Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1859-12-08
A DAY IN CALCUTTA.

ind see the botanical gardens of which Cal
:utta is justly proud, and return in time to
DIN the gay throng of European residents
who are taking their evening drive through |
the beautiful suburbs. Or If the traveller I
has business he can hire gharee, light |
little hack, and go down town and plunging |
into the great, moving mass Of humanity, go
where his business may calfhIm, and see
what his business and chance may bring to
light. The latter course believe upon the
whole 10 be the best, especially, IL one wishes
to see the city and not merely some half
dozen noted objects OF interest which happen
to be in it. Withth double object in view
OF seeing the town and attending TO some
business, hired ghoree and started cut
on warm August morning through the Eng
lish part OF the city. -' @fo'
The streets are wide, and very smooth.
'Thsy are all believe macadamized Ike
your ST.. Clairsv;lle streets, but unlike yours,
they neve, get very muddy, and during FIVE
or six months Of the year never get very
dusty. Whether the climate or the city
authorities deserve the most credit for this
am not able to say, but rather think the
former has the most to do in the matter
When an India sun says "day up", the mud
has nothing to do but obey, while during the
rainy season the streets never presume "to
raise DUST about anything. As. | passed
along i was strack with the absence of
small buildings, every kind Of structure
being on the Eiost extensive scale. No poor
man seems to think Of building comfort
able little cottage and eniarging his bonn
daries as his means increase, but he. will
haye palace or-do wishgut. The houses
are nearly all ot BRICK and pIasiered with. a
cement in imitation OF s;oAe,7 the isverits
style Of building in India This. cement
soon gathers a green mplj fson its exposure
to the humid atmosphere O. sAe rainy sea-
son, which gives to he entire civ so omawha,
of dingy appearance. But the high colon
ades and spacious yerandahs attached to the
houses, aad the beautiful gardens laid out
with exquisite taste, surrounding them, did
much TO hide this defect. At Intervals,
found largs water tanks, some Of them COW
ering t:so or three acres, ,lfron, which the
na,iges and many Of the Europeans get.their
supply of water, During the rainy season
| these tanks are filled up and look like Iitile
lakes, but as no rain falls Tor six months o
the year, and SIX hundred thousand people
are daily drinking ont of them, the supply
OF water frequently gets rather low.
As drove along tbe street, men and boy;
| were almost constantly at my window with
all kinds OF notions for sale, rivailing in
variety at least the wares of their yankee
brethren. So long as there is the slightes
chance OF selling yon anything, these EEL
lows will keep alongside with you, their
patience seeming indeed to have 40 limit
AS an instance, ooy hell up to me 4 bun
4 die Of hats, and Us was in need of one,
rr;sd to suit myse # out OF his stock in trade
| Not finding one to fit ne at first, tool
euery hat be had by turns. and tried them on
at my lezure, with him tro,ting alongside
all the time. Finding them all too small,
gave it up, when the persevering youth
| began 10 enlarge them by tedious process
of tying and untyins strings, and insisted
on ny giving them another trlal. All this
| time let it be remembered that my gharee
was raiiliBg along as fast as Lewis BUS
ordinarily Griyes through town. and tha,
vehicles OF all descriptions were crowdine
up against US, making it very periluus for
any foo,n,an in such place mention this
only as an instance OF very common kind
of trading in Calcutta and other Indian
| towns. Indeed, If Won are somewhat m
ciined to be lazy and satisfied to make your
selection from small stock. YOU may do
all our shopping on the street without ever
stopping, much less getting out Of Of your
carriage. --" HH fsH'fI'
Leaving the English city, drove into the
native bazaars-the; name given to the busi-
siness streets, where found dirty, narrow
streets, with low houses for the worst pari
on either hand, and very little '-ii'sc,ion to
be seen. Runners from the different s,rres
yelled in at the windows at M, unit mad
TO drive them aHay with my umbrella, 10
save my sense Of hearing. for il is not fer
mortal ears to endure such an uproar as
those men made. American steamboat
landings and railroad depots caunot rais..
such adm, though tIoas and d.passengerswere
IN search of hotels. Wishing to get sup
ply of clothing suiiedio the climate. drove
roithe shop Of a native dealer, wh5 was
Recommended Ito ne, as a5,hit as hoqest
ioSus as could be found nong them. 4 wa
ushered into tie Store and seated |
beresttpu a putikaLan iitninepse fdn shspeii4-
ed from the ce Hing OF the room, and swung
back and forth by a boy pulling a rope at
tached to IT. The store-rp was about
eight feet wrde ard twenty lUng, and per
haps thirty high. AItthe' available space
from top to bottom, was filed with goods,
SO that could find all the variety anied. |
Three men and number of boys acted as
clerks, and as it may be readily imagined
that / bad but little room to stir round [
This however was not necessary as every
thing WIS carried to me- Having finally
purchased the goods, tailor wss called to
make them up. This man brought no tape
string 10 take 10Y measure, but required in
stead, a sample article oC ClothiHG'f f'r each
IiwisheG made. This is the universal cas-
tom of India ;ailors, and unless yoo let them
follow their own way they can do nothing
riglt.h But the most fastidious can very
safely trust them, with a good specimen for
their limitation. Indeed, in their skill in
following copy" they would commend
themselves even 10 printer. Il is said,
and judge truly, that when pair Of pants
is given them tor a sample, if there happen