A parson's holiday : being an account of a tour in India, Burma, and Ceylon, in the winter of 1882-83

THE LIBRARY

OF

THE UNIVERSITY

OF CALIFORNIA

LOS ANGELES

Vi>

A

PARSON'S HOLIDAY;

BEING AN ACCOUNT OF A

TOUR IN INDIA, BURMA, AND CEYLON,

IN THE

WINTER OF 1882-83.

BY

^V. OSBORN B. ALLEN,

VICAR OF SHIRBURN, OXON.

TENBY :
F. B. MASON, PRINTER, "OBSERVER" OFFICE.

1885.

135

TO THE

MEMORY OF MY FATHER,

FORMERLY MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL IN INDIA,

WHO SPENT HIS LIFE IN DOING GOOD BOTH TO

ENGLISHMEN AND NATIVES,

AT HOME AND ABROAD ;

AND TO THE

MEMORY OF MY MOTHER,

WHO WAS HIS WORTHY AND BELOVED HELPMATE,
THIS BOOK

IS DEDICATED.

P E E F A 0 E .

Family circumstances have delayed the publication
of this little book, and it is now more than two years
since I made the tour herein described. Yet India
changes (in some respects) so slowly, that I venture
to think that the delay has not robbed the book of
all interest, nor made the whole work out of date.

I feel that an apology is necessary for adding to
the numerous works which have been already written
by the chance travellers who have wintered in India.
My defence is that, although these works have been
full of varied interest, yet none of them have treated
the subject quite from my standpoint. The Parson
who travels looks at things with a professional eye,
and the observations he makes have an interest of
their own, especially for his brother-Clergymen.

A greater apology is necessary to those Indian
officials, or residents, or missionaries, who may look
into this little work. I will beg them to remember
that I cannot hope to have escaped all errors, and
that I have probably uttered many crude and ill-
considered remarks. They will have patience with
one who does not set up for a critic of their life-long
labours, and who is aware that he has but skimmed
the surface of subjects about which they are past-
masters of knowledge.

Concerning the vexed question of the proper spelling

VI PREFACE.

of Indian names I have neither tried to be consistent
nor over scrupulous. It would be pedantry in me to
affect a spelling, which is often unfamiliar to English
readers, and which, though nearer no doubt to the
Oriental sound, yet would only puzzle those who
have no knowledge of Indian pronunciation and
nomenclature. I have therefore been content to write
"Poena" rather than "Puna," " Lucknow " rather
than "Lakhnau," and "Delhi" rather than " Dihli."
In nearly all instances I have followed the authority
of the distinguished Mr. W. W. Hunter, whose Indian
Empire is a store-house of facts and learning. But
I fear I have not always been guided by him, nor
always been consistent with myself.

Other books of reference to which I am indebted
are Fergusson's Handbook of Architecture^ Rhys
David's Buddhism, Oldenberg's Life of Buddha,
The Burvian by Shway Yoe, Hinduism by Monier
Williams, Sir E. Tennent's Ceylon, and the Handbook
to Agra and Lucknow compiled by H. G. Keene,
besides various Missionary Reports giving statistics
of their several Stations.

I cannot here attempt to express my thanks to
each of those kind hosts and friends, who made my
holiday so enjoyable. I will only say to them all that
I can never be sufficiently grateful for the constant
kindness and unselfish attention which they bestowed
on me and my concerns.

Shirburn, Oxon,
April, 1885.

CONTENTS.

Chapter I. page.

Introduction, Voyage, Bombay, Towers of Silence,
Caves of Elephanta, Poona, Temple of Parvathi,
Leprous Hospital, Missionaries, Cowley Fathers,
Education, Schools, Breaking-up Day at High

School . . . . . . . . . . 1-22

Chapter H.

Karii Cave, Railway Travelling, Station Life, Baroda,
Rajputana, The Clans, Ajmere, Mayo College, The
Eurasians, Jeypore, Maharajah's Palace, Ambir,
Feudatory States .. .. .. .. 23-41

Chapter HL

Delhi, History of the Mogul Empire, Mohammedans in
India, Palace, Jumma Musjid, Kntub Minar, Cam-
bridge Mission, S. Stephen's College, Agra, Palace,
Tombs, Taj Mahal, Futtehpore Sikri, Sekundra . . 42—62

Chapter IV.

Cav/npore, The Mutiny, The Massacre, Memorial Well,
Lucknow, History of Oudh, Imambara, Residency,
Viceroy's Camp, Durbar, Martiniere College, Go-
vernment of India, Indian Civil Service . . . . 63—83

Chapter V.

Benares, Illumination of Ghats, Idolatry, Manufactures,
Journey to Calcutta, Darjeeling, The Himalayas,
Tibetan Lamaism, Calcutta, Government House,
Buildings, Gardens, Oxford Mission .. .. 84—104

Chapter VI.

History of Burma, Rangoon, The Burmese, Buddhism,
History and Doctrines of Gautama, Pagodas, Statues,
Kioungs, Monks, Offerings, Christianity and Budd-
hism compared .. .. .. .. 105—126

viii CONTENTS.

Chapter VII.

Missionaries in Burma, Dr. Marks, Christmas Day at
Rangoon, Prome, Independent Burma, Nga-pee,
Moulmcin, Caves, Timber Yards, Elephants, Pegu,
A Difficult Journey, Voyage from Rangoon to
Madras, Salt Tax .. .. ,. .. 127-147

Chapter VIII.

Madras, Tamils, Native Christians, Bangalore, Native
Clergymen, Mysore, Seringapatam, Tipu Saib, Tomb
of Hyder Ali, The Deserted Bungalow, Caste Rules,
Tanjore, Temples of Southern India, Schwartz, De-
cayed Royalty .. .. .. .. 148-167

Chapter IX.''

Trichinopoly, Srirangham, Mission Work, Schools, An
Evening Meeting, Madura, Trimul Naik, The
Church Establishment, Tinnevelly, History of its
Missions, The Effect of the Famine, Statistics . . 168-185

Chapter X.

Tinnevelly, Palamcottah, A Drive in a "Bandy," Na-
zareth, Sunday in a Native Christian Village, Mission
Life, Orphanages, Evangelistic Work, Life of a
INIissionary, Sir R. Temple on Missions, Mudalur,
Mengnanapuram, A Self-denying Life, " Society
Bishops," Tuticorin, Leave India .. .. 186-207

Chapter XL

Colombo, Inhabitants of Ceylon, Kandy, Failure of
Coffee Shrub, Tooth Temple, Anaradhapura, Da-
gobas. Ruins, Sacred Bo Tree, Proposed Annexation
to India, Oil Factory, Homeward Voyage, Egypt,
Cairo, Ismailya, Block in the Canal, Discoverer of
Pithom, Return to England .. .. .. .. 208-225

A PARSON'S HOLIDAY.

I HAD long had a wish to visit India, and in the autumn
of last year (1882) it seemed possible to accomplish
my purpose. And thus on the evening of October 4th
I found myself in the night train for Dover, hurrying
away from London, and intending to be absent from
England for a six months' holiday. During these six
months I travelled through India, Burma and Ceylon,
and though I did not leave the ordinary beaten tracks,
yet I think my experiences may interest others. I
know that India has become a winter touring ground,
that numbers of travellers pass through it every cool
season, and that the T. G. (or travelling gent.) is be-
coming a common object in every large railway station.
I know also that numerous books of travels, expressing
more or less superficial opinions, and more or less inac-
curate descriptions of people and places, have been
already published. I may therefore be asked why I
should think it necessary to publish another work,
which will probably possess all the faults of its pre-
decessors without any countervailing merits of its own.
To this I would answer that in spite of all that has
been written on the subject there is still a great igno-
rance amongst English people of things Indian. The
Indian official is too busy to care to take the trouble to
put his experiences on record. He has also lived so
long amongst Oriental sights and customs, and these
things have become so familiar to himself, that he
thinks they are equally well known by his countrymen
at home. Added to this, he usually spends his life in
one part of the country, and never has time or desire
to see anything of other parts of India. If he cared to
do so, he could enlighten most of us about a hundred

2 A parson's holiday.

matters of which we are densely ignorant, and yet
which make up the Hfe of two hundred milHons of our
fellow subjects. But as a rule he maintains silence,
and only wonders at the little knowledge possessed,
and the quaint mistakes made, by his stay-at-home
brother. It therefore seems to fall to the lot of the
chance traveller to put on record his crude impressions
in the hope that what he says may induce more of his
countrymen to take an interest in England's greatest
dependency, and if possible to see with their own eyes
the wonders of the East. The politician and the pro-
fessor, the sportsman and the travelling lady, have
already given their experiences of a tour in India to
the world. It remains for the parson to add his quota
to the general farrago. He cannot hope to have done
more than skimmed the surface of the many difficult
questions which are constantly arising in India. He
knows that his knowledge is very superficial, his
opinions very hastily formed, his ideas very crude and
undigested. But things that may have been omitted
by other writers have perhaps struck him, and aspects
of social life and missionary effort, and problems of
Church government and educational progress, which
other writers overlooked, interested him. He therefore
ventures to think that these hasty notes of a winter
tour may be not without use even to those who are
most experienced in Indian matters. While to those
who are less learned in Eastern places and customs,
he hopes they may prove somewhat interesting.

Therefore without further preface or apology I would
begin to describe my holiday tour. I need not linger
long over the voyage. The Overland Route has been
so often described, that it is diliicult to find anything
fresh to relate about that. From Calais to Brindisi
there was a dusty, tiresome, railway journey, only
broken for me at Ancona, where I tried in vain to get
on board the P. and O. steamer. It may be as well
to warn intending travellers that it is very rarely that
these steamers touch at Ancona. The harbour is

THE VOYAGE. 3

small and badly lighted, and therefore although their
contract compels them to touch there "weather per-
mitting," yet this clause often affords them an excuse
for not doing so. It is better therefore either to join
the steamer at Venice, or at Brindisi. I spent a night
sitting on the pier at Ancona with a number of Italian
sailors, who apparently did without sleep, and passed
the time in chaffing each other and laughing at me for
expecting any steamer to pick me up. In the morning
I was able to go on by train to Brindisi, where on
Sunday evening, October 8th, I went on board the
steamer which was to carry me to Bombay. From
Brindisi to Alexandria we had several Egyptian re-
fugees and distinguished officials as our fellow pas-
sengers. They were hastening back, now that Egypt
w^as once more quiet, and were full of anecdotes of
narrow escapes incurred during the days of massacre
before the bombardment. On the 12th we sighted the
lighthouse at Alexandria, and as we steamed into the
harbour everyone was on the look out to see the
damage done to the Forts by the bombardment. Ours
was the first steamer which had touched at Alexandria,
since the beginning of the revolt, and everyone was
anxious to land to see the destruction which had been
caused by the great fire. The large "Place" in the
centre of the European quarter was an utter ruin, the
whole of it having been entirely burnt ; but other parts
of the city seemed very little injured. The British
soldier was in occupation everywhere, making himself
thoroughly at home. He apparently made himself
understood by talking English in a loud tone of voice,
and a free use of signs. We heard one bargaining
with a native female fruit seller, and because he did
not like what he got, he shouted at her, " Look here ;
I say ; not good." And she apparently understood
him. From Alexandria our steamer went round to
Port Said, and through the Suez Canal, as the railway
through Egypt was not yet in working order. The
voyage down the Red Sea was the hottest part of my

4 A parson's holiday.

experiences, the thermometer standing one day at 96".
We landed at Aden, and saw the Crater Camp and
the Tanks, and wondered at the cindeiy appearance
and strong fortifications of this rocky corner of Arabia,
We had lovely weather in the Indian Ocean, and passed
the days in quiet idleness, reclining in long deck chairs,
playing chess, discussing our fellow passengers, and
watching the ordinary boardship flirtations. It was
a quiet, pleasant time, which seemed to rest everyone,
and will be long remembered. But each day the ship's
run was anxiously noted, and at last we were in sight
of Bombay harbour. Now it seemed that one's real
journeying was to begin, and one was really to see the
land of which one had heard so much. The landing
at the Apollo Bunder was accomplished with a certain
amount of trouble, but when my packages were col-
lected, I was soon driven through the crowded streets
of Bombay to the Byculla Hotel. There the landlord
was a Parsee, the bedroom servants Hindus, and the
waiters Mahommedans ; there were mosquito curtains
on the bed, and verandahs all round the house ; pun-
kahs were being pulled, and the smell of sandal wood,
mingled with strange cries, came up from the bazaar ;
a jackal howled in the distance, and I tried to say a
sentence in Hindustani ; and then I really felt that
at last I was in India. That first night, when I was
alone, with all its fresh new feelings, stands out dis-
tinct and memorable. But in the morning there were
many new, strange incidents, which kept one's eyes
and ears fully employed. There was first the look of
the streets ; the throng of natives was very surprising.
One did not at first distinguish the different castes -,
that experience came later. But the mere mass and
crowd of dark-skinned, white-robed, turbaned natives
filling the streets, riding on the tramcars, and sitting
at the shop doors, showed one how populous the city
is. The public buildings are very fine ; and the
principal streets are broad and well paved. In the
native quarter I got my first sight of a bazaar, and

TOWERS OF SILENCE. 5

began to learn the different native industries and
trades. Besides enjoying the sights of the streets, I
was shown the Towers of Silence, which are the
Parsees' burial places, and are so well described in
Professor Monier Williams's Modern India. We drove
to the foot of a hill, and then followed a footpath which
led us to a gateway. On ringing at the gate, and
showing our order, we were admitted into a large
walled enclosure, which seemed to cover the whole
summit of the hill, and to be several acres in extent.
The views over the harbour and town were very exten-
sive and beautiful, and this is one of the prettiest sites
in Bombay. The enclosure was laid out with paths
and flowering shrubs, and in it there were some groves
of tall trees. The place seemed very still and quiet,
and at first we saw no signs of any burial place. But
soon our guide pointed out to us three low towers,
which appeared to be about 40 feet high, and about
60 feet in diameter. Round the top of these towers,
and on the surrounding trees, there sat quantities of
vultures, which were waiting to devour the corpses,
which are placed inside the towers. We were not
allowed to approach nearer than about 50 yards to
the towers, but we were shown a model of a tower in
the guide's house, and from that and his descriptions
we learned the manner of the Parsee funeral. The
friends of the deceased bring the body to the enclosure
between the hours of four and six in the evening, and
there leave it in the hands of certain members of their
religion, who are specially deputed to perform the
funeral rites. These caretakers of the dead are the
only persons permitted to enter the towers, and have
sole charge of the bodies, after they have been brought
to the enclosure. At sunset, when no one else is near,
the bodies are placed by these officials inside the
towers, each one on a separate bier, and there left.
No sooner is the door of the tower shut, than the
vultures swoop down, and devour the corpses there
placed for their delectation. In the morning the

6 A PARSON S HOLIDAY.

officials again enter the tower, and collect any bones
or scraps of clothing that may be left, and these are,
I believe, consumed by fire. There is an arrangement
made for the drainage of the interior of the tower, and
the whole place is kept beautifully clean and neat.
The great object of this mode of disposal of the dead
is to resolve the corpse as quickly as possible into its
component elements, and return these to the earth
from whence they were taken. It may sound dis-
gusting to a Western mind, but a Parsee would con-
sider our mode of leaving the corpse to be slowly
destroyed by natural corruption a much more un-
healthy and disgusting method, and he would argue
that the swoop of the heaven-sent birds is a much less
horrible mode of destroying the empty casket of the
soul than leaving it to the slower process of the worm
and the pit. Certainly in the Towers of Silence, as
seen by the casual visitor or the sorrowing survivor,
there is nothing to shock the most sensitive spirit,
and every praise must be given to the Parsee com-
munity for the care they take of the enclosure and its
buildings.

Besides seeing the Towers of Silence, we also visited
the Caves of Elephanta. These are situated on an
island in the harbour, some six miles from the Apollo
Bunder. We hired a steam launch to take us to the
place. We landed at a pier built of large stones, and
walked for some hundreds of yards up a steep rocky
staircase, which led to the caves. We were sur-
rounded by a number of the male Inhabitants of the
island, who desired to sell us curiosities, such as
coloured beetles, butterflies, bright red seeds, nests,
&c. They were a dark coloured race, of a lower type
than the Bombay native, and very possibly belonged
to an earlier aboriginal people. The caves themselves
were cut In the perpendicular face of a rocky hill, over-
looking the landing place. The great temple is 133
feet broad, 130 feet long, and 20 feet high ; the roof is
supported by massive pillars, with ornamental capitals,

CAVES OF ELEPHANTA. 7

which are all cut out of the Hving rock. There is a
colossal bust with three heads, opposite the entrance,
supposed to represent the Hindu Trinity. There are
also several other gigantic figures, but all are much
mutilated. Besides the great temple there are some
smaller caves and shrines. At one of these, one of
the native inhabitants of the island pulled off his turban
and worshipped. He did it quite quietly and unobtru-
sively, and without any wish to attract attention. It
showed that these old-world temples were still used
by these primitive islanders. The idol which he wor-
shipped was the *' linga," which is the symbol of the
creative principle or reproductive power in nature
throughout India, and though possibly it was originally
chosen by philosophers as the best expression of the
great First Cause, yet the less educated worshippers
have made it an excuse for immorality, and have
turned what might have been originally a high con-
ception of the Creator into a sanction for impure and
corrupt rites. The Caves of Elephanta are not of
great antiquity, and probably were excavated about
1000 A.D.

From Bombay I went by the G. I. P. railway to
Poona. The distance is 1 19 miles, and the time taken
on the journey is about six hours, but during that time
one rises about 2000 feet, and gets the most beautiful
views over the country. For after running through a
rich flat land for 60 miles, the train begins to ascend
the Bhore Ghats, up very steep gradients. The line is
magnificently engineered, and the views as the train
climbs the hills are grand in the extreme. The rocks
glowed red in the light of the setting sun, and the
precipices rose nearly perpendicularly, and there were
thin waterfalls, which fell and seemed to get lost before
they touched the ground. These Ghats run like a wall
all down the west coast of India, and when they are
surmounted, one reaches a great tableland, which
extends nearly to Madras. So steep is this wall of
rock, that the Krishna and the Gadaveri, two of the

8 A parson's holiday.

great rivers of India, which rise on the eastern slope
of this watershed, find no outlet to the western sea
which is so near to them, but have to traverse hun-
dreds of miles, and cross the whole breadth of India
before they lose themselves in the Bay of Bengal.
The nearness of these hills is also most beneficial to
the inhabitants of Bombay, as they can be used as a
sanatorium in the hot weather.

We arrived at Poona after sunset, but as I stopped
there ten days I had a good opportunity of seeing the
place. Poona is in many ways a typical Indian city
and station, and a description of it may serve for many
other places in India. Poona then like most other
large Indian cities is divided into two parts ; viz. :
the native city and the British cantonment. These
two parts are quite distinct, and the majority of the
English residents rarely, if ever, enter the native
quarter. The cantonment contains barracks, parade
grounds, churches, and streets of detached bungalows
(each in its own compound). Here are the Bund
gardens, where the EngHsh people walk and drive of
an evening to "eat the air." Here too is the club, the
tennis grounds, the council chamber and public build-
ings, for Poona is the seat of the Bombay Government
during the hot weather, and head-quarters of the
Bombay army. The English quarter covers five or six
square miles of ground, and in it there are streets of
native shops, which sell English goods and also supply
all the manifold wants of the Europeans. All this
quarter has sprung up within the last 70 years. Poona
used to be the capital of the Marhatta power, and the
residence of the ruler of the Marhatta confederacy,
who was called the Peshwa of Poona. The Peshwa
was finally defeated in 181 8 at the battle of Kirki, and
in that year his dominions were annexed to the Bom-
bay Presidency. Thus the English have not held this
place for more than two generations, and the recol-
lection of their independence is still fresh in the minds
of the natives. These Marhattas are one of the finest

POONA. 9

races of India, of a light-brown colour, and very active
and manly. They fought as our allies in Southern
India, in our wars with Tipu Saib, and are much more
independent in manner than the natives of Lower
Bengal. The native city is still full of memorials
of the greatness of the Peshwa, and many of his old
palaces are still standing. If we enter this, we at once
see the difference between the English cantonment and
the native quarter. Here no Europeans live except a
community of the Cowley Fathers. The streets are
narrow and unpaved, and full of life. The drive
through these streets was a most nervous matter, as
everyone walked in the middle of the road, and would
hardly move out of the way of a carriage, in spite of
the shouts raised by the syce who preceded us. Here
one saw native life in perfection. The bazaars were
crowded with customers, the fountains at the street
corners were surrounded with women drawing water in
their brass lotas, who carried naked babies astride on
their hips. In the tanks men were washing them-
selves, there were shops of sweetmeats, and rice, and
^hee, full of flies, the native workers in brass and silver
were busy with their tools, the potter's wheel whirred
in the sunlight, and the little clay vessels were set out
to dry, there was a twang from a cotton bow, a murmur
of voices and a glimpse of naked children sitting on
the floor as we passed an elementary school, while at
the division of the ways there stood some idol shrine
or figure of a god, daubed with vermilion paint, and
generally surrounded with worshippers. The com-
monest idol in the city seemed to be the Ganapati, or
elephant headed idol ; he is the god of luck, and
typifies cunning or sly cleverness, and is much wor-
shipped by traders. The houses were generally of
two stories, the ground floor being given up to the
shop, while the upper story was carefully shuttered,,
and occupied by the women of the household. The
shops were mere counters abutting on the street, on
which the goods were exposed for sale and on which

n

lo A parson's holiday.

the owner often sat crosslegged. Within and behind
him there were cupboards, from which he would produce
further goods, or sometimes there were rooms in which
the loom or the lathe was seen at work. By degrees
one learned to distinguish the different castes and
trades. The Brahmins seemed lighter coloured than
the rest, and more aristocratic looking. Here in
the Marhatta country the turbans were specially fine,
often of red and gold, with a peculiar shell-shaped fold
in the centre, which stood up like a horn on the top of
the head On every side and down every street there
seemed a crowd of life, the population of Poona being
over 1 18,000 people.

We saw the country round Poona by driving in the
early mornings. The most interesting sight near the
city is the temple of Parvathi. It is dedicated to the
consort of Siva, who is here worshipped under the
name of Parvathi, which means " mountaineer." It is
a picturesque pile of buildings standing boldly upon a
high hill three miles outside the town, and built about
150 years ago. There is a silver image of Siva, and
others of Vishnu, &c. The Brahmin who showed us
over rather mocked at the whole of the worship, but
this manner was no doubt partly put on as a compli-
ment to us, and in hopes of obtaining money. This he
did not get, as the temple is kept up by Government
as a show place. From it there was a magnificent
view over the country, and we were shown the window
through which the Peshvva watched the battle of
Kirki, and saw his troops defeated by the English.
Another morning I was taken to see an institution set
apart for those suffering from black leprosy. This
disease did not appear to be infectious, though it was
certainly hereditary. The poor creatures were of all
ages, even children inheriting the disease. It showed
itself in a hardening of the outer skin, which became
like leather, a wasting away of the fiesh, and a loss of
faculties and also of the limbs. Many were without
sight or hearing, — nearly all had some of their toes or

MISSIONARY WORK. II

fingers rotted away. The joints of the fingers seemed
to drop off piecemeal, and one man looked like a
walking skeleton, with hardly any flesh, and a thick
black leathery hide stretched over his bones. He
could neither see nor hear, and hardly speak. The
hospital had been founded by a philanthropic Jew.
There was no cure for the disease, and the only
alleviation possible was to place the sufferers in these
•aim-houses, where their wants were supplied, and them-
selves taken care of, till death came to release them
from their sufferings.

As soon as the first hunger of sightseeing had been
partially satisfied, I began to ask questions about
missionary work. One felt one was in an heathen
country for the first time in one's life, and one desired
to know what progress was being made in converting
the natives to Christianity. And at first one got very
scant answers. The ordinary official Englishman is
too busy with his own work to see much of that of the
missionary. Sometimes also he is prejudiced against
any attempts to alter the religious feelings of the
natives, and will say that the native who becomes a
Christian adopts all the vices of the European, while
losing the restraints which his former faith imposed
upon him. Often also there is some reason for this
belief, as the native Christians are not always the best
specimens of their race. A certain small number are
willing to be converted from very low motives, and
these bring discredit on the whole work. Also in
former days there was a lack of wisdom shown by
certain missionaries, who were ignorant of the religion
they meant to overthrow, and thus gained the contempt
of the officials, who had lived for many years in the
country. Even the chaplains seemed often ignorant
of what the missionaries were doing at their own doors.
This arises from the chaplain's work being confined to
the Europeans dwelling in cantonments, while the mis-
sionary works in the native city or in the surrounding
villages. Also a chaplain of a large station has plenty

12 A parson's holiday.

to do, having a large number of English, both civil and
military, to visit, while the military hospital and soldiers'
school have also to be attended to by him. Probably
he also has outlying stations, distant often 30 or 40
miles, which he has periodically to visit. All this
leaves him but little time to hear much about the mis-
sionaries' work. I think the missionaries whom I saw
felt a little hurt at the slight interest their own country-
men took in their work. But no doubt the work is
strengthened by this lack of ofificial patronage. The
converts have nothing to gain in a worldly point of
view by becoming Christians, and thus the sincerity of
their motives is assured. Since also the official rulers
of the country have to treat those professing all re-
ligions on an equality, it is perhaps wise that there
should be no suspicion of any bias on their part. I
can only relate what I saw and heard, but certainly I
was agreeably surprised at the quantity and quality of
the missionary work. After all that I had heard in
depreciation of their labours, \ was astonished to find
so much knowledge on the part of the missionary, so
much wisdom in his methods, and so much solid
success attained. It w^ould be an impertinence on my
part to praise men wiser and nobler than myself, but
I would say to all those (whether in England or in
India) who doubt about missionary work. Go and see.
Do not be satisfied with hearsay evidence, or current
misstatements, or ignorant prejudice, but go down into
the native quarter and see the dispensaries, the schools,
the orphanages, and the congregations the missionaries
have founded, and see if all this does not compare
favourably with what is being done in a large London
parish. The w^ork seemed to me to be everywhere
alive, and the prospect hopeful. There are no doubt
careless or unwise missionaries, as there are lazy and
ignorant clergymen at home, but I did not meet any,
and from what I saw, I was fully convinced of the
reality and the progress of mission work. If I try to
describe something of what I saw, it may lead others
to realize what is being done in this matter.

MISSIONARY METHODS. 13

Poona is a place where nearly all Christian bodies
are at work, and the methods used by all of them are
much the same. The main parts of the machinery,
by which they work on the natives, are orphanages,
schools, dispensaries, and open lectures followed by
free discussion. The orphanages take in any found-
ling or deserted children, which are sent to them by
the magistrates, and these children are brought up as
Christians. The schools are generally open to all of
any creed. The dispensaries offer medical advice
either gratis or for a small fee, and are means by
which acquaintance is made with the sick. The
lectures have taken the place of street preaching,
which has been given up by many missionaries as
being a less effective way of appealing to the people.
It would be tedious if I was to enumerate all the
different institutions I visited. I give general results
gathered from several sources. The orphanages seem
useful, for they train up a certain number of infants
from childhood in Christian principles ; and as these
infants are sent to them by Government officials, they
seem guarded from the abuse inseparable from all free
foundling institutions. The children when fully grown
are happily married to children of other Christian
orphanages. The sisters of S. Mary's Home (a
branch of the Wantage community) told me that
they had more applications for wives than they could
supply. In the male orphanages the boys are taught
trades, such as printing or carpentering, and thus
the old reproach that the native Christian was in-
clined to loaf and live on the missionaries is being
removed. When they marry, they live near the mis-
sion house, and a Christian community is gradually
formed. Right in the heart of the native city of
Poona there is such a community rising round the
mission house of the Cowley Fathers. These de-
voted men have not been content to live amongst
the other Europeans in cantonments, but they have
gone down into the midst of the native quarter, and

14 A parson's holiday.

there live amongst the people. Their house is always
open to enquirers, and they receive many visits from
natives, more often from curiosity than from a desire
to hear about Christianity. Yet these visits often lead
to important results, as witness the case of Father
Goreh, who was formerly a Brahmin, but is now a
Christian and a Cowley Father. He was converted
some years ago at Benares, and he himself says that
he was in the habit of going to talk to the missionaries
for the sake of argument and to improve his English.
He now works with the Cowley Fathers at Poona, and
is most useful in writing books and tracts, as his know-
ledge of Brahminism is perfect. But more useful than
any other methods are the schools of the missionaries.
These are thrown open to all who are willing to come,
and there is no compulsion laid on anyone to become
a Christian. The heathen lads gladly avail themselves
of this privilege, as they know that they will be taught
English at these schools. Their great desire is to
learn English, as that opens the way to Government
employment. And they know also that they will be
better taught by a thorough Englishman than they
would be by a native teacher. So they willingly come,
although they know that their teacher is of a different
religion to themselves, and probably will try to con-
vert them. It is in these schools that much of the
influence of the missionary is exercised. He does
not always try to convert them by compulsory Bible
reading or direct dogmatic teaching, for indirect means
are often more suitable. Boys naturally look up to
the clever and kind European who is instructing them
in Western lore, and they are disposed to accept his
opinions on all subjects. The very atmosphere of a
Christian school and intercourse with a religious-minded
man have great influence, even if he does not preach
Christianity directly to them. Ideas of Christian
morality are insensibly absorbed, and the boy cannot
go back to idolatry with his old feelings unshaken.
The civilized, clean life of the European with his high

MISSIONARY SCHOOLS. 15

notions of truthfulness, and duty, and self-sacrifice,
must preach an unspoken sermon, and the constant
influence of such a mind must have a great effect on
the scholars round him. Therefore there seems every
reason to make the missionary schools as efficient and
successful as possible, and a great part of the mis-
sionary's work will lie in educating the young. His
school ought to show as good results in the Govern-
ment examinations as any other, for this proof of his
success will attract more scholars round him. He will
consider no time wasted, which is bestowed on secular
teaching, for not only does this Western learning sap
the old idolatry, but it also acts as a bait by which
more of the young are brought under his personal in-
fluence. Everyone interested, in education seemed to
allow that the new learning had sapped the old idolatry,
and that the educated natives are now often Atheists or
Materialists, though going occasionally to the Temple
services. But this destruction of the old reliction
seems a necessary preliminary to the adoption of the
new, and though we may regret the general decay of
faith, yet there is nothing to regret in the decay of
modern Hinduism. In that religion immorality neces-
sarily forms a part, and one of the indirect benefits of
Christianity is that these licentious practices are now
condemned by the public opinion of the higher classes
of natives, who are being educated up to a purer standard
of morality by their contact with Europeans. It is sad
to think that the Agnostic and infidel literature of the
West finds a ready sale amongst the English speaking
Hindus, but even this is better than the old idolatry with
its impure rites, and it may even prove a stepping-stone
to higher things. Infidelity amongst the educated
classes was no barrier to the spread of Christianity in
Greece and Rome, and in India the same sequence of
events may be repeated ; and although a certain number
of minds may be content for a time with a blank mate-
rialism, yet we may hope that they will emerge from that
into a purer faith. The chief hope is in the Christian

i6 A parson's holiday.

schools, and from them, If efhciently conducted, may
arise a new generation of Christian natives, able to
be the evangelizers of their own countrymen. The
reading of Shakspeare or Thackeray, of Burke or
Johnson, exercises a Christian influence, and thus the
very preparation for a Government examination helps
forward indirectly the cause of a higher morality and a
purer religion.

It may be interesting to state what are the various
sorts of schools in India. There are first the Govern-
ment High Schools, entirely supported by Government
funds; these were originally founded as model schools,
before any private venture schools had been started.
But now in the Bombay Presidency there are several
sorts of schools, which have been started privately
both by English and native committees, and are aided
by Government grants (as in England) subject to in-
spection. The highest are the European and Eurasian
and English teaching schools, which can earn five
rupees on each child for average attendance and
perhaps twenty-five rupees for every pass made. The
pass grant varies, according to the standard passed,
increasing as the standard increases. These schools
prepare for matriculation, and teach arithmetic, Euclid,
algebra, English history, geography, and one other lan-
guage, either Latin, Sanskrit, French or German. These
schools are chiefly attended by the Europeans and
Eurasians. Then come the Anglo-vernacular schools,
which also prepare for matriculation, but the ver-
nacular language is taught with greater attention to
scholarship. Besides that, English, history, geography,
Euclid, algebra, Sanskrit or Latin are taught ; grants
would perhaps average about ten rupees a child, but all
through the Indian code the grants increase according
to the standard passed, which plan might be introduced
with advantage into the English code. Geography
and history are made compulsory subjects for the
higher standards in all schools. Then there are the
vernacular schools, which teach arithmetic, reading,

EDUCATIONAL QUESTIONS. 17

writing and geography in the vernacular. Pupils must
have passed in Standard IV. in the vernacular schools
before they are permitted to learn English. Each child
in these schools would earn about four-and-a-half
rupees. Thus there are schools for every grade of
society, but attendance is not compulsory anywhere,
so all the children are not being educated. Just
before I was at Poona the Education Commission
appointed by Government had been holding its sit-
tings. Everyone interested in schools was examined.
Hindus, Parsees, Christians, headmasters, mistresses,
college officials, missionaries, and magistrates were
all invited to give their opinions. They answered
certain questions in writing, and were afterwards
examined on their evidence. The chief educational
question seems to be whether Government should
continue to support some schools entirely. They did
so at first for the purpose of encouraging education.
They also give grants-in-aid to other schools, subject
to inspection. But the missionary, and native private
venture, schools say that they cannot compete with the
Government schools, which are entirely supported out
of Government funds. That it would be fairer if
Government now discontinued their own schools,
and gave a grant-in-aid to any school which passed
the required standards : that the present system dis-
courages all sorts of demominational schools, whether
Christian or heathen, and that practically the Govern-
ment is not neutral to all religions, but encourages
Atheism ; for as it cannot teach any religion, it
destroys the old religious belief, without putting
anything in its place. They would therefore prefer a
system of denominational schools aided by grants (as
in England), and would have no more schools entirely
supported by Government. On the other hand the
Government say that they have no guarantee that the
schools to which they give grants-in-aid, will be always
continued ; that some masters have given up their
schools when they had made enough money ; and that

C

i8 A parson's holiday.

if they closed their own schools, and only granted aid
to private schools, the education of the district might
suddenly cease by these schools being shut. There
is also no local body fit to be intrusted with the edu-
cation of the district, for the municipal bodies are
hardly yet capable of taking over schools. There was
also a fear amongst the Hindus that if the Govern-
ment closed its schools the missionaries would gain
an advantage, since they were already in the field.
The private native schools are not yet endowed or
generally started. There was a general consensus of
opinion that primary village vernacular schools should
be multiplied, and that masters and mistresses should
be trained for them. There seemed to be a general
wish that Government should gradually withdraw from
giving any education in its own schools, and should
rather confine itself to inspecting. But several said
that the time for this had hardly come. Probably
with the spread of local self-government this will be
gradually effected.

After these rather dry educational questions, it may
be interesting to say something about the schools
themselves. I had the good fortune to see nearly all
the schools in Poona, from the Bishop's high school
for English boys down to small orphanages for native
infants. I will only mention a few, which had some
special points of interest. There was first the Victoria
School, which is one of the most interesting in Poona.
It is kept by Mr. and Mrs. Surabji and their daughters.
He was a Parsee, but was converted to Christianity
and ordained a deacon. Mrs. Surabji was a Hindu
by birth. Their daughters were helping them, and
one had been in England and had been trained at
Wantage. The school is specially interesting as one
in which natives, and English, and Eurasians, are
educated together. Even Hindu girls w^ho are married
come to the school. One to whom we spoke was the
girl-wife of a man in the service of the Gaekwar of
Baroda, and wore the native dress, nose-ring, ear-

SCHOOLS. 19

rings, and all complete. They had also Moham-
medans, Parsees, and Jews, so all sorts and races were
there. The wonderful thing is that Hindu girls attend
the school. Only a few at present, but still it is a
beginning. The children sang Kindergarten songs
and were drilled just like a good English school, and
we were told that they had done very well in the
Government examination. It is one of the first at-
tempts at native female education under English
forms, with native teachers. Christianity is taught,
but the heathen children are not made to answer,
though they are present at the lesson given to the
Christian children.

Another interesting experiment was the Government
training college for native mistresses. It is kept by
Mrs. Mitchell, the widow of a missionary, who has a
perfect knowledge of Marhattee. It is entirely secular,
and is an attempt to train natives, who are widows or
married women, as teachers of native village schools.
The young women seemed intelligent and well taught.
We saw some beautiful map drawing, and they recited
Marhattee poetry.

The largest school I saw was the Government native
high school, which was in the centre of the native city,
and was accommodated in an old palace of the Peshwas,
with carved wooden pillars and ceilings in the rooms,
which are built round a quadrangle, and with narrow
stair-cases in the thickness of the walls. The first
class was preparing for matriculation, and read a piece
of Thackeray, and recited from Shakspeare. The
teaching seemed good, but the attempt to learn every-
thing seemed to lead to a superficial knowledge and a
disposition to rely on primers and condensed abstracts,
rather than fuller works. The English spoken was
good, grammatical, and well pronounced, and the
meaning of English idioms was well explained. This
class had lately acted The Merchant of Venice^ and
we asked " Portia," who was a married man about
nineteen years old, to give us " The quality of mercy.

20 A parson's holiday.

&c," which he did with great effect and considerable
dramatic power.

I received an invitation from Mr. Kunte, master of
the high school, to be present at the breaking up of
the school for the Diwali holidays, which I gladly
accepted. We arrived about eight o'clock in the
morning, and found the whole school assembled, but
my brother and I were the only Europeans present.
Mr. Kunte received us very cordially, speaking capital
English, and full of educational theories, which he was
ready to discuss. We had a little talk about the
necessity of physical as well as mental training for
boys, and we asked about the games his lads played.
So he showed us some native gymnastics. The boys
stripped naked, except a small waist cloth; their limbs
looked hard, muscles well developed, and they were as
supple as Greeks. They did some wonderful feats on
a vertical pole, swinging themselves round it with their
heads downwards, and returning on to their feet with
great quickness. Then they showed us some wrest-
ling, which is a great national game amongst the
Marhattas. They had a sunk sanded arena, into
which two equally matched boys jumped. They
fenced a little before they grappled, and challenged
each other by clapping their own shoulders with re-
sounding thwacks. When they caught hold, the
object of each was to turn his opponent on to his
back, but it was not considered a fair fall unless both
shoulders touched the ground. All sorts of dodges
were allowed ; there seemed to be no rules as to
holding on to any special part of the body, but they
fell, and clung, and twisted, and writhed together as
quick, and supple, and agile, and slippery, as possible.
Both were panting with the exertion, each trying to
gain some hold or advantage, till one was conquered.
We saw several pairs thus wrestle, and it gave us
a good idea of the physical training given at the
school. Then came the English lecture with which the
headmaster always closed the term, and for which we

BREAKING-UP DAY 21

were given the chief seats ; it was prefaced by a
few words of welcome and compHment to us for at-
tending. The title of it was " Machinism," which the
lecturer said was an American word. It was very
fluent and well expressed. It was intended to answer
the question why Englishmen were superior to
Hindus. Machinery was specially dwelt upon as the
distinguishing point of difference. Yet the lecturer
showed that all machines were invented and worked
by human means ; that Hindus were as capable as
Englishmen of inventing and working ; that though
natural advantages as coal and iron were wanting, yet
that much could be done by simpler materials and
hand labour. He explained how force was generated,
increased, transformed, and applied, and he encouraged
them all not to be afraid of machinery, but to educate
themselves to use and invent it. He did not want his
pupils to become only Government officials, but to
learn to earn an independent livelihood. There was a
strong vein of nationalism and patriotism running
through his speech, and also a good moral tone; he
specially enforced on them the necessity of truthfulness.
At the end of the lecture I said a few words of compli-
ment, and then cheers were given for him and for me
and we came away. He gave me an English book
he had written called The Vicissitudes of Aryan
Civilization in India, and we parted with more pretty
speeches. It was altogether a most interesting morn-
ing, and he was evidently pleased at Englishmen
coming to hear him.

This was nearly my last day at Poona, and I was
preparing to start for Rajputana and the North-West
Provinces. It had been a capital place to begin the
study of modern Indian life, for all classes both of
European and native people could there be met. One
could see how the two races refused to amalgamate,
and yet interacted one on the other. The hope of the
future seemed to lie in the spread of Western learning,
which would supply what was lacking to the Hindu

22 A PARSON S HOLIDAY.

character. As one English-speaking native said to me,
" If the English were driven out of India to-morrow,
I would light sword-in-hand for the retention of the
English lani^uacre." He felt that this was the bond
which united his race to Western Aryans, and that
through English literature his countrymen must gain a
higher civilization and a purer morality. All honour then
to those, whether missionaries, administrators, or educa-
tionalists, who are encouraging the spread of Western
learning. We may sometimes be offended by the
superficial knowledge and crude ideas of the English-
speaking Babu. He may disgust our feelings and
shock our taste. He may need to have his faults
corrected, and to learn humility, and reticence, and
self-control. But with him is bound up the future
of India, and his class contains the true elements of
progress.

KARLI CAVE. 23

Chapter II.

I LEFT Poona on November 6th, 1882, for Rajputana
and the North-West. On my way back to Bombay I
stopped at KarH station, and walked three miles from
there to the famous cave. The walk itself in the
early morning was pleasant, and we saw something of
agricultural life. The soil seemed rich, and the rice
crop was just ripe. In some places the fields were
being ploughed, and we noticed how the ploughman

" Planted both feet upon the leaping share
To make the furrow deep."

Bullocks were chiefly used to drag the plough, but some-
times they harnessed the great water buffaloes, who
looked savage and ill-tempered. The rice crops were
partly injured by locusts, and as we passed through
the fields great flights of these insects rose on all sides
of us. Their bodies were like grasshoppers, and they
had four thin gauzy wings like those of a dragon-fly. We
had a steep climb up the side of a hill, and then found
ourselves opposite a perpendicular face of rock, in
which the great cave had been excavated. This cave
had been cut out in Buddhistic times. The date as-
signed to it is A.D. 85, when this style was in its greatest
purity, and it is considered one of the finest specimens
of the rock hewn temples in India. The general plan
of the interior reminded one of a Christian church, only
every part was hewn out of the living rock instead of
being built up of stone. First there was a richly carved
screen, full of figures of men and animals. Entering
through this, one found oneself in a long nave, with a
row of pillars on either side, supporting a semicircular
roof made with wooden rafters, like the ribs of a ship.
The pillars are set near together, and are richly carved.
The deep shadows between them give a mysterious
gloom to the side aisles, and an appearance of depth

24 A PARSON'S HOLIDAY.

which is misleading, as the wall of the natural rock
lies close behind the pillars. The whole length of the
cave is more than loo feet, and the height about 40
feet. It ends in a semicircular apse, and the pillars
are carried round the entire circuit of the walls. At
the far end is the shrine, but there is no image or other
representation of a god. Only a great circular dome-
shaped boss of rock, rising more than half-way up to
the roof, perfectly smooth and accurately rounded,
which originally supported a wooden umbrella, which
was the sign of power, and the only symbol of the
Divinity permitted in Buddhistic buildings. The only
window is one placed high up in the entrance screen,
and thus all the light which enters the temple falls on
the shrine, while other parts are left in comparative
gloom. Evidently the designer of this cave was a
master of effect, and understood how to use shadow,
and how to concentrate his light on the most important
part of his building. These cave temples are found in
various parts of the Bombay Presidency, and in Behar
and Cuttack in Bengal. No doubt the natural features
of the country determined the districts where this
mode of excavation should be employed. It could only
be practicable where there existed perpendicular faces
of rock of sufficient smoothness and homogeneity to en-
able the sculptured pillars and figures to be left intact.
Any flaw or fault in the rock would spoil the effect of
the general design. It is not therefore surprising that
these caves are only found in certain parts of India.
It has been calculated that it would be less laborious
to carve out such a temple than to build one of similar
size and of the same material. The labour of removing
the tons of rock and leaving the pillars intact would be
less toilsome and difficult than the rearing up of these
enormous masses and vaulting them over with arched
stone roofing. Therefore while we wonder at the skill
of these ancient excavators, we may also recognize the
fact that they discovered the easiest as well as the
most effective way of accomplishing their purpose.

RAILWAY TRAVELLING. 25

They could never have succeeded In arching over such
large spaces with stone, but by using, and enlarging,
and embellishing natural caves they succeeded in over-
coming all difficulties, and thus left enduring monu-
ments of their skill almost indestructible by time. We
walked back from the cave to Karli station, and there
took the train to Bombay, and on that same evening I
left by the mail train for Baroda. The distance is 247
miles, and I arrived about 4 a.m.

Railway travelling in India presents some special
features of interest to the English passenger. The
carriages are built with double roofs, and overhanging
eaves, so that the passengers are protected from the
fierce heat of the sun. There are four classes on most
Indian lines. The first-class carriages are occupied
chleliy by the covenanted civilians, ladies, and the richer
native gentry. In the second-class carriages one finds
the younger civilians, policemen, railway officials, and
Eurasians ; besides native merchants, babus, Parsees
and others. The intermediate class (between the
second and the third) is used by the poorest English-
men. While the cheapest class of all is almost solely
used by natives. These form the majority of the pas-
sengers. There will be four times as many third class
carriages in a train as any other, and every carriage
will be quite full. The third-class fares are very low,
and the natives have taken very willingly to this mode
of conveyance. Pilgrimages are now performed by
means of the railway, and when any great feast, or
holiday, or sacred anniversary is at hand, special trains
have to be run to accommodate the crowds of pas-
sengers. Every platform is filled with travellers, the
ground outside the station is covered with prostrate
forms rolled up in rugs, sleeping on the bare earth,
waiting for the train to start, and the noise and con-
fusion is appalling. Even on an ordinary day the
number of native passengers is very surprising. They
do not carry much luggage, generally only a small
bundle. The women are loaded with Dangles, having

D

26 A parson's holiday.

apparently disposed all their jewelry about their per-
sons. And the black-eyed children cling round their
mothers, sitting astride on their hips. The station-
masters are generally natives, while the guards and
engine-drivers are Eurasians. The latter are clothed
in white uniforms and wear "sola topees," or pith hats.
At every station there are two bhistis, or water carriers,
who serve out water gratis to all who ask for it. One
of these is a Hindu, and the other is a Mohammedan,
and each serves the passengers of his owm faith.
The Hindu water carrier is aWays chosen from a high
caste, as it would be pollution for a high-caste native
to accept water from a low-caste water carrier. The
cry of " pani, pani " (water, water) is the first thing
one notices at the wayside stations. There are also
sellers of bananas, cocoa-nuts, sweetmeats, bread, and
rice, who pass up and down the platforms crying their
wares. The wants of the Europeans are also well at-
tended to, and the trains stop sufhciently long to allow
time for meals, while the guard telegraphs on to inform
the butler at the next refreshment room how many
passengers require breakfast or dinner. The meals are
good, and the charges are not excessive. The car-
riages are well arranged for night travelling, as the
seats are easily converted into shelves or bunks, on
which one can lie at full length. There is a lavatory
attached to each carriage, where one can wash and
brush up, and the guards do not wake one up when
asleep with a demand for tickets. The lines are ter-
ribly dusty, and one arrives covered with grit, and
coal dust, and sand. Fortunately a bath is always
quickly ready, and after washing one is more pre-
sentable. The hospitality of Indian residents is pro-
verbial, and though now hotels are more common, and
there is not the same necessity for taking in the casual
traveller, yet still their kindness is excessive. I have
a great debt of kindness to acknowledge, and I cannot
sufificiently express my gratitude to those who laid them-
selves out to make my Indian tour pleasant. Indian

STATION LIFE.

27

houses seemed to be elastic, and there was ahvays room
made somehow for one person more. If the house was
full, a tent was pitched in the compound, and one slept
under canvas. This was most luxurious, as the fur-
niture of an Indian tent would bear comparison with
many an English bedroom. There was a thick carpet
on the floor, the bed was covered with a bright red
rezai, there was a pretty dressing table decked with
flowers, and lit with wax candles, a bath tent was
attached with plenty of water carried in by the at-
tendant bhisti, and outside there marched a sentinel
to watch over one's slumbers. The nights at this time
of the year (November) were delightfully cool, and I
was never visited by snake or scorpion. I was always
glad when I heard that my friends had arranged a tent
for me. It did not seem a matter for apology, but
rather for congratulation. The being awakened in the
early morning by the song of birds, the first glimmer
of dawn through the tent door, the sounds of drawing
water at the well, the early cup of tea brought in by
the bearer, and the morning walk before breakfast, are
all pleasurable memories. Later on in the day it was
unwise to go out, and from eleven o'clock till four one
stopped indoors, and read and wrote. But after after-
noon tea a drive or a walk, a game of tennis or a spell
of sightseeing became possible. The English com-
munity in India at the smaller stations is obliged to be
friendly. They are necessarily so much thrown to-
gether, that they cannot be distant or haughty. They
try to discover each other's good points and to ignore
as far as possible any faults which may exist. They
are either great friends or else deadly enemies, and it
is not often that the latter state is reached. The chief
difficulty is occupation for the English ladies, as the
heat prevents out-of-door work of all kinds. The less
educated become gossipy and foolish, caring much for
admiration, and spending much time in dressing and
visiting. But in most stations there are now good
libraries, the magazines and newspapers arrive each

28 A parson's holiday.

week from England, and it is possible for anyone in
India to keep himself abreast of English thought, and
to be as cultured and well educated as anyone living
in the centre of intellectual life at home.

My stay at Baroda was made pleasant for me
through the kindness of the Resident. The State of
Baroda is one of those feudatory states which is
governed by a native Prince, with the help and ad-
vice of an English Resident, who is appointed by the
Viceroy. The Resident does not interfere in the in-
ternal government of the state, unless he notices any
grave abuses. He is always ready to advise the native
ruler, and he has the power of exercising a control
over the foreign relationships of the state. The power
of life and death is exercised by the native Prince,
though the Resident would forbid any extreme act of
injustice. Thus the position of a Resident at a native
court is one of great responsibility and delicacy. He
has to make friends with the ruler, and yet to keep
himself free from all palace intrigues. He has to exer-
cise a wise oversight, and yet to avoid all fussy inter-
ference. He has to know when it is needful to speak,
but he does not continually meddle with the small de-
tails of internal government. He is in the State, yet not
of it, and behind him there is known to be the whole
power of the British Empire, though this fact is not
flaunted in the face of the native ruler. He must be
careful not to offend any native susceptibilities, and
he tries to occupy the position of a friendly helper
rather than that of a powerful intruder. He makes his
favourable opinion a matter to be desired, while his dis-
pleasure is proportionately feared. He is able to show
his feelings on any subject by his tone and manner,
while keeping in reserve the more distinct expressions
of praise or blame. He studies to win by every means
in his power the confidence of the ruler to whose
court he is attached, and yet retains his own inde-
pendence of life, so that he can at any time interfere
if occasion requires. In the majority of cases years

BARODA. 29

may elapse without there being any call for the exercise
of a Resident's veto, but we need strong men at these
posts, who will be able to act with firmness if an emer-
gency should arise. In 1874 such an emergency arose
in Baroda. An attempt was made to poison the then
Resident, and the reigning Prince (here called the
Gaekwar), Mulhar Rao, was accused of being privy to
the crime. He was put on his trial before a commis-
sion consisting of three European and three native
gentlemen, and the charge was considered sufficiently
proved to call for his deposition. He was therefore
removed from the throne, and banished from his
dominions. But the English Government refrained
from annexing the state, and allowed the widow of
Khundar Rao, the preceding Gaekwar, to adopt an
heir to the throne, as she had no children of her own.
Khundar Rao was the elder brother of Mulhar Rao,
and Mulhar was suspected of poisoning him in order to
obtain the throne. While the present Gaekwar was
a minor the state was governed by a native prime
minister. An English tutor was appointed to the
young Gaekwar, who has thus been educated in
English manners. He was placed on the throne a few
years ago, and so far he has proved an excellent
Prince. Courteous, industrious, upright and ener-
getic. His Highness tries hard to do his duty to-
wards his subjects, and is praised by all who know
him. He plays lawn tennis, and will mix in English
society, though his caste prevents him from eating
with Europeans. He has married a daughter of the
Rajah of Tanjore, and still reads English with his
tutor, though he is now no longer in statu piipillari.
The extent of his territory is about 4400 square miles,
and the total population over two millions. He has
founded a college, where his subjects are well educated,
and he is building a large new palace. The city of
Baroda is thoroughly native, the streets being very
narrow and crowded with people. The Gaekwar pos-
sesses some curious gold and silver cannon, and these

30 A parson's holiday.

when used are dragged by great bullocks, the breed in
this part of India being specially fine, of a pale buff
colour, and with long slender horns. But the most
curious survival of bygone days is the great sanded
arena where wild beasts are set to fight for the amuse-
ment of the spectators. Elephants and tigers, rhino-
ceroses and rams, are matched against each other, and
the scene is said to be exciting, though somewhat cruel.
The arena is a large rectangular area about 80 yards
long by 40 wide, and numbers of English come from
Bombay to see the sight, when the beasts are brought
out to make sport (?) for the crowd, l^aroda is, I
believe, the only native court w^here this custom sur-
vives, and it might perhaps be more honoured in the
breach than in the observance.

From Baroda I went north by the Rajputana-Malwa
line to Ajmere, which is 367 miles by rail from Baroda,
and the capital of a British province, some 50 miles
square, which lies in the centre of the Rajput states.
These states acknowledged our power as paramount
in 1818, and are now feudatory to the British Govern-
ment. Their position is peculiar in many ways, and
Sir A. Lyall has written an essay on their sociology
in his Asiatic Studies. The Rajputs are supposed
to have descended from a Scythian people, who
invaded India about 57 B.C., but they soon adopted
the Hindu religion. At one time they reigned over
nearly the whole of Northern India, but they were
driven out by the advance of the Mohammedan power.
To escape from these fierce invaders, the Rajputs
occupied the deserted plains and hill forts of the dis-
trict now called Rajputana. Clan by clan they set up
for themselves, and refused to bow their necks beneath
the yoke of the Moguls. The natural difficulties of the
country helped them to retain their independence,
and even the most victorious of the Delhi emperors
were disinclined to attack these obstinate hiijhlanders.
The siege of one of their hill forts was a difficult
enterprise, and a victory was sometimes hardly more

THE RAJPUT CLANS. 3 I

satisfactory than a defeat. For there are instances
mentioned that when the Rajput garrison was finally
forced to surrender, they clothed themselves in
saffron garments, and drunk with the blood of their
women, who had immolated themselves rather than be
touched by rude hands, they set their fort on fire
and then charged down sword in hand on their be-
siegers. There was no honour or glory to be obtained
by attacking a people who might act like this. The
Emperor Akbar tried to conciliate the clans, and inter-
married with some of them, but the oldest families still
boast that no daughter of their house was ever sent
into the harem of the great Mogul. The Rajput clans
were formed after the manner of swarms of bees.
When the ancestral halls became too strait for the
numerous scions of the house, one would go forth with
a following of relations and would carve a new home
for himself out of' the lands occupied by aboriginal
tribes, and build himself a fort which would become
the capital of a new state. All the blood relations of
the chief would claim a voice in the government of the
state. He would be primus inter pares, but they had
to be consulted, and their blood was as blue as his.
They might even depose him, and appoint another
member of the family to be the chief. This original
constitution has been modified by time, and since we
have overruled the states, the internal government by
the whole clan has been superseded. We have recog-
nized the chief of the clan as the reigning Prince, and
we have called the other members of the clan his
nobles. But originally the constitution was less des-
potic, and the whole clan claimed to have a voice in
the government of the state. The whole of Rajputana
is thus subdivided amongst several clans, varying in
numbers, and in extent of territory. Before the English
Government established a permanent peace, these
clans were constantly fighting amongst each other,
and the retainers of different chieftains could hardly
meet without bloodshed. Even now there are inter-

32 A parson's holiday.

tribal jealousies, which render Durbars, and other
state ceremonials, very difficult matters ; for the ques-
tion of precedence of one chieftain over the other is
debated as fiercely as it used to be oi old in the
Scottish Highlands.

The peculiar constitution of the Rajput states has
led the British Government to try an experiment for
the higher education of the young nobles of these an-
cient houses. Mayo College, which is to be the Eton
of India, has been established just outside the town of
Ajmere. Each state in Rajputana is allowed to build a
house for its own boys. So in a park near the town
there stand a number of detached houses, of different
styles yet all most beautifully built, each capable of
holding from lo to 20 boys. The lads come at any
age from 7 to 18, but no one is admitted unless he
belongs to a family whose chief would have a right to
a seat in the Viceroy's Durbar. Their physical edu-
cation is specially attended to, they are obliged to
keep horses, and are taught to ride, and they play at
cricket and lawn tennis. They are bound to learn
English and Urdu, as these are the two languages of
polite intercourse, but the whole object of their training
is to make them gentlemen rather than scholars. There
are now about 50 boys in the school, and the Principal
is helped by two English masters, besides numerous
pundits. The diflficulty is to prevent jealousies between
scions of different houses and whilom hostile dynasties,
and to cut down the retinue which these lads desire to
bring with them. Each boy has a separate study, which
he is allowed to decorate as he pleases with photographs
and pictures. They seemed pleased to show their
rooms, and were pleasant spoken, bright faced, clean-
looking lads. The discipline seemed excellent. No
boy is allowed outside the bounds of the park without
leave, and there is a resident care-taker in each house,
who is responsible to the Principal for its internal
economy. No attempt is made to alter their religion,
and an offer lately made by a private individual to build

ADJMERE. 33

a temple for their use has been accepted. The central
building, which is to contain class rooms and lecture
halls, is not yet finished. It is being most beautifully
built of different coloured marbles, which are found in
quarries in the neighbourhood, and the central hall,
when finished, will be one of the handsomest rooms in
India. The boys trained here are likely to do well.
One of the old scholars is the present Rajah of Ulwar,
who is highly spoken of, and as time goes on more of
the lads will be reigning princes. Certainly the edu-
cation they are receiving here is far superior to the
old harem training, which was all that they formerly
received, and Mayo College is likely to prove its use-
fulness in every one of the Rajput states.

The town of Ajmere is well worth a visit. It stands
in a valley encircled by hills, and has its walls and
flanking towers still standing. The hill above the
town is crowned by a fort, said to have been built by
the Emperor Akbar. One side of the town is bounded
by a beautiful lake, about five miles in circumference,
along the banks of which rise marble palaces and open
loggias, with pillared balconies overhanging the water,
the waves of which lap with a cool and pleasant sound
against the white walls of these luxurious residences.
It is in Ajmere that one first begins to realize the
greatness of the Mogul Emperors, whose magnificent
architectural triumphs are the wonder of Delhi and
Agra. For in Ajmere they had their summer resi-
dences, and occupied these palaces on the borders of
the lake, when the heat became too great to remain in
the capital. This also accounts for the strong way
in which Ajmere was fortified, for it lay in the midst
of the hostile Rajput states, and was ever liable to
attack. Here we see remains of the way in which
these Mohammedan rulers strove to change the reli-
gion of their Hindu subjects. In the midst of Ajmere
there rises the Durgah, a marble mosque, built over
the silver shrine of a Mohammedan saint, who came
to Ajmere in 1235 A.U., and which is considered so

E

34 A parson's holiday.

sacred that all men (including Europeans) have to
remove their boots before entering in at the gate.
But the most interesting building is just outside the
walls of the town. Passing through one of the nume-
rous fortified gates, and ascending the slope of the
Taragarh hill, one comes to the Arhai-din-ka-Jhonpra
mosque, so called because it was said to have been
built in two-and-a-half days or arhai-din. Here origi-
nally stood an old Jain temple, built some 1800 years
ago. The Jains were a religious sect, who started con-
temporaneously with the Buddhists, and held similar
doctrines. The movement was one in opposition to
caste distinctions and the power of the Brahmins.
When the Mohammedan conqueror saw this building,
he desired that it should be made fit for him to wor-
ship in. So he ordered a splendid fa9ade to be erected
in front of the old temple, and this according to the
legend was done in two-and-a-half days. Probably
that was the time taken by the Mohammedans to de-
face and destroy the images of gods and saints to
which they objected. Both the Jain and the Moham-
medan work are splendid specimens of their respective
styles. The Jain temple consists of some 40 columns
tall and slender ; each set of four columns supports a
roof made of concentric circles of stone, and these
all joined together make a rich and gorgeous canopy.
For every edge and fringe of stone is carved with rich
patterns and interlaced designs, every pillar is covered
with carving, no two being alike, and the figures and
ornamentation exist in the richest profusion. The
Mohammedan architects, who added a gateway to
this temple, have vied with the older builders. Their
fa9ade consists of a front of five Saracenic arches,
placed as an entrance to the temple, and round each
tall arch there are cut Arabic texts from the Koran,
superimposed on an underlying lacework pattern in
stone, which covers every part of the surface of the
facade with ornament. It is the richest piece of
stonework carving I have seen,, and the conjunction

THE EURASIAN. 35

of the two Styles in one building adds greatly to the
interest of the place.

Ajmere is the head-quarters of the Rajputana State
Railway. This has caused a number of railway officials
to live there, and several workshops have been opened.
These give employment to a number of Eurasians,
who act as guards and engine-drivers, engineers and
fitters. The springing up of this colony has caused
the question of church accommodation and the need
of a railway chaplain to come to the front. All over
India, since the starting of railways, this question has
called for solution. In the old days, if the troops and
the covenanted civilians were provided with chaplains
and churches, the needs of the European population
were sufficiently met. But now in all parts of India
there are numbers of Englishmen who have come out
as planters or merchants, and are unattached to any
branch of the Government service There are also a
number of English artizans in the Government employ;
besides a constantly increasing body of Eurasians, the
offspring of English fathers and native mothers. It is
impossible to ignore the spiritual or temporal needs
of this mixed race. For a long time they were over-
looked by the Government chaplains, and did not come
into the purview of the missionary. And being thus
neglected, and feeling that they were despised by
both natives and Europeans, what wonder if some
of them did not bear the highest characters. A
common saying was that the Eurasian had the faults
of both races and the virtues of neither, and hearing
himself thus described, he sometimes did his best
to justify this bad opinion. With the spread of rail-
way w^orks a new profession has been thrown open
to him. He makes an admirable guard and engine-
driver, as his mixed blood enables him to stand the
heat of the climate, while his English parentage gives
him more decision and presence of mind in the hour of
danger than is possessed by the native of India. And
also, since he has thus become a most useful member

^6 A parson's holiday.

of the community, his spiritual needs have been more
considered. Raihvay churches and raihvay chaplains
are now established in all centres of population, and
the Eurasian can no longer say "' that no man cares-
for his soul." Everyone must rejoice that the Church
has thus awoke to the duty she owes to this large
section of her members.

From Ajmere I went by train to Jeypore, 84 miles-
further to the northward. This city is the capital of
the native state of that name, and is said to be the
best managed city under native rule in India. The
early history of the state is mixed up with that of
Delhi. It was conquered by the Mogul emperors,
but regained its independence when the empire began
to decline^ in the beginning of the i8th century. The
present capital owes much of its beauty to the late
Maharajah, who was a very enlightened and well-
educated Prince. The town compares favourably with
many of those which are under direct British rule.
The streets are wide and well paved, lighted with gas-
(which is a great rarity in India), and the houses are
built in regular lines. The majority are stuccoed over,
and painted a strawberry-cream colour, with designs
in white paint. The whole city is surrounded by a
wall, 20 feet high and 9 feet thick, and the neigh-
bouring hills are crowned with forts, which look almost
inaccessible. But the late Maharajah did not only
care for the defence of his capital ; he also studied to
improve it in every way. He founded hospitals, built
schools, opened a museum, laid out public gardens,
and started a school of art for the improvement of
native manufactures. Jeypore is famous for its inlaid
arms and shields, its beautiful enamel, only workable
on a foundation of the purest gold, and its work in
precious stones. All these industries were fostered by
this enlightened Prince, whose loss was deplored by all
who knew him. He had no children, and the present
Maharajah was his adopted son. Unfortunately this-
adoption did not take place till near the end of the late

JF.YPORE. 37

Prince's life, as like many other sovereigns he was
somewhat jealous of his successor. The present Maha-
rajah being thus kept in ignorance of the fate in store
for him, received no education, and was raised from a
condition of great poverty to the state cushion. He is,
however, willing to listen to the advice of the English
Resident at his Court, and he may yet do well. He
reigns over two-and-a-half millions of people, his ter-
ritory consists of 13,000 square miles, and there are
800 nobles of his clan, who look on him as primus
inter pares.

I was curious to see how such a man lived, and
I was therefore anxious to see the inside of the
Palace. The Court was in mourning on account
of the death of the widow of the late Maharajah, so
there was no chance of an interview with his Highness.
For until the funeral rites were fulfilled, he, as chief
mourner, was forced to sit and sleep on the ground,
and etiquette forbade him to receive any visitors.
He might neither eat sweets nor drink wine, but
was obliged to pass the time in seclusion and
fasting. But through the kindness of one of the
English officials I was shown something cf the interior
of the Palace, and thus got a glimpse of native court
life. The Palace buildings cover one-seventh of the
whole area of the city, and are surrounded by a
high wall. Within this wall resides the Maharajah's
household. There are streets of houses occupied by
numerous retainers, guard-rooms and stables, armouries
and barracks, and in the centre of all, in the midst
of a great court-yard, there rises a pyramidal pile
of buildings, many storied, of irregular outline and
no particular design, which is the residence of the
Maharajah himself. Round the doors of this building
and in all the courts and passages there lounged troops
of servants, quantities of idle soldiers, every sort and
description of household retainer. It reminded one of
a great castle in the Middle Ages, when a nobleman's
retinue numbered hundreds of lances and the house-

38 A parson's holiday.

hold consisted of scores of servants. We passed at
first through lew passages into great halls of audience,
where the Maharajah could receive numbers of his
subjects. The handsomest of these, called the Dewan-
i-Khas, was built entirely of white marble. Above on
the higher stories there were the more private re-
ception rooms, gorgeously decorated with glass and
ormolu. On every side there was a lavish display of
large mirrors, painted ceilings, old carpets, and deco-
rated walls. The taste was often rather barbaric, the
brightest colours were most appreciated, and there was
often an incongruity visible in the internal decorations.
But the amount of money lavished on the furniture
and decoration of the building was beyond my compu-
tation. As we ascended higher, we reached at last
a fiat terrace roof overlooking the gardens of the
palace, where there was an open pavilion, giving most
extensive views. Behind there was the Zenana, with
the private apartments, enclosed by high walls, which
could not be overlooked. We were shown the armoury,
with a splendid collection of inlaid arms, and a choice
assortment of hookahs with wondrous mouthpieces and
richly wrought bowls. There was a library also with
old illuminated manuscripts full of pictures and rich
with gorgeous borders ; they were chiefly Persian
poems and ancient chronicles. There were hardly
any staircases in the building, but long inclined pas-
sages in the thickness of the walls led from one storey
to another. The reason of this is that the Maharajah
likes to be carried everywhere in a sedan chair : they
say he is growing fat for want of exercise, and is in-
clined to be lazy. As we descended, we were followed
by troops of curious domestics, but were everywhere
courteously received, and shown all the wonders of
the place. It gave one some insight into the private
life of a native ruler. One understood better what
was meant bv "palace intrigues," "harem influences,"
"jealousy of successors," and other terms, which make
up the history of many an Eastern state. In such a

A MAHARAJAH'S PALACE. 39

palace as this, which was hke a town within a town,
there would be room for secret crimes, family quar-
rels, opposing parties, and rebellious conspiracies.
Dynasties might be overthrown, a favourite officer, or
a scheming widow, might buy the support of the army,
and the unwitting inhabitants of the city or state
might suddenly find themselves under a new ruler.
All such schemes and plots are impossible now, since
the British power has become paramount. These in-
dependent princes are no longer capable of rebellion,
neither can their rule be overthrown by palace in-
trigues. The interior of such a palace is no longer
a hotbed of mischief, where villainous schemes are
brought to maturity. But the atmosphere of the place
helped one to realize what used to happen in bygone
days, and it was well worth seeing in order that one's
historical sense might be enlightened.

We made a most interesting expedition to the old
town of Ambir, which is about six miles from Jeypore.
This city was finally deserted about 60 years ago,
because the surrounding hills prevented its expansion.
It was a strongly fortified city, and a most suitable
site for the capital of the state in ancient days, but it
did not prove as satisfactory for modern needs and
more peaceful times. Therefore the new town of
Jeypore was founded, and the old capital was de-
serted. We drove along a well metalled road through
an open country, until we came to the foot of a hill,
where the carriage stopped, The ascent was too steep
for our horses, so we exchanged our conveyance for
the back of an elephant. This creature took us the
rest of the way, which was about one-and-a-half miles
"more. He was slow and uncomfortable, and one was
not sorry when the ride came to an end. The way an
elephant walks is by moving his two legs on the same
side together, and this communicates a see-saw motion
to the riders, which is rather like the pitching of a small
boat in a chopping sea. As his pace is about two-
and-a-half miles an hour, he is not an animal to be

40 A parson's holiday.

recommended for those who are in a hurry. However
an elephant is wonderfully sure-footed, and no other
animal could have carried us so safely up the paths
we had to go. The first ascent was not very steep,
but that carried us over the brow of the hill, which
enclosed the valley, in which Ambir is built. As we
descended the opposite slope, we had a beautiful view
of the whole spot. In the middle was a lake with a
island temple, and inhabited by sacred crocodiles.
All round this lake rise steep hills, which encircle it
in narrow bounds, except on the northern side where
there was a narrow defile, which was the only plain
entrance to this secluded valley. Half-way up the hill
on one side of the lake there rose the white walls of the
old palace, protected by watch-towers, and only to be
approached by a narrow winding path. And far above
that there is a strong fort, built on the highest hill top,
with steep scarped sides, and flanking walls, which
connected it with the palace. This must have been
the final resort of the clan, when the besiegers from
Delhi had taken all their other defences. Our elephant
carried us safely up the winding path, and through the
gates into the palace courtyard There we dismouted,
and were shown over the old halls and rooms, which
had once been the residence of the Maharajahs of
Jeypore. The marble carved work is most beautiful,
and in the Zenana quarters there is some pierced
screen stonework which is very rich. From the
highest battlements we looked sheer down on to the
lake below, from the shores of which the walls seemed
to rise almost perpendicularly. We could see the
dimensions of the whole valley, and could under-
stand how impossible it was for a large city to grow
up in these narrow limits, and how necessary it was to
transfer the capital to a more suitable site. Still it
will be a great pity if Ambir is ever allowed to fall
into ruins, for its picturesque position must be ad-
mired by all who see it.

This finished my glimpse at the feudatory states,

THE FEUDATORY STATES. 41

and from Jeypore I travelled on to Delhi. But I had
got some idea of the curious position in which these
native princes stand to the paramount power. They
are supreme in their own dominions, yet are over-
shadowed by the British Resident. They are prevented
from foreign aggression, yet have full liberty of action
within the limits of their states. Nearly two-fifths of
the total area of India is within the borders of the
native states. The area of feudatory India is 604,590
square miles, while that of British India is 880,098
square miles. But the population in the native states
is only 54 millions, while that in British India is 186
millions. Thus the numbers to the square mile living
in the territory we administer are nearly three times
as many as those living in native states. This
arises partly from the fact that we possess the most
fertile portions of India, and partly from the greater
security enjoyed under our rule. The provinces most
recently annexed by us {e. g., Burma) have increased
greatly in population since our rule was established.
This seems to disprove the opinion, often expressed,
that the natives of India prefer a native ruler, and
dislike the British system. Certainly statistics seem
to prove the opposite, as they show that the mass of
the population crowd within our borders, w^hile the
native states are under populated. Dr. W. W. Hunter,
in his Indian Empire^ expects that, as we enforce
good government under the native chiefs of India,
there will be a gradual movement of the people into
the feudatory states. This will be a satisfactory result,
(although some English officials may regard the migra-
tion with pain) ; as the population requires to be more
equally distributed and relief given to the congested
districts. Certainly not the least benefit the British
rule has brought to India is the good government
exercised not only in British territory, but also in
native states, under native rulers, advised by English
Residents.

42 A parson's holiday.

Chapter III.

From Jeypore to Delhi the raihvay runs through a
thinly populated country, the soil being covered with
thickets of pampas grass, and peacocks may be seen
in the jungle. The villages become more numerous as
Delhi itself is approached. That city is interesting in
many ways. Founded originally by Hindus, it has
been besieged and taken by the successive invaders
of India, for several centuries it was the capital of
the Mohammedan Empire, and its name will ever be
associated with Mutiny reminiscences. Thus, as in
Rome, one is continually passing from mediaeval
history to modern events ; ancient mosques attract
one's attention side by side with the spot where the
city gate was blown open and Nicholson fell. The
British soldier keeps guard in the fort which the great
Mogul erected, and memories of far distant times
jostle for recognition with stories of the Empress
Durbar in 1877. Thus it is difficult to prevent one-
self from being bewildered with the diversity of the
sights clamouring for attention. But the main in-
terest of Delhi clusters round the great names of the
Mogul Emperors, and a short history of these may
fitly preface the description of their capital. The
first Mohammedan invaders of India were Turkis and
Afghans, but these early invaders only established
themselves in the Punjab, and their capital city was
Ghazni, within the borders of Afghanistan. The Mo-
hammedan generals, who acted as provincial rulers in
India, gradually made themselves independent, and in
1206 Kutub-ud-din, an Indian Viceroy, who had origi-
nally been a Turki slave, seized the supreme power
and settled in the old city of Delhi, where he built
the Minar, which still bears his name. He was the

THE MOGUL EMPIRE. 43

first of the resident Mohammedan sovereigns of India,
About 1300 A.D. wc first hear of invasions by the
Moguls, who were a Tartar tribe Hving in Central
Asia. The great Mogul invasion was in 1398, when
Timur (Tamerlane) swept through the Afghan passes
at the head of the united hordes of Tartary, defeated
King Mahmud under the walls of Delhi,"* and finally
retired again into Central Asia, leaving no traces of his
power save desolate cities. After his invasion India
was divided among a number of local Mohammedan
kings and Hindu princes, and Delhi was no longer the
capital of an empire. But in 1526 there was a second
Mogul invasion, when Babar founded the dynasty
which reigned for three centuries at Delhi, and whose
last representative died a British state prisoner in
Rangoon in 1862. The greatest of these Mogul
emperors was Akbar, who reigned from 1556 to 1605,
and was therefore a contemporary of Queen Elizabeth.
His empire extended from Afghanistan across all India
to Orissa. He removed the capital from Delhi to
Agra and built Futtehpore Sikri. His great desire was
to conciliate all his subjects. His favourite wife was a
Rajput princess, and another is said to have been a
Christian. He received the Jesuit Fathers at his
Court, and his religion appears to have been of a very
eclectic character. Akbar was succeeded by Jehanghir,
who reigned from 1605 to 1627. And he in turn was
succeeded by his son Shah Jehan, who reigned till
1658. This emperor was the great architect of his
time, and it is his buildings which are the wonder and
delight of all travellers in India. The Taj Mahal, and
the Moti Musjid at Agra, arc perhaps the most beautiful
buildings in the world, while the palace at Delhi, and
the Jumma Musjid, are the great sights of that city.
Shah Jehan was succeeded by Aurangzeb, who reigned
from 1658 to 1707, but the greatness of the Mogul Em-
pire was then on the wane. The Hindus were beginning

*• Hunter's Indian Empire, p. Z30.

44 • A parson's holiday.

to rise against their oppressors, and the Marhatta power
was already formidable. The Rajputs were also in
constant revolt, and thus the great Empire was being
overthrown. The later history of the Moguls is one of
continual disaster, and steady decline. The Persians,
the Afghans, and the Marhattas, each in turn invaded
their dominions. The later emperors were mere pup-
pets in the hands of victorious generals or ambitious
statesmen. Gradually the English built up a new power
out of the wreck of the Mogul Empire ; the last de-
scendant of Akbar emerged for a moment as a rebel in
1857, ^^^ *^''^*^ ^s ^ state prisoner in Rangoon in 1862.
So passed away the great Mohammedan Empire in
India. Tt had begun to decline before the Marhatta
power prior to the advance of the English into Upper
India. It has left as its chief relics the magnifi-
cent buildings of Agra and Delhi, and a recollec-
tion of an Empire consisting of many provinces
and many religions, all subject to one paramount
power. That empire we have in one sense imitated,,
and it was a true instinct which led Lord Lytton
to choose Delhi as the place where the Queen
of England should be proclaimed Empress of India.
There on the historic " ridge," where the British army
had been encamped for three long months in 1857^
from whence the final assault had been delivered which
once more made us masters over India, there from a
spot overlooking the old capital of the Mogul Em-
perors, in a Durbar of unparalleled magnificence, at-
tended by feudatory princes, and with every sign and
token of power, the empire of the English was pro-
claimed. But it is to be hoped that we shall take
warning as well as example from those old Mogul Em-
perors lest we fall as they did. Their weakness arose
from the hatred with which they were regarded by
their subjects, and this hatred sprang from the in-
tolerant and cruel character of their rule. The Hindus
were despised and persecuted, and they at last rose
and shook off their oppressors. If all the Mogul Em-

THE MOMAMMRDANS OF INDIA. 45

perors had been as conciliatory and sympathetic as
Akbar, their rule might have lasted for a longer time.
But their subjects hated them, and when the oppor-
tunity offered they cast them off. We have to re-
member that we are in India for the good of the
natives, that our rule must be for their advantage, or
we have no right to remain. Thus and thus only, if
we reign in the hearts of the people, can we hope to
exist longer than that old Mogul Empire. There are
still more than forty millions of Mohammedans in
India. Some of these might be able to trace their
descent back to the first Mohammedan invaders. But
the majority would be descended from those who
changed their religion from fear or for gain when that
creed was professed by the Mogul Emperors. Many
of them have stood aloof and have refused to take
service under us. They have been less adaptive than
the Hindus, and have been less ready to qualify them-
selves for Government employment. They have been
less careful to educate their children in English learn-
ing, and have thus been outstripped by the nimbler-
minded Hindus, who have nearly monopolised the
offices given by the Government to natives. Now
there is a great stirring amongst the Mohammedans,
they are paying more attention to education, and are
agitating for equal emplovment with the other natives
of India. If they qualify themselves, there will be no
objection made on the score of their religion. The
Government only desire to obtain the best men, and
all creeds are allowed to compete. But it is foolish
for the Mohammedans to complain of the number of
Hindus employed by Government, when they take no
pains to qualify themselves for the offices thrown open
to all the natives of India.

Delhi is a city of over 150,000 inhabitants, and has
many objects of interest which could only be properly
described in a guide book written for the purpose. I
can only hope to mention a few of the sights in this in-
teresting city, which specially remain engraved on my

46 A parson's holiday.

memory. The first thing one notices is the Moham-
medan appearance of the city. There are more
mosques, fewer Hindu temples, fewer men with caste
marks on their foreheads, than elsewhere. And next
one notices what a strong place it must have always
been, and what a difficult matter the siege of such a
fortress was in the days of the Mutiny. The whole
city is surrounded by a wall of red granite, hve-and-a-
half miles in circuit, and in this wall there are twelve
great gates, each strongly fortified. Besides this outer
wall of defence there is the inner fort, where the Em-
peror's palace stood, which extends for a mile along
the river bank, and is also strongly fortified. It seems
marvellous that an English army of 8000 men could
have ever besieged and stormed such a city and
fortress, when defended by 30,000 trained soldiers.
In the city itself there is one main street, which all
travellers visit, which is called the Chandi Chowk ; it
is a mile long, broad, and planted with a double row
of trees, and in it are the chief shops, and many
public buildings. But the chief interest of Delhi must
centre in the fort or palace, where the great Mogul
lived and reigned, and in the embellishment of which
the whole resources of the empire were lavishly poured
forth. Built by Shah Jehan, its glories were for a long
time unseen by European eyes. Those who were ad-
mitted within its gates only saw a little of its beauty,
for the private apartments and women's quarters were
kept secret from all prying visitors. In the later days
of the empire, when the Emperor existed in name but
had no real power, the palace was a sink of iniquity, a
home for secret intrigues and dark crimes, a sanc-
tuary for evil, where criminals could lie concealed and
escape from justice. Now all parts of this palace are
thrown open, many of the buildings which formerly
crowded the interior have been removed to make room
for barracks, and the only parts left standing are those
which are intrinsically beautiful. Entering through one
of the great gates, one passes through a long vaulted

THE DELHI PALACE. 47

aisle, like that of a Gothic cathedral, which opens into
the central quadrangle within the walls. Here stands
the Dewan-i-am, or Hall of Public Audience, open on
three sides, supported by numerous red sandstone
pillars, and containing a white marble throne, which
the Emperor could reach by a door opening out of his
private apartments. Beyond this great hall there is
the Dewan-i-khas, or Hall of Private Audience. Here
Instead of sandstone all is built of white marble beauti-
fully polished and enriched with inlaid patterns of gold
and precious stones. The richness and gorgeousness
of this work defies description. The white marble shines
in the light of the Indian sun, and the roof and pillars
look almost transparent. The back of this hall over-
looks the river Jumna. There are balconies projecting
over the riverbed, and one looks down some 60 feet of
perpendicular wall, which made this side of the palace
quite impregnable. Adjoining the Dewan-i-khas on
one side was the seraglio, also of white marble with
inlaid designs, and on the other were the baths.
These also are of white marble, and in the centre of
each room there is a marble bath, sunk in the floor,
while all round the room there runs a pattern of colour,
made of precious stones, inlaid in the surface of the
marble. Near to this stands the Moti Musjid, or Pearl
Mosque, a small, but exquisite building, also of white
marble, which probably was used by the Emperor's
household as their place of worship. It is impossible
for me to describe the beauty of these marble halls,
overlooking the broad bed of the Jumna, and rich with
coloured patterns, and inlaid with gold. All arc now
empty and deserted. The English sentry keeps watch
at the gate, and one or two chance sightseers are all
that are visible. Every care seems taken of the build-
ings, and they are so strongly built that there seems
no fear of their decay.

Leaving the palace, and crossing the road one
comes opposite to the great Jumma Musjid, or " Eri-
day Mosque." This is one of the most striking objects

48 A PARSON'S HOLIDAY.

in Delhi, its minarets are visible for miles round, and
its size and sacredness render it a great resort of
worshippers. It was built by Shah Jehan, and it
took ten years to complete. It is a typical example
of the mode of arrangement of all mosques, and a
description of its internal plan may explain the idea of
all Mohammedan places of worship. It is built on a
fllat raised terrace of red sandstone, which lifts the
building high above the street. This terrace or plat-
form is reached by three handsome flights of steps,
which lead up to three great gateways, one in the
centre of each wall. Entering by the eastern gateway,
which is more splendid than the others, one finds one-
self in a large courtyard or quadrangle open to the sky.
In the centre is a marble reservoir for w^ater, used for
ablutions bv the worshippers, and round the court-yard
there runs an open colonnade, with towers at the
angles. The floor is paved with white marble, and
the faithful Islamites leave their shoes at the entrance.
Opposite the great gate and across the court-yard is
the mosque itself. This is a building made of white
marble and crowned with three bulbous-shaped domes.
Its interior is fully exposed to view, as the arches by
which it is entered are very lofty. It is paved with
long slabs of white marble bordered with black lines,
each beinof about five feet Ions: and two wide. On
each of these a worshipper can stand, and go
through his devotions. He rises and kneels and pros-
trates himself, reciting his own prayers, without taking
any notice of the bystanders, absorbed in worship. In
the centre of the wall, under the highest dome, is the
sacred niche called the kihla^ showing the direction of
Mecca. Towards this niche all the worshippers face,
so as to direct their prayers towards the sacred city.
This is the only necessary part of a mosque. It need
have neither roof nor walls, but there must be the
kibla indicating the true direction of Mecca. At each
corner of the building there is a minaret, made of red
sandstone and white marble in alternate vertical stripes,

THE KUTUB MINAR. 49

from the top of which the muezzin calls to prayers.
These minarets are 140 feet high, and the view from
the top over the city and fort and surrounding country
is well worth seeing. Altogether the mosque is one
of the handsomest and largest in India, and its tall
minarets and white domes are a principal feature of
every view of Delhi.

All round the present city of Delhi there lie the
ruins of former cities, the sites of which have been
occupied by successive dynasties and deserted by
their successors. General Cunningham says that ''the
whole area covered with ruins is not less than forty-
five square miles." Thus many excursions may be
made to the different tombs, and mosques, and forts,
which lie all round modern Delhi. There is one of
these excursions which most travellers make, that to
the Kutub Minar, and the ruins which surround it.
These are situated eleven miles from Delhi, and all
along the road there were mounds, and ruins, and
tombs. The road lay through a well cultivated
plain. The crops seemed ripe for harvest. In
some places the oxen were treading out the corn,
but in the majority of cases the beasts, which thus
threshed the grain, were muzzled, contrary to the
Mosaic precept. When we were still at a considerable
distance from our goal, we saw the tall shaft of the
Minar, tapering upwards, and as we drew nearer, we
got some idea of its immense height. It is said to be
the tallest column in the world, but its beauty consists
rather in its proportion and adornment than in its
height. It is built of red sandstone and marble, its
surface is deeply fiuted, and it is ornamented by bands
of sculptured inscriptions in Arabic letters. The whole
height is about 240 feet, and the diameter diminishes
gradually. This gives the tower a very slender and
graceful appearance. The surface is broken by five
balconies, each richly carved, and from each of these
a wonderful view is obtained over the surrounding
country. What the use of this lofty tower was, is a

G

50 A parson's holiday.

matter of discussion. The most probable purpose for
which it was built was as a tower of victory, com-
memorating the overthrow of the last Hindu Raja of
Delhi. It may also have been used as a muezzin's
tower, but its original purpose must have been some-
thing greater than that. The whole of the surrounding
area was full ot architectural interest. There was a
mosque built out of the spoils of 27 Hindu temples,
and on the carved pillars could still be traced the
figures of gods and animals much defaced by the
iconoclastic Mohammedans. This mosque is entered
through seven gigantic arches, covered with delicate
diaper patterns engraved on the stone surface. The
conquered Hindus were made to use their art for their
new rulers, and thus we see a combination of Moham-
medan architecture covered with Hindu designs. One
of the adjacent gateways is so richly carved that
General Cunningham calls it " the most beautiful
specimen of Pathan architecture that I have seen."
There are a number of other buildings which it would
be wearisome to describe in detail, but the effect of
these great masses of stonework and marble, all richly
carved, gave one larger ideas of the art and archi-
tecture of that early dynasty. Most of these buildings
were built at the end of the 12th and the beginning of
the 13th centuries by the kings of the Slave Dynasty.

Delhi is the place where the Cambridge Mission
has estabhshed itself, and some account of their work
may be interesting. They are by no means the first
Christian workers in that city. In 1857 there was a
hopeful and promising work going on, an impression
being made on converts in high positions, and a
flourishing school of 120 boys. Then came the
Mutiny and the whole work was apparently de-
stroyed, the missionaries were massacred, and few
of the native Christians escaped. It was a heavy
blow, but the work has now been reorganized. The
Church of S. Stephen, so named " in memory of our
fallen brethren," was opened in 1868, and is now

THE CAMBRIDGE MISSION. 51

well filled. The whole city is divided into districts,
there are seven primary schools, street preaching is
adopted as an effective way of stating Christian truths,
and there is a large and important work being done by
English ladies who visit the Zenanas. But the great
accession to the work took place in 1877, when Cam-
bridge resolved to send out some of the best educated
of her sons to endeavour to reach the more thoughtful
heathen. It was felt that in a large and important
city hke Delhi, full of keen-brained and intellectual
natives, it needed well-equipped missionaries to repre-
sent the truth of Christianity. So for the last five
years men of high attainments, who have won a front
rank in University contests, well trained in secular
learning: as well as full of Christian heroism, have lived
and worked in Delhi. Their chief object is high-class
education, and latterly they have found an opportunity
of enlarging their work. There used to be a Delhi
College, which failed, and Government offered the Mis-
sion a grant-in-aid if they would undertake the work.
Thus the whole of the higher education of the district
is in their hands, they have a high school for boys, the
first class of which is prepared for matriculation, and
those who desire to complete their education are further
prepared for University degrees. There are four Univer-
sities in India, viz. : Calcutta, Madras, Bombay, and
Lahore. They are merely examining bodies, and confer
degrees. Students are prepared at the various colleges
affiliated to these Universities, of which there are 82
scattered throughout India. It may be worth while
noticing that throughout India the majority of students
are contented with passing the matriculation examina-
tion, and but few strive to reach the standards of
F.A. (or First Arts), B.A., or M.A. This may arise
from the fact that the certificate of having passed the
matriculation examination is sufficient qualification for
most Government offices, and few have either leisure
or desire to work up to the higher degrees. In the ten
years ending 1877-8, out of a total for all India of

52 A parson's holiday.

i8,6io matriculated candidates, only 1665 obtained a
B.A. degree, while 296 was the total number who
reached the degree of M.A. One of the members of
the Cambridge Mission kindly allowed me to accom-
pany him to their college. It is called S. Stephen's
Colleo;e, and is a laro;e buildinoj with several class-
rooms, and a lending library well furnished with
books. We arrived in time for the opening exer-
cises, which are so arranged as to edify students of
all creeds. All the classes gathered together in the
central quadrangle, and a passage was read in Urdu
translated from the Book of Proverbs in praise of
wisdom, and then a prayer (also in Urdu) was said
that wisdom might be found, and the work prosper.
The prayer was offered in the name of Christ, though
the number of Christian boys is at present small.
Throughout the school religious teaching is given,
Bible facts are taught, and lectures delivered drawing
comparisons between different religions. At present
the Hindu boys still worship at the idol shrines, and
the new learning has not sapped the old idolatry. But
it is early times yet to look for any great results, though
already some scholars of high attainments have been
baptized. The college which is affiliated to the Lahore
University is likely to be very popular, as the teachers
are men of high University standing, and they give
much of their time to teaching. Their pupils seemed
well cared for, the discipline was admirable, and the
native pundits, who took the lower classes, were in
some cases Christians. It is one of the greatest ex-
periments yet made in India of high-class teaching
on a distinctively Christian basis, carried on by men
whose attainments are well authenticated. It has been
sometimes made a matter of reproach that the mis-
sionaries sent out to convert the heathen have been
men of small education and totally unfit to cope with
Eastern philosophers. There is a certain amount of
truth in this contention, though it is possible to over-
estimate the cleverness and subtilty of the Indian

WELL-EDUCATED MISSIONARIES. 53

mind. No doubt a poorly educated missionary, how-
ever useful amongst savages or fetish worshippers,
would do but little- good amongst the philosophical
Hindus. But these are not so alarming as we are
sometimes inclined to imagine. Their minds are
quick but superficial, very absorbent of knowledge,
but not inclined to originate. And the well-trained
Western mind with its slower but surer powers is more
than a match for the cleverest and quickest brained
Hindu. Certainly the members of the Cambridge
Mission do not lie open to the reproach of being unfit
to cope with any of the natives. They are men who
could have made their mark at home, who were good
scholars, fellows of their colleges, educated in all the
wisdom of the West. These have been willing to
renounce the easier career open to them at home,
and have devoted their great gifts to the training and
evangelizing of the inhabitants of Delhi. That city
presents now but a faint reflection of its past glories,
and the ruins of bygone dynasties lie thick on every
side. But amongst these memorials of the past there
is rising an edifice which may endure for ever. Delhi
may henceforth be famous not only because of the
Mogul Empire, the long sustained siege, and the
Imperial Durbar ; but also because there Christianity
attacked cultivated heathenism in one of its strongest
fortresses, and prevailed.

From Delhi on November i8th I went to Agra.
This town is specially connected with the name of
the Emperor Akbar, who reigned from 1556 to 1605.
He was the greatest of the Mogul Emperors, his
rule was the most extensive, and his policy the
wisest. He did all he could to ingratiate himself
with his Hindu subjects, and he employed them
as administrators and oflficials under himself. He
was by no means a strict Mohammedan, and he
offended many of his co-religionists by the willingness
with which he listened to the preachers of other creeds.
This toleration led him at last to promulgate a new

54 A parson's holiday.

faith, "based upon natural theology, and comprising
the best practices of all known creeds." * How far
he was sincere it is difficult to say. The fact of his
reigning over subjects of various faiths, all of whom
he desired to conciliate, probably made him tolerant
from motives of policy as well as from conviction.
Certainly the effect of his toleration was to organize
his conquests into an Empire, and both Hindus and
Mohammedans were treated with an equal impartiality.
His revenue system was based on ancient Hindu cus-
toms, and was similar to that at present employed by
the British Government. It chiefly consisted in a
land cess, the produce of each acre being valued,
and one-third of the gross produce (or an equivalent
money payment) being claimed by Akbar's officers.
This is a larger proportion than is now exacted by us,
but the custom of taxing the cultivator of the soil is
the foundation of our revenue system. All through
India the Government is considered to be the owner
of the soil, and the land tax is in the nature of a rent-
charge paid to the State. During his reign Agra was
the capital of the Empire, and he built the great fort
which still stands on the right bank of the Jumna, and
within which was his palace and extensive quarters
occupied by his numerous wives.

I visited this fort and w^as astonished w4th the mag-
nificence and splendour of the old Imperial Palace.
Much of the interior is now occupied by the arsenal,
and barracks. Cannon stand in rows, and there
is every appurtenance of modern warfare within
the ancient walls. One of the most touching sights
is a tomb surrounded by low railings, which stands
in the middle of the court-yard. It is the last
resting place of John Russell Colvin, the Lieutenant-
Governor of the North-West Provinces at the time
of the Mutiny. He and a few officers and their
wives, with a few faithful soldiers, were closely be-

* W. W. Hunter's Indian Empire, p. 239.

AKBAR'S PALACE. 55

sieged by the rebels in the terrible summer of 1857.
Here he succumbed under the weight of care and
sickness ; there was no possibility of laying his body
in consecrated ground, for the church and cemetery
were in the hands of the mutineers. So he was
laid in the midst of the fort where he died, and
the tomb still stands amidst parked cannon and
piles of round shot, a memorial of the time when a
few brave men saved Agra from being entirely
occupied by rebels. But the great interest of the
fort lies in the marble palaces of the Emperor Akbar.
One passes through hall after hall, and court after
court, each richly inlaid with patterns of various
colours and bright with precious stones. " The
pavilions overhanging the river are inlaid, within
and without, in the rich style of Florentine mosaic.
They are precious caskets of marble, glittering all
over with jasper, and agate, cornelian, bloodstone and
lapis-lazuli, and topped with golden domes. Balus-
trades of marble, wrought in open patterns of such
rich design that they resemble fringes of lace when
seen from below, extend along the edge of the battle-
ments." * Besides these there are baths, the walls of
which are adorned with thousands of small mirrors,
disposed in intricate designs, so that every splash of
the fountain was reflected innumerable times, and the
light of lamps was flashed back from every part of
the surface. Within the women's quarters there is a
garden, still full of roses, with fountains and vines.
There are also curious underground passages, which
led into the houses occupied by Akbar's numerous
wives, and at the end of one passage there was once a
deep well, now bricked up, down which the unfaithful
ones are said to have been thrown. It is impossible
to describe the richness of the marble courts, incrusted
with gold, and inlaid with precious stones. It only
remains to say that the Moti Musjid, or Pearl Mosque,

* Bayard Taylor.

56 A parson's holiday.

within the walls of the fort, is said by Fergusson to
be by far the most elegant mosque of this age, per-
haps indeed of any period of Moslem art. The white
marble court-yard, with its stainless domes and perfect
proportions, must be seen to be appreciated.

But it is not only in the fort at Agra that one sees
the perfection of Mohammedan art. Take a hired
gharri^ and drive over the bridge of boats to the
Tomb of Itmad-ud-Dowlah. One gets out at a gate-
way which gives one admittance into a beautiful
garden. In the midst of the garden rises a white
marble building, surmounted by a canopy made of
pierced lattice work, also of marble. As the sun shines
through the patterns of this pavilion, it looks like the
most delicate lace work, and is as pure and perfect as
when it was first finished. This tomb was raised in
1628 by the wife of the Emperor Jehanghir, in memory
of her father, who was a Persian adventurer, and
noted for taking bribes. Yet he rests in one of the
fairest sepulchres ever built.

It still remains to notice the greatest wonder of
Agra, perhaps one of the most splendid buildings in
the world, the Taj Mahal. This is a tomb erected by
the Emperor Shah Jehan, in memory of his wife; he
himself is also buried there, and no finer mausoleum
was ever designed as this last resting place of man
and wife. It is built on the banks of the Jumna, some
two miles from the fort, and is enclosed in a beautiful
garden within a high wall. One enters by a lofty gate-
way of sandstone and marble, and then looks down
an avenue of dark cypress trees to where the marble
domes tower upwards into the blue vault of heaven.
The main idea of the structure is an octagonal building
covered by a high central dome, surrounded by four
smaller ones. This building stands on a terrace of
white marble, with a tall and graceful minaret at each
corner. There is a mosque on each side of the ter-
race, the front of the Taj looks down the central path
of the garden towards the principal gateway, and the

THE TAJ MAHAL. 57

back of the terrace overhangs the river. But the chief
wonder is the apparent unsubstantiahty and fairiness
of the central structure. Looking at it from the top
of the gateway down the vista of dark cypress trees,
the effect was Hke that of a scene on the stage. It
seemed impossible to localize the building. One
could not tell how near or how far off it really was.
It seemed to recede or approach as one's fancy sug-
gested. It sounds absurd thus to talk of a massive
structure over 200 feet high. Yet I think all who
have seen the Taj have been struck with this curious
effect. An eminent architect told me that the effect
was produced by the builder having taken care to kill
all shadows. Consequently there was nothing by
which one could determine the exact spot on which
it rested, and thus the distant view was fairylike, un-
substantial, spectacular, scenic. From the gateway
the pathway leads by marble tanks of water, which
reflect the glories of the building, and as one ap-
proached nearer the wonder deepened. For one
then saw how rich the details were, how the marble
was everywhere inlaid with precious stones and
carved in patterns, and yet the taste was so ex-
quisite that the majesty of the main design was not
spoilt by over elaboration of the separate parts.
Then the inside had to be penetrated. On the
basement were the real tombs of Shah Jehan and his
beloved wife, which are reached by a sloping pas-
sage worn smooth by the feet of thousands. Her
tomb is in the centre, and his by her side, contrary to
the usual custom of Mohammedan rulers, who gene-
rally claimed the chief place for themselves. Above
on the main floor, under the central dome, inside an
octagon screen carved in lace work patterns, there
were the cenotaphs. The echo from the dome seemed
to me purer and far superior to that in the Baptistery
at Pisa, for when the four" notes of a chord were sung
they came back mingled in perfect harmony, and the
sound lingered long, and at last died away in exquisite

H

58 A parson's holiday.

softness. All round the central building there is a
marble terrace, so that a clear view can be obtained
from all sides. It took a long time to see the whole,
for the view from the adjacent minaret was well wcrth
seeing, and the neighbouring mosques had to be
visited. It is altogether a perfect place. One cannot
criticize or object to a single detail, one could not
imagine any improvement or suggest any alteration.
No corpse rests in a fairer sepulchre. I visited it
once by moonlight ; the gardens were nearly deserted,
and the dim white light added to the charm of the
marble walls and swelling domes. Within all was
dark save one dim oil lamp burning over the tombs.
The stillness was unbroken by any voice, only the
ceaseless chirp of the crickets made the absence of
other noises the more noticeable. It was the quietest,
most peaceful resting-place possible, and the beauty
and charm of the whole structure were perfect. There
is, I think, no building in Europe which can be com-
pared with the Taj. It surpasses all both in grandeur
and symmetry of design and perfect beauty of detail.

Every visitor to Agra is bound to make an expedi-
tion to Futtehpore Sikri. This is the palace which
the Emperor Akbar built, and is about 22 miles from
Agra. It has been compared to Windsor, and it must
have borne much the same relation to the capital, as
that castle does to London. It was the country resi-
dence of the great Emperor, only such a magnificent
residence as only he could have designed and built.
The circuit of the walls is seven miles, and within that
area there were palaces and zenanas, halls and courts,
mosques and stables, pleasure-grounds and caravan-
serais, game preserves and hunting lodges, all that
could conduce to luxury, and magnificence, and
splendour. It would be wearisome if I was to try to
enumerate the different buildings. I can only refer
the curious to the excellent guide-book written by
H. G. Keene, and mention a few of the wonders of
the place. The ruins stand on a rocky hill, and the

FUTTEHPORE SIKRI. 59

material of which they were buih is a red sandstone.
This stone is soft enough to be richly carved, yet the
grain is so close that these carvings are still clear and
sharp, where they have escaped rude and destructive
hands. The most striking building within the enceinte
is the great mosque, with a marble shrine built over
the tomb of a Mohammedan saint, who recommended
the Emperor to make Futtehpore his residence. The
great gateway which overlooks the town below and is
reached by a long flight of steps, is said by Fergusson
to be the finest in India. On it are carved several
sentences, which show the eclectic character of
Akbar's religion. One is thus translated : " Said
Jesus, on whom be peace ! The world is a bridge,
pass over it but build no house there : he who hopeth
for an hour may hope for an eternity : the world is but
an hour, spend it in devotion : the rest is unseen."
Most of the other buildings are palaces which were
built for the numerous wives of the Emperor, and
public offices for the despatch of business. One of
these palaces is called the house of Miriam, and is
said to have been occupied by a Christian wife. It
shows traces of a painting said to be a representation
of the Annunciation, but too defaced to be clearly
made out. The richness of the carving is noticeable
in all the buildings. The walls in many of the rooms
are covered all over with delicate diaper patterns cut
in relief. The cornices and ceilings are also richly
carved, and the whole shows a lavishness of ornament
and expenditure of labour, which would now be impos-
sible. One court-yard has squares of black and white
marble laid down in the form of a pacJiisi board, on
which a game something similar to backgammon was
played with living pieces. From the chief palace a
long covered passage extends over the roofs of other
buildings, and leads down into the caravanserai ; it
was used by the great ladies of the Court, who were
enabled by this means to see the merchants display
their goods, and perhaps break the monotony of

6o A parson's holiday.

harem life by engaging in a little bargaining. All
these palaces and buildings are now in ruins. The
city only had a life of 50 years, as soon after Akbar's
death it was deserted. When it was inhabited, it
must have seen a wonderful Court life, and its re-
mains tell us something of the greatness of this
Solomon of the East.

After seeing Futtehpore Sikri, it is well to go to
Sekundra, where Akbar was buried. The mausoleum
is about six miles from Agra, and stands in a large
enclosure, which has four beautiful gateways. From
each of these gateways a grand causeway of hewn
stone leads up to the central building, which is above
100 feet high. This is built in five stories, the four
lower ones being of sandstone, while the highest is of
white marble. Here on the summit of the building,
there is an enclosed space, open to the sky, sur-
rounded by battlements of white marble carved into
patterns of great richness and variety, in the centre of
which is the marble cenotaph. Near it is a short
stone column, on which is said to have been placed
the great diamond, or kohinoor ; this was looted by
the Persian invader, Nadir Shah ; it was afterwards
captured by Runjeet Singh, and finally came into the
possession of the Queen. The real tomb of Akbar is
in a dark vaulted chamber on the basement story, and
here rests the greatest of the Mogul Emperors.

At Sekundra there is an interesting Christian
orphanage and printing establishment, which is one
of the oldest missionary institutions in the North-
West. It suffered much during the Mutiny, and the
machinery was broken and burnt, and the type thrown
down wells. But it has revived, and is now doing an
excellent work. The children are taught printing and
carpentering, the cleverest are prepared for college,
and some have been ordained. The printing estab-
lishment is located in an old building, said to have
been the tomb of Akbar's Christian wife. If the
legend is true, this building may be said to be recon-

IDEAS OF EMPIRE. 6l

secrated by the work at present going on in it. There
seems great doubt, however, as to whether the Em-
peror ever had a Christian or European wife. The
Jesuits certainly visited his Court, and they may have
induced some Portugese lady to enter his harem, in
the hopes of thus winning him over to Christianity.
It would have been a wonderful triumph for them if
they could have converted the Great Mogul.

It has been said that if the English are ever driven
out of India, the public buildings they have erected
will compare very unfavourably with the marvellous
architectural wonders of the Mogul Empire. Men
have jokingly remarked that our chief relics would be
empty soda-water bottles and hideous barracks, and
that these would be the only signs of our departed
greatness. How would these contrast with the Kutub
Minar or the Taj Mahal ? There is a certain amount
of truth in this contention, but there is another side to
the picture. The glories of the old Mogul Empire
were confined to the palaces and tombs of the rulers ;
they did not extend to the subject races. The build-
ings are indeed beautiful, but they were erected at a
grievous cost. The labour was all forced, and the
distress and mortality amongst the work-people were
frightful. If the buildings remain as a wonder for
ever, we must not forget the mode in which they were
erected. Our rule will not be marked by any such
selfish expenditure undertaken solely for the glorifi-
cation of one man. If we leave any rehcs behind us,
they will tell a different tale, viz. : that the rulers cared
more for the well-being of their subjects than for their
own fame. Future ages may condemn us for the want
of taste shown in our buildings, they will not be able
to say that the natives were neglected or ill-treated.
Such public works as survive will show that the largest
sums were spent in improving the communications
and insuring the safety of the people. We have dug
canals, at the cost of millions of pounds, which save
large areas from danger of famine. We have made

62 A parson's holiday.

roads and railways which open up all parts of the
country. Our railway bridges, though not always
beautiful as works of art, are yet triumphs of engi-
neering skill, and when the New Zealander of the
future looks at the broken girders of the enormous
structures which now span the Jumna or the Ganges,
he will at least confess that the rulers who erected
them were not careless of the comfort of their
people. It may seem absurd to compare an Iron
railway bridge with a pure marble mausoleum like the
Taj. Yet these tw^o works aptly express the difference
between the English and the Mogul idea of Empire.
The glory of the chief ruler was the most Important
thing In the old Empire ; the comfort of the ruled
is the chief object in the new. The two erections
may also serve as examples of the taste of the two
Empires, and while we give the palm to the building
erected by the Mogul, we must not overlook the
greater utility of the less ornate structure. It might
be possible to combine something of beauty with
an equal amount of serviceableness. Certainly the
later public buildings of Bombay and Calcutta are
architecturally pleasing as well as useful, and the
Public Works Department (so often abused) is begin-
ning to be alive to the necessity of showing some taste
in Its erections. Certainly If we have to confess that
the old Mohammedan rulers surpassed us In the
beauty of their residences, we may fairly claim to have
improved on their ideas of government, and to have
added more than they did to the comfort and well-
being and prosperity of the subject race.

THE SEPOY MUTINY. 6^

Chapter IV.

Leaving Agra with its memorials of the Empire of
the Moguls, I journeyed on to Cawnpore, which will
ever be memorable for its associations with the Sepoy
Mutiny in 1857. How suddenly that fearful Mutiny
broke out, many still living can remember. Like a
thunderclap out of a clear sky, without special warning
or apparent cause, the news was suddenly flashed
through hidia that the native soldiers at Meerut had
revolted, had massacred many Europeans, and had
streamed off to Delhi. Similar risings took place
throughout the North-West and Oudh, the English
officers belonging to the native regiments were gene-
rally shot by their own men, and in a few weeks' time
nearly the whole of the Bengal army were in arms
against us. It is not possible for me to write a history
of the Mutiny. That has been done by practised pens.
It was a time of awful anxiety, of heroic deeds, of
magnificent devotion, of terrible crimes. Each episode
of the rising has its own history of suffering and valour.
Each station is marked by some special memory of
that blood-stained summer. But amongst all the
annals of massacre and terror the town of Cawnpore
will ever be associated with the worst excesses and
blackest atrocities perpetrated at the time. There
the treacherous Nana Sahib made his name for ever
infamous. He was the adopted heir of the last of the
Peshwas, and thus he would have been the hereditary
ruler of the Marhattas. At this time he resided at
Bithoor, within a few miles of Cawnpore, and nourished
a grievance against the British Government, because
the pension, which the last Peshwa enjoyed, had not
been continued to him. At first when news came of
the revolt of the Sepoys, he professed loyalty to the

64 A PARSON'S HOLIDAY.

English cause ; he was put in charge of the Arsenal
and Treasury, and he was told all the plans made by
the small English garrison for their own defence. But
as soon as the troops mutinied, he put himself at their
head, and raised the standard of revolt. Then the
small garrison of the English was almost at his mercy.
They had withdrawn from the cantonments, and with
their women and children they had entrenched them-
selves hastily in a small camp outside the town. Here
for nineteen days they endured a siege, holding the
lines of their defences against overwhelming odds
and suffering terrible privations. Then came offers of
negotiations, and a treaty was eventually signed which
was to insure the safe conduct of the little garrison
down the Ganges to Allahabad. Hampered by the
number of non-combatants, and short of provisions,
the English commander determined to evacuate his
position, which would soon have become untenable,
and to trust to the promises made by the Nana.
In the early morning the little band left the intrench-
ments, and, with the women and children in the
centre, marched to the river bank, where boats had
been provided for their safe conduct down the river.
Then followed a treachery which seems almost in-
credible. While the party were embarking, a mur-
derous fire was opened from both banks of the river,
and numbers of the English were there slaughtered.
Four only out of the httle band managed to escape to
tell the tale. The survivors, who were not shot down
at the time, were marched back as prisoners into the
town of Cawnpore. The men were immediately shot,
the women and children were confined in a large
house. Here they remained for nearly three weeks
without any comforts or news from the outer world.
The fancy fails to picture the condition of this remnant
of the once gay society of Cawnpore, who had endured
all the trials of the siege, had then been eye-witnesses
of the massacre on the river side, and were now close
prisoners at the mercy of a pitiless tyrant, who had

THE CAWNPORE MASSACRE. 65

shown himself as cruel as he was treacherous. Their
sufferings were soon brought to an end in a manner
which still thrills with horror all who hear of it. The
English army under Havelock was advancing nearer
and nearer to Cawnpore. The Nana knew that his
reign was soon to be over. He determined to do a
deed which remains without a parallel in history. He
decided to murder in cold blood all these helpless
prisoners. Into that house of misery executioners
were sent, who literally hacked to death these un-
armed and unresisting women and children. The work
of slaughter went on for a considerable time, but it is
better not to try to fancy what happened within those
fast-shut doors. Night fell on the work completed.
The Nana is said to have passed the evening with
singing and dancing. In the morning orders were
given to clear the house, and the bodies were dragged
to a well and there cast down. It is feared that some
of the poor creatures were still breathing when they
were thus hurled down this deep and narrow orifice.
When the English troopers rode into the city, the
blood-stained floor of the house, and the well with its
tangled mass of human limbs, told them the horrors
which had happened, and which they were too late to
avert. The Cawnpore massacre remains as an atrocity
unparalleled in history, and the sufferings thus endured
by our fellow-countrymen can never be forgotten.

It seemed fitting that the sites of such terrible
events should be marked by some suitable memorials.
In "Wheeler's Entrenchment" as it is called, there
has been built the Memorial Church. This is a hand-
some structure of red brick, cruciform in shape, with a
triforium and clerestory, and a lofty campanile. The
walls are covered with memorial tablets, commemo-
rating those who died during the Mutiny. Round the
altar are to be placed while marble slabs, and on them
are to be inscribed the names of all those who died at
Cawnpore. The building is one of the handsomest
churches in India, and it is a fitting memorial of the

I

66 A parson's holiday.

brave men who held the camp so well against over-
whelming odds.

The " Slaughter Ghat," as it is now named, is also
pointed out to visitors.

But the chief sight is the Memorial Well, and here
every care has been lavished to beautify the spot
where such a terrible deed was done. The ground all
round the well is kept as a garden ; about fifty acres
have been planted with flowering shrubs, and laid out
with broad gravel paths. The grass is constantly
watered, and the beds of flowers and shady walks are
beautifully cared for. In the centre, over the mouth
of the well which was filled up and covered in, there
stands a marble statue of an angel holding a palm
branch in its hand. Round the pedestal is an in-
scription which tells how that " a great number of
Christian people, chiefly women and children, were
here massacred and thrown — the living with the
dead — into the well beneath." Round this figure
there is a gothic screen carved in stone, which in-
closes the spot where so many hapless people are
buried. Over the door of the screen is the text, "These
are they which came out of great tribulation." It is
impossible to gaze unmoved at such a sad spot, thus
marked by such touching words. The whole garden
is kept as a sacred place. Carriages are only allowed
to proceed at a foot's pace, and no games are per-
mitted to be played therein. Natives are also entirely
excluded. The time seems now to have come when
this embarp^o mio;ht be taken off. It would be more
in the spirit of the religion we profess, if forgiveness
was now granted to all, and the garden thrown open
to the public without any distinction of creed or colour.
There would be no fear that such a permission would
be abused, and the remains of the dead are not
honoured by being thus fenced off from the apparent
fear of contamination from the presence of natives.

It must always be remembered that the Mutiny was
in no sense a popular rising or a revolt of the whole

THE PROVINCE OF OUDH. 67

native population. If it had been, our rule in India
would have probably come to an end. But it was
almost entirely a military insurrection, confined to the
majority of the native soldiers we had trained, and
joined by a few bad characters amongst the popula-
tion. But the large majority of the natives of India
never participated in the rising, many of the native
soldiers remained true to our cause, and the relieving
armies were largely composed of natives from Madras,
Bombay, and the Punjab. It therefore seems unwise
to treat the whole native population of India as in any
way sympathising with the atrocities perpetrated by
the mutineers at Cawnpore. Yet while we forbid them
to enter the Memorial Garden, we seem to accuse the
whole subject-race of being sharers in the crimes
wrought by a few of their nation. It is hardly fair
thus to refuse a privilege to all the members of the
race because some of their number, twenty-five years
ago, committed atrocious crimes. The time has now
surely come for forgiveness, and the loyal natives are
more likely to feel horror at the crimes wrought by
their countrymen, when they see that we do not look
upon all as equally guilty. We should appeal to their
best feelings, when they saw that we considered the
Mutiny as the work of a few misguided and faithless
men, and that we did not wish to condemn the whole
nation because of the crimes of these few.

From Cawnpore I travelled to Lucknow, which is
also famous for Mutiny reminiscences. But the town
itself is interesting in many ways, and has played a
part in the later history of India. It is the capital of
the Province of Oudh, and is the most populous
town in India next to the Presidency capitals, having
284,779 inhabitants.

The Province of Oudh, which is about half the size
of England, was a part of the Mogul Empire, which
was governed by a Nawab Vizier. About 175^ ^'"'^
Province became practically independent of the Em-
peror of Delhi, and the then Vizier became a feudatory

68 A parson's holiday.

reigning Prince, and the administration became here-
ditary in his family. From this date we read of the
" Kings of Oudh." Lucknow was made the capital of
their "kingdom," and most of the public buildings were
built at the end of the last and the beginning of the
present century. Under the Governor-Generalships of
Clive and Warren Hastings the Nawabs of Oudh were
generally friendly to the British, and their dominions
were therefore not taken from them, though they were
forced to pay large sums to the East Indian Company.
Their political position being thus assured, " the rulers
of Oudh turned their attention to cock fighting and
beast fighting ; to fireworks, dancing girls and cham-
pagne ; and they spent the money, in the enjoyment
of which their powerful protectors guaranteed them, in
building seraglios and in furnishing them with lustres
and mirrors, with glass lions and porcelain negroes." *
The later history of the Province is one long story of
misrule and dissolute living, varied by threats from
the British Resident of annexation. The administra-
tion of Oudh was disgraceful and the inhabitants were
groaning under the most evil government which existed
in India. Threats and warnings had no effect in im-
proving the state of the Province, and at last Lord
Dalhousie in 1856 determined to annex the whole
of the King's dominions. This decision has been
questioned, and some have traced the cause of the
Mutiny (which broke out in the following year) to Lord
Dalhousie's policy. They have said that he roused the
feelings of the natives against our rule, and that they
thought the annnexation of Oudh unjust, as the inde-
pendence of the King had been guaranteed by treaty.
Certainly Lord Dalhousie never doubted the justice of
his policy. He was guided entirely by his desire to
do his duty to the inhabitants of Oudh. By a treaty
made in 1837 ^^^ -^i^g ^^ Oudh had been warned that
systematic oppression would lead to deposition. The

*■ Keene's Guide to Lucknow., p. 69.

LUC KNOW. 69

condition of the country had become worse since
then. And at last Lord Dalhousie ordered General
(afterwards Sir James) Outram to assume the direct
administration of Oudh, on the ground that " the
British Government would be guilty in the sight of
God and man if it were any longer to aid in sustaining
by its countenance an administration fraught with
suffering to millions." The decree went forth, the
King was deposed, and he now lives as a State
pensioner in a suburb of Calcutta. Oudh was annexed
to the British dominions, and two millions of suffering
people must bless the day when they passed under
our just rule.

The chief buildings of Lucknow are the palaces, and
seraglios, and hunting lodges, on which the Kings of
Oudh wasted the resources of the Province. These
are vulgar and poor in design, chiefly made of brick,
covered with stucco, and mean in their details. Their
only beauty consists in their sky lines, which are some-
times quaint, and not without a certain originality and
grace. The most fantastic of these is the Chatta
Manzal, so called from its being topped with a gilt
umbrella CchattaJ. It used to be one of the seraglios
of the King, but it is now used as a club house and
library by the European residents. Though the mate-
rials of which it is made are only brick and stucco,
yet its quaint pinnacles and buttresses render it a very
original structure, not without architectural beauty.

The largest of the palaces is the Imambara, which
was built in 1784. It is said to have been a famine-
reUef work, on which multitudes of the people were
glad to labour, the wages being paid at night time so
that none might know who had been forced by want
to apply for work. This great palace is built round a
large quadrangle one side of which is taken up by a
great hall 162 feet long and 53 feet wide. This im-
mense building is roofed over by a coarse concrete
several feet in thickness. This was originally laid on
a rude mould of brick, but when it was thoroughly set

70 A parson's holiday.

and dry the mould was removed and the vaulthig re-
mained, covering the entire building. This great hall
is at present used as an arsenal, where quantities of
cannon are stored. On another side of the court-yard
there stands a mosque, which is at present not used
for worship. The whole of this palace is garrisoned
by English soldiers, and has been converted into a
strong fort. There is a talk of razing the fortifications,
and restoring the palace to the Mohammedans, so that
they may once more use their mosque. I believe the
fort is not strategically useful, as it can be com-
manded from other heights. We have held it ever
since the Mutiny. It seems hard that the Moham-
medans should be debarred from worshipping in one
of the most famous mosques in Lucknow, and if the
fortifications do not add to the strength of the English
defences, it would be wiser to restore the place to the
inhabitants of the city.

The chief interest, however, of Lucknow does not lie
in the palaces and stuccoed abominations of the Kings
of Oudh. They were as poor architects as they were
bad rulers. But the main sights of the place are con-
nected with the gallant defence made by Sir Henry
Lawrence in 1857, ^'""^ ^^^^ relief brought to the little
garrison by Havelock and Outram. Every visitor to
Lucknow visits the ruins of the Residency, where a
small British force resisted for eighty-seven days an
army of rebels. Surrounded by foes, having to watch
day and night against surprises and attacks, hampered
• by the presence of women and children, cannonaded
by artillery, and attacked by mines, less than 1000
Europeans and 500 faithful natives held out against
100,000 assailants.

" Men will forget what we suffer and not what we do. We can

fight-
But to be soldier all day and be sentinel all thro' the night —
Ever the mine and assault, our sallies, their lying alarms.
Bugles and drums in the darkness, and shoutings and soundings

to arms,
Ever the labour of fifty that had to be done by five,

DEFENCE OF TME RESIDENCY. 71

Ever the marvel among us that one should be left alive,
Ever the day with its traitorous death from the loopholes around,
Ever the night with its coffinless corpse to be laid in the ground,
Heat like the mouth of a hell, or a deluge of cataract skies,
Stench of old offal decaying, and infinite torment of flies,
Thoughts of the breezes of May blowing over an English field,
Cholera, scurvy, and fever, the wound that would not be heal'd,
Lopping away of the limb by the pitiful — pitiless knife, —
Torture and trouble in vain, — for it never could save us a life.
Valour of delicate women who tended the hospital bed.
Horror of women in travail among the dying and dead,
Grief for our perishing children, and never a moment for grief.
Toil and ineffable weariness, faltering hopes of relief,
Havelock baffled, or beaten, or butcher'd for all that we knew —
Then day and night, day and night, coming down on the still-
shattered walls
Millions of musket-bullets, and thousands of cannon balls —
But ever upon the topmost roof our banner of England blew."

So our great poet describes the terrors of that fierce
siege. Sir Henry Lawrence was wounded and died on
the third day of the investment. But he had victualled
and fortified the palace as far as it was possible, and
it was owing to his foresight and careful preparations
that the defenders w^ere able to hold out for such a
length of time.

The ruins of the Residency remain in the same
condition as it was left by the mutineers. The
ground all round has been levelled and laid out as a
garden, and within the precincts rise the ruins of the
Residency. It was built at the end of the last century,
and was a large and commodious house, and attached
to it there were other smaller houses, together with a
small church and graveyard. The whole was enclosed
by a wall, but it is now difficult to trace all the different
buildings. The walls are scarred by shot and shell,
the rooms are all unroofed, and the whole place is a
ruin. For after it was evacuated by Havelock's re-
lieving force it was occupied by the mutineers, who
blew up certain portions, and were not driven out till
the final advance of our troops in March, 1858. But
there is still one staircase left standing, which leads
up to the watch tower from which " the banner of

72 A parson's holiday.

England flew" all through those hot months, when the
women and children were hidden in the cellars, when
there was no water for washing (a terrible privation in
such a climate), and when the hospital was as much
under fire as the house itself. The hole in the wall
which the shell made which killed Sir Henry Lawrence,
and the remains of the room in which he died, are still
visible. Close by is the cemetery where numbers are
buried who died during the long siege. Many of the
inscriptions are in memory of women and little children,
and are touching in their simplicity. But the simplest
and most touching inscription of all is cut on the plain
stone slab, which tells that

" Here lies Henry Lawrence, who tried to do his duty."

For a long time there was no memorial of those
native soldiers who remained faithful to us in spite of
threats, and bribes, and every kind of temptation.
l)ut Lord Northbrook during his viceroyalty out of his
own private purse put up a stone to their honour.

While I was at Lucknow the whole place was
en fete, for the Viceroy was to hold a great Durbar,
which was to be attended by all the Talukdars of
Oudh. The coming of the Viceroy to a place is no
light matter, for his retinue is so enormous that no
building could contain the numbers who travel with
him. So outside the city, on a bare and open piece
of ground, there were arranged a number of tents of all
shapes and sizes, enough to form a small town. This
was the Viceregal Camp, and was a marvel of canvas-
building. In the centre was the great Durbar tent,
of bright coloured yellow walls, spread with costly car-
pets, and capable of holding several hundred people.
Opening from that there were other tents, used as
dining or drawing rooms, bedrooms, &c., all of which
together made quarters for the Viceroy and his suite.
In front of these tents there was a large circular plot
of the greenest turf, with a great flagstaff in the centre,
and all round this central space there stretched streets

THE VICEROY'S VISIT. 73

of tents in every direction, which were occupied by
members of the Government, aides-de-camp, civiHans,
officers, and officials of all sorts. Near to this canvas
town there were pitched other camps, occupied by
various regiments both of horse and foot, for as a
great review was to be held, the place was full of
troops. All this magnificent array had sprung up in
the midst of a bare and sandy plain. The very turf
had been specially laid down for the occasion, a
special telegraph wire had been brought to the camp,
and the various resident officials had been busy for
weeks before, preparing for the Viceroy's visit. He
Avas to remain at Lucknow altogether for six days,
and when he left, all the tents would be struck and
the troops would depart, and the spot return to its
original loneliness.

However, for that week every one was in a state of
excitement, and I was glad to have an opportunity of
getting a glimpse of the show. The Viceroy .arrived
on a Saturday, but the entry into the town was made
in private, in consequence of a death having lately
occurred in Lady Ripon's family. Sunday was spent
in quietness, though as the Churches could not accom-
modate all the troops then collected in Lucknow, I
was asked to take a camp-service for one regiment.
This I was glad to do, and had a very attentive con-
gregation, who formed a hollow square, a pile of
drums forming the reading desk, and hymns being
sung to the accompaniment of the military band. On
Monday the Viceregal party made expeditions, and
transacted business, and in the evening there was a
dinner party, followed by a levee. This was held in
the largest tent, and here a long string of the Euro-
pean residents of the place passed before the Viceroy
and made their bow. Tuesday there was a review
of all the troops in the station, and the presentation
of new colours to one of the native regiments. This
was a very brilliant sight, as the Indian regiments
have bright coloured uniforms of red, and green,

K

74 A parson's holiday.

and gold, and their turbans look picturesque. One
of the English regiments had only just landed from
Egypt, and the uniforms of the men looked stained
and weather-worn. In the evening the Lieutenant-
Governor gave a ball in the club-rooms at the Chatta
Manzal. I never saw a gayer sight. The different
uniforms lightened up the sombreness of the usual
evening attire of the gentlemen, and the rooms were
large, well lighted, and beautifully decorated. There
was an open air rendezvous on some steps leading
down to the river, which was illuminated by Chinese
lanterns and was gay with flowers in pots, and here one
could escape from the heat of the ball-room into the
cloudless glories of an Indian night. But the great event
of the week was on Wednesday, when the Viceroy held
his Durbar, or levee for native nobility and their re-
tainers. The big tents were thrown into one, a throne
was set at one end, and a broad central pathway was laid
down with scarlet cloth. The Europeans sat on one
side, and the natives on the other, and all had to be
in their places before the Viceroy arrived. He drove
up punctually at 12 o'clock under a salute of twenty-
one guns, the troops outside presented arms, the band
played " God save the Queen," everyone in the tent
stood up, and then there passed up the centre the
little knot of men who were the chief rulers of this
part of India. Last of all came the Viceroy, dressed
ni Court dress, wearing the Garter ribbon, and the
Grand Cross of the Star of India. It was a most
varieijated and brilliant si^^ht to see this great tent
full of people, the uniforms and ladies' dresses filling
up one side, while opposite there were the natives,
clothed in velvet and satin garments, bright with gold
brocade, and with turbans heavy with jewels. When
the Viceroy had entered and taken his seat on the
throne, the natives (in number about 200) were led
up in order and presented. Their rank seemed very
strictly defined, and the order of precedence rigidly
adhered to. Some of the representatives of the oldest

THE DURBAR,

75

families were quite young children, who had just suc-
ceeded to their estates. As each was presented, he
offered a gold coin in token of fealty, which the
Viceroy touched, and then it was retained by the
owner. When all had been presented, there was
an address to the Viceroy, read by one of the
chief nobles. He spoke of the loyalty they felt
for the Crown, and thanked the present Viceroy for
the interest he had shown in the natives of India,
notably by the measures lately introduced for local
self-government, and the appointment of the commis-
sion on education. The Viceroy read a speech m
answer. In it he referred to Sir H. Lawrence, and
the epitaph on his tomb, and said how he would try
to imitate a man so connected with Oudh. He also
gave them some advice about attending to the needs
of their tenants, and praised the Chief Commissioner
of Oudh, and told them to ask his advice in any diffi-
culty. After he had finished his speech, the Foreign
Secretary read it out again in Urdu, so that those
ignorant of English might know what had been said.
Then betel nut and pan were handed round, and the
proceedings closed, the Viceroy leaving with salutes,
and music, and military parade.

There seemed to be a curious difficulty as to how
the natives were to show their respect. The old way
was for a native to take off his shoes when he came
into a room, as he could not remove his turban without
disgrace. But as Western ideas have spread, the
richer natives no longer wear Indian shoes, which are
easily slipped off, but wear English patent leather
boots. How then is the native to show respect?
He cannot easily slip off his English boots, and it
would be a disgrace to him to uncover his head.
Apparently the difficulty is not solved, and the custom
seems to be that when a man wears native shoes he
takes them off, while if he has on English-made boots,
he need not remove them. Certainly all the natives at
the Durbar wore English shoes or boots, which they

76 A parson's holiday.

did not remove, and thus showed no outward sign
of respect, but walked up the central passage over the
scarlet cloth with both head and feet covered. As
an Englishman always removes his hat, there seems
something of an inequality, but it is one of those ab-
struse points only to be properly decided by a Court
Chamberlain or other State Master of the Ceremonies.
The ignorant unofficial person cannot hope to pene-
trate such mysteries.

On the same afternoon the Viceroy distributed
the prizes at the Martiniere College. This college
was founded by a French adventurer named Claude
Martine, who after serving under the Frenchman
Lally in Southern India, and afterwards in the Com-
pany's army, finally took service under the King of
Oudh, and died at Lucknow in the year 1800. He
left behind him a large fortune, most of which was
bequeathed to the three cities of Calcutta, Lucknow,
and Lyons, for the foundation of schools in each.
The school at Lucknow is accommodated in a great
palace which Martine built, and in the basement of
which his body is buried. It is said that he decided
on this curious arrangement for fear of the King of
Oudh frustrating his charitable intentions, and seizing
on his palace. For Martine rightly judged that though
an Eastern ruler might not respect the testamentary
wishes of a dead man, yet he would hardly violate the
sanctity of a tomb. So by ordering that his body
should be placed within the walls of his house, he in-
sured that the building should not be confiscated by
any rapacious ruler. The structure itself is noted as
one of the strangest and most fantastic even amongst
the bizarre and quaint erections which abound in
Lucknow. Greek orders are superimposed one upon
another, the sky line is broken by numberless statues,
flying buttresses uphold a central tower crowned by a
belvedere and a flagstaff, and figures of lions " stand
erect holding on to the battlements with one paw while
they gesticulate oratorically with the other; all this

MARTINIERE COLLEGE. 77

makes up an ensemble which is certainly unique and
may even be called striking." '•'

The school, which is located in this curious build-
ing, gives a good education to English and Eurasian
boys and girls. The boys work for the matricula-
tion examination at the Calcutta University, and also
strive to enter the Roorki Engineering College. This
latter opening has lately been in some measure closed
against them, as a new resolution passed by Govern-
ment gives the preference to the employment of native
engineers rather than Europeans. There are only a
few Government posts offered for competition, and
these are now almost entirely restricted to natives.
Those interested in Eurasian schools feel hurt by this
new resolution, and desire that the appointments
should be offered for open competition irrespective
of race. The point w^as brought forward by the Prin-
cipal of the Martiniere College in his opening address
to the Viceroy, but Lord Ripon in his reply naturally
refrained from touching on such debatable points.
He contented himself with saying a few pleasant
words to the prizewinners, who came up to receive the
books and other rewards which they had gained. He
departed amidst hearty cheers from the boys, and
without further allusion to these burning questions.
There are so few openings in India for Eurasian boys,
and they are so liable to become worthless if left unedu-
cated, that it is no wonder that all who are interested
in their future watch very jealously any curtailment of
the offices to which they might be appointed. Still
the spread of railway works and the increase of
manufactures open out careers for them as overseers
and supervisors of native workmen, and their mixed
blood enables them to stand the climate better than
the pure European. In every way the Eurasian is
now being looked after, and if he has any good
qualities in him, he ought never to sink into the

"*Kecnc's Guide lo Lucknoiv.

78 A parson's holiday.

position of the "poor white trash" known in the
American States.

In the evening of the same day the Viceroy gave
an evening party at his Camp, to which both natives
and EngHsh were invited. The big tent was full of
ladies in bright dresses, officers in uniform, and natives
in gorgeous clothes and jewelled turbans. The Viceroy
with his A.D.C. moved about amongst his guests, and
had a word with the chief nobles and other persons
who were introduced to him.

The Talukdars of Oudh are the territorial magnates
of that Province. They are responsible to the Govern-
ment for a gross sum payable from their lands, and
occupy nearly the position of great English landlords.
Previous to the Mutiny they w^ere an uneducated and
dissolute class, but the younger generation bear a bet-
ter character. Canning College has been founded in
Lucknow for their education, and the majority of the
younger nobles can speak English. Some appeared
over fat and unhealthy in appearance, but others had
bright intelligent faces. These Talukdars gave a grand
open air evenmg/ele in honour of the Viceroy's visit on
the next day to that on which the Durbar was held, in
the Kaiser Bagh. This is a great enclosed garden
surrounded by rooms originally built as a seraglio, but
now used as a caravanserai by the nobles when they
come into Lucknow. The whole court-yard was illu-
minated with countless oil lamps, arranged in various
devices, there was a great display of fireworks, and as
the night was still and dark the effect was striking.

This closed the festivities of the week. The Viceroy
proceeded on his way to Calcutta, the great Camp was
struck, and Lucknow no doubt soon relapsed into its
usual quiet state. But the good effect of such visits
it is hard to over estimate. They give the Viceroy
an insight into various parts of hidia, they bring him
into contact with the notable people of each district,
and he can see with his own eyes and hear with his
own ears what is being done. People in England for-

ADMINISTRATION OF INDIA. 79

get the enormous size and the various races which
make up what we call India. The territory over which
the Viceroy rules is as large as all Europe without
Russia. The different races differ amongst themselves
as much as Frenchmen and Germans, Spaniards and
Englishmen. The conditions of life vary in different
parts ; the soil, the requirements, the civilization, the
manners and customs alter in every province. No
one could legislate for the whole, if he only had know-
ledge of a part. What would be useful for one place
mi^ht be undesirable in another. Therefore the more
the ruler of such an Empire can visit different parts,
the more likely he is to gain experience and avoid
mistakes. The commonest time of the year for such
visits is during the month of November, while the
Government is making its periodical move from Simla
to Calcutta. All the hot weather it remains in the
hills, and from November to March it is located in
Calcutta. The distance between the two places is
over 1 1 00 miles (about the distance between London
and Gibraltar), and the time taken in transferring
the paraphernalia of government from one place to
another is considerable. During this interval the
Viceroy takes the opportunity of visiting some new
portion of the Empire, and becoming personally ac-
quainted with its needs and requirements. He often
holds a levee for the chief inhabitants of the district,
and thus can interchange opinions with the residents
on the spot. Thus he can gain experience and see
how different parts of the extensive dominions which
he has to govern are progressing.

It would take too much space to describe the whole
scheme of the government of India, but it may be
advisable to state a few facts for the use of those
who are very ignorant of the subject. Before 1858
the Governor-General was almost an autocrat, respon-
sible only to a distant Court of Directors in England,
and often forced to act before he could receive
either advice or orders from home. In 1858 the

8o A PARSON'S HOLIDAY.

Crown assumed the direct government of India, the
Governor-General was changed into a Viceroy, and all
his acts have now to be sanctioned by a Secretary of
State in England, who is a Cabinet Minister. This
Secretary of State is assisted by a Council, chiefly
composed of retired Indian officials, who advise him
on all questions which are referred home for decision.
Thus the Viceroy in India is not supreme, but all his
actions are controlled by a responsible Minister in
England. This sometimes leads to delay, and is
likely also to hamper at times the policy of the
Government in India. It might possibly happen that
through a change of parties at home, the Viceroy
might find himself no longer able to work in harmony
with the Secretary of State. (This indeed happened
in 1880, when Lord Lytton resigned simultaneously
with the home Government.) But usually matters
work smoothly. India remains outside the sphere of
party politics at home, and the reference of all ques-
tions to a responsible Minister in England prevents
hasty legislation, and brings outside public opinion to
bear on Indian affairs. This is a good thing in the
main, as if India were governed by an irresponsible
clique of officials, however excellent, they would be
liable to be warped by prejudices, and might fail to
reform abuses. Irresponsible power is gcod for no
man, and though often it is necessary to refer many
small matters home for sanction, yet the constant
check thus placed on legislation and expenditure gives
time for thought and prevents extravagance. It is
said in India that the Viceroy could not appoint an
extra servant without sanction from home, and though
this is perhaps an exaggeration, yet the careful en-
quiry into every item of expenditure must act bene-
ficially.

In India the government is carried on as follows :
In grave cases of emergency the Viceroy can act
independently, but usually he governs through his
Council. This Council is twofold. First there is the

THE COUNCIL. gl"

Executive Council, consisting of about six official
members, which may be compared to the Cabinet at
home. Each member of this Council is head of a
department, and in this way there are bureaux or port-
folios of Foreign Affairs, Finance, Home, War, Law,
and Public Works. And next there is the Legislative
Council, made up of the members of the Executive
Council, "with the addition of the Governor of the
Province in which it may be held, and official dele-
gates from Madras and Bombay, together with certain
nominated members representative of the non-official
native and European communities." * This Council
meets when required, its debates are public, and it dis-
cusses bills and passes measures, which eventually
become laws. The debates are said to lack interest.
The members often read their speeches, and these
state papers, though very valuable, sound dull when
compared with the freer parliamentary discussion
which takes place at home. Yet a seat in the
Council is highly prized, the men who fill these posts
are the wisest officials in India, and the amount of
work done in each Department is enormous. The table
of a Member of Council is covered with papers, boxes
full of weighty matters requiring his decision surround
his chair, and his office has to provide information on
all points connected with the Department he repre-
sents.

Besides this supreme Council there are also provin-
cial legislative Councils for the Presidencies of Bombay
and Madras, and for the Lieutenant-Governorship of
Bengal. The members of these Councils confer on
local and provincial matters, and though they cannot
legislate independently of the Viceroy, they have large
powers in domestic and administrative matters.

British India is divided into twelve Provinces, the
best known of which are Madras, Bombay, Bengal,
the Punjab, the North-West Provinces, Burma, and

*W. W. Hunter's Indian Empire, p. 329.

82 A PARSON'S HOLIDAY.

Assam. Bombay and Madras are ruled over by a
Governor appointed direct from England, and though
they are subject to the supreme power of the Viceroy,
he seldom interferes with their internal actions. The
other Provinces are ruled over by a covenanted civilian,
who has won his way upwards from the lowest grade
of his profession. He is called either the Lieutenant-
Governor or the Chief Commissioner, according to the
Province over which he rules. Some of these Pro-
vinces are over 100,000 square miles in area, and over
these large tracts of country full of people the English
civilian practically reigns supreme. All executive
power rests in his hands, and the well-being of mil-
lions of people is entrusted to him.

Under him there are several district officers who
are responsible for the good order of their districts.
The whole of our territory in India is divided into
these districts, which vary in size and in population,
and are about 240 in number. An average district
would be about 60 miles square and would contain
about 800,000 people. They might be compared to
the larger counties of England. The chief officer of
such a district is called a Collector-Magistrate, or a
Deputy- Commissioner. It would be impossible to
enumerate the variety of work which is expected from
a District Officer. He is both a revenue officer, and
also a magistrate and judge with large powers. He
has to concern himself about poHce and jails, roads
and sanitary matters, schools and dispensaries. A
great part of the cold weather is spent by him in
travelling about his district. His tents are pitched
wherever his presence seems desirable, and thus all
parts of his charge are visited in turn. Justice is thus
brought to the doors of the poor, abuses are enquired
into, quarrels arranged, and disputes adjudicated on
the spot. There is no village so remote, but it is
liable to be visited by the chief official of the district,
and this constant supervision insures due care in all
his subordinates.

THE CIVIL SERVICE. 8^

The career of an Indian civilian is one of the most
interesting which can be conceived. He has work
enough to satisfy the most gluttonous, he is always
engaged in improving the material well-being of his
fellow-subjects, and he has scope for all his talents
and ability. The work is hard and often distressing,
but the training which a young man receives is such
as to call out all the good which is in him, and to fit
him to orovern others. The life in the districts is often
lonely, the climate in the hot weather is most trymg,
and the work at times becomes monotonous. But
promotion is always expected, and each member of
the Civil Service can leave his mark on the district in
which he works. English people hardly realize the
excellence of the administration which is daily carried
on in India by the civilians. Yet the ability, and in-
dustry, and rectitude of principle, and doggedness of
purpose there exhibited, deserve all praise. There
are of course some few incompetent and lazy officials,
but the vast majority of our Indian administrators
have the real good of the people at heart, and do their
best to improve the condition of those committed to
their charge. The pomp and glitter of the Viceregal
Court must not blind us to the hard work daily done
in all ranks of the Government, and we must gladly
recognize the upright intentions and general success
of the measures promulgated for the benefit of the
peoples of India.

84 A PARSON'S HOLIDAY.

Chapter V.

I HAD to hasten away from the festivities of Lucknow,
as my time seemed but short for all the sights I had
still to see. So on the evening of December ist I
travelled on to Benares, which is distant about 200
miles from Lucknow. Benares is built on the banks
of the Ganges, and is considered by the Hindus to be
one of the holiest cities in India. In consequence the
place is full of temples and shrines, and is a great
resort of pilgrims. The population is over 175,000,
which makes it the fifth most populous city in India.
Like Athens of old, it may be said to be "wholly given
to idolatry." The temples number more than 1000, and
there are little shrines at the corners of all the streets.
The streets are extremely narrow, often only four feet
wide, and the houses high. The city is crowded with
strangers from all parts of India, and is said to be a
great resort of criminals. Certainly in these narrow
and crowded quarters anyone might remain for a long
time undiscovered, while the constant coming and
going of numbers of pilgrims make it impossible for
the police to know all the inhabitants. Within the
the city the police number about one to every 300 of
the population, which is about three-and-a-half times
as many as the proportion in London.

The great feature of Benares is the river-front. Just
at this point on the Ganges there is a cliff about 80
feet high, and on the slope of this the city is built.
For about three miles along the bank there is a con-
stant succession of stone palaces and temples, from
each of which there are broad stone steps leading
down to the brink of the water. These o-reat stair-
cases are called "ghats," and are used by the pilgrims
as bathing places. At all hours of the day, but espe-

BENARES. 85

cially in the early morning, these splendid flights of
steps are crowded with countless throngs of bathers,
who wash themselves in the water, and believe that
they thus obtain cleansing from their sins. Men and
women walk down the steps, and without unclothing
themselves, immerse their bodies in the stream, and
then reascend the ghat, having thus accomplished the
object of their pilgrimage. These ghats have been
built by various Rajahs and Princes of India, and they
often lead up to a palace, which is occupied by the
owner, when he comes at intervals to bathe in the
sacred river. As each palace is built on a different
design, and as there are also many splendid temples
on the bank, the river-front of Benares is wonderfully
picturesque. When the broad flights of steps are
thronged with bathers, dressed in bright coloured gar-
ments, the scene is one of the most striking to be seen
in India.

During my visit these ghats were illuminated in
honour of Lady Ripon, w^ho was staying at Benares.
The illumination is done in the simplest way, but the
effect is most beautiful. Thousands and thousands of
little clay saucers are filled with oil, in which there
floats a wick. These saucers are then placed in long
lines along every stair of every ghat, and along the
balconies, and roofs, and window-sills of the houses.
Then when all are lighted the effect is most striking.
We went in a boat on the river, so that we might get a
good view of the whole illumination. For about two
miles along the river-front every cornice, and window,
and balcony, and every stair of every ghat was picked
out with long lines of little twinkling lights. The night
was dark and still, so that there was nothing to mar
the full effect of the scene. The thousands of lights
enabled one to notice the crowds of spectators, who
watched the state barge, which carried Lady Ripon,
pass down the long line of lit-up palaces. As this
way of illumination necessarily follows the lines of the
architecture of the building, it is much more pleasing

86 A parson's holiday.

and effective than the number of Incongruous and
trashy designs which disfigure the streets of London
when we attempt any illuminations. Nothing could
be prettier than the long steep staircases, every stair
of which was studded with lights. The varied outlines
of the buildings, and the cliff with its crowded roofs,
and the innumerable lights were all reflected in the
water, and thus the beauty of the scene was increased
by the picturesque character of the site of the city
itself.

The buildings of Benares are not specially fine.
The temples appear mean and poor when compared
with the beautiful buildings of Delhi and Agra, or with
the great structures of Southern India. But they are
noticeable from the crowds of worshippers who throng
their courts. They are used, and Hinduism is here seen
as a living religion. Every shrine and every image in
Benares is worshipped and adored. Every temple is
crowded with pilgrims, who are there as real worshippers
for the purpose of praying to the gods. Amongst these
the Golden Temple is one of the most famous. It is
a small building, surrounded with houses, and of no
great beauty. It gets its name from its domes, which
were overlaid with gold by Runjeet Singh. But though
its size and architectural pretensions are in no way
remarkable, yet one could not help noticing the throngs
of worshippers which were constantly passing in and
out. The whole of the courts and rooms seemed
always full of people. As one left, another took his
place, and successive worshippers were praying and
prostrating themselves all through the day before the
idol shrines. There seemed to be a constant chant of
priests, and on all sides one saw fakirs smeared with
clay and with long tangled hair, nearly naked and very
dirty, who recited prayers all day long. The central
idol to which all this worship was addressed was the
" lingam," or phallic emblem, said to typify the creative
principle, but the cause and apology for every kind of
immorality. The reproductive energy of nature was also

THE MONKEY TEMPLE. 87

symbolized by a great figure of a bull carved in stone
about seven feet high. Round the central court under
a colonnade many sacred bulls were tethered. These
animals used to roam about the streets, and put their
noses into every grain shop, and help themselves to
anything they could find. They were hardly driven
away by the shopkeepers, even when their depredations
became excessive, as these temple bulls are considered
specially sacred. But a later Government regulation
has ordered 'that they should be kept from straying
about the streets, so that the traffic may not be im-
peded.

These are not the only animals reverenced in Benares.
There is a building, popularly called the Monkey
Temple, which is crowded with thousands of these
"living deities." They are considered to be sacred,
and are fed by everyone who enters the building.
The result of this is that they are as bold as possible,
and as soon as anyone enters they rush from all parts,
expecting the sweetmeats, which are sold on the spot
by enterprising salesmen. These monkeys are of a
dark orange colour, and are of all ages and sizes.
One was pointed out, who was supposed to be the
strongest, and to rule over the rest. He certainly
seemed ready to exercise his power, and robbed the
others whenever he got the chance. The whole pack
of them quarrelled, and fought, and bit at each other,
and the noise was anything but pleasing. They scram-
bled and climbed over the roofs and pinnacles of the
building, and scampered over the floors, clinging on
all sides to the carved pillars, and ever watching for
the offerings made to them by the faithful. The
temple itself is dedicated to the goddess Durga, who is
venerated as the wife of Siva. Here again the worship
paid to her was no perfunctory performance. While
we were there, a poor woman, looking very ill, entered
and prostrated herself before the figure of the goddess.
My native guide, who was a Police Inspector, and
could talk English, happened to know this woman.

88 A PARSON'S HOLIDAY.

She belonged to Calcutta, but had come on this
wearisome pilgrimage, and was now engaged in going
round all the famous shrines and temples in Benares,
having to pay fees at each to the priests, and before
every idol she made her prayer for health. When
she had visited all the temples, she would return to
Calcutta, having spent all that she had, and one fears
she would be " nothing bettered but rather grown
worse."

This native Police Inspector was an intelligent per-
son ; he had been told off to look after me by my kind
host, and he was a most efficient guide. He spoke of
coming to England some day, and was most anxious
to hear about our manners and customs. His clothes
were of English cloth made partly in native fashion,
but he wore trousers and English shoes. He was a
Hindu by religion, and when we entered the temples
belonging to his own faith, he slipped off his shoes.
But when we came to the great Mohammedan mosque,
which is one of the great sights of Benares, he acted
very differently. There, as a Police Inspector, he de-
manded to enter with his shoes on. He spoke roughly
to the caretaker, and almost insisted on his right to do
as he liked. His European clothes seemed to make
him partly an Englishman, and he wished to be treated
as such. For there was no desire on the part of the
caretaker of the mosque to force me to take off my
boots. I was to be allowed to enter with covered feet.
The "sahibs" always did so. But the Hindustani
people were always made to come in barefooted, or
not at all. The argument lasted for some time, but at
last my guide said that I must go into the mosque by
myself, as he would not take off his boots, and they
would not allow him to enter without doing so.

The different w^ay in which this Hindu acted at the
two sacred places was no doubt determined by some-
thing more than religious feeling. The great mosque
at Benares is a standing reminder to them of the fact
that they were conquered by the Mohammedans. It

MOSQUE AT BENARES. 89

was built by the Emperor Aurangzeb on the site of a
Hindu temple, and is thus an offence to all who be-
long to that religion. The mosque itself is noticeable
for its slender minarets, which are 147 feet high. I
ascended one of these for the sake of the view. The
ascent itself was a little difhcult. The tower was so
slender that the steps of the winding staircase were
only two feet long, measuring from the wall to the
central pillar. Of course the part nearest the wall was
the only place wide enough to step upon, and thus one
clambered up with difficulty, and it would have been
impossible to pass any other person on the staircase.
One's elbows touched the stones on each side, and it
was almost like ascending the shaft of a tall chimney.
But the view from the top was well worth the labour.
The whole city lay below, the river could be seen for
a long distance, the ghats crowded with bathers, the
temples and palaces, the distant country, and the
opposite bank, were all spread before one like a map,
while round one's head green parrots flew and screamed,
who seemed to have their nests in the holes of the
masonry. The mosque with its slender minarets is
built high above the bank of the river, and is ap-
proached by a steep staircase, which makes it a striking
object in all views of Benares.

One of the most curious buildings in the city is the
Observatory of Jai Sing. On its flat roof there are
several stone astronomical instruments of gigantic size
for taking observations. There are the remains of
dials, and quadrants, and mural circles, built of stone,
most accurately set up, which were used by native
astronomers for determining the position of the stars
and planets.

Besides its temples and ghats, Benares is also famous
for its manufactures. Its brass work is well known in
England, and lacquered toys for children are also
exported to the West. But the most expensive handi-
craft, which is wrought in the city, is the " kincob "
work. This is gold or silver thread woven into silk or

M

90 A parson's holiday.

cotton fabrics, making a sort of brocade, which is
most rich. The natives admire this work extremely.
The thinner " kincob " is used for women's veils and
dresses, while the thicker stuffs make trousers and
dress pieces for men. The gold and silver thread is
made of pure metal, and when the stuff into which it
has been woven is worn out, the garment is burnt and
the metal carefully saved for future use. The pre-
ciousness of the material makes the stuff very ex-
pensive, and I was shown some pieces which were
worth -^3 a yard! English ladies have not yet learned
to use it, though I heard of one Court dress, where
the upper skirt was made of this brocade, and was
much admired.

Benares is the centre of popular modern Hinduism.
There may be much that is beautiful in the old Vedic
hymns and Sanskrit literature of very early times,
but there is little that is worth preserving in modern
Hinduism, and the degradation and impurity of much
of the popular religion is nowhere more noticeable
than it is in this city. I may quote here a few sen-
tences from the late Rev. M. A. Sherring, who
laboured for thirty years in Benares. He writes thus
about idolatry: " The nature of the Hindu partakes of
the supposed nature of the gods whom he worships.
And what is that nature ? According to the traditions
handed about amongst the natives, and constantly
dwelt upon in their conversation, and referred to in
their popular songs — which perhaps would be sufficient
proof — yet more especially according to the number-
less statements and narratives found in their sacred
writings, on which these traditions are based, it is, in
many instances, vile and abominable in the last degree.
Idolatry is a word denoting all that is wicked in imagi-
nation and impure in practice." Certainly the sacred
objects of worship exposed in the temples of Benares
cannot tend to spiritualize or ennoble the worshippers.
They must deaden and deprave all those who come
into contact with such a religion.

nARJEEI.ING. 91

From Benares I had a long railway journey of 475
miles to Calcutta. The time taken was about eighteen
hours, and the line lay through a very thickly populated
country. Every acre seemed cultivated, and the land
was occupied in every corner. The population is, I
believe, thicker in Lower Bengal than in any other
part of India, and in some districts there are 900
people to the square mile. I had very little oppor-
tunity of seeing Calcutta, as I only stopped long
enough for a bath and breakfast, and then drove
across the city to take the train for Darjeeling. I had
been advised to hasten there as quickly as possible, as
the weather in the hills becomes unsettled about the
middle of December, and the nights very cold. The
great sight of Darjeeling is the view of the snowclad
peaks, but later on in the winter these are often ob-
scured by rain and mists for days together. It would
have been disappointing to arrive at that hill station
and find oneself in the clouds. So I was advised to
hurry onwards for fear of losing the fine weather.

The distance from Calcutta to Darjeeling is about
350 miles. The first part of the journey lies through a
flat and uninteresting country. At sunset we reached
the Ganges, which we crossed by a steam ferry, and
entered another train, which was waiting. We tra-
velled all through the night, and in the early morning
found ourselves at the foot of the hills. Then began
the great interest of the journey, viz., the climb up
the lower slopes of the Himalayas to the plateau
on which Darjeeling is built. This is effected by
a very narrow gauge railway with extremely powerful
engines. The gauge is only two-and-a-half feet, and
the carriages are five-and-a-half feet broad, and thus
project on each side beyond the wheels. By means
of this narrow p;au2e the train is enabled to £ro round
very sharp curves, and thus to ascend the hill in steep
zifjzaijs. The distance from Silioruri at the foot of the
hills to Darjeeling is 48 miles, and this distance is
accomplished in eight hours, during which one as-

92 A parson's holiday.

cends about 7000 feet. It was the most beautiful
railway journey I ever took. At first we passed
through a broad strip of swampy jungle, called the
Terai, at the foot of the hills, which is so malarious
and unhealthy that none can live in it, and in many
parts it is the home of the tiger and rhinoceros. Then
as the ascent began, the hills on each side were seen
covered with dense wood and undergrowth. Creepers
twined everywhere, often with stems as thick as
small trees. Butterflies of gorgeous colours flew about
through the undergrowth, and far above one got
glimpses of heights still to be ascended. Often we
could see the track above our heads round which we
were presently to wind, and long distances had to be
traversed in the zigzag to win a very small rise in
perpendicular height. Often the rail ran alongside the
mountain road or pass, which had been used from
time immemorial, and then one saw numbers of the
hill men, journeying to or from Tibet with strings of
small active ponies, laden with merchandise. This
was the only method a few years ago, before the rail-
way was made, for supplying Darjeeling with stores,
and these are still the only merchants who cross the
high passes of the Himalayas, and penetrate into the
unknown country beyond our northern frontier. Wild
looking, dark-faced, wiry men they appeared, and each
was armed with a long knife or short sword in a wooden
sheath, which could be used either for cutting food or
hacking down branches in the jungle, or as a weapon
of offence very dangerous at close quarters.

As we got higher the view over the plains beneath
was spread before us like a map. We could look far
to the southward, and see the rich flat land with
winding streams and cultivated fields shut out from
the cold north by

"The stainless ramps of huge Himala's wall."

We passed many tea plantations, but at this season of
the year there was little to bo done except weeding.

THE HIMALAYAS. 93

The planters' houses were built on various spurs or
level plateaux on the slopes, and although two tea
gardens might be in sight of one another, yet the in-
tervening valleys were often so deep that a ride from
one to the other was a matter of several miles. The
tea plants looked like low bushes about one to two feet
high, planted in rows like strawberry plants, with broad
passages between the rows. As we got higher still we
came into the regions of the rhododendron and tree
ferns. These last were great spreading plants, and
seemed to flourish luxuriantly in the heat and moisture
of these hill regions. The reason why the vegetation
is everywhere so rich is because the rainfall is so ex-
cessive. There are places in Assam where from 30 to
40 feet of rain fall every year, and in one year 805
inches were measured. This enormous rainfall aided
by the intense heat causes all parts of the lower ranges
of the hills to be clothed in forest. The very trunks
of the trees support other plants, and the branches
are everywhere beautified with moss and ferns, sweet
tresses of orchid blossoms, and long creepers. Un-
luckily our last piece of the ascent was made through
clouds. The edge of the ridge on which Darjeeling
stands was enveloped in a thick damp mist, and we
feared that we should get no view of the distant hills.
But it was only a local belt of cloud which hung over
the extreme edge of the ridge, and as we ran into
Darjeeling Station the sun was shining brightly, and
we had a full view of the perpetual snows.

Darjeeling is a small town built on a ridge, bounded
on three sides by valleys which are in places 6000
feet deep. The houses are perched at various eleva-
tions on the adjacent slopes. The majority of them
are detached bungalows, and the owners have built
them so as to command the best views. There is
a short piece of flat road, but wheeled conveyances
are rare, and the majority of Europeans ride, or are
carried about in palanquins. One's luggage was car-
ried from the station by female porters, who seemed

94 A parson's holiday.

capable of supporting enormous weights. They car-
ried everything on their backs, supporting their load
by means of a band, which passed across the fore-
head. These hardworking wives of the hill-men
seem to do all the work of porterage, and were the
chief carriers who brought supplies to the various
bungalows. The natives of this part of India are
called Bhutias, and are of a Tibeto-Burman stock.
They are probably one of the aboriginal races of
India, which were overcome by the Aryan immigra-
tions. They have a very Chinese caste of features
with high cheek bones, and eyes at an angle to the
nose, and are dressed in Chinese clothes. They are
Buddhists in religion, and seem to have been driven
from the lowlands to these hill regions by the stronger
Aryan tribes, who invaded India in very early times.

The territory of Darjeeling was ceded to us by the
Rajah of Sikkim and is surrounded by independent
territory. Nepal is on the west and Sikkim on the
east, while to the north lie the unexplored regions of
Tibet. One heard much of the difficulty of pene-
trating into the country north of our frontier. The
inhabitants of Tibet are most jealous of strangers, no
European is allowed to cross the boundary, and the
passes through the Himalayas are almost unknown.
The wonderful city and monastery of Lhassa which
lies only some 200 miles from Darjeeling has (I
believe) not been visited by any European in this
century. The Jesuit Abbe Hue got there, but nowa-
days the danger is greater, and Englishmen are for-
bidden to attempt the expedition. At Lhassa the great
Lama lives, who is the head of Chinese Buddhism,
and who is said to wear always a gold mask so that no
eye may see his features. He is supposed to be an
incarnation of Buddha, and when he dies, the monks
discover some infant, into whom they say the spirit
of Buddha has passed, and he becomes the great
Lama. This Lamaism is a very low type of Buddhism,
and is in many points contrary to the teaching of

THE FRONTIER. 95

Gautama. It is a great erection of priestly power, for
since 141 9 the Dalai Lama has been sole temporal
sovereign of Tibet.* But its gorgeous ritual and gross
superstitions, its prayer-wheels and powerful hierarchy
are all degradations of original Buddhism. The monks
and priests have overlaid the spiritual doctrines of
Gautama with later inventions, and the purity and
beauty of the original teaching has been lost.

This is, however, not the place to sketch the rise
and progress of Buddhism. Only when one was so
near the frontier, and comparatively such a short
distance from the great cathedral and monastery of
Lhassa, one could not help enquiring about the people
beyond our northern border. Although Englishmen
are forbidden to enter Tibet, yet something is done
in the way of exploration. There is a school at Dar-
jeeling where natives are trained in surveying and
map drawing, and these in the disguise of merchants
or traders are able to penetrate into Tibet. They are
exposed to great dangers, for if their object was dis-
covered they would be murdered, as the inhabitants
of Tibet are most fearful of strangers. But these ex-
plorers are able to pass our frontier without suspicion,
and often bring back most valuable results. One
had recently returned after three years' wanderings
with most important sketches of the unknown parts of
Tibet. Another had been dwelling for some time in
Lhassa, and had seen the mysterious abode of the
great Lama. But these discoveries are not openly
published. The routes are mapped, and the observa-
tions stored away in the Indian Intelligence Depart-
ment, and thus they will be useful for military or
political purposes, if they are ever needed. But the
explorers' names are kept secret, as their lives would
hardly be safe, and certainly their usefulness would
be gone, if they were known to be obtaining such
intelligence.

■^•' Sec Rhys David's IJiiddhisiii, passim.

96 A PARSON'S HOLIDAY.

The chief beauty of DarjeeHng hes in the views of
the snowy range obtainable from it, and pohtical con-
siderations were forgotten in feasting one's eyes on
the magnificent prospect spread out before one. The
ridge on which the town is buik runs northwards to-
wards the snows, but after it has extended for about
half-a-mile it terminates abruptly in a steep slope.
Thus the end of the ridge forms a sort of bastion
from the edge of which one gains an uninterrupted
view of Kinchingunga, the second highest mountain
in the world. Immediately beneath one's feet there is
a steep slope, leading down into a valley, some 6000
feet deep. On each side there are similar valleys,
the slopes of which are in places covered with tea
gardens, but which gradually sink down into far-off
depths and rocky ravines, into which the whole of
the English and Scotch mountains might be thrown
without filling up their vast recesses. On the left
hand these valleys are bounded by a range of hills,
12,000 feet high, which are from six to twenty miles
distant, and which block any further view in that
direction. On the right the hills are farther away,
and the main range of snowclad heights can be traced
for many miles. In front is the great mass of Kin-
chingunga itself. It is fifty miles off, yet the clear-
ness of the air enables us to trace every ravine, and
precipice, and splintered crag. The skyline of the
peaks is specially picturesque, and is boldly defined
against the blue heavens. The total height is over
28,000 feet, the valleys beneath one's feet were some
6000 feet deep, and the plateau on which one stood
was some 7000 feet above sea level. Thus looking
first downwards and then upwards, one could see
about 27,000 of perpendicular height. The line of
perpetual snow begms at about 18,000 feet. The
grandest view I obtained was from the back part of
the ridge, from a point called Jalapaher Hill. This
hill is some two miles from the station, and about 900
feet higher than the town of Darjeeling. From this

THE ETERNAL SNOWS. 97

point the whole country was spread before one Hke a
map, and seldom have I seen a greater portion of the
earth's surface at one view. Miles of ridges and
valleys seemed to stretch on all sides. At one's
feet was the town of Darjeeling, and beyond that
there were successive ranges of hills more and more
distant, till at last high above all towered the great
mass of Kinchingunga, seeming to fill up half the sky
with its snows. On the left over another ridge there
peeped a little triangle of snow, and this was the peak
of Everest, eighty miles away, the highest mountain
in the world, which could just be seen over the inter-
vening ridge. I heard that the view of Everest from
this ridge was grand in the extreme, and many
travellers make an expedition to the top of these hills
(which are 12,000 feet high) to gain a full view of the
giant mountain. I had to be content with the peep I
obtained of him from afar, but the second highest
mountain satisfied my aspirations of the beautiful.

Another lovely walk round Birch Hill completed my
Darjeeling experiences. The hill itself is clothed with
thick vegetation, and the ferns and creepers nourished
by the constant trickling streams, which flow down its
steep sides, cover the rock with green tracery. The
sunset-glow on Kinchingunga lingered long after the
valleys were in deep shadow, and as the mists curled
up from the lower grounds, and the light faded on
the eternal snows, I saw a sight which I can never
forget. The summer residence of the Lieutenant-
Governor of Bengal is built on Birch Hill, and one of
the chief delights of this coveted office must be the
possession of a house from which such views can be
obtained. This Lieutenant-Governorship is the highest
prize of the Civil Service in India, and not the least
pleasant part of its tenure is the consideration that
every summer can be spent in the pure air and lovely
surroundings of the Governor's house at Darjeeling.

As the light faded I returned to the town. Below
in the native quarter I heard a gong beaten in front

N

98 A PARSON'S HOLIDAY.

of a Buddhist temple. Each evening this noise was
kept up for about an hour, as part of a rehgious
worship. This northern or Chinese Buddhism is a low
and degraded religion, very different from the more
philosophical faith which the followers of Buddha be-
lieve elsewhere. Of course even amongst the Tibetan
Lamas there are said to be learned and devout monks,
who have pried into the secrets of nature, and have dis-
covered esoteric doctrines, which are not revealed to
the vulgar. These are now being examined by certain
Englishmen in India, and the Theosophists of Simla are
said to have become possessors of certain mystical and
abstruse doctrines, unknown to the uninitiated. But
leaving these wonderful doctrines on one side, and
speaking only of the Buddhistic faith as held by the
common people, one could not find much to praise in
the religion professed by the hill tribes at Darjeeling.
It was a gain to have left behind the Hindu idols of
Lower India, but the superstitions resorted to by the
Lepchas and Bhotias were very unspiritual. Praying
wheels were in common use amongst them. These
are metal drums which revolve on an axis, and which
are filled with prayers written on parchment. The
worshipper, who causes such a praying wheel to
rotate, is considered to have repeated all the prayers
which are contained in the drum. As many times
as he turns the wheel round, so many times is he
supposed to have offered up all the prayers contained
in it. Thus he easily gains the credit of being a
prayerful person. Others write their prayers on flags
or strips of cotton. These are fastened on poles, and
left to flutter in the wind, the idea being that as the
breeze shakes the flags, so the good of the prayers is
set free, and this redounds to the credit of the setter-
up of the flags. These and other like superstitions
have nothing to do with the pure doctrines of original
Buddhism, but are excrescences and abuses which
have been invented by the Lamas of Tibet. While
such superstitious practices are encouraged and fos-

CALCUTTA. 99

tered amongst the common people by the priests, the
religion can do but little for the spiritual life of its
followers.

From Darjeeling I returned to Calcutta, again seeing
the wonderful views of the mountain sides, as the line
wound down the slopes. It was after sunset as we
passed through the Terai belt at the foot of the hills,
and the swarms of fireflies in the long grass of the
swamps were most remarkable. Then another long
night journey over the plains of Eastern Bengal
brought me to Calcutta about noonday.

Calcutta, though the capital of India and the central
seat of the Government, has not much to reward the
ardent sightseer. The city is comparatively modern,
having been founded in 1686 by the East India Com-
pany, who built a factory at this point on the river
Hughli, and afterwards defended it by a fort. These
factories were houses of trade, where the goods ob-
tained from inland were exchanged for the European
commodities w^hich the traders brought from across
the seas. Round this factory at Calcutta there was
gradually formed a town, which has steadily increased
in size, and now extends for some considerable dis-
tance along both banks of the Hughli, and with its
suburbs numbers over 776,000 in population. The
chief reason for this great prosperity is the com-
manding position which the city occupies. It stands
on the bank of a river which is navigable for the
largest ships. The Hughli is one of the mouths
of the Ganges, and Calcutta is built about eighty
miles from the sea. Thus it always could be securely
approached, and vessels could discharge or take in
their cargoes from lighters laden with goods from the
interior, which had been cheaply and safely brought
down by the stream of the Ganges. Standing on the
edge of the river one sees numbers of large steamers
anchored in the stream. The river is tidal and about
as wide as the Thames at London Bridore. The

fc>^

steamers for two miles down the river were anchored

lOO A PARSON'S HOLIDAY.

three and four deep, and the number of large vessels
in the river must have been nearly a hundred.

The city of Calcutta consists of the native quarter,
the public buildings, and the houses occupied by the
European residents. The streets in the native quarter
are generally wide and well paved, though in some of
the poorer parts the population is very thickly crowded
together and the smells in the hot weather are not
very agreeable. The public buildings are fine. The
new Law Courts, the Telegraph and Post Offices, and
the Town Hall, are handsome structures. Govern-
ment House, which is the winter residence of the
Viceroy, stands in the midst of the European quarter.
It is a large and commodious building, said by Fer-
gusson to be copied in design from Keddlestone Hall
in Derbyshire, a house built in the latter half of the
last century, whose architects were the brothers Adam.
Its style is Classical, with large pillars forming a colon-
nade which extends round the building. In the centre
are the state-rooms under a lofty dome. Connected
with this central structure there are four detached
wings appropriated to the private apartments, and
joined by semicircular galleries to the state-rooms.
Thus the Palace is very convenient, as the portion in
which the Viceroy and his family, and secretaries re-
side is entirely distinct from the reception-rooms and
state apartments. At an evening party given by the
Viceroy, after a Drawing-Room, I saw these large
rooms lighted up and filled with a gay crowd, in
which uniforms largely predominated, and the effect
was very striking.

The Cathedral is a less successful building. It was
designed under Bishop Wilson, and before the princi-
ples of Gothic architecture were properly understood.
The result is a poor design, mean in its details, and
pretentious without dignity. From a distance the spire
has a good effect, but there are neither aisles nor
transepts, which causes the interior to look like a large
square hall. But though the building itself is thus

THE OXFORD MISSION. lOI

unlovely, the service was reverently performed, the con-
gregation was large, and the choir sang well. Round
the walls there were numerous tablets to the memory
of those who had succumbed to the unhealthiness of
the climate of Calcutta, and of many military men who
had died in various parts of India. Amongst these
memorial tablets, I noticed the one to Lady Canning,
the wife of a former Viceroy, and those to Bishops
Wilson, Cotton, and Milman. In one way Calcutta
has always been pre-eminent in its Bishops. All have
died at their posts. Not one has returned to England
to live at ease. After having once put their hands to
the plough there has been no looking back. This is
a fact which can be said of no other of our foreign
dioceses, and the spiritual effect of such unflinching
self-denial and perseverance to the end must be felt
beneficially by the whole Church in India.

Missionary work in Calcutta is not neglected, and
amongst other efforts the work of the Oxford Mission is
noticeable. This is a Brotherhood sent out by the
University of Oxford to do for Calcutta what the Cam-
bridge Mission is doing for Delhi. Its main idea is to
influence and try to convert to Christianity the English-
speaking Babu, many of whom are employed in the
various Government offices. " Babu" is a title oriven to
the educated natives, numbers of whom reside in the
city ; many have passed through the Calcutta Univer-
sity course, and all understand some English. This
large and increasing class have in many instances given
up their old idolatrous practices, and are seeking for
a purer faith. Amongst them has been started the
Brahmo-Somaj, which is an eclectic religion, in which
Christ has a place as a human teacher, and whose mem-
bers insist on the Unity and the Fatherhood of God.
In England it is best known through the preaching of
Babu Cheshub Chunder Sen, but in Calcutta several
of his co-religionists have parted company from him
in consequence of his devising new developments of
doctrine, which they think minister rather to his vanity

I02 A parson's holiday.

than to edification. This Somaj is embraced by many
of the more thoui^htful of the Hindus, and the Oxford
Mission may do much for them. Besides these there
are a large number of EngHsh-speaking natives, who
have given up religion altogether. They have learnt
the folly of idolatry, but Western literature has also
opened to them scores of infidel and agnostic books in
which the Christian religion is vilified and ridiculed.
These have been greedily devoured by those who desired
to break free from all restraints. Students of the Cal-
cutta University read Tom Paine and the deistical lite-
rature of the last century. They read translations of the
latest German and French controversial literature, and
the writings of modern sceptics, and the result has
been that many of the English-speaking natives of
India have no religion at all. They are merely simple
Materialists, with one desire to get up in the world and
amass wealth. Here again is a large class for whom
the Oxford Mission can do much. Their arguments,
which are often shallow, can be met and answered by
lectures, and discussions, and books, and they may
thus be brought back to the knowledge of God. It is
not altogether a hopeless task, for no man can be sat-
isfied to rest long in blank atheism. He must desire
to know something about God and the hereafter. The
human instincts are on the side of faith, and thus the
Oxford Missionaries find souls desirous of being taught.
Their work is too new yet to show great results, but
the Community seemed hopeful. Of course many in-
quirers come merely to discuss, and argue, and exhibit
their learning, and air their English. But there are
some who seem more in earnest. In Calcutta there are
all sorts and conditions of natives, and the Christian
missionary owes a debt to the educated as well as to
the uneducated, to the "Greek" as well as to the
" barbarian." Certainly if anyone can be called the
"Greek" of India, it is the inquiring, quick, subtle,
shallow Babu, whose mind is stuffed with undigested
knowledge, and who is always desirous to tell or to

CHOWRINGHEE. I03

hear some new thing. To him also the Gospel has a
message ; all honour to those who are trying to inter-
pret it and bring it home to him.

The fashionable part of Calcutta, where the best
houses are situated, is called Chowringhee. This is a
broad street with houses on one side, and on the other
a wide "Maidan," or plain, kept as a recreation ground
or park. Here riders find ample galloping ground,
volunteers drill, troops exercise, games are played, and
walkers lounge. The street is always full of life. On
every side is seen the ubiquitous " bhisti," who with
his sheepskin full of water on his back lets the stream
squirt forth over the road, and thus lays the dust.
Carriages pass by drawn by handsome " walers "
(which is the name given to horses bred in Australia).
Natives in various costumes stare up at the great
houses in which the "sahibs" live. While far across
the green plain a line of light is reflected from the
river, and tall masts mark the place where rows of
ships lie anchored in the broad stream. Beyond them
are seen the houses in Howrah, which is a crowded
suburb on the opposite bank of the Hughli. The
prettiest part of this wide plain has been laid out as a
public garden. Here in the evening after sunset the
English walk to hear the band play, and to breathe the
fresh air which blows off the river. The electric light
makes the place as light as day, and the big ships lie
close to the bank, adding to the picturesqueness of the
scene.

The finest gardens in Calcutta are the Botanical
Gardens, which are kept up by Government. Here
are wonderful orchid houses, groups of sago palms, a
banyan tree (said to be the largest in the world), which
with its re-rooted branches covers an acre of ground,
and avenues and flowering shrubs of the prettiest
kinds. It is like Kew Gardens under a tropical sky and
with no danger of frost. The most beautiful plants grow
out of doors, and the llowers which have to be carefully
cultivated in hothouses at home here grow in profusion.

I04 A parson's holiday.

On the left bank of the Hughli, in a suburb called
Garden Reach, is the palace where the ex-King of
Oudh still lives in the enjoyment of a pension of
;,^ 1 20,000 a year. He was deposed in 1856 by Lord
Dalhousie, and his dominions annexed. For nearly
thirty years the old ruffian has dwelt in luxury. He
has collected his family and retainers round him, and
spends his time in gathering together a menagerie of
wild beasts. This part of Calcutta has been deserted
by the richer Europeans, as the quietness and respect-
ability of the quarter has not been improved by the
patronage bestowed upon it by this dissolute ex-
monarch.

Calcutta compares favourably with many European
capitals. Its streets are wide, its trade enormous, its
shops well filled, its public buildings fine, and its
statues fnii^'cihile dictit) really works of art. The
inhabitants comprise representatives of all races.
English sailors and Chinese dealers, American tourists
and Australian traders, are seen in its streets. Here
too is to be found the pleasantest and most cultured
English society in India. Here is the centre of gaiety
as well as the seat of Government. The English have
never received sufficient honour as great founders of
cities. But here we can see how within two hundred
years has grown up a town which exceeds in popula-
tion any other in India, and probably far outnumbers
anything ever conceived by the Great Mogul. Starting
from the small factory and fort erected by the East
India Company for the purposes of trade, there is now
a large and well built city of nearly 800,000 inhabi-
tants. Calcutta, which Macaulay called " the city of
palaces," is a proof of the growth and expansion of
England, which is undeniable.

BURMA, 105

Chapter VI.

As I had to be in Rangoon by Christmas-Day, I was
obhged to cut short my visit to Calcutta, and on the
evening of December 13th I went on board the British
Indian Company's s.s. Pemba, which was lying in the
river ready to start for Burma the following morning,
as soon as the English mail arrived. The mosquitoes
in the cabins were very bloodthirsty, but by carefully
tucking in the curtains round my berth, I had a good
night. Calcutta from its nearness to the Hughli is
always full of these pests, and on the river itself they
are specially numerous and seemed hungry. In the
morning we dropped down the river with the tide, and
soon were slipping past the palaces at Garden Reach,
the ships at anchor, and the last streets and houses
of the suburbs of Calcutta. We had a quick run down
the 80 miles of the Hughli between fiat and ever-
widening banks, and before sunset we were on the
open sea of the Bay of Bengal. The distance from
Calcutta to Rangoon is 1000 miles, and the voyage
takes about three days.

The following is a short account of the history of
Burma and of the way in which it was annexed by the
English. Burma lies to the east of the Bay of Bengal,
and is bounded by China on the north and by Siam on
the east. This great tract of country is peopled by a
race of Tibeto-Chinese origin, and has a history of its
own reaching back to very early times. There were
constant wars in this region, various invaders overran
the country both from north and south, and it was
divided into several kingdoms. These were consoli-
dated into one in the year 1750 by a king called
Alompra, who founded his capital at Ava, on the
Irrawaddy, and whose decendants still reign in Upper

o

io6 A parson's holiday.

Burma. His successors, not satisfied with their own
territory, made raids into British India, and finally war
was declared in 1824. This first Burmese war made
us masters of the Provinces of Arakan and Tennas-
serim, w^hich are the districts extending along the sea-
coast from India to the Malay Peninsula, excepting
the land about Rangoon, at the mouth of the Irra-
waddy, which still remained in the possession of the
King of Burma. This arrangement lasted till the year
1852, when the second Burmese war broke out in con-
sequence of the ill-treatment of English merchants at
Rangoon, and the refusal by the King of any redress.
The war was short and decisive, the Burmese soldiers
were no match for the disciplined English and native
troops sent against them, and 200 miles of the valley
of the Irrawaddy, from Rangoon to Prome, were
occupied by the British forces. It was in storming
a stockade at Rangoon that Lord Wolseley, then a
young lieutenant, first distinguished himself under fire.
After this war the province of Pegu, being the district
containing the delta of the Irrawaddy, was annexed
to the British dominions. Thus British Burma now
consists of a strip of land extending along the sea-
coast continuously from India to the Malay Peninsula.
It contains over 80,000 square miles of territory, and
commands all the ports and river-mouths of this region.
Its inland border marches with independent Burma and
Siam, and our frontier where it crosses the Irrawaddy,
is some 200 miles from the sea. Thus the old kingdom
of Ava has been driven entirely away from the sea-
coast, and all the sea-borne trade is in the hands of
the English. The present ruler of Upper Burma, King
Theebaw, lives at Mandalay, a town near Ava, which
he has made his new capital.

There are some curious statistics collected by Dr.
W. W. Hunter to show how Burma has prospered since
its annexation. Since 1852 Rangoon has become ten
times as populous, and its trade has quadrupled in
value. Other parts of the annexed territory have

RANGOON. 107

similarly increased, quiet and order have been estab-
lished, and the people seem happy and contented.
Akyab, which was a poor fishing village when we
occupied the province in 1826, has now an annual
trade valued at two millions sterling. Thus the com-
fort of the people has greatly increased since they have
been under our rule.

On the morning of the third day after leaving Cal-
cutta our steamer entered the Rangoon river, one of
the mouths of the Irrawaddy, on which the town of
Rangoon is built, some 20 miles from the sea. The
Irrawaddy, which is about 1000 miles long, rises in
the easternmost slopes of the Himalayas, in the un-
explored country lying between Assam and China.
It flows due south through the whole length of Burma,
and falls into the sea through many mouths, which
form the great delta of the river. As we steamed up
the broad stream, we saw how flat the land was on
either side, for all the country round has been made
from silt brought down by the river and deposited in
the sea. The jungle and growth on either side seemed
thick, and much of the land was uncleared, though
patches of rice were seen in places. As we drew
nearer to Rangoon the great spire of the Golden
Pagoda was seen from afar, dominating the town
which lies at its foot. Coming still nearer we saw
the wharves, houses, and landing stages, with the
tower and spire of the Pro-Cathedral, a medium-sized
Gothic church of no great architectural merit, built
close to the water's edge. The river is nearly a mile
wide at this point, and there were many ships lying
at anchor in the stream. We were able to go along-
side a wharf, and quickly found ourselves on shore.

Burma is a very interesting country to visit after
India. The dissimilarity of the two places and of
their inhabitants makes the comparison between them
the more instructive. The first thing one notices is
the people themselves. Instead of the dark-faced
people of India, white-robed, quiet, and submissive,

io8 A parson's holiday.

we have in Burma a light-coloured, lively race with
a Chinese caste of features, and a bold, open, assured
manner. They are very fond of bright colours, and
the silk handkerchiefs which they tie round their heads
are of the most brilliant tints of red and yellow, pink
and green. The men wear a silk petticoat of bright
colour, fastened round the waist and reaching to the
calf of the leg, and above that a loose jacket. The
women also wear silk clothes, and are addicted to
bright colours. Their feet are bare, but shod with
a loose sandal. Their heads are uncovered, and their
long hair is tastefully arranged in large masses, and
decorated with orchid tresses or other sweet-smelling
flowers. There is none of the subjection or almost
slavery of the woman common in India, where no
respectable lady is ever seen in the streets unveiled.
In Burma the women occupy a much freer and more
independent position, they keep shops, go out mar-
keting, and are as ready to chaffer and bargain as
their Western sisters are at home. This fact of the
enfranchisement of the women makes a Burmese crowd
a much gayer sight than one in India, and when the
bright-coloured clothes of both sexes, and the habit
of wearing flowers are also remembered, the street
scenes in Rangoon are always interesting.

Besides the Burmese inhabitants of the country there
is also a strong contingent of Chinese. These indus-
trious and keen-witted people are driving a thriving
trade in Rangoon, their shops are well stored, and
some of the streets in the town are entirely occupied
by them. The sights in these streets were like what
one has read about scenes in Canton. The way that
elderly and respectable shop-keepers stood at their
doors with nothing on but wide trowsers, a pair of
spectacles, and a pigtail, and looked out on the world
with a smile that was childlike and bland, transported
one in thought into the Celestial Empire. Here too
one saw their love of children and family life, and
the publicity of their domestic arrangements. Whole

INHABITANTS OF RANGOON. I09

households sat round tables, and drank their tea on
the pavement in front of their houses, and the naked
little ones ran about screaming with delight, very fat,
with their little pigtails standing almost upright, and
vibrating with excitement.

Besides the Chinese colony there is also a very
large number of coolies from Southern India, who are
tempted to cross the sea by the high rate of wages
offered in Rangoon. The Burman considers himself
much too great a personage to labour steadily for
wages. He is uncertain in his temper, and liable to
strike work at a moment's notice. He has not the
plodding, quiet, obedient qualities which are required
in a day labourer. Thus all the heavy work of loading
ships, and carrying cargoes, and working in the rice
mills, is done by coolies imported from Southern
India. These dark-faced, sad-looking Tamils, work
for a few years and then return to their own villages
with the money they have earned in Burma. Thus
Burmese, Chinese and Tamils jostle each other in the
streets of Rangoon, and each race follows its own
customs without interfering with those of the others.
Sometimes also the crowd is increased by the pre-
sence of Karens or Shans from the interior. These
are a darker and more savage race, who were probably
the original inhabitants of the country, before it was
overrun by the Burmese. They wear cloth garments,
and seldom stay long in the towns. They inhabit the
thick forests and jungles of the interior, clearing scanty
patches by burning down the trees, and then sowing
their rice amongst the ashes. They are prone to Nat
or Devil-worship, but numbers are now Christianized
through the labours of both American and English
missionaries.

The English quarter of Rangoon is away from the
river on somewhat higher ground. Here the houses
of the Europeans stand, each in its own compound.
The houses are built entirely of teak wood, as stone
is almost unknown. Many are raised on piles, as

no A PARSONS HOLIDAY.

the rainfall is so excessive, that the lower story is
seldom dry enough to be inhabited. The compounds
looked very green after the burnt-up plains of India,
and were full of tall trees and flowering shrubs.
The croton and the coleus filled the garden beds with
colour, beautiful creepers gay with flowers covered the
porches, and in many houses were seen the flowering
orchids attached to pieces of wood and suspended in
the air, for which Burma is famous. These flourish
well in the heat and damp, and many new sorts have
been discovered in the jungles of the interior.

The English residents in Rangoon consist chiefly
of the Government officials, the military officers, and
the merchants who have settled there for purposes of
trade. The head of the Government is called the
Chief Commissioner, who is a civilian appointed from
the Bengal Presidency. The chief export of Burma
is rice, which is grown in great quantities all through
the delta. The part under cultivation has greatly
increased since we have had the country, but it is still
only a small portion of the entire area. Out of 80,000
square miles of our territory only about 90CO are
cultivated. This is partly caused by the scantiness
of the population, which is a little over three millions.
There are also very few roads, most of the land being
uncleared. The numerous creeks and river mouths
make land travelling in the delta almost impossible,
and the ordinary mode of conveyance is by boat.
There is one short railway of 164 miles from Rangoon
to Prome, but this is the only line which is made at
present. The rainfall is enormous, and from May to
October the whole delta is under water, and travelling
in the interior is almost impossible. The jungle, com-
posed of bamboo and thick undergrowth, is difficult
of penetration at all times, but during the rains it is
impassable.

The country being so wet, the most profitable crop
is rice. The Burman clears a patch of ground on the
edge of one of the numerous streams which intersect

THE RICE TRADE. Ill

the delta, and sows his seed just before the rainy-
season commences. When the country is flooded
with rain, the rice-plant begins to shoot and grow.
It flourishes only where the soil is saturated with rain,
and where the water remains on the surface of the
ground. The long green stalks shoot up through the
water, and grow to a height of between two and three
feet, and the grain is ripe when the rainy season is
over. When the crop is cut, if it is to be exported to
England, it is packed in boats and carried by water to
the mill. There are many of these rice mills built
along the banks of the river and creek on which
Rangoon stands. In the mill the grain (or "paddy"
as it is called) goes through three processes. It is first
sifted to cleanse it from dirt, then it has its outer husk
removed, and lastly the inner envelope round the rice
is stripped off. This last process, which leaves the
grain quite white and ready for use, is not done to the
rice which has to make a long sea voyage, for the
white rice would ferment and lose its colour. So
generally the inner envelope is left on the grain, and
it undergoes this final process in the mills in England.

Besides the rice trade there is also a large exporta-
tion of timber. There are large forests of teak and
other valuable trees, which grow in the interior of the
country and are under the control of the Government
Forest Department. The revenue from this source
amounts to over ^j^ 160,000 a year, and thus the forest
lands of Burma are a great source of w^ealth. The
logs, when cut, are floated down the rivers in large
rafts, which are stranded opposite to the saw mills.
There they are received by trained elephants, who
drag the logs from the river, and take them to the
saws, and pile them up in large stacks to await ship-
ment to England.

Besides the great difference both in dress and
appearance visible between the Burmese and the
people of India, they also differ in their religion.
The Burmese are pure Buddhists, and it may be well

112 A PARSON'S HOLIDAY.

to give a short outline of this widespread religion.
The founder of it was a man of royal race called
Siddhattha, surnamed Gautama, who was born about
the middle of the sixth century B.C., somewhere in
the north of Oudh. His early life was spent in
quiet luxury, and he had everything that heart could
desire. When he was 29 years old he left all, wife and
home, riches and luxury, and went forth as a mendi-
cant, with shaved head and yellow robe, to live a
wandering and ascetic life. For seven years he wan-
dered, seeking to find peace for his soul, and listening
to the spiritual directions of various teachers. All
was of no avail, self-mortification did not bring him
deliverance, the goal was not yet reached. But at
last, sitting under a tree, which in after ages became a
sacred spot, he found illumination, and learnt the
secret of happiness, and how deliverance from suffer-
ing w^as to be attained. This moment in the life of
Gautama is the turning point of his life. From hence-
forth he was called "Buddha" or the Enlightened
One, and his life was spent in preaching to others the
secret which he had discovered. He soon began to
convert others to his way of thinking, he gathered
round him faithful disciples, and he thus started a
religion, which was essentially of a missionary type.
He died about the age of eighty, leaving his doctrines
to be further propagated by his followers. Gradually
the religion grew and spread, until all India was
converted to the Buddhistic faith. From India to
Ceylon, from Ceylon to Burma, and on to Siam,
and Java, and Sumatra, the tidings spread. North-
wards and eastwards, to Tibet and China, Buddhist
preachers carried their doctrines, till all these countries
were converted to this faith. But while it was thus
winning its way in other countries, in its native land
of India Buddhism lost its power. Brahmanism, with
its idol shrines and caste peculiarities, fought long
with it for the dominion of India, and ** for the last
thousand years Buddhism has been a banished re-

BUDDHISM. 113

llglon from Its native home." * But though exiled
from India it has triumphed in other lands, and it has
been calculated that five hundred millions of people,
nearly half of the inhabitants of the world, still follow
the teaching of Gautama Buddha.

What then is this religion which has so wonder-
fully influenced the world's beliefs? What were the
doctrines that Buddha preached ? The keynote of
his doctrine was that the earthly life of man was
necessarily full of suffering, but that by following the
path which he pointed out man could be released
from this condition of sorrow. Deliverance from
suffering was to be the object of the wise man's
efforts. He formulated four sacred truths which treat
of suffering, (i.) Earthly life is suffering. (2.) This
suffering has a cause ; it springs from a thirst for
being, from desire, ambition, and lust. (3.) This
suffering can be destroyed by expelling and sepa-
rating oneself from all desire. (4.) And the way to
expel desire and thus to extinguish suffering is by
acting, and speaking, and thinking righteously. From
these primary truths spring all the later doctrines of
Buddhism, and all its rules of conduct. The object
of each man was to deliver himself from existence and
to attain Nirvana. What Nirvana exactly means, it is
difficult to say. Some have supposed it to mean
annihilation, but this doctrine is expressly condemned
by Buddhistic writings. Others (amongst them Max
Miiller) have maintained that Nirvana is the com-
pletion, not the extinction, of being. Oldenberg f
holds that exact statements as to the ultimate con-
dition of the perfected saint were carefully evaded,
and that the question of the future state was pur-
posely left doubtful. The object of Buddhism was to
teach men how to escape from the suffering of the
world. It did not care to enlarge on the future con-
dition of those who had escaped.

* Hunter's Indian Empire, p. 154. \ Life of Buddha, p. 281.

P

114 A parson's holiday.

From this idea of life there sprang other doctrines.
Suffering is ahvays the penalty of a man's actions
either in his present or former state of existence.
What he sows, that must he inevitably reap. When
he dies, he will have to suffer re-birth in a higher or
lower state of existence, according to his merit or
demerit in the past. The object being to escape from
earthly existence, the more merit a man obtains the
nearer he is to attaining Nirvana. From lower to
higher conditions of life, through many births and
deaths, the man is gradually to extinguish desire and
to subdue the cravings of the mind, till at last having
become passionless, and complete, and perfected, he
will be at peace, absorbed into the Nirvana, as " the
dewdrop slips into the shining sea."

In such a religion as this there was no room for a
personal god, no place for sacrifices, no need of
temples, no object in prayer. Each man was to be
self-delivered. As Gautama Buddha had delivered
himself, so each one -was to attain deliverance by
following the path he pointed out. Knowledge brings
salvation ; man was to work out his own deliverance,
unaided and alone. These doctrines are visible in the
two striking series of buildings noticeable in every
Buddhistic country, viz. : pagodas and monasteries.
The pagodas are not temples. They are erections
built over some relic, real or supposed, and are con-
sidered sacred because of the memorial which they
enshrine. The monasteries are places where those,
who wish to obtain merit and to hasten their own
deliverance, can retire from the world and live in
common, devoting themselves to a celibate and
ascetic life, and thus subduing in themselves all
earthly desires. These pagodas and monasteries are
very striking objects in all parts of Burma, and some
description of the chief of them will, I hope, be not
without interest.

The great pagoda at Rangoon is called the Shway
Dagohn. It is an enormous mass of pyramidal masonry

THE GOLDEN PAGODA. 115

on a circular foundation, which gradually tapers up-
wards in swelling curves of graceful design till it
finally comes to a point 321 feet above the terrace on
which it stands. The whole of the surface is smooth,
and covered with gold leaf, and when the sun shines
upon it, this spire piercing upwards towards the sky
glitters from afar. I visited this pagoda on several
occasions, and always found objects of interest to
attract my attention. The structure itself is built on
a flat-topped hill, rising steeply above the town, and it
has been strongly fortified. Up this hill there are
four long flights of steps, one at each cardinal point,
covered by a roof or open arcade made of wood, sup-
ported by a double row of pillars. The porches, and
beams, and roof ridges, and capitals of the pillars are
all richly carved with quaint figures of dragons and
monsters. Under this colonnade there is alway a
crowd of loungers and sightseers, pilgrims and beg-
gars. There are little stalls on each side, where you
can buy offerings to make at the shrine. Up and
down the steps pass throngs of men, women, and
children, monks with their shaven heads and yellow
robes, and sometimes a nun also shaven but dressed
in white, looking old and ugly. When the steps are
climbed, one comes to a great square platform or
terrace, from which the great mass of the pagoda
towers upwards.

This pagoda is said to have been erected 2000 years
ago over some sacred relics. It is fabled to contain
eight hairs of Gautama besides a sacred garment
which belonged to an earlier Buddha. It is perfectly
solid, and thus does not serve as a temple, (for
there is no such thing as a temple in Buddhism,) but
it only marks a sacred site. The building assumed
its present size and form about a century ago.* One
of the most curious parts of the structure is its apex.
The masonry finishes in a point, but above that is

* Fergusson, vol. i. p. 52.

Ti6 A parson's holiday.

placed a metal umbrella-shaped covering made of con-
centric rings, looking very light in construction and
hung with little bells, and said to be inlaid with jewels.
This ornament, which is placed on the top of every
Burmese pagoda is called a " H'tee," and is a symbol
of sovereignty. At the base of the pagoda there are
four shrines, facing the four staircases which lead up
to the platform. These shrines are full of statues of
Gautama, and the pillars and wood-work within and
without are very richly carved. They are not entered
by the worshippers, and are not very deep, and the
images are very visible from the outside. Here offerings
are made, candles are burned, and religious formulae
are recited. Every worshipper is expected to make
some offering. The poorest bring a handful of flowers
or a little rice, or a candle or two. These offerings are
deposited before the shrine, and are supposed to earn
some merit for the offerer. No one cares what be-
comes of the offering when made, but if is eatable it is
quickly disposed of, as the platform is frequented by
pariah dogs, and fowls, and birds, who are never driven
away. The spiritual intention of the offerer is the only
important thing. If he has offered it with a pure heart,
he has gained merit. What happens to the substance
of his offering is of no importance. He has done his
part by making it, and for that he will gain his due
reward.

The statues of Gautama are always made in accor-
dance with one of three conventional designs. The
most usual is a sitting figure, but he is also repre-
sented as standing, and as reclining. The face bears
always a calm and peaceful expression, the lips full,
and the mouth closed. The eyes are large and wide
apart ; the head is covered with ringlets which either
represent the hair artificially treated, or are meant to
represent some form of close-fitting cap. The lobes
of the ears are long and touch the shoulders. The
body is generally fully clothed, with the right shoulder
and arm bare. The legs are crossed and folded close

IMAGES OF GAUTAMA. II7

under the body in an impossible position, with the sole
of the left foot turned upwards. The standing figure
sometimes has one hand raised in the attitude of
blessing. The most striking feature about all these
statues is the peaceful expression which the artists
have managed to give to the face of Buddha. In
spite of a conventionality of treatment and an igno-
rance of anatomy, they yet have stamped on their
images a look of calm happiness and untroubled re-
pose which is very remarkable. Something in these
great sitting figures of Gautama reminded me of the
monuments in Egypt, where the same unconquerable
quietness seemed to be stamped on the statues of the
early kings. The more one looked at these figures,
the more the thought grew that here- was a man who
had won rest and peace. The expression was one of
great dignity, but far removed from all the strife of
earth. The great quiet eyes looked forth in happy
meditation, and the serenity of the brows, and the
peacefulness of the closed lips, spoke of toil over and
Nirvana attained.

What use the Buddhists make of these figures is
not clear. Properly in their religion there is no place
for prayer. Man is to be his own deliverer. Gautama
has shown them how to live, but he is dead and gone
into Nirvana. A rigid law governs the universe, and
a man's circumstances are the outcome of his past
actions. There should be no place for prayer, there
certainly ought to be no room for idolatry in such a
religion as this. Yet man is almost necessarily a
praying creature, and it seemed to be allowed that
many of the more ignorant Buddhists did look upon
Gautama as a god, and made prayers before his
images. Ordinarily the worshippers, who looked very
devout, and prostrated themselves to the ground
before the shrines, were engaged in reciting religious
axioms or repeating the rules of life taught by the
founder of their religion. But it is said by those who
profess to know, that popularly Gautama is looked

ii8 A parson's holiday.

upon as a god, and addressed in prayer. The igno-
rant require some visible image, and therefore deify
the founder of their rehgion.

But the great pagoda with its four shrines is not
the only thing that stands on the terraced platform.
Round it on all sides there are numerous detached
buildings, great and small, full of images of Gautama.
There are also tall masts decorated with tinsel and
bells, draped with cloth, and bright with colour.
Great bronze bells hang close to the ground, so that
they are within the reach of anyone who desires to
strike them, and thus the whole platform is crowded
with a number of heterogeneous objects, some of
which are substantial and others very impermanent.
But the reason why these diverse erections have been
placed on the platform is the same in every case.
The object has been to obtain merit, and by thus
accumulating good deeds to shorten the number of
existences which have to be endured before Nirvana is
reached. Thus many wealthy Burmans have enriched
the platform of the Shway Dagohn by images of
Gautama. Any worshipper may erect what he likes
on the platform ; the richer puts up a permanent
structure, the poorer is content with some slighter
offering. But there seems no law to prevent anything
being erected, and thus the platform has become
crowded with these numerous and diverse objects.
Even the bells have their use, for it is a meritorious
act to strike them, and by so doing the striker in-
creases the total of his good deeds.

The scene on the platform of the great pagoda is
thus curious and picturesque in the extreme. The
place is free to all, and is at all hours crowded with
sightseers and worshippers. All day long there are
offerings being made before the shrines, and even far
into the night there are worshippers intoning sacred
sentences and prostrating themselves before the
sacred spot. Pilgrims come from far to visit this
holy site. From Ceylon and Madras, from Siam and

MONASTERIES. II9

Cambodia, from China and Tibet, and other parts of
the world, Buddhists come to see the great Golden
Pagoda. At eventide the scene is specially inte-
resting. The pilgrims are numerous. The shrines
are always full of offerings, the smaller buildings
clustered round are visited in their turn, the deep
notes of the bronze bell rise up on the evening air,
the great mass of the pagoda towers up, its golden
surface turning red in the light of the setting sun, far
away are seen the forests of the delta intersected by
the great rivers, and as the sun sinks and the light
fades from beneath, the lofty H'tee on the summit of
the building glows with the ruddy light and shines out
as a beacon visible for many miles.

There are quantities of other pagodas scattered
over the country, some nearly as large as the Shway
Dagohn ; indeed the Pegu Pagoda is three feet higher,
rising to a height of 324 feet. But every village has
its shrine to remind the people of the great teacher.
The reason for this multiplication of fanes is obvious.
No work of merit is so richly paid as the building of a
pagoda. The man who does so is regarded as a saint
on earth, and when he dies he obtains the last release.
For him there are no more deaths, but he attains the
holy rest.* No wonder then that pagodas of all sizes
are plentiful in Burma.

The other specially Buddhistic erection is the
monastery, called in Burma a Kioung. The primary
idea of Buddhism is that earthly existence is an evil,
and therefore the main desire of the orthodox Budd-
hist is to escape from it as soon as possible. And the
best way of shortening the term of a man's successive
existences is to become a holy monk. From the
monastery there is but a short step to Nirvana. In
consequence of this belief there are a number of
monasteries in Burma, where he who wishes to lead
the higher life of contemplation and self-denial can

* The Burmcui, by Shway Yoc, vol. i. p. 184.

I20 A PARSON'S HOLIDAY.

retire from the world, and live the life of a monk. In
Burma nearly every boy enters at least for a short
time as a novice. He has his head shaved, and he
puts on the yellow robe which is the dress of the
religious order. But many of the novices return to
the world after a short experience of the monastic life.
There is no compulsion placed on them to stay ; a
monk may at any moment become a layman. If he
feels unable to live the higher life of contemplation
and self-denial, if he desires to marry or to amass
w^ealth, he may leave the Kioung, put off his yellow
robe, suffer his hair to grow, and enter into secular
business. He knows that by doing so he is preparing
for himself a longer sequence of successive existences,
but this fear does not deter multitudes from followino-
the secular life. While he is in the world, he is bidden
to live according to the precepts of Buddha. And if at
any time he becomes disgusted with the outside world,
he can retire to the monastery, and be again admitted
amongst the " noble order of the yellow robe."

The Kioungs are very noticeable buildings, and
have an architectural character of their own. They
are groups of detached houses standing together in an
enclosure, shaded generally by large and leafy trees.
Each house is the abode of one or more monks, and
all are marked by the number of their roofs placed
one above the other. These roofs overlap each other,
and the eaves, and ridges, and gables, are very richly
carved. These roof ridges mark the Kioung, and
denote its sacred character. Generally the basement
story is open and not used as a living room. Above
that is the main part of the house, which is reached
by an outside stair-case which opens on to a verandah
running round the building. From this covered bal-
cony the various rooms open out. Dr. Marks, the
well-known S.P.G. missionary in Rangoon, took me to
visit one of the houses in a Kioung inhabited by the
Prior. As soon as we entered the precincts, we were
rushed at by a quantity of pariah dogs, who are

VISIT TO A MONASTERY. I2I

always loitering about the monastic buildings. They
act as watch-dogs at night, and would prevent any
stranger from approaching the building unheard.
They w^ere large savage-looking beasts, but if well
pelted with sticks and stones they did not approach
very near, but kept up a continual barking from a
distance. Ascending the stair-case of the central
building, we found the head monk sitting at the door
of the room, chewing betel. He was not an agreeable
looking person, as he was old, toothless, and dirty, and
his habit of chewing betel made him expectorate a
good deal of red saliva. We approached him with great
respect, and when we sat down on the floor to talk
with him, we were careful to tuck our feet as much
out of sight as possible. In Burma it is never polite
to sit with the feet obtruded, and in interviews with
royalty they should never be exhibited at all. It is
said that those EngHshmen who are permitted to have
the honour of a conversation with his Majesty King
Thebaw at Mandalay undergo severe tortures from
the cramped position which it is necessary to assume,
Court etiquette requiring them to sit on their feet, and
thus conceal them from view. After Dr. Marks had
conversed with the Prior, he showed us some of the
treasures of the monastery. We saw some beautiful
sacred books, made of palm leaves which were
lacquered over, and the letters, also of lacquer, were
inlaid in different colours. The central room was full
of presents, which had been presented to the monks
by the faithful laity. Many of these were English
goods, such as moderator lamps and hearth-rugs.
There were also images of Gautama, and parts of the
central room could be partitioned off, thus making
sleeping rooms for monks and novices. Within the
precincts of the monastery there is always a school
for boys, who are taught by the monks. This system
of monastic schools covers the whole country, and in
consequence nearly every Burmese boy knows how
to read and write. Though the education given is

0

122 A parson's holiday.

meagre, it is better than nothing, and these monastic
schools are attended by all classes of the community.
The life of a monk (or " Pohngyee " as he is called
in Burma) is spent in contemplation and prayer. His
chief work is to learn to recite the sacred books, and
to teach them to the pupils who attend the school.
He lives solely on the offerings of the laity, and is not
allowed to possess any property. His sole garment
is a yellow robe, his only chattel a begging bowl.
Latterly the monasteries have become possessed of
certain goods, which have been presented to them by
the laity, but these are not the property of individuals,
but belong to the corporate body of monks. Since
their only way of obtaining food is by begging, it will
be seen that the chief work of the day must be to
collect the offerings of the faithful. Each morning
about eight o'clock* a long procession of monks sallies
forth in Indian file, each bearing a bowl. They wend
their way through the principal streets, but they never
stop to ask for anything. Their eyes should be fixed
steadfastly on the ground, their minds should be full
of thoughts of their own unworthiness and of the
vileness of all earthly things. For the chief motive of
the daily begging round is not (as might be sup-
posed) to obtain supplies for the monastery, but to
afford an opportunity to the laity to obtain merit by
alms-giving. It is not for their own sakes, but for the
sake of the givers that the monks thus make their
round. Therefore they neither ask for anything, nor
utter any word of thanks when something is placed in
their bowls. The gifts benefit the giver more than
the receiver. To feed a holy monk is to do a mere-
torious action. The man or woman who thus gets an
opportunity of acquiring merit is the one who ought
to be grateful. The monk is merely giving them a
chance of showing their obedience to the commands
of Buddha. Thus if the bowls are filled before the

* See The Burman, by Shway Yoe.

MONASTIC LIFE. 123

round is completed, they are emptied by the roadside.
This food is devoured by dogs or birds, and so is not
wasted, and thus room is made for more offerings.
The opportunity of giving is presented to all, so that
none may lose the chance of accumulating merit.
Thus the monk does not feel that he is degraded by
living on charity. Rather is he a recipient of gifts
which do more good to the givers than to himself.

The daily begging round is not the only way in
which the monasteries benefit from the custom of
alms-giving. Every Burman considers it a privilege
to be allowed to minister to a Pohngyee's wants, and
thus the Pohngyees receive numerous gifts. A rich
layman at certain seasons of the year will make up a
large quantity of useful gifts, and send them with
great pomp to the Kioung. He is by no means care-
ful to conceal his charitable offerings, " but sounds a
trumpet in the streets" that "he may have glory of
men." I saw such an offering on its way through the
town going to the monastery. First came a band of
music, playing discordant tunes, to attract the atten-
tion of the bystanders. Then followed a line of
coolies bearing gifts. There must have been fifty of
them, and they formed quite a long procession. The
presents were very various ; plates, lamps, rugs, cloth,
cushions, towels, tea cups, crockery, all arranged in
pretty erections on bamboo frames, gaily decorated
with streamers and iiowers, almost in the shape of
Christmas-trees. These were all to be carried to
some Kioung for the benefit of the Pohngyees.

It is difficult to estimate the spiritual effect which a
strange religion has on its adherents, and yet some
effort ought to be made to guess at the effect which
Buddhism produces in Burma. The good points of
the religion are evident. It encourages kindliness
and humanity, it denounces idolatry, it enforces
charity and good works by the strongest motives of
self-interest. But with these good points there are
other doctrines and practices which are less praise-

124 A PARSON'S HOLIDAY.

worthy. Buddhism is essentially a pessimistic re-
ligion. Its fundamental doctrine is that human life
is an evil, from which escape is necessary. Hence
the world is looked upon as full of sorrow and suffer-
ing where happiness is unattainable. This leads to a
contempt for all human affections, and a disinclination
to take part in the affairs of life. From this springs
the exaltation of the monastic idea, which insists on
the superior holiness of the celibate and ascetic life.
And this leads to two standards of holiness, one for
the monk and the other for the laity, and certain
practices are forbidden as sinful in the one, and yet
are permitted as harmless in the other. The whole
of common life is thus degraded, and its duties are
neglected and despised, because those, who are con-
sidered the holiest, think it necessary to come out from
the world and live apart. Chistianity purifies and
sanctifies all human relationships, and earthly duties.
In Buddhism the ideal life is lived in the cloister apart
from the world. The antagonism between the two
religions is fundamental, for while Buddhism looks on
earthly existence as an evil, Chistianity bids us use
it as a training ground, where we are being educated
for something higher.

The fatalism of Buddhism must not be overlooked.
The gods themselves are subject to an unbending
law ; the future is determined by the past, and for-
giveness is as impossible as a miracle. This teaching
has a great charm for many minds. They are glad to
hear a stern enforcement of the truth (common to
Christianity as well as to Buddhism) that "whatsoever
a man soweth, that shall he also reap." But while
both religions insist on the doctrine of retribution, and
that the consequences of all our actions follow by a
necessary law, yet Christianity tells us also of a possi-
bility of renewal, and how God Who punishes us also
desires that the punishment may lead us nearer to
Himself. Buddhism holds out no hope to the sinner,
only the revenge of an outraged law falling in merci-

CHRISTIANITY AND BUDDHISM. 125

less severity on the transgressor. Christianity insists
equally on the fact that we have to bear the conse-
quences of our own actions, but it also tells us of a
loving Father, Who is ever striving to guide and in-
fluence the wills of men. In the one religion nothing
but the law is insisted upon ; in the other we are
bidden to see behind the law the face of God as
revealed by Christ.

There is one more point of difference between
Christianity and Buddhism which is noticeable, and
that is the way in which each thinks of its founder.
Each religion holds up the life of its founder as an
example to be followed, each professes to be guided
by the doctrines he preached. But Buddhism treats
Gautama Buddha as no longer alive ; he once lived,
but is now in Nirvana. Christianity on the other
hand bids us trust evermore in a living Lord, with
Whom each believer has a real communion and in-
tercourse. Buddhism leaves each man to be the
author of his own deliverance, and offers him an
example of conduct and certain rules of life as his
only aid on the upward path. The elementary con-
ception of Christianity involves a living relation with
One " Who died and is alive again." The example
of the holiest life and the enunciation of the purest
rules of conduct can do but little to restrain the
passions and vivify the will. It needs besides a
present help from a living Lord, and this is the
fundamental doctrine of Christianity. Buddhism has
become praciica-lly Atheism, and its closest followers
consider that they have won their position by their
own exertions. This makes them proud and self-
satisfied, inclined to look down on the common
people who know not the law. The Christian admits
that he owes all his righteousness to the continual
presence of his indwelling Lord, and he would be the
first to allow that he can only do all things through
Christ Who strengtheneth him.

I have drawn out this comparison between the two

126 A parson's holiday.

religions, because I found so many Christians living
in Buddhistic countries who were to my mind unduly
complimentary to Buddhism. They seemed to me to
praise it rightly, when they spoke of its teaching of
retribution, and how a man's past affects his future
life even on earth. They did not seem to me always
to remember that this is a part of Christian teaching
also.

They also praised the doctrine of alms-giving, and
observed how rightly the followers of Buddha con-
sidered the opportunity of giving rather as a privilege
to the giver than as a reason for gratitude on the part
of the recipient. They did not always remember that
this was likewise Christian doctrine, and that our Lord
said that it was more blessed to give than to receive.
Mixed up with the charity of the Buddhists there is
also the doctrine of merit, which to my mind spoils
the beauty of the offering, since the giver's main object
is the receiving of a reward.

I think the beauty of Buddha's teaching has also
been exaggerated. Undoubtedly he was a wonderful
person, far in advance of his countrymen. His in-
fluence has also lasted, and his disciples are very
numerous. But there were contemporaries of his
perhaps equally great, and the beauty of Isaiah's
writing seems to me more striking than the passages
I have seen translated from the recorded words of
Buddha.

It is possible to admire the good points of Budd-
hism without denying the superiority of Christianity.
Buddhism was an immense advance on Brahmanism,
and gave a death-blow to a large amount of idolatry.
But it made its followers proud and self-sufficient, and
led directly to practical Atheism. Its best doctrines
are, I think, contained in Christianity, and that re-
ligion seems to hold up a nobler ideal of life, and also
shows its professors the way in which they may reach
a higher standard of holiness.

MISSIONS IN BURMA. 127

Chapter VII.

In the last chapter I have tried to compare Buddhism
with Christianity. The missionaries of the latter reli-
gion are trying to exhibit its superiority to the natives of
Burma, and I must not omit to mention their efforts and
their success. In a country so devoted to education
as Burma the missionaries wisely throw much of their
strength into school work. The people are accustomed
to see their own Pohngyees acting as schoolmasters,
they value education, and there is a native school in
every village connected with the monastery. Thus
the first idea of missions in Burma was educational,
and they have borne this character ever since. The
missionaries have opened schools in every town and
village which they have occupied, and through these
schools they have been able to do much to influence
the young. With this scheme of evangelization through
education the name of the Rev. Dr. Marks, S.P.G.
missionary at Rangoon, will ever be connected. Dr.
Marks has laboured in Burma for more than twenty
years, and his fame as a Christian schoolmaster spread
even beyond the bounds of British Burma. In 1863
the then King of Burma invited Dr. Marks to come to
his capital at Mandalay, and there offered to build a
church and school at his own expense, and to send
some of his own sons to be educated. The present
King Thebaw was one of Dr. Marks's pupils, and for
a time the school at Mandalay was in a flourishing
condition. A church was built and consecrated, and
there seemed every prospect of a permanent mission
being established at the capital. But the King's
caprice did not last, the school languished, and when
King Thebaw came to the throne in 1878, and sig-
nalized his accession bv murdering all his relations,

128 A parson's holiday.

the mission was withdrawn. The original reason for
the late King's invitation was chiefly political. He
wished to gain credit with the English, and he hoped
to induce Dr. Marks to act as his intermediary, and
to obtain through him certain concessions from the
Government of India. When the late King found that
he could not make the missionary his tool, he quickly
withdrew his countenance from the school, which he
had seemed at one time so ready to favour.

But though the mission has been forced to withdraw
from Independent Burma its work in British Burma is
increasing on every side. The school and orphanage
which Dr. Marks has founded in Rangoon are the
most successful institutions of their kind in the Pro-
vince. S. John's College, as it is called, consists of a
number of detached buildings, built of teak, standing
in a compound. Here are schools and dormitories,
residences for the masters, a play-ground for the
lads, class-rooms and dining halls, all large and airy,
capable of accommodating several hundred boys. In
the middle is the chapel, also of teak, bright with
colour and handsomely decorated. The school is
open to boys of any religion or any nationality. Some
come as day boys, others as boarders. The number
on the books when I was there was 434, comprising
61 Europeans and Anglo-Burmese, 258 Burmese, 72
Chinese, and 43 natives of India. Christianity forms
a part of the school curriculum. The parents know
that this is the case, so if heathens send their children
to the school, they do it with their eyes open. A Bible
lesson is given each day to the whole school, and there
are daily prayers, but the heathen boys only listen
without joining in them. The orphanage is confined
to boys whose fathers are dead, and these are all
baptized. The school is divided into three divisions:
the High, the Middle, and the Primary, and in time it
is hoped that some of the highest class may pass the
matriculation examination of the Calcutta University.
It was a pleasant sight to see how the lads played and

A CHRISTMAS-DAY SERVICE. 129

worked together, the different nationalities apparently
in perfect harmony. They all could talk JiJurmese,
and all learned English. There was no difficulty in
most cases about food or caste prejudices, as all
(except the natives of India) were willing to eat to-
gether. Boys came as boarders often from long dis-
tances, and though at first they were often rough in
manner and shy, yet soon the discipline and happy
life of the school won them over to quieter manners
and friendly relationships with all. Dr. Marks seemed
to be known and loved by them all, and his study was
always open to those who had requests to make, or
questions to ask. About 10 per cent, are converted to
Christianity during their school course, but the indirect
effect of the teaching they here receive should also be
considered. The Christians, who have left school and
gone into various occupations, do well ; they are
pastorally visited by the missionaries, and many come
on Sundays to the school chapel, liking to take part in
the services to which they have been accustomed.

On Christmas-Day I was invited to attend the service
in the chapel, and to preach to the congregation. The
building consisted of a central nave, with side com-
partments which could be shut off with folding doors.
The centre was reserved for the Christian congrega-
tion, which consisted of the scholars who had been bap-
tized, the "old boys" and their wives, and any native
Christians who liked to attend. But the side compart-
ments, which were not really part of the chapel, were
open to all. They served the purpose of side aisles, and
their occupants could see and hear all that was going
on. These side rooms could also be freely entered from
the street outside, so that any passer-by could stand
and listen to the service, and leave again at pleasure.
Whilst the service was going on, I saw a Pohngyee in
his yellow robe and with his head shaved enter, and
watch, and listen for a time, but he soon left. The
heathen boys belonging to the school sat in these side
compartments. The chapel was prettily decorated

R

130 A parson's holiday.

with texts, and flowering creepers, the Burmese ladies
were dressed in their brightest coloured silks, and
everything was in festal attire. The service was fully
choral, and in English, except the lessons, which were
in Burmese. My sermon was translated sentence by
sentence as I delivered it. It was a little difficult
at first to compose in detached fragments. Each
sentence had as far as possible to be a complete
thought, and I had to retain the thread of the dis-
course while Dr. Marks was interpreting the last sen-
tence. After the sermon was over, the heathen lads
were dismissed, the doors opening from the side
compartments were shut, and then in the presence
of the Christians only the Holy Communion was
celebrated. The service was in English, but the
words of administration were said in Burmese.
Several Chinese Christians communicated, wearing
their native dress, and having pigtails reaching below
their knees. Altogether it was a most interesting
service, and I was glad to have had the opportunity
of joining in it.

After service there were various Christmas gifts to
be distributed. The Burmese ladies (wives of old
scholars) had brought tarts for the orphans ; every
boy got something, and at 4 o'clock in the after-
noon they were to have a big Christmas dinner. A
sad incident had happened on the previous day,
which cast a gloom over the Christmas festivities.
While Dr. Marks and the Christian boys had been
attending a service at the pro-Cathedral, two of the
heathen boys, who had been left behind in the school,
had begun quarrelling, and one had stabbed the other
with a pocket-knife. Thus while the Christmas ser-
vices were going on, one boy was lying in a very
critical condition in the hospital, while another was
locked up in jail. The fight arose from some boyish
quarrel. The Burmans are very irascible and the
blow was struck in a moment, and nearly proved
fatal. The stabber was a prince of the royal house of

MISSIONS IN BURMA. 131

Mandalay, who had had to flee from Knig Thebaw,
as his father had been filled with gunpowder by the
King's orders, and then exploded.

Besides the mission at Rangoon there are many
other centres of work in various parts of Burma. The
general feeling amongst those missionaries whom I
saw was hopeful : there is none of the difficulty of
caste which is found amongst the Hindus in India,
but the people are willing to give their confidence to
the missionaries, and admit them into their houses.
Buddhism, though a difficult religion to combat, has
yet points which touch Christianity. It is possible to
argue from the basis of a common morality and con-
verts are led to own the superiority of Christ to
Buddha. The women and children are more easily
influenced than those of India, and the future of
missions in Burma seemed hopeful. Even amongst
the Karens, who are the wild tribes of the interior, much
has been done. These people are of a lower type than
the Burmese, and profess a system of devil worship.
They have responded very warmly to the efforts which
have been made for them, and numbers have become
Christians. The missions in Burma have seem.ed to
take a fresh start since 1877, when the Province was
made a separate diocese. The present Bishop of
Rangoon, Dr. Strahan, was formerly a missionary in
Tinnevelly. He has spiritual jurisdiction over both
the Government chaplains and the missionaries, but
his sympathies seem specially keen towards those
labouring amongst the heathen. He is the first of
those sent out from S. Augustine's Missionary College
at Canterbury who has been consecrated a Bishop,
and all old S. Augustine's boys have rejoiced at his
preferment.

After spending some days at Rangoon, I visited
some of the other towns in Burma. I went by
rail to Promc, which is up the Irrawaddy 163 miles
due north of Rangoon. It is the terminus of the
only railway at present completed in Burma. We

132 A parson's holiday.

mad J the journey by night, and so saw but Httle of
the intervening country. It is chiefly jungle, with
clearings of cultivated ground round the villages, in
which paddy is grown. The soil seemed very rich,
and in some of the gardens near Rangoon we saw
fields of pine apples growing like potatoes at home.
Prome itself is prettily situated on the bank of the
Irrawaddy, which here flows underneath a range of
low hills which are well wooded, and many of them
crowned with small pagodas. From Prome you can
steam up the river to Mandalay, King Thebaw's
capital, and even to Bhamo, a town on the frontiers
of China. Large steamers drawing only four feet of
water ascend the river, towing large flats filled with
all sorts of merchandise. There is a great traffic
with the interior, and the Irrawaddy is the chief
means by which the country has been opened up for
trade. Mandalay is about 250 miles from Prome,
and Bhamo is 200 miles farther up the river. We
heard many stories of the cruelty and debaucheries
of the King, and how badly he governed the country.
He encourages lotteries as a means of raising revenue,
and he also grants monopolies to those who will bid
the highest sum, or succeed in bribing his ministers.
There are Englishmen and Italians who have managed
to secure such monopolies by giving presents to the
King, and who are thus able to make fortunes at the
expense of the people of the country. Every interview
with this monarch has to be purchased by presents,
and the bribery and corruption in his Court are ex-
cessive. His army is composed of a mass of undrilled
and badly-armed men, who could be easily overthrown
by disciplined troops. Many of the merchants in
British Burma desire that the English should annex
Thebaw's dominions. They say that the country
would pay for annexation, and that the introduction
of good government would be a benefit to the in-
habitants. Certainly there would be no military
difficulty in the operation, and no doubt the dwellers

PROME. 133

in Upper Burma would share In the prosperity of their
brethren within our borders. But apart from the
moral question as to our right to annex Thebaw's
dominions, there is also the diplomatic consideration,
whether it would be wise to let our frontier touch that
of China. It would add to the military precautions
we have to take, for if we had a strong and thickly
populated nation like China on our border, instead of
a weak and sparse people as at present, we should
require to keep a larger number of troops in the
country. There is already a considerable trade with
China by means of the Irrawaddy, and it is hoped
that better trade routes will soon be discovered.
Bhamo is the highest point to w^hich steamers at
present ascend, and from there overland roads lead
into southern and w^estern China. Many attempts
have been made to explore and open out this country,
one of the last expeditions being that of Mr.
Colquhoun, who has told in his book, Across C/i/ysJ,
how he travelled from Canton to Bhamo.

All this was discussed, as we journeyed to Prome,
and stood on the bank of the Irrawaddy. I had
neither time nor opportunity to penetrate further into
the interior, but I could not help letting my imagi-
nation follow the course of the great river, and
wish that I could journey up its waters, and see the
wonders of Mandalay, and the Chinese frontier at
Bhamo. But I had to be satisfied with Prome itself,
as the longer journey would have taken several weeks
to accomplish.

The great feature of Prome itself is the pagoda,
which is well situated on a high hill. It is not so
high as the Shway Dagohn, but the ascent is
steeper, and the arcade more richly carved. The
view from the platform was most extensive, over a
wide expanse of well wooded country, with long reaches
of the river to the north and to the south. We walked
through the bazaar, which was full of English goods,
cottons, and hardware of all sorts. The native manu-

134 A parson's holiday.

factures were chiefly lacquer and brass work. There
were also stalls for fruit and vegetables, and great
masses of " nga-pee " or fish-paste. This fish-paste
is considered a great delicacy by the Burmese, but it
is not pleasing to an Englishman's olfactory nerves.
It is composed of more or less decayed fish, pounded
into a paste and mixed with salt. This is eaten as a
relish with rice, but as the composition is often rather
" high," the smell of it is enough for most Europeans.
The most delicate is made from pounded prawns, but
the commoner sorts are composed of all sorts of fishes
mashed together. If a steamer gets to leeward of a
boat laden with these delicacies, the passengers hold
their noses, and request the captain to proceed as
quickly as possible.

Besides visiting Prome I also went to Moulmein.
This is a town near the coast about 150 miles to the
south-east of Rangoon. Our steamer was a fast one,
and we did the distance in about eleven hours. For
the greater part of the day we were out of sight of
land, as we had to cross a deep bay, but the last part
of the voyage was up the Salween river, on which the
town is situated. This part of the trip was most
beautiful, as the river banks were clothed with cocoa-
nut trees and other palms, and the evening light on
the wooded banks was most lovely. Moulmein itself is
situated a few miles up the Salween river, which is here
about a quarter of a mile wide. The houses are built
on piles, and stand amongst groves of cocoa-nut and
jack-fruit trees, and look most picturesque from the
water. Behind the town, which extends for more than
a mile along the river bank, there is a ridge of hills
parallel to the river, along which there are numerous
pagodas built on the commanding heights ; this ridge
made a most beautiful background to the scene, all
glowing as it was in the evening light.

On the next day we had a splendid drive all along
this ridge, and I saw some of the prettiest scenery I
had seen in my travels. On the other side of the

MOULMEIN. 135

ridge there is another river called the Atteran, and
this joins the Salween just above Moulmein. Thus
looking down from the ridge we saw miles of country-
well wooded and fertile, we could trace the great
rivers winding for miles, and the hills and plains, the
woods and waters, made a lovely view. Below us
there were great ships lying anchored in the stream,
the roofs of the houses peeped out amongst groves of
cocoa-nuts, small canoes hollowed out of teak-logs
were being paddled about in all directions, and crowds
of gaily dressed natives filled all the streets. We
noticed some curious limestone rocks which rose up
very steeply and abruptly from the plain about five
miles distant, and these we visited next morning to
see some famous caves.

These caves are natural recesses in the limestone,
and have been made into shrines to hold images of
Gautama. The first we entered was quite full of
statues, of all sizes and in all positions. Some were
only a few feet high, while others were colossal. Some
of the reclining figures were 30 to 40 feet in length,
made of brick work, covered with plaster, and placed
in natural niches in the living rock. Many had been
gilded over with gold leaf, and were ornamented with
bits of glittering mica and glass. All had, however,
been shamefully mutilated, hardly one having escaped
the wanton mischief of former visitors. Names had
been scribbled everywhere, the heads and hands of
the images knocked off, and often whole figures re-
moved. There seems no one to take any care of
these interesting figures, nor to check the Vandalism
of tourists. This first cave is not very deep, but it
runs along the face of the rock like a gallery, and is
about 60 yards long, 6 yards wide, and about 20 feet
high.

There is a second cave which is much larger, and
has been left in its natural state. It is entered by a
narrow orifice, and is the abode of countless num-
bers of bats, who were awakened and disturbed by

136 A PARSON'S HOLIDAY.

our entrance. We carried torches, and in certain
places we burnt blue lights, to show us the great
size of the cavern. It opened out into large and
lofty chambers, the roof often being 50 feet above
our heads, and there were several passages branching
out from the various chambers in different directions.
Long stalactites hung from the roof, and formed
grotesque pillars, and the fioor was thickly covered
with bats' guano. We must have been half-an-hour
scrambling about the various passages of this enor-
mous cave.

We visited the great timber yards at Moulmein,
where the teak is prepared for exportation. This is
one of the chief articles of trade from this port. The
trees are cut in Siam by native contractors, and the
logs are dragged by trained elephants through the
jungle to the nearest stream or water-course. During
the rainy season these logs are floated down the
streams, and are joined together into large rafts, which
finally arrive at Moulmein, where they are bought by
the timber merchants. Their yards are built along the
side of the river, and here the logs are landed, squared
and stacked, ready for shipment to England or else-
where. All the heavy work inside the yard is done
by trained elephants, and it is their clever labour,
which makes the sight so curious and interesting.
They drag the logs on to the land, they place them
in the saw-shed to be squared, they drag them from
thence to the stacking-place, and then stack them up
into large rectangular heaps. Several of the elephants
were brought out for our inspection, and the docility
and sagacity of these great beasts were marvellous.
The creature seemed to understand exactly what was
required from him. The mahout, who rode on his
neck, directed him by voice or touch, and the
elephant obeyed each direction as it was given. Even
when the mahout purposely dropped the iron hook
with which an elephant is driven, the creature picked
it off the ground with his trunk, and meekly handed it

ELEPHANTS AT WORK. 137

back to the man who had thus obtained dominion
over him. We saw an elephant pushing large logs
along the ground, which weighed between one and
two tons ; he seemed to kick them forward with the
greatest ease, with a flip of one of his large feet. He
also rolled the log over at the word of command, so
as to exhibit each side in turn, and then lifted it on to
the stack. This last operation was the most curious
of all. The elephant knelt down, and got his tusks
under the end of the log, which was lying nearest to
the stack. Then he put his trunk over it to steady it,
and standing up he raised that end on to the pile,
which was about six feet high. He then went to the
other end of the log and pushed it along first with his
trunk, and afterwards (as the end of the log rose up)
with his head, till the log lay on the stack exactly
square with the others.

We were told that an untrained elephant cost about
1000 rupees, and when trained it was worth about
2500. The animal comes to maturity at about 20
years old, and can then be worked. It learns to be of
some use in a few months, and goes on working as
long as it lives. The oldest we saw was about 60, but
they live to 75 years. When they first enter the
timber yards, they are not quite wild, as they have
generally been used by native contractors to haul logs
in the forests. They have, however, to be taught to
stand the noise of the steam whistle and the saw
machinery, but they soon get accustomed to the con-
stant whirr and hum of the engines, and by degrees
they pick up their finer accomplishments. The com-
mon idea that the elephant does not breed in captivity
is a vulgar error. Most of the elephants used in the
yards are bred by native foresters, who use them for
hauling purposes, and then sell them to the timber
merchants. It does not pay European firms, or the
Government, to breed elephants, as they have to be
kept so long before becoming useful. They are there-
fore bought from the native foresters, who breed them

S

138 A PARSON'S HOLIDAY.

from their herds in the forest, where the young ones
pick up a hving at no expense.

The elephant when working is an expensive animal
to feed, for he daily eats 100 bundles of grass and
75 lbs. of paddy. A syce or groom is attached to
each elephant, and he gives him his food. Their
stables are high sheds, which shelter them from the
heat and wet, and they are confined by chains put
round their feet. The animal is so docile that he will
chain himself up at the word of command, passing the
links round his foot with his trunk. The chain is then
secured with a padlock for fear lest he should be as
clever in unloosing himself when he is left alone.
Before being tied up for the night each elephant is
allowed to enter the river for a bath. This seemed to
be much enjoyed, and the huge beasts sank their whole
bodies under the water, leaving only the tips of their
trunks exposed. The mahouts had to stand upright
on their backs, and were then in water up to their
knees. This was the treat given to them at the end of
the day's work, and seemed to be much appreciated.
We were told that the elephants learn to recognize
the steam whistle which gives the signal for stopping
work and for the mid-day meal ; and there is one old
elephant who will no more work after that has sounded,
than a farm labourer will go on after the bell has rung.
If they want to get extra work out of him, they have to
deceive him by ordering the whistle not to be sounded.
The mahouts seemed to have the most perfect com-
mand over the huge creatures, and made them do
whatever they were told. Sometimes an elephant will
become dangerous for a time, and then if he is loose,
he will " take charge of the yard," for until he is
secured, none can enter through the gates. However,
they are watched very carefully, and as soon as any
dangerous symptoms are seen, the animal is confined
and dieted till the fit has passed. The whole timber
trade of Burma is made possible by the docility and
sagacity of the elephant, for if it were not for him, the

JOURNEY TO PRGU. 1 39

expense of labour and machinery would absorb all the
profits.

From Moulmein we went back to Rangoon, and
from there started on another expedition to Pegu.
This city is the old capital of the Talaings. The
Talaings and Burmans were the two races who in
ancient days divided the country between them. They
were both descended from a Tibetan stock, and over-
ran the country in successive invasions. In the earliest
historical notices of Burma the Talaings held the coast,
and the Burmans had the interior of the country.
There were constant wars and fightings between the
two peoples, until in the last century the Burmans
conquered the Talaings and almost exterminated them.
There are very few pure Talaings left, and their lan-
guage is rapidly dying out, but the two nations have
intermingled to some extent.

Pegu itself is a town about 54 miles from Rangoon
up the Pegu river, which is a tributary of the Irra-
waddy, and joins it just below Rangoon. We made
our expedition in a steam launch, and had rather an
exciting journey. We started at 2 p.m., when the tide
was nearly at its lowest, and we made good progress
up the river as the tide flowed. It was a broad stream,
half-a-mile in width, but shallow and full of sand banks.
As we travelled up the stream, the throb of our engines
was the only sound we heard. It was a desolate-looking
river. Now and then we saw a fisherman, watching
his nets ; occasionally we passed a few houses scat-
tered on the bank, from which the children stared at us.
But the greater part of our voyage was between flat
banks from which the paddy had been reaped. The
water swarmed with fish, and there were quantities of
stake and drift-nets set across the current, which were
watched by native fishermen in canoes dug out of teak
logs. The Burman is very fond of fish of all kinds,
and has invented various traps made of bamboo, which
are set in the tideways of the rivers. These are on
the principle of the English eel basket, into which the

140 A parson's holiday.

fish can easily enter, but then fail to discover the way
out.

After four hours of this monotonous voyage the sun
set, and we were still many miles from Pegu. Our
Mohammedan engine-driver said his prayers on the
deck-roof of the cabin, undisturbed by the propinquity
of those who were unbelievers. There were seven of
us altogether in the launch (two English and five
natives), and our boat kept puffing onwards, making
fair progress up the stream. There was no twilight.
The stars rushed out overhead and " with one stride
came the dark ; " and there we were, travelling on-
wards up the lonely river, with barely light enough to
avoid the fishing-boats which we overtook.

About 8 p.m. the river got shallower, and the tide
began to ebb. It was very dark, and there was no
possibility of seeing where the deepest channel lay.
The result was that we found ourselves constantly
running on to sand banks, and were brought up short
by sticking in the mud. However there were no rocks
or stones, and we always managed to cut through or
to back off the obstruction. We must have touched
ground some eight or ten times in the next two hours,
and we often heeled over a good deal, but fortunately
without being swamped. About 10 p.m. we got to the
mouth of the canal, which connects the Pegu with the
Sattang river. Here we were told that the Pegu river,
on which we were, was too shallow for the launch to
proceed further, and that it would be wiser for us to
steam up the canal about eight miles, and then stop at
a village on the bank which would be only seven miles
distant by road from Pegu. This we determined to
do. So we waited at the mouth of the canal till
II p.m., when the moon rose, and then by her light we
got through the lock and steamed slowly up the canal,
till we reached the village about i a.m. There we
found a carriage sent to meet us, and next morning
we drove into Pegu.

The chief sight of this town (which we had found it so

PEGU. 141

difficult to reach) was the great pagoda, 324 feet high.
This is the most lofty one in the province, and is famous
for having had a new " H'tee," or umbrella, placed on its
apex about a year ago. This H'tee was a very bright
one, being made of gilded metal and inlaid with jewels.
The successive concentric rings were arranged in a
pyramidal form, and the open metal work designs were
very light and tasteful. The top was ornamented with a
gilt flag, and the whole was hung with bells. We were
shown the old H'tee, which had been taken down when
the new one was put up, and were surprised at its size.
The immense height of the pagoda makes it difficult
to realise how large the metal umbrella is, w^hich is
fixed on the top. But the remains of the old one
enabled us to perceive that the H'tee must be
20 feet high, and 12 feet in diameter at the base. To
give a new H'tee to a pagoda is a very meritorious
action, and gains great religious credit for the donor.
The hoisting up of this metal erection to the top of a
smooth spire was a great engineering feat, which the
Burmans successfully accomplished without European
assistance.

Besides this great pagoda, we were shown a brazen
image of Gautama, which stands in a shrine within the
precincts of a Kioung or monastery. This image has
only been lately set up bv a Burman, who is in Govern-
ment employ. A curious scene took place at the
casting of the image. When the image was being
finished, it was discovered that there was not sufficient
molten metal to fill the mould. This was at once
announced to the crowds who had assembled to see
the sight, and offerings were demanded from those
present. Immediately women stripped off their ban-
gles and jewels and ornaments, men presented silver
coins to be melted down, and thus sufficient metal was
obtained by these voluntary offerings to complete the
image. All the donors would feel that they had
earned merit by their gifts, and had helped to perfect
a good action.

142 A PARSOiN'S HOLIDAY.

While we were at Pegu, we heard many stories of
the disturbed condition of the country. All Burma is
infested with robbers, but latterly armed bands had
been scouring the Pegu district committing robberies
on travellers. These " dacoits," as they are called, lie
in wait on the river banks for people returning from the
towns with the money they had received from the sale
of their " paddy." The robbers are generally armed,
and the country people have little chance in making
any resistance. The thick jungle, which covers most
of the country, affords them ample hiding-place, and
the police find it very difficult to break up the bands
or track them to their lairs.

We returned to Rangoon by the same route, and had
an equally difficult journey. The river seemed full of
sand banks, and though the stream was a quarter of a
mile wide, the navigable channel was very narrow.
Our launch drew only a few feet of water, but yet we
touched the ground very often, and we stuck on one
bank for nearly four hours. Fortunately we were well
provisioned, and the cook produced a capital dinner.
Our only contretemps was a sudden heel over of the
launch, for as the tide fell the boat suddenly settled
down on one side, with the result that our milk jug
was upset, some crockery went overboard, and one
rifle sank to the bottom and was never recovered.
However, when the tide rose, we floated off the bank,
and managed to get back into the right channel, and
arrived at Rangoon at i a.m. on the morning of
January 2nd, 1883.

This was my last expedition in Burma, and on the 4th
I started for Southern India. I was very glad to have
had this glimpse of Burma, and I would recommend
everyone who is touring in our Eastern possessions
not to omit paying a visit to Rangoon. The scenery of
Burma looks so luxuriant after the bare plains of Nor-
thern India, the people are so bright and interesting,
the pagodas so graceful, and the whole aspect of the
place so full of tropicial colour and diverse life. The

VOYAGE TO MADRAS. I43

gaily dressed crowds fill every town with interest, and
the thick trees and noble rivers and tangled jungle
make the country districts well worth a visit. Here
also Buddhism can be studied under one of its most
pleasing forms, for it here bears a less superstitious
shape than it does either in China or Ceylon. Besides
all these points of interest, Burma is especially inte-
resting to the politician. Here the " Expansion of
England " is still at work, and a province over which
we have ruled for less than thirty-five years is seen in
the process of being brought into order. When it is
remembered for how short a time the English have
been masters of the country, everyone must be as-
tonished at the signs of prosperity and the rapid
progress visible on every side. Much remains to be
done, but the amount of good work already accom-
plished, and the evident popularity of our rule reflect
great credit on the hard-working civilians and officers,
who have so well administered the country.

My voyage back to India was by a line of steamers,
plying from Rangoon to Madras. They do not go
direct to Madras, but touch on their way at several
of the ports on the eastern coast of India. We
were four days crossing the Bay of Bengal, and
then made the Indian coast at a small place called
Calingapatam. These four days were very quiet and
uneventful. We had very few European passengers
on board, but the fore part of the vessel was crowded
with coolies, returning to their Indian homes after
having saved money in Burma. These coolies are
employed as labourers in the rice factories, and as
porters on the wharves, and get higher pay than they
do in India. This causes a great movement of labour
between India and Burma, as after a few years' labour
a coolie can return, having saved a small fortune. We
had about 600 coolies on board, bound for the different
ports at which we were to touch. One died while we
were at sea, and the Captain had to take charge of his
effects, and to deliver them to the nearest relations.

144 A parson's holiday.

Each night after sunset we had a vivid view of the
zodiacal hght, which was very brilliant, extending up
to the zenith, and shining for many hours. The light
is said to proceed from countless myriads of meteoric
bodies surrounding the sun, which reflect the sunlight
long after the sun itself has sunk below the horizon.

Calingapatam, where we first cast anchor, seemed a
small place as viewed from the sea. It is built along
the beach, with no bay or port to give shelter to ships.
All along this eastern coast of India there are no good
harbours, and a constant surf breaks along the shore,
which makes landing difficult even on the calmest
days. Our steamer was obliged to anchor a mile from
the land, and the passengers and cargo were landed in
large Masula boats. These boats are of native make,
and are rowed by a dozen or more men, often two or
three working at one oar. Besides these large boats,
we were also visited by catamarans. These are simply
two or three logs tied together, on which one or two
nearly naked natives crouch, and paddle themselves
through the surf. These rafts carry no cargo, but
come out in the roughest weather, and live in any sea.
The logs are unsinkable, and the crew have no clothes
to get spoilt by the sea. The Masula boats brought
out to us hides and rice, which seemed the chief ex-
ports of the place. We lay all day long off this port,
anchored outside the surf, but exposed to a heavy
swell, under a hot sun, and the long roll and heave
of the vessel was trying to anyone subject to sea-
sickness. In the evening we started for Bimlipatam,
our next stopping place, about fifty miles farther down
the coast.

We arrived there about 6 a.m., and I landed in a
Masula boat, and had a few hours on shore. The
station was small, but prettily situated, being built on
the edge of the sea under a high hill. The chief trade
of the place was in grain, rice, and oil nuts. The
voyage through the surf, both going and returning,
was a new experience. As we neared the shore the

THE SALT TAX. 145

rowers laboured harder at the oars, the steersman kept
the boat's head straight, the big waves hfted and
bumped us into shallower and shallower water, and at
last we grounded on the sandy beach, and were carried
in chairs by our bare-legged crew on to dry ground.
The wood-work of these boats is tied together with
cocoa-nut fibre, and they resist a great amount of
knocking about without going to pieces. Where the
planks of an English-made boat would be separated,
and every nail started, and the boats wrecked, these
native-made boats bump about and are none the
worse.

From Bimlipatam we went to Vizagapatam, two
hours farther down the coast. Here there is a deep
creek running inland, which may become the future
port of this part of India. At present there is an
awkward bar and sunken rocks, but if these could be
removed, the place might be made a harbour of refuge
from the destructive cyclones.

All along this coast there is a large manufacture of
salt, made from the sea-water by evaporation. As
salt is very heavily taxed, and as the manufacture of
salt is a monopoly, this coast has to be very carefully
watched to prevent the Government being defrauded
by illegitimate manufacture. I heard some interesting
statistics on this subject. The salt tax is the only tax
which affects the ryot or peasant of India, but when
people first hear that this tax is placed on a necessary
of life, that it raises the value of the commodity a
thousand per cent., and that illicit manufacture is very
severely punished, they think that this must be a
crying abuse, which ought to be abolished. But fur-
ther information often softens the anger of the philan-
thropic reformer. This tax brings in seven millions
a year to the revenue, and is the only tax paid by
the very poor, and it amounts to only cightpencc a
head per annum on the whole population. It would
be difficult to obtain so large an amount by any
better system, and in return for this small contribution

r

146 A PARSON'S HOLIDAY.

the natives enjoy perfect security and good govern-
ment. This revenue is collected by raising the price
of salt to the consumer. The total cost of manu-
facture is about 6Jd. a maund [i. e., 827lbs.), and the
price charged to the consumer is 5s. a maund, the
balance being net profit. The Government at present
manufacture most of the salt which is made, but
anyone is allowed to make it, provided he obtains the
consent of the chief officer of the district, and
engages to bring a certain quantity of salt to the
Government store. He is paid at a certain fixed rate
of a few pence per maund, and this salt is afterwards
sold at a greatly enhanced price. The Government
hope by degrees to withdraw from the direct manu-
facture of salt, and only put a heavy excise duty on
the manufactured article.

The salt is made in large pans near the sea-coast
during the hottest months of the year. The ground
is excavated, puddled and made watertight, and then
shallow stretches of sea-water are admitted, which
gradually evaporate, leaving the salt deposited on
the ground. It is so easy to do this in a small way
all along the coast, that a large staff of preventive
officers have to be employed to stop the illicit manu-
facture of salt. The duty is so high, and the process
of manufacture so simple, that the poor ryot is con-
stantly tempted to evade the law. The cost of the
staff and Government establishment is about one-
eighth of the revenue raised. In a poor country like
India it is difficult to pay for the cost of government,
and this tax, to which the people are accustomed,
seems practically to meet the requirements of an uni-
versal, yet not burdensome, impost. The manufacture
can only be carried on in the dry weather, as one
shower of rain would spoil the whole of the salt in the
pans.

From Vizagapatam we coasted onwards, touching
at Coconada and Masulipatam, but the water was so
shallow that we were obliged to anchor three miles

VOYAGE TO MADRAS. 147

from the shore. This prevented us from seeing any-
thing of these towns, and we were glad when on the
morning of the i ith January we arrived at Madras.

148 A parson's holiday.

Chapter VIII.

The Presidency of Madras differs in many respects
from the Presidencies of Bengal and Bombay. It has
no frontier to guard, no dangerous neighbours to invade
it, and no disaffected population to keep in check,
and of late years it has had a quiet history. It
has thus received scant notice from European poli-
ticians, and its affairs are seldom heard of outside its
own borders. Its uneventful condition has brought it
contempt rather than credit, it has been called " the
sleepy Presidency," and civilians in Bengal and
Bombay have spoken slightingly of the administra-
tion of such a well behaved community. This con-
temptuous tone is not deserved. Those who know
Madras best, find there points of interest which are
absent in the other Presidencies. It is no discredit
to the administration, but the reverse, that its annals
have been uneventful. Wars and rebeUions, frontier
expeditions and scarcely veiled disloyalty are not
matters of congratulation. And though the other
Presidencies are oftener mentioned in the English
newspapers, yet they do not show better signs of
progress or more able administrators.

I found that a soreness existed even amongst the
officials, because their affairs were seemingly neglected
by the supreme Government, and the feeling that they
were unduly put on one side has found expression, I
believe, in the Governor's minutes. Certainly the
casual traveller finds a number of points of interest in
this Presidency, and my stay there was one of the
pleasantest parts of my holiday. The temples were
more magnificent, the vegetation more tropical, and
the English (if possible) kinder than in the other
parts of India which I had visited. Above all every

MADRAS. 149

parson must be interested in noticing the way in which
Christianity has been embraced in this Presidency.
The numbers of native Christians are larger than in
any other part of India, and here there are whole
villages inhabited entirely by Christians under the care
of native clergymen. Each of these points roused my
interest, and will be hereafter touched upon.

The history of the foundation of Madras may be
shortly stated. The first factory was opened there
in 1639, under the title of Fort St. George, and for
more than a hundred years the growth of this trade
depot was uneventful and continuous. But in the i8th
century the French and English contended for the
mastery of India, and Madras became the prize of the
French in 1746. These were the days of Clive and
Dupleix, who wrestled together, each for his distant
king, who hardly knew how severe was the struggle, or
how far-reaching would be the effects, of this contest
waged in the far East. Madras was restored to the
English in 1 749, by the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, and
has never since been taken from us. It was in great
danger in 1780, when Hyder Ali of Mysore and his
son Tipu defeated the English forces, and ravaged
the country up to its very walls. But this was only a
short-lived triumph for the native arms, and in the
later years of the century the ruler of Mysore was
driven back, and Madras became the capital of the
Presidency which now bears its name.

The city itself is built on a most unpropltious site,
on the edge of an unquiet sea, and with a sandy
waste behind it. Yet it has increased and flourished
in spite of natural disadvantages. It now extends for
nine miles along the shore, its population is 400,000,
and its trade is very great. The chief disadvantage
is the want of a harbour, and many efforts have
been made to improve the port. Originally there
was only an open roadstead, and passengers and
cargo had to be landed in open boats through a surf
which was heavy in the calmest weather, and almost

150 A PARSON'S HOLIDAY.

impassable in storms. But a large breakwater and
pier were built a few years ago, and the harbour
was thus for a time made secure. But this improve-
ment did not last long, as Madras was visited by a
destructive cyclone, which tore the great coping-stones
from their fastenings, and buried them in the sea.
The whole breakwater was damaged by the violence
of the waves, and though it still gives a partial pro-
tection to the harbour, yet the surf beats over it at all
points. As we entered the harbour, we could see the
ragged condition of this once fine work, and we were
astonished at the size and weight of the great stones,
which had been dashed from their places by the might
of the storm.

As soon as our steamer came to anchor, we were
surrounded by crowds of boats full of nearly naked
boatmen, who all vociferously clamoured for our
patronage, and made rapid descents on our luggage,
which we had to guard from being carried off piece-
meal. This arrival at Madras has been described by
many travellers, but it never fails to interest the new
comer. The boatmen look like animated bronze
statues, and every muscle of their strong bodies is
brought into play, as they keep their boats from
colliding with the steamer, and strive to steer them
nearest the gangway. Every one seems to be shout-
ing at once, and the whole surface of the water is
covered with boats, which press around the steamer,
and do their best to cut each other out. As we rowed
away from the ship, we looked back and saw the
great black hull surrounded by a swarm of little boats,
looking like some sea monster surrounded by water-
flies.

The first thing in Madras that strikes the new
comer is the appearance of the people. The natives
here are quite a different race to the inhabitants of
Bombay and Bengal, of a much darker colour, and
with a more African type of feature. Their clothes
are put on less neatly, their turbans are more care-

THE PEOPLE OF MADRAS. 151

lessly tied and often forgotten, their hair is allowed to
grow, in a long rough mane behind, while the front of
the head is shaved up to the crown. All these points
of difference arise from their descent. We are here
amongst a Dravidian people, who have never been
exterminated or driven away by their Aryan con-
querors. They may be called one of the Aboriginal
races of India, as although there were earlier races
who used stone implements, yet their history is en-
tirely lost. The first accounts that we possess are of
the contest between the Aryans and the dark races
whom they found in possession of India. The Aryan
or Indo-Germanic stock, " from which the Brahman,
the Rajput, and the Englishman alike descend,"* in-
vaded India some 3000 years ago, and found it occu-
pied by different races. These races were gradually
driven southward, many were broken into fragments,
and only exist as hill-tribes or in the depths of im-
penetrable forests. But the great Dravidian race of
the South was never exterminated, and although sub-
dued by the higher civilization of the Aryan race,
which pressed in amongst them, they were never
broken into fragments. They have intermarried with
their conquerors and have given their languages to
46 millions of people in Southern India. Bishop
Caldwell recognizes twelve distinct Dravidian lan-
guages, of which Tamil, Telugu, and Kanarese are
the chief.

These languages are apparently more difficult than
those of Northern India, and English is more generally
spoken by the natives in the Madras Presidency than
elsewhere. The English is of a curious kind. The
chief part of the verb which has been learnt by the
natives is the present participle. Other moods and
tenses are neglected, which certainly simplifies the
language. Coolies, boatmen, gharri-drivers, and ser-
vants, all speak an English which is peculiar to Southern

* Hunter's hulian Empire, p. 89.

152 A PARSON'S HOLIDAY.

India. Your personal servant is called your " boy,"
though he may be a grey-headed individual. The
message-bearers called " chuprassies " in Bengal, and
" puttiwallahs " in Bombay, are here called "peons,"
a name surviving from the days of the Portugese
dominion.

The only other fact that need here be mentioned
about the natives is the way in which Christianity has
increased amongst them. While the percentage of
Christians for the whole of India only represents a
half per cent, of the total population, it is 6 per cent,
in Tinnevelly and Cochin, and it rises to 20 per cent,
in the native states of Travancore. Altogether by the
census of 1871 there were about one-and-a-half millions
of Christians, of which more than a million were
Roman Catholics. These figures have been corrected
by the census of 1881. From the report of last year
we find that the Christians number 1,862,634, of which
the Roman Church claims 963,058.

" The lapse of a few years," continues the writer of the Report,
" will, I believe, show a very large accession to the numbers of
the various Christian churches. The closest observers are almost
unanimous in the opinion that the ground has been already cleared
for such a movement, but their views are not so much in accord as
to the class from which this accession will be made."

This testimony is the more interesting as coming

from a Government official, who would not be unduly

biassed in favour of missionaries, or over sanguine

about their success. The increase of the Christian

population in the province of Madras in the ten years

1 87 1-8 1 is 165,682, or 30*39 per cent. On this point

another extract from the Census Report may be given : —

" Both in actual numbers, and in proportion to the general popu-
lation, Madras stands clear away in front of all other provinces, and
if the southernmost part of the Presidency be taken, we find that
in a compact tract containing 7,213,843 souls, 365,544 or 5,067 per
100,000 are Christians. It is in no sectarian spirit that this may
be declared wholly a matter for congratulation. There is no
enlightened Madras Brahman who does not rejoice equally with
the missionaries to see the good work of the latter redeeming the
degraded castes of Tinnevelly, and the devil-worshippers of South

MADRAS. 153

Canara from their debased cults to a purer faith and a higher
morality."

These figures speak for themselves, but I shall
be able to describe what I saw amongst the native
Christians of Tinnevelly in a future chapter.

I was but a short time in Madras, and was not able
to see all the sights in the city. The public buildings
are fine, and built along the sea-shore. They are
covered with a beautiful stucco, which has the con-
sistency and polish of marble. There is a fine Cathe-
dral, in which there is a monument to Bishop Heber.

A most interesting School of Art has lately been
started, where native artists and mechanics are taught
to draw, paint, and design, to work In wood and stone,
and to make pottery. The object is to enable native
manufactures to compete successfully with English
goods, and already certain English goods have been
beaten out of the market. Inkstands, gallipots, and
cells for telegraph batteries are now bought from these
works Instead of being imported from England. The
pottery we saw was like Doulton ware, and was very
artistic. The land of India is so overstocked with
labour, that any fresh outlet for the artistic talents or
mechanical ingenuity of the native worker must do
good. This industrial school is an effort to train
native workers, and thus to enable them to earn a
living by their own powers. The ruins of magnificent
buildings still standing show that once there was a great
architectural talent and power amongst the natives of
India. This power of designing and constructing large
palaces and temples has withered away under the hand
of oppression. But now that the native feels himself
secure and at peace, it may be possible to educate his
artistic faculties, and restore to him this power of archi-
tectural Invention.

From Madras I went by rail to Bangalore, a journey
of over 200 miles. It Is a large civil and military
station, the head-quarters of the Madras army, and
the place where the Chief Commissioner of Mysore

IJ

154 A PARSON'S HOLIDAY.

resides. It bears much the same relation to Madras
that Poona does to Bombay. The cHmate is cooler,
as the town is built on high ground. Next to Madras
it is the largest town in the Presidency, and it contains
over 142,000 people. The cantonments and bunga-
lows are scattered over a large area, and there are
European cavalry, infantry, and artillery lines. There
are three Government chaplains and four churches, as
the area of the town extends over ten square miles.
The public gardens are prettily laid out, and there is a
small collection of wild beasts. The Chief Commis-
sioner, who is also the Resident at Mysore, lives in a
large house built in the Classical style with a deep
portico supported by tall stone pillars, which acts as a
verandah and keeps the house cool.

I paid a visit to Mr. Ignatius, the native clergyman,
who has charge of the native Christians at Bangalore.
It was my first sight of a native clergyman, working as
in England with charge of a congregation, and the
visit was interesting. I found him in a small house
close to the little church, where the native Christians
collect for worship. He was dressed in native cos-
tume, but he spoke English and was well able to carry
on a conversation. He gave me much information
about his work, and was very pleasant and seemed
hard-working and sincere. His congregation consisted
chiefly of servants, clerks, and some Sepoy soldiers.
The community numbered about 400, the communi-
cant's list was about 100, and at great festivals he
had an average of about 50 communicants. He had
begun work as a catechist in the Tinnevelly District,
had been ordained in 1865, and had only lately been
transferred to this post. He has a day-school open
to both Christian and heathen boys and girls, which is
helped by the Rajah of Mysore, and he has also a
small boarding-school for girls. There is daily service,
and a weekly Celebration, and every sign of earnest and
devoted work. He gave me his only chair, and was
most courteous, and glad to give every information,.^

A NATIVE CLERGYMAN. 155

I had been half afraid of intruding upon him, but his
manner was so cordial and he seemed so pleased with
me for coming, that I was glad that I had visited him.
He had a small library of English theological works,
and his conversation was that of an educated man.
There are already two hundred native clergymen in
India, so the time seems to have arrived when it is
not presumptuous to think of a native Indian Church
occupying the land. This is the object to be attained,
when in the words of Bishop Cotton "indigenous
Stigands and Lanfrancs will take the place of foreign
Theodores and Augustines." Certainly my visit to
Mr. Ignatius at Bangalore gave me a fresh and
pleasant idea of the possibilities of a native pastorate,
for nothing could have been more simple and un-
affected, more sincere and earnest, than his manner
and conversation. Such native ministers w^ill attract
converts, and help forward the quiet work of edifying
the Church, for they will know the manner of life and
modes of thought of their fellow countrymen, and will
speak in a tongue " understanded of the people."

Mr. Ignatius invited me to come on Sunday morning
to an early Celebration at his Church. He said the
service would be in Tamil, but it would be a literal
translation of the Communion OflBce in our Prayer
Book, and so I should be able to follow the prayers.
I was pleased to have this opportunity of joining
with a native Christian congregation in a common
act of worship. The Church was a small simple
building, white-washed inside, with a well-arranged
chancel. The floor of the nave was covered with
matting, but only about one-third of the space had
seats ; the rest of the area was left free for those
who preferred to sit on the floor. Natives very seldom
use seats of any description, and in their own houses
they ordinarily sit on the floor. On this account all
Churches for natives have large spaces left free. The
Christmas decorations were still up in this little Church
at Bangalore ; they consisted chiefly of paper wreaths

156 A parson's holiday.

and simple texts. The congregation at this early
service was small, consisting of about ten commu-
nicants ; but this number would not be less than the
average in many a village in England, numbering
about 500 in population. The Sunday on which I was
present was no special festival, and this service was
the regular weekly Celebration. The percentage of
communicants is usually higher in Tinnevelly than it
is in England, but this congregation at Bangalore had
been for some years neglected, and had only lately
begun to revive.

I was very much struck by the reverent way in
which the service was conducted. Mr. Ignatius was
all in white, wearing a white cassock under his sur-
plice. And when he entered the sanctuary, he slipped
off his shoes, and his bare feet were visible under
his cassock. This had a most reverent appearance,
and was evidently the natural expression of what he
thought due to the sacredness of God's House. All
natives put off their shoes when they enter the house
of a superior. The native clergy in India have kept
up the custom in Church, deeming that the place
whereon they stand is holy ground.

From Bangalore I paid a hurried visit to Mysore
and Seringapatam. Mysore is a native state contain-
ing over 29,000 square miles and with a population
of more than five millions of people. Its history is
interesting, as its rulers of old often crossed swords
with the British. In the latter half of the last cen-
tury it was governed by Hyder Ali, a Mohammedan
usurper, who had imprisoned the rightful Hindu King,
and professed to rule in his name. The English
fought several battles against Hyder with varying
success, and on one occasion the Mysore cavalry
ravaged the country up to the walls of Madras. But
Hyder died in 1782, and was succeeded by his son
Tipu (or Tippoo), with whom peace was concluded.
But there was a second Mysore war in 1792, when
Tipu was defeated by Lord Cornwallis. And finally

SIEGE OF SERINGAPATAM. 157

in 1799 there was a third Mysore war, when Colonel
Wellesley besieged and captured the fortress of Serin-
gapatam. It is this last war which is the best known,
as it resulted in the defeat and death of Tip6. He
was a cruel ruler. He offended his Hindu subjects
both by trying to compel them to become Moham-
medans, and also by taking all power from their
rightful Rajah. Many tales are still told of his
abominable cruelties and evil debaucheries. He was
always plotting against the English ; the French
claimed him as their ally, and " Citoyen Tipu," as
they called him, was encouraged by them to harass
the English settlements. There is now in the Indian
Museum in London the figure of a tiger, standing over
the body of an English soldier ; it moves by clock-
work, and when wound up growls and bites the pros-
trate figure. This was brought from Seringapatam,
and was one of Tipu's favourite playthings.

The final destruction of Tipu's forces took place at
Seringapatam. This fortress was considered impreg-
nable, and was called the Tiger's Den. Tipu had
given himself the name of the Tiger, and appeared in
coloured stripes of black and yellow. Our troops were
commanded by General (afterwards Lord) Harris, and
Colonel Wellesley (afterwards the Duke of Wellington)
served under him. The siege was quickly over. The
walls were breached and the fort stormed. Tipii was
discovered, buried under piles of dead, and the whole
of the territory of Mysore was ours. It was considered
politic not to annex the State, so a descendant of the
Hindu Rajahs, whom Hyder Ali had deposed, was
placed on the throne. He had no children, but was
allowed to adopt a child, who is the present Maharajah.
During the minority of the present ruler the State was
most ably administered by Sir James Gordon, who not
only made himself beloved by all the inhabitants, but
also obtained a great and beneficial influence over the
mind of the young Maharajah. The training and
education of this young ruler has been a great sue-

158 A parson's holiday.

cess ; he has had the inestimable advantage of con-
stant intercourse with a highminded and cultivated
English gentleman, and his territory has been handed
over to him in perfect order. He was given full power
in 1 88 1, and is now independent, but expected to
follow the advice of the British Resident at his Court.

My journey to Mysore was by the State Railway,
which connects Mysore with Bangalore, a distance of
86 miles. The country was thinly populated, the soil
poor, and the rock very near to the surface. Crops of
rice, castor oil, grain and sugar cane were being culti-
vated, and the cocoa-nut palm grew in large groves. I
was told that the nuts from each tree were worth about
five rupees a year, so a grove of palms is a valuable
possession. There have been some gold discoveries
in the Mysore territory, but so far as I heard the
ore does not pay for working. Some are still sanguine
as to the future of these gold fields, but the majority
of the workings have not hitherto been successful.
I heard that " if you put in a sovereign, you would
get back ten shillings," and the general opinion
seemed to be that no great fortunes would be made.

I arrived at Mysore about 5 p.m., and had time
before sunset to climb part of the way up a hill, which
is considered sacred, outside the city. This hill is
covered with large boulders of rock, and is crowned
by a temple. There is a stone staircase up to the
summit, which is about 1000 feet high. I had only
time to ascend about 600 feet, to a lower plateau,
where there is a colossal bull carved out of one
immense boulder. This bull is 20 feet high, and
25 feet in length, and is a very striking object. The
view from this point was very extensive over the plain
of Mysore, with the city lying at one's feet. The
descent of the hill was by no means easy, as the stone
steps were worn so smooth by the feet of generations
of pilgrims, that my boots slipped on them, and I was
nearly precipitated to the bottom. However the bare-
footed " chuprassie," who accompanied me, made me

DEATH OF TIPU SAHIB. 1 59

lean all my weight on him, and thus we arrived safely
at the bottom.

Next morning I started before sunrise, and drove
seven miles to Seringapatam. The great sights there
were the fort and city and tombs of Hyder Ali and
Tipu Sahib. The fort is built on an island in the
river Cauvery, which here divides into two branches,
which re-unite lower down. This island is about three
miles long, and one mile broad. The fort, which is
situated at the northern extremity of this island, was a
very strong place, enclosed by double walls and deep
moats. The breach was made in the north-west
corner, on the side farthest from Madras, and where
the attack was least expected. When it was con-
sidered practicable, our soldiers crossed the river, and
scaled the wall, doing this with a rush in seven
minutes. Tipu was slain inside the northern gateway,
and his body was discovered under heaps of dead.

I had the pleasure of being shown over the fort by a
native apothecary, who was very intelligent ; he was a
Christian, and spoke English. He took great interest
in the traditional accounts of Tipu, and had collected
a number of stories, which are repeated by his country-
men, and may be authentic. One of these attributed
the sudden success of the final assault to help given
to the English from inside. It is said that Tipu had
become hated by his Hindu subjects in consequence
of his partiality for Mohammedans. His Prime
Minister was a Hindu, whose daughter while bathing
was outraged by a Mohammedan soldier. Tipii re-
fused to punish the violator, and in consequence
the Prime Minister determined to be revenged.
He entered into negotiations with the English, ar-
ranged the time for the assault, and at that moment
weakened the forces which ought to have defended
the breach, and thus enabled us to take the city. All
the stories and legends about Tipu exhibit him as a
cruel, depraved monarch, without pity or toleration
for his Hindu subjects, and careless of their rights.

i6o A parson's holiday.

Inside the fort there are still standing two Hindu
temples, and one mosque, but all the palace buildings
are in ruins. Outside the fort there is a beautiful little
summer palace, where Tipu and his wives used to take
their pleasure. This is called the Durria-dowlut, and
Colonel Wellesley resided there, when he was in
command of the town after the siege. The walls
and roofs are decorated with paintings and frescoes,
which commemorate a victory gained by Tipu over
the English.

About half-a-mile from this palace stands the
mausoleum, where Hyder and Tipu are buried. It is
a domed structure of handsome design, with a deep
verandah supported by massive black marble columns.
The doors are of carved marble and teak inlaid with
ivory, and the whole building is richly finished. In the
interior there are three tombs made of black marble,
and covered with silken cloths. Here rest the remains
of Hyder Ali, his wife, and Tipu Sahib. The walls are
painted in yellow and black in imitation of a tiger's
stripes, and the black marble gives a peculiarly rich
sepulchral effect to the whole building. All these
relics of the past are now kept up by Government
in consequence of an eloquent and striking minute
written by Lord Dalhousie, the great Governor-General.
He found these buildings neglected and falling into
decay, and in consequence he impressed on the
Government the necessity of providing for their ade-
quate repair, for they were not only memorials of the
success of the British arms, and architecturally beau-
tiful, but also associated with the early exploits of one
who became the Duke of Wellington.

There is one more building, which is worth a visit,
at Seringapatam, and that is the Deserted Bungalow,
formerly inhabited by a Colonel Scott. Its history
has been well told by the talented author of the ^^ Lays
of Indy Colonel Scott was in the employment of the
late Maharajah, and resided in this bungalow with his
wife and two daughters. In one day he lost all three

THE DESERTED BUNGALOW. l6l

through cholera. This sad and sudden affliction un-
hinged his mind, and he fled from the house, and was
never heard of again. Whether he committed suicide
or left the country was never known ; but the late
Maharajah gave orders that everything in the house
should be left exactly as it then was. All this hap-
pened some 80 years ago, and since then no one has
lived in the house, nor have any repairs or alterations
been attempted. The whole place is given up to
decay. Fragments of carpets are rotting on the floors,
pianos rust and fall to pieces in the rooms, shreds of
musquito curtains still hang to the bedsteads, chairs
and tables are almost crumbled away, and damp, and
dust, and cobwebs, cover everything.

" The garden about it is tangled and wild,
Sad trees sigh close to its eaves,
And the dark lithe shapes
Of chattering apes
Swing in and out of the leaves ;
And when night's dank vapours rise grey and foul.
The silence is rent by the shrill screech-owl.

" The windows are shuttered, the doors are shut.
And the odour and stain of decay
Is on plaster and beam,
And the stone steps seem
To be ooze-corroding away ;
And the air all round is as tinged with the breath
Of the felt, though invisible, presence of Death.

" The mouldering rooms are now as they stood
Near eighty years ago :
The piano is there,
And table and chair.
And the carpet rotting slow,
And the beds whereon the corpses lay.
And the curtains half time-mawed away."

I never saw a more desolate-looking, deserted, melan-
choly spot. The rain has penetrated through the roof,
parts of the walls are giving way, the ceilings are
falling, and in a few more years there will be only
a heap of ruins left to mark the site of this once-
pleasant abode on the banks of the Cauvery.

X

l62 A PARSON'S HOLIDAY.

"A type of gloom and decay and death,
And happiness overcast,
Is this bungalow lonely
And tenanted only
By memories of the past.
Peace to the shades of the three who died
In that lonely house by the Cauvery's tide ! "

From Seringapatam I took the train back to Banga-
lore, and on this journey I had a curious experience of
the rigid way in which the law of "caste" rules the
Hindu population of India. I was travelling in a
second-class carriage, and in the next compartment
there were three natives, only separated from me by a
low partition. One of them was a boy suffering from
fever, and parched with thirst. They were all high-
caste Brahmins from Gujerat, and were on a pilgrimage
to the holy places in the South of India. One of the
men with this sick lad was an intelligent, courteous
person, speaking good English. I could not help
being attracted by the moans of the poor lad, and I
heard him asking for water. I knew it would be
useless to offer my water-bottle to them, as they
would not drink from any vessel which I had used.
Still as it was a case of emergency, I ventured to
make the offer as politely as I could. I was not
surprised at its being courteously refused ; but the
younger of the two men asked me to call the station
master at the next station, and get him to obtain a
drink of water for them. He thought as I was an
Englishman, my request would be more likely to be
attended to. When the train stopped, I called the
station master and told him what they wanted. But
as soon as he saw them, he shook his head. He ex-
plained that he he had no " bhisti " (water-carrier) at
that station of high enough caste to give these gentle-
men water. They were superior to ordinary people,
and though the bhisti at most stations is chosen from
a high caste, in order that he may be able to minister
to everyone's wants, yet my fellow-travellers were
of a higher caste than the bhisti at that station,

CASTE DISTINCTIONS. 163

and therefore could not have their drinking vessels
filled by him without suffering contamination. So
we were no further forward, and the poor sick lad
had to go on enduring his raging thirst without alle-
viation. Yet there was no hint on his part of a wish
to break through the rules of his religion, and he
seemed ready to endure any suffering rather than
do what he felt to be wrong. It was an example of
consistency and rectitude, which many a Christian
might imitate with advantage. However, at the next
station his sufferings were relieved. As soon as we
stopped, one of the men got out with his drinking
vessel, and soon came back radiant with joy. He
explained that he had found a well from which he had
drawn the water himself, and as no one else had
touched it, this water was lawful for them to drink.
So the sick lad got his sufferings relieved, and I learnt
a lesson of the heaviness of the yoke which " caste"
puts on the necks of the Hindu population.

From Bangalore I travelled southwards, via Erode
and Trichinopoly, to Tanjore. The great sights of
the South of India are the enormous temples, which
are peculiar to this district. These temples are
covered with carving, they often cover several acres
of ground, and they are as much superior in size and
richness to those in the North of India, as the Cathe-
drals of England are to the Parish Churches.

Hinduism in this part of India is a living religion.
There are but few Mohammedans, and nearly all the
natives are Hindus. The majority of them belong to
the sect which worships Vishnu as the chief god, and
their foreheads are slashed with a sort of trident mark,
viz.: two perpendicular white lines which are drawn from
the roots of the hair to the eyebrows, where they meet
in a curve, while between them there is a red mark in
the centre of the forehead. This mark is very notice-
able, and gives a sinister expression to the face. It
represents, I believe, the two footprints of Vishnu,
which remind his votaries of his incarnations. These

164 A parson's holiday.

incarnations of Vishnu are the most popular gods of
modern Hinduism. He is worshipped as Krishna
all through Southern India, and the story of his
adventures, when he took on himself this form, are
amongst the best known of all the sacred legends.
This desire for a visible, and so to speak human
god is universal amongst the mass of the people,
who cannot understand difficult doctrines or abstruse
philosophy. The Brahmans have invented various
legends, which represent Vishnu as taking on him-
self different shapes for the purpose of preserving
the world when in danger. These legends describe
his adventures and various doings. His actions
were by no means always seemly, neither can
his conduct be always justified. The result is that
the mass of the people worship a god, whose life is
full of astounding and foolish incidents, and whose
actions were sometimes immoral and indecent. No
wonder that such a religion has failed to purify its
adherents, and that the temples of the god are often
centres of immorality and sinks of iniquity. The
longing for a visible God and a true Incarnation seems
to be an instinct in human nature.

At Tanjore I first saw one of those enormous tem-
ples for which Southern India is famous. It stands
in the middle of the city, and its great central mass is
seen from afar towering upwards to the height of
200 feet. It may be taken as an example of all
the temples of Southern India, and a description of
its arrangements will serve to explain the design of all
these remarkable structures. Fergusson * says that
these temples consist almost invariably of the four
following parts. The vimana or shrine, containing a
cell in which the image of the god or his emblem is
placed. This is always square in plan, and sur-
mounted by a pyramidal roof of one or more stories.
Then the mantapas or porches, which always cover or

'^Handbook of Architecture, vol. i., p. 88.

TEMPLE AT TANJORE. 165

precede the door leading to the cell. Thirdly the
gate pyramids, or gopuras, leading into the quad-
rangular enclosure which surrounds the vimana. And
lastly the choultries, or pillared halls, which are used
for various purposes. Besides these a temple always
contains tanks or wells of water, to be used either for
sacred purposes or for the convenience of the priests,
dwellings for the various grades of the priesthood, and
numerous other buildings.

This temple at Tanjore Fergusson calls "the
most splendid temple in India." Entering through a
gateway surmounted by a gopura or lofty gate
pyramid, one finds oneself in a large quadrangle
paved with stone. Each side of this quadrangle is
200 yards long, and all round there runs a colon-
nade which forms a cloister. In the centre of the
great court rises the vimana, the shrine itself, which
is stupendous in size and covered with the richest
carvings. Each side of the base of this building
measures 82 feet, and it is two stories high ; but upon
this structure there rises a pyramidal roof of 14 stories,
finishing in a dome-shaped apex, surmounted with a
gilt spike. The whole height is 200 feet, and each of
the four sides of this lofty structure is covered with
carving. There are numerous niches in which figures
are placed, and the light and shade are very marked
and have a striking effect. The building was erected
about 800 years ago, and has been probably repaired
at some later date. The porch, or 7nantapa, in this
temple is subordinate to the central shrine, and the
whole design is more clearly visible than in some
other temples. In the great court-yard facing the
principal entrance of the shrine there is a colossal bull
carved out of one mass of rock, and saturated with
oil. It rests upon a platform raised on 12 steps, and
is covered with a lofty canopy. In the colonnade
round the inside wall of the quadrangle there are
various frescoes portraying the incarnations of Vishnu
and exploits of heroes ; there are also several idola-

i66 A parson's holiday.

trous symbols, and indecent paintings. But though all
the details will not bear inspection, yet the great size
of the central court-yard, the way in which the shrine
stands out, and the richness of the carving render
this temple quite unique.

After I had visited the temple I went to a small
church in which there was a monument to the Danish
missionary, Schwartz, erected in 1798 by the then
Maharajah of Tanjore. Schwartz had a wonderful in-
fluence over natives, and was much respected by them.
He acted as ambassador between Clive and the native
princes, and one Rajah on his death-bed appointed
the missionary to act as guardian to his infant son.
He was revered by all the people of Tanjore, many of
whom were converted to Christianity by his means,
and when he died in 1798 all classes of the people
mourned for him. There is a mission in Tanjore now
carried on by the Society for the Propagation of the
Gospel, but I had no opportunity of seeing any of the
workers in it. The church in which Schwartz's monu-
ment is placed is in a disgracefully dirty condition,
and is now very seldom, if ever, used for service.
The Rajah of Tanjore, who was such an admirer of
Schwartz, and who was nearly converted to Christianity,
has been succeeded by less respectable rulers, and the
present condition of the kingdom is not satisfactory.
There is no Rajah at present, the Ranee is pensioned,
and an English civilian receives the revenues of the state.

I visited the Palace, and was shown some of the
outer courts and rooms. It was like other princely
residences in India, very dirty, very tawdry, and
overflowing with idle retainers greedy for rupees.
The building covered a very large area, and within its
enceinte there were numerous court-yards and pas-
sages, barracks and stabling, servant's residences and
rooms for crowds of dependents. In one court-yard
the royal elephants were picketed, and their trappings,
used on great occasions of state, were very magnifi-
cent. But mixed up with these really beautiful speci-

NATIVE PRINCES. 167

mens of native workmanship I was also shown common
coloured pictures of the cheapest kind, and beautiful
native garments of cloth of gold were kept in cases,
which were flanked by vulgar English ornaments and
coloured prints. I believe the library holds a really
valuable collection of Sanscrit MSS., but these were
not shown. The books that I saw were neither beau-
tiful nor curious.

How best to treat the princely families of India is a
constantly recurring difhculty. If the ruling member
of the house is inclined to be amenable to Western
influences, he may become partially Anglicized, and
then he takes his position as a great landowner, and
the management of his estate may afford him suffi-
cient occupation. But if he lives in the same way as
did his forefathers, he finds himself in a difficult
position. He is a ruler without power, trammelled by
law, and prevented from doing what his ancestors
did. He sees no career open to him. He will not
take to the army as a profession, for he could not
brook to be controlled by English officers, and he
cannot govern his principality in his own way for
all independent power has been taken from him.
Many native princes pass an idle, objectless life.
They spend their days in smoking, and eating, and
dissipation at home, or in paying visits to each other
with all the pomp they can command ; they multiply
useless retainers, which they think add to their
grandeur, and they often waste their resources by ex-
travagance and excess. They have been likened to
the Barons of the Middle Ages, but their lot is harder,
for they have no voice in the government of their
country, nor any career open to them. It is hoped
that the younger generation may become better edu-
cated, and as local government spreads, they may be
able to take a share in ordering the affairs of their
neighbourhood. But their position is a difficult one,
and their future lot is one of the problems which the
rulers of India will have to face.

i68 A parson's holiday.

Chapter IX.

From Tanjore I travelled to Trichinopoly, where I
first saw some of the Mission work of Southern India.
Trichinopoly is a large city, containing a population
of 76,000 people, and famous for its silver carving and
paintings on talc. The most striking feature is the
great Rock, which towers up, like a lesser Gibraltar,
in the midst of the town. This rock is a great block
of gneiss, which rises up to a height of 400 feet. It
is quite bare of vegetation, its sides are very steep,
and its mass rises up abruptly from the plain. The
view of it from a distance is very fine, and this bold
rock is seen long before the town is reached. The top
of it is crowned with a temple, which is reached by a
steep stone staircase covered by a richly carved colon-
nade. Above the great temple there is a further as-
cent to the extreme apex of the rock, and this has to
be made on the smooth surface of the stone without
either covering or balustrade. The steep slope of the
stone and its slippery condition render this an awkward
climb, but the view from the top repays one for the
difficulty of the ascent. Beneath one's feet the city
lies, laid out like a map, with broad, straight streets
and houses embowered in palms. Round the north
side of the rock flows the river Cauvery, a broad and
swift stream with banks covered with cocoa-nuts and
its islands green with feathery trees. About three
miles distant are seen the gate pyramids and pin-
nacles of the great temple of Srirangham, and far
away on all sides extends the great plain covered with
paddy, and looking most rich and fertile. The whole
of this district is irrigated with water taken from the
Cauvery, and the system of trenches and tanks utilizes
every drop of the life-giving streams.

TEMPLE OF SRIRANGHAM. 169

Besides the rock of Trlchinopoly the great temple
of Srirangham is well worth a visit. A drive of about
three miles brought us to the island on which this
wonderful mass of buildings has been erected. Origi-
nally there was probably a small shrine over some
sacred relic, or idol. But this sanctum sanctorum has
been surrounded by successive enclosures with lofty
gate pyramids, till the central shrine has been dwarfed
and concealed by the magnificent and lofty structures
within which it has been enclosed. The plan of the
building is square, and the central temple is sur-
rounded by seven square court-yards, one within the
other. Each of these encircling walls is pierced by
four great gateways, one on each side. Thus from
whichever side you approach this holy temple you
must pass through seven great gateways, until you
came to the central shrine. The gate pyramids are
very lofty, and covered with carved figures. The
outermost are the tallest, and they gradually decrease
in size as the innermost shrine is approached. Thus
" the inner enclosure being 200 or 300 feet square, the
gate pyramid is only 40 or 50 feet broad, and the pas-
sage through it 10 or 12 feet wide, and 18 or 20 feet
high, while the outer ones, standing in walls 2475 and
2880 feet in extent, are 130 feet wide by 100 feet
deep, the opening 21 feet 6 inches wide by twice that
in height."* This gives the proportions only of the
openings in the gopuras, but the height of the whole
gopura must be more than 100 feet high, and Fergus-
son calls these gateways "the most stupendous
buildings of the South of India." The whole of the
temple buildings cover half a square mile of ground,
and the outer circuit of the walls is more than two
miles in circumference. The best view of this mass
of buildings is obtained by ascending to the top of one
of the gate pyramids. From this point the circuit of
the walls can be traced, the diminishing squares of

*Fergusson, vol. i., p. 92.

lyo A PARSON'S HOLIDAY.

the court-yards are plainly visible, and the towering
masses of the numerous gopuras show where the Hnes
of entrance pierce the enclosing walls. As the eye
traces these successive diminishing squares, it at last
rests on the gilt spike which surmounts the roof of
the innermost shrine. This is often the lowest point
in the structure, and thus the lowliest thing of all is
the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. The same
thing is true of the internal arrangements. You pass
through magnificent gateways, the jambs of which are
formed of single blocks of granite at least 40 feet in
length. You cross broad streets full of life and colour,
trodden by countless worshippers and gay with stalls
where fruit and flowers and various offerings are sold.
You pass by wide tanks with stone steps leading
down to clear water, and surrounded by colonnades
formed of carved pillars. You thread great halls sup-
ported by thousands of stone columns, which are
carved with all the grotesque richness so typical of
Hindu art. And finally you penetrate into a dark
and malodorous hall, where the priests check your
further advance. And from within there comes a
sound of gabbled prayers and high-pitched nasal
chanting, with the smell of incense and the ring of
bells ; and as you try to pierce the darkness of the
dimly lighted shrine, part of a misshapen figure, or a
blotch of vermilion colour, is all that is visible. Before
this thousands of worshippers are prostrating them-
selves at full length in the dust. Here candles are
lighted, offerings are made, and the whole worship of
the temple service culminates. For this all the lofty
gate pyramids and pillared halls have been erected,
and the magnificence of the outside architecture is but
a screen to the meanness and dirt and darkness of the
central shrine. It may truly be said to be typical of
the religion. For the more you penetrate into its
recesses, the less beauty you find in it. The closer
you touch idolatry, the more loathsome it appears,
l^e very shrine is a cloak for immorality, the ritual

MISSIONARY WORK. 171

encourages vice, and the worshippers love darkness
rather than Hght because their deeds are evil.

It was Interesting to turn from these scenes where
idolatry was rampant, and learn how a few earnest
missionaries were trying to lead these crowds of heathen
to a purer faith and a higher life. The work of the
Society for the Propagation of the Gospel Mission at
Trichinopoly has had many difficulties to contend with,
but it is now moving forward in a promising way. The
number of Christian clergy and teachers is miserably
inadequate to the work. The whole district extends
over 21 16 square miles, about the size of the county
of Norfolk, and the population is about 800,000. In
this large area there are one English and three native
clergymen working, besides a few catechists and school
teachers. There are altogether 17 Christian congre-
gations, numbering 1434 souls. The communicants
number 697, nearly one-half of the entire number of
Christians. These statistics are taken from a Report
given to me by the Rev. J. L. Wyatt, missionary in
charge. He himself lives in the town of Trichinopoly,
and exercises a general oversight over the whole dis-
trict. In those villages where he cannot be present
himself, it is the duty of the catechists to conduct
services, to instruct (so far as they can) the members
of the different congregations, to visit the sick, and
to make known the Gospel. This work of the catechist
is most useful. He is always a native, and speaks to
the people in familiar words and in their own language.
He keeps the congregation together, and acts under
the superintendence of the English missionary. It is
impossible for the English clergyman to visit these out-
lying villages very often, as his time is fully occupied
by arduous and important work in the large towns.
But his hands are strengthened and his work prevented
from languishing by the humble and quiet labours of
the resident native catechists. These native Christian
teachers chiefly come from the district of Tinnevelly,
where the training of such humble preachers of the

172 A parson's holiday.

Gospel has formed a large and useful part of the
Christian work done in that part of India. Other
portions of the country are now being benefited by
their efforts, and a great part of the quiet Christian
life in the smaller villages is due to the unobtrusive
work of the native catechist.

The mission work at Trichinopoly, as elsewhere, is
largely done through its schools. These schools are
of various sizes and of different classes, and range
from the most elementary village school up to a high
school which prepares its scholars for matriculation at
the University of Madras. A few words on these
schools will show how large a part of the missionary's
time and thoughts is taken up with education, and
how useful an instrument it is in the evangelization of
the people of India.

The chief feature of this mission is the great High
School under the Society for the Propagation of the
Gospel in the town of Trichinopoly. It is a grand insti-
tution, the largest school outside the Presidency town
of Madras. It had (in 1880) 196 boys on the register.
The Principal is a layman, and there are 27 native
assistants with him, about one-half of whom are non-
Christians. Scriptural instruction is given for one hour
daily by the Christian teachers to all the classes. I
was unfortunately unable to see this great school at
work, as it was holiday time when I was at Trichi-
nopoly. But from all I could hear the school is doing
good work, it is attended by crowds of heathen boys
who desire to receive a good education and to matri-
culate at the University, and it is deservedly popular.
All over India the desire for an English education is
very great, for the knowledge of English opens the
way to Government employ ; thus the brightest and
most intelligent of the heathen lads flock to the classes
and crowd the rooms of the S.P.G. College. They
thus come under the influence of Western thought
and civilization, and their own superstitions are broken
down. Even if for a time the educated natives profess

CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS. I 73

to be Materialists, and seem to have lost their former
faith without obtaining anything in its place, there is
no need to despair ; for there is no vitality and no
beauty in modern Hinduism, and we may trust that
the native, whose old idolatry has been shattered by
modern education, although he may pass through a
dark phase of doubt and atheism, will not be the loser.
It is a gain to have overthrown idolatry, and when the
ruins are swept away, something purer, and truer, and
more lasting will often be erected in its place.

The missionary exerts but little direct influence
through the classes at the High School. Any evan-
gelistic results that can be traced to the teaching
there given, spring from the effect produced in-
directly by the life and conversation of the Christian
teacher on his pupils. But there are in Trichinopoly
other schools, which are markedly of a missionary
character. There is a large boys' boarding school, a
girls' boarding school, a female training institution,
and nine girls' and seven boys' day schools. In
these various schools there are altogether 489 boys
and 449 girls, so nearly 1000 children are under
Christian instruction.

I visited the boys' boarding school, which now gives
accommodation to about 50 boarders. This is located
in an old District Sessions Court, which, being no
longer required by the Government, was offered for
sale. Mr. Wyatt advised the Madras Committee of
the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel to buy
the house, and they did so for a very moderate sum.
The buildings are large and commodious, and stand
in a good compound of five acres of ground. The
school will accommodate about 200 boys, and one
large room 40 feet by 24 feet is used as a chapel.
Those of the boarders who can afford it, pay some-
thing towards their maintenance, and thus they learn
to be independent. But the great aim of the insti-
tution is, in Mr. Wyatt's words, to " secure boys for
the school, of good families, irrespective of the fees

174 A parson's holiday.

they are able to pay, so that they may obtain a
good rehgious education and thereby recommend the
Christian religion to the people of their respective
villages, and that we may obtain material for our
future native agents. Christian boys of the rural
villages have no opportunity of receiving a religious
education in their homes, and some that have been
taken into the school are, as regards religious know-
ledge, hardly removed a step from the heathen boys
round them ; in fact, they do not know anything like
the amount of Scripture that heathen boys know who
live in the town and attend Mission Schools." This
system of keeping boarding schools under the care of
the English missionary has been found to answer very
well in Tinnevelly, and it seems likely to have a good
effect everywhere, as the personal intercourse between
the scholars and the English clergyman is sure to act
beneficially. From this intercourse conversions are
likely to spring, and the Christian boys in the school
influence their heathen companions. Indeed many of
the heathen boys are desirous of being baptized, but
while they are young they are not admitted to Baptism
without their parents' consent. There was an in-
teresting case in 1882, when one of these lads was
baptized. His father was a heathen, but had in his
boyhood attended a mission school. He was induced
by some Christian friends to place his son in the
boarding school, and occasionally he came to see him.
This gave the missionary an opportunity of talking to
him about the Christian religion, and the father said
he had never forcjotten the lessons he had learned at
school when young, but as his wife and many of his
friends were opposed to Christianity he remained in
heathenism. However, his son soon expressed a wish
to be baptized, and persuaded his father to be bap-
tized also. This he consented to do, and both son
and father were baptized together. The wife still
remains in heathenism, but has ceased to express any
opposition to Christianity, and there is a hope that she

AN EVENING MEETING. 1 75

will soon follow the example of her husband and son.
This is an instance of the influence exercised over the
scholars in the boarding school, and it shows what a
distinctly evangelistic agency a good school may be.

Besides the boys' boarding school there is also a
girls' boarding school containing 52 children, and a
female training institution for teachers. The latter is
a most useful institution, as it supplies teachers for the
different day schools in the town and in the various
villages. There are besides 24 day schools, for both
boys and girls, under the supervision of the missionary,
where some 800 children, both Christian and heathen,
are under instruction. Some of these are in the out-
lying villages and some in the town of Trichinopoly.
There ought of course to be many more, and if every
village and large town in the district were properly
occupied, the schools would be counted by hundreds.
There is no better way of influencing for good the
rising generation than by efficient Christian schools,
and I think those missionaries are very wise, who
throw much of their strength into educational work.

The boarding schools and day schools occupy much
of Mr. Wyatt's time, but he does not neglect the more
direct evangelistic work, by which he tries to influence
the heathen who are dwelling around him. One of the
most interesting ways in which this work is attempted
is an evening meeting which is held in a school-room
twice a week for non-Christians. These meetings are
very well attended, and seem to be popular. Mr.
Wyatt says that the same faces appear week by week,
and the numbers vary from 180 to 300. The mode of
procedure is to start with a procession of a few boys,
who go singing through the streets to the place of
meeting. The Tamils of Southern India are very
musical, and there are a number of native tunes which
are very popular; to some of these suitable words have
been placed, and they are thus made into Christian
lyrics. The singing procession soon collects a crowd,
and the school is filled with an attentive audience.

176 A parson's holiday.

Once the procession was interrupted by a little stone-
throwing, and once a snake was introduced into
the meeting to create an excitement, but the pro-
ceedings generally pass off quietly. When the lyric
or hymn is finished, there is a short prayer, a portion
of Scripture is read, and then there is an address
given on some religious topic, such as God, Man, Sin,
Worship, Prayer, Christ, or the like. Then anyone is
invited to speak, or to ask questions, and after a dis-
cussion the meeting closes with more hymns. The
proceedings are all in Tamil, and the address is gene-
rally given by one of the native clergymen, who are
working with Mr. Wyatt.

I was fortunate enough to be at Trichinopoly on one
of the evenings when these meetings are held, and I
was thus an eye-witness of the scene. We got to the
place after the audience had assembled, and during
the delivery of the address. The room was close to
the street, and open on all sides to the road, being
little more than a large shed supported on wooden
pillars, and with a few benches in the centre. It was
dimly lighted with a few oil lamps, and was fairly
filled with about a hundred people, who came and
went as they pleased. At the upper end of the room
there was a table, behind which stood a little knot of
native Christians, some teachers and choir boys, and
the native clergyman. The rest of the room was filled
with a heathen crowd, the more regular attendants sat
on the benches in the centre, others stood round the
pillars half in and half out of the room ; some seemed
to have been attracted by curiosity and stayed but a
short time, but the majority remained throughout the
proceedings. The address, which was delivered by
the native clergyman, was of course unintelligible to
me, but I was told afterwards that he was comparing
Christ with other religious teachers, and showing how
far superior were the doctrines He taught to those
promulgated by Hindu teachers. The address was
extremely fluent, and I was told that its matter was

AN EVENING MEETING. 1 77

likewise excellent. Certainly he gained the attention
of all, and the people listened silently during the whole
of the address. Though I could understand no word
of what was said, yet I could not help being interested.
The bare room open on all sides, the two or three
lamps lighting up the speaker, the keen dark faces
with heathen signs painted on their foreheads peering
out round every pillar, the seats in the centre filled
with men who listened with rapt attention, the stream
of foreign speech pouring forth in fluent gutturals, the
eloquent action of the native preacher who seemed
full of his subject, all made a picture which lives in
my memory. When the address was over, discussion
was invited, and an objection was promptly raised by
someone in the room. I was told afterwards what
was said. The objector found fault with the preacher
for having said that the Hindus worshipped devils,
and he said this description of Hinduism was not fair
or just. He was patiently heard, and was not allowed
to be interrupted, though some of the Christian cate-
chists were anxious to do battle with him before he had
finished. When he had done, Mr. Wyatt quoted two
instances of devil worship which had come under his
own observation, and the audience seemed convinced
of the justness of the phrase objected to. There is a
great deal of low fetishism, underlying popular Hin-
duism, prevalent in the country districts, and though
the educated men of the town may not approve of it,
yet this degraded religion of fear, and this notion of
propitiating invisible beings who would do harm if not
appeased, is common amongst the unlearned. The
audience seemed ready to applaud the points made on
either side, and I was much struck with the patience
and good sense of the reply. There was no wish to
gain a mere dialectic advantage, or to hurt the feelings
of an opponent, but the main desire was to win the
objector to the side of the truth, and to show him that
there had been a justification for the obnoxious phrase.
We left the room after this before the proceedings had

Z

lyS A PARSON'S HOLIDAY.

quite terminated, but I had seen enough to understand
something of the difficulty and yet the hopefulness of
evangelistic work.

From Trichinopoly I went by train to Madura, where
there is another of the great temples of Southern
India. The area covered by the buildings is hardly so
great as that of the great temple at Srirangham, but
the carving is much richer. The temple at Madura
also stands in the centre of the town, and is therefore
fuller of life, and constantly thronged with crowds of
people. The great gate pyramids are covered with
sculptured figures, and the whole of the front of the
gopura is picked out in red, and blue, and green, and
gold. The plan of the temple is similar to that at
Srirangham, consisting of a small central shrine en-
closed by rectangular encircling walls. Between the
successive squares of these walls there are broad
streets, and in these and in the principal approaches
there are bazaars, where every kind of article is ex-
hibited for sale. Brass and metal work of all sorts,
fruit and flowers, china and glass from England, cloths
and silks ; the courts are full of a bargaining, gossip-
ing, chaffering crowd who turn the whole temple into
a place of merchandise. At intervals the crowd is
thrust aside by the advent of one of the trustees of
the temple, or a great Rajah goes by with pomp and
retinue. Or one of the great temple elephants comes
slowly swinging along, bearing water for the shrine, his
trunk daubed with vermilion and his head wreathed with
flowers. I believe this temple possesses great store of
jewels and precious stones, which are said to be of in-
calculable value, but I was not fortunate enough to
get a sight of the treasure. But the chief thing which
render this temple noticeable amongst all its compeers
is the richness of the stone carving of the pillars. Hindu
art is here at its best, and the figure sculpture is truer to
nature than anywhere else. The pillars are carved in
very high relief, and are covered with numerous male
and female figures placed in attitudes of rapid action.

TRIMUL NAIK'S BUILDINGS. 1 79

The most striking part of this great temple is the
choultry or pillared hall, built by Trimul Naik in 1623.
These choultries are common in all temples, and are
of various sizes. They are used as halls of ceremony,
as places where the car of the god is kept, and as
covered colonnades where the dancing girls attached
to the temple dance and sing. The one at Madura
was built by the King to provide a suitable abode for
the god, who is said to have consented to leave his
temple for ten days every year and visit the King,
if a fit building was provided for his reception. The
choultry is certainly a wonderful structure, consisting
of a great hall 333 feet long and 81 feet wide, sup-
ported by 123 pillars. These pillars are the great
feature of the building, as they are all covered with
the most elaborate ornamentation. No two of them
are alike, they stand about nine feet apart, and the
appearance of the hall is that of a forest of stone piers,
the diversity and richness of which bewilder the eye.
The cost of this great hall is said to have been a
million sterling, and it took 22 years to complete.
When it is remembered that this pillared hall is only a
part of the whole design of the temple, and that there
are numerous other corridors and cloisters, gate-pyra-
mids and porches, all covered from top to bottom with
carvings of all kinds, the amount of labour that has
been expended on this great temple is inconceivable.
Most of the stone seemed to be a close-grained
granite, and the whole has been done by native artists
without any help from European designers. The
failure in the design is the want of a good coup d'oeil,
but the labour of construction and the care bestowed
on the stone sculpture are amazing.

Close alongside the temple are the remains of the
Palace of Trimul Naik, which is now being restored
by Government. Its great feature is the large Hall of
Audience supported by more than 125 columns, which
seemed to be about the size of Westminster Hall.
The centre of this hall is very spacious and lofty, and

i8o A parson's holiday.

the columns are arranged in a double and treble
cloister, the roof of which must be 50 feet high.
When the Prince of Wales visited Madura, he was
received in this great hall, and an elephant stood
before each pillar. So that the Prince passed up
through a double row of these great creatures to the
throne set for him at the end of the hall. Besides
this great hall there are other smaller halls attached,
which are all richly carved, and now used as public
offices and judicial courts. Trimul Naik was a con-
temporary of the great Moguls, who erected the
magnificent buildings at Delhi and Agra. He must
have been equally powerful in Southern India, and
capable of commanding any amount of labour.

Another striking sight at Madura is a great tank,
about 200 yards square, in which there is a small
island on which a carved temple stands. This is an
object of pilgrimage at certain seasons, when the
waters of the tank are covered with a numerous
flotilla of boats.

Mission work at Madura is chiefly in the hands of
an American society, whose schools are highly spoken
of, and whose labours are reported to be successful.

The English Churchmen have built a beautiful little
church for their own use, and a chaplain is provided
by a Madras society for providing additional clergy
in India. The status of the English Church in India
is one which is open to criticism. At present chap-
lains are provided at the large stations by Govern-
ment, and are paid out of Government funds. They
are considered to be primarily for the use of the
troops, but there are some chaplains which are ap-
pointed to civil stations. The question has been raised
whether it is justifiable to tax the natives of India to
support an ecclesiastical establishment for the use of
our soldiers and officials. The cost of this estab-
lishment is over ;^20o,ooo a year. The argument in
favour of the retention of this charge on the revenues
of the country is that it is as much part of our system

THE CHURCH ESTABLISHMENT. l8l

of administration in India as charges for doctors or
pensions. The civiHans expect to have rehgious privi-
leges provided for them, just as they expect to have
free doctoring and large retiring allowances. It is part
of the bargain made with them, when they take service
under the Indian Government, and it is one of their
privileges which they take into consideration, when
they determine to expatriate themselves to India.

But now the Government is withdrawing chaplains
from nearly all civil stations where there are no troops,
and the civilians are expected to combine and provide
the salary of a clergyman, if they desire his services.
Also the planters in many of the tea and coffee dis-
tricts pay for their own clergyman. And in every
diocese in India there is now a society for the employ-
ment of additional clergy, which is supported by
voluntary subscriptions, and which provides funds for
the salary of a clergyman in places where there are
sufficient Europeans to render one necessary. At
Madura the resident civilians have built a beautiful
Church, and have secured the services of a clergyman.
If all civil stations were to act in like manner, English
Churchmen would not have to appeal to the Govern-
ment to provide them with their religious privileges.
The chaplains might then be retained only for the use
of the troops, and the Church would be benefited by
thus being forced to depend more on voluntary effort.
The services of the clergyman would be more appre-
ciated when the congregation had learnt that it was
their duty to support him, and that "the labourer
was worthy of his hire."

From Madura I travelled southwards into the dis-
trict of Tinnevelly. This is the name most often heard
at Missionary meetings at home, and when the Christian
Missions of India are referred to, it is this district
which is generally mentioned. For here may be seen
whole villages entirely Christian, built round the
Church, and the villagers themselves support a resident
clergyman, who is often a native. It is the one part of

i82 A parson's holiday.

India where Christianity is the religion of a distinct
proportion (6 per cent.) of the population. Instead of
being professed by a few converts, it is here the faith
of thousands, who have been brought up from child-
hood within its borders. I had seen many missionaries
in various parts of India struggling with the over-
whelming masses of heathendom. I was now to see
that district where even the most sceptical as to the
good done by missionaries must confess that a modi-
cum of success has crowned their labours. After
having seen the efforts made to evangelize the
heathen, it was pleasant to anticipate the sight of
Christian villages where temples and idols were un-
known.

The district of Tinnevelly extends from a little
south of Madura to Cape Comorin. It is bounded
on the east and south by the coastline of India, and
on the west by the native States of Travancore and
Cochin. The soil is sandy and poor, and the chief
wealth of the district comes from the Palmyra palms,
which are very numerous. It is a district away from
railways. The line from Madras has its terminus at
the town of Tinnevelly, but those who desire to pene-
trate further into the country must be content with the
slow progress and jolting motion of the " bandy " or
bullock waggon. The people are quiet and inoffen-
sive, originally very ignorant, and prone to devil-
worship. They were the aboriginal inhabitants of the
land, and had never heartily embraced Hinduism, but
preferred to combine with it many of their old super-
stitions.

More than a hundred years ago the district was
visited by Schwartz, but it was not till fifty years later
that any great effort was made to evangelize this
people. From the very first the idea of the mis-
sionaries was to found villages entirely Christian,
where the tumults and seductions of heathenism
should be unknown. This idea has never been lost
siijht of, and now it has been realized in numerous

MISSIONS IN TINNEVELLY. 1 83

instances. In 1841 Mr. Caldwell (now Bishop Cald-
well) began his great work, and his name will always
be associated with the Tinnevelly Mission. He not
only succeeded in adding greatly to the number of
Churches, and schools, and clergymen, and catechists
in the district, but he started a scheme of local
Church government and self-sustentation which has
answered admirably. There is a Church council in
every district, which the clegyman consults in all
matters of local interest, and which assists him in
collecting and distributing the offerings made by the
congregation. So well has the Church been organized,
that nearly every congregation supports its native
pastor, and also subscribes largely to spread the
Gospel news to the neighbouring heathen villages.
These poor Christians of Tinnevelly set an example
worth noting by richer congregations in England.

The rise of the native pastorate is one of the most
interesting facts in connection with the Tinnevelly
Mission. In 1841 there were in the whole district
seven European clergy and only one native. In 1869
there were fourteen European and forty-seven native
clergymen. This number has since then been largely
increased. In 1877 ^ fresh departure was made.
The Tinnevelly Missions were put under the joint
charge of Dr. Caldwell and Dr. Sargent, who were
together consecrated Assistant-Bishops to the Bishop
of Madras. Bishop Caldwell was to have charge of
the Missions under the Society for the Propagation
of the Gospel, while Bishop Sargent was to exercise
oversight over the Church Missionary Society's Mis-
sions. Thus the district of Tinnevelly has two Bishops
resident within its borders, both of whom know the
native languages, and are able to foster the growth of
the native Church.

The same year was marked by the terrible famine
which devastated all Southern India, and was grie-
vously felt in Tinnevelly. The failure of the rain
caused loss of crops ; bullocks died and wells dried

184 A PARSON'S HOLIDAY.

up ; the people looked out on bare fields and no food ;
the heavens were brass, and the earth iron; and multi-
tudes died before relief could be brought to their
doors. Numbers of half-starved, emaciated people,
men, and women, and children, crawled to the relief
camps, where grain was distributed. Numbers more
were found in a dying state by the roadside, and were
carried to places where food could be obtained. All
England was stirred by the news which was sent
home. Large sums were given for the relief of dis-
tress, and thousands of lives were saved by the labours
of an army of almoners. The after-result in Tinnevelly
was most striking. When the heathen saw this flood
of charity poured out on them from strangers in a far
distant land, they could not but feel grateful to their
unknown benefactors. Then followed a desire to know
more about this religion, which inculcated such benefi-
cent charity. So there was a movement and a stir-
ring all through the land, and in 1878 there was a
marked desire to hear more about Christianity. Num-
bers of villages placed themselves under Christian
instruction, and the accessions from heathenism were
so marked, that it was rightly called a " harvest of
souls." The numbers of those under instruction sud-
denly increased from 23,000 to 43,000. And " the
principal cause of the movement was undoubtedly the
conviction that generally prevailed, that whilst Hin-
duism had left the famine-stricken to die, Christianity
had stepped in like an angel from heaven, to render
them in their distress the sincerest sympathy and the
most effectual succour." So Bishop Caldwell writes,
and he also notices that in no case was an agreement
to become Christians made a condition for the re-
ceiving of relief. Indeed the great accession of con-
verts took place after the season of famine was over,
and when all relief had stopped. The distribution of
money and grain during the distress was made without
any conditions, and in every place men could obtain
relief without changing their religion. Every witness

MISSIONARY STATISTICS. 185

seems to agree that the movement towards Christianity
was quite spontaneous and arose simply from the fact
that the hearts of the people had been touched and
softened by the extraordinary kindness shown to them
in their distress by the Christians of England.

Since 1878 the tide of accessions to Christianity has
continued to flow, and the increase has been regular
and unceasing. Probably now the total number of
Christians in Tinnevelly under the care of the various
societies in connection with the Church of England
does not fall short of 100,000. There is of course an
immensity more to be done. Missionaries returning
home and wishing to interest apathetic audiences are
inclined to magnify their success and dwell much on
the immense strides which have been made in the last
few years. All this is perfectly true, and worthy to
be remembered. The increase of the Christian popu-
lation in the province of Madras in the ten years
1 87 1-8 1 is 165,682, or 30*39 per cent. This is a fact
which should make us thankful and hopeful. But we
also need to remember how small is the number of
Christians when contrasted with the multitude of
heathen amongst whom they live. The total numbers
for the whole of India are, Hindus about 188 mil-
lions, and Mohammedans 50 millions. The number of
Christians is only 1,853,426, not much more than a half
per cent, of the total population of India. Even in
Tinnevelly, where Christians apparently abound in far
greater numbers than elsewhere, where there are native
Christian villages, and native clergy, and numerous
native Churches, even there the Christians number
barely 6 per cent, of the population. Thus out of every
hundred people in Tinnevelly there are still 94 who
worship idols, or profess some false religion. The num-
bers in India are so enormous that it is difficult to realize
what multitudes of people there are who have never
heard a sound of the Gospel message.

2 A

1 86 A PARSON'S HOLIDAY.

Chapter X.

My journey from Madura to Tinnevelly was hot, and
tiring, and dusty. I started at 5 a.m., but I did not
arrive at my journey's end till noon, and by that
time the sun had great power. Although it was the
middle of the cold season, being January 20th, yet in
these Southern plains the heat is always great, as
Tinnevelly is' only nine degrees from the Equator.
The platforms on the line were crowded with dark-
faced crowds of natives, whose heads were shaved as
far as the top of the crown, but their hair was allowed
to grow in a long rough mane behind. Sometimes it
was tied up in a knot, and covered with a turban, but
more often it hung down their backs in an untidy
fashion. I was very hungry before I arrived at my
destination, as I had neglected to carry a luncheon
basket, and refreshment rooms were noticeable by
their absence. However, I brought some plantains, and
bread, and obtained a draught of the " milk" of the
green cocoa-nut. This is a most delicious beverage.
The vendor cuts off the top of the nut with a sharp
sickle-shaped knife, and then pours the liquor into
your glass. It is nearly white in colour, almost clear,
and not in the least like milk. Its taste is sweet,»and
a drink of it is most refreshing. When the nut ripens
this liquor becomes more like milk, but when the nut
is in a green state the juice is far nicer to drink.

I arrived at Tinnevelly Station about noon, and
drove from there to Palamcottah, about two miles
distant. This was my first experience of a "bandy"
or bullock waggon, which is the common conveyance
of Southern India. The horse "gharri" of the North
gives way to the bullock "bandy," and everyone hires
it for long journeys. The "bandy" is a two-wheeled

PALAMCOTTAH. 1 87

waggon, about six feet long and three feet wide. It
is entered from the back^ and the seats can be so
arranged as to form a bed. There is a tilt or covering
over the top. made of plaited palm leaves, and the
driver sits it front. Good bullocks will trot about six
miles an hour, but the hack " bandy " does not travel
so fast. Indeed on the sandy tracks away from the
towns, two miles an hour is the average pace.

My "bandy" soon brought me to the Church
Missionary College at Palamcottah, where I was most
kindly received, and arrangements were made for my
further journey into the country district. I had been
advised to go to the Christian village, of Nazareth,
which is twenty-one miles distant from Palamcottah.
The only means of reaching this village is by "bandy."
During the heat of the day I stopped at Palamcottah,
and saw a little of the work going on there. The
town is the head-quarters of the Church Missionary
Society's Mission ; it is here that Bishop Sargent
resides, and here is also a Training College for native
catechists and teachers, with a practising school
attached. The buildings were plain and substantial,
and seemed well fitted for their purpose. The Rev.
T. Kember, who is in charge of this college, was most
willing to show me everything, and to explain his
plans for the spiritual, mental and physical training of
the students. The dormitories were built in native
fashion, the students slept on mats spread on the
f^oor, and in no way were they over-Europeanizcd.
They were encouraged to play games, and go in for
athletics ; the lecture rooms were large, clean, cool,
and well fitted with all kinds of apparatus ; and the
course of study seemed everything that could be
desired. There is no work which tends more to the
edifying of the native Church than this work of
training native agents. If India is ever to be entirely
evangelized, it must be through her own countrymen.
A large supply of native teachers is absolutely neces-
sary to the growth of the Church. It is good economy

i88 A parson's holiday.

to spend much time, and pains, and money, on training
picked specimens of the race, who will afterwards be
able to teach others. The Missions in Tinnevelly have
always been pre-eminent in this branch of the work,
and the agents that have been trained in these schools
and colleges are now forming the resident clergy and
schoolmasters in many Christian villages. The higher
the standard held up to the natives who are under
instruction, the more will they edify their congrega-
tions when they become teachers of others. No pains
are too great to be bestowed on those who are to
be sent forth, often alone, to bear witness for Christ
amongst their heathen neighbours. They have to
be taught to be courageous, consistent, pure-minded
Christians, not afraid of responsibility, and yet not
arrogant and presumptuous. There is need of much
wisdom and watchfulness amongst those who try to
train the future clergy of India, and on the whole the
success has been great. Failures there must be at
times. Some fall away from the promise of their
youth. But on the whole there is much reason to
thank God, and take courage. Those who are sent
out from the Training Colleges do hold up a high
standard, and often shine like lights amongst those
with whom they live.

There seemed to be no jealousy between the mis-
sionaries of the Church Missionary Society and those of
the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Tin-
nevelly. I certainly was most kindly w^elcomed by the
agents of both Societies. Everyone seemed glad to
receive a parson from England, and they all did their
best to make my stay pleasant and instructive. I was
passed on from one to the other, arrangements were
made by which I was to see as much as possible in
the short time at my disposal, and there was an
amount of kindness shown to me which I can never
forget nor in any way repay.

At 4 p.m., when the sun was less powerful, I started
in my "bandy" for a drive of twenty-one miles to

NAZARETH. 189

Nazareth. For the first part of the way there was a
good road, which enabled us to make fair progress.
The bullocks trotted along at about five miles an
hour, and I was not jolted as much as I expected.
But soon we had to turn off the main road, and then
our progress was not so rapid. The bullocks required
many objurgations to induce them to break into a trot
at all, and for the latter part of the journey we had to
be content to proceed at a walking pace. The sun
had long set, and the road seemed endless. The
track seemed to get fuller and fuller of ruts, and I
was jolted unmercifully. However, about 9 p.m., we
saw the lights of a bungalow. The bullocks quickened
up into a last attempt at a trot, there were shouts and
cries of welcome, and we drew up at the door of a
long, low house with a broad verandah, which seemed
crowded with kindly faces. My host and his com-
panion had everything ready for me, and after supper
I was ready to ask questions and to hear as much as
possible about Mission work.

My first experience of Nazareth was quaint enough.
Strangers are so seldom seen in these country villages,
that the news of my advent had created quite a stir.
If I had been an important Church dignitary, instead
of a poor country parson, I could not have caused
more excitement. These simple villagers look upon
England as such a far off and marvellous land, that
they feel complimented by a visit paid to them by any
European. They thus are ready to pay honour to
anyone who comes to them from abroad, however
unimportant his real position may be. I found that
the choir boys wished to show me a native dance,
that the native clergy had heard of my coming and
wished to see me, and that I was expected to preach
on the morrow, which was Sunday, to the native con-
gregation. The estimate that they had formed of one
unknown and insignificant personage shows how gladly
they would receive visits from better known and more
illustrious people. I mention this over-appreciation of

190 A PARSON'S HOLIDAY.

myself in Nazareth in order that others may visit this
interesting village, where they are sure to receive a
hearty welcome.

The choir boys duly appeared, late though it was,
and we sat out in the verandah to watch the per-
formance. The full glory of a cloudless Indian night
was over our heads, and the moon lit up the groups of
palm trees and the roofs of the houses round the com-
pound. The dance was founded on an old heathen
performance, which had been purified and retained by
their Christian teachers. Each boy was dressed in a
long white robe like a petticoat, while the upper part
of his body was bare. Round his head was a large
white turban, and in his hand he carried a circular fan
made of the inner wood of the palmyra palm. The
performance consisted of swaying the body, changing
places, stamping feet, and opening, and shutting, and
using the punkahs they carried. During the whole
time that these movements went on a song was sung,
which was taken up by one and another, and joined in
by the whole company. Also some of the dancers
held short sticks in their hands, which they struck
together, and so marked the time of the dance. Their
movements were rapid and graceful; the flowing robes,
and swaying figures, and interchanged places, and
rhythmical chant combined to make a quaint but
pleasing performance. Their alterations of posture
and position were all done according to rule, the
figures seemed complicated, but the combinations they
formed were always effective. I was told that the
words of the song were extemporized according to
the occasion. Often Bible stories, such as lives of
patriarchs, were thus recited. I believe the song I
heard was partly in my honour, thanking me for having
come so far to see them, but my ignorance of the lan-
guage prevented me understanding the compliments
which were thus paid me.

Nazareth is a village standing in the midst of a
district, comprising 48 square miles. In this district

SUNDAY AT NAZARETH. I9I

there are 46 separate congregations, 39 schools, and
nearly 5000 Christians. The staff of clergymen con-
sists of one Englishman and four natives, two of the
native clergy being deacons, and two in full orders.
In the village of Nazareth there dwell about 1200
people, the majority of whom are palmyra-tree culti-
vators and small farmers. The Church is a plain
oblong structure, capable of holding about 1000 people,
when closely packed. As in all native Churches it is
not entirely provided with seats, as the bulk of the
people prefer to sit on mats spread on the floor. On
Sunday there are always five services. Holy Com-
munion at 7 a.m. Mattins and sermon at 9.30 a.m.
Litany at i p.m. Evensong and sermon at 4 p.m., and
again at 7 p.m. The last service is the only one given
in English ; all the rest are in Tamil. It will thus be
seen that Sunday is a busy day for the missionary at
Nazareth.

The Sunday that I was there was no special Fes-
tival, and the numbers present at the services may be
taken as a fair average. Indeed there is a custom,
general throughout India, of keeping a written record
of the numbers present at every service. The clerk
or verger counts the congregation, and the numbers
are entered in a book kept for that purpose. Thus
any great increase or marked falling off is at once
detected, and I was able to tell by the back re-
cords that what I saw was no exceptional atten-
dance. At the early Celebration at 7 a.m. there were
about 120 communicants. The total number of com-
municants in the district is 1264, more than one
quarter of the total Christian population. It w'ill thus
be seen that the proportion of communicants is much
larger in Tinnevelly than in England, and that the
average attendance is greater than it would be in an
Eni^lish villaire of the same size. The next service of
the day was at 9.30. The choir was surpliced, and
marched in procession from the house to the Church.
The congregation was very large, the men dressed in

192 A parson's holiday.

white, sitting on one side, while the women draped In
bright coloured cloths sat on the other. Out of this
large congregation of about 800 people there were only
three of us who were English; the rest were all natives.
The service was hearty and bright, the singing was well
done, and the Tamil lyrics and hymns set to native
tunes were evidently popular. I preached through an
interpreter ; one of the native deacons stood by me,
and translated my sermon, sentence by sentence, as
it was delivered. It was similar to what I had tried
to do at Rangoon,* and I found it equally difificult.
The quietness and attention of the congregation
were very noticeable ; they seemed absolutely motion-
less. I did not attend the i o'clock Litany, nor the
4 o'clock Evensong, as both of these services were in
Tamil. But I went to the 7 o'clock English service,
which I had been asked to take throughout. It may
sound curious to hear of an entirely English service in
an Indian village, but it was originally started by the
missionaries for their own satisfaction. They felt it to
be refreshing to hear the well-known prayers in their
own tongue in a foreign land, and the very sound of
the words brought up memories of Sundays spent in
the old home across the seas. But now this English
service is attended by many native Christians. At
Nazareth there are a number of school teachers and
catechists who know English, and even some of the
schoolboys can follow an English service. So the
Church has always a sprinkling of people in it, who
join in this (to them) foreign service.

One of the most pleasing features in these evening
services is the breaking up of the congregation.
They do not disperse quietly as English people do.
But they go home in bands and companies singing in
chorus one of their favourite lyrics. Nothing could
have sounded prettier than these plaintive strains,
dying gradually away in the distance, as the people

* See page 130.

MISSION LIFE. 193

departed to their own homes. The moon was up and
shed a bright hght over the compound. The night
was still and quiet. And under the evening stars
these strains in an unknown tongue addressed to the
true God brought this strange Sunday in a foreign
land to a peaceful close.

On the next day I saw as much as I could of the
ordinary life and work of a missionary in Nazareth.
This village can be taken as a specimen of many
others, and what I saw and heard in this one place is
a sample of what goes on all through Tinnevelly. The
rule in all Christian villages is to hold a daily service
in the Church at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. At Nazareth this
is no mere perfunctory performance at which but few
attend, but there is an average congregation of about
150 people, who come as a regular thing to begin and
end the day with common prayer. They do it of free
will and are under no compulsion. They have nothing
to gain or get by this outward show of piety. The
missionary is poor, and has no large funds to distri-
bute or give away. But it seems to be their custom
from a real desire to make their religion a part of their
daily life.

This is true about all their doings. Everything is
begun and ended with prayer. For instance on the
Monday I was there, the missionary was twice asked
to come and offer prayer, first at the commencement of
the building of a new house, and next at the beginning
of some marriage festivities, which were expected to
last several days. Both of these requests were made
very simply; there seemed to be no superstitious desire
to propitiate an angry Deity, but just a desire to have
God's blessing on the work in which they were about
to engage.

Nazareth is of course specially favoured in having
always had a hard working English priest resident in it.
The former missionaries have been well known men,
and the present clergyman (the Rev. A. Margoschis)
does not spare himself. He has been at Nazareth for

2 B

194 A parson's holiday.

the last ten years, and Is well known by all. He was
specially busy during the famine, when numbers of
the starving natives were relieved at this village, and
there is a large Orphanage now there, which was
opened at that time to accommodate the numbers of
little children, who were found almost dead by the
roadside. These children are now cared for, and
educated, and clothed by Christian charity. The
orphan boys are taught carpentering, tailoring, and
weaving, and the orphan girls learn to make lace.
Several of the latter have been married to respectable
Christian natives. The care of these Orphanages
takes up much of Mr. Margoschis' time. He acts
as a father to the whole number of children, and his
verandah generally contained one or two little toddlers,
who wished to attract his attention and to rummage
his pockets for sugar-plums. These small dark babies
were very shy at first, but they now look upon him as
their best friend.

Besides the Orphanages there are altogether 39
Schools in Nazareth and the district, and they have
1453 children on the rolls. There are Boarding
Schools for both boys and girls, where many of the
children of the richer Christian natives come to be
educated. There is also a Middle School, where the
scholars are prepared for the Teachers' Certificate
Examination, and from this School come most of the
village schoolmasters and mistresses of the district,
and there are Elementary Schools, which are open to
all who like to come. All these Schools are under
Government inspection, and whilst I was there, the
Inspector was holding his annual examination. As
far as I could judge, the children seemed to be doing
well. In the previous year the total grants earned
amounted to 4384 rupees, which shows the prosperous
condition of the Schools.

The Government Inspector was a native, and a
heathen, but he asked to be allowed to attend the
evening service in the Church, He only wished to

EVANGELISTIC WORK. I95

come out of curiosity, but of course he was permitted
to enter. There is I believe always a place near the
door of native Churches set apart for enquirers.

The Nazareth Day Schools are open to children of
any religion. Many of the lads and young men who
have come under Christian influence in the Schools
are almost persuaded to become converts, but the
knowledge that their own family would excommu-
nicate them, and leave them to starve, deters many
from taking the final step. In India it requires great
moral courage to confess Christ before men.

One of the most interesting sights at Nazareth is the
Hospital and Dispensary. Here all suffering natives
are welcome, and they come from long distances to
ask for advice and medicine. Mr. Margoschis went
through a course at St. George's Hospital, and is a
very capable doctor and surgeon. For two hours every
day he attends at the Hospital and prescribes for his
patients. A fee of one anna (about one penny) is all
that is charged, and this fee obtains for each person a
course of medicine and advice, as long as it is necessary.
On an average over one hundred people are attended
to every day. This large number of patients shows
how greatly this Hospital is valued. Nothing is more
likely to attract heathens to Christianity than this
unwearying charity.

More direct Evangelistic work is also carried on in
this district. Every Tuesday some of the Mission
Agents go in small bands to the neighbouring towns
and villages, and explain the simple truths of the
Gospel. A company of three or four men singing
native lyrics soon attracts a crowd, and when the
people are assembled, there is an opportunity of
speaking to them. The agents are strictly ordered
not to speak of the Hindu gods in a needlessly offen-
sive way. To do so would only defeat the very object
in view.

I had a pleasant evening walk through the village,
and heard something of the daily life of the people.

196 A parson's holiday.

The houses are built of brick and mud, thatched
with the leaves of the palmyra palm. This palm
forms the chief wealth of the district. It flourishes in
deep sand, where nothing else will grow, and supplies
the people with nearly everything they require. The
timber is used for rafters and beams, the leaves for
thatch, the leaf-stalks for fencing and fuel, and the
fruit is edible. But the sweet sap, which exudes from
the base of the leaves, is the most valuable of its
productions. This begins to flow at the latter end
of January, and continues to do so until July. All
through these months the palmyra climber is very
busy, as his work is to climb the trees and collect the
sap. He first has to cut a gash in the branch, and
then tie a small earthen pot under the leaves, to receive
the sap. This he collects and takes home morning
and evening, often having to climb forty trees a day.
The labour is great, but the yield is large, and the
produce valuable. The sap crystallizes into hard
lumps, and is sweet, wholesome, and fattening.
Children thrive well upon it, and it makes their little
bodies shine. Much is exported as a coarse sort of
sugar, which can be refined and converted into a
marketable article. If the juice is allowed to ferment,
it becomes intoxicating, and is then called toddy.

One of the villagers ascended a palm tree to show
me the way in which these trees are climbed. The
trunk was perfectly smooth, and the crown of leaves
on the top was about fifty feet from the ground. The
man tied his ankles together with a strip of cotton,
which allowed them to remain about four inches apart.
He then grasped the trunk with his arms, clasped his
hands together, and holding firmly on to the bark of
the tree with the soles of his feet, he lifted himself
upwards. By drawing his feet up towards his hands, he
was able to reach still higher, and thus by successive
"lifts" he ascended the smooth trunk with ease. It re-
minded me of the motion of a wooden monkey on a stick
which we used to purchase at fairs as a childish toy.

LIFE OF A MISSIONARY. 197

Most of the village people are poor, and live chiefly
on rice. The land is sandy, but if well irrigated, it
will grow anything. All along the banks of the river
the paddy helds are numerous, but away from the
water there is nothing but deep sand, on which the
palmyra palm alone grows.

While the men are busy in the rice fields or col-
lecting the sap from the palms, the women do the
work of the house, beat out the rice from the husk,
cook the meals, and draw water from the wells. The
children are sent to school, and when they come
home they are employed in gathering sticks and
brush-wood for the lire.

No one who has ever visited such a village as
Nazareth can afterwards sneer at the life and work of
a missionary. The loneliness and isolation of such a
life must be seen to be appreciated. The want of
friends like-minded with himself, the constant inter-
course with no one but foreigners, the rarity with
which any other Englishman is seen, these are neces-
sary hardships of his lot. Besides this solitariness,
there is the exhausting climate, the danger of fever,
often the unhealthiness of the spot in which his life
has to be lived. And on him is laid " the care of all
the Churches." He has to be ready with advice,
reproof, and mediation. He is the universal referee ;
the doctor, school-manager, and governor of his little
community. The fact of his being an Englishman
gives his opinion weight wuth all, and his house has to
be open at all times to his dark-skinned neighbours.
His time is taken up with a multiplicity of duties.
His patients at the Dispensary, his children at the
Schools, the catechists and agents whom he is train-
ing, the sick, the sorrowful, the dying, all look for his
coming and pour out their troubles into his ear. He
has to be the dispenser of such little charity as he
is entrusted with, to be in constant want of funds,
and yet to make his Schools as efficient as possible.
It needs good business habits as well as complete self-

198 A parson's holiday.

denial, and an unwearying faith in the possibiHties of
human nature being transformed and sanctified by
God's Spirit, to make a true missionary. It is so easy
to get depressed and downcast. The Source of true
strength needs to be sought, or the man becomes
irritable and hopeless, and then his work languishes
and fails.

I may add here a few facts and figures about Indian
Missions taken from Sir Richard Temple's Oriental
Experiences* So many people repeat without thought
the vulgar objections to the work of missionaries, that
the testimony of an unbiassed witness, who had ex-
ceptional opportunities for judging, may be useful for
the purpose of clearing away some common miscon-
ceptions.

He first answers the objection that there is no
success obtained by missionaries. Sir R. Temple
points out that already there are 390,000 native
Christians in India connected with the Church of
England, that 100,000 of these are communicants,
that there are 300 native clergy, 85 training schools,
and 4 normal institutions from which 3000 students
are turned out annually. The Schools contain 200,000
children, not all of whom are Christians, and there are
24 mission printing presses, from which three-quarters
of a million of religious books issue annually. All
these figures show some result already attained. And
this distinguished civilian shows further that the num-
ber of native Christians has advanced at the rate of
50 per cent, in each decade during the last thirty
years. In 1850 the numbers were 92,000; in i860,
138,000; in 1870, 230,000; in 1880, 390,000. If the
same rate continues during the next thirty years, in
1910 there ought to be two million native Christians
connected with our Church. These figures are I
jhink worth pondering.

He also meets a further objection that missionaries

*See pp. 132, 136, 137, 140, 141.

OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. I99

lead easy lives, and are idle, lazy, and luxurious. He
points out that there are but 500 European mission-
aries in 493 mission stations. This gives one mission-
ary to every 400 scholars, supposing that they were all
employed in education. But besides their work in
their Schools and their ordinary parochial ministra-
tions, there is the arduous labour of evangelization
and the difficult work of translating the Bible and other
books into 20 vernacular languages. Certainly my own
experience of missionaries gave me a remarkable idea
of the self-denying and continual labour demanded from
every one of them. The hardest worked London
curate has an easy life compared with that lived by
an earnest missionary, who is overwhelmed with the
variety and amount of his work, at which he often
labours single-handed and with an overpowering sense
of all that he has to leave undone.

Further, Sir R. Temple speaks of the cost of con-
verting the heathen, at which many sneers are levelled.
He shows that the total cost of the English Church
Missions in India is about ;2^400,ooo, while there are
about 400,000 native Christians, and 200,000 scholars,
making a total of about 600,000 people under Christian
influences. The cost therefore is less than 15 shillings
a head per annum ; and he does not see how the same
amount of work could be done more cheaply

He also answers the objection that natives become
Christians for the sake of what they can get. He
shows that there are but 4500 natives in the service of
the missions, and the male converts may be taken as
numbering 200,000. Thus out of every 45 native
Christians, only one is in service under the mis-
sionaries. This then constitutes no great temptation
to entice natives to embrace Christianity. That
natives become Christians for the sake of gaining
a livelihood thereby sounds ridiculous to those who
have seen the poverty of the Mission Stations, and
the numbers of Christians gathered together in them.
If the missionaries were expected to support all their

200 A PARSON'S HOLIDAY.

converts, they and their native proteges would have
been starved long ago. There may have been once
some truth in the old sneer of " rice Christians," that
being the name given to those who hoped to get
something by their change of religion. But the num-
bers have now so largely increased that it would be
impossible for any missionary to support his flock.
As far as I could judge, they were most careful not to
pauperize tho people by giving them doles, or teaching
them to depend on the gifts of Europeans. They
were taught useful trades, such as printing, carpen-
tering, or tailoring, and were encouraged to earn their
own living. Sometimes a new convert, who is excom-
municated by his family and made an outcast, has for
a short time to be helped by charity. But he is soon
put in the way of earning his own living, and the
Christians in Southern India are now so numerous,
that they can afford to laugh at the fear of starvation,
which was at one time a threat employed by the rela-
tions of those who were inclined to become Christians.
Indeed instead of the missionary supporting his flock
by charitable doles, the opposite is rapidly becoming
the case. The native Church is becoming almost
self-supporting, and in many instances the congre-
gation provides entirely for the stipend of its native
pastor. Where there is a European clergyman with a
higher salary, the poor natives cannot entirely provide
his stipend, but even then they give as they are able,
and the Societies' funds at home are to that extent
saved, and set free to be employed in other districts
where the number of Christians are fewer. As much as
;^20,ooo is subscribed annually from native Christians:
this shows that instead of being pauperized by doles,
they are receiving in most instances nothing them-
selves, and are learning to pay in many places a large
proportion of the salaries of their clergy. Thus there
is springing up a feeling of healthy independence,
which is wisely fostered by all missionaries.

The common remark that native Christians are

MUDALUR. 20I

worse than native heathens, that they drink, and lie,
and steal, is also I believe a vulgar error. Sometimes
it arises from a solitary instance of misbehaviour,
which is then taken as typical of the whole com-
munity. More often it is a prejudice, which rests on
no foundation in fact. The native Christians seemed,
as far as I could hear, to be as honest, and faithful,
and sober, as Christians at home. They would not
compare unfavourably with English villagers, who
have been brought up for generations in the faith of
Christ. They certainly are far ahead of their heathen
neighbours in purity, honesty, peacefulness, and truth.
This is now allowed by magistrates and others, who
have means of comparison. I think this is the more
surprising when we remember how Christ's religion
has been sometimes exhibited to the natives of India.
The lives of some professing Christians are a dis-
grace, but too often these Christians are English
people, and not natives of India.

From Nazareth I travelled on by "bandy" to
another village called Mudalur. The road was a
mere track in the sand, the distance was about ten
miles, and the bullocks took five hours to complete
the journey. I travelled by night, and so slept most of
the way. The bottom of my " bandy" was filled with
straw, on which a mattress was spread, and I was
able thus to lie at full length, and rest as I journeyed.
Mudalur was the first Christian village founded in
Tinnevelly, being a place of refuge in i 797 for a few
Christians, who fled thither to escape the persecutions
of their heathen neighbours. It then only numbered
about 20 people. It now has a population of 1200.
It is the centre of a large district 15 miles in circum-
ference, containing 23 villages, of which 19 have
Christian congregations. In this district there live
some 8000 people, of whom more than 6000 are
heathen, and here there lives and works one English
missionary, the Rev. H. B. Norman.

Unfortunately in 1877 the Church at Mudalur fell

2 C

202 A PARSON'S HOLIDAY.

down, having been built on insecure foundations,
and being exposed to very heavy floods. So the
only place for holding service when I was there was
the School-room, which barely holds 150 people,
and is utterly inadequate to the wants of the village.
When I arrived, Mr. Norman was absent at an out-
station, but the native clergyman asked me to give a
short address at the morning service. He seemed
to think the people would like to hear a strange
preacher, so I spoke as well as I could to those who
were present. I mention this to show what interest
the people in Tinnevelly take in visitors. They are
very fond of hearing sermons, and any strange clergy-
man is expected to address them. They were mostly
poor village people, scraping a small living from a
sandy soil, and very likely oppressed by money lenders.
Their clothes were few and poor, and their faces looked
thin and careworn, but they came gladly to hear what
I could say, and one hoped that they would get some
comfort into their hard lives from the good news of the
Gospel.

Every effort was being made to build a new Church
at Mudalur, and I saw the beginning of a large and
spacious structure which is now completed. This
Church will hold 2000 people, and will be one of the
handsomest buildings in the whole district. Not long
before my visit a friend of Missions visited MudalCir,
and attended a moonlight service in the ruins of the
old Church. On his return to Madras he sent an
account of his visit to the newspapers, in which he
said, " Nearly two thousand people assembled for
evening prayer and sermon one evening last week,
and the eagerness of the people and their devotion
was very interesting. I wished that some who almost
disbelieve in missions could have seen what I saw."
Mr. Norman promised me that if I would stay with
him for one more day, and would consent to preach
to the people of the district, I should see a congrega-
tion which would fill the area of the new Church. It

MENGNANAPUR.'.M. 203

would have been a wonderful experience to preach to
such a gathering, but I could not spare the time.
I mention it to show how willing the Christians in
Tinnevelly are to come to Church and to hear ser-
mons. The people of Mudalur have been most in-
terested in the rebuilding of their Church. Though
th-ey are poor, yet they have given over £100 in
money, and ;^5o more in voluntary labour, which
shows how ready they are to do all in their power.
The estimated cost of the Church was £1000.

From Mudalur I went on to another village called
Mengnanapuram. This is a station which is worked
by the Church Missionary Society, and in it there is
the largest Church yet built in Tinnevelly. The red
spire of this Church, towering- above the palm-trees,
is a landmark from far, and the effect of it rising up
amongst such tropical scenery is curious and inte-
resting. One so seldom sees Christian architecture
in India, that a Church spire in that land looks at
present incongruous. But some day one hopes that
throughout the length and breadth of the land there
will be similar Christian symbols.

Though the distance from Mudalur to Mengna-
napuram w^as but a few miles, yet as tr.c track
was over the sandy plain, our progress was very
slow, and I arrived dead beat and almost knocked
up with the heat. I think the sun had penetrated
through the tilt of the "bandy," and had given me a
slight stroke. It prevented me seeing as much as I
should otherwise have been able to do of Mengnana-
puram. This interesting village has been singularly
blest in its pastors. The Rev. Mr. Thomas lived here
for forty years, and left his mark on the place. His
widow and daughter still dwell in the midst of the
people whom they have so long cared for, and Mrs.
Thomas says that she will never leave the village, in
which she has lived so long. Her life has been
devoted to missionary work, and her labours have not
yet ceased. She manages two large boarding schools

204 A parson's holiday.

for boys and girls, and is the friend and adviser of all
the villagers. There is now no English clergyman
resident at Mengnanapuram, but the Church is served
by native clergy. Mrs. Thomas is looked up to by
all as the mother of the village, and she intends to die
w^here she has spent so large a portion of her life.
She has seen a whole generation grow up round her,
and the head mistress of her school came to her first
as a little girl. Her influence for good is inestimable,
and her life has been a mode! of self-sacrifice. She
sees but few Europeans, as there are none living in
the village, and the place is necessarily difficult of
access as there are no roads to it, but only tracks over
the sand of the Terai. But here she has laboured for
years, and she has her reward in the affection and
reverence which are given to her by all. The Church
is a beautiful structure, completed in memory of Mr.
Thomas, and the architecture in the interior is well
seen, as there are no seats or pews to interfere with
the coup d'ceil.

From Mengnanapuram I had another slow drag
over the sand back to Nazareth. I had no time to
visit any of the other Christian villages, which are
all interesting. I had a very kind invitation to go
to Edeyengoody, which is where Bishop Caldwell re-
sides, but I was unable to avail myself of it. Anyone
interested in Missions might spend many weeks in
Tinnevelly, and thus get a better knowledge of the
work which is going on. I had only a glimpse of the
work, but I saw enough to understand how hopeful
was the prospect in this corner of India.

The chief alteration, which I should venture to
recommend to those in authority, is the abolition of
the double Bishopric, At present Bishop Caldwell
has charore over the Mission Stations belono:inor to
the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, while
Bishop Sargent exercises oversight over those be-
longing to the Church Missionary Society. Each
Society pays its own Bishop, and expects his work to

SOCIETY BISHOPS. 205

be confined to special stations. Thus the country-
is not divided geographically into dioceses, but each
Bishop visits the villages where there are Missionaries
belonging to his own Society. Often one Bishop may
be within a few miles of another village, and yet not
be able to confirm the children there, because they
are under the charge of the sister Society. Time is
wasted, and power lost by this double-barrelled ar-
rangement. It is as if in every Diocese in England
there was a "High Church" Bishop, and a "Low
Church" Bishop, and each was to visit the parishes
of his own school of thought. Surely the two great
Missionary Societies in England might unite together,
and provide between them the salary for one Mis-
sionary Bishop, who should be a Suffragan to the
Bishop of Madras, and have special charge of native
congregations. Then he would visit all villages in
Tinnevelly, and be also available to go to any place in
the Diocese of Madras, where there were native con-
gregations requiring his services. Thus while the
Bishop of Madras exercised a general oversight, and
specially devoted himself to the English speaking con-
gregations, his Suffragan would take charge of native
congregations, and be available for the Confirmation
of native Christians. One may hope that when vacan-
cies occur in the present staff of Bishops, some such
re-arrangement may be possible, and both expense be
saved, and greater mobility and efficiency be attained.
The presence of two Bishops in Tinnevelly has also
led to the too sudden withdrawal of English clergy-
men. The Bishops have felt that their constant super-
vision enables them to place native pastors in charge
of large villages, who act under their continual over-
sight. This seems to me to be a mistake, for the
native clergy arc hardly fit to manage parishes alone,
and yet the Bishop is often too far away to enable him
to help them with advice. It would seem wiser to
leave a few English clergy in charge of the larger
stations, who should fulfil the duties of quasi Rural

2o6 A parson's holiday.

Deans. They could have districts containing several
villages under their charge, and be always within
reach, if any of the native clergy in the neighbour-
hood desired their counsel or reproof. Thus while the
parochial clergy were chiefly native, there might be
an English clergyman appointed to each group of
villages, from whom advice could be sought in any
emergency. His presence would be a support to the
native clergy, and his regular inspection would keep
them up to the ma'-k.

The whole district of Tinnevelly might well form
one Diocese. There is hardly space there for two
active Bishops. As it is, the present Bishops seem
often to fulfil duties which might be very well dis-
charged by Archdeacons or Rural Deans. No doubt
the present race of native clergy are hardly able to
manage large congregations without some European
supervision. They are often afraid of responsibility
and dread to offend the richer members of their flocks.
But the many small points, which arise in village life,
and which require the advice and mediation of an
educated European, need not all be referred to the
Bishop. A neighbouring English clergyman would
settle the matter equally well.

The double Episcopate and the too sudden with-
drawal of English clergymen appear to me the chief
dangers, which are likely to retard the success of
the Tinnevelly Missions. Otherwise the organization
and administration of the native Church seem ad-
mirable. Each district possesses a Church Council,
consisting of elected and ex-offi-cio members, and these
District Councils send representatives to a central Pro-
vincial Council, which is under the presidency of the
Bishop. The native Christians are really learning to
be consistent in conduct, and righteous in their lives,
and altogether there is no more hopeful field of mis-
sionary labour than Tinnevelly.

I had .one more evening service at Nazareth and
preached once more through an interpreter. Then I

LEAVE INDIA. 207

had to start for Palamcottah, spending the night in
the " bandy," and getting what sleep I could on the
road. But before I left Nazareth I received a depu-
tation from the headmen of the village, who came to
thank me for having come so far to see them, and for
the words I had spoken to them. Their courteous
words of gratitude were touching and humbling, and I
left them with mutual expressions of goodwill, and
'earnest promises of continual remembrance, which I
for my part have not forgotten.

From Palamcottah I went by train to Tuticorin,
which is one of the ports at which the British India
coasting steamers touch, and from there I obtained
a passage to Colombo. The steamer anchored about
two miles from the shore, and a steam launch con-
veyed me on board. Soon we started for Ceylon, and
the coast of India faded from my sight. It was the
25th January, exactly three months since I first landed
at Bombay, and during that time I had visited most of
the historic cities of India, and had had a glimpse at
all three Presidencies and British Burma. I had
travelled through the length and breadth of the land,
and had gone from Bombay to Rangoon, and from
the Himalayas to Cape Comorin. I had seen Hindus,
Mohammedans and Buddhists in their several cities,
and had visited their different sacred places. I had
made all my railway and steamboat connections, I
had carried out all my plans, I had not been laid up
with illness for a single day, and I had met with an
amount of kindness which can never be forefotten.
The whole of my tour had been one unmixed pleasure,
and as I left the coast of India behind, I could not
but feel thankful for the delightful journey which I
had made. My time of holiday-making was drawing
to a close. I had still ten days to spend in Ceylon,
and then I should have to set my face homewards,
and hurry back as fast as steam could take me. But
I can only hope that some of my readers may be able
to follow my footsteps, and derive as much pleasure
from a tour in India as I experienced.

2o8 A PARSON'S HOLIDAY.

Chapter XI.

Our voyage from Tuticorln to Colombo only took i8
hours, and by 8 o'clock in the morning we were
anchored off the coast of Ceylon. Although the
distance was only 164 miles, yet the change both in
scenery and climate was most surprising. Instead of
the sandy wastes and far-stretching plains of India we
now saw a shore set thick with cocoa-nut palms and
green with the luscious vegetation of the tropics. The
land was clothed with verdure to the water's edge,
and the feathery crowns of the palm-trees were
mirrored in the calm waters of the harbour. The
heat was somewhat less, but it seemed more oppres-
sive in consequence of the damp that was present
in the air. Colombo is blest with a constant even
temperature of about 70^^, but it is not a pleasant
place of residence, as the dampness of the climate
renders exercise almost impossible. The slightest
exertion puts one in a bath of perspiration, and this
makes the place exhausting and enervating to
Europeans.

But for the traveller coming from the dry climate
of India, the change to Ceylon is pleasant enough.
For he does not stay in the hot damp atmosphere of
the coast, but hurries inland to the heights in the
centre of the island, where his eyes are gladdened
with the perfection of tropical foliage, and his nerves
braced by a dry, warm and delicious air. As we lay
anchored in the harbour of Colombo we could see far
off blue peaks rising inland, and we were shown one
conically-shaped hill, which was said to be the summit
of Adam's Peak.

Colombo is now the most important port in the
island, as the P. and O. steamers have given up

CEYLON. 209

calling at Point de Galle. The harbour is well pro-
tected by an extensive breakwater, and within its
shelter there is safe anchorage for hundreds of ships.
The town is built along the shores of the bay, and
from the sea the houses appear surrounded with palm-
trees. The population is 120,000, and the town ex-
tends for about four miles along the sea-shore. As
soon as our steamer anchored, we were surrounded
by small boats and catamarans, anxious to take us
on shore, and the scenery looked so tempting that
we did not delay, but soon set foot on the island of
Ceylon.

The island is a little smaller than Ireland, and has
had a varied history. In ancient days there was a
strong kingdom in the north of the island, which had
wars with varying success with the Malabars of the
coast of India. The capital of this kingdom was at
Anaradhapura, which was founded about the 5th
century B.C., and flourished for about 1500 years. In
more modern times Kandy has been the capital of the
island, and when the Portuguese came in 1505, they
found a strong government ruling in the highlands of
the interior, with whom they had frequent encounters.
They and their enemies, the Dutch, fought for the
possession of the coast line, and at last the Dutch
drove out the Portuguese and established themselves
at Galle and Colombo. In 1796 the English obtained
all the Dutch settlements, and in 1815 they conquered
the Kandyan kingdom, and became masters of the
whole island.

The inhabitants of Ceylon are chiefly of two races.
The Singalese, who are yellowish-brown, pleasant
featured, and effeminate in appearance, and the
Tamils, who are dark-skinned immigrants from India.
The Singalese are Buddhists, while the Tamils still
retain their Hindu religion. The Singalese are the
merchants, and landowners, and domestic servants of
Ceylon, while the Tamils form the coolie or labourer
class. Besides these two races there are also the

2 D

2IO A PARSON'S HOLIDAY.

Moormen of the coast, who are said to be Persian in
origin, and are Mohammedan in rehgion. They are
the pedlars and traders of the island, who do most of
the retail business, and are very keen and quick-
witted in their bargains. Each of these races has its
own peculiar dress, and they are all unmistakable
in their appearance. The Singalese are the most
curious, as the men grow their hair very long, and
anoint it plentifully with cocoa-nut oil. They then
part it in the middle, and arrange it in a neat plait or
knot behind. On the top of all they place a large
tortoise-shell comb, and as both sexes wear petticoats,
it is at first difficult to distinguish the beardless men
from the women. The long hair and comb give a
very comical expression to some faces. Porters and
policemen, ticket collectors and waiters, all wear the
comb as their only head-dress, and even elderly gen-
tlemen with grey whiskers, who have the appearance
of well-to-do tradesmen or merchants, stick a comb
into their scant locks and put on a petticoat. When
this is combined (as it often is) with European coats
and trowsers, the effect is decidedly ridiculous to the
unaccustomed eye.

The Tamils looked as hard featured and sad as
they did in Southern India. They earn higher wages
by thus expatriating themselves, but the coolies have
but a hard life in every country. They constitute
half the population of Ceylon, as the Singalese are
not inclined to do hard work, and refuse to act as
common labourers.

The Moormen shave their heads and wear a high
cap made of fine grass plaited in colours, and their
faces have a Jewish cast of feature. They are very
keen traders, and take in the unwary traveller and
fleece him unmercifully.

I did not stay more than a few hours in the relaxing
climate of Colombo, but started as soon as possible for
Kandy, which is now the capital of the island. This
town is distant about 70 miles from the sea, and is

KANDY. 211

approached by a railway, which some have called
" the most beautiful line in the world." At first
we passed through flat lands near the coast, which
were overgrown with forests of cocoa-nuts, and rank
with the vivid green luxuriance of tropical vegeta-
tion. Soon we began to ascend the slopes, and as
we climbed upwards we saw the country spread out
for miles beneath. Then the hills closed in again
on us, and we passed through a gorge in the moun-
tains, which was extremely lovely. The setting sun
lit up the peaks and forests through which we passed,
and the slopes on all sides were clothed with ver-
dure. After we had passed through the gorge, the
hills receded, and we ran on to the flat plateau, on
which the town of Kandy is built. Our journey occu-
pied four hours, and during that time we ascended
1500 feet.

Kandy lies in a cup amongst the hills, which sur-
round it on all sides. The town is built on the edge
of an artificial lake, and the reflections in the water
add to the charm and beauty of the place. The
Governor has a house in this beautiful spot, and a
large number of English reside in or near Kandy.
Many of the neighbouring hills have been laid out as
coffee plantations, and the houses of the planters are
seen far up amongst the trees. All round the town
walks have been laid out on the sides of the hills
overlooking the lake, and peeps have been opened
out through the luxuriant jungle. Overhead tall trees
give grateful shade, and on all sides creepers, and
flowering shrubs, and thick undergrowth, cover the
hills. All sorts of palms flourish and abound ; the
cocoa-nut with its feathery crown mingles with the
tall and graceful areca and palmyra, while the strange
fan-shaped tallipot looks quaint and unlovely. Over
the houses roses grow in profusion, and the plumbago
and the bouganvillier are common creepers. In the
hedge-rows the datura clambers, showing everywhere
its large white trumpet-shaped flowers. The luxu-

212 A parson's holiday.

riance and splendour of the vegetation must strike
the most unbotanical traveller.

But the place where the vegetable kingdom is seen
at its best, is in the beautiful Peridenyia Gardens.
These are kept up by the Government, and are said
to be the most beautiful in the world. They are laid
out on the side of a river, and are full of all sorts
of rare and beautiful trees. Palms, and ferns, and
foliage plants flourished abundantly, and on the
banks of the river there were clumps of giant bam-
boos 50 feet high. Luxuriant creepers climbed up to
great heights, and were covered with blossoms. The
taste shown in the arrangement of the Gardens, com-
bined with the natural beauty of the spot and the
perfection of the soil and climate, renders this one of
the most lovely places I saw in my travels.

The one shrub which has of late years failed to
flourish, and which formerly was the most valuable
product of Ceylon, is the coffee plant. Twenty years
ago every hill-side in the district above Kandy had its
plantation, and there seemed no end to the fortunes
which might be made by the cultivation of coffee.
Then there was a surplus in the revenues of the
Island, and the planters were a successful body of
men. But latterly all things have changed, and a
blight has settled down over the chief industry of the
Island. A mysterious disease has attacked the plant,
and square miles of shrubs are seen with scarcely a
leaf on their branches. The cause of this disease is
said by some to be the exhaustion of the soil from
over-production ; others attribute it to the excessive
manuring of the ground. Certainly the fact is patent
enough, whatever may be the cause. A sort of fungus
appears on the green leaf and destroys it, as the
potato plants are destroyed in England. The coffee
shrub itself has the appearance of a laurel, but where
the disease attacks the plant, the leaves drop off and
the berries do not ripen. Planters are now putting
chinchona and cacao plants in their coffee gardens.

THE TOOTH TEMPLE. 213

Tea is also being cultivated with success, but the
days of Ceylon coffee seem to have come to an end.

At Kandy there is one of the most sacred shrines
of the Buddhist faith, popularly called the Tooth
Temple, which is built on the edge of the artificial
lake. The building itself is a long, low structure, not
architecturally beautiful. The relic, which gives the
name to the temple, is said to be one of the teeth of
Gautama Buddha himself. It is seldom shown, but
the box in which it is kept is exhibited, adorned with
gold and precious stones. There seems great doubt
as to the antiquity of the present relic. History re-
lates that the original tooth of Buddha was taken by
the Portuguese after their conquest of Kandy. An
enormous sum was offered for its ransom, but the Arch-
bishop of Goa would not sanction the encouragement of
what he considered to be idolatry. So the request of
the Kandyan King and his money were refused, and
the tooth was rammed into the mouth of a cannon, and
fired out to sea, thus being utterly destroyed. How-
ever it has in some way been restored to its original
home, and the history of its destruction is forgotten,
and the present tooth receives all the reverence which
could be shown to the most authentic relic of the
great Gautama Buddha. Those who have seen the
tooth say that it has no appearance of being a human
tooth, but is a piece of bone about two inches long,
which looks like the tusk of some animal. However
the genuineness of the relic is not doubted by any
Singalese Buddhist.

From Kandy I went to Anaradhapura, which was in
ancient times the seat of a powerful monarchy and
the capital of the Island. The journey was tiring and
uncomfortable, but the marvellous ruins I there saw
amply repaid me for the difficulty of reaching the
spot. I first took the train to Matale, which is about
15 miles from Kandy, and from there I journeyed by
bullock coach 70 miles further. It was the longest
ride I ever took, and we were 18 hours doing the

214 A parson's holiday.

distance. The conveyance was a sort of open wag-
gonette, and we changed bullocks about every lo
miles. The animals were small, but trotted along at
a fair rate, and the road was excellent. The scenery
throughout was most beautiful, our way lying between
steep hills covered with the densest forest, and
creepers and undergrowth rendered the jungle almost
impervious. Here whole herds of wild elephants
roam undisturbed, and are absolutely hidden by the
thickness of the forest growth. All night we rattled
onwards, and I got what sleep I could, disturbed by
the objurgations addressed to the bullocks, and the
resounding thwacks with which their poor sides were
belaboured. By 6 a.m. we arrived at our destination,
having left Matale at noon on the previous day.

Anaradhapura was founded about the 5th century
B.C., and was for many centuries the capital of a
flourishing kingdom, which waged wars with the
neighbouring states on the coast of India. But its
chief interest lies in the fact that it is the spot in
Ceylon where the most sacred relics of Buddha were
placed, or where the oldest dagobas (or pagodas)
were erected in his honour. The introduction of
Buddhism into Ceylon took place about the year 245
B.C. The preacher of the new faith was Mahinda,
the son of the great King Asoka, who reigned near
Patna, in Lower Bengal, and it is a proof of the
missionary character of the Buddhist religion that it
could spread so far, so soon after its foundation. The
mission to Ceylon was a great success. The reigning
King became a zealous adherent of the new religion,
and he built the Thuparama Dagoba, which is still
one of the glories of the ruined city of Anaradhapura.*
Soon after the building of this dagoba other mis-
sionaries came from India to Ceylon, and one of them,
the sister of Mahinda, brought with her a branch of
the sacred Bo Tree then flourishing at Buddha Gaya,

* See Rhys David's Buddhism, p. 230.

ANARADHAPURA. 215

which was believed to be the very tree under which
Gautama had experienced that mental conflict which
is called his attainment of Buddha-hood.* The slip
off this sacred tree was planted at Anaradhapura, and
took root and grew. It still flourishes, and is now
the oldest historical tree in the world. Buddhism
continued to increase in Ceylon, and is still the
religion of the Singalese nation. Although India
has for many centuries deserted the Buddhist faith,
yet its missionaries gained converts in other lands,
whose descendants still claim Gautama of India as
the founder of their religion. Ceylon is like Burma,
China, Siam, and Corea. It still clings to that
pure rule of life, which took its rise in India, but
has been discarded in its native home. For while
India has sunk back into idolatry and superstition,
and is again bound by the fetters of caste which
Gautama broke, Ceylon still holds that purer creed
which the missionary labours of Mahinda brought
thither in the 3rd century B.C.

Nothing but ruins mark the site of the once flourish-
ing city of Anaradhapura. Indeed until twenty years
ago the very ruins were hadly discoverable. Thick
jungle had so overgrown the site of this once famous
town that the wonders of its remains were entirely
unknown. However fortunately Mr. Dickson was
appointed some fifteen years ago to be the resident
Government Agent at Anaradhapura, and he devoted
himself to exploration and was rewarded by many
discoveries. The Buddhist monks welcomed him as
a friend, and he has had the satisfaction of clearing
away the growth of centuries, and bringing again to
light many archaeological treasures. Roads have
been opened out in all directions, and the ruins are
now carefully preserved and can be well seen.

The most striking features of this ruined city are
the dagobas. These are immense mounds of solid

* See ante p. 112.

2i6 A parson's holiday.

brickwork, of circular design, raised over some reh
They are now overgrown with trees and shrubs, whicl.
have found foothold in the crumbling surface of the
masonry. The labour expended on these masses of
solid building must have been enormous, and the
number of bricks in each of the larger dagobas is
greater than that used in the construction of an
ordinary English county town. The largest dagoba is
400 feet in diameter and 236 feet high, and there are
two others which nearly equal it in mass and height.
The outer surface of the structure is now crumbling
away, but no time can affect these enormous masses
of solid brickwork. They have stood for over 2000
years, and their ruins will continue much as they are
now for an indefinite time longer. Whether they con-
tain any treasures is a moot point. To drive a tunnel
or adit into one of them, in the hope of discovering a
central chamber filled with relics, and perhaps sacred
writings on metal plates, would be an experiment that
every archaeologist would desire to see effected. If
carefully performed there would be no danger to the
dagoba, and even the monks if wisely handled might
make no objection to such an exploration. If anyone
could attempt such an interesting investigation it
would be Mr. Dickson, who is already well known
and trusted by everyone in Ceylon. I wish he would
attempt such an exploration, and thus crown the work
he has already done for Anaradhapura.

Besides the great dagobas there are numberless
other evidences of the former wealth and importance
of this ruined city. Everywhere In the jungle one
meets with carved and shaped stones. Under the turf
are discovered semicircular slabs richly carved with
figures of men and animals. There are numerous
fiofures cut in the sides of the stone staircases which
lead up to many-pillared halls, which were used as
preaching stations. There are bathing ponds made of
squared stones arranged in steps, drinking troughs for
elephants hollowed out of great blocks of rock, carved

THK no TREE. 217

pillars in countless profusion, everywhere the remains
of a large city which covered an area of many square
miles. All these signs of a rich and flourishing civili-
zation are now overgrown by the densest jungle, which
needs to be constantly cut back lest it should once
more cover up what has been already discovered.

But the most interesting of all the sights of Anarad-
hapura is the sacred Bo Tree, the oldest historical
tree in the world. Planted originally from a slip
brought from the parent trunk by a daughter of King
Asoka, it still grows and flourishes, while the sacred
tree at Buddha Gaya has, I believe, ceased to exist.
It is propped and supported by terraces of brick work,
which keep it from splitting. Round it there are
several younger Bo Trees, and in their branches a
colony of monkeys live and play. The sacred tree
is always guarded by a Buddhist monk, and such is
the veneration attached to it that even a leaf from it
may not be plucked. Sir Emerson Tennent compares
its age with that of other famous trees. He says,

Ages varying from one to four thousand years have been
assigned to the Baobabs of Senegal, the Eucalyptus of Tasmania,
the Dragon tree of Orotava, the Wellingtonia of California, and the
chestnut of Mount Etna. But all these estimates are matter of
conjecture ; and such calculations, however ingenious, must be
purely inferential : whereas the age of the Bo Tree is matter of
record, its conservancy has been an object of solicitude to successive
dynasties, and the story of its vicissitudes has been preserved in a
series of continuous chronicles, among the most authentic that
have been handed down by inankind. Compared with it the Oak
of Ellerslie is but a sapling, and the Conqueror's Oak in Windsor
Forest barely numbers half its years. The Yew Trees of Fountain's
Abbey are believed to have flourished there 1200 years ago; the
Olives in the garden of Gethsemane were full grown when the
Saracens were expelled from Jerusalem ; and the Cypress of Soma,
in Lombardy, is said to have been a tree in the time of Julius
Caesar : yet the Bo Tree is older than the oldest of these by a
century, and would almost seem to verify the prophecy pronounced
when it was planted, that it would flourish and be green for ever.*

The botanical name of the tree is /icus religtosa,

* Sir E. Tenncnt's Ceylon, vol. ii., p. 613.

2 E

2l8 A PARSON'S HOLIDAY.

and it is allied to the banyan. It is watered by the
monks in seasons of drought, and their constant care
has enabled it to live so long.

The ruins of Anaradhapura prove that in ancient
times the interior of Ceylon must have been much
more thickly populated than it is at present. There
seems no reason why the soil should not support many
more people than now dwell in the island. What is
now thick jungle was once cultivated land, and if the
ruined tanks w^ere repaired, and a thorough system of
irrigation established, rice and other crops might be
profitably raised. The resources of Ceylon have never
been fully developed. There are square miles of land
overgrown with forest, which might grow crops. But
the struggle for existence is not keen, the population
is thin, life is easy, and the Singalese take no trouble
to increase the productiveness of the country. Coming
from India where every patch of fertile soil is so
carefully cultivated, the difference between the two
countries is very marked.

Probably the easiest way to develop the resources
of Ceylon, and to save its revenues, would be to
annex it to the Government of India. The present
system of government is wasteful and unnecessarily
expensive, and there seems no reason why the Island
should not be removed from the care of the Colonial
Office and be placed under the India Office, with
which its geographical position appears naturally to
connect it. Then a Chief Commissioner would be sent
from India to rule the Island instead of a more highly
paid Governor from England, and the whole adminis-
tration would be in subordination to the Governor at
Madras. The Chief Commissionership of Ceylon
would then be similar to that of Burma, a post held
by a rising civilian who would prove in this quasi in-
dependent position, whether he was fit for still higher
office. The military charges would also be lessened,
and the troops in Ceylon would be under the control of
the Commander-in-Chief at Madras. Indian civilians

COCOA-NUT OIL FACTORY. 219

have also learnt how to treat subject races, and half
the population of the Island consist of Tamil emi-
grants from India. There seems no question that by
thus making Ceylon an annexe to Madras, the Island
would gain a more eflBcient yet cheaper government.

At present, however, no such change is likely to be
made, for Ceylon is looked upon as one of the prizes
of the Colonial Service, and the Governorship is a
piece of patronage that the Colonial Secretary would
dislike parting with. Still now is the time to ventilate
such changes, for Ceylon is suffering from extreme
poverty, in consequence of the failure of the coffee
plantations, and retrenchment in expenditure is much
discussed. Certainly one of the easiest ways of saving
money would be this proposed annexation to India.

I came back from Anaradhapura to Kandy by the
same route, again having a long ride of 18 hours in
the bullock coach. A few days after I returned from
Kandy to Colombo, where I was to take the steamer
for England. I had no time to see more of Ceylon,
and had to give up visiting the interesting district of
Newera Ellia, which is the sanatorium of the Island,
lying high up amongst the mountains of the interior.

While I was waiting for the steamer at Colombo, I
was fortunate enough to be taken over a cocoa-nut oil
factory, which is one of the most successful manu-
factories in the Island. The whole of the low lands of
Ceylon are covered with forests of cocoa-nut palms,
and these graceful trees form one of the main features
of the scenery. The oil is extracted from the inner
rind of the nut, and these apparently useless tough
envelopes are brought in thousands to the factory by
the country people. It takes the rinds of 10,000 nuts
to make one cask of oil, and therefore millions of
these rinds are used up. They are crushed, and
ground, and pressed under hydraulic rams, and the
oil is thus squeezed out of them ; it is then placed \w
casks, and sent to the Continent, where it is used in
the manufacture of soap. After the oil has been

220 A parson's holiday.

extracted, the refuse of the rinds is made into a sort
of cake, and exported to England to be used as food
for cattle. The factory is very large, and the sheds
and yards cover 12 acres of ground. All the products
of Ceylon are here prepared for exportation, and I saw
chests of coffee, chinchona, and tea ready for trans-
shipment. Thousands of coolies are employed in the
works, and it is one of the most flourishing industries
in the Island.

My holiday was now drawing to a close, and on
February 7th I left Colombo by a P. and O. steamer.
I was very glad to have had this short peep at Ceylon,
and I should advise all who make a tour in the East
to include it if possible in their route. The scenery
is most beautiful, the climate away from the coast is
delightful, and the people and buildings are well worth
seeing. Its green loveliness, its shore fringed with
palms bending over the surf, its hills clothed with
forests twined with creepers, its rivers flowing between
banks covered with bamboos, its woods bright with
many flowering shrubs, its air soft and delicious and
heavy with the scent of tropical flowers, its nights
spangled with stars and specked with fire-flies, all
come back in pleasant memories and make a picture
which can never be forgotten. This Island set in the
midst of southern seas has a charm of its own, and it
is one of the most beautiful possessions of our Colonial
Empire.

My voyage homewards must be quickly passed over.
We had a calm passage over the Indian Ocean. In
eight days we reached Aden, and in five days more
we anchored at Suez. There I left the ship, and went
by train to Cairo to see a little of the land of Egypt.
I was able to spend a week in Cairo, and I saw a few
of the ordinary sights. But my time was too short to
get more than a glimpse at the country, and I was
only there long enough to feel the peculiar fascination
which Egypt always exercises on all who visit it.
There is a saying that " he who has once drunk the

P:GYPT. 221

Nile water ever wants to drink It again," and certainly
there is no country which has a stronger attraction for
the casual traveller. Even after the beautiful build-
ings of India, there was much to charm and delight
the eye, and the incredible antiquity of the remains
enlarged one's historic sense. To gaze on the Pyra-
mids of Gizeh, or to study the sculptures at Sakkhara,
and then to realize that these buildings are anterior to
the time of Moses, and may even date back to the
era of Abraham, gives one a distinct shock, and
throws the antiquity of all other buildings into the
shade. In the Boulak Museum one is shown the
mummied form of the (probable) Pharaoh of the Book
of Exodus, together with the richest collection of
Egyptian antiquities in the world. If Cairo had shared
the fate of Alexandria, and been burnt by Arabi's rebel-
lious army, and if the Boulak Museum had perished,
the loss to archaeology would have been irreparable.

Cairo was full of troops, the Citadel was held by
our forces, and the bare-legged Highlander was a
common sight in the bazaars and streets. The driver
of my donkey had many tales to tell about the state
of the city, when the Khedive was a prisoner at
Alexandria, and when Arabi was raising levies to face
the English troops at Tel-el-Kebir. My donkey-man
said that he had had to flee to Upper Egypt to escape
impressment, but his stories had to be taken with a
certain amount of caution, as it was probable that he
said whatever he thought would please me.

Walks through the Bazaars, visits to the principal
Mosques, and a look at one of Ismail's numerous
Palaces, filled up the short time at my disposal. The
extravagance and wastefulness of the late ruler of
Egypt are nowhere more evident, than in these large,
over-adorned Palaces, full of expensive PVench fur-
niture, and gaudily ornamented with gilt mouldings
and immense mirrors. While Egypt was ever ap-
proaching nearer and nearer to national bankruptcy,
and while the poor fellaheen were ground down by an

222 A parson's HOLIDAY.

intolerable weight of taxation, the late Khedive was
wasting the resources of the country in building use-
less Palaces, and following the worst fashions of the
French Imperial Court.

There was much talk everywhere of the future of
Egypt. Then were the days when Lord Dufferin had
just arrived, and when Hicks Pasha's illfated expe-
dition was starting for the Soudan. Concerning this
last event I heard sharp criticism on the ignorance of
some of the European ofhcers, who went forth with no
experience of desert w^arfare. Such officers, although
called Captains and Lieutenants, were quite ignorant
of the ways of the enemy, and were not likely to be of
much use in the time of need. At least they died
bravely, and victory was hardly possible. Yet at that
time no Egyptian minister was prepared to advise the
retrocession of the Soudan, and it required a sharp
lesson before the Egyptian Government discovered the
rottenness of its military condition.

From Cairo I went by rail to Ismailya, which is the
chief town on the Suez Canal, about equidistant from
Port Said and Suez. Here I hoped to meet with the
steamer, which was to carry me back to England, but
I had to endure first a tiresome delay. Two ships
had gone aground in the Canal, and the whole traffic
of the world was stopped in consequence. Thus I
had to spend three days at Ismailya, waiting for my
steamer, which could not move until the obstructionists
were afloat again.

I do not recommend any traveller to stay at Is-
mailya if he can possibly help it. It is a town, which
has sprung up on the edge of Lake Timsah, and it
only exists because here are the headquarters of the
Canal traffic. All the movements of vessels are ar-
ranged by telegraph from the office at this place, and
here it is settled what ships are to be given prece-
dence, and what ships are to tie up to the bank at the
passing stations, so as to make room for their more
fortunate rivals. There is a model of the Canal in the

ISMAILYA. 223

office, and small flags are moved about it, indicating
what is the position of the corresponding vessels.
The office is in telegraphic communication with signal
stations all along the banks of the Canal, and as the
vessels pass along their movements are notified to the
head office, which gives instructions concerning them.
The model is an interesting sight, but when no change is
made in it for three days, the traveller, who is anxious
to get on, finds his frequent visits to the office tiresome
to the officials and unedifying to himself.

Besides visiting the office of the Canal Company
there is but little to do at Ismailya. The town is built
between the Desert and the Bitter Lake. There is
one hard road out of the town for three miles, leading
to a Palace which was erected on the banks of the
Canal for the temporary occupation of the Empress of
the French, when she came to the opening ceremony.
On all other sides of the town the sandy wastes ex-
tend for miles. It is probable that some day the head
office will be removed to Port Said, and then Ismailya
will be of less importance. Its chief title to fame of
late years lies in the fact that it formed the base for
Lord Wolseley's advance on Cairo in 1882. The lake
was then full of transports and ships of War, and
the place was full of troops. When I was there, our
forces were only represented by a small detachment
of soldiers and a gun-boat.

During my enforced stay at Ismailya, I had the
pleasure of meeting M. Naville, the Swiss explorer.
He had just been excavating some neighbouring ruins
at Tel-el-Mahuta, and had had the satisfaction of
proving by the inscriptions he discovered that here
was the site of Pithom, the " treasure city," or " store
city," mentioned in Exodus as built by the enslaved
Israelites for the King of Egypt. He had even dis-
covered a great building, unlike any temple or palace,
and probably identical with the granary which consti-
tuted this place a " treasure city." I wish I had been
able to visit the explorations, but it was impossible.

224 ^ PARSON S HOLIDAY.

On March 2nd the block in the Canal was at last
removed, and my steamer ^and 15 others} amved at
Ismailya. On the 7th we touched at Malta, on the
nth we reached Gibraltar, and on the i5ih March I
landed at Pirmouth. We were just in time for the
moming express, and so I reached my own parish that
ereninsf. Ii was the very day that I had planned to
:me, when I had started nearly six months
r I had thus kept mj time exactly, and the

- : r Mi's holiday was over.

-".elusion I would recommend everyone who has
:. r .- -r and money at his disposal to follow my foot-
S-ris. Nothing could be more delightful than a
boliiay spent in this wav. Such a tour enables one
:: ■:- : !~£ia at the very best season of the year.
T T T-r is perfect, wet weather is impos'^ible, and
is not excessive. The interest of such a trip
:- -ied; scenerv. costumes, buildings, people,

i rerition. The different religions and the

van with their diverse customs constantly

e::: 't?:. And in addition to other matters

- .7: :_ : feel desirous to see something of
mission work, and to enquire into the various efforts
—'-■-'- -_-=: 'zr.~~ ~ade to instruct and evangelize the

7 r r Liive Churches, the Schools, and
Cc-r^trs ir.d Mission Stations, all overflow with in-
tcies:, is:i '''.-': ~r seems too short and the days too
few to 5t- it one would like to see. I think

the reflex action of all this sightseeing on oneself does
good. One returns to one's quiet country parish with
ideas enlarged and sympathies widened, and with a
store of memories and a recollection of unnumbered
kindnesses which no time can obliterate nor age
deface.

I have shown that it is possible, without over-
stepping the legal hoUday which is permitted to an
incumbent, to visit most of the centres of interest in
India, and Burma, and Ceylon, and to get at least
glimpses of the lives and manners of our feUow-sub-

THE END. 225

jects in the East. Others may follow my example,
and diverge from my route, and discover fresh points
of interest, which I overlooked. But no one will ever
meet with more kindness, or enjoy a happier holiday,
than I did in the winter of 1882-83.

FINIS.

226

INDEX.

INDEX.

Administration of India, 81.
Agra, Fort, &c., 54.
Ajmere, 33.
Akbar, 43, 53.
Alexandria, 3.
Ambir, 39.
Anaradhapura, 214.
Architecture, Hindu, 169.
Arhai-din-ka-Jhonpra, 34.

Babns, Educated, 102.

Bandy, 186.

Bangalore, 153.

Baroda, 28.

Benares, 84.

Bishops in Tinnevelly, 205.

Bombay, 4.

Bo Tree, 217.

Brahmo Soniaj, 102,

Buddhism, 113.

compared with Christianity,

124.

in Ceylon, 214.

Burma, History of, 105.
Burmese, 108.

Cairo, 221.
Calcutta, 99, 100.
Caldwell, Bisliop, 183, 204.
Calingapatam. 144.
Cambridge Mission, 50.
Camp iService, 73.
Canning College, 78.
Caste rrejiulices, 162.
Catecliist, Work of, 171.
Cave Temples, 24.
Cawnpore Massacre, 64.
Ceylon, 208-220.
Choultry, 165, 179.
Christians, Native, 152, 185, 198.
Christmas-Day Services, 129.
Civilian, Life of, 83.
Clergy, Native, 155, 206.
Climbing Palm-tree, 196.
Cocoa-nut Factory, 219.
Code, Indian, 16.

Coffee in Ceylon, 212.
Colombo, 208.
Commissioner, 82.
Communicants, Number of, 191.
Cowley Fathers, 14.

Dagoba, 214, 215.
Dance, Native, 190.
Darjeeling, 91-93.
Delhi, 46. 47.
Deserted Bungalow, 160.
Dickson, Mr., 215.
Durbar, Viceroy's, 74.
Durria dowlut, 160.

Educational Problems, 17.
Egypt, 220.
Elephanta Caves, 6.
Elephants at work, 136.
English Church in India, 181.
Eurasians, 35.

Evangelistic woi'k, 175, 195.
Everest, Mt., 97.
Explorers in Tibet, 95.

Famine in S. India, 183.

Results of, 184.

Futtehpore Sikri, 58.

Gdekwdr, 29.

Ganapati, 9.

Gautama Buddha, History of, 112.

Doctrines of, 113

Statues of, 116.

Golden Temple, 86.
Gopura, 165.
Government in India, 79.

in Ceylon, 219.

House, 100.

Hicks Pasha's Expedition, 222.
High Schools, 19, 172.
Himalayas, 96.
Hinduism, Modern, 90.
Htee, 116, 141.

INDEX.

227

Hyder AH, 156;

Ideas of Empire, 61.
Ignatius, Rev. Mr., 154.
Illumination of Ghats, 85.
Imambara, 69.
Ismailya, 222.
Itmad-ud-Dowlah, 56.

Jain Temple, 34.
Jehanghir, 43.
Jeypore, 36.
Jumma Musjid, 47.

Kandy, 211.
Karli Cave, 23.
Kember, Rev. T., 187.
Kinchingunga, 96.
Kincob, 89.
Kioung, 119.
Kutub Minar, 49.

Lamaism, 94.
Lawrence, Henry, 72.
Lepers' Hospital, 10.
Lhassa, 94.
Linga, 7.
Locusts, 23.
Lucknow, 09, 70.

Madras, 149, 150.

Madura, 178.

Mantapa, 165.

Mai'goschis, Rev. A., 193-195.

Marhattds, 8.

Marks, Rev. Dr., 127.

Martiniere College, 76.

Masula Boats, 144.

Mayo College, 32.

Memorial Church, 65.

Mengnanapuram, 203.

Merit, Doctrine of, 114, 116, 118, 122.

Missionary Statistics, 185, 199.

Methods of, 11, 13.

Objections to, 197.

Missionaries, 127, 171, 177, 185, 189,

197.
Moguls, Empire of, 43.
Mohammedans, 45.
Monasteries, 119.
Monkey Temple, 87.
Moormen, 210.
Mos(pie, Arrangement of, 48.
Moti Musjid, 55.
Moulmein, 134.
Mudalur, 201.
Mutiny, 6.3, 66.
Mysore, 156.

Nana Sahib. 63.

Native States, 41.
Naville, M., 223.
Nazareth, 189, 191, 195.
Nga-pee, 1,34.
Nirvana, 113.
Norman, Rev. H. B., 201.

Officer, District, 82.

Orphanage at Nazareth, 194.

Oudh, History of, 68, 69.

Oxford Mission, 101.

Pagodas, Use of, 114.

Palace, Maharajah's, 37, 166.

Palamcottah, 187.

Palms, 196, 211.

Parvathi, Temple of, 10.

Pegu, 139.

Peridenyia Gardens, 212.

Pithom, Discovery of, 223.

Pohngyees, 122.

Poona, 8.

Prayer Wheels, 98.

Preaching through Interpreter, 1.30,

192.
Princes, Native, 167.
Prome, 131.

Railway Travelling, 25.
Rajputs, 30.
Rangoon, 107.
Resident, Duties of, 28.
" Rice Christians," 200.
Rice Trade, 110.

Salt Tax, 145.

Sargent, Bishop, 183, 187.

Schools, 10, 172, 174, 194.

School of Art, 153.

Schwartz, 166.

Sekundra, 60.

Seringapatam, 159.

Services at Nazareth, 191, 193.

Shah .Jehan, 43.

Shoe Question, 75.

Shway Dagohn, 114.

Siugalese, 209.

Sriranghani, Temple of, 169.

St. Stephen's College, 52.

Suez Canal, 223.

Taj Mahal, 56.

Talukdars, 78.

Tamils, 151, 175, 192, 209.

Tan j ore, 104.

Tea Plantations, 93.

Temple, Sir R., on Missions, 198, 199.

Temple, Arrangements of, 104, 170.

Tents, 27.

Thomas, Rcv". Mr. and Mrs,, 203.

Tibet, 94.

228 INDEX.

Timber Yards, 136. Victoria School, Poona, 18.

Tiniievelly, 182, 186-207. Village Life at Nazareth, 196.

Tipu Sahib, 157, 159, 160. Vimana, 164.

Tooth Temple, 213. Vishuu, 164.

Towers of Silence, 5. Vizagapatam, 145.
Training College, at Palamcottah,

rr-}^"' , IPO ,^o Well at Cawnpore, 66.

Trichinopoly, 168-178. Wrestling, 20

TXorinrfe.'''- Wyatt,Rev.J.L.,171.

Viceroy's Camp, 72. Zodiacal Light, 144.

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