I was staying at, should feel surprised that any one
at that supreme moment could even give thought to,
much less plan, a journey to the fa r East, where nointelligence
o f the great events o f the future might
reach him. Feeling tolerably free, however, of that
craving fo r the latest telegraphic news from the seat
o f war, and tired of the monotonous life I was leading,
although graciously admitted to the society of
those polished French, a few Russian notables, as fa r
as their high-sounding titles went, and two or three
agreeable English families, I had decided upon
spending the winter in those Eastern countries whose
shores are washed by the Indian and the Pacific
Ocean.
Having, in the meantime, provided myself with the
necessary funds and letters o f introduction, I was
soon ready to start, determined, beforehand, to get as
much pleasure, and gain as much information, as-
possible, during a trip which was to cap all my previous
travels of many years past, during which I had
canvassed, to my heart’s content, the whole of Europe,
and the various countries abutting on the Mediterranean.
However, before setting out on my self-imposed
task o f committing my experience to paper, I think it
necessary to state that, although most o f the subjects
•and incidents hereafter described are taken from my
diary o f travels in 1870-71, they have been considerably
supplemented by information and impressions
received during a second journey made between 1876-
78; this has been more especially the case with regard
to Southern India. Without this explanation, it
might appear that I had been guilty o f anachronisms
in divers places. With the exception o f two
or three fa c s im ile s o f photographs, the illustrations
are from my own drawings ; originally it
was my intention to add a number o f views of
Eastern landscape and religious monuments, which
I was obliged to abandon on account o f the expense,
which would have materially enhanced the price o f
this volume. On the other hand, the scenery o f the
Ea st has o f late years been so frequently, brought
before the public in the shape o f admirable watercolour
sketches {one o f the most complete collections
being that exhibited by Miss Marianne North, a few
years ago in Conduit Street), that I feel less reluctant
in the omission on the present occasion.
A . D. F.
St. Hubert's, Beckenham, Kent