Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1875-07-09

To the ship sailingpast, the shore of
-CWeStefn India presents an ever4va-
rying outline-generally dark ser
ried belt, of cocoa trees, whose roots
washed by the5Wayes, divided at fire.
quent intervals by the cleaning
mouth of broad rivers. Rocky
headlands, seldom uncrowned with
fold, fort or white pagoda, just out
forming d succession of winding
bays where the long narrow fishing
boats are busy, and the awkward
looking pattimars2 Or native vessels,
with their tilted sterns and stopping
masts, are lying at anchor.
Now and then large towns can be
discerned embowered among cocoa
groves and bananas; further inland
knoll and tFee-clad eminences are
dotted about, and beyond them
long rolling upland plains, bright
green daring the rains, whitening
when the grass is ripe, extend far,
away. For four months in the year
the southwest monsoon deluges all
this region, and earth and air are
Isteeped9inJ moisture. ! Hence, while
trees ares comparatively rare and
grateful objects on the coast,
her foliage abounds and checkers the
surface with green even during the
hot, dry months, when vegetation
is irretrieyably burnt up, The soil
of alH this eeuntFyii principally lat
erite, a stiff, deep red clay, often
scanned with white andHsyellow lay
ers; when exposed to the atmosphere
the surface, from the iron it con-
tains, solidfes into black rough
rock; 1t can. be dug g'out and cut into
blocks, which soon harden, and are
universally used in very durable
building material. Great masses of
gueiss, and granite are frequently
embedded in It, and becoming de!
nuded6 time and -Reather,- crop out
from the surface and strew the tops
and sides of the hills with fantastic
bewlders, ,ogJ4fCLTTTTg !
A special feature in the aspect of
the country is fatness-uniformI
yet infinitely diversified. Once it
was the floor of an ocean, but now:
worn and furrowed by millions
of monsoons into net work of river
basins, valleys, and hollows, varied
with hills, ridges aud elevated plains,
all fiattened at the same general lev
ell, and bounded by abrupt wall
like cliffs. While traTersing any
wide plain, one may suddenly en-
/ counter q deep ravine, opening as it
were beneath ones feet that, begin
ming with a1mere cash in the sur
face, Widens as it goes winding on
tiIi 4 iiesii4is some Broadef Wiley
Under its black craggy rims the up
per slopes are studded with cashew-
nut trees, loaded in hot seasons with
large red and yellow apples, from
the end of which the edible nut Gu
riously projects. Beneath amidst
fallen blocks and an underground
bristling with hSenormous thorns, the
graceful climbing fern, LygodisIm
ScamdTa's, edged with point lace
with delicate seeding, twines up
ward hop-fashion, and the splendid
clusters of the GEOriOSa super6G grow
abundantly. Lower down, the sides
of the ravine are bordered with
close set plantations of cocoa and
arecanut trees, interspered with
palmyras and taIpats, lifting up the
enormous green fans of their leaves,
and stateliest Of ali the, tribe, the
smooth trunked sagopalm raises high
its head, whence odroop the lopg
streamers of its quivering leaves and
the immense clusters of its grape
like seeds.
Between the forest of the tall SEN
der stems grow bananas, aud pepper
vines climb up anything that gives
support, Copious springs invaria-
bly, issue from the head of the ravine
and, as it widens out, rice plots be-
gin to occupy the level center
first one, then two or three sideby
side, then more as the area broad
ems, till the sheet Of vivid green, 100
or 200 yards across, stretches river
like fbetwesn the, palm groves and
undercliffs of the ravine. Under
the grateful shade of those groves
stands the homesteads )of)the own
ers of the rice tract and gardens, low
built and thickly thatched, with
leaves sloping down over the seat
that runs along the outer WALL
where the family gathers after
work, In front, a, smooth, clean
swept beaten Aoor,sWhere grain is
husked and winnowed, in the middle
of which stands pedestsl-like altar,
bearing a tulsi, Or sacred sage-plant.
Dark. glossy haired girls and wo-
men, classically draped in blue,
brightly bordered garments, are bu-
sy with household tasks; brown,
pretty bIsck-eyed childrenrun na-