been made in the foregoing pages to the Delhi Sketch-book, which Indian Punch, in Lord Dalhousie's reign, was very good sometimes. Momus succeeded the Sketch-book; but its chief fault was its bad lithographs, spoiling an excellent design. The Delhi was far different, and gladdened the AngloIndian world with as much zeal as Punch, Judy, and Fun evince at the present day for the amusement of London. In the Delhi, "the Royals in India" formed a capital series of sketches: Mrs. Corporal Flouncey objecting to take service with "the lady of a Sepoy officer," the quiet surprise of the lady, and the grim corporal in the background, being admirably brought out, was one of the best. "The War with Burma" formed the subject of some amusing verses in one number, and where the Lion flares "right up,' and sends "two wise ambassadors, the Serpent and the Fox" (the actual names of a gun-brig and frigate, R. N., employed at the commencement of the second Burmese war), is told with some humour.

Two conundrums from an old Delhi may be given :"Who was the greatest drunkard in Indian history ?-Asoka. Which is the most killing -Brown Bess or Miss Minié ?" Also a capital sketch of Anglo-Indian military life, in which the stern visage of Colonel Blowhard, in his Bengal muster buggy, and the harum-scarum look of Sprugg, on his tattoo at full speed, are drawn with admirable effect:-"Cornet Sprugg hath just joined his regiment hath not had sufficient time or opportunity to set himself up in chargers, or purchase a buggy. Church being over, he mounteth a diminutive tattoo. Having previously divested himself of his sword and belts, he giveth the same unto his syce [horsekeeper] to bring after him. Blowhard, the man in authority, twiggeth him. C. O. [Cantonment Order] No. 2.-The practice of officers' servants being permitted to carry their swords is unmilitary, and is to be discontinued. The place for the sword is always by the side of the officers."

This number of the periodical was issued from the Delhi Gazette Press, which also sent forth "Saunder's Monthly Magazine for all India," with some good original writing and translations, in June, 1852.

66 THE BOMBAY QUARTERLY REVIEW."

[To a learned friend we are indebted for the following authentic information regarding the projection of the Bombay Quarterly, which, as it brings some "old familiar faces" to memory, will be interesting to many Anglo-Indians.]

The project of publishing a Quarterly Review in Bombay was discussed in July, 1854, at a dinner given by H. L. Anderson, then Secretary to Government in the Political Department. There were present among others :-William Howard (afterwards Advocate-General), his brother, Edward Howard (afterwards Director of Public Instruction), William Frere (afterwards a Member of the Bombay Government), H. B. Frere (afterwards the Right Hon. Sir Bartle Frere), H. Conybeare (the Civil Engineer), Captain Marriott (afterwards Secretary to Government in the Military Department), the Rev. Philip Anderson, M. A. Coxon (Registrar of the Sudder Adawlut), John Connon (afterwards Senior Magistrate of Police), Herbert Giraud (afterwards Principal of the Grant Medical College), and C. J. Erskine (afterwards a Member of the Bombay Government).

The Rev. P. Anderson, the author of "The English in Western India," was chosen to be Editor; and it was determined, after considerable discussion, that articles on other than strictly Indian subjects should be admitted. The Review was to be published by Smith, Elder & Company, who had at that time a branch firm in Bombay.

66

The Review was a fair success, the literary ability of some of the articles being of a high standard, especially those written by Edward Howard. One of these, on Thackeray's novels, was shown to Thackeray himself, and declared by him to be the best article he had ever read on his works. Edward Howard also wrote articles on "Oxford," "Music as a Social Recreation," and "Burton's Pilgrimage to Mecca." Pelly (now Sir Lewis Pelly) wrote one on Sind," Marriott one on "Ruskin's Works," Sir Bartle Frere one on "Rifle Musketry," the Rev. Philip Anderson one on "Erskine's Life of Baber," and several others founded on the old records of Government, which he intended, when completed, to be published as a second volume of his "English in Western India. His namesake, Henry Anderson (now Sir H. L.), wrote two; one on "Kaye's Life of Sir Charles Metcalfe," and the other on "Competitive Examinations for the Civil Service." Dr. Peet, the Principal of the Grant Medical College, wrote two; one on Education in Western India," the other on "The Moon and her Libellers;" the late Kinloch Forbes, author of the "Ras Mala," one on Kaye's "Life of Sir J. Malcolm." These are all I can at this moment recollect.

The death of the Editor (the Rev. P. Anderson), and the occurrence of the Mutinies, brought the Review to an early close. Of the original projectors, six are dead-the two Howards (the one by a fall in the huntingfield, and the other by a railway accident), Connon, Taylor (of Smith, Taylor & Co.), M. A. Coxon, and the Editor. The rest survive.

[Sir Henry Lacon Anderson, K.C.S. I., alluded to in the foregoing notes, is now Secretary in the Judicial, Public and Revenue Departments, India Office, London. He was Secretary to the Government of Bombay in the Political, Secret, Educational, and Judicial Departments.]

225

SPORTING LITERATURE IN INDIA.*

THAT a thirst for adventure, and a love of excitement and
danger, may be engendered in the hearts of the rising generation
of Englishmen, is the earnest wish of a well-known Indian officer,
who writes with great practical experience and ability on the
"Wild Sports of India." Experience in shikar-particularly in
hunting and killing the large game with which India's forests
abound—is a great thing, and has doubtless tended to rear more
genuine "captains" in the "nursery "+ than anything else; for,
talk as we will, a good soldier is generally a keen sportsman, or,
we should rather say, the keen sportsman has in him the
materials for a good and distinguished soldier.
The ever-
ready tact, the nerve firm and unquailing, the talent for constant
resource, a constitution like that of the " Iron King" of Sweden,
our own "Iron Duke," or Napier of Sind; to be weather-proof,
even-as the late gifted Meredith Parker might have expressed
it-while snakes are "prodigiously lively," and tigers' teeth are
cracking from the sun all these requisites are essential for great
success in sporting as in military life. Doubtless, we owe much
of the brilliant success which has attended so many Indian officers
in their profession to a love of field sports, which has kept
them "fit for their duty as soldiers, both in body and incli-
nation."

Colonel Shakespear goes so far as to style hog hunting "the very first sport in the world." In danger and excitement it perhaps only comes short of tiger shooting, especially when such is rashly performed on foot, instead of from the back of an elephant. Then there is good sport in the destruction of other less fierce four-footed game and the endless varieties of the feathered tribes-in the latter particular also to aid the sciences

* From The Field, London, April 26th, 1873.
+ “India, the nursery of captains.”—LORD LYTTON.

of ornithology and gastronomy. Horse racing, too-the love of which goes with Englishmen all over the world is deeply rooted in Anglo-India; and thus, with their profession, the attractions of female society, a pipe, a little reading, and an occasional longing for old England," runs," and has long run, from year to year, "the world away" among numbers of our countrymen in the glorious Empire of the Sun.

That there should have been from time to time separate periodicals in India for recording sporting exploits was only natural. The enthusiasm with which Englishmen enter upon every description of sport in India induced Mr. Stocqueler, when editor of the Bombay Courier in the year 1828, to start the "Oriental Sporting Magazine." Its principal contributor was Captain D'Arcy Morris, of the Bombay Army. He wrote some admirable parodies of Moore's "Loves of the Angels," which he called the "Tales of the Tinkers"—" tinker" being a term of reproach applied to bad sportsmen-and some spirit-stirring songs, one of which lives to this hour; "The next grey boar we see " will be popular in India as long as a boar remains to fall to the spears of the huntsmen. The great success of this magazine, to which Sir James Outram and Mr. Chamier, M.C.S., contributed, induced Mr. Stocqueler to start a similar one in Calcutta in 1834, and during the nine years of his editorship its success was immense. During the last two or three years of its existence it was supplemented by a miscellany, and the combination of the two elements rendered the magazine popular with all classes. The first talent in the country contributed to its pages. Besides innumerable sketches of tiger, lion, elephant, boar, deer, and jackall hunting, shooting in all its branches, racing, boating, cricket, and other registry, many articles were inserted in relation to the zoology of India. Among the sporting writers were Sir George Harvey, K.C.S.I., Mr. Charles Butcher-an Indigo planter, a poet, and a capital shot-Sir Alfred Larpent, Mr. Bailey, and many other distingished civilians. Mr. Brian Hodgson, whose works on the fauna of India have a world-wide reputation, and Major Brown, of the Bengal Infantry (Gunga), were constant writers on the deer and game birds of the up-country. Dr. John Grant the Apothecary-General, a man of rare and diversified literary attainments, Henry Meredith Parker, Captain Robert A. Macnaghten, Captain Percy Eld, Major Backhouse (of the Artillery), Lord Exmouth, Dr. Parry, and Captain Walter Hore, all men of marked ability, contributed largely on an infinite variety of subjects; and Mr. Stocqueler himself not unfrequently added to his editorial duties by writing humorous sketches. The

magazine was profusely adorned with engravings illustrative of sport chiefly commissioned from England. It is not unworthy of note that the now popular "Tale of a Tub and a Tiger" first appeared in the "Bengal Sporting Magazine," whence, writes Mr. Stocqueler, the sketches were plagiarised and the story paraphrased by the late T. H. Bayley.

Bearing on the subject of Indian sporting literature we are indebted for most of the following notes to a choice spirit of a world gone by-a distinguished officer and fellow of "infinite jest and most excellent fancy." The very mention of the names contained in them may tempt some Anglo-Indians of the old school in London to exclaim, like Aytoun, while singing the praises of his redoubtable old Scottish Cavalier,

"Oh! never shall we know again

Of hearts so stout and true;
The olden times have passed away,
And weary are the new."

Never, never, more! Change has done its work. Never again can we hope to see such famous "letters" as those "from John Dockeray, a Yorkshire jockey, to his brother in Tadcaster," which first appeared in the Bombay Sporting Magazine. An able and amusing little article, said to be from the pen of the editor of that periodical, gave an admirable idea of the English stage coachman of the olden time. The manner in which he was represented as entertaining his friend on the box with the popular song of "Young love among the roses," intermixed with professional addresses to his team, was extremely amusing.

Some of the poetical contributions were of a degree of merit very superior to the ordinary run of poesy of that description to be met with even in England, in periodicals of far higher pretension. We doubt if the song commencing "The boar, the mighty boar's my theme," and ending with the chorus

"So here's to all who fear no fall,

And the next grey boar we see,"

has ever been surpassed as a sporting lyric; in short, we have little or no hesitation in saying that a more spirit-stirring canticle has seldom, if ever, been chanted at shikar party or 66 our mess." And, in a different style, the beautiful imitation of Moore's "Harp that once through Tara's hall," commencing

"The spear that once o'er Dekhan ground

The blood of wild boar shed,"

is worthy of a place in poetical literature far above that of ordinary parody.