The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-06-03

are here. Southern India penetrsteS
th9 Indian ocean and is so near the
Equator that the inhabitants sweIter
Under the heat or a perpetual summer.
IwhHe the rocky sentineIs that guard
I the northern frontier are clad i'm the
ice OF an eternal winter. AS might be
expected in a land which has every
alutuoe from sea level 10 nearly % 600
rect, one finds ali varieties Of Vegeta-
tlon, from the delicate fern of the trop-
les 10 the sturdy -edelweiSs that bios
SONS in the snou-from the grain md
orchards At Agra. OUdh and the Pun-
JAP TO the cotton, rice and fruits Of
Bombay. Calcutta and Madras. The
extremes are as noticea bic among the
people as in natures realm. In learn
ing there is a great gulf between he
Hindu pGndit and the ignorant ryot;
there Is wide sea betv cen the wealth
OF the native prince and the poverty 81
the masses. and there is 2 boundless
ocean between the government and the
people
Eastern India is entered through cal
Cutts, city OF more than a million in
habitants 2eflieil has teeh built up un-
der British occupancy. u is the cap
ital of the province of BeuSal and the
winter capital of British India. { say
- y Inter capital because the higher Eng
lish officials have their headquarters
~ Simla, 5000 feet up i'm the Hima-
layas. during eight months of the wear.
Calcutta is on the HooEhly river, one
of the numerous mouths Of the CTanges-
and the Gauges, it may be added IS
a little disappointing to enc who haz
read about II from youth. Instead ~
being large river, flowing down the
HimalaydS directly to the sea. &c IS
neither of great length nor Of great
width, and it runs for hundreds OF
miles along the. foot Of the rangs and
Joins the BrahT1aputra witch comes
from an opposite direction and appa-
renty is much longer. The mouths of
the 5oint stream form a delta like that
or the Nile. which a the coast is some
thing like 200 miles wide
Lacking the antiquity Of the cities Of
the interior, Calcutta does not possess
many things Of interest TO the tourist.
no elaborate tC1lhs no massive
mosques and few temples of impor-
taECe. although all shades Of religion
are represented here. There is a very
pretty jain temple in the suburbs and
IN the city there is a Hindu temple
where goats are offered as a sacrifice.
but the center Of Hinduism is at Be
mares. while Agra. Delhi and Lucknow
furnish The finest specimens OF the
taste Of the Mohammedsn rulers. There
are al Calcutta some fine public build
iEgS and less UTetentiOuS private
- docks. some beautiful parks and
very extensive museum.
In this museum one can learn more
oT the various races Of India. Of their
aLess, implements and weapons. more
81 the animal and insect life more of
midas mineral wealth more of her
woods, stones and marbles. more Of her
agricultural products and manufac-
lures than he can in weeks Of travel.
i'f sees here mounted specimens OF bug
211 butterfly bird, fish and beast tt
IS The very, Mecca OF the student and
gagged.
Nmc1C The insects there are several
mich illustrate the mimicry Of nature
TO marvellous degree Some are like
B. GfieG grass like moss and some ike
leaVss- The most remarkable Of these
( IS leaf insect which can scarcely be
detected from a leaf even after IN has
been pointed out. There is d mountain
grouse which turns white in the winter
anu IN some countries a. hare which
uECcTECes the same change. In Cey-
ion there are crabs with legs like pieces
OF coral and a color closely resembling
the sand upon which they crawl. but
the leaf insect suTpaSses them all. Not
only IS ITS color Identical with the leaf
but lis body and wings are veined and
ribbed like q leaf, even rust spots
could be found on some Of them. We
could hardly believe our own eyes had
We not seen some Of these insects alive
and some Of the voting just Matched.
The botanical garden, while not equal
IN variety or beauty to the gardens at
BultenzOrg and Handy. has one object
Of growing interest, viz. a gigantic
banyar tree This tree is nearly d CEN
fury and half old and shades a spot
or ground almost d thousand feet in
circumference Great arms run out
from the parent trunk and these are
supported by A6f aerial roots or minor
trunks. some Of which are several feet
IN diameter. Seen from a distance the
tree presents a very symmetrical aD-
pearance. and, as it is still growing it
Is likely to become. if It is not already.
the largest tree in the world.
The geological garden contains some
excellent specimens. We were especial
y interested in the Bengal tigers. in a
red-nOsed African nandriH (which
looks Ike cross between a hog and
an apei, and in the monkeys. Three
OF the latter belong to the shouting Va
Tlety-at least, they do shout When
the attendant gives the cue they set I'D
such a chorus Of ear-splitting yells as
one seldom hears. The echoing and re-
echoing makes a din before which the
noise at a football game seems tame.
Mule not football enthusiast. I ven
ture the suggestion that an American
team would do well to secure the as
slstance Of these rOoters for they could
NCrk up the necessary enthusiasm on
snort notice and with a great saving to
the threats Of the students
ON the streets Of Calcutta one sees
Indian life in all it's FORMS The coolies
wear the lghtest possible clothing and
carry enormous burdens on their heads.
saw eight Of them hurrying down the
street at a fast walk bearing d grand
piano on their heads. In another place
one man carried a large Sarafoga
trunk on his head down the hotel stairs
He had TO have assistance in lifting and
lowering IT, but when IL was once hal
anced upon his head he marched off
with It with apparent ease. The cooIfe
women also carry burdens upon their
heads, water jars being their specfaItv
Two and even three Of these. one on
top Of the other, are sometimes carried
thus The brass water pot is nv the