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ing far, far above them, rose the mighty pinnacles of the Gungootree, the Jumnootre, the Budreenath, and the Kylas, the heaven of Indra, where the Great God, Mahadeo, still sits on his throne, inaccessible to mortal foot. I was fifty miles nearer these mountains than at Roorkhee, where I first beheld them, and with the additional advantage of being mounted on a footstool, equal to one-third of their height. They still stood immeasurably above me, so cold and clear, and white, that, without knowledge to the contrary, I should have said that they were not more than twenty miles distant. Yet, as the crow flies, a line of seventy miles would scarce have reached their summits!

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Though not the highest of the Himalayas, these summits form the great central group of the chain, and contain the cisterns whence spring the rivers of India, Thibet and Burmah. The snows of their southern slopes feed the Jumna and Ganges; of their northern, the Sutlej, the Indus and the Brahmapootra. Around this group cling the traditions of the Hindu Mythology. Thence came the first

parents of the race; there appeared the first land after the deluge. And upon the lofty table-lands of Central Asia, whereon those peaks look down, was probably the birth-place of the great Caucasian family, from which the Hindoos and ourselves alike are descended. Far to the north-west, where the Altay, the Hindoo Koosh (or Indian Caucasus), and the Himalayas, join their sublime ranges, there is a table-land higher than Popocatapetl, called, in the picturesque language of the Tartars, the "Roof of the World." Under the eaves of that roof, on the table-land of Pamir, if we may trust Asiatic tradition, dwelt the parents of our race. I fancied myself standing on the cone of Gungootree, and looking down upon it. The vast physical features of this part of the world are in themselves so imposing, that we are but too ready to give them the advantage of any myth which invests them with a grand human interest."

The Siwalik hills form a lengthy range running parallel to the Himalaya for many miles, and enclosing between the two ranges the lovely valley of the Dehra Dhoon. The Ganges descends the Himalaya and crosses the Dhoon: it then bursts through-what in Mexico would be called-a Canyon of the Siwalik hills, and pours into the vast plain of Upper Hindustan. In the gorge through which it bursts, stands in most singular position the celebrated town of Hurdwar. Our author thus describes it:

"Hurdwar is one of the most curious cities in India. It lies on the western bank of the Ganges, exactly in the gorge formed by the Siwalik Hills. There is but one principal street, running parallel to the water, and crossed by others so steep as to resemble staircases. Broad stone ghauts descend to the river, to allow the pilgrims facility of bathing. Between them, upon platforms of masonry of various heights, are temples to the Hindoo gods, principally to Ganesh and Shiva. * * * *

"The temples are from twenty to fifty feet high-none, I think, of greater altitude and generally built of grey sandstone. There is great similarity in their design, which is a massive square shrine, surmounted by a four-sided or circular spire, curving gradually to a point, so that the outline of each side resembles a parabola. All parts of the building are covered with grotesque but elaborate ornaments, and many of the spires are composed of a mass of smaller ones, overlapping each other like scales, so that at a distance they resemble slender pine-apples, of colossal size. There are fifty or sixty temples in and about the city, some of them being perched on the summit of cliffs rising above it. Most of them are whitewashed, and have a new and glaring appearance; but there are others, enclosed in large courtyards, which are very black and venerable, and seem to be regarded with more than usual reverence. I could see lamps burning before the idols, in the gloomy interiors, but was not allowed to enter. There is a great annual mela, or fair, held at Hurdwar, which is sometimes attended by a million and a half of persons. I believe there are never less than five or six hundred thousand present. The natives flock from all parts of Hindostan and Bengal, from the Deccan, the Punjab, from Cashmere, Affghanistan, Tartary and Thibet, some as religious. devotees, some as worldly tradesmen. For miles around the place it is one immense encampment, and all the races, faces, costumes, customs and languages of the East, from Persia to Siam, from Ceylon to Siberia, are represented. Buying and selling, praying and bathing, commercial fleecing and holy hair-cutting, and all kinds of religious and secular swindling, are in full operation; and Hurdwar, which is at other times a very quiet, lonely, half-deserted, out-of-theway nook, is then a metropolis, rivalling London in its tumult. Some of the missionaries usually attend on such occasions, in the hope of snatching brands from the burning, but the fires are generally so hot that they do little more than scorch their fingers for their pains."

Here is a pleasant sketch of the grand trunk road, between Meerut and Mynpoory:

"The night of leaving Meerut, I again passed Allyghur, much to my regret, for I desired to see the famous pillar of Coel. Morning dawned on the plains of Hindostan. There is almost as little variety in the aspect of these immense plains as in that of the open sea. The same fields of wheat, poppies, grain and mustard alternate with the same mango or tamarind groves; the Hindoo temples by the roadside are the same dreary architectural deformities, and the villages you pass, the same collections of mud walls, thatched roofs and bamboo verandahs, tenanted by the same family of hideous fakeers, naked children, ugly women (who try to persuade you that they are beautiful, by hiding their faces), and beggars in every stage of deformity. But I noticed, as I proceeded southward, spacious caravanserais, built of burnt brick, though ruined and half deserted;

richer groves of tamarind and brab palm; and the minarets and pagodas of large towns which the road skirted, but did not enter. I stopped at the bungalow of Etah for breakfast, which was ready in an hour. The bungalows on this road are much superior to those in other parts of India. The floors are carpeted, and there are mattrasses and pillows on the charpoys. The rooms have a neat, homelike air, and are truly oases in that vast wilderness-for such India still is, except where the European hand has left its trace. The day passed away like other days on the plains. It was warm during the mid-hours, and the road was very dusty, in spite of the recent rains. It is a magnificent highway, and would not suffer by comparison with any in Europe. The amount of travel is so great, that from sunrise until sunset, I beheld an almost unbroken procession of natives of all descriptions, from the Affghan and Sikh, to the Goorkha of the hills, and the Mahratta of the Deccan, with tattoos (as the little country ponies are called), camels, elephants, Persian steeds, buffaloes, palanquins, dhoolies, hackrees, bullock trains, and the garrees of luxurious travellers like myself. I can, however, feel neither the same interest in, nor respect for, the natives of India, as for the Arab races of Africa and Syria. The lower castes are too servile, too vilely the slaves of a degrading superstition, and too much given to cheating and lying. One cannot use familiarity towards them, with out encouraging them to impertinence. How different from my humble companions of the Nubian Desert!"

Amongst other celebrities, Mr. Taylor of course visited Lucknow, of which he gives a full description. He passed through the most striking portion of it, two or three times. The following is his view of the city as seen from the iron bridge:

"The street I had chosen led me to a bridge over the river Goomtee, which here flows eastward, and skirts the northern side of the city. The word Goomtee means literally, "The Twister," on account of the sinuous course of the river. Looking westward from the centre of the bridge, there is a beautiful view of the city. Further up the river, which flowed with a gentle current between grassy and shaded banks, was an ancient stone bridge, with lofty pointed arches. The left bank rose gradually from the water, forming a long hill, which was crowned with palaces and mosques, stretching away into the distance, where a crowd of fainter minarets told of splendors beyond. The coup d'œil resembled that of Constantinople, from the bridge across the Golden Horn, and was more imposing, more picturesque and truly Oriental, than that of any other city in India. The right bank was level, and so embowered in foliage that only a few domes and towers were visible above the sea of sycamores, banyans, tamarind, acacia, neem and palm-trees. I loitered on the bridge so long, enjoying the refreshing exhilaration of such a prospect, that I am afraid the dignity of the great English race, in my person, was much lessened in the eyes of the natives.

"The picture, so full of Eastern pomp and glitter, enhanced by the luxuriance of Nature, was made complete by the character of the human life that animated it. Here were not merely menials, in scanty clothing, or sepoys undergoing daily pillory in tight coats and preposterous stocks, but scores of emirs, cadis, writers, and the like, attired in silken raiment and splendidly turbaned, continually passing to and fro, with servants running before them, dividing the crowds for the passage of their elephants. The country-people were pouring into the city by thousands, laden with their produce, and the bazaars of fruit and vegetables, which seemed interminable, were constantly thronged."

He thus describes the new Imambarra of Azuf-ud-Dowlah, to which we have already referred, as one of the recent specimens of Saracenic architecture :—

"On the left was the gate of the Imambarra, or tomb of Azuf-udDowlah, one of the former Nawabs of Oude, and here the carriage drew up. I alighted, and entered a quadrangle surrounded by the same dazzling white architecture, with gilded domes blazing against the intense blue of the sky. The enclosed space was a garden, in which stood two beautiful mausoleums of marble. Several feeble fountains played among the flowers, and there was a long pool in the midst, with a bridge over it, and grotesque wooden figures of sepoys of the size of life, standing guard at each end. Scattered about the garden were also several copies in plaster of classical statues, and one in marble of Actæon and his hounds. Although Lucknow is a thoroughly Moslem city, most of the inhabitants, as well as the royal family, belong to the sect of Sheeahs-the descendants of the partisans of Ali-who do not scruple to make pictures or models of living things. This is a cause of great annoyance and sorrow to the Sonnees, or orthodox Mussulmen, who hold it to be a sin in the sight of God. The idea originated, no doubt, in the iconoclastic zeal of the Prophet and his immediate successors.

"On ascending the marble steps leading to the edifice at the bottom of the garden, I imagined for a moment that I beheld a manufactory of chandeliers. Through the open marble arches nothing else was at first visible. The whole building was hung with themimmense pyramids of silver, gold, prismatic crystals and colored glass -and where they were too heavy to be hung, they rose in radiant piles from the floor. In the midst of them were temples of silver filigree, eight or ten feet high, and studded with cornelians, agates and emeralds. These were the tombs. The place was a singular jumble of precious objects. There were ancient banners of the Nawabs of Oude, heavy with sentences from the Koran, embroidered in gold; gigantic hands of silver, covered with talismanic words; sacred shields, studded with the names of God; swords of Khorassan steel, lances and halberds; the turbans of renowned commanders; the trappings of the white horse of Nasr-ed-Deen, mounted on a wooden effigy; and several pulpits of peculiar sanctity. I had some difficulty in making out a

sort of centaur, with a human head, eyes of agate, a horse's body of silver, and a peacock's tail, but was solemnly informed that it was a correct representation of the beast Borak, on which the Prophet made his journey to Paradise. The bridle was held by two dumpy angels, also of silver, and on each side stood a tiger about five feet long and made of transparent blue glass. These, I was told, came from Japan."

There is one subject upon which we must take decided exception to the views which Mr. Taylor expresses at various parts of his travels. At several stations, both in India and China, he met with American missionaries, and saw a little of their Missionary labours. He mentions these missions on eight occasions, and though he praises the conscientiousness of the men, he always speaks of their labours in disparaging terms. The following passage describes his visit, with Mr. Hall of the Benares college, to the well-known Mission of the Church Missionary Society at Sigra, on the north-west side of the city of Benares:

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“After visiting Mr. Reid, the Commissioner of the District, Mr. Hall accompanied me to the mission establishment of the English Church. Here there is a small village of native Christians, whom I could not but compassionate. Cut off for ever from intercourse with their friends, denounced as unclean and accursed, they showed their isolation by a quiet, patient demeanor, as if they passively sustained their new faith, instead of actively rejoicing in it. There was, however, a visible improvement in their households greater cleanliness and order; and the faces of the women, I could not but notice, showed that the teachings of the missionaries had not been lost upon them. I wish I could have more faith in the sincerity of these converts; but the fact that there is a material gain, no matter how slight, in becoming Christian, throws a doubt upon the verity of their spiritual regeneration. If lacking employment, they are put in the way of obtaining it; if destitute, their wants are relieved; and when gathered into communities, as here, they are furnished with dwellings rent-free. While I cheerfully testify to the zeal and faithfulness of those who labor in the cause, I must confess that I have not yet witnessed any results which satisfy me that the vast expenditure of money, talent and life in missionary enterprises, has been adequately repaid."

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Christian missions are carried on both in India and China upon such an extensive scale, that they cannot fail to attract notice. In India alone £200,000 are annually spent upon them they are vast public property, supported by numerous public bodies in Europe and America. Nothing can be more proper, nothing can be more beneficial, than that they should constantly be watched, by those who support them. No one will object to the most

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