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.” [Illustration: 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.