county of Surrey, was founded in 1619, under letters patent of King
James I., by Edward Alleyne, player, a contemporary and friend of
Shakespeare. Those who knew Dulwich College, before its reconstitution
in recent times, must remember its being spoken of as a notable instance
of "the abuse of an ancient charity." In 1857 the old corporation was
dissolved by Act of Parliament, and a new Governing Body was
established, consisting of 19 Governors, of whom 11 were to be appointed
by the Court of Chancery, and the remainder by the parishes of
Camberwell, Bishopsgate, St. Luke, Finsbury, and St. Saviour's,
Southwark, each appointing two Governors. A further scheme for the
management of the charity was approved by Her Majesty in Council in
1882, greatly modifying the arrangement of 1857. By the latter scheme
the management of the estate in its eleemosynary branch was wholly
separated from the educational branch, with separate governing bodies.
The great increase in the value of the estates had allowed the
establishment, in 1857, of Alleyn's School, and a large sum was then
provided for the erection of school buildings, a splendid edifice being
constructed by Mr. Charles Barry.
It was to open this new school that the visit of the Prince and Princess
of Wales was made on the 21st of June, 1870. By a singular coincidence
this day was the anniversary of that on which the charter of the College
had been first signed, on the 21st of June, 1607. The Prince of Wales
distributed the prizes, after the pupils had delivered speeches, and
gone through the exercises usual in public school examinations and
anniversaries. The recitations were brought to a close with singing the
National Anthem.
At the luncheon which followed, the Rev. W. Rogers presided, and
proposed the health of the Royal visitors.
His Royal Highness, who was loudly cheered on rising to reply, said:--
"My Lords, Ladies, and Gentlemen,--I feel deeply the kind way in
which you have received this toast, and I can assure you that it
is with great pleasure we have to-day made so interesting a
visit to a place which, for all of us, possesses an historical
interest. It is hardly necessary for me to refer to the early
history of the College. You all know that it was founded in the
time of Queen Elizabeth, although the charter was actually
signed by James I., and that Edward Alleyne was an eminent
actor, and that he also held, I believe, the post of
bear-keeper--I hope not bear-leader--to Queen Elizabeth. What we
witness to-day is a gratifying result of that foundation.
Everybody who has had the opportunity of seeing this splendid
building must have derived gratification from the spectacle, and
also from the proofs which have been furnished that education is
by no means neglected. These proofs we have listened to in the
English and French languages, and also in the ancient Greek, and
we have done so with very great pleasure, in spite of the great
heat which it was necessary for that purpose to encounter.
"I will not detain you with further remarks. But before I sit
down let me wish thorough success and happiness to this College,
and let us hope that the success which has attended the last ten
years especially of its existence will continue and increase,
and that year by year it will advance in standing and position
and in the number of the scholars within its walls. I have now
the pleasure of proposing a toast which I am sure you will all
drink with enthusiasm--'The Health of the Master of Dulwich
College, Dr. Carver.' From the cordial way in which his name is
cheered by the boys there can be no doubt of his popularity; and
to his efforts, I believe, much of the success which the school
has attained is owing."
The Rev. Dr. Carver "returned his very sincere thanks for this
compliment, which he took to be meant really for the institution of
which he was at the head. The inheritance of the last five
half-centuries was a noble one, but with it they inherited many
responsibilities, resulting from the faults and failings of their
predecessors, and there was much not only to do but to redeem. He
believed that a new era for Dulwich College had been inaugurated, and he
trusted it would hereafter win and occupy a place among the most
important and valuable institutions of the kingdom."
Their Royal Highnesses then proceeded to the Library. Before the
ceremonies at the School, they had visited the magnificent collection of
paintings, known as the Dulwich Gallery. These pictures were collected
by Sir F. Bourgeois, R.A., bequeathed by him to the College, owing to
his friendship for Mr. Allen, the Master of the College, at the time of
his death, in 1810. Some of the best pictures in this gallery were
obtained in Poland, at the time of the partition of that ancient kingdom
by the three Great Powers.
SCHOOLS FOR THE CHILDREN OF SEAMEN.
_June 30th, 1870._
Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales, on the 30th of
June, 1870, performed the ceremony of opening the new schools for the
children of seamen. There was a large assembly present, including the
Lord and Lady Mayoress, the Bishop of London and Mrs. Jackson, the
Sheriffs of Middlesex, several Aldermen and public officials. The
schools are situated near the London Docks, in Wellclose Square, where
for two hundred years stood the church for Danish seamen. The site of
the buildings was the property of the Crown of Denmark, and, with the
church, was purchased from the trustees with money granted from the
Bishop of London's Fund. The newly-erected schools afford accommodation
for 600 children, and the cost was about £5500.
An address, giving the history and purpose of the institution, was read
by the vicar of St. Paul's Church for seamen of the port of London, to
which
The Prince of Wales responded, saying "it was a source of
infinite gratification to him to be present at the completion of
a work originated by his lamented father, and to fulfil his
benevolent design of providing for the education and religious
welfare of the children, after having secured a place of Divine
Worship for the parents. He trusted that the association of the
site with its former uses would bear its fruit in the success
of this sacred work of education and religion."
After prayers were read by the Bishop of London, the ceremony of
declaring the schools open was performed, and purses were presented,
with donations to the amount of £1500, including a hundred guineas from
the Prince of Wales.
A luncheon followed, at which the Bishop of London, in proposing the
health of the Queen, recalled a saying of George III., who once
expressed the hope that the time would come when every man in England
would possess a Bible, and be able to read it. This sentiment was also
felt by the old King's grand-daughter who now filled the throne, and
nothing was dearer to Her Majesty's heart than the religious education
of the people.
In next proposing the health of the Prince and Princess of Wales, the
Bishop said that the Royal visit of this day would give a prestige to
the schools which would ensure their popularity in the neighbourhood.
There was a special interest for the Princess of Wales in the fact that
they were on the site of the old Danish Chapel, long the only place of
worship for Danish seamen in London.
The Prince of Wales, in response, said:--
"My Lord Bishop, Ladies, and Gentlemen,--Allow me in the name of
the Princess of Wales and myself to tender you my warmest thanks
for the kind way in which this toast has been proposed and
responded to. I need not tell you that the proceedings of to-day
have given us great pleasure, or that we feel a deep interest in
the success of the schools which we have now opened. When we
were asked to open these schools and play-grounds for the
children of seamen and other persons living in this
neighbourhood, we at once felt that the object was excellent,
and we were anxious in coming here to-day to evince the interest
we take in the schools. They have, as has already been
mentioned, an especial interest for myself, because just
twenty-four years ago the foundation stone of the neighbouring
church for seamen was laid by my lamented father. That church,
during the twenty-four years it has been in existence, has
answered the purpose for which it was built, and I believe as
many as 240,000 seamen, together with their wives and families,
have attended divine service within its walls. Let us, then,
hope that the children also may receive the benefits of a good
education and religious training, and that these schools may
fulfil the object for which they were built.
"In this part of London there are so many poor that good schools
are especially needed, and as these schools are not intended
exclusively for the children of seamen, they will probably be
most beneficial to the neighbourhood at large. Allow me to thank
you for the way in which you have listened to the few remarks I
have made, and to assure you that I feel deep gratification in
being present to-day at the opening of these schools. I have,
before sitting down, to propose 'The Health of the Lord Bishop
of London,' to whom we owe our warmest thanks for the kind way
in which he has come here to take part in the proceedings of
this day, when he has so many other and important duties to
perform. As I know that he has another pressing engagement in a
short time, the fewer words said the better. I therefore call
upon you to drink the health of the Lord Bishop of London."
NEW GRAMMAR SCHOOL AT READING.
_July 1st, 1870._
The good people of Reading are said sometimes to have grumbled at being
neglected by Royalty, their town being overshadowed by its proximity to
the Royal borough of Windsor. This notion was effaced by the splendid
events of the 1st of July, 1870. On that day the Prince and Princess of
Wales, with imposing state and ceremony, visited the ancient town, in
order to lay the foundation-stone of a new school, which was to be the
successor of the historical Grammar School, at which Archbishop Laud was
educated, one of the masters of which, Julius Palmer, was martyred
during the Marian persecution, and which in recent times had attained
high celebrity under the scholastic reign of Dr. Valpy.
The town was in high festival for the occasion, and distinguished
company assembled to meet the Royal visitors. When the Address had been
presented by the Mayor and Town Clerk, giving a summary of the history
of the school, and the purposes of the new undertaking, the Prince
replied:--
"Mr. Mayor and Gentlemen,--I desire to return my cordial thanks
for your address, and to assure you, on the part of the Princess
and myself, of the pleasure it affords us to visit a town so
conspicuous in the pages of English history. It is most
gratifying to me to co-operate with you, gentlemen, in securing
for your town the benefits contemplated by the Royal founders of
this ancient school. In extending to Reading and its county the
advantages of a middle-class education, you are providing an
education which, if conducted on sound principles, must conduce
to the welfare and happiness of all who desire to profit by it;
and that this result is anticipated is satisfactorily indicated
by the amount of contributions already subscribed. For myself, I
sincerely trust that the good work of which we are now assembled
to lay the first stone may, under God's blessing, prosper and
accomplish its purpose. It will at least prove to a succeeding
generation that we, on our part, have striven with all our
hearts and all our means to ripen the good seed sown by our
fathers upwards of 300 years ago."
The ceremony of setting the stone then began, for the ceremony was to be
done with masonic honours, one side of the tent having been entirely
occupied by the Masons in costume. The Mayor, having received from the
Provincial Grand Master the handsome silver trowel prepared for the
occasion, now asked the Prince, in the name of the School Trustees, to
proceed with the ceremony. The Grand Chaplain offered a prayer, the
Architect presented his plans, the Grand Secretary read the inscription
on the stone, and the Grand Treasurer deposited gold, silver, and copper
coins of the present reign in the cavity prepared for them.
The Prince then proved and set the stone, saying:--
"May the Great Architect of the Universe enable us successfully
to carry on and finish the work of which we have now laid the
principal stone, and every other undertaking which may tend to
the advantage of the borough of Reading and this neighbourhood,
and may this school be long preserved from peril and decay,
diffusing its light and influence to generations yet unborn."
To this the Masons present answered with one accord, "So mote it be."
The Prince next spread corn on the stone, and from the ewers handed to
him poured out wine and oil, saying:--
"May the bountiful hand of Heaven ever supply this country with
abundance of corn, wine, and oil, and all the necessaries and
comforts of life."
The Brethren again responded in the Masonic formula, "So mote it be."
Then the Treasurer to the school presented to the Senior Master Builder
(Mr. Parnell) a purse of gold, saying: "It is the pleasure of the Prince
that those who have hewed the stones, and those who have laid them, and
all who have assisted, should 'rejoice in the light.'"
Prayers by the Bishop of Oxford, and the Hallelujah Chorus, performed by
the band and choir, closed the ceremonial, which was very quaint and
impressive.
At the luncheon afterwards given in the Town Hall, the Prince, after
acknowledging the usual loyal toasts, that of the Prince and Princess of
Wales having been proposed by the Mayor, said:--
"My Lords, Ladies, and Gentlemen,--It gives me great pleasure to
have an opportunity of expressing to all those present the
gratification it has given both to the Princess and myself to be
here this day. I am glad also to have the opportunity of
congratulating the Mayor and Corporation and the inhabitants of
Reading on the great success of all the proceedings of the day.
In passing through the town we could not fail to admire the
tasteful way in which all the houses and streets were decorated;
nor was it possible that the arrangements for laying the
foundation stone of the new schools, and the magnificent
ceremony attending it, could have gone off better. I trust we
shall all take a deep interest in the school which is to be,
succeeding as it does to one which has already existed for a
great number of years, having been founded by my ancestor Henry
VII., and receiving a Royal charter from Queen Elizabeth. I
trust that the wishes expressed by the Mayor concerning the
school may be realized, and that the children not only of the
inhabitants of Reading but of the whole county of Berkshire will
have an opportunity of receiving a thoroughly good education in
it. I will not occupy your time any longer, but before sitting
down it affords me great pleasure to propose a toast which I
feel sure you will all receive with enthusiasm. It is 'The
Health of the Mayor of Reading.' I am glad to have the
opportunity of thanking him, as the representative of this
ancient and loyal borough, for the kind and hearty reception it
has given to us on this occasion."
After the departure of the Prince, the Mayor announced that His Royal
Highness had generously handed him a cheque for a hundred guineas
towards the building fund. At night the town was illuminated, and the
people of Reading had good reason to be pleased with the proceedings of
the day.
ALBERT GOLD MEDAL TO M. DE LESSEPS.
_July 7th, 1870._
At a meeting of the Council of the Society of Arts, on the 7th of July,
1870, the Prince of Wales, as President of the Society, presented the
Albert Gold Medal to M. de Lesseps. This medal is awarded for services
rendered to arts, manufactures, and commerce; and no services, to
commerce at least, could have been better rendered than by the
realization of the Suez Canal.
The Prince addressed M. de Lesseps in a French speech, of which the
following is a translation:--
"It is with sincere gratification that, as President of the
Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and
Commerce, I have the honour of presenting to you to-day the gold
medal which was founded after the death of my beloved father,
and which bears his name. This medal is presented every year to
the person who has distinguished himself most remarkably in
advancing the interests of the objects for which the Society was
founded, and I am fully convinced that no recipient has ever
been more worthy than yourself of this honourable distinction.
In presenting it, I need scarcely say that the award was
unanimous, and I may perhaps be permitted to add that I
stipulated for the pleasure of placing the medal myself in your
hands. England will never forget that it was to you the success
of that great enterprise which is so much calculated to develope
the commercial interests subsisting between herself and her
Eastern Empire was due; and I trust that since your sojourn
among us the English people have evinced to you their
appreciation of the benefits which your great work has conferred
upon this country. Allow me once more to congratulate you upon
your grand achievement, and to express my sincere hope, as it is
my belief, that it will fully realise the brilliant
anticipations which you have from the first entertained
respecting it. In conclusion, I must assure you of the pleasure
I feel in presenting this medal to you, not only as President of
this Society, but as a personal friend, who has, moreover,
enjoyed the inestimable advantage of an inspection of the Canal
under your guidance."
M. de Lesseps replied as follows:--
"Monséigneur,--I am happy in receiving from the hands of your Royal
Highness the medal which has been awarded to me by the Society of Arts
and Manufactures. This medal, recalling the respected memory of your
august father, has a double value in my eyes, for His Royal Highness
Prince Albert, from the commencement of the enterprise of the Suez
Canal, received me with that kindly feeling which was to him habitual,
and which led him always to encourage everything which might be useful
to social progress, to the discoveries of science, and to the
development of commerce. He received me for the first time in 1858, in
his private study, where he invited me to explain to him all the details
relating to the construction of the Canal, and he followed with close
attention upon the map and on the working plan the course of the
projected scheme as worked out by the engineers. Since that time he
continued on several occasions to testify the interest which he felt in
the enterprise for which the period of commencing the works had arrived.
I thank your Royal Highness and the Society of Arts for having added
this important manifestation to all the evidences which I have had the
good fortune to receive from the Government of the Queen and from the
people of Great Britain. The words of your Royal Highness will remain
engraven in my heart. I have already had the good fortune of finding
myself with you, Monséigneur, when travelling in the desert, and there,
where a man, however highly he may be placed, shows himself as he is, I
have been able to appreciate the noble character, the lofty mind, and
the elevated sentiments of your Royal Highness, and I am happy to bear
this testimony in the presence of the distinguished men who surround us.
I shall ever be, as they are, the devoted partisan of your Royal
Highness. I pray you to present to Her Majesty the homage of my respect
and of my gratitude, and to assure her that the Company which I have the
honour to direct will be able to maintain the Suez Canal in a condition
which will satisfy all the requirements of the great commerce and of the
navigation of Great Britain."
It is always a pleasure to the Prince of Wales to give the Albert Medal
with his own hands, sometimes at Marlborough House, as to Sir Henry
Bessemer, and to M. Chevalier, the distinguished French Economist. When
the award was made to Mr. Doulton, the Prince went to Lambeth to make
the presentation, and said that he would have been glad to have received
Mr. Doulton at Marlborough House, but thought it would be more
gratifying to him to have the medal presented in his own place and among
his own workpeople--an act of gracious considerateness which was well
appreciated by the vast assembly who witnessed the event.
OPENING OF THE THAMES EMBANKMENT.
_July 13th, 1870._
This great work, which, for solidity of construction, durability of
material, and beauty of design, is worthy of the Metropolis of the
Empire, was commenced early in 1852, but was not completed till the
summer of 1870. Viewed in connection with the benefits to public health
and convenience, by the improvement of the course of the Thames, and the
removal of the mud banks formerly disfiguring the shores, the Embankment
may be truly said to be the greatest public work undertaken in London in
modern times. Portions of the footway had been previously open for
passengers, and improvements have been since made in the approaches and
in laying out ornamental grounds, but the completion of the roadway,
from Westminster to Blackfriars, sufficiently justified the grand State
ceremony with which the Embankment was opened, on the 13th of July,
1870, by the Prince of Wales.
On that day, the Prince, accompanied by the Princess Louise, and
attended by the Great Officers of the Household, opened the Embankment
on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen. Five Royal carriages, with an escort
of the Royal Horse Guards, proceeded from Marlborough House, by the
Mall, Whitehall, and Parliament Street to Westminster Bridge, where they
entered the embankment. Here the procession was joined by the carriages
containing the Chairman and members of the Metropolitan Board of Works.
At Hungerford Bridge an address was presented by the Chairman, Sir John
Thwaites. The Royal procession went as far as Blackfriars Bridge, and
then returned to Westminster Bridge, when the Prince, amidst the cheers
of the multitude, and the salutes of artillery, declared the Embankment
to be open.
The reply to the address read by the Prince, was as follows:--
"Gentlemen,--It is a source of great regret to me, as I am sure
it cannot fail to be to you, that the Queen is unable to be
present, according to her original intention, at this
interesting ceremony. In her name I thank you for your loyal
address, and express to you the satisfaction with which she
regards the completion of this great work. We must all rejoice
that while the Embankment and the noble roadway, which I am
happy this day to open in the name of Her Majesty, add largely
to the beauty and convenience of the Metropolis, the works
connected with them may be expected materially to diminish the
sources of disease and suffering to the inhabitants of this bank
of the Thames. In no public work of this vast capital has the
liberal and enterprising spirit of its citizens and the genius
and resources of our civil engineers been more signally
displayed. I am commanded by the Queen to congratulate you
cordially on the issue of your labours in undertakings which
promise to be so enduring and so beneficent."
Five years before this, on the 4th of April, 1865, the Prince had
visited the great works erected at Barking, in Essex, and thence to the
Erith Marshes to perform the ceremony of starting the great engines
which lift the waters of the Southern Outfall Sewer. In a brief speech
on that occasion the Prince congratulated Mr. Thwaites, then chairman of
the Metropolitan Board of Works, and Mr. Bazalgette, the engineer, on
the completion of an important portion of the great scheme for disposing
of the sewage of London, and purifying the water of the Thames.
WORKMEN'S INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION.
_July 16th, 1870._
In the summer of 1870, while the news of impending war on the continent
stirred public feeling, preparations were being quietly made in many a
home and workshop for an international exhibition of art and industry.
The special feature of the display was to be the encouragement of
individual intelligence and skill, every object exhibited having
attached to it the name of the workman, as well as the firm in whose
employment he was, if not exercising his art on his own account at home.
The Prince of Wales kindly consented to open the exhibition, in the name
of the Queen. This was done on the 16th of July, 1870. Having received
an address, giving an account of the purpose of the collection, the
Prince thus replied:--