The Life of King Edward VII: with a sketch of the career of King George VHopkins, J. Castell (John Castell)
History
The Life of King Edward VII: with a sketch of the career of King George V
Hopkins, J. Castell (John Castell)
Edward VII, King of Great Britain, 1841-1910
On January 17th the beautiful city of tents disappeared and the Prince
of Wales was on his way to Lahore. There, he was received with the usual
state and drove four miles to Government House under the shade of a
golden umbrella and in the gaze of a vast multitude of people. A
remarkable spectacle was presented on the way by the encampment of the
Rajahs of the Punjaub. In front of them stood a long line of elephants,
caparisoned in gold and silver and gems, with armed retainers and a
salute for the Royal visitor, which included all that the roll of drums,
blare of trumpets and clang and roar of many strange instruments could
produce. Amidst the elephants flashed lance and sword and cuirass and
other things reminiscent of the days of western chivalry. At Government
House an address was presented by the members of the City Council,
wearing turbans of gold tissue, brocaded robes and coils of gems around
their necks. A European Levée followed and then came the Native Chiefs.
Afterwards the Prince visited the citadel and watched the sun set over
the plains from a window once used by the Lion of Lahore in his days of
power.
The next day saw a return visit to the Chiefs in their picturesque,
costly and oriental encampments; the opening of a Soldiers' Industrial
Exhibition at Mean Meer; and a beautiful illumination of the exquisite
Shalimar Gardens in the evening. On January 20th the Prince left for
Jummoo to visit the Maharajah of Cashmere. Later in the day he was
welcomed by this ruler, some seven miles from his capital and, mounted
on an elephant preceeded and followed by a stately _cortege_, the Royal
visitor passed through two miles of winding streets, brilliantly lighted
and lined by Native troops, while piled-up masses of people showed many
types of the Cashmeres, Lamas, Sikhs, Afghans, etc. On the summit of a
great ridge was a specially constructed building created at enormous
cost for the visitor's accommodation. The usual reception followed
together with a great banquet. Sport was the occupation of the next day
and in the evening a procession took place through the illuminated city
to dine at the Palace with the Maharajah. A feature of the latter's
entertainment was an extraordinary sacred dancing drama by Lamas from
Thibet. The departure on the following morning occurred amid all the
state that Cashmere could present--and that was not little. At
Wazirabad, on the way back to Lahore, a brief visit was paid, a great
bridge inaugurated and a banquet accepted. Government House was reached
in the evening and, with Lieutenant-Governor Sir H. Davies, His Royal
Highness then attended a Native entertainment at the College and
witnessed fireworks lighting up all the forts and battlements and a sea
of heads in the distant darkness.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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