3 Review(s)

A set comprising three volumes on the Upper Provinces of India was written by Reginald Heber, the Bishop of Calcutta; and these volumes were published posthumously by his wife Amelia after his sudden demise at the age of 42. It is a collection of letters that he had written to his?wife?and?friends,?and?presented?in?the?form?of?a?diary. The work begins with his recounting of his voyage to India, and, thereafter, his journeys and encounters in and around Calcutta, to other places in northern India, such as Benares, Allahabad, Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Baroda, Madras, and Pondicherry, and so forth to other places in the?country.The author has given a detailed narration of his experiences, with vivid descriptions and candid remarks and expressions. Besides nar­rating his performance of the duties of a clergyman and the challenges he faced, the author's account covers a wide spectrum. Through his eyes, the modern-day reader gets to see towns and cities of a by-gone era, the population, cuisines, climatic conditions, monuments, birds, animals, and descriptions of a marriage procession, a hunting expedition, etc. Fine wood engravings depicting scenes from everyday life, landscapes, and monuments have also been included in these volumes.