A Journey To India

"Yon recall pcrhaps, " said tbe returnud Eastlndian, "that Colonel Newcome in making his final vísit home írom India carne by the so callcd overland route, across tho desert frord the head of the Rad soa to Cairo? Tbackeraj', biruself :tn E;;?r ludían by birth, was sent t i Engiami as a chüd, but ho carne ly way of the cape ofGood Hope and St, líeJena umi caught íi glimpse of the e"iled Napoleou. There must be yet a lew persons living who recall the timo when Thackcray's voyage was the oue everybody made in goiug írom ludia toEngksud, aud there are, of oourse, thousands that have made the caravan journey, as it is only a quarter of a centnry since tho opening of the Suez canal. That last eveu has done more thaD any other one thing to make life in British India ondurable, for the cutting of the canal has reduced the journey home to a fortuight loss aud brought the round trip ticket dowu to L85. The price oue wayby the caravan route was L120, just about the cost of a trip arouud the world in our day. Thackeray's journey was a matter of months, Colonel Newcome's a matter of weeks, that of the Eaít Indian now a matter of days. "Lieutenant Waghorn was tha man tj lay down and establish the caravan roate. It soon became a regular freight and passenger line. Itwasfrom Suez to Cairo, a distanoe of 70 miles, asnally made in about three days. The freight was oarried on the backs of camels, and the passengrs rode in a rude diligence drawn by mnles. There wore caravausaries every five miles, where the mules were changed, and at soaie of these thore was ood to be had. The great standby was 'spatchcock. ' Wben the nativos in charge of a caravansáry spied au approaol ing caravan, thoy instantly rushed out, caught sojne fowls. wrung tbeir necks. and au hour later served them, scai' e dead, to the travelers; heneo the name spatchcQck. That journey across ho desert was most trying to women and ohildreaj and the railroad i trom Suez to Cairo in lSöi) v;is hailed ■■. i vast improvenieut over the caravan ui : iiod of travel. "Ten years later carne tho canal. The . iii. ;in,i,' of t!ie canal practically stroyed Suez, f-:r tho port is some distance from tbe city, and a busy town with a largeiiotel and rnany small ones has been transformed into a dust heap in the desert. The canal, in destroying one town, built up the others, for Port Said aud Ismailia are creaturos of the canal. The former used tobe one of the j worst places on earth, and at ordinary j times one of the dullest. The vicious Levantines, of all eastern racos, and the equally vicious Europeans from every part of the continent seemed to wake into activity only at the approach of a ship. Th en daucehousos, gambüng hells and every sort of evil resortopened wide their doois to tho delayed traveler. Periiajjs it is bfittor now, or possibly worse, for in these days a single compauy pays moro than S 1,009, 000 a year in tolls, and there is an almost continnous procession of ships through tha. canal. "The Suez canal is in scnne respects the most wonderful waterway in the world. As soon as the traveler enters it he rcalizes that he is in the hands of the French. A Freuch speakinj pilot takes possession of theship, and all officers of the canal are Frenohmen. Tho gares, or turuouts, where a ship wuits to let another pass, aro in the charge of old French soldiers, and it is charming to see how thoy beautify their arid surroundings. Wlien the sand of the desert is watered, it almost bursts with bowers, and at every gare are a neatly painted little honse and a blooming garden, while grass edges the canal, and the dreariest regiou on earth is transformad by French thrift. One of the most interesting sights to the canal in early days was to see ono ship meet another. The on each crowded forward with greetings and the waving of baudkerehiefs, aud there were tears trom the outward bound at the thoughD of wbattha homeward bound were soon to see. Tho meeting of ships is uow no longer a novelty I oaca encountered ' the Mhedive Tewfik's yacht, wici; his harem on board, as we passed through the cp:ia!. üf courss we caught no glimpse of the larlies, butTawfik an:i De Lesseps, -who waa bis gaest. cama out on the spouson beara to greol os, and we manuea the yards with nativa " sailurs in honor of the two "Tbs can.i': pass ige is :u:k1o in from 17 te 24 hours, aud since the use of powarfu! electr:c ;g!it.s has made High!; navigation in tiio caual possible the journey from England to India is made with few serions dclays. It uscd to be that a!I the coal for ships traversing the Rerl soa was carried across the isthmus ou the backs of cumels. Ships :;ov commonlycoal at Port Saki One of tha curious features of navigation ia the ! canal ancl tbe Red sea is the absence or Jarge sailing craft. The Red sea ía so hemmee! in with mouutains on either coast that the progressof a large sailing snip would be extremely slow and attendod with danger from sudden squalls. Such a passags of the Red sea would be almost intolerable, for the heat is oppressive, an.l the monotony of the arid sand hills ashore is tedious beyond expression. There are lighthouses along the shorés, and there is no drearier loc than t!iiit of t!ie lighthouse keeper on the Red sor. Few persons on this side of the world realiza that tlio sea is 1500 miles lóug. " 15aii)cs were coverinss for tiie lower part of the faoe. They reachecj from the uose to the waist. In Italy and Franoe widows WHre by law compellt'd towear tlieru