It has been decided that this visit should be a
State affair or Royal Progress, and be paid for partly out of Imperial and partly • -•
out of Indian funds. Mr. Disraeli on Thursday stated in his place that the Prince would sail from Brindisi in the Osborne,' and be 'escorted by the I Serapis,' and would be met either at Aden or Bom- bay by a squadron from the Chinese seas. The journey will cost the Admiralty £52,000. The escort in India will be provided by India, and the Prince will be the guest throughout of the Viceroy, at an expense to the Indian Treasury of £30,000. Mr. Dis- Ilia asked the House of Commons to grant £60,000 for the Prince's private expenses, presents, and so on, and thought that this sum would be sufficient. The Marquis of Hartington, while supporting the proposal, hinted that the sum would be inade- quate, and the general feeling of the House appeared to be in favour of a larger grant, and of the total exemption of India from any direct contribution. The money is certainly not enough, if the visit is to last fourteen weeks, and the House may as well, for the first time in its history, behave with liberality to the Indian Treasury. Government must decide what India ought to spend, without taking a native pldbiscite, but there is little grace in assuming that your host will like to pay for your excursions.
