The Press.
London, England, 1856-06-07 00:00:00

probinciaL

THE WELLINGTON COLLEGE.
THE first stone of the great Wellington Memorial
was laid by the Queen, near Sandhurst,
The ceremony, postponed since the be
May, took place under the proverbial '
clear sky invariably attending the
c.ccasions. Every preparation 1
render the ceremony imposing
Between ten and twelve theusand t-
from Aldershott; a review was 1.
cipal ceremony, the Queen would
by her royal guest, and family ; t'
was one easily reached by either ,
or South• Eastern Railway; temporary
been erected within convenient distance
where the ceremony would be performed
ries and seats had been erected and
eisitors and their friends, wrong

dhurst, on Monday.
the bad weather in
tbial bright sun and
the Queen on such
had been made to
ing and attractive.
troops were marched
to succeed the prm-
ald be accompanied
; the neighbourhood
r the South-Western
iporary stations had
Alai
listanc? of the sOot
:rfornted; and Dile-
ed and prepared, foe
whom an 1112USU4

638 THE PRESS. SATURDAY,

number of foreign ladies were to be noticed. The
" first stone " consisted of a large square piece of
polished porphyry, to be laid on another of a similar
material and form, an interstitial space being lett
between the two for the usual deposit of coins, Sc.
On the stone was engraved an inscription to the
effect that the first stone of the Wellington College,
founded in honour of the memory of " Die Great
Duke," and intended for the education of the orphan
sons of officers in the royal army and the East India
Company's service, was laid by her Majesty Queen
Victoria, on the 2nd June, 1858. Over Vie stone was
a pagoda-shaped canopy, covered with scarlet cloth,
and gaily paroisi, and around the stone a carpeted
dais for the accommodation of the Queen, while at
the back stood the royal pavilion erected for the
special service of the Queen and Court. A profusion
o' flags and streamers decorated the whole quad,
Tangle, and the interior was lined all round by the
Grenadier Guards. A' may be imagined from these
details, the ensemble, including the brilliant company,
the military display, and the occas'onal decorations,
all lighted up by the brightest sunlight that has been
seen since the commencement of the present summer,
was extremely brilliant and effective, and the climax
was produced when, a little after one p.m., amid
the thunders of a royal salute, the folds of the
pavilion were thrown open, and the inaugural pro-
cession came forth, headed by the architects, the
high sheriff, the governors, the great officers of State,
with the Queen and Royal Family, among whom (for
tie first time on a state occasion) was seen the
y )ung Prince Arthur, in the centre, and the ladies
and gentlemen of the Court bringing up the rear.
As soon as the Queen had reached the dais, the
Earl of DERBY, as vice-president of the college,
advanced and read an address thanking her :)lajesty
for the unfailing support and encouragement with
which she had honoured the institution from the
first idea of its establishment :

When, upon the death of the late illustrious Duke of
Wellington ( continued the Earl of Derby ), the country
was anxious to testify its deep veneration for his memory,
an I only doubtful how best to give effect to the general
feeling, your Majesty was graciously pleased at once to
aJopt (if, indeed, it may not be truly said that the meat
originated in your Majesty's own mind) the suggestion of
combining with a building, of which the architectural
character should be worthy of the occasion, an institution
which should perpetuate the name of the great deceased
la conjunction with a permanent endowment iu favour of
the service to which he owed his fame, and on which he
has conferred imperishable lustre.
Surrounded by all the blessings of domestic life, which
your Majesty well knows how to prize far above tLet splen-
dours of a throne, your Majesty's maternal heart could
sympathise with those less fortunate mothers whose lot
it might be to look with anxiety upon a rising Wilily,
orphaned in their country's service, and doomed to
struggle with all the evils of severe, and, above all, un-
adulated poverty. An institution which should mitigate
these evils, should soothe these anxieties, should shelter,
protect, and educate these orphans, was the monument
which your Majesty invited the country to raise to the
lasting memory of the Great Duke.
The noble earl in the address then alluded to the
desired objects of the institution, and expressed a
hope that the still insufficient funds of the college
would before long be in a position to carry out the
plan of the founders to the fullest extent :

It is our anxious hope that within these walls, at no
distant period, two hundred orphans of officers of your
Majesty's and of the East India Company's service may
be lodged, boarded, partially clothed, and provided, be-
tween the ages of eleven and sixteen, with the elements
at least of such a religious, moral, and intellectual educa-
tion as may tit them for their future career in life, what.
ever that career may he ; and, if not gratuitously, at least
at a scale of expense far below what any other institution
could afford them. The admissions will be regulated by
strict attention to the claims of the deceased officer and
the eircutust races of the surviving parent, without rerptir
ing any further disclosure of such circumstances than
may serve to show that the total provision for the family,
if equally divided, would not exceed a given amount.

his counny's service, of an honesty of purpose, and of a
determination in the performance of his duty by which the
long and brilliant career of the Duke of Wellington was
so eminently distinguished.
I can express no better wish for my own son, who bears
the name of that great man, than that he should take as
his guide through life the example of one with whom it
will ever be his high distinction to have been connected.

To this tidiress the Queen read a most gracious
reply, acknowledging her sincere satisfaction at the
terms of the address :

While reading the two last paragraphs the voice of
the Queen became tremulous, and the Duchess of
Wellington was deeply affected.
At the conclusion of her Majesty's reply the Arch-
bishop of Canterbury offered up a brief prayer, and
the foundation stone was "well and duly laid" by the
Queen. The Earl of Derby then gave the signal for
three cheers, which were given with a warmth and
heartiness to be heard only in England, and the
ceremony ended. Her Majesty then lunched at the
pavilion, afterwards reviewed tho troops, and returned
to town a little before five p.m.
The situation chosen for the erection of the
college is in a sheltered spt't, a short distance from
the Reading and Reigate branch of the South-Eastern
Railway, just within the borders of Berkshire, about
two miles from Sandhurst. The funds at present
possessed by the governors amount to 11`5,000/., of
which 80,0001. is invested for the keep of one hun
dred orphans. The cost of the building will be
55,000/, so that a deficiency exists of some 26,0001.
(adding interest), exclusive of the annual sum re-
quired to support 120 more boys, the building being
designed for 220 pupils.

--,
Throughout the evening the city and colleges
were brilliantly illuminated.

That satisfaction (continued her Majesty) is enhanced
by the character of the monument which )on propose to
raise to the lastiiht memory of the Duke of Wellington,
and also by the circumstances of the time selected for its
erection.

THE HOLYHEAD BREAKWATER AND HARBOUR OP
REFUGE are being pushed forward with great activity.
The works are more than half done. Six thousand
of the 7,000 feet forming the northern breakwater
are finished in eight fathoms at low water. The
superstructure is now being commenced. Au
eastern breakwater of 2,500 feet will inclose a
harbour of some 300 acres, at four fathoms low
water, while the roadstead under the other break-
water will consist of 400 acres, with easy acce,s at all
times. Upwards of 5,000,000 tons of stone have
already been used. This stone is obtained from
quarries close at hand. Ninety thousand tons were
displaced at one blast a short time since. The cost
of the entire works is estimated at 1,000,0001.;
500,0001. has been expended already.
THE MANCHESTER ART EXHIBITION SCHEME COD-
tinues to progress, and among the latest contributors
to the fund is the Lord Mayor of London, with the
sum of 5001. The offers of land as sites for the pro-
posed building have been numerous, and several
leading contractors have visited Manchester with a
view of making offers for the erection of a building.
The guarantee fund is to be raised to 100,0001., if
possible, with the view, if it shall appear desirable,
of extending the objects of the exhibition beyond
the limits originally indicated.
A BODY OF MANCHESTER BRICKLAYERS last week
struck work for higher wages, and commenced seri-
ous attack; upon their fellow-workmen and masons
who refused to join the strike. Several severe tilhts
have occurred, and the men been seriously injured
and sent to hospital. The men on the strike have
not yet returned to work.

Tun MAILS FOR THE WEST INDIES AND PACIFIC
will in future be made up in Southampton on the
days of the departure of the Royal Mail steamers,
and tie mail for Southampton will be made up at
various points iu the West Indies and Pacific. 'ibis
important arrangement is to come into operation on
the 17th instant, and has arisen from a representa-
tion to the Duke of Argyll from the Southampton
Chamber of Commerce.

THE EXETER PEACE REJOICINGS were of a sub-
stantial kind, for a public dinner was given to ten
thousand people. The higher and lower markets
were devoted to the dining of the poor of the city,
with the exception of those of Trinity parish. The
length of the tables in both markets was 8,500 yards.
The quantity of beef and mutton, 10,000 lbs.; plum
pudding, 5,000 lbs.; bread, 9,850 loaves, each weigh-
ing lb.; beer, 2,250 gallons. Upwar sof four
thousand children, under ten years of age, were
treated with coffee and buns in the lower market in
the afternoon

A DEATH FROM HYDROPHOBIA occurred in Aber-
canaid, South Wales, last week. A miner, one Jahn
Davies, as he returned home from Merth3r, *as
bitten by a dog he attempted to caress. In the
course of the same evening Davies complained of
giddness, and could not sleep at night. During the
week be suffered much from pains in the limbs, and
a feeling of suffocation. On Saturday, getting worse,
a doctor was called in. Davies, however, continued to
grow worse, and underwent dreadtul suffering,
begging his friends to let him have fair play, and
not to smother him. If be attempted to speak, or
any one ventured to touch him, he was thrown into a
violent paroxysm At length he began to foam
at the mouth, his arms and hands turned literally
black, and he ultimately sank under the violence of
his symptoms.

LORD•ALFRED PAGET, while making a passage on
Wednesday evening in his yacht Alma, from Col-
chester to the Isle of Wight, was run down a little
before midnight, off the South Foreland, by the Be!.
gian mail-packet Diamond. Ttie Alma went down,
all standing, in a few minutes after the collision;
and Lord Alfred, with his crew, bad barely time to
lauch their longboat and escape being drowned with
her. In writing to a friend, Lord Alfred describes
the collision.—

The night was beautifully clear and bright starlight.
When oil the South Foreland, about four miles from the
lighthouse, as I was coming up the companion-ladder, I
heard the men on deck shouting to a steamboat to "stop
her !" I was on deck in an instant, and saw • steamer
making straight for us at full speed. In about a couple of
minutes she struck us in the starboard bow, causing the
yacht to reel almost under water and propelling us forward
some distance, as, strange to say, her paddles were not
stopped even when she struck us. The shock was terrific,
and when the steamer did stop and get clear it became
evident that the yacht was fast sinking by the bead. One
of my men jumped on board the steamer, and entreated
the captain to stay by our sinking vessel and send a boat
to save us. His request was, after some hesitation, com-
plied with; but in the meantime we had managed to
launch our longboat, and had just time to get into her
when the yacht went down with all her sails set. Neither
nor any of the crew had time to save an article of any
kind. I requested the officer in charge the steamer's
gig to take us on board and tow us to the land, but this he
refused to do, saying he had despatches on board ; so we
bad a long and hard pull against the tide, running out ea!

There could not be a more worthy record of a country's
gratitude to its greatest soldier than a permanent endow.
ment for the protection and education of the orphans of
brave men whose lives have been laid down in the service
of which he was the chief ornament and pride. Nor could
there be a more appropriate time for raising such a monu-
ment to his memory.
While gratefully admiring the gallantry and devotion
which have been so conspicuously displayed my truly
in the late war, I have deeply sympathised with the domes-
tic sorrows and privations (the inevitable result of war)
which have made so many mourners.
I feel that we cannot better celebrate the re-establish.
ment of peace than by laying the foundation of an institu-
tion, which, while it will tend to soothe those sorrows and
to ming ite the seventy of those privations, will hold up to
the imitation of all those who share its benefits the example
pf a disinterested patriotism, of an unceasing devotion to