The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1865-11-04
VOL. XXV.---No. l6.
Travelling i'm India.

India, dllating on the INTRODUCTION OF steaHi
into that country, pleasantly sketches the
manner Of locomotion in parts where the
whistle of the steam engine is not, as yet,
heard =" OLD Indians who knew this coun-
try before the days of railroads can scarcely
understand how vast change has been
caused BY the introduction of the steam
horse and the lightning dawk.' 1t used
t. be an affair of months weary travelling to
reach the capital of hundred empires. In
sixty hours after left Calcutta, recently,
was in Delhi, and, in sixty hours morc
was in Lahore. upward of one thousand
three hundred miles from the great port
The first sixty hours disposed Of one thous-
and miles the second sixty were spent i'll
getting over three hundred miles, thus show
ing that there is all the difference in the
world between the locomotive and the dawk-
gharree. Yet, upon the whole, the advan-
tage Of speed apart, | give the preference to
the more primitive method of travelling
After being the helpless slave to locomo-
tive for three nights and two days-atter
being dragged along without food or rest all
those weary hours, invited out to a refresh
ment-ruom only to be chevled back before
one has had time to insert tha knife IN the
ancient hen of India which forms our con,
stitutional refreshment, or getting more than
a hungry glimpse of the hump Of beef
which is to India what pork pie is to
Swindon-a after beinA delayed for hours at
the station where there is nothing to eat,
and hurried past the one where the luxuries
l have mentioned are spread out on a ciosh
stiff with mustard, it is "a positive relief to
find oneself free to stop or go as the humor
dictates.
"The dawk- gharrce is a little house on
wheels. 1t is rather larger than London
cab, and is not much more expensive to
travel in, all things considered Suppose
the space between the two seats to be hlled
up, mattrass spread over the boards, plenty
of rugs and rasai on the top, shelf III
front of you for books and little gentle
stimulant. a box underneath for luggage and
doors which close with slide and are las
tened with pin inside-and you have the
conveyance which is still the only means OF
transit between Peshawur and Delhi, except
for the thirty or forty miles between Lahore
and Umritsr, where the railway is opened,
Generally, the Traveller starts off in the even
ing, after dinner He lies down at full
length, tucks himself in, and, if his head be
tough and thick enough, sleeps we'll till
morning. In that case, good fortune, as well
as we'll protected brain, has been on his
side. Ordinarily, this is not what happens:
The Traveller is aroused from an uneasy dose
bv the blast of horn and q heavy Jolt
This means that the miserable scarecrow
doing duty as horse has ran his stage, and
is now to be let loose to pick up his wonted
refreshment where he can. a tresh-or
rather another turn out-horse is put to,
with interchange of civilties between the
syces and the coachman, and many delicate
inquiries as to the dignity Of the sahib within
and the probabilities of his giving back
sheesh like a man. Then comes the start,
or rather it ought to come. only in the ma
iority of instances it doesn't; for the skele-
ton m the shafts resents the disturbance Of
the pleasant dreams of green fields which
had sweetened his midnight slumbers. He
backs. he lbs and goes through every kind
of movement, except the forward one.
heavy thud of the whip induces HIM to
lash out Gercely, with his venerable heels
at the front of the gharree; the men around
grunt and groan and push behind and try to
move the wheels and curse the ghora and
those that gave him birth, and his descend,
ants likewise unto the latest generation; but
all in vain. If the sahib is wise, he takes no
part in all this, but suffers the native to deal
with the brute in his own way, and. at last.
the eharree is drawn forward with great
Jolt, and, in process Of time, another stage
is reached, and the former diversion is re-
peated
1.-The dawk. bungalow affords break in
the Journey. There is a room TO sit down
in, another to battle in; and, il the traveller
is so disposed. the khannsameh will cook
him decent steak and give him bottle OF
beer in less than half an hour. He may
stop at any of these places all night, and
only be required to pay one rupee 1.-TWO
shillings) for the shelter; but it is better to
push on to- the end. Generally, the bunga
lows are clean and fairly comfortable. AT
Kurnan, the best bungalow is to be found ;
at Umbalal there is very good hotel, and
a glimpse of the Himalayas, in all thei,
divine majesty, can be caught in the early
morning At last, on the third morning,
the traveller is aroused from sleep which
he is beginning to enjoy, by the cry, 'Sahib!'
The unwelcome messenger comes to tell HIM
that he is at Umritsir, the holy city of the
Sikhs Here the train will take him to
Lahore, and, when there, he soon finds him
self once more on the grand trunk road,
which runs from Calcutta to Peshawur, Il
distance of one thousand seven hundred
miles, and presents one Of the finest monu-
ments of English enterprise which exist in
India"
How to Prevent a Divorce.