Journal of a Visit to India and the East, etc

Front matter

JOURNAL OF A VISIT TO INDIA. JOURNAL OF A VISIT TO INDIA AND THE EAST. BY AN OLD TRAVELLER " Cease to persuade, my loving Proteus ! I rather would entreat thy company To see the wonders of the world abroad, Than living dully, hluggardized at home. Wear out thy life with shapeless idleness." gJritttti for |)ribate Circulation. GLASGOW: JAMES MACLEHOSE, ST. VINCENT STREET, publisher to tlu Sntbcrsitp. 1877. E nscrticb TO MY DAUGHTERS, MKS. JOHN ROBINSON ADAMS AUD MKS. JAMES HENRY GEORGE HILL, AND TO MY FRIEND, MRS. CHARLES FREDERICK MURRAY. PREFATORY NOTE. The Journal now placed in the hands of my friends was chiefly supplied from the ample notes made on the voyage out and home, and while resident in and travelling through India. Both eyes and ears were kept open for all matters which seemed to be Dew, interesting, or instructive regarding that wonderful country and its no less wonderful people.

I am particularly indebted to a publication entitled " The Prince's Guide Book," by Mr. Mackay of Delhi, which was compiled and issued on the eve of the Royal Yisit. To that gentleman my thanks are due for some of the interesting notes regarding the native chiefs, a narration of which is contained in the Journal. James M'Clellaxd. 32 Pembridge Square, London. INDIA AND THE EAST.

Letter I

My Dear Friend, In beginning a long voyage one is al way^-s apt to look back with regret, parting with those we leave behind, but the feeling soon wears awayr with excitement of starting, with a large band of passengers on board bound for various points, all animated with the brightest prospects of enjoyment on board, and in the hope, on arriving at their promised destination, to receive the kind salutes of friends and acquaintances. It is sometimes otherwise than akin to those feelings, when an old campaigner takes, like myself, to another of those voyages wliich have brought on him, some times health and comfort, sometimes uneasy feelings at the remembrance of those left behind, and some times poignant regrets at the loss of friends in absence. A Thinking that it may help to repress these, I wish to disburden myself of my impressions of the coming voyage, by addressing a few letters to some kind imaginary correspondents, who will favour me by listening to a narrative, better done through letters familiarly written, than by a stuck-up or stilted account of what one saw, heard, and imagined during voyages and residence in strange countries.

I hope you will, therefore, allow me to consider you for the time, one of my imaginary correspondents, and thereby help to aid me, in more readily and easily narrating many curious incidents of travel, and partial accounts of countries, through which only a limited number of European travellers have penetrated. lith. — Our good ship was the Venetia, of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Company, commanded by Captain Babot. There were a full complement of passengers at starting, and, among others, the Duke of Connaught, and General Somerset, the new commandant of the military at Gibraltar. It takes a little time on a voyTage of this kind for the passengers to settle down, but should the weather prove fine all goes well in a short time. On this occasion we got in order the second day. The first was ominous.

The cook had lost his head. The dinner was hardly served at all. One end of the table got soup, when the other was at puddino-, aud the whole was uncooked and disagreeable ; a sad beginning for a long voyage. We bore all, however, with equanimity. Some of the Duke's suite proposed to throw the cook overboard ; others to discharge him at Gibraltar ; but others gave him the benefit of the doubt as to his ability, and let him have another trial. The young scion of royalty took the whole in good humour, and thus ended our first ban quet with many jokes at our misfortune. loth. — We were now in more auspicious condition, but the weather being cold and lowering above head, inanyr, especially ladies, kept to their cabins. The people on board are mostly, if not altogether, of an English type, and quite unlike those found on the Atlantic steamers.

One sees at a glance they are military or civilian; not many of them are veiy practised travellers, and all seem bent on special missions. These youths so full of life and intelligence are the selected candidates for the Civil Service in India. They have undergone an immense work, and exami nations of the most severe character. There are six of them, and all are more or less talented, so that, being what is called " off the irons," they are as full of fun as crickets on a hearth-stone. The military ymiths are of quite another type gentlemanly, good-looking, full of joking, larking, and l'uu of all characters. The Prince joined gently in it, with a good-humoured intelligence, never losing his own or others' self-respect. The General and his family are accorded great attention and respect, being their chief on land ; but like all of us passengers, alike on a quasi equality, the commander of the ship being for the time the authority to whom all must look and obey* For the voyage he takes the character of a despot ; but as most of them are educated, and often conciliatory and gentlemanly, the despotism is only of a very mild character.

I am fortunate in having good men in the cabin. It is large and airy, with four sleeping berths. 16th. — My companions belong to the church, to the army, and to the civilian classes — all of them well educated men, and who apparently have seen a good deal of the world. This makes me very comfortable, and each of us give in a little in our cramped accommodation. One of the secrets of life at sea is to be kindly disposed to all around you, and especially to your cabin mates. We are for the time being " com pagnons du voyage," and will be so for a month to come, in a floating palace, with luxurious accommodation, living, and comforts unknown to the denizens who travelled a century ago, all surrounded by the ocean, and dependent on the vigilance, watchfulness, and assiduity of more than a hundred seamen, engineers, stokers, Lascars, &c. — and held at work with a firm and sometimes stern command.

Passengers in making a first voyage are sometimes apt to think of something they might advise, and give hints to the captain on the management of his ship. Let any one attempt such advice on board our craft, and a short answer will soon be given, " Mind your own affairs." In all my voyages nothing but invariable kindness has been shown me by commanders and officers, and with their assistance, the traveller obtains a vast amount of information, which in many cases books can not supply. We had better fare at dinner, but still inferior to a first-class ship. All take matters in good humour, however, and no one more so than Prince Arthur, who is pleasant with every one, and looks on the bad fare as good fun for the time being. We are now settling down to our ordinary duties and employments. My cabin companions turn out well, all on board are in good humour, and the Prince takes everything in a kindly manner.

Had a long conversation with him ; told him my destination and object in travelling. I found he was conversant with Egypt and its population, had studied types of various races in that country, and was fairlyac quainted with the evolution theories of Darwin — in short, a young fellow full of knowledge of modern views and theories, and greatly superior to many of the superficial youths he meets with, and by whom he is often surrounded. The lady portion of our society is specially interest ing — matrons voyaging to meet husbands, others with blooming young ladies under protection ; some sedate but intelligent women with husbands and families. Thus with the civil service and military youths, full fledged with knowledge, and confident of being some day in a position to rule all India — a medley was made up of a most interesting character, which was not to be parted with on a day's knowledge of each other, but was to be a continuous display of manners, and of the external and internal workings of the human mind, for a month to come.

This was, of course, a most interesting subject for me, with my previous study and acquaint ance with such subjects. I was not slow, therefore, to take stock of the developments of my fellow travellers, and thus, to my own satisfaction, attempted an estimate of all on board. W7e are now nearing the famous rock of Gibraltar — too well known to need much remark. It forms the keystone of the western portion of the Mediter ranean, and in any hostile event, is invaluable to Great Britain. All nations collect here, and perhaps the finest of the tribes to be seen are the Moors from Africa. The Moor made his mark on Spain very early, but after hundreds of years of fighting, found himself mastered by the superiority of the Latin tribes, and now, though subdued, the remnant appear in their descendants of the same majestic type of form and height.

The rock of Gibraltar is perforated to the seaboard, and on commanding heights are numberless cannon and appliances for the work of destruction, should an enemy dare to approach. At E.iST. 7 the same time so thoroughly is the whole concealed from common view, that an ordinary looker-on would discover little else than the bare rocks, running up many hundred feet from sea level ; but let a hostile fleet appear, and as many openings bristling with cannon would show themselves as numerous as the eyes of Argus in fabled story. We only remained at "Gib," as the rock and fortress is familiarly called, a short time, amid a leaden sky and mist and fog on the rock. Parted with the Prince and his jolly companions in a quiet and unostentatious manner, although a demonstration was made on the quarter-deck of the ship by representatives of the army and navy stationed at Gibraltar, coming on board in full costume to pay their respects to a scion of royalty.

On landing, the Prince received a salute of guns from one of the batteries ; and thus vanished from our ship and table, a young, educated, and talented member of the Queen's family. So carefully taught and imbued with modern ideas in literature and science, with a kindly disposition in approaching every one on board, and with a hail-fellow-well-met disposi tion, he formed to all of us a favourable contrast to many of the young scions of nobility who are unable to speak the English language otherwise than in a style of which Lord Dundreary is a caricatured type. We got to sea again in cold, thundery, showery weather, but soon entered on the mild still climate so often experienced in the grand expanse of the Mediterranean. Passengers all began to look lively- — cards, games, and music being the order of the day, some ladies singing in a charming styde, and aiding to put all on board in kindly good nature with each other.

Music imparts a pleasing state to all in any circumstances, but more especially at sea, where all feel themselves dependent on each other for pleasant communion, during a long contemplated voyage — the female voice on such occasions reminding us of Byron's ode to his lady-love, " Oil ! there be none of beauty's daughters with a magic like thee, Like music on the waters is thy sweet voice to me." And so we went on nightly amid good weather, im proved grub, and a desire to know " who's who " among all parties in our good ship. This process gave rise to many private gossips, and enabled us to pass a day or two with many lively guesses, and a few surmises. Our society, after leaving Gibraltar, where we left upwards of a dozen passengers, consisted of about eighty, of the description already given.

The party formed themselves into an agreeable society for the time being; and as both the weather and the whole management on board the ship favoured us, we might be considered a company of joyous travellers bent on a continuous " picnic " of a month's duration. The ladies worked with the needle during portions of the day, assiduously wrote up their notebooks another portion, and made up in modest flirting and badin age another portion, the evening of the day ending in a continuance of the music, both vocal and instru mental, which sent all, by the time the lights were extinguished, to slumber in a satisfied frame of mind. The dresses of the party, now that the weather mode rated in an agreeable rise in temperature, were for the ladies modest and useful, suited to both elements tlirough which we were careering ; and the gentlemen wore those motley nondescript garments which now assume large proportions among all land and ocean travellers.

One exception, however, brought out the contrast in a remarkable degree. One lady in the ship caused both amusement and interest. She appeared on the quarter-deck when the day was well worn, dressed in a superb brocaded satin of gorgeous appearance and colour, gloved with white kid, and a profusion of elegant jewels on the fingers, outside the gloves. Her appearance betokened that of the Ancient Race — a handsome countenance, with pale complexion, large blue eyes, and semi-black hair profusely scattered over her head. The lady travelled with a nurse, maid, and valet, and with an infant son about twenty7 months old, one of the finest forms of a child, and the very7 picture of the mother. Her delicacy is so great that assistance is necessary from the valet to get her planted ou a reclining chair, and is then often surrounded by curious and sympathizing fellow-travellers.

The lady journey-s under the name of Countess C , is a remarkable woman, speaks various languages, and intel ligently converses in English, has been a habitue'e ofthe TuiUeries under the Empire, and speaks disparagingly of the mode of life in that elevated French circle. She seems sometimes to be sad in thought, and has told the doctor of the ship she has not been happy7 at home. She is bound for Rome, and takes this round about way to get there for ease, and to save fatigue of land travel. She has, of course, an enormous pile of luggage, with a large jewel-box insured for £1,500. One extraordinary7 peculiarity of this lady7 she tells herself. In the morning about nine o'clock she gets into a state of catalepsy7, and remains in this state for hours at a time, and in order to free her system from this somnolence, a galvanic application is necessary.

On one occasion, she relates, this somnolence lasted for twenty-four hours, and the attendants then upon her, were about to place her, in a last resting-place when she came out of the catalepsy. We got all very much interested in this lady7 and her history, and of course the narration of her case formed an interesting topic, for many reunions at the breakfast and dinner tables. Her history had something apparently mysterious in it. Though surrounded by7 servants, a handsome infant, and all the comforts of apparent wealth, one could not conceal that, with a delicate state of health and unattended by any gentleman companion, there was something to be explained in her travellino* thus alone ; and what completed our curiosity was that she hailed from Cl m, a popular resort in the neighbourhood of London.

Now we are speeding on our way, in our seventh day, at the rate of 270 miles, and with glorious weather ; will soon reach Malta, where every one hopes to have a long day, in visiting that gem of the Mediter ranean, and so full of interest to all nations, from the earliest days of Christianity to the present time. In the meantime our young friends have not been idle. One of them, who hails from a portion of the same cabin where my wearied limbs are rested, has written a newspaper, and is now engaged in its distribution among the lady portion of our good ship. The pro duction is called " The Albatross," being the name of a large bird that often follows ships at sea. The con tents are of a very superior character, full of life and fun, and well adapted as an improvised caricature of many of the leading topics of the day — in fact, a sort of nautical Punch.

Our fair friends who nurse the sick, and do acts of kindness and charity for the invalids, are commended ; while the ladies who spend their time in everlasting penmanship and scandal, are teased with a gentle though significant hand. The male creation were libelled where needed in pretty rough terms. The circulation of the paper created the greatest interest, and gave quite a fillip to the talk at the breakfast and dinner table. Now that we are partially acquainted with each other, all begin to inquire the history of his neighbour, and what takes him or her this voy7age, whether a lengthened stay is intended in India, and whether all the youngladies are going home from school, or taking a voyage on spec, or their health having suffered they are changing the climate for recovery. The male por tion are easily7 classed.

They are of the military, legal, and civil service, with a sprinkling of the planter and merchant class. But what can that elderly gentleman, with the unchangeable colour of massive hair on his head, be going to India for ? No one cau divine his purpose. It is not business — his age betokens that calling does not trouble him. What is it, then, that makes him brave the dangers of the deep? This movement went on for a day or two, until the secret was revealed that the old party7 was making a voyage, to visit his daughter married and living in India. There is a sort of mild excitement got up on such a voyage as this as to the speed of the ship, and guessing the number of miles run in twenty-four hours. Nothing seems to be settled in such a matter as this without a wager, and accordingly small sums are put into a common fund, to be paid to the party7 whose number is the same or neai-est, to the speed reported of the ship at twelve o'clock on each day.

No interest is taken by me in these movements, but it is amusing to look on and witness the excitement parties get into on so small a matter. 23rd October, 1875. — A break now occurs in our voyage — steam cannot be generated without fuel, and the supply getting diminished, Malta is made a depot for what is called " coaling," and accordingly-, when anchor is cast in the harbour of Malta, and our good ship w-ell moored, the noise and worry of shipping the fuel begins, without any notice being given to the hapless voyager, likelyin his cabin (for it is now two o'clock A.M., of the 23rd of this month), soundlyen joying himself in the arms of Morpheus. Up he gets, and, with moderate toilet, seeks, with his fellow passengers, the first pinnace to land, to behold the wonders of the little island and gem of the ocean.

Two of my7 mates accompanied me — the one was the Rev. Mr. Howard, and the other Mr. Higgin botham — excellent companions, such as I should have wished to travel round the world with. Higgin botham is an official in the railway sy7stem in Mel bourne, and of all the railways in that portion of Australia. He knows some of my friends in that country, in Scotland, and England ; so this common acquaintance makes us friends. He is of a sanguine, lymiphatic temperament, with a compact, moderate sized brain. He is travelling round the world with ease and comfort, and as his knowledge of men and countries is great, he becomes a most interesting com panion. With these two gentlemen we landed at the steps of the harbour of Malta, walked up one hundred and forty of these steps, and got into the streets of the quaintest old city that is to be seen in the Mediter ranean.

Our visit being early in the morning, the streets were full of the Maltese making purchases, ere the sun drove them inside. We encountered the various classes, consisting of priests, beggars, cab drivers, boatmen, soldiers, and blind men. The beggars are the most strenuous I have seen in any country7, and the number of blind quite surprised me. The streets of the city run up from the sea, and a large number of them are so steep, you imagine yourself walking up a stair, with quaint architecture on both sides of the streets, such as is often seen in various old cities of the Mediterranean, whose history reaches centuries anterior to the Christian era. After partaking of a comfortable repast we sallied forth to view the docks, shipping, the churches, and public places. As we passed along the streets we met with our fellow-passenger, Captain Sullivan, who proved, from his knowledge of naval affairs, an excellent guide to the finest views and history of the whole naval settlement.

We visited the palace of the Governor, and also the Church of St. John, one of the most curious and beautiful in the Mediterranean, and proved well worth any traveller's minute examination. The view from the heights of the city, overlooking the docks, gives a splendid conception of the strength, and security, and protection of this coveted gem of the ocean — so much prized by England, and coveted by7 all European nations. We made thus a very charming trip for a few hours, and in our passage to the boat were surrounded by indigent men and women selling splendid bouquets of flowers ; so we invested in many of the best specimens, one of wliich I presented to Lady C., refraining from mentioning its cost, which was sixpence sterling ! We had, through the kindness of the ladies, so much music before reaching Malta, that a proposal was set on foot by some of the young civilians to purchase a piano, and of course no sooner was this said, than done, and as the ship was weighing anchor the coveted instru ment was hauled on board and transferred to the main deck.

We were soon in full speed for the land of Pharaoh, the average miles run reaching dailytwo hundred and fifty. The atmosphere gets into the tropical regions, and all on board take to changing dresses ; the weather proves most prosperous — the sea smooth as glass, and the sun bright but not too powerful, and this being Sundayall on board are afloat. The whole crew assembled with the " Lascars " in their best Sunday clothes, looking very picturesque, all drawn out, and paraded in soldierlystyle, and examined by the captain and head officers. Our friend Mr. Howard read the service of the English Church on deck, but did not venture upon any sermon. The piano choir formed an excellent accompaniment in the service, to the voices of the ladies, some of whom sang with great efficiency. As the weather continued fine, music was the order of the day, aud many of the ladies gave us with a will, hymns on deck in the moonlight.

We are now running in the midst of the Mediterranean, with Italy and Turkey on the one hand and Africa on the other ; thus in mid-ocean we see nothing but a vast expanse of sea. In the midst of so many passengers of both sexes, the charming alteration in the weather and the usual excitement of the day seem to throw parties into small cliques, and make the younger portion of the passengers, among whom our friends, the Civil Service young gentlemen, are rather prominent, begin to show symptoms of being what is called " spooney " on the amiable and talented young ladies, who formed part of our society. We now have the weather mild and rather hot. Wrhat gives a pleasure to all passengers at sea, is the use of the sea-water bath, which is plunged into early every morning, and thus makes one feel in good spirits with all around during the rest of the day.

Among our young Civil Service friends who were now wending their way to the East, and who are en amoured at the idea of becoming masters and judges among the Hindoo and Mahometan population, none of them attracted my attention so much as young M'Lane, a y7outh born in Paris of Scotch and French parents. He shows himself talented in almost every subject you can speak of. He is a good linguist, with a considerable knowledge of ancient literature. He passed his examinations on that head, with great eclat, but failed in mathematical, and scientific studies. We now have, in the evening, with the accompaniment of the piano, very7 good music from both the ladies and gentlemen, and the y7ounger portion of our friends take occasionally to dancing on the deck. The evenings generally terminate by sea songs from the captain, and his senior officers, listened to with great eclat and applause by7 every one.

The land of Pharaoh is now ahead, and a new sen sation is created by the appearance in the midst of the ocean of a variety of birds following the ship, and although we are on all sides out of the sight of land, we have swallows, seagulls, and hawks forming a por tion of our party and indicating the near approach of land. According to the expectations of the captain, we shall reach Port Said, forming the entrance to the Suez Canal, early in the morning of October 27. It is curious to see the flight of these birds. The swallow is travelling to a warmer climate to avoid the cold of the north ; the seagull follows us to pick up food in the shape of crumbs thrown overboard at the end of each meal, the hawk following his calling, by seizing the small birds that come within his reach, and all have an instinctive feeling they are not far from land.

In anticipation of the first sight of the great work of Lesseps and the Khedive of Egy7pt all our party are very7 agreeable and jolly, and show themselves so by fjhe ample singing and amusement going on after dinner. I! We are now at the entrance to the Canal and anchored at Port Said. The owners take care the ship does not pass through without paying the enormous dues for its passage down to the Gulf of Suez and the Red Sea. Our first news on anchoring was that the Serapis, with the Prince of Wales and suite on board, left four days before we reached, and had increased the speed of the ship to about twelve knots an hour, all the party being in good health. Anchored at the mouth of the Canal we found two English ships of war stationed. Alongside of our ship crowds of Egyptians in small boats came to visit us, selling small wares, photographs, eatables, and all sorts of native productions.

These natives of the Egyptian type are now all scantily7 dressed, speaking only a few words of English, but jabbering to themselves in Arabic. We now feel ourselves in the tropical regions, and in evidence of it our ship's crew take to light clothing, and the officers to what is called a tropical dress ; but as I did not feel inclined for much lighter clothing than what I wore, I resolved delaying any alteration till we got to the Red Sea. We are now passing through the magnificent work of Monsieur Lesseps, the distinguished projector of the Suez Canal, one of the finest of European works, deserving of the greatest credit to France and its countryman, Lesseps. While England looked on and sneered, at the accomplishment of such an undertaking, the difficulties were boldly faced, and by the assistance of the Khedive of Egypt, this great work was brought to maturity, and in ocean travelling forms one of the greatest successes in modern times.

The cost has no doubt been great, reaching, it is said, to eighteen millions sterling. The traffic is not yet equal to remunerate the holders of this large sum, the returns being only about one million sterling, while the working expenses reach £700,000; but the returns weekly improve, and it is to be hoped will soon reach a dividend paying point. We pass now quietly along at speed limited to five knots an hour, as an increased rate tends, by the wave of the ship, to displace the embankments, and might thus, cause additional dredging from the bottom. The Canal is about 370 feet wide, and the centre is deep enough to pass a ship drawing 28 feet of water ; its length is about one hundred miles between Port Said and Suez, and consists of the Canal as artificially made and what is called the bitter lakes and Lake Tamasch.

The progress down the Canal was very successful, and the weather being fine, we beheld, as we passed along its banks, one of the grandest works of modern times. It may7 be interesting to notice that before what is called the overland route to India was projected, by a gentleman whom I personally knew (Capt. Waghom), it was customary to reach Bombay by the way of the Cape of Good Hope ; that voyage was both tedious and dangerous, 10,800 miles were obliged to be passed over, before a ship could reach India. The distance now to Bombay by the Suez Canal is 6,020 miles, and thus a saving in time and mileage is gained in reaching our Indian Empire of 4,080 miles. Some most inter esting spots are passed on our way down the canal. One of these is a height called Serapium, now covered with the debris of an ancient city; recent excavations show the remains of a large city, flourishing at one time, anterior to the Christian era.