The Sun.
London, England, 1865-09-18 00:00:00

Herbert Memorial Home for Convalescents.

On Saturday last the ceremony of laying the first stone
of the Herbert Convalescent Hospital took place at Bourne-
mouth, Hants. Immediately after the decease of the late
Lord Herbert of Lea, his friends and neighbours in his
native county of Wilts met to decide on the most appro-
priate mode of commemorating his good services in amelio-
rating the condition of the British soldier, when it was de-
cided that a statue of the noble lord should be erected in
the Market-place, Salisbury, and that a home for convales-
cents
should be founded. On the 29th of June, 1863, the
statue, executed by Baron Marochetti, was uncovered at
Salisbury, in the presence of many thousand people, by
Earl de Grey and Ripon, in the unavoidable absence of
Lord Palmerston, who was prevented from being present
through illness. Since that time several circumstances
have intervened which have delayed the establishment of
the convalescent home. A few months ago, however, it
was decided by the committee, of which the Right Hon.
Sotheron Estcourt is the chairman, the home should be built
on the West Cliff, at the salubrious watering-place, Bourne-
mouth. Accordingly on Saturday, which was the anniver-
sary of the birth of the late Lord Herbert, the first stone of
the building was laid by his son, the youthful Earl of Pem-
broke, in the presence of Lord Herbert, and many hundreds
of the elite of the counties of Wilts, Hants, and Dorset.
At a short distance from the site a procession was
formed by the clergy and the choir of St. Peter's Church,
Bournemoilth, who sang a processional Psalm (103 d).
The procession was then joined by many of the sub-
scribers, who had come to witness the laying of the stone.
The company having arranged themselves around the
site, the Right Hon. SOTHERON EsTCOVRT, Chairman of the
Herbert Testimonial, delivered the following address :
Ladies and gentlemen,—lt is my duty, as chairman of the
committee to the subscribers to this memorial, and en-
trusted with the distribution of the money, to remind some
of you, and to inform others, in a few words, of the pur-.
pose of our meeting here together this day. When four
years ago it pleased God to take to himself the late Lord
Herbert, there was one general and most spontaneous ex-
pression of public opinion amongst his neighbours through-
out the whole of Wiltshire, who were desirous that some
permanent memorial might be established to remind them
and future ages of the virtues of that excellent man.
Whilst some of us desired that that memorial should be
presented in a form that might be called a living man—his
features and his figure—others were rather desirous that
the memorial should be one that should remind them of the
benevolence of his character and of all the virtues for which
he was distinguished. After some long consultation it was
agreed that we would have both the one and the other.
Accordingly there now stands in the market-place of the
county town of Wiltshire a figure wrought in the highest
walk of art, which no one passes by without involuntarily
being reminded of Sydney Herbert himself. The other
memorial is that which we happily this day inaugu-
rate in this place. Now, it is not a sanitarium—it is
not a rival of the excellent hospital which has been built
in this town of Bournemouth. It is a place where those
who have been afflicted with infirmity and disorder, but
who may by the blessing of God accomplish their recovery
by medical assistance, and may be restored to a perfect
state of health before their return to their ordinary dwel-
lings, many of which, as we well know, are unprovided
even with the common necessaries and comforts without
which their health can hardly be re-established. I must
say, in the presence of a large assembly of the neighbours
of Bournemouth, and of the inhabitants of that town, that
the manner in which they have kindly attended here to-
day, and responded to the invitation which I had the honour
to send, has given me a great hope that the good feeling
which is shown here to-day may not be of a transitory and
evanescent kind, but that it may follow the fortunes of the
home for years to come, that it may help us to give it a more
ornamental appearance, and supply it with all the necessary
furniture. Being thus on the spot, lam sure it will be in
their power greatly to conduce to the success of our under-
taking. Now, it was finally resolved that should be the
spot, and the day was fixed. There remained only one
choice to make—who should be the man that should be en-
trusted with the laying of the first stone. You will not be
surprised if I say at once and without hesitation, with the
greatest accordance, all of us made application to my noble
friend—the representative of the name and, I trust, here-
after the representative of the virtues of his father—
to come here to-day to lay this stone. (Cheers.) I shall
not at the moment say one word of Lord Pembroke. He
has a hard task for a young man to perform ; in doing it
he will carry with him something more than goodwill—the
attachment, I am sure, of every one of his countrymen.
(Applause.) Nor shall I venture in this open spot to add
one word with regard to Lady Herbert beyond this, that
that kind, good, friendly lady is here on the spot to give
us the sanction of her presence, and to see for herself with
what cordial affection the memory of her husband is re-
garded. (Cheers.) Now rermit me, all of you, my friends,
with hearts filled with the memory of the past, filled with
the best hopes for the future, trusting to the Divine bles-
sing to turn out the work we now begin for the benefit of
our suffering fellow-creatures, to call upon my noble
friend, Lard Pombroko, to do that part which is aoziguotl
to him ; and in doing it I am sure that every single person
here will raise up a prayer to God that the rest of his life
may be like its beginning. (Cheers.) But, before the
actual work is done, let us all, with one voice and one
heart, raise our spirits to that source from whence alone
permanent good can come, that God may be pleased to give
His blessing to the work. I will ask the incumbent of
Bournemouth to offer up prayer.
The Rev. A. M. BENNETT then offered up a suitable
prayer; after which
The Earl of PEMBROKE duly laid the stone. He said—
It is with great pleasure that I have been asked this day
to lay the foundation stone of a building to be erected as
a memorial of my late father. A better or more fitting
memorial could not have been chosen than this, which is
for the relief of the sick poor; for all my father's life
was spent in relieving suffering, which is an example
I trust that his successors will follow. lam glad this
memorial has been chosen. in connection with the Salis-
bury Infirmary—an institution in which he took great
interest, and gave up many of his engagements in order to
attend at the committees of the hospital. lam glad also
that the plan has been approved of by Miss Nightingale,
whose name has long been associated with that of my father
in promoting the welfare of the poor. To-day is the anni-
versary of his birthday, and therefore a very fit time to
begin such a work. My dear mother, and my father during
his life, were accustomed to do some special work of charity
and love that day. I wish to express on behalf of my
mother, my brothers, my sisters, and myself, our thanks
and gratitude for your subscriptions to this fit and proper
memorial to my father's name. We lay this stone of the
Herbert Convalescent Home in the name and to the glory
of the ever-blessed Trinity, in the name of the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Ghost, and in memory of one now gone
to rest who, during his day upon earth, was faithful in
works of mercy, brotherly kindness, and charity.
Suitable prayers were then offered up, and the 127th
Psalm was sung, and the blessing pronounced by the Rev.
A. M. Bennett, after which the ceremony terminated.
At two o'clock upwards of 250 of the gentry who had re
ceived special invitations to the Cranbourne Pleasure.

grounds (kindly lent for the occasion by Mr. R. Kerley),
where, in a large tent, a splendid luncheon had been pro-
vided at the expense of the Right Hon. Mr. Sotheron-

Estcourt. Amongst those present were Lady Herbert, the
Earl of Pembroke, the Bishop of Oxford, the Bishop of
Salisbury, Earl Nelson, Lord Ernest Bruce, Mr. C. W.
Pack, M.P., Mr. H. D. Seymour, M.P., Lord G. G. Len-
nox, M.P.

Mr. Sotheron-Estcourt took the chair, and after the usual
loyal and patriotic toasts were proposed and responded to,
The Bishop of OXFORD then rose and said—The toast
which has been committed to me is happily one which
neither requires nor will admit of the person who proposes
it saying much about it. It does not require this, because
I believe every one present is perfectly prepared to drink
the health of Lord Pembroke and Lady Herbert without

a single word of comment. It does not admit it, because it
is not an abstract sentiment like those you have heard

before, upon which people can safely indulge, but
the toast is the health and happiness of two persons
who are with you in your company to-day, and, there-
fore, as to whom it is not possible in their presence
—as to what we wish to say is all in their praise—to
speak out as we would wish to utter that which is in

our minds. (Hear, hear.) Those of you who were pre-

sent at the laying of the stone to-day could estimate to

yourselves the promise which, if God wills, is given of the
future life of Lord Pembroke. (Cheers.) I think I never saw

a more touching scene, I never heard a more moving
address than Lord Pembroke's, because there was in it a
simplicity, a perfect absence of thought of himself, a perfect
devotion to the work ho had undertaken, which it was his
hereditary right to possess as his father's representative.
(Hear, hear.) Mtiy God grant that that life may be pro-

longed amongst us to be beloved and honoured as was the
life of my dear friend, his father. May God grant that in
the whole estate and realm of England, in the Church of

which lam a bishop,* the name of Lord Pembroke, when
the day shall come, may be held iu honour, esteem, re-

verence, and love, as is now the name of his father--the
late Lord Herbert. (Loud cheers.) And in her presence you

will not expect me-to say much of her who has strained

every feeling to be amongst us this day and to do honour
to that beloved memory: This, let me say, every one of

you, I think would catch that remarkable statement of Lord

Pembroke that it was the custom of his parents, when the

day of the birthday came round, to spend it, not in selfish
merriment, but to make it the occasion of doing some act
of good to some sufferer, or some act of kindness to some
one needing it. (Hear, hear.) In the very spirit, in the
very essence of that tradition, Lady Herbert has come
amongst us on her husband's birthday to help to lay the,
stone of this testimonial. I can testify that day after day
and month after month she has been carrying out on the
great estates which have come to her son the purpose of
his father—in doing good to all dwelling on them, restor-
ing and repairing the churches, founding sehools, gladden-
ing the widows' hearts with joy, and training up the young
of that county of Wiltshire in the fear of God and in the
honour of their Queen. (Cheers.) lam sure, my friends

• -
* Allusion being here made very pointedly by the Lord
Bishop of Oxford, to the fact that Lord Pembroice's mother,
Lady Herbert of Lea, has recently become a convert to
Catholicism.