[Ebooks PDF] download Ace Your Case Consulting Interviews 2nd Edition Wetfeet full chapters
[Ebooks PDF] download Ace Your Case Consulting Interviews 2nd Edition Wetfeet full chapters
[Ebooks PDF] download Ace Your Case Consulting Interviews 2nd Edition Wetfeet full chapters
com
https://ebookname.com/product/ace-your-case-consulting-
interviews-2nd-edition-wetfeet/
OR CLICK BUTTON
DOWNLOAD EBOOK
https://ebookname.com/product/the-boston-consulting-
group-2009-edition-wetfeet/
ebookname.com
https://ebookname.com/product/careers-in-asset-management-retail-
brokerage-the-wetfeet-insider-guide-2005-edition-wetfeet/
ebookname.com
https://ebookname.com/product/programming-interviews-exposed-secrets-
to-landing-your-next-job-2nd-edition-programmer-to-programmer-john-
mongan/
ebookname.com
https://ebookname.com/product/doing-business-with-germans-their-
perception-our-perception-6th-edition-edition-sylvia-schroll-machl/
ebookname.com
https://ebookname.com/product/current-topics-in-elastomers-
research-1st-edition-anil-k-bhowmick/
ebookname.com
https://ebookname.com/product/ultrasound-of-the-urogenital-system-1st-
edition-grant-m-baxter/
ebookname.com
https://ebookname.com/product/the-cult-of-true-victimhood-from-the-
war-on-welfare-to-the-war-on-terror-1st-edition-alyson-m-cole/
ebookname.com
https://ebookname.com/product/notes-on-sontag-phillip-lopate/
ebookname.com
Abstract Regular Polytopes Encyclopedia of Mathematics and
its Applications 92 1st Edition Peter Mcmullen
https://ebookname.com/product/abstract-regular-polytopes-encyclopedia-
of-mathematics-and-its-applications-92-1st-edition-peter-mcmullen/
ebookname.com
�
�
�
�
�
�
�
�
������������ � �
���� �
�
�������������������������������������������
�����������������������������������������
����������������������������������������
�������������������������������������������
�����������������������������������
�
�
�
�
� �
�
�
�
�
�
�
�
� � �
�
�
�
�
�
�
�
�
�
�
�
�
�
���������������
�������������������
� �
�
�
�
�
�
�
� �
�
�
�
�
� �
�
�
������������ �� �
��������������������
�
�
�
���������������
�������������� �
����������������������
����������
�
�
�
�
�
�
�
�
�
�
�
�
�
�
���������������������������������������
��������������������������������������
�
���������������������������������������������������
�
�
������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
����������������������������������������������������������������������������
�
�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
������������������������������������������������������������������
�
�
����������������������������������
��������������������������������
�
�������������������
�
�
��
� �
������������������������
�
�
������������ ��������������������������������������������������������������������� ��
�
������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������������������ ��
���������������������������������� ���������������������������������������������������� ��
����������������������� ��������������������������������������������������������������������� ���
���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ���
�
�
����������������������������������������������������������������������� ���
�
������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ ���
��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ���
��� �������� �������� ������������������������������������������������������������������� ��
�
�
�������������������������������������������� ������������������� ���
�
�������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������� ���
�
�
��������������������������������������������� �������������� ���
�
���������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������� ���
�
�
�������������������������������������������� ������������� ����
�
������������������������������� �������������������������������������������������� ����
�
�
��������������������������������������� ��������������������� ����
�
������������������������� ����������������������������������������������������������� ����
�
�
������������������������������������������������������ ����
�
�
���������� ������������������������������������������������������������������ ����
�
� �
����
� �
�������������
�
����� ����� �������� ��� ���� ����� ���� ������ �� � ���������� ������ ���� �������� ���
����� ���� ���� ��������� ������������ ��� ����������� ���� �������� ���� ����
�����������������������������������������������������������������������������
����� ������� ��� ���� ������������ ���� ���������� ������ ��� �����������
�����������������������������������������������������������������������������
����������������������������������������������������������������������������������
����� ����������� ��� ����� ��� ���� ���� ����������� ������ ��� ���� ������ ����������
���������� ����� ������ ���������� ������ ������� ����������� ������� �����
�������� ���� ������ ��� ����� �� ����� � ���� ������� ���������� ��� ����� ������
��������������������������������������������������������������������������
����������������������������������������������������������������
�
������� ������ ����� ���������� �������������� ���������� ����� ������ ���� ����
��������� ������ ��� ����� ��� ��� �������������� ������������ ������� ��� ������� ���
�������������������������������������������������������������������� ����������
����� ����� �������� ����� ����������� ���� ������� �������� ���� ����� ��������
������ ����� ���������� ����� ����� ���������� ��� ����� ����� ������ ���� ���������
����������������������
�
�������������������������������������������������������������������������
�����������������������������������������������������������������������������
��������� ���� ��������� ������������ ����� ����� ���������� ������ ��� �������
������� ���� ����������� ���������� ��������������������� ���� ���� �����������
������� �� ����������� �������������� ��� ���������� ����������� �������������
���� ���������� ����� ���������� ��� ��� ���������� ��� ����� � ���������� �����
�����������������������������������������������������������������������������
�������������������������������������������������������������
�
������� �������� ��������� ��� ��� ���������� ��� �������� ����� ��� ����������� ����
����������������������������������������������������������������������������
������������ ����������� ������ � ��� ��������� ���� ������� ��������� ��� ������� �����
����� ��������� ��������� ��� ������� ��������� ��� ��� �������� ���� ��
�������� ����� �������� ��� ���������� ��������� � ���� ��� ��� ����� ����� ���� �����
����� ���������� ����� ������� ���� ����� ��� ����� ����� ������� � ���� ������� ���
�������� ������� ��������� �������� ����� ���� ���� ��� ������������ ��������� �����
������������������������������������������������������������������������������
�
�
���� ����� ������ ����� ������� ��� ����� ��� ��� ������� ��� ���� ����������� ��� �����
���� ����������� � ����������� ������ ����� ����� �� �������� ��� ������������ ����
�������� ���������� ������������� ��������� ����� ���������� �����������
����������� ���� ���������� � ����� ����� ������� ���� ������ ���� ������
������������������������������������������������������������������������������
����� ������������ ������������ ���� ���� ����� ��������������� ����� �������������
���������������������������������������������������������������������������������
���� �� ��������� ��� ��������� ��������� ����������� ���� ����� ��� ����� ���
�������������������������������������������������������������������������������
��� ���� ������������ ������� ���������� ���������� ��� ����������� ����� ������
����������� �������� ����� ��� ��������� ������ ��� ������������ �� ������ ���
��������� ������� ����� ��� ������ ����� ���������� ��� ��������� ��� ����
������������������������������������������������������������������������������
�����������������������������������������������������������������������������
���������������������������������������������������������������������������
������ ������� ���� �� ����� ��� ����� ����� ���� ���� ����� ���������� ��������� ����
���������������������������������������������������������������������������
������������
�
Author: C. T. Buckland
Language: English
OF
BY
C. T. BUCKLAND, F.Z.S.
FATHER OF THE BENGAL CIVIL SERVICE IN 1881.
LONDON:
W. H. ALLEN & CO., 18 WATERLOO PLACE,
PALL MALL. S.W.
1884.
The first two chapters of this book were published more than a
year ago in the Army and Navy Magazine, and are reprinted with
the kind permission of the proprietors, Messrs. W. H. Allen & Co.
The other chapters were written about the same time, as articles for
the same Magazine, but not being sufficiently within the scope of a
military and naval periodical, it was resolved to produce them in the
present form. The author, in the course of a long career in the Bengal
Civil Service, has held nearly all the appointments which he has
attempted to describe in connection with that service, and he had
many opportunities of becoming acquainted with all the mechanism
of Indian government, as seen from Calcutta and the Lower
Provinces of Bengal. In his attempt to give a sketch of social life in
India, it must be remembered that he is writing chiefly of the Lower
Provinces of Bengal. He has endeavoured to avoid anything which
might give personal offence, and he would gladly adopt as his motto,
“Ridentem dicere verum quid vetat?” It is hoped that this book may
afford some entertainment to those who have been in India, and that
it may be of use and interest to those young men who are thinking of
devoting themselves to a professional career in India. It only remains
to observe that these papers were written before the recent agitation
in connection with the Ilbert Bill, but it has not been found necessary
to alter anything that had been written as regards either the English
residents or the native community.
20, Ashburn Place,
7th February, 1884.
CONTENTS.
PAGE
CHAPTER I.—The Viceroy and his Court 1
CHAPTER II.—Members of Council and Lieutenant-Governors of 21
Bengal
CHAPTER III.—English Colonists in Bengal 48
CHAPTER IV.—The Bengal Civil Service 77
CHAPTER V.—The Bengal Civil Service—cont. 108
CHAPTER VI.—Native Life in India 139
SKETCHES OF
There are two different classes of people who know very little
about India. First there is your old Indian, who fancies that he knows
all about the presidency, say Bombay, in which he spent his time, but
is as ignorant of the presidencies of Bengal and Madras as he is of
China and Japan. Secondly, there is your real rural Englishman, who
has had no relations or connections in India, and is, perhaps, still
grieving over the untimely fate of some old friend who went out and
suddenly died in India. There undoubtedly still exists in many
English circles a considerable amount of ignorance and a deep-
rooted prejudice against all things Indian. It is possible that this
prejudice may be traced back to the ways and manners of the East
Indian Nabobs of the last century, whose pompous display of wealth,
suspected to have been acquired by dubious practices, was an offence
and a scandal to the quiet English country gentleman, and, indeed, to
all who did not contrive slyly to make a profit out of the Nabob’s
money. The Nabob himself was usually shy and awkward, and almost
always irritable and irascible, and remarkable for his peculiar social
manners; so that it came to pass, that a general idea prevailed that
the picture presented by the Nabob in England was but a reflection
and reproduction of the social manners which he had acquired
during his sojourn in the distant East. How far this feeling was
correct it is not our present purpose to inquire. The race of Nabobs
has come to an end. The pagoda-tree of fabulous memory no longer
bears its golden fruit. An enormous change has come over the habits
and manners of those Englishmen who now practically colonise
India. For though colonisation is usually spoken of in a different
sense, the British inhabitants of India are virtually a colony. The
individual colonists may change, but as fast as one man goes another
steps into his place; and thus it comes to pass that over the whole
length and breadth of India there is now a large and continually
growing colony of English families, who endeavour to maintain their
old home feelings and to keep all those old surroundings which
remind them of the land of their birth, to which they all hope in due
course to return. They treasure in their hearts a warm and kindly
remembrance of their old home, and they live in the fond belief that
they may be well and kindly thought of by those whom they have left
behind.
It is, however, certain that much ignorance, not unmixed with the
old anti-Nabob prejudice, still prevails regarding the ways and habits
of our countrymen in India. The most absurd inquiries are addressed
to people who have been in India, which doubtless sometimes
provoke answers more suited to the intellectual acquirements of the
questioner than in actual accordance with the real facts of the case. If
your fair and charming companion at a dinner-party persists in her
conversation in filling all Indian houses with snakes and scorpions,
she will be much more gratified to hear a few anecdotes which accord
with her own assertions, than she would be to learn that it is possible
to live for years in some parts of India without seeing either a snake
or a scorpion. When recent editions of popular Indian hand-books
solemnly inform the reader that rhinoceros hunting is an ordinary
amusement in the suburbs of Calcutta, it is much easier to acquiesce
in that information than to urge respectfully that alligators may
sometimes be found in the ornamental waters of Battersea Park.
One of the greatest changes that has come over India in the last
thirty years is to be found in the very great addition that has taken
place to the numbers of the non-official classes. Fifty years ago
Indian society consisted chiefly of the military and civil servants of
the Indian Government. In Calcutta the judges, barristers, and other
legal officials formed almost a separate set in the local society. Then
came the great merchants, the representatives of the few but famous
old commercial houses, whose names were from time to time mixed
up with fabulous wealth and hopeless insolvency. In the interior of
the country there were many parts where the face of a non-official
European was unknown, whilst in some districts a few hardy
Englishmen and Scotchmen were to be found engaged in the
precarious cultivation of indigo or the manufacture of sugar, or in
managing and farming the lands of native land-owners. But, taken all
together, the non-official classes of Englishmen were counted by
hundreds, where now they are numbered by thousands. In such a
community the Governor-General and the members of his Council
were pre-eminently the makers and rulers of society; and as in those
days these great official people did not all run away to the hills of
Simla and other mountain stations as soon as the weather became
hot, the impress of their authority was never wanting in social life.
The great annual ball at Government House in Calcutta on the
Queen’s birthday (which is usually one of the hottest days of the
year) was looked forward to by all classes with the deepest interest
and anxiety, and it was on this occasion especially that the pretty
half-caste girls of Calcutta had an opportunity of making their début
in the grand world, to make havoc of the hearts of the gay young
civilians and cadets and ensigns who were then amongst the
acknowledged rulers of the society in the capital.
But those were the days before the mutinies, and before the
introduction of railways. The steamers of the Peninsula and Oriental
and other companies had not then a monopoly of passengers, and
people still went out to India in sailing vessels round the Cape of
Good Hope. There are some warm-hearted politicians who imagine
that the change of Government in India, by the substitution of the
name of the Queen for that of the old East India Company, has
conferred inestimable benefits on all people who dwell in India. In
one sense they are quite correct, because the benefits referable
directly to this cause are almost as inestimable as they are invisible
to the mind’s eye. But that a great change has come over the land
since 1857 is undeniable. The well-known Mr. John Marshman, the
historian of India, used to say that it was impossible to do any good
in a country like Bengal, or for a people like the Bengalis, because,
according to their national proverb, it was “impossible to carve
rotten wood.” But the introduction of railways has almost falsified
the national proverb. Wherever the iron road pervades the country, it
gives a new basis of strength and vitality on which a new growth of
life can arise. It is no exaggeration to say that this new power has
affected materially the whole European and native community, and
has worked and is working the most important social changes. By the
use of the railway, the Viceroy and the provincial governors are
enabled to resort without anxiety to the cool hill stations, from which
the electric telegraph flashes their orders to the labourers in the hot
vineyards of the plains. By the railway the wealthy and pious Hindoo
pilgrims are enabled to proceed in ease and comfort to remote sacred
shrines, and at such a moderate cost that their money-bags still
contain ample store to propitiate the priests in charge of the temples
and their idols. The wandering Caubul merchant no longer commits
himself and his caravan of camels to a tedious march of several
months to reach Calcutta, but stows himself, with his Persian cats
and rugs and pomegranates and other wares, in the third-class
carriage of a railway, and finds himself at his journey’s end in a few
days, instead of months. Within the last few years it happened that a
distinguished political officer was summoned from Quetta to
Calcutta, a journey of about two thousand miles by railway, to be
consulted by the Viceroy. He had scarcely returned to Quetta when a
telegram came summoning him back to Calcutta for a further
consultation. So that in less than a fortnight he twice traversed the
whole continent of India without any great fatigue, and with very
little risk to his health.
It would, perhaps, be difficult to find a stronger contrast in
illustration of the increased facilities of travelling which railways in
India afford, than is to be found in Bishop Heber’s celebrated
journal, written about 1824, and in Mr. James Caird’s letters
describing his recent visit to India in 1879. They both covered nearly
the same ground, though their routes lay in different directions. The
Bishop started eastwards by boat from Calcutta to Dacca. He took six
weeks on his journey, and his chaplain died of illness contracted on
the way. By railway and steamer Mr. Caird travelled from Calcutta to
Dacca in about twenty-four hours. The Bishop set out again in his
boat from Dacca to Allahabad, and accomplished the distance, which
is about seven hundred miles, in nearly three months. Mr. Caird was
enabled to cover the same distance by railway and steamer in three
days. The Bishop went forth on horseback from Allahabad with a
military escort to protect his tents and baggage, and made an erratic
journey through the then independent province of Oude, and to the
hill-station of Almora, and eventually through the principal cities of
Rajpootana and Western India until he reached Bombay. This
pilgrimage necessarily lasted for several months, as his progress was
at the rate of about ten miles a day. Mr. Caird, by the help of the
railways, started from Bombay and reached Allahabad, after visiting
Oude, in about ten days. In fact a fortnight, or at the longest a
month, is now deemed amply sufficient time for the travelling tourist
to do India. And what is the result? In Bishop Heber’s journal the
reader will find a series of faithful and kindly observations on the
ways and manners of the people amongst whom he lived and
journeyed day after day, whilst his remarks on the state of the crops
are sound and intelligent, as being based on his own practical
knowledge of the cultivation of the glebe of his English parish. In the
letters of Mr. Caird and in other modern travellers, we find too many
hasty conclusions such as are usually formed from rapid and
imperfect observation. Mr. Caird’s knowledge of English agriculture
may be unrivalled, but he had about the same opportunity of forming
an opinion on Indian agriculture and the various measures necessary
for its development, as the hero of the old story in “Scholasticus,”
who was expected to form an opinion of a house from the inspection
of a single brick.
With the improved facilities of communication with England, and
also between the various parts of India, a great change has
necessarily come over the social habits of Englishmen residing in
India. The official classes have lost a great portion of their social
influence, whilst the non-official classes have gained a corresponding
advantage and position. This is due to many causes, partly to the
mere force of numbers, partly to the different distribution of wealth
and means, and in some places individual character has, as usual,
contributed considerably to the change. We will endeavour to go into
some detail as to the difference which is shown in different stages
and classes of society, and it will be for our readers to judge whether
the profit or loss, the gain or the disadvantage, lies with the present
or the past generation.
The Governor-General of India has always been the chief fountain
of honour, and the first pillar of the state and of all social influence.
His dignity is now still further enhanced, as, under the title of
Viceroy, His Excellency shines forth as the direct representative of
his sovereign. But as regards this high position, so much depends on
personal character and manners, that it would be difficult to arrive at
a decision when contrasting the quiet dignity of Lord Canning or the
genial presence of Lord Mayo with the haughty extravagance of Lord
Ellenborough or the solid and imperturbable majesty of Lord
Dalhousie. There is, however, a more persistent and successful
endeavour under the modern régime to maintain the credit of
Government House for hospitality, and what is vulgarly called
entertainment. There are now ten people to be entertained where
there was formerly only one. The Viceroy lives for eight months of
the year at Simla, and for the remaining four months in Calcutta. At
Simla the society is, to a great extent, official, swollen by the
numerous representatives of the army with their families, who seek
refuge at Simla from the fearful heat of the plains of Northern and
Central India. A weekly dinner at Government House, and two or
three State balls, suffice at Simla to provide for the gratification of
the visitors, whilst the staff and household of the Viceroy, especially
with Lord W. Beresford to guide them, used to contribute not a little
to keep the ball of amusement rolling in all phases of society.
When the Viceroy and his suite descend to Calcutta in November,
the usual notices are issued for a levee and a drawing-room. On
several occasions in recent years an attempt has been made to induce
all the ladies of Calcutta to appear at the drawing-room with trains
and feathers, but it has usually been left optional to them, the result
being that the trains and feathers which do appear sometimes afford
a sort of clue to the character and social position of the lady who
wears them. The ladies who have the private entrée at Government
House make their bow first before the Viceroy’s wife, and then, with
the gentlemen of their families, stand on either side of the Viceroy’s
throne, in a sort of sacred semi-circle, in support of the Queen’s
representative. The ladies who have not the private entrée are then
admitted, and presented in the order of their arrival. There are
always a few beautiful and graceful English women in Calcutta, who
would be an ornament to any European Court. Very few native ladies
appear at the drawing-room, but a stout and stately olive-
complexioned East Indian (half-caste) lady sometimes sweeps by,
waving her ostrich plumes and with a train of golden tissue twenty-
four feet long; and she is, perhaps, succeeded by a lady from
Burmah, where the lower part of the female costume scarcely
amounts to a single petticoat. When the drawing-room is over, the
ladies who have been presented are ushered into the upper drawing-
room or ball-room of Government House, where they can rejoin the
gentlemen under whose escort they came in their carriages to
Government House. Long buffets are laid out with everything that is
needed to refresh them after their exertions, and the band plays for
about an hour, until they quietly disperse to their homes. This is an
excellent arrangement, as it affords the ladies a suitable opportunity
of displaying their dresses, and seeing their friends’ dresses, and
receiving the admiration to which they are entitled. About four
hundred ladies usually appear at the drawing-rooms in Calcutta.
The levee for men, which is held a day or two before or after the
drawing-room, is a much less interesting, but more fatiguing
business. Every man in Calcutta, European or Native, who can get
the necessary vouchers for his admission, seems to make it his duty
and his pleasure to attend. If he attends the levee, there is the chance
that he may receive an invitation to dinner at Government House, or,
more probably, to one of the great balls or “at homes” which are
annually given by the Viceroy. Therefore, every European assistant
and every clerk in the merchants’ offices, and banks, or in
Government employment, strives for admission to the levee. Every
native gentleman, who can obtain letters commendatory, is anxious
to make his obeisance before the Viceroy. The great people, such as
the members of Council, the judges of the High Court, the members
of the Board of Revenue, and the secretaries of the Government, with
the several military chiefs and heads of departments, who have the
private entrée to Government House, are first presented to the
Viceroy, and pay the penalty for their precedence by having to stand
during the whole levee on either side of the Viceregal throne. A
distant noise like the roaring of the sea is next heard, and there
presently appears a heated and excited party of the representatives of
the outside public, who have been successful in struggling to the
front places and in being admitted first through the series of barriers
by which the impatient crowd, numbering about twelve hundred, has
to be restrained. The struggle to get to the front is something fearful
until the protection of the first barrier is reached. Coat-tails are torn
off, swords in their scabbards broken, hats treated as foot-balls, as
the body of eager aspirants crushes forward. It is almost a comfort to
find a soft place on this occasion between two fat and portly native
gentlemen, who suffer grievously, but still gladly, for the honour and
glory which they presently hope to attain. Several of the early
barriers which have been already mentioned are kept against the
crowd by non-commissioned officers, but as the candidates approach
the throne, they come under the manipulation of the A.D.C.s and
other officers on the staff, whose brilliant appearance sometimes
seems almost to fascinate the mind of the uninitiated. At last the
foremost comer is bidden by the A.D.C. to advance, card in hand, to
meet his Viceregal master. He steps forward and hands his card to
the Military Secretary, who announces his name in a loud voice, and
the next two paces bring him in front of the Viceroy. Some men make
a proper obeisance and pass on. Some give a little sort of a nod to the
Viceroy, and, looking bewildered, try to retire by the way they had
advanced, when an A.D.C. promptly interferes. A difficult case
sometimes arises, when the Viceroy, on recognising someone to
whom he desires to be gracious, puts forth his hand to be shaken.
This proceeding being observed by the man who comes next, he
cheerfully puts forth his hand to be shaken by the Viceroy, but
meeting with no reciprocity, he slinks off in dismay.
Military uniform and the ordinary evening dress of civilians are
the principal costumes. But the native gentlemen who appear present
every variety of dress, more or less national or fanciful, according to
their taste. A great deal of misunderstanding exists, unfortunately,
on the subject of native dress. It is the present fashion with educated
natives to despise the old simple national costume, and to profess to
regard it as typical of servile submission to a conquering race. A
young educated Bengali would not condescend to wear a robe of fine
white muslin and a white turban (containing, perhaps, a hundred
yards of the finest muslin), in which dress his father and grandfather
were so becomingly arrayed. A new kind of turban has been invented
for them of some coloured stiff material, and their body-dress is a
long sort of single-breasted Noah’s Ark garment, of cloth or silk,
reaching nearly down to the ancles. White stockings and patent-
leather shoes or boots are considered very correct, and sometimes
cloth trousers are visible above the boots, but not unfrequently this
portion of European costume is wanting, and the native garment
called a dhooti lurks beneath the Noah’s Ark coat. Thus arrayed, the
wealthy young Bengali presents himself before the Viceroy. A
comparatively recent fashion for educated native gentlemen is to
appear in their college caps and gowns, which indicate the high
degrees that they have taken in the local universities. But, perhaps,
really the proudest man among them is he who assumes a regular
English evening costume, with his head bare like a Briton, his
beautiful black hair richly oiled and curled, and a white tie round his
neck, and white kid gloves on his hands. From this it is evident to all
the world that his mind and body have really achieved practical
independence, and that he is on perfect equality with his foreign
rulers.
But the levee must come to an end. The officers of the Volunteer
corps who have been engaged on duty are presented to the Viceroy,
and, finally, the native officers of the native regiments which have
been on duty are brought up and go through the very graceful
ceremony of proffering the hilts of their swords to His Excellency.
The hundreds who have attended the levee then disperse to their
homes, no refreshment being provided after the levee, although, as
has been mentioned, the ladies, after the drawing-room, are more
kindly treated. Every man, therefore, seeks the earliest opportunity
of quenching his thirst at his own house or club, and the pipe of
peace probably consoles him for all the loss of temper and damage of
apparel which he sustained in struggling into the presence of the
Viceroy. It is only fair to admit that it is reported in the Indian papers
that at Lord Ripon’s levees a successful attempt has been made to
prevent all the crushing and struggling among the men for priority,
which had been so disgracefully prevalent at previous levees.
It has been mentioned above that most of the men who go to the
levee, do so in the hope of getting an invitation to dinner at
Government House, or, at least, to one of the balls, or “at homes,” or
garden-parties, which are given by the Viceroy in the course of the
season. With regard to the dinner invitations, there are always one or
more experienced A.D.C.’s on the Staff who are careful to weed the
dinner-list judiciously; but with huge weekly or bi-weekly dinners of
sixty or eighty persons, the Viceroy generally manages to gratify the
vanity, and satisfy the appetite of most of his ambitious visitors and
their wives in the course of the season. Doubtless much heart-
burning exists on the part of those who are not invited to these
feasts, especially when they know that any friends of their own
immediate circle are invited, and find themselves omitted. The
A.D.C.-in-waiting sometimes has to receive an irascible visitor who
wants to know the reason why he and his spouse have not been
invited to dinner; and letters of remonstrance on this subject are
believed to be by no means uncommon. But “a mild answer turneth
away wrath,” and there is no instance on record of the A.D.C. having
ever suffered from the much-threatened horsewhip.
There are very few native gentlemen who care to meet their
European brethren at the dinner-table, and they, therefore, seldom
appear at the Government House dinner-parties. It is not that our
native friends, especially of the wealthy and educated classes, do not
appreciate a dinner in the English or European style, but, for reasons
which it is not easy to explain satisfactorily, they seem to prefer to
indulge themselves with such meals in the privacy of their own
houses. It has also been considered advisable, of late years, not to
invite native gentlemen to the balls at Government House. The
reason for this can be put in a very simple form. The native
gentleman does not bring his wife or daughters to the dance, and he
himself does not dance. Therefore his presence in a ball-room is
unnecessary. This explanation does not cover the whole of the case,
but it is sufficient for our present purpose. Almost everyone knows
that native ideas on the subject of dancing differ almost entirely from
our own. Perhaps it may be permissible to mention one very notable
exception to ordinary native habits in the matter of dancing. We refer
to a young Rajah, the ruler of a semi-independent province, who has
had the good fortune to be brought up under most judicious and
capable English tutors and guardians. This young prince is equally
good at polo and rackets and lawn-tennis, and most other European
sports. He is a first-rate shot and a very fair horseman. In a ball-
room his success is unmistakeable, and as he has the manners of an
English gentleman (than which we can offer no higher compliment),
he is also fortunate in having so mastered all the difficulties of
waltzing, that it is generally understood that he is accepted by the
best dancers in a ball-room as a very welcome partner. He wears a
sort of semi-military costume, with a velvet tunic slightly braided
with gold, and it would be difficult to find any man more thoroughly
conversant with all social etiquette, or more familiar with the
colloquial niceties of the English language.
In order, therefore, to suit the tastes of the great majority of the
native gentlemen who wish to display their loyalty, the Viceroy gives
several evening parties, which are known as “at homes”; and these
are varied by garden-parties in the gardens adjoining Government
House, which take place about sunset, and are continued until dark,
when the grounds and adjacent buildings are lit up with a brilliant
illumination. The “at homes” take place indoors, and as there is no
dancing or music they are not very lively entertainments; but an “at
home” everywhere depends chiefly on the capacity of those who are
invited to entertain themselves from their own resources, and this
element is not strong amongst our native friends. At a garden-party
they are much more at ease and happy. They can bring their little
grand-children to the garden-party and see the pleasure which the
children enjoy, and the admiration which they sometimes attract.
This is rather a curious feature in native society. The grandfather
cannot bring out his wife or his daughter, according to native usage,
so he appears in charge of his grand-children. The grandfather
himself may be of the mature age of forty-five. His married daughter
is perhaps about twenty-five, and the grand-children are usually
under ten years of age. Little native girls of that age are exceedingly
picturesque, and often absolutely pretty, but about that age they are
married, and withdrawn from the gaze of the outer world. Certainly
the customs and habits of our native friends are mysterious; but
there is no occasion to pity them because they firmly believe that
though their ways are not as our ways, they are in every respect much
preferable and superior to those of the European strangers.
We may say one word, before parting, regarding the balls given by
the Viceroy at Government House in Calcutta. There are occasionally
what are called small dances, when about 150 or 200 of the “upper
ten” are invited; but a real dignity-ball means the issue of above
1,200 invitations, which are intended to include all whose names are
on what is called “the Government House List.” It is a very pretty and
interesting sight when the room is crowded, about 10 o’clock, and the
Viceroy with his wife and their private friends, and staff, make their
appearance in procession and take their places for the opening
quadrille. A sacred space is corded off for the Viceroy’s quadrille, the
ends of the cords being held or guarded by some of the handsome
young privates of the Viceroy’s native body-guard, in their gorgeous
scarlet uniforms and plumed head-dresses. These body-guard men
are quite a study, as they stand gazing imperturbably on the dazzling
scene. In the early and crowded part of a Government House ball, it
is usually expedient to walk about with someone who is able to
criticise the appearance and dresses of the ladies. There are
representatives of nearly all nations, and some of the Armenian and
Jewish ladies are conspicuous for the splendid diamonds and
gorgeous semi-oriental dresses which they wear. The ball-room
usually looks very bright with the numerous military uniforms and
political and diplomatic costumes, which present a happy contrast to
the ordinary civilian evening dress. It might be deemed impertinent
to go into detail regarding the dresses of the ladies, but a critical eye
can usually distinguish the fashions of at least three years, the latest
arrived belles exhibiting the modes of the latest London season,
whilst many are about a year out of date, and a few still adhere to the
dresses which were in vogue two years before. However, the dancing
is always carried on with much spirit, and there is no lack of good
partners for those pretty girls who are seen to dance well. About 12
o’clock supper is announced, and a move is made to the supper-room
on the next floor, where there is never any want of all that is needed
to cheer the heart of man or woman. Usually the Viceroy retires soon
after supper, and probably has an hour of telegrams and urgent
business to get through before he can go to sleep. The rest of the
company carry on the ball until the programme is exhausted, and
even the most large-hearted chaperones are obliged to ask the
A.D.C.’s to allow no more extra dances. And so, about 3 o’clock in the
morning, Government House relapses into silence and repose.
CHAPTER II.
MEMBERS OF COUNCIL AND LIEUT.-
GOVERNORS OF BENGAL.