TRAVELLING IN JAPAN.

AROUND THE WORLD
IN SEVEN MONTHS

BY
CHARLES J. GILLIS

Printed for
Private Distribution

COPYRIGHT, 1891
BY
CHARLES J. GILLIS

The Knickerbocker Press, New York

Printed and Bound by
G. P. Putnam's Sons

With the Compliments
of the Author

CONTENTS

[AROUND THE WORLD IN SEVEN MONTHS.]

[CHAPTER I.]
YOKOHAMA.

Yokohama, Japan, Oct. 10, 1889.

AT 9.50 A.M., on the morning of the 8th of September I went aboard the vestibule train of the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad, at Forty-second Street, New York; and having travelled on the principal railroads around the world, I can truly say that no train which has ever carried me has approached this one in luxurious ease, comfort, and safety. The train rolled into the Chicago depot at 9.50 the next morning—exactly twenty-four hours. I was detained in Chicago for two days, and then left by the Rock Island route for San Francisco.

At Ogden, we were detained two days by the burning of a bridge built over a ravine—one hundred feet long and about the same height. The fire destroyed the massive snow-sheds and great trees for a long distance. The fire took place Friday. Telegrams were sent to Sacramento, and the next day word came that twenty-one car loads of material had been sent with mechanics to erect a new bridge.

The new bridge was erected in four days. Our train was the first to pass over it, and I remarked how substantially the new erection had been constructed. We reached the summit at noon, and the Palace Hotel, San Francisco, at midnight.

On the 21st of September we went aboard the steamer Rio-de-Janeiro, built for the southern trade—370 feet long, 38 feet wide, 3,500 tons—six tubular boilers, each 13 feet diameter, 10½ feet long. I remarked what heavy consumers of coal such shaped boilers must be, and the engineer said there was no room to put in any other kind.

I found myself the sole occupant of a large and well ventilated state-room. At 3 P.M., Captain Ward, standing on the bridge, gave the signal, and the voice of an officer sang out, "All ashore that's going." Several hundreds of Chinese men and a dozen women, in showy dresses, crowded the wharf. The friends of the missionaries on the wharf sang a parting hymn. The big propeller started. A tug pulled the ship's bow around, and away we went on our voyage of 4,700 miles across the Pacific. We passed the Golden Gate and the Seal Islands—covered with huge seals—and then on towards our destination.

I soon made the acquaintance of most of the passengers, forty-five in number—including fourteen missionaries of the Presbyterian Board, nice young people going out to their duties in China and Japan. I took my seat at the dining-table, and found that I had at my right an agreeable companion, a captain in the German army, and at the left a charming miss of ten, Bessie, daughter of J. De Romero, secretary of the Spanish Legation to China.

The first week out was a rough one. The weather was bad, and the ship rolled fearfully, so that we could not walk on deck. The waves were immense, and consequently nearly every one was sick. I felt a little nausea for a couple of days, but soon did duty regularly at the fine feast placed before us three times a day, the specialty being splendid California fruits—peaches, plums, grapes, and oranges, any of which would bring a prize in an agricultural show.

Day after day the tireless engine drove the propeller. The splendid ship rushed on and on, not a moment's stop the entire distance. Not a sail or a steamer seen from port to port, and not even a whale. Once some porpoises and flying-fish, and once, when a thousand miles from land, a land-hawk lighted on the cross-trees, and proceeded leisurely to feast on a captured bird, and during the night flew away.

The never-ending water was very impressive in its desolation. Better weather came, the ship was steady, and we could walk on deck. My little friend and I romped along the deck from end to end in safety, but once a rude wave threw us down, and dashed us against the sides of the vessel, taking off some inches of skin from me, but the child was unhurt, and I did not mind a little thing like that.

I had early made the acquaintance of Mr. Mathews, the chief engineer, and once went into the hold and inspected the boilers and machinery of the huge ship. I spent a good deal of time in the chief engineer's room, listening to strange tales of ship and shore.

On the 9th inst., as we were approaching our destination, I was shown an engrossed resolution complimenting the captain, beautifully illustrated with a pen-and-ink sketch of the ship by Señor Romero. After dinner, one of the passengers was selected to make the presentation address. He said:

"Ladies and gentlemen, fellow-passengers by the good ship Rio-de-Janeiro: I act with pleasure as chairman on this auspicious occasion, and congratulate you on the near termination of our long trip across the great Pacific Ocean, rendered safe by the skill of the navigators and pleasant by the efforts of the officers, one and all. I have been many times across many seas, sometimes in magnificent floating palaces, but never on one so neat and clean, and where every detail has been so carefully attended to.

"'O'er the glad waters of the dark blue sea,

Our thoughts as boundless and our souls as free,

Far as the breeze can bear, the billows foam,

Survey our empire and behold our home.'

"Our only home indeed for a brief period of time. But who can fail to remember the pleasant acquaintances made, even if we go around the world? For 'they that go down to the sea in ships; that do business in great waters; these see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.' Even if we look upon the lofty Himalayas, the Alps, the Apennines, and the Juras, and linger about gigantic Mont Blanc and her white-robed sisters, or the beautiful Jungfrau, or sail along the classic shores of the blue Mediterranean,—wherever we go, and whatever we see, the scenes on this good ship will be photographed, as it were, on our memories as long as we live—the romps on the deck, perchance with a charming miss; or the tramp, tramp with military regularity with those of mature age; the hours of looking upon the moonlit sea, listening to the song and music of our missionary friends. God bless them and their cause!

"The temporary annoyance of sea-sickness will be forgotten. And now, fellow-passengers and friends, let us resolve that, like the passion-flower of the wilderness, which always bears within its bosom the true cross, we will bear within our bosom the true cross of 'enmity towards none, charity and goodwill for all,' and thus we shall be an honor to ourselves, the dear ones at home, the country we came from, and our God.

"Captain Ward, by directions of the passengers on this ship, permit me to present to you an engrossed resolution, signed by all of us, and beautifully illustrated by Señor Romero, and expressing the hope—which has been so often said before on like occasions—that your voyage through life may be as safe and pleasant as you have made ours. I bid you farewell."

The captain made a suitable reply, and the company all stood up and drank his health.

One more night on the ship; and the next morning we sighted land and passed along near it for forty miles. It was a rough country, evidently of volcanic formation, and not so thickly populated as I expected to see, considering that there are thirty-eight million people in Japan. At last we cast anchor in the splendid harbor of Yokohama, one of the most commodious and beautiful in the world, where a tug took us off the ship. We were detained an hour or two at the custom-house, and then each took a jinrickisha, a low, two-wheeled chaise with a man between the shafts, who trotted up to the "Grand," the most perfect of hotels. We went directly to our rooms, which had been previously engaged.

[CHAPTER II.]
YOKOHAMA.

Yokohama, Oct. 12, 1889.

THE Grand Hotel, where I am located, is very large and first-class in all respects. It is two hundred feet long, fronting the matchless bay, with an extension along a canal of two hundred feet.

From the room I occupy, I look down upon the canal and a fine bridge which spans it. Across this bridge goes a constant procession of men, women, and children, some horses and carriages, and occasionally a single ox drawing a cart. But every thing looks so different, and is managed so differently from what one has been accustomed to, that I am more and more impressed with the idea that I am no longer in this world, but in some wonderland beyond the stars.

The view of the bay from the front of the hotel is said to be, by some, the finest in the world. The harbor is very large, and could float all the navies of all nations. At anchor, in different directions, are iron-clad war-ships, English, French, German, Italian, Russian, and Japanese,—only one showing the stars and stripes, the St. Mary, an old side-wheel boat, about as large as a Brooklyn ferry-boat, and of course about as useless.

One of the naval vessels flying the British flag is an immense iron-clad of six thousand tons. With the commander, Captain May, I became acquainted. He has on board an Armstrong gun of one hundred and twenty tons, the largest I think ever made, which will throw a bolt of half a ton a dozen miles, and penetrate through a wrought-iron plate twelve inches thick.

The captain expressed himself as having serious doubt of the efficiency of such monster ships and guns in actual warfare, as smaller, swifter crafts could run around them, and have great advantages in that respect.

Most of the coal used in this part of the world comes from England, and is consequently very high-priced.

The harbor is crowded with many large passenger steamers, and a great fleet of fishing craft. Towards evening the latter presented a beautiful appearance, coming in.

I took a short walk beyond the canal and over steep hills. There are few horses or oxen to be seen. Most of the transportation is done by men. A two-wheeled cart, loaded with perhaps five hundred brick, was being pushed up a steep hill by eight men, who rested often and were much fatigued by their exertions.

Last evening our party started for a moonlight excursion along the smooth and finely macadam-paved streets of the city. Under the guidance of one of our number, jinrickishas—the national cab for transporting light packages and passengers—were called, The translation of this word is pullman-car, and thus we have the extraordinary coincidence of the same name for a crude vehicle, drawn by a man, and for the splendid Pullman palace cars of America, which, with the Wagner, so far surpass in elegance and comfort all others.

Away we went at a tremendous pace, each having a Chinese lantern, my carriage leading. We passed through well-lighted streets, lined with stores filled with showy goods, into the suburbs, a mile or two away, and stopped at a tea-house, where we were received with much bowing and ceremony by the women in charge, who spoke a little English. We were shown up a narrow stair-way into a small hall, and a bargain was made for a national performance by two musicians and ten dancing girls, who presently appeared, draped in beautiful Japanese costumes. These dancing girls were all very pretty, with their almond eyes and dark skins, and apparently not more than twelve or fifteen years old. They were the most jolly and laughing young women one ever saw. They shook hands with all the company, and then danced very nicely, to very poor music, in their swaying robes. At a signal, these robes were thrown aside, and the girls appeared in long loose dresses made of white and red material, much like the stripes on the American flag. The dancing, which was very graceful, continued for some time; but the show became somewhat monotonous. The ladies did not care to see any thing more, and we came away. Again we took to the road, making a very unique procession by moonlight—passing over many bridges and boulevards, and rows upon rows of brilliantly illuminated tea-houses,—and returned to the hotel.

The natives do not wear European clothing as much as I expected. The upper part of their persons is covered with a loose sack, often open in front, and the jolly and laughing children of ten years and under are generally entirely nude.

This morning all hands took another trip through the markets. We examined cane factories, and stores filled with silks and beautiful goods of native manufacture. Again we looked upon the street scenes and their never-ending wonders.

From my bedroom window I see a large factory for the making of ice, which is sold at a penny a pound and is the greatest of comforts in this country. Butter and cigars are so strong and bad that I have left off the use of them, and do not expect to try them again until I get to Austria; but soda-water of excellent quality is to be had everywhere, and is a great comfort.

We spent the evening listening to the splendid Japanese Marine Band which played lovely music for two hours in front of the hotel; all the musicians were natives. It was gayly bright at the hotel, the entire front being illuminated by paper lanterns of various colors; the big ships in the bay shown by their own numerous lamps, and the light of the full moon glittering upon the moving waters. I have seen no such beautiful show since 1887, when, at the city of Florence, I witnessed great festivities attendant upon the unveiling of a statue to an Italian patriot; the great dome of the cathedral, the bridges, and the boats on the river Arno, the palaces on the hills, and the whole beautiful city being illuminated in the most splendid manner—but this is a digression and I must write now about Japan.

I have to-day wandered about the city alone, and have seen more of the well-to-do natives. These are better dressed—always the flowing dressing-gown pattern, and stilted and inconvenient slipper-like shoes.

Everywhere, the babies are carried in bags, on the backs of their mothers, or more often by the older children. There are great numbers of babies to be seen all over the city, carried about in this way, and they always appear very happy, well fed, and comfortable.

This morning at two o'clock I was awakened by an earthquake which rolled my bed about the room. It lasted twenty seconds or so, but I did not think it worth while to get up, and soon went off to sleep again. I am told such entertainments are frequent in this country, and one must get used to them.

[CHAPTER III.]
TOKIO.

Tokio, Japan, Oct. 15, 1889.

AFTER being entertained at Yokohama, on the morning of the 14th instant, with a slight earthquake, we left for this, the capital city of the Empire, on a finely built and equipped, narrow-gauge (3 ft. 6 in.) railroad. Every square yard of the country we traversed was cultivated in the highest degree—Distance eighteen miles, time one hour.

I noticed that the locomotives, cars, and all the equipments about the railroad were of English manufacture from Manchester and Birmingham. I was informed that most of the twelve hundred miles of railroads in Japan were owned and run by the Government. The chief in charge is a native educated in England, who scouted the idea that any other country could produce any thing fit to be used on railroads.

We had previously engaged rooms at one of the two hotels in the city, where foreigners are entertained, and after an excellent dinner, took jinrickishas, of which there are 80,000 in this city, and had a long run through the interminable streets. The city has a population of 1,600,000 and covers a space of thirty-six square miles, the streets being very narrow and the houses mostly of wood, one and two stories high—the stores all small.

After passing through streets for some miles, we came to others, wider and lighted brilliantly by gas and electricity, through which carriages were not allowed to pass. The houses, for miles, were occupied as tea-houses, and were brilliantly illuminated, like the gin palaces of London, or the whiskey saloons of America. Great vans were passing along, on which dancing and theatrical performances were going on. There were also a good many theatres in active operation.

One of the evenings that we were in the city, these streets were occupied by an immense annual flower show, one of the features of which was a big elephant constructed of chrysanthemum flowers of many colors. The effect was very gorgeous.

The next day we spent going about the great city and seeing its wonders, chief of which is the Mikado's palace and grounds. I called on the American Minister and asked him to get me a permit to go into the palace, but he said it was impossible, no foreigners being allowed in the palace or the grounds. The palace and gardens looked like immense fortifications, being surrounded by three moats, each a hundred feet wide, and filled with water, and by three stone walls, each thirty or forty feet high.

The palace is in the heart of the city, and I should say the grounds were two hundred acres in extent, all, including the neighboring streets, being lighted by the New York Edison Company. I saw the superintendent who had charge of the construction of the plant, who said it took them a year to do it.

The women to be seen in the streets and tea-houses are invariably small and very pretty, except some of the married ones, who have their teeth colored black in accordance with an ancient custom, which makes them look hideous.

It is very cool in this part of Japan at this season. There is not sufficient frost to affect the crops, but one gets cold riding about—and there is no efficient method of heating the houses. There is no coal used for domestic purposes, and wood is very scarce and high. If you ask for a fire, at most hotels, they bring you a copper pan containing ignited charcoal covered with ashes, which does about as much good as a kerosene lamp. I suffer greatly with the cold, and would be glad to pay a large price for a pair of Arctic overshoes.

The price of newspapers, printed in the English language, at Yokohama is twenty-five cents a copy, or thirty dollars per annum. They have very little news, and almost none from America.

We went through the museum, and saw many extraordinary curiosities of ancient and modern Japan. Among them was a stuffed rooster in a glass case, whose tail feathers were ten feet long. I thought there was some humbug about it, but I afterwards saw a live one with tail feathers twelve feet long.

The public buildings are modern, large, and handsome, and the people very polite and good-natured. The streets are narrow. Great crowds are everywhere. It seems to me that I must have seen a hundred thousand people to-day. Every thing about the city is strange, often disagreeable and offensive. A couple of days in it is quite sufficient, and I shall be very glad to go away to-morrow.

[CHAPTER IV.]
NIKKO.

Nikko, Japan, Oct. 20, 1889.

WE left Tokio on the 17th, at 6.46 A.M., for a station called Utsumorama, ninety-three miles. Arrived at noon, and, after an excellent lunch, started in jinrickishas for this place, and a most extraordinary and unique trip it proved to be.

The road was built hundreds of years ago by a Shinto king, and is an admirable example of engineering; well drained, and with an excellent foundation of small stones, which needed only a top-dressing and a steam roller to make it as good as any in Europe. It is lined on both sides with immense pine and cedar trees. Many of these trees are twelve feet in diameter; and often the roots are grown together, so that four or five trees look like one. They are sixty to eighty feet high, and afford an excellent shade.

The distance from the railway station to this place is twenty-five miles, and we made it in four hours with two men harnessed to the jinrickishas tandem. We made only one stop of half an hour for lunch, which we brought with us, and ate at one of the numerous tea-houses.

We arrived at 4 P.M., delighted at the wonderful sights, but much fatigued and very cold. Rooms had been engaged for us in an excellent hotel, excellent in all respects except that there was no way of heating, unless with pans of charcoal. I suffered greatly from the cold, though I had warm clothing, including a heavy overcoat which had done me good service the previous winter at Montreal when the thermometer stood at thirty degrees below zero.

Near the hotel are a dozen, or more, costly and grotesque edifices, much adorned with carved wood statues of horrible-looking beasts and devils, covered with bronze and gold. There are temples of Buddha, and gorgeous mausoleums of kings who died five hundred years ago, situated in a park of big trees; but looking at them, though interesting, was not agreeable, and I was quite satisfied with one visit.

To-day we made an excursion to a lake among the mountains, five thousand feet high. I was furnished with a mountain horse which proved an ugly brute; kicked and stumbled, and put the bit between his teeth, so that I could not control him, and he nearly trotted the life out of me. We went up and along the winding paths, passing numerous water-falls, one of which was 750 feet high, and at last reached the lake, which is of great beauty. The mountains rise directly from the water's edge. They are covered to their very tops with green trees, the leaves of which have a singular feathery appearance.

The tea-houses where we stopped for lunch were models of cleanliness and comfort. We brought our own provisions as usual, but had in addition a boiled fish just taken from the lake.

We stopped in and around the tea-houses for some hours; and then I mounted my ugly brute of a horse and rode back to the hotel, a much used-up man. I was glad to get a bath and to retire early.

We returned to the railway station by the road we came, and again made the distance in four hours, with only one stop of fifteen minutes.

[CHAPTER V.]
MIYNOSKITA.

Miynoskita, Japan, Oct. 24, 1889.

YESTERDAY at 10 A.M. we left Yokohama, arrived at the railroad station at twelve, and reached this favorite watering-place, among the mountains, in four hours by jinrickishas. Our rooms had been engaged in an excellent hotel, called Fujiya, and soon after our arrival a fine dinner was served of soup, fish, roast beef, sago pudding, and other delicacies, to which we did ample justice. The waitresses were all pretty native girls, dressed in their native costumes; there were a dozen, or more, of them about the hotel. These waitresses were pleasant, jolly, and very polite, but very small in stature; some of them walked under my outstretched arm, and all of them might have done so.

I have a fine front room, and look out upon the surrounding mountains, which are very lofty and covered with green trees. This is an ideal mountain resort—great mountains, a roaring river winding some hundreds of feet below the road, and numerous water-falls; the water rushing down into the river. From one point of view I counted seven water-falls, and found, on trial, that one of them came from a hot spring far up among the mountains, and the water was quite warm when it reached the road. I walked along the road for several miles and found it wonderfully romantic everywhere. The road itself is a fine specimen of engineering, very expensive to build, and almost as good as the famous one built by Napoleon III., from Geneva to Chamouni.

We are here rather too late in the season to thoroughly enjoy the place and surroundings, it being cold and the methods of heating houses imperfect, but in summer it must be perfectly lovely.

There is another hotel being erected near the one we are in, and I was much interested watching their method of work. They required a lot of earth for filling in, and were transporting it in baskets from the mountains above. Two men would fill a basket, suspend it across their shoulders by a bamboo pole, dump it where wanted, and return for more. I longed to present them with a wheelbarrow, and show them how to move earth ten times faster than they were doing. It would appear that there are no saw-mills in this country, for the men were sawing out boards and timber by hand, to use in the construction of this hotel. A stick of timber a foot or two in diameter was arranged with one end resting on the ground, and the other placed on a wooden horse four or five feet high; a man then mounted the stick and laboriously sawed out boards with a hand-saw. The workmen had no clothing on except a breech cloth, and were all doing constant and faithful service for, as we were informed, ten hours a day; the pay being ten cents per day. For similar service in our country, as every one knows, mechanics are paid from $2.50 to $3.50 per day.

We left the hotel at nine this morning, and took a trip among the mountains to Lake Hakone. I selected my horse this time, and he proved an excellent animal, a small shaggy fellow, kind and easy trotting, but much given to stumbling and letting both heels fly if another horse came near, which little amusement of his nearly unseated me several times. We went up six thousand feet over the worst of mountain roads, but my animal walked carefully, often along narrow paths, where a fall would have tumbled us down hundreds of feet below. I enjoyed the ride very much. It took six horses and seven chairs to accommodate our party, each horse having a man to attend to him, and each chair carried by four men, making a large procession. We arrived in two or three hours at an hotel on the lake, and after an excellent lunch took boats and crossed over to near the foot of Fusiyama, the horses and men going around to meet us.

Fusiyama is the brag mountain of Japan, the only one of much size in the Empire, and is universally known and photographed in all possible ways. It is fourteen thousand feet high, and is, as I write, covered with snow, and presents a beautiful appearance from the lake.

We landed and walked over the mountains to the place where the horses had been sent. The sun was terribly hot in some places, and in others the only path was along the bed of dry brooks. We passed over the crater of an active volcano, steam and smoke rushing out near the path. The guide said it was dangerous to wander from the path, and pointed out where two native guides had fallen through and had not been seen since. There was no wandering after this fact was stated. After two or three hours of dreadful fatigue, we found our horses, and I was very glad to mount my shaggy old fellow, who carried me safely over slippery rocks, along narrow paths, and a road (where there was any) as bad as a road could be, arriving at the hotel at six, much fatigued, but in good form and ready for the excellent dinner which was waiting our arrival.

After thoroughly enjoying this delightful spot for two days, we started down the mountain road in the morning and came along in jinrickishas at a tremendous pace, making the distance—fourteen and one half miles—to the railroad in two hours. We reached Yokohama at 7 P.M., in season for a fine dinner.

[CHAPTER VI.]
KOBÉ.

Kobé, Japan, Nov. 7, 1889.

ON the 2d inst. we left Yokohama by the Japanese steamer Omi Mars, Captain Island Vrise. During the afternoon we passed an island on which is a volcano in eruption. It is 2,550 feet high, and was a pretty sight as seen from the steamer. We arrived at this fine city at 5 P.M., and were soon in comfortable quarters at an excellent hotel, and, as it was very cold, I had a grate fire in my room, which I enjoyed very much. The city is beautifully situated near the shore with great mountains for a background, and the harbor is very fine. As usual, big steamers and crafts of all kinds were to be seen, representing England, France, Italy, Russia, and other countries—but Stars and Stripes there were none.

We left on the 4th by rail for Kioto, arriving there at 5 P.M., at a really splendid hotel, as fine as any in Europe. The city is a very old one, and one of the largest and most interesting in Japan; great numbers of temples and palaces, and, in and around it, most lovely scenery. Some of the temples were erected seven hundred years ago. In the evening I went with a party and called on the American missionaries, who were holding a monthly meeting at one of their houses. They have a large college building, and all seem greatly interested in their work.

The next morning we started early to make the famous Oigawa Rapids excursion. The entire party, except two ladies, went in jinrickishas, over bad roads and through immense fields of rice, vegetables, and tea-plants, up and along a rough mountain road. Once my cooly's carelessness tipped me over, but, as good luck would have it, toward the cliff and not into the rushing river, and no harm was done. We had to leave the vehicles several times, the road having been badly washed out a month ago by a big typhoon, which caused floods and great disasters all over the island. Some thousands of lives were lost, and there was great destruction of property.

We stopped once to rest, and then went through fields for a mile or two to the river Hodza, where we took three flat-bottomed boats, manned by three boatmen each, and passed down over numerous rapids, and through what in California would be called a cañon—mountains from two thousand to three thousand feet high, clothed with verdure to their tops. The river is from two hundred to three hundred feet wide and full of rocks, and was really, it appeared to me, very dangerous; but the boatmen were skilful, and we did the distance, seven miles, in one and one half hours. We had lunch at a tea-house, and returned by another route to the city, passing through other fields and seeing an immense number of children everywhere. We arrived at the hotel at 5 P.M., the excursion being pronounced by all to have been the most interesting we had enjoyed in Japan.

On the 6th inst. we left the city at 9 A.M. in jinrickishas, and passed along a splendid wide national road for seven miles, to Lake Viwa. We met great crowds of people on foot coming to the city, and numerous trucks loaded with stone, timber, rice, and vegetables. Occasionally a single bullock would be drawing the vehicles, but generally this was done by two or four men. We met two processions of ten trucks, each loaded with stone. The trucks were drawn by prisoners, with a soldier to guard each truck. The prisoners were comfortable-looking, and appeared as jolly as any of the travellers. They were building a canal from the lake to Kioto, nine miles long, four miles of which they said was a tunnel. I examined a part of it, and found it to be of excellent construction. We arrived at the lake at noon. After lunch we went aboard a small steamer, and proceeded to a point where there was a famous temple, and landed. But looking at temples in this country has become monotonous, and I spent my time sitting under a wonderful pine tree, which is feet eight in diameter, with limbs trained out for fifty feet horizontally each way. We steamed around the lake for an hour or two, and returned by the same road we went, reaching the hotel at six. I found a good fire in a stove in my room, which was very acceptable.

[CHAPTER VII.]
OSAKA.

Osaka, Nov. 8, 1889.

WE left Kioto at 10 A.M. this morning by rail, and arrived in this remarkable city at 11.15. It is a most interesting place, having a large number of canals and bridges, in which respect it resembles Venice more than any other city. It is the second city in size and importance in the Empire, having about a million and a half of inhabitants, and numerous industries, such as cotton factories, etc.; also the imperial mint, which we visited.

The machinery of this mint was all made in France—with one or two exceptions, of English make—and is very fine. This is the most exclusively native city we have visited, there being only seven resident foreigners, and only one American, from Charlestown, Mass., who is here for two years to superintend the erection of a brush factory.

There are numerous large boats constantly passing through the canals, heavily loaded with cotton and all kinds of goods, showing an extensive commerce. Toward evening I took a walk across a long bridge, and rested myself on a seat in a small park overlooking the river; but the people stopped their work to look at me to such an extent as to make it disagreeable, and I returned to the hotel. The next morning we returned to our old quarters in the hotel at Kobé.

[CHAPTER VIII.]
HONG-KONG.

Hong-Kong, Nov. 18, 1889.

LEAVING Kobé on the evening of the 8th, by the Peninsular and Oriental steamer Ancona, we arrived here at seven this evening. This line of steamers has the contract for transporting the English mails all over the Eastern waters, including Australia, Japan, and China, and has in commission fifty-four vessels, some of them of 6,000 tons, representing 7,000 horse-power.

On the 14th and 15th we were steaming through the famous inland sea, the beauty of which could hardly be exaggerated by a writer of a poetical turn of mind,—passing between Nipon, a large island, on one side, and many hundred smaller ones on the other. The channel would often be near the shores, where we could see the villages and cultivated land. The islands being volcanic, were in all sorts of fantastic shapes; one called the Asses'-ears was very funny-looking. The water is very clear and blue, the islands largely cultivated and clothed with green to the summits of their mountains.

On the morning of the 15th, the steamer dropped her anchor at Nagasaki, and we all went ashore sight-seeing and shopping. We rode about through long streets, and called at several factories and stores; among others, at a place where was made a variety of shell-work, which was very pretty. I made some purchases.

The owner of the place spoke English, and I recommended him to send an exhibition of his goods to the fair which was expected to be opened in New York in 1892, and he astonished me by asking what country New York was in? But life being too short for me to teach him the rudiments of geography, I paid for my purchase, and came away.

We went to see more temples. In the grounds near one of them were two small trees and on a stone near it was engraved, "Planted by Mr. and Mrs. Gen. Grant, 1879."

We had an excellent lunch at the Hotel Bellevue, took another trip around the city, and came back to the ship at 6 P.M.

The harbor is one of great beauty, nearly landlocked, and surrounded by hills covered with verdure. It was crowded with ships, three Russian men-of-war, one American, and several English.

Nothing could have been more lovely than the trip from Nagasaki to this port—the sea as smooth as a pond, weather warm, and every thing quite agreeable and comfortable.

We came up the bay last evening between four and six. It was a splendid show. One of the finest harbors in the world, eleven miles long and from two to five wide. The islands and mountains covered with verdure.

The island of Hong-Kong was taken possession of by the British after the war with China in 1842, and now has a population of one hundred and forty thousand.

We left the steamer after dark in a tug, and had a fine view of the city of Victoria; the streets and buildings covering the hills for a long distance, and the vessels in the harbor being brilliantly lighted, presented a splendid appearance as we approached.

We soon took possession of rooms previously engaged at the Hong-Kong Hotel, and found it to be in all respects first-class, including an Otis elevator furnished by their London house. The waiters are all Chinese, tall and good-looking, and dressed in long blue night-gowns or frocks.

This city surpasses Gibraltar in the number of nationalities one sees in the streets; every nation on earth appearing to be represented, and I am much interested in looking at them as they pass.

The policemen are a sight—tall, black fellows from the Malay Peninsula. Their uniform is the same as worn by those in New York, except a large red turban, which gives them a very imposing appearance.

Passing for a mile or so alongside the water front between 5 and 6 P.M. I found that hundreds of boats had returned from fishing, or other business, and were tied to the piers, bows on, giving me a chance to see this phase of Chinese life, which had always interested me when reading about it. They were all having their suppers,—a family of ten, sitting in a circle with a big bowl of food, apparently rice, in the centre. Each person had a small bowl, which was often replenished, and the food eaten with chopsticks. The boat was their home, their sole residence. In one case a small boy was eating and his mother was boxing his ears very roughly. Except the children, no one paid any attention to me; this being an English city the people are accustomed to foreigners.

One morning we called jinrickishas and went on a ten minutes' trip to the foot of the mountains, which are back of the city, and there entered a cable tramway car, which took us up a very steep incline, a mile or so, to a station, and then we took sedan chairs and continued our trip to the top of Mount Victoria, 1,825 feet high. From there we looked down upon the bay, the city, many islands, and the mainland of China on the opposite shores—a scene of unsurpassed magnificence. The big steamers in the beautiful bay looked like canoes on the calm waters of an inland lake.

The island is a series of mountains, over, around, and through which are built splendid roads, near which are many beautiful residences, where the governor and wealthy people reside.

We looked about for a couple of hours and then took the tramway down. Some of the more timid of the party preferred to come all the way down in the sedans, and said they had a delightful trip.

The sedan I was in was carried by two men, who were very picturesque, their bronze bodies shining in the sun. Their bare feet pressed the ground with a sure tread. Sometimes I have seen a sedan carried by four men with white trousers and red sacks, their heads covered by large bamboo hats, and altogether presenting a very attractive appearance.

The thermometer on the top of Mount Victoria registered only sixty-five degrees, but I never felt such heat in July at home. However, when in Japan I suffered so much from cold weather that I am quite glad to have some of the other kind now.

[CHAPTER IX.]
CANTON.

Canton, China, Nov. 21, 1889.

FROM Hong-Kong we sailed on the 21st inst. at 8 A.M., for this city, by the fine English steamer Hankow, Captain Lloyd, and arrived at 2.30 P.M.

There being but one hotel here, the Oriental, and that a very poor one at that, we made use of the English passenger boats as hotels during our stay, and found them excellent in all ways; large, clean rooms and table very fine, including all kinds of wines and beer furnished gratis, and wood-cock, and snipe every day.

Leaving the beautiful harbor of Hong-Kong, with its immense fortifications, we passed into the Canton River, a mile or two wide for many miles from its mouth, and having high mountains on each side, covered with green trees and grass. There were great fortifications all along, armed with big Krupp guns. We saw large numbers of the national boats, called sampans, and many village, houses, and tents.

As we approached Canton the river narrowed to about a thousand feet, and I was able to closely observe the country. Banana trees lined the shores for many miles, sugar-cane and rice fields stretched as far as I could see. Scattered all along the country and in the city big brick buildings one hundred feet square and six stories high were very prominent. These were pawnbrokers' establishments.

As we approached the city, the largest building seen was a Catholic cathedral, with two great towers; a splendid edifice, but not yet finished.

We had an excellent lunch on the steamer, and then went in sedan chairs to call on Mr. Charles Seymour, the United States Consul, and his wife. After being kindly entertained in their beautiful residence, we returned to the boat, and spent the remainder of the day and evening watching the wonderful life on the river.

There was a ferry-house near, and I learned that the cost of ferrying across the river was one fifth of a cent, and that a howling swell could have a boat alone for one and a half cents.

After a good dinner at seven, and a good night's sleep, we all took sedan chairs, three men to each chair, the conductor ahead with the native guide, Ah Cum, a fine-looking Chinese gentleman with finger nails two inches long, and the entire day was spent in sight-seeing.

All the streets of the city are from four to ten feet wide, no sidewalks, and are paved with granite blocks a foot wide and six feet long. The houses all have shops in front. We did not see one private house in the city outside of the foreign settlements. The buildings are mostly two stories high, built of brick, and the stores have no glass or other fronts; all open to the street.

The streets are crowded with an immense mass of men, women, and children, nearly all with no clothing above their hips, and as our men pushed their way along, yelling and screaming, the people would stop, crowd around us with wonder, but were never impolite.

We passed along many miles of streets, lined with stores of all kinds, the butchers' shops displaying dead rats hanging up, and once I saw the carcass of a large dog with the hair scalded off lying on the butcher's table ready to be cut up for customers.

It has rained here for two days, and the streets are very dirty and bad-smelling. There is no system of sewerage, no horses or draft animals. Every thing, including all kinds of sewerage and slops and building materials, is carried along by men, women, and children. Frequently there were such masses of people going and coming that traffic would be clogged, and we had much difficulty in getting through.

To write of all the extraordinary things I have seen to-day would require a big book, and I can therefore only mention that we went to a flour mill and saw them grinding wheat by stones forced around by blind oxen, just as they used to do in Bible times in Palestine.

We went into a jail and saw poor wretches in irons with wooden collars around their necks; and on the street two of them were in the stocks, their hands and feet confined. The court-house was near, and some of our party attended a trial which had been progressing for some days. The wife of the judge saw there were ladies in the party, and invited them into an interior room and entertained them with tea.

The prisoner was accused of forging the deed of a house and land belonging to one of his wives, and selling her furniture, all valued at two thousand dollars. Several witnesses proved that all this was so, and the wife appeared with her marriage certificate. At the moment when our party arrived, the prisoner was on the stand. He denied that he was married to the woman or had ever sold any of her property. The judge was very angry, and said to the prisoner that he was the greatest liar in China, and ordered that he should be punished with 150 blows with a bamboo stick, then and there. He was thrown down, and held by several men, while another struck the blows with great severity on his bare back, causing the poor wretch to yell with agony, so that he could be heard far out on the street, as well as in the interior room, where the ladies were drinking tea. After fifty blows had been given, the man was asked to confess, but he refused and was given fifty more; and the native guide said that he would no doubt have his head cut off in a few days. We saw on our route a beautiful club-house, and a clock two hundred years old, made to go by water. Lunch was served in a splendid seven-story pagoda on a hill outside of the city wall, from the top of which we looked down upon one section of the city and an immense cemetery. A part of this was devoted to rich men's tombs, all above ground, the peculiarities of which were that the coffins were all in sight. After lunch we were again rushed through the crowded streets, stopping at many shops, some of the party purchasing largely of silks, satins, crockery, and curios; and at six we returned to the boat, a very much instructed but fatigued party.

In the evening I was greatly interested in watching what was going on in the family boats, called sampans, which were anchored between our boat and the shore. I counted from the steamer 164 of them, with their sterns towards us. Each boat had a kerosene-oil stove, and in a frying-pan they were preparing their suppers, which consisted apparently of rice. I noticed that when the woman who was stirring the food wished to moisten it, she dipped water from the river, in which was floating all the filth of the great city. Each member of the family had a bowl which he dipped into the food, and proceeded to eat with chopsticks.

There are many thousand of such boats on the river, the only homes of their occupants.

We spent another day in Canton, going about in sedan chairs, steamers, and sampans, and saw many places and objects of interest; but two days have been quite enough for this city, and I was glad to get aboard the fine steamer Honam, Captain Febor, which left at 5.30 P.M., and arrived at Hong-Kong at 1 A.M., we all going directly to the rooms retained for us at the hotel. Here I had the pleasure of meeting a lady from New York, Mrs. R. H. L. Townsend, who is making a tour around the world, accompanied by another lady, and has accomplished the trip thus far without trouble, being everywhere received with distinguished consideration.

[CHAPTER X.]
HONG-KONG.

Hong-Kong, Dec. 3, 1889.

WE have been detained here ten days, awaiting the arrival of a P. and O. steamer, for which we were booked, but have passed the time in a very delightful manner.

I went nearly every day to the park and public gardens, of about twenty acres, situated several hundred feet above the main street, laid out in the best manner, and containing a great variety of trees and flowers, such as grow only in tropical climates. On one occasion a friend and myself were sitting on a bench near a handsomely dressed Chinese gentleman. My friend said: "See what a handsome girl is coming, and how beautifully she is dressed, but how deplorable that she has such little feet." I agreed with him, and said it was a pity such a pretty creature was obliged to submit to a barbarous custom like that. The Chinese gentleman spoke to us in excellent English, and said: "Do you think so? That is my daughter, and while I agree with you, we feel obliged to make her feet small or no Chinese gentleman would marry her."

We made apologies which were kindly accepted, and in a long conversation with the gentleman we learned much of China, he being a resident of Canton, who had been educated in the United States. I cannot agree with my Chinese friend that it will be so long a time before China will be opened to European civilization, for her 332,000,000 people are beginning to feel the pressure of surrounding nations; Russia on the north, and England, Germany, France, and Italy on her sea-coasts, and above all the example of the wonderful advances made by Japan are having strong influences upon China. China has now for a Prime-Minister, Li Hung Chang, a very great man, the equal of Bismarck or Gladstone, and the young Emperor has very advanced ideas. Just now we read in the newspapers that Li Hung Chang had caused a system of railways to be laid out, to run all over the vast empire, but it appears that the religious authorities have some sort of a veto on political actions, and because one of the gates at Pekin had been destroyed by fire, which they attributed to the anger of the gods on account of the attempt to build railroads, the invention of "foreign devils," they would not consent, and consequently the railroad plan was abandoned for the present. There is only one railroad in the Empire, up north, running from a coal mine to the sea, eighty miles long.

The Emperor has, in his extensive palace grounds at Pekin, a miniature railroad, much like the one which was in the grounds of the Centennial Exposition at Philadelphia in 1876, with a locomotive and car attached, which was built and presented to him by the French, and he is said to be very much pleased riding about on it.

I think it a misfortune to China, and to this country, that our great general, Ulysses S. Grant, was not permitted to live a few years longer, for through the great friendship of Li Hung Chang for him, and the high regard in which he was held, not only by all the rulers of the Asiatic countries, but by the people themselves, it is more than likely that we would have seen China opened to modern civilization, as Japan has been, and the United States of America reaping the advantages of close commercial relations with her, and at the same time amicably restricting the emigration of her people to this country.

One afternoon we hired a steam yacht and went about the harbor and partly around the island. We stopped to examine a dry dock, where a large steamer was being repaired, and I was delighted to see that one of the big pumps used for pumping the water out of the dock was made by the A. S. Cameron Co., of New York, for you do not often see any thing in this part of the world to remind you of home,—kerosene oil, Singer's sewing-machines, and clocks being about all. The English appear to supply nearly every thing to the countless millions of this Eastern country, owing, of course, to the fact that their government does so much to forward the interests of her merchants and manufacturers, and I think it only right to say that wherever you see a British flag in this part of the world there follows it Christianity, civilization in all its advanced phases, and safety to life and property, and not anywhere is the great contrast between civilization and semi-barbarism shown so strongly as in the comforts and beauties of this lovely city as against the horrors of Canton.

This is an important commercial city. The governor stated in a late message that it was the third or fourth export city in the world. There is a great deal of building going on up the mountains, the bricks for which are being carried from the vessels to their destinations by coolies, each man carrying two baskets suspended from a bamboo stick across his shoulders, each basket containing eighteen large bricks. The mountains are very steep, and the distance about two miles, so that the men can only make two or three trips a day, and their pay is five cents a trip.

The fine winding roads were alive with these men; a thousand or more were to be seen at one time.

[CHAPTER XI.]
SINGAPORE.

Singapore, Dec. 9, 1889.

ON the 4th instant we left the beautiful island of Hong-Kong and the city of Victoria by the steamer Kaisar-i-Hind (Empress of India). The accommodations and appointments of the steamer were first-class—electric lights, plenty of ice, and every convenience.

On Sunday morning the English service was read from the prayer-book by the captain to a congregation consisting of all of the officers and most of the passengers. Before this there was a parade of the crew and servants,—some sixty Lascars, black, sharp-looking fellows dressed in frocks and bright head-dresses, and looking very fine.

Yesterday was very hot. We were nearing the equator, and the captain had punkas put up in the dining cabin. A Lascar boy pulled the strings running over pulleys and fanned us during meal times, which was very agreeable.

Again I have to note how lonely these sea voyages are. Since we left Hong-Kong, five days, not a craft has been seen, only a wide waste of water, generally as smooth as a pond.

The steamer arrived at seven in the morning, and was soon surrounded by boats, each containing two or three boys. The passengers threw silver pieces into the water, and the boys would dive after them, and seemed to get them every time. It was great fun to watch them. A little bald-headed fellow not more than six years old, attracted my attention, and I threw some bright pieces near his boat. Over he went and caught them every time, and was pulled into the boat by his older companion, triumphantly holding up the pieces.

We came ashore and were soon in our rooms in the large and first-rate Hotel de l'Europe.

We were within about fifty miles of the equator, and the heat was intense. After resting we took carriages, it being quite a comfort to have them once more, and drove over fine roads, past splendid government and other buildings, two or three miles out to a botanical garden, said to be one of the finest in the world, all in perfect order, with trees and plants such as can be seen only in the tropics; tall trees, with clusters of cocoa-nuts on them, and the fan palm, a great curiosity to me, being in the shape of a fan fifty feet high. Pine-apples were everywhere, for this is the home of that fine fruit; big trees, covered with red and white flowers, and plants of great variety and beauty, all in a park of a hundred acres or more; houses filled with fine orchids, and others containing beautiful native birds. It was very hot—ninety degrees or so—and oppressive, but we all stood it for a couple of hours, and most of our party, who had seen many such shows in all parts of the world, said that they had never seen any thing approaching this for variety and beauty. We then took our carriages and returned to the hotel for lunch, and immediately afterwards went on another tour around the well-built, handsome city. Fine stores and public buildings, perfect pavements, splendid turn-outs, and all the appliances of civilization were everywhere. No more babies carried pickapack, as in Japan and China. They were often nude, but looked well cared-for, comfortable, and happy.

The natives are of the Malay race, and their dress is of the brightest, generally a frock of white or red cotton and no trousers. We returned to the hotel at five, and after resting an hour had an excellent dinner. Being very hungry I partook of all the courses, the dinner being à la Russe. One incident was particularly tropical. The ceiling and sides of the dining-room were covered with little green lizards, crawling about and catching flies. Some of the ladies were nervous, fearing that the creatures might drop into the soup or on their hair, but I did not mind, knowing them to be harmless. The landlord, who has been here twenty-eight years, thinks that I should stay here at least a week and go on to the Malay Peninsula to shoot tigers, but I have concluded to postpone that kind of amusement until I come again. I find it best to be very temperate in this terribly hot country, limiting my beverages to soda and Apollinaris water, and am very thankful to have plenty of ice, which is now manufactured in this city and all other large cities in the East. The P. & O. line of steamers alone spends one hundred thousand dollars annually for ice.

When I retired at night I found that they had not provided me with even a sheet for a cover; only a mosquito net. The Chinese chamber-man was sleeping in front of my door, but I did not like to disturb him, so I turned in, and it being very hot I got along very well, and had a good night's rest.

I was out early in the morning, and was greatly interested in looking at the sights of the city. They were making a park of large dimensions, fronting the water, and a hundred or more wagons were used to transport the dirt from the country. Each wagon was drawn by a pair of bullocks driven by a Malay. These drivers were bright-eyed, smart-looking men, with nothing on but a cloth around their loins, and no covering to their heads. They sat on the tongues of the wagons, and I was much amused to see that when they wanted the bullocks to turn a corner they twisted their tails, and the obedient beasts at once went in the direction indicated.

I saw a great drove of goats passing along, as many as four hundred, and men from all countries in great variety of dress. Singapore is a very busy place, being the chief city of the Straits Settlements, whence comes a larger part of the tin used in such immense quantities all over the world. The familiar ingots of tin were to be seen on the streets and sidewalks and being trucked towards the big steamers.

[CHAPTER XII.]
ON BOARD THE "KAISAR-I-HIND."

Steamer "Kaisar-i-Hind," off Sumatra,
Dec. 13, 1889.

AFTER mailing letters on the 10th instant at Singapore we went on board the steamer at 4 P.M., and started again on our voyage. We were then only forty-five miles from the equator, and though the thermometer recorded only eighty degrees, it seemed much as if it were over a hundred. However, as soon as the steamer got under way it was quite comfortable. After a day and two nights we arrived at Penang, and at 9 A.M. went ashore, and all took carriages for a drive through one of the prettiest and hottest towns in the world. We were driven along wide, beautifully paved, clean streets for three miles to a water-fall and a botanical garden, and it was a drive well worth having. On both sides of the road were plantations of cocoa-nut trees, bearing ripe fruit, and once I saw a large nut fall to the ground with a dull thud.

Our tough little horse, driven by a black man from India, trotted along very fast. The road was lined with many strange trees laden with fruit, and the fields near by were covered with brilliant flowers.

We got out of the carriage at the botanical garden and walked about for a short time, but were glad to get in again, as the sun was intensely hot. Returning we traversed the same beautiful road, viewing the cocoa-nut trees, the mango, and many strange and beautiful fruits and flowers.

Workmen were engaged getting out stone and paving the roads, their black backs shining in the hot sun. Here we saw travelling on the road many gayly dressed Indian women, with bright silver ornaments on their arms and in their noses. We drove around the soldiers' barracks and hospitals and through the handsome streets of the town, and at ten o'clock took a boat to the steamer, much pleased by our little trip ashore, which gave us a change before starting on the voyage for Colombo. We steamed away once more, and soon after lunch, while I was reading in my state-room, I heard a commotion on deck, and, running up, reached there just as the captain did. "Man overboard!" was the cry, and the sailors were crawling into a boat like cats. The second officer was already there, and in two minutes the boat was lowered into the water, and was off. I looked over the side of the vessel and saw that a patent buoy and a life-preserver had been thrown over. With a glass I could see the black fellow swimming for the buoy, which he soon reached, and shortly afterwards the boat picked him up and returned with him to the ship in just eighteen minutes from the time she left. Wonderful discipline was displayed, not a loud word being spoken. After the boat was hauled up the captain touched a bell, and away we went again.

The patent buoy before mentioned had attached to it a tin box, containing some sandwiches and a small flask of whiskey, which the rescued sailor had confiscated before the arrival of the boat.

At four o'clock one morning a boy called me to get up and see the famous Southern Cross. I at once joined the company, and looked upon four stars, which formed an immense and perfect cross, very beautiful to behold. It was a splendid night, the bright moon shining on the water, and countless stars above, many of which are never seen except in this latitude.

[CHAPTER XIII.]
COLOMBO.

Colombo, Ceylon, Dec. 18, 1889.

SIX days from Singapore, we arrived here on the evening of the 16th instant, and at once went to our rooms at the Grand Oriental Hotel, which had been engaged some weeks in advance. Colombo is the capital of Ceylon, and has a population of one hundred and twenty thousand, and many large and handsome buildings.

As we passed along the coast last evening immense groves of cocoa-nut trees were seen from the vessel, extending along the shore for thirty miles or so. It was the hottest weather yet experienced, not more than eighty degrees, as shown by the thermometer, but very oppressive.

This morning, after an excellent breakfast at the hotel, I went with all the party on a drive in and around the city. It was dreadfully hot, and we had about such an entertainment as one might expect driving around New York or Chicago streets on a July day, with the thermometer at ninety degrees. The streets and roads are clean, wide, and in perfect order. We stopped at a large market, where the natives crowded around us, and where were tropical fruits of many kinds, some of which I had never heard of before. We passed many groves of cocoa-nut and banana trees laden with fruit, public and private buildings, and large and handsome bungalows, churches, and schools, but the people who crowded the streets were the most interesting to see—Indians, Malays, Singhalese, and Chinese, dressed in their native costumes, all industrious, orderly, and civil.

We called upon Arabi Pasha, who was banished from Egypt some years ago for heading a rebellion against the Khedive. His residence is a fine bungalow, surrounded by handsome grounds. He is a portly gentleman of about sixty-five years, speaking good English, and appeared very glad to see us. We spent a short half-hour talking with him, and then took our leave and continued our tour around the city. We saw numerous shops and plantations once more, and studied the remarkable people we met, and were especially interested by the young children swarming in the streets everywhere, and looking like little animated bronze statues.

We went through a fine museum and saw a great collection of historical objects belonging to Ceylon, one being a rudely sculptured figure of a lion carved in stone three hundred years ago.

This island is the great producer of the ruby, sapphire, and pearl, dealers in which have stores near, and are allowed to come around the hotel. They are very troublesome in their attentions, and, as is common among merchants in this part of the world, ask two or three times more than they expect to get for their goods.

I intended to go up to the mines, fifty miles off, where they obtain the ruby and sapphire, but was prevented from doing so. I also wished to see the divers go after pearl-oysters, but a couple of weeks ago one of them went down in the water and never came up, a shark having caught him. Since this accident none of his companions can be induced to do any diving, and for the present the industry, which is a very large and important one, is paralyzed.

There are no fat people in this country, and no drunkards. In a Buddhist temple, which I saw yesterday, was a painting of a drunkard. The culprit was represented in hell, enduring great agony, being pierced with daggers, and the ugliest-looking devil, with tusks like fish-hooks, standing over him, about to pull his teeth with big pincers. Any follower of Buddha looking at that picture would surely join a temperance society.

One morning, accompanied by two friends, I took a carriage and drove seven miles out into the country, through the native city, and along perfect country roads, passing through wonderful tropical plantations and beautiful flowers everywhere. Men and women stared at us as we passed, and crowds of bright, laughing children ran after the carriage, begging for pennies. One man had a basket of beautiful pink lotus flowers, one of which we bought.

At length we came to the oldest temple on the island, 2,300 years old, and where Buddha himself preached,—a splendid temple, the walls of which were covered with highly colored paintings, representing Temperance, Prudence, Fortitude, and Justice. There was the usual big statue of Buddha and the usual worshippers.

The ride was a delightful one, the children numerous and very funny, and beggars without number.

Another day we went by rail twenty-eight miles along the coast to the end of the road, the entire distance through groves of cocoa-nut trees extending as far back from the water as we could see. Once we passed under a banyan tree, the limbs of which had been trained over the road twenty feet high, in shape of an arch, then taking root and forming other trees on the opposite side. We spent the day at Lavini, a delightful sea-coast hotel, and enjoyed ourselves very much. It was quite a contrast to the hot city whither we returned for an eight-o'clock dinner.

[CHAPTER XIV.]
NEWAVA ELIYA.

Newava Eliya, Ceylon,
Dec. 20, 1889.

THIS is the sanitarium of Ceylon, 133 miles from Colombo and 6,200 feet above the sea level; a cool and delightful valley of a thousand acres or so, surrounded by high mountains, with a lake in the middle,—a very ideal place for a sanitarium. The thermometer averages seventy degrees.

We left Colombo at 9 A.M. on the 19th instant, in a first-class car engaged for the party, and passed over a six-feet-gauge road, built in the most substantial manner, with an extra guard-rail in dangerous places. There were iron bridges and stone depots at various points, each depot surrounded by a beautiful and well-kept flower-garden.

For the first fifty miles the road passed through a flat country of beautiful fields and cocoa-nut trees, and then we commenced to go up and around high mountains, the building of the road being a great engineering triumph. The road was lined on both sides for a long distance with a hedge of the large-leafed spiked aloe, from five to six feet high, and impenetrable by man or beast, and then we began to see tropical vegetation in all its luxuriant growth. Along the sides of the road and far as the eye could see were the blooming lantana, the sun-flower, and many large trees covered with yellow, white, and red flowers in great profusion. For the first time we saw tea, coffee, and cinchona plantations, the mountains being often covered to their tops with tea-plants, sturdy bushes about two feet high, and I should say that from the time we commenced to see them there were many thousand acres.

From time to time we could see the natives in parties of fifty or more picking the leaves and putting them into large baskets and carrying them on their heads to the dry-houses, or depots, and very picturesque they looked in their petticoats of many colors, their bare backs glistening in the sun. The natives have on petticoats when they wear any thing. Generally they are bare-headed, but sometimes sport gay-colored turbans. They are a fine race—bright, sharp, intelligent, cleanly, good-natured, and temperate. The women are handsome, and wear silver ornaments in their noses and ears.

The hotel here is an old vice-regal bungalow, and is like a private house. After getting warmed by a wood fire I retired and slept well all night. In the morning, before breakfast, I walked out to the woods to see the monkeys, but they did not appear, and I did not dare to go far from the trodden path on account of the cobras, which abound in these parts. After breakfast we took carriages down the mountain for five miles, over as fine a road as any in Europe, to the depot, and to our car, which had been retained for us, and soon we were on our way to Kandy, our next stopping-place.

A missionary accompanied us down the mountains, who had been twenty-seven years in the country, and entertained us with tales of snakes and elephants, and some account of his work in India and Ceylon. Coffee is no longer produced in Ceylon, the trees having been destroyed a dozen years ago by an insect, but an immense quantity of tea is grown, pronounced to be the finest in the world, and which is largely taking the place of that raised in China and India.

At 5 P.M. we reached Kandy, the ancient capital of Ceylon, containing 14,000 population,—a fine city, with many large buildings. There is a lake in the centre one and a half miles in circumference. In the evening we visited a large Buddhist temple, erected to hold a tooth of Buddha, which the faithful regard as a sacred relic.

On the 21st we took carriages to the government botanical gardens, said to be the finest in the world, and of course nothing like them is possible anywhere, except in the tropics. We saw giant palms twelve feet in diameter, stood beneath the deadly upas tree and the mahogany, jujube, almond, nutmeg, clove, mango, ebony, and a great grove of immense rubber-trees, and saw an immense variety of bright-colored flowers and leaves. The gardens cover one hundred and eighty acres, and we spent two delightful hours there, after which we drove around the city and through the extensive park of the Governor: returning, we took the train at 3 P.M. and arrived at our hotel in Colombo at seven, just in season to enjoy the excellent dinner awaiting us.

[CHAPTER XV.]
ON BOARD THE "ROHILLA."

Steamer "Rohilla," near Madras,
Dec. 27, 1889.

CHRISTMAS was a fearfully hot day in Columbo, ninety degrees or more, and I did not go out in the morning, except to look into an Episcopal church, which was handsomely decorated with flowers, the air being kept cool by fans propelled by natives standing outside.

After lunch, accompanied by two friends, I drove around the city and some miles into the country, over splendid roads. On the road we bought three cocoa-nuts for five cents, and opening one, had a refreshing drink.

We returned at 5 P.M. and at once came aboard this ship, one of the finest of the splendid fleet of the P. & O. line. The weather, except the terrible heat, continues perfect—not a ripple on the sea, the sunsets splendid, and the starlit nights of great loveliness.

A lady from Hartford, Mrs. Brown, who is well up in astronomy, pointed out to me last evening many stars never seen except in this part of the world. A lady from New York, Mrs. R. H. L. Townsend, was taken seriously ill on the 23d at the hotel; she was confined to her rooms for three days, and had two doctors and a nurse; but just before I left for the steamer I was glad to see that she had recovered so as to be able to take a drive.

At the last moment the Captain decided to call at Madras, where we shall be to-morrow, long enough to go ashore and see the famous city. Four great steamers left Colombo the same evening that we did, one each for Australia, Calcutta, Singapore, and Hong-Kong; one of them being a German vessel of immense size, 7,000 tons. On this steamer we have all the modern improvements: Edison lights, an excellent table, and always plenty of ice. Life on the ocean, as we have it, is very pleasant, and we get along nicely, though they tell of terrific storms which rage here at other seasons.

The ship is full of passengers, largely English, returning from Australia, very nice, kind, and agreeable people. Yesterday a north wind sprang up and it was delightfully cool; the passengers were all on deck in groups, a dozen of the stalwart young Englishmen playing the national game, cricket; some reading, a lot of children playing, and all were happy.

In the evening we had a delightful concert by amateurs, violin playing by a young lady, parts of the "Bohemian Girl" and other operas being rendered in a superior manner.

The ship slowed up so as not to get to Madras before morning, and it was literally sailing on a summer sea; the moon sank down behind the waters in a glow, presenting a beautiful appearance. I had a good sleep all night, and at seven in the morning looked out and saw we were at Madras, between two long break-waters. Soon breakfast was over, and we all entered a big row-boat, propelled by ten bare-backed Hindoos; the ship was surrounded by a dozen of these boats, the crews chattering and shouting, and on one occasion a boy got overboard, but he did not mind, swam about a short time and then got aboard, none the worse for his ducking.

We could see that there was a heavy surf beating on the beach, but when our boat struck the sand, I was lifted ashore by two strong black men, followed by the ladies of the party, conveyed in a similar manner. We took carriages and drove about the city, which is said to be the hottest in India, but we did not find it so; on the contrary, it was very comfortable. We went through the natives' quarters, and evidently they had seen white people before, for they paid no attention to us, not so much as we to them, as we were looking upon a race new to us. They had marks on their foreheads, showing the caste to which they belonged. We visited the markets, and saw that the banyan tree was quite common in the squares and along the streets, and passing on to the great fort, we looked at the big guns; then we entered St. George's Church, where there were many statues of famous soldiers who had served in India and died here. We called at the post-office, a large and beautiful building, remarked on the fine roads, the handsome appearance of the women dressed in bright-colored robes with silver ornaments in their noses and on their toes, and then we passed on to the ship, well pleased that we were not to stop any longer in such an unattractive place.

Sunday, December 29, 1889.

We reached the steamer at noon yesterday; the deck was crowded with native merchants trying to sell mats and all kinds of curios, but presently they were driven off to their boats, and at noon the ship was put upon her course, due north, everybody comfortable and happy, the sea as smooth as an inland lake. This morning we had a delightful service on deck, read from the English Prayer Book by the Captain, assisted by one of his officers; the singing, by young ladies, was particularly fine, and now and again I could detect the sweet tenor of my friend from Manchester.

Before the service the crew were mustered and reviewed by the Captain. There were nearly one hundred of them, mostly Lascars, dressed in white with colored turbans and presenting a very picturesque appearance.

Last evening I was interested to see a lady reclining on a steamer chair on deck, and reading by the light of a portable electric lamp fastened to the back of her chair. I interviewed her husband this morning, and he informed me that it was one of Edison's inventions, and that they were now common in London, and cost twenty dollars each. They are four inches in diameter, and can be carried in the coat pocket. This one he charges from one of the lights on the ship, and it will last fifteen hours.

December 30, 1889.

We are still rushing on over a placid sea at a moderate rate, as the ship has never made more than 288 miles a day. The thermometer marks seventy degrees, with a light breeze from the north, and warm woollen clothing is comfortable. This is a great country for learning practical temperance, none of our party having tasted liquor for a month, previous experience having shown that they were much better without it.

I noticed two young men at dinner to-day who drank two large bottles of champagne, but they will doubtless find out by experience that such indulgences do not pay in this climate. We are only 12,500 miles from New York now, and it seems quite like nearing home.

[CHAPTER XVI.]
CALCUTTA.

Calcutta, India, Jan. 1, 1890.

WE arrived here yesterday, after a delightful trip from Madras, and at once went to our rooms at a first-class hotel, engaged some time ago. Mine happens to be a wooden barn-like structure built on the roof of a six-story building, which gives me a chance to look down upon the famous city of palaces and immense parks—a great show, particularly at night, when the streets are illuminated by gas and electricity.

We were told that Calcutta was a dreadfully hot place, but last night I had my overcoat on, and was very comfortable, the thermometer being seventy-two degrees.

I have just returned from a tramp about the city, and find it one of the finest I have seen—population one million; splendid government and other buildings, great parks, fine wide streets and sidewalks, and every appearance of advanced civilization.

The natives are a handsome race, dressed in their picturesque costumes. White and native soldiers in brilliant uniforms are to be met everywhere, and the whole scene is one of great beauty.

A royal prince is here to-day, the stores are shut, and a great review of soldiers is going on. The rush for rooms at the hotels is so great that I hear of a Major-General of the British army who is to sleep in a bathroom near us to-night. On the morning of the 2d instant we took a carriage drive around the city, starting at 10 A.M. and returning at 1.30.

The Botanical Gardens established in 1792 are very fine and well kept, but nothing like the one in Kandy, Ceylon. We saw the famous banyan tree, one hundred years old, the main trunk of which is 42 feet in circumference, the crown 850 feet in circumference; there being 234 roots which strike down from the branches into the earth. These roots and branches become little trees themselves. In the garden were two beautiful avenues of palm trees, each a quarter of a mile long. I was much interested in a bridge of boats that we passed over. It was twelve hundred feet long and seventy feet wide, rising and falling with the tide sixteen feet. I have seen several bridges made of boats in different parts of the world, but none so large and substantial as this.

We went in the afternoon to the great fort, and inspected the immense fortifications, with their great guns and piles of balls. A marriage had just taken place in the garrison church, and the party were out on the lawn waiting for the arrival of carriages. The brilliant uniforms of the officers and the handsomely dressed ladies made a fine show. The church is an exceedingly beautiful one, with many costly monuments erected to keep in memory the glorious deeds of England's heroes, statesmen, and scholars.

In the great Cathedral there were many splendid monuments, one to the good Bishop Heber, a name dear to the hearts of all Christians for the beautiful hymn he wrote, "From Greenland's Icy Mountains," and though I have heard it sung in many churches all over the world, it always seems fresh, inspiring, and beautiful.

There was a beautiful monument to Lord Elgin, who was Governor-General of India, and before that, of Canada, in whose history I had a personal interest, having seen him and obtained from his hands a marriage license at Montreal in 1847.

We went to a public building, in the yard of which was marked out the size of a prison known as the Black Hole. It was underground, 18 × 25 feet, where the 20th of January, 1756, one hundred and forty-six persons were confined, and the next morning only twenty-three were alive. In one of the churches near was a monument erected to the memory of Job Charnock, a sailor, who, before Calcutta came into the possession of England, came ashore with a boat-load of companions to see the sights. They saw a widow placed on a funeral pyre all ready to ignite and burn her alive, which was the custom in those days. The natives set fire to the wood, which was too much for the gallant sailor; so he rushed in and saved the woman, and, it is related, subsequently married her, and settled down as a merchant in Calcutta, where he became rich.

Returning along the road beside a park a mile or two long we met many fine turn-outs, containing Indian and English nabobs, and among them was a coach and four with the widow and children of the late King of Oude, who were taking an airing. The ladies and children were in very gay costumes, and looked exceedingly pretty. The show was a very brilliant one, far surpassing any thing of the kind to be seen in any other country.

[CHAPTER XVII.]
DARJEELING.