the kind reception which you have given me to-day, and, in conclusion, I beg also to thank you, Mr. Mayor, for the kind way in which you have proposed the Princess of Wales's health, and to assure you how deeply she regrets that she was unable to accompany me on the present occasion. She is now on her way to Scotland to meet her father, the King of Denmark, who is returning that way from his visit to Iceland." Afterwards the Prince proposed the health of the Mayor, thanking him for his reception, congratulating him upon the good order maintained in the streets, and requesting him to convey to the citizens his sense of the pleasure and gratification afforded him by the artistic decorations of the town. VISIT TO BIRMINGHAM IN 1874. _November 3rd, 1874._ The Prince and Princess of Wales paid their first visit to Birmingham on the 3rd of November, 1874. When the Mayor and Corporation of the midland capital heard of the intended visit, they resolved to give their Royal Highnesses a right loyal and hearty reception. Those who remember, or have read of the early visits of the Queen and of the Prince Consort to the town, will not be surprised at the enthusiasm with which the Prince and Princess of Wales were welcomed on this occasion. Prince Albert came to Birmingham for the first time in 1844. He was a guest of Sir Robert Peel at Tamworth, and expressed a wish, as he was so near, to see the place so famous in various arts and industries. But the town was at that time as famous for its political independence, to use the mildest term. In fact it was regarded as the centre and seat of democratic radicalism, and the turbulence of Chartist times was yet fresh in remembrance. Fears were entertained that Prince Albert might have a cool if not hostile reception. The result proved how groundless were these suspicions. The young Prince was welcomed with the utmost enthusiasm, not only as the husband of the Queen, but on account of his own moral and intellectual excellence. He was there again in 1849, to inspect the exhibition of arts and manufactures held in Bingley Hall; and a third time in 1855 to lay the foundation stone of the Midland Institute. In 1858 the Queen herself came to open the public Park and Hall at Aston. Nor was this the only visit. Few places in her dominions have been more favoured, and nowhere has there been shown more devoted loyalty.