will be an imitation of English custom, for the Parsees are the greatest Anglo-maniacs in India, and affect English usages as far as possible, some of them even wearing English trowsers and boots.

The Parsees are more enterprising, and generally much better informed, than any other class of natives. They carry on business, not only with England, but also with China and other Eastern ports, in all of which are found representatives of their nation. One of their number, Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy, has obtained a world-wide reputation by his extensive charities. His property, which is now estimated at three crors of rupees ($15,000,000), was accumulated entirely by his own exertions during a long life of nearly eighty years. His extensive and most useful charities, amounting to over a million and a half of dollars, obtained for him the honour of knighthood, and a subsequent elevation to the baronetcy. Both rewards were well deserved, and were most highly valued by himself and his whole nation, especially as it was the first instance of such a dignity being conferred upon a subject of her Majesty's Indian dominions.

Besides the Parsees, the native inhabitants of Bombay are composed of the Hindoos and various classes of Moosulmans. The former are a finer looking race than the natives of Northern India. I do not know whether they are taller, but they appeared stouter and more compact, and had much lighter skins. Their manners are also much more manly and independent than those of the Hindoostanee and Bengalee, and they do not use in conversation those phrases and attitudes of servile humility which prevail where the Moosulman influence has been predominant. Their dress is substantially the same that is seen elsewhere in India, but the chupkun is made short-waisted, and, on occasions of ceremony, is worn with an immensely full skirt, descending to the heels, and giving the wearer a decidedly womanish appearance. The turbans are generally very large, and made with great care, in various odd, and not always graceful shapes, which distinguish the different castes and trades. On the whole, I think there are a much larger number of Hindoos well and carefully dressed in Bombay than

in any other city of India which I saw; and the style of costume, if not so gay and jaunty as in Northern India, is more effective and picturesque. The lower classes of Hindoos, of course, as elsewhere, have almost no clothing. In Bombay, the drapery is often limited to a strip of cotton, six inches wide, passing between the legs, and fastened in front and behind to a string tied around the waist.

It is a strange fact, that the Hindoo religion is much more powerful and vigourous in this part of India than in the North, which was its earliest cradle and still contains by far the greatest proportion of Brahmuns and high-caste people. In the Bombay Presidency, the temples are larger, finer, and more frequented than in the North. Almost every Hindoo is painted on his forehead with the mark of his god, a thing that is comparatively rare at the North; and, although they are great Anglo-maniacs in Bombay, and in many respects break through old native customs, yet there is not the least sign of such infidelity as is spreading in Calcutta, and no such disregard of their caste and religious rules as is fashionable among the wealthy Hindoos of that city.

Among the various sects of Moosulmans in Bombay, the only one which merits notice are the Bóhoras, a caste almost peculiar to that city. Their clothes are generally white, or of a shade between light yellow and drab, and they wear a rawsilk turban. They will not smoke, and are the only Indian Moosulmans who will engage in trade, or any other occupation than public or private service.

The Portuguese, as they are called, form another large class in Bombay. They come from Goa, and are darker in complexion than most of the natives. What little Portuguese blood there is left in their veins seems only to deteriorate the qualities which they derived from their native mothers, and their only occupation is as servants or small shopkeepers.

This one peculiarity distinguishes the English settlers abroad from all other nations. The English keep themselves separate and aloof from the natives. They preserve their old habits, manners, and morals, and consequently their character remains unchanged, and their pristine vigour unimpaired. In

this way fifty thousand English have conquered and held in united strength an empire composed of 180,000,000 of men of all sorts of nations and languages. The Portuguese, on the other hand, and the French, seemed at once to coalesce with the natives whom they conquered. They assumed native dress and habits, married native wives, and eventually became degraded to the level of natives, and were absorbed by their overwhelming numbers. This metamorphosis is even more marked in the case of the Mahommedan conquerors of India, who, in a few years, became changed from brave and hardy Tartars or Afghans, into the weak, cringing, idle and luxurious Moosulmans of Hindoostan. At the present day they are scarcely at all distinguishable from Hindoos; they have universally adopted the Hindoo custom of caste, and in many places have almost lost their old faith and become idolaters. In fact, at the present time, they are inferior to many of the Hindoos in physical advantages; and as regards their mental qualities, are sunk even below the level of other natives. I have spoken before of the deterioration of the Portuguese in China, which is also a case in point. In fact, that very peculiarity of the English, which, I have heard said by Frenchmen and others, disqualified them from governing foreign countries, by shutting them off from all sympathy and common feeling with their subjects, is, I believe, the quality to which is to be attributed their unexampled success in India, where French and Portuguese in equal or greater numbers failed almost from the beginning, and where the Mahommedans, though more than a hundred times as numerous, never got so sure a footing, so united an empire, and so submissive an obedience. During our stay at Bombay occurred the festival of the Hoolee, or Hindoo New-Year, which is celebrated throughout India, but more particularly in those parts that are thoroughly Hindoo. Besides the religious ceremonies observed, there are entertainments in the residences of the richer classes, and it is customary for the natives to pelt one another with red balls or a red liquid that stains the clothes and makes them look as if they were covered with blood. In some of the native courts elephants are trained to eject this liquid from their

trunks.

The aid of modern science has even been called in, and fire-engines are used to squirt the red liquid from the palace wall upon the Rajah's subjects below.

By the kindness of some Parsee friends we were invited to two of the largest entertainments given during the festival. The first was at the house of a wealthy Hindoo, Juggurnathjee Sunkurset. His residence is a large mansion, built and furnished in the English style. The rooms were lighted during the evening and thrown open for the inspection of visitors. The nach, however, was given in a temporary building of bamboo and canvass, erected for the occasion in the courtyard. The bamboo building formed one large room, about a hundred feet long by sixty broad; and the canvass walls were painted to represent Italian frescoes. On the floor was a Persian carpet, and along each side were parallel rows of sofas crowded with rich Hindoos and Parsees. At the upper end was a dais, on which sat our host and his more honoured guests, among whom were the Admiral of the Company's Navy and his family. At the lower end of the room were the nach girls, who were but little different from those of Delhi, except that they wore less voluminous dresses. At our entrance our entertainer rose to meet us, and sprinkled us with rose-water from a silver bottle, having a top perforated like a pepper-castor. We were also served with "pâns," which are some slices of areca-nut and fine chunam (lime) wrapped in a betel-leaf. These are much used for chewing by all classes of natives, and are always served to guests as coffee and pipes are in Ottoman countries. The taste is aromatic, and slightly astringent; and the juice, which is swallowed, is said to have a tonic effect on the stomach. The guests all sat on the sofas as naturally as possible, and also wore their shoes, which is an excess of Anglicism to which natives in Northern India have not yet attained. I heard in Calcutta that a few members of "Young Bengal" had attempted to wear their shoes at the Governor General's receptions, but his lordship told them decidedly that they must show some sign of respect either by uncovering the head as Europeans do, or by removing the shoes, as is the native custom.

We afterwards went to another nach at the house of a Hindoo physician. This entertainment was much smaller than the other, and those present all sat on the carpet in the native fashion. The doctor was a graduate of the University of Bombay, and had, as we understood, obtained a high position in his profession. He spoke excellent English, and was at great pains to entertain us. His dress was a chupkun, of the old fashion, with a skirt descending to the ankle, and formed of an infinite quantity of the finest white muslin gathered into an immense number of folds at the waist. On the following day, however, when we called on him, we found him without any clothing at all above the hips, which I fancy is his usual costume, at least when in the house.

The Hoolee lasted for several days, and during the whole time, these naches continued, and the streets were filled with gaily-dressed natives whose white dresses were liberally stained with the crimson marks of the season. At night the streets were brilliantly lighted, and even more crowded than during the day.

The greatest sight of Bombay is the cave temple in the island of Elephanta, which we visited in company with a member of the Parsee house of Dossabhoy, Merwanjee & Co., who were unremitting in their attentions during our stay.

We embarked in a "bunder-boat," a small native craft with a cabin, and sailed the seven miles to the island in about an hour's time, the wind being light. Long before reaching the shore our boat grounded, as the water is very shallow, and we were obliged to mount on the shoulders of some of the boatmen, who waded ashore with us on their backs.

The island is high, and richly covered with tropical trees and plants. A stone path, with several series of steps, leads up to the temple, which is over half a mile from the landingplace.

The temple is a large square room with a flat roof about twenty feet high, supported by several rows of massive pillars. The whole is carved out of the solid rock like the caves of Ellora, and in form and decorations much resembles some of them. At the further end is the principal idol, which is a co