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JOVRNAL
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AwyiMf 31,1830
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CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
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A R RIV A L IN IN D IA
DdMmbcr 2 , 1 8 ^ , to ^ n a a r y 2 9 ,1 8 8 5
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1
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M
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p.
Aden~-LandinR at Ijlm bay— Parpli— H o sp U a y fo r S i p A nim als—^
■ Arrival at Calcutta -G o v o m m eift Hous%—THb S taffJ-T he Servants
— First Lov6e—Durbar for M aliarajahs of Jodhpore and Jlhurtpore
.• ' U n ^ ’RajaU of P a r id W —T h e Drawing-room — Christm as Day—
‘Boces — E roprigs D ay — B a r ra o ^ o re — BreikfaBt on the B alconji
— T bp-^lftw a^flStPra— My A viary— The D uke aifff Dtscl|pss of
• - OoiroainA^BcIT&moal G ardens—Paper Chase—B eview — Stftte B all
--^CljanSKjiagbre — Z oological G a rd en s— D uke and IfuohesS of
M eflK]eobu*-5*hwerin —D on Carloa—N ative Schoola—N ew T ennis
' Court— T h e B heestio—Lord W . B etesford at th e R aces—N ative
■- .
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CH APTER II
F IR S T SEASON IN C A L C U ^A *
^
Janaary<3i)4o M atch 18, ^ 8 5
Arrival o lA d m ira l Sir W . H ew itt an d Sir Jam es Fergtisson—Flower
Show-l-D innor a t F ort W illia m - Coatumes o f H indn School
"\
Children — E .M .5. EuryaXus — Proseatation o j Colours to the
Kind's B cgim ont-^E ntertainm eni a t B a i Juggodanund Mookerjoe’a
^ ' H onsfl—Garden Party a t G ovem m ent* H ous«y-C liinsurab-^ rha
Cotinqil Chapiber—Inspeotian of th e PreaidencjJVohinteera—The
S u m o m o y ee. H o stel—T h e E conom ic H uscum — School* F east at
Barraekpore—T h e woathea^-A ‘ D o lly ’ ...................................................
C H A p ? ^ R 111 *
BAWAL P IN D I DURE^Ul A*Sd
,
V ISIT TO L-U JpR B
March 28 to April 20, 1885
y
^
D eparture f r o m ^ a lc a tla - A lla h a b a d —Arrival at Rawal Pindi— The
Viceroy’s Cam p—Durbar for th e Punjah C hicfS^ O ur extra Staff
— T he W eatlier—Arrival of th e A m i - P a r a d e —Dinner to the
.
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O UIl VIC EItE G A L TJFR IN IN 'U U
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TAQB
Am ir—E ev iew —Garden P arty In Camp —T h e Durbar—D cm rture
o f tho A m ir—Breakinj,' ujj of the Cam p—Altock Bridge-- De^oent of
th g In d u s- L ah ore—Government H ouse - M aharajah of ILafibmir-rShftKmar Gardens—City w liah ore— Tomb of Ilu n jeet fSingh—
A m ritsar— T he Golden Tem ple—rin jore— A scent to S im la —Our
Sum m er K c s id c n c e .................................................................................................52
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stllLA
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.C H A P T E R TV
DCIUNfi
THE
RAINS
April 22 to October 19, 1885
T h e D uke and D uchess of Connaught— Observatory H ill—Jakko—Duststorm — Ila il-a tn m i— ‘ B egum ’ - A im and lle— T ho LittkTtains—
R ipon H ospital—G y m ^ a iia —^ ip lF n ir — T h e T h A tro -'j,'he Queen’s
B irth d a y --T lS * Q u eea * tea ll—E urlhquake—Leel^rGS on Nursing ffim la Sky Ita cis—T h ^ la iq ,fi o f BuUain—A M ule B a ttery —Garden •
Ffite—T he Cquntoss of Dufferin’s F un d for supplying F em ale Medical
A id to th e W omen of India— T he Great B ain s (M onsoon)—JftjtiJia-,
Ijotitiue—Two S erm o n *-B u tterflies—T lie Viceroy s t ^ i e s Persian—
• T he V i^ s c g a l^ c n n is Court- H industani L o s s o n w ^ B ^ ip tiv e l^ T —
M ushom a—T h e Monsoon breaks—F ern-hunting -O sii^-afljilT ffh iln .
-Sht)0t - B f r . and Mrs. Grant-DufT—Durbar—Naldera^jPteigweU
Dinner to Sir Donald Stewart—Tara D evi
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CH APTER V
I: -'
AUTUMN*TOUR, 1 8 8 5 : -NAHl’N, DELHI, RAJPUTANA,
^CENTRAL ^INDIA, AORA, AND LUCKNOW
O ototer 20 to DccaiAber 1C, 1885
\
W ar declared w ith B n r m a - D agshai - Rajah o f N ahun—Our T ^ t s —
N ah u a -IIlu m in aliouB —Lord W . Boresfovd returus—Our flrst^'iger
S h oot—Debra D np—SaharAnpore—D e lh i— Ludlow C a s tle - T h e
/'
F ort— Jumm a Mo4jid—Tho Tom bs— Tlio Kqtub—T h e Ridge —
•
U lw i^ —T he Malijl»ajah—T he P alace—A D ay in the J u n gle' \
Ajmere—T h e .M S jo C ollege- Drive to» U daipur—Rcc^ption-r-The
Children o f the S u n —T he f t i k e —B h il D ance —T ho Palaoc-^Illum inationa -Chittoro— Indore— The IlesidciliBy— M aharajah Hqlkar—
Black Buck shooting--^odliporo—Tho M a h a ra ja h -.H is H igh n ess’s
H e ir —Tlio C a m p - - P ig-stick iu g-^ ^h e P alace — Durbar - Banquet
- - Jeyporc - - Reception - Durbar » T lie City — E lep h an t F igbt ,
'— H u n tin g L eo p a rd - - Tlio u'alftdb and Banquet - Bhurtpore
— T h e Residency - D uck shooting - Illu m in ation s — Deeg —
F uttfhpore S ik ri—A g r a - T h e T a j - V is its --T h e F em ale. Medical
Sclioob--SucceH ses in Burm a -G w alior— Muhamja}^ Soihdia—
’T h e Fort —Ih u 'b a r -D h o lp o r e '-r r o c e ss io n -L u c k n i'iw -T h e R esi­
dency—G eneral W ilson anijfthe O ld B aillio Guard—'ii’he Imambarah
-*-The Vic'orOy'fl F e v e r - R /iir n to C alcutta
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.114
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CONTENTS
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C H A PT E R ^!
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CALCUTTA,
1 8 8 5 -1 8 8 6
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December 17, I s S s , to F eb ru a rj^ , i* 8 6
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pas:;
G overnftent H ouse - Cliristm as D ay — D otd Herbrand R u ssell’s .
H ounds -T h e Inoom e Tox ' Levde - Presoniation ni Colours to 18th
Bengal Iiilantry— King of Oude's G ard en s—Viceroy attends Review
at P cllu -'S h b o tin B in th e Runderbimda— Public IfleefacgJ® In-* ^ '
ttuguratc th e Fund - T he Foreign OQicere - T h e Widow nf the late
Prim e Ministur of N cp eA
163
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C H A t e R *V II
BURMA AND M A D R ^
February 3 to March 8, 18H6
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jf[v /:--T lie River -R e c e p tio n at Rangoon—The Heaidoncy —
i'lyJ^GuJiW^Taitoda —P o h u gees—Proiuu— Our River Steam er—The
P --^ 'W aw add y— i l i n h l a - - P a g a n —Ocneral Prcndorgaat— M ingyan—
•
- A v a ^ M ^ d a la y — The City - T h e ' W a i l s Q u e e n ’s Monastery—
T lW ^ ^ ^ R ji.--T h e Pagoda of 1,I0U Shrines — Mengdoon - Lcv6e
- •—B u rn ictte.riu y— Tea I ’arty in the P a la c e -T lie Freiicli N u n s—
-S o o p a y a I,a t Departure from Mandalay -On a* Sa^d-bank —
■Rangoon — F ootball - T he Karons - B a l i — Sight-seem g — Madras
H arbour—A Catamaran— M osquito fle e t-•G o v e r m n e » t H ou se—
B all V isits—Departure froin^Iadras -RctUVn to Calcutta
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C H A P T E R .V I I I
SPR IN G AND
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SUMMER,
M arih 1> to Oeto^ier ‘2 4
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T h e Begiim of B h op al - \^ s5t to N ative H ou ses—Mrs. Amir vUi’s
g
Party - The Blllftk H olo—Durbhunpa -C huklsia—The Maharajah of
J
-R era » e - Benn^M—B a T n n o p j r e ^ h e m ost sacred Tem ple In India
• -T h eW a terF e R tiv o l -O p o n in ffo f A ^ rC o lle g ea tjU la h a b a d —Cawnpore •• Memorial W ell—S im la —A t ^ I o m e —‘ T he M idge’—Invera m i—Distribution o f H ou seh old —S ip iF a ir —N aldera'^G ym khana—
D eath ,of G cnetal H u g h es—T he Silver Q uestion—E ton Dinner at S it
_ Frederick R(jlH«rf’a —Ripon H ospital F dte—Sky Httoes— F an cy -d rcsB ^ i^
B a ll— T h e W cith er -T h e Viceroy’s Clay Pigeons— T he Oliildren’s ^ ^
. Fancy-dress i j ir t y - S p o r t a t D h an iirt-G ard en P a r ty — FStc at
A tm adeli—V isit of Duke and D u ohess o\C on n au gh t * .
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[1 0 ]
OUR VICEREGAL LIFE IN INDIA
C :^ A P T E R IX
AUTUM>' TO U R,
1886
,
• J U C K S O W ^ 130MDAY, I 1Y D ERA 13AD, MYSORE *•
Octabor 25 to December lo
•
PAOK
Lord Clandcboye’B iIlnesB— Alighur — L u ck oow — Dombay —; Malabar
P o in t— T h e Towers of S ilen ce—Departure of Lady Ilelon and M i^
f f h y m j ^ H s r d ili P arty—T h e ParBoe Ladies— T h e Descendant of
* Aga Klian—B all a t the Y acht Club - The Caves of E lep h a n ta P oona—Drive from N a n d g a o n .to E llora—T h e Caves— Tem ple of
K ailas—Tomb of Aurupgzebe—Aurangabad—D aqbtabad;—Abmodnugger - H y d o f^ a d —T m R egidency— T he Nizam - Sports— Banquet
a » th e P a la c e - - le p u t a li^ from B c r v — Secunderabad—B olarani-*
Nawab Balar Jung’s W atof P arly—Panthor-spaaring — Amazon
Guard—L o n g ' R ailw ay Journev Mysore—T h e Maburajah--itij^ew» ^
P alace— T h e Maharaui’^ School— Deputation from A o r g - E n t e r - ^
ataliim cnt at th w T ow n Hal l — Seri ngapatam—
Madras—
D epartufe’of Sir M. E . Grant-DufT— Arrival of th e
Vicer<^ in Southern I n d i a
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V
CH A PTER X
CALCUiTA, 1 8 8 6 -1 8 8 7
'Decem ber 15, 1886, to March 1 5 ,1 6 8 7
C alcutta—Chrislm aa D a y ^ T h e • Nawab of Dacca— Tent-pegging—
V isitors—D ance on board the C la n ^ a c p h e r s o n — Chanderuagore
— Torpedo Practice in Hho H ooghly — Leper M issions — ^ n d
«
M eeting at th e Town H a ll—T h e E zra H osp ital— T he Betliune
School - T he Campbell H ogpital—Jubilee Day— Now Ilonourg—The
^
Parade —The C a th e^ a l— A salnibly on the Maidan ••J'h e Illum iqat io n s -^ c h o o l I ’eaat at Barropkpore—T h e Bachclurs’ Jubiloe B o ll—
• Jubilee Bridge bvmjTbo H oogh ly—Presentation of ColourB to the
^
Royal C a n a R ttfts -^ is s io n a y S chools ^n th e P ad d j»H eld a-T h e .
M isses H oare - Farewell to Sir Rivers Thonipflon
.263
CH APTER X I
•
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U A E JB E L IN O AND D EH RA DUN
March IQ to April 2 3 ,1 8 8 7
/
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iWHwuy Journey from Calcutta to D a ig e e lin g -T h e H ill P eople—P ray­
ing F la g s— Mountain R id e—B h ootiaD an ce - T h e M arl^t— Thibetan
Dr|,m a— BudiMiiBt T e m p Ie ^ T e n d o o k — Lei>cha H ouse— Kinchin
; 'T !? ■-V.
CONTENTS
\
[1 1 ]
TKQt.
ja n g q ^ In a T rolly down the H im alayas T he Viceroy in the T ^ a i
—Agra—G uest of th e M aharajah of Bhurtpore— Dr. H ilsor —The
Fem ale Medical Sch ool -N ig h t in a
Gharry from Saharauijore
to Dchra Dun—Our Temporary H om e—Tiger Bhooting—*Cut ofl
with a S h illin g ’— Swarm of B e e s—Mussoorie—A Tea-garden- Tli
Ganges
Hnrdwar — T he Ganges Cniial
Eoorki - Sa'-ahk
H ills {The Jubilee C ollecting Cards—Am ericty^M i^ionary School—
The G oorkhas—L o ss of th e ToaTTWJtta -Journey to S im la
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CHAPTEU X I r
SIM LA,
1887
*
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April 24 to Novem ber 2
The New V i«orp galV ,u iigc—t h 5 Town H a ll^ 'C o u n tg r ’ Ent'-rtolnlu e u ss—T he Q u i n 's B all- Itipon U uspim l F ^ tef-F ever- iIor%
V
• Show —L ady Itoberts's J u h ilef FancjfcdieaF B all-fS ih or-w od d iu g
Drees—D aily L ife -V isit to the H indu T em ple—T h ieo French
^ Blwi ii.ners—The P ersian Oonaul-General— Presentation of the Order
^
o f tho 0 b n —Ij;ttcr from th e Sh u h —Zenana* M ission School— The
.(
Clj^dvyek
— Work S ociety—School F ea st—N u n a^ ab ib 's *
«
—
- FCt o at Ariusdell—G ym kh an a—Muahobra—Lord
•
^
W iljiafflC greBford’e P icn ic— Cholera at Q u ctta- T a m a ^ a fo t the
m
^
"^^^(frkpoopw“ Our Silver-wodding D a y ................................................... 3ft~>. ^
C H A P T E ll X * n i
.
‘CUi; AUTUMN TODB, 1887— KAPUnxUALLA, ^KARACUl,
THE S.-W, PRONTIEK, AND LAHORE
’
November 3 to D eacm bcf 15
'
T h e Am ir and Mr. O'Meara— ^ p u i t h a l l a —^hooting—Sunday— The
StabPia—G overnment Oflicea—B ridge over th e Indus at Sukkur—
K arachi—T h e K ailway Question- -Harboor D efen ces—Conversation
by Telegraph— T he Zoological G ardens—H .ll. the Mir H asan Ali
K h a n —Depiitafcton from H yd erab ad -S cin d e-*13all in the Frcre
H a ll—T h o C h a p p a S ift— Q u otla—T h e Bblmi l^ h n ^ O h a zi KBan — •
The ^ l i M m es at K ho»ra - Peshaw ar—rikiijfter’ji H orse—The
D u ^M ^ ^T l^ K h yber P a ss - A l i M ubjid-^M issionC hurch*-Bazaar—
li a w ^ tP In d i- Leper Asyhirn—Cavalry Koview at Lawronocpore—
Lahord& thochsjil -T h eC ily- -A m ritsar— St. Catherine’s H o s p it a l^ r a ^ ^ M e d i c a l D ay—A lla lia b a i^ -C a lc u t t a .........................................
C H A tX K R X I V
•
CALCUTTA, 1 8 8 7 -1 8 8 8
)ccem ber 17, 1887, to March 2 8 .1 8 8 8
y lf h e Viceroy a rriw s at Sealdah—A N a t i^ Officer’s ImpressionB of
F in la n d — T he D raw ing-room -- Christmfcs -T h e King of Oude^
'
A j r
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our
^'ICKREGAL IJl-E IN INDIA
Gftrden—Em press D ay—F em ale Diaponsary—L ittle Rislers o i the
P oor—Lord and Lady Reaw A B nsy W eek— Lord and L ady Conn cm A a —Nepaul V is ito r s -^ m p te r of the Order of th e Indian
E m pire—Lord Diiflerin*B R esignation of th e Viceroyaity -P r in c e
liernard of Saxe-W eim ar—La Martini^re S c h o o ls—Jjuruey to
D arjcelin^^R unjcot Iliver— T lie Ghoom R ock —L lam a D an ces—
Lepoha-ArtherB~^lifl»8ikkini E sp e d ilio n - Calcutta F ree RcHbols—
N ative D in n e r -V is it to * L ily C ottage—Calcutta S^y R aces— The
Vresidency VolBntccra—Sir Jotendra M ohun Tagore—F a r e fe ll
Becojition at th e T c’sm K ail— TJttarpara—T he Viceroy v isits the
S lu m s of Calcutta -C a lcu tta C harities—T h e Academ y of M usic-*
B e n p a tW d u w ca fln stru m en lH ...........................................................................31-t
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tH A jT E J R * X V -
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^ Bi:^LA, 1S8S
March 29 to Novem ber 12
Jour»cy from C al< j^ a—L ick n o w — Tiger shooting a t R j ^ i —^ n t e r ♦•unmeu* by the Talukduni o f Oude—Cholera ih
^ v A |[fh
ir 4-----^ o te
•♦•ijnmeu*
iFi'^"-“
^ ‘our Pl ans —
- T he Duke .of OrUians— T h e (Tamcn^'^ite—
Frederick Roberts’s E ton D iiiuei -TLu Siiiiln R aces—T h j^p lR lieffall '■“-w -'
Loib^e—TheW eathor is ‘D rizzlin g’— A sm unJal) from i l j ^ t a b a d V V _ V
T h e B lack M ountain E xjjed ition - Masonic B all— V isit to L a d y ^ ~
Roberts at iJushobra—General McQueen and th e AfridisClub B all —Good News from Hikkim— T he Children’s I ’ailcy-drBss
B a li—The Mnyo Schools - F air on Tara D evi— Chapter of th e Orders
Z
of th e Star e f India and of th e Indian Em pire -K xciirsion to
N ark u n d a--T h o Ddlc pu n galow — M /ttliana—H attoo—T h e Baghi -v"
Forest—Bengali Childrep fron f Zonaiia S ch ools—T h eN u n a - Snow'J
storm —P a c ^ g up .
.
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. 30d
CH A PTER X V I
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LA6 T TOU'K IN IN D IA
• Nc^ember 13 to Decenibbr 14, 1BS8
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y
Good-bye to S im la —L ah ore—Tire Lady A itchison H o sp ila l—D>;^tationa—Patiala -The C jm p —D urbars--O ffers of N ative Uipncea
towards Frontier D e fe n c e s—L a d y ^ e le n burnt ou t—T he B s j a h ^ ^
^ w S to ro -ro o m — N ative Sports—L ast '^ sit to Agra—On tn e ' S i c f
T ,is t—Down*lhe G an ges--D aec?—Thb N aw aba—T h 6 |E lep !ia n tsSurm a V alley I ^ h tH o r s e -—Munipuri Polo Play#rrs -B fJ l-'U c tn m to
Calcutta— St. Andrew’s Dinner—D eputation from L a i ^ s o f Bengal,
and Behar—L ost D ays in Calcutta —Arrival A ^ ord iLane— Departure from G overnment H ou se—B o m b a i .
.
. SSS*
/
OUE YICEEEGAIi .L I^’E
IN IN D IA
-
•
C U A m :E [ (
AHRIVAL IX IX D IA
DVcsiUJEr. 2 , 1 8 8 4 , lO J a s c \ u y * 2 3 , 1 8 1 '^
* *
.
•
*•
•
' _ Ji’d eTf/ Tn'*9iii/, D>^i''-)ither ''2nd, iJJSi.— W e hnve nod a <Vliglitfu] «hw;'^iviul, alth<iiigb I feel ratluT tir.xi. T wifi try*te givo
\o « sfime acf'ffimt o£ it Jiov, for, slioiiltl ilie >v'p:\ili!*r be had t o - , .
iTiorjbw, r niiglic be unable to write, '^ o d iv it luw JxKrn perfect,
brij^iW«»id Wanii enougli, b u t w ith a frc'sh wind, so tli.it th e
Kiucli-abusod A d en w;us a t its best, aod wc- liave com e uway w ith
, O.e^higbeat opinion f>f its charms.
D irectly after breakfjwD w e came ou deck to adm ire th e lieautifiil iricks that a ie know n b y th e jftiine fjf L ittle A tleu. They
are islands, narroii-Iftokmg. Im t curved by volcanic cnnvulsion.s
in to th<5 m ost wonderful shapes : th ey ri.se strtvight out of the
^ green sea into h igh needles, or curve aw ay froni tiie sandy shore
so as to form cavy.s am i b a y s ; th eir cfolouring is varied and beau- Tiful, purple and I'cil; wicli a greenish ilngo spme^imc'S, w l«ch doijjj
juit apjienr to be th e result o f vegetation. Jffhys place docs not
look h t for hi^nau habitation, but th<*ro are w ild jVrabs ujkui it,
rtTid it is.used 1 ^ A den itSelf as a soiA of con vict settlem ent.
A den lias Tife beauty o f fiy m .-nid colour. I t is absolulcly .
barren, h iit n othing could b e w ore lovely than it looked to-day as
wc apprnaclied it.
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•
^
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A s s<ion as y o huve in sigh t, th e V iceroy’s ti;»g wn.s hauled up
the llrst tinic, th e A5aptuia ‘ breaking ’ it him self ; and as wo
» umdioml,- th c*n irty-on e gum s which arc now D .’s <lue, were lijjed
from tJie various batterie.s ashore.
.
Our ship Wfif soon surrounded b y funny little brown bnvs, in
,-jyn-^*rlug'OUt canoes *<jf tho sam e co\>ar as thcm-a'lvcs. Thow
2
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i*CIl#VJ(’KHKfiAI. LII'K iN INJ'IA
i/
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cii. i
little cre.-ituj-e-: ynulfllc about in th e moxt fparicJiii ’.r.iv ;Vhey rouio
quit'e \ip to ih(! still umvinjr stwuner, fti’st one side, -t.hon tin;
oth tT .oall to tlie pnssfnj^(;rs, ‘ llivvo a d iv e / ‘G ive a d iv e,’ liail
ou t tlie w ater w ith tlieir hands as th ey sjHyilc, jutnp ui hoadliuig
after any coin that is thrown them , and catch it long Ijefore it
reaches ti*# bott«nn. .Many of them dye their hair yellow , whicli
has a curious eilPct.ftnd a JitUe rag roU'<d thoir w aists is all th eir
clothing, so 1 w o’ah'r 'ilhere, they keep th e moftey thfty pk;k u]»certain ly n ot in 'th e boat, which is oft-ini upset. O ne of th e bovs
had his leg taken oil’ f.tmic tim e ago by a Hock cod, but h e still
.p h es h is tr;wle,*and i.s said not so nmcli to feel th e loss of lu s leg
as th e in giutituile o f'th e cufi, who h^d oft-cn m et liiin under
w ater, and wtio ought to have hiul^n fritMidly
for him.
Tin; K esiih’iil, G t^eral Ulair, 51's. ami J lis s B liir , anrl a
nuftd)cr of ohiccT.s caiiiff 'on bo;:rd,rfind wc. sodli w ont asln’ve w ^!i
them . ’W e jviKs d twci of our mon-iif-war mid a Frenctnnan, iid
flressod w ith liags, and on tin; Knglish ships the jnen nnTnnctMh**
yaw ls-- always^ii jiretly sight. V>'e landed under an awning.
o*riiamc*n^Tl witli lla.es and w ith green reeds .flin ch dm d 4'^*;''
brought th irty miles on <-aiuoLs for tlie purp'oso. - H m v we fwin-M
th e dignitiirhr» oi itn; place, soldiers, nat ive«, uiid g'l&rds ut hooour
' ■ — on e T.uh formed by the Kiighsh regiunmi licre (tho 40th.i.‘ ‘ /Ce'vt
to them w.'T.i t h e ‘ A d en T roop,'m ost picturcsquG*lo()lfiiigme.jj,
m ounted on wliite horses, w earing red lu rb iu isan d w liite uuil’ormi.
"When D. drtiTe aw ay th ey vodo by him w itli drawn .swonls.
Tliero w ere al.so soihe n aiivo infantry troops a t th e Iniidiivg-place.
H ere w c .'( ])araicd. *
•
}d. ^t;irted on a long drive to ^ o e th o Tank.s and tho plnco
genei'ully, and v e Indict w en t at once t<i the KeshlenC’.s Ik'Usc.
I t i.s n ciinnning one, b u t wlmt, vtiluines it speak-: for th e clinuite '.f
I t is literally a roof sunp' -iird'hy ])iihirs, w itit wooden latiioev.-ca'k
betweo^i them , ovon* th e Ij^fdrooiiis bein.g *«» tho lior.-io-bdx prin-.
triple, w ith the “abf'ldow ing about, arouinl, uhove and below, in
f‘verv tlircctipu! C.erl^iinly. in a hot clim ate ydq,' musj; give up
yuur I'reindice against draughts.
To-dav it v/!us delightful in th is stmimer-hoiKe, thrt room look'• in g lik e a gigantic Iwdcotiy ; but^ there nrt> drawback^ to th is
bpon-air existence, for .soinetijjie.s there are sands! orm.s, an d tlTc
sand blow s iti fynl covers iij; overyLliiug in th o m W lu)p<-k;ssway.
I t is almo.=t nhpossiblo to make ftny jilaut grow (^ cu indoors, for,
J13YOU m ay perceive from niy description of tl.4**Iiousi\ there i.s
little difference betw een Inrlours and out-of-door.s, and the
h ot w ind reaohcs'everywhwo.
»
W h en the gciitlcineu ^.tme back we wero gl> eii a b ig d u n ch ,,
4
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4
t
1881
•
^ S C K S K y r 7 U E i.iM >IN O -ST A ai^ no.MH.n'
3
•
for
th irty people ; and aftei* it U. lind a little business to
do. and it w as live before w e oauio on iMVird our ^liip jmiuiu*
'I’lien w e said p;o<Ml-night to th e Pdaii’Sj who had l>een. tnost kind
tti us, and stooil on deck to see all those spleinlid rooks riVd ser■ rated j>eaks agjvinst th e settinj,' sun.
I niUat.iKtt for^'ot to s i y th at there w?u? a n o t h e r ^ t iv o re"iim*nt up *iit the R esidency, t\hos(‘ band j d a ^ d during lunch.
T liey Were the -It^ B om bay Ritles, and w w o dressed like ou rK iflo
rcgiment.s, but wore black turbans.
.
•
f\fimhuij: D ‘-ccmicr ^!h.- 1 wisli it \v(M‘o pos-sible f<n- me. tf*
g ive you even a faint idea of th e t.plcnduiir of» th e la n d in g .a t
Bondjay, bu t it w as such a m agnificent sig h t th a t it seem s alm ost
nseles.s t<i try to descriW? it. I Is'lievo th a t we sbnl! iievor, ovoii
in India, see»anytlfing to compiiyo w'ith it again, so 1 m ust do th e
byst 1 can in the e-vay o f p u ttin g my inijiressiotis upou jtaper.
The 7 'a ^ tn u n in anchored a t
; h u t ifR w«* w ere not t o Ifftrd
t ill I 3 0 ,we roraaimxl t]uic.tly Vi'atching th e dejm rtureof the otlier
p.assengers and udm iring th e splcm lid liarhour in which w e found
ourselvcg. I t wfls extrem ely aniu.sing to see th e hnnvdj o f boots
alpngaide' ful1’<^' vamans coloure<l people oii various ^bxftine<s : of
exp ectan t JiajJbaiuls com e out to m eet th e ‘ gra.<-' widow. ‘ who
huvo. travelled w itli ui?, inesseDgeys w ith Ictiers. for i>er:ions on •
Ixirt-nl, n atives v a in ly tryin g to g et uf» th e sidefi, tlm police, in
brighl^^’(^llow caps, tryin g to keep onlci*; noise and bustle everyvvJicrc !
^^
S ir Jamcft R ergusson came on board
geo v s and to let us
khow all the arrangeiuent.s made. TIuto ivas one vpry sad th in g
to mar th e day. i l r . B alfot^ g o t a telegnvm tellin g him of his
mothcr’%death, l i e seemed to Im dev(ite<l to her, and is very
nnh.-ippy, so it is v« ry Im iil upon him to he am ongst comparative,
‘strangei-s, aini in the m idst of so muc^ gmiety.
Aftau' lunch w e rc.sted a littk , aim riien, arraying nuiselves in
our best, await-cd th e arrival of th e Adiiiim VHir^W . lie w t tj.a n d
C ap tain -llii.eb ie (Secretary- to th e Bom bay *tJova‘rnm eni), who
came U 'fe tc h u s oiT. A s ,\v c left the shijt th e LaScai's luannef?
th e yards, and »^-ouiing aulutc from th e throe m en-of-w ar began
to thuniliPr forth. K vcrything looked bem ftiful in th e bright sun- ,
shin e - the siiips dressed an<l tlie yards mannixl, th e w hitR .smoke
iMirling alm ut them , tho (juatititl^k of y a ch ts, boii4.s, and other
'cs.sejs. 'and Ihen the brilliantly clothed natives sftpiatting on the
(juny. 'Hic .s t^ s d'ovn to tliG w a tw w'cre covorc'! w ith .-.carlet
cloth, a m r a t tn(! top of them wo found th e ju-tjiuinent p crso n a j^
^vho hntl coitie to m eet tim new Viei‘H>y, tlioy also adding to the
muss nf colour ivith their uniiurnis. .T u rn in g i. j th e rig h t, the
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0 2
4
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M l'p f'jrK U E C A L LIKK IN INDIA
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ui. t
•
^ scarlet cloth WHS laiil dow n for a cnnplo of hum lred yan ls, w ith
an arch at each eiiil, and tropical p la u is on oither side showed otT
their
loaves
th e cajq>et and th e sc;i)}et b/dustra/le
lH)hina tliem ; w hen w c liad advanced a few steps dow n th is path
we stopped t.n have tlic address read and unswei-ed.
Sir J . ^ r g u s s o n stood l>ehind y ). and 1 close to hhii. tin* HtalV
at 0 1 1 0 side* i l l # address w as road hy a Farsoo, and ttierc was a
of natives round liim .
•
.•
NVheii this wh,a over, 1). and I and Sir J a n ie i walk(«l throu.uh
the second a r d \ and got into th e cai-riages. M y heart leajit into
motftli for a*moinent when I saw tini four hoi*ses in coiubinatiou w ith the crowds and th e noise, hu^ T w ill tell you now that
I soon got over iny nervousiMiss ai^d w as not Jhc least ffig h tcn c.l
during th e tlriro. Some of th e *A.r>.C'.'s w ent firs’!; in u sort of
w a^ niette, th en ^'■elly* Ilaij^iel, aiwl I, w ith t.’ai>tiiiu J)ea u ; Sir
Jam es Fcrgusson's M ilitary Scfretary wont noxt. and then foilowetl th e tw o Govoni'irs. Fhnweon and about th e carriage*
w ow m ounted ^ativo soldiers.
,
A nd ftoV comes the dilHcult momont to descwibt', U "t'I must
appeal to your im agination to fill in llie d etails of th e scene.
Fancy a drive of live m iles through a to w n : in*^he first pai-r
" smuo very line buildings am u l'irgo houses, occasionally air opeh
space or a sl’ort b it of n.venn;- w ith line troes, and tlxengi loiig
bazaar, or n ative tow n, w ith curious old liou.ses and stran ge b a l­
conies ; and tjhui fill th e w h o le - t lic streets, the w indow s, th e
rows and r nvs of balconies, th e trees, th e tops of cxrriagcs—w ith
a teem ing ovAwd, alm ost every in Uviilual of w hich is a stu d y in
him self : i.ativos of every shuiM^ ii^^d cjUuir, dresses of the most
brilliant iiues, little rhiRlren clothed in the w hole raiiihow’, and
with a large nosc-ring achlfMl t" t h a t ; <-hiJdroji clot))fid in Jiotbing,
a t all, and parents w ith th e nearest apj»roich to n oth in g a t nil
th at I <jver .saw hef<>rc : oric window tilled w ith ladies draped lu
brilliant stutl'd, Hiijfa litile farth er on four or liv(> naked bodies
decorating auotlicr window ; am i wnen you can't imaginH anv
morc, add th e live m iles of olieering anti the ever-recurring bauds
sending fo ith ‘ God save thu Q ueen,’ th e hiuulkerehud’s w aving,
* and ;di the incidents of a crowil— in fact, put life in to th e inas-ses
of colour vour iinagintiUou h;«tf brought before );cm, and sa y i f l t
was not J in excU ing .sectio !
The G overnm ent nous'* was once a Jj*suit m o n a stery ; it is
v^ry pretty and curious— large rooms, wirle staircases, but, oJ\
d ea r! it's very cold I X ow T really dbl expect to ,b e warm a t
lb iiiIkvv, b Jt. the tempcniTure actu a lly is cool* In E n g la n d 'it
WD'fld i)'.' nice and pleiisaift, b u t thor.* you don’‘ liv e in Ji r*oru
•
iftii
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‘ sH A i.o w E ij' i.Y ri:( t c (; i :aV h k h s
•
5
whiclj th e w alls are cut up in to arclies opening on to large cor-t
ri<lors wlierc nil the w indow s are w ide open : and you would
sooner die than sit in (n ot one, >)ut.) W 'culy draughts a t .T.tinio :
» and you don’t dine h i a i*ooni u liioli se in is to have no side-w all
lit a ll I aiifl y*u don’t expect to riinl that your liedroom has four
\e r y lfu\ge*window.s and threo'doors, aU wide qpen a?*once ; hut
th a t is w hat you do find here.
,
W h fn we reacTied I’arcll we were receivoil ]>y M iss Fergusson
and hy^ Mrs. IJean, tli» w ife o f th e M ilitary Secretary. A fter
som e ten (very nearly in the open air and e e iia in ly in m any
drnughts) we w en t ou t to loctk at tin- gnvden. I l l s le fl ng the.
m onks laid it out, and i.s*\'ery p retty ; tln'ro are som e palm s th a t
I never saw kefore,»the top of<ho stia ig lit hare stem being like a
large flat fan. WUilo we wen» w alk in g through ^he garden th e
electric ligh t illuniinatejl it. ? then w en t ftp to uiy airy l>edrooni,
;md found three new ayalis arrivctl from C alcu tta— one for Rachel,
and one for each o f our maids. J w as iii*iuscd to see th e gen tly
m oving ayalj follow ing th e a ctive Illack w ell aboutrliky a shatlbv,
.ind 1 begjpi in h o ije my H in d u stan i wjmld m ake great* progress,
but th e ayah ig banishctl, at any rate from m y roc.nr, w hile th e
g n ls w ill g e t ou fu st'w ith tlieir languages.
•
T here were tw en ty a t dinner, in o ^ ly StiifT.
betw een
Sir .farm*? aiid G eneral Hardiiige. WIuui I inld the la tter who
llAuhel wa.g, he told m e a funny story ab ou t her grandmother,
th e ‘'Qm!cn of Jleauty ’ (D u ch ess o f Somerset^. Sfie had a little,
Jjilianeae dog, and kIio w ent turn day w ith i f to th e Zyo ; th e man
a t the door stopfted her, sayyjg,
d ogs allowed in,’ a t wljich
she looked a t him scoi’ufully, and said in jijugic tones, ‘ Man, it is
n o t .'Vdog, i t ’s a bird ■’
*
T'msdjiy, 9/A.— A t 9 .3 0 th ere w n v prayers, and their we
breakfa.stod in the- veraminh dining-rnom, which i?i th e m oniing
Wtis d eliglitiul, and after th a t \ve were photogiuylKi,! iu .# groupTlie nuiabcr c f frightful ca>ii-.atuies of us wJJfch.i.g being called
in to ex isten ce is fearful, for we never m ove anyw htru th a t we
don’t seeii pliottigraphcr poin tin g a t us from th e top of a carriage,
or from som e m iexpccted vantage-ground. *
^ W o n ex t visitw l nil tiu' Itor.scs, ;ind then cam e in to write
lettci’s till Itinch.* J w as warm an d comfortnble all ^ le day. and
b it no draughts. A t four H is K xccllency Initf a foundationstone, an d in the ev en in g S ir .James hud a gn»af dinner and a
' party for ufe, aifH w e all put on our very b est- 1 my Order aiad
diiunonclK, and llselly hei-s, and D. h is unifom t, J:c. I lik e Sir
•J.sines verj' mucl< and found th e dinner, very jdeasant.
,
* • Tlje reception w as a little fatigu in g j. COO people came, and we
n
•
UL'K VirKKKC.'.T,
IX JJU
o i. i
Oil a goldeu cjirpot and sluxjk Iiands w ith aU tlie byiiit'a aud
b o w e c l^ ail th e gentlem en. There w ere m any natives, aud llioir
di’esseS arc very hainlsoiue. The j^arsoo ladies look very nice, and
uiosi hir.iiltifnl '’olour.s.
1 stayad> for ubont half an hour after t'he presentations were
over, and then skipped uway, as we Jiave au wirly fifnotiou to ­
morrow.
•
•
^
" Wfdrtc.itduyy X)///. f m ust close th is loiter 1>eforo hincli to ­
day, h u t I shall have tim e to toll you o f oiii- doings th is mowiing.
T).»was*o o p e n ti IIuspit>vl fur Sick A nim iila a t H.IIO a . h ., and as i
heiird many natii^e Indies w ould he th jre, I settled to go too.
Wlmn w e arrived a t th e pjiico wt> found an enorfiious a w n in g
spread, under which all th e people were sittin g , and h s there were
(la ^ and colours a lsju t it, and ro\j.s of Pats<* ladio-s and n a tu ’O
men seated und^r it, it nil ^ooke<l •• v.ry g-ay and charm ing in the
su nny fresh m orning.
•
»
^ little history of *tlie charity w as read first. I t is a branch
o f li ‘ i ’/xfB’entiou of Oindfcv to A n im als O rganisation.’ th e idea
being tjiat iustead of lin in g a poor man for ill treating liishullocks,
and thus alm ost necessiU iting hi.s w orking tlipin bUU harder, i t
■ would Iw bettor to provide .a place where th e unfortunate, u-nimah:
could be cufed ; and nidScl b y som e rich citizens. i]iis,in > r^ ita l
and a V eterinary C ollege have l>eeii startod. A fte r the. usual
sjM'ocliRS wc‘ wore eomlijctDfi to one o f tho ‘ lh>spital wartls,! aud
there we saw a curious l.halimin cereuioniul : eggs aud cocoaim ts
Were broken *011 t he
am i th e jK>sts and lin tels of th e doors
wore smeared w itii egg, oil, am i 5<t>ine i)ther stuif. T hen great
tm ys of flowers.werc brougbr, mul the chief m an— th e host m fact
— bik ing a largo wreath oi neoklace o f iessam ine and roses, p u t It
ovvi
I'hvcejicucy’s hca<l< I'amlcd him a houtjviet,and sprinkled
it w ith rosewatcr Z he adorned nio in thu aame v .a j, then Kir
.Jamc.i,*aml then ^!^lly, w ho wishotl to sink in to th e ground on the.
spot, .and thgn tlm lio st hiiusoif was flius decoratofl. R achel too
had her necklace aud \)ouquet. T ho wreath.s are l>c9-'Rifully
made, and ai*e loetter Jeseribed as rop*.s of fiow.yrTi; r.uh fiowor is
tied Separately to the n e x t one, and a few bilver thrcatls are
mixed. They arc roiilly vcr^ pretty ; the bonquel:? are a
s!iapt?with S'tune tinsi-I in th e centre. Y ou may’ iinugine h ow od il
tliB gentlem en looked in th eir fm ck coats and garlands i)f flowers.
i h a v e t o l d y o u a b o u t th o e a r l y j j a r t o f c l i i s d n j .p n d 'n i u s t n o w
til l y o u h o w h a r d w e w o rk e d ilu r in g th e a fte rn o o n .
W e w eie to lunch w ith (Jeneral Hardinge- a t M alabar P oh it,
whkili really belongs to th e Governor o f ftonii»a4, and whi(;lv is the
most lovely place ! I t i?5 a promontory, with th e seg on o h © sfdd
1884
‘
'HIK LHTLK J’Alil^EE K EC ifiU t
•
,
7
ftiul a bay on theutU er. T h eb ittin g ioom sare vorvprettv, divided ,
. ffoni e«cJi otlnT by ^‘iiornious c«rvodopen-ivork door». The liv in g
r rooms are all about th e garden in difteijeat bungalows, iSir Jam es
« Ferguajou drove m e in a m ail phaeton, th e rest of th e party fc^lowm g w ith carriages and four.
A fter l^Tiich w c visited a lai'ge hoys’ school,
IV ch ey’s
cUspensan', a P arsee girls’ school, and th e S ch o o fo f A rt. ' T hen I
w as tii(^ out and V e n t home, wliilo 1). w eu t to see a inarkgt.
The only one of these in stitu tio n s which 1 w lir sto p to tell you
about* is the girls’ scJiool. Tin* Parswi young Indies w ear such
verv p retty colours, w hile th e little girls are all dres^-d liS e b o fs ,
w ith coloured jack ets and trousers and roiiud hats. The pupils
sang, and u tji.y little crontura caine forward and recited in very
• broken Knglisb, wi^h lots of gesticulation, a little *poem about n
rabbit. 1 think it w as a conw rsatio\> het^veen^a rabbit anrt n
sportsm an; a t an y i*ato, it w as a charm ing little perfoiunance.
E veryw here w e w'ere decorated w ith gn^jlands of flowers, and
som etim es had b m celets as w ell. lu th e ev cn u ig ih ero w as a*bjg
dinner and a ball.
' f
F A day, \2 l%.— W e liad to leave ^cry early dn Thui*sday
m orning, th e train startin g .at eight. W e fotnul our earriuges
• most'comfortHble, indeed th e w hole tn ^ u w as ours. W e had a ’
m y bedroom, bath-room, and beds for tw o maids in
one carriage. D . had i\ iKjdroom and a place for h is servant in
aiiothor. TI»ere wn.s a large dining-rooin in a lhif(t, ^ind th e Staff
and all the servants had carriages provided for them. Our beds
w ere very comfortable, and cyjr f<XKl*gocHb The scenery th e first
<lay, w hen we wore goii>g over thoO hnuts, w as very fine, curious*
shapi’d ^>.‘i.?:iltio hiW.s w ith odd little pnmacle?,*or domes, or e x ­
crescences of somo sort on tlio to p o f each ; th e rest o f th e w a y it
Wits not rcnuirkublc. l>ast n ig h t waS cold, and th is m orning verj'
much so, w inter dr^t-wes and shaw ls roiiuir»’.d. P . wa.s ijot very
w ell in tlie day, nn<l wns q iiiie ill in th e nighf} M'henhis temperatu ib rose to l!U2.
St(tH*cUjy.
seemed very unfit this m orning for all
he w as to go tlntfugh : however, as four olclock approached h e got
y p H^)d prep/ired for hw entry in to Calcutta.
There w as a m agnificent aiTa^ of uniform s at tlje station , fine
turn-outs of carriages ami horses, uiai guards .a«d outriders, and
tKc^ w hoje w ay to the house wu.s crou'deil w ith people, w ho rei ceived us- w ith cheers. AVe crossed a bridge over th e Jfoogh ly qm l
d n n o through {lart of the town, looking w ith tlie g rea test interest
A t. all we could poo of th is place, whi«^h is to l»c our home for th e
• presoht.
•
8
O rK * ’J C tK E (!A L L ll-’E IN
INI>IA
*
cir. i
W hen w e arrlveil a t (Jovernnient TTouw* w e £ouu<i a large
*gnar(l of honour flrawn up liefore it, and th e flight o f st«|Hi leading
to the door w as cover<;d w ith gentlem en in uniform pjtd nativ^j
in g a y drva.M-3. Lord TUpon received u s m ost cordially, and pre­
sented ail th e Cmmoil to tlie new ?^■^ce^ency.
^
Irfwly B^>on m et us in the Thronc-rnoni, and w e a i[ w en t to
the Ooui>oiI’Chaii^jcv to hear 1). sworn in. I t i.snot an im posing
eerejnnny.
SoA'oral geflfclenien stood mujul a* talile w liile th e
W ir r a n t w as reifd, then th ey sac down w hilo D . sig n e d it, e.t voUii
i o w
.
• W e tt’enUto'^iavo some ttsa, and after it 1>. w as fetched in g o
and sea t him self on the throne to liear tly* ad.Ire.ss read -smdi a
fu n n y little t i i r o n e , w ith n o hijck. ^He replied, and all was over,
t IWievo th is t k r o u G w as once Tipja^i Si»hlh’a howdiih. For th e
r e s t^ f the tim e w o spojit lo^adher iiiuly Ripon*and I never kno^wiu) w as the liuly* o f tlie hou.se, and wo coukl n o t catch each nther’.s
f y e , we were both so afraid o f appeariug to ta k e upon, otfrselves b
»She,wikS a great comfoVt to me, and so kind in jielp ijig me w itli
informati«i*.
•
i n the evening Lord U ipon .snut 1). tlie insignhi of th e Star of
In d ia to w ear nt the Iul' oflieial dijun’r of lOO ])e<ipl(<’. E v fi v one
*aske<l
t.spc-cted to come, and sonie n a tiv e gentlem en ’w ho
Ciimirtt. eat w ith us sa t in j?nothev roojii till dinner wa«,o**:i«
M undiiy, irxA.- W o w en t early tliis moi-ning to see' tho
R ip en s off. W * are quite sorry to lose them , and feci ratliov
lon ely now.
’
*
Y esterday- we w ent*to th» C’lvthodral : i t is rath er lik e a rail way sUition, tlio punkah n xls rejircsi?uLiag tlie iron framework o f
th at sort <if hujlding ; tlio M'alls are <piite whit^i, wltile tlie
w indow s Rvn a bluish colour, which m akes every one look pale.
I n deference to tho hot clim ate th e service w as short.
T w R c h y , it>^/f, to!^uvdn;/, :ila/.—-B o th m y tim e and mytliought.-v
have bet*i so euth’c lr occupieil w ith furnishing th a t E have little
else to tell yop of. iVo are perforniiug w onders in th e w ay of
settlin g down, .^ tl I have arranged m yself a very p retty drawijigr<K>in, ^^ith another rnopi n e x t door, which can he throwii open if
there aVe people to dinner.
T was very unhappy yosterdgy ab ou t th e bouse,, w hich I shoulrf
then have de^ ri^ ed lu? gigantic, uit.h m» room in it. I thoughtm y rooms intolerably luicfjinfortable (I should have to en ter into
too uiany d etails to e.vplain w hy), b u t T have had »u hle'a wliioh.
T hlive this m om ent carried out, nn<l now J feel tlm tt h o w is hoi»o
left. I have throw a all conservativft principle»| to th e w m as,.
have nbandoncf] the rooms ifsc<l by a ll previous Vicferoys, aud*havq
II
18S(
OI'FICERH <)l' TH E ‘ JIO l'SK tlO I.D ’
.
9
uioveil in to th o visitors’ w ing. So th a t I liave now a Jovely*
bnuth>ir-l»x>ki\»g on to th e garden, inst«».d of a dnll room upe.tpairs,
w itlio iit a balcony or a vievr, and a n ifo room n e x t to i t jfor tin*
girls, wlio w ould otherM ist! h ave sa t in ih eir })edrooins. I am close
i n m y ow n yain*asc, and n o tliin g can be nicer.
H a v in g thus
packed mySelf and my belongings in to one o f th e ele^lWhnts paw s
(or w iygs) of tliis house, wo are really comfortaBle.
I \\«tll m-w te lfy u u liow I spend th e day. and then you V'dl
learn casually about .some of my nrrangemenfs. 'IT. g e ts u p p r e lty
i arly*to work, and I am generally ready a t S.30.^ W e brcakfa.st
a t niuo o'clock on the balcony outside m y pink driftvdng^room
wo four (fam ily) tngethe*. T). stays and w alks about for a little,
w hile the gr<;en ])aiMuS and ijic crows look <lo\Mi upon us from
the Ciipitals of the nillars wlu<-h support th e root o f tlie verandah.
A*t feu o’cloi'k Lord W illiam Bcre.'-t'ord has*an inferview w itli^ fia
Kxcellenuy, and then comes on to me. f alw ays w rite dow n tho
th in gs r V a n t to a.sk him almut, and as h§ settles everything th e
list is very curious and mi.sc(!ll;mtH>u.s,
•
• ,
Each A .lJ.C . has his ow n dep-artmeat. Major* Coojwr is
’ H ousehold,’ ail'd ho and I .see to everything, and mrfke ourselves
gcnerAlly fus.sy and useful.
C aptain Harbord has th e kitchen ^ind tlm cook,to sec after.
C aptain •llalfour is a musician, so Im m anages th e baud, and I
have asked Idm to m ake it play every n ig h t from eig h t till nine
wi.Iks M*e are a t diunev. Captain Burn does th e iu v ila tio n s.
T>itrd W illinm has th e stables, and nil tho A .i3.C .’s are under him ,
and every detail is brought, l^cforo irim. .*Krom th e'h igb est m ili­
tary nfihir.s in th e land to a m osquito inside m y E xcellen cy’s
c u ita iu hr n l>olt on my door, all is th e business o f this invalual)le
)>ers<>n, and he does all etimilly wi*ll. H e jots everything dow n iu
his book, or on his .sluit-slceve, and dever rests till th e order is
carried out. 3fe has th e stable.s very w ell arranged, 8.nd th e
‘ turn-outs ’ are very handsQine. T he carriagijs arc plain, %vithout
g ild in g or ornam ent, but w e nearly alw ays drive m itk four horsi's,
jmstiliimaj I'ootipen, outriders, and e.scorc, all in scarletrnnd-goki
liveries.
••
*
T he principal servants in th e hou.se also ’.ve.srscarleL-aad-gold.
’rtie ‘ khulmatgiM^,’ or men who w * it a t table, have l^ng red cloth
tunics, w h ite trousei-s. hare feot, w hite or red am i gold sashe.s
wound round thtsir walsLs, ami w h ile turban.s. 'J’h e sm arter ones
liave gnld-eml)*oider<‘i} breastplates, and th e lowerone.s luive a p .
and coronet endiroidcred on th eir chests. W o each have a
‘ji'madar,’ or body servant, who n tteii|ls to u.s a t other tinies.
.^Jine b*laads outside- my door and sees tp all T w ant, goes in* my
f
« a r » - iiig e w i i l i m e , a n d J i e v « r l e a v e s m o t i l l J iim s ; i f e in p i'n V jh v
ro o m .
J ( i a r e n ’t m o v e a c l m i r u n le .‘<.s I a m q u i t e s u r e tb c 'd<»i>r is
w e ll
e l s e l i e w o u l d l»e
m o , a n d I a m ' s u r e h e • w o u ld
o v e n i i r r a n g o m y }>a])er.s a n d m y p h o t o g r f i j j h a f o r }iic.
N e lly ami K acbel also have th eir jem adars, and all the houspmuids (a»d*tliPV are legion) are m oa w ith long reel tuniSs, turi.ums
an d gold braid —dn, so s^iarrr!— wlulo every now and then in one’s
>H!st drawing-roo^i, or in ono*s'most judvatp apai-fment-VJi cfw tu r c
very lig h tly eind )n a tiiijgy w hite eotftm rag m akes h i s ' appear­
ance, and s e e m s f e e l as much at hom e th en ; jis Jiis siiiait<T
brethren*do. * H o is ])ro]jably i\ gurdt-'uer, and lie m ost lilvOly.prrsen ts you w ith n bouquet of violet.s ) • T heu -wo e a .h luive a
m agniiiceiit sentry in the passage <xfear our bodi’ooiu-s—th ey are
v e iy tall men, i*n handsome unifom is ; and tiiQji there are heaps
' o f Servants, ‘jtmnjin rags, aiwl some fn
and som e in no cloches,
a t ail.' line* ‘ eastt'’ Hrranges tlie llo-wcrs, anothor clca'ns'the
a tliin i pntscnndh's into tho<audlestick.s, b u t a fourth lighjts*
tliKin ; one Hlls n ju g of water, w h ile it requires cither ah ig h er or
a lower man to jmur it nnt. Tlie iimu w ho cleans yvmr boots will
n ot eomlescpud to liand you a cup of tea, and th^ person whp
,inake« your IkhI would be disbonoure»l word he to-ttvko any other
part in doin;^your nuun. *The con.sequencois that, in.steadof (uie
neat housem aid at work, w hen yon go up to ‘m y latly’s A am liK v’
you find se\% i or eight mon in various stages of tlress, e.ach p u ttin g
-.liufciKl to so m o littly tliijig which has to bo «lom‘ ; and you ijia’y
inuigine th e energetic J^hickwell's feeling.s, and how her ayah tolls
her that ‘ slio much »vs> slrong, ^trong us four H industjuii
w om en.’
T have wanjpretl away fj-oin ‘ m y day ’ to g iv e you an ac&vunt.
of the lunisehuld. A.s 1 said before, J have been atten d in g to our
comforrs, and my njoin roufly is pretty now, • I ’ho furm ture is
pink silk, unci IJ m v c made th e rfsnn Icxtk ‘‘ hoTney’ w ith Ih.tlo
t)d)le.'«, Kcroensj plaltts, photogiaphs. .The girls have a very pice
little boudoii*ne.vt door, and J also I j u v c h second sm all dvawingi-iiiim, wliich I open in to m ine w ith t h r ^ b ig d oori when we have
any dumm’ party, l^ tise I'ooms are, to a cfif’tain exten t, my
creation, for iJmro was no private- house before, and after dinu^*
tho juirty sat»iu th e long, drwify throue-room. This 1 have con­
verted in to our U s u a l <lining*rooni ; it has carpets and curtains,
and is decidedly preferablo to a b,anvn niar'nle hall, wher^^ wo
slumld shiver. W e still lu n d i in Ih.vt cold place, *)>ut *it is very
n ice in tho m iddle of the day.
Off rny room thero is *, delightful balcony, friyjufinted by wild
parrots and crows, a n d ,so o n to bo inhabittid by nil sorts of«
^
1884
K X C K yjiN C V .S FIUsT I.KVEE
•
11
cjipfcivf o/'patw'es. T aui goiu^ to hav« nii aviary made, and ! ♦
already have se\cnvl birds.
A ll these arrangem ents till m y •morning, and at tW'o w e
lunoli. W e sit a t rouml tables, and are nsim lly fourteen in
num ber. , *
.
^
NVhen^T drive, I go out at *3.30, niul so g e t ^ littfc Himsliine,
b u t the^fjtshioTi hgre is for no one to ventiire out until it is dump
and dark, w hich it is after tivc o'clock.
,
►
W«! have som e dilliculty iu tinding an object for our drive.
S‘oinetitiier> wc grj ro fchtf '/.no. uml som etim es thare i.s a ^rime^oi
polo goin g on, w hich wo sit and watch.
W e <line a t eight. anS tha Stall' com es and spends th e evening
v i i h us, or fhx'.s iii*f coiiie, as H phooses.
, On Satui'flay, «dOth, l i i s Ex<‘ellen ey had his Jji*»t Icvec. Tt
\v;is very large, and though *the p(t)j)le ^asse«l a t th e rat-e of
//WGPty-uvft a uiiuute, w liich -was quiekor than usual, it took
tw en tv m inutes longer than any lev^e fo M h e Inst ten years. U.
liketl the em l of"it very much, whr i th e native oflicccs^'verc pnesontcd. H e "says tJiey .are w r y fine nie.n, and th at tln-% cam e
<i>r\vard in unsm iling, frank w a y ; th ey salute .and present th e
liilt o f th eir swords, w hich th*‘ V iceroy touches, and then th e y ,
pass on; ’
•
•
Tt^hink th oic w<‘r«* aiMjm
r.- “
’ ••'i; Icvt;**.
.His E xcellency w as very smart ! H e wore^ Ids’ Lord-Licuten.atiL'c unifonn, w ith four st;arfi and th e Indian •'klmpirn (a sort
of medjd like a Hat rose) on his coat^ and ih e diumynd m edallion
o f tiic Star of In d ia hanging fixnn jiis throat, v.itii th e granfl
cor‘don»of th a t Order, ft L» a ''orr j«iiH biue, w ith a w lute
Ixjrfler. The me^lftllion i.-i ji porti'uit o f th e Queen on a cumeo
surrounded by diamonds.
W e got our ffrst m ail from hom e on Kriday, th e 19th ; a very
ginyii pleasure.
^ ,
•
On Sunday w e 'went -i^pour parish church in th e m orning and
to the .^ th ed m l in th e eycniiig, and P rince Oscar o f Sw eden w ith
hi.s OominodoKt^aru an A .l.hC . lunched w ith iis.
I cut my Ixngens very liadly, ta k in g ji^knife out of a.she.nth,
«im l am fwnclf4 |e d up by th e doctor. I fear 1
not 1h‘ able
fft wear a glove at niy drawHng-ri^in. T mn 7ioi t v vea i' a tnkUi.
leet 1 shotild en<!*ouraM extravn.gance, m id so irsm urt one 1 had
brought from j'lugland h^s ui Ix; packcil a'way !
5Io}idai/,
— I }»aid >ny v isit to theSvife o f th e LicutoinuitGovernor,
H ivers Thompson. T h ey have u very jirettv place
‘ju s t p u t of C:i6:!Uita, w ith a capital Ikuisp and tmo of th e *lj).rgest
•laiviis iu_ India. IjU'wns are precious th in gs iji hot countries.
Ivl
'
'
tn -n VlfKHi-UiAL I.ll’H I S
*y'Ii(»y havp an artificial river in th eir grouuils j so havo ■we, ours
iKiviiig b(K5n made V>y Lord L yttoii. Their river is rather hii’ger
th an 9 «rs, and they Imd *i jiredecossor v lio w as iutorcsted in
plants, so 1 think they have nioio to show ii> ihat, respect than
w(! liave. They gjive us tcu o u th e iMileony, unck w e saw tie r
younger gitTs of the fam ily, and had altogeth er a idelwaut little
visit.
®
^
,T}(riniay, 'l^rd. W o spent tliis day in a v e fy ofticial ifianner.
T he V iceroy w as to hold a duvhar in th e afternoon ; th a t is, in
plain E nglish, ^i’. wa--. u> rec.eivo three Kajah.s, 'wlm j>ay th eir
morning* visits in state, every particular o f the reception being
onrefnlly arrange<l h<*foreliand. Ch*uoral W ilk in son and tw o of
h is Htftff wrre to Tie prcsent,‘ so th ey lim cheflnvith us, and then
th e Marble Hall was px*ei«n’od for th e arrival
th e first Kajah,
His*IiighiieKK lliQ Malifirajali of .IdUhpoj •, w hose rank reijuiretl
th a t ‘ the M ilitary Secretary, th e UiidciySe-'retary in tho^Foreigu
l)t!))aruncnt, and an
to th e V iceroy ’ shn'ild drive to liis*
reijidtMiee tn^fpt«4i liini. Scarlet clotlr wus laid <lt>\vn for liin i; a
guard nf iSjiiour was a t th e door ; u iKiiid played ©n th e .steps,
and betw een t'Rch.piilaj'.jJowu ^li« hall stood a gigantic t iw p c r of
^tlm l-ody-guarrl. in his scarlet im ifonn, holding a iaiict; in Ids ■
hand. A« ll^p Maliarajali^arrivefl a .sjilute o f tw en ty -o ” e gtius
w as fired from the F ort.
'
' * •
W e lodie.s were hidden behind a screen that-we m ight look on.
A rtill graiider tlu'one than usual as placed for th e V iceroy—
it was a silver tuie, w itlj large gold lions for arm.s ; an atten d an t
w ith a w h ite yiik’s t^iil ki his !umd ,stoo<l by, lest a fly should
tn m blo Hi.s E.Kwdlency's coiiipostire j a gold ^mbjoidcrfvl^ cnrpet
■was laid before tlio dfiis, and chair.s wore arruriged ou cither shle
o f it. Sninc atteiidaiiU -held bunches of peacock feathers .set in
gohl, and others Imd y eiy big gill mace.s in their IkuhIs. General
Wilkins'Ui »iid Ijie Stall’, and one n a tiv e A'.lXC., w ho wore a
large turban and a 1^’oad Ijand of rc«l «u Ids forehead, sjjt.on the
le ft of th e throne. W hen the? M alian jn h rc.iichpd tjic door, the
Viceroy got up anti walked lo th e m iddle o f th e rotun to m eet
him, sl^ o k ham is w ith ^ im , and m otioned him t'd a cliBir. on his
rig id , Millie his folIoMcrs look l«w(*r places on tluisfline side. 1'hc,
Maharnjalds djoss was green aiifl gold ; he sptike tlirough an in ­
terpreter, and th e dialogue w ith hir-i %veut on p n d ty m cII. N o
one else attem jiU to sneak
• Aft^-r it short couver-satiou,' say
tiicv eg u ia iio n s, ‘ the !\Iiihar;ijii]i’s »ttt*aidards art: pr.4ionted to the*
Viceroy, and each one holds (>ut to him one gold nioliur,’ « jiid i
ho touches, thus politely e,\pressing ‘ Y ou may Wee{) it, thoughy o u are so anxious to g ive j l to me.’ Then there ■vvjis ancither*
.
1884
'3
^
'
Jil'NDliBD Cl'UT»EYS
^
13
m
conversation Jjcfore th e leave-tak in g. A t a sii'iial th e
V iceroy’R nttenflnnts hrouglit in tw o silver v essels; one coutaim xl attar of roses, th e other som e very stick y loaves wropped
up in silver niid gold paper. 1 Ixdicvo tlia t w hen Ciirefully un.wnippcil a sm all piece of b etel-n u t is found in o-ivch. The V ic e ­
roy p u ts a-6n*all spoonful of attar o f roses on th e Ifah am jn h ’s
hand, amt*gives him a stick y th in g to take a v fiy w ith him, and
they sit* down again, w hile tho l'uder-3t?oretary in th e h’orei^n
l)ep,artjj)ent fiiM?a the sam e for l l i s llighnessV afctendant^, and
then ih e y m ake a final move. Tlie V iceroy again takes a f«w
step s to conduct this M aharajah to th e m iddle of*th» nwai, h w s
to h is followers, and tln^’ depart « it h th e ‘ sam e ceremonies as
those obsiirved o ii ^ lis liig h n esa ’a arrival.’
For tlie second one, ‘ th e *Mahrtinjah o f Illmrtpur, G .O .S.I.’
tw o A .Lht'.'s went? sev en tee n ,g u n s w ere ^red. and Kia K>kc 1Jcncy fitooil at th e foot o f th e dtii'.s to receive Hi’s H ighness, who
had to otfi-r ‘ 101 gold luuhuj's ’ to be touched.
H is Highne.'^ the lia ja h o f F a rid k o l w as fetched hy tw o
A .D .O .’a. H is E xcellen cy remained on tlie dais to refRive hiui.
T'he siduto M'as only eleven gu n s, and he on ly presented, pW cn
gold mohur.s tt) ‘ be touched and rcm itteil.’’ A ll th e other cere­
m onies were tiic sam e. I have n o t told you much .-ibout th e
d r e s s y %s we sat Iwhind th e n ative Quests niul cSuld not see
tlieio w ell. I t w as very curious hihI in terestin g to see this once
in a w ay. T don’t supix)se w e shall w a n t to look fMi often.
H is Kxcellency w ent and unbent hiiustflf over a gam e of
tennis, but 7 n'.stwl all th e ;il'ternoni>with*the prosiJect o f several
luin difd curtsoys to be, madG*in th e evening.
V 'e •dined alone and dres.'cd afterwards fyr th e drawingrooin. W hen all w as ready, a proces-sion cm ne to fetch us, and
preoeiled us in to the throne room. h>. au d I stood on th e dais,
and wo found in ih e ronm th o gontlem en wlio liave the^entrt'O ;
their ladies passed us first, and also rcuiaiiu'din th e room till the
di*jiwu}g-i-oom‘ wius over. I*toJd you I wiis n*ot all{p,vpd b) wear
m y train, but 1 found iwimbers of hidie.s liad thorn cui, to sa y
n oth ing of Tappets and feathers !
/
M o 't of th e ladies were very sm art, and I th in k everyth in g
^tent off as w ell.as possible. 1 go^ rather hot w ith tho exei’cise
o f m aking .so m any curtseys, b u t otherw ise T d id *n ot feel tho
tatigu s much. W hen it wius over, th e proceasion formed again
f^nd w e w ent i^ stairs. T his wfus th e first tim e th a t w e had .seen
th e large reception rooms peopletl. T h ey were quite full, nhd
lo'okeil very nicq. There was a bullet w ith lig h t refreshm ents at
. on e side of th e •bnll-i'oom, and tl)o bafnl played th ere too. ’ W o
11
O l'K * V K i:i{ K li.\L IJK M IN
IN D IA
wjilke<l Jibout for soxue tim e, m aking ne>\ acquaiat!inc*‘s und
* speak ing to som e uf th e jK*ople wo liave already m et, and then
w lieu f l,)egan to feel very tired w o w ent away.
M’l'diiPn/.tnj, 247*.— Pi*ince K ail, of {Sweden, arrived from
D e lh i th is m on iiiig to Join his brother, P riuce Osoai-, who in in u
m:ui-of-w^^ here. The one stays in th e hous(f, tind th e other
cftiiie to-itroet Ivkn a t Ijreakfast.' P rlnco Charles i.s'^’cry nicelooking and extrem ely tall. W e shall n o t^ sce m uch of our
gd ests, for thej’havo to k eep (Jhristmas on th e Sw edish ship, and
i t tak es tw o whole afternoons and evenings to do tlia t properly.
• T ha (kvl/u-'rta race.s hegAii t-o-tld}'. W o w en t bo ,ice them
privately, b u t n ext Thursday w eek wo
in state. T he cour.se is
very pretty, and the stand .is nioely avrangntl w ith plant> nml
llo«'oi*s. T he.nices only g o on betV een the hours or four and si.>:.
Tii^n*. w ill bo polo and racing for altern ate ^lays nil th e week.
T he ladies were veiy* sinrfH’ly dri'ssed, an<l it w as a g a y and
p retty .sight.
.
,
^ I ’nursU-n/,
*We should ha%o sp en t a very pleasant
Oliri.stnuj#; *Da}^iiidc«;d but for tlin absence of tlu: cliiidren, wliu
have hJthVrfco alw ays helped to make it ‘ merry
and I think
th a t all ilio J ittlc pirhenw thuy had ’"'cviJcu for
:;.«i w nidi,
according to tlirir direction.^, w ere laid out for us this morning,
o n ly served *to mark tho*blahk. The m issing o f thc^i w as .an '
undor-cuiTcnt running tiirough the <lay. Dub it is of our floing.'-.
an d n o t of ouruHoinings, 1 m ust tell you.
_ .
Lord WlUi'am IVresford had suggc.steil th n t -we should go and
.see DarMckpore iji tlra ;ift<ii*noon, and a-; w e r vre very glad to
lind som e w ay of spending our Chr*tnia.s w ith a n appearance of
g a iety wo ariuiiged to do so. We bturtKal in th e steam U uiich a.s
noon a fter eluircm as jiossible, and enjoyed th e trip up the river
very m udi. W iilt Barniclqjoro w e wm-e q u ite dcllgh^rd. 1 supj>ose you Jciiow th a t-it is a place th e V ic c r y y ’hos
tw elve
m iles from Cal«ut^a. I t is situab.*-! on tbo n \ cr, and Is <piitu
lik e an Kn^did'
w itli beautiftil sin g le tn-es o f diff’e ront
kinds, and it is a lf so pretty and stu co m p letely in th e .country
th a t 1 long to go and^ tn y there. I t rem iiuls iiys
iht' D u k e of
\Ve.stdijristfr'.s jdace on th e Thames, C liveden, and w e happened
to have, tw o of hi.s aoii.s w ith us, who thoxtght so too. On lan d ­
in g, ihei'o is%. short w alk arched over by bamboo's ; tiien comes a
p retty garden w ith a little fountain in it, and (juantities o f large
blue convolvulus creeping over everyth in g : tho.tig to Hie right,
hiWn jiTid .shrubs, palms, and strango jdants. and a gigantic
l>auian-trr'’ covering u great space o f ground, its branches .‘ind
ofTskoots form ing arcJu-s ?and galleries, iiud a fine dining-roorti
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and
11
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pfa-foriuniu;.* w.^s -i t . i f i ' % i s j t t o i . h o r » ' ’i ' ■ l o .-'"I l l t f \
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,
1831
f
•
T ^ K V i m i E ( 5 A L H OUSE AT BARRACKPOUE
17
find jicople begin to unclARtaiul th a t w e dmi’t w is li* to be
d^jistenni. 7'hey Itave a't'n « great deaJ of n.s th is gay week.
Ill the evening we m aile a great innovation. There was toT>e
a large official dinner for 100 nion, and I), thought ho w ould like
5)iK tbroo Imlies to din e a t it, so w e broke through nil tra
ditions, anil ^li<^ so, nnd I think th e exneriiccnt wae successful,
and, a t auy»rate, we uuido it appear less o f a public < ^ n e r and
more of private eutertainini'ut. W e also^took ^reat pains w ith
th e i-uom, put dow n u carpet in th e M arfde H all, and got o a t ou j
jjlate, and oi*na}nentfHl an d lighted th e table, so th u t i t really
• l*Kjked very Imndsoine. X ow ell w a s quiu* excited^ over h is firat
diiiner of 100, and all Iiis talen ts for orgHuisatjon caifte in fo fu ll
jtl.-iy. I forgbT if T told ydu th a t ho is lunv put in charge of th**
♦household, and w e ’ lind i t i,h« g n ’:Skte5t com fort to im ve oiui
Eui^jpean hrml. T ke n ativ es are excelkait servaitt.s, b u t tliey
w ant a m aster hand ovm fho-ra.*
•
•
•
, S(it7iniai/, 3 n /.— Tliere nro tkrcr» wnya of g e ttin g to fhirrackpoiv;—by road, by riA oi, or by rail, and we setticd to try th e roiid
. thi.-i tim e.. W e clA ve for nlmut six m iles through <tho tow n
thrtmgli nativn'bivxaai^:, and tlien g o t on our riding hfli-ses for
• about six more. Tim w hole way tliere M'cro splendid trees on
eith er.sid « of th e voud, a perfect ai'enue, and as T h a d {'niiied
*w.;ufidence^in my pony ‘ The D uke,’ I oiyoyed m y ri»l« c x tw iie ly ,
’.Ve rtwv^hetl B{vrnu.’ki.'Oi*e about six o’clock, anil I'oumt it luoking
.{uiie jovely. A splendid .sunset, reilectecf in th e river, added to
its-im iu ra l beauty, and our Christmas D ay euthu^asin suflbrcd
no diiiunution.
S'/ift'inv/, Alh.— W e are, it possible* atilL more en ilian ted this
m orning., Kvei-yUiing here, seem s to Ih2 p erfect— th e wcathrr,
th e air, th e tiw s , tlowers, shrubs, creejHii’s, sunshine !
T h e plmie is b e a u tifu lly k e p t. T h e tre e s are v e ry fine nntl of
in fin ite v a rie ty ; roses a re in th e g re a fc st profusion, a n d som e of
th em a re iju ite cu o rm b u s ; th e larg e bluo convolvulus clii^ite all
o v er .11 long low w all, w hicii surround.s a H tjle g a rd e n fu ll of
heliotif)pe a n d o tiu -r sw e o t flowt-rs, a n d wlu re a littlo fo u n ta in
p lay s ill a u m rb te b o i-in ; tlipro fti'e bushes of ro d a n d p u rp le
filossom, a n d n lovpiy o ran g e cree p er cov»ibs th e balcony^ n e a r
w kich I writ<'. I nm s iltin g in a so rt of open room , w h ich ims
th e d ra w in g r w m uwbu.J it, a n d Ih'.’ nqgre uiicovm-ed balcony
i n fro n t. Tlii.s. y/>« m u s t rpinciuber, i'» th e f)c|il)i» or w in te r I T
believe t h a t onct: u p o n ii lim e I u sed to sk a te in ..la n u a r y , and
flin t a f u r en.p tuui .'.eaiskin w cse necessary to n iy w ell-beiug
th iU i; but, now I h av e
'm in d tlm su n ’ a n d to w e a r a d ouble
fe lt h i t ,
- H k i w 'M M M M f t I luu g ’.ml to be a b le to
_____
IB
YIL'KllKCrAL U l-E IN I ' Sbl A
Sfiy th at 1 have thorou^'hly eujoyciT both ex.trejiK-s, and tlm t,
* nlthough I clelightwl in j i Gaim({ian wintpr. \ have tlie groato-st
pUs’sure in drijtlrinK«i th e «uns{une ot’ (ui Indixn om.% B .
1
Untk «. little stroU early 5r. th e n iw h n g , ami
jidjiiired our
demesne-, and then wc sa t under the celebralod hjuiiau-nce f<u'‘
))re:xJvfast, and N e lly ’s inonlcey perolied on a l)ruitch,and enjoyed
itself t o o .,
w o waikod ou iiud looked at LiuW’ ^'anmnj:^
tom b, and e.vaxiimed the plants th a t wore noj\' to us u n ,tiie w ay.
'£l\ere is a tnarl^le m onum ent over rho grave, a’ith an inscription
w ritten by Lord C anning on one side and a te x t on tlia oilier.
T h e euelosu ro.is large, and llio railing round it is coiujmskI »>f ‘
tw isted 0.'s*with a ooronrt aoro.ss them.
A s w e spc.iid Sunday here, it is as a^ell to dnd th a t the cliurcdi’
i»-as ftftt-isliaotory a s th o res^ of th e plac^. 1^ i.s clcJSc to oiu' gttt©, •
so w e waJlt tiisjre, jm sin g ' a piece oi’ waU'r, «n which lovely^ ed
w<?ter-Hlie8 groYK enice afid sermon were botli very nice,
•ind the whole th in g fe lt home Uko; sim ple and q uiet, j
j
Tfmre ia absolute pleasure iii o.visting in a p la c e jik e this, nnd
kRiu alw ays vi*islnng I ccnrld show it to those at‘ h oih ft‘ %----...^.
1 iiav*c not taken much oxeroi.se lately, h u t f ' m.adc up for it
t o - i h ^ , D irectly aftiT lujtch,^iu despite o f all IiKliun rules filid
- - rejumlinzia, w e begatTT3“w alk -n.l>out, .ami w© walked, tlm .w holo ,
aftornoon, idsiting iirst » tem ple in th e grouri'Js eia‘c(^d to tlie*
‘ M em ory <->f t h e H r a v e / Ib is b u ilt in G recian s ty le , am r.o a th e
w a lls in sid e are tabh 'ts, on w h ich are in scrib ed th o n a m e s o f th e
olTtcers w h o w e r e jcilltHd in an In d ia n w ar. TJmn w o lo o k ed -n t
th e F la g sta ff B ungalov.-, a n d imwle our w a y over to a p la c e w h er e
o lep h a n fs w ere to b e seen . T h o r are u sed for eom m issarial
p u rp oses, iim l i t w a s l e j y iiitp r e stin g to us t o com e upon th ii'iy s ix o f llie se a n iflm k ‘ a t hpnnj, \ each yiio -being fe d b y lii.s .sq«'cial
.•ittcnilauL, or n w h o a tl w lio Tnakea up h is food in to lit t io bundltw
:ind In sists u p on h i^ e a tin g i t so ; for i t
th a t, w lm n le f t to
h im s e lf th g e le p h a n t . wiksU« h is p rovender, an d d o e s n o t rnako
th e lb o s T n f it .
!tS> u s e d to b e g iv en rice, o f w h icli lie Is v w y
fon<l, b u t .aias ! th e se arc economical^ d.ays, an d n ow lie h a s to
contJ>nt h im se lf w ith su g a r-ca n e anri straw . } t is f u u n y t o soo
h o w , .w hile m u n c h in g n p a m ou th fu l, th e e le p h a n t ta k e s u p a
w isp o f str.aw an d b ru sh es a w a y a ll Uic flies w h ieli ajun jy h im .
V y c a sk ed t l ^ in an in ch a rg e fe> sen d a n r-lei)hant o v e r for u.s to
rid e in th e m o n tin g .
I>n our w ay Iwck w e e x p lo m l th e plant-Imusps' and tho
gi^rdeu, then, had tea on th e wramlaVi, ar.d idarteu off on a still
longer w alk to v isit a H in d u temple.
J’iio people there received us m ost civilly, and w o found tlie
:
. 1 6
»
•
’
A rio i'M f m v
•
19
p
«)hl gcutloinan in chargp could sjMjak EngKah very well. H e told
os iie built tlie temple, b u t 1 tEink W uiust have been rai.staken.
Wo could nut enter th e sacred precinotSj h u t from outside w e
were allowed to peep at tlio shrine, w hero under a sdver canopy
ii inetnl godde.sg sits, a crOM'n on her luavd and a jilate o f rice in
her liand, ^'hile the gofi, who is ne'tde o f <‘ig‘hfc kind.s^^f metal,
stiind.s b y and lu>lds out his hands to lier, aslcingrfor gifts.- There
were s ix more sm ell tem ples round, butAve did n o t try to Ihok
in to them , as we are n o t quite sure wh( ther the jieople iiko it. ‘
W 6 discovered a lirepiace in our house, and as it is rather
t;hilly in the evening w e wore glad to sit by if lii^ wUen w e
cam e in .
«
jV o r i^ Ia y ,
w e n t fo r a n ice rid e on o u r horses a t T.30
th is Jnorning, a n d iifier lircn k fa st w e luounti-d « u r c le jd ia n t!
H d k n e lt doM u, am ? a la d d e r
jtlace-l agaiii.si lii« sida fo r n% to*
m ount, w hile th e se rv a n ts m ad e a loop o f h is ta i) nnd clim bed U]»
b y it. W h e n wo w ere s h u t up in th e how daii, th e e le p h a n t wa.s
to ld to rise, a n d a s h e g o t o n h is f r o n t leg.s'it seenied as if ev e ry ­
th in g mUsfc slip off behin d , a n d w e h u d to h old on a e r y tig h t u nfti
h e h u d reached Jin ev en keel ; th e n h e looked verj* g ra n d w ith his
sc a rle t clo tli a‘iid th e how daJj fu ll o f jicople, m a rc h in g o v e r th e
g ra s s an d to w erin g above tlie shrub.s, a n d we f e lt q u ite com fort- •
a b le .'iad^njoyevl o u r elev a ted rid e v e r / m u v u . T h e 'm a h o u t sits
o n th e e le p h a n t's n eck unci g u id es him w ith In'.s feet.
W e i-eturned to C alcutta by ri\'er and d r o v o o n t o t h e polu
giou n d s for a little. The V iceroy w as uwuy tlie whole day
opening n sm airruilw ay. H e cnjoyewl the*ex}^Mnlitiim v w y much.
H e travebeil up tw en ty m iles of new line) luriciied in a tent, and
visited /t shrine. The story th ey tell of*thIs sacnod place is thi.s :
A man found th a t Ins cow never
-any m ilk, so h e watched
her proceedings, and a iw her p o u r-it oi.C ay a libidion before a
certain .stone, and hencefoi-th a ll people follow her e.'caiiiple, and
com e and present offerings to the goc] there, so th a t th e .priest in
charge m akes his fortune ou t of pilgrims. *This jaan had ju st
been let ou t of prison, huviiig com m itted a serious crime, nnd it
was explained to< h c V iceroy th a t he mujii bo very o i\il to him
l>ecrtuse'hc AVfj.s n great man, bur n o t too ciAul as h e Wius a bad
fiiaii. X believo I), ninnngfHl tliisy lelica te nifrtrtc'; perfectly.
D on't su]'[)0 .si> th at w o nil caiuc Ijome to rest^ ?!(>, w’e liad to
<ro u* thp ttioatri'. and though everyth in g else is early liere, th e
••.;1 w« tli'l )mt got home till one o ’clock. ‘ A r tfu l
'jiaycd, but the artists -are starving, and
hem.
absencfe I had niy balcony w ired
•
02
IT
1S86
•
A l<n{.<T-]{ATJi
;A
^
21
uitcr. T hey have such a nice houi>e, and wo spenK a very p lea­
sa n t evening.
\
*
Thnrstlaxj, M t,— W e liatl one of the usual dinners for^about
sixty-iu u r people. I don’t th in k there*was u nything rei'fwrkable
alKJUt it. Tt w en t otf very w ell, and Mrs. E u a n -8 m iili played the
piano for ua. W e le t th e gue-sts go instead of retinngtpan-sclves ;
it is le sa sfilf, and besides I never cim g e t K is E xcellenay away,
.so i t is «iuch ahort*:r and easier to le t hinf bo left.
F H dny, 9M.— W o w en t to see L ady S tew art^ n th e FoK.. I t
is a ^■^ry large one, and wo wound in and o u t o f arches and drove
over tuanydm w bridges before reaching the ConmiAn<U?r-in-<’''luef’s
ijuarters.
,
^'iturday^
T consented hei’oically to drive to th e races
«)U Lord W'ifliiini’a coach, am i I bore th e oixleal w ith fortitude.
1 tiiu st allow th a ^ tlie horscs.w ent like lam bs, and th a t h e i s a
lirst-rute whip. H o even retained iny conSdefice after he had
put o u t ’his le ft shoulder n d in g in a steeplechiuie, and w hen
<riiwds returning home, and darkness •coming^ on, made i^he
jo u r n e y back^ m uch more (sjrilous. There w ere thro® steepfcchases, and in each one th ere were falls, b^t happily no, sw'ious
accident to ahy one. L o n l W illiam 's w as the worst, b u t he does
hot m ind such a trivial discom fort as having a shoulder dislocated, •
and, 4 0 s«T said before, ho drove, us through the? rrtOst jjujailous
streets safely to the railw ay station. T here w e m et Ju d ge and
M rs. Cunningham (Loixl Lawrence’s daughter), who were ciomiug
to stay w ith us a t Harnickpore, and we had a nice little dinner
o f t?*n.
,
•
•
S u n d a y, llzA .— &lir Aucfflund Colvin And Jfr, L yall (R esid en t
.ai M ysore) cam e ou t in tim e for b rea k fa st; then som e of us
w alked to church, and afterw ards we siit uiieW the trees till
lunoh tim e.
W « again ft*d the haw ks ami again vi.sited th e elephants, am i
o il our w ay liomo looked into an Kiigiisli ceutf'tefy. I t i.s'cnnvdecl
w ith rather large and very dilapiduteil momfments. Tw o of tho
inseriptioii.s ratlier amused me. One begun w ith th e French
words ‘ I c i rejiose,’ all tho rest being Eig'lisli, and another had
on it'—'
“
,
‘ .Toliu T avlor,
\ w rctchtnl, poor and la'Iplee.s w o n ii, =
In to T h y kim t arm s I fall.
* Eroctcvl «R a mark o f rr-specl by L is w ife.'
_The word ‘ re.spect ’ KCPins to come in fu n n ily after th e m elancholy
,deacriptioii of him given u '.om'.
*
•
‘2*2
/
J
/m i i virKHKU-vi. m i -k in i n i >ia
•
m. i
•
J
^
I KathcT|6d one aneoclore frft'm Judge Cnnninghniii >vhich jV
Rinusiiig. /.ft is an illustration of true n ative politeness. A
judge, will) -was JL very liadi ';hoi, liad been out for a d a y ’s sport>
and (hi luis return the mart •wlii>'went w ith him wasfl.«ked— ‘\V e lh
how d id lha judge slioot to-day V ‘ Oli !' he replied, ‘ th e ju d ge
shofbean^ifuU y, bu t ('iod wa.s very merciful to th? birds.’
Motina^, l^ ^ n--T ). and th e rest of the p arly wen? o.ff in rli.hunioh directly after bccnkfast— for tlje Y icejo y is horckat work
»fll and every day, and ha-5 to h u riy back to Ms ollice eijrly rjn
iio n d a y iiiorning—l)ut T remained behind for a couple nf-houi-s,
ijh ic li. I sjient in Hrranging a ll tlie rooms for tlje l)u k e and
XMchess of Connaught, who com e to st^iy w ith us n e x t week. I
returned by train.
'
,
Tui'.stday,
— ^ ly nviavy befng finished, I w en t early in tJie •
in^ niiiig to hmk for som e birds ^ put in i t f Tltei’c were s ic h
curious boasts a t tln f plac5, and on© m onkey wlncli looked as if
som e Barmtin had heon at work upon hiiiif so extniorcKnary wj»s
his eoinj>lc‘xion and gtncrnl colouring. H e liajl a good co;it of
brown
an<t Ms hair stood ou t round iiis lieafj. l-fis-iiOKO and •
m outh ^'erc a l)i’illian t scarlet, his cheeks a bright blue, a n d 'on
Ms ijaclr he bad' two large patches of purple o]>ateifceut colour, hs
if th e sun wore shitting tlirough a purple glass w indow on to Iiis
fur. I nevar saw an yth in g so strange.
• , On my return, I did m uch liousekeeping, hving pioturt's.
arranged roonvs, anti saw th a t .all was in apple-pio order for
V)-morrow.
I n th e.afteru oon «I wqpt to l isit tw o hospitals, one th e
Mediciil C ollege, the <rther th e Etl€n. They are very largo and
airy, bu t I don't tliink i/ w ill profit ymi nmeh for nu? to«(loscrilK'
them . M odioirKtudcnts, sw athed in slicets and witli bare heads,
stood on th e steps to roceiv,j.‘ me. ‘ S ister Jmey ’ and her nnnses
were there, and n ative women w ho have tak en n in sin g diplomas
w ere iif attomh«.ic{^ wrapped in w ashing silk saris ; and in the
Fxlen, w hich is a fyin g -in hospitnl, th('re weit*. sotuo v^ry lin y
brow n bal)ie-‘f to bo
J.n th e otJier.all s o n s o f ills are mixed
up together, and oveii tho cholera patients nrcvnot isolated. I
supjMKse that, b(jing .'il>rc to have t.lm air rushing in on every side,
the danger cf'contngion is not so gn;at a s at honiy.
^
I w as tlown nt 7.30, looked a t a ll th e
rooms, saw thsct* m y balcony and lu y charm ing new toy, the
aviary', looked nice, and then, when th e salu te b eg v i, I.w en t out
o n . th e steps to receive the D uke and D uchess of ConnHugiit.
T liey were very kind in their appreci.ation o f th e etrort.5 wc Ita'd
luadg to m ake them comfortable, and th ey ^eem(^^l to noticQ .
’
188j
=
/s
28
A T TH E T A P E R C H A S E ,
•
c r o iy tliin g th a t liad Wen* done for ihom . T}iey breakftuitcd
w ith us.
A fter luncheon w o looke<l oi» from behind h screen a t a large
deputation of ilahtjraeton s w ho cam* to prei^nt an a<Wress.
Tlie}' w e 2 ‘e aU in fine cost times, and wont great varieties o f lieaddreases.
, "
A s sooti as D . w as free, w« started oiT
th e T lo la m c a l
(tavdens^ W e hac^ settled to go up in thp Steam launch and to
drive back. W h en passing ih<; K in g o f Oude’a palace, w hich is
iijiposiie th e Uotanicai Gardenei, w e saw a niau standing on th e
top of a house w avin g a flag, w ith w hich he- Waji directing th e
m ovem ents o f hundreds of pip'eoiis.^ I t was very p retty to see them
w h w lin g about an d execxfting mamEuvies in th e air in obedience
to l»is sign als.’
. •
•T he Bocaait.^1 f*»rdeii8 arc very beautiful and in1:er<jbwiig, and
w o w ent round tliom w ith iTr. Kin??, who is . an onthusiii?lie
gitrdcner.- W e had te a under a large, b u t very much less pretty
baiiiaii-tree th an our mvu, and th en drove hom e in th e chav-hbanc.
.
*
*
.
*,
’ A sm all' 'dinner «>£ fot (y-lhreo ended th e <lay— » m ilitary
dinnor : th e D uke told m e he had n o t been in th e rb»'m w ith so
iiinny. (Jcnem ls for a lon g t.inie.
TAm/W ci//, Ibf/i.— ^T’h c w is nothing* lik e en erg y .. The D u k e
;iiid tfie DucJieaa and a ll of us excep t D . were, on th e coacit by
.soveu o’clock
aucl on our way U> th e paper chose, which w e
found a very am using .scene. There were crowds of spHjtators in
carnages and on hoi’seback, besid es th e h p n lers them selves, who
w ere airayert in m o s t sj>oi’tiB g costumes.* T h e ‘ double ’ puzzled
niauy of. ilieni, and 1 n ever saw an yth in g funnier than th e knot
•if un w illinghorsas w ho rem ained foraliou t live m inutes ‘ refusing,’
a n d cuusuig the greatest an.viety to tlieir riders. Tlic clutse w as
v ciy fast, and hrnil W illiam cam e iu tiist, but he had mirsed a
fence, and so ^ li s. (Jookew as fleclarc<l th e w inncf. W© s*)t home
for bi'cakfast,’ and th en th e energetic Duchcae said she require<l
i-x(!rcis<5, so 1 toc)k lnT a ll over the house. A fte r tlia t she w ent
o u t shopping t ill lunch tim e, and a t four w e drove ou t to see a
Uiimo of iH>lo.
•
• W e had a state dinner of seventy-three, and a greixt reception
Jificr, There v^'frc m any n a tiv es f)i fine dresses, and S th ou gh t i t
all looked very p retty and gay. T he DuchesJ? enjoyed it very
uiuch, and of jou r . 8 0 she w as a gi-eat attraction. T he party filleil
all the reception room s upstairs, and th e buffet w as in th e Jlarblu
Jtall where wo inul dined.
F m d ii/i,
JC'X. —M orn en orgv !
M ilita r \’ nm ncenvres at 7.30.
24
{ ' V U
\ R K K K ( ; A L
T .T K E
I X
I X D J A
.
m .
I
•
W e were all ou t again, and l>. and ^ ie l)n k e r>><le, th e V iceroy
having to tak e the salu te : then there w as a march past, an d a
sham right. A s we wore in th e tliick o f it w ith four iior.ses i felt
i t more prudent to descifnd fm m tlie cn n ia g e, nnd th e Duchess
w alked alxtut w ith me, and we inspected th e killed und wounded
>vho lay
our ])ath, aud wlio looketl very pictut^sijjip and oomfortabl^. . A laijge square red ffag ropreseiilotl tho enehiy, aud wo
were pleasctl to see it .u tterly routrf»d. JMol ^ n til w e fejt sure of
•vdctory did w e y c tu n i lioiue. TIjo D u k e w ent oil t*) see a n A rm y
C lothing jilaee, and we came homo to breakfast aud to road our
lettei*K.
0
W e wore ju st going '•'lit. in thn afternoon when n dreadful
dust-storm cam e on uiiexpccteilly, aud*l feareil th a t it w ould be
foUow(u1 b y rain. H appily it clcifred, and th e D ukb and Du<h(?ss«
played tennis, nnd we ha<l tea in thc! gard en .' W e dirndl a little
cafiier than usual, ami droS^cil iifferward.s for the hall. I t began
al'Out ten o ’clock, when w e all m et in my rooms, ami w en t up in
procession to the baW-rooin, w hich w as already fu ll <<f people.
*^»o<l save. thc'Q uecn ’ was plnyeil us wo came in, and w e im m e­
d iately tranced a sta te cjuadrilie. I had manager?' to. g e t a groat
dwd nforo figh t in to ihc' loom ; th e floor nnd m usie wen? gohd,
and 1 think, on th e whr>jf), it wa.s a very nice bail, p retty .and gtiy
and b r ig h t.,
r
^
Sa/i.'.nia}/. \7t/i. — 1 was vt'ry tii-ed, ami so took tin* day ea.sy ,
b u t th e Duchg.ss, in spib' of ;i headache, did tlie m ost fatiguiinr
th in gs. S h e and the D uke, w ith N elly in w.aitiiig, w ent and
hiinUKl ab out in th e h o t spn for th e Oldnese Bazaar, w hich, it
iipj'iears. doc.s n ot e.xi.'t; and aftor'lunciieon th ey all v.’('ut w ilh
I), on th e couch to the,st^■eplt’c!l}l^<e.^ ; T.udy Dnwne, th o Bishoj).
jMujor Coo}>er, ftnd I going up in th e launch to IkirrackporH. i
•ivjus anxiou s to see th at all was in order for our gue.sts, and I wa.s
few nrdw l for g ivin g up th o r a c is liy h .iv in g 'a vpi-y nice quiet
aft-crnoon. The.otj^orsarrived at 7.3d, nnd w e dirndl a little later
than usual, so as to give them tim e ft> dro.s.s. I was ghid to riml
that no accident hapjipiieil to Lord W illium , who had again ridden
in a race,
Snjid'ti/, lS/7,1.—"\^*e .spent our dav as u.suul here, and th e
D u ke uii'l Ducheas soonied to enjoy it thom nghly. AVc naked the
clergym an ai*d hLs w ife uiui th^ Commanding (►riiccr and h is w ife
to luueh, and flie only variety m ade in tho imwk amus<*mpnt
afterw ards w as th eexp erim en i, tried successfully,
]m_tting n bit
of jn ea t on tlie toj) of I)r. Scott's hat as he sa t at tab le nhdm* th e
banian -tree. Twiiui a hawk cnmo down nnd earrieil it off, and
th ojjird s t>warinod rouml us as th ey saw that ib cre wjusfoo^l to )>c
1885
TU :: DVKR ANl) JJLTHKSS OF CON^SAUOUT
25
h.‘nl. W h en , how ever, th e ^ n tlp in e n all w ont an d sat in a m w ,
tiioir helm ets sui*n»oxmtcfl w ith tcmptin'j bait, th e haw ks suspected
a trick and w ould n ot coiae down.
Montfa;/, 19/A.- - To-day w e ■visited Krench tpiTitory, anti were
received by iho flovernor and given a grand lunch by th e
nuthoritie.s. . i f ttiok us about an hour in th e st-eain launch to
get to Chaifdernagore. and when we hmded and had clfmlx'tl in
satVty o-^er a dangerous pathw ay o f ruvrget au<1 m l *cldth, we
found otn\seIvc.s in the tiiue.st and nm.sb u n in terestin g
Uttiy
to w n s.. Tlte jmssessiim is on ly about three milea m sizi*, and th e
” i ’rench h ave to keep up a govei^jior, m agistrates, a^d a uiiniatnri.'.
nt?jiy there, all of whiun are excessively iwivefj. h aying ifeitliPV
business nor pIo-Msurc w ith w hich tp fill their tim e, and not
• suHiclent .spac»^ to s»pp!y mL-.uhief for their idle hands. Their
w ildest di.ssipatioji
sittin g on a ghat hioking a t flie stins(jt to
the accoinjcinijuent of a glints of sheny*. They wpi-eall v eryk ifid
ta u-s, and th e trovernor di'ank the healths of our Queon am i
coim tiw, w h ile w e'drank prosperity to th e Rcjmblic.
The lunch, which w as very gcsxl, took longer than-«'eexpe<;t(3^
but the s ig h ts ‘bulk no tim e at all, .and so when w e g o t fo-*Calcutta
■ iho sun had wot qu ite disappt»vred, b u t was slw p ily 'g ild in g th e
rii-er,.w hile the appr»Kiching darkne.s^ gave to .all th e ships and
barges a sso rt of beautiful m ystery, i^fter th is lit^ e ghiam of
jxjctry came th e prose of dre.s.sing for a Ixdl, and then the Uall
itself.’
^
*
I t w’r s given by th e city to th e Duke and T^uchess of
C onnaught, w as arranged iu th e Town ilu ll, and w as a great
RU(;ves.«. Kvery one h:id lenk things* to lielj) th e debonition, ami
in iid d ito u to th e ball-rfHun, which was hung w ith w h ite and
VI How, and w hich h.ad a m ilitary tropliy a t <mo*end and rai.sinl
seats c o v e m l w ith bright cari>ets a t th e other, there were sevem l
i)eauf.ifuIIy-fure'.'»;,_.(J sitting-room s. 'T h e r.uppei- was iu a great
hall w ith colum ns, on each one of w hich was a shield w iih arms
on it. The w hole was brillm ntly lighted, l i t Ihike and Duche.ss
<lid their duty thorogghly in th e d ancing way, and stayed late,
s o th.at o\ cry one w as pleiiswl.
Tuesdif}/, '20fX. • I took th e D uchess in»lhe m orning to see th e
♦Ccbnouiic ]ilu.s<‘um. Perhaj>s .some day, wJien I have loss to s a j ,
f may do a littfe ‘ M urray ' and t^ll you alw u t it, l^ut now I w ill
o n ly say th a t one can see specim ens of th e eomnioner Indian
inateriah there,’ and th a t I shall eertainly return when I h ave
inoro tim e to g o through it.
The il.d m ran ee of K uch JJolmr cnnio to see the D uchess. »ind
Vtaye*! to luncK. S h e is very nioi*, niul seem s so ph*a.se<l to come
•2(>
O l'H M r 'E K E f iA L
U l-'K IN' IN D IA
„
cn. i
hero, and keeps
m e sbe feels Su .at houie. She orouglit the
little boy. w ho is so eurly to be in«.<ie an iiin_cJish sclioolb»iy ; h e
25 :i mvtet J>recocinn^ liftie cm itu re, not three years old, b u t h e
nlf'vuly speaks Kijglisii « t d tides » pony.
\V’e a ll drove to the 2oologicjiI ttardons in th e afternoon, and
a )itonkey there was a g rea t success. H e is qifito^ a charaetcr,
and gue^ou in such a human fashion, and docs such ufesurfl
w ith siicH a jsortnnn iJjce, th a t it is m illy v ei^ am using ^tc» watch
Inni. AVe gave him a JieM'spapei-, which ho appearotl t-(^ njad, and
M’hicli he opened ajxl turned over ami cmootliwl and sluclird, and
thi'U h e put it on his head and looked a t us from under it, ch ew in g *
A toortijiick moanwhiic.
From the Zoo to th e BLshop’s PAlace! - a very fine house.
\V c had tea then^ mid then w en t to see thfl jnoinm ients in the*
catliedrul anfl t-o Imai’ the organ. Thi.s closer’ th e Royal v isit, fur
w*? dined in morning, dre^s; and they left after dirmor. AVe w ere
all qu ite sorry ti> part w itli them . They are both so nice, atjd
seem to oujoy cvcrytliin.tr, and no dnitrcttm fH o f an y k in d oceuiTed
to ^}^oil th e ^isit. J m ust m ention tlia t wo a ll .w rote in each .
others' IViok.s that w o oxchangetl jiliotogi-ajihs .and were plvPtographed in* a group, and were w eighed, all our UghTimsscs and ■
our lie.avincsses being duly recorded ; and llia i, in addition, to all
1 have tohl^you, th ere wgre some little rides /uul w alks jn d games*
o f law n tennis to fill th e spare moments.
*
• IlVd/i^wfrty, :^lafs— A com plete day of rest for m o ; but tho
V iceroy, wliu’is alwavai a t wuX'k, gets uouo. I did not go ou t a t
all u n til the evening^ w hen w e w en t on bo;m,l an old ship to
atten d a contort givfu i.forth e sailors. I t is a so i-to f juis.sion, and
tin*, place is calhnl ‘ B ethel.' Tho chaplain is very energetic, and
several ladies sing and tak e trouble in g e ttin g up ule^e weekly
con<«rts. V e tlum ght it was a good th in g to cnoourngo, aiid I
bolicvo the V lceniy’.s pi-esfio‘ce gave gi'ent plea.sun* to i h « ‘ river.’
[ w as gpvcji a lovely ianiquet w ith an .anchor in th e centix) made
of w h ite roses, andja pnitty progrannoe w as paintud £'»r us, and
Hags coverotkin and ornamentm, th e place. The sailors joined in
tin; chonis, uml they sang a .song th viu selvcsin which the. solo part
M’lus, ‘ W here arc yuu'going to, my pi*etty inai<n ’ and tl»e chorus
alw ays replied som ething about ‘•R io (iraiu le.’
•
Saturday^ 2 4 th .- -I n th e aiternoon our new guests, th e Duke
and Duchess of Mi!ckl?nburg-fc>cliwerhi and D on Carlos, went, to
the races, 1.). stayed a t honie to work, and I w ent to g iv e prizi;s
a t Boun; n ative schools, Loril R adstock presiding.
■I r wa.s mthe.) an interesting sight. There wa.s a little platforhi
p u t Uj> for nie in ;i gai-deii„on (;ne side o f whioli
the H indd
1*
.
.
I
188.i
9
A
.
N A T iV K S C IlO O l, H IK L S
,
27
Ciu-istifin
helun^inir to
K cn u a l ^ h o o L M any o f t*tcae
becom e tca-cbers, and sumo <>f them lookafl about sixtaes; yeaw of
rtgc. T ’ley were dressed in w hite, th e ohior ones w cuiuig svUit-e
veils over their h^Hds. N ear them , and *>q th e other aide of th e
dais, were tiu e e more 8chi>«)l8, A ll th e girls in th ese wero small,
and w ore natjvo*drosses ; th a t )•' to s?.y, coh'mrod wraps aurt hits
o f jVvclo— Bracelets on their w n sts and n n k lev car-f;mg>; and
iiose-ruig 4i. Thefr h^iir w as drawn tig lit li^ck and w as done uj>
in ft large ^ nob, nature’s delicicucies being niaile. n y w ith riblnm ^
this kn»b w as som etim es covei'ed w itli a coloured n et, nnd some* tim es th e whole head and e«ar8 w ere hidden w ith gojd om.'' w rn ts ;
bm llu; tenchoia discourage th e w earing of much jew ellery a t
sch*>d, as the /esp on sib ility is too g r m t for them . N^jneof th ese
*girls looked niftrc than ten'or eleven, nor are they more develojied
in appeaninci- liian Jhilclren of th a t tige a t home j ai?d i t w as =a<l
t<» g ive a di>U fts a prize to soim? poor KtUe creature who, youtTg
ris» she is, is probalily on th e very verge o f niatnniony, w ho may
;niy m om ent Icavcjier ow n iwi'cnts for the* tender m ercies o f a
• morhor-ir^-hiw >>v of an elderly hnsbaiid, or wh/* n.s ft ch|id'wi<ioV
m ay l>e condeihhed to a sort of outcast existeu ce'ftll thef r(^t of
' her days.
•
•Tim cefemonie-s ct»u.sisted in singing hym ns and songs in
various layguages, then an interesting rejiort w as i*ead, and L<a\l
Ihodstock spoke. A fter th is came m y part, o f th e proceedings,
am i I d i^ lt ou t dull.s, little J)Oxes, and picturo-lamjjs, ,is rewai^.'?
fc-i •ftcripturc, (l?ography, Literature, B engali, andTTbcfulncss.’
\Vu all m et at the station and came t<i ^arrackpore by ti*ain.
Sundiiij, U5l/(.— 8 ir 'rijomas Baker, th o .4.djist".nl Oenci-al, is
w ith
iierc. The B ougainvilleas, a lovply purjde creeper, and
the B ignonia, an orange cue, are in perfection, am i a large cottontree, which looked dejid ten days ago, i^ n o w c o v o m l %vith beitutiful
large buiiclio.s of a b rig h t tiani(!-coloure<l lily-sluipt'd flow'er.
.Uwufny, '2Qth.— 1 think tlm i in th is climut^etipcsboukUveoonl
a fog, and v.'c w ent o u t riding th is nujrniug ir* th e .thicke'-t jvnd
flfimpest m ist po.ssible, ninj, had to lig h t .a lamp r’oP b iviak fast!
I t ck'Hrydbff s o o n g fle r nine, and w c had a jile a « tn t voyagti hack
to C alcutta b y th e river.
^ *
^ Ttttisday, 'Slth.— I shan’t record fo g sa n y more. £ .neyapi»ear
to be common enough a t th is thno fif year, and th is nicrning again
w e h-id to m ove the breakhi-sT tiihle in to th e boilse ; m y baloony
vyim dripping, j^rui I felt an xious jm to th e health o f m y birds !
IX wii.s happy th is afternoon in oj^oning h is ow n particular
tennis court. U has been m ade in the spiice betw een tw o wingr.
th«»house ; if hSs j% red compo-situm flot<r and wooden w alls.
28
OVK V lf BRKCAL U t ' i : IN
•________ . cic. i
w hich are eventually to be coven*iI w ith crc<'pers. Several
gentlem en in sa ir le t uniforms atten ii to pick up th e balls, but
th ey are to be exchanged for small Ixtvs, ligh tly clad. O.’s artistic
ey e is in perpetual rleiigiit here, eitlier over th e niusclca exhibited
b y those wlio wear few gai’iiienfs. sucli a s th e B h cesties,.or oveithe m a^ stic folds of th e ‘ Roman to g a / for that* is. the nnmo we
i ^ o r a i ^ y giv^ to +ho costum e t»f th e ordinary native t>f (Calcutta.
T th in k it w^is to thcjr brfiwu colour ami to J.heir m uscka th a t the
, Viceroy w as Ipoking forward when he ordered his little I s y s ; b u t
a higher authority has comnmnded tluit tliey shall be drjfped.
H avin g ijienticmed him cjusually, T m ust, I think, inli^'xlucc.*
'you form ally t<» the •* B heestie.’ He. is qiilte n cluu-acixfr, and a
feature in« every laudscupc. Look wliero jo u will, out of your
w indow or ou t o f your carria<^, you are siire l<i sec a br«in/.ff
a th lete w ith a large turlwvn on his head, a ffiiort gai’nnmr it>un«l
ITls w aist, aiu lA heavy sWn full of w ater o v erliisb a ck , laying th e
dust on every side and thifying in hts own person all snich modern
iu v cn tio n sa s w uter-ourtsorhose. I lls is real, liard, im intcrruptHl
.Ihbfuir. .i:fis'’calling is honourable, h is caste high e v w y one willaccept w ater from a B heestie aiwl those attach’ed to regim ents
have*served Sf» w ell in tim e o f w ar th a t now the^*aro clig ib le ’for'
decorations given for service in th e licLl.
I fear J see too
ly to sliare H is E xrellcn cy’s^dyiir.ation
for th e ‘.P*^aian to g a / I lik e bright colours, handsom e stjiils,
an d liea u tifu y ew els— in m y frivolousfem inim : w ay andaU bougb
spotless sheets, an occasional laurel wreath, ainl th e prim itive
sam lal m ay liave adtlpd soinething to the dignity of the heroes and
emperors o f ancient days, I am not very sjvnguino on the subject,
for in my experienc© (jassiu and irbthetic dress alw ays loses by
tn ihslatiou from th<*orj’ in to practice.
In the evening we a ll v^ent in difterent directions : I jiatroniseil
a concei-t in aid of.R om an Catholic schools. H. w ent to tho circus,
nnd others att^jnd^d a jxirty at tlm B ishop’s.
W edm sdfty, 'liMk.— I s*iw a veiy* horrid .sight-this &ftennx)n.
I t w as th e la st day of th e races, and lo r d M'illiam w as to ride in
som e ‘ consolation stjikes,’ wliich ! th ou gh t soiyided lik e im easy
little, race for unlucky hq;rscs. W e w en t to tlie coui-so in uime to
se c him ride, and a t th e very iirst fence, stm ig ld in front of flih
stand, he. h*d an awful fall. T .shut my cye.s through part o f it ,;
b u t w hen I looked up lie was ly in g perfectly m otionless, and wljen
he was liftftd his face w.-is covered with blood. H e ha*s*hnrthiinsglf badly, b u t th e doctors think h is head is uuinjurwl. W e a h a ll
n ot allow him to ride'steepledm ses any more.
had had quite
enough of the races aft«*r»t!iis. and came lioilfe.
•
.
I
.
.
.21
\
1885
•
IN* T H E J E W E U .E ir S S H O P .
I tooic th r I)uc'hes3 of M(HjklenburgSchw erm to n. great jew eller’s shop by way o f entertainm ent,
and T w;ia m uch interested m yself by a ll we saw tlu^re. The
jew els se t in liurop e for th e I'Jastern nmrifet are a ourious m ixturo
o f splendour and ohiJdishness .• w atches encrusted w ith diamonds,
and w ith such co^nplicated interiors that, besides t e l l i n ^ o u all
you can poss*bly w an t to know about th e tim e o f^ h e d jy .o r of
th e year, th ey play y^u a tune, aud g iv e you- a representation of
the conductor w aving about h is bfiton as he sits si^i^owhere on th o .
face, niijted up w ith th e seconds and th e liours. Then there are
■ornaments for turbans, on w hich tlie diam ond iiowers, being
wound up, w hirl lound and round till you can no longeV sce\heir"
shape, i t would l>e difficurt to keep up an argum ent w itli a man
w hose jew els w 6re b<!niU'ing in-sftch an eccentric m anner!
W e also saw a
collection of n a tiv e jew els w hich are to be
sold by auction in a few ,vocks. T o o u f Ideas th ey are positive^'
ugly, and one can on ly w»)uder a t th e w'ay in which tlie precious
stones are trefited--enortuous rubies, omei'aWs, and pr-arls bored
•through and stru ng together lik e ordinary beads ; fli!nq,ouds cut*
l>erfectly flat, and looking' lik e very com m on glass. T h ^ were
sonio buttercups, tho petals of which w ere diam onds cu t quitb thin
. g.ud‘ u tterly destroyetl. There are ornam ents se t double— tliat is,
w ith ru yiej on one side .ami emeralds ofi th e cLlmr
ibei-e
are precious stones in a ll sorts o f useless things, such as
l>oxes,.mouthpieces, itc. W h en w e had lookefl at al]thf-se things,
th e jew eller took u s into tho worksliop? to see th e silver repousse
work done. The m en dk-aw th e patter^ on s flat piece of silver,
anil th en h eat dow n th e Ijackgtound.
•
T he cUy endetl w ith a large dinner hi^rr, and a p retty cheery
little dance.
C H A P T E R II
FIRST
• •
,
SEASON
IN
C.^LCUTTA
■
J akcabv 31 TO ilAiicu 18, 18S5
S atiirdn p, Jan n am j 3ls#. The J^ukenud D uchess o f M ecklenburg-Schw erin and Don Carlos have loft us.
, Tlio girja anjl I. eanm dow n to Barr.-ickj'ore early bv train, a s
I w anted to see th e ‘ in stitu tion s ’ hero. They are of a nice sm ajl
size, so th at a little tea and tob'iicoan<la}»lum cake ariisufiicient
to .g iv e plea.surc. F our \y r y old womon»ave en tirely provided £^r,
.
1
J)0
<nyi VlCEJiKGAl.. U l'T IN INDIA
i
atkI vhojv are o. few other ponsioiiera, and a seliool for Ji.ntive
C hristian chiMven. Therr-wpre some, fascin atin g ioiiintR there,
and th e tonching seemed wojulyrfully goml. Tito pupils, w ho had
o n ly beoji learning a ycafr, ^^Toto EnglisK and H im lugtani cham otera remarkably
well, ami
and tiiey Rang in
reinarKamy wen,
in, English^
jiiigusiij pivnouucing it
j
m ost d ^ tin ctly .
■ j
T!\e iiftern^nn wjis lovely, and w e enjoyed ib m u d i, as w c R£it
^
nudttr iJift baniah-treo ■waiting for D . and o iy guests, ffliis "week
Jtsir Iton.'dd an^l Lady Htewart and their tw o daughters, and Cap­
ta in H aines, tbeir A .D .C ., came to ns.
W o are iw p»vty of Iwelve, and w e on ly brought th e you n g
moinftorf: of our Stafl'w ith us, so in t^e evening Limy p k y gam es
a iiil eniciy them selves, though I m u st say th a t n o one is move
~ liv e ly thart Sir D onald 'himself, ^'ho is nob ;gpung* H e is 9iKh iC .
nice man. *
^
* .SVmfrty,/s6?‘w ir y I/!??— IIiA vy m in th is m oniing ! One luis
to bo glad becau.-ic it is good for the country and bfcause it* is
righ t to 1)0 unselfish,f)tliorwis« I should compj;jin bitterly. T his
^lluce is cudy tntended for outrloor life, for as none o f th o ro.onis‘
'nave
th ey are extrem ely dism al in th e daytim e.,
Some* have skylights, and sotik* have ■uiiulow.s* opening on to
verandahs.
•
•
H ap p ily the day cleared, and w e w ere afjJp t d ] ^ t<4 cli\irch
tm d onco more to s it under th e trPf'C'and the girls insistcsl upon
having a n et, dragged through a sort o f tank which T ha\x* once
before dftircrihed as being covcre<I w ith red w ater-lilies, and trf>
■our surprise ten o,r tw elv§ very large fish w ere tAkcn. W'o p u t
back oome, and ate irthei's. T his Seems a good place to g iv e you
U ie practical inform ation th a t there is only one tish to
had in
C alcutta, and day /ifter day ‘ becti ’ appeal's upon tho bill of fare
— bect.i hot, liocti cold, becji of coui-se. In A pril one nn>re co'mes
in , tho mango fi.sh. by name, b u t i>y th a t cimc v/c slinll be a t
•Simla.*where tborQ is n o t even th e becti. I have e.aten him too
often to 1)6 able t o tell you w hetifer he is good or not, but I
w ill reinemBer to consult sorao touriB-bon th e subject.
A few new birds have jo in ed tlio c o ir ^ n y of liawks at
Rarrackpore. 1 cun't'say th ey sing, b u t th ey are n o t diiinb. T he
‘ copper-head's’ ‘ coo ’ .sounds e x a ctly lik e a b low upon a ]iioce*of
jnetal. T h » ‘ b rainfover’ bir^ repeats h is nam e over and over
again u n til h e uearly giv es you th e m alady itself. T he ‘ m y n a s’
m«kp a sound lik e intensijjed crickets, and I am * ir e t/ia t I have
h fa n l a b in l that say^ ‘ B a cc a ra t’ constantly, b u t he does ?iot
seem to bo know n to fame. Tho oriole’s lovely golden plum age
is jometiiQea to be seen flittin g through th e branches; tnore are
4
‘
I
.
188.5
f
f
P K O (iK i:s S
(>!•
C fllU S T L iX lT V
iJ A T l V K S
silso squirrels in th e t.r«eS, and nt nii^ht there are jack als
‘ prow ling aromid ’ ! S o ifcuch for th e zoology of Barrackpore ur,
far as T know it.
A fter church I looked a t the Zcnan^v Missjon H ouse and tin;
Suuday School. W idow s an; the m ost numerous of liie CH>tiverts,
■which is easy t»i vimlcristoucl, for goin g over to C h ristianity
m eans the fAcrifice of home, and then-fore those who !(avo th e
fe w e st tigs, and whoso poaitiou at* homg is u n h a p p y ,' n atu ­
rally leave it more %^illingly than women Trho havp husbands to.
w osidei;.
I t is a curious tliiug th a t there is no opposition whq.tever
■motlo to th e te a .h in g of th e fliblo in th e schools, rfnd all the
children are instructw l irt it and in no other religion. Som e
ipeople say that* th e ]^i*ents dy «iot object because th ey feel th a t
caste prejudice is flbo stron g to perm it of m any Cnnvorsimis; ;
others tliat i.he cliiJilren lose tlx?ir o w » sup(;rstitious and do nftt.
giiiu n new. religion ; w h ile som e persons, believe th a t tlie ground
is prepared, nn-.l th a tlli'o q u ir es very little tcsb n n g the people over
to CMtrsstianity in a mass.
.
•
Mtyiiday, 'hid^.to F riday, ^th.— 1 do not th in k th e even ts of
Iho fe s t of tlwK w eek have beeii in terestin g enough to “give* tlinin
to y o u . iij detail. I), paid Ijis- return v isit to th e M aliarajah of
VTeypore, and was hung w ith garlands of.ilo w ers a n d g o ld braid.
Adinir.tl b ir \V . ll'o w iit arrived v.-itli iw o ships, and sleeps in our
house, bu t spetuls n-.Oot of h is days on board,
i?ir Jam es and AHss Fergus.son, M>‘S. r>e;m, an^‘tw o A .D .C .’s
have also conie ; and as w e e.'cpect Lord R andolph C hurchill on
Saturfhiy, w e have .h;wl to piil*up te n ft in wie guvdcn fm- i.he accomm oii'tiitm of som e o f those visitors.
1 have had a little, durbar o f my 'WJi, and have roceivod the
‘Maharajah o f .Teypon; in solem n coTiclaw. The girls had taken
M iss Fergusson and i b “s. "Dean ou t for a driyo, and I wiuj aloue
in uiy boudoir, w hen Mr. \\',allace sent to a.sk w hen I eould iw e iv o
H is llighnras.. ‘ N ow ,' I r<;plied, and so he u5i5» ushered in, and,
quite after the luanner of th e V iceroy, I advanced t o m eet him,
o n the threshold, wavoi.l him lo a pink silk chair, ]w,id him ‘all
the com plhuents
th e season,’ m ontioned t*ho satisfaction i t gave
i>*e TO see him and to hnd him well, said how nluch I had heard
<if .Teyporc, .ami ^low much various gue-sts of Ynine l^id sj)okcu of
his kindness to them , accepted .an iziviUttionf.'.r Jt/yself to g o tk c ro ,
and acceptcxl H is lfighnes.s’H photograph in return for my ow n
which th e'V iceroy had givmi him.
■ H is remarks an d m ine wcro inteiq^retoil by a sombre Babu all
ib black, while* th e M aharajah wore ,a pink moire fi-ock coat,
32
T .m - r
iru rr
■ T jr.-tr-
•
pompa«lour trousers, w liite s-atiii
diuiiiond aiul exnenild
ne^khiCe, and a turban inadn of rod ^llk cord, p u t on so as tf>
s!)ow a gcjod d*‘jil of bis long black liuir. J must w:;i n vou tb a t
tlie w iuils ‘ fr(«:k
ami tri)us(‘ra,’ M’lien applied to the I’ostuino
of tlie M alinnyal), ini;jht not )je .'u.-cepted us correct by th e ^p’oat
-Mr. P ode, b u t if yon can iinagino tlie fir->t to t>e .(ilcl'fa-shioned
and shp^-M'.d&^oil, und th e .>.<H'<»nd b» be tig h t and In '.vrinkles,
and finally b i 1 m» io.st j n a pair of Eunjpeau^boots, you,\vill have
«i very fair ic^ea of Kis" H iglm ess's ajjpcaraiice. i l i s uianrn-iv? . were fjuitf; jis i»eautiful as n iy own, and he m ade h is ex it m ost
gm eefully.
,
.
' ;
T he fiinuer w as lor alxnit seventy people, b u t th e dance w as
a little larger fhan usual in honour of* Sir Jam es Fergusson. I t
ended nevertheless a t tw elve. Ifcippily the early'houi's are. very*
popular w illf th e niej>, and oven w ith th e bulfhs. w ho are A'ery gay
h5re, and have, to .sit u{^ almoKf t<w.> m any uiglits of tlio week.
T hese .S j/lu ll dajice-w h ;n e been innst -suecosiiful, b u t th is is tlie
last of them , as we have u ball n e x t week, aiirl th en ooines Lent.
Jhiring tljo ex^ning there was a great thunder ami hailstorm;
P lease to remeuiber th a t 1 am in Tialia, fo r .ify o u don’t keep
^
th at t’fict before your eyes you w ill not find th e foHuwing descrip- '
tion of a flower show a t all iul.*‘re.sting. Y ou w ill o n ly im agine
^
tluib T a m ,in the C oun iy Domui, and will womler w h y 1 should'
tell you anything !V> conmionphice.
On FridawaftermHin f, being a t Calcutta, started off fur th e
A gri-JlorticuR ural Gardens, armed w ith an um brella ami a
m ackintosh. A few step s from the gat<-i I put up th e hood o f
tlie cai’riage*; a few sto-ps farther I*put on th e inack in b «h ; and
<>n aligh tin g 1 put up ay.um brella an<] proceeded to w alk th n aigh
a very damp tent, looking at the \aii>/;u' exh ib its w hich luvd been,
m ore or le.ss dam aged by Jho weather lost night ; Then made- a
ra]ud passage ocrosB the w et grass to another ten t to look a t cu t
flowers^ but W. 1 4 entreated to hurry thn'Ugh m v insjw ctiou, a« tlio •
tent w as likely to com e down, ;u)d ao m ade Vi.'i,ste back to tin*
^
carriage iim.t*homc. ( >f course, iti.s foi;iy yctirs since such a th in g
hnppoued lichvre, b u t I can only speak from .experience, and it
is very urrtrn'tunate hir*the w eather th a t 1 happen to keep a
journal.
.
«
I really w as very to r ry f<>r*the pfxiple inters*sted, o.s it quite
ruined iho show,*and 1 wanted myself, iron; practical motive.^, T o
" h at ought t*> '.■ii>w Jiere.
^
I)y the e\o n in g , wet streets an<l very l*euutifui snninier ligh tTiing titfully illum inating th e sk y were all th at remaine<l of the
storm, am i X w as very glad of it. b*'* i' '.\fi.s oiif'*of oui’ otrtgoing
I
.
‘
• 9 .?
i
nij<lits. %Vc v e r o piitrnnj^'iug an n!Jiat<‘ur j>'jrf<.rfnanf{'of'PvfjJiialioii ajnl G alatea,\^'i\t-n ‘ to a irl th e a'lvauufiiu'ut »)f «lnunatic
W
in In d ia ; ’ whioli
jn plain-'f Enffligh tliaii tliat of tin*
i>vogr»unmf, tliui. th^ uuiabnirs wishnd i-> act, ib a t tlirv I'rij'iimllv
intend'Tl t<» lool^out fur a charity to act f u r , l)nt th at b ffo iv th at
uhjf-fi w.is
nj'uM it wax discovrrt'd th a t thpirthrifc iii-'htr'
1^
}u‘t'ft>nii:iucca would ctmiplcU'ly em pty th" jih'cafK' riftfit!}’*empty
thcntri’x
the
and t}u‘ri‘f«)rc it
aiTangpil ilu it th e
iimnoy slionld ;;o (u them > and %\e s j i w
uf fhy unsuccossfur
, profcs<riumls Ihm w iui' )>onfiUf*t-i a t thc-sfi splf-sacrincin;' mnat+-«V'!.
•
7f/'. -W'c "ave a I’anvickpore {iarden'aiiJ chiM m i'x
pnrtv. il.od tw o e’c p iia ijs v.dth ,%iuart liuwdahs on for tho infant-s toVi<ic, i^ba'iilplayintf, a^ littlc t.iri,'<'t to shoot at, and ton.
^
* lf it docs rain in hulia it also i.an dry np, and m y pjirty w as not
“ :u all
by yesterihiy’j^ dowr*[»onr. ^
«
.S'o/t(/ny, •‘'t/o -^ irf.'li:irle sa n d Ijid y .Macgregor, S ir A uckland
OMviii, Lord Itsindolpii Churchill, and tw o Frcnclnncn -th<^
Mtirniiis dc la (irungc uml th e ‘ Princw d^ Lucimic, Count do
F au cig n v '— a ll. caino to iunch. Tl-.r f<'>’»*T»ruers nave spiles ot
b'ttcrs of introduViion, and w ill conic and stay w id ;-n s ;i> • ^ ■ > 0 0
;is we liuve room for tlicm. Lord Jl:indut])h nunaiii.s lu-n;. and
^
-.th e vcSl of the party i*<?tiirm*fl to C alcutta in tlu* evening. They
all Hky*i tticir «lay in th e country, ;ind all thought l^arr.ickporo
perfectly luvoiy.
‘J i / t . —
I had an aftt’rnoon visit from M r . Croughtoii,
‘ A dininistralur-C cnoiL r ht-ie, rmd son of .a very old friend of ours.
\
l i e tolfl me v.dmt he w as doing, niHl»how he liad little ventun^s
ill silk and te.a ; and, w hile discoursing on kieul toplv.-'. lie menrioneil casurdly tluit lie was trustee for ah idol,
w hich he pui<t
'2'<0 rupce.s a m onth. Thi-s ' id o l' is a sacrn l stone, and cun pci hups scarcely be digniticci with ihc name of ‘ gO<V hut th e account
ot 1 1 was i.-ohi.r in tviesiln g . A deputation w'o-s sentlook for
tw o sncr^l stones in some yiver, and w hen th ey w ere brought.
■
buck, a m eeting was held to decide w hether th e y , W't*re roally
sacred or not. Mr. L m u g in o n had to be present, while a Fakir
and .“some other lisrn ed perwiiiagc.s sq u a itei^ o u th e lloor, w ith a
book and the stones lieforo them , am i compavc'l them M'ith h reul,
v-fd, undoubted •‘id o l’ wliich w a j brought in for tlio purpose.
T h is jury gave it against th" new c'‘i.dr'^4i«s, b u t l*supposc th e
stones nppoalcil, for tlie verdict was sonuilioiv or o th tr itvo»‘se<-l,
►
u.id a suithblo«tlirono wa? procured njx)ii which tho throe now sit
iin'\ receive their m onthly Bt-ipend.
♦
•
L.ui a very pleasant dinner at th e F o r t; ull tho fam ily
^
(th e C om m iyidcr-iii-Cliief'sJare bright.and cheerful, .and ev ery o n e
'
*
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■
/
'
8d
•
0 1 4 1 VTCnjci£t;Al. U l ' E
IN' IN D IA
.
ch.
ii
pfuiw l to \>e hnppy. Mi.ss Suovart took our jirofiles on » Mank
v a il, an d T h-‘.ar my poi-trait i« admirable. S h olia.s(iu ite» i;anery
»)f tlics« h(.*:i'ls. The sbadow is throw n on th e w all, and th e o u t­
lin e is done in pencil and then filled in w ith black ; tlio effect is
very goo<l. T he victim ’s homl rests a g ain st a w ineglass to keep
i t sU!afl|L and the artist has, a fttr the uiaiiiier
idiotogvnpUtTs,
TO puU tile chii'i a little movH up or a lilt le uiore down, w hlcli
process o f arningenu>nt, as jx-ribrmed by
lo rely yo » n g ladv,
^eoiaed to anuise and g n v ti^ th e gentlem en much. Ijovd Kaiidolph ruibed his eyebrows a little as ho sat. under th is treatnieut
th e d/iy ofJn > first inciixiuction to so c ie ty hetv;.
Tu^nd'iy. lOf/i.- 1 am afrai<l you w ill I»<;gin to floubt m y
voracity if 1. tell you th a t tho rain rallmr iptorfered w ith ten n is
th is affcernopn, and quifo p reven t'd th e u.se o f a rCfreshmenf tenw
Jii tho Licutcnaut-G ovem or’K bnp ! B u t I assure you it is true.
S(> wo did very llitle in tfio day ; at n ig h t w e had a sm all dinner
o f pi.'oplo .specially asked t-. m eet Sir Jam es Fergu.s.son, and tl»c-n
jm t UJ1 Hit uuibreila* and d.ashod in to tlic CJirriuge Uy drive t o
b e lv e d e r e , 'fhe hid! sva.s very nice indeed, and T enjoyed it, h.
a t last f dp believe I am m aking a fc%v ucfjuaintahees. H jiherto
it hafi'beon m ost uphill work. X may talk all tlrrough a dinner
on M onday to sonu^ persons, but ■when I see them on T aesd ayj.
they not fmly don't .'ipe:<k to m e, but I can’t f(5el sure tf^it glemn
o f reoogiiition passes over their faces, and a ll the labour of. re­
m em bering t.kem an<l of tryin g t<) bow to them or Uj speak t>*
them falls upon me. 1 am told it is shyness, training, fwir of
w hat otli^'r 4 ieopU‘ w ill .say, itc., * tc .; but, wiiatuvcr th e reason of
it m ay be, th e i’esult fs th at it malfes thib tho m ost dilliculT. nf all
th e sociotie.s f have ev»r luul to do w ith . Wc-11; lu.st nigh t I sa'w
a glimiuf-r o f im provem ent, and at a n y m te a few o f the- grcHt
lords and ladies (Burra J^idiib and Burra "Mem Sahib) did 8jx-ak
to m e w ithout Ixjtng driven to it. 1 a.ssure you th is sense of
prng(i%s made <nQ,fe«d ({uite oluxn-ful.
ll l/ t .— 2:?elly took Mi.ss FergussOu oiit to pay
\ isits in th e morning, and. they played ten n is in th e aftt:moon.
1 wejit to g iv e .^rixe.s a t a /’jonnnn Miasion.
T his one is
mo.na^<'d b y Mw? Jfofir©, a very energetic lady, ‘ w ith nd nonsense
about her.’ She nearly jnudu m e laugh- b y notlding a t me a fte f 1
Jjad di.slnhiftcd. j i oerbiiii nmuSer of dolls and boxes, and saying,
‘ Those an; the prizes, now those are th e bribes.’
The little H indu girls are m ost a ttractive!* Tlujy do hwilr'
such m iniature women w ith their coil o f hair (or rib b on ),/th e
jew els on their lo->ul.s, nocklacos, bracelet.^, and anklet.s; and tnen
tli«ir dm pcrv o f dtiFerenl^coiourcd m uslins variously p u t bn.
I
.
188.)
.
04
ATUOC'ITIES I S
.
S . V n v l i ATTIKK
35
•
Tt
m o s t :\mnsin;.' M sco \lic m com r u]> fu r tlu ’i r pn?ps, b u i
T gritM ‘.‘ to say th a t syiuptoiii's of K uioja-an cofI utiic a ro to bo
srv'ii
llien i. f luul ju s t d « alt o u t a
o r a b rib e t^i
a real little Oj-icoibil piatun*, w hen .i licvrid calico t'r«K:k of p u re ly
Mngli.sh jtatU Tii appw uvfl b cfo ia iiic 1 ^ tn d , a las! even som e w ho
l)C^'au well eiwlud in p a te n t Ifuaiicr sliocs, o ver w h ic lu sc v e n o r
ei^ b t silv e r'im k lt'ts fell in tk e m ost in cu n p n u m s m a n jv e r! O ne
«liild ejm ii'1'^ fo rw a rd ap}jt‘a rc d so h im e .tlia t " in q u iretl a>K)ul
li<-r. .tm rfo u n d sh e \\'a^ o nly suttcrinjr from new slm e s ! N i t nof
d re.u lfp l
jew els, am ! s.Tt‘en nn<l y..Ul g a n n e iits w n u n d ro u n d
• w ith crimson inublin, 'ind" then striped cottKui ,stockinjjs ami
.shoes I -anti i u as imido a ino.st niiw ilH nj'accom plice, fur I liad
to i;ivr o'.it llotiiislt c<itVin jackets, and tlolls dressed h \ the
, • hcii'lit t/f tlii* t’a slfion ' .ami st^ll calcuhued to spoil th e ta ste of
th e risiiie eenerat.ifrn. T hese atrocities an; se n lo u tlfv kind }>eoide
a t home. 1 wish they would ^'efc paWorns of Ifidian jrAviuciTis,
and niak<X them both for th e children and th e flolls ! r n fo r tu u/itelv ific latiei' ;u» nnuiufactured with cl«;ruous aud Ixsits, ami
. 1 .suppose th ey cifn’t be Iwu^ht w ithout lucw
•
.
«
From tills functi.nr I w en t on to a i«irty at JfrsiIlh crt’s.
• On driviii;.''up.lo th e house, I found tw o ;.(irls in bn^rlifnuTivc
(Ucs. p! 'yin;r liadiuinton. Kvery one was introduce*! to me. I
‘ was m ost interested in t>he tw o medical -students w ho.w ere ilicre,
and ii i^ f(irl w ho Jia.s iak'-n ^ d.^“ r(*e .tnd hi now a teacher in u
large school.
,
Our guests from Uombay left u s after dinner t<* return home.
;uid we w en t to th e circus wliich w e were j;atv<)nisin^.
The rain cam e throngli th e te n t and pattcre*! m i th e backs of
<iur cliairf.
,
When r iioar ih o fam iliar sound, m y mind rcvcrt-s to the
‘ crop s/ and to iho e d iv i it w ill pnHhice upon turnips and mangt)l(l wurxol; but oii. n F read o f ‘ lubi crops,! of ‘ rahar, linseed,
indigo, and popip3 ’,’ of ‘ th e harvesting-A ’
“the thrc.shiiig
of jow ari,’ and these new nam es m ake m e reaVse, in .spue of thv
homely’ riiin, th at I am in a new world.
*
Tliiim dnji, Vlth.— T lieg irls anti ] w en t on hoard the.K'uryaZns
to -see A dm in tl K&witt and h is ship, lb ; Ifttd th e decks ‘ clea m !
f<*’ action,’ worked th e guns, aud gave us tea. H e also show ed
us the 0!-»h>r give'ii him by K ing J*)hrj o f .Iby.s-sinia.* I t consists
o f a gold !Mnsonic cross se t w ith jew els, and w o u i rcumd tho nock
w ith a silken cord, and a great lion'.s inano by w ay o f a coiiai.
\ \ « had a *ball in tlie e-vening. A lm u t I.OOO people weyo
;i.;k<'il hilt T don’t th in k th ere c<in have been inoro than GUO
jjiV.'-eiitf .and thortj w as jih n ty o f rooni.for dancing—alm rst lo o
.f
t
I, ■■
31)
t
V IC E U K d .iL UVV. I S
I N U L V
,
inucli, 1 thougiit. for a t sijppcr-timr tlie room w as roarly ompty
asii? iic w r lillwi again. Like a
i-hap«i'on T .slayecl till tho
verv
and .N*-Jh' tind U«'"ljel .'iiul rjiinr iiavtupi’s danced tlio
la.=;i galloii aloiic. L . lia fin g had hard work a ll d ay was tired,
and disappeared hefoi-c supper.
loth- 1 f*2ar th e .sii'ojocb of /lenanTi iIi.s.sions will
Iniglu t-o bore jk>u. l>nt th is i'a tho pj'i/.c-giving uiontTi, and ovmi
to-d»y (Iocs n ot hnng* Jai- to ilje eiitl of tl^ sc funotioj*s. Thi.s
Aif-ornotm the schools were seated in rows on tiic -rrass a t H elve,
dere, and very jacturesiiue th ey looked. 1 am never iHred of
.seeingi*the.iiu'’jrtij? little girls with their strange gan n cn ts, stranger ’
life, and mysteriou.s fnluve. and lind n|l tlmb f can sei; and hear
of them m ost interesting.- Tln-re was a yery Rtj-ikinir ehjld,
w hose costuiiie really de.s-erres to h r descriJ>ed^
looker) ahnut*
t,\;jeI\’o. H er hair w as e liib o u te ly plaitral at th e Imcb, an d liad
worst<id liowers stu ck in to i)..in tiie form of a high couil). - A
broad l>iuid of gold covered liev parting, anil (mdivl k) an oiTiam ent fallin g over hcr*foi'cliead, w ith sim ilar’hands from each side
Itnd sim ilar ornoTuents covering tl^e ears. She wore a jacket- o fbluo-and gijLd v'ith. s}»'.>! t rdeevcs; aiid a th in black, scnvrf, w ith
green and red .stripes and broad gold f'dgps. cam e over eiiuh ’
shoulder, w as confined to th e w aist by a b elt, and wus arrancod .
in such a W)iy as tu entitVly dr!q>e liei- figure, c o v e r iiig jic f to tlm
feet, in graceful folds. On. e:mh iirow n a im wero ai. least fiftieen
gold bracelets,* nnklets ou her feet, iuid a i«>ar! drop in her. nose.
8 h e had a very intoresting face, and Wiis dignified to tlie verge
of lioiug cross! 'IS'ono of .th e children rcn'ly uiiderstand E ng­
lish, b ut th ey rej>eat 'T love little f>ussy ' and ‘ M ary liad a Tiulc
lum b*‘in m onotonous and tragic tones.
.
Lord ltan d ol|ih Lhurchill le ft iiis in th e evening.
Mo/7'Iay. Uit/i. —There 4\’as an afternoon diineo on board th e
W hen w e arrived th e yard.s were nianned, and then
w e fountl ourselvtts in a beautiful room eo \ered in w ith llags.
Tho p.ai’ty w as a* great surc'-'<s, anil the ship i s ’ (*ft’ tb-inorrow-,
h a v in g behtnd a Lieutpnaut Lindsey, w ho is goin g t.«) join >Sir
f!ierald Graham nt Suakim .
.,
'Ihieitihiyi \~ th.— f have been g iv in g new colours, and making
a speech, and ii*sisting ai. a garcle’'’- 1 'ai ty in tl! 0 ,F o rl.
T he rc.gfbieivt T gave th^ colours to is knn-wn to you n.s the
Sth, b u t j s now ilm ‘K in g ’s Liverpool Jlcgim cnt,’ commanded by
■OtTiThiel TyC 3Iosurier. The .s/»)<=‘mn ‘ being oiF wiiji th.p' old lo v e ’
is indicated by th e marching of thn tattered rag.; diown th e line,
.saluting th 'n, and retiring them tn th e musip o f ‘ Auld liivng
Swne.’ Then follow s tlift ecpially serious ‘ com ing on ttith Otc
i.
18S-j
i.K T T K R F R O M l i J t E A i ' L U V ilA t j i ' T i r T n P r
•
?>.
9
nt^w,’ w R enthe Bishop con fccm tos th e Cfilnuirs, -which rest ajfsiiist
the. t1rutu« p ilfd in th e centre c f th e snunrc; th en th ev nro un ­
furled. aijfl an otlicer receivt*K them fty ia niu on bended kuoo;
and then comes lier ■lady.ship'< speech to this efiect;—
• CoLO-VEr. ^.iK MESUUIEIi, OFFtORRH, - Xox-COM^SSION'EI)
( )iFlCEUS, ^tND 'MrV of TtlE Ivi.Vo'.S L i VKUPOOL REGniKXT,— I
confide these colours to your kpepin.i,', in t]ie full assurance th a t
you \^•ill*J^uar<l tliont faith fu lly, and ti»at a regniient already so
dniious^for its distingui.-hed conduct on the hi.stoncal batthfhehhs
, o f Kun)pe, nnd in many’ an Iu d i“n combat, -will ^ ot fail Jo add
fresh lustre to the glorious record inscrib^'d upon their*folds,
w henever called upoii tr/*d-fend th e honour o f our Queen and
,'-inuitry.’ T lio Cohhtcl's a-er\ »nice reply follow s, th e I'eoeiving
-Mill sali't’ug o f tla^new colour-s, and a marcli past ta linish w ith.
I ’be ollicers had a garden-pflrty aftenvards, which was n i^ t
su ccessfu l. W r y few o f th e pe.oplo had ever seen colours preMUited before, so it w as quite an even t.
•
J fe lt rather iibrvous over It, b u t wtus e.specialU glnd to do ii;
vemem boriiig th a t i t w as (ietft-ge’s rcgunent, and tliat^ he had
'-*r^ pd iiTider th e old colours.
— J w e n t to tea w ith tlie Maharftnee of
’K uch Beliar, and had a very plwiai^it ^'isit. T lty house is
<'xrrera?ly*pretty. and furnUhed in th e Eui'<q>oan style.
She
hcrscif Wears
dress, hut iia.s very sm art sh^'*s and stocfciiii’.s, w hile her sisters and sistcr-h)-law had bar«‘ h-et. Three of
her si3tei*s w ore children, very pretty, w ith .su ch lovely eyi's and
sw eet expie.'-'.ion.s; an d her sister-in-law , who spoke E nglish per
fecti v, w:^ a remarkably ni» c pci-soii.
I w as very gl'ul o f tlie opportunity o f seein g tliera. The
M.ihai’uneii lu’r.self i.s vcuy’ cheerful and pleasJint. laughs very
mt*rrily. anti m u s t'b e very ihtelU geut—.she has so quickly am i
fom pm ieiv got in to European Ways, and never |eein s th e least
; L \ v k w arrior p u t ou t.
♦
•
J). lets me .send you ii copy o f a letter ho recciverl fi-oin ono
of th e tw o groat Llamas o f T hibet. The sty le is deliglttful, the
ti-aiislatiun is litoral:
* * 'ro th e rreiii, m;,!
-opulent ChjM-nior, ■wlu> tu n is th e
wheel of ])Ower a ll over fiii.s wid>» world, R iiler of A sia
and I’illar of tho F aith to h is Throne.
*
‘ '\\'ith»revi!renoe, am i w ith tho full three uiuiulaue essentials
Ilia* hejirt, iho speech, and th e body),
^
‘ T ld i >i;ost h.umljl** and insignilie.anfc self, w ho from hi-s
ip fan cj> n p p lyiiijf him self to study, haiHacquir*.**! oidy a iiiinnu;
j>if of Ii‘arn*iig, sueli as may be coiq];MJriti w ith un inseiS-s
•
o rR
v ir R R E 'iA R
u v -:
in
in d ja
c- u . u
m outhful of wattH’, has bouu favDurod M’iUi a guMen robe of
honour in th»; slia]ic ot a pi'esout o f Us. 2,500 for him, for wbicli
he pi“eKeu(s h is m ost coitMul thanks.
‘ T his year them has appoarcd th e m eariiatiou of th a t divine
persona)^ wlio is ilie crown ornnnumfc of th is woTld, of men uucl
” 0 (i.s. .> e x t y<tfir i l i s Holiue.s-s’s incarnation will 1>^ identitietl.
T his huiublo self has been discharging w itli ^ le u tm o si,zeu l and
devonnii all tl»- religious duties of th e P encheu K im lw ociiay as
the M inister of th/' great Bu'tdhist Cliureh, and, moreever, as
the n^meseptjirfis’e of tlie late all-know ing Penchen, in upholding, *
protecting, and propagating th e religion o f th e V ictor. T ogeiher
w ith th is piece of new s he respectfully sci;^cls scarves and th e
initrc of the late P enchen foi' acdhptauco.
'
«
^ ‘ JVted Tiislii La»'p^', tbft Cth of tljp Hitli Lunar Month, Wo<K.l-monkcy
3 ’ear.’
[tlorresponiUnjfViib the
Novembor,
F rid a y , 'Fuh.— 1 \ i.sited th e L oretto C onvent Orpkanuge tbw
afternoon, and, on efttering it, felt m yself transported hack to
Cainrda. .T h ere w ere th e nun.s, and tliei-o w’as th e A rchbishop,and there .were the good little girls ‘ V ouees ml 13Jeu,'and'the
inditlerent little girls all in w’hite, and ihei*e w aa*the little s'ong'
of welcome, and the flattering nddres.s, and th e b it of c o n v e n t.
embroidery r.s a soiivem r, pud m yself on a platforiy, an d the
purple priestly robes Ix^side m e—all exactly us it use<f to lie.
W hat wondefs then, th a t 3 foil hack naturally in to th e anoieiU
groove, and obtained a holiday for th e whole array o f littlo pupils
- -who ft{>pe;ii' to m e t<* imyc gone on curtseying a t every m ention
o f m y nam e for the lAst tw elve yeftrs—or th a t I felt quite sen ­
tim ental over th is sudden return to Canada and a ll ir^ pleasant
mem ories ?
1 also visited the ost^blislim ent o f th e L ittle S is te is o f the
Pool tl»is afternoon. They do much good, cud m ake a home for
alx)ut*hfty lielpless old people. Th^r. on to uuoih*.-.' p»*tze-giving.
The schools wcrtf all SJjuutting on* th e roof of a long'venvndah,
and looked *as usual, very picturesque. S everal of the dolls hud
to be kept back, us. J.he giris for wlu.ui they, jvurc dcsliueil Wf-i'C
being marrioil.
I saw thrco Euroiu>an h a ts and feathers iu one s c h o o l; th a t
was aImost*too.iuuch for me, find I w as glad tt> look aw ay in the
dinu'tion of a chiUl wliose attfcntion ■wus gr^-fitly distract'Kl fi'oie
the B engali pi-ayer by th e iHHiculties of jirrunglug its'y a r d s am i
wards of m uslin into tins proper drapery^.
W e had v h » t f call a ‘ sm a ll' dinner, th irty people. T he
dilVerence between th e sm all and th e l>ir.;e L n o t only*in n u m ­
bers. T choose th e guests for th e sm all, and icdlly know w ho
1885
A
ri.\y
AT UAI JTC.GOD ANrND
UO
•
tlicy jire. uihI w e sit in m y rooiii nml dine in th e throne-rooui,
in stead of using the sb ite ai>artinents. I sa t b y Salar J u n g , the
X izain’s M inister.
In th e evtfuing D . w ont to a Jfalioiuetan eouvers-'i^ione,
wi»ere tliey ha^ scieutifio am usem ents, and (jxliibited various
tJjinM, si)tji*as telephones and phonographs.
^
. isuturdat/,
- -1 gave aw ay ]>m es a t som ^ ath letic sports.
I t w as a»plcasant aiteiiioon . AVe sa t onP, and then dn>ve back
on th e coach, and took Sir Frwhu ick and Lady Kolwrts, tw o df
th eir A .D .O .’s, and tw o Jlisa Stow aids up to liairackpore.
\A'e spent .a q u iet day {^inndntj,
iiu d ef our t r e ^ our
party l)eiag enlarged b)i th e arrival of i l r . and Mrs. L elvos
Ih'oughtoii, w ho came by nn eaply niorum g train.
*
Motidnij, 2.’}rr/.»- Invited h y Kai Juggodanuifd lV!ook<u’j co, we
w ent in th e evening to a native en tertain m en t in his house, il'o
g e t there, wo drove through tlie hazjiars -long stn?ets o f mud and
l)fimboo hovels, w liere n ative colouruig and local sm ells wore
raoipant. Groups of people were standing about,^uid gi-eeted us
w ith clapping vf hand.s as wo pa.ssod ; nciar th e gate of tlio houfe
. th ere wjis a great crowd, and a m iliU ry band was plu*-ing.there.
Our h ost nuit u s and conflucted us through a b it of garden
•• brilliantly iUuminafed, a sort o f m o f being nimie to it by jjuantitie s o L la fg e w liito lotu s flowers, w lu ch V e re , I suppose, attaciiod
to a j i e t ; this led in to an enormous ten t luied w ith flags, blazing
w ith candles and electric lights, full i>f all th ^ ‘ beauty and
f.'ishiuu’ c f the neighbmirhoo<i, and w ith a sprinkling of smart
native dresses to orientalise
scene. AVe were sojvt^'d in front
o f the stiige, and when th e curtain tircw up, som e very substantial
fairies v'tre reveahHl .stjuuling on equally*suh.stantial flowers, and
tliey sung th e follow ing linos in B e n g a li;—
,
A s f il a r s r o u n d I .,u u a ’s b r i g h t th r o i y ; w .a ii,
^
^
When the blue vault from clonds is free,
Thn.H g i r t w i t h o f f ic e r s o f S t a t e ,
O u r u o b l o V f c c r o y Iic-re w e s e e .
•
*
•
^
W e ble«R o n r* E i2 p r ''.s s - O u e e n who s e n t
A*r e a r s o j u s t t h i s r e a l m tn sjray;
W i t h h e a r t s a n t i f e c lin g r s r e v e r e n t
. I .e t u s t o h im o u r h o iu a g e p a y .
A m i g l a d l y n o w ’t w i l l h e o u r t a s k
,
*
B y a r t d r a m a t i c to b e g u ile
/r b ia n o h lc a u d ie n c e — w e b u t a s k
Y o u r k in d a p p la u s e ,
le n ie n t s m ile .
^
. Thpn tliH play began. It w as called the ‘ M atrim onial Fi-x,’
'and w e wei^‘ provided w ith uu FnglisR rem m ^
the plot. I t is
•10
CH'H V i t L K l - U . \ r . U L 'E
LN I N M A
.
u
•
a favoioal satin' upon th e na.f-.ive w lio goc3 to E ngland tor ten
' m onths, and who is supposed to come Uack dressed in Euivpvan
clothes and Imving forgotten liis ow n language ; and upon th e
cducHtod female, who itf represented
g iv in g her huhliaml a
scientific lecture tip-m heat, which drives lihii ou t nf the h<msc,
w h ile s l ^ during hi.s absence, tnakcs love t> a kfijurecl aiul educutcd aoul, -with whom, in the la.st scene, she absconds.
The
dress and absenep of dress hajk more remapkable on the •sUigV
Vliannft'it. j),.s till saw ancient llomaiLs in their togas. 3 slill
s;»w ordinary men in cotton sliects,
3ii one scene n hridiYp-oom
apjio.'n^l ?iake«l to the waist, v. ith a red loiu-ciolh a s a rosVume,
■\vliile in the next he wius clothed in a fu ll su it of broadcloth : the
j-iiatcli-inakcr was lightly clad, tlie biidegnxjpi’s father wore th e
sheet or tog.i. th e women were fu lly ‘ rlrnped.*
•
^ T he b est actor wms a mai(i'Se|‘vnnt, wdio seem ed to sa y l ery
sharp tilings, .and wlien ih^ and licr mistre.ss liad n disagroeiiitnil.
llie sooUliug on ladh side.'^ was loud and stormy.
A s a study of nftnn'-i^ and customs, thq piny w h s ninsi.
iRtere.sling.
t t w;is in tw o acts, hiuI at th e end of th e first •
we w ere*t.\ken into tlie hmist; and upstjurs, where, a new joy
jiM’a ilcd us.
*
■A N autcii iit th e I'p p er f la il,’ says the programme ! • n ip ^
old and bl<»sc A nglo-[ufhiin de.spise<l th is one, and yhj^spcred
sojiielhing al>out niuoic-halls ; but as w e are not b h sc, it aiiiuswl
u s very m uch.,. Thcr<! w ereat)out live musicians, w ho .stoorl ju st
boiiind the tw o girls, and who seemed alw ays to liavo to prom pt
them about spnmthiug.* Thc.sc played litile stringed iostn u n en ta
o f th e mandolin oixler.' One o f the
w as very goud-lunkiug,
and w as licavily clotlicd ftoiu lived to foot in vvlvc-t £w;d gcild,
and a great scarf of green and g<)hl : -t^e other M'ore ratiier short,
p in k petticoats, but when .she did whirl round, oiw satv th a t sIm
ha<l on a reuidav suit of arintmr, cloth-of gold dow n to th e aukJes
K o th in g co u ld b» mpre strictlyp m p er, nu<l nothing oouhl possibly
h«*. more languid find gen tle and nlmosT m otionless than the
d ancing, if dancing it can bi‘ called. I'lic fii-st jioi-formei', v itlioui
m ovin g from her i>laoQ, .s(piai*vs lier ellmws sligh tly, am i w itli hor
tw o haiids, j>aln»s dowi'w.-irds, their fingei--salmt»st touchiiig a t the
]>oiiit^s, move.s them alm ost iini>m-ceptiblv. and m anugrs gi-afJuKJ!'^
to g lid e a fe%i»stops forw ard, (h?tri to m ake one turn, to nii.sc her
arm s and w ave them gently far a inom ent, to g lid e th e few steps
back, and to end abruptly. The secomi floes tlie siyue, w hile the
tirsV performer, couie to b fr ;,i th e background, show s th a t slie is
h«'f. ••'■'.'d tries to cool herself mucli more vigi)rj)usly than she
dancefi.
T licre really is so ccri/ little m ovom ent th a t there i.'i’
IK S ,-,
.
T a T H E ZKN A N A
.
scjircHly evidonce swfRcient to decide ■whether i t is gniceful or uot.
Til© elder one had an uncanny -wTiy o f liftin g her throat from side
to side as if it was disjointed, w hich ■was more in th e K gyptian
style than the rest of the perfoniuince. T h e girls th en sang, and
a song ill Tlugjish, w ith a goiKl deal o f gesticulation and somo
jilay w ith the.ey^s, w;us very am using. Tt related how
haml
w as playing, and how th e lady peeped out fruin* her cvirtain a t
th e ‘captiw u’ (ho njvparonlly played the drum in tlia t regim ent),
and how iio ‘ w ith Ids w h isk ers’ and tattooin g alW the tim e i-asf.*
side-glim oes a t licr w indow.
I n addition to this ‘ N autch,' there w as native m Ssii;of v*-iou.-5
k in d s—a man w ho playo<l qn bowls o f w ater, accompanied by au
old gentlem an who hqhl tw o sm all drums and played upon wich
■with his fin gers) on^ w lio 3uado*two trum pets sound,by placing
rhem against tho m uscles of h is .throat (I can’t explain further^,
and one w ho played w ell on a sort of m etallic ‘ bones.’ A t tho
en d of this pari o f tho entertaim ncrit a great supper aw aited us,
a thorr)ughly KuropBun m eal, w hich wo pla\’ed witl^ fur a while,
and then wo w ere adm itted to the zenana.'
I thought th a t*
n othing in the luhle line low er than a lieutenant-govcruor v,"nild
b f allowed to eirtcr, b u t several inferior m ortals did. TheroAvero
jonviatU es ■ft'aiting to recoive ti.s—our host's w ife, daughter, and
tw o rclajioiis -an d a crow<l of fem ales pCepiug in behind. The
JHdie,s wore very sm art draperies and num bers of Im icelets and
• rings, and seem ed very pleased to see iia, but a little shy. Over
th e olrimneypicce hu ng an oil-pnijiting of me, done from a p h oto­
graph am i really very good. j \it e r talking *a little, th e indy of
thn house pr»>.«MMi{pd us w ith l*ouijucts, huj*g ns w ith garlnnd.s,
saturatoil »ur haiKlkerclucfs w ith rosew atw and atta r o f roses,
and presTTitcd us each Avitlt <yic o f th e stick y parcels o f b ete l-n u t
which r liave lx;foiv- «loscribed.
•
A fter th is, hcgarlanded as w e Avere, avc retnm ed to th e tent,
•anft saw the Inst act of the play, and then hom», feelin g th a t we
Iiml been w’ell ejitcclainefl.
*
*
^
]Vp'l»‘=niny, 'Z‘iU(.- T his afternoon w e had a garden party b y
jidvcrti.swiieut '-u ivjtico in th e pnper.> announcing th a t f should
be at honio'to a ll tho.sj‘ who hud the
to G overnm ent HOuso
lak h ig tho plach of.niiy invit;ition.
W c p u t uj) a large aw ning hs a^wjrt o f drawiug-r^^oTn on th e
grass, had ten ts for refreshm ent, chairs placo<l tw o and tw o a ll
over the grdum h^a Ixind playing, and an assortm ent o f conpircrs
Avho appeared to me, when T hod a inoinnnt to go and see thcm f
JUS tlio feeblffst ftpcfiniens o f the genus Aviziinl th a t I hml ever
scoii. I drriv*^ a t one perfonuanco in tim e to learn th a t a girl
-1 2
•
V r C K K K C . A l. I. I K K I X
•
IX W A
'
c n . ii
whq -\vas sittin g w ith lier liead back and luT inoutli mucli sinoarcd
w ith briekduiic hatl ju st had h<fr ton gu e cu t ofi’, and a b it of m eat
on a skftWi'T w as being a im e d about preparatory to l)eing p u t on
again a s th e m i'sin g piece.
A fte r a very clum s}’ pi-etenco of
jxa-fonning th is operation, tlie you n g lady g o t jip and exhibited
th e uinPuly TneinlK;r whole and \ininjure(T.
I w*is decidedly
u n lu^ y,* for l*l)elieve th ere were som e b etter tricks ; b u t it took
tim e to see even one, to r th ey were performed in a sort ftf A rabian
N ig h ts w ay, f)ne tx*ick inside another, so th a t one never kiu w
w hen th e «»ri^inal one wi.uiil be finished. T he p ir t y jise lf wuij
p retty and bright, and w ent off v e iy w eli.
The afton ioou was
perfect, and T stood in th e shade aml» sjiid ‘ JIom- do you do 1 ’ to
every one before going to see thy sight*.
D. had his first long ^ a n cil over th e R en t
fiill, about w hich you ara a ll bomg so troublesom e p.iul so a g itatin g
in E ngland.
The sittin g s are j^ublic, but T w as unable- to a tten d (bis tim e,
^a.s I had a liit-le engagem ent of m y own, one w hich had in iny
oyos tlie ’ additional m erit of obb iin in g for m e, an cxti-a chiy a'tllarnickpore.
J iy ucr.thiation w as the old D utch' setlleim vnt of
Clnnsurab, w hich is some w ay higher up th e river th an B a n a c k pure, am i thei'efore ir was decidedly convenient to stop 'tliere ^n
my w ay <fown, aud to be m et by D ., w ho camn on a fftr • ittin g in
his Council from eleven to six. T he Council will sit’ tour timo.s a
week, and T3. will have all th is in addition to h is usual lieavy
work.
l l y expedition lyul for its ol^ect inoi’c ?onana j>ri?»'-gi\ing.s.
W e left C alcutta a t tw elve, tak in g w ith u s lull's. W ilson, th e w ife
o f ;l m erchant in CaTcutta.
W o lunched a t BarraSkpore, and
th en w en t on our w ay again to Chinsurah. T he entei’tiiiuiuent
was in a lai’g e house boi-rt>wt>d fur th i’ occasion.
A ll th e school
cliihb’co sa t in th e o]>eii central c o u r t; a lui.'^ed j)as.sago ran a ll
round it, on ll ir ^ siuce> ofv.'hieh tl;c fathm’s and _tliH brothers aiuV
the low cji£te m aid-servants were grouped, and on th e fourth 1
sat, literally in th e sca t of th e gods* supported b \ th e 'i]u n lity ’
of the place. L}i(]j?.Lytton had been thure’aoven years ago. and
tho j>eople hiul reiused th en to remove th eir gods. N ow , ci^iier
gods h a v o ^ o n e dow n in tho j^'orld, or • \'ici-rcln es' liave gone op,
for uuaskt'd th ey removed th e former to m ake w ay for th e latto.i-.
\ sup])o.so th is 1 8 called ‘ lieing more enlightened ‘ ; aod a further
proof of progression th ey gave, for th e marricfl women wore on
fop of th e house Imiking dow n upon th e court, and althougli a
sort of screen w as put ^up, it w as very defective in pjucc-s, and
fliey m ade large holes for themselve.s in others. ]) w as glad 1?liey
0/5
188.5
S L 'l C I ^ i :
OF
'n V O
T U iE F S
•
were able to have tins amMaenient, tnough I a?." not a verv great
advocate for ‘ p rogress' in such m atters, for T think tlvu Kastevn
wom en cannot be too slow ly brought fni;>varcl, and that, g'nlo, s;-i
long ns th ey are objects of f.aith, should be disturbed for no one.
There w as als<*^ ]>a^sage round llie second Huor o f tli^ iiou--5e,
where Euro^ejoi schoolciiildivu .sat.
^
*
T he fu nction consiste<l in lU ten in g t4)^nmc}i B e n g a li poetry
repeated b y littlo girls, who stood up, one >)y <uio, on a ch a ir ,
to rocitg i t ; in hearing a report read, and in g iv in g aw ay rlie
•prizes. The report told us tlia t th e exam iner th o u g l^ tlie uhjldren
said th eir ]ioetyy in rather u sing-song manner, '‘ w hicif shotJld be
discouraged ’ ; th at he fonhd these sm all n ative girls *very w ell
up in th e history oT th e J e w V ; tlia t th ey w ere ‘ in tim ately
acq u ain te't’ '..ith thl^ m ultiplication tfible, am i were being ‘ in itiatetl in to the m ysteries' o f graintjuir arsJ gnugraphy. A fte r tht-satisfactory, account of th e pupils I stood on th e steps and d ealt—
(.mt dolls, th e sm all and u gly onas being received w ith evid en t
dissfttisfaefcion.
The children on ly con.sent to atten d scbofd oti,
condition th a t th ey g e t a prize, and th ey n a tu ia lly feel aggTic\XHl
if th e liire is nufi woi’th y o f th e labourer. T o do lessolis a whole
year and th en to be fobbw l oft w ith a very inferior doll to th a t
you see in th e a n u s c£
u o t more industrious ueiglvbour m ust
indoed 15c irritatin g ! One very discontented child returned to
th e ch.arge a t th e v e iy end, but 1 had nothing le ft to g iv e her.
f wn« allow ed .iftor th is to go up anil sw* th e zenana ladie.s,
w ho had come down from tlie roof to a rojun in th e hou.sc, and
w hen I g o t tliere 1 was vorv s«rry on ly to have a few*niomcuts to
s])are.
l^ iey all sceine«I so pleased to sge me, crowded r«mnd
to chahr }miid> w ith m e,'m ade mo sit dow n and held m y hands,
and were d eligh tfu lly cordial ; b u t darkness come.s on so quickly
th a t I had to be ntf, and, had there n o t beeij a moon, 1 should
liave m e t w ith difliculties on the liv cr.
^
•
Mr. W ilso n joined hi.s w ife a t llarrackpore, and th ey l.)oth
stayed th e night. They are very plea.'cint people.
has sonu*th in g to do w ith th e Zoo, am i toM u s th at tw o tigers there had
ju s t com m itted suicide. I t is a very eurioos thing. They,cam e
iiu large cages, jn which th ey rem ained for some w eeks, but
directly they were ino%'ed in to th e*perm aaeiit c.ag«;s4 hoy retuactl
to eat. T he b est m utton could n o t tenijit thenf, and they actu ­
a lly died !•
T iie ti.'lvellnig-cags? had been sen t away, else tiif\ «><uld
have lieeu put back into them , to see it th.ai w ouhl tiure their
hbme sickness. *
,
j'^and/ii/i.Vf'ircA 1st. W h eiievcr d u jin g th e lost mouth wo
•It
•
‘ "*11 MrLKE'i.vr. LII-'E IX INDIA ‘
.'.i, ii
•
ij;iv<’ vonturctl t-- fep.l chilly, w e liavp been assured th a t by th e
]pt of ^Taruli w e shouhl be gasping under purJiahf;; but no, T
have put on ii woollen shaw l— th e day is tlull and dark, ami th e
sk y has decidoclly tears ni ite eyes, for th ey brim over occasion'
ally,
A^’l1 at a m ysterious, changeable, inconijirehensible, aud
d is a p p ^ itin g th in g is ciininte 1
*•
Ciix-uuiStaiTeos wero too strong for I), in sp ite of Kia desire i o
keep Sunday as a hoTIdny, and he had to do som e biisiifess to-day
"v'itli Mr.
w ho came out lo i th e purpose.
The >vind
chm"e<l in th e even in g anil m ade all things pleasanter, and D ,
;iud ? took a nice w alk in th e pa»-k. W e came across a large
j)«‘pul-tree, w hich !md a very big palm grow ing srrm ght up from
?lev centre of it, th e palm ’.s roots, being woufid rppnd th e pepui'^
trunk and •branches. T here is another in # jo pl-a-,*© %vhieh has
f%ur lino sti'aight palm s grow ing up th io u g h it, b u t th eir roots
are in the ground.
.)foiiriaf/, '2nd.- Xim* girls and C co.me home a now w ay to-d»y.
W c rode a o il drove back to C alcutta bcfonKj breakfu.st. The
iviorning was lovely, and w e liked it very imioh. . '
.Wi-T lunch w e w ent in to tito Council llooin for a little. Tho
big (able torins H. ludlo*-.' "^'‘are.' Thti V iceroy sits a t tho .t'^f*’
w ith the Lieuti'nant-Cjve'rhor on one .side of him. other (.‘oun»‘
cilioi's nt th e sido-s, aud rejiortors at th e botti>nj, speota^iurn Ix'hinrl
tlH'in. 1’he sp<!akers m ostly roiul their speeches, and th ey sit
whih- delivertng them . I t is not easy to lie.ar, and the procceding.sni-e dull. The room is u very good one, and, w ith th e pass-age
If.-uling to it , is liuug w ith th e portraits o f ohl Vicerov.s. Tlie
m ost interi'sting picture, is th at o f W arivii H iistin gs, wdio looks
r:uher like. Slmkesp{«ar5. I was sorry tl« it 1 did n et .'lay
a t the Council, for all th e speeches were over a t Hve, and D . said
a few words. T his endrf the. prelim inary .jn-oceediugs o f th e
HcnguJ R etil B ill, and now th e ilt3 auiondrti«nt> have to b.‘ dis
cussed.
* *
,
.
.
W c are « ll very fu ll of th e great durbar wliich is to be- held at
Ibiw al I’indi for th e A m ir. Our bi^ c:imp w ill be o u t; aboiit
20.000 troops w ill be collectml thta-e, ;ind I f w ill bo <piifce an
hhtoric.al cv.uit. The (!outnullors, th eir w ives, an il several ot^er
pc»jplu cuinq^ and wo w onder \^ e t h e r tin; presorit A m ir w ill agree
w itli Shere .-Mi, nvho, after seeing a ll th e beauty and fa-shion o f
our society, s.tid, ‘ You Engli.sh are very proud o f imA sh u ttin g
up your women, bu t you are very clever about ft, for I see you
h5t Oiii ih v ugly ones.’
Wedif'-td-i'i, 4,'/4. -1 li id a snriU g it ,len p.\rr.y for law o ten n is
and b.xd'iiiiilon, and snojjcJ.'tl in g ettin g people tolcimr.' in t»ie
1835
.
TNr\I>r.J' !JY n.Y iN t: .'.NTs'*
,
-15
•
nocp.=«ai*y fliiiinc-ls. I playeil bailmiuton, D . nbowpcl vtY Ins inr.v
\rniirt w itli wcHxlen walls; and K e lly
tejinis \\it h th« best
of them
W o had the la iifl ‘ diseoui-sin^,' niid spent o very
ploiisjnit afternoon. T he tJouncil m’os lu iy ,}iist over in tim e.
T hey nit jiluiost every day, and nil lunch w ith us, w ith lh*> e \o ep iio ii o f M alioiuctans and IJindus, w lio sit in ditTorent oltfuubers
dowuNtaivs and eat
.-ets an d drink cold ^s'atel■. •
• •
In thetf“vciiing w e w ent to a I’arso*> thontto. A beautiful bo.-c
, was luudo for us in llio very centre of tlie stnlls, ch .sti to th e sta*;e. ‘
Tlie pierrf' w»v ;>m operetta called “The Padlock.’ The. .singing
t.-as of the m ost sing-song, monotonini>, .-md unmu.siCai
A ll the performers, including th e heroine, wmre black velvet,
tunics ami ti-oiisere cpvered w ith spangles. S/n) w as a m an, and
ifbt lovely, ^^^c
anmsi'd Tiy it, but th e orche,ptni was a
. melHiicholy m oan resem bling bugpipes^ The .<ecoiul p iece wa*
calle<] ‘ A F an cy BjiU.’ One man kept th e stage, w hile th e
guwits a t iKo b all periom ied th e w ell-know n stage-ariuy trick,
and, after {ni.adng .through one way, reappeared agj^in in u d if­
ferent dress, l)Ut w ithout an y nttem j)t at disguise. The piece*
‘nicled w ith a lo y a l song and a m ost nuilatfec-sinif tmrvsparen^py o f
uur gracious Qu<*en.
. . t'hvr!idnij, 5r/?.--Tho th e m o m e te r now is about 85'’' in the
shade. J <Wn’t fijicl it a t all to»> hot ; biH l>efore w e
on th e .
•j:jrd it w ill probably bo 9.')’. W e had a plague uf Hying u n is in
• tliP drawing-room ju s t before d in n er: th ey were switrmiug round
. u lam p and lying in layers on tho table. T hey made -such a mess
that th e room had to l>e sh u t up. T hey d^op their-w iugs, and
ap)>ear «« cm v.ling thin gs, and in every stage o f their existence
they Bro e.’ttreiiicjy disagreeabli?.
•
Frufny, fit/t,.- Goaded on by my fam ily to tak e exercise, and
having no engagem ents for th e day, I rode in the niorniug ami
played teniii.s iu th eafteraoon , and found it i-athev too much for me.
S ir Samuel and liucly B aker arrived. TUey*com<’ oiv a muhjIing expedition, and arc so f u l f o f all th eir jirepurat.ioa^ tlia t they
actually do n ot appreciate <lic pri)sj»ective deligh ts of liHrrackpore. oml elect to rfim.ain here for Sui»day
•
^ n ln rday, 1th. -Tiie C alcutta V olunteers wen* inspectt'd by
the^Vicerfiy this nttem oon. H e w ent in unifortn, and v.uikcJ up
a n d down their rank.s, and then made a sj>ecch to tlTcm wiiile I
reinaine<l on th e dais, and afterw ards gave aw ay th e piiAro. U.
is honorary. col<»nel of tho regim ent. TJjc small company of
K a^al V olunteers w as also there.
•
From tills {nnctif-n weds..**- stra ig h t to th e train, and were
af»i?;:;iat;kponf :.i an hour s tim e.
*
4(>
■
OVH VICK RK r.AL L li'E IX IX D IA ,
. cir.
m
#
Sun<itii/y 8^/«.~-A p erfectly lie.-iVenly (lay, th e air delightful,
and the u anpenituro agreeably w a iiii; ilio auii was, however, hot
ejiough to jnake d rivin g to chnvc-h irn-r« prudent than w alking.
W hen w e g o t there wcd'ound th e wliole upper part o f tlie b u ild ­
in g sw a y in g a b im t—from north to south,froin eiist Lowest, sw ing,
th e punkaJjs. A s I got in to ftiy place I heard •
behiiul m e a ■^ry audible, ‘ These horviu th in g s! *froni J)., nud • M
he innnodiately had ours stopped, n proceeding which t]ie punkah• nvdlali foun<l diihcuJt t?/ midcrstand, and h e stood all througli
the service grin n in g ami expectant, wirli (li** rivpe in J'is hn»nl.'
The^.rest of *ho sky, however, kept w aving, and I fe lt doubtful
for fOiC" lim e M-hether the sm vounding oseiDations would pro- *
duce sleep or sea-sickness. P unkahs are very ugly tilin g s—
^
heavy l>ars of wood w ith very tliick and unomftir.cntal fic.iinc^s
hi-owri Holland, sw u n g 5>y rones from tiie ceiling, arKl ju s t Jiigh
enough to esciiipe a sh o r f pcreon and to disarrnnge th e curls o f a
^
te ll one. N e x t Sunday midday services will be abolished, and if
w e don’t g e t up at*7 .30 wo m ust w ait till th e ev en in g f(*r our
• ch u r c h .. AiTd v e t so far th e thcruiomet»;r Is seUloin over 80.".
T)ecidc*dly w o niakt. a great lu ss over h ea t liero.' .
' *>.
T it •■'KMI/, lOfti.— The V iceroy had auotliec d ep u tation o f
^
zem indars protesting again st th e B ill, w hich w ill T>robablv bi^
i
; nw do lawk to-morrow. -T don't th iu k th ey can Jiavo ^expected to
^
gain m uch by it, but th ey are very sanguine and have g fe a t faith
ill agitA tioiv
*'
Wrdn^nday,
— Tho Bengal Hcnr B ill w as passed to-day.
I w ont in'jo th e Cuaucil liooiu to Iicar tho final orations. 1 ) . ’ ' •
spoke last an.d very w ell.
•
.«
ITiirV.ing jjoard th a t th e Bi!i ii.ad Ih-coiUC h\w^ 1 woijt, (df to lay •
ih e fonndution-stone of a homo for girls .studying m edicine. The
m oney for if has been ^ iv en by th e ^lahni’auee Surnonioyee,
w ho seejHa to be a m ost charitable lady. , The cerem ony wa.s tho
S(im(^as usuah i'»\d 1 w as given a very haudsom e trowel.
l u th e in(*nfing I in>d an int*>rview w ith a high authority
4
about doin*g up soiuo of th e rooms i;i th e liousc. \ w ill tell you
*
nujre a'xm t th at wljeu 1 have rjuito decided .where 1 shall begin.
Thiirndnyy 12fA.-'-l got a great deal (*f -work in to th is day. T
went in the morning to see tlie Econnniic Muijeura, which I have
i
m entioned* to .y o u Ix-forc. uTul after look in g through the. tw o
J
rooms of wliich I fliough t it consietod'—th e one cont.aining ju’e tty
th in gs bought f>-nni th e exhibition, an d th e^ o th e r models o f ^
various natives from ^Vssani, the iNicotwr, .incl the. Andnman
Islands, w ith their fishing, .sho</tin", and liouschold,Im plem ents—
^
I found th a t there were tw o more rooms iii tl-^^ part c f ' t li c
A
1885
r t A L L I ' K ’T l N O
T IlK
P O IijO N
U I' T H i? COHHA
^
-i7
Ijiillding. niid th a t Iw-yond t^erc was h grtiat museum of v h ic h 1
hud never evou hoJird hefoiv, tliougdi th e geutlem an w itli m e t-«>Id
ijie it w «s of ' wurhl-wido* celebrity. I ju st w'ulke<{ through it.
and vrim very glatl t<> find there m'jis su clf a place, for tliere is not
\'ery much to see in (Jalcuttu., and here one coultl spend m any
day.s in lookinff a t a ll th e things. T liis niorniu" I ^ id n o t
attem p t tf> ito mort* th a n find out tlia t thore w as«, b ig
fall
of mincrais, one of stuficd anim als, ouo «>f •birds, ami large co l­
lections of shells, insects, fossils, carvings, inusicid in.struments.
Ac., A'c. • Two of the .small ideas f earn ed aw ay were gathere<l
^)ver th e insects and th e poisons. T he butterfiies fx o ftly fiepresontiiig green loavc.s were quite now to me, and I could n o t have
iii*Hc ved th at tho resem blance could be so ex a ct Imtwecn an
ifniinal and a jdtint.^ T he j.>«uson*of th e cobra w as sh^wn us in u
sm all Imttle, on wliioh w as w rittcji th a t th e (juautity contaimi*!
in it would k ill 7,-l-50 ch ick en s or 40 dogs. Tlu’ gentlem an w ho
sIiowkI it to us Jiad liim self collected it, and tho process m ust
have Ikhui oxcitingf O ne m an held tho .snake b y th e ho.ad and
t he tail, which • naturally irritatw l it, and our friend p^'r-enb-d a*
spoon coveivicl b y h pnlm -leaf to its luuuth ; th e angry.snal^c b it
through tho h-rff, and th e fluid foil in to th e spoon. \A n o th e r
external poison is a .small rod berry w hich goldsm iths u se here nii w eight ;-^vlien m ixed up w ith « a ter it can be worked into a .
jHiiut, atul a pri<d- from th a t }>oint is certain deaih.
The sun w as very pow erful th is morning, and on* felt oblige<l
to -got very quickly in to th e covered cnn'inge so ns not to be
exp(».sed to it tbr n niom ent.
•
In the afternoon I paid my*first vi.sit to a zenana. W c drove
through tlie native town to th e hou«c. The m aster o f it. mot us
a t fhr. diAii', and couducttHl u.s up to the* room w here th e ladicjs
w eiv. T he whuip space seem ed to be cu t up’ in to very »ma'I
rooia.s furui.diiHl in tho European w ay. and w ith punkuhs sw in g­
in g so low th at one- b.^d to b e pei’p etn ally dodjpiR![ them, in'-’
with wore A violet and gold sifk garm ent over her, a b]ack velvet
ja ck et underneath, am i Jew els everyw here, a quantity hanging
over her forehead, (piorinons rings mudrcling^und depending from
her ears, a very b ig one in her nose, eig h t or n in e line necklAces,
a t Vn.st .sixteen byocelci'S on h er >imis, and a large ornam ent on
fhe back of each hand, to Avhich chjfins and a ring»for^acli linger
were .tttochetl. A grown-up dim ghtcr-in-law sw athed in black
and gold wa§ vt*r^ aliy, and k ep t her fa ce covcre<l but th e father
in-law kept saying, ‘ Y ou may i»«»k u t her,' so w e lifted th e veH
nm l peeped. Sho w;ia rather a fine-hmking girl. A little granddai^jdiier,* aK o|m agniticcntly bedizenud, And a murrieil daughter
-18
.
OI'k VJOKKl'GAL ij r j* IN JX.1>IA *
. h. :i
•
tlio party.
s|X)kfi a Httla. and tingtived and udlairw l tnc jewtds. an<l tlieii tlie veUwl lady w as sea t aw ay in order
th a t lier brother-in-law^m ight be aflnutteil.
T lie sfH-ond part of th e entertaiiiTueui; was ‘ F iv e o'oloek tea,
in tlio shape of cocoam it and other cakes mudu w ith gh i (a sort
<.f nielw-d b etter, which renders tlioiii almost. \me:iiai»l« to us),
'•haiopasfno aiftl ices. 1 boldly tasted nil tlie cake-s, w h ich had
been m ade by th e lariy of th« house, but I did not, g#t very fnv
w ith tliojn. T h en w e returnwl to th e zm .ina. niid th e w ife pur •
w reaths of vtTy strong-sm elling flower? round our necks ;*the.n sin*
p u t & still*stronger o<lour <»n our handkeichiefs, and gave u s each
a large bouquet of rosea ornHUiented w ith tinsel ; and so adorned
w o drove. tJirough tjie streets o j C alou tti. * 1 a^i sure- w e inu;^
liavo perfum ed the whole tow n, .u.d 1 kno'» 1 w.is glad w hend
•ou ld fs<r»pc from m y w scath, my pocket-handkercliicf, and from •
iht* w hole oan-iage fu ll o f scent.
In th e even in g y ® ha<! ;; b ig ‘ w alk round.' th a t la, a ‘ d itin i'
^«if gi*eiit diliten.sions. W e opened t)»e flr.st •floor uf ih o house
riglit UiVough irmn vuraudah to •verandah, had. th e band anrl a
tmflnt in th e Marble lia ll, an d in vited everybody. J thought it,
a very pretty party ; there w'as so much space, and th e Oriental
dresses ajwny.s beautify th e crowd. T w alked and taiktid all th e
' tim e, bat 1). was obliged to m ix som e bxi>1he§s w ith tiis^pleahure,
am i to ‘ sit out ‘ w ith a man. i i « on ly comes in a t th e end of
our d in n e r ,iia s his hi'oakfasts and Juncheons cu t short, and is
altogeth er busy. AVhat pcuicc th e tw o-tun boat on theE osphoruswiis, to be*sui’c !
,
*
•F rid o y,
— I had berm m ost an xious for I>. to seo one of
D iy picturescj[ua H indu .puhools, and lukl j>eriviuulcd hMu to engage
h im self for the prize-giving a t th e ‘ Jjcthunc Hcliool,’ w hich w a
mu'ular one for girls, w iiefe they te»udj th e ‘ higher bmncho:;,’ take
degr^ge.s, ifce,, so t'wa.s nnich disappointed to Und th.vt it wm^ not
a t all pictureSqu^. AMth education unfortunately comes a ta.ste
for EnglisJi m illinery, and a departure fi-oiu tho good to.sto gene
I’iillv inherent to a national c o stu iie , and 1 could really rjroni^
w h en pHuco-ss frocts, marabout feathers, cifcV other shabby finery
are llauntoJ before me. D. and 1 sa t on a daVs w ith a ver^ big
tjvblfj in ^ n t of us, which^Ktf*rfcrcd w ith 'o u r viow, ,and tho
prize-winners •who ap]>eared before u s ha<l to ovortom e fearful
obstacle?? to reacti us : m.any a foot o f luativo arrangtuneut w as
displayed under tlie Europeiin vttrnish as th e xitifortunate
Vtruggled up on to the platfonn. I t g a v e m e timo, however, t,f>
consider th e eosc.uine quc.stion fully, an d to come to ev en stronger
opinions upon th e subject.thfm T held b efo re; ill also rnadd m e
1
mo
A SCHOOL 1‘KAST
•
.
40
•
look a t th e nowHRwork in
very im eynipathetic spiriK W h y
4tould w e introduco in to th is co u n tiy the crochet and woolwork
o f w hich we are so sick at lii.iiie? Bui v*e do, ar.d take great
trouble to din it in to the fioger? o f these poor ciiildron, instead of
encouraging tlieir ow n beautiful emhroidpries.
W e listenotl *o seven il ‘ tu n e s ’ on th e piano, to som *son gs,
and to a report ; but^tlio m ost pleiising thing to g ie in in is par­
ticular function w as the nice face o f tho tirst
She is a
f«i''!ior in*tiic school now, and happily keeps to hor,ow n graceful ■
ganncnL^. A very eycelleu t education is given to girla a t th is
school, and T hope to v isit itso in c day w hen tho pupil# are a t w;ork.
Siitnrdni^. I4 f/n —W o w ere to have gone to Ba*rrackpt»re
yesterday, hut put it off, dk N e lly had hurt her foot and could
Hot move. Tn-d«y i V a s obliu'ed to len-ye her, as T had a school
to see after. 'R a ch el and I w ent up in the Iftynch, anc^
lutiched under th e bttnum -tite, "and tJteu soon after four th e
■hildren began to arrive. T he object o f th e feast was wluat I
'■airmy ow n little school. J told you alwut t6 once before, and I
'm11 ju s t wiy now rtiat it contains T-he m ost delighfful in fan t of •
f-iur years old tltat I ovor saw . Slio is such a very p retty littlo
thing, w ith a brown skin, such w h ite teeth , p retty brown ^-yes,
and sliort black h<air, a iv l w itli lier m uslin garm ent over her head,
:ihd covering her down to th e feet, sh a looks a regular littlo
vunoan. *B ne clun g to Racltel or me all th e day, chattered away
. ill h ci uiikaovku tongue, phiywi gam es m ost merrily„,and tied up
:i quantity of s\\i'dts in the coj iier o f her muslin to take homo to
Jier mother, which swect.s being fu ll o f liqueip; soon cam s to g r ie f;
imd w h en R achel pu t a rose
fron t of he^ dress she looked so
uii.used, and so pleased w ith i t ; and then, n t tea she managed
th e unacciiotonmd f.x.d and silver spoon m ost cleverly. I never
• aw such a duck »s .she is — Shusii
by name. The children
in il'ii.s school arc m ostly ('h rislian ; th e boys, who were H indu,
pould not come le.sb th ey should biv.tk tltrlr
by eating,
but the girls did, and th e ‘ teacher le t them eat, thinking
that if the paren ts ‘w ere ^very particular they v^ould not
h.vA-e allowed tliem to come. T lie other guests were Sundaysoliool childnm , som'e Roman Catliolic chiUIi^n, and som e j'K'iiKioiiers, I t w as a .£c«r't indoeil, and J hope no one is th e w orse
for it. Tho m ost shovry cakes and fihapes of various t i a d s had
been s»ived up from our last b ig party, and you never saw such a
quantity of p in k and w h ite sugar, jam s, and alt'that is unw holcs(unc ; w hile Ih o w ay iu wiiieh th e guests m ixed everything, a n d ,
chvcolate, and j'41y, and ice, n m f bonbon-*, and plum, sponge,
amj seed oukcs^ ll fogetljcr, m ade one shudder.
•
£
50
•
ow t
VlCKUEUyU. LII-i: IX IN D fA
•
. if. n
Tlv“ prinsioiiors were
m oat^ n d l)eer— and thereby hanjp
a tale, for tli« beer rather elated a poor old man, w h o says the
‘ A m ons ’ loudly in cliureh e v e iy Sunday, and he began to pniv
for m e and for every one olfto in such an obstreperous inauner that
he hiid to be sa t upiui and sen t luune. "We th ou gh t i t hatl also
r a th er^ x cited soDie soldiers’ w ives \vho slipped in, amd oiin w»is
heard. entuusi{iRticH.lly to ileclare ' th a t she w ished ftlfo had ronn;
here w ith ou t her children ! '
W e had elephants, n h le li wuvf
extrem ely popular, every o n e w anting to have a ride, b u t unfortunatidy th e anim als g o t cross over the conhtnnt k n eelin g
and
gettii^ng up again, and I liad to stop th e rides for fear o f a c c id e n ts
i/>rd HcrbrHud Rushell (who was m ost good-imtured tlie w hole
day) began, a t my rt'queat, to hurry ^ ow n a ll th e children fi’nni
o u t o f a howdali, anrl was wondering liow ’ on e*irth one b ow d ^j
^ ould h oh rso Duiny, w hen h e discovex'ed th ilt Major Cooper w as
a s rapidly liftin g tliem Tf).i on tl?o other side.
s t y little Kchool played gam es very nicely, but th e hluropeans
w ere rather gi’und'am l dull. I dealt round more caki;-:s botbrn
th ey w en t, *and tliey all h>oked very happj’* and pleased. The
band Vl-ag- nearly as attractive as tlie tlcphanbsj and th e soldims^
w ivfe daitceii to the music, their performance in .ih a t lin e heljung
to aninsft the little ones.
cam e out in thoi**veDing.
•'
Moiiihiji, 16/l/i.— YosLerday wa.s th e w annest ctlfy'tve have
had,
where we sa t all tlio m orning. A very big anako,' over,
six feet in longtli, fell out of a tree ou to a sentry, w ho kilk-u it
and show ed it to u ^
W e w ent to cliurch in th e ev ^ iin g , and our Itonnots were per­
petually sw ept by tjie punkahs. T liey are dreadfy.1 th in gs. I
think. There is a sort of confusion which i.s bew ihlering. .Somo
sw ing across you, and sopm to and from you, and th ey are jiulled
by dUForeiit meUp who keep ditlbrent tim e, and one fc e h e.s if one
lUivtfr couUl get jf.ceuHtomed to th e unstca<ty appearance o f evorv:
th in g overhead.* T hey made tlu* cliurc.h quite cool# and I w;r;
nut at a irw n scio u s of Imving fcU fho hcAt, but I suppose I did,
fur w hen I g o t up .this morning I found m yself staggerin g idioui,
and wa.s rttally far from well all day. T he doctor kept m e ly in g
down, and gave me a great deal o f s tin m ja u l; end as I anj not
sujqmsed to-havo believed ii» th e he.ai, 1 .'im trium phed over. I
liave not really fc.U it, hut on.; m elts in th e jnost rapid m aim er at
night, and f suppose, that it tak es it out of one.
.
I'litM iay, l7 th .—\Vp. are still soinew hai or in v a lid s; Tvellv,
having made lier foot worse by over-exortion, ha.s to be carnful,
and I found th at h few guests a t dinner tirbd
nw ch. 'W o
•
1885
•
AT TH E CLOSE o 'l' T H E SEASON
.
51
Hined out on th e buleoiiy, f>ut i t ■was m ail «lay, anti I>. tvns so
1)U^ th at he ran in ami ou t a t dinner, and tlitl not m anage to
dress for it.
Wetlnesilay, 1 Sth. — T he packing liiis Ufgun, and our rooms are
on ce more denuiJiKl, and I feel th a t before goin g 1 ought to give
you a short retrosj>ective account of our life here as it ajj^ara to
m e a t the end of the season.
•
• •
T he hftuse I lik e v on ' much, and w o h a te been very comfort*
able in it, au<l hope b y degitjes to <lo it up and* mnJce It v er y '
pretty. - Bly ow n rooms are charm ing, and tiie balcony delightful,
’and, though 1 im-vtT g o in to it, th ere is a very nice ^ajsleu. *• The
ten n is court T do fre<juent som etim es, and D. plays alm ast every
<lay v.i hi.s. H e works ail day, w ith th e exception of th is hour's
play, and
appears a t breakfast, iutioheon, an^ again at
dinner, but happily he seldom does ay y th iiig after that. Tliv '
g irls have th eir little boudoir nud very nice' big rooms upstairs,
an d are very happy and m erry together.
Though w e live in th e sam e house, and haAjp our meals
together, 1 do not really see m uch of th e >Stall' here, '^heyai-e*
a ll young, and all have their ow n friends and am usem ents ; and
as they have uulliing bv do w ith th e thivcrniueut business it is
Cjuite drffen'ut from .an embassy.
I dop’t ih in k I have quite enough td do, and th e fe seems
difficulty in C-alcutta in ever g e ttin g hold of an yth in g one can do.
I have, I hope, g o t th e society on rather a better r id in g , und I
have uianagctl to have som e sm all entertainm ents, in.stoad of
alway.s asking everybody to everything, a*d th e ])arties have
Ikjcii pleasant, and not stift’.
F oi u iy day, 1 wrib- iiun-c or Je.ss all th*f morning, occasionally
yrtinj* otiL oQ iny lialconv and conutiuiiing with m y birds ; and in
th e afterar>on, if there is n o function, l*sit on th e ten u is grouml,
an d th en come in and read till dressing tim e. Tvow that ii j« hot
•w o din e on a verandah, jind som etim es w o sic u&t hi th e evening,
som etim es majia’g c to got up a*game o f some kind, andalw .ays go
to bed early and go through a process of m eltin g till th e morning.
T liis afternoon J.had a final sm all gard tp party to s.av good­
b ye to a few people here, i had niftivut to play badminton,* but
w as not up to it. ■
A n ative gentlem an sen t m e wPmt th ey call a*
wluuh
is really a tia y fu l of little, prescula. I t w as a very iuterestiug
one^ ;u;d lly vvi'ste n nice letter w stli it, saying th a t wo. had
‘ evinced .a. kindly feeling to w a n ls our E asiern custom s and tli©
w elfaro'of ourw oiven ; ihcrefore 1 venture to
ihose preseaU
nU tbe eafnestJbequesC of niy w ife. . . . I'Jic groater part are hehl
«
5*2
or^l VICKIiEU.'a. LII’E i n 1NI>IA .
c«. m
aixspicinus by our women a s con d u ^ n g to th e success and long
life of <lieir husbiinds.’ One t m y contained lK>u<juet‘<and w reatlis
o f flowers, and then tlicr** were a q u an tity of ]iuz 7 Jc boxes,
bangles cut in bone, tw o to ilet Ijaskets covertjd w ith cowiiw
slieUs, and containing small mirrors, combs, red powder, ifcc.inothf.i^ pi'c-sent thm o t«) their daughters oiP th e »>ccasiou of
m arriage ; tw « large conch sheila, one of them a sadred b low ing
in strum ent used a t enarringes, births.
and one ii|e d at tlm
tim e of cnroniitiqn by jwmring w ater from it on th e hoa<l of the
iringl ‘ It <lis[>eLs all evils where w ater is drunk o u t.u f it or
oi^ tlie heath’ The red powder is used b y Ifu id u womer*
t’ronj th e day of th eir marriage. The bri<legi*oom w ith h is own
hand p uts th is powder un h is b rid es foreljpad whore tliC Igxir is
pjirted, and she alw ays w oars*it u n til sh^ ,l>ecomts a wulow.
,\\'itli thfwe things •were some models of fish, frogs, serpents, ifcf,.
jiiado in clfi}'.
*
W e are going to ask th e D uke and D uchess of C onnaught (w
com e to Kawa) P ihdi. \^'e ha<l not a.sked thorn before, as w e
Ihought-all ,^l»eir plans for going to K ngland Jiad been nia<le.
CKAPTEK
III
■
nA W .U . P tN D I UCflB.^R AND V ISIT TO L.VIIORK
iU e c n 23
•
to
A p iu l 20, 1885
•
.]foivlo.y. J/areA, 23rc?.— Our la st d ays a t C alcutta have l>eeu
too much ta tc n up w ith pficking to be very interesting. Hm ptyin g drawers a n d .lillin g tin-lined csusea occupy onr time, an d tlio
w lm le house IP0 I4 .S untidy and di.sruantU’d.
W e mnuHgcd to .go to church on Sum lay moniMig, an d to
w alk in tlTe Zoo in the afternoon, a/wl, com ing home fVom thcici,
1 noticed that "Nelly looked t i m l, b u t utduckily she um naged to
p u t off my bu dding alarm by tolerably rejisonablo excuses, and 1 .
did not make the doctor see her till th is n m n yn g, when he found
Ik'*" tem peiiiture w as 1 0 0 ° am i d e c la ifd th a t she m ust n o t trav'cl.
T h is came upon us like a iHnuhshclI, fur it w as diihcult to know
w h at to d<». w ith (I .special train w a itin g and cv^ry sort of prepjij-athui made for our departure. 3’he doctor thought .she wa.s
‘alm ost sure’ to bo able to travel th e n e x t day, so 1 decided that,
oil th e whole, it V’ rio berL io leave her and lladhcl^and th e dcjcjor
-
188.5
,
i:'nN T E T {E ST l.H a
,
53
beliincl, nncl ruvKolf to fjo on w ith Ti.
Allah.alxul, wlipn? wo
. wero to roinniu tw enty-fou r hours, and llieu eithor to bo joinoii
thtiro b y TSclly, or to roturn to her, ;us th e thermuniptor
suggest. I t w as a choice of eviis, b u t th is w as th e plan wo
carried out. H is I£xcclleiicy and I left ut 8.30 I'.m. : and as wo
waJJrcfl dow n the*step.-i of Hovornment House, w ith th e cvS-rhigos
there, and tljn Inr"e O u a rd o t H onour, w e alnm s# fe lt a s i f w’o
must. hav(k got thrnugli th e live years vei^ quickly and wei’e
. already honiftward bound !
•
The people in the streets outsido gave I>. q u ite a warm rucoption. raid tliough our departure w.is •junvnto,' th e r e V e r e a great
niany a t tho station to .see us off.
T io'sin y, 21/A. —TJie n ig h t was quite cooJ, unci vvc .nlmnst w Isfied
fftr more blankets, Iqjt to-day tlie sun w as very powerful, and one
. reqrilnxl all one’s coolirig and sun jirt/lectipgcoiaforLs’. Ourcarriag**’
wns th e coolest of all. In seveiul o f th e w indow s th ere are khu-sklnw tatties,*that is; pieces o f nm ttin" se t in fnuniis which revolve,
and as th ey ix'volve.they g et w et w ith water, w hich
arranged to
trickle tlirough them , and th e air coining tlirougli th is is ^■uvy plea- *
sn nt to the h ot an d duKt.y pa-ssenger. Tn our compartrnent ikwiia
luivor al>ove 90^,* b ut in th a t of th e A .U .O .’s it g o t up to 96'’. A t
tSjo Stations one felt th e ivooessit.y of a very big Imt ! I wl.sli you
could
m ine ' Ir is an en on aou s ‘ civif-hfiaver’ m ade »»f thiok .
]KTh.. Chi tlio w ay wc g o t « t,elegr«Di .saying th a t N e lly w/i.s ju s t
■the .same and w as n ot fit to move. X am very an.\iofts she should
be g o t away from C alcutta, ns it is g ettin g h otter and h o tte r ;
how fearful it. w ould be if w e were slig^t up nlievt and could not
got tn Sim la !
A t Allfthahacl, tho Lieutonant-fJovormir, S ir A lfred T>yall,
the local govcn im cn t. and a m nnlicr nf natives m et us. A n
.uhlrcss was read, gnd I), took tho opportnnity of Raying w ith
V hat pride w c bad heard of th e gallantry of our Indian troops in
■Kgypt.
^
• »
A llahabad is very upintcre.sting ; there is n oth in g n t a ll tu
see, mul there i.> nothing v e iy ehnracteristic about it. T he crowd
r.ti.rier more picturesque tl'iau th a t of (hilcutta, b u t all w o saw
o f the to w n w as brown and du.sty and m uddy-lookiiig—toud
houses, a tan k w ith mud banks, and tw o mud Islands iti tho ceniro
of it, w ith a m uddy-looking tree a?id little tem ple uf>on them , a
lor.g duety n«ui and ft bit of park—tho gra.as part struggling to
bo gi'eeii, b u t o a ly inanftgiug i t b y contra.siin" itself w ith th e
asphahe ten n is courts svhich cu t inhi it — then th e Guveriim eiit
H ouse, which i.s iijcc. Tt i.i o f th e Imn'xalow type, b u t has high
a n i large rooifs opening on to the pl•etti^^t llowfii‘-gnrde!i T have
\
54
O U R V IC E H R G .^ L L I F E IX IN D IA
,
a i. m
seen in India. Tho dining-rnrim is Hlthor lik e ft church, especially
w h en a church is liung w ith punkahs. Lady L yall is in Kuglund,
an d OTift dnitifhter is left w itli her father liere. There was a big
dinner and a party in th o eviMiing. I w as rather sleepy after
m y jtm rney. hut I w as carried off to bed. ju.st as I had found
aomc o ^ e l knew .sfunething of— Mr. H a ck ett, a*missionary. W e
had begun to feilk of Lray, and -then o f his work fieTe, w hen the
party endefl. W e had bettor news of N elly before i^nner, so I
Bhftll n o t h a v (ito go back to her.
IVe.iiu-.sihiy, 2hth.— IX IukI a durbar for the ila h a ra ja h
IlolJjar, and# a private convcrwition with him aften vard s, andla ter in tlie day th e V iceroy returned hi.s visit, I drove to seo
th e F ort. T lte only points of in terest theye are th e view frojn
th e ranijKii'ts of tho jun ction o f ‘the Jum nia and t h e Gange.s, and
^ shrine. '’ Tliousands o f pilgrim s come here to bathe in tho
sacretl river and to propifiatx> tlie gods a t th e shriTio. T lie view ,
Hss ft view , is an ugly one ; th ere is no e.tcitem ent over th e m eet­
in g of th e rivers, arftl there is much sand, and no high ground to
• be .seen.. Tlib shrine is an iindergound jilace supjwrtwl by sm all
column^ and thi-drly populati-d w ith go<ls. Onh is a bif\ss'face,'
another is a lump of .stone ; the favouriic opp luwl sevcfn.! b its o f
m oney and soiuo ring.s ly in g l>cfore her ; and a piece of atom*
^ w ith a split in i t is shew n, which a great king said ^'as no go«%
bu t w lien he .struck it w ith h is sword, blootl pi-ocee<lccl from th e
wound, and then he said it w as a gf>d.
The air here is hotter, but much drier th an th a t of C alcutta,
and m osquitoes are p len tifu l, b u t n o t very mjisnnnus. "We have
jvist h ra m th a t the. Itukt; .inu Ducbes-s of C onnaught w ill come to
the camp, and tiicre ii^very little tim e to make prepfyntions for
them . W e left A lla h a b id la te in th e evening, and had a cool
n ig h t in tho train.
,
Thursday^
— A n oth er d ayan d n ig h fo f travelling, b u t th e
air i^ gettin g ^ o i'efresh in g th a t it really does one good. I w on’t ,
say much about t)ur journey, as I-slm ll have .so-inony th in gs to
tell you in^lii.s lotter. .Nelly lai-ves ^alouttn. to -n igh t..
F riilatj, 27M.—,W e had a perfectly dejij'ht.ful day in th e
traiu : niiu IumJ fallchi iri tlio iieighbourhfKKl, nnd everyth in g w as
fre.'.h-looking, no du.st aud no lieat. I feel s a very uiucli better
thnu I h a v e ever ilone ftt Cak-utta, and quite free from a sort of
depression th at 1 sull’e rcd a little from there. The Siitujery wa.s
very intcrestiug as w e came, along, tlie station.s g a y witli flowers,
tjie trt'os w ith their fn^sh spring f«iliage on, and th e country
peopled w ith a new , more pic+urer.que, and m uch more atnlwart
set of IxMiigs than one .sees in Longal. There u’ere grcnt'strett^ies
I
188.5
.
3Iir.IT A R Y .i>’U dKlEXT.AL IY>5{P
•
,
55
,
of land so i-arvetl ou t L y w ater th a t the mud banks looked ju st
lik e the •volcanic rocks a t A d en , only th a t we were on a level
w ith the top s of them , and could see the j'utches of grass grow ­
ing on th eir sum m its ; thou there w ere mud villages, jtist lik e
th e E gyp tian ones ; and a t last th e mountuinfi, ami glim jises o f
snow y peakt^ ancT ti’ees in th e foreground, and all toned d*w n by
th e recen t rain in to blues aiul jmi-ples uud m y steritu s tints*.
w e nppj’ooched Kaw al P iiu li wo could see a w hole tow n of
ten ts before us, and w e kept passing grouj-)S o f strange figure.^
siltin g ofi house-tops or gaping up a t us from th e w ayside, im^
proniptu stables fu ll of horses and mules, yard.s fu ll flf Cjuuel^and
tine whit© c a t t le ; and wheiwwe actually reached tho station there
w as a jiingnificent aw ay o f Tlritisli n n ifo n tis- the Commander*
ift-Chief, S ir DdnaUl Stew art, General K ardingc froiij Bombay,
S ir F. E ob rrts from Jfadras, SiivMichu^l Biddulph, th e G enenii
in comm and here, m any more officers, heaps of aides-de-camp,
governors, n\embci*s of Council, A’C., and behind them a lon g line
o f native, princes, the Punjab chiefs. They w ere ppeaented one
b y ono to th e y icer o y , which gave m e tim e to adm ire t h e ir '
ciothes a n d tlicir splendul jcw elkny. One hatl a g n A t arowij on,
aom ething lik ea ln sU o p ’s m itre, but, m agnificent though i t lotikerl,
1 4 is b y no means his best ono 1
W o w.-dked on a little, a n d wcro
m et b y ,th ® ‘ M ayor and A ldem ^ en’ o f Kaw al P in d i in full
( )riental costume. T h ey read tho address from th e m unicipality
■in liin d u sta n i. H is E xcellen cy replying in E n glish . T hen wo
g o t in to our ow n ciirriagejs, w hich have come dow n hei-e, and,
j)i'cct‘<lwl b y our ow n m agnificent l>ody-guar<k aiul escorted by th e
llth Lriincers, w e drove to our camp. I t w as a m ile froiu th e
stiilion, and the whole w ay soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder on
• itlnir side uf th e roail, E nglish and native regim ents alternately,
ten
njcjj and a.s U»e carri;^'n ap])roaclied each new
regim en t salutw l, and ‘ G ckI save tho Queen ’ w en t on from band
•to biind all dow n th e line. The more fa c t of seein g a ll these dif­
ferent uniform s and races o f m en was m ost interesting^ Seaforth
H ighlanders, L igh t la b in tfy , Irish Fusiiiei-s, E ifles, B engal
(V vnlry, CrngrKJUs, .Carabineers, th e celebrivtpd G uide Corps, the
Alooltau Horse, and th e w arlike and bellicose little Goorkhas,
were all there ; and behind their lin es were crowds o f natives ;
•au iels w earing sm art red siiddlecloGis and re<l Marie-^ltuart caps
up«m th eir heads, w ith th eir ears com ing coq u etlish ly an<i t©cojiiingly out u£» t’nom ; a big cjirriugB drawn b y four Camels
belonging to Sir Charles A itch ison , nnd m ule batteries, and occa*siiufni groups of Ej\gliBh jH»ople— such a cvmibination o f inilitary
iiink Oriental pfunp a.s I feel it iinpossib1e*to g iv e you any b u t the
%
5G
•
o rt{ v in - c i- c A i, i.i n : ix in d j i
. 3 ;. m
very t'ainU-sf. idwi of. A n d a^^ wtour cjiinp Ciunc tliilast honour in th«
of u salulo booniin;? in our vorv e.iis.
T he V ic fio y 's tniiip consists of th irty-six tonts for Statf and
for guests, and these fon u a street, eis;litet3n on ouch sUh*, w itli h.
broad ^trip o f grass in fruni. o f them, anti two^wide n>aus trith
a n o th e » w id o streU-lj of grass down th e centre, thj> length of
w hich i s iDrolc^ w ith fountains and ivickerirs and fornoi it-.-,. A t
tho top of tljis clou])16 street is our ten t pdaoe. Tlio <tirht rnuiiii
in it is an ehorinous drawing-room, then ci>mes a still biggm‘ durbar to u t,’ aiul th e n —alwjiy.^ under cover—you pq?s on lo
H er •^Ixcefleifcy’s boudoir, H is ’RxogHejiey’s office, h er bedroom,’
his room, w ith dressing-rooms nn<l l 3atfi-rot>ms ; and Iheu Ui*fcc io
the ‘ young laili(?s' hnuHoir ’ and, tluur bedi'Aoms, and a tf^nt for
Miss Blacl^well, one for J lr . jS’’owell, one fur M iss’M ‘Donald, anfl
aric for H is K xcellency’s beftrer
uuder-valet), and one for our
ayalis (or under-m aids) ; anil m y Ismdoir opens on tti a squjin*.
fu ll of poi.K of flowcfs, whej‘0 a little fou n iain sprinllles a bed of
^maiden-hair ^ and in all th e rooms there are Persian caj-pets ami
*sofns ajid armchairs ; in tlie bcdrooiiis j)ior gjas'-es, chests of.
drsiw^rs, »»ud wardrobes. The ‘ stree t' has lanip-pttta all dnwii it
and w ater laid on ; there are telephones J t i ' d j i pbsi-otHce,
messeiiger.s on camel.s. ner? cix
.ddes-die-camp in ^uuuli«
• u?- aiid th a t is th e way w e are ‘ roughing i t ’ h i cvinip*! ;
Jn addition to this, you nm.st iinaginu the kitchen depart mem .
an d our band, and our iiurnhersi.'f servants, and then our guards I
T believe we have row s and ruw.% of body-guard and {Kilicemen
and Seaforth ITigldatiders k eep in ^ w fitch over us herti. A n d this
that J have been describing to you is only our ow n camp. Thc
C ommander-iu-Cliief'S camp is a m ile away, and there is tinJLaeutenant-Governor's camp nearly as far riff, and the n a ti’.i'.
camp still farther, and t^ie Civil ciunp sonjewhere about ; and
then^all ih e \ariou.s regim ents quite ou t of <iight of our esUibb's)!inent, som e of’ tlj^ni nine m iles off.
Tho only drawback to yur coiufurt is th a t after th« heat of
C alcutta we find tho ten ts cold. D, and I d iiied Jiioiie an?! S!il
aver c ibilft Rtove_ ivbi'le :dl th e gu cst; din^d wi th e iiies.s tent.
S a tu rd a y,
-h'rom eleven till one 6’ch>ck tlio Viceroy
in durbar, while I manured
see all th a t wa.-f in terestin g and fo
om it what was-iiti-sonie. J le received scvijn of th e Punjab chiefs
one bji one, each one Avilh all the eeitfinonies .1 haA’e iluscribetl to
you ]>«forc. .A.s e.ich Ibijnh jvpproachcd, a gU ii-tt tins butt<*m of
liie ‘ s tr e e t’ unnounctU hi.s niTiv:i], w hile his departure \\i<<
signnlleHi by ntiothor nt
top. These geutlem en all^ cumu in
Ll<eir propt?r m'rler of pi^ocoiloucis
*
• ‘
V D '}, r i l i j N
T liK
T l NJAH ( ’I liK l'S
•
."7
First P atiala, a boy *»f twelvft, who arrived in a wdTKlfrful
silvor Hurl gold carriago. Thon H.-hawaJjicir, l)ie ownur nf th e
tw o cr(»\vjis ! H o WHS worth seeing. H,? wor** whitt' trouser^ a
heavily Riubioiderwl gold coHr, mui then suoh a tiant, encircling
such a picturi‘.sfjue iieatl ! l i i s hnir is long and black, kmd the
low est piivt^jf his <liajuond crown tm ist bo th n -e im?h(% high,
w hile th e front of it cannot b e 1 p r .s than sevcu. 'i’ficre is a’blnck
cap inside^)! it. Imt being t ) ( 0 same colo.ir as h is hair it fives not
show . J h in d wa.< a lino old man, <i)s<» wicR .some spfendid jew els :
;ind th en thoro cam e N ab h a, who dispute.^ w itli J h iiid tlie third
place, nnd iberff'>re it y Hmuiged th a t w hile Jh im l •\'isit^ th e
V iceroy liis i, th e return v isit is paid to N abha
K aporthalla
ij tw elve ycars/ih l. h'lt ho w eighs fourteen st<me. and is a t preisfMit ‘ learning K u gM i, Per-sian, Lrdu, and Uurm uklii. Sio fur
in th e list I M-atehwd their arrivals, w u l wa.s amused and in*
teresied jjj Iheir ‘ turn-ou ts,’ Some had soarlet rumiors Iwfore
tliHf’. carrying lances, som e had mrmnted laiw-'ers, and gentlem en
■playing the ‘ tom »toiii’ as th e y rode. Som e hacb great sta te ,
uml'pellas over their heads. All h.ad four horses, and *Paiitil;i
and Kapuvthallji both dr.ivo in silver e.uTiagoa. M.Vch lnul a
liuropean gentlem an w ith him. wlio led him by tho h.and in to
the prc.seiice of tho Vicerf^y. 'riieie sat
on hi.s gMldi.-n thrnne
during tevffn. lon g \is its . n;.ikitig cohveiHation, Ixaichfrig and re­
m ittin g mohurs, givin g a ttar .and jiau. J t.w a s a h n r d inurning’H
work, hillowefl by a hard afternoon, when h e hud w> return all
these visits. T he num ber of guns lirefl during th e day wji^ 4r«u,
(haC i:» 1 -7 for Ihe li (j.-'lc' w lw tvuue, an d ^'A for tl/i*' A'iceroy's
• • iiu'u visils.
1 rect'ivftd u few iHXipln (w ithout guns) at fnin* o’clock and
t'.icn w en t for a <!rive, tak in g Lr..dy Itobcrfs Jinrl Mr.s. P.aget with
me. T here is a very pretty park lierc,*and th e lovaiy m ountain
vie-w and bracing nir m;ide it very ]>h'a.sant. In th e evetii'yg wo
liad a Small fliiuua' t>f fourteep, and afterwards«D.*luul n 1-. v.'o ar
u h icli 1,100 |m*,s(;n tat ions were luiiile.
S iim h ty, A^th. W o are. bold, verv cold indeed. Tl rains and
blows, and w e sit •oVer our little stove.-;, and p u t on oxtr.a p irinent.s and w inter underclotliiiig, a n t i Mr. TJallour, w ho tloes not
take theiic'precautions, iiiiinedia'te^' falls ill. i). a i^ I thought
the church very d rau gh t), fur in Jnuia- it is ahvTiv.^ Lupix>bed lo
be hot, and wlndow.s and dbovs arc dealt w itli accordingly.
T his is ft gootl m om ent ju s t to b'll you about our e.xtra Btaff.
W e ha\>- Colonel i’it^gerald and Captain tTubbin.s, Ixtth of the
Ilvdcrubad C%nting.?iit, Mr. Ljiwrence, i ' t l i Lancers, a son o f the
late L ‘-itl La'A rcin e , M r . ( Inad o f t h e lleiii'al C avslrv, :iitd I'o’onel
58
•
o r l? nO EK K C A L LlFl-. IN IN'DIA
.
c h
.
in
K«!i gTis-Grfih.'uii, w ho is alw oys nn H onorary A .D .O . Our guests
are sSir JF. an4 T^afly R oberts, tJeneral ilu ixlin ge, General and
Mtr. P u get (ti-avoilers), th e H opes, B ayleys, Mr. G ibbs, G ctut.-i I
W ilson, am i Mr. Tlbert, Councillors.
I n Jhe afternoon I), and I w en t oyer to se.p th e house and
camp afranged for th e Amir. I f it continues Co h o ,so cliilly, I
am s u r e ‘lie wBl appreciate a house. Kor durbars he has tw o
m aguificont rod tentft lined w itli Kasliiuir shaw ls which have
1m;ou len t by tiie ilaliarnjali o f Kashmir. Tlioy are supported by
silv<>r pillars, and are altogether beautiful. W e had a feV young
m(*ri < 0 lunch* have a .small nuiidjer or people to dm e, a»id e x p e c t’
N elly Hinl Racliel to arrive about ten c'clock,
-IftM/ff/r?/, ZOt/i.— W o w ere awoke th is m orning b y th e rain
p attering on our ten t, and w ere kept aw ake h y th*e noisines,s o f a
orow w ho sat on our r<^)f and» discoursed to tlie surrounding
colony. It is really drejirlful th a t it should be so damp and c o h i!
W e could do no^liing all day on aticount of th e \'fojither, and
wiiou the I'uko and D uchess of Connauglil came late a t night, I
had to ge^t in to a waterpj uof to go across to th eir ten t.
—A la s ! a la s! such a n igh t I 'I'luuider and
pouring rain, and .such toiT ents in the m orning tUat there w as no
u se in gettin g up to .see th e A m ir’s entry. A s ittu rn etl oUt thcri>
•Avas n oth h ig to see, fo*r undpr the circum.stances h« naturally
preferred a close carriage to a statf- elephant, and tlie proce.ssion
hatl to be g h h n up. T lie fifty elcpliauts were sen t home, and th e
troop.s in great-conts looked miseriible th e on ly cheerful ;ui<l
iijipropriate* part of th e proceediiyjs wns th e tune to which the
A m ir W’as m atched to his iiouse -‘ Mo m ight have been a Russian,
ho m ight have been a* Prussian, but, in spite of a ll Uiiiiptation,
he is nn .EngH.shiiian I’
Our condition in our t^nts is very b.ad : nil th e p;is.s.agos betw eeij ono room and another am wot, and one h;is to rush past
every .join to
n-cciving a cold drop down one's b ick . T he
great Shatiuana (a flac-ro o f^ ten t) is so destroytKl th a t it is im ­
possible to have the durbar to-day,’ and th e prospects for th e
I’cview are very bad,*,a-s the grouml is in such a fearful sta te of
jnud.' W hen once it was decided to postpone th e durbar, it was
arranged th at the A m ir should come and see the*VicProyprivat<;ly.
I was t-Tking th* D uchess a drive, betAveyn showers, an d stiw him
Ixtth goin g and com ing. H e seem s t/> he a very line-looking roan,
and h is uniform has som ething o f a Russian oharncten D . asked
the D uke of Connaught to bo i>ro.sent a t th is visit, as i t was purely
cdmpbmentary.
. ^
^
W r had an en onn ou^ d in n er in th e ‘ durbar te n t,’ the biggest
1 8 8 .»
T O P R K N T S
•
O
F
K . A I N
A N D
S E A H
(H -
M
F D
»
5 9
to u t in Im lia ; i t is lon^; a n J narrow, lined w ith blue and w h ite.
.iu:l <.*onsidnred very sm art. Thero are great chandeliers round
tlio gold and w h ite piUai’.s, and these come up through th e table.
W e iiad brought our oruonicnt.nl plate, and tlio table looked fc r y
nice, and tlio room g o t coiufortjddy uttnu - b u t oh ! th e b itter
cold o f th e .sittifi"-ro<-)in ! A n d th e drippings as w e g<^ to i t !
W e all sent*for w oollen shaw ls and wrappml up. *
\V>'d)if^hiy, A j ' tU 1st.— T ilings got worse and w orse all day,
u n til a t hist, when dinner-tim e came, we w ere in .‘^hopeless con­
dition, luid decidw l to go in to houses a t once. W o did n o t attem p t
•to change our dresses, and even t<.i pass from oni» rqpm t^ th e
otlier w e had to pu t on wa^.rproofs and thick b o o ts; and every
tiino any one a&teuipjed to come through a door he ha<i to pu+ up
3U1 unibreltn and juqjip a ditch, nritl w hen 1, clad as if for a country
w alk, pu t m y foot ou t of m y b ^ -ro o m I sank in th e mud a iij
had to go back to change
Tiie D u cliels and Litdy D ow n e had
to 1 ^ 0 carried across to dinner ; th e girls w ere told to pfiek their
th in gs and to sleep in tlio sitting-room as a (trier pl/^co than their
ow n ten t. Tho D(>wu(?s .and Bnyleys w ere w ashed quite out o f*
tlie ir ten ts, and every one w us in a more or ies.s dism al condition.
Y ou can scnrcclv im agine how dreadful a w ell-soakod camp is
— how everything you touch is w et, ami how odious th e drippings
aVe. Early^iu tlie day w e had lioped foi^bt^tter thing?! and had ,
ftiettlcd tb n d e a t live, b u t by th a t tim e th e rain w a s com ing down
. in torrents and a thunderstorm was in fu ll swing# Tlie Commandor-in-C hief m anaged to ride over to dine w ith us, and we
had tw o other ofRcers and Colonel Bradfond and Major Lang,
who travelled with u s from England, to m ake up our party, b u t
w e are all g ettin g dcpi'cssed. b y th is odious aveather. I t is ex tm ordinary liow th e servants m anage everyth in g, and bring th e
dinner unhannod through th e seas oC m ud— b u t cu e foels very
•^orry for them and' for their muKlin-covered legs, for th ey all
.w(«ar w h ite trousers. One of tho fu n n iest sight* isJrbe man*who
a ttends to- m y stove. H is dnty is to sit o u td d c and to ci»mo
cri'eping in every few nioiaoiits to poke it up mid to p u t on more
fuel. H e is anythiq" b u t s m a r t: Ids garm ents con.sist of a
turban, a jack et, a loin-cloth, an d a sheet, *all of a very dirty
w h ite ; thus ligh tly clad, .1 cannot bear to know th a t h e Is squat­
tin g in we#: find mud outside, so I fcquest h im t o ,‘ b a ltb o ’ in the
room — th at is, to roll him self in h is sheet and to sit huddled up
in a corner*;^ t h e y he .squats, eyein g th e princes, governors, comuianders-in-clnHf, and ladies in to w hoso society lie linds him self
introduced, and every now and then he throw s off his sheet and
Stalins wirti his^bafo brown legs over to th e tii-e, th en returns to
60
,
1‘I R VlCI-K K ClA i, in i'K
IN
IN D IA
.
c u . ui
rum inate in h is warm eornfir. TIh'h fs u snocimnn'f'f th e Jnixture
of shabbiness ami liniTy wliinli one notices so muc-li in Eastern
l i f v ; for w h at w ould th e luost m odest Ijttle houselioldei' in
I'higlaiid thin k if he s;uv a beggar com ing in to Ho np hfs ^Hitc
d uring an evenin g p a r ty ! A n d y e t liere w e are, w ith sw r es of
servant^ in gorgeous liveries a t lia?id, con sid en n g th is quite a
n atu m l appari^on and no b lo t upon oiir household arrangem ents.
1>. did laugh, however, wJion ho foutid him mul mo UU-it-U'te over
th e stove before dinn. r, f n w lin g an<I ho JcaAing on.
The m aids have really boon miseiubk*, and N ow ell has’a touch
of fcjor. ,W® take quinine «*verv morning and iir*< keeping w ell.
2'hnrsilni/. ‘I n ti.— Ihirrali ! 1’iie ryin is over, tlio sun is {shinihg, all th o w et passages are ojtenetl out, anci o u rien ls of iiice drv’
a ir are allowed to jienetrate in^o our roonw. ‘Kverj* one luiS
l^rigliteiretl up, and th e w ay is Qlear now for m aking our plans,
'i’esterday it wa.s impossifih; to th in k of the durbar, or th e review,
or aiivtb in g but mud.
•
.
P ir e c tly after b m ik fa st vvc w ent out to revel in th e sunolii)U!
'a n d to aeo tne. w o r l d , a n d th ere we saw a rra/h/ Indian sigh t.
W hile a l l our th.ouglds were fixe<l on dri/in-j things, th e fndf’fatigftble Prhcfistie was ha rd a t work w atering the? m uddy grass in
front of th e ten ts ' 1Ic filled h is skin w ith w ater from thouearcsj;
,p u d < llG am i spill, it m it flgain a t th e doors o f our guoavi 1
Tho inounfcains look perfectly lovely to-day, luul tlie p w ’c
d ista n t snow y range is visible in th is clear atmosphei-**.
i ought to tell you th a t tlie A m ir was jde.ased w itli our w et
w eather : ^ n ie unkm d people say because, bein g in a liouso him ­
self. it gratified iiinl to th io k i«? tho discom forts other people
sufibr. The natives t«i), thotjgh th ey can’t lik e it, alw ays consider
iuiii as a good omen, and many people here prefer it to h eat and
dust. Y esterday 1 couUl n o t forgive them for exp ressin g tlii.s
preference, which -Keenu'd to m e absurd.
'Pile A m iiv is tin grea t good-huinour, and :dmi»^f- wunis to g o ­
on to England. ‘ i l e w ould lik e ^o dine here,’ and altogether
w ishes to enjoy himself. H o m-hs tc c o in e and rpo His E xcellency
a t th iv e o'clock, so» w e stood near to see hiui arrive ; our ow n
carriage had been sent for him . and h e had tw o others'lH-iiind full
of h is followers. H e him.solf is a stou t man,* not very ball, and
sutl’e ring ejfher.from gou t, rJiSumatl.sm, or R ussian boots, so th a t
lu! w alks k n ie.
^
ilf> nrtfl the V iceroy, ;in intejin'cter, our feondgu Secretary
iwid his, sat in a te n t carofully gu a n lcil on all sides, and there
th ey discussed m atters for th ree hours. Tin- .^\mir took a good
deal of snuff, bu t hiid*no utln-r ivfrcshnient, th o u g h ’h is ]i*po-
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l)OJiivr duly arrived b y hintsclf in a carriage to prepare bin
‘ ILubble b u b b le’ for him should ho w ant it. A ll th a t passed is
wrapped in m ystery. an<i I>. o n ly told us that after he bad e s plaiuod the E n glish intentions, and propoundo-d our view s upon
the ‘ A fgh an qiiesJion,’ bo &iid U> Ibo A m ir, ‘ And nnw wlwit are
your pro]>osals artd opinions ? ’ upon which th e g fe a t iu.-ui Replied,
‘ T don’t tliiilk* th a t is a fair question.’
. .
T he A jiiir ba.s <vvory cin-hius guard, which c.ame to lid e buck
w b i. hi;,.. Ti>e steeds are sm all am i thin, ami tlicir little rats’
ta ils are.tiod in k n o t s ; th e rulers are splem lhl specim ens of the
gen u s ragamuffin. T hey wear bright orange tiinic% m il I lu ^ a ii
IxKjts, anvl on tluui’ hcmls an imitHtion of our Guards*'bearskiii,
only matle in tho lo<>su long*wool o f th e black sheep. "We walked
nonnd them to look
them , anc> th e odour tlm t pervaded their
ncighbourhym l w?is terrible i I m ust te ii you ouo itloo f»entle
little (rait in th e Am ir's charaeter. Il(?speut Ihree hours yester­
day, nu»ming arranging c u t nowers'in forty vnses, and he c x p r e ss d
a w ish to have large supplieK sen t him d a ily ! A n d th is is th e
man w lio cu ts oiThemls and hangs people when a t h<?me,.Hnd w h o*
is accompanied here b y his executioner, Avbo, dressed in i;pd* velvet,
and w earin g his»axr and stran glin g roj>e, lielps .at 4>ther tim es to
p u t up the tents.
* T h eK 'taili of Riihawnlpur sen t us up (by request, o f c o u r se ),
Ids gi'cat crown to look at. I t is q u iie in a g n in c u D . S<une of dm
very largest are Cape diamond.s, but as th ey a re. arranged in
alte.rnnte row s w ith the w h ite ones, th eir yellow colour iloea n o t
look am iss.
.
A notliei' P unjab cldef, N abha, let h is p ip e n pJ.ay 1o us at
lunrb«»o” . , I t v.ar. very Hinusing Losee them , as th e whole costum e
is Kcotch, b id pink .silk tight* have to 1m‘ w o n i to sim uhne th e
delicjito com plexion of th e ordinary H ighlander’s knee.
We. have people’ to dinner am i luncheon every day, and wo
.ride, or drive, or walk, and alw ays spend much tiime jn coiiBidbring
tlio weather, which coatro u cs’fco look uncertaiif. W e are quibi
f r i g h t c j i c d wlv'.u a gun goc^ olF, lest it s h o u l d hring^dnwn th e
niin. .Sorficuinc.s, h o .w G v c r, th e s u n sluncs a little, and th e s n o w y
range of the H im alaya looks quite lovely.
S a tu rd a y , 4M .T-Thcro wms a durbar in th e Shatniana th is
m orning for th e Hmalier (diicfo, wl«» may n o t bo
to remain
on for th e great durbar. Kveu tin's ono w as a Hue sight.. There
m ust Im vo'been^over a Imudred of these men, each one in a
ditlerenc w s lu m e —an arm y of beautiful colours, cu iio u s turbanj,
and d iS em a l typ es of faces. T he Sham iana is a great room,
.niu|;ty fcftt Kqifure'; the throne was placed oppoaito th e entrance.
I
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<n, in
and one side of it whs filWI w ith
nativt^, Llie other witli
officers and spectators. W h en all were assem bled, th e V iceroy
w alked up tho centre, pri'coded by liis Stiillj rind seated hiaustrli
on th e throne, and then tho chiefs jia.ssed one by on<‘ before him,
ojich one offining gold nniliurs to be t(»uched. A t tho end tho
Vicei'iJ^ tohl tho interpreter w liat to say, and J!e piade a sp<^erh
in H iin ln sta n i A s soon as tliia was over, the ten t w as-arn in ged
for an evening party, and th en down came tho rain.ajtain, and
tJie carpets Imd t o be taken up and th e fn m iiu r e removed. D o n ’t
le t mo speak an y more upon th is otlinus subject.
•
hpcl a big dinner <if .seventy. I t is w onderful how w ell
everytliing is managed ; all looks a j nice and is an good as it
could be a t home. A dinner for forty is goin g on a t tlie sam e
tim e in th e mess i+'nt, and b relk fasts, luin^l^eorfe for eigh ty pm ^ons, and'occasional buQets havj^ also to ) k‘ prepared, so th e cookls
po.'itjs certainly no sinecure.
Bunuuy, olh.— A dreary, show ery "Raster D ay. • V e g'lt to
church in the niornfug, and niiin.agetl to ta k e a w alk in th e iifter'noon. ■
3fov.ti(fy, ^ith. A s all hope o f having a real review is'over,
o w in g to th e m uddy .stiite o f th e ground, it w as decideri to do tho
b est tlia t could be done w ith th e roads, and to have a m ere in.arc|i
past to-day. I t w as a*really splendid sight. K o on^ could have
iiim gined under w liat difficulties tlie troops made so fiiio an ap­
pearance. There w as tho horrid w e t wetiLlier in w hich tlioy have'
lived for ten days, and th e perpetual showers actu ally goin g on,
and there >vus the tactical difficulty of g ettin g them a ll to march
p ast in order and tit regular iiftervals w hen th ey o n ly liad the
roads to form in. E uorything w ont off iis w ell as possible. Our
m ilitary ardour w as creatly infiamed by tho sight, an d w o felt
very proud both of our ow n aiid our native troops.
'I’he piii-ade was 20,000 atiting, a largi-r hi.m ber than ha§. been
g o t fogeth cr to r e before, and tliere M'ore tho V iceroy, th e Qufteii^s
^on, tliree Comdmnfler.s-in-Ohief, S ir Donald Stewart., Sir b’rederick RoGcris, (ienerol Ifard in ge,. and th e A m ir to show off
before. T he inarching In.sted’ an hour and forty uiinutes. Tlic
elephant, mule, and'buiiock batteiie.s interested us m uch, ^ h tro
w ere four "uiiK, and three^ ele'plinnts to eaidi gun, and th e tw elve
onortnous
lookwl v e r j solid aud stead y as they parsed.
T h e bullocks sbm tl tire better, however, and liave to fcike the
elep h an ts’ ]ilace in tim es of danger. W h en oyr tip'ops luid all
passed, tho native contin gen ts came to tho tune o f ‘ W e don’t
w an t to fight, but, by J ingo, if wo d o ! ’ T hey also looked e x ­
trem ely w ell.
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The rain w as i:»)t q u ite Sufficient really to spoil au jth m g , but
ju st as we 'lvov«5 aw ay it cam e d ow n hfa%iJy, and. then suddenly
de»rou aw ay and allow ed a brij^ht sun to appear.
T he A m ir wore a w h ile um fonn, and was, I hc'pe, inipresscd
w ith all hu saw. W e thought h is Couimauder-ui-Chief liM)ked
l>ore<l, but th at « a y h ave been his guile.
*
T he a fi^ d o o n continued lovely, and 115s ExccJjency,tQj>k th e
-'\jiu’r ou t for a drive and show'ed hini tlie.p ark , which is really
verv pretty, an d from w hich there is a fine view , y h e P u k e and
Puchca'i.of C onnaught rode, aecouipamed by th e girls, and L w ly
.P ow n e and I w en t out quietly togetln;r. W e visitgcl tho qative
campj anfl saw liow very uncom fortable au<l miser.i6lci its inhubitanta Trnuji. have been uuring th e rains, for th e ground is low
and looks quite •ewainpj'. T he general eflect o f th e camp is th a t
o f a grejit show, for a t tlie en tn m cc to each cljlef’s o^»ll encampm en t is a bright red arch ; these, a u d * tlie k annats to ail their
tents, being, mado of co tto n printed in colours, w hile som e o f th e
ten ts them selves have pjittenui on them . J^ands were jJayin g in
n il directions, and tlie soldiers did not seem to have,"quite settled*
dow n sin ce th e nlorniug. T hcbackgrouudof lovelym ountqiifSscrvw l
to rai.se th e scenp in one’s (>stimation and tu g iv e grandeur to it,
but .1 ^'atched w ith a n x iety « Wack cloud, ‘ no larger than a
ifian’s hand,’ w liich grew and grew and still h unc o w r us even
a t dinnrt* tim e. I said feiw eutly, * If it w ill only n o t come d o w n ’
till lialf-past eleven '- and th a t isex a ccly w hat it did.
There were t'"'J b ig dinnei’s going on, one for tho jVinir in th e
durbar tCnt, all th e gu ests being inen, and qpe for u s m th e mess
t.u t.
•
The official dinner w en t off extreiujily w ell.
T he A m ir
w atched i) . all through, and did as h o did, w hile h is ]if:rsonaI
attendant, a boy of sixteen, w ho alw ays goes about w ith him ,
stood behind his chair and sm oked cigarctto-s i The interpreter
.also sa t behind, and l ! i s E xcellency's convergntipn w as ft’am m itted b y-h iin .- A fte r th e (Queen’s health had been drunk, P .
gave the A m ir ’s, w hen, to^everybody’s surprise, Hi? Ifighuesa
g o t up and m ade a ve ry n ice little-epeocJj, fi^l of th e friendship
th a t existtid betwdbn E ngland and jVfghartistan. a n d .o f good
wishe.s for th e success of th e B ritish u n n y everywhere. T he only
w ay of returning th is c iv ility wjw liy having ‘ tiiree cheers for th e
A m ir,’ and tho Duche.s.s .and I ju s t arrived from tlio mess te n t in
tinm to he<Tn’ theijp tinily national sounds.
T he Seatortli H igh lan d ers w alked round th e table p layin g
th eir pipes w ith troinendou.s sw agger; and a ll th is tim e m y
•e\ejiing p-arty
collectin g in tlie Shaniiana. A s i t w as quite
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full of people, the D uchess and I th eu g h t w e m iglit as w ell go in,
b u t w e soon began to w ish th e gen tlem en w ould come to our
ossistanco ; for wlitui our guests sjiw th a t introductions were
l>c:ng m ade to us, they all pushed huavard, and w e were soon
entirely snrrouiidc<l by th e must picturesque m edley uf faces and
dressed th a t you can conceive. Thoro were tia tiv e officers of
•liflerefTt.iegiir^eiit-^, from th e very tall men in theM r*)ltan Ilorso,
w ith tlicir gi-eat hli^p and w h ite or red turbans, to th e tin y
(loorklia, all^ in black. There w ere gu ests dressed in gold
broavdes, others all in w hite, w ith big turbans an d lopg black
hair nu d 1wg,rds ; and there were th e liajah s resplendent \iit h
Jewels. Rut it would be quite hopdess Lo a ttem p t to de.scribe
th e dress of an assem bly whore each tndividual is able to consult
his ow n ulioc.yiiera.sieK, where Ik is tifKl to* no particular coloujv
form, or m aterial, and where every creature fs picture3<iue, wheflior iii a luxurious or in^i ..^inipto lasliion.
I w ill Just describe one or tw o specimen costuipea, and the
re.st you w ill have t# im.Tgii'P. T liavc often m cjitionwl tb s Jthjali
. of D.nhawnlfffir, bu t he i.s such a inagniticont-looking R ajah tliat
T m ust tell you again about him. H is dark-coloured face is
hatidsoino. H e has straight ft*n,tures and tine ey&s, a sh ort black
beard, and lon g lilack hair resting on liia shoulders. I n from, of
liis gold-cjnbroidei’ed cap he wore a m ost niagnilicent aigiHdte of
KuropcHU-cut diamonds, round h is w a ist a diam ond W t , and
rouml his n$ck about sevt!*!! lOws of splendul jew els— enuthalds
atid pearls and rubies and ^>ear].s strung alternately. H is coat
wa.s velvet and gol(J, and th e skirt of it stood ou t a little over
large Inosu* w h ite trousers, i ha«e also .seen him in a beautiful
sagc-greon inoird ooa^t embroidered in silver.
H is tfiste for
grirgeous dicpl.iy makes him as interesting as a prince in th e
A.rabian N ig iits I
O f a VPTY different tvpe w’as a liitle Sikh ‘ high p riest,’ who
w as ew ad dled in , shirts and sheetH, w ith a l>it o f black shawl, to,
relieve the w liits, and who w ent .aliout producing fi-run un d er­
neath his •'vrappings a pi(;ture o f Sir Donald I\IcLeo<l, wiioso
memory ho adores. ^ The old liajali, Isabha, is another in terestin g
m an —w earing a tigh t green and gold tunic ^vlih sh ort sloeves to
the elbow, tlio lon g sleeves of som e uuder-gatinent, also of rich
m aterial, .slfjwing from undewieatli. I have seen him on iiursebaek in th is dress, w ith a shield on his back) and ho looked <pute
liko an old knight in th e. days of th e CVus,aders. d k in d , too. i.s
m agniliceiit, an old man w ith very fine features and lo n g grey
Ijeard ; he wc-ars a w hite close sort o f turbaji which rather fram es
the face, and a handsorqpaigrette in i t , tho rfisfc^f h is d ress,is
•3 ?
1 8 8 5 '
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liko that’ of Nablui. K apufthalla wore a lav^je p in k and gold
m uslin turban, w itli big a ig iv tte s anil iliamoucl broorlies in it, and
a Inofio red and gold coal. P a iia la also weal's th is lirpss— but
th a t is enough m illinery for th e prest-ut !
A s 1 wa^^ saying, th e Duclies.s and I were l>eginiiing to feel
(juite opprefiSJMl i y our su?roundm gs, when tlie dtx>rs
(tliey
«lo lift in a t%n*t) am i the V'ieoroy and h is guests curne jus Tho
A m ir w as in a ilull bitnvn uniform and grey*As»tra1c;in cap. W e
spoke to hun, exchanging a few compliiiienUi, and
soon
I f is
K xcellencv had seen oOiuc "i th e priucipul people we wero glad to
mir way to tiie front o f th e lent:, for air ai^l spaco^ A
gr«‘at bonfire w,i< Iturning there, and w e li.ad a number of w ild
m en to ilance thoir own peculiar savage wur-dance i-ountl it. I t
\WLS a curious >*gh+^ th.it enormous circle of natives and Kuropcans, a ll in full divs.s and unifonns, colleclw l rouiu^ th is fire^
w liile ti luindred m ost eut-throat-lookiil^ creatures, indifjercntly
clothexl and .w ith long hair Ivaugiug down, w ent shrieking and
jinrrpin" and «lnnciug and brandiaiiing th eir s^’ords to th e sound
o f a horrible toni-totn and som e woi-se pipes.
*
T he Buchesa -and I w ent back to th e te a t again a ftb r th is,
and m ade several tours o f tho rooin, ctnd many mure ncqufiiatances, and th en by a happy in.spirauon; a t a ]Wj.rticulur monient,
r^ u ggested th at we m igh t retire, and w e had scarcely reached
our ow n te n t w hen dow n came m y thunderstonQ 1
Tuftiti'iy,
\ ’’esten la y w e had tlie miu-eli p a s t ; to-day wo
had ii real review', for the ground dries ao quickly th at it -was found
1o be p jssib lo to iiutve tho troops a little . A § w-e had to go over
rough roads and ploughed holds, our Itarouche and t^mr-adMinc
had artillery hui-c^cs p u t in to tliem ; and I .f e lt very luijtpy w ith
suol) well-sea,sone<l cam paigners in n 'v carriage. A s usual here,
tli(‘ iiiountains m ade a lovely background to tiie picture, w liile
tho foreground w as wtU lilln l w ith Oriental anti inilitai’y colou r­
in g. There were elophant.s and caiuols, ami natave^'OstumeieKml
Iwautiful uniform^-, smd rarrir.gcs and riders, and* grand stan d s—
q u ite a gnla day i t w as— aiid then in th e middle tiiffiance our
long, long lin e of splendid tniopb 1 T lie Vlgeroy w ith a very
laj^e rstaii' ivhJo down the lines, and I wa.s allowed ui drjyo after
thinn, so that I save.everything quite as w ell iif. the Commanderin-C hief did ; and th e n 1 w as jhveed close to the Slall' a t tho
salu tin g ]x>sr, and the troiips w en t by in brig-.iVlra— Tufantry,
K nglidi and n ative, m ule am i elephant batteries, then a t a trot
a ll tlie Cavalry am i A rtillery, th e latter passing once more a t a
gallop, th e whole entling w ith th e rnyal salute.
.l^ v c r y A ia g 'w e 'n t otF withouL a h it« li; tlie troops lookeil
66
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tii. in
splendid, and tw ice as numerous n« th ey did yesterday, ow ing to
th e difforcnt t'orination. There w as but one opinion on tho
su b je c t: both soldier'i and spoetatfirs w ere deliglitoil to have seen
such a magniiioeiifc vighi. \V e only g o t home a t tw o, and wen^
glad of a little tim e to rest Ix'fore n iy garden party, to which w e
had jw l^ l evor^ one stayin g here to coin.e th is af*(^ru<K)n.
Ouu Slate nlfphnnts were ordered out, and w ere^tfitioned lik e
a m aguiticent guard o£ honour dow n cither side of tlie approach,
th e party tJiking place buiw eea tlie lines. Thorp w ere tw en ty
<rlephants on each si<le, hU w ith scarlet and gold howclalw on,
w liiip ^ h e Viceroy's own elephant w ith its atton d au t sm all o n e,,
and tw o o\h er particularly fine anim als, stood O7»]5osito and on
eith er side of our ten t door. The siaSb elepliant is gigan tic, and
ho lA almo.st entii-cly covered Ky a scarlet ^olotii v e ^ thickljj
cyibroiden'fl w ith go]d. The howdah is silver, and is a great
w e ig h t ; the cushioRit are S ca rlet; one man aits behind holding a
large s ^ t o unibi’elia, w’hile th e maJiout, also in scarlet and gold,
sits on the elcpliant’.s*neck and guides it. The a tten d an t elephant
Tiarries w h at appears to bo a silver ladder, anfl h e also is magni:
tioently thid. T he plejjhants have never boen.u.sed in th is w a y
iH'fore, bu t th ey were considered t«> hiok so spk‘ii<Iid to -d a y th a t
th ey ai-e to re-ajipear at th e durlvir to-morrow.
Tlte siiBie gorgeous <lre.sses attem lcd th e i»arty. and one could'
see them b etter out of doora than in a romn. ilantl.s iftim th e
various regim entg pl.ayed, and we had som e K ighlandei-s to dan«5
reels and sw o n l dances. I had uU tiie native oflicora presented
i i me. f nd touched ty e h ilts of their swords w hich th ey lield nut
to roe. This is the first time th ey h ave over l>een presented to a
‘ Lady Salxib,' or oven
th e V iceroy excep t a t a levec.^ \V c had
a fc\v people to dinner, and w) ended a very fu ll day,
W^'^l'■ne)(da^, 8fh. —I have now to try and give you som e id ea of
th e great ilurbnr. . For fhi.s occasion th e divdsion betw een th e
ilurbnt" te n t anil tke great Sluuniana wa.s taken down, and Lhcy
were throw n into bnc. A dais, wit's three thrones on it, w a s at
th e extremis end, facing th e ejitm uce, while th e whole, space in
both ten ts w as tilletl w ith guests, leaving only a brood passage
dow xhthe^iid dlo covtft-ed with scarlet cloth. The Punjab chiefs
had seats placed for them , and arrived each under liis ow n salute,
and each OJ® more splendid than tho other.
P a tia la sa t first ;
he had a «ianary-coloured turlum. w ith chains of em em lds and
diam ond drops han ging aliout ic. llahaw alpur surpassed him self.
H if w h ite puggaree w as quite gigantic, and wa.s a mas.s o f jew els,
th e mo.st enormou.s aigrettes of dinmonds round it, and strin gs o f
em eralds and jioarlR. It,c«iiitc <juite over liis ford!iead,*au<l
1885
■DHESSEM O F n o N O U R
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h e i g h t o f t h e J iig ro th * i n t f i e c e n t r e , w jis q u i t e tw ic < ! t i m l o f t h e
f ji e e b o j i e a t h i t .
f i i .s c o a t M a s b l a c k v e l v e t o m l ) r o i ( l e r e d M 'ith
^ e w l pc-.-irU, a n d T )>elif’VO h e M*as c o v e i- e d M 'itli J e w e l s i n f r o n t ,
I could only get a general view o f tilings, and could not see
J th e det.ails. Besides th ese chiefs, thei'e were ciowdg
other
irlxirips (iia ti\^ s M’ho h.ivo th e righ t of atten d in g (^ rb u is),
ofHcera in umforni, and la/lit^ ; and as th e sun *]iono»bpigh'tly,
overylKxly^and o^erylhing JookofI its l« st, and wo all adn)in.*d ami
sa t in breathh-,‘<.s e.x\>ectation to see th e thrones tiUed ! A t la.st
a ‘ b o o iu ’ sounded from a cannon, and th e V iceroy’s St-Ttr wo-s
■seen marching up, and th en ap jicam l th e Vieei‘0 }*hijj.iselfvvery
gorgeous indeed in h is lim 'd-Lienteiuiiit's UDif«>rin, th e Star of
India and the four cqjlar.s o f his various Ordi'i-s onm m entijig him
Mchly Iioth back aii4 l front 1 Tlfe J.)uke, w ho walked on h is left,
had his stars and collar-s on, and the A m ir on his ri^ht v. ore ft
very dull phiin brown miiforin. W hen ?hc th ive w ere seated, the
V iceroy t.iirbed slig h tly t o th e A m li, an.d probably said th a t he
was glad to see him, and th a t he hoped lie "had si^ R w e ll; fuid
th e inter])rrter h avin g pn.ssed th is on. th e A m ir m ost lilrelv nuule*
wrrae’equally new reniarlcs ; and we all watched their
ami
Ik>ms and ‘ w reaJied sntilos,’ w hen a voice was hcsml to .say, "Tlie
D resses .of H onour for Hls' H ighness th e A m ir ! ’ and then ser­
vants .poun^l in w ith trays full of vor^* nice things w hich wo ,
should j(51 iik e to j>ossess. and each tray was laid d<iwn on th e
floor til) th e disph'.y reached right down to tiie door, 'where iiorses
juid elephants, and avnnon an d m ountain baiterieH jo im d the
oompiiny of presents. nios'O oti the rtotn* ‘•on.sfsicti o f M.i/ches
and clocks, guns, ji'w ellery, caBinots, mu^io^^l boxes, .■•ilvo' cup.s,
and quantities of beautiful stuffs ; and I particularly liked n good
ebony M ulking-stick w ith n w atch in its iv o iy handle. W ell,
tho.-, hevTng b ceu «xJiiltiie<l, th e A m ir.ca k in g pjiins not u> look
a t them , the In iy s wen* idl rcniij\Kl, and (hen m orccam o i n for
J tis Highne.-is's sons, and more for H is jlighno.ss^fuilowerR, until
w e all g o t q uite tired o f seoing*other jieople’s pwse.iits. Tiiough
tlie A m ir ilid not appear to nptice the.so lilile olleriiig.s, 1 uan sure
th ey varinod Ijis heart, for he sm ldcnly lK-gan«TO make a sj>eech,
w hich \v<is translated by th e Foreign Secretary, and wiucb»proVed
to
rt hearty declaraiion of fi iendship for England, w ith a w ar­
lik e flavour in the expression of It. T liis q u it e .‘ftftchod ’ the
audience, w hich broke out in to enthusiastic [ihiudits, such as have
probably iievqr begn hcartl in durluir before. I am sorry u> sa y
th a t a t th is ruo.st critical juncture one of th e pivseuUs hch.averl
badly, and, a birdcage haviivg l>een brought in, it.s M echanical
iin aote .sct*ofl’ ft{rin{cn'aIa to sing n, little song, ‘ A fgh an istan will
•
r 2
f)8
*
OL'K VICEUKtJAL l-Il'E IX IX D IA
.
n i. nt
ev(T Ih‘ ft true fw n c l to K nglaiul.’ *Chit-p, chirji, chirp, chirp,
»ui.ul the bin.1 , ivml so tm ! A n etiective presewV
a ixn ^r«.it «»f
0 ., which Wits bonic’ in by twti men, who held it opposite to t!i^
A m ir for m om ent jind ih<m l)ackp({ it out ugiiin, and one henj
ft wliispijr all over iho ])Ihcp, ‘ T he V iceroy, th e V iceroy,’ .a s I
■was reci^AUsed nil down the line. L ast o f a lf th** ssvoial oi
lunnmravrfs ciivfted in d j \ ;i cushion, and D.. tak in g it in h is Iniml.
said th at he presentwl*fhi.s to His JCighnessns a mark o i h is iw li
jjcrsoiia! esteem , and in recognition of tlie friendship for Eiigland
v/hich lE is H ighness had ju st expressed ro forcib ly, Iif n-ply,
th e A ln ir »M‘aS still more friendly lo us an d more wa)-liko to
others, so th e llritish soldier again apptiuded voheiimuMy.
T he sword is »* I>amri3 CU6 hladc w ith a gold h ilt set w ith
diatnonds, th e seahljard Ls red v elv et and guld %lso V itli diamonds*
ow it, and if l>eurs ftti iusc^ption,,w hieJi s-'iysthat it. w as presented
to th e A m ir ‘ by his friend, tim Karl t>{ D uU enn, V iceroy o f In d ia.’
T h is ended the durl^ r : tho ch ief autot.s marehetl aw ay, em-h
uM'nihor of Co^indl >vas led down and bowed ot^t by l'o rp ip \ Othco
oHiwrs, 51 m l each ch ief in his turn was liauded to h is cai'riage;
W e I'pshed to the door ju st trO have a jnlvn-te vjow of th e silver
and gold carriages, and th e jew els and th e ilnery, b u t w e wero
called aw ay to be photogniphed in a ijrouia and had o n ly tim e tq ,
eeo th n t wdnderful head df B.ihawalpur’s drive nwuy ii:« barouche
W ould not YOU like to see a sigh t of tluit kind diivung dow n
"Regent S tr e e f ?
3). and I and the girls w ent a fam ily drive in th e afternoon,
the A .D .C .’a foUowinwin another carriage. This wns are.«t, a s wo
both felt tired w ith big and little an xieties, and w e are -so glad
th at all is so Well over.* The last thrco days liave b sen lovely,
and ith a a all been so interesting and so finn 1 Those w ild d an ceis
came again in the evenings anil we sat roiuid the bonfires till hodtim e ., I tliought w e were rafher courageous, for 100 swords
flourishing wifcll'^in th e air, in th e hands o f com plete savages,
look rftther^icrrHic.
•
*
A p riliO lh , llt/d , 12M.— TherR]iav4 ;lH?en n overj'stirrin geven rs
the la st few days,
I shall la; able lo put .very shurtiy all wo
havo'bcm* doing. T he Viceroy had » suuili parade one m orning
to see h is es^joi't, w hich conRists of th e 9th Lancers, th e Oorp.s of
(Iijides, th'e Seafiorth J 1 ighland^rs, th e hst Rcngftl T n fu d ry, and a
b attery of A rtillery, and w itli these th e N a tiv e C ontiiigcni. T hey
are troops kept up by n.ative priijces. 'Ihere \uerc about 4,000
iiwii on par.ftde.
A t oth er.tiin es ■'ve have ridden and driven,, anil w ritten our
le lte is, and prid one b r two visit®, and the girls Inive trurJ
188.^
.
If
DKOl'I’LN'G UOWX T H E
•
C9
elephants anti eamelB, and t^iere have l)een races and polo m»t**hc« ;
only, as our ctimp is exactly ia tlio centre of the racecourse, no
one can see an yth in g of th e races. T liis m orning tlie A m ir left,
and before D . w as up h e got a telegram from hom e tellin g him to
in v est }Jis H ighness w itli the y ta r o f India. So ho very hurriedly
g o t liis owji H b W i and star, collected A .il.O .’.s and cubh»ns, and
soiit ofl' a deputation to pr<;scnt th e A m ir w ith th is Order. H o
was delighted, and p u t tiiein on
go iiwjiy in. ft poured again
w ith niin when he w as leaving, but he exprfssenl him self a s truly
gi'atefi/ 1 and pleji.scd, and said he hud n o t oxpectod to be ti^ated
' witli so much honour. H o in ten d s to reniain'somie flh.ys a t
Peshawar, so w e have to g iv e up our trip there, as wo cannot w ait
until he goes on.
•
^
•
III th e ovehiugithe D uhe and D uchess o f Conuau^lit w ont oC,
and to-morrow w e sta rt oui’sel'ses, a m i
cuds our camp life •»&
Hawal Pindi.
. Tuvmltjy,
T told you th at w c h ad ,to g iv e up our expe­
dition to Peshaw ar ; b u t as w e were detorinineil ta h a v e o n e d ay ' 5
-lest bcforo entering upon further duties, w e dccidori ro go and son
th e A tta ck Jlridge and to drop down th e In d u s in IjOiits fofi*«.bcmfc
Ki.slv mile?. l i i pursuauce of th is plan wo slep t in our train a t.
PhuU, and ju s t aw oke for iv moment a t four o’clock to feel
1 1 gent^' luoving on, and again about eigh t in th e morning, w hen
w e fou n d oui'selvos a t our debtiuation. We walked across the,
iron brulgo, which is very high on account of th e great rise in th e
river after the rains. U m ierucath th e railrond there is a subway
for carriages. T lie train foll^w'ed u.s n c r o ^ am i wff bre.akfastw!
in it, and then gn t in to our Ijoat.s, th e sorvajits rem aining in their
>-;irriages and goin g b y rail to m eet us, if journey of about 1 0 0
m iles. Tho fortress of A tto ck was just, opposite uui ’acu.kfaat
place, and we w ere sorry not to v isit it, for tlie w alls and tow-ors
clihib up a groat hill, and luiclosc a large space of gi-ound, iQoking
very an cien t and picturesque. \ \ ’e had thri^ Iftw-tK, w ith six
rovvcra in each, an d a man in th e stern steering w illv a long oar.
'lilt* river i-: e.xrrcimiiy swHr, i.nd, in spite of my Canadian exjKTimicea, I som etwncs fe lt quite frighfrf*n**<i,*espccial[y as in our
very tirat rapid a s-oUd w ave cam e in ivml dre.nclveil Uiu-HPl and m e
<<<inpleteiy. iv e lly ’s dress g o t w etted too, hut th e^ V icero y wa.s
Icspccted.
WV w ere in such a condition th!j,t %ve were obliged to
Jiinl, and a fter ta k in g off a-s many clothes as ).ossiblo w'e g o t in to
id siers and>'pj'e>*tl our drc.s.si's and etceteras on tho aw ning o f tho
bnni t<» dry in the «uu r«.s w e w ent along. B y luncheon tim e V»;
were able t»j j^nt.them on again, and to enjoy our picnic on rh«
.-^aiKl aniTa little clim b about th e mck.s. * Tiien w e proceeiled
70
•
O U li V IC E U K O A I. U F H
\S
IN'DIA
.
a i . in
our iM’rilous wiiy, mul had a m ost deli^^htfnl afton iooii in tlie sun­
shin e and fresh air. The sconory w as beautiful- -th e raphl river,
and the high rock.'?, and (he innunierablp little Iviy.s, ancl th o di.sta iit luountains—and all so bright, tlm t, oven w ith m y tin tw l
•spoctack^s. -whioh I found it prudent to woar.^thoro aeenied a
j->erpetiftl blaze of ligh t on everything. W e hindejJ a t a picture.squc Spot, f^'here th e river m.ade a .sudden turn, and >s-hen!
tlmre was n bridge of Tioats across it, and a road paswing betw een
tw o im m ensely high rocks. W e drove up to the stjition in a
tonga, and had tea. there before our train a n ’ived. W e d ih e d , and
then Started off again, and, travelling all night, reached Lahore*
a t tw o o'ok>ck i.iext thiy.
•
Wetiufinda^, ir>f/<.— There
nn address a t th e sbition, and
then we e^ u e on to the L ieutenaut-G ovem o#s house, where wS
are staying. It is a v e iy curimis house, being, in fact, an old
iVIoslem tom b. T he dining-room is a square JVIoreaque cimmber,
vaulte<l am i high, vvij.h a row of w indow s near th e ttip. I t is all
^doiic in blue and rod patterns, which look very.like tlie tile.s in ohl
mos<iues. T he re.st of th e rooms form nn oclngpn round this, so
tlu it o n edeli side there i.s one goo^ room and tw o odtl-shaped
long ones. .W e found every one com plaining bitterly o f th e heat,
and funning themselvt-^ and .shutting up th e house t o ’keep it
•cool, but ill m y room, to w hich T gave th e sun frc* aqpe.ss, m y
therm om eter never w ent'above 8.5°. Tt w as considered safe to go
ou t abou t hv(*. ivml th en w e started in tw o big char-a-bancs to
drive to Jeh ajigir’s tomb a t Shahdera, a tlislance of ab ou t five
m iles.
•
\
,
M y first imjiression of Lahore is one o f lu xu rian t fnliago and
dowel's and cultivatioiT. J tion't feel tlm t I have seen an y lov'ti,
b a t w e drove through gardens and along roads w itli doubh;
avenues of ti'ees, and there were palms, and nurseries of roses, and
fertihs-looUing tiulds, and tlien we reached th e garden in w inch
Joh angii h .iilC hl« U»u*b. F irst v.-a^saw the. Send, or g r ea t h o u se
of entei'toijim ont for m en and beasts, a p lace such as th e A rabian
Night.s’ travellers nseil to p u t up in .'T h e se establishmeTTtS'Pvisted'
abitut
ery lifteen V.iilc.s on tho great high •roa<is, and tlie y wQi'e
a ll 1 )1 1 n t^ n th e .«;.aino pl.an ; there are three gatew ays, th e jin n cip al
one being made of red saiulst<jnt) v ll h m arble'inlaid in pattern.?,
and ih o rc.sl of t.he,building imcloscs a large stpiure, w hich must
have looked very grand when it was filled w ith equipage.s and
travellers hi gorgeous Kasteru di’osses. Theso bfiildiiigs are all in
a*voiy’ ruinous condition nov..
T h e toml> itself is a very large square building* w ith ,fo u r high
m inarets » t th e oomer.s*; th e coi eretl passages are much ilocoifited,
1885
,
THE (T fV
O F liO S K S
,
71
an«l all th f entrances to th e tomb have c u n c d and perforated
w hite marble doors.
T he enrcophagus U v^hite, inlaid w ith
^coloured iuarl>lcs in th e Ita lia n fashion, th e sides of it being
kiivered w ith the name of Ood n iu ety-n iiie tim es repeated in very
w a u tifu l characters. T h e roof of th is building is also t i l ^ w ith
marble, and fpoi^ it wt“ proceeded .still farther, up to the^etop of
one of tlie m inarets, in order
g e t a view o f th e city. • E ven
from thi.s elevated position Lahon? seemcfl toti much euvelopeJ in
titles to show m uch town, and w e on ly carrii*d aw ay an idea of
one or tw o m osques risin g out of the m isty di.stance. I t w as
‘prosaic of us to have t a i on th e roof of J eh an gir’s io in b , b^t we
did botli have it and enjoy^t.
In the ovening th ere w as a b ig dinner and a le v ^ , and oh !
We wore so skejiy, ♦nd so glad
g e t in to a (piiet and stationary
bed !
,
^
.
r m ust tell you th a t th e roses a t Lahore are tilings to rave
about. I never s u a v such a profusion ; one drives tlirough hedges
o f tliem , and th ere ai-e great bushes, and arche.'^, an<| trees covered
w ith them ; it seem s to m e to be a real city o f gardens.^ There*
are several public ones through w h ich one drives in a.p crjietu al
sta te of exclam ation and adm iration ; and then th ere is a garden
J ivem ilos lon g sun-oundlng th e w alls o f th e city, so th a tw lie a e v e r *
a Tahore cockney chooses to stop o u t frofh h is closo d w ellin g and,
nar;-ow'street, ho lind s him self am ongst plantains, and rr)se.s. and
palm s, and m angoes, and pepul-treos, and lovely llcrworing pom e­
granates.
Thitm dtnj,
J have a great deal Aoo m uch t-o tell you,
and 3 lon g for th e pens o f eve?* so m any rwtily w riters to g iv e you
even faintddea.H o f a ll wo sec and all w e dw and all w e appreciate
and enjoy ' In th e afternoon th e Viceroy received th e .Maharajah
o f K ashm ir in, durbar. H e is sncli a line old njun, w ith a hand
som e and distinguIshefl-Uioking face and courtly manners. H e is
very ill, I fear, and h is eld est son does not look w orthy successor.
H u and h is people all w ear nfmsUu potti<x»ats, imd th ese look very
well when a ham lsom e loosu coat is worn over them ; \>ut w ith o u t
the coat I th in k it.is an ugly dress.
a
\V hen th e v is it wa.s over, w e began som e sig h t-i^ in g , nnd
visited th e gaol, w here w e saw th e prisoners m aking handsom e
car])cts, w hich arc said to be eveiliisting, and are soTtl fo ra sm u ch
as 2/. 10». a y a n l. I t is an enormou.s place, holding nearly 2,000
prisoners, ‘ . O uninspuction r>f it was very im perfect, hut i t looked
clean and cheerful in the blazing .sun.
’
•
Then w e f^w^tho iiu se u m nnd th e School of A r t ; b u t tlmre
k 410 use tellin g you about things which at:e everyw here much
t
72
^
O l’K VICEJUW AL I.IFK IX LNULV ,
ch. h i
ftlike, aiul In the latter place th e onfy uncommon sig h t w as a r o v
■ o f juveu i'o carpenters, about eig h t years of age, learning th eir
trade. 'I'hey iK'gir. wjt.l, carving, anil they sit on th e flooras onl\
an Oriental can sit, working aw ay w ith a ohisol an d haiem er
a so r t^ f wooden eopy-lMv.ik and using ihm r tees alm ost as iiiuc^
M thair hands. I w ent home a fter thi.s, b ill 0 . visited tho
O r i e n t a l ' C o l w l i i c h iuterestoti him much.
N ow , how am f to describe our ev en in g en tertain m en t
in tJie Shaliniar iJarde-us ? Wp started ofl* in tim e for dinner,'
exp ectin g n othing in particular, and on ly know ing th a t w e were
t o rlhiR in a ^ardp.n, ami th a t there were to l>e tw o addresses pre­
sented, and a jwirty aftovv.'ards. W o^lreve about Kve m iles along^
a road, which was ligliti'd th e w hole w ay b y
■•■*d «s.w e
approached our destination, wS found th e i^vall' of tho gardeft,
w hicli coders altout seven ty aerfs, designatial by a lino of illum inar.ion. Then, when w e got down froni^Lhc carriage an d stoppivl
unilcr an nrchuny, w e loi»ked down upon a real garden o f lig h t !
S tra ig h t aw;\y fi-om us w ent a jH ithwayof
dow n th e centre
* of w h ifh pliiyeil .a succession of little fountains, g iv in g a sort of
uiist,^’ injwtpriousness to th e scene. On either s'ide of th is fnirylikw canal w ere broad bands of fire, and w alks, twid g rea t row s of
largo tn*es w itli ijuantities of C hinese lanterns and vaiuous iliu• m inating* dc\dees in tefm ixed .
These lin es of firi^ and w'tLter
crossed the. gardens in every direction, and a t the end
th o first
terrace w e tTiuncl ourselves in a sort o f open colnnimde, where
<lin!ier-t-able.s w ere spread, and on tiio other sid e o f w liich w o
looked dow n upon anotJii'r great illuniinated water-gaixien.
It
Was too lovely : th d w ater from *the liret gaixlen passivh imuK.- d iately under the plaee whereon we sat, and fell as.n waterfal)
ou t a t the other side down to th e tcrm ce Iwlow ; and m oving
about and standin g in tlw> illum iiiatcd kiosks one could .see th e
figure;; of tiic atten d an ts adding their m ite to tho com pleteness o f
tlie picture ! "
i n spire of tho p oetic nature of bur surroundings, «'e sa t down
and uto an ordinary dinner ! Thou th e n ative g u ests began t<v
arrive— the Itujahirpf J h in d an<3 Fiiridkoti'j th e MahnrajuJi of
K ashinilvA ’o., li'c.. .nnd I need not te ll you th ese liiudy clad men
alw ays add to th e beauty o f th e scene. •W hilb th e y w ere
asseiubling T w-dkt'*! round tlft gardens and saw how th e boils of
li^ht were managed. There mu.st have l>een h u n d n d s of thonsaiids
ot i-iny caithenw are jars fu ll o f oil jdaced «iuiitvclns<?bne to th e
oi^er, and a wick burning in each. 'I'lie lines o f ligh t round all
th e buildings were done in th e wime way. T lien I retn n ied to
hear the addresses. TItd first was presented by a d ep d tatioa e f
\6H6
DKLHI ANI» ITS MOSQVKS
,
73
live ol<l Sikhs, w itli Imndsome faces an<i lon g grey boards iurneil
over tlioir cars ;mrl fastened aw ay under th eir turbans, Sikh
'abhion, all of them dressed in their a rtistic Oriental garb ; and
11 camo the
rejiresentative.s o f th e ‘ niorleni school.'
T lie
bug man of th e perifKl ii» JnclLi surely never looks in a
{Her ghisft, or ho*e.ml<l n o t p.issibly show Iiiaiself in hi;^ black
aljiHoa squal-e-cut coat and trousei-a b y th e siiie of .h is gor­
geous eldgi-8 .
TJu* one dress is u g ly and undistinguished,
ih«> other all th a t is Ijenntifid an«l ooliifortable and fine, D .
spoke in answ er to each ; and as 1 w atched the tw o parties
listening, 1 w as struck by tlie superior d ign ity of th e eJj.lo.r group
- -their manners aro so ^ood, th eir expression so gr^ive an d
sensible.
,
• \V© le ft th is logely scene w ith regret, and had a nice drive
tiome, the n igh t being only pleasantly warm.
»
Fn(fa>/, -LTf/i.- AVe have hud such a*day o f sight-seeing th a t
1 take up iiiv |»en w ith a feelin g o f despair. E veryth in g w e saw
w as so lu te r e stin g ; and y e t it is so iiupo-ssiblb to coi^vcy to you a
tith e of th e pleasun* wo had in s<‘eing, or to describe a t a ll *
iiiinntely, all th e'w end ins and beauties th a t d eligh ted , and surjiriseil us 1
.
T'he .sun w as sligh tly veiled, and so w e w ere able, w ith ‘
iinlu'anl-of ^udocitj', to be out from nine till 12.30 iuf th e day.
W e Ix'gaAi by d rivin g through m any gardens and shady roads to
tho l>elhi gate, and, passing through that, enttn’cd-iiiiuji'diatcly
into another world. W e drove through narrow stre<‘ts, where
.siriiiige old houses .and curious carved windi>ws w ere,filled with
crowds o f people, and tlirough V h ich we could oid y slow ly m ove
along, until^wti pa.-.swl another archway, aud found ourselves in
the outer court of a niosiiuc, th e face of w hich is decorated w ith
inlaid p ottery in Ijrilliimt colours ninb beautiful designs. The
iiiner irotirr, tho mOst^ue. itself, and th e m inarets w ere on ce
er.th ely rovorcd w ith the.so Kpieiidid colours, ar*d, th ou gh ifiuch
ha^ been tlt'stroyed, there is tmough loft to m ake one feel liow
hupi i'inely In'jiutiful it m ust liavo been in its original state of pert‘*i*rion,' liOavimr
which is tho M osnue o f AVnrir K han, w^»
Ioc)ked in t o n snndler one w ith gohlvu d om es,‘and h.ad ro^-lcj»ves
flroj|jii'd upon our heads as we g o t down from th e axrriage. A fte r
' this came sonic im xleni w aterworks^then another ;no5^ue, w ith in
IVhose I.irge niid quiet court »ai a boys’ .school learning the Koran.
The decoration "f^thiK masque is a w hite uiarblo-looking m aterial
w ith a raised p.ntiern on it, tho whole liaving rather th e effect of
ehintx.
• K cxf w’e saw tlie tomb of R unjeot JSingh. T his is very beau-
I
- . ‘ t - J !-
*
7-1
•
o r i i vicKKKUAL f j r i : rs i x d i a ,
ch.
tifu l iiu lw tl; tho lnni>>
Is nitu blcj w ith a largo. V4 »und covereil
vessel uii the top to contain liia aahes. K oond th is wei'e eloveii,
knobs of marble, som e plain and som e ornHJueiitfxl. Tin' latt
hold tJio /whos ot’ bis <(uee/»a, th e former
o f h is sla v e g j|
■•tU of ^'hom were burnt as his w idow s ; and a t ibo corners
tw o n*oreof those round tc-nibstones over tho a sh e^ o | tw o pigeons
w hich Imd flcAvn on to h is fu n em l pile. T lie roof of th e dome
itself w as of gold, vftry sligh tly ornamente<l w ith colour, hikI th e
colonnade oat.side had a lovely sort o f decxiratioii whhdi w e had
never seen before ; i i had tho ellect of a beautiful soft*<rrey, and
wa-wrimde w^ih sm all convex pieces o f looking-ghiss im bedded ih
a pattern of delicate w hito plaster hiaves an d ilowei’s. Runjeet
•Singh seerna to have boeu fond of both thfjse stylos of decoration,
i’c r w hen wo w ent on to liis palace in the Pkrt, V o found a g n ^ t
m any ro6 m s there d o n e jio th •v^th thn gidd am i w ith th e glass.
JFrom a single view of th ese lovely cj'eations One can on ly
C any awuy a general imprt-s.-'ion and a g ie a t sen.-^ of plw^siiro,
and it is cUtKcnlt to rv.solve th e cxiiression of it in to a n y real
desciip tion. One feels th at th e mere, rocapitulatiou of peiforated
maj'blo doors, anil inlaid marble tloors, and carved marble Pinal's,
and goltlen domes, and arehe.s decorated w itlr painte<l illustration s'of th e stories of th e go<la, anti sphmdid coloured tiles; giy.es
no idcJi 6 f a nuu'idiig'spent in passirig from one ^in^f w hich is
beau tiful and in terestin g to unotlier which is still luoro so • N or
can I im pitw j you w ith my view of th ese siglits unless I can
m ake you add to th e actual things T am attem p tin g to describe
the crow d w h ich isnihvays jwescnt. Y ou have to picture to yo u r­
self th e m ost curiously b u ilt nntt char.icteriKtic streets, and then
to fill every no<ik and corner, and to cover fill th e roofs, w ith
m en, w om en, and children, each individual being a jucture in
him self. W e ijass through them going in to th e mosques, and look
ou^ at them from th e mo.-Miues, and as w e m ove n n fi'oni one
beautiful bm hli^ g to another there is alw ays th is Rwarm of hum an
b(nngs adding to the in terest nnd*]>ioturesquei\f*ss o f'th e scone.
Tl»c P'orf and Kunjcefc S in g h ’s jialace, which T have m entioned,
(^ame n ext, and Mien w o visited a n ative •^ rls’ school, w hich. :itl
h is o^’^HJJOc^al request, th e Y iceiw y was allowed to see. Tt wa'I
ill such a yarn»w street th a t th e carriage couhl m>T go
it. so 1 |
got in to a paJauquin and fallow ed T>., who wojj on hor.seb.ackJ
W o couhl have touched th e liouhcs on eith er .side, and, as usual,
fe lt much interostc*! in th e inhabitants. l«nep(J’o o t tell y o u
^vbout. th e school, as m y fonnor lettei's have given you som e idea
w h a t th e chihlren look lik e in theso e.stablishjncjitKS.
On our w ay h o D lb we liud to see a modern Buildiugf uu
HiSj
T H K « O U > i:N T JiM J’lJi: O F
*
7.J
A*M?mbly Hoorn built in me>»‘o r j o f olr Hobert Moitt>?oinory, atul
• ;i H eading Room to Sir .John Lawvi'tire ; but it
lik e descend­
ing fr'»»n -Ivanhoo’ to ‘A urora Floyd,' ;iud I could not apprcciattj
e ith e r ! T his-w as the sigh t-seein g ot' tlie morning, and one felt
quite ‘ exalted ’ aft»!r it. W e w en t home, and the Viceruy ynuie<lLately sbtrted^otT to jiay u return vi«it to th e Maharajijh of
K ashm ir and to ln<>v in u t ihe, new culhednd ; thei*cam o U nch.
and
1 A t the door som e people from th e R ajah brought
» beautiful buiuU eof .shawls for m y acceptance, whicHJ graciously
tf)ok, and
fo tlf' Foreign Secretary, to be sold f«jr the
gbCHl of tlib Guverninent 1 Sir Chnrle.s and Liidy A itch iso n ,^ u r
host and hostess, have been w kind to us, and have done every­
thing to make our risi^ pleasjuit.
• T his would s^em *i good placd to e ip la iu to you th e Indian
•systoin o f gift«. W hen m oney i;i presented to the Vifceroy, lie
alw ays ‘ I'eniit.s’ it, b u t when preseuta (»f jew els, .arms, stuffs,
horseji, or other th in gs of value ai-e. given him, th ey ai-e accepted,
Hj-.d ai’f' im m ediately hnnde<l over to th e Tosl* Khani^ or G overn­
m ent 'j'rsasury. w h er- th ey are sold, return presents of equal
value being nuAlo to th e donor.
.
A ‘ dolly ’ gencr.ally consists o f trays uj^m trays of fru it and
VQgetfiblets and sugar-candy ; these are offered a t every jOHce, ami
are accept«d*und divided am ongst the servants, who o»ij«jy the
goofi th in gs im m ensely.
W e bad an hour an d a half in th e train, and then g o t to
A niritsiir for our at'teruooii sigjit-seeing. 3Iore l>eautiful narrow
streets, the houses alm ost sw athed in IndiiHi shawLs, brilliant.
phulkiirricH, and bright-colourSd cottons j ' more overflowing
w indow s and cr()wded huu.setops, am i th eu «th e Gnldeu T em ple !
T h e name is not a t .all too poetical for th e place. Tliere it stands,
r. goidi-n building in the verj' centre o f, a large squaie slm et of
w ater, only to be reached b y a narrow niurbie pathway. N o th in g
more fairy-Hke cun b e conceived. V iew in g it from n di-stiihce,
you g e t i t s ’ relh'ction in th e vfater, and see a ir t h e picturewjue
Jiousfts on th e fu rth er side mui tlic great m inarets in *the tow ji
beyon'I, and th is tepiple really d“es seem to h e a dream ! N o
■wonder that' to appruach i t you nm st tal;e off your
shoes
and put on einbroidei'ed slijqjcrs, thou you descend tiio .stairs and
Mjilk a long wav n»u:id ihe banks (Tf ib o water. Jj’irst von v is it
w here th e high priest sits, .and ho shows you the
KM'ords of lh*c\ grout {<ikh warriors, for th is is tlic religious capital
o f the .Sikhs ■, and still a)>ont, and above, nttd around you a i«
alw ays tlm ornapientnl i>eople ; th e nico old Sikh jiric-sts offer you
silrer coins w hich you ‘ touch and rem it,’ then tliey produce som e
»
7G ,
IH T I V IG E R K n A L L JI-K IN IN M A ^
m . in
pag^arpf'S anil sognr-pluios for your ncooptance, which you are
actually fllltjwpil to take ; then they pcrfi.u-in for you the
lw.pt ism ! It sounds arnvnge, h u t it seems to be q u ite w ithin
tl'cir cufctoiua to show o if the cereinom’. T he son of a fc^ikh is not
a
u n til he h;is recoiveil th e laiptism o f .stci-l. Tw o young
m ei^ w ere the objects of tlie cei“6 nioiiy. Th*ey stood below tlu?
priest,*who stirred w ater nml sugar in abinvl -witn a s te e l d agger;
this he piiureil inter tlieir hands, and th ey drank it ;*he poin'ed it
on to theirrfaccs and over their heads ; he <*xhorfed, an d they rejjoated vows, and thus the stinil entered into th eir soula>; and they
.s.it d o’a^n t'egcrher w ith a bowl of sugar-laindy Iwtween them , ahd
fed each other with it to show tliat^ th ey were brothers. H en ce­
forth th ey are Sikhs ; th ey wi'.l never <iut th eir hnlr, and can
«-n.sily be know n by that, and by a I'cculiaiiy shaped turban. *
W M le th is was going on, fhoi;e sat immovable, below .a little
maroJe archway, a holy man in a pink turban, w ho lcK>keil c.vaotly
likn a oarvetl god in a niche, and in the balcony al>ove wer? some
very h o ly ,S ik h s,* w earing curious yellow and black turbans
covereel w ith stead ; and «?voiywltere w e looked there seem ed to
1 ) 0 fresk interest, and not half enough tim e to'realise it all.
We
n ex t j>as.scd through a goldi ti gatew ay on to th e m arble path to
th e G olden Teinjde. P riests si* there all day sin gin g fo inpst
prlinitiTo music, gtnd’reading th e ‘ g r a u th ’ (jironnunceil grunt),
which is their bible.. T he lK»nk Is covered w ith gold-em broidcnal
cloth, a n d 'o v c r it is a jew elled arch, in whicli diam onds ai\d
eineralda and rubies arc set. and from wliich liang countles-s
strings o f pearls ;cand again I m ust toll you of golden roofs and
solid g 4 )ld dom*K, anti sih cr tloorl ami inlaid m arble w alls, and y e t
you w ill inive no idi>i of this li--ve!y Golden Temple I
W o drove back through a dltTcreni set of streets, aiul otit of
the tow n, to th e Port aud to a large grodmi, and, lik e Csthorc, we
found hero, a t Atnrifwir, a pn-fusion of (hdvcrs, nml great spacc.s
of 'grci'in, and aVe.mies of tnres, so tlm t when w e g o t h ick to th e
train w e w'cn- iVnllv worn out o^inirivf/. Our miu'iU had boon
on th e sfretch all ibty, and very d ijigh tfu l i t was !
W c breakf.astcd av U iiiballa, which Wi:
1‘eachc*^ in
the nigdit, and
then left railw ays and took to open
caiTiagi's-anii-foui'. W c changcil hoi-si's n 'ry often, and in about
four hours’arrjved a t Pinjoi^, where wt* arc to be th e gue-st.s of
th e Maharaj.ah of Patiala for two nighis. H e m et u s near the
place, and D . :rut into h is cnrringc. 1 'hls is Ofiothyf fairy scene.
'Jdio gHi-dens arc jos,t, like
those a t Shaliniar, i)ut on a sm aller
'.seal© ; there is th e aainc succensiou of ti-rvacesjnnd straigh t sheetu
of w ater, and fountaijt^, and lcio.sl:s at th e end o f ea*ch tevm cc,
ISft.i
c A ‘ MALVAI8 d\*Aia’ U’lIE rP .E ’
. 77
throu;:!i ■which the •water flows. W e ) i \ e in one of tltesc on the
top of the w aterfall, and you cnivt rliink how p retty it is. The
ceiitm l room is piitirely open, b u t furnished lik e a drawing-roomj
tlicre urcth rec groat arches on eui-li side-w itli muoiiu curtains
lined wi^h piuk, and gi-pat. uiluisou blinH^ T.iiicli m n l>e drq|>pi''d
if ni'CiJSfciry ;
oAe end o f them is a dijiiug room, and at: tlie
other a Ijotirooin, and tlie girls an; in teufs. liii.s is a reaK V p u a
a t th e lK)ttoi*i of the m ountains.
Tlie M ahanijali entertidii.'i us lig lit royally, and <‘^*ery meal is
a banquet ? Ins j>ijn*rs playetl for us a t dinner, .aiul walked round
thb table afterwards.
They are really rather gixnlj but th ey
played several dill'erent tunqp in tlie roiim, and th e bagpipes
;rnKHied in such a fearfvd nninner al th e boginniiig of each tluit,
in S^'iite of the Vifcortvid g ravity bf l>.’s f.ace, T could not help
Laughiug. Our h ost oaine in after ilin n e r to see som e ci.nijuring
ho had provided fo rU '.; he is .such a nice Soy, aiidsjieaks Hnglisli
very \yell. I t w as very pretty, sittin g a t th e etl^e of our ilrawinglooking d<iwn the ilhijiunatetl gaid en at a w afejfail which
was-lighlftil iit th e back, and w atching th e crowd of retaiii«*s who
looked on w ith us.
Suruieiy, 19M .- -W o hod rather a h.eathenish Sunday, mr
ihe.iv Was iio c liu n h , am i ihcro w<*ro hreworks in th e garden
after dinner ; ^mt the m ost extraordinary ‘ lircwurk ’ w as alijitural
one. 'Hicro came on suddenly a storm *>f thunder, lightning, and
wind, w hich in tw o m inutes ujKsct our ojhui draw ing ixKjin anvl
.'cnt our niu.slin curtains Hying nU over th e place ; candles aud
lamps had quickly to be extingui.sheil, a te n t *utside wa.s burnt,
and for the s]«iee of ten minutc.s* everyth in g V as confu.sion and
desolation.
.
»
W ith tlic exception of fid s pyrotechnic display and the l>owTerous and iH>nr:tns finnrt (ThKurc, w e huiha very quiet, jieacefui,
am i nice -a arm day.
‘2 ,\s*.— I have now to g iv e you my lhNtiniprc:s.si()ns
o f Sim la - impressions greatly lehqiereti by th e considem uoii th a t
it is to be our home foi' tlu'.L'reaU’i' pari o f every year. W e
brcaUfiistcd early, a m i then, sbvrtefl oti' on oui^-luug eight hours’
d rive- 1). and T in one victoria, th e girls in another, lytfil th e .
ot our party in iimch les.-. con)fortnbh>macldncs c a l|« l t>3ngas.
Yi'stcrdny wa.s lovely, au d w e saw fli<‘ inouutai:.s.looking their
very liest.
W e w e n t’ a t a»grcjit paco, uscf-nding and descending, aud
tw istin g and turning round the inosi fearful com civ, alw ays at*
the ixlge of H preqipipe ! Som etim es our road ■was exactly oppo.site ta us, eith er very m uch higher or v e f\’ much lower on th e
*
78
,
O l'R V I O R R E r a L L I F E IN
IN D IA
vn. ui
othor side of ft ra v in e; sometimes* it jippearod to be altojfether
lust, ftiKi >vaS only to be found iigaiu b y pnrsuliiff i t round som e .
■\ery sharj? aiij,de. Tlier<! were jjatches of cu ltivation alm ost ali
th e w a y u p , cuhninatinfj in beautiful nud eo4)rmous rhododeudmnfi-ensjiere.
For th e rest, th e scenery is th a t of a real sea of
m oui^uins, rolling lu lls o f various heights, w flh snow y poiiks in
the di.stanee^ but no very strik in g raiigc or paft-icular peak to
upi<eal to one’s im agination.
,
W e chaiigetl hor.stfs every four miles, b u t even so our la st pair
seemed to feel the .ascent to U overnm ent T.Iouse very, se v e n ty ;
indeed, th ero a rlh a d )>ecome more precipitous and more angular
than ever ! The only place th at j. liuve o \e r im aginw l a t all
lik e th is spot is M ount A n im t w ith the A jk bjilanced on th e top
of it. Hiul I am sure th.at wheh th e min.s *oinc 1 shall fee] atill
more Hkf Airs. N aah.
,
T he house itself is a cortago, and w ould b e very siiitablo for
a n y fam ily dpsinn;^ to lead a dom estic and not ftii.oihciul li f e —
so, personally, we are cttm fortable; but w hen I look round my
sm all drawing-room, and c^msider a ll th e other dim inutivo apartI- d o feel that it is very u n tlt for a V iceregal establish-/.Bnt. A ltogether it is the fu n n iest place ! A t th e back of th e
•lonse you Imve aliout a vai*fl to .spare before you tum ble dow n a
precipicr» and in front there is ju st room fur ont^ ten n is court
Ijefore you go ovi r another. T he A .D .C .’a arc a ll <bppftig <»S' th e
h ill in various little bungalow.s, and go through m ost porilout:
jidventures to come to dinner.,
Wftlking, riding, <lriving, all
.sfHtm to nui to 1 ) 0 indulged in a t tlio ri.sk of one’s life, and even of
unsafe romls there *is a lim ited V ariety.
1 have three le.adijig
ideas on th e snbiect #f Sim la at present.
Fii-st, I , feel th a t I
never have been in such an out-ot-thu-vray place before ; secondly,
that I never have lived ui sucli a .small house ; and th ird ly, that
T n ever as.\v a place so cramped in e^'ery vyaj' ou t o f doors. I fcftv
this*last scnsatioft w ill gi-ow upon me. Then* is ono drive which
T tried to tak e y*e-stenlay, l>ut h a d to turn back on ftc<;ouut of a
Ihundorstorin ; mino is ulmo.st th^ only carriage allow ed her**,
m ost jteople going «b ou t in jinrickshaw s or.clajuho.s. T he forviiov
is ft*.son^pf liath'Chair pusheil and pullod b y fou r men, and th e
la tter is an^nvalid chair carried on th eir slKiuldew.
A ll tltese
m en hav'e bveries, am i it lo o k f so funny to see them com itig along.
Som etim es you m eet three ladies sociably in a row, and their
men in briliiHut colours lik e a (juantity of giiudy ‘birds— blue
breasts, yellow breasts, m l caps, Ac., Ac. T hey g o a t a g rea t
pace, and I .shall have to use m ine w henever I ^forsake th e one
carriage road.
•
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1S85
^
t'N S O C U B I J i l.o ro -M O T lO X
,
79
/
CH APTK R IV
•
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* S ^ M T .A
•
DUIllNO
THU
BAINS
^
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.
Aj'Rir. 22 TO OclOiȣB 10, IHsS
Wodtii‘^{<!2f, A p r il 2 ‘liu L — The iJnke anrt Duolmss of Con­
naught are stayin g w ith vSir Thomas Baker (Adjutnnt-QeneijU),
and he asked u s to go am i luncii •with them , axid aftervrartls to
join tlieni in au exjicdvtioa to JIushobr?i.
Our neighbours Imre
lofiic vftty near to sjs,
so th ey ^fould be had w e th e M’iu gs of n
dove w herewitli to fly from our a^k to th eir eyries on th e sur­
rounding h ills ; but as w o liave to toil up and down in jinriek
sluiwH or on ponies, it tak es tim e to go ajiywiiere, and w e wei'C
rliree-quarters of an hour reaching our tiesfination. y o u w ill
rtjally am used li» Inar tliab 1 require s ix m en to la k e ino along in
■ m y Imth-chair, a n d a jem adar to look aftor them, so th a t w hen
N elly , Rm'hel. and I tak e a little g en tle exercise together w e have
a small-regiment. <i£ n ineteen liuni in, scarlet liverie.s pu.lUt\g anti
pushing our t l^ e m o c lu n e s ! In sp ite of th ese n uuierous^ tteudHuts, loconTotion here ij m ost utisociablu : ther^ is only rtK»m for
one a t a tim e, and 1 m ust Siiy I think n lo n g expedition iii a
jinrickshaw is decidedly dull.
W o w en t to a place som e seven
m iles off, follow ing oneh other and occjisionally Hiiouting o»rcmurk ;
and w lien w e got to M usliobm
had ten, and tlien, finding it
extrem ely co)^ for .silting nut, -we set off to ivalk ‘ a litthi w ay '
hack.
The D u c h f^ g n d I led. and os w e thought every one had
hi.s or her own co n m -an ce, w e fe lt a t lil>erty to follow our in cli­
nations, and on w e w alked f«»r tiu ite four m iles.
I t up^ieavs,
liM.wcver, th a t w o made one of our p a ity very imsera,ble, for he
had on a pair of tiglit, thin, p,atent-leather ndjug-boots •, th e
stoneK were very rough on th e.ro a d , atid a s he w atched u» di»ap)H;aring round turn after tu rn on th e m ouniainous path, lie
groJined aloud, hut did n o t dare to m ount his steed wliilftindieM
!in<l R oyal D u kes walked.
D . and J v isited ‘ Observatory f l i l l , ' w hich ia a site Ijord
Lytton chooe fyr th e new G overnm ent H ouse.
A t C alcutta it
wa.s proposetl * th a t ,,we should alter th is cottnge in to a fitting
V iceregal residence, bu t th e m om ent w e sjiw th e proxim ity of our «
precipice.'? and thn^smallness of th e house, w e began to think th a t
i t w.ku^d be A inislnko to build Jiere, and now tlia t wo have seen
'8 0
o r]{
v ic E U K O A L
r . i r i ';
jn
i
:^ 3 ) i a
m
th e new sit«j we are conviucfH.1 o f it*!
Tiiei-o is a sj>ienniil vlrrvfroni it, iiu'l a large space o f vacant ground to
on, am i I
should 6Jiy ir has every piissible ftilvantagv'> ov< v this.
U'e were very much aruuscJ, w liile w alkitig ab ou t there, io
see ll ij t i t require: tw o men to use one spade. Tlio lirst man
dig.s i* th e ordinary way, but tiie aecoud p u l^ u rope wliich is
attach ed lo riio spade, and th u s helps h is frietKl*uj» w ith his
s h o v e lfu l! These nren come from Latlak, and arc curious-looking
crcatvires. They shave the front part o f th e heatl, arul wear long
curls a t tiie back and aide's : <hey have Hat n gly feaburos, and
look, dirty. •H’lie women are n o t p retty, and th eir dress, w liidt
consista of a straight blouse, and tyousers gm d u ally tigh ten in g
d ow n to the ankle, is
unbecoming. Their nose-rings arc of
th ick silvei*, ami aro
largo a^bangle-s.
« •
•
AVe Imd a sm all dinner for, the Dakt! and i>uchc.ss of (.!on-.
panght, who are to leave for England on ,S;itunluy. f found iny
littie huurti- was v e iy comfortable for a jiarty of tw enty-three, b u t
T fear th a t ^’hen w e g'-t beyond ilia t num ber jvop ic vs ill grap.blo
over th e ‘ horrible cTUshc.s ’ at Uovoi'um ent H ouse.
S )n iday, 2Gi!/<.— (roing to church is a mattoi' of ilifhimlty heiv,
;u;if T am not sure but th a t strict Sabl>aturiana wouhl Ibrbid o n e s
n item p tin g it, seeing how much labour it involves.
Thero are
tw o jinrfckshaw s for tlie girls and one betw een tiio uiaifis—'ih
liven. There ia a pony carriage for mo, a hor.se for H is E^c.celloney,
ftnd ponies *for all the A .P .C .'s, while a t th e church door tho
congregation of bath-chair inou in all th eir variou.s costumes
staiu lin g by rows of these luachiiips, and tlie collection o f horscii
h eld by chcir syceS, g iv e more* of a fe.stive th an of a serious
<^hui'atiter to the outside of tho building, and a lad y §to])ping into
her pew , booted and spurrod ami habitcil, disturbs all oin-'s
convention.al notions of a ‘ Sunday gow n.’
W e walked up to tho IvIIlitary S fcicta i-y ’s bungalow for tea.
T h o luck y ttianMia.s retdiy a charm ing house, and I wmh tha
proper owner was in it. W e inisrf Lord W illiam very m uch. H e
ia a t home on leave.
iJ/onrf«v, 37fA.*;-Tho girls and T en crgvycally got up I'arly to
s e e 'th ^ ^ io w m ouniaius. They rmle all th e way, and 1 drove
to th e bottgiii of ‘ Jakho,' a very high h ill, and was ca'rrlod u}> it
in a jlmmpan. . T tried to w.llk a little, b u t ono is so eo-sily p u t
O u t of breath hero th at T could n o t uuiimge th e climb.
Ecaidos
th e view of th e mounbain.s, we were to ace i^n old F akir surrouuded b y all the monkey.s o f th e neighlK>urhood, w ho as.<;emble
Ht h is c a l l ; b u t w© were m ost un lu ck y— tiie ^snows wer*! n o t
viiibl*^ aiKi th e m onkeys were othcrwisiv engaged, So w e t>aw
1SS-,
.METKOUOLOOIC’-M. T U O U m .K S
,
81
jM»iliing, and m ust m ake th e ^Apecliwon I'gaiji w hile tlio w. ather
U 'still coi<l.
! !i th e afteni(K>jt O ipi;iin ITarbcrd urovc nao to t<*a w ith Lady
Stew art, and we were goin g on to a ‘ M onday I*op ’ Fancy having
. 1 ‘ M im day P op ’ in the heart tif the Jliinalnyjis !
T ii« ie a we
m nmgiyl, Ijiit, on tmr « hv fnm i it w e were caught hy tlukmoKt
I'-rritic dust-storjn. A iiythirig more com pletely «4isKgrfteable J
m ver felt. , I t quitt' fvightc-jie<( one b y it* vivacity, an<l both
•Minded and ehokcd us.
W e drove on iu4 fnat a u u n s woli or.
euuld lo tiie nearest shelter, opening one ey e al a tim e to peep a t
•tor situation, coughing, an<l holding on to nnr flappitig garm ents,
and Hitogetlivr iiiiscrablo.
)Vo ju st got in to the phot<^rapher’.s
.- iiop when th e iluat ceased , rani a bial ihunder and rain-storm
sm;OPedi'(t it. W e (le.1 not mlml %his so much, and thou u h l th e
mud onVy t,<-Kj dcdightful afier thn,tiust. ^
•
Tlie niglit wuis still woi’sc, and th ere w as n squall o f i\im l and
rain in the m iddle of it which m ade one quite trem ble for iho
The cohl i’t*tunis tvficr all this ‘ weathet-,’ and
want our
warmcsr cloches and tirf« to keep us at all cuinCort.able. ‘ ,
T n‘»<lay,
r was to receive visitors to-day beLW{“Ou,tlm
l'a.shioiml)le hours of tw elve mid tw o, but tlio first detachm ent
had only ju.st arrivwl when rain, hail, .and thinidi-r came on w ith
su*di ‘ im j'ctguus r a g e ’ th a t thos** who had come werfi obliged
to Slay, and those who had not*'stnvted could not corao a t all.
The had rattled oji.cur iv/m rw>t’ in d ie m ost doafciihig fadiion
th ogroojid w as quite w liite whou wo looked nut after th e «terni,
.oil] wi; j>iokc<l up lum ps of ice as large as cherries on .th e lawn.
W'c tlm ught th at tiiis m ust I'calfy b e th e clinia.'c and the end of
.11 our nictyorologicnl troubled, arul in th is nilstaken idea m'o
started out ruling hiu I w alking in th e aftcruoon. Those on
horseback got w et through, and J>. and 1 had a v e iy adventurous
walk, the o n ly im provem ent since, tho m orning being tlmt the
hailstones were now' no larger than currants : V clted by tliein,
-I'vi'loporl in cloud, da^zlcfl b j ligh tn in g, and li*^teui^g to the
grow ling thunder, w e pUnidiHl on, greucjy adm iring bv the way
The big tree<! of erjnison I'hovhnlendron®, wjrich will be sadly
dashod I'y the ice-luilling th ey h ave received ; and, on tli#i^vh6le,
w c quite enjoyod th® tempobls !
^
'J lie Stewart® . aino to t “a with*ino. and wo had Mrs. Cunn ’n g‘iHU). Cbmcrnl W ilson, and O et'om l (Tordon to dine w ith us.
'J’ho latter Irfts coq»c to report th e safe dep.irturo o f tho A m ir.
He recei\>Hl fnnn Ifis H ighness tw o Orders thy one a liitlu gold
med.il w ith ‘ Hj^nour' w ritten on it, th e othm’ ;ui o.xtrctnely
p retty oriia*meut w ith largo Hat diuuionds iS t. in ctianiel. A.-. Jim
82
•
O l'R
V K 'K l.’K ii.\L
LIFE IN IM U A
vh
;v
A m ir calls it :m ‘ Order.’ O enrral (Gordon is allowed to accept it.
b u t his daughtiPi'wilt wear ii. H o told u« th a t th e first n ig h t .
the A m ir entered h is own territory six: new M a rtin i-ire iiiy rilies
were stole»v from him, wh<*reas in oiir coiintrv he lost nothiug.
H e m ust liave felt very sai'u and happy here, an<l he said himself,
‘ <hioaneed n ot wear n sw on l in a friend's house.’
ThuYndu't}^ 30^/n— 1 felt that th e hapj)ijiess of m y life lu'ro
dependefl ujion my Iftiving soup? thoroughly steady.
a>ul y e t
fa.st m eans of locomotion, so I Imve .set up a mule. H er name is
* Begum,' and sho is a trea.suri* I 8 h c w alk s v e iy f;vst and eanter.s
beaHLifiilly,^iid th e gen tle cx])resKion of her ey e i.s umsl rea.«!suring. To-day I trie<l her for th e J)>*st tim e, and though I fear
she is not Vieeivgal-Ionking, I m aintain
is .sensible and u se­
ful ; and when she weara a l^lue 7iwklact#an.rt has a few rfil
tassels about her, she wpl IgokJovely. 1 shall be ghul w hen sh e.
has bocuitre an establi<!he<l hict, and when peo]>}<! ceaac to "r.y.o at
her long ear.s.
^
FruJ<a/,J^r<ty
A m ost lovely S la y m orning fo rseein g the
snowiv!" "\Vo all g o t uj) early, and T on my B«gum, ami the
Viceroy*ami his S u ite on nobler b u t not better anim als, went u]i
‘ J a k k o ’ before breakfu.st I A t th e top we saw ih o funnie.st
siglit. T h eo ld h 'u k ir called ‘A o , A ’o ’ (Come, coiuo>, and the
monkcyS arrived, whole familie.s o f them - -fa th ers,^ h ih lren , and
mothere w itli their little ones clasped to their lu-ca.sts (only it is
Ui»- baby tlftiC does the clasping, so th a t tho m other m oves about
quite freely) ; and when grain wa.s throw n to them th ey .scrau(bled
for it and ate it »p very quickly, w hile th ey <'vcn ven tu red to
take food from out of our iimid.s. A il tlie tim e th ey gave a sort
o f little gentle cry^ and the iiifant.s loi»kod too funny, gazing
u]'side down a t one from betw een th eir m others’ ai'ins— their
little wrinkletl faces .and n eatly jxirted hair m ake tlicm look so
oh^-fashioned. The view w as m agnificent- sncli an im mense
range of snfew ^nouut.ains again st th e background of blue .sky.
;;ntl .su cl\a varied foreground tif'h ills and woods, w ith th e sun
sh inin g b n llia n tly on all. 8 till 1 ,simn't do it often,- for evpi'di;
tiona in the early*piorning don’t suit me, aud I had to go to bed
for n tittle on m y return.
TJiur.'if^ii/, 7fh. I told you th at 1 did n o t th in k my dom estic
and countriliwl life Iu tc w^uld proviile m aterial for a xveekly
journal, nor is it im portant enough to bo divided up into d a y s ;
so T w ill ju st give you a retrospective uccount*of a ,v.*eek at Sim la,
*!ind w ill begin by tellin g you th a t I really think it is a very
n ic e place, and that it is grow ing larger ?\;nl larger in my
estim ation. The rodfls seem more num erous au d ’ muclk safer
a n n a n d .a le , t j j e P iaY O R or^’D in t h e m m
•
S'd
tliun th ey did a t firat, and *T find th e riding and tlie walks
d elightful.
licsid es goin g up ‘ .lukko,’ oiio can go round it, and a lovely
ride w o found it, and niindi did m y l>ogum astonish tlie rather
scothngly-inclined girls b y keej>ing uj> w ith their steecl'% a t a
<‘anter, and oxitstri‘^>2 )ing them altogether at a walk.
«
W e had one very am using nftem oon. B y d in t <rf muoh levelliug, great jabour, and considerable expense, a playground has
boen nia<io in a valley h^re, where ivices and gym khana uieetiiigs
can 1)6 held, and where erleket and football can be played. I t is .
called A nnandale, and it is th e only place I have s«ftu in S ynla
front which you don’t look <^own upon t)ie W'orld ; i t is so sur­
rounded by liills that Jor a uioiuent you can forget th a t you are
yftur.self upon a * in tu n ta in . Tiifs pliiygroinul is a trreation of
. Lord W illiam ’s, and our A. lXC.'s ^re th e principal promstei's and
supporters of the sj>orts tliere, so w e w en t dow n to have tea and
to watch thcHi practisiug for a gym khana, w hile Uie girbs were to
try tiltin g a t th e lin g . l^cUy was v e iy sucee.*sful, ai^d enjoyed it
I’he tw o Mi.ss Stewai-t.si wei-o inore, and th ey all
galloped about, la*nces in hand, thoir h a ts falling olF, a*i<T th eir
hair much dishevelled, looking very energetic and very much
am used. . T he men, me.-in while, wei'e t-eut-pegging, or riding
Wildly rouiid^thc coux-se leading ono or tw o jjonles, going over ,
hurdles, dr sim ply racing. Lady S tew art ;vn<l 1 «at and looked
on, and ‘ B o g u m ' w;is le-l out to t ilt and covered her.self w ith
glory, N elly being her rider.
Tl»e cie.scent to th is playground is of course v er y , steep, but
th e road lies tla ough a lovely fo r e s t o f deddnrs ajid rliododeud n uis, w ith .several of our m ost precious furns gi'owing at their
roots. TiiO iuost coinmon tree about hcrx? is a w hite oak, w hose
only claim to relationship w ith our onk
th a t it nenrs acorns.
In other districtjj neaV lliero nvc, green nnkn and b w w n oaks, but
jumQ pf them iHjaliy i'e.seinblo th eir iiluglish •naiuesjike. This
w'bite ono covers m any o f th e ftills ; iv luuk.'> grc}' ip th e cli.stinco,
and is not a pretty tree.
.
*
I am a t hornet one,m orning a w eek from tw elve till tw o, those
b ein g the extraordinary houi-s at w hich v isits are i)ai<i *11 over
India. A s houses 4iere are so dillicult o f access, people kindly
p u t up little ' N o t at h o m o ' h o x e s^ t th e Ixottom p f u ie hills, and
you nui.y im agine how th e unsociable ride about in search of
these 1
’_
,
Our daily life is much jis follow.^ ; W o brcakfa.st in a little
i-oom upstairs, w hich at other tim es serves N o lly a« a studio, and
tlw y wc Step out* on the balcony and tidmiro th e juagniticcnt
•
o 2
8-1
•
PUK \aCT^l{]:<;AL UKJi
I X
L N D I A
,
n t. K
•
rn n g c o f s n o w m o u n ta in s , w liic h a t t h i s tin i« o f y e a r n ro
a l w a y s v iw ib lo .
A ttt- r t h a t w e a r e a ll b u s y till lu u f h - tim e
v a r i o u s s a i i c t u i n s , t h e n r o m e t h e s e r i d e s o r w a llc s , a n d
o v e n i n " t h e {ijirlfi m a n a g e t o l i a v o s o m e g a m e , w h i l e D .
n e a rly
in o u r
in th e
and I
g o iio ill H y s i t q u i e t e n j o y i n g a h o o k .
A\'oi f o u n d a n o l d b a g a t e l l e
b o a rff h e r e , o n w h ic h t h e y p la y a m o s t s im p le g a y i ^ o f n in e p in s ,
b u t i t i i ^ p o a A t o a f t b r d a l l t h e y o u n g p a r t y e n d le .''s i n t e r e s t a n d
c x c ite n u n it.
*
»
Captain •[•iMrbord and Mr. B alfour have gone dow n to th e
■plains to shoot tigers.
*
dV'c do Rot begin to entHrtuin until th e Qusfui’s Birthdat',
w hen a le v ^ i.i held and .a dinner and ball g iv e n ; to th e la tter
cvor.ybody lutre is disked, and our house appears in all its incom poteiiee. 1 have not m entionctl IX's work, V h ieh is continuotis.
1 am v.rjiideriiig whothtir a settle^l peace w ill dhuiniah it a t a ll..
T hunderstonns have conte on again, and w e begin to hear for th e
first tim e of ^lit(le,ram s,’ which m ay pr>ssibly precede tlm certain
dolugt;.
•
FviUny,
to Fndatj^ 15/7/.— T am sorry to w rite about th e
w eathef. and I would not. do so wurc th e subject comiiioiqdai'e ;
b u t it really is such remurkablo and unrivalled weather, it o b ­
trudes itself so much upon o jie s attention, it interferes witIq..so
m any pfans, it is so noisy and obstreperous, so industrious and
indof.ntigable in pouring and thundering and m aking itself g en e­
rally disagreoablu, th at I am cojnpfflled to tak e som e notice o f i t
— nioro e.speeially as, w hen th e ‘ w eather p e n n it s ’ itself .such
vagaries, *it preveilto every ono else from doing anything'. A
gynikhana meeting, church, th e Sipi Fair, liie ‘ M onday Pop,’ are
som e of the little plAisures w ith Mhich it h.o-s interfero/l, .so yna
sec th at every other in terestin g to])ic has l>ceu flood<Kl out «if my
journal, ami therefore it only remains fur rae to tell you hnw tlif't.ij ms are condjictcd.
Xiie cloUtls h ad o f f ; rh«'y rise in emoky 'joiunins froni hehiiiu
the woofbi, they wnmler ligh tly over the hillsides, th ey lie in llie
v/illcys like gieat bales of cotton wool, or float in tu fts over the
bin:s<tops ; they fihvyfully invade one’s iKusdoir, or in th e fon n of
a dcnso^'ig they darken and euvolnj-ki everyth in g : then th ey colh ct. /n-erheft‘1 in great black .threatening mtisSes ready for ikction !
i-s l i c a r d
f l i s t a n t r u ii d ilin g , w h io ii.in .s te a /l
f r h n r p e j a c u l a t i o n o f m e tG i* c o lo g ic a l* w r a tl i, i s a
r i.'tu o i iK tr a n /e c a r r i e d o n f r o m h i l l t o h i l l , Avifcli
J i p h t n i n g t o a c c e n t u a t e i t s m e a n i n i ; .a n d t h / m
o f b e in g a sh o t I,
lo n g , c o n tin u o u s
a n g r y tln s h e s o f
c ( ;m c s t h e r a i n !
b u c i i m i l l I K o t t h e s o f t a n d g e n i a l I r i s i i sljovs’e r , b u t a m a l i g ­
n a n t d o w n p o u r w lu c ii r e s o u n d s u p o n t h e i r o n r o o f , l u t t l e . s c w i’t h e
1885
_ ilA O K IN 'T O S H K S A ND r.M lJ R E l^ U S
•
85
balcony, and rustles through* tho air like a very C ataitict of
Lodorf*.
T his \s tije w ay in w hich I'Vitlay, Saturday, Sunday, and
M ouday were sp en t by th o w eather, w hile we kept up a running
cotnm enbiry upon it, expressive of dibplwisure, Hisapptrin^nent,
diacouragemeii^ aifd disnifiy I- for these rains, }v»u m ust Ijfnnr,
are only th«^' lit t le i-ains,’ and w(* still havd the ‘ j,TK?at m i a s ’ to
look forward to. They begin about Ju n e 30, and pour on and
lu i tor ten w eeks ; for them w e are .storing up a fund
resigna­
tion and m supply of m ackintoshes and um brellas, but for Lids
W;hear«il w e wn-e unprcp.ai’^’d, and w e cannot even •oiiiforfc yurith the reflection tly it th e present rain is good for tlm
cou»itry. On the oontrai'v, som e jieople fear th n t th e u.vtnvordiiifiry colfi o f th e season m ay put*off' the monsoon ; .and .>diouM
.th a t be th e rase, there w ould be a j ’ainine_^next year. T h is is too
dreadful to think of : so T w ill t-nke a more cheerful view , and
altho.ugh Tuesday, W ednesday, and Thursday have on ly been
.slight im provem ents upon tho preceding d a y s,T will go on hoping
tluit II n e w m oon m ay do som ething for us, and th a t th e sunsliine
of th is m orning (Friday, I'jth) m ay continue in sp ite of. the too
abundant cloua.-i pervading th e sky.
.^The Rii)Ou H osp ital w as opened yesterday. Tt ’is a w r y
p retty buil'^ling, divided in to flvc blocks, w ith accoinnnxlation for
nativeSj Ffuropcaua, and p iy in g patients. T licy hcjX) to use one
w in g for a lyin g-in haspibil. A fter w alk in g througdi it we sat
under a Sham iana and ligtimed to a speech from a Mr. Hum e,
w ho exjwitiAteCi upoji Iho porfoctions and hoanty of, th e now
building. 111‘ said th at only 7,0t)0/. w;t< w anted now tfj com plete
it, and he hojiod w e should m ake it uj) by •n e x t year. I), also
said a few words am i clG<’Iured th e buikling opcMi, am i then wo oJl
stavte<l off for church ^Ascension H ay), yur umbrolljis and inuekiutoshes being greatly neiided ; and w hen w o returned it w as
iiifcu g h , if not under, a cloud th a t MO drove lionfb. •
‘
Tuc^ay," b etw een showers,’ we rode yvei to cull upon th e
Altc!n>o 2 JS, w ith whom w e stoy’Cfl a t I,.chore. TJjey livi? quite -at
th e othc-r end of Hiiqlu, and have a boautifuk view and p retty
garden, T liey imvo also (happy people !) b u ifi n W ll-riiom, «nd
van now do their necessary enteriiiim aents in som e comfort. W o
th en w ‘‘n t to tea w ith Tunly Stew art, and oucQeodcd in only
g e ttin g n little dam p g o in g there.
^Vednest^a^y T irfiiked to one of tho RbifT bungalow s to see tho
' Langours,’ m onkeys w itli w hjte whiskei-s and black faces, w h#
/ive all round l\er»‘. 'J'hcre were qu/m titics about, and it m'as
v e iy rfimu.vrng to sco them t.ike h c id e is ?roni tree to tree. I t
86
*
OVK V JC E ItK iJA l. L IK E fN IN P IA
.
C H .'ir
struck ino as a m ost delightful a th letic sport. F an cy .seeing fifty
heaven-born Leotards jivin g from branch to branch dowm a pre­
cipice, m any of them w ith babies clin gin g to tiiem ! T hey oc­
casionally* sa t still and looked at us ; soinetiinefi th ey throw stones
a t paSsers-by, but v/e could n o t ex cite tlie m to any .sucl» evil
pvactSee.
• •
rV »ls nearly forgetting to tell you of one o f th e great ev en ts
of th e day. The ^ n n is coxirt i.s open ! T he rain m akes 1).
appreciate it'iiim iousely. aitd it will really be a grc.at boon to all
th e young m en in Sim la.
*
T h is m orning th e h eavy silver thrones are bein g lugged up
som e precipitous |n t h s to a hill Kajaii’s house, and H is E xcellency
and
have ridden aft<m th^m. 1 thoifj:d»t j'o u w ould lik e to
know th a t oven to th is m ountainous regtoi? w e carry our state
chairs, and that, althou^th we 14vc in a cottage, w e hold durbars •
and nro ac«!Oinpanie<l by all tlie sym bols of our oflicial d ign ity.
N elly, Rachel, and I have begun to take lessons fn H indiw tani
from a iVlunShi, who tells u-s w e shall
it in a n icn ili ; b u t n.s
he gives us such sentim en ts a.s ‘ E v il communioationa cnn*upt good
m anners ’ to translah*, I feiir our conversation in th is language
w ill be. more stilted than useful.
N e lly is doing a scries o f portiuits in chalk, and H ajbr Cooper
provides her w ith mo<lels. S h e did one of th e jfearr\pani men
with grc«.t. succejvs, b u t a t th e first sittin g g iv en her b y n second
xnodul, a wilil m un'w m pped in a sheet, he faiutw l. and h a v in g
first subsided into !ui avm-cluiir ho n ex t rolle<l on to the Door an*l
lay . w ith I j Ls hcad*uuder h is wjng. The jem adar liad gone to
dinner, and N e lly and her niaid w ere left for somo tim e vainly
callin g for assistiincn* and doing tlieir little l>est to resuscitate
the victim , who dedincR a ll ihoir pressing offers of bnuidy-andw ater, and would have rfU i*eniedy b u t fre.sh. air '
tSvlurdajfy lt)^/n— Tho fii'st gym khana w en t off successfully to ­
day. Tt wjul really a gym khana d m x , for a.s no outsiders took
part in
and as sonic of th e S ta ff were al^sent—som e ill, and
som e n ot sporting i-haracters—th e •burden o f th e day fell upon
(.’aptaj^is Hum and Gordon, wiio luanfuHy stecplecLa-scd, ilatraccd, riJde i>ostiIlion nwu-.s, and subm itted, to lanng carried fn
jhamp.uib tln-ough a w ater ju ^ p . P eople m igh t hnvo c'omplHined
of a w ant of variety, but I am sure th ey did not, for after so
much rain w e aro all too glad to g et out again, and should enjoy
Jiny outdoor amu.seinent providcnl for us. O it my- w ay to fliis
entertJiimnent I looked in a t a ch arity bn/.aar, w h ich -in a ll cou n ­
tries is a tryin g ordeal to go through.
. •
Mondoif, 18<7n--Our little Sipl Fair outing began to-'dSv.
1885
(U N I> II)A T £ S
KOU H Y M E N K A l, n ’ lX O r ilS
^
87
\\\-> had to ride eigh t m iles t o 'W ildflower I la ll, along » iia n o w
I'Oiul a t th e edge o f a pre< j}»ioe. T am not afrai«l of prt'cipioes,
however, w hen m ounted on Begtim , though evon slio shird once
a t a F akir w ho a it on th e waysidas shaking h is long r»‘d locks
about and looking m ost uncaim y. T his oonntvy villa, o f oun; is
1,000 feet highei'*tlwui Sim la. I t is on th e top of a iiill, affd is in
the m id st »Jf ‘m ost sw ect-snudling pine-woods. T he moTmtaiu
view from i t is magniHcent. A great I'tfJge o f sn o w y petiks
bounds th e lioi-izou, and sh u ts in a world of ruggoc|^ and sharplyo u tlih ed , hills and rocks and dales, a much more' accentuated
w orld than an y I liuvo lived in heretofore.
,
Our house, is a real cottage, th e bigge-st th in gs about it 1>eing
th e fireplaces, w hich liap p ilj (for it is very cold) are qiute o u t of
prmmrtion to the l^ny rooms. •V\'e weiB a party of _eight, and
were very men\y a t dinner and a t som e gam es aftorwar^^.s.
T m xdoy, 19/A..— A t eleven o’clock w1» m ounted our steeds and
eoininenced pur descent to th e valley. -V m ost delightful ride we
hnd'through th e forest o f oak and phie, tlio irillsidea covered w ith
uuiidcnhuir and other lovely turns, tlm sun sh in in jf thrpugh tlio .
trees upon us, and th e m ountain view ju s t visible betw een th e
brandies.
*
Our path w as such a uigzag one th a t T fe lt a s if I w as try in g ■
t^ dance a m iudrille on horseback, thei*o svert'. such shar^ turns in
it, bringfjignu e face to face w ith one’s partner either above or"
belosv : and th en w e passed picturesque gi'oup^of jx*oplo bouiul^
for tliQ fair, and could luiar th e sounds of revelry from th o p<^ople
ali'iMuiy tlicre, and a.s w e approached th e jdace we sciw siiel; a
liv ely scene ! There were alxiux. tw enty m erry-go-bounds, all
revoiving a t oncc, currying basketfuls of m en, women, and childivii m u m r and round through th e air ; tliere were little shops
.selling the la test things in th e way of no^volties fnira "Rinningham ;
th ere w ere serjiont cjiiinners, and p erfonning monki'ys, nml m en
h ea tin g tom -tom s w ith all their m ight and im iiu : there wae an
elephant beautifully g o t up, ^ d there w as or lit\h j bnuss god
sento^l in im arm-clmir recm ving sm all coin ; th en th ere were of
course crowds of natives, sonic Kuropeana, auj^ all th e horses and
jham panis th at had b rou glit th e people dow n, and last, bjjt yiort
im portant of a ll. t-hore w as *th e bank of brides.’ M atrim ony is
supposed to b e tho object of tliis iair, and so in a sd tt of amphithuatre on th e hillside sit th e candidates for hyiiieneal honours !
I w ill noh declare absolutely th a t th ey were aJl b rid es; but, u(.
a n y rate, thero were row s and row.s uf wom en and g irls dre.ssgd
in their very Ix-'st. Bright-colouretl jackctsS and soarvOB and
m ithor gnfi nl«*nfs ft.domed them , w hile (J‘eir hcad.<«, noses, oars,
88
9
i n 1? Y K 'EK r.O A L L li r.
ils'DlA
a i. u
thrortts, Jirins, uiitl ankles w ere all fieavily laileii w ith jewf]U>fy.
A really smart >\oinan wo»irs silver or pold ornam ents fallinj'
ovor her foreheail, and alm ost concenlinjr her hair ; rinjBr» of
siae and w eight linngm g from e ' l ry a vailaU e space in lier ear ;
o n e of^ uch gigantic <!imonsions in lier nose tlia t it riHjuires to Ix*
k ep t
iU })hw;e i>y a bro.-ul chain across tlie fti^o a lta ch iu g i t to
tlie ali;ety!y ovyrlndcn ear ; necklaces innm uorable feifoli from her
tliroat to her w a is t ; <iuantities of rings atiorn her fingers, ;uid on
her tliuinb shg wears a Inoking-tilassser iu silver, a m ost practical
ornamc-nt for so wcll-deeorafetl a lady ; Imuielets and luiklets oi
course.
,
IVlany of these, women arc very go(.>d-lookiitg, and have reliiic l
and in telligeiil faces ; b u t those of the Mongpl ty]>c are ex tm m -ly
ugly, w hile th eir <h'ess«‘5 do iiotlfiug to im pjoro their apijeai-siin i-,
l»elng darjc in colour and suspiciously <lirty*luukiiig. TJioy wear
fi^ii round cloth caps on, tlieir unkem pt hair, b u t th ey have jewx U
too, and lik e very much to have q uantities of rougji turt^uoi'es
sew n on to their he/fthirc.sses. T hey s<vt togeth er tho whole (lav.
• and I m ade many excur.<ioits through thoui, airing my,f»'w u o rd s
of llin d q sta n i, and prc-.ontiug .some noso-riiigs' and to y s to the
children, which w ere alw ays received w ith great pleasure. W e
* bought !i few of the ornament.^ from th e women, b u t th ey are
sufficiently so)>histicaiA'd to m ake u s I'ay dear for our pnri'bnvi?.;
*nnd 1 oven suspeyt th at som e of tli.-- jew ellery is p u t on tb attract
and defraud .Uu*'unwjiry ICaJop-vtu . m.any o f tlm things I"->1:
much l>etter on than ollj and ivre evid en tly new and rough Ciqdc.s
of the old jyttbu'iis. ^
W uenjoyod ihe rair im m c n so lt; it w;;s all .so gay and bright,
■with so m uch (;oIour ajid lifo and jiov(^lly about it. ^ iow evcr, 1
•was glad wlujn lunch w as announced, for the sun was sh in in g on
the valley, and ns w e liad^ nt allow ed th e jmlico to pu-sii every '-nr'
out of our w ay according to Llnnr desire, I w a s exh.austed w ith
watidering tli^ougJi the crowd.
The lunch w;& given by our hhlcs-dc-eanip, and w as quite a
bam piet. 'J w as saying to m y neiglibour tliat one never wii-!
allowed to ‘ rough Ij' "in India, and th a t a picnic in oar seiise of
the lerw set^nied to be qnife unknow n here. Tie told mo th a t the
n ative •word for ii rm l picnic is a ‘ pogglo-khana,’ th a t is, a fool'.s
dinner ; .so I^sujipo.sc tluit if w « w ill dine out o f dofu-s wo shall he
obliged to do our folly in as w ise a umnuor as pvot«iblo. w ith tables,
and chaii-s, and silver, and every lu xu ry th a t
are accustom ed
tOjUt home.
A fttT lun<'h T imulo one mor<» tour tlirough tho l)eauties, ami
Uicu a hill Uaiia. the lo«d o f th e .soil, had some tn<;ks porfi>ryj«d
l.’.NNATL’KAL C O N B rc'l O l' THE W l'ATllEU
•
89
•
for HP, w hilo i'!:c
o f l?utlam , » rp.illy gorgfoua figorf, sat
uud iookeil on. IIo w oro a crimsoui v e lv e t jiu*kftt ov tiniic
c>nibi*oitlen‘(l in golil aiul silver, an d on h is lung smooth blm-k
Imir a bright yellow turban c o v e m l w ith jt»wel«, XJie iirst per­
form ance u^nsistt'd in one innn sho^jung w ith a lio"- and arsow a t
th e legs o f anotliftr m an, wljo danced and jum ped and pnfi(>rpd
about so as lo*mabo the sh ot as diflicult as possiljie. H wius a
m ost m fan.line am usem ent. W e al.-^u oa'.v r.onie perfoniiing birds
and a dancing girl, an«l th ou wo titrned homowfirds^ and m ount­
ing our sti^ d s ijegan tfie asfout. I t was so p retty to see th e thin
lin e of people zigzagging u[i th e liillsidc, sonn- ridingf some wvilkiag, an<l .some l>eing eavriyd.^the Hajah looking ver)' stately ami
jiiagnifioent oii a
horse. A ltogeth er wo Imd a mo.st
d*lightful d»y, aiM •nj<»yed i t v efy inueh. Tt w as fine too until
.th e n igh t, when one of our real feicuvy i^tiins came on <ftiLli the
usual thunder, and last4«l som e sixteen hours.
Wedro'-Kfhxij/, 20Ui- - A juosi. d esp en ile outlook of m ist and rain
thi-^ hioniing. ilo w o v er, wo resolved to g e t liom e, |o , wrapping
oui.selvi*s up in ulsters nnll waterproofs, we. st.n te J tifP; and 1 ,
l>dievu wo i-enliy t'ouml our very w et vide ra tlu r amufting; it
took u.s about an hour and a half. AVildflowcr H all was so
exceedingly cold th is m orning th a t we are glad to he btick in our
ow n warm r^oin. N eeil I add th a t t!ic oldest inliabitniit has
never seeft such weailu-r ?
In the even ing w e w en t to the theatix*. I t is*a nice little
building, ‘ I .in ‘ by L on! W illiam for iimateue? fn aict. in. •T he
P .iiace of T ru th ' w as ai-Uwl to -n ig h t--a bad piece tor private
thej'fricjils : so, altliough nicelj^ p u t on th e 'sta g c , w e found it
rather dull ^ml long. W'e drove pjiro o£ d ie w ay there in th e
brougham, nml then g"t in to rick.shaws to m ake an otherw ise imjjossiblu dt.'rt-oni to dm theatre. W e dif! not g e t back till lialfjwast tw elve, which was o.vtrcmoly late for us, w ho gcuorally go to
bed at half-past ten.
*
•
The mail clay changes th is V nek ow in g to tiic com ing nio?isoon, and I have to send th is p ll on .Saturday instcjid of I'ucsday
morning.
2 isf.
w entlier con tin u es it.sunnaturakcdhdfini
jir.d it kept m e in gix*at u n cerbuuty all th e m orning ns lo how
m y first garden party here would Jo oti'. W ill, ur won’t it clear
np?
V.'iH, or w on’t people con n .t v.'cro ih e ’ question.s we
‘ wondered ' tjver, * I fletiu-inincd to have .something to fall back
upon, should I>oth rain and gtmsij? n tteiu l, so ha<l th e dimug-rcvnti
cleared for diincm g and p u t tea in th e liouse. ilow ovoi'. we ha«l
(.^hweji’s hn?kj nnd itliout four okdoc-k it settled dow n to be tine hu*
00
,
o u t VTCEK(-:OAT/TJFK IN' IN'I*I V
cn. iv
%
the afternoon
The gjirdeii party® w a s a sm all and select o n e ;
badiiiintOTi and teu nis wcro jdayod, a n d th e liuncl, ])eruhed upon
luy balcoTiy, tiiseoursed to us. I th in k i t w e n t oH‘ very well.
S a lu rd a y ,
—I ’oo m any d nuds nLout, and in th e after­
noon
deluge. I t w as raining after lunoh, b u t wo se.r.ihvl to
ride
four, if it cleared. W e got out, Imt in tb o n t h alf an hour
w e had l o t u v i bju;k, and through a p retty heavy thtinder-showci\v»' rotlo homi-, and .^ s t escaped a nio.st terrific h a il|to n n . The
b its o f ice bopped into m y room from th e window-.sill j th e
ra ttle on th e roof was s o groat th at w e li.ad to sorti^n to each
othgr to m ake ourselves heard, and wdien w e look ed ou t tl>e
ground w as quite w hite.
Ton are probably baskijig in sunshine
in ICngland.
T he Stew arts, Barrington Jioote.s, and Ai.ajcn.' an d M rs. K eiiii
dined wjth us, and we: had a musical evening. C aptain F o o te _
also recited for us. C uftaiu s tlalfou r and H.irborrl canio back
from th eir tiger-shooting exp ed ition ; tliey did n o t.g e t nearly «<>
much sjHjrt
th cj“expected. Mr. B.alfour k illed ono tiger, and
th ey .all had a very excitin g search after him on foot. Tfie l)cast
w;us wounded one day, and w as only captured‘a t the end of the
secdml day, after having knocked dow n a rnaii.
H ap p ily he*
on ly stru ck him w ith a br<ikc.u paw, and so dUl n o t hurt him
m uch. Tlifi description of all Iheir doings is ver^ inlcri:wt4h‘g;—
E ven in th e plains this is a cooI year, a n d .so , excep t th a t the
rocks w ere tiio hot to s it upon, th ey don't seem to have noticed
the h eat much.
2oM.—yW c k ep t the Queen’s (Jirthday b y a Inrgo
official dinner and adevcc, ditticult th in gs to m anage in a small
liouse. F orty-eight pinip]« dined in th e liall-ronra am i six teen in
til'- d in in g room, and m y drawing-room wa.H cleared for th e lev w .
VVe thi'ee hidies dined : and os tlie room w as v e iy light, as Ihe
t^ible w as covered mith jnale and fiowei-s, ;iud aa a ll the gue.st,»5
werti in unifyrin,* it w as very p retty and very g a y for an official
perform ance. W e disiippeaitxl dtrectly aftiT, wiiile- the guests
w h o had dined smoked, and those who w ore ju st arriving collecteil
in a large Bhaminna (som ew hat dam p) ereqtsfl on th e law n o u t­
side, •Tjie.n the V'iceroy p in ea l liim.self in fron t of h is silver
throne, and everylxKly piss,cd before him.
*
Tn^dday^ 2GM.- O u r Ihotfghts arc centred upon th e sta te
.ball, an d upon the problem o f exp an d in g our lim ited space. ^Vs
you don’t know the hou.se, it Avould be useless
try and describe
o*ir arrangem ents to you, b u t I h{>pc n e x t m ail to’ tell you how
th.- e v en t w ent otf.
— T he day w as a lovely oi\e,an d we all w ent
i88j
silrvENjn
*
01
dow n to A nnnndalc to ettjoy oursolvcs. Vvo tiltOfl a* tho ring
jiiid te n t pegged. I nctualiy trlt-u th e former uinuseinont on
Beginn, and 1)
very =uoce«isfuI wdlh lii« first es«<ay ai. th e
latU-T. It Was most- delightful fhtwn there, ar/! w e en,joj«;d it
v e ry iJiuch.
• «
ThuTnfliij/^
-The m ornm g of the Iwll, the clay
and
n o t m uch f»*:ir for th e supper Shamianu I W hat !V4ipicH;e*ot luck !
I (lltl vary little all th e day excep t to- t-'fko an a c tiw intere.st
in the arrangeiiient-s for th e hall, and particularly V> superintend
th e decoration of th e conwrVatory, w hich 1 did up lik e a sittin gI’ooni. I t is a t one end o f th e clmwing-rooin, ononing int^) it ;
so, w hen fiiruisliod, it ndcleci greatly to th e available spac«, and
really very pretty. C’})foitum iteIy a t jiigh t it was rather
c^’ld. .and the frequc^itcrs o f ‘ kafli jagah ’ (or dark places) wore
. unable to enjiiy it sis muelj as 1, bad looped they wonld. 'Flierc
were m any more odd corners curtained in, and w hole verandahs
utilised in th e s<ame w ay, and for supjier wt* had a b ig Wiamiana,
w hich hold }>laces for 100, and w hicli w as very w ell^lighted, imd
looked very nice. J>iincing w as intccnded to bo in tw© rooms,
b u t there was a m isfortune w ith tlic floor o f one of them , so th.-it
practic.ally the dancers were confined to ojie. Ifeforo dinner, T
I'Cyeivwl from m y E nglish gu ests at Uaw'al Vindi a m ost lovely
In d ian neckkrce and bnngh;.s as a souveiiir o f their stay w ith us ,
then*. The necklaco is a veal Oriental one, w ifli a ll sorts o f
prt*cious stones set fiat in n collar shape, and w iih fringes o f
pearls a t each sule of it ; th e iushle is beau tifu lly *ni:inielled.
Kach bangle i.s <a sin gle row o f stones of (iillerent k intls—tur'juoisc, duamond, cat'.s-eye, ruby, lirc. They* are very pn>tty ami
uuooinmon, and I wore lu y new jew els a t th e ball w ith great
}with‘ ninl pleasure.
"W^y four dined alnno, ami drossoil nftc-rwarcls, mid tiicu , when
sufficient pcoj>le were collected, wu nmndied down in soleim i j*r<iccssiou, ttud took our place.s in n state cjuadillle.. Tlierc m ust
have been nearly 4o0 jieoplr—Ml th e m en in unjforms, and th e
ladies very sm art—and a ll sgemed to enjoy theinsei\a;a and t.o
dance with great sp ijk . H is Kxcclloncy did*his share, and we
Only retired'at two o'clock, and were able t<i go to sh;gp*to*thc‘
distJiut soifi\ds of ni\isic, th e thincing being kejit up fyr suiue tirao
longer.
*
,
F ridin/, 29/A.— A quiet rido o f an exjihn-ing nature w as con­
sidered lu bo.the best th in g after a bull, so w e w en t up Prospcet
H ill, II pc.'ik \(*ry close to our own, and had from it a Jiiost
m agnificent viejv, .th e b est 1 l>a\e seen here. N o th in g g ets in
th e w a y on jiuy .side, ‘n.l one can see all round th e rugg'^lness of
03
«
OUK Y K 'K K E U A }. V \F K
5ND1A
m. i\
th e enrth’ji sui'f.'ico iif*nr, and tlie hij;h,
lugltost mn^<‘.s uf
m ountains in ib e fnv distance, tliesuiJerlativo<lf*grf« o f conipni isou
being coveifvj -with snoM'. It, w s a rough kind o f m ountain patii
to tho top, and wy tl]ougf)t i t prudent to have our horses led
dow n * n d ^ o walk ourselwv..
Std^'rdau. 30///.— Our lovely w eather seenifi Shout to break up
again.- ft wu» very oo]<l in the evening, and it rairVS this m orn­
in g and is moKt gloorny-; but th e grcntest c*invu)sio2i o f natma'
w as in the n igh t, w hen we hud au «;artli<juake, shaking <ibo7rt oui‘
b eds and m aking iia very uncomfortubic.
1 thoughts it m ost
alai'Uiing, and wa.s somewjiat r<;Heve<l in th e consideration that
our house, is a wondnn one ; but then*
rn'-michr, it is quite at
the edge of a kliud. W o iiavr since hi'urd th a t a t sonu; place, in
Kashmir eigh ty pt-rsons were killed, and alK>fit fhc sam e immin'f
injured. .
,
A n ominous sound o f thunder e.jid a shower a t live o’clock
threatened to .slop tho gym khana, b u t it soon cleurtHl aw ay,,and
there were .sutbcicnt niccs to on.suro th e w ounding of one man.
Mr. B alfour was the victim tiiis tim e, and lie
a nasty fall
riding cme and leading another pony over souio rails. I t Ia in
vain tljut w e entreat everybcKly to have safe and e/isv jm nps
th ey soein to enjoy th e clenient o f dungor.
,
I. am g e n in g up a garden fete for tlie Imspiial
i t is to
be a mi.xture of garden-party, tish-pond, shouting at tnvgoLs,
baiul, ami indoor cuncerfs.* If on ly th e tlay is ilne. .1 think it
w ill be very successful; but w ho can answ»-r for th e w eather lid s
year ? an/l jh e H oth of Jvinc is perilously near ihe rjiin s!
W ninesday, J v v ’ .'Ircf.- - ^frs.
is givin g s ix lectures on
niuk-uursiiig; the pixK-ixuls to go to th<‘ H ospital i^und. Tho
g ir h and T attended, ami tlic forty pupils Ho.fc in rows, li.itening
and tak in g notes ; and .then, having leai'ut how to arrange n
sick-room , they pn](v<-xl«;d to makt; a b id ui th e ])foper manner
a n d 'to answer ijuf'stions. .Mis. T lbtrt did it very w ell, ami herU'ctui’e w as both interestin g and useful.
lu the evening we had a big cibnier imd a dance after. W e
o n ly asked the dantjng }>eoj>lo, and i t was »i;,osfc successful, e\ ery
ouc^ p pt-.ying to be in tlie best of spirits. .It ended at tw'elve,
w hich is a ,c o m fo rt, and T am so glad th a t I'arly -tlances do
.sucooed, fdr tluni one is noT incom petent to perform one’s
ordinaryduti(Js n ext day, and c;m even compass one’s Ilb id iisla n t
exercises ii\ th e inon\h^g.
•
; ** Suiuiny^ 7/7/, t" Tvendtuj, 9//i. -T am afraid you will soon
liegiu to tind the history of my lib> at Si/iila ext^mnely dull, for
although it is in rcr.lity.'ihnost too gav for a country jdaee, y o t
18 S.I
T H E A ir r 0 1 - .AIANUO-KATLNO
•
9B
pf'rjx^tuftl sliort notices o f garden jwii'ties, gyinWhanas, ilo m la y
Tops; sm all (lances, dinners, lectures on nureing, and rides w ill
j)all ujhou you erfi long ; and even were 1 to en ter in to move par­
ticulars, T siiould n ot Imj able to add m uch to in terest you, for
vou don't know' th e people at all, and I only know tlftir #utaide
Lhell.
. , '
^
•
J lu t I remeniher fionietliing upon wliich I am oertain you are
d y in g for m iorniation. Y ou w ant to know how I lik e ‘ mangoes,'
w hich from vour earliest youth you have h ea n l of* as th e ‘ m ost
clelicious*fruit in th e w o r ld / A fter som e trouble and much perseverance in eatin g tliciu, I luive g o t to th in k tbem very ^ood
fruit ; b u t wiiereas 1 cn.n uitderstaiid raving ab ou t a pineapple,
I can’t und(.Tst»nd ra rin g ovor a m ango. O utside th e mango is
lik e a large app*Ie,<]I-shupcd, which is n o t to b e w’om lered at,
- considering th at inside it contains a big Hat oval stone»which it
is di/Tlcult to cover synim etrically.
W h en ripe, and ex a ctly
rigdij, it is th e colour of ah a p r ic o t; when wrong, which is most
oft<;n th e c h b p , i t is green or pain ‘yellow , and tastes strongly o f
turpentine ; hut unripe it can be made in to a ‘ fool,‘ whicli you
could n o t d istinguish from gnaseberry; tim t is u great merit.
Kirting i t proj'urly is q uite an art. Y’ou have to turn it on one
Iiqi't.i('ular side and cut i t tho f i a t w'ay o f tlie stone, th en you e a t
it oxit of its^ub.statdial sk in w ith a spoon. Tf you w'ish (1 am
to ld ’) to enjoy it thoroughly, you should retire in to a bath and
b ite it. I can’t .say 1 thin k i t wotiid be v.-‘'»’th th a t trouble.
W e have another fru it called a ‘ leclieo ’ ; it has a tough skin
almost araouuting to a shell, which comes olF. easily, an^l loaves a
fruit the size and colour o f a plover’s egg, w ith a strong llavour
o f T(»sevvati*r. A nother fi'uit outside is like a jxkato, and inside
hv^k.s and tastes liko nn over-ripe pear. A peuiuieloe. or verv
large conrso om n ge w ith a b itter tJ^le, is m tlier niuo and
refreshing.
N ow . aft^iv Ml much iofwnuation, you will oftly w ant to know
further th a t on 'iliursday i haD a large garden party a t lionifi,
and th a t on Friday T w ont to.on o a t tlie Adiu*:uit-iTeiU'rars (Sir
Thomas Bakov's), wlurt^ all th e space w as tp k o i uji b y a te n n ii
ground. ?'nd where. <dl b u t tho four gu ests who were phi^in^ were
coniined to a gr.avel walk. T he place is so far intiirosting th a t
M iss Eden lived near there, and tii?lt ou t of complimoixt to her it is
cnlled ‘ E lyslutn.’ «m Haturday w e %vent to a ‘ jiemiy reading ’
for a charity.. The place w as cvowdf'd, and f iievor saw such ^
.stream of rickshaw s as tlm t which canic pouring dow n the
hill to th e tlieatjc.,
^ Thursdny, i i m . — The Slium sk y races beg.ih to-da;^,,?
♦
tv
9-1
•
OUK V IC E I4E C ..U , L IK E IX IX I»IA
c u . iv
ateepledi;ifk5 w as g o t through w iU iout an accidtriit, though not
w itliout a difForence of opinion, which is lik ely to lead to
‘ unp leasan tn ess/ The llh e iU dined alone w itli us, arul w e all
we-ut on to a party gfven for us b y th e llnjali o f liu tla n i. I thouglit
i t a 3 »od*pArty, ■well arranged, and very pretty and pteafunit.
H e g*ve it in the rink wliich e x ists hero for ro?lcr->kati!>g. The
rnntii W.1 S dc«omted w ith carpets, embmidories, c/iandeliers, and
baskets
ferns, nnii it was so large th at there
p len ty of
room to liavestablos w ith jihotograph-bouks, chairs, and sofas all
-about it, w hile n raisivi place w hich surroun<ls th e ru*k proper
alsojnarlo a J^ood placo b» sit, M usic w ent on all th e evening’,
and people talked and moveil about ^ n d seemed very happy. I
w as deoorated w ith a w onderful gold bi-nirl ornament', au(l 'wa.s
g iven an embruidcred bag fu ll <jf spice. J A n s i really send ydtx
one o f the.se ‘ ga rla n d s’,to see i th ey >m) beautifully made, nnd .
replace the ihiwers one g ets elsewhere. I inifeh prefer them , as
they don’t dirty one’s gow n a t th e tim e, and d u g . can bring (hcin
hom e and k<4 Pp them.
F rid a y , \2 th , w as also o busy day. Tt i.s th e one m orning 1
liave for w riting letters after th e arrival o f th e njai), but at
11.30 Dr. Franklin came to g iv e m e his view.s upon th e medical
<|uestion, and directly after luneh I hud Mis.s Stew art, Captain
Turner, find ^Fi’h. Franklin to rehearse th eir piece Jfir m y g.-rrden
fete. T liis w as no .sooner over than w e had to luouYit a very
steep !iil! t o th e M ilitary Secretary’s house, Colonel Crahfun
h aving a garden i« r t y there, and after th a t w o had a littU?
dinner a t Jiome.
.
ilialardtiy,
— W e ore all V ery busy prejiaring C»r th e fish))ond, ty in g up parcels, painting Jars, etc., iVc.; Init^riic weather 1 •
W ill it last till tli(5 il.'nh ? The jnousoon ha.s alrcatly broken at
P onibay. H ow long will it take to travel up ?
Monday^
-W o had such an uitere.sting afternoon
‘ inspecting* Major Currii.'s mule fjattery from .Jutqgii. W o h:ul
turned c’^ir back?; on Sim la, and were in a delightful spot in the
heart of th e m ountaiiis. The bajtery started from tlie top 6f
o n e hill, c*ros.sed afjtiviue, and came up a v fr y steep cliff on tlie
othe^ F i4t\ W e rode up a narrow rougli ])ath. and stood a t the.
top w'atchi#g them n s th ey tlircaded tlu*ough th e wockI r on th e
oppi'sit/* hill, tijen came u}), flm o st like flies on a wall, to where
w(‘ were. The red turlwuis of th e n ative driv(!rs, and th e •white
Imlrnets of fho soldiers, looked w ell am ong rf'he ,tfee.s.
W h en
H iey had rcanlied n flat pke.e on th e v<*i*y top, th e guns w ere
m ade i-ertdy for action. One m ule carries th e jrarrioge, another
, th e wheels, a third thC barrel, a fourtli nnim unition, and sunie of
5 ^
iss.-,
.
A M A T M l NT-KSES AND INVALIDS
^
•
1)5
th e larger g^r.^c liavp aiiothur subdivision.
Tlie whole is put
together inst-aiitly. T argets haJ l>eeu placed at. different distances
across the valley, and very good shooting w as iimde w ith shell.
T h u m layy 18/7n --W e w ent to th e third IcC-urw ou mtrsing
th is nfteriKHm ; it Wfts m ost pim 'tical and m ost amflsiii^, for
M rs. Ilb ert tauyljf her class Ivtiw t-o lift in valid s in and (»it of
bod, and how to change th eir shw'ts, and everylxJtly liml to try
her ’prentic* liand upon th e only lady pra«ent w ho hatl ou :t
habi'^ i t being tlie least cumbrous garm ent. A s ihift one wa.s a
sto u t you n g pers<m in rude htsdth, she u’as a considerable w eight,
H“nd was dropped and Hopped dow n ii}ion th e sofa in % w ay winch
Would biive killed a n y real y n tic u t; and th en she subiuitted to
b e p ut in and ou t of aver so many jiiirhtgou-r.g, imd to hfiviiij'
f^or 80 m any clean slfrets puslred tinder her, and it was altogether
\« r y fuiiiiy and very hard worl^ E v ty y one w as b u sy ; there
Avere lad ies learning to roll up sheets on tho floor, ladies w alking
nbou.t tw o anti tw o in apparently th e nio.st atfeetionate attitudes,
or carrying one another upright lik e children in %i-ius. 'j'hcbo
w ere various w ays of rrinving patietit.-- who w ero not absolutely
helpless. l ‘lvorylK>«ly lavighed v(fry nmcli, and every one trcprc^sicd
a n in ten tio n of finding som e liyhi amat^nir in valid hI hunio to
ptdctw e upon.
In th e ev^niiug wo liad
largo dinner, and a very idee dance .
la stin g tifl tv^elvc o’clock. Peojjle dance<l nm.sr vigorously, and
d id seem to enjoy them selves inimcnaely.
•
Fr'uUiy, liif/<.- I had rehearsals of both tlm charity eutevb uiiiiicuts, and ihen w en t to v isit th e M iwo School.
1 Avas
<yiught in a m ost fearful fitoruLV-ginnhig with dush and ending
in Avaterspoutft. 1 never suav such rain, liiio g irls Avore riding,
and, though they tumc<l hack a t once, th ey g o t conipietely
drenelied. 1 <lo hope tlu;.se are not
aains.
/S'uWay, *21.'-f. T liis w as D .'s birthdny, aiiu h o th e A D.C.'o
iu k ed us to come doAA’n in io ih«» woo<Jr and hav?l i.ci* t.hsrc, \Vo
hud a fine m orning for g o i n g * to ckurch, and then il^ began to
pour, hut ■was. line r.gai.i .i.t
r.wil
w ent doAvn, doAVit, d»)wn
th o khud u n til a t lu^t* we arrived a t ono sm^otli fiat little b it of
grass .8urroundc<! by high A v i x u l e d hilhs, and there a v o |o u fW --n o
t e a ! Tt had gon ^ A v r o n g , b u t hap[»ily it Avas recc*'ored befuro
t4X> late, and aw sa t on th e gnnim T - a real ‘ jybggle-khfina '— and
had a very pleasant htuir in th is I o a t I v spot. Tho S tew arts and
tho D um m rs.canw . and th e A .D .C .’sh a d prc/vidcd u nwil birllniav
cake Avith good w ishes in pink sugar ou th e top, so wliat cmiid
I>. have Avishecl,foy m o rel H e enjoyed h is picnic A’cry much, and
Av^ toiled up th e hill again ju s t in tiim- fcfr dinner.
0(>
,
OUK VICKRICGAL L I F E IN INT^IA
cu. iv
•
^fon<^alf^ 2‘2nrt'-! i-o ThurmJ-ay. '2^th.— The weather prooccui)ies
mo fearfnlly.
m ust b e th e rainp, ami they come »lown in a
deapoiate
tiomptiraes, aiid' then coubf. for a few tine lio u v s;
hilt shall I h it uiH)H those few tino hours for my ft'te or not ? I t
w ill
h a n i if it rains, for here a show er is no joke, am i
r<am\pt be overhtoktxl or lig h tly jias-st'd. t h r ^ g h w ith a sm all
nnibwslla ; if* it is line, every one w ill comej and ft will really be
ivry'an m sin g am i aFioticy-niaking. T w rite th is on Jjhe morning
iisclf, an<l t'(ji?l deeply th e heavy clouds hovering overheed. L ast
■j ^ h t wp had a rsheai’S.d <>f th e tw o enle.rtainmeuts. w hich I will
describe later. In th e afternoon we had had another v»«ry good
lei-ture, w ith pRwtieal illustrations i^ iu i all sorts o f pouitioes and
extern al .a]>plications; and th at afternoou w as tine, not to say
IdVt-ly, whereas tliis— hue we shall «ec !
• '
*
T/cHX>^d'iy, 25f/t. - This afiejiinou too was n o t only hne, i t was
lo v ely ! T he sky clciirccl its storm y bixiws, thp clouds disappeai eel,
and the sun !ioame<] upon u s ! Uroutly rctic v w l.in mind, we
‘ officials ’ sc^i to w^rk about tliree o'clock to arrange our various
little establishm ents. 'Fhe law n was covered w itli SliHmiamiR ;
there was a big one in th e cen tiv for tlie fish pondj another a t,
on* end for th e refreshnipnt rabies, whiJt? opposite a t th e furtlnsr
end 1 ]ii'cRidccl over a box fu ll of j)areels .
in a rupee and
la k e out w hat you lik o ' Mas th e jdaii o f m y box^ Then tlioro
was a luink {for receiving our winningK and g iv in g thaiijfe) liehind
iiio, and a photographer beside me, and a wei.ghing-rnachine neai-.
T lierc w ere raflles also, and a iv r y few things to sell. P eople
Ijcgan t-<*/:oinR a t^ o u r o’clock, and romainc.d till noai’ly 7.bO,
T h e band jdaywl ou tside; th e lish-pond w as besieged and en tirely
eu ip iiecl; m y lx)x oniy held out for a short tim e ; a y th e aiiuisem egts wprc patronisiHl ; and tins H h eatro’ tilled four lim es for
thu •culort^viinuents.’ '^’h<‘ otdy eouiplaiut luado wjH-that-pc'plp
ooiil'd n ot spend enough money, and th a t th e y took home part, of
w hht they Ijjought w itii them , but I was dciigh ted to licar this, ftuour objj'ct WO.S to e.xtmet mon(*y w ith ou t ]>ain. A ll sorts irf
}H*<iple ciftno, and all w'omed to enjoy them selves, and w«! made
2,'':'62 ruppoR (I supp'Or.o about 230^), u large sum for Slimla.
2iy(ft.- 1 Mas iilumst pleased th is m orning to see th a t
tliis is a b^d day. I t is <ldightful to k now th a t my outdoor
venture is safe^^y o> er, and noC- f am prepared to try and luhnir©
tlie heavy clouds and tlieir slmdow's on th e hills, and th e fluHy
' Itftlo bit.s they leave bihind them in th e lalh^y^w huf they chofrse
lift for a short lim e.
- T his evening w(' ,gnve a ‘ lig lit m u sic ’ concert., and n o t fty.t
m uch of that ; and albliough we hud far m oib gucsti? at it.th a n
188.^
IIEH UXUICLLKNCY’S F E J i a E MEDICAL Sf’EKMK*
U7
«
w e eniild
to Koat, th ey did not .appear to mind, and th e
overflow stood about in d(x>rv.';ij’3 and vcmndalis, and did not
gn iin b le. C aplain n a rrin ^ o n I'oote op those oreasions is a h ost
in him solf, and he and a friend w ho a io aceustomed to ssin g and
act togfithcr san» som e very pn^tty and .amusing duets* W o
tinislied up Nvitji the ‘ Torpedo and tlie W h a le ’ o u t o f ‘ Oli\*fette.’
T h is party was given for th e Rajah o f K utlam , a n d in ooAn^ction
w ith him i m ust tell you th a t I have started 31y ‘ Fem ale
"Mrtlical Schem e.’
•
T liuv6 been w orking a t it fur some tim e, hut did n o t intend
to te ll you ab out it u n til m y p lans were more thoPoughly 'matnrod. H ut the Rajah, w lio ^ sym pathy T enlistetl in tlie m atter,
has given roe a handsom e subscription tow ards it, and Major
Iffarringtcm F o o te pPomises m e tile proreeds o f a concert ftir my
Fund, so now h shall m ake iny j»eheitie.public. Alj’ idea is to
form a N ation al A ssociation, w ith a Central C om m ittee and a
Centi'al F und, M'ith branches in a ll parts p f India, managed
locally, to prom ote F em ale M edical T uition, MedicaV R elief, .and
the establishm ent of H osp itals for W om en all over the country,
and to in v ite subscriptions /«»«• theso objects.
'
A% howevcn*, I w ill .send you a ll tho papers connected w ith
thip work, I shall n ot toll you m uch abfjut it in th is journal. I
do hope if Awill succeed, and th.at it w ill Ix* a rc.al ben elil to the
women nr th is country. T he Fund i-s to he (nulled ‘ T he Counte&s
o f Duffcrin’s Fund for su p p lyin g. F em ale Medico I'A id U) th e
W om en of In d ia .’ W hen you come across people w ith loose
cash, you m ay m ention it.
^
'
•
Sniulny, 28//i. - The m onsoon indeed ! Fog not *onIy ou t of
doors, but sinoking in a t tho window.s, jfriuring rain, and no
possibility of going to church until tho evening, w hcu it clcaivtl
for a lim e, and then T :icver saw a n y th in g more lovely than the
ligu ts HT'd ‘:li.ulo\vs on th e h ills, th e colours in tl^^ sky, t wo brpail
rainbow s (w e are glad to have th eir assurance th.at ih is is not
leading up to a second d elu g^ , and tho clouds in lb« valleys
below. Q 'his‘respite did n o t Jo.st lo n g --th e rain came on again
and M’en t hard .at i t for tw en ty-fou r hours.
.*
W rdnf> -tidays J u l y IsL - I t is actu ally line, and so ,p«upT?'“ say
to them selves, ‘ Perhaps th e g r e a t ^ i n s have, n o t begfin.’ Thera
are, huwevor, a largo >-upply o f clou d s about, and»nothing can bo
iiiore beantiful than th e h ills arc betw een sliowers. Such n day
as th is is a pecf6Kjt«tudy of lig h t and shade. Suinetinios tho top o |
a hill is coverotl w ith clouu, and th en q u ite a bright lig lit seem s
to conic fiuui uBderne.ath and illum ine a ll its lower h a lf; then
ou'an otlier liill there m ay be a streak o f 'sunshine sliding down
ir
98
.
W K
V IC E K E G .U . L U ’>: IN
IN H JA
ch .
iv
it« sid e; then great w aves of briglit gre^n wo<k1. Kiicoecilod by
purjvle and blue ones, a sort of opalescent tin t everyw here, and
clouds of every variety, larao and small, dark and ligh t, hanging
h eavily or floating ligh tly about.
A15 lAhs I iuhnircd i.n my w ay home from Mrs. llb o r t’s
lectuj’e ; bu t 1 ought not ‘n attem p t to describe suol' p.flects, for
th at is an im possible task. H ow tirwl you w ill be of th e clouds
and th e rain before * iy monsoon is over !
«
Hnfnrdfi'ift, Aih.- A n amusing afternoon, keeping "Niss N o ra
S tew art’s birthday. T he party was in th e afternoon a t th e R in k ,
and, every ofcie seem ed hujjpy, and Sir Donald, who is a lw a y s thb
gayest of tho gay, enjoyed h im sel/ immen.sely and joined in
everything. W e had a sm all dinner w ith J u l i t t l o m u sk . I>Id you
ask after th e w eather ? 'J’harfk you, it’s jteu n n g nicftly, and 1h
quite as .well as cun be expected.
S u n d /iy,
‘ I t ’ m ade m orning *hurch a ditfieulty and
evening church an im possibility, so 1 have n o t m uch to t<jll of
tjiis ilay.
,
*
M ond/iy. li^/o - T manageil to drive r o U T i d Jakko, and Ut look
in a t a.A lon d ay Pop, coming home in tim e to read in y mail
before dinner. A fte iw a n ls we w en t to th e play, and saw th e
‘ P riv a te Secreniry ’ re.ally very well done, b u t th e play hen-. cnd«
m ud) tvo late. W c did n o t g e t home till nearly or\p.
]VctJiu'Kday, 8//*.- -O ur la.st lecture a t Mrs. TIl>crts ; presenta­
tion of illO >rup«i!s for th e ho.spiial, w ith a few neat sentences
on beh.'df of the compjiuy by Ite r ExcelleJicy ; and theu Ijome
to a dinner and a.«lani;t‘, where a l.-uly n itlier uiimsed me. I
noticed hej\tii'st after <linner, whVn she luy Ijack in an arm -chair,
deeply interested in«Tli.s Kxcellency's conversatimj w ith other
people, and then during th e evening she cam e and confided to
somo one near mo th a t sjie had had such a nice dinner, an d such
a nice man to take In r in, and th a t Sim la wo-s a hoavenl) plact?,
and that shcv had lived seventeen years in India w ith ou t com ing
here. N ow she really fcdt t h a t ‘a ll her jirevious life had been
p>wastoji !
Thv monsoon ^^haved in an {ulinimbit; in;mner d u iin g cur
pariyr ai\jl tlifi tiveniiig w as lovely.
'J'hnrsfVij/, dt/i, to T h tm d o i/, IG/A.- -^^y tlnily life now adays
w ill really rmt b^^ar jfnin'ftliilif^. A Httio
o f it is nil you
could possibly ai.and. In fact, ii. w ould read l»est in th e hirm of
n list of oeeiip.itions, thus :—
•
— Tx^ssons four tim es a w'cek. IVcparatiou every ■
(lay.
, ,
C onr.-pi'V 'lurc. - D a y s devoted to lady doctors, liite r m k ttu t
1 8 8 5
,
P H E A C H K D
A C
*
9 9
#
attack s of private letter-'writiiig, 'vntli five hours of it u n in ­
terruptedly on Fridays.
EtderUuHvtcniit.— ‘ A t h o m e ’ every Tuesday morning. D iim cra
and <lance or m usic e v e iy Weilne.s<lay fortnight.
,
OuUloor Dl-ixijHiiifm.— A M onday Pop, and on Satur<T^-s a
‘ variety eu iertain m en t ’ whoji w et, w hich becomes a gymJ?nana
w hen tine. C)ce<isionaI charity concerte.
Eayrcv»e.— A w alk iii a deluge, w ettin g one through in three
m inutes and penetrating th e l>est umbrella. R fd in g ra u le o r
pony,'and U riring in a jinrickshaw , jhampan or carriage.
E ir u iv ^ . -T h e you n g ones play niijepins, and D. and I r4ad.
T lie m orning amus<5raen»s do not apply to him, for Ini is in
study all tin;
and I neyer attem p t to toll you about
nfTuirs of stJite.
I w ill m ention Sunday th is ^^*eck, because wp were ^)reachexl
a t h i tw o such very good sermons th a t the whole o f »Simla is
talk in g abmif them , aaul incsl. j»e^'plc pleinl g u ilty to tlie necessity
o f the attjick inndc upon them . The iirst w as updti th e obser­
vance of Sunday, and
second upon our liv es of dissipation.
Tt is quite true tlia t tho atm osphere of th e placo ls one*o£
pleasure-seeking. A s th e A n h d ea co n Siiid, everything nowodiiyH
is -‘ u r g e n t’ ; ou)- busino.ss is ‘ urgent,’ our common otrqupations
are ‘ urg(jjnt,’*and our pleasures arc 'm ost in d en t.’ ‘ W e m ust
ju s t sluiw ourselves here,’ and ‘ w e m ust look in for a moraeut
there,’ and w e tjilk as if ‘ pw'ir society Iwi a n iost preciii ioua e x ist­
ence, and M'ould come to an untim ely end were wo to desert it
for a m om ent.’
,
‘
H e spt'ftks 8 0 very w ell and earnestly, w ith ou t any exaggera­
tion or w anfrof liberalit y, tliat h is exlm rtations ou gh t to do g o o d ;
jind I know o f at least one person wlm hurrio<l from a Sunday
tea-party to second clm rcli, iiecausc after the m orning sermon
‘ she rc<iJly munt go again.’ T hat wjis n resu lt qf a homoeopathic
kii\ol; . . . .but alas 1 for m y st**ry, I find she di<l n“o t go again,
only intended to do so w hen she le ft her ow n house. W h at she
did do w as to exchange a law n -ten n is m atch, to which she had
mesint to go, for the niilder dissipation of n littio te a - p a r t^ ^ e whore— a result of a still more mii;rii:x;opie nature tha»-#"cX‘ecutcd
her w ith at first.
*
^
•
'
I'he other things th at I iuvve done th is w eek aVe these :—
T w ent ty
M arshall’s to see a collection o f butt<frflics.
There .m*
vcffy lovely ones, and we griincd a certain am ount
o f iiifon nuiiou there. I will o n ly trouble y4m w ith one o f tho
ligh test fn^ts. t^^otuo o f tli»: civatures, w ith th e mast gorgeous
ciiTotJrs outside, sh ut thcinselrc.s up so as to form th e exact ve­
il 2
1 0 0
•
0 T :R
V K ' K R K G A L
L U - E
i n
I N D I A
C jr.
rv
•
prespntjitlon of a deail !eaf, and so hid e from thoir onftinies ;
thero are q u an tities of them in the neighbourhoof] of a brew erv
liere, and thoy actually have acquired sucli a t'Stste for beer
that tliey^sit helpless on th e casks, and can be caught w ith
ease. *rltese dLssipnted butterflies q u ite deser^-e to h ave a pin
run flii'ough th e n , and to l,m siiut up in glass cases, far fnm i
all templaUojT; we shall be hearing n ex t th a t theyhu''® taken to
sk ittles !
■‘
«
Mai'>r Mffrshall’s house is in th e woods near here, whore tlio
ferns and ih o vogetatioii gonin-ally are q u ite lovely n<\w. The
iain*C'Vt?rs Everything with green ; Ihe w alls disnppwvr under a
Tiew grow th of verdure; tho tru n k s and branches of trees arc
growni ever w ith ferns ; and tlnj^e are smnd ^lo^t curious p la n tj
to be seen a s •well. One is a .sort of ta ll greon flower, ou t of
w hich prfttrudea w hat aj^ears tti bo th e ta il of a sm all snake. It
is rather startling a t lirst sight. Then another has a thick .stem
.spottetl ex a ctly likii th e body of a serpent. I ban im agine
gettin g a ‘ t w n ’ from that. T may as 'vv'ell record here th a t T
have n ot y e t seen a live snake in India, nor ,i scorpion, nor any
toi'pific spiders. T don’t shake my shoe.s, or peep through m y
sleeves, or carefullv exam ine luv gloves Ivefore p u ttin g them on,
and th e o n ly aniinal th a t I liv« in expoctation o f seeincr a»d
.suffering from is a ‘ lish in sect.’ H e habitually Wits^all vour
ptipfii’s, all your clothes, has a particular taste for th o noses in
your b est photographs, and sfH)u runs through th e th ick est book ;
even ho has treated m e w ell so far, but T know th e day m ay
com e wheiT I sh all'fin d th a t sqine valuable garm ent or som e
precious picture has been ilevouretl b y him.
T o go ou w ith mj" doings. T had a com m ittee m eeting to
arrange som e m atters respecting th e nur.-^ing in th e hospit.al here,
a!id we also liad a sort of exam ination a t M j-s . TIbcrt’s upon her
lectures, where K elly’s dow nright m anner o f ex p la in in g lier w ny
of looking affcr a patient, and tho^flulness o f another .pupil, wei'c'
I'athcr amu-sing. NVe are quite .sorry these gatherings ar<* over.
1 m u st m ention a further oncourngoment f have had for H y
Sch^nm by a donatlan of H h, -1,000 from th e Malmrajah of THwar,
and an
‘ from him for th e rrnimng of tw o n ative s<udent«.
If J ,(in industrious over iy^‘ H industani, H is l£xcell«;ncy is
still more so ov/»r his Persian. H e d'jes work hard a t i t ; but he
has one advantage over me w hich T m ust te ll yon of. H e is
n^ver allowed to stir w ith ou t a policem an— a*Persi}in-6j>eukir‘g
policem an in a w hito turban and a calic.) ov(-rcoat, very impo.sing
a s to size, bu t very cqmmonplaes as tb dresa. * W herever H is
H.vcellou-v- goes that m in has to be. H e stiim ls by jit tcn m s ;
r ?
ISfeS
.
F(*LI.O\\'ED FY A lY'UCEMAN
;
*
101
•
\\t^ appears a t th e charch door w hen D . g ets there. A s a\ire aa
he pays a vj.nit, or goes ou t to dinner, or t<> t<’a, or to th e theatre,
th e ]K>liceman is bound to b e there, aiwl som etim es, when one has
forgotten his very existence, one is startled b y liis sudcjfn appari­
tion ; and as nobotly sees him go, or know s how he g A s to n
place, there is p s«n-t of aw e coniietted \vitli h is in evitab le appeariiiicu tlioro. W hen 1). sim ply tak es a walk, th e polfcemah follows
and w alks 4ike any other orn in a iy m o r ta l; ^ncl th en it is tlm t D.
prolits by him, and, instead o f resting hi.s m ind ft*om liis very
heavy and anxious work w hile taking his exercise, struggles away
fn talk Ptiisiiiu and to learn w ords ;iml pronunciatibns. I h ave
no j)oliccinan, and so T g e t on more slow ly w ith my conversation,
r am not, how ever, learning ‘ under a bushel,’ for la st n ig lit I
received a- letter
th e etlitor o f a n a tiv e paper, who, ' hearing
that you f ir e stu d yin g th e vernacular,’ suggests th a t’ h is own
paper, ‘ which is w ritten in th e b est ta ste ajul th e pnre.st Urdu,’
would be a good one for m e to ta k e in. I f , I follow h is advice
niul reatl it, I .shall have to add to m y libt of empleymentH, ‘ To ,
sp elling out n colum n in a n a tiv e i>apcr--four houre.’
I send you a telegram w h ich w ill Cf^rlainly amuse y o u ... I t
w as addressefl to a distingtiiahed officer of th e R oyal Engineers, ,
fijgnj iNHti Gorge., by ‘all th e Balm s, S im l and ^Peshin R.ailway,’
ajid th e i-e is ito qu<istion w hatever as to its a u th e n tic ity : ‘ A ll •
railway B abus assem bled. To sta y here is in.stantjineous death.
h at can Balm g ive in excliango for hia sou! f In* anticipation
of sjvnction we all leave to-night.* A n d th ey w en t too ! Cnolem
w as m ging at the place.
SuiuifTi/,
- I have a t la st found a horse which 1 really
liki- and am-.happy on ; but it is, u n fo itu ifa td y , Tjoi'd
illiam ’s
favourite polo pony, ainl 1 do not y«.t kuuw i£ 1 •'an have i t ;
B cgi.m s nose ims becom e aligbil^ disjuinted.
1 have had som e long in terview s w ith ' authprities ’ .about,iny
Scheine—-S ir Steuart B ayley and Dr. Sim pson frtm SurgeonGeneral), i l r . Mackenzio and Air. Ilb crt ;.a n d I am npw trying
TO reduce it to w riting, bo th a t a t lejist people m ay know w hat ii
i.s )>of. I t w as reported th a t I wn.<? goin g to abolish all civil §grgeons and put women in th eir places, and th a t I
to
in sb l th at no E nglisli nurses ^ houkl bo employ’efl, but only
natives. I am evidently cretlite<l w ith m uch niora authority than
I have found m yself to'jtOK5C«s.
2l)e/b—-W o litul a dinner and a dance, which i
overheard guests vlccovibing as *exceeilin gly jolly.'
W e have laWunup w h ist Ob .in ev en in g am nseiuent, and 1 am
\ cfy*glnd of it, as a ‘ i ubber ' is good for IX, giv es hhn n change,
102
01 R
V IC K llIia A li I J F E
IN
I N lJ l.N
atid provents liw nliidyiiig P*'r'<iHR after dinner. C>ue duy we
Iwici a few people to ti\a in th e ten n is court to see som e games.
I t is such ii nice place now, and th e A rab ic and P ersian iu.->cription s ornam ent it beautifully. F ifieeji or tw e n ty m en come t«')
p lay e fo r ? day, and i t is on ly elose<l to th e public for a couple of
h ou m in the afternoon.
* ^ ,
Thurndf!ij,*ZOth.— A fte r two very hue d ays th e rain li:is begun
again, so all we could <lo in th e way of exercise w a s^ o go a sort
of patldliiig walk to gather f e r n s - a n ew mania. W e lu v v e c e l
up littlo rockcriej; in front of our windows, and therft is to be
gre»fct- I'ivalijf H.S to w hose is th e host, w hether fconi an artistic or
a botanical point of view'. I t is quite delightful gettiaig one’s
tingera w ell dirtied and feelin g so countrilied as one does w h e^ .
one grubs up roots w iih ou t n n ylm p lem en taifil carries them home
iti a basket, and when, lyivnng *iid ‘ K a m angta ’ (n ot w anted) to
all ofiei’s of as.sistance fixun jomjidans or follow ers of an y sort, one
escapes in to the wogcLs and does exactly as ono lik es -for a .very
sliort tim e. «The fe n is now are m ost lovely, and there swrns to
bo an ert<lle.ss variety of them .
.^ a tu r d n y ,
U '.— To th e great d eligh t of th e young men
tlie w eather ‘ p erm itted ’ a gym khana. True, there are fe w p e rformers, and w liile one race was run by CVqitaiiis Burn, Harbofd,
and IlusSelh th e n ext w as run b y Caj)tains U uas^l, ilu rn , and
Harbord ; still every ono seem s to like th e afternoon auS to enjoy
th e cjcf'use aftbrded tlmrn for m eeting, .nnd th is tim e there were
no falls and somo rather am using 'events,'' .and evt>rj'thiag w ent
off w ell.
T u esday, ith .— l l y ‘ medical VfTaii-s ’ are com ing to a crisi.s,
and 1 have had mimy* iuttindew s on th e s u b j e c t; o » S.aturday T
hiipo to settle the ‘prnspcctus.’ 1 shall bo glad when all is in
w orking order and w'hen*! have got over th e plunge. I don't in
th e least mind the work, but- I soinotiinos shudder over th e pub­
licity and W'ish it wore a quieter little affnir. T he Maharajah «if
K aslim ir ^ n t m e 500f. th e other tlay, and I am ‘ opening an
account,’ starting cheque, receipt, j«id letter-books, and tiy in g to
W busines-slikc* frofy th e beginning.
•.
’^ f lc wsanther is as usual m tlicr w cl, and it has ■cli.anged. its
raining h ouls for the worse, cojying down offen in tlm afternoon,
which it used generally to le.ave clejir for us. Some days Imvo
been very lovely a.s stu d ies—cuiaous lighbj ami .shades on tlie
lulls, and poops underneath hea\'y canopies of cloud on to the
(fi.staut and sunny-lookitjg plains.
A very pleasing and perfect E nglish-spcakijig.native lady who
lives clo.se to u s has offered to come and help us w ith our H im lu -
I8«g
IX JIlNin'STAXl
• 103
•
stnni. fc>hp is ca lln l th e X.!'nwuri (or Princess) Harnr.m Hinglu
I have only jiiat ujiwle lier aoquaintanee, as she iiuslicen ill.
>he Jiiid her hush.uid are Christiani*. She is reniaiknbly nice
and clever, so w e ough t to improve under her. I am ivmltng
qu ite H series o f tracts jtiul littlo nioi-al stories, as tfio sfy ie of
these is Hiiuple and more conversational th a t th a t o f grander
IwultB.
•
* *
Thnrii(Ut»f, fith.— T h is inoruing w e w en t t'O the consecration of
a very p retty little chapel o f ease th a t has been buil» close to our
grounds. * It w ill be very con veu ieu t to us, ».s th e church is
m ther far otl'.
•
•
F rid ai/, 7fh.- AVe w e n t .second tim e to th e • P iru tes o f P e n ­
zance.’ T he j>er£t»nuan<'<‘ w as really very goo<l, and there wjis a
\^‘rfi»* in a top icn rsoflg w hich brdbght dow n Llir hou<'c. It said
th a t when th e A m ir w as m ade a tt.U .S .f. and y ir P . Lmn&len a
G .C .B., and when there w’cro difficulties here, and KoainrolF was
k ick in g up a* row th ei’C, then ‘ aonte one n Ute was not a happy
one.' W e were all w ondering how i t wouid finish uj*> as w e knew
they w ould n ot lik e to h a v s »mid the ‘ V icoroy's.’
S'llurcUty^ %th.— I had a grea t m eetin g about th e Scheme^s-a
ronnd table, and pens, and ink-bottles, am i paper, an d ,S ir S leon rt
^ ir Charlos A itch ison , i l r . Aiuckenzie, Dr. Simpson, m y ­
self, and JMiijvr Cooj)er. all sittin g round w ith our various copies
of th e prospoctua before us. Aline w as n very much iM»rr6ctc<{
one, as 1 h-nd been collecting h in ts ujMXi th e subject? so 1 rmtd it
ou t and auggestc<l th e nkerations, and we discussed u n til we
agi'eod ; and y o u sh.all soon se«*- th e r e s u lt! •
I «nly h a s A ^ u r t w alk by w’.ay o f exercise.
iSVmirty, ihA. A more despairing look but th an over . abso­
lu tely nothing to be seen beyond th e balcojjy^ and a dixmching
rain falling. T don’t th in k wo shoiild lu ivefaced ordinary church,
but w e had promLsetl to attend th e oonsoen^tir.n of a native
Cliristuin Church, so w*e set of}’, and hajf-wnv' niul
desert th e
oirri.'ige for rickslmw.s, ajnl in them w e made th e n io |t terrible
ascents and descehts through a Isiznar. Such turns am i tw ists
and steej> gradients you never sjiw. H a p p ily ,‘after the servic^^ it
w as fine, anil w e w ere able to cHnjb up on our 0 w i^ c< ?t.^ ^ !n service w as in H industani. Aly^'om inund u ^ th c l^ ig u a g e has
scjircoly arrived at. the devotionm sbige, b u t I lietened w ith oxtraon lin aiy nttuntion to every word th a t fell from th e clergym en’s
lips, to see iio» nxicli 1 could understand. The Bishop w h s n io it
lluent, and ^ am in hopes th a t I c.arried aw.ay sonic faint M0 th>n
<i£ ilia in ea p m g .. IJis E xcellen cy had to c«^ntent htm solf by p ick ­
in g eu t th e Persian words in tho discourse. In th e afternoon w«
104
,
OUJt YICEBECAL L IFE TN’ IX U Ll
cn. iv
«
w ith M rs. Cun-
•went t<v o\it ne\v little chapel, aiiA "we had
iiinghani, who lives close to it.
^ f o n d a y , 10^/*, to V r 'td n e s d a y ^ \ W t . — M onday and Tuesday
were so
th at it was im possible to g e t ou t, aud so o a W odaeaday ni#rirfng we deterinined to seize a dry niom eut aud ?*ave a
I’idc*.^ "VYe had soarucly started w hoa a delugtf came on, b u t we
g o t £ojn« exeaeisG in spite of it, and canie in very Aiuch draggled,
or, to p u t it more poetically, lik e floM*era bathed iu dojv.
I w ill n otti'ou b le you w ith an y m ore Scheme, though it has
kepi, mo v<*Ty busy th is v/ock. I am in hopes a lull w ill come
noiw ns the* prospectus w ill be out in a few days, and a ll th e
ootT ecting o f it and thinking i t over is a t a n end. Major Cooper
is m y honorai'y secretary, aiul hius had a ^cry grea t deal to do.
Tire Quoen has consented to patronise th ^ S them e, which is 9.
great help.
,
2'hv.rHiliiy,
T rto not think th a t T luivo ever told you
Imw 'we manage hero w ith regar<! to our household. D . and 1,
th e tw o maids and \h e tw o girl.s. occupy th e on ly beds there are
iu th e Iiousi?; b u t a few n ative servan ts sleep in th e passages,
ready to.run any nocturnal messnge.s w e m ay have to send, w hile
Goorkhas and imlicemen watch, over us outside. Then all about
th ejd a ce there are cottages for th e A .D .C .’h and for tlie servants,
barm cks'for th e I)ody-guard ajid th e CJoorkhas aiu^for th e m ass
of n ative servants. T h e A .D .O .'s Inivo a- sitting-rooTn in th e
house, and have all their m eals here. They live tw o and tw o in
various cottages, and th e M ilitary Si'Ci'etary has a really nice
house on th e top of ^ still higher h ill th a n ours.
Every person keeps a lot o f ’ horses, and a ll th e stables are
under th e direction w£ oui couchrann ; b u t a.s eaoh^ horse has a
syce o f his own, each A.1>.C. lias as many m en as he has horses.
T his m onjing m ist ojid rain, and an incessant pattering on
th e roof. I t i.-i tryin g !
i'^riday,
q attended a performance a t th e theati'C got.
up b y the Ikibus, or olerks in the various offices, to obtain money
to ljuild a*covei*nd plfutJ for theQi8elve.‘! a t th e liu rn in g <Tbaut.
W o liad rather dre.aded it, because w e heaj’d th a t on tiie first
iasfe^id from 'ninc till t.wo, because i t w as to b e in B engali,
o f w hich w \k n o w n ot a word, and bec.ius© a il th e fcinalo parts
were to be played by m e i i, so ^ e took th e precaution o f tolling
thorn th at we sliould have to leave a t eleven, but w e did remain
till half-past, an<l were fpiite sorry not to s t a j till th e end. I t
r ^ ll y w'as m ost curious and in te re stin g : and as tfie piece c o n ­
sisted of a series of scenes, uikI us wc had a shpr^ abstract of the
stoj-y in E nglish w hich enabled u s to understand th e drift of each
1885
I
•
THE B.VBUS' BENGALI PL VY
‘ 105
•
scene, the unknow n tongu e w as rather an advantage than other­
w ise, for i t added a sort of m ystery to th e perforrnauee, and made
1 1 8 fee! «s if w e really w ere looking on at- some ancient play.
W hen the curtain drt'w up, i t rev e lle d Havnna,
K in g of
Ceyhm, in grand array, sittin g upon a very high throne, ^ ith all
Ids coui-liers sgiiattiu g on th e floor on either side o f him , anil one
m essenger all in wldU*, and w ith his face buried *ln hfs hands,
bow ing l>ef«re th e king. A m elancholy na'A.l song was goin g on
w h ich lasted for som e tim e, and then th e m e s s e n ^ w ith much
w ailin g told th e king th a t h is .son had been killed in b attle. Tlie
k in g w as deeply m oved at th is inteliigcn ce, b u t V lso a Httle
anuoyod to th in k th a t a son of h is slvould h ave fallen by th e
liands of th e son of th e K in g of Oudo. W h ile he is expressing
'fe e s e sentim ent?, ^ i t m essenger a little suddenly, and enter
C hittm ngauda, th e king's y ou n gest vvifn. H e r entry is peculiar ;
she is a go<Hi-hiicd man wmpj>ed in w om en’s garm ents, and she
com§s in fulling, and flops dow n on her fm:e fulM ength before th e
king. H o consoles her, she goe* out, th e k in g prepares for war,
and th e cu rU iu fnUs.
A c t n . takes place in a pleasurc-gnrtlen, and is devoid -of
incident. O ne m an asks new s of another, and is told of h is
brother’s deatli, so h e e x its to prepare him self for th e lia ttlefield ;
then w om eii ftomc in and wander about, and cTther are consoled
or refuse l o be comforted. T h ey are all ta ll and plain, and show
th eir faces very little, and arc th e w ives o f persohages in the
dnimu.
A c t I I I . The curtain draw's up and i'{tv«vl9 tw o-godd^ aefc
women seatw l o n 'the Iloor.
D oorga wears a silver crown. Indra-, th e’ k in g o f th e celestial
regions, and his w ife com e to con su lt thc.se Ia<Iiea and to tell them
nbout the war, and D oorga says sh e w ill see w hat Hiv.i says.
TTnforiunately th at god is sh'eping, so sh e ^employs a m ost
alarm ingly ugly cupid to help her to aw ake liim ; and w e then
see S iva’s head and bare shoulders and h is trid en t appearing al)Ovo
a rock in th e background, and th e overgrow n cupid (in a red
uniform ) takes deliberate aim w ith liis bow an d h its th e g o d ^ t h
h is flower-tipixkl arrow. The D estroyer o f C reation ^ a k e a . and
j> short conver.-irttion' ensues.
•^
T he curtain is constan tly goin g dow n, and a V olu n teer band
plays during tlie long intervals ; th e scenery chaugcs every tim e,
and all the luxtinjpis very q u iet and m«tho{HcHl.
•.
A fter this conics a sccno in a tent., w here F ak irs are sittin g
w ith whifi>
anil lon g hair, and warriors and th eir w ives
coino to con sult them , and there is m uch*bowing w ith foreheads
lO fi
•
OVR VK’KrtRGAL L Il’K IN INIMA
rn. iv
•
to th e grourKl; ftjid the women have now p u t on m ale attire for
Ixattle, nud wear knickerbookers nnd ahoi’t jucketfl and exh ib it
m ost prouounc'Hi ligures, th e work o f th e tailor, and then some
o n e is
to enter th e tem ple, and prayers are made in front
o f tlie^ o o r, and hm illy th e god S iva him self appears before it —
r a th it a startling figure. A very fa t man he ia^w ith nothing
on but h ahoH petticoat, jind a trid eu t in hia )iand ; much IocaI
colour about him . Then there is som e one whose m ind h as to
bo diverted, itnd so ‘ soorlwvlas’ tr y to charm him w ith songs and
flancing. 3”hey are tall figures sw ath ed in fem ale jjarm eiits;
thej*m ovo stbwly alx)ut and g e t in his w ay w hen ho attem p ts to
leave them ; but finnily tliey g iv e it tip and run aM*ay, an d thq man
le ft iilono enters tiio t-cmple, and thei*e w e Ifa^l to leave him.
^
I read th e rest of the play, and J dou''l ihinfc w e missod much.
T here was a battle— ofl’ ihi^ slnige, o f coursti— and th e nows o f it
had to be brought to th e k in g and to th e w om eix; and th e chief
w arrior fell, and tlitf king, a.stoundiKl, asked w ho kiilod him , and
th e mc.s«‘nger said that, having entered in disguise into th e sacre«l
shrine, N icoom villa killed him in an u njust Iw ittle; and th e curtain
fa lls for t h e last time.
I am sorry to say there w as a very bad audience. Tlie niglit
w as te n ib ly w et, w hich was I suppose th e rcjuson, bxit th e pl^iy,
w hich w as very w ell dres.'M2 d (in spite of 8 iv a ) ami » ell^ p u t upon
th e stage, was acted to em pty benches.
D . and 1,’ w ho both really like sight-sccing, enjoyed i t much ;
it w as a ll so strange and so ‘ behind th e tim es.'
W h en *1 first cam e here, I said th a t S im la w a s suggestive
of th e A rk. The lik en ess imrreases, and I liave th e greatest
synip atliy now for MP. and Mrs. N oah and thoir .aules-clR-eanip.
sh u t up in that erection for 1-'jO days and over. H o w th ey m ust
have hateil the p atter onrtho roof aiicl th e s!i— sh down th e sides
o f y ie ir habit.atio^i, ami how tired th ey m ust have been o f talking
about th eir rfiiiiimls, and of w ondering w hen th ey w ould all g et
o u t again J W h a t a thrillin g in cid en t tlie sending ou t o f th e dove
m ust have been, an d w ith w hat joy. tlicy m ust have w ep t over the
b i t ^ green loaf \Mien i t wan brongJtt thcnal W o invented an
incwTSnt jMBterday, and asked som e ^teoplo to t«'a in th e tennis
c o u r t; aii^^hough cats and d q ^ w ere really coining down, all the
guQflts arrived, an d ull seemed tn ily th an k fu l for th is excu.se to
g e t out, and for Bomething to do. T h ed o cto rb ea t th e im a h , but
1 » received rather heavy points from him .
•*
Suiulm j, HOih. -'J’h iugs (by which 1 mean th e Y^^^ther) im ­
proved a little, and u i the afternoon w e w en t lu th e cjmrch near
UR, am i th en on for a Valle u p to O bservatory H ill, th e site Tor
1885
(ILEAMS OF SUNSHINE TILVN'liIFL-LLY HECKIVEJ^* 1 0 7
•
th e new house. A s w e climJied th e Iiill th e v iew w as quite lovely,
and we could d istin ctly see th e plains, and very w et th ey lo o k ed ;
b u t b y th e tijuc w e reacho<l our destination everything w as en­
veloped in cloud. H ow ever, we sat dow n on a p ile o f wtmd and
w aited, and then, reflecting how m uch sh u t up w© had boen^itely,
w e deternnned^to^be energetic and ‘ wat<*r])i‘Oof' th is week,*and
to m ake expeditions and see som ething of th e outer V orltl ; and,
w hile these plans were form ing, th e fo g d id 'clear away, and left
TOWS of hills lyin g in layers of colton-w ool, w itli ^ little tin y
attem p t a t a rainbow in one sm all cloud above, and th e glisten iu g
. plains in the distance below.
•
. *
Aly?.— P u t a by; o f our plan in to execution. De•.■fcj^rminetl to go and Imve tea a t M ushobra, nird thcr© to spend
a ‘ happy day.’ (^f course it w a s\h o u g h t a t tirst th a t it wouhl
require tw enty m en to convey our»tea tlipro, but I insisted Ujon
‘ TOUghing ’ it, nnd so tw o only were laden and sot oil'; and directly
after.lu uch th e girls. Major Cooper, D octor Fi<jdlay, and I started.
• (H is E xcellen cy declared w ild horses Hhould n o t tak e him there,
and, besidas, ho is m uch too busy for long expeditions.) W e
drove up to a h o m d tun n el w h ith the.re is on th e w ay, *fnd th/iP
m ounted our iiorsea and liad a nice b u t foggy ride o u t to th e
‘ Cl^bles,' an inn in th e woods. There w e found an e.xcellenl
w ith very^ many more th in gs th an w e renlly wanted, so th at I •
th in k one man m igh t do n e x t tim e, on ly th a t I suppose he wiii
w ant comiw uy on the road. Then w e took a w alk, untl afti'rwards
rede homo all the w ay. W e enjoyed our little chaoge,
■Iv.-I.— ro o p le do Say positiv’'d^ now, ‘ The
rains are going,' fw.» I do hope we shall come down from }>erpetual
deluge and io g s to occasional stomi.s. T he shorte.st gleams (»f
sunshine are mo<;t t h a ^ f p ily received, a n d we are beginning to
ta lk of oui- tour ; th*e very idea o f it « delightful. Think of
em erging from th e clouds and descending to A g p i and D elh i ^nd
Lucknow ami Cawnpore ! ,
•
T hu rsday, 3rd, to T n m la y , ^ih.— I t is 'tr u e th e monsoon is
really ovei- I t no longer rains hopelessly, am i when a luiavv
cliower falls w e say,
w ill so(»n clear,’ w itli .Borne a ssiu -a n c ^ iv
our tone. Oh 1 it is a co in fy r t: you cuu’t th in k h o ^ tirei^ n u m
g e ts o f the gloom and th e e \’e H i^ in g drip, and th e im possihility
of se ttlin g beforehand to «lo an yth in g o u t o f doeirs.. T ills m oraing,
therefore, when w e found ourselves fogbound am i saw th e ground
soaking, we Hid u«t despair, nor did we put oft' our e n g a g e m e n t
for the after^ioon, but allow ed Colonel C ollett to curae nncl lunch,
nnd orderejl our*horses a t three to sla rt on our fern expedition.
Th& iirst tilin g 1 g o t th e Profassor to d o
to com e up to my
V
108 •
Ol R VICERKGAL LIFE I .\ 1NI>JA ,
c h . iv
•
rockery and to mark in a l>ook for m e a ll th e varieties T had
already c o lla te d , and again st th ese I p u t private uesoiiptioiiM l>y
w hich to know them again. Then w c started oft' dow n th e glen,
riding sijjfie way, after which w e took to our feet and to alpenfit-ock^ ai»d so descended th e rougher path to Jhe bottom . I t is
( iu i« a new sensation to walk o u t w ith a naturaligt, w ho seem s to
have se'freral Inore pairs o f eyes than you pos«'^‘i Oolonel C ollett
know s all the planfs and trees and insects, and it *w»ts very in*
fieresting going about w ith him. W e hatl a very long, hard walk,
and tinally itsaclicd A nnandale, whert; we had tea to m & t us, and
'
'
gl“d
were of it iK-fore riding up to >Siinla again. 1 g o t .
'tw’o or three new varieties of ferns, an d am now tolerably i>erfeot
<
in about tw en ty long L atin nam es and fa ^ e tie s, which T looJpH^
upon a s a sort of little beginning for n e x t year.
F n d » y , 18^A.— S ir A lfred* L v a ll and Sir Lepe) Griffin are
sta y in g w ith us ; th a t is to say, th ey sleep in one o f our cottages,
and come here for U>eir meals, for, oa I liave told ybu before, w e
]
have no spn»e room in our V iceregal cottage.
J
.'Snfilrday, 19//i.— Ten thousand ru|>eeK to*nigh<- froui th e
^
ilaJiam jah of Jeypore, w ith a very nice letter ujwu th e medical
subject. A s thi.s is th e largest subscription I have had yet., J
4
chronicle it.
^
2'hurdday, 2-lt/#.— Tt had lon g been arm nged th a t ^’e were to
camp out for a couple of nights for H is E xcellency to g et some
shooting, aufi wr> were to have started ypsterday ; but it was so
1
w et in th e beginning of th e week th a t w e p u t it off one day so as
to g iv e th e camp (hue to di-y. 1 had forgotten, during th is tim e
o f freedom from the tram mels of .state a t JSiinla, th a t th e mouiciio
w e again .stirr«;d froiif our om'ii door w c should be p u t in charge of
a deputy■■comnnssioner and a police officer b u t directly an-angem ents for a m ove canu^ under discussion, then printed papers
appjr-ared on our^table-s, sta tin g w hat otticials were to go w ith us,
w h at tim e wr should start, w h at tim e w’e should arrive, w hat posts
w e shouh^ receive from Sim la, &c. —and it is oidy eig h t miles, after
all, tiia t wt* are going,
.
.^ |lio day was lo\ieJy, and we le ft home ttfu-.r luncheon, riding ;
oui^oiiim iM ioner m et us cm th** roiid. and Sir D onald Stew art
followed. The ride wjis throujjjr^tlie hills, and very p retty and
wjinm, w ith a nice bright sun shining on us. Our destination is
called L ham in, and w e are to be th e gu ests of the K ana of th a t
piace, w hose privilege it is to speml a certain Rifni yearly in enter­
ta in in g the \'iceroy nt a sh o o t! H onour and glorjf above his
fellow s is all he g e ts by it. H e is a man of olxvut 70i)/. or 800f.
a veer, und, as-1 saw w hen he m et us on tlm road, a very idee-
1883
‘W I T H
A
S H O O T IN G
P A iiT Y
IN
THE
K IL L S
*
100
Ujokinu mau, speaking n little ^ iig lisli. M V readied our camp at
five. I t is pitched on a hill, and is, o f course, m ost coiufortable :
tw o ten ts, opening in ta eacli other, iis d in in g and sittiug-room s,
and a little street of sm all tea ts, p rettily lined w ith ^ lu e and
w liite. W e each have one.
^
A s soon as wc* nrrivetl, th e ‘d o lly ,’ or presentation from «the '
llajali, w as brought forward. W e stood a t th e door o f t^ie* ten t
w hile travs o f gold and silver, o f rice, banHnas, poinegrunates,
dishes of honey, bundles o f sugar-cane, and ginger were? laid before
U is EiceH eucy, and a ram wa.s draggetl b y its boi-rjo
Lc ju-escuted to him . H e graciously twcwpwxl all excep t *the m oaey,
w liich is alw ays rem itted, jyid then th e R an a said th ere was
iiother ‘ d o lly ' tor th* L ady Saliiba, and more trays and more
leep w ere brought IM ore me. W e dined, and sat round a bon­
fire, and looked a t the moon, nnd*theu \^ent to bed. * h e only
sounds to bo hoard an hour after w ere tlie voices o f th e natives
callin g t*) each other from hill to liill, a wild ^ud m ther m elan­
choly sound.
F rid a y, ’2^Uh.— W e h a v e been ou t tlie whole day, aifd have
enjoyed the fresh air and the sunshine, and th e little cljange fruja
tho Sim la platform on w hich wp Lave been stuck fo r s ix itiouths.
Brejtlrfast was a t eigh t o’clock, and d irectly after it w e sta rted —
I on m y inul ( 4 which is adm irably suited for th e sort o f riding •
liere. She can go up and down staircases, and along tho dry
rough beds of rivers, and through strnains and up iiaTTOW ukjuqta in jiaths, w ithout ever slipping or seem ing to th in k th e reftd « v v >
o il extnujrdinary. .'Bie g ir ls w ere carried in jhainpaijs, and only
' OStr w ay w as through tlie hills, th e weather perfectly
lovely, and Uic vegetation quite ditferent from th at of Sim la.
Runanua, and rioe, and ginger grow here, hikI w e sjiw one pabutree, and J ie iiiiis are covered w ith a handsom e sort of cactus,
and there arc new ferns, and, iji fart, th e 11,000 feet w e have
descended m ake a great difierence in a ll one sees and -feels, "fhe
shooting w as nothing to speak of— there were only tw glve brace
killed , and ‘ much a<lo ’ about Ijilling them — b u t all th e guns were
content, as ic s t fi*oui. busine.*« and change wti* w hat they I'ouUji-'
w anted, and these they got. A V h a t haj)pened was fchi^ W o all
descended from our horses iiT Ts^alley, or rather in Che W’d of
a river, surrounded by hills, on w E ^ o tops w o savw w h ite figui^s,
w ho, w hen th e guns w ere placed, began to .shout and to descend on
a ll aide.s to driye the birds !n. J suppose th ere W'er4i a th ousand
beaters employed, and. as T to ld you, there w ere about tw en ty four birds k illed , .W e w en t to three different beats, and had
lunclrdn th e m iddle of th e day. One bird ^ a s a sort of jwrtridge-
110 *
OT"U VICKRRG.U. U F K IN INDIA
<11. iv
•
nnd another a kiiiu of pliaasan tw ith m ost lovely plum age. A big
-• umbrpllft V.MS held over D . w}«ilo he shot, and ho w as surrounded
by sym pathising retainers, who w ere alw-aya an xious th a t h e
should
a t anj'thing th a t jniglit be sittin g in th e neighlsjurhood,
a t any speck v isib le U]x>n th e hori/jpn, and w ho were
I)evftctly indifferent to th e dangere th ere niiglit ^ to any coolies
in th e line of fire. T he lla ja li alw ays k ep t a t a distance under
another umbrella, afld did n o t shoot.
*
M eca n in acro.':s a very rnriims custom practispd by th e hill
I'oople hei>;. ll y th e sid e of evei-y stream we wiw a q u an tity o f
very sm all,’ very low, thatched h I i p H s , and, h earing those had
som ething to dc> w ith babies, nnd seeing many women aj)proaching these places w ith in fan ts in th eir ariiTR^wp w en t to ex n m ii^
them , and found th a t th e stream is dii'ected into a quantity of
little wooden trough.s, iwid n t*the m om h uf each trough one o f
those little gb'nls is placed. Tlio babie.s are tuado to lie down
w ith th e crnwn of Ih eir heads ju st under th is m iniature watei*fall
— whnt for,*I c jin t m ake out. T hey say it is to put them tv
.sleep, blif it secins an unconifortfible. laborious, and roundabout
way t)f Arriving a t rep ose! 1 cn-pt in to one or tw o to watch th e
process. Bometimea the m other hiy flat alongside, nursing tho
child w hile th e jlouche poured upon it. One woman told mojiho
• should stay th eic r.ll day ; others spoke of half «n l^our or an
Imur ill* tw o. E ven in w in ter fh ls irpatm ent continues, and it
n».*:;r Ijc p a ih tu llj cold both for m others and babies. 1 woiub'r
w hether during th e n ex t century my iloctors w ill reach th is bar­
baric custom and suppri‘S.s it!
Am onght the follow'er.s w ere tw o men w itli falcon". I wiw
one k ill a bird ; b u t T think it is a nawt cruel sport * 0 watch, and
I prefer seeing th e haw ks »d Tiarrackpore catcli pieces o f me.it.
S oin rdni/, ‘2 Q/Jk -VVft again brcakf?u5te'l early,Pud "hot over
th^p<; b eats ; theye were no birds, b u t p len ty of fj*esli air and su n ­
shine. Thi» pliice is ever so touch w anner than Sim la. W e rodo
home In g h e afternoon, ami passcfl on our w ay one E ajah, who
lijis arrived here fur the durbar tjic V iceroy Jiolds on Thursdav.
chief sa t on aJitt.er under a red dom^^•and was prectHlcd bj'
a numb<;iNjf m en in scarlet, h o ld ii^ sih e i' .sticks. W e shall see
all th e duiB ai very well from gjii^ )alcony, as it will bo hehl in a
Shjpiiiiana on th e lawn.
«Sa7f(/rty, 27/A .—Mr. and Mre. Grnnt D u ff and their party
arrived this evening from Madras, and, after *>m «.t«i, wen^ con­
veyed in I'iokshaw’s tx> Lho top s o f th e various hi^ s where w e
lodge them . They descend for their meal.s, aud*scuttpr again at
night.
*
» *
.
ISS'5
AN ORIENTAL TABLEAU
* 111
•
\
L
*
►
f
.
^
■
*
T h um day, Octoh^r Ijiif.— Ther«^ wns a d u rlu ir for th e liill chiefs
to-day, and it certainly wa:; a vet 7 pretty sight. T he Sljaiuiana
w as placed on the law n ex a ctly opjw site iny windowa, so th at
fnnn th e verandahs th e whole cerem ony could be .seen ^jjjfectly.
The te n t w as lined >vith pale b lu e and w h ite ; there was a scarlet
carpet on the ilo o r ; the A'iceroy^s throne w as ar tlie far eftrl of
tliH ten t, and tfie chiefs and tlmir follow ers wenr ranged dll'dow n’
<nio side of*it, w'hihi E uropean oihcials sa f on th e other side.
There had not been a durbar iit Sim la for nine years* 8 0 I believe
the rojids V ere crowdecl w ith spectritons, and I shared m y balcony
view w ith a gofxl m any peo|.Ie. The chiefs began lo arrive a t
eleven o’clock, anil werii conducted to th eir seats, and nt tw elve
V iceroy's prooes|iion niaroh«*tl straigh t from th e h<ni.se in th e
tn!‘on»*, the s.alute finng, ami thnm m ilitary bands p lacin g ‘ Go<l
save th e Q ueen' in uidsim. lb , in'rw h w ith aH his so iia r so n , w>vs
-.mart enough to satisfy even th e Orieiitnl idea. The v/hoio thing
looked lik e a* picture : th e o j h m i tent, w ith tjio V iceroy, on his
. ilirone, sittin g in isolated splendour at one end, a lii«? o f (he <h1I
biMlyguaj*d a t hi.s back, and two attendant.^ w ith yak-taila*in their
hnndn n t cither siih* of him ; then lines of m itives isi cofitimic
and officials in uniforni filling tlic t^ nt and .sitting all in .solemn
.silcgice. The first sym ptom of life in th e tableau wii^s when^
having asked tiic V iceroy’s periinssuon to do so, the. Foreign Secre- '
tary hud each cbi'*f brought up in turn to be })resented, and after
him, one by one. (he number of foHowei’s th at his pnAienlar rr.ak
en titled inm to bring w ith him , and each man ofTeredgold nuz7.ars.
w liich th e Y iccro y toucIuMl. A f te r th is, a #t>€OCh. WflR n m A s ia
Kngli-.h, am! o jx-aicii in u iiu iu sta n i, an d then atta r ami ]«in
\ i‘ri‘ handfHl i-ound, and th e odicials, bow inf^to th e Viceroy, told
him ih e cerem ony u iis eniled ; h is ]irocession was re-fom if^ , and
tlm ehi'-f' giaf!\l:dly dispia.>od. T hese Weiv ail siiiul) men. and
(here were no .^pieIldid jew els, but for a country rlurbar it wius a
pretty one. and th e sun ''hone ui>on th e gliitorin g ^Iresses and
.•'liowctl oft' everythin g a t its very ix;.st. I>. has invitctUull (heso
chiefs to m eci him a t A ntm ndalo for a gym klm na on S a lu n ln y ; .
on ly tw o o f thi'iii liad»flit* rig h t to vi.sit him, c»iul ho fe lt anxKjjiii^
to give th e otlirrs an n p p o rtm ^ y of speaking to l i i m . ^
I have liccn a b ltflo send ouT^tu&sts tt( some dinncrB, gnitlcnpartics, and to i fancy ball in Sim la, so th e week lias pa.s.sed a ^ y
very satisfactorily, and th e y leave u.s on M onday morning. .Mr.
G rant l>utf cbinus*lmvn from Inverarm (o Ijreakfast w ith u s,a n d
•.
his .couvorsa^inn conies as a d elig h tfu l bii-ak in th e everyday
V sm ajl talk^ a b o u t. dog.s a ' d liorses, gym khanas, and Sim la
gaicTies.
i
112
•
OUR V J(’EJ{K«.AL L IF E IN IN D IA
i h . iv
•
Thtiredatj, SZA.— I th in k T told yuu long ago th at, before
coniiijj; to Simln., I t<K>k a little country-houso here in which to
uRci d idaterday and Sunday. f?iit I soon came to-the eono.hi.sif)n
tliu t
quite useless to us, th at we fe lt sufticiently countrified
hen-, aTiflthat we certainly were warmer and n^ore o’om fortable at
huiiiC than w e could possibly be in a luiserable litth 'w n od en cottage
un a iliiitaut pejik— so I shall never again hire a house. ' Hut a
‘.stam ling camp ' is jftiothcr luxury th a t is poasiblo ; and n.s after
the rain.s a little change is pleasant, T th ou gh t T .should like* to
see "Naldera, the place where other V iceroys have liaxi due, Iwfore
I went- dowit to th e plains. T his involveil sleeping o u t one night.
*ind I could not iinluce D. to come > b u t K e lly and TlaGhel and
Major Cooper and I w ent on this expediticmy I t w as m ade eas^
for u s by .Mrs. l!l>ert, w ho gave u.s beds in her * )lctrea t.’ She
an d hej-. husl^and and J ittle ohildren were alone there, w ith a
m ost lovely view .around iliom , am i d eligh tfu l woods for w alking
in . W e rode out ip the aftej-noon, g e ttin g th ere fdr tea, and wu
had a nice ^^^^llk before it g<*t dark.
F tidayy dth.— M y in.stniclor in photography in.si'^ted upon m y
tak in g the camera out w ith me, so f w as <»bliged to g e t up (’iirly
in th e m oniiiig to tak e a few view s. I fe lt ex lrcin ely nervous
over it, as I h;w.l never been left to in y own devices before, and I
d id n ot wish to fail entirely. I m ay t><‘ll you now Uiat^iny efforts
were very Kuccessful.
A fte r b^mkfa*5t w c started off on onr hors«'s and rodi* for
about tw o hours, first thi'ough n .sweet-siuolHng pine wood, w ith
glim pses ©£ lo v e l y pioim tain scenery on either side, and then
alon g a very curious open hit of <rouutry, where liine.stoue rocks
ju t up through th e Soil like alm onds in h- pudding, and w here
th ere are stretches of grass lik e Rnglish downs. K .d d e r a is iu
th e m idst of these dow ns—a hill covei-o<t w ith kTiota of txees. a t
th ^ foot of which stand out som e fine singlo firs and a very pretty
Iiic'luros«iue •little tem ple. W h ile luiioh w as preparing wo sat
dow n lu /id m iro this place, «-> very unlike an yth in g else to }«=*
seen a t Bimlii, and I pliotograplKid Iho tenqilc, of w hich I wilt
*^i«^d you a copy, as I am rather proud o f la y first unaided efforts
ii it h is liu ^ \V'o spc-nt a v e iy pea«jful tw o liours there, and then
inoutii/Kl life hill for luncheon, j^il'rtvfter th a f meal wit and looked
at#r fine view ©f the Sutlej w in d in g lik e a green ribbon, through
th e plitin Imlow. T h e valley is very unhcaUiiy to liv e in, but
♦ery lieautiful to look at. \Vo could n o t dilNvdla much, as we
h ad a long ride befoj-e us, uml it soon gets dark aj#d cold now,
th ou gh th e sunshine and the w eather in th e daytim e.aro j>erfoct
a t th is season
*
»
)88o
LE.\VI^-G S IM IA
•
113
Toa w as pi’ovided for us at a h a lf-v n y liou'^#'. aiitl there wo
^
left our horses ;md returned home, first in ricksli.twa, and the last
hit of the w ay in carriuges.
I think 1 m ust copy you ou t a panigraph in Lord Uandoljdi's
letter to H .ii. ;—
* —
‘ I am greatly* interested in follow ing th e progress of Lady
DufT.-rin’s l-’uifd for j)roviding M edical A id to th e M'omcu of
India. Tt {Appeal’s to ho having a m ost roinafkahle and enoouiuging .success, and w ill, I am sure, bo one o f the conspicuous social
I'cforins (rf th e m any w hicli w ill mark your reign.’
• 'I'lirnd'fijy i.lf/i.— J had a m eeting o f th e ilip o n Hwspilnl Goniiiiittec th is morning, and hel'ore retiring from it my.'i.elf niud'*
— s imie sugcresiions for aJtcrinrr its constitution. N o w th a t 1 have
’Tliy own Fiiini to a tftn d to, it is better for m e n o t to be oliicially
connected w ith anyth ing else
as patroness.
,
In th e afternoon I w en t over th e hospital itself.
Tiio
w om en’s ward was full, but there are no n yrses a.s yet. and all
, th e invulid.s are waiU-J upon by their own faniilicR.
In th e evening H is E xcollency had a big farew ell dinner for
thft Coimiiander-iii-C’hief, wlmse health he proposed. AVv arejilJ
so very .sorry to lose »Sir Donald.
W 'cdvaJny, 1 W i.— Mb' w en t, rather » long ridi^ to the top of
Tara D evi, a ^ ill ill th e ncighbourhotKl j from it there wfis a m ost ,
splendid \*lew of th e snow.s, w hich aro now looking <[ui(e beauiifu l. T he w eather th is m onth is perfection, hut vw never can
forget tlie rains.
I -ihr.l! not >»riie to you again 'from ® m }a. AVe Irave it on
Tuestlay morning, and are now ‘ in our boxos.' ()ur rooms arc
diRiniintlecl, ^lul to-day I say gooil-bye to pt'ople here. Uii iho
whole^ I b k e the p lioc Vciy m uch; there is a m onotony about it
which m akes th e tim e po-ss quiokly, and in tine w eather it is very
b eautiful. The m outh of Augu.st, however, is iim st unpleasant,
and 1 liupe t.liat it is not th e tim e th a t I shall best remember
w hen I orejwro to return here.
E very year theix- are g rea t ch.angcs in society, and next year
we sh;dl greatly in iis jv<th th e iKtewarts and tl;t‘ Archdeacon, and^^"'^'
h is w ife.
^
*
The new housn is begun ;^ l* ^ o n a btuiutiful site,'and in two
years’ tim e w e hope to be more suihibly lodged than we ai«^at
present.
y
lU
.
O U ll n C E m C G A L L IF E IX
CHAPTER
.At’T dM X
TOUR, 1 ^ 8 5 ;
y
IX D IA
m
K M IU N , I>KLIII, RA.TPUTANA, OESTRA L
AORA. AND I.UCK.VO'V
O C T O JIK ll 2 0
T O i U X i- M P K H
1C,
I S ti.J
T u e sd a y Octoher'lOth.— W o broakt'fislod a t fia lit o’clock. A t
a (juartcr past tho V iceroy si<;iufil th e dcchu’ation o f war w ith '
Buruiah, and a l h alf ]):ist \v<‘ w^re .saying t'oiMl-bye to th e _
Soniituii w ho had come to see«ue o ff; th e Ij&ml waa playiiij^,
Goorkha Guard w as salutin;:, and I was try in g to .-<iiiile aTuiably,
w h ile T wns ttially woddcriug how the horses winihl sta n d the
th irty-on e guns. They stood them admirjibly, and, wo w ere soou
on our w ay down flio hm ga road.
Our, drive lasted t ill l.oO, when we reached D agsluu, and were
entertained at a very nice luncheon by th e officers o f th e H ig h ­
land L igh t Infantry. T need .scarcely tell you th a t our p a n y is
large, for wc aio alw ays in ojinrge of coniniissioners, district
officers, an d police officer^, w hile the Foreign Secretary goc.< v itii
« s everywhere.
“
A t Dagshni wo h-.ave behind u.s posts and telegnuns. and .start
on o iy m arch: so w e i q o u u L our Iio jn o s after lunch and rido nine
m iles to our <ramp.^ The ii;<.juh of Xiihun, wJiose guost.s w e arc,
m et us half-wuy ami cnndnctisl u.s hci'e. The rotids have a ll
been pu t in beautifuj order, so th a t th e m ost nervous o f ii-, need
not fear, and th<! ride waa extrem ely jdcasant. AVe reached th e
cam p in time for live o’clock t.ru, v. li!ch w c fditi;.-! r e .a d y for ua ;
indeed, th e,w h o le carnp is littetl w ith every lu x u ry ; buttles rif
lavender '.'ijter,'ink, paper, pin.s, scis-sors, every little tilin g w e
no^s^M)ty w m l has lioerL tiiought of, and in H .’s ttmL and our
dining-rdom :uh; lieautiful rireplaee.s and tiro.s in them ! M y ten t
is m ost spacious,, and J am w rifing n o y beforo dinner, w hile
e n atives outside are chattering w ith all thcii m ight, f am
ex p ectin ^ « “very m om ent to hc^j^ji^steutorittn voice collin g thejn
to order.
^Th** maids ro d e u p , .and are dolightotl so far. Hi.-. E xcellen cy
Jias been a little cold, b u t is warming, an d w e all f e e l very w ell,
though we are orduird to begin e a c h d a y w itli a do.';e o f quinine,
w hich 1 h a v e undtTt.akoh to make all m)’ fam ily swahAw I’e g u la rly . y*
The Kajah speaks JEnglibh, a n d seem s v e r y nice, -His serK ints
(
i
m s
l» :S (’ENDlNTr TO THE I’UI.N.S
* 116
•
aro .all in lrf|tTi<l-iiew red and gold llvuries, am i he has som e very
line ]>oHce and -,oUUers {'unrcHng us.
W'o w rta in ly are n o t very iueky in our wuatlier. I t came on
to blow in the evening, nud all n ig h t our tencs w cr^ ^ a n p in g
a b o u t; energetiCjCold bljists mntle tlu'ir way tJirough every crevice,
and v,'i> had tfir o ll up our heads in ila u n d , w liiloou r jiillowsPwere
knockwl ul^mt b y th e shak in g canvas -walLs agtuiist wfiicli th ey
leant.
•
21»^— T was quite glad t*) land tlia t’ a ll were w ell
this morfting in sp ite of tlie cold. A s soon .as 1 Jiari g<jt in to a
’w arm dress, jacket, and a fur wipe, and liad climbcMftwo oj‘ three
high h ills ill the ncighlx>uJ>hood, I g o t warm and w as roady for
-»*breakfast.
“
"VVe all sp en t a very qniet ihorning, b u t g o t in to o\tr habits
before lunch and rode off d irectly after.* The march waS th irteen
niilos, along a very good road, .and wo* g o t to nur new camp in
tim e for tc.a.‘ A ftor tfiuner .a fine leopard swis brought in w hich
had been shot in tlie ncighbourhcHxl.
•
22nd.— Tlio morning, jw befon*, spent in* reading
and ■writing, and th en v lon g ride of about fifteon m iles lhr<nigh
lovely h ills and fine w\>ods to a n ew camp. T his one is very
piuturesque, tlie tenw bein g »!1 ou different levels, and th e h ig h est
platform ,,on*vhich our dining-room i.s pitched, being shaded by
tw o er.Ciim'ius ti'ees, and having a curious little tem ple upon it.
T ho plains l(H>k quito near now, and Iiavo .a very sandy niid dusty
appearance. T he we.athei' is beautiful, and we ai-e gn id u ally
descending into vv.irinth.
*
— 1 >. w en t ouJTaiEootiitg before breakfast, a n d I
took som e photugniphs of our camp. L etters anti tokgr-vroi; tin
<!xpectc<lly follow u s everyw here, ami w ith B iinnah on b au d 1).
nlwiiya has stmio busi:. -■> to do.
*
W e again s e t t>ff ufter lunch, b u t as I fyuntl th e n n w h e s
rather long, I began mv jimi'ucy h i u jham pan, and on ly g o t on
iny hi»rse six miles from N alm n .
Tho hist four 1>. ivkIs w ith our ho.st th e Rajah, and h is son.
and sinlar.'i m et u s nriir th e tow iu Ncdiun loi)ke<l very wl4i
th e distance, and nioii* lik u ^ ica m p than a town, on th e top of a
sm all hill cnvered w ith w ooo^ «W In ’n wo re.achetl th e place w’o
found a g u a id of honour o f elephants w ith tlieir'itowdahs oir,»au'l
there wero .corae baby ones stan d in g under their m others; people
threw flower* a t fts, aiul soldiers linoil th e w ay up to th e R ajah’.s
palace, wharo we stay. J(. Is .a really good house, w ith a central
room URctl. as a durbarhnll, Jind com fortable apartm ents all round.
T u cT iew s of h ills and plains from th e house are lovely. A s wo
i'itiii’.-ido.y,
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TJIE KVJAHS KNTliin'AlX.’lUCNT AT N'AIII X
• 117
«
A m onf^ t tbfi uiusical instrum pnts wi‘TP som e beautiful brass
•
trum pets, t|uit-e five fe e t long. W e are tryin g to g et som e of'thoin
for ClHndeboje.
W hen these perform ances w ere over, w e saw tiie liJijaJr.s Ing
elephant, which
said to l>e th e largest in India. W o h a d tea
in the jmlaco apd waiteal there till it g o t a little dark, and fhitil
a ll the illum inatiQiis in th e tow n were ready. A s wo lodkt’tl out
from th e -windows th e view w as lovely. 5\n am phitheatre of
hiHg on one side, the mysteriniw Icoking plaiijo in t.lfehazyg*>hk ii
light of the sunset on th e other, the w liite fiat-roofed town below,
■\Vith lines of lig h t gradually appearing everyw h er^ to murk its
outline, all the inhabitan ts liusily a t w’ovk w ith tlie.ir deoorations,
nd then, j>as.sing t^reugh th e narrow streets, an elephant w ith a
silver howdah. in wliioh sa t—our*maid.'< •
W e a(X>n descended ourselves,“and in^procession rode thn-ugli
th e bazaivi's,
house bein g ligh ted up» with innum erable littlo
o il In.mp.s, till we caino to a great tank, whert^we disuiounb d und
sa t on chairs to see fireworks.
•
They were all niado af Nuhun, and some o f them
very
good and <‘urions. A ll sorts o f .spit-fii-o devices, win'elsuhd rings,
und lions and tigei*s, und fort illcations w hich suddenly grew before ,
<uw eyes in lines of lig lit nnd se n t off a regular cannonade fi-om
their wal^s. •T heir reflections in th e M-ater doubled th eir beauty. •
liu t th e fu ll luo o n rose, and our siglit-scein g came t<» an end.
W e -H-ent home, eritertaiiie«l (.he five Euroj>ean inhar>iUnts of the
place, at dinner, and tlicn on .a plntform in th e open air we saw a
nautcli. P lain women, w ith harsh voices, sang loudly,-while "they
g en tly move<l backward^ and forwards on th e space alhiTtwl U»
f iih^oChea’ecl pan a t intervals and ntade faces, nnd no one
could tell wlint they wen* sin gin g a b o u t: and .v> v.hrn w e had
had enough w e said so, and tin- entoitii^hment ended.
•SVodu../, liyfh. Wo Iiad a quiet nmrning, bjit liad to .gfarj-- oil'
jtgain in the afb-rnoon. T liis tim e w e drove most* o f th e w av,
and BO ari'iverl at ou rn ew camp at M «jiu w itli very litiic fatigue.
The ri)ad lay througli th e real jungle, w itli long gm ss and b u s h e s ^ ^ *
botw een us and the htlls, where you nnght wh-cgiue .any nuinJw^T
o f tig(^rs tti be crouching - The camp is such a }>retty one.' I),
and 1 'o y in a cottage, aud o ^ u a stretch o f gvo.ss on either Hule
is a long Htreet of ten ts. A very big tree gro\vs«iii th e 7ni<hlie of
th is street, and looks very shady and pictu i’e.sque. Lfiid'W illiam
arrived hero foi'»<litmer, which was an unexpected jileasure ; 5m
is so choery^ and looks ten ycairs younger than w hen he w ent to
E p g la n d .,
« .
t\fom luy, 20^//.- W o have hml a long day out in tlm jungly,
ISSJ
118
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o n i riCKREn.W.
I J I T .
J X
I X D I A
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V
h u t I can on ly tell you abcnit our profuirations for tigor shooting,
for altK 1 \ve saw no tiger after all. ami so 1 have no great ev en t
to chronicle. T)irectly after In'eakfast w e dispersed ourKolves
over th e backs of thirteen elcpliant.s and se t oft in a lo iig procossioii th fl^ g h the tail grass o f th e ju n gle, up and dow n banks and
tlirojogdi woods:,- not w itlum t oecasional small alllrms. on Jny part,
le s t w o should slip oft'ljehiml <>r befuie w lien th e inonstHr anim al
pcrforintd gymr)HStio*£r;Lts, or lest w e should he swcpt-Dff h is back
by som o gi-eot branch nf a. tree, W e a r m e d sjtfslj a t our des­
tin ation , und, dssecndinir from our elephanU , prfxeedcd* to plaoo
oursylvcs a t eu r jx>sts. W hen iJ.’s and m ine were pchntbd ouC
to Uh, w e looke»l up in th e air and fjiw tw o bedste.-iUs tied very
h igh up in a tree, on which w e were to sit ia j^ifcty. W ith great^
difficuJly f olijubed in to mint', atul tlieu His; h-\cejlency g o t in to
his, and ^wo jenmdars ^.nd t w policem en perched on various
branches of tb.e sam e tree, and the girls had a bod in another
tree, and some of tjio prudexit people clim bed more trees, w ldle
otiiers rmnaiood
Tlien a snlemii dllcnco fell on
?d ou ihc grouixl.
gn
all th e Immnn beings in th e Jnnglc, th e only noises to be hoard
being th e occasional passage of a ^•allure, or th e ju m p in g of a
m onkey in our noighl)*>m’ho<»d. So wo sat for n early tw o hours,
u n til a t la s t in the distance came tln^ fain t sound o f th e lM?ateys
, approaehftig, w hich sounds grew and ,grew u n til the^r shouts and
bugles and drums were quite close to us, an d I lookotl S n xiou sly
a ll round uur»tree to ko»* ii an yth in g w as iipproaching. K o not
one doer or biitl, and inuch losa a tiger !
I t w as ^11 over, and wo descendwl from our tree ; .m d finding
Unit it wtis thri-i’ o'clock, wo naturally became extrem ely hungry
jLud thought only of Iwnch. T h is we had on th e grqjind in t^u<^
j'icnic fashion, and then w e m ounted our elcphnnta again ,,still
hoping to m ake som ething of a hag as we man;hcd Ihi’dugh th e
gross.' A few peacocks rose, b u t far frojii us, and n o ono got
an yth in g. I t was ail so now to us th a t w e enjoyed it much, mul
MO are Ihe^only memlh-'rs o f our p iv ty who are m>t grum bling nt
th e misnmnagcjneTit of the bent, oj' th e folly of ih e tiger iji keepaw ay fj’om us. ‘.It v.-as quite dark w hen .wc g o t luniK*, having
l)een*ont .about eigh t hours.
^
y'jw'ifrffTy, 27f/i. — The Knjah se*<J^ood-byeto u s a t t«n gffiock,
and v e g o t into pur tongosau d le ft h is dominiong. H e is Ti very
n ice m an, and Inus entertained us rig h t royally,
luul a drive
of* th irty m iles to do, and the road w as .som«w)i;i.t’ ruugli and
d u sty ; hut tlie country, as w e left the h ills and fiinio to gm ssy
plains, big treea, and running rivers, delighiccl,
ft looked so
rich, and w as sucli a cortiplete change from f2 iuihv.
. *
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1855
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SJR ir. MAOPTrERSO>"'H TEA-GARDEN
•
119
I t really is mnch n icer to look up a t moderatc-Kized h ilk , and
to be able to m ove about on u level •worldj than to be perched on
a IukIi peak and to look doti'ti upon range after rcnge o f gigan tic
mountjiins. A river too is a refreshing sigh t, and th e Ju n m a is
n very m pid one. W e crossed i t on a pontoon bridge, wfiich had
b(*en b u ilt expr^-ssly for tiie V iceroy. W e lunched half-w aj^nud
then drove on to D eh ra I>un, th e country g ettin g prettier a t
every step. • J.t is a sort of tableland betw ech th e tw o last ranges
o f.tlic H im alayas, and it s clim ate is quite pleasant-*to livr* in a ll
the year round. In sig h t o f it is Mus&vjorie, another hill station ,
w hich appeai’-s to bo a t a much mon- reasouablo distim ce fr<'ni th e
world in general than S jm l.\is.
Our horses aac^U io body-guard spend th e sum mer a t D ebra
D un, St), in sjiite of th e lon g drivft w e had ju s t hj«l, we started off
d irectly wo arrived to see th e table.s a n j th e barr<i:ks.. W e are
sta y in g in th e very p retty bung<alow o f th e officer in charge of
th e b o d y -g u in l, C aptain Onslow.
,
— W e left Dehr.a a t n in e in i-he luom ing,
h aving a drive o f forty-tivc m iles l.eforc u«. A little ^rHy from
the village w e stopped to see atea-gaixleii. I t belonged to Sir H . .
Macnhci-'von, and is on a sm all scale, th e m aking all lieiu g done
by, hand, and n ot b y m achinery as i t is in larger establishm ents.
F irst -wti sa^- the crop g ro w in g --lo w , thick, comjKicf, glossy- •
Iea\ed bushes ; th en w e .<aw th e .y o u n g .shoots which hud been
p ick «l, dried in th e sun, and rubbed, and heated. And m ade up
in their diiinp sta te in to dirty-Iookiiig balls w hich are allowed ti)
ferm ent, and th en more dr^nng and siftin g is* gone through, and
tlie tea is ready for use. Gn-en tch. is n o t ff'rniented
is tho ojdv tljffereiicji h e t o ' ^ a . i t arid b'uiejK. T he most delicate
ljudding leaf, th e .second best from th e leaf
ju.st unfn!de<l, and*so on rill it ia too cojwTie to be used.
W e g o t through our long drive %-ery woll, and reached Babaranpnre soou afU-i U-a. A change of dress w as refreshing, and tlien
liin-'h ; afterwarrls 0 . weut.ov<-r th e rem ount stables, ijnd I w en t
on to the Dotaiiicnl G an len s, wliero he join ed me. \V e had tea
there, and exnm ined,vnrious tn^c.s and creepgrs, «.Vc. I m entionr^^
the creepers particularly, for th ey aro such overpowering plhnts.
T hey’v r a p theuiselyes rouncTj>JHg tree and sm other and conceal
it altogether, so fh.i)- one has to look high up in th e air to try and
Ihid w h at the original p lan t was.
J am w rifiy g this on my return from th is exp ed ition ; and a.s'I
m ust b e g in s new letter a t Delhi, T w ill te ll you w hat w e are
going to do till jvt; g e t there. W e are spending this afternoon in
tJie CoinmiKsiuner's (Mr. lln rriiig to n k ) hcftiso. W exisked him not
120
•
o l 'I i V lC E U E (r.\L L IF E
IN IN’D IA
n :. v
to h:\v#» any
to m eet us, so w e dine, and lunch w ith liim and
h is w ife, and go t)ff to our own train in tha evening. W e arc to re*
main q u iet till four in tbi' luoniing, w hen th e train w iil lx;piu to
move, and w e shall find ourselves a t D elhi p retty early, there to
begin alffou' series of experiences.
I«ou"ht to say that the H arringtons have a' very nice house
in a diai-m iiig district, broarl level roads, fine ^reos. running
w ater, all th a t w e m ost a(lnurl^, fresh from th e k ills a s we
lire.
•
Thv.i\Mlay, 29^/'.— E ven to think o f w riting a b o u tD eih i alarm s
me, and 1 £«;;«* T shall find it very di(fic\ilt to give you much idea
o f th e sights ; 1 m ust be content w itli attem p tin g to record iny
ow n im pressions, and T will not be historioa^ nor en ter into too^
m any particulars in gaide-book*fa.shion. W e . gtit here early in
th e luorning, were met by all lli£ celebrities of th e plactr a t th e
station, and were conveyed in carriages drawn by artillery liorses
to the Coininissioncr^s house, ‘ Jyudlow Ca-stle.’ Tf y o n read up tJie
M utiny, you jvill .see that evon our present liome is historically
interesting.
I t is n good, comfortable Indian house, w ith large and rathejdark rooiu.s, and a jiark round it, where are sm all brickwork
models o f th e places wlioro batteries stood and did iinportapt
, work in th a t terrible year 1S”>7. T lie weather is h ^ ely , and wc
breakfasted under a Sharoiatia, arid then th e V iceroy s5.\v nativt'
gentlem en, and w r were left free t i l l hmclieon.
In the afternuou we began our real sight-seeing, going first of
all tr. t!i^ IVrt. Ttii w alls and gates are red >and.stoijc : th ey are
very high, w itli a sort of .jrnaineutal b.attlcinent along th e toj) of
th e wall, and th e gatew ays are vt;ry m assive, anri, alrao.U like
ciistlijs, w ith towcr.s au'l dom es ; a <li‘ep m oat runs round the
w alls ; the gates themseWcs are Ijrass, and ai'o*Cf)vcred w ith large
s]iike.s to prevent olejdiauts from b atterin g them in. The Pri\ :ile
Jlafl of Audtfncp* w ith it.s adjacent baths, is w itld n th e Fort, and
is th e m osj lovely tiling in the w ay of decoration th a t you can .see.
I t
is idl w hite marlde ; th e heavy roof is supported by JInt
"%'olumns, w hich are, com pletely coveroil w<th carving and gold
en a iftel; thi-s gohl orninuentatiou give-s a cream y look to th e w iiito
marble, whii-h is lieautiful. i t is^ifflfttc oj»en’ou three sides, th .‘
place, where thti celebrated Ihiacock Throne stood b ein g on th e
fourth. ' T he liaths, w hich arc in sejiaratc buildings on either
shle, are in quite a dilfercnt stv le and are eqiiaily, lovely. The
walls, oeiling.s, and llonns are'all m osaic : a w h ite marble ground,
w ith colour(‘il flowers, ;in«l beautiful geoin etric{tl,p ittcn is load in
cornelian and other stbnes— saidly desltx*yetl iu som e phwos *by
m r,
TH E I ’KAYF.H
IKH'R IN* TH E JTM M A .MASJTD
• 121
the desecrating hands of p<!oplu w ho lik e to carry aw ay relic?, b u t
ill som e rooms still |>ei-feet.
'Uie M otee, or P earl Mo?que, ia d o so by, and is a little gem iu
pure w hite marble.
The P u b lic H all of A u d ien ce is a larger building on t*fft same
principle- a back w all, and an an-het! roof supported b y pill*iv. :
i t is all red san3stc»ue, and littio of th e ancient deeonitioH is left.
There is only th e G reat M ogul's S ea t o f J u stice, which ho entered
fi’oju th e back, and w hich is w h ite marble w ith a mosaic pattern
on it, amf*on th e w all behind it birds and fn iits done in brilliant
colours, also in m o»iic. T liis lovely jdace is now used «.s a canteen,
and n oxt to the.se w oudcrful yvorks of aueient days is jwstod up a
^ liftn r c advertisom e^tJ D. wont on to v isit tlio Soldiers’ H ospitiil,
anfl afterward? join ed ino in tlw? officers’ me.ss-rooms, where wu
hatl tea. W o kiunv th e (Colonel iu Canada, w hen ho w as A .D .C .
to h is father, S ir O ’Grady H aly.
W e exam ined one of th e g rea t gates nexl^ and then went, on
to the Juiinna Masjid. I t is » m agnificent m osq p e; size and
dignity, calm and repose being its clm racteristics. A bi-ond flight
of stops leads up to it, th e len gth o f thu low est one b ein g 419 feet.
I t is built in a great squan*, w ith four towcr.s a t th e angles, and
w ijli open arched colon iia d ^ betw een th e tow ers and tho three
gatew ays. P,^$«ing through (he principal one, y<>u iiu<l‘ yourself
iu a jKivwl court facin g th e inner mosque, which staud.s out
grandly again st th e .sky ; a t th e prayer hour you hear th e call to
the people Lo conic up, you see th e picturesque crowd tr p t ^ in ,
}>erform ih eir ablutions in th e centr-il fouiiUun, and k iieei revcrentW Jnja h ^ t-oiu «e iiiie before th e steps of th e mosque, w h ilo
tlic m onotonous voice ofl th e priost is heard reciting the prayer.
'I'heu you w atch tho various m ovem ents th e wurshi)>pers m ake,
and the attitud*-; of low ly supplioatiou w liich tliey assum e.
\.
alw ays do thin k (hat a numlWr of M aliomotaus sayin g th eir
pray(?rs together is th e m ost devotional sig h t one caj* im agine ; I
don ’t know any service th a t can compare w ith it as an ^t'xpression
of religiou-s fervour.
■\Vnipping ourseKiss in cloaks., for it becoiirtis cold d irectly th
sun goes down, w e w ent home and had a very little rest before
dinner, after w hich Nve set d ll'fo r th e M unicipal l-fall to recoive
an mldress. W e are neaeiy , wo m iles from tfig tow n, uiul th e
w hole liiRtanco and th e w hole place were illm ninated *in fliat
• jieculinrly Ihdhno'ft'ay which i.*^ so efl’e ctive. On either sid e t>f
thu roud evgry w all, id p lllir, and stiiiroase, th e liu(! old, gates,
thu inixlern hougoii ai. l th e new ly p u t up arches were all o u tliiieil
w i\h fire, w hilo colour.’ ' lamps huug froili tlio troe.s, and w icker-
122 *
OUH VICKHEGAL LIFE TN INDIA
rn. v
•
w ork fram es of fliffijrent shapos w ere co\ere4i w ith tin y oil lam ps.
Can you im agine a whole city traced, ou t in liuu.-* o f lig h t 1 I t
was beautiful. A t th e iEumcipal H a ll an adclre.>sS iu a lo v ely
box w as pi-es(mtofl an<l I'eplied to ; we spoke to m any people, and
I p u t iirji worri for my Schem e to som e gejitlenien of th e m unici­
p ality ; th en w e wi,-nt out on a balcony and looked a t fireworkr.,
anti tboB home to b<-?d.
SOM." -W e fomul th a t th e Fretich G overttorof P on d ic h e n y w as st/iying hero, .so he and hi.s w ife and tw o ‘ s u ite ’ caino
to breakfast. H e w as very iiitenistingH nd .anius^'g, toilin g u s of
h is political!* (li9iculti''S, and how Jtcpublican Franco ha-H given
universal sufFruge to th e n atives ip Puudicherry to e le c t one
T ren ch Diiputy, who consequently (l>eiiig
voice of th e wholo.pco]>le) is able to defy th e uJero majority in th e Pondicherry
r’iirlia.iiie/it i»f Ihirty u^ombei“s» wlio represent threo classes o f
pei-sons livin g in P ondicherry- n a m ely . Frenchm en, n a tiv e French
citizen!^, and ynire n.ativ(is, w ho uf course never all agree alxiu t
anytliiiig. \V e
and talked for a lon g tim e, and I then w ent
to opeiK i new Hosj)ital for W om en which is in m issionarv hands ;
it is doi«g good w'ork here. f)n m y w a y lionie f looked in ut tlie
t^UGen’s Gardens, where tiiere is a m enagerie. I t contains tw o
very fierc<! tigers, an d .some m onkeys, bears, an d birds.
,
III thb aftenjoori w e drove off in our large brej^k to see soruo
tomlxs. Tiie old fort w hich wa jjassed nu th e w ay k a n u ig iiific o n t
ruin, and indt'e<l for th e whole live m iles w e w en t th ere w a s a
succession of old w alls and tt'wers and tom bs and little mosques,
w ith rem nants of their old ornam cntatiou loft, eunugh to m ake
one thijdi how splendid it m ust a ll have bet;u in ancient days.
W e first, w en t into th») fomb of llu m a y u n . w liicli was b u ilt
for him by hi.s w ife. It is a largo buihliug full of room.s, in each
o f which som e nmrble gr*ve.s are to be found, and all tlio w indow s
arc perforated stone, e.-ich ouo a different pattern and carved so'
os fb*Hdmit p len ty of light. The n e x t phn'A wo w ent to appeah d
to m \ feoljngs more than thi.s rather lu.issive n u 'n u m en t; it wa^
th e tom b of X kain-ud-din , a .saint_of old. Kore you come in to
•solitary eourfs, wwji trunks an<l nrfinches. of trees i>rofrudiug
tlirotigh d ie walLs in to their sacrwl precincts, am i all th e graves
surrounded by carvefl w h ite m arble'perfonitcd w alls and cars’ed
w hiU i m arble doprs. whl<-h are quite beuutiful.
Tn "tuic 0 1 these lies a Beginn, who le ft ordei's th a t * Qvor this
poo!-child of clay o n ly .G o d ’.s grass should gr*w ,’ ijcf surrounded
by these poctie-looking w alls is her tomb, w ith grass g r o w in g on
i t as she w ishw l. The.se enclosures are niystc^oji.? And loi'ely—
the worknifuiship so delicate, th e m aterial so prcciims, and flio
1885
S1G11T-SEK1N'<V AT DKLTII; TIIK K IT U B
• 1*23
"■fr.**’*®] eCfe<!t ho *lroamy and alniost unreal, th a t you fe<;l us if
you m ust bo peeping in to another worhl.
Through these courts w e passed to the tjflge ot a largo liiu k o f
vorv nasty-loi>kuig wati.-i’, »md liere w e Siuv a m ost curious sight.
A ll round ilio Uuik w ere ^\aIIsof various heights, and jlSisques,
and cuiKjlas, and numbers of men and buyc. cinlibing to tho suimnii,
of {*ach, ami th en jum ping Htraight in to th e watei' b elo w / •Soino
of theu» d i\ Oil lifty feet, juid w e could see their action T>ert\K;Uy.
T hey sta rt w ith th<‘ir a n u s and. legs stretched o u t lik e w ings, and
as th ey apjirnacli the w ater th ey stilfen them selves and go down
fe e t forem ost straigh t as an arrow. The suu was se ttin g a s , wo
returned, and the great mosqpo I described lo y o u ycstertU y, w ith
its d««nes an d miiiar^jt*, and arched walla ainl m assive gatew ay,
looked so g n m d and calm again st tho gokk-u sky. I t is a buihli)ig th at grow s upon one and impra8Se.s or^e more and mpro each
tim e ono sees it. In the; o.vening Hi-s ExccU ency hold a h-vt’o.
S a fvrd a i/j— W e have had a long ^day’s .sight-seeing,
h avin g d iiv e ii ou t to tho Jvutub in th e uioiaingandqplyrH tiinieiJ
in th e evening. I think i t is one o f tlio wonderful buildings o f
th e world— a fragm ent on ly of w liat it w’a-s intem led to be, but a
fivagment of gigantic size and great, beauty 1 Tl\e p retiiest story
as \o its original uso is th a t it w as b u ilt by th e king to enable hia
daughter to s<^ th e river Ju m n a from it.s su m m it; it i.s diic great ,
m iiuiifjt or*ti>wcr f)f enormous h eig h t and beautiful proportions.
I t i.s b u ilt of a sort of i*cd and yellow sandstone,
«leeply cut
enrviuga round th e base and th e top «if each storey. The tower
anil jnost m assive part h iii a ltv n ia te round .aud angular blocks_i ,
in tU esecom ) .-torey llie £.»nns are nil rotind. a35d'»«*t»
in angxdurjgiuiflfu .-31bo»s are 3 f 5 Btej)S uj» to th e top, and there'WiiTiT wo found jiioro fm iguing, 375 down again. Thelnnld*
ing looks p erieotly fresh th e colour of i t is beautiful, an d tiiere
is n ot ft st;iin or a chip or a lUHik o f age anyw here - y e t i t is more
tli.iii oOO years old. A second m inaret of eqilal size h.ad been
l>exun, and I snpjmse them woukl have been interm ediate buihlings, mos(jue fashion ; but the K u tu b itself now stands in it s ow n
solitiiry magniticcnoe, yhe ruin.? around it beloyging to a different
ejwch. They aro very lovely too, som e arches of beautiful shapes,
can'w l pillaits, Ac. j 6no would lik e tohpend several days p otterin g
about among.st tiieni. fn the centre of one court j s an in m |iiHar
‘ which rests on th o back of th e dragon w hich supports tiie^vovfd,’
and b y claspfng y o«r arm^- backwards lou n d th is pillar you can
obtain a wish.
W o hail hinch .jn a tomb, and. then w en t to seo another of
ihosc.iuy-NteVious shrines, w ith .small courts', and jKirfoiMted m arble
:
1'21 •
OL'R V IC K iJE aA l. L IFE
cii. v
JNK IA
%
w alls, and b ig trees, and in one place a m ass of lovely t i l e s ; and
on to another tank, w here m en juinjjcd a liuntlrfHl feet in to th e
w ater 1>elow. A ino.st curious sig h t it is i Wi; tijiied them , and
from th e tim e they sprang th ey wore about tw o s<«;onds in ih e a ir
Ix'foro fflij splash came. Due is quite relieved w hen each ono
icajspcars.
On our return journey we had tea at another ttmib, and in
th e evening the printiptvl officials Inn-e dined w itli us. Mr. M e
N ahb, th<! CtMiimis.sionoi*, in w hoso house w e arc, fell ill th e day
a fter our ariival. D ellii seems to he very u nhealthy, tfntl people
are j'ontinutrily knocked up w ith attacks of fever. W e are allow ed
to drink no wator. and have to tak e.q u in iae every day.
S im d a y , November
— W e w ent to diiirch in th e m orning and in th e afternoon w e drnv5 over tho 3 lu tin y ground, seeing
tim rhlgo, the gat<!S, an^l various iHittcries. The batteretl w alls
and gates, and the scars k*ft by th e hurtling storm o f iron shot,
reniain as th ey w (^ : when our troops maroheil i i l - a stan d in g
mem orial of,aIl our people difl and sufTei-ed th a t dreadful year.
C olonel'E w art, w ho w en t through th e siege, w as w ith us.
Momdny, 2 vd . - P . laid th e founclation stono of th e new
O eneral ilosju tal here, which is to he called after him . A fem ale
w ing i.s to be added to th e original de.sign.
,
\V e leave D elhi to -n ig h i, and m ean to d rivo ai^jl ride about a
little this nftt'rnoon ; but, as we are not likely to see or do a n y ­
th in g very interesting, f w ill .send th is off now.
T lie sun is e.xtreniely i)owerful in tlio day, b u t th e w ejiiher is
n o t too hot. I t is g e n w a lly about 75° in niy sltting-iTmni.
T m edoy, .3/v/.- I w rite to you from a n ative palace, w hero
everyth ing is very p rrtty and curiou.s— th a t of thcJtTahai-ajah of
U lw ar.
W e left D elh i a t night, having spent tlie hi-,t hour thei-e in
w itnessing th e perfonnauce of a n a tiv e conjurer. T he t i u'k th a t
amused us m ost w as the folh)\ving : l i e a-sk(*d fur some brandv,
and wht'n
b ottle was brought he eniptie<l it in to a veswe! of
h is ow n ; he also Idled a sm all gla.'j.s w ith it. ainl in to th a t ho }iut
u few grain.s of dittprcnt cnloun'd powdoj's .and drank it o f f ! A
litth* w hile later he spat out th e j)Owders d ry , and llm largo
quantity of bram ly w as taken Iwhind th e st’onos and carried oti’.
Jt^\wis ft nio.st transparent device for obtftiniiy; liquor. J fe hftd
som e Imrriblo snnkes, and it was rather curiou.s to sec a m ongoose
k ill one ; th e octivitiy of th e little aninval, and th e V a v in w hich
it seizerl th(; snake b y tho head, mitl turned and rollofl itse lf over,
and w riggled ou t of the coils in w hich the snajc^ triHd^ to envelope
it w ith its ta il, were citraordiim rv.
.
1885
AX
AHAHUN-NIGIITS” SCENE
• 125
A t eleven o'clock w e w en t* to th e railw ay station, and as tljo
narrow
is used in Rajpootana w e did not have our ow n
cjirnagisri, and are now tiu velU n g in very coinfnrtiihle h u t nnich
.smaller cues.
In the in o m in g w e stoppeti a t eig h t o’clock to
dress, and arrived hei't: a t nine. Tlie Maliarajah, w ith a ftirriagc
and four, cavalry, ftifantry, an y number of b:in(U, i c . , m et u s^ n d
drove US to tho'paIat«j. T he grounds are beautifully kept, and
the house is , thoroughly Indian.
The entnwice-hall is a sittin g roujn, open on one side, w ith pillars supjwrting the j*oof, and th e
lon g nnrrow d in in g room on A o other is raised a few feet higher
unci is divided o ffb y a low m arble balustrade. There are gorgeous
chandeliers, and various w orks of art in llie w »y,of pictures hun^^
high up on tho conih^).
I n front o f the palace is a piece o f
w ater, end there ai-e hills and woo»ls round it.
ii ly apartm ents are upstairs, oj^ rather up a hill, for tUer(4 am
no stairs, only a sloping corridor, up whicli th e R ajah can rid e to
his room. 1 have a lon g narrow dniwing-room , w ith jiillais aiiu
arches opening on to a passage and in to an uncovered court,
where one can sit m ost com fortably. T he drawing-room com bines
all ih e colours of ulie rainbow in its decoration ; orange curtains
w ith blue fringes in th e arches, red curtains in th e wiinlows, and
yellow , blue, wdnmn. an«l green, Ac., Ac., in mas.ses on th e w alls ; ^ *
blue glass clci^didiers and coloured candle-shades and glass balls ^
in thecorA.-ra o f the i-ooni : i t all Io4»ks Eiistern and u n con ieu tio n a l; and I am gliul i t is not furnished in sago*grccns and
fadwl blues like an E nglish villa.
.
;
The Maharajah is a young man, is one of unv ehiof 'sisflisa l*
if;s, .sjK*aks Engh.sh w ell, w ears n ative dres.s, and is a very
piejusnnt Inxst., (Jolonel Vencock ia th e R e s id e n t; ho has a nice,
w ife and (wo dauglitei-s. S ir Edward Bradford, who holds a still
higher pi ;‘ in UajjHiotana, is also here. ,
Tho afternoon wo.s sjient in seeing th e ^faharajah’s Ijor.ses.
U e breeds them all him self, and has aliout 3,(300 <yi his estate
and al)n»it 500 hero. T lie l>e.st ones w ere all marched past th e
d oor; som e o f them ch) tr ic k s- jum ping, w alk in g on ftioif hind
legs, Ac. Then w o drove to a new fernery, saw som e tiTribly
tierce tigers in cages, and on to th e stables a n J y a r d s/w i' o f I«ose
horses. A hurdle Mas p u t up in a gatew ay, and troops of hor.ses
jumped over it to th eir food o n th e other s id e .. I t was a y e r y
j:retty sight.
•
T he evcnfjjg w »s m ore Arabian-JS’ights-Jikc th an ever. W s
dined a t Uiq city palace, w hich has a fort-llko entrance, high
wall*, gatew£tys, ^and enclosed courts.
T ho trees all th e w ay
along,w ere h u n g M'ith coloured hinterns, »and w hen we reached
12G .
O im
VIOEKECrAL L IF E IN IN D IA
c h
. r
th e tow n th e shops M'ore sim ilarly decorated.
Liine-litrhts were
burnt on th e nrchoi, and a."; n I'tiokgrouim to th e view tboi'c hhone
w ith niyri.ads of ligh ts a groat p^mked iiill, w ith a fort on its
sum m it boom ing forth th e Viceroy's salute. I n th e court, where
T.o ah/Jhted, we found a gUiard of honour and th e AJ.ihnrajafj's
elti^hant carriage for us to see. Im ngitie a* b(‘au tifu l pondolaliko rf^arriago, tw o storeys high, dr.-ivn by four elophauts, all
covere<l u i gorgeous^vdd-embvoiderevl cloths. '.>n cei'Viin twcjisions
the -Malmrajph drives through tho tow n in this, and POiuetiniPB h e
vidcH one o f the trained horses, anil'goes dow n h is sti*eets perfnnni i i i a pa>t-d4~hab-<iun step on horseback, tr. th e great adiiiiratiou o f ,
n il his su b jects.. This is a digre.ssimi, however, .and I m ust go on
w ith our ow n experiences.
H a v in g pruswaj thi-ough a pa.sw»ge,
•w e found ourselves in another'uourt hihI another ^coue o f beauty. '
T h e Vvhjte w a lk of th§j>alacorf?nclosed tliis court, th e furtlior e>id
o f whioli w as raised and had m arble .steps up to it arid kiosks
breuldng the ohtline. In th e lower p»art of th e court w ere the
M aharajah’.^roops, their red coata agninst th e w h itew a lls hfoking
splendid.
T hey worn ranged so as to leave a pathw ay, along
w hicli w o w alked. A ll tho lin es o f th e building w ere illum inated,
an d th e whole scene w as som ething too bright .atid lovely.
A s w o m ounted tho steps w e saw beft*re us n su ite of n jo in s'.
open to 'th e court, glitterin g w ith gold and lig h t.. One of these
w as tho durbar hall, and H is R.vcelloncy w ent am i t ^ k his seat
on tho throne there, w hile w e were adm itted to a room a t th e
back of th o chairs o f state, raist'd above them , hut w ith open
arches inti> th e great hall. I t w.is a mo.st curious place, th e
w hole decom tioii being painted and cnaTuclled glas.s, very gorgeous
and rather pretty.
^
Tho clim ax o f our adm im tion wa.*^, however, on ly reached
V. hen WQ looked o u t of .the w indow s of th is room on Dv th e m ost
lovely b it of illuniiim tioa I ha\-o ever seen,
im iu ed ia tely l)e]f)w
ii.« was a gijpftt tan k w ith marble walls anti w ith k im k s ju ttin g
o u t in to the w.ater on every side, and tho w hole wny round th is
wjw a pii^tsado of ligh t I TJie effect was prmluced b y a diaraondshai«al lattice-v,o«^k jKvling, in N\liich at-p very diam uiul p oin t a
lit^ e oil lamp burned. T his w all o f soft-coloured lig h t reflected
in the w ater wa.s too b e a u tifu l; and straigh t up iHjhihd it rose
the,illum inato(J liill.
F io in pof?try to prose, and from th e d eligh t o f th o ey e to an
w d in a r y dinner I The Maharajah took m e i» anti
for a little
■ivhile jtTst behind me \ he th en w ont aw ay for hi^ own dinner,
iind oidy oame hack in tim e to projjoso th e QjnipnV licalth. •
T h e girls and I afterw ards visited th e zenana, and theaiYf^*
1833
T iiu o ra n
the
ji-x o lk
a i-te r tig e r s
•
127
•
•
ce«<Ie(l to tlie t^p nf th e liouse to !5oe ilir- firework'*. Th« ligh ts
were out on tlte iii'I in'*v, h u t th e Fort w as Imrning liims-lights,
a»i'i tho firewcjrks w en t off close to th e tan k s uml were very
succe.-i^fui.
_
W>tdiuiidai/, 4lh.— W o h a v e h a d such a lo n g clay- siinl th e
w orst pivi't of a _iovfmal is th a t, w hen there is m uch to wiy. t ^ r o
is nci tim e to 'w r ite , and I liave tu s e n d you such hasty mid
iniperfeot £u.‘Ootints of everything.
T his Was to lio a tigorshQO ting d a y , hu t a g a in w e dj-ew an absolute blanli.
H ow ever,
wo were F cad y to sta rt early, m id we d ru v o e i g h t iui!e;J U» th e
Silisehr lake — a n artificial one— which supplic’s IJlwa? w itli wafer.
It is about fotir inilfi.s huig,, a m ost esilui an d pencefu) sheet of
w ater nearly siirrov^udeil hv hills, and w ith a picturesque little
castle on it'* banks, w here w e bronkfasted. Thru w e started off
on olcpliant^fi—such a num ber c*f thtny, ‘ h a c k s’ and shikari
(huntin g) elophants - a gre«it procession.
W e rixle to coverp n
patls
of fiat bedstead, on which you si^^as in an Irish oar),
and whtiii w o g o t to tho beat, w e m ounted other anim als, and g»»t
in to liowdalis.
Thus w e marched slow ly thi‘ou;^h th e jungle
nbreast, at fij-st w ith aonifi oxcitem eut, momeJitarily (?xp<cting h>
hear the tiger’s roar ; but, a.s our hojiea deorca*ed, w e sim ply
looked about, a t the ta ll grass, w hich alm ost hid some of tho
elephaiit.s, atyl at tlus little svoody places where |>erhHps tho
ivuinial ml};ht btn hiding, u jitil finally w e gave it up. A nd then
we foutid that it was four o’clock, anil that wc had had n o lunch,
an d th at, Tuoreovi*r, th e lunch w as m issing ■ fck; we tuimwl Imok,
ntid in aliout h alf an hour w e m et th e iMiran)is.sar^'^tegifesssfe'''
I t ^Ya.1 too late to sit clqwn properly, unpack th e boxes, Arc., so a
^T -Sasm f-w giaso wjis enacted. W « all, sittin g on our elo 2 )hants,
collected round th e food, and about six men divoil in to th e boxes
and g o t ou t w hat they could : b its o f turkey were handed in th e
fingers from hovidah to how dah, a 2 >ie sli 2 q)etl dow n botflfecn
tw o elephants and was rescued vdth difficulty, soila-jY’ater bottles
fell to the ground and were p olitely handed up by aji^elcpli.ant’.s
trunk, kiavos weit) sen t us ‘ catches,’ j>eoplH drank ou t of bottles,
Aud flung th eir niannprs to th e winds, and cvci^ybody k ep t lurchiug
and heaving about (for an olephunt never stands still fnV a u
instant), and w e all* fe lt as if wo were in a rollin'; se.a. I t w-»is
very am using. W e p iw c e d e d on our w ay hom e„and when it jvaa
quite dark wo reached tho lak e am i found a stonin-launchV aiting
t o fctko no
* t Was v n w illin g to lea v e th e elephant, in whobi
I had aw iuv’ed confidence, for a stojun-lauuch, about which I fe lt
dojrl>tful, b u t the Vicei'oy commanded and 1 obeyed. I objected
.still, m o re'w h en I found u captain wdib ia th e heail of som e
1‘28
•
o r il
V IC K R E O A L
L IF K
i-N *
IN D fA
ch. y
iadu.strial scliool, who lalktnl nf
sJiip as ‘ it,’ w ho asked t}j(;
stoker U-> ‘
to p u t on Ron\e more coal,’ atvd whwsc languago
wiw entirely unufiuticji).
W hile oppresHcd w ith th ese fears, I
suddenly g o t a trenu'ndous blow on th e Imek, found my.self anti
1). kntffktrtl ftirwaitl, a gro<vt flap atul a flounce, and a gigantic
tinlijuinpm g about a t our f e e t ! W e seized th e first tilin g which
oau iejian dy, raid ttia;. happenetl to be a brantl-nftw K ew nnirkct
roat w liich Lortl W illiam had ju st brought from Ijjngland, and
w hich he hajjl lent to H elen , and in th is aristocratic gam icnl^tho
lish w as sm othered.
W e went out for a tiger, b u t w e only
bropgbt ho:uie a lish ! The owner uf th e coat stron gly objeets to
th e sm ell lo ft in it.
W e drove home, did n o t h a v e dinner till
)iino o ’clock, and Mere very tirefl* for <iic. sun had hi*en very
])Owerful all day. A fter dinnsr w e looked a t som e fine sivords,
au<l daggoi-s, and arms, and je>v;^I.s, and ;it som e m ost valuable and
beautiful illuininatetl bfViks lieloiiging to th e M aharajah ; one of
them Ls w orth l,I0 0 f. The ^‘laharajah is so cheery and nice, w e
lik e him im m ensely ; and In? Invft a iiitlo Priiue M inister, w ith a
b righ t and pleasing expre.ssion, w ho trots about and apj>eai,-> a t
every turn lik e a lin e lic tm t fairy.
T h u rsday, bth. - A ja u n t in th e train w hich 3 rather lik ed —
a n ovel aiul a l;izy attitu d e w as refrt;shing after our lon g day out
in th e ah* yesterday.
W e got to A jincre a t six in th e evenm g,
and th e reception •was "very gay. Then? w ere croM’da iftid crowds
o f people, aud fwimc sm art dresses, and som e lo%'cly arches and
now devices for illum inalion ; and the phico itse lf is yorv pretty,
w ith peaked h ills,,a n d a lake w ith old b u ild in gs on its banks.
T he address was read and answered as w e le ft our carriage, an<l
■we d r o \e up to S ir. Edwartl iiradford’s houst?, whore w o arc
staying.
L ady llnwlford ha.s ■whooping-cough, aiid is far from
w ell, so I have scarcely §cen her j 'e t Tlioir house alm ost hangs
over th e lake, and has a lovely view from it.
The girls are. in
teuTs on the roof, .and 3 fejir our host.s arc hIko turned out of
do(>rs to Jiifike room for us.
Frid(i-;i, Qth.— I have ju st been waieUing I"), ieee iv e th e
Ibijah of Ivishengur.
A m on gst h is su ite 'vas a man in a most,
curious costume,
.lie wore a sim ple inusliji dress, w ith pi-een
ribbon braces aci*oPs his botly, and on hi.s arm s gold nniiour
eo v ejin g the hand and n'uching above tho elbow , a small close
w.ti*l o fv a p richfy decorate<l on his head, w ith a little plum e in it,
:bic1 ill his hand he carried a .shield.
T m' o ttther»Kiijah-s paid
visits.
Some of them wore m th er short tunica an^ gold belts,
and m an y of their followere carried handsom e shiehle.
x
I n th e afternoon w * drove to see a verj* curious Vuin -wWicb
l.'iSo
Till-: IJATi'OrJTAXA r.Ti^N* *
,
l- ii)
•
w as originally n J ain tRm}>le*lH'hiu(l whosa tine arolieil (‘inrauco
a nni.s<^u<-i has tienn bu ilt. It consists of rows anil rows of l)e<iuti*
fu lly carvwl pillars, w hich, it Is said, were p u t up in tw o and a
h alf day;:, and th e mosque is therefore called ‘ A rbai k e din
J o n ip ri’ (the tw o and a half d ays’ shod). Wo then A^ent on to
look at the. JUvyt) C ollege, a hne Imndsomc marble building, l a bo
opened to-morrow. Perhap.s y o u don ’t know w hat tijc^ jljiyo
College is. It is a I ’ujpootnua Kriui. T h e ,id e a wjis suggested
hv Lorr] JInyo ; the lbLjno.ii.an <. princes and nobU-s siibscrilu'd
largely tq endow It, and it has bceii very aucc'^ssful so far. J'lach
princo has a house nf h is own in th e grounds, w'liicj\j iiolds eight
stu d en ts ; these ho .sends from h is ow n State. Tliey must nfl bo
of goo<l fam ily— m en whom th e lia ja h rises to rt^cfcivo in ilurbar.
I t is
a pretty ^ilace. th e iie y college being built nf w hite
marble, n fiuo sb itu s of L on! M ayo standing bc'fnve th e door :
and in the |mrk. w hich is be.autifully W>pt, uih^ all tlic ‘ v illa s ’
belonging to .the v.arious States. Theii’ diffin’euL .styles o f arcliitectiu’o ar*: Oriental, aud, surrounded by roii^li hills na th e jil.aee
iR. the-. look m ost piclm-e.s*|ue ; w e stormwl M ajof Logh’s, th e
rrijvottt's, house, aiul had tea thei-e in his absence,
tl'i;:
cam e a review of tlie ile y w n r ivginiciir. H ie men 'vrj-e once
w ild and lawhsis, b u t are now drilled in to excellen t aud finelodkiug soldiers.
T h c re ^ v a .^ a b ig d in n p r, a lov^e, a n d a r e e o p tiu n in t h e e v e u in g , a n d a u o th o r w o n d e i’fu l .sight in t h e w ay o f illu n iiim tio n .
I Lold yon diat this housi' is situated on a lake which is over
three luilus round, and th a t there are th e m n a in s of n.al.-ircs nml
/•'.!o?;ii.‘.doc r.t-one «aul of it. When w e hKjked out after dinner
w e saw a line of lig h t round th e wholo laky, w ldle th e buildings
■were shaped*out in lire. I t wa.s all .so siiuplo. w ith no coloured
lamps or d<*vi».*es- m erely th e snft-coioured. brilliant lin e ; and
y e t w hat a work of labour 1 JLiaoh liny'twiuccr is stuck on to a
little inud-pic, which ha-s to bo made h>r it, il>t- lam p has t4f bo
nlleil v.lth oil and lighterl and attended to, each one* touches the
other, aud there i.s no break or gap in th e line. Tflero were,
later in th e evening, .som e fireworks in tlie /o w n . I t al.so w;ig
illum inated, but fros'n th e iiouiR w o crnUd *onIy sew th e .lake
and the zig&ag Ibm wlvlch marked tlu> road up a steep hill to the
T'orf.
S'tUinifn/,
A v e r y iu terostin gaftern oon ,^ p cn t in tfpriling
th e ^layo College.^ W hen w e ei.terctl tlie gituvt h.dl w e found it
lilhal w ith po6}ile : the pupils sa t in th e front i*»)ws, and were all
d iv ^ etl in ^vjiite, w i'h coloured turban.s and som e jew els ; their
friends an d othtr* n atives sa t ln.’hind tlmm, and then camo th e
K
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VK i'K EUA I/ IJFK
I S n iA
cu. v
Europenii.s of th e place. The hall is c-Iabomtely 3ecoraterl iu
d elicate cohmrs, and Is different from our idea o f a ‘ schoolroom.'
Jlajor Loch read an addrcs-s, to wliich 1). replied in a very nice
speech, g ivin g goiKl advice to th e ‘ scions of ancient houses,' wliom
he saw before him, and, a t the end, speaking of tlie Mahnraiali of
ITIwar us a gotKl exam ple
th e first n d in g prince w ho had been
educatfsj a t th e 5cho<»h and wlio is em ploying so m iuch personal
iiulus{ry, cave, and yitelligcn ce in tlusadTninistratinn o f hi.s S ta te
as to g ive ''omj'lcte sati.sfaction to th e Supremo C overninenti
Tlio m ention of hi.s inime w.as very en th u sia stica lly , received.
"When D . h^d pi’onounced th e College to be open, a sjduto wad
finst, anfl th en T took h is place and j^ v e away th e prizes. The
great w inner of the* day, who canded o ff three Tuetlnis and uit
armful of books, was called J^ilim Sing, a"n<t is a brother u£ th e
^luliarajah of Jocllijjore. T he student.s gave me a book w ith
view s of* th e College afid tlie*flw clling-housea in th e grounds.
W hen we le ft the building D . spoke to thelm ys, and.w o wtmt and
loykcd at ono <if tlftir rooms. S p irta n sim plicity p revails a s Ut
furnitur/i—a*lx)d, a che.st, and a tnlde living a ll th a t is allowed';
but th eyvalls were covereil w ith little pictures and little g la ss
balls arranged b y the occupant. B y this tim e all tho houses w ere
illuniinatt'd, and very lovely th ey looked, th e different sty les o f
their ju-chiti;cr.nro mark('<l out iu light ; nmgical dome.s and
’ squares, liori/ujital and perpendicular lines, .shinin^f ou* through
th e darkne.'j.s^ W e liad tea w ith th e Lochs, and th en dinenl and
started in th e train for Chittoro.
SundfiTf, 8(h.— W e re.-ich«l thin jdace (C hittore) in th e m onii n g ; but though it is very in terestin g historically, it had n o t bi?en
arranged for u s'io stop here, so w e simjily sat dow n to one o f th e
magnific;cnt breakfjists in one of the inagniQcent Civmps w liich
sju iiig iqi a t evcjy turn in th is W'ondert'ul coimtr.v, and then g o t
in to cavi'iftgPH to drive seventy luiU'S. Of course, e x a ctly a t th e
right, tim e for luncheon there w.as » h alt in th e jungle, and te n ts
wer<‘ to bo Seen ; a Iwiuquct w as found rea«ly*—th e table was
covered wttb ilag.s b<“aring th e V iceroy’s name, th e bills-of-fare
were liand-painted y it h th e flags o f all nations ; palm s and shrubs
plant'-d for the- occasion, made a garden at tli6 dncr, and we rested
for an hour. Of course, also, there w as tea .at five, nitd at. tho
place where this was lai*l th e ceremonies connected w ith en terin g
UdftipxU- began. *The journey had been m ostly through a flat and
ugly country, b u t wln*n a t last wr came to a fortified gnf^waY and
drove in to th e stm iighoid, and pas-sed tho w ik f ineft arnieil witli
bow s and arrows who formed a guard o f honour, j t in ip rcted
immens<'ly. 'iliere wcr^ h ills before u s of cuti<Jus shapes, som e
V 2-
188.5
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scKNE OX i-:xTEHix(i u m i r i ii
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131
risin g in one stn iig h t p yn u n iJ from th e ground, otliers p art of a
chain of h ills ; tlmre w as a lake to l>e seen, palm s and other trees
grow ing. A fter driving for nearly a n hour in this sort o f scenery
w e readied th e cam p, th ree Jniles from th e city, and D. g o t in to
one o f th e Rajah's airringcs w hile I follow ed in another, and a
m essage wiw sen t t>n to th e Muhuranu (th a t is h is correct t i t l ^ to
say th a t tho V iceroy w as coming. H e m et us a very sh ort d is­
tan ce from ih is. and di’ivin g alongside of Jh got ou t of his carriage
an^l in to th e V iceroy’s, and w'h a ll drove on. B y ;th is tim e wo
ha<l every sort of escort and company on cur way, and th ere wei*o
k n ots of jieoplc. a ll along tho road, tlie men shouting souie w dcpm e,
and the women in groups, sh y ly holding out little brass pots w ith
a b it of green in tlien v as is th eir custom on such occasions, and
sin gin g a little nasal song in th e in o s t unmusical voices. H o w ­
ever, there is ao much to d eligh t ilie cye^ th a t th e ear jiiay w ell
con ten t itself %vith bein g on ly amused.
A s w e neared the tow n, th e sig h t bccapic more and more
splendid and interesting. J alw ays feel m y pen fail u tte rly w hen
1 have to describe an Indian vn»\vd: th e m asses o f th e jieople, tho
picturc.sque appearance of every indivi<lual, th e attitm les in w hich
tliey place them selves, the groups in window’s and doors and
nmpngst the arches of 4 u ain t tem ples— th e colouring and th e
in terest of it ^1 defy description ; and wdien one jiassoa on from
th eord fn nfy inhabitants to th e sir<Iars an d tlie troops, one finds i t
im possible to do more than enum erate som e of the various sights
which one would w ish to describe m inutely. Tliero arc the sirdars
on horseback, tlie liorsB «i;d ’ be man vy in g w ith each other a s ^i r .
should b« tho more gorg^^ucly niinarcned ; tuciw
are th<‘ folloyvns stan d in g by w ith long jmlm-branohos nr yukta ils in hand ; there ore th e men in chain armour, their horses
w ith heavy p;dlK of th e ^:3jnc ; there arej-he wild troops, w ho lin e
th e w ay and salub^ souiewdiat \n J'eti-de^joic fashion one after th e
otlier, irregularly; there are th e camel battcridS?— a , “jort o f old
blunderbuss fixed on a revolving block on th e hump o{ a c a m e l;
there are the sentries, w ho g iv e themselve.s a word of command
and ‘ present,’ and t^^ere is one wlio, confoui\,ding tlie tw o ideas,
com bines a wild huritih an<l salnam w ith tho proper m ilitary
innno'uvre. Then tlfore are tluj Malmrnna’s horses and elephants
covered from head to foot either w ith silver chuins, or goM em ­
broideries, or yak -tafls, or long fringes of silver and gold “I c h e r e
are native bafijLs a»d greal, brass trum pets, and m anifold uniform ^
and a hattlcyiented w all covered w ith people on one side of th e
w a_^w hile th o gje^ t crowd I have been attem p tin g to describe
are oo tho o'ther.
•
K 2
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-(.(Ul: ^ u:iiK 5':u.u-
l i f i ; in
i n i >!A
ck. v
W o avp stayin g at- tii<; llcMd^ncy, so we drove stfn lgh t tbei e,
the guard of liouour at th e house being composed of ‘ l-?hils.’ 'J'liey
look rather lik e Goorkha soldiers, but are n o t (juit© so square in
b lild, and liavo n ot g o t the Chinese typ e ot‘ face.
Thu Mahiiraim has only Ijeen on hi.s tliroue a year, and .seems
a m ^ t gentlenm nlike, nice man. Tie nevi-r rxfji'tded to be made
tint ruler, and was a poor nnm before com ing to tlif throne, so all
the slati- is new to him. J le has only one w ife, aiul
riot tulce
anotiier, tliougU h is 'hniid is eagerly sought f'-r by gre.-it jirin^e.s
who have daughters or .si.sters to marry. The jMaharauafi of
T'd.ajpur' ar» i>f th e inist Jlajpoot blood, tin- ‘ Childi^n o f th e
8 u ii ; ■' and a s a lla jp o o t priiu'esr- ean only niarry o TTnjpoot, it is
difficult to find Imsliands for tliem all, and y e t they are disgraced
if they do not marry. T his J’miee is now in an in terestin g con<iition, so,J shall n ot be able to y e e h w , and t h e question o f son or
diiught4:r is a b iin iiiig one in th is >St«te. 1 too .shall bo very
iinrious to know whirh it is, and so I am sure w ill.yu u wltctv J
tell you tin- storv. * A loitg tim e ago there \vas 'rr~W;di.rfaiia-of
-l.'daipm* wlio had a lovel\''trnuffhfer, and tluj fam e'M her Ix'ftuty
-■.pread so far th at tlie great In.uses of Jcypore aiid Jod h p ore were
an xioas to oTilain her hand. They se n t their splendid em bassies,
and the Mnbarana feared to decide l)etw'eeii them , a.s civil war
would liHVO been tiie inevitabie con.scquencc : so he c u t tlte
Gurdian kn ot by sacrillcing the princess. ‘ W'liat is
wnnum
that then; should be trouble ca iicr a c c o u n t? ’ A M a lio m e ta ii
armed w ith a dagger w as ndinicted to tho r.enuaa, th e purdah w as
'lifted , and there stqpd before lilm the. beautiful princess. A t tho
sigh t of her loveliness he threw the d aggerdow n and fle<l. Tlieii
poison WAS resorted to, and tlic princess was told to drink it. In
clio grand immiier of a Kajp<M»t- woman .slie was ready for th e
smu'itico. Three tim es shp swallowed a de;ully di-aught, bu t never
ic.uld retain it, and then tliey gave her opiiiiii, and she slep t away.
NVlicn th e flecd w*as known, a R ajpoot n<ilde. fu ll o f indignation,
e.wlaimed^ ‘ ^ la y M eyw iivneyor have an heir,' and a t the M.ilml aun’s dftith hi.s Quocu icfused to bn burnt for h is sake, and a
slave girl w.a^i chosen to accoinjmny*him to th e grave. S h e rose
ill the flames and said, ‘ May ATeywar never have a n hcir ; ’ ;;o
the curse w as tw ice repealed, .-uid six I\lahaiaua.s have reigned
sinee. and no heir Ir.is been born to an y fuvc of tliem .
* T ^ m a n <15 il. descendant of tlic prince w ho reigned before tho
ctirs-T: wiis pronounoetl, .-^o it w ill be interesting fn «ee*if tho nmlodiction pusses on to him ! There aro certain families^from whom
tiie heir to Ihe throne is chosen, and wlion th e reigning pilKc©
dies th e election is liehUat once. On lieariag of*liis dfcuth, c y liy
L
t
•
VSSo
*
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I’ETnCnATH
IIU)
Hum, exci‘pt th e
h firs, sk iv es, ami
litile d id th is ])nm'e
vxptx-t t»» hfi olf-ctvd th a t he luul alreatly -h a\ij'l wlien calleH to
tlie flirone, wiiii-h is quit© c'Outrary to custom . The ia le MuhamuaV three witlow.s liav© to sic for a wlioh; vcar in tlie place
w here th ey hear
his death, so theso poor th1n”s cannot jjjovo
til! Dcccnil)er*iiext. They are given private notice o f his.dem ise
in order tl^at tliey m ay choose their corn eii am i make theiVp>re
paratiojis, am i then th e official new s comas, and th ^ ' are sliorn of
their jew els, p u t into a dark dress, and retire from even th e little
world in w hich th ey usually liv e ; so I cannot .see tl^ m cither.
The U esidejicy i.'; a charm ing house, .and (.’oloncl and *Mrs.
Iliddulph are very nii^e hosts. A son of L ady K lizabeth Adeaneis sUiying w ith thcfti. T>. had uufortunately a bad hejidache, and
liad to g o to bod on aiTival, while^we w en t througli th e usual long
dinner li'-foio w e could re.st j and we ne^hally had to unpack ami
dress ours(d\es, for, though th e nyahs started tw elv e hour.s beforo
us, th ey daw dled on th e w<ay and did not get^here till late. iV rhajis i t is good for us to vnugh it oefusionally !
*
.
— Tlie ifa h n i’an.a came to p.ay h is \d«it tliis
morning, and w« peeped in a t th e solemn durbar* 'fJie.dr^««»"
arc alw ays an in terestin g part of it. H ere the^ .-w ear muslin •
gcfwus w ith very short Ti'aists, and w ith great .scarves wound
louiid tlw ir ^odio.H m uch lowor down, so tliat all th e gathers o f *
the akirts are ahuve the scarf. Their turban is very neat, w ith a
plain, sm ooth, slan tin g point in it ; it looks as if it m ust !>© made
up before, and not m erely tu tl round the head.
W hen w earing th eir court dress they have volum inous p etti­
coats, oach one o f w hicli contiuiia about 140 yards of imi.sliu, is
very heavy, ^nd sw ays alnuit os its wearer walks.
A b o u t an Imur Inter IX w ent to pay his return vLdt and sjiw
more sirdai’s, and in the a ftcn xxm he ro(lo about th e tow n, joining
u.s at teatim e. V ery few ‘Europeans got hcroi ua it is sevl^nty
m iles from Iho railw.ay. Lord Northbrook came j ^ F a te ly , b u t
no otiier V iceroy hits v is if.# 'd j^ _ ;_ ;_ :L = = '^
*
J a v 6 b eeaou Jjo n ch e'la k e this afteryoon, and liavc been
quite carried nway by th e ideal beauty o f tin s place. I t is r a illy
emdiRnting. The natural sctmery is b eau tifu l: iin ely slmited hills
R urrouiulingagio.it lak e; nnd then w h ite dom es and battleriientod
w alls and gatew ays, and a palace, .ami iim uiueralde ten»fflc9 on
either side
Rlraight from tho water, .and, in th e centre«>f
the lake, pulkce-islaiids w ith pcrfm utcd m.arblo screens and open
a i-^ es, ancT^iotilcs and various-siiapcd pagodas, .a t.all palm or two
rising above, all,* and green banaiia-Ieav«s sliow ing through th©
arcfies. A ll these buildings are pure whit^’, butxjn tlie .-.urround-
OVll
V IC E llE O A L I J V E IN' IN D IA
jug h ills therf: arc^ old forts aiu l cawsU^"; of a darker colour. J fear
it i.s alm ost treason to sa y th a t this lake is a bwvutified Bos­
phorus ! B u t it does rem ind one of it. \V«‘ landed o n one of
th e island-pnlaees, fuulj g e ttin g up to the w all, saw ju s t above tho
w a t ^ a row o f elephant*' heads and tniuk.?, these .stoiio anim als
bein g supposed to support th e building. S tep p in g through th e
first ai’ch, w e fouiirl ^..urselvKS in a labvrinth of little gardens,
pieces of wat<?r, and covered pago<ins, b its of carving, and rows of
pillars, and sfaircases up to little turrets, and from oj^ery sifte
lovely view s p f Iho h ills and of th e other palaces. T here is one
ivom in th is islam i wliero th e E nglish hulios w ho w ere hero a t
the tim e of tire M utiny took refuge, and were cared for by tho
father o f one of this Maharanjk's sirdars. H is a round room
w ith inlaid marble w alls, and 1. do liope it w as n o t th e E nglish
Imlies w'iio p u t down a n EngbsK carpet and w ho h u n g som e very
comm on E nglish pictures on it s w alls ; b u t thei'e ti»e,v are, aiiu of
coui'se the n ative wHo show s you over th e place th in k s th ey are_
th e real treashrps.
AVe ?owod over to another island for ton. I nni obliged to
call it an island, bu t you m u st remember it is all palace, and th a t
n ot a il inch of e.arth is visible. H ere there were soino curious
decorations on the w ells, coloured glasses laid in — th e old b its
quite lovely , the modern restorations bad. Thi.s isTancKjMlace is
b u ilt w ith thp arched cidonnndo outside, and w ith square bits of
w ater and liower-beds and fouutjiins insifle, and suite.s of rooms,
one set very ICuropeau and another rather curious, w ith p a in t­
in g s in th e Jajiancse sty le on th e walls. T he g rea t pnlaoe oppo­
site this on th e banks
a very m assive building. P art o f i t is
a huge sijuaro place, w ith no w indow s to be seen in ft ; th a t w in g
is th e women's, who cannot enjoy th e beauty o f th e lake on which
th ey live, but m ust for ever look on sm all courts and enclosed
gardens.
»
T here is no escape from th e in evitab le lon g diuuer which ends
a ll.ou r daj^s, but when i t w as ovi^r w e saw a stia n g e sight. 'J’he
B h iis, w ho arc aiw riginal inhabitants of t^is country, and who,
a t tlm present tim e,'are eith er wild am i tixfublesome neighbours
or goo<i .«oltliers, danoeil for us by torchlight. . Their pi.'rformanco
is very lik e th e K u tta k dance w hich w e saw a t Itaw.al P im li,
only th at, instead of swords, the m en carry stick s. T iicif’ w ere
about tw o hundred of them , and th ey w en t round nnU round in a
circle in a close mass, w ith a sort o f sw in gin g nop stop, keep in g
p erfect tim e w ith each other and w ith a tom -tom , wjiich wasWhe
o n ly m usic th ey ha<l. T h ey .shouted and turiied backwards ivhd
forw ards as th ey movqd> altornaiuly strik in g th e stick o f th e man.
1885
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DANCK OF THE B llil; AYOMEX
•
133
liefore and th at o f th e m an behind thf m : th is made a noise lik e
castanets. T lie dancers ^vcre very wild-lookinjr, and i t svas all
m ost curious to look a t, but th e really interestiu{^ dancing w as
th a t o f th e w om en, fo r th e Jlhil w im v u ihince. I founfl 1 could
n ot st-e them w ellf so 1 g o t inswle their circle, and a more w^ird
scen e i never ^witnessed. T he women are gooil-lookingj antrare
m ost picturesquely dressed, w ith large r e d ,v e ils covering th eir
heojls and skirts, tlie la tter being generally <lark blue, a veri/
sh ort ja(4<et ju s t over the bosom, and th en a hiatus betw een it
and th o petticoat. Tlmir .ui-ms are laden w ith bgngles o f a ll
colours, and th eir legs ai*e equally covere<l w ith bjuss ornainhnts.
Tlu-y held each uthqf round the shoulders w ith one arm, and
m oved in lines of fw en ty , th e liyes overlapping eacli other and
form ing a circle. T hey san g a w ild d itty as th ey danced, anti
the step and th e song and their movoiflents w e n t together m ost
t>e;iutifully. . T he step w as lik e one ‘ chassc,’ nftor which they
beat tim e w ith their feot, and bowed dowif, th e one a t tlie end
clapping her hands, and th e others inekiug a swdbping m otion
w itii th e arm th a t w as disengaged. Their dusky faces ^jnd theiired gannenta, and their w ild m usic and th e perfect tim e and
grace of th eir m ovem ents, imulo th is a m ost strik in g sight.
*
lOiJi.— T he }>eauties o f thi.s place h a v e ma^le j u v
«*nergeticf so li g o t up early and w en t o u t from seven till nine to
tr y and ta k e som e photographs. W ith in h alf a m ile on th e lake
there are iifty or six ty b its th at one longs tu do, ilie y are all so
lovely ; and one m igh t h]iend m onths in Ud.'iii>ur w itliout e x ­
hau sting the carvings and tho old tem ples an*d th e endless variety
o f oldoots which ex c ite one's admiration. Jfo w ev er, J could only
do a few , ahd I rather devoted m yself to th e palace- -such a
m assive p ile rising from th e -water, and so v e iy unlike juiy utlier
castle.
A t tw elv e o ’clock w e w e n t to see th e insid» of it, and a most
<iuaint and odd interior i t is. There arc courts w ilh in its walls,
w here you see a t a g}nnr;‘ th o life of tlie rotnino.i's, as^ h n y jsit on
th e ground OutsiuB or, sqxiat « i th e opon cohyinades. E lephants
an d quantities of pigeons w alk about there, in d nothing seeiiis to
be considorcKl ou t -of place. E veryth in g in sid e th e palace is
arranged to secure th e utniosc privacy, so all th e rooms look
eith er in to a little court whose -walls are glasS mo.Kaic ij<norely
patterns (o * e w ^ l has panels, i 2 i each of which was a peaonjk,
others have liowers or figures), or, as on tho to p of th e palace,
iiyft a courtr-where large trees nud tivll pabns grow, w ith th e most
<ldlicately carvdrt m arble pillars and baths, and a covered passage
a ll round it. Some little rooms are Imed w ith tiles, and m any
136
Oiril V lC H ftE G A L L IF E IX IN D IA
•
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ch. v
of them \\it h the glass decoration pe»';ulinr to th is ooim try. Tho
pjibsages arc so narrow w e could only pass through them one a t a
tim e, and th ere is (juite a long, narrow, steep, and slippery stuircaao up to each diflerent room. T he Jfaharanji, w ho is a slight,
wiry man, w ith a good expression and very f>lcnsant manners,
w ent about w ith us, anil there w as a young n a tiv e who spoke
Englisli,*nit<l who, tp m y surjudse, mooteit the F em ale M edical
question w ith me, and said w ith how much interest"thej' a ll re­
garded it, arfd wdmt a boon it s success w ould confer ^upoii fhu
people. i?w'o E nglish doctors, sisters, have been hero for years,
und*l had an interview w ith them yesterday, and to-day I lay
th e foim datinn-stonc of a new Jjospit.al th e M aliarana is building
for Uiem. I t w ill be --i very jy e tty one, and he w ill spare n o
exppii.se t^> mako it nice. Mr.s. Lonergan, th e doctor, is niarried
to th e f ’fhuniandnr-iii-Cllief here.
W e have had a varied afternoon, fir st- tlierc w as th e H o s­
pital function, w h id i w en t o lf w ell. The Slaharana presented
me w itl^a vPvy nice address uud a home-made trow el, w hich I
aliall value much as a g ift from one of th e ‘ Children of th e 8 u n .’
W e next' proceeded to sh oot Im r, aiwl an, am using sig h t it
■was. W'e were all either carrieii by m en or elephants up u h ill
to a kind of tower, on th e top o f which w e found cliairs, aticl
there w e sut facing a high, steep hill, which rose sfftaij^it l>efor«
US. The beitters came alon g tho side of th e hill and drove th e
pigs tow ards u«, •while the gentiem en, who w ere w ith u s in th is
sjifo place, shot at the anim als. I t w as, however, very ditllcult
shooting, for the pfgs slipped in and out of bushes, and w ere
much tho Huine colour^ as th e ground. W e saw a great number,
and th ree or four were got. Tw o hyenas also p u t
an appear­
ance.’ 1). shot one, but he w as unlucky in losin g his spectacles
on th e w ay, and he coulil' n o t see well.
»Vn<l luiw loiU’e th e com m onplace worltl behind you, and
fancy yourseTf launched on a smooth, m ysterious hike, tho .stars
sinn ing abbve and a crescent moon lookiug dow n upon you - on
either shle o f the- way som e old fort-or tem ple marked out in fire,
and Voforo you a b ^ g c of light. This seefhs to be th e g a te to
fairy-lam i ; for, passing through it, you come in to a golden world,
w here th e water is sow n w itli stars, where brilliant and fragile
8trwcfh«e8 rise iif shining lig h t on either side and from th e centre
of the lake, w hile their roHvetions look lik e solid palfices of gold.
1 have tried to describe th e beauty of th is lake to jt)U as seen in
th o d a y tim e ; w hat it is at night, illum inated, you ^fiiust rwdly
picture to ynursi'lf. Ncyio of u s have ever sc eifsa ch u marveliAm
eilect. P assing through th e bridge, there is on one side a baftle-
1883
.
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137
luentpd •wall, w ith ft tow or gatew ay, and th en on every side doiues,
ivTid cupolas, and ■minarvta, and avcadcs, ai\d tSights of stops, and
arched w indow s fillird in w ith a latticew ork o f f.tHrs- every idiosyniTHHy of cftt h particular sty le o f arcliitecture ti-acrtl out in
lig h t, tho solid building quite disappearing in the blaze, j^ d ,
floating on th a w ater in masses hero and there, ju st as lUios m ight
grow, little flowin’-lamps. T his was on our,w ay to dinner. \V e
•lined in the palace, in a n ew and Europeanised part of it, w ith a
grftat •ieiij of B inninglm m glassw ork about it and E nglisli tu;'nituro in each drnwing-rooiu. A Parsei? contractor ‘djd u s,’.and a s
there is a decided fam ily lik en ess betw een tho b a n iiu its ot all
coutraclors, I w on’t siw nnmh as to th e way in which wo pjissed
th e n ex t tw o liours.? T h e M ahaiftiia came in at tho end to pro­
pose the Quoou’s health.
A fter th is w e resum ed th e more pdbtical part of th e entertaium ent, anjl sat on th e roof, looking on to th e lake, whrro b y
this tim e fiery dragons were startin g o u t o f th^ water, nucl R]iowei*s
of yellow and gresn and red and blue balls were fairing from tho
sk y, and long golden drops aud gold dust w ere being spattorM
overywliore. 1 cannot use a comm onplace ■word to dcscrihp fid s
scene, tor oven, th e fiveworkft —th e r e ! it would come— were relined
ones and suited to the scene. Then chains of flowers were hung
about ourrficets, and w e were scepted w ith rosowatrr ftud givmi
parcels of ‘ ivin,' and so rowed back again through tjie realm s of
light.
Wediiesdmj, \M h .— L e ft U d aip u r and drove seven ty m iles to
C hittore, whore w e encam ped for tho night.
D . w ant ofl' tio fipc th e ruhvs of thjit (^ty, and as he says ho
would h a^ egnno a thousand m iles to sec them , I foci th n t o f
course I miased the one th in g I ought to have seen. H ow ever, I
h ave read tlie rom antic history of th e city, and I luivo looked a t
it 111 the •ii.il.inCil
•
'I'hursday, \'2,th.— W o were in th e train from ntne t ill fiTOj""
and, arriving a t Indore, w ere m et by Sir IvPpel Criffin, flie M aha­
rajah ilo lk a r, h is tw o sons, tho lla ia h of Dlutr, w hose chains o f
emeralds were m aguiflccnt, and several other bobles. W e drove
through im m ense crow ds or people and turbans, preceded b y som e
o f th e 7th Dragoon Guards, to whom I hud given their E g y p tia n
jtiwhils at Cairo. T he M aharajah drove w ith thd Viceroy,-^nrl I
w ith S ir Lepcl. Sir i»epel's u<juiia is ohanning, an d so p rettily
arranged, a u d 'h e has taken great trouble w ith th e grounds, au d
Iia.s wiade tUjm very p retty too. There w as som e B h il dniieing
in Hie gardcii after’dinnor.
,
fyid a y^ 13M.—-H is E xcellen cy had vigits alj th e m orning.
138
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and returned them all th e afternoon, l i e liad th e pleasure of
m aking one m an supremely happy, and five more o p less s o . 'Fhe
happy m an w as, quite unoxpccte<Uy to him self, m ade a llajah ,
■which he had n ot been before, and ho w as delighted, and all his
f o U o w tT S rose to express their j o y ‘ on th is g rea t o c c a s i o n . ' H e
is no\y I’ ajah of Hajgliar. The others received sw ords, mcflals,
or ‘ robes of honouri for various sorvice.s.
,
1 w ont
see tlm jMaharaneo o f H olkar, a M ahrutta liuly.
A t th e end of m y v isit I w as v reathcd in gold and s ilv e r and»
llower eh aiys and bracelets, scented and g iv en pan, and then I
asked for bur grandchildren to be brought to mo ; th ey sang
Sanscrit songs very nicely, am i were de.ar ^ ttle things.
T he Mah.T.ivtjah Hollcar gave an en tertidnm ent fur u.s in th e
even ing— fireworks, electric lig h i, and supper, ■which cam e ju st
Qii hour after dinner. T he even in g w as very cold, and our host,
in w h ite m uslin and a lig h t burnous, w hich he pulled over his
head, did n ot look nearly warm enough.
M y.frieu’ds, the children, wei'O present a t th e fireworks, ajid
sa t by jn e , chattering away, and so hap]>y. I w'ondcir if th ey
will remember th is n igh t when, after a few years o f lib erty, th ey
com e to be sh u t up in a zenana.
i t was this day year that w e le ft E ngland, .and it w as mPlier
a stm n g e uoiucidonce that, in addition to ourselvesyHhero were
<at dinner ih ree of our fellow-passongers and th e fath er and
brother of tw o others.
Sfdurclin/,
— IJ. g o t up early to have .some bl.ack buck
sh ooting— shooting conducte<l on th e m ust deceitful I'rinciphvs.
T he sporhsman gocs#in a bullock cart, and th e in n o cen t deer
imagijioa lie is ploughing, luul, having no ol)jectio!i l o agriculture,
is nor a t all alarme(l. W hen ho has allowe<l th e ‘ plough ’ to g e t
near him , th e sportsm an slips out o f th e cju't on to tlie ground,
wRero lie a^}uat.< uriobserveil by th e gu ileless deei’, who, in th e
.*<implioit^ o’f his heart, continues h is ohbervntion of ih e cart, and
is sh ot dead by his deceiver. T). got one buck, and an oth er fell
;vs if qiiito dead,.but tui approaching it, th ey foum l it w as unwoum led, and w as only stunned by a shot •\vhich had struck .a bit
off its horn.
1). receive<l an adflress from th e ^Municipality, w ho wore m ost
crtrdTftl in th eir remarks on th e F em ale M edical scheiiio. W e
•wont nc.xt to open a college, which is in its ii^fancj'^ b u t w h ich is
intended to be for C entm l India w hat th e M ayo C ollege is for
K ajpootana ; this one, however, does iio t sta rt
a n ehdow m eut o f seven lacs, as the M ayo did. A htftivo hosp itaF w as
%
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JO D liyO R E : A CAITIVATTV'! IJTTLE f'OMrANJ-,'.N
139
th en visitfid ; it is ii vory nice one, being on the cottage principle,
wu?h cottjigo qu ite (lotacluid from every other building.
W e left Tiidore in th e afternoon, aecomj>anie<l to th e station
b y th e ATRliarn.jak H olk ar, w ho claspetl I), and Sir lajpel in h is
arms, saving to S iw L epel, w ho he know s dislikes th is ex h ib it^ n
of affection, ‘ H ea rt to heart, ia sp ite of your E nglish pre­
judices.^
,
W e spent th e n igh t and a ll n e x t day in th e train, reaching
JocTlipore ijt five oVIock on —
Hundi'y,
— Tlie railw ay to th is place has only been < ^ n
five years, and no V iceroy has y e t vialtod it in state, so tlua is
I’athor » grand oceaKion, and from th e inom ont w e le ft th e rail­
w ay atiitioii M*e pas9e(I in to a tiivroughly O riental worlcL The
Maharajah and h is brotlmrs m et us there, all in th e.r court dresses,
th ose petticoats w hich I have m euftoned before. The petticoats
are in tliick folds, and arc all inade o f pinl: m u slin ; half-w ay
dow n th e sk irt th ey are tied in w ith a scaYf, su th a t a t th e
bottom tlioy stan d straigh t ou t and sw ay about as th e .wearer
moves. T hey aro so full th a t w hen a man rides in them ij ie y fa ll
quite naturally over each leg jus if t lu y were ‘ divuled,' b u t in a
carriage th ey
m ost aw kward, and no ball dress w as ever so
ditttiult to ^uek in as w as th e Miilmi'jijah’s sk irt w hen he follow ed
tlie V iceroy ib to the beautiful yellow carriage aw aitin g him.
T he heud'drcss worn w ith th is is also very peculiar,
is red and
yellow , and rather pointed. The Maliarapih wore th e S tar of 1lulia
collier and ribbon. T he dirive to th e camp was about a m ile
and a Indf long, and again w e saw a wondei't’ul crowd and great
numbers of m en in armour, cam els, elephants, an d soldiers, and
such pictuvosf}U0 forts an d city w ulls beyond. I had a delightful
companion in m y carriage— th e heir-apparent, a.gr-d si.v, dj'Cased
in red court petticoats, w hich he told me he found hot, and w hich
he had only pu t on to sh ow me. 1 never .snw«uch a nice little
creature. H e never stopped talk in g, and would is^ie^orders to_^^
tiie escort, tellin g them n o t to le t th eir Iiorses neigh,'’o r to
coachinan to go slow ly • then he pointed our ajl tho sights to me,
told m e th e nam es o f nis brother’s horse*;, exam ined my arm to
see if I hjul an y bangles on, luskotl if any gloves were uijmIb o f
‘ rubber,' exhib ited h is ow n necklace, asked mo if I had a little
boy, jind on hejiriiig I h.od ho said h e w ould s^nd him a 'lit tlc
carriage, b u t. t h a t ^ good coachman m ust be g o t for it. and tlia t
th e n he could'drive Jilong by me, and 1 m ust w atch him when ho
g o t in and ^ i t , and m ust have th e horses w ell exercisc'd. H o
gesticulated all thcf tim e, and g a v e mo a mo.st vivid description of
a ruc5>, and w as altogeth er a charm ing litllQ picture in his q u ain t
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dress, wirli h is lin d y ways. I should m ention tlu- harness on the
carriftf|o lio m 's— silver collars w itli IkO^s . silver ornaincuts over
th eir heads, and all tho traces covered v it h silver.
W c had a (ju icf evening, G oneinl lla r d in g e and a few others
d ^ iu g w ith us in our ow n ten t. The MaliarHjnh h a s-ab ou t a
Inmdrfl^ gu ests ficre, and th e camp is arranged
lik e ours a t
Rnwrti J'iiuh" :
has been made to grow in (h e ciJUtre o f it,
fou n tain s play, and <m cither side the t c n ^ a r e pTfcfiod, our ow n
special esta'Shshineni bcijig «at one end. It Is f[ultQ, splendid r
yellow sati^ and gold chairs, screens, fans, docks, album s, w riting
cases, oiTiajneiits of all .sorts uud k in d s adorn dm w ing-room s
and boudoirs j.inl nudience-ch;imber.s ; cyrd lu y be(l-rooins\jiiid
dressing-room s are in a house Jniilt for th e t'ccasion, and highly
decorated ; so do we go on crf.fir.oiulo as our tour j>ro<Teds !
Mm'rln)/, 16/A.— Tlfe day \)e gan at. seven o ’clock w ith ]>igstick ing.
<lrove som e way, and then 1 got on aq elephant and
(h e others on lioi'sJback, and tlie Maharajah showed m e where to
go, atid I NviiR in a t th e fh-.dh. T h e chast; end t h e 's ig h t o f i>.
galloping w ildly and juvKlding (he poor an im aiw ere very ex citin g
for about ten m inutes, but^we wei'O four hmirs in th o sun, and
I ilid not feel th a t I should care to renew th e expcu-iencc. id.
enjoyed it im m ensely, ;nul so did X elly , w ho rode at a respc(ftfiil ‘
*
distance. A ll tlio bnjthers S S in g h ’ ((lie Kajah^ fm uily), who
are great .sportsmou, were delighted a t H is E xcellen cy’s success.
A t oi]i‘ o’clock I w ent to v isit the ladies o f th e zenanu. I
drove thffl’O in one carriage with Pcrtab Hingh and 2kl rs. N ew m an,
w h ile th e girU folfow ed in aaiothcv. W e had to g e t up to a 5--.'>rt
of fort palace, .t
picture.squo and m assive b u ild in g on the
top of a very liigh hill. ‘W hen w e had passed ihrm igii (h e
narrow streets of th e tow n, whiidi are only rem arkable for m ost
lo v ely b its of carving hero and there, and come to tlio g a te of the
F ort, w e hud to* g e t m to cliairs to be carried up. M ine was a
m;i.s.sive sifver sort of eoucli on poles and looked a frightful
w .-ig lit; ^however, in it T was borne a lo ft through th e g iv a t big
Fort. Ft is a njost cuiioxi.s and bitautiful p lace—aolhl stone
tow ers ftixd walls,’ coutraBted w ith lace-\lke curving. One b it
" “ th a t sffut’F m e niosl. wa.s a tnwcr which, for six ty fe e t upwards,
is a phain bit of solid niasoiir), b u t w hich the)i brwik.- in to tlie
nsos^d' licate ahd lie.autiful carving at tho top, w ith balconies ami
•windows, and every sort of onm inent. Theu^there.is one part of
the p a la v tho front of ■which i.s a mass of (larving. Tho zenana
has no break in its carved face. eveaKAlH> w4ndq^^*’^^nhg~^ltdae'o.lik o pattern "nrSt<5h?TT'
’ •
•
'
1‘ertjib ftiiigh sl^,^iwed us tho m arblo slab on Mdiich a new
1??.)
at
•
Tin-: lU RBAK. JoDHL'-iI.'H
•1 -1 1
•
jMiihar.ijnIi Mt.'. wlioii lu- m ounts liis throne, as >vi*U as som e other
nxtrns iii the jwluco, h u t th e outsido of tlie bnildijij' is-, mueh the
m ost l)6 autiful part of it.
Tin-! uuy was very hot, alm ost the h ottest ^se liii\u f«;lt in
Tndia, so I tluiu<jht th a t pi.Lj-stickin.Lj anil a v isit to th e palace
were enough for duo «lay, and T did not go out agjiin. T ie
(.im p i.s f'.ii’uUhed w ith th irty-th ree tricycles, and N e ily h a d a
turn on on e.,
•
^'ufs.lou^ I ' lk .— The durbar w as held to-day, and,a wonderful
•sight it '.l a-:. ^riie tent is a m ost enormous one, so that, although
tlicre were 1 0 0 jieople in it, it was not liiled, am i, instead of ^he
h)w,s of seats being all stru igh i, th ey were a m in g ed in diffcM’en t
directions, and one ^-ould see all tho peri^ile much bettio- thau
whcr. th ey ar« placed in regular Knos. ' In the te n t there is a
beautiful marble scat for tw o people, :ind behind it
whit-o
inarble roof on pillar®, w ith a raisiwl iloor. Jn thi.s were two
green velvet amd gold chairs, one for m e and lyie for tiio girls,
wn had an excellen t view of evcrvthing, and were much eii
; though in order to show th a t we had really nolhing to
do w ith it, w e did not rise w hen the Viceroy camo in, and tl;c
Miihurajab took no notice of us. The w hole court and all the
sirdars w(u*o in those old court costumes. iMost of th e petticoat^j
are pink, and ^ le high headdress i.s red and yellow , but there are
som e w ho dn-.ss all in w iute. Y o u may im agine how unlike an y­
thin" we liail ever seen before wore these rows and row;; of (]UHint
liguivs. T he Manarajali wm-e tho i*il>l)i»n and collar and star o f
xhe S tar of ! udia. and h is p etticoats won* tied y i w ith a red scarf.
H e had on som e iiiaguilioeut emeralds and pearls ; beside him the
dear little hcii; w as seated in an arm-cluili', which iield leg.^, p etti­
coats, and all. Jfovi'ever, w hen th e signal was given, he wa.s
helped dow n and waddled after h is father to th e door to m eet th e
V icero), and ihen, w hen it w as tim e for th e sird:ir.s to l>e preSHnteil, he cam e w ith liia nuazar, and, liv ely * a s Ije is, w en t
tiu-ough all the cerem onies in t-h« m ost sedate m aniiey There
were so m any presentations th a t wo had a longer lu u s th a n
usual for adm iring eyerything. -The new 'cst.featui’f' in it wud
that n nnuK'h-giil cam e to th e door of the durbar 'ent, accompauied i-y three musitiaiwi, an d tlxcrb she sang. J W appeamnco
udded to the strangeness o f th e whole scene. TTie V iceroy and
the 31:iharajah sut on th e marble seat w ith carved lace-like sidefe,
wliich was _lust in fron t of us. W hen all va.s ovei', th e'
!Mahar.Ljah jpiH h is fam ily came os'er to our tent, in order th a t I
. m ig h f do a plJbtogT{iph of them . 1 tried some grou je, in which
IX »(,t Coo, and flicn I took th e cldld a is l th e brotlmrs, all in
142 •
O l ' R V I C R J iE O A L L J i ' E
IN IN D IA
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v
th eir dress<«. T he littlo l»oy w as so good, b u t wlieu it w as over
h e said ho wn^ tired, and P ertab Wingh, w iio seems to be a
m other to him, umlressod him before us, took o ff h is jew els and
h is gow n, and left liim in a little sh irt and trousers. W h en I
lifted th e froek T was astonished a t it s w eigh t 3 i t m ust really
h iw e been about a .stone, tlierc w as so n m A m aterial anti so
inuch.g«ld on it. E very one was, I am sure, deli^itx'd to g e t ou t
o f these clothes, f n th e afternoon w e <li^ve to M andar, th e
a n cien t capital, where there is guite a crop o f tem ples or bujldiugH m arking the places w here th e bodies o f th e Mahnrajalis
hav^ been 4 )u rn t; sonio of them arc very In-autiful. Then we
w en t on to see the work of w hich th e reign in g prince is m ost
p n iu d --a canal for supj'lying Jodhporc* w jtli water, and th e
supply stored up in a lake until w anted. A s th e country here is
all san d , and rock, very hot, and very du.nty, an d jverfectly level,
a little w ater occasionally m ust lie invaluable.
T he M aharajiih^ave a sta te banquet for u s b i-n igh t. Jt wa.s
m 0 big J:>hamiana— one lon g table and a numl)«'!r o f sm all ones ;
and w hen w e had finished outing, ho cam e in to propose th e
Q ueen’» health, .and a little sj>oech was m ade for Iiim, welcom ing
sdl his gu ests and proposing th e V iceroy’s healtJj, to w hich D.
i-cspcmded in Uirms w hich wouhl have delighted th e Kajah Jjnd
he understood. .^Vfter th is carao another O ricnhil ^ c n e . in th e
centre of th e camp a couple o f law n -ten iiis grounds ^ lave been
jufwlft, and when w e came out o f th e Sbamiami, w o found a sort
o f lon g jewelleid chain o f d ea r gla.ss lum ps— red, green, and
w h ite— h.'vnging from poles all round th e courts, w hich had w h ite
cloths laid over them . In sid e th e m agic circle were groups of
m en in, armour sitting, and about 400 dancing g iijs, w hile m en
holding great toi'ches lighted up th e scene. Tlie girls were in retl
and black and green, w ith quaiitities of tin sel and gold orna­
m ents o f ail sorts alvout tlumi, and their dancing and singings,
though monptonnus, like all sim ilar Im lian pcrformanco.s, w as y e t
^ery p retfy to look at w hen so m any were doing i t together.
They wavotl their arms and turned about a little iu th e tirst
figure •; in the seccnjd, th ey advanced towards each other, sin gin g
and ‘clapping their h«iid-'i; and in th e third, th ey tw iste d rather
rapidly, their petticaats wrapping round theiii a« th ey did so, and
then, a t a particular part o f th e tune, three p u t th e ir Imnd.s
to^;ether, palm to palm , and tw irled again. Firew’oi’k s w ere
jfoing on in Iho dist^ince, and th e ou tlin es of th e cit^ w all and o f
th e great p.alace w ere illum inated.
T lie m ore w e see of th e camp and its arrapggm elits, th e more
beautiful it looks j and'iiothing is more w onderful th an th e gre.at
1885
SOLDTEU S
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• 1 4 ‘3
piece of really "iven
thej^have got to gn>w down its centre.
In tlio luiddle of it a go<xl w h ite inarlde b u st of th e P rin ce o f
W a les is se t up.
m th .— W e liad ratlier a plen^Jtut afternoon; not
)>eing expeutw l to do a n y th in g in piirt.icular, but on ly to w ander
about the camp, ai»d ride tricycles and camels, and look at Iior%s
and play with# the heir-appnrent. ITo looks upon mt; Jts h is
special friend, and accosts m e every m om ent w itli ‘ Doklio 3fem
8 :ilh b ,':! soA of llindusttaiii ‘ I
say.’ The camel vide w as v.a-y
am flsing ; ,the beasts w ere said to be remarkably easy ones, but
-——
xtiiu n n in g up and dow n in our scats th e jvhole tim e,
k-ero not go in g a jou rn ey on them . A fte r a
.^
^ conducted to th e train by all th e fam ily,
-nder farew ell from them . 1 don’t know
how it is, but they ihdj. ' a homrj^ fi’elin g au<l one of personal
reganl. and we wen* all
'P riy to le a fe. Tlierc is a kind of
straightforward sim plicity
but all th e brothers which is
pleasing, and th e M aharajah, tlum gh very solPmn, is m ost kincL
H e presented T). w ith a M arwar sw o n l ju s t before tJie txnin
moved, and when i t did start w e were p d te d witl; jiujsses o f
flowers bv him and by < * ! 1 th e pcojde
- a M arwar cusfnm.
and th eir w ay o f wdshing one ‘ God-speed.’ T he S ta te of ?.larwar
is ak b ig as Ireland, and th e Maharajah has about 400,000/. a
year.
- =
Thursday^
— W e go to .sleep in one scene of luagnificencc
to w ake up in another. A fte r travellin g all n ig h t w e arrived .at
n in e in th e m orning a t Jeypore, th e capital of a still larger anti
richer S tate than tlm la.st. I remember tellm g you of th e .Maha­
rajah’s v isit to me in C alcutta, an«l n ow we are Ids guests.
H o and thfi V iceroy headed our proct>s-sion in a carnage with
a gold-embroiileretl can«)py over it, anti I followed in one much
ornamojitcd v.dth gold and silver fringe. W e had a lon g drive
to the R esidency, th e road lined th e wliolc vTiy w ith troops;,
eleplm iits, cm neK ljullocks, mon in armour, and bands* and m usic
o f jwll sorts breaking ou t in to ‘ God sjivo th e Q u een ’ a t intervals,
and crowds of s p e c ta to r everyw here. Som e ofjthe details o f th e
procession were tlitFeront from a ll w e have hiflierto seen. A s.w e
drove along, som e ■wild-looking m en holding swords and speai*s
daiicikl b y th e caiTiJige, som etim es crossing their swortls befoi'e
th e horses’ noses, and jum ping about very gracefully. These ano
asoeiit' soldieuK. T ^ey belong to a sect w hich does n o t worship*
idol.s j a priest I s their lender, and th ey ta k e th e vow o f celibacy.
I thoifght tht'sn very intere.stm g.
Then tho bullock-carts and
bullouk-battones WcVe curious. The bullock in th e anim al know n
n i
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O l ’U Vi(.'Kr>K(5AL L JF K IN
IN'.'IA
.1 1 .
v
in the ‘ Zc.K> ’ as a ‘ Brahuua cou' ^ it is a i»aiKlsixnie hoast, pure
w hite, w ith a iiump on its back, and iiu© h o n is which in
tan.a are generally pair.t‘‘d rod and poHshwl bO that, thny look like
coi’ul. Tiic carts in which these anim als are harnessed arc vtuy
picturesque, w ith red or green puinti^d canopies over them , and
0 1 4 th is ocwtsion the trappings and th e
hcrtis nf tho Imllocks
jufttche4 tho cart. L i th e gUM-carriagcs th ey looked very well.
T liey were stu id in g in a very close vow. am i eacU.bullock was
coin]>lc;tely covered w ith a red cloth edged w ith bUwk, its v h ito
head idono tieing free. I n one place there were a num ber of
lovely piilaqfpiin.s, red and gold and silver, carried b y men. Tl^e
Hhq^iant-s were all m ugm licoiitly clothed, and th ere w ei’O great
num bers of them .
The 2\lnhar;ijah conducted d h e V iceroy to th e llesid on cy, and
then took his lejive. J t is a ^vgis house in a p retty garden, and
w e have -spncion.s aparimciics and aro m ost comfortabh'.
.Soon after breakfast 1 saw a regim ent of mefi M'ith trays on
th eir jjoads passing*niy window, and found th is w as a ‘d olly ’ for
m e ; s a l w ent and looked a t it. and took som e sugar-candy, ami
sjrid ‘ 'Clianlr yon,' and now I suppose m y servan ts arc m.'^king
them selves ill w ith so n 'l.u iy aweets. 1 also * touched and roinitted ’ a great bag o f money. A t one o’clock th e ila h a r ^ a h
paid his sb ite v isit to th e Vieert^y, w ho l eturned i t m tho a fte r ­
noon.
Y ou w ill begin to think th a t I am for ever descrilung to you
th e ‘ m ost beautiful thing I have ever seen,’ h u t each place seem s
to have its ow n s))4cialUt\ and f am k ep t in a sta te of perpetual
w onder and adm iration, so J have to repeat th a t I have again
seen a m ost splendid *ight in the way o f a durbar, f t w as hchl
for the V iccroy’.s return v isit to th e M aharajah, and, b ein g in rhall b u ilt for durbars, w as hotter ligh ted th an a te n t can be,
w h ile the decorations of the buildings and tlie m agniticent
drSsses of th e gentlem en present s e e m ^ to harnionise, and to
m ake th e picture com plete. Tho hall is open oji throe shlas, th e
roof being supjjorted on arches and pillars ; ih e th roiics are Oh
the fourth side, and behind them is a balcony, w here w e sa t.
TlnjJVraharaJuh was seated facing th e court, and on each side and
iK-hind him w ere row.s and rows o f h is Tinikurs (nobles), all
gorgeous in gold, and vrdvcts, and brocades, and jewels. W o liad
tim e to admire* th e blazo of colour before a flutter in th e court
announced th e approach o f th e Viceroy, m id ,tlien * w e saw him
being cax*rifHl in a gorgeous p.'ilanquin— ‘ served up in a gold dish ’
he says. T he Maharajah met him r.t tlio
nv'l condbctod
him to the throne. \V h en the preseutntiofl-s wSro over, a crbwd
H s85
SJGHT-M^EING A T JE Y I'O liE
145
of luiutch-girls caino in ant^ stautling across th e stops, fjlletl in
,
the fourth sidu of tlic stjUttn), so th a t tin* ma-ss of colour w as com­
plete. T hey a^lvnnced in thrcvs and fours w ith llieir arms
upraisied, gently m o n n g as th ey alw.iy.s do ; and when th e time
changed thv.y all sang togeth er a.
chant, nmX whik' they sang
th e attar lunl |>mn and w reaths wore distril-iitcd. Then ^ h e
V iceroy left, and w e rb’ov.' through the t/jwi;. It is quite,u n lik e
a n y other in d ia u tow n, th e .strccta being vory witle and plaiineil
like those of a inodeni city. I t is, however, i.'50 ygjir.s ohl. Tlio
wflfile thiiig i.s painted pink, and to day tin: liouses ami b.ilconics,
roofs, windows, nnd p.itliw ays were crowded w ith fcicn, wo|nen,
and children in gay colours, and it all looked beautiful. • The
w.nll:; of the houso.s ^ e iu to be very thin ; they arc* generally
ornament«d at tlu f top. a n d th ere is a good <loal of open brick­
work lilling in w indow s, w hich Jocks prelt}’. T nevty pnw .~.o
m any m ottoes put up anyw here, ue<i.rly ?ul o f them in Kugliah.
W e. drov<: afterwards to see :i very datup and dark garden, an
Tndiuii's iilca <>f all th a t is delightful. I t only frigh'tejunl me,
and <lrove me to the quininc-l>ottle on my return.
F ridatj, 20i/i. VVc iind rather n long mnl busy day. ‘ At ten,
J had an interview , vath i l i s s Bwain,
w];o gave tne juany
in teresting d etails o f lier Indian experiejices. and tiion 1>. and C
%sefit a vimnil of instituticm s. T he School of A rt interc‘r»tefl us ,
much, a m i tliSry w e saw m any of th e special indu.ctrics of th e
«
place being carried on. X-rxt w e saw a mus<‘ui«, wh»vc th ey arc
Ijegiiining to have a very good culleftion <jf thiugs, and then w e
vi.siterl {)i.‘ jVlaharajah’s girl-^’ school and lii.s^hoya' college. A t
thu former f picked up a n ew me<lical pupil for A gra. The little
girls se.-ited in row s looked v e iy pretty, and J ha'\'e been givou
ralht r a goo<l'pliotograph o f tliciii as tliey appear in .*^chocl. D .
. licard the boys ro.'id, Kiiglish Jind Persian. These in.spectiotis
• w «n^,o^.uji isncSi-idrrio, and d irectly afterwards w e drove to see
A m ber, the an cien t capital o f thi.s S tate, i t & a r^osi
pia.ce, w hich quite carries one U ick to th e m iddle ages. ^’.I'hvre i s ' ’*‘’~"
an t«nvMiious palace, w ith courtyards and grca« opei> equarea and
)'oof-tops, m arble openwork screens and ilnc^ gatew.ay.s. cjvorlooking the ruins of th e city . W o drove ho*mc by m oonlight,
and tLs w e paascd through th e tow n o f Jeypore I th ou gh t it
Jookctl really lovely. T he outlint^s of th e buildiTigs arc so varicil
and so picturesque, and tlio streets so wide, th a t th e town looids
Very h.andsHiua b y {j modified ligh t,
you lose the pink colour*
•and th e ratlier thin appe.ar:uic« w hich the houses have in th e
dr.ytitrtc. T K ^ lla ja h w h o la id out Jcyjw re so m any years ago
■niush have been a^Ndonderful ninn- -he was* far in advance of h is
ill3
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Hgo in lli(' )imtt<T of tow ns, fin<l he'w jts very fond orastronom y,
nnd h r i d .‘in obscn,'utory here. JIo also b u ilt a tow er m oixlcr to
seo into th e courtyard where lived a lady ho loved.
6'aturd<i>/, 2 lsf. I fear you w ill l>o rather startlod when you
hear th e w ay in Avhich .1 spent th e early m ori\ing hours from
be>i^n till nine. T iia d better tak e you quickly o v e r th e shock by
tellin g .y y u at once thnt nlcpliant-s, quai].s, }>aitridges, rams, pigs,
doer, buffalo, and cogks foiu /h f before ua, and a t th e sam e tim e I
w ill add th a t we only ju st saw th eir m anner o f attack , and th at
th ey wtire carried otf, or dragged away, before an y one anftfial
could h u rt ayother. T he oleiihants began it. W'o were ushered
through endless courts and piissages, up .staircases and ranips, fuid
along walks in tho palace till w e reached a round tow er over­
look ing a great yai*d, which w;v^ fu ll o f m en fu red, w ith spears
in th eir hands, w hile tin! wall.s a ll round were i;o%e2 ed w ith
spectators. W e first o f’ all w atched tlie ligh tin g elephant being
unloosed— a work which had tu be pei”fon i\ed w ifh great pre­
caution, and ail rouftd his neighhourinK>d were <{uantides o f little
holes iut<* which th e men disappeared if th e elephant w en t at
them . T he second elephant, w ho is a tighter by profiission, und
n o t by nature, had a ni.-vhout on his back, w liilo th e cross and
quarrelsom e one w as sim ply turned loose in th e arena. The tw o
ran a t each i)f her ami pushed and pushed till th e o n e .g o t tho other
lip again st a wall, where he nearly full, and th en tlfb mtm sen t ofi’
tirowork.s in ^ ron t of them to .separate them , as th e eh’ph.ant w ith
tho ridei- oji had his »ilver.sary in sucli a coimer th a t h e could
have k illed him. A s it wns, no one w’as th e h-a.st tho w orse of
tho encounter. A ffer this we wandered again ‘ for m iles’ up and
dow n iiufl through tho }«ilace, and from the very t<»p looked at
the view of the tow n and o f th e surrounding h ills an d forts, and
thou on to another court w here a quantity p f richly caparisoned
hor.'ics were shown off. Som e of them did circu.s tricks, and tw o
mdh w ith long spcar.s did rather a p retty exereiso on horseback.
T w o quails *wcro n ext p u t dow n hc-foro us, and th ey began to
jum p a t eacli other as cnnavie.s do in a cage, l>ur th ey did not
even get bailly iHn;ked, as w e exam ined them afterw ards. Ham s
and* buffaloes follcTw the sam e m e tlu x l; ’t h ey run at. each other,
and, tludr h eads Iw ving m ot w ith >i thud, thny go on pushing til!
the m eii'in aitondanco pull them apart. There w ere som e Uttlo
pigo, carried iii* num’s arni.s w ho upset each oth er ndlh Iheir
Aiiouts, l^ut, having no tusks, they m erely sl^owed,that it ‘ w as
their natu re to ,’ and <Ucl no harm. Tho ohler p igs w ere rather
lierce, so I got their perfonnance stopped a t once. .T w o hog-deer
were brought forward,, very curious-shaped itmmats th a t I diad
1885
'lliE
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C H E E T A H AXI' H IS Q U A H in '
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1 4 7
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never sc<iii l>*-fore, b u t th ey were very riiciKlly. and w ould n o t
even pretend to light.
Though tliore w as a tot;il absence <'if
cruelty in th e jiei'formances, and tliough it w as worth seeing as a
peep in to a hygono w orld, f f w l alm ost sorry we hud bejin pre­
sent, for it dues seem m tliev bivbarous. jS’ or did tlie aftei noon
im prove upon tliTi m orning. True, 1 lirst visited th e A lbert tfa ll,
and saw thA'e (ho th in g s th a t are goin g to the Fxkibii'ion in
London, arranged as th ey w ill be th ere—s* when you visit it you
iniagino liow I w alked about it too— and th on .I w en t on to a
h.')spital»;uiJ inspectotl i t ; a very nice one it is, and I rwvlly liope
th a t I may very soon see a good Eugli.sh lady doet*>r therc^ H is
E xcellency jnejintiine w as ou t shooting; and when w e joined him
w o found he had slain a black buck.
Of course th at is too
E n rop ean a sport
b e cruel, b s t w hat w e saw w as a cheetah, or
lim iting leopard, k ill a deer. Xlie anim al w as in a ctjrt hooclwl,
an d w e drove after i t to a place where deer were grazing. T h e
bullock-caits diil n o t frigh ten tlieni a t iil^ and when wo w ere
p retty close th e cheetah was unliooiled, and inm iodiately made
for and chased th e deer. I t sjirang upon otie and pullod it dow n
quickly, and th e m en despatched it. They had, hoAve.ver, to coax
o ff th e clieetali b y g iv in g it som e of th e Idotnl to drink in a j>au,
jjnd w hile it w as so engaged th ey p u t the hood over its eyes *
again.
,
,
T h e*evon in g w as another scene of beautiful illum ination,
iiautch-danH ng, and fireworks. W e dined at tl>o Aluhanijah'.s
p-'dacc. A ll th e w ay to th e town th e t m s were hung w ith
C'doured lamps, and w hen \vc got tliorc we found .straight lin es of
li-^ht running along th e buildings. In one ])lacc in partiexdar th e
cfTect w as lovely. There is a square Avith*n foun(--iiii in th e centre,
and .'ill th e w ide streets go a t rig h t anglc.s fi-om it. L<K>king dow n
thoui,v.’e sn-w th ese lon g lines of light. Avhilo in the .square itse lf a
tem ple w:V3 sha]ied out m fire, and Vichind it all rosy a hi^h liill
w ith a golden palace on its .summit and <i goMen ,*'rV<«::nirie ’ on
its .side. T he word is marked out in lcttei*s lifty^'ee.t high by
eigh t wide, and w as uriginuUy done, for th e Prince o f “W ales. In
th e d aytim e th e letters are w h ite and suggestive o f som e ndverti.scniont. b u t illum inated they arc lovely.
T he dinner in t h e palace Avas very p retty too. Tt Avas in one
o f those g re a t open pLaces in a co u rt—a roof^ supported «»n rows
of .arches and pillars. AVhen Ave entered fii'st w o o n ly .-fliw a
draAving-rbpm, but a curtain fell to th e ground and re\-eal(Kl*the
ba^icjuet sprejid. The colouring o f the inside of th e build in g is
very briliidnt, apd red purdahs were le t down in th e outer archc!^
sq it w as qui^o wariii and b eau tifu lly lighted. Tim JNLih.'irajah
L2
MS
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O lli
YTCEUEUAL
I.iT K
IN ' I X H U
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v
caiuy in, n-s usual, a t tlie ond for th e toasts, ami tUo T iooroy v.-as
anle t<f &iy th at ho had had tlio ploaaun* of invpstinfi him w itli
Ills full powers during th is Nisit. lla ja h s are k ep t to a certain
o x tc a t m leading-strings until they ha've proved tlieir capacity for
niling.
^ l i e nau tch which followcil
p retty, becrmse so nuiny girls
danccyl in it, and they had a few now ligures. O n o w n s a snake
dance, wfiei-o th ey heUl th e end o f a v eil in their m ouths, m aking
it look lik e a ^ape, and then th ey pretenclotl to be clm riuing the
snake, and sw ayed about as if follow ing its m ovem ents. .
*
A fter
wc I<-n->kc-d a t some old books and arms, and m oved
on to* a very pretty open gallery looking into a garden. Foantaiiis wore playing, illum inations were to be jc e n everyw liere. and
tireworks began. 1 never heard such noisy one^ I f w o lia< I !n oii
besieging Jeypore we. eould n o t ^ave made more fuss ovor it , and
there w;va rather loo much sm oke for th e Hghi” tlnit accoin p iu icd
it. I tinuk th ey used too much powder. H ow ever, th e whole
entertainm en t v a s v*ery niagniiicent and a great .success. The
hlaiianiiali is very quiet and nice, and k in d a.s a host.
Saiifl<i>/,
-\Ve walkofl q u ied y .away from Jeyporo th U
iiion nng, g e ttin g into dm train at a sm all .station out.si<le th e
R esidency garden, and truvtdhal till live o'clock, v h c n w e nrached
n h n rtp < )V e.
*
Tt is quito a diderent place from th e great c ity tve have ju s t
left, ami as svg drovo through the town i t seemed a mere v illage,
the crowds of iuh abitauts swarm ing on th e low roofs and in th e
little shops being ih o m ost in terestin g part of it. T have alreatly
described to y«tu the* Mahar.aj{xh of JJliurtpore, w lio visited us at
CriTciitta. l i e lias made splendid prcpurailons for us, nr.d ih o
Ko.sidency looks us if it had Ix-cn fuvnished throughotit w ith jiew
and lovely th in gs. I liuve been quite relieved to hoar th;it tlioy
arc slandin g decorations, for I never lik e to .seo th e Ihijana put
to gft'iit expense fca- our sakes- -w hite satin blinds to the w indow s
w here inudiu* w ould do, and so on through ninnberlcss e x tr a ­
vagances.
Colonel and !Mrs* E uan S m ith —he is tho Re.sident— are very
p leasant hosts. She* plays beautifully, and th ey have sh ow n
g reat tJiste in tho decoration of the rooms.
Jftmf/trt/,
This was a duck-.shooting clay. Tlie gen tlemciv w ent ou t c a fly and we joiued them for luxichoon, and sat
about on the edge of a marsh w atching th e sport*
•
In tho even in g th e dinner a t tho jialaco took jJlace. I t i.s
q u ite curious how, w ith illuiintlations and tirev orks e/erywht're*,
each placo contrives to k iveiit some entirely nuV variety. T h e •
o n
AVM.i.s x::’
*
MQ
ilhm iiniitions hero
iii thoir way, as j.ti'etty ns auytliin,i' we
ha^-'• Mien, and wo were able to calculate timfc, had th e lamps been
anun^eti in one long row, there would liave been sixteen uiiles o f ■
them , one foot betw een cacli. T he w av it was douo was tlii.s :
from the llcsideupy to th e town there, was n strong j)aiing on each
sid e of tlie road, w ith three row s of ligh ts on ciich, ajul ii^ lm
towTP th e whole way dow n th e narrow streets, and with*n‘o break
in tiiein, there were high palings w itli live rows of lamps, »o th at
■vfc seenietl literally to drive through tw o w alls o f lire. TIhm’c wa.?
an .'irch made of wooden latticew ork, 100 feet liigh and propor­
tion ately thick, wJiiuh wa.s one great mass of lig h t' th is and the
palace decorations arc not included in my sixteen m iles. The
gatew ay to the yaface, too, w as exceedingly pretty, and llio
garden in tlie courtyard w as a ll figlited up. The dinner w.as very
Mcll managed, and w as
afid short, and th e usual .spe«!ches
w en t off well. 'J’lie htuw orks were very good, some of tho b est
w e have seen. T here were tw o gigantic scf^ en ts who spat stars
u t each other, und som e other n ovelties, besides some lovely .dn'aves
o f rockets. Thr^e fires in the to w n burst o u t duriug tiie pf'cformanc4', b u t no one m inded them in tho lea st— ‘ Oh, it's uuly a
ihulcIiCfl roof, it is all riglit.’ W e drove homo again througli th e ,
>fralls of ilame, niid were phrased t.o find it only ten o'ch>ck. 'J’o
m ygrc.T i com fort an d sa lisfa ctiu n I rind th at th e horses bL'longiag •
to liajah? stand any am ount of noiRC, tiro, and confusion. I don’t
know’ how I should have survived iheso drives if* th ey had had
any nervea a t all.
2-tM.— W e made nn expedition, wliich t w k up tlie
w hole day, to v is it tlie F ort and Paiace^of D ecg. AVc only saw
iTuSi thfl pirtflidc tlie very nms.sive w alls and towers, and vlu) great
uiuat round tlie fi^ t, b u t w c spftut m any linui’S in th e p.ilacv; and
it s gjirdens. The latter are pleasanter and JBetWr-kcpt- th a a ipost
1 >>>ve seen, and thorn are very jutdty low^ trim lu'dges^ a n d '“
hundreds of founr.aius. They wore turned on form s, ami vve got
sh ut up in one corner by the splash and spruy, nnfl were kept
-<.-iose prisoners until th ey could )>e turned off again. Tliern are
.seveitii palaces in iWis garden, all of ihcun h»okiug ou t ou to .series
o f fountains, and yill o f them with th e oentnil hall?opori to th e
fron t and supported ou cunx*d arches ;ind pillnr.s. T he oponw uik carving in som e of tlic w indow s w as btiautiful,'and in one
little maidde palace there is a dado ijilaid w ith colour whie^^ is
lovely. W e wcn^ ki*pt >viiiideriiig about for som e tiiye. .aiul i.hca
<liS(:ovcr(xL tlm t the cam els and the elepliants who carj-Ied our
lunch had n o t'a rriv ed , w hicli w as wul new s to hungry p e o p le ;
how ever, th ey appeared a t hist, and a h e r fortifyin g oucaelve.s wo
150
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w ere oonveycil to u high place to look on a t an cleplnvnt tiglit.
Ha<l 1 been told it w as play or aftcotioji f. could quite hava believed
it. They walked so (piictly up to each other, touched tludr trunks,
a s if to say, ‘ H ow do you d o ? ’ givvo each other a little push,
s t o r e d and exam iaed a pot which la y n ea r to scjp w hat w;us in it,
caslJally had anotli-^r jjush, considere<l w lietlier or nqj; thfjy would
clim b on to a little mound th a t w as near tl'cni, and then pur.hed
again. They are, however, such g r « \t 116^%^ l>ea?ta lhav c:ie is
a lw ays at'rnid of seeing them hurtthcTns(:lvR.s. T he drive to Dc<.’fr
w as iw en ty miles, and w e did not got homo ti.J eig h t o’clock.
Iii.'rf??/-.'<df7f/, 25/A.— ^\Vo left iihurtporti in th e in om in g, an»l
on our w ay to A gm w e visited a m ost in terestin g and tniriuUK
place c a l l ^ Futtelipore Sikri. 1'he Empdhoi» A k b ar b u ilt it,
in ten d in g it to l>o th e capital tif*Tndia; b u t it proved to be very
unhealthy,*and there was«no supply of w ater, so th a t it w h s v e r y '
soon deserted, and one sees th ere th e spectacle of a desolate place
in perfect pre.'^ervation. The first th in g to see is a m ost wonder­
fu l masque, sue!) a groat size, and so beautiful. Tfie story is tbirt
A k b a r .ituI h is (^ueen arri\cd a t tliis place lla^■illg ju st lost tw in
children, 'and i t w.as prophesied th a t th e y shouM never have
an other son. H ow ever, a holy man w'lio lived here said th a t if
soino one gave up his life as a sncrilice, th en a n hw r would Ixi
• born, upon w hich the holy man’.sow nchiltl (of .six monlh.s tdd)sjw kc
niifl »tid, ‘ I w ill give mine,' and die<l upon th e spot. Tn m em orial
o f th is circunisl.'ince A kbar built th is mosque. I t is o f red sam lstone, th e ch ief om ainentation round th e doorw ays and cornices
b ein g w h ite murbh* Icn, in to th e ston e in m osaic patterns. Tiu-rc
is one im m ense and spljj^ndid giitoway, and a grojit court is e n ­
closed b y th e various huiklings and covered pas.sagcs,»aiid in th e
centre is a perfect gem in w h ite marble, which con tain s th e sh cik ’a
touil). T lie outer w ails are carved in lacc-likc patterns, and in
tho jMiier chainher l-s a r.ort o f fotir-post l)ed, w hich i.s th e grave ;
it is a ll inlaid svith mother-of-pearl, w h ile th e Hoor an d w alls are
marhlo.
^
T ho o th e r b u ild in g s of in te re s t a re th e houses o f A k b '.rV:
w iv e s—li t t l e s<*parat^>ostabHshmclxts ; th e y ftro of rw l Siuidstonc,
a n d tlid" w alls a re carv ed from ceilin g t<» flqor. T h e re ia ono
cu rio u s p la c e w luch i.s a iiTe-stoi'oyed oj»c?i c o u rt, each p la tfo rm
g e ttin g sm a lle r till th e to p one is a m ere little sxim m er-house :
eacJi*pno is s u p p o rte d o n row s a n d row s o f p illa rs ; fro u i th e s e
•one lu o k s d o w n in to a c o u rt w h ere th e t i r e a t 51?igul-used to s it
a n d p la y ch ess w ith live pieces, a n d close to th is p lag » is a b a ll
w h e re lie tr-ansacted busines.s. Tn th e ceixtro o f i t is a p illa r on
th e t<«p of w liich h e sat, a n d from t h a t c e n tra l sp o t fo u r n a rro w
18R 5
^
THE
1A.T M A H A L
*
151
passages run to tlio f<»ur com ers of th o room. In each corner (it
is said) s.T.t one o f his jnhjistors, and fm m th is sr.at of v an tage he
sen t his orders north, isoutli, east, and w est, w lu le tho crowds of
applicants or lookers-on rem ained Iwlow. W o had on ly ju s t tiino
to see all this, to j ia v e luncheon, an d to drive on to A gra so as to
arrive there .before dark. T he M aharajah of Bhurtj>ore dfmo
w itli us, and also stays a t A g ra during our
**
W e are sta y in g in our ow n camp, a n '
V goin g to have a
very q \iiet evening so as to be fresh for a n c , ^ i e s o f sight-seeing
h ^ e . l5. has been up early b oth yesterday and to-day for duck
find buck shooting, an d w e h a v e had very lon g dri^^s, so w e h a v e
carmid a rest.
T h ursday, 26M.—-Perliapa 1 shall rememl)er a few more details
presently, b u t ju s t now ]. can only th in k of th e ‘ Taj.’ T he whole
day furnishes b u t th is one id ea—4 h a v e* ecn th e Taj ! ‘Y ou know
th a t it was b u ilt b y th e Em peror ►Shah Jeh o n as a tom b for h is
w ife, 'Mumtaz M uhall (th e P rid e of th e Palace), and th at he and
she lie bide by side w illiin it s w alls. I t is o f w h ite marble, and
its oruam entation consists of th e plain m aterial carved, o f flowers
inlaid w itli ag^te, jasper, an d ot-her precious stones, rfnd o f in ­
scriptions ui th e beau tifu l P ersian character, th e letters being in
Mack jiiarble ; it is j-uiscd on a h igh terrace, w hich has a grea t
luinaretrfit dfech corner, and according to our itleos it is more of a ,
mosque than a tom b ; it is enclosed in a walletl garden, w hich is
ari'Jinged in stiff alleys w ith cypress and other dark trees, and w iih
wat«T and fountains do^vn th e ce.ntre. Y ou enter through a red
.sandstone gatew ay, and j k t o r .s th is silen t garden see Ifofore you
th e Taj. 1 w on't attem p t to dc.scribe h further. I t is as if tho
building Jiad a soul, as if i t had bcf*n created, and n o t made, so
*j i ^ t a i-ions is its fascination. Y o u cjin't im agine a tim e w h en i t
w as n o t there, or a tink> v.'hen b u sy workmon, or noise, or u n tid i­
ness, or bustle, surrounded i t ; you fee) th a t.y o ’> oouid noi*l)ear
to see a hamm er or a tool of an y k in d approach it^ aiul th a t i l is
only as a drenui, as &omothing u n ria l and alm ost saow d, th a t you
can think of it. A n d there is n o th in g anyw here to m ar tho
eflect. W hen you e^der an d look ujx>n tlie»graves o f Shall JoJian
and his ‘ C hosen ,of th e Palact?,' sunxiundtKl by a mar\'flh)U.sly
boAUtiful screen of w h ite marble, som e one sings u chord w ldeli
bursta forth in a volum e o f sound from th e rijof like an organ or
a cliuir 'o f angels. T h e echo lasts for fifteen second.s, ai!^ so
quickly do t h e *)unds succeed •sacli otlier th a t th e chord given
ou t n ote*b y n ote Indow comes in one harmonious wlui!<5 from
»bo^e, and w hen one n ote alone is sung it is im]Ki.ssible to say
w here the hum an voice ends aiul th e echo begins. S o th e Taj
1 5 2
*
V i r ’C P .i :< 'A L
.i n
IN P IA
n :.
V
•
exerts its charm upon you, aincl Imviu" seeu it by d ay yon n*t\mi
to see it. by luooniij'ht. and ■\vi»li t.n soe it a^'aiu by sunrise, jiiul
fee] Itiat, (inl you li\ e a t Aj^ia, w'hcuevor you w is h ^ for peacr or
rest,Nvh*jn»',ver y«m fu itsad or soi-ry, you v. ould conip and coiumuno.
w ith tlic Taj. T hat is why I sa y tlm t i t is lik^ a Imildini' with
5Vsi*ui; it exerts a |ascination over e-\ cry one who sges it th at its
pure w h ite uolour am i prefect jrroportions are senreely sulBcieiit
to accou nt for.
*
W o also Aiisited the P ort an<l p.alace, in it having sop.ti txte
satno th in g in a more Itoautiftd fo m i a t D elh i I w ill not'tell y^u
much.ab(.>ut riieso. There is .%inosque—court, and surrounding
•
%v)dls, all in w hite m arble—w hich is line, and which h.ts a certain
grand sim plicity about it, but I), tliougld the*details rather eoar.so
a s coTnpnved w ith some others w<?ha\e visited.
W e were iiccompaniod,here
one of that t<MTiblc Rpeoies o f
burt.s— a guide. ‘ i'orty-ftvf ladies sat on th is hide, please, ai;d
forty-five on th a t ; ajicl .tiiev could see everyth in g, plea.se. but no
one could see tbem — y e s ; ’ 'T h a t i.s a sum lial, please, b u t th e dial
io gon&—y e s ; ' ‘ The (ioverninent restored tiiis in I d 7 - plcp.r.?-’
— ^i.e. covered th e red sand.stono H all .of A u d ien ce w h h w liitc
phi.sLer 1
iV id u y , 271//.- D . and I visited the CollcgG and jd t’dicrfl
, School olhoi.-dly ; but as I am going tlirough i t loor# thorougltly
on M onday I w ill ivot a n y a n vtb in g about it now. I n th e aft<'r
noou D . w en t *to receive a iinniicipal adtIros.s, w hich antused him
rather. l.>ecau.se when he hinted a t tho possible neer.ssilv o f im ­
posing ;uhlitional ta:intion. th e people cheered hmdJy. T called
on Lady L yali, and then we all im^t a t Itm ad-m l-D oulah's Tomb.
In th e d istance i t IcMjlfs like an iv o iy iulaul box. anid o lo so a t
band it is vm y beautiful, uioro com pletely covered w ifli <irniiinent
than alm ast anythin g we have seen : every b it o f rho w hole
buildjng is inlaid w ith cclouivd inurbles, th« dado in a larger and
coarser pattcru, amT all Ihe rest in more dfdim te desi.gns ; there
is also som o^veiy line piercM c a n ing, and sumo of tin- moat lovely
rrti.sed bus-rolief inari>lo w<irb X ever saw. The guide-botik account
of th o t-omb says : ’• T he lower ball cim fuifiing th e tom b is a
p iraUclogr/iin o f marble inlaid w ith eoloun-d
chie ily in
ardbcsqne, w ith a few largo fiower.-,. It sm nds on a-.sandstone
terrace 1411 feet sjjuarc. Four liohl kiosks stand a t th e four
coinf'i's, and in th o centre is a sm all pavilinn o f rich piqrcod work
covere<i w ith an oblong dome topped wirh tw o ^ight> pinn.acles.’
T h is tom b w.as erected by 'Itin.ad-ud-Doulah’s <l«ugbter, J w r
Jahau, w ife of tlie Kmperor Jehnugir.
• ,
.
R iicbol is reported to* imvo said one day, ‘1 do so lik e old,--' *
0^
1
M
^
. -
M
^
4
lR8j
IN'l'ERVIKWS, B l'R m U S . .\N’D IN STiirTfO N 'S
♦
• lo 3
•
tom bs becauso «*no alw a y s lind.s tea th ere.’ T his one w as no
^
exception to the rule.
I tliiuk 1 have forgotten to tell you th a t w e are in our ow n
camp now. I t is quite flat and un in terestin g heiMg a t home and
in Briti*h tem to ry . T he m en in armour, llie-illum iuatjons and.
tlriiworks, and all tlie Oriental splendour o f our progress thrn\T^Ij
llajpoottina, have faded aw ay aw in u dream I
'
• .
S atu rdu y, 2^th.— The V iceroy liud n very harvl day indeed—
int^'rviews, <lurbars, and in stitu tio u s w ith o u t end. .1 lUd n o t do
so much, bu t I started w ith Iiiin in th e morning, am i after tw o o f
Jiis visits w e w en t to th e R om an C afholic College asid Convent,
iind to the gaol, where th ey m ake m ost lovely carpels ; and then
D . went, to tlie Agiyi ^‘ollege, where lie answered three addi*essRS,
aivl I rcturnofi homo to have a dbnversatioii w ith Dr. M oir, the
Otticiating P rincipal of th e Poinale Meiliq^I School. The V^iceroy
g o t biick ill tim e to receive, one after th e yther, th e M.aharajahs
of ChurtporK and Dholjxire, and P rin ce N apoleon, w ho came to
luncheon. A t three o ’clock D. plunged in to more interview s, and
I w ent to sec th e w ife and m other of th e iiah«.raj?h of lJholp«>re.
T he Maharajah h im self wa^ dressofl for v isitin g and for receiving
th e Vicei*oy, and had on th e m ost m agnificent pearls, about four
row s round hi.s neck, and tw o lon g chains, and a. sort of breast­
plate and^epawlettes, all of larger pearls. W h en J.>. had paid in s ,
v is it wo w ent for a short ride, and in th e evening we hud a
dinner. P rince N apoleon dined.
S tin day,
— Y ou w ill have berrun to think th a t Sum lay
hod droppetl out of our weeks, for w e were travellin g on th e last
tw o. W e were vorj' ghid to find ourselves quiet for th is one.
-X ^e obaB ges^f tem perature try every one,*so hot in th e day and
so cold a t n igh t, auu w o h?vR all borne them better tlian some
other people in our c.imp. W e w e n t to cliu ich in th e
and hml m ennt to go once more to th e Taj, but I did not go ^u% ' ' '
again, and a t s ix in the evening I received Sir rr^jdcjrick llcbc-tU,
wlio hjid ju s t arrived from E ngland, and who stays w ith us for a
few days.
,
M onday, ^Oth.— I-visited n zenana si-lioo! and a di.-<pensary,
and w ent thoroughly through th e Fem ale .Medical Collegb, frhere
the girls were a t work, listen in g t*» lecture.s, atten d in g to patients,
_ tak in g pulses and tem peraturea, i e . H ow ever, I th in k I had
hoctci not. flrag th is subject in to niy journal, else you wDI h ave?|ir
too much of it, jus5t bccupios a g rea t deal of my tim e and atten tion .
In the .afternoon w e w en t wdth D . to v isit th e Maharajah
of.Bliurt.poro.
Jie w onted to sliow us a new house he has ju st
buUt, and tlieii on to Sikaiidra,' where is th e tom b of Akb.ar. W e
IX IX D IA
ch . v
•
•
M’ere all in tlie proper frame of niind, a\itl were prejKived to be
m uch iiupi'essetl; bu t w e were disappointed w ith it, and did nob
greatly adiuu'e it. T he o m am en talloa is coarse, and I .'Uppo.se
w o have seen too m any lovely th in gs lately not to have become a
little c r itic a l; it is, h o w ev er, Ci>iisiderei,l very l^ iu tifu L
• W o had ft dinner for th e n ew Couimander-in-Chjef, and g a v e a
‘ drum*’ tf) th e A gra people, and ju s t a.s w e were goin g to bed we
gob th e very beat neft's from Burmah. I), has b een so an xious
th at there should be little bIoo<lshcd, and he w as greatly roliei*e<l
and pleased to find how w ell th e w hole th in g lias boon managed.
Kv-ptytbiug h)»<l been done so quickly th a t I im agine th e BurmL*so
found tlic-ir breath taken aw ay ; on ly one oGLcer and tUrep. m en
have l>een killeil, and I fancy very few on th e other side h a v e lo st
thuir lives. I t is exactly six wfiiiks since war w as doclarcil.
'I’xKsrlay, Dtc.embcr
—T h tee telegram s arrived th is inornIng, One contained th e Queen’s congratulations on th e succpsa
o f th e B urm ese campaign : ’ 1 am commanded by iho Queen to
express to Y ou r E xcellen cy th e pleasure w ith which H er M ajesty
has recelvcsl th e new s of th e rp'Jiilt o f th e m ilitary operations
in th e Irraw addy V a lley so effuct-ively organised b y Xour Ex*
colloncy’s Governm ent, and .so b rillian tly caiTied o u t b y H er
M.ajesty''' forces under th e comm and o f General Pi-endergast.’
T he n ex t telegram said : ‘ H er ila je s ty 's G ovenw nent ofier to
Y o u r E xcellency cordial con gm tu lation s on the conspicuous simccss whitrh has attended th e expedition again st tho K in g of
Burm ah, and arc glad to cxpreB.s th eir ]irofoun«l satisfaction th a t
th e immecliatt! objects of th e miUhiry operations have been
attained w ith so little loss o f life.’ T he thirtl telegram told u s of
th e i)u k e of fcsomcrKCt’^ death. D . w as very fond of* him , and ho
had alw ays been m ost kind and friendly to mo. E v ery fnish
b lan k imide am ongst those w e left ju s t a year ivgo is sad to us,
aiK^D. feeLs too ^ le gradual dying out o f th ose am ongst whom
h is m other spent her youth.
The journey from A gra is q u ite short, and we arrived a t
Gwjilior in tim e for luncheon. Our v is it is more than u su ally
interesting, bocausf?.tlic V iceroy is goin g to g iv e th o F o rt back
to Sctndiii. l i e 1ms been w an tin g it ftir years ; and w hen one
sees how clo.se i t is to h is pahwe, and h ow com pletely i t com ­
m ands h is tow n anfl Ida home, ono can q u ite undorst-'ind w h a t a
thdrn in his sid e it m ust h.ave been. N o w it is to .b e p u t in to
h is ow n hands, aud ho give.s in return a n o th e r fo rt and can ton ­
m en t farther aw ay from h is capital. I b elieve ho Ipw on ly oiico
been in to th e fortress here, which show.s how u y ich he ho.s fe lt
th e position, for he is h M ahratta cliief, a groat soldier, has a
1C 4
'
o n i
n C E R E O .V L
L l l 'K
1885
RKM.UlK.UaJ5 liOCK PGUI.PTURE AT GWAI.KUt * 1B5
largo Jinny of his own, and cares on ly fo r it. W q arfr^tnyiug iu
h is palaee— « vpry iine now bnildiii^; " Ilh one )n»ignilieent rfunn,
in w hich w e lo.st ourcelvt-s la st night. AVe were about tw en ty
people, and were illum inale<l by 9U0 caiullcs, and* w ere indetin itely r<>pro<luced in mirrors, w liicli are opposite to ejich other
J i l l the w ay tlowii tlie room.
•
In th e iifternoo]! T). had t-o be visited by and to vi.sit th e
Alahurajnh, so h is tim e w as filled, and [ thcfuglit w e ladies had
better go and see tlie F ort in th e cool of th e d^y, instead o f
w a itin g tin the morning. I t looks lik e a ‘ (lib ra lta r' guiirding
th is place, and is a very lai^ o and m assive pile.^ AVhcn, wo
reached the gate, w e g o t on an elephant to go up th e very steep
ascent, and passed thrttugh more g a tes and along a narrow rojwl
w ith carvings in th e rock, and tHen under th e palace, w hich is
very curious, and w hich has th e rem ains p£ m ost brilliant deconition s in coloured tiles. The rooms inside are sm all, b u t are
covered with' atone carvings in q u ite a different stylo from th e
m arble work of A gra ; and a t tlie farther end of th e F o rt Jiro
tw o tem ples, specim ens of th e oldest H in d oo architocture. They arc
entirely covered w ith deeply cu t y>iifctcnis in tho stone, a»id w ith
figures, nil of w hich have l>een m ore or less defaced by tho
M ^ o m e ta n s, w ho object to representations of liv m g creatures.
Tliose to m p le ^ r e p u t together w ith ou t m ortar or p lasler nf an y
kind, jind arc m o si intczcsi.ing. A n o th e rv eiy rein a rk a b lo fr a tu ro
o f th is F ort is the rock sculpture, gig a n tic figures i n * 8 1 0 0 6 carved
iu the solid rock. M ost o f them represent BrolxlingiiHgian hum an
beings, standing .stiflly and undraped agjiinst Ahe side of th e hill.
O ne cannot conceive an ytliin g m ore diflerent in th e w.ay of
design, execution, form, and cluinictertliarfthH tom bs Hndpahu es
w6 have been seeing hitherto, and these old H in d oo teiaplc^i and
-sr'carvings at Gwalior. T h e rock sculptxires are supposed to h a v e •
l)€en cut in 1467, but th e infallibla guidel)0ok^givo5 a . i>. 27 ^
th e d ate o f th e founding o f Gwalior. I t also says th »t th e largest ‘
^
figure is fifty-seven fe e t high, uiid it i.s w ell to m entioii th is, ns
you m ay have n o idea of w hat I lUKin b y ‘ large.’
W’uSinsda^i 2 n d .~ * l had intended to revi<fit tho F ort w ith H . <*5^
in tlie morning, bu t w e h a v e been rath er tried b y.th o cbatiging
clim ates w e luive gono through, sind so I th ou gh t i t more pruclenr.
^
to avoid tlm h ot sun and to have a (juiet morijing, especially a.s
N e llie seemed a little fevi'rish, and is better a t home.
•
The durfmr wRs held a t th ree o’clock, in th e groat draw ing­
room I have ^mentioned before. T he thrones were a t one eiul,
and the n atives ^ud soldiers in lon g lin es on eith er side, filled it,
leavin g only a pathw ay dow n th e middle. I t w as a very lino
ISO •
O I 'R
V IC E R K H A L L i l ’B I X I X U IA
t'H. v
siglit. Sci)\dia m ot the ViccToy in th e centi*o o£ th e room., .'iiid
t)iey Walked lian«J in hand t-o tho thrones, and soon after th ey had
sputed tlicm selves tlie V iceroy rfairl out th e Foreign Office d is­
patch handing over tlie F ort to th e Mali.arajah ; and Mr. Durand
repeatKid tlio stitne in Ilindustiw ii. Hcindia mjjde a short reply in
a»very lo^e voice, and th e wholo tilin g was ovc^ Tiiougli th e
Maharajah ahoweil very littio pliiasure or c-motion of an y kind,
w c all knew th at -the great w ish of h is life had been fultille<l.
H o .viid to tbo R esident as h e left. ‘ K ow 1 m ust go and tell^m y
h oy,’ th e heir, a child of nine, to whom he is devoted, *but whom
w e have no# seen, as he is ill.
TJjere was a greiit banquet in tho evening, seventy-four
people a t table, and a t th e end of i t BciuTUii* eatoft in to propose
th e Queen’s health and tho V iceroy’s. In h is reply i>. sa.id th .it
in the inDrning, .speakiijg as
Queen’s representative, and iu
tho name of the tioveruuic-nt, he had used th e official am i somew hiit cold anfl fornial language neees.sary upon sucK au occasion,
b u t tliat now in his ow n per.son, as th e friend and g u est of th e
Maharf^ah, ho wished to eon gm tu late hi\u v.arm ly upon tho
signal mark of favour lio had th a t day received a t th e hands of
liis Sovereign. Scindia really did look pleased and happy, and a
numl)er of hi.s sirdars had como w ith him , w hoso gay dre&ses.
brightened up th e room considerably, so tlia t the |>nrty: was quite
cheerful. Fancy, however, the face o f official India, w hen a t th e .
en d of H.lil.^s speech a gentlem uii suddenly g o t up and passed a
eiilogiuui on the Maharajah, One w ould liave thought th e end of
th e world had come, such looks of blank am.azeinent pas-sed
arou n d : Poor man, ho u'as brought to a sta te o f ‘ ab ject
a p o lo g y ' soon after, and I don’t tliin k lie h as li&ird th e end o f it
y e t ; Imppily his speech w as short. There were illuuiinations
. a i i J fireworks, and so oncled a great day for Scindia.
^ Tkur»dny, 'ird.- \V e did n o t Im v eG w a liu rtill after luncheon,
6 0 T dixjve a}wut in tho inornin.g to see tho tow n , w hich is c/illed
Laahkar.* There are som e p retty carved arches and w indow s, but
if. is not a re.ally interesting place. W e le ft w ith a ll th e usual
oerenionios, and passed again through Scindia’s army. I t is a
p ity*th at he has pu t his men in to helm ets instead of turbans ; a
v e r y w h ite helm et, of a verj' u gly shape, which never b y an y
'oh an ee fits its pw uer, looks very bad o n th e top o f a dark face
and Jt head of lon g black hair. A il our n a tiv e tfOOps look so
rem arkably w ell in their puggnrees th a t I w^md»w he does n o t
s e e h ow m uch m ore .soldierly and becoining th eir h^ad-dres? is.
A fte r tw o hours in th e train w e rea d ied Dhplpore, and sp en t
a. very p leasant afternbon tlicro. T he Maharajah li \c s iit tho
^
188-5
INTT'KVUnviNCr T liK
f
MAILAKAJ.UI'S MOTHER
.
15"
■ReBidency llo u so , as he has no palace ; it is a red ston e house,
very new-lookin}', and n o t prett-y outside, anil seem s to be set
dow n in som e fields, for thero is no attem p t at garden about i i . ’
In sid e it is nicely furnished, and is very English-looking. Tlie
Maliarajali is a perfect gen tlem an in every way, and I am tol<l he
is an cxcp llcnt rhler and sportsman. There w as nothing to
seen here exci-pt som e caged tigers and a herd o f black bucks.
T he latt<T were in a grea t yard, which wry? intcrsccteif b y low
m ud w alls, and when a man on horseback rode after them , th ey
posTtivoly Jlew over thes«i w alls, and nothing coulif be prettier
th an their graceful inoveinents. W e could see tlie w ay they
doubled up for the flight, and when they were on th e level grobnd
th cv gave gn-at jumijp every few steps in th e m ost lig h t and
airy ununier.
•
A fte r this cUsplay D . W'a.s carried o(T to another house, to
in terview th e M uliam jah’s m otlier w ith rf purdah betwe’en them.
Tt si^enia th a t every V iceroy visits her. T hey had a mo.st su c­
cessful m eeting. J). said to her th a t as she ahd 1 were mcinliers
o f the sam e Order (Crovv^i o f rn d ia)V o m ust be sisters, and th en
th a t as wp were sist-erB he m ust b e her brotlier, and m ust couio
hehim l the purdali— all of w hich delighted her and she l.aughcd
Iicarlily. A n oth er grt'at jok e was th a t he told her he heard a
m an’s voice behind th e purdah (her little grandson’s), which sen t
her in to fr^ sh tlts of laughter, and she -said to her son th a t ‘ This
w as som ething lik e conversation, and so very m u ch ,b etter thaji
th e usual “ How an; y o u '1 I am glad to see you.” ’ Thiui she
sen t him round a rose, and Ito told her th a t th e j -o b o would fmle
an d the scent pass away, b u t th a t th e re'membrance o f lu i
gracious act w ould fo r e v e r remain in h is jie a r t— but tlia t H er
H igh n ess had*put him in a great difliculty. a s on his return home
m w ife WMuld certainly m ako H point of flniling ou t w ho gave
him th e lluwer. 3>. also told Imr th a t she w as tho first Im lian
princess he had conversed w ith, and that her grandson «.i;; fl-e
you ngest pj'ince w ho had ever presented him w ith a Auzzar. A ll
this w as quite u new w ay of talking, as 1 im ngme all previous
interview s hud been v e iy formal, and I believt;#Jie wa-v delighted.
T he dinner w as not’ ia ig e, and, as th e pro|prammo for th e day
said, tho ‘ usual sp eech es’ followetl. D. m anages on theso occa­
sions to say som ething appropriate, and p u ts in som e couimendjvtions w ith ,a
of good advice to th e mifliarajah. A£t|*r
dinner we sat ou t
th e steps, and sav. a very am using jiro^
ees-,ion v,-1111.11 ’is peculiar to Dholpore. Led horses camo first, and
then camels* 1 1 1 1 ( 1 (deiihants m ost splendidly dressed and w ith
Ijea&tiful howduhs on. One o f thcise, a s h e passed, w aved a
158.
r
*
OUR VJCKRKGAL LIFE TN INDIA
^
c a .:r
#
pocket-handkerchief in iiis trunk, and said ‘ H u rrah ,’ an d another
carried a pole v it h a burning torch ut each ond of it. A fte r ilio
olcphants came palanquins, in wliich sat people dressed as k ings
and queens and wearing inaskH, and little br>ys
niaslcs on
jum ped about th e rojid, and one car pas-setl w ith tw o w h ite and
^ Iv c r c la d women stand in g up in it, and tlionf a crow d of nautchgirls danced before us. \V e jisked for th e prooessimi to come
round again, and tjio clej>hant3 had ju s t re-appeared upon th e
-scene, w'hen the fireworks began and frightened them so mucli
th a t th ey turned tail and flc^d, nearly u p settin g us a s they'rau.
T he firewoi;Jcs w ere good, and som e m ost im petuous firo-foim tains
were pretty, w hile the fire-balloons wore also so successful th a t
th ey appeareil to form n ew and m agni^ceut con stellation s in
th e sky.
•
FEaving enjoyed tlie even in g ver}- niucli, w e were conductefl
to the train, where w o %pent th e n igh t, on our w ay to Lucknow.
F rifl^y, iih .— S ir A lfretl L yall, th e members o f.tlio M unicipal
C om m ittee, and aBout oleveu o f th e o x -K in g o f Oude’s fam ily,
m et tlie V iceroy a t th e L ucknow station. T he Oude people had
splendid jew els on their heads. One man wore a tiara on a
tu rlsm w ith a brim to it, and drop’s of big emeralils liung from
the edge of it all roaud h is h(?atl. The municijjal addre.ss was n
pariicularly good one, and I don’t say so only Inicause it w as so
v tr y nice to m e and so cordial about m y Scheme,'*butf becau.sc it
also sjKike
very sensibly and w ith such good feelin g about its
ow n m unicipal duties. The V iceroy’s reply w;is m uch to th e
point, and w as an in terestin g one, as he entered a little in to th e
political part of the B urm ese question.
W e then drove to th e Governm ent H ouse, w here w e are
sta y in g w ith Bii- A lfrw l and L ad y L yall, and ]). Bold a levee a t
noon.
In th e afternoon J gave n ow colours to th e 2nd B attalion
Lfiiccstorshiro BRgiinent, and m ade a very short .speech. The
ceremoni^ i.s alw.aj-s a p retiy one. T lie regim ent guvo a ball in
the evening, b ut I had refused i t for m yself, and B . w as to have
tak en th e girls, .^ t the Last inoiutmt, llo^yever, R achel could not
go on account of her gi*andfather’s dcivth, and N e lly hatl n o t hoen
v ery w ell the la st tw o days, so I k ep t her at home, and i t ended
in i ) , ’.s lookin g in for about te n m inutes ajid then com ing home.
^ S a tu rd a y , v)fk.— W e all w ont to see an E xh ib ition : .it contains
*pecim ens of v.arious industrio.s in th is pni-t of India, o f th in gs
goin g to London, and o f a sm all loan collection.* W e found it
very int« resting. Aft^jf in sp ectin g i t w e saw h ‘ T\Iusical*Ride,’
tlie 17 th Lancers lieingkthe perfonuers, an d in tlfe afternooi i Tai ly ‘
1880
s r n v i v o i i s OF THK iU IJ .U j: C rA K l)
159
%
Lyall liad a %'ardeu-parfey. I)t had not fell w ell all ia y , and by
thia tim e he had som e fever and a terrible headache, so h<‘ liad to
^ 0
to be<l w ith th e in ten tio n o f g ettin g np after diiinei and goin g
ou t to liold *• tiurbar, or hirge i-4^eeptioii. Ifw in.sisted ilia t lie m ust
go, w h atever happ»*necl. H ow ever, Sir A lfred L yall assured, lum
th a t i t conltl bo postpone<i, and so he consented ro rcimun at
home, w hich w as fortunate, ixs he couhl scarcely spoak by niHo
o’clock ; and, though .1 am sure lie w ould liave m n n agw h to go
tliit)ngh it, he w ouhl have been niuch th e w otse for the exertion.
•^undn^, 6</<.— W e Imve had to alter our plans som ew hat, b u t
[ sh all Rwircely know till th e evening how far th ey m ust Im
chaiigrd. I h is no worae th is morning, b u t a t an y K i t e w e m ust
sta y another day here, and m ust c u t Cawnpore ou t of our
programme.
* •
i t is a great disappointm ent* to liim losing th is afrpimoon’s
v is it to th e Residency, for he h:i# been Jooking furwawl to th a t
for m onths, and G enem l W ilso n is here on purjiose to show it to
him, and tho suiwivors o f tlie B a illie Guawl h ave come up to
L ucknow for th e occasion ; nor can tliis be m erely p u t olf till
another tim e, for G eneral W ilson leaves L ucknow to-n igh t, and
In d ia in M arch, and the B aillio Guard are old and cannot again
be sum m oned from th eir various homes. Genenal W ilson, to<),
wae greatly disap}K)jiited a t Jiot show ing it to th e Y iceroy him ­
self, for ti»is «vas Jiis ow n la st view o f a u pot associiited in his
m ind w ith so m any m iseries, so muoli gallantry, and such painful
in t e r e s t; and it q uite affeotwl him to see again the<?G old lla illie
Guard men, w hose behaviour at th e sif'ge o f L ucknow lie con­
siders unsurpassed in th e world’s history. I h e y w ei’e drawn up
a t tlie gate w hen w e ai rivod, for T wont w ith him , b u t wo did not
.speak to them fill our return, as Geriend W ilson felt th a t if onco
h e begun to ta lk to them he w ould never g et away. Old and
teeblo m any o f them lo'iked, b u t th ey nil had medals, on, their
breasts and bore a soldierly nppearauca. T hey wero pleased to
see him , but remarked th a t his beard hr?, grow n w lijte .since tiiey
know him, and then, after w o hud explained to tbem *how sorry
th e V iceroy w as to be unable to see them , tJiey were pJjotographed
in a group. O ne cair only appreciate th eir .Share iu th e defence
w hen one sees how .close tho enem y w ere to them , how they* couhl
actu ally talk together, and how th ese m en w'cre coaxetl and
Ihreatcnetl b y th eir ow n countrym en and co-roligioniats w ith ou t
th e wall, tii^d how, though uncertain w h eth er th e few Euglishm eu
sh u t up in tko R esidency wei’o n o t th e on ly ones romnirdng in tno
country, th ey y e t rem ained faithful. G eneral W ilson w as A ssis­
tant-A dju tant-G en eral a t th e tim e, and w as consequently th e
IGO
f)V U
V IC E K K O A L
T .I F E
IN D IA
c h
.
v
v ery be.st positiWe por-'on to (lescrH)o th e w hole stiehe, for it -was
Ins fluty to lie goinsj about a ll day w ithm th e defences, •while tlie
other ofilcei’s and m en ■were confined each to Iiia ow n particular
p o s t ; and for the 145 days th ey -wero shut up, a m an a t one enri
of tlic place liad no idea w h at was /^oing on a t th e otliftr. Of
cour-se, it -would be useleRS to attem p t to g iv e ,y o u a real account
d? w iiat you can rcc.d in l>ooks, but I w ill ju s t go through our
w alk w ith G enem l W ilson and te ll you a little about it.
The first thing fine has tu do is to im agine w h at th e phico
w as in IdoK N ow , for m iles round th e licsid e n c y are g*een
fields and trees ; tlm i it was a dense bazaar up to th e verj’’ gate.?,
and. it is qflite astonishii\g to see how close th e l>esiegera 'were.
Thtire 'was no vv.alled fort or city , hiit a sort of largo garden, ii'
w hich **\cre a few gfnth!meii'.». houses and a*cli«rch, com pletely
f>verlooked by surrounding house.s, and ihore wn.s on ly a ha.stily
raised m ud w.all to divhle th # enem y from tlie defenders. The
foe. outside could see every inoven>nut inside, and could take
cxHCt aim a t individuals w alking about. There w-as one path in
partic.ular which it wjis niuL-t dangerous to cross, as ‘ Johannes’
H o u s e ’ commanded it', and all th e protection th a t w as possible
w as tho stretching across tlie road a piece o f canvas ■which made
the be-iiegor's sliot a chaaico one and not a certam ty. Tim men
had to fight ail day and work all night, as being so overlooked,
nothing could bo done in tho l i g h t ; funerals, g e t t it g qjit stores,
VBpairing defences, every iu te n ia l arrangeitient w as nocessarily
carried on in ’the dark. A t th e present m om ent th e R esid en cy is
a very prt'tty place— gay flowers, picturesque ruins— b u t it m u st
have been dried up, barren, and terrible th en . S eein g ruins
m ade is n \ ery diffeTcnt m atter from contem plating th em calm ly
years after the dcstrucfton is accomplished.
•
The first place w e looked a t, to th e rig h t of th e gatew ay, w as
tho house defended b y th e B aillie Guard, w ith in Kpcakiiig di.staiifti'. o f tlie enem y, f t is marked ail over wutli .shot, a n d bu llets
seem oven to Juive taken headei-s in to inner courts, whore people
m ight havtf expccie<l t-o Imj safe, and left their marks tlievn. AVe
n ex t saw the banqueting hall, tho lower ronma uf which were
u.sed .us a hosj)ital, V h ile oHicors iivi'd alxn'o ; th e top storey o f
every b u ild in g ^‘tts considered uinsafc for w on^n, b o th e y ^ c r c iir
a cellar below, out o f ■vv’hich th ey dared not move. ^
th is
building wo saw the place wIh'cc th e dead ■were carried each day
unjkleft till night.
Then wo w alked on to tho Kcsidenfty H ouse
Itself, saw th e room where ^ ir H e n r y L awrence received liis
<lc-atli-wound. General W ilson being w ith him a t tb c tiu ic . • A
sh ell burst in it, took o lf th e log of a punkah-hoj* sittin g there,
\m
‘
V
.
p
^
j;{i;.vixiscFA C£.s o k i i i k
m u t in v
1G1
woun'lpfl S ir H onry m ortally, an'I rent off u portion o f Gftnoml
^
Wilsioira olothes. T)i« ainolvt) Diade it pitch dark, and ho .said to
S ir U on ry, ‘ Ar.* you Im rf.” ‘ T am killed,' he repliwl. On
th is buil(Hng th** Erigli->h flag floated every day ; it m igh t be sliot
dow n or torn, b u t.a s sure os th e m orning da«med it ■^■as in it-'*
placo again. JNext cam e a spot where an ofliw r and liity men
lived in n hole in the ground, ail tiio tim e w;^tehing th e ^ow mud
w all and Jiaving con stan t conflicts w ith th e c .p ^ ~ ^ \ 'Tlum th e
cliarch, w ith th o doorw ay cu t btJhind th e a l t a r , ,/ Xvluch tlio
stores were g o t a t night, and a ll round w inch one'si^es th e toinb-'^'^'^'
ston es o f th ose w ho died : m em orials of them , b u t n o t m afking
thoir aittual resting-places, .as no d istin ctiou s wen? made, and a ll T.—r*
w ere buried to g e ^ e r .
The inq^r intere^tiug is tliMt o f ‘ Sir
Ilo n ry Lawrence, w iio trind to dc^his duty. IM'ay th e Lord have
m ercy on his soul.’ A fter th is wo visitt’d som e buildings which
w ere outsid<'_ th e R esidency, but w ithin th e defences, and in.
w liich wom en Hvod below and men above, sifrrounded alw ays by
h o t fighting. W e avw th e Hj)ot where ‘ .Jolianno.H’ H o u se ’ was,
and liatenod to a v iv id description of- tho manner in w hich it
w as blow n up ; and so on wo w en t from post to post, Genem l
"Wilson g ivin g iis a littio account of all th a t happened in th e •
mdSt in teresting w ay, straigh t from h is h eart os it seemed to
come, aiid.witfinnr any unnecess-ary details. T lie last house we
saw w as th e one in w hich Sir H en ry Ijawreuco .Uceathed TiiT
Inst, T he rebels, seeing th a t som e im portant person w « carried
there, iinm ediately turned th eir guns o n it, and hi» nephew,
G eorge Lawrence, w as wounded at tho door o f tlie room where
his uncle la y dying.
,
M u tin y w as over th e n a tiv e c ity w as rlestroyed,
and th ey say “that' great uuius o f m oney m ust be bnriwl on th e
spot, for tho panic-strickeji iiUjnbitJints fteti'“a t id 'lif e • mkL--a a d i- . — .
•«lieu th ey returned again th ey found a grass plain, and atulcl
n o t pos-sibly tell wlitu'e their houses had been oi*v.;^hcrc their
treasure w as. N ow , I really niu.st not sa y any m u iy ^ o u t Ibis,
b u t you see it w as very disappointing th at, D.
d it. H e
still has som e fever, and so we li.ave g iv en h p all tho funvfions
hoi'c, a ^ v e ll as going to Cawnpore and IJcnares, and now liope
to le a v e ih is on Thursday, an d to go straigh t to C alcutta.
, .
Afoiultt,y,7tJi.— l w en t to tho E xliib ition fcft a u hour in
nioniing.
as* it
a *iu an a day and I Imd promised to
M ost of th o * ‘ zen a n a ’ lad ies were E u glish , b u t thora were, I
suppbse,aliDut thirty I’cally purdah w ho m ay liuvc !ike<l t o ^ ' ^ j j r ^
■ me; Tho rest o f th e day I nursed
D ., .w h o keeps nearly
sairftj point, neither b etter nor w orse.
^
i
■ •
_________
162
Ol^H VK KKEGAL I J F K IN IND IA
•
ar. v
Tiictiday, ^tk.— I did not go ou t till six o’clock, -when I ■\voiit,,
..w itii tho rest of the party to see tlie linoinharali illum inated. I t
is a hall, a courtyard, and ft moscjue, w hich fell into our hands a t
tliP tim e of tlie IMutiny, and was on ly given back to th e M ahom ^ a n s la s t year. Tho outside w as brilliantly, illum inated, and
th e great rcami, whicii is 103 fe et long and 49 ^ c t high, and
w'hlch Is,* they say, th e b ig g est I'ooin in tho world, w as also
ligh ted up. Lt contains th e tom b o f its founder, and is a semi-_
sacred place. " I fe lt q uite sorry th at, so much trouble ha^iing
been taken, I w as th e on ly person to profit b y it, and 1 w as
nearly covei*etl up in th e gold garland prepared for th e
V iceroy.
Wediiesdny^ 9fA. -D. is deoidt^dly b e tte r ^ -^ a y ; b u t a.s h e is
n o t allow ed to travel till n e x t Alonday, 1 w ill send tjhis off now.
T had iuteVided mir tour to havo been so beautifully rounded oil'
a t C alcutta on th e 12(h, th e very day w e arrived th ere la st year,
bu t th is fever altered all our plans.
Sa4.ux.day, i'lth. -I havo alre.ady given you ati account o f luy
doiygs hist Sunday ; but, as th is w hole week has been o n e of
bee^toa, quinine, arrowroot, thcTnioinotcr, doctors, nurses, h o t
bottles, and pulse, I begin again from Saturday, 5th, ju s t to tell
you th at I have passed alm ost m y whole tim e ,in t.lio wok-riMnn,
and th a t fireworks, illum inations, nnd grand process#ons*uo longer
occur daily.
I did tho nursing m yself for tw o or th ree days, and discovered
a w onderful capacity for w aking up a t odd m om ents, b u t then
th o doctor interfered, an d I g o t a nice respectable E u m sian
woniaji to help me.
,
D .’.s tem perature never w en t q u ite up to lOL” , Imt i t hovered
abou t 100° for m any days, and it is only to-day (12th ) th a t i t
w as normal.
d t is .a great nwrcy for us th a t %
\’e w ere here, for L a d y L yall
i s so kind, artd an uivalid has ev ery th in g o f th e b est in th is m ost
hospitablc*hnuse.
T alking o f Indian houses I’em iiids mo th a t pprhap.s T have
never, told you th eir great peculiarity, V h ich is th e jmblie
character of all th e rooms. I havo jint y e t. been in one room,
w hether in m y ow'u house a t C alcutta or in anybody elso's abode,
in w liich you etiuhl say, ‘ W ell, no one cun come in here.’ Y ou
m lfy lock one door, or tw o doors, or three, o j four^ oV live, hut
tlien there an* th e one, tw o, thn'c, four, or five w indow s opening
on to th e verandah, along w liich e\«-ry one m ay p:is&;*nnd ifV o u r
hC-rvnnts think you ])artieniarly w an t to be nhaio tlioir natural
curiosity leads them to creep in silen tly and coiisiau tly by'one
188J
K E -S E T T U N G
AT
C A I .C V r r A
*
1 { )3
of th e unguardetl ontrances— 1^> show you sotiie oxtraorJIuury
attention .
Wednesd^ty, IC^A.— M onday w as a ivul day w ith D .. and it
wa.s a relief ou T uesday m orning to hear th a t we m ight sta rt for
home. H o w as •wyak, and had to be oarrietl to th e carriage, b u t
h e Hoeinetl no worse for th e journey, and wu-s able to w alk and*to
p u t on an air of convalescence when w o g o t to tl^iouttfl. W e
remained in the train, l)ut did not travel b y ‘night, atid w e arrived
lhi% afternoon. W e th o u g h t i t l>est to spare D . public entry,
so w o m eekly and nuxlvhtly drove up w itli h pair of horses, no
troops ou t ami no fuss, b u t a great crowd o f iiMivo.s in th e
street.
A t Govem menit H ou se we h.id the. jo y of finding A rchie, also
Fro<l and B lanche am i th eir babv boy, a^^•aiting us I 'J'hey bavo
ju s t arrived from England.
T hus ends our first year in India. In ‘ th e Avay o f business it
h as l>een a jnosf even tfu l one, crisis nfttu’ crtsi.s com ing on. The
iie tig a l Tlent J.hU, th e .tVfghan com plication, th e strengtheniiig of
our frontier, th e JJurniese W ar, and m any m inor difiiculties liave
all had to be d ealt w ith . W e sincerely hope th a t th e com ing
year m ay bo a less even tfu l one.
OHAFTEEl V I
CALCUTTA,
•
188.') -1886
ShCCSSJEER 1 7 . 1885, TO FKBaU-UiY 2, IHS6
Dec<tvtbtr 17i7<. to 2!(!/<.--Our second season,a% ,Caicui^stsirt-a'
w ith m uch unpacking. T here are tlio things wlaeh w ere left
behiiitl lost M arch, there are th ose w hich have come ftum Sim la,
those which have been on tuur, and th e new ciotiu»» arrived from
E ngland ; th ey arc ail soldered up in 'tin add wraj.ped ii) paper
;iud screw ed dow n bi wooden case.s, so tliat even w hen they h.avc
lM*en dug out th ey luive to be sorte'l and put heiei an<l there, and
w e have to try to nmiember where th is picture,huug, where th a t
b it o f chrnu lay, niid to wonder w hat w e can do w ith all thc>i!d
}^>apcrs and lcttei% and photographs and b ills and otherju-cumulatioM« of tljc y e a r . 1 ossury you it Is no jok e, esfiocially w hen wo
recullect tlia t wp <u'r on ly re-seitlin g for tw o lu* tJireo m onlhs, ami
th at in a very few w eeks th e paekiug-cTises w ill have to Iw tilled
1(14
ouK
vrcKRi:a.\i.
i .h 'k i x
•
i n i )L\
•
cu. vi
again. It makes me uiuloi'stauil Ijew pe*>ple com e t<* I>e Ijizy
alx>uL l>cnuLifyi]ig an'l niTJinging llib: lovely liuuse, and how a
spirit o f ‘n iiytliiiig w ill <lo foi- surh a shni*i t im e ' yrccps in. W lion
line Hi'st arrives in th e country, one imagineK th is palace is to he
Olio's lioine, but six m onths in the Sim la cotftigg soon undeceive
ono.
,
T h e'n ew clothes are o f courso deeply in terestin g — tliey are
our great stand-by for the year ; and as we certainly have to pay
*
^1), thoil^jh wo have been unable to choose them , it is e(]Ui\lly
ilia t w e m ust wear them , w hether we lik e blicin or no.
The only*difforence in our house-arrftugeinents dow nstairs
is that, haviiifcf cre.aied a little room a t tlio back of my dnuviiigloom wliich 1 m eant to g iv e Terence, I h .a v efa k e n itsisa b u siu e ssroom for m yself. I thought the '
would make mo untiily,
and tlia t i l w as necessary to havi- » barren-hioking (ihaiiiber in
wiiieh
i i of papers for th e IlonnrHry Se<TOTary o f th e Central
Coniniitteo, d-c , ivc., ^oulit be .iCt forth and remain undisturbed.
My ow u yink drawingu'oom, into whicli th is room opens, h as b e-n
I'c-covered w ith silk, ajid over th at w ith chintz., so th a t on ordinary
.occasions 1 look less .smart than before, wlu-n I >vua alw ays in
silk, hut uhcn *»t dinner pai’ties m y chairs and sofas w ill burst
forth into moi'.t lovol^v b!'»sht's ! M ixed up w ith these household
and wardrobe prefK-cvipations l«?.s been som e care to b<i tak en of
the V iceroy, whoso le v w s and draw iiig rooms have been a subject
o f a n x iety to us. H o toco\ cj-s Ijis strcjigth slow ly, )uid a t last we,
poreuaded liiin to p u t olT th e levde f«ir ten days, and to bo co n ten t
w ith the drawiiig-rodth now. W c had it on tlm ll2nd, and it was
D .’s lir.-it nppearauco sii^ce h is illnes.s.
T he C alculta naccs began o n W ednesday, and io r th e tirsfc
tim e
m y life I saw a really e x c itin g race. L on l W iDiani
brought ou t tv.o horses from England, and ono broke dow n
yesterday, wluoh was a, gix>ut .disajipointm ent and loss, and so we
■wore anxioun*tliat tlie other should w in to-day. The. horses all
kept Uiget!*"- til! n“jir fho cud, and th en Jfefal ciune on and w on
auiidst gi'eat appbuwe and tremondou.s ex citem en t.
Cfii'ixtiiMH Daijf
— A gain th is yejir w e had th e go*xl
fortune to receive our iingli.sh ietters o n G)ii'i;itmas iiioniing. Tt
is so nice bocaa.-o it m.tljes one fe<d less far aw ay w hen th e good
wl.shes and thu wnieiubrHiiui's from hom e come ex a ctly on tho
v if itt day. The, enlargrfcl fam ily p arty also made ifcst'if felt, .os
w hen .wo came dow n to breakfast th ere were nioi-e people ti")
(sxchango greetings w itii, au:l there were more niystgjrious piWceLs ■
ly in g aixjut. Tim Ijrj'a^fast-tablc w as laden* w ith gift« from
tieruiii! iiMii V ictoria, and frcmi you, and from a ll of us he^o to
8^)
18B6
T H E BARRACKPORK IIO l'N P S
K;">
•
<>ach otber, and tljci'e were toya for th e baby, who, however, dul
iiot m uch aj)}»reeiate any o f them .
fn th e at'ienioiin we w en t dow n to th e Bot^mioal ((a n ien s in
the k u iieh , and walkefl nl)out there, nnd saw som e of our country­
men nnd women <Iancing <|u.‘ulrille.s and w altzes on the gross, som e
o f tin- m en loohif\" n itlier unsteady after their lunch, nthoj’s ]^ rform ing m osf w onderful stops.
e drove back on Ijord,\VilliHm s
C IK U 'll.
•
A fte r dinner m y ‘ children ' insisted upon liaviyg .snapilragon
a i^ (Jlirhilmas gam es of th a t kind, so we a ll joined. 1-^idy Sykes
wa.4 tlie on ly atraujrei’, ptuI she w as quite m u ly to {day.
,
D . is q u ite w ell now, but h^* 1ms to ta k e can; not to g e t a
chill, and i t is renjl}’*vcry w in try weather.
){arrfii'k}u>rr: S u n d o y, D ffcvihf v 27M.- T he we.ithor i'ilcchledly colder than it w as h ist^ ear, and the Bougain.vinen.'! .and
l h e‘con volvulus are floubtful about coming out. S till Darrrick|K)rH
looks lovely; and w e enjoy it a s much as
!n th e afternoon w e w en t to see th e elephant.s and w,.v.v
umuvsed b y the perform ance of ouc in th e wati-r. A man stoo<i
on itfi hack, and m ade it g o riglit under and then roll luim d w hile
he balanced Inm sflf upon its slippery side a s m en in a circus do
oii a revolving glol>e ; anc^ when it cam e out o f th e wat-er it mms
m ade i-vlujug. an elephim lino hop ; and th e im diout told us th at
th is o)>eiUent anim al had tw ice sen t him in to hospital by taking
him up in h is trun k and injuring hiju. I do Jiot wonder tl.nt this
b east is soiiiethties savage, for man hn."* b^'lmved bw lly to him,
havin g blinded him on pujpose to m ake hjm m ilder
Tnnrt*
tisoful.
Mnuduijf^ 28lA.— The houseliidd wcil* greatly e'xcittvl -th is
jtjprriing. os th ey w e n t out hun tin g for th e lirst tim e w ith Fx>ril
TBt^irivnct s lioumU. The girls p."d all were off a t C.30, and sih’Uj
to liavo enjoyed them selves im m en sely : th ey Tmtf
sh o ru ^ u S '
after fux, and eventu.nlly killed ,i
Lor«l J lcrh ran d h as ju st
iiought a pHok w itli a vjcw to h unting jack al a t Ikirrackpon^
and th is adds greatly in th e eyes '>f m any poopl© to th e aiti;ac-^
tion s o f th e place.
.•
/V iii/y . JatV K iry ]af, b'<RG.— Tlve la.st w eek «jt the .t!d ye.ar
\\;is spent (juictly enough riding, driving, a race or tw o, a little
polu, a com m ittee-m eeting, un iiilin ite a m o u n iio f letter-w riting
mid bill-p aying, a few v isits from variou.s people, civiliti«'.s>J<>
guests, niui quell tik e ‘ eoim non tasks,' filled th e seven day.s, and
on the last^ u gh t of it wc h.rd rather •< p1pn<yin+ dinr.ei. I t was
extrem ely well clipson (by me), and th ere w ore several tou rists to
givp variety to it, and w e ]»ad a Htmgai-lan \-iolinist w ho played
1G6
OUIi VXCEUE(^A). Jni-’K IN' JN’Dl.V
ch
. vi
beautifully for us ih th e evening, and then our gu ests di.=porsed,
som e to see thoiie'w year in at a dance, arnl som e a t church, w h ile
w e m eant to sleep it iti, b u t were kept aw ake by th e jin g lin g o f
b^Ils and th e shrieks of sfteiim-wliistlcs, In th e ev en in g w e hud
th e usual b ig dinner -seven ty-eigh t men ami Hve latlic'^. I t was
rjAber plejisant this year, ;is I knew m ost o f our gu ests. W e
could ju s t fit in to the M arble H a ll w ith ou t ovcrflbwing beyond
th e frtllars, and the*banr]uet looked bright, and Avas w ell and
i|uickly serv{4 l.
WHieii we five ladie.s w en t up to th e <lrawing-iHXjm*we found
‘som e, of th e •native olhcials w ho don’t dine w aitin g there, and
I had s«>iuo very interestin g convers;itiou w ith one o f them on
th e subject o f'm y Schem e. In th e ovenhig, t^>y, th e M aharajah
o f Diu'bunglia tivld rne ho wuS going to buihl and e,-,tabHsh a
femuli* disponsiiry, and I am
g o and la y th e ston e (h is place
is only tw en ty hours <»ff— a iiioJ’C notliing). l i e liad lx;en to
^ speak to IX about, tjjis befcvo, and 1 am g r a itly ph«uscd a t th e
/• idea, jus of courso m y great w ish is to see luitive gen tlem en do
Y th e tilin g for thcmseh'e.s— and theso ncAv estJiblLshments started
I by them are far more valuable than m oney subscribed to my
-• Fund.
Tuiftclmj, .'■g/i. - S i r George Bowmi, tvith a sim and a <lnugliter,
arrived from H on g K o n g on Sum lay. Mimdny
a hard duy
for D., juid wo Itad to leave IhiiTacJcpoi'e curly, us wo hud so much
bu&inc.ss o n iiaud. W e In'pikfiujtM on b o a n l th e launch as w e
cam e down, which wjus mtli*^^)ieusiiur. T he girls had been out
'm iltin g SLill c.arlioj>but on th is occjvsion had neither ‘ fo u n d ’ H'T
‘ killed .’
-A.T eleven o’clock tht^Council m e lo n mo.st im portant bu.siness.
S ir .Auckliind Colvin m ade a financial statem en t bringing in an
Incom e-T ax Hill, and iX spoke afterwards, ju stify in g th e uieiusuro
i
ftiii] exp laining the prdiey «*f th e Governm ent. T he V iceroy’s
.speech aeum* to liave giv<;n great .satisfaction to a ll those who
Were ]irc««nt, and I now l>egin to doubt whothnr th e execr:i,tious
w hich I e.’cpccteil to see hejipinl ujhui his devoted head w ill be
uttered in a very vif^ent nmnner by th e preBu. Tn th e even in g he
4 ^ ^ jfvery large- levce. I believe there wcj-e about I ,i)00 gcntlcum*u
itr it - ib e house w as ovcrtiow ing w liii them*; th ey passcH), T am
told, on an a \ <-i-.'y'e o f alsm t six ty every three m inutes, and w hen
A\> wante4l to go to lied— I m ean we ladies, w ho for th e even in g
were l>chiinl the puixlah -m y gu ests couhl * 1 1 0 1 .g e t to th eir
chumboi’S »it all. First th ey triw l to get through tjje drajvingrooin— the entnince to it w.-us Ijjirrieaded, and i i w as fu ll o f men ;
th e second Ihnir wivs tU e'seen co f th e levi^ itself ; and th e bottom
1 8 8 C
A
10
•c
s r i > E R S T l T I O T «
AI
^ M
A T U f U J A H
107
c>£ the hoaso w»u» the fu lle st of all, for every one Jissemblnd there
to aw ait their carrm ges and to g e t th eir coats, w hich lay in
gig a n tic bundles on th e fl<K>r ; so th e ladies matle th eir w ay up
Hgain, and, tinding them selves condemm^d to rcannin nlone in th e
biill-rc)oni till th e lev<5e should be over, and being tem pttxl by the
w iiltzitsaiid the p^Ucjis w h ich th e hand w as discoursing, se t to ryid
<hiuced together in th e dim lig h t reflecled from th e drawing-room.
Our ow n rooms lay on th e .side «►£ th e hou^o to w hich a'ccesa was
possible, and vre had said goo<l-iiight to thorn, th in k m g th ey
w<iwld
round to th eirs through th e lower regions.
\Vi.dnfiadayf 6r7o— M y (;onniiittee and i Uiadc ill our arrangement.s for th e public m eetin g we are to have hero*on the*27th.
I do n ot ti'Ouble yoi^ w ith m uch ‘ Fund ’ inform ation, Vmt 1 have
one m w tin g ever’^ week, atul ofhon see individuals on partic:uln.f
points, w rite and receive hitter;^ an*l keep a record of all th a t
I do, w ith regard to th is m atter, in a very dry and Businesslike
w ay.
.
^
A s soon as I w as free in th e afternoon I w ont off w itli souvo
o f iny fam ily to n little garden party a t Mrs. H op e’s, upd irv'^he
evening w e had th e sta te b-dl. I thought it weiib off very w ell- not a t a ll tix> crowded, very good dancing, satisfactory supper—
so I am in hopes people enjoyed it.
* TIturndoy, 7th.— Terence and Mr. Iio.sen aiTivcni early this
m om iiig» I ’h c y luid iw o very rough d ays on th eir w ny out, •
d u iin g w hich tw o passengers p u t on their be.st l.>pnnets, packed
• tlieir ti*unk.s ami pi*ejKuetl to ta k e to th e boats.
A rciiie wixa in w aitin g on H is E xcellency for th e first tiiuo,
an<l cano* in
a full day. F irst of all h ^ sa t in an otlico, from
iO to 1.30, i-eceiving Governm ent seci'^tiries at intew alB and
sh ow in g thftn in to Iho V ic e r o y ; then came a durlwxr for th e new
ISIalinrajah of K ashm ir, a n o t very satisifuct«)ry cldef, said tn be
very superstitiou.s, and to go to b « l encircled by chalk lin e , to
keep the spirits otF. T m eant to have lookwi wu a t th is ccm n o n y ,
b u t a doctoress w ho cume to see m e kept m e u n til ft wnn all over,
and so 1 inissetl i t ; bu t as a ll th e people are in m o\im in g for th e
late jMaharajah th ey wwro w hite, and th e di‘e.s.ses w ere not w orth
seeing. D irectly .'ifter lunch II. R. rcturn(!^ th e v isit, an d then,
coining back foi’ me, w e;ill w ent off to pn>seut colours to tlie iS th
Itogdment of B en gal In fan try. The manoeuvi‘e.s, and my speech,
and th e w hole cerem ony w ont off well, an<l •‘ one o f th e oldest
native regiment;^ in H er M ajesty's Indian a r m y ’ looked vcry'6n e
and soldierlike. M r. W ingUcld and Mr. V in cen t dinetl \vith us.
AV* w e it; ^ th e r sh'epy after h ist night's b ill and our lon g d ay’-s
work, and wenVgl.Kl to go to be<t early.
1C>8
O l 'i l VICEUEGAL LIJ K IN* iN D iA
f
tn. ft ,
*
J'ndfti/. Slh.- W e all w en t off in th e afi<*nioon to .see th e e x - '
K in^ of OikIo’s gjirdcifS. T T eisan old ffontleiaaii,w JioisdesiuiiU id
to lue as Ixdii" nttc)-ly devoid o f every moral senst'. Ht* never
does any ffCKKl lu aiiybtxly, nn<l ho spends h is m nnfhly lac o f
nii>ces in koejnng *2'»,000 [.‘igeons, w hose food ooHts liim 40 0 /.
n ^ e a r : in Im ying sick creatures which ih e ^ u iiu iil niercliants
sell him ju s t before th ey reach their last gasp ; in Iniildhig houses
for those of them tlia$ survive ; and in th e partial m aintenance of
several hundred ladies. These latter have often coinpiaincd t o
il'c (Jov«*niiucnt about h is tim tm e n t of them , but, in a iisw l^ -to
all official rymoiistranc*e again st th eir inordinate num bers, he
addcR n iu oty more to h is zeiuuia the day he received it. T he
place is curious to see, w .w e d as Uiis ex -k in g ’s hobby, b u t in itself
is m erely a siiicdl zoolnyioal garden. T he pigeons^ w lio fly iri llod fs
and obey signals, arc pretty, am i iMere ai-e whole tlaots fif pelicans,
sailin g about on tanks, an d long-legged birds u'ith decidim ly ligh t
N y ^ n tastie toe.s w ho hop alx>ut rhliculously, and peacocks perching
j.u th e trees', and fox-Tiouaes which sm ell a tiw io u sly , and dw urfishhxifeing w oolly cam els w ho provide maWrial for soft shaw ls, and
ram s wlio m ust
t c n ilic he.-vlache.s as thcycki.di Uicir foreheads
togntliC-i w ith a portentous thud, and real liv e poisonous sn ak es
. who, being tu in b h il ou t o f th e earthim pots in which th ey live,
sit up glaring viciously and lick in g their li|»s as th e j g a z e around ;
• th ey are pic'ked up w ith an iron hook, and cauglit by tlfe tail ami
p u t back agiiin by m en w ho seem to Imvo little foar, though it
nifule m e shudder to see them handle such dangerous I'ojjtiles.'
T h e loss poisonous annkes liv e in a ptila'ce b u ilt for them ofN^mcrete, and w riggle in and ou t of th is erection, and hiacinate toad s
w hich are foum l in their ncigliboui’hootl, jdacod there b y som e
kindly hand. Close to th is serpcnt-palacc is a cottage for a few
«iueena.
1 need not loll you th a t tin Iving of Oude Inis 7i»f subscribed
to ifly h’und, and jxiu would bo horrified if you could see th e hole>-v
in w hich Ji^iS fetnhici'!.. livv ouUtdo bis walls.
' ’W ell, w c walked about and hioketl a t all th e croai ures, and
were sp it a t by llauvis an d screeched at by the pavrotst, an d then
d rove.h om e agtdn and prepared for a big ]iarty— a ‘ d r u m ’ to
w hicli n ative geiil lem on com e as w ell as all th e Kuropeun sotfioty
here. W e ha<I it in th e l\lurliU' H all, wliicli looked very lino, and
it WO.S quit.e full, ahd tlic dresses and the viiriet ies of ]ieople looked
v('fy gay, and 1 liked it, and f think it w as*a sutjcess. The
Mahiiruj.ih of Ivashmir cam e, and p olitely saiil v e Ivul introdnc. d
iilm in to raituli.se.
• ’’
Tnexflat/, 19f’/o— D . has gone to i>®Ihi for the ftnnceuvi-cr-, a.id
o
1880
j!
AN ALAIOllN'. /N V lI'AaO
lI'A aO ?N
IGi)
#
•
tluring liis alisenee^Vf! bnye taken a n tx tr a <ln.y ol" tw on i I5an ;u-kanil 1 leallj- Ijalit^ve th at tlio more \ soo of it tin* mr.ve
delightful I think it.
\Ve dc so enjoy tli*- iiowrrs -InveJv
of gigniitie size in th e g r ’.-ite.'^t profusio’i. and violets, and se.eh
convolvulus aiul linugainviliea.s and Bignoui.ia clim bing all
almost- ’ I t h a nioA- pevfoet little place. .
•
'J'/ixruday,
J). I'cturncd from l.‘elbi. and 1 m ust u<w tr y
and <cll you all he has told ino o f his adw ntnrea thei'e. l i e
nrrive<i iit. th e little house he had taken for himsolf ii(;p.r th e camp
on Pthiday flig h t, t)n M onday he received visits from th e foreign
roprcsmitativps, th e ComiiiaiKler-in-Chief, Arc., a n d -th e r e xvere
som e sporta in th e ufternooa. Sir Frederick Koberrs opened
them by a succesi^uk ten t-p eggin g feat, and th at Wfu< very
eireciive, jls everylMxly said no otkcr fom m ander-in*chief in tlio
world could have attem pted such i» th in g ; and the day»S(;ems to
hav«'. been fine and pleasant. A s he.couhl do nothing for tht m
him self, IX pi-opn.sed tu breakfa-it w ith th e fortygn ofhcei*s in their
camj) {in 'J'uesday m on iin g, whicJi pleitsed them nitich, and over
th e cotlee he w as inspired to proposo the healths of a ll th«nr
emperoi’s, kings, or cldefs, w ith a nice allusion to ejwh one ;
linally, his inspiration led him to wind up by saying that he
regretteil that liis visit ro lUu jnah w ould ju even t hi.s cnt'T taining
them him self, but th at he would cuminissiou h is daughler to givi*
them a b a lf a t ^.'alcutta, so th at they m ight see how effective w as
the artillery of our ladies' eye.s, and so on. l i e pretended to l»c
m'ucb alarmed as to w lia t 1 should say to all this, and was
iistonishetl at th e oompaiu.tivi; calmnes-s w ith .wliicli T heard it j
bu t the reaction came later, for it did n o t daw n upon m e for
t wenty-'fnur hours ilia t an y one took th e bid! part of it fi>f’ sn'i'sux,
a oSi n in th e tolegnim th a t these geutlcnien were com ing
to C alcutta for I^ d y H elen Blackwood's bail, I on ly rerun-rked
.^ontentb^usiv th a t ‘ V iceroys m ust n o t jok e.’ A t h ist it xvas boimo '
ill up(ju mo th a t It. w as no joke, and so, after a*Iittl§ conshlem tion, I asked D . to put off .starting lor Burmali for ono«day. and
to bavo th is ball th e niglir befon? our departure. So w e telegraphe<l to tho foreign ptiicei’S to say that, if th ey could so arrange
it. w e hoped th ey would d in e w ith u.s on S ntm day and cotne*to a
ball on ilo u d a y . a n d ‘th a t wo w oulu lom ain here to receive tliem
•— ami thi-y havo accepted ; but, a s you m ay perceive, I have g o t
far aw ay ftom D .’s breakfast on Tuesday mormng. 'W hatever
the fiiu* cf thV b a li m ay be, th e speech was n great sbcco.'ss, an<l,
when it WO'; nv.-r. de^-onHy hoping th at the w eather w ould kcop
up. e \ ery duo *A;t oti‘ fur the great rcs irw. Tho V iceroy, in a frorkcoat and ta il h«l, wa? th e uue ununiformed person prescmt.
170
0 1 : r VICKREGAL L IFH IX IN W A
cir.
E verybody olso w as gorgoous. B u t w h at is tho use o f gorgeotis-’
ness w hen th e rain comes dow u in torrents ? Wlnut is th e use of
liav-ing ft lovely tricolour puggaree round your helm et, as tlie
Erenohnian had, if it m elts in to ctream s o f rwl and b lu e over your
face ?— or o f deep red cuffs, lik e th e Prussians, if th ey only serve
J .0 d ye your hands i 'I’he second Kussian*oHicer, a C hevalier
Garde, g o t h it by Ins Imrse’s head as he w as m ounting, and had
to reiife for the day. LrOtd R eay w as ill, and I), in sistcil on h is
goin g homo too, but everybody else sa t for four hours in the
drenching ?iiin. Tlie Viceroy gaiuts.! grea t renown fqr thcrfrheerfu l m anner m w liicli he l>ore h is fate. ILo p u t on. n o ureftt-coat,
an d a t th e end people said he looked a s .smart as w hen h e ftrrive<I.’
T he A J X C .’s w ere very cold, and had jjiffieulty in preventing
th eir horses from sittin g dew y, w hile some, o f th e steeds had to l.^e
supported by draiights of wl;isky. Fred says lie fe lt th e wat<T
running dow n liia h.ack in to his hoots, and th en heard th e fioimd
of i t in sid e th e leather. The }>oor troops did splepdidly, anrl th e
on ly regim ent wftk-h Juerchcd Iwidly m ight b e excused, for tho
m en's .loose slippers stuck in th e mud. W as it n o t unfortuuato
and provoking ?
In th e evenin g there was a damp reception in th e Commanderin -C h ief’s cam p ; and th e n ex t m orning th e troops, look in g as
clean and sm art as ever, lined th e streets fo r tho V iceroy’s cfepar-'
turc, and th e foreign oflicers and inilit^iry graiiffeo.s •appeared in
full dress ^ t th e station.
Ttiesday., 2G/A.— D r. F indlay and Lord H erbraud have been
aM’.ay for a w eek looking for tiger in the Sunderbund.s ; th e form er
returned to-day, *but Lord fferbrand rem ains in pursuit of a
terrible m «n-eoter v.d^o ha-s killed tw en ty-th ree m en in th o la st
nin e months. T his beast was ftb;::'»nt from h is aoc^istomod haunts
for som e days, but he hud Just retunied before D r. Fim llay left,
and so Lord H erh m n d w as enctmnigcd to w ait for him , as tho
•frhole neighbourhootl is clespcrately an xious th a t ho should be
killed. , ^
D r. h’iudlay hud o n ly .shot some alligators and some deer, tho
latter boing broi\ght to his feet by a man w ho imitate<l a ni()nkey
ftn^J so u ttra ctw l’th o deer to th e tree in*which he wjis jum ping
about and clu sterin g. The clever deer aakl to them selves, ‘ '('hat
m onkey w ill knock dow n th e leaves and th e f r u i t ; com e, le t us
stand under th e pl.ace where ho is
and th is I'oasoning bi-ought
'th em to their death, Tho pursuit after tigoi^in tire ^underbuilds
is very ex citin g ; the Jungle L> so thick th at, even though th e
sportsm an can s<‘e nothing, he may feel pn ‘tty«stir<f ih.at o n e is
qu ite close to him , anil in th is case th ey fourftkftfterward.s, by tho
^2^
1880
TIIK
•
KET IN .MoTfOX
171
r
foot-uiarks, th at a tiger had actually b een follow ing them a ll 4ay.
Lord Iterbrand sp en t tw en ty-fou r hoiTrs in a cage, and I>r.
F indlay joined him for tw elve of them , but th ey both w en t to
sleep a t last, and th en woke to iSnd th a t th e .tiger hail cei'tainly
been to see them , a s h is m arks w ere a ll rovmd th e bars through
w hich they m eant t(T sh oot him . I t sounds creepy, I th in k .
•
I have not *told you about th e racing here th is year,. whioK*
seem s to be nearly as dangerous a sport as can Ijo inilulged in.
A t one steeplechase C aptain L e o n a ^ Gordon had a sovero fall,
an d iJi stilb w ea riu g a slin g ; and la st wcp-k, out of eig h t horses,
five fell, one w as k illed and one broke its ta il, so I agi in hoj>es
th at steeplechase.s w ill go out of fashion.
A t th e flat races
yesterday tw o horse§ luul a collision, and th e joekey.s w ere both
badly hurt. T he ground is so frigh tfu lly hard here th a t a full
l>ecomes very serious—and I suppose all th e riders aru p o t fiiie
performers.
Wediiatdoyy 21th .— I/m d Jferbrand returnetl home w ith o u t his
tiger ] seven roam ed about him and a te four bullocks which h e
had set as Imit for them , but h e n ever g o t a clianco of shooting
a t them .
T his was a great, day for me, and rather a nervous one. Tho
big yieetin g inauguratin g my F u n d took place, th e V ivcrcy in th e
chair. I n c v e ^ fe lt so much a n x iety at a public m eetin g before,
bu t now tWs Schem e is really -started, and I tru st it m ay go on
}i3 well 0 .S it has begun. The m eeting lasteil till 7.30, * n d w e hivl
to hurry hom e, dress for dinner, and go off afterwards to a ball
u t Belveilere. D ., X clly , and 1 rem ained th§re on ly one h o u r ;
R achel, IJlanche, and som e olheT*s cam e aw ay later, and A rch ie
and tho rest of th e p arty stayed till tlie erwl. W e had th e b est
of it, Low svcr,^cr a t eleven o’clock th e w eather was lo v ely ; after
tw elve thei-e w ere show ers, and still later a duwupcur w bich ina«lc
suppiu’ in a tm it very disagreeable and m ost injui'ious to g o w n s;
indeoil, at th e very end th e ten t cauie down, burying a drunim &boy, crushing th e viands, anrl g e ttin g a holo burnt in itself.
f^atnrdny, 30//j.— T w a s to havo had a m eeting of
initTee on F riday to w jnd up soiuo of m y affairs before sta rtin g
for Burmah, bu t the L egislative Council nut .so lon g th a t neither
Mr. Ilbort nor S ir S teu a rt B a y ley could come, and w e w ere n o t
able to g e t through much business. I was therefore obliged to
have anotlmr to-<lay. W e are beginning to m^et w ith som e of
tho little troifbles 4hat one m ust exp ect in w orking su ch a large
concoyn.
1 roilft ou t early th is m orning to see th e CHvi-, th e ship in
whicji w e go to*J^urmah. W e ta k e some* horses w itli us. I t
172
o r i i
VICKIUXJAL IJ ,n •
in
IN'M A
c u
.
v
«
•
■woubl ostoiiisli tlie Eii}|lish mind to sef* w lm t g lo b e-tro ttw s oiir
hoj-st-s iiiHs I'lioy did a great iKwt o f our toiir th is fautumn.
Tlicy w en t to th e DeUii Maiiuuvrc"-, and now th ey are conung to
iltuKlahvy.
T iic foK-ign olficers liave arrived, and \v^ had a staU^ dinner
•a n d a ooneert for them ; th e H ungjiriaii violini.-.t R ein en yi played,
and . w e h ad a very ple)i.^aut o w n in g — eig h ty people a t dinner,
and about six ty more afterwards. The munic.wns in th cd ra w in g rotnn n n d .a buffet in th e lKi.lhrooin, wJjicli opens in to ^ \vii.h
^ iliars, so th a t th ose who prefeiTed ta lk in g to iiston ih g w cw able
to.stroll aw ay and be happy in their ow n way.
T a e s d a y y F c b n i n r i / ' I n d . - I do not kixow w hether you hav«road abou t vho }-evolution 5n K opaul 8u.i4 t\\e muvdcr of th e
ISIahai-ajah S ir llu n o d ip Siif^li, th e P rim e M inister and ruler,
w h id i took j'lace last Novefniier. l i e w as ly in g on a bed in a
araall room in h is jialaee, when f<jur of id s nephew s canio in, and,
Xii-elenriiji" to sli*>w him a new rifle, sljot liim dh:id. H is w ife,
th e Ihiri Miih.arani, anti th e J eth i M u liaran i th e m ollicr of th e
real heir, took refuge in the Re.->ideucy, w en t o n in to .B ritish
territory, and ai-c now in Calcutta. T he B ari M ahnrani wrote
ajul uaketl m e to see them , and I w as allowed to do so as an e.vpre.ssion of sym j)athy w itli them in th eir grief. U nfortuw atoly
till* widow wa.s ill, aud could not come, b u t the»-letyi Maharnni,
w ho .'faw th e m an shot, and who Ls also a widow, a im c, and a
moro extrrfordinary figuj'e I iievi*r saw. I B t appearance deaerve.s
m inute description. My first ^ iew o f her w as tlia t o f a thhss of
lig h t gauze aljove, and a pair of legs clothed iii loo.sc u h ite
Lr.iusej-s bRli)w. H avin g conduoted tlii.s avalanchci of gJiuze to a
sofa. I Imd tim e t<? study details. The thin j'kik and yellow
striped inutoriul w as not a petticoat, and I am quiti* a t a lo.ss'to
iiiuigiue how it wag put on, or how inanv huiirlrecl ynrd.s w ere in
ij. I t looked ju st a s if a gre4it jnece h>ul been unrolled, a n d u n ­
rolled, in fvheap on the floor, and then picked up and h alf wound
round and liulf carritxl by thy wearer. W h en she sa t dowji ii,
w as in a great fluff, and when .she got n\> sho took it in her arms,
and it overflowed everything, excep t th e trouser.s. 'i'he liody
w,i.< iiiaiie tigh t, and she wore ]iiiik iiijtten s on her hands.
A m u h er w 'inderful part o f her was her head. H e r hair is je t
Mack, and it wjis comhcsl up fr<>m th e l?uok, and tw o very tliick
4 >Iaits were arnuiged across th e fnm t, one on th e tq p ‘»»f th e otlier.
.She had a straigh t fringe, and one long thiH cocksorew curl on
each side of fier face, On her cheek tlifn e w as, a large* round
re<l mark puiut^sl, and during th e interview
k ep t p u ttin g herfitigc'v, wrapped in her’ handkerchicf very carefully, first in to th e
t-M
KN' HnrTK FOie r.ri.’.M.UI
173
•
•
corner of OJio fl}'e ftiifl tlmn in io th e otlipr. T r e a ll/d id not set?
th a t she -was stoppin.cj liev teai-s u n til later when she l?roke down
a lifth ' tnore. H er brother, udiow ore uniform and asmnJI round
cap w ith a chin-atrap, w .ls very tlenf.
Jlo and an E nglish
doctor who was Interpreting fo r m e stood in front. She and 1
Rat sid e b y aide on tffo sofa, .md th e maid, w ho was dressed lik o ’
lier mistrea.s anti who had a terrible squint, stootl behijid. 1
.sjx)ko to tint doctor, and tho doctor Mhisporod int<j th e car of th e
l)rotber, who, folding liis hands before him , whispered in to tlie
ear oE ^is sisfter ; and w e none of us said inucli to th e purpose.
Then I took Iier hand and w alked w ith her to the <op o f tiie
staircase, and th en ran to a w indow to sen htiw .she w ould g et
her sk irts in to th e cajrriftgp.
U \st n igh t w e had such a p retty ball to th e foreign officers.
Isuw lig h ts were put. up over all thfe archways, th e m en w ere in
un iton n and the, ladies very smart, and evoi'ything looked as nioe
as possible ; but I have no tim e to w rite niorti t^»-day, as I am off
to B um iah to-morrow, an d I leave th is behind m e to bo posted
n e x t TOjjil.
18S6
C lIA T T K R
V II
UURMAU AND MADRAS
FEBRCxnY 3 TO M in c n y , ISSC •
\redvcs<iay, F ebru ary Zrd.— W e bade fuuewell to tho stay-athom e p oilion oF our fam ily th is m orning, and se t of!' on oar v.ay
to B u m iah , w ith A rchie, L ord W . B ere fnrd, Major Conper, tho
D octor, 3Ii‘. M.mkeiujie \VaUacp, and MV, jVIcEernin in atten
dance, A slmvt journey b y train and ]»alf an hoflr in th e launofi
brought us to the C /h r, a fine ship )»elonging to
Indian
M arine. W e w ere joined b y tho C om m ajider-in-Cliicf and h is
su ite o f four oiBcers, 5vi\tl b y 3Iiss 3Ioon*, w houuw e arc tak in g to
R angoon. C’aptain Ue.'ct, a sort of Indian h ir st L a d and* an
H onorary A .rh C . to 'tiio V iceroy, is in c?onimfiii(l of us. W e
have our ow n servants, our ow n cooks, our own horses, cows,
calves, chickens, shoep, and ({unils on board. Tfie sea is calui,^
and w e njako* a pecsperous st<irt, go on sm oothly all day, and
drop oui^ pilt>t in th e even in g ; a ll ilm e together, and tlicn sleep
,eomft*rtably in bur spacious cabins.
•Vqiurrftty, 6< A .~ I do n o t mejun to g iv e you a detailed account
174
O r R M C E R E G A L .L IK E IN 3 N D U ,
c». vii
of un uneventful, and therefore pleasant, voyage. W e enjoyed
it v e iy m uch; ami although w e did n o t g e t q u ite aw ay from
posts and telegi*ains, w e did Jiave a certain am ount of rest. A ll
W ednesday we had hangitjg over u s th e pos.sibility of soiuling
J e tt e r s by th e pilot, and a ll Friday th e ne^casity uf tryin g to
catch tlie m ail on Saturday m orning, an d then to-day, ctunn
telegVnins about th e new Alinistry, vagu e utterances upon th e
Irisl» Question, and in fa ct all sorts and kinds o f inform ation
more or l^ss iuTK^resting. W ith ou t going in to to o \nu<dv ^letail,
how ever, you may like to know a little :ii)Out our voyage.
• W e c e r t a i n all th e officers on board, so w e h a v e a long,
diniier-tablo, and for brf!akfnst and luncl^plaoe it on d o ck ; then
w o read, and talk, and p lay quoils, and hav? a little .singing, and
T am rather industrious and Jinish oft’ a n article upon m y S'dieme
w hich lias been hanging lik e a lo g round m y neck. S ir Frederick
llo h i’rts dlsappe<ars a good deal eith er to sleep or to w rite ;
Colonel Chapmaif is n o t very w ell, and Alajor tihamborlain is
alw ays luiserablo at sea, so th a t th e arm y is in n inucli les.s
fiouri.shing condition than th e civil departm ent. Tlio V iceroy
liims<df is, of course, quite th e sailor
T his nmrniiig, after catching th e mail, w e liad .some hours to
spare before entering th e llan goon lU ver, so we anuhoi’ocf andread .all those telegram s before alluded to ; ailM later ofi, IVir.
Bernard, the Commissioner, camo on l«>an-l, and 1>, and lie d is­
cussed the Burme.se Q uestion to g eth er; and w e changed from
y ach tin g iut<i V iceregal clothes, and th e ste.ainer m oved on, and
cveryniom on t the* scene became more liv e ly and m ore interesting.
T h e river itself is jyiuply liquid mud, flowing nt an extrem eiy
TJipid r.'ite ; tlie banks are low and green, and rtf» higli laud is
visib le anywlicre.
A ll sorts of jncturesque boats are m oving
about. There arc big rice-boats lad en w ith their mcrcljandise,
rfnd crowds of ‘tin y row-boats w ith tw o m en in c<ich, th e boat
havin g q v^-ry sharp poin t a t th e bow, which w idens ou t into tw o
p oin ts a t tlie stern in triangular fashion ; th e men ai-o oxtinguished in la rg e,h a ts w ith pointed cvosvns. T hese little boats
conje ou t to barg?rin w ith th e larger o n e ^ a n d ■when th e l.«irgfviu
is mjKle a fl.ag is stuck on th e rice-boat to»show w hich firm has
liuivhased its cargo. A s we a/lvance wo gradually catcli sigh t of
th e great. Pagoda a t lla n g o o n - it i.s ju st lik e a b ig l>ell, and is th e
'only liu ild in g to be seen from a d istan ce— n?^d tli»n*the men-ofw ar cnmo iu sight, and tho reception Ixfgins. 'TI jc* ships are
dressed, tho yards are manned, and great cloud* of Bindlce and
boom ing cunnon announce tlie V icero y ’.s approach. W o cuuiu
on ly g e t up to th e landbig place v m y slow ly, as tho cyrrijift w as
fiNTllY .JKTO lu^NGOON;, A PlCTrRE^QtTi: CnnW l)
175
strong, so ■wf! had p len ty of tim e to exam in e tho scene. The
banlcs wtive a i)erfoct m ass of ])eo})le, and there M'ore gattlens and
palm -trees, and very p retty S w iss-cottage sort o f houses beyond
tlnun, and more crow ds visible in th e distjiuco ; th en on th e
wharf, whicli wa« laid w itli red cloth, ■wore In fan try, R egulars a n d .
V olunteers, and lnsh ops, and ladies, and tow n eouncilh)rs, a ll w a it­
ing, and behind them w hat do you th in k
AVhy, th e gatew ay of
K iJlyleagh and the tow er on th e T ow n R ock, all in cjinva-s, but
ex a ct ^jepres^ntations of tho so lid stone.
*
T he prolonged agt>ny o f arrival being over, w e landed, and
• th e V iceroy inspected th e Guards and made a speech to Che
V olunteers, and all tliejK iople round w ere presented to him, and
I gaxed at the T ow n Councillors, whgse hair is avranged in a tig h t
k n ot a t th e top of thoir heads w ith ^ fillet of m uslin tied round it,
and then w e w alked on througli th e gatew ay an<l fouud o u r ^ lv e s in
a great covered^ place fu ll o f E uropean and B urm ese ladies and
gentlem en, and an address waa road and replied to. I w as given
a l>ou(juet, and th en on w e w alked to th e carriage.
AVe wero escorted b y quite a regim en t of m ounted V olunteers,
th e cliarg(.'rs being th e sm allest i)onies you ever saw a man ride,
and w e drove a t a foot pace for th ree m iles to th e R esident’s
houstJ. Such a drive I— th e streets packed w ith a picturesque
crowd of Imliatte, B u n n ew , Chinamen, K arens, <kc., kite., for th e
num ber of n ationalities is to o g rea t to be learn t in a (l^-y, am i all
th e people so good-hum oured and m erry-looking, and di*essc<l in
such gay colours, A lm o st each n ation ality hod p u t up an arch,
and each arch w as double, and w as filled w ifh th e people w ho
hfl/l p u t it up—th e C hinese arch w ith p iiiu cse j>eo}>le, th e
B urm an arch vvith Burm ese j>eo})le, and so on ; and genorally, jis
w c w ent through, a bouquet, or a wre.’^th o f flower.s, or a show'cr of
rost'-lc.aves, w as thro%\n in to th e carriage. One arch w as full of
th e ladies of the place ; and very p retty and sm art th ey looked—
}>erhnp8 a little lik e b ig d o ll-so iito fa .lajwinei^eshop. ITiey a ll had
fiowers in their Imir, anti a very tig h t p etticoat, and th eir bodies
tio<l round under tho h i t h s w ith a sort o f baml^ge, th e anu.s and
n eck being l>arc, or A e i’ely coveixHl b y a ti^insparent jack et.
Tlioy cither carry or throw over th eir shoulders a b ri^ t-co k m red
r.oft silk scarf. T hey look very d ecen t and inode.st iji th eir dress,
for they luivo no more figure th aii th e alx>ve-nameil dolls, and th e
‘ bandage^ thorefor^is q u ite sufiicient am i q u ite proper.
As' wc g o t ou t o f th e tow n we passed tJie houses o f th e richer
iiihabit5mt.% tfiu"!} very jiretty wooden villu-s surrounded b y nice
'gardens, w ith pnm-hcs covered w ith cri'cpcrs ; and at la st w e
arri\'eil 'here, feelin g quite tired after th e excitem ent o f th e ilay.
■
ITG
O U E VICKUEOAL i.lVK IN 1N1>1A
•
'A .
. 11. vii
N o t that tha clay w as over by an y means. Oh no,
dinner and
reception were to come. B u t I have n o t y(‘t told you about tlie
w eatlier, and you m ust be quite longing to know w hether it
m in ed or not. l i did not rain, and it w as d elig h tfu lly su n n y and
p lea sa n t; b u t had w e k ep t to our original ^ o g ra n im e, and ha<l
Nvo n ot w aited a t C alcutta to entertain th e foreign odiowu,
^
shoukb have cojne in for th e V iceroy’s u sual downpour. I t did
~ rain here for four days, and th e arches were p u t up « lth difficulty.
T h e B iirm w e ones are m ost delicate structures, and w ith seven
roofs taper aw ay in to n oth in g a t th e top. Tins is* th e K oyal
sliape, am i*this i.s th e fir.st tim o ,n seven-roofed pngoda has been
p u t up for such a purpose. N o w th a t poor Thnebaw has been
extingu ished, T svippoae the. peoj'Ie look £o!*w}»kI to seeing ivo uvuiu
R o y a i visitor than a \'iceroy,*so tliey have given liim th e seven
roofs. •
*
I t is fiiio weather, b u t it is n o t warm, and w e suffer from all
th e preparations th a t liave been m ade to k w p th e houso cool.
T ak e m y bed-room, for instance. A w ide open-work la ttic e runs
round ’th e top of it, a large open arcliw ay lots in th e air over each
door, a strip of wood in th e centre of ^ e w all separate.s i t from
oth er rooms in w hich th e sam e airy sy stem is carried o u t ; the
w indow s are m ade w ith ou t glass, and punkaha hang both outside •
and inside th e mo-squito-curtains.
•
,
There was a b ig dinner o f sLxty people, w hich lasted tw o
hours, und'T don’t- think there can l ) 0 six ty doors in th e room,
b u t tbore appeared to be one a t C4i.ch person’s back, and still th e
punkaha were kept going. I>. had a little cold, and I w as quite
frigliteiiod about him, and asked to lia v e th is cold-giving machine
Btopped for a few uiluutes, b u t he shook his head a t me, and it
w ont op again. The party wa.s cold to o ; th e room w as quite open,
and it wa.s cliilly in th e extrem e— in fuct, h o t aal volotile and a
iMUstard'poullicp were th e vosults : b u t w e did our duty. W o
w ere introduced to everybody, and found o u t e.xactly w hat th ey
t h o u g h f o f th e w eather, and th ey fearetl wo m ust find it very
h ot after C alcutta ; and w lien w e explained w ith pride tiia t wo
enjoyed much gfeater w arm th therc, th ey w ere sorry for us,
•and glad th at tliey did not live in sucli ^ hot clim ate. I also
found ou t th at the whole society have lieen in R angoon about one
year, w hich Koems curious ; but w hotlicr th e y have been here one
•year or fifty, as ab out three ptsople have, the;^ all feet hot.
T w ill now throw in soiao little scraps o f m form ation for your
iKjn'efit.
'
, • .
•
The Burm ese w’omen are great personageP,<V‘^^P^'^y acren t part'
in their household.^. They chooso th eir ow n husbands and* divorce
r
188rt
-
7
nCESK IX T1{E
^
'
I ’ACIODA
■
177
•
•
tlioin w'hfn th ey like, retaining ik eir o^v^^ p rn p p rty an d a ll th a t
th ey have e a r n e d ; th ey are a t liberty to marry again, •whether
as w idow s or a s diciirc^ii. !Mr. B ernanl told m e th a t wIkjii th e
la st census caino in , lie th ou gh t th e num ber of wom en who said
th ey could read and w r ite w as sm all, so he made piuiuiritis, and
from all j>urts of th e co u n tiy young ladies replied th a t tliey dii^
n o t lik e to say th ey could read, lest young gcntloinen, Ui.ATiiing
the fact, s)30uhl w rite to them .
The K arens, •whom I m entioned cnsimny, are siii^l to iH+thc
prc-Hiirmaji inhabitan ts o f th e country. (Irent nuinl^rH o f them
are Christians, and th ey are a more plo<ldijig and #t<^ady race
th an tho Bunnese.
Y ou m ay also liko«to know th a t m y room' is sw arm ing w ith
lizards, th at Major tTooper has k illed a .scorpion in his, and th a t .
a hum m ing-bird 1ms b u ilt its n est in th e silk ta ssel o f u.Chiiii'.ce
lantern in th e verandah, and did n o t even mind its bein g ligh ted
last night. I h a v e f o r ^ t te n to tell you sooner th a t wo are sta y ­
ing w ith Mr. and M r s .^ e m a n l. H e is th e Cliicf Commissioner
y*
of L ow er Burumli, and lie w ill go up to M andalay w ith us. • Tluth
h e and h is w ife an; very nice, and have been luost k im l and hos' i -> 2
pitttblc to U .S .
■"'itijiI m ust end abruptly here, for tlie m ails go off u n e x p e c t e i U y , '
■and T am called upon nt a ll sorts o f odd tim es to be read y w ith •
m y letters. • I
qu ite sorry to send otF such a meagre account
of in y first B unuose experiences.*
• Sxtruifuj, 1th . — A fte r a very quiet m orning sj>ent in th e house,
r.
WK v e n t for a drive before even in g ch u rch ., Tlirough a real
;
wiIiovN-}>att-ern garden w e m ade niir w a y + o th e catra.iiC-o o f the^ 1
great Pagoda. T his is guarded by tw o gigantic and groccsquo^'^
w hite ston e <loj*s, th v ir faces painted rod and blue. P assing them ,
wo wulketl up a gi’cat flight of steps through a colqp^iad{! eovtri-J
in b j a series o i sevpu-roofed jnnnaclcs. T cannot find ou t 1he
correct n.inm for th is .stylo o f building, b u t the* roofs grarlually*
dimini.sh to a point, and one sees them in all Chinese fiictun?s.
W hen, as in th is case, th ey rise one after tho other up th e side of
a hill, they look v e r y ^ ie t t y indew l. W ithin tliis covered w ay
wero all sorts of peojiJj w ith stalls, sellin g little <Joloured candles
w hich people buy ana oflfor to B u d d lia ; dolls and curious toys,
;•>
and paper flowers wore also for s ile ,a n d there wero group.s of tho.
blin<l, the hajt, and tho m aim ed, and lepers n.slcing*charity.
'
Tho nuns, w ho oil sociii to be old women, an d who iun- clad in ,
w hite, w ith bnfe, bald licads, s it by tho way too, t<*iling their
beads, and In^nks are to be. seen every where.
•«
^ E very ijurniau* h as for som e tim e during h is lift? to l?e a
178
o ru
VICKKKGAh L IF E I.S IN D IA
ch ,
\ii
P ohn gee, or m onk. H e ju;iy rem ain in th e monas^ory a day, a
yt-ar, or Uis w hole life, but Ids entrance is alw ays a g reat function,
.iinl it seem s to be som ething lik e th e S ik h baptism or lik e our o>vn
pDiitirmatiou. T he pn»per th in g to do is to rem ain at le a st one
Bpason of L en t in a retreat, b u t th e m om ent a man feels th a t he
•M im ot k(«»p th e vow s h e returns to th e world. TIioso m onks a ll
w e a r ,th e m ost picturesque yellow chupery, ami f»f course there
^ 'ere num bers o f them all about th e Pagoda.
T he Pagoda is in tlio centre of a plateau which is tpiite covei’od
w itli tem ples to B uddha. I t is one o f th e m ost ei^raordinary
and uuquiqj;-looking places I ever saw. I could not help th in k - •
ing*of th e calm sim p licity of th e Taj, and contrasting it w ith th e
': ;^ ^ litte r and the odds and ends of buildingi^here. T don’t .suppose
greater contrasts could bo iyiagiiied ; y o t i f is very grand in its
w ay. 'X'he Pugoda itsolf is lj,ke a gigan tic h and-bdl. I t is
• and is 370 fe e t high and 11,000 fe e t in circum ference. I t is
* s(diil, and w as b u ilt to hold throe hairs from tlio Lord B u d d h a’s
head. A ll round i t is a row of sinallor ‘ hand-bolls,’ each one a
' ‘ w<vrk*of m e r it ; ’ th a t is to say, each is p u t up by :v liu d d h ist to
' puT’chase for him self some advantage in a future sta te. O utside
the-sd com es a row of g ilt trees, bearing glass fruits, and la,stly olephanta, and men in w hite stucco kneel holding trays for offerings.
~
T he rest of the plateau is covered w ith innum erable build in gs ;■
som e ai-e .seven-roofed tem p lfs fu ll of ijmigos cJf B «ddiia, som e
con tain lawgc l>ells which th e u'orsliipper.'? Rtrike w hen th e y have
done jiraying. The carving of th e seven roofs is alw ays m ost
elaborate. T here are also po.sts surm ounted b y th e sacrecl goose,
from which sausage-.shaped flags float o u t in to tho nir, and cells
b u ilt round th e sacred peepul-trec, w ith an im ago of Buddha in
each cell. B m ldha is every where, ami there are oftr*n th irty or forty
•*” ■■■huBges of him iu one tem ple ; he is alw ays sittin g there w ith the
sam ecalm sm ile upon h is face, and is seldom in a recum bent attitude.
The strangtf liv in g figures—monks, nuns, men, and l)rightly
- dressed avonien— m ovin g abtmt add greatly to th e beauty of tho
Kcone, n ot to m ciitiou tho babies, who are m ost a ttr a c tiv e —babies
in p in k silk sh irts toddling about, or bab ies unadorned excep t b y
ft little to p -liu o t'o n th eir h e a d s; th ey lire brown and fa t and
fasciiniting.
*
B oth m en and women have beautiful glossy black hair, and
are v*-!-}- pronfl «>f i t ; tho m en w ear it a t tho toji o f th eir he<id.%
and th e woini-n have th eir chignons low er ^lowiq and gcu erally
- ornam ent tliem w ith flowers.
•
Vvo saw a gam e of football goin g on, w d iich .i^ vreiflark ab ly
pretty and liv ely . The bull is made o f w itk er-w ork , an d m ust
7 ^
1 8 8 6
O N
T J I K
l U H A A Y A n D Y :
C O M
F O K T A L U -
Q l ' A H T K K S
179
•
n o t be touched b y th e a n r to r liaiid during th e game. O ne niau
begins ond jdays ball w ith it, catcliiug it on hw knee, foot, or
shoulder, aiul th en suddenly throw s it on to another, w ho keeps
it up as long as he can, or until it pleases him to senrl it further.
TJioy playcMl th is gajiie close to th e Pagoda.
W e had ju s t tiifio to drive a short w ay by a lak e before g o in ^
on to chureli. ‘I t was six o’clock in th e evening and really, cold,
so I l>eggftd th a t tlie punkahs m ight be stopped, b u t even so it
w as draughty, and 1>. made hi.s cold worse.
,
S>th.-—W e left R angoon early, Jlrs. Rernard and
M iss M oore rem aining there, b u t i l r . Rernard com ing w ith us.
W e had seven hours in tho train, reaching Prom o at 5.30. A t
all th e station s on yie^way th e villagers cam e to see us, th e place
w as decorated, and a Ixmijuet or basket of flowurs w as brought
me. Once w e &vw a B m m esc bi»id. Tlie bandmastev sa t iii a
carved w ooden circle, round th e inside of which <lruma of all sizes
were hung, am i he played upon those, w ith liis.lm nds liv in g about
from one to the other, and looked ju st lik e som e one perform ing
a very gm n d p iece on a piano. A nother man in anotln-r circle
playe<l cymlmls, and outside there w ere men w ho struck .split
bjimboos togeth er w ith great precision and in ex cellen t tim e. The
inusdc was very pleasant.
A t P rom c w e descended fwmi th e railw ay to th e w harf through
a be.autifiilty made covered w ay w ith pinnacled itM>fs lik e th ose at
th e Pugcxla, and R urm ese ollicials squatted on o n e si»le. while
B urm ese ladies squatted on th e other. The road w.-is lined by
troop.s w ho had ju s t com e from C alcutta, ajul w e had also a
num ber o f B lu e-jsck ets w ith us.
T he river steam er is splendid— its on ly fa u lt lies in tlie prnp.arations for* keeping up a perpetual d r a u g h t; niul a s th e
m ornings, evenings, and n igh ts are extrem ely cold, us w o go at
the rate of fourteen k nots an hour tlirough th e w ater, and o s th e
V iceroy has a cold, th is is unfortunate. Our ficcoiijmodation is
all in th e bow. T he bow itself m akes a deliglitful sitting-room
for us, and there w e h ave s ix cabins or sm all rooms w hich P . and
I, Archi'* and Mr. M cFerran divide between us. O ne is my
boudoir, and it huf^such sjn.-irt furniture—such plush tnbles,
stuffed arm-chairs, giijd-h'‘aded .scent b ottles I Tho dining-room
and all tho othor cjibin.s are tow ards th e cejitre of tlie vessel.
E verythi;ig had been so w ell arranged for us,* b u t im agine th e
captain ’s feelin gs "wlien w e arrived w ith 100 servants whom he
had i^over hoard of I T hey liuvo all been stowed in somehow.
V c‘ were th ir ty -s ix a t din n er th e firet night, as w e asked th e
oflicia|s at Pnmfb to dine. One o f our«gucst.s w as a C ountess
.
N- 2
180
o n t VICKKKCJAL
IN iNJHA
c ii. v u
•
C alliarvfris : she has iHat'rietl au Italian , b u t she is a real n ative
w lio w as educated in Rnglaiul. i:'ho is very liv ely and w ell
n*.anuer,e<l.
Tiu'sihij/, !.)(//.— D. had Lo sta y in l)ed for liis cold, w hich w as
a great pity, as th e m iddle of th e day was lovely— such a bulm y
Ifir, ajid tho river so pretty to look at. The .TrrawJidtly is a h u e
river, jiud, wiLlioiit being very striking, th e scH ierr is in terestin g
— w h ite sandy shores, rocky l>anks, fair-sized h ills, and alw ays
p len ty of trfccs.
W e cannot travel a t night, so w e anchored in tk e even in g
oj>it^isite to .t h e F ort of ^finllll^ which is one of th e few places
w here there w as ii little Hghting before th e taking o f ila n d a la y .
1 w en t asliure to see it. The fort is sim p ly e sj[uare w ith a seco?id
in n er w ail, on the top of wliich our officers now h a v e th eir ten ts.
One charge w as made to tJikf»it, aiul when our m en reached th e
top the Jhinnese fiod, som e down narrow stairs,
dropping
over the w all. T hey cannot stand iixed b ayonets .for a set'oml.
C lose to th e fort aru somo pagoda.s. I n th e tw ilig h t th e place i.s
lik e a great graveyard, and I Hlino.st wonder Colonel B aker lik es to
sleep there ; h lste n tlo o k a jistiio u g ii it w efe pitched am ong tom bs.
Tlie.se pagodas are n o t gilt, and th ey are a ll m uch the sam e
size— about ns ta ll as a cottage. Vi-ry few Buddha-s rem ain here,
and those th a t do have lo st thoir heads, for tlio ^ ery ilrst n ig h t
th e irah om etan soldiers gob in, th ey defaced every imftge.
The officers w h o liav© been sh u t up in th is sm.all place for
moi-e llian tw o m onths \vei*e very glad of a little change, so 1
asked oight o f thetu to dinner.
]\'>dnesii/rif, lOi/i... -A nother delightful day on th e riv=-r. D.
cnjoyi'd i t imich. TIk? scenery w as moi-e vm ied to-day, and in
the even ing, w hen w e sighted Pagan, i t w as really'lovely. This
city wa.s th e an cien t capital, b u t it is now desi'i’ted, an d is sim ply
a ^rent tow n t*f m gotlns. T hey nnich for m any m iles' an d you
m ay im aging how picturesque th ey look. Tlioy an? n o t a ll th e
bell sluvjKijaud aro m any o f thc?in stjuare or octagonal, ench stoi*ey
dccrc'/ising in size, th e w hole ending in a ]>oint. TJiis luysteriou.slookiiig ti>wn, refleeted in tho river, and w ith a red su n set ligh t
over'it., was \ cry .striking.
\
T he navigation o f th e river is m ost cxcitm g, for it is very low
a t th is scasun, and wo are jierpctiinlly avoiding su n d -hin k s. W e
lipvo a ]tilol'SIirp in front, and when we w atch th e . tum .s and
tw ists .she iiaa to m ake, wo can scarcely b eliw e thht our great
lon g ' \ fssel can follnw safely in her wake.
lu'aid tliis
luon iltig d in t th e lri'uu-<"idy, a %«•>-!'! o f th e In d ia n ^ larin e, has
gone ashore aud sunk sdmewherc ou our route. *
IfV-r,
ijix o y a n
a n i> ava
181
\V<3 did not stop HU after dark, and eo J could n o t land
F ou r olTjctrs cam e o lf t o fHjie.
Thuritdny, W th.— A t ab ou t tw elve o’cl«)ck a little steam er
appi'ared in sigh t, aT\d brought (Jeneral Prendergust and Colonel
Stadon on board,
former is a very straightforwarcl-looking^
soldier. Colonel Sladen w as th e last E n glish R esid en t in B ritish
Burmah, and he hacl ju s t returned in timf* to see K in g Tht^ftliaw’s
exit, and rem ained a t th e P alace w ith the R oyal fam ily during
th e last night. R e la y s th e blam e o f a ll Thcebaw’a Bvil doings
upon *bis w ife, Soopaya-Lfit, whom th e E nglish call ‘ Selina
8op h ia.’ She m anaged everything, and all tin' nioney'froin t«ces
and other sources w as brought to her. H er mother, also a very
m asterful woman, i»e:?ile4l too. Tbeebjiw w rites th a t he is very
happy and cojufortable, and th at he has even been provided w ith
a doctor, so m uch care do wo ta k e o^ him.
I landed a t M ingyan, th e last p lace where any resistance was
inado to our trdops. I n th e distance i t looked v e iy p retty, a tow n
of spires ; b u t on shore I on ly saw th e m ilitary arrangem ents, as
w e ha<i n ot tim e to go sight-seeing.
The Peely a'vessel w h ich w as follow in g us w ith a guard o f lo o
soldiera for th e V iceroy, w e n t ashore last night, and w e do not
. know if she has g o t olT.
BlackwqP and B .'s P ersian policeman b oth have a touch of
fe v e r ; i t re a lly is a work of d i/licu J ty to g e t safely through tlie
^•arietie8 of tem perature and th e draughts w e are exposed to.
I sa t b etw een G eneral Prendergnat an d jMr. Gordon a t dmner.
7 h c la tter is an unsucccasful candidate a t th e ^ast eleotion. H e
has com e here to see ab ou t railways, and h as a passage in. our
pilot-boat. O enem l Prendergast is very nice. H e seem s to liave
b«»cn q^nito tl)c right m an in th e rig h t p la ce- -very kind, but
determ ined. I t is, o f course, very in terestin g to hear all th e
iletail.s o f th e tak in g o f IVlandalay, b u t I m ust not w eary you
w ith a too volum inous report o f our proceedings and o f ail we
hear.
F rid a y , Vlth.— T h e outlook th is m orning was very curious.
T here wore th e noses^of a ll th e ju n k s sunk»*by th e Burm ese
p eeping ou t of th e v^itcr a ll round us, and there wjis our ow n
sl\ip Irra ira d iiu settlin g on th e sandbank ; and in the narrow
clmnnol w e had to tw is t in and out o f th ese dangers with th e
grea*^p«t c a r e .. T he l)auks, covered w ith pagodas, are lovely. W e
were oil' A v a at ninJ o’clock, and every little h ill w.as crowjjeil b y
a snow rw lyta m onum ent, w h ile th ere were groups of tiioin in
som e places, and ^«low a l>eautifuily-can'ed w ooden m onastery.
O ut of icvery b it of ju n g le rises a spirv?, and i t is im possible to
182
o rR
vicE R E G .M , ; j n - : i x I n d i a
^
cn.
tit
convey-thft elVect of it all, Y ou ciin't boar to ta k e your eyes ofl‘
the sceiu'ty for a m inute, Icist you should lose som e specially
characteristic building. Hurniali look.s rather lik e a cou n try of
cem eteries, i f you im agine each tom bstone to be ab o u t th e -size of
ilio A lb ert M emorial,
,
■\Ve reached M ajulalay about tw eh 'e o’clock.^ T he tow n is
tbroo*rfiles from th e river, so th a t a ll w e saw from th e ship w as
a roception-im il w hich had been p u t up for the occasii»n, som e
B ritish teu ts, and n ex t to us on th e river a m o st wondm'ful ohl
barge. Jt is tw o bi;ats joined tog<!tljei’, w ith a soven-roofecl pinnacte ‘»vi*r tlie centre, tw o largf? g ilt omHmonts »fe th e stern, aiul
tw o great gold and silver g(Kls a t the prow.
W e w ere to ,g o ashore a t tlu-eo ; and before th en w c w atched
th o B arm ans com ing and gmng, m en and w om en. Tlioy w ore
vox’y gaj' colours, and som e o? them Jia<l m en carrying b ig hats
umbrella-fji.'^hion o^•e^ their heads. W hen all wna rcfuly, wo
m arched up th e steps, from th e steam er to th e entrance of th e
hall, the w ay being lined by B ritish sailors, and through it, ju s t
as tho V iceroy does at a durbar, to tw o thrones phiccd side by
aide upon a dais. They had embroidered peacocks on th e bac^k,
and w ere se t w ith huitiitioii alojics ; a w h ite canopy, th e emblem
o f royalty, w as h un g over us. I t w as a very oild sensation to come and ‘ K in g and Queen ’ it in th is w ay, and il fe li rather lik e
an actor in p lay. W e a ll sa t in solem n silence, w h ile th e V ice­
roy's salute w as tired— a great {isseTnbly of soldiei's, politicals, and
B urm ans 1
T h e thirty-onfi guns over, Colonel Sla<len bowed before H is
E xcellen cy, and said there was an address to be p tesented. T his
one w as from th e European in h ab itan ts o f M andalay. I t w as
ill a long lx)x and w as w ritten on narrow slips of bamboo, w liich
th e reador handed one by one to som e one near as he finished eacli
bit. 1>. replied to this address., Then cam e som e Ihirmese
m erchants*to p rw en t another, a^id \ve heard th e lan gu age for th e
first, tim e. Tb is rejul in a very sing-song manner, and w itli a
very Ictig <lrawl on an oocJisional wt)fd, which has a fu n n y ©fleet.
T he lUinneae all«sat on chairs a t th is duF|)ar, as D . said h e on ly
ox|M-cted th o » im e m arks of r c sp ^ t from them tlm t he did from
EurojiPiins and Indians, so th ey sipiat no longer.
W h en (ill wn.s over w e walked ou t again, treading ou th e roses
•which som e B urm ese women threw upon our piitli,*and g ettin g
in to our carriage started for th e P alace. Tlio w IudIg three m iles
•was lin ed ■with troops ; there w as a very stron g escort,'besides
our ow n body-guard, wlio l«(ok real gia n ts in t]^is country of sm all
men and ponies.
• •
188C
^r.V m U .A Y : KTNO THK>rrU-\VR T'ALAPE
•
183
O utside tho c ity all th e houses are mere m a ttin g sheds, and
t h e people louk very pofir and nuked. B n t th e c ity w a lls arc
l>eautiful and o f a rich colour, heing b u ilt of brownish-red brioks.
T liey are in perfect repair, and form a great square, each sith; »
m ile and a h alf l^ngT lie w hole w all has a plain indente<l
hurdePr tind a t stutofl in tervals nlong it are th ose lovely many*
roofed j»agodas*—largo one* a t th e corners and in th e cciHre, and
sm aller ones betw een. Tlicre is soinethitig very grand a n d .simple
about the whole, and a m oat rig h t round it, w id e a.'+a rivor and
full
wafer, adds to tho elTect. AVe drovo through th e finest
gatew ay, and soon cam e to a h igh palisatle which Encloses, tho
P alace ; tJu'J’o gildet,! m inurets and sh in in g pinnaolc.s un<l golden
carved roof.s begai> t<f appear, and w hen w e doscende<.l from the
carriage w e found ourselves a t th(f entrance o f K in g Thoebaw’s
i l a l l of A udience.
*
*
I m ust, however, go back to te ll you th a t tw'o w onderful
arches w ere p u t up for u s on th e w ay. T hey w ere filled w ith
people, and w e stopped it> each to receive, addresses. On ono
side o f tho first were th e gen tlem en w ho read th e address, and
on th e other were d an cin g -g iils sin gin g and j>osturing, and w on­
derful to behold. I n th e second arch— tables w ere .spread on
either side w ith fru it am i fhnvors, and w ooden figures dressed up
jis wom en jtoo<i by.
The great A ud ience 1 la ll is all g o ld - g r e a t teak pillars g ilt.
A t one end is T heebaw ’s throne, and dooi*s open diiV*ctly behind
it., through w hich he used suddenly to appear and look upon the
crowd bowed before him wit.K th eir ffu'ps tn tim ground. \A*hen
w c entered there w ore four m en p layin g drums, and I think it
w as ono of tli^ m ost com ic th in g s I ever saw . T he drum s were
hm iging up, and had w h ite mu.slin p etticoats round them , and
the men w ho played them danced ab ou t an d m ade grinmces,
and threatened them w ith th eir lists as if th e y >j-^re liv in g things
and as if th ey were havin g a good jo k e togetlm r. Tlierc w'as ono
old gentlom nn ilk jjarticuliir w ho seem ed to be a lirst-fa tc actor,
and w ho certainly had great fu n w ith h is drum. I could havo
looked a t theiu for hi>urs, w ore life leas fu ll uT seeing and doing
than i t i.s a t present.
Then we w alked on through th e Palace. A m arvellous place
i t is. W h a t is n ot -gold i.s a sort o f glass m osaic, which is very
bright a n d ‘e le c tiv e . Thm'o aro glass latticew ork sides to somo
of th e rooms, ;ind golden pillars, and glassv'ork pillars, and greatmirro»s ; ;ind ^outside, golden roofs beautifully carved, and more
gold and g la ^ ^jUings, acres o f g ilt roofing, and .sliiniug piunnclea* and forests o f teak [lillars a ll gold ?
184
OUR
V I C E R K G A L L L i’t
IN
IN B L i
« h . v ii
O ne very fine room has l>eeii an*ange<l by our officers as a
drawing-room for me, and i t lias in it som e o f th e p retty things
(x^llectod from various parts o f tJie 7-'a!ace : fine china bowls in
.which the iiurinese had been cooking ; glass-work pagoda boxes,
con tain in g vessels for w a te r ; ptior S oopaya-L at’s trip le pier-glnss,
^’hioh Bhuts up and has a peacock on th e back o f it, and other
thing.'Twhich I shall have tim e to in sp ect later, ’ W o mounted
a h igh tow er, from w hich w e could see th e wlm le P alace and its
surroundings. Tt w as nearly sunset, and th e lig h t on th e sevenroofed pinnacle over the royal aboflc. and th e g litterin g o f the
m an y sm aller oitcs, and th e groat exp an se of fanl4istic-shaped
roofs w ith their car\-fxl and g ilt eaves, gave one a fine idea of
th e size and beauty of th e Palace. The ^iew itiadf w as lovoly,
for th e w hole enclosure w ithin •tlioso splendid city w alls is fu ll of
t r e e s ; tlie Shan M ountains rfae beyond, and lliere are strange
p : ^ d a s or tem ples everyw here.
'J'here is th e ‘ JneoinjHirable
P iigoda,’ w hich is q u ite w hite, and w'hich rise? from th e ground
ill diiiiiniRhing aijuares, tuid near it anotlier very celebrated
golden bell' shaped pagixia sui rounded by eleven hundred sm all
shrines.
J u s t Ixjfore leaving th e P alace—f(jr w e have decided to re­
m ain luost of dhr tim e on th e steam er and o n ly to spend tw o
n ig h ts tlie r e --w e saw som e llu m ie se dancers for # few m inutes.
W h en w o entered the circular building w here th ey pei'funn, tlicy
w(!re h II seated, a mass o f gold and silv er and bright colour, and
th en th ey came forward in tw o Hne.s and danced before us. Tho
row o f m en wci*e dnesstMi as princes. T liey w ore very high pointed
goh l h ats poisod on th eir heads, and h eld oil b y straps w hich
had lai’g c gajhl w ings covering their cai’s. T hey Jia<l very b ig
silv er Charles 1. collars, and gold and silver stiff leaf-like aprons.
T hey were com pletely clothed and very brilliant.
. Tho w om en wpre ju st live figures you k now so w ell in pictures.
T h eir dancing i.s m uch more in terestin g th a n th a t of In d ian
u a u tch -g ifis ; still it consists alm ost en tirely in bending about
th e body in to extraordinary positions, m any o f them suggestive
of a bad pain aoitjowhere. The movemoivt \ehich is th e m ost
adinh^d is niade w ith th e arm, and consists in bending th e ellvow
th e MTong w ay; it looks as if it had a double jo in t. T he dancers
all h a v e thin little arms, and tlie y tw ist th em and th eir fingers
ajvout all tho tim e. Tiioir p etticoats are very lop g and very
tig h t, but th ey nnuiago them w ell. Tho dan<-i* id
sort o f play
w h ich goes on for hours, so w e o n ly s<vw th e prelnd«t and the
m ale and fem ale dangers were ju s t l>oginning a ffgui'o together
w hen wo had to go.
*
• •
T&
3.4
tS8(;
7/
T lfK (irj^ K N ’a 3fO.VASTEKV, A L iX lM I ,.0 '
^
ii* /)
•
The }fea(3-4uarters S ta ff is settled iu th e Falaco, a u d w c were
to have stayed therf-, Hat th;' ship is considerntl more healtliy ;
w e are, however, goin^ th ere on S lo n d n y fo r a Ijtfcl^
S a tu r d a y , 13/A. - \ V c w ent o a tth is in o r m iig to .s ^ ’fh tQ u eerJs
M onastery.
T he central buihliug, w hich is m ost elaborately
c.-irvcd, is all gilddli ; and th e surrounding houses arc equal)]^
beautifully ca rfed in plain woorl. K vety house in lhirmuhifi<-«ised
on piles, and in this case, wlu;re tlie pillars are solid teak covered
w ith gold, th e ground-door has th e appeni'ancG of a jnagiiificent
hall i>f colum ns.
A t th e com ers it is supported by caryod
dragon.s ; flights o f stair-s ou tsh le lead up .to th e first-^loor, rojmd
w hich, form ing a verandah, there is an elalKuately can 'M paling
in solid wood.
. •
W e w ere told th e B ishop w ould see us, so w e wore ta k en in to
th e room where he sa t surrounded ^>y h is monks. D on ’* im agine
him w ith Inwiv sleeves or an apron. N o ; he had a quite bald head,
an d a beautiful yellow tog a wrapjied round him , w hioh w as over
one shoulder and under th e other arm. Thi-s room alm ost defies
description—th e colum ns, w alls, doors, ceilings, a ll gold. 'A b o u t
th e h eigh t of a m an’s .shoulder’ fi’cm th e floor' the }>illars have
roun<I lliom a broad band o f raised carvin g se t \vith<liainonds, or
wha.t appear to b e diam onds. A t one end, on a sh in in g daia,
s its th e ctthii, Mailing Buddha. A ll th e doors arc carved with
figures in rfeliefV and every little morsel of wood you look a t is a
perfectly can*ed figure or design, and all gold. Thd on ly touch
o f any other colour you g e t is &om below , w h en you see th e red
lin in g o f th e roofs ; a v ery beautiful red it ia^ and it is used in
every place where there is n o t gold. T h e m any umiiiushii:^
ro»)fs alon g th e c ity w a ll are o f tin s deep red ju.^t tipped with
gold.
in the aiternoon H is E xcellen cy I’eceivcxl a ll th e Burmese
IVIinistcrs. H e first saw' them together, anti then had tw o of thejn
iiere scpai’ately. T hey were botli presente<l to mo. ,T hc Prime
M inister did n o t desert th e K in g, b u t saw him sa fely off, ami has
sin ce w orked w itli us. I f e seems a bright old m an, and he told
the other w hen he w ent liaek th a t he n eed no^^fnar to g o and seo
the V iceroy, as he had passwl safely through th e firo. T hey Wore
pleased to hear th a t I intended to g iv e a party for th e ladies, and
•tho second one said he had ju,st lost his o n ly tlau^htcr, ami th a t
h is w ife wa«i v e iy unliappy ami could n o t come, b u t sho would bo
i?orry not to'^ee lUA T h eir drc-ss is a long piece o f .silk tied round
th e body, tlife ivido ends hanging lik e iv p ettico a t in front, a Visp
o f muslin*tic*d’round their heads, a k n ot o f h iiiriu th o cejitn ',a n d
a whit.y jacket. *
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CUB VICEIiKGAL LIFE
IN INDIA
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tu. vn
W hen the bu-->ines8 intervie'ws w ere over, w e w e n t to see tlie
‘ lucoinpiiivible P agoda.’ The great h a ll in th e centn; is lik e w h a t
I have dvscribod before— a golden room w ith g rea t p illai’Sj
jew elled bauds rcnmd them , a b ig B uddha sittin g tliore. The
^ ts ic le oF th is I s n gly ; a staring w h ite place lju ilt in dim inishing
sfpinres, th e top of eacli battlem ented. There are eald and plain
tiaTved’lflniscs uthicliod to th is ; and in one wc saw a beautiful
w h ite m.arhlf! Buddha, w ith gold cap, shirt, and finger-tijis.
W o nexfr w en t to h>ok a t a pagoda, w hich I certain ly lik e
b etter th an ilie one a t R angoon, aiid i t is m ost currous. *Thc
pig«itla iiHOPf is again a giga n tic Imnd-bell, but w ith o u t any
taw d ry aco<iiinMtiiiuieiits. I t is a ll g ilt. Form ing a great s«jnarc
round it are eleven hundred w h ite pagoda% 9r sm all building.s,
each OIU5 w ith ft slab o f m arble upright in it, m ost beauti­
fully inscMbed on both sides w ith pieces o f ‘ acripture.’ I w en t
half-w ay up the outside o f th e great pagoda, and w as delighted
w ith the v ie w ; all these strangt^ w h ite c u p o la s 'in tiie foregroundj^tho trees and rising pinnacles, and gohl rW)fs and th e
distant mountain.^-—i t made one really feel as if one m u st be
clroiiTning.
♦
T confess, however, th a t thi.s even in g I feel alm ost tired of
gold.
I never conceived such m asses o f i t before, and can’t
undem tand it all a t once.
•
,
T m ust tell you a little m ore about tho glass m osaic w hich is
often used <iu th e sid e walla o f buildings, and of w hich th ere ip
so much in th e Palace. .Some of i t is coin])osed o f pieces o f glass
im bedded in a gold ground. Som etim es it is laid on a n open
latticew ork and edged w ith gold. Tn other places it is cu t and
se t w ith coloured b its like- jew els, or round piinels, th e centre of
them bein g artiCcial flowmrs w ith glass over theju. Thi.s is the
h'jist suecoasful form, b u t even th is la very effective w h en a
w hole w all is doyti w ith i t ; and I th in k th a t w hen it is m ixed
w ith gold on tho outsid e o f buildings it looks lik e silv er and is
very splendid.
There were som e very fu n n y groups of people ab ou t w hile
th e M inisters were here. F iv e men, for iustance, sittin g under
one big liat which a servant carries over hia m aster’s hentl w hen
h e w a lk s ; au occasional clephus-.t passing w ith h is passenger
sittin g in a haslgct on }»«« back, and a particular elep h an t stopping
over ft rope lying on th e ground, w h ich w as tho mosj; com ic siglit
of all— ho fe lt it and shook it, and finally lifted e.'v?h g rea t foot
as high as ever he could, ?ts though h e had tlie tru iik o f a .g in u t
tree to pass over in.stcad of a mere thread !
Su n th iy, 14M.— I w en t to church th is m orning in K in ^ Tliee’
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L A D ; K S
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A
i l A T J C I I
187
baw 's A utlienco JTaH. Tlie Arttiy CliapJaia stood in fix>nt o f his
th nm e, anti all the soldiers in lin es betw een th e o o ^ i n s .
Tn th e afternoon w e made a cliarniing e x p e d it i^ to soo th e
great IhiII a t Men"i'loon, which is o n ly second in size to tlie
M oscow bell. A ^ la llc r steam er came alongside ours to take
there, and w e lu n d ied on our w ay across the river. A ll the
Sjiec'iftl Reporters, boti) those who draw am i tiio sc wJii>‘ write,
w e n t w ith us. W e also liad a strung guard of sailoirs, who
form ed a conlon round tho place w hile w e I'oained alx)ut and saw
th e ^ghts.*
T lie biggest pagoda in tlie worhl w as to have bech b u ilt boro,
b u t an earthquake p u t an end to th e wliole design ; and nil th a t
is to bo seoji n ow k a soli<l m ass o f brick Tuas<inry rent by tlxis
convulsion of nature, arid th e iiind-quartcrs of tw o gig a n tic liondogs w hich were to have guarded tlie entrance. 'I’h© sqGare block
is, even in its unfinished state, a very g rea t perfonnnnce, and
w ith wood abd river and sm all pagodas near, tho place is very
pretty. Tjie b ig bell is cIopc by, and is h alf resting on th e
gi'ound and h alf h ung botwoen pillars grown over w ith iv y .
L y in g in th e ju n g le we found som e carve<l wooden ladies, who
w ore sboulderwl b y th o sailors and carried otf w ith a view to
th eir tak in g up a p osition som e day in th e hall a t Clatideboye.
W e had qne %r tw o people a t dinner, am ongst them Mon.siQur
A ndrcino, tlio Ita lia n Consul, who so narrow ly escaped from
'Jheebaw’s clutches !
Afonduy, lo th .— \^'e came up to th e P alace to-day to stay,
and very nice an d pleasan t it is. T here i* m y drawing-room
w ith its tw en ty -eig h t beautiful golden pillars, and its gold an d
glass latticew ork sides. There is m y hed-room w ith it s golden
pjlbirK and little m attin g partitions, and in b oth rooms a lo fty
roof, the rafters all gilt. In th e drawing-i-uom u number of w h ite
w nopxes hang alm ut and form occasional ceilings, an<I show tk a t
i t is a ri)ynl abode.
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AV<* IcKikcd a t th e ‘ P rize.’ V ery poor prize it is ! *Th<-ebaw's
ladie.s were m uch too sharp fo r our soldiers, aixd m anaged to w alk
ofl’ w ith everything. There is p o sitiv ely only.'onc jew el, mid th a t
is French- -it is a necklace of sinall diam onds and rabies, and an
ornam ent for the h air in tlie sh ap e o f a peacock, to match ; one
very big, but bad emerald, and th ree large good on e.s; tlia t is
absolutely* all- T hem ure a num ber o f G eneva w atches, and
aomo snmll flffrncTi ornaincnt.9, b u t n otljin g oven w orth buying as
souvwnirp, for the.se odds and ends are European things.
A t tIm.*o o’q^ock E . had a lev<ie. l i e sb>od in front of
T h oek iw ’s throne | which, as I told yo u ,* is on ly a dnV'), w ith a
18S
tJLIi ViC EK K 'JAL i.lF E IN IN D IA -
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cn, vii
row o£ })orly-"uard boliind him am i another row in front, am i
much ‘ brilliaJit SbifF’ around and about him ; and tho ‘ IDustm tod ’ on one side, and tlie ‘ tirapliio ’ on tlie otlier, busy scrib­
bling aw ny ; them8elve.s n good subject for a caricature in their
ev'cning coats and b ig sun bats. 1 w as behind th e throne, looking
A ro u g li som e cjurved brass doors, w hore I could criticise th e
capsiial iu>dfl which some oilioors g iv e a.s th ey paas by. I saw tho
Burm ese M inisters tryin g n o t to squat, and th e C hinese rcsident-s
bending double, and the n ative oflicers pivsenting thoir swords,
and th en unfortunately there w as som e niistjiko and *t.lie ftv ee
was-supposed’to be. o v ei, umi th e V icero y p u t on liis helm et, and
'T fled }»ack to my i*ooin, saying to myseJf, ‘ O nly tw o B u rm ese;
is it a. donum stration '1’ Then i t turned out *lbwt /ill th e liurm ese
w ho Irul a right ttt come wero tliere, but had g o t in to sonic outnf-tlii'.-wny corner. T he Viccrc^’ resumoil h is place, and th ey all
piissed by, bu t I missed seeing them .
A fter tliis ceremony plain clothes w ere put on,*and we rode
out. W e visitcKl all the sick and wounded in th e hospitals: such
hospitals’ !— more gold pillars and carve<l roofs. T liey are re^iily
ndininible >»uildings for th e purpose. T hey are all raised from
(he ground, and are open to th e air on every sith*. N o t a sin gle
m an in ho.-ipitJil has died from a wound, and all th e sick do well.
T hen w e siavcetl tu go up ilaxuUiiay H ill, Th%cvt^ ta k es its
nam e fi'Oin th is hill, which rLes direct fn.un tho p lain and
ctmijnajul> a great ex ten t o f country. T h eiv is a rough sort of
staircase up Ut the top, and sOmc people rode, b u t I walked both
up am i dow n, and ife wah a steep puli I H a lf-w a y uj> th ere i.s a
gigjitdic gold figure o f B m hlha. I t is about forty ff'ct high, and
it is poin tin g to the spot where tlie palace was to J/c built, and
w here it now is. A t (b e top th ere are more B uddhas. Our
soUlicrs have a .signalling station there, and 1 believe th is is the
plu4 :e to hear new s, for th ey learn at once all th a t is go in g on.
On com ing rlpwii we looked at a sittin g figure o f B uddha w hich
is tw enty-fbur feet high, and w hich has a house all to itself. The
w hole w ay round Uii.s building arc hundrwls of sm all tem ples,
each w ith a Buddh^ in it, .and when you lo<>k dow n a row you
can sSe th ese kneeling figures tlie w hole w ay along.
I n th e evening wc had a B u n n cse jday. I t was h eld in th e
* U m brella Roomj’a iiamf; which ex a ctly de.scrilios its construction.
A ,sm a ll pastclHiard luouutaiu close to tho stick is all th e scenery,
and the spet'fators sit all tht i>ay nm nd Tlio%dgt\ o f th e open
um brflla, e.xcept .at one part wla rr (Jio a ctu is are collcyxt-od. . One
of thcsr. B uniicse jb iy s las'-'i ab.ait ihrre days, and the actors like
ta> g o through everytldnil iu e. long-drawn mato.er, .'.o 1 feii ijaUior
(df
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A srOtfEyXJON FOE MR. DOYLY ('ARTE
189
.
•
asli.’unwl of th« w ay in whitrh w e hurrieil them fm m scene to
scen e th at we m ig h t see as m uch a s possible.
Tho story w as tlia t of a princess w lio was to b e given to th e
one out of seven suitors w ho could bend a certain bow and shoot
an arrow from it. M ixed up w ith th is sim ple them e w ere ev il
K])irita and clow ns ^ h o lengthened i t out. Kach prince luul a lit
st^ene to himsi'H to introduce him : h e marshalled h is folJo^vers ;
he had a cerb u a am ouiit of chaff w ith th e m aids of honour ; and
h e w as to be presented to th e king, w liieh all took tim e. Tlien
th e hfcdifis appeared, and tho I'l-incesB (an elderly p rim n d on n a)
w aved hci^ielf .dxm t and begun to sin g w hat turned out to 1>^ an
ode to th e V iceroy and nic. I t spoke of m y dres-s as b ein g worth
million.s, and o f thp diam onds in m y huir, and I fe lt th a t th e
exp ectation s of tl?e composer niusLdiave been sadly disappointed
at sig h t of ih n real th in g 1 A ll th e actors' dresses w ere very fine,
really handsom e, for thi.'^ * Opcu-a’ is supported by th e S tate, and
a M inister haii, or hml, cluvrge of th e departm ent. I t w as a very
p retty scene. A t first one th in k s th a t m oving nbout in a dress
. w iiicli is u.a tig h t as it can w ell l>e— lik e ujie tvousor le g —“cannot
bo pretty, b u t the w om en are ho supple tliuL their m ovem ents
becom e graceful. T he p r im a dom ja ciiri ied a sm all fa n and a
silk sojirf in her hand, and she ended ofT her son g very p rettily,
m aking fitst of^all an E u glish ‘ wila.an ’ before us, and then a
Buruie.so faiTuta*on wjlh her face to th e gi*ound. T he eJ»se w ith
w hich nuui and women squat is m ost reimn kuble. There was a
good dwil of fun.ii» th e acting too. A clown, wbtj w ore a silver
collar an d a p etticoat, w a s very fu n n y, and. th e w om en w ere
charm ing and v ery liv e ly *when th e y scofFed ih e uiisaccessful
suitors. T liis sort o f play w<mld m.ike an adnnruble successor to
ih e ‘ Mikfulci,' if it cuuhl b« produceil iu London.
i forgot t»» le li you duu. we
Thovbav,’s sta te coat, vs’liich
is very lik e w h at th e dancing ‘ p r in c e s’ wear. D. is goin g tp
send it: to tlie South KHHbii^gt«>u M useum ,
*
,
Tn€»(lat/, liiik .— W e g o t uj» early and ror’le four nfiloa to a
place w here m arble Iluddhiis wo.ve bein g made. T he ride w as
the m ost intojtislin g p a it, o-s w e piLssed vhrou/5h th e ila n d a la y
‘ C ovent G arden,’ niid saw a ll th e j.Hiople b u yiu g and .selling v e g e ­
tables, and the pohngces (m onks) g o in g about, as th ey do every
m orning, to collect food from the faitliful. To p u t som ething
in to a poln^gce’.s jiot is a work of m erit wliich ‘every nunna»i,
should porfonh daily. A fterw ard s I w as -Uiken to see tho polacft
storeiiouse. A lth ou gh th ere is n oth in g valuable, th ere are hny
am ount o f bddsiind ends puivhased from Eurojm : scores o f photogiaplqbdoks, sew iilg-m acluncs, f>hotograph-»franie5, fans, toys, and
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O rU VICKKEOAL LIFE- IX IN D IA
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lacquer b oxes of all kiuds, and acoiit
to furnish a shop.
A little auction w as hold here to-day, b y th e P rize Connnittoe,
and I l)olieve th e rubbi.sh w ont a t enormous prices.
I n the aftem ooii I hud th e m ost successful pa»'t\- you can
im agine. I u'aa ju s t a littl#^nfniid th a t th e Burinose ladies m igh t
% ot come, bu t at four o’clock about six ty of*them appoarecl, all
8wath(ai iij lovely coltmrs and soft silks, diam ond jftid pearl n eck ­
laces, and flowcr-s in th eir blnc'k hair ; oarrings too, ■which I m ust
m ention pai;ticul.ai'ly, for th ey are straigh t tubes of amber, ghisa,
jad e, or gold, pushed through th e lobe, o f th e car— Uiey w e as
th ick a.s a lady’s thum b, and .about an inch long. Som e o f th ese
aro sot at one end w ith big stones, b u t some arc hollow. It. and
I stood a t tlie door and welcomed our guoets^one b y one. 'I'hey
had to come up th ree steps in to th e room, u iu la s thoir garm ents
are open all the w ay dow n tho»front, it requires som enianugem ont
to w alk up w ith propriety. They do m anage tliein so w e ll llia t
you never would know that the petticoat is n o t join ed unless you
w ere told it.* A s w e shook hands w ith them , th ey bolt*;il p ost vis,
and im m ediately squatted on th e floor, w hich I n o w fih d is a m ost «
adm irable arrangement, doing aw ay entii*ely w ith tho .stiff circle
in to w'hich th e b est regulated chairs w ill form on such occasions.
Tho first tim e; how'over, th at I sjiw all my gu ests th u s seutpd I
w as rather startled, and wondoj-ed how I w as to j ^ s the tin io for
them . I b(!gan b y sittin g on a very lew chair near tliT* IVlinisters’
w ives, an d g ivin g them a cup of te.a and a biscuit, jinking them a
few questum s nm autim e and adm iring tlieir jew ellery. AVh^^ii
th ey had gainecl sufticient courage, th ey asked m e ray age, w liich,
according to Burm ese etiquette, is an essential m ark o f politeness,
and th en we g o t on beMutifulIy. T, emjuired if th ey w ould lik e to
look a t the th in gs in the room, so wo all got up, and T sUo'vod
tliem th e Queen's trip le looking-glas.s, w hich w as a g rea t hu c c o ss ,
smd th<^y w ere h igh ly amused nt seeing them selves on tliroe sidc.s
ail a t once. • 1 fiext produced a muhical Ixtx, and tlie ico bein g
now en tirely bi-oken th ey asked m e to le t them soo .some o f th e
other rooiii.s ; so, w ith a b rillian t follow ing, 1 luarchcil about
4“xh ib itin g I ’heeU iw ’s PalacR to his la te subjects. T hey ■wore
uio.st cheerful, anct .said tlioy had been in th e Valace before, ‘ b u t
n ot like th is.’
Tho n ex t part of the programme w.as som e «lancing, and, .still
w ith m y train* behind nje, T repaired to th e U m brella Iloom .
Tliere th ey sat on th e floor, leaning forward w ith th eir elbow s oh
the* ground and enjoying i t thoroughly. T h e ' grincipjil lad y
advised m e as to th e best dances, and I g o t her tb asK for them .
Sevtjrid tim es th.ey s-aifl to m e (jiccording to tlio translators th a t
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1880
SoOJ>AYA-r,AT ANI> UEK DOINOS
191
i t wjis very ^joUy,’ and th a t th ey were so ple<osed to Lfive cornu ;
m id tow ards the end th ey told m e th a t 1 had on ly g o t to sfnid
for them wlieti th ere w as an y more danciog, and th ey would come
a t once. Their husbands had told thorn n o t to sm oke iHifore mo,
so the very enorm ous cigar, w liicli ifrgon ein lly in tlie m onth of
m an, woman, and ih ild , d id n o t appear on th is occasion. Thejfc
we-rc quite un,\villiug to go aw ay, so I think I am j u s t e d in
sayin g th a t th e JHU'ty w as a success. Tliere were also some
M ahom etiiii ladies a t it , h u t th o only peculiarity I could see
abou|jthejy w as th a t th ey w ouhl only ta k e th e t « i from Mnsaulm an hand.'i: and I don’t k n ow w h y th e y shouljl have th is
pi’ejudice. T hey w ere dresswl lik e th e others, an d are in 'fact
Burmese.
,
I m ust m entiffl^one other fumjtinn, which trx’j k place hv-day.
The fic e r o y reeoive*! tlie ‘ A rclibishop ’ and a gi*eat^ su ite <j£
‘ chaplains,’ all of them w ith shaven heads, yellow^ rohr«, and
eaeli one w it^ a large fan in his hand to shade liim from tho
sun.
*
W t i d i i e ^ a y , \ * i t h . — D . w ont in to the luizaar befoin breakfast,
Mid a ll the iiiorning did a groat deal of bu.siues.s, wJiilc I amused
u i/se lf w ith plxotography and w ith looking about th e Palace.
c took a little ride in th e ei-oning, and ended up w ith a dinner
to fhc Hejid-<juurtei‘s StaiF. D . proposed Goiicral P rem lergast’s
um lyji-. B eraatd ’s h ealth s in a speech w hich you 'w ill read in th e
‘
ti> w liich th ey Imth rojilied. t t w as all very nice ; but
gu ests w ere lieadn o f dejxartmonts th ey could n o t applaud
leii? ow n prai.sea, and so i t seem ed to me rather solemn.
i\h irn dii}/, la^A. - f g o t eith er cold or sun m iuy eye, and had
to go about w ith a green patch over it, onuble to reiul or w rite,
so 1 w a s rather glad th a t T w as to seo tho F rench nuu55 w ho are
settled here. Xiiey ciuuc in Uic lu o n iin g a u d g c ^ p u d f u r som e
tim e. TJiey saw a grea t deal o f Soopaya-L at, th e late Queen,
aud I w ill toll you all th e y to ld mo about her, nnd wli.-tt T hiA’c
heard from othere. S h e seem s really to h ave been HJje n queen
of a n cien t history.
A B urm ese lu n g is exjiecled to marry his Jujlf-.^ister, so th a t
th e royal blcKxl m ay bo k ep t puro, th ou gh 'h er. child docs n o t
tiecefisarily becom e lu n g --a n d Soopaya-Bftt boro IhLs relation to
th o K in g ; b u t aho li.otl ;m elder sLsier whom Thcebaw should
have nitinded, and it w as only liceause th ey w ere illre.'ulybetTOthed
th a t h is oiigagei^eut to her was allow ed to sbind, and to th e
great misforLQne of the country she became Queen. I f tho people
hero £ to to
believed, a ll poor Theebaw ’a crim es o f com m ission
&ml o f om ission «'ero d u e to her i h e n^vor w a s allowed o u t o f
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O V K VIC.’KIIECt.AL l i f e
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her
uover did an yth in g or gavo an orclnr excf)pt a t-h er
suggfistioii. H(.* did not drink iis he was said to do, for no wino,
b ottles fu ll or em pty w ere found in th e Palucc.
I
•^.:'T hey b oth lived in sm all back twnns, sittin g a ll d ay side b y
^
side on lite ground, and if h e iin.ivecl nw ay she use^l t-o te ll him to
^
lawik quiekly. T hey seldom, w en t ahOvit th e Fatace, and
'
o n ly
on stat« occasions in th e large apartm ents. S h e
*,
• "wa-s a very violent and pjwsionato wom an, goverueil en tirely by
im pulso’am^ caprice, th in k in g herself th e very greatest poi’son in
all Ih e world, and unable to conceive th e jmssibili'-y ofm iishjrtunc
or reirib u tiyn falling upon her. 8'he had m aids o f honour am?
eunuchs abou t her, and she had n wrtndcrfai ta len t fnr keeping
them -cinpli*ycd. H er follow ers w em lik e ,a m s, alw ays busy,
alway-i fetch in g or c a n y in g , o» in som e w ay fu m llin g her l)chfeKte.
T h e K n ig lia d a guard of women, w ho we«< relk-veil a t sbxted
hours lik e soldiers ; hut Hoopaya-jUit took g«KK? care o f him , ajid
if he look ed a t another wom an, w oe b etide th a t bm fortutiato
creature. T hat she em ployed ‘ refined c r u e lty ’ and th a t she
tortured her victim s seem s certain ; and tlie nuns told m e th a t — __
th ey ha ve sa t w ith her in one room w lnlo wom en w ei’e bei’‘S
heatCTi in th e n ex t, and th a t th e Qm^e.n and her Court wore idsf'^y
Hnsuscd n t th eir cries, and treated it a U n stlie m o s t enjoyable
.
\
A bed. w ith all the neccssjiry in;ichiuery for lettin g it s
j
dow n in to a cellar below, w as found, b u t o f course uo1:)ne k^ows
whetht-r i t w:;:: v.3«d or not.
--. ——
A form er queen and a prineesis had beon irt }>riatm
clm ins f(»r .4x ycni’s, im«l th ey could not im agin e wind.,
happened w hen our soUIioi-s opened th e doors and roleasod th em .
^
T hoy are now in ub.solute po\i;rty. A s th e Bishop sa id of
Soopayji- Llit, ‘ If she liked you, sho loved you ; if sho hat-eci you,
she killetl y o u .’ Tho w ives of officials lived in con stan t terror
lost th eir ow n or their husbands’ lives shoul'.I be tak en
T he Dims luul’curious relations w ith the Queen, and T th in k
these g o o d lad ies have gob them selves in to rather a mciss, for th ey
'
had som e large business tnm sactions w ith her. T he Quocr. used
to send co n sta n tly for them . Som e d ays slie math; them tran.slute
to hor ail th e F r e n A novels th a t could b e found ; oilier d ays sho
<lisplayed her jew els— such diam onds and rubies 1 Tho nun.s
descrilHHt dazzling heaps of thorn covering th e floor. O ther tim es
sho grno theni*ccjiimiIssions ; th ey w en; to send tp, P aris, to
•C^ilcutta. to llan goon , to g e t jcw’cis and c v c iy other Sort o f th in g
th a t crime in to her head— wAtchaswithontr-ud, photograph-album e,
^
fram ca a n d btulfs. The nuns did it, and a t fir.st th e y 'got* p;dd,
h u t the la st tw o years a t o ^ y a - lA t has paid ndtlung, and, there
i
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J8S6
h
A QL’K K N s a m v s k m e n t s
♦
193
is, I believe, a coiisiderable sum due for jew els and other unpaid
goods.
Those ladies did a good tloal o f needlew ork for th e Queeu too.
One tim e she though t trousers nmdn a good dress for women, so
th e y se t to work and trou-sered th e w hulc.O ouit. A s a rule, she
w ore th e ordinary’ Tlurnieso drcas herself, but sh e rutd a magiiiftcent ‘ imiform*’ for s n u e occasious. f t wn.s a lon g nn*Leheavy
coar, with stiff points lik e fin.s a t th e sides, and it w as covered
w ith gold and precious stones. W h en she and Tlnvsbaw sa t in
th eir graitd dr<*s?es on th e throne, th e floor o f tlm room wa;*
covered by a m ultitude of poojdo, all w ith th eir faces to, the
ground, and if th e Queen saw anyw here in th ^ m ost distant
corner a person
w as less j.rostrate than he, or she, ought to
he, blic sen t Imu non*, th e room, iviltl h e ‘ heard o f i t ’ afterw.ards.
Whe gave quantities of presen ts to th e persons she Kkcd, and
one of her am usem ents w as on one o f th ese sta le occasions, or
fete days, l ; ^ i t on th e dais, w itii a great p ile of mpuey before
her, and to call people up to ta k e as much as tlioy could carry in
their tw o Kands. T lieir eflbrt.s to g e t big handfuls caifsed her
much m nusem ent, and then alie w ould throv,' pieces almut the
room and enjoy seein g th e scram ble th a t ensueil. »S}je w ould go
on for a w'hoie n igh t doing this, laughing to aeo her subjects
gTiVvelling hefoj|i her ; tiius she sp en t large sum s o f m nney.
I can't lu a k c out th a t sh e had m uch anmsemenl in th e day
tim e. Slie was fond of m usic, and it there were an y Eur«'ppHU
ladies n t M anilaluy, she used to g e t them to come and play the
piano to her, bu t they had to df> so kneeling* A photogm phor
used to Ih' sen t for som etim es, and he w a s k ep t plm tographing all
the ladies of Jier Court tlie wliolo day long. A n oth er day she
w r » u l d look tijrough all her album s, and stu d y the v e iy u gly
photographs tlicrein. I s-iw irumbcrs o f tliem , and bought one.
T he Queen w h h ed to travel, b u t she said th at, althougii oih^r
sovereigns did so, it would n o t do fur her. 8 1 1 0 *1 1 1 0 0 1 1 ,1 . however,
to m ake her children go about. T h e K in g wns vm y ctevoied to
her, b u t w as dreadfully afraid of hcT. l i e has al.su married her
youn gest sister a t Soopaya’s desire. She^fiold Jim nuns th a t she
w a s fond of ii e r sister, and w ished h er to 1h> u s hnj>py as* she
lierself was, and so site Imd
th e K in g to inaiT)* her.
W hen Thteljiiw left th e Fuluct', h is hands wer^o crossed before
him , and he«had a w ife on each sid e ; h e th u s led them out, mul
seem s to hav§ Iw-tiai’od w ith cunaiderable d ig n ity . AN'hat a
terrib ly dram atic ending to Soopaya’s greatne.ss ! K o t ove’n a
gold coaclj to *go aw ay in ; only a square bo.M o f a vehicle, in
w hich
and the* K in g and h er m other’*ttll crow ded together.
'
,
\
o
*
194
O r U VICEREG A L LIFK IX IN'DIA
cu. v^i
•
TJlOy wero followed by wonjcn oarryin.^ trays fu ll o f "oods, b u t
"m m iy of these ran aw ay and escaped w ith tlie things.
(jOiiorul Prendergast brought ly e .a lortdy little im age of
B uddha, w hicli ho said he a e /l th e offieei’S o f th e arm y w ished to
g iv e me as a soxivonir o f in y v isit to M andalay j and th e y gave
tlu' original and the translation o f liord Uh.iliou.sie’s L)e?i)atcb
w]ien»dj8 addiv.ssed his ultim atuin to th e Burmese.*
W o left th e Palace in sta te at live o’clock, and tlrove dow n to
th e recepti(ju-hall w hich had be<m p u t up for our arrival ; th ere
E nglish officers and tho Puruiese Mini.stcr.s were collwcted.* TJie
la tter stood,in a i-o w before the V iceroy, and ho to ld them then
th a t th eir country luid been taken over b y th e E n glish people,
and that \ve exp ect them now to show Ic^'aUy and d evotion to
th eir new Sovereign. Then v»e shook hands w fc i them and w ent
on boank The ‘ P rim e M in ister ’ w an ted to g iv e mo som e silk,
and A rch ie a sword, but we couJd n o t ta k e them .
The Burmese nppear to be a mo.st ]>lea.sing, n icojceop le to do
w ith , b u t som e of tlieir very virtu es m ake thorn difficult to govern
and to depend upom Their police are n o good, and th e y noitlier*
stan d and ligh t nor qu ite g iv e w ay. H ow ever, for Imtter, for
w orse, Burm ah is annexed. I t seem s a rich country, and Mandahiy is a lovely place, and w e, a t any rate, liavo had a delightful
v is it Ihero. Tho soldiers hitherto liave had an ex citin g tim e too,*
b u t now th a t th e glam our is worn ofl‘, th ey have a d u lfa n d m ther
dreary pixispect before them .
i>. has done an im m ensity of busines.s : tilin g s could n o t have
lieon settled w ithopt h is com ing here. T he la st act he perfornu'd
before leavin g was rather curious and pictui'esque to look a t. Tfe
had promised to return to th e Bishop and h is m onks .sonic
B uddh as which they considei-ed specially sacre<l, so these wero all
laid o a t together, ami tho yellow-robed brethren stood by, and D .
handed t}i<'ir images over to them , and then a crowd of coolies
ra.sli(>d in and carried them all off.
AVe a*c once moro on board our ship, and hope sin cerely to
g e t dow n the river w ithou t sticking.
J-'riday, 19M .-*-ily la st en try expressed a w ish which has not
been fulfilled. M o did go on a .smul-bank, anti did stick th eiv
for a w hole day. Our -pilot Ktcanier and nil our m en wt'rc busy
from morn till e \e hauling, and tu ggin g, and la y in g out anchors
und tak in g them in again, and w e ju st m anaged to gfit otl' before
dark.
Tin? stoppage wn.s lon g enough to p u to u t a ll our arningement.s,
and w o have had to alter oiii* i)lang, so th a t w e shall *nol reach
C alcu tta os soon as vviyinteiuletl.
‘ •
**
,
.
/
.
• •
ANXIH'nE?^
TUKKlUWrt PO JIESTir
JIE si'ir .\NXIE'nE?<
15)5
0
L ife fin l>onrd ncefl not bo reconlofl. Ifa p p ily our nmil canic
in, and brouglit us new s o f all our l>elongings in various parts of
tlie worJd, and our letters Avero h igh ly appreciated.
A s I huvo n othing to say o f uur.sclve.s, it m ay umuso you to
know w lia t I'hoebow is doing, os described in otticlal papers b ^
the officer in c h a r ^ of liiiu. l i e is greatly occupied about th e
cotning baby. • H e w onders w hat clothes it liad beHfir \Kt*s;r, and
he has ordered a gold dish se t w ith rubies to l>e niuflo fnr its re­
ception. H e is also much troubled about th e nursci^ w ho are for
everV n th e eve o f lejiving him and nrturning to Burm ah ; one,
linvijig m ade up h er m ind to go, licggpd to l>o allow ed to get. ou t
o f the house a.s quickly a s possible, os it would, under the circum ­
stances, be too
hold licn\ A n oth er w om au, w ho superin­
ten d s th ese nurses, clim bed a treetin d could n o t be g o t doMii till
sh e wjus tiireiitened b y T lioebaw him self, w hen she descended ‘ lik e
a squirrel.’ |
T h e Q ucoq exp ected h er E uropean lu o u lh ly nurse in cm w l in
h er presence, b tit th.at she refused to do ; an<l oven th e ayahs,
■who iiave done i t so far, sa y th eir kjiee.s are soro and tliey cannot
go on.
T here ! T have sen t you a great supply o f M andalay gossip.
23-rrf.— T he remainder o f our voyage wa.s uneventful,
and after a daji^in the train w e re.ached U angoon yestenl.a}’.
I n theV ftct'noon w e attended “sports.’ I t was such a very
p retty fete. W e assembh.*<l a t th e edge o f a eharm idg little lake,
w ith bridges and islam ls, and gre<ni banks and tine trees about it,
and a frin ge of gay-colourw l people adorning i t all. F irst there
w ere races ; six teen or seven teen men row ing m a very long and
m rro w Ixsvt, sl^rii'king, and splashing th e "water wit.h .a very rapid
stroke. A t tfie w inning-post a lon g stick w as stuck in to a hollow
bamlxio, and whichnver lioat carried oil' this i>tick wa.-> tloclared th e
w inner. M’hen w o had seen enough of th is w c w en t through tiio
p avilion where w e sat, and on th e otlior side of II w e Jound th irty
very you n g girls, arranged in a square, .squatting ort a carpet
there, and ready to ijeYfony, T he spectators -wt^re in crowds all
round them . The.so cliihlren w ore heavy wn?atl^ of flowers on thoir
heotls, q uantities of jowel.s, p in k silk jacket.s, and red and y6llo%y
.short petticoats, m ade in tlie tig h t Burmese fashioi>. ^ h e cui'ious
p art o f i t is th a t th ey aro a ll th e dnughtere o f th e Buniie-se a ris­
tocracy, w ho com e ou t th u s to perform for an y g rea t olTioinl, to ch>
him honour, and t^iey are a ll tlrilled Uko liallet-dancers. 'I'hey
w ore sjttin g on th e floor, and during half th e dance th ey remained
in this po'stur?, s w ^ d n g alx)u^ and m oving th eir arm s and haiuls,
a n d .sy^ging, all Very exa ctly in tin ia v h o n th ey g o t up and
,I8S()
♦
*
\
19G
O UR V I C tK E lfA L IJK E IN TN'DiA
CS4 VIJ
•
dauctid very gracefully and nicely. .^Vftcr th is w e saw som e older
girls go thniugli tlie sam e sort o f j'erformance, and th en there
wor^ chilclit!J>T*oiit? of w hom pretended to be a tiger and to e a t up
a princess, w hile a supernatural creatui-e o f so m e.so rt came to
save her.
W q also saw the gam e of football, abnut^which T lo ld you
b e fo r o .^ T h e men, w]io are not a th letes or sp ecia lists o f an y sort,
p lay w ith w onderful d exterity. The Iwill m ust n o t touch th e
arm below th e elbow, or th e hand, and th ey throw it fi'om foot
to knee and from knee to shoulder, then le t it n m dowA theback and tl-y-ow it up again w ith th e heel, back to th e shoulder,
from one side of th e neck to th e other, and so on as if it was
possessed. I l>elieve th ey can play ev en «b>4ter th aii th e y did
to-day, b u t th ey had p u t on som e ex tra clotnP^ in m y honour,
w liich rath er encuml>ei*ed tlieir m ovem ents. The b a ll is very
lig h t, and is made of wiokorwork.
A dinner and a levee ended th e day.
]\''cdnes<laif, 24fA.— ^Vt eigh t o’clock in th e inornihg w e laid
the foundation-sti>ue of th e Oathcdnil o f Hangoon. D irectly
after breakfast the V iceroy saw th e C om m ander-in-C hief on
husine8.H. A t tw elve I liad a ilo d ic a l A ssociation m eetin g, and
at ono I saw a laily Viy appointm ent. A t three 1 -went to give
prizes a t a school, and th e V iceroy had Ji d jib a r , received
memorials, and made tifteen Kpeochcs in reply ;. thts function
lasted tw o horn's. A t five w e received llurniK'-e C hristian hnlies,
and a large assem bly of lvai*on Christian.s. A t six H is E x c e l­
lency w en t to call pn th e A d m ir a l; at eigh t thei'e w a s a dinner,
and a t 9.30 a l«dh
H uviijg thus ca.rried you brcatlile.^sly through a d ay of V ice­
regal duty, 1 will try to toll y o u a little aboui th e m ost iutei'esting
features of it. A t th e foundation-stone cerem ony th is m orning
tljere w ere ropre.scntatives o f elev en diil'erent nation alities, w ith
their C hristian clbrgy and teachors. D. laid th o ston e, and m ade
a nice littieV peech on tin? subject.
J fy deputation wrw iiitere.sting and .satisfactory to me. Som e­
th in g in th e n.ature of a h ia te r n ity C harity w ill Ije l-«?gun at once
here; and I think som e pupils w ill also l>e sen t to th e C alcutta
M edical School. T iie ’ doctoi's in R angoon are m ost energetic,
and are doing all they can -to promot*^ th e work. Burmese ladies
and gentlem en w<tc pm sent, an d three pupils for
m idw ifery
class caniG too.
T hey are nice, strong-looking iJirls, and as
B urm ese women are businesslike and energetic,' th is .seems a
m ost prom ising place to m ake a gootl b e g in n ii^ in.» T lte medical
treatm ent in Burmuh .“too is esi^ecially barbarous, and 1 may
i
/(S'
iSBQ
T H E K A H E X C II£fIS T U N
COM M UNITY
ll> 7
n>ention to you one exam ple of it. A fte r th e h irtli of a child
th e m other is subjected for about seven days to a roasting Hrn.
W ood is pileil up for th e purpose, aud she is n early baked and
dried up. I k n ow th a t th e ex-Q ueen w as treated in th is fashion,
and 1 suppoee she had the b est ad\dcp th a t could be got.
«
T he durbar w as m uch more of a business assem bly tlm n it is
in Iitdia. T he liu rm an recipe 1% ‘ W h en you catch youif-V'iceroy
hold him tiglit^ and m ake him listt-u to your gricvaric<i.s.’ A ccordm gly 1). w as caught, and d id listen and rcj'ly from th ree till
five, t t thust have been rather Interesting, b u t 1 had to g o to
the school and heard n oth in g o f it.
• •
T lie School, w hich is a m issionary one, seem-s very auccc.taful,
and certaijily tl^^ B ufujese are a nice and sa iisfa cto jy ptsople to
work for. TIk; girls ail look brigfit and in telligen t, and th ey are
a ctiv e and gnod-tcmpored. T nolicefl one j,>oculiarity in their
costum e. T hey ail had a loose coloured handkerchief, w ln d i was
generally ljung over th e shoulder, and to one end o f w hich was
attaclied a little bunch o f gold keys. I c is ratlier a p retty <»rr)am ent. M an y of th ese school children had beau tifu l diamtr,-!;!
and there w as one tin y Cliinese-H urnm n who M’as a picture 1- a
little th in g of abou t four, iix brilliant C hinese dress, trousers and
Mli))fers, w ith a tig h t band o f black v e lv e t tw o in ch es brood
fitted rouiul lu r head. A bead fringe hung over th e forelicad,
anti th e band w as covered ^^'ith a design in. elaborjitoly worked
rc<l gold ; insido- th is tlicre w as a k n o t of black hair stu ck through
in every direction w ith artificial flowers; and h er cheeks were
I gavi* prizes, and saw th e children nt i.««, an d th en I cfm n
back to m eet J.he C hristian K.arcns.
T hey dress differently, look stronger, and are h m ore j'ersevering periple th an the B u rm u n s; and I think i told you l>efore
in w hat great num bers th ey have become C h r y tin n s - how th ey
pay th eir ow n clergy and even send ou t m issions to other people.
I t appears that, according to som e old tradition o f ifieirs, they
believed th a t a w liite-faced crejiture wouhl som e tim e appear t>n
th eir horizon and w ould brin g them a bool*, and so when th e
mi.-i-donaries cnm c th ey .saw th e fulfilm ent (>f th e prophecy, opened
their arin.s to them , and arc now a large C liristian com m unity.
Their friendliness struck <iuc as very p leasan t- T h ey did not
treat m e as* p stranger, b u t a ll rushed to try and shake hands
>*111) me, a n d ,t o & ake th eir babies do so
; and th e \yhole
erowtlgaf th^m looke<i so happy together. T hey are very fond of
-music, and one of i h e schools o f b ig gy'ls san g to us so w ell.
T hey <^an sin g by*sight, and each hud a book o f songs copied by
1 J)8
,'u.
O l'R VlC^EREtJAL T.IFB IN JNDIA
mu
•
hprself. T he (ilorgyniAii snid th a t the. only puinshm ent l\e had
to I'esort t(» in th e school w as to forbid the delin q u en t singing.
T itey brought u s specim ens o f tlieir g a rn \en ts a iu l gave u s a
curious sort of gong elongated in to a tube, w hich tiie y cast
^leuif-olvos.
Som e Burm ese C hristian ladios also camo t5 seo me, an d w ere
very ptoosunt and nice.
*
D . w en t down to th e Bacchante to v isit th e A dm iral, S ir
F red eiick Rk-hnrds, and was delighted w ith his %nsit. Tlic yards
w ere manned, and th e ship was illum inated b y th e tdectric ifght,
an d looked t^autiful.
T h e Uangoorv ball was a great euceess. I t w a s h eld in a
inagniticent largo room, in which 700 pegp]a^nm fE iivrrd w ith
case. I could n ot help tUinkitig of th e one, tw o, nr th ree e x its
to ft ball toora w ith w hich w e hve con ten t a t liom e, and counted
forty Ifti’ge doors all round this one. B u t where it shone w as in
its really scientific ftri'angements for llirtation. T here it was
unsurpassed ; and a G eneral, whom I took round the ‘ dark
places,' k ep t saying, ‘ W ell, I have been forty yoars in India,
and I lua'er saw an yth in g lik e tliis ! ’ *T his ’ w as a lo n g covered
w ay m ade of latticew ork, and arranged w ith siiiall com partm ents
on eith er side, shut in w ith plants ainl I'tsd and w h ite curtains,
and each little niche ju s t b ig enough for two.
I m y thnt
th e light wfts^of tlm t q u a lily usually know n a.s ‘ dim religious ’ 1
1 m ade a* sort of sta te proineii.adc dow n th ese a lley s, g iv in g
a .shock to each couple as T p<‘Uia€d, and discovering th e M ilitary
Secretary in th e last one. I hear I al.so g rea tly cjli-^composed a
lo fty ofliciftl, who coulided to a friend th a t he never w'ould have
gone tliere had ho know n H er E xecllenoy would pass through.
O utside th ese arlx>urs w ere open and w ell-ligh ted places for four,
Avith whist-Uible.s.
• Tim v a r i e t y o f ^ t l i e c o s t u m e a t t h e b a l l w a s v e r y g r e a t . Tlicre
A vore t h e B iym uso p e o p l e , J e w s , avI io A v ear a p e c u l i a r a n d r a t h e r
p r o t t y dr<^'<, I ’a r s e e s , a n d o t h e r s .
'I’h e d a u c i u g w a s k e p t u p
w itli g r e a t s p ir it.
'I 'h e s u p p e r w a s b e a u t i f u l l y a r r a n g e d .
A
g i g a n t i c s t r u c t u r e l> ig e n o u g h t o s e n t 700 ASTifi p u t u p a n d l i n e d
A v ith r o d a n d w h i t e , a n d a l l t h e n i o n Avcrc g i v e n c a n l s b e f o r e h a n d ,
. s h o w i n g e x a c t l y w h o r e t h e y A vere t o s i t ; s o t h e r e w a s n o c o n ­
f u s i o n , a n d t h e .A v h o l e a s s e m b l y s a t d o w n q u i e t l y , a n d A vere
u d i n i r a h l y s e r \ 'c d . O u r h e a l t h s w e r e d r u n k , a n d Ills i i x c e l l e n c y ’s
l i t t l e .s p e e c h A vas a g r e a t s u c c e s s , e v e r y o n e b e i f f g d e l i g h t e d a t h i s
c x p r e s s i o i i o f ;i h o p e t h a t A vlien h e r e t u r n e d t o D u r m a h h e ^ h o i i l d
f i n d t h e h i d i t 's ‘ i n t u ’ft b e a u t i f u l a n d y o u n g e r t l m n u ^ c r . ’
W e gut home at tft'O <i’cluck, very much pleased A vith ^A;eryr
,
'
•
^KG
K L K l'IIA N T s; A T W(U<K
599
'* th iu g , but D . w as rather tir e d --sev e iite e n speeche", m any of
them requiring eoiisideral)le thought, in addition to a ll social
duties, is liard work.
T h u re d a i/jlv ith . W e sp en t our Inst m orning at R angoon in
.sight-sc.eiii". W e w ent lirst to look a t th e elep h an ts a t work^
in th e tinibfjr-yards^ T am never q u ite sure whetiniv to consider
iui elephant a'rem ark ah lj clever anim al or an extraojxiifiarily
stupid one. if e does h is work adm irablv, b u t then he need not
do it a t a l l ; and i t .seems stupid of him n o t to know h is own
pow efs, and to allow liim self to bo onlered about and controlled
• by H creature "wJio looks lik e a fly on liis back, In •th e tijuljeryard all his strengtli and h is ignornnce of it are displayed to
pei-fection. I n a spa »f m ud on th e banks o f th e river lie great
trunks of tree.s vTiich no oth er l^ a st could move. T here th e
elephants work obedient to th e vAice .iinl to th e little stick o f
the m en on th eir backs, hauling, pushing, p ilin g up, an d neatly
arranging ihe.so fallen trees, a s if th ey really understood all
about it picking th eir steps, so«uiing to undei-stand the very
• best w ay o f a ttack in g each load, and never upseK ing an yth in g
or m aking a m istake. W e also wtw an elephant d iv in g for a
lo st lug in the river, and adm ired th e d exterity o f th e mahout,,
who»siit tigh t w hile th e great"l)ody on w H ch he.W!^ riding rolled
an d pitched .iiw th e w ater. T he eleplmnt, having found the
lim ber, rais'wl i f w ith h is trunk and then balanced it on his
tusks. I n the yard th ey use tu sk s and tru n k antl'forchejid to
pull and push, and uiTangc tho tim ber in heaps.
Frosn the elephants to th o School of A rt, where silver bon Is
were b eing made and wood w as bein g carved. T hese tw o industries
aro specialities of Burmah. T h e silver work is really beautiful,
bu* t1h‘ d u ty on sen ding it homo is so great as alm ost to prevent
any S4vh- for i t there,
th ere will be soiuo specim ens ii» tho
K shibition.
•
A fte r th is th e V iceroy insi.sttal upon w a lk iu g tjirough tlie
Riznars. H e declares Jm is k e p t in purdali lik e ;i llirtdoo lady,
and th a t ho w ill not subm it, and w ill see th e outside world. Tho
expedition w as very .‘1 1 0 0 5 1 1 1 5 , and whon we l(hd convincod tho
accom panying police th a t wo did n o t w ish to h a v e th e p<;ople
beaten ou t or our w ay w e saw p len ty o f them , for th ey were o n ly
to o aivxious to see us, and were also I think muc^i amused at our
ecceutricitio®. The V iceroy nmdo a sort of ta stin g progress
through tho food M zaiir. l i e b isted picklerl tea, and palm -sugar,
an<l b eici-n ut, and overy queer sort o f seed or ines.s lie came riear,
w h ile th o liu ritjo se Radies sa t aloft ninklht tlnur goods and sm iled
u p o n jiy ii.
•
200
OVR YICKREPrAl, T,H'K IN 3NDTA
ch.
vji
^
TIu'ii w e pjisscd ou to Uie ‘ ciry goods ’ departm ent, w hich w e
found unm isiakably ila iich esteria n ; but ilauchestc^r goods ])reaided over \>y foreign lad ies and naked Vjabios are in terestin g, and
M anchester m auufacturers study th e ta stes o f th eir custom ers,
and I liave som e lovely co lto u poekei-handkerchicfs, w ith a
B u rm ese peacock spreading ita ta il over th e w liolo centre, w hich
■aro neveTtluiiess produced >iy L ancashire looms.
•
H om e to lunch, and th en a sta te departure. T he streets were
lin ed w ith soldiers and were fu ll of people, and our last im pression
o f Burm ah w as as gay and friendly as our first. K illy ie a g l# still
stood upon t^o shore ; tlie m en-of-w ar manned yards and salu ted :
all ohr new acquum tiinces cam e to see us off, and so w e steam ed
aw ay.
•
M r. and Mrs. B ernard h a w btieu m ost kiii5!l to us, and h a v e
m ade our.vLiit very ph'asant. •
M on day, ,lT«rc/i l« t.- -Madras was sighted about ten o'clock,
and b y Jw elve w c w ere enjoyfiijg all th e ex citem en t of arrival in
a foreign pore : new boats, now people, new Iiarbour aiTflngeinenta,
sh ips dressed, tow n buried in bujiting, telegram s coining off, nn- ,
accustom ed ropes Ijeing hauled about th e decks, ex tra sw eepings
goin g on — a general break-up of our (piie.t sea-going life. ,
S p oilt children of fortuue th a t w e arc,, w o fe lt serioiisly
aggrieved because our letters did n o t i-each u s a t once, and an
A .D .C . waff bu.stletl off to see w h at th e postal autlrorities could be
th in k in g of. • H ow ever, th e bag arrivetl before h is return, nixd w e
w ere a tju iic h when the cry th a t ‘ Major Uooper is com ing olF in.
a catiicuiran ’ rouseil us, and caused us all to rush ^o tlie side to
see th e sight.
A catam aran is tw o logs of wood lashed together, form ing
a very sm all and narrow raft, and as th e M ajor sAt on h is tin y
cruft- th e w aves washfxl over hi.s fee t and w etted him to th e w aist
every second. A rch ie’s ‘ I l a ! ha ! ’ m ust h a v e reached him a lon g
w ay oft’.
I m ay
w ell tell you ut once th a t these catam arans are th e
only boats th a t c.an go about here in bad w eather. The rower
wear.s -a ‘ fool's ea^,’ in whit:h he. cai’vLe.s le-tteis, and w hen he
encounters a big w ave, he le.ives his boat* sffps through th e w ave
him self, and picks up liis catiimar.an on tlie other shle o f it.
W e had our letters to rend, and P . ha<l to stu d y nil th e
M adras addres.‘i^.«, b u i still thoi-e w as p len ty of tiine to ‘ look
around' ; and we were w ell .aniiisofl till the tinio atrived for us
to land. W e were ancliorfttl m sido th e brenkw.-iter, a w all of
m assive concrate blocks, w hich was toppled over •lik en pJwik of
cards three or four year* ago in a storni ; ii is
bein g rebuilt
•
^880
} lE li
k x c e l i ,i : n c y ' s
ci r tsey
201
on a new principle. Then som e very large deep barges, th e planks
of w h ich nro sew n togeth er to g iv e olastioity uml th e in terstices
sti)fte(l w ith straw, cam e out f"V us, w ith a guard o f honour of
th e ‘ M osijuifo fleet,’ as th e catam arans are called, on eith er side
o f them ; tw o of th e ‘ fool's cap ’ nicn, and a flag ns b ig j i s th e
boat, itself, on eafli one. The b ig l.>arges aTid th e tin y boats
lx)bbcd and rolled about though th e d ay •wn.-, calm, an<l.-\te had
to g e t on board Avith precaution, w aitin g for th e right m om ent
to jum p.
Mr. a w l Ml'S. G rant D u ff m et us on th e pier, and w e w’c n t
dow n it in a glorified tram w ay, and were deposited under an
aw ning where th e rank and beauty and fashion of Madras
awaite<l us. I w as «given a niugnificent boxiquet-holder w ith
flowers in it, an<T th e V iceroy received about eigh t addresses in
beau tifu l boxes. O nly otie w as rftwl, and lie anawerett tliem all
in one speech.
T wo carriages and four drove us thriiugh crowds of people
and ni.any arches to G overnm ent H ouse. It secmuil to m e ab ou t
* the w annest reception 1). has nu-t w ith anyw here. The people
were more dem onstrative and less &ilent than m ost Indian crowds.
T en thousand children w ere collected iu one place, and 1 believe
they w ere all fed th a t day by one man. A n oth er n ative fed great
numbers of p o o r ; th ese were nice w ays of dniug h<»nour to th e
occu-sion. *
T he G overnm ent H o u se is a very handsom e one ;* the w eath er
is warm enough to m ake punknliK agn.*eable, and w e d ined in
n yernndali. an d were fanmal by them w ith ou t grumbling.
S- j.arated fi’mu th e house th ere is a very fine banouoting hall,
and there th e V iceroy ha«l a levee first, and w e both held
a drawing-room afterwurtls.
The M adras papers
lunusing upon th e subject o f m y
curtsey, ancl describetl h o w l ‘ stootl e r e c t' and f l i e n ‘ sunk
fourth of m y h eig h t,’ w hile th e you n g la d lci w ho passed m e
‘ slantingdicularly ’ w ere unable to im ita te m e Ruccessiirlly.
7'wesffay, ^ v d .— I visited th e C aste H ospital which h as ju st
licen opened in Madnus. M any peojde d o u t^ d at first w hetlm r
puixhih women w ould go in to it, but Mrs. Grant D u ff ha-s taken
gri'At pains to establish it, and thei'e jn o already tw en ty in -p a tien ts
and five hundred o u t-p itie n ts a tten d in g it.
D , WHS feceiv in g n ative gen tlem en all th e morning, and in t^^e
afternoon w rfwenf»to an A r t E x h ib itio n and then drove alon g b y
th e sea. I wjis n ot pi-ejiared for rtnything so pretty, and M hdvas
seom s*to*m b t o be really a nice tow n and a pleasant one to liv e
in. There is scfft’cely an y tow n propeff aa every house is sur%
‘2 0 2
OVR VK:EUEG.\L l i f e
i n 1NDL\
c h
.
v i1
rounded Hy quito n piirk of its ow n, so th ere nro no ittreets, and
tho distJinccs aro great ; h u t all these 'co u n try s e a t s ’ look very
com fortable, and there is th e beautiful sea, nn<l th is splendid
d rive along th e shore. 1 also th in k th a t th e ou tsid e v iew of
Mjtdra-s society gives one a fnvourablo iuiprc.ssiion of i t ; ev ery one
lo o k s smart', and those J have talked to nrti ploSsant people.
Tl\« .Uidt w as really very prett.y. I t w as in tltb banqueting
liall, a room w hich in any country would be considered a tino one.
I t has a galjory round it, am i there are tw o storeys o f w hite
pillans siip p o ilin g tho roof. I t is uf course very lofty. •C oloured
banners hun g above the gallery, .uul betw een th e low er row of
coluum s w ere large red pots Avith p retty lig h t ferns in them .
E v ery th in g else a v o m w hite w ith th e oxcoptioti o f th e crim son
<lais a t one end, and a bank of tec and ferns at th e other. A lo n g
th e waUs, uiAdenieath th e ga llefy , avx' som e large portraits.
> Supper w as h i tent-s liglitw l by electricity, and a very p retty
noAolty w as n ligh t insifle oacli bouquet u f flowers on th e table.
T h e roses and leaves arranged in diahe-s, w ith th is artilicial su n ­
sh in e lig litin g tliem up, l<^ke<l lovely.
T lie ^Southern Cross saw us home.
Wridiii^sila^, Zrd. —In th e m orning I visited E id y H ob art’s
achool fur idahom etan girls, and afterw ards had a very intei'esting
conversation w ith a. ^lr«. F irth, w ho thoroughly im tlerstands th e
n a tiv e life here, and w ho hna .started a great hum ber o f very u-sefu i ChariLica Af^orked on most practical principles.
T lie w hole afternoon a v j i s sp en t in r e c e iv in g natiA=-e ladies.'
Tlioy cam e one hy«one. a m i th e function la-sted th ree houi’s.
F irst, there wa.s a di*ar old lady who came here years ago as
a bride in gi-eat .stato frotii her own houie, e.scorted l>v Iroops, aiul
th e objecL o f an enormous outlay, and who bus never g o t over thi*
graudeur of th a t day. or rw o v e n sl fnun tlie shock u f finding
liecjcif a widoAv a t .sixteen shorn of a ll th a t m ade life p leasan t to
her. Then ijiere was another lady w ith a sad .story. ' The m oney
a ll spent, rto son to inlierit the f a m ily estates, jind a husband a t
d ea th ’s door, Avith the ]jroHi>eet of l e a v in g his Avife and fan iily
hou.seless and Avith J50 rupees a m onth a.s th eir incom e. S h e is
a really ni<;e, handsom e, and ladylike Avoinan, b u t very unhappy.
J ha\-e not tim e to toll you about a ll th e othem . O ne gre)'haived an d k in d ly }>orson said to me, ‘ I am so glad you asked us
to.oom v and nec y'm, for our husbands A vill n o t le t us gv anyw here
else, and perhaps u o a v tliey Avill See (h at w e m<1\- be tru sted o u t.’
A n o th er told m e alx>ut th e pleasure her bj'Cther had*felt in jouing
th e V iceroy, an d how he had Avept over th e k ip d n eS sV ifh w h ich
h e hail been I'ccuivetl. •'H e is a great invalid, dnd she .s.ii<] tl^at
|
(es
^80
A TOrCH iN G SIOUT
i203
w hen he wime back from h is visit, he had forgotten all aliout his
p iin . She wore u sbrt o f gold dres.siug-gown, gold and green
shaw l, and a nm nd gold hat. Som e o f th e ladies brought their
grandchildren, nice littlo girls. A ll th e Indian wotnen 1 inet^tHi'e
g en tle and attractive and verj' sym pathetic, and J long to know
more of them .
*
"We dined diere a large party, and afterwards started. t>lT to
drive six m iles to G uindy, w hioli is th e Governor o f Sljulras’
‘ Barrackpore.’ ft w as illum inated, and the house is yery pretty,
so ar^ the *gardens in w h ich w e sauntered for a little, and thou
cam e in for dancing ; six m iles home agiun !
•
T h u r n d tiy , A th . — I paid my i*eturu v isits to th e tw o Im tiau
ladies.
•,
The nearest m ale relative, th e husband of un ad op ted daughter,
njet m e a t the dr.st house, and supported me upstairs,* and th e
old lady m et m e a t th e tlireshold of an outer room, and handed
mo to a seat of honour under a. great canopy in an inner draw­
ing-room. * A fter a little .small-talk I w as p u t in to a heavy
■garland of llowers, a bouquet w as handed to me, and a bottle of
aoent given, am i I w as le<l out again. Hcent in a bottle w.-wa very
great im provem ent upoiv th e ordinary custom of covering one
w itli, atbvr of roses, a jxirfumc w hich oppresses me for the whole
day after. A t Gie n e x t liouse I w as received in th e hall b y tlic
poor old d y in g Im sband. Tt w as a very touching sight, l i e is
q u ite paiulysed, and had tol>e held up by men, but he'lookctl .such
a gentlem an, and he had a whit© turban on w ith a diam ond orna­
m en t on it- to irive a dressed appearance t<> hia other whit©
garm ents. H e ^ lo w ed m e a cripple t iiaad, and he i? quite help ­
less and alm ost unable to speak, so 1 do hope ho will be no worse
for th e e.xertion h e m ade to appear.
The lady and her daughters and grundchildren w er c u ll vcj-y
nic«*, b u t she w as v ery sad and tourful over her future prospectg,
and I fe lt v ery sorry for them all. H er w reaths and bouqutits
wore adorned l>y th e m ost w onderful tin sel peacocks, .so»you m ay
im agine how very grand T looke<l as 1 descended tho stairs robed
in dowel's, w ith a peacock on each shoulder, onji perched upon m y
Ixmquet, dowei' bracelets on niy arms, and bottles o f scen t and
packets of ‘ pan ’ in m y hand.
T hese viait.s occupied th e m orning. A fte r lunch I received
tho N i 7 ara gf H yderabail, w ho paid me a private V isit.
W hen h e'h u d ^ on e I w en t w ith Mi's. G rant D u lf to vi.nit a
v ery line n ative hospital. T he w hole thing has been built by'on e
man (tfie 6 amo‘ vvho fed tho poor people), and all th e wai'ds>vn:^^^^^p^
in ost.cljan and bright and cheerful and 'rfell arm nged.
'
C
■
204
O l’R V K 'E R E G A T . L IF E IN IN D IA
n i. v i|
Tiection w ith it is a lep cf hospital, T w e n t tlirouijli th e fem ale
part of it, as tlieso poor creatures enjoy a n y fittle change, such as
the sigh t o f a new face. I t is dreadfully sad to .stro you n g girls
and children there, and to know th a t th ey m ust g e t worse, sufierin g m ore and nioro, ajtd becom ing more and tnore repulsive in
appearance every year •"hey live. T w elv e years is tlie longest
t.itnc tUii*y do liv e after tliey liave been attack ed by^the di.sease.
T hese n ative gentlem en have made a very nice park in th e
iieighbourlujod of this hoRjiital for th e poor o f th e d istrict, ■\vith a
fernery on an island, and nice plants and w'alks a n d ’ fountaina.
T licy are alw ays adding .something to it, and T vra^ v ery g k d to
have seen th is w hole in stitu tion , w hich is en tirely native.
I am unal)le to g iv e you D .’s d ia ry .v d th m ine.
W e are
obliged eacli ‘ to go ouy ow n \fray,' b u t he is b u sy n early all day
seein g people, and th is aftei fioor. h e drove o u t to G uindy w t h
Mr. G rant Duif.
In th e eycniiig there w as a otate dinner, luad w e l«ift to go on
board directly after it.
tiu r ficpJii’ture w as .so p retty an d curious. W e drove to th e ‘
pier e-scorted by gentlem en volunteers, and w hen w© g o t there
tlie w hole place was ligh ted up w ith lim e-lights and torches ; th e
flags were flying and everyth in g looked m ost brilliant, and w hen
w e had said gootl bvo and g o t in to th e barges^ th e^ ‘ M osquito
fleet ’ surrounded us in fu ll force, look in g more q u ain t th a n ever.
F igu res in 'fo o l’s c.aps’ and n igh t-gow n s, tw o sittin g on each
plank, w ith a blazing lim elight betw een them , m ak in g them
som etim es of a r«sy red and som etim es of an un earth ly blue,
w ere on every' sid e of us, paddling w ith all th eir m igh t and sh o u t­
in g H ip , hip, hnrrah 1 and all th e other Iw rgcs y i th e harlxjur
had torches on board, and th e shore w as glorified w ith coloured
ligh ts, and so we made a m ost n ovel and am using passage to our
ship, and here we are now on our w ay to C alcutta.
Tlie governor and Mr.s. G rant D u ff were m ost charm ing hosts,
and we lik ed Madras and our v isit very niucli iudc*^!.
Manila)/, Bth.— W e have had a line passage, th e w eath er quite
cool, and now w e ^ e approaching Cah-utta and have ju s t passed
a P . and 0 , steam er w hich le ft th is morning. A s we passed th e
ship w as drcssi'd, the pnsseitgers cheered, and w e all wav&.l h a n d ­
kerchiefs a t each other.
. W o had sucfi a graii<l landing a t C alcutta to-day.»
For m any year.s V iceroys have a rr iv a l a t* a railw ay station ,
but in old lim es when th ey came b y sea th e y used to disem bark
a t PriuK eps G hat, and on th is occasion w e did so foo.
T he mU e en sccuf' is*very superior to th a t o f th e statioij :.h ere
.
^ b80
t c f
VlftJV FKO.H T?IK
OF BIIOFAL
205
a. niagnificoJit r b i^ , filled w ith sploiidid ships, idl dressed ’vitL
flags, and e v j < 7 variety o f Ijoat and launch flying about, C alcutta
itself on^' 1 !^ier bank, and th e O liat covered w ith ivd ci«>lh, flags,
an d S)prfft spectators. ^Ve w en t ashore a t 5,30, and w ere m ot by
th ea l^ fet officials in cheir I»ost uniforms, and by B lan ch e in hcr^
goMui, and We*walked up th e crim son pathw ay, speaking to
/p e o p l e a s w e ivftnt alon g, an d treitding upon fl.owors tU a tw er o
^ ^ j ^ i r o w n a t out' feet.
C J fA P T E R V I I I
SPRIXG AXD SUMMBR,
f
I
ifS
1880
M a H C B y TO O c iO B E E 2 1
TH€sdai/\ ^^arch W i, to iia tu rd a y , 20th.— I have n o t Iiml a n y ­
* th in g in terestin g to tell you th is -week. A . «5aine Ijack wdth
measles, and h as been sh u t up. H e is q u ite ivell, and only bored.
M r. J'eniiysou is very slig h tly better, b u t has not tu m etl th e
com er y et.
.
The M ahaiT^ili of Jeypore and th e Begum of Bhopal h a v o ^ .
ue-to-CV.lcutta to «e«' the V iceroy, and durlmvs bav'e'lieen heT<I
for both, and I have tw ice m et th e B egum . The first tim e I reIfiir
Jaer liere. M rs. P nniotv cnine to translate for me, and a t
th e'a p p o in ted hour » tin y lad y arrived, her face com pletely
cn verw , a child o f ten accom i«inying • her.
T his w as th e
Begum and h er gi-nnd'divughier ! W e sa t down in a row an d
paid coiuplnnents to each other, an d th e Begum uncovered uiid
displayed a little face w ith big eyes, and th en T .spoke of n^'
Bund, tellin g her th a t I heard she w i 8 he<l to So .som ething in
th e way ..of estnhlishuig n d isp en sa iy and fem ale w a td in her
OTfirpace. TIten sh e asked for N elly , and w e put o u tlio w reaths
w e had prepared for her, nnd handed her out Jigain. The child
is very self-possessed, and w hen sh e came to fetch th e Vicoi'oy to
pay his return v isit to her grandm other she coinj)ort«l herself lik e
a princess and a grow n-up person. H er face is still uncos ured,
and she is a jian d som e little girl.
I w ent the ne.tt d ay to j)iiy m y visit, M rs. P u n ioty, lle le m
Rachel^ and l?lnnche goin g w ith m o ; an»l the B egum on "thi.s
O ccasion statM 'that^sho w ished to subscribe 1,0001. to m y Fund,
and th at sh e «’Oifld defray th e w hole cbet of a dispensary at
‘i O ( )
u r u
V 1 ( 'E R E ( 5 .V I. ^ JF T -:
IX
IX D IA
u t.
m
|
\^’i»en wo ^ve^o Jea\ ing, tm y s M’ore Kefc <Jow7i
«s,
aiul tho BegiJin priKsewlc-d to open Honifi jew el-cases th a t la y on
m in e ; hnt I ■ -id at once th a t 1 couhl not ta k e a n y th in g valuable,
b u t th at I should he ple«se<l to accept a haiul-screen w hich w as
» there too, and w hich she said she had worked herself.
Y esterd ay w e had a grinlcn-pai'ty, and i?he cliild came, and
w as so*pIcased w ith som e little tw o-year-old h oya'an d girls th a t
w ere w ith th eir parents, on ly unfortu n ately she a lw a y s w anted to
lift thcnii, an d th e children oi»jecte<l.
Tli»! M aharajah of Jeyporo also cam e to th e garden j^aid^.
iiuuday^w as N e lly ’s birthday, and by w ay of keep in g hir wo'
w en t in th e launch on th e river and bod tea. T h e fi'esh air w as
very jdeasant.
•
Pofw Mr. Tennyson coutiiihes very ill, and h is wif<! is ratlmr
knocked \ip ■, L ady E ly is nl.s5 .suflbring from anac<udent, and you
have no idea w h at a w alking aljouL one has in th is b ig house to
vi.dt uh the invfiHfl.s.
Sn-v'f'-'j/, 21n(.— The day iiot *and trying. "Wo w e n t to tlio
B otan ical Gardens in th e afternoon in search «»f fresh nir and
see th e orchids in flower. Thero arc som e very lovely ones ou t
now.
I), had a v isit fnm i a ciiicf from Cliitral ; I t l
he I<K»ketl
m ast am iable, and not navr so rough a s I exjjpcted. llt< Wius
show /i th e house.
Tnrndftif^ 23rii.— W e ]':ii«.l such a very pleasant v isit to a
n a tiv e house to-day. T he ma-stf:r of it is a very gcn ilen ia iilik e
old m an, ta ll and handsom e. H is w ife h as often sen t m e le ttc ’^
of good w ishes and little otlds and ends o f gift-s, so I proposed tu
go and Sec her. >She i.s a fine-looking old woman, jjnd w as b eau ti­
fu lly dressed in w ln te silk and goid. Innum erable daughters
niul granddanghtons wi't'o there too, covere«l w'ith bracelets, necklaoe.s, and earring.s, and ail friendly and nice. A nejihew in tcrpreted, b u t badly, and we did not g et m uch further tlian m utual
congi-atuJiitious upon th e visit. One of tlic women sp ok e a little
H in d u stiin i, and N elly w’o.s able to got on well w ith her, lunl I
said H few things, !)ut lesw w ell than K elly , a s I h a v e had no
tim e to continue m y linguistic stu d ies since I returned to
C alcutta.
B cfresh in en ts w ere provided for u s it< a sm all room off th e
hirge one in whii-h w e w ere received, and tho fam ilyJouked a t us
w h ile w e ate e«ike.s and drank lemona<le. Th^n w e ta lk isl a little
more, and after th a t our decoration began. I w a s covered w ith
garland.s, and had ap n fu ls o f laiuquefs a n d *lh)wer-siTeon.s
hirndfuLs of ‘ j>an,’ scelit .all over me, and lns*tly a very j>r^‘ttily
lid
J8S6
I
r i H i r s 'I'o n a t i v e l a d ik s
.
207
m ade ‘ dog coHar’ of Sa-ft-ers tied round m y neck. T w as also
given a n ative sari (a shaw l worn by wom en), and a sm all
silver Iw.v o f reel powtlev, w h ich is to Iwing good lu ck to my
husband.
W ednw dai/, ’2 4(h.— Tliiw is m y Imsinpss day, and 1 luul m y^
last com m ittee m eA in g before goin g to Sim la. W e .sottle<l m any
things, and decided how nyich wc would spend an<l hi^j’v 'much
la y by. T hen I took Jllanche fur a drive, and she and Kred and
the precious baby lo ft for tho h ills th a t night.
T t e iJui'uiese P rincess, w hom T told you o f before, h as arrived
a t C alcutta, and cam o to v is it u s w ith her son and daughter. ,T h e
IfltUes have g o t in to European shoes, tim ugh th ey s till suffer
from th e effects o f the*prison chains round th eir ankles, .and tlic y
were as clie«^rful and luappy a n d affectionate as pofisible.
Thnmday^ 25M .—^ I r s . A m eer .j^Ii had a-sked me to m eet som e
Jlahonietiin latlies a t ffcr house. J u s t as I was startin g tlic m ost
terrific storm cam e on, an<l in th is house, w ith its great Ijig
window.s, there w as such a ban gin g and m ttlin g , such a i-ushing
, t o sh u t up everything, an d such difficulty in doing so, such darkiies.s and such du.st everywhei*e, it was quite ulam iing. I w as
thankful th a t T vms n o t out in it. ll a i a fell in about a quarter
o f a^n hour, and ctm ipam tivo culm en su a l.
Then I w e n t
to fullil m y enm igom eut, and found such a suuart as.sembly o f
ladies, sucli golt^ n ih roid o ries and jew els and beiiutiful s a r is ; and
they all seem ed so m uch to enjoy th is e.vtraordinary dissipation,
and were so fu ll of the pleasure of seeing me, and o f th eir g rea t
gootl fortune in Ixung allow ed to come out, •that it w as q u ite
pleasant to feel ojussoif th e caimc o f so-' nnuh rejoicing. T h ey
were very n ice-looking Avomen, and were really \ ery sp len d id ly
g o t up.
*
2GM. ..Vnothcr v isit to-dny to som e iiative indies.
'J'liere wa.s a large, fam ily gathering 'to m w t uv„ Uosides th e ln<ly
of tho house, there were lln v e fhvughters, a n d 'tw o § o n s'w iv es,
and a granddaughter of tw elve, w h o h a s ju st l>eeii marrietJ’ and w ho
w.as in ail th e glory of n ew jew els. S h e hx>kod such a child, b u t
sh e luis le ft home, and on ly camo back for theC afieruiMui to .see
me. T he second daughter is a very bandsom e girl, m arried too,
and w earing m ost lovely jew els belonging to her fatlier-in-laAV,
who, I w as told, wa.s unaw are o f her presence theri-. l^ho ciiiae
‘ secretly,’ hq;r father said. ‘ H er husband is a good you n g m an,
and often lets'Inw
to u s secretly .’ A fine lii\by w as exhibited,
tlio child o f thd younger son. I t s m other sa t th ere look in g vci*y
shy, and alm bst 0 0 M;red b y her sari.
W e ^}»ad a clnrnpagne and icc ‘ five dkslock tea,’ and n band
1
208
oV r
V JC EK K O A L l i f e
TN IN D IA
CH.
v (|
played, nnd w it-aths and bouquets were show ered on us. The
iiHister o f th e house translated for na, and th e w ife lookt.*d very
nice ahfl was very' cordial in her uutnner.
S a tu r d a y , 2~th,— The aftentoon w as th reaten in g, and w e only
J u s t g o t ihrough g ivin g prizes to the V olu n teers before th e storm
eam o on. E verj’th in g in tiie MTiy of mauu'urres was c u t ou t of
th e programme. The rain fell liaavily a t seveh o ’clock, Vjut
cleared in tim e for people to come dry to dinner and to ahu'ewelJ
party at our hou.se.
,
T h e B urm ese Princes-s and her son and daughter were •there,
b u t.it w as «vident b y th e sm aller nunjber o f people p resen t tlia t
th e C alcutta sum m er exodus has begun.
1 heard from A ., w ho says th a t oil h is w ay to jo in th e
Carabiniers he 'm e t* w ith tBe m ost serious ad venture I ’ve ever
had travellin g b y train .’ In*soine alarm I tu n ie d over th e page
of h is letter and found th a t ‘ a fa t man, a n en on n ou s w onian,
th ree fa t girls and a huge baby ’ had got in to h is carriage, and
th a t it w as fu rther filled w ith ‘ boxes, bedding, and toys, an«l
voils and Imts h un g up everyw here,’ .tie w as m ed itatin g join in g*
1be. d ogs in th eir van w hen a neighbour gave h im a sea t in another
carriage.
9
T heobaw ’s crown arrivi'd here «)n it-s w ay to E ngland, d t is .
lik e a helmet^ ina4le of i’e<l filigree gold set w ^ li diam onds, th e
ornam ent a t th e top and th e band round th e forehead bein g of
puro gold w ith jew els.
T he Queen’s letter to th e A m ir also pas-sed through. I t w as
in a large p u ip le velv et box. and w as itse lf illu m in a t^ on satin,
line<l w ith purple velvet, rolled on a n iv o ry stick, and ornam ented
w ith th ick gold cord and tassels.
^
M ou day, 29<A.— T his being our la st d ay a t C alcutta, w e
cram m ed a little sight-seein g into it. D . and I w ent w ith X>r.
B u steed to look at th e site of th e B lack H ole. T ins gen tlem an
is on e o f th e fe^’ people hei*e w ho tvikes any in terest in such
m atters, Bn<l h e has worked aw ay u n til h e ima discovered the
ex a c t sp o t w here it w as, besides collectin g a ll th e in terestin g
details concerning th a t terrible disaster. H a v in g found ^lo
place, w hicli is 'n o w part o f a court-yard leading to th e P o st
Office, h e hu-s laid dow n a pavem ent th e ex a ct size o f th e little
room ottlled th ^ ‘ Black H o le,’ and luis p u t up a ta b let to explain
th is fact. Dr. B usteed g a v e m e a U tile model o f th e place as it
was, w hich show s th at it w as not a ‘ h o le ’ But a room. There
w’as a double arched verandah alon g th e inside o f th e w alj o f the
F ort. T he in n er verandah w as u.st'd as.a guard-room, and in th e
ou ter one th e lueii sat: A t ih e south end o f fiie inner vpra-mlali
Ill
^830
^
TUK I!LA(K HOLE OF C^\LCT:TTA
209
a sm all place w as partitioned o ff for a pim islim ent c e l l ; it luwJ
o n ly tw o very sm all grated •windows l<»okiiig into th e outer
verandah, and om* do<;r w h ich opened inwards. A \lien the people
w ere driven in to this, th e y did n o t know where th ey w eregoing, and
probably thought llicre w as another door on th e other sid e of it.
kiiildiotf atill fem ain s in th e place w hich is b u ilt in th is w ay,
- T jp g iln im
____ ■■
'P h e
______ ^
sigh t of it g iv es one a very coo^l if fen O f th e tt*fira5Kr'»uiJWMig» ----- a ll those unfortunate people m ust have undergone.. Their dead
hfKliiV wore taken out and buried a very little w ay off, and
'U olw eil, w ho ■was th e senior officer an d one o f th e survivors, p u t
up*a num um ent over th e spot. T liat monum ent w as tijken dow n
' about fifty yeani ago to spare som e people's feelings, ami n W D r .
B usictnl is very anxious to p u t up « su>n6 to show where it stood,
and to place in the Church a tablet*\^*ith th e nam es o f th e persons
w ho died jn th e B lack H o le, which nam es H o lw cll had Ijeeu at
Ik Some pains to preserve. H e (H o lw cll) w as painted Vy »Sir.Toshua
R eyn old s -ft'itli the plan o f th is m onum ent in h is hand, and h is
• descendants, w ho live in C anada, h ave th e picture, and sent Dr.
Bustoed a photrjgraph of it.
A fte r seeing th is I le ft 1). a t home to finish off his m ail, und
drove to R plvedcre on Lord "William's coach to fetch th e girl.s,
■n'ho "were playing' ten n is Ihei'e. T here w as a bWiutiful a ttem p t .
a t a storm os
cam e hom e, lig h tn in g p layin g behind a grcsfc
m ass of cloud and fitfu lly illu m in atin g it a te v e r y poiht, b u t never
com ing thi*ough it, or m aking any noise.
A s I w as l)ehind four
liorSvS I greatly appreoi.ated th e silence.
•
T u fsd a y, ‘SOth. — W e le ft C alcu tta very enrly th is m om irig.
P oor Idr. 'Tenny.son’s bed w as pulled to ih e w indow ih a th e m ig lit
see u s off. H e is still very ill, b u t as th e lujt w eather is com ing
on,.ho
go home, and he is lo sta r t on Sunday. * H e has ha«l
a long, sad illness, h om o m ost p a tien tly .'
,
Our jo u n iey -w a s long. W e were in th e trMn from 7.30 till
4 j then w e crossed th e tia n g es in a steam er, and g o t into another
train w hich brought tis to Hurbhunga a t 8.30. T he place was
il^niiinatcd, am i th e V iceroy receivefl nn nddij'ss, and w(! dj'ove
t o th e E nglish H o u se here. Mr. L lew ellyn is th e .Maharajah's
m anager ; his w ife is a Oerm an, ami th ey liave m ost coiiifortabla
apartm ents in th e p irk . W e were \ cry tired after our lon g day,
bu t dinner w as nnl over till nearly eleven.
— T he tveather is hot, b u t th e atnio.sphcrc is
very much dritr Uiau (.’olcutta, and su we do n o t suffer froni it.
' Mr. Tenaycon died at Aden on
woy home.
210
OI K VICEKEG AL U K K IN^ IN W A
<.■». v i n .
I
A flf'r break fast wo w en t to see th e M aharajah’s P alace. I t is a
very fine house, and is very w ell fundshnd. H e h as a nice
library, and iSIudie has a stan d in g order to send him n ew books
every m ontli, and he sits and ivuds tlicre, so th a t th e house really
J o o k s liv ed in, though, as a m atter of fact, th e Maharajah d < ^
not in h a b it i t yet.
•
W f t h a d a vr.vy good opportunity for seeing a •\v 1r )Io siennna, as
th ere w as n o one in it. A scries o f dull rooms, tlie oute.r ones
lo o k in g on to an inner court, and th e inner ones w ith small
‘ port-hule.H ’ looking on to a w alled zenana garden. In .th o A cn ’s
rootles there* are picture.s, bocjks, pianos, flowei’s ; ouM ide ?dce
open verandali.s w ith view s of troc.s and w ater, sw an s and storks
w alking ab ou t j also a m ost lo v ely orchid arxl fern house n o t onjy
filled wirh p la n ts and flowers, b u t lum g w ith cages of birds who
wnrbh^ charm ingly ; and there'are stables fu ll of horses, am i very
w ell laid t>ut gardens.
I n th e pal.ace is one room for durbars, where th e Mahayajah
sil.s on a cu.sljion on the floor, and his relathm s and rfubjects sit
before him . They all tak e off th eir shoos t-o enter lu-s presence, «
aiitl are m ost respectful to tlie hcafl of their Hviuso. A n oth er
room is for ])ray«r. I t i.s e m p ^ , b u t there is one uicho in th e
w all ready to receive th e life-sized figure of a godiless.
^
1:1 th e afternoon I performcfl th e cerem ony w h ic h 's a s th e
great object of our visit here. T laid th e founda<ion-.stono i>f the
‘ DulVeriu Ikihiale H ospital.' Tho Maliarajah provides th o funds.
H e buihls the hospital, dispensary, and rooms for tho fem ale
doctor, and gives -COO rupees a niOJitli to keej) it up. JIo also
offers m oney induceineuta to th e country nurses to com e in and
be tin in od ; so ib is estabHshnieiit promises to be all th a t w e can
d esiiv, and I), and T wore very glad to come hcrS to show our
appreciation of it. There w as no v eiy particular feature in tho
careinoniul, b u t it wjis more than ordinarily agreeable to mo to
perform i t . . W hen it w as over, w o walked acruss th e road atid
saw som e •horribly fierce black leopards, w ho ru.shod w ildly a t
th eir bans and .showed th e w h itest teeth iiiul th e gn^enost eyes
w h ile they gii»\vle.Cl «and snarlcid a t us. T here were also som e
rather fUie tigi'rs born in captivity.
W e took a drive and came houns t6 dress for th e ban<iuot. Tt
w as in th e new palace, and in a very line hall w ith so lofty a ceilifig th a t ptnjkahs were impos.sjb](‘ W e wen* glad pf tliis, l.mt
th e otln^r ]>ei>phi, w ho are n o t happy unless th ey are In a draught,
cotnpluine<! of th e heat, atul ati arm y f>f m en ca m e'in , each boarin g a gi.gjititio fan, which they |UDCPe(h'd to wavu v^r)l^ntly^)ehind
a ll th e chairs. W e W rc a t tho top nf the "f <able, so we wore
,
4
|188C
TWO PAYt^’ .'^UOOTIN'O AT C III'K K IA
211
indepen<lent, and di<l n o t liavo any behind us, l)ut w e could feel
th e air from those in front, and tlie vigoi-<»us m ovem ents o f th e
m en and th e flapping about of th ese grea t fans gave n liv ely
appearance to th e scene. They w ere very in con ven ien t to th e
servants, and one w ondered th a t none of th e turbans or of the^
<Iishes wex'o sw ep t f»n to th e floor.
The Malufrajah camoi 'n a t th e end o f the dijincr to.pVoposo
th e V iceroy’s hcivHh. l i e did it so w ell h i ICnglisli th a t 1 m ust
try to send you hi.s speech. I am very glatl o f iiis strong exprcs•sion ef opinion in favour o f my Scheme, a s he is a v e iy high-caste
Brahm in. T he B ehar Horse, w ho w ere present, •la d e a ,v e r y
warm audience.
V erj' soon .^ft.or dinner wo left, th e M aharajah driving w ith
u s to th e RtJitioii. W e slep t in th e train, w hicli only m oved on
a t 4 A.M.
*
T h u rsd a y, A prU I»i.— A t 7 a . m . wc g o t in to th e steamer,
re-cnissed the Ganges, and g o t back to our own railw ay carriages.
W e travelleil on t ill three, when th e Maharajah of Bcimi-es
» m et US, and w e drove eighteen m iles to C hukkia w ith him.
He
is such a very nice old man, such a gentlem an, and he would
come all th is w ay to m w t th e V iceroy, though w e begged him
n o t, AVe are h is gu ests, and tlie cam p is under a grove of trees,
and is very s h a ^ and comfortable.
S u n d a y , A(h. —W c have had tw o days’ shooting ; but as th ey
exactly resem ble each <ither, I w ill toll you about tliom togtdlior.
T here were three or four ‘ beats ’ each day. W e started nfl’ on
elep han ts at ten in th e m orning, and ro<.le t<j*.snme place in th e
jungle, where w e w ere deposited by our ' anim als,’ and there we
found .a soric.« of arbours jtreparcd. IX and I and th e old
M.ihc.rajnli anS his M inister, w ho speaks Knglish perfnctly, wears
an eyeglass in one oye, and has a fu n n y tw in k le in both, jiji
A D .C '. o f ours, and som e servan ts (garackeoj>ers) Kut in one, and
the rest of our part.y distributed th em selves in’ ^lic ot^jers. 'J'hen
silence prevailed, and th e d istan t sound of beaters b fok e ujKm
our cars, and w'e looked w ith nn xiety an d excitem en t through the
port-holes in our arlxuir. Tlu; great am useinent of th e shoot
here is tlia t you never know w hat sort of anim al w ill ajipear
n ex t. W o countcil thirteen species th a t w e did son, and we
m igh t have had lM*ar t«>o. There were severa^ k in d s of deer,
sam bar, which is a very large one, cheeta, w h ich is spotted niul
has a lino ht-ad, ^ ild bear, w ild dog, foxes, jackal, livena, A'c.
T he p ig were very e x it in g , and one mmrly chargt;d into" our
n'trent, al»d*did cu^ a man w ith Ida tusks. T hey arc such tierce
jinin^als. 'i’lie do?, which we did not shunt at, wci'e %'ery pretty
212
o r i l nCEREG.VI. LII-E IX INWA
<.h. vuif
I
to w atcli, because th ey caino quite close up to ua and looked in a t
our windows, and then, seeinj; what, th ey avw, disappejired in an
insbint- The luoukevB t<K>, wliom w e treated as fellow-creature-s,
. .. -were m ost am using. Such tn>ops »»f them were disturbed b y tlio
jioi.so, am i rnsliHcl pa.st u.s carrying th eir b.ibies, but, recovering
'••.them selves in Ihe interval b etw een tin* shott^ th ey played and
jum ped about quite nonr to us. In th e middle of tlfh d ay wci li.-id
lunch, and betMTcn th e beats w e looked a t all th e dead anim als
and discourscvl upon our adventures.
The old Maharajah is so cheerful, he alm ost ta lk s too mueh in
n shopting a*ljour, but he is so ni<?e one forgix es him th a t. H e
has a quite w h ite moust.ache and lo n g w h ite hair, and w hen out
shooting h e w as cli*osst‘d in bright green and wore ca green cap
w ith a peak, for he once wjis ipfite blind and now h is sig h t is not
good. He* Iiad us all photogra^ihed, and w?is so amusecl because
h e luid forgotten to tak e off h is ow n b lu e sp e c ^ c le s for the pic­
ture.
H e has an adopted son, a very good .shot, ?nd /oV son, a boy
o f cloven, w ho is very big, is alw ays w ith h is grandfather, and •
also w ore a briilum t green. A t each new 1>crt there w'cO.'s a new'
s e t of arbours.
The first and .second nightsS w e w'cnt to I'C'd very early, Jmt
th o third w e had som e dancing and n ative niusi^ T h e nautch
w as \ e i y pretty, tho w«tinen luiving m ost lovol;<J dresses, and Ijeing
m ore acti^-e in their niovcm ents than usual. .
-W e had H quiet Sunday m orning, and ii ^ h e afternoon drove'
over from the cam p to a h o u se. in llo n a r e s,,w here w e sta y as th e
jVlaliarajah’s guests for a few day.s. Terpn<* and Mr. Ib>,een m et
u s there. "We had a very dusty drive, and A-ei-e gla/l to find ourin a nice coTafortid)le hous*-, and i i j s i t o u t on a balcony
and have tea.
• M on-hty, W i. W o paid a i-eally x- 'rV in terestin g vi.sit to
som e native, ladies this nntrning. Thrf l^ a d of th e house had
collcotetl JiP< wom enkind in a nict' lift 1,'* house o f h is ow n w ith ii
p retty garden, b u t I found rliat th ey ^ i\« a ll th e y«Kir round in
the city and havoTno sut.li g a y outlook to th eir zonana. Tho
hvtsbaiid him aclf m et n^e at. th e gatt^ H e s.iid ho hud never soon
th e faces of lii.s daughtcr.sTn-law. a'Jii could n o t speak to h is own
w ife in th e pre.scuee of his s<iii.
M
. I n th e nffernoon D. and 1 dip a round o f irtititutions. W e
w ont to tlio P rince o f W a les’s Coli^uc, whoi'e on '^no sfdo w e sa w a
num ber of n ative yotm g m en p ^ p a riu g f< ^ th e untversitit^s -a ll
in ten d even tu ally to obtain p>is^ under Q<5vcrivno.nt*, for h o other
p r o b 's io u ever E«ems
be. y ' - . g i v (A ; and dn th e oth»*y gidu
(
■
r
|1 S 8 6
B Y
R O A D
O R
R 1 .V K R
T O
R A > r N Y G G E R
?
‘2 1 3
somo older men. w ho sat on th e i3t>or and w ho w ere all learning
Sanscrit. A liym u in tlia i language was read to u s ; it sounded
pretty, bu t curious, very sing-.song, and w ilh lon g wh sounding it)
th e en ds of words. N e x t w e w ent over a hospital, where there
w ere ninety-three^bctls, «nd 200 outdoor p a tien ts a day
say it o n ly costs ooG rupees a m onth, w hich scem.s very
Our th ird ^^sit w as to th e M aharajah of VizianngrniuV S'ohoo;
A b o u t 600 girls are educated tliere, aiul w hen it w as first, oj*en;'vl
a n vidu ccm en t of four i*upees a head was ofi'oi-etl to pupils. A t
C rst'therti w ere only tw o students. N o w th e y pjiy *then) a few
pence only, and 12,000 girls have j^Tssed thif>ugh ft, all hiiving
learnt som ething.
W e had tea wit-B Mr. and M m W alton, l i e is the .son of
D .’s first sehoolmswtcr, an old gei^tleman who is still alive. Mr.
W alton is tlie en gin eer in charge of th e splendid railw ay bridge,
w h ich is being b u ilt over th e Ganges. W e visited th e w(>rks, and
had a very alarm ing w alk on tld ii plaitks a t an enormous h eig h t
over tlie river, and th en w e each put som e rivets in to th e hrklge
* witlx an h yd iuulic drivei'. The least touch dt>e.s it.
Tn th e even in g w e had som e peoplcj to <iinner, and th e
Malnxrajah g ave TL party a t th is house. A fte i’w aid s he came
him self. I never saw a nicer or hnppier-lfiokisg old man.
T u fsdiiy,
— W e have had a very long <Uy.
I t Ot*gmx
ea rly and began badly, b u t w as aftei’w ards very pleasant and
m ost interestin g.
W e .^tart'Ml off in carriages at 7 A . M . to go to th e R ajah’.';
P alace a t Ilaiiiuuggcr, al»out eig lit m iles up ttib river. W e were
t o drive to th e Ghfit and embark in a launch there, th e great
object being tn s w all th e people bathing in th e sacretl G anges nt
th is exirly uour in tlm morning. D . w as a few m inutes late, and
I said I would go in th e first cariiago, w hich I accordingly did.
W e dn>ve o d fo 5 som e tim e, and then i t suddepJy striiek m e that
w e w ere on a a n in tr y r*tacl am i proliribly g c.n g th e t w rong w ay.
W e askefl tlie coachman, ‘ W here are you driving to t ' am i ho
replied, ‘ To R m nnugger.’ ‘ B u t,’ rsaid we in despair, ‘ w o are
goin g there b y river ; ’ so w e turned and niatw him gallop as fast
as he could tlirough the nurm w streets o f th e tow n till wo m e t a
police inspecbxr, wh«>.said, ‘ Nih not th is w a y ; so w e turntKl
again and drove more furiously than ever to thp G hat, w hich he
indicated, by,t no sign o f tlie V iceroy there. M uch conversation
and bad H iijdustani passed betw een us an d th e crowd a t th e
G h a t,^ n d our m isiuform or prudently disappeared. W e g o t in to
our carn ages again, got once, more to tjic place where w e were
bcfori^ and then* m et D .’s ca n ia g e , and V ere told by ih e coach-
2 U
O rK
V IC E R E G A L
i.lF E
IK
IN D IA
c h
.
vu|
T)\au (h at lliB
had sbii-ted, and th a t it w ould pick us up
a t th e other Ghut. B ack w e went, and w ere w a itin g thoi’C w hen
an E n glish eniis.s.ary from tlie V iceroy came to say tlia t w o were
to join iiim w here he wjis. a t th e l.hudge o f B oats. A g a in we
.rushw l w ild ly through tho^trcsets, and th en found w e had tw ice
been q u ite close to th e righ t plac-e. I'ho woi-st o f it w a s th a t we
w ere &,n l»our and a h alf late, and had kept evei'VoiTe w aitin g, and
th a t as w o wc.vo to lu'cakfast on th e way back, tmr little cup of
tea before stin ting w as scarcely enough to .supp<»i't us througji th e
long m orning. The m om ent wo luid I’ccoveix'd from Our l^ ss it
beg^jn to bi* delightful. W o m oved slow ly uj) th e river, looking
a t th e picturo.sque buildings, th e temple.s, an d tlie great fligh ts o f
.steps, and the quantities of boats, and th e Crowds o f people b ath ­
in g ai\tl fetch in g water, and dhrrying on their avocations on th e
banks o f th e river. These b afliing ghats are really beautiful, and
w hen coveroi.l w ith th e picturescjue iuhabititnts o f Bonart;s are the
sigh t of th e place. T lie p ila co is on th e other sid e o | tho river,
and w hen w e g o t to it, w n.were ciirriod back to Sir ^Valter S cott,
w hose n ovels alw ays come, before me on those occasions. Tho*
palace is a fort com ing dow n to th e w ater’s edge. The M aham jah’s
retainers w ere crowded on th e walle, w hilo h e h im self m et u s on
the landing-stage, and
were chitu‘<1 in ivory and silv er chaii*s
up to th e gatew ay, passing by iiand.somely cap ai^ ou ed elephants,
camels, and soldiers, in to a courtyard, and were set dow'n a t the
door, w liere real live men in ann««ur were stationed.
I handed tho Jhaharajiil' up tho stairs, and w e a ll .seated our­
selves in the d u A a r iia ll— th e V iceroy, th e M aharajah, and I
on one sofa. B e f o t e us, trays of rich mattirhila were se t down,
w hich we said w c accepted w itli th e lu'art, tlumgji n o t w ith th e
hand, b u t w o took a spocinion o f th e *kincob ’ which is made here,
and w hich is a very thick and hnndsouie brocaflo. T hen the
nautch daneera jcnmo forward, and a playful bear w as led in,
whii'h the^je wjus n ot nnich ditticuliy in recognising as a niei-e
im itation* of th o real th in g.
T lu y were all, how ever, m ost
anxious to allay any fears we m ight have upon tho subject, and
assured us often tCat ii. was on ly a man.
T he Jlaliarujah and his lieir both W(uti sjilendid jew els, w h ile
w e wi-rc nice aurl shabby in Tcrai liats, b u t our geuthnnen worn
black coats. I t w as all very cheerful aiu f iuformal, and th e ‘ K iir
Sahib,' Of heir, t(s>k me out to show me Jiis 8hootin^^«of w hich ho
is w r y proud. A nuui ilirow s up a rnia*o am f lie h its it, and th e
rupee di.stippf-ai's for ever.
^
W e passi-d thrnugli^curious w y id in g ])a.s.s)|geg .anfl down siep.s
to tint river, and gi>t .rn to our boat, an d crosSe^l to a grgat, ten t
I 1886
AT K E N A R E S
'215
p u t up i>n a raft or on bargof«, wliero a brejikfast banquot nvab
spread, for ^vhil;h w e w ere a ll very ready.
T liere was also a
nautch goin g on, and w e .g en tly floated down tb e stream in th is
luxurious m am ier till w e w ere i*ea<ly to re-eml>ark in th e launch
and conio homo,
A little r e st ^ or us, .somo Ituxiness for D ., th en lunch, a n J
afterw an ls iflore sigh t-seein g. A t th e T own i l a l l wei*c^collected
speeiniena of th e various m anufactures of licnares. and In a
Shiyniaua outsid e w e saw th e j>eople woi-king a t, tlieir trades ;
we
to the entrance o f tho bazjiars, and, g e ttin g ou t of th e
carriage, walketl all th rou gh th e narrow streets. T hey are ^>aved,
and are .so n a m /w th at you eouM touch each sid e if } ou stretched
ou t your arms. 'Hit; brass bazaar was tht: p rettiest oue we S J iw ,
every little shop wjis fu ll of bra.s.< pots and cups and ves.sels and
go<ls of all sorts, bu t there are ul.?o som e flue houses « f rich men.
oil these streets, uud one o f th e ‘ Roth.schUds' o f th e place came
out t<i speak to us.
je - .
'
w en t on to see th o most sacred toinide iu th is m ost sacred
' c ity o f air In d ia. . I can n ot .s^iV.that T adnjin»d it ; tJifc sacred
dirt of ages is to<j evid en t, and there is no pretence of auythiitg
fine in thy w ay o f .•irchitecturo or *onianient ab ou t it. There is a
holy w ell in the ci'ntre of a .snudl dingy covered court, in to w hich
worshipi>ers ji^ur rice and flowers' as ofl’e rings to tho god w ho is
supposwl to be a t th e l*ottoin of it, and tlien th ey th in k tlie
w ater 1 Ditcs th is not n]ipe<d t«i one’s im agination rather d is­
agreeably in tJjpse d ays of filldih' and other .sanitary arm ugeiuonls 1
T he Kymboi of ih e goddess is a bit o f .stones and w e w ere not
allow ed to en ter th e sh rin e w here it \vas.
T he p riest read in
Sanscrit, and afterwartls in E nglish, a hym n wliich i.s really fine,
and " hich I la p c lo serul w itii this. Tiio tem ple is called the
‘ Golilon Tempi'*,’ but «>nly one little b it of the
‘W herever one goes, w hether to th e Abihjuajah’s Pidace, or to a
• tem ple or BcluK'l. one is struck w ith the charm ing w ay in w hich
tlio hostfi receive th eir g u ests ; th ere are so m any Httte a tten tio n s
paid, wrtiath.s of flowers and bouquets alw ays ready, and in tho
ca.se of th o M aharajahs generally some littH- g ift, such asqdi'^togra]>h^, a ntk 1; made from the wood o f th e place, or a little scentbottle, is ^ i\e n . The priests w ere full of sim ilar atten tio n s, and
w e lookeudiVe w alkin g flower gardens w hen w e left.
W e jtj-oceeded n ex t to th e .jVuna P u m a Tem ple, w here th e
sjKTPtl bulls live.* T his w as really rather tryin g, for th e iwlonr
w as i^ot nice’. T here arc cow s aixd b u lls all round th e cjiclosure,
an^ .a shriho’ in tlje centre. Tho moot sacred bull of all, in stea d
o f jje^ng a magirfficent anim al, is sm all a*id deform ed.
K is iioeo
216
o rR
V IC E R E G A L I L F E IN’ IN D IA
a r. v u ij
l<x>ks broken, and liis ander-ja-w protrudes, and one e y e has a
lum p on it, and, moreover, he seemed extrem ely irritable. 0%’erjijueh kindness has probably spoilt his temper. I was r<ithor gla-d
to g o t o\it ()£ th is place.
^
IV e prooocdwl to see the Observatory, w liich
b u ilt by th e
sam e m an en d on the sam e principle as th e oni* a t -Teypore. W o
saw there a piece of useless a rt work, w liich waS curious. A
j>iece of w hat uppeavcd to 1)€ very fine tapestry w as set before ua.
Tr represented tw o large figures, and 1 w as exam ining^ th e
tex tu re of the m aterial w hen t h « 3 artist show ed us tlm t it^waa
laercly pow der upon w ater ; lie p u t Ins finger in to it and rooked
it g en tly about. I t was m ost cleverly done.
T hen w e looked in a t an Orphanage, avhere th e you n gest
pupil, b ein g asktnl to say th<^ E nglish alphabet, .set ofT lik e a
m achine, and w as sioppe<l with*difficulty w hen ho had g o t through
it about th ree and n h alf times. A fte r th is we g o t in to our
carriages and drove to Xnmlesar, Nvliicli is th e n.ame o f our
ht>use.
In th e even in g w e w e n t out to s ^ the W a ter Fivstivul. T his «
is a I'eligious fe te w hich ta k es place once a year, and w o w ere
lucky to corne in for it.
E very man in Benare.s tries to g e t o u t
on tlio river, and when w e penetr.ated through tlie m u ltitu d e
preparing to embark an<l got into our barge, w e ^ u n d ourselves
in tlie m iddle of a crowd of boats.
They were m ost curiou'ilooking, most of them tw o storey.s higl*, and all quite fu ll of
people. In m any of the larger ones chandeliers wore hung, music'
w as playing, and-«auteh ea were going on.
W o m oved slo w ly
along ihrougii this H eating population, adm iring them an d th e
illu m ination s on shore.
The groat ilights of stairs leading from
th e tow n dn^-n to th e ghflte looked beautiful steps o f fire, an d th e
m en atten d in g tu th e lam ps and passing rapidly akm g th e lin es
of^ h cm w e r tju s t like busy dem ons a t work.
There wei*o liroworka w luzzing find w h irlin g alH)ut, an d th e firm auieut w as
bespaJigled*with fire-balloons. W licn w e liad enjoye<l th is scene
foi’ somo tim e, we g o t on board of tlie g rea t 81iamiana-l>oat,
•wliere wc liad brea^fasierl in th e morning. I t w as b rillia n t’ligh tw l up, and when w e were properly enthroned, a nautch
began ; then feu.t'u! shouts -were heanl, and tw o dem on king.s
rushed w ild ly in, flourishing their swords a b o u t ; tiro dancei*s
mydc w ay for them , and th ey pranced round u n til agoster fo l­
low ed aiul jok ed M-ith them .
More gods, jfhd a* prince .-ind
princfe.s-s, and a fakir cam e on from tim e to tim e, and
on
dining-room chnii-s of a tru ly Briti.di pnttcrq. and fought, and
shouted a good deal, w hile a t on^ side nf th fn i n n V ’ " ;ery
fir
*36
OBJECTIXG TO i;KES O y PR l.N 'C inX
217
curious perforinaiiee 'vas go in g oi\. A woiDun w earing ft w h ite
m usliii sftri w as sittin g on the llo<ir m aking great preparations.
H er costum e i-equired m uch arrangem ent,
tiw i her loo.se
flowing robe about h er ; she tw isted a shaw l i)ito tw o round ceils
before h e r ; slie p u t a very .sharp sword in front of th at ; she
exam ined the bolls on her fliigcr.s and on lier Icg.s ; and then s)ie
k nelt on th e sliaw l, one knee in cacli coil, and, i>ulliug th e.iih isliu
over her face, took lio h l of tiic sword in her lec th l*y th e blade.
T h e n ,s h e tw isted herself backw ards and forw ards-and rsuind
a b o u th s if 's h e w ere made of india-rubber, and flung her arms
round her head, and to and fro, w ith o u t ever tou ch in g th e swgrd,
which fla.sheil before on e’s eyes w ith her rapid m ovem ents ; had
sho touched the blade %ver so-Jisrhtly, it w ould have cut her arms
to bits. She n ex t put the sw ord ilown, and rolling and sw ayin g
he»*self about, a sort o f w h ite bundle, she played th e befls on her
arlns and lingers and ended in a k n o t on th e floor.
I t wjis
m idnight and tim e to depart, ;is w e had ha<l rather a haixl <lay.
]Vriiji43d(ty, 7/A.— I was energetic, and got up early and went""
*^own to the river again to do som e photogni.phH. Mr, and Mrs.
W alton took m e in their launch and g a v e m e bit?akfast, an d I
enjoyp<l th e fresh m o n iin g air, th e lovely view o f Bem uva, th e
p e o j^ bathing, and the l>oats still out and still fu ll of passenger.?.
I believe th ey w ^ keep up th is feast for thi*ee or four days, and
w ill rtiiuain m ost of th e th n e on th e w ater.
W e left the house finally at tw elve, b u t before th a t I inti-rn e w e d a lady doctor whom th e M aharajah o f Vizianagram hati
placed Jit Benn-ro.*;. She is EnglicI'., an<l is o f th ^ o sp ita l-a ;K ista n t
class, only havin g had tw o yeare’ training, i i e p»yo hj:r
1 ~'0
a month, and g]ve.s h ^ ^ carriage and a servant, b u t allow s her
to take tio fees. I w as very much surj>rised to hear th a t a rich
fam ily here accepts iiietUcal aid iroiii Jicr w ithout p ayin g for it.
In fact, th e gentlem an t«>ld her h im self th at t^iey ‘ objected tt)
fees on princijde ; ’ the a ltern ative which th ey do not object to is
practically receiving it as charity from th e ^r.ihiirajuh o f V izianagm m .
W e again m et all our friends at th e Bridge*of Boats, an d th e
dear old ALUiarajaU w as sm arter and inoi*c cheerful th an ever.
H e took u s on boan l th e raft, and again w e sa l in .stj»te w ith a
nauteh goin^f on, and then had lunch, and thgp more nautch
till it w as tipm to start for th e railw ay station .
T he M aharajah
sat botweou u.s, an?l wa.s so am used scjuirting rosewater a t ^th e
Vlceroj^ancl all tlie Stafl'. jmd he w e ttea m y pocket-handkerchief,
and everybo^y*lmd th eir share o f th is w ater fe s tiv a l! T h en we
were ,iilt pu t in to l-ose-wreaths; and I handed th e ohl goutlcinan
21H
f)T’n A70EHEGAL.LIFK JN
ih . vJIi
dow n to th e other boat, and lie came w itli us to th e station- A s
th e train w en t off he called out ‘ good-bye ’ ain l a b lessin g in
P ersian, and I think \vc all parttxl th e very b est of friends.
W e hud a short journey to A llaliabad, and w ere m et tlierc by
S ir A lfred Lyull, and drove up to h is house^ W o hope w e slisll
l>e le-ss troublesom e gu ests th an w e wei^e a t L ucknow , w hen D.
feU ilb
7'hia'$d<ty, 8f/i. 'J'he function of th e d ay w as th e ope/iijig of
th e M uir Oollegc and un veilin g th e .statue of S ir W illiam Muir
in th e great IihII. T he architect,
Kemorson, hifs gi'^pn the
b u ild in g art Oriental character, and tw o large dom es are covered
w itli colourerl tiles.
Sii' A lfred L yall and th e V iceroy miide
bpec3ho.s, and S ir W illi.tni M uir was congratulated b y telegram ,
and w e o.Kaniinod all th e rooms and th e handsom e c<jIonnades,
and looWed a t th e view s, and expressed our hopes it w ould some
day blo.ssora in to a university, and th a t som ething w ould he done
w itliin its w a lls to promote tech n ia il education in th§ country.
There w as a dinner and un ev en in g p arty a t th e I^yall.s, and
w'e ssit ou t in a Shainiana tjdking to different people till bed-timd?
F rid a y, ^th.— W e le ft A llahabad a t tw elve ©■’clock, and g o t to
Cawnporo a t t'wn. T he Commissioner, Mr. iMoule, took u s to see
all the in terestin g th in gs in th is th e m ost depres-sing o f a ll places,
connected w ith the hulian M utiny.
/
T he Mas-saere Gh&t hv>k.s peaceful and p retty now, but one
eouM :<*e tho ravine down which th e victim s toiled in th e hot
sun, and could im agine th e b oats grounding on the sand, and th e
treachury th a t tf^-aited them a t th e w ater’s edge, W e \vt?ro also
show n th e sites of th e houses aud th e w ells, and the w ays by
w h ich the poor people had to run ou t a t n ig h t .to fetch w ater.
One .survivor wfus there to explain it to us.
T he Memorial Church is full of sad suggestions.
T he w liole
w a y round th e y ltar is lined •wiih mni-ble ta b lets separated from
eac-h othai’ b y narrow line.s o f black, and each covered w ith
colum ns o f nam es. The first begin s Muth (loueral W heeler, ‘ his
w ife ami fam ily,’ ,and th ese words are con stan tly added to some
nam e all d<nvn th e list.
Tho M emorial W ell in th e ccuTroof the M enmrial G ardens is,
however, th e sad<lest .sj*ot o f all. The well hfus been tilled in, and
is surrounded ,b y an ornam ental w all, in sid e of V hich, in tho
•centre, stan d s a w hite m arble figure o f an a n g ^ li
Hho leans
agJiinst a cross, and h as Imig w in gs touching tjie ground ; her
arm s are crossed, and sh e holds u pHlm-branch in each lyiud, and
her hejid is b en t, w ifh tho eyes looking down.* ^ W e d id n o t
th in k h er face w as <jtiite beautiftil enough, ITut th e wli^do th in g
^886
•
AT THi: KAJAli OF P^^TIAIA’S WATEIl PAL.1CE
219
suggests sorrow, silence, and solem nity, and so fur is successful.
N o n ative is ever allow ed t'O en ter tliis enclosure, and th ey have
to g e t passes to com e in to tlie gaixlon.
I t is very w ell kept, and
is fu ll of roses and flow ering shrubs. Close to th e w ell is a sm all
w liito CCOS.S m arking th e sp ot where th e house stoo«l.
•
Som e people sa y th a t we should try to forget these m isfortunes
and th e exporteuces o f tlw: M utiny j l^ut others consider tlin t w e
cannot rememl)er thCtn too w ell, and th a t w e should n o t let th e
pet)ple im agine th a t w e h a v e forgotten them .
W o ladies w en t to te a w ith Mr, lVJ((ule, and D. came tliere
too, bu t he ha<J fli*st to go over th e G overnm ent Tlarrttss Factory,
where the auiells were dreadful.
W e diiK'd outside*our railw ay carriage on a siding, and weirt
t o bed there, tlie train m oving on j*p th e m iddle of th e night,
,'^aJiirday, lOiA.- A warm ish day in th e train, arriving a t
U m b alla a t five o’ekwk. W e sleep in a bungalow -hotcl, where
are very CQmfortablo.
,
Fiicnday^ 11M-,— A lw u t th ree in th e afturnoon wO dnjve on to
♦Pinjore, and slep t in th e lla ja h of PatLila’s little W a ter P alace
a t tlie foot o f th e hills.
M otiday, 12M, to M onday, l9</o— W e had a delightful d a y fc r .
. driWug up to Sim la, b u t w e km nd th e place loolfiiig very brown"^
and u gly, A terrific hailstorm som e days b cft)^ had destroyed
all th e rhododendrons, and had stripped th e grceu oil' the banks
and bu.^hos. T he hailstones had le ft m arks in places a s though
grapeshot had been fu’cd in to th e ground. H ow ever, th e su n shone
for us, and oi’r cottage looked warm and comfdHable. T he very
. few im provem ents'w hich w e h ave ventured to mak^ in th is eondomued h ouse.h ave been m ost successful ; and a b it o f vernndJih
w hich T h ave tak en in to th e drawing-room giv es lig h t and variety
to w h at wa.s a very dull am i dark room.
My ow n little boudoir
i s deckwl o u t in th e fre.shcst and m ost E nglish gf chintzes, and i s
a d eligh tfu l sanctum .
I), ha.s had a groat deal mare lig h t le t
in to h is study, and h e hnDks v o iy com fortable too, sittin g over h is
fire. A t first,w e found th e w eather extreinejy cold, and as our
w in ter clothes had i » t arrived w e shivered in cottons, and th en
w hen they did conio w e were affclimatised, and th ou gh t th e
woollen ones rather wnrin.
T he sun docs shine very b righ tly,
and it really is very delightful hero now .
,
A littl^ ^iro, and a w ide-open w indow , and a balcon y to
w ander ou^ op, and d istan t view s o f gleam ing Know.-^, help to
m ake gp a very cndui-ablo indtxtr existence. In th e afternoon
w e ride, br^valk, or gn up to look a t thp n ew house as i t rises
from tjie ground*; speculate /a s to w hether th e rooms are b ig
220
OUK ViCEKEOAJ, J J F i i IN IN D IA
ch
. vift
I
enough ; th in k w h at a .splendid view tliere w ill be from alm ost
a ll our w indow s j and w atch th e crou d of m en a t work.
O ne afternoon we w ent dow n to A n n a n d a le to t ilt a t th e ring ;
every on e enjoyed it so much. I sa t and looked on, b u t the
others rode w ildly by me on i>onie.s, stick ii^ hand, looking very
fierce and determ ined as th ey passed ; th ey were^ a ll very mucli
pleased w ith them selves, and th ou gh t th ey had m ade very good
play. 1). liked it too, and w'e had a nice ride back up th e sunny
sid e of th e h ill.
•
Tnenday, 20iA.— I received v isits to-day ; b u t as I w afited to
ha-^e a littte tim e to see and speak to p ^ p le , I w as ‘ nt homo ’ in
th e afternoon instejid of in th e morning, and m ade th e reception
som ctliing of a garden party. I n fact, th ^ nuly clillereiico made
in m y arrangem ents to murlj; th e d istin ction w as th a t th e band
did not play, and tlu it th e };eople w ho came w rote d ow n thoir
name* in a l^ o k as they do w hen th ey call. T liis w as th e firet
opportunity there had been o f m eeting, .so every one qeemed very
pleased to have the chance of seeing ‘ w ho is here ?/ ‘ are there
any l>eauties ? ’ * w'liat new gow ns are there ? ’ and ‘ how is every*
body look ing ! ’ and to pick up shreds o f gossip.
I th in k I can answ er m ost of thc.se q uestions for you. E v ery
one h as brough t up either a daughter or a sister th ere are
n in ety you n g ladicj?, and there are few m en ; t l y gowms wex*e not
rem arkable— I hear the new ones do n o t com e o u t till after
E u ster ; and th e gossip w as chiefly on th e subject o f th e variojis
m aladies from w hich .some absentees are suffering.
Friday^ 23r(fT—W c M’e n t to church in th e m orning, and in
th e afternoon T drove a new and m ost d eligh tfu l trap 1 h a v e got.
A t hom e I supposfe you would call it a b ath -eh a u > b u t here it is a
jin rickshaw w ith a pony in i t ; and it is q u ite m y ow n iuventiim ,
for no one in Sim la has ever before th ou gh t o f h avin g an yth in g
less than a team .of four or five m en to di*aw them . T he little
cai-riage itself is very p retty ; and th e pony, w hich a year ago wa.s
th e deiigfit o f an E nglish costerm onger’s fam ily, is perfectiob— so
good and so stn ip g , w ith an iudiffei'ence to w hat is go in g on
around him Wluch> inspires com plete rMufidence. H e tro ts along
on hi.s ow n w ay, hm king u eilh er to th e rig h t nur to th e left, u n ­
m oved by sigh ts or sounds, or b y th e contem plation o f th e steep
h ills up w hich Ijc has to drag me. H is nam e is M iUt, and ho is a
treasure.
'
•
>^
Monday^ 26/A. to S a tu rd a y . M a y !« /.-—A
devoid of
m uch in cid en t. On E aster M onday a long concert for th « Z enana
M issions, h a lf sacred apd half secular music* I o i ^ stayed for
th e first part, and then d^o^•e ihyscif h om e*in niy ‘ M id g e ’—
'"V
mG
illK L ' llL 'N y AAV'AY AV'ITII H E R E X (’E U .E S C Y
2 ’i l
«
which leads me to con fess th a t ou th e n e x t day th e admirablo
M ike n u i aw ay w ith m e. H ap p ily th e rOnd w as a s;ifo one, but
th e scene w as excitin g. A sm art outrider in red trotted before
me, hut k ep t rather too n ear th e ptmy's nose, and it suddenly
struck th is little steed th a t he w as ta k in g part in a tro ttin g m ee j
n aturally he put h iif best foot forwawl, and th e harder 1 pulled
th e harder ho*lrotted, and I called to Lord AVilliain, ^whom,
luckily, I had ju st m et, th a t I could not liold him . Then, J oh n
''G ilpin w as n oth ing to i t ! T he man in re<l trotted furiously
and Im stled every on e o u t o f th e w ay : n e x t cam e if e r L ad y­
ship tearing along, rush in g rtmud w ater-carts drawn, by sleepy
bulh)cks w hich w ere slow to move, and threading through foot
passengers and led hor*es ; then cam e Ix>rd W illiaip snatching a t
m y reins, losing h is h a t, tellin g m e n t w as a ll right, itc. I did
not lose m y head, nor w as I Ii.alf a s friglitcned as I generally am
when T »n» bein g driven b y an experienced, whip, and w hen <*nce
Mr. M ike had b een stopped T drove him home m ost calmly ; but
T assui-o you it w as a scone ! 1 h a v e n o t y e t confided it tt) !>.,
' who w ould bo lou ch a l a n u c d . H e s h u ll hear i t after I have
driven the little creature a few tim es more. T have, however,
taken som e ex tra precautions for m y .^afety, ns Sim la is n o t a
placG^to play trick s in.
W e had tea a t lu v c r a n u w ith L o n l W illiam . H is house is a
very nice one, a n a i t is full of i)rctty things. Ho often lends us
h is silver for our tabic, and I have seldom seen any so p retty ,
i f e has a very handsom e se t o f B urm ese l>owIs ; th ey arc o f per­
forated and embo£se<l silver. A n o th er large w»t is of Ttmjore
w ork— th at is, silv er raised on a copper ground
T hese ai*e m ost
ellcctive-lookin^. T he w orst of buying silver hero is th a t th e
d u ty on Liking it hom e is so very heavy. W h en I returned from
tljj.s bachelor entertain m en t, I hiul a little tea of m y own for th e
tw o nurses w ho have l>een im ported for th e R ipon Jlosp ital.
>
S a iv r d a y . M n y 8^/i.— T he (Jyiukhnna to-<ldy w as a very
aniusing one. T lie Coiiiniander-in-Chie£ led oft’ w ith teid*pcgging,
and him self w'on th e prizo amid th e cliecrs of th e b ystan d ers.'
Tlu'i'o w as a little steeplechase, in w hich a ll th^ horses w en t tho
wrong side of th e jum ps, and ran up b an k s w hich were oft’ th e coui-se, and behaved gen erally in a frolicsom e nmnner. T hen
three bucketsM 'era laid dow'n, .and gentlem en on horseback tried
to drop potatoes in to them a.s th e y rode b v a t a gallop, ajid neve^,
succeeded. T lfe prftttiest race o f all w as a tandem race, riding
one .and drivfng'atiother pony in f r o n t ; th e three couples ke|)t
very evenly tlgdther,^and th e finish w as m ost exciting.
I l\:vv^e n o f g iv c» you a n y ^ ’i-ount yet'^of our arrangem ents
222
OITR VICEREG A L L II’E IN’ IN D IA
cii. v i«
*
here, and how our large p arty is distributed. B lan ch e and Fred
liv e in a cottage called Bejitsonia, w hich is q u ite close to us.
T hey hav(* only got to run dow n som e ste])s to g e t liere. ^lajor
Cooper, D r. Findlay, and Lord ller b ra u d liv e in th e -Boorj, also
vorj' close to us, bu t not very nice, as it h.as a high bank a t th e
back of it. Mr. W allace and i l r . M tvcF^ran iu lia b it Ivhud
C ottage, situ ated on a siunll precipice o '’erloolfing tlie road.
Invom riu is tlie nam e of Lorrl W illiam ’s palatial ro.si(lonoe, wliere
ho resides in solitary grandeur ; and near him in M ou n t P leasa n t
arc C aptains Gordon and Balfour. Tci'o.nce’s .^Vnnamkile V*iew is
on a promontK'ry com nianding a ."jplendid ])eep of th o snow s, and
q u ile deserves to bi^ called a ‘ B ijou R esid en ce.’ I t is rather far
off, but has th e grcjit m erit of being on th e sam e le v el a s th is
house, w h ile Inverarro and Jtou n t P leasan t are on a liigh er peak,
and still inure in th e clouds th an w e are.
Wfdnetfday, \2 th .— A little ‘ la r k ’ to which w e havo been
look ing forw ard began to-day. W e alw ays do trem ble over th e
w eather, w hich delights in m aking us anxious, and,* a s a great
expedition w as on band, w e studied it more th a n e v e t to-day. Ifc
sm iled upon us, and after lunch w e all rotle o u t to T he Gables,
an inn in th e neighbourhood of th e Sipi Fair, th e w hole o f w hich
wo have ta k en for three nights. H ere w'e are now , and .m o s t .
sunshiny, aivd plcfisnnt, and conifort.»ib]e it is. ^ ’e had le a , and
took a real country walk ; and then vro dined, and one of our
servjinta did sodjo conjuring trick s b<ifore us, and th e gen tlem en
show ed
w hu t th ey could tlo in th n t line, and after th a t to bed.
The (7aitle3, T fiursdny, 13M. —Such a lovely day, and such a
v iew from th is house I Im agine looking through a frann; of
gi-een leave^i, and brandies, and trunks of trees on t-<i it rolling
sea of m ountains ; tlie brown rippling h ills noar a t hand g a th er­
in g in m agnitude and in <lepth and v a riety o f colouring a s th ey
g e t farther from you, and ending in a great range of g liste n in g
snow mountains* w hich look lik e cresb'cl w aves dashing up a g a in st
tlio c le a r l^ u e .sky ; th a t is our view . AVo admired it, and looked
a t th e people goin^ to th e fair. I took som e pictures o f them ,
and r even com njitted th e alm ost sacrilegious a ct of try in g to
cond('nse th e s|>lendid and gorgeously colouredm.ap w hich N a tu re
had spread before u s in to
inches of plain brown photfigraph.
I sh all jjiobably bo punished when 1 seo tlie result. »
. W o all rode’ down th e hill, and enjoyed as m u a i as w e did
last year siioing tiie people on th e w ay. A lofjg zi^ Jig of b righ t
colours, curious drt'sscs, curious ty p e s o f facd, i\nd bLrange
v eh icles - jhum pans, rickshaws, horses, niule8,,all winWii^ 'through
th o Wood ; am i th e crowd collected a t tho b o tto m ,\h e w h jrlin g
ffo
148C
A ‘ VICTO RIA CItOSS lU C E
‘ -2-23
•
nioiT}’-go-rouudH, th e little shops, th e sarred cow w ith tliree ears,
th e never-ending tom -tom playing, and all the other humours of
th e day. W e again adm ired th e Itfiiik o f fair women ; we again
bought rubbish, and ato a gi'cat lunch provided by our staff, and
again stit under a Sliainiana an d saw a policeman in uniform
sliooting a t another Tiiau's legs, and dancing w ith joy^ w hen ho
succeeded in h ittin g him .
A fte r th is a great honour w as paid us. A god w as brought
a very long w ay from th e other side of th e Sutlej to see us. I t
w as biftue qji long poles on m en’s shouldei-s, and w as jum ped up
fn d dow n l)efore ua. I t w'as a very strarige-looking th in g. A t
ih o top of it w as a sm all circle o f silv er w ith jin g lin g th in g s
attached to i t ; n e x t c*uie a m uch w ider circle o f block horse­
hair : under th a t there w ere brass faces, and th en a q u a n tity o f
Iietticoats han ging about', from under w hich th e poles came. I t
hud no pretension to bein g a figure.
F r id a y , 14i/i.— A n o tlier m ost lo v ely d ay for a furtlua’ e x ­
pedition. W e rode off .after breakfast through pin e w oods to
^ a ld era , a d ista n ce of sev en m iles, w ith a m(mntaiu v iew
som etinies on one side, som etim es on th e other, somctimt^s on
both. T des«;ribed th e place to you la st year. .D . had n o t seen
i t before, and he enjoy«jd th e ri^e and th e holiday, and th e n ice
open look i t has, and th e view o f th e Sutlej. On th e w a y h e ^ ^ d
fairy talcs in P ersian to h is policem an, W e lunched and sa t
under the trees, som e talk in g, som e sleeping, and I), reading
a new novel ab ou t to be published, on w hich th e author w a n ts
a ‘ candid ' opinion. Then we rode back to T heU ables, th e w oods
Ixiing gay w ith th e })rilHantly clothed wom en returning from th e
fair ; and w e all agreed w e had had a m ost d eligh tfu l day.
S'iiii.iday^ '^2nd.— In th e m orning I w en t over th e R ip on
H osp ital, M'hich is really a very p erfect one. The situ a tio n is
lovely, and all th e w a n ls are clean, and bright, and comfortable^
T liere .are som e room s for p ayin g j>atients, w hich’onght to bo th e
greate.st boon to people here w ho have 'not good housed* o f th eir
. oyyii. N o th in g can be nicer thfin th ey are, and a lad y nurse is in
attendance. From th is I w e n t on to a ba^ajvr for th e Z enana
Mis.siiiiis, and th en home.
In th e afternoon there w>is n njost am using G ym khana.
Lord William**lrove n in e iKjnies, riding on a ten th him self, and
m anaging the#w hole set m ost b eau tifu lly ; b u t the' ex citcn io n t of
the day was 4 ^ 'i c t m i a Cross R a ce.’ E very man provhled him .self w ith a !a4*g€f figure, w hich he w;is to rescue from off th e field
of battle*; .th |s o dum m ies looketl so funny stan d in g .and sittin g
about before llie ratie^ G reat c^re luul bedu taken to dross them
:*A.
221
Oi;i{ VlCEHKCiAL L IF E IN IN D IA
'-h. \ m
w ell, b u t som e were very soft and ilonpod about, w h ile others M'orc
a s stiff as pokers, aud pi-eteruaturnlly tall. 8om e w ere in uni­
form ; one was an ‘ A yah,' and Lord "William’s w a s a ‘ J^pecial
Correspondent.’ F irst of all, th e riders, ninbracing th eir dolls,
carried them off to a certain part of th e field, where th e y stie w ed
them nbout lik e wounded men. Then th<*y ♦ o u t to th e startingp o s t and galloped up to th e figures ; each raaudi.sT«ouuted, pickei.1
up Ills* (loll, and flew back. Lord W illiam w as first, but, u n ­
luckily, in jum ping th e last hurdle he h it h is head a ^ i n s t a p o st,,
•which should n ot have been there, cu t it badly, f«»ll oit, and,
cla‘!ping tljc Special Corrtispondent in h is arras, held up tlia t
useful creatui-e to stnunoh h is wounds, and staggered up in to
the dressing-room stream ing w ith blood. » H e did nut, how ever, .
really h u rt him self, and he siiys h e did not even have a headache
a ft ff it. • ^
*
M ottdny, ’l \ t h .— T his day, th e Queen’s Ifirthday, w as to have
Ix'gmi a m ost g a y official w eek for us ; b u t early in tho m orning
w e hoard of Gonoral Hughe.s’s death, and w e h a v e p utbfl’ th e ball.
I am so sorry' about him. H o w as appoiatetl J lilita r y 3lembe%
of C ouncil in th e w inter in succession to General AVilson. H e
leaves a w ife aud-fam ily. I t is very and.
W e have p u t off the ball for a w eek, b u t th e official djnnor
and th e Icvco t-ook place.
_
lo th .— I), attended General lEughdft’s funeral .at 7.30
th is morning.
Tn th e afternoon I w en t to a lecture on tho S ilver Que.stion.
Jsow th e vSilver Q uestion is one upon winch ■a’e th in k you E n g lish
people m ost callous. W h y you w ill persist in a gold standard, to
th e ruin of us and of yourselves, w e cannot im agin e ; and w e are
no'w about to o.sert ourselves to convert you fb bi-m etallism .
W ith th a t view w e hove foi'med a ‘ S ilver A ssociation ,' aud '
jy!r. M olnsworth, a m ost faith fu l apostle o f th a t creed, has begun
the a tta ck in th is lecture. I commend th e subject to your attcn thm . W V heard all abou f’ the 'fltuAnations in th e production o f
gold w ith relation to silver,’ and th e ‘ fluctuations in th e relativo
price o f gold and ^llver,' and w e had Uttlo diagntras which lotiked
as if som e p atien t w as terribly ill w ith fever, and h is tem jieraiuro
w as flying up and dow n in an alarm ing niunncr. T hese little
inap.s really show ed the vagiirie.s of gold, silver, and «omm<.iditi«'s j
Ipit T am sure I have said enough to m ake you f ^ l your ow n
ignoninco, and th a t is th e first st<'ji tow ards iiftp ro w n cn t.
d.b h as se t up a I ’ersian vuhit, in order to imprnvf^his Vcrsian.
T lic man sj>eaks hi.s ow n language, b u t knows*xi»tlwii^ about
clothes. I>.'s dressin^:f*consotjueut^y is Icmg. * iWheiiXhe mska fo r
//?
•188fi
K i:.S N IN (i A HACK W IT H T H E STOU M
225
trousers. l)ie j7oin saJaams and SJiys, ‘ On niy ]»e.'ul and my
eyes bo th ey .’ W h en ho in<[uires for his toothbrush, ho says,
‘ I am your sacrifice, here it lie s in th e Jjand o f your sla v e,’ itc.,
(fcc., and i c .
P .S .— Tliere is som e doubt now as to w hether tlie Persian
v a let does speak hi^ ow n language I
TitKsday, V u jw
— Our Queen’s Ball w as a v e iy g r e st
success. T he w eather favoured u- ; and by d in t o f p u ttin g up
o n e.g rea t Sliam iana for supper and another for sittin g in : by
dint* o f shutting in verandahs and ta k in g off doors, w e created
a great d eal of rooni? and there never w as any inconvenient crush.
W e liad tw o good ilooi’S and p len ty of liglit. The Jiigh oliim neypieces, w hich reach «p to th e ceiling, ^verc filled w ith roses, all
th e m en were in uniform , all th e ladies in tlieir sm artest gow ns,
and everybofly in th e best o f sp iA ts— and w h at couhhyon w an t
m ore ? E xcept perhaps supper, and th a t w as good too, atid looked
very nice.
9ytid, fo F rid a y , Ath.— Preparations for our R ipon
H osp ital EiT:te filled a great part of our tim e. Parcels had to be
tied up ; n otes of thank s for th in gs sen l to Ikj w n ften , aud many
arrangem ents to be m ade b y letter ; dolls had to have the finishing
touches pu t to th eir to ile ttes ; pins had b) bo stuck in to piiicusliious ; th e lifiidirig fastened on to scrap-books ; th e irtferinr
p u t in to pen-w ipers ; autoginphs had to lie collected for autograph •
cards ; draw ings to be com pleted, and so on ! A n d through all
6ur work great a n x iety in our inind.s a s to the weather.
On Friday afternoon w e changod th e cuiTcnt of our thoughts
b y atten d in g a lecture on ' Aui-ungzel>e and th e G rand A im iy,’
w hich i l l . AV. "W. H u n ter gnve. It w as verj' in ter e stin g ; and
th a t even ing f»eing ilic 4th o f Ju n e, D . dined w ith Sir Frederick
R oberts to m eet six teen other Ktonians.
S a tu rd a y, 54/*.- The gro.at f^to day comes a t l a s t ! A nd w h a t
alxiu t the
h c f 0 V ery cloudy a t ^6 a.m .; very much Ijetter,
thank you, a t 0 A.M.; fils o f cloudiness alainning mtf till three
o’clock, and then a settled c 6 n v ifih ,u in luy mind th at w e were
running a race M-ith tlio sU rm , an d th a t
should w in w ith
d y in g coloura. A n d so w e did !
A ll the m orning w e were b u stlin g about. A la st large contriljutiou artuvoil for th e F ish Pond, and had to be tied up ; th e
ShiimianRsl>n th e law n Lad to 1x3 set up ; th e n jo to g ra p h Tublc
spread .aru| ifs go8ds p riced ; th e Cafe C hantant hung w ith advert.isejnenw, *and all th e little t4te-a-tcte tables a r r a n g ^ in if ; th e
R jifllc, haA edl to^l>e planned ; Die T licatrc to bo pui iu order,
and. i u th en d cr rfiud lig h tu iy g to be rehbaraed ; niv ow n L ucky
.
/
Q
ii2G
CtUR VICEKEOAL l^Il'E IX INDIA
ca, vni*
•
IJox had to be placed ; aiul th e Fish I’oud matlo beau tifu l and
attractive.
E very one connected w ith our house had a departm eutj and
w e a ll w ore bow s of different colours to sliow to w h a t section w e
,l>eloiigetl.
^
T h e ‘ gates ’ o f course began it a t 1 p . m ., as a ll arrivals passed
tlirough.tliem ; and th en w e set to work, and w e w'Tio w'cro busy
had only a general idea of w liat w as goin g on elsewhere.
A ll our ventures did very w ell, b u t th e m ost satisfactory th in g
w as th a t all th e people and a ll th e cliildren, and th ey w ^ e legion,
seenipd very 4iappy and very ple.ascd w ith th e th in gs th ey got, and
w e m ade altogetlier K s. 3,730.
A b o u t h a lf an hour after the people had ^ n e , a terrible storm
cam e on. The d u st was frightful, b u t T quite enjoyed th e sound
o f it, for it w as ju s t too la te to do th e sm allest harm ; a few hours
sooner it w ould have been ruin to th e th in gs, and ru in to th e
financial underttiking.
I t has ju s t struck m e th a t pcrliaps you don't know th a t I havo
bcten deserifjing fAie ‘ V iceregal Garden F ete ’ in aid o f th e F u n d s '
o f th e N’ursing H om e and F em ale W ard o f th e llip o n H ospital.
T quite forgot th a t you have n o t beeiL talk in g and th in k in g about
i t for w eeks, a s I have.
*
•
Tiiexdoy, 8 //i. — I hope I have pn^pared your * iin d for a gay
w eek. W e are in th e very m idst o f our season, and to day, after
a m orning sp en t in receiving visitors, w e rode down to th e llaces.
The ‘ S k y lla c e s ’ are held a t A nnandaie, and altliou gh f w'as"
in m any m inds n ot to go to them , 1 th ou gh t it very am using when
1 g o t tlu-re. S eeing a ll one’s in tim ate friends g o t up a s joekey.s,
and all th e riding hoj-ses o f th e place appearing im racers, is
a m u s in g ; and then the cour.se is very sm all and th e perform ers
are nev<;r out of sight, arid th ey look lik e toy.s gallop in g round
a board ; and one, is able to g e t up a special in terest eith er in a
w ell-know 'n.m au or a partiQuhir horse, uiwl one sits am ongst a ll
th e S im la ‘society and is iu fected by a little of Ihe surrounding
ex citem en t, and so Uie Sim la Ttacos are rather lively.
9M»— iJlauche and I had rather ;i pleasant a fter­
noon together. B lanche ha<l lx*i:n to a dance th e n ig h t before,
so w e w ont a q uiet ride— lirat to M rs. Hughes, whom 1 visited ;
fh en w e rode on a long way to sec tlie fam ily of a m ftivc g e n tle­
man w ho has a liouse from w liich there is a m ost
view , but
w hich is in a m ost inaccessible situation, T h e* little l i f e , whom
T had been unable to see w ell l)cforo because her luotper-inIhw wtmld remain in tjip room, is very p retty, and l.s So full of
fun, it is q u ite nice to *See her. T^ie pair are*devoted t^ cacli
•
1880
S n iL A
S C H N K H Y
:
13HAU T1FU L
C L O l'P
RKFECTH
227
other, and w hen w e said to him , nfter lea v in g th e m om , tlm t w o
th ou gh t her iirotby, th e Imsbaml replied w ith enbliusiaam. S h e
fills his cartridges for him , and tiikes great in terest in his sport.
W e looked u t her jew els, and he showi-d us som e big stones—
(juite enorm ous tlicy are. S h e laughed ut them and said
were false, and th a t h is ring w as glass, w h ilst her o^rn w ere
diam onds. T lien w e exaniinecl th e glass Iwingles w hich all-n ative
w om en w ear till th ey becom e w idow s, and she squeez<'d up her
haryl and took one off w ith difficulty. 1 showed her luy much
larger hand, w hich could n ever g e t through sui'h a tin y bracelet,
and told her th at 1 w ore a w edding n n g . H<}r repTy to tliis w as
th at in th is country^they did n o t see each other until after tlioy
are married, and she .showed how she hw.l boon dbvered up in her
veil
J .said, w h at a pleasan t suiipri.se her husband m ust have
had w hen she lifted it, a t w hich she giggled and cfisappeared
again beneath i t for som e momenta. H o speaks E iiglisli per­
fectly, ftijd quite startles one w ith th e expressions he uses so
n a tu r a lly ., W hen you te ll him som e intere.‘? ting fact, he exclaim s,
‘ W h a t a rum th in g,' ns if he had ju s t come from E to n or Harrow.
She feeds th e w ild m onkeys from her doftr, and th ere w as a b ig
one eatin g up th e flowers in th e garden as wo sa t th(*ro.
‘'rhtirsday^ J u ly Sth, to Wedne/rday, \ Uh.— Sim la life a t th e
present m om ent is scarcely varied enough to descrilw d ay by
day. A r^sum^ w ill be Imtter than a detailed account of it.
f i r s t and alw ays forem ost there is th e intore.sting weather. It
is really very nice th is year ; lin e for sonio hours alm ost every
day, and w hen fine perfectly lovely. N o t .so * lovely ’ in itse lf as
in th e effect it produces on th e landscape. The landscape, w hich
hith erto had .been look in g m ost u g ly and ln'o\vn_ ha? now blos8ome<l forth. T he m ost rugged o f its m ountains are tiugi-d w ith
green ; th e trees all look fresh and lu x u r ia n t; and tlio playful
cloiuls w hich disport th em selves in th e v a ll e p and on the htlltaps are w onderfully m ysterious and beautinil.
Sunday
aften ioon the view.s wei'o tjuite m agnificent. The snow roountrfuns shone forth in th e Ijackgroutid, and b etw een them and us
were ranges of the m ost b rillian t green, divided and softened b y
oth er ranges o f fleecy clouds w hich sim ulated t[io shapes of th e
niort*. solid liiils ; and over th e wlwde strange landscape flitted
ligh ts and aliades in bew ildering variety.
,
A n o t h e r ^ a y ^ saw again nn effect which 1 admired very
m uch last ye<‘y : very heavy dark clouds nlinost outiroly covering
th e sky,J}iy: from underneath thorn, not through them , a lig h t
shining whildi illum inates th e hills. T h a etTect is th a t of a very
sunny Jan(Acape finder a very dark sky.
2*28
O l 'R
V IC E R E G A L
IN
IN D IA
c a ,
rm
«
T he woi'st b it of w eather w e have had w as ia and after
chui’cli on ftiindav morning. W hen w e eanie out w ater was
pouring in tnrn-uts everyw liere, and T believe th a t dow npour has
pulled u s up to our proper average for th e w et m outh of Ju ly.
• W e lik e to h are our correct num ber o f inches. ^
A t or near Uml>alla there w ere great floods. The railw ay
has broken down, and letters and passengers are dela'yid.
'I’hougli n o t w o rth y of \er)' special record, w e h a re had .so)ne
th in gs goin g on. W e w en t to see F red’s play a second tim e j .we
had th e five o’clock chocolate tea g iv en by th e winntfj' of the
tt'iinis m a tch * its chief featu re being its unw holesoine character.
H o t chocolate followed by strawberry ic.es 1 Then m y three
you n g ones dine<l and tlanced at L ady Itd b crts’s, bein g asked
without th eir cliapcron, to keep someJ^c^y’.s birthday. TTih sin g ­
in g quadrilles to l^e danced a t m y calico fan cy ball have been
jT actised, and every one begin s to be greatly pleased w itli them ,
and to think th at tJm genei-jvl eflect w ill l>e lovely. A few people
are still struggling to tran slate th e word ‘cotton ’ in to * v elv eteen ,’
but 1 w on ’t have it, and I believe w e shall a ll look very nice in
O'Jr calico garments.
W o liatl a b ig dinner and a sm all drum, th e la tte r a th in g we
seldom tr y here. I g o t i t up for th e M aharana of Dholporo, as
w e had proniised to ask lum to su )c here so m e « la y . T h e only
pnifcjssional m usician T asked w as a Aliss T oussaint, and th e other
perform ers were amateurs. W e had sin gin g and pjaying a ll the
’ e v e n in g in one room, and tea and a nin e-p in board in a n o th er;
and a fter he ha<l finished h is tw o songs, one E n g lish and the
other hVench, botli of w hich he sang very w ell indeed, the
.Maharana took to the gam e and g o t quite ex cited ,over it. Tlie
people I asked in th e ev en in g were o n ly a very few w h o live
quite close to us here : I did n o t lik e to bring an y very long
di.5tancej> for th is^ o r to f enterUvinmmit.
T h nr.sd^j, l -Titl!.— W e luid a narrow escape o f a l>ad accident to ­
day. W e w en t out lid in g , and ju s t as w e g o t in to th e tow n, a t a
phice whoi'e there ^^re shops on one side o f th e road and a high
rock y bank on tlu? other, a sm all landslip occurred, and a few
U irrow fula of earth and sm all stones rattled dow n alm ost a t our
feet. Tho horses all Btjirtod ; juine made a ju m p fonvard, and I
th en stood still .for a m om ent, when more earth j>?)ured down,
and I h ea id a scrimnuige behind me. I did n o t^ llr e to turn
jyund, lest T should nee som ething dreadful h a p ^ i|in g to th e
others. A m an said, ‘ T here’s a latly down ; ‘ «tul Al.ajor ,Oooj>cr
said, ‘ I ’m afraid she’s h^^t.’ I knew it m u st be*H|nitohe, who
had been n e s t me, so T g o t off quickly and run bacl^ au(J found
* 1886
I.ORD \VM . IIEJIESFOIU) A S A CIIEU SEA PI'>CSIO>’E Il
220
Fred h alf carrying her into a aliop, and she crying out about her
back. W e laid her on a sofa, and sen t oil’ for doctors atut jham paus, and w ere much frightened for a few m inutes. W e soonsaw , how ever, by her face th a t it could ho n otliing really serious,
and w hen D r. F ranklin arrived he said she w as only hruisetl^
W h at happened <o h er w as th a t her horse shie<l back atfftinst th e
verandah ot'*the shoi>, and, breaking a post, g o t more frightened,
slipped, and fell on Ids side, w h ile B lan ch e w ent, over l>ackwards
aiiii knocked lier back and head. I t w as a great escape, for very
m ahy things m igh t have happened to raako it a rejtlly bad
accident. .As soon as she w as better w e put her in a rickshaw,
took her home, and m ade her go to bod.
Mave I to ld yov^ how gentlem en are sw athed in waterjirodfs
w hen they ride hero during th e r*ins 1 T h ey have caps w ith flap sth a t p ro tw t th e ears and neck, great m ackintosh coats, and large
aprons w hich are buttoned round th e horse’s neck and round tlie
m an's w aist, and w hich en tirely cover h is fe e t and legs. The only
disn<lvaniage of th is is th a t he is tied to h is horse, and, in case of
a fall, m igh t h ave difficulty in g e ttin g clear.
Trtc$day^
— T he la st rehearsal o f our sin gin g quadrilles.
M any people in th e m ost feeble hoaltli, and I in great alarm lest
more should break down. H ow ever, w e m ade uji th e numbers, ^
and th e dancing w en t very w ell, and th e few spectatf>rs were
com plim entary in their remarks. Tt has been m ost am using
gettin g i t up. I shall be quite sorry w hen it is over. In the
even in g som e of our gentlem en p u t on th eir dresses, and th ey did
look so com ic in th e m idst o f our everyday surroundings. There
w as Lord W illiam os th e m ost p erfect Chelsea Pensioner. hoV'?-'"^
b liu g in on a stick and coughing painfully. H is dress is all
cotton, and is m ost lovely. T lie coat is b ea u tiiu lly niw lc, and be
wicirs th e decorations o f m any Iwittlcs, and h is cap has a great
j>mk to shade hia poor old eyes, b u t he has n o t been able to w ith ­
stand th e coquetry of w earing whi^« tr-juscrs, am^ th at is th e
only th in g th a t is n o t strictly correct in h is costume! B u t I do
’
th in k th a t a C helsea jicnsioner, how ever rheuiuatic, w ould wear
w liito trousers in In d ia, especially if he cain^j to a V iceroy’s b a ll
'C
D on 't you ? Mr. R osen is a m agnificent A fghan. H e looks so
4>ig in the clothes, and h is coat is so splendid th a t you could notf ■" —
believe it w*as cotton if you did n o t touch it. T he colour is drab,
w ith ju s t ty touch of gold em broidery on th e neCk and sleeves ; it
is very loi^ ^ an il*straigh t 5 and all th e other garm ents are w hite.
A b elt and Sword round his w a ist and a great .turban coiftp leja— —
th e costu m e! but th e eft'ect is greatly added to b y h is bMrd,
w hich he ilyes biack, and b y th e pecuhrw A fgh an ish vvalk which
O ril
V K 'E K E G A L
L U -'K
IN
IN JH A
ch
. v iii •
he puts oil. Tfe is so pjeascd w ith h im self th.it ho has boea*
w alkiug all about Sim la, and no one ever know s him . H e w en t
up to F red’s house last night, and th e servants ditl n o t recognise
him and show eil liim into th e drawing-room, w here he w aited for
^ o m e tim e, bu t a-s Fred did n o t come h e w en t aw ay ; and w hen
B lanche heard th a t th is stranger had departed,^ he rushed to th e
room and looked ull round i t to see th a t he had sta leu nothing.
M r. "Wallace dressed up inc. H o is an A rab C hieftain, and a
capital figure. E dw ard F letch er is a G ibraltar M oor : all Jiiis
garm ents are e.’ctrem ely loose, and he giv es a general imprtdkion
o f being very.uncorafortable and ‘ ivishing ho wa.s in uniform .’ I
had better tell you about ourselves now, as I shall n o t h a v e tim e
.a fte r tin* Ixill to do so. W e four ladies a ll w ^ r costum es copied
from a Sheriilan p ic tu r e ; but» m ine is orange, N e lly ’s w hite,
B achcl's bhi<‘, and Blanche’s pihk. W e g o t th e tn u slin dyed hero,
and th e tin ts are beautiful. T lie dresses are round s k iits very
full and very soft, rather short-w aisted bodies, and fichus. Our
heads are powdered. T wear a h a t and c a n y a stick , b u t th e
others » .feiTod feathers in th c if hair.
*
H'. 4,ncsdnyy SIjj/.— I'he F ancy B ali w as one of th e very b e st I
e v e r saw : th e di esses w ere lovely ; every one wa.s so happy : and
- th e w h ole th in g w en t w ith .so much .spirit. I m ust tr y to give
y o u .some account of it. A t G.30 B lack w ell dit^ one pow dered
head ; during our dinner she did another, and then 1 w en t up to
dress, and w e were .ill ready b y 9.30. W e flatter ourselves wo
looked very w ell, and all our Btjill' h;id cap ital dK'Sscs. W e w ent
dow n early to receive the jieople and to see them as th ey arrived.
T here wiis a wondei fuJ variety o f costum e, and T can on ly te ll you
a few of them . Mrs. (h u d on , our A .D .C .’s sister-in-law , looked
very nico as a Gad-fly, w ith gold and w h ite dreSs, and w in gs
on her shoulclei’s and l\end.
Miss G ougli w as an ‘ adorable
W h ite C at,’ sw ans’-dowu tritnniings, a little cloak cou aistin g of
w hite cats’ tail.s, and a jm ssy’s cars on her head. T h e ie w e r e tw o
very good Incroyables j one U m liu c ; a ‘ W h ite Ijady of A v o iiel ’
(M rs. Bli.*;a), w hose oich hair w as lot)se and touched th e ground.
1 ni'ver saw such hrfir. Tlmre w as a M rs. John.stone, w ho was
moat beautifully drcssefl w ith w h ite inu.slin over blue, and a
g ig a n tic h at and w h ite w ig ; there w a s a F ortia in red, and
linothev C ollege M aiden in black. A great num ber <tf lad ies ami
" g ep t lemon beJongctl to th e pow der period, and ev e* in cotton
th eir dresses looked handsome. The ‘ Three J o fly H kuitsm en,’ of
w hom Kj‘(hI w as one, copied C aldecott’s picture exa«tly, and were
c a p ita lly dre.sscd. W ell, you m ay im agine i t w as frrapsuig to see
a ll our friends so di.sgfli.sed, and w hen th e djjncing*began one
•1 8 8 6
NO ONK K N E W JIIM :
2S1
•
stii'ly thorn a t loLsuro. T jnust not f o r ^ t tn m ention Mr.
E llio tt, the Oominis-sioner o f Aswini, w ho (^nme ns u M anipur
C hieftain— a r.'ol uress. Hi.s headdres.s w as a gi'eat lieight ; it
consisted of a turban w ith a high p o in t in front, over which w as
tied a curious jew elled puggaree wJiieh pas-sed under h is chin. In
fhe turban w as a^ ;rea t plum e, w h ich knocked every chandelier
an d doorway*. I m u st also tell you th a t Mr. B alfour hod a harle­
quin dre.ss, and acted the part tP th e life.
,A w altz caino lii-st, and th en our sin gin g quadrilles, w hich
werC so successful th a t w c did them again la ter in th e oveuing.
W e inarcht'd in, in tw o pnjcessions, en terin g a t dijieront clooVs?am i subsiuetl into our proj.»er places. Soon oft^'rtliis I 'wjis sittin g
dow n looking on a t th e gay scene w hen an A rab gentlem an cjvmo
and said, ‘ ilo w do you <lo?' I replicMi, and looked questioningly
a t him . H e said, *1 am afm id your E xcellen cy does n o t know
inc.’ I answered politely, ‘ W ell, I do think th a t T know your
face, b u t I CJin’t remem ber who you are.’ 1 a.skcd my neighboura
and racked m y brains to think w ho it was, b u t gave it up und
» walker! aw ay. Som e one said t<» m e after, ‘ T hat w as H is E x c e l­
lency ! ’ I scouted the idea, b u t a t th e sam e, tim e reinarkial to
uiy.=ielf th a t the V iceroy liad disapjwared, so I returned lo m y
^
Ar^ib friend and found sure enough th a t it w as he ! N o one '
knew him. TT^ luul on spectacles, and wore a short black-bluc
beard and m oustache. H e o n ly kejit on th e dress, w hich Mr.
^
B alfour had g o t for him, for about h alf an hour? and the rest of
th e tim e was in plain clotlies. T here w as one m ysterious hwdy in
a Cnbul dress, w liich en tii’ely covered her, an d w hich had a jiii cn
o f n et Hcro.sa th e eyes to look through. .She stood about ail uiijht
.and apoke to n o one. T hese w ere th e on ly niy.steincs p r e s e n k ^ ^ *
J u s t befor*' shpper we had n P o lk a Lunuers—th e o r d in a r y ^ ^ r r a ^ ^ T
danced to the polka tim e ; it is very liv ely and very hanl w*irk— '■>1*6
th a t is w hy w e arranged to h a v e supper directly after, th a t th e
dancers m ig h t vest.
hsid ten round tables for l.en each, and
seated 1 0 0 a t a tim e. N e lly and" Ra<-hel leil a sh.irt c o tillo n '
afterwartbs, w hich was very m uch liked, and all th in gs ended w ith
;i w altz and a fa st gallop.
Mr, Pirn, the gi-eat Imirdi’csser of th e place, did eigh ty ladies’
hair, so you m ay im agine how early som e people had to In'giti
their toilette. I hear th e tnwlespeople say a calico iiali pny.s
alnuist better than an ordinary fa n cy bull. E very one gets som e­
th in g nev^ iGr it? ^vhilo for a handsom e <lrcss th ey use such g<xxl
innteri.al a s ith e y m ay happcui to po«scs.s of th rir own, A n d 1
th in V th is is th e reason all th e droaseg la st nigh t looked so well.
T h ey we^c
and ingeiiiou.s.
*,
232
O l'R
V K T L 'K G A L O i-'K I X IX IiIA
cii.
\nf
T lie w eather k ep t up during th e even in g, b u t I m sijieo been
txlious. Our carringe rcod sTippcvl h a lf down th e k hud on
Tuesihiy, and our gas-pipes burst in th e morning, so w e w ere
rt'a’ly f.-itun ute uhat neith er w eather, road, nor w an t of lig h t •
f spoilt the ball.
M(ynd(iy, 26^/».— The w eather is once more t.he only in terestin g
subject.. D urin g th e d ay it w as to lein b ly hnc, and I w ont to a
conci'rt in the afteiTionn, but about ten in th e even in g i t began
to pour in a w ay th a t one im agined could on ly last a few niinvtes.
In stead of th a t it wont on for hours, and it seem ed indeed h s if
th e window# of heaven w ere opened. C om fortably in lied, w'e
o n ly sufT<M-ed fifun th e n o is e ; but th ose unfortunate people who
were dining ou t w ere in great difticulties. * t?ome stayed where
th ey were for a conp^'' of houre ; som e remained a ll n ig h t ; som e
^mrnJred T)ut, ami were w et fh ro u g h ; b u t th e m ost tragic circuinstjvnce of all t)ccurrefl to Mr. and M rs. Carlo B ayley. They
had guests din ing w ith them , w ho ab ou t one o’elock decide<l th a t
th ey m ust go home, and th ey had ju st seen them o^, an d were
ta lk in g over th eir eutertninm ent in th e draw ing .-ooj*, w hen th e •
house shfH-ik, and th ey iieard a terrib le noise, e n d rushing to see
•what had happened, discovered th a t a Inutislip had com e bang
in to their d in in g-rw m , and th a t it wa.*-' fu ll o f mud an d suincs.
Tlte staircase was sh ut oft’, and tw o babies w ere 4 ‘-‘*phig upstairs.
M r. B ayley managed to g e t a t o second narrow staircase, an<l,
Inking his children ou t o f bed, h e and h is w ife and her sister and
the nurse, w ith these tw o b cjid les of children wr.apjM>d in bed­
clothes, had to scramble over th e debris in th e dining-rooin, ami
to g o o u t a s they weru in rheir ev en in g dress in th e pouring rain.
Tht*y walke<l some distance in th is m elaiicholy condition t»» their
n earest neighbour’s house, and were tak en in for th e n ig h t and
clothed and wrmao^l. I believe a b ig tree cam e dow n on their
house after th ey had le ft it, and a ll th eir th in g s in the. w a y of
china and.o^’naineuts w ere smashed. T his w u .h th e on ly landslip
that did seVioiis dmiiago, but there are lo ts o f them all over th e
place.
Tnt'ininii,
had such a crowd <if visitors th is nioriiing, all the p(S)plo w ho had l>een a t th e ball com ing to say
how niuch th ey enjoyetl i t ; and in th o a ften io o n we tor>k a
ride,
’
H'crfnce'dny,
-A . join s th e 17th L ancers to-day. I t is
h is iw e n ty -tb in l birthday, 8 0 ho begins in th i^ r e ;^ ^ -n t a new
yeni ; and I hope a happy era" of his life.
i
I aiu gettin g up a C hildren’s F ancy D ress T*!irty,»ahd am
gtdng to have singin g laaters and sin gin g quadriljes. The children
r
• 1 8 8 6
A
N K W
E X P E i a . M
E N T
233
•
be asked from four to seven, b u t th e "iow n-up people w ill
on ly be in vited for ‘o n eh o u r .’ T his device fn rp assin g the whole
society through th e liouse in th ree debu'hm eiits is tlae on ly way
to show th em tlie childn'ii's dresses w ithout crow ding th e little
•
ones.
T w -sday, A iiy u tt
— A t 3.30 tlie th irty-tw o children form- *
in g th e sin g in g quadrilles arrivw l to practise, and danced three
figure' w onderfully w ell, considering w hat dots som e of them are,
an ’ : i.'tt th ey know n oth in g of dancing in th e abstract. They
th
joined iny gattlen party, w hich, in defiance of th e rains, I
i
f(i-day, and *
’
upon N o w ell’s
' buffet, clearing pl&tes and eatin g ct'OfJI uui« o»
ofJ^some dish, regardless of consequences, and quite disregarded
by th eii’ parents, w ho did not .scennat all nlanned. I wjls m ost
lucky in th e day, and niy courage *in g iv in g th is p arty w as rewartletl. The sun shone, and as th e grass w as a little damp,
lai^ e pprtiniiK o f it w cro covered w ith carpet, Sv> th a t people could
sit in safety. T h is garden p arty was a new experim ent. 1 had
• i t on a v e r y p retty piece o f gi’ound a t th e side of th e house, which
slan ts dow n to th e tennis-court in tliree broiid terraces ; a hedge
«*f roses divid ing i t from th e uj*proach on one side, and peeps of
th e piuuntains and of d istan t w oods givin g it a spacious and parklik e anpearance
th e other. The gne.sts w ere received a t th e
top, t ^ ^ a n d WHS on the second terrace, and tota was in the tennis••
c o u r tj p R h o bottom , so th e company were k ep t ascending and
d e s e e d in g , and seem ed to lik e it. A b o u t h alf a n hour after th ey
had left, it began to pour w ith la in , and I lielieve m y late gu ests
were caught in it, through their ow n fau lt, n o t mine. T liey left
th is a t 6.30, b u t th a t is m uch to o early for an E nglish resident in
In d ia tn go Koine, so m any repaired to P e liti’s, a confectionei*’s
sh<»p, anti a sort of renJer.vou® for tea and gossij), and th u s th ey
g o t w et in th eir best gowns.
W ednfsday, 2oth.— D . has a pigeon-trap jind clay pigeons,
and he now h as h alf an hour's shooting a fter lunch *every day,
I w en t to sec th e pei’fonuauce,' and th e little saucer.s behaved So
lik e birds th a t the haw ks actually collected overhead.
Xhtj
‘ guns ’ stand on a road half-w ay dow n th e kh'ud, a t tho to p of
w hich is th e trap, and w hen th e word is given , a sm all round
‘ bird ’ cuiueS soaring overhead, and, sittin g on th e w in gs o f th e
w ind, flits past, and if n o t sh o t through th e h eart floats on to tlie
v alley bem^atfi. tJometimes i t m akes a i>Meep lou n d and d is­
appears i!i a tfe e ju st as the real th in g m igh t do.
Tliifi w as a dinner and dance n ig h t : a big table laden w ith
candles, flojvers, apH food at eig h t o ’clock*; at 9 .3 0 a transforma*
234
O U R V IC E R E G A L L i n i IN INDLV
C H . V lft
tion scone. The tab le disappears, th e carpet too, and tw o hun­
dred gu ests arc show n in to a ballroom, w hei’e th ey dance till
tw elve, th e bullet bein g in anothei- room l>eynt>d. A ll these
dances are alike, w ith a certain change in th e persons o f th e
invited, and I thin k th e y alw ays go ofT w ith great spirit.
Som e energetic jieople, headed b y Mr. Durand, th e Foroign
Secretary, wore playin g football a t A nnandale to-day, b u t w e
did n ot go to see them .
W ednesday, Sept^wbf^r 8M.— The day of th e C hildren’s,-B ali
w as ushei’etl in by th e m ost frightful storm , b u t happily it is^'on
cleared np^n.nd the sun shone alnio.st more th an woj,wish(Hi, for
w o had to sh u t it ou t of th e hou.se and to lig h t up tfii^
four o’clock.
•
The ImII w as the greatest»possible success. T he children sfere
so p retty and so good, and eftjoyed them selves so m uch, an d th e
grow n-up people w ere so delighted a t th e sig lit o f them , and th e
m others woro so proud of th eir in fa n ts ; and th e quadrilles,
lancers, and march all^ w en t off so w’oll ; thero w as no hitch
anyw here. Tho gu ests b egan to arrive about 3.30, and all th »
dancers w ere k ep t in one Vooni, w hile tho othei’s assem bled in
th e ball-room. W o began w ith th e march, had th e quadrille
second, th en th e lancers, ainl then one polka fo r every o u e l^cforc
tea. T h is was in our dm wing-roora, in th e suidight, th e damung
being done b y candlelight. A hui’dreJ and tw e lv e children w ere
seated at round tables, and th ey did look s w e e t ! A fte r tea tho
sam e programm e w as rejMiJited to a n ew se t of spectators, and
th e ball linished off w ith som e fa st dances. 1 m ust try and tell
you a few of th e dresses. I th in k th e m ost a ttractiv e w as a
Cupid. Tie is a Monoricffe, and has th e auburn hair, brown
eyes, and lovely com plexion of th e fam ily, w ith th e roundost of
little faces and th e fa ttest legs and arm s —th ese were l>»rc ; aiwi
his dress consisted of a tig h t silv er jei’say, bow and arrows, and
silver oandals. A delightful little ila r ie Stuart, w ith a pearl
ca]> and long w h ite dress and fair hair tum bling in to h»r eye
WO.S another. T here w as a little green-and-gold w ood-elf, and a
lovely fairy in blue tarlatan an d silv e r ; both these had w, s.
Three little boys were dressed in m en’s cloth es— one a' m
A .D .C ., one as a ' P o litica l,’ and one as a AT.asher. Their d res^ a
were perfect, and th ey looked ‘every in ch th e gentlbm an.’ Those
creatures were* all from a1x>ut tw o to four years old. A b igger
^ r l looked very nice as a brown butterfly,* anfl* ^here w as one
child to w hom w e all took a g r ea t fancy. Slip danced in th e
quadrille, and w as so p retty and dignified. She »was .dbessetl as
Madame F avart.
,*
*
.
r
12^1
rt86
G R EA T - F I N ’ W IT H A TAN TH ER
«
235
* TIi6 ba.ll ■w'os ovfir nt seven, and th en v.x bod a few jwuple u»
dinner, but w ere all tired and rejitly to go early to bod.
2'huraday, 9M .— A num ber of children came to }>e photo­
graphed th is m orning, an d I have worked so hard over doing them
th a t I have n o t le ft m y self m uch tim e for w ritin g ab ou t th e
ball. T fear all th 5 pictures w ill n o t bo very good, b u t I have
got a nice one P f the C upi»l!
M onday, '20th, to 25<7i.— Our v isit to D ham in th is year w as
in m^st respects so ex a ct a repetition of our s+ey th ere la st yciir
th a t T need only g iv e you a general ide;i of it th is tim e. W e
le ft home on M onday, after seeing Mr. T ufnell w in , th e silver
m edal in the la st m atch of th e ten n is tournam ont in our court, and
rode on to th e border oE th e R an a’s dominions, where lie m et us,
and conducted us to our camp. W » dined and s e t over a b o n ­
fire, and n ex t m orning breakfasted H little earlier than \wiial and
started off for th e shooting grounds. W e sh ot and lunched a t
th e sam e places as w e did la st Septem ber, b u t th e birds were
few, and th‘e sport w as certainly bad. On Tuesday we w en t to a
^ e w part o f th e h ill to shoot ‘ gurel,’ a kind of deer, whicli,
neroas a khtid^ looks remarkably sm all and more lik e a hare than
a deer. W e rode along th e moat alarm ing places on a narrow
footfvith w ith a precipice on one side and a high bank on th e
ocher, and on ly (J^m ounted v e iy occasionally w hen th e stones on
th e path look ed very loose and uuplcc’tsant.
"SVlicn th e gu n s w ere all placed, w e found ourselves on one
v b ry steep h ill looking up a t another steejicr still, a m ass of rock
and sm all shrubs and patches o f grass ; a rapid stream ran
b etw een th e two. B eaters were all along th e top of th is opposite
h ill, and w ere exp ixted to com e <lown it. This th ty seem ed very
loth to do, auu th e con.sennpnce w a s wc saw very little game.
D r. Findlay sh ot « large panther, and had great • f u n ’ w ith it,
w hich m eans th at, finding i t alive w hen he th ou gh t it w as dead,
h e had to dodge behind trees, and had som e difllculty in k illin g
it. T he know n presence o f th is b ^ s t is s u p p o a ^ to have
frightened tho beaters, and is also said to have been th e cause of
our finding so fe w ‘ g u r e l’ in th e place. ‘W hile th e g en tlem en
stooil nt atten tion , w atch in g for game, we lailie.'i sa t com fortably
o n th e grass and read. I n tho, m iddle o f th e d ay w e had lu n ­
cheon, one nfore beat, and then hom e to dinner, bonfire, an d bed.
The w eather is (piite lovely, and w e have to w ear su n h a ts and
back pads, etui €6 c a n y um brellas. 1 am rather proud of th e
w ay in w hich i ride along the edge o f a precipice h old in g up a
parasoP. •
•
Thursdf^y mor^nng w e again had a ‘la st year’s beat, after
2SG
O UR VICEREG.VL L IF E IN IN D IA
•
ch.
ftii
w liich w e snid good-bye to th e Ratm, w ho is a very jilco man,
am i to h is little son, w ho w as w ith him ; had luncheon, and rode
hom e in the cool of th e afternoon. AVe found a new E x tra
A .D .C . here. H e is a great nephew' o f Lndy do R o s’. and is
com e to us for six m onths. H e only arrived in In d ia liUit w inter,
and w en t straigh t to tl^e D elh i Camp, vfliere he w as k nocked
over accidentally, and n early killed, and lie is oftly ju s t g e ttin g
quite 'w ell again now.
B la n c h e -a n d Frocl got back from th eir exp ed ition
N arkunda about an liour before us, and .Tack H enderson eame*to <line
w ith us, sg it fe lt q u ite lik e a fam ily gathering. T he m ail w as in
too, w ith all our hom e news.
F rid a y ,
—I had a great garden pfirty, and I th in k a very
p retty one. I t w as on th e ieri-aces. On th e first one
w.os
a Inrge.Sham iana, w hich iftatle a b eau tifu l recep tion -room ; on
the second, the band, w ith p len ty of seats for visitors ; and on
the th iid , th e refreahm ent-tents. A num ber o f children came
and enjoyed them selves immcnsoly, running up and dow n th e
banks and p layin g .about quite undisturbed by th e ■company .su^
rounding them . T h e R ajah of Chumba, som e Oude talukdnrs,
and som e other n ative gentlem en, w ore present. T he weatliei- is
absolu tely perfect now, and one can g iv e an outdoor party, w ith ­
ou t any fears lest it should m isbehave.
,
Tn the c \e n in g w e w en t to hear th e ‘ E lijah ,’ w liich has been
g o t up by !Mr. Mack^vorth Y oiin g. A hundred am ateurs sang,
our bund formed th e orchestra, and th e w hole th in g w as m bst
.successful,
S a tu rd a y , October 2 n d . — Great preparations have l)een mado
for a fete g iv en by D . to th e members of liia Office, b\;t arranged
b y them selves. T lie compound, houses, and ofHces, w hich are
im m ediately below th is place, were for som e days Ix'fore iii th e
hands of th e decorator. Shaiiiiana.s were p u t u p ; strin gs of riags
w ith ‘ 'W elcome ’ on them w ere hung across, w h ile m uch larger
one.*; flf«fed over th e chim ney-tops.
Firew ork devices, and
arches, and other prepai'ations for illum inations, w ere visib le from
the upper road. T h e ainu.senients Ijcgan early ami w en t o j \ all
day, and a t 9 p..\i. w e started off to go and see th e play.
walked dow n a zigzag path, looking upon th e illuniination.s w liich w ere done in th a t effective In d ian way* w hich I have
sf» often descril»ed to you, and w hicli m ade th e place look so very
TDUcli larger than it really is. A s we g o t to fh e *bnlranoo of th e
grounds, a cannon w as fired ofi‘ tw ice,'an d th en *ve discovered a
l>ody-guard w hich hud been cnyited for th e occfision.. *They all
had new dresses, and ’ a t th eir head w ere t\^o vorjj big officers
im
•
Tini ‘ >zu5Jc\u:<
.
BJij-ESTifv ’
237
•
w ith great beartls and m oustitches, also p u t on for the n igh t, and
tw o nioe little pages very p r e ttily dressed. Tliese la st inarched
before us in to the ‘ thoati-e.’ T his was b eau tifu lly arranged.
T he large Shainiana was pitched up again st th e house, so th a t the
veranduh maile a kin^ of luised dais, on w hich w e sat. The stage
w as at. the far end of it. opposite to us ; and betw een, on th e w ellearpeted floor, sa t all th e inenmen* o f the Oflice and their gueols.
I t made a fine big room. The posts supporting th e i w f were
twined^ w ith flowoi-s, and tlie fron t o f th e stage and o f the
verandah whre banks of m oss and fluweria. S trin gs w ith strange
anim als and devices han gin g fi*oni them crossed the* ceilin g in
evorj' direction. I n fro n t o f our chairs liu n g tw o crowns, also
made at A rm sdell (th e ’nam e of th e place), and tw o of th e clerks
dressed uj) as G oorkhas stood a t a t^ n tio n a t th e sides. W h en
w e had all eettlw l dow n, th e p lay began. I t w as acted in Knglisb,
and, as I have sen t y o u th e te x t, I need only tell you th a t it w as
very w ell acted and extrem ely am using, and th a t the local jok es
w ere lu gh ly appreciated. B efore and after it there whs a little
dancing and singing, and during th e performance there was one
song w hich w e lik ed ^■el•y much. I t w as called th e ‘ M usical
B heestie ’ r a m an dres.^f'd up w ith th e Bhet?atie’s sk in of w ater
on h k back sar.g and danced dow n th e uuiitre o f th e Shamiona,
pretending to wfufcer the path as he oamc*, b u t in reality sprink­
lin g us all w ith scent. I t w as very w ell danced, and w as very
piptty.
T ea and ices w ere hauiied round, and there w as a conjurer,
w ho did som e tricks, an d th en th e Chi<*f Clerk made a little
speech, to w inch D . replied. H e said he w as glad o f the oppor­
tu n ity
persoijally th an k in g th e m em bers of his Othce for th e
industry and th e uncom plaining good tem per w ith w hich th e y
fulfil their arduous d u tie s; and more eepccially did he w ish to
cxpres.s h is deep sen se of th e unsw erving fidelity w ith w h ich th ey
keep th e fiecreie of the Oflice. T h en , w e left, attended by th e
sam e guaid^ ;md atten d an ts who hod received us, w hifs a fo u n ­
tain of fire })iayed a t th e door. Mr. and Mr^. P an ioty did th e
honours o f . th e even ing and of their hou.se; tliere w ere several
oth er gu ests be.sides oursoJvos.
The ci'owps liavft been sen t to u s a s souvenirs, and G uy
received all th e little anim als w h ich had been hanging up.
M o)iday,
rains have returned to us, and th e w eather
is so cold and tm in v itin g th a t w e have given up X ark u u d a and
our trip in to tU J n U s .........
T nesddy,
had a C om m ittee m eeting, w ith tw o new
m em b or| p*osent a t i t —tlie one S ir A tickland C ohdn, w ho
288
OVR VI.CKREa.VI^, LIFE IN INDIA
.
cu. vfii
•
replaces Sir Steuai-t B a y ley ,a n d th e other Mr, P eilo, w ho replaces
M r. Ilb ort.
T h e P u k o aiul D uchess of C onnaught are com ing here shortly
for a few days. Th«y w ill h e lodged in Lord W illia m ’s house,
and w e are now arranging a re-opening o f
season for them ,
w ith dinners, dances, and concerto.
S a tu rd a y , 23rrf.—•! cannot fini.sh th is so ch eerfu lly as I began
it, for w o hud a tclegi'aiu to say th a t A rch ie h as fover a t L u ck ­
now. J am ju s t w aiting for another w ith som e particulars hcforo
deciding if I should go dow n to him a t once.
CHAPTER r x
AUTUMN TOUB,
1886
LUCKNOW, BOMk a V, JiJlJh K A U A D , MYSOKB
O cT o n K R 2o TO D e c e m b e r 15
M o n d a y, Oaiohor 25t/i.— A s th e doctors seem ed q u ite su re th a t
A . had typhoid fever, and not m erely th e ordinary In d ia n feverish
a ttack , w e decided tlia t 1 should sta rt a t once ju s t to see th a t
everyth in g possible w as done for him, even if i should b e unable
to rem ain. M ajor Cooper and I se t off th is m orning a t 8 a . m . and
drove for ten hours, reaohiitg TTiuballu a t 6 p . m . A lth o u g h s o
lon g, it is really rather a nice drive, and a fter so r.mny m on th s in
th e m ountains a gallop dow nhill a i.J along th e lev el road to
U n ib a lla is ple<asant.
T u esday, 2 6 /^ ,- I was a ll n ig h t in th e train, and reached
AUgliui* tjt elev e n o’clock th is m orning. M r. Cadell, th e Coinm issionof, m e t m e a t tlie station, and, as I had five hours to
w a it, I w en t to h is house for luncheon, and visited th e • new
M ahonvetaii C ollege. They have a debating club, a t w h ich
juvenile.'! of tw e lv e years old g iv e tlieir o'Jiimons on q u estion s o f
S ta te policy. I'lie ilobatcrs sit on opposite side.?, ‘ lil^e P arliam en t,’
and th ere is a diATsion nt the end of th e debate, and the speeches
%ro printed, i read one debate on th e ad visab ility of g iv in g
n atives th e high commands now hold by ftnglBihmon in th e
In d ian army. O ne speaker said, ‘ I t is from reading' btjoks th a t
I prefer the m ilitary ju-ofession ; ultlnm gh
does n(?t su it m y
w eak con stitu tion , y e t I prefer it .’ O ne youijg m an, or^ passing
r
I%86
^
THE BEAUTIE|5 OV LUCKNOW
239
o u t of the college, w as ilila tu ig upou all th e advantages lie had
gaines^l there, aud said, ‘ W h en I cam e here T could not speiUc
E n glish ; religion w as a m ystery to m e ; I could n o t even handle
a law n-tennia Imt.’
W tdnesdiiy, 2 7 ^ /i^ W e stnrte<l off on our travels again a t five
la st night, and reachecr TfUcknow a t 7.30 o’cluuk th is inoruiag ; 1
drove straigh t U> A .’s bungalow , w hich is an extrem ely nice one.
H is room is airy, and h e can see o u t o f th e windows. H e looked
quite .him self, and did n o t seera w eak. The doctors say i t is an
ordinary case w ith n o com piicstions, b u t a severe one. T hey
th in k he g o t it a t Sim la, an d he never w as w ell after lie eiuue
d o w n ; but, feelin g ill, bo tried to ‘ lid e it off,’ played polo on
M onday, 18th, and had a fall. On Tuesday m orning h e drove
over to tlie doctor and complained o ^ ‘ bruises,’ being a t th a t tim e
in a high fever. I have a room in h is house, b u t have on ly seen
him once as yet.
Monday^ N ovem ber
— I w en t a little exp ed ition th is m orn­
in g to v isit a M issionary H o sp ita l and D ispensary, and to see how
A e ruligious’teach ing and th e metlical work are combined. A
num ber of w om en w ore coUectecl there, and the doctor, M iss
Marsden, sa t dow n and told them th e story of th e prodigal son,
and explainetl i t to them . T hey listened very a tten tiv ely , and
answered som e questions. Then sh e l.'Cgau her m edical w ork,
and r w aited to see s i. grea t num ber of cases prescribed for.
M y afternoon d rives have show n m e a good deal o f L ucknow .
I t's e e m s to be one o f th e n icest station s in India. T here are
great open park -lik e spaces, intrf^rsected w ith l>roa<.l roods over­
shadow ed b y tine trees, and all th e grass, shrubs, and leaves are
Bv green and luxuriant-look in g compared to those in other places.
T he bungalow s a il liave nice gardens, and th e w hole place look s
w ell-k ep t and rich, and is as neat as a gontlenian’s park a t home.
T he R esidency gardens are beautiful, b u t I told you ab ou t them
last year.
.
,
j3. has l>een tw o days a t Uhawalpore, an<l visited M oM tan on
his w ay there. H ow ho is a t Lahore, w’here there are to be som e
g i’eat functioiis.
.
Weihiiaixayt 3rcf.--T h e C om m issioner took m e a sigh t-seein g
drive this aftepnoon, going through th e W ingfield P ark , p assin g
b y Llie H orticu ltu ral Gardems, and th en by th e b an k s of th e
river. I w as.nm i-e struck tlian ever w ith tlio Iwrfutles of L u c k -,
now . W e visiifca t^ro mo.s(iues : one o f them I ha<l seen before ;
tlie other Jiad a Yory i»votty court-j'ard w ith a large ta n k o f watfer
in th e centre, sliru b s/in d roses grow ing all about.
The m osque
itself was^fulk of gln#s chaiidelier.s, b u t in another sm all b u ild in g
210
OUR VICEREG AL,LIFE
IN
INDIA
.
ch
. ix
r saw ftiglit very la r ^ and in terestin g portraits of tiie K in g s 6£
Oude. T iiey stand on th e floor up again st th e w all, and it is a
g reat p ity th ey cannot be hung up.
W c n e x t w ent on to th e native city , and w alked through th e
ba?nar. I t is alw ays am using to see th e crowds of people and th e
artisan s a t work in their little shops.
• *
K ite-fly in g is a great am usem ent a t Lucknow , n n d there wore
i\umbera of thorn in th e bazaar. T he flyei'S have regular m atches,
and b e t u pon th e result.
A ve-ry fine strin g covered ^ w ith
pow dered glass, and w hich costs 21. a pound, is m ade for th is
purpose, aud th e great art is to fly your k ite ingher th an th a t of
your rival, and then to pull your strin g suddenly, so as to c u t his
in tw o.
•
T h u rsday, -ith.—B asil's six teen th birthday, and th e day m y
four cliildren start for IndiJ. T can iiuHgine you g e ttin g them
ready and seein g theui oflT.
A rch ie is very w ell and cheerful th is morning.
D. seem s to think I should jo in him soon now', so J .shall leave
T uesday, and g e t to B om bay in tim e to sec N elly o f f ; b u t I hawe
asked M ajor Ooopei' to sta y here another w eek, as I do n o t lik e the
idea of leavin g A rchie aloiae, though h e is nearly convalescent.
T h u rsda y, l \ t h .— A fter tw o lo n g n igh ts and days in th e train
I arrived a t B om liay th is morning. M y journey was inaue leas
w eary tlian it otiierw’ise would have been b y tn e presence o f Mr.
and M rs. Ilb ert and their four children in th e n e x t carriage ; tliey
paid m e freq u en t \is its , nnd w e had our m eals together. .On thn
way, too, I received good nows o f A rchie from Major Cooper.
Mr, LawTenco, o f the 17 th Lancers, travelled w ith me.
'.Clie drive from th e station, a m ost m agnificent and ornam ental
structure, to M alabar P o in t is a lon g b u t p retty one, and th is
place, ju ttin g o u t in to th e sea, is veVy d eligh tfu l to us m ou n ­
taineers. I do lik e seeing the real ocean, and as I sit a t my
w indow w ritin g I look upon it and hear th e wave.H dashing upon
the shoret en d feel a little nearer hom e, and a little ne;irer to the.
children n ow sa ilin g in th e M irzaporc.
Thi.s M alabtif Poiixt is a curious phvce. I t is a very sm all
promontory, anci on it are a few bungalow s. T h e ce n tia l one
contains o n ly one im m ense long room, partitioned o lf b y carved
open-w ork doors w hich d irid e it in to dining-rdom , hall, and
.drawing-room # O utside these rooms is a very w'ide verand.'ih,
w hich is furnished, and m akes a nice placo t(f sirkxV Lady E e a y
has g rea t ta ste in arranging tilin g s, and th is bungalow is very
pretty. F jdiu i t I can g e t under cover to m ine, * T he §irls an d I
have a great su ite of.apartm cnts, and are v c y ' com ^ rtable.
( 27
188C
.
‘ TOWERS
SILENCE-
241
Whftii I drove up, I /id y R eay, Rncliel, and X e lly m et me, nntl
th e former had very kindly arranged for us ihret; to hl•e(lkf^u^t
together. N elly and Rnche] look as if th ey had l>een rather overvfovked, and are n o t q u ite so tlonrishing as when th ey left Sim la.
T hey h.ad ae, n I ) ,o i l on his little orui.se in th e C/u--; th e day
before. H e w as rrttHer unhappy a t going w ith o u t any o f hisladies.
N elly w as anxious to see th e ‘ Towers of Silence,' rt) Iju ly
R eny took u s there in th e afternoon. Sir Jamseti'ee Jeejeeb h oy
c a m e lo d d th e Ijonours o f th e place. I t is really m ost in terestin g
and curiou.s, and although itw 'ould be hard to rtieoncHe oneself to
the idea of laying o u t one’s deail to b e t o m to i)ieces b y vult.urea,
yet, undoubtedly, tho*systejn has much to he said for i t in a h o i
L-UmatA'. The P arsee idea is th a t ^he .earth ehould not be t ontam iniited by any decaying m atter, and tlieir funei’als are con­
ducted in th>*se ‘ T ow ers of S ile n c e ' in th e follow in g way : Tho
tow ers are round, b u t n o t very high, and are uncovered. In sid e
th ere is a stone platform ru n n in g all round, w ith th ree set.s of
g r o o v e s slop ing dow nw ards tow ards a deep em pty w ell in th e
centre. The outer circle of grooves is for m en — ‘ good actions ;'
the second lin e for w om en— ‘ good w on ls ; ’ and the third for
. chiliW'cn - ‘ gooil th oughts,’ W h en a person dies, he is placwl on
au iron bier and •arried by olticialcorpse-bearers, accoinpanicd by
a pmceBsi'm of frien d s and mfnimer.s, all w alking, and nil kept
together by holding th e ends o f w hito pocket-handkerchii-fs
betw een them . W h en th ey reach th e place, th e ii'iciiub stand at.
a distance from th e tow er, tho corpse-l>earers strip th e corpse .at
+he entm nce, and place tho bmly naked in one o f th e grooves.
TJio
r>^ all sittin g on th e troe<i and 'v-alls v.aiching, a!:d
in less th an iivo hours after, th ey have reduced it to a skeleton
In about eig h t day.s tho. bone.s arc com pletely dried up, and th ey
are then liftc.'d \vith tongs and throw n int«.» th e central well, wherethey ci-umble awAy in to dust.
The rain \v.-i.she-s dowiv^into th is
w ell, and gradually carries a ll aw ay in to drains provided for the
p^irpose, and whi'-h Imve large tliters a t cither end, so tlia t w h iu
the w ater reaches m other earth tliero i« n o contR iuinating m atter
in it.
*
N o one iq allow ed t.<» en ter tlieRC tow ers, of w hich th ere are
■^nmn in th e encto.sure. .«o the wiiole inetliod is e.xplainod over a
little infKh-1. , "NY® jt'albed through th e p retty garclftn, and adrnired
tho splendid tie w , and gjxxed a t th e outside o f thc«e my.-.trriqus
tower.-?, ftnd atj n vulture keeping w atch ujmn tho wall, w h ile
numlHjrs o f them wyro sittin g on th e treq,"?. Our guide to ld us
, j;hat neiyier«a dead*vulturo nor a young bitH had ever been seen
‘2 4 2
01. R YICERJ-IOAL
U-VK
rX
,
. 11. rx '
#
rhore. Tbt?y build th eir iiests elsewhere, and I sjuppose th ey
creep hoiiu? tu die in som e other place.
Tiiern is one room in the garden wliere the s a c m i Bro is ifcpt
ever burning, and l.liere th e niouniers can go and pray if th ey
feel so inclini.*d. W e unbelievers may n o t loolj upon th e fire, but
the ismell o f bun nng
w as very sw eet.
Fritlni/, l^th.— K elly and K achel w'oro to have slai'teil to-day,
b u t a cyclone delayed th e m ail, and th ey g e t »in ex tra chiy on
shore. W e w en t to see th e Cama H osp ital, over w hich ^ is s
V echey and M iss Elhiby preside. It is a Tomale hosplwil. *
J u s t ijcfSre going out t hud .a m ost d eligh tfu l .surpi’isu, The
M aharajah of Jcyporr w rote m e a very nice letter and sen t uio a
lakh of rujiees for m y l'’und, and in uuiumeiuoratiou o f th e Queen’s
J ubileo. I am pJe/ised 1 TJjis i,s m y first very Kig sum , and T
am sure th a t th is year m y m ^ lical aflaii’S w ill l>e p laced on a
much firmer foundation than tlu-y have, h ith erto been, through
lack of inouoy. T he tw o la«lv doctors diued a t (ioverm n en t
House ; lK>tb of them arc very nice. On our w ay hom o from our
ciri^'-e Lady R eay took us to h a v e tOJi a t th e Y a ch t Club, I t wa-s"
' ery pleasant. W o sa t a t th e edge o f a parnpet^and looked at
th e harbour illum inated by u rising and m ost gigan tic m oon ;
couples ‘ of .sorts,’ as tliey say in lu d ia , were w alk in g u p . luid
dow n betwei'H. U-s and tho Club, which itself locked lik e a great
S w iss chalet on tiie stage. Tlio wholo scene bKieed wa.s i-utJmr
tlisatria».l, and even th e inoon Was som ew hat paiitoiniinic. The
te a w as very good and very refreshing in th is m ost th irsty plauti.
13M.—A fte r an early luncheon w e drove d ow n to
th e dock, :md I w ont on hoard w ith th e girls. 'W o had hoped D.
w ould have Ixmii in in tim e to so.e them again, b u f there wore no
*igf\s of the C7iw, though w o knew she w as ncjxr. The P a ra m n tta
is ;i fine* ship, and N elly and Kacliel have good cabins. Rivehel
lenvc.s me altxjgether, and N e lly goes home for a year. W e shnlJ
m iss th en iJxjtli very much.
Tho P arum aifa passed quite close to th e Clii-e, an d N e lly
m ust have been (H#apj>ointetl n o t to see her father on t h e bridge,
l)Ut un£ortunat<’ly»he had a sligh t touch of fever and was in bed.
•D.’s recc]>tion a t the di»ck ami in the tow n wa.s very tiiie, b u t J,
did n o t see it .
,
Mi,:'.da!/, lot//.— Tvuly R eay gave a puixluh p.arty for m e to<hiy, .«<» th e drawiug-J'>om am i p a jt of th e h ygijvoran d n h w'ore
sh q t r»ft’ from th e outer svorld and tho native ladies*%verc received
there. I t wna a very pretty sight, and th e guest^ ssero,mo.st of
them very cheerful ;yid hapj)y-looking.
A tew oorikl speak
Knglish quite wulh Tliere were tw o A rab ladies w ith fii^o iio e s j
1886
COWASJET: READVMONEV’S ‘ D R I'M ’
243
and tw o I'uislanB, w eailu g sh ort p sttico ats fif biooatle, long w hite
stockings, and patent-leather shoes. T hey had gold-and-w hite
lace s)iaw ls over th eir heads and fastened under th eir chins.
One \von>an there is rather a celebrity in In d ia ju st now. She is
very w ell etiucat-ed, speaking E n glisli perfectly, b u t wlien she
\\n s a child ^he w as married, or w hat w e should ca ll betrothed,
to a hoy, and now tiia t .she is grow n up she has refused to go to
him its id s w ife, and th e case is being tried in Court. I t in volves
n giT-4it principle, and i.s a te st case of much interest.
Four little girls arrived so late th a t I only ju s t sjim' them , but
th ey w ere m ost w onderfully dressed. T hey had roun<l caps
covered w ith Jowel-s v»i th eir heads, som e o f w liich were wound
up and revolveil. T heir hair was plaite<l in a <iaantity of sm all
tails end ing w ith cord and gold t£»sels and coins, a very heaVy
headdress. T hey had v elv e t embroidered ja ck ets and v o iy w ido
short skirts, and th ey wero all v e iy bright and friendly. T his
tea party W4is n t h e r hurried over, a« w e had to go on to another
^ab th e house of a P arsee lady. On tliia occMion it w as n o t
punlah party. T h e P arsecs look particularly p retty when yoti
see. fmmi in iium bprs. T hey have tine eyes, and th ey drape
them selves in such so ft matc.Tinl and such lovely delicate colours.
ThfiV garm ent is geaerally edged w ith a band o f silvnr embroi­
dery, and a new *pattom has ju st com e out w hich h;is th e word
‘ Go<l ’ in Roman letters repeatwl over and over again in th e
sumo w a y th a t th e Mahoniobans have ‘ A llah .’ I t is n ith cr
startlu ig to our eyes. Our hostess, M rs. Cow.xsj^ Uoatlymcmey,
has l.M-en a good deal in E ngland, and is ait exceedingly bright
and handsom e little woman. She presented m e to every one as
C'ouatt‘ss.i T liere wt-rc sisters and sisters-in-law and rela­
tion.-. of all kinds assem bled in a large room w ith marble colum ns
’’‘ and open on to th e staii'ca.se, w ith a tine view of th e sea from the
wiiidowR. I t w as a ‘ drum,’ so w e w en t through a number of
introductions, had u cup of ten, heard one song, an<J»then tore
ourselves aw ay in tim e to <lress for dinner. T he sf>ciety w as
much amused by the son o f the house, a littte boy whom 1 had
seen in London. I asked him if ]»e had likccT England, and lie
said, ‘ N o t mucli,’ whicli w as a piece of unexpected trutb-spw iking
greatly n)ipr#ciated by tho hy.stunder.s. H ow ever, as it w as th e
ftb.scTJce of black a n ts in E ngland he dnjdurcal, J (yuld not sympatliise w ith W§ "ireanons. Thc.«e black ants are alw ays craw ling
about hen' and m ake one quite uncom fortable.
7’wW«</j 18M.— T his m orning the mail came in, bringing w ith
it Liird and Lady* W yn fo n l and^ Prinoj^ Leopold o f Prussia.
T h ey w*re I n a cj^Ione on Ii'riday and 8aturtlay, were battened
•
’ ”
•
•
*•
Ka
24 J
O l'R VICKREGAL I.1FE IN IND IA
.
<ii. ix
down, and were very ujueh alartiied. T hink how fortunate wo
aro th at T). escaped it in th e Clivp, and th a t th e P a ra n w tfo micycd
it t o o ! i) . had m any sm all durbars and rui.arn v isits to-day,
and w as kept, very busy. 1 tirove w ith Lady lle a y and hatl an
interview’ w ith Mr. Malaljari, a reformer. K # has tiikeii up th e
‘ infant marriage ' and ‘ re-m arriage of widow ’ questions, and is
interested in my Sclieme.
I have forgotten to tell you about one v isit w e received to ­
day. 'Hie vi.sitor wa.s a stou t Persian boy of ten y ea r ^ o ld ,
dressed lik e a man in black clotli, w itli tino eyes and clear com­
plexion, and*holding the extnioixlinary j>osition o f a dem i-god or
a ‘ m anifestation ’ of one. This a ttrib u te capie in to th e fam ily'of
A g a K han some gen eration s, ago, and th ey aro now extrem ely
rich through th e olfe.ring.s o f ilic faithful. The boy is tho head
of the fam ily. H e i.s a .soleinii little creature ; he prefera m en to
ladies, and if was n ith er am using to see him sittin g in our m idst
■with a cup of coifee in h is hand, which h e k ep t on blosying in his
calm and stately fa-shion. W h en th e V iceroy caine, th e question^
b ein g pu t to him w hether he liked l>eing w ith th e Indies or w ith
‘ Lord Sahib,’ he replied ‘ Lord Sahib ’ w ith so much enthusiasm
th a t w e all langlied, and D . carrietl him off to a d ista n t corner
■whero they talked Persinn together,
•
1 also saw a fam ily consisting of th ree littllfe dnuglitcrs an<l
tw o eons, th at of the Kajah of Lumnnp^me. T lie-daughters all
looked alw u t th e same age, and are ju s t on th e verge o f being
sh u t up in the zennna. One son w as on ly four years old, anil the
dearest little creature im aginable. H is eyes w ere spleutlid.
Wcdn-'>tdai/, 17lh. - 1 cannot describe to you th«; even ts o f th e
V iceroy 6 day ; it is quite im possible to g e t sjmech 6f him, as he
h a s one intt;rview after anotlier all tlio tlinv, and n ever orte
moment^s peace. In the afUwnoon he had to g iv e aw ay prize.s a t
th e School of A rt, and w e both had engagem ents after th a t w hich
w e ■\vcr.‘ t,p« late to fullil.- In th e even in g llm re w as a large
dinner here and a ball a t the Y a ch t Club. The U dl was very
p rettily arrange<l. .T h e grounds on either sid e were illum inated,
and som e of the Ships in th e hari)our were ligh ted up. The
supper wa.s w ell managed, and the en tertain m en t w as altogether
a great success.
•
Thuritdai/, ISM.— W e m ade tim e for one little b it of sig h t­
seein g to-day.
looked a t som e docks and /oiA itications, and
lun ched a t the Y acht Club a.s Sir Charles ArbuthnoV.s guest, and
th en we m et him a t the landing-jdace and all wmjt oil' together
to sec the colebr.'ited Cu*ves of K lephanta. W ith th e cn\Vs th em ­
selv es I was a little disappointed, but th e trip tlnrmgh f4ip b^rbour
1 ^ 7
liE.AL BUSINESS AT POONA
’2 4 5
tind tlift view.s from tlie island were deligJitful. L anding at
phanta you iind a long sto n e staii’way up th e h ill, and in our chse
the* usual paraphernalia for ten at tlie tup. The pr'neipid
is
a great square h all cut o u t o f th e rock, w ith rows o f pillars down
th e centre, and m utilated statu es of gods and goddesses standing
in relief round the w alls. The age of these caves is unknown,
b u t th ey n,re*suppose<l to have been excavated betw een th e eighth
and th irteen tli cen+vriai,
^ n tlie even ing there w as a reception g i\ en for us by Sir
J a m ietjee Joejeebhoy. T he ladies o f h is fam ily received us in a
nK>m «ui th e ground tioor an d conducted us upstairs, w here w e
w alked through rows of people, and spoke to som e, am i then
stood a t the top of flie room. A fte r a very sliort tim e w e w ent
dow n again for refreshm ents, an<J th en w e were adorned w ith
garlands, and departed.
F riiia y, i^ th .— W e had to l>e up early to leave Bombay. Our
\-isit h as l>een very pleasant, and 1). has been pleased w ith his
work hero and wdth ^1 the people he has seen. The w eather has
l>een hot, ahd m ost of us have prickly heat, w hich is not becom ing!
rx>ixl and Lm ly K eay, w ho have b<!en m ost k in d , were up to see
us off. T he station a t B om bay is such a splendid place l)Oth outsida and in ; th e m arble colum ns and high archu*d roof are worthy
of a cathwlraJ, %n^l arc muclj to o m a g n ilicen t for a bustlin g crowd
of m ilw ny p issen gers.
Our d estination w as Poona, and w-e g o t there a t tw o o ’clock,
haviftg lunch in th e train ju s t before our arrival. W e were m et
n1 the station by a num ber o f oHicers and by three la d ie s--th e
(laughter of th e tle.nei-aj. M iss F I och.1 ; th e w ife of Colonel H oll>erton, w hose husband, it turned out, had btrt-n a t school w ith 1>,
a t M r. W a lto n ’s : and Mrs. L e Quesne, M iss Sutcliffe’s sister.
H a v in g said h few words to them , w e all w en t on to th e Couqeil
Chaml>er, w here th e addresp.es were picj>euTod. Tt is a very
haiidsonxe rm>m. and a very lig h t and cheerful one, ^o it looked
v e iy p retty w ith a ll th e diH'eront-coloured turbans Arranged in
rows, and w ith a dais fit th e top of it, o n w hich w ere some w h ite
•vitin and gold chairs. T he speeches w ere much longer and much
more in terestin g than is usual on such occasions. T hey were real
business ; the authors o f the addresses bringing forward their
grievances, and the V iceroy replying to th eir various suggestions
and requeiits.^ I t is alm ost tln» first tim e sin ce t e cam e to In d ia
th a t D . h:i!^ le t niniBclf speak out, and nil he said seem ed to l>e
highly^appreciated. T lie n a tiv e gen tlem en w ho presented th e
addresses weVe reidly superior men, an d th e greater number of
thepi und^rstood,Eiiglish. W e Imd te a ’ a n d spoke to th e ladies,
24G
Ol'R VK’EHKfJAL LIFE IN DiDIA
ch.
ix *
i
;in<l tliftii rlrovc off to see jis much as possible o f P oona l)«forn
sunset. Tl»e bazaar was, Jis usual, a <lelightful s i g h t : th e eiiiious
old houses filled from roof to doorw ay w ith picturesque figures,
graceful dusky creatures swathe<l in hanuouiuus reds an d blues,
and little nake<t children squeakm g or clapping their Imnds as
th e Yiccro_y’s r'orihge galloped rapidly by. 'Itie roo<ls a t Poona
are very good, w ide, and shaded by trees on either«sido. There
are tw o rivers ther«i, and very pretty gardens and liouses. W e
w ent to see th e Governm ent H ouse, G aneshkind, o f whi(.‘h w e
have alw ays heard so nm ch. Tho view.s a t P o o n a ‘ arc •very
E n glish — a ilat country w itli low h ills in th e distam'e, aau i t has
a delightful c-Mnirvto in th e rnins.
,
W e dined iu our tr.ain and travellw l a ll flight.
^niurdmf^ 2(iih.— Wp brcakhisted in th e railw ay station a t
K andguon. It w as decoratecT w ith red, blue, and grp4‘n bunting,
and w ith .st-ufied heads of deer am i tiorftr. Then w e atarted off on
a long drive of forty-ftis m iles to tlie Caves of Elloi-a. The
ctmntry is quite flat, b u t before us a ll th e way w e saw a long,
low ridge of liills, and w h en we got near to th ese w o found our<
co3np w as on the top of th is tableland. Our horses w ith pain and
difficulty dragged us to the sum m it, whence w e looked dow n upon
a great plain in one direction, and in th e other over th e tableland
itself, an undulating grassy slope, w ith a few picjjurosque tem ples
and tom bs interspersed am ong o u rto n ts ; groups of people sittin g
rabout; squadrons of cavalry for escort duty, elephants, llogfi,
Cliinese lantern s— every sort o f life and niovouient and colQur to
m ake tho scene gay and lovely.
W e were a little tired a fter our long drive, but w e had no
tim e to spare, and so w e on ly ju.st washed our du sty faces and
looked a t the fh.arming rooms }>repared for us in &. bungalow a t
tbn hood o f the camp, and w en t in to luncheon.
Tlie Nizam has aiTangc^l all th is for us,- and tho w hole th in g
is adm irably done. The cooking is tho b est T h a v e ev er tasted
in India, {fnd th e table w as nicoiy laid and w ill served. B y four
o'clock wo w ore ready to v isit tlie caves. W e had to descend
our m ountain, for,*these caves are excavated iu its side. They
are of three kind s— Buddhist^ B rahm in, and Jain, and w e inspected
the B ud dliist ones first. Tim exterior of som e o f them is carved,
and th e cave itself is c u t o u t o f tiie solid rr>ck, and i.s generally
a .ch am b er w itlu rows of pillars elab on itcly carved, w liilc th e
w liolc of till' side w alls are covered w ith btts-felie£s* of Buddlia
in th e B uddhist cans-, of Kri.shna, Vishnu, and S iv a in th e
H in du. Jt would be impos.sible to describe t.heni to you more
fully, bu t som e of t,hi*Icavos Jiave th ree sto re 's, oach cham ber
4
•l88<5
ONE OF THE WONDERS OF THE WORLD
247
\
being c u t ou t ai\(! doooratwi in th o sam e w ay, and each pom?} o f
th e w'all illu stratin g som e clirtprmit in cid en t in tlio life of Biuldlia,
or in the H in d u niytliolog}'.
AVe ju st glauced a t th e m ost wonderful o f a ll on our way
hcm “, I'lit are to re^-dsit it to*m om iw . bo 1 %viU te ll you of its ^
outside now, and m ust liuish luy description w hen t have seen it
again. I aifl sure it is one o f th e wonders o f th e world, und
should Ut p u t in th e .same category w ith th e P yram ids and 1'hebes.
Thfj T em ple of K a ila s is a com plete ‘ b u ild in g ' c u t ou t o f th e
solid* rock. I t is like a beautiful and h igld y decorated palace in
a pit. Tlterc is a wide passage all round it, b u t tlio great w'all
of*rock rises high on every side and helps one to coniprelieml tlm
*
m arvellous nature o f th e work. A narrow gatew ay hjis been
le ft, and th is is rather a jiity, as w ith ou t i t one good view of th e
tem ple could
«jbtained, w hereas now you liave eith er to Jot)k
dow n upon it from above, nr to gaze up a t i t from quit© close,
and you cannot g e t a gen en il view. In sid e th e court an«.l a t
eith er side ot th e ‘ b u ild in g ’ are tw o beau tifu l narve<l jjillars to
• hold stniulilrds, and tw o b ig elephants, all carved out o f th e rock.
I do not k now w hether I have made you luiderstand th a t th e
w hole tilin g is m onolithic. Kven gsizing a t it, i t is difficult to
l>elieve this, and to realise th a t no one bit of th is elaborate
■fatructui’e hiis b©^u <Ione .sopamtely, and th a t nothing is stu ck on.
A wule an<l deep passage m ust have been* first cut, leaving a
•
gigan tic block of stone in th e centre ; th is m u st then have Itcen
shaped in to a tom ple outside, cham bers and gallories and pillars
c n t inside, and finally th e whole covc.red w ith elaborate repre­
sen tation s of historical and m ythological subjects. Tiie base of
th e tem ple is a ‘ dado ’ of elephants, tigers, and griffins tlghthig
or fceiling, aii5 all in str o u g relief, appearing to supjMjrc tlw uppnr
storeys. AbuVc this th e '•arving is much more delicate and
m inute, and it w ould take days to exam ine i t in detail.
W e had a long dinner.
I t was_ v c iy good and. very w ell
' %■
arranged, bu t a fter th irty -six houre o f uniutcrruptecr’ tTavelling,
function.s, and sight-seeing, t^vo hours sp en t a t ta b le are most
tryin g. T here were tw o courses Ijcfore tho*,^oup, and various
Tncliau dishe-s were atldod to th e alrea<ly len g th y bill o f faro ; so
I w as extrepiely sleepy by th e end o f it , and wa-s glad to say
good-night to th e four ladies w ho are in camp a.s soon as possible
^
after it w as over.
•
,
Suyuitiy,
to Tucsdtnj^ 2.V</. X w en t dow n to th e cavsa
again ayid spout a lon g tinie in tho Kaila.s. The moro one .sees of
i t th e m ore w onderful i t seem s to be. T h e central hall has four
row s o f nyignificgnt pillars, and .th e w ljele was oni:e decoraJed
2-lS
O ril VICEREOAL Lll^E IN INDIA
” • cu. i x '
/
•witli frescoes, b u t the colour has aluioat en tirely disappearwl.
E ven in fcho outside w alls of rock, galleries and chambers have
been cut, and m ultitudes of sculptured figures adorn ever)' yard
of the surface.
W e saw tw o other fine eaves, one a J a in tem ple. T he plan
is much th e sam e as th a t of th e Hruhmin and llu d d h is t ones, tho
o n ly pecu lin n ty being th a t tho J a in cav(?s open one’ in to another
lik e rooms in a house. T he J a in religion was .-i comprom ise
betw een B raliininism and Buddhism , and th e figure of Buddhiv,
under a different ttame, i.s to be seen in every ch;ipel. • T hJ last
B rahm inicakcave w e saw w as cu t out of th e .spur of a hill, an«l
w as open on tliree aides to th e air and light, which m ade it
r.*i.ther different from th e others. The Tom b of A urungzebe w as
another th in g to be visitinl Jli tlii.s neighbourhood. T he great
Em peror did not w ish more spent upon his burying-place than he
ha<i ean ied in his life : and as h is copies o f th e Koran hud not
fetched more than 700 rupees, h is grave is exceed ingly sim ple.
A s D . approached it, an old m an steppwl forward aiid chanted
som ething, the translation of w hich wius ‘ Aurungzebe*, la te E m -*
peror of i)e lh i, I present to you th e represm itative of th e present
Emperor of D elhi
then sugar-candy am i spices were offered to
D . and we proceeded on our w ay.
W e spent one night a t Aurungalwid ; it y a s very prettily
illum inated, and there were fireworks after dinner, and an add i’es.s in the morning. T his w as th e beginning o f a very long
d a y . W hen th e, reply w as given, and X). had looked a* th e
beautiful box in w hich th e juldress wag put, and T had th.anked
our entertainers for u book of pliotogrnphs, w e got in to our
carriuges and drove on and on till eig h t o’clock in th e evening.
W e did stop for two hom-s in th e m iddle of th e day ; but ««
d u rin g that tim e w e w orked haw ler th an ever, 1 w ish y o u to
understand w e had eleven hours o f uninterrupted fatigue.
W h at \ve stopped to se^ w.as a very intere.sting aiul w onderful
th in g—-th<* old H in d u Eortress o f D aulatnbad. T he country
hero is ab solutely flat, w ith th e excep tion of tin; ridge o f ta b le ­
land whicli I have,l>efore described, and n few isolated peaks or
h ills rising suddenly and straigh t from th e plain. T he hirtress
b u ilt on one of these, bu t th e curious part of if is, th e scarp<jd
w all which surrounds it, and w liich you understand b etter when
ytju ha^o climl>ed some w ay up ; th en you sec th a t <lcep m oat
1ms been cut in th e solid rock ju s t where it sf>pc9* dow n to th e
level.
The bright green w ater w hich rills it looks sy lovely
betw een th e tw o w alls of stone, b u t fj’om
outside»you only
se e th e inner one, a lanooth •juliiniimtine circle .surtoundipg a
*
•
.
*1 8 8 0
H Y J 1 - ;R A I 5 .U > : T H E
H IS
N 0 B 1 T :S
249
lo fty fn*ak of earth and rock, s’ln nounted b y a solitary gun. To
reach th is wo w eu t through subterranean pns.sages and up steep
and narrow stairs, and 1in.‘ilty >?ank dow n exh au sted on th e gun,
iw oudoring how it ever w a s bixmght up there. W licn w e had
fadiuired the \*iew sythciently w e l>egan ti> descend, b u t w e did
look w ith som e regret at a Ixyiutifully laid-out luiioh tahle which
had been spread ‘ for th e first tim e w ithin th e m em ory of m a n ’
alm ost at tlie very top. U nfortu n ately contradictory orders had
been, sent there, and w h ile glass and china and sih'cr and flowers
w ere ab ovt, th e provisions were below, and it w as on lain ed th a t
w e should refresh ourselves a t th e bottom . W e* were very
hungry, and w e knew w e h a d .a si.x hours’ drive l>efore us, so w e
w ere ready to eat anyw here n.nd to go o n as fast us possible.
Som e lazy am l.jadw l people had n o l m ade th e ascen t at all, but
w e were extrem ely glad w e had exploretl th e w hole o f th is ancient
and tnarwellous place.
T he s ig h t of our railw ay c aiT ia g e a t th e end of th e day w as
very delightful, and w e slept qu ietly in a siding.
.
*
J^ow w e'havc tw o day.s’ travelling and another n ig h t sta tio n ­
ary before reaching ilyderalw id, and a.s th e po.st goes to-morrow
I have had to w rite our la st adventures in th e train, and shall
begin a new chapter there. D . i-eceived one address a t Alune<in u gger on th e • ’ay, but otiierw ise he considers th is a tim e
of rest.
^Viidnesila}!, 24^/i.— \\'o arrived a t H yderabad in th e a fter­
noon 7 the M inister, X aw ab Salar J u n g , cam e a few stations
dow n the lin e to m eet th e V iceroy, and a t H yderabad was th e
N izam him self, attend*>d b y all his nobles. H e is a sm all roan,
•with long blac^ hair and whiskers, dark eycS, straigh t features,
and a sa<l face. H e wore a black P ersian cap and European
oloUu:^. T he costum es of Iiis nobles w ere m ore .«!plendid. M ost
o f them are b ig m en : N aw ah Halar J u u g is quite n giant. Thoir
dres-s is som eth in g of a uniform , and, tliough not v e r y J a ste r n , is
handsome. !Most of them have w h ite Ccaps and black cloth tu n ics
w ith gold b elts and buttons.
,
Mr. Cordery, the R esid en t, w as a t th e stahiou, and we drove
thence to his house. The sta te carriages arc bright yellow , and
th e N izam ’s , liveries ai*e yellow am i silver. They look very
smart.
The He.sijdenc^ is a fine house. I t is b u ilt 6 u th e model of
our C alcutta •house, but w ith tw o w ings insteadcentral l>all goes up tc> th e roof, w ith a g a llery and tw o storey's of
pillars, and is a very handsom e room.
TJiui^xd^iy^
— T he durbar to r t h e ’ N im m w as held th is
2 : '0
OTl^ VICKKKfiAL L IFK IX IXUJ.S.
tn , ix
/
nmriiing. I '.vf»nt iuLo th e gallfit}' rouii«l th e h ig hall I iiuve ju s t
describe** t-o yovi, from w liicli one oonld see both th e a iriv a l o f th e
N izam and the w hole cerem onial follow ing. The view from th e
w im iow w as very p retty ; th e garden of th e R esid en cy is ju s t i i i ^ ^ H
fj'ont of th e house, and th ere are som e very fine trees in the
pound. To-day tiie w hole place is fu ll o f sohlinrB ; an K n g lis h ^ ^ ^
g u a n l faces the groat fligh t o f Rtepc « h ieh lerwls'on to a wide
vem n dah arm nged a.s a room, and w hich is ju s t ofT th e durbar
hall, and th e avenue up to th e house is lined w ith oavalrv, , The
N izam cam e in his yellow coach w ith four grey liorses, 5’ell'^'*'
postilions, »nd yellow syces too. H e hx)he<l amurter and more
E astern than yesterday, in hhiok clothes, w ith h is S tar of India
and bine ribbon to brighten them up. Tin? <lurbar w as very fine
to lo«jk a t, but i t alw ays njjpenrs to be ex trem ely dull to th e
people engaged in it. The V iceroy and th e N ia im sa t side by
side on a sort of daVs, and th ere were tw o row s o f gold arm -chairs
arranged hi a sem icircle from th e thrones to th e entrance. W h en
it wns over D . conducted th e N izam to tho door, and he drove olF
in state. T liis afternoon th e return v isit w as paid, and I anf
.sorry 1 could not look on a t it, as th ey any it w as difFcront from
any other and \ ery pictuiiistiuc. Th.e Nizam ’s body-guard ar(»
Arab«, and there ft.re m any strange costum es s\orn by his
followers.
,
W e received a vi.sit from tho children of one of th e N aw ab s,
^
I never aaw nicer little creatures. The eldest, is a girl of eight,
a n d is ju .s t on th e verge o f th e purdah. W hen she hoaw o f it,
she says, ‘I w ish 1 hatl n o t been born a little M op^lly g irl.’ Tlie
thr<?o others arc boys. They a ll wore diamond a)i<l emerald necklacp.s and gold ankh^ta, and th ey hitd big black eye.s, and were
m ost friendly and lively. K ven tho baby of tw o yeju-s old unchTstood E nglish, and tho othors sjmko it w ell. T he sm aller ones
woi-e flelighted w ith blow ing m y wat.ch open, and j am in hopes
1 had a m-eat success w ith them . Tho girl is to w rite her tirst
E nglish rpt.ter to me. H er govern ess Ls front B elfast, and 1). had
once been kind to ht*r father, so she wjis very jdeaBcd th a t her
pupils showed offiso w ell. 1 hope to v isit thoir mother. A fter
this I saw several otlnu- people : a Parsen lady who brought a
piece of work she had done for me, th e C ivil Surgeon, and tw o
iiuly doctors. T he one w a s a niissionary j th e other. M iss W h ite,
is paid by tlie N izam , and ha.s l^een doing w ell here for several
years. S he has a very goinl reputation as a (foctor* and is m uch
^likbd.
^
There w ere sports hite in tho a ftem ooip b u t it gtri.3 d.ark so
soon thut wo did not fibi.sh tl>o progium m e. ^ n addjtion to th e
^886
1 3 ^ '
ROYAL LNTKBTAINMKST
251
UKual te n t pegging there w as n tu g o f war, on elep h an t again st
seven ty men. J think th e fon n er would h a v e won, b u t th e rope
broke, and as th e m onster seenied angry a t being miwle to take
part in such frivolity, th e experim ent w as not repeated. W o
also saw an fdephant race, and th a t w as very funny ; th e gi^ a t
anim als waddled aldng very fast, b u t w ith ou t any apparxmt w ish
to g e t th e orfo before tlie othdr. A cajnel race follow ed, the
camels btung m ade to lie down
th e m iddle of th e race, w hile
their riders fired threi' rounds from their humps ou t o f camelguns, Ihen-inounted again, and rode on. T he N'ixnm him self won
a prize. He- w as th e onlj' person w ho succeeded in p ick in g up a
sm all ring from th e ground w ith the p oin t o f his lance as he g a l­
loped by. T hese sports were held on th e nwiecouivse. D irectly
you leave tho hasuuir you find yourself in a fine open country,
w itli beautifu l graasy rides, am i tliis course is a very p retty one,
w ith a fine stand erected on it. There were iuin'ense crowds of
m ost pictures<{UO spectators collected on th e other side o f tho
railing.
•
I n the OTODiug the X izam eutertahiod-us a t dinner in a really
niagnificont w ay. W e drove in an open carriage through th e
c ity (diam ond crown and a ll) to see th e illum inations ; th e wholo
placG. was outlined w itli lam ps, and there w as a paling dov n esioh
side of th e street^ w ith lig h ts hung in diagonal pattern s all over
i t ; and l>ehind it anti in tiers betw een th e row s o f ligh ts above
w ere thousands of people hx)king on. Tlie arches wevo gigan tic,
and Iqpked lik e real buildings lightetl up. The streets wore lined
w ith troopB; and ‘ Go<l save th e Q ucoji’ hrt»ke nut- every now and
then u n til w e reached
palace.
I t is a fine Ita lia n structure, sutrounding tw o large squares or
gjirdens. lioth oT which w ere b rilliautly illum inated, th e shape \>f
th e uuildingH being marked out, and all th e fiower-beils bordw ed
w ith ligh t. W e W(^e received lu th a t ]>art o f th e pahvco which
lies betw een th e tw o squar.es, and th en w alk ed across th e second
garden to th e dining-room . T wo hundred gu ests saV dow n to
diiinei- in a long gallery, which is said to be 1,000 feet long.
H itting in th e middle, I could not see eitlier end- Tho ta b ic was
covered w itii gold plate and flo^'■c^s, .and we looked o u to n .jJ ie
illum iim tod garden. T lie serving w a s w ell managed, and .T do
n o t th in k th e dinner lasted more th an an hour and a half. The
iv’izara sa t betw een D . and me. Tim V icero y proposed h is health
in a very nice* spoJch and in a sten torian voice, *and tlie N izjim
said in reply, ‘ I propose th e hoidtli o f L o n l mid I>ady Dufferin.’
A fter tin s wo spent an hour in th e garden looking at fireworks.
Oppc«ite ii.s w as a Irauspurency o:^ 1 >. aiiSi m e and th e X izam .
®
•
252
OUll VICEREGAL,LIFE IN INDIA
/
ca. ix
Tlie' tw o gentlem en were slinking haiuls, and I stood by in a grassgreen dress. A t a distance it looked very w ell. I don’t th in k
I can give you any details of th e fireworks, a.s one display bears
a strong fam ily likeness to an oth er; th ey m ade much noise, and
w ent turning and tw istin g, and w rithing and pushing, and .starting
up and show ering dow n, and ended up w ith a very large ‘W elcom e ’
stan d in g out again st th e sky.
*
Friday^ 'IW t.— 'llie V iceroy had business till tw elv e o’clock,
and 1 .saw a deputation of native gentlem en from Berar jb o u t
m y F u n d , and also w en t to see th e six stu d en ts whb are being
trainetl hei^ for nuHlical work. Then w e w en t out for llie day.
W e d r o v e eleven miles, passing through Secunderabad toB olu ru m .
A t th e furjiu-r place tlierc w as an addi-ess.* On th e step s leiwling
up to the hall dancing girisC stocal chanting a welcom e, each one
holding a lighted candle in her hai>d, an ancient and syinboiicivi
c u slo n i; alxive them w eiti th e girls o f a native school and the
chiklren from a m ilitary orphanage. The address w as acoom
panied by a piece of plate, th e handsom e box being' on a silver
tray. On our w ay w e drove along .an end«inkm en€ w hich danft
up a big lake, or rather forms one ; and w e passed through som e
tine l)arrackR l>efore arriving at th e m ess-house of th e H yderabad
C ontingent. Colonel B ell is th e Othciating Conniiaudaut ih ere,
and th e officers gave us a splendid lunch in tj»eir very beautiful
l)all-room. I), proposed th e Contingi'nt's health, and tlnm w e liad
to hurry off to fultii another engagem ent. Balnr d u n g had asked
us to tea on the M eer A lu m L:dje, and we had to gallop*lifte'en
m iles to g e t there before sunset. V ’hen w e did roach th e place,
w e had a very pleasant hour there. Tho lake is an artificial one,
lik e th e one w e saw th is luoniing, and is held Ixick by a n em ­
bankm ent, whii-h is on a n uncommon principle. I t is like a long
railw ay bridge lyin g on its side ; th e arches curve inward.-i tow ards
th e lake, and th e buttre.sses stan d out tow ards tho plain. It
.makos a ■^erj' pretty edge, to th e lake. B u t w hen you cense to
look a t tlii.s w all, you cannot believe th a t th e lake is artidcial, it
is such a p retty q^ie, and tlie pceuliaritics of gooJogioal form ation
here are seen to»great advantage. A ll about H yflem bad th ere
are great pik^s of rock and .stime throw n about in an extraordinary
manner as if som e gian t had hurletl them dow'n indmaps, or lus if
e v m y bit of earth h.ad l>een washed aw ay, leavin g on ly th e stones
behind. In tlR lake the.se ruggetl mck.s, w itl^ a few; green bushes
and shrubs grow ing alxjut them , fon u m ost pictmvs<jue i.«lands,
end <bu largc.st <■>£ them h “.■•owned b y a sm all m osque., "We got
on biwrtl a little steam er, wjjere th e Ni/.am jyincd its. ai»d we w ent
round the lake, and .^ w th e .sun set, and enjqyed it tijl vciy ^nuch.
li.86
^
rAN’niEl<» SPEARING
W e only ju s t g o t home in tim e to dress for dinner, and on our
w ay w e drove through th e city , w hicli was again illum inated.
Mr. Cordcry had a largo hall in h is fine room, th e N izam and a
iiuml>er of his nobles being present. H . H . sat in th e g n lleiy
m ost of the tim e an^ looked down upon th e dancing. D. disap­
peared very early, hu t I reinainetl till after supper.
SatHi'riiiy,
— T lie gen tlem en w en t out panther spearing in
th e m orning, and k illed tw o. T he poor creatures are le t o u t of
cage.s, and th e huntsm en ride after them w ith spears. Lord
W'illi.am g d i one panther, and h e and his hoi'se w ere rolled over
b y another, b u t fortunately tlie l>east th ou gh t only o f escape, and
did iio t stop to exam ine th e debris or to pick up th e pieces, and
sa no harm '.vas done. ' The V iceroy was, by my orders, kept safe
on th e to p of an elephant, ai\d I feiy: he did n o t see much, but
t)jen h e returnctl honje uninjured, whicli was w h at I w as anxious
for.
H e had a very bu.sy m orniug doing a ll th e Hyderalwul busine.ss ; long in te rv ie w s w ith tlie R esid en t and F oreign Secretary,
w ith th e N iziim , and wnth Salar Ju n g. H e w as plea-sed w ith tlie
result, but as n o public announcem ent has been m ade on tlie
subject, I cannot confide a n y th in g to you.
I w en t to see the hospital in th e m orning, and after lunch
visited th e w-ife of»a llydem lM id noble, w hose childi*en I told you
about th e other day. She was in his drawing-room , n o t in h er
ow n ftpartnionts, and h e w as present during our interview . So
w ere th e m erry little fam ily. She w as a p retty w om an, w ith
largo m elancholy eyes, and she wo.s beautifully mufHed in red and
gold gauze, her arms and head being laden w ith jew els. S h e
understands a lij,tle E nglish , and even ventured on sayin g a few
wortl.'j.
L ater in th e afternoon I w en t w itli D- to anotlmr n a tiv e
house, th a t of one i»f th e first nobles of H yderabad. T he N izam
cam e there too, and w'e had a cup of tivi, and saw th e /.A m a z o n
G uard,’ con.sisting of abou t tw en ty wom en in brown tuiiform s,
and then som e m en rode before ua on ostriches ; both rid eis and
•steeds looked m ost uncomfortable.
Our day finished w ith a lianciue.t a t th e Re.sidency. T he
N izam w as again placed betw een th e Vic-eroy and me. I had
S ir H arry Prenderga.st on th e other side of me.
A b o u t teu o’clgck we drove to the station , .■♦nd pas.se<l th e .
n igh t in our rm lway carriages. A fte r th is w o lihve tw o w hole
days in th e train from 4 a . j»j. till n in e o’clock, and we reach M ysore
on Tuesday, :10th, a t moon.
g o t to Bangnlore stAtion la st night, and,
2 5 -1
0\:\{
V IC E R E G A L .L IF E
IM
IN D IA
,
cr. ix
chanj^ing carriages, slep t in them till 5 A.M. I had th e M aharajah
of Mysore's, w hich ia a very pretty one decorated in w h ite and
gold- ju s t like a sm all boudoir. Tt is on a narrow -gauge line.
T he la st tw o days’ journey has been th rou gh a really p ie lty
country. T hat peculiar geologicnl cliaracteristie w ith hillocks of
loose rock continues all th e w.ay, and as th e piles
boulders tak e
m ost picturesque forms, as th e rest of th e landscape is very green,
and .IS w e constantly patw over rivers or by lake.*}, w e often see
lo v ely b its of scenery, and it is nearly alw ays in tore^ in g^ • T he
n ig h t a t Bangalore wa.s cold, niid when w e aw oke th is m orning
i t w as raining and tlio sk y was covered w ith cloud)^. H a p p ily it
cleared before w e entered -Mysore, b u t a t tin.s th e mo.st southern
place w e have been to in Indja, it is quite ch illy and w indy. The
M aharajah’s brother and hie MinisDir came to Seringap.itain to
m eet us, and after })r««akfasting tiiere we w ent on and reached
our destination in h alf an hour. A Sham iana had been p u t up
and WHS tilled w ith ptH>ple, but-a few souvenirs of tlije la te rain
were dropping through th e centre of it. T he ilahflrajah, who i%
a very nice-looking young man, and who is one o f th e m ost ealightonod of our prinee.s, m et us here, and an .oddres.s from th e
m unicipality wtvs road .and answereil by th e V iceroy. Som e m ost
com plim entary m ottoes adorned the w alls of th e Slminiana,*auch
» s ‘ G en tle in manner, ro-solute in deeds ; ’ ‘ Fdh h is country, not
him self ; ’ ‘ W elcome, friend of India’s daughters.’ 'I'lm address w.as
in a lovely boK m ade a t My.^ore. ft is of ebony ialaid w ith ivory,
!iu*l there are three medallions of cnrvoil ivory on th e Ifd .sur­
rounded by a few little rubies.
The M oliarnjah’s c.arriage, in w hich lie and I), drove r.wey. w as
a very curiou.s dne. It had a pinnacled roof, wa.s of a greenish
colour, and liacl som e carving ab<iut i t - -quite a sta te coacli o f tho
old-ffishioned type.
There i-s :i very excellent school here for h igh -caste n ative
girls, a n c le s wc »lrove along w e p.issed betw een tiere and tiers of
these little lad ies dressed in their graceful oustume and covered
w ith jew els. Thoy s.aug for us a s w o .stopped in front of them ,
'and bivmght g a^ aiu ls to offer, and curious stift' bouquets surmoiiiitoil by green w ooden birds w ith talc ivings and tails. The
o n ly jicculiarity I notice in th ese girls, and in AVonien in tho
streets here, is a streak of 3 'ellow p a in t all round th e jaw ; som e­
tim es it invadc.j th e cheek. These wore the pupils of th e ‘ Maharapi’s school.’ Livtcr w c ilrove psvst another v j^ t >issonibly o f
girls and boys educated b y tho W r^loyau M ission. The»ehildren
o f M ysore i*eally seeiiv to have oxceptionul «.flvivhtagc.f «u(l it is
pleasant to see hojv much th e l^Iaharajah entourages e^um tion,
1 5 4
1885
l‘.\p ( J E OF TrrE X.UIAHAJAH OF An'HOKK
*255
and th at th e M aharani tak es part in his endeavours to improve
th e cunditiiHi o i h igh-caste girls. S till driving along, w e saw,
and also hejird, a nirn ber o f men p layin g on six -fco t l>mss trum ­
pets and rouiui d ru m s; th e noise w as q u ite deafening, but th ey
enlianced the local cJiaracter of th e scene. The tow n w as crowtlM
w ith j>eoi)le, and tlie dresses here ai-e very b righ t and pretty.
AVe are stayin g at th e Rcsid<mcy ; it Ijelongs to th e Alaharajah,
and so w e have i t to ourselves, and you can't th in k w h at a rest
th at is to us ; no civ ilities to do in one’s spare luoinonts ! The
house IS BO nice too, ‘ quite E n glish ,’ and w e are m ost com fort­
able.
Tli*- Maharnni unfortunately is ill, and I cannot sec her. She
bus three childron- tw o girls and
boy. AVhen w e saw them
tliey w ere .all airried in by men, though th e eld est girl is six years
old. S he .and her sister looked in ten sely solemn, and w ore th eir
hair plastered verj’ stiffly and sm oothly d o w n ; th e boy looked
very delicaite.
The M ahamjali him self dresses boa\iUfully. 'When h e came
fo the station, he had a sort o f loose kincob coat and turban. For
th e durbar ho w oiv u vio let v elv et w ell-fittin g tu n ic richly embroiderwl in gold, a inaguiiiceut diamond necklace, th e bluo
ribboK and Star of Indiii, and a turl>an w ith jew els in i t and a
long tassel of pead.s han gin g a t one side ; q t n ig h t his coat %vns
black velvet, and he had on a second splendid diam ond and pearl
necklace.
A fter lunch Airs. L yall, th e R esident's wife, w ent w ith me to
the Fenialo Hospitml. I t is a v^'ry nice new one, b u t as the
doctors are men it is not y e t a groiit success so far a s purdah
p atients arc c<>r4 cerned. W h ile w e were th ere th e A^iceroy w as
paying iiL» n turn visit to th e Alahunijah, and w e w en t on to jo in
liim a t th e palace, whei'e u'e sp en t a m ost d elightful afUjniooLu
I t is q u ite one of th o m est quaint and old-fashioned buildings wo
have seen. T he front is in b rillian t oolours, pillars o f, reil and
yellow w ith great carved paintexl capitals, and a t eacli side o f tho
door in relief on th o w ail .are tw o w h ite idophants w itli painted
IiDwdaha ; th e palace ftunns a square here, and beliind there is a
•second square w ith n round open pavilion in th e centre fu ra circus
or other ententuinm ents, and froni an open veraudah-rooni in th e
palace spectjitors look on a t th e sports.
\A’e found IX a^d the durbar in a curious old /o o io , with lo w
ceiling ami ni.T^nillcent doors, somo of silver an d some- of ivory
elabonitedy carved. E v ery th in g h'oked really old and J?ood, and
there w cr» all sorts (if q u a in t ^>ortrftits aujjl little pictures hung
about. W. ;vaH qi^te d eligh ted w^tli it, ^ nd^uftcr thoroughly
256
OUU
V I C K K E G A L . L H ’K
in INIKA ^
a r.
IX*
c x an iiiiin g this room wo w en t all over th e pH.lacc. through narrow
passages and up and dow n steps, alw ays seein g som ething in te­
restin g : one very old room where marriages are hold, anotlier
w here th e jew els were spread o u t ; a court on tlie top of th e
house where there was an aviary and a photographer, and where
w e sal for se.veml groups ; an annmn'v where all sorts of old and
terrible weapons are to be seen, and th en a lib ra iy V lier e there is
a collection of Sanscrit woi*ks. W e also saw th e throne— a very
large gold one, w ith a gold umbrella over it, and silver steps liy
w hich to m ount to the chair. The ^lahurajah gave h s tea, and
presented iK w ith some lo v ely specimens of M ysore w ocd-carving,
and th en we saw Ids ow n sittiug-i'oom w ith its more inodeni
arrangem ents, w riting-table, u.o.
B y th is tim e it wa^ qiiitp dark, and suddenly w e were eonductod in to the gallery which opens on to th e eutrance-court,
w hich w e found b rillian tly illum inated and filled w ith troops,
leavin g only a space in th e centre for som e performance.s. Y ou
can ’t th in k what a lo v ely sig h t it was. The verandah in w hich
w e sa t w as rich w ith Oriental colouring, a ll th e 'surrounding
bu ild in gs were picked out w ith ligh t, and th e one im m ediately
opposite to us was a m ass of red and green lam ps, looking as
though it w as set w ith jew els. R ound th e w a lls were m ounted
lanuero, then came a lin e of lancers on foot, asid th en infantry
regim ents ; these were all in red, an<l across th e front w ere som e
sm art cavalr}- in blue and silver. There w ere also elephanbs w ith '
elab<triitely painted faces and fine howdiihs, and men w ith k^rchps
lig litin g up th e whole.
T w o entertainm ents w en t on a t th e sam e tim e— som e acrub atic perfom iances by circus people, and w restlin g and dancing
w ith sw ords and spears b y th e natives of th e place. There was
one rather pretty trick done w ith a large circle tjf fiame, A
series of little lamps wore bmming on an iron hoop ; a man came
in w h irlin g th is rapidly round, som etim es le ttin g it fa ll over him
nearly to h is feet, and th en raising it still revolvin g ubovo his
he<ul.
,
W o w ere all delighted w ith th e scene, and w ere q u ite roit}* to
be torn aw ay to dress for dinner. There were fifty-fou r people a t
th e Ijanquet, and the Maharajah and h is court cam e i n a t th e end.
IL* proposed the Queen's health, but the D iw an m ade th e speech
proposing the"W ccm y’s, and a first-rate one it,w a s. , J ly so re w as
restoreil to its n ative rulers b y th e E nglish G ov^ nim cnt som e
years ago, and he spoke of the gratitu<le felt here on th a t j^ccount;
w h ile w e also may certainly congratulate ou isu lves upon th e suo0 6 S.S o f th e cxperiiiieftt.
1). replied, and thep w e w fjia a n d sa t
(55
*1880
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G IR L S '
ou t aull sjaw fireworks. There w as one m ost lovely buuch of
rockets w hich spread in to a great fa n again st th e sky. Som e
w ild m en from th e h ills danced a w ar dance, brandishing swords
to th e m usic of tlie big trum pets.
W e heard to-n igh t of N elly's arrival in England.
W^thit’s d a y , Deci:nd>fi.r
— T here w as h u n tin g in th e early
m orning w ith foxhounds, b u t D. did n o t go. Terence enjoyed it
much.
.^ t eleven w e w en t out to open th e * DufFeriu Fountaiir,' a
handsom e'and useful m em orial of our v isit p u t b y up th e ila h a rajah ; and then on to th e M aharani’s school-^or^M ugh-caste
g irls,’ w here w e were to g iv e aw'ay th e prizes. There are over
400 pupils, and it is a m ost ex cellen t in stitu tio n . The moi'O I
saw of it, the more struck I was %4ith th e care and th e wisdom
and th e practical good sen se .shown in a ll th e arrangements.
F or the prize-giving th e girls sa t in rows. T hey w ere w’tf^ppod
in bright-coloured saris, w ith very sm ooth hair plaitetl in a tail,
w hich was* som etim es ornam ented w ith flowers, sometiin«»s w ith
je w e ls ,
Som etim es covered w ith gold ; th eir noses, ears, fo re­
heads, anns, and alikles were laden w ith jew ellery. T h ey w en t
through a little programm e first, aiid .sang^ for us in K anarese
(th e Janguage of th is place), hr Sanscrit, m Telegu, in H in d i, mid
in E nglish. T hey also played on a stringed instrum ent called a ^
vina. I t is q uite a n ew idea for In d ian ladies to lejirh su ^ i a
tliin g ,.b u t h> Ims taken im m ensely, and is appreciated by their
familie.s ; and i t is delightful to th in k of th e pleasure i t m ust be
to them selves to play, and sin g, and road, and work, and d n iw as
th ey are ta u g h t here, instead o f I'cgetaiin g in ignom nco and e n - '
forced idleness.^ W hen I h a d given th e prizes th e V iceroy w ent
aw ay to receive arldi'csses, and I remained to se e th e school at
w u ik.
*
.JThc daughter of Colonel JIarcin, th e M aharajah’s secretary,
tak es a great interest in th e girls, helping them w ith U jeiriuusic,
receirin g them a t her house, and exam in in g th e school- iMiss
M artin and the Maharajah and a n ative gontlem nn, w ho has
done the greater part of th e work of orgnnisiftion, wi;ut round
w ith me, and I saw all th e cln.sses. Tlie ju n ior ones are held in
very long galleries divid ed off by six -fo o t partitions. T he little
girls Sfjuat on th e floor in a square. I heard them rwvd, and saw
theii* sum s ,in E n glish figures, .and heartl theitf say their geo^
graphy, and leokod a t th eir d icta tio n and draw ing and work, and
w as realjy deligh ted a t th e w.ay in whiclv everyth in g is tiiught.
Tlieir books have alj been com piled exprqssly for them , and are
eminpntjh- ^juitable. The second rehding-bfiok in b oth languages
I
.
.
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258
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V IC K K E O A L
\U'R
I N IN D IA
^
cii. ix *
is ./iSsop’s Tables, aiul one could see th ey understood and liked
tho stories. Tlie more advanced book is a ll taken from their own
religious histories, w hich are used as illu stratin g m oral lessons,
‘ L ove to parents ; ’ ‘ obedience to husbands ; ’ ‘ profitless conver­
sation,' itc,, so th a t tho book is in terestin g and instructive, and
is, moreover, h ighly appreciated by l]ie older m em bers o f tho
fam ily, w hose prejudices m igh t in terfere w ith th e’education of
these girls wexv^ they n ot quite satisfied w ith every arrangem ent
mad© for them . Sanscrit is learnt, so th a t th e w om en m ay
understand th eir prayers, said in th a t language.
*
*
Cookery«is taught, first in books, th en a t home, an d la stly a t
school, where tho prize for it is assigned. I w as so pleased, too,
to find th a t lessons on hygieno arc inelude«l in tho course, and
th e vcjy book is used th a t I ^ a d fixe<l on as th e Lest to recomloen d for tho use of n ative schools. A hospital a ssista n t tak es
th e class, so th a t it is in tellig en tly taught.
There is also a K iudergnrton class. In fact, th e estab lish ­
m en t seem s to mo absolu tely perfect, and junuy married wom en
return to i t to continue th eir studies. I n one room I found*
sevem l m others w ith th eir ow n littlo children} th e former being
tho pupils. I m ust not, how ever, w eary you w ith tliis subject.
'VVhcn w e w ere breakfasting th is inonring, a servant hajided
u s each a sniall bouquet, and, as h e d id so, l i e ^ i d , ‘ A delicate
a tten tio n ! * ' A delicato atten tio n 1 ’ I t sounded so funny.
A fterw ard s th e sam e man prosonted an address to mo, and as ho
unfolded it he said, ‘ T iiis is another b rillia n t conception.’. H e
represented liiiuself a.s having m any m isfortunes, ‘ first, an unlim ite«l fam ily w ith lim ited moans,’ H e calls h im self ‘G . P.
D o n Ju an , talented Lepidoptera,’ and he w an ted to p iesen t mo
w itli a case of butterflies, w hich, he said, w ould look l^ a u tifu l in
tlic drawing-room,*11111011 better th an E nglish pictures.
T he V iceroy’s tw o deputations u'ere, one from Coorg, a sm all
S ta te u n d fr our rule, and, one from som e coflee-planters. Tho
form er wSar a very picturcstjuc dress —a lo n g dark blue garm ent,
tlio sleeves of whjch reach only to th e elbow , show ing a w h ite
shirt-sleevci to tlm w rist, a red sasli w ith daggers in it round th e
w.al.st, and a large turban. TJio cnffcc-planters had no grievances
to com plain of, and even like th e fallin g rupee ! Is .n o t th a t n ice
o f them ?
. A fte r lunclk w e w en t to th o top of a very h igh h ill, which T
aeet'iulod in u Jhanipan borne b y tw elv e m en, w fia ckanted as th ey
w ebt up tho tlirm.sand .steps; it was a w ild sort o f song, w hich
sou n d fd very iiisp iiiliiyj, 1). rode up th e o y icr side o f th e hill,
and u o in e t a t tlie tiip;-whero-vve .•uhniri'd th e v iew o f t h \ country
.•
•
‘
I
13^'
n E C E m o :^ '
isfie
a t t u n (ia j .o i {e
2nt>
and a fine spp'jhntm o f a H iiid u Uunple whi(,:li crow ns tlip hill.
N ea r t.hc top there is a m onolith of a .sacred bull, o f w ldch I ^ijot
H photograph w ith h is B rahm in priests in a tten d a n ce on him.
Our descent was rather fatigu in g, as th e thousand steps were very
slippery.
T he Staharajah drove us hom e him self w ith four
horses.
I n th e evening w e w en t a t a fo o t pace all through th e to w n —
looking a t illumination.^ an d a t transparencies of ourselves, touching
tra y s fu ll of fruits, accep tin g g a rla n d s of flowers, and lieiugpelw?d
with* ro-sd-hiaves—to th e T own H all, w hore wm saw a K anarese
p la y oc.tod, an d a n au tch , and a m an clim bing up a Iwlder m ade of
sharp knive.s w ith a h ea v y pot o f w ater o a h is head. W o sa t
w ith th e M aharajah under a ^ le n d id canopy, and tlie en tertain ­
m en t w ould have la ste d hours ouljl* tluit he v<;ry k in d ly shortened
it for U .S.
Thursdfi}/, 2n>^.— W o w ere ready to lea v e ily sq r o early in th e
tnom iug, and th e M aharajah drove u s to Keringa.pa?am -iiV-hiRbreak. I t w as a lo v ely d^iy, and we w en t by a very p retty rond.
^ A t one piftce w e g o t o u t to see w hat a villa g e house w as like.
W o found in it a bedstead in one corner, fou r cow s nnd som e
cJiickens in the centre, and no oth er fu rn itu re or signs of liahitation.
A t S e r in ^ p a ta m wo drove first o f all to, the D u k e of
W e llin g ^ n ’s hoi^so. I t is en tirely open both d»)wnstuirs and up,
w ith arches and no <loors, mid th e w h ole is richly decorated, and
h a s ju s t now been very w ell ro.stoved, so it looks brilliant.. On
th e fron t o f th is pavilion is depicted one lon g b.atiIe-sccno,iind
tlie d eta ils of th e picture are m ost curiuuH and num sin” ; tlm r c -t
of tlie p ain tin g of th e house is pure decoration. \Vv? lU*cakfa6t«tl
tUero, and th en w e n t on to see H y d er A H V nnd Tippoo S ah ib ’s
tbm bs, and to*tlm F ort, where th e parileulars o f th e siege were
explained to us. I w ill not a ttem p t to r«‘iH;a^*the inform ation to
you
Our drivo brought us to th e rail^'ay abition, aiiA thero w e
pijrtcd from th e M aharajah, lia v in g g rea tly enjoyed oui v isit to
him , and having liked him exceed ingly.
W c reacliwl B angalore in th o evoiiing, a ixi had a splendid
reception ; th e roailRi(l&3 crowded w ith people, tw o addresses and
line silver.b oxes on th e w a y to th e R esid en cy ; soldiers lin in g th e
streets, bands, sUowcrR o f rose-leaves, schools, flags, b«unei*s, and
th e m ysterious in itia ls E .D . stuck up everywlim’e. W e cannot
bo q uite sure w nnt th ey m ean, an d
pn]y..Uuul> u i--E a r l,
Bufferiip
Mr. :uid
T.^jall liv e hero, and, Jis w e had repeatedly l>een
told of m o exceed in g sm allness o f th e R e^ d cn cy, 1 w as surprisod
j
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200
UVR
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IX
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finf] palati/i] rooms and a cibarjuing house. Our poor Sim la
cottage woukl alm ost tit into tlieir drawing-room. There waa, as
n.snal, a banquet and a lev«^ before l>edtime.
I'ridn ij, 3 ;v f--T w as rather unhappy a t n o t h earin g of th e
children’s a n iv a l a t Colombo, and it was «. relief th is m orning to
g e t a ^telegram from H erm ie, ‘ A il perfectly w o ll; passage very
bad.’ J liiu so sorry they h ave l>een knocked alafut, and only
hope th ey wei’e n ot frightened.
L ettej^ have also com e from
home w hich toll m e th at th o y h a > e b e e n dotoined four days a t
P ortland, so E fear th ey w a lly have had a terrible time.*
T here
a r e \ie w th is m orning, b u t I did n o t g o to see it,
and stayed ijulet till the afternoon, w hen I>. and 1 W'ere ta k en to
see som e gardens aiid to have te a in a park. T he DCnd L igh t
In fan try g ave th e tea, and soi^ overy handsom e p u b lic offices near
were iJluniiiuited. There w erea clinuer and b all a t tho R esidency.
T here are a good xnany nice lad ies here, an d i t w as a p retty
donco.
Sainrdayy iO t.— W e lunched w ith th e 12th Lancers', and th e y
gave an afternoon eu teriain m ent, w ith a m usical ride a n d a L oyd -*
l-indwiy com petition. I t w as a ll v e r y successful. Tho w eather
w as, however, cold and rainy. D . and 1 le ft tlie R esid en cy after
dinner, but he got in to h is train and slep t a t th e sta tio n , w h ile I
started for iUadras in mine. W e go ditierent w^ys th e n e x t few
days.
}[adr(Kt, Sund<vj, bth.— H ere I am , sittin g on th e b rink of a
storm y ocean, w a itin g for m y j)oor cliildreii. H is nv.ito hj^iTid
how tho w ind blow s, and worae still th e w ay in w h ich people
tell m e th a t som etim es th e sh ip is k ep t ou tsid e th is harbour for a
ve(!k. Mr. Bouvko has telegi-aplied to ask m e to sta y here, and
1 am much tem pted to do so, b u t have n o t y e t quife decided. D .
w ill arrive on
I'day, and w e could a ll sail togothei' if T
w ait.
S ir 51. p i u n t Duft’ m et nie a t th e sta tio n ; he is a lo n e here
w itlj his Stiiffi I t is very kind of liiin to liave m e here on th e
(>ve of h is depjivturp.
M owOty, 6t/a-»-Sir M. G rant D u ff d m v e m e ou t to G uindy,
w hich I only saw b y n igh t w'hen I w as here before. I t con sists
o f three ^’Ciy w ln te double bungalow s jo in ed by covei'ed p a ssa g e s;
an Ita lia n sort of architecture w ith pillars and carved ct^ruices.
T he park i.s tw o jn ilc s I'ound, and th ere a w nice gardens g low in g
w ith 1 he m ost lovely an d b rillian t crotons.
*
#*
3 had an intervio-v w ith M rs. Schaidieb, th e bead o f tho
C aste lEospitnl here, wJiich w as not q u ite so s a t is factor
a c ^ iy a s I
had ho])cd.
Tho tiuaiiocs of th e said hos'^itid are
■e \ o t in a
\m
.
A ini'*T
the
lvte
•
2Gl
floiu-isliing condition, and th e w an t of a su b stan tial endow m ent
fund isgTPfttly felt.
.. - •
Tuesday^ 7ih.— I saw S ir M . G3*ant DaS' off to-day, and w as
mui'h dw appoiiited tlia t th e Afirzajjort: did n o t come in. N o t ^
on ly m y pi-eciow ohildren, b u t also
Bourke, th e new
G overnor of.M adrns, are on board of her. T here w as a rumour
th at slie w as sighted, b u t w hen I w en t dow n to th o Imrhour I
found i t w as untrue. T h e officials w ho had to Iftmnnt *
roi '
cst ittoi't i were rather relieved th a t th ey w ere n o t called upon to
say ‘ V iv e le roi ’ th e sam e afternoon ; but T ^iii sorry tho
children have another n ig h t a t sea, a n il as m any gi'ntlem en
in uniform cam e dow n to the' harbour a fte r th e train left, and as
th e VU.1 iia.gc-r.nd four «nd >tU th e body-guard w ere out, it w ould
n o t h a v e been so difficult to m anage tho tw o fim m o n s ttfler all.
W e rem ain here to-n ig h t w ith th e new M ilitary Secretary, Major
S tu art M ackenzie, as our host.
n'ediuisddy,
— I w as up a t six, and g o t d ow n to th e pier
, j u s t in tim e to see th e boat arrive, w ith th e children gesticu latin g
w ild ly as th ey tliscovered m e w a itin g for them . T hey look w ell,
tliough th ey have been very ill, and th eir la s t d a y s have l>eeu
w retched. I t w as a very happy m eeting, and th oy arc fu ll ”oT
description s o f th e ev en ts o f th eir voyage.
I n th e afterftoon T took them to th e P eop le’s Park, wh#>ro
there is a sm all collection o f anim als. W e saw qixite a b ig t iger
su ck in g a baby’s b o ttle of m ilk, and som e you n g h yen as fw l in
tlie Same way.
i t is colli
an il as th e houwi is b u ilt for g rea t h ea t one
feels it greatly.
T u w la y , ^Ath.— Satu rd ay w as to h a v e b een such a happy day,
D . icL aijiing to us, and our all bein g togethei* n t lo st ; b u t there
w as a rift in th e lu te. D . had accepted Mr. Bcmrke'a ia v iU tio a
to sleep a t G overnm en t H ouse, and w e wi-re to g o on board early
n e x t m orning. I found, how ever, th h t H erm ie had*» hoadache
and looked m verish, so I mailo h er lie dow n till tho tim e for D .'s
arrival, and then she w as able to g o dow n to Help to receive him .
IV . F in d la y w as w ith t>., and f had him up n t once, and h e found
l l f n n i c ’s tem perature w as 102.
T then decided to ta k e her and th e other children on board,
lea v in g D . on shore. T his renewed separation was a d isap p oin t­
m ent, you m u st allow'. T he harbour w as by w^y of bein g calm ,
b u t there wrfe a terrib le sw ell, and w e w'ere rolled about in . an
alarm ing w'ay on our voyage to th e C / h v . * Once there I p u t my
in valid ^ ito m y b e d --a real b ed — an d I sJppt on a sofa t>y her.
D . cam el on board
Sunday m orning, and happily th e w eather
I
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262
O U K V IC E R E G A L lA F E IN’ IN D IA
.
c u . ix
changed com pletely, and Sunday, M onday, and to-d ay (Tuesday,
11th ) it has beeji perfectly calm, and very warm an d pleasant.
D . is enjoying the rest on Inmrd (a ship bein g th e o n ly place
wln^re business cannot reach him ), and seeing th e children ab ou t
him is very p lm s a n t; th e h olid ay would h a v » been p erfect but
for TTermio's illness.
‘
,
1 m ust now try to tell y o u a little about th e h it o f th e tou r
w hich 1 m issed wljen I cam e to M adius.
I), w en t first to T ricliinopoly, and then o n t o M aduju, -v^hich
seera.s to have been extrem ely interesting. The tem p le thero
is m ost lovefy, and is filled w ith great figures o f dem ons and
anim als, som e of gold and som e of silver, th e tem p le itse lf lx>ing
covered w ith beautiful c a m n g ,l)o th outside and in, and b ein g a n
im m ense place. There are na^tch girls th ere w ho ai’e dodicated
to th e service of the tem ple, and w lio dance before th e goddess,
and th ey also pei’formecl before th e V iceroy. Their costum e seem.s
to bo mo.st extraordinary. T ho fron t part hangs in p etticoats,
b u t th e back is only trousers, and th e effect is peculiar.
,
Tanjore was the rio.xt p lace D . w en t to, and m th er a fu n n y
tilin g hnjiponed to him there. l i e w as go in g over th e palace
w ith tho rcpresentafivo of th e old P rinces of Tanjore, w ho had
arranged for D. to speak to th e eleven lla n is and other lad ies
through th e purdah ; b u t w hen i t cjime to th e tiflie for th is in te r ­
view , ho saitl, ‘ N o , you ar<'. th e V iceroy ; you m ay oome behind
th e purdah,' and accordingly ho slipped him w ithin it s sacred
precincts. The ladies had n o t exp ected him , and were n o t drfesed
o u t in th eir best, and n o one could speak a n y in tellig ib le language.
H ow ever, a sort of ch atterin g w en t on, and th ey m ade sign.s
-tow ards a chair, vvhich, b ein g covered w ith crim son cloth, T>.
th ou gh t he w as to ^ t dow n on. l i e turned, and w as ju s t ab ou t
to do so, w hen he thou gh t ho saw a slig h t m ovem ent, and he
fancied there m ight Ix) a Httlo dog there, when tw o wom en pulled
th e cloth o^ten, and there vfi%s th e p iin cip al R ani 1— a little old
wom an w ho only reached Iialf-way up tlio back o f tho chair, and
whom th e Viccro^*!iad been w ith in an ace of s<iuoshing.
lle
said i t gave him .such a turn 1
H o w eu l on to PondicheiTy, w here a very great I'cceptioi, w as
giv en liijn b y the Pronch Governor. T here w as a lon g banquet,
w ith speeches at every course, and th en a ball, a t w hich D . sa t
on a throne betv^oon tho dances ; and there w’a * a eofcillou during
w hich he g o t no rest, from w hioli h e brought hom efi. lock of hair
tiod up w ith blue ribbrfii w hich he said belonged to ‘ H w irie tte,’
b u t w hich I found hacl,really com e o u t o f a cracker.
V
D . looked vcryj.iretl whon*he g o t to M adras, as w e j l » m ight,
.
.
*
•
I
.
1886 .
AN OKOAJfiyiNO
203
G E N IU S
for lie has Jiad seven w eeks of really hard w ork-^ travelling, sig h t­
seeing, perform ing fun ction s, and carrying on his usual business.
T he coinpiicatod arrangem ents for our tou rs are all made b y Lord
W illiam Beresforri, w ho has a p erfect gen iu s for organisation.
W e travel b y gpecml train, and every d a y ’s journey, every func­
tion w e h a v e.to perform , ev ery in terview acconled, every en ter­
tain m en t accepted, ev ery sig h t to bo seen, a ll our dinnei-s,
luncheons, and teas are tim ed and noted down, and a coinplett^
progrom oie of them all is prin ted and given to u s before w e start.
L oi^ W illiam never leave.s an y th in g , in th e business w ay, to
chance, and seem s to foresee and to provide a g ain st ev ery possible
contingency, so th a t th e w hole th in g works .smoothly and there
is never a hitch anyw here. S till th ese days on board, w ith a
nice ea.lir. sea, h ave been a rest, an cf have done D . th e greatest
good.
Wednagc/ni/,
- I t seem s to be measlOT ih d t H erm ie has,
and I am only allow ed to speak to her through th e door. I am
^ o sorry fo^ th e poor child, i t w ill he such -a disappointm ent to
her to be laid up on lier first arrival a t Calcutta.
C H APTER X
OALCUTTTA, 1 8 8 6 -8 7
DESEMi3F,n 15, 1866, to >fARcn 15, 1887
T hurfd'xy, Dectt)nh*;r 23r</.— W e landed a t C alcutta on W e d ­
nesday (th e 15th) afteruuun, to begin our th ird year in India.
The river looked lovely w ith all th e ships dri'ssvd, a n d .tlie P rin sep’s C h a t w as gay w ith people w aitin g our arrival.
W e m ade the boys a s tid y as- poK.sible, and th eii w e landed
w ith thorn. I t w as rather an ord ea l'w a lk in g slow ly through
all th e people collected th ere an d looking o u t for th ose w e knew .
W e said ‘ H o w do you do V from sid e to sid e tlie w hole w av to
our carrm^e. D irectly 1 g o t to th e house I w en t to peep a t
H on n ie, w ho had been carried through th e tenvii in a dooleb.
W e h a v e p u ttie r int-o her ow n mnifl’s room, w hich is a sm all o.iic,
and she«w ill be comfortable, though v e r y dull, there, as she is
k ep t in o’uarantine.* S h e herself feels (jnUp happy an d th an k fu l
t o be ‘ a t Imme.’ 3Chc otiicr chik lreu dinoTl w ^ h u.s.
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oh. x
N ow T w ill te ll you nbout th e n ex t few days all in one, for w e
liavc (lone n othin g very particular and are in th e throes o f u n ­
packing and settling. On th e top stoix^y th ere are dresses and
parc<’ls and open cupl>oards ; on th e lower one hundle.s o f papei’,
books, pliotograph fram es, and ‘ household g o d s ’ o f a ll sorts,
%v]iile in th e bottom storey th e boys’ gootls are displayed, and
efforts are being made to discover th e m issing lin k s in th eir
wai’d robes.
T here really is a grea t deal to settle in m any w aysj and th e
ad ven t o f so m any ehildren altera th e even ten ou r of our d aily
routine.
*
R id in g is the great excitem en t, and th e boys are b o th
deligh ted w ith their ponies, i^nd have so htr been o u t tw ice a
day.
•
E v ery ono is so glad to be b»\ck a t C alcutta, and th e six
A .D .C .’s are all on d u ty now. I t is long sin ce w e have had so
large a party.
I took the children o n e afternoon to Barrackpore, and w€^
lunched and had te a on th e launch. A n o th er d ay we w e n t to
the Zoo. There are tw o babj ourang-outangs there, who are th e
m ost com ical little creatures ; and there is a new m onster in th e
w'ay of a m onkey, who is >i terrible caricature o f a m n n j*n d beside
w’hoiu th e old ourang-outang looks quite a beauty. H e has a
g reat grey face, and as h e sto le quietly ou t to snatch h is food and
carry it back to h is den he had all tlie appearance of a rutiianly
th ief, and m ade one shudder.
•
F A d a y , 2 \ih .— The tim e flies, and Ia in so busy th a t I can scarcely
find a m om ent to w rite dow n all th a t happens. T he D u k e an d
•B u ch esso f IManchestcrand I ^ d y A lic e M ontagu arrii;ed on W ed n es­
day Dioniing (22nd). Tho D u ch ess a t once nnnouuced th.at she could
n o t sliind a C liristiuas w itlio u t a troe. I had th o u g h t o f having
one liefore, but only vagu ely, so .‘'he decided me, and wo a t once
se n t off a §team launch to bring a fir from som ewhere, and sottlecl
to g o out n e x t m orning in searcli o f ornam ents for it.
I n the evening *ve had a drawing-rcHim. W e dined in toagow u s and dressed afterw ards, and xvere all as sm art as possible
and th e children were allowed to stand in n corner of th e throneroom, where th ey saw very well m itil th e privi\ta entree was over,
and th e people belonging to it got in front of them . I t w as a
very p retty and a very large drawing-room , a n d /)u r visitors lik ed
seein g it very m uch, and enjoyed tlie drum w ith wlrfch it ended.
'CfiTistmas D<nj.— W e had a ‘ r eg u la r ’ Christm as D ay. T he
child ren began it w ith an early ride, H erm ie.g o in g out'.for th e
first tim e. I le n t her * ^ o Natrie,’ and she enjoyed it ijn a c n se ly .
1886-87
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205
L ady A lic e m l e * R u b y,' N o lly ’s horse. Tlien w e all had b reak ­
fa st together, and afto n v n n ls w e n t to church. On our retxirnw e
'worked hard a i th e C hristm as-tree t ill lunch-tiino. It w a s placed
ill a ^ I t tu b at one end o f th e ball-room , and was rather a bushy
and Oriental .sort of pine, b u t three bands of iron to compress its
figure and toehold row s o f candles im proved it greatly ; wo then
h u ng on glass la lls . and golden chains, and tin sel off our n ative
visit-garlands, and odds and ends purchased for th e occasion, so
th a t it endetl by being a x-ery respectable tree. I n it s neighlKnirhood w as a fish-pond, in to w hich all th e presents w'ere put, and
the txnng and packin g up o f m ysterious parcels filled* every spare
m om ent of th e day. A t four n’olook we drove to th e Zoo, and
show ed oiT iho n ew m onkoys w ith great success, and th en w e all
restnd till dinner-tim e. T he children of com ae d ined w ith us,
and we wore a party o f tw en ty -six ; Mr. B arin g being th e only
invited guest. T he tree w as ligh ted up d injctly after, and w as
pronounced to be ‘ lo v ely .’ Then cam e th e tishing and a period of
^ l e greatest excitem en t. The parcels xvere all directed, an d th e
-fisheiTunn Fad to deli\*or h is fi.sh to th e proper owner. , W e all
gave and receivexl, and all seem ed delighted w ith th e presents
th ey got, and established little com oro of their own in w h ich th ey
p u t *their thing«>. T he Vkjvs ha<l riding-w liips and sjiurs, and
b oxes'of gam es, und books and ten n is ractiuets, and th e girls hod
necklaces, and riiling-w hips, racquets, itc., <tc. T h ey were so
pleo.5eil, and gloated over th eir com ers w ith beam ing faces. I
too Had som e d eligh tfu l prejjents, and w as equally pleased w ith
niy own com er.
W o danced and played gam es afterwards, and wour.d up w ith
8imp<lragon, w jiicli a lw a y s d eligh ts as m uch ns i t alarm s th e
cliiidreji.
Thursday^ J a n u a r y 6/7i, 1887.— 1 rode &>r th e first tim e w ith
th e ch ild ren - such a faniilv part.y of riders \— and B lan ch e drove
w ith th e D u ch ess. W e a ll m et at B ailygiuige, where*^fhere w as
tea and polo. I n the even in g w e w en t to a party a t th e N a w a b
of Dacca's. H e bos tak en a house here, and is g iv in g en terta in ­
m ents alm ost every day. There bad bwH a dim ier party, b u t we
only w en t to th e n ativ e m usic and nautoh after it. T he Sbam iana,
which is jo in ed ou to th e house, is beautifully arranged, w itli a
nice wooden floor for dancing, and w ith curtains and fu rn itu re
and chandeljers. *'\Vhen w e first arrived 'we lookrxl a t so m e sp e a ineus of D uc*a manufactui*e8, th e m ost curiouS and w onderful
being a ja r g c m at nvule o f ivory. It is b ig enough to cover a
sofa, and- is a s soft and sm ooth and flexible as th e finest grass
m atting^ J lie art,m ay be said to have dibU out, as th e o n ly m an
266
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vrho m ade th ese m ats ■well is dead. T h e N a w a b also show ed us
som e jcw ollorj’. H e has th e si.ster diam ond to th e K oh-i-N oor.
T he one is th e ‘ M ountain of L ig lit,’ th e oLh'^r th e ‘ K iver o f
L ig h t ; ’ th e la tter is a flat diam ond, and is n o t tucrefore very
strik in g to our eyes. H e has a few other fine diam onds s e t in
stars and nn sw ord-handles. There w as only one gjrl to dance,
and w hen w e had seen enough o f her wo listen ed bo som e n a tiv e
m usic. One o f th e perfonnors did aU th e expression w ith h is
face, and made such grim aces o f agony and ca st up suclj bcaaechin g eyes th a t it becam e quite embarras.sing.
W c le ft &t about eleven, h.aving had a pleasant evening, but
I hear th a t som e people stayed u n til two.
F rid<iy,
W e w en t tp see th e M in t th is m orning, and
found the m aking of rupees Hud quarter-annas and pice a m ost
in terestin g process to obserx'e. The m olten silver pouring ou t of
red-hot cauldrons w as the first and p rettiest th in g ; -we carefully
follow ed th e w hole process, and s»vw tlie flatten in g ou t qf th e bars
o f silv er and copper, tlie w ashing and stjvinping, and th e counting*
and packing of th e money. In tills M in t th ey coined n in e ty 'six
m illions of pieces last year.
W e had a very successful tent-pegging and tiltin g afternoon,
w hich greatly delighted th e children. They all rode a t th e rings,
and w hether th ey took them or not were equaSy pleased. W o
had never tried i t before a t C alcutta, b u t a tolerably q u iet p lace
behind th e Fort w as arranged for it, and th e D uchess and I looked
o n w h ile fourteen people of our ow n party on horseback galteped
abou t in front of us. Mr. W allace on th e M asher w as forem ost
os usual, and w hen ho lo st hi.s h elm et and rushed ab ou t w itli a
>epear in his hand aiul a big cigar in h is m outh, bo becam e th e
terror of all boholdei’s. Some of the Hongal C avalry soldiers
teiit-p egged ti>o ; th ey shout as th ey ride along, and m ake i t very
e x citin g by th eir n oise and th e air w ith w hieii th ey go a t th e peg.
D . lik es t#nt-pogging very much, and ho it w as w h o suggested
this afternoon’s ainuseoient.
A dinner and a. very sm all dance in th e even in g for I^idy
A lic e M ontagu, i n ever saw so m any strangers here l)efore, and
it w as qu ite diflicult to niake them all out a t dinner. T his w a s
th e snm llest dance w e have had, and w e on ly used* one part of
th e ball-room —a lon g room which runs a t th e bottom of it.
■ A fte r din ner w e Indies w en t straigh t up th ei’e and sa t a t one
end, w hich w'as ’arranged a s a sitting-room ; o]>pdfeite it a t th e
other end, Imhind th e pillars, w as a b u ff e t; th e band-stand -was
in the re.al ball.roonj,-byt w a s sh u t o u t from i t by screens, so th a t
it looked as thougji il*wci*e In a recess. 'VYo o n ly ,ln g l about
:
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INDIAN* KNGLISII
267
tw en ty dancing couple*;, and tliere was lo ts o f space and an e x ­
cellen t floor, Jind w e ended pun ctu ally a t tw elve.
S u n tla y, 9th.— Tho M anchesters have left, and wo were very
sorry to lose thorn. T he D uchess is tlio m o st delightful v isitor
to have— never IxjroJ, and alw ays able to in terest licrsrdf in every ­
thin g. T lie R osobcrys and M i\ Fej-gu.son arrived tliia morning,
and their advent, com bined w ith -n w e t Salui-day, decidetl us not
to g o to Barnickpore th is week.
W^4.lncsthy^
-S ir A lfretl L y a ll and one diiught<*r cam e
th is morning, and there w ere steeplechases in th e afternoon, t-o
w hich th e w holo p arty w en t, lea v in g mo first to m y«C om m itteo
mtsetlijg and the^' to a h alf-holiday w ith th e children.
F rid a y . 14^A.— I f I do n o t te ll you ilib,t I am w o fk iu g e x ­
trem ely hal'd over m y F u n d every m orning, you w ill th in k i t v e iy
dissipated of m e to a tten d a n afternoon dance to-day. I t w a s a
vory p retty and successful one, g iv en b y Mr. and Mrs. M oncrieffe
anci her j»ar6uts, Mr. and Mrs. M uir, on Ixiiud th e C la n M aca ' s t e a m e r w hicli sails f o r Liverpool t o - m o i T o w . W e
w alked through som e quadrilles, looked out u p o n th e river, were
lighted u p w i t h electric lig h ts and C hinese lanterns, and enjoyed
oui-selves much.
I ‘m u st flu s h th is b y recording for your benedt a d elightful
specim en of Iu d i*n E n g lish ; it is in th e term ination of a letter
— ‘ Y ou have been very kind to me, .and nmy God A lm ig h ty g iv e
ypu t it for tat.'
S m u ru an t
— T.-ord R osebory w ished to see th o - lit tio
French settleu»ent here, so w e loft C alcutta early, and w en t first
to Barrackpore, where w e luncbwl, and then contiiiued our voyage
to CbaudcrnagprK
W o had such a fu n n y v isit there. The
Governor and lus S taff m et us a t th e hindiiig-placo, and he led
m e up to a carriage, in to w hich, after pre.^outiug tho R osnbotys
to him, I got. W o then made a sta te j>rogW )SS round th e tow n,
and admired tho F rencli palm -trees aiuLtlm French-IinVftn bazmir,
and remarked th a t i t w as very m ilike ‘Le Boulevard des* Itivliens,’
and not very dissim ilar to other In d ian villjjgcs. H a v in g ex hau.sted the sigh ts, w e drove to tho G ovcnnneB t H ouse, an d I,
arm iii arin w ith th o Governor, marched through th e group of
French ofticials, w ho w aited on th e steps, to th e centr.il chair of
a large circle arranged in th e reception-room, durbar f.-ishion.
There I sa t y i stage and conversetl w ith th e Govorjior. T he othoi*
ladies meantiwio w ere handed iu by th e Sbiff, and were scntetl in
Q r(>w by them selves, w liile th e men, li^ving deposited tlioin,
retirw l to th e doorway. T hen it w as s u g g e s t^ to tlio Governor
tJiat .‘ce^J^essieurj^' w ould lik e to be presented to me, so on th ey
)
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cam*; one h y one, and as eacli passed before m e lie took h is seat
in th e row opposite to the ladies. T his cerem ony b ein g over, th e
circle w as com plete. Tlic Governor and I converse<l in th e centre,
the indies and gentlem en sat opposite each other iu rows. P re­
sen tly th ere w as another luij'py th ou gh t, ^ id an oth er se t of
p resentations w as l>egun ; all th e officials, some in ev en in g dress,
and som e in frock coats, and all carrying silk op cm hats, were
taken up sin gly, and wen: introduced to lia d y R osebery, R lanche,
ami Madr-moisello Olerc—and still th e Governor anct I talked.
A t last th e ‘ .Military Secretary ’ o f th e S ta te approached the
Governor and Raid H er E xcellen cy had to leave a t five o’clock.
So w o rose, and m uniiuring of a cup o f tea, he led m e, follow ed
by our respective suites, in to a dining-room , w here a large table
w as spread w ith biscuits endTchaiapagno-glasses. W e all drank
tea , how ever ; no bottles were opened, and no one w as asked to
‘ porter un to a st.’ W e were oftered our ‘ p la t nation al le kok ’
(cake), and, having partaken of it, w e took arms again, entered
th e carriages, drove to th e ghat, stcppptl carefully over >\ rejJ
pathw ay to our launch, bow ed and com plim ented each other, and
th en w e sailo<l aw.at'. I iim sorry for th e Governor, I m u st sa y I
H o has H largo fam ily o f n ia r r i^ daughters and grandchildren
and a w ife to o in Paris, and ho is torn from them , and fron> * les
B ou levaid s,’ to peram bulate in solitude th e m eiancholy ghfits of
Chandernagore.
S u n d a y , 16M.— The R oseberys and Mr. Forguson w e n t off t;o
D arjeeling, th e L yalls to A llahabad, and w e walke<i over t» v isit
the eleph an ts, and hail a quiet evening.
M undi’y, M d i.— T he voyage down from P»arrackpore w as quite
cold, in sp ite o f th e bright sun.
P rince F rederick Leopuld of Prussia, w ith h is tw o gentlem en,
arrivcil here yestertlay, bu t their Consul took them in charge, and
b y nioans of our launch and our carriages show ed them th e sigh ts
o f C a lcu tta and th ey slept an d dined a t mu* house. On our
return we*saw th e P rince, and lie lunched w ith u.s, and th en w en t
off to D arjeeling. ,
M’o had anotlier ja u n t in a steam er th is afternoon. W e w en t
by G eneral C hesney’s in vitation to see som e torpedo practice.
I think ‘ subm arine m in e s’ w ere w liat wo really saw. A ship
calleil the T ig n s took o s t-woive m iles dow n the river to th e F ort
o f P udge-B u dge, w ith a large p arty o f people ^n bo^rd ; w e had
tea, and it w as very warm and pleasant. W hen w reached th e
place w here th e niuie ivas lai<l, a barge converted in to
sort of
m an of-w nr wag tow ed over it, and euddcnly.a noise w as In'unl,
and a great m ass o f nruil and* w ater rose in to th e air^aj^d w hen
*
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1886-87
LEPERS
269
it fell agaiu there was no b oat to
seen, n oth iiig b u t fragiueuU
left. T lie expcrim eut w as q u ite successful, and it wo.s a very
line s i g h t ; there w as a b u rst of applause, after a hushed m om ent
of awe, from a ll tlie spectators. A fte r th is th e effect produce<l
by tvi’o ‘ bum ping b jjo y s' w as exh ib ited . A s th e launch touched
thcTn, th e m ines (in th is case som e w ay off) exploded, and ta ll
fountains wertj projected in to th e air. T here were other ex p eri­
m ents w ith sm aller charges of powder, b u t after seein g th e tw o
first- splendid ones w e did not appreciate th e tin y explosions so
much. U n fo rtu n a tely U . did not come w ith us, as h e alw ays
rather dreads a h olid ay on account of th e accum ulation or papers
th at foiiOnS upon it , nor had lie understood th a t th e ‘torpedo
p ractice’ was lik ely to be so iutC3!^t>ng.
T uesday,
a rid W’-dnescUti^f X^th.— W e have had tw o
really q u iet and dom estic days, w ith fam ily n'des and fam ily
evenings, and have enjoyed them much.
I have also been very busy finishing th e annual report of my
Fund.
* I saw M t. "Wesloy B ailey, w ho establislied th e I/cper M ission
ill India, and he g ave m e a terriljle account both o f th e num1>er3
and o f th e sufferings o f th ese poor creatures. The low’est estim ate
shoW.'5 th a t there are 135,000 in India, and of th ese th ere are
56,000 in Beugsi^ alone. T he cost o f keeping one in a n asylum
is 6/. a year, and it certainly is a m ost deserving charily.
T h u n d ity , 2 0 th .—T he Ilosftberys returned from U arjecling,
h avin g seen a view . ])ut n o t the viovs'. B ad w eather is con»ing on
there, and here It look s th rea teu in g io o "We had a very b ig dinner in th e M arble H a ll, and talk ed ,
and ILotonod to q u artettes in th e evening, as it w as too s«x>u a fter
th e .state ball to g e t up a dauoc.
F riday^ 2 la t.— Lord F ife and Mr. Ogle arrived th is m orning,
and after lunch vvc took th e w hole party to see th e K in g of O ude’s
P alace, b u t u n lu ck ily it cam e on to rajn so b adly th a t "'e could
n ot do it thoroughly, an d le ft h alf tlie sigh ts unseen.
irt’dn^(sd«y, *26irt.— ^The ordeal of m y public jn e e tin g h a d to l>o
gone th iv u g li to-day, b u t i t w as g o t over in a sn tisfactory way.
T he V iceroy took th e cliair, and we had on th e platform a very
roprcrtcutativu gathering. There w ere th e Councillors, and th e
R . C. A rchbishop, am i th e H ig h P riest o f th e tem ple o f B aid yanyth, and H in d u an d M ahom etan gentlem en of position ,
Judges, and
th e hall an equally characteristic gath erin g. Mr.
P eile p rc^ u to d thei*epoil. Mr. Oruiekshank seconded him . t i e
Bf^ak^ clearly an d y e ll. T hen w c had a good speech from th e
L ieutenaut-O overuor and a very n » o oue*from A b d u l Ju b b er, a
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M iihom otan o t th e old school, whom I w^ls very glatl to seo supp ortm g th e Schem e. A fte r th is cam e an uuexpoofccd infcerpoktion, •when a H indu gentlem an, M-^liarajah JSTnrendra. K rishna,
proposed, and Kawab A b d u l L ateef seconded, a v o te of thanks
to mo for ha\'ing establishcyl th e Nationf^^ A ssociation . D ,
replied to th is in a little speech •which w as m uch appreciated,
an il w hich ■wdll, 1 think, ho useful to u.s. H e .said'he w ished as
an ‘ o u tsid er' to address both a, com plim ent and a criticism to th e
m anagers o f th e A ssnciation. T h e com plim ent ■was upon tlie
lu cid ity and simplhrity o f our sta te papers, and tho criticism was
th a t ‘ tho gftverning body of tho Fund are a great deal too m odest
in th eir i.LCJuaudts and renuisitioiis.’ H o Maid th r t, in stead of
bounding our am bition to th e sum of five lakhs, w e o u g h t rather
to ask for fifty lakhs, and be ended b y sayuig, ‘ N o one know s
betti.^r tlian m yself the difficulty of obtaining m oney in India.
I t is one of th ose disagree.'^bh' problems w hich I have had to face
under very dial'or.'. l-ening circum stances, b u t le t mo te ll th o Lady
F iesicien t o f tho Fund th at it w ill probably prove A far more
graceful, a.s w ell a s more successful, metho<l to throw hersolf on
th e gen erosity o f th e In d ian people than, as T b.avc bccu obliged
to do, to resort to those mechanioal ’ru«,ns by whicJv alon e th e
G overnm ent coffere can be replenished.’
A fte r th is tramo a ro te o f thanks to th e Vi^icroy him self, and
I askedV 'lie seconder of th is to expvttss our th an k s to Major
C ooper,,w ho, ns honorary secretary, ha.s b een q u ite invaluable.
H o ims w orked lik e a s k r c , arid ncycr le ts ^ n y ploasure iiiterforo
•\\'ith th is M’ork, w hich, after all, is purely voluntary'. I am afraid
he m u st go hom e for a change th is spring, an d Mr. Gore is go in g
to help m e in h is place, but I shall of course hn've a g rea t deal
m ore to a tten d to m yself in h is absence,
Jfondta/. iJlsf. 1 -wont to o p cn th n Ezra H osp ital, w hich M rs.
Kzt.a bus b u ilt for th e Jew s, in memory of her husband. I found
m y self iq»a Sham lana, aad on a throne, w ith tlio L ieu ten an tG overnor «fc m y side, and tho Jewi.sh conim unity W forc me. A s
T). did not come, S ir H irers Thompson had to m ake th e Httle speech
for me. I doclcpred th e liospital open, an d w as handed a very
sm.'u-l cushion, on w hich lay such a key I A gold key w ith a
dititnond handle, m y coronet and in itia ls on
tlie top, and a
beautiful crystal hangin g from it on w hich th e inscription is
engraved. I t w as m ade in Varis, and is vepr lovely. A rm efl
w ith this ‘ bnk.shcpsh,’ Jiud followinl b y M rs. !^ra,#La<iy Sa.ssoon,
.•ijid a cm w d o f o th er^ co p le, f turned th e v.-ondcrful kqy in th o
lock o f tlie big door and entered th e liospital. I t is a fine b u ild ­
in g, and there ni'o^twcfity scphrato •svards, and Mrs. Ezra h^s n o t
1*1^
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I’R E r A U A T lO S S F O R .T IIE Q U K E N ’S J U e a J i K
271
only built b ut iias oiso eudowecJ th e liospitoK H er m other, L ady
Sassoon, w as tliore, and som e sons and tw o p retty little girls o f
lier own. W e had tea in one o f th e loom a, and then 1 departed,
feeling I had n o t h alf earned th e beau tifu l key. T he o n ly w ay
of doing 8 0 th a t 1 ^ ould th in k o f was to say I w ould brin g th e
V iceroy to soe th e hospital, so I must, capture him som e a fter­
noon th is week and show it to him.
H avin g, heard fronv Lord llo.scbery of th e charm s o f th e
E d en Gardens, ‘ a t 6.15 ’ on a M onday n ig h t, I determ inefl to see
them Ib is ‘once, and so a t th e proper hour w e .started off, and
found a band p laying, electric lig h ts b rillia n tly illunnnR ting th e
place, and all C alcu tta w alking up and 'down in th e unbecom ing
glare.
T u esday, Fpbm<iry Isf.— I had%a very long and im portant
Coromitteo m eeting before goin g o u t to ride.
T h u rsday, Zrd.— Tho children drove to see th e paper chase,
and w o had tiltin g in th e afternoon and a b ig dinner and dance
in th e evoiring. The w eath er con tin u es so cold th a t I w as shiver­
ing in th e ball-room, b u t it w as p leasan t for th e dancers.
M on day, 7th.— A s i t w ould n o t b e possible to keep th e Queen's
J u b ilee in Ju n e, on accf>unt o f th e h o t w eather, tho six teeu th of
th is m onth bci'? been iixed for its celebration, an d C alcutta is now
a city o f bamboi®. E v er y house in th e place is caged in by a
scaffolding preparatory to tho illum inations, an d th e w h ole town
looks a.s if it were in th e hands of tho masons. Our house aud
a ll o u j gatew ays ore covered w ith bjimboo-spars, and our dom e is
ribbed w ith row s of lam ps little saucers for o il are a ll th e w ay
round th e top of tho house, and m en are k ep t there to w atch
OAcr them , na th e crows and h aw k s knock them down. Our
pillars are s t u c t w ith n a ils for ligh ts, like alm onds in a pudding.
O ur m inds to o are greatly ex cited , and every o n e i.s bu.sy. Som e
are arranging fur Lho fireworks— five tC)n w eig h t of them and
2 2 ,0 0 0 rupees’ worth. Som e are w ritin g addresse.s, and som e
reading them ; som e are deep in th e en tertain m en t to th e school
children, and som e are occapietl w ith tho sectnul d ay’s sports and
th o even in g procession. The Church, th e A n n y ,.th e G overnm ent,
nil officials and all trades are engaged in ari’angemenhs of some
kind in connection w itli tho celebration of th o six teen th . Some
people look fiivward witli’ dread to tho accid en ts th a t m ay happen
in th e crow d or | o th e lam p ligh ters, w hile somo are horribly
alarm eil a t h a v u g
go through fireworks and ilhim inations in a
carrhige-pn d-fou r!
,
W{ t^uesdity, OM.-r-l got up e^irly to v isit th e ‘ I ^ d y Dufferin
Ifisp^nsarv ' here, b ut tho d eta ils o f m y frtspection f w ill keep
272
OUR
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IN
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^
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x
for a report. Tn tho afternoon T g a v e aw ay th e prizes a t tho
B eth u n e School. The ‘ ludy .supeiintcndent ’ of th at in stitu tio n
is a n ative lady, and she is a M aster o f A rts, w liich is » rare d is­
tin ction . T his school carries on th e higher education o f w om en,
aiid th e com m ittee is \o r y proud o f h a v in g , six teen umnjirrieti
girls over fourteen years of age at it !
T h u rsday, lOM.— W e w en t t*i a flowei'-show, a M had tea at
B elvedere, spending rather a p leasan t afternoon ; an d w e fmi.slied
th e day w ith a diuner and very sm all dance. S ir F red eiick
R oberts ju.st returned fi-om B u n u a h , and th e Pope's delegate
ju s t ‘se ttin g u p ’ in Ind ia, were th e ch ief gu ests a t dinner, hut
th e la tter and his A rchbishop le ft before tho dance began. W e
had it in our sm all room, and it seem ed * - 0 be m uch enjoyed by
th e selected guests.
•*
F rid a y , IIM .— M iss H elen Bourchier, M .D ., th e first doctor
I liave brought out from E n glaiid , arrived here on her w ay to
.Madras, and I was glad to find sh e im pressed every one favoui’ably.
I took her w ith m e in th e afternoon to v isit th e Campbell
H osp ital, w hich is ^'ery large. T he poorest n atives g o to it, ana
there is a m edical school attached to it, w ith lectu res in th e V er­
nacular. T he hospital itself is in a n ice situ ation , an d is lik e a
great railw ay station inside, w ith l>eds in hundreds stan d in g in
th e otherw ise bare space. I t is badly off for n»pvivate ward for
women, ar.d if w e could g e t m oney to build one i t w ould be a
great help as a train in g plai'p for doctors and purses, as th e
pauper wom en go freely in to hospitid. I inspected th e stu d en ts
in a fine lecture-hall belon gin g to th e school, an d g a v e them tw o
d ays’ holiday. These you n g men, w hen ‘ finished,’ are hospital
assistants, and go out in to tho cou n try d istricts, where th ey are
glad to la k e foes o f sixpence or eightpenco. •
The w eather couthuie.s' very c o ld —.a m inim um o f 72’ in th e
shade, and going down to -12’ in th e night, w h ile Madras is 8 7 ’
d a y und jdght. I see by th e paper th a t w e had on ly tw o hundred
and fifty seven hours of su n shin e in danmary ou t o f a po.ssible
throe hundred and n in ety. T ern b le df'-«titution !
12<7«.— Lord ainl Lwdy A berdeen, C aptain Sinclair,
nn^'^.'f Vd Buckiiigham shiro arrived to-d ay to sta y w ith us.
M onday, 1-lM.— D. an d 1 w en t to tho m arriage o f an officer
in th e bcKiy-^uanl w ith a very pj-etty girl. T liey had one of th e
sm artest w eddings in th e p rettiest church I hjive seen in India.
I t is in the Fort. A ll th e ofhcers wore in unifojjn* and a ll th e
ladies in their best dije.sses, aiwl th e floral decorations wpm q u ite
lovely. Tliroe little bridesm aids in cream , colour, w ith sashes,
boots, and feathers fd m atclr tho scarlet uniform s, lo o k ed very
^ 8 8 6 -8 7
J U m tE E
DAY
2 7 3
w ell, an d the bridegrooio’s body-guard clress wns very handBome.
15e/t.— I took L ad y A berdeen to v isit an iiistifcution
w hich seem s t o ’ be a very good one of its kind. It is a sort of
hom e for w om en iy trouble, an d is k ep t by h Mis.- Fendall, who
ujust have a special g ift for th e work of rescue. She b u ilt th e
house an d iiufnages all herself.
I n th e even in g w e w en t to a large ball a t Belvetlert', tJie last
one of th e R ivers Thom psons’ reign. In honour o f th e Ju b ilee
th e w liole'place w as illum inated.
W ednesday, 16i?i. Jvh ilee Do/y.— W e w ere aw o lft th is m oniing b y th e first gu n of a salute o f 101 fii'ed in honour of'tin s day.
A s soon as possible I g o t a daily paper and read th e honour list.
To S ir D onald M ackenzie \V a lla c e 7 sen t off a n o te of congratu­
lation a t once, and th en I im pressed upon my m ind all th e other
friends w ho w ere to be found in th e list w ith n ew titles. Tw o
new Orders 0 4 )pear for th e first tim e to-day— one is a higher
^ rad e w liith h:vs been added to th e ‘ Indian E m p ire,’ and the
other is to* bo given in recognition of great Oriental learning.
T here are fifteen H in d u s and fifteen M ahom etans w ho g e t this,
b u t under different title s, both equally unpronounceable. Tlie
H in d u s are * MjihaTnaliopadhyayn,’ w hile th e M ahom etans arc
‘ Sluxms-ul-Ulam%.’ A particular turban and a cbxxcldnr or clcwik
tak e the place of th e ribbon and star. The n e x t excitem en t w as
th e receipt of a telegram to m e se n t by th e Maharajah of ITlwar
w ith J ls . 50,000 for m y Fund, and one from th e Maharajah of
B ikaneer w ith Ba. 10,000, an d Ijord A berdeen k in d ly sen t nil;'
up B s. 500 for the sam e object.
T his w as all before 8 a . m . A t th a t hour w e breakfasted in
the sm artest clothes w e could produce ; tin m en especially quite
gorgeous in th eir best uniform s. D . wore his R ille unifcu’m and
all his stars, and th e children appeared w ith J u b ilee m edals on
tlieir breasts. W e had i o sta r t off diru<?tly a lte r : f(UM;carriageloadb first, th ree o f them w ith tearn.s, postilions, outriders, k e.
T he crowd on th e M aidan w as im m ense, and;>ve saw it woU as
w e drove on to th e parade-ground an d took oui* piaccss near tho
flag. N o t o n ly w ere there m asses of people on, th e grass, b u t tho
trees were fuU of them , and all were in th e b est o f humours. The
V iceroy, Sir F, R oberts, and n very brilliant Stafi* rwlo up
punctual lo the ajjpointcd tim e, and began th e panide b y inspect^
in g tho tnvop.'^ >.f whom th ere w ere 3,000. ‘Then th e s.aiute was
fired in ^lireo divi.sions, %%ith a f e i i - d e - j o k betw een each, and tliis
entle«l, by th ree c h e ^ fo r th e Q ueen from th e m en. Tlniy then
marcjied past, and afterw ards aiK^ancorf'fur tho final saliu e
«
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271
( 'I ’U ViCEltEOiVL I J F E
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cu. x *
T lie iiicussed bauds played ‘ God save th e Queen ’ m an y tiiues
d u ring th e perfcrruiajice, an d th e body-guai-d, w liich a t one tim e
•\\us draw n up behind 1hein, looked splendid.
T h e w hole tilin g lasted an hour and a half, w hich w as q u ite as
long as
adviaablo, for a t 10 A.M. the sun is very*powor£ul, and
is even ; i m ew hat alaiuning w hen one has to fhce it in one’s b est
bonnet.
soldier.s fainted or ‘ fell ou t,’ and I do n o t tliin k any
accident ■i Jany kind occurred.
W o V'JCve to th e Cathedral from th e parade-ground. The
V iceroy, h a v in g dism ounted, got in to th e carriage w ith in^, and
w e were reo<iived at the door by the Bishop, tlie C lergy, and th e
Councillor.^. In procession w e nmrche<l up th e church, and th ere
w as a very nice service, >\ ith a good <leal of singing, som e stringed
instru m ents accom panying tlioorgan . Tlie anthem w as compose<3
for th e occasion, and the prayers w ere sjiecial ones. T he Bistiop
spolcc w ith great feelin g o f th e Queen. Tiie Cathedral was
crowde<l, and m any people stood the w hole time.
A great num ber of strangers are stayin g in C alcu tta for th is
celebration. The A berdeens, L<u-d B uckingham shire,.the M a ste d
o f Ikilw arth, Captain Sinclair, Lord Shaftesbury, and Mr. T oynbee
arc w ith us. TJie A n n esleys, E gcrtons, Ilo w la n d s, and Sir
W illiam Cairn.s are at hotels, or w itli other friends.
O f course, flags are flying everyw here ; th e ships in th e fiver
are drcsse<l, and both the tow n and th e pcopre are look in g as gay
a s possible.
W’h ilc wo u ere a t church, processions o f a religious character
w ore form ed in difl’e rent jiurts of tlic. tow n, («ich w ard hltving
been allow ed a cei*tain sum of m oney for th e purpos** o f organisLug
them .
A t tw o o’clock tho school children, about 5 ,0 0 0 C h ristian ones,
w'cre uRsemblcd in Bolvudere and fed, w hile m arionettes and conjiirora w ere provided for th eir am usem ent. T he ‘ Zoo ’ w as given
up ti> the n ative schooks, and all assem bled later on th e ib d d a u to
see tho fiirwoi'ks.
I'wcMity-two thousand prisoners huve been released throughout
th e country, as wefl as all debtors (not fraudulent) of snitia under
R s. 100, th e Giivernm ent p ayin g th eir debts.
Thi> afternoon function w en t olf splendidly, and I th in k half
a m illion y»eople were there to enjoy it.
W e drove out to attijnd it a t h alf jju st four, m ost o f our party
goin g on lirst. aqd th e V iceroy and I driving <to th e M aidan in
sta le. Tlin race .stand had l>cen couvei'ted ij\to a*largo am phi­
theatre, w ings havin g been add»:d to each sid e o f i t ; anfl facing
it WHS erected a dais, o|^ whie^j the L ieutcnaiit-G overnor and tho
■\ ^ n
• 1 8 8 6 -8 7
JU m L E K yi'E ST IV IT IIC S
2 7 5
C ouncillors w ere placed, and on w hich th e Viceroy stood to receive
addresses. T he dele.?atea w ho cam e to present them sa t in rows
betw een us and the stand, th e soldiers were drawn up behind, and
a va st (51'owd cuven’d tho ila id a n . The procee<ling8 opcne<l b y a
speccli from S ir R ivers Thompson, an d then th e deputations cam e
up in turn, and the*chairmau o£ each handed up an address, w hich
w as received? bu t n ot rend. 1 th in k there were 300 addresses,
and th e delegates passed as nt a lev^e. V h e n th is procession was
over, and th e w hite rolls of parclim ent lay in a g rea t heap behind
th e Vicerby, D . road His reply. H a v in g fin ish w th is p art o f tho
proceedings, w e had a little tim e to spare b e fo r e .it w a s dark
enoiigh for th o fireworks to begin, and w e w ont to look at tho
school children, w h o werti sjifely enclosed in th e race, paddock.
T hey seemed very happy ; th e nnuijgeineuta for th eir am usem ent
had been m ost anccessfully m.ailo, and th ey had enjoyed them selves
immen.sely. W e had tea, and were then warned to return to our
dais b y the bugle call ‘ Couimence tiring.’ T he fireworks were
very good.; som e of th e n ovelties plea.sed th e people e.'ctremely,
'^n«l great .‘-Ch.s ’ rase from th e iiiultitutlo assem bled to see them .
T he Queen’s portm it, th ose of th e P rin ce and P rincess o f W ales,
and our own, appearing out o f a great bunch o f roses and th istles
whi<;h failed aw ay, leavin g th e pictures in o u tlin e, wore a ll recog­
nised a t once, aq^l were really very good hkenesses. The b est set
piece w as a fiery cascade. Tht\ crowd dispersed a t ab ou t eig h t
o’clock, and all tho people am i a ll th e schools got safely homo in
good tim e.
\^ e dined directly w e g o t in, and th en dres-sed for a large
party. T h e w hole ‘ O ovom m en t H o u se L is t’ waa asked, and
everybody arrived pleased w ith th e day and deligh ted th a t all
had gone off sb wcU.
T h um day, \~ th .— T o-day w as also a holiday, and .sports w ont
on from tw o o’clock till s ix on th e M aidan. W e w en t th ere for
a little, saw som e artillery com petitions, w restlin g on^hnrsolwick,
and ten t-peggin g. A s w e drove home, tho pl.oce w.os bfjginning
to be illum inated, and tho iirf^-IinM spirt's am i high buildings
looked beautiful again st th e grey sky.
W o only ju s t had tim e for a cup o f tea an d to cliatige carriages
before stjirtiyg otl' on a <lrive round th e town. T he sta te proces­
sion consisted ->f m ounted police, Ilen gal C avalry, th e body-guard,
outriders, tiu-ee o f our carri.nges w iili ti'ama and postilions,"another
escort C(f th e l^<.HlJ-guar<l, nin e carriages w ith o ^ i i d s , an d l.*),000
cabs and carriages follow ing. T he .streets w ere k ep t for tliroe
Intura, !’fi\d tho drivfc ^Yas seven m iles long. T ho fine pivrt o f the
city looked beautiful— th e Goverjiiiii'nt affiees, th e F ort, nil the
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OL’K V IC E R E G .iL >^IFE I N IN D IA
ch. x
colum ns and spires in th e place, were n o t m erely lig h ted up, hut
■were converted into golden palaces and pill.ara, w hich sh on e re­
sp lenden t iu tlie dark. T hey were so outline<I aiid covereil w itli
tin y lam ps th a t the mcchtinism and ih o solid background disjippeiired, and only th e liery shape of them remained. I'he fron t
of our ow n houfie, th e P o st Office, and th e M useum w ere specially
fine. T he iIIununa<ions iu th e n ative part o f th e to w n were not
so good as th ey are in th e n ative States, b u t th a t could not Iw
expecte<l tlirough so m any m iles o f street. The crowd th e w hole
w ay was im m ense, .and th ey cheered and cla}>pcd m uch ifiore*than
usual, and s^ m e d c.vtreiuely happy. T h ey do lik e u taruasha !
D . and I Ixith g o t severe blow s in th e face from very large and
very w et bou<{Uets thrxju'n a t us from th e roofs of th e houses.
W h en w e got back, wi; f ^ u d rows an d row s of th e 15,000
carriages still close t-o our gate and only sta rtin g on th eir w ay,
and I dare say ni.any people s}'vei\t m ost of th e n ig h t in them .
S o ejided our official keej)ing of th e Queen’s Jubileo. I t has
been a m agnificent popular fete, and everyth in g h as gone off w ell.
K o accid ent has m arred its com plete success, and I on ly hope in*
E ngland you luay be as fortunate, and th a t you w ill keep i t h alf
as beautifully.
W e did n ot dine till n in e o’clock, and wore all very tired and
sleepy. T lie children ha v e been so enchanted v i^h th e ir shore in
th e tam asha, and h ave enjoyed the w hole th in g im m ensely. They
particularly liked th e party oii W ednesday, aivd V icto ria begin s
to r(‘gret th a t her ‘ com ing out ’ is such a very lon g w a y off
F rid a y ,
T o-day w e kept th e Ju b ilee a t Jlarrackpore,
w here w e liad a school fe a st for 700 children. Tfiey w ere o f all
Rorta, and m any arrangem ents had to he m ade for them . There
w ere C iiristiaus w ho w ould ea t an yth in g, and thdte were other
Christi.ans w ho w ould e a t cake jwovided th ey m ig h t out it for
them selves, and th ere w ere H indus and M ahom etans w ho could
n o t sit together, b u t w ho a te th e sam e kind o f food arrnnge<l in
th e sam e \ta y in different parts o f th e grounds. T h ey had eacJi
a m at to sit on, a plantain* leaf for a plate, and nn earthen cup
to drink ou t of, apd th ey a te nafcivo swcols and drank w ater
p<nircd ou t by a high -caste B rahm in. W e were nsktxl to look a t
th e H in d u picnir; fiom a re.>>pftt;tful distance, w hich jva-s marked
ou t b y a seat placed for m e tw elv e yards nway from w here th e y sat.
The cntDrtoijuncnt bogfin, however, by th e schools m arching
by mo in p iw cssjo n , w hen H erm ie and 1 handed^each child a •
‘ JuJnlee .M edal’ w ith a blue ribiion threaded througli it, and
V ictoria Rupplk'd iia wiTli handfuls of them from a hcap’ on tlm
biLlc. Then th ey all miir<'hed^u to th eir varloms eating places,
ibS6-87
•
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D day
A iA
277
and hot\ a g(>od meal. T he band playefl, and w e had elephants
to ride, co3»jurers, m arionettes, and races, so there w as p len ty for
tlie chililren t>o <lo, and I th in k th ey enjoyed th em selves very
tuuv.K. D . had n o t b een ab le to come, but I had l l c m i e and
V ictoria, Cnsil, FrW die, and four A.D.CJ.'s to liolp. Our children
romaiued at«Barrackpore w ith M adem oiselle and M r. Clnint. and
I came IhioW to C alcutta for th e ‘ Baclieloi-s’ J u b ilee B alk’ I did
not feel m uch up to a ball, b u t I w as able to ait q u ietly on a very
p retty dafs w ith a background of fern and adniii-e th e deconitions
and se e th e other people dancing. The T omti H all had been v e iy
prettily done up, an<l tlie dance w as m ade gay w ith such b ird w orking p erfonnanccs as th e Tem pcte and th e P o lk a Lancers.
W e stayed for supper, and th e V iceroy proposed tim Queen’s
heidth.
S iitn rd a y, 19/A.— Lord and La<ly Stafford an d Lord Tnrljet
arrived.
I alw ays d islik e Satu rd ay afternoon functions, a s th ey oblige
s to g o do.wn to Barrackpore b y a late train, in stead of having
a cool afternoon voyage up in th e launch ; but as I had to give
prizes for a th letic sports, a share of th e entrance m oney to sjud
sports com ing to n»y Fund, w-e w en t out to B ally g u n g e to see
them , and I perfonnod m y d u ty o f doling o u t silv er cups and
b iscu it boxes, an*& th en drove to th e station and ,?ot hom e ju st
in tim e for dinner. The children hod found th eir id le day a t
Barrackpore very long, and th e y sivid th ey fe lt as if th e y had W en
ther^ for ages.
S u n d a y, 20<h. — Sir Charles and Ijady A itch iso n cam e to
Barrackpore to-day, bu t they left th eir Staff, Z^Ir. D unlop-Suiith,
Captain M anifold, and D r. F ranklin, in C alcutta. W o rested
under th e banyau tre**, and w en t t o church, and v isited tlm
elepliants ; b u t w e are such a largo party th a t w e don't look as if
wo were havin g a quiet tim e, and our hohie dinner-table is large
enough for other people’s banquets.
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S lo w ia y, 2L ?.— T his w eek begins w ith a han.l day. W e had
to breakfast earlier th an usual, and to start off in th e launch to
.some .strange port on th e river, w here wo disem barked on red
cloth an d stepped into our very ow n n iilw n y carriage, w hich, in
som e m ysterious w ay, had arrived from th e centre o f In d ia to
receive us ami ta k e us a few m iles up th e llo o g h ly , w here w e
were to open a ^ r a n d new ‘ Ju b ilee Bridge.' ^ A t R o o g h ly all
the highest oFhcials met us, and we g o t on to a truck-d»is, and
were pfliled in to th e shmle ; then o ir K ivers Thom pson in a
speedh in vited th e '^'icoroy to dechire tlip. bridge open. D . did
this in Jbfttw word«, and then, w ith a blazing •sun sh in in g o n our
278
O U R V IC E^RHGAI,
R H O A I, Vll'E
f .I F E IN
IN 1NI>IA
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ch. x
sm all bonnets, w e descended a great fiiglit of stairs and m ade our
w ay to an inimeuHe iioating machine, on w hich breakfast Wiis laid
for 300 people. I t w as a ball supper a t 10 a . m . ; b u t happily
te a and dry to a st were to be had, as w ell a s cham pagne,
m ayonnaises, and ices. Sii’ Bradford L eslie, Che engineer o f th e
bridge, took m e down, and w e sat and a te and look ed a t h is work,
w hich w as ju s t above u s ; and when th e m eal wjis over D . pro­
posed h is health, and w e applauded and rattled our k n ives o n th e
table, and ‘ receiv ed ’ th e toast w ith great enthusiasm .* Sir
Bradford replied, and we rem ounted th e stairs and g o t in to our
carriage and crossed th e H ooghly in th e first passenger train tlia t
has gone over th e Ju b ilee Bridge.
T he second fu n ction of th« day wiis th e p resentation of new
colours to th e P rince of W ales’s R oyal OaiiaiUan R<^giincnt. T h e
cei’em ony, which w as perform ed in th e Fort, is alw ays a pretty
one, and in th e little speech B . w rote for m e th e h istory o f th e
regim ent is shortly p u t : ‘ The regim ent to w hich you .h a v e th e
honour to belong sprang in to ex isten ce in th e hour o f.E n g la n d ’i
g reatest need. I t ow ed its birth to th e lo y a \ d evotion of our
Canadian t’ellow-subjocts, and its em bodim ent was one o f th e
earliest indications g iven by our colonies of th a t determ ination
whiijh they have since so universally expressed to recognise’ tlie
u n ity and the common in terests f>f th e B ritisli Effipire.’
Colonel IMockiunon and th e officers gave a ball in th e Town
H a ll in honour of th e occasion. The room w as very g a y and b rig h t
w ith tlags, and on an ousel in one corner of th e dais w as a fr)tmed
lis t of all the officers w ho were in th e regim ent iit th e tim e o f th e
first presentation, and of those w ho were th ere to-day, w ith a b it
o f th e old colours in the centre. T lio l'rin ce of W ales’s fh*st public
a ct was th e g iv in g o f these coloui's, and h is iiainc w as then added
to th e title of the regim ent.
ThiiTiday, ‘l U h .— To-day I ha<l to broakfaHt early in order to
v isit som e «6hools in the ‘ jJiuIdy-Celda.’ I w as told th a t in th e
w ny of costum e 1 had belter w ear au old gow n, a sun b at, and as
much jew ellery /us fjo ssib le ; so T chose a bright, but n o t new ,
wa.shing silk, and a very big hat, and then p u t on luy Turkish
star w ith its gold chain, a brooch, earrings, and tw o broad
bracelets : thus armed for com juest, I started off ’o n m y long
expedition.
• Pi-e/l, T, and L(idy W ilson drove together fifr ab o u t h a lf an
hour, and then wo picke<l up i l i s s llo a r e (one o f tW; m issionary
ladies), and proceodc/l />rt through soiuo pretty country laftes and
jalm -sliadcd villages t o .a gliiit on th e caniil,*wlu*re a b o a t'a n d
m issionary teachers* aiul a large school aw aitod me. .T h ey had
J88C-87
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VO YAG E / s
A in'G-OVT
279
pu t up little arches, and th ey reatl m ea n address and snng to me,
and I thanked them and th en g o t in to th e boat. I t n as a real
‘ dug-out,’ made b y hollow ing out one gigan tic tree, and it proved
to be a m ost com fortable conveyance. I sat on the door, w hich
w as cushioned, and lea n t back on piles of pillow s w ith m y fe e t
stretched out before me. ili.ss H oare faced mo in th e sniiio
attitude. F red squatted behind her ; and a t either end w a s a
liveried servant, th e one presiding over H er Ladyship’s luncheon
— ^which,, even on th is occasion, she w as n o t allowed to have
w ith ou t silver egg-cups, spoons, an d plates, and great parapher­
nalia of in con ven ien t tilin gs— and th e other carryitig her cloaks
and parasols. W hen w e were all packed, tw o long stm w roofs
w ere produced, and w e were extinguished, by having them le t
down over us.
W h en th e sun w*as not troublesom e, w e pushed
them baxik so th a t w e could see out. T he voyage up th e canal
w as not very pretty, as th e w ater w as low , and we were betw een
m ud banks all (he w ay ; b u t w o w ere carried alon g so fa st and so
^^W ?moothly’ b y m eans of men on eith er bank hauling th e ro]iea
nttaclied to tlie boat, th a t it w as very pleasant, and th e tw o hours
passed quickly, AVlien w e g o t near our destination, w e foinwl
palanquins aw aitin g us, an d 1 hjul m y first experience of a ritle in
one’of them .
I f it is n ot Iftt. and if you don ’t w ant to look out, and if you
are content to lie dow n, i t is p retty comfoi'tablc ; b u t if you should
.wisii to ait up, or to read, or to see Die scenery, a palanquin is n o t
th e ftiochino in which to do any of those things. I had on ly a
short w ay to go in one ; and as m y route lay through a m uddy
paildy-field and occasional inodorous mires, i t w as rather a
gooil th ing than otherw ise to bo transported in a packing-case.
Through th e mxid I w a s accom panied by a num licr of boys niul
children carrying Hags, w h ile bom bs of w elcom e w en t olV on nil
shies.
The xullagc, w hen I reached it, seoiuod to mo a me.sd «lelightful
place. 1 was n ot prepanal for such clean and picturesque little
hous4‘s ; in fact, pvradoxical as it sounds, tlio ju ean s of cleanliness
in In d ian village.^ gen era lly seem to bt* th e •only d irty and unattioictive p a r ts—I m ean th e w ater-tanks. They are perilously
near the d%\tlling8, and ai*e unm istakably green, and it does n o t
do to le t one’s im agination d w ell upon th e various uses to w liich
they are pqt. iiu t the houses both as to colour and m aterial iqok
rrially nice. iM ud w alls do n o t perhaps sound delightful, b u t th ey
are a geod colour, and are hard and sm ooth, and th e th atch roof is
l>eaHtifuny m ade, tin* in sid e of it looking lik e a kind of m a ttin g
wixh w ^kerw ork ribs. T h e frone of thS house is generally open,
280
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.-u. x
th e roof supported on pillars, m aking a kind o f verandali. Some
of the largest open sheds are used us ‘ c lu b s’ for tlio nuui, and th e
dom estic apartm ents, cooking-place, and rice-husking m achines
are Ijehind. In m any villages th e ‘ club ’ is used as a schoolroom
during tliC day. M iss Hoare has one of th ese, threc-sided rooms
for her ow n residence when she comes dow n here, and she and her
sisters occupy three beds in a row, and dress behind a m at at one
end. and havt; a movalde m attin g screen to h id e them from th e
v illagers in front. M iss A n gelin a H oare is th e ruling^ sj)itit of
all th is work. She Jives am ongst tlie n atives in th e padJy-helds
alm ost a.s on# o f them selves, w earhig a sari, and tram p in g up to
her k n ees through the mai-shy ricc-fields. A n oth er sister looks
older and m ore delicate, though M iss A n g elin a i.s far from strong,
and tlie tliird is still young. .They are w ell o3’, but th e y g iv e up
everyth in g to their m issionary work.
I w en t fii-st of .'ill to their apartm ent, and w aited till th e 000
children collected liere were seated in row s beneatli a Sham iana
erected for tlie occasion, and w hen th ey w ere ready T ste p jio t^ ^ ^
upon th e st.'ige and sa t facing them all, w ith th e B ishop boMde
me.
There w as .simply a great carpet of children before urn- row s and row s of little girls fading aw ay in the d istan ce in to
row.s and row s of l>'y.s, and teachers of all kin<ls stan d in g about.
A fte r the L ord’s P rayer had been said in B engali, 1 l^ g a n to
hand out th e prizes. Each one of th e 900 had som ething, and
although som e very big boys got th e tin iest of pink Hannel jackets,,
w hile th e infant,s were presented w ith more m asculine a t t i^ , I
am in hopes th ey were iill more or less p le a s e d ; and all, from the
BLshop dow nw ards, received a t ray hands a copper J u b ilee medal
■with a blue tap e through it.
I w as n ex t asked to ‘ sa y a few words,' w hich I whi.spered
in to th e car of an int<?rprcter, w ho seem s to have nnule a splendid
speech ou t o f my inurm urings ; and th en th e B ishop sjtoke, and
th ey all cheiy ed for me,
A n g elin a lio a r e , in her enthusiasm ,
m ountin g U stool and w avin g her h a n d k erch ief; b u t a.-> three
cheers for her were n ex t given , she hud rapidly to descend jmd
retire to a corner. .T h is function lasted an hour and a half, a n d
after it I had some tea in th e mud room and made m y tou r o f insp ectio n ro u n d th e village. A ll th e children looked nice and oleati
and tidy, and th e blue modal-ribbon .set oil' th eir little brown skins
m ost beautifully, Our return jou rn ey wa.s th e ^arae a s th e one
I liave dosi'Hlx'd ;*ouly that, as the w ater in th e canq^ w as higlier,
w e had n bigger boat, a i^ w<-re dragged along a t a g r m t p^ce. I
got home a t six o'clock, and re-ally enjoyed my ila y im m ensely,
Afuj/rf/ry^
l l f i . —"Wb had a farew ell iH nncr to .the
1880-87
.
TIIA IN T U /l).U lJ E E L IN 'i
2SJ
Kiv^r* Thoinpsoiis, and a concert after it. D. proposed the
L ieu ten a n t-G o v cm o rs health in ‘ auitahUs ’ term s. Mr. an d "Mr.'.
Cunningham also dined here for th e last tim e before th ey return
to England. C olonel C hatterton arranged th e concert for me,
and w e had very ni«e mu.sioancl a pleasant party. W lien I w en t
upstairs w ith the ladies, a troop of Burmese princes and princesses
arrived first, and as we can’t speak to each other th is w as enibarra.ssing. ’ T hopfirty was a select one, about 170 altogether, and
th e refreshm ents w'ere in th e ball-room , where people wlio w ished
to talk rather than to listen w ere able to retire.
CH APTER X I
^
D A n jE E U K G
A K i> D E U R .V D UN
M.'Crcn 1'^ TO ArniL
IS87
M arch IGth.— D . started ofT on 1jL» tiger-shooting
especUtion this n * r n iiig a t seven o'clock, and I had quite forgotten
th at ho w ould leave in. sta te till a fa in t sound of ‘ God save th e
Q u een / follow ed b y his ..salute, reached m y room. Blanche, who
sleepsrtjn tiiat side of the house, ri.sked show ing her head nt th e
window, to c x c h a n ^ farew ells w ith the Staff. H e r costum e did
not adm it of a more com plete revelation o f henjolf. W e hod not
long to spend ,in solitu<le, for our ow n jou rn ey l>egan a t tw o
o'clock. Blanclie and I, M ajor Cooper and Mr. Lawrence Gordon,
left a t th at liour by train for D arjeelin g. A t sev en in th e ev en ­
ing w e reached the river-aide, and w e dined on board a steauier
w h ile w e croased th e G anges. T hen w e g o t in to a narrpw-gauge
m ilw ay for th e aiight. W e had th e L ieutenant-G overnor’s
carriage, and were very com fortable i}ideed. I t is a voxy lon g one,
d in d e d into tw o rooms, w ith ’ a « u a ll com partiifent for a umid at
one end. W e played a gam e o f w h ist, and w en t early to bed.
Thnr$<.hoji 17f/t.'--It w as very cold in our carriage th is xnoririiig, Imt by the tim e w e wore dressed in all our w in ter clothes,
and had had^soin^breakfiust, th e sun w as up, and we were wurui
and com£orta1|]e. I t was ab ou t nin e o’clock th a t th e in terestin g
part of pur journey Ijegan, and it w as dcdightfuL
Irfhad a sp ecial.train , con sistin g o f a tin y engine, tw o sm all
carriage^ and two^ trollies, or ojiav trucScs. W e sa t in one of
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XI
thesti last, so tb n t we could see th e view , n o t only o f the uirtgnificen t m ountuins, but also of th e front part o f our ow n little tram .
1 h ave described th e Sim la mountn.iu road to you an d th e w ay in
w hich it zigzags and (iouhles upon i t s e l f ; hut th is is m uch more
w onderful, for in th e raihvay, w hich is a *w o-foot gauge, you
clim b 8,000 feet right through th e m ountain, tu m ju g euH tv /istin g, and runn ing afior your ow n ta il ; p layin g hide-and-go -seek,
as it wero, w ith dilVereiit }mrts o f th e train ; ru sh in g under a
bridge, and then sw eeping round in a loop and go iu g over i t ;
som etim es stopping suddenly and goin g backw ards on another
line, th en id a few m om ents forward again up a liigher road, and
then look ing back from som e puiut a t the three lin es fo n n in g th e
zigzag you have ju st accoinplisJied, T he iij-st p a rt of th e jou rn ey
is lovely ; it is thnm gh bealitiful and n o t through lon ely immntains. T here are trees aii<l tea-gardens, and ■views o f th e plains,
.■n>d houses and little villages, and such d elightful air, and such
oxeitfunent, han ging over precipices and apparently -making
straigh t for tme, -when a providential turn occurs, and 'the engiiMi*
sw eeps g a ily round tlie corner. A t one part of th e road th ere is
i \ barren
look, and th e first view o f D arjeeling is precisely tlic
sam e a s th a t of Sim la— brownisli bni-e h ills sprinkled over w ith
houses ; b u t on the whole, th e w ay np to it is inuoli fijier. * W e
heuixl i>f a ‘ ln.^n-cating' tig er in th e neigh b ou A ood , !ind o f w ild
elephants, one of whom c j u u o down w ith a landslip ‘ once upon a
tim e,' and w e w ere very m uch amused w ith th e curious pirople
and tlie fu n n y little children w e saw on th e way. Tht;y^i*e of
th e 'I’artan ty]>e, and look tncrry, lik e tl)o Burnie.se. Boine of th e
w om en arc fine-looking, aitd th ey w ear a ll th eir fortunes in th e
form o f jew ellery. Some have necklaces hiden wjtli rupee.s, and
som o h ave very fine gold knobs stru n g togetlier ; th en th ere ai'c
bracelets, and anklo.ts, and ear-rings, and oniain on ts for th e he.ad
o f all kinds. The little childi’en, too, are adorned w ith orna­
m ents, nnd*with not much •else ; b u t th ey are v e r y att ractive, and
th ey run by the train a s you jjhss tlirough th eir bazaui.s and catch
coins w ith gi«-at d ^ ig lu if vou tiirow them.
W o had a v c ty good lunch^at K urseong a t about tw elve
o’clock, and we g o t here a t three. I w as a little startled to find
som e very sm art ladies a t th e station , for T m y self -wus somewho.t
du sty, b u t th ey brought me such lovely bouquets o f violets th a t I
w as obliged to forgive them for coming.
had ^ume tc.a at
our hotel, ‘ ■\Vodtllands,’ and then wunt ou t to .seefc a view , but
it 'vVas hazy, and the m ountains would n o t appear. N o w .l have
coino in, and am w riting th is w liile B lan ch e is fussing over » fire
w liich w ill smoke. ^T li^air is Tlelightful, b u t it is too colj! for an
i
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1887
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D A lU K E lA 'ft AVOMEX
283
open w indow , and wood-sm{)lce is d isa g reea b le; otlierw ise w e are
very comfortable, and 1 daresay th e chim ney wnll soon g e t warm
and w ill draw b etter.
Mr. P au l, the D ep u ty Conmiissioner, and AFr. P restnge, the
fcuu x.f the '‘nainet‘i*w]io mode tliis w onderful line, travellw l w ith
us. T he ristv in th e H im is one in tw en ty -sev en , and it really
does look steep, am i Ghoont, w h ich is near here, is th e h igh est
poin t any railw ay in th e world lias ever reached.
F i\dcty\ \^th. — D irectly w o woko th is in o m in g w e |>eerecl out
o f th o window to se e if th e Snows w ere visible, and saw ju s t
enough of them to ta n ta lise us. H ig h up in th e h'cavens, and
apparently ^{uite n ea r to us, w as a beau tifu l slice o f snow-clml
m ount:iin t o p s ; everyth in g else shrouded in m ist. E^•en th is
unsatisfactory glim p se w.os lost in cloud a ll th e rest o f th e day,
but w e saw tmougii to m ake u s lo n g for more and to assure us
th at th is m ust be the mo.st b eau tifu l place in th e world when th e
^ ’iew IB clear.
I t is so.intere.stin g, too, in th e -way of p e o p le ; there are
B h ootias and Lepcluvs, and Limboos and Goorkhas, all of whom
look Chinese, b ut dross ditforcntly and h ave special peculiarities.
T lie orjiHmei'.t!: of th e wom en are m o st w onderful, som e of them
very handsom e, and th o faces o f tJie y o u n g girls (L<;pchas) arc
qu ite fair.and rosj’ mid line. One heafldx*ess worn hoi-e is v c iy
becom ing. I t is a stiff diadenj w ith n lt m ia le corul.s and tu r­
quoises sew n on to the edge, and it is worn lik e a .saint’s aureola.
T he Idtig black liair is eitlm r quit« loose or plaited in tw o tails.
T he w om en’s clieeks are often p.aintod w ith a maroon-coloured
stuff, w hich is pu t on t o protect ( be sk in from w ind and dust, but
i t g e ts a spcckied appcam nce, and does n o t add to th e beauty of
thoir com plexion. W e w ent dow n to th e m arket-place to see
them , A ll sorts of qu(jer-looking m en bring things up to th e
hotel to sell, and one m eets them all about tho place here.
W o v isited a con valescen t hom e, a young ladies’ school, and a
pliotograph-shop, all before lunch. A fte r th a t very necessary
m eal, for w e arc exo«’ediiigly hungry iiere, w o w en t a little
cxp ed itiou on injiiies— nice, quiet, strong, com fortable m ountain
ponies. W e to*>k M iss M urray w ith ua, and rode dow n to whei’8
the tree-fern s’grow, juid w e had tea there, and cam e back through
B irch Park. .tUl th e tim e tlie view w as lovely, though, as the
snow inountffcins w»rc absolutely in visib le, w e are not in a position
to sny th at w eth aveseen ‘ 0'*t view .’ I like D arjeeling im m ensely,
!inwevcr,*even w ithout tin view ; it is such ftcheerful, bright place,
and tiiero i.s so xnurh m ore local colouring about it th an in tli^i
m outrlaiii regions haunted by the G bverim ieut ^f India.
284
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fM . M
I lukve to ld you about th e people, b u t n o t about t h e praying
flagH. Y o u can't look out anyw here w ithout seeing tall p oles with
long, narrow flags fastened to* them , on w hich prayers are printed
and aro liu tto iin g in th e w ind. P rin ted prayers are tie d on to
th e trees, and all sorts of coloured rags k ^ p off dem ons from
house-tops and doorways. Then prayin g w h eels, are in great
request, and an individual inclined for ea sy worship sitn l!‘»tlessly
a t home and tw ists round h is prayer-w heel, and is satisfied w ith
liis ow n devotion.
•
*
T he railw ay porters are women. l<’:incy having y o u r baggage
carried by .s’tiupping you n g female's w earing pure gold necklaces
and si>ienuid silver belts, n o t to m ontiou earrings and such sm all
hits of jew ellery as b raeelets^ n d a n k lets ! A silver ch&telaine,
w ith all sorts of little im plem ents for cleaning th e uaiLs and
otherw ise perfecting the t-oilet, is >vorn on th e shoulder, and is a
n ew and V e r y pretty and u sefu l ornam ent. The dresses w orn by
m en are loose dressing-gow n garnients, tied up roon<i;J th e “••‘‘i.st
w ith a belt, and som e women have red aleeve-s and «lni;k-blue t u n iu ^
pinafores over them . The Lepoh;is w ear striped m aterials. E very
indivhlual is worth studying, and all p u t on th eir garm ents in a
picturesque and characteristic manner.
S a tu rd a y , IDi/i.— W e have l>een such a d eligh tfu l exp ed ition
to-day, and have ridden eigh teen m iles, c lim b ii^ up a very high
lu ll to see tlio view , and descending 2 ,0 0 0 fe et to lunch in a
bungalow , and home by a low er road. W o started a t ten o'clock
on ponies, Mr. P au l, th e D ep u ty Conuuissioner, and L ad y H .
w ith us. Our ponies am used u.s very m uch, for w e had no control
w hatever over them , and som etim es th e y .started otf a t a gallop,
and could only be stopped b y a syce ca tch in g liolcbof them . W e
passed through Jell; pahar, th e m ilitary station , and w atcheil the
fu n n y little train 1>elow u.s w in d in g about as it niado it s w ay down
tow ards C alcutta. W h ile w e rodo along, Mr. P a u l g a v e us lots
o f infovm ation. Blanche told him she w a s goin g to w rite a book,
a n d w anted to understand all al»out th e B hootias and th e Lopclias,
an d the Liml)oo3, and th e troorkhas, th eir liL tory, th eir religion,
th eir manners, and their custom.s. She plied him w ith questions
th e w hole w ay, and even w hen he w as very much o u t o! breath
to ilin g up hill by our ponies’ sid e he answered mo.st satisfactorily.
I w on’t repeat much to you, b u t w ill ju st tell you th a t som e o f the
little praying flags ai*e calle<l ‘ hoi-se flags.’ Thej' are,on tlm tops
o f h ills, and are’a sorb o f th a n k sg iv in g put th ere*b y th ose who
haVe reached th e top? w ith a prayer for those who h a v e y e t to
aw end. The people throw la g s up in tho
prav IhntHhey
m ay W turned iui^ horees to* brin g oth er people up, t«id some
i
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TSS-
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'Q U IT E YO UNG ^ .A I N , T A L L Y -H O !’
285
pieces are tied on to stick s and le ft th ere blow ing in th e wind.
A n oth er in terestin g fact is th at a w om an often cu ts off her hair
to m ake a good p igtail for th e m an she is engaged to m a n y . I
know you iike a few little travellers’ tales, b u t I hsA-e n o t room
for m any. S till, I m ust te ii you one tiger story ; i t is so v9ry
w onderful.
A
w as liv in g in a bungalow , from th e com ­
pound o f whioJi a tiger took a man. Mr. B . nnd'a friend resolved
to w atch for th e brute, b u t during th e n ig lit both fell asleep on
th e verandah. T h e tig er crept up, and, se u in g Air. iJ. by th e
hand, fegutarly led him across th e garden. T h e friend aw oke,
and ran ou t and shot th e tiger, w ho dropped th e hand, b u t w as
able to rush after th e tw o m en as th ey flew to th e house.
He
knocked i l r , B . over as he reached th e door, and fe ll dead him self
as he did it.
The gr&tt v iew is still invisible, b u t w o could ju s t see th e tops
of th e second and third h ig h est m ountains in th e world ; anil did
w e n ot know of tlu- m agnificent range w h id r is hidden from us,
i ^ e valleys^ and hills, and woode<l m ountains in th e foreground
w ould satisfy u s perfectly.
There are e\\orn\ous m agnolia-trees,
som e pink and som e w hite, w'hich, m ixed witJi th e forest trees,
g iv e som e patches of bright colour to th e MU-sides. Rhododondrons^nnd alm ond-trees are also in flower
Our descent w^s all through a beautiful forest, and w hen w e
g o t to th e luncheon-placo w e were very delighted w ith a ll w e had
seen. O ne of the party, bein g relieved uf m y au gu st presence
for a m om ent, inform ed B lanche th a t ‘ she fe lt quite young again,
tally-h?J! ’ and I thin k w o w ere .all in th e sam e ^tally-ho ’ frame
of m ind. I t is such iiice air, and such a holiday, an d th e ride is
so lik e the donkey x*i<les of our you th , th a t w e feel very cheerful
and nrp .ahvays*1auirhing. I am quite' sure T have not laughed
h a lf 50 much since I cam e to In d ia as T di<l to-day. T he road •
home w as an excellen t one, and I find th at, fur from h avin g nn
rides here, there .are level roads in good condition fur seventeen
m iles one w ay, thirteen another, and fifteen another, aild lovely
scenery all th e 'w>\v and in every direction.
X o r do you feel so
shut up in D arjeeling es yoxx do a t Sim la. Tliore is th e railw ay to
C alcutta, and you can ride in to Nej>aul, and you could g o to
T hibet if th e T iiibetaus w ould le t you.
From all tliia you m ay gath er th a t 1 am enjoying m yself
m uch ; and so is Blanche, w ho is a d elig h tfu l companion on these
occasions, ready fdr everything, fu ll o f sp in ts, and fu ll of most*
am u‘^ing grievaKces. She sleeps in m y room, but aa I stated lim dy
th a t I w ^ l d not be disturbed on a n y cxcuab, and a.-> Indeed she
s le e p s ‘‘very w ell hertelf, our nighty are q^iot. S h e objected ter
280
O V n
V I C K llE G .U ^ L I F E
IN
IN D IA
ch. xi
th e tick in g of Jtfy clock, so I sHcrifice<i th a t, ami uo o th er noise,
and no moSquito, has come to trouble her.
1 hear by telegram th a t th e children are w ell, h u t T have no
new s from the shooting party.
A native dance w as ari-anged for u s to-n igh t.
I t w as n o t a
very good one. as th e P e p u ty Commissioner had n o t had sufficient
n o tice to g e t th e righ t people together. Tt is generally danced by
Llam as, but we, saw lay dancers and on ly a sm all b it of th e real
perform ance. How ever, th e specim en w as m ost curious and am us­
in g, and quite im liko a n y t h i n g l i a v e seen before. Tin- shoiy of
th e ‘ ballet.' w as t h i s : A foreign k in g invaded China, and th e
emperor o f th at country com ing ou t to fight, th e gods provided
liim w ith a lion instead o f a horse. A t th e sig h t o f th e emperor
so m ounted, th e enem ies w;ere im m ediately vanquished. Then
th e emperor became tlu rsty , and a pe.acock apjjeared and offered
him fruits, and a toi*toise brought him rich and precious gems,
and Jjis subjects sang songs in h is honour.
The lion, th e pea­
cock, and th e tortoise were presented to us. T lie lion had a
round face fringed w ith greenish w ool, and a n enormdus m outn
furnished w ith a fine se t o f teeth . H is body w as w oolly and
greenish, and *thc tw o men w ho stood in his sk in exit th e m ost
ex.traordinary capers, and opene<l and sh u t h is capacious jii^ws in
n tru ly terriiic manner. T his lion danced aboijt w ild ly, and cu t
every sort of antic ; he scratched him self in th e m ost natu ral
w ay, stood upon his hind legs, la y dow n, rolled on th e ground,
and attack ed the peacock viciously, w hile th e tortoise flapixi'd
abou t him. A sort of harlequin man m eanw hile ran und?r him
and over him , .and alw ays narrow ly escaped liis teeth . T he ‘ p ea ­
cock ’ w as a splendid repre.sentation of an ostrich, and m oved
ex a ctly in the w ay th a t gaw ky anim al does ; but t h e tortoise w as
m uch moro lively than th e one know n to fam e, and he opened and
sh u t his shell as a bird does his w ings. P erhaps ho was really an
oyster dropping pearls before th e emperor. T liis pantoniline was
perfoniK^I in front of th e house by th e lig h t of a few C hinese
iantcniK, and to the sound of tom -tom s.
S u n d a y, 2 0 ti\ AVc w en t to church, an<l on our w ay home
cam e throiigli the market, which w as fu ll of all th ese queer-looking
people T have been attem p tin g to dcscrll)o to you.. T hey m ake
th eir purchases for th e w<iek on Sunday, and th ey were a ll busy
bargaining and layin g in stores. W e exam ined th eir ornanicntH
an d their differj^ut tvp cs of face, and th eir vnifoua costum es, and
w ore m uch interested and .amused. B ask ets, w hicn th e men and
w om en carry on th eir back.s, filled w ith goods o f all sorts,^ from
wood and ch.arcoal t«^ livo
w ei’e ly n ig by them on th«
J
Tssr
,
IN A
T E > r f'^ -
287
/
ground, babies sw eetly sleep in g i»
ile in other
cases th e child w as
on to its r
.ece o f cloth,
or w as m erely slun g on by a st.
ed round her
fon'head.
T found a T hibetan Llam a *
m to com e up and
bo photogi'aphed. H o had a w
A wjis covered M'ith
silver [>ells, and he w as h im seli
cions garm ent of a
dull red, w h ile he wore a large
n at. H is fa ce is a
T artar one, w ith a stragglin g tl.
. beard on it.
In Ih e afternoon
\VCiiv vO
t* vhe Lieuteiuint-G ovem or's
house. T he site o f i t is splendid, .ird th ere is a n ice Iprge ‘ cnmj)Ound,’ which one m igh t alm ost call a 'p a r k .’ b elonging to it,
w ith tennis-grounda and a cricket-ground, and seats tor .specta­
to rs of these spurts, wlioro th ey cam^either tak e in terest in the
gam es or lose theinsclves In th e contem plation of th e ‘ eternal
snoM's.'
W e n ex t rode dow n to a Tljil>etan tem ple. T he religion is
^ ^ u d d h i s t , b u t th e woreliip is different from th at of Burm ah, and
they have ^ in o very curious w a y s here. Three Llainns m et m e
a t th e door and presented me w ith a ‘ scarf of bles.sing,’ which
•.vns f very dirty little sf«rf indeed. Then th ey w en t in to the
tem ple to show us a service. T he b u ild in g is likf» an ordinary
hoxjse outside, bu^ jimny printed prayers are b u ilt in to th e wall,
and if you w an t to pray you w alk round ii, keeping to th e right,
and as you pass you say, ‘ O m any-pom any,’ or w ords to th at
effect, w hich means, *I say all th e prayers th a t are here.’ The
sm all ^ tm n c e -h a ll of the tem ple h as a row o f barrels round it,
w ith one very big one in th e corner.
T hese are prayer-w heels.
and you can se t them all turning, knd th e more you tu rn and th e
loiig(U” you keep'them going, th e b etter you are. The b ig one is
m th cr laborious to pray w itbj b u t for a rupee you can g e t an uld
w om an to do th e m anual part of th e devotion for yon
Tn tlio
tem p le itself— a sm all, square, dark rooili— a dozen L lam a-ssaton
th e floor, singing, and blow ing th e iuos’t noisy instruniM its. A
sm all altar, covered over w ith brass cups fu ll o f o il and w ith burn­
in g w icks in each, w as a t th e Iwick, and som e b rals im ages,'flowers,
and sm all votive ofteiings were laid there. Tlie Llam as were
shaven, and wpre largo, com fortable, dull-red g:irments.
J u s t abovi' this tem ple is a ‘ Clmtjin,’ or sm all w hitew ashed
pagofla. A stick in the centre o f th is is wound round and round
w itli every sort oT prayirr, and the.sc you onn also offer up by
piussing to the^right o f it, and sa y in g , ‘ Om manu padtni hum .’
riioee ard the ex a ct w ords to use. Our guTde thi.s afterjioon is a
m an o f som e positi<Jn, named ‘ T ciyiook,’ Jhe C hief of th e Lep^
288
0 1 ’’? V iC E I^E G A f, L I F E
IN
IN D IA
n i . x*
ehas. H e a
tn v isit b is liouse, and o u t of consideration
for th e n e r v ^
silenced h is band a s w e approached.
I t consisted o
sod in tm e Lepclia style, w itli a
striped petticoa
T n hat lik e a flower-pot turned
upside down,
ather w+uck in th e jfront o f it,
T liese m en aU beat».
^ n d o o k ’s house w as vory E uro­
pean outside, but th
re saw inside linA each an altar
ligh ted up, and se t \viv
m d llow'ers, and T endook’s ow n
particular priests were u
atten d to them . Chairs w ere
ari'anged for us in one of tusvO ch.apel-like rooms, aitd w h ile w e
sa t there w;e were oflcred th e nation.ii drink. I t w as presented
to u s ill a silver l>an*el, in th e top of w hich w as a tube, and
through tliis, in turn, w'e sucked th e liquid, an arom atic sort of
stulT. There w as a chinine^-piece iu th e room, on w hich w ere
pictures of th e Queen, o f D ., and o f a few other people, and I am
to send m ine there too. Our host n e x t presented us each \n t h a
n ic e little bell, and w ith a curious tw isted piece of brass repre­
sen tin g the D arjeeling thundeidwlt, from w hich, I M ie v e , t h ^ ^
place takes its name. l i e showed us, too, som e very w r io u s p ic ­
tures, w lilch come from T hibet, and w h ich are som etim es used in
th eir worship.
T forgot to toll you th a t w e w ere disturbed la st n ig h t b y the
barking of som e dogs, and B lanclie, w ho neve^ lies q u iet under
Lljcse sort of inflictions, did n o t rest u n til she had succeeded in
rousing nil th e servants in th e place, an d in sending m y jem adar
o u t to stop th e noisip. J1e says he g o t fifty policem en an d w as
hu n tin g dogs w ith t ^ n all n igh t, b u t B lan ch e says he m u ft have
on e hundred to-night' if necessary. I believo ..slie is goin g to
su ggest a dog-tax to th e Viceroy.
Sh e has been amused a t som ething w hicli is n o longer n ew to
me, and th at is th e w ay in which thrcn stran ge officials jo in me
as I enter every new b it of country, nml ta k e care o f m e for a
tim e, and th en disappear to make ro^un for another set. This
tim e w o ^mve been fortuhato in th e D ep u ty C om m issioner (Mr.
P a u l), w ho has show n u s everyth in g here, and been very • instruc­
tiv e and amusing.*
M on day, *21st.— Tlie snow s th is m orning w ere a little bit
clearer, and w o w ere able to see th e top s of all th e h igh est moun­
tain s.
Kinchinjutiga, w hich, n e x t to M ount E verest, is th e
h ig h est in th e world, 1ms five points, and its nam e signifies ‘ th e
five treasuries of the groat sjionv.’ K ufra and Jan n oo com e n ext,
tlje form er bein^ shaped lik e a four-poie ten t. TKe w hole range
is m agnificent, and loriks solid .and beautiful .against th e b lu e sky.
I t seem s to be f/ircc//y^behind^thc near hills,'u p on w hich you sec
i
1 ^ '
1^-
Tlii-: 1JDI4J.A1
t r w s and liouspsr d i s t i n c t l y , a n d
ndrled to its preiH liP ig h t, w h ic h
th at of s n o w - m o n n t a in s a nywhc
sfcn i t ijiu td t o pert’pciioii, for '
ch-ar since wo cants’. A\’e a ll
blit i h e e x c i t i n g idea o f g n u
2B0
npftrncss,
^'H iifcrent fro m
not, Im w cv er,
levyr b e e n r e a lly
th e place,
4liy c o m fo r te d u£ a
little .
I
\V> g o t rid of our engin e u
i/her carriages a t Ghooni
- th e, liighc-st railway station .
^ ^ w o rld . remember— aiul with
a little p ilot trolly goin g on before to show th e M'ay, wo glided
down, do^rrl Uie H inialayas, through lo%-eIy moucrtain passes,
rocky and beautifully wno<led hills, th e most splendid scen eiy,
the m ost delightful air— n o sm oke, no muse, a quite ideal journey.
T (!xpeered to b e alanneil, b u t J wji* not in th e vej-y least, and T
olrirtcd precipices and turned comei-s, and w hisked roumlloo]>s in
the happiest frame of m ind. AVe i:iuiie do%vn th e greater part of
the 'n^y a t the, m te of n in e m iles an hour, but near tlu ’ oiui there
i^is n long ^rtr-aight descent, and -Mr. PresUige allowetl us to do it
as fast lus tlm w heels could t u n i—about tw enty-five mile.i an hour.
I i was like the laost easy and sutfe tolxigganijig. The mau who
luuuuges the b m kes has com plete coiitrn] ov(>r th e speed, and at,
an y Kioiiieut he w ould blacken it, or s t o p , h e Hid several times,
for us to seo a .spcclHiiy lovely pee]i, or to g et us a sneciinou of
som e new plant, or b> let us p u t on our cloaks ; once w e stepped
for tea, and wo also Intd luncheon oii th e way, for our trully
jo u rn ^ ' lasted from 12 till fi.M . A t th e en d of it w e wore handed
uvcr to the oliarge o f Colonel B oughey ami put in to n new tia in .
T hei’e w e passed th e nigh t, n^crossing th e G anges early in th e
iiKirning, am i reaching Calcutta- e.t one o'clock.
H a v in g brought mvHelf .siifely back to C alcutta, I m ust now
g i \ e you som e ex tm c ts fnuii i) .'s afcount.s of bj.-t prooc. dluga.
Hi.s lirst letter is d'ltn.l March 18, and lie says : ‘ \V « have had a
iplciuUd day, and have killeii, tw o tigeiv, a m other a m lh c r voung
o n e—not th a t T had an v hand in eitlicr perfomin.nc*, for my
elephant got frightened (Hrectly he scented Ljjv tig<>r, and would
n ot come up to the scratch. I did not think it a very sportsm an­
lik e perf<•nuance, because, nftrr beating the wood, all th e olephaiivs and gun*! formed a com plete circle rouml a b it of gross
and bm nilde in the m idst of w lueh was the bea.st, and eveiy’body
fired at her at thg sam e m om ent, and long after sJm wn.s helpless
th ey contiiideij pouring b u llets in to hci‘, th e upshot- Iteing th a t uo
one sec’iya to cloiui h er as his prize. lhougl» t dare.^ay in !?ocrot
ovcry.individual bcUcvcs she belongs to Inm. B u i th e whole ex peditjon w as very am using. The n ex t day we started about l6*0
290
\ L I^ F K IN IN D IA
,
n r . xj
ulopliants in a.
a sm ooth grassy plain. AVe
m u st liavo oovc
more than a m ile. A s w e mlvanceth every ki:i
up in front o f n s— bustards,
p ig, partridges, h;.
’■abbits, sp otted dccr, barking
deer, liog deer, owls
A*c. W o wtun; n o t ulltrwed to
firo u sliot, wliich 1 t»
hai'd, a-s th e grass was much
to o short U, IiohJ ft ti^
c wcro nuniber.s *of m en and
CJitdo .‘ibout in all diroclio.
‘ Our proceedings wore cc>»^^.tod by a little Xepalc-jO colonel,
xvhom tlio y have sen t down to look after th e 100 elephants th ey
Ini.ve lo n t us.* I t w as under Jus TnaTmgemeiit w o gi^t n braee of
tig ers Iwfoi'e lunch. On our w ay Uock, th e in terd ict on geuoriil
sh ooting w as taken ofi’, but ihti gam e w as not so p len tifu l. H o w ­
ever, I sh o t som e part.ridge, a hare, a m bbit, and a kind o f btisLurd,
{? m ost beautiful biitl. W o g o t back to camp ab o u t five, and,
liftving had u, cup u£ tea, I a n m o w resting before our scvcrj oVlqck
d inner.’
On tlio 20th, D . w rote : ‘ Yeatorduy we Imd a b lan k vlay, and,
th e novo’ty having worn off, one had tim e to considcb
per
Ronal im pressions a little more closely. The oouelusioii I came
to was th a t T wjis being rattleil about in a pepper-c-{tster. AVe
started a t 8..10, and had to go eigh t miles, th is tim e through
a cu ltivated country, and therefore w ith ou t tlift ex citem ejit of
look ing out for nojulesoript gaino. I w as put in to th e m iddle o f
ft th ick et a t one end of th e jungle, th e eleph.auts h avin g previously
broken dow n th e trees around me, so as to leave w hat th ey galled
fi ‘ Alaid.an,’ th a t ia to sav, « space ftlxjut ten yni'd.s w id e, in order
th<at I m igh t see if a ln:;Lst came. 1 th in k I told you th a t on the
tirst day niy elephant, when th e tiger w as annoynced to him,
in stead of goin g forw.ard like th e rest, retreated l>ehind a very
thick cix*o, in u how' biunohes iny head became entangled ; so
th ey changed m y lieijst, and gHve. m e one belon gin g to th e N ep a ­
lese coUm«l? They sav tluit were u tiger to leap on lii.s nose he
w ould n ot so much as wink. H ow ever, h is courage 1ms not y e t
b w n tried, for yesCerday w« drew ju n g le a fter junglw in vahi.
On my w ay iiomh I abdicated mj’’ pepper-ca-stcr, and took a
hum lile sent on a little pad elephant between, tw o K cpalcse.
T liis m ode of travellin g w as a great relief— indeed ip iilo com fort­
ab le - So tlm t 171 bitiire w o Jiave d etenuined to rido to rover im
one of th ese little hack clo.])hftnts.
•
‘ AA'o are vci'v* comforbihle, and I liave a beau tifu l t e n t ; the
fOO<l if' very good, inul <t\-erybody is most k in d an d atteuti,ve.’
. Thi.s is all 1 h;i^ e Jicnixl so bir.
*
2oi/u- jJIaiiblu^ iinU I le ft C alcutta by tlu* n i^ ht tn iin
»
1887
.
TllK 3rKDK’Al/-SCJ»
2f)l
Oil WVcliicsdHy and joumpy«*cl or
ia my ow u
carriage for tw o iiigltts and a /
evening Sir
-lUfrcd and r,rn]y Lyjvll met a i
ifid sa t w ith us
we dined. Tiio night', w,
got a ch ill whii-h
brought me to A g fa th is mor'
c a bad cough and
feelin g very i^nwel!
•>}
)pop© m et me a t th e
station, and >is th e train w as
an hour and a iialf
to w ait there. 1 drove w ith
iioose where he is cuterta iiiin g uay and I think it wa^ «i*^.aun on m y back during th is
n ilh er lon g drive w hich made m e feel more ill than should have
done frr>tii n nicro cold.
TJio house wjis b u ilt for a tomb, .but is a m ost charm ing rosider.ce n o’.v. i t has been done up fresh, and has th e prettic«t
furniture and most lovely carpets, afld .a fcn iery w ith birds Hying
about it onlside one o f tlie draw'ing-r<join windows.
•J did n ot g o ^ u t all day. b u t T had to see se'vcrul people, a> X
have come here solely to v is it the Foinato ^redicai Sciioc'l and t-o
ta lk to the peopln connected w ith it. J^r. liils o n suul th e Indy
doctors came to see me. H e is th e utiginat-or of llio school, and
it is ouLireiy tlirougli him th a t wc have such a go<xl foundation
to work on. [ w ill n o t trouble you w ith the long convt.-r .jvtkms T
had w ith h.im and ’« ith l!ie others ; it wfvs all the purest ‘ sliop '
and w ill not beai^repctitinn.
•
T he M ahiinijrth p;iid inn a sta te visit, and then I lay down and
slep t till dinner-tim e, w hile Blanche w as t^iken to th e Fort.
■i'ffiirday, 2GM.—^ confess it w as .a
roll«f to m e to lind
th a t I w a s Nvell th is m on n n g, for 1 had really begun to f<‘nr an
*
illn ess of .some kind, and I had a hard clayis Avork to do.
u
lireakfasted a t •eight, and then I drove oli‘ to see th e nmdic-d
school, the buildings th a t e x ist, th e foundations and plans of
those chat aro to be th e hospita.], th e disponsary, th e c][t--sroom.s, the pupils and to hcai ail th a t everybody liad to >,^y on
all matter:; connected w ith its present nnfl its future. *1* has the
m akings of a fine instituticjii, and is goin g OJi m ost .sutlsfiictorily.
A fte r thiij ] w as obliged to do th e gaol, w hich
thn v e iy hottest,
place to walk about th a t T can im agine. Jbit f'h a v e to order a
carpiC, and Hr. T yler i.s so proud of those he makes here th at I
could not got but of looking at- a ll h is prisoners a t work. JSome
o f hb> liesc men were lot out a t th e J u b ilee, and tljon*fore many
loom s are no.w a i-» stiindstill.
In the aft«rn(ion w e w ont to sco th e 'I’aj. * H a v in g
^
dcHoribi'C^it to you, I w ill spare y o u all furflher rhapsodies on th';^»*rjr ^
subject.
•
'
T he ilinyev party;w ent off very-w’cll, am i I Ijplieve ihi:
• *
•
.
u 1'r
k.
\
1
2 { ) '2
'M.
? i n 'L '
IN
iX U IA
.
CH. Xf
rajaii wh-s niuc,
tliough h is sliare o f enjoym ent
appearerl to me
^>cd.
l i e came to receive Lliu
jfuests, he looked
Jhresented everybody to me, and
tlie n he took m y fi.
\ in to tlie dijiin^-room - after
v.-hicli he took
ie
'
*
Tii''tiday, *2C*w'i. '•
Uf$ a t o.30 yesterday morning-,
and Llie Maharajiih d i w ,
<#j»tion. BlancJicand Fred were
w ith me till tlt(j m iddle o t .
w hen Va«y Tr,~r.t ofi' t-o D ellii,
and lilr. Lawrence Gonlon"'l»*a£^ pursued nur >vay to Bc-iiir,,
wliero th e cLilJren are sta y in g and where we arc fcospimd a q u iet
m onth.
Mrs, Charles Gordon m et me a t f?ahuranpore and gave me
'liinier and saw m e off in mv dak gharry. Oh ’ w h at a ni^dit I
had "f it. T he gharry itse ltre se m b lea a hear.<-;e more tlnm any
d h e r earriiige,
instenri nf oeing painted a glossy hlaefc it is a
shabby broWn
AVheii you are about u i spend the n ig h i xu*it,
vou j>ut in your pillows and your blankets, and us thero are no
seats } ou m ake yoursclf as com fortable as you can in ^ reeum bent
p{)sitiou upon the floor. Xhure are slid in g doors at eith er end,
and those gcnondly slide open when you w an t tlami to )>e shut,
an d sh u t when you wUh them to be open. In th is box you are
ruttled along an<l jolted fiv-vm sid e to side, changing horses fvoi-y
Hvo or six m iles. T (?anie to th e conclusion thur th e jo u m o y was
Xiot tm«' for a iiorvous person to make. I t %vas pitch dark, and i
b.id no sooner g o t accustom ed to one ^onin of <lrcndful n iiim ak '
than I had to go through th e agony o f trying another. W hen I
g o t w ell off oiu-h tim e I was happy, b u t th e m om ent w e .stopped
uo change uvy m ludtw us full o f .anxietv.
'^riien* w as one parilriilarly bad hour, winch is ratiier am using to m e now to look
b if k *>n. The new t-eam nc-ighed wiKlly aiid imuh* unrnistakublo
H gns of w ishing .to light : tliey turned round and prcsentod rtOme>
time-'? their heads and sometim^R thuir ta ils to in y open door. J
declarerl T could not, and wniild not, g o 'o n w ith
tjxciu, but no intelligible answer w as m ade me, and all th e num er­
ous w hito ligvires w hich were bustlin g about in th e gloom seemed
indidlTorit to my‘fcars. I a t Iasi succeeded in w akingnxy sen-onfc,
M'ho w.-ifv .M)und asleep on tUo rtx)f, and I route*! Mr. Lawrence
Gordon out of the «arriiige in w hich he w as {0 1 1 0 ^ 1 1 1 0 me. H e
apjH'nred in a mis«.*ral)le suit of cotton clothes, and im istlia v e l>cen
b itterly cold, uS the wind w as very high and th e du#t was d yin g
in clouds. i- ’itW ou ])c wrapped him self in bJnnkists, and T saw
a good deal of him fo^vsoine tim o. H e g o t my shrieking steeds
ta k en ou t and auoth^r pair p u t in ; so iprtet a jKvir th a t th ey
f’ouhl n ot jj'et on
all, and tlioy w itc a lw a y s stopping, 4ind‘I was
IS3
ISdT
.
A
N H !H T
2 0 8
alwayfl han^'ing out. of ?ny veJ
jfka th e iimttvr.
and at Jast I l^ g a u .xa-iously t
^ i o n o f sto|i]iiriir
ill peace by tlie w ayside a iid i*
» c uiorning. Mv.
Gordon, iiowover, snggpstcd sh
/ c a n i a g e o n to the
ite.Kt sftiMe to fetch som e beet'.
‘ne were taken out.
This w osall^ very well for mij
uito w ere .s h i\e j i^
w ith ci*Ul, and th ey soou olleif
j themseU'cs. T l v ^
were som e body-guard men an<.an ts, and Mr. Oordon.
and tlicy^ .ot'toaiu l took m e a t
...g
for a lio u ttw o ini!c<.
A fter this I wa.s fort««ale, and had good lior.ses and w ent very
b u t I never could sh'cp from anxivty a s to ?ho probabk'
cdiaructer of the next, teann One of m y nocturnal troubles wvrn
that I had lost a shoo, and as I wa.s alw ays exp ectin g to have to
taki- to th e roiwl on foot, it was, 1 fMt, a serious loss ! T his most
excitin g driviAjvsted from 10 r.M. t i ll ? A.>s..an«l you m ay supjiose
1 w as pretty tired of it*and very glad to see som e of th e boiiyguard in full uniform suddenly appe.'tf by ir.y sid e -a sure sign
tiiat I wjis near niy de^tmation.
A ll n ig h t wo were pa.sslng bullock-carts w ith quaint figures
uiuflled in w hite driving them through th e dark, and som etim es ouiw ay was'^stopped Ijy th e u p set of one of th ese carts in th e ranldlr*
o f the* rop.d. N o ; a nigh t in a duk gharry does n o t su it m e a t all
— of th at 1 am q uite oonvinced.
r found thp cliildreu asleep, b u t tliey soon woko up and came
and talked to m e till their brenkfast-tlm e, wlien I w en t to .sh“^p
and RA recovered from the dreailful night.
])>k,-n: RV/ncaffa;/, 30^A.— tV e h a v e t.al:c-'u a bungalow here
from a n ative lady w ho m a r r i e d jx v.'hite man, and w ho is now
euioyir.g hi.s foj-tuii^ <io a w idow . I t is a very gootl iiduse, w itli
one long room w hich runs rig h t through it, ami which i s ’dm d?*^
by u curutin L ito d in irg room and drawing-room.
On either
sid e of it are bed-rooms, and upstairs tliere are tw o good rooms
whicii have been arranged for tin; V iceroy’s bu.sin.ess.* .
W e have tw o otlier sm all bungalow s belonging to us, and an
aruiy of t: iils, for of course when th e V iceroy appeal's private life
eiuis, and Foreign Secretaries and A.l>.C .’s ajfll business people
w ill swarm
'ITle country round us is lovely. There are th e mountaiuy
(juite close, and all th e m ads are beautifully wooded, and it dof.s
feel like a real cm intry place.
W c do les*ons a great part of th e day, and then w e ride, 'ifie
ur>t tir.u' w e w ent to look a t th e tan k s t'roin w hich our w uler
comes, and yesterday we rw lc to th e Goorkha L in es and came
lionfe thpongli an avenue o f fine fl-ees, \^ith
stn-aui o f w fitfr
2IU
A I M . U - 'E I K
I>'I)IA
rutinin" on onW
;oft. ''round for th e iiorses' feet.
T he ehii'lren a m
' are m uch occupied in jf)olcing
a fU r three ( i o g s \
to b e leai'inng triclc-s.
I m ust now X,
i‘ hit. of D .'s tiger-shooting
e x p erie n c es;. ‘ Til]
have n o t been very sa tis­
factory, for w hen ot
; ct ono th in k s very little of
slnuglitering deer, but ,
Iv o liad a I’eally good day, and
h a \’o brought home thrfi© ,
•me of th ese a very ■fine, m ale ;
b u t as to ^^hoIn any of them
mg it is diflicult to say, for*vhnt
Imppens is th is ; Then* is a .sudden shout, ‘ A tig er !' am i pre­
se n tly wo s<?e the grass m oving and g et a glim pse o f som e creature,
upon w hich everybody fires, and of course overybody inm giues ho
h its. T he second Ixiast turned up in th e m iddle o f a w ood w ith
v(‘ry high grass. H e was eJoSo to m y elephant, and I tired dow n
upon him, and of course T believe I h it him. Then h(> Imvinded
about, and dozens of shots were fired in «\'ery direction. A t hist
he cam e ou t in fo an open placo, and I h:ul th e good luck to knock
liiru o\'er w ith a shot which broke his back. 1 tlien gi've him th e
coup de ;/rdcH in his head, so tliat, a t any rnttr, 1 had a'lai-gn slniro
in Ilia dostruction.'
• /Vi'Vuy, A pn'f IxL- A ly familyicm.-un.s you n gcn ou gh in mind
thorouglilv to eajoy tho pHvilegcs accordctl to all on tho fii-^t of
A pril, nor svouhl th ey hear of ending th o ‘ Apr^l F ool ‘ tim o a t
tw e lv e o’clock. One da_\ in the. year i.s little enough, th ey th in k ,
for tho divei'sion of tak in g everybody in, and th»*ir lUio regret is
th a t tJieir father is not hm^ to be practiked upon.
■
W’c w en t to te a w ith th e Muirs, and rotle w ith th em after•wards, and in the evening w e had the further dis.sipation of a
con cert and a sm all play. There wn." one lu th cr fu n n y scene
durhsg the conreri. A gentlem an who w as goin g to porforni on
th o flute m ounted the stage, b u t th*> lady wl;o w;is to accom pany
him w as am using liersolf cinowhen', and w hile liu wae looking
abou t forhfcr in every dirf*ction, w-o could .sec her laughing and
ta lk in g in th e autii-rnom. Then; were screens across tlio buck of
tlie stage to hide the- preparations for th e pl ‘y . and .'iftcr tlie
flu tist had peftrwitieliind each one of the.'^e, h e u t la st in ile.siKiir
retirw l there him self, but his coat tail liiid .scarcely disjippearcd
w h en the lady uiiuvln'd. on to th e fron t o f tlie stagh, and all tlie
audience, lauglied and ai>}ilauded— she could n o t iim igino why.
T h(‘ p lay -wn" ‘ Hut oil’ with a f^^hilling.’
•
_ Satul'iii, 'ird^ /« ]VrdtirHda;i^ fd/<. D . arrived safe and w e ll,
a n d is di'liuhieu -.vith'tiiis phict', w ith tiie liouso and h is own
cheerful rooms, with th<‘ vic.vs and th e trees and tho clim ate.
A n d we havo miiiyigwl to m fiintain our p iiv a ey and^ tp lead a
IS87
.
T>.\X(u:iiorH
295
foniily life. N o t one A.1>.0.
, and w e can
alm ost fan cy ourselves a t Clu
a nice Ion-'ride
every afternoon, and we ' njo
T h um doy. ~fh.— One <la;
^ h e r th a t 1 shall
m iss u few ever}'»now and
had special d is­
y m an unusual w ay,
sipations. E\'en th e weat
banks o f black cloud
occasionally em ittin g a
,^ ^ m iu g out w ith a sudden
gathered together about
iittIo»gust of w ind, w hich madt ^ ^ .o a r a dust-storm , or chodding
a few drops <*f ruin upon u.s, so rluiL w e m ight exp ect a deluge.
N oiio of these th in gs came ofl’— it w as a ll ta lk ancPwe g o t quite
safely through che aforps<aid dissipations, which were, lirst (one
o f au im proving and instru ctive charactt-r), a visit to th e Survey
Oflice.
•
Our second engagem ent prevented our v isitin g th e Ol>servatory properly, so 1 w ill say n oth in g about it, as w e mean to go
there another day. I felt sure th a t llte cliildi'tm w ould be iu a
desp<-‘ra te ■sta te o f im patience for our returu, as w e were to have
som e tiltin g and tent-peggin g a t th e body-guard lines. W e
acc«iixlinglY )ucked them up and drove there. A ll the, ponies had
l)ceu sent on, and T>., w ith som e gentlem en, tent-pegged on one
sideNif tlie tea, wdiieh was laid undor tom e trees, while bhe Ittdi&s
tilted on th e otHer side. The children enjoyed them selves im ­
m ensely, and w ere paiticularly plenied w itli a tin y ditch betw een
th e tw o grounds, over which tlioy could jum p.
— \ \ q ho*l such a cu n ou s o.vperienco in cliurch
to-uny. I ’he clergym an was ju s t beginning hia sermon when our
carriages drove violen tly p o st th e door, th e body-guard lushcd
after them , apd .all th e oth er v eh icles sor Ou ion ; i-hcitj was a
great com m otion outside, and all th e m en in th e church g o t up
and bcg.an to sh u t tlie dooi-s and wimlows. I could not im agine
what w as th e m atter, but thy word ‘ b e e s ' soon l>eg!in to be whispore<l al>out. "When wo wmre safely sh u t tip, th e ;>i;i
wcmt on.
Thi'ho sw aniis care ''cry dangerous smnetimes,, and had th ey g o t
ii\to the- church, th e hulies would a ll luavo had to p u t their dro-sscs
over their he.ads, and th e gentlem en w ouhi liW’e liod to protect
tlicpiKclvc.s iis best they could w ith their coat-t;uls. W c w alked
soniy way t<5 our carriages, and had ro jum p in and g e t off tw
(iui<?kly i.s ]iORsible, for th e b fvs were buzzing about, and all our
men were mucU afraid of them . The children w ere highly
delightt^d w db th is j)ie;c(* o f oxcitem oiit.
•
>:satnrduy, 9M.—-Wo m ade a lo n g and w;r}' plrasiuit expedition
UJ1 t© Mus'-iiorie, wJiicli is th e h ill station im m ixliately over tiii.s.
It is much .smaller th an Himla, bufrit hiultlu* inestim able advan•
»
•
a
y . L ll'K I S
IS P l.i
,
a :, xi
tivgp of Ijeinj^
, ^ "H'of tho HimuLirn'^, and instead
o f being burie>
-S ei’ ningo of raountains, it is
situateii a t th e r
Beni
io o ^ dow n upoii the
plains as upon a
to from th e world, am i a
j>ersoii th ojc who JIjy l u D stntioji so cia tj could
luount his hoi*sc ancTV
tf an hour to th e larger Avorltl
Ill-low. Y ou can’t
i ^ l i c h t f u l senr-6 of f ’X*edora
th is gives, because you
-W ^ i i i t it is to be encaged in
th e very heai t of th e fdiru* ^ a a . for th e greater p a ft of the
y<iar.
. W e left Bur house »to}i after ton and «hx.’ve to llHi[>ore, a
rillagft at The foot of th e hills, or rather tlie place where th e ascent
begiixs. There w^ ia<puntefl our horses and SJit u})on them as
upon an iucliin-d plahe while th ey toiled up a v oiy steep road.
>Vo oarriod parasols ami had on lielm ets and sun-pads, b u t i t was
n o t disagiveably hot, and with T)ehra to look a t below and th e
w o a n ta itis }>efore us, and a certain am ou n t of ]>retty w ood to
paa.s through, w e had a cliarming lido, and w e all Enjoyed it
m uch. NVe w en t stm ig h t to th e Hiiunlayu Club, w h ete th e comnsittee gii'. e u s h very e.vcellcnt lunch, and thou w e again m ounted
our hor-ses to sec the plar.e.
Jlu.ssoorie hears « strong fam ily lik en ess to Sim la, and its
v iew in to the m ouutains is ex a ctly ilio saini’. Jt4ias its juiuiature
Amuindnh% called ‘ the H appy V alley ,’ dfnlicated to tounis and
G ym khanas. It has its ‘ J la ll,’ tlie fashionable promenade, itij
c lu b - H very sujawior place indeed— its asseuibly-rooms, iOiul its
‘ Ja k k o ,’ calleil the ‘ CainnVs B ack.’ W e wt?re very fortunate in
t h e day, wliieh w as d ea r and warm and plcasaut, and w e saw
3lusb00rie looking ft.s bjvghtest. T he club g'uve iis.tea, and th en ,
soino on horses imd some in dainlifs, wo desconde«l th e liill ag.ain.
T he girls and I were carried, and we I’eached th e l>ottom in about
an hour's tim e. The carriage met us a t ll.aj|>or(>, .m d w e got
hom o aboijt*seveii o’ch'ck, having had a very iiice day.
Lord 'V;ilij>ni brought, in one o f th e n a tiv e eonjui-ers in th e
ev en in g . H o w as»nither n good one, .-ujcl whs v e r y clean and
very musical. B r id e s ci-naulJing his laonkey-skull over every
trick, he sang ‘ P op goes the AVejir.el ’ and nthcr national E nglish
songs, nii.xed up w ith Indian tunes, wliicli added greatly to th e
cliarm s o f h is performance. One of hix trick s w as, I suppor*b, a
voi-y silly one, but it wji.s very amusing, lle in a c ^ tw o eggs light.
Unaide<l b y any viKjhlc imvins they ho/ipeil arnl, jum ped and
knockeil e.-ieh other until one bnike.
.
. J fo w /'ty, IL //.— Thi.s afternoon wo w en t to see a tea-garden
and the- maolnm-rv fo r tu rn iu g green Ic-aves in to tea-raddy .tea.
j c y
1 8 8 7
.
M A K 'i ^ G
^
'2 0 7
T liis pi^x:ps>; o n ly
.-i
Ad th e youiii'
sli'iots. wliii-U*nvo jnilltHl in
k aiul tliy uiitl
pa^'kwl uway iiitn ■In-riii. by ir
however, 1 * 0
drunk fn- nix m onths oi a yeat
of women nml
children are eraph^'ed in pieki
h«y bring in their
l>afikets fu ll iw ic e n day. ;.nd
/u an tity th ey liave
gathered is tvVighetl, am i tlie j
/• a pound on tlie s}>ot.
Those leaves an*, th en spreud p
w ither ; a fter tluit
th ey «.re pu t in to a inuohine w:,
them about for half an
hour. .'UhI out o f this th r y c o w e in fi damp and draggled couditimj.
]rf‘ft oil auotlier sholf for a tim o th ey turn brown : ijhon th ey are
pas.'.od over a v e iy h ot fiirniice in tniy.s, and th is drh?'^ them ami
turns thfiii in to ' to n / The only th in g left to be done is to .sift,
it in a scries o f sieves, which liivi^le the tea in to four quah’tica.
Xlic co.irscst- -S uucliong— conios out of one sieve ; 1'okoe Souchong
out of am dher ; P ckoo from a third ; am i Orange Pekcrf*. the best
tea, fi’oui tho fourth. X o tliin g rem ains to be done now b u t th e
packing of it in tin-linetl cases, i l r . R ogers told me tlm t about
130.00U
an- sen t out of tlils garden in a year, th a t it costs
five am ias a pound to m ake,-and is sohl on an average a t eight
H e giivo u s som e home-inatle bevem go beforo w e left, and we
w alked all over#tlte gardens, w hich are very p retty. The tcjibuHliea are nent-lookiug shrubs, and there are some good trees in
the place, aiuI a lovely v iew of th e inountuins from it.
Alft. R ogers liiis a dog w ho lavs adopted a little m onkey, .and
th is creature alw ays Hcs on th e dog’s back as he w alk s about ;
and, if pulled nwa} I’roui hiiu, cries, and then rushes after him
■'ud jum ps uji to his place iiguin. Tlie dog defends tho m onkey
fiom the atta ck s of all other dogs, and it w as m ost am using to
,se«^ the w ay th e tv*u w en t on together as th ey micomimnied us
round the garden.
A t(*l«;scoj)e was }iut up close to our house, and before dinner
tw o gentlem en cam e to show us som e Rtiirs. I wislied Very much
to see them , and wns im rticularly vlelighted viith S a tu n i, which,
to iiiy sitrpriRe, wa.s ex.'ictJy like his picture.*, a<id w«« much more
original tim » an y of the other stars. V enus on ly lookeil like tJie
moon seen w ith the nukixl eye. W e saw 'R ig e l,' o f whom 1 confess»T liad not heart! Ixdoiv, w ith hi.s kuuvII a ttem ln n t star, Sirius,
Castor, tlie iloulile star, and th e N ebulae near Orion— its gohleii
lioze w ith ^li^* briglit stars in i t was quit*- plain. T he inoun,
unfortuxiateiy, ro-sc too late for us to sec ij.
The w eather is,q u ite warm now, Imt our liouse is cooI in tin;
d a y , and th e even in gs out .are ver^ pleuo.-pit.
I T T
298
^
iA L .L IF E
IN IND IA
l h . xi
y'w’sfhy^ \
*;irt<jUb(F in a com fortable rarriage
th is ni'.irniiig
nu* niilee to Ka.iwalla. Our w ay
la y througli dil
vood and jungle, and in ninny
p liieestlie lovely .
sso a b u n d n n t a t Delir.i, eoviTed
tUe forest trees, n i
tusciuluj froai nil th e branches.
Tlien we suw the t.
icli reinindeil 1). o f his tigershooting, tioine of tw
en ty fe e t high, and are y ellow
and di'ied up now, w it-^v
rks on tlii'in, so tlia t I), says it
is difiicuit to <iistingui:.)i 5 ^ ^ ^■ouohing tig er from tjie jungle,
w hich is so much tlte sam e c ^ u v as hint-^elf.
AVlieii \VD tx‘;i'jlicd our Ciiuip, w»i found i t a very jtrotty one,
situ atw l on a liigb bank overlooking tlie (Tanges, our te n ts simded
by groups of tine trees. W o were n ith er liot and tiroil vvhun w e
urrivedj and were g lad o f .s*me lunch and a le s t, but l»y four
o ’clock w c w ere ready to go off lishing. W o rode on elcpliauts
douni to th e river, and then we did onjoy ourwdves ! I.), fishc^d
d iligen tly, throw ing a >?poon, and I sim ply .sat on the banks and
w atched him , and looked at the u n -ln d ia n scemi. It w as ju st
lik e being in Canada agfiin, and it w as possible for th e tim e to
forgot th e Indian Um pire w ith its Burinah, its A fghniustun, its
Frontici', its India Office, its Civil Service Commission, and all
its other cares. F or tlie first tim e 1 really appreciated' th e
G anges. H ith erto it lias never ‘ babble<l U> m » o f green fields,’
a s a river should, b u t has been ;i-ssociated in m y m ind w itli m ira­
culou s cures, buvuiug gh ats, crow ds o f hathev.s, in san itaiion . and
tow n s. H erb i t does n o t set up for lK*ing better th an its jicigb bours, and its clean green ;iml b lu ew a teiv flow on in nil .simplicity
through pebbly shciros and wooded b anks,sw allow ing up a tu ru u len t
little tributary .and slipi>iug b y the JSawniik
T hese arc a
low tviiigi* of m ountains which sh u t in tho D un, ainl iii tliem
.some of th e m ost in terestin g fossils iiuve been disciiviM-ed ; in fact,
a t R aiw itlla the G anges is <,|uitc unsopliisticatod and <-ountrified
in its behawiour, and is just, lik e any other river. Even the fish,
unaw cd by the sacred charaelcr of tin: stream, jum ped ab ou t in
a most binbalisingjiianncr, ami wen* ill far too frivolous a nioo^l
to b ite. W h ile U. w as tryin g hard to t^iiupt them , I m ade an
excursion on i w ondertul kind of boat. I t consists of tw o bulli^cksk iu s filled w ith nii-, and across them a sniall bcdst<»ad {ch u rjxn )
Is tied, w iiich is the seat of th e Iwat ; on It f sat. whiji; th e j lufledup anim als, ly in g on th eir b ack .s\n th their toes
tho air, flouted
me. Then tw o loose sk in s were throw n in, and tw o h n eii, ly in g
on Their ch ests aeros.s tlioni, seized dilFcrent sides or niv lif^stearl
w itli th eir hands .and paddltal w ith ilicir feei... Y o u can't th in k
lidw fu n n y the whole thin g lot^ks : th e four hel])les.s, fat seal-Jiko
1887
HAOnKU. U ljf
'
29U
jinimalfi lyin g in a i w w ith a p i’ip
ftir facts fir'in
having tlieir cyos and m ouths tiw
Jons as if tijoy
had (lied .saying ‘ P ru n es and / «
j t t in g iictw een
their upturopd paw s, and th e j f
i^ 'o n ) u s l\’ w ith
their ft^et. I t i.s a m ost eoinfoii’' '
Sliiuu, as it draws
scarcely any w ater.
f
^
(!olonel L ane is th e Coinini
after us. and w e
have only g o t Lord AViliiain >
. m dlay w itii us, so w e
aetim ily s^t down to dinner so
party as live,
were
all vi*ry sleepy and tired, and w c n tto hod a t nine* o’clock.
ll>ffne;f</o.)/,
W e have had a m ost in terestin g and de­
ligh tfu l day. r>. he^an i t eai-ly, and w ent down to th e river for
a couple o f iioui-s’ tisning before breakfast. I reiiiiuned quiet and
-s:ii. uudor lUo niango-li'ees, w lnle luy ayah pnckod u]> and hurriwl
t»ir U.» Ifurdw ar, so th a t she m igh t have tim e for a d ip in the
saered streuiii a t th is m ost propitious tim e, before 1 should arrive
there. t>. was unsuccessful, but was, I think, quite happy in '
that hope V hich ‘ s}jriiigs eternal ’ jn the iisherman's breast, and
he w'eiit o n 'tiy in g Ins luck all the w.ay down to JCurdwar. "VV-e
btvakfu.stetl lirst, and them g e ttin g into boat.s, were rowed to that
place. W e w ent dow n several rapid.s and enjoyed it im m ensely ;
th e river looked lovely, and on th e wiiter the weather was co^^l
enough to Jjo vci^- plcawuit. TIurdwar is a m ost pioture.sque and
curtouB-looking ])lace ; it con sists of a inw o f van ou s tcm ple-andfort am i palace like-look in g buildings a t th e very edge of the
w ai(‘i-,,a hrtig n a n p w bazaiir n a m in g a t th e l>ack o f the^c and a
good way Ijeyoud. Home of th ese buildings are tem ples, and
others are houRcs belongin g to great H indu Rajnhs who lik e to
have residences a t such a sacred place, and w ho genom liy allow
all the pilgrim s from ih elr Stares to liv e in these bouses w hen
these coine to Uktiie.
The fail- a t llui-dw nr usetl fo be cnonuou.c. but sincQ th e rail■vvay has come near to it jillgrim s v isit it all the ycai*roim(.U •‘•nd
then* is not so g iv a t a I usJ* Ilf them for th is ‘ F u ja ’ or itiligioiis
festival. 1 landed on a sort of wooden bridge, or barricmlo which
shu ts in th e principal bathing-place. The stiTain is so strong,
am] the crowd so great, th a t th e weak and old w ould run great
n sk Ilf heing*cai ried aw ay were th ey n o t jicnneil in. T he b u ild ­
in g s form H corner here, ajid th e bridge goes across th e base of
th e triangle, w hijo a great flight o f sta irs—a ghat- -dow n from
tl.c bazaar Is ]h e apex of it. The houscj?, lcdge>, little cupolas,
and w indow s fiii either side w ere tilled jjitli peo}ile, und a compaot-ci'owd cov(?red th e ste p s; there weiv: al$<.i .smalhu* w in d in g
300
: a l . i . i F i : IN IN'I-IA
stairs l<*adinp
\ gnily divsscd iigurcs were ahvav^.
.goiii;^ up and i
Pfiuple from
V conir here, and you caii’i think
how in terestin g
V s to wat-cli tlie in u llitu d e hotii
in and o u t o f tlie >
V r e for two Jiours, and J)., wlio
tirriv’ed a little latei
p leased . Som e of th e bathers
stayed in very long, .
e shivering w ith cold, b u t still
there w as a constant «
m g on. and alw ays som ething
fi'csh to look at. There
suppurting tw o little girls in
h is arms, w ho seemed to e ’'joy it thoroughly. T h ey splashwl
every one w'iio camo near, and seem ed full o f fun.
Ano<her
fniher of a fam ily came holding a y«*ing baby high .above the
water, wldh\ thr«‘C women held on behind and crobse<l th e bathingp k c o till th ey reacliMl som e quiot corner, w hen th e y a ll -held
their noses an d jum ped up and down seven or oighfc t im es w ith ­
out stopping. T lu y ha<l hxjked fu lly dressed when th e y entered
tlie Witter, but after a dip th e cotton .slieets w hich had. covered
thern stm-k to them , and exprc.s.sod much more than' th e y conceiih'd. I l ii s happened to all th e women, b u t nobody seem ed to
mind.
When. D. arrivo<l, there was a grout shouting, and milk and
rose-leaves w ere thrown in to th e (b in ges in his honour. Tnays
of th e la tte r 0 1 * 6 k ep t there on purpose for th* devout to f»fhT,
and one m an pays Its. 7dO .a year for th e privilege of sellin g roaeloaves there. T he Bi'ahmius are very busy all th e tim e, receiving
g ifts frmn. th e pilgrim s, and I saw one old gentlem an besieged by
them as ho descem lcd in to th e w ater. ICe produced m oney fiom
som e cm-iicr of his lim ited costume, and gavi! i t in to th e o u t­
stretch ed li.ands tiia t wove thrust in h is w ay. 1 was very much
iuiiTo-sted, too, in w atching a wom an w ho had e%ideutly brought
somo of th e a-slie.s of lij?r de.'ul to ca.st into th e water. Slie p ou n d
them into her ham l out of a little bag, and aftor much consultatio n .w ith n,. Rrahmin, paid him .something and cast them in to the
streani. *!Mnny people throw in m oney and jew els w ith tho n.ehes,
and all over th e bathing-placc men stand w ith tm y s, w ith \\h icli
t lu y ahovc-l up pebbles from th e lx>ttom an d look through them
in (h o hope of recovering treasure.
Fakirs were Iwiihing in numbers, and otiior holy people from
afar w ere filling vessels w ith (he sivcred w ater to carry homo.
T hey ouy the w ater keep.s goo*l for ever, and oyery one lik es to
take aw.ay lx»ttle^ full of it. A lon g th e edge o f tlir^^v^tcr, on the
w all of a house, were % row of niches in which fakirs and gods
^at, and wlu-ro ollcringw were made, mid opposite them on the
otluw side th ere w as a Ipng ledge on which were perched u num-
1H^7
'WJP. ^ \ A V
TO M A K r
AS
301
l)er of j)iicst-lik e iri'*!! in omiigt'
j**?' BraimiiiK
sat iipjxwite Uf: in tin* crowd <
-VevH very fmelooking nieu in pink turbans ;
tn bo [fresc'utwl to lb Tluu*p w as one f;
who w o i^ l oonic
and seize m y fiw t iilul talk to i
great dififtu lty in
g e ttin g him k<‘pt- ofl’.
^
A nother « xoiw nicut^gaR
/ of large hsh in th e
batiiing-place, wMch, iMung f<.3 ', are quite tame, and
are jntt h f the least alarflnxi b \ ,
^^phig
splashing that
goes uu around them .
A ll tlie p eo p le luukvjd
h^|>py and go<xi-Jiuiftoureti, th ey
soei''.«T<i thornughly to eujoy th e festival, and, as T sidd Ifofore, we
could hardly l>onr to tear ourselves aw ay from it. "NVhen wu dhl
gf) w e monntetl a b ig elep h an t and Sat in a splendid iiowdah, tho
arms of which were silver tigers claw ing silvor anbt!lc>pe.s. T im s
em hroned w e rode th m u gh th e bfwaiar. Thin is oviduntly the
w ny to m ake a state. })rogrcss in India. One feels so very grand
and so very m uch better an d higher tJian otJnir people,
one
looks in to ’th e upper chamlx-rs and p n to th e roofs o f all th e
houses, and dow n upon tlie foot and equestrian pus.-icngers and th e
little shop-i and th e daily -streot-Iife o f peojde in less rlovated
posiium s. AV’e had a pnx‘es.siuii o f ♦^•nclvc olrphajito, but ouj's
was th e biggest ffud gnmde.'^t nf all, and had much scarlot and
gold enibroidory' hangin g ab ou t him . W c ou gh t to have beon
dressed in th e sam e style, but, alas ! w e on ly appeared in travelliu g gnrments. w ith .->un h ats ; a .smart uinhrfila with a silver
stick held over u.s unproved Our appearance a little, .1 hope.
A s soon as w e had lunched, ^^^e w ent to look a t tin) ht'ad of
the Oangtai C.'inal, one of th e great engineering w orks of India.
I t i^ . nrried under rivers .ami over rivers, an«l is about .'>00 nnles
long. Then w e procceih-d to a dam which regulates th e ajineml
o f w ater in th e canal, and th ere we saw a wondnrful sight^—•
tliou-sjind.s and thousands of lish Rtru*^ling to get. n p'tjie stream ,
and jum ping in .shoals far out of th e w ater in their vain efforts b*
pass the do^us of the. dam. I t w as m ost eurkms, and one could
not have bnlievcd in the quantity of tish w itbout si^eing tlmui.
JV^ried to catch som e, but I am eiipc th e w ater w as ts u lIi toii
tu rb ulent and th e fish tar too w ell oixmpled wil h tiieir ciulenvours
to proceed up the river to b ite. I w andered about th e top of the
dam and wp.tcho<l the sm aller fijsh trv in g to g e t up a t other gat.es,
and the sm alk at of all m aking th eir w ay up u'f'sh-Iaddor wfiich
hoc beeii b u ilt on purpose for them , but w hich none of th e b ig
OiicR'cniidcsctuid to use. A t five o’clock w© had t ea, and thpn
w ent on J»y (n d n to Koorkt. C31ohe? /tnd ?lrs. JJlotxl iiie t us
*
•
N
•
»
•
:t0 2
y
. V L - L I J ’K
IX
IN D IA
.
til.
VI
ihcrc, and
They have such a p retty draw
ing-rooin. it :n»V
ious. Ft h as a hi"h «loniwl roof,
.supported b y foil
w hich iuhIco a round cen tre t,o
th e rotiui w ith lav.
how.s <^r recesses beyond wvch.
yim seem s to have ^
rirrangint? rooui.s, and she lias
tjinio th is ouo tip v e r \
*'e dined alone w ith them , and
ill the ovouin <5 t h c r ^
y in the g.iirdftn, an d all th e
sta tio n was presented to
Thm'Ddat/^
sp. ^ tlie wliole m nrning in sp ectin g
hospitals, troops, and work.shops, and 1 was ready to go w itli him,
b u t he persuaded m e to give it up, as it was so very Imt, and as
w e had loi-fy-five m iles to drive in fhe a ftern oon ; s»> I sa t a t
hom e and talked to Charlotte Blood, w ho is S ir A uck lan d Coiid u ’s daughter, and wliom I Unew a t Cairo. 1). cam e iu a t one,
Jiuviug been interested in all he saw, and w e ha<l lunch, and
started directly after. I hate driving, and .strange horses, b u t
our ow n m et u.s tw en ty m iles from Dehrfi, and lo o k u sth n m g h
the M oliuii P a ss in the S.iwalik H ills, » really lovjdy bm of rood,
w ith im m ensely liigh olirts anrl queer-shapml pinnaolo* rocks, and
beds of rivei>, and all th e trees com ing nul in to blossom s and
fvesli gifiOH leaves. W e got home ju s t in tim e, os a dust-st(»rm
follow ed b y rain cnmo on as .we g o t in. Tluc children wcvv all
w ell, and h:ul been having som e fun o f iheir l^wn, tiltin g and
ttmt-pt‘ggiu g lit 7 -A.M.
The dinnor-talde luul heeu decorated in thw luoat elaljorate
w ay by our sorvants w itli ‘ W elcom e, Knvl of DuHeriii^' and
crowns, all done in roses. Thi.s docor.ition is a sni't o f miinitv
which they have tak en up la te ly ; and T believe there is, great
rivalry bctw cim tlio different men as to ivhother th o >Staff Imngalow table or ours is th e more beautifully arranged. Tiio ch ief
decorators wa-re hidden clo.se by to hear w liat wn said ab ou t it,
and one wrote an elnboi’a te note to B lack w ell to ask h er to conu*
and see it ., *
^ a i v . r d ‘ i ; i , 16/7f, t o
T u fis td iti/,
wa.s I’athor knocked up
after tny threo lon g d ays in th e snii and he.at, so 1 h a v e been
tak in g th in gs q uictiy, and had indeetl to remain in be<l all Sunday.
Friday and Saturday afternoons Mr. (loro and I had our luimds
fu ll. Pour huiidrrd d u b ilee onllectiou wirds to be* signed.
It
proved to bo •{uite a hibour, mid w o harl to g e t in som e help.
On« servant w ettcfl th e r ew ip t stam ps w ith a *ijrusli (for w ho
could lick 100 stam ps a t a sittin g ? ), another p u t them dow n on
th o ’righ t place. 1 thou mailed Uue-s avross t he b lan k sp aces on th e
eaiyl to prevent any further collection b ein g nnuln on it, signed
uud dated and pass^ed
on t5 ^Ir. Gore, who took Joivn -the
i8«r
ciiia sn A -N .
h
303
o f i t h i u I tUe nam e o t ’ t i :
A t c a .u m from
Moradahud, rnd t)ie hUm total
6,000. M ost
people Lbcrft la id put dow n
ir cards, %\ith
th e nccessiiiy sum as a clonatitaP
J a iy lx iflv olae
for nioro. Tlii.s m oney idl g o
W est Provijjces
Branch of m y Fund.
1). had t%v*o morninjrs' qaa;
.cfee he cnjoyctl; iwiii
tho children have been riding '
JT
Vv*8 ga^e our ouo dim ier
.^ tu rd n y n iglit, which
was u u lu c% for m e, a s I fe lt m ucli m cliued to go to licd, and
found it ditticult to g e t through th e even in g. I t w en t oft' nicely,
however.
M onday I was to have v isiie il a n ative school, and th e Leper
H ospital, b u t D r. I'iudliiy m ade mo g iv e up th e latter. I did do
ih e schvK)]. It is au A m erican m issionaryone for n ative Christians.
T hey h a v en fine house and grouiids, and .seem to g iv e a v e iy goo"^d
educ.'itioiL T lie six ty pupils, a ll boarders, w ere seated in rows,
Jiiid all wtjr<^ plain ^^hito s<ari.s over th eir heads. W h en I was
seated th ey began to sing som othing a little shrill. Thou a «;hild
g o t 11 ]) and, tak in g n stick in her hand,iailvanced to a blackboard
on which som e jim blem s from Kuclid w ere drawn in chalk,
and as f.ast as sho could speak and p oin t w ith her stick slio
gabblw l over th e «xpIfinatIoa. I t had u very fu n n y oti'cct. Three
more pfirls follow ed suit. Then th ey did geoirra])lly in tlie snpi<'
w ay, b u t as [ fe lt a little more a t home on ib is subject, T could
see th atjth ey reuily had learnt th e map in a very jiKictical Avay.
T here w as E i^ liah reading and move singiijg, and 1 toiled i-"
over th e house, feelin g very weak ; I nsked for a holiday for the
jiupils, and refused to m ake them a speech, and g o t lioino ns soon
as I could.
I m issed a little (.Joorkhu Ib vicw which D . aud tlio children
w ere at, and th ey cam e hom e d eligh ted w ith it. T he gli U rode,
aiu l M rs. Bociier, the w ife o f th e Colonel, took them a l^ u t, and
th ey follow ed th e details of th e sham b a ttle and w ere not- th e
least aJiinued by the firing w hich w en t o n ,.a n d were much
am used by tho whnie th in g, and by th e clioery and excited
dem«;anour of th e sturdy little (joorklia.s. A now battnlion of
them lias J u st‘been raise*)!, niul th e y hnvo ijuite a largo establishJiiont heiA'called th e ‘ G oorkha L in cs.’ These soldiers are never
moved, ex cep t foi; war. so th ev are ablo to settle dow n ooinfort.ably.
Tucsilny wa.s our last day a t Dehra, a m i we. had fixed upon it
for a garden p a ity
a sort of acknnw ledguieut to all Uie pooplq
w ho bad M-ritteu th eir nam es in the*i'isiting book. AVe had it ut
n u iT ib f tr
804
l.A l- L IF E IN INDIA
.
• h . xi
th«* body-gai,
TT.u? vci*y successful.- Tlieve wtn’e
tn'O teunls-eniv
iik in j', and everybody
seeiiusd am uw d,
tfi M’ouclered w liy th ey Imd not
l i l t ^ Jiefore, n a
g e t it up here » t once. Dasil
h;id boen out in \
trv ton t-p eggin g, and having
t i k e n three pegs li&
■ouraged, am i w en t on a t it th e
whol?! afternooii; Rut,
b<nl>’ else. H e ^’as not quito
sn"C'OiaLUl before s p t - ^ .
b e h es g rea tly im prov^ l in his
i-idiug, and ho enjoyed h ii|^
^ u ie n s e ly . H onnie uyd A jctoria
tilted . Tho D’ehra people sf. 1 6 tJieyw efe so sorry w e wei-e going,
and th a t ‘ how the season w as over and th e y w ould bo so dull.'
1 aupi)Osr th a t our cavale.ades on th e road and all th e bustle con­
n ected w itli such a big esDibHshineut did enliven a little j'lace
lik e this.
•
W e have been very sorry to hear o f th e wreck of tlie Tasnutnia,
tlie ship w e came out izi. Tlio captain, w ho was drow'ued, w as
such a nice man, and it i.s a sud ending’ to hi.s careef. Iii-.jvas so
jinx'ous to g e t a shoi’e .appohitim-ui, pcfor m an, and B . hail done
w hat he could for bini. w ith ou t success. W e knew m any of the
people on l>oard of hei'.
W e left Bchi'a in th e n iu m iiig and had n
Jong drive to Saharanpore. The win<l ^ a s very higli a 3 id*very
Iiot, and tlio dust fearful, but w e got through i^ and the cliildndi
seemezl, as ushal, to enjoy everything. W e were glad o f tea 0 1 1
ou)‘ arrival a t the station. Then w e had an hour and a h alf in
th e tr.iln, and awoko in to V iceregal life again a t X'mballa, whore
guards o f honour, bands, ciirriages-and-four, a salute, an d all the
sign.s o f it aiiJK! to remind us of our ‘ official position ’ a fier n
m onth of ]>rivat6 life. AV’e p u t up a t th e h otel for th e night,
and sat o u t all th e eveniu"
T h u rsday, llls i.— W«* bail a very q u iet'm o rn in g , and di'ovc
over to P injore in the afternoon. This curious little place, w ith
it.s.w atep falls and fouutalus and canals, its illuminationR, tirework.s, and tin sel decoration, delighti*d th e cVdidren, nnd. th ey
w’ere also itiimensely plcju=ed a t h avin g to sh-ep in. tent*. Y ou
know P iu jore well by th is tim e, so I need te ll you no more
alx)ut it.
,
F r ith n j, '2'2nd.— W e did our long, lon g drive up to ?»inila, and
wei-e vei'y ghul when wo got there. Sim la oj»en« again a fi^w
chapter o f qnr life, li’.id so T w ill n o t l>egin upoij it to-day, thouglz.
it li/uk.s so v o iy jik e itself th at, Iiaving alnuidy dc.scnbed it to you
stea d ily for tw o yeani« I do n o t know whnt T flludl fsqd to tell
you th is year th a t w ill be in th e least new o f intero.sting. .
1887
'
/
H NN TT K
K RR TTA
K
A IIN
NA
. MIK
f ; '’
305
ruA P ^
5=1M
AV UIL 24 "
•
S u n d a y . , “iU f i , ( n f - ' r i d n ) ^
^.iUdreii :irp clehgUtccl
wit)) ‘tlif 'smaU hnu.so, whicJi tlu_
is iiiucii
lliarx th^y
expected, and a t the sam e tim e n o t too big to Itf liome-like.
T hey are glad th e new ‘ P alace ’ is n o t finished. W atrh in g its
o«tnpletion w ill be ono o f uur ainusem euts th is year, ainJ we liav®
already iniide several exjK 'ditions to see it. ]>. i^ much pleased
.vith it, anti if only it i»i »'e*»Ay
u;: lo
in to n e x t year, we
shall be ijuite contented. I t ought to be roofed in before ih r
rains, if there is to be a vlm uce of its luring dry.
W e miss our tw o young ladies very much, and how w e arc to
g e t through si.\ oionths of even in gs w ithout them 1 don’t know.
W e have l«'en to look n t th e nesv Town Jfftll, which fiutsido
is sf>m»'tJiing lik e an unlinisljed cathedral, but wliich insith- iv a
collectiorj of phici's oi am usem ent. There* is uiider its roof a
sm all theatre, and a w ry fin« balUrooTn n. dra\ving-room, a len d ­
ing library and reading-room, an<l a w indow less vau lt in wluch
the Freemasou.s are to carry on their m ysterious lite s. i t also
probably eniiiains a room for, publi<* m eetings, but f did nut see
one. •
I have, been going through th e list uf vtur ent< vtttiu\uent^ a t
Sim la last year, and I thin k ii inav aiiiuse y ‘'>v to see tlm resuli
of m v «-xumii'«.t:ar. rm! th e sUitistic.s 1 have mathj \)ut.
Uuruiu uur scnvori ‘ in th e co u n try ' w e Imd 12 big dinners,
the gue.st.s. irresjieclive of our Imusenuld. being from 25 to 50
in number j 29 .small ilinners w ith from 6 tx) 15 gu esjs : I sta te
ball, 1 fancy Ixiil, 1 cbihlren’s fancy ball, 6 dances of
250
p f M i p U * oach ; 2
ganlcn parties an d 2 even in g p.-irtie.s. The total
iiuiiibt'r Ilf ontertaioinents w.is 54, and tlje nymiber of invited
g;;
who actually did din© w as 644.
^'ridfty, 27(h.~ The t^ueen’R r.all th is year was. 1 think, a
{jitriieuliirly nice ou<*. T h e wcvaihe^ ■".as lovely, th e people were
smart, and nil seem ed tu be iti th e humour to enjoy them relrcs,
so t liiit thevf was^ a great deal o f spirir alm ut th e affivir. Ther-.*
w ere such num bers of n ew ladies th a t I felt <|tiite a stranger
anjony them . Tin* dancing m en 1 never do expect to know.
Tncfd'i’H, ?lot. -?>Iy life is a btyden tp me by reuson <*f mjr
•
X
aO fi
\
'lA L , I JK K
IN
I N J ' IA
.
11
. xn
annual c h a i ^
-athi*!' an im pi'iiant. iett/'r tn wi-ifp
aftor y e s t ^ iA
foimd i t diliicult to collect my
i«leas, and to lo
soi-t o f order, wln-n baskets of
;'ci()ds and notes
tlio whol<‘ uioriung, and wiioa,
Jit least tw enty u .
Vnuposition, I g o t uj) to uupjtck
ilio th in gs jind to \
>11
tlieir v;ilue, and to thaj-ik
the dsvxii's, and to
askets were reim rnid to ihtMii.
O ne m om ent 1 w.is
questions ctuicei'ning tJie A g m
RcliOol, fiml the n ext 1 ■%.
w hether r doll was worth
one rupee or fw o. I t w as «. i*est fi’oin th ese labours to go t*>
A m m iulalc for lent-jiegging juid tilting.
i n th e evening w e w en t to ilio phiv in th e new tlieatre, I t
i.; a wery pretty litfle I'lace, and is nicely decorated wtLli jdnk
J i u i s l u i curtains in each bo-v, and gold aint'w ldto pjiinr.
W'e sit
ji(*ar the stjige, and n ot only sec th e pljiy vtTy w ell, bu t all the
l>copie ill the theatre too, whirli adds to th e ntmiscaic-nt.
r H d o y , June '^rd, tu Wpdm-mhij,
W e Jiro destinetl to
suffer tho gi-eatest anxiety about th e w eatlier for onr
Every
year i t pour.s the day before, and tlii’ejitens ,iud w'Dri^ia-, us up to
three oVlock on the real day, and th is yi;ar ii sur]tas‘if‘d itse lf in
tlii.s airgra'.ating line. A fter tw o m ouths of excessive h ea t riud
drought, it m ust lu^eds come down in a heavy show'cr on TJiursday evening, and on Friday Ijoeom epositi'-dy vicious in its conduct.
A. ton'ifie gu st of wind a t oiw o’laook in th e «Iay covereilou r rooms
w ith dust, and sent us all flying to th e w in d ow s to sh u t tliein,
iunl then drrkucsH came on and a. deluge rjittled Ujvoai th e roOf
jind great hailstone,s fell, jiiid despair tilled m y Tuiml. A ftei' one
pa.'^sionatf- squall it settled down in to .a steady downpour, and the
law n, which has hitherto lookeii like a desert, w!is soon convovted
in to a UHirsh, Friday aiorning things looked hettiT, b u t tlio
clouds h ung nb«)Ut, and oci:asionally a black one w ould pass over
the blu e .'ky ju st to ten.si* us apparently, for it never canic down,
and w e e n jc il by ha\ iug a glorious dity. I ha<l not dared to p u t
ou t any of th e pr»-cioua goods until three o’clock, and tiiey were
BOJirrrly^UTajiged.when th e people began to arrive. The grass
w as a little damp, but we laid down eaiq>ots, and every «inc was
really glad to be m iih o r hot nor dusty. Tie- w hole th in g was
vt'ry .amusing, and the result w as good.
.
*
J can hajul over d s. 1,200 odd to the. R ip oii liosjjitn l, and I
hovnnboi't ] lO things left from iny ta b lew h ieh i viilue a t R s, -100,
n!)il lit \ 1 ' 'b I ■’HI going to uiH keoneiuftlefor th^ pCMJti of iSiiula. I
shall fb VI.!','the fatter sum am ongst th e clergy hern fo r distribution
in th e W’liti r.
*
' Tin b' nig the 1th s f Junc^ D . uincd a t Sir F . Uoborts’ w ith a ll
|6 t ^
18S:
C A Y E ST I'EK D A Y S C*'
th e otli^r ‘ E ton b o y s ’ (liat eo
LieuietJrint-Uinorjior o ftl. - i'u ■
amoii" them.
21ift-• -0)>sei ve | i
a n d u Utilf, a n d c a u o n ly <pyW
g a y e s t t e n d a y s u f tlio sp.'ison
d u ll, ti lls is a p ity , a n d y o u u i
w o u ld a ll
h a v e b e e n !uid m.’
ED
1507
fp. liy a ll, the
JC-dD in were
e w iste d a w eek
.jofc <ieeonnt o f t h e
i f l is g r o w in g d e a d ly
a Ov ^ Y cry in tc re .s tin g i t
^ous <-limato k n o c k e tl m e
overj^ora tim e, w itii Avhat luigi
^.jpuliir language ho termiid
a ‘ finjrer-ache.’ I w ill tirst Hi^fci
1
oil’ Avitli uiysi-if and my
syinptonis, and w ill then gi'-e you a second, tliin ij und fourthhand account o£ tlio gaioiies 1 liave ini.,aed. Mer.d.iy 1 aw ok e
w ith the very' slighti'St headache, b u t w ith an nnconcjuemUo disinelination to get up, so, supportedjjy th e d o cto rs nscnrance that
tw enty-four liours in bisl would cure me, 1 remained w here 1 woj
for th a t tim e. Tue.Hclay 1 got up <)uite w<‘ll, but mcisi, alwurdly
w eak, and so Tim m ediately gave up all idea uf goin g to a dance
that night, and about lunch-tiiue J ’'C.soiviid n o t to reci'j\ e visitoi-s
JUS T was })ouiul to do tlnD aiiernoon. W ednesday I still felt
wt-iik. and on Thui-sihiy 1 w as u]) and preparfH.1 to recei\'e guest.s
a t dinner here, and to sit out a dance aft,i;r. H ow ever, J fftit
•\-(*ry cross in th e afternoon ; tlio servants passing ih e window,
m y lK>ok falling jjown, everyth in g aud n oth in g m ade nle irn tab le.
JSucIi ;i very extraordinary eircuniatHnce as this niadv' jno look at
the thennoiueter, and J found m y tem perature, and niy temper,
Wei'S at lU l. ii e’r>.uinstance •vhich h.Va never happened to m e in
1iKUa'beforc. i m eant to .say n oth in g about it, but as tlie doctor
iiai.ij>ened to come in, I did confide th e m atter to him , Jind he
sp'it m e to btitl a t once
F riday I remaimid there, .Sabarclav
ditt*», ;md SiAiday ] wjus up m ost of
d*’y , but still weitk.
^oine tim e during th is peri«Kl I caughl ' t»ld, b u t otiierw i-e them
Sf*enicd to be nothing w hatever th e m atter w ith mr*. Y e^icnlav
! went down to luncli and dinner, hod to n ig h t 1 hopi; to gcj to
the K oberts’ fancy ball, so I m ust considei' m yself co^vale-sconi,
tlioujd» feeble, flertiiinly 1here is som ething oj' the vampire uIkiiii
tiii.s elim ato : it i.-xinn'l.s your strongth, aud you know nothing
al>out it until some very slig lit nilmciA reveals th e melancholy
fuel.
Thursday tliere woro nices. and a b ig dinner ami dance liere,
both of which J u.; - abio to foiJow iioUi juv bud i!"n>pdiateiy
above. Fk-st, n cjattor of sw-u’d.s nonr m y door, by which I know
that 1 fis E xcblicncy has bcmi fntchwl, am^ th a t tiavitig dusci ndod
LHK3 qiHJtrS) lie i-5 being tiiken round th e guests, Ijtd y R ulx-ns. Sir
Frederick, Mr. antf ilr.s. f)ur:iud,
A uakland fJolviu and ludi*eu
• * “
<.
.
' a
-'.2
808
AL J i i r F . IK IK D U
CIJ.
^ti
three, tlto Fn.
•. Ijevet Y ea tts, anJ tliir ty more.
I hear ‘ Gotl sa
id 1 kiu>\\ tliey are iiiairln iig in •
hI v lio b e r is , B lan ch e and Sir
to dinner, tiio
Frederick, and a li.
^ BlancJie in a sta te of extrem e
nervousness a t th e
luy place, and assuring
S ir FitKlerick th a t ‘
over Iiulm'e her to do such a
th in g again.' A long .
fcversatitm foUosi^ and several
pieces
the band, thou
e th e Queen ' again— th^y are
drinking H er ila je s ty ’s ht..
soon after th a t a gein rn l pioveiiiciit, and r know th a t dinner is over. D . runs uj* to see mo for
a niom ont, jmd then I'Cturns to his guests, ^^oon after tho band
b egin s to tu n e up, 4aiul tlm ilrst iiuadrille begins, Blanche again
in m y place. A fte i this 1 follow th e dancers through polkas and
waltzes, and a liunl galop, and then, im agining them diinlting
soup and putting on their cloaks, I go to sleep.
I don’t know w hat liappeued oir Friday, b u t S a tu n la y w as
m ost exciting. There w as a horse .show, and all our favourite
steeds were exhibited. The children w en t dow n a t 7 -A.M. to .‘^eo
it. and came bticb indignant and excited. ^My Ixtantiful ‘ f l a c k ’
and V icto ria s were, th ey said, pronounced by th e iml>ecilo ju d ges
to be too fat, and w ere put aside a t once. • R u b y ’ got no prize,
and everytliin g w as m ost ‘ stupid mid u nfair.’ H ow ever, in the
.aftomoou thing^ improved. Lord V ’iiliam ro'.l# uiy ‘ N o K aiue '
for a tro ttin g prize, and iis slie pei'formed before th e st^ind e^’ery
one e x c la im ^ , ‘ W hat a beautiful p o n y !’ and she got th e iirst
prize. ‘ R u by,’ it turned out, got, -second in one clas.s, and wac
‘ if ig lJ y coimnondecl’ in another class. B u t b y what sort of a
pony do you suppose we w ere beaten ? B y n ‘ I,ad y’s Ita ck ’ w ith
broken knees. Tiie judges prcfeiTcd broken knees to a becom ing
am ou nt of fat, and said ‘ 1'hey bad niade up th eir m inds n o t to
n otice th e former d efect.’ V ictoria's ‘ I>iploniat' got .a second
prize for jum ping, and Basil ajip<‘ared a t din n er covered with
‘ com raendatioris’ .and l>lii« bows und pink tuj>e. w hich he said had
all b een given to his beloved little ‘ 8arus.’ T he Ixfst anim al of
all wa.s a waler, axid Archdeacon Tribe g o t tw o p>rizcs for h is
clerical steed, it Ueitig th e best hill pony and tlie fa tte st anim al
present. I w as very sorry to m iss thisishow .
W<^d/iiisdfiy, 22nd.— Irfidy R oberts’ Ju b ilee 4 ’anoy B all is over.
I WO.S n ot quite '»trong onovigli really to ejijoy it, b u t it w as uudpub ledly a very pretty ball, and a very succftssfyl one. Tho new
room is paiutctl ,blu© and w hite, and it ligh ts up v e iy well. On
th e w ails w ere blue shields w ith th e namo.s o f t^ir F rederick’.'?
fields of b attle in gold’ letters on them , anf^ stan d in g sentry in
vhrious p arts of the roe.ins w«i-o soldiers from som e of th o r e g i-
/ •
I4(
m:
A siL V E i: \vn
SOD
nientfi wliiuh m ade th o groat i
,t th e baek of
tlio stage %vus ft troj'hy jim Je’
5 ‘ fiQ' in the
conl.i-e o f ii, am i tho woi'd ‘ .1 ul.^5
jfat foi'tunately
w as line, and w lieii we arrivcsd
up to the
hall-rooin, wliere w e t'ound
4^mbh*d, a very
b n llia iit i-roivcl ituieed. T w
jjr’ dress. A s vtju
are awaro. tliis is tlte t\v e» ty -f
jiiarnuge, and thei*eforo m y silver-"’'?<lding year, s ,
-i dress com uiem orative
o f th^ oceasion w ould l>e su ita lV -.iiu l new. I t is u g ie y ta tiu
dro.ss t.rimmecl w itli silv ery fringes, long open tivni!g»avont silver
oiuivas sleeves fallin g to nejirJy the bottom of iiiy gown, l l y
hair powdered, m y diam ond ci-owii on, nml a long silver veil
haijgiijg frum the back of iny head ; diamond ornamentg. and a
ta ll aiid thick silver stic k iu my hand, sui'UiOuiite<l by. X X V in
large aiiver figures ; a w liite satin bow is tied beneath these, and
On the long end.s is embroidered in silver ‘ T w en ty-five.’
Motida^if 21th.- H avin g aim ounced to you «orae days ago
w itii H great finurish of trum peU th a t th e rain had ooni«i I must
nuw teU you th a t we are having th e m ost deploraljly fine weatlier,
and th a t w e are g ettin g q u ite anxious about th e poor old
nionsiion. D ull and m onotonous as it is, it is absolutely necessary
to our ha})pines5, for you m ay jverliaps Ijo able fa in tly to im agine
w liat a fam ine sJare, a<l«hr(l to a ll our cth#“v -’lironic IndiaJi scares,
w ould be j and how' w e trem ble, not at th e idea o f du sty roads or
eearoity of batli.s, but over th e in evitab le aud terrible m isery
ocCH.!.k)ncjl by even a Ib tle fam ine hti*e. \S’e stlU hope for th*deluge, how ever, s" I w on’t deprecs you too much ju s t yet.
7'ii<Kifay, '1^'h.— T have k ep t on advertising th n t 1 should be
‘ at home ’ to visitors every Tuesday afternoon in June, but each
tim e th a t th e day arrived I w'as obliged to p u t off th e reception,
and so for the first tim e th is m onth th e even t iv-ally came ofT to ­
day. E verybody owed me u visit, and I fe lt that- if 1 had to
rc'ceivc in th e house it w'ould be a 'd r . Avy p e rfo n n a n ce; but
happily tiu: day w as rjuite lovely, and m y th ree grass tcr.'^ocs
were lieautifully grtMui, and everyth in g vvas ficrfcct for n garden
partj-, so all w em ntV w ell, thougli, unluckily foi' m y journal, w ith
ou t incidents.
) [ ' ; < / ; < • 5DM.— A very ordinary day, ono sp en t quite in
th o ucu 'l inauuer. A rchie played polo bt'fore Iji'Cakfust ; th e
^ children wjlkod*: 1). and I aj'ip»».irod at nine, uud w c brec^''fasbed
iu Tho fttinily studio ; then wo all oej>aratod
h\>sons, letter^ writing*, and w ork. i>. had h is C ouncil, ♦•bich last^-d till nearly
lunch-tiiiio. A fter th at nioal there was some.chiy-pigt-on shoot
in g'on ih*' lawn, and then business uf vu fiim j sorts till 1,30. D .
\ 1
T.ikK
i s
'-X itJA
CH.
\tt
v isiie < l In's no^v
11 o v e r it , ?vnd m o s t o f iis m e t ai.
AnnaTifrii]'*, \yin>
:cg a n d t It g irl-i t i l t .
'A 'c 'i.iil
j u s t t im e t o ro a d .
' d in n e r , iiiid w r lo o k e d u t t h e
p ap ers
a n d w>.
'AOth.’ ^ay,’ i h c o n e o n w h ic h w o ^ i v e
o u v c s'en in ;; e n t c r t n in
i w h ic h t h e r e f o r e n o ihh - e ls e
i n S im la i s su p p o s e d
.
• p a r t ie s o r d tin e e s. T h is M-eek
w e h a d a v e r y p le a s im t d in
, v o f f o r t y - s e v e n p e o p le in e h .
P n d i i i / , J ii't/ if if h . -1 > . t o ...y A .f n i i i e a n d uu* a ll o v e r t h e R u iise
h o aftrTM ^oa.
W o clim b e t) u p tin - m o s t t e r n h l e p la c e s , a n d
s to o d o n s in g le plank-s o v e r y a w n in g clu isiiis.
T h e w orkpeoph;
a r c v o i y niuusin_y t o lo o k a t . c>.pC'cially t i ic y o i m j la d ie s i n n e c k ­
la c e s , h r a c c lc ts , e a r -r in g s, f ig lif c o t t o n trouser.«, tiirharf.>, w i t h h u f i
V eils h a n g in g clow n t h e ir b tic k s , a n d a la r g e e a r t h e n w a r e b a sin o f
in o r b ir o n tlie ir h e a d s,
'j'h ey w a lk a b o u t w illi t h e ca iT ia g o o f
C-niprc-sses, a m i Koem
m u ch a t ea se on th e to p o f t h e root a s on
t h e g i ’O uiid-fluor ; m o s t p ietu rcsijU i; m a so n s iihoy a r e .
T lie lio u s e
w ill r e u liy b e l> ea u tifu l, a n ti t h e v i e w s a ll r o u n d a r c c m g u ilic e .n l.
1 .sjvw t h e p liiin s d i s t i n c t ly fro m m y b in icloir w in d o w ’ an d i a m
gla.d t o h a v e t l ia t oj>en v ie w , a s I .shall n n t th<-n fe e l s o b u r ie d in
t h e hill.s,
SfUurrJni/, A '.tgvn 20M. W o made a great expw lirion w itli
tlie Jjyalls clowu to a tem]»l(i 500 feet lielow Ijeva* 1'tie rood was
Very Btccp, so w e u aik ed und jimjpcd. with long stick.s, a gr“at
part of tiui w ay till w o reached th e bed o f a rivor w ith sti'‘;ainstrick ling through it, a lovely little llim lu temples on il« '«anks,
w ith v eiy line iiine treses surrounding it, and >i beautiful green­
sw ard on which som e ver'ir dosivable tea and tem p tin g cakes w cse
spread out for our refrerthmeut. W e ojuno home sanollifw way,
v.-ry uphill riding : our horses’ ba' ks wore at. nr. angle o f fortytive, and wo stuck oti theni ;is well
we cnuhl w lnlc they' scaled
th e 5UU feet. A lady w ho was w ith th e hyalls kept lo!.ing her
helm et, F-tkward l'lf(c lic r ’s's;ifl(lle k ep t slipping over h is pony's
tail, the accompanying dogs k ep t disfijipoaring down th e khud'i,
to th e great a n .x la t/n f {Jj.-i)- mijtrcasc-s, but li»;dly we all got ,.,afe
to Lh^^ top, and Uuire dccidiHl th a t w c had enjoyed our.=:(‘lves im ­
m ensely.
^
•
ttni.Br sond this o if tn-dnv, htd 1 h.avc ju st
tim e to ttdl you th at w e have hud a luneheon pJirt.y for ihroc
L’iftuch U'-nt.iemen wlio has'e ju st made .a •woiMerhd iourney.
T li ^ iftfl Tohermf eig h t m onths ago, aiirl tJu-v have »eaclie I fndia
by som e unhe:n'(1-of rcufte, 'ufTering from iniseriea of all ktnds on
th® w-jiy stnrvafit.il. .stipwd,Jiji(]m>j.s. snnw -w itter on ly to d n n k ,
and linally, liy tin' t^mo th ey roTichcil C latral, •'jestitutiov-* Tlrcre,
1887.
\
iji> T IN tH ;P S
C l l
vlicy v.-cre rcj^oufnl from tlifir tal
frojn luTo. One is a l)ot*«iist,
.> ia to be an
lieograpliica!
author, a n d -th e y m-cim ocnt r,
Sttcioty, and nu m // to conie )>
h hut, th o u g h
th ey wovo prevented from folj^
iu flnditig one
for them selves. T hey -.iv «in
j t homespun, and
lijivo no f'thei-ciolhps. a n d b o tf
w»o^'vouing.
W e liatl a ll the (Jouucillor.s
and D , m ade a littl.*
coiupKinentary spi^ecli in th eir ia..
hid) th ey did n o t under­
stand, and w o drank their licnltlis, wnich th ey did ooinjuvliend.
T hey w rote th eir nam es in my book, and Jtliink thhy are cidleAi
Pd}>in, nonvallot, and Capus. Yon jm ist look out for tludr book,
rt w ill 1k3 ready in about Utrec )ca rs, so nerliijig we m ay rend it
together.
.
*
’
^
^ alu rda^ , 2~lh, to 7’iu:<ijlay, 30///.— Tim P ersian ^'onsalOonera) cnnv\ ui» fj-oin Bomlmy to present m e w-ith tlie Order of
the Sun.- Basil arjd Mr. G rant turned o u t of Mount. Pleasant,
and th a t house w as given up to him . Hu.])pily he th in k s it an
addition.il 'honour th a t he shouhl liave tlio apartm ents usunlly
occupied by tlie V iceroy’s .son. and lie is altogeth ci imich pleaKcd
with h is reception. H e seem.H to have e.\i)ected to b j put into :>
dak bungalow', but in stead o f tlia t h e Inis th is housn, and is our
gu est ; he wn« i*iet by nn A .P .C . in uniform , and i'^ attended by
one a t ull tim es. H o cnme down to dinner in th e evening, .and
tum .s ou t to be a r a d i‘‘rraiau .s'lmmite, sjicuking Froneh. Im t no
P n g li^ i. 1>. uilk-od Per.-iiau' to him after dinner, w ith g iv a t
succf.s.s. H e loft a m rtl, ur nitlier a paper, on Jill th e uiembt'-r.s of
tlie St-'iff, which rends as follow's : ‘ H a ji -Mir^i iruossein Goli
K hao. eioiioiu iid -u l-V \va rell. Form er appoinitocm.
Per->ia—
Prim e M ilitary (leueral. P rivateF ccretary for Foroig:i M i'd'ter.
P ic .c i)t "pp/'intmeiit —C onsul-General for Persia in Iiulia. H e
is the fourth 8»m o f the Into J iiii/.i A ga K h fy , ^ndar-ui-Aazim.
P rim e MinLster for P ersia .’
•
• ,
Y 'e only see him in tlio evcu io g . ft>r he breakfiistx nt eleven,
then slct)ps, and then rides out. W lim j ho m eets th e Honourabh'
Ihisil he descends from hw iiorsu to g reet •him , anri as th e
V'iuoroy’s sou iio tleeins him wo^’thy nf . me o f tlie above ca I.:, and
o f *'cerv honour
Gn M onday the gniat cerem ony took place. T he draw ingi'(K>iii w as aiTnnged a s for a diu bur. th e gold carpet was dow n,,
the niiu-es an*! pcHOOck’s foatlicr.s were preseiiti, . The Y icoroy,
the. Foreign Secretary, and all tbo S ta ff w«re in full unifoiTU, aiffl
i.he Consui-GeiiHriil. was ushered in w ith great .state. I step p a i
forward iiiid received from him a Ittfer fifcin tlie Kliah, a tn in sla* •
.
.
•
.
•
3X 2
i ^ 'U
F K
•
J 'T
I:h 1 > U
c h . X II
tii>a of which ^
rihboii of th« order w as p u t over
m y n tjh t shouk
pinned .on, arid th en w o all sat
down. The Ooai
a little speech in P ersian, -Mr.
D u ra iu h ^ id »■ fo’*
w'o rose, shook hands witJi tin?
Consul, and h e bflc.
ug occasional bows w hich w e
returned .xs
Then wo exaniijied th e m ost
ilu-strinus Order of tli»
; ribbnu is a j>ink watered one
w ith tw o narrow green lu ,
?• edge, and tlie jew el hanging
from it is a Jialf sun. Tin v „
d is a ‘ moon face ’ witlfc dialnond
rnyshalf round it. The star is a w liole sun. The centre of it is also a
P ersian beauty face, w ith very round fa t clieeks, very black eyebrow.s
and black hah-, som e of wliicli comes on to th e cheeks lik e w hiskers.
This is a sort of euamel, and th e rays round it are a ll diamonds.
?^pxt day the sam e cert?monial w as repi*.atcd, except th.-it ou
th is bcp.asioji I handed th e Consul-General m y ‘ a u to g ra p li' letter
to I [is M ajesty the Shah. Tlio V iceroy read a long Pei-sian
speech w hich I did n ot under.stiind, and he also pre.seuted th e
Amlm.ssador w ith a handsom e gold medal .as a stmveiiir of his
v is it h e m
I believe he is m uch pleased witli it. Of course X
w ore m y OiMer n igh tly, and also at th is second durbar. The
p{;rsian leaves to-morrow, l i e is lunging to g e t aw.ay from
Bomb.ay, w hem he is alway.s ill, and to return to XVheinn* or,
better si ill, to be made A m bassador a t som e Eufejicnn Court.
From. U U M a jtitjf the S:hah u / P ernia to i h r E xcclhncjj
the C o u n ta e <y' Dujj-Win.
•
(The seal on iho top of tlie letter m ad s—The K ingdom ’o eionga
t o God. The Sultan, sou of th e S u ltan , !Na.sir-Uil-Tb!i Shah-iR ajar.)
D ated Shawu!,
(J u n e-J u ly ,
• T aking in to view the perfect friendsliip and unity which
have e.xisl^d from of uld betw een tho tw o glorion.s G overnm ents
— Porsiau and E n glish — ailtl w hich w ith the help o f th e il o s t
H igh Gml w ill l>e a>n tlio iuerea-se and grow ing day b } d .a y -- i<
(friendshipl rciiuires th a t w e should by good m eans revesd and
g iv e expres-sion to tlie sentim ents of our iieart- th e panuraim* of
pure friendship - t o the hoidev.s of th e lii^h oftu;esof‘thnt Governnieiit. TliureforH we have sen t as a jJixasent th e Insignia of th e
Injj-erial Order of the'Sun of th e Sublim e Persian, Empire, w hich
i.«; one of Uie new «nd illustrious O itlers intrudjuced by this
<b>v(Tiinient of everhiisting foundation, and w hich is specially
intendeil for ladie§ of liigh rank, forlSladam e la Comte-s-sc Hrf>Tiot.
D ulferin, the e.stfi»med \vifd o f H is ICxcellencv t h “ ^'i^•ty•oy and
1 0
1887
ZENANA MIsSlO>
5^1’^
G ovcfnor-G eiunal of th e loclian
H er I ^ .y s h ip
umy adorn her virtuous breast *
mMu u n d w thu
protection of Llraeious G otl.’ •
\Vi‘.Jin sdt’>(, ol«-^ - 1 tboug'
lo
see w hat th e
Zenana M ission in Sim la w en
ranged
to visit tlie
Bchool in th ojjazaaraiid to sec
lo women as could liO
assemt'led in one htmae.
\
Pdanche w as w ith me, and v
dow n liilW nnd stairs till
w e lehclied th e room w iierc tin-,
■mol is. T here were about
tw en ty of those p retty little Indian girls w'ho alw ays look sc
attractive in their bright-coloured garm ents and silver anlcleTs,
biucGlets, and other jew ellery. They san g
to me, and read and
wTote B engali. T hey seenv to be e.\ti'HorduiariIy quick and
clevpf in learning everything, and ^ their education is such h
very .short {Uic, gcn cn d ly ending at tw'elve years of age, it is a
good th in g ilm t they ai-e.
1 n e v t w ent on to th e zenana whei'e th e w om en, to w'hom
M iss JaiiK^s gives lessons in th eir owm houses, were collectc<l
together. There wen; almut .<fveutcen or Lwf*nty there, and th ey
w flcoiiied m e m ost w am dy. T he lady of th e lion.'^o was a
rem arkably p iettjt wointin, and diil th e honours charmingly.
A fter 1 had shaken ham is w ith every one and wvt down, th ey all
show ered flower? over me, and each one gave mo a bouquet.
T h e interpreter w as like mo.'Jt intci'preters, and w ouhl answer
m y roiimrks and theirs herself, instead o f repeating everj'tlung
w e !illt»aid : th is m akes it -jO diliicnlt to carry on a tricndly con­
versation. One '>f the women read E nglish to me, and I was
gi^eii a cup of tea, an<l a ({uantity of cak es w ere spread la.'fore
me, hu t us 1 could n ot p 0 ;isibly ea t them then, w e took thorn aw ay
wiUi us iu .1 trey ! T he hnust* belonged to a Bnbu in. an office
here, and looked very eonitoixubie, w ith jucturcs on th e wall, and
som e sjieouil deoonvtions o f llowei-s fo r in r . T hese wmuen learu
lending and w ork, and M iss Jam es’ said our hosio6.s w as a
particularly gootl nccouutnnt. I t m ust he a grciii comforl co
tiicm to have som e such occujiations.
cd iu w , in every case
where thcs»* lcs.sons nrp i-cceivcd, C hristianity
tfiught a.s w ell.
■The al'ii'i iioon looked verv tlireateuing, nevertheless the
L yalls came over here, and w e took them to see Mu: d ia d w d ck
w aterfall. Suidi a dc.scent. ! A n d such an a s c e n t! T waike<l
dow n, but cauio tip in a ,>linmpnn, an d often .seemed to he .itund-'
iiig <111 my tent in it.
» •
_
Thi'rsihi-^,
U /.— r am trying^ to start a .“small ^^’ork
Society hen* on tln:*pnncij>lo o f .ooveml E n glish ones 1 know of :
each- mopiiier to undertake to makf^ (or gn'c^
articles of cloth-
81i
'
\ 1 , ' L U ’E IN INL'i.V
CK. x ir
in g a y o u r ft»r
, I iuul a littlo uu'Pting to sot it
goitttf,
\vo
4 jr tw o orphanages, th e hospital,
»in<r one I»per i
■ Mrs. Madden uridortonk to bo
.secrota»v of th e
unci to receive and glA O out
the jiatteriis. ana ^
jralgie R a lk e tt to manage th e
children’s branch. M,'
;0b nienjiici’s, who, w ill prodnco
600 garineut'i, and tli,
great help to th e in stitu tio n s
selected.
*
W hen th is lueoting w a i . .'.I w en t for a few momenfVi to a,
cnncert in-aid of the K. C. Cliuri'h. Tt was g o t up jby tho oongregatioT), and there ft'eie quite a clitferi-iit audience niid different
jjorfoniKTS to those of the M onday Pop. i had to attend another
charity concei-t on Saturday, and I w as so tired o f m usic tlia t I
determ ined n ot to go to one ?in M onday, but when tlio day came,
and L found th at h Moiaber of Council wjis to perfcrin, I was
really obliged ju st to Imik in to hear him !
]r > d 7 i c a i h y , OrfiiOer o /A . —W’e Iiad .such a very pr«?tty liitlo
‘ school feiist ’ to-day for th e Z enana M ission G ii Is* School. In
E ngland it would ijave l.>een considered a fast, for' there w.'ia
nothing to c a t ; th e on ly Htiompt a t refivshincnls was a bagful of
sw eets for oaidi child to tak e aw ay w ith her. 'I’here w'ere about
i w enty tw o children, and th ey did look so p retty ainl so in* ri-y
pi.sying rtboui on th e grass. Theii* iruy RtiriK*htul their « ih er
an klets were n ot very couveniont for blind-inaii’s bufl', and some
of the ji'w cllery had to be taken oil' till tlic gam es wore over.
Fii'.st of all th ey sw ung three a t a tim e iu \ ’ictoria’.s sw in g.; th ey
looked a t .soiui! conjuring and jmrforuung biivls, and then th ey
romped about. They wi-ro not in th e least .shy, and scenied porfecti^v happy. J u s t before they le ft they wi;re !iss«mbl(*d in the
drawiiig-ivioni, and 1 presented tliMni wdf-h tlicir prizes, aiu l gave
each one eirher a dubiloe im-dal or a .Tubilce card and th e b.ag ot
IwubniiK. 1 had invited .ibout tw elv e sm all I'hn-ojieau children to
m eet them , and a fow ladiefi who are in terested in ihoschoolR. One
little E nglish boy wa.s mucli inipressed by th e gold ribl><>u plaiLetl
in w ith a lob-V'!'
mid 1 liarl difficulty in keejiing h is bunds
*
C ii iItt .
Thi'i's'loj/, fi/A.— T received a vi.sii from Eazabai Baheb A ptc,
a widowed half-sisfer of the cekiiratia.! X .in a »Saiiib. 8 lie lias
C01U0 uj' from (iw.alior to make .some p eiitio n , b u t she w as so ill
when slie arrived that the iiitd n ic w luid t.o b* cu t v w y .short.
.She ih n nice-looking, but m elancholy w om an, am i a« .sfic Iuim l>eon
HutVering from fever, slri' had to be supportivl in to th e romn, u.nd
lay in ga.'tjiing e*inditiun in an arni'Chair aH th e tim e sh6 wa.s
tlierc. S he was dr^sscikiu platu w h ite cotton us, lieing widow,
1887
T ill:
^
315
sho is n ot allowed w an n er «>r smp'
i looke<l very
m isem bl'' iu these sum mer gaM P
i® ndcr she was
ill, com ing u)) from th e pin ins t i
o-utl inmble to
niiike an y change in l>er clof hiU
•
Fndaiiy 1th. — Thia Ls th e'
/^ t e givoii to the
moinbors of tjie V iceroy’s Otiie'
icS'uds o f m errim ent
from below this houso. Triuiu^
jite re c tw l, and a great
Shaioiann is up, alm ost liidinJ5 grounds o f the
liousei? and offices there, but POOu .-^.lust left f<»r a (fVinkiiaiui
(w ith ou t hcu'scs), w hich th e children have jfone to fe e . Band-s
an; playing, and chw?ring is goin g on, and I >un sure all are
enjoying themwdvea m uch. Great arrangem ents have bof^n mado
for th is holiday. I n th e evcjiing w e w en t dow n there a t nine
o’clock. W e found th e whole place b eau tifu lly illum inated ; a
guard of hojiour <m tin; carpeted pathw ay w hich led to th e
theatre, cannons goin g off a t intervals, and a t th e entrance to th e
h ouse w hich opened in to the Shami.'ina an array of armed men on
horses— o f A n uw lell nianufacture ! The men had coeked h ats and
b lue unifovujs and dniw ti SH'urds, and th e horses looked very
spirited am i difficult to m anage. T h e guns w ere d m w u up a t one
side, so th a t th e in fan try, cavalry, and artillery o f th e A rm sdell
V oluuteors w ere a ll rejwcsented. T he Shprninna itself w as
b eautifully ileconfted -th e pole.s tw in ed w ith HoweJ's mid hung
w ith little glawscs, hanks of flowers in front o f th e stag»^ and hofore
our chairs, w ith X X V . in wldue clirysanrliennjma iu th e cenire of
ft?u?h : atrings of Indian toy* and sh in in g things were strung from
Side to side, .and th e jdace wiis lillerl w ith spectatars. W e .sat ou
th e n is e d veraudah of th e house o]>posite th e stage. Tim per­
form ance Imgan w ith a nautch. and then cam e th e com edy. H
w as atlapusd fi-cm ‘ Box and C o x ' by Mr. P /m ioty, and w as
w ritten for tiio occa.sio)i. T hese w ell-kuow n gentlonmn became
‘ B hose and G hose,’ mnl Jmd, inoreovt>r, tw o servants, whu jjot
o n ly w ere deceived iu the m utter of accom m odation, btd were also
devotctl to the sam e la<h'. The piece wa-s very well acbHl by th e
Bab\M belonging to th e Otfiire, and w as iuoj.1 atliusing. netw'oen
tlie acts three p retty little 1k»vs ij» very sm nrt cldthe.s played ujwn
iifttiro in.siruinynts. A t th e end o f i l i c p l a y a band o f Ihmids,
singing, advanr.«(] Is^aring. h beau tifu l banner, ou which was
embroidered tjur arm s in gold on blue antin, and the ligures
-XXV., with^gtxsd* wishc-s for our silver w edding ; th e whole sui*nm inited b y a J ii t l e cross. T he b.ack of th e Umiter w as yiink,
and lia d 'o n it our tiames. T he ch ief D fn id mmle us .a little
Hpeech', aiul then 1>. ^ o t u p a n d thanked them jJl for llm lr kind
th ou glit
th is ooc.jision, and for ^ hcir bhleli^v alwaya, :md w e
►
•
•
•
»
4
BIO
U .’ iJF K i>* I>’1)IA
mi
Jeh, Tlio f>;
w ay, marched round th e place
ouoe 'du
t.
1SM
», foot, ai'tillery, g i’ass-cutters,
blieesties, ambm
re agiiin in order ou tsid e a s w e
walked»away. Tr
p rettily arranged, a very smart
‘ IiKlging ’ ljung Vf.
I ii fact, ih o w hole entertainm eiit m u st have <lt
ifethouglit and iy g en u ity , and
it was a very chaniijja^
SaiiO'duj/, Oriobcr
,^|«avuig a holiday, .so T cannot
l>o expected to w rite a v e ^
ir nietiiodical jo u r n a l; fit tlio
sam e tim e i^ w ill never do to le t a very delightful and idle week
escape record, when .so m any ‘ trivial rouiirU’ fm d a jdace in th is
veracious liistory. 1 am obliged to begin w ith our la st dissipation
at Sim la— a very am using (iym khuiia, for which we stayed at
home one* day longer than w(* had intended. There w as to be a
Latlies’ H ack race, and the e.xcitiiig j)ar^of it was tliut a g en tle­
man hml jiresented Ks.
for iv prize. Lord W illiam appt-ared
on V ictoria’s pony and Pfisily took the first jdaw! in th e race and
w<ni it for her. Victoria was min’h umre delighted w ith the fa ct
that tier pony did so w ell than w'ith the bundle o f notes proR(uited
to her. A n otlicr very aniusing race was th a t ridden by th e
• h e a v y ' geutleuien i*n our *Staft‘, persons wlio had never ridden or
won n ices Ijefon*. Sir D onald on th e ‘ Ma.shcr ’ d yin g rouinl the
course had the be.-^t wibhes o f all th e spectat<»r?, but lie did not
V’in. Mr. D rant carried off th e cup wliich th e Stall' pi-esented to
itself. T lieu there w as a R ickshaw race, and Blanch© came in
triuui})hant., dii-ecting her m en when to spare themsel'ic.'« ami
w hen to atiivo. 'Die hm iily w e n t Inmie liapjjy and triunijihant,
and Blatiche w as quite as pleasi’d at having w on a pair o f g lo w s
for l>eing last in th e Lulin.'’ H a ck race as Victoria wa.s with
being first in it. H e n o ie , too, w as delighted bet'ause her pony,
of w hich she had preriously entertained n ith or a low opinion, was
second iu thi.s sam e race.
<bi Holiday we w ent lo church in tlie m orning, and in th e
aft(;riioon rodo ou t to M usliobia. 'This house wa.s built by Ia'1\I
W illiam H a y wheb he >vas in India. an<l i.s now divided in to tw o
flats. 'The Ktibefts's have th e upper one. and Hir Llilwanl Huck
th e lower.
I-ady Hobcrt.s len t me her floor, un<l Hir E. Ruck
offered me h is too, but T only took tw o o f his rooms and loft the
rest for M rs. Hcnble, w ho was, auxirjus to try change of air. D .
did n ot conip ou t till Tui-sday, by w hich tim e wtf hud Jiiade everytljin g us warni' uiid com fortable ii.s possible. Y o u lian'fc thiuk how
w e all enjoy th is bit <ff country lib-, th e tirsf w e ha%’e hm.l rince
w e came to India. W e uro in a forest on tlm top of a hiH, and
w e look upon roilyig liingos, ^wicked by nia^jiilicont spqw m oun-
1887
\( ,y
■P E ^ ^ C £ F U L A>U> 1
!
IJ17
tAins ; w e tliiv w
a Imt, Sfize n 1
*ovelci=s, ainl
unHcc'Oioj>aDie«l, a t our ow n sw eet
4 lio u r - of the
day, rrtiinin;' tliixmgh th e m’ochI
w alks in the
ruoniing : tlien in th(; afternoor
* to some ^e<iuestered sp ot and ride to it, and r
Ami see th e kettio
boil, w h ile th e childreu ea t ft
.d enjoy them selves
thorouglily. *
.
^
One m orning w luie loan iin g
y atu K t' lady fioin Sim la
n ish h ig ou t o f her house to t a e d y
4 a d we hatl to pay lier a
v isit, ■.shich sounds m uch to o civmtsgd ; h a t she confided to u»
th a t sUo had hron m aking a pudding w hen she saw us uoming, so
th a t quite restoi-ed th e voinance of tlie situ ation . The b est o f ail
is thet l>. in really doing nothing, and th a t ho roads a n ovel and
says, ‘ T his is peaceful and deliglxtioi ’— and so on a t intervals.
Oi>e dissripation w e had, and th a t wa« a grand picnic given h y
Lord \V iiliam neai' hero. I t w as lield iu u ch'it-emt b u ilt by an
Italian pastrycook. T he dining-roimi w alls are view s of N aples
.and SicUy,- su uny skies and volcanoes, picturesque peaHaiitb and
adventurous goats.
The other Kitiiug-rooni.s are gorgeoimly
colmtred, and there are hwsis oii th e stuirs made by tho j».astr}'
cook him self
Lord W illiam hud invited a good ly company, uud
w o BUT, at hiuall tables of oight and renfiy <iid enjoy it all. W e
w ere ]thotogi-a.pli^i iu a group, and we shot a t targets, and jdayed
liadiniuton, and sw ung in a m arvellous and m ost alarm ing-Iooklng
sw in g, ami tinally rode homo ju st in tim e to escape a thuaderstorm. In tho even ing w e play round gam es, w ith acorns for
c o u ju e fs—we arc nothing if w e are not rural.
Major Cooper is the only A .D C . u h o is stayin g w ith us.
F riday mornin" ho rode ou t to N aldera before breakfast M’ith th e
cldldrcu, and l>. and 1 followed in tiuio for lunch. W e found
them all enjoying thcm-.clves iuon)Ughlv. The ride ou t had been
ilolightful, ami lh « now place had in'terostwi them iuuncnsciy.
W e had lunch, and tlie cluldrt'u got three tin b ath .s.oat of th e
te n ts which had btJen put up iu cnsp w e should fcincy sleeping at
N aldera, and begnn to toboggan down th e grassy .slopes i]i them .
Tho success was moderate, b u t th e am usem ent w as great. N e x t
came a gidlop over the h ills and a ride homo, w itli tea Komewhere
on ^lic w ay. ■
Suiuin^, lii/7/.— Our holiday is over, an d we go lioine th is
;:ftei‘noon. A ftey breakfast w e w en t for a walk, and a.s w o were
gazing at tlie m agnificent view I spiixl F red and Hlauoiic riding
home from NaT'kuiuia on th e road bolow ; ^we called and w aved
our h:iiu1kerchicfs, iind as soon as th ey realised our presence and
knew th at we wore sjill here, (hey f um edcouiuT and came up .t^
►
318
;
^
I,1FE JX JNJ)JA
( ji,
xii
spend tlie %
^ th e r is perfectly lovely, gn fix'sh
anclbO .sunny\
'©are sittiiifj on rhc balcony, and
shall ride hcmjk
aSwill he our hist week a t Sim la,
aiiu s.i^j cm ilcli
here till Mmulay, nor couh.l I
tear m yself aw.
ntv-lV>ur liours Iiefoi'e it was
absolutely nf^eeoSi,
ivo greatly enjoyed th e holiday,
aud the freedom
.solitu d e uf tliLs crtare. T h is is
the only h it of writing'?
j e since? I cam e here, ami [ liavc
n ot much to shiiw in tliiki,_
^ ^ o o k s read eith e r ! I noixl not
rwld that tlio childnni have U»dn equally iclh-!
M oiu hif, 17//t, to
'I'lnd.— Oui- }ilans h ai^ bmm souicv'h.at disarranged. T hem are ii few eases of eholora ai Q uetta
and in som e of the surrounding district.s, an'l as so inaiiy seia a n ts
tiu v el w ith u.s who w ill drink wai4?r on every nossihJe occaKion.
a m i as th e V iceroy's presence in tht? place wnnld bring all aorU
of jieople together from all sorts of villages, it m ight cause an
outburst Ilf the disease both in th e neighbourhooti aqd in our
tniin, and so-\vo have to leave intere.stlng Q uetta altogetlier out
of our tour. W « d«> imr now go rroni tiimla tilL th e 3rd of
N ovem ber.
Chi iSiiturday I), gave a ‘ tanmsha ' to a il tiie w orkpeople tingaged on tlni new housi'—ab ou t 1,000 men ami women,* The
gauie.s Were in the .•idjoining grom uls, and a1 ^ le v e n o’clock wo
w ent up to set! them . The workpeople were all squatU ng round
n Hat ‘ racecourse,’ and we sat on a terrace above, ft w as most
rtiii.u*sing.
There were men u itii red mw>:k.s, g/)ldei> hehnciij,
g litterin g jackets, swords, ami bare brown legs, juTnpingab*»ut aiinlew>ly after the inaniior "f ciown.‘<, Tluwe were longbeardeKl and
crow neil punwd<Kin.s ; th ere were ijuifation u a u fo h -g irls; there
were men dressed as 1/iugour.s, th e eostnine con sistin g o f patches
<»f cotton-wuol gum m ed on to th e nnkt.-d akin, ajid entirely • -A-ering all but the face, which appeared to be hluck IcHucd. The
ontert.'iinuiont opened wUh an nddiujsn to ih e V iceroy and w ith
the singi’ig »n hiudn ioiy song.s ; then tljcre was w restlin g and
tcncjng and riic<'!i<if all sorts, and ;t represcntatio)i of a cheetah
hunt. T w o very respectable deer w ith line Im nis and slm wlcoven sl bodies, w itli tw o men in sid e caclx, were attack»*il by a
jnun dre.-ssed as a chee'ah, w ho sprang about o m a ll four,s, an d
niam igwl a very long ta il w ith srvtvit d ex teritr.
W h en lio
succecde<l in jutnjung on to the deer’s back th«], anim al fell dow n
deail. The gir-nt nice" »/c n'ufftnnce then came oir I t w.os a
large wooden iig c r bqi’itf' aloft on lurii's sh ou h h ^ ji: n Jong b.‘ir
j>asse<l thixvugh his mouth, at each end of^w hich sat a njan in
costume, holding a hii-jc svrom l; w ithin th e tiger’s jaw s lay a boy
l U
lU 9
i-'rv K A N ii t \ m : n7 ’y
rl*
n inosi
also ilresswl up. and alhiwin,!^ -J
uculdcss Devi.
uiicoiiifori.ablp fashion ; ami Vi
A, Ilut th ey havf!
J iriod to photogrnj'lj so n je o f tJ
iT being jmrticuno notion of sittin c, and nl\rn
x>u as I o>ok th e
lavly active a t th e inost crit?
^ Li» hei left
cap ofi‘, D(‘>i changed her s'-vrt;
^ ' ^ V o stayed looking
and ih e luorlRls w ere equal!
tin dark.
• on for a couple of hours, bur t'
_ o /« . - TJ.II
1S
«.i:>
^ -w fv lflin g - day.
Wo
Si^ iddp, 'I'ird.
liis
nvus
received a great m any kind ^vislle^ m ^ a uiunber of lovely pre­
sents fn.*ni jr ie i^ s here and at home.
'*
A t dinner Sir l> 0 Uald \ \ .allace proposed our liwiltluj in a very
kind am} pretty s 2 >oech, am i P . replie<l. J tJijjik wo both felt
rnlhev ciiobey. for w e have indeed had five-and-tw enty very
happy, v'ars togt ihcr, jind th e ten n in atiu n «>f a quarter of a cen ­
tu ry of life ah oost uncloud«;d b y great sorrows, and full of iiiauy
blesslugs,jis a real ejMfchnn one s history.
1887
•
,
C ilA P T hlll A I l I
OUR AUi'UMV TOUR,
— KAPUUTn.VLLA, KARACHI, TIIF N.-W.
«
I'lUiNTlKK, AXD I.AUORK '
*
N o v b m i' e b
3
Tn
D k c e m u k i:
l.l
T/ti.r.<l'>/,
.jrd. -W e left Sim la a t eig h t o’clock.
(jiuai''lhonour, bauds, and celebrities to see us oil', and a fnuiily
to leave k'hind. T iuy an- vary happ\‘, however, and hnve every
intention o f enjoying ihuius*!lvps. Fn-tl and CnpUiin B grn avith e A . f>.C.’s w h o tm vi i with, Ur.
T fouixl th e driv.' >-t uLuely-?,i\ m iles v eiy long, aifll IhnugU
w c eiijoy«Bl it for a few Ijours, w e th ou gh t ih e la.st tw o or three
very w eary. A n tJ.scurt met ua jicar UinbHlla,,;uid sonm iK'autiful unitonnH appeared at the Htati>ii\. W e dino<l quietly in th e
tm tn am i ^ lep tiii a siciiiig. 3li'. (t’.McjUii, th e l^iniladejitist, who
lum ju s t been on a piolVasiuual v isit to the Am ir a t Cabul, dhicd
\viih us. T he A m ir had h is tefeiii drawj^ and Jiis new ones jiu lin
in o|)eu iIiybar,*!Uid he requfested Mr. O’iJeara to i.ejn-h one of
his arm ourers*how to m ake a sot for the. (bnA'rnor nf Cabul.
A s tliH'mun fe lt th a t liis head would profiably lie cu t off it the
t^eth Were uncom hihlnhlc, he provt^da vevy a p t',22 ; ’V
B 20
fiAL IJK12 IN INDIA
Ft'iiiiiy, 4
oir '-ai’ly in ib e inorning niul g o t t-o
K 'iipnrtha,na )
Icrk.
The Maliarajah, who a i
Ka\vul P in d i
a boy, in now a you n g man. Ho
h a s " ’•I’w n v(!ryL
s very bi ig h t ami i>lo,'x.s,-int-lookin^', i l ( ‘ w;ia miU
Ho alw ays iln^sses very n'aj^uificeiitly, wears brig.
;il has ft lovely ivd v e lv e t coab
i* m b ro id i3 ie < l M'itli
I th e V iceroy on th o w ay and
drovp! liira to ih o ResifiT
Colonel Kiid jMrs,
ws'-nt our ho st. Timir hou.«p is
very nice, w ith lofty rooms,-rtnd suri'Ounrled b y a large gjiiilcn.
In our prog/am m e I found a list o f ev en ts for tlic .ifverno<,*n tJiat
kvokecl foriuidable. There wore. n<-: asU’d
, i durbrus for D .. one
hero and one ai (h e it;ijah’s house ; a garden p ir ty , a stfite
banquet, and an even in g pqrty. H ow ever, it turned out thore
are only six Europpans here, .so tht«o six w ere th e gavtlen }>arty
and the banquet, and about ten n ative gentlem en idso appeared
in the ga rd m and afterwards formed tive o.veiiing party. Hefore
dinner wo drove round tlie little towji. which was illum inntod.
Fahty(^ay,
— T he gcntlem ei\ a ll sbirted early to g o out
shooting, ljut ^Mrs. M assy ainl I did n o t follow them til! later.
AVe liad som e >vfty to drive along an e.vcellent roa«l, h i a carriage
drftwn b y m ules, whieh w en t at a great pace. Then we m ounted
elcjjhants and ro<lo aeross a prairie ro a Tent laid oiit for luncheon.
Tho spiTrl.smcn had to confess th a t th ey Inwl killed n oth in g, biif,
th ey were 'juito m icly to try again after th ey had forlifieil theinselves w ith som e food. Accoriiingly. a t tlircc o'clock, the n in eteen
eic-]>Iianhs were ordr rod to tho Lent-door, and every one tr ie d to
remember which w:vs his pai’Aicidar aninnd, and having done so he
got in to his howduh, or on to Ids pad, or in to his silver tray. A ll
(he clejdiants h.ad their tn m k s and faces ehdxirately paintetl, and
a ll were covei'od w ith .scarlet cloths bortlered w ith rod and yelln w
patchwork and w ifli green fringes. W hen wc inarched forward
side by .side, slow ly pacing through tho ju n gle gra.sa, we lookeil
very iuiposiim. 1 ns^^nre yon. A company of in ou n tfd s<»ldiers
accomjianietl u.s to mark down th e
T he first c.vciteniont
Was u pig, w hich I'an along tlie line, and which received nuiuv a
b u llet liefovo h e gi've up b is life. K.-verftl ninre folhAved, and th e
scciiH w as m ost lively am i e.xching, b u t the shooting looks exu x x iin g ly dilhcult. B otli th e pig and th e black buck aro almoKt
hidden in th e gross ; th e former you can .s<vircely see nt all, and
the latter g ive great hounds in and out- of ilie cover,.and in both
casi-.'i you geueivilly have to tru st to chance sh ots jtimed a t pl.aces
w here tlie i f m s s is aeon to
moving. This is w I j h t , nuRt jmople
did, and nearly ih o w hole arm y o f sportsmen luid a try a t each
ibiiy
i
.
1^7
'
iv A r i’iJTir.*
821
•»
Tlie.oxcitcD iont w as
^ p p en t d islik e
th e oli‘pliants liAvo to thp pi>;. t
-wountliM onu,
th ey wr.ukl .stjii-t bat-k niui belle
^ inino tromblo
e%'cry tim e he Htiw one. D . g i
of thcui»ft very
bi>t “oc. \V e did n ot see m air
f'SHy. lUuk, ■when it
w as hnpiKisible to get iheni. '}
iovely ILulo anim als,
OIK* cumint help rejoicing th at
,^apwl the b u llet w h en
one soe-s theo> bounding along.
were also seen a t
dusk.» T /Mijoycd the aftom ooa
dy, and c^'e^y ono was
content w ith tlio bag, w iuoh cnn.sisbt'»l of eig h t ]iig nnd -•ix doer.
\V c again galloped hom e and had a quiet evening.
iiundn^. 6(h.— T here is no <rhurch ht^re, so w c lu"wl serviVc iu
tliB drawiug-m oni. W h en it. w as over Tw ont to th e palace to
v isit tlu; liirlh.s. T he iVIaliaiajali ih et m e on the steps o f th e
palace; and i-ouductotl mo bchim l th e screens w hich wei o arranged
in froi.t of the door. There I found th e huUe.s awniring mo, and
\vi! w alked in to th e dm w ing-room together. 'J'he visit- was unicli
easier and'loss form al than usual.
A ftt r Utneh w e w ent out in boiils. Thrt-e i.s a chaj-ming river
o n w hich you cjui g e t an eig h t m iles row. I t locrks quite E n glisli,
and hr.d it n ot l>een for glim pses o f policemen on tbo Iwiiiks
atixICiuslj (rndeavonring to ker-ji th eir ey e on th o V iceroy, w e
uuglit h.'ivo iiuagkiw l w e w.'ve a t home, d'heir pictur^.sqiio dress,
however, dispclhMl th e illusion, and besidee in Kngiand J .b is n o t
under police snper'dsion— as a rule. W e arrived
a certain'
little p^roin(intory on winch lent.s were jutfhed and a five o’clock
tea banquet w : i h S})reail, and there wo landtHl ami enjoyed it.
The aitcm oop w as <i very plejtsant one, btit we rather regret th at
this restful v l^ t should come ut the lieginning instcm l of in th e
uiiddlH of our tour ; w'e don’t deserve it vet.
O i l our w ny home we atuppcd to s«o a lovely little tem jile or
sepuh'hrc w hich has been built, to hohl the late Itajaii's luhoo.
I t is of re<l stone, and all m ost lioautrfulh cawe*l iu o^ienwork
patterns, cjnit-o in the old D elhi and A gra .style. Tlic marble Hoor
<it the bottom is n ot finished. ;ind the nshc't now present the
appearance o f a lienp of inorlar lyin g in th e nriilSt. of tho work­
m en’s tools ; th ey w ill even tu ally I'le placed under a biiubstone.
M o u th y , ? // /,- -W e h.i,\e had aiaitluT day’s sho<»lin,g, ex a ctly
lik e the last I described. T ents sprang uji in th cw ild erm ss, an d
tab les spri'atl w itii nil thn luxuries o f th e fleason ajq«!ared reutly
for our r(■f^^5h^lent a t tlic lum gry hour o f tw o. .There th e niiiotrrn eletihaiits, w ith ;di their guy trajipiiig.s and scarlet atteiidcinfs,
kiiolt-to receive, us ou their b.ack.s, and w e h ud.a ■\ery enjoyablp
jiftorjuiou. O n tlio w ay home wo*iuiidc ih e huge anim als race,
822
J!,.L IF K 3N" IN H IA
cu. x u t
and w e g o t %
'n our h o w d a h s ns th e y jo lte d
aloijg- U te r d in n e i
'o u iig , w h o is a g iu tid so n o f
Y u iin g i ii c a c to r,
*' a s iu h er ite d th e la lr n t, au d
h e c h o se som e v ei
tjie pu rp ose, a u d g a v e u s a
Aei’v n ic e entertaiiv
\V c sle ep v e ry .'.u
.ig d a y s in th e aii^, a n d l>esides
th e p la in s are inm di
an th e hilLs.
,
T i A f M l a y , S f J i . — 1). weaWtaB
.otin g, an d T did stuno s ig h t­
se e in g <«^iiiy o w n a ccou n t, ^ ^ is it e d th e sla b le s, w h ic h a r e v e ry
suhslaiiL lal “'UMcos b u ilt iti circles. T h e in n er c iic le i s £om ied
by u se r ie s of. co.ach-houses op en in g im to a goiKi coach -yard .
T h e back o f th is rou n d Im ilding is d iv id ed in to loo.so b o x e s, am i
t h e h orses are e ith er in th ese»or are te th er e d o u tsid e in a w id e
sp a ce b e tw e e n thi-ir o w n hoiiie.s a n d llio s e o f th e ir syces, w h o so
h o u se s form th e o u te r circle o f th e c sta b iish in en t, a n d Vr'ho.so dt/om
a n d w in d o w s look im n ietliately o n to th e liorses. T l i c n . t w e n t
o v e r tin,' ollices, a n d sa w »ill th e cle rk s a t w ork . T lio b u ild in g is
m nv and io v e ry K u rn p tyji-loold iig ; b u t <i~s th o otiici'd s d o n o t
w ire for fa b le s and prefer sittin g on th e tio o r to do th e ir busii,e.$s,
. o n e h 'cls th e y w o u ld proliably b e h.appier au d m ore com forrablo
i n a il oh l-fash iu n ed den th a n in t i y s e lo fty an d harp ajiartnu'nits.
T h e r e is n o fu r n itu r e a t all in th em - j u s t a drujfget o n th e floor
a n d a cou]jle o f ordinary c h e sts in tiio corn ers ; a n d th e m en s it
al>»)ut a n y h o w , w ith sm all p en -b o x es b e sid e tliein and h eap s o t\
pajier.s round th em . T h e y an-, d oin g th e b u sin e ss o f th e S ta te iu
th is, to our eves, u n b u sin e sslik e m ann er, b u t I darij sa y thi-y
w o rk a s hard as tlio se w lio s i t o n chaira a n d h avo m ore o f t h e
jiar.-iphcriialiiL o t th e scrib e a b o u t them . T h e record ofhce w a s
ra tlio r in te re stin g . -Ml th e papm-s are k e p t on shclvc-s, iitid p r e ­
s e n t th e ap p earan ce o f thou?>;unb o f m a n y -co lo u red b u n d le s,
for tlic v e r e w n ip pod in v a rio u s elotlis, tlie four.cornei-s o f w liie h
:n-(‘ (i<'d tpgetlu-r, an d flujy are th e n p iled up to th e c e ilin g .
E a c h b u n d le hn.H a liekcL o n i t w h ich sliow s tt> w h ic h v illa g e i t
a n d a n y p.a{)cr w an ted c a n lu? jirod uced .d ire ctly . T h e
eeirtrnl p a r t o f tlie.-c' In iih lings i.s to b e a durbar hall. I t is v e r y
largo a u d lo fty , atxl w ill be very handsom e w lien i t is q u ito
fin ish ed . I i.-liiubcd on to th e roof a n d ‘saw fm m i t <in e x te n s iv e
\ ;ew (»f K rtpurthalla,
. i n th o afti-rnown \\‘p v e n t, to th e Tlajah's te^niis p a r ty , an d
wlu-n w e !;ail IiJuWea W(‘ w ere c o n d iiclc d in to t h e d ia w in g -r o o iti.
l i e ' t i k e s grciit. jileasu rii in thhs room, am i re a r ix in je s rhy fu r n i­
A ll h is lij tie o n ia m c iits. are
tu r e in ic 1‘vcrv .S;iud-iy in o in in g .
p i \'.r y goi;(j t^rstc, au d l\e ha's to n ic lo v ely colou red p h o to g r a j’;
J C 8
1887
su ji
8 2 ;{
of yWs. Liinpfln', ila r } ’ A nJeraf *'
» fi^ tler ! A
scluiolroom in a sevei’fi- styles e
.
^0<judojr,v'‘**^
sliow ed liim on th e glubo all
Ji
Ix’en ^o.'- Tho
iMuliaiajjili ])ri;seiiteil ii portBT
'
V iceroy, paiis.trd
b y a c<ai'poiit(T o f tli^ place.
^
fiooil, extrein fiy
like, and wiUi a quiiintuess .
'* ’jakcH it look like a
very old plcturo. T he Hajai
^^Tifec' sittin g in a higUIwickcfl chair,*tUe gold carving
th e e lllc t «>f an in n er
frame to 'tlie picture ; th e coloitirxi. ( 5 is very sui.'ces^sful, and ih o
liajah w eats a splcrxlid red garnuMl,. v h ile his T.urhan is coviTcd
w ith jtswoli'. Tint fi’aiue is of curved wood, and th e whole w ill
look well ')u the w alls of Clandehoye.
A fter dinner •we said good-bye ty every one and drove to th e
railway station ; th ere we slep t in tlie train, and started afresh on
our ju u riu y in the niiddlo <if th e iiiglit.
Tlnn'^ihnf, Idth .— M’o travelled all yesterday througli a dreary
country,■and all n ig h t too, reaching ‘ Rohri H undcr’ at breakijLsttinio this raoming.
Tlii.s place is on the banks of th e Tndu-S and is ex a ctly njjjiusite
to vSukkuv. One can understand th at i t m ay be n dreaiy and
dren^lful place to liv e in, an<l that the glnro and heat o f the sun
m ust be lerrific, in tlie suiiiniei’, but. a tourist in N n vfu ib fr is
rather struck b y t t s charm,■!. There is the river, there an* palmtrees, and tliurc arc inud-covercil btiihling.s, which Roinchow pile
tliem selves rrp in to solid stjuares and towei-x, and iniiuago to look
im posing. Tin; great p oin t o f in terest tn us is a big bridge u h ich
ia to cross the Imlu.s here, and we w ent dow n in a steam er to
visit ilie ■Works. Tt will not b<* linLshcd for anotlior tw o y<‘ar.s.
Thiving seen ii^ wo sp en t a couple o f liours on the river, for .ill
our railw ay carriages h.id to be tr.nn-<ported acr* s.s it, and liia t
w as a work o f tim e. ^Ve luul luiu-h on a barge, and got ojrag iin
at ftlxmt four o'clock.
' .
,
T w o little th in g s anm.scd us hci-o : one is th e Scnide h a t,
which con.sists of a gold brocade ‘ chim n cy-p p f' hat wurn <he
w rong .side up : and th e other is the w ay in uhb'h the natives g o
out. imhing. T hey have large earthenw are vessels, w ith a liult- in
tlio kip. Over th is hole th ey Uc, kicking tlw iv logs In th e wab-r
to guid e tin- fi'iul btvrfjue, and u.sing th eir arms to Imld tlio line.
W hen a fish is caught he is inm icdiately dropj-.ed into tlio pot.
Tlic man caiyles-Ifls nct on h is head w hen ho is not using it, and
So he travels alm ut ‘ very ligh t.’ I must n o t f<ii*gPT, to m euthm
fl'o fort Oft Snkkur, w hich is a very large one o f the. m ost oUlft-sliifnoil and fnmnlc tyjic. ne.d uiiytlicr luiildirfg which <at. out**
tim e -wa^ I'vercd w ith bright-colourecr til%.s; th ere sc v e u
3 2 i
L IF E
IN
IN D IA -
ch
. x tn
Inirlerl. 1 don’t, see, Ucwever,
tlin t tlii.s^^ivcfl tlito ftime.
J ' l l t h . —
tilro«I'll th e uninteresting
desert oP.ScinUtJ, s c r
I .cactus covering au iinuiense
.saqdy plain. ColoncV
itii us, unci 3Ir. L ighcfoot Ls
tJic. accoDJpi-nying raifv
•
W e a r r im l a t Ivai
noon. I t pre.sents th e a}>p«^arau i-cof a hi-aiicl-UHW tow n s
i in a sandy dcset^ ; b u t it h;is
a harbour, and it lias great
and it has n i*ailway ques­
tion. w liicii niiicle iirs feel a lit.fle like arriving at B n tis it Coliimhi!!
in th e days of the great agitation there. Tiio juldross a t th e
st.iriou wa.s full of the question, and all other adclro.sses have conliiiiierl to be fu ll of it ; hut, altiiough i>. can promise nothing, he
doe-s fu lly synqw th isow ith th e natural desire th ein lia h ita n ta have
to see tlu'ir tow n bocoine tlie cajhlal of all Indbi., as ilu'V think it
- m ight —or I'Prhap.s, to pul- it mure uiodenituly', w ith th eir wi.-,h 1o
connect thcinsclves by hand w itii th e besr parts o f tlie c'ouutrj',
iiistc.iJ of being cut uli' from tlie coraiucrcinL world a s th e y now’
are. Tliun: is tuily one raiiwny vvhich j)as5es through th e dcsiTt
of tfciudo, and ■which gucs north, and daily ]-n>sbs are unkmuMi
here. T his jjoit is one day nearer to E urope th an Boitjlwiy, ^‘uul
Karaelii'see.s every rcasoji why th is fortu u ale circunTstTnce .should
even tu ally make i t tlm .successful wval of that*now ihnu'ishing
tow n. W liile U. "was ('\jiressing hi.s sym pathy a t Uu? abition, th e
cam els in th e licighbmirhood cheered loudly.
W e had u (|uiet dinner in th e Commis-sioner'shouse, wh®re we
are stayin g. !\Ir. Pritchard U hi.' jiauie. There v a s a lcv(^e
. a ’t e r w a r d s .
iSat'.irdaij, l*_'^/i.—W o had a long e x jw litio n to-d,-.y, and the
K oW rtses, w ho h.ave arrive.d fi'otn tjuidlfi, w ere o f th e i>arty. \V o
drove III th e tr.iiii. and w en t a little -wiiy in that, stopping for a
few m inutes to fipeii a bridge. Then wo g o t on boaid a stoamor
and vvent* ou tside the li.arhuur. W e were tni sec som e torpefloes
go oil’, and were carel'idly told -where to look. A ccord in gly wt*
gazed am i gazed, w ith our heart-s in our m ouths, h i^ th e buoys
were bumped in vidn, and n otliin g w eu t oil’. W H ile wn were
still earnestly fixing tie- spot, indicated as th e site of Iho tnrpwh.-.
un exvilosi.ou occurred. ;iml we all stared w ild lv a h o n t th e sliip
to swi what had ha},pemnl, and on ly a t th e viuy'm om ent tlic lust
tli'npstif w ater sank down into the calm d i d - reali.se th a t tui
tiu' otliei- .side oF»the sliip a torpedo hud gone ofTjuMiperly.
A lte r tiii.s we. haTt a great Imn'h ; ;uid, whetlmr* eut-iug,
iK'iiiking, or lalk m g, wp wefo U(>ver safe from th e photographer,
w ho took sh.its (vt y s all the tune,
«
1887
A
riE A K U jf
8 2 5
Lnter in th e afternoon w #
*■
m odels of foi’ts,
roodrls of luirliours, chalk linl
’f en ces, »tc. T he
ladies escaped for a tim e, and
i>d eligh tfu l •wimly
elevatifrn lookin/^ over th e sc#
. to ilte t»p o f th e
iiglitiuiuse, and Iirwl a good n
> o f sniid landwni-ds,
as ■well as of th e leal ouean
jin*; us, w h icli.a t th e
nioTfient I >v>is hol}>ing tf) illi
W o wen* hom e b y trolly
(jii, and cnn'iage, and then
thewj w as a dinner party and a .
-ion,
so ended a busy day.
iHiindc^, 13/.V.-.1 w en t to church tw ice, .and heard two
serm ons in favc-,:r cif m y Kuncl. T he oireVwries were for it.
llotw eon th e services 1 w as provided Mitli a great yih asurf.
I w as nllow'ed to m ake a n Ji.ssignaticn w ith K a tie,'-w h o cat a t
i<ne end of a w ire n i Teheran, svhil^ 1 sat a t th e other in K am ch i,
and So w e were able to converse. 'I w as really astonished a t th e
rapidity w ith w hich it w as all done, I t sciancd starcely possihls
she sliould have read w h at I had to say l>efore she replied to it,
and I f d t som e unr('a.souable impatu-nco th a t th e machine wim
n o t able to uccoTupU.sh just, a litth ' more, and h?l me hear or see
her. S ayin g good-bye w as tlie wor.st of it, for it really tlhi secm
lik e heginm ng a new te n n of ^ p aru tion . K ied nti<l D. o-ssvsted
a t tlio Ki'fiiicot ‘
A fter tliis \«c d n ive to th e Znnlogictd Gardens, which are new,
b u t which prom ise very w ell. I t is rather funny here to tlnd onc.self
. expectod to admire llio tree;:, and one look s n Hctlo bowiM-'red
uutil^one has thoroughly cUgesieil th e fa c t th a t th ey h a v e nr-ly
b een planted four years. i^e*‘u m th a t lig h t th ey oro adm irable,
and quite gigan tic. W ith o u t it. th ey arc on ly shrubs few an d far
betw een.
M otuidi/, 1 Uh. - I l'‘td a busy m orning. 1 visited tw o schools
and looked a t tho Konm n C atholic chnrch. T he drbt scliool w as
n P rotestap t one for b«)ys and girl>:, and the second a c o n v e n t '
school for girls.
’
* •
Then I returned hom e and n;ceive<l l l i s Ifig b n ess the i l i r
ilH san A ii K han. H e i»u grofit Alali<*inetau rtobleof llyderabftd,
.Scinde, find he c-ame to
m e about m y Fund. H o w as beuutifu^ly an«I oinn’im.dy dres.'-d, H is loo.se ‘ T u r k ish ’ trousers wm-o
eln p ed red &nd green. H is short coat w as scarlet veU'ct and
gold. H is jew els wore w onderful: a great lielt of then: round luo
waist., another «cro£s h ie shcixdut^r, 'onicoiets of maguitic»M’. t flat
diaTDon'l.-- ftjupd his arm.s, rings o f iniinense sto res on h is fingf'r.s,
anti otlwjp «plendul trifles in ^•arif>us dIreetion.s. Tiien h is ’ l .a t !
I t w as th'' ‘ch im n ey -p o t’ revei'sed, b u t it amis covered w ith ge-ina :
sister •Lady Kicnisiin—\'dfe of the C'h^igf d’.ifTaircs.
826
roTtnrl th e etlgo >
h.it) n I'ow of lal
<j£ it. H is swoi’t
look a t w hilo his fla
to m«*. H e spoke v
an d said th a t in th e h .
<iflmitt(wl, much less a
int;dical aid i.s truly nocC R s
AL I /U 'li IX IX ni.A
CH. x m
‘eh you i'ecolleti,fc th e top of thp
more jew els covnred all the rc.^t
’.uiiful, too, and T Imd m uch to
speei'lK'.-. were hein" traii'^latnd
the usefuhie'^s of my Si.'henie,
ic n o t e v t- n a m a n ’s picture is
j and, tlierefoi-e, th a t fem ale
•
J riivist t e l l y o u t lia t H j< j a d , S c in d c , h a s t a k e n t h e t h in g
u p w a r m ly .
T lie m a id c ip a lit y h a e e e n g a g e d M is s IClIjkhy,
fr o m B o m h a f . Q'lioy ^ a y lie r s a la r y , p r o v id e iju a v ie r s , a n d a'i'G
Ui b u ild a d is p e n s a r y . T h e y a r e al.:a g o in g t o o p e n a t r u iiiiiig
. s c h o o l f o r dh.ais. I h a v e u o w lie i'e s e e n t h e S e h e iiio s t a r t u n d e r
m o r e f d v o u i- ib le circu m sta n ce?;.
I f o r g o t t o t e l l y«>u th at, w h e n lUis H ig h i* p sa t h o J l i f w a s
t a l k i n g t o m e. I s a w w it h d is m a y t h a t h e h a d l o s t f o u r lai-go
p e a r ls olT t h o vim o f h is h n t, a n d t h a t o u o m o r e w a s o n t l ie p o in t
«'f g o in g .
H o w e v e r , T su])presse< l m y i n c lin a t io n t o t e ll'lj iin tld.s,
a n d I h e a r d a ftciw v a r d s t l ia t h o lia d h a d a l i t t l e a c c id c ii t m i h is
w a y , h is lio r s e s lia i in g b e g u n t o h g h t in tin* c a r r i.tg e , b u t t h a t im
h a d .savoil h i s p e a r ls .
W h e n h e W a .s d r iv in g o i l ' 1 .s;iw t h a t o n e
o f t h e h o r s e s h u d lii.s h e a d m u ttio d u p iii a r e d t o t t o n h a n d k e r ­
c h ie f,
Si> t h e G tpiipage w a s jin t (ju itc u ]i t o th o * r e q a ir c n u ;iit6 o f
8 0 s p le n d id a p e r s o n u s m y v is it o r !
A V lien t h i s n<)l)leinan h a il g o n e , I s a w a b o u t tw cd v e g e n t l e m e n ,.
s o m e o f tln.*m m em b er.s o f t h o a fd r e su id m u n ic ip a lit y , a y d w o
v i’n t i l a t e d m ir m u tu n ! id e a s , a m i h a d a v e r y s a t i s f a c t o r y cnr.vr-r
•sation .
[ a m v e r y m u c h p le a s e d a t t ld s H y d e r a b a d a lla ir ; a n d
t h e y h a v e c o lle c t e d a g o o d d e a l o f m o n e y i n o t h e r p a r t s o f t h e
p r o v in c e .
I w a s o c c u p ie d t h u s t ill lu n c h e o n , a n d s o , w h e n ] w a s c a lle d
u p o n a t d .d O -to g o o u t in a v e r y h o t .sun t o ’.-c:. ;
. i . e , - : le.id , 1
b e g g e d o il’,.'rtid a m w r lt in g 'iiiy le t t e r s in.sl. -ul.
T h e C o m m is s io n e r h m l a d in u e r p a r t y , .-md u f le r w a r d s w e a ll
w e n t t o n b a ll in tl?i’ T r c r e H a l!. I t w hs a v. i v g o o d o n e .
T lie
r o o m ia a tim ; la r g o o n e w it h n b o iiu iifiil flooj-, a n d t h e su p p e r w a s
i n a n in im en .sc t e n t lin e d w it h r e d a n d w h it - , im d p rofu.'^ Iy
< Ieeo ra ied w i t h p la n ts , so t h a t , lo o k in g a t t h e m , i t wHs d itt ie u lt t o
b u iic v o t h a t v.c. w i-rc in tlm m id s t o f a s.a n d y d e s e r t.
A sta ir o a sft
lifid b e e n p u t u p fo r t h e o c c a s io n fr o m t h e b a ll-r o o m d o w n t o t h i s
t e r it ; it wa.s c o v w i . l e v e r a n d d r a p e d w it h p h u lc a r r ic s h f d iirm -cu t
kin'.ds, a n rl t l ie w h o le t i i n g wa.s e x t ia m ie ly p r e t t y .
I>. d:iiice< l a ll
t l i c i i m c . u s t h e b p s t w a y o f e .x p r e s sin g h is .sfii.sc o f tin* c i v i l i t y
-done; lii)ii, a n d w o d id n ^ t IcAvf. ih e b a ll t ill t w o o ’c lo c k , w h c u w e
18JJ7
\ T
A I ’. i r O J' P R l k E
^
y
027
drove straight to our railw ay '
A’o s!f*pl th e slw p
v f th e Liml.
We- le ft one o f our party**
,'eems to have g o t a
little touch of the sun, and
, «'«ul so hc^renifiined
■wifcli k ind M r. l^riicharcl, Ir
cotch us up in a few
days. W e,aU liked our vi.sit
ati4 found our liost and
a ll tlio people there very hoei
-^riondly.
-W ’ct had
. ^ gy in the train, am i \vem
ghwr wlreii it w as o v e i\ T chaim lP^'arriagcs hofi/ro bedtim e, as
m ine is t(*(> long to t»ike up to f^uottu. H a v e I t(2 hl you wo are
goin g there 1 D . h a s a lw a y s I'eon distressed a t having given up
tljat exj)e<lition, and bo a t Jiust he determ ined to citt one day otF
K am eh i and to m anage it. "SA'e are now fu ll o f plea.sure lunl
cxoitem ont at th e ide.a. • \V c l»e.‘ir th a t it is extronndy <-oUI, b u t
as w e have so far been ex tjcm ely warm, wo. quite iiko the idea o f
Ijeing chilled.
'I'lie ciiolera seem s to h a v e disappeared from there, w hich
enables us to do this.
Wedu'ce(h]j, IhM.—-Wo have? h;ul a m ost inten.>stiiig d a y
through a m ost extraordinary country. It is very diflicali to g iv e
you an idea of it, i t ia so uniiko an yth in g yiiu have ever seen.
The w hole isfabsolutely barren, and it looks lik e a great storehciusc of th e en fth’-s mutm'ial Ygther than a linished portifm of our
w orld. There arc piles of rock, and piles of Siind. and piles o f
gravel, and pik-s o f nud, roc.<ly as it were to th e Creator’s hand,
b u t a o t y e t usefl u p A ll is- th e sam e colour, and none of t he
prcttiuessos of life li'v e an y place here. There are no trees, no
grass, no flowers, n oth in g <<rn;iraeiital or frivolous ! liu t parts o f
it arc very grand ii. a s.-eird and u m a n n y way. Tlvo Chappa
R ifi, forin.stauce ! T o see it w e got in to an open car niid starterl
from a station facin g a hiil in whicii there appeared to be ju s t a
‘ I ifr ’ and n oth ing mrwe. A s wo opened it out -wo saw tliere was
a great gap in thn hill, and th a t a little iron bridge* w as throw n
across it ut ;i h eigh t of bOO feet. To g et up to thi.'? we had to g o
som e w ay v<vuud, th e railw ay asv.em.Ung ‘o n e I n tln r ty -liw ,’ \V e
p;i.<si>f| thrnugh tu n n els and over sknletoii bridges, and across th is
Olinj'pa R ift, and through n gorge w here th e j>ilt’S o f rock w ere
particularly‘gigan tic and oppre-ssive-Iooking. A t tlu- bottom of
one trem endous ciill' we etiuld see bcfon* us a tiny hole, th e oponin" o f a tuunel*thri>ugh which -wo were about to j a.s.s. W e did
in d ceil lo<)k , m iserable little atom s in th is desohvtc regioi> o f
Ktupendous rocks, and w o should have fe lt sm all indeed had w e
not*i‘ccolh*cted our giguutic intulIeGts, and gloried in th e pow er
an d th_,i'^ in gen u ity w hich lia \e •conquered ^the d iflic u ltie s’and
828
i
^
1 .1 F K
IX
IX IH A
ch
. xm
oppued it w ay th
osjiiiblR ’ couTitry ! The enginecr.-i
havo had hard a>,
and the p iles of gravel wev«
particularly troub
** The h ills m ade o f th is sort of
sh in gle look as if t
o slip dow n a t any moment.,
and so th ey did win
'rfered w ith. In som e places
m asonry tiinnels hac
i then covered o^er w ith th is
stnff. In otli«'r place.s ^
■e through rock n ith wiucLnvs
le ft open iti the sides.
*
The expedition having
planned in a Imrr}’, I»w’nS not
ab le ii.) accom pany 1). to
Kojalc rus^, and yon w ill Jose, tlierefove, m y impi'K->si(jns of. t hat m ilitary post o f vatitage. 1 eaino
straii.'ht to Q uetta, while he w ent <ni to th e pass.
fsir Fred'.'.i ick K ob ertS ; (Jenoral Hlles, Sir TJieotlore Hojx-, and
y ir O liver S t. John ai*e w ith ’ him. AVe also have inniiy railw av
authorities to look after us, fo r tvain.s are apt to run aw ay, htuI
g reat preeantions have to ho taken to check tliis disposition on
th eir part.
l^ady S t. John m et mo a t Qaeit.a, aiifl I ;im .stayiiur w ith her.
Ho far I have been quite warm and comfortable, b u t it l.s freezing
outside.
Tln(r,i<Uoj, 17/A .—The sun .shines, and the air is perfectly
delicious here. Quetta is on a largo plateau sun*omided by baro
h ills. E veryth in g is of the sam e d u st colour, anfl eveji th e little
attempt's .at trees are of no bj-ightcr t i n t ; but th e .shapes of the
liiils are tine, aud l.ato in th e day, when there Is som e shadow , •
th(ty begin to grow Uyiulifuh.and by sim set 'hey are quilo Ipvely.
T h ey change th eir colour in th e m ost m arve lous w ay, anrl at one
tim e are a brilliant rc<l, looking like n\oltcn copper. E v ery th in g
is new , and a t Q netla life ii, only just seclliiig dow n in to th e
ortUimry grooves. I visited th e iiospi^al, which is an exceed ingly
good one, and the surgeon i.s pleased w ith his tin te d w alls, and
luoro cspetdally w itli a dado which he has cuiitrived to have
paintf^l rounfl them . H e'said , ‘ Y on • “'(‘p, i t d<y<;s n o t lo/d: th e
lea st like a barrjick-ronni.’ Tiic otticci’s ’huts are queer little im:d
b uihlings with' doniAs and the only iinporlnutdooking erection is
a tow n hall, w hich Is used for busine.ss and for durbar.^. There
is no church, and tliis is one o f tin! grievances of th e place, iov
there arc 2,.100 soldiers here. Horvire i.s in a teiu .
,\11 th is r saw ill the morning, and in th o aftenntr-n T visited
the polo-ground and tho ‘ In stitu fe ,’ or place "of am usem ent.
There ladies reiul Jhe pajn^rs in one room, gentlem cp in another,
and th ey nil play badjiimton, dance, and act together.
. D. arriveil in th e «nening, having succoAsfitlly ridtlen U jrtlie
K ojak P.uss and looked beyynd*Caudahar, w hich itscdf nSj^lnddcu
1S87
A W A l K j n .F ?
32D
from v iew by a sm all h ill. Sir f"
Tanner an<l her
daughter eauie to tUnner. H e 5
yommand here.
S ir O liver and T>.uly S t. John.
a r e ^ ta y in g , have
m ade us very coiof'^rt^^blo in tl
lOUses®
•
Fruhnj, 18M. —\ \ ’e cam e t /
. ^ 2 llu r n a i route, and
we 1'i‘turn l^y (he Dolan, T i
a v e r , b u t there i« ivj
w ater in it now, a iv l th e isif.
way is laid in its l>cd.
T h at is uatnrally n ot a very 8.
• to lie in, and a new line,
M'luch will be TiKirc above tlie fu.^ , i.s now imder consideration.
Tho w atery come dow n r^uite unexpectedly, atul no one can tell
whci'e tn- w hen th ey w ill burst foj-th. The descent*is very Rteop,
and at iirst we w ent in sm all carriago.s downhill, niaking th e Eno.st
extraorditiary tw ists and turns. A fte r a litth -w e got on to tho
hroml g;uige again, an d rmle fur sdhie tim e in an open car to ’ -.e
th e nioat «oiuK‘j*l'uI ]>arts tif th e Hue. I t is impo.ssibIe to describe
th e scenery. One can on ly say th.at it is tlic very last ; ’ace m
th e worid wliure you w ould exp ect to lim l a railway. The g rea t
l><irren hills, gigan tic clitis, and rough rivereourse, ail scs'ui a t
v.iriauce w ith any evidences o f civiiisation, and tho whole th in g
is more w onderful th an beautiful, rxcej't a t .sunset 1 Tlieu thesw
bare dust-colourtHl m ountains sccin to offer mrtf; bfonc/te (o f
a niuddy tin^) t o every atniosphpric effect, and every ph.ase o f
fad in g su n ligh t Is rcHectcd on th eir .seamy sides, and tliey arc for
th a t short tiiuo glorified.
Thiii in terestin g jnuTiioy took up alm ost tJie whole day, and it
w as diirk w hen w e rvHched k^ibi and our dinner.
^oturdn;/, 19M.— In th e luurtHng w e fo u n d ourselves again a t
Sukkur, am i on crossing over tlie In d u s w e Joined our ow n tn u n ,
w hich W iu s tO Q long and heavy a o n e to travel on th ose m ountain
lines.
H ere 1>. recei\c<l a v isit from one o f tlie old Scinde chiefs,
M ir A li ilu r a d of Jvhaii-pur. H h was a fine-looking old man,
accom pnd ed by scvj^ral .«tahvan soiife. TTcgave r?a’. j u ’esents,
w hich go in to th e Toshakhana. W o breakfasted lajtween th is
jind I>.'.s r e iu m v isit. Thw rest of th e day was? occu{)iuA w ith d u ll
and uneventful railw ay travelling.
•
tSumUiji^ '20th. - T liis m orning wo had again to Ic.vve our carringcs Kiid l<5 cr»ts.s tho Chenal) in bctuta : tlmn w e w ent on bytrain to tSie In d u s, nnd crc.-ised th a t in a steam er. Our d estin a ­
tion w;is I>ehra«L}ha2 i K h an . H u r o n nuTnl»er of B d o o ch i ch iefs
m et th e ^^ce^oy, «nd for more than a m ile tlip road w as closo
linrfl w itii th eir follow ers on horseback. Thej' are n w ild-looking
Wit of mi-n, w ith loiig hair in curls, and lou g V a rd s, -white looge
garm entsj^nd turbaus.
•
*
330
r M J l 'E
TN’ IN D IA
a i. xnr
T ho /.•oinv
und hoi-e looks w oll cultivatod
a fter tho fcicaro lields of j?r<^en orops, am i
p len ty o f ’||\
rj'e trees : th e Bougainvilleas
bngiitt'm u j.y l;
.uvtsii r.0 « llie iv are s>oa.e j:uod
roses out. Wo a.
\f r . and ^Irs. Ihinies, w hile tSir
F . and L ady Robei
tavy lumsc.
,
J Went to look at a
le M ission trospital, b u t :is all
th e doctors arid teaeho.
n t, m y v isit to it w as not very
sueceasful. W hen I v
in to a lin ely p ainted caiTiage
afterw ards, the horses stood t)n rlieir hiiid-legs, and ■\v>uld n o t be
quieted, so J* came homo in a huuible d<»g t» rl.
M ow kiy., 21sf.— Tho V iceroy hatl a durbar tli 2.s jnoimin;' fur
th o B eloochi chiefs, and w hen it w as over he ii.t-d a private in ter­
view w itli them and ta lk e d Persian to tlieni. T h ey dress in
w h ite ; indeed, they will n o t tak e .service w ith us, though they
are thoroughly loyal, because th ey object to w earing uniform , and
:.::y whit'- is the only cdlour fit for genl-loimm, T lieic ‘ g iv a t
coats,’ liowevcr, :;ti- in briglit grc(-a and retl brocade.s. T lnur hair
and beards are very long, and they liavti st.riking foatiires.
\^’o left stMin after this, an<l th e road w a sa g a in lin ed w ith thc^
tw o thousand inountcil Beioocln's foiU>wing th eir chiefs. Tliey
have the l.rilwil system , and caia'y it so far th a t i1 ^ said th e e];i-f
.says all the pravors nveessary for (he wlude *1111)0. T la y ureA lahometniis, but have no nio.si|ues. On our w ay to th e steamei',
the liorses 1 d.-ove w ith yesleixlav again siotKl on (heir lund-legs;
and this tim e th ey broke the pole of th e carriage. T
not
in it.
,
W e 1 '^ SI-.' h Mb u siy journey back. The rails are sim p ly laid
dow n on(4i^' loftbC' Ntmi. and we w ere .so glad wh»n wm had got
over th id *R n p orary part of th e lin e ;iiul were Iwck in our ow n
iiicocleaTil--uTi»gc.s Inr th e night.
T nesday, 2
' 2)id.— E v e r y o n e ha-s gono to L era Ism ail K han
to d.'iy, b u tT \>as very tir^d, .aiul so renmined q u ietly in th e train.
I should have had, t y o hours in a rough tong.a, th en a durbar, a
iunchoon, and a rheoprion. and two hmirs back —.so I tlm u glit
pinidcnce W1U5 the*bett('r part, us we si,ill liuvc some hard d avs
before us. L . got back late in (he afternoon, and w e traveiled
on all thr<)Ugh th e night.
Lbbv/.— NVlien we stop^>ed for hrnakfa,st, wm worn
n t a place c.-illod KheWm, and here w e spent a ^no.st in terestin g
luorning going, yvor th e .s.ilt-iuincs. They are iiv sd iiio barrenlook ing hills, w hich 1irv(‘. however, som e shades of re<l and grey
about them , and e o ^ r e n o t dcvoiil of a certnin kind of lu^auty.
From Die m om ent w e laft ourAurriage everyth in g wms sj^t. -T h e
TS87
V ! s n - T t) T if E
red carpet w as k ep t dow n w ith '
S& 1
,.lie staircase up
^ e a o titu l niarlile,
^Avvyl uji th e n>ad
w as salt, and so 'vas th e dust.
a m ile t<*go in a
trolly, and passed by th e liirlc
yliich th e uiiners liv e
on th e face of a red hill, and
g r a ted i n t o the bowyl.s
o f th e tiurtli, and rcKk* dii for
ad feet tln o iig h a groat
gallery or tunnel of
ilia
iV th e octiasion by a continurfts lino of little lani])s. P i h ^ .venty-fivc foot in M'idth are
le ft to Kupjv)rt d ie h ill, and th e spaces of forty-tivc feet between
each are tlic chamber.-, in A\hich tlie men work. J?ome of Lliem
ore vwry lofty, nud t h e minors looked like gnoine.s woi'king away
w ith tliidr pickaxes in theae gr*!at caycrns o f jdiikish cry.stai.
A fte r going to tlu! end of th e 'm iu o on a tro lly w e w.alked
abovif, and cUuibed up sa lt staircases inivA sa lt grotU>C8, and stood
on tiie banks of subrerranem i salt lakes, and hi'oworks were let
ofi', and-firc-balloons sen t u p ,a n d blue ligh ts and red ligh ts trnnsfoi nmd life siame in to sojiietliing A'cr}' lik e a gigan tic pantom im e.
One nf tai» p rettiest thing.s w as to see a ligh t w andering alw u t in
a gallery b vh in d tw o feet tiiick o f salt. The transparency and
colour o f th e sa lt AA'ere seen so well, and th e lig h t looked so
lu yslen ou s.
"We ma.lo arw tlicr littlo jou rn ey after thi.s from Khe^vra to
CliiUianwalla. There w e visited ilie battle-field, and saw tlie
juetuorial to th e soldiers who fell there, and th e ta ll Iri.sh cross
raiscd^to th eir inem ory by j^h<i Tdayo. Mr. and il r s . I'uiox n>et
ns here, and g a v e us tea. I f e is th e Conmiissioner of this
district.
7’/»</r.-f/7y,^4/A.—-\Vo travelled on till five o’clock to-day, pass­
in g over th e A tto ck Rriflge and gi.'tthig a goml \’icw of tlic l-'ort,
and reaching P eshaw ar iH.‘£oru ssmmot, in tim e ti» a d n iu e th e trees
— ^whioh lobk w r y fn ’sh and Jlonri.diing after th e .-;i'nib!.y hnslies
we have seen la tely — and a ll th e liag.s and decorattorj-s end gay
uniform s which lighted up th e auuitm. The escort, w.ns ooni})u.scd
o f a troop of ‘ S k inner’s K orsi‘.' 'flieir unifm-in is lir ig h i yellow ,
w ith I'cd b elts and turbau-s. Thev look verv haudsom o arid
slniw y. Mr. and Mr.s. byall ai'e our host;-i, and th ey have
bnrrow(?d ('olonel W at-rlicld's Iujuso for th e occasion. \V e arc
gla«l to 1 ) 0 ill a house, for it is excecdingiy,cold a t nighr. am i J).
and 1 nre bntlh .struggling to keep cfl’ H,ttle congii.s, w hich are
partly du y'to tlio enn.st int changes of teiuperann-}.' w e have boon
passing.through, and partly, 1 think, to tlw ([uantitics of sand ft.ial
du-st-Ave liavc .sAvallowed ca
\V c ended ijie d ay Avith a ball,
an d .th ere tlie cold was great, lla p jiily tSmrc Av;is a cornm* Avhoto
• •
•
■
»
•
t o the level uf flu? tram way lookf
l)Ut Avas really m ade o f block.--
832
T found a gooci
wliih' D . warinJy n d a y , 2 ,1 /^
chiefs a n d wiiv^
th e g r e a t d u r b a r
uiaiiiigo.d to g e t a ^
w e re not v e iy s n ia rfj
s p le n d o u r about i t than
tl ie
O A I / L IF K
15? I N i n A
cir. x iii
nci I sa t b y i t m ost o f tho ovoning,
ore energetic fasliion.
th e r e w as a g ra m l d u rlw ir f o r all
b it
p a rts.
Tt w a s h e ld in
.pponred a t llaw oj P in d i, a n d I
could sec i t a il. T h e durbarig
le .scene had less o f Orieutal
6 a g r e a t d e a l o f J u tc r c s t novor-
theleSR.
T lic troops oxitsicle looked splendid, imd th e llne.s of Skijincr’s
H orse form ifig a gunrrl of Ijonour m ost picturesque. T he \'ii'(n->'y,
ill solitary stale, on h is silv er throne, and all th e Knglish ollic«u‘s
in uniform on one side of th e tent, gave colour to th e scene. On
th e other side sut th e n ative visitors— a few in respectable clothes,
b u t m ost, I njuat say, looking veritable ragamuffins both in face
and dress. Troops o f wild cieatures in dark-(-oloured Llunkets
passed by, oftering a nuzzar as th ey w en t— iin se were a deputa­
tion from som e tribe near the K h yb cr P a s s ; thon an oth er .set
from KOiiie other tribe walktyii by in equally unconventional
garm ents ; and so on thn n igh KOO ppi'sons. They appeared to be
th e .sort of peojile you w ould n o /iik e to m eet on a dark n igh t, and
i t wa.s cuihm s to see them received in th is soh-ir.u w ay. 'I’o^givo
you som e idea of their social .stalu.«. I m ay add tiiut each man w ill
1 ) 0 given a rupee, or perhap.s tw o, before ho leaves, b u t th is dona­
tion has to be mado in private, else th ey w'ould h glit over thu
m oney on the sjiot. AVhen a ll had'passcd by, D. read h is speech
in P ersian, and it w as then n-i-eated in Pushtu.
W e dntve through tlm city in th e affernooii. I t is n o t very
large, and all the houses are of mud w ifh flat roofs, surroundi'it
by n jinling, bcliind w hicli th e women live. A man m ust not
build liis house higher th an his neighbours’, so os to overlook th is
fem ale c o u rt; if he <loes, In' has to imll it down fig.un, t)n
th is oi'<‘usinn every h ou se, was hung w ith gay-colouro<l cloths,
and all were crammed w ith peopde from th e t*)p to the b<'tt<tni.
W e r(M-ognisftd as .wo pu=?ed uiany of tlio ‘ rfig<ainuffins ’ of th e
durbiir.
W e stopped in one jiluce t-O' receive an address, and w en t, to
th o top
a hou.so tu see tlic view . U nfortu n ately tlie w cutlier is
m isty, and the hills w hich surrninul Pe.shaw ar-were .scarcely
visible. \V^c drove back flirough tiio cantonm enta, p ast tiio
gn m d ataml of the racecourse, and through some* very line
gardens. In the* evening w e w en t to see an am ateur biy’lpsque.
I t WHS most w onderfully w ell done, and th e );cenery was b ea u ti­
fu lly ^nianagcnl.
%
.
1887
IN '
T IIK
K liv B
/
831^
' S n ln rd ‘iy, 2 6 f/t.--W e have Ijp
/.rivin"
the K hyber P ass. W e started tu
^>rniu", vvraj)pf-<I
uj) in every sort <‘f f?ir eluivk aw
^ t t lo s a t our feet.
The carriages were drawn bw
aod \%*n were
followed b y an e.scort. The fiJ
'u t of tlie c ity wero
through a liat Uare plain to tlie
^ .r o o d , a t th e entrance
to th e K hyber, H ero w e slnpj
^ f a s t . A s wu left tin?
F ord D . inspected the Khyber l ^ _ ^ ^ n n e a n d soldierly-looking
body of men, eomumnded b y C o lo ^ ^ ^ 'a rh u r to n , whose m otlier
w as an A fg h a n lady. They were dres-sad in k}>aki m id
Jenilier
sandals on their tVct, and each w as armed w ith a rliie and
briyonet. Ileferrin g to th ese weapons, I wa«t told, ‘ A ll “ con­
veyed,’’ yon know ; they art: their ow n private property, and all
“ conveyed.” ’
A fewmomentsS after th is w e l urne'l round the corner of .a lull
and found ourselves in th e K h yb er Pass, f t is tun m iles long,
and Bo you m ust not, im agino it to be a delilo through perpeiidiuular cliiT-*; it is merely a road through a wild mountaiiioUR
i-egion, iin<f i.-< a p retty sLoepnscenU Tho whole pass was gnarde<I,
and i t w as bo curluus on each, hill-top to u a lx h .a few dustGoloijrc'd m en present arm s as th e V iceroy pa-ssed by, though wa
could o n ly see^thnt th ey did sn b y th e niuiueutary flash of their
Itayonets in the stin. They looked so sotiuiry and so far off, w ith
ju s t a little shelter o f stones IniiH up behind them . V 'e diil n.;t
feel as if Ave had been n early tueTity m iles when w e g o t to A lt
Muajuk Ifere the pass apparently ends, ntid on'' does n o t a t lirst
see Muy further r<ad throiigli th e tmmncains, Tltcre is, however,
a very gootl one ; and a.s th e gHiiilemrn of th e p arty M'ew going
on another te n mile.s to Lundi K utal, th ey m ounted th eir horses
and nnlv. ,>!i iIi'Ti*. Mrs. L yall and I rcTnahihicr bohiiid. W Tvcre
n ot idle, howover. W e got into a iui»K-i ^itid drove four niile.s to
see wh.at th e Lundi K otal nvid w a s like, and th e n w e relu n ied ,
nud I got out iny cauu-ra and took some view s (tt tlie*F' rt. I t
crown.s a high h ill, w hil« on all th e surrounding hill-top-s are
sm all rountl tow ers for defensivo ptnpose.s. T h e scenery is lhat.
of a Avild and barren rugicjji, one range o f h ills succoeiling th e
otW r. tho. fort-s g ivin g ;i «ort o f Avnrliko interest to tho place and
milking oive realise the law le.ss character of tlie inhabitants. 'Hie
Indian G overnm ent, however, pays the tribes a sm all subsidy to
keep th e p ass 0]au . and th ey are cqissocjuetitly onr v e r y good
fi ieuds. '’J netiiiiefs all m et tho V iceroy as he p oised up, and wvre
very polite, but wurinro and blood foud!^ are alw ays goin g on
betAveen th e triU ;^ arn! m en are qfteu^ shut*\ip in their ow.n
lortrticiL yilhigos for a niontli
'a tim e, afrjjid to venture Out.
^
VT/LU-E IN IMHA
ch
. -m i i
T!v'y sometimri,
uriug tlif* so^nng scaKOJi, an d as
soon ns tlia h a r \^
,’econimcncf; th eir hghts.
At- tlie foot oL
fciiiall niosquo, from which th e
F o rt
its
V graphcd too. and also m y ow n
escort, wiiich was
lie (5uides.’ Tiien .Mrs. L yall
and r toilw l up the*’ ^
\ carrying
uinl)rellii lik e asm all i i ’it, and feelin gIfc
he wai-in gow n which had boeii
necessary in tIu* morning.
_ tough I had pc^lcd oil' a fur
cloak nnd an ulster, I s t .iin H p f a r ton much on for t?K; nitdday
sun. AVhon wc got u)i, them wa.s not niucli to see, b u t j in-spoctcd
tin- guafil uifd did the V iceroy’s <luty for him. B efore startin g
on this w alk I received a tolegrjim tVoin IX from Jjundi K otal,
te liin g Jo'-'
to eat a ll tlie luncheon. T his w as tiie first
telegram ever .--cut from thcrd, th e w ire liaving been nut up for
th is occasion, and tliey liad great ditliculty in persuading a
telcgT.'iph clerk to %euture in to .>»ucli a dangerous r<'gi<m. l i e r.au
aw ay and hid hinisolf for three days in th e bawuir, and w as Oidy
ju s t caught in tim e to bo dispatched there. W hen w c w ere in
tlift .Fort, <1 horseman cam e after us ro s.ay tlia t th e Viceroy had
returned nnd Icid begun luncii, so we ’.minctii.-itely lieliographed
him a dupHcato of his ow n m essage.
M’f found all the hor.sonn*n very pleased with*tlfrm selvcs, and
w iili the ]'a< ' 0 a t w hich th ey had rid(h‘ii. b u t flicy w ere niucli
eovoretl w ith d ust and looked rather a ilirty imrty. W e g o t in to
our caiTinges as soon ntLer lunch as possible, ami w ere hom o by •
half-past tive.,
.S‘unrf*7_v, -'ifh. The church and th e service hero were w r y
nice. T'iicre w as a band instead of an organ, and very good
sin gin g by a .soldier choii’.
7 had a long talk w ith a m issionary lad y doctor, and in tlie
-••-fternoon visited her dispensary and hospital. .Then wc- w en t
(o .sec the m ission church, wliich is an excecclingly jirctty one.
The outside* is built lik e fi nioscjuc, and look.s lik e one excoj)t
for th e cross ^^hich rcjdaces th e cvescinit on tin; dome. Inside
there is a beiifttiful'scrocii of perforated carved wood all round,
th e buck of tho alt.ir. and th e tc.\ts in F eivian cluiracb'r on th e
w alls have a good decorative eftcct, 1‘ai't, of th e .seats :y,'e
curtained oil' for women, a s Muhmuetftu mv.n soinPtin\C!& com e to
th e chuich to look a t thoin, and one corner of th e church ha.s a
regular ;^>urdnh fo’- IVrahoniftnn women, who occa.9ionalIy como to
M‘t‘ w hat is going (ui. '^I’lip fo n t is arnniged for tol^d ftnnier.sion
;vs well as for our -isuaW oriu o f hupti.sin.
.
AVc tIr(i\’o thrf.ugh th e tow n to tliesc jdaces, and th u s snW it
ill its everyday garb,
’ a^’om en in their burkes, a^ w h ile
1 8 8 7
n
T IO J E T
S C K X H K
T K
8 8 5 "
>
9
uum irnt whicli goes over tlMtJumtl
item ctmjplfttfly,
lonk m o it m ysterious and ghost
^ ojnniwui'k over
t]m eyes enables tluna to see the'
th is on. th ey arc
quite I'ree to g o al.-out', wlilcli isj
r them thu^ iK.ntig
sh u t up in a house a ll day, aJ
*y a v er\ eiticieiit
disguise. AVe stopped a t a littj
uazoar to see a man
do a kind of V axw ork of M-hicla
you a specim en. Ito
had on h is tlvim b a grea t patf
w h ite stuff, made, nf
linseeii oil,am i w liite lead ; in to t.
a steed in strum ent
u n til it wvs w ell covered w ith it, and then he fii'ew i t quickly
over tin* pafloru on a pietce of cloth in a thin w hite Hue ; th is h e
putted down w ith his w ettin g er -ainl as ho rcturnod it OAXchtinio
to liis m outh I wondered w hctlier th e procc-ediugs wore n o t
extrem ely lik oly to poison liim. Aft^r th is he sprinkled a little
l)OW'dert'd niica over i t ; and w ith th ese sim ple jiioaiis he wa.s very
rapidly produciiig a m ost show y little table cover.
A caravan ciinift in yest-erday, w liich w e had seen w hen p:issin g Juniro'vl— all the caniels were then collected in a yard ; .some­
tim es i,7 0 0 .co m e in a t a tim e. To-day wc sjiw a gr&it m any of
them about the tow n, i'o u m ay im agine how .amusing it is to see
th e life of the jMJople in th e streets— all the little shops w ith th eir
wares and th e ^ rn ou s figures in them ; the bullocks and asses and
cam els nil laden ^n peculiar fashions ; tlie w ild m en sp ecially
Ivjiown by tJieir grass sandal.s, itc., ite, Peshaw ar is much more
of a C entral Aais\n than an liuUaiv i-ity, and presents m uch th a t
is new h i us. I n one sijuare court there are a nunibi>r of wnotlen
stalls, like th e little .shi;ps ou th e boide\ards, but w ith very
<Utt'e.reut-looking people in then), and tea-shops w ith th e sam ovar
lea d y to give y o u a cun of tea f<ir a picc.
AA’e wer<^ to have gone through th e Kohat
Piiss to-day, but T>. g o t a chill on Sunday, ajid had fever thi.s
morning, so w e liad to g iv e it up. ()ur luggage w a s gone, and
Ills bedding w as already on th e cart w hen tlie thc)-inoiTieJ;er told
th is tale. A s quickly as possible wo got everyth in g back ; ho
retin al in to his blankets, unil us th e J,yali.s, w hodiavc hn tcrlain cd
us so hospitably htrv, w ere going away, we took possession o f tho
house. Our sta-vants, cook, itc., caiuo up fm m tho train, and in
riii Imui’.'’ tim e you w ould n o t h a\(' know n th a t th e Com m is­
sion,-r's bungalow a t P eshaw ar was n o t our own home. I don't
know w hoihcr I ^‘v . t told you tin.s p(’cul!arity of liid ia i^ life.
Mvery onr goes about w ith h is uwji Ixalcling, :iud a .su<,ud, on w h ich
1 1 1 put it, is th e Bnly th in g his liost is expeotwl tli provide.
Jh
tliks w.T.y i t is easi,-r for ptojiln lo receive g u o d s i f Tndia lliaii i t _
is t;ls(nviitri-e, Lai-gG supplies o f liu tn 'ave.'iu .t w.-.nied, and tha
3»3C
L l i ’E i X IN 'J'IA
i n . x iir
''
^
usual f‘st.a))lis}mie>
incivasetl, for ev<-ry oin* iravcls
w ith Ill's boarer A
h fr ayuh) and k h ld jn a^ ar, i»v
tal'lf' .servant, so to
attendance anti w aitin g is ilnne
by th e ■'ii.sitov’s ow n
as tlu-so nativo sciv a iits fet'd
tliem selves, their jire
k cause nmch r x tn i I'xpensc to
th e household.
fn th e aftentoon x
| a Jiiission school *for wMows.
T he lad ies iMjlonging to t.
: hero are pivrtieuWirly nice, and
Hvo very much liked by o vgW i^
M iss M itchoson toh l ifle an
aiuusiiig th in g about Jier hospital. Ir is very difticult to get
w om en ro eorne into it, and th ey particularly fr-er the clean sheets.
T hey tliin k that if th ey gu into them , th ey w ill cortainly becnnio
ChristiHuh. T hey are not nearly so much afraid th a t th e religious
teacldng sho gives them ^\ill fiave th at cfieot.
T w -'day, 29M.— D. Inid quite lo st hi.s fever to day, b u t he
ronmined in Im room; mid I took a long ilrivo round i ’<'s)ia\var,
and Weld for a few minut<« to a regim ental garden pany..
Wriltiesdiiy, 30/A. —W o left to-day by train for R atval F iin li,
and rrachccl that place a t five. There wa.s h most, b rillia n t
gathering of oflicer.s at th e station, w h ich w as decorated w ith
flags ; and a fter an address had liuen road and answered wo drove
to th e Coinmissionei''5 house, l i is th e one In w W eh th o A m ir
w as lodged, .and our hosts are Colonel a n d iNT^s. P arry N isb et.
The doctor and I together prevailed uj'on D. noi. to .g o to th e
ball, and pem iadcd him th a t a dinner party before it w as iju ita
enough for him to do. T w. < very ghul when 1 g o t there, th a t ho
had bceu w ise enougli to stay at home, for it w as very culd.
flr e a t pains had been taken w ith th e decorations, an<l thero w ere
the !uo.st {wivate and th e m ost ch illy little apat< a^’angi'd overywhcre, w liich were excessively protty and e.vncm ely dangerous.
I remained till supper v,as <iver, and thcr.
honm
'I'hurxdaif, Dc-'udn'r l.«^.. Tliere wa.a a sham fight and a maroh
past tltis ^rooming, to which ]). w e n t ; b u t ns to-niorio«. h; t.? be
n purely m ilitnry day, I tliouglii I could enipley my tim e bettor
th an in going to son th ese inann*u\T<-s, so I staye<l ul. home, w roto
some- h'ttci's, and w en t ou t to v isit three sehool.s, an asvltnu for
lepers, and a chc-s ford h a is, The tii*ht school w as kc'pt by yiis.sionarics, w ho have a large numl)er of native girls finder in.structioii. T iiey were colh'clcd in a sm all inner court, w hicfi w as hung
w ith i]v' pretty p hulcarricsthey ijiuko l»ere^,..nd i\lh,-]!, w itli their
ow n b n g lit divsses and onm m ents, looked \ frv (hii-nt-'d ajul gay.
'I’iie j)uj>ils s n n i the jiu iltip licaiion -tab lo m id som e hytjma, imd
then I gave six cJ tlio girls tin- (lovernm cnt scholardiips wdiieh
th ey had won. Each •piindidate got quite u pile of nij»ecH, and
1887
l.F P E R ASYLUM 'AT 3LV\\'AL PIN D l
837
looked very plenEecI. T h o ^ e x t scliool w as one cstiiblished Ijj
B aba K hem Singli, C .I.E ., a nativ<^ ^ ^ .tlcu ia u w ho h as started
n o I(?ss than seventeen gix-ls’ schools in th e district. T he pupils
in thcrn are ijn't q uite so w ell taiighr. as in th e uiission schools,
ow in g to th e difficulty of g ettin g fem ale teachers for tlfbm, b u t
tlioy learn enough to make thoni useful and in tellig en t women.
I w as in cch inforested in th e dim is’ (niidw ives’) cla.'^s, as 1
hav(! n ot before had an opportunity of seeing an y of th ese w'omeu,
an d t]iis little efFort^o teach them soiu elh in g is ju st w hat 1 wi.sh
so much* to see attem p ted everyw here. M any pco])le would
despise tho'«»j7far?Torf in stru ction th ey receive, b u t T^eel sure it is
m ost useful. T heir teach er is a n a tiv e w om an, w ho give.s them a
very little theoretical know letlge, and w ho goes about w ith them to
eases in the tow n. SJie tells them jvhat to do in certain cases,
an d w hat never to do in any. W h en ] asked tin m a few questions
relating to comm on m ethods am ong such wom en here, th ey
answ ered w ith q u ite a chorus of disapproval, show ing th a t « t
Iwist they.had unlearned som e o f th e ir m ost ignorant practices.
T here were eleven pu]>iJs.
T h e leper asylum ia in th e m iddle o f a grove o f trers, a nice
situation. A ll the wnrnen w ere jiitting on one 4loor-stc]>, an d nil
th e pmn on nnotjicr ; they look ed very im passive, and show ed n o
sign of in ler?st m tlieir visitors. Such an assem bly is a sad
sight. T he worSt o f a ll, how ever, ia to see young bab ies in ih#»
arm s of th ese poor diseased iuotbei>i. Tliere are seven niarripd
Itou p les in th is pmce, an d it. is terrible to th in k of th e alm ost
certau > fate of tliese w retched children. ] do wi.sh som ething
could be done to enforce th e separation o f men and women.
]"), ciimo hom e covered w ith dust. T he m ilitary business
lasted innn; than three hours, b u t I don't think I know m uch
a bout it, and &o >>HI sfiarc you an y account of th e sham light.
] n th e evening there w as a dbm or and a largo party, en d in g
up w ith a grand supper.
Fi'iduij, 2?«f.— W e s p c T it th e w hole day a t th e cavalrv camp
a t L.'vwrgncc]K're, Dij-ectly a fter breakfast w e left Knwai P indi
b y train and retraced our s t e p s som e w a y t*owHrus rc.slsawar.
Then w e g o t in to a carriage and drove to th e camp. General
L uck is in cop'nnand of i t , and th ere are eigh t n a tiv e and o n e
E n glish cavalry regim ents under canvas there. A great mounfl
has been b u ilt u p in tho p lain for th e spectators to stand on, and
w o lia<l an ^xceJlhnt view o f th e proceedings.
^
.4
T he troops *vere in one lin e ■wU<“ii w e arrived, and th e V iceroy,
CoinmoiT'Ici-iii-Ghicf, and th e S ta ff rode aloffg it f r s t ; it e.vtonded
•A m ile and a quarter. T hen th ey took up ^heir placc.s clo.so to u.‘».
a38
*
ovn
VK E lIK H A L J.TF3-: IN IN D IA
cn. xni
and thoi‘0 Vvu.-? a niarcli, a
a n d /ji gallop past. A fte r th is
eauio a battle, w here
men cim -yjiig red Hags rcprcsentcjcl
arhole squa-.lrons of tlio eiieiny, and were shot a t by tlio tw o
b atteries of nrtillei'y aiul ridtlcn dow n b y tlio o i^ o siiig forco
w ith ou t* showing, nnieli .sign of discom fiture.
W henever wo
Sfc.trcheil th e Ii ivizon and .saw nothing, w e .were tuhl th e arm y
w as ‘ roeonnoitring/ and in a sham fight I find th at th ey urn ofttm
engaged in th is duty. J c.ame to the cunclusloii th a t a review o f
m ixfsi troojis is more interesting. T he infafttry (Mn’t oftep, d is­
appear so entirely as tlie cavalry do, and 1 lik e to .soe thrtn march.
A ll the men y.ere in kluiki, w hich is th e sann* colour )m tlie sandy
])Iain. T he function ended by th e re-f';ruiu.Uuu of the long Hue,
w hich advanced to the s,iluting-{>o.st. I t wa.s now tliree o'clock,
an d w e w ere very glad to bg orderoil o if to th o luncheou-tent,
w h en ’ lleneral Luck had provided a great banquet.
A fte r this cume tcat-p cggin g and variou.^ .sport.s, b u t w e ha<l
to leave in tho niidille o f them am i drive bade lo th e train. AVe
d in ed an d slej'f in it, b u t did not m ove on till th e nmrnihg.
S atu rdatj, .‘Ir'A --W e g e t to Liihoro a t five o ’clock to-day, and,
alth ough m ost of th e gay world were a tten d in g races, there mms a
goodly show of olficers in uniforpi, and o f n atives, a t th e station
to m eet the V iceroy. \Vc had a q u iet dinner, and tluu'O wiis a
levee afterward.s.
*
Sunthi;/^ -H/’ .- - W e attended .service in th e T’athedral. I t is
q u ite new and very iinfinLshod, but it is a fiac building, an d is
on tirely iliu! to tlie eni'i-gy and .self
o f th e prosonf- aged'l
bishop (French). U r is leaving nov/, and is t-n be succeeded by
A rchdeacon M atthew, I t i.s hoped ihat, as a incniorial to him,
sufTicieut m oney m.ay be collected to p u t dow n a ui.ublo floor oi*
to tinb'h the i'o'>f.
•
W e ilrovo to tho ShuHinar (')iirdens in tho afternoon and back
Ihrough
l^Ieor, which i.s a dre.iry look in g station . Tliis
vi‘:ir it has lit»eu ve:-y uirhealthy, and th e troops th ere havo
sutl'ereil bo^h from fi-vcr autl chnlpr.a.
1 have (luite made u)> m y m ind th at when 1 have to liv e in an
In d ia n bungalow T w ill have no ganli'n. Y ou can’t think how
dam p anil nasty Tihey are. 'J'lio beds an: su n k iiisteail o f being
rais'.Hl, m id there nrn ditcln’s cut round each one, and the wnlks
nre k ep t w et and muddy, ami everyth in g looks soakeA and ugly.
J can't im agine having anv pleasure in such b ogs ns tlicy become.
N o : -iije proper and llie h ealth y th in g t o flo i.s to luivo a
g;tr<h’iipr, but uo garden -h is d u ty being to }>i-«vi'fu you w ith
- flowers a t your Vei^ll^ionrs’ expense, so th a t you alw.ays»have aS
jn.iny as you po<l^ilj!y c.in w ant, and are spared th e disigroc.ables
^
t
V '
•*
-
’f*
.
176
1887
,
'A
‘DAY
OF
REST*
A T lA llO E E
389
iiicu len t to grow ing them »for yourself. I did n o t in v en t th is
sy stem .
^
3/otul<iy, ruJt.— I w en t over th e L ady A itchisun and M ayo
H ospitals, iijid saM’ a il th e fem ale stiuleiila a t th e college. I also
assisted a t the operation o f v accin atin g a baby from u*c:ilf. Jt
w ill have tw o bad win.s, jM)or little tilin g
Mrs. L yall h.ad' a g a n le ii p;irty in th e afternoon, then came a
dinner, and jfistly an even in g party in th e L aw rence HaM. This
w e tfnjo^-ed very rfluch. T he room is n splendid oj e, and there
w ere quantities <*f n a tiie g en tlem en us w ell a s Europeans, whicli
alw ays niSkes i t more int<Te.sting, 1 think. D . had quih* a lev<5e
a t one end, and I was asked to go to th e other to create a diver.sion, and there a nnm her o f n a tiv e oflicers wore pivsetited to me.
1 also saw a holy man, whom I reuiemher tellin g you about at th e
thnft of th e E a w a l P in d i clurliar. Then he used to carry about
S ir ^Norman M cLeod's photograph, b u t thi.s tim e lie also ju-oduccd
th a t of r>. from liis pouch. J le really is a very good old man>
w h o g iv es up all h is w orldly pos.scssions to tlio poor ; nml evi-.
d en tly hj; i.s greatly revered by th e Siklis, for I saw a lon g lin e of
n u iivc ollioers stoop to touch h is feet, and p u t th eir hands togrth er in a praying a ttitu d e t o . liim , and I k ) w tlioir heads for him
to*lay his luuai^on them . H e looke<l such a little figure swathed
in w liite cotToi^ and thc-y such sm art soldierly iccti - -it was pretty
t o .see them slunv th is reverence to goodness.
T w ‘‘fd'nf, G///.— T his day appeared on tlio of.icial p-rograniine
fis a ‘ day of rest,’ but wc lillod it up p retty full, o.s you w ill
see:*
1 w ent ou t a t 8 A.M. to rido on an elejdiant tlir<.ugh the city ,
a n d T w as quite as m uch struck w ith it as th e first tinm I saw it,
though 1 hfft-o been to .so m any In d ia n cities .since
R iding
ill .it o:v.' gate, w e saw hef<irc u s a great archw.ay and a lino
inos<iue co^•cred w ith coloured tilr.s ; and prococding through (ho
narrow streets, whore carved Nhutteis, and curious j'aintfd bow
w indow s, and little shoji.s filled w ith n ative w aies'ab ou n d , wu
<-;ime upon a mosque w ith gold en domes, and rpdc on through
m ore j'icturesque streets to another gate, (•icse to w^ieli there is
tbi* fort and a large mosque, and b,iclc througli a j;< rj-etual jiark
dnd g a ifle n to tljo G overnm ent House.
HaW iig begun w ith I'lfqihant.s, wo w en t on to camels. O ne
w as brought round after brcakfa-st w ith a side saddle beautifully
fitted oi^ to Ilfs hum p ; and a fter seeing Mrs. T yall j^ .im b u h ile
th e gurdfii •on him, and ufti r pjiotogrnphiag her. 1 moujited
inysetf. A.s th e camel sa t down it was t eryJtasy to ‘ vault ’ in to
the siidtlh'. b u t w’lu n , lirin g told to
h e ^ a v e a sudden jork
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OUTl m - K R E G A L « I1 ’K LN* l>'I>rA
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upwarcis, tJirowing nie nairlv’ ovct- h is
«ii(l theji an oth er
e<iually vioIeiiL in the opposite*direction, I found i t necessary to
IioUl on very tigh tly im lewl. Once up, how ever, everyth in g was
easy. I jield the reins, w hich were passed through l« s nose, nn<i
w hich lay on his M arie S tu art enp, and guided him wiihoub
difiiculty round th e place. H o had, liowcverj'.a careless and in ­
different w ay of gazing about him and of ch ew in g ih ^ c u d , w hile
lie t<^ok an occasional kxik round a t nio, h is rh^er, w hich made m©
feel th a t ho utterly despised me, and on ly condescended ,to ©bey
m e ou t of good nature. "\Vlien ho Ciimo. to s it down, his si>asmodic
je rk s were evc‘n worse than w lien ho w as g ettin g up. H o fell on
h is kn ees w ith a thud, then lie fell on hi.s liind-knees (a jo in t
peculiar to cam els) w ith ajiother, then ho sh u t up ’an unexpected
h in ge in his fore-h'gs, and oacIi»time t foil forw ards or backwards,
as th e ciise m ight bo, and wondered whon lie w ould over g e t t©
th e ground.
D irectly after this w c w en t o u t sight-seeing. F ir st w e visited
th e n ew L aw Courts. T hey are very handsom e, b u ilt of rwl stone,
a good deal of rod m arble being m ixed w ith it. The archw ays
o f th e verandah are perforated stoue carving. S ir M erodyth
Plow'den and soino of th e other ju d ges show'od u s th e building.
T lien w e w ont to the Scliodl o f A r t and looked ab <lfawiiigs and
W'ootl can 'in gj, and so on to th e Fort. I w as giad to see i t all
again, bu t I w ill not repeiit in y descriptions of it. W e also re­
v isited R uu jeet Singh’s t()mb and the mosque. T lu'yare all very
lo vely and curious., ife r e w'o sepanittid. 1). drove through th©
city , and M rs. L yall and I w en t to a N a tiv e Christian N orm al G\rls*
School, w hich in future is to be galled b y m y name. W e found
a very n ice se t of girls there, who are }»oj)ared for th e U n iv ersity
Knti*aiice E xam iualion, and who w ill be very usefuUns teachers,
and som e I hope as m edical women. Tho A lexan d ra School,
w hich I v isit a t A m ritsar to-morrow, is an offshoot from th is one,
b u t 1 fan cy it has outstrip{ied th e j>arent in stitu tio n : a t any
rate i t is beH«-r known.
"W’o g o t home ju st.in tim e for luncheon, and hud alm ost im ­
m ed iately atter to d jive to th e races. There wore not a great
m any peo])Io there, and th e en tertain m en t w as a sort o f garden
jiurty, w ith races as an excuse for m eeting.
iVcdncsikn/, 1th.— A fter a dinner j>arty a t Tjiihore la st n ig h t
w o drove to th e station iind niovoxl on in th o t r ^ n to M eean
M cer, wKJ^c w e slept. E arly in tho m orning w e stfirted for
Auirit.snr, w here T
carriage was dropped b y Iffio w ajsid o.
D . travelled on w itly u t me, and sla y ed a t M eeru t for tho n igh t.
Ho it is w ith m y solitary iwlvcntupos th at you Imve to do to-day.
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M rs. L yall am i her niece, Cajitain •lohnston, and Mnjrr Cooper
w ere th e party who met. on th e platform w hen w e hegaii to tliiiik
o f breakfast^ and th ere Colonel.Ljyi;^ appcannl to tjike chcrL'o o f
u s for tlie (lay. l i e di-ove us to h is house, wlicre w e fc^ to tl, and
im m ediately after w o set off to see th e various in stitu tiim s which
T had c e m a o n purpose to visit.
M iss ir e w je tt is a m issionary lad y w ho has been m ost sue*
c c s^ u l wi(h*me<Uf%l work here, and I have lon g been nn.xious to
see h(T knd her cstabli.shment. I t consists o f a general hosjiital
w ith un «u t-p atieiit and an iii-jtationt departm ent, and o f a
school o f JiiJilw ifery sujjported Ijy th e inunieijwility of A m ritsar,
Tn connection w ith th e general h ospim l there are four dispensaries,
an d l)oth hospitals are used for train in g purposes.
N a tiv e
CJvri.sti«n girls arc trained for worlt am ong women, go in g through
A me<li<'a} course, am i also receivin g in stru ction in nursing and
phaniiacy. T w en ty-tw o dhais are also b ein g trained, and som e
o f tli('$o_have ])as.scd th eir exam iuations and are ready niid fu lly
qualified for em ploym ent.
To gfve you som e idea o f th e work such a mis-iioii a s fhw can
get through, 1 m ay add th a t 4,000 v isits to p atien ts in th eir ow n
h<vncs were m ade last year, ajid th a t th e ou t-p atien ts num bered
31,000.
• *
M iss IT ew fttt herself is a very rem arkable person, and is
greatly respected b y th e natives. I t i.s slm who has worked up
th is in stitu tion , and th e mejnbers of the m unicipality arc alway.s
reurly to help her. Sho and'hor collcMigues liv e in nn old zenana
in the town, and the general hospital, ‘ S t. C'atln'rine'’s,’ open.s out
o f their quarters on tlie other sid e o f an enclosed court. W o
w ent over it,«aiid also saw a little class of blin d women bein g tau gh t
t o icjmI and tc nnvkr* ba.-ikets. I also had a talk w ith M iss
iTewlrxt, w hich was very in tercsiin g to mo. T h f'i wo w en t on
to th e m aternity lio.spital and s.-iw th e cla.s.scs of dliais.
Our n ex t v isit w as to a n ative girls’ school, an d 'after th a t wo
w en t to sec th e (h ild cn Temjde, w here w e had groat diflicidties
w ith our shoes, w hich we had to ta k e ofT. M rs. />yull .said there
were sixteen butlong to lior hoofs, and Mis% T ya ll ifnd as m any
more, and ther<‘ w as no button-hook ; and w hat w as to bo done
w h en W4* c.aiiH! back ? llu w cv fv , we. resolved to risk it, and tho
boots were unbuttoned and v elv et slijjpers were p u t on, and wo
trudged down*thi' .stej^s and n long th e m arble p avtm ct^ ' in tlmse
so ft .uul 1diil|i)y-siilcd th in gs, and th is tim e I saw th e place unprejwre<l for grand visitors an d in its* o v riy J a y dress, Tliero
w ere few er jhm|:iJc about, and tho jow els w4ro locked up, jiud
tlrcrogwas no singing going on* and n o one w as baptized as a
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Ol'll
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M C iiU K O A L W t X / f S ’ IN D IA ,
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S ik h ; but still i t w as curiouii an d intpresting, an d tho fine old
soldier guardian of th e place got up from h is bed w hen he hoard
T w as tlicre, and p u t on h is Onlera and cam e o u t to i^ eet lue. 1
w as v ery ^ la d to have seen th e Crolden Tcniplo again.
Colonfd Lang, singing a little .song a t int-orvals, n e x t took us
t o sec a carpel m anufactory ju s t being started here. •Lovely and
n o t very expensive carpots w ere being made, and on lers havo
ftlrc.ady been received botli from Ixjmlon and H ew Y ork.
,
A fter th is cam e another s c h o o l- th e A lexandra ; i t disc is n,
school for uati^'e (diristian girls, wliich has a high reputation and
is doing good work. T hese v is its took longer to do th a n tn
describe, aiitl it w as m a rly lunch-tim e w hen w e returned to
Colonel L o n g s house, and thep wo had to g e t to tlio sta tio n and
to sta rt ofT in dillerent dircetion.s. il r s . L yall w ont back to
Ii.ah()re, and I pur-sued tlio V iceroy to ile e r u t, w here 1 c.aught
him up in th e early morning.
T /iu m l'ry, Sz/n—-W e ha<l soon to p ir t again, for w hcp w e g o t
to A g iu I stopped there, and he w en t on to Lhurtporo for a few
d a y s’ shooting.
T air. stayin g w ltli l^fr. and Mi's. K a y e. H e is th e Com m is­
sioner here. To-morrow lias to bo sp en t in b u sin ess so I w o n t.to
se c th e Kort again to-day. I t is a w onderful place, b ill happily for
m e I have already described i t to you, and need n o t do so again.
F ru la y, 9/A.—'My cngagenients for to-d ay were as follow s :
1 0 .30, J lis s ivsther S m iL li (doctor).; 11.30, i l i s s T’alrw oalher
(doctor) ; 12.30, M h s Y crbury (doctor) ; 1 p.’it., H r. W ilcock.s ;
1.30, Dr. J tice; 2, lunch : 2.30, D r. W a lk e r ; .3, v isit to th e hospital,
fem ale medical school, and lady doctor’s house ; 6.30, leave A gra by
train.
•
Y ou m ay see from this th a t I .spent a purely ‘ profes.sional *
<lay. and th at I have n ot much to tell th a t would be in terestin g
t o you. The ,-Vgra scliool is chuaging h.and.s now, a jie w P riueipal
Ijaving beeit apjiointed,and I was an xiou s to hear all tliat he, and
1 he ladies thcin^ol ves^ and th e conihig-in and goin g-ou t Inspector(icn er.il o f^ Io sj)ita ls liud to s.ay on th e subject of th e arrjuigein en ts th a t should be nmdc for the. fu tu re lunn.agenient of th e
school. ] wa.s also much in terested in seein g tlie ue\v building^,
w hich, ala.s ! have exceeded ihcir estim ates liy a good m any
thousand rupee?. They have nmde great progress siucl^ 1 w a s
h ere bcf^v^-.
bef^v^-. anrl the let;turo-hall and sohoolroonv aTe very
vcrv gow
gowll ;
b u t J w as a little ^s;vj>pointcd w ith th e h osp ital, w W ch'sccnis t<>
mle
e rather sm all. T he fhct is, w e w an t m oney sadly, a n d 'co u ld
eaisily
sily spend anothrt' l.ikh, upon th e placo if on ly w o had it.
1 w’as very tired jjt the end oT ijiis day, and w as glad^i.fter a
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I'OUiiTir .ve.vson
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cup of te a v.ith M rs. K ayo, to retire to m y railw ay carriage,
w here I sp en t tlie nigh t, *
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6'a(nrdai^, lOM.—Allahabach Sir A uckluiid C olvin m et m e
a t th e sta tio n early th is m orm iig, and we drove strai^lit to th e
G ovcriiraent House, here. U is secretary is a neplicw o f hi.s, w ith
a very p n itty w ife, and th ere .are tw o girls, unm arried nirces,
also stayin g w ith him . f liavo charruing rooms in a w in g oi' th e
Jiouse, and Ihok oiit upon a nicQ gardeu and law n, and th e m ost
lovm y roses you can inm gine.
I M’e n i a long drive w ith Kir A uckland, and tjilked ‘ F u n d .’ —1 g o t up early, and w en t dow d to th e <;t.ntion
to m eet N e lly , w ho arrived looking e.xtreniely w ell, and n o t a t all
th e wor&o for h^r very tiresom e jounn.y and tw o n igh ts in tlui
train, i t wa.s very nice to h a v f her buck, and to hear all about
e.verybody .and everythin g she had seen during her y^e.ir in F nglond.
W e w ent to church a t th e new C athedral, which is im iinislied,
30,000h b ein g w anted to com plete it : and in th e aftt‘nioon wo
drove to’ th e Kort, and looke<l a t th e ju n ctio n of th e Jumn.-i and
tlie Ganges, a view w hich m u st be a very tine one in th e la iu s.
TiuHil'i'j, loO t.— j). arrived in th e nfternoou. l i e had had
i'<^ry fair spcrj a t Bhurtp^ire, and had e«j'>ycd tw o o f th e dny.N
very m uch.* T he D u k e o f M ontrose cam e dow n to shoot w ith
them , and liad*an am using day after deer an d pig.
Wfdiifttidai/, 1 !.'/<. - N e lly and I le ft early in tlie m orning, and
found th e children at th e sta tio n fu li o f t:Xi iten ien t a t m eetin g us.
K ack one held a dog by a chain, and w e g o t m uch m ixed a s wo
emhr.'iecd, and bcciimo quite a tan gle o f iieoplc and dogs. Krod
and A rchie had <*omo dow n h alf at hour sooner to g iv e th e S im la
party th eir iu vak ia.'t.
The w hole fam ily cvtnie in to m y carriage and w c s j m t a very
m erry day together. \V y )iad a ll sorts o f gam es w hen it g o t dark,
and then w ent to bed e.-vrly to r e st fo r to-t«<;rrow.
7Vo//V(Ao/, Ki/Zf. H ere w e are <^ltco m ore a t G aioutta, h.eginn in g our fourt.li se;usvH in India ! 1). gi*os to B onarcs to day to
open a great bridge. T h e ^lontrose.s jo in Ifim tlitre , and th ey all
sta rt to-m orrow for C alcutta,
•
• ‘Wn wm-c so b u sy all (lay unpacking and se ttlin g our rooms,
and were quittj tired ou t w ith so m uch travellin g and so m uch
work.
The housf? looks very nice. T he sta te draw ing-room h as been
redecorated^ '.riie verandah on w liich w e liv e has th c^ u o st lo v ely
convwlvulus ru t, and m y aviury is a ln n * t cc^'ored w ith crcbpera.
Tde w oatlier is q*;i(<' p.erf<'et.
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D r c B M D E n 1.7, 1 ' 8 7 ,
T ij M a b c u 2 8 , 1 8 3 8
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SiliiLi'ddAj'D^CPTnhfr V ilh .— I saw L aily Wi<son aftd tw o q,tlier
ladies, w lio came to ta lk .aLout th e f<'-fco w e are g etU iig uj5 for th e
* L ittio Sisters o f tho Poor,’ and later in tlie day caian f i r Stouart
an d lA tly PayTcy, w ho a\'e now ostahlished a t llelvcd orc in tho
sea t of ih o Kivei-s Tlioinpsons. 'I’Jie day and tlie season, how*!ver,
n^ally l>eoaii a t Jive o'clock, when, a s a spectator, I assisted at. th e
V iceroy's reception a t G overninent House. H e Jiad come by ?i
now route, ci-o-ssing tho J u b ileo llrtdge, a n l g ettin g ou t for the
first tim e ;it tJie SejUduh station . This, aiifl I lujpe otlier circum ­
stances, cati.sed him to receive a particnl.arly w.arm welconiO iVom
th e pt’6])le in tho streets. Tho guard o f honour in red w as dr.awn
up in m m t of the hou.so, and tho stops were covered wdth high
om cials .and n ative gentlem en. T h e cannon a t tho F o rt le t us
know w hen .to o.vj'ect Iiiin. uiid soon th e bndy-guartl prcccdijjg
lum rode p a st th e door, and then an oseorfc of MounfefP Voluntoor.4,
an d k.nity th e oarriagc-and-four arrived w ith th ^ V ie er n y in it,
<md the hucKcsis of iSIontroso by h is side. The children, b ein g iu
tennis drcsse.s, looked on from a balcony upctftir:<, b u t T w as a t
th e door to m eet them .
^
j lii'ard rather an am using little story yesterday. O ne bodygu.ard oilicer w ho w en t to Knglaiid for th e Ju b ilee wa.s asked
wh.al struck hijii m ost there, i l e x’cplied, ‘ Oh, th e poIil^tjicsH of
th e peojde. Y o u could not tread upf>n a person’s too tlicre but
Ihoy iijiinediarely said T liank y o u .’ I n TIin{lu.stani ihere is no
word for 'T h a n k you ,’ .and .1 never realised until I wislicd to wiy
i t in th a t lau.gUagn how very 'o flen i t is upon one’s lijjs ; so th e
m an's observation has Rome truth iu it, and is very cmupliraeiitary'
t o Joh n B u ll. •
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F rid n y,'\L ^ r‘.l.— Tho drawing-.Miuy took p lace to-clav, and
happily everybody’s gowvis arrived from Faxgland in tim e, and r**
a ll an.s.ieties on th a t score w ere sp.arecL A few n ative ‘Jlralnno
S o n n ii’ lailies cam e for th e fir.st tim e, and looked v e jy well
in tl)cir ow n p retty dross. T hey m ade th eir nAion.al s.Tlaaui
insLoiid o f'^ n E n glish cu rtsey, and oix-- o f them b ij l ifown her
boufpict Hs .slu; did hb. >Sir Uonaltl W a llace pickc<l i t up, a in tg a v o
it to inc. W h en ■nJc w en t up stairs— where tlx* gentlem en had
Waited for tlieir ladies, ahd wh^.o I hoar in ten se an x iety w.ns
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845
exp ressp j b y fond husbands and fathers as to Iiow tlieir -wives
and di'iugldcrs had gon e througli Ih e ord eal—w e found a largo
party asseiubletl, uiid our sta te <lfa\Ying-room lcK)ked very bright
and hiindsoine in its new' silk. T he very b est gow n s au'l*the u n i­
forms made tlie people as sm art
.uuo room, aud th is first party
of the season is alw ays enjoyed.
^^aturday, 24<A.— I w as tired n e x t day, and did not feel up
to tl^e races,* so, although it w as Cup day, I slipped dow n to
Barrackpore by soa, and le ft m y fam ily to represent m e on th e
course.
"VVlicn I fouiid Lord W illiam had w on th e Cup I w'os
rather sorry n ot to havo been present.
I t -wa.s uncxppctH i a 2 )d
created great excitem en t ; and if one ought ever to w ish an y one
to he succcefiful on tlio turf, one w as justified in ■\vi.shing him a
tu rn .o f luck in th at direction, for lie has had several m isfortunes
lately, and his best horso died of fever a w eek ago.
Tin; fam ily
came do-wu by train ju s t in tim e for dinner.
SuiU iiv/, 2.'^^//.— d'hough (dtristraas D ay, th is w as sp en t ju st
lik e other Sundays, for to-morrow is tr. Ijo lh« children's day.
W o w en t'to clnindi, .and afterwards snt under tlio trcc-s show ing
off our clim ate aud our place to th e Montroses, and w e walked to
see,th e elephants, of w hich thero are a great num ber thLs year,
anti catao batik ?o dinner aud to a little tire, w hich is very enjoy­
able in th e eventng.
JfowiittA
fa .Stiudrr;/,
7.'/, 138?^.— I fa v in g th e
' children w ith us tln.s year, w«! tVlt it nece.ss.ary to ke('p Christmas
in A ‘ raerry' -way, .anil J have now to ti*ll you how far we succpedcd
in doing so. I th in k th a t th e previous shopping w as a great
pleasure to the aforesaid children, and th a t th ey s]ient m any a
d eligh tfu l half-ho\ir in purch.asing i>re.si'nts an d in d ivid in g t.hoir
m oney b o as to jirovido sotnething for omdi o f ilie p ci}.lc th ey
w ished to rememlier. N e x t cam e th e question, ‘ 1 Tow, and where,
and w hen arc these g ifts to bo presented ? ’ T liev finally invented
a m ost original m ethod for dispensing’ th e ChriKtina^-Uoxes. A ll
did up and addressed th eir parcels, and th en proceeded to Id-lc
them under tnides and cdiair.s aud sofas in* t h e ’tw o dr.'twiiigroom-v; and aftov luncheon th e children w ere ^et in
h u n t for
tlwrn.
Tho^plan succeeded ac!;r.lrably, and a ll -w'ero j*e32)ombDred
atid pleajTinl w ith th e h»adB th ey had to c.arry a-way.
A fte r th e presents had been fnuml and adm ired, w e w en t off
to a very jndin^reut circus, -which, however, am used th y -h ild r o n ;
and th en m
evening -wo had some gam es.
L-'uly Sykes, who
is nnce*niore in C alcutta, dined w ith us. »nd F,ur Thomas I'.aker
and*M r. D ueane, b is A .P .C ., came tcx^ and* wn had ‘ musical
charirsj’^ i r Jloger, and th e TeinjiL^e, and so ended our merry dav.
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Ol’R VI0ER-E(;AI^F5*»IN LNIJIA
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The w eek has passed aw ay w ith ou t a daily record of our procoftdings, bu t I can tel] you w lia t we* have b een d<*ing. Tin* K in g
o f ,Oudo died in the autumn^ and w e a ll w e n t to see h is place
an<l his^iouse.
I had visited tlie anim als there b*f<^re, b u t th e
V iceroy had uever been al)Io to go to th is ex-k in g V h a b ita tio n , so
i t w as all new to liini. ]\lo st of th e anim als-have b fen sold, and
tlio grouds look tid y and w ell kept.
T hey are very large, an d
w e drove about for lialf an hour, w in d in g round Ijhiigjiiowa, and
bcar-houses, and tanks for w ater-fow l, and cages for nnonkoys,
deer, and birds, and sheds fur camels and places for pigeons.
Tho bujtgalows all had tu;ud>lo floors, and in ev ery room th ere
w a s a lied w ith silver feet, and no other fu rn itu re w h atever.
T ho w alls, however, w ere covered w ith ] ‘ictures fjucstionablo
•>Freneh prints and Rcrijiture subjects m ixed indiscriuiiuatidy.
T he park is .situated on tli(‘ river, and would be luvely wore it a
little loss zo<jIo"ical. 'J’ho K in g di<-d in a roon) on th e ground*
floor, opcming in to a sm all court w hich was fu ll of inoukvys and
p ig eo n s--ex trem ely siigge.stive of fleas.
I-p sta irs th ere w ere
som e much nicer rooms, and wo saw som e books o f ]irint.s w liich
he had coloured liim sclf ; tlnv/ vwrc really v tu y widl donD.
J lis ladies w ere nearly as m n n m n is as lii.s anim als, and p ie y
aro now l)cing despatched to th eir ow n lionnis us Quickly as p().-j.'^ible. T hey go a t the r.atc of seven or eigh t a dfly, b u t there ai*e
still a great number left. • and v.dicn th e V iceroy appm achrd tlieir
h.abitation th ey collected b<diiiid soine vojictian sh u tters, and set*
to work to hnwl and w eep w ith iill-their m ight.
Tho eflect w as
m ost extraordinary, bu t did 7int ex cite tht- p ity it w as intended
to evoke.
I um sure they w ill l>e much bapiucr w ith t h e i r ‘ow n
little incom e, guar.intecd b y th e n ritisli Governm ent, th an tliey
uvfT could liave I een sh u t \ip tog(;lher, tho .slaves of a hardImurted obi jnau wlit) cared inoro forliiscobr.'is and his w ild bea.st.s
th an he did for them. Thes<! being my sentim ents, I th ou gh t tho
lainontatiojiS wore nmre ivniiising th.-in m elancholy.
have attended a concert in tho Town il a ll in aid o f th e
V<iluntecr Tbtud, dud a bull » t I>el\edere, and w e have had a
good nian"^ touri.sfS jm ssing through-i-am ong them I )icl: H ouston,
who is -Staying w ith us,
K aces have been goijig on during th e
week. Tho ])u k e of Mnnti-osc luis gone off to Hun'unlt, and tho
lhii-be~s rem ains w ith us.
M m i'iiil, 'Ind.— A loud salu te .and a /■ u d.\
rem iiuled us
early in uio m orning th at th e new year Jnul ]i(>gui^ aifll th a t the
proehiiiiation parad(! vnu- W in g h.ehl a t Dnrruckporo anJ a t nil
other m ilitary stfvjions in liKHa,
D ir e c tly after L ieukfast we*returnod to C alcutta, and thou 1
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had to go to a b sm a r a t tlie geolo g ica l Crard'*as.
T hat wag an
ord fai ! F an cy ru n n in g th e g a u n tlet of a ll th e holders of tw en ty
r tails, each o i^ for a dillbrent c h a ig ty .!
I n th e afternoon - w e had tlio first of a se t of sm.al> ten n is
parties w hich I^eily and I are go in g to g iv e b etw een us.
Kho
invite.'? th e players, and T ta k e advantage of tho ‘ a t liom o' to
m eet people whom I w a n t to talk to.
In* th e evening there w as our large 1st o f Jan u ary dinner,
cig h ty -tw 6 gentlermni and five ladies at it, and e ig h t more m en
after it. I a lw a y s lik e th is dinn(;r. F irst of all, i t ^ooks w ell in
the M arble H a ll, and tlnui tlie guost'i are a ll Personages, and one
swjK them collected together, w hen'as on other occasions oidy a
few a t a tim e aro present, and are lo^t in a crowd o f ladies and
otlier people.
Wfilne'<(h(y. \th .— 1 w ont out d irectly afu-r breakfast to v isit
th e ‘ L ady Duflbrin Ihsprnsavy.’ Since I saw it la st year it lias
been fuUnd possible to establish a few beds, and M rs. Foggo, th e
now E n glish doctor, is w orking hard, ami is inosL .successful.
S in ce .she came in J u ly she has had over 17,000 out-patients, and
th e seven beds are generally occu.jiied.
w an t more m oney to
build a proper hospital in a iu<>re healthy situation.
A t throe I*liad a C om m ittee m eeting.
\V h cn th is w as over,
I w en t o il to se^ tho ‘ L ittle S isters o f th e P oor.’ T hey havo
bought a fiew house, and w e are g ettin g up a g rea t baxjiarto help
‘to pay for it.
Their old people alw ays in terest mo much.
A.s
usual, *ve hnndetl round tlic cake and w ine wi* had brought w ith
US.
. O ne old geiitletm in, who ha<l received a fiddle as u C hrist­
m as-box, played it all th e tim e w e were there, and another old
Spaniard danced to the m usic w ith an exceed in gly ancient lady,
w ho is said to bo d eaf and dumb, but who im ita ied her |>url.uor’8
inovenients very succr^^sfully. T he new house is a very line one,
ami th e establishm eut looks loss poverty-.stricken th an before, b u t
th en i t ow es a lakh, w hich it w ill be hard to nuike*up, and its
plumc.s are a t present borrowed.
On my return, S ister'L u cy (a
Clew'cr Si.stcrl tyimc to tea w ith me, and w e had* a _ ^ r y lon g
gossip indeed upon allUirs th a t in terest u.s both.*
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•Thuri!</(tif,^ •)th.— The Maharajah of -Mysoro has come on a,
v isit to (V lcu tta, and he w as received in d u ib a r to day. "W'o
were glnd to sec him again.
.S'u/un/o-y, 7/fi.— W o laid a grand reception Ihi.s luo^ iing for
Lord and lt;uly>Roay.
'They g o t to C alcutta a t soino unearthly
hour, b a t did "not leave th e train t ill t'ight.*and,by th a t tim e the
red c"loth w as down, tlm servanhs lined tlio .siep.s, th e P r iv a te
tfcciftiiry^ w as rcatly to nicety tfiem on th o bottom step, th e
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lic u te m n t-G o v e r n o r on t h o o n e , and th e 'Viceroy and h is
lad ies a t th e top. A guard of honour and a band were opposite,
and th ey soon dro\'e U{> in a ciiiTiago-and-four, pre^wlod and fo l­
low ed b y an escort of tlio body-guard.
T he sun lias com e ou t
again , and th e clouds w hich have b w ii h overing over us for som e
d a y s have disapj>eared, b u t it is cold, an d ’ I broke w ith som e
trepidation to L ady lle a y , w ho lik es heat, th e fact th a t w c break­
fa st ou t of doors.
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S v m la y , KM, to We.dnefiny^ H/Zo— T he w e a th c r 'h a s been
perfect. B(jrrackporo had its ui^ual success, and w e sp en t S unday
very pleasantly. Our vi.sitors liked th e river voyages th ere and
hack, i^io outdoor life under tho trees, and tlie peace and <iuiet of
th e r.eid-TOuntry. W R a.sktjdtlm Connuundant and th o clergj'inan, w itli th eir w ives, to dinner, and T drove L ady Ki-«y to see
th e elephants. These g a ieties were mild compared w ith those w e
rushed in to on our return to C alcutta ; and ^Monday w as te o
hard a day, especially for th e servants, so m any things Came to getlicr ■which w ere never intended to do so.
F irst there w as a a unc.xpectcd durbar.
The M aharajah of
K npurthalla arri\ed , and hud to be rcceive<l a t 1.30.
T h a t d is­
arranged all our preparations for luncheon, .and pr<iyente4 the
large dinnei’-tiiblea for tlie even in g being prepared.* Tlien 1). had
to return tho Mahrfrajnh’s v isit a t three, and i t tho sam e tim e
liOi’d R oay lia^l to pay .some sta te calls in another dii*ectit)n, so th a t
Lord W illiam had to ha v e ou t three team s of four horses a t once,'
and th a t w as a little strain upon bur resources. A t four w e had
th e ten n is party, which, lik o n .snowbidl, grow s os th e w eek s roll
by, becom ing by degrees alm ost a garden party ; ai-d th en came
a big dinnci' for eigh ty-six people in th e Marble H a ll, and after
th a t !in even in g party. Tho Mahav.i.jahs of Mysoro and Ixapurth a lla came in tho aft<Tnoon and evening, and th e la tter played
ten n is vigorously. Tn an •orange w aistcoat, w hito .shirt ta ils,
tig h t whko* trousers, and a big turtvui. ho made a great contrast
to th e E nglish gentlem en in ten n is garm ents, b u th e held h iso w u
w ith tlnmi in play^
T lie ^lahnnvjah of M ysore w as in ‘ severe ’
g rey d o a i, but ih tho ev en in g ho«hnd on one of h is beau tifu l
v e lv e t coats.
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W o had n.skcd som e of th e nntivo society to th is party, and a
Selection of tho Kuropoan, principally people w ho don't dance,
and wln^arc thcri'foro inoro difficult to entertaiift I t was a very
p retty party, and th e presenco of so m any strang^irs nuidc i t in ­
terestin g. T he 5*rinCb o f Tip)»erah w.as one of our guivsfs. H e
is a rem arkable young m:in, w ith a Tartar typo o f faco. l i e i.s
so lf-ta u g h t— si'Culcs E iiglish vv^ll,, p ain ts portraits and l^ iU c a p e s
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in oil, i>!ays the piano, an’l ])fioto;:5 raphs ; and liis maniter is very
good. I), advised him to U k o so m e draw ing lessons a t th e School
o f A rt here, and th a t he is now doing. The officers of th e Bac­
chante, were all present, and their nnifornis helped to light^np tho
p arty. The B urm ese exile-P rin ce w as also there. I had a little
m usic, a few song.s, and a quartette or tw o, to w hich nobody lis­
tened, b u t wlhcli g a v e som e jw in t to th e eatertainm ent.
T uesday atteviioon w e had an enorm ous garden party. A s
far as* I am concerned, th is entertainm ent coiisLsts of tho
announcem ent of a nam e, a shake hands, a tnunnured ‘ Ifo w do
y ou do ? ’ and a dim perception th a t by degrees th e p assing stream
h as becom e a crowd, and th a t th e law n is covered w ith anim ated
figures, every one of ^vhom I ought to know perfectly. C ue gontleiiian I did know, for be had come
m e th e n ig h t liefore and
said, ‘ I ’w iuit to make a correction : th e A .D .C . presented m e to
y ou IIS Mr. Q. N ow , if there is one m an in th o world whom I do
n o t w ish to be m istaken for, it is Mr. Q. M y nam e is M.* T hey
are d d ito rso f rival papers. On th e r>ceft.sion of th e garden p arty
I w as able to ‘ H ow do you do, Mr. M . ?’ very successfully.
On W ednesday m orning T took L ady 'Roay a rou n d o f hospitals.
W e w ent to tho IM en L yin g-in H ospital and lo look a t th e
Surnwnioyi Ho^tal, w hich is close to it, and on to th e General
H osp ital, w hich is^juite the opposite side of tho M aidan. W h en I
w en t in to th e surgical ward, the doctor s.aid, ‘ H ere is a very
interesting" case,' and I found m yself by th e l>edsidc of a J^nngor
m an, w hose brother is one o f D .’s tenants. I believe m y chance
v isit qufte ciiei'red him up and did him good, and I am pa.ssing on
th o ‘ N orthern W h ig s * to him to continue th e cure.
I n tlio afternoon w e w en t dow n to th e B otan ical Gardens in
th e launch, an<t had carriages there to drive about in. L ady
R eay w as delighted w ith th o expw lition, w hich was a very pleasant
one. I took Mr. and M rs. Scoble w ith us, and w e had le a on
iKinrd as w e eamc home.
T h u rsday, 12/A.— Vt'e dined in a q u iet corner o f th’c house,
and dressed for th e l>ail afterw ards. W lien I.h e a r d th a t 1,750
in v iia tio n s had been issued, I felt rather ularm ed.about
result,
and inmgineil I could hear pec/ple saying th a t i t had been a ‘ bear
ga^d^Il.' H appily it turned out Lo bo ab ou t th e b est ball w e h ave
had. I shduhl th ink 1,200 people came, b u t i t never w as very
bmlly crowded, an^ th e supper vr&s w ell man.agwl. W « cam e dow n
to it in procession a t tw elv e o’clock, and 380 persons sa t (Jowu a t
a groat variety o f sm all tables. A s soon a s th e room w as full, tlia
doors w efe shut, and no ono w as allowed in ^r ou t till we m oved.
T he room w as in* this w ay filli^d a n d .e m p tie d throe tim e s’
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bpfore it AVas k ep t entin -ly open. A ’'e ta m e d<Avn b y one sta ir­
case «ncl w en t up by th e other, so th a t therb never w a s any
block.
Fririnj/, 13C7/.—ly m l and L ady R eay were t o j e a v e directly
a fter <?ii)ner. Tlio departure w as rather p retty. The Bcrvanta
stood in lin es dow n tin? M arble IJall, an d -the bofly-'juard down
th e stops leading to the carriage. Tiie band” played ‘ A u ld L in g
S y n e ,’ and Xord W illiam drove w ith them to th e station .
ircf/rttWuy, F 'hrun rij 1st.— I subinittdtl th e report d f m y
Fund to I), and to vSir D onald W allace for criticism . 1 w as glad
to find tlni* tlu? am ount th a t has been done by th e N a tion al
A ssociation ([uite surprised thtim ; and certainly, w hen a ll the
little elForts are catalogued, tliey do form ;i very sa tisfa cto iy li.st
o f works begun or accouipiished. S had a ‘m eeting to pass th is
report, and to settle the business conne(!te<l w ith th e registering
th e society, for we are about to g iv e ours(dves a leg a l statu.s in
th e country. Mr. L j)ton , our honorary solicitor, attended, and
w o discussed m any im portant mattei\s. The treasurer W as‘also
present. I have a very good com m ittee, and oil th e m em bers aro
really interested in the w elfare and s.afe conduct of our alhiirs.
Thursday/, 'Iri J. — Lord aiul L ady Connemara nrrive<l to-day.
T h ey cam e by sea, and th e launch took them o lj tjic P . a n d ,0 . a
litth ; w ay from C alcutta and lauded them a t Jive o'clock. W e
w ere nil standing ou th e steps w aitin g for wiem, w ith bands,
guards of huuour, Ac. L ady Cqnnemara is lo o k in g 'ex trem ely
w eb, and m ust enjoy com ing to see thi.s place, w hich she veinemt
bers as a child. L ady F v a C^nih, w ho never w as here, b u t w ho
has lienrd so m uch about it from her mother, is intcre.stcd too.
i l e r husband and Lord Mavsharo th e A .D .C .'s, Mr. Ree.s th e
j)rivate secretary, M r. Stokers th e .secretary of state,•and Dr, B riggs, •
jtre a k o w ith L ird (.'onneiiiara. L jrd E u stace C ecil ©nd his son
cam e by the sam e ship. W e had
‘ iiuiet evening,' as th e prograumm f<y th e w eek s.iys.'
fn < r'ty, 3rd.— 1 have had such .a vi.sitor to-day. Sho is the
w ife of th e priiuti J fin ister of N epaul, ajul a mor(‘ picturesque or
gorgooa^ figTirc* you never saw ! T remember describing some
No}inlcse ladies to you before, b u t th is one wna m uch more splendid
and more cliei'rful. T he house Jm{] to be freed frmjj th e preSonce
o f all men, and, though th e V icero y w as allowof.l to •see her, he
w as told not to sh;ike haniJs, b u t on ly to bow to her. N e lly w ent
<lo\vn iQ m eet her a t tho door, and to bring her up. , W a lk in g ia
ft work o f diftionlty in N ep alese g.xvumnts, and slj® needed ludp on
th e sbiii-s. H ep fa c^ w a sv e r y p retty ,a n d painted, but attigtically
'doiic. Tlic cyo.< had a. good deal of black rt)uiid them , and were.
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lovely ones, ll^ r teetlr vrero good, and she had a liv e ly and
pleasing Rxpre.-4sibn. H er he^<ldres5 M-as moat iiidcscribahlc. I t
consi.sted of a diadem worn ju st on th e forcrhc;uI so as to frame the
face. I t w a s ^ n a r r a iig e n ie n to f llowers and leaves in magnificent
diam onds, -with large-bunches of grapes in emeralds, pomrent ju s t
behind th e ears, wJierc tlia wi-eath ended. I never saw an yth in g
a t a ll like it,«and tliero were em eiuld flies settlin g on th e llowers,
w hich repeated the colour very cleverly. The hudy of her dress
w as of pretty*light f in k gauze, and her sk irts of th e sam e were
so volum fnous tliat sh e had an arm ful to carry wlten she moved,
a n d i t wa.s <iaiposaible to s<iy how th e y w ere madc^ or w hether
tliey w ere m ade a t all. She had pink v elv et shoes, and on her
h ands Mnglidi dog-skin riding-gloves, over w hich slie wore d ia ­
mond rings and diam ond bracelets, such as I am sure you have
n ever Seen— gigan tic ones.
I f you can im agine th is very q u ain t figure, .submerged, so to
sa y , in her clouds o f pink gauze, ta k in g up m ost o f th e sofa on
wlrtch I'so.t dow dily beside her, in m y every-day m orning gow n, yoti
w ill see th at T w as a very sm all-looking personage indeed. AVhen
slio drive.s she is b utton ed in to her carriage w ith leather blinds,
an d she iniglit ju s t a s w ell b.T in Js’^cpaul as in C alcutta for all she
secii of th e m j ty world. So I suggested show ing her the v iew
from m y verandah. S he was v e iy pleased, and said she had never
seen an yth in g so bw iutiful. T aju to ]iay n return visit, which
w ill bo irftei'cstiug.
In the afternoon w e all w en t to a fancy baznar. Tho gi’Oat
succesB of th e <lay w as th e cafe chaiitant. E v ery one w as
com fortably seated, and had a iiice (mp of tea, whiJo a series o f
am using songs from ‘ T he lllik.ado,' ‘ lo la n th e ,’ &c., w en t on, th e
singers being dressed in costum e.' T his was for t)»e L ittle Sisters
o f the I ’oor.
Tn the evenin g there were som e tab len u x-vivan ts o f statues,
w hich wore gOL«,l, and a lter dinner w o w en t to s e c , them . T he
en tertain m en t lasted nn hour and a half, and there V a s musio
betw een each group.
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4ta.— 1 0 -day thci'c has been a Chapter ^ t h e M ost
E m in en t Oixler of tho Indian Em pire, which’ w as a very grand
cerem ony. J t w as held in an enorm ous Sham iana, w liieh had
th e throrro a t the back, a ll th e spect.Ji.tor3 bein g r.ang. d on either
side. W h en the V iceroy came, a sa lu te o f tliirty-oiui guiiH w as
tired, and lie mllrched in sta te to tho throne, o n which
tcmk h is
seat. H is rojpcs, which nre of n deep purj^le lin ed w ith w liite,
w ere borne by two pages, who stood b y hiib during tlie ceremony.
L ord Conncmara’.s'invcstiture w as m ost yiiposkig, as he w as mado
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a G rand O o a s of th e Order, and liacl’Vajtrooly th^ ribbon, h u t th e
robes and th e collar to p u t, on. J'he EnglisH K n ig h ts were
struck ^vith th e sword, ‘ A rise,S irS o -a iu l-S o ,' b u t th e Jiid ian s do
n o t go through th is jiart o f ih e,cercuiony. The S ecretary to th e
Order \fiis in a w hite sa tin robe, and ho bowed ana backed, and
ainiounced tlie iian)es of th e gentlem en, w ith great sta telin ess
and propriety. I w ill send you th e paper describing th e whole
cerem onial, and so need n o t te ll you more al«Dut it. T he sigh t
w as very interesting, and th e procession l« id t to th*e house* w itli
robes and collars, and golden um brellas, w as very tiuo. *
I n the afiteiuioon w e w e n t again to th e fete, w liich amused
everybody, and prevented th e children from dw elling on the fa ct
th a t this is th eir la st day here.
S u n d a y, ^th.— B asil and .V ictoria left u s this m orning, and
w e w en t to see then> oil’. I t was a g rea t tria l to h a ve tb, p art
w ith them , bu t it has been d eligh tfu l having theiu ht:ro for a
w hole year, and th ey liave n o t had a d ay’s illness, an d ai*e th e
btdter and n ot th e worse for it. T hey sailed in th e lio /iiila , amd
a kind C apbiin Briscoe allow ed P eih o and B u ttlfs to sleep in tlieir
cabu»s. Y ou can’t tldu k w h at a consolation th is is. T am sure
both V ictoria and B asil would have b een u tterly m iserable if th ey
had been dejirivcd of the-society o f th eir dear dogs.
M onday, 6M, to W ednesday, 8</j.— Our enterfainm enta for
Jjord and L ad y Connemara began on M ojiday. "V^'e brought them
dow n from Barrackpore in th e m orning, had a te n n isp a fty in th e
afternoon, and a dinner in th e evening.
T uesday w o m ade an oxpoditibn to tho Bot<inical._Gad*dens,
and had a large even in g poi'ty. I t w a s th e best, one I h ave seen
hei’o ; w ith such varieties o f people and races present^ it looKed
very gay.
W ednesday m orning we w en t to ca ll on tho N ep alese ladv I
described loi.t week, hihe is in n hired house here, so her sur­
roundings wgro n ot pretty. Tlic V iceroy w as allowed to com e in,
and she m et us a t tlic bottom of th e stairs and conducted us up.
B oth she and her husband woro th eir w onderful jew elled head­
dresses, afld she w as in a crim son gauze dress of grea t volume.
Tw o m aids stood beliind our chairs, jbut as th ey hid th eir faces
behind sm all I'ed gauze jiarasols I scarcely saw _ them . Tlio
M aharani's four sons, n ice little boys, were in th e room. •P resen ts
w ere laid dow n before me, and a diam ond necklace w as p u t in to
m y h a n d ^ I t goes to th o G overnm ent. The Idlly presented a
N ep alese Knife -to th e V iceroy, and w c w ere a ll ^ v c n ‘atta r and
pan before wo left. The K esident in N epaul, w ho w as p»*esent,
hod suggested tho* I sh 9 uld sa y som ething t o th e M almrani in
.
• jy 5 p
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353
favour o f lio sp i^ ls and "dispensaries for women in N oi)aul, which
I did, and ]iov Jiusbnnd pi-paised th a t a tten tio n should be g iv en
t o th e suhject. T g ave Iier a portrait o f m yself on china, and the
T oshaklyuia *vill pi-ovide return g ifts to tho value of th e necklace.
In the iiftem oori w e had th e general m eetin g for m y Pund.
I t w as a very goo<l-onp, th e b est w o havo had yot b oth as to
atten d an ce rtiid interest. Tho speakers were only too kind and
flattering to .n ie , and know ing w h a t w as com ing I felt it a good
d«'ul.« I m ust di) aTl I can this year to give perm anency to the
organisation, and I tru st i t w ill long go on and prosper. D . w as
in th o chaip, and in h is speech m ade a nico allusion to Lord M ayo,
w h ose brother was on one side o f him, and to Jjord D alhousie,
w hose daughter w as o n tho other. H e also said a few words of
thankR to Major Cooper, w ho resigns liis p ost of secretary to m y
F u n d m A p ril, and w hose assistance has been (piite invaluable to
me.
Thio'sdrty, 0th.— T o-day th e announcem ent has been publicly
nnlde tlia t th e V iceroy resigns h is ai)pointm ent a t th e end of four
yeans, and th a t Lord J^ansdowne is to bo h is .successor. I have
know n it since. Saturday, and tho iiows cam e in tim e to soften th e
parting w ith the children, whom T now Impe to .see n e x t Christmas.
.'I'iie offer gf*a new post, w iiich w« all lik e iujmensely, is very
p le a s a n t; at th g sam e tim e I cannot help feelin g som e sadness at
g iv in g up m any interests, and a t th e th ou gh t of turning over
(jiiite a new }>ago and beginning afresh in a n ew place. 1. should
h ave likH<l to g ive m y F u n d another year, and to fe e l th a t w e ha*l
gone th rou gli our fu ll tim e in India, b u t there were so m any
pri'i;il«; reyaona for w ish in g to return homo sooner th a t I try to
look only on th e b righ test side, and n o t to th in k tooan uch of tlio
regrets. J u s t now everybody talk s ns if w e were going to ­
morrow, w hereas w e really have n in e m onths m ore to stay. W e
h a v e a dinner .anfl dance to-n igh t. T he afternoon w as terribly
w et, and w e were all sh u t up indoors, and fe lt rather depresstHl.
G roat clianges are depressing 1 T he dance unfortu n ately suffered
from th e weather, and instead o f being larger,than usual, as I had
intoiide/1 i t to be, i t w as rjnite snw ll. C arriages w iIi<«ot oomo
o u t hero on w ot nights, t.he'conchiiiGn object so m uch to damp ;
arfd one musr confess th a t crouching on a coach-box iu a w et
cotton gffriucnt cannot be eith er a healtJiy or p leasaiit w ay of
spending .a night.
F riday^ 1 0 A ..^ I w en t in to th e L egislative Council Jlo-day, to
hear D. niakoill little statem en t respecting his departure. It was
very ntee, but no opportunity is given of* reply, and so nothing
m ore w as said o u 'th e subject. There w ere fibmo .sports a t th e
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lincly-f^uardlinca, to w!iir!i we took our fruosts, an<|in th e evening
th ey dined tit th e Lieutenant-tjJoverimr’s.
.'<atvrdrty, ilM . — i,ord and L ady Connem aiti Ic-avc to-day,
and w e ^ ere all photognijdicd iir a group th is m orning. 'I'Jiey go
by train to Diam ond Harbour and get on board tluTo, and w c go
oir t<» Barraolspoi’o. 1 ohall lik e a n;st after an a g ita tin g week.
Jlimdity, \
-W e wont to ii dance a t rxdvedere* th e la stw o
•sliiill be a t in C alcutta, for Tw^uit is com ing an<i^wc djijico n o more.
Tlio papers ore still fu ll o f our approaching deiiarture^ and
exhaust them selves in im nginiug "'vliy w e go. T he la te st iiivontioii is th at fiiy eyes are w ea k ! i')Id you over hoffr o f sucli
a reason for givin g up a post, or one w ith such a to ta l absence of
foundation 1
W 'd n f s d a y , \ h t h .
1 had in y ow n Conim iltoe, and impi’essed
upon them m y desire to tie up a^ fa.st as I possibly caji our en­
dow m ent fund of r>0,000^.
'/'hio'sda;/, IC/A. • -I \isite d th e W'onien’.s In d u stria l Home,
sujijHirted by the W oiaon ’s F rien d ly Society, it is >,t>ill in fts
infiiiicy, bu t seems to Iirnmi.se w ell, and it is much ntjeded here.
N eetilew ork, upholstery, and dio-stam ping have already been
started, am i a lodging-house for respectable w om en is to bo.
opened.
On Friday 1 w en t to see n M ission 43iJiool and ‘an
Orphiiiiago for Eurasians. I b elieve it is .a vi-ry ^ood work, and
J lr . Jackson, the clcrgyiim ii in charge, has quite devoted^ him self
to it.
Sunday^ 19//i. expected a .P rin ct-o f Saxe-U'cdm ar hero
to-day, but when ho w as m ot a t th e sta tio n it w as di«<'Ovorod th a t
there w as anotlier F rinre, H e n r y o f Orleans, also on IJs w ay to
us b y the' sam e train. B<ith arrived and breakfasted w ith us.
T he IV ince of iSaxe-W’einmr is an older man. W d w ere rather
amused at a letter we received from h is equerry before he arrived,
Avhieh h?d us to believe th a t he also w as (luite a youth.
He
wrote th at J The P rince w as v ery four! of h<»r;,t’s , that ho would lik e
to h u n t th e jackal, or tosc'c a cavalry review, or to go a tig er shoot ’
— all imiK)SsilBh) things to m anage here. These tw o Princes
lireakfa.stM w ith us.
W > ;dw s< h!y, 'I 'l n d . - I n d ia h a s b e e ft a d is a p p o in tm e n t t o P r i n o o
I'crn n rcl, a n d t h i s i s t lio o n l}’ p la c e h o h a s li k e d .* l ’ uin.s aA d
c r o w fis o f d ir t y I'Oople d o m it i n t e r e s t h im ; h o r se s aiuT so ld ie r s
a r e w h a t h o c a r e s fo r .
A jia p e r -c h a s e f o r V o lu i^ t c c is d e lig h t e d
h im , a n d «lio fle w i n t o t h e i r n iid.st, j u m p in g o v e r e v e r y t h in g a n d
e n h iv in g hiinsel't' d io r g iig h ly .
T h e n ho d r o v e t li^ co.acli h o m e,
a n d id iir m c d t h e Ridio.s im ii'lj b y n iano'U V T ing r o u n d t h e .sTatnes,
b y k iv ' k in g u p a g a in s t • b u l'o c ^ - c a r t s , a n d b y s w a y in g a lj o u t th e
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A ^ ffrrv T fc iM -.
road. T o B lln c h e ’s shrieks h e on ly replied, ‘ S iit is n o sr n " ;’
‘ M y life ia not uxncusivo '• Tau*secontl day %vo h ad a re v ie w of
tlte biK iy-guard a n d tent-j>egging for him , and Iio rode about tho
parade-grofind lik e a field-niarslialt
*
tSafurda}/,
— A n A u strian m an-of-w ar aTrive<l here, and
th e captain canio tb luncheon. I f e w o n t to .Jan M ayen once, and
.sent D . soiiie photograijhs of tlie place. H e had never received
D .'s letter iof thiyiks, so th ey w ere repeated to him to day. I
nov^r syiw a m an so com pletely covered w ith Orders. H o h as a
real incognito A rchduke on board—rc-al both us to rank and ih
cognitosliip.
•
T h vraday, }f<.irch H t.— W o w en t to see a large school th is
mnrning. I t is called the l^lartiniore, after a frcneral M artin,
w lio j e f t a very la rg e sum of moTicy in th e yoar 1800 to found
schooh: for boys an«l girls a t Jmcknow