in great abundance, and when he saw his
Holiness he sank on his knees, and exclaimed,
with a terrible voice, 'Bar! bar! bar!'"

After all the scenes of historical magnificence,
of warlike terror and skill, all the
luxury, and all the artistic feats, which were
discussed at the conversazione, it may now be
a pleasing change to descend to the less exciting
but equally interesting domestic scenes
of private life, as displayed in the persons of
Bibi Sahibeh and her daughter, who had
issued "cards" of invitation on the present
occasion.

The fair of Cawnpore, in Bengal, which
took place last August, is a general mart
where natives of all castes assemble for the
purpose of sale and barter of all sorts of
produce. It is just outside the walls, and
lasts two days. The chief objects of attraction
are muslins, coarse gaudy-coloured cloths,
and calicoes, horses, camels, buffaloes, zebra-
cows, fruit, rice, grain, and sweetmeats.

A party of a dozen Hindoo hunters
brought into the fair, when at its height, a
couple of elephants which they had captured
in the jungle. One of them, who was pregnant
at the time, was ridden into the fair by
a Hindoo, and all the hunters showed her a
marked attention. Need we say that this
was Bibi Sahibeh—otherwise, the Widow
Khatimeh—for the elephant who accompanied
her was not her spouse—slain, alas! sometime
before in the jungle—but another female,
though of far less note and pretensions.

Another Hindoo now mounted the neck of
the second elephant, and the two were ridden
about the fair, until they were purchased by
Mr. Wallace, a great dealer in horses in those
parts. He placed them in charge of his
grooms, and roped them near his tent for
the night. At half-past ten P.M. everybody
retired to his tent and went to sleep, except
the watchman, who constantly patroled round
the outside with a sword and a brace of
pistols—a necessary proceeding, as the labours
of hunters, and the gold of purchasers, are
not unfrequently wasted in consequence of
the adroitness and daring of certain native
thieves. During his watch this man observed
signs of uneasiness in Bibi Sahibeh which
caused him to announce to Mr. Wallace the
pleasing intelligence that a very important
event could not be far distant. At two
o'clock A. M., the encampment, as usual, broke
up, and the march commenced. This continued
till four; again they paused; and again
they proceeded. This systematic mode of
travelling continued for some days, but with
additional periods of rest, in consideration of
the important event which was continually
expected. In brief, Mr. Wallace announced
that, having had a little private conversation
with Bibi Sahibeh, he had resolved to make
a halt for three weeks.

The encampment was near a little village
which afforded very good ground—plenty of
grass and shade. Here the elephants were
fed on grass and "elephant leaf," which is the
foliage of a large tree, and is usually collected
by the elephants themselves on a march, under
the direction of their attendant. They break
off as many branches as are wanted, with
their proboscis, and lay them in regular
heaps on the ground. The keeper then loads
each elephant's back with his provender,
and they return to camp. On the present
occasion this service was performed for both
by the other female elephant, as Bibi Sahibeh,
alias the widow Khatimeh, had become, by
this time, a happy mother, and was sedulously
engaged in affectionate care of her daughter,
the swarthy young personage who now trots
before you in the "Gardens " of the English
metropolis, and, though only six months old,
looks a century in the face.

In a fortnight the march was resumed, and
so fully was the strength of the mother
renovated, that twenty-two miles were performed
the first day. But her daughter did not walk
this distance. She was lifted by two men
into a cart, with the consent of Bibi, who
carefully and watchfully followed close behind,
touching her every now and then to assure
her of her guardian presence, and sometimes
walking for miles with her trunk laid affectionately
upon the little one's back. In the
space of thirteen days they reached Calcutta,
but were left at Mr. Cox's bungalow, some
three miles distant, as elephants are not
permitted to enter the city. They were
shipped in due course.

At first, the two elder elephants were
placed side by side in the vessel, as it was
thought they might like each other's company;
but one evening the other female took
the liberty of "smelling the calf"—as though
she would have said, "I once had a daughter
myself; let me see if——-?"  Whereat Bibi,
who perfectly understood what was passing
in her mind, let drive at her with one tusk
so violent a blow that the tusk was broken
against the backbone of the offender, who
nearly rolled overboard. After this, it was
deemed advisable to place the two elder
ladies on opposite sides of the ship. They
had a prosperous voyage to England without
further accident.

Bibi Sahibeh is of the finest Asiatic breed.
You may see it in the noble edifice of her
forehead; you may see it, in the very old-
looking face of her infant daughter. The
outline of the head and countenance of an
Asiatic elephant, is declared by the best judges
to present as great a difference to that of the
African elephant as there is between a
European and a Negro. Be it also observed, that
nearly all the great elephantine events which
have just been described, in affairs of state, in
war, in histrionic art, and general skill, have
related, almost entirely, to the Asiatic races.

In England it is to be feared that, however
large a sum of money may be given for a
fine elephant, we are apt to value it for its
rarity, without sufficiently appreciating its