The new Viceroy being installed and having appointed Lord William as one of his A.D.C.’s, it now became part of his duties to accompany the Lyttons a certain distance on their way home, travelling with them and seeing to their comfort as far as Saharanpur, en route for Bombay.
With much regret on the part of all the Lytton household they bid adieu to the A.D.C. To quote Lady Lytton’s own words: “We felt indeed sorry to lose his cheery and constant pleasant companionship. His kindness to all our children had never ceased from the first day to the last.”
And what were the feelings of Lord William when he said farewell to the friends who had always shown him the greatest consideration and kindness?
[Illustration: LORD LYTTON, FAMILY AND STAFF, 1877
_Left to right._ _Standing_: Col. Colley, Mil. Sec. (later Sir George Colley); Lord William Beresford, Capt. Rose, 10th Hussars; Col. Villiers, Dr. Barnett, Capt. Liddell, Miss ---- (author forgets), Lord Downe, Lady Downe, Capt. Jackson
_Seated_: Mrs. Burne, Sir John Strachey, Lord Lytton, Lady Lytton, Lady Strachey, Col. Owen Burne, Private Secretary; Lord Kilmaine, brother of Mrs. Burne
_Children, left to right_: Bina Lytton, Connie Lytton, Fanny Strachey]
To many A.D.C.’s it would only be a case of “Le Roi est mort, vive le Roi,” but their late “aide” was much attached to them, and being of an affectionate and loyal nature must have felt rather as though he had been torn up by the roots. That Lord William lived to see the good results of some of the seeds sown by Lord Lytton’s policy and earnest work there can be no doubt, for he surely laid the foundations of some of our latter-day benefits in India. Amongst the measures that must always be associated with Lord Lytton were the Famine reports and Insurance, the equalisation and reduction of the salt duty, the system of Indian Finance profoundly modified by decentralisation, and reconstruction of Provincial responsibility. In recognition of his services when returning from India an earldom was conferred upon him.
To an impartial observer looking back over the lives and works of the different rulers in India, it appears to matter not what the views and policy of each may be, they cannot get away from the fact that they must, and do, reap the benefit to some extent of the work of their predecessors. This must be a consoling thought to the retiring Viceroy, who may feel on leaving India that he will be a thing of the past, but that at any rate his work will live after him, and, maybe, he will be spared to see it grow. Even those who know nothing of India may therefore readily grasp what a difficult thing it is to know the actual share each Viceroy has taken in the measures proposed and carried out during his time. Each Viceroy is of course actually responsible, though his part of the transactions of the Government of India is sometimes confined to a careful perusal of the papers and an affirmatory nod or two at the Council table. That Viceroys work hard and conscientiously there is little doubt, but cannot take real interest in, or have a thorough knowledge of, half the big questions they have to deal with. In some cases the very weight of their responsibility and possible far-reaching personal influence, makes them shy of exerting that influence, preferring to leave many questions to be virtually decided by those who have, or ought to have, first-hand knowledge.