The daily morning journal and courier., 1894-12-24


 terious grace. a very enigma of gar
 ment without the explanation of sin-
 gle stitch. It is closely pleated at the waist in front. falling in a fan-iike train over the feet. and fastened with a belt of gold that is studded with cres- cents of pearls. This garment Is short
 in the back and is brought over the
 shoulders. hanging in soft loose folds. Her left arm displays a bracelet of costly gems of rare beauty and of pro- found historic interest which carries one back to the time of Cleopatra. IL
 was found among some buried treas- ures more than century ago. when the remote ancestors Of the late king acquired 1t. This bracelet Is supposed
 to have the power to resist the venom
 of all species of reptiles, A tiny linked
 chain connects 1t to one of no less value
 at the wrist Jewelled sandals grace her otherwise unclad neither limbs, sur
 mounted by anklets of gold.
 She will often express to her friends the great pleasure 1t would afford her to be able to go freely among her peo- pie. This Is, however, forbidden her by the exacting and severe law of her
 caste, for. being a Brahmin. she Is obliged to adhere strictly to the Flaw of enclosure" This compels her at the age of twelve to be yelled and live in seclusion for the remainder of her life. This rigid deprivation of all enjoyment of the world is necessarily a severe shock to the sensibilty of even an eastern queen. Never again does she receive or converse with one of the op- posite sex, save only her husband the
 maharajah. Neither Is a domestic of her household permitted to look upon
 her, otherwise her caste would be brok- en and her birthright cancelled. This
 law among this high caste seems cruel
 and inconsistent, but the penalty of disobedlence is supreme. The violator
 of law so sacred among the sex as that of enclosure" has a horrible des- tiny awaiting her. She Is expelled from among her tribe in shame to become an outcast, exiled from within the walls
 of the city for her crime.
 But the present maharanee, now In
 her twenty-fourth year, has six little brown faces to cheer her solitude. Her apartments. large and luxurious, occu- py one side of the palace, opening one into another. Through long tapestried
 windows she steps into her private gar
 dens. where the air Is perfumed with ba do1i fro 70 mt
 little rustic bridges that greet the eye occasionally through the grounds, con- meet the many beautiful terraces be-
 meath which flows a refreshing and
 babling brook, which however, must
 babble no secrets. Rivulets and brooks are treasures dn India. They are few and far between in this region of mag nificence. Here thesroyal prisoner, for so she is, takes her daily exercise, join ed occasionally by her children, who come with the delightful anticipation of hearing some new fairy tales from
 the lips of the beautiful memsahib- who happens to be a rare story teller as she Is seated in one of her favorite arbors where the citron vines envelope the happy little group, a picture only eastern, s s. ---.,sr
 When the maharanee wishes to leave her apartments the command Is given, and in moment the turbaned attend ants that crowd the halls disappear as if by magic. The silence that follows endues the surroundings with the air of sanctuary rather than that of a pal ace. Presently there breaks upon the silence the faint tfnkling of bell that announces the royal presence, and the
 naharanee comes forward, stately, gracious. kindly, "every inch queen"
 When she drives into the country in her state carriage-a relaxation which she thoroughly enjoys, being true lover of nature-she must go closely yelled. Rarely 8 week passes without a trip through the picturesque miedown lying between Kunigal and Bengalore Here the range of mountains to the west with their majestic skylines show to the greatest advantage the play of light and shade at sunset.
 In travelling the maharanee occupies private compartments, which are high ly decorated and delicately furnished in Oriental style, arranged so that she may with ease enjoy the view of the hills and plains and yet not be seen, accompanied by her ladies in waiting who share the same privileges. When the destination is reached an awning Is immediately erected which forms a complete passage to the state carriage that awaits her, so that there is no pos- sible chance of satisfying the curious gaze of all castes who patiently look for her arrival. She Is always glad to see European ladies" as she is pleased to call all foreigners, no matter of what nationality. She converses freely in several of the native languages, espec- tally Hindostani and Canarease, and speaks English fiuently. She loves to hear of other countries and the habits and customs of other people. She is particularly interested in all that per- tains to America.
 The maharajah is an enthusiastic sportsman as we'll as an accomplished soldier. In company with some of the 1 officers of the English army, he takes much delight in horse races, which en- liven the district several times during the year. The meet takes place at Ma dras, which may be termed the Ascot | Of the east. Here are witnessed as |