Baker, whilst large-minded in great matters, was extremely conventional in small ones, and Yule must sometimes have tried his feelings in this respect.  The particulars of one such tragic occurrence have survived.  Yule, who was colour-blind,[46] and in early life whimsically obstinate in maintaining his own view of colours, had selected some cloth for trousers undeterred by his tailor’s timid remonstrance of “Not quite your usual taste, sir.”  The result was that the Under-Secretary to Government startled official Calcutta by appearing in brilliant claret-coloured raiment.  Baker remonstrated:  “Claret-colour!  Nonsense, my trousers are silver grey,” said Yule, and entirely declined to be convinced.  “I think I did convince him at last,” said Baker with some pride, when long after telling the story to the present writer.  “And then he gave them up?” “Oh, no,” said Sir William ruefully, “he wore those claret-coloured trousers to the very end.”  That episode probably belonged to the Dalhousie period.

When Yule resumed work in the Secretariat at Calcutta at the close of the Mutiny, the inevitable arrears of work were enormous.  This may be the proper place to notice more fully his action with respect to the choice of gauge for Indian railways already adverted to in brief.  As we have seen, his own convictions led to the adoption of the metre gauge over a great part of India.  This policy had great disadvantages not at first foreseen, and has since been greatly modified.  In justice to Yule, however, it should be remembered that the conditions and requirements of India have largely altered, alike through the extraordinary growth of the Indian export, especially the grain, trade, and the development of new necessities for Imperial defence.  These new features, however, did but accentuate defects inherent in the system, but which only prolonged practical experience made fully apparent.

At the outset the supporters of the narrow gauge seemed to have the stronger position, as they were able to show that the cost was much less, the rails employed being only about 2/3rds the weight of those required by the broad gauge, and many other subsidiary expenses also proportionally less.  On the other hand, as time passed and practical experience was gained, its opponents were able to make an even stronger case against the narrow gauge.  The initial expenses were undoubtedly less, but the durability was also less.  Thus much of the original saving was lost in the greater cost of maintenance, whilst the small carrying capacity of the rolling stock and loss of time and labour in shifting goods at every break of gauge, were further serious causes of waste, which the internal commercial development of India daily made more apparent.  Strategic needs also were clamant against the dangers of the narrow gauge in any general scheme of Indian defence.  Yule’s connection with the Public Works Department had long ceased ere the question of the gauges reached its most