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On May 1, 1859, in England, and on July 28, 1859, in India, there
was a general thanksgiving for the restoration of peace.
Although the Queen was never able to visit India in person, in 1875
the Prince of Wales went, at her request, to mark her appreciation
of the loyalty of the native princes. The welcome given to the future
King of England was truly royal. Reviews, banquets, illuminations,
state dinners followed one another in rapid succession. Benares, the
sacred city of the Hindoos, was visited, and here the Prince
witnessed a great procession which included large numbers of
elephants and camels, and an illumination of the entire river and
city.
At Delhi, the capital of the Great Mogul, the Prince was met by Lord
Napier of Magdala at the head of fifteen thousand troops, and at
Lucknow an address and a crown set with jewels were presented to him.
[Illustration: The Secret of England's Greatness
J.T. Baker
Photo W.A. Mansell & Co.]
It was in the same year that Disraeli, on behalf of the British
Government, purchased a very large number of shares in the Suez Canal,
thus gaining for us a hand in its administration--a vitally important
matter when one realizes how much closer India has been brought by
this saving in time over the long voyage round the Cape.
To pass in review the growth and expansion of the Empire during the
Queen's reign would be a difficult task, and an impossible one within
the limits of a small volume.
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