TRAFALGAR DAY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1305, 7 December 1911, Page 6

TRAFALGAR DAY.

EMPIRE TRIBUTES TO NELSON'S MEMORY. OVERSEA BRITONS' OFFERINGS. Not only Great Britain, but also all other parts of tho British Empire paid honour to the memory of Nelson on Sat urday, October 21, tho lOGth anniversary of tho Battle of Trafalgar. Tho celebra- 1 trans were maintained upon a larger scalo than on any previous occasion. I Thousands of-people assembled in Trafalgar Square to stand in ever-changing crowds before tho decorated column of-the groat admiral. It was evident from a reading of tho inscriptions on the multitude of floral tributes arranged around the base of the column that Britons over-; seas wcro heartily joining in the hero wor-, ship of Nelson. - Capo' Town sent an, anchor fashioned out of everlasting (lowers. From Ching Kiang and Shang-" hai, in disturbed China, camo other wreaths. New Zealand and Canada were represented- by many offorings. ' Names of famous fighting • ships . wor# on other tributes—Colossus, Neptune, Defiance, Temeraire, Mars, Britannia, ond Roxburgh—while many descendants cf' officers who .had fought under Nelsonkept glorious tho memory of tho ndtniral > and thoir ancestors. in similar »ifts of' flowers. On Board tho Victory. The Victory at Portsmouth was decorated in commemoration of Trafalgar. Garlands of evergreens adorned tho must* and yardarms, wreaths were suspended Ixtween tho masts, ond the historic signal, in the codo used at tho action, was flown.

A deputation from the British ami Foreign Sailors' Society attended on board and presented to the Victory's -Museum the painting given by Lord Strathcoiin. Tlio Lord Nelson troop of Boy Scouts assembled on.the quarter deck. A iessag« was read from the present Lord Nelson, a wreath of laurels was placed on 'bo spot where the hero fell, and the National Anthem was sung. The Victory's anchor on' Southsea Beach was decoratcd with evergreens and flowers, and at tlio Royal Naval Barracks the men wcro paraded ut 9 a.m. The ensign was hoisted and tho National Anthem played, the Colours, we'ro then .lowered to half-mast, and tho band played "Tho Death of' Nelson." Tho «n----sign was then rehoisted and "Ttulo Bri< tannia" was played.

Tributes from Relatives. On Nelson'!)' last resting-place . in St. Paul's Cathedral a wreath of white chrysanthemums and lilies, with the foliovriiip inscription, was placed:— "To the immortal memory of Horatio Viscount Nelsom Duke of Bronte, this wreath is placed on his tomb in the Crypt of St. Paul's Cathedral by Francis Herbert". .Nelson' 1 Hilniphrey-Dnvy, 'great-great-grandson of Frances Herbert, Viscountess Nelson, Duchess 'if .Bronte,.relict of tho Admiral, on the 106 th anniversary of his victory and, death at the Battle of Trafalgar.—Saturday, 21st October, 1911."A wreath of white chrysanthemums and. scarlet geraniums came from Bournemouth, bearing tho words s-r "In memory of Admiral Lord Nelson from Evangeline Nelson Humphrey-Davy,, grand-daughter of Captain .Tosiah Nisbet, - K.N., stepson of (lie Admiral whose life ho saved at tho Battle of Tenerilfe,.

The Genius of Nelson. Tho fifteenth annual banquet arranged by the Navy League "in commemoration of the immortal memory of Nelson' was held at tho Connaught Rooms, Groat Queen Street, at night. The Duke of Somerset presided. Mr. Wyndhani, in proposing the' toast of "The Glorious ami' Immortal Memory of Nelson and his Comrades;" said the principal lesson of Nelson' 6 lifo was that they should love their country so ardently as to come to an understanding of hpr mission in the world, of the needs which must mako if (hose needs were to bo mot. missiln, and of the sacrifices which they must malp if those needs were to be met. Apart from his gifts as (ho greatest naval strategist of our nation, Nelson's genius lay in seizing opportunity with a precision'so unerring that it seemed to create it, and the source of his genius, next to the bounty of God, was the fervour of his. patriotism. He was tho bravest man who ever lived, and ho made duty shine with the glory and glow of humanity, and that was why he was th« darling of the British Navy and tho Eng. lish race. (Cheers.) Tho toast was honoured in silence.

Other Demonstrations, At Liverpool Trafalgar Dav was markd by o special display by cadets and bars from tho training, ship in tho Men';/. Sailors. representing the great shipping firms carried the house flags of the different lines in the demonstration. During the day' tOO. medals and IfiOO certificates were 'distributed among 2000 scholars who had written essays on the merchant service.

A Trafalgar Day confcrence, convened by the Navy Leaguo, was held in (ho London County Council Hall, Spring Gardens. At the meeting a resolution was passed calling public attention to the national danger involved in the do.reasfl of the British seamen, and urging that steps should be taken by the. 0 Jverii- ■ inent to ensure an organised ni.tional system of sea training.

A demonstration in ODinmomoration of the <loath of Nekon and in celebration of (lib victory of Trafalgar was icld in Trafalgar 'Square oil Sunday afternoon; October 22. Speaking took place from (lie terrace facing llio National Gallery, and an immense crowd-assembled in tho square below. Mr. Alan Burgoyne, M.P.,' presided. The statute of Nelson which' Mauds in Norwich Cathedral Close, opposite King' Rdw.ai'd VI, Grammar School,'was. bcitntifiillv decorated with flowers .and th«' Union Jack and White Ensign.