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INTRODUCTION.
INTRODUCTION.
The following work contains, with some few trifling exceptions, the speeches and addresses delivered by His Royal Highness the Prince Consort. It is published at the express desire, and under the sanction, of Her Majesty. It has been thought that this publication will not only be a worthy tribute to the Prince’s memory, but that it will have a deep interest for a large circle of readers. There will be those who were personally attached to the Prince, and who will be | Those who will be intereste
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THE OFFICE OF COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF.
THE OFFICE OF COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF.
The foregoing is simply an Introduction to the Prince Consort’s Speeches, with some outlines of the Prince’s character. It is in no respect meant to anticipate the publication of his Life; and, consequently, no documents have been inserted, or even alluded to, which would be required for the illustration of that life. One exception, however, to this rule the Queen has graciously consented to make. Amongst the manuscripts left by the Prince, there is a memorandum in his own handwriting on a subje
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AT A MEETING FOR THE ABOLITION OF SLAVERY. [JUNE 1st, 1840.]
AT A MEETING FOR THE ABOLITION OF SLAVERY. [JUNE 1st, 1840.]
I have been induced to preside at the Meeting of this Society, from a conviction of its paramount importance to the great interests of humanity and justice. I deeply regret that the benevolent and persevering exertions of England to abolish that atrocious traffic in human beings (at once the desolation of Africa and the blackest stain upon civilized Europe) have not as yet led to any satisfactory conclusion. But I sincerely trust that this great country will not relax in its efforts until it has
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I propose the health of the Queen, who highly appreciates the tendency of this Institution, and sincerely interests herself in its welfare....
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I return you my warmest thanks for the great kindness with which you have received this toast. It will always be most gratifying to my feelings to contribute in the smallest degree towards the welfare of any of the excellent Institutions which so prominently distinguish this country....
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3.
3.
The toast which I have now to propose to you is the Prosperity of this Institution. It stands unrivalled in any country, and ought to command our warmest sympathies, as providing for the exigencies of those who, following the call of Genius, and forgetting every other consideration, pursue merely the cultivation of the human mind and science. What can then be more proper for us than gratefully to remember the benefits derived from their disinterested exertions, and cheerfully to contribute to th
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4.
4.
I am sure you will all gladly join me in drinking the health of our worthy President the Marquis of Lansdowne. He would not wish me to enumerate his merits as a patron of the Arts and Science, so well known to this assembly; but it is a satisfaction to me to have an opportunity of expressing how much I esteem them....
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THE CORPORATION OF TRINITY HOUSE.
THE CORPORATION OF TRINITY HOUSE.
With much sincerity I return you my best thanks for the toast which has just been drunk. I feel a pride in the cause which makes me a guest this day with the Corporation of the Trinity House, to whose exertions in the discharge of your important duties this great country is so deeply indebted. That these exertions, upon which not only the good of the Mercantile Marine depends, but which have so essentially contributed to the welfare of the Navy, may in their various and important branches be alw
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AT THE MEETING OF THE SOCIETY FOR IMPROVING THE CONDITION OF THE LABOURING CLASSES. [MAY 18th, 1848.]
AT THE MEETING OF THE SOCIETY FOR IMPROVING THE CONDITION OF THE LABOURING CLASSES. [MAY 18th, 1848.]
Ladies and Gentlemen ,— When four years since this Society for the Improvement of the Condition of the Labouring Classes was first established on its present footing, I accepted with great pleasure the offer of becoming its President. I saw in this offer a proof of your appreciation of my feelings of sympathy and interest for that class of our community which has most of the toil, and least of the enjoyments, of this world. I conceived that great advantage would accrue from the endeavours of inf
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AT THE MEETING OF THE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. [HELD AT YORK, JULY 13th, 1848.]
AT THE MEETING OF THE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. [HELD AT YORK, JULY 13th, 1848.]
Gentlemen ,— I have to thank you most sincerely for your having drunk my health with so much cordiality. It has been a great satisfaction to me to have been able this year to pay an old debt in appearing at this interesting and useful meeting. All I have seen to-day exhibits a bright picture of the progress of British agriculture, and for much of this progress the country is indebted to this Society. Agriculture, which was once the main pursuit of this as of every other nation, holds even now, n
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AT THE LAYING OF THE FIRST STONE OF THE GREAT GRIMSBY DOCKS. [APRIL 18th, 1849.]
AT THE LAYING OF THE FIRST STONE OF THE GREAT GRIMSBY DOCKS. [APRIL 18th, 1849.]
My Lord , [4] — I thank you most sincerely for the kind terms in which you have proposed my health, and you, gentlemen, for the cordial manner in which you have received it. 4 . The late Earl of Yarborough, Lord Lieutenant of the county of Lincoln. The act which has this day been performed, and in which you were kind enough to desire that I should take the chief part, could not but make a deep impression upon me. We have been laying the foundation not only of a Dock, as a place of refuge, safe
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AT THE PUBLIC MEETING OF THE SERVANTS’ PROVIDENT AND BENEVOLENT SOCIETY. [MAY 16th, 1849.]
AT THE PUBLIC MEETING OF THE SERVANTS’ PROVIDENT AND BENEVOLENT SOCIETY. [MAY 16th, 1849.]
Gentlemen ,— The object for which we have assembled here to-day is not one of charity, but of friendly advice and assistance to be tendered to a large and important class of our fellow-countrymen. Who would not feel the deepest interest in the welfare of their Domestic Servants? Whose heart would fail to sympathize with those who minister to us in all the wants of daily life, attend us in sickness, receive us upon our first appearance in this world, and even extend their cares to our mortal rema
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AT THE ENTERTAINMENT GIVEN BY THE MERCHANT TAILORS’ COMPANY. [JUNE 11th, 1849.]
AT THE ENTERTAINMENT GIVEN BY THE MERCHANT TAILORS’ COMPANY. [JUNE 11th, 1849.]
Gentlemen ,— I thank you sincerely for your expressions of kindness and cordiality towards me. Although I have on former occasions met you in this room, it has always been for some charitable purpose, witnessing with delight the readiness with which this, and indeed all the great corporations of London, open the doors of their magnificent Halls at the call of charity. To-day I am here as a Brother Freeman of your Corporation, fulfilling a promise made from the time that you received me into your
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ON PRESENTING COLOURS TO THE 23rd REGIMENT, ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS. [JULY 12th, 1849.]
ON PRESENTING COLOURS TO THE 23rd REGIMENT, ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS. [JULY 12th, 1849.]
Soldiers of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers , The ceremony which we are performing this day is a most important, and, to every soldier, a sacred one. It is the transmission to your care and keeping of the Colours which are henceforth to be borne before you, which will be the symbol of your honour, the rallying point in all moments of danger. I feel most proud to be the person who is to transmit these Colours to a Regiment so renowned for its valour, fortitude, steadiness, and discipline. In looking ov
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AT THE BANQUET GIVEN BY THE RIGHT HON. THE LORD MAYOR, THOMAS FARNCOMBE, TO HER MAJESTY’S MINISTERS, FOREIGN AMBASSADORS, ROYAL COMMISSIONERS OF THE EXHIBITION OF 1851, AND THE MAYORS OF ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY TOWNS, AT THE MANSION HOUSE. [MARCH 21st, 1850.]
AT THE BANQUET GIVEN BY THE RIGHT HON. THE LORD MAYOR, THOMAS FARNCOMBE, TO HER MAJESTY’S MINISTERS, FOREIGN AMBASSADORS, ROYAL COMMISSIONERS OF THE EXHIBITION OF 1851, AND THE MAYORS OF ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY TOWNS, AT THE MANSION HOUSE. [MARCH 21st, 1850.]
My Lord Mayor ,— I am sincerely grateful for the kindness with which you have proposed my health, and to you, gentlemen, for the cordiality with which you have received this proposal. It must indeed be most gratifying to me to find that a suggestion which I had thrown out, as appearing to me of importance at this time, should have met with such universal concurrence and approbation; for this has proved to me that the view I took of the peculiar character and claims of the time we live in was in
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AT THE LAYING OF THE FOUNDATION STONE OF THE NATIONAL GALLERY AT EDINBURGH. [AUGUST 30th, 1850.]
AT THE LAYING OF THE FOUNDATION STONE OF THE NATIONAL GALLERY AT EDINBURGH. [AUGUST 30th, 1850.]
Gentlemen ,— Now that this ceremony is concluded, you must allow me to express to you how much satisfaction it has given me to have had it in my power to comply with your invitation, and to lay the foundation stone of this important National institution, and that this should have coincided with the moment when Her Majesty the Queen has come among you, and has given you a further proof of her attachment to this country, by taking up her abode, if for a short time only, in the ancient palace of he
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AT THE BANQUET GIVEN BY THE LORD MAYOR OF YORK, AND THE MAYORS OF THE CHIEF CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM, TO THE LORD MAYOR OF LONDON. [OCTOBER 25th, 1850.]
AT THE BANQUET GIVEN BY THE LORD MAYOR OF YORK, AND THE MAYORS OF THE CHIEF CITIES AND TOWNS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM, TO THE LORD MAYOR OF LONDON. [OCTOBER 25th, 1850.]
My Lord Mayor ,— I am very sensible of your kindness in proposing my health, and I beg you, gentlemen, to believe that I feel very deeply your demonstrations of good will and cordiality towards myself. I can assure you that I fully reciprocate these sentiments, and that it has given me sincere pleasure to meet you, the representatives of all the important towns of the kingdom, again assembled at a festive board, in token of the unity and harmony of feeling which prevails amongst those whom you r
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AT THE DINNER OF THE ROYAL ACADEMY. [MAY 3rd, 1851.]
AT THE DINNER OF THE ROYAL ACADEMY. [MAY 3rd, 1851.]
Mr. President , My Lords and Gentlemen ,— You have been very kind in responding with so much warmth to the toast which your President has just proposed to you, and he will allow me to thank him very cordially for the flattering expressions which he used towards myself in introducing to you that toast. I shall feel very happy if the future should prove that the Great Exhibition, to which all nations have so generously contributed, should, amongst other advantages which I firmly hope will result f
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AT THE THIRD JUBILEE OF THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR THE PROPAGATION OF THE GOSPEL IN FOREIGN PARTS. [JUNE 16th, 1851.]
AT THE THIRD JUBILEE OF THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR THE PROPAGATION OF THE GOSPEL IN FOREIGN PARTS. [JUNE 16th, 1851.]
My Lords, Ladies, and Gentlemen ,— We are assembled here to-day in order to celebrate the third jubilee of the foundation of the “Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts,” incorporated by Royal Charter, and one of the chief sources of the spiritual aid which the Church of England affords to our extensive colonial dependencies. We are not commemorating, however, an isolated fact which may have been glorious or useful to the country, but we are thankfully acknowledging the Divin
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AT THE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY’S SHOW. [WINDSOR, JULY 16th, 1851.]
AT THE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY’S SHOW. [WINDSOR, JULY 16th, 1851.]
My Lord Duke , My Lords and Gentlemen ,— I am very sensible of the honour which you have done me in proposing my health; and I can assure you, gentlemen, that the kind way in which you have responded to the toast will never be forgotten by me. Some years have elapsed already since I last dined with you in this migratory pavilion, and I am glad that you should have pitched it this day under the walls of Windsor Castle, and that I should myself have an opportunity of bidding you a hearty welcome i
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Wherever Englishmen meet at a public dinner they make it their pride to take no proceedings without first drinking to the health of “The Queen.” The Corporation of the Trinity House yield in feelings of loyalty to none of Her Majesty’s subjects.—Gentlemen!...
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The toast I have now to propose to you is that of the Royal Family. It is a blessing attending the monarchical institutions of this country, that the domestic relations and the domestic happiness of the sovereign are inseparable from the relations and happiness of the people at large. In the progress of the Royal Family through life is reflected, as it were, the progress of the generation to which they belong, and out of the common sympathy felt for them arises an additional bond of union amongs
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3.
I am sure that you could not have entered this room without feeling a pang at missing from the chair, which I am this day called upon to occupy, that great man whose loss we still find it almost impossible to realise. It would be repugnant to our feelings to take another step in the proceedings of this evening without paying a mournful tribute to his name. Let us drink in solemn silence to the memory of the great Duke, to whom this Corporation, as well as the whole nation, are so deeply indebted
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4.
4.
I have now to invite you to drink to the British Army and Navy, and in doing so I would add to the toast the names of the two distinguished men who preside over them, the General Commanding-in-Chief and the First Lord of the Admiralty, Viscount Hardinge and Sir James Graham. It is under the protection of these two great services that this country has attained an extent of power, wealth, and territory, without a parallel in history. We are rich, prosperous, and contented, therefore peaceful by in
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5.
5.
The Health of Her Majesty’s Ministers is the toast which I now ask you to drink. The Brethren of the Trinity House have at all times been anxious cordially to co-operate with Her Majesty’s Government, by whomsoever conducted; they know no politics, but feel that the responsibility which is imposed upon those men who are intrusted with the care of the multifarious interests of this vast empire is an awful one, requiring every assistance which it may be in the power of individuals or public bodies
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6.
I am very grateful to you, gentlemen, for the kindness with which you have received the toast proposed by the Deputy Master, [5] and beg to thank him for the obliging terms in which he has proposed my health. 5 . The late Captain Shepheard. When this important Corporation elected me as their Master, I was well aware that I did not owe this to any personal merit of my own, giving me a claim to such an honour, and I might well have paused before I undertook to succeed, in any task or position, t
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7.
7.
One of the peculiar features of the public life of this country is, that no public body stands isolated in the community, but that it endeavours to establish and maintain an organic connection with the other interests and classes of society, securing thereby the inestimable advantage of harmony of action and feeling. The Corporation of the Trinity House has sought to effect this through its Honorary Brethren; and I have only to point to those who now sit as such round this table to prove that, w
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AT THE BICENTENARY FESTIVAL OF THE CORPORATION OF THE SONS OF THE CLERGY. [MAY 10th, 1854.]
AT THE BICENTENARY FESTIVAL OF THE CORPORATION OF THE SONS OF THE CLERGY. [MAY 10th, 1854.]
My Lord Mayor ,— Allow me to return you, on my own behalf, and on that of the Royal Family, my best thanks for the manner in which you have proposed our health, and to you, gentlemen, for the cordial response which you have made to the toast. I am, indeed, highly gratified to have been a witness to the Two Hundredth Anniversary of this Festival, testifying, as it does, that the people of this country do not relax in efforts which they have once undertaken, and do not forsake the spirit which ani
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2.
The toast which I have to propose to you is that of— “His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales and the rest of the Royal Family .” In doing so, I am impelled to refer to one Member of that family who is at present engaged in the discharge of arduous duties in the East. He is the only one whom both his position and his age permitted to offer his services on this occasion, and I rejoice at his having done so, as a proof that the Members of the Royal Family are at all times ready to serve—ay! and, if
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The toast which I have now to propose to you—“The Army and Navy of Great Britain”—will be drunk by you with peculiar emotions at this time, as your eyes are turned towards these Services, your hearts beat for them, and with their success the welfare and the honour of the country are so intimately bound up. They will do their duty as they have always done, and may the Almighty bless their efforts! What is asked to be achieved by them in this instance is a task of inordinate difficulty, not only f
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4.
We are honoured to-day by the presence of the Members of Her Majesty’s Government. The only return which the country can make to those men, who sacrifice their own quiet, privacy, and often health, to the arduous and anxious labours of conducting the public business, is an acknowledgment of the sincerity and disinterestedness of their motives of action. This it is which I invite you to give upon the present occasion in drinking the health of Her Majesty’s Government, and Lord John Russell , Lord
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6.
I am very much obliged to you for the kind expressions in which you have proposed my health, and to the company for the way in which they have received it. But I have to thank you, the Elder Brethren, especially, for the mark of confidence which you have shown me in re-electing me as your Master, a confidence which I assure you that I appreciate highly, and of which I shall be anxious to prove myself at all times worthy. Although the duties of my office are hardly more than nominal, I attach the
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I have the honour of naming to you, as the next toast, “The Honorary Brethren of the Corporation.” They are composed of men, although varying in their political opinions, yet all standing high in the estimation of their country—an esteem which they have earned by distinguished services rendered to the State, and the Corporation is justly proud of its connection with them. I would ask permission to couple the toast with the name of The Earl of Haddington....
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In returning the thanks of the Corporation to our distinguished guests, I beg leave to propose to you “The Health of the Lord High Chancellor of England, and the other noble and distinguished persons who have this day honoured the Corporation by their presence.”...
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I propose to you the health of the Prince of Wales and the rest of the Royal Family . May they prosper under the favour of the Almighty!...
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The toast which I now propose to you—the “Army and Navy”—is one in which I am sure no Englishman can join at this moment without the feelings of the deepest emotion. In their keeping stand the honour and the best interests of this country—I may say the interests of the civilization of Europe. And nobly have they done their duty! whether in the daring impetuosity of attack, in the cool intrepidity of defence, or the noble and truly Christian patience with which they have endured nameless sufferin
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4.
I now propose to you the health of “Her Majesty’s Ministers.” If there ever was a time when the Queen’s Government, by whomsoever conducted, required the support—ay, not the support alone, but the confidence, goodwill, and sympathy of their fellow-countrymen, it is the present. It is not the way to success in war to support it, however ardently and energetically, and to run down and weaken those who have to conduct it. We are engaged with a mighty adversary, who uses against us all those wonderf
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5.
I am much obliged to you for your kindness in proposing my health, and to the company for the reception which they have given to the toast. It always affords me great satisfaction to be able to preside at your annual Dinner, particularly when I can congratulate you on the completion of another year of usefulness and of successful labour. This I am enabled to do on the present occasion, and have only to point to the satisfactory working of your extended jurisdiction over the Cinque Port pilots—to
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AT THE OPENING OF THE NEW CATTLE MARKET, IN COPENHAGEN FIELDS, ISLINGTON. [JUNE 13th, 1855.]
AT THE OPENING OF THE NEW CATTLE MARKET, IN COPENHAGEN FIELDS, ISLINGTON. [JUNE 13th, 1855.]
My Lord Mayor and Gentlemen ,— Accept the expression of my hearty thanks for your kind welcome, and for the gratifying assurance of your loyal and affectionate attachment to the Queen and her Family. I have been much pleased by the opportunity which your kind invitation has afforded me of seeing and admiring the great work which you this day open to the public—a work which not only deserves all admiration in itself, on account of the excellence of the arrangements and the magnificence of the des
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AT THE BANQUET IN THE BIRMINGHAM TOWN HALL, ON THE OCCASION OF LAYING THE FIRST STONE OF THE BIRMINGHAM AND MIDLAND INSTITUTE. [NOVEMBER 22nd, 1855.]
AT THE BANQUET IN THE BIRMINGHAM TOWN HALL, ON THE OCCASION OF LAYING THE FIRST STONE OF THE BIRMINGHAM AND MIDLAND INSTITUTE. [NOVEMBER 22nd, 1855.]
Mr. Mayor and Gentlemen ,— The cordial reception I have met with from you demands my warmest acknowledgments. You only, I assure you, do me justice in giving me credit for a deep interest in whatever may tend to promote the advancement of either the moral or the material good of the people of this country; but you are doing so in too flattering a manner, and attach too high a value to any service that it may have been in my power to render in this cause. I feel it would be a high privilege to be
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ADDRESS TO THE 3rd AND 4th REGIMENTS OF THE GERMAN LEGION AT SHORNCLIFFE, ON PRESENTING TO THEM THEIR COLOURS. [DECEMBER 6th, 1855.]
ADDRESS TO THE 3rd AND 4th REGIMENTS OF THE GERMAN LEGION AT SHORNCLIFFE, ON PRESENTING TO THEM THEIR COLOURS. [DECEMBER 6th, 1855.]
Es freut mich herzlich Ihnen persönlich diese Fahnen überreichen zu können, da mir diess zugleich eine Gelegenheit giebt Ihnen auszudrücken, wie sehr die Königin die Bereitwilligkeit anerkannt mit welcher Sie ihrem Rufe gefolgt und unter die Waffen getreten sind. Ich lebe der festen Ueberzeugung, dass Sie unter allen Umständen die Ehre einer Fahne aufrecht erhalten werden, die bis jetzt siegenreich in allen Theilen der Welt geweht hat, im Kämpfen für Recht, Ordnung, und Freiheit, und zur Verbrei
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AT THE OPENING OF THE GOLDEN-LANE SCHOOLS. [MARCH 19th, 1857.]
AT THE OPENING OF THE GOLDEN-LANE SCHOOLS. [MARCH 19th, 1857.]
Mr. Rogers [6] and Gentlemen, Promoters and Supporters of these Schools ,— 6 . The Rev. William Rogers, incumbent of St. Thomas Charterhouse, and Chaplain to the Queen. I thank you heartily for your kind and cordial welcome. I rejoice at the opportunity which has this day been afforded to me of visiting this noble establishment, and my satisfaction in doing so is increased by the circumstance that my visit occurs at a period of its existence when the state of useful development to which by you
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AT THE OPENING OF THE EXHIBITION OF ART TREASURES OF THE UNITED KINGDOM AT MANCHESTER. [MAY 5th, 1857.]
AT THE OPENING OF THE EXHIBITION OF ART TREASURES OF THE UNITED KINGDOM AT MANCHESTER. [MAY 5th, 1857.]
[The Mayor of Manchester having presented an Address, His Royal Highness returned the following reply—] Mr. Mayor, Aldermen, and Gentlemen ,— I have received with feelings of no ordinary gratification the address which you have presented to me, expressing such kindly feelings towards myself, and professing to represent the good wishes of the vast community which is collected in and around this city. It will, I am sure, be most pleasing to the Queen to receive, from the expressions contained in t
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AT THE OPENING OF THE CONFERENCE ON NATIONAL EDUCATION. [JUNE 22nd, 1857.]
AT THE OPENING OF THE CONFERENCE ON NATIONAL EDUCATION. [JUNE 22nd, 1857.]
Gentlemen ,— We have met to-day in the sacred cause of Education—of National Education. This word, which means no less than the moral and intellectual development of the rising generation, and, therefore, the national welfare, is well calculated to engross our minds, and opens a question worthy of a nation’s deepest interest and most anxious consideration. Gentlemen, the nation is alive to its importance, and our presence here to-day gives further evidence (if such evidence were needed) of its a
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Gentlemen ,— You have invited me to take the chair at this meeting, convened on the anniversary of Jenner’s birth for the purpose of doing honour to his memory; and I have not hesitated to comply with your request, in order to mark, in common with you, my sense of the inestimable boon which this great philosopher and philanthropist has bestowed upon the human race. His discovery was not the result of accident, like many others, however important, but that of long and thoughtful observation and r
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2.
I return you my best thanks for the kind words which you have spoken, and assure you that I shall feel most happy if the result of this day’s meeting should be to rouse afresh public attention to the means of safety which science has placed at man’s command, and the neglect of which still costs this country alone no less than annually 5000 victims....
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May she long continue in the possession of that great blessing, “The love of her people!”...
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I have to propose to you the Health of “The Prince of Wales,” and the rest of the “Royal Family.” Since I last met you here, it has pleased the Almighty to take the last of the children of King George the Third from amongst us, in the beloved and revered Duchess of Gloucester; another daughter has been vouchsafed to the Queen; and our eldest child has, united to a husband of her choice—and, I may say, worthy of her choice—passed to a distant country, where I was happy to find her the other day i
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3.
The toast which I now propose to you is the “Army and Navy.” If this toast must at all times be received by Englishmen with feelings of pride and satisfaction, who could approach it at the present moment without being also penetrated by those of admiration and deep thankfulness for the heroic deeds and sacrifices with which our gallant troops are now struggling, not only for the honour and interests of our country, but I trust for the cause of civilization and the future happiness of millions of
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6.
I propose to you “the Health of Her Majesty’s Ministers and the Earl of Derby.” They are called upon to administer and advise the Sovereign upon the multifarious and complicated affairs of this vast empire. In these days, moreover, when the progress of education and civilization renders the influence of public opinion upon the conduct of the Government more and more powerful, the latter has this difficult problem to solve: it has to maintain a judicious and beneficial harmony between its own con
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SPEECH DELIVERED AT CHERBOURG AFTER THE BANQUET ON BOARD “LA BRETAGNE.” [AUGUST 5th, 1858.]
SPEECH DELIVERED AT CHERBOURG AFTER THE BANQUET ON BOARD “LA BRETAGNE.” [AUGUST 5th, 1858.]
La Reine désire que j’exprime à Votre Majesté combien elle est sensible à la nouvelle preuve d’amitié que vous venez de lui donner, en lui portant un toast, et en prononçant des paroles qui lui resteront chères à jamais. Votre Majesté connait les sentiments d’amitié qu’elle vous porte, à vous, Sire, et à l’Impératrice, et je n’ai pas besoin de vous les rappeler. Vous savez également que la bonne entente entre nos deux pays est l’objet constant de ses désirs, comme il l’est des vôtres. La Reine e
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ON PRESENTING NEW COLOURS TO THE 2nd BATTALION OF THE 13th (“PRINCE ALBERT’S OWN”) LIGHT INFANTRY, AT HARFORD RIDGE, NEAR ALDERSHOT. [FEBRUARY 21st, 1859.]
ON PRESENTING NEW COLOURS TO THE 2nd BATTALION OF THE 13th (“PRINCE ALBERT’S OWN”) LIGHT INFANTRY, AT HARFORD RIDGE, NEAR ALDERSHOT. [FEBRUARY 21st, 1859.]
The act which has just been performed, simple as it is, has the highest significance for the soldier! You have received in these colours the emblems of your country and your Sovereign, and of your regiment as a part of the British Army. It is your country’s, your Sovereign’s, and that army’s honour which is bound up in them, and which you will henceforth have to guard and to defend; not by your valour alone in action, and your endurance under the hardships of campaigns, but also during the monot
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AT THE MEETING OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. [HELD AT ABERDEEN, SEPTEMBER 14th, 1859.]
AT THE MEETING OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. [HELD AT ABERDEEN, SEPTEMBER 14th, 1859.]
Gentlemen of the British Association ,— Your kind invitation to me to undertake the office of your President for the ensuing year could not but startle me on its first announcement. The high position which Science occupies, the vast number of distinguished men who labour in her sacred cause, and whose achievements, while spreading innumerable benefits, justly attract the admiration of mankind, contrasted strongly in my mind with the consciousness of my own insignificance in this respect. I, a si
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AT THE DINNER ON THE OPENING OF THE CLOTHWORKERS’ HALL, IN THE CITY. [MARCH 27th, 1860.]
AT THE DINNER ON THE OPENING OF THE CLOTHWORKERS’ HALL, IN THE CITY. [MARCH 27th, 1860.]
Sir, and Gentlemen ,— I beg to return you my best thanks for your kindness in drinking my health with such gratifying demonstrations of good will towards me. It is in accordance with our nature, that, after having accomplished a task and succeeded in any work of our hands, we should banish from our minds the recollection of the troubles and anxieties which accompanied its conception and progress, and rejoice not only ourselves in our success, but ask our neighbours and friends to come and rejoic
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2.
2.
I am much obliged to Colonel Lewis for the kind terms in which he has proposed to you to drink my health, and much gratified at the feelings which you have evinced by the manner in which you have responded to his proposal. Gentlemen!—I was justly proud of the distinguished honour conferred upon me when I was appointed, eight years ago, to succeed the immortal Duke of Wellington in the command of this regiment, and of having since held this honourable post, which connects me with you, not only of
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3.
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I have to propose to you “The Health of the Prince of Wales, and the other members of the Royal Family.” The Prince was admitted into the army a year and a half ago, on his seventeenth birthday; and although his studies have as yet prevented his taking upon himself any military duty, he has while staying in Edinburgh tried to make himself acquainted with the evolutions of the cavalry by joining regularly in the drill of the 16th Lancers, quartered there at the time of his residence....
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4.
4.
The toast I wish now to propose is that of our sister-service—“The Navy.” The wooden walls of Old England have at all times been the chief defence of our country, the protection of our commerce, and constitute the link which holds together our vast and widely scattered empire. Modern science has effected greater changes in this service than perhaps in any other human pursuit, and foreign nations have, as it were, started afresh with us from the same point of departure in the race of naval prepar
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5.
5.
Let us drink to “The Army.” That army, of which the brigade of Guards, and this Regiment in it, form only a small but integral part,—integral not only from its organization, but from its spirit and feeling. The country has no less reason to be proud of its Army than of its Navy; and if in point of numbers it cannot boast of a supremacy, nay, even a comparison with other countries, it yields to none in those qualities of courage, discipline, and endurance which constitute the essential virtues of
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6.
We are honoured by the presence of the Commanders of the other Regiments, both of cavalry and infantry, composing the Household Troops, whose services will live with yours in history, and render them worthy to be the body-guard of the Sovereign of these realms. We most painfully feel, however, the absence of one of these Commanders, whose name had been associated with the glories of the Guards in many a well-fought field. He has been called away from this temporary scene to an eternal and better
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2.
I propose to drink to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales and the rest of the Royal Family. The younger members of the Royal Family are rapidly growing up. The Princess Royal has already become the founder of a new family, destined to mount the throne of Prussia. The Prince of Wales is following his academic course at Oxford, which he intends to complete at the sister University, Cambridge; while his younger brother has, by the prescribed apprenticeship, earned his rating as Midshipman, and s
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3.
Gentlemen,—The standing toast, after that of the Royal Family, at all our public dinners, is “The Army and Navy;” and it is never given without calling forth proud and grateful feelings, for Englishmen have reason to be proud of the condition of these services, and of the deeds which they have achieved, and cause to be grateful for the benefits which have been secured to them by their soldiers and sailors, who have been drawn from all ranks and classes of society, and have devoted their lives to
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4.
I am much obliged to you for your kindness in drinking my health. I feel proud to have, by the vote of this distinguished Corporation, been re-elected its Master—an office of annual tenure, which does not tax very hard the energies of the holder, as the real work is admirably done by the Deputy Master and the Elder Brethren; but which is of the highest interest to whoever reflects upon the important and useful duties which are performed by the Corporation, the proper performance of which has so
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5.
5.
We are honoured by the presence of Her Majesty’s Ministers. The Corporation is much gratified at their having found it possible, amidst the many avocations and duties which so peculiarly press upon them during the Parliamentary season, to devote an evening to the Trinity House. I propose to you to drink their health. We can wish them nothing better than good health, to enable them to withstand the fatigues of their laborious and harassing life; and by making the fullest use of their talents and
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6.
We must not omit to acknowledge the presence of some of our Honorary Brethren, whose admission to our body sheds lustre upon the Corporation. The known presence of their names upon our Roll gives the public an assurance that we are well thought of and well looked after by some of the best in the land. I beg to drink to the health of Lord Derby and the Honorary Brethren....
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7.
7.
Brethren of the Trinity House,—Let us, before separating, thank our guests for the honour they have done and the pleasure they have given us by their presence at our annual dinner; and let us drink to their health and happiness. I beg to couple this toast with the name of the Duke of Newcastle....
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ON OPENING THE INTERNATIONAL STATISTICAL CONGRESS. [HELD IN LONDON, JULY 16th, 1860.]
ON OPENING THE INTERNATIONAL STATISTICAL CONGRESS. [HELD IN LONDON, JULY 16th, 1860.]
Gentlemen ,— The Statistical Congress of All Nations has been invited by the Government to hold its fourth meeting in this metropolis, in conformity with the wishes expressed by the late Congress held at Vienna in 1857. Although under these circumstances it would have been more properly within the province of a member of the Government, and Minister of the Crown, to fill this Chair, and open the proceedings of the day, as has been the case in previous meetings of the Congress in other places, th
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