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

An address having been delivered by the Lord Chancellor, Lord Selborne, Chairman of the Committee of the Institute, the Prince of Wales delivered the following speech, which more clearly presents the whole subject, and brings out its national importance: —

"My Lord Chancellor, my Lords, Ladies, and Gentlemen, – I thank you for your address, and beg leave to assure you that it gives me much satisfaction to attend here to-day to lay the foundation stone of an institution which gives such forcible expression to one of the most important needs in the education of persons who are destined to take part in the productive history of this country.

"Hitherto English teaching has chiefly relied on training the intellectual faculties, so as to adapt men to apply their intelligence in any occupation of life to which they may be called; and this general discipline of the mind has on the whole been found sufficient until recent times; but during the last thirty years the competition of other nations, even in manufactures which once were exclusively carried on in this kingdom, has been very severe. The great progress that has been made in the means of locomotion as well as in the application of steam for the purposes of life has distributed the raw materials of industry all over the world, and has economized time and labour in their conversion to objects of utility. Other nations which did not possess in such abundance as Great Britain coal, the source of power, and iron, the essence of strength, compensated for the want of raw material by the technical education of their industrial classes, and this country has, therefore, seen manufactures springing up everywhere, guided by the trained intelligence thus created. Both in Europe and in America technical colleges for teaching, not the practice, but the principles of science and art involved in particular industries, had been organized in all the leading centres of industry.

"England is now thoroughly aware of the necessity for supplementing her educational institutions by colleges of a like nature. Most of our great manufacturing towns have either started or have already erected their colleges of science and art. In only a few instances, however, have they become developed into schools for systematic technical instruction. This building, which is to be erected by the City and Guilds of London, will be of considerable benefit to the whole kingdom, not only as an example of the institute devoting itself to technical training, but as a focus likewise for uniting the different technical schools in the Metropolis already in existence, and a central establishment also to which promising students from the provinces may, by the aid of scholarships, he brought to benefit by the superior instruction which London can command. While studying at your institution, they will have the further advantages that the treasures of the South Kensington Museum and the numerous collections in the City may bring to bear on the artistic and scientific education of future manufacturers.

"Let me remind you that the realization of this idea was one of the most cherished objects which my lamented father had in view. After the Exhibition of 1851, he recognized the need of technical education in the future, and he foresaw how difficult it would be in London to find space for such museums and colleges as those which now surround the spot on which we stand. It is, therefore, to me a peculiar pleasure that the Commissioners of the Exhibition, of which I am the President, have been able to contribute to your present important undertaking, by giving to you the ground upon which the present college is to be erected, with a sufficient reserve of land to insure its future development.

"Allow me, in conclusion, to express the great satisfaction which I experience in seeing the ancient guilds of the City of London so warmly co-operating in the advancement of technical instruction. I am aware that several of them have for some time past in various ways separately encouraged the study of science and art in the Metropolis, as well as in the provinces; and it is a noble effort on their part when they join together to establish a united institute with the view of making still greater and more systematic endeavours for the promotion of this branch of special education. By consenting at your request to become the President of this Institute I hope it may be in my power to benefit the good work, and that our joint exertions, aided, I trust, by the continued liberality of the City and Guilds of London, may prove to be an example to the rest of the country to train the intelligence of industrial communities, so that, with the increasing competition of the world, England may retain her proud pre-eminence as a manufacturing nation."

After this address, the ceremony of laying the foundation stone was completed. A medal to commemorate the event had previously been struck at the Royal Mint.

It is stated in the Times of October 20th, 1888, that "in the last ten years several of the Companies, in conjunction with the City Corporation, have together given something like a quarter of a million to the City Guilds of London Institute – the amount including gifts of £46,000 from the Goldsmiths, of £43,000 from the Drapers, of £37,000 from the Clothworkers, of £34,000 from the Fishmongers, of £22,000 from the Mercers, of £10,000 from the Grocers, and of £11,000 from the City Corporation. Besides this, to mention the more salient examples, the Drapers have given some £60,000 to the People's Palace, the Goldsmiths have promised an annuity of £2,500, equivalent to a capital sum of £85,000, to the New Cross Technical Institute, the Mercers propose to devote £60,000 to the establishment of an agricultural college in Wiltshire, and the Shipwrights' Company is taking the lead in a movement for the formation of a college of shipbuilding in connection with a Technical Institute at the East-end."

Besides all this, the people of South London are preparing to establish three Technical Institutes, with the help of the Charity Commissioners; and, if possible, to secure the Albert Palace for a Battersea Institute. A similar movement has begun in North London. These local Technical Schools are independent of the City Guilds of London Institute at Kensington, but the impulse was given by its establishment.

THE INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL CONGRESS

August 3rd, 1881

THE seventh meeting of the International Medical Congress was formally opened by the Prince of Wales, on the 3rd of August, 1881. It was the first time the Congress had been held in England. The great room of St. James's Hall was nearly filled, 3000 members being present. No lady practitioners were admitted, although at least 25 women, practising medicine, were then on the English Medical Register, and a protest against the decision of the Council had been signed by 43 duly qualified medical women. At previous meetings of the Congress in foreign countries women were not excluded.

The Prince of Wales, on his arrival, was received by Sir W. Jenner, Sir William Gull, Sir James Paget, Sir J. Risdon Bennett, and other members of the Committee. The Honorary Secretary having read the report of the Executive Committee, the Prince of Wales, who was accompanied by the Crown Prince of Prussia, the late Emperor "Frederick the Noble," rose and said: —

"Your Imperial Highness and Gentlemen, – I gladly complied with the request that I should be patron of the International Medical Congress of 1881, and among many reasons for so doing was my conviction that few things can tend more to the welfare of mankind than that educated men of all nations should from time to time meet together for the promotion of the branches of knowledge to which they devote themselves. The intercourse and the mutual esteem of nations have often been advanced by great international exhibitions, and I look back with pleasure to those with which I have been connected; but when conferences are held among those who in all parts of the world apply themselves to the study of science, even greater international benefits may, I think, be confidently anticipated, more especially in the study of medicine and surgery, for in these the effects of climate and of national habits must give to the practitioners of each nation opportunities, not only of acquiring knowledge, but of imparting knowledge to those of their confrères whom they meet in Congress.

"I venture to think, gentlemen, that the Executive Committee have acted wisely in instituting sections for the discussion of a very wide range of subjects, including not only the sciences on which medical knowledge is founded, but many of its most practical applications, and I am very happy to see that so great scope will be granted for the discussion of important questions relating to the public health, to the cure of the sick in hospitals and in the houses of the poor, and to the welfare of the Army and Navy. The devotion with which many members of the medical profession readily share the dangers of climate and the fatigues and dangers of war, and the many risks which must be encountered in the study of means, not only for the remedy, but for the prevention of disease, deserves the warmest acknowledgment from the public.

"I have great satisfaction in believing, in seeing this crowded hall, that I may already regard the Congress as successful in having attracted a number never hitherto equalled of medical men from all parts of this kingdom, as well as from every country in Europe, from the United States, and from other parts of the world. The list of officers of the Congress, including as it does the names of those distinguished in every branch of medical science, shows how heartily the proposal to hold the meeting in London has been received. I think it speaks well for the good feeling of the profession that there should have been so warm a response to the invitations. How cordially the proposal has been received may be seen not only in the large number of visitors, but in the fact that they include a large proportion of those who enjoy a high reputation not only in their own countries, but throughout the world. I sincerely congratulate the reception committee on this good promise of complete success, and I trust that at the close of the Congress they will feel rewarded for the labour they have bestowed upon it. The report which the secretary-general, Mr. MacCormack, has read will have explained how great have been his labours. He will hereafter he well repaid, and I am sure Mr. MacCormack is sensible that he will be recompensed even for his great exertions by the assurance that the progress of the important science of medicine has been materially promoted, for any addition to the knowledge of medicine must always be followed by an increase in the happiness of mankind."

There was general cheering at the close of the speech, and Sir James Paget, as President of the Congress, then read the inaugural address; after which the meeting resolved itself into sections for special subjects. Professor Virchow, of Berlin, delivered an address in German at one of the sections.

MEMORIAL TO DEAN STANLEY

December 13th, 1881

In the ancient Chapter-house, Westminster Abbey, a meeting was held on the 13th of December, 1881, for promoting a scheme for raising a fitting memorial to the lamented Dean Stanley. The Very Rev. Dr. Bradley, the new Dean, presided, and was supported by the Prince of Wales, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Marquis of Salisbury, Earl Granville, the Duke of Westminster, and many eminent persons in Church and State. There were also some ladies, and the representatives of Working Men's Clubs and Institutes, the purpose being to honour the memory of Dean Stanley, not merely as a high ecclesiastic, but as the helper of many good and beneficent objects in social life. The proposed tribute was to take the form first of a monumental memorial in the Abbey to the Dean, and also to his wife, Lady Augusta Stanley, and to establish a Home for Training Nurses at Westminster, an object in which Lady Augusta had taken deep interest. The present meeting, however, was only to set on foot the movement, and the first resolution was: "That the genius, the character, and the public services of the late Dean of Westminster eminently entitle him to a national memorial." This was moved by the Prince of Wales, who said: —

"Mr. Dean, my Lords, and Gentlemen, – In proposing the first resolution, which has been committed to my care, I desire to express the very sincere pleasure, though I must call it the sad pleasure, which I feel in being asked to move this resolution. I do so with feelings of sorrow, owing to the long friendship and acquaintance which I had with the late Dean of Westminster; and yet with pleasure, as I have the satisfaction of proposing to you a national memorial to which I am convinced the late Dean was so thoroughly entitled. The loss which the death of that eminent man has caused to this, and, I may say also, to other countries, is indeed great. That loss was deeply felt by my beloved mother the Queen, who bore for the late Dean the greatest possible friendship and affection, and also by all the members of her family.

"If I may be allowed to speak about myself, I had the great advantage of knowing most intimately Arthur Stanley for a period of twenty-two years. Not only had I the advantage of being his pupil during my residence at the University of Oxford, but I was also his fellow-traveller in the East when we visited Egypt and the Holy Land together; and I am not likely to forget the charm of his companionship and all the knowledge that he imparted to me during that tour. The many virtues and many great qualities of the Dean are so well known to all of you, and are so well appreciated throughout the length and breadth of the land, that it is almost superfluous in me, and would be almost out of taste, were I now to go through the long list of all that he has done from the day in which his name came into prominence. Still, as the churchman, as the scholar, as the man of letters, as the philanthropist, and, above all, as the true friend, his name must always go down to posterity as a great and good man, and as one who will have made his mark on the chapter of his country's history. To all classes he felt alike – to rich and poor, to high and low – he was, I may say, the friend of all; and it is most gratifying on this occasion to see here present the representatives of all classes of the community, and especially of the great labouring class to whom he was so devoted, and who, I think, owe him so much.

"It is also deeply gratifying, I am sure, to the Dean and those who take a deep interest in this meeting that we have the advantage of the presence to-day of the Minister of the United States. As I was saying, not only was the late Dean appreciated and looked up to in this country and in Europe, but also by that kindred country across the Atlantic to which he so lately paid a visit, and where we know that he received so much kindness and hospitality. I heard from his own lips on his return from America the expression of the great gratification he derived from his visit, and of the hope – of what, alas! was not to be – that he might on some future occasion be able to repeat it.

"There is much more that I should wish to say in regard to one whom I so deeply deplore, and to whom I bore so great an affection. But I am sure it is not the object of this meeting to make long speeches, and as many speakers have to follow me, I will only again express the gratification I feel in being here to propose the resolution which I now have the honour of bringing before you."

The resolution was seconded by Earl Granville. The Hon. J. Russell Lowell bore testimony to the honour in which the memory of Dean Stanley was held in America, and said he felt sure that many of his countrymen would be delighted, as some already had done, to share the privilege of helping this memorial.

The Archbishop of Canterbury (Dr. Tait) moved the next resolution, as to the placing of the recumbent statue in the Abbey, and also completing the windows in the Chapter-house, in accordance with plans proposed and partly executed by the Dean. After speeches by the Marquis of Salisbury, Mr. S. Morley. M.P., the Marquis of Lorne, and Lord Chief Justice Coleridge, Mr. Gardiner, representing the Working Men's Club and Institute Union, spoke of the constant efforts of the late Dean to help and elevate the classes who lived by manual labour. He was President of their Union, and he was honoured by the working men of Westminster and London.

RIFLE VOLUNTEERS

March 1st, 1882

The 21st anniversary dinner of the Civil Service Volunteers, on the 1st of March, 1882, at Willis's Rooms, was presided over by the Prince of Wales, honorary Colonel of the Corps. In replying to the toast of his health, proposed by the Duke of Manchester, the Prince said: —

"My Lords and Gentlemen and Brother Volunteers, – For the kind manner in which the Duke of Manchester has proposed this toast, and for the cordial welcome given to it by you, gentlemen and brother Volunteers, allow me to return you my most sincere thanks. I can assure you that it affords me great satisfaction to preside here to-night on what I may call the twenty-second anniversary of the existence of this regiment. The twenty-first anniversary of the Rifle Volunteers was celebrated last year, and it will, I am sure, not be forgotten through the length and breadth of the land that the Queen reviewed the English Volunteers in Windsor Park in the summer, and the Scotch Volunteers afterwards at Edinburgh.

"I remember, gentlemen, as though it were only yesterday, when I was an undergraduate at the University of Oxford in 1859, the commencement of the Volunteer movement. I remember the interest which all the townspeople of Oxford took in that movement, and also the interest it excited among the undergraduates. I confess I thought at that time, and many others shared my opinion, that to a certain extent the commencement of that movement was an inclination on the part of the citizens of our country to play at soldiers. Many thought that the movement would not last. However, I am glad to find, as you all will have been equally glad to find, that we were entirely mistaken in that opinion. Twenty-two years ago, when, I may say, the movement had begun to ripen, I am not wrong, I think, in stating that the number of Volunteers was very nearly 100,000 men. The force has since gone through certain vicissitudes, but I think I may say that at the present moment it never was in a more flourishing condition, and it now numbers not far short of 200,000 men. Most sincerely do I hope that the occasion may not arise when their services might be required for the defence of their country, but I feel convinced that, should that occasion ever arise, the Rifle Volunteers of the United Kingdom will go to the front and stand to their guns in every sense of the word.

"One great inducement to join the force has been, I think, the Wimbledon camp and rifle shooting, and I feel convinced that in no country are there better rifle shots than in this, and few better than in the Volunteer force. No doubt a great stimulus has been given to that force by their being called on to take part in manœuvres, reviews, and sham fights, and of late years from their being frequently brigaded with regular troops. I am sure there is nothing they like better, and I am sure that for the Regular Army, as well as for the Militia, it is most desirable this should continue.

"With regard to this regiment with which my name has been now associated for twenty-two years, I can only say that from all the accounts I have heard it is in a high state of efficiency. Since the time of their formation in 1860, 2177 men have passed through their ranks, and last year the regiment had a strength of 518 men. Nearly all their officers, I believe, have passed through the school, and attained the distinction of the letter P in the Army List – a distinction of which I know they are justly proud. I had an opportunity of reviewing them in 1863 in London, and again at Wimbledon in 1870; I saw them at the Review at Windsor last year, and I sincerely hope, if it may not be inconvenient to those members of the corps who have so many avocations, to see them before many weeks are over at the Review at Portsmouth.

"Gentlemen, let me thank you also for the kind way in which you have received the name of the Princess of Wales and the names of my brothers and my sons. I am happy to be able to announce to you that I received a telegram just before dinner informing me of the arrival of the Bacchante at Suez. My sons are now, therefore, rapidly approaching the termination of their cruise, which has been round the world. I thank you once more for your kind reception of me to-night, and it affords me the greatest pleasure now to propose the toast of 'Prosperity to the Civil Service Rifle Volunteers,' coupled with the name of your Colonel, Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Bury. I know that in his presence it would be disagreeable to him if I were to mete out any praise which I feel is his due, but I know how much he has at heart the prosperity and the efficiency of his regiment, and, being now the oldest serving Lieutenant-Colonel in the Volunteer force, that you would all deeply regret the day when he should leave you. I call upon you, and upon the distinguished guests here to-night, to drink prosperity to the regiment, and couple the toast with the name of Lord Bury."

Viscount Bury, in responding to the toast, said that in looking at the first list of the officers of the regiment, he found only three names of those now in active service, those of His Royal Highness, of himself, and Major Mills. About 350 members of the corps sat down to dinner on this, its 21st anniversary. The Duke of Portland, Lord Elcho, now the Earl of Wemyss, Colonel Loyd-Lindsay, Colonel Grenfell, Governor of the Bank of England, Colonel Du Plat Taylor, and many veterans of the Force, were present.

BRITISH GRAVES IN THE CRIMEA

March 10th, 1883

Attention had from time to time been directed, by reports of travellers and others, to the neglected state of the burial-places in the Crimea, and the ruinous condition of monumental memorials over the graves. An allowance of £90 a year had been made by the Government for maintaining the different cemeteries, but this was utterly insufficient for the purpose. The Consul-General at Odessa had recently reported that there were at least eleven graveyards or cemeteries scattered between Balaclava and Sebastopol, and there were many others in different places where the dead had been laid. The scandal of neglect was so great that the Duke of Cambridge called a meeting at the United Service Institution, Whitehall, to consider what ought to be done. A large number of distinguished men, including many of those who had passed through the Crimean War, responded to the invitation, and letters were received from others throughout the country who were unable to be present.

The Duke of Cambridge made a clear statement of the condition of affairs, and mentioned various suggestions for putting a stop to the desecration of the burial-places, and for preserving the memorials from further injury. The Prince of Wales had come to the meeting, and as he had seen the places referred to, during his Eastern travels, he was asked by the Chairman to move the first resolution, which was to the effect that immediate steps should be taken to remedy the existing state of the Crimean graves.

The Prince, who was warmly received, rose, and said:

"Your Royal Highness, my Lords, and Gentlemen, – I was not aware until I arrived in this room that I should be called upon to move the first resolution. But I need hardly tell you the great interest the subject we are discussing here to-day has for me, and the great pleasure it gives me to propose the following resolution: – 'That the present condition of the British cemeteries in the Crimea is not creditable to this country, and that endeavours should be made to raise the necessary funds to have them restored, and to preserve them from further desecration.' In 1869 I had occasion to visit the Crimea, and to go over all those spots so familiar to most of the gentlemen I see opposite me, who took a part in the campaign. And it was a matter of particular interest to me to visit those different spots where our brave soldiers were buried. I confess that it was with deep regret that I saw the manner in which the tombs were kept. The condition of the graves was not creditable to us, and not creditable to a great country like ours, for I am sure we are the very first to do honour to the dead who fought in the name of their country.