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were speeding up the birth of the Congress movement; and, as I have observed, before the year was out the first National Conference was held in Calcutta. In its organization I had no inconsiderable share—quorum pars magna fui. It was the reply of educated India to the Ilbert Bill agitation, a resonant blast on their golden trumpet. The Conference met for three days, from December 28 to 30.

The questions that even now substantially form the chief planks in the Congress platform were taken up for discussion. They were Representative Councils, or Self-government, Education, general and technical, the separation of Judicial from Executive functions in the administration of Criminal Justice, and, lastly, the wider employment of our countrymen in the public service. Mr. Wilfrid Blunt, the great friend of Oriental nations, was then touring through India. He was present at the sittings of the Conference, and he gives the following account of his impressions in his India under Ripon:

'Then at twelve, I went to the first meeting of the National Conference, a really important occasion, as there were delegates from most of the great towns—and, as Bose in his opening speech remarked, it was the first stage towards a National Parliament. The discussion began with a scheme for sending boys to France for industrial education, but the real feature of the meeting was an attack on the Covenanted Civil Service by Surendranath Banerjea. His speech was quite as good a one as ever I heard in my life, and entirely fell in with my own views on the matter. The other speakers were less brilliant, though they showed fair ability, and one old fellow made a very amusing oration which was much applauded. I was asked to speak, but declined, as I don't wish to make any public ex- pression of opinion till my journey is over. But at Bombay I shall speak my mind. I was the only European there, and am very glad to have been present at so important an event. The proceedings would have been more shipshape if a little more arrangement had been made beforehand as to the speakers. But on the whole, it went off very creditably. Both Banerjea and Bose are speakers of a high order. The meeting took place upstairs in the Albert Hall, and about one hundred persons were present. Before the speaking commenced a national hymn was sung by a man with a strong voice, who played also on an instrument of the guitar type.'

In 1884, I undertook another tour through Upper India. My duties in the college gave me no leisure except during the summer, when we had our long vacation. I left Calcutta about the middle of May. The excessive heat in Northern India and the Punjab