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The same evening I left the city of Lucknow, which was subsequently the scene of so much noble endurance, and such heroic gallantry. The siege of the Residency is, I believe, unparallelled in the world's history. The residency is a large, three storied house, of not more than average strength, and entirely unsuited for defence; and yet here a little band of noble hearts held out for month after month of sickening suspense, with unexampled courage, unflinching endurance of privation, and a never-failing trust in their countrymen, against countless hordes of well-armed, well-provisioned, and ferocious enemies. They were fighting to save their wives from barbarous indignities, worse than a thousand deaths; themselves and their children from the hellish tortures of the heathen, whose tender mercies are cruel; and the English name from disgrace and degradation. Their struggle was watched with breathless interest by the civilized world; their success and safety were hailed with universal applause-an applause shared by their heroic rescuers.

I arrived at Cawnpoor again on the morning of November 13, and, having breakfasted, left in gárrhee for Futtehghur. At breakfast I met some officers who offered to show me splendid sport if I could give a week to it. They were going with camels and tents to have some deer and antelope shooting; but I felt that I must push on as fast as was compatible with seeing the most remarkable objects, and was obliged to refuse myself the pleasure.

Six months after I left Cawnpoor, its troops revolted, and its European inhabitants fell a prey to the treachery and barbarous cruelty of Nana Sahib-a wretch, who, it is to be hoped, will soon meet with the just reward of his horrible crimes, and die amid the curses of the world; a monster whose name will always be mentioned with loathing, and heard with horror. To all his other vices he added cowardice. Miserably inefficient as were the hasty defences which the feeble band of Europeans had reared against the mutinous thousands, they were strong enough to hold those overpowering odds in check, and the leader of the rebels was obliged to resort to the basest perfidy, and perjure himself by

the most sacred oath of his religion, to obtain that surrender, which he and his followers dared not force. Black treachery was followed by pitiless slaughter, and the blood of the innocent called on Heaven for vengeance. Nor was Heaven indifferent to the cry. Though every circumstance seemed to promise the mutineers immunity for their crimes, a stern and speedy avenger was found in the "Puritan" soldier, Havelock, and his army of "Saints." "Though only a few thousand in number, far away from all succour, and in the ends of the earth, they marched unfalteringly amid millions of disaffected people, and armies of trained mutineers, over thousands of miles, in the worst season of the year, besieging and overthrowing great cities, meeting intrepidly all sorts of surprises, against incredible odds of numbers, and defeating day after day, vast hordes of well-armed and desperate men. They did this while the air sighed with the dying sobs of English women and children perishing under horrors which no pen has dared fully to tell. Wrung to the heart with these sorrows, but cool and determined, they marched to avenge themselves and the human race against the demonism which had broken out around them."* Honour, then, to the brave soldier, whose life-blood was shed in doing his duty; pity and tears for the fearful fate of the helpless women and innocent children; but indignation and contempt for those who wrought this shame; the gallows and the cannon are a fit punishment for the coward and the traitor.

*New York Christian Advocate and Journal.

CHAPTER XVIII.

TO MEERUTH.

Appearance of Country-Bishop Heber-Christian Missions-Colonel Tucker-Country between Futtehghur and Meeruth-Ganges Canal-An Indian "Station"-Sirdhána Dyce Sombre's Tomb-Free Lances of India-An Ingenious Process for Collecting Money-A Female General-Success of the Begoom-To Moozuffurnuggur-Dhoolee Travelling-Persian Inscription-Natural History.

AFTER leaving Cawnpoor, the appearance of the country improved much. The population seemed thicker, the cultivation better, and the tôps more numerous. A tôp is a grove regularly planted, generally near a village, and used as a resting-place for caravans. The land on each side of the road was, in many places, overgrown with jungul-grass, a tall, thick sort of grass, which rises to the height of ten feet or more sometimes. Palm trees again became abundant, but I saw scarcely any banyan trees up-country.

I used to amuse myself in the gárrhee by studying Hindoostanee, and reading Bishop Heber's travels, which is the only guide-book for India, beside being extremely well written and interesting. His character must have been really lovely. He certainly made all with whom he was brought in contact, love him. It was related to me as a most remarkable proof ot the great respect and affection entertained for him by all classes of both Europeans and natives, that at his death, commemora tive religious services were held, not only in the churches of all the numerous Christian sects represented in Calcutta, but also in the mosques and temples of that city.

The Bishop's darling hope was the conversion of India, and he used to think that he saw hopeful signs. It would not appear, however, that the work is going on much more rapidly than in his time. The converts are few, and mostly of

the most degraded classes. The pride of caste forms an almost insurmountable barrier to the reception of the Gospel; and ages of abject superstition seem to have eradicated all noble and manly qualities from the Hindoo character.

People in this country cannot appreciate the extreme im-7 probability, I might almost say impossibility of the conversion of a high-caste Hindoo. Humanly speaking, it would be almost as reasonable to expect the archbishop of Canterbury to sacrifice a goat to Párbutee. As for arguing with a Hindoo of intelligence, it is like using cannon against Hindoo earth-works. He will grant every argument of the Christian, will admire his religion, admit his miracles, and acknowledge the truth of the Incarnation. At the same time he will contend that he has an older and a better system, miracles much more astounding, and numberless awatars, instead of one only. He is the most tolerant man in the world; will allow every religion to be true, and as his own system will not admit of converts, he recommends every man to adhere to his particular creed, and permit him to do the same.

I arrived at Futtehghur on the morning of November 14, and at once presented my letter from Captain Hayes to Colonel Tucker. He received me very kindly, and presented me to the ladies of his family, an honour for which I was not at all prepared, dressed as I was from head to foot in white flannel. I had come to Futtehghur with the intention of proceeding thence to Nynee Thal, one of the most beautiful stations on the Himalayas. I found, however, from the Colonel, that the journey would be exposing, and the trip would take considerable time. I therefore determined, by his advice, to alter my plans and proceed instead to Munsooree, also a hill-station, but much more accessible and affording an equally fine view of the snowy range. I dined in the afternoon with the Colonel, and started in the evening by gárrhee for Meeruth. Colonel Tucker was afterwards shot through the head, while defending, in company with a few other gentlemen, a place of refuge to which they had betaken themselves with the ladies. I believe they were all massacred.

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The Lieutenant Governor of the North Western Provinces was encamped under a tôp near the dâk-bungalow at Futtehghur. His camp was quite picturesque, comprising numerous tents, regularly laid out, a dozen or two of camels, half a dozen elephants, several companies of sepoys, and camp followers enough for a European army.

The country between Futtehghur and Meeruth was the best cultivated that I had seen since leaving Raneegunj. I saw for the first time several plantations of castor-oil plant. Tôps were numerous, long strings of camels constantly went by, elephants were often seen, and we passed many drays conveying bales of cotton down-country. But notwithstanding these pleasant features in the day's ride, the greater part of the country through which the road lay, was the same flat barren waste which had been wearying my eyes ever since I began my trip-a very disappointing substitute for the luxuriant foliage and picturesque scenery which I had expected to meet in India. The villages through which I passed were just as miserable as those lower down the country. They consisted of the same collections of wretched, ill-built mud huts, and displayed the same want of order, energy, and economy. Though the weather was now cold, the inhabitants were very insufficiently clad. Many of them were nearly naked, and the children entirely so, if I except a bit of string round the waist, which, as some one told me, "illustrates the intention.”

As the great plain of India has no decided natural features, the absence of cultivation near the road takes away its only claim to beauty. Still, it might be tolerable, if the long level prairies were only covered with vegetation; but I did not see a square foot of turf in India from the time I left Calcutta, except in gentlemen's compounds, and most of the uncultivated land is almost as unproductive as the Arabian desert. This defect is owing to the want of water, a difficulty under which most of this country used to labour greatly; widespread droughts, causing famine over large extents of country, and the death of many thousands, being of frequent occurThe Ganges canal, however, from near the source of that river to Cawnpoor, has done much to remedy the diffi

rence.

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