Speeches and Addresses of H. R. H. the Prince of Wales: 1863-1888 Part 16

The boys had been at work for some hours, when at 4 P.M., the Prince and Princess of Wales arrived on the ground, accompanied by their two eldest boys in sailors' costume. The prizes were distributed in the Royal Albert Hall. The Princess went to the Royal box, but the Royal princes went with their father to the das, where they were welcomed with great clapping of hands, by the thousands of boys, and the thousand adult spectators of the scene. Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar had adjudged the first prize to the boys of the _Goliath_; the second to the boys of the Sh.o.r.editch School at Brentford; and the third to the Lambeth School at Lower Norwood.

After a short address by General Sir Eardley Wilmot, speaking in the name of the Council of the Society of Arts,--

The Prince of Wales rose, and in an excellent impromptu speech "a.s.sured the members of the Council and the boys (addressing the latter in kindly way as 'you, my young friends'), of the pleasure it gave the Princess, his two sons, and himself to be present. Congratulating the schools on their excellent marching, and on the favourable report just read, His Royal Highness added that he hoped the boys had been up to the mark in their studies as well as their drill."

Two boys of each prize school came in succession to the das, and received the prize banners from the Prince's hand. The Prince and his sons then joined the Princess in her box, and it was a striking scene when, after some bars of prelude, the words of 'G.o.d Bless the Prince of Wales' were taken up by a thousand young and clear voices, the Prince and Princess and the two lads standing in the front of the box while it was sung. The last of the programme was then fulfilled by the bands playing a selection of music.

The sight altogether was most gratifying. Here were 4000 boys, most of them paupers, many of them orphans, receiving an excellent education, a training in physical apt.i.tudes and habits of obedience as well as in mental studies. The Greenwich School is composed of the children of seamen being educated for the sea, but the three thousand and more boys of the other schools must in large part be looked upon as so much material reclaimed to humanity. In fact, these three thousand and more boys may, in the words of a paper put forth by the Society of Arts, "be beheld with confident satisfaction as victims rescued from 'the bad,'

and preserved for the good as honest, self-supporting producers, and worthy members of the community."

WEYMOUTH AND THE PORTLAND BREAKWATER.

_August 11th, 1872._

On the 11th of August, 1872, the Prince of Wales went from Osborne in the Royal yacht _Victoria and Albert_, to inaugurate the completed Breakwater and Harbour of Refuge at Portland, and to pay a visit to Weymouth, the favourite resort of the Prince's great-grandfather, George III. A magnificent fleet of ironclads, headed by the _Minotaur_, bearing the flag of Admiral Hornby, and many other vessels, were in attendance for the ceremony, of which fifteen were first-rate ironclad s.h.i.+ps of war.

The weather was stormy, and the sea had been too disturbed for the comfort of the Civil Lords of the Admiralty; but the Prince showed no signs of suffering from the rough voyage, and manfully went through the proceedings of the day. The stone being laid, prayers were said by a clergyman, plaster was spread on the surface on which the last of seven million tons of Portland stone was to find a firm resting-place, the usual gla.s.s bottle containing newspapers, coins, and a chart of the island and the breakwater was laid in the groove prepared, and, when the Prince himself had spread some mortar, the great block was lowered into its place. His Royal Highness then struck three blows upon it with an ivory mallet, tested it with a silver level, and completed a very short but sufficient ceremony, by saying, "I now declare this stone to be well and truly laid and this great work to be complete." At the concerted signal of a lowered colour, the guns of the fort began to fire a salute, and the spectators raised a cheer. The inscription on the stone read as follows, the concluding quotation having been added, it is stated, by the Prince himself:--

"From this spot, on the 25th of July, 1849, His Royal Highness Prince Albert, Consort of Queen Victoria, deposited the first stone of this breakwater. Upon the same spot, on the 10th of August, 1872, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, laid this last stone, and declared the work complete."

"'These are imperial works, and worthy Kings.'"

At the end of the ceremony the Royal yacht steamed towards Weymouth, and after a rather uncomfortable pa.s.sage, through a choppy sea and over the bar, in the Royal barge, the Prince landed at the end of the pier. Here the Mayor and Corporation presented an address, which declared that "His Royal Highness had added one more link to the golden chain of favours already conferred by Royalty on this ancient borough." A luncheon was given by Mr. Hambro, the senior member for Weymouth. The streets were gaily decorated, and the people were loud in their loyal and joyful demonstrations. The Royal yacht returned to Osborne late in the evening.

VISIT TO DERBY.

_December 17th, 1872._

The tidings that the Prince and Princess of Wales were coming to Derby from Chatsworth, where they were on a visit to the Duke of Devons.h.i.+re, caused great excitement in the district. Trains brought crowds from Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield, Nottingham, and Chesterfield, to swell the populace of Derby.

It was on the 17th of December, 1872, not far from the anniversary of the gloomiest time of the illness of the previous year, that the visit to Derby was made. There were several loyal addresses--from civic, munic.i.p.al, and other bodies, including one from the Freemasons of Derbys.h.i.+re. The object of the Royal visit was mainly to present the prizes at the Derby Grammar School, one of the most flouris.h.i.+ng of provincial middle-cla.s.s schools. The procession of carriages pa.s.sed through streets crowded with people, with brilliant escort of troops, and decorations everywhere on the route. On arriving at the school Lord Belper delivered an address referring to the foundation and history of the inst.i.tution, and the high scholastic standard aimed at. The Head Master, the Rev. W. Clark, having thanked the Prince and the Princess for coming, added that His Royal Highness had kindly said he would write his name in each of the prize-books in remembrance of the occasion:--

His Royal Highness, on rising, said,--"Mr. Clark, Ladies, and Gentlemen,--I beg you to accept from the Princess, as well as myself, our cordial thanks for the very kind words that have been addressed to us. I can a.s.sure you that I have come here with feelings of the greatest pleasure, and we are glad we accepted the kind invitation of the n.o.ble duke to visit Chatsworth, and that we have had the pleasure and advantage of visiting the ancient town of Derby. I have had great pleasure in presiding to-day and distributing the prizes to the successful compet.i.tors of the Derby school. This school, as you know, is one of the oldest in the kingdom, though I am afraid one of the poorest endowed. Still it has always borne the highest reputation, which I feel convinced it will continue to maintain.

To the young men to whom I have had the pleasure of distributing prizes allow me to offer my most hearty congratulations, and I trust they may continue to go on as they are doing now. If they do so they will be successful in whatever profession they enter.

I will not detain you longer, but thank you once more for the kind reception you have given us this day, and also tender to the Mayor our cordial thanks for the hearty reception we have received in our progress through Derby."

It may be added that the invitation to Derby was first suggested by the Trustees of the Grammar School, who in their pet.i.tion, sent to Chatsworth, represented that this school, reputed to be one of the oldest in the kingdom, was also one of the most poorly endowed. This was an appeal which at once secured the goodwill of the Prince. Nor has he forgotten the school. On the 14th of November, 1888, he went to see "the Prince of Wales's Cla.s.s Rooms," erected as a memorial of his visit in 1872. In response to a pet.i.tion presented by the captain of the school, the Prince obtained from the Head Master a promise of making November 14 a perpetual holiday in remembrance of this visit.

RAILWAY BENEVOLENT INSt.i.tUTION.

_March 27th, 1873._

On the evening of March 27, 1873, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, who had in the morning visited several artists' studios, and in the afternoon went to the House of Lords, presided at the annual dinner in aid of the Railway Benevolent Inst.i.tution, at Willis's Rooms. After dinner and grace the Royal Chairman gave the usual first toast, the health of Her Majesty the Queen, Patroness of the Railway Benevolent Inst.i.tution. The Duke of Buckingham then proposed the health of the Prince and Princess of Wales; and in so doing took occasion to say that it was not the first time His Royal Highness had taken interest in the Inst.i.tution, and now he had done it the honour to preside at its annual festival. The toast being duly welcomed, the Prince said:--

"My Lords and Gentlemen,--Although it is very unusual on a public occasion of this kind for the health of the Chairman to be given so early in the evening, yet mine has been proposed so kindly by the n.o.ble Duke and so well received, and has, moreover, been so kindly coupled with that of the Princess and the rest of my family, that I think it my duty to rise at once and respond to the toast. The n.o.ble Duke has been kind enough to say that my family and myself do what we can for the support of the great charitable Inst.i.tutions of the country. I am very much flattered by those remarks. I can only a.s.sure you--and I think I may speak for the other members of my family--that it is one of our chief objects to come forward as often as we possibly can in support of Inst.i.tutions which are so beneficial and so necessary to the well-being of the country, and which are always so munificently supported by all cla.s.ses of the community. I thank you once more for the honour you have done me, and a.s.sure you that it is a great pleasure and gratification to me to take the chair here this evening."

Other toasts being proposed and acknowledged, the Prince rose and said:--

"My Lords and Gentlemen,--The toast I have now the honour to propose is a b.u.mper toast, and I know it will be received as such. It is that of 'Prosperity to the Railway Benevolent Inst.i.tution and Board of Management.' When I look around me this evening and see how numerous is the a.s.semblage before me, I feel convinced that you have come here intending to do honour to that toast, and to do your utmost in every way to support the Inst.i.tution which to-day has reached its fifteenth anniversary.

It is difficult for me, especially before you, who are so well acquainted with the merits of the Inst.i.tution, to say anything new concerning it. Still I think it my duty, as your chairman, to mention a few facts by way of an appeal to your consideration.

"The objects of the Railway Benevolent Inst.i.tution may be briefly mentioned under six heads. First, it has for its object the granting of annuities of from 10 to 25 to the distressed railway officers and servants incapacitated through age, sickness, or accident; second, to grant small pensions to distressed widows; third, to educate and maintain orphan children; fourth, to grant temporary relief until permanent relief can be afforded; fifth, to induce railway officers and servants to insure their lives by dividing the payment of the premium into small periodical sums, and by granting a reversionary bonus of 10 per cent. out of the funds of the inst.i.tution; sixth and lastly, to grant small sums not exceeding 10 to the families of those who are injured or killed in the performance of their duties.

"When I look at the list before me I must say it is indeed a sad one; but at the same time it must be a gratification to us, who wish well to the Inst.i.tution, to see that from the 16th of November, 1871, to the 16th of November last as many as 1067 cases were relieved out of the casualty fund. I may also mention that the officers of the railway companies subscribe half a guinea and the servants 8_s._ a year. In fact, I may say that the railway companies give this Inst.i.tution in every way their official support, and they may indeed well do so, because there is no inst.i.tution which more heartily deserves our support than this.

"There is, however, one curious fact which I should like to mention. I believe I am correct in saying that the number of officers and servants employed on railways in the United Kingdom amounts to something like 300,000, but only 35,000 of them are subscribers; and in Ireland there is not a single subscriber. I am sorry to have to make this fact known; but all the more reason is there that we this evening should be liberal with our purses, as I am sure we shall all be when we consider how often we travel by railway. Not a day goes by but most of you travel once--probably twice. In stepping into a railway carriage, do you not think of the risks you may run? An accident may happen to anybody, though every possible security and guarantee may be given that no accident shall occur.

"Well, if we as pa.s.sengers run risks, how much more so the officers and servants of the companies; and that not every day, but every hour and minute of their lives? We may be sure it is the earnest desire of the managers and directors--many of whom are here this evening--to do all in their power to guarantee the safety of the pa.s.sengers and of those to whom are entrusted the care and management of the trains. I feel sure I cannot impress on them too strongly the necessity for their still using every effort in their power to prevent accidents, which are, unfortunately, too frequent. It is not for me in the presence of so many great railway authorities to say what plan may be best devised to lessen accidents--whether it may be that there are too many railways, whether the immense network which exists in this country comes too closely together at different stations, or the trains follow each other at intervals too short. These are questions with which I do not feel myself competent to deal; but at the same time I feel that the question of railways, and especially the frequency of accidents, are brought more distinctly under our notice when we consider the claims of the Inst.i.tution we are brought together this evening to promote.

This is a theme about which one might talk for a long time; and I know, on occasions of this kind, it would be out of place on my part to give you a long oration; yet, though I but feebly express what others would much better have laid before you, I hope you will believe that n.o.body feels more deeply for this Inst.i.tution than I do, that n.o.body advocates its claims more ardently than I, and n.o.body will continue to take a greater interest in everything connected with our great railways.

"To show you that I am not using mere stereotyped phrases, I may tell you that no week elapses without my travelling once or twice at least by train. I have therefore the opportunity of seeing, as well as anybody can see, how admirably our railway system is worked; not only the managers and directors, but the officers and servants have my warmest admiration for doing their utmost in the execution of their duty, and also for their unvarying courtesy and attention. I will now ask you once more, in conclusion, to open your purses as freely as you can in support of the Railway Benevolent Inst.i.tution."

The Secretary afterwards announced subscriptions to the handsome amount of 5000, which included a second donation by His Royal Highness of 100 guineas.

UNVEILING THE ALBERT STATUE ON HOLBORN VIADUCT.

_January 9th, 1874._

On the 9th of January, 1874, the Prince of Wales visited the City for unveiling the equestrian statue erected at the western entrance of the Holborn Viaduct, in memory of the late Prince Consort. At the site an address was read, containing a description of the memorial, and an account of its origin. The ceremony of unveiling over, the Prince was driven in the state carriage of the Lord Mayor to the Guildhall, where between 700 and 800 guests, including many distinguished persons, were invited to luncheon. After the first loyal toast, "The Queen," had been received with all honours, the Lord Mayor said: "I now raise my gla.s.s to the memory of the late Prince Consort. 'He being dead yet speaketh.'"

The words were spoken with emotion, and the company rising in a body, drank the toast in silence and with every mark of respect.

The health of the Prince and Princess of Wales, and the other members of the Royal Family--including the Duke of Cambridge, who was present--having been given, the Prince responded.

He expressed his grateful sense of the cordiality of his reception, and the satisfaction he had in coming for such a purpose as the inauguration and unveiling of a statue to his lamented father. He also acknowledged the debt of thanks to the donor of the statue, whose name he knew, but who wished it not to be made public. "To the Corporation of London I have to express my thanks for having contributed a part of the statue--namely, the pedestal; and I am sure that the work which we have inaugurated to-day will long be an ornament to the City of London."

THE BRITISH ORPHAN ASYLUM FESTIVAL.

_March 25th, 1874._