WOLVERHAMPTON : 
 
 EDWARD RODEN, PRINTER AND PUBLISHER, 
 CHEAPSIDE. 
 
TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE 
 
 THE EARL OF LICHFIELD, 
 LORD-LIEUTENANT OF THE COUNTY 
 
 OF STAFFORD, 
 
 THIS VOLUME IS MOST RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED 
 
 BY HIS HUMBLE SERVANT, 
 
 THE PUBLISHER. 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2018 with funding from 
 Getty Research Institute 
 
 https://archive.org/details/royalvisittowolvOOunse 
 
If - \ ir^ ( 
 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 OST of tlie details contained in 
 the following- pages are extracted 
 from the various reports of the 
 Royal Visit to Wolverhampton 
 which appeared in the local News¬ 
 papers. A general desire was 
 expressed for a connected com¬ 
 pilation of these reports in a 
 permanent shape. It is believed 
 that the narrative comprised in 
 this volume will be found to be 
 an accurate and complete record 
 of the inauguration, by Her most Gracious Majesty 
 the Queen, of the Statue erected by the inhabitants 
 of Wolverhampton to the memory of the great and 
 good Prince Consort. 
 
 S 
 
 Wolverhampton, 
 
 March, 1867. 
 
Royal Visits to Staffordshire 
 
 Orioin and Description of the Albert Statue 
 
 Preparations for the Royal Visit 
 
 The Route of thf. Procession ... 
 
 Arrival and Reception of Her Majesty ... 35 
 
 The Royal Progress to the Pavilion ... 42 
 
 The Procession ... ... ... •• 45 
 
 Pavilion and Statue ... ... ... 46 
 
 The Bishop’s Prayer . 48 
 
 Address to Her Majesty ... ... ... 50 
 
 Her Majesty’s Return. 54 
 
 Presentation to Princess Christian ... 55 
 
 The Mayor’s Luncheon .. 
 
 Programme of Toasts, &c.... 
 The Illuminations 
 Fireworks 
 
 “A Welcome” to Her Majesty 
 Her Majesty’s Letter ... 
 Incidents of the Day ... 
 Extracts from the London Press 
 Letter from Home Secretary ... 
 
 59 
 
 63 
 
 73 
 
 81 
 
 S2 
 
 84 
 
 85 
 89 
 93 
 
 \ 
 
 
AND 
 
 PHOTOGRAPH PORTRAIT 
 
 OF 
 
 HER MOST GRACIOUS MAJESTY ^ 
 
 THE QUEEN. 
 
 Photographs of the Mayor, Sir John Morris, Knight; the 
 Recorder, J. J. Powell, Q.C. ; the Town 
 Clerk, Edwin John Hayes, Esq. ; the Clerk 
 of the Peace, Henry Underhill, Esq. 
 
 Photographs of the Chairman of the Memorial Committee, 
 
 G. L. Underhill, Esq. ; the Vice-Chairman, 
 J. Hawksford, Esq. ; the Mover of the 
 Address, M. Ironmonger, Esq.; the Seconder, 
 
 H. H. Fowler, Esq. 
 
 Photograph of the Pavilion and Gallery. 
 
 Photograph of the Statue 
 
 Twenty-nine Border Pages, Initial Letters, Head and 
 Tail Pieces, &c. 
 
HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN, 
 
 " ' \\ f -Y— 
 
 GCOMPANIED BY 
 
 a yd princess" Christian 
 
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 AND 
 
 PRINCESS LOUISE 
 
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 TO INAUGURATE THE 
 
 PRINCE CONSORT STATUE, 
 
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 \YpLVERHAMPTQN'^4_ 
 
ROYAL VISITS TO STAFFORDSHIRE. 
 
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H E earliest Royal Visits of 
 which we have any authentic 
 record are those of King John, 
 who had a country seat, if we 
 may so term it, at Brewood, 
 at which he is known to have 
 resided, during portions of the 
 years 1200, 1206, and 1207. 
 Henry the First is presumed 
 to have visited Staffordshire, 
 as by a charter dated at Can¬ 
 nock, he granted free warren 
 in all his lands at Tamworth 
 and elsewhere to the son and 
 heir of Marmion, whose high 
 estate may be gathered from the words of Sir Walter Scott: 
 
 They hailed him Lord of Fontenaye, 
 Of Lutterward, and Scrivelbaye, 
 
 Of Tamworth tower and town. 
 
 In 1251 King Henry the Third visited Lichfield. 
 
 In 1397 King Richard the Second kept his Christmas 
 in the palace at Lichfield; two years later, namely, in 
 1399, he was again in the palace, a captive to Bolingbroke, 
 on his way from Chester to London. In the night he 
 
 9 
 
ROYAL VISITS TO STAFFORDSHIRE. 
 
 attempted to make liis escape from a window, but was dis¬ 
 covered and re-captured. Baker, in his “ Chronicle,” says 
 that “ they rode on horseback from Chester to Nantwich ; 
 then to Newcastle ; from thence to Stafford, and thence to 
 Lichfield, and there rested Sunday; after that they rode 
 forward to Coventry.” In the words of Shakespeare alone 
 do we find an adequate representation of the Entry into 
 London:— 
 
 Where rude misgovern’d hands from windows’ tops 
 Threw dust and rubbish on King Richard’s head. 
 
 Henry the Fourth, when proceeding against the insur¬ 
 gent Pcrcys in 1403, lay at Lichfield ; and advancing 
 thence on July 19, outstripped Hotspur, who was marching 
 from Stafford to Shrewsbury. 
 
 The Earl of Richmond, afterwards King Henry VII., 
 having landed at Milford Haven, passed from Shrewsbury 
 through Stafford, Lichfield, and Tamworth, previously to 
 the battle of Bosworth Field. 
 
 Queen Elizabeth, in her brilliant “progress,” immortal¬ 
 ised by Sir Walter Scott in his tale of “ Kenilworth,” went 
 from that splendid demesne to Lichfield, where she re¬ 
 mained eight days, and then proceeded to Chartley, thence 
 to Stafford; and after leaving Stafford, through Brewood 
 to Cliillington, where she was entertained by John Giffard, 
 Esq., who had been High Sheriff of the County in 1573, 
 and proceeded thence towards Worcester. 
 
 James the First passed through the county several 
 times. On his return from his visit to Scotland, in August, 
 1617, he sojourned a day or two at Tutbury Castle, and 
 the scene of his mother’s captivity re-echoed with the 
 wild hilarity of her son and his attendants. From 
 
 10 
 
ROYAL VISITS TO STAFFORDSHIRE. 
 
 the Parish Register of Aire was, it appears that he was at 
 Hoarcross on the -30th of August. On the 31st he slept at 
 Lichfield. In 1619 he was again in the county, as shown 
 by an entry in the Parish Register of Tamwortli. From 
 the same document it appears that in 1621 King James was 
 at Wichnor, and dined at the Hall there. 
 
 Charles the First took up his residence at Tutbury 
 Castle whilst on a tour through this part of the kingdom, 
 1634; he again visited Staffordshire in 1636, and during 
 the Civil War he was frequently in various parts of the 
 country. In the “ Itur Carolinum,” we find his move¬ 
 ments in connection with this county thus mentioned:— 
 “ October, 1642, from Bridgnorth to Wolverhampton, 
 where he rested three nights, and on to Bremickliam, to 
 Sir Thomas Holt’s.” During this visit a letter was sent 
 from the King to the Magistrates of “the citty of Leitch- 
 field,” directing the inhabitants to send their arms, weapons, 
 &c., to the Royal Standard at Nottingham, dated “ Att our 
 Court att Wolverhampton, the 17th of October, 1642.” 
 On the 15th of May, 1645, we find the King at “ Hemly, 
 (Himley) near Wolverhampton, Mr. War’s.” On the 16th 
 the head-quarters of Prince Rupert were at Wolverhampton, 
 and the King lay at “ Bishbury, near Sturbridge, Mr. 
 Grosvenor’s” On the 16th of June, in the same year, 
 immediately after the battle of Naseby, he marched through 
 Lichfield, sleeping that night in the Close, to Wolver¬ 
 hampton, which he left on the following day. He slept 
 at “ Mrs. Barnford’s, a widow.” On Sunday, the 10th of 
 August, occurs this notice : “ Dinner near Wolverhampton, 
 in campis, at Lichfield; supper at the Governor’s in the 
 Close; ” next day at Tutbury Castle. 
 
 n 
 
KOYAL VISITS TO STAFFORDSHIRE. 
 
 The following narrative is appended to the pedigree of 
 the Goughs, in Shaw’s “History of Staffordshire” : “ 1 he 
 
 unfortunate Charles I., during liis troubles, slept at Wolver¬ 
 hampton, where lie was entertained by Madame St. Andrew, 
 who was cither sister or aunt to Mr. Henry Gough, and 
 that gentleman ventured to accommodate their Royal High¬ 
 nesses Charles, Prince of Wales, and James, Duke of York. 
 An antient tenement still remains at Wolverhampton, which 
 is part of the house where these princely guests resided. 
 
 A subscription being set on foot to aid the exigencies of 
 the royal cause, the inhabitants cheerfully contributed 
 according to their ability, but the most ample supply was 
 expected from Mr. Gough, whose loyalty was as eminent as 
 his fortune was superior, when, to the surprise and dis¬ 
 appointment of every one, lie refused any assistance, though 
 strongly urged by the King’s Commissioners, who retired 
 in disgust and chagrin. When night approached, putting 
 on liis°hat and cloak, Mr. Gough went secretly and solicited 
 a private audience of his Majesty. He then drew from his 
 cloak a purse containing a large sum of money, (by tra¬ 
 dition of the family £1,200 is supposed to have been the 
 sum) and presenting it, with due respect, said, ‘ May it 
 please your Majesty to accept this, it is all the cash I have 
 by me* or I would have brought more.’ The gift was so 
 acceptable to the King that an offer of knighthood was 
 made to Mr. Gough, but this loyal subject, having no other 
 view than to serve his Sovereign, declined the honour, 
 which was afterwards conferred on his grandson Henry, of 
 Perry Hall, when he was introduced at the Court of Charles 
 the Second.” The scene of this remarkable instance of 
 devotion to royalty is supposed to be the Star and Garter 
 
 12 
 
ROYAL VISITS TO STAFFORDSHIRE. 
 
 Inn, in Cock Street; in King Charles’s time, no doubt, a 
 private house. It was an old but extensive half-timbered 
 house, of the time of the Tudors, or perhaps of an earlier 
 date, and pulled down about thirty years ago. 
 
 Charles the Second did not visit Wolverhampton. After 
 the battle of Worcester, he rode as hastily as possible to 
 Stourbridge, thence to Whiteladies and Boscobel, in Shrop¬ 
 shire, being on the Shropshire side of a lane that divides 
 Salop from Staffordshire. From Boscobel he went down a 
 lane that still exists to Moseley, and from Moseley to 
 Bentley Hall near Willenhall, which he left as a servant in 
 the train of Miss Lane, for Bristol. 
 
 In 1G87 James the Second visited Lichfield, and lodged 
 at Lady Littleton’s house in the Close. In June, 1670, 
 King William passed through the city on his way to 
 Ireland. 
 
 From this time we have no notice of any visits of 
 Royalty, except some of a transitional character, until we 
 reach the times of the Prince Regent, afterwards George 
 the Fourth, who honoured the Marquis of Anglesey with a 
 visit of several days in November, 1815, at Beaudesert. 
 
 In the year 1832, the Princess Victoria, accompanied by 
 her mother, the Duchess of Kent, arrived on the 24th of 
 October, at Shugborougli, the seat of the Earl of Lichfield, 
 the father of the present Earl, who is now the Lord Lieu¬ 
 tenant of the County. The tour of the Princess and of 
 her mother had a political character. The Orange party 
 wished to place their Grand Master, the Duke of Cumber¬ 
 land, on the decease of King William, upon the throne, 
 and it was only by a vote of the House of Commons, 
 brought forward by Mr. Hume, that the conspiracy was 
 
 13 
 
ROYAL VISITS TO STAFFORDSHIRE. 
 
 broken up. The rights of the Princess and the liberties 
 of the nation were in danger, and well do we remember 
 the scene that the drawing room, at Sliugborough, pre¬ 
 sented on the occasion of the Princess (now Her Majesty) 
 receiving a loyal address from the Borough of Stafford. 
 She stood in front, or rather in the centre and in advance 
 of a circle of men and ladies devoted to her cause and to 
 the welfare of the nation, her mother, handsome and firm, 
 and intelligent, by her side. Her noble Host, the late Earl 
 of Lichfield, with glowing loyalty and patriotism, was fore¬ 
 most in promoting the good cause to which he was attached, 
 whilst the now Dowager Countess cordially beheld with 
 exultation the exhibition of loyalty of which the mansion 
 of Sliugborough was the scene. But even beyond this was 
 the demonstration when the Princess and the Duchess of 
 Kent passed through the great wooden erection, used at 
 Lady Bagot’s archery fetes, and in which the Yeomanry 
 were entertained at dinner; and it is not too much to say 
 that this demonstration helped considerably to frustrate the 
 Orange plot, and by doing so to secure the peace and 
 prosperity of the kingdom. From Sliugborough the Prin¬ 
 cess and her mother, accompanied by Sir George Anson, 
 and other members of their household, went to Lichfield, 
 where the Princess received an address in the old Town 
 Hall of the city. The Princess Victoria passed through 
 Wolverhampton with her mother on her way to Trcnt- 
 ham Hall, and changed horses at the Lion Hotel, (now 
 the Town Hall). 
 
 In November, 1839, the Queen Dowager visited Sir 
 Robert and Lady Peel at Drayton Manor. While stay¬ 
 ing there she visited Tamworth and Lichfield. Next 
 
 14 
 
EOYAL VISITS TO STAFFORDSHIRE. 
 
 year, in tlic month of July, Her Majesty paid a visit to 
 the Earl and Countess of Shrewsbury at Alton Towers. 
 
 From Alton Towers Iler Majesty proceeded to the 
 seat of Earl Howe. 
 
 On the 28th November, 1843, Her present Majesty ; 
 and the Prince Consort arrived from Windsor at Drayton 
 Manor, on a visit to the late Sir Robert Peel and Lady 
 Peel. During this visit the Queen and Prince proceeded 
 to Lichfield, and inspected the city and cathedral. 
 
 In 1852, the Queen, accompanied by the Prince Con¬ 
 sort and several of the younger members of the Royal 
 Family, passed through the High Level Railway Station 
 Wolverhampton, and an address from the Corporation 
 was presented to her by W. Warner, Esq., the Mayor; 
 
 Her Majesty also graciously accepted a bouquet of flowers 
 from Mrs. Warner. 
 
ORIGIN AND DESCRIPTION OF THE STATUE. 
 
 N the death of the Prince Consort, 
 steps were taken in Wolverhampton 
 to erect a monument to his memory. 
 Mr. Alderman Underhill was then 
 Mayor, and lie convened a meeting-, 
 attended by some of the leading 
 gentlemen of the town, who agreed that a subscription 
 should be raised to erect a memorial to the lamented 
 Prince. The form of the memorial was a subject much 
 discussed, and different opinions were expressed, but 
 ultimately, in deference, we believe, to the expressed 
 opinion of the Sovereign, it was decided that the Wol¬ 
 verhampton memorial should represent the late Prince 
 Consort on horseback. The sculptor selected was Mr. 
 Thornycroft, of London. For many months little was 
 heard of the work, further than that it was progressing, 
 but Mr. Underhill had by no means lost sight of it ; 
 his interest in the matter was unceasing, and he was 
 always ready to afford information in answer to in¬ 
 quiries. To that gentleman the erection of the statue 
 cost not only a large amount of personal trouble, but 
 a considerable sum of money, he having had the granite 
 pedestal put up at his own expense. It is due also to 
 Alderman Hawksford, the Vice-Chairman of the Com¬ 
 mittee, to say that he rendered Mr. Underhill, the Chair¬ 
 man, much assistance; in fact, at a meeting of the 
 
 16 
 

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 - 
 
 
 ■. r >v. 
 
 Cf 
 
ORIGIN AND DESCRIPTION OF THE STATUE. 
 
 subscribers Alderman Underhill stated that the success 
 of the work was in a great measure owing to the 
 exertions of that gentleman. 
 
 The statue is in bronze, is about nine feet in height, 
 or, with the pedestal, nearly sixteen feet. The Prince 
 Consort is represented in the uniform of a Field Marshal, 
 and the attitude chosen is that of returning the salutations 
 of the people—the Prince at the moment, gently restrain¬ 
 ing his charger, which, with open mouth, appears to be 
 champing and playing with his bit. It was a desire of 
 Her Majesty that the Prince should be represented in 
 military dress, although it was as a civilian that he was 
 familiar to the view, as he was endeared to the hearts 
 of the people. The Prince wears over the surtout the 
 ribbon of the Order of the Garter, with the usual in¬ 
 signia; and the bold diagonal line thus presented from 
 the shoulder to the waist forms a prominent element in 
 the flow of the dress. Her Majesty visited Mr. Thorny - 
 croft’s studio during the progress of the work, and to 
 ensure exactness in the drapery of the figure, was 
 graciously pleased to lend the sculptor the uniform worn 
 by the Prince, as also the magnificent gold saddle cloth. 
 The Prince’s favourite charger was likewise placed by 
 the Queen at the disposal of Mr. Thornycroft, who care¬ 
 fully studied the anatomy of the living animal. While 
 preserving the contour of the noble charger, the muscles 
 and tendons are brought out in minute detail. The 
 pedestal is of grey Dartmoor granite, the upper portion 
 polished, and has panels to receive the inscription. The 
 statue was cast in bronze by Messrs. Elkington and Co., of 
 Birmingham, from the model supplied by the sculptor. 
 
 17 
 
ORIGIN AND DESCRIPTION OF THE STATUE. 
 
 In August, I860, the Granite Pedestal was erected, 
 and in the following November the Statue arrived in 
 A\ olverhampton, and was placed in its position, and the 
 subscribers were called together to consider the inau¬ 
 guration. 
 
 At that Meeting it was resolved:— 
 
 “That the Mayor of Wolverhampton be respectfully requested to con¬ 
 vene a Meeting of the Corporation of Wolverhampton, to obtain 
 its sanction for his inviting, in the name of the Corporation 
 and people of the Borough, Her most Gracious Majesty the Queen 
 to honour the Borough with her presence, at a time to be fixed 
 by Her Majesty, on the occasion of the Inauguration of the 
 Memorial Statue there erected in memory of His Royal High¬ 
 ness the late Prince Consort ; and in the event of Her Majesty 
 being unable, or declining to accept such invitation, to invite such 
 member or members of Her Majesty's Family as Her Majesty 
 shall be pleased to represent Her on the occasion above referred 
 to, and to add that, in the absence of the I’rince of Wales 
 and the Duke of iidiuburgh, the Princess Christian and the Prince 
 (her husband) would receive a hearty welcome.” 
 
 A special meeting of tlie Council was held on Friday, 
 November 16th, when it was unanimously resolved :— 
 
 “ That the Resolution of the Subscribers to the Prince Albert Memorial 
 now read, be received and entered on the minutes of this Council, 
 and that the Mayor be respectfully requested to forward an 
 invitation to Her Majesty the Queen in the substance of that 
 Resolution.” 
 
 In order to ascertain the best mode of approaching 
 the Queen, and, if necessary, the other Members of the 
 Royal Family, on the subject, the Town Clerk commu¬ 
 nicated with the Borough Members, (The Right Hon. 
 C. P. Villiers and T. M. W eguclin, Esq.,) forwarding to 
 each of those gentlemen a copy of the Resolutions. 
 
 18 
 
ORIGIN AND DESCRIPTION OF THE STATUE. 
 
 On Tuesday, 20tli November, a deputation consisting 
 of the Mayor, Aldermen Underhill and Hawksford, and 
 the Town Clerk, proceeded to London; they ascertained 
 that a formal application to the Queen, through the 
 Home Secretary, was requisite, and it was on that day 
 prepared, signed by the Mayor, and lodged at the Home 
 Office. 
 
 The deputation returned in the evening, leaving the 
 Town Clerk in London, and on Wednesday Mr. Hayes 
 was summoned to Buckingham Palace to have an inter¬ 
 view with General Grey. He was accompanied thither 
 by Mr. Yilliers, and at the close of the interview tele¬ 
 graphed to the Mayor that the Queen, accompanied by 
 the Prince and Princess Christian, and the Princess 
 Louise, would inaugurate the Statue on Friday, the 30th. 
 
 The news was made known in a few minutes through¬ 
 out the town, by the peals of the Old Church Bells. 
 
 At five o’clock, a special meeting of the Town Council 
 was held at the Town Hall, the Mayor presiding. 
 
 The Mayor (whose entrance, like that of Alderman 
 Underhill, was the signal for loud cheering) said:— 
 
 “ I need not remark that the joyous peals of our own bells have caused 
 everyone present to feel the delight which every true-born Englishman would 
 feel on such an occasion. [Applause.] We are aware that the most we hoped 
 when we met last week was that Her Majesty would condescend to allow one 
 of her Royal Family to attend the inauguration ; but an old adage said that 
 ‘ whenever it rained it poured,’ and it seemed that the Queen had not only deigned 
 to promise to come herself, but also to bring several of her family. [Cheers.] 
 We have just cause to know that Her Majesty seriously entertained that step 
 at the early part of the week ; and the General Purposes Committee, which met 
 on Monday morning, appointed a deputation to consult with the Lord Lieutenant 
 of the county on the subject, which was done. Afterwards Aldermen Hawks¬ 
 ford and Underhill, the Town Clerk, and myself went to London, for the purpose 
 
 19 
 
ORIGIN AND DESCRIPTION OF THE STATUE. 
 
 of ascertaining what the town might fairly hope. The result of that journey 
 was that they had not the slightest doubt on Tuesday of what had been ratified 
 that afternoon. [Renewed applause.] About twelve o’clock that morning he 
 received a telegram from Mr. Hayes, the Town Clerk, who was left by the depu¬ 
 tation in London on Tuesday. That message was as follows :— 4 1 have received 
 a telegram appointing for me to come to General Grey’s room, at Buckingham 
 Palace, at a quarter past twelve. I will telegraph the result.’ [Applause.] 
 All, I dare say, are anxious to hear the result of the interview. That result 
 came in the following telegram, received from Mr. Hayes about four o’clock this 
 afternoon : — 4 1 have attended at Buckingham Palace, and am authorised to 
 announce that the Queen, accompanied by their Royal Highnesses the Prince 
 and Princess Christian, and Princess Louise, will herself inaugurate the statue 
 erected to the memory of the late Prince Consort, on Friday, the 30th instant.’ 
 [Loud and prolonged applause ] We all have periods in our lives which are a 
 source of great delight and pride to us; but I am sure that when I anticipated 
 many important events during my mayoralty, I had no expectation that I should 
 have the distinguished honour of welcoming Her Majesty to Wolverhampton. 
 [Cheers.] I am sure that you will all delight to do your utmost to make the 
 visit a success, to give satisfaction to the Queen, and cause her no regret for the 
 course she has taken, at the same time that they did honour to the town. 
 [Renewed cheering.] Proceeding to business, their first course would be to 
 organise committees to arrange for the commencement and completion of the 
 various works that must at once be done. I will read you the names of the 
 various gentlemen who have been appointed to serve on the respective com¬ 
 mittees ; but it must be understood that they have power to add to their 
 number any gentleman in the town whose sendees were likely to be of any 
 use to them. [Hear, hear.] I am a member of each committee, and move 
 that the following gentlemen shall form the Reception, Allotment, Address, 
 Correspondence, and Equipage Committee Aldermen Ironmonger, Underhill, 
 Fowler, Hawksford, Ford, Smith ; Councillors Joseph Ford, Mander, Bantock, 
 James Underhill, Matthews, Lewis, H. Underhill, (Clerk of the Peace.)” 
 [Alderman 11 alker seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously.] 
 
 And I move that the following shall form the Breakfast Committee:_ 
 
 Aldermen Hawksford and Ironmonger; Councillors Mander, Smith, Weaver, 
 Willcock, Sidney, Thurstans; and that the Decorative Committee shall be as 
 follow's Alderman Hawksford ; Councillors Mander, Joseph Ford, Henry 
 Lloyd, Thomas Lloyd, James Underhill, Willcock, Major and Turton. Works 
 
 20 
 
ORIGIN AND DESCRIPTION OF THE STATUE. 
 
 Committee :—Aldermen Mortiboy, J. Walker, and H. Langman ; Councillors 
 T. Lloyd, H. Lloyd, Reeve, Hunter, Hill, Ashby, John Lees, Jones, Bagaley 
 and Bantock.” [Both motions were carried without a dissentient.] “ These 
 committees, I think, will compose a sufficient nucleus for the development of 
 the whole scheme.” [Hear, Hear.] 
 
 The following is a copy of a letter which was received 
 by the Mayor from the Right Hon. 8. H. Walpole, 
 Secretary of State for the Home Department, conveying 
 formal intimation of Her Majesty’s acceptance of the 
 invitation to inaugurate the statue:— 
 
 “ Whitehall, November 22nd, I860. 
 
 “ Sir,—I have had the honour of laying before the Queen the letter which 
 you addressed to me, expressing the hope of the inhabitants of Wolverhampton 
 that Her Majesty would be graciously pleased to inaugurate the Statue of the late 
 Prince Consort, which has been erected in that town, and I have received the 
 Queen’s commands to convey to you the satisfaction it gives Her Majesty to find 
 herself able to comply with this request. 
 
 ‘ ‘ Her Majesty proposes to fix Friday, the 30th instant, for the ceremony, 
 and to arrive at Wolverhampton between one and a quarter past one o’clock. 
 
 “ I am, Sir, your obedient Servant, 
 
 “ The Mayor of Wolverhampton.” “S. H. WALPOLE.” 
 
PREPARATIONS FOR THE ROYAL VISIT. 
 
 ERRILY pealed the bells of the Old 
 Church when it was announced that 
 Her Majesty would come to inaugu¬ 
 rate the Statue. On Wednesday 
 afternoon, the 21st, the Town Clerk 
 telegraphed to the Mayor, that the day 
 for the ceremony was the 30th, leaving only an interval 
 of eight days for making the necessary preparations. The 
 work, however, was entered upon with enthusiasm, and 
 the rapidity with which it was executed is astonishing. 
 Every one engaged in it with an earnest goodwill, and 
 with a determination to do everything in their power to 
 exhibit their loyalty and personal affection to the Queen. 
 The sentiment pervaded every class, high and low, rich 
 and poor, one and all, and we may add that more 
 especially were the poorer and working classes delighted 
 when it became known that Her Majesty wished to take 
 such a route as should not restrict her visit to appearing 
 in the principal and the better streets of the town. 
 In a few hours after the announcement of the intended 
 visit, the busy hum of preparation commenced, and rapidly 
 increased. Every man who could handle a pick, saw a 
 board, or drive a nail, found employment, and never 
 perhaps was a greater exemplification of the maxim that 
 “ Willing hearts and willing hands make light work,” 
 afforded. Night and day was the labour proceeded with, 
 
 22 
 
PREPARATIONS FOR THE ROYAL VISIT. 
 
 and gas fitters, and professional decorators almost of them¬ 
 selves thronged the streets. All business except such as 
 Avas connected with the ceremony was suspended. Look¬ 
 ing to the whole of the arrangements, to their extent, 
 to the very short time in which they Avere devised and 
 completed, avc may truly say that Avondcrs Avere effected. 
 Many hundreds of houses underAvent most extensive trans¬ 
 formations, their fronts being encased Avith galleries, 
 trimmed Avith cloth of the brightest colours, Avliile 
 festoons and wreaths were also displayed with pro¬ 
 fusion. Indeed, it seemed as if some great magician, 
 or rather a band of great magicians had united their 
 efforts to bring about a wonderful transformation. And 
 
 * * * * in the air 
 
 A thousand streamers flaunted fair ; 
 
 Various in shape, device, and hue, 
 
 Green, sanguine, purple, red, and blue, 
 
 Broad, narrow, swallow-tailed, and square, 
 
 Scroll, pennon, pencil, bandrol, there 
 O’er the pavilions flew. 
 
 Highest and midmost was descried, 
 
 The Royal banner floating wide. 
 
 There Avas not, unfortunately, any point of vieAV from 
 Avhich a coup d’ceil of the whole of the spectacle could be 
 obtained; but viewed from one or tAvo positions, it 
 appeared as if lines of flags and decorations rayed forth 
 to almost every extremity of the toA\ r n, as from a centre, 
 or more properly speaking, converged toAvards the High 
 Green, for that Avas the nucleus of adornment, with a 
 profusion that, like the innermost leaves of a rose, hid 
 the appearance of anything else. The arrangements 
 and preparations for the visit were conducted by com- 
 
 23 
 
PREPARATIONS FOR THE ROYAL VISIT. 
 
 mittees of the Town Council (whose names have 
 already been published) aided by various local gentle¬ 
 men, including Mr. Bidlake, Architect, whose services in 
 connection with the decorations carried out at the public 
 expense were of great value. 
 
 If any one who had been absent from the town for 
 a few days had returned on Friday he would scarcely 
 have believed that he was in Wolverhampton, so great 
 was the change which had been wrought in so short a 
 space of time by the aid of decoration. The Town 
 Council, through its decoration committee, formed only 
 a few days previously, had done much in adorning the 
 principal streets included in the route of procession, and 
 the inhabitants had exhibited a thoroughly liberal spirit 
 and exerted the most commendable efforts in the same 
 direction. What might be called the minor in point of 
 individual size, but so far as regards multitude and effect, 
 the major decorations, showed an expenditure of wealth, 
 skill, taste, and labour on the part both of the Borough 
 authorities and its private citizens, which spoke with 
 startling emphasis of the general appreciation of the 
 Royal visit. Only the following streets of the route were 
 decorated at the public expense:—Railway Street, Cleve¬ 
 land Street, Salop Street, Darlington Street, and Waterloo 
 Road. The main features of these decorations consisted 
 in the erection of long slender whitened poles along 
 each side of the streets, and from the top of each of 
 which floated a banneret, surmounted by a gilded spear¬ 
 head. Attached to the upper part of the poles along the 
 whole length of the streets there ran festoons of ever¬ 
 greens and paper flowers of varied hues. The appear- 
 
 24 
 
PREPARATIONS FOR THE ROYAL VISIT. 
 
 ance was pleasing, and was heightened by the abundance 
 of flags and banners across the streets and pendant from 
 windows. This abundance of flags and banners formed 
 the chief and most ample adornment of the other streets 
 upon the route, the decorations of which had been left 
 to the enterprise of their inhabitants. More than six 
 miles of festoons were made, consuming upwards of 
 forty loads of evergreens, kindly given by the Noble¬ 
 men and Gentlemen of the neighbourhood ; these festoons 
 were made by Mr. Richard Lowe, under whose superin¬ 
 tendence upwards of one hundred and thirty men and 
 women were employed for the purpose. 
 
 Multitudinous flags and banners waved gaily with 
 the passing breeze. The general decoration of Cock 
 Street, (since named Victoria Street), was marked by a 
 harmoniousness of design which none other presented ; 
 and the effect was heightened by the abundance of 
 striking designs for transparencies and illuminations 
 along the fronts of the houses. 
 
 Three places, however, deserve special notice—High 
 Green, Dudley Street, and Queen Street. In the first, 
 the very centre of the day’s proceedings, great taste had 
 been shown. The shops were decorated with banners 
 and devices, and the Queen could not fail to read 
 “God bless the Queen,” “Albert the Good,” “The Silent 
 Father of Our Kings to be.” The Swan Hotel bore the 
 royal arms, and a fine display of banner trophies, and 
 the Wolverhampton Bank, though out of view, was very 
 handsomely decorated. In Dudley Street the ornamenta¬ 
 tions were most profuse. “God Save the Queen” in 
 front of the premises of Mr. G. L. Underhill, inscribed 
 
 25 
 
PREPARATIONS FOR THE ROYAL VISIT. 
 
 in white letters on a crimson ground, was most effective, 
 and w r as visible as the procession advanced up Queen 
 Street, a brilliant star of great size being placed above. 
 Along the street enormous banners, festoons, masses 
 of evergreens and flowers, and other decorations made 
 the street a perfect fairy bower. The most striking 
 features in Queen Street were the County Court and the 
 Post Office. The former is well adapted for decoration. 
 High above floated the Union Jack, beneath it and en¬ 
 circling a monstrous V was a trophy of varied flags, 
 whilst “ Albert,” in large letters and semi-mourning, was 
 stretched beneath. Spiral festoons of evergreens and 
 flowers were twined round the columns, and others grace¬ 
 fully pendant stretched across the front. Below the bal¬ 
 cony “Welcome,” with the word “Victoria” on each 
 side, was inscribed in letters of two feet six inches, in 
 bright blue and yellow margin, on white ground, and 
 V’s and monograms filled up the other spaces. The Post 
 Office was in similar style, on a less scale, but perhaps 
 more satisfactory as a complete piece of decoration. The 
 whole street looked very elegant, and amongst the hun¬ 
 dred devices for the illumination, were some splendid stars 
 in prismatic glass. 
 
 The first of the series of triumphal arches w r as erected 
 at the entrance of the drive across the Great Western 
 Railway Station, and was composed of coal, with designs 
 in colliers’ tools, characteristic of the trade of the 
 neighbourhood. Some of the blocks were of immense 
 size—weighing nearly three tons—and excited the wonder 
 how such masses could be raised from their deep 
 beds and placed in such an imposing, if not attractive, 
 
 26 
 
PREPARATIONS FOR THE ROYAL VISIT. 
 
 position entire. Near tlie arch was a pyramid composed 
 of the same material, the whole mass weighing about 
 eighty tons, and which was forwarded to the Decorative 
 Committee by Mr. Smith, agent to Earl Dudley. 
 
 Passing from the coal arch we come to the London 
 and North-Western Railway Bridge, relieved by the 
 bright and lively aspect of evergreens and artificial 
 flowers, arranged in a very tasteful manner, and present¬ 
 ing a pleasing appearance. Over the large central arch 
 was the word “ Welcome,” in flowers; and over the side 
 arches were medallion portraits of the Prince and Prin¬ 
 cess of Wales. The Royal Arms were also displayed 
 over the central arch, the Danish flag being beneath; 
 and on either side were four Italian bannerets, the side 
 arches being surmounted by trophies of flags. The 
 reverse of the arch bore the same appearance with the 
 exception that the motto was “Long live the Queen.” 
 Proceeding up Railway Street, Queen Street, and 
 Dudley Street, to Snow Hill, down Cleveland Street 
 and Salop Street, the next arch was at the bottom of 
 Darlington Street, and was one of architectural design, 
 in the Italian style, with three spans, those crossing the 
 footpaths being supported on each side by double 
 columns, with gilded capitals. Over the central arch 
 was the motto “Long live the Queen,” while beneath 
 were the Royal and Borough Arms surrounded by the 
 Royal Standard, having the Standards of England and 
 Denmark right and left with a cluster of flags. 
 
 The next arch was the Trades Trophy, in School 
 Street, it consisted of three arches, the centre and larger 
 one spanning the road, and two smaller arches over 
 
 27 
 
PREPARATIONS FOR THE ROYAL VISIT. 
 
 the footpaths. As indicated by its name, the arch 
 was covered with the various hardware articles manu¬ 
 factured in the town. The bases of the columns 
 were made of iron tubing, from the works of Mr. 
 Brothcrton; above these were a number of edge tools 
 from Messrs. Perks’; higher still were a number of 
 domestic hardware goods arranged in neat order, the 
 top consisting of japanned goods, from the Old Hall 
 Works and Messrs. Loveridge’s. The corners and edges 
 of the trophy were composed of stout three-incli cable, 
 from the works of Messrs. Ironmonger. Over the centre 
 arch were the words u Welcome to the Queen,” and over 
 the side arch the word “ Manufacture.” The whole were 
 surmounted with evergreens, flowers, flags and banners. 
 In the Waterloo Road was an arch of mingled architectural 
 and floral design, of graceful structure; the centre space 
 was crowned with the Borough Arms, having on each side 
 the arms of the Earls of Lichfield, Dartmouth, Bradford, 
 and Dudley, Lord Wrottesley, and the arms of the Giffards, 
 all noble families associated with the neighbourhood. Over 
 each side arch were the initials “V R,” with flags and 
 bannerets at the top. 
 
 At an early hour on Friday morning, the streets 
 were crowded beyond the extent to which the population 
 of Wolverhampton could have filled them. Throughout 
 the early morning and forenoon, trains from every part 
 of the “black country,” from the whole of the Potteries 
 district, from Birmingham, Worcester, Stafford, and 
 other still more distant places, were pouring thousands 
 of visitors into the town. Hosts of the working classes 
 took possession of the thoroughfares. With them came 
 
 28 
 
PREPARATIONS FOR THE ROYAL VISIT. 
 
 hundreds who sought such vantage ground as the stands 
 and platforms provided. With these again came scores of 
 carriages of all varieties of structure and description 
 from the rural districts, bringing country squires, clergy¬ 
 men, and rustics to take part in the rare demon¬ 
 stration which made Friday a red letter day. All 
 classes known to the Midland Counties—the agri¬ 
 cultural, the artizan, the trading, and the intellectual, 
 were represented in the crowd, a good tempered, but 
 often unruly crowd enough; and every element was 
 visible that could contribute to a portraiture in little of 
 the complex community of the district, which Her 
 Majesty was about to honour with Her first public appear¬ 
 ance since the sad bereavement that has made Her shrink 
 too long from the demonstrative admiration of Her loyal 
 subjects. 
 
 There was but little in the state of the atmosphere 
 to lead the populace to plume itself on a day of what 
 has long been called u Queen’s Weather.” The morning 
 was cold and sharp; the air misty, and now and again 
 drops of moisture, dripping on the pavements, seemed to 
 threaten a wet day. Closed shops, the absence of ordinary 
 business, the universal holiday which had been proclaimed 
 and accepted, left only one subject of conversation. The 
 Queen and her two fair daughters, whom the inhabitants 
 of these Midland districts had scarcely seen before, 
 formed the common topic of discourse. The general 
 excitement was augmented by the continuous arrivals of 
 volunteer troops. Each company had its own special 
 admirers, who cheered it in its progress through the 
 streets; and each seemed to have its own particular 
 
 29 
 
PREPARATIONS FOR THE ROYAL VISIT. 
 
 band, that played its own particular tunes, till the town 
 resounded with the cheerful but discordant music. 
 
 It was late before the police, assisted by the volun¬ 
 teers, proceeded to clear the barriers and to make plain 
 the route along which the Royal Procession was to pass; 
 and when they did so their task was comparatively easy. 
 Owing to the great extent of streets over which the 
 route extended, there was, at one point or another, on 
 the pavements, on the platforms, at shop windows and 
 house windows, on carts and in doorways, ample room 
 for all who wished to see comfortably what there might 
 be to see; and for the better part of an hour before the 
 Royal Standard on the tower of the Collegiate Church 
 signalled the arrival of the Royal train, the people were 
 in their places and waiting the coming of the Pro¬ 
 cession. 
 
THE ROUTE OF THE PROCESSION. 
 
 NDEAVOURING to give the reader some 
 idea of the nature of the route traversed 
 by the Queen, we would recall the fact 
 that the town stands on a long hill, 
 and from the level of the Great Western 
 rails to St. Peter’s Churchyard, close to 
 the statue, is a height of no less than seventy-five feet, 
 whilst from the same level to the bottom of Darlington 
 Street, right in front of the statue, and up which the pro¬ 
 cession had to climb, is a length of some five hundred 
 yards. The ascent is ninety feet. Hence, the Queen start¬ 
 ing from the Low Level on the eastern side, had to wind 
 upwards by a circuitous route until she entered Queen 
 Street, then with a slight rise up Snow Hill had to go 
 downwards to the bottom of Salop Street, to a lower level 
 than that from which she started, and up thence to the 
 statue, back down the High Green with a turn to the 
 left down Cock Street, and by other right angles into 
 Skinner Street, and School Street, thence straight for 
 some three-quarters of a mile, to the junction of the 
 Stafford Road, and then up again to Queen Street, by 
 Stafford Street, again to descend by Railway Street, and 
 the Wednesfield Road to the Low Level Station. This 
 may give an idea of the route of four miles. 
 
 Along the whole length strong barricades were fixed 
 about three feet high between the footpaths and the road- 
 
 31 
 
THE ROUTE OF THE PROCESSION. 
 
 way. Where the width of the route would admit of 
 it, as on Snow Hill and in one or two other wide streets, 
 a considerable portion of the carriage-way was left for the 
 occupation of the public, and a moderate calculation 
 gives spaces thus freely allotted to spectators, capable of 
 holding a quarter of a million persons. In addition, 
 upon every open space along the route stands, platforms, 
 and galleries were erected by the proprietors or by 
 enterprising speculators who hoped, and did not hope in 
 vain, to secure a large profit out of the public curiosity. 
 
THE ARRIVAL OF HER MAJESTY 
 
ER MAJESTY, accompanied 
 by the Prince and Princess 
 Christian, Princess Louise, 
 and their suite, arrived at 
 the Great Western Station 
 from Windsor, shortly before 
 ten o’clock a.m., Lord Derby 
 being- in attendance. Here 
 they were received by the 
 Chairman of the Great West¬ 
 ern Railway, Sir D. Gooch, 
 Captain Bulkeley, one of the 
 Directors, and Mr. Grierson, 
 the General Manager of the 
 Line, who accompanied the 
 party to and from their destination. The locomotive in 
 use was the 11 Lord of the Isles,” which was shown in 
 the Exhibition of 1851. 
 
 The scene presented at the Low Level Station at 
 Wolverhampton was a brilliant one. This station being 
 one of the largest in England, and entirely covered in 
 by an iron and glass roof of imposing proportions, is 
 well adapted to the purposes of a reception becoming 
 the dignity of royalty. Profuse decorations covered 
 
 37 
 
THE ARRIVAL AND RECEPTION. 
 
 every portion of the interior. The task of decorating 
 the edifice had keen intrusted to Mr. Lovatt, builder and 
 contractor, of Wolverhampton, who was ably assisted 
 with suggestive hints by Mr. Veall, Architect, of the 
 same town. For the purposes of decoration the Admiralty 
 supplied no less than two hundred and fifty flags, and 
 liberal loans of the same gay emblems were made by 
 the Inman Steamship Company, Liverpool, the Great 
 Eastern Steamship Company, and others. These, artisti¬ 
 cally arranged, filled the station from floor to roof with 
 a blaze of colour, the effect of which was heightened by 
 rich broad festoons of evergreens, picked out with arti¬ 
 ficial flowers, and sweeping from column to column, and 
 from beam to beam, trailing up the walls and passing 
 over the heads of doorways. More than two miles of 
 festoons were made in three days for this purpose. The 
 choicest elements in the decorations were, however, the 
 exquisite plants contributed by the Earl of Stamford and 
 Warrington, Miss Hincks, Mr. Lowe, of W olverhampton, 
 (who supplied nearly one thousand plants) and Mr. 
 Langley, of Castlecroft. Especially striking were the 
 fruit-bearing orange trees, chrysanthemums, camclias, and 
 other flowering plants, sent by Lord Stamford, which 
 were displayed between the windows of the long range 
 of offices and waiting rooms converted for the occasion 
 into dining and waiting rooms for the Royal party. 
 The floor of the platform was covered with crimson 
 carpetting, and amongst the most striking items of detail 
 were the presence, in every direction, of sententious 
 expressions of loyalty and welcome. Along the parapet 
 of the bridge over the down line were the words “ Albert 
 
 38 
 
THE ARRIVAL AND RECEPTION. 
 
 the Good.” At the south end of the platform was a 
 gallery capable of accommodating nearly three hundred 
 persons. Ample provision was also made on the plat¬ 
 form for the Guard of Honour of Her Majesty—a detach¬ 
 ment of the 39th Foot—and for the hand of the 11th 
 Hussars, a troop of which escorted the Queen through 
 the town. 
 
 The exterior of the station was also very tastefully 
 decorated; a large platform was erected, and a supple¬ 
 mentary gallery was reared for the accommodation of 
 school children. 
 
 An adequate suite of rooms for the reception of the 
 Royal party was obtained. Accommodation for the 
 attendants was provided in the rooms surrounding the 
 central booking office. The whole of the rooms were 
 re-papered, and were furnished with great elegance. 
 Major Thorneycroft and Mr. Hartley sent tables, chairs, 
 and carpet from Tong Castle, for the Queen’s dining 
 room. The plate and glass were lent by Lord Stamford, 
 Mrs. Thorneycroft, Mrs. Hartley, Mrs. Corser, and Mrs. 
 H. H. Fowler ; and a Committee of Ladies, consisting 
 of the Mayoress, Mrs. Hartley, Mrs. Mander, Mrs. H. H. 
 Fowler, and Mrs. Hayes, kindly superintended the pre¬ 
 paration of the Queen’s rooms. Furniture was also lent 
 by the principal upholsterers and tradesmen. The floral 
 decoration of the room was undertaken by Lord Stamford’s 
 gardener. Mr. Sidney Cartwright furnished a collection 
 of pictures for Her Majesty’s dining and retiring rooms, 
 and Mr. Lawrence, of Queen Street, lent a collection 
 which were hung in the dining room of the Lords and 
 Ladies in Waiting. 
 
 39 
 
THE ARRIVAL AND RECEPTION. 
 
 In passing from the carriage to the reception rooms 
 Her Majesty walked through lines of plants from all 
 parts of the globe, interspersed with long graceful reeds 
 of Pampas grass waving above the shrubs, and producing 
 an effect as novel as it was beautiful. 
 
 By twelve o’clock nearly every seat on the platform 
 and in the gallery was occupied by a fashionably dressed 
 company. Probably the first official personage to arrive 
 was the Earl of Lichfield, the Lord-Lieutenant of the 
 County, who wore the scarlet and gold uniform of his 
 office. His Lordship was soon joined by Colonel Lord 
 Bagot, Colonel Lord Hatherton, Colonel Charles Bagot, 
 the Mayor of Wolverhampton (J. Morris, Esq.), in his 
 official robes; the Recorder of Wolverhampton (J. J. 
 Powell, Esq., Q.C.); the Borough Members (the Right 
 Hon. C. P. Yilliers, in the uniform of one of Her 
 Majesty’s Privy Councillors, and T. M. Weguelin, Esq., 
 in the scarlet uniform of a Deputy-Lieutenant); the Lord 
 Bishop of Lichfield, the Ven. Archdeacon Moore, the 
 Mayor’s Chaplain (the Rev. A. B. Gould), the Town 
 Clerk (Mr. E. J. Hayes), the Clerk of the Peace (Mr. 
 H, Underhill), the Mover and Seconder of the Address 
 (Alderman Ironmonger and Alderman Fowler), the Chair¬ 
 man and Vice-Chairman of the Memorial Committee 
 (Alderman G. L. Underhill and Alderman Hawksford), all 
 in court dress, the General Commanding the District (Sir 
 John Garvock), &c. 
 
 At eight minutes past one o’clock the company were 
 put on the qui vive by the signalled approach of the Royal 
 train, which in a few seconds steamed slowly into the 
 station. Her Majesty, who was dressed in mourning, 
 
 40 
 
ft W l’hriipp Photo New St. Bi.nvtnaham 
 
 Sir John Morris, Knight, Mayor. 
 
 E. J. Ilayes, Esq., Town Clerk. Henry Underhill, Esq., Clerk, of the Peace. 
 
 J. J. Powell, Q.C., Recorder. 
 
B A 7 Thnzpp Photo. New St. B inrun nh run 
 
 Alderman G. L. Underhill. 
 
 Alderman Iron monge /*. 
 
 -4 Iderman Ha wksjbrd. 
 
 Alderman Fowler. 
 

 
 
THE ARRIVAL AND RECEPTION. 
 
 trimmed with crape and edged with sable, with black 
 bonnet and beneath it a white Marie Stuart cap, 
 appeared to be in excellent health, and on alighting was 
 received with deafening cheers, again and again repeated. 
 By preconcerted signals, at almost the same moment, a 
 royal salute was fired by the Artillery Volunteers, and 
 the bells of St. Peter’s clanged right merrily. The 
 Guard of Honour presented arms, and the band of the 
 Hussars struck up the National Anthem. The Lord 
 Lieutenant presented the Mayor to Her Majesty, who 
 advancing, greeted with a kiss the Countess of Lichfield 
 and Lady Waterpark. Lady Lichfield presented the 
 Mayoress to Her Majesty, who graciously accepted from 
 Mrs. Morris a splendid bouquet consisting of the choicest 
 exotics.* Her Majesty was accompanied by their Royal 
 Highnesses Prince and Princess Christian, and Princess 
 Louise. The suite consisted of the Countess of Caledon, 
 Lady in Waiting to Her Majesty; Lady Susan Melville, 
 Lady in Waiting to Her Royal Highness Princess 
 Christian; the Honourable Flora Macdonald, Maid of 
 Honour; Lord Crofton, Lord in Waiting; Lieutenant- 
 General the Hon. C. Grey, Major-General Sir Thomas 
 M. Biddulph, K.C.B., Lord Alfred Paget, (Clerk Mar¬ 
 shal), and Lieutenant Colonel G. Gordon, Equerry in 
 Waiting to His Royal Highness Prince Christian. The 
 Earl of Derby was in attendance upon Her Majesty. 
 
 * Orcliids, white roses, camellias, hyacinths, gardenias, ericas, epacris, jas¬ 
 mine grandiflora, rhyncospernum, myrtles, ferns, &c., &e.; from the estab¬ 
 lishment of Mr. Lowe. The bouquet was surrounded with deep blonde lace, and 
 placed in an elegant silver holder, provided by the Mayoress. 
 
 41 
 
THE ROYAL PROGRESS TO THE PAVILION. 
 
 EFORE one o’clock the royal carriages, 
 sent down specially from Windsor for 
 the occasion, arrived at the Station, and 
 for a time became the centre of interest. 
 The platforms, near the entrance to the 
 station, were brilliant as much with the 
 lively anticipation of coming pleasure depicted on the 
 countenances of the occupants, as with the parti-coloured 
 silks and other fabrics that composed their attire. 
 
 The first of the Iloyal carriages having drawn up at 
 the entrance to the station, Lord Crofton (the Lord-in¬ 
 waiting on Her Majesty), Sir Thomas Biddulpli, and 
 Col. Gordon took their seats. The second carriage then 
 drew up and the Right Hon. the Earl of Derby, K.G., 
 in the Windsor uniform, wearing the star and ribbon of 
 the Garter, assisted into the carriage the three ladies-in- 
 waiting—Countess of Caledon, the Hon. Flora Macdonald, 
 and Lady Susan Melville—and the carriage made way for 
 the third. The Queen’s carriage stood at the doors some 
 seconds, during which the populace seemed to hold their 
 breath, in readiness for a lusty cheer of greeting, which 
 broke forth as soon as Her Majesty was seen. She was 
 followed by Prince Christian (who wore the uniform 
 of a general-officer), Princess Christian, and Princess 
 Louise. Successively they were loudly cheered and 
 acknowledged the tokens of loyalty and esteem thus 
 given, in the usual way. 
 
 42 
 
THE ROYAL PROGRESS TO THE PAVILION. 
 
 From the Station to the Pavilion in High Green, 
 the vocal demonstrations of delight on the part of the 
 populace, and the bowing of the occupants of the Queen’s 
 carriage, never ceased. Sometimes, where the crowd was 
 denser, the cheering swelled into a roar, and everywhere 
 without interruption, the people shouted “Welcome!” 
 to the Queen, and the Queen and the Princesses silently 
 thanked the people in return. 
 
 The bands of volunteers in the vicinity of the Great 
 Western Station, at the Mitre Inn, Cleveland Street, 
 and elsewhere, played the National Anthem with one 
 accord, and the troops, regular and volunteer, pres¬ 
 ented arms along the whole route. The unanimity of 
 sentiment exhibited in the applause of the crowd, the 
 uniformity of the progress, which was almost devoid of 
 everything that can be called incident, the well-kept 
 barriers, the people orderly, and the police and soldiery 
 good-humoured, made the progress from the Railway 
 Station well-conducted and pleasant. 
 
 Her Majesty’s attention seemed to be attracted first 
 by the coal-arch on the Wednesfield Road : the quaint 
 appropriateness of which could scarcely fail to commend 
 itself to her mind. At the corner of Canal Street, where 
 the junction of two thoroughfares affords a large space 
 for the gathering of a crowd, a dense mass of people 
 greeted the Queen with the heartiest cheer uttered up to 
 this point; and the marked acknowledgment they re¬ 
 ceived in response satisfied every delighted spectator that 
 his applause had gone home to his Sovereign’s heart. 
 The grand demonstration was in Queen Street ; this 
 street was by far the most handsome scene of the whole 
 
 43 
 
THE ROYAL PROGRESS TO THE PAVILION. 
 
 drama. Not only were the festoons of banners and flags 
 arranged with great taste, and the temporary erections 
 for the convenience of sight-seers constructed with some 
 regard to the general architectural character of the street, 
 but the windows, doorways, and roofs of houses, the 
 platforms, stands and galleries, were crowded with well- 
 dressed and happy-looking people in thousands; while 
 from end to end the pavements were packed as densely 
 as it is possible to pack human beings. The whole 
 formed a spectacle of the most striking, and not least 
 exhilarating kind. The eyes of the people beamed with 
 pleasure ; their hearty cheers told honestly their un¬ 
 restrained delight ; and, until Queen Street was passed, 
 Her Majesty and her daughters were occupied incessantly 
 in the laborious, but apparently not unwelcome dutv, of 
 bowing their appreciation of the respect thus demonstrated. 
 From this point to High Green, through Dudley Street, 
 Snow Hill, Cleveland Street, Salop Street, and Darling¬ 
 ton Street, the exhibition of popidar delight was main¬ 
 tained with equal spirit; and the applause of the crowds 
 that lined those thoroughfares, and filled the houses on 
 either side, was an appropriate prelude to the chorus of 
 cheers which welcomed the Royal party upon its arrival, 
 about a quarter before two o’clock, in sight of the grand 
 Pavilion in High Green, in the following order of 
 
 44 
 
PEOCE SSION: 
 
 MOUNTED POLICE. 
 
 THE CHIEF CONSTABLE. 
 
 YEOMANRY ADVANCE GUARD. 
 
 SQUADRON OF CAVALRY. 
 
 CARRIAGES CONTAINING MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL. 
 SQUADRON OF CAVALRY. 
 
 CARRIAGES CONTAINING MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL. 
 
 THE BOROUGH MEMBERS. 
 
 ALDERMEN IRONMONGER, UNDERHILL, FOWLER, & HAWKSFORD. 
 
 THE RECORDER AND THE CLERK OF THE PEACE. 
 
 THE MAYOR, THE TOWN CLERK, AND THE MAYOR’S CHAPLAIN. 
 THE BISHOP OF THE DIOCESE, AND ARCHDEACON MOORE 
 AND CHANCELLOR LAAV. 
 
 THE LORD LIEUTENANT OF THE COUNTY. 
 
 THE ROYAL CARRIAGES CONTAINING, 
 
 FIRST:— 
 
 THE LORD IN WAITING, 
 
 IN THE SECOND 
 
 THE LADY IN WAITING ON THE QUEEN, 
 
 THE LADY IN WAITING ON HER ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCESS 
 CHRISTIAN, MAID OF HONOUR TO THE QUEEN, 
 
 THE EARL OF DERBY, K.G. 
 
 IN THE THIRD 
 
 THE QUEEN, 
 
 THEIR ROYAL HIGHNESSES PRINCE AND PRINCESS 
 CHRISTIAN, SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN. 
 
 HER ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCESS LOUISE. 
 
 THE ROYAL ESCORT CONSISTING OF A SQUADRON OF THE 
 EIGHTH HUSSARS. 
 
 LORD ALFRED PAGET (CLERK MARSHAL) AND LIEUTENANT 
 GENERAL HON. C. GREY, ON HORSEBACK. 
 
THE PAVILION AND STATUE. 
 
 ® URING the occurrence of events recorded 
 in previous pages, about two thousand 
 fortunate holders of tickets to witness the 
 ceremony of unveiling the Statue, had 
 taken their seats in the pavilion; this 
 was an elegant structure, erected in front 
 of the statue, and furnished and decorated by Mr. Banting, 
 the Court upholsterer. Its sides were open, except from 
 the crimson drapings, which were looped up with wide 
 openings, and the white roses with which it was decked 
 on every side, except at the top, where pink roses were 
 adopted, showed well on the rich crimson ground. The 
 royal crown which surmounted the dome-shaped roof was 
 very fine, and the trophy of flags around the royal arms 
 in front equally effective. Opposite to the royal arms 
 were those of the borough, and at each pole trophies of 
 flags looked exceedingly gay. The whole of the floor 
 around the statue was covered with crimson cloth, and it 
 was hid from view by a square arrangement of national 
 colours fixed on a frame so as to enable them to be lowered 
 by a single movement. Down Darlington Street the eye 
 caught a long succession of festoons and banners. On 
 each side the entrance to the pavilion a company of the 
 Thirty-ninth Regiment, from Manchester, drew up as a 
 guard of honour. 
 
 At a few minutes past one the signal of the Queen’s 
 arrival at the station was given, the bells of St. Peter’s 
 
 4 <> 
 
THE PAVILION AND STATUE. 
 
 struck up a joyous peal, and the spectators raised a hearty 
 cheer. Expectation was now getting to fever heat, the 
 guard presented arms, and every mounted policeman who 
 passed was looked upon as the first of the van guard of 
 the procession. Soon the Staffordshire Yeomanry, which 
 was represented by the Wolverhampton, Himley, Walsall, 
 and Lichfield troops, and under the command of Colonel 
 Lord Bagot and Major Thorneycroft, was seen ascending 
 Darlington Street, and the cheers of the spectators caught 
 the ear. At forty minutes past one they reached the 
 back of the pavilion, and the members of the Town 
 Council in their robes soon took their places in the 
 pavilion to the left of the throne; whilst the Bishop, 
 took up a place to the right of the throne, as did the 
 members for the borough, the Recorder, the Mayor’s 
 Chaplain, the Town Clerk, the Clerk of the Peace, and 
 Aldermen Ironmonger, Underhill, Fowler and Hawksford. 
 The Lord-Lieutenant and the Countess of Lichfield, 
 the Earl of Derby, General Grey, Major-General Sir 
 Thomas Biddulph, K.C.B., the Ladies-in-Waiting and 
 Maid of Honour to the Queen, Lord Alfred Paget 
 (Clerk Marshal), &c., occupied the pavilion, and all 
 was excitement when the royal carriage stopped 
 and Her Majesty alighted, with Prince and Princess 
 Christian, and Princess Louise. The Spectators rose 
 and cheered with great enthusiasm, and Her Majesty 
 advanced and bowed again and again, many, many times 
 with an empressement of courtesy, and a gratified look 
 that could leave no doubt how highly she ajipreciated 
 the reception awarded to her. The band played “God 
 Save the Queen,” and again and again were the plaudits 
 
 47 
 
THE PAVILION AND STATUE. 
 
 renewed, and ever as they were did Her Majesty bow 
 her acknowledgments. The Queen carried a beautiful 
 bouquet; Princess Christian wore a dress of alternate 
 stripes of blue and black, and Princess Louise wore 
 a light puce dress with brown stripes, and each carried 
 an elegant bouquet. The Princesses and the Prince 
 stood to the left of the Queen. 
 
 When all had taken their places and order was 
 restored, the Bishop of Lichfield offered up the following 
 
 PRAYER: 
 
 “ Almighty God, who has taught us in Thy Holy 
 Word that the memory of the just is blessed, grant, we 
 beseech Thee, that the memorial of Thy departed servant 
 now set up in this place, may be a remembrance of him 
 for good to us and to those who shall come after us. 
 We pray Thee that as he served his generation according 
 to Thy will, not giving himself up to idleness or self- 
 indulgence, but employing his great abilities and the 
 opportunities of his high station in promoting the true 
 welfare of all classes of people in this the land of his 
 adoption, so the example of his unblemished and noble 
 character, and of his virtuous, active, and beneficent life 
 may stir up many to seek Thy glory and the good of 
 their fellow-creatures in the several stations to which 
 Thy providence has called him. 
 
 “We heartily thank Thee for the bright promise of 
 light which through that honoured Prince Thou hast 
 
 48 
 
THE PAVILION AND STATUE. 
 
 been pleased to bestow upon tliis nation. We bow humbly 
 before the inscrutable wisdom by which it was ordered 
 that his sun should go down while it was yet day with 
 him. We earnestly pray that both by Thy mercies and 
 Thy judgments we may be drawn nearer to Thee, and 
 led to walk more and more in Thy faith and fear. 
 
 “We beseech Thee, 0 Lord, to pour upon our most 
 gracious Queen, and upon all her family, the con¬ 
 tinual dew of Thy blessing. Give her that peace and 
 those consolations which Thou alone canst give; and make 
 her strong in Thy strength and happy in Thy favour. 
 Endue her councillors with faithfulness and wisdom; 
 preserve her long to rule over a grateful people; and 
 grant that there may never be wanting in her House 
 one to sit upon the throne of this kingdom and to rule 
 after her example. All which we beg in the name and 
 through the mediation of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” 
 
 The Bishop proceeded to repeat the Lord’s Prayer, 
 in which the assembly fervently united. 
 
 The Recorder then read the following Address which 
 he had prepared, and which was beautifully illuminated 
 and impressed with the Corporate Seal. 
 
QUEEN’S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY. 
 
 AY IT PLEASE YOUR MAJESTY.— 
 
 Your Majesty’s faithful subjects, the 
 Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses of 
 Wolverhampton, crave permission to 
 offer to your Majesty their humble 
 thanks for your Majesty’s gracious 
 
 gracious 
 
 condescension in thus honouring this Borough with your 
 Royal Presence. 
 
 u The inhabitants of the surrounding districts of every 
 class and degree—unequal in their fortunes, but equals in 
 
 their loyalty—also assemble here to-day to present their 
 
 homage to your Majesty, our beloved and gracious 
 Sovereign. 
 
 “ Inspired by feelings of profound devotion to your 
 Majesty’s person, family, and throne, we presume to 
 approach your Majesty, and each and all of us most 
 heartily bid your Majesty—Welcome ! 
 
 “We ask your Majesty’s permission to welcome also their 
 Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess Christian, and 
 Her Royal Highness the Princess Louise, whose affection¬ 
 ate and dutiful attendance on your Majesty has obtained 
 for us the distinguished honour of the Presence of their 
 Royal Highnesses. 
 
 “ We pray that your Majesty will deign to honour with 
 your gracious approval our earnest, though inadequate, 
 attempt to testify our devotion to the memory df our late 
 revered Prince, your Majesty’s beloved and lamented 
 
ledge and commemorate the debt of gratitude we owe to 
 His Royal Highness. Dwelling in a district of your 
 Majesty’s dominions where the resources of Science are 
 constantly required to develop the productions of nature 
 and adapt them for the use and benefit of man ; where Art 
 is ever striving to add grace and beauty to material form, 
 and where the necessities of a vast industrial population 
 demand incessant efforts to ameliorate their physical con¬ 
 dition, to educate their minds, and to teach them moral and 
 religious truth, we have felt it to be our duty, as it has been 
 our delight, to erect this Statue of His Royal Highness, 
 and thereby transmit to posterity a faithful representation 
 of that Illustrious Prince who, promoting Science by his 
 judicious patronage, and Art by his enlightened precepts, 
 also incited all men to all works of Christian duty by the 
 force of his beneficent example. 
 
 “We now humbly pray your Majesty to unveil this 
 Statue, that henceforth your Majesty’s loving subjects in 
 this place may have ever present among them the image 
 of the good Prince Consort, who, although prematurely 
 taken away from us, still lives, and will ever live, in the 
 imperishable remembrance of His virtues. 
 
 “ May God preserve your Majesty, and send your 
 Majesty health, peace, and consolation. 
 
 “ Given under the Corporate Seal of the Borough of 
 Wolverhampton, this 30tli day of November, 1866. 
 
 “ JOHN MORRIS, Mayor. 
 
 “ E. J. HAYES, Town Clerk.” 
 
THE PAVILION AND STATUE. 
 
 The Address having been read by the Recorder, was 
 handed by the Mayor to Her Majesty, which she was 
 graciously pleased to accept. 
 
 llis worship was then standing to the Queen’s right, 
 and Her Majesty turning, spoke to the Earl of Derby, 
 who communicated to the Mayor Her Majesty’s intention 
 to confer upon him the honour of knighthood. His 
 worship, attired in court dress and ollicial robes, promptly 
 obeyed the command, and kneeling on one knee made 
 the usual obeisance, when Lord Derby immediately 
 handed Her Majesty a sword borrowed from Lord 
 Alfred Paget, with which the “accolade” was bestowed 
 on the kneeling Mayor, and he thereupon rose up Sir 
 John Morris. The action was observed by the specta¬ 
 tors, who, as well as the Mayor himself, seemed to 
 be taken entirely by surprise; but the moment the 
 intention of Her Majesty became apparent, a cheer 
 rang through the pavilion which was fairly deafening, 
 and was heartily echoed by the crowd outside, attesting 
 the gratification felt at the honour thus conferred on the 
 town and its Chief Magistrate. The dignity and grace 
 with which the Mayor received the honour thus worthily 
 conferred, was the subject of general remark. 
 
 Sir John then presented in succession Mr. C. P. Villiers, 
 M.P., Mr. T. M. Weguelin, M.P., the Recorder, the Town 
 Clerk, the Clerk of the Peace, Aldermen Ironmonger, 
 Fowler, the Mayor’s Chaplain, Aldermen G. L. Underhill 
 and Hawksford—these, as they were presented, bowed 
 and passed the front of the Pavilion to the left side of 
 the Queen. 
 
 Her Majesty then signified her pleasure that the 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 » 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 » 
 
 
 
 
 f 4 
 
THE PAVILION AND STATUE. 
 
 Statue should be unveiled, and Mr. Thornycroft, the 
 sculptor, drawing a cord, the colours surrounding it 
 gracefully fell, and the Royal Standard gradually ascended 
 a staff in the centre of the Pavilion. The expression of 
 Her Majesty’s countenance, as the excellent likeness of the 
 Prince came into view, betrayed Her emotion, and the 
 feeling of the assembly, until now restrained, gave vent, 
 and one exciting enthusiastic cheer expressed the appro¬ 
 val of the assemblage. Her Majesty, touched by the 
 evident feeling of the spectators, bowed repeateylly, and 
 when the entire figure appeared undraped She left the 
 Pavilion, and, accompanied by the Princesses, Prince 
 Christian, and the Mayor, walked round the statue. 
 Arriving at the further end of the arena, She noticed 
 Mr. Thornycroft, the sculptor, to whose chisel Wolver¬ 
 hampton is indebted for this artistic gem, and calling 
 him to Her, in a few words She expressed Her gratitude 
 to him for his noble work, and Her satisfaction at the 
 manner in which the memory of the Prince Consort had 
 been honoured at Wolverhampton. 
 
 Again She was cheered, again She bowed low Her 
 acknowledgments, and spoke with animation to Mr. 
 Villiers as She returned to the dais. Turning to those 
 who stood behind Her, the Queen spoke with manifestly 
 gratified interest to the Earl of Lichfield, and conversed 
 with the Mayoress and several persons. She remained 
 on the spot for about twenty minutes, and as Her car¬ 
 riage drew up for Her return the cheers broke out afresh, 
 and She returned to the front, bowing many times to 
 all parts of the audience. 
 
 53 
 
HER MAJESTY’S RETURN. 
 
 ETURNING from the Statue Her Majesty 
 started on another two miles’ drive, 
 down Cock Street, Skinner Street, and 
 School Street, where she passed under 
 the hardware ai’ch into Waterloo Road, 
 at the corner of which She received 
 from the assembled spectators a perfect ovation, by 
 Stafford Road, Stafford Street, Princess Street, Queen 
 Street, and Railway Street to the Low Level Station, 
 everywhere greeted with renewed applause, and every¬ 
 where acknowledging Her reception with the warmest 
 courtesy, She reached the terminus of Her long drive at 
 the Great Western Station. 
 
 Luncheon had been prepared for the Royal party 
 in one room and for the suite in another. The Royal 
 party remained in their room for nearly an hour, their 
 re-appearance being anxiously awaited by a very large 
 number of those who had witnessed their arrival earlier 
 in the day. 
 
 By this time it had become pretty generally known 
 that Her Majesty had conferred on the Mayor the honour 
 of Knighthood, and when the members of the Corporation 
 had assembled on the platform, his Worship received 
 their hearty congratulations on the event. 
 
 Previous to Her Majesty’s departure, the Mayoress, 
 accompanied by Miss Morris, Miss Ironmonger, and Miss 
 
 54 
 
HER MAJESTY’S RETURN. 
 
 Mander, were introduced to Princess Christian, and pre¬ 
 sented to Her Royal Highness, in the name of a few 
 ladies of Wolverhampton, a very handsome bracelet. 
 
 At a quarter before four o’clock the Royal carriages 
 were brought to the platform, the band of the 8th Hussars 
 again played the National Anthem, and the train moved 
 off amid the cheers of the assembled multitude. 
 
 Since the interesting ceremony of the Inauguration, 
 an appropriate railing, the design for which was approved 
 of by the Sculptor, has been erected round the Statue. 
 The cost of the railings was generously defrayed by 
 the Mayor. 
 
THE MAYOR’S LUNCHEON 
 

THE MAYOR’S LUNCHEON 
 
 ETWEEN four and live o’clock 
 a company of upwards of 
 three hundred Noblemen, 
 Ladies, and Gentlemen, sat 
 down to a sumptuous Lun¬ 
 cheon at the Exchange, on 
 the invitation of Sir John 
 Morris, the Mayor. The 
 room was neatly ornamen¬ 
 ted, the orchestra being filled 
 with plants and exotics from 
 the nursery of Messrs. Lowe, 
 and an efficient band and 
 several male and female 
 vocalists were stationed there. 
 Robes and uniforms were worn, and the company looked 
 very brilliant. In addition to the ladies in the body of 
 the room, the galleries were occupied with members of the 
 fair sex, who were supplied with tea and coffee. 
 
 The Mayor presided at a cross table, supported on 
 the right by the Countess of Lichfield, the Recorder, the 
 Earl of Dartmouth, the Bishop of the Diocese, Lady 
 Bagot, the Right Honourable C. P. Villiers, M.P., 
 W. 0. Foster, Esq., M.P., the Rev. A. B. Gould, the 
 
 61 
 
THE MAYOR’S LUNCHEON. 
 
 Mayor of Birmingham, Mr. Thornycroft (the sculptor); 
 and on the left by the Earl of Lichfield, Lady Moms, 
 (the Mayoress), the Earl of Bradford, Miss Lonsdale, 
 Lady Waterpark, the Earl of Harrowby, Mr. T. M. 
 Weguelin, M.P., Mrs. W. 0. Foster, the Mayoress of 
 Birmingham (Mrs. Dixon), and General Garvock. The 
 other tables were headed by the ex-Mayor, Councillor 
 Mander, Alderman Ford, and Councillor Thurstans, who 
 were faced by Councillor Sidney, Mr. Edward Griffin, 
 Mr. A. Morris, and Councillor J. E. Underhill. A 
 copy of the bill of fare, the list of toasts, and of the 
 National Anthem, was placed before each guest. The 
 luncheon was provided by Mr. Reynolds, of High Green. 
 The following was the 
 
PROGRAMME OF TOASTS 
 
 GRACE CHORALE 
 
 Composed by his late Royal Highness the Prince Consort 
 
 THE QUEEN. 
 
 “ God Save the Queen.” 
 
 THE PRINCE & PRINCESS OF WALES & THE 
 REST OF THE ROYAL FAMILY. 
 
 SONG AND CHORUS. 
 
 “ God Bless the Prince of Wales.” 
 
 THE BISHOP & CLERGY OF THE DIOCESE 
 
 SONG. 
 
 THE LORD LIEUTENANT 
 
 SONG, 
 
 THE CHAIRMAN & VICE-CHAIRMAN OF 
 THE COMMITTEE. 
 
 SONG, 
 
 THE LADIES 
 
 SONG, 
 
 During Luncheon the Band played a Choice Selection 
 of Music. 
 
 
THE MAYOR’S LUNCHEON. 
 
 The Rev. A. 13. GOCLl) having’ said grace, 
 
 Sir JOHN MORRIS rose and said— 
 
 “ My Lords, Ladies, and Gentlemen, I rise to propose a toast which I 
 know will be received in this room with enthusiastic emotions of sympathy 
 and joy. In doing so let me say, as the representative of the town of which I 
 have the honour to be the Mayor, that I am sure we shall drink this toast, not 
 as it is sometimes drunk, as a matter of form, but as those who feel that our 
 nation is deeply interested in the desire we express, that her gracious Majesty 
 may long enjoy the blessing of health. (Loud cheers.) And have we not cause 
 for wishing so 1—(hear, hear)—for as a nation we are essentially loyal. We 
 have found by long experience that whatever the defects our Constitution and 
 Government may be, we enjoy the blessings of personal liberty, prosperity and 
 happiness, and therefore for our own sake, from the highest peer in the realm to 
 the apprentice in the shop, every Englishman has cause to say ‘ God save the 
 Queen.’ (Cheers.) But then there are considerations which intensify our 
 loyalty and joy. We have a Queen whose palace, whose court, have for a long 
 series of years been a perfect model of domestic virtue, purity, and excellence— 
 (loud cheers.)—and therefore, considering the inlluence of Her Majesty’s example 
 throughout the land, I venture to say there is no parent in Great Britain with 
 a particle of right feeling but is prepared, on this ground also, to join heart and 
 soul in the prayer, ‘ God save the Queen.’ Nor is this all. We must remem¬ 
 ber that not only is Her Majesty our Queen, but in the inscrutable providence 
 of God, she is our widowed Queen, and that she has this day unveiled the 
 statue which we have erected iu our midst in token of gratitude to God for 
 giving us for a time one who proved himself so great a prince, so good a 
 husband, and so wise a father. (Loud applause.) But we must not forget that 
 that very act must have brought to Her Majesty’s recollection the loss which as 
 long as she lives she will have to deplore. Deep sympathy, therefore, will blend 
 with our earnest prayer, when we say ‘ God save the Queen.’ (Cheers.) And 
 while every subject in the land will join in this sentiment, we shall make it, in 
 a peculiar sense, our own. (Applause.) Our town has the honour of being the 
 first in England which has had the opportunity of welcoming back Her 
 Majesty to public life after a long and painful seclusion. (Great applause.) I 
 cannot trust myself to advert to the great honour which has been conferred upon 
 me this day—(renewed applause)—but would say that while I feel a signal 
 honour has been conferred upon myself, I also feel that it is a mark of great 
 
 64 
 
THE MAYOR’S LUNCHEON. 
 
 respect towards our town. (Cheers.) I will therefore only add the prayer that 
 God may long preserve the Queen and her Royal house in health and prosperity; 
 and that, I am sure, is the earnest desire of the inhabitants of Wolverhampton.” 
 
 The toast was clrunk with repeated rounds of cheering. 
 After a short interval Sir JOHN again rose and said— 
 
 “ I have the honour to propose the health of those who, after our gracious 
 Queen, are most justly entitled to our loyal affection, ‘ the Prince and Princess 
 of Wales and the rest of the Royal Family.’ (Cheers.) The eyes of Great 
 Britain rest on His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, the future monarch 
 of this realm. May the day of his accession be far distant—(applause)—but 
 when in the providence of God it does come, we can wish nothing more con¬ 
 ducive to his own happiness, or to the happiness of this nation, than that he 
 should walk in the footsteps of his Royal parents. May the lives of the Prince 
 and Princess of Wales and the rest of the Royal Family ever shed lustre on our 
 country; and when the Prince ascends the Throne, may he, like his illustrious 
 parents, command the admiration and affection of a loyal and devoted people. 
 (Loud cheers.)” 
 
 The RECORDER proposed the next toast. He said— 
 
 “ Mr. Mayor, my Lords, Ladies, and Gentlemen, I have been requested to 
 propose a toast which I am sure you will receive with pleasure equal to that 
 which I have in proposing it; and the more so because I feel it would be as 
 presumptuous in me to enlarge upon it, as you would deem it unnecessary that 
 I should do so. It is ‘ The health of the Bishop and Clergy of the Diocese.’ 
 You will all feel with me that in proposing to you the health of the Right Rev. 
 the Lord Bishop of Lichfield I am proposing to you the health of one who has 
 spent a long life, not only in the profession, but in the practice of Christian 
 virtue. (Applause ) I feel sure also that when I name to you the Clergy of 
 this diocese, you will agree with me that they are a body of men whose doctrines 
 and whose lives coincident, exhibit lucid proof that they are honest in the sacred 
 cause. (Loud applause.) My official duties in connection with this borough 
 give me opportunities of hearing much of what the clergy are doing, and I 
 believe that there is no diocese in the land, and, I am proud to add, no town in 
 the diocese in which the clergy more honestly and faithfully perform their duty 
 than in the diocese of Lichfield and the town of Wolverhampton. (Applause.) 
 
 65 
 
THE MAYOR’S LUNCHEON. 
 
 Therefore, without enlarging to you upon merits with which you are even more 
 perfectly acquainted than myself, I ask you to join me in drinking 1 The health 
 of the Bishop and Clergy of the Diocese.’ (Loud applause.)” 
 
 The BISHOP OF LICHFIELD, in reply, said— 
 
 “ On the part of the clergy of this diocese aud myself, I thank you for the 
 toast which has been so kindly proposed and so cordially received. I am suit, 
 ladies and gentlemen, you will not expect me to speak at large upon the occasion 
 which has called us together to-day. 1 could say nothing upon it but what you 
 all know and feel; but this I will say, that no persons can have taken a more 
 cordial interest in to-day’s proceedings, or have sympathised more heartiiy with 
 them, than the clergy. The clergy must be a loyal body. The clergy cannot 
 forget that the commands to ‘ fear God and to honour the King are joined 
 closely together ; and the clergy know full well that, so to speak, there is a 
 natural connection between the two—the one leading to the other. I should 
 also like to say that this day has not only been an occasion of great gratification 
 to us, as enabling us to show our love for our Queen—our respect for her 
 officially, and our love for her personally—(applause)—but it has this great 
 recommendation also, that it brings together people of different opinions and 
 different views on most matters. We differ on politics, we diffei on higher 
 matters than politics—but one great lesson we all have to learn and practice is 
 to think as little as we possibly can of our differences, and as much as we 
 possibly can upon those things on which we are all agreed. It is a great 
 happiness that we can meet together and agree cordially upon an occasion like 
 this. It is a great blessing, and we should all turn it to account. I will not 
 detain you with a long speech, but will only venture to say that I hope we shall 
 go away from this meeting thankful for the opportunity we have had of cele¬ 
 brating the memory of a great and good Prince, and also with a sincere desiic 
 of cultivating, as much as we possibly can, without the sacrifice of principle, 
 cordiality and brotherly kindness towards each other. (Loud applause.) 
 
 The LORD LIEUTENANT, on rising to propose a 
 toast which was not on the list, said— 
 
 “ He was somewhat out of order, but he thought he should be excused 
 when he told them that his object was to ask them to join him in drinking 
 health and long life to Sir John Morris, Mayor of Wolverhampton. (Loud 
 applause.) He need say very little in the way of congratulation to the town 
 
 66 
 

 THE MAYOR’S LUNCHEON. 
 
 on the great honour which had that day been conferred upon it; that honour 
 was of too distinguished a character to require any words from him in speaking 
 of it ; but he would say it was an honour upon which not only Wolverhampton, 
 but the nation at large was to be congratulated. (Hear, hear, and applause.) 
 
 He was perfectly convinced that there was no one in the whole community but 
 would rejoice at the honour conferred on the borough of Wolverhampton this 
 day by Her Majesty having in its favour, for the first time, quitted that seclu¬ 
 sion which had been so consistent with her deep sorrow and great bereavement, 
 but which had undoubtedly deprived the people of this country, on many 
 occasions, of the great gratification they always experience in receiving their 
 sovereign. He firmly believed that there was no way in which the deep attach¬ 
 ment so unmistakably exhibited by the people of this country, whenever 
 occasion presented itself, towards their Queen, could be so well and so graciously 
 reciprocated as by Her Majesty granting them that gratification which her 
 presence amongst them invariably affords to her faithful subjects. (Hear, hear.) 
 
 He could not refrain from congratulating the people of Wolverhampton upon 
 the admirable reception which Her Majesty had met there that day. (Applause.) 
 
 He had the pleasure and the honour of following Her Majesty’s carriage through 
 the whole length of the procession, and would undertake to say that of all the 
 occasions on which she had appeared in public she had never received a more 
 gratifying welcome. (Loud applause.) They had met on that occasion with 
 but one object in view—to do honour to the Queen, and were they to occupy 
 their time in paying compliments to each other, they would be doing that which 
 would not only be unnecessary but inappropriate to the occasion. He must, 
 however, congratulate the Mayor upon the events of the day, and in doing so 
 must be allowed to express an opinion that it was mainly owing to the great 
 courtesy and consideration which the Mayor had invariably shown towards every¬ 
 body with whom he had been connected in making the arrangements for the 
 reception of Her Majesty that the day’s success was due. As one of those who 
 had taken part in those arrangements, he begged most sincerely to thank Sir 
 
 John Morris, and he heartily drank health and long life to him, and prosperity 
 to the town which, by having placed him in the high and responsible position 
 of its Chief Magistrate, had been the means of enabling Her Majesty to confer 
 upon him, with her own hands, a distinguished honour. (The toast was drunk 
 with loud and prolonged cheering, the company standing, and followed by 1 one 
 cheer more for Lady Morris.’) ” 
 
 67 
 
 
T11E mayor’s luncheon. 
 
 Sir JOHN MORRIS, on rising to acknowledge the 
 toast, was again greeted with hearty applause. He said— 
 
 “ My Lords, Ladies, and Gentlemen,—I am greatly embarrassed to know 
 how to reply to the exceedingly kind manner in which my health has been 
 received. I feel deeply sensible of the kind wishes which the Lord-Lieutenant 
 has expressed in reference to me. All I can say is, that in taking the part I 
 have taken in connection with the great demonstration of to-day, I knew that I 
 was doing my duty. I may say too that I have done no more .than I believe 
 the whole Council have done. In acknowledging this toast it would be affecta¬ 
 tion on my part to treat it as a personal compliment to myself, I would rather 
 regard it as a recognition of the borough. Wolverhampton was incorporated 
 at a time when I was entering the busy walks of life. Twenty years of muni¬ 
 cipal existence will, I venture to say, fully realise and justify the principle ol 
 self-government. Little did I imagine when I first assisted in the public affairs 
 of this my native town, that I should be honoured by the unanimous selection 
 of its citizens, to fill, at so early a period in my life, the chief post in our local 
 parliament. I should not deserve the position I occupy if I did not fully 
 appreciate the honour whilst recognising the duties of the office, and if I am 
 spared to look back in after years to this, the proudest day of our town history, 
 I shall never forget that when Her most Gracious Majesty condescended to pay 
 us a visit, she was received by the inhabitants of the town and neighbourhood 
 with a loyalty and devotedness beyond all praise. (Hear, hear.) I cannot sit 
 down without informing you of the gracious manner in which the Queen stated 
 to me when I presented the address to her the great delight at the loyalty 
 shown, and the manner in which she had been received. (Loud cheers.) At 
 * such a moment I was too excited to catch Her Majesty’s very words, but in 
 substance they were how greatly she was delighted at the manifestations of 
 loyalty of her people in Wolverhampton. She desired to express those as her 
 sentiments. I beg again very sincerely to thank you for the kind manner in 
 which you have drunk my health.” 
 
 Mr. HARTLEY, in proposing the next toast, said— 
 
 “It would be exceedingly bad taste for any one present to say of the sub¬ 
 ject of the next toast what in his absence might be said with very great pro¬ 
 priety. The very eminent services which my Lord Lichfield renders to this 
 county on all occasions— (great applause)— whether as hear! of the Magistracy, 
 
 68 
 
THE MAYOR’S LUNCHEON. 
 
 or in connection with every movement having for its object the religious and 
 social welfare of the people of this great county, demand from this company and 
 the county at large the warmest gratitude. (Loud applause) I have, there¬ 
 fore, the greatest possible pleasure in proposing ‘the health of the Lord 
 Lieutenant.’ (The toast was drunk with repeated cheers for His Lordship and 
 Lady Lichfield)” 
 
 The LORD-LIEUTENANT, in response, said— 
 
 “ I return you my most sincere and cordial thanks, ladies and gentlemen, 
 for the mauner in which you have received the toast, and in doing so you must 
 allow me to adhere strictly to the principle which I laid down as one which I 
 considered to be our duty to observe on this occasion—that our object in meet¬ 
 ing here was to do honour to the Queen. I will therefore simply say that did I 
 not have the honour to occupy the high position I hold in this county, as a mere 
 native of the county of Stafford I should feel proud of the manner in which the 
 Queen has been received here this day. I think we have had this day on the 
 part of the whole of the population of this large district an exhibition of loyalty 
 to the Queen, and of deep attachment to the Crown and institutions of the 
 country, which, to say the least of it, is an example which may well be followed 
 by the rest of the country. (Loud applause.) I do sincerely hope that the 
 opportunity will be afforded in many places, as it has been in Wolverhampton 
 to day, to show that what has taken place here in the reception the Queen has 
 met with from all classes of the community from the highest to the lowest, is 
 simply an echo of that which is felt in the hearts of the people, no matter what 
 their class may be, throughout the whole of Great Britain. Ladies and gentle¬ 
 men, I most sincerely thank you for the honour you have done me in drinking 
 my health.” 
 
 Mr. Alderman FOWLER, who was received with 
 much cheering - , said— 
 
 “I am sure that the whole assembly will feel with me that it is 
 proper that we should pay our tribute of respect to those gentlemen who 
 this evening represent the body of subscribers from whom the town has 
 received that statue, the inauguration of which has already marked the 30th 
 day of November as the red-letter day of the Wolverhampton calendar. (Cheers.) 
 Flattery on an occasion like this would be unusually offensive, and the ordinary 
 compliments of after dinner recognition would be simple impertinence. Never - 
 
 69 
 
THE MAYOR’S LUNCHEON. 
 
 theless, I feel it to be fit and right that I should, as representing the Cor¬ 
 poration of this Borough, express here what the community at large already 
 recognizes sis an inseparable part of the history of this memorable day—that it 
 is to the enlightened public spirit, the indomitable personal energy, and the 
 unflagging munificence of Mr. Alderman George Underhill—(loud and continued 
 cheering)—that we owe the erection of that monument, which will in all future 
 time rank as the proudest possession of the town and Corporation of Wolver¬ 
 hampton. Those of us who know Mr. Underhill well, and who remember 
 the determination he showed under difficulties of no ordinary character, that 
 Wolverhampton should perpetuate its appreciation of England's greatest 
 Prince in a manner worthy of itself, rejoice with him on the success which 
 has crowned his labours. (Cheers) lie has already received the approval 
 of his sovereign. We cannot supplement that, but we can tell him as 
 we do tell him now, that his colleagues and his fellow citizens recognize, 
 appreciate, and are grateful for the great service he has rendered to his native 
 town. (Renewed cheers.) Nor do we forget the invaluable assistance which he 
 received from his colleague, the Vice-Chairman of the Memorial Committee, 
 Mr. Aldermau Hawksford. The work they had to do taxed the energies of 
 them both to the very utmost and Mr. Hawksford no less than Mr. Underhill 
 responded to the claims of the duties he had undertaken, and by his judicious 
 counsels and undaunted perseverance contributed no small part to the successful 
 working out of the wishes of the subscribers, and the hopes of the public. 
 But, before I ask you to endorse the remarks I have made by drinking the health of 
 the gentlemen whom I have named, perhaps you will permit me to give the 
 proposal of this toast a still wider scope as involving a recognition of the 
 Memory which the subscribers who have erected this statue desire to honour— 
 the Memory which the Queen Herself came here to honour—the Memory which 
 to the latest day of English history will shed its brilliant lustre on the British 
 Crown. (Cheers.) I venture to assert that there is no brauch of government, 
 no department of statesmanship, no development of science, no culture of art, 
 no onward movement for the moral and material welfare of the people, which 
 cannot claim the teaching and example of the great and good Prince Consort as 
 a part of their inheritance. Without detracting from that assertion as a whole, 
 I presume to think that the interests—I use that word in its highest sense— 
 which predominate in the district of which Wolverhampton is the centre and 
 the capital are pre-eminently linked with the life and labours of that illustrious 
 Prince. (Hear, hear.) Drawing no invidious or improper distinctions of 
 
 70 
 
 ~~ ■■ - ' ■ ■■ - — ~ . . . 
 
THE MAYOR’S LUNCHEON. 
 
 class, I yet may say tliat we especially represent the middle and the working 
 classes. (Applause.) No man ever more accurately gauged the marvellous 
 triumphs which the union of those two classes has already achieved—no man 
 ever had a keener insight into the difficulties and dangers to which those two 
 classes, both separately and unitedly, are exposed—no man ever had a nobler 
 faith in the beneficent results which an enlightened combination of educated 
 capital and educated labour is destined to accomplish. Therefore, in this town 
 and in this district we (to quote the eloquent expression of the learned Recorder 
 in the address of to-day), ‘ feel it to be our duty and our delight to honour one 
 who promoting science by His judicious patronage, and art by His enlightened 
 precepts, incited all men to all works of Christian duty by the force of His 
 bright example.’ (Applause.) The pomp and pageantry of to-day will soon be 
 a thing of the past—the brilliant circumstances which have characterised this 
 inauguration will be toned down, even in the most enthusiastic minds by the 
 mellowing influences of time ; but as long as Englishmen, to quote the Prince 
 Consort’s own words, are ‘devoted to the noble work of fostering the arts of 
 peace, and endeavouring to give a wider scope to the blessings of freedom and 
 civilisation,’ so long will the ‘ Silent Father of our Kings to be ’ have a monu¬ 
 ment more enduring and more beautiful than sculptor ever chiselled, or artist 
 ever drew. (Loud applause.) I ask you, on behalf of the Corporation of Wol¬ 
 verhampton, to acknowledge the gift which the town has this day received by 
 drinking the health of Aldermen Hawksford and Underhill. (Cheers.) The 
 toast was drunk with very hearty cheering.” 
 
 Alderman UNDERHILL, who was loudly cheered on 
 rising, said— 
 
 “ I am greatly obliged for the honour you have done myself and Alderman 
 Hawksford, but I hope the meeting will not expect a speech from me, but will 
 be content with the glorious termination of the labours of this day. The death 
 of the late Prince Consort was one of the unfortunate events of my Mayoralty, 
 and we thought that some memorial should be raised in Wolverhampton to the 
 memory of the great Prince. So far everything was unanimous. I did myself 
 the honour of calling a meeting of the Corporation and leading inhabitants of 
 the borough and neighbourhood, and then all unanimity seemed to have dis¬ 
 appeared, for every one had a separate scheme to propose Some were for scholar¬ 
 ships, others for alms-houses, others for children’s wards, some for church 
 windows, and some for drinking fountains ; but the most general feeling was in 
 
 71 
 
THE MAYOR’S LUNCHEON. 
 
 favour of a statue, and here I will take the opportunity of thanking those who 
 came forward to support that scheme. There was only one person who felt 
 sanguine that Iier Majesty would visit Wolverhampton, and that was Mr. 
 Alderman Hawksford, who never despaired. (Cheers.) I feel proud of Wol¬ 
 verhampton for the reception which the town has given to Her Majesty, for if 
 the Lord-Lieuteuant feels proud on that account, how much more reason have 
 I, a native of the town, to feel proud of the honour which Her Majesty has 
 conferred upon the town, not only by her visit, but by conferring the honour of 
 knighthood upon Sir John Morris. (Loud applause.) 
 
 Mr. Alderman HAWKSFORD, in response to numerous 
 calls, also acknowledged the toast. He said— 
 
 “ I thank you very heartily for the kind manner in which you have received 
 the last toast. It has been my good fortune to live through Her most gracious 
 Majesty’s reign, a period to Her of domestic happiness never alloyed until it 
 pleased Providence to take away her beloved Consort. When that event 
 occurred, it did appear to me that, although we could offer no sympathy to Her 
 Majesty in her bereavement, it was but reasonable and proper that we should 
 endeavour to perpetuate the memory of those virtues which had adorned the late 
 Prince’s life. It was with this feeling that I co-operated with my friend Mr. 
 Alderman Underhill to perpetuate in this old town of Wolverhampton the 
 memory of those virtues. (Applause.) It was no ordinary task which the 
 late Prince took upon himself when He left the country of his fathers and 
 became the counsellor of our Queen. It was no easy matter for Him to 
 labour as he did for years in the acquirement of our language, our laws, and 
 our history, and to adapt Himself to our habits and feelings. The Prince 
 devoted his whole life to Her Majesty and Her subjects, and it was but 
 reasonable and proper that Her subjects should pay respect to His memory. 
 (Cheers.) 
 
 The MAYOR having, in suitable terms, proposed the 
 toast of “ The Ladies,” the company separated. 
 
THE ILLUMINATIONS. 
 
 (JNTLESS thousands of people were in 
 the town in the evening to witness the 
 Illuminations in honour of the Queen’s 
 Visit, and many of the designs and the 
 manner in which they were carried out 
 were generally admired. Never in the 
 history of Wolverhampton had the streets presented so 
 brilliant and splendid an appearance. Not merely to 
 the principal thoroughfares were the illuminations con¬ 
 fined, but in every street of the least importance was 
 . to be seen a good variety of gas devices, Chinese lan¬ 
 terns, and other brilliancies. Immense crowds of people 
 were parading about till a late hour viewing, with evi¬ 
 dent amazement and delight, the glittering objects that 
 met their gaze; and in Dudley Street the concourse of 
 people passing up and down was occasionally so great 
 that the roadway was completely blocked up. It would 
 be fruitless to attempt to describe the array of dazzling 
 splendour which blazed forth on every side; but we 
 might mention that Dudley Street, Queen Street, Cock 
 Street, the High Green, and other thoroughfares were 
 illuminated with great taste—expense in the reception 
 of Royalty not being even thought of—and many of the 
 devices were so arranged as to have a most charming 
 effect. Messrs. Chubb’s establishment, near the carriage 
 drive to the High Level Station, presented a very pretty 
 and novel aspect, the whole of the windows having the 
 
 73 
 
THE ILLUMINATIONS. 
 
 appearance of being lillcd in with Diaphane, whilst in 
 the front of the premises were some very pretty gas 
 designs. The illuminated representation of Her Majesty, 
 supported on either side by the Prince and Princess of 
 Wales, and the Prince and Princess Christian, which 
 was displayed over the entrance to Mr. Walker’s Liquor 
 Vaults, in Cock Street, was universally admired. 
 
 Queen Street—The chief illuminations in this street 
 were those in front of the County Court, and comprised 
 the following devices:—In the centre of the pediment, 
 below the flag trophy, was a large star, and below this 
 a coronation crown surmounted by the Prince of Wales 
 plume, with the initials V It and A A on either side; 
 a large Brunswick star was fixed over the principal en¬ 
 trance, and the initials V It at the top of the gates at 
 each end. The Post Office exhibited an Alexandra star 
 with the initials A A in the centre, and V It on each 
 side. The Athenaeum displayed a large brilliancy, a 
 Brunswick star, which was very attractive. A pretty 
 device, the rose, shamrock and thistle, and a star were 
 exhibited by Mr. Sanders, lteturning to the other side 
 of the County Court, Gibbs Brothers had a device, an 
 anchor and chain ; from there to Mr. Langman’s was a 
 succession of stars and jets, but in front of the house 
 last named the uniformity was broken by a Brunswick 
 star with a Staffordshire knot and V R. From comer 
 of Market Street to corner of Dudley Street there was a 
 succession of stars with a line of blazing jets, except in 
 front of Mr. Pearce and Mr. Tustin’s premises, where a 
 large V R was displayed, and Mr. Hands had a large 
 star and V R. On the opposite side of the street Mr. 
 
 74 
 
THE ILLUMINATIONS. 
 
 Richards had a handsome star and crown, flanked with 
 
 V R. Here too, a succession of stars and jets lightened 
 up the Street. Mr. Rowland showed a large shield, and 
 from here to the end of the Street the devices were 
 chiefly V R’s and stars. 
 
 Dudley Street—This was one of the best illuminated 
 streets, and presented a long flood of light of dazzling 
 brilliancy. The most effective was the illumination in 
 front of the premises of Mr. Gf. L. Underhill, who had 
 an Alexandra star about eight feet high, with a V R of 
 equal proportions. Messrs. Andrews had four large bril¬ 
 liancies representing the Brunswick star and garter. 
 Mr. McGregor displayed a crown and V R surrounded 
 by a radiated device. Mr. Masters lighted up a large 
 shield; Mr. Baker, large centre star and jets; Mr. Lord 
 the monogram A A. At the opposite corner, Messrs. 
 Bradshaw had a V R, and from there along the premises 
 of Mr. Tolfree and Mr. Shaw were a succession of stars. 
 Mr. Giles and Mr. Langman had a star and V R, of 
 large dimensions. In front of the Red Cow Inn was a 
 large crown, and Mr. Devereux at the adjoining Inn, 
 had a V R and large star in the centre. Mr. Perry, a 
 crown, and Mr. Benjamin a handsome crown flanked by 
 
 V R of large proportions. A large crown and the Royal 
 initials were shown on the fronts of Mr. Banks and Mr. 
 Walker. The other large devices in this locality were 
 a V R and crown in the centre at Mr. Parke’s ; at Mr. 
 Lloyd’s, a Prince of Wales plume and stars; Mr. Leary 
 had a large star; Mr. Neale, Y R and Prince of Wales 
 plume over the King Street window. 
 
 High Green—The illuminations here, like the decora- 
 
 75 
 
THE ILLUMINATIONS. 
 
 tions, were upon a very extensive scale, and excited 
 general admiration. At the Swan Hotel was a crown 
 of large dimensions; Mr. Fleeming, V R of large size, 
 separated by a crown; Mr. Davenport, V R with large 
 star in the centre; on the liquor vaults at the opposite 
 corner, a V R and fleur-de-lis with motto, “ ich dien;” 
 Mr. Cope, a star; Mr. Dawson, Prince of Wales plume 
 and crown; Mr. Walker, V R, with the rose, shamrock 
 and thistle intervening. The Bilston District Bank had 
 a neat illumination comprising a star and jets; Messrs. 
 Sidney and Son, V R and star in the centre, above, a 
 crown surmounted by a star; Messrs. Sollom and Woot- 
 ton, each a transparency of an attractive character; Mr. 
 Frantz, a star ; Messrs. Lowe, V R with a crown; Mr. 
 Shoolbred, V R; Garnett Brothers, crown and star; Mr. 
 Plank, a crown ; Warner Brothers, V. R ; Mr. W right, 
 a large star; Mr. Jones and Mr. J. Steen, each various 
 neat designs. 
 
 The Old Churchyard—The chief illuminations here 
 were at the Bank, and consisted of a royal crown with 
 the letters Y Pt and two stars in gas. There v'ere also 
 some very pretty Chinese lanterns arranged underneath, 
 and a number of coloured lamps. Over the entrance 
 porch of the Collegiate Church was a device representing 
 the Crossed Keys of St. Peter, surmounted by the 
 initial P. 
 
 Darlington Street—Among the principal illuminations 
 here were the following:—Alderman Hawksford, a large 
 star and the monogram V It; the Staffordshire and Wor¬ 
 cestershire Canal Company, a large star; Deakin and 
 Dent, V It of large size and a star; Mr. Lovatt, V R, 
 
 76 
 
THE ILLUMINATIONS. 
 
 surmounted by a crown; Mr. Hors man, a star and other 
 decorations; Mr. Cooke, V R and a star; Mr. Clear, 
 A A, surmounted by a device ; Mr. Roebuck, Y R and 
 a crown. 
 
 Cock Street—The following were some of the princi¬ 
 pal illuminations : — Mr. Chittoe, three devices; Mr. 
 Nendick, A A, with a large star; Mr. Weaver, a line 
 of jets; the Midland Bank, a very handsome and expen¬ 
 sive illumination, undoubtedly the most attractive in the 
 street, consisting of three crystal stars of large size, 
 surmounted by a crown ; Mr. Tunniclitfe, V R, a star, 
 and lustres with wax candles. Messrs. Ironmonger exhi¬ 
 bited a brilliant Brunswick star. 
 
 Worcester Street and Road—Among those worthy of 
 notice was Mr. Tyler’s, the letters Y R and a crown; 
 Mr. Hamp had a neat device ; Mr. Smith, a transparency; 
 St. Paul’s Terrace ‘was very effectively lighted up with 
 a row of jets the entire length of the terrace, and other 
 devices, coloured lamps were also suspended from the 
 trees. There were several others of minor importance, 
 
 Exchange Street—At the entrance to the Exchange 
 Buildings was a star and crown; at Mr. Hampton’s 
 liquor vaults, a plume of feathers, enriched and flanked 
 by two stars; at the office of the Clerk of the Peace 
 were the letters Y R and two stars ; at Mr. Cooling’s 
 was a small crown, V R, and a plume of feathers, and 
 ranged on each side were several similar stars. 
 
 North Street—The Town Hall, being an official 
 building, was, of course, the chief point of attraction in 
 this street. Across the front ran the words “ God save 
 the Queen,” in very large characters, and above was the 
 
 77 
 
THE ILLUMINATIONS. 
 
 monogram V R, surmounted by a large crown; Mr. II. 
 Willcock exhibited the letters V R, surmounted by a 
 star, with surroundings; at the head quarters of the 
 Fourth Battalion of Volunteers was ” 4th S R V,” in 
 large letters, and the Overseers, who occupy the same 
 building, had the monogram V R with a star. Mr. 
 Riley exhibited a crystal star with ruby cross in the 
 centre. Mr. R. Jessop, lower down the street, showed 
 a star. 
 
 Waterloo Road—The illuminations here were very 
 numerous. Messrs. Corscr and Fowler exhibited a Staf¬ 
 fordshire Knot and a star; in front of the Library 
 was the fleur-de-lis. At nearly all the private houses in 
 this road were illuminations of some kind, as Chinese 
 lanterns, gas jets, coloured lamps suspended from the 
 trees, coloured fires burnt, &c. Mr. Fuller exhibited a 
 handsome crystal star with St. George’s cross in the 
 centre. 
 
 Stafford Street and Road—The devices in this street 
 worthy of notice were at the Elephant and Castle Inn, 
 consisting of a large star flanked with the initials V R, 
 and surrounded with other adornments, and a star over 
 the doorway of the Black Horse. At the Railway Sheds 
 five stars were ranged along the front, the centre one 
 being seven feet in height. 
 
 Lichfield Street—This street was very prettily illumi¬ 
 nated, not only by gas devices but by Chinese lanterns, 
 &c., strung across the streets in several places. Among 
 the more noticeable features were V R over the Lamb 
 Inn; a star over Mr. F. Raby’s; a crown, flanked by 
 tho letters V Ii at Mr. Fryer’s Bank; a star and the 
 
 78 
 
THE ILLUMINATIONS. 
 
 letters V R over Mr. Stanton’s; and a crown, flanked 
 by V R over the entrance to the Noah’s Ark Inn. 
 
 Berry Street—The principal illumination in this street 
 was over the doorway of the Castle Inn, and consisted 
 of a plume of feathers. 
 
 Market Street—In front of the “ Chronicle ” and 
 u Express ” offices were some handsome illuminations, 
 they consisted of a large crown, flanked by the letters 
 Y R and two stars. 
 
 Bilston Street—At the manufactory of Ready and 
 Son was a large crown and star, surrounded by flags 
 and other adornments, flanked by the letters V R, and 
 under this was the word u Welcome,” flanked by two 
 smaller stars. The Concert Hall came next, and besides 
 the ordinary Prince of Wales plume, there were two 
 devices—a crown and star. There were also stars over 
 Mr. Skidmore’s, and Messrs. Forder and Traves ; Cozens 
 and Co. showed a large crown. 
 
 Garrick Street—The chief illuminations here were at 
 the Police Station, there was a large crown, having a 
 small star on either side, and the words “ Welcome to 
 the Prince and Princess Christian; ” at the Garrick’s 
 Head Inn was exhibited a Prince of Wales plume, with 
 the motto “ Ich dien; ” over the entrance to the Old 
 Hall works were three stars. 
 
 Snowhill—Some of the illuminations here were very 
 good; in front of the Peacock Hotel was a large star 
 and V R, and at Mr. Barnett’s, opposite, was a crown 
 and star; Mr. Holiday had a neat device consisting of 
 a crown ornamented with variegated lamps. Mi'. Corns, 
 at the corner of Cleveland Street, had a star and V R; 
 
 79 
 
THE ILLUMINATIONS. 
 
 Mr. Denton displayed a large Alexandra star, with the 
 letters V R on either side. The Agricultural Hall was 
 also illuminated with a regal crown and V R; Mr. York 
 had a pretty device, consisting of a Brunswick star. 
 On Mr. Davies’s premises were the letters V R and a star. 
 There was also a large star at St. George’s Hall. 
 
 Horseley Fields—The principal illumination in this 
 thoroughfare was at the Shakespeare Foundry, it con¬ 
 sisted of a regal crown, surmounting the Staffordshire 
 knot, and flanked by the letters V R, underneath which, 
 stretching to some length, were the words, “ Long live 
 Her Gracious Majesty.” Messrs. Rogers in Union Street 
 had a large crystal star with V R and motto; in Mill 
 Street, a large and effective device over Mr. Norton’s 
 Mill consisted of a Prince of Wales plume and two large 
 stars. Returning to Horseley Fields, Moreton and Co. 
 had a Brunswick star; Langley and Co. a crown and 
 V R; at St. James’s Vicarage, a star; Bamford Brothers 
 had a large crown and V R, and many others exhibited 
 sundry devices of less magnitude. 
 
 We may add that the gas consumed on the occasion 
 amounted to the enormous quantity of one million 
 fourteen thousand cubic feet, supplied from the two 
 stations of the Wolverhampton Gas Company. 
 
 80 
 
THE FIREWORKS. 
 
 IGHT o’clock in the evening was the 
 hour appointed for the commencement of 
 the Pyrotechnic Exhibition, when there 
 was a general rush to the Course, (lent 
 gratuitously for the occasion by the Race 
 Committee,) where a very fine display 
 of fireworks, of endless variety, was exhibited at the 
 public expense. The Grand Stand and the adjoining 
 stands, which were open to the public free of charge, 
 the paddock, and every available spot where a sight of 
 the display could be obtained, was thronged, and many 
 thousands of persons congregated on and around the 
 Course. 
 
 The programme included the usual selection of shells, 
 mines, mortars, tourbillions, numerous rockets of excel¬ 
 lent quality, and coloured fires of every hue ; interspersed 
 were about ten large and magnificent set pieces, one of 
 which was unusually attractive—it consisted of a trans¬ 
 parency of the late Prince Consort on horseback. At 
 intervals during the evening the new signal lights adopted 
 by the French and American navies, were fired in various 
 parts of the town, and large balloons, of sixty feet in 
 circumference, were released, and floated high in air. 
 The Fireworks concluded with a grand discharge of one 
 hundred rockets. The crowd gave repeated tokens of 
 their satisfaction by cheering lustily. 
 
 81 
 
A WELCOME. 
 
 Lady of the Empire of the valiant and the free, 
 
 Queen of lands in every clime, and kiss’d by every sea; 
 
 With its loyal heart of iron, Wolverhampton welcomes thee ! 
 
 Wreaths of blossoming garlands bring ; 
 
 Bells, your jubilant chorus ring. 
 
 Carry their music swift winds as ye fly ; 
 
 Smile, 0 sun ! through our soot-dimm’d sky ; 
 
 Flags, and banners, and streamers gay, 
 
 Fluttering, float in the breeze to-day ; 
 
 Factory, furnace, forge, and mine, 
 
 Poor man’s alley, and rich man’s street 
 Let your teeming crowds combine 
 The Lady of the Isles to greet ! 
 
 Bring your flowers, and garlands green, 
 
 And all unite with heart and tongue 
 To swell to heaven the jubilant song— 
 
 Long live our gracious Queen ! 
 
 Love, befriend her ! 
 
 Peace, attend her ! 
 
 God, defend her ! 
 
 God save the Queen ! 
 
 We mourn amid our Jubilee, the spirit that hath flown, 
 
 And we dare to mix our sorrows with the sorrows of the throne ; 
 For we lov’d the Great Departed, and we claimed him as our own ! 
 
Iu strifes of reace he won his fame ; 
 
 He gave to Toil its noblest aim ; 
 
 Labour and Art he strove to wed, 
 
 Science to Worship’s fane he led ! 
 
 Letters with Virtue he combined, 
 
 The throbbing heart, the soaring mind ; 
 
 For God and Good he toiled alone, 
 
 That Love may reign, and Hate may cease ; 
 
 He built the pillars of our throne 
 On virtue, charity, and peace ! 
 
 Sea of hearts, by strange emotions toss’d ! 
 
 Queen and people weep before high heaven 
 Tears of woe, that such a Prince is lost, 
 
 Tears of joy, that such a Prince was given ! 
 Breathing art, and garlands green, 
 
 Be our tribute to a life so rare, 
 
 Take them, lady ! with thy people’s prayer, 
 
 “ God bless our widow’d Queen ! 
 
 Love, befriend her ! 
 
 Peace, attend her ! 
 
 God, defend her ! 
 
 God save the Queen ! ” 
 
 Lady of the Empire of the valiant and the free, 
 
 Queen of lands in every clime, and kiss’d by every sea ; 
 
 With its loyal heart of iron, Wolverhampton welcomes thee ! 
 
 J. C. Tildesley. 
 
THE QUEEN’S LETTER. 
 
 | The following Letter was written by Command of the Queen to the Mayor of Wolver¬ 
 hampton, by Lieutenant-General the Hon. C. Grey, Private Secretary to Her Majesty, 
 on the day after Her Visit to the Town.] 
 
 Windsor Castle, December 1st, 18GG. 
 
 My Dear Sir John, 
 
 An official answer to your address will be sent from 
 the Home Office. The Queen has desired Mr. Walpole also to express her 
 satisfaction with all the arrangements made for her reception, yesterday, at 
 Wolverhampton. But Her Majesty is anxious that you should hear, less 
 formally, and, as it were, more directly from herself how much she was 
 gratified by the heartiness and cordiality of the reception she met with 
 from every individual of the vast assemblage that yesterday filled your 
 streets, and how deeply—how very deeply—she was touched by the proof 
 which the day’s proceedings afforded of the respect and affection entertained 
 at Wolverhampton for the memory of her beloved husband. The arrange¬ 
 ments for the preservation of order and to prevent confusion were beyond all 
 praise, but even these would hardly have been sufficient had you not been 
 seconded by the excellent disposition of the people themselves. I have also 
 been requested by Princess Christian to say how much she has been gratified 
 by the kindness shown yesterday to herself and Prince Christian, and that 
 she will have much pleasure in wearing the beautiful bracelet presented to 
 her at the station, as a remembrance of a most interesting and gratifying 
 day. 
 
 Believe me, yours very faithfully, 
 
 C. GREY. 
 
INCIDENTS 
 OF THE DAY. 
 
ADVENTURE OF THREE LOYAL YOUNG LADIES. 
 
 HILE Her Majesty was preparing to return, the 
 following amusing incident in connection with the 
 Presentation of a Bracelet to the Princess Christian, 
 is probably without a parallel:—It had been arranged 
 that four young ladies, Miss Morris, Miss Ironmonger, 
 Miss Hartley, and Miss Mander, who were to pre¬ 
 sent the Bracelet, should leave the pavilion in a 
 
 carriage a few minutes after the departure of the Queen, but from some 
 cause the carriage did not arrive, and the crowd round the pavilion was 
 so dense that a cpiarter of an hour elapsed ere they could leave it, accom¬ 
 panied by Mr. Hartley and Mr. Kitson. It was impossible to get to the 
 Railway Station where the presentation was to take place, in the face of the 
 vast crowds who blocked the way, and an effort was therefore made to gain 
 the back way by the Horsefair ; some time, however, was spent in va : n, and 
 the party had to beat a retreat ; in the hope of meeting with a carriage, they 
 went to the Town Hall, but finding none, Mr Hartley, considering the task 
 impossible, relinquished it on the part of himself and daughter. Mr. Kitson, 
 however, chivalrously offered to assist the ladies, and promised them success 
 if they woidd take nil desperandum for their motto, and follow him as their 
 leader ; their chance consisted in making a long detour, so they started by the 
 Townwell Fold, where they happily met the brother of Miss Morris and 
 another young gentleman, and continued their course as fast as they decorously 
 could, as time pressed, along Skinner-street, Bell-street, Snowliill, Cleveland- 
 road, Bilston-strcct, Wa’sall-street, Union-street, across Ilorseley Fields, the 
 High Level Railway, until they approached the object of their desire, the 
 Great Western Railway Station. Here, however, the obstacles were so great 
 with cavalry keeping the ground and crowds of people that a second detour 
 became necessary, and passing on, they succeeded in getting to the rear of the 
 station, but were effectually stopped by a high fence which they could not 
 surmount. Calling to their aid a railway policeman, and explaining their 
 mission, he managed with the assistance of several others to remove a part of 
 
ADVENTUKE OF YOUNG LADIES.-KEEPING THE LINE. 
 
 the obstruction, they then ran down the steep bank of the railway, clearing 
 the wires for the signal posts and the ditch at the bottom, but encountered a 
 formidable obstacle in the shape of a long luggage train. There was no time 
 to lose, however, so they must needs pass under it as best they could, and so 
 they succeeded in gaining the platform side of the station, hot and weary, but 
 carrying the Bracelet in triumph, and in time to present it to the Princess 
 Christian, through the Mayoress, Lady Moms, as Her Majesty passed to her 
 carriage. 
 
 During this time the friends of the young ladies were anxiously awaiting 
 them at the station, and, not knowing the cause of their detention, a mounted 
 orderly was sent in search of them; and, again, as Her Majesty was expected 
 to depart every minute, Captain Segrave kindly sent off a carriage, with two 
 mounted orderlies, to make diligent search for them. This, however, proved 
 unnecessary, for directly afterwards they took their friends in the rear, in the 
 manner we have described. 
 
 We have been careful in giving the route, as it would be impossible 
 otherwise to appreciate the difficulty of the task so cleverly accomplished, and 
 which reflects so much credit upon all concerned, especially upon our three 
 fair young townswomen. 
 
 The Bracelet was furnished by Messrs. Handcock and Co., Jewellers, of 
 London, and was worth, we understand, £150. It was a very beautiful piece 
 of jewelry, designed with much taste. A number of large oval amethysts 
 were set round a gold band, each amethyst bearing in its centre a letter set in 
 brilliants, and all the letters so formed composed the word “ Souvenir.” 
 
 KEEPING THE LINE. 
 
 The arrangements for keeping the line were entirely under the super¬ 
 vision of the Chief Constable, (Captain Segrave,) and were most admirably 
 planned and efficiently carried out. The forces engaged were the Police and 
 the Staffordshire Volunteers. Of the first-named, the total number present 
 was eight hundred and eighteen, viz :—Wolverhampton Borough Force, 
 sixty-eight men, under the supervision of five inspectors. The Stafford¬ 
 shire Coimty Constabulary, three hundred men, under the command of Chief 
 
KEEPING THE LINE.—ACCIDENT. 
 
 Constable Congreve and Deputy Chief Constable Major McKnight. Walsall, 
 twenty men, under the command of the Chief Constable. London, two 
 hundred and thirty men, (of the A division,) under the supervision of Superin¬ 
 tendent Walker. Birmingham, two hundred men, under the supervision of 
 two Superintendents. The Volunteer Force was composed of the different 
 Battalions of the Couuty, under the command of their respective Colonels, 
 and numbered altogether three thousand two hundred men. The different 
 forces of police and volunteers were stationed alternately outside the barriers 
 all along the route, and the manner in which they all, to a man, performed 
 their duty, was highly creditable. The volunteers, especially, deserve great 
 praise for their steadiness and soldierly demeanour. Captain Segrave exerted 
 himself most energetically in seeing that his orders, down to the minutest 
 details, were attended to, and the result was gratifying in the extreme, not 
 the slightest confusion being observable from the commencement to the end. 
 
 Ample provision was made at the Agricultural Hall for the entertainment 
 of the Y olunteer forces who came to assist in preserving order in the different 
 streets through which Her Majesty passed. The Hall was decorated for the 
 occasion, and after the party had partaken of the viands provided for them, 
 they were further entertained by the lively strains of their bauds. 
 
 ACCIDENT. 
 
 Unfortunately a rather serious accident happened to one of the artillery¬ 
 men who was engaged in firing the Royal Salute from one of the cannons 
 stationed on the Racecourse. T he unfortunate fellow, William Bridgeway, was 
 about nineteen years of age, and the gun at which he was assisting had been 
 fired twice, but whilst Bridgeway was loading it again, from some undiscovered 
 cause, the charge went off. His hand was blown off, and his arm fractured in 
 three places, besides which his face was badly bruised. He was removed to 
 the General Hospital, where his forearm was amputated, and, has since 
 recovered. 
 
 It will be seen, by one of the letters from Sir T. M Biddulph to Sir 
 John Morris, that Her Majesty, with her usual kindness, has settled a life 
 annuity of £20 upon William Bridgeway. 
 
EXTRACTS 
 
 FROM 
 
 THE LONDON PRESS. 
 
FROM THE TIMES. 
 
 The Queen has received an enthusiastic welcome here. It is barely a 
 week since Her Majesty consented to honour the town with a visit, on the 
 occasion of what is called “ the inauguration ” of the Statue of the Trince 
 Consort. There was thus brief time for preparation, but the Municipal 
 authorities and the townspeople together worked with a will, and worked 
 with little ceasing. They have been rewarded by a great day in the local 
 annals, a day which, in spite of considerable difficulties and some anxiety for 
 the public convenience and safety, has passed over so far with absolutely 
 nothing to mar the general rejoicing. Nothing could exceed the enthusiasm 
 and devotion displayed by the whole population, town and country, assembled 
 in the streets. The colliers, puddlers, and the forgemen from the iron dis¬ 
 tricts, the workers in metal, japan, papier mache, and the hollow ware, which 
 have of late years been added to the staple trades of Wolverhampton, lined 
 the barriers, and raised a mighty shout when the Royal carriages appeared in 
 sight, renewing it again and again with a heartiness which could not be 
 mistaken. Those who thought that the population of the Black Country, 
 though well disposed and thoroughly loyal, might prove unruly in such a 
 crowd were agreeably disappointed. The orderly behaviour of the people, 
 often under trying circumstances, showed that all were on their best 
 behaviour. 
 
 FROM TIIE DAILY NEWS. 
 
 There probably never was collected a larger crowd in any spot in the 
 United Kingdom—perhaps excepting the metropolis itself—than that which 
 poured into Wolverhampton on Friday morning from every town, village, and 
 hamlet in the midland and northern counties. The railway accommodation 
 afforded by our principal lines was taxed to the utmost, but in addition 
 every road was covered long before daylight with vehicles and toiling pedes¬ 
 trians, all hurrying to see their Queen perform a solemn act of devotion to 
 the memory of her late illustrious consort. The pageant of the day was 
 splendid, considered merely as a pageant; but far more imposing were the 
 loyalty and affection exhibited by hundreds of thousands of people, and the 
 spectacle they afforded of the enormous physical force of the country. Those 
 w ho only know Wolverhampton in its ordinary work-a-day livery of smoke and 
 soot would hardly have recognised -the change which the will of a people in 
 earnest and the skill of practised decorators had effected in one short w r eek. 
 
FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH. 
 
 A second essential element in the acknowledged success was the 
 admirable organisation in every department. Carefully designed and excel¬ 
 lently carried out, the whole worked to perfection ; the plan of details, there¬ 
 fore, may be studied with advantage by all who in time to come may emulate 
 the honour which has been achieved by the good Borough of Wolverhampton. 
 Columns might be filled merely with descriptions of the decorations of the 
 town and the appearance of the streets. For our present purpose it must 
 suffice to say that from the moment Her Majesty left the Rayal Train her 
 progress was beneath a canopy of flags, banners, evergreens, and triumphal 
 arches, and between two compact masses of loyal and delighted subjects. 
 
 FROM THE MORNING HERALD. 
 
 Wolverhampton had but a week to prepare, and it certainly made the 
 most of the time. We believe that the presence of the Queen at the inaugu¬ 
 ration of the statue of the Prince Consort was hardly hoped for, although it 
 was requested. It was believed that Her Majesty wou'd depute the Prince 
 and Princess Christian to act in her stead ; but when the Queen promised not 
 only that they and the Princess Louise should go down, but that she herself 
 would go to the town of locks, 'Wolverhampton went to work with a will, and 
 at a cost which will never be known, but which was partly derived from the 
 private purses of the tradespeop’e. 
 
 FROM THE MORNING POST. 
 
 This (Friday) has been a great day for Wolverhampton, and the inhabi¬ 
 tants may well pride themselves on the honour that has been done to their 
 town—an honour of which they have shown their full appreciation by the 
 manner in which they have received the royal visitor. * * The good folks 
 
 of Wolverhampton may well pride themselves on the result of their enter¬ 
 prise, for that their town should have the honour of being the first in England 
 which, since the death of the lamented Prince, has been honoured with a state 
 visit, while Liverpool and other places of greater note had failed in inducing 
 Her Majesty to break through her retirement after her great sorrow, is no 
 small feather in its cap, which it wore on Friday with a jauntiness that 
 seemed quite'foreign to the normal condition of the “Black Country.” No 
 sooner were Her Majesty’s intentions made known, than the town rose as one 
 man to do honour to the occasion. 
 
FROM TIIE STANDARD. 
 
 Dr. Johnson said that he remembered Queen Anne, but only “as a 
 stately lady in black and with diamonds.” The people of South Stafford¬ 
 shire—and Dr. Johnson was a Staffordshire man—in days to come will recal 
 to memory the days on which they saw Queen Victoria, a “ little laxly in 
 black and without diamonds ” They saw her on Friday, a hundred thousand 
 of them ; and they were much delighted, as well they might be, since their 
 fellow citizens of Liverpool and Manchester were unfortunate enough to lose 
 the honour winch was frankly accorded to Wolverhampton. But both Liver¬ 
 pool and Manchester made their application at a time when it was impossible 
 that Her Majesty should accede to them. The capital of the B'ack Country, 
 more lucky, asked for the presence of the Queen when no very lengthened 
 journey was necessary, and when no domestic or social duties intervened. 
 And it has shown that it well deserved the favour that has been manifested 
 by the Sovereign. Little more than a week has elapsed since an intimation 
 was given of the Queen’s acceptance of the invitation, and already the day 
 has come and gone, and Wolverhampton, festive and gay beyond any one’s 
 conception of its capacity, has received Her Majesty and parted from her; 
 cheered her coming and cheered her going ; made bold to press closely, yet 
 not rudely, upon her carriage ; and come to the conclusion that it is beyond 
 question a happy thing that the Queen has once more come among her people, 
 and undertaken those little social duties which, perhaps, are not worth much 
 in a “practical ” point of view, but which arc precious links in the chain of 
 affection that binds the people to the throne. 
 
 f- 
 
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LETTER FROM THE HOME SECRETARY. 
 
 [The following Letter was received hg the Mayor from the Right Hon. S. II. Walpole, 
 Her Majesty's Secretary of State.} 
 
 Whitehall, December 4th, 18GG. 
 
 Sir, 
 
 1 have it in command from Her Majesty to express to you 
 her entire satisfaction with all the arrangements made for her reception at 
 Wolverhampton, on Friday last, and for the inauguration of the Statue of 
 the Prince Consort, 
 
 Her Majesty could not but be deeply touched by the devoted loyalty 
 manifested to herself by all classes of her subjects on the interesting 
 occasion ; but she felt yet more deeply the appreciation shown in your address 
 of the character of those services which were rendered to his adopted country 
 by him whose loss she can never cease to deplore, and of the motives of 
 Christian duty under which the services were rendered, and by which he 
 stimulated others to follow in the path which he had traced out. 
 
 I have much pleasure in conveying to you, as the representative of 
 that large and industrious population who were gathered together to do 
 honour to his memory, the feelings with which Her Majesty has received 
 your loyal and dutiful address. 
 
 I am, Sir, 
 
 Your obedient Servant, 
 
 S. H. WALPOLE. 
 
 To the Mayor of Wolverhampton. 
 
Note. —The Portrait of Her most Gracious Majesty the Queen 
 (by Messrs. Downey, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne,) was taken by special 
 desire of Her Majesty at Balmoral, in 1SGG. 
 
 The “ Roman Ribbou ” Initial Letters used, were designed by 
 M. F. R. Chiust.\ fANN T , of Frankfort-on-Maine. 
 
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 1S67: 
 
 PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY EDWARD RODEN, OIIEAPSIDE, 
 
 WOLVERHAMPTON. 
 
 
 
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