Simla, September 27, 1838.
The last ten days have been devoted to finishing up my goods for the
fancy fair, and I have not touched a pen. Yesterday the fair 'came off,'
as they say, and to-day I am so tired I can't do anything. Once more 'my
bones, girl, my bones.' There never was so successful a fête. More
English than anything I have seen in this country. Giles and Wright went
off at seven in the morning with my goods; and at ten Mr. C. came to go
down with me. Annandale is a beautiful valley, about two miles off, full
of large pine trees. Colonel V. had erected a long booth for the ladies
who kept stalls, and there were mottoes and devices over each of them.
'The Bower of Eden' was in the centre. Before we came to the booth,
there was a turnpike gate with a canvas cottage and an immense board,
'the Auckland toll bar,' and Captain P. dressed up as an old woman who
kept the gate. On one side there was the Red Cow, kept by some of the
uncovenanted, who spoke excellent Irish, and whose jokes and brogue were
really very good. There was a large tent opposite the booth for G., and
in every part of the valley there were private tents sent by careful
mothers for their ayahs and children. There were roundabouts for the
natives. W. O. and three of the aides-de-camp kept a skittle-ground,
with sticks to throw at, and a wheel of fortune, and a lucky bag, which
had great success. G. and F. came soon after eleven, and the selling
went off with great rapidity. The native servants had had great
consultations whether it would be respectful to buy at my stall, and
there were only two or three who arrived at that pitch of assurance; but
they were all present, dressed in their finest shawls, and they all
thought it very amusing. Half an hour nearly cleared off the stalls, and
then Mr. C. began selling my drawings by auction, and made excellent fun
of it, knowing the history of every native that I had sketched, and also
of all the bidders, and he did it so like an auctioneer: 'I have kept
this gem till now--I may call it a gem, the portrait of Gholam, the
faithful Persian who accompanied Major L. from Persia, from Herât! I may
say this is a faithful likeness of a man who has witnessed the siege of
Herât. Will that great diplomatist, Major L., who is, I know, anxious to
possess this perfect picture, allow me to say eighty rupees, or seventy,
or sixty?' 'This next picture is the Rajah of Nahun and his sons, and I
think it quite unequalled for brilliancy of colouring. I shall have
nothing equal to this lot to offer this morning. I bid thirty rupees
for it myself--the surpêche in the rajah's turban is worth the money.'
And so he went on, and, I hope, his is the sin of running up the price
of the drawings, for I really was quite sorry to see the prices they
went at. One group of heads, which only took me three days to do, sold
for ninety-five rupees (£9 10_s._), and my twenty drawings fetched 800
rupees. Considering that the whole proceeds of the sale is 3,400 rupees,
that is a large proportion. My stall altogether produced nearly 1,400
rupees. W. and his allies got 160. The A.s and B.s kept an eating stall,
but did not make much by it. As soon as the auction was over, we all
went to luncheon with them; then the Ghoorkas shot for some beautiful
prizes G. gave them, and he gave the sword for the single-stick
fighters. Then we all went to W.'s games. Captain D. was dressed up like
an old woman, and Captain P. exactly like a thimble-rigger at Greenwich,
and they kept everybody, even Sir G. R., in roars of laughter. It was
very amusing to see the grave pompous people, like R., taking three
throws for a rupee, and quite delighted if they knocked off a tin
snuff-box or a patent stay-lace. Then we had pony races, which ended in
Colonel F. riding his old pony against a fat Captain D., and coming in
conqueror with universal applause. And then, the sports having lasted
from eleven to five, and everybody amused and in good humour, we all
came home. It is lucky it was so very shady, for, as it is, hardly any
of us can see to-day, from being unused to daylight. The best fancy
sales in Calcutta never produced more than 2,000 rupees, so this is
quite wonderful, considering that the whole of our European society is
only 150 people, and many of them have not a great deal to spend. F.
did not keep a stall, and I was rather afraid of it at first, for the
natives are slow about that sort of novelty; but as soon as they fairly
understood it was for charity, which is the only active virtue they are
up to, they thought it all quite right.
We had a melancholy death last Sunday--a poor Mrs. G. She lived at
Stirling Castle, just above our house, so there never was a day in which
we did not meet her, with her two little boys carried after her, either
going to fetch Captain G. from his office, or coming back with him. We
met her on Friday evening, and stopped to tell her that Lord G. had
written to enquire after her. On Saturday evening she was not at all
well, and on Sunday morning Doctor W. sent for Doctor D. to consult with
him. Doctor D. saw directly that she was in the _blue stage_ of cholera,
and before we came out from church she was dead; she was within a month
of her confinement, but the child died too. The poor husband was in such
a dreadful state, and so was the eldest boy, who is about four years
old. W. says he never heard anything so shocking as the poor boy's
screams. It was necessary to bury her early on Monday morning, and as it
is the custom for all acquaintances to attend a funeral, W. went up to
Stirling Castle with Colonel B. None but the most degraded natives will
touch an European corpse, so the doctors put her into the coffin, and
Colonel B. screwed it down, and they were obliged to borrow the boys of
our band to carry her to the grave. Poor Captain G. was not able to go
himself, but the little boy had crept out of bed and was clinging to
his father, and trying to comfort him. We were to have had a party here
in the evening, but put it off; for in such a small society of
_Christians_, every possible respect is to be paid to the feelings of
any of them.
Wednesday, October 3.
We had our party, which had been put off on Monday, and it went off very
well. It is the last meeting of Simla, so everybody came. A great many
go down to the plains this week. Poor things! it is about as rational as
if a slice of bread were to get off the plate and put itself on the
toasting-fork. We have a month more of this place, but there are
horrible signs of preparation, camel trunks and stores going off. I very
often think I could have a fit of hysterics when I think we are to have
_five_ whole months this year of those deplorable tents, in all that
dust and heat. This day three years we embarked from Portsmouth, so we
have only got two years and five months more of India. That is really
very satisfactory. I begin to think of what I shall say when I see you
again. It really will be too great happiness; I never can think of it
coolly or rationally. It gets into a medley, and I begin to breathe
_shortly_, and to have red ears and pains in my elbows, and then I think
it is presumptuous to look on so far; but still it is not so very, very
far.
Saturday, Oct. 6.
It was a shocking sight last night, to find the road littered with camel
trunks, and beds, and flocks of goats, and dishes and stoves--all the
camp preparations of the A.s. They are the first family who have gone
down to the plains, much, I should think, to the detriment of the two
babies; for they say the heat still is dreadful, and they go into it
from this nice climate, which is almost frosty now. But those camp
preparations, I am happy to say, made everybody ill. Even Mrs. E., who
is going to stay up here, said she went home quite affected by the
recollection of the trouble of last year. I really think I can't go.
We had such an evening of misfortunes on Thursday. We were all playing
at loo, the doors open, house door and all, as is usual in India, when
the most unearthly yell was set up, apparently in the passage, and this
was repeated three or four times, and then all the servants seemed to be
screaming. 'A leopard carrying off Chance!' was the first thing
everybody said, and all the gentlemen ran out, when it proved to be one
of Dr. D.'s jonpaunees, who was lying asleep at the door, and had had a
violent nightmare; and though three others laid hold of him, he rolled
himself off the verandah into the valley below. However, he was not the
least hurt. But that set all our nerves on edge. Then, when we went to
bed, I heard violent hysterics going on in the maids' room, and that
turned out to be Myra, F.'s ayah, whose husband lives with W. O. They
are never a very happy couple, and all of a sudden he took up a stick
and beat her dreadfully, and she had run off from his house, leaving her
baby on the floor. We sent and redeemed the baby, but it was a long time
before Myra could be pacified, and sent off to sleep at Rosina's house.
W. turned off Lewis the next morning, who immediately went and made it
up with his wife, who came this morning and said she must go too. My
poor old Rosina continues to be very ill, coughing and spitting blood,
which is very often the case with the Bengalees here. I am going to send
her down to Sabathoo on Tuesday, with Mrs. A. Sabathoo is a very hot
place, and may very likely cure Rosina; but she does nothing but cry
now, poor old thing, at the idea of going, and insists upon dying here,
but I think she will get well in a warm place. One man whom we sent down
to the plains, apparently in the last stage of decline, has got safe to
Calcutta, and is quite well again. I suppose this is a very bad Siberia
to them.
There has been great excitement and happiness in our household. Captain
J. wanted to do something kind by the servants on his giving up the
charge of them, and wished to have the wages of a few of his favourites
raised. I thought that would raise a host of malcontents and
petitioners, and suggested that a reward for length of service (as the
Company will no longer pension off old servants) would be a popular and
useful measure, and he took to it kindly, and by leaving two or three
places vacant, we shall not entail any additional expense on our
successor. There were several who had been at Government House more than
thirty-five years, fifteen who had been between twenty and thirty years,
and more than twenty who had served fifteen years. We made three classes
of them, and gave them two rupees, and one rupee, and half a rupee per
month additional pay, which measure has diffused universal satisfaction,
only it occasions constant references to the house-book, for natives
never know anything about time; so some of them, who had been there
about five years, declare it must be nearly fifteen. Had you a good
eclipse of the moon last night? I never saw a really handsome one
before; but I dare say yours is quite another moon, and another earth
altogether.
Tuesday, Oct. 9.
Poor Rosina set off to-day; she seemed very low, but the air now is so
keen here that she naturally felt worse. She fancies she is only going
to stay a week, but Dr. D. says she must stay there till we pick her up
on our way to the plains.
We have begun doing a little bit of packing, that is, I have made a
grand survey of my wardrobe, and found that I had fourteen gowns to
bestow on Wright, besides three of which she is to give me the loan,
till we leave this place. Then I start clear for the march, six _superb_
morning gowns and six evening ditto, some the remains of M.'s last
supply, and some G.'s French gowns. I calculate they will enable me to
make a very creditable appearance till I meet your treasure of a box at
Agra. Nothing can be more judgematically planned.
Friday, Oct. 12.
They say this must go to-day, which I believe is a mistake. However, it
is better to run no risks. I have been writing to R. to send out
'Nicholas Nickleby' overland. Does not that book drive you demented? and
I am sure it is all true. I remember years ago a trial about one of
those Yorkshire schools, where all the boys had the ophthalmia, and one
boy had his bones through his skin, and none of the boys were allowed a
towel; and these atrocities put us all into one of those frenzies in
which we used to indulge in youth. I dare say Dickens was at that
school. I wish he would not take to writing horrors, he realises them so
painfully.
I am so busy to-day, I have hardly time to write. G. wants to give
Runjeet a picture of our Queen in her coronation robes. The Sikhs are
not likely to know if it is an exact likeness as far as face goes, and
the dress I have made out quite correctly, from descriptions in the
papers and from prints, and it really is a very pretty picture. It is to
be sent to Delhi to-morrow, and it is to have a frame of gold set with
turquoises, with the orders of the Garter and the Bath enamelled. In
short, it will be 'puffect, entirely puffect;' but I think they ought to
give me Runjeet's return present, as it has cost me much trouble to
invent a whole Queen, robes and all. We are all quite well. God bless
you! My next letter will be from camp. 'Mercy on us,' as S. would say,
but it is a comfort to think we shall end here again.