'Up the Country' became so popular a book, that the authoress was repeatedly urged to publish more of her Letters from India.
Unfortunately, her health was for many years before her death, in so precarious a state that she was quite unequal to the task of preparing these Letters for the press.
I had indeed begun to arrange them during her life-time and under her directions, but from various circumstances was unable to accomplish this.
My Aunt frequently, however, expressed her desire that I should continue the work at some future period.
It is therefore, with the feeling that I am simply carrying out her intentions, that I offer these volumes to the public, hoping that a sequel to her former work will not be unacceptable to those who read and liked ‘Up the Country.’
I fear that many mistakes in spelling the Hindustani words and names may have arisen from my ignorance of that language.
I have endeavoured as much as possible to omit all remarks of a personal nature which might be painful to any of Miss Eden’s former friends in Calcutta; and in order to render the narrative more complete, I have inserted several letters written by my aunt, Frances Eden, to one of her oldest friends, who has kindly lent them to me for this purpose.
Some of these Letters, relating to the voyage out, and the first arrival in Calcutta, have already appeared in the ‘Temple Bar Magazine,’ but they have since been revised and corrected.
Bournemouth : November, 1871.