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When I went to Poona in 1877 in connexion with the Civil Service question I was his guest. I was as much impressed by his great talents and his ardent patriotism, as by the simplicity of his domestic surroundings, and the lovableness and nobility of his personal character.

Having accepted the Presidentship, I applied myself to the task of preparing the presidential speech. It was Herculean work; and on both occasions—for I was honoured twice with this high office—I found it to be so. I had my professorial duties in the College. I was in sole charge of the Bengalee newspaper. I had my municipal work to attend to, for I was then a member of the Calcutta Corpora- tion. I followed a simple plan. I used to return home to Barrack- pore every day by two o'clock in the afternoon, and start writing my speech. I would allow no interruption of any kind to divert me from the steady pursuit of this programme. I would ruthlessly say 'No' to every intruder. Save only once. I remember my friend, Ashutosh Biswas, coming up to me at Barrackpore while I was engaged in this work, to canvass for my vote for a gentleman who stood as a candidate for the Vice-Chairmanship of the Calcutta Corporation. I could refuse nothing to Ashutosh Biswas. I said I could give him only ten minutes, and he did not take more than five.

For two hours every day, and from day to day, I was absorbed in this work, alone in my house, for my family were at the time at Allahabad owing to my boy's illness; and the speech grew until it became, I fear, one of the biggest ever delivered from the presi- dential chair of the Congress. After two hours' hard work at the speech I used to have my regular constitutional walk on the river- side for three-quarters of an hour, when the whole of what I had written would be thought over, repeated and corrected, and the corrections subsequently embodied in the manuscript. This work was continued for six weeks without interruption, with my mind centred on the performance with all the power of concentration of which I was capable. I delivered the whole of my speech without referring to any notes, except perhaps when there was a long string of figures. The delivery took over four hours, and I think I was able, during the whole of that time, to keep up, undiminished and without flagging, the attention of a vast assembly of over five thousand people.

I have often been asked to explain the secret of my being able to make long speeches without reference to a single note, and even to reproduce passages that I have thought over in my mind. Perhaps.