sincere, but the people were no whit behind the Princes in their demonstrations—the crowded streets, the packed balconies, the eager desire to look upon the face of the great Queen's son, gave the strongest proof of the loyalty of all classes and of their joy and satisfaction.
The next great event was the Imperial Assemblage held by Lord Lytton on January 1, 1877, to announce the assumption by Her Majesty of the title of Empress of India. This was a pageant chiefly for the benefit of the ruling Chiefs so far as the assemblage at Delhi was concerned; but the proclamation was read on the appointed day at Presidency towns, at the headquarters of every district in British India, and at each of the Political Agencies, so that the knowledge that Queen Victoria was henceforth to be known as Empress of India (Kaisar-i-Hind) was widely and simultaneously diffused throughout the length and breadth of India. The announcement did not stir up much enthusiasm for the simple reason that the Queen's sovereignty over India was already acknowledged; and it was difficult to explain the necessity of superadding the title of Empress to that of Queen. Victoria was the name by which Her Majesty was known and loved by her Indian subjects, and to them this was sufficient and required no Imperial designation.
The Queen's death caused an outburst of grief unprecedented in the annals of Indian history, the mourning was spontaneous, sincere, and general; there was not a town, not a village that did not exhibit signs of woe for the national loss. The feeling of sorrow was stupendous, and bore the most fervent and eloquent testimony to the loyalty of India and the love of the people for the great Queen and Mother. It was a loss brought to the homes and the hearts of all, from the ruling chief in his palace to the humble tiller of the soil in his field; and even those who knew the people best and loved them most were astounded by the display of general, humble, unpretentious, but nevertheless whole-hearted, sorrow.
