Lord William Beresford, V.C., Some Memories of a Famous Sportsman, Soldier and WitMenzies, Stuart, Mrs.
History
Lord William Beresford, V.C., Some Memories of a Famous Sportsman, Soldier and Wit
Menzies, Stuart, Mrs.
Beresford, William Leslie de la Poer, Lord, 1847-1900
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.
After all his duties had been attended to most punctiliously there
were his own horses and affairs requiring attention. Yet never was
there as much as a cushion forgotten for Her Excellency. Beyond a
tiny notebook and his shirt sleeves everything was carried in his
head. I have seen some wonderful notes on the cuffs of his shirt. An
English laundry-maid of an enquiring turn of mind might have compiled
an amusing diary from them, though a little cryptic. Seeing some
hieroglyphics on one of his cuffs one day at luncheon, I asked if I
might be permitted to know what they meant; he shot out the cuff and
showed it to me; it was not altogether easy to decipher, but with a
little assistance I read:
“Viceroy’s bath.” “Sack Syce.” “19 Guns.” “Pacify Mrs. B.”
He explained he had made a note of these little items requiring
attention. I asked if it was part of his duty to give the Viceroy a
bath, but he said, “No, but the bath leaked and his note reminded
him to replace it with a sound one.” “Sack Syce” meant there had
been slackness in the stables and a certain syce would have to go.
Nineteen guns sounded a big order and rather mysterious, but it had
to do with a Native Prince who considered he had not received enough
salutes or too many, I forget which, and his lordship wished to
adjust the matter. Then came “Pacify Mrs. B.” I gathered a certain
lady had been deeply pained at the way her name had been spelt on
one of the invitation cards, a very important “e” had been left out,
which made her name look quite commonplace, and she felt it had been
done on purpose. Lord William was going to put the matter straight
and the “e” in its right place.
It can easily be imagined the amount of correspondence Lord William
had to attend to, it was enormous, happily he had a clerk who wrote
so like him it was almost impossible to tell one from the other. The
Military Secretary was much praised for being such a good sort, fancy
so busy a man answering all the letters himself! That clerk was most
convenient.
Lord William used to tell some amusing stories of the way people
approached him with a view to using his influence with the Viceroy
in their favour. Various methods were adopted by those who wanted
his help, they mostly began by expressing great affection for his
lordship, and profound admiration.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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