A GLORIOUS DAY AT THE GUILDHALL

New Zealand Mail, 22 January 1902, Page 25

A GLORIOUS DAY AT THE GUILDHALL

'THE FKINCE OF WALES ON HIS ■ TO UIL A STATESMANLIKE SPEECH. (From Our Special Correspondent.) LON LON, December 6 The Prince and Princess of Wales made fI tirst public appearance yesterday since the historic title was conferred on them At the invitation oi the City Fathers’' the Koval couple went to the Guildhall to receive an address of welcome and congratulation alter their little world jaunt ot 45,000 miles. The weather, happily, was ultra fine for December, ana the Koval progress from York Ixouse to the city was witnessed in comfprt by untold Uicusands massed along the whole troop line route. For once in a way Fleet street and the Strand were shelved in favour of Piccadilly, Shaftesbury Avenue and Holboru, and the change was an excellent one since the heavy vehicular traffic in the city from north to south was hardly interfered with at all. The route, of course, was decorated in the usual stvle, which consists chiefly of a mass of tawdry bunting of crude colours fluttering overhead. Of the proceedings at Guildhall preliminary to the luncheon little need be said. Sir John Dimsdale, the Lord Mavor, with the usual array of civic bigwigs in attendance, received the Royal viators in the library, where already had gathered Lord Salisbury, Mr Chamberlain, Lord Rosebery, the Duke of Devonshire and other political and social entities. Sir Forrest Fulton, the Recorder, then read a somewhat fulsome address of welcome, in which, the Corporation told the Prince that he and his fair consort had “left England amid the happiest anticipations and heartfelt good wishes- of the loyal and faithful subjects of his Most Gracious Majesty the King,” and that “the hopes and anticipations thus confidently formed have been.ffiiore than fully realised, and the dignity, courtesy, and never-failing tact of your Royal Highness, and of your gracious consort the Princess of Wales, have confirmed and accentuated among our brothers and sisters in the many and far-off colonies and dependencies of the British Crown that loyal love and attachment to the Old Country and its beloved Sovereign that has ever been Iheir distinguishing characteristic.'

The Prince’s brief reply concluded with an earnest hope “that the fulfilment of our proud mission may have strengthened the spirit of loyalty to the Throne and the attachment to the Mother Country, and have thus united more closely the varied portions of our great Empire.” Then ensued the gargantuan fc-ast, which was euphemistically termed “luncheon.” Thereafter came the usual array of toasts and the accompanying columns of oratory from the Lord Mayor, the Prince, Lord Salisbury, and the Colonial Secretary. THE PRINCE ON THE TOUR.

In reply to the toast of the day given by the Lord Mayor, the Prince, after the necessary graceful compliments to the hosts, spoke at length upon the recent tour. Of the Australian Commonwealth the Prince said:—“Australia saw tho consummation of the great mission which was the most immediate object of our journey, and you can imagine the feelings of pride with which I presided over the inauguration of the first Representative Assembly of the new-born Australian Commonwealth, in whose hands are placed the destinies of that great islandcontinent. (Cheers.) During the happy stay oi many weeks in the different States we were able to gam an insight into the working of the commercial, social and political institutions of which ihev justlv boast, and to see something of tiie great progress which the country has already made and of its capabilities, while at the same tune making the acquaintance of many of the warm-hearted and largeminded men to whose personality and so mw*. of that progress is due.” ji ( \ Zealand, Hie Prince remarked tnar it afforded us a striking example of a vigorous, intelligent, and prosperous frei e ’ i rl ng , m the full enjoyment of likera] institutions, and where many interesting social experiments are being put to the test of experience.” Pr l bmi I l«;ri 1 ’ aC ®T^ t T ® gurney through the - sald: If I were asked to specify any particular impression derived from journey 1 should unhesitatingly |? ac ® betore all others that of loyalty to CounVr? W VT d of , at T t f chllle ut to the Old ing to J h If rS,) lt ."; as indeed touching to hear the invariable reference to levlr wi 01 >! fr ° m the lipß ° f those wlm lievei had been or were ever likely to be in these islands. And with this lovaltv were unmistakable evidences of a com a tniTZYv s . tren ffth, a consciousness of Pirn l a^ d » lVlng membership in the EmPue, and a consciousness of power and readiness to share the burdensandlesponsibilities of that membership ” After reference to the part tlie colonies have played in the South African war a ?d having drawn the Secretary of War’s attention to the cadet corps in Australia and New Zealand and the general Iwi? &i“x e,I “ t KSKft-tt luded to , tb ® se .countries, the Prince alto the impression which seemed generally to prevail among their brethren most 3 t i h ° sea ?’ tliat the Old Country w lu ale -Y- p lf sbo intends to maintain colonel Po |i ltl i On of in he? tS ” (ChS, agamst competi"No . o . n ? (he said) who had the experifMl b l i ad during our tour could tail to be struck with one all-prevailino-settlers. y And e l P r, ol . itable crops to the under conditions of heMfiTr laws and free iiistP^f-^ 17 bvm £> liberal rree institutions, in exchange

for overcrowded cities and the almost hopeless struggle for existence which, alas, too often is the lot of many in the Old Country. But one condition and one only is made by our colonial brethren, and that is ‘ Send us suitable emigrants.’ I would go further, and appeal to my fel-low-countrymen at Home to prove the strength of. the attachment of the Motherland to her children by sending to them only of lier best. (Cheers.) By this means we may still further strengthen or at all events pass on unimpaired, that pride of race, that unity of sentiment and purpose, that feeling of common loyalty aud obligation which knit together and alone can maintain the integrity of our Empire.”

And with this statesmanlike conclusion tlie heir to tlie Throne sat down imid hearty cheers, which had barely subsided eie Lord Rosebery was on his legs to propose 1 “THE COLONIES.” In tne course of a speech that contained rather less than usual of amusing matter tlis Eordsliip paid an eloquent tribute to tlie spontaneous assistance forthcoming .out tlie colonies at “a moment of great difficulty, and said that by their action tliey had not merely enlarged tlie conception ot the Empire in the imagination of the world but made what had been before only a high ideal or matter of fact. Then turning to the Prince Lord Rosebery said

May we not hope, Sir, that one result ot your journey round the world may be this, that that fact may become more em p hasised, that the bonu which unites the Empire may become not more stringent, not more binding, but at any rate more systematised and more businesslike than at present. If that be so, if that be part of the result of your visit, Sir, we all of us, of every party" and of every class will have one more cause of rejoicing in tliat. great and solid achievement. we may not live to see it. It may come to-morrow, we cannot tell tlie moment at which we are destined to see the federation of the Empire. But we know that when we sea tlie flash of lightning, in a moment, or it mav be a long time, but certainly we shall hear the following thunder, and we know, we who stand here to-day, that whether we be permitted or not to see tlie land of promise, we are as sure as we stand here that this Empire will be federated, will be united, will be held together in one bond not more material hut more cementing than that which now exists.”

i i^ r ‘ Chamberlain’s name was coupled I with the toast, and loud and long were i the cheers that rang through tlie hall when “Moatlhodi” rose to reply. jii s | opening concerned the contrast between tlie great self-governing colonies of today and those same countries 40 years ago when the Prince’s father visited Canada and laid the foundation stone of the Parliament Buildings at Ottawa. lie cua not attemjit to demonstrate statistically the marvellous material progress made in tliat period but enlarged on the growth of the Imjierial spirit tliat has synchronised therewith. “But while tiiere has been this marvellous progress, this growth in all that goes to make great nations, happily for us, and as 1 think for them, it lias been accompanied by a still more eager claim on the part of the coloiies to be considered as joint heirs with i 113I 13 * pa H. aer s m the glories and traditions or the British Empire. And Jet me add that it has shown them to be ever more willing to accept the responsibilities | as well as the privileges of the situation ” , Concerning the outward and visible sign 1 snir) tla ' t 'Ti W,lllgne !s Mr - Chamberlain I W 1S a matter of great and suggestive importance that during the ureseut war the Dominion of Canada and the States of Australia have between them sent an army of eighteen thousand Sc sec ° nd to none, to share with j iiriti&ii soldiers tlie dangers and the snfferings of the u-ar, and at tlie same time I a ”°t ber army exceeding fifty thousand in I it??!?' (Chi be ?V, alsed in South Africa itself (Cheers.; Ihis material aid, the advantage of which cannot be ated, has been made more valuable bv the mora l support which lias been extended to us by our brethren across the seas. The aid Avhich they have given us m men and the aid which they have given us in sympathy are the first fruits of that grouing sense of kinship and common in terest AA'hich the journey of their Koval Highnesses is certain to promote. (Cheers.) The British Empire is said to be loosely compacted. Yes, but tlie invisible nerves of sympathy Avhich run throughout the great organism noiv throb in-unison, the same spirit animates I us all, a common patriotism binds us to- 1 gether and ive may look forward with con- I fidence to the future in the belief that 1 our union, now cemented by dangers incurred in common, Avill lead to the peace of the world, and will certainly secure the prosperity and happiness of the British Empire. (Prolonged cheers.) COLONIAL SUPPORT v. FOREIGN CENSURE. To Lord Salisbury fell tlie task of proposing the Lord Mayor and the Corporation, and in the tail of his speech he made some remarks which are not likely to soothe those Continental critics Avhose Avrath Mr. Chamberlain so recently aroused. Said the Premier: “It is no doubt true that just at this moment Ave have made enemies who are not very reticent in the expression of their opinion, but, on the other hand, Ave possess in the I support of our distant kinsmen an j approval and a sanction, which to us is ‘ Avorth infinitely more than all the contempt and all the censure which avo may receive from other nations. (Cheers.) j What A\ r e look to is the opinion of those of our OAvn kin Avho belong to our oavii ! Empire. We have received from all portions of that Empire an indication that ! we have lost nothing in the opinion Avhich they hold either of our tenacity or the 1 justice of our claims. We oavo largely to their Royal Highnesses the summoning forth or that expression of opinion at a critical time, and the Lord Mayor has rendered no light service in bringing that strong opinion before the world.”

With the Lord Mayor’s brief reply the proceedings ended, and somewhere in the

neighbourhood of 4 o’clock the Royal party commenced their return to York House.