CHAP. xiu. REFRESHMENTS AND MUSIC. 3G9 



the table, and asked if I woidd take some fruit, apologising 

 for the smallness of the supply, and intimating that they were 

 merely halting to rest. The bananas, however, were very fine. 

 She asked me if we had any in England. I told her only a 

 few, as they would not grow with us except in houses of glass. 

 I told her I had seen some of Queen Victoria's bananas grow- 

 ing in her glass-house at Kew, which I endeavoured to de- 

 scribe, and said that although our pine-apples, peaches, grapes, 

 and some other kinds of fruit were very fine, the bananas were 

 not so good as those of Madagascar, which were certainly finer 

 than any I had seen in the South Sea Islands, Mauritius, or 

 Ceylon. They then talked about music, asking if Queen 

 Victoria was fond of music. The prince then ordered his 

 band outside the door to play the English " God save the 

 Queen ; " which, considering the place and the performers, 

 was well executed : the musicians of Madagascar having been 

 originally taught during two years' residence in Mauritius, by 

 the band-master of one of the English reo^iments there. This 

 well-knoAvn tune was to me so unexpected, that I Avas more 

 affected than I should otherwise have supposed would have 

 been the case. "Eule Britannia" was the next tune played, 

 then the " Grrenadiers' March," and others equally familiar. 



The prince and princess asked whether Queen Victoria ever 

 had dancing in her palace ; and, thanks to some information 

 gathered from the court newsman, and remembered at the 

 time, I was able to answer with tolerable precision ; and added 

 that music, as an element of civilisation, was more cultivated 

 in England than formerly. They asked if I could dance. I 

 replied in the negative, and added that the society with 

 which I associated in England did not practise dancing. A 

 walk in the garden was then proposed. The prince was 

 accompanied by the princess. The queen's secretary offered 

 his arm to the daughter of Prince Eamonja ; and it devolved 

 on me, as next to the secretary, to offer mine to the first of 



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