The Humour and Pathos of Anglo-Indian Life: Extracts from his brother's note-book, made by Dr. TicklemoreMayer, J. E.
General
The Humour and Pathos of Anglo-Indian Life: Extracts from his brother's note-book, made by Dr. Ticklemore
Mayer, J. E.
British -- India; India -- Social life and customs
They returned home saturated with admiration and enthusiasm for Italian
sculpture and painting. Nor did they come home altogether empty-handed.
They brought with them some lovely specimens of Italian work as presents
for friends and relatives. These were too many to be separately noticed,
but a Hercules destroying two centaurs was particularly admired, and was
much prized by Lady Drummond, to whom it was given; and a Theseus
delivering Ariadne from the sea monster, which was sent to Mrs. Marston,
was so much thought of by that lady and her friends, that she declared
it to be the most beautiful specimen of sculpture she had ever seen, and
she wrote such a charming letter to Lady Trevanion on the subject, that
it gave rise to a kind and affectionate correspondence between the two
ladies, though they had never seen each other. However, in the spring
Mrs. Marston, with her little boy, arrived in town, and there the
ladies became almost inseparable. The last we heard of them was, that
they were the two special attractions at a grand ball given by Lady D.
just before Captain and Lady Trevanion sailed for India. Mr. and Mrs.
Marston remained at home another year, then reluctantly embarked for the
land of the East.
FOOTNOTE:
[1] The author is quite aware of the anachronism, but hopes it may be
pardoned for the sake of its applicability.
No. II.
CAPTAIN WHISTLER, AND LIFE IN CANTONMENT AT SECUNDERABAD.
In the year 18--, the ---- Regiment, Madras N.I., marched for the
cantonment of Secunderabad. The march was accomplished in the average
number of days without any more serious mishap or sickness than was
usual in those days, owing to the wise precautions taken by the officer
in command, in communication with the doctor of the regiment. The length
of each march being known, the hour of rising and commencing it was so
fixed as to enable the men to reach the ground appointed before the sun
was powerful; this, on an average, fell out between six and seven a.m.
No encamping ground whereon any large party of human beings, or any
other regiment, had halted was ever made use of for their purpose,
experience having shown that the poison of cholera dwells in such places
long after the people have departed from them, and in some cases even
when (as reported) the former sojourners had not been afflicted with
this terrible disease. The débris which they leave, and other foul
matters, appear to generate the plague when fresh men occupy the ground,
if such incautious reoccupation occurs within the period of twenty or
thirty days. The camp was always pitched as far from the villages as
convenience would permit, and placed, wherever possible, on high open
ground. The reward of these precautions was that the regiment reached
Secunderabad without losing a man.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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