Wall-Street To Cashmere

· 1859 · Public domain (published pre-1930) · archive.org ↗

1188

2FROM WALL STREET TO CASHMERE.

3himself until “tiffin” (lunch), as he was obliged to hold “cutch-

4erry " (native court). I then examined the boat, which was not

5very prepossessing, and returned to the hbrary, which is choice.

6Tiffined, and then we drove to see the tombs of the early Dutch

7and English settlers, this being one of the parts of India where

8foreigners first settled. In driving through the town passed the

9old Portuguese fort, the Dutch and English factories (magazines

10or warehouses), or rather their “patched up ” ruins.

11The old houses we passed had much elaborate carving, though

12r t pleasing. I was nearly overwhelmed by the bow.s, for Judge

13F. is treated with almost regal attention. At last reached the tombs;

14they must have been fine in their day, though now fast crum¬

15bling; the architecture is of a nameless order, it is so varied:

16composite, Hindoo, Mahommedan, Grecian, and original. Then

17to their rivals in life and death, the English. Passing the house

18of a wealthy Parsec, a princely establishment, saw on each gate¬

19post the wooden figure of an English sentinel. The English

20tombs are as varied as the Dutch, though not so numerous. Some

21of the large ones looked like castles in size and structure ; others

22painted bright vermilion. On to the tombs of the Nawaubs of

23Surat, descendants of the Grand Mogul at Delhi, of which this

24was a tributary formerly. This is a large platform of stone and

25plaster, some fifty feet square and four high. Here arc two or

26three low Moslem tombs of the late rulers and their families, but

27neither handsome nor imposing. Went around the outside walls

28of the city a little way into the country. Home, and dressed for

29dinner. EvCn in this hot climate they adhere to their home cos¬

30tume of a full evening dress for dining. That and sundry other

31matters discussed, we went to bed. The house is delight¬

32fully situated on the river ; it opens on a piazza, on all sides of

33which the birds and squirrels avail themselves to the fullest

34extent : the former hopping about the room as we sit at table, the

35latter racing rmMtd the room making their fitmiliar chirp, and

36attacking every Jopse end in the carpet they can see. Surat was

37the great emporium of foreign commerce in India, when Euro*