President Diaz is a man of great commonsense and of strong will. To consolidate his rule in the early years of his presidency he was obliged to be severe. The country was infested with banditti, who put a stop to all commerce and travel. Diaz, when he caught the banditti, made them into rural guards, on the principle of setting a thief to catch a thief, and by this means he quickly restored law and order. Even when I was in the country gibbets were still to be seen, some having hanging to them the remains of their former victims. For some years after I returned President Diaz occasionally corresponded with me, and I kept him informed of the condition of things in Europe, and in particular of the position of Mexican finance in London.
In company with Lord Claud Hamilton I again visited America in 1905. We sailed from Liverpool in the "Ivernia." When we arrived at Boston Lord Claud received a letter from the president of the New York Central Railway placing at his disposal a private car which would be attached to any train we required, and in which we were free to go to any part of the United States. This was a personal compliment to Lord Claud as chairman of the Great Eastern Railway.
We found the car contained a dining saloon, four state rooms, and at one end was a smoking room and observatory in which we could sit and view the scenery.
There was an excellent _chef_ and a very attentive steward; and in this car we travelled and lived for three weeks, being most sumptuously entertained. We picked up two friends, so we had a very pleasant party of four. We visited Niagara, Chicago, St. Louis (to see the Exhibition), Washington, and other places _en route_. At St. Louis we were received by the president of the Exhibition, Mr. Francis, who drove us round the grounds in a Western prairie coach, painted yellow, and drawn by six white horses. It was a curious experience. The coach was fully laden, and as we rushed around the corners it lurched and heeled over in a truly alarming manner. We felt for the time as if we were part of a Wild West circus troupe.
The Exhibition was very well worth seeing. Of all the great exhibitions it was quite one of the best. The illuminations in the evening were on a magnificent scale.