The scrip changed hands at rapidly
increasing prices, and it was no uncommon occurrence for shares to
advance in the course of a day hundreds of rupees until they
eventually reached Rs. 9,000 to Rs. 10,000, the par value being Rs.
1,000. I had one share given to me which I sold for Rs. 6,000. Of
course the inevitable happened--Port Canning proved a dead failure and
the slump was most disastrous, the shares rapidly declining from
thousands to hundreds and even less.
FORTNIGHTLY MAILS.
Of course there were no telephones in the days I am writing about, and
the telegraph was very rarely used. Business had not to be done in
such a rush then, and in the ordinary way the post was quick enough.
Telegraph charges were high, and it was only in matters of the utmost
urgency that the wires were used by business people. Then there were
only two mails a month. One fortnight the mails were sent direct from
Calcutta by the P. & O. steamer from Garden Reach, and the next
fortnight went across country to Bombay. The railway line did not
extend right across the country then, and in places the mails had to
be taken from one railway terminus to the beginning of the next part
of the line by _dak_ runners.
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