Asia -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800; Mongols -- History; Polo, Marco, 1254-1323?; Voyages and travels
his prospects of home employment were, and what he himself wished in
the matter.
Lord Canning and Yule left Calcutta late in March, 1862; at Malta
they parted never to meet again in this world. Lord Canning proceeded
to England, and Yule joined his wife and child in Rome. Only a few
weeks later, at Florence, came as a thunderclap the announcement of
Lord Canning’s unexpected death in London, on 17th June. Well does
the present writer remember the day that fatal news came, and Yule’s
deep anguish, not assuredly for the loss of his prospects, but for
the loss of a most noble and magnanimous friend, a statesman whose
true greatness was, both then and since, most imperfectly realised by
the country for which he had worn himself out.[50] Shortly after Yule
went to England,[51] where he was cordially received by Lord Canning’s
representatives, who gave him a touching remembrance of his lost
friend, in the shape of the silver travelling candlesticks, which had
habitually stood on Lord Canning’s writing-table.[52] But his offer to
write Lord Canning’s _Life_ had no result, as the relatives, following
the then recent example of the Hastings family, in the case of another
great Governor-General, refused to revive discussion by the publication
of any Memoir.
Nor did Yule find any suitable opening for employment in England, so
after two or three months spent in visiting old friends, he rejoined
his family in the Black Forest, where he sought occupation in renewing
his knowledge of German. But it must be confessed that his mood both
then and for long after was neither happy nor wholesome. The winter
of 1862 was spent somewhat listlessly, partly in Germany and partly
at the Hôtel des Bergues, Geneva, where his old acquaintance Colonel
Tronchin was hospitably ready to open all doors. The picturesque figure
of John Ruskin also flits across the scene at this time. But Yule was
unoccupied and restless, and could neither enjoy Mr. Ruskin’s criticism
of his sketches nor the kindly hospitality of his Genevan hosts. Early
in 1863 he made another fruitless visit to London, where he remained
four or five months, but found no opening. Though unproductive of work,
this year brought Yule official recognition of his services in the
shape of the C.B., for which Lord Canning had long before recommended
him.[53]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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