New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-03-17
MEANING OF NO PRESENTS. :"

| King Edward in announcing that there are to be
no ceremonial gifts exchanged between the great
Indian princes and dignitaries and the Prince of
Wales on the occasion of the latter's through
Hindoostan next winter does not that the heir
apparent Will not present to friends and acquaint
tances in India souvenirs of his visit and receive
from them in return mementos of his stay in
India. Indeed the court jewellers in London are
already at work preparing immense number Of
scarfpins, bracelets sleevenks cigar and cigarette
cases, adorned with the jewelled cipher and crown.
10th of the King and of the Prince. to be given
away by the latter.
| What is meant by Edward WIS announcement is
that there shall be OF that species of official
and compuIsorv gift offering which is part and
parcel Of Indian etiquette. 1t has always been
pected and. indeed, exacted from the Indian semi
independent rulers. rajahs and princes. subject
| the English Crown that whenever there was any
ceremonial exchange of visits, the Oriental should
offer some more less magnificent present which
was accepted in token of fealty, and recognized
by some return gift of corresponding Importance
but not necessarily of analogous value. Sometimes
indeed, the return gift took the form of an ad-
vancement in rank, in the concession OF new titles
or what priced highly than anything
else an addition TO the number Of guns accorded
by way of salute. The gifts offered by the native
princes not permitted to be retained by the
viCeroys the governors and the British officials
TO whom they were presented. They were treated
primarily as the property of the sovereign and
cording to some the property of the Crown.
When King Edward made his memorable visit to
India heir apparent just thirty years ago the
Indian princes wed with another in the mag
nihcence of their offerings to their future Emperor
1t vas considered prudent at the time to dis
courage them, it was believed that they would
misunderstood any attempt to interfere with their
long established customs Indeed. Parliament
so far as to vote a of 100000 to be devoted
exclusively to the purchase of presents to be given
by the then Prince of Wales IN return for those
which he received. Large the amount. it
proved ridiculously inadequate, since of the
Indian rulers spent individually four five times
that amount in entertaining their future Emperor
and several times that sum in mere gifts Indeed,
the Prince of Wales returned to England literally
laden with treasures, and those who visited the
Paris Worlds Fair of 1878 may recall the Oriental
looking pavilion, designed by Sir Caspar Purdon
Clarke the director of the Metropolitan Museum
of Art in New-York, and in which all these gifts
received by the prince displayed. Consisting
of swords shields, helmets all of them studded with
immense diamonds. rubies, sapphires and other
kinds OF precious stones jeweed and ivory rurni-
ture. golden and jeweled thrones saddles. brides
and elephant howdahs. they constituted one of the
features OF the great exposition and after being
exhibited for several years in the South Kensington
Museum and other national institutions of the
order. for the inspection of the public, they have
at length found resting place at Sandring ham,
where they adOrn the walls OF the Kings Indian
ballroom. Parliament having turned deaf ear 10
the pretensions of those who claimed that pres
ents In question belonged to the nation and 30 the
people and decreed that they should remain in the
possession of the prince well earned by the
success with which he had contrved during his
visit TO India to promote native loyalty 10 the Brit
sh Crown
Since then. however. the situation has changed