THE PRINCE OF WALES AS A MISSIONARY.

Patea Mail, Volume II, Issue 2, 8 April 1876, Page 2

THE PRINCE OF WALES AS A MISSIONARY.

Some points of the conduct of the Prince' of Wales during his tour in India were singled out by the Rev. Dr. Duff, the' eminent Free Church missionary, for attack in a speech made by him at a meeting of the Anglo-Indian Christian Union, V held in Edinburgh on January 12. Dr. Duff began by referring to the visits of the Prince to “idolatrous temples,” and his inspection of the Tooth of Buddha. He also spoke with religious indignation of the Prince’s patronage’ of the wild beast fights at Baroda, where he calmly watched the animals tear and gore each other. But Dr. Duff’s heaviest animadversions were made upon the Prince’s attendance at exhibitions of nantch, or dancing girls. Dr. Duff said he was shocked that the Prince “ should have had obtruded upon his eyes a dancing company of women who were in India known to be degraded, and low, and vile and again, that “ it was contrary to British usage to be introduced into a company of low and vile women, and sec_ them exhibiting themselves in low and vile dances.” This is the substance of Dr. Duffs remarks, to which be added that he blamed the Prince’s advisers more than the Prince himself,- and said that perhaps the fuller accounts mightplace matters in a less black light than-' the telegrams appeared to do.- Dr. Duff’s observations have obtained a wide cur-' rbney, and many journals have also’

commented upon them editorla.ll}. Some blame him much lor speaking as lie. did, these papers being almost invariably sceptical in their religious theories or aristocratic in their predilections. Others not biassed against Dr. Dull, like the Scotsman, because he is a free Church Minister, and not believing in the infallibility of princes, have not hesitated to openly conn..end Dr. Dull for this manly protest ags* n fin high places. .Sonic lew, such as tne Times, have diseretly preserved silence on the topic, if anyone does not know what the performances ot the nauteh gir’s ere, wish* s to acquire the knowledge, we would r 1 er him too a tusti ot it to the “ World” of January 12. There ho will liud a letter from an Indian eo~respondent, in wliich, in a few c: r fullyelioson words, the fact is plainly stated that on one occasion at least, the Prince, despite liis familiarity with ballets, was actually put out of countenance hy the behaviour of one of the girls in epic t on.