AFGHAN CHIEFS' IMPRESSIONS OF INDIA.

Waikato Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2459, 14 April 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

AFGHAN CHIEFS' IMPRESSIONS OF INDIA.

* Certain Afghsin chiefs in charge of the Khybor Pass have lately visited Calcutta as quests of Government. The following account which has been given by olio of their number of the impression* derived from his visit is sent by the Calcutta correspondent of the Times: —"This is a king's country ; every one ought to be astonished at seeing the wonderful thing* to be seen in it. The thing which has most astonished us is the regularity with which everything is conducted. During our railway journey we arrived at the different stations and left again with great regularity, as arranged. There is nothing like this in our country. A country which is ill-governed is not a good country. We arrived at Calcutta early in the morning, and being tired stayed in our lodgings the whole of that day. On the day following we went to Howrah to see the railway station and workshops. Wo saw all the engines at work. There is nothing like this iu our country, which is a poor country. We were then taken to the Mint, and saw the pice and four-anna pieces that are being coined there. The Cabul rupees are only worth 1 2.V annas ; they are stamped with a die and liammer. There is nothing to equal this Government cither in its silver or anything else, or in its management of the country. Wc visited the fort next day, and considered it very strong-. We saw all the cannon and big guns there. They are very good guns. We were then taken to the Botanical Gardens iu a steam launch. This is the first time we have been on board a steamer, and we enjoyed the trip very much. The gardens are by far the finest we have ever seen. We were then taken to the Zoological Gardens and to Mateabruz, the palace of the late King of Otide, which is a very fine place. We saw all the animals at the Zoological Gardens. Some of the animals hero we had seen before at (Jabul ; but some of them we had never seen before, and they greatly astonished us, as we could not toll to' what country they belonged. We then paid a visit to the Bacchante, and were truly astonished by the big guns and by everything on board. Wo never saw such things before. No other Government could ever make ships like that. The chiefs wanted to distribute !)00 rupees among the crow for showing these wonderful things ; but the captain of the ship said the Sirkar would bo angry at their accepting a present. Tin; chiefs agaiu wanted to give the sailors a. present; but were told that they could not be allowed to do so as what had been shown was for their own amusement. When we went down in the hold wo saw the men's table spread in a minute and again taken up, their beds put down and taken up—all done in a minute—and in a moment the ship was made ready for a light. The big guns were fired but only with fuzes. We saw the sailors going up the rigging veiy quickly, at the double, and run up the masts and remain quiet there. We have never seen these things before. Wo were presented to the Lcrd Sahib of tho Sea, who was very kind to us. We were taken to Dumdum, where we where we saw a small arms manufactory, and the workmen making cartridges and bullets. Another day wc visited tho Englishman newspaper oflice and saw them printing and also makiug lead letters. One of us wrote a verse in Persian. A sahib then took the paper, aud with a machine j which cut like a very sharp knife into I some white stuff ho wrote it. Then lead j was poured on, aud in a few minutes they j were printing the verso on some copies of the Eiie-lisman, which were presented to us. Wc als-j spoke through the telephone. Some ol us won- at tho Englishman oliice aud some at Messrs King Hamilton's, and wc recognised each other's voices. Then we visited the telegraph ollicc, where we spoke with a friend at Peshawar —all in a few minutes. One of us asked a relative at Peshawar how bo was, as he had been suffering from fever. He replied " Quite well; how's your boil '!" Now these words astonished us very much, because none of us knew that tin's man had had aboil—only his relative in Peshawur. Great are the ways of the Sirkar ! We were then taken to a jute-mill, where we saw the manufacture, of gutmy-bags and cloth. The Maliks admired this more than anything else, as they had never seen cloth made in such a way before. The. sight struck them as much as the Bacchante and the way in which the monster could be got ready for fighting. One of tho last sights wc have seen in Calcutta is tho Bank of Bengal—a great treasure house of the Sirkar. There we were shown great sackloads of rupees, enough to buy up the Cabul bazaar. India is indeed a wonderful country, and we are deeply grateful to the Viceroy Sahib for having brought us down here to see such wonders. Would gladly exchange our own land for a small slice of rich Bengal country, and would settle down happily here for life. But this is not our fate. We aro now sotting out on a long journey to Bombay, and we go trusting to the Sirkar, for we do not know the way or the country. But we have Colonel Warburton Sahib with us and that makes us feel confident. With the Colonel Sahib we will go to tho end of the world, or to Jehauuni if the Sirkar only gives the order.