SPEECH DAY OF THE COLLEGIATE SCHOOLS OF MELBOURNE.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 12, Issue 912, 25 January 1868, Page 3

SPEECH DAY OF THE COLLEGIATE SCHOOLS OF MELBOURNE.

(Condensed from the ' Argus.') Tnfi speech day of the united Melbourne Collegiate Schools came off on the 21st December, in the Exhibition hall, his Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh being present. Many as are the gatherings which have filled the great Exhibition hall, such an assembly as that of Saturday has never before been within its walls. It embraced at once the flower of the youth of the colony and the elite of colonial society. The spectacle presented by the crowded hall was brilliant in the extreme. Away at the south end the gallery, greatly enlarged, was filled with the boys, some 700 in number ; while the body of the hall was occupied by a vast crowd, principally composed of ladies, whose light summer costumes gave coloring and animation to the scene. The educational heads of the different schools, viz., Eev. Dr. Bromby, Church of England Grammar School ; Mr. A. Morrison, of the Scotch College ; Hey. J. Moore, of St. Patrick's College ; and Dr. Corrigan, of "Wesley College, were present. The first piece on the programme was an " Ode to the Duke of .Edinburgh," which was delivered by Counsel, of St. Patrick's College, with excellent taste and expression. In the verses the sentiments natural to the occasion were gracefully and concisely expressed, and it was, to say the least, quite as good a poetical welcome to the Prince as any he had received in Victoria. The verses are as follows : — Fair scion, sprung from line of kings, To thee Australia Felix sings - At all times " felix"— happier now, Beneath her Prince's beaming brow. First Eoyal foot that ever trod Remote Australia's youthful sod, Victoria welcomes, Melbourne greets, The future hope of England's fleets. 'Neath canvas broad and flag unfurled, He hies him o'er the watery world, To bear, unchanged, to southern isles, The sunshine of a mother's smiles. Whispered of old Rome's lyric son, " Fair Galatea, ocean shun," He_ sang the perils of the deep, Orion setting wild and steep. Black billows lashed by furious gale, Unbridled storm and straining sail, '■ Shun, Galatea, shun the sea. Live happy, and remember mo." No storm thy Galatea dreads, From rolling Thames to Southern Heads; The perils of the wind and wave, Stout ship and Royal captain brave. Hail ! spreading sea, great path of man, Hail ! boundless Oceanic span ; On thee fair Science writes her trace, Grand highway of the human race. Be not displeased then if my voice, Heroic Prince! applaud thy cnoice, O'er ocean, gulf, stream, bay to roam, And make the mighty sea thy home. To change the palace, fair and high, For gallant ship and starry sky, To quit the haunts of gorgeous ease And be a Prince upon the seas. A Sailor Prince! that magic word Has deepest reminiscence stirred. Of Royal steersmen, sea kings brave, And princes powerful on the wave. In mjstic days of earlier Greece Prmco Jason sought the Golden Fleece, Led hearts of oak in Euxiue foam, And ploughed his way triumphant home. O'er wider oceans' plush and roar, A Prince has sought Australia's shore. The land which yields true Fleece of Gold, Exhaustles3 mines and flocks untold. The princely flog of Austrian John Once led united nations on ; That pennon at Lepento waved O'er Crescent checked and Europe saved. Thy Royal banner floats to-day O'er hosts engaged in bloodless fray ; Thy streamer waves o'er triumphs won Where flushed no cutlass, boomed no gun. Tho tongues thai Gaul and Briton speak, And stalely Roman, fiery Greek ; Tho page that pictures deeds of yore, And science, with her varied lore : Such is our field, and such onr arms — This Royal scene attests their charms, The memory of this gracious day Shall live till lifu has ebbed away. Thy Princelyhand the prize accords ; That hand, that smile, our best rewards. Hail, gallant Prince ! loud, long our cries Of gratitude and welcome rise Sonorous through land, soa, and skies. The Quenn God save ! Heaven shield the bravo ; Be Prince Alfred happy on land and wave. The " Boatmen of the Downs" was recited by Cooper, of Wesley College. ]N"ext came the song " The flag that braved a thousand years," by King, of the Church of England Grammer School. The youthful vocalist possesses a voice of great clearness, power, and flexibility, and notwithstanding the enormous size of the hall, it came out full and clear in every part. A scene from " Kiug John" was then given by four of the junior boys from the Scotch College, and was very well rendered. Following this was an original Latin ode in Sapphics, delivered by j£eogh, of St Patrick's. As it is probably the only classical welcome which H.E.H. has received, we give it here— SAPPHIC ODE. Aspice! exullans ceiebrat triumphum Civitas omnis ; ferit astra plausus ; Lumine et pictis redimita splendent Com pita velis. 0 dies olim memorande fastis Quo licet nostris toties vocatum Principem votis medium tueri et Pendere grates, Clara tot regum soboles avito Stemmate illustris, magis at Parento Qure regens vita docet, atque scoptrum Moribus ornat. Sospes Australi redoas ab ora Nuntius nostraj fidei atque amoris Testis et dignara proavis et alto Nomine gentnm. A grand duo on the pianoforte was performed by Vaughan and Evans, of the Church of England Grammnr School. Both played witli considerable expression and lightness of touch, and the instrumentation altogether revealed musical training of a high order. The tent scene from " Julius Caesar" was given by Little and Parnham, of Wesley College, with a good deal of spirit ; and was followed by the recitation of the camp scene from " Henry V.," by Smith, of the Church of England Grammar School. The masterpiece of the day, however, so far as elocution was concerned, was " Clarence's Dream," by Wright, of the Scotch College. The force, expression, and dramatic power thrown into the language were admirable, and evinced not merely careful training, but a most intelligent appreciation of the meaning of the poet. The concluding recitation was another poetical " Welcome to Prince Alfred," written by Mrs. T. P. Hill, and tastefully delivered by Hart, of Wesley College. The lines are as follows : — From tho land of old tradition, From the land of song and story, From the land of high fruition Of the dream of pride, and glory, Thou comes!;. Let our greeting be Warm as our British loyalty. * * * ♦ * Though distant our adopted land From EngUniG.'s sea-girt, rook-bound strand; Though witstes of water roll between; Yet— yet— to her, and to her Queen, Wo feel as near as though our home O'erlooked her blue waves snowy foam. Victoria's heavens are cloudless— fair — And balmy is our Southern air ; Her huge dark mountains grandly rise Beneath the blue and amber skies; Within her bosom— mines of gold, Rich gorgeous gems— of wealth untold. Bui ah 1 the magic, word of home Will haunt tho heart where'erwe roam, The love, of country still will stay, Though from its shores our footsteps stray. Then welcome Prince ! bright link between Australia's people and her Queen ; And while along our sunny shoves, The booming cannon loudly roars ; While bells their glstdsome peals do ring, Ami sweet-voiced children sofily sing; While rolling drum and lusty cheer, Klending. salute thy Royal ear— To swell that, loud and proud refrain This lowlier note thou'lt not disdain, From one whose watch-cry e'er hath been " Our God ! our country,! and our Queen." The programme was finished at twenty minutes past one, and then commenced the distribution of prizes. In less than half an hour, the ceremony of distribution was over. At its conclusion, the Duke of Edinburgh said, —"It has given me very great pleasure ,

to preside at this meeting, and to distribute the prizes awarded to the successful competitors at the recent examinations. To commemorate this occasion, I wish to ask the principals of the different schools to grant an extra week's holiday." Dr. Bromby, on behalf of the principals of the different schools, expressed their gratitude to His Royal Highness for presiding on the occasion and distributing the prizes, and stated that they had much pleasure in complying with his request. The different schools would consequently reassemble on the 3rd of February, instead of the 27th January. Three cheers were then given successively for the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Governor, and the proceedings of the day were concluded by the singing of "Rule Britannia." The Duke of Edinburgh took his departure amid the cheers of the assemblage, and thus the most memorable of speech daya terminated.