Newcombe’s first voyage to India was in the troopship Malabar, which left Southampton, England on 7 October 1874. His was the first batch of fifty young Civil Engineers just appointed from Coopers Hill College to the Public Works Department. His long experience in many parts of India – towns and jungle, hills and plains – enabled him to collect a wealth of information. This book is based on the notes he made for mainly those who were about to proceed to India. Among the various subjects he writes on are places like Bombay, Punjab and camp life of villagers, life during the summers and the monsoons, hill life, famine, irrigation works in the North-West Provinces, towns and temples, religions, diseases, Baboo English, furlough and retirement and a host of useful topics for those new to India.