THE PHINCE OF WALES AT MADRAS, 187;".. 25 



driving at three o'clock (and verily Madras is hot at three 

 o'clock, even in December) to see some thousands of school 

 children stuffed to repletion in his honour, and to have his ears 

 tortured by the musical blessing they had prepared for his 

 welcome, he reviewed the troops in garrison (a ceremony that 

 admits of little variation except in degree of excellence, and 

 this, I am told, was very excellent). He then met all the 

 soldier-chieftains at dinner at the Commander-in-Chief's, and, 

 with the banquet scarcely ended, was whisked off once more to 

 witness the illumination of the surf, and afterwards the Pandal 

 or native entertainment. The former was, in its way, quite the 

 most striking and successful feature of the whole week's festival, 

 and my humble pen must do its little all to convey anything 

 like a fair idea of it to your readers. 



The whole route along which the Prince proceeded on his 

 after-dinner drive was illuminated to the best of Madras. The 

 chief buildings all stood out in a blaze of light, every house and 

 office had made its effort for the occasion, while Fort St. George 

 was outlined on a scale that must have cost Thomas Atkins and 

 his captain many a day's pay to effect. A rocket proclaimed 

 the coming of the royal carriage, and immediately there blazed 

 up from the ships at anchor a quick succession of gorgeous fire- 

 works. The entrance to the pier was lit up with red and blue 

 lights, while its whole length was gay with coloured lanterns 

 and bright decorations. A car, somewhat similar in shape and 

 ornamentation to those of a merry-go-round at a fair, was in 

 waiting on the tramway, and forthwith the Prince and party 

 were wheeled down the pier to the point where the surf broke 

 exactly beneath them. There is always more or less sea rolling 

 in from the open roadstead here, for, marvellous as it may seem, 

 Madras has gone on flourishing for generation after generation 

 without a harbour or breakwater of any description. To-night 

 there was a glorious sea, and the surf burst in grandly and 

 noisily, roller after roller, though the heavens were clear as 

 glass. Boats had been moored just beyond the breakers, and 

 their line of flaming torches cast a weird brilliancy on the foam- 



