GHANGHAL stil recalls with interest the fact, that the present King, then Prince George, and the Duke of Clarence visited Shanghai in 1881. The two young lads had made a voyage to the West Indies in 1879, and on their return, after only a month's sojourn at home they sailed for a second time in H.MS. Bacchante for a voyage round the world, including visits in South America, South Africa, Australia, the Fiji Islands, Japan, China, Ceylon, Egypt, Palestine and Greece.
It was on this voyage that Prince George visited Shanghai He and his brother arrived at the mouth of the Yangtze in H.MS. Bacchante as part of Lord Clanwilliam's "Detached Squadror on November 23, 1881.
In HMS, Fly the two Princes went up the river on a private shooting expedition and on December 2 they returned to Woosung whence on four successive days they came into Shanghai and were warmly entertained—in spite of disappointingly rainy weather—by the British community here. They dined at the Consulate on the night of their arrival and attended the A.D. performance of "The Rivals." On Saturday, December 3, they took part in the Paper Hunt—thenceforward known as ihe Royal Hunt—and Prince George was mounted on 'a pony belonging to Mr. Harding.
In the evening they were present at a reception given in their honour at the Consulate and afterwards they witnessed a parade and illuminated pageant given by the Fire Brigade (the Volunteers also arranged a parade but—by some misunderstanding for which the "North-China Daily News" of the day blamed the local intelligence departments—had carried it out a week before the royal visitors arrived).
On the Sunday Victorian leisure was observed but on Monday, November 5, the Princes rode in the. Drag Hunt-pouring rain—had breakfast with the Chief Judge, Mr. (afterwards Si Nicholas Hannen. the father of the actor. Mr. Nicholas Hannen. and lett their ship just after midday, after thoroughly enjoyed the informal hospitality of Shanghai Lord Morley, who in the meantime had become Secretary for India, and with whom, by the way, the Prince established terms of friendly intimacy and mutual regard, Giving Lord Minto, then Viceroy, an account of an interview with the Prince on his return, he worte:—
"He has come home with a good many very clear and—as I should judge—correct and sound notions, all looking in what seems in my eyes to be emphatically the right direction." His keynote is that we should get_on better if our a showed wider sympathy'. He spoke with very simple and' unaffected enthusiasm of all that he had seen, of the reception he had met with "in every quarter, and of the splendour of the task that we have in hand, Most of all was I delighted with his watchword. If "we can show sympathy' s well as firm justice all may go well, and it will be a vast both to you and to me, if the talk of sympathy is generally felt to hit the mari."
From a Radical Minister, who not so long before had held theoretically republican views, this testimony writ ten for the information of "the Viceroy, and without any thought of ultimate publication, is. significant, Though in their tastes and habits King Edward and his Heir had more points of contrast than of resem: lance, they were at one in their determination that the Prince should have every opportunity of preparing himself for the duties which would ultimately fall to him. "Not merely. did he go through the onerous round of opening town halls, Universities, and docks, and generally setting the seal of royal approval on public efforts, but he was encouraged keep "himself informed of political movements, whether foreign or dom= ostic, He paid visits to Paris, where hhis course was easy, and to' Berlin, where it was dificult, and he went to Madrid for the wedding which made his niece, Princess Ena, Queen of Spain. "Everywhere he acquitted Kimselt "with a tael_ which was perhaps less innate than that of his father, but was none the less effective in diffusing an atmosphere of goodwill, 'They were nine busy years that' he spent as Heir Apparent, and fon the whole happy ones, in spite of the gathering clouds which were more and more clearly betokening the coming international storm, Constitutional Crisis was a domestic and not a for problem which confronted King George when he ascended the throne {in 1910, 'The crisis which began with the rejection of the Finance Bill by the House of Lords in 1000 thad as its sequel the introduction of the Parliament Bill, which sought to deprive the peers' of their absolute veto on legislation. Strenuous efforts during the losing months of the previous reign and the opening months of the new one failed, and without going into a controversy" now. mainly of historical and constitutional interest, enough to say that, after two general elections, the peers were in-Tormed—through' the mouth of Lord who had obtained the royal of his formula—that, "His number to guard any possible combina tion of the different parties in op= position by which the Parliament BILL might be exposed a second time to defeat." No one who witnessed that exciting scene will forget the buzz of incredulity at first, and th anger on the one side and elation on the other. with which that announce. ment was received. Until the last moment no one knew how the division would go, and in the end it was by majority of no more than 17 that the BIll was read a second time, and the country as well as its sovereign escaped what would have been an awkward and perhaps humiliating development.
Another constitutional issue, not yet closed, was presented by Ireland. Under the shadow of the impending war, the King summoned the Buck= ingham Palace Conference in a last hope that compromise might be Teached "between Home Ruler and Unionist, but, in spite of "moving appeal by the King in opening the proceedings, it failed, as it was almost ound to do. At a ister stage, when the problem had assumed totally different phase, the King went to Belfast to inaugurate the Parliament which the Six Counties had accepted with some reluctance, He made the ceremony the occasion of an eloquent plea to the two parties in Ireland "to stretch out the hand of forbearance and conciliation, to forgive and to forget. and to join in making for the and they love a new era of peace, contentment and goodwill.... May this historic gathering be the preface of a day in_which the Irish people, North and South, under one Parla: ment or two, as these Parliaments may themselves decide, shall work together in common love for Ireland. upon the sure foundation of mutual justice and respect." Unhappily, that day is not yet.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.