Inde

Blooming Press Mooltan India. Tabular itinerary of 'March of the Connaught Rangers. From Mooltan to Chaubuttia near Raniket 66 Marches. 716 Miles.' and 'From Moradabad to Shahjahanpur. 9 Marches 104 1/8 Miles.' Signed 'J. D. P. T. M.'

Best.-Nr. 16670 — 'Blooming Press Mooltan'. 1882. March lasting from 3 January to 18 March 1883. Printed on one side of piece of 50 x 32 cm wove paper. In good condition lightly aged and worn with strip of blue paper from stub adhering to blank reverse. A total of 75 entries in two tables 66 in the first and 9 in the second both arranged in eight columns as follows: 'Probable Date of arrival. 1883.' the only entry in this column is 'January' beside the first march 'No. of March' 'Stations' 'Distance Miles' 'No. of Route' 'Rivers' 'Villages' 'Remarks'. Beneath the table: 'Abbreviations - D. B. dak-bungalow; P. O. Post-Office R. S. railway-station; T. S. telegraph-station.' In large letters at bottom right: 'J. D. P. T. M.' Slug centred at foot: 'Blooming Press Mooltan sic'. The tables are filled with information. For example the first entry in the second table: 'No. of Marches 1 Stations. Gunesh Ghat Distance Miles 13 No of Route. 103 Rivers. Ramgunga bridge of boats Villages. Moradabad 2 1/2 Ramgunga 2 3/4 Remarks. en-camping ground right bank of Kosila road heavy water procurable'. And the last entry in the second column: 'No. of Marches 9 Stations. Shahjahanpur Distance Miles 13 3/8 No. of Route. 107 Rivers. Gurra bridged Villages. Buntara 6 Gurra 9. Remarks. Small cantomnent & civil Station water abundant.' Among the remarks for the fifty-second march in the first column to Koomrala is 'snipe shooting good'. From the papers of Colonel Edmund Alexander Grubbe 1857-c.1923 who describes the march in his journal. No item printed by the Blooming Press of Mooltan traced on either COPAC or OCLC WorldCat. The name of the press may be a joke 'blooming' being slang for 'bloody' as in Kipling's 'When 'Omer smote 'is bloomin' lyre'. 'Blooming Press Mooltan'. [1882.] March lasting from 3 January to 18 March 1883. unknown