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Every lady would find it very much to her advantage, if, before she left England, she took a few lessons in the art of dress-making; many an half-hour which is now wasted, might be employed in giving an elegant appearance to the commonest material.

Taste in dress is a criterion by which ladies are often judged; although often erroneous, yet an elegant simplicity certainly gives one the idea that the mind is more likely to be refined than when the body is adorned by garments, which, though of costly material, are of an outre make, or unbecoming in their colours; besides which, the poor man's wife will find it much more economical to cut out her own and her children's dresses, than to give the stuff to be cut up by hired tailors. In many of the stations a ball or dinner-dress of the richer stuffs may never be required; the friendly footing of the few residents, make these evening meetings like a family party, where comfort is more attended to than fine dresses. Mu. sical instruments of the larger kind, such as pianos and harps, are out of the question for officers' wives, unless they or their husbands are passionately fond of music. If you do take out an instrument, I should strongly advise those for which Messrs. Duff and Hodgson, of Oxford-. street and Berners-street, have lately taken out a patent; the expense is not greater than the others, but the principle on which they are made is so

applicable to warm climates, that there appears much greater chance of their standing the hot weather than any other kind. By all means qualify yourself to tune your piano; if you cannot do so, you will frequently have to deplore your ignorance in this particular. By attention to a good teacher, you might accomplish the art in a month or six weeks. The guitar is a portable, and, at the same time, a delightful instrument as an accompaniment to the voice-lessons on it, if the lady has a voice, I should certainly recommend. You should take out a treble set of strings, and have a thick-quilted bag, made large enough to cover case and all. New music you can have sent to you half-yearly, at a very trifling cost.

A select library of the diamond print will be found very useful; books printed in large type take up too much room, and are so heavy that a military man would grumble at the additional expense a heavy box of books would entail. The great art is in the selection. Ask some one, on whose opinion you can rely, to point out such as he or she would recommend, and do not load yourself with the trashy novels of the day, which, when read, are thrown aside, and afford no further pleasure or instruction, on which the mind can dwell. History, Travels, Biography, and a fair proportion of more serious reading, you will never regret purchasing. All works relating to India, its

society, &c., should be perused by every lady who does not wish to be totally ignorant of the land of her sojourn. Much of the history of the East partakes of the character of romance, and is both amusing and instructive.

It is an unfortunate circumstance that children cannot, without a great risk to their health, remain a longer period than they generally do under their parents' roof in India, setting aside the grief and sorrow a parent must necessarily experience in parting for so many years from a beloved child, the expenses attendant on the voyage to Europe, education, &c. &c., are matters of no small consideration to a gentleman having a large family.

Ladies proceeding to, or arriving from, India, will meet with every attention and assistance in forwarding their views, by applying to me at the Indian Army and Colonial Agency, 26, SuffolkStreet, Pall-Mall, where I shall be happy to give them every information required. Their friends, by a yearly subscription of ten shillings paid in advance, can, through this agency, have all their letters transmitted to them, viâ Marseilles or Falmouth; every letter is registered and stamped before posted the same with small parcels, &c. ; by which means, the date of dispatch and mode of conveyance can, at any time, be ascertained. The postage accounts are sent in quarterly. Vide APPENDIX, under head of "Indian Army Agency."

TO PARTIES PROCEEDING OVERLAND.

THE journey to India is so much shortened by taking the overland route, that a few hints may be of service to those intending to travel to Alexandria, via Germany or France. To those who have not travelled through Germany, I should recommend that route, though, perhaps, more fatiguing than through France, as there is less water conveyance.

In proceeding via the Rhine, your passage should be paid for in London, throughout, to Strasburg, or to Leopold-shafen, a short distance from it. From Leopold-shafen to Munich, by diligence, occupies two days and a night. From Munich to Venice, by diligence, two days and three nights. From Venice to Trieste, one night, in a steamer. From Trieste, Austrian steamers start on the 1st and 16th of every month to Syra, where you change into the Alexandria steamer without delay.-Or, from Strasburg, you may travel through Switzerland and Italy, taking the Malta steamer at Civita Vecchia or Naples.

If you travel through France, you may either go direct from London, by steam, to Calais or Boulogne, or cross to either of these places from Dover, from thence to Paris by diligence. From

Paris, by the same conveyance, to Chalons-surSaone, and from thence by steam to Marseillesfrom whence steamers leave on the 1st, 10th, and 21st of every month for Malta, touching at Genoa, Leghorn, Civita Vecchia, and Naples. From Malta to Alexandria, by the Government steamers.-The time occupied on each route, in actually travelling, is from seventeen to twenty days.-Expense for each individual, from £40 to £50.

Mr. Waghorn, who has been unremitting in his endeavours to make the journey to India overland as expeditious and as comfortable as circumstances will admit, deserves the unqualified approbation of the public at large, and more particularly the support of every person travelling viâ Egypt and the Red Sea. At Alexandria, his agent will provide a servant, who will act as your guide to Cairo, where every requisite, in the shape of tents, horses, donkeys, &c., will be provided for the trip across the Desert to Suez, a distance of eighty miles. The passage-money from Marseilles to Alexandria, should be paid in London. Every information as to the rates of passage, time of departure and arrival of steamers from the different ports, and all other matters connected with visiting India overland, or India and the Colonies in general, by private ships or Government packets, may be obtained at the Indian Army and Colonial Agency, No. 26, Suffolk-Street, Pall-Mall East.

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