Page:"Round the world." - Letters from Japan, China, India, and Egypt (IA roundworldletter00fogg 0).pdf/243

 gorges, dark and deep, and mare frequent taunels for the nexi ten miles than 1 ever aaw before in the same distance, At ore place the train comes fo a foil atep a hun- dred yards froxe the yerge of s precipice cf one thousand feet; and here the track, forming the letter Y, starts off agaln in tho oppasite direstion. A frsight train coming dowa this grade a faw months ago during tue rainy season, when the track was slip- pery got beyond the control of the brakes aod wentdathing ever the precipice. Wa rag very slowly and are two hours in mak: ing the dezeent of Hlteon miles. There is a decided feeling of relief amcag the passer - gers when we “touch bottom.”

For four hours more we glides sracothly over a comparatively level ecuntry where cattan seetus to be the principal crop, and moet of the cats on the side tracks are marked ‘“‘eolten wayons.”?” We are evix dently approaching Rombay, the great cot- ton metropolis of India. This portion of the road is ald, and the irsck jg lined with hedges of cactus. The atation houses are protty csttagelike buildings, surreunded by Bowers; and leng rows of planta in pote, gorgeous creepers sul beds of rates and bal- sams show the pairs teken by these railway pardenerr, aad the gocd taste of the aupesr- intendent af the line. Why caacet some of our older roads in Amarics follow the exsm- ple of England and thecontinentin thus om- lishing those moat dreary looking placee, the country railway eiation?

Af noon we reach Bombay, whieh claims ta be the second clty in sine iv tae British empire, With s population ef nearly a mil- lion, the rival of Csicutta ag a eesport, and Loe postal centre ef India.

Tiis bullion a number of email islands, eonnected with each other sad the main- land by causeways, forming altogether a peninsular 40 low and fist that during the yaipy seasoa large tracis ava under water. Notwithstanding its Iceation ib ig so open to the invigorating sed breeze that Bom - hay is eald to be ono ef the health. ied ylaceg in India for Huropeans. Many of the ciob mierchanta have beautifal villas oa Malabar Hill ia the suburbs, which, sur- reunded by gardens anc shrubbery, resem- ble the New Yorkers’ cotteves on Staten Island. Phia city wes founded three hux- axed yerre ago by the Portuguere under taxst foarless old sea-dog, Vasco da Gama, who won the title of “Admiral of tho In- dian, Persian and Arabisn Sess, by first