The Magnificent Montez: From Courtesan to ConvertWyndham, Horace
History
The Magnificent Montez: From Courtesan to Convert
Wyndham, Horace
Montez, Lola, 1818-1861
A correspondent of the _Calcutta Englishman_ was much impressed. "The
particular gift," he says, "before which the Maharajah bent with the
devotion of a _preux chevalier_ was a full-length portrait of our
gracious little Queen, from the brush of the Hon. Miss Eden herself."
In a letter from Lord Auckland's military secretary, the Hon. William
Osborne, there is an account of these doings at Lahore:
Ranjeet has entertained us all most handsomely. No one in
the camp is allowed to purchase a single thing; and a list
is sent round twice a week in which you put down just what
you require, and it is furnished at his expense. It costs
him 25,000 rupees a day. Nothing could exceed his liberality
and friendship during the whole of the Governor-General's
visit.
A second durbar, held at Simla, was accompanied by much florid
imagery, all of which had to be interpreted for the benefit of Lord
Auckland. "It took a quarter of an hour," says his sister, "to satisfy
him about the Maharajah's health, and to ascertain that the roses had
bloomed in the garden of friendship, and the nightingales had sung in
the bowers of affection sweeter than ever since the two Powers had
approached each other."
The Afghan campaign, as ill conceived as it was ill carried out,
followed its appointed course. That is to say, it was punctuated by
"regrettable incidents" and quarrels among the generals (two of whom,
Sir Henry Fane and Sir John Keane, were not on speaking terms); and,
with the Afghans living to fight another day, a "success for British
arms" was announced. Thereupon, the column returned to India, bands
playing, elephants trumpeting a salute, and guns thundering a welcome.
"The war," declared His Excellency (who had received an earldom) in an
official despatch, "is all over." Unfortunately, however, it was all
over Afghanistan, with the result that there had to be another
campaign in the following year. This time, not even Lord Auckland's
imagination could call it "successful."
"There will be a great deal of prize money," was the complacent
fashion in which Miss Eden summed up the situation. "Another man has
been put on the Khelat throne, so that business is finished." But it
was not finished. It was only just beginning. "Within six months,"
says Edward Thompson, "Khelat was recaptured by a son of the slain
Khan, Lord Auckland's puppet ejected, and the English commander of the
garrison murdered."
Although the expedition that followed was the subject of a highly
eulogistic despatch from the Commander-in-Chief and the big-wigs at
headquarters, a number of "regrettable incidents" were officially
admitted. As a result, a regiment of Light Cavalry was disbanded, "as
a punishment for poltroonery in the hour of trial and the dastards
struck off the Army List."
Later on, when Lord Ellenborough was Governor-General, a bombastic
memorandum, addressed "To all the Princes and Chiefs and People of
India," was issued by him:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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