Letter from William Henry Seward to William Henry Seward, Jr., April 3, 1871

  • Posted on: 9 May 2018
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Letter from William Henry Seward to William Henry Seward, Jr., April 3, 1871
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transcriber

Transcriber:spp:crb

student editor

Transcriber:spp:dxt

Distributor:Seward Family Digital Archive

Institution:University of Rochester

Repository:Rare Books and Special Collections

Date:1871-04-03

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Letter from William Henry Seward to William Henry Seward, Jr., April 3, 1871

action: sent

sender: William Seward
Birth: 1801-05-16  Death: 1872-10-10

location: Ambala, Haryana, India

receiver: William Seward
Birth: 1839-06-18  Death: 1920-04-29

location: Auburn, NY

transcription: crb 

revision: tap 2018-04-03

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Page 1

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Editorial Note

This letter was written by Olive Risley Seward for William Henry Seward.
Umballa April 3 1871
My dear William
My last letter to Frederick
Birth: 1830-07-08 Death: 1915-04-25

will have told you of our
arrival at that place: three
days served not only to refresh
us after great fatigue but to
show us also the Kutub, the
Museum Musjid the imperial
palaces and other interesting
monuments of that beautiful
city. the capital of the once
great Mogul empire. We came
to this place on Wednesday
29th March Major Figh
Unknown
x

Editorial Note

Tigh
, the British
Governor, lodges and entertains
us when here most hospita-
bly. The Maharajah
Birth: 1852 Death: 1876
of Puttialla
is a native proprietor and
prince of a territory as large
as the state of Delaware
Page 2

with 8 times as many in-
habitants. His revenues amount
to two millions of dollars.
He sent four four horse
carriages to receive us at the
R.R. station and to remain
at our command while in
this part of India. He met
us in a state carriage at
the subburbs of his own cap-
ital Puttialla with a pro-
cession of 10 thousand troops,
a salute of 19 guns, 60 ele-
phants & four bands of music.
He assigned us for a dwell-
ing a palace in his beau-
tiful gardens, he received
us at a public audience
in his own palace convey-
ing us thither on elephants
(only think of my riding
to court on an elephant
in a golden chair of state
attended by troops of horse)
The audience was protracted
Page 3

from sunset until night
when the whole palace
was illuminated, the hall
of audience itself blazing
with 2000 lamps. He illu-
minated the fountains, groves
garden and palace the same
night. He gave us the next
day at our own lodgings
and elephant fight, a dis-
play of 50 blooded horses, a
juglar entertainment, a native
dance, a concert of bagpipes
an acrobatic entertainment
and I know not what else.
He conveyed us 76 miles
to his district of Pinjore
and lodged us there as
he had at Puttialla, sit-
utated in an orange garden
and surrounded with a cas-
cade illuminated for our
entertainment. The next day
he conveyed us in Sedan
chairs and with saddle
Page 4

horses of9 miles to the summit
of the lower range of the
Himalaya mountains from
which we had a view of
three other ranges which are
covered with a perpetual
mantle of snow and now
after two months and a
half sojourn in India
we are about to descend
to day to Bombay
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by Rail-
Road from this place, we
hope to reach that part on
the 9th inst and embark thence
in 3 or 4 days thereafter. The
weather is as hot here as
it is at any time in August
the great heat is over at
Delhi and is just beginning
here. We are not entirely
decided as to the direction
we shall take from Bom-
bay but we will write
from that place. We
are advised from there
Page 5

that letters await our arrival
I trust they will tell us fully
of home. You need not get
any new wild horse for me
to break when I come home
although I have taken to riding
the elephant and you need
not fear that I shall go
into the jungles to hunt the
tiger. Olive
Birth: 1844-07-15 Death: 1908-11-27
sends her
love to all
Affectionately
William H. Seward
by O.R.S.
We have traveled harder
& farther and faster these
last few weeks than ever
before and are all very
well but awfully tired.
Olive