xiv PREFACE
worth only about 1s. 1d. In 1890 it made a sudden but very brief rush up to 1s. 9d. Finally its value was fixed at 1s. 4d. by the currency legislation of 1893. It is now, of course, only a token coin, the nominal value of which is upheld by a gold backing, like that of the silver coinage of other gold-standard nations. The actual bullion value of the Indian rupee and of the English florin is now only ninepence or tenpence.
For permission to use the illustration of Lady Butler's picture, The Remnants of an Army, I am indebted to the Fine Art Company; for that of Holwell to Messrs. Thacker and Co.; for that of Hamilton's tombstone to Dr. George Smith, C.I.E., LL.D., in whose work, Physician and Friend, it has already appeared. The print of Dr. James Anderson was given to me by Mr. W. Foster.
Finally, I must express my thanks to many friends who have given me a great deal of help in the compilation of this work; to Sir Richard Lamb, K.C.S.I., I.C.S.; to Colonels K. McLeod, R. N. Campbell, C.B., and G. W. P. Dennys, Lt.-Colonel Sir David Prain, C.I.E., C.M.G., and Captain A. Kingston, all of the I.M.S.; to Colonel H. D. Love, R.E.; to the late Mr. John Macfarlane and the late Mr. E. W. Madge of the Imperial Library, Calcutta; to Mr. P. Dias of the Calcutta Record Office; and, above all, to Mr. S. C. Hill, late Superintendent of the Calcutta Record Office, and to Mr. W. Foster, C.I.E., of the India Office. All the many references to the Orme MSS. were pointed out to me by Mr. Hill.
