THE KING’S VISIT TO CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
[Illustration: THE TOUR IN CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES, 1860]
During the Crimean war, Canada, stirred, as were all the British
colonies, by the direful stress of the mother country, levied and
equipped a regiment of infantry for service in the field with the
regular British troops--an interesting precedent for what was to
happen in the Boer war nearly half a century later. In return for
their demonstration of loyalty, the Canadians dispatched a cordial
invitation to Queen Victoria to visit her American possessions; but it
was considered undesirable that Her Majesty should be exposed to the
fatigues and the risks of so long a journey.
Queen Victoria was then asked to appoint one of her sons
Governor-General of the Dominion, but the extreme youth of all the
Princes made that quite out of the question. Her Majesty, nevertheless,
formally promised that when the Prince of Wales was old enough he
should visit Canada in her stead. When the Prince was well on in his
eighteenth year his parents decided that it was time for this promise
to be fulfilled, the more so that it would enable the great railway
bridge across the St. Lawrence at Montreal to be opened, and the
foundation-stone of the Parliament buildings at Ottawa to be laid, by a
Prince of the Blood.
[Illustration: THE FIFTH DUKE OF NEWCASTLE, K.G.]
The Prince Consort, with the care and forethought which always
distinguished him in such matters, made a most careful choice of those
who were to accompany his young son. Both Queen Victoria and he felt
the greatest confidence in the Duke of Newcastle, the grandfather of
the present peer, and with him Prince Albert arranged all the details
of the Prince’s Canadian visit. The careful and kindly father forgot
nothing that might be needed. Not only did he take special pains to
secure that the young Prince should learn something of the history,
customs, and prejudices of the Canadian people, but he supplied the
Duke with memoranda which might be found useful in drawing up the
answers to be made to the addresses which were certain to be presented
to the Prince of Wales during his progress through the Dominion. The
best proof of the Prince Consort’s wisdom is to be found in the fact
that every one of these notes afterwards turned out to be simply
invaluable, owing to the peculiar aptness with which they had been
framed to suit the circumstances of each locality where an address was
likely to be received.
When it became known on the American Continent that the Prince of Wales
was really coming to Canada, the President of the United States, Mr.
Buchanan, wrote to Queen Victoria explaining how cordial a welcome the
Prince of Wales would receive at Washington should he extend his visit
to the United States.
Her Majesty returned a cordial answer, informing Mr. Buchanan, and
through him the American people, that the Prince would return home
through America, and that it would give him great pleasure to have
an opportunity of testifying to the President in person the kindly
feelings which animated the British nation towards America. At the same
time the American people were told that the future British Sovereign
would, from the moment of his leaving British soil, drop all Royal
state, and that he would simply travel as “Lord Renfrew.” In this again
Her Majesty showed her great wisdom, for it would have been extremely
awkward for the Prince of Wales, the descendant of King George III., to
have visited the American Republic in his quality as Heir-Apparent to
the British Throne.
After a pleasant but uneventful voyage on board the frigate _Hero_,
escorted by H.M.S. _Ariadne_, the Prince of Wales first stepped on
Transatlantic soil at St. John’s, the capital of Newfoundland, the
oldest British colony, on 24th July 1860. The morning was rainy, but
the moment His Royal Highness landed the sun shone out, bursting
through the clouds, and this was considered by those present to be a
very happy omen.
On that day the Prince may be said to have really had his first glimpse
of that round of official duties to which he seemed to take naturally,
and in which he was destined to become so expert.
After the Governor of Newfoundland had been formally presented to the
Prince, the Royal party, which comprised, in addition to His Royal
Highness, the Duke of Newcastle, General Bruce, and Major Teesdale,
went straight to Government House, where the Prince held a reception,
and listened to a considerable number of addresses. The day did not end
till the next morning, for in the evening a grand ball was given by Sir
Alexander Bannerman, and King Edward won all hearts by mixing freely
with the company, and dancing, not only with the ladies belonging to
the Government and official circles, but with the wives and daughters
of the fishermen. It was noticed that the Prince was quite remarkably
like the portraits of his Royal mother on the British coins, and he
displayed, not only in Newfoundland but also during the many fatiguing
days that followed, the extraordinary tact and admirable breeding which
have continually year after year increased the affection with which he
is regarded by the British people.
[Illustration: THE KING’S LANDING AT MONTREAL
_From a contemporary picture in the “Illustrated London News”_]
The wife of the then Archdeacon of St. John’s, in an interesting
letter home, puts on record the impression produced by the King in
Newfoundland:--
“His appearance is very much in his favour, and his youth and royal
dignified manners and bearing seem to have touched all hearts, for
there is scarcely a man or woman who can speak of him without tears.
The rough fishermen and their wives are quite wild about him, and we
hear of nothing but their admiration. Their most frequent exclamation
is, ‘God bless his pretty face and send him a good wife.’”
[Illustration: THE KING LAYING THE LAST STONE OF THE VICTORIA BRIDGE
OVER THE ST. LAWRENCE
_From the “Illustrated London News”_]
At Halifax, the news that his sister, the Princess Frederick of
Prussia, had given birth to a little daughter met him, and he hastened
to write home his affectionate congratulations on the event.
The Prince’s tour through Canada may be said to have been one long
triumphal procession. It was marred by no unpleasant incident, in
spite of the fact that at Kingston and Toronto the Orangemen tried
to induce the Prince to pass under arches decorated with their party
symbols and mottoes. Thanks, however, to the Duke of Newcastle’s tact
and firmness, the attempt failed, and the incident merely served to
illustrate the young Prince’s freedom from party bias. Everywhere the
Royal visitor produced the happiest impressions, and, thanks to his
youth, he was able to endure considerable fatigue without apparently
being any the worse for it.
In America “Lord Renfrew’s” arrival was awaited with the utmost
impatience, and while travelling over the Dominion His Royal Highness
was surrounded by American reporters. Indeed, it is said that the
Prince of Wales’s visit to Canada formed the first occasion on which
press telegrams were used to any lavish extent. One enterprising
journalist used to transmit to his paper long chapters from the Gospel
according to St. Matthew and from the Book of Revelation in order to
monopolise the wires while he was gathering material for his daily
report of the Royal journey. At a great ball given in Quebec the Prince
tripped and fell with his partner--the article recording this event was
headed _Honi soit qui mal y pense_.
The Royal visit to Montreal is still remembered in Canada. The Prince
and his suite arrived there on 25th August, and the Prince, after
opening a local exhibition, inaugurating a bridge, holding a review,
and attending some native games, danced all night with the greatest
spirit, even singing with the band when it struck up his favourite air.
Many little stories were told of the King’s good-nature and affability.
Hearing by accident that an old sailor who had served with Nelson on
board the _Trafalgar_ had been court-martialled, the Prince begged him
off, and asked that he might be restored to his rank in the service.
The Canadian Government provided a number of riding-horses in order
that the King might see Niagara Falls from several points of view, and
he has since often declared that this was one of the finest sights he
ever saw in his life. Next day, in the presence of the Royal party
and of thousands of spectators, Canadian and American, the famous
rope-walker, Blondin, crossed Niagara river upon a rope, walking upon
stilts, and carrying a man on his back. After the ordeal was over,
Blondin had the honour of being presented to the Prince. The latter,
with much emotion, exclaimed, “Thank God, it is all over!” and begged
him earnestly not to attempt the feat again, but the famous rope-walker
assured His Royal Highness that there was no danger whatever, and
offered to carry him across on his back if he would go, but the Prince
briefly declined! The Prince seems to have been quite fascinated by
the marvellous Falls. On 17th September he insisted on riding over on
American ground for a farewell view of Niagara.
The Prince of Wales formally crossed from Canadian territory to the
States on the night of 20th September, making his appearance on
Republican soil, as had been arranged, as Lord Renfrew. At Hamilton,
the last place in Canada where he halted, the Prince made a speech, in
the course of which he observed:
“My duties as Representative of the Queen cease this day, but in
a private capacity I am about to visit before I return home that
remarkable land which claims with us a common ancestry, and in whose
extraordinary progress every Englishman feels a common interest.”
Great as had been the enthusiasm in Canada, it may be said to have been
nothing to the _furore_ of excitement produced in America by the Prince
of Wales’s visit. At Detroit the crowds were so dense that the Royal
party could not get to their hotel through the main streets, and had
to be smuggled in at a side entrance. The whole city was illuminated;
every craft on the river had hung out lamps; and, as one individual
aptly put it, “there could not have been greater curiosity to see him
if the distinguished visitor had been George Washington come to life
again.”
Over 50,000 people came out to meet His Royal Highness at Chicago,
then a village of unfinished streets, but there, for the first time,
the Prince broke down from sheer fatigue, and the Duke of Newcastle
decided that it would be better to break the trip from Chicago to St.
Louis by stopping at a quiet village, famed even then for the good
sport to be obtained in its neighbourhood. It was therefore arranged
that His Royal Highness should have a day’s shooting at Dwight’s
Station, and fourteen brace of quails and four rabbits fell to the
Prince’s gun.
A rather absurd incident marred the complete pleasure of the day. As
the Royal party approached a farm-house an unmistakably British settler
appeared at the door and invited every one _excepting the Duke of
Newcastle_ to enter. “Not you, Newcastle,” he shouted; “I have been a
tenant of yours, and have sworn that you shall never set a foot on my
land.” Accordingly the party passed on, and the farmer, though revenged
on his old landlord, had to forego the honour of entertaining Royalty
under his roof.
But, notwithstanding this awkward incident, the King seems to have
thoroughly enjoyed his little respite from official functions. At one
moment, when he was out on the prairie, he and his companions desired
to smoke, but nobody had a light. At last a single match was found, but
no one volunteered to strike it. Lots were drawn with blades of the
prairie grass, and the King drew the shortest blade. The others held
their coats and hats round him whilst he lighted the match, and he once
said that he never felt so nervous before or since.
On 30th October “Lord Renfrew” reached Washington, and Lord Lyons, the
British Minister, introduced him to President James Buchanan, and Miss
Harriet Lane, the latter’s niece and housekeeper. The Prince stayed
at the White House, and President Buchanan, though he could not spare
his Royal guest a certain number of _levées_ and receptions, did his
best to make his visit to the official centre of the American Republic
pleasant. During these five days there occurred a most interesting
event--the visit of His Royal Highness to Mount Vernon and the tomb of
Washington. A representative of the _Times_ gave the following eloquent
account of the scene:--
“Before this humble tomb the Prince, the President, and all the party
stood uncovered. It is easy moralising on this visit, for there
is something grandly suggestive of historical retribution in the
reverential awe of the Prince of Wales, the great-grandson of George
III., standing bareheaded at the foot of the coffin of Washington. For
a few moments the party stood mute and motionless, and the Prince then
proceeded to plant a chestnut by the side of the tomb. It seemed, when
the Royal youth closed in the earth around the little germ, that he
was burying the last faint trace of discord between us and our great
brethren in the West.”
Doubtless the Prince enjoyed these new experiences a good deal more
than did his guides, philosophers, and friends. Political feeling
ran high, and the pro-slavery leaders were very anxious to influence
public sentiment in Great Britain. They formed the project of taking
the Prince of Wales through the South to see slavery under its
pleasantest aspect as a paternal institution. After a good deal of
discussion between the Duke of Newcastle and Lord Lyons, it was felt
better to accept the invitation of some representative Southerners,
and accordingly the Prince went a short tour to Richmond; but it may
be added that a great slave sale which had been widely advertised was
postponed so as not to offend British susceptibilities. The Prince
does not seem to have been at all impressed by the slave cities, and
he flatly refused to leave his carriage to visit the negro quarters at
Haxhall’s plantation, and so he returned to Washington, having shown a
good deal more common sense than had those about him.
The day that the Prince left Washington for Richmond, President
Buchanan wrote a charming letter to the Queen, in which he said,
speaking of his guest: “In our domestic circle he has won all hearts.
His free and ingenuous intercourse with myself evinced both a kind
heart and a good understanding.”
From Washington the Prince proceeded to Philadelphia, and there, for
the first time, His Royal Highness heard Adelina Patti. He was so
greatly charmed with her marvellous voice and winning personality,
that he begged that she might be presented to him.
The Prince’s feelings must have been strangely mixed when he stood
in Independence Hall, but he does not appear to have revealed them
by making any remark, and after staying a few days in Philadelphia
he started for New York, where he received a splendid welcome from
Father Knickerbocker, being met at the station by the Mayor, and driven
through Broadway to the Fifth Avenue Hotel. Half a million spectators
saw him arrive, and so great was the anxiety to see Queen Victoria’s
eldest son at close quarters, that there was no structure in New York
large enough to contain those who thought that they had--and who no
doubt had--a right to meet the Prince of Wales at a social function.
[Illustration: THE GRAND BALL GIVEN AT THE ACADEMY OF MUSIC, NEW YORK
_From the “Illustrated London News”_]
At last a building was found capable of containing 6000 people;
but, looking to the question of “crinolines and comfort,” it was
reluctantly decided that not more than 3000 cards of invitation,
admitting to the ball and to the supper to follow, should be sent
out. Fortunately most of the 3000 guests were important people, and
therefore too old to dance. They represented, in both senses of the
word, the solid element in New York society, for, as they crowded
round the Prince, the floor gave way, and it is a wonder that no
serious accident took place. This splendid entertainment, which took
place in the old Academy of Music, is still remembered by many elderly
Americans. The Prince showed his tact and good taste by frequently
changing his partner. For the supper, a special service of china and
glass had been manufactured, the Prince’s motto, _Ich Dien_, being
emblazoned on every piece.
During the five days that the Prince remained in New York, he was
the guest of the Mayor and of the Corporation. He seems to have most
enjoyed a parade of the Volunteer Fire Department in his honour. There
were 6000 firemen in uniform, and all, save those in charge of the
ropes and tillers, bore torches. It was a magnificent spectacle, and
the Prince, as he looked at the brilliant display in Madison Square,
cried repeatedly, “This is for me, this is all for me!” with unaffected
glee.
From New York the Prince went on to Albany and Boston, and at the
latter place Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Emerson, and a number
of other notable Americans were presented to him. He visited Harvard
College, spent an hour at Mount Auburn, where he planted two trees, and
drove out to Bunker’s Hill.
Portland was the last place visited by the Prince in the United States,
and on 20th October the Royal party set sail for home on board the
_Hero_, which was escorted by the _Ariadne_, the _Nile_, and the
_Styx_. The voyage home was not as uneventful as had been the voyage
out. So anxious were they at Court about the fate of the _Hero_, that
two ships of war were sent in search of the frigate and her escort.
At last, to every one’s great relief, the _Hero_ was sighted, and it
was ascertained that a sudden storm had driven the boat back from the
British coast, and the Royal party had been reduced to salt fare, with
only a week’s provisions in store.
On 9th November the Prince Consort put in his diary: “Bertie’s
birthday. Unfortunately he is still absent, neither do we hear anything
from him.” Great, therefore, was the joy of the Queen and Prince
Albert when, on 15th November, they received a telegram from Plymouth
announcing the safe arrival of their son. That same evening the Prince
of Wales arrived at Windsor Castle, being greeted with the warmest
affection by his family and friends.
Queen Victoria showed the most vivid interest in all her eldest son’s
many and varied adventures. Both Her Majesty and the Prince Consort
were very much gratified by the way in which the Duke of Newcastle had
performed his arduous and delicate task, and, after some consultation,
it was decided that the Queen should publicly mark her satisfaction by
conferring upon the Duke the Order of the Garter.