One Commander-in-Chief I knew simplified matters by riding along looking straight ahead and seeing nobody, taking no more notice of the crowd of amiable people waiting to bow and smile than if they were so many little dogs wagging their tails. At first this gave offence, which did not greatly upset the good man’s calm, but before long it was recognised as a mercy and something to be thankful for.
Lord William’s coach was quite a feature in Calcutta Society, the turn-out was smart, the driver cheery, and a good whip, small wonder that most people liked to receive an invitation to accompany his lordship on some of his jaunts. I have sat beside some pretty whips one time and another in my life, far and away the most accomplished being Lord William Beresford; next to him a good second was the late Mr. Ben Cotton, for some time Master of the Isle of Wight Foxhounds.
One year after the races at Calcutta, where Lord William had been riding in several and had a bad fall, dislocating his shoulder, notwithstanding which he drove his coach laden with friends off the course, through the thronged streets, the horses very fresh and pulling hard; but beyond the fact that he was looking very white nobody would have known anything was the matter with him, and all reached their homes in safety.
Another day when returning from a picnic at the Botanical Gardens on the opposite side of the river to Calcutta his coach-load had a near shave of a nasty accident. Sir John Hext, who was on the staff of two Viceroys with Lord Bill, was one of the party at the time, and tells me they started away from the trysting-place rather late, when it was quite dark, and somehow managed to miss the road; the horses were longing to get away, and were scarcely under control. Having got off the road the next thing to do was to get on again as soon as possible, not an easy matter, but nobody spoke, and Lord William kept his head; by a piece of dexterous driving he tooled them safely under large low hanging branches of trees, round trunks of trees, and over all sorts of uncomfortable places before reaching their destination. All on board were holding their breath awaiting disaster at any moment, happily none occurred, thanks to good driving.
I really think Lord William thoroughly enjoyed hairbreadth escapes; he always seemed especially pleased after one that would have left most people limp, to say the least of it. His driving powers were certainly put to the test sometimes, and during exciting and critical moments his eyes seemed to become bigger, bluer, and fiercer.
Coming over the Howrah Bridge one day, the hook of the pole-piece came off and dropped the bars on to the leaders’ hocks. This not being part of the usual programme they objected to it, not quite knowing what was the proper thing to do under the circumstances, whether to kick the thing to pieces, jump over the bridge, or run away. Owing to their not being concerted in their action Lord William decided it for them, allowing them a little of each, but none for long; owing no doubt to these little concessions there was no accident, but when all reached home safely a few pointed remarks were made to the man who had been entrusted with the revarnishing of the coach, in return for his forgetfulness in not bolting the pole-piece on again properly.
Sir John Hext, now Rear-Admiral, was a great friend of Lord Bill’s (they were on Lord Dufferin’s and Lord Lansdowne’s staff together), he tells me an interesting story of his old friend; it happened at the end of one of the Calcutta race weeks. As usual Lord William had been hard at work all day. There was an extra large party staying in Government House, it had overflowed to such an extent that Lord William was obliged to put up tents in the grounds for some of the young soldiers and men who were of the party. After dinner the aides-de-camp’s room was full of men guests staying in the house. Lord William came in late about 11.30 and, not seeing Sir John and Capt. Harbord, fellow-staffites, curled up in arm-chairs at the far end of the room, he proceeded to preach what was virtually a most excellent sermon on the evils of gambling and racing, holding himself up as the frightful example. Sir John says, “If that sermon could have been taken down by a shorthand writer, and a few slight expurgations made, it was one that any Bishop might have been proud to preach. Being without exceptions the most practical sermon he ever heard in his life.”
LORD WILLIAM BERESFORD IN 1886
One of the most remarkable things about Lord William was his memory; he never forgot anything and was the soul of punctuality, which considering his multitudinous duties was praiseworthy. He was little short of a genius, for even when Government House was crammed full of guests to overflowing, all to be servanted and fed, each to be treated with the consideration demanded by their rank, endless dinners, parties, and receptions to be arranged with carefully considered etiquette and precedence, people to be met, taken away, amused; Rajahs’ and Nabobs’ interviews with His Excellency to be arranged, the stables to be attended to, with at least sixty horses for the use of the Government House party. This alone is no trifle. It was part of Lord William’s work to have horses suitable to all occasions. There must be tame and docile carriage-horses for Her Excellency, who may be nervous, but they must step up to their noses and look full of mischief, otherwise they would not be impressive and therefore valueless for their purpose; as it is important that all state ceremonials should be highly spectacular. Then the chargers for His Excellency must understand birthday parades and feux de joie for it would never do to have the Viceroy standing on his head in the middle of the Maidan, while his charger either joined the crowd of onlookers or returned to the stables. Lord William took endless pains to train the horses to their special duties, like the Balaclava heroes, guns were fired to the right of them, guns to the left of them, just by way of practice and to teach them to behave nicely and pretend they heard nothing, and if they did—well what matter. There must also be plenty of carriages and horses at the disposal of the guests. The mounts must be chosen to suit the prowess of the individuals. One may want to cut a dash in a paper-chase, another simply a gentle amble to eat the air, and so on. Once a Bath-chair was requisitioned, but Lord William never turned a hair. A Bath-chair was forthcoming at the time it was desired, where it came from was a mystery. Then there were the viceregal tours already mentioned to be arranged some time in advance. Picture what it means to write out programmes for 365 days in advance—not for one person—but for many.