The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-07-24
A JEYPoRE CARPENTER.

Different classes huddle in groups. Here
for block there are nothing but shoes
and turned-up slippers of the Mahometan,
and footwear of satin embroidered in
gold is spread out for sale. Here is o
score of brass merchants, and there Is q
block taken up with the sellers of vege.
tables. Out on the side streets you see
carpenters sitting and saving, and walk
ing through long aisles of Hindoos who
are selling the gaudiest cottons you come
to the cashmere cloth merchant and
haggle for the price of shawl. The
merchant has his wares spread out on the
ground and dressed in his turban and
gown he seuats with his boy clerk beside
him. His stock includes shawls worth
thousands Of rupees and some which can
be bought for a few dollars. He asks
three times what he expects to get, and
in case you object is willing to throw up
coin and let head or tail decide the
bargain.
Most Americans buy shawls in this
part of India, and after a sale is made
the merchant invariably demands that
you write recommendation for him in
his note book. This he shows to future
travellers, and I find scattered over India
the autographs of noted Americans. At
Delhi I found Grants autograph, and the
merchant who had it under a recommen-
dation stating that his wares were good
told me he had been offered 100 rupees
for it, and that he would Lot sell it for
100000 rupees. James Gordon Bennett
states that he 'fnds certain mans
shawls good and he supposes they are
cheap" and the merchant who owns the
book tells me that Bennett bought a
dozen cashmere shawls, saying he wanted
to use them for making undershirts.
These were of the kind called ring
shawls, so fine that you can pull whole
shawl through the wedding ring of
lady. 1t must be nice to have an under
shirt which you can pull through ring,
and in the case of man who travels with
his extra clothing in his hat I can see
where the advantage comes in.
The Rajaha's place is in the centre OF
his capital. It tcovers great area and tho
palace garden with its flowing rivers of
water, ,formed>by fountains squirting out of
stone bed, would be large enough for
farm. His Majesty is now in Calcutta, but
arrangements had been made for my visit,
and a uote from the English Secretary,
Major Hendley, gave me dark-sk kinned
palace guide and was shown through
court after court of marble and taken
through room after room furnished with
rich Persian carpets and with satin-cov-
cred chairs and divans Of European make.
In one palace there was an immense bill
iard-room and in this and the room
adjoining the skins of tigers and ledpards
were scattered about by the hundred.
They lay in great piles on the floors.
They were hung on the walls and some
of the divans were upholstered with
them. I went through room after room
filled with such skins, and ] was told
that the beasts were all killed by the
Rajah, who is very fond of tiger bunting
and who is an excellent shot. I was
shown the outside of the palace contain
ing the harem, and the arrangements for
for keeping it cool struck me as rather
peculiar. Outside of the main hall and
running along one length of the palace
was series of great tanning mills not
unlike those used by the American