and watered parts. Consequently, most people with small means live in boarding-houses, where two or three rooms with board may be had for Rs. 300 a month for two persons, or they rent furnished or unfurnished flats. Up-country houses vary from Rs. 40 upwards, and living is practically the same as in the Punjab. Servants’ wages are a little^ but not much, higher in Calcutta, and it is rare to keep either a sweeper or water- carrier for your owm exclusive use. These servants are generally shared with your neighbours, iailors wages are very low, only Rs. 8 a month. Horses up country cost practically the same as in the Punjab. In Calcutta hiring is much resorted to. The prices in Calcutta appear reasonable. Meat, 8 seers the rupee ; eggs, 5 annas a dozen ; milk, 6 seers the rupee ; chickens, 4 annas ; ducks, 5 annas; bread, lO loaves the rupee, or about Rs. 6 a month for two people. Fuel may be contracted for from Rs. 10 to Rs. 12 a month ; vegetables plentiful. Two annas’ worth of potatoes and another anna’s worth of vegetables should be sufficient daily. The tendency appears to make the bazaar accounts very long, and to allow half an anna or quarter of an anna daily for trivialities like herbs (!), salt, pepper, &c. Considering that salt is lO seers, retail, the rupee, this means a daily consumption of six ounces of salt ! ! Punkahs are used from 15th March to 1st November*, and for day and night work three are required. This averages Rs. 9 for the year. The mosquitoes are large, venomous, and unlamcable. They bite with as much zeal at the end of the day as at the beginning, and have a discriminating eye to open-work stockings. For the convenience of those proceeding to India for the first time, a few notes are appended on the principal Hill Stations : — Bombay possesses two Hill Stations — Mahableshwar and Matheran, both connected by railroad, and some add Bhandala as another resort and change from Bombay. As the rains are exceptionally heavy in the two first stations, every one leaves them during the rains ; which procedure is different from other hill stations. Matheran is a smaller and quieter place, and where expense is an object it has the 42 The Complete Indian advantage that it is accessible from Bombay. In both places there are hotels, places of public amusement, and houses are let by the season furnished ; but, as in all hills, they I’equire to be supplemented by comforts and elegancies of all kinds. There is a weekly market ; mutton, potatoes, and strawberries are excellent. Bhandala can scarcely be called a hill station. Its elevation is about 2000 feet on the edge of the Ghauts. It is a very small place, and is a military sanatorium ; no doubt the difficulty in obtaining houses would be great, but it might serve as a change during convalescence.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

and watered parts. Consequently, most people with small means live in boarding-houses, where two or three rooms with board may be had for Rs. 300 a month for two persons, or they rent furnished or unfurnished flats. Up-country houses vary from Rs. 40 upwards, and living is practically the same as in the Punjab. Servants' wages are a little, but not much, higher in Calcutta, and it is rare to keep either a sweeper or watercarrier for your own exclusive use. These servants are generally shared with your neighbours, Tailors wages are very low, only Rs. 8 a month. Horses up country cost practically the same as in the Punjab. In Calcutta hiring is much resorted to. The prices in Calcutta appear reasonable. Meat, 8 seers the rupee ; eggs, 5 annas a dozen ; milk, 6 seers the rupee ; chickens, 4 annas ; ducks, 5 annas; bread, lO loaves the rupee, or about Rs. 6 a month for two people. Fuel may be contracted for from Rs. 10 to Rs. 12 a month ; vegetables plentiful. Two annas’ worth of potatoes and another anna’s worth of vegetables should be sufficient daily. The tendency appears to make the bazaar accounts very long, and to allow half an anna or quarter of an anna daily for trivialities like herbs (!), salt, pepper, &c. Considering that salt is lO seers, retail, the rupee, this means a daily consumption of six ounces of salt ! ! Punkahs are used from 15th March to 1st November*, and for day and night work three are required. This averages Rs. 9 for the year. The mosquitoes are large, venomous, and unnameable. They bite with as much zeal at the end of the day as at the beginning, and have a discriminating eye to open-work stockings. For the convenience of those proceeding to India for the first time, a few notes are appended on the principal Hill Stations : — Bombay possesses two Hill Stations — Mahableshwar and Matheran, both connected by railroad, and some add Bhandala as another resort and change from Bombay. As the rains are exceptionally heavy in the two first stations, every one leaves them during the rains ; which procedure is different from other hill stations. Matheran is a smaller and quieter place, and where expense is an object it has the 42 The Complete Indian advantage that it is accessible from Bombay. In both places there are hotels, places of public amusement, and houses are let by the season furnished ; but, as in all hills, they I’equire to be supplemented by comforts and elegancies of all kinds. There is a weekly market ; mutton, potatoes, and strawberries are excellent. Bhandala can scarcely be called a hill station. Its elevation is about 2000 feet on the edge of the Ghauts. It is a very small place, and is a military sanatorium ; no doubt the difficulty in obtaining houses would be great, but it might serve as a change during convalescence.

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