‘My dear R.,—I went to meet the Nepaul Embassy by invitation of the East India Company. The dinner was splendid, and we had a gallery of ladies to see the jewels and dress of the Indians and to hear our speeches.
‘The chief Indian spoke a long distinct speech in his
own tongue, which half the company, having been in the
| LORD BROUGHAM’S LETTERS | 357 |
‘When it came to my turn to speak (called upon to return
thanks for the judges and bar), I said that justice was everything, politics
nothing. But I must say one word on that, too; and I said that, with the other
lessons learnt, I hoped the Indians would carry back a most positive assurance
that the Government here, and the people, and above all our hosts the East
India Company, never would dream of extending their dominions by one acre, or
of lessening by one inch the short distance which, we were just told, separates
our Eastern Frontier from the Western Frontier of China (that distance being
Nepaul); but that the world would see we had at length discovered the wisdom
and the justice of never breaking the peace nor suffering others unpunished to
break it.
| 358 | ROGERS AND HIS CONTEMPORARIES |
‘Such was our Nepaul banquet. The ladies were, I doubt not, disappointed, for the Princes had not their jewels, and the speeches were as dull as possible.
‘Lyndhurst goes on well. Mind, I continue my interdict against your writing. Send only verbally how you go on.’
