harajah of Cashmeer does not allow any of the workmen to leave his dominions. If caught attempting to escape they are hung; but, notwithstanding this risk, many of them have made their escape to the Punjab, where, at the towns of Lahor, Loodiana, and Umritsur, they have long established manufactories of shawls, from which the markets of the West are supplied. Every shawl manufactured in Cashmeer, has a few square inches of work left incomplete. After the shawl is bought, it is finished in the private manufactory of the Maharajah, where it pays him about one hundred per cent. of its value, as duty. This regulation also gives the Maharajah the opportunity of ascertaining the party to whom the shawl is sold-which he always wishes to know, as he will not allow the shawls to be sold to traders.

Desertion-Life of an Indian Officer-Christmas Evening at Mr. Beresford's-The Mutiny at Delhi-Murder of my Friends-Fate of the Beresfords-The Revolted Emperor's Government-The City while held by the Mutineers-Uniform Defeats of the Mutineers-The Siege and Assault-Taking of the City and Flight of the Mutineers -News of the Taking of Delhi-The City after its Occupation by the EnglishWholesale Punishment.

Ir was nearly too weeks after I moved to the hotel, before the doctor considered me strong enough to continue my journey. I had to give up my intended trip through the Punjab, having spent at Umbala all the time and money which I had appropriated to it. After I became strong enough to sit up, the time passed very pleasantly. The hotel was remarkably well kept, the weather was just cool enough for a fire, there were two officers lodging at the hotel en permanence, whose company I found very agreeable, and we had a constant succession of pleasant guests.

At length, on the 22d of December, the doctor told me I might leave; and on the evening of that day, having bid goodbye to my acquaintances, and thanked Messrs. Vauquelin and Powell very warmly for all their kindness to me, I started in a dhoolee toward Delhi. About the middle of the night I was waked up by my palkee stopping, and on looking out was informed that four of my bearers had run away, and taken the back track in company with two other dhoolees, which we had met going toward Umbala. I at once jumped out, sick as I was, and clothed only in my night-dress, and ran barefoot for a quarter of a mile, followed by the mussalchee or torchbearer. I came up with the other palkees and my truants, just as they were crossing a river. I began to think it was all up now, as it was impossible for me to go in the water;

but, much to my surprise, I enticed them out by threatening to jump in and kill them if they did not return. As soon as I got them on terra firma, I asked them why they had deserted. As they could give no explanation, I tied them together with the turban of one of their number, and flogged them back to the dhoolee, where the head-man of the party also bestowed some blows on account of himself and the other bearers. Had I not caught these fellows, I might have been obliged to pass all night on the road, as the four bearers who remained could not have carried me to Peeplee, five miles or more from the place where the difficulty occurred.

In reading over my notes to my friends since my return, some of them have considered this occurrence a little extraordinary. But in truth those parts of the incident which excited their wonder were only those which were characteristic of the native character. In any other country it would seem strange that a sick man, entirely unarmed, could bind and beat four men, any one of whom was quite a match for him, even if he had been well. But in India it is the most natural thing in the world, and similar occurrences are constantly happening to every one. I felt quite sure there would be no resistance, and I am certain they never thought of offering any. The only difficulty I found was, that whenever I gave them a blow they would all fall down on the ground, yelling and joining their hands over the head, so that we did not get back to the palkee as soon as was desirable, considering that it was a cold night and I was scarcely clothed at all.

On arriving at Delhi I put up at the bungalow of Lieutenants Anderson and Butler, as my friend Captain Russell, who had asked me to stay with him when I should return, was absent at a coursing meeting.

I remained four days at Delhi, partly because the doctor had advised me not to travel fast, and partly because it was difficult to lay a dâk, the horses being all taken up for several days by parties going up country. Although on some accounts this delay was annoying, yet on the whole I liked it, as I had very pleasant quarters, and could thus pass Christmas in civilized society.

During my stay I saw something of "the life of an Indian officer;" which struck me as far from luxurious. Two men generally occupy a bungalow together. Each of the "chums" has one or two rooms to himself, and there is a large centre apartment which they have in common. The furniture consists of a bed, a table and a few chairs, generally of different patterns. The walls are bare or only decorated with an elk's head and horns, or some such trophy of the occupant's prowess. In one corner are a pair of foils and a gun. Against the wall are two large trunks, made to strap on a camel, which contain the officer's wardrobe. A few books in Persian and Hindoostanee, and the last magazine (six months old) lying on the table, complete the description of the "Oriental luxury" in which the young unmarried officers of the Company's service live.

As they advance in rank and pay, and particularly when they get married, they of course manage to collect around them some of the comforts of an English home-but still the above is a fair description of the interior of most of the bungalows.

The officer's life is as follows: He is wakened by his servant long before sunrise, dresses in uniform, and attends morning parade. This is over by seven or nine o'clock, according to the season. He then returns to his house, takes a bath, and dresses in civil costume. About ten, comes breakfast, known as burra hazree, or "great breakfast" to distinguish it from chota hazree, or "little breakfast" which consists of a cup of tea or coffee and a bit of toast taken before the parade. Some officers prefer to take this first meal at the mess-house, and it is then called "coffee shop." The burra hazree usually includes meat or fish or fruit, and is often followed by a hookah. Then comes business, either regimental, or the officer's study with a moonshee, or native interpreter-an occupation to which of late years they have been nearly all addicted. At two o'clock there is tiffin at the mess-house-cold meats, mulligatawney soup, and ale. After tiffin there is generally a game of billiards—nearly every regiment having a billiard table in its mess-house. After tiffin there are calls to be made on the

ladies of the station, or else there is more regimental duty and study. At about five the officer dresses again in uniform and goes to the course (or drive around the parade-ground) either in buggy or on horseback. Here all the residents and ladies of the station are to be found on the afternoons when the band plays. If there is no band, the "afternoon parade" occupies the time that would otherwise be spent on the course. Dinner comes as soon as it is dark, and concludes the day. As there are no other amusements for the evening, it is made as long as possible, and very pleasant indeed the dinners were of which I partook at the mess of the Fifty-fourth. After the table was cleared we would draw around the wood fire, some of the men smoking their hookahs, others cheroots. An hour or so would be passed in conversation, or a quiet game of cards, and by half-past nine or ten every man had returned home and gone to bed, in readiness for the early call next morning.

On Christmas day I went with several officers to a large dinner at the house of Mr. Beresford, the manager of the Delhi bank. His house was a large and handsome mansion in the city, near the Chandee chôk. It was built and at one time occupied by the Bégoom Sombre or Sumroo of Sirdhána. Mr. Beresford came out to India as a common soldier in the

Company's European army, and had raised himself by his talents to the opulent position which he then enjoyed. The Misses Beresford, two very charming young ladies, who had just returned from England, where they had been educated, and other ladies of the station were present.

After dinner we had music, and dancing; and the evening concluded with the old fashioned games of snap-dragon, blindman's buff, and hunt-the-ring. At the latter, Colonel Riddle, who was on his way to Agra, to take charge of the newlyraised Third European regiment, distinguished himself greatly. Among the decorations of the room were several misletoe boughs, which had been brought with much trouble from the Himalayas, but there were so few young ladies that kissing would have been personal, so the old custom went unhonoured.