Chapter I: Declare This Dock Now Open, and That Henceforth It Is to Be (12)

"You will remember that the last occasion on which I had the
pleasure of meeting you was on the eve of the opening of the
Exhibition by Her Majesty the Queen. You are all aware of the
success of that opening, and you, I am sure, appreciated the
keen interest which the Queen took in the Exhibition, both by
performing that imposing ceremony, and by the frequent visits
which Her Majesty afterwards paid to the various Sections.

"The great importance attached to the objects of this Exhibition
was evidenced by the striking manner in which it was visited by
the public. You will have seen by the Report that it was
attended by no fewer than 5,550,745 persons. Of this number, a
large proportion were admitted under schemes in which I took a
deep personal interest, by means of which admission was granted
to provincial and metropolitan artisans, with their wives and
families, at greatly reduced rates.

"It may safely be asserted that a vast amount of public good has
arisen from the holding of this Exhibition. No one can have
failed to notice the earnest attention paid by all classes of
the visitors to the contents of the Exhibition; and the
instruction which was derived from an examination of the varied
objects displayed therein cannot but tend to a better knowledge
of the outlying portions of the Empire, among the inhabitants of
the mother country.

"At a previous Meeting I referred to the appointment of the
Finance Committee, to its enlargement, and to the manner in
which its labours were being conducted, and I would now
specially draw your attention to the Report they have presented
to me. The accounts now before you, which have been circulated
for your information, have been subject to a continuous and
careful audit. They have been made up at the earliest possible
day consistent with the proper realization of the assets
belonging to the Royal Commission, and with the settlement of
the many and varied claims presented after the close of the
Exhibition, and which the Finance Committee had necessarily to
adjust. You will see that the fullest information in ample
detail is given under appropriate heads of the entire receipts
and expenditure of the Royal Commission up to the 23rd April,
and I am sure that you will share my satisfaction at the
gratifying result of a substantial surplus of £35,235 7_s._
8_d._ remaining in the hands of the Royal Commission.

"I am anxious that the appropriation of this surplus, and the
objects to which it should be devoted, should be in harmony with
the wishes of the entire body of the Royal Commission. I desire,
therefore, to draw your attention to a paragraph in the Report
of the Finance Committee, to the effect that in view of the fact
that this Exhibition, and those which preceded it, have to a
certain extent been considered as one series, consideration
might be given to the requirements of any former Exhibition, the
financial results of which have been less satisfactory than
those of the present undertaking. In this recommendation I
entirely concur, and a Resolution in that sense will be
submitted for your approval.

"I would also suggest to you the advisability of retaining for
the present a certain sum for the purpose of meeting any
unforeseen contingencies; which sum should for the next few
years remain vested in the names of trustees, but should
ultimately be applied to the same purpose as that to which the
residue is devoted.

"As regards the balance of the surplus, I would commend to your
consideration the propriety of transferring it to the funds of
the Imperial Institute of the United Kingdom, the Colonies, and
India (in the promotion of which the Queen and I both take so
warm an interest), the more especially as we may regard the
Institute, to a certain extent, as the outcome of the Exhibition
which was closed in November last.

"Before moving resolutions to this effect, I would wish to
express to you my deep gratitude for the support which you have
at all times given to me in the duties which I, as your
Executive President, have had so much pleasure in performing;
and I am sure you will join with me at this our last Meeting in
expressing most heartily our appreciation of the co-operation
which the Royal Commission received from the Colonies and India,
and of the exertions of the gentlemen representing these
Governments, which tended in so marked a degree to the success
of the past Exhibition.

"The enthusiastic manner in which the proposal for holding this
Exhibition was received in all portions of Her Majesty's Empire,
the energy displayed in realising the views of the Royal
Commission, and the continued support rendered to us by the
Colonial and Indian Governments and their representatives in
London, resulted in the achievement of a work of which all those
who participated in it may be justly proud, and which formed a
fitting prelude to an undertaking intended to commemorate the
Jubilee of Her Majesty's reign, by permanently gathering
together in one building the varied productions of the whole of
the British Empire, in the interchange of which its past
prosperity is so much due, and by which its future development
may be promoted.

"In closing these observations, I would desire to convey to the
gentlemen composing the Finance Committee, my warm personal
acknowledgments for their unremitting attention, and the great
services they have rendered, at so much sacrifice to their time
and convenience. I equally desire to acknowledge the admirable
and efficient arrangements made throughout by the Executive
Secretary, and to return my thanks to the whole staff employed
on the Exhibition. Their zeal and readiness at all times to
promote its success demand special recognition at our hands. In
all this, I feel assured I give expression to the sentiments of
every member of the Royal Commission."

In the speeches of those who moved and seconded the resolutions submitted to the meeting, reference was repeatedly made to the permanent Imperial Institute, of which the Indo-Colonial Exhibition seemed the precursor. The Prince, in acknowledging the vote of thanks at the conclusion of the meeting, said:--"I most truly hope that the words which fell from Lord Derby and Lord Kimberley with respect to the Imperial Institute may come true. If I may use the allegory, now that we have, as it were, burnt the late Exhibition to-day, I hope the Imperial Institute may be a Phoenix arising out of its ashes. I trust that it may be a lasting memorial, not only of that but of the Jubilee of Her Majesty the Queen."

The Exhibition was opened by Her Majesty on the 4th of May, and those who were present will not readily forget the impressive nature of the proceedings on that memorable day. The Official Report of the Royal Commission (printed and published, as all the Exhibition Reports have been, by W. Clowes & Sons) is a most valuable manual on all matters relating to the Exhibition--the most imposing and interesting of any since that of 1851. It was also the most successful as to finance, there being a surplus of no less than £35,285 7_s._ 8_d._ Of this £25,000 was voted to the Imperial Institute fund, and the remainder applied to liquidate the debt remaining from the Inventions Exhibition, and the formation of a reserve fund connected with other Exhibitions.

THE IMPERIAL INSTITUTE.

_January 12th, 1887._

The Imperial Institute, while it will be the grandest and most enduring memorial of the Queen's Jubilee, will also be associated in history with the name of the Prince of Wales. It was by him that the idea was first entertained, and the proposal first made; and to his zealous and persevering efforts the successful carrying out of the project is due. There had been various circumstances preparing this way for the great undertaking, but it was the success of the Indo-Colonial Exhibition, held in 1886, that led to the proposal of a permanent Imperial Institute. It would be a visible emblem of the unity of the Empire, and a place for illustrating its vast resources; a museum for exhibiting its manifold products and industries; a centre of information and communication for all the countries throughout the world under the British sovereignty; and be helpful to the increase and the distribution of the wealth of the nation. It would co-operate and not conflict with older institutions of tried utility, such as Colonial museums and exchanges, emigration societies, technical colleges, and other organizations for the welfare of the people. The scheme was worthy of being adopted as a national memorial of the Jubilee of the Queen's reign, and was fittingly inaugurated by the heir apparent to the throne.

Of the progress of the movement, and of the home for the Institute at South Kensington, it is not necessary here to speak, but the following speech of the Prince of Wales, at St. James's Palace, on the 12th of January, 1887, gives the best summary of all that is designed and expected in regard to the Imperial Institute.

Letters had been sent out inviting many influential persons to meet His Royal Highness as chairman, and the members of the organizing committee of the Institute. The banqueting room at the old Palace was filled with an audience such as has rarely been brought together on any occasion in recent years. Many of the most distinguished men in all departments of public life, the Lord Mayors of London and York, with nearly 200 Mayors, Provosts, and Chief Magistrates of English and Scottish boroughs, Masters and Wardens of City Companies, and Directors of great corporate bodies and societies were present. The Prince of Wales, on entering the room, accompanied by Prince Albert Victor, was warmly received; and thus he addressed the meeting:--

"My Lords and Gentlemen,--You are doubtless aware of the general
feeling on the part of the public that some signal proof of the
love and loyalty of Her Majesty's subjects throughout her widely
extended Empire should be given to the Queen when she celebrates
the fiftieth year of her happy reign. In order to afford to the
Queen the fullest satisfaction, the proposed memorial should not
be merely personal in its character, but should tend to serve
the interests of the entire Empire and to promote a feeling of
unity among the whole of Her Majesty's subjects. The desire to
find fitting means of drawing our colonies and India into closer
bonds with the mother country, a desire which of late has been
clearly expressed, meets, I am sure, with the Queen's warmest
sympathy. It occurred to me that the recent Colonial and Indian
Exhibition, which presented a most successful display of the
material resources of the colonies and India, might suggest the
basis for an institute which should afford a permanent
representation of the products and manufactures of the whole of
the Queen's dominions. I therefore appointed a committee of
eminent men to consider and report to me upon the best means of
carrying out this idea.

"Upon the report of the committee being submitted to me, and
after giving every clause my full consideration, it so entirely
met with my approval that I accepted all its suggestions, and I
therefore directed that a copy of that report should be sent to
each of you. As I trust you have mastered the suggestions of
that report, I do not purpose re-stating them to you in detail,
but I would remind you that I propose that the memorial should
bear the name of the Imperial Institute of the United Kingdom,
the Colonies, and India, and that it must find its home within
buildings of a character worthy to commemorate the Jubilee year
of the Queen's reign.

"My proposals also are that the Imperial Institute should be an
emblem of the unity of the Empire, and should illustrate the
resources and capabilities of every section of her Majesty's
dominions. By these means every one may become acquainted with
the marvellous growth of the Queen's colonial and Indian
possessions during her reign, and will be enabled to mark by the
opportunities afforded for contrast how steadily these
possessions have advanced in manufacturing skill and enterprise
step by step with the mother country. A representative institute
of this kind must necessarily be situated in London, but its
organization will, I trust, be such that benefits will be
equally conferred upon our provincial communities as well as
upon the colonial and Indian subjects of the Crown. It is my
hope that the institute will form a practical means of
communication between our colonial settlers and those persons at
home who may benefit by emigration. Much information and even
instruction may beneficially be imparted to those who need
guidance in respect to emigration.

"You are aware that the competition of industry all over the
world has become keen, while commerce and manufactures have been
profoundly affected by the recent rapid progress of science and
the increased facilities of inter-communication offered by steam
and the electric telegraph. In consequence of these changes all
nations are using strenuous efforts to produce a trained
intelligence among their people. The working classes of this
country have not been slow to show their desire for improvement
in this direction. They wish to place themselves in a position
of intellectual power by using all opportunities offered to them
to secure an understanding of the principles as well as of the
practice of the work in which they are engaged. No less than
16,000,000 persons from all parts of the kingdom have attended
the four exhibitions over which I presided, representing
fisheries, public health, inventions, and the colonies and
India, and I assure you I would not have undertaken the labour
attending their administration had I not felt a deep conviction
that such exhibitions added to the knowledge of the people and
stimulated the industries of the country.

"I have on more than one occasion expressed my own views,
founded upon those so often enunciated by my lamented father,
that it is of the greatest importance to do everything within
our power to advance the knowledge as well as the practical
skill of the productive classes of the Empire. I therefore
commend to you as the leading idea I entertain that the
institute should be regarded as a centre for extending knowledge
in relation to the industrial resources and commerce of the
Queen's dominions. With this view it should be in constant
touch, not only with the chief manufacturing districts of this
country, but also with all the colonies and India. Such objects
are large in their scope, and must necessarily be so, if this
institute is worthily to represent the unity of the Empire.

"To some minds the scheme may not be sufficiently comprehensive,
because it does not provide for systematic courses of technical
instruction in connection with the collections and libraries of
the proposed institute. I would be the last person to undervalue
this suggestion. I am well aware that the advantages we have
enjoyed in the competition of the world by the possession of
fuel, combined with large mineral resources and by the maritime
habits of our people, are now becoming of less importance, as
trained intellect has in other countries been more and more
applied to productive industry. But I know that this truth has
already penetrated our centres of manufacturing activity, for
many of the large towns have founded colleges and schools of
science and art to increase the intellectual factor of
production. London, also, has taken important steps in the same
direction. The Imperial Institute should be a supplement to, and
not a competitor with, other institutions for technical
education in science and art both at home and in the colonies.
At the same time, I trust that the institute will be able to
stimulate and aid local efforts by directing scholarships for
the working-classes into suitable channels, and by other similar
means.

"Though the institute does not engage in the direct object of
systematic technical education, it may well be the means of
promoting it, as its purpose is to extend an exact knowledge of
the industrial resources of the Empire. It will be a place of
study and resort for producers and consumers from the colonies
and India when they visit this country for business or pleasure,
and they, as well as the merchants and manufacturers of the
United Kingdom, will find in its collections, libraries,
conference and intelligence rooms, the means of extending the
commerce and of improving the manufacturing industries of the
Empire. I trust, too, that colonial and Indian subjects visiting
this country will find some sort of social welcome within the
proposed building. This institute will thus be an emblem, as
well as a practical exponent, of the community of interests and
the unity of feeling throughout the extended dominions of the
Queen.

"From the close relation in which I stand to the Queen, there
can be no impropriety in my stating that if her subjects desire,
on the occasion of the celebration of her fiftieth year as
Sovereign of this great Empire, to offer her a memorial of their
love and loyalty, she would specially value one which would
promote the industrial and commercial resources of her dominions
in various parts of the world, and which would be expressive of
that unity and co-operation which Her Majesty desires should
prevail among all classes and races of her extended Empire.

"My lords and gentlemen, I have invited you to meet on this
occasion in order that I may appeal to you to give me your
assistance in establishing and maintaining the Imperial
Institute. If you approve of the views I have expressed, I am
certain I may rely upon your strenuous co-operation to carry
them into effect. I admit that it has not been without anxiety
that I resolved to make the propositions I submitted to you, but
confidence and support have come to me in the knowledge that I
can appeal to you, and through you to the whole country, to give
your aid to a work which I believe will be of lasting benefit to
this and future generations."

Resolutions were proposed and speeches made by Earl Spencer, the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, Viscount Hampden, the Lord Mayor of London, the Mayor of Newcastle, and the Marquis of Lorne, approving the scheme, and promising hearty support. The Lord Mayor proposed a vote of thanks to the Prince, who tendered his thanks for the attendance at the meeting, and the approval given to the proposal.

"I am glad, gentlemen, to have this opportunity of expressing to
you collectively and individually my deep feelings of gratitude,
in seeing you all here to-day at a time of year when travelling
is neither easy nor pleasant, considering the distances which
you have had to come; and also for the kind response which you
have made to my appeal. It augurs well for the future, and I
feel convinced you will do all in your power to assist me in
making this Imperial Institute worthy of the name of our Queen
and of her Empire. The promotion of this scheme is with me a
labour of love, and it must, I am sure, strike you all that,
apart from wishing to do honour to the name of my beloved
mother, nobody is more desirous than I am that a monument, if I
may use the term, may be erected worthy of her Empire."

A public meeting was held the same day at the Mansion House, attended by a large number of the most influential men in the City. The Lord Mayor (Sir Reginald Hanson), Earl Granville, Mr. Plunket, M.P., Mr. Mundella, M.P., Mr. Goschen, M.P., and Lord Rothschild, were among the speakers, and resolutions were passed with an enthusiasm which gave good augury for the success of the Imperial Institute.

THE LONDON ORPHAN ASYLUM.

_March 12th, 1887._

The London Orphan Asylum, for the maintenance, clothing, and education of Fatherless Children, is one of the oldest and best charities of its class. The Prince of Wales presided at the Jubilee Festival, at the Hôtel Métropole, on the 12th of March, 1887. Among the numerous friends of the charity present were the Duke of Abercorn, the Earl of Clarendon, Sir Donald Stewart, Sir Dighton Probyn, and many distinguished men. The Prince, in giving the toast of "The Queen," said it was the first public dinner at which he had presided in the Jubilee year of the Queen, and this was also the jubilee of her connection with the London Orphan Asylum, of which she had been for fifty years its patron. The toast was received with more than usual enthusiasm.

Alderman Sir R. N. Fowler, M.P., in giving the next loyal toast said that the charity had been already deeply indebted to the Prince of Wales, who had, along with the Princess of Wales, laid the foundation stone of this Asylum at Watford.

Other loyal and patriotic toasts having been given, the Prince rose to propose the toast of the evening. He said:--

"My Lords and Gentlemen,--The London Orphan Asylum is an old
institution; it was founded in 1813, two years before the battle
of Waterloo; and it owed its origin to a distinguished
philanthropist of the time, Dr. Andrew Reed. Of course it began
on a very small scale, for the old proverb applied in this as in
so many other cases that you must cut your coat according to
your cloth. It commenced in the first year of its organization
with only three children; but in 1822 there were as many as 126
children in the school. Twenty years later there were as many as
326; twenty years later still there were 414; and now it affords
me the greatest pleasure to announce to you that we have upwards
of 500 children.

"The first subscription list contained the names of 255
subscribers, and among them was my grandfather. He was the first
patron and headed the list with 50 guineas; and in 1823 my
grand-uncle, the late Duke of York, laid the foundation stone of
the institution at Clapton; while two years later the late Duke
of Cambridge, who was always foremost in all great charitable
undertakings in this country, presided at its annual festival.
The institution continued to grow and more children had to be
admitted, until at last there was not sufficient room in the old
home. A new one was, therefore, instituted at Watford, and in
1869 the Princess and myself were asked to lay the foundation
stone of your present home. Having taken part in that ceremony,
it gives me much gratification to learn in what a flourishing
condition the institution now is, which is exemplified by the
presence of upwards of 500 in the home. And when I look at the
young ladies and the boys before us I think you will come to the
conclusion that the management of the institution is thoroughly
good. During the 74 years of the existence of the asylum
something over 5000 orphan children have been maintained,
clothed, and educated.

"The great Duke of Wellington took very great interest in the
institution, and I believe I am not wrong in stating that he
presided at its festivals on five different occasions. A
remarkable and very important fact in connection with the
institution is that those who have received education and aid
from the society are those who do all they can to give it
support at the present time, and part of the institution at
Watford was built by subscriptions of the old scholars, and I am
told that there are as many as ten old pupils of the institution
in one commercial house in the City, while many are present here
to-night who are prepared to give liberal donations. The
education they receive is a thoroughly sound and practical one,
and when they leave every effort is made to find them
situations, and they are sent out with proper clothing. As a
proof that it is managed on economical principles I need only
say that the cost per head in the past year amounted to little
over £30. The amount disbursed in the 74 years since its
foundation has reached the large sum of £700,000--all of this
large sum, with the exception of £1000 a year which you can rely
upon, having been derived from voluntary contributions.

"This year being the Jubilee of Her Majesty's reign the managers
are most anxious to mark the epoch in some manner which will
benefit the institution, and they have resolved to add 100
scholars, of whom 50 were admitted in January and 50 more will
be admitted in June. The cost of this will, undoubtedly, be very
great, the ultimate amount being between £18,000 and £20,000. I
am here, therefore, as your chairman, to ask you to contribute
as liberally as you can for the maintenance of this ancient and
most creditable institution. I am well aware that now and for
some years past there has been both agricultural and commercial
depression, but I feel convinced that in the cause of
charity--and what greater charity can there be than providing
for orphan children?--I shall not appeal in vain to my
countrymen to do all in their power as philanthropists to
support an institution which has been carried out on the best
and most economical principles."

The toast was drunk with much enthusiasm, and acknowledged by Mr. Capell (the treasurer). The total amount of the subscriptions announced during the evening was £5000, including an annual subscription of 20 guineas from the Queen and 100 guineas from the Prince of Wales.

When the foundation-stone was laid by the Prince and Princess of Wales, in 1869, 250 purses were laid on it, containing in all about £8000. For the chapel £5000 was given by one whose early days were spent in the Asylum. The Grocers' Company contributed £3000 to build one house; the Countess of Verulam and the Countess of Essex raised another sum of £3000, as a kind of welcome to the county. The income in 1887 was £15,000, but the invested funds give little more than £1000, so that there is constant need of new "voluntary contributions," to maintain the 550 orphans now in the houses.

THE COLLEGE OF PRECEPTORS.

_March 30th, 1887._

The associated teachers who, under the name of the College of Preceptors, have for above forty years laboured to raise the standard of middle-class education, deserve praise and honour for what they have accomplished. Without Government aid or grant, and unpatronized by dignitaries of Church or State, these learned and patriotic men have succeeded, by training teachers, establishing examinations, and granting certificates, in acquiring a reputation and influence now very generally recognized. Their work is truly of national importance, and this His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales declared when he readily assented to formally open the new building of the College, in Bloomsbury Square, on the 30th of March, 1887. This College is self-supporting, and the cost of the erection and equipment of the new building was defrayed out of savings that had accumulated in the hands of the treasurer during the previous seven years.

A very large number of persons interested in education assembled in the lecture-hall to witness the ceremony, among whom were Sir Lyon Playfair, Sir Richard Temple, Mr. Lyulph Stanley, the Dowager Lady Stanley of Alderley, the Presidents of several societies, and the Head Masters of Harrow, Charterhouse, and Merchant Taylors' Schools, of Marlborough and Dulwich Colleges, and of Christ's Hospital.

On the arrival of the Prince of Wales, accompanied by the Princess of Wales, and their daughters Princesses Victoria and Maud, an address was presented by the Rev. Dr. T. W. Jex-Blake, President of the Council. The Prince, in replying, said:--

"Dr. Jex-Blake, Ladies, and Gentlemen,--It gives the Princess of
Wales and myself great satisfaction to have been able to accede
to the request of the council, and to open the new building of
the College of Preceptors. I am reminded, by your reference to
the circumstances that this building is opened during the year
of the Queen's jubilee, of the many and important improvements
that have taken place in Her Majesty's dominions during the last
fifty years, and especially in the advancement of education
among all classes of the people, a share of which progress is
due to the excellent work undertaken by this self-supported
institution.

"For over forty years the College of Preceptors has exercised a
marked and growing influence for good upon the education given
in some of our endowed schools, and more particularly in the
numerous private schools for boys and girls which are an
important feature in the educational system of this country. The
value of your work is sufficiently shown by the high reputation
of your examinations and by the constantly increasing number of
your candidates, and I sincerely congratulate you on the results
you have achieved. In the further development of the work of
training teachers you have before you a future of great
usefulness, for there can be no doubt that the provision of
properly-trained teachers for middle and higher schools is
almost, if not quite, as necessary as for our public elementary
schools.

"The key of the building which you have presented to me I shall
retain as a memento of this ceremony, and in declaring this
building open I fervently hope that the influence and teaching
which will go forth from it may tend to improve and to raise to
a yet higher standard the education given in the private and
secondary schools of our country. I declare this building now
open."

The Royal party were afterwards conducted through the building, the arrangements of which are justly admired. The entrance corridor is wide and lofty. On one side of it there is a club-room for members, and on the other the secretary's and clerks' offices. The council-room is large and handsome, and the lecture-room occupies the whole of the second story, and is surrounded by book-cases capable of holding 10,000 volumes.

THE MANCHESTER EXHIBITION.

_May 3rd, 1887._

The great Exhibition at Manchester during the Queen's Jubilee year is too recent an event to need any remark prefatory to the statement that it was opened by the Prince and Princess of Wales on the 3rd of May, 1887. Their Royal Highnesses, who were guests at Tatton Hall, drove with Lord Egerton through the park to Knutsford, where they stopped to witness the crowning of the May Queen, and other old English May Day customs which have been revived in that quaint little town. The Prince gave the permission asked by the Committee to add the title of Royal to the Knutsford May Day Sports. They then travelled in a saloon carriage to Manchester, accompanied by Lady Sefton and Lord Egerton.

On arriving at the Town Hall an address was presented, to which the Prince read the following reply:--

"It gives me sincere pleasure to be permitted on behalf of the
Queen, my dear mother, to visit the city of Manchester for the
purpose of opening the extensive and interesting Exhibition
which the inhabitants of Manchester have organized with such
admirable zeal and energy, particularly as it is associated with
your congratulations on Her Majesty's attaining the fiftieth
year of her reign. In her name I thank you for your loyal and
dutiful address. It has been a source of much gratification to
the Queen to receive assurance of unfaltering attachment to her
throne and person from all parts of the Empire on the occasion.
The Princess of Wales and I desire to express our admiration of
the noble building which you have provided for the conduct of
your municipal affairs, and we think it worthy of the vast
wealth and importance of the city of Manchester. It gives us
great satisfaction to be able to promote and encourage all
charitable works and institutions designed for the social and
educational improvement of the community. We thank you for your
good wishes for the welfare of ourselves and our children, and
we hope that prosperity and happiness may ever attend on the
labours of the loyal and industrious inhabitants of this great
city."

The route of the procession from the Town Hall to the Exhibition was a very long one, being chosen by the Prince in preference to a shorter one submitted to him, on the ground that he would rather afford pleasure to a larger number of people than see the finer edifices on the shorter route. In the Palm House of the gardens luncheon was served, and then the opening ceremony took place in the nave of the building, in the position known as the Music Room. Mr. Hallé's orchestra was in front of the organ, and the National Anthem was performed with fine effect, the vocal rendering being also given by Madame Albani and the full chorus. The Bishop of Manchester offered prayer, and the choir sang the Old Hundredth Psalm. To the address read by Sir Joseph Lee, the Prince replied:--

"I receive with great satisfaction your address on the opening
of this large and instructive Exhibition. On behalf of Her
Majesty I declare it open from this day. The illustrations
which you have collected on engineering and chemical industry,
and the products of manufacture and useful toil, afford ample
testimony to the skill and ingenuity and steady perseverance of
the inhabitants of this district, and prove how justly they hold
a high and an honourable place in the industrial ranks of the
Empire. The collection of natural products and manufactures of
Ireland, and the gratifying display of English works of art, add
much to the interest and value of this Exhibition, in which I
recognise a worthy mark of your desire to do honour to an
occasion so auspicious as the celebration of the fiftieth year
of Her Majesty's reign. The Princess and I desire to thank you
heartily for your good wishes on our behalf, and for the cordial
welcome which you have given us."

The Prince, in the name of the Queen, declared the Exhibition open. A fanfare of trumpets was then given and a _feu de joie_ fired. The proceedings closed with a procession through the different departments, while the "Lobgesang" or "Hymn of Praise" was rendered by the full orchestra and chorus. At the Exhibition station a special train was waiting to take the Royal party back to Tatton Hall.

THE LONDON HOSPITAL NEW BUILDINGS.

_May 22nd, 1887._

The London Hospital has many and special claims on public sympathy and support. Its position, in Whitechapel, surrounded by poor and crowded parts of East London; its small endowments compared with some of the other great hospitals; the vast number of patients annually relieved, both in the house and as out-patients; and its being virtually a "free" hospital, nearly three-fourths of the in-patients being received without letter or recommendation; all these circumstances appeal to liberal charity. In 1887 there were 8863 in-patients admitted, of which 6019 were freely received, without letters of subscribers. There are children's wards where, during the same time, 1717 were admitted; and Hebrew wards, where 623 received treatment. The total number of out-patients, treated either at the Hospital or at their homes, was nearly 100,000, including relief given in less serious and protracted illness. The income from endowments is little more than £15,000 a year, while the annual cost of maintenance is £50,000. The Medical School is supported by the fees of pupils, but for the general maintenance of the Hospital appeal must be made to the public for voluntary subscriptions and contributions.

A Nursing Home, to accommodate 100 nurses, a new Library, and other buildings having been recently added, the Prince and Princess of Wales were invited by the Governors, of whom the Duke of Cambridge is President, to inaugurate these additions to the institution. This was done, with suitable ceremony, on Saturday, the 21st of May, 1887. The Princesses Louise and Victoria of Wales, and the Crown Prince of Denmark were also present. The Governors and officers of the Hospital, with many distinguished persons, were in attendance, and great interest was shown by the crowds of people who thronged the streets on the occasion. The Royal party visited several of the wards, where the Princess of Wales showed kindly sympathy with many of the poor patients, especially in the children's wards. On arriving at the dining-hall of the nurses and sisters, who wear a plain and tasteful uniform, a hymn was sung, and a prayer offered by the Bishop of Bedford, after which, at the request of the Duke of Cambridge, the Princess of Wales formally declared the Nursing Home to be open.

The Medical College was then visited, and in the new library an address was presented by the President. The Prince of Wales, in acknowledging the address, said:--

"Your Royal Highness and Gentlemen,--The Princess and myself
thank you for your address, and can assure you that we have much
pleasure in coming here to-day to open the nursing home and
college buildings of this important institution. The Hospital,
which is the largest civil one in the United Kingdom, which
contains 800 beds and which supplied medical and surgical
assistance to 80,000 out-patients last year, may be regarded
almost in the light of a national institution, as every
description of case, excepting those of an infectious or
incurable nature, is admitted. Such a Hospital cannot fail to be
of inestimable value to the population of over a million persons
residing in its vicinity, and especially to the labouring class,
who are so extensively employed in connection with the railways
and docks. But it has other and additional claims upon public
sympathy and assistance. First, although its annual expenditure
amounts to nearly £50,000, it is mainly supported by voluntary
contributions; secondly, it has undertaken the difficult task of
improving the system of nursing and of providing a higher class
of nurses, with better discipline and superior training and
instruction. To effect this object house accommodation was
essential, and instead of closely-packed dormitories the new
home provides separate rooms, a cheerful dining hall, and other
advantages, all tending to brighten the lives of the inmates,
while reserving for them the necessary quiet and rest.

"The new library and buildings which I am now about to declare
open belong to a college over 100 years old. It was the first in
the Metropolis in which a complete curriculum was established,
and being attached to the largest Hospital in the country, and
situated in the midst of the most populous artisan neighbourhood
in London, it offers greater facilities for the acquirement of
medical and surgical knowledge than perhaps any other college of
a scientific character. I understand that among the important
duties which the students perform are those of dressers,
clinical clerks, maternity pupils, and other assistants, and
from their number the resident officers are selected after
having become qualified practitioners. The Princess and I most
earnestly pray that every blessing may attend the labours and
efforts of all those who are working among the sufferers in the
Hospital, and you may rest assured that we shall always take the
warmest interest in the welfare and prosperity of your noble
institution."

Dr. Langdon Down, the senior physician, in thanking His Royal Highness on behalf of his colleagues and the students, explained that the new buildings did not diminish the funds of the Hospital, as a rent was paid for them by the teaching staff of the medical school. The Prince then declared the new buildings and the library to be open. The Duke of Cambridge then called for three cheers for the Prince and Princess, which were given with great heartiness, followed by "one cheer more for the Duke," who has always been a zealous and generous friend of the London Hospital.

DEACONESSES' INSTITUTION AND HOSPITAL AT TOTTENHAM.

_May 28th, 1887._

The object of the Deaconesses' Institution at Tottenham is "the training of Christian women to serve as deaconesses"--that is to say, as sisters trained for working, teaching, and nursing, without being subject to any obligation or vow of celibacy, as is usual in the sisterhoods of Roman Catholic communities. The training of nurses is one of the chief purposes sought, following in this the example of the celebrated institution of Kaiserwerth, where, under Pastor Fliedner, Florence Nightingale and other English as well as German nurses were trained. In fact the full title of the establishment at the Green, Tottenham, is the "Evangelical Protestant Deaconesses' Institution and Training Hospital." The Hospital contains 100 beds for the sick poor, and there are also a few private rooms for paying patients. Thousands of the poor are also attended every year in the neighbourhood.

From the commencement of the work, in 1867, the late Samuel Morley, M.P., took warm interest in it, and at his death two of his sons, Howard and Charles Morley, erected a new wing to the building, as a memorial of their father. It was to open the "Samuel Morley" memorial wing that the Princess of Wales, accompanied by the Prince and their three daughters, visited Tottenham on the 29th of May, 1887. A large number of persons were assembled, including deputations from foreign countries, Pastor Fliedner from Kaiserwerth, Pastor Nehmitz from Berlin, and other Pastors, Lady Superintendents, and Deaconesses from German and Danish institutions.

When the Royal party had been conducted to the marquee where the ceremony was to take place an address was read to the Princess of Wales by Dr. Laseron, the medical director. The Prince, in replying on behalf of the Princess, said:--

"Dr. Laseron, Ladies, and Gentlemen,--The Princess of Wales
desires me to express her sincerest thanks for the address which
has just been read to her, and to express to all who take an
interest in this institution the great pleasure and
gratification it affords her to take part in to-day's
proceedings. There can be, I am sure, nothing more noble or more
praiseworthy than an institution like this, in which women give
up their lives to the object of philanthropy in order to heal
and mitigate the sufferings of the sick. An institution like the
Deaconesses' Institution is one well worthy of the support of
all. I am sure that the proceeding of to-day, in opening a
fresh wing of this hospital, is a sincere gratification to the
Princess, and especially that it should be called after the name
of one whom I have had the privilege of knowing, and whom you
all knew, at any rate by name, and whose loss we must all deeply
deplore--the late Samuel Morley. I am sure no more fitting name
could be given to the new wing than that it should be called
after him who, with the members of his family--one of whom I am
glad to see here to-day--has contributed so much to the
prosperity of this institution. In the name of the Princess I
beg to express to you the pleasure it gives us to be present
here to-day."

Purses were then presented to the Princess by many girls, as gifts to the funds, and Dr. Laseron handed to her Royal Highness a key to unlock the new wing. The Royal party were then conducted to the hall, where the Princess unveiled the "Samuel Morley Tablet," bearing an inscription commemorative of the occasion.

THE FREEMASONS AND THE QUEEN'S JUBILEE.

_June 13th, 1887._

Her Gracious Majesty being the chief patroness of the Order of Freemasons, and of the Masonic charities, it was deemed fitting that an address should be presented to her on the occasion of her Jubilee. Accordingly, the Prince of Wales, with the Duke of Connaught and Prince Albert Victor, and a vast company of officers and members of the Order, representatives chosen by lodges in different parts of the empire, assembled in the Royal Albert Hall on the 13th of June, 1887. The number present was about 7000. No such scene has been witnessed since that day, twelve years before, when the Prince was installed as Grand Master of English Freemasons. The procession which received the Grand Master and conducted him to the throne was a magnificent affair. The assemblage, we are told, although "tyled," was not held as a lodge. The business of the meeting being opened, his Royal Highness the Grand Master said:--

"Brethren,--This is, I think, one of the greatest gatherings of
Freemasons I have ever seen, with the exception of the occasion
when, after election by the craft, I received the honour of
installation as your Grand Master. It is most gratifying to me,
as I feel sure it will be to the Queen, that so large a
gathering has assembled here to-day to do her honour on the
fiftieth anniversary of her reign--the Jubilee of her accession.
This gathering will be a proof to her, as it is also to me, of
the great devotion and loyalty of the craft to the Throne--a
devotion and loyalty which have ever animated the Free and
Accepted Masons of England. We are here, brethren, as you are
aware, for the purpose of moving an address to the Queen,
congratulating her upon having attained the fiftieth anniversary
of her reign. You are well aware that my ancestors--some of them
former Sovereigns of this nation--did much in support of
Freemasonry, and, though they well knew it to be a secret
society, they were well assured that it was in no wise a
dangerous one. Among our tenets of motives 'loyalty' and
'philanthropy' stand out prominently, and we are proud of the
fact. I assure you, brethren, that it is most gratifying to me
to receive so large, important, and influential a gathering as
this to-day, and I am rejoiced that in the many events which are
to be the signs of the people's rejoicing at the Jubilee of the
Queen, this meeting, at the Royal Albert Hall, of the Free and
Accepted Masons of England will be first on the list. I will now
call upon Grand Secretary, Colonel Shadwell E. Clerke, to read
the proposed address, and then our worshipful brother the Earl
of Carnarven will move its adoption."

The Address and the Speech were on the same lines as most of the Jubilee addresses, but of course with special reference to the loyalty and the devotion of Freemasons. The great company having chanted the National Anthem, the ceremony of giving Jubilee honours was performed, among the numerous recipients of which were the Maharajah of Kuch-Behar, the Lord Mayor of London, Sir Francis Knollys, Sir Philip Cunliffe Owen, and Sir Charles Warren.

The Grand Master announced that the amount paid by the members that day amounted to upwards of £6000, the whole of which would go to the Masonic charities for children and the aged, under the rules of the Order.

THE SHAFTESBURY HOUSE.

_June 17th, 1887._

The Prince and Princess of Wales, accompanied by Prince George and Princess Louise of Wales, went on the 17th of June, 1887, to lay the foundation stone of a central building for the "National Refuges for Homeless and Destitute Children." There are many institutions in London for similar objects, but this charity is one of old standing, and one of the most important and best. It was established in 1843 under the patronage of Lord Shaftesbury, in Great Queen Street. The income of the Society was only £180 in the first year, and all that could be attempted was to shelter and teach a few poor children in a "Ragged School," open two evenings a week. The efforts of Mr. W. Williams, the Secretary, and zealous coadjutors, were successful in gradually increasing the operations of the Society, till, in the year of the Queen's Jubilee, the Committee had the satisfaction of managing seven industrial homes, in town and country, with more than 1000 children, and two training ships, the _Chichester_ and the _Arethusa_, with an annual income of about £20,000. The good work in its various departments continues to prosper. All this and more was stated in an address by the Earl of Jersey, Chairman of the Reception Committee. Among the friends of the Society who had witnessed its progress, and helped it from the beginning, was Mr. John MacGregor, the founder of the Shoe-black Brigade, and the chief helper of the Secretary in bringing the _Chichester_ to its high excellence as a training-ship.

The ceremony was performed in a tent erected on the site of the new Home, in Shaftesbury Avenue, close to the once notorious Seven Dials. The building is intended to provide shelter for 100 homeless boys, a home for 35 working lads, a club for "old boys" trained in the institution, and the central offices of the Society. After the address had been read, the Prince of Wales thus spoke:--

"Lord Jersey, Ladies, and Gentlemen,--In thanking you for the
address which you have just read, allow me to express to you,
and to this great assemblage, the very great gratification it
gives both the Princess and myself to be here to-day, to take
part in so interesting and what I may also call a most important
ceremony. You are well aware of the deep interest and solicitude
we take with regard to all classes of the community in this
great Metropolis, but we claim that we take especial interest in
what concerns the well-being and the welfare of the working
classes and of the poor of London. It is therefore a great
gratification to us that I should be afforded the opportunity
to-day of laying the foundation stone of a home to be called
'The Jubilee Memorial Home,' in commemoration of the fiftieth
year of the Queen's reign, and, at the same time, I rejoice to
think that this building is to be named 'The Shaftesbury House,'
as a memorial of the great and distinguished philanthropist
whose loss we must always and shall ever deeply deplore. Most
sincerely do we hope that this home may be the means of bringing
many of those waifs and strays always existing in so great a
metropolis as ours; we trust, too, that they may have such an
education and training that, as they grow older, they may be
able to go out into the world honest and respectable citizens,
and have an opportunity of gaining their livelihood. I thank you
again, Lord Jersey, for this address, and assure you that it
gives us the greatest pleasure to be here to-day."

The stone was then well and truly laid, and his Royal Highness was presented with the trowel. A paper was laid by the Prince upon the stone, and Lord Jersey announced the gift of £50 from his Royal Highness, £30 from Sir Robert Carden, and other donations. "God bless the Prince of Wales," and the "National Anthem" were then chanted. The Royal party left amidst enthusiastic cheering. A large number of the boys from the country homes were present, and from the training-ships in their sailor costumes.

CONSECRATION OF TRURO CATHEDRAL.

_November 3rd, 1887._

The foundation stone of Truro Cathedral was laid in 1879 by the Prince of Wales, with Masonic ceremony. He was accompanied by the Princess of Wales, Prince Albert Victor, and Prince George. The Prince was again asked to be present at the Consecration, when the building was completed. The ceremony took place on the 3rd of November, 1887. On arriving at the station, the Mayor of Truro presented an Address, to which the Prince thus replied:--

"I thank you for your loyal address and for the kind words with
which you receive me on this memorable occasion. It affords me
the most unfeigned satisfaction to be able to attend the great
religious service which is held here to-day, and to be present
at the consummation of the important ceremony in which I took a
leading part more than seven years ago. The interest which the
Duchess of Cornwall and I have felt in the progress of the work
has continued unabated since that period, and she commissions me
to assure you how deep is her regret and disappointment that
unavoidable causes prevent her from accompanying me to the
consecration of the first Protestant cathedral erected in
England since St. Paul's in London. I join most heartily in the
expression of your hopes that the western part of the building
may ere long be completed, and I trust that circumstances will
then allow me once more to visit a town which can boast of
having been mentioned in Domesday Book 800 years ago. Let me in
conclusion, gentlemen, express my warm acknowledgments to you
for the loyal and cordial terms in which you allude to the Queen
and the Duchess of Cornwall."

The Archbishop of Canterbury, the predecessor of the present Bishop, and a large number of the Episcopal body, with many of the clergy and laity of the diocese, were present in the Cathedral. The service, including the administration of the Holy Communion, occupied nearly four hours. After the service the Prince drove to the Truro Public Rooms, where about four hundred of the principal residents of Cornwall assembled for luncheon, Lord St. Germans, Lord Lieutenant of the County, presiding.

The noble Chairman, after proposing the toast of "The Queen," gave that of "Their Royal Guest," who, he trusted, felt at home in his ancient Duchy. The Prince, in reply, said:--