LETTER XII. BOMBAY AND " SERVANTS 

 OF INDIA SOCIETY " 



SIMLA, September 2nd, 1910. 



I HAVE just returned from an official tour to the 

 Bombay Presidency. I left Simla on August I5th 

 and returned here on the 3ist. Travelling through 

 Central India was a great trial and the Bombay 

 climate was at its worst. The heat in Alwar, 

 Rewa, and Gwalior States, and also at Jhansi, was 

 terrific. The whole thing has been rather too 

 much of an undertaking for a man of my age, 

 but I am very glad I went, as it was most important 

 that I should get into touch with the financial, 

 commercial, and industrial people of Bombay. I 

 reached Bombay on the I7th, and on the i8th 

 proceeded to Poona, where I was the guest of Sir 

 George Clarke till Monday, the 22nd. 



One of the most extraordinary features of 

 Anglo-Indian life is the craving for incessant 

 change of residence. The Governor of Bombay 

 possesses no less than three official residences: 

 one at Mahableshwar, which is a considerable 

 journey from Bombay, where he passes some of 

 the spring months; Ganeskhind, which is a small 

 palace at Poona; and, of course, his official 

 residence on Malabar Hill in Bombay. Ganesk- 

 hind is a most comfortable house of somewhat 

 pretentious architecture, and enormous sums must 



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