Change of Government and What it Meant--Why it Took Place at Simla--The Ceremony--An Anxious Moment--A General Stampede--Retirement of Lord Lytton--Work of Which Viceroy?--Lord William’s Services Valued--A Bet Between Him and the Author--Lord William’s 10 to 1 In the spring of 1880 there was the change of Government at home already alluded to, brought about mostly by the dissatisfaction of the country over Lord Lytton’s Afghan policy and the war in South Africa with its disasters and awkward situations, Mr. Gladstone succeeding Lord Beaconsfield as Prime Minister. He at once took steps to reverse Lord Lytton’s policy. Therefore His Excellency resigned, Lord Ripon taking his place in June, if I remember correctly. The change in Viceroys usually took place in the cold weather at Calcutta, but on this occasion the Afghan War was still going on, and the new Liberal Government could not wait until the monsoon, which was due in a few weeks, had cooled the air, so Lord Ripon had to take the reins from Lord Lytton at Simla. In those days the railway was left at Umballa, on the main line of the Indian North-Western, after which the rest of the journey was done with horses in vehicles of some sort, the usual mode being by “tonga,” a sort of phaeton hung very low and drawn by a pair of ponies harnessed curricle fashion, the ponies being changed about every four miles, this part of the journey taking about eight hours. The first forty miles over the plains to Kalka, the roads are good, and the travelling over them is very pleasant. After that they become mountainous for fifty-eight miles, climbing and winding up the spurs of the outer Himalayas to the deodar and rhododendron clad ridge of Simla, six or seven thousand feet high. Government House, or the Viceregal Lodge at Simla at the time of the Ripons’ arrival was called “Peterhoff,” and it would be difficult to imagine an abode less viceregal. It was simply a rather glorified bungalow, situated on the edge of a young precipice, the house cramped and inconvenient, with very little ground about it, but it has long since been superseded by the much more commodious and impressive new viceregal lodgings on the summit of what was then known as Observation Hill. The lawn in front of Peterhoff was no bigger than many of those often seen in front of suburban villas. This Peterhoff lawn was, however, historic, for it was there that Lord Lawrence thrashed a chuprasse (messenger) _with his great-coat_ for some unusually flagrant act of carelessness or disobedience. Small as this historic lawn was, it had to take part in the ceremonies attendant on the change of Viceroys. Lord William was not responsible for what occurred there on this memorable day, but as an acting A.D.C. necessarily took part in it, and I think if he had then been Military Secretary the arrangements might have been better.