4 
Then a hurried drive, another journey bach to town and parting thanks mixed 
with thoughts that after all England is not so very wrong; delay she may in 
choice of new equipments, but when this delay means improvement on what other 
countries have adopted and careful guard against their errors, the result seems 
generally to be in her favour. 
In the case of Q,.F. field guns it may safely be said that, if the trials now pro¬ 
ceeding bring to light a gun and ammunition capable of surpassing those here 
described and our batteries be equipped with ‘them, no foreign nation can hope to 
compete in materiel with the Royal Artillery. 
BOMBAY. 
THOUGH somewhat belated the following notes on the winter of 1897-8 may 
still be of interest if indeed that season can be said to prevail in the city 
“ Between the Palms and the Sea ” 
“ Where the world end steamers wait.” 
and where the beautiful tropical foliage is as luxuriant in December as in June ; 
the thermometer never falls below 70°, fires are unknown, houses are kept open 
day and night all the year round, punkahs never cease to swing and Her Majesty’s 
troops wear white or khaki uniform in mid-winter. To those who have not been 
in India for some years the prevalence of khaki in place of white cannot fail to 
arouse attention as well as other changes in dress such as soldiers walking out 
in the most frequented parts of the town in field service forage caps without 
sticks or gloves. Officers wearing white stick-up collars in one of the stickiest 
climates in the world ; lace boots, jack spurs and blue putties for mounted officers, 
etc. It is strange that the Royal Navy with its reputation for all that is service¬ 
able should never have adopted khaki but it would undoubtedly cause a shock to 
see a blue-jacket so equipped for the first time instead of his usual snow-white 
jumper and ducks with straw hat or cloth cap with white cover. 
The naval harbour defences of Bombay have been so increased of late years 
that it may be of interest to mention of what they now consist, first stating that 
the Commodore is Captain H. L. Fleet, R.N., so well known to so many military 
officers as the popular No. 1 ofH.M.S. * Ser apis’ in the old trooping days. His 
present flotilla comprises the coast defence turret ships ‘ Magdala ’ and ‘ Abyssinia ,* 
the torpedo gunboats ‘ Plassy ’ and ‘ Assaye* and seven first class torpedo boats. 
Very smart and serviceable they all look painted white and riding on the bright 
blue waters of the harbour opposite the Apollo Bunder. The total complement 
of crews is 600 men all of whom, excepting one man per vessel, are berthed on 
board the Indian marine hulk ‘ Tenassarim,’ on which Captain Fleet lives and flies 
his flag and where the ward room mess is found. 
Kipling speaks of the “ world-end steamers ” and certainly it is characteristic 
of Bombay that everyone who leaves India and everyone who arrives in India 
passes through Bombay so that what with the hired transports and the P. & 0. 
mail steamers, officers stationed there have many opportunities of meeting old 
friends, and happy reunions and pleasant parties at the yacht club mark the 
winter months. 
The Bubonic Plague, always worst in the cold weather, has undoubtedly been 
a great and undesirable feature in the life at Bombay during the past two years. 
The total deaths up to date amount to 26,000 out of a population of 900,000. 
Fortunate ly, last winter they succeeded in keeping it out of Colaba the only case 
being^a barber, who, although he actually shaved one or two officers with the 
