The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-11-24
THE MEMOIRS OF
A FORMER VICEROY

fifty years had elapsed from the time of
his death Now, upon expiration of that
period, his letters are published They
were written to Sir George Copper, who
had been aid-de-camp 10 Lord Dalhousie's
father during the peninsular war; and
who subsequently, Was comptroller of the
household and equerry TO the Duchess OF
Kent. Some Of these letters found their
way TO Queen Victoria. who, as is well
known, always manifested much favor
toward the writer and his daughters,
one OF whom, as Lady COnnemara, re-
turned to India with her husbnad, then
governor or Madras, while the other, as
Vile OF Sir James Ferguson, occupied
a similar position in Australia.
is but reasonable 10 suppose that
busy man like Lord Dalhousie hardly
could nave found time TO write regularly
and at such length letters which were
not destined 20 fulfill a contemporary as
Wen as future purpose Throughout the
I correspondence there is evidence Of the
nasterful personality as well as of his
! high devotion to duty. which, indeed, cost
Lord Daihousie his life. Never vet has
prolongation of the customary, but
not statutory eAinquennial proved adj
Vantageous IN the case OF ruler of
| India, neither In that OF Lord Dslhousie
first nor that of Lord Curzon last.
| Learning that he would be offered Mad
ras, Lord Dalhousie took care To Ter
IL be known that he would not accent
any but the highest position In India.
Just as he minated through Sir George
Copper. that his reward must be a prom
er marquisate and not the pinehbeck
Irish variety accorded 10 Lord Wellesley
Even then he described a marquisate
| IN the United Kingdom as a Drum
magem title" compared with his ancient
Scotch earldom
He Informed the Queen through Copper
that he only remained in India on A
| point OF honor. but ii is evident. never
| theless that he laid aside the scepter with
regret and reluctance al the end. How
ever, while he was In India he found the
absence Of Parliament "a celestial boon, :"
and there is a contemporary ring about
| his fear that there is danger in the
growing distance between European off,
| GERS and native soldiers" He was con-
scious that on his return home he would
| he untitled to work with others. after
| enjoying a position Of supreme authority
| IN India, and he was dissatisfied with
almost all his instruments, certainly
WIN al MS iAilllldl9 , tiSiIti > nc iau III
! confidence either in Lord Cough or Sir
Charles Napier, with whom, indeed, he
was engaged in perpetual strife.
He himself owned TO Copper that he
was croehety, and Sir John Lawrence,
| Sir James Outram, and Sir Henry Elliott
are the few of his contemporaries In In
dia TO whom he gives unstinted praise
| He was oversensitive and far too intro
/ spective He questions whether any vice
rOys, since kings were bad ever swayed
| his power between such limits as himself
/ He had no doubt that his council hated
/ him bitterly. which did not matter 4"
| Elsewhere he says that This wife was his
only friend" and that a governor general
could have no others.
| Lord Dalhousie evidently thought more
| Of the provinces and the millions which
/ he added 10 the British empire than
| OF his many and great works in the realm
| OF Internal administration, such as rail-
ways Irrigation. telegraphs. and posts.
which indeed were none the less remark
able as reforms than his annexations and
| successful wars He wrote that he
doubted II people an home had the pluck
10 sanction the overthrow of the In
/ famous misgOvernment of Oudh, while he
could not find a pretext for doing II
without sanction He was busy truss
/ ing up that kingdom, preparatory 10 put
| ting Il on the spit" And finally he de-
| scribed that he was determined to swal-
| low 1t before he left
He contemplated applying the same
/ treatment 10 Hyderabad. and laughed
about the idea of a Laird Of Cockpeh
| ChimselD bowling about kings and king
| dOms as If they were curling stones. He
/ swallowed" Nagpore and regarded the
death Of the young Nawab of the Car
matte as another "windfall for the East
| india Company" After his retirement
1 his proud spirit suffered acutelv during
/ the vicerOyalty OF his successor. who had
/ TO "trample out the vineyard where the
/ grapes of wrath were stored.
| Those who talk Of colonial self-g0vern-
ment may ponder What he wrote in 1855:
| You cannot govern India as you have at
tempted 10 govern colonies with a pOpu-
lation similar in language. religion feel
/ ings. and institutions 10 those OF the
mother country"
/ Yet under the governn ent of a seere-
/ tary OF state at home the mightiest Of
/ British colonies have been lost. and the
rest only have been preserved by Eng
! land practically abandoning the right
really 10 govern them in England. Others
besides those who follow the colonial
| seIf-governmcnt ill-o'-the-wisp may ask
as did Lord Dalhousie: How Is il posi-
| bic TO expect that a secretary OF state at
| home singly can govern India, with a
! population five times as great as that of
the mother country and all the colonies
put together, and which differs from the
mother country IN every particular III
which the other colonies resemble it?'
A good electioneering story is told Of
the Duke of BuccIeueh, who chiefly is re-
membered as a politician for his oppo-
sition to the late Mr. Gladstone when
that statesman was returned in the gen
| eral election of 1880, following the his
toric Midlothian campaign. The duke
| then was the Earl Of Dalkeith, and when
soliciting votes. accompanied by Capt
Todd, he ran across a cranky old voter.
10 whom the captain said: This is the
Earl of Dalkeith; ye.ll know him" INA.
ma: I dinna ken him." was the reply.
AT all events" continued the captain,
''you know his father. the duke?"
''Ou, ave" the old voter replied, II
ken the duke; he is a grand mon, the
duke
well, then, you'll surely vote for his
SOM" queried the other.
Ma, ma; I'm no sure ABBOTT that" said
the man. IT'S no every coo that has a
cauff like hersel."
The Duke of Connaught, who has been
sent by King George to open the first
Federation Parliament OF South Africa.
no doubt is one of the most popular
| members of the British royal family
As a soldier he has earned golden opin-
| ions and has done some excellent reform
work. while his good nature and his
1 r-,,fafftxv