THE PRINCE OF WALES IN INDIA.

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 480, 31 December 1875, Page 3

THE PRINCE OF WALES IN INDIA.

(Condensed from the special correspondence of the Argvs.) Bombay, November 13.

The Prince of Wales has arrived in India, and has been received with an amount of enthusiasm which has surprised even those best acquainted with Indian character. That the European and Parsee inhabitants of Bombay would have vied with each other in demonstrations of loyalty to the heir of the British throne, that native princes should have assembled to do him formal honour and homage was certain, but that the great mass of the native population would interest themselves in the matter, still less in giving expression to any lively feeling of enthusiasm, was a much more problematical matter. It is now, however, acknowledged, even by those who had least belief in any good to be derived from the Prince's visit, that the natives have showed an extraordinary amount of interest and enthusiasm, and that the visit cannot but have a very great effect in increasing the loyalty and attachment of India towards the British Crown. The Indian has always been attached to persons rather than to things. The magnificence of an Akbar or an Aurungzebe, or the fierce energy of a Tippoo, are far more attractive to him than the mild and unpersonal administration of an almost mythical empress on the other side of the world. The dense crowd of natives who lined the streets of Bombay, and thronged every spot on the route for miles long, from which a glimpse of the Prince could be obtained, the hush of expectation which fell upon them when he approached, the earnest attention and interest with which he was examined, and the instant break-up of the line when he passed, regardless of the efforts of troops and police, and of the fact that the great Princes cf Western India were all in the rear of the procession, in their efforts to obtain another view of their future Emperor—all this spoke for itself, and there can be no longer a doubt that in Bombay, at any rate, the visit of the Prince of Wales has been a great and uu equivocal success. The preparations for the reception pro grossed rapidly. Triumphal arches sprang up at every turn. Tall sticks were stuck up and entitled Venetian masts ; these were painted blue and white, and a large hoop, from which dangled a number of small and, it must be owned, dingy-looking flags, was suspended half-way up each. Slight scaffoldings were run up for the illuminations, numerous light stands were erected on every spot from which the procession could be viewed, and after the amount of squabbling, jealousy, criticism, and recrimination characteristic of this kind of festivity under free institutions, all was in readiness upon the night before the Prince was expected, Twelve o’clock was the hour at which the Serapis was timed to arrive in harbour, but before daybreak the Osborne came iu and announced that her consorts were but a few miles behind. Few in Bombay heard, or at any rate noticed, the three guns which at daybreak announced the fact that the Serapis had entered Indian waters, and it was consequently with a feeling of intense surprise that at eight o’clock Bombay beard the guns of the squadron thunder out a royal salute, telling the town that the Serapis was entering the harbor. There was saddling and mounting with speed. Horse boys were driven half out of their minds by the haste of their employers to have their buggies and dog carts instantly brought round to the door. Ladies hurried on their things with greater speed than they had put forth since their arrival in Indian climes. Natives set off at a long shambling shuffle toward the landing-place, and all was bustle and excitement. It was, after all, only those who were exceptionally near at hand, or were exceptionally quick in their movements, who were fortunate enough to arrive on the wharf in time to see the great troopship enter at a quarter to nine, between the lines of the men-of-war. These were in all seven in number, together with the Osborne, the troop ship Euphrates, four gunboats, and ti e P. and O. steamer Indus, which was Ijing seaward, and was the first ship to gr et his Royal Highness upon his arrival in lucia. The yards were, of course, manned, and the royal salute was fired by the ships of war. Whether Bombay harbor is or is not a finer harbor than Sydney is a matter of opinion, and will of course remain so ; hut at any rate all will allow that Bombay possesses one of the loveliest harbors in the world ; low at its entrance, where the spits upon which the fort or business town stands, but rising to considerable hills of picturesque outline in the background. The upper part of the harbor, too, is studded with rocky elands, and they, as well as the mainland, . r rather island, of Bombay are covered with a luxuriant vegetation of palms and othci t epical trees. On the left as you approach it the promontory of Malabar hill, separated fr. m the sister spit of Oolaba by Back B y, the shallow inlet two miles across w ich Bombay desired to enclose, and w nt to signal grief in the effort. To this d;jr, although it is tea years emet

the smash took place, Back Bay is a very sore subject with the people of Bombay, The fleets of merchant shipping were lying some distance higher up the harbor than were the men-of-war, but these, too, had dressed in lines of buv.ting. When the Serapis emerged from the smoke of the salute, she anchored near the Osborne, at a distance of a mile and a half from the shore. Numerous boats at once put off, their occupants hoping to catch an early glimpse of the Prince, but guard boats were at once placed on duty, and thus prevented all craft from approaching within 300 or 400 yards of the royal vessel.

Beyond putting finishing touches to the decorations, all was quiet in Bombay for some hours. Then the people began to collect along the line of route which the procession was to ?take. At three o’clock the Viceroy went off to welcome the Prince, and his soul was assuaged by the royal salute given to him. Half an hour afterwards the Governor of Bombay and the leading members of his council also went off, but he was only saluted by the guns of the land battery. In a quarter of an hour he returned, and exactly at 4, the hour named, the guns of the fleet announced the fact that the future Fun peror of India was on his way to shore. Telegraphic wires flashed the news all over India, and from every British station, and from the capital of every native prince, a royal salute was fired in welcome. As the Prince landed he was received by the Governor of Bombay, and then entered a large and tastefullydecorated shed, where the great native princes and the leading personages of the presidency were assembled, Among them were many names which have become part of British history either as friends or foes. There were the Maharaja of Mysore, then the Rajah of Kalapor, the young Gaikwar of Baroda, the Mahratta Chief of Podepure, the Bao of Gutch, the Maharana of Meywar, and many others, all resplendent in gold and jewels. The young Nizam of Hyderabad, the most powerful of our feudatories, was unable, from ill health, to be piesent, but he was represented by Sir Lalao Jung, the greatest of native statesmen, and by a deputation of his greatest chiefs. Unfortunately, a dispute about precedence arose between the Rajah of Podepure and the Gaikwar, and the fierce Mahratta was so irdignant that he was with difficulty persuaded to attend the coming of the Prince, and actually left Bombay next day, after visiting His Royal Highness. All these were seated on sofas on either side of the roped-in walk by which the Prince was to pass, and behind them stood their principal nobles. Behind them again were seated the elite of Bombay. The Prince upon entering had to undergo the infliction of listening to an extremely long address by the head of the municipal council, and in reply read an answer which was scarcely less lengthy. He then walked slowly along, the principal chiefs were introduced to him, and he shook hands with each, and said a few words. The procession was then formed. This, as a procession, was a grievous failure, Whatever might have been the cost, all the available cavalry from Poona should have been brought down to render the spectacle an imposing one, instead of which it consisted only of a squadron of Hussars, a battery of Horse Artillery, a squadron of Poona Horse, the bodyguards of the Viceroy and Governor, a couple of dozen carriages, and the carriages of the native chiefs. Had these last been accompanied, as they ought to have been, by iheir respective escorts, brilliant with semibarbaric splendour, the procession would at least have been picturesque. Instead of this, by some very stupid mistake, the chiefs were not allowed to have their own escorts, and were not provided with a British escort; consequently, when the crowd broke the lines after the Royal carriage had passed, the native princes found themselves in the midst of a struggling sea of people, (o their extreme indignation and great loss of dignity. But, after all, it was not the glories of the procession which the great host of spectators had assembled to witness. They had come to see the Prince alone, and they received him with a heartiness and an enthusiasm which surprised all Europeans here. The scene was a very picturesque one. The whole line of route, five miles long, was bordered with a white, solid crowd, in their turbans of every conceivable hue and fashion. Above, in the quaint and singularly-built houses, every window, every balconyj was a glow of color from the rich dresses of the native ladies. Above, around, everywhere waved flags and colored lanterns. The triumphal arches, the transparencies, the flags everywhere bore the word “ Welcome,” and the waving hands and hankerchiefs, the deep British cheer, and the shriller but less regular cry of the natives—all expressed the same sentiment. Altogether, it was a great sight and a great success, and the Prince at the end of his journey expressed himself as surprised and gratified beyond measure. The stopping place is Parell, the Government House, a fine and roomy building, where he was the guest of Sir Philip Wodehouse, the Governor of Bombay. Parell can hardly be called the usual seat of the Government, the Governor of Bombay generally inhabiting the fine bungalow at the end of Malabar Point. This was at present occupied by the Viceroy. That night the Governor gave a dinner to eighty guests ; and a few others, principally natives of Bombay of distinction, called and were introduced in the evening. The next morning the Prince {of Wales commenced his labors, and assumed for the first time the state of an Indian potentate, to receive the visits of the great vassal princes of *Vestern India. It was not an official durbar, and the visits were considered privata. No one, therefore, was present beyond the Prince and his principal officers, An hour was laid down at which each prince should arrive, and a quarter of an hour was devoted to each. In front of the building 250 men of the 2nd Queen’s, with a band, were drawn up. Close by was a battery of artillery. Bach visitor, on arriving and departing, was saluted with a 1! honors, and by the number of guns proportioned to his rank. Upon this, as upon all matters of ceremonial and precedence, the natives are jealous in the extreme, and a native prince vho had misbehaved himself would feel far less the loss of a portion of his territory than he would the issue of an order decreasing by one the number of guns with which he ffiould be entitled to be saluted on an occasion like the present. On arriving wUhin 500 yards of Government House each visitor vas met by an aide-de-camp and escorted to the door, where he was handed over to another aide, who escorted him to the reception room. Each chief was accompanied by his political resident, and by a fixed number of his principal nobles. The reception-room is large and handsome. At one end is a

large picture of her Maiesty, and before them, on a scarlet carpet embroidered with the Royal arms, and extending half over the room, the Prince’s throne was placed. It was very handsome, of scarlet and silver, surmounted by a silver Prince of Wales feathers. It has been constructed for the purpose by a Bombay firm. On the right of this were the state chairs for visitors ; on the Prince’s left were the chairs for the British officers ; on the right of the visitors’ chairs were the seats for the resident and accompanying nobles. Behind H.R.11. stood attendants, with the Eastern symbols of royalty, peacock-tail fan and fly-flapper, made of the feathers of the noornah. There were two of each of these embietns, and two attendants also, with great hand punkahs of scarlet, embroidered in gold, with Prince of Wales feathers, the whole surrounded by a floating gold gauze. The dresses of the attendants may be described as to match. As each visitor arrived, the Prince rose from his seat and advanced to meet him. In the case of the great princes he went to the edge of the carpet, with the secondary chiefs to the centre of the carpet only, while to meet the lesser chiefs he made three steps in advance only. After shaking hands with the princely visitor, his Royal Highness conducted him to the chair on his right, and both took their seats, the example being followed by the attendant nobles and British officers. A few minutes’ conversation ensued, and the attendant nobles were then presented to the Prince. Each, as he salaamed, held out in a folded handkerchief his gold mohurs as a present. The Prince touched these and then returned them. He then handed attar and pan, that is to say, ottar of roses and betel-nuts, to his visitor, the nobles being similarly served by Colonel Henderson. This terminated the ceremony. The visitor then departed as he had arrived, and another was ushered in. So the round went on for four mortal hours, and then the Prince had a short resting time. At four o’clock he left Parell and drove through Bombay, and embarked to visit the admiral. He was, of course, received with the Royal salute, and as the short twilight was over before he left for the shore the ships illuminated with lines of lanterns, and with colored fires at the end of the yard-arms ; showers of rockets, too, were sent up. Then the Prince drove to a spot three miles distant, at which it was arranged that the procession should start to view the illumination.

I call it “ procession” because the official documents so call it, but in point of fact there was no procession whatever. First came some troopers of the Governor’s body guard (scarlet lancers), then came a dozen carriages with the Governor and suite, then the Royal carriage, then some more of the body guard, then the carriages of any one who chose to join. The whole line of route as before, five miles in length, was brilliantly illuminated, and in many places the scene was lovely beyond description. I have seen Paris illuminated on the Emperor’s Saint Day, Turin at the fete of the Constitution. Venice when Victor Emmanuel entered after the Austrian evacuation, Madrid when Prim and Serrano entered as liberators after the llight of Isabella, Cairo at the opening of the Suez Canal, and London on the Prince of Wales’ Thanksgiving Day—but none of them could compare in beauty, in splendour, and in picturesqueness with Bombay as the Prince drove through it. So ended the first day of the Royal visit to India, a day of continuous excitement and work. On the 10th, work began rather late. At 12 o’clock the reception of a number of minor princes began. The chiefs of Kattywar, seven in number, were first introduced, and were followed by sis chiefs of Sattara, the Deccan, and Karkan ; lastly, ten of the Southern Mahratta chiefs were presented. The ceremonial was exactly similar to that carried out upon the previous day. At 4 o’clock the Prince was to hold a levee at the Secretariat. The applications for admission amounted to over 3000, of whom about a third received tickets. At half-past three the arrivals commenced, and although it was stated that the doors would remain open until five, there were very few who had not arrived when the clock struck four. Of these about a third were native gentlemen, the great proportion of the remainder belonged to one or other branch of the service. As the natives arrived, they were ushered into a room divided by several barriers. As each division filled, a bar was let down, and the next division was in turn filled, until the room was full. Another room was filled in the same manner, and the two proved sufficiently large to hold the whole number to be presented. At a quarter-past 3 the Prince arrived, and a few minutes later the doors of the reception room were thrown open. One by one the guests filed in, and were presented in rapid succession. The system of barriers worked well, and there was no crushing or inconvenience beyond the heat. The levee over, the Prince mounted his carriage, and drove to the school fete. This had been already in full swing for an hour; indeed, Bombay had been made hideous with the music, or rather want of music, of the bands which headed most of the school processions as they marched to the rendezvous—a large oval upon the Esplanade between the public buildings and the sea. The benches had been placed in sufficient number to seat the whole of the children, some 11,000 in number, Of these, speaking roughly, 2500 were Christians, 3000 were Parsees, 1500 were Mahomedans, and 4000 Hindoos. Each school carried banners, and the scene was a wonderfully bright and brilliant one. Indeed, it is probable that the Prince never before beheld, and will never again behold, such a blaze of color. The Parsee girls were all in brilliant colored satins, and a great number of the Banian girls were similarly dressed. The Christian girls were, for the most part, in white, made European fashion, the girls of the Scotch Orphanage being distinguished by their tartan scarfs. The Mussulman girls—much less numerous in proportion to the number of boys of the same religion than was the case among Hindoos, Parsees, or Christians, in all of which the sexes were fairly balanced—were also for the most part dressed in satin. The Parsee and Banian boys were in white robes, with gold embroidered caps, the Christian boys, for the most part, whelher white or half-caste, were in white European clothing. Thus altogether, about half the assembly were in white, the other half in ihe purest and brightest colors. Added to this was the fact that a vast number of Parsec and Banian ladies, also in bright silks and satins, were present. When the Prince arrived upon the ground he was received by the members of the fete committee, and was conducted to a small platform raised under a phelter canopy. Around were

clustered a very large number of ladies, splendidly dressed, representing all the principal Parsee families and others. All these were introduced to the Prince, who seated them on the sofa beside him, The appearance of the Prince was the signal for an outbreak of enthusiastic cheering in a high treble key. This was renewed again and again. Miss Wadin, a beautiful Parsee girl, in pink satin, then approached the Prince, and ,'placed a garland of (lowers round his neck, and another round the neck of the Governor. (She then presented the Prince with a bouquet. A band of Mahratta girls then sang a hymn, composed in honor of the occasion in Mahratla, and were followed by a band of Parsee girls, who sang the same hymn in Gurzeratee. All the children had learnt the .air, and took it up till it sounded loud and clear with their shrill voices. Several Parsee ladies were then introduced to the Prince, as was Mr Sou ter, the Commissioner of Police, whose arrangements throughout have been excellent. The Prince complimented him upon them. The cheering broke out again and again when the Prince prepared to leave. It was now fast getting dark, and some Bengal lights were burnt and rockets sent up, and th efeto came to an end, the children marching away with their respective bands, and frequently relieving their feelings with bursts of cheering. In the evening, a great ball was given to the officers of the licet by the Byculla Club. The club-house is very large, and is admirably adapted for a ball, possessing as it does two immense halls en suite, one being a closed apartment, the other open at the sides, as a diningroom in very hot weather. It has, too, numerous large rooms, which, fitted up with divans and lamps, proved admirable places for flirtation between dances. The dancing took place in the winter diningroom, the hot weather diningroom being for the nonce converted into a noble drawingroom, by the aid of carpets and a profusion of palm and other plants. The supper room was a temporary one of immense size, and tasteful palmtree decoration, There all the elite of Bombay were assembled. Dancing began at half past 10, and an hour later the Prince himself arrived, and was received by the members of the club committee. The usual state quadrille was first danced, and then things went on as before the Prince’s arrival,he himself dancing several times. Supper was then served, and the Prince left at half-past 3. On Thursday his Royal Highness came in to Bombay, lunched at the Secretariat, and then returned the visits of the minor chiefs in the apartments assigned to them for this purpose. At half-past four he drove across to the Esplanade, where an immense erection had been set up for the dinner to the sailors and soldiers. The roof was of palm mats laid on bamboo and covered with canvas. It was therefore thick enough to keep out the sun, and as the roof was merely supported with poles, the breeze from the sea blew over the tables with an uninterrupted sweep. This roof—for neither the words tent nor building are applicable to it —was 450tt long by 165 broad. Of this, 100 ft at each end were set apart for the accommodation of the public, while along the centre eight tables, each long enough to seat 250 men comfortably, were spread. The tables were decorated with flowers, flags, and palm leaves, and the whole erection was properly decorated with flags. Here the sailors, marines, and soldiers sat down to a really excellent meal, and it was done thorough justice to. After this, the pipes laid by each plate were brought into requisition, and the atmosphere was thick with smoke by the time bis Royal Highness arrived. The Prince was at once conducted to the centre of a slightly raised dais, and was saluted with tremendous cheering by the men, who stood on the benches, and cheered with a power, regularity, and sonorous strength of lungs which evidently completely astonished the various native princes who were of the party. The Prince took a glass, and drank to the men’s health and happiness, and then, saluted by long and continued cheering, he left to lay the foundation stone of theElphinstone docks. This was a Masonic ceremoriy, and the Prince on arriving entered a boat, and arrayed himself in the insignia of grand master. He then proceeded through a double line of Masons in full costume, escorted by the officers of the order, to the spot where he was to lay the foundation-stone. The appearance of the assembled Masons was singular, as men of all religions were included, and the sight of grave, dark men, in white robes and strange head dresses, with Masonic aprons and emblems, was very striking. Behind the Masoua were the general public, admitted by ticket, large numbers of ladies being among them. The ceremony was performed with the usual formalities, and an address was read, and replied to by his Royal Highness, who then left, amid hearty cheers, for Government-house. Here, at 10 o’clock, a brilliant and very select reception was held by the Governor, the great native princes and the elite of the society of Bombay being present. The jewels of the native princes were superb, and as the Prince moved about among them, chatting freely, and they were known to many of the principal officers present, they were at their ease, and appeared to enjoy themselves as much as any one present. At 12 o’clock the party left. There had been faint hopes on the part of the Masonic brotherhood that H.R.H. would honor their ball with bis presence, but after so long a round of duties, it was out of the question for him to start for Bombay, nearly five miles distant, at the hour of midnight. The ball, which was held in the town-hall, was very showy and brilliant, although certainly a good deal mixed, as all the brotherhood had of course the right of being present with the female members of their families ; consequently the ballroom presented a strange medley of ladies and gentlemen in full evening costume, many of the latter with Masonic emblems ; Parsecs and Orientals of all kinds, together with many native ladies in their brilliantly-coloured dresses. Yesterday, the last of his Royal Highness’s stay in Bombay, was passed in comparative quiet. A trip was made at half-past four in the afternoon by his Royal Highness and a parly invited by the Governor to the Caves’ of Elephauta, which were lit up with colored fires. Upon the return of the party in the evening, the fleet illuminated splendidly, and there was a magnificent display of fireworks. His Royal Highness started to-day for Poona, where he will on Monday review the troops stationed there, returning on Tuesday, on which evening there will be a grand ball at Government House. The next day his Royal Highness starts for Beypoor, The details of his journey from this point are at present somewhat vague, as there is a good deal of cholera in the south, and every pains will of course be taken to avoid all possible risk.