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a garden. The rainfall was on the increase. The tributaries of 
the Indus, coming down from the Himalayas, overflowed and 
inundated the country. The river entered the Punjab through 
a series of gorges, in some places cutting its way through the 
rocks, and after entering the Punjab it flowed south for four 
hundred miles, and then into the Arabian Sea. Armitsar was 
the favourite city of the Sikhs. 
There was a large reservoir in the centre of the city, and 
thousands of pilgrims went to do obeisance to it. In the 
temple was the book containing the teachings of their apostle ; 
and the Sikhs said of it that it was the only material object of 
their worship. They believed in a personal God, capable of being 
approached without the intermediary of priests, and the presence 
of a Christian stranger in their temple did not cause any con- 
sternation. Civility was shown to him and a passage cleared by 
the officials for him to see anything of interest. The pilgrims 
;mmerse themselves in the pool, whose water was supposed to 
wash away their guilt. These religious places were the curse of 
India, but were not to be interfered with by the authorities. 
The Military and Literary Associations of Lahore were next 
described, the Lecturer paying a high compliment to the prowess 
of the Sikh army, and their faithfulness during the Mutiny. 
The rivers of the Punjab had made the conditions of life there 
very different from those in other parts of India. The rivers 
overflowed and the water sank into the sub-soil thirty or forty feet 
below the surface. The husbandman, by making canals and other 
devices, was able to utilize the water and obtain three crops a 
year. In the case of new settlers the Government made advances 
for the purchase of cattle and implements. Railways also ran 
through the prosperous districts. It was to be regretted that 
good harvests were not taken advantage of to provide stores, 
so that they might be useful in time of need. The happiness of 
the country meant its development, and not the least ripe for 
development was the vast land of the Sikhs with its fine rivers. 
There was a great future before the Punjab. The Government 
were taking an interest in the people, no doubt due to the 
influence of some of our wise rulers who had laid the foundations 
of our rule in India. 
SAX 
A. tn | 
