Jain Temple

Ahmedabad, Monday Feb’y 14/98.

This is my dear Willie‘s 23rd birthday & I wish him many, many more, & all that can give him happiness. We are far from each other today but nigh in spirit.

Well, consult your map & you will see where I write from. I left Bombay last night at 8:30, very comfortable bed in carriage, only another on the compartment with me, & we both had ample room. There are 4 berths: 2 top & 2 bottom. I went to bed just as usual, pyjamas on, & rose at 7 this morning after having a cup of tea handed in at Baroda,[1] & arrived here at 9 o’clock & am staying at the “retiring” rooms on station platform.

Well before leaving Bombay & after finishing last night’s diary, I sought out Mrs. Dr. Pechey Phipson & found her at close of consulting hours, & she received me very warmly. On her man servant handing her my card, she told me she thought I must be some relation to Barbara who was at Ford’s,[2] & highly did she speak of you.

[2:19]

Ann[3] did not return to Bombay with her, ‘94 I think it was. They took a small house at Matlock & Ann is in it today, but it has been sold recently & she will vacate it & go to Leeds. Welsh, Hunslet are her friends I think Mrs. P said you will know. She mentioned the parcel I sent to Ann, you remember, & she never got it. Mrs. P. desired me to tell you how glad to[o] she was to hear about you, & had I been staying longer would gladly have been of use to me. She also spoke of Hannah.

Then after that I went to the post office & got a letter from Albi, & pleased I was he had received yours & others. I went & saw Jeff too, & told him I hoped to find him on board Andorinha when I got to Calcutta.

I was interested with the country as I travelled through it after sunrise this morning.

Tell Charlie[4] I saw such lots of monkeys. They indeed are plentiful & no one ever thinks of either scaring or killing them. All is very dry & parched but where irrigation has been introduced there are green spots. The trees are fine, some very lovely & make rare shelters from the sun. Lots of peasantry about & ploughing very common all the way.

[2:20]

After breakfast I took a gharry & had about 3 hours’ drive round. Visited a few mosques & temples & a very huge Jain[5] temple which interested me greatly. I can’t describe it but am sure can very clearly remember it to retail the variety I saw when I get home. The city is an abominable place, filthy & wretched, & the natives all to match. This afternoon, or evening rather (I had a sleep for 2 hours during afternoon), I went to see the river & very fine bridge that spans it. The river is small now & shallow & there were hundreds on both banks: men, women, & children, bathing & washing clothes. This river has an extensive bed & after the monsoon is quite a sea. The city walls are very impressive & in good preservation. They are 6 miles in circumference with very large bastions at very short spaces, & 18 gates into these walls at different places, some of which are very imposing. Scots gate very much magnified, no grass mounds any where, all masonry. The roads are very dusty & the traffic great, & open gutters, very, very nasty. Very good station here but the double line ends & I go on narrow gauge single line to Jeypore[6] tomorrow morning at 10:30, [2:21] & will be 18 hours in the train. I have decided not to break at Ajmere as there is nothing unusually interesting that can’t be seen at Jeypore, & it is very well worth stopping at. I will stay 2 days there & then Delhi, from where I will post my letter. Now it is 6:45 here & exactly 2 with you (afternoon), the time is ½ hour earlier here than Bombay, as they keep railway time here & they have both times to keep at Bombay: sun & railway. For instance, last night the train left 8:30 tho’ 9 was the advertised hour. Madras railway rules the time![7] I left off here to go to dinner but I eat very little, preferring to rather under than over eat, as I feel better for it. The mail train for Bombay has just come & passengers have 40 minutes to dine at the retiring rooms. It is now 7:30. I am going to bed in a very short while & get a good sleep to prepare for the railway journey. I must say I rather enjoyed the journey from Bombay to here. How very differently things are conducted on railways here compared with England, yet there’s a similarity, as you will easily understand, tho’ ours is conducted with a system that is not used here.

[2:22]

I forgot to say I had to obtain 2 pillows & a cotton “eider” down for my journey through India. W.S. Caine[8] noted this, & it is very common as nothing is provided at these places, & Bombay clothiers are always calling out of their shops “any travelling bedding, Sahib?”.[9] My towels & soap are useful here to[o]. For the first time, I used my new rug last night, & towards early morning put on my great coat also, tho’ when I undressed last night, soon after leaving Bombay, it was very hot & the undressing exhausting. Now the train is off & I will finish here & go to bed. I find I am the only occupant tonight. Mosquito curtains are on the beds. So were they at Bombay. One is just playing around my nose now & just on the little finger of my left hand I have several spots which I got just before leaving Bombay.

Good night to you all.

[1] City in the Indian state of Gujarat.

[2] School for girls in the Estate village of Ford, Northumberland

[4] Charles Colson Whitehead.

[5] Jainism: an ancient branch of Hinduism that rejects the notion of a supreme being and advocates a deep respect for all living things. Some adherents refuse to wash for fear of killing creatures on the body.

[6] Also “Jaipur”

[7] With the advent of railways in the 19th century the old system of keeping track of time locally interfered with the creation of a national train schedule.  Therefore, for the purpose of train scheduling, the time at one fixed location was used throughout the country.  Many areas also continued to maintain local times for years after.

[8] William Sproston Caine wrote “Picturesque India: A Handbook for European Travellers” (1890).

[9] “Sir” or “Master” — used especially among the native inhabitants of colonial India when addressing or speaking of a European of some social or official status.