WAS H.R.H. THE PRINCE OF WALES. HIS VISIT TO CANADA, AND OTHER EVENTS IN HIS CAREER. AS it merely accidental, or was it done designedly? Such is the question that often presents itself to the mind of the observer of passing events, when it is seen how closely the early official career of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales was interwoven with the history of Canada. Was this little more than an accidental circumstance, an incident or series of incidents in the education of the Prince, or was it done designedly with the intention and in the hope of drawing the then little known colonies of British North America into closer touch with the mother country? These questions are not quite so easily answered as might be supposed. There was undoubtedly a wish to please the colonists of British North America when the Queen with the concurrence of the Ministry of the day decided that the first royal progress made by the Prince of Wales should be through Canada. That fact can clearly be taken for granted, that and no more. It is mere idle talk, the mere imaginings of a fertile imagination, to say that the Prince of Wales' visit to Canada was, in Her Majesty's mind, intended as a feeler in the direction of the policy which we now know as Imperial Federation. Some one or two writers of more notoriety than solidity have started this theory, though it has generally been admitted by them when putting forward the idea that there is little or no evidence beyond that of inference to support it. That such a view was clearly not that of the British public is plainly evidenced by the following extract from a letter written by the special correspondent of The Times newspaper, who accompanied the Prince on his North American journey. He had been speaking of how little was known of Canada in England, and he thus concludes: "The time, however, is fast approaching when the wealth, magnitude and importance of the British possessions in North America will force their notice on England and its people, who will then learn with as much pleasure as surprise that their colony, known only under the general name of Canada, is an Empire of the west inferior only to the United States." It is necessary now to retrace our steps slightly and revert to the period when the Prince of Wales made his debut in public life, that debut being connected directly with Canada and with the regiment of infantry raised by the Imperial Government on Canadian soil. The Prince of Wales was in 1858, when he had little more than completed his seventeenth year, gazetted a colonel in the British army, and his first act as one of the commissioned officers of his Royal mother's forces was to present colours to the Hundredth or Prince of Wales' Royal Canadian Regiment. The presentation of the colours took place at Shorncliffe camp early in the year 1859, and from then until the middle of the following year there was nothing in the public life of the Prince of Wales especially connected either with Canada or Canadians. I was in the Isle of Wight in July, 1860, spending a portion of the summer at East Cowes, at no great distance from Osborne House, Her Majesty's marine residence. Whilst there, I think it was about July 9, I saw the Prince of Wales for the first time. He was then driving from Osborne House to Trinity Pier, East Cowes, en route to Plymouth, where he was to embark for Canada. I was with a party of friends, and we raised our hats to nim and called out as he went on board the tender that we wished him a speedy journey across the Atlantic and a pleasant visit in Canada. He raised his hat in reply, while we joined in the cheering that arose when the vessel steamed out into the Solent. The Prince's journey across the Atlantic was, so the newspaper correspondents inform us, almost devoid of incident. He was was not troubled with mal de mer, and he appears to have been most popular. A private letter of the time speaking of him says: "His grace, affability and kind good nature won the hearts of all." Let us now have the pleasure of glancing briefly at the Prince of Wales' royal progress through Canada. It is hard to believe that it is more than thirty-eight years since he left our shores, and that by far the greater number of those who welcomed him here on his arrival have passed away to swell the ranks of the great and silent majority. The Prince arrived at Newfoundland on July 23. He had sailed from Plymouth on July 10, consequently had taken nearly a fortnight to cross the Atlantic. His reception at Newfoundland was cordial and loyal in the extreme, all classes uniting in giving H. R. H. the most hearty welcome. Among other mementos of his visit to Newfoundland which he took away with him was a magnificent specimen of the dogs for which it is so justly famous. This dog caused not only a considerable amount of amusement, but was a great deal of anxiety to the Prince of Wales and to those whose duty it was to take care of his property. The dog had been called Hero, and so long as the Prince of Wales remained on board the troopship which had brought him from England constant watchfulness had to be used to prevent Hero going overboard for a swim with or without provocation. Even if Hero was allowed to take exercise between decks, an open porthole giving him a glimpse of the river was quite sufficient to make him jump through it into what appeared to At be almost his natural element. last it was found that Hero must be permanently tied up, or a boat fully manned must always be kept in readiness to go after him when he chose to resort to the water. The former alternative was chosen. After leaving Newfoundland the Prince visited Halifax, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, the Saguenay, and then Quebec. The latter historic city was then the capital of the United Canadas, and during his visit there the Prince knighted the Speakers of both the Legislative Council and Assembly. I shall again quote in this connection the testimony of The Times correspondent as to the feeling evoked in Canada by the visit of the Prince of Wales. He says: "To my astonishment I find that the whole land from Halifax to Lake Huron resounded only with preparations for the approaching royal visit. It was difficult to find a paper which was not full of acrostics on the name of Albert Edward, verses in his praise, anecdotes of his childhood, and predictions of a future career which should equal that of his Royal mother, whose name, it must be said, was never mentioned in Canada or the United States but in such terms of reverence as every Englishman feels glad and proud to hear. It was Prince's hats, Prince's boots, Prince's umbrellas, Prince's coats, Prince's cigars, and the whole country nodded with Prince's coronets and feathers." H.R. H. arrived in Quebec about the middle of August, and was received there on "a lavish scale of splendour and hospitality, and distinguished by such boundless enthusiasm of loyalty.' Among the festivities in Quebec in honour of the Prince was a grand ball, the dance programme of which contained twenty-four dances, and of these the Prince joined in no less than twenty-two. An amusing incident happened to him and his partner during the festivities. Horrible to relate the Prince fell, and with him his fair partner! The Canadian papers ignored the incident; not so, though, one at least of those in New York. That journal related what had occurred in the most exaggerated language, and not only did it do that, but the account was headed with the following astounding head lines: The Canadian Commotion. Splendid Splurge of the Quebecers. The Prince at the Grand Ball given by the City. He danced twenty-two times, tripped and fell. His beautiful partner rolled over him. And continued the dance. From Quebec the Prince proceeded to Montreal where he drove the last rivet, a silver one, of the Victoria bridge, thus completing that wonderful. triumph of engineering skill. At Montreal as at Halifax and Quebec the Prince was received with the greatest hospitality and enthusiasm, which was continued throughout the whole of his Canadian tour at every place he visited. The Prince arrived in Toronto by the steamer Kingston early in September, and the only thing which marred his visit to the Queen City was the continual downpour of rain during the time he was there. After leaving Montreal, the Prince before reaching Toronto had visited Ottawa, and there laid the foundation stone of the present Parliament Buildings. Whilst in Toronto he opened the Horticultural Gardens, planted trees, was present at a ball given in the old Crystal Palace which stood on the Garrison Commons between the Provincial Lunatic Asylum and the lake, attended the Royal Canadian Yacht Club's regatta, received deputations from Trinity and Toronto Universities, from Upper Canada College, and the Veterans of the war of 1812, reviewed the Militia, and held a levee, besides receiving addresses from deputations all but innumerable. After leaving Toronto the Prince visited Hamilton, the Ambitious City, and London, the Forest City. The Times correspondent describes the latter place thus: This colonial backwoods parody of the great metropolis." However, whether it was a backwoods settlement or not, the Londoners gave H.R.H. a magnificent reception, convincing him that even if they were in the backwoods they were as loyal subjects as those who frequented. "the shady side of Pall Mall." It is amusing to note what the Times correspondent, and this is the last time I shall quote him, had to say about London. No doubt there is some truth in the satire, but it is one of those things which, as Punch would say, "might have been expressed differently." The quotation is this: "In London a real Londoner might safely intimate that FIRST PUBLIC ACT OF THE PRINCE OF WALES. (From an old Print in the Illustrated London News.) Presenting Colours to the Hundredth or Prince of Wales Royal Canadian Regiment at Shorncliffe Early in the Year 1859. THE PRINCE, THE PRINCESS OF WALES AND THE QUEEN. Photograph Taken on the Wedding Day of the Former, the 10th of March, 1863. The Ceremony was performed in St. George's Chapel, Windsor. the city does not much remind him of that which he has left behind, though woe betide any Lower Canadian or American who should do the same, or draw any comparison disparaging to the London of Canada West. Whilst at Niagara the Prince of Wales laid the coping stone of Brock's monument, which had been inaugurated with great ceremony by General Sir Fenwick Williams, of Kars, who was a native of Halifax, on October 13th previously. The Prince, after leaving Canada, proceeded to Detroit, being accompanied to the frontier by Mr., afterwards Sir, John A. Macdonald. It is not necessary to follow him in his travels throughout the United States; it is sufficient to state that everywhere was the greatest hospitality and courtesy extended to him; indeed, had the people of many of the places he visited been British subjects, their welcome could not have been heartier. The Prince of Wales came of age in November, 1862, the event, owing to the then recent death of the Prince Consort, being allowed to pass without any great amount of public rejoicings either in Great Britain or elsewhere. About the same time that H.R.H. attained his majority his betrothal to the Princess Alexandra of Denmark was announced, which news was received with the most unbounded satisfaction by all classes, by all sorts and conditions of men throughout the British Empire. The Princess arrived in England on March 7th, 1863, and made a triumphal progress from the Bricklayers' Arms railway station, on the "Surrey side the river," through the metropolis to Paddington station. The scene at the Mansion House, where the Princess was welcomed by the Lord Mayor of London, was one that still lingers in the memory of all those who witnessed it. In whatever direction one looked there was one vast mass of people and upturned faces. Here were the scarlet |