it. The host of chiefs, who sat on the right
side of the huge Durbar tent, close packed in a semi-circle, and who
rose as one man when the band outside began "God save the Queen," and
the artillery thundered forth the royal salute, were a blaze of
jewels. From underneath head-dresses of every conceivable form and
structure--the golden crown studded with rubies and emeralds, the
queer butterfly-spreading Mahratta cap, the close-fitting Rajpoot
turban, the common _pagree_ of the Mohammedan Chief, ordinary in shape
but made of the richest material--from under each and all there are
peering dark faces, and bright glancing eyes, eager to catch the first
view of the great Lord Paramount of Hindostan. What a multitude of
different expressions one notices while scanning that strange group of
princes of royal descent, whose ancestors held the very thrones they
now hold far back beyond the range of history. The scheming
politician, the low debauchee, the debased sensualist, the chivalrous
soldier, the daring ambitious descendant of a line of royal robbers,
the crafty intriguer, the religious enthusiast, the fanatic and the
sceptic side by side, you can trace in each swarthy face the character
written on its features by the working of the brain within.'

'In the midst of such a scene, seated on a massive gold throne, with
crimson velvet cushion, two lions of the same precious metal forming the
arms; the whole standing on a square platform raised about ten inches from
the ground, covered with a carpet of gold,' Lord Elgin addressed his
princely audience; his voice 'clear and distinct, so that he could be heard
easily at the further corner of the tent; every word seeming to be weighed
and uttered as if he meant what he said:'

[Sidenote: Vice-Regal speech.]

Princes and Chiefs.--In inviting you to meet me here, it was my wish
in the first place to become acquainted with you personally, and also
to convey to you, in obedience to the gracious command which I
received from Her Majesty the Queen, upon my departure from England,
the assurance of the deep interest which Her Majesty takes in the
welfare of the Chiefs of India. I have now to thank you for the
alacrity with which, in compliance with my request, you have, many of
you from considerable distances, assembled at this place.

Having received, during the course of the last