PREFACE.

THE writer of the following pages has, for some time, been travelling abroad; and deeming that a short account of what he has seen and heard would be interesting to some, and entertaining to others, he takes the liberty of submitting this humble volume to their perusal.

He is a native of the Upper Provinces; and before becoming a Christian belonged to the original agricultural class; it is said original, because in the present age people of all trades and castes have taken that employment into hand, which, in days of yore, was exclusively followed by a certain portion of the community.

Having, by an afflictive dispensation of a wise Providence, lost his parents in early childhood, he was, by European instrumentality, put under the fostering care of CHAS. MADDEN, Esquire, a benevolent and pious gentleman in the Medical Service of the Honorable Company. He was with him about five years; after which period, that gentleman having been removed to a very distant locality, a separation was rendered unavoidable. He was next placed under the protection of Rev. H. R. WILSON, a Missionary, with whom he was up to the period of his approximating to adult age. It was this gentleman, who had the extreme kindness to take him to England and America for better education and information. Here he might mention also, that his education has almost been entirely formed under the private tuition of his respective guardians, who, he is extremely thankful to say, have always paid the strictest attention to both his mental and moral improvement.

These pages are principally intended for such of the Native community as possess an acquaintance with the language of the British ; and it is hoped they will, in some measure at least, be useful to them. But fearing that they (that is, his Native readers) might not be pleased to afford him due encouragement, he has had an eye to that part of the European Public also, who feel an interest in the progress of Native Education; and this is the reason that in his relation he has confined himself more to generals and less to particulars, which latter perhaps would have been more useful to Natives. He acknowledges he has nothing new or useful to communicate to Europeans, and had he been sure of an extensive native patronage, he would have been glad to relieve them from the task of going through these unpretending pages. However, he trusts he may safely say, that though they will find nothing novel or useful in this brief account, still it will probably help them to beguile a couple of leisure hours.

He is fully conscious of the innumerable faults which this little work contains; but the principal of them may be summed up under the following heads :-viz. The extreme plainness of language, accompanied with a very small stock of words; the simple turn of thought displayed; and the lack of extensive information. The first is, in a measure, owing to English not being his mothertongue; the second, to a lack of sufficient cultivation of mind; and the third, to a want of a minuter observation at the period of his travelling. But his earnest and respectful request to his gentle readers is, that they may be favourably inclined towards him, and cover all his faults and errors with the mantle of kindness, forbearance, and charity.

A BRIEF ACCOUNT

OF A

VOYAGE TO ENGLAND AND AMERICA.

CHAPTER I.

COMPARATIVELY few of my countrymen have visited foreign lands. They have however, gradually, begun to break those iron chains that have bound them for centuries; and judging from what is going on at the present day, it is highly probable that, after a quarter of a century more has rolled on, many more will burst their bonds, and gain knowledge and information by a personal observation of what is passing in distant countries. Those of my country men, who are still tenacious of their old ways, will not I hope, take umbrage at this anticipation, as it proceeds from a sincere desire for India's temporal and spiritual welfare.

I sailed from Calcutta in the Tudor, a large English vessel, bound for London, on the 16th February, 1846. But before I proceed further with my narrative I shall, for the sake of those of my native readers who belong to the Upper Provinces, endeavour in a few words to give a brief description of the ship in which I embarked and the seamen that manned her. This I have considered the more necessary, as some, who have never visited the " city of Palaces," entertain some absurd ideas with regard to shipping; and I hope, the good Bengalese, who may almost be said to be born and brought up on board ships, will not contemptuously laugh at my most simple and unpretending description.

A a

History tells us, we had ships before European nations touched our shores; deified heroes have used some in their warfare.

But

we may easily conjecture what they were by seeing one of the present day. The strictly native ships that I have seen floating about Calcutta are such rude, clumsy, and unwieldy masses that they scarcely deserve the name.

The Tudor, then commanded by Captain Lay, carried 1200 tons, (or about 33,600 maunds,) was newly built, and sailed well; she was a three decker; the lowest deck was for the cargo, and the two upper ones for passengers.

The cabins on the upper deek (eight in number) were the most comfortable and expensive; those on the second deck, were above forty in number, less convenient, and consequently their passage money consisted of a smaller sum.

This vessel, like every other large one, had three masts at regular distances from each other, which were called the Mainmast Foremost, and Mizenmast. The aft or hinder part of the ship was occupied by the passengers and her officers, and the forepart by the sailors and some of the live stock; in this part also was the Cook's department. All these were on the first and second decks, the third being entirely taken up by the cargo, for which it was intended.

The crew, that manned her, consisted of about thirty five able seamen with two or three apprentices; one boatswain (a petty offlcer) with his two mates; a carpenter and his mate; a cook, a baker, a butcher, and a steward with four cuddy servants; (the cuddy was the public room, where the passengers sat and ate; and cuddy servants were those who waited at table); a Captain with his four Officers; and four midshipmen. These last were young men, who had come out to learn the art of navigation; the Captain had received five hundred Rupees for each of them from their parents for one voyage.

There were three watches in this ship, (as there are in every

other.) The third Officer had the first watch, which commenced at eight o'clock both morning and evening, and ended at twelve. The second Officer had the second watch from twelve to four; and the chief Officer the last one from four to eight. Each of them always had a midshipman with him, who were both generally in the hinder part of the ship. The midshipman's duty was to strike the bell, to give word to the next Officer about his watch, and to run backwards and forwards on errands. The Officer on watch walks about on the poop, (or the roof of those cabins that are in the hindermost part of the vessel), and constantly looks at the compass to know the direction in which the ship is going. His attention is always turned to the wind, and when it veers even a little, he orders the sails to be put in as favorable a position as possible, or rather as his knowledge of navigation allows him to do.

There is always a watch of the sailors on deck, and whenever the whistle of the Boatswain sounds, they get ready to put in execution the orders of their Officer on watch.

When I first saw the sailors, they looked more like wild men than civilized beings, and appeared ferocious when compared with our poor boatmen ; but by seeing them frequently I began to have a better opinion of them. They are well known to be a hardworking and daring race; and did their character in other respects agree with this, it would be all the better for them. Their morning fare consisted of tea, dry and course biscuit, and saltmeat; in the middle of the day, they had dry bread, potatoes, saltmeat, sometime pea soup, and every second day some kind of pudding. The evening meal also consisted of the same dry bread and tea. But at the time of their being in any port they were indulged with fresh provisions. On the whole, their fare seemed suited to their iron-strength like bodies and hard way of leading life.

There is an indisposition called sea sickness, which many of my readers have never experienced. It falls to the lot of almost all those, who venture to ride the waves of the

mighty deep." I