THE KING’S TOUR IN INDIA
[Illustration: THE KING’S INDIAN TOUR, 1875]
Lord Canning, the great Viceroy of India, once told the Prince Consort
how desirable he thought it that the Prince of Wales should, when grown
up, visit Queen Victoria’s Eastern Empire, and later on, those who had
the privilege of the young Prince’s friendship were well aware that an
Indian tour had become one of his most ardent wishes.
But the project of the Heir-Apparent’s visit to India only really took
shape early in 1875, and on 20th March it was publicly announced that
the Prince contemplated this journey, the Marquis of Salisbury, who
was then Secretary of State for India, making an official announcement
to the Council of India of the intended event. The Council passed a
resolution that the expenditure actually incurred in India should be
charged on the revenues of that country.
Curiously enough, a great deal of hostile feeling was aroused by the
announcement of this Royal tour. On 17th July a great meeting was held
in Hyde Park to protest against the grant of money which was then being
sanctioned by Parliament to defray the expenses of the journey. Many
people went so far as to declare that they would have acquiesced in
the passing of the vote had the Heir-Apparent’s visit to his mother’s
Eastern dominions been a “State visit” instead of a mere “pleasure
trip.” And yet it need hardly be pointed out that, greatly as King
Edward looked forward to his tour, the journey was likely to prove
anything but a mere “pleasure trip” to India’s Royal visitor. He and
those about him well knew that from the moment he landed at Bombay
till the day he left India he would not only constantly remain _en
évidence_, but he also expected to conciliate the many different races
with which he was going to be brought in contact when passing through
the various Indian States.
There were many points to be considered about the tour. The rules
and regulations which had sufficed for the Prince in Canada and the
Colonies were inapplicable to India. One notable feature of Oriental
manners is the exchange of presents between visitors and hosts, and it
was early arranged that King Edward’s luggage should contain £40,000
worth of presents to be distributed among the great feudatory and other
potentates who would have the honour of entertaining or at any rate of
meeting him.
It was also arranged that he was to be the guest of the Viceroy, Lord
Northbrook, from the moment he landed on Indian soil; and, roughly
speaking, it was estimated that the expenses of the reception alone
would probably come to about £30,000. The estimate made by the
Admiralty for the expenses of the voyage to and from India, and the
movements of the fleet in connection with the Royal visit, came to
£52,000; while for the personal expenses of the visit a vote of £60,000
was included in the estimate submitted to the House of Commons when
in Committee of Supply. However, here again this suggestion did not
meet with universal approval when the necessary resolution was brought
forward in the House. Mr. Fawcett, afterwards Postmaster-General,
raised a discussion, basing his objections to the vote partly on
sentimental and partly on economic grounds. However, he only found
thirty-three members to agree with him, and the vote was passed. During
the debate, Mr. Disraeli, who was then Prime Minister, drew a very
remarkable picture of the extraordinary pomp and circumstance with
which King Edward was about to be surrounded.
It was felt better that he should go as Heir-Apparent of the Crown,
and not as the representative of Her Majesty, but, as might have been
expected, these fine distinctions were not understood in India, and
he was expected to do just as much as he would have done in a more
directly official capacity.
Before starting on his tour he thoroughly studied the subject of
India and her peoples, and he even made himself acquainted with the
peculiarities of every one of the large Indian cities where he would be
expected to receive and answer addresses.
The question of the suite was, as may be imagined, very important. It
was early decided that Sir Bartle Frere, whose name was familiar to
millions of the inhabitants of India, should accompany King Edward,
and the Duke of Sutherland was also asked to join the party. Of his
private friends, the Earl of Aylesford, Lord (now Earl) Carrington,
Colonel (now General) Owen Williams, and Lieutenant (now Admiral) Lord
Charles Beresford, also accepted an invitation to be of the party.
Then came the official Household, consisting of Lord Suffield; Colonel
Ellis, the Prince’s equerry, to whom was confided the delicate question
of the giving and receiving of presents; General (now Sir Dighton)
Probyn, to whom were left the arrangements for horses, travelling,
and shooting parties; and Mr. (now Sir Francis) Knollys, the Prince’s
private secretary. Canon Duckworth went as chaplain, and Dr. (now Sir
Joseph) Fayrer as medical man. Mr. Albert Grey (now Earl Grey) went as
private secretary to Sir Bartle Frere, Mr. S. P. Hall accompanied the
party in order to sketch the incidents of the tour, while Lord Alfred
Paget was specially commissioned by Queen Victoria to join the suite.
Dr. W. H. (now Sir William) Russell, the famous war correspondent, who
was temporarily attached to the suite as honorary private secretary,
wrote on his return a very interesting account of the tour, entitled
“The Prince of Wales’s Tour in India,” which has remained the standard
authority on the subject.
On the day that King Edward left Sandringham, amid many demonstrations
of goodwill and wishings of God-speed from his country neighbours, he
presented his Consort with a team of Corsican ponies and a miniature
drag. He spent the last few days of his stay in England with Queen
Alexandra and their children at Marlborough House. On the Sunday before
his departure they were all present at divine service in Westminster
Abbey, and the next day the King went to say good-bye to his old friend
Dean Stanley, who, in a letter to an intimate correspondent, gave the
following vivid description of the visit:--
“On the Sunday night we had a message to say that the Prince and
Princess of Wales would come to take leave of us at 3.30 P.M. the next
day. They came about 4 P.M., having been detained by the members of the
family coming to Marlborough House.
“They brought all the five children, wishing, the Prince said, to have
them all with him as long as possible.
“They all came up, and remained about twenty minutes. Fanny was in the
back library, and the children, after being for a few minutes with
Augusta, who was delighted to see them, went to her.
“The Prince and Princess remained with Augusta and me. A. talked with
all her usual animation. They were both extremely kind. The Princess
looked inexpressibly sad. There was nothing much said of interest,
chiefly talking of the voyage, etc. As I took him downstairs, he spoke
of the dangers--but calmly and rationally, saying that, of course the
precautions must be left to those about him. I said to him, ‘I gave you
my parting benediction in the Abbey yesterday.’ ‘Yes,’ he replied, ‘I
saw it. Thank you.’
“Later on in the evening Augusta wished me to telegraph our renewed
thanks and renewed good wishes to the _Castalia_ at Dover. I did so,
and at 11 P.M. there came back a telegram from him: ‘Many thanks for
your kind message. God bless both of you! Just off for Calais!’”
King Edward started from London on 11th October, immense popular
interest being taken in the event. Huge crowds assembled long before
the departure of the special train from Charing Cross, and the King
and Queen Alexandra were wildly cheered. The Queen accompanied her
husband as far as Calais, and then the King travelled across the
Continent _incognito_, meeting his suite, who had started a few days
previously, at Brindisi.
[Illustration: EMBARKATION ON BOARD THE “SERAPIS” AT BRINDISI]
The eventful journey was made in the _Serapis_, one of the old large
Indian troopships, and the voyage was very successful from every point
of view. The Royal party spent a few days at Athens, where the King was
entertained by his brother-in-law, the King of Greece, to whom he had
brought a number of gifts from Sandringham, including an Alderney bull
and cow, a ram and sheep, several British pigs, and a number of horses.
From the Piræus the _Serapis_ proceeded to Egypt, and King Edward
invested Prince Tewfik, the Khedive’s eldest son, with the Order of the
Star of India.
As the _Serapis_ steamed onwards the various programmes of the Royal
progress through India were submitted to the King, and even the
addresses which were to be presented to him were shown and his answers
were carefully prepared; in fact, before he left Aden, His Majesty knew
with what words the Corporation of Bombay, for instance, would receive
him.
As may be easily imagined, all India was by now in a ferment of
excitement, and the official world were very much concerned at the
immense responsibility placed upon them by the mother-country. Four
officers, of whom two had obtained the Victoria Cross, were carefully
selected and commissioned to look after the comfort and the safety
of the King and of his suite, Major Bradford (afterwards Sir E. R.
C. Bradford, Chief Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police) being
entrusted with the responsible task of attending to the safety of the
Royal visitor’s own person.
The question as to how King Edward was to make his first appearance
in Bombay was keenly discussed, and at one time it was thought that
splendidly caparisoned elephants would form the most fitting mode of
transport from the landing-stage to Government House, but finally the
party went in carriages. Among the cargo of the _Serapis_ were three
valuable horses, specially chosen from the Marlborough House stables,
which had been regularly taken to the Zoo, in order to be accustomed
to the sight of the wild beasts and reptiles which they were likely to
meet with in India.
At last it was noised abroad that the _Serapis_ had been sighted, and
the Viceroy, Lord Northbrook (afterwards Earl of Northbrook), went
out to meet King Edward, returning to Bombay in order to receive him
on landing. There was a good deal of discreet curiosity as to which
of them would give precedence to the other, for of course the Viceroy
represents Her Majesty, and so was entitled to take precedence, but
Lord Northbrook, with considerable tact, unobtrusively gave his Royal
guest the first place.
The moment the King emerged from the dockyard a salute was fired, and
at every station in India, whether important or obscure, the signal was
given by telegraph for a Royal salute wherever there were guns to fire
it.
While actually in Bombay King Edward and his suite became the guests
of the Governor, Sir Philip Woodhouse, and it was there that two days
after his arrival in India the King celebrated his thirty-fourth
birthday, the first object which met his eyes in the morning being a
charming portrait of Queen Alexandra, who had specially entrusted it to
Sir Bartle Frere. On this eventful day the glories and the fatigues of
the King’s Indian tour may be said to have begun.
The Royal birthday was duly honoured all over Hindustan at noon, and
although the heat, even at 8 A.M., had been very considerable, the King
was compelled to hold a great reception in full dress, that is to say,
in a uniform of English cloth loaded with lace and buttoned up to the
throat. The scene was very impressive. The King during the reception
was seated on a silver throne, and everything was done to invest the
affair with the greatest pomp and circumstance. His suite all stood
round him in full uniform; behind the throne was a portrait of Queen
Victoria; and although the King was not supposed to hold durbars, the
ceremony being simply styled a private visit or reception, it was
in every way as impressive and remarkable as if it had carried full
official significance.
An immense number of native Princes and Rajahs paid their respects in
person to their future Sovereign. The first potentate to be presented
was the Rajah of Kholapur, a child of twelve years old, the ruler of
nearly a million people. The little Rajah was attired in purple velvet
and white muslin encrusted with gems, his turban containing a King’s
ransom of pearls and rubies. In spite of his extreme youth the Indian
Prince remained perfectly serious, and went through the somewhat
complicated ceremonies with absolute self-possession.
After the last Rajah had departed, King Edward had a long talk with
the Viceroy, and then made his way to the _Serapis_, where he had the
pleasure of seeing the crew enjoying the birthday dinner provided by
himself. He also cut a birthday cake, and looked over the telegrams
just received from Sandringham. That same evening was held a great
reception, to which naturally the British officials and residents came
in great force.
The next few days were also equally well filled. King Edward had to
pay elaborate return visits to the chiefs and Rajahs who had attended
his reception, and it was then that he was enabled to show his tact
and the extraordinary knowledge he had acquired of their complicated
ranks and genealogies; indeed, he greatly pleased several important
Rajahs by showing that he had heard of the antiquity of their families,
and by graciously alluding to the gallant deeds of their ancestors.
The British people of Bombay had organised a great dinner for the
sailors of the fleet, and, much to their gratification, the King
consented to attend the banquet. Not content with a mere formal glance
at the proceedings, he mounted a plank, and with a glass in his hand,
exclaimed to the delighted men, of whom there were over two thousand
present, “My lads, I am glad to meet you all. I drink your good health,
and a happy voyage home.”
King Edward took the opportunity of laying the foundation-stone of the
Elphinstone Docks, the ceremony being carried out with Masonic honours,
and it was considered very interesting and significant that among
members of the craft present were Parsees, Mahomedans, and Hindus.
During the month of November the King visited Poona, where he held a
review, and visited the Court of the Gaikwar of Baroda. There a fine
elephant was prepared for his use. The animal was of extraordinary
size, and the howdah on which the King rode was said to have cost four
lakhs of rupees. He held a reception at the Residency, and had his
first sight of Indian sport, for he attended a cheetah hunt, himself
killing a fine buck, and much enjoying his day’s sport. About the same
time he also joined a pig-sticking expedition, a very popular Indian
sport, and at last, to his great satisfaction, had the opportunity of
“getting his spear,” in other words, of killing a wild boar.
Then, returning to Bombay, the Royal party once more took up their
quarters on the _Serapis_, where the King spent Queen Alexandra’s
birthday. From Bombay he found time to visit the Portuguese settlement
of Goa, and thence went on to Ceylon, where he inspected a tea
plantation, and where the peepul planted by him in commemoration of his
visit is still proudly shown to the ubiquitous globe-trotter.
At Madras the King had a splendid reception, spending, however, 14th
December, the anniversary of his father’s death, in retirement at
Guindy Park, the country seat of the Governor, eight miles from the
city.
Christmas Day was spent in Calcutta, where an immense programme was
gone through, including a considerable number of public ceremonies,
the holding of audiences, and last, but not least, a _levée_, at which
both natives and Europeans were present. After the King and the Viceroy
had attended divine service in the Cathedral, His Majesty entertained
a large party at lunch in the _Serapis_. His health was drunk with
Highland honours, and many messages were exchanged between himself and
“home.” On the afternoon of the same day the Royal party drove out to
the Viceregal Lodge at Barrackpur.
The most important ceremony attended by King Edward in India, namely,
a Chapter of the Order of the Star of India, at which he acted as High
Commissioner for his Royal mother, was held on New Year’s Day 1876.
His Majesty wore a field-marshal’s uniform, almost concealed beneath
the folds of his sky-blue satin mantle, the train of which was carried
by two naval cadets, who wore cocked hats over their powdered wigs,
blue satin cloaks, trunk hose, and shoes with rosettes. The Chapter
tent was carpeted with cloth of gold with the Royal Arms emblazoned in
the centre. An immense number of the Companions of the Order attended,
forming a most impressive procession, walking two and two, one half
native and the other European. The Begum of Bhopal, the first Knight
Grand Commander, had a procession all to herself. She was veiled and
swathed in brocades and silks, over which was folded the light blue
satin robe of the Order.
The King took his seat on the daïs, and after the roll of the Order
had been read, each member standing up as his name was called, the
Chapter was declared open, and His Majesty directed the investiture
to proceed. Never had such a gathering been seen in India. Among
those present were Lord Napier of Magdala, “Political” Maitland, the
Maharajah of Kashmir, and the Rajah of Patiala, who wore the great
Sancy diamond in his turban.
As each investiture took place, seventeen guns were fired, and the
secretary proclaimed aloud the titles of the newly-made Knight
Grand Commander or Companion as the case might be. The pageant was
incomparably splendid, the close of the ceremony being quite as fine
as the beginning, for the Knights Grand Cross, the Knights Grand
Commanders, and the Companions all formed once more in a procession in
the reverse order of their entry.
At the close of the King’s visit to Calcutta he began his journeys by
rail. At Benares he visited the famous Temples, and the Golden Pool,
going from thence by steamer to the old port of Rammagar, where he and
his suite were splendidly received by the Maharajah, who presented him
with some very costly shawls and brocades, together with what is to an
Indian the very highest proof of regard, namely his own walking-stick,
a thick staff mounted with gold.
At Lucknow the King laid the foundation-stone of a memorial to the
natives who fell in the defence of the Residency. On this occasion he
took the opportunity of paying a well-deserved tribute to the faithful
soldiers of the native army. Some of the veterans were presented to
him, and they were not allowed to be hurried by, ragged, squalid, or
unclean; indeed, His Majesty insisted on exchanging a few words with
several of them.
While at Lucknow he took part in a pig-sticking expedition, at which
Lord Carrington’s left collar-bone was broken, and curiously enough,
Lord Napier of Magdala met with a precisely similar accident on the
same day.
[Illustration: THE KING’S VISIT TO THE CAWNPORE MEMORIAL]
From Delhi the King proceeded to Cawnpore, a spot he had been extremely
anxious to visit, in common with many less illustrious tourists. His
Majesty, after a drive to the site of the old cantonments, where the
heroic defence took place, made his way to the Memorial Church, where
he stopped close to the gateway which no native may pass through. There
he alighted, and, with signs of deep emotion, walked to the spot which
marks the place of the fatal well. There was deep silence as he read
aloud in a low voice the touching words, “To the memory of a great
company of Christian people, principally women and children, who were
cruelly slaughtered here.”
On returning to Delhi the King held a _levée_, attended by hundreds of
British officers, at the close of which several notabilities of the
native army were presented. The next day a great review was held, Lord
Napier of Magdala entertaining His Majesty at his own camp. Delhi was
illuminated, and no trouble was spared in showing what was once the
capital city of India to the Royal visitor.
Some interesting hours were spent at Agra, where the King went to see
the Taj illuminated, the beautiful marble “Queen of Sorrow” erected by
the Shah Jehan in memory of his much-loved wife, Moomtaz i Mahul, who
died at the birth of her eighth child. The King was so greatly charmed
with the beauty of the Taj, lit up by myriad lights, that he would not
return to the city till nearly midnight. All through the journeys and
expeditions which immediately followed, His Majesty could not forget
what he had seen, and before finally leaving the district he paid one
more visit to the famous tomb, seeing it this time not illuminated, but
by the beautiful full Indian moonlight.
The King shot his first tiger on 5th February in the neighbourhood
of Jeypur, but it was by no means the last, for it is recorded that
he shot six tigers in one day when hunting in Nepaul with Sir Jung
Bahadur. Then he returned through Lucknow, Cawnpore, and Allahabad.
At Jubbulpur His Majesty went through the prison, and had some talk
with seven Thugs who had been thirty-five years in confinement, and
whose life in the first instance had only been spared because they had
turned Queen’s evidence. The King questioned them as to their hideous
trade, and one man, a villainous-looking individual, answered proudly,
in reply to the question as to how many people he had murdered,
“Sixty-seven.”
King Edward and his suite left Bombay for home on 13th March, just
seventeen weeks after the _Serapis_ had first dropped anchor in Bombay
harbour. During those four months he had travelled close on 8000 miles
by land and 2500 miles by sea, and during that time he had become
acquainted with more Rajahs than had all the Viceroys who had ever
reigned over India, and he had seen more of the country than had any
living Englishman.
The intelligence that Queen Victoria was about to assume the title of
Empress of India had become known before the _Serapis_ left Bombay, and
caused her son great gratification. Curiously enough, the King met Lord
Lytton, who was on his way out to Hindustan to succeed Lord Northbrook
as Viceroy, when the _Serapis_ was going through the Suez Canal.
The Royal party spent five days in Egypt. By 6th April Malta was in
sight, and the King was received there with great enthusiasm, as was
also the case at Gibraltar, where he had the pleasure of meeting his
brother, the Duke of Connaught. From there the _Serapis_ proceeded by
easy stages round Spain, the King taking the opportunity of visiting
Seville, Cordova, Madrid, the Escurial, Lisbon, and Cintra. At Madrid
King Alfonso came to meet the King at the station, and they drove
together to the Palace, going from there to Toledo in order that the
Royal visitor might inspect the famous manufactory of Toledo blades.
As the _Serapis_ anchored near Yarmouth the King was informed that
Queen Alexandra and the Royal children had come to meet him on board
the _Enchantress_. He immediately went on board their ship, bringing
Her Majesty and their children back with him a little later on board
the _Serapis_.
It need hardly be pointed out that King Edward received a very
remarkable number of gifts during his tour in India. The cost of a gift
made to him by a native Prince was supposed to be strictly limited to
£2000 in value, but in many cases this restriction was evaded by the
present being priced at a nominal sum, the real value being anything
from £5000 to £30,000. As an actual fact the splendid collection
brought home by His Majesty, which is his own personal property, is
said to be worth half a million sterling.
Some time after his return home the King kindly allowed his Indian
gifts to be exhibited to the public. They were afterwards distributed
between Marlborough House and Sandringham, a considerable portion of
them finding a resting-place in the Indian room of Marlborough House.
There also were carefully stored away in solid silver cylinders all the
addresses received by the King during his eventful Indian tour.
King Edward, who takes the very keenest interest in live animals,
brought back quite a menagerie with him from India, and the quarters in
the _Serapis_ assigned to his pets was for the time being a veritable
Zoo, for there were tigers, elephants, ostriches, leopards, birds,
ponies, cattle, monkeys, dogs and horses, some of which spent a
peaceful old age at Sandringham.
There can be no doubt that from a political point of view the tour was
a great success, doing much indirectly to consolidate the British power
in India. It is also a curious commentary on the objections raised by
the economy party to the visit that no less a sum than £250,000 was
spent in London alone by native Princes in buying presents for His
Majesty.
The principal incident of the voyage home had been a farewell dinner
given by the officers of the _Serapis_ to the King and his suite when
the vessel was nearing harbour.
The table was laid for forty on the main deck (called the Windsor Long
Walk), which was decorated with flags, trophies of arms, and ornaments.
After Queen Victoria had been duly honoured, Captain Glyn proposed King
Edward’s health, and begged him to accept an album as a keepsake from
himself and his officers. It contained, besides a large photograph
of every officer, photographed groups of the men and the Guard of
Honour, views of different parts of the ship, and photographs of a few
favourite animals.
The real popularity of the King’s visit to India was significantly
proved by the popular demonstrations which awaited him on his return.
Enthusiastic greetings of welcome hailed him in the evening both
at Victoria Station and in his drive round by Grosvenor Place,
Piccadilly, and St. James’s Street to meet the Queen at Buckingham
Palace. The appearance of the King and Queen at the Royal Italian
Opera in the evening, within two hours of their reaching home, was a
particularly graceful act of consideration. Nothing could surpass the
enthusiasm with which they were greeted when they were seen in the
Royal box.
[Illustration: THE KING IN 1876
_From a Drawing by Sargent_]
During the days that followed, their Majesties received congratulatory
visits from all the members of the Royal Family then in England, and
from many distinguished personages. On the Sunday after his return,
King Edward, accompanied by his Consort, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the
Duke of Connaught, attended divine service at Westminster Abbey in the
afternoon, when special thanksgivings were offered up for His Majesty’s
safe return from India.
Soon afterwards the King was entertained at a banquet and ball given
by the Corporation of the City of London at the Guildhall. The
temporary building erected for this brilliant assembly, to which over
five thousand were invited, occupied the whole of Guildhall Yard. The
reception hall was on the basement floor, the ballroom being built
above it, and was beautifully decorated and draped with Oriental
hangings. A daïs had been erected for their Majesties; and the scene
is described as a combination of quaintly mediæval magnificence with
modern luxury and elegance. The reception ceremony took place in the
new library of the Guildhall, where an address of welcome, in a golden
casket of Indian design, was presented to the King by the Lord Mayor.
His Majesty, in a brief reply, said that it was his highest reward and
his greatest pride to have received from the citizens of London and his
countrymen such a welcome at the termination of a visit which had been
undertaken with the view to strengthening the ties that bound India to
our common country. The invitation tickets for this brilliant function
were both beautiful and appropriate, the Star of India and the Taj
Mahal at Agra figuring prominently in the design.
Among the other entertainments given in honour of the King’s return
may be mentioned a concert at the Albert Hall. King Edward and Queen
Alexandra on their arrival were received by a Guard of Honour of 120
bluejackets from the _Serapis_, the _Raleigh_, and the _Osborne_, under
the command of Captain Carr Glyn, and in the vestibule were all the
Council of the Albert Hall, wearing the Windsor uniform. At their head
was the Duke of Edinburgh in naval uniform. The vast hall was crowded
with a distinguished audience.