reminded me a little of the old representations of men in the Nineveh sculptures.

Barrackpoor, the infantry station of Calcutta, and the scene of the premonitory symptoms of the recent general mutiny, is situated about 15 miles from the city; while the distance from the city to Dum-Dum is only 6 miles. There was always a considerable number of troops at Barrackpoor, only two regiments being kept in Fort William. It is also the residence for the greater part of the year of the Governor General, who has here a magnificent mansion, surrounded by gardens and enclosed in a large park, well filled with trees.

It was at Calcutta that I first saw the Sepoys, or more properly Sipahees, from sipah, the Persian word for a bow. They were a better looking race of men than the Bengalees, being recruited up-country. Their uniform was similar to that of English soldiers, except that their shako had no leather peak, which would be an offence to their caste. The Sepoys always looked better when off duty in their native dress, than when in uniform, as they had not the prominent chest of the European; and the heavy red coat seemed a most inappropriate dress for the climate. However, they were very proud of it, and so much did it take the fancy of the natives, that years ago it was introduced into the armies of all the independent native princes. The Sepoys made good troops generally, and would fight well enough in company with European regiments, of which the Honourable Company had seven, and the Queen generally twenty or more, in India. The English regiments wear, in this hot climate, an undress uniform of white cotton, with a cap of the same, having a white turban wound around it. A turban is found to be the best protection against the effects of the Indian sun, and no European ever goes out without one round his hat.

The great trouble with the Sepoys was that they were always too much petted. Their pay was higher than what they could have earned by any other occupation; and far higher than that of any army in Europe, if the expense of the necessaries of life be taken into account. The lowest wages of a Sepoy were six rupees per month, more than double

the ordinary wages of a labouring man, and a sum which would equal $35 to $40 in this country. Their caste was high, and its requirements exacting; they could not pass the limits of India, eat certain food, wear certain clothing, or cook their meals in less than a certain number of hours, which were necessary for the performance of the religious ceremonies which are obligatory in the preparation of all food to be eaten by Hindoos. In all these respects their prejudices were very properly respected; but when they refused to dig in the trenches at Mooltan, and white men did the work, under a broiling sun, while the niggers looked on and sneered at them, it must be acknowledged that the government was rather too complaisant; and when a white soldier could be flogged with five hundred lashes, by order of a regimental court-martial, while a Sepoy could not be touched with the lash, it must be confessed that the regulations of the army were both unjust, and calculated to give the native soldier altogether too high an idea of his own importance-particularly as every native is accustomed to be flogged and kicked from his earliest infancy, and never hesitates to use such discipline on others. The extent to which this system of petting the native soldier was carried on in India is hardly credable. For the last few years it was scarcely possible to punish a Sepoy for any offence, the process of sending the sentence up for approval, being so long and uncertain. The result was that discipline became relaxed, and the men haughty, impertinent, and impatient of the least hardship. It is this state of things which has caused several minor mutinies during the last twenty years, and has at last ended in the recent ferocious outbreak, and grand united effort to step into their masters' shoes. These remarks apply principally to the army in the Bengal Presidency, which was mainly recruited in Oude, from the high caste Rajpoots. In the other Presidencies, and in the Punjab regiments of the Bengal army, the men were of low caste, the requirements of their religion few or none, and the discipline much stricter. The result has been that they have almost without exception remained faithful-the wavering of some of the Bombay regiments being probably attributable to their having been raised

in Oude; though, not being Rajpoots, they would probably under ordinary circumstances have made as good soldiers as any others. The natives of India make excellent mercenaries, as they are so split up into nations and castes, that they can be easily played against one another; and have so little patriotism that they will serve whoever pays best. This is one great secret of the wonderful spread of the British power in India, and it was only on account of the negligence of the government, which recruited the Bengal army almost entirely from one caste, that it was possible for the instigators of the recent mutiny, to produce any unanimous and sympathetic action among the various regiments. Had the Bengal army contained men of all castes, and of several different nations, no general rising could ever have been planned, much less carried out, without the government receiving timely warning.

CHAPTER XI.

CALCUTTA.-CONCLUDED.

Life in Calcutta-My Friends there-The India Trade-Skill of the Natives in Commerce -Conduct of American Residents during the Revolt-Travelling in India-The Palanquin-" Marching"-Steamboats on the Ganges-Garrhee-dak-The Mail-cart.

I REMAINED about two weeks in Calcutta, during which I enjoyed myself very much. It is a pleasant place for a stranger during a brief sojourn, is the paradise of the English in the Mofussil, and life in Calcutta represents the extreme of luxurious enjoyment, in the popular imagination of Occidentals; yet, I must confess, that existence in the capital of India is marked by a wearisome monotony, which would be alone a sufficient counterbalance to the luxuries of a large establishment of servants and splendid dinners, even if the climate, the reptiles, and the diseases were all put out of the question. Anything like society is almost impossible, where all the world goes to bed by half-past nine or ten, in other words, immediately after the dinner, which follows the evening drive-and where few will expose themselves to the sun's rays in the daytime, unless some urgent necessity calls them out of doors. There is no theatre, no public amusement of any kind; and the exile cannot even enjoy the pleasures of his family, if a married man, as it is necessary for the health, nay, the very life of his children, that they should be sent to Europe when five or six years old-earlier, if possible. The wearisome sameness of such an existence can scarcely be imagined. It is only surpassed by life in the Mofussil. Many a man who envies the Indian civilian his rich appointments, would gladly renounce all pretensions could he but experience for a month the unenviable life which they lead.

Many kindnesses and unexpected attentions gave me a most favourable impression of those gentlemen in Calcutta, whom it was my good fortune to meet. I was especially indebted to Colonel Mowatt and his amiable wife, and several officers of the artillery, to the mess of which branch of the service I was kindly introduced by Colonel Mowatt. Little did they or I anticipate at the time the fate which has since overtaken many of them. Colonel Mowatt had a high command at the siege of Delhi, and died there-of cholera, it was said, like so many others in prominent positions, including several generals-in-chief. Whether this was the case, and age, with the cares and anxieties of their position, brought on the chiefs the disease, from which the younger, but more exposed, officers entirely escaped, or whether they all perished by one of those subtle native poisons which simulate morbid action so well, will probably never be ascertained. Mrs. Mowatt, who was separated from her husband at the time of the outbreak, had to flee into the jungul, and wander there a week, exposed to every hardship. My friends among the younger officers whom I saw at Dum-Dum were nearly all at Meeruth during the mutiny at that place. Many perished there many have since died. Of the fate of the ladies, I am ignorant.

I also was shown much kindness by several English and American merchants, to whom I beg here to return my thanks.

The English merchants mostly do business as agents, or on commission. The day for making large and rapid fortunes in the East India trade passed away with the explosion of the colossal houses which took up the Calcutta trade on the abo lition of the Company's monopoly. The chances are now the same as in any regular commission business elsewhere Native capital is largely employed by the English houses, and in many instances the natives have gone into the European business in their own names. Their sagacity and shrewdness are far greater than those of Europeans, their resources are often very large, and were their honesty and fidelity in any way commensurate, they would no doubt soon do all the foreign