th every soul on board. In the act of sinking, a most extraordinary
and unheard-of thing happened. A lascar on board was violently shot up
from below through one of the air ventilators of the steamer, and was
found floating in the sea some 36 hours afterwards by a P. & O.
steamer coming up the Bay to Calcutta. He was the one and only
survivor left to tell the sad tale. Of course it could never be
ascertained what actually occurred, but I recollect one of the
theories propounded at the time was to the effect that the steamer had
been drawn into the vortex of the cyclone, and she must then have been
encompassed round about by a towering mass of pyramidical seas,
tumbling in the wildest confusion from all points of the compass,
which gradually led to the culmination of the final catastrophe by
crashing down on to the deck with irresistible and overwhelming force,
literally smothering and engulfing her without a shadow of chance of
recovery. Mrs. Keith Sim and her little boy were in Calcutta at the
time, and great sympathy was expressed for them in their sad
bereavement. The little boy has long since grown to man's estate, and
is now occupying a position of great trust and responsibility as
agent of the Commercial Union Assurance Co., and is thus emulating the
activities and achievements of his much lamented father.

GOVERNMENT HOUSE.

It will doubtless be a matter of surprise to a good many people to
hear of the change that has taken place in the venue of one of the
principal functions of Government House. When I first arrived here and
for many years afterwards the usual annual levee was held at 4 o'clock
in the afternoon. There is also another very marked innovation in
respect of the present procedure connected with presentations to His
Excellency the Viceroy. Formerly all that one had to do was to send in
a card, in response to a notification issued by the military secretary
in the papers, addressed to the "First Aide-de-Camp" in waiting,
marked on the outside of the envelope "For the Levee," which was then
considered to be all that was necessary.

[Illustration: _Photo. by Johnston & Hoffmann_ Old view of Government
Place, East, and Old Court House Street.]

[Illustration: _Photo. by Bourne & Shepherd_ Present view of
Government House, showing Esplanade Mansions.]

On the day of the ceremony you took two cards with you, one of which
you deposited on a tray in the vestibule of Government House, and the
other you