Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-29
THE CITY OF S|MLA
Summer Capital Of the Indian
Government.
A GREAT MIGRATION
ALL THE OFFICIALS AND THEIR
CLERKS CHANGE QUARTERS.
Location of the Homes-The Gayeties
as Described by Crawford
The Sikhs.
A GREAT MIGRATION
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS,

LAHORE, India, March g. 1904.
AT the Delhi the railway forks. One
branch runs on to the frontier of Afghanis-
tan via Lahore and Peshawur, and the
other via Umballa, important military
post, to Simla, the summer capital and
great sanitarium of India Because of the
climate there must be two capitals From
october to April the yiceroy occupies the
government house at Calcutta with the
civil and military authorities around him.
put as soon as the summer heat sets in
the whole administration, civil, military and
Judicial removes to Simla, and everybody
Icllows, foreign consuls, bankers, mer-
chants, lawyers, hotel and boarding house
Keepers, with their servants, coachmen and
horses The commander-in-chief of the
army, the adjutant general and all the
heads of the other departments with their
clerks take their books and records along
with them. The winter population of Sim
la is about 1900; the summer popula tion
reaches 10000. The exodus lasts about
MONTH during which time every railway
tram going north is crowded and every ex-
ira car that can be spared is borrowed
from the other railways. The last of DC
tober the migration is reversed and every
pody retdrns to Calcutta. This has been
going DING on for nearly fifty years.
The journey to Umballa is made by rail
and from thence by "dak-gherries, a sort
of covered democrat wagon, and mail
tongaS, a species of cart bullock carts
army wagons and carriages of every kind
and description, while the luggage is
brought up the hills in various kinds of
conveyance. much of it on the heads of
cooiies, both women and men. The dis
lance hfty-seven miles by the highway
is all uphill. and can be made by an ordi-
nary team in twelve hours.
Moving the Records.
ment officials how to make this removal In
scietiffc manner. and the records are
arranged for easy transportation. The
yiceroy has his own outfit and when the
word is given the transfer takes place with
out the slightest difficulty or confusion.
puplic functionary leaves his papers at his
desk, puts on his hat and walks out of his
ONCE at Calcutta: three days later he
walks into his office at Simla hangs his
hat on peg behind the door and sits down
at MS desk with the same papers lying in
the same positions before him and business
goes on with the interruption of only three
or TOUR days at most. The migration makes
no more difference to the administration
than the revolutions of the EARTH
Formerly the various offices were scat
tered over all parts of Simla. but they have
been gradually concentrated in blocks of
handsome buildings constructed at a cost
of several millions of dollars. The home
secretary, the. department of public works
I
secretary of agriculture, the postmaster
general and the secretary of war, each has
quite as good an office for himself and his
clerks as he occupies at Calcutta There
Is a court house, a law library a theater
and opera house. a number of clubs and
churches, for the archbishop and the clergy
follow their focks and the Calcutta mer-
chants come along with their clerks and
merchandise to supply the wants of their
customers. 1t Is a remarkable migration
Of a great government.
1t is rather expensive for government
employees, or civil servants as they are
called in India, because it is necessary for
them to keep up two establishments. one
in Simla and one in Calcutta But they
get the benefit of the stimulating atmos-
phere of the hills and escape the perpetual
urkish bath that is called summer in Cal
cutta. Many of the higher officials. mer-
chants, bankers, society people and others
have bungalows at Simla furnished like our
summer cottages at hime. They extend
over long ridge. with beautiful grounds
around them 1t is fully six miles from
one end of the town to the other. and the
principal street is more than five miles
long
Houses Built Upon Slope.
The houses are built upon terraces up and
down the slope, with one of the most
beautiful panoramas of mountain scenery
that can be imagined spread out before
them. Deep valleys, rocky ravines and
gorges break the mountain sides, which are
clothed with forests of oak and other
beautiful trees, while the background Is a
crescent of snowy peaks rising range above
range against the azure sky. Many people
live in tents. particularly the military fam
lilies. and make themselves exceedingly
comfortable.
The viceroy occupies chateau called the
Viceregal Lodge, perched upon hill over
looking the town, and from his porches
commands as grand mountain landscape
as you would wish to see. The Viceregal
Lodge, like the government house in Cal
cutta, was designed especially for it's pur-
pose and is arranged for entertainments
upon broad scale. The vice queen takes
the lead in social life. and no woman i'll
than Lady Curzon. There is really more
society at Simla than in Calcutta. 1t is the
Newport of India, but fortunately for the
health of those who participate, it is mostly
out of doors The military element is large
enough to give 1t an athletic and sporting
character, and to the girls who are in the
swim summer at Simla is. one prolonged
picnic. There are races, polo. tennis, golf
drives rides, walks, garden parties and all
sorts of afternoon and morning functions
Marion Crawford describes the gayeties of
Simla in "Mr. Isaacs.' the first and best
novel he ever wrote. and gives graphic
account of a polo match in which his hero
was knocked OFF his horse and had his head
bathed by the young lady he was I'm love
with. Kipling has given us a succession of
pictures of Simla society. and no novel OF
Indian life Is without chapter or two. be-
cause 1t is really the most interesting place
in all the empire.
Sjmla is very cold In winter being 1854
feet above the sea and situated on the thr-
ty-second parallel of north latitude. about
the same as Charleston s. c., but in sum
mer the climate is very fine
Marion Crawford's Success.
II you want to get letter idea of the
place and its attractions than I can give,
read Mr. Isaacs." Many of the incidents
are drawn from life and the hero is per-
son still living in Delhi. Crawford used
to spend his summers at Simla when he was
a reporter for the Alahabad Pioneer, and
made his acquaintance there. Crawford's
Indian experiences are very interesting,
and he tells them well as he writes.
When he was quite young man he went