The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1874-12-03
A RETIRED KING.
The Ex-King Of Dude At Calcutta-A Royal
Pensioner Of the British Government-His
Mimic Court and State.

Mimic Court and State.
The Calcutta correspondent Of the Times
gives the following sketch of the life led BY
the e1-Kips of Dude, at his little court on
the banks OF the Hooshly:
| 1t occurred to me that your readers.might
like 10 knSs something of the life of an ex-
King, an exile of long standing and that i
might proftsbiy give an account Of how he
passes his time under the pomp and circum.
stance of q mimic court. With this in view
/ sought out the Political Resident of the
Ex.King of Dude, whose kingdom now lies
on the banks of the Hooghly, at Garden
Reach about three miles from Cslcults,
down the river. The permission TO witt
| the grounds was al orce accorded, and l
wss accompanied by the Political resident,
Lieut. Col. MowbIay Thomson, whose heroic
conduct and hair bresdth escapes at Czwn-
pore many Anglo English child knows BY
heart, and whose story will be told while
English History endures. Col. Thomson il
engaged in administering political duties
and magistorial justice within the four walls
of the ex-King Of Dudes mimic king 'om.
in which however, save where the law of
India is in question, there can be no inter-
ference on the part of the Indian Govern
ment Within those walls thu King is su-
preme His kingdom, though small, is
| compact. His subjects are in ali about 5000
and devoted to him. His court is perfect in
form. His officers OF State, several of tie
chief of whom accompanied US over the
grounds, have their titles and gradations as
they or those who went before them bad in
Dude. The King has three principal houses
in his little kingdom, and has named them
respectively, "Sultan khanah," "Azud
Munzil," and 'Zurd Kootee" Round the
second Of the order the Royal Menagerir, I'M
questionably one of the fi-est in the world.
Il contains about 10000 birds, bears and
snakes, ranged in the pretty order of z:gzig
disorder on the four sides of q magnificent
tank about 800 feet long by 240 feet wide,
almost alive with every conceivable variety
OF fresh water, fish that can live in hot eli
mate and covered with b,oods or specimens
of every known water fowl which "love or
money" has been potent enough to secure. |
The pigeon seems TO be the Kings favorite |
They number $1,000, arranged in thousands |
here and there in different parts of the en-. |
closure, and are of every variety and color
| should say the finest existing collection of |
pigeons. Along the banks Of the lake roam
at will the ostrich and the pelican, mingliug
with swans, geese, and hosts of birds known |
to ordinary man with host, more known on
~ to the naturalist or bird fanciers. Around
and amid all these are goats and sheep re-
presenting many climates and species; camels
dromedaries, ibis, and ! know not what.
TheS-akes have for their home a "moun-
tain" in shape like the dome of ST. Paul's,
only not more than 30 feet high, and with,
pe.hsns an equal diameter at the base. This
dome IS covered with holes of all eizes, and
the homes for snakes of all ages and dimen-
sions. Here the reptiles reign supreme;
they are fej, housed, and allowed their own
will and pleas-te as freely as the King hiss
his within treaty obligations. Elsewhere in
The grounds are many grass snakes, and
others of like kind, in no case poisonous,
but difficult 10 distinguish from enakes that
are poisonous, Finally, We had fine col
lection Of cobras brought out, and then all
the native attendants l am sure We must
have had fifty) crowded round to sec the
work Of a short, thick-set, mus cular and |
rather grin-looking man, who has the enakes I
IN charge. The little man described also II
IS wrestler) was under cloud" in conse-
luence of some offence, and he spoke perhaps {
more de6sntly than even his won't to his eu- q
,eriors; but should say he would At no {
ing be very bland. When bis assistants 1
,esitated, he dashed his hand into the Jars {
md pulled out huge cobras whose touch IL I
leath. There was no charming or jugeerly,
mt merely a dangerous exhibition Of tho 4,
Kings Pets. One could scarcely, a. one h
ooked on the GOODNESS of the operation, ne
move from ones mind the impression that :
he reptiles had been robbed of their deadly =
'oison; but they had not. The King would d
ave no such shams about him. The charm =
! in the power to kill. All that the little =
IAN aEec.ed was downright hardihood, in \
uced by long practice. and, of course, BY \
knowledge Of the habits of cobras. n
Around the menageries are those solid
picturesque little buildings with marble
oors and succeed walls 60 much in request in
, the East They are so Constructed that .
,e ex-King or his friends are able TO rest oil
lmost at any point while walking among al
he pets of the menagerie. All night every le
art Of these buildings, - indeed also the en- G.
re grounds is lighted up with innumerable "a
nall lamps, of different colors, whose light Z
o csse of the buildin2C u also reflected =
ON the ceiling By similarly colored balls p:
Urinary BALI, which l euppcse might be n
ought in the Lowther Arcade, but very
ar from their Rorgeousness to the hear; Of I!
'e Eastern potentate - they are pleasing
the Imagination Of hs people. The only in
her noticeable fact i that (as in all Eas- L
m houses have seen. especially where b.
uropesn habits are imitated) the gilt and HI
splsy cover dirty walk, and are further of
{ Of BY articles Of furniture entirely mis-. II
laced. An English traveller would hardly b.
surprised 10 End In one of the best rooms, vi
angling over some splendid couch and fac to
e the most gorgeous mirrosr, some Wresched 81
rint, which 81. 0ilea' would condemn for
Il taste. 1t will be remembered
at / am not referring to the King Dwell n,
g houses. The ex-King, On some ground h
etiquette, never attends 1t Government :.
o0se. hut he Is visited By every Viceroy ~
, selected occasions, and the regulated n
mount Of honor IL always meted out 10 him =;
it'll properly adjusted Eastern scales Of :.
iquetie. He has an Income from the Gov =.
nment Of e10,000 . month, and . small ).
ldiional Sum from the rent Of . native =,
mar Outside his Territory. helisve that =
hide thoR- four walls be spends his entire
come and more. Al al eveats, be savn
thing, and seldom seems free ffun ROYAL
aving for money. Thi will nj b woa- e.
rcd 4 WHEN NJ 1T y has, h adliaioa "a
two married Wivo, thirty-aine Nahuh,
- 4. ,,>.~oa 40 49, ALL ~ M