Bombay is the second city in population in India, Calcutta standing first on the list with 1,350,000 people, and, if you will take your map for a moment, you will see that the two cities lie in almost the same latitude, one on each side of the monstrous peninsula—­Bombay at the top of the Arabian Sea and Calcutta at the top of the Bay of Bengal.  By the census of 1891 Bombay had 821,764 population.  By the census of 1901 the total was 776,006, the decrease of 45,758 being attributed to the frightful mortality by the plague in 1900 and 1901.  It is the most enterprising, the most modern, the most active, the richest and the most prosperous city in India.  More than 90 per cent of the travelers who enter and leave the country pass over the docks, and more than half the foreign commerce of the country goes through its custom-house.  It is by all odds the finest city between modern Cairo and San Francisco, and its commercial and industrial interests exceed that of any other.

The arrangements for landing passengers are admirable.  On the ship all our baggage was marked with numbers corresponding to that of our declaration to the collector of customs.  The steamer anchored out about a quarter of a mile from a fine covered pier.  We were detained on board until the baggage, even our small pieces, was taken ashore on one launch and after a while we followed it on another.  Upon reaching the dock we passed up a long aisle to where several deputy collectors were seated behind desks.  As we gave our names they looked through the bundles of declarations which had been arranged alphabetically, and, finding the proper one, told us that we would have to pay a duty of 5 per cent upon our typewriter and kodaks, and that a receipt and certificate would be furnished by which we could recover the money at any port by which we left India.  Nothing else was taxed, although I noticed that nearly every passenger had to pay on something else.  There is only one rate of duty—­5 per cent ad valorem upon everything—­jewelry, furniture, machinery—­all pay the same, which simplified the transaction.  But the importation of arms and ammunition is strictly prohibited and every gun, pistol and cartridge is confiscated in the custom-house unless the owner can present evidence that he is an officer of the army or navy and that they are the tools of his trade, or has a permit issued by the proper authority.  This precaution is intended to anticipate any conspiracy similar to that which led to the great mutiny of 1857.  The natives are not allowed to carry guns or even to own them, and every gun or other weapon found in the hands of a Hindu is confiscated unless he has a permit.  And as an additional precaution the rifles issued to the native regiments in the army have a range of only twelve hundred yards, while those issued to the white regiments will kill at sixteen hundred yards; thus giving the latter an important advantage in case of an insurrection.