Speeches and Addresses of H. R. H. the Prince of Wales: 1863-1888 Part 12

It is always a pleasure to the Prince of Wales to give the Albert Medal with his own hands, sometimes at Marlborough House, as to Sir Henry Bessemer, and to M. Chevalier, the distinguished French Economist. When the award was made to Mr. Doulton, the Prince went to Lambeth to make the presentation, and said that he would have been glad to have received Mr. Doulton at Marlborough House, but thought it would be more gratifying to him to have the medal presented in his own place and among his own workpeople--an act of gracious considerateness which was well appreciated by the vast a.s.sembly who witnessed the event.

OPENING OF THE THAMES EMBANKMENT.

_July 13th, 1870._

This great work, which, for solidity of construction, durability of material, and beauty of design, is worthy of the Metropolis of the Empire, was commenced early in 1852, but was not completed till the summer of 1870. Viewed in connection with the benefits to public health and convenience, by the improvement of the course of the Thames, and the removal of the mud banks formerly disfiguring the sh.o.r.es, the Embankment may be truly said to be the greatest public work undertaken in London in modern times. Portions of the footway had been previously open for pa.s.sengers, and improvements have been since made in the approaches and in laying out ornamental grounds, but the completion of the roadway, from Westminster to Blackfriars, sufficiently justified the grand State ceremony with which the Embankment was opened, on the 13th of July, 1870, by the Prince of Wales.

On that day, the Prince, accompanied by the Princess Louise, and attended by the Great Officers of the Household, opened the Embankment on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen. Five Royal carriages, with an escort of the Royal Horse Guards, proceeded from Marlborough House, by the Mall, Whitehall, and Parliament Street to Westminster Bridge, where they entered the embankment. Here the procession was joined by the carriages containing the Chairman and members of the Metropolitan Board of Works.

At Hungerford Bridge an address was presented by the Chairman, Sir John Thwaites. The Royal procession went as far as Blackfriars Bridge, and then returned to Westminster Bridge, when the Prince, amidst the cheers of the mult.i.tude, and the salutes of artillery, declared the Embankment to be open.

The reply to the address read by the Prince, was as follows:--

"Gentlemen,--It is a source of great regret to me, as I am sure it cannot fail to be to you, that the Queen is unable to be present, according to her original intention, at this interesting ceremony. In her name I thank you for your loyal address, and express to you the satisfaction with which she regards the completion of this great work. We must all rejoice that while the Embankment and the n.o.ble roadway, which I am happy this day to open in the name of Her Majesty, add largely to the beauty and convenience of the Metropolis, the works connected with them may be expected materially to diminish the sources of disease and suffering to the inhabitants of this bank of the Thames. In no public work of this vast capital has the liberal and enterprising spirit of its citizens and the genius and resources of our civil engineers been more signally displayed. I am commanded by the Queen to congratulate you cordially on the issue of your labours in undertakings which promise to be so enduring and so beneficent."

Five years before this, on the 4th of April, 1865, the Prince had visited the great works erected at Barking, in Ess.e.x, and thence to the Erith Marshes to perform the ceremony of starting the great engines which lift the waters of the Southern Outfall Sewer. In a brief speech on that occasion the Prince congratulated Mr. Thwaites, then chairman of the Metropolitan Board of Works, and Mr. Bazalgette, the engineer, on the completion of an important portion of the great scheme for disposing of the sewage of London, and purifying the water of the Thames.

WORKMEN'S INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION.

_July 16th, 1870._

In the summer of 1870, while the news of impending war on the continent stirred public feeling, preparations were being quietly made in many a home and workshop for an international exhibition of art and industry.

The special feature of the display was to be the encouragement of individual intelligence and skill, every object exhibited having attached to it the name of the workman, as well as the firm in whose employment he was, if not exercising his art on his own account at home.

The Prince of Wales kindly consented to open the exhibition, in the name of the Queen. This was done on the 16th of July, 1870. Having received an address, giving an account of the purpose of the collection, the Prince thus replied:--

"Gentlemen,--I thank you for your address, and a.s.sure you that it is with very great pleasure I undertake the duty imposed upon me by the Queen in opening this Exhibition. The objects proposed in it are such as cannot fail to meet with the cordial approbation of all who are interested in the growth of our arts and manufactures, and who wish to connect that growth with a corresponding increase of sympathy and friendly relations between employers and their workmen. In imparting to this Exhibition an international character, you have sought to extend the range of good which may result from it, and by inviting compet.i.tion between our workmen and those of foreign nations, not only to afford a wholesome stimulus to both in the exercise of their various callings, but to contribute, as far as you can, to that kindly intercourse between countries which must in the end prove the princ.i.p.al security for the peace of the world. The allusion which you have made to my beloved father, who would doubtless have regarded this Exhibition with the liveliest interest, as the natural supplement of that first one with which his name is especially connected, will be as affecting as it must be gratifying to the Queen. It will be my agreeable duty to report to her the proceedings of to-day, and I have only now, in her name, to wish success to the undertaking."

A catalogue of the collection, and a newspaper printed in the building, were then presented to the Prince. The catalogue showed that contributions had been sent from all the chief industrial centres in England,--Sheffield, Birmingham, Coventry, Worcester,--and from Ireland, in bog-oak carvings, and articles of the linen and flax industry. The foreign contributions were from France, Austria, Italy, Holland, and other parts of the continent. A musical piece composed for the occasion was given, and the Old Hundredth psalm sung by the choir, after which the Prince declared the Exhibition open.

THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL.

_March 29th, 1871._

The "Royal Albert Hall of Arts and Sciences" was opened by Her Majesty the Queen with imposing ceremony on the 29th of March, 1871. The procession from Buckingham Palace consisted of nine State carriages, in the last of which were the Queen, the Princess of Wales, and the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. In the other carriages were the Royal Family, with the great officers of State and the Household in waiting. The Hall was filled with nearly 8000 spectators, and the orchestra consisted of nearly 1200 musicians and singers, Sir Michael Costa being leader.

When the Queen had taken her place on the das, the Prince of Wales, who wore the uniform of Colonel of the 10th Hussars, advanced to Her Majesty, and, as President of the Provisional Committee, read the following address:--

"May it please your Majesty,--As President of the Provisional Committee of the Royal Albert Hall of Arts and Sciences, it is my high privilege and gratification to report to your Majesty the successful completion of this Hall, an important feature of a long-cherished design of my beloved father, for the general culture of your people, in whose improvement he was always deeply interested. Encouraged by your Majesty's sympathies, and liberally supported by your subjects, we have been enabled to carry out the work without any aid from funds derived from public taxation. I am warranted in expressing our confidence that this building will justify the conviction we expressed in the report submitted on the occasion of your Majesty's laying its first stone, that by its erection we should be meeting a great public want. Your Majesty's Commissioners for the Exhibition of 1851 in further prosecution of my father's design for the encouragement of the Arts and Sciences, an object which he always had warmly at heart, are about to commence a series of Annual International Exhibitions, to the success of which this Hall will greatly contribute by the facilities which it will afford for the display of objects and for the meeting of bodies interested in the industries which will form the subjects of successive Exhibitions. The interest shown in the Hall by the most eminent musicians and composers of Europe strengthens our belief that it will largely conduce to the revival among all cla.s.ses of the nation of a taste for the cultivation of music.

Your Majesty will hear with satisfaction that results have justified the original estimate of the cost of the building, and that, aided by the liberal a.s.sistance of your Exhibition Commissioners, the corporation will commence its management unfettered by pecuniary liabilities, and under conditions eminently calculated to insure success. It is my grateful duty to return to your Majesty our humble thanks for the additional mark of your Royal favour which is conferred upon us by your auspicious presence on the present occasion when our labours as a Provisional Committee are drawing to a close. We venture to hope that when we shall have resigned our functions into the hands of the governing body, which will be elected under the provisions of the Royal Charter granted to us, your Majesty will continue to the Corporation that measure of support which has been always graciously given to us."

The Queen, who had listened to the address with the utmost interest and attention, said, in a voice clearly heard in every part of the vast building: "In handing you this answer, I wish to express my great admiration of this beautiful Hall, and my earnest wishes for its complete success."

The written answer to the address was not read, but it is here given to complete the record of the day's ceremony:--

"I thank you for the loyal address which, as President of the Provisional Committee of the Hall of Arts and Sciences, you have presented to me. In opening this s.p.a.cious and n.o.ble Hall, it gives me pleasure to acknowledge the generous spirit which has been manifested in the completion, by voluntary effort, of a work promising so much public usefulness. I cordially concur in the hope you have expressed, that this Hall, forming as it does part of a plan in which I must ever take a deep and personal interest, may largely and permanently contribute to the promotion among my people of the love of art, as well as to the success of the annual exhibitions, which will bring successively into instructive compet.i.tion the choicest products of the industries of all nations. These objects could not fail to commend themselves at all times and all places to my sympathy and interest, fraught as they are with recollections of him to whose memory this Hall is dedicated, and whose dearest aim was to inspire my people with a love of all that is good and n.o.ble, and, by closer knowledge and juster appreciation of each other, to cultivate a spirit of goodwill and concord among the inhabitants of all regions. I gladly give the a.s.surance of my support to the corporation to which the Hall is about to be entrusted, and I earnestly hope that their efforts to promote the objects for which it has been constructed may be rewarded by a career of abiding success."

The Bishop of London, representing the Archbishop of Canterbury, offered a dedication prayer.

The Prince of Wales, after a minute's conference with Her Majesty, then said, "THE QUEEN DECLARES THIS HALL TO BE NOW OPENED."

The announcement was followed by immense cheering and the sound of trumpets; and while the choir sang the National Anthem, the Park guns boomed forth a loud accompaniment.

The opening ceremony being thus accomplished, the Queen and the Royal visitors proceeded to the Royal box, where they remained during the performance of a selection of music. The programme included a cantata, written for the occasion by Sir Michael Costa, and the Prince Consort's _Invocazione all'Armonia_, which was first performed when Her Majesty, in 1867, laid the foundation-stone of the Hall this day opened.

THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION OF 1871.

_May 1st, 1871._

During the twenty years that had pa.s.sed since the ever-memorable Exhibition of 1851, there had been many Exhibitions, one of which, that of 1862, might aspire to the t.i.tle of Great, and proved fairly successful. But so numerous were the imitations of the first great example, to which, at home or abroad, none approached in romantic interest and universal popularity, that at length the idea which in 1851 charmed all the world, had come to be somewhat tiresome to the public.

Inventors and manufacturers found it troublesome and expensive to exhibit, not without doubt whether there were not more disadvantages than advantages in such international displays. Some of the later Exhibitions were little better than huge bazaars or trade shows.

Having regard to these conditions, the Royal Commissioners of 1851, with the Prince of Wales as President, allowed matters to rest awhile, although still feeling under obligation to carry out the grand purposes which gave rise to the first and grandest display in Hyde Park.

It was resolved to open at South Kensington, in 1871, an "International Exhibition of the Fine Arts and of Industry;" to be the first of a series, each with some definite aim, and mainly confined to certain arts or industries, instead of forming a miscellaneous museum of all sorts of objects. As the Queen approved of this proposal, the opening of the Exhibition of 1871 was undertaken by the Prince of Wales on Her Majesty's behalf, and was made the occasion of an imposing State pageant. In the Court Circular of May 2nd, and in the journals of the same date, a full account is given of the ceremonies of the preceding day, with lists of the ill.u.s.trious and notable persons present, and other details. The Prince made formal proclamation of the opening.

In all his labours in connection with various exhibitions, at home or abroad, the Prince has had most able lieutenants, such as Sir Philip Cunliffe Owen, K.C.B., but every detail of plan and of administration has been brought before his attention, and has received the sanction of his judgment and experience. It is no exaggeration to say that to his presidency was mainly due the success of the British Department of the great Paris Exhibition of 1878. This was testified in the address presented to the Prince by Earl Granville, signed by a thousand Englishmen who had witnessed the events of that memorable season in the Place de Trocadero.

ARTISTS' ORPHAN FUND.

_May 7th, 1871._

For the relief of distressed artists, their widows and orphans, provision is made, as far as funds allow, by the Artists' Benevolent Inst.i.tution, which was established in 1814. In course of time it was found that the amount available for the support and education of the orphans of artists was very insufficient, and a separate fund was established in 1866, under the auspices of the Council of the Artists'

Benevolent Inst.i.tution. From time to time donations were received, and in 1871 it was resolved to make a more public appeal. The Prince of Wales cheerfully agreed to preside at a dinner in aid of the fund, which took place on the 7th of May, 1871, in the Freemasons' Hall.

The Prince was supported by a large number of artists, and of patrons and lovers of art. The usual loyal toasts were given, and the presence of members of the well-known "artist corps" led the Prince to make special reference to the Volunteers.

In giving "The Army, Navy, Militia, and Volunteers," His Royal Highness said:--

"This is a toast which is never left out at all great public dinners. By some it has been called a formal toast, but in my opinion it should never be so styled. It is a toast which we ought to drink warmly and heartily. Of that which we owe to our army and navy I shall not speak to you at length, for this is not a fitting occasion; but I may say that we are bound to those services by a deep debt of grat.i.tude, and let us hope that we shall always have reason to be as proud of them as we are at the present moment. We must, at the same time, never forget that there is something wanting. Our army is small; smaller than those of other countries; it ought, therefore to be better in comparison. As to the navy, though a great many changes have been made in our s.h.i.+ps, though they have been converted from wooden walls into iron batteries, I think we may confidently antic.i.p.ate that the fame which attaches to our old wooden walls will be transferred to our iron fleet whenever it is called upon to meet an enemy. The Militia, too, ought never to be omitted from this toast, for I look upon it as our great army of reserve, and desire to see it honoured; while as to the Volunteers, I would remark that I think we may congratulate ourselves on the circ.u.mstance that the movement, which has now existed for eleven or twelve years, shows no sign that it is slackening. I have the more confidence in asking you to respond to this portion of the toast, because I see around me many members of the Artists' Corps, which has always maintained a high position in the Volunteer force."