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an immense variety, and the Water Fowl from the graceful Swan to the minute little Teal and Dabchick. We were very much delighted.

The Elephant was so extremely docile and obedient to his keeper that he took a small piece of money and handed to a person who sold cakes to receive some of them in exchange for his money. The Bears too amused us very much, they were in a deep pit in the centre of which there was fixed a straight pole of wood, up which they kept crawling to receive from the spectators a cake upon a stick, when clasping the pole with their claws, down they slid just like a sailor with a rope. Some of the monkeys appeared to be quite delighted to be taken notice of. Every thing connected with the animals is kept perfectly clean by the keepers, a large number of whom are constantly employed. The expences of this establishment must be enormous, if we take into consideration the first cost of the animals; the Rhinoceros only we were told cost one thousand guineas, which in round numbers is equal to eleven thousand rupees, the daily consumption of food, the wages paid to the servants, and the keeping in constant order the buildings necessary for the safety and preservation of so large a collection. This place is always resorted to by those who can afford to pay for admission in the evening, especially in summer, and here while they amuse themselves they gain information.

During the whole time we were in the Garden, we attracted a very great number around us from the peculiarity of our dress, and we were objects of very great curiosity to the visitors,—as much so perhaps as the winged and four footed inmates of the place.

It was amusing to hear one call us Chinese, they are Turks says another; no they are Spanish, vociferates a third; thus they were labouring under mistakes, and taking inhabitants of British India for natives of Europe.

We have also seen the Surrey Zoological Gardens, which lie about a mile and a half above the Blackfriars Bridge on the Surrey side of the Thames, but with the exception of a conservatory of beautiful plants upwards of three hundred feet in circumference, it has so near a resemblance in its inmates to that in the Regent's Park, that no particular description is necessary.

The plants are principally rare climbers, and and will well repay the florist for his trouble in visiting this place,

Here is a better collection of wild beasts; and an order of a subscriber and the payment of one shilling admits you.

CHAPTER IV.

INTRODUCTION AND RECEPTION AT THE EAST INDIA HOUSE.

SHORTLY after our arrival in England, we were taken by our friend, Mr. George Forbes, to the East India House in Leadenhall Street, and we had the honor of being introduced to the then Chairman of the Honorable East India Company, Sir James Law Lushington, and the Deputy Chairman, Richard Jenkins, Esq. (now Sir Richard Jenkins). We were received with great condescension by them, and were assured of our receiving every encouragement during the prosecution of our studies in Great Britain.

We were very much struck with the appearance of the India House, and we could not help remarking how much of the future happiness or the misery of the countless millions of India depended on the transactions carried on within the walls of this building, and as we thought that our countrymen would like to know something about this celebrated place, we have, in another part of this little work, annexed a brief account of it, as well

as the origin and the history of the Company, which we hope will prove acceptable.

We subsequently waited upon several members of the Honorable Court of Directors, and their worthy Secretary, James Cosmo Melvill, Esq., and J. C. Mason, Esq. (Marine Branch), from all of whom we met with the kindest reception, and subsequently experienced many favors, which we have acknowledged in our preface.

We had brought a letter from one of our native friends, to our present worthy governor, Sir James Rivett Carnac, Bart., and it would be impossible for us to express our gratitude in terms strong enough for the numerous favors conferred on us by that excellent and worthy personage. We had the high honor of being introduced to the Right Honorable Earl of Minto, First Lord of the Admiralty, the Right Honorable Lord Glenelg, the then Colonial Secretary, Sir John Barrow, Bart., Secretary to the Admiralty, and Sir William Symonds, Surveyor of Her Majesty's Navy, by the means of letters which Sir James honored us with, and the reception and civility we met with from these noblemen and gentlemen, far exceeded all our expectations. We hailed his Excellency's appointment (which very shortly took place), as Governor of Bombay, with much pleasure and satisfaction, as we knew the regard he had for the natives of India: and on our waiting upon His Excellency a

few weeks before his departure, he most kindly and condescendingly expressed a desire for us to come from Egham to pay our respects just before he left England. We did not fail to do so; and on our taking leave, we sincerely prayed to our God for health and happiness to himself and his family, and we deeply regret the indifferent accounts, that have reached us since his Excellency's arrival at Bombay, concerning his health, but trust that Providence will, ere long, restore him to strength and vigor, and that he may long enjoy all the blessings in this world.

The anxiety His Excellency evinced for our improvement was very great; it was now three months since we had commenced our studies, and had made a little progress in them, with which His Excellency was much pleased, and suggested the propriety of sending out the book we had written to our friends, in order that they may know what we have been doing, at the same time he condescendingly undertook to take them out and deliver them to our friends at Bombay. This we considered a very great favor, and we very much admired the affability and kindness with which His Excellency treated us, who were so much inferior to himself in station of life, rank, and fortune; but we concluded that it is by good behaviour that one secures kindness and esteem of great men in England, and not by wealth and

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