The perseverance of Lord Clive was of the highest order, to add glory to himself and his country; in 1752, while in the rank of Captain, his health gave way amid incessant toil and he was compelled to visit England; to shew what was thought of him before he became the Plassey Conqueror, and the gallant Lord Clive, I shall quote from Orme. "He left Madras in the beginning of the next year (1753) universally acknowledged as the man whose example first roused his countrymen from that lethargy of their natural character, into which they were plunged before the siege of Arcot ; and who by a train of uninterrupted successes, had contributed more than any other Officer at this time, to raise the reputation of their arms in India. Of Lord Clive says Voltaire, "C'est ce Lord Clive qui, durant les debats élevés dans le parlement Anglais au sujet de la compagnie des Indes, repondit, a ceux qui lui demandient compte des millions qu'il avait ajoutés a sa gloire ; j'en ai donné un à mon secretaire, deux à mes amis, et j'ai gardé le reste pour moi." This paper then concludes the Oriental Rambler for the present, and I cannot now do better than return thanks to the Editor of the Athenæum, for his kindness in the regular insertion of my papers. Perhaps I have been throughout of that tribe of whom Horace says "Sunt quibus in satira videor nimis ultra." for which I ask pardon; but separate the corn from the chaff and much useful information will be gained from this unassuming "MULTUM IN PARVO." POLYPHILUS. Tuesday, April 2, 1844. "Le monde est vieux, dit on jele crois cependant Il le faut amuser encore comme un enfant.” LA FIATONNE, A PAPER OF CONSOLATION. I can easily imagine some reader of my book, exclaiming; " I expected the Oriental Rambler would be a traveller's guide, and not a map of pedantic essays, which have all been written before." If it should be so, I would answer him thus "The Interpretation of the title is the Oriental Rambler, from one subject to another; to prevent disappointment, which might arise to one supposing my book a book of travels, I have drawn up the following Essay of THE OVERLAND JOURNEY. "Man fell with apples, and with apples rose, Don Juan.Can. 10. If I were asked "What are the three things which constitute the welfare and happiness of a nation?" I should answer, Liberty, the advancement of Science,and the cultivation of Literature." No country since the creation of the world can have possessed these three in such an eminent degree as England, and the love for them is increasing every day among us. Railway Coaches running 30 or 40 miles an hour: Steam to America from London in 12 days. Sailing vessels, from Portsmouth to Madras in less than 80 days, The Steam Flying Machine which is to be, (though at present on the wing of invention;) Daguerrotype Portraits; Electric Telegraphs, &c., truly the spirit of invention is intense, and the march of intellect intolerable. As Lord Byron says in the above motto, we need not be astonished if we are conducted to the moon ere long; but this is rather too much of a lunar observation. The above wonders, I have narrated, are comparatively new inventions, and as yet the progress of improvement is in its infancy, save the Madras Passage of 80 days, which shews a great improvement in navigation, especially when we consider it has been so long the study of the world." Every one was amazed in 1788, and could scarcely credit the fact, that the Boddam, one of the East India Company's old merchantmen of 1000 tons, only took 108 days from Portsmouth to Madras, and then it was remarked how won derfully great the improvements were in the art of navigation; 80, or 90 days I believe is now not an uncommon run, though to be sure I took every inch of 120. But let me go to the subject of my paper, and not be talking about improvements, though to be sure it is a useful way to employ time. Nearly every one who travels now-a-days overland from England to India or vice versa, writes an account of the Overland Journey,as nearly every traveller gets in the short space of one month crammed with such a confusion of knowledge, that when he arrives at the station, he is not unlike that character so well painted (I think) by Landseer, and entitled "The travelled monkey." I must confess, I do not possess that desirable fund of knowledge, which perhaps, as some of my literary brethren have it, is the reason that I should give a better description, one without partiality, never having seen the objects, about to be described; I cannot agree with this for I am certain I shall make plenty of mistakes. I am off then from England to India. First I travel through France until I arrive at Marseilles, then I take the packet from Marseilles to Alexandria, or rather from Marseilles to Malta, and from Malta to Alexandria; then up the Nile to Cairo |