CHAP. XIV. ACCEPTABLE PRESENTS TO THE QUEEN. 395 



the queen would send for the presents to-day, I had made 

 all ready ; and about noon the officers came from the palace 

 to take them to the queen. I had previously arranged them, 

 and made out lists of all the articles. I repeated what I had 

 already stated to the officers, that I had not the treasure of 

 the merchants who sometimes visited the capital, and re- 

 gretted that my presents were so insignificant; but desired 

 to offer what I had brought as expressive of my grateful sense 

 of the kind reception I had met with and a trifling memorial 

 of my visit. I then handed to them a parcel containing 

 jewellery from His Excellency the Governor of Mauritius; 

 and afterwards delivered to them tlie boxes containing my 

 presents for the queen, the prince, and the princess, which 

 were to be taken to the palace. Those for the chiefs were to 

 be taken to their own houses. 



Amongst my presents to the queen was a large framed en- 

 graving of our own Grracious Sovereign, and of His Eoyal 

 Highness the Prince Consort, together with a large coloured 

 print of Windsor Castle, also in a gilt frame. I had heard 

 that there were good-sized plates of the portraits of the Em- 

 peror and the Empress of the French in the palace, and the 

 officers when they saw the portraits of Queen Victoria and 

 the Prince Consort said they thought they would be acceptable 

 to their queen. The presents for the prince royal and the 

 princess were arranged separately. WTien the officers had 

 ascertained that the articles accorded with the lisis, their 

 own §,ttendants and two of my men carried them to the 

 palace. Amongst the presents were a number of articles 

 which had been kindly contributed by my friends at home, 

 and though in many instances of simple and inexpensive 

 material, their value was enhanced by the beautiful forms 

 into which they had been wrought by skilful and industrious 

 hands. 



As soon as the officers had left me, I returned to my expe- 



