a sister of Mr. Maurice. They are instmct with the devout submissiveness and fine sympathy which we associate with the name of Maurice ; but in her there is added a winniugness of tact, and sometimes, too, a directness of language, which we hardly find even in the brother. The letters were privately printed and circu- lated^ and were found to be the source of much comfort, which they cannot fail . to afford now to a wide circle. A sweetly-conceived memorial poem, bearing , the well-known initials, 'E. H. P.', gives a very faithful outline of the life. "—5niMft Qfiarterly Review. " This touching and most comforting work is dedicated to The Queen, who took a gracious interest in its first appearance, when printed for private circulation, and found comfort in its pages, and has now commanded its publication, that the world in general may profit by it A more practical and heart-stirring appeal to the affiicted we have never examined." — Standard. " These letters are exceptionally graceful and touching, and may he read with profit" — Gfraphic OUR BISHOPS AND DEANS. By the Rev. F. Aknold, B.A., late of .Christ Church, Oxford. 2 vols. 8vo. 30s. " This work is good in conception and cleverly executed, and as thorongUy honest and earnest as it is interesting and able. The style is original, the thought vigorous, the information wide, and the portrait-painting artistic" — John Bull. LIFE OP THE RT. HON. SPENCER PERCEVAL ; Including His Correspondence. By His Grandson, Spencer Wm.- POLE. 2 vols. 8vo, with Portrait. 30s. "Mr. Walpole's work reflects credit not only on his industry in compiling an important biography from authentic material, hut also on his eloquence, power of interpretmg political change, and general literary address. The biography will take rank iu our literature, both as a faithful reflection of the statesman and his period, as also for its philosophic, logical, and dramatic completeness." — Morning Post. MY YEAR IN AN INDIAN FORT. By Mrs. GuTUKiE. 2 vols, crown 8vo. With Illustrations. 21s. "Written with intelligence and ability." — Pall Mall Gazette. "A pleasantly written book. Mrs. Guthrie appears to have enjoyed her visit to the Fort of Belgaum, in the Deccan, immensely. Those who know India, and those who do not, may read her work with pleasure and profit" — Stcmdard. ACROSS CENTRAL AMERICA. By J. W. Bod- dam-Whetham, Author of "Pearls of the Pacific," &c. 8vo, with Illustrations. 153. " Mr. Boddam-Whetham writes easily and agreeably."— /"oi! Mall Oaiette. " A bright and lively account of interesting travel. We have not met anywhere a truer picturO of Central American scenery and surroundings." — Cflobe, MY LIFE, FROM 1815 to 1849. By Charles Loftus, foi'merly of the Royal Navy, late of the Coldstream Guards. Author of " My Youth by Sea and Land." 2 vols, crown 8vo. 21s. "A thoroughly interesting and readable book, which we heartily recommend as one of the most characteristic autobiographies we ever read." — Stojidard. 13, Great Mahlborouob Street. MESSRS. HURST AND BLACKETT'S PUBLICATIONS— Conti7iued. HISTORY OF ENGLISH HUxMOUR. By the Rev. A. G. L'ESTRANGE, Author of " The Life of the Rev. W. Harness," &c. 2 vols, crown 8vo. 21s. "This work cootains a large and varied amount of information. It is impossible to give any idea of the wealtb of anecdote and epigram in its pages, and for any- thing like a proper appreciation of its value we must refer our readers to the book itself."— VoAn Bull. *• A book of the highest mark and character. The literary man, the antiquarian, and the historian will combine in pronouncing it worthy of admission into every well-selected library." — Messenger. THROUGH FRANCE AND BELGIUM, BY RIVER AND CANAL, IN THE STEAM YACHT " YTENE." By W. J. C. MoKNS. R.V.Y.C. 1 vol. 8vo. With Illustrations. 15s. "This book is pleasantly written, the descriptions of the scenery and objects of interest ore fresh and lively, and are interspersed with entertaining anecdote. Mr. Afoens gives very valuable information to his yachting readers."— iSjxn-ttn; gazette. A BOOK ABOUT THE TABLE. By J. C. Jkajffreson. 2 vols. 8vo. 30s. " This book Is readable and amusing from first to last. No one ought to be without it. Bacy anecdotes coruscate on every page.'' — Morning Post OOSITAS ESPANOLAS ; or, Evert-day Life in Spain. By Mrs. Hakvbt, of Ickwell-Bury, Author of " Turkish Harems and Circassian Homes." Second Edition. 1 vol. 8vo. 15s. PEARLS OF THE PACIFIC. By J. W. Boddam- Whetham 1 vol. Demy 8vo, with 8 Illustrations. 15s. " The literary merits of Mr. Whetham's work are of a very high order. His descriptions are vivid, the comments upon what he saw judicious, and there is an occasional dash of humour and of pathos which stirs our sympathiea'* — Athemeum. NOTES OF TRAVEL IN SOUTH AFRICA. By C. J. Andkrsson, Author of " Lake Ngami," &o. Edited by L. Llotd, Author of " Field Sports of the North." 1 volume demy 8vo. With Portrait of the Author. 15a. bound. WILD LIFE IN FLORIDA ; With a Visit to Cuba. By Captain F. T. Townshbnd, F.R.G.S., 2nd Lite Guards. 1 vol. 8vo, with Map and Illustrations. 15s. TURKISH HAREMS & CIRCASSIAN HOMES. By Mbs. Harvbt, of IckweU-Bury. 8vo. Second Edition. 15s. MEMOIKS OF QUEEN HOETENSE, MOTHER OF NAPOLEON HI. Cheaper Edition, in 1 vol. 63. " A biography of the beautiful and unhappy Queen, more satisfactory than any we have yet met witL" — Daily Neu?s. RECOLLECTIONS OF SOCIETY IN FRANCE AND ENGLAND. By Lady Clementina Davteb. 2nd Edition. 2 v. *■ Two charming volmnes, full of the moat interesting matter." — Post. THE EXILES AT ST. GERMAINS. By the Author of " The Ladye Shakerley." 1 vol. 7s. 6d. bound. THE NEW AND POPULAR NOVELS. PUBLISHED BY HURST & BLACKETT. SIR GIBBIE. By George Mao Donald, LL.D., Author of " David Elginbrod," " Robert Falconer," &c. 3 vols. {In May.) ORANGE LILY. By the Author of " Queenie," &c. 2 Tols. 21s. GENISTA. By Mrs. Randolph, Author of " Gen- tianella," " Wood Anemone," &o. 3 vols. COWARD CONSGIENOE. By F. W. Robinson, Author of " Grandmother's Money," &c. 3 vols. " Any work from F. W. Kobinaon must ever be welcomed by all readers of works of Action, and 'Coward Oonscience ' will add not a little to the writer's reputation. It is the production of a keen and kindly observer of men and manners, and it displays a subtle analysis of character, as well as a breadth of observation, which are remarkable. The plot is deeply interesting, and the artistic skill of its construction is marked enough to give a vitality and realism to the d/ramaiis personm. Genuine pathos, quiet, sustained humour, fine imaginative power, and vivid and natural descriptions characterise every page." — Court Journal EHONA. By Mrs. Forrester, Author of "Viva/' " Mignon," &c- Third Edition. 3 vols. "An amusing novel, exceedingly well told, and written with more than nsnal spirit and ability. It is well worth reading. This interesting and brilliant book is likely to add very considerably to the author's well-established reputation." — Morning Post. "'Bhona' is a genuine success; one of the beat novels that has been written for many years, and one which will live. The characters are drawn with force, the dialogue is easy and the plot is full of originality and power." — CotO't Journal. ALL, OR NOTHING. By Mrs. Cashed Hoet, ■ Author of " Griffith's Double," &c. 3 vols. " We warmly recommend this very readable, well written, and exciting novel. The story is charmingly natural, and the characters have an air of life and reality."^JfOT'mn^ Post. "This Interesting story is full of bright and graphic touches, and the main con- ception is very striking." — Spectator. " This novel will add to Mrs. Hosy's high literary reputation. The plot is inter- esting and ihe incidents dramatic It is a true picture of life." — Court Journal. QUA KER COUSINS. By Mrs. Macdonell, Author of " For the King's Dues," &c. 3 vols. " There is a thoroughly healthy tone about Mrs. MacdoneH's work, and, what is more, the book is pleasant and interesting. It is rarely that a book is found written with more intelligence and more refined art" — Atfienxum. "The delicacy, power, and truth which pervades every page, the high spirit in which it is written, and the deep insight of human nature, cannot fail to render ' Quaker Cousins ' one of the most popular standard books of the day." — Court Journal. " An exceedingly well written novel. The characters are drawn by a hand at once firm and delicate, while both the humour and the pathos of the story are managed with unnsuiil grace and success." — Jolm Bull. A FATAL PASSION. By Mrs. Alexander Fkaser, Author of "A Thing of Beauty," &c. 3 vols. "A powerful and interesting novel, well written, and with an absorbingly excit- ing and admirably worked out plot. It will surely be a popular success." — Post. " ' A Fatal Passion ' is the most interesting and exciting work of fiction that has appeared for many a long day. The characters are thoroughly original and cleverly deluieatei" — Court Journal. 10 THE NEW AKD POPULAR NOVELS. PUBLISHED BY HURST & BLACKETT. THE LAST OF HER LINE. By the Author of " St. Olave^s," &c. 3 vols. "A. wonderfully pleasant story. There are some very good sketches of character in the book, traced with the author's usual quiet humour." — John Bulk "The reader cannot fail to have a kindly feeling towards the author of *St. Clave "b,' for her writiug shows reOnement, and, if it is not impertinent to say so, a very estimable character. Nobody could be the woi-se for reading ' The Last of Her Line,' and every reader will derive a certain amount of pleasure from it." — AUteaxum, " Those who can appreciate playful wit and kindly humour, who can be touched by true pathos, those to whom a clever and a pretty story is an intellectual treat, will had it as impossible as we have done to lay down this novel antH they have finished it" — Stcmdard PAUL FABER, SURGEON, By George Mac Donald, LL.D., Author of "Davi^ Elginbrod," " Robert Falconer," " Alec Forbes," &c. 3 vols. "A powerful story, It is impossible to do justice to its lofty purpose and its rare merits in the limits of a review." — John BuU. " We recommend ' Paul Faber ' warmly as a book of a very high order by a man of true genius." — Spectator. "A capital and most striking story. It bears, like all the author writes, the stamp of genius." — Contemporary Review, THE GRAHAMS OF INVEEMOY. By M. C. Stirung, Author of "A True Man," &c, 3 vols. "A readable story." — Athenteum. " Miss Stirling ia at her beat in, her descriptions of Scotch life and customa"— Pail Mall Gazette. "A charming noveL To nineteen readers out of twenty the interest of the book will be absorbing." — Scotsman. "An uncommonly pleasant and vividly told tale of Highland lifa The characters, high or low, from laird to village gossip, have about them an air of reality not often met with in modem novels." — Dundee Advertiser. LOVE LOYAL. By Mary C. Rowsell. 3 vols. "A pleasant story." — Atfienoeum. " This tale is romantic and interesting." — Standard. *^ This novel deserves popularity. It is often thrillingly interesting. The charac- ters are portrayed with considerable skill and power." — Morning Post THE PRIMROSE PATH. By Mrs. Oliphant, Author of '* Chronicles of Carlingford," &c. 3 vols. "Mrs. Oliphant's last novel has merits which will recommend it to the general public, and it should be hailed with something like enthusiasm by all who happen to have, like Sir Ludovic Leslie, ' a warm heart for Fife.' A prettier Scotch story it would be hard to find, and the refinement of its humour and picturesqueness of its descriptive setting cannot fail to be appreciated. There is not a character without individuality from one end of the book to the other." — Atlienxum. HATHEROOURT RECTORY. By Mrs. Moles- woBTH, Author of "The Cuckoo Clock," &c. Second Edition, 3 vols. " We have read ' Hatherconrt Rectory ' with not a little pleasure. The tone of the book is healthy throughout." — Saturday Review. MICHELLE AND LITTLE JACK. By Frances Mabtis, Author of "The Life of AngeliqueArnauld." 1 voL 10s. 6d. "These stories are masterpieces. The stamp of genius is apparent in every pag& " — Ej-am iner. " Far above the average of novels in literary merit, greatly above in moral tone and purpose, and equal in interest to any novel of the season, is the volume which contains the tales of Michelle and little Jack." — John Bull. n Published annually, in One Vol., royal 8jh>, wt'M the Anns beautijully engraved, handsomely bound, with gilt edges, price 31». 6d. LODGE'S PEERAGE AND BARONETAGE, CORRECTED BY THE NOBILITY. THE fOBTY-EIGHTH EDITION FOB 1 879 IS NOW READY. Lodge's Peerage and Bakonetage is acknowledged to be the moat complete, as well as the most elegant, work of the kind. As an esta- blished and authentic authority on all questions respecting the family histories, honours, and connections of the titled aristocracy, no work has ever stood so high. It is published under the especial patronage of Her Majesty, and is annually corrected throughout, from the personal com- munications of the NobiUty. It is the only work of its class in which, the type being kept constantly standing^ q-si&tj correction is made in its proper place to the date of publication, an advantage which gives it supremacy over all its competitors. Independently of its full and authentic informa- tion respecting the existing Peers and Baronets of the realm, the most sedulous attention is given in its pages to the collateral branches of the various noble families, and the names of many thousand individuals are introduced, which do not appear in other records of the titled classes. For its authority, correctness, and facility of arrangement, and the beauty of its typography and binding, the work is justly entitled to the place it occupies on the tables of Her Majesty and the Nobility. LIST OF THE PRINCIPAL CONTENTS. The Archbishops and Bishops of England, Ireland, and t^e Colonies. The Baronetage alphabetically arranged. Alphabetical List of Surnames assumed by members of Noble Families. Alphabetical List of the Second Titles of Peers, . usually borne by their Eldest Sons. Alphabetical Index to the Daughters of Dukes, Marquises, and Earls, who, hav- ing married Ctommoners, retain the title of Lady before their own Christian and their Husband's Surnames. Alphabetical Index to the Daughters of Viscounte and Barons, who, having married Commoners, are styled Honour- able Mrs. ; and, in case of the husband being a Baronet or Knight, Honourable Lady. Mottoes alphabetically arranged and trans- lated. Historical View of the Peerage. Parliamentary Boll of the House of Lords, English, Scotch,' and Irish Peers, in their orders of Precedence. Alphabetical List of Peers of Gtreat Britain and the United Kingdom, holding supe- rior rank in the Scotch or Irish Peerage. Alphabetical list of Scotch and Irish Peers, holding superior titles in the Peerage of Great Britain and the United Kingdom. A Collective list of Peers, in their order of Precedence. Table of Precedency among Men. Table of Precedency among Women. The Queen and the Boyal Family. Peers of the Blood BoyaL The Peerage, alphabetically arranged. Families of such Extinct Peers as have left Widows or Issue. Alphabetical List of the Surnames of all the Peers. "This work is the most perfect and elaborate record of the living and recently de- ceased members of the Peerage of the Three Kingdoms as it stands at this day. It is a moat useful publication. We are happy to bear testimony to the fact that scrupulous accuracy is a distinguishing feature of this book." — Times. "Lodge's Peerage must supersede all other works of the kind, for two reasons: first, it is on a better plan ; and secondly, it is better executed. "We can safely pronounce it to be the readiest, the most useful, and exactest of modem works on the subject" — Spectator. "A work of great value. It is the most faithful record we possess of the arieio- cracy of the day." — Post. " The best existing, and, we believe, the best possible Peerage. It is the standard authority on the subject" — Standard. 12 HURST & BLACKETT'S STANDARD LIBRARY OP CHEAP EDITIONS OF POPULAR MODERN WORKS, ILLUSTRATED BY SIR J. GILBERT, MILLAIS, HUNT, LEECH, FOSTER, POTNTER, TENNIEL, SANDYS, HUGHES, SAMBOURNE, &C. Each ia a Single Volnmo, elegantly printed, tonnd, and illnstrated, price 5s, 1. SAM SLICK'S NATUEE AND HUMAN NATTTRE. "The first volume of Messrs. Hnrst and Blaokett's Standard Library of Cheap Editions forma a very good beginning to what will doubtless be a vei-y successful undertaking, ^Nature and Human Nature' is one of the best of Sam Slick's witty and humorous productions, and is well entitled to the large circulation which it cannot fail to obtain in its present convenient and cheap shapa The volume combines with the great recom- mendations of a clear, bold type, and good paper, the lesser but attractive merits of being well illustrated and elegantly bound." — Post 2. JOHN HALIFAX, GENTLEMAN. "This is a very good and a very interesting work. It is designed to trace the oareer from boyhood to age of a perfect man — a Christian gentleman ; and it abounds in inci- dent boUi well and highly wroaght Thronghont it is conceived in a high spirit, and written with great ability. This cheap and handsome new edition is worthy to pass freely from hand to hand as a gift hook in many hooseholds." — Examiner. 3. THE CRESCENT AND THE CROSS. BY ELIOT WARBURTON. " Independent of its value as an original narrative, and its ubeful and interesting Information, th^ work is remarkable for the colouring power and play of fancy with which its descriptions are enlivened. Among its greatest and most lasting charms is its reverent and serious spirit" — Quarterlj/ I^iew. 4. NATHALIE. By JULIA KAVANAGH. " * Nathalie' is Miss Kavanagh's best imaginative effort Its manner is gracious and attractiv& Its matter is goocL A sentiment, a tenderness, are commanded by her which are as individual as they are elegant" — Athaummt, 5. A WOMAN'S THOUGHTS ABOUT WOMEN. BY THE AUTHOR OP "JOHN HALIFAX, GENTLEMAN." '^ A book of sound counsel It is one of the most sensible works of its kind, well* written, tme-hearted, and altogether practical Whoever wishes to give advice to a yoong lady may thank the author for means of doing so." — Exammer. 6. ADAM GRAEME. By MRS. OLIPHANT. "A story awakening genuine emotions of interest and delight by its admirable pio- tnres of Scottish life and scenery. The author sets before us the essential attributes of Christian virtue, with a delicacy, power, and truth which can hardly be surpassed."-Pos(. 7. SAM SLICK'S WISE SAWS AND MODERN INSTANCES. "The reputation of this book will stand as long as that of Scott's or Bnlwer's Novela Its remarkable originality and happy descriptions of American life still continue the subject of universal admiration." — Messenger. 8. CARDINAL WISEMAN'S RECOLLECTIONS OP THE LAST FOUR POPES. " A picturesque book on Home and its ecclesiastical sovereigns, by an eloquent Roman CatiioUc. Cardinal Wiseman has treated a special subject with so much geniality, that his recollections will excite no ill-feeling in those who are most conscientiously opposed to every idea of human infallibility represented in Papal domination." — AVienawn. 9. A LITE I'OR A LIFE. BY THE AUTHOR OP " JOHN HALIFAX, GENTLEMAN." " In ' A Life for a Lite ' the author is fortunate in a good subject, and has produce 1 a work of strong eBeai."—AtlKntnim. 13 HUKST & BLACKETT'S STANDARD LIBRARY 10. THE OLD COUET SUBTJEB, By LEIGH HUNT. " A delightful book, that will he welcome to all readers, and most welcome to those who have a love for the best kinds of reading." — Examiner. 11. MABGARET AND HEB BBIDESMAIDS. " We recommend all who are in search of a fascinating novel to read this work for themselves. They will find it well worth their while. There are a freshness and ori- ginality about it quite chaiming." — AthmsBfwm. 12. THE OLD JUDGE. By SAM SLICK, " The publications included in this Library have all been of good quality ; many give Information while they entertain, and of that class the book before us is a specimen. The manner in which the Cheap Editions forming the series is produced, deserves especial mention. The paper and print are unexceptionable ; there is a steel engraving in each volume, and the outsides of them will satisfy the purchaser who likes to see books in handsome uniform."— fa^ominer. 13. DABIEN. By ELIOT WAEBUETON. "This last production of the author of ' The Crescent and the Cross ' has the same elements of a very wide popularity. It will please its thousands." — Qlobe. 14. FAMILY BOMANCE. BY SIR BERNARD BURKE, ULSTER KING OP- ARMS. "It were imposeible to praise too highly this most interesting hook." — Standard. 15. THE LAIRD OF NORLAW. By MRS. OLIPHANT. "The 'Laird of Norlaw' fully sustains the author's high reputation."— jSTunda^ Time* 16. THE ENGLISHWOMAN IN ITALY. " Mrs. Grettou's book is interesting, and full of opportune instruction." — TiTnes 17. NOTHING NEW. BY THE AUTHOR OF " JOHN HALIFAX, GENTLEMAN." " * Nothing New * displays all those superior merits which have made ' John Halif ait one of the most popular works of the day." — Post. 18. FREEB'S LIFE OF JEANNE D'ALBBET. "Nothing can be more interesting than Miss Freer's story of the life of Jeanne D'Albret, and the narrative is as trustworthy as it is attraetive."^-/*(Mt 19. THE VALLEY OF A HUNDRED FIRES. BY THE AUTHOR OF "MARGARET AND HER BRIDESMAIDS." "If asl:ed to classify thisworlc, we should gire it a place between 'John Halifax 'and The Caxtons.' " — Standard. 20. THE ROMANCE OF THE FORUM. BY PETER BURKE, SERGEANT AT LAW. " A work of singular interest^ which can never fail to charm." — Illustrated Neun. 21. ADELE. By JULLA KAVANAGH. " ' Adele ' is the best work we have read by Miss Eavauagh ; it is a charming story full of delicate character-painting." — Athenseum. 22. STUDIES FROM LIFE. BY THE AUTHOR OF "JOHN HALIFAX, GENTLEMAN." *' These ' Studies from Life ' are remarkable for graphic power and observation. The book will not diminish the reputation of the accomplished author." — Ba^rday Reciew. 23. GBANDMOTHER'S MONEY. " We commend * Grandmother's Money ' to readers in search of a good novel The characters are true to human nature, and the story is interesting."— ^tAemeuTn. HURST & BLACKETT'S STANDARD LIBRARY 24. A BOOK ABOUT DOCTORS. BY J. C. JEAPFRESON. "A delightfal book."— AOienmtm. "A book to be read ouad ro-read; at for the study RB well as the drawing-room table and the circulating library." — Lancet. 25. NO CHTIECH. " We adnse all who have the opportunity to read this book."— .ittousutn. 26. MISTRESS AND MAID. BY THE AUTHOR OF "JOHN HALIFA.X, GENTLEMAN." " A good wholesome book, gracefully written, and as pleasant to read as it is instruo- tive.'* — Athenmum. "A chariooiiig tale charmingly told." — Sttmdard. 27. LOST AND SAVED. By HON. MRS. NORTON. " * Lost and Saved ' will be read with eager interest It is a vigorous novel" — IHrncg. '* A novel of rare excellence. It is Mrs. Norton's best prose work." — Examiner, 28. LES MISERABLES. By VICTOR HUGO. AUTHORISED COPTRIGHT ENGLISH TRANSLATION. '^The merits of *Les Miserables' do not merely consist in the conception of it as a whole ; it abounds wiUi details of unequalled beauty. M. Victor Hugo has stamped upon every page the hall-mark of genius." — Quarterly Review. 29. BARBARA'S HISTORY. By AMELIA B. EDWARDS. " It is not often that we light upon a novel of so much merit and interest as * Barbara's History.' It is a work conspicuous for taste and literary culture. It is a very graceful ind charming book, with a well-managed story, clearly-cut characters, and sentiments expressed with an exquisite elocution. It is a book which the world will lika" — Times, 30. LIFE OF THE REV. EDWARD IRVING. BY MRS. OLIPHANT. " A good book on a most interesting tbema" — Times. " A truly interesting and most aJEFecting memoir. Irving's Life onght to have a niche In every gallery of reUgiooa biography. There are few lives that will he fuller of iu- Btmction, interest, and consolation."--TiS>afurday Seeieto. 31. ST. OLAVE'S. " This charming novel is the work of one who possesses a great talent for writing, as well as experience and Jcnowledge of the world. * — AUienceum. 32, SAM SLICK'S AMERICAN HTTMOUR. " Dip where yon will into this lottery of fun, you are sure to draw oat a prixe."—Post 33. CHRISTIAN'S MISTAKE. BY THE AUTHOR OP " JOHN HALIFAX, GENTLEMAN," " A more charming story has rarely been writtea Even if tried by the standard of the Archbishop of York, we should expect that even he would pronounce ' Christian's Mistake' a novel without n fault" — Times. 34. ALEC FORBES OF HOWGLEN. BY GEORGE MAO DONALD, LL.D. " No account of this story would give any idea of the profound interest that pervades the work from the first page to the last" — Athemsum, 35. AGNES. By MRS. OLIPHANT. " ' Agnes ' is a novel superior to any of Mrs. Oliphant's former works." — A^rueum. "A story whose pathetic beauty will appeal irresistibly to all readers." — Past, 36. A NOBLE LIFE. BT THE AUTHOR OP "JOHN HALIFAX, GENTLEMAN." "This is one of those pleasant tales in which the aathor of 'John Halifax' speaks out of a generous heart the purest trutha of Ufa."— £xam»n«r. HURST & BLACKETT'S STANDARD LIBRARY 37. NEW AMERICA. By HEPWORTH DIXON. " A very intereBting book. Mr. Dixon has written thonghtfnlly and well" — THma. "We recommend every one who feela any interest in human nature to read Mr. Dixon's very interesting book." — Satvrday Reoiea. 88. ROBERT FALCONER. . BY GEORGE MAC DONALD, LL.D. " ' Robert Falconer ' is a work brimful of life and humour and of the deepest human Interest It is a book to be returned to again and again for the deep and searching knowledge it evinces of human thoughts e.nA feelings." — Atlienceum. 39. THE WOMAN'S KINGDOM. BY THE AUTHOR OF "JOHN HALIFAX, GENTLEMAN." '''The Woman's Kingdom* sustains the author's reputation as a writer of the purest and noblest kind of domestic stories. — AtheneBom. 40. ANNALS OP AN EVENTFUL LIPE. BY GEORGE WEBBE DASENT, D.C.L. "A racy, well-written, and original novel The interest never flags. The whole work sparkles with wit and humoor." — Quarterly Review. 41. DAVID ELGINBKOD. By GEORGE MAC DONALD. " The work of a man of genius. It will attract the highest class of readers. "-^T^tmex. 42. A BRAVE LADY. BY THE AUTHOR OF "JOHN HALIFAX, GENTLEMAN." '* A very good novel ; a thoughtful, well-written book, showing a tender sympathy with human nature, and permeated by a pure and noble spirit" — Examiner. 43. HANNAH. BY THE AUTHOR OF " JOHN HALIFAX, GENTLEMAN." * * A very pleasant, healthy story, well and artistically told. The book is sure of a wide circle of readers. The character of Hannah is one of rare beauty." — Standard. 44. SAM SLICE'S AMEEICANS AT HOME. "This is one of the most amusing books that we ever read." — Standard. 45. THE UNKIND WORD. BY THE AUTHOR OF "JOHN HALIFAX, GENTLEMAN," "The author of ^John Halifax 'has written many fascinating stories, but we can call to mind nothing from her pen that has a more enduring charm than the graceful sketches in this work." — United Service Magazine. 46. A ROSE IN JUNE. By MRS. OLIPHANT. " * A Bose in June ' is as pretty as its title. The story is one of the best and most touching which we owe to the industry and talent of Mrs. Oliphant, and may hold its own wiSi even * The Chronicles of Carlingford.' " — Times. 47. MY LITTLE LADY. By E. F. POYNTER. " There is a great deal of fascination about this book. The author writes in a clear, unaffected style; she has a decided gift for depicting character, while the descriptions of scenery convey a distinct pictorial impression to Uie reader." — Times. 48. PHCEBE, JUNIOR. By MRS. OLIPHANT. "This novel shows great knowledge of human nature. The interest goes on growing to the end. Phoebe is excellently drawn." — IHmeg. 49. LIFE OF MARIE ANTOINETTE. BY PROFESSOR CHARLES DUKE YONGE. "A work of remarkable merit and interest, which will, we doubt not, become the most popular English history of Marie Antoinetta" — Spectator. " This book is well written, and of thrilling interest" — Academy, Ifi