Visitora to Bombay during any great festival or gala day must often be s ruck by the exrriages and victorias full of fair slender women to be seen driving about in the cool hours of the afternoon. These are Parsee ladies, who far exceed in number their European sisters, who a © sometimes fow and far between during the utter months of the year, In a country, famed for the seclusion of its women the Parsees, who acknowledge no necessity for rule, stand conspicuous. A crowd of Parsee ladies presents a brilliant sight; draped an they always are in silken robes of a variety of lovely hues, their gay appearance and reflyed manners prepossess one favourably on behalf of these ancient settlers in Ind's, Before the British occupation of the country the Pargees were a lowly hand of exile, but since, th y have blossomed out into the greatest of India's merchant princes, fumed for thole commercial aptitude and philanthropy.
Of the 4,000,009 beggars of India, so great is the ben-¥ lence of this sect, that it is said that not one isa Parsee, They be eft not only their own race, but, like the late Mr. Tata, are pioneers of prises intended to increase the ro of all sections of the community; Parsees are fire-worshippers jcestors, and will engage trade except metal working and ry which entails the handling, of fire. do not burn or bury their dead; the terrible "Towers of Silence" in Bombay which been so often described are witnesses of the manner in which they dispose of the departed members of their community. It is more than 2,000 years since the aristocracy of Persia fled before the Moslem invader, and were gradually driven further and further south till they took refuge in Guzerat and there joined with the Hindus in the struggle against Mxhomedan supremacy. They have forgotten their native Zend and speak Guzerati, with the punctilious correctness of a people speaking a learned language, but their mode of expression is character: ised by sundry glaring mistakes which are curiously enough reported to be of the sine as those committed by Englishmen, The King Institute in Madra:
The stately pile of the King Institute opened by His Excellonoy the Governor baudings at Guindy was ceremonially
a week og the unfirm zeal and ability of Li King, the Sanitary Commiissionor, who after many yeara of constant labour has seen completed the King Institute of Preventive Medicine. There can be no doubt that it is destined to perform most useful functions, such 8 appeal to all classes and communities.
The share of the Exst in the development of medical.and sanitary science is no mean ove, a8 Lord Ampthill showed by notations from Eastern writers; anc with him we may express the hope that the day is not far distant when 2 native of India will contribute seme great discovery to bacterio-Jogical science.
The Rubber Industry.
Brery feature of the rubber industry at present conduces, says the Ceylon tet] Observer," to confidence in the con. tinuance of s good market for the product for many years to come, and a colossal scheme is rapidly hsing materislised for the clearing and opening up of 10,000 aeres in rubber in Ceylon, Rubber is said to grow best near the equator, and when planted some degrees north or south
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.