Speeches and Addresses of H. R. H. the Prince of Wales: 1863-1888 Part 18

VISIT TO BIRMINGHAM IN 1874.

_November 3rd, 1874._

The Prince and Princess of Wales paid their first visit to Birmingham on the 3rd of November, 1874. When the Mayor and Corporation of the midland capital heard of the intended visit, they resolved to give their Royal Highnesses a right loyal and hearty reception. Those who remember, or have read of the early visits of the Queen and of the Prince Consort to the town, will not be surprised at the enthusiasm with which the Prince and Princess of Wales were welcomed on this occasion. Prince Albert came to Birmingham for the first time in 1844. He was a guest of Sir Robert Peel at Tamworth, and expressed a wish, as he was so near, to see the place so famous in various arts and industries. But the town was at that time as famous for its political independence, to use the mildest term.

In fact it was regarded as the centre and seat of democratic radicalism, and the turbulence of Chartist times was yet fresh in remembrance. Fears were entertained that Prince Albert might have a cool if not hostile reception. The result proved how groundless were these suspicions. The young Prince was welcomed with the utmost enthusiasm, not only as the husband of the Queen, but on account of his own moral and intellectual excellence. He was there again in 1849, to inspect the exhibition of arts and manufactures held in Bingley Hall; and a third time in 1855 to lay the foundation stone of the Midland Inst.i.tute. In 1858 the Queen herself came to open the public Park and Hall at Aston. Nor was this the only visit. Few places in her dominions have been more favoured, and nowhere has there been shown more devoted loyalty.

The advanced radicalism of Birmingham was not less marked at the time of the Prince of Wales's visit, and the Mayor of that year, Mr. Joseph Chamberlain, had the reputation of holding not merely democratic but republican views. All this made the more marked the cordial reception of the Royal visitors, both by the authorities of the town, and by the ma.s.ses of the people. The words of the _Times_ of November 4th, in its record of the visit are worthy of being recalled, especially in what it said of the Mayor: "Whatever Mr. Chamberlain's views may be, his speeches of yesterday appear to us to have been admirably worthy of the occasion, and to have done the highest credit to himself. We have heard and chronicled a great many Mayors' speeches, but we do not know that we ever heard or chronicled speeches made before Royal personages by Mayors, whether they were Tories, or Whigs, or Liberals, or Radicals, which were couched in such a tone at once of courteous homage, manly independence, and gentlemanly feeling, which were so perfectly becoming and so much the right thing in every way as those of Mr. Chamberlain."

To the address of the Corporation, read in the Town Hall, by the Recorder, the Prince made the following reply:--

"Mr. Mayor and Gentlemen,--In the name of the Princess of Wales and in my own, I thank you for your address and for the kind terms in which you refer to our visit to your town. It has long been our wish to come to Birmingham, a city so celebrated not only in England, but throughout the world, as one of the chief centres of our manufacturing energy. It will be, I am persuaded, a source of satisfaction to the Queen to hear that the loyal inhabitants of this borough still retain so lively a recollection of the visits which with my lamented father she paid to Birmingham. Since that time the progress which has been made in the varied industries of this town has been most remarkable, and I trust that the condition of its working population, on whose exertions its prosperity so much depends, has improved in a still greater degree. In conclusion, gentlemen, I have only to express our earnest wish that Birmingham may long continue to enjoy that pre-eminence which it has so justly earned."

At the luncheon subsequently given, the Mayor proposed the health of the Queen, as "having established claims to the admiration of Her people by the loyal fulfilment of the responsible duties of her high station, and at the same time the n.o.bility of her domestic life has endeared her to the nation. The care and solicitude she has manifested in the happiness of her subjects causes her name to be honoured at all times, and among all cla.s.ses and ranks of society."

In proposing the health of the Royal guest, the Mayor said, "This town has been long distinguished, not without cause, for the independence of its citizens and the freedom and outspokenness in which all opinions are discussed, and this fact gives value to the welcome which has been offered, and stamps the sincerity of the wishes which are everywhere expressed for the continued health of their Royal Highnesses."

The replies of the Prince were confined to a few brief but appropriate sentences, and after proposing the health of the Mayor, the Royal party proceeded to visit some of the most famous manufactories of the district. The following letter was received next day by the Mayor, from the Secretary of the Prince of Wales, Sir Francis Knollys, K.C.M.G.:--

"Packington Hall, Coventry, November 4, 1874.

"Sir,--I have received the commands of the Prince and Princess of Wales to make known through you to the inhabitants of the borough of Birmingham the satisfaction they derived from their visit to that town yesterday. They can never forget the reception they met with nor the welcome given to them by all cla.s.ses of the community. Their Royal Highnesses have also to thank not only the authorities who made such excellent arrangements, but likewise the people themselves, without whose cordial co-operation the good order which was preserved throughout the day in so wonderful a manner could hardly have been maintained. The opportunity which was afforded them of visiting some of the manufactures of your great town gave their Royal Highnesses sincere pleasure, and it was matter of regret to them that the time at their disposal did not allow them to make a closer inspection of works of so much interest. I may further congratulate you and the other members of the reception committee on the happy result of your labours. Nothing could have been more successful, and their Royal Highnesses will ever entertain most agreeable recollections of their visit to Birmingham. I am desired, in conclusion, to state that the Prince of Wales, being anxious to contribute 100 in aid of the funds of one of the charitable inst.i.tutions of your town, requests that you will have the goodness to acquaint him with the name of the inst.i.tution which you may consider to be the most deserving, and to be at the same time the most in want of support.--I have the honour to be, Sir, your most obedient servant,

"FRANCIS KNOLLYS.

"To the Mayor of Birmingham."

THE ROYAL CAMBRIDGE ASYLUM.

_March 13th, 1875._

At the seventh triennial festival of this Inst.i.tution the Prince of Wales presided. The Duke of Cambridge, Prince Christian, Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar, and the Duke of Teck were also present. The company included the Lord Mayor, the Sheriffs of London and Middles.e.x, and a large number of distinguished officers of nearly all ranks in the Army.

After the toast of "The Queen," proposed by the Royal chairman, the Lord Mayor, in giving the next toast, spoke of "the pride with which the nation at large regarded the Royal Family, not only on account of the admirable way in which they performed the important duties connected with their high position, but also because of their readiness on all occasions to promote and aid the various charitable inst.i.tutions of the country, and to extend their sympathy to all who were in distress, not simply in this great metropolis, but in all parts of the kingdom."

The Prince of Wales, in reply, said:--

"I am sure I have every reason to be grateful to the Lord Mayor for the very kind manner in which he has proposed my health and that of the Princess of Wales and the other members of the Royal Family, and to the company here a.s.sembled for the very kind manner in which they have received the toast. Nothing is more disagreeable, I think, than to have at an early stage of the evening to rise to return thanks for one's own health; but, at the same time, I should be very ungrateful to you if I were not to thank you for the cordial manner in which you acceded to the request of the Lord Mayor. I can a.s.sure him--and I believe I can speak also for the rest of the Royal Family--that it is always our earnest endeavour to do our duty, and to a.s.sist in all good and charitable objects, which in this country are so numerous and so necessary. It will be my duty to address you again, so I will now only thank you once more for the kind manner in which you have received this toast."

The Prince of Wales, after a brief interval, again rose and said:--

"The toast I have now to offer to you is also one of those which are always given, and which are always heartily received at gatherings like the present. It is that of 'The Army and the Navy.' I find some difficulty on this occasion in proposing that toast, because when I look around me and see the Commander-in-Chief, the greater portion of the Head Quarters'

Staff, and so many distinguished generals and officers, I feel it would be very presumptuous on my part were I to dilate on the subject. I think Englishmen have every reason to be proud of possessing such an Army and Navy as ours. Of course we don't pretend that they are perfection, but I am sure that every endeavour is used year after year to make our land and sea forces as efficient as possible for our defence and for the maintenance of peace both in this country and in our vast possessions abroad. In connection with the Army, it gives me the greatest pleasure to propose the health of my ill.u.s.trious relative, the Commander-in-Chief. It would ill become me to make those remarks in his presence which it would afford me sincere satisfaction to offer were he absent; but I am sure that you, as brother officers, know the great interest the Commander-in-Chief takes in the Army, and I know you will drink his health most cordially on this occasion. I am not able to couple any name with the Navy, for the very sufficient reason that there is no naval officer present to respond to it. I regret that our gallant sea forces are not represented, but the toast will not on that account, I am sure, be less cordially received."

The Duke of Cambridge, who was loudly cheered, said: "I personally am much gratified by the kind reception which has been given to my name in conjunction with this toast. His Royal Highness, with a modesty which is delightful in one in his position, has expressed diffidence in proposing it; but there is no ground for such diffidence on his part, for there is no officer in the Army that I know of who takes a more lively interest in the efficiency of the service, even in its every detail, or who, whenever the opportunity offers, shows a greater apt.i.tude than does His Royal Highness. He has proved a most worthy spokesman for the Army on this and on many other occasions, and I am sure officers of the Army are always flattered and gratified when His Royal Highness has the opportunity of speaking of them as he has done this evening. I feel particular interest in being present here, and I beg to express to His Royal Highness, who has many and constant duties to attend to, my thanks and those of my mother, who is, unfortunately, in a very suffering state, for having, on the mere expression of a wish on her part, at once consented to preside on this occasion. I beg also to thank you for the compliment which you have paid me and my family by your attendance, for I cannot forget that this inst.i.tution was originally founded in memory of my father, who had many opportunities of showing the deep interest he took in the charitable inst.i.tutions of the country. On that account many of his friends were anxious that some testimonial should be established to his memory, and instead of a statue I am happy to think, as I am sure he would have been glad to know, that it took the form of the useful and necessary inst.i.tution we have met here to a.s.sist. But for its aid the recipients of its benefits would have to drag out a miserable existence either in the workhouse or under even still worse circ.u.mstances. We must all feel gratified that these old women are, thanks to the benevolence of yourselves and the public, enabled to pa.s.s their last days in the comparative comfort that they find in the Asylum at Kingston. As head of the Army, I may say that a higher compliment could not possibly have been paid to it than to establish an inst.i.tution such as this, and I am gratified to think that the support it has received leads us to the hope that it is now established on a solid and valuable foundation. I beg again to thank you, in the name of the Army, and to say that the service feels the deepest interest in the prosperity of the Asylum."

The Prince of Wales next rose and said;--

"It is now my pleasing duty to bring before you the toast of the evening, 'Prosperity to the Royal Cambridge Asylum for Soldiers'

Widows.' When I see how I am surrounded and how large a gathering is present, I feel sure I shall not call on you in vain in the interest of those whom we are concerned in benefiting on this occasion. As my ill.u.s.trious relative has mentioned to you, this inst.i.tution was established as a memorial to his ill.u.s.trious father, the late Duke of Cambridge. The object was to provide a home for the widows of privates and non-commissioned officers of the Army. No such inst.i.tution previously existed, and it is still the only one of its kind in the country. In it the widows are provided with a furnished room and an allowance of 6_s._ a week, besides a grant of 2_s._ 6_d._ per month for coals. While the expenditure is great, exceeding 2000, the funded income, including 50 a year, called the Princess Mary Fund for Nurses, amounts to little over 500 a year. It was originally intended to have, if possible, 130 inmates, but at the present moment there are only 57, for there is no room for more, and our great object is to make the inst.i.tution a success by increasing the numbers. On philanthropic grounds alone it is almost unnecessary to say a word as to its excellence. But when one thinks of the soldier, who has not only to expose his life in battle, but to run the risk of sickness and disease in a variety of different climates, away from home, often leaving his wife for many years behind him, it is impossible not to see that it must be a comfort to him, especially if ill or dying, to think there is an inst.i.tution where his wife, if he succ.u.mbs, has a chance of being provided for. Among soldiers there can be but one feeling on this subject, and I am sure that on this occasion I shall not appeal to those who are present in vain.

"I regret very much that one who has taken a deep interest in this inst.i.tution--its chairman, Sir Edward Cust--is not here on this occasion, and I fear on account of illness. But it is some gratification to be able to read to you an extract from a letter of his, dated the 1st of March, to Colonel Stewart, the secretary, in which he says--"I think I intimated to you last year that I should make a disposition by my will of all my copyright and interest in my military histories for the benefit of the Asylum. As I am unable to support the Prince of Wales in the chair, may I beg the favour of His Royal Highness making this donation in my name as evidence of my sympathy for the inst.i.tution?" Those who are present know so thoroughly well all the merits of the inst.i.tution that it would be unnecessary for me to make a lengthened speech. I will therefore wind up by once more asking you to do all in your power to a.s.sist in accomplis.h.i.+ng the great object we have in view of extending the building so as to accommodate more widows. With the toast which I have given you, I beg, in the absence of Sir E. Cust, to couple the name of Colonel Liddell."

Colonel Liddell, who responded, said it was the desire to provide accommodation for one widow from each regiment in the service, which, of course, as there were only fifty-seven inmates, left a great deal still to be done.

The Prince of Wales: "I have now to propose a toast which, I am sure, of all those I have given none will have been received with greater cordiality, for it is that of the 'Lady Patron.'

You all, I know, wish as sincerely as I do that her health--which is not good just at present--may be restored, and that she may be among us for some years yet to come. One of the reasons why this inst.i.tution has prospered so much, and why so many are here to-night, is the regard which is felt for the kind and good lady who is its president. It is not surprising that she should take a deep interest in an asylum intended indirectly for the benefit of soldiers, seeing that her husband was a soldier and that her son is a soldier."

The toast having been cordially drunk, was responded to by the Duke of Cambridge, who then proposed "The Health of the Lord Mayor and the Sheriffs," thanking them for the liberality with which they had subscribed to the funds of the Asylum. The total amount of the subscriptions received was announced by the Prince of Wales to be 1635 17_s._ 10_d._

The present number of inmates (1888) is sixty-nine. The receipts of the previous year were 2700; the invested funds nearly 23,000. The festival dinner is triennial, but additional sums have been obtained by military _fetes_ and other ways. In 1872 the Prince and Princess of Wales were present at a grand military concert in the Royal Albert Hall, when Madame t.i.tiens and other artists volunteered their a.s.sistance, and many of the proprietors placed their boxes and stalls at the disposal of the Duke of Edinburgh, who was Chairman of the Committee for carrying out the arrangements. We trust that the Duke of Cambridge may be gratified by witnessing a large increase of the numbers benefited by an inst.i.tution in which he takes so zealous and kindly interest.

AT MERCHANT TAYLORS' SCHOOL.

_April 6th, 1875._

When the Charterhouse School was removed from its ancient historic site to the more remote and rural site at G.o.dalming, arrangements were made for installing Merchant Taylors' School in the Charterhouse. There was ample accommodation for the 400 or 500 boys. Portions of the old structure remain, and these with the new buildings give room for the numerous cla.s.ses, with large halls, library, lecture rooms, and a magnificent a.s.sembly room, for morning and evening prayers, and on grand days for speeches and prize festivals. The poor Brethren, pensioners on the foundation, remain in their old quarters, and their chapel, with its services, continues as before.

The installation of the Merchant Taylors' School in the Charterhouse was an event of sufficient importance to justify the request for the ceremony being honoured by the presence of the Prince and Princess of Wales, who came on 6th of April, 1875, accompanied by the Princess Mary and Duke of Teck, and other ill.u.s.trious visitors. Service having been performed in the old Carthusian chapel; and an address having been read by the clerk, and presented by the Master of the Company; the Prince declared the Merchant Taylors' School open. An ode in Latin Alcaics was then declaimed by the head monitor of the School, the Archbishop of Canterbury offered a prayer for the Divine blessing, and the service closed with the Lord's Prayer and the Benediction.

Luncheon was afterwards served in the a.s.sembly hall. The Master of the Company gave a brief account of the origin and history of the School, introducing references to former Princes of Wales, who had been benefactors of the Company, from the time of Edward I., the first Prince of Wales, to that of King James I., who with his son, the Prince of Wales, dined in this hall. It was for that occasion, in 1607, that Dr.

John Bull composed the music of "G.o.d Save the Queen." The Queen of James I. was Anne of Denmark. "History repeats itself," continued the Master, "for you, Sire, have entwined the flower of Denmark in the wreath of England."

The Prince, responding to the toast then given, said:--

"For the excessively kind and flattering manner in which this toast has been proposed from the chair, and received by you all, I beg to return my warmest and most sincere thanks. I need hardly a.s.sure the Master and all those a.s.sembled here to-day what pleasure it has given to the Princess and myself to be present on this occasion. The numerous guilds of the City of London are well known for their hospitality, and especially distinguished is the Merchant Taylors' Company. At the same time, although they kindly and cordially receive their guests, they do all they can to make themselves useful in this great city. I will not recapitulate what we have heard in another room, and also from the lips of the Master, of the prosperity of this School. I hope it will continue to flourish; and that the sun which is now s.h.i.+ning will bring prosperity to a School which has so long flourished and which is now moved to other buildings. I must say we cannot but congratulate the Master and the Guild on the beautiful building in which we are a.s.sembled at the present moment. In conclusion let me propose a toast I am sure you will all drink with enthusiasm--'Success to the Merchant Taylors' School.' It affords me great pleasure to couple with it the name of the head master, the Rev. Dr.

Baker."

After the luncheon the Royal visitors inspected the buildings, and walked through the playground, which is of considerable size for a city school. The cheers of the boys on the departure of the Prince and Princess were the more vehement, as they had asked and obtained from the Master an extra week's holiday.

THE GERMAN HOSPITAL.

_April 16th, 1875._