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5 January 1906 — Agra | |
Friday. 5th [January 1906]. We left Agra & I shall see the Taj no more. We took an 11 o’cl train for Gwalior & got there at 1 P.M. Mr Cobb (the Resident) & Sir Clement Filose the Maharaja’s private secy met us at the station. Mr Cobb invited us to dine tonight. Sir Clement took us in the Maharaja’s carriage to the state guest house in the garden close to His Highness’ own Palace. He was out in camp shooting & deputed Sir Clement to entertain us which he did most kindly. We had very nice rooms giving on to a broad verandah. There was a fine hall behind our bed rooms & a dining room close to it. Sir C. lunched with us & then drove us out to see the Museum wh is nothing very important in it & reminds one of that in the other States. He took us to the Elephant stables where Nela took some snapshot photos & then he took us to see the 4 fine lions which the Maharaja keeps in a walled in compound about the size of an English kitchen garden. They are the best kept wild animals we have seen in India. We are told that Lord Kitchener is getting 14 more lions from Africa which he intends to turn out in the jungle to provide sport for himself & his friends! There is nothing like being an autocrat! We dined at Mr Cobb’s & Sir Clement fetched us in the Maharaja’s carriage & took us there. We found a charming young French couple Visconte & Viscontesse d’Humières staying there. He is clever & a writer. She is pretty & lively. There was also a queer German lady Baroness Preussen there who is a most eccentric lady painter & who came with letters of recommendation from Prince Bülow to the German Consul Genl Count Quadt at Calcutta. She talks tremendously—is fair fat & fifty, dressed this evening in the most queer fashion—a green velvet & white lace striped blouse on her body. Her skirt a thick grey coarse serge travelling dress. Fair locks added to her own & caught together with bows fastened by a brooch in the form of a Prussian eagle. She talks tremendously & chiefly about herself. She seems good natured. She is rather put out because the Maharaja of Gwalior did not invite her to stay with him to meet the Wales! She has been here some days & was at first in the state guest house where we see how she has been relegated to the other guest house—& is rather hurt at it. I heard her say to Mr Cobb at dinner that she was much annoyed because the Maharaja of Jaipur had refused to receive. Mr Cobb explained that H.H. could not receive the 5000 people he invited every year to his guest house. The Baroness replied that she was not to be confounded with the 4999—but of course Mr Cobb could not be expected to understand what a great person she is. We drove back to the Guest house by abt 11– | |
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