suit his finances to go to Calcutta at present. I think I see the whole camp of 12,000 precious souls stopping a few days at a station where there are three Europeans just to make acquaintance with Mrs. and Miss T.!

But all J.'s

Tuesday, Oct. 8.

The second shawl is come to hand safe. Captain P. writes from Cashmere that he has seen those that are in the loom there for us, and that they will not be finished for some months, but he says he never saw anything the least like them. He gives such a horrid account of the tyranny of the Sikhs over the Cashmerees, and in their own jaghires, through which he has been passing; their cruelty is dreadful. He has been through the territories belonging to the Jumnoo family, to which Dhian Singh, the Prime Minister, our friend Heera Singh, and an uncle of his, Gholâb Singh, belong.

The number of persons without noses, or ears, are incredible, and Gholâb Singh, who is the worst of all, actually flayed alive the other day, 300 men who had offended him.

It is the practice of that family never to allow a female infant of their race to live; they marry wives from other very high Rajpoot families,

but they will not give their daughters to inferior princes nor let them live unmarried, so they are all put away as soon as they are born. I wonder the wives do not get up a little rebellion of their own.

Wednesday, October 9.

Sir E. Ryan, the chief justice, has come up from Calcutta on a hurried tour to see India, and has seen more in five weeks than we have by lumbering about in a camp for two years; and, moreover, we are all aghast and rather affronted at his looks. We meant him to come up with a parboiled Calcutta appearance, instead of which he looks younger and better than when we first saw him; he has a very good colour, and walks everybody to death. He came straight here after his journey up the hills, and met G. and me on the road, took one of our longest walks with us, and never would listen to our offer of the assistance of a pony. He is a pleasant man, a good Whig, and keeps up his English politics, and English books, and English laugh, and enjoys seeing everything, and wants a little cricket in the afternoon. He is staying with Mr. but as the visit is by way of being to us, they dine here most days.

Sunday, Oct. 15.

We have the deputation from Kurruck Sing up here now, and had a very pretty durbar yesterday, to which they brought their presents. We asked a few ladies who had never *seen a durbar, to come, and put them behind the crowd, and they thought it a beautiful sight. While the durbar was going on, there came an express to Mr. A. saying that Noor Mahal Singh, the heir-apparent, and Dhian Singh had gone into Kurruck's durbar and shot at a favourite of his, Cheyt Singh, who was sitting so close to his master that some of the shot went into Kurruck's foot; he begged them to kill him and spare his favourite, but they finished Cheyt with their sabres. We give the soldiers a ball to-morrow, and on Tuesday begin to pack I keep thinking it is the first step towards going home to you, dear M., but I wish you lived more handy like.

up.

My journey will be shorter than the others', I leave the camp at Agra; as G. and the rest of the party leave the camp at Gwalior, and will not be at Calcutta till the beginning of April. I shall be housed at the end of February.

CHAPTER XVII.

Simla, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 1839.

Ir is rather soon to begin again, but habit is everything, and there is a little more to say

while the Sikhs are here.

Our ball for them last

I had the verandahs

night went off very well. all closed in with branches of trees and carpets put down and lamps put up, and the house looked a great deal larger. The chiefs were in splendid gold dresses, and certainly very gentlemanlike men. They sat bolt upright on their chairs with their feet dangling, and I dare say suffered agonies from cramp. C. said we saw them amazingly divided between the necessity of listening to G. and their native feelings of not seeming surprised, and their curiosity at men and women dancing together. I think that they learned at least two figures of the quadrilles by heart, for I saw Golâb Singh, the commander of the Goorcherras, who has been with Europeans before, expounding the dancing to the others.

The two chief Sirdars were not even at Lahore when we were there. I thought they might eventually be taught to flirt, and wanted Mr. A. to try and make up a match between the old fakeer and old Miss J., who is between sixty and seventy and something like the fakeer. Mr. A. was quite willing, but unluckily Miss J. did not come.

Thursday, Oct. 17.

The gentlemen got up some racing yesterday, to which the Sikhs came and we all went. Racing is one of the few amusements they can enter into, and they were very much amused. G. gave a silver hookah to be run for, and the aides-de-camp a silver cheroot box, &c. The Sikhs saw us drawing a lottery for the races and enquired what it meant, and in their quick way set one up. Lehna Singh sent word to twelve of his guards to start; wrote all their names in Persian on bits of paper, and said with a complacent smile 'Lotteree.'

Their races were very funny. They started as fast as the horse could go-no Sikh horse can gallop 100 yards-and then they trotted on, or walked, or stopped; but towards the winningpost the first man always came in waving his