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25 Sep 58 Julius Azimgurh Mother ______________________________________________________________________________________________

Azimgurh 25^th Sept. 58

My dear Mother

Many thanks for your letter which came by the Bombay Mail, in company with one from my Father announcing the intelligence that Mary had safely presented Riley with a son & Heir. I am delighted to hear it & hope that she will recover health & strength quickly. I am going to write & congratulate her personally.

I have no news from Arthur yet, but Peter is beginning to be a great Correspondent of mine.

The Rains here are I think going to leave us & then we shall have the Cold weather, which I can assure you we look forward to. I understand we are to give up Houses all together on the 15 of Oct. & live entirely in Tents. I am told it is rather pleasant than otherwise.

Report says that we are to form part of a Force to reduce & destroy all the Forts about here. I understand some of them are very strong, in the middle of Jungles etc. They will very shortly be going at Jugdespore Jungle * again as the Ns are once more in it. There are 3,000 men about Dinapore ready to clear it as soon as it is considered sufficiently healthy so to do. I am not sorry we are not to be in that business as it is nasty work. The old game again I expect; running after & never catching. Col. Kelly has orders to keep this District & the next (Juanpore) * clear of Rebels so there is no saying where we shall move or how long we shall remain.

My Father tells me of a number of steps going. I do not see my way clear at present. I wish he would give me the names. I am afraid there are some 4 before me for purchase instead of one. As for not purchasing, when a Regt. is in India, if that Rule (?) was kept to there would be very little purchase going on now as very nearly all the Regts. are in India. He very kindly says however that he will never let any body jump over my head.

I hope you are all well & that the Country air (I do not know what part you are in) is doing you all good. Do not let my Father work himself too hard, & Helen, I suppose, is all well & strong again.

I am flourishing. Lots of exercise is the great secret. In default of other game, we hunt Dogs (Parriahs) three meets a week & pretty full attendance. I hope you will read this letter notwithstanding all the nonsense contained. I will write a better one next time.

Love to all.

From yr affect son

JD Laurie

* Jugdespore Jungle – now Jagdishpur (just South of a line between Buxar and Arrah). In order to deny the rebels the sanctuary of the jungle, a firm of railway engineers, Messrs. Burn & Co. were, in 1859, given a contract to clear 2,500 acres of trees, for no payment other than a 99 year lease on the land.

* Juanpore – now Jaunpur, about 50 miles SW of Azamgarh