After having interviewed the deputy collector, we were admitted to a great pen or corral in the middle of the pier, which is inclosed by a high fence, and there found all our luggage piled up together on a bench.  And all the trunks and bags and baskets from the ship were similarly assorted, according to the numbers they bore.  We were not asked to open anything, none of our packages were examined, the declarations of passengers usually being accepted as truthful and final unless the inspectors have reason to believe or suspect deception.  Gangs of coolies in livery, each wearing a brass tag with his number, stood by ready to seize the baggage and carry it to the hotel wagons, which stood outside, where we followed it and directed by a polite Sikh policeman, took the first carriage in line.  Everything was conducted in a most orderly manner.  There was no confusion, no jostling and no excitement, which indicates that the Bombay officials have correct notions of what is proper and carry them into practice.

The docks of Bombay are the finest in Asia, and when the extensions now in progress are carried out few cities in Europe can surpass them.  They are planned for a century in advance.  The people of Bombay are not boastful, but they are confident of the growth of their city and its commerce.  Attached to the docks is a story of integrity and fidelity worth telling.  In 1735 the municipal authorities of the young city, anticipating commercial prosperity, decided to improve their harbor and build piers for the accommodation of vessels, but nobody around the place had experience in such matters and a commission was sent off to other cities of India to find a man to take charge.  The commission was very much pleased with the appearance and ability of Lowji Naushirwanji, the Parsee foreman of the harbor at the neighboring town of Surat, and tried to coax him away by making a very lucrative offer, much in advance of the pay he was then receiving.  He was too loyal and honest to accept it, and read the commission a lecture on business integrity which greatly impressed them.  When they returned to Bombay and related their experience, the municipal authorities communicated with those of Surat and inclosed an invitation to Naushirwanji to come down and build a dock for Bombay.  The offer was so advantageous that his employers advised him to accept it.  He did so, and from that day to this a man of his name, and one of his descendants, has been superintendent of the docks of this city.  The office has practically become hereditary in the family.

[Illustration:  Clock tower and university buildings—­Bombay]