Attock, Baron Hügel again found himself in the plain of India, and at length reached the limit of his journey; being, as he says, the first European who had hitherto wandered through this vast empire from its most southern point at Cape Comorin, to its northern boundary at Attock.
From Attock he proceeded by the imperial route to Lahore, through a country now well known, but the details of which are graphically described in the work before us, which deserves the careful perusal of those who wish to have a vivid picture of Indian life, and of the varied impressions excited in the minds of those who visit India from the distant West. The description of the route from Attock to Lahore is peculiarly interesting at the present moment, associated as it is with the proceedings of the late campaign against the Sikhs.
At Lahore Baron Hügel remained some time enjoying the hospitality of Runjeet Singh, of whom and his government he gives us a lively and interesting account. His description of Runjeet's troops, of his officers, and especially of his powerful artillery—powerful even in that day (1836), is particularly worthy of remark. The work concludes with some brief political and geographical remarks on the kingdom founded by Runjeet Singh, and on the Punjab.
But I must here conclude, and omit alluding to any other portion of Baron Hügel's adventurous travels through China, Singapore, and Australia. His work on Cashmere
procuring a specimen of a rare plant, only to be found in a spot which a conflagration in the surrounding jungle rendered apparently inaccessible. Undaunted by the danger, the daring traveller rode full gallop through the burning waste, and succeeded in carrying off the treasure he was seeking. The wild inhabitants of the district were so astonished at this feat that they declared the man who could achieve it must be a God." Fullerton's In Memoriam, p. 8. (A. v. H.)
