The Life of King Edward VII
garlands and flowers in the Prince's carriage and on the roadway.
There was no music in this wonderful night procession and its
surroundings are difficult to describe. Mr. W. H. Russell, the diarist
of the Royal tour, speaks of the spectacle as being absolutely baffling
to the eye. "There was something almost supernatural in these long
vistas winding down banks of variegated light, crowded with gigantic
creatures waving their arms aloft and indulging in extravagant gesture,
which the eye--baffled by rivers of fire, blinded with the glare of
lamps and blazing magnesium wire and pots of burning matter--sought in
vain to penetrate." The piled-up masses of human beings along these
miles of streets; the Parsee women in brilliant costumes, which vied
with the colours of the surrounding fires and lights; crowds of
Mohammedans; Hindoo temples with roofs covered by Brahmins and their
votaries; a Jew bazaar, an American store, a European warehouse, or a
Japan temple in close proximity to each other and all bearing a burden
of people in varied dress; flashed a picturesque and never-ending
variety of sight and colour and character to the gaze of the quiet,
dignified man who drove through it all as the central figure of a
spectacle whose like may never be seen again. A banquet followed in the
great hall of Government House, and a state reception closed the varied
proceedings of this first busy day in historic Hindostan.
Meanwhile, camp-fires blazed for miles around the city, the fiery
furnace of the streets settled into as much of silence as an Oriental
centre under such conditions could attain and all over India, in every
mart and village and town where a gun could be found, volleys had
announced the arrival of the heir to its Imperial throne. In the
morning a Royal reception was held at Government House and, amid
splendid surroundings and every form of dignity and severe etiquette
necessary to impress the visiting Princes and Chiefs and Rajahs of the
great Presidency of Bombay, His Royal Highness stood or sat for hours in
the intense heat, clad in a stiff uniform, laden with lace and buttoned
up to the throat. With him were the Duke of Sutherland, Major-General
Lord Alfred Paget, Sir Bartle Frere, Lord Suffield, Lord Charles
Beresford and the rest of his suite. The Oriental dignitaries, each in
great state, came with attendants and ceremonies and gifts in accordance
with his rank. Each Prince was treated along graded lines of cordiality,
courtesy or civility, as was supposed to become his position. The little
Rajah of Kolapore; the Maharajah of Mysore; the Maharana of Oodeypore;
the Rao of Cutch--who left a sick bed and returned home to die; the
little Gaekwar of Baroda, who was described as looking like a
crystallized rainbow and was accompanied by the famous statesman, Sir
Madhava Rao; Sir Salar Jung of Hyderabad; and the Maharajah of Edur;
were received one after the other and then a succession of less
important rulers with tremendous names, fierce-looking guards and more
or less gorgeous costumes.
At the end of what was a Durbar in all but name the Prince was only
beginning his functions for the day. The Viceroy had to be received and
many matters discussed; a visit was paid to the _Serapis_ where the men
were celebrating the Prince's birthday, as were many millions throughout
India; telegrams were exchanged with the Princess at Sandringham; every
step was marked by pomp and splendour; a state banquet was held in the
evening and another, but less formal, reception afterwards. Meantime,
the city, the shipping and the harbour were a blaze of light and general
illumination--the great bay looking as if it were filled with rows of
fiery pyramids and the streets as if all India were trying to pass
through them. On November the 10th the Viceroy bade farewell to the
Prince, who did not see him again until near the end of his tour. He
went on a journey himself to parts of India which His Royal Highness was
unable to visit. Another formal reception of lesser Rajahs and Nawabs
took place in the morning. In the afternoon the Prince drove into
Bombay, accompanied by Sir Philip Wodehouse and held a Levee in the
Government Buildings. Then followed a visit to the harbour where, in an
open space, seven thousand children of all castes, classes, colours and
creeds, dressed in brilliant hues and laden with flowers, sang patriotic
songs. They almost smothered the Royal guest in flowers as he ascended
to his place. State visits were then made to a number of the native
Princes who had been already received and, in the evening, a grand
European ball, given by the Byculla Club, was attended. Other Chiefs
were visited next day by the Prince--those who had not residences or
were not of sufficient importance being assigned reception rooms at the
Secretariat, or Government Buildings.
THE PRINCE'S POPULARITY AT BOMBAY
After this wearisome and almost unbearably hot business was over the
Prince attended a dinner given by the people of Bombay to the sailors of
the fleet and the vigorous cheering of these two thousand seamen as His
Royal Highness entered the hall must have been a relief after the heavy
and sustained etiquette of the past few days. Following this was the
laying of the foundation stone of the Elphinstone Docks with Masonic
ritual and ceremonies. Then came a visit to the Hyderabad Prime Minister
and deputation and to others and a busy day closed with the usual state
dinner and reception. On the evening of November 12th the famous Caves
of Elephanta were visited and a banquet received by the Prince of Wales
amongst these wonderful and massive efforts of distant ages to embody
what seemed to them the divine attributes. Returning to the city the
Royal barge passed between two rows of ships, discharging volleys, while
the hulls and riggings were brightly illuminated, coloured fires were
everywhere and earth and sky seemed merged in a tremendous display of
fireworks and rockets. A visit to Poonah followed and this included an
inspection of the Temple of Parbuttee, from one of the windows of which
the last of the Peishwas had seen his forces routed on the plains of
Kirkee below; a review of native troops; a reception in the city
characterized by the usual fireworks, triumphal arches, crowded streets
and revel of colour.
On the 16th, His Royal Highness was back at Bombay considering plans
which had been disarranged by the prevalence of cholera in Southern
India. Finally, it was decided to visit Baroda, the capital of a State
where the Gaekwar had recently been deposed for his crimes. It was felt
that danger might exist, as even the most evil of Eastern rulers has
fanatical followers, but the former Resident, Sir R. Meade, expressed
the belief that it could be done safely and would be of great service
and the authorities and Prince, after much discussion, approved the
change of programme. This last day in Bombay saw the presentation of
colours to a battalion of Native Infantry amidst an immense concourse of
people, and a ball given by the citizens at which natives, Chiefs and
gentlemen could see Europeans dancing and amusing themselves. The
presents received during this part of the tour numbered over four
hundred and included specimens of every variety of Indian
workmanship--tissues, brocade, cloths, arms, jewellery, gold, silver and
metal. The Rajah of Kolapore, in addition to the gift of an ancient
jewelled sword and dagger, had assigned L20,000, or $100,000, to the
founding of a Hospital to be called after the Royal visitor.
The journey to Baroda was commenced on November 18th and finished early
on the following morning. At the station the Prince of Wales was
received by the Gaekwar, Sir Madhava Rao, the British agent and other
officers, and outside were triumphal arches and a rolling sea of dark,
silent faces, topped by turbans of every colour in the rainbow. Outside
also was an enormous elephant, with a golden howdah on his back, and
into this the Prince and the Gaekwar presently entered. Everything was
cloth of gold and velvet. The procession started after a time with a
long line of gorgeously-caparisoned elephants following, a way was
cleared for them by an advance guard of the 3rd Hussars, while in the
rear were some of the Gaekwar's artillery and cavalry and a great crowd
of Sirdars and lesser chiefs. The three miles to the Residency was lined
by cavalry, and the spectacle must have been a superb one to see for the
first time. The whole of the route was bordered by a light trellis work
of bamboos, hung with lamps and festooned with flowers, while at certain
points were special arches and clusters of flags. On his arrival the
Prince held a sort of Durbar, paid a return visit to the Gaekwar and
went to the Agga, or arena for wild-beast combats, where he saw Eastern
wrestlers, an elephant fight, a buffalo fight, a struggle of fighting
rams, and a show of wild or curious animals. The night was brilliant
with illuminations, and the Prince accepted an invitation to dine with
the 9th Native Infantry--an honour of which they were very proud.
The next day was devoted to sport, and in the evening dinner was taken
with another Native regiment. On the evening of the 21st the Prince
visited the Gaekwar at the ancient Palace of the Mohtee Bagh, and on the
way crossed a bridge spanned by triumphal arches, with men holding
blazing torches placed along the parapets. Lamps and lights were
everywhere. A great banquet was held, in the course of which Sir Madhava
Rao expressed the thanks of the Gaekwar, and said that "it was now
their felicity to see that Prince who was heir to a sceptre whose
beneficent power and influence were felt in every quarter of the globe;
which dispelled darkness, diffused light, paralyzed the tyrant's hand,
shivered the manacles of the slave, extended the bounds of freedom,
accelerated the happiness and elevated the dignity of the human race. He
had come to inspect an Empire founded by the heroism and sustained by
the statesmanship of England; to witness the spectacle of indigenous
principalities relying more securely on British justice than could
mighty nations on their embattled hosts."
THE PRINCE TAKES PART IN A HUNTING EXPEDITION
After dinner, various Eastern performances in dancing and juggling were
given, and then they departed for the shooting grounds farther south,
where "pig-sticking" and other sports were enjoyed. His Royal Highness
succeeded in killing one wild boar. On November the 24th the Royal
visitor arrived again at Bombay and went on board the _Serapis_. On the
following day he landed to take leave of the Governor, and suddenly, to
the dismay of the local authorities who had lined his announced route
with troops, intimated his intention to attend the wedding festivities
of the son of Sir Munguldass Nuthoobhoy, a great native merchant. The
visit proved well worth the trouble, and the undisguised delight of the
host and those present was a privilege to see. A farewell incident was
the knighting of the energetic Chief of Police, Sir F. H. Soutar. At 6
P.M. the _Serapis_ was on its way to Goa.
The visit to this ancient Portuguese dependency was not prolonged and
the incidents of importance were few. But much that was curious was seen
and many historical memories revived. On November 28th the little
foreign strip of territory was left behind and Beypore was sighted on
the following day. It was found, however, that cholera existed along all
the routes which the Prince proposed to take in this part of the
country and the medical men would not take the responsibility of
advising a continuance of the tour in this direction. The Prince bore
his disappointment philosophically, though he had expected much pleasure
from the splendid shooting places of the Mysore country. What can be