THE LIFE STORY OF H.R.H. THE PRINCE OF WALES.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 19448, 23 October 1928, Page 6

THE LIFE STORY OF H.R.H. THE PRINCE OF WALES.

(BY WALTER AND LEONARD TOWXSEND.) [Edited by Evelyn Graham.] ftead and approved by Sir Godfrey Thomas, K.C.V.0., Principal Private Secretary to his Royal Highness. [ALL EIGHTS RESERVED.] [exclcmye to the press.] CHAPTER XV. AUSTRALASIAN TOUR. I would not like to say that the Australian and New Zealand tour of the Prineo was the most successful of his journeyings in the Colonics —nor would X like to place it on record that he enJoyed this tour the best of all, but I have it on excellent authority that in Australia the Prince created a greater furore than in any of the other countries he had visited. The Australian and the New Zealand*r does not take readily to a newcomer, whether he be a Royal Prince or a commoner, and although the whole Commonwealth looked forward with eager excitement to the visit of H.R.H. they did not expect that he wonld win so readily their wholehearted affection and approbation. To-day, however, they will tell you in Australia that the Prince is almost a "dinkum Aussie," and they look on him as their own especial object of loyalty to the British Crown. After the Prince's cpoch-makiiig tour in Canada he looked forward with almost boyish eagerness to his trip to the Antipodes—and his own strenuous activities in assisting to prepare for the tour were clear evidence of his excitement at onco more to be blazing his Boyaltrail. For .weeks the household staff of . the Prince were extremely busy; an Empire tonr is not planned in five minutes; The Prince himself i?as also fully occupied making the necessary personal arrangements and leaving his financial affairs ia capable hands, for even a Royal Prince must keep "his house in order" wbile he is absent from it. Therefore, it was not without a feeling of relief to the Prince and his en. tonrage—when one chilly March morning the Royal party went up the gangw*y of the Renown, which lay, a huge grey mass, in Portsmouth Harbour,' Beton the echoes of the salute.from the aaeient Victory had died away the big battle-cruiser was sliding put on her Memorable voyage to Australia and New inland with the well-wishes of: the whole country behind her. Though the tour did not start for the eagerly awaiting British, public until the Banown reached Barbadoes, the Prince tytd already settled down to life Met more at sea, and it is H.R.H r 's «»iito. apinion that some of the happiest days of his life have been spent at cea on board H.M.S. Renown with the. earefnlly chosen band .of officers who ware hie shipmates during this and other toon. The Prince .insisted that there should be no nndue ceremonial in connexion with his presence on; board, / IJa took part with the "ofHcers in ; the usual dedc games, inspected with the captain the parades of. the ineh, and dined r either with ~ the captain and' his staff or invited varlons officers to his own suite, where he insisted on the .conviviality of the ward room. Daring the mornings, he would read ia the qniet of his own cabin, refusing to disturb' the ordinary routine of a peace-ttyie battleship. It must not be thought that the Princp regarded his iomr as a holiday, but the' days spent sit.eea he always relaied. as much as possible in order the better to witijetand. the sterner demands made 'on his' phy> • ciqtfe when on, land. The Prince : .be* ljwfW;Ja being fully.prepared before' he dn&srki on any; of his Empire tours.'lt not sufficient for him- that his staff look after/the various intricate travel '' arrangements,. He always insists on io■iag his own -jhare oi mak' ihg fSe tourla success;, strenuously and thoroughly. Those who read Jthe new?:paper reports, ireeprding aa\they do only |ha social side of the Prince's movements, can gain only a ivery incomplete ,4tirrcy of ;hiß travels. : - There was a " ti-agic incident, which inhdoed the Prince and indeed the -Shole ship's'oompanv juat'before ,thd Renown, reached Barbadoes. , :A' gunner ..fell overboard during a roUgh sea' and - the. utmajt; jittempts to> savij :<Wm. was drowned., 'Qie: Prince attended the funoral iehrioe, iwliich Waa held .'jn the forecastle and sent a.iadid rage of condolence .to the lost.Bailor's /etothres. i The first break. in tho 'Australaeialn ..'iour was made at-Bri^gtoH;n v the, capi»r|al of Barbad^. 1 "sis £oon as she Re> Vnown dropped anchor dS the. island she •;*ra« suiTounded by boats of all' kiiids; and aa their Occupants chieered,' the Prince stood (it the .top .of the .gangway and smiling with ~ evident {•leasnre at the warmth of his recopion. The Prince'a leisure had come to a temporary, end. „ There were neechee . to make, ex-servicemen to ; cnat with and-shake hands—hundreds •of fhem—sugar factories to visit and look orer. Ihnnigbbqt.the whole city,, -ctoirds lined too. route and made a atartling relief in- black and white, for on thia.occasion the-white inhabitants forgot colour ' distinction,. and stood' •boulder to shoulder, with the: natives,, in their eagerness t<i 'see and acclaim the Prince; 'This was perhaps the first meeting between the Prinoe and Bonie_ of the black subjects of liis fafher in : their own land. True, H.R.H had met and reviewed Indian troops in -Frante, hnt this first meeting betwen the black aubjecta and himself, lent a , urii<Jue > iwwhese to this reception in the island of Barbadoes. Negroes and regresses stood in, a Mack, weird mass, nearly All their heads swathed in Union Jacks 1 As H.It.H.- passed slowly through little villages of wooden huts, he frequently alighted to pass a pleasant' word with tho inhabitants, and to. inspect the schoolchildren or Boy Scouts. At the Btato dinner held in the ■ evening, - ibe Prince was received with a ■storm of applause. He contradicted t-Ke rumour that nart of the West Indies .were to be told to America, -ri rumour which had in- eoine way become current at that time. "The King's subjects are. not.for •ale!" the Prince said quietly—arid the uncontrollable cheers that followed this aimple statement proved conclusively that here again H.R.H. had conquered •11 hearts. From the Barbadoes in the Caribbean Bea, tho Renown, escorted by the Calcutta, flagship of the West Indian squadron, entered tho Panama! Canal, where three American . Service aeroplanes hovered overhead to welcome- tho heir to. the -English -Throne.. Qp the-first loc-k a squad of American eftldiers wore drawn up as a guard.-, and as the Renown camo abreast of these they presented arms, and a band, •truck up the British National 'An-' them. A slim, upright figurie, in the uniform of a naval captain'stood'oil the quarterdeck at the/ salute—the Prince 1 r Piwently he went % ashore,;in-, •peeted the . guard of honour—ish'ook' * '••• J .' • -- ,

hands with the officer in charge, and invited him to lunch on the' Renown. With his usual interest in constructive enterprise;' the Prince inspected the Control Ifyuse of the famous canal, in'which the great locks and gates arfl manoeuvred. The Painana Canal is one of the wonders of modern engineering; dredgers are continually at work keeping .the bottom clean, for there are continual landslides from the treacherous banks, which at times almost 6ilt np the navigation passages. Such a slip occurred while the massive Renown wai passing through. With extraordinary skill, however, the captain managed to manipulate the . difficult passage. The Renown now began to drop "lock by . lock to the level of the Pacific, and at Panama further progress was suspended. Again, while H.R.H. received on board several officials and dignitaries, he also paid a formal visit to the President of Panama. __ . . During the stay of the Prince in Panama, the city, with Latin enthusiasm, proclaimed a holiday in honour or the occasion, and while H.R.H. attended a ball that was given in his honour the whole of the mimaTure Republic gave itself up to festivity and enjoyment in honour of the Royal visitor. . , An incident occurred at the dance attended on this occasion by the Prince which is so, very, typical of his humanity, and his hatred of snobbishness. During the evening it was noticed that »the Prince chose as • his partner a very pretty'girl, whose dancing greatly pleased him. After a time the unrest amongst the -more important feminine guests communicated itself to the Prince's staff,'who were informed that the. chosen partner or H.R:E. was but.'an assistant in a drug store. It "was" also hinted that laaies more important socially _ were -waiting the honour of a dance with' the Prince. Tactfully the matter was broached with the Prince, and-thefaet of. his_ partner's humble occupation communicated to him. His reply to the veiled reproach was typical. ••., • • „ "An assistant in a drug store, he said, "well, it'mtisf be a" jolly good drug store!" ■ , : \fferwards he fulfilled the duty dances," and then returned once more to the partner of his first - choice. San Diego (California) was the next port of call. Here six American destroyers. jnet the ilenpw.n and escorted her into the harbour, where Admiral Williams, who flew his flag on the Jlexico. boarded the Prjnce 9 ship. Latpr the Mayor of San Diego,, accompanied by ' influential residents, also crime on board to' pay their respects. The welcome'fiiv6n to H.R.H. in the town defies descriotion. The was made/ impassable by the crowds, and fresh arrangements had to be made on-the spur of the moment. A gigantic openrair 'organ i-was installed and pealed forth diapason, chords. There followfed an official dinner and a bail, the brilliance of which even surprised the wealthy inhabitants. The Prince entered into the spirit of the festivities with great zest, and the .good humour of the crowd was a pleasure to behold, .esDecially when _ Mr Wild. i:he popular Mayor of San Diego, in a happy little speech of welcome, gave his • opinion that the Prince was a "jolly good, fellow,", to the accompaniment "of the broadest of smiles from .HIR.'H' , , The .':Prince can never be called selfish or thoughtless. On all his tours he has taken: a personal interest in the men of all" ranks who accompanied liim on- bis travels. . He asked specially that the crew of the Renown A)l. who could possibly be spared from dijty—should "he-allowed, to take advantage of' the: fine , weather and chance to' W; the beauties : .an<? wanders Of this" pa,rtsiOjlif oriua..' As,» over 130Q' sailors • were entertained lavishly by- the generous-hearted people of San. Diego, . ', . .. • 'But the (Primie,ha4. tp to his time "schedule, 'and* h'owiever much, he ■would have .liked to:continue his visit amdng tlie {jlehgant; Wert 'American folks, he had not. to foiget ,hi» ; ob-. jedtive.. . '. The Hawaiian Inlands were the Prince's next stepping-off place, and here the official American welcome was only'eqnalle4 -by the native one. Smiling Hawaiian maidens.- presented the ■Great White Prince ; with'a wonderful offering of fruit of all' kinds from their. island, ; ;and. iiisist«d .on decking him out •with ropes of flowers. Smilingly, "H.E.H.' SUbmitted to ill'these. demands -i'if'his' person. .Before leavingPrince paid due Tespects to the. remaining, members of the Royal housgv of i Hawaii—remnants of a fast disappearing race. ■ Ever keen to .indulge in- sport, the Prince: trie<J his hand—or rather, his hands and feet—at surf-riding, for •which the Bay of Wajkiki is famous. To the surprise , of everyonej H.R.H. managed tolerably well to extract a maximum amoynt of ■ enjoyment froin this difficult sport with the minimum of practice/although he sustained with •the. utmost good humbur several duckifigd." But thett he is a born.sportsipanl ' But soon the' Prince was' to pay his obeisance, and pass'through an ordeal at the hands of a monarch even-more, powerful, than his Royal father. . One at breakfast the captain of the Renown -receiveil' a t note, signed: by a member-.'Of the Prince's staff, Captain Dudley ."North, "R'.lf^, which I give here in full:—- '■ V " • '' ■ ■ Royal Highness the Prince of Wales has not yet .crossed the Line. I •am- desired by* H.R.H. - to say that he ig looking, forward with interest to his . -meeting with his Majesty King Neptune and Amphitrite ? Kiß' wifei and also to his init&tion as a 1 Freeman of his Majesty's domains. . , "Thd following-members of the staff • have crossed the Line, and are entitled to wear the various classes of the Order of the Bath bestowed on them by his Majesty:—' "Bear-Admiral Bir Lionel Halsey has crossed Jhei line Oil upwards of 200 occasions; in fact, for . some time this officer is understood to have supported himself on it. It'is understood that he has been • strongly recommended for the order of the 'Old Sea Dog.' ' * Captain Dudley North has crossed the Line nine times, and; has bee'n personally decorated by< his Majesty /"Lieutenant-Colonel Grigg and Lord Claud Hamilton have already crossed the "former.- tvrfce; the latter four times. .These officers have, however. stated that s>wing possibly to some special fhvour, or'else to some serious preoccupation oii the part of his Majesty, they "were not privileged' to undergo the full ceremony of initiation. They are all the more anxious, .therefore, on this account,, to, pay evfery respect to his Majesty, and not to presume-on his former grnciousne'ss.. In expressing their humble duty, to his Majesty they await with great humility the verdict of his-most-excellent Court aB to whether they will be required to be initiated or not. . .. "The followiug members of H.R.H.'s staff have not -yet crossed 'the Line or had'the honour of an audience with.'his Majesty:—Sir Godfrey Thomas, Bart.; Captain the Hon. Piers Legh. The Bears will, no doubt, attend to these gentlemen." On the morning of the mysterious proceedings, the "Companionship of the Royal Order of the Equatorial Bath" was conferred upon the Prince, and in a tunable voice the Prince chanted a few verses which had been specially composed for - the - occasion, ending with the plea:— ; "I-khow I'm for it. King; so boys, Don't let mo keep the party waiting!" \ ; The fearsome' looking Bears now took the proceedings in ! band. ; "With the , exception of the calls at Fiji,' where the Papuan chiefs made their peculiar tribute to the Prince, the voyage was uneventful until the

Renown reached Auckland on March 24th, 1920, after a strenuous voyage of 14,000 miles. In New Zealand's fine harbour a heterogeneous fleet, composed of every manner of craft, decorated with every kind of bunting and flag, assembled round the Renown. Bands played lively tunes, children on board the smaller boats sang ® n d cheered, and in .their midst the smiling Prince, above the bridge, saluted his greeting' Here at last "was the starting point of the Prince's Australian and New Zealand tour. The Governor-General came on board amidst the playing of a full brass band, and the Prime Minister, members of tho Cabinet, the Mayor or Auckland, and many other important officials and officers awaited' on shore to greet the Prince of their country. The ride to Government House was triumphant. Tho Prince, overwhelmed by the warmth and sincerity of his greeting, stood up in his motor-car with tears not far from his eyes. There were no half'measures about the' greeting. • The scenes of enthusiasm that followed were unprecedented in the i twin: islands of New Zealand. On Anzac Sunday the Prince attended the religious service ,held in St-. Mary's Cathedral and later at the Town Hall, and once more donning kahki took his place to honour the glorious dead. The Maoris were gathered in strong array, and performed ' their native dances and ceremonies for th e beneiit of their honoured guest. One of their chiets afterwards read an • address, in which the Maoris gave their staunch promise that they would be true till death, and bade the illustrious Prince return to their Majesties bearing the renewal of their oath of loyalty. Hearing late one night after his engagemenfcs were finished the weira. though musical playing of Maori music outside his bedroom window, wie Prince, without saying anything to his staff; walked through the windows ot his' room—which was on .thq ground floor—and went- in search of the melody. ... . He found a group of Natives not far..away playing and,singing to themselves in a manner that is quite characteristic of these people. For an hour the Prince sat with them while they played to him —then, rising to his feet, no gave them ten shillings each, and returned-back to bed —-tired but satisfied after his strenuous day; "" While in New Zealand a strike of the "railway workers suddenly dislocated the travel arrangements of the Prince's party. But when concern was reaching its tensest point there came a message from'the strikers that they" were willing immediately to carry the. Royal train anywhere, and would see that it 'was not delayed. It speaks much for the loyalty of the New Zealand' workers that they could' so unselfishly put aside their personal grievances in order not to cause the Royal guest any discomfiture! With the snjendid efforts of the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. William Massey, a settlement was effected within n few days, and the tour continued. Nevertheless time had been lost, and had to be made up later., by cutting out . certain engagements. During thg time he was waiting at Auckland the Prince made made the most of a bad job, .and paid many visits, both private, and semiofficial Afterwards, at Frankton, the railwaymen announced through one of their spokesmen their regret that the Royal tour had been delayed. "It was not much trouble to me," the Prince smiled , in reply. The inspections, visits, and ceremonies ill which the Prince took part proved very arduous, and it' ia a matter of wonder, that he was able, considering -the great demands imposed upon His physical as well as' mental energies, to keep, a smiling face and a cheerful word for i all throughout the whole of his journey. His interest was .unflagging whatever was presented to* his attention. • During, one stretch of the train journey, .the Prince-boarded the- and, after a little coaching, drove the train at the rate ef nearly a mile a minute for a considerable distance. He never forgot the primary reason for. his visit/however, and whenevgr, industrial 'areas were. visited, or when he. was shown New. Zealand products be showed the keenest" interest, v His ipind was gradually being- filled With commercial ' information t of the most, im-portant-kind, and' what he learned in, .his Australian and New Zealand, and subsequent toursi_' has : fitted him, • as nothing else ;'could' have done, -.to 1 fulfil hia role as the heir to the Imperial Throne. He noted ; with appreciation and enthusiasm the small-holding schemes practised in New Zealand, and was.greatly impressed with the robust health of the people.- In one. of. his speeches he confessed to a liking for •farming, and' referred to his. own-scheme in Alberta, which, with characteristic deprecation, he referred to: as. "in a small way." which was ,accorded the Prince in all parts of the'country was tremendous. Even the most advanced Labour sections admitted' candidly that here was no well-advertised publicity campaign for Royalty, but a significant demonstration of New Zealand's sincerI ity and; loyalty towards'the Crown and undying,support for the Mother.country. The people did . not know. how to excel each other :iu making striking innovations to meet the Prince's eye. Once, when the. Prince V train was passing through a series of villages at night time, huge bonfires were lighted near every homestead in greeting to him. The sight from the train was wonderfully spectacular. Often he received more than a dozen loyal addresses in One day, and must have inspected daily tens o£ thousands of ex-service men, children, and other organised processions, while the people who shook him by the hand and' received his smile, must have been le'gionj . v . ■ !■ In his farewell message to New Zealand the Prince said: "I have.felt from end to end of the Dominion that'there is nowhere a British people more set in British traditions or more; true to British ideals., I have found the strength ofryour loyalty-to the Empire and its Sovereign as keen and bracing as mountain air." ■ ■ • \Tt watf with regret that the Prince left on board the Renown, yet he. was filled' with pleasant anticipations on the eve of his. visit to the mother island continent. . _ - The Prince had more than his fair share of rougli sea-weather .on the journey. The fog grew bo thick that the captain of the cruiser dare not move despite the impatient requests , of the Prince. Finally wireless messages were sent to the Australian Fleet, asking for destroyers to bo sent to their help. The Prince was mo6t keen to make a landing in Melbourne without delay. Ho knew there would be thousands of people ■waiting in "the streets'of the port, and pictured their intense disappointment should he not turn up at the appointed hour. In response to the wirelessed request of the Renown H.M.A.S. Anzac, a fine destroyer, came to the rescue, and amidst gigantic breakers landed the | Prince and his-party in Melbourne har- j bour. When the Prince entered Melbourne the streets were thronged. From every window, roof, and balcony there hung flags and tokons. Immediately the Prince received 20 addresses of welcome, to Which it was physically impossible to reply in person. Mr Hughes's welcome summed up the sentiments of all Australians—"The people of Australia see in you the things in which they believe! " ' There followed days in which the Prince was borne in a whirl from one function to another, while over all hung .the cruel pall of grey weather, De-1 spite the sleet, rain, and fog, the patient, good-humoured crowds waited hours for ! a mere sight of the Prince, They crowd- -

' ed the processional route, and would not be satisfied until- they had shaken hands with the eldest son of King George V. There had been a generous j margin of time allowed to account for any delay caused by welcoming demonstrations, but this was all too inadequate. Before the Princa had been in Melbourne 24 hours it waß evident that the programme would have to be seriously curtailed. So enthusiastic was i the reception, and so great the demand i resultant upon the physical energies of the visitor, that the Press made appeals to the public with a view to sparing him for the. remainder of the tour. From Melbourne the Prince made triumphant progress to Western Victoria, through the Werribee Plain, where he saw with wondering delight the blue hills, the oat fields stretched out for miles, the tall gum trees. . . . Geelong, with its agricultural and shipping industries, Colac, Camperdown, Ballarat—all were in turn visited by the Prince. At tho latter town the Prince opened an Arch of Victory conceived by Messrs Lucas and Co., underwear manufacturers. He was presented with a set of embroidered pyjamas, in the manufacture of which every employee of the firm hnd taken a hand. While at Ballarat the Prince gave a speech in the pouring rain. The crowd was so dense that they could not all see him, and only those immediately round the platform could hear his message. So large was the crowd that on the fringe a concert, was being conducted in honour of the Prince while he was giving his speech. The Prince was drenched to the elfin, his hair was matted to his forehead, and his clothes hung limp about his person. But he did not mind. He had been informed that the rain broke a long drought season, and so he saw no reason to grumble; indeed he shared the pleasure of the inhabitants at this benefit to the crops. It was inevitable .that the strain of such arduous public work should make its mark on the Prince's health. ' He suffered a temporary breakdown, and was ordered by his doctor to take a week's rest, free from : all . publicity. The people did their best to allow him this -short, holiday without interruption, but the Prince himself was not sparing of himself. He played golf,, rode, danced, and before., .breakfast each morning.jan for a.mile. When/at last, the time came for him to bid farewell I to Melbourne the crowd .would not restrain itself, and it is miraculous, that the Prince escaped : without injury. He left Melbourne for Sydney with the | words ■ ringing in his ears—" Australia is proud of you!" . Sydney, the' seat.of Labour, gave the. Prince no ,less enthusiastic a reception. When he entered this great city he wore a plain grey packet and soft brown hat. Immediately his unostentatious; appearance captured the hearts of everyone, despite the forecast that there were many who would be but lukewarm in their welcome to the distinguished visitor; Oh the contrary about 20,000 demobilised men "broke work, sought out their old war khaki, and voluntarily formed themselves into units over half a mile long for the Prince's inspection. Behind him were. 30,000 spectators, and thousands of bath-chairs containing invalid soldiers to his left. H.R.H. shook hands with every disabled man present. From Sydney the Princfe travelled to Canberra, the new capital, which was then only a city of foundation stones. Then,; boarding the Renown, the. Prince travelled 2000 miles by sea to Western Australia. Again he encountered the roughest of seas, and'when Albany was reached a small boat had to convey him and his staff ashore. ■ Albany," Perth, Fremantle, Pemberton —all of them saw the Prince, and he went through; the: usual ceremonies which have;, been recorded previously. He never grew, bored or: tired/ of the sameness of his welcome—-always. his : fresh, manly emil{£ and sincere- words j of congratulation and thanks to the exservicemen greeted the people wherever | he went. '■ ■■ ■ ,- ■ . . 'I Oii the"journey back throiigh Perth j there was a ' railway accident which might;, well have cost the Prince of Wales <KiS' life, v the Royal.' train, consisting of nine corridor sleeping was slowly—-there were cattle on the a : single track in a s.wainpy ; Australian forest. 10 miles : ffom; Bridgetown •'when the rails gave way' owing : 'to-the rain-softened' track;' The coaches were, overturned, and it was. nothing less.than a miracle that no one was injured except the Prince's surgeon, who suffered slight abrasions. His Royal Highness was pinned, down in his coach, and when extricated would not leave until he'had gathered/together | hi a. papers. .On the line'side, to' the anxious enquiries of the Prime Minister and other,officials, he . made light .of his mishap, ajid jokingly set their minds at rest, by remarking .that, "this was not on the official: programme," and, lighting: his pipe, : continued i to: assist his staff 'to salvage his own personal effects. There was, of' course, no. small consternation " throughout the. Empire when the news of the accident; was - made known, and in Australia, thanksgiving services l were held ; in the! cathedrals, and shoals of" telegrams'were sent ' to H.E.H. congratulating him ' on his miraculous escape. At an address following the accident the.Prince apqio-, gised' for. being delayed, but tactfully did not' mention the accident, so as to j spare the people any anxiety ■ that it j had affected him- in ' any way.- Subsequently: it was found that, the pilot! engine had been tampered with, but'it waß certainly not the cause of the accident,, and the tampering of .' the pilot on . the best authority, put down j to tje. work of some malcontent, and j entirely .dissociated with organised political parties. ' Throughout the whole tour the Prince, enjoyed every moment of ; his ; existence, despite _ the strenuous dej msnd made upon his time and strength. ; He endeavoured to get as much sport j as possible out of his leisure . time,' and found great fun in kangaroo hunting, when often he was- in' the saddle for a jvhole; day on the run. Once, when motoring • along'a dusty road' in Australia the Prince came across-a motorcyclist who had had a breakdown. I H..R.H. alighted and.helped the cyclist | to repair his machine. The man' I thanked him and asked -if he might know his name. | "I am the Prince of Wales,", answered H.11.H. For a moment the man grinned at H.R.H., then, winking an eye, said: "And I'm the Kine of England ! r ' • : . > - A day or two later;- at a reception in- one of the big towns, the - motorcyclist. came, -face , to .face with the 'Prince, and . saw, to .his horrified confusion that it reajly was the Prince of ,Wales who had helped him. But the Prince came to his rescue with quixotic chivalry; . , , • "Glad, to met you again, Dad," he remarked brightly,, and shook ' the "King's" hand warmly. * While in New Zealand many were the attempts to .snapshot his Royal Highness. One little girl he espied vainly, struggling to focus him Quickly he ran up to her and posed.. Then just as, she was about to snap him the Prince looked up at the sun, and telling the maiden to hold on a second, explained to her that the sun must not shine , on her camera lens. Ho instructed her where best to stand, and then put on his most charming Smile. It is such little spontaneous and chivalrous incidents that have endeared the Prince to the whole British Empire. : After visiting South Australia, the Prince left Adelaide for Tasmania. By this time his voice had almost given out, owing to the strain imposed upon it by frequent speech-making, and at

Hobart he whispered his reply to the address'of welcome. Leaving Tasmania for Queensland the Prince again visited Sydney, where he spent a few days in a private capacity before finally leaving the Commonwealth. His farewell message to the "Diggers" indicates the impression which he received on his great tour, and is full of earnest appreciation of the people with whom he had mixed for the last few months:— . "I am very sorry that my first visit to Australia is at an end. . . . Throughout the Commonwealth I have been impressed by the fact that the Australian' people as a whole - have just the same free and gallant British spirit at home which the 'Diggers' showed so splendidly during the war. . ; ; T refuse to say good-bye.-, I bay© become so fond of Australia now that she can never be far from my thoughts wherever I may be; and I look forward most keenly to the time when I 6hall be able to return. My 'affectionate best wishes to her people, one and all." ' : ; V On the :w£y home tfie , Prince callzed, amongst other places, at Samoa, Honolulu, .Mfexico; Panama, Trinidad, Demerara, Grenada, , Dominica, An-, tigua, ana the Bermudas One dull October morning the Renown steamed into Portsmouth Harbour bringing. with it the Priiice,' tired out, and happy in the knowledge of duty well done and well appreciate*!, but withal- an uncomfortable restriction about his throat when he remembered the warm friendships he was leaving behind, perhaps for many, many years.