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CHAPTER XXXIII. p. 465.

ALBUMS. EPITAPHS.

CHAPTER XXXIV.―p. 479.

CLIMATE OF ENGLAND.

Salutations indicative of the Climate-Ice-Beautiful appearance of Snow-Tulips-Fruits-Harvest-Christmas-Advice on

Preservation of Health.

CHAPTER XXXV.-p. 487.

CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS.

CHAPTER I.

VOYAGE FROM BOMBAY TO ENGLAND.

On the twenty-ninth of March the Buckinghamshire was announced to leave, and as the time drew near, we began to feel uneasy. The idea of leaving our homes, the happy island which gave us birth, the sacrifice of comforts we were about to make, and three years' absence from our wives, our parents, and relatives, made us very melancholy; however hope animated us and we reflected with what pleasure we should see them all on our return, and moreover what advantage our countrymen in Bombay would derive by our being acquainted with the resources of a country on which their life and property depended, and we hoped that it would be paving the way for them, and that by our communicating to them what we had seen of England, and her inhabitants, they would be actuated to visit her, and that by the frequent interchange of ideas and feelings much benefit would result to both.

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On the morning of the twenty-ninth we bade adieu to our families and friends, and many were the tears of sorrow that flowed from all eyes at that critical hour. All were melancholy and sad; many came on board the ship with us and remained there as long as they could, but oh! what words can paint the grief when we thus severed from each other?

The Captain gave orders to weigh the anchor, and the wide sails were now spread, and the noble ship stood out for sea.

Every soul on board except ourselves, and some native seamen, were full of joy, with the anticipated pleasure of seeing their native land and the associates of their younger days. Our case indeed was different, we were leaving our birth place for a strange country, and had exchanged homely comforts for the troubles of a long sea voyage. We gazed on the happy land we had just left till we could see it no longer.

We soon became reconciled to our lot and contrived means to amuse ourselves as well as we could. For three days and three nights we saw nothing but the wide ocean before, and the sky over, us.

Our fellow passengers were mostly public servants, whose names would be of very little interest, suffice it to say, that there were upwards of sixty including the children, who were about fifteen in number.

Many of the passengers were sea sick, but to the great astonishment of all, the whole of us escaped it and were totally free from the slightest symptoms of its approach; this we attribute to be caused by the abstemious mode of living we adopted at sea. We here beg to suggest to all those, who wish to escape the unpleasant effects of sea sickness, to refrain from taking any wine or spirits, and to be moderate in their meals for the first few days, as we have found it of advantage in keeping our health, though out of us five, only one of our attendants had been to sea before.

On the fourth of April we saw the land about Cannanore, from which place we had to take some soldiers and a young officer of the Army as passengers in the ship; in the morning of the following day we came into the Bay of Cannanore, which is said to be the best on the coast of Malabar.

The Town is defended by a fortress, and has, we were informed, some very good houses. As our ship was expected to leave the place in a few hours none of the passengers went on shore; we saw some very neat bungalows belonging to the English, close to the beach with gardens surrounding them.

A boat was sent on shore with the second officer and the purser, with whom we had the opportunity of sending some letters to Bombay by the post.

Soon after the ship entered the Bay we were surrounded by the natives, who came with their canoes loaded with all sorts of fruit, cocoa nuts, and vegetables, which was very acceptable to us, and we purchased them with great eagerness. The boat returned in the afternoon with the passengers, and we once more made for sea.

We had to take some more passengers from Cochin, as well as our living stock, such as fowls, geese, &c., with which the coast of Malabar abounds; we sailed along the coast keeping it in view all the time. The coast between Cannanore and Cochin, is of uniform height and thickly covered with cocoa nut trees, and had altogether a very beautiful appearance.

On the morning of the tenth of April we reached Cochin, there were several small vessels in the harbour and the steamer "Semiramis," belonging to the Honourable Company. Apprehensions were entertained about her safety at Bombay when we left, because she had been more than three months on her passage from England, but we here understood that she was detained at many places on her way to take in fresh supplies of coals.

We did not come to anchor at this place, because we expected to start again in the evening; the captain fired guns to warn the passengers on shore of his arrival, in order that they might come on board during the day. Here the ship was

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