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.