346 COFFEE. 



So, after reading this report, I could not but again believe in 

 the existence of tigers in India. 



I had thought to remain in Delhi during the Imperial as- 

 semblage, but found that this would make too great an inroad 

 upon my time, and I therefore was obliged to forego this spec- 

 tacle — another disappointment. 



Proceeding to Bombay by rail, I found it a bustling, business- 

 like city, with even more imposing public buildings than those of 

 Calcutta. From the BicuUa side of the harbor it looks like a 

 veritable city of palaces. Bombay is the home of vast numbers 

 of the Parsee merchants, whose shrewdness and enterprise have 

 made their name known throughout the commercial world. Speak- 

 ing of names, they can "lay over" anything that I have seen or 

 heard elsewhere, except, perhaps, Ceylon, a specimen of whose 

 names I gave in a former letter. But I am not certain that 

 Bombay, for irregular, right-angled jaw-breakers, does not even 

 take the palm from Ceylon. I append herewith a couple of brief 

 slips which I cut from one of the Bombay papers while there, and 

 ^ I can assure you that these are not exceptional, either in length or 

 sonorousness : 



"H. H. Ttikhtsingjee, the young Thakore of Bhownuggur; 

 Eawal Shri Hurrisingjee, a Chief of Sehore, and Mr. Gowreeshun- 

 ker Oodeyshunker, one of the Joint Administrators of the State, 

 leave Bhownuggur for Bombay, en route to Delhi, on the 5th inst." 



" Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy, Bart., C.S.L., with his three sons, 

 will leave for Delhi on Thursday next." 



Comment is unnecessary. 



I mentioned that Bombay was a bustling, busy city. It has 

 been made so by the railway system of India and the Suez Canal. 

 Twenty years ago Bombay was only a port of opium export and 

 a way station on the overland route to India. After the mutiny 

 the Government system of railroads was undertaken, and during 

 our American war Bombay became the entrepot for the cotton 

 trade of India, which has grown to be very large. On the com- 

 pletion of the Suez Canal many lines of steamers were established 

 between Bombay and England, and within the last ten years the 

 city has quite outrun Calcutta in the importance of its trade. The. 

 manufacturing of cotton goods for Indian consumption has been 



