'Up the Country': Letters Written to Her Sister from the Upper Provinces of India

We were 'at home' on Friday evening. There are ten ladies at this station, several of them very pretty, and with our own ladies there were enough for a quadrille; so they danced...

I was very much knocked up yesterday with the durbar of the day before. I never told you--such a horrid idea! That box of yours, with that lovely velvet pelisse--that blue cloak...

We went yesterday to the Sikh camp to see their troops. W., F., and I went on first, for when G. comes with his tail on there is such a kicking and fighting amongst the horses,...

The Maharajah asked G. to go with him on Sunday afternoon to look at his fort of Govindghur, in which he keeps all his treasures; and it is certain that whoever gets hold of Gov...

It has just occurred to me, in dating this letter, that we are very near the end of '38, and in '39 we may begin to say, 'The year after next we shall go home.' I never know exa...

We halt here till Monday. There is a great gathering of petty chiefs, and our arrival was very pretty. Each man came on his elephant, with a few wild followers on horseback, som...

The last ten days have been devoted to finishing up my goods for the fancy fair, and I have not touched a pen. Yesterday the fair 'came off,' as they say, and to-day I am so tir...

I had better make a beginning at last. A heap of sea letters came this morning, and, amongst others, one of your dear _books_ which I have been pining for, and a Journal from E....

Another rainy night, and we have come on to another sloppy encampment, and I am sorry to say those bearers, and two more, have died of cholera to-day--all owing to the wet, Dr....

We came in this morning with the usual fuss of a cantonment. I always dread coming back to the two or three regiments we have met before, because they are all so excessively ast...

'Once more upon the waters, yet once more,' and so on. We are now fairly off for eighteen months of travelling by steamers, tents, and mountains--and every day of a cabin seems...

The Maharajah is ill--he has cold and fever--so all parties, &c., are put off. We were to have visited his wives to-day, and to have had great illuminations at the palace; but a...

I sent off my Journal to you the day before yesterday from Monghir. We arrived there early on Thursday morning, and G. found there were so many people there whom he ought to see...

This is your birthday, and an excellent reason for starting again in my Journal. I wish you a great many of them, dearest; only please to be economical, and don't spend them lav...

The Bhurtpore Rajah came out to meet G. to-day with a pretty retinue, odd-looking carriages and horses covered with gold, but he is a fat, hideous young man himself. We went in...

I put up a large packet to you on Saturday, which will accompany this; but I was shy of making it thicker. Sunday, the whole camp was glad of a halt; the sandy roads tire all th...

We had our wedding yesterday morning; the tent made up into a very good chapel. Miss H. was very nicely dressed, and looked very well. Mr. G. was uncommonly happy.

Well, of all the things I ever saw, I think this is the finest. Did we know about it in England? I mean, did you and I, in our old ancient Briton state, know? Do you know now, w...

I have allowed myself my accustomed four days' rest after sending off my Journal, and it comes just at a good time. We have had only our common marches to make from Lahore, and...

It appears that our last letters will again be too late for the steamer. G. always keeps the express till it is a day too late for the steamer. In fact, if he _has_ a fault (I d...

I ought to have begun again sooner, as my last Journal was sent off this day week, but it appears it will have to wait at Bombay till the eighth of next month, so, as you may re...

I have been obliged to give up the five last days to other letters, to the manifest disadvantage of my Journal, your unspeakable loss, and my own deep regret; but what can be do...

This is a small station, only two ladies, one of whom is Miss T.; she came out last year to join a brother here, who is quite delighted to have her, and she seems very contented...

I was so obliged to you for those extracts from Charles Lamb. I had seen that about the two hemispheres in some newspaper, and have been longing for the book ever since.

I sent off my last Journal from Rajghaut, March 23. We got all our goods over the river on Friday evening, and marched Saturday, 24th. The regiment and the cavalry went the stra...

I must tell you for the children's sake such a touching trait of my flying squirrel. It is the most coaxing animal I ever saw, and lives in my room without any cage, or chain, a...

My last Journal departed this life on Tuesday last, and since then we have had almost unceasing rain, with a great deal of thick white fog, which I rather affection; it somehow...

I went yesterday evening to see my children, who seemed quite reconciled to their fates, and were stuffing rice and curry in large handfuls. Mrs. L., the matron, said they did n...

A letter to you which is to go by the Persian Gulf only departed to-day, and I believe there will be no regular steamer for nearly six weeks. A sad interruption to our little co...

Tuesday morning the Prince of Oude returned our breakfast by one at his tents, which were pitched about five miles off. F. and I went in the carriage till the last minute, when...

I think it looks ill, that I have let a whole week go by without a touch of Journal; but nothing particular has happened, and it does not mean any coldness, you know, dearest. I...

'Pillicock sits on Pillicock's hill, Halloo Loo! Loo!' (which I take to be a prophecy of our playing at Loo every evening.) We came up in two days from Barr, a very fatiguing bu...

We had Mrs. A., Mrs. L., and Mrs. R. to dinner yesterday, as we find it the best way to dine the most companionable ladies _en famille_ when we can furnish gentlemen enough of o...

This is our great place of dispersion. G., A., and Mars start to-morrow for Calcutta, Lord Jocelyn for Agra, C. for Lucknow, and we on our march to Allahabad. M., H., and Colone...

Our steady doctor gave his ball last night. He was asked for one by Mrs. L., and found it an easier way of returning civilities than giving a number of dinners.

As we were passing a place called Bullhga this morning, we saw an enormous concourse of natives, and it turned out to be a great fair for horses. So we stopped the steamer, and...

We dined with Colonel J. yesterday. He lives, I believe, quite in the native style, with a few black Mrs. J.'s gracing his domestic circle when we are not here, but he borrowed...

I have let a week pass by this time, partly because, since we have been here, we have given a ball and four large dinners, seen a great many sights, had a ball given to us and a...

We arrived here yesterday morning, and it is horrible to think how by constantly campaigning about we have become 'Kurnaul's tired denizens.' This is the third time we have been...

I think I will begin again soon this time--first, because to-morrow is your birthday, so, as there is a difference of half the world in our reckoning, I begin keeping it in time...

The tents look worse than ever, inasmuch as they are a year older, and the new white patches look very _discrepant_; but one week, I suppose, will make them all a general _dirty...

We made this our first march, as most of the camp have not seen it. It is the most magnificent pillar, I suppose, in the world, and looks as if it had been built yesterday; but...

I sent off one journal to you two days ago from a place that, it since appears, was called Bheekee. Yesterday we started at half-past five, as it was a twelve miles' march, and...

We made our first march. The bugle sounds at half-past five to wake us, though the camels perform that ceremony rather earlier, and we set off at six as the clock strikes, for a...

It goes much against the grain with me to begin a fresh Journal on half a sheet, but it is an odd time for writing, so I must take what I can get and be thankful. The things are...

It is rather soon to begin again, but habit is everything, and there is a little more to say while the Sikhs are here. Our ball for them last night went off very well. I had the...

I had such a number of letters to answer in other directions, and then our young prince takes up much of my time, as everything here is new to him, and he seems surprised at the...

I sent off my last letter from Allahabad, and it is almost hard upon you to begin again; it must be such dull reading just now. Our Allahabad ball was what they considered brill...

The August mail came in to-day; a week after the September packet. Your dear, good letter has come both these last times without making its usual Calcutta detour, which is very...

We made our march this morning, but found all the people who had been obliged to come on last night so knocked up that I have persuaded G. to give up his intention of marching t...

That missing Falmouth packet still hangs on my mind, and I cannot digest its loss after three days, which must be very unwholesome. We are poking along the narrow roads and ravi...

We have had a Sunday halt, and some bad roads, and one desperate long march. A great many of the men here have lived in the jungles for years, and their poor dear manners are ut...

Yes! we are in for it now. All the old discomfort, and worse; for we left the nice autumnal air blowing at the Fir Tree, with the fern waving and the trees looking red, and brow...

This will be more a letter than a Journal, as I have skipped more than a fortnight, partly because I have been obliged to give all my little leisure to drawing for the fancy fai...