Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: 17 CHAPTER II STUDIES IN CONTRASTS The six days that were spent by the Prince and Princess of Wales in the capital of Western India are not, I should imagine, likely to be forgotten by the Eoyal visitors, even if somewhat blurred by the panorama of strange countries and picturesque towns unrolled before them during the ensuing weeks. The memory of these days will, at any rate, not easily be lost by those who were perhaps better able than the illustrious voyagers themselves, deeply occupied with State ceremonials, to appreciate its curious and significant incidents. The visit, I believe, was generally successful. If the demeanour of a crowd is any index to their feelings, the inhabitants of Bombay, and the strangers within their gates from other parts of the Presidency, were unaffectedly pleased to see the future Emperor of India. The throng that packed the streets of the native quarter from the ground to the roofs was enthusiastic and animated as an Eastern populace seldom is; or so, at least, we were told by people who had seen many Viceregal processions and inaugural receptions. In the presence of British notabilities the Indian multitude is accustomed to be respectful and interested rather than demonstrative. It stands in waiting rows, and looks on fixedly as the scarlet horsemen of the body-guard, the guns, the hussars, and the open landaus go by. But for the Prince and Princess there were cheers—I will not say loud and long, but frequent and almost continuous. Perhaps the Parsis and the Eurasians may have been the fuglemen; but the Hindus and Mohammedans took up the strain and said ' Heep hourr-a ! ' and clapped their hands as if they had been doing it all their lives. It was something of a surprise to white residents, who had felt doubts as to the possible at...