Item 14 - Letter from R. C. Trevelyan to Caroline Trevelyan

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Darjeeling. - They have been here three nights, and are leaving this afternoon; they have had fairly good weather, and have 'seen the mountains quite well'. Originally enclosing a photograph, though this gives 'very little idea'; the scenery is 'much vaster than anything in Europe'. They will be met at Sara [?] on the Ganges by 'young [Nagendranath?] Ganguli', son-in-law of one of the Tagores, who will take them in his steam launch to the Tagore country house, where he is an estate manager. They will spend a night there, the next in Calcutta, then start south on 8 January, reaching Madras on the 10th; they plan to stay about a week, before spending around three weeks seeing South India and Ceylon [Sri Lanka] and leaving Columbo for Java on 7 or 8 February. Very glad to hear his family are all well; expects his parents are still at Wallington, but that Julian has gone home. Is 'amusing' himself learning Persian in order to be able to read the poetry; it is 'not a difficult language, except for the alphabet'. Glad to hear that Robin Mayor is 'really married' [to Katherine Beatrice Meinertzhagen]. Does not seem to be much news lately from Europe; supposes that 'the Turks will come to terms soon' [First Balkan War]; the [British] government seems 'to be getting on quite well now'. They just missed 'Montague' [sic: Edwin Samuel Montagu, secretary of state for India] at Benares; he seems to have 'made a fairly good impression' at Calcutta, and at least 'seems anxious to learn'.

Hears the Christmas tree was 'a great success'. Bessie says Julian's Nannie is 'fairly cheerful', which is good; of course she thinks Booa [Mary Prestwich] 'spoils Julian'. Bessie thinks Julian is getting on well and is 'usually quite easy to manage'. He and Dickinson have had a 'very interesting time' at Calcutta; not likely to meet 'so many clever and entertaining Indians elsewhere'. Will be glad to leave India and get to Java. Their plans about China and Japan are still 'unsettled'. He wants to get back early in May if possible. Everyone in Calcutta has read George's 'Garibaldi books', but he doubts this 'will produce a Bengali Garabaldi [sic]'. 'Mazini [sic: Mazzini] is more of their kind... the young men seem to have a great admiration of him'.