The Life of King Edward VII
Premier of Victoria, Mr. A. J. Peacock, at once declared that no apology
was sufficient unless it included unqualified disavowal and disapproval
of the article in question, and moved the following Resolution: "That
the Honourable member for Melbourne, Mr. Edward Findley, being the
printer and publisher of a newspaper known as _The Tocsin_, in the issue
of which, on the 20th instant, there is published a seditious libel
regarding His Majesty the King, is guilty of disloyalty to His Majesty
and has committed an act discreditable to the honour of Parliament, and
that he, therefore, be expelled from this House."
Mr. Irvine, Leader of the Opposition, endorsed the action of the
Government, and declared that the republication--even to the appearance
of a second edition of the paper--was a deliberate attempt to give
currency to this "foul and scandalous libel" as being a fact. Many
others spoke, and Mr. Findley in another speech said he had no sympathy
whatever with the article, and was extremely sorry that it had appeared.
Orders had come from outside for thousands of copies of the paper and
had not been filled. The House, however, was determined to take action,
and he was expelled by a vote of sixty-four to seventeen. Mr. Findley
ran again as a Labour candidate in East Melbourne and was opposed by Mr.
J. F. Deegan--a man of no particular politics, but known for his
loyalty, and supported on the platform by both party Leaders. The latter
candidate was elected by a substantial majority. A very few other
Australian papers had, meanwhile, republished the article, and perhaps
half a dozen Canadian ones.
The first Parliament of the reign closed on August 17th shortly after
the King had suffered the loss of his distinguished sister, the Empress
Frederick. With this event, which occurred on August 8th, there passed
away what the _Times_ well termed "a life of brilliant promise, of
splendid hopes, of exalted ideals"--overruled with relentless rigour by
a hard fate which brought her liberal principles into conflict with the
iron will of Bismarck, nullified her capacity by the opposition of the
Court of Berlin, and removed her husband by death at the very moment
when the opportunity of power and position seemed to have come. The
King, accompanied by Queen Alexandra and Princess Victoria, at once left
for Frederickshof. They were received at Homburg by the Emperor William
and conducted to the Castle. The funeral took place amid scenes of
stately solemnity on August 13th and the Emperor and the King were
present as chief mourners. While the obsequies were proceeding memorial
services were held in England at the Chapel Royal, St. James's, in St.
Giles's Cathedral, Edinburgh and in various other churches throughout
the country.
PUBLIC INCIDENTS AND FUNCTIONS
Meanwhile, various incidents illustrative of the King's tact and
influence upon public affairs had occurred. His well-known interest in
American affairs was shown on June 1st by an official reception given at
Windsor Castle to the members of the New York Chamber of Commerce who
were visiting England as guests of the London Chamber of Commerce.
Accompanied by Lord Brassey and the Earl of Kintore, some twenty-five
gentlemen were presented to His Majesty and Queen Alexandra. They
included General Horace Porter, Mr. Morris K. Jessup, the Hon. Levi P.
Morton, the Hon. Cornelius N. Bliss and Mr. J. Pierpont Morgan. Some of
the American expressions of opinion upon this not unusual courtesy to
distinguished foreigners were extremely amusing. Others, such as that of
the N. Y. _Tribune_ were dignified and appreciative. Immediately upon
hearing of the attempt on President McKinley's life on September 6th,
the King sent a despatch of deepest sympathy and instructed the Foreign
Office to keep him informed as to the President's condition. He was at
the time spending a week with the King of Denmark at Copenhagen and to
that place the bulletins were duly cabled from Washington.
On September 11th His Majesty telegraphed to the American Ambassador at
London: "I rejoice to hear the favourable accounts of the President's
health. God grant that his life may be spared." After Mr. McKinley's
death, three days later, the King immediately cabled the Ambassador:
"Most truly do I sympathize with you and the whole American nation in
the loss of your distinguished and ever-to-be-regretted President." In
his reply Mr. Choate declared that "Your Majesty's constant solicitude
and interest in these trying days have deeply touched the hearts of my
countrymen." The King ordered a week's mourning at Court and soon
afterwards received a message from Mr. Choate voicing Mrs. McKinley's
personal gratitude for the sympathy expressed. In replying, the King
declared that the Queen and himself "feel most deeply for her in the
hour of her great affliction and pray that God may give her strength to
bear her heavy cross." On September 27th the American Ambassador was
granted a special audience by His Majesty in London and presented the
formal thanks of Mrs. McKinley and of the people of the United States
for "the constant sympathy which you have manifested through the darkest
hours of their distress and bereavement."
During these months the King had not forgotten to show his continued
appreciation of many of the interests to which, as Heir Apparent, he had
given so much aid. At a General Council meeting of the Prince of Wales'
Hospital Fund on May 11th, presided over by the Duke of Fife and
attended by Lord Rothschild, Lord Farquhar, Lord Iveagh, Lord Reay, Mr.
Sydney Buxton and others the chairman stated that it was held by His
Majesty's wish in order to announce his resignation of the Presidency
and consent to take the position of Patron. The King's place was to be
taken by the Duke of Cornwall and York. Lord Rothschild spoke at some
length upon the importance of the work initiated in this connection by
the King and of the valuable aid which they had consequently been able
to give the hospitals and suffering poor of London. On June 10th a
letter was made public, written by Sir Dighton Probyn on behalf of the
King, expressing to the Royal Agricultural Society of England his
earnest hope that it would succeed in raising the L30,000 which was
needed for building purposes, subscribing two hundred and fifty guineas
toward this end, and expressing not only His Majesty's interest in its
future welfare but his pleasure at having been associated with it during
twenty two years of progress. On July 3rd the King and Queen Alexandra,
accompanied by Princess Victoria and the Duchess of Argyll, received at
Marlborough House some eight hundred nurses belonging to the Training
Institute inaugurated by the late Queen. Badges were presented by Her
Majesty to a couple of hundred and an address read and graciously
answered. An incident typical of the King's courtesy and thoughtfulness
was seen in his intimation to the Marquess of Dufferin, who, during the
early part of the proceedings was standing bare-headed in the sun, to
put on his hat--the King resuming his in order to create the
opportunity.
His Majesty took great interest during the year in the proposed National
Memorial to his Royal mother. He had early appointed a special Committee
of representatives to deal with the preliminaries and, on March 6th, a
Report was submitted by Lord Esher, as Hon. Secretary, recommending that
a statue of Queen Victoria should be the central feature of such a
Memorial, and the location be either the vicinity of Westminster Abbey
or that of Buckingham Palace. Accompanied by Mr. Balfour, Mr.
Akers-Douglas and Lord Esher, the King visited the suggested sites that
afternoon and finally approved a general position near Westminster
Abbey. Large amounts were subscribed toward the project during the
succeeding months. An interesting incident occurred on July 28th when a
small deputation of ladies, including the Countess of Aberdeen, Lady
Taylor and others connected with the National Council of Women in
Canada, were received at Marlborough House by Queen Alexandra and
tendered an address signed by twenty-five thousand women of the Dominion
expressive of their earnest loyalty to the King and affection for his
Consort. In replying, Her Majesty referred with special pleasure to the
tribute paid the late Queen and spoke of the beauty of the volumes in
which the address was incorporated.
ROYAL CHARITIES AND VISITS
Toward the end of the year it was announced in the _British Medical
Journal_ that a gentleman who did not at present wish his name
disclosed--afterwards understood to be Sir Ernest Cassel--had presented
the King with a donation of L200,000 for some philanthropic purpose to
be selected, and that His Majesty had decided to devote the money to the
erection of a Sanatorium in England for Consumptive patients. On January
22nd, 1902, the first Anniversary of Queen Victoria's death, the _Times_
paid the following well-deserved tribute to the new Sovereign: "During
the year that has gone by he has sedulously and successfully set himself
to fulfill all the duties of a constitutional Sovereign. He has spared
no pains to make himself familiar with his people, to study their needs,
to discover their wishes, to express their instincts and their ideals.
He has been able, in many ways, to promote national objects to a greater
extent than, perhaps, would have been possible even with Queen Victoria.
It is no secret that he is in cordial sympathy with the feelings of the
immense majority of his subjects on the supreme issues which now
dominate international politics. He has a high and keen perception of
the honour of the nation, so closely bound up with that of the Royal
House and with his own."
The succeeding six months were very largely devoted to preparations for
the Coronation, but the King, nevertheless, found time to do some
travelling and visiting in the country and to carry out some very
brilliant Court functions. As an illustration of the way in which he
sought to do every possible honour to his Queen-Consort, there may be
instanced a letter written, by command, in reply to an inquiry from the
Lord Mayor of London as to whether in drinking the second of the loyal
toasts at public gatherings the company should stand or not. Sir Dighton
Probyn observed in his letter that the King had no doubt as to what was
right, and that in his opinion the toast of "Her Majesty, Queen
Alexandra, the Prince and Princess of Wales and the other members of the
Royal family" should be received standing, with a few bars of the
National Anthem and "God bless the Prince of Wales." On February 11th
King Edward held the first Levee since his accession, and it was made
the occasion for a revival of much old-time splendour. The Prince of
Wales who had since his return home from the Colonies merged his title
of Duke of Cornwall and York in the more historic and familiar
designation, was present together with a great and representative
gathering. Bishops in lawn sleeves and scarlet hoods attended by
chaplains in long black gowns and white bands, great lawyers in wigs and
flowing robes, foreign officers and diplomatists in gorgeous and varied
uniforms, British generals and admirals, and the picturesque Windsor
uniforms of the Privy Councillors, lent a brilliant appearance to a
function at which most of the eminent men of the Kingdom were to be
seen.
Ten days afterwards His Majesty visited Lord and Lady Burton at
Rangemore, and while there inspected the famous Bass and Company
brewery and started a special brew to be called "the King's Ale"--only
to be used on special occasions. Early in the year it had been decided
by the King to pay what might be termed a Coronation visit to Ireland,
accompanied by his wife. Unfortunately, unpleasant conditions of local