Speeches and Addresses of H. R. H. the Prince of Wales: 1863-1888Edward VII, King of Great Britain
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Speeches and Addresses of H. R. H. the Prince of Wales: 1863-1888
Edward VII, King of Great Britain
Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1837-1901
"Mr. Mayor and Gentlemen,--I thank you for this address, for the
loyalty and attachment you express towards the Queen, and for
the kind welcome you offer the Princess and myself. It is
peculiarly gratifying to us to visit you on an occasion like the
present. The revolutions of time and science would have had the
same effects upon King's Lynn as upon other commercial ports but
for the energies of the inhabitants. Without them its ancient
name would have become interesting only for its antiquity. But
in the century in which we live it is permitted neither to town
nor to community to rest quiet or to stand still. The energies I
have referred to, I have learned to appreciate from living in
your neighbourhood, and, indeed, I have been called on to
participate in them as regards the navigation of your waters. I
fervently pray that the Dock we are about to open this day, may,
under the fostering auspices of a beneficent Providence, open
out new sources of wealth and commerce, shedding the blessings
which are derived from them on your town, and contributing to
the prosperity of our beloved country."
The Royal party then visited the Grammar School, where the Prince
received and responded to an address from the Masters and Scholars, and
presented to the successful competitor the gold medal, given annually,
through the munificence of the Prince, as a prize for classical and
modern languages in alternate years. The Prince presented the prize,
saying:--
"I have great pleasure in presenting you with this medal. On a
former occasion I presented it at Sandringham, but it is more
pleasure to you to receive it among your schoolfellows. I hope
this medal will contribute to your success in future life, and
that it may be a stimulus to you for further exertion."
On arriving at the Dock, the circumference of which was densely crowded,
the Royal visitors were greeted with cheering, bell-ringing, and every
demonstration of welcome. When it came to the ceremony of declaring the
dock open, an agreeable surprise was added by the terms in which the
announcement was made:--
I DECLARE THIS DOCK NOW OPEN, AND THAT HENCEFORTH IT IS TO BE
CALLED THE ALEXANDRA DOCK.
The announcement was received with vociferous acclamation. The Prince's
intention had been signified to the Chairman of the Dock Company only a
few minutes before, and was quite unknown to the mass of the spectators,
who expressed their delight by repeated salvos of cheering.
At a banquet afterwards given, when the toast of the Royal visitors was
given, by Mr. Jarvis the President, the Prince said that he regarded
King's Lynn as his country town, and should always feel the deepest
interest in its welfare.
VISIT TO MANCHESTER.
_July, 1869._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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