Travel pictures, the record of a European tour

Front matter

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Introduction

The impressions left on my mind by a prolonged tour in Europe are given to the world with considerable diffidence. In 1904, I kept a diary recording the wonderful sights which I was privileged to witness, primarily for the benefit of my people in Jhalawar, whose ideas of European civilization were of the vaguest. Several friends who examined the MS. advised me to address a wider public ; but I postponed taking action in this direction until the Coronation Durbar of 191 1 had passed into history. It is the custom with Indian chiefs to offer precious gifts on such occasions to the Emperor ; and, when we learnt His Imperial Majesty had expressed a wish that the practice should not be observed, it occurred to me that I might be allowed to submit the Diary of a tour in Europe in lieu of the customary presents. His Imperial Majesty having been graciously pleased to accept the dedication of my volume, I have been enabled to realize an ardent desire to do something — however little it may be — for the good of my fellowcreatures.

These facts will, perhaps, account for the delay which has occurred in the publication of " Travel Pictures." Things move rapidly in this twentieth century; the Europe of 1904 is not the Europe of 191 2; many friends who welcomed me then have viii INTRODUCTION

joined the great majority ; new ideas are current, and each has left its stamp on civilization. I venture to think, however, that the experiences of one who was an " untravelled thane" when he jotted them down may not be without interest for the public of this country, of India, and the United States.

A faithful picture must have its shading as well as its lights. My readers will, I trust, pardon the frankness with which I have indicated what appeared in my humble opinion as shortcomings in the marvellous environment which has been created in Europe by science and goodwill.

In conclusion, I would express my deep obligations to Mr. Francis H. Skrine, late of the Indian Civil Service, for a very careful revision of my Diary ; and to Major R. A. E. Benn, CLE., now Political Agent in Baluchistan, who was truly a "guide, philosopher and friend " throughout my wanderings.

BHAWANI SINGH

59 Cromwell Road,

London, S.W., Oct. 1912.

Contents

CHAPTER PAGE

I. Bombay to Marseilles ...... i

II. Through Spain and Portugal to Paris and London 13

Chapter I Bombay To Marseilles

We left Bombay at 1145 on April 16th, 1904. On reaching the Ballard Pier, we were taken for medical examination to the Port-Doctor, who received us very politely, felt our pulse, and gave each of us a pass. Thakur Umrao Singh, Dr. Ramlal, Abdulghafur Khan and Onkar, who formed my party, were allowed to come with me to the Docks ; the rest remained outside. Though I was going on a pleasure trip, I felt greatly the separation from my people, whom I was leaving. Just as we reached the Docks one of the steamlaunches left without us, but I was glad of this mishap, as it afforded me an opportunity of bidding them a long farewell. At last we took our seats in a launch which put out to sea, and the little group who had come with me from my Capital, Jhalrapatan, dwindled to the merest speck.

When we reached the S.S. " Egypt " a ladder was thrown from the steamer to the launch, and we all boarded her easily. Dr. Ramlal too, though naturally very nervous, did not find any difficulty in transferring himself to the great ship.

On leaving Bombay, we found ourselves in the waters of the Arabian Sea. It is a continuation of the Indian Ocean, which is bounded on the North by Beluchistan and Arabia and on the South by an imaginary line which passes through 30 of South latitude. The colour of the water where the steamer had been lying was muddy ; after steaming for two or three hours it turned to green, and next day, when we were in the open sea, it changed again to deep blue.

The steamer was a quite new thing to us, and we therefore had some difficulty in finding our cabin, but as I saw other passengers hurrying to theirs, I had to ask my way. On reaching the cabin assigned to me I sent for its steward, named Kemp, who proved most obliging. We made a mistake in bringing so many trunks into the cabin, as it was very small, being meant to accommodate three passengers only. It contained an almeira, or cupboard with three drawers, two wash-stands, and a writing table. There was a port-hole on one side, through which a sufficient supply of fresh air came in. In my opinion one should take only a trunk for three changes of clothes and an evening dress suit, and a smaller box to hold shirts, of which one is required every day. An overcoat and an umbrella should never be forgotten ; they can be placed in a hold-all.

We felt very lonely and uncomfortable, and had to look to the steward for everything. On the first evening we did not go into the saloon, but asked him to bring our dinner to the cabin. We were quite helpless, and so had to keep quiet ; fortunately we had, some fruit with us.

The whole steamer was lighted with electricity. Our cabin, not being on the deck, was rather close, and we were much afraid of being sea-sick, but I did not feel anything of the sort. The steamer was very steady, the sea being calm. Owing to the discomfort and anxiety, we were so tired that we were all asleep by nine o'clock. The cabin which had been assigned to Abdulghafur and Onkar, being on a lower deck, was not a good one, and they felt very miserable. In fact, their cabin was below water-line, and the port-hole had to be kept shut all the time. I told them to sit in ours, which was quite a treat to them. Electric fans can be fixed up in the cabins at a low price, and one should certainly hire them, as they are a great comfort, especially in the Red Sea.

There were only a few bathrooms in this steamer, and sometimes one had to wait a long time for one's turn. Passengers donned a dressing-gown, armed themselves with a big towel, and stood waiting outside the bath-rooms until one was vacant. At first I did not like the idea of bathing

BOMBAY TO MARSEILLES 3

in salt water, but after sluicing myself once, my opinion changed, and I enjoyed it very much. The marble bath had two taps, which gave hot and cold water, but the quantity of fresh water allowed to each bather was not large.

At 7 a.m. every morning, tea and coffee were served to the passengers, with biscuits and various kinds of fruit. The breakfast hour was 8.30, after we had taken our bath. There were eight or nine courses. A man who is not accustomed to English food finds it rather difficult of digestion.

When we went on deck I met an Indian gentleman who had spoken to me in the steam-launch. He proved to be the Hon. Amir Ali, one of the Justices of the Calcutta High Court. He told me that he was writing a History of the Saracens, in which he was going to prove that the Mohammedans and Rajputs are descended from a common stock.

At one o'clock luncheon was served. There were again nine or ten courses, and ices were handed round at the end, which are very pleasant when the weather is warm. After luncheon, Sunday service was held in the dining-saloon. The ceremony was very impressive, and hymns were sung at intervals. I visited the Library ; a passenger can become a member by subscribing half a crown for the voyage, and is then entitled to take out one book at a time. It contained a good many, but most of them were novels ; there were no scientific works whatever. We went up and sat on deck, where it was rather windy, as a nice breeze was blowing. It is better to remain on deck as much as possible, because the cabins are usually stuffy.

Every Sunday a muster is held of the crew and stokers ; it is the duty of the latter to look after the furnaces in the engine-room and see to the proper supply of coal for combustion. It must be a real treat for them, as they have to take a bath and change their clothes before the Sunday muster. All of them belong to tropical or semi-tropical countries — Abyssinians, Indians, Arabs, Negroes and Chinese being represented. It would seem that Negroes are most suited for this sort of work, for the air of their habitat is nearly as hot as the engine-room, and their skulls of immense thickness.

A deck-chair is indispensable, and if a passenger can take one or two extra, so much the better. No one should be without binoculars either, for these are useful when one happens to see other steamers at a distance, looking like toys on a vast sheet of water. Flying fish are abundant in these seas ; they have wings and can fly for a considerable distance, but always close to the surface of the water. It is very amusing to watch the antics of their enemies, the porpoises. These big fish dive into the water and spring out of it again. In this way they go on diving and jumping while they keep pace with the ship.

The steamer makes a sort of path in its rear. I heard an amusing story about it which related to the time when the last Expedition was sent out to China. One of the Pathans from the frontier, who had never beheld the sea in his life, and was of course quite ignorant as to how ships were steered, seeing a path behind the steamer and none in front, expressed his sui prise to his English officer, and wanted to know how the captain was able to steer his ship when there was no track in front ! When the sun shines at a proper angle on the spray caused by the motion of a steamer, a tiny rainbow is produced which looks very lovely.

If a passenger is fond of reading, he cannot find a better place in which to indulge his taste than on a steamer. It is really very pleasant to sit on deck and read. Life on board ship is very regular and simple ; one gets everything required by merely asking for it. Tickets are supplied for mineral waters, etc., and all one has to do is to enter on the ticket the article required, together with one's name and the number of one's berth, and the article in question will be sent at once to the cabin.

Every week there are two baggage-days, on which the hold is opened for the passengers, and they can get their things if their trunks are marked " Wanted on the Voyage."

Lemon-squash is a common beverage on board. I saw some passengers sipping it through straw tubes, and thought at first they were taking medicine. But one day I ordered

BOMBAY TO MARSEILLES 5

lemon-squash, which was brought to me with a straw tube, and I soon found it was something far more pleasant.

Generally the officers on a steamer are very polite, and if a passenger wants to know all about the navigation, he should make acquaintance with them. Our Captain's name was " Lendon." I visited him in his room and expressed a wish to know how a ship was steered. He took me to another room, where one of the quarter-masters was turning a small steering-wheel, which kept the ship's head on the course indicated by a revolving compass in front of him. The Captain also showed me how time is ascertained with the sextant, and then introduced me to Mr. Wright, the Chief Engineer, whom he asked to show me the engines. Mr. Wright took me to the engine-room, deep down in the hold. The first question which occurred to my mind was, " How can such heavy things float in water ? " The temperature here was 108 Fahrenheit, but the Engineer told me that in hot weather it goes up as high as 120 . It is fearfully hard work for the stokers and others who have to be there. In this ship there are two engines which supply the motive power for everything she needs. They distil water, pump it up, steer the ship, light it with electricity ; and the electric bells and fans are also worked by them : they make ice and clean the steamer, and indeed are " jacks of all trades." Mr. Wright explained everything to me, but it was so noisy in his realm that I could not catch all his words. On reaching the upper region again, I felt quite exhausted.

Towaids evening on April 19th a wind sprang up, and the waves began to rise. While we were at dinner, some water found its way into the dining-saloon, through the port-hole, and two gentlemen at table were drenched. During the night it happened two or three times that water came into my cabin through the port-hole. The " wind-sail " is a tube made of iron. In calm weather it is attached to the port-hole on the outside of the ship, catches the wind and sends it into the cabin. When the sea is rough the portholes are closed.

I passed a bad night, and could not sleep at all, owing to my expedition to the engine-room. In the morning the sea became so calm that we did not feel the motion of the ship. After breakfast we went on deck, from whence we saw the coast of Arabia. We tried our binoculars, but to little purpose, as there was not much to see. The mountains, apparently of sandstone, remained visible for two or three hours. All the passengers were enjoying themselves on deck, when suddenly we heard the alarm whistle. A number of sailors and khalasis ran to the upper deck, got into a life-boat, and began to lower it. Soon afterwards, however, another whistle was heard, which indicated that their services were no longer required, and so they got out of the boat and secured it as before. We learnt afterwards that it was only a test. Such alarms are given to see whether the people belonging to the steamer are doing their work properly, and the life-boats in good order.

On the 20th April at n p.m. we reached Aden. As it was night-time we could only see the lights of the town and a huge mountain in the back-ground. As soon as our steamer was anchored, a steam-launch brought two boats full of coal. After they had been secured to the steamer, a crowd of coolies began coaling. On such occasions the portholes of the cabins occupied by the passengers are closed by a thick circular glass, rimmed with brass, to prevent coal dust entering. But fresh air is also excluded, and as the steamer lay at anchor the heat became unbearable. Besides, the coolies made a fearful din. , Several times I went on deck, but could not get a breath of air. I sat down to a game of cards with a Parsi gentleman, with whom I had become acquainted on the ship. There were also two or three Indian gentlemen on board, whose acquaintance I was glad to make. They were very polite, and when they learnt it was our first voyage they did their best to make me and my party comfortable. Mr. Barucha was from Bombay, and Mr. Vakil of Ahmedabad was accompanied by his nephew. These nice people lent me books. There were also two Parsi ladies who were going to America.

I sent a telegram to Major R. A. Benn, of the Indian Political Department, who had been deputed by Government to accompany me during my tour, to the effect that I

MARSEILLES, THE CANXEBIERE

CASCADE IN THE PALAIS DE LONGCHAMPS

BOMBAY TO MARSEILLES 7

would not disembark at Suez, as I had intended, owing to the quarantine. I also asked him to come on board at Port Said, adding that we would leave the steamer at Marseilles.

On the morning of April 21st we passed through the straits of Babelmandeb, between Arabia and Africa. The sea here is very narrow, and so we could make out the mountain-ranges on both sides. We had now entered the Red Sea, and some people expected to find the water of that colour.

After luncheon we were sitting in our cabin when Kemp came to tell us that the Captain wanted to examine the compasses, as it was a very favourable place to do so, inasmuch as it abounded in small islands. We dressed in haste and went on deck. We saw two or three lofty hills standing out of the sea, one of which had a light-house. The mountains are quite barren, without even a blade of grass. The Red Sea is full of reefs, and often stormy ; hence many light-houses have been erected on its coast. A new system of throwing light is adopted, by which flashes at short intervals are succeeded by a longer period of darkness. Each light-house has its particular group of flashes, and every captain of a ship has a chart showing how many to expect. A concert was held in the music-saloon after dinner. We spent a very restless night, for the Sea seems to get "red " hot ; it bears a very appropriate name after all.

Every morning a lottery takes place. Tickets, bearing various numbers indicating the number of miles the ship is likely to travel that day, are drawn, and then sold by auction to the highest bidder. At noon, when bearings by the sun are taken, the number of miles which the steamer has made is given out, and the passenger who bought that number wins the whole stakes.

During the afternoon of 22nd April, while we were sitting on the deck, an alarm-whistle was heard, which we thought was testing the sailors, but seeing all the passengers hurrying to one side we followed them and learnt that a lascar had fallen overboard. At first we could see nothing, but after a few seconds made out a black object floating on the surface. As soon as the ship drew near, the life-boat was lowered and quickly rowed to the spot where the poor fellow was floating, with the help of a life-belt which had been thrown to him. After he had been lifted into the boat a roar of applause arose from the passengers, who were watching the scene with much anxiety. The man was quite unconscious when rescued.

I had a long talk with Mr. Barucha, who was a great admirer of the Maharaja of Gwalior. I was glad to hear such appreciative remarks about an Indian Prince.

It was chilly when we neared Suez, and we were glad to get into warmer clothes. That morning we saw a flight of pelican ; these birds have a pouch near their necks, which they fill with fish.

At 2.30 p.m. on April 24th we reached Suez, where the steamer was anchored for some time. There is a mountain in the background, but the town is picturesquely situated on a plain. The sight of trees, where everything else is dry and barren, was most refreshing to the eye. On a promontory there are a few buildings occupied by Consuls and other high officials. A bay separates the town from these buildings. The town is connected by a railway line from Cairo, and during the short time we stayed there we saw two railway trains running. The houses are generally four storeys high and are painted in different colours, which do not blend at all ; every man has his own fancy. The mail was taken on board. I received a letter from Major Benn, and the mail agent kindly gave me Reuter's telegrams. The passengers were delighted to read them, as they had had no news since we left Aden. The Egyptian medical authorities boarded us to examine passengers. We were told to sit in the dining-saloon, and then, as each was called by name, he went on deck. The doctor did not feel our pulse, he merely ascertained whether we were able to walk. These precautions are taken in order to detect the presence of plague or cholera on board.

We had also a printing-press which did job work. I learnt this on seeing the programme of a concert given on board. I had noticed the dinner and other menus in print before, but I thought that the authorities, with their accurate

BOMBAY TO MARSEILLES 9

knowledge of everything connected with the ship, had had the menus printed in Bombay before starting.

A few gendarmes of the Egyptian Government came on board to preserve quarantine by preventing passengers from going ashore. They belong to different nationalities, for the Egyptian service is free to all, without restriction.

Before starting from Suez a pilot came on board to steer us through the Suez Canal, which extends to Port Said. Its length is only about 100 English miles, a quarter of which had to be excavated, while the rest is formed of the Bitter Lakes and Lake Timsah. The breadth of the Canal averages 327 feet, though in some places it is less than this. At the bottom it is only 72 feet, and the depth is kept at 26 feet. At first manual labour was utilised to clear the bottom of mud, but that system did not work effectively, and so steamdredging was applied. I saw many dredgers which were scooping mud from the bottom of the Canal. The mechanism resembles our rainths, or water-wheels used for irrigation. Just as there are small pots in the rainth, which lift water out of the well, so a dredger carries buckets, which go down empty and come up filled with mud. The latter is transferred to smaller boats, which discharge it into deep sea. The level of the Red Sea is only six inches higher than that of the Mediterranean. Napoleon Bonaparte thought of making this Canal in 1798, but the engineers of that time declared that the level of the Red Sea was 33 feet higher than that of the Mediterranean, and so he gave up the idea. In the Canal, at suitable distances, stations are built where steamers can pass one another. Here I saw a search-light for the first time ; to-night they are using it to discover the course of the ship, which is marked by buoys, lighted with gas after dark. When a ship has an electric head-light, everything in front can be seen very clearly.

When I got up on the morning of April 25th our ship was nearing Port Said. We took thirteen hours coming through the Canal, and reached Port Said between 9 and 10 a.m. This town appeared neat and clean, but the absence of trees made it look barren. There are some very good buildings, which we could see from our ship. The quarters occupied io TRAVEL PICTURES

by the Canal officers are magnificent, and those of the higher class agents hardly less extensive. Thomas Cook & Son, Henry S. King & Co., Pears' Soap, and the Times of India are advertised in huge letters on the wall of a house. There is a light-house which is 180 feet high, and is supplied with strong electric light. Near by there stands a statue of the French engineer, Count de Lesseps, who made the Suez Canal. It shows de Lesseps with his right hand pointing out the Canal to approaching steamers. His was a wonderful work, and was completed by French engineers, for their English colleagues laughed the project to scorn. After many delays it was begun in 1859, an< ^ practically completed in ten years.

Major Benn came on board at Port Said and handed me a letter from Sir Curzon Wyllie, in which the latter kindly promised to do all he could for me in London.

The halting places on the Suez Canal reminded me of the rural railway stations in India. They are groups of small godowns, each of which has its patch of verdure. Fresh water is supplied from a special canal connected with the Nile, which enables station-masters to lay out tiny gardens and even to rear trees, which break the dull monotony of the desert. There is a railway line from Suez to Alexandria, which was much used in old times, but since the completion of the Canal very few people cross the Isthmus by land. Midway in its course the line approaches the Canal and then runs alongside it to Port Said. In the southern portion there are no trees on either bank, but as soon as it meets the fresh-water canal there is plenty of coarse grass and some trees.

We reached Port Said between 9 and 10 a.m. on April 26th, and left for Marseilles at 7 in the evening. Although it was dinner-time, I went on deck to see the lights of Port Said. The light-house, fitted with electric light, throws its beams to a great distance. At Port Said our ship again took in coal, and we endured the same noise and discomfort that we had experienced at Aden. When our steamer emerged into the Mediterranean, she began to roll a bit, but it was a nice cool evening, and we enjoyed ourselves on deck.

BOMBAY TO MARSEILLES n

A doctor is provided by the P. & O., but I did not require his services, having my own attendant in the person of Dr. Ramlal. We had taken with us a medicine chest from Bombay, which proved a great convenience. Earfy in the morning Kemp told me that the body of a European passenger was being taken on deck for burial. I dressed myself quickly and went on deck, but the sea had already claimed its prey, and the Bishop of Lahore was reading the final prayer, after which the Union Jack, which had been placed on the coffin, was taken away by a sailor. Funerals at sea are of rare occurrence, and, from what I have heard from other people, I gather that they are very impressive ceremonies.

There is a barber's shop on board, but it would hardly be wrong to call it a general emporium of small commodities. In India barbers are renowned for being talkative, and their European confreres are not free from this habit.

The Mediterranean Sea is often rough. Our ship began to roll, making us feel very uncomfortable. I remained in bed, and my port-hole was closed as the sea rose higher, sometimes darkening the cabin. I found lemon-squash and champagne better preventives of sea-sickness than the remedies brought by Dr. Ramlal.

On April 27th we passed the island of Candia, or Crete, but could see only the peaks of lofty mountains.

On April 28th the ship began to roll violently, and I felt very miserable indeed. If it had been possible I should have landed, for I longed to set my feet on terra fir ma. During the afternoon we entered the Straits of Messina, between Italy and Sicily. The former is more picturesque. The white houses of the town of Messina and Reggio, dotting the green mountain slopes, looked very beautiful, and it was interesting to watch the railway trains speeding along the coast and crossing the numerous bridges necessitated by mountain torrents. The island of Sicily appears to be barren, but is not so in harvest time. Communication with the mainland is maintained by small boats, but the day will come when Italy and Sicily are connected by means of a tunnel.

On April 28th we passed through the narrow Straits of Bonifaccio, between Sardina and Corsica. The latter island produces excellent ponies, small in stature but very strong. But Corsica's chief title to fame is the fact that it was the birth-place of Napoleon, who, if the Fates had been kind to him, might well have conquered India. The small island of Elba, lying to the east of Corsica, was his sole domain after he had been beaten by the Allies in 1814.

On the morning of April 30th we neared Marseilles. After breakfast we reached the quarantine station, close to the ancient Chateau dTf, well known by hearsay to readers of Monte Christo. Here our ship cast anchor, pending the doctor's visit ; on satisfying him that we were free from infection, we were allowed to proceed to the landing-place. It was a great sight for me — the vast number of vessels lying in harbour. As soon as our ship came alongside the quay, the gang-way was lowered, and passengers swarmed ashore. Major Benn was of great use to us ; without him I should have been very helpless. He arranged everything so admirably that all I had to do was to get into a carriage and drive to our hotel.

Chapter II Through Spain And Portugal To Paris And London

On reaching the Grand Hotel du Louvre et de la Paix, our carriage drove under a circular porch, roofed with glass. We were shown into the lift, which, as soon as we had taken our seats, flew upwards to the floor on which our reserved suite was situated. A waiter who accompanied us led the way into our rooms, which were really splendid. I was so struck with their grandeur that I had to express amazement to Major Benn. The wall-paper in my sitting-room was very pretty ; the ceiling displayed different designs in gold, and the curtains were of rich tapestry. By and by I began to think more calmly, and then examined the things with greater care. What a poor life Indian Princes lead compared with that of a passenger who has taken up his abode for a day or two in such a palace as this ! In front of my room there was a balcony which overlooked the street, and even from my writing-table I could see everything that was going on beneath. Electric tramways pass the hotel every two minutes, and there is a never-ending flow of carriages. This hotel has seven storeys, but some buildings have eight or nine, and there are many, of course, with fewer. Carts, carrying grain and other heavy commodities, rattled by, drawn by six or seven horses in a team. French horses seem to be almost as big and strong as our Indian elephants ! We wished to go out for a drive during the afternoon, but could not get a decent carriage for love or money ; so many weddings were taking place at this time of the year that nearly all the carriages had been hired. I saw many wedding parties passing, and, by way of contrast, a funeral procession. The coffin, draped in dark blue cloth, with a cross of white cloth, was placed in an open hearse. The chief mourners who followed in carriages were bareheaded, and every passer-by took off his hat as the cortege drove slowly by.