'Up the Country': Letters Written to Her Sister from the Upper Provinces of India — John Shaqi
'Up the Country': Letters Written to Her Sister from the Upper Provinces of IndiaEden, Emily
History
'Up the Country': Letters Written to Her Sister from the Upper Provinces of India
Eden, Emily
Eden, Emily, 1797-1869 -- Correspondence; India -- Description and travel
There were two or three old Calcutta faces, difficult to name, amongst
the company, but it was easy to seem glad to see them and to say, 'What!
are _you_ here?' though I scorned myself for knowing that I had not an
idea who '_you_' was. I see it is one of those crowded stations where it
is better not to fatigue a failing memory by any attempt at names.
Thirty-five of them dined with us yesterday, but I am no wiser and no
worse. Yesterday morning we went to a fancy sale, which had been put off
for our advantage. We found it extremely difficult to get rid of the
necessary sum of money, but by dint of buying frocks and pelisses and
caps for all the little A.s and C.s and Y.s of the camp, it was finally
accomplished.
Monday (Christmas Day), Dec. 25.
I must go back to my Journal, dearest; but having just come from church,
I must begin by wishing you and yours a great many happy Christmases.
This is our third Christmas-day, so, however appearances are against it,
time does really roll on. I don't know why, but I am particularly
_Indianly_ low to-day. There is such a horrid mixture of sights and
sounds for Christmas. The servants have hung garlands at the doors of
our tents, and (which is very wrong) my soul recoiled when they all
assembled, and in their patois wished us, I suppose, a happy Christmas.
Somehow a detestation of the Hindustani language sounding all round us,
came over me in a very inexplicable manner.
Then, though nothing could be better than the way in which Mr. Y.
performed the service, still it was in a tent, and unnatural, and we
were kneeling just where the Prince of Lucknow and his son, and their
turbaned attendants, were sitting on Saturday at the durbar, and there
was nobody except G. with whom I felt any real communion of heart and
feelings. So, you see, I just cried for you and some others, and I
daresay I shall be better after luncheon.
To return to my journal. G. had a hard day's work on Saturday, and so
had everybody. We gave a breakfast to the heir-apparent of Lucknow and
to sixty people; the utmost number we can accommodate.
Four aides-de-camp went, at seven in the morning, all the way to his
camp (five miles) to fetch him. W. and Mr. P. met him half-way; B.
again, a mile off; and then G., the Prince of Orange, and all the chief
officers of station, at the end of our street.
Each individual is on an elephant, and the _shock_ at the meeting was
very amusing. A great many howdahs were broken, and it is a mercy that
some of the people were not killed, for the Nawâb scatters money as he
goes along, and the natives get under the elephants to find it. G. and
the Nawâb embrace on meeting, and the visitor gets into the howdah of
the visited, in which friendly fashion they arrived.
F. and I had taken our places in the durbar tent on the left hand of his
lordship, and Mrs. A. and Mrs. B. and Mrs. J. and Mrs. Y. behind us. We
could not ask any of the ladies of the station, for want of room.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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