Description

Sir Hugh Orange K.B.I., C.B., C.I.E.

India general: 1902 – 1907

Given by Andrew Orange

1. 1. Folder 5:
      • • April – October 1904 resident in Simla; November 1904 – March 1905 touring to the following places: Lucknow, Allahabad, Rai Bareli, Pertabgarh, Sultanpur Districts, Fyzabad, Tanda, Bara Banki, Sitapur, Lakhimpur, Hardoi District, Bareilly, Benares, Calcutta, Dacca.Synopsis of letters from 27 April – 26 October 1904. Principal official posts in Simla.
          1. 27 April Simla: Travels up newly opened railway. Comments on the way in which Lord Curzon’s departure is different from other Viceroys. ff 3-5.
          2. 5 May Obtains new offices at Kennedy House. Describes the departure of Lord Curzon from Government House and later the ceremony where Lord Ampthill assumed office. ff 5-9.
          3. 12 May His ideas for a tour through Oudh. Living in a tent and studying village life. ff 9-10.
          4. 18 May Describes routine of his daily life. R. Nathan in bad health from over work. ff 10-13.
          5. 26 May More details of his proposed tour including equipment that will be required. ff 13-15.
          6. 8 June Surprised at gardener’s botanical knowledge. Introducing a new card indexing system in his office. ff 18-20.
          7. 13 July Comments that the quick turn over of postings are the weakest point in the governing system. ff 29-31.
          8. 11 August The seasonal life at Simla seems very repetitive. ff 35-6.
          9. 24 August Lord Curzon’s request for Nathan to be his private secretary on his return in October. Gives his servant money – two rupees – as contribution to a festival. Story about Lord Curzon at a farewell dinner – “a brilliant collection of blunders and left-handed compliments.”. ff 39-42.
          10. 8 September The acceptability of married men’s parties in Simla. ff 46-9.
          11. 22 September A few remarks on the education of the English children. The re-writing of some of the Oudh school books which are too erudite. ff 51-4.
          12. 28 September Lady Curzon’s ill health. ff 54-6.
          13. 5 October Meets the German Consul and his wife – Count and Countess Quadt. ff 56-8.
          14. 10 October Travels to Chail – summer residence of the Maharaja of Patiala. Comments on the amount of enteric in Simla and remarks on the difficulty of eliminating dirt from the household arrangements. ff 58-60.
          15. 19 October Remarks on a career in tea planting in Bengal. Describes his stay in the house of the Dunlop Smith’s at Chail. ff 60-3.
          16. 26 October Conversation with M. Chailley Bert of the School of Political Studies in Paris. The expanding of Simla – his thought to buy land and build and comments on the architecture. ff 63-7.
          17. Synopsis of cold weather tour. ff 68-9.
          18. 3 November Lucknow. Describes his equipment for his tour. Staying with Mr Sykes, Principal of La Martiniere College. Meets S.H. Butler, Secretary to Sir James La Touche. ff 70-2.
          19. 13 November Rai Bareli District. Camp life and details of the setting up. Describes an ‘At Home’ of two village schools. ff 76-9.
          20. 20 November Rai Bareli. Conversations with professional Indians on education. ff 79-84.
          21. 12 December – 7 February 1905. These pages give very good descriptions of his tour and general notes on the District Stations, and all aspects of village life and people encountered. ff 89-120.

        1905

        1. 28 February Benares. Meets Mrs Besant. Lord and Lady Curzon arrive in Calcutta (7 March). ff 120-1.
        2. 12 March Circuit House, Dacca. Describes dirty house. ff 123-5.
        3. Lord Newton’s note dated 11 February, on a speech delivered by Lord Curzon at Calcutta University on truthfulness which aroused much criticism from the Indians. ff 126-7.
        • Folder 6:
          • April – July 1905 resident in Simla; August 1905 touring to the following places: Poona, Ahmednagar, Kohlapur, Belgaum, Dharwar, Bijapur, Satara; September 1905 resident in Simla; October November 1905 on holiday in Cashmere; thence spent three months in Walker Hospital, Simla recuperating after appendicitis.Detailed description of the letters:
            1. 4 April Simla. Earthquake damage. Lord Curzon strikes querulous note in his speeches – felt deeply the attacks made on him by agitators. Meets Campbell in Intelligence Department, who walked from Peking to Simla. ff 4-6.
            2. 11 April More on damage from the earthquake. Strait’s house for sale for 80,000 Rps. ff 7-10.
            3. 18 April Survey of his newly acquired land. ff 10-12.
            4. 24 April Brief comment on report of Lord Kitchener’s intention to resign. ff 12-16.
            5. 10 May Bishop Cotton School burned down. ff 17-18.
            6. 31 May Describes the graves of the children of Colonel Osborne of the 6th Royal Regiment dated 1873/4 in Simla. Dance at Viceregal Lodge. ff 23-5.
            7. 6 June Harold Stuart is acting as Home Secretary. Lord and Lady Curzon have gone into tents at Naldera for three weeks with one A.D.C., a tradition of Viceroys. Mentions that a Cyclopedia of India is being published. ff 25-7.
            8. 21 June Mrs Buck’s picnic for 100 at Mahasu and games. Attends wedding of Sir Reginald Mant, at that time in the Finance Department, to Miss Tandy. ff 30-3.
            9. 19 July Clothing for his tour in the Deccan. ff 39-41.
            10. 26 July Brief remarks on Mr Sidney Preston, Secretary of the Public Works Department. Also on Lord Curzon and the controversy about the retention or abolition of the post of Military member of the Council. ff 31-2.
            11. 4 August Poona. Begins tour. His hosts: Mr Fulton, a member of Council, Lord Lamington, Governor. Letters continue with brief descriptions of his hosts and the places visited. ff 43-4.
            12. 29 August Satara. Inspects the identical tiger’s claw which was used by Sivaji to kill Afzul Khan. ff 49-51.
            13. 7 September Simla. Describes his journey back to Simla. ff 52-4.
            14. 13 September Conversation with General Scott on an incident involving himself, Lord Curzon and Kitchener. ff 54-6.
            15. 20 September Some comments on his speech at the Conference of Directors of Public Instruction and Lord Curzon’s speech. Includes The Pioneer’s report. ff 56-8.
            16. 6 October Srinagar. His holiday in Cashmere on a houseboat mainly descriptive and names those he meets and the silver he buys. Describes the floating gardens. ff 64-6.
            17. 17 November Copy of Lord Curzon’s letter of thanks to Orange written on Curzon’s departure from India. f 87.

            1906

            1. 3 January News that he is to receive a C.I.E. Letters of congratulation. Continues to recuperate in hospital. ff 92-3.
            2. 14 February Now convalescing with Major and Mrs Senior – he is in the Intelligence Branch. ff 100-1.
            3. 7 March Mentions that India has adopted as standard time, the 80th degree of Eastern longitude which is 5 hours 20 mins ahead of England. More on the relations of the Commander in Chief to the Government of India. ff 104-6.
            4. 14 March Hires a rickshaw for the season. ff 106-8.
            5. 21 March Some remarks on Sir B. Fuller. Work starting on the rebuilding of Bishop Cotton School. ff 108-110.
        • Folder 7:
          • April – October 1906 resident at Simla; November 1906 – March 1907 touring to the following places: Indore, Ajmere, Delhi, Lahore, Rurki, Meerut, Agra, Allahabad, Benares, Calcutta, Gauhati, Tezpur, Dacca, Rangoon, Sagaing, Myitkhina, Mandalay, Madras, Waltair, Bombay.The file ends with Sir Hugh Orange’s departure from Bombay in March 1907 on his first furlough.Detailed description of the letters:
            1. 4 April Lord Minto said to be indignant at failure of the Home Department to give him a proper reception at Bombay. ff 3-4.
            2. 10 April Is obtaining fresh fruit and vegetables from same supplier to Curzon and Kitchener every other day. ff 5-6.
            3. 25 April Comments on the probability of Parliamentary intervention into Indian affairs. ff 7-9.
            4. 1 May Appointment of Sir Harvey Adamson as Member of Council for the Home Department. Great disappointment for Risley. ff 9-10.
            5. 7 May Brief comment on Birrell’s Bill in Parliament. ff 10-11.
            6. 21 May Entertains Mr Chakravarti, Inspector of Schools at Lucknow. ff 14-15.
            7. 30 May Receives his C.I.E. along with Herbert Cunningham Clogestoun. Copy of Mrs Annie Besant’s note. Describes her subsequent lecture. Possibility of closure of Walker Hospital which he is against as there is no other place in Simla where nursing can be obtained in winter. A few remarks on Colonel Bingley (7th Rajputs). ff 15-19.
            8. 27 June A note on Miss Stuart later Lady Wheeler. ff 26-9.
            9. 24 July Attends Central Committee Meeting of St John’s Ambulance Society in India – his first close encounter with Kitchener who was Chairman. ff 35-7.
            10. 1 August Comments favourably on Sidney Low’s book A vision of India. ff 37-40.
            11. 15 August Mule carts being used for parcel post owing to breakdown of railway. ff 41-2.
            12. 5 September Some brief comments on the series of volumes he is bringing out in relation to education and the difficulties and delays of going to press. ff 47-8.
            13. 12 September Mr Giles is chosen to come in his absence. ff 48-9.
            14. 19 September A story from Stuart about Lady Minto’s grievances against Lord Curzon. ff 50-2.
            15. 26 September Dinner with Colonel Kenny and other military. Discussed changes in Indian Army attitudes to caste and race. ff 52-4.
            16. 3 October Entertains two Muslims, one being Nawab Mohsin-ul-Mulk, Resident Secretary at Aligarh College. ff 54-7.
            17. 8 December Gauhati. Travelling on small steam yacht, The Kestrel, on the Brahmaputra river, briefly descriptive. Visits tea garden in the Tezpur district. ff 72-9.

            1907

            1. 2 January S.Y. Rebel on the Irrawaddy in Burma travelling from Myitkyina to Bhamo. School inspections. ff 80-3.
            2. 16 January Madras. Recounts briefly his visit to the Buddhist Archbishop in Burma.. ff 84-6.
            3. 22 February Bombay. Staying with Mr Fulton. Describes dinner with the Amir of Afghanistan. ff 92-7.