original scientific paper UDK 551.442(497.12 Postojnska j.)"1850" 929 Ratiiff J. JOH N RATLIFF'S VISIT T O POSTOJNSKA JAMA iN 1850 OBISK JOHN A RATLIFFA V POSTOJNSKI JAMI LETA 1850 Trevor R. SHAW Ph.D., O.8.L. , Old Rectory Sboscombe Baih BA 2, 8NB, U K Associate Researcher of the institut of Karst Research ZR C SAZU , 66000 Postojna, SL O prof. dr. Old Rectory Sboscombe Both BA 2, 8NB, Velika Britanija Zunanji sodelavec Inštituta za raziskovanje kras ZR C SAZU, 66000 Postojna, SLO ABSTRACT John Ratiiff (or Ratcliffe) of the Madras Civil Service in the East India Company visited Postojnska jama on 28 October 1850. His description of the cave and of the difficulties of travelling to it in winter are reprinted from his anonymous book. A little-known book entitled "Mems of a ten weeks" Continental Trip includes a detailed description of a visit to Postojnska jama in 1850. This was before the railway from Ljubljana was built and the anonymous author gives an account of the problems he met when travelling and in finding accommodation in Postojna. POVZETEK John Ratiiff (ali Ratciiffe) iz madraškega urada Vzhodnoindijske družbe je Postojnsko jamo obiskal 28. oktobra 1850. Njegov opis jame in težav na potovanju do tja pozimi je ponatisnjen iz njegove anonimne knjige. Malo znana knjiga z naslovom "Spomin na deset­dnevno potovanje po celini" vključuje podroben opis obiska v Postojnski jami leta 1850. To je bilo pred izgradnjo železnice iz Ljubljane. Anonimni avtor poroča o problemih, na katere je naletel na potovanju in pri iskanju nastanitve. Key words: John Ratiiff, Postojnska jama, 1850 Ključne besede: John Ratiiff, Postojnska jama, 1850 IDENTIFYING THE AUTHO R On the title page of his book (Fig. 1} the author de­scribes himself as "a Madras civilian, on furlough", 'furlough' being a term formerly used to denote leave, especially for soldiers and other Englishmen in India. Although this implies that he was an English member of the Indian Civil Service, it was not sufficient to identify him among the names in the printed staff lists. His name is not given in the standard catalogue of anonymous books (Halkett and Laing 1926). This does list one book, also published in 1852, as "by a Madras civilian" and identifies the author of that book as a John Holloway, so he was investigated further. However, Holioway did not have a younger brother William who went to Cambridge and then became a priest, as the author of the book on the ten-week continental tour did. The vital piece of evidence for identification arises from the text itself. It can be deduced that the visit to Postojnska jama took place on October 28 18.50, the IDENTIFIKACIJA AVTORJA Na naslovni strani svoje knjige (si. 1) se avtor pred­stavlja kot "madraški uradnik, na urlavbu",1 pri čemer je bil izraz "urlavb" nekdaj v rabi v pomenu "dopust", po­sebej za vojake in druge Angleže v Indiji. Čeprav to po­meni, da je bil angleški član indijskega usada, to ni do­volj, da bi ga našli med imeni na tiskanem seznamu osebja. Standardni katalog anonimnih knjig (Halkett in Laing, 1926) njegovega imena ne navaja. Ta sicer na­vaja kot avtorja neke knjige, prav tako izdane leta 1952, "madraškega uradnika" in ga identificira kot Johna Hoi­lowaya, zato smo ta namig raziskovali še naprej. Am­pak John Holloway ni imel mlajšega brata Williama, ki je študiral na Cambridgeu in je postal duhovnik, kot pra­vi avtor knjige o desetdnevnem potovanju po cefini. 1 "Urlavb" namesto "dopust" zaradi kasnejšega pojasni la. V izvirniku "furlough" (op. prev.) Trevor R. SHAW : JOH N RATLIfP S VISIT T O POSTOJNSK A JAMA I N J8SO/OBJS K JOHN A RATLIFF A V POSTOJNSK I jAMI LETA J 850, 131-140 cave having been closed due to flooding on the previous day. At the first opportunity, therefore, the visitors' book (Anon, 1846-1853} for the cave was examined and there, on October 28 1850, is the entry "j. (or I. or C.) Rati iff (native of) England (status) E.i.C.C.S." (Fig. 2). The letters E.i.C.C.S. stand for Fast India Company Civil Service. Furthermore, the only other visitor on that day was not English, and before that no visits bad been re­corded since October 23. At this stage it is helpful to say just what the East In­dia Company was, for at the time that Ratliff belonged to it it was purely a governmental and administrative serv­ice and not a commercial company as its name sug­gests. It is necessary to know this in order to understand Ratliff's career, in which he became a judge before he retired. Formed in 1600, the Company remained a purely trading concern in the Indian sub-continent for nearly 150 years. From the second half of the eighteenth cen­tury it had political power in the East, in conjunction with the British government, and performed most of the administration of the area, including health, justice, taxation, defence and mail. In 1838 it gave up com­merce completely and in 1858 Queen Victoria assumed government of the territories "heretofore administered in trust by the Honourable East India Company". The civil­ians of the Company became the Indian Civil Service, performing the same functions in India as did their counterparts in Europe. As will be seen, Ratliff was one of them from 1839 to 1866. The East India Company and later the Indian Civil Service was divided into three, covering the provinces of Bengal (north and north-east India), Bombay (west) and Madras (southern India). The Indian Mutiny of 1857 oc­curred in the north of India and did not affect the Ma­dras province where .Ratliff was. RATLIFF'S LIFE AND CAREER John Ratliff was baptised on 1 October 1819 at St. Michael's church, Coventry, in central England. He was the son of Cleophas Ratliff, a silk and ribbon manufac­turer, and his wife Rhoda. His name was spelled in vari­ous ways throughout his life, often perhaps in error for even when he was at school his teachers wrote it as Rat­liff, Ratcliff and Ratcliffe. For formal purposes he remain­ed Ratliff for most of his career but he retired as Ratcliffe and that is the spelling used in his death certificate. For about three and a half years, from 1830 to 1833, Ratliff was taught in Boulogne on the French coast. For the next fifteen months he was at school in London, and then went to Italy from 1835 to 1837. He was in Milan at one time and also in Genoa, but it is not known whether he remained mostly in one place or was travel­ling with a tutor. A final two months at school in Coven­try at the end of 1837 took him to the time when he en Za identifikacijo najpomembnejši dokaz izvira iz teksta samega. Sklepamo lahko, da je bil obisk v Po­stojnski jami 28. oktobra 1850, saj je bila jama dan prej zaradi poplave zaprta. O prvi priložnosti smo torej pregledali knjigo obiskovalcev jame (Anon, 1846-1853) in tam je za 28. oktober 1850 vpisano oznako "j. (ali I. ali C.) Ratliff (narodnost) Anglež (zaposlen) v E.I.C.C.S." (slika 2). Črke E.I.C.C.S pomenijo East India Company Civil Service.2 Vrh tega je bil tisti dan v jami samo še en obiskovalec, in ta ni bil Anglež, pred tem pa od 23 oktobra ni bil zabeležen noben obisk. Ob tej priliki bi morda kazalo povedati, kaj je prav­zaprav bila Vzhodnoindijska družba, kajti v času, ko ji je pripadal Ratliff, je bila izključno vladna in upravna služba in ne trgovska družba, kot bi lahko sklepali po njenem imenu. To je treba vedeti, da bi lahko razumeli Ratliffovo poklicno pot, na kateri je pred upokojitvijo postal sodnik. Ustanovljena leta 1600, je Družba ostala čisto trgov­ski koncem na indijski podcelini skoraj 150 let. Od srede 18. stoletja je imela na Vzhodu politično moč v povezavi z britansko vlado, na tem področju je izvajala večino upravnih poslov, vključno z zdravstvom, pravo­sodjem, davki, obrambo in pošto. Leta 1838 je sploh opustila trgovanje, leta 1858 pa je kraljica Viktorija pre­vzela oblast na ozemljih, "ki jih je dotlej pooblaščeno upravljala slavna Vzhodnoindijska družba". Civilni urad­niki Družbe so postali Indijski urad in so opravljali enake naloge, kot so jih imeli nihovi poklicni tovariši v Evropi. Kot bomo videli, je bil Ratliff eden od njih od 1839 do 1866. Kot Vzhodnoindijska družba je bil kasneje tudi Indijski urad razdeljen na tri področja: za provinco Ben­galijo (severna in severovzhodna indija), Bombay (za­hod) in Madras (južna indija). Indijski upor leta 1857 se je zgodi! na severu indije in ni imel vpliva na madraško provinco, kjer je bil Ratliff. RATLIFFOVO ŽIVLJENJE IN POKLICNA POT John Ratliff je bil krščen 1. oktobra 1819 v cervi sv. Mihaela v Coventryju, v osrednji Angliji. Bil je sin Cleophasa Ratliffa, proizvajalca svile in trakov, in nje­gove žene Rhode. V različnih obdobjih življenja so nje­govo ime pisali na različne načine, pogosto najbrž po­motoma, saj ga je celo njegov učitelj v šoli zapisoval kot Ratliff, Ratcliff in Ratcfiffe. Iz formalnih razlogov je ve­čino delovne dobe ostal Ratliff, upokojil pa se je kot Ratcliffe, tako je zapisan tudi v mrliškem listu. Okrog tri leta in pol, od 1830 do 1833, se je Ratliff izobraževal v Boulogne na francoski obali. Naslednjih petnajst mesecev je šolo obiskoval v Londonu, nato pa je od 1835 do 1837 bival v Italiji. Nekaj časa je bil v 2 Uracl vzhodnoindjjske družbe. Trevor R. SHAW : JOH N R ATUFF' S VISIT T O POSTOJNSK A JAM A IN 185fi/OR!S K JOHN A RATUFF A V POSTOjNSK l IAMI LOT A 1350, 131-1 « tered the East India College at Haileybury. Acceptance for entry to the College was part of being accepted into the East india Company Civil Service and this information about his early life has been obtained from a bound volume of original applications for entry {East india Company 1837-38) supplemented by infor­mation kindly provided by the present Archivist at Haileybury, Alastair Macpherson, The East india College, on the site now occupied by the big English independent school of Haileybury, pro­vided a mixture of general education and what was re­quired specially for service in India, such as oriental languages. Thus before he left, Ratliff, who was evi­dently a bright pupil, won prizes for classics, history & political economy, law, and proficiency in the Telegu language. Evidence of his wide interests, even at that early age, is provided by the poems published at the end of his book (Ratliff 1852). Some of these were written while he was at school and others during his first years in India. The dates and places where they were written, and inci­dental facts they contain about his family, throw more tight on this period of his life. Ratliff spent the usual four terms {19 months) at the College and formally entered the East India Company on 7 August 1839, He arrived in india on 5 December and was listed first as the most junior grade, 'writer'. His successive posts, through 'Assistant to (tax) Collector and Magistrate', 'Head Assistant to ...', 'Acting Sub Col­lector and joint Magistrate', 'Acting Collector and Magistrate', 'Sub-Judge! , and finally 'Civil and Sessions judge' (from 1860) are summarised by Prinsep (1885). These posts were held in many places all over the southern half of india. On 17 July 1841 he married Elizabeth Clementina, daughter of William Procter, at Bangalore. They had two children, and his wife died on 16 June 1845 aged 27. All records of births, marriages and deaths in the Madras province are in the East India Company Records N2 se­ries. He evidently remarried quite soon, for on 10 April 1847 he dated a poem "To my wife, on her eighteenth birthday" (Ratliff 1852, p 74}. The record of marriage has not been traced, but her age of eighteen in 1847 con­firms that she was the Antoinette Catherine Ratliff who died in India on 12 July 1854, aged 25 years. They had one son. Sickness and death were certainly frequent in India, even among the Europeans. Ratliff's younger brother Cleophas had joined the Army in india in 1841, but in 1845 he was buried there, at the age of 23. john Ratliff's third marriage was more fortunate. He married Emily Borlase Hili on 20 August 1856 at Hei­ston in England {Anon. 1856) and she bore him two sons and three daughters in India during the next seven years. Two years after that he himself was ill and was on sick " MEMS" OF A TEN WEEKS' CONTINENTAL TRIP, B Y A MADRA S CIVILIAN , OH yilBWtJOH ; TO WHICH ABB ADDED, SOME STRAY POETICAL. EFFORTS: AND A COLLEGE ESSAY: BY THE SAME AUTHOR, LONDON: I'lfBI.ISHKD BY LONGMAN ic CO., PATERNOSTER-BOW; COVSOTBY : CHARLES A. N. EOIXASON. 1852. Fig. 1 - The title page of the book in which Ratliff de­scribes his visit to Postojnska jama in 1850. Slika 1: Naslovna stran knjige, v kateri Ratliff opisuje svoj obisk v Postojnski jami leta 1850. Miianu in tudi v Genovi, ni pa znano, ali je večino časa prebil v enem kraju ali je potoval s tutorjem. Zadnja dva meseca v šoli v Coventryju proti koncu leta 1837 ga po­peljeta v čas, ko je bil sprejet v Vzhodnoindijski kolidž v Haileyburyju. Sprejem v kolidž je bil del sprejema v urad Vzhod­noindijske družbe ta del informacije o njegovem zgod­njem življenju je bila pridobljena iz vezanega zvezka originalnih prošenj za sprejem (Vzhodnoindijska druž­ba, 1837-38); prijazno nam jo je posredoval sedanji ar­hivar v Haileyburyju Alastair Macpherson. Trevor R. SHAW : JOH N RATLIFF' S VfSITT O POSTOJNSK A JAMA IN ia50 /OSÎIS K JOHN A RATLIPF A V POSTOJNSK I JAMI IET A 1850, 131-140 leave in Europe from March 1865 until August 1866. Then on 14 October 1866 he was allowed to retire (Anon 1866), presumably for health reasons as he was only 47 years old. He died in London on 19 May 1877, from chronic bronchitis, aged 57 {Anon 1877). Because of the time taken travelling from india to Europe, leave {'furlough'} was taken infrequently but for long periods at a time. Thus Ratliff's first absence from India since arriving in 1839, was from 5 June 1850 to 2 January 1853 (Anon 1866). it was near the beginning of this period of leave that he made his European tour. He did this on his own, perhaps while his second wife stayed with her parents in England. THE TOUR Ratliff's ten week tour started on 4 October 1850, when he was 31. He crossed the sea from Dover to Os-tend and travelled by train through Brussels and Co­logne to Bonn, Frankfurt am Main, Heidelberg, Karls­ruhe, Stuttgart, Munchen, Innsbruck, the Brenner Pass, Verona and Venice. Thence by sea to Trieste where he arrived on 24 October. On the same day he set off for Ljubljana. He had intended to proceed from there to Vi­enna and thence to Milan but as will be seen, he de­cided to go to Postojna instead, and see the cave. Late on 28 October he was back in Trieste and most of the rest of his time was spent in Italy, with seven days at Rome, 12 at Neaples, and stopping also at Florence, Pisa, Genoa and Milan. The journey back through France included one night at Lyons and three in Paris, and he was home again at Coventry on 14 December. "The total 'necessary' expense of this trip, with most comfortable living, exclusive, of course, of any extras in the way of purchases, but inclusive of all such things in the way of 'sight-seeings' of every kind, being but a trifle over 24s. (L,2) a day; or a total of L85 sterling." Lacking in detail though this statement of Ratliff's is, it is one of the very few pieces of information available about the cost of travel at that time. FOUR DAYS IN SLOVENIA Ratliff's description of his travelling from Triest to Ljubljana and back to Postojna, with some of his prob­lems in finding accommodation there, are reprinted here, verbatim from pages 21 to 27 of his book. Al­though much of what he writes is not about the cave it­self, it does illuminate the difficulties that travellers sometimes had to overcome if they were to visit it before the railway was built through Postojna. As Ratiiff ex­plains later in his account, the reason for the extraordi­nary difficulty he had in finding somewhere to stay in Postojna was the fact that soldiers were billeted there at the time. The very few additions made by the present author Vzhodnoindijski koiidž, na čigar lokaciji je danes velika angleška neodvisna šola v Haiieyburyju, je dajal mešanico splošne izobrazbe in tega, kar je bilo posebej potrebno za službovanje v indiji, kot na primer orien­talski jeziki. Ratiiff, ki je bil očitno bister učenec, je tako pred odhodom dobil nagrade za klasiko, zgodovino in politično ekonomijo, pravo in obvladanje jezika Telegu. Dokaz njegovih raznolikih interesov, že v tej rani dobi, najdemo v pesmih, ki so objavljene na koncu nje­gove knjige (Ratiiff, 1852). Nekaj jih je napisal, ko je bil v šoli, in druge v svojih prvih letih v Indiji. Datumi in kraji, kjer jih je napisal, in naključni podatki o njegovi družini, ki ji h vsebujejo, dodatno osvetljujejo ta del njegovega življenja. V kolidžu je prebil običajne Štiri semestre (19 me­secev) in se formalno pridružil Vzhodnoindijski druž-bi 7. avgusta 1839. V Indijo je prispel 5. decembra in je bil najprej vpisan na najnižjem položaju kot "pisar". Njego­ve naslednje položaje "pomočnika izterjevalca (davkov) in sodnika za prekrške", "glavnega pomočnika...", "vr­šilca pod izterjevalca in pridruženega sodnika za prekr­ške", "vršilca izterjevalca in sodnika za prekrške", "pod­sodnika" in nazadnje "civilnega in obravnavnega sod­nika" (od 1860) povzema Prinsep (1885), Te službe je opravljal v mnogih krajih po vsej južni polovici indije. 17. julija 1841 se je v Bangaioreju poročil z Elisa­beth Clementino, hčerko Williama Procterja, Imela sta dva otroka, žena pa mu je 16, junija 1845 v starosti 27 let umrla. Vsi vpisi rojstev, poroke in smrti v madraški provinci so ohranjeni v zapisih Vzhodnoindijske družbe serije N2. Očitno se je prav kmalu spet poročil, saj je pesem "Moji ženi, na njen osemnajsti rojstni dan" (Ratiiff, 1852, str. 74) datiral 10. aprila 1847. Vpisa poroke nismo našli, toda starost osemnajstih iet 1847 potrjuje, da je bila to Antoinette Catherine Ratiiff, ki je umrla v Indiji 12. julija 1854, stara 25 let. Imela sta enega sina. Bolezen in smrt sta bila v Indiji nedvomno česta celo med Evropejci. Ratliffov mlajši brat Cleophas je bil leta 1841 v Indiji vstopil v vojsko, toda leta 1845 so ga tam pokopali, starega komaj 23 let. Tretji zakon Johna Ratliffa je bil vendarle srečnejši. 20. avgusta 1856 (Anon, 1856) se je v Helstonu v Angliji poročil z Emily Borlase Hill, ki mu je v naslednjih sedmih letih v Indiji rodila dva sina in tri hčerke. Dve naslednji leti je bil sam bolan in je bil na bolniškem dopustu v Evropi od marca 1865 do avgusta 1866. 14. oktobra 1866 mu je bila nato odobrena upokojitev (Anon, 1866), domnevno iz zdravstvenih vzrokov, saj je bil star Šele 47 let. Zaradi kroničnega bronhitisa je 19. maja 1877 umrl v Londonu, star 57 let (Anon, 1877). Zaradi dolgega potovanja iz Indije v Evropo so na dopust {"urlavb") hodili redko, a za dalj časa. Ratiiff je tako Indijo po svojem prihodu tja leta 1839 prvič za­pusti! od 5. junija 1850 do 2. januarja 1853 (Anon, 1866). Svoje potovanje po Evropi je opravil že kmalu na Trevor R. SHAVVifOHN RATUFFS VfSiTTO POSTOJNSKA JAMA IN 1850/08ISK JOHNA RATt.lFFA V POSTOJNSKI JAM! LETA 1850,131-140 I>n[iim • îînmcu 0ii>ari«ort • \ 1 Nra . Daw Wo m e Mi n Çoudizloiil? ' i « i Nmti XaHf tiling .: -/I 7 M , • O •.'.' M Tv . • '.-' . . ; .V/"''' ' ; < r <~j ' ( -i. / < V -v ; . 4 Fig. 2: The entry for /. Ratliff, dated 28 October 1850, in the cave visitors' book. Siika 2: Vpis /. Ratiiff a v vpisni knjigi obiskovalcev fame, datiran 28. oktobra 1850. to Ratfiff's text, such as dates, are placed in square brackets. Omissions are indicated as (Leaving Trieste at about 15,30 on 24 October,) 1 found my post was in an open coupé, or cabriolet, with nothing but leather curtains to draw, en anant, and every prospect of a cold wet night; a prospect which darkened into reality, and supplied the comble to my annoyance; not dissipated even, by my having for com­panion, a very nice girl, who grumbled though sans cesse, at the discomfort of our position. The scene, for the first two hours, after leaving Tri­este, is lovely; the road, winding up a mountain, at the base of which lie the town and sea; which, with the shipping, and tout autour, forms, aix exceedingly pleas­ing prospect, particularly, illumined as it then was, by a fine sunset. Thence, to Laibach, the road is not only bad in itself, but very uninteresting, and it was seven a.m (25 October), ere we reached 1 SVz hours, to traverse 76 miles' A railway, however, is in rapid progress. My intention, was to proceed onward to Vienna, and thence, across to Milan; and Î wended my way accord­ingly, direct, to the railway station, in order to join the train, leaving, about eight a.m. It was still pouring; it had been so, off and on, for some fifteen days, all around; and promised well, for a continuance; so, reflecting, on the probable délices of the return trip across country (as it were) from Vienna to Milan, with the roads, as they then would be, 1 gave it up, after a consultation with the station clerk, (a very civil fellow,) who fully corrobo­rated my misgivings; and advised a retrogade move, unless business called me onward. The train, therefore, rolled off, without its destined honoured freight, which was transported, au lieu, in a remarkably filthy vehicle, začetku svojega dopusta. Potoval je sam, medtem ko je bila njegova druga žena najbrž pri svojih starših v Angliji. POTOVANJE Ratliff je pričel svoje desettedensko potovanje 4. ok­tobra 1850, ko je bil star 31 let. Morje je prečkal iz Dov­ra v Oostende in potoval z vlakom prek Bruslja, Kolna, Bonna, Frankfurta na Maini, Heidelberga, Karlsruheja, Stuttgarta, Miinchna, innsbrucka, prelaza Brenner in Verone do Benetk. Od tu je z ladjo prispel v Trst 24. oktobra. Še isti dan se je odpravil proti Ljubljani. Pot je nameraval nadaljevati do Dunaja in od tam v Milano, toda, kot bomo videli se je premislil in šel v Postojno, da bi si ogledal jamo. 28. oktobra je bil ponovno v Trstu in večino preosta­lega časa je prebil v Italiji: sedem dni v Rimu, dvanajst v Neaplju, ustavil se je še v Firencah, v Pisi, Genovi in Milanu. Na povratku prek Francije je enkrat prenočil v Lyonu in trikrat v Parizu, doma v Coventryju je bi! spet 14. decembra. "Celotni 'nujni' stroški potovanja, z velikim udob­jem, izključujoč seveda vse dodatne izdatke v obliki nakupov, toda vključno s takimi stvarmi, kot je 'ogled znamenitosti' vseh vrst, so znašali komaj nekaj nad 24 šilingov (2 funta) na dan ali skupaj 85 funtov šterlingov". Kakorkoli že je ta Ratfiffov podatek premalo podroben, je vendarle eden redkih dosegljivih o ceni potovanja v tistem času. ŠTIRJE DNEVI V SLOVENIJI Tu objavljamo ponatis Ratliffovega opisa potovanja iz Trsta v Ljubljano in nazaj do Postojne in nekaj težav, ki jih je imel pri iskanju prenočišča, dobesedno strani 21-27 njegove knjige. Čeprav se mnogo njegovega pisa­nja ne nanaša na samo jamo, vendarle pojasnjuje teža­ve, ki so jih pred izgradnjo železnice skozi Postojno vča­sih morali premagati popotniki, če so jo hoteli obiskati. Kot pojasnjuje kasneje v svojem sestavku, je bil vzrok njegovih izjemnih težav, ko je v Postojni iskal prenoči­šče, dejstvo, da so bili v tistem času tu nastanjeni vojaki. Redki dodatki sedanjega avtorja k Ratliffovemu tekstu, npr. datumi, so v oglatih oklepajih. Izpuščena mesta so označena z [Odhod iz Trsta 24. oktobra okrog 15.30] Ugotovil sem, da je moj sedež v odprtem kupeju ali kabrioletu nič drugega kot usnjene zavese, en anant, in obetala se je mrzla in viažna noč; obet, ki se je stemnil v resničnost in tako povečal mojo nejevoljo. Ta me ni minila niti, ko sem ugotovil, da imam za sopotnico zelo čedno dekle, ki pa je sans cesse tarnata o neudobnosti najinega položaja. Prizor, prvi dve uri po odhodu iz Trsta, je ljubek: cesta, ki se vzpenja v hrib, ob vznožju katerega ležita Trevor R. 5HAW : jOM N RATLIFP S VIS1T T O POSTOJNSK A JAMA IN 1850 / OBIS K JOHN A RATUFF A V POSTOJNSK I JAMI LETA 1850, 131-140 to the Hotel de Posie, a very comfortable one, fortu­nately, after so many contrarieties. Here, I passed the day, but should have been sorry to multiply the same, this capital of tliyria being, me judice, a most uninterest­ing place. I consoled myself, for my compulsory change of route, with the opportunity it would afford me of seeing the famed grotto, at Adelsburg (sic), (which is about midway thence to Trieste;) as far as which village accordingly I secured a place, with the returning cou­rier, for the same night. - Me miseruml this place proved to be the identical one, i had occupied the night previ­ous, in coming; weather ditto, but a trifle colder; my companion, again a female; but in this case, a gaunt-looking one, what further 1 could not then discover; save that her mother tongue produced an awfully grunting sound, and that her mother teeth were employed in munching boiled chesnuts; which she, ever and anon, opened our leather curtain, to spit forth, amidst the wind and rain. (26 October) 'Twas three, in lieu of one, a.m., ere we halted at Adelsburg, and oh, what a wretched halt that was! The rain was descending in torrents: a bitterly keen wind blowing: and not a soul, could I get, to indicate the whereabouts of the, or an, hotel. The Courier was savage; and busy; vexed probably, at having to superin­tend to fishing out my traps, from his baggage compart­ment, in such agreeable weather; and furnished as much information as his own vehicle would have done, if applied to. The helpers, were Sclavonic, and didn't un­derstand German; the official in the little Bureau de Poste, was deeply immersed in his just received packets; and finding strollers, at such an hour, and in such weather, was scarcely probable. There was nothing for it, therefore, but a sally forth, in quest "of a sign." Here and there, did I run then, or rather wade, for 'twas ankle deep in mud, and at length caught a peasant, who com­prehended moreover my wants, and showed me the de­sired refuge. Disappointment, however, was only, thereby, added to my other desagremens; shouts, kicks, and the heartiest rapping my old bamboo could admin­ister at the door, were alike unheeded; and i was fain to wade "bock again" to the place whence I came, satu­rated with wet, covered with mud, and woefully dis­gusted at the general aspect of affairs. At the Bureau, I found the little writer, less busy; propitiated him, with a cigar, aided too, by my mani­festly wretched plight; and got him to send forth a dove, in the shape of a half-awake subordinate, to find rest for my now weary corpus; but, like Noah's, did he return, after a weary hour, finding none-not even a garret. Nor was this hour the feast disagreeable one, of pleasant night. The odour of a small Austrian Bureau de Poste, at a provincial village, is thing quite, per se, and utterly, undefinable; a compound, as neraly as one can analyze its parts, of inks, sand, stalesmoke, fusty parcels, and half tanned leather, mixed with as small an amouth of mesto in morje, ki z ladjevjem in tout autour tvori aix nadvse ugoden pogled, posebno ko je, kot je bilo takrat, obžarjen z lepim sončnim zahodom. Cesta proti Lai­bachu od tod sama po sebi ni slaba, a zelo nezanimiva in bilo je sedem zjutraj [25. oktobra], prej kot smo v 15]h urah prepotovali 76 milj! Vendar železnica dobro napreduje. Moj namen je bi!, da bi od tu potoval naprej na Dunaj in od tam počez v Milano; torej sem se napotil naravnost na železniško postajo, da bi sedel na vlak, ki odpelje okrog osmih zjutraj. Še vedno je lilo; tako je bilo vse naokrog več ali manj že okrog petnajst dni in vse je kazalo, da bo še naprej. Ko pa sem pomislil na verjetne sladkosti povratka po deželi, če bi potoval z Dunaja v Miiano, in ob cestah, kakršne bi tedaj bile, sem se premisli! po posvetu s postajnim uradnikom (zelo prijazen možak), ki je v celoti potrdi! moje skrbi in mi svetoval premik nazaj, če me na pot ne kliče posel. Vlak je torej zavrtel kolesa brez svojega nesojenega častnega tovora, ki se je dal, au iieu, v nepopisno umazanem vozilu odpeljati do hvalabogu, po tolikih drugačnih izkušnjah, zelo udobnega Hotela Pošta. Tu sem preživel en dan, a žal bi mi bilo še enega, saj je, me judice, ta prestolnica Ilirije sila nezanimiv kraj. Ob prisilni spremembi poti sem se tolažil, da bom imel priliko videti opevano jamo pri Adelsburgu [sic!] (približno na pol poti od tam do Trsta); do te vasi sem si torej za isto noč zagotovil sedež v vračajoči se kočiji, - Me miserum! izkazalo se je, da je sedež isti kot prejšnjo noč, ob mojem prihodu, vreme ditto, le malenkost bolj mrzlo, moja sopotnica pa spet ženska, toda tokrat mršavega videza in, česar takrat nisem mogel opaziti, razen da njen materin jezik tvori obupno stokajoč zvok in da so bili njeni matemi zobje ves čas zaposleni z žvečenjem kuhanega kostanja, ki jih je, potem ko je odprla najino usnjeno zaveso, vsake toliko izpljunila v veter in dež, [26. oktober) Bilo je tri namesto ena, preden smo se ustavili v Adelsburgu, in joj kakšen postanek je to bili Dež je lil v potokih, pihal je bridko oster veter in nikjer žive duše, da bi mi pokazala pot do hotela. Kočijaž je bil neprijazen in zelo zaposlen, najbrž zmeden, ker je moral v tako prijaznem vremenu nadzorovati iskanje mojih pasti v njegovem prtljažniku; toliko mi je dal in­formacij, kot bi mi jih, če bi ga vprašal, dalo njegovo vozilo. Pomočniki so bili Slovani3 in niso razumeli nem­ško, uradnik v malem Bureau de Poste je bi! globoko zakopan v svoje pravkar prispele pakete, da bi ob taki uri in ob takem vremenu našel sprehajalce, je bilo ko­maj verjetno. Ni bilo torej druge kot prebiti se ven, iščoč "znamenje". Tu in tam sem torej tekel ali bolje gazil, saj je bilo blata do gležnjev, in nazadnje ujel kmeta, ki je celo razumel moje potrebe in mi pokazal želeno pri­bežališče. Toda s tem se je mojim drugim desagremens samo pridružilo še razočaranje: klici, brce in najsrečnejše 3 V izvirniku "Sclavonic" (op. prev.) Trevor R. SHAW ; JOH N RATUFF' S VIS IT T O POSTOJNSK A JAMA I N 1850 / O B 15 K JOHN A RATUFF A V POSTOJNSK I JAMI LETA ] 850, 1 31-140 oxygen as possible, and, in this case, flavoured by the joint perfume of two frowy beds, their trappings, and the ward-robe of the occupants, my small writer and the dove, to wit; whilst my own reeking garments didn't im­prove the whole. I had, during this interval, time to perceive, huddled up in a corner, my Amazonian chesnut chewer, who was, it appared, in the same plight as myself, though perhaps a trifle less damp. She was a Sclavonian, of the servant caste; standing, an inch fully, taller than myself; with a hard-featured, stony sort of face; man's boots; and her waist, just under the arm-pits; one, as little at­tractive as she was, I would rather have had a kiss, than a blow, from. Looking hopelessly at one another, for we could not exchange a syllable, verbally, our unsatisfac­tory reverie was interrupted, by an order from the small writer, (who had been some time au lit,) to his subordi­nate, to show us some place or other, he named, and had just thought of, where we should be, at least, shel­tered; and, as he doubtless wished us, out of his office and dormitory. The fair virgin. I saw hesitate, on her learning that the refuge in question consisted of but one apartment; but I felt in no condition for nicety; so took up my sac de nuit, and motioned the P.O. Samaritan onward, leaving the lady, to argue the propriety of ac­companying me, with her own delicate feelings; which, however, soon put her boots in motion, in our rear. The den, we were thus at last ushered into, beggars description. A cold, damp, wretched cock-loft, with a small truck-bed, like those usually to convicts, in one corner, covered with materials in the shape of bed­clothes, that had evidently done weeksot patient un­washed duty; and, in the other, a little sofa, about 4% feet long, by 2 board, the lining, of what material I know not, its upper erust, however, being grease, so thick and hard, that it could have been skated upon, broken down pour comble, on one side. A chest ot drawers, com­pleted the "furniture."... The cause of my inhospitable reception, was, I found, the fact, of some 2.000 soldiers being billeted over the village, and occupying every available corner; anything but a "billet doux" ior me; in fact, I think even Mr. Tapley1 himself, would have deemed that night's circumstances, such as a man might be creditably jolly under. Oh, what a luxury was a good wash, a good breakfast, and a comfortable room! I never appreciated them more. (27 October) I had intended to visit the Grotto, and get off Trieste-ward, by the diligence, passing at 2 p.m.; but the fates hadn't done with me, and Adelsburg was destined to be still more deeply impressed on my recol­lection. The rains had been so copious, that the Grotto was flooded, and impassable, thought it might, reported Mark Tapiev, a character in Dickens's Martin Chittzlewit. obdelovanje vrat z mojim starim bambusom so bili enako neuslišani in usojeno mi je bilo bresti nazaj na kraj, od koder sem prišel, premočen, blaten in bridko nejevoljen zaradi splošnega stanja stvari. Na pošti sem malega uradnika sedaj našel manj za­poslenega, odkupil sem se mu s cigaro, pripomogla pa je tudi moja izrazito očitna zadrega; pripravil sem ga do tega, da je odposlal goloba v podobi polbudnega pod­rejenega, ki naj najde počivališče za moj izmučeni cor~ pus. Toda vrnil se je kot Noe, po dolgi uri, a našel ni nič, niti kamre. Pa tudi ta ura ni bila najmanj prijetna v celi noči. Vonj malega avstrijskega Bureau de Poste v podeželski vasi je per se in povsem nedoločna stvar; mešanica, katere sestavine bi približno lahko analizirali kot črnilo, pesek, postan dim, stare pakete, napol stro­jeno usnje, pomešane s kar je mogoče majhno količino kisika, v tem primeru pa še odišavljene z združenim vo­njem dveh neurejenih postelj, njunega okrasja in gar­derobe stanovalcev, mojega malega pisarja in grlice, prav res pa tudi moja smrdljiva oprava ni izboljšala celote. Med tem odmorom sem imel, zgrbljen v kotu, čas opazovati svojo amazonsko prežvekovalko kostanja, ki je bila, videti je bilo tako, v enaki zadregi kot jaz sam, čeprav morda malenkost manj mokra. Bila je Slovanka, služabniške kaste; v stoječem položaju cel palec višja od mene, s trdimi, kamnitimi potezami obraza, moškimi škornji, pas tik pod pazduho, a čeprav je bila tako grda, bi od nje rajši dobil poljub kot klofuto. Obupano sva gledala drug drugega, izmenjati nisva mogla dobesedno niti zloga. Najino nezadovoljivo občudovanje je prekinil ukaz malega uradnika {ki je bil nekaj časa au lit) svo­jemu podrejenenemu, naj nama pokaže enega od krajev, ki ju je imenoval in se jih je bil pravkar spomnil, kjer bova vsaj dobila zatočišče in, kot nama je nedvomno želel, se spravila iz njegove pisarne in spal­nice. Poštena devica - videl sem njeno oklevanje, ko je zvedela, da ima pribežališče eno samo stanovanje, a prav nič se nisem počutil razpoloženega za prijaznost, torej sem vzel svoj sac de nuit, pomignil P.O. sama­ritanu, naj gre naprej in pustil gospo, da se o primernosti tega, naj me spremlja aii ne, prepira z lastnimi pre­finjenimi čustvi, kar je, mimogrede rečeno, njene škor­nje kmalu spravilo v gibanje po najinih sledeh. Brlog, v katerega sva bila nazadnje tako posprem-Ijena, prav prosjači za opis. Mrzel, vlažen, nesrečen kur­nik: v enem kotu z majhnim pogradom, kakršne imajo na-vadno zaporniki, pokrit z blagom v obliki posteljni­ne, ki je očitno opravljala svojo tedensko dolžnost ne­oprana, in v drugem majhna zofa, kakih 4% krat 2 čev­lja velika deska, posteljnina iz nedoločljivega materiala, njena zgornja stran pa tolšča, tako debela in trda, da bi na njej lahko drsali, na eni strani odlomljena pour comble. Predalnik je dopolnjeval "pohištvo"... Vzrok mojega negostoljubnega sprejema je bilo kakih 2000 vojakov, ki so bili nastanjeni po vsej vasi in Trevor R. SHAW : JOH N RAT I IF F -S VISIT T O POSTOJNSK A i A M A I N "1850 /OS5S K JOHN A RATUFF A V POSTOJNSK I JAMI LETA 18.50, 131 -140 the guide, be otherwise the next morning, for which chance, i determined to wait; and amply was i repaid; though 'twas preceded by a sair dull day. It was Sunday. Proverbial it is, that such, in a small village, alone, when all without is wet and gloomy, is triste enough; but oh! how much is the dullness enhanced, when that village is a wretched one, in lllyria, without a present friend or companion ... The temperature at Adelsburg was sair chilly, and snow falling, not only on all the surrounding mountains, but even as low as the plains, which accounted for my so cold awakening in my den ... (28 October) O n Monday the Grotto was, happily, pronounced to be safe, and passable, so off I set for it, a pied, being but about a quarter of an hour's walk. Three guides are requisite, the fixed payment for each of whom is half a florin: admission costs another half; and a further investment, of an entire one, is necessary, for lights, to illuminate different parts of the Grotto; a total pecuniary damage of three florins. Soon after entering the mouth of the cavern, you hear the roaring of a torrent, which on this occasion, however, was much more noisy than usual, owing to the scarcely subsided floods. A short passage brings you to a sort of vaulted dome, at, and through, the bottom of which rushes the said torrent, and to the level (or nearly so) of which you descend, some twenty feet, over two natural bridges, and then pass the stream itself, over a third, a wooden one; the side railings of which had been lowered, across the bridge itself, to save them from be­ing carried away; the waters having during the just sub­siding flood risen some 12 feet above, and being, even then, not a foot below it. The extreme rapidity with which the torrent was rushing under; the slipperiness of the, of course, satu­rated wood; the absence of the usual side railings; the fact, of those railings being turned down on the bridge itself; and rendering it most precarious footing; with the loudly echoed roaring noise, and well nigh total dark­ness; formed as I crossed, a novel, unearthly, and not altogether pleasant, tout ensemble-, particularly as 1 was alone-that is, without companion; I say darkness, but this is scarcely fair to my dips, a number of which had been stuck over this bridge, as well as on the upper one, sufficient to enable-the distinguishing a general outline of the place, though without making one fee! it was re­ally any lighter, or that darkness reigned less predomi­nant-if that can be understood. This was for a long while the only grotto known, the new one, as it is called, having been accidentally dis­covered in 1819 only; a grotto, so marvellous, and grand, as to render the first, however wonderful, per se, quite a minor affair in comparison. The best point for seeing this first, and whence it looks really fine, is just when leaving it, for the other; the eye too will have grown more accustomed, and the zasedali vsak razpoložljiv kotiček; zame vse prej kot "billet doux". Mislim celo, da bi sam gospod Tapley4 o razmerah tiste noči razmišljal o takih, v kakršnih je človek lahko zadovoljivo vesel. Kakšno razkošje je dob­ro umivanje, dober zajtrk in udobna soba! Nikdar jih nisem cenil bolj. [27. oktober] Nameravat sem obiskati jamo in se odpeljati proti Trstu s hitro kočijo, ki je prihajala mimo okrog dveh popoldne, a vile sojenice niso sodelovale z mano in Adelsburgu je bilo usojeno, da bo še globlje vtisnjen v moj spomin. Deževje je bilo tako izdatno, da je bila jama poplavljena in neprehodna, čeprav morda naslednje jutro, je rekel vodič, ne bo več tako. Sklenil sem počakati na to možnost, in bil sem bogato popla­čan, čeprav sem pred tem preživel še en pust dan. Bila je nedelja. Že pregovorno je tak dan, sam po sebi moker in temačen, dovolj žalosten; kako se žalost šele poveča, če je to zapuščena vas v Iliriji, brez prisotnosti prijatelja ali sopotnika... [28. oktober] V ponedeljek je bila jama na srečo proglašena za varno in prehodno, odpravil sem se torej proti njej, a pied, saj je bilo do tja komaj okrog četrt ure hoda. Na razpolago so trije vodiči; določeno plačilo za vsakega je pol forinta, vstopnina znese drugega pol forinta, nadaljnja nujna investicija v tej celoti so luči za osvetlitev različnih delov jame, celotna denarna škoda znaša tri forinte. Kmalu po vstopu v ustje votline se zasliši rohnenje potoka, ki je bil ob tej priliki zaradi komaj minulih poplav mnogo bolj hrupen kot sicer. Ozek rov vas pripelje v nekako obokano katedralo, po dnu katere in skozi njo teče omenjeni potok. Do njegove višine (ali skoraj) se spustite kakih dvajset čevljev prek dveh na­ravnih mostov, nato prečkate sam tok preko tretjega, lesenega. Njegove stranske opore so položili prek sa­mega mostu, da jih ne bi odneslo. Med pravkar minulo povodnijo so se vode dvignile za 12 čevljev nadenj in tudi tedaj niso bile niti čevelj pod njim. izredno deroča voda potoka, spolzkost seveda pre­močenega lesa, odsotnost običajnih opor, to, da so bile ograje položene na sam most, vse je bilo krivo, da je bilo stopanje sila negotovo. Glasni odmevi rohnečega hrupa in skoraj popolna tema so, ko sem šel čez, v meni tvorili novo, nezemeljsko in sploh ne v celoti prijetno tout ensemble, posebno ker sem bi! sam, se pravi brez sopotnika. Pravim tema, a to je komaj pošteno do mojih svetilk, katerih večje število je bilo zataknjenih nad tem in nad zgornjim mostom, dovolj, da so omogočale prepoznavanje splošnih obrisov prostora - ne da bi ob­čutili, da je res kaj svetieje ali da tema vlada manj pre­vladujoče, če je to mogoče razumeti. Ta jama je bila dolgo edina znana, novo, kot ji pravijo, so po naklučju odkrili šele leta 1819, a je tako 4 Mark Tapley, oseba iz Dickensovega romana Martin Chuz­zlewit. Trevor R. SHAW : JOH N RATUFF' S VISIT T O POSTOJNSK A JAMA IN 18SO/OE1S K JOHN A RATUFF A V P05T0JNSK I JAMI LETA 1850, 131-140 lights prove more serviceable in consequence. The new Grotto, is composed of stalactite, through passages, cav­erns, and hails, of which, in every variety of form, you go on, winding, to the enormous distance, I believe, of "700" feet. I walked onward, for some 30 minutes, rather leisurely of course, having to look about me, but without traversing a foot of ground twice, and my guide assured my, that we had not, owing to the yet unsubsided wa­ters, which then alone stopped us, penetrated much more than half the distance usually passable; it required some 20 minutes sharp walking, to get back again. The beautiful, varied, and fanciful forms of the sta­lactites, it would be difficult to describe, as indeed is the tout ensemble; which, to be at all appreciated, must be seen. Many of them are finely transparent-others, brightly sparkling-here a number of glittering pillars and pinnacles-there a forest of drops, of all sizes and shapes, like gigantic icicles-whilst ever and anon, the guide calls attention to some particular piece or group, which, from its resemblance to, has obtained the name of, some ex­ternal object or other. Here was a debtor's prison-there a pulpit-here a chapel, with its bell (and a very melodious one, too, when struck)-there an English flower garden-here the Madonna-there (with the aid of a candle sent aloft) a moonlight view-always something-and in many cases, by no means drawing too largely on imagination. Perhaps the most curious part, however, of the grotto, is what is called the ball room, and right aptly too. It is a very spacious, almost circular, and very lofty, vaulted cavern, reached, after some ten minutes' walk. It is, or should be, well lighted up, ere you get to it, and presents a fine, curious, and most unexpected, appear­ance. It is excellently adapted for a dance, which is ac­tually, 1 was told, held there, with a grand illumination, every Pentecost. Nature's own hall, and a right noble one it is. But, here have 1 been scribbling away, and, even for my own hereafter edification, to no purpose: I do not believe this grotto to be describable, c'est a dire, so as to convey an at all accurate idea of \t-ainsi finissons. To see it alone, would be well worth a trip thither from England; certainly no one should ever find himself at either Venice, Trieste (a fortiori), or Vienna, without making Adelsburg in his way, no matter where to. He will certainly there see the most beautiful, wonderful, even if not (as the Americans 1 believe question) the most extensive place of the kind in the world; and ob­tain, if he need it, an additional and magnificent proof of the vast ascendancy of nature over art. Wet, wind, open cabriolet, soaking, purgatory de bureau, cockloft and its concomitants, wretched Sunday detention, all passed away as a cloud; and seemed but a light price to have paid for what I had (pervaded by consequent gloom) almost persuaded myself into misgivings, that 1 should be eventually sorry to have endured such a "diminution total" of desagremens to attain. veličastna in velika, da je v primerjavi z njo prva, če­prav lepa per se, videti prava malenkost. Najboljši položaj za opazovanje te prve je s prehoda v drugo, od tam je res videti prav lepa, tudi oči so se do tedaj najbrž že bolje prilagodile, zato so tudi luči bolj koristne. Novo jamo tvorijo stalaktiti, skozi rove, votline in dvorane se vije, mislim, v razdalji "700" čevljev. Ho­dil sem okrog trideset minut, dokaj počasi seveda, saj sem moral gledati naokrog, a ne da bi en sam čevelj tal prečkal dvakrat. Moji vodiči so mi zagotavljali, da za­radi še ne dovolj upadlih vod, ki so nas ustavile šele takrat, nismo prodrli niti do polovice navadno prehodne razdalje. Povratek je terjal okrog 20 minut hitre hoje. Lepe, raznolike in fantastične oblike stalaktitov bi bilo težko opisati, kot resnično tout ensemble, da bi vse to cenili, je treba videti. Mnogi so fino prosojni, drugi svetlo lesketajoči, tu nekaj svetlikajočih stebrov in stebričkov, tam gozd kapelj vseh velikosti in oblik, kot gigantskih ledenih sveč, medtem ko vodič nenehno opo­zarja na kak poseben primerek ali skupino, ki je zaradi podobnosti dobila ime enega ali drugega zunanjega predmeta. Tu je dolžniški zapor, pa prižnica in kapela z zvonom (in to, če udariš po njem, celo zelo blagozvočnim), tam angleški cvetlični vrt, tu Madonna, tam (s pomočjo visoko postavljene sveče) mesečev sij ­vedno kaj in v mnogih primerih ne da bi bilo treba preveč domišljije. Najzanimivejši pa je morda del jame, ki mu pravijo plesna dvorana, in to prav upravičeno. To je zelo prostorna, skoraj okrogla, zelo visoka obokana votlina, v katero pridemo po približno desetih minutah hoje. je, ali bi morala biti, dobro razsvetljena, preden pridete tja, in predstavlja imeniten, zanimiv in povsem nepričakovan prizor. Odlično je primerna z a ples, ki ga tu dejansko prirejajo, so mi povedali, ob čudoviti razsvetljavi vsake binkošti. To je Naravina lastna dvorana, in to prav imenitna. Ampak tu sem že zašel in celo po lastnem kasnejšem pregledu brez cilja: ne verjamem, da bi bilo to jamo mogoče opisati, c'est â dire, ustvariti vsaj približno točno predstavo o njej - ainsi finissons. 2e samo za obisk v njej bi se tja splačalo potovati iz Anglije, vsekakor pa nihče ne bi smel biti v Benetkah, Trstu (a foitiori) ali na Dunaju, ne da bi Adelsburg vključil v svojo pot, ni važno kam. Zagotovo bo tam videl naj­lepšo, najčudovitejšo, čeravno (kot menda trdijo Ame­ričani) ne največjo jamo te vrste na svetu in, če to potrebuje, dodaten in veličasten dokaz neznanske pre­moči narave nad umetnostjo. Vlaga, veter, odprt kabri­olet, premočenost, pekel de bureau, kurnik in njegovi sostanovalci, presneti nedeljski odlog, vse se je razbli­nilo kot oblak, in vse, kar sem skoraj imel za nesrečo (preplavljen s kasnejšo otožnostjo), zaradi katere bom nazadnje obžaloval, da sem zdržal tako diminution total raznih désagrémens, se je zdelo majhno plačilo za to, kar sem dobil. Trevor R, SHAW ; fOH N RATLtFP S VISIT T O POSTOJNSK A JAMA I N 1850 / OBIS K JOHN A RATUFF A V POSTOJNSK I JAMI LETA 1BS0, S35-540 Getting into the Malie Poste, which passes daily at 2 p.m., arrived at Trieste again at 9; the now lighted up city affording, in the descent to it, a view scarcely sec­ond to that it had presented on ascending; from it by day. Z Malle Poste, ki vozi tod mimo vsak dan ob dveh popoldne, sem prispel v Trst spet ob devetih; sedaj razsvetljeno mesto je ob spuščanju proti njemu nudilo pogled, ki je bil komaj slabši od tistega ob vzponu iz njega podnevi. RIASSUNTO John Ratliff (o Ratcliffe), impiegato presso l'ufficio di Madras della Compagnia delle Iridie Orientali, visitó la Crotta di Postumia il 28 ottobre 1850, La descrizione della sua visita alia grotta e delle difficoltá incontrate durante il viaggio, protrattosi sino alí' invernó, é tratta dal suo libro. Il libro, poco conosciuto, intitolato "Ricordo di un viaggio di dieci giorni nel continente" e contiene la descrizione dettagliata della visita alia Crotta di Postumia, avvenuta nel 1850. All' época la ferrovia non era ancora arrivata a Lubiana. L' anonimo autore racconta íe perípezie passate durante il viaggio e nella ricerca di una sistemazione. REFERENCES Anon., 1856. Certified copy of an entry of marriage given at the General Register Office (of) England, 24 January 1995. Anon., 1864-1853. Stammbuch der Adelsberger Grotte. N-. 3. MS. at Inštitut za Raziskovanje Krasa at Postojna. Anon.,1866. The Civil Service fist (Madras) corrected to the 31st August 1866. British Library, Oriental and India Office Collections, India Office Records V/13/677 (p. 255). Anon., 1877. Certified copy of an entry of death given at the General Register Office (of) England, 1 December 1994. East India Company, 1837-1838. Petitions for nomination as students at the East India College. British Library, Oriental and India Office Collections, India Office Records j/1/56, ff. 182-205. (Information on John Rati iff's brother is from L/M1L/9/199, f. 103 and N2/24, f. 50). Halkett, S. & Laing, }., 1926. Dictionary of anonymous and pseudonymous English literature. Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh (v. 2, p. 30). Prinsep, C.C. , 1885, Record of services of the Hon­ourable East India Company's civil servants in the Ma­dras Presidency from 1741 to 1858, Trtubner, London (pp.118-119). {Ratliff, J.), 1852. "Mems" of a ten weeks' continental trip, by a Madras civilan on furlough. Longman, London. VIRi Anon, 1856. Overjena kopija vpisa poroke pridobljena v General Register Office (of) England, 24. januarja 1995 Anon, 1864-853. Stammbuch der Adelsberger Grotte (Vpisna knjiga Postojnske jame). Št. 3,MS. v Inštitutu za Raziskovanje Krasa, Postojna Anon., 1866. Seznam Civil Service (urada) (Madras) po­pravljen do 31. avgusta 1866. British Library, Oriental and India Office Collections, India Office Records V/13/677 (str. 255) Anon, 1877. Overjena kopija vpisa smrti, pridobljena v General Register Office (of) England, 1. decembra 1994 East India Company, 1837-838. Prošnje za imenovanje za učenca v East India Collegeu. British Library, Oriental and India Office Collections, India Office Records J/1/56 (listi 182-205). {informacija o bratu Johna Ratliffa je iz L/MIL/9/199, list 103 in N2/24, list 50) Halkett, S. & Laing, J., 1926. Slovar anonimne in psevdonimne angleške literature. Oliver & Boyd, Edin­burgh (zvezek 2, str. 30) Prinsep, C.C., 1885. Zapisi služb uradnikov Honourable East India Company v madraškem predsedstvu od 1741 do 1858, Ttiibner, London (str. 118-119) (Ratliff, J.), 1852. "Spomini na desetdnevno potovanje madraškega uradnika na dopustu po celini. Longman, London.