Governors and other high officials, and the Ruling Chiefs and Durbaris from British India and the Native States. Facing the Amphitheatre was the spectators' mound, which accommodated fifty thousand persons. Seats for six thousand school children were reserved on this mound. Their Excellencies the Governor-General and Lady Hardinge left their Camp shortly before Their Majesties, with a fitting escort, and were received with all the honours due to their exalted station on their arrival at the Amphitheatre. Punctually at 11-30 Their Imperial Majesties set out in an open state carriage from their Camp, with an escort of one British Cavalry Regiment, a Battery of Royal Horse Artillery, their Body-guard, the Imperial Cadet Corps and one Regiment of Indian Cavalry. Their Majesties were dressed in full state robes, His Majesty wearing an Imperial Crown especially made for the occasion, and Her Majesty wearing a magnificent tiara. Arrived at the Amphitheatre, Their Majesties were received with an Imperial salute of 101 guns, the twenty thousand troops paying the customary Royal honours. Their Majesties were then conducted to their Thrones by His Excellency the Governor-General. In immediate attendance on His Majesty were H. H. the Maharana of Udaipur, Ruling Chief in Waiting, and the five Aides-de-Camp, — H. H. the Maharaja of Gwalior, H. H. Maharaja Bahadur Sir Partap Singh of Idar (Maharaja Regent of Jodhpur), Colonel Nawab Sir Aslam Khan, G. C. I. E., H. H. the Nawab of Rampur, and H. H. the Maharaja of Bikaner.
His Majesty ordered the Master of Ceremonies, Sir Henry McMahon, to open the Durbar. The King-Emperor then made the following speech :
"It is with genuine feelings of thankfulness and satisfaction that I stand here to-day among you. This year has been to the Queen-Empress and myself one of many great ceremonies and of an unusual though happy burden of toil. But in spite of time and distance, the grateful recollections of our last visit to India have drawn us again to the land which we then
