A great convulsion has been followed by such a manifestation of our strength as India has never seen; and if this in its turn be followed by an act of general and substantial grace, over and above the special rewards which have already been given to those whose services deserve them, the measure will be seasonable and appreciated.’  Lord Canning’s proposals met with the cordial approval of Her Majesty’s Government, and his announcement at Cawnpore rejoiced the hearts of the Chiefs, one of whom, the Maharaja of Rewa, was a leper and had no son.  He said, on hearing the Viceroy’s words, ’They dispel an evil wind which has long been blowing upon me.’]

[Footnote 6:  These Rajput Chiefs, however, accepted Lord Lytton’s invitation to attend the Imperial Assemblage at Delhi on the 1st January, 1877, and having once given their allegiance to the ’Empress of India,’ they have since been the most devotedly loyal of Her Majesty’s feudatory Princes.]

* * * * *

CHAPTER XXXIII. 1859-1860

Delhi under a different aspect—­Lord Clyde—­Umritsar and Lahore —­The Lahore Durbar—­Simla—­Life at Simla

We remained at Agra until the 9th December.  There was so much of beauty and interest in and around the place, that Lady Canning found a wealth of subjects for her facile pencil, and was well content to remain there.  There were the usual banquets to the residents, and entertainments given by the Agra people to those in camp, one of them being a party in the Taj gardens, to give us an opportunity of seeing the tomb by moonlight, when it certainly looks its loveliest.  My wife was more delighted even than I had anticipated with the perfect beauty of the Taj and the exquisite little mosque in the fort, the Moti-Masjid.  I greatly enjoyed showing her all that was worth seeing, and witnessing her pleasure on first viewing these wonderful works of art.

There was no halt again, except the usual one on Sunday, until we reached Meerut on the 21st December.

Three marches from Agra a fire broke out in Lady Canning’s tent soon after she had retired for the night, caused by the iron pipe of the stove, which passed through the side of the tent, becoming over-heated.  Lady Canning’s tents were on one side of the big dining-tent, and the Viceroy’s on the other.  Immediately on perceiving the fire, Lady Canning ran across to awaken her husband, but the Native sentry, who did not know her or understand a word of what she was saying, would not let her in, and, in despair of being able to make anyone hear, she rushed off to the tent of Sir Edward Campbell, the Military Secretary, which was nearest her own.  She succeeded in awaking him, and then flew back to try and save some of her own treasures.  The first thing she thought of was her portfolio of drawings, which she dragged outside; but it had already been partially burned, and most