Part 5 (1/2)
Meanwhile, on July 23rd, the Prince had visited London in order to unveil a statue of George Peabody, the distinguished American philanthropist. At the ceremony Sir Benjamin Phillips, Chairman of the Committee, addressed the Prince formally and thus concluded: ”Let us hope that this statue, erected by the sons of free England to the honour of one of Columbia's truest and n.o.blest citizens, may be symbolical of the peace and good will that exist between the two countries.” In replying His Royal Highness spoke of Mr Peabody as a great American citizen and of his gift of over a quarter of a million pounds sterling to the charities of a country not his own, as being unexampled, and concluded as follows: ”Be a.s.sured that the feelings which I personally entertain toward America are the same as they ever were. I can never forget the reception which I had there nine years ago and my earnest wish and hope is that England and America may go hand in hand in peace and prosperity.” Following the example of King William IV., when Duke of Clarence, and of the late Dukes of Kent, Suss.e.x and Cambridge, the Prince of Wales presided on November 30th at the anniversary banquet of the Scottish Corporation--or as it was popularly called the Scottish Hospital--in order to mark his approval of an inst.i.tution which had done much to a.s.sist, by means of pensions, poor and aged natives of Scotland living in London; to afford temporary relief to Scotchmen in distress; or to educate poor Scottish children. On this occasion there was a large gathering which included Prince Christian and the Duke of Roxburghe and, after a speech from the Prince describing the objects and work of the inst.i.tution, it was announced that $12,500 had been specially subscribed to the purposes of the Hospital--including $500 from the Prince of Wales himself.
Exhibitions, in the years between his coming of age and his accession to the Throne, were always favourite objects of attention and support at the hands of Heir Apparent. He had already studied closely his father's conduct of the first great International Exhibition, and had himself opened one of the same kind at Dublin, and been present at an International Reformatory gathering and at the Paris Exhibition. On April 4th, 1870, he presided at a meeting of the Society of Arts called to promote an International Educational Exhibition for the succeeding year. Resolutions were pa.s.sed to this end, and after an explanatory speech from His Royal Highness and, it may be added here, the Exhibition was duly opened on May 1st, 1871, by the Prince of Wales, with imposing pageantry and with details worked out by his a.s.sistant in various future undertakings Sir Philip Cunliffe-Owen. On May 16, 1870, the Prince presided at the annual banquet of the Royal General Theatrical Fund, established as far back as 1839, for the relief and a.s.sistance of members, and of widows and orphans of members, of the dramatic profession. During the evening, after a speech from the Royal chairman, Mr. Buckstone, the well-known actor, spoke in warm words of the kindness of the Prince in attending their function: ”The duties he has to perform are so numerous and fatiguing that we only wonder how he gets through them all. Even within these few days he has held a Levee; on Sat.u.r.day last he patronized a performance at Drury Lane in aid of the Dramatic College; then had to run away to Freemasons' Hall to be present at the installation of the Grand Master; and now we find him in the chair this evening; so what with _conversaziones_, laying foundation stones, opening schools, and other calls upon his little leisure, I think he may be looked upon as one of the hardest working men in Her Majesty's dominions.” This was a fact or condition not recognized very generally in those days; in after years it became a truism in popular opinion.
St. George's Hospital received the combined patronage of the Prince and Princess on May 26th. The former occupied the chair and made an earnest appeal for aid to this most deserving inst.i.tution. The Earl of Cadogan, who was one of the Treasurers, announced a little later in the evening that the Prince of Wales had handed him a check for two hundred guineas, the Princess one for fifty guineas, and the Marquess of Westminster--afterwards the first Duke of that name--one for two hundred guineas. Amongst the other speakers on this occasion were Earl Granville, the Earl of Derby, the Earl of Carnarvon and Mr. W. H. Smith, M.P. On June 21st, His Royal Highness opened a new building in connection with Dulwich College in Surrey; nine days later he and the Princess opened new schools for the children of seamen near the London Docks; on July 1st they visited in state the ancient town of Reading and laid the foundation stone of a new Grammar School. A week later the Prince had the congenial task of giving the Albert gold medal of the Society of Arts to M. de Lesseps. As President of the Society he addressed the father of the Suez Ca.n.a.l, in French, and congratulated him upon the completion of his great undertaking, not only in a public capacity, but ”as a personal friend.” In his reply, M. de Lesseps said that he had received much private encouragement from the late Prince Consort in the early stages of his enterprise, and that he could never forget that fact. It may be added here that the presentation of this Medal was always a peculiar pleasure to the Prince of Wales, and that amongst those in after years who received it at his hands were Sir Henry Bessemer, M. Chevalier and Sir Henry Doulton.
On July 13th His Royal Highness, on behalf of the Queen, and accompanied by the Princess Louise and the grand officers of the Household, opened with elaborate ceremony the new Thames Embankment. Three days later he opened the Workmen's International Exhibition at Islington in the name of the Queen. During this year the war between France and Germany caused the Prince and his family keen interest and many natural anxieties. He arranged for a special telegraph service so that news might reach him at once and took an active part in a.s.sociations and subscription lists for aid to the wounded on both sides. The Royal family had such close relations with that of Prussia through the Princess Royal and with that of France through long personal friends.h.i.+p with the Emperor and Empress that the position of individual members, like the Heir Apparent, and his wife could be easily understood.
The Royal Albert Hall of Arts and Sciences was opened with stately and imposing ceremony by the Queen on March 29th, 1871. When Her Majesty, accompanied by the Princess of Wales and other members of the Royal family, had taken her place on the dais of a Hall containing eight thousand people and an orchestra of twelve hundred persons, under Sir Michael Costa, the Prince of Wales advanced and, as President of the Provisional Committee, detailed the origin and history of the project.
He then, after receiving a formal reply, declared the Hall open in the name of the Queen. On May 7th, following, the Prince presided at a dinner in aid of the Artists' Orphan Fund and, after explaining its useful objects, expressed the wish that further contributions would be offered for the purpose in view. At the close of the affair the Treasurer announced subscriptions to the amount of $60,000, of which a check for $525 was from the Royal chairman. The Earlswood Asylum for Idiots was again visited by the Prince on May 17th, when he presided at the anniversary dinner of the inst.i.tution in London and explained its continued progress. Subscriptions of $21,000 were announced, of which $525 were given by the Prince. The same result followed his chairmans.h.i.+p of a dinner in aid of the Farningham Homes for Little Boys on June 2nd.
He pointed out that the inst.i.tution was still in need despite a recent anonymous contribution of $5000. Before the close of the evening some $17,000 had been subscribed, including $750 from His Royal Highness.
Such incidents, often repeated, indicate better than many words the value attached to the Prince's presence and support of deserving charities, and they also afford some proof of the generous expenditure of his private means for public benefit. On June 28th, the Prince acted as Chairman of the anniversary festival of the Royal Caledonian Asylum in London. There were three hundred and fifty guests present, mostly in Highland costume, and amongst them were Prince Arthur and the Duke of Cambridge, the Dukes of Buccleuch and Richmond, the Marquess of Lorne and Marquess of Huntly, the Earls of Fife, Mar, and March.
On July 31st His Royal Highness again paid a visit to Dublin. He was accompanied by the Princess Louise, the Marquess of Lorne, and the young Prince Arthur--better known in later years as the Duke of Connaught. An address was presented at Kingstown by the Lord Mayor and Corporation and, on the following day, the Royal visitors witnessed a cricket match, lunched with the officers of the Grenadier Guards and inspected the cattle, horses, and sheep of the Royal Agricultural Society's annual show. In the evening the Prince of Wales presided at a great banquet of four hundred and fifty guests, with galleries thronged with ladies. He made several brief speeches and a particularly happy one in proposing the health of Earl Spencer, the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland. A series of engagements and entertainments followed, amongst which were a brilliant military review in Phoenix Park and the installation of the Prince as Grand Patron of the Masonic Inst.i.tution in Ireland. This was the last important event taken part in by His Royal Highness before the serious illness which, a little later, so greatly stirred the nation and affected himself.
CHAPTER VI.
Travels in the East
Before he came to the Throne the Prince of Wales had long been the most travelled man in Europe. He had visited every Court and capital and centre upon that Continent; he had toured the North American Continent from the capital of Canada to the capital of the United States and from the historic heights of Quebec to the great western centre at Chicago; he had visited the most noted lands of the distant East.
FROM EUROPE TO AFRICA
In 1862, his first visit to Egypt and the Holy Land had taken place, and now, six years later, he was to make a more imposing and important tour of those and other countries in the company of his wife. On November 17th, 1868, the Prince and Princess of Wales, accompanied by their three eldest children and by Lady Carmarthen, General Sir W. Knollys, Lieut.-Col. Keppel and Dr. Minter, left for the Continent and reached Compiegne on the morning of the 20th inst., in order to pay a visit to the Emperor and Empress of the French. An incident of the hunt which took place that afternoon was the rush of a stag at the Prince who, with his horse, was completely knocked over. Amongst the shooting party were Marshal Bazaine, the Baron Von Moltke, the Marquess of Lansdowne and other well-known men of the day. After a stay of a few days here and at Paris the Royal party proceeded on their journey and reached Copenhagen on November 29th. The birthday of the Princess was celebrated two days later in her old home.
Stockholm was reached on December 16th, and a visit of some days'
duration paid to the King of Sweden. On December 28th the Prince and Princess were back again with the Royal family of Denmark and attended a State Ball at the Christianborg Palace. In the middle of January they embarked in the yacht _Freya_, and at Hamburg the Royal children were sent home in charge of Lady Carmarthen, Sir William Knollys and Colonel Keppel. At Berlin, on January 17th, they were welcomed by the Crown Prince and Princess of Prussia--the Princess Royal of England--and by Lord Augustus Loftus, the British Amba.s.sador. On the following day His Royal Highness was invested with the famous order of the Black Eagle by the King of Prussia. Amongst the limited number of Knights Grand Cross who were present at the Chapter were the Baron Von Moltke, General Von Roon, Count Von Waldersee, and Count Von Wrangel. From Berlin, where the Prince and Princess were joined by those who were to accompany them on their further journey and including Colonel Teesdale, V.C., Captain Ellis, Lord Carington, Mr. Oliver Montague, Dr. Minter and the Hon. Mrs.
William Grey, the Royal party went to Vienna which was reached on January 21st. At the station they were received by the Emperor Francis Joseph and various members of the Austrian Royal family together with Prince Von Hohenlohe and Lord Bloomfield, the British Amba.s.sador. State visits, dinners, the theatre, skating and a private visit to the King and Queen of Hanover in their retirement at Hietsing, const.i.tuted the programme of the next few days. Vienna was left on January 27th, and from Trieste, on the following day, sail was made on board H.M.S.
_Ariadne_ and Alexandria reached on February 3rd.
TRIP UP THE NILE
After their formal reception at Alexandria by Mehemet Tewfik Pasha, Shereef Pasha, Mourad Pasha, Sir Samuel Baker and others, the Prince and Princess proceeded to Cairo where they were warmly welcomed by the Khedive, and met by the Duke of Sutherland and his son, Lord Stafford, Professor Owen, Colonel Marshall and the special correspondent, Dr. W.
H. Russell. The latter gentlemen joined the Royal party and were to proceed with them on the journey up the Nile together with Prince Louis of Battenberg and Lord Albert Gower. Before starting on this voyage, however, the Prince and Princess were privileged in witnessing the curious Procession of the Holy Carpet and the departure of a portion of the annual stream of pilgrims for Mecca. The Princess and Mrs. Grey were also invited, on February 5th, to dine at the Harem with the Khedive's mother and the ceremonies, as described by Mrs. Grey in her _Diary_ of the tour, were exceedingly interesting. A mult.i.tude of smartly dressed female slaves in coloured satin and gold; services of silver and gold; dishes of the most peculiar and varied composition and taste; music by bands of girls and dances by other bands of women--some of whose motions were described by Mrs. Grey as graceful and others as ”simply frightful;” drinks of curious character and pipes and cigarettes with holders ornamented by ma.s.ses of precious gems; costumes which partook of both the Eastern and Western character; jewels and gold in every direction and upon every possible kind of object--such were some of the things seen during the visit. In the evening of the same day the Royal couple and suite went to the theatre, and afterwards the Prince had supper with the Khedive at the Palace of Gizerek, accompanied with elaborate ceremonies and a succession of dancing spectacles.
Meanwhile, every care had been exercised by the Khedive in preparing comforts for the Royal guests up the Nile. The chief barge was occupied by the Prince and Princess and the Hon. Mrs. Grey, who was in attendance upon the latter; a second was occupied by the Suite; a third by the Duke of Sutherland's party; a fourth was used as a store-boat and contained 3,000 bottles of champagne, 20,000 bottles of soda-water, 4,000 bottles of claret and plenty of ale, liquors and light wines. Sir Samuel Baker, who was at this time Governor of the Soudan region, accompanied the Prince and had with him an abundance of guns and nets for capturing crocodiles, etc. During the slow progress up the river there was plenty of sport, and His Royal Highness won fine specimens of spoonbills, flamingoes, herons, cranes, cormorants, doves, etc.
THEY VISIT SITES OF ANCIENT CITIES
During the early part of the trip there was not much that was interesting; apart from the shooting expeditions which were undertaken from time to time. The sight of frightened children, timid women, labouring slaves, mosques and villages of huts and occasional ruins of more or less interest were all that was visible along the low banks of the river as they pa.s.sed. The caves, or grottoes, of Beni Ha.s.san were visited on February 10, and the life of ancient peoples seen in a panorama of carved monuments. Then came a more beautiful, cultivated and populous part of the region watered by the Nile. Thebes, Luxor, Karnak, however, were names and places which made up for much. For two days, ending February 19th, the heir to a thousand years of English sovereignty wandered amidst these tombs and monuments of the rulers of an African empire which had wielded vast power and created works of wonderful skill and genius three, and five thousand years before. The great hall and collonades and pillars of Karnac, the obelisk of Luxor, the famous tombs of the Kings, the Temples of Rameses, the colossal statues of Egyptian rulers, were visited by daylight, and, in some cases, the wondrous effect of Oriental moonlight upon these ma.s.sive shapes and memorials of a mighty past was also witnessed.
Philae with its interesting ruins, a.s.souan with its modern history, Korosko, Dere, the early capital of Nubia, the great Temple at Aboo Simbel, were seen, and, finally, after the Prince had killed his first crocodile, on February 28th, and the party had made an uncomfortable trip across a hot waste of desert, Wady Halfah was reached on March 2nd, and the journey back was commenced. On their return a special trip was made by the Prince and Princess to the Pyramids of Ghizeh, accompanied by Mehemet Tewfik, the Khedive's son, with an escort from Cairo. The Prince ascended the biggest of the Pyramids and the party was royally entertained afterwards in a pavilion specially erected for the purpose.
INTERESTING RUINS ARE VISITED
The Prince and Princess also visited the Royal chambers in the great Pyramid. A delightful drive to Cairo followed, and the party soon found themselves comfortably installed in the Esbekiah Palace. On the following day a visit was paid to the great Mosque where lie the revered bones of Mehemet Ali, under an embroidered velvet catafalque. One of the graceful minarets was ascended and a splendid panorama of the city seen.