The Sun.
London, England, 1870-04-08 00:00:00

THE PRINCE OF WALES.

According to the Oxford Chronicle, in a lecture on
"EnglishUniveraities,"delivered at Philadelphia, Mr. Gold-
win Smith, said in reference to the residence of the Prince
of Wales as a student at Oxford :—" I see scandal is again
busy with the name of the Prince of Wales. Evil reports
about him fill otir Transatlantic telegrams and our news-
papers at thi3 moment. I lived, even when I was in Eng-
land, far from the Court, and I cannot say how much of
this scandal is true or how much is false ;
I can only say that it is all loathsome.
But this I know, that some false reports have been
circulated, and eagerly believed ; and, moreover, that no
class of people is more ready to swallow and propagate
scandal about royal personages than those who, when
brought into contact with royalty, or when they expect
any advantage from its power, are most servile in their
adulation. The conduct of the Prince of Wales as a
student at Oxford was in every respect unexceptionable.
Yet even at that time there were rumours that he was
leading- a vicious life. I was once anxiously interrogated
as to their truth by a person of eminence, who had heard
them on what he believed very good authority. I ven-
tured to express my conviction that they
were utterly untrue; and subsequent inquiry
perfectly satisfied me that my conviction was
well founded. There is another story, that
of the Prince Consort's having contracted his fatal illness
in going down to Cambridge to break off a connection in
which his son had become entangled, which I have the
strongest reasons for pronouncing to be false, though it is
generally believed and has been recently repeated. There
are some who avow their conviction that hereditary insti-
tutions have played their allotted part in the development
of humanity, and that they. are now ceasing to be neces-
sary or useful to mankind; and who wish to see them
speedily withdrawn from the scene, because, while they
linger on, they prevent us from turning our attention to
the defects and liabilities orationthe elective principle, which,
in its turn, requires reg, lest, in the place of
the tyranny of kings, which is now fast becoming a
shadow, and is quite one in this new world, should arise
a tyranny of the sovereign people. But the most irra-
tional and ignoble course of all is to keep Royalty alive
and at the head of a nation, and at the same time to exult
in degrading it, and the nation with it, by scandal and
abuse. Instead of being particularly severe on royal
personages, public opinion ought to be peculiarly lenient
to them ; in the first place because they are of
all men most exposed to the shafts of calumny, and least
able to defend themselves; in the next place, and prin-
cipally, because they are morally. sacrificed to an institution
which society chooses to maintain. The influences which
foster and support virtue in other men, true friendship,
candid criticism, healthy intercourse with equal associates,
are, in their case, kept at a distance by that invincible
fence which etiquette throws around royalty, even when
royalty seems to itself most free. By the necessities of
their position they are bereft of the aids without
which 'strength of character can hardly be ac-
quired. At the same time they are • exposed
to temptations against which the strongest character
could hardly stand. Unbounded luxury surrounds them;
everybody and everything preaches self-indulgence to
them ; not only the means but the incentives of vice are
always before them ; they are the perpetual marks of de-
signing men, and, -what is still more dangerous, of desip.
ing women. All pursuits which awaken generous ambition
and call forth the moral ener?ies being closed ,against
them, they have nothing to fortify them against tho allure-
ments of corruption. Seldomhave tliey even the voice of one
faithful friend. If the Prince of Wales has done what
is imputed to him, or anything like it, I am sorry for
him • and unless he changes his course he will-never sit
upon' his mother's throne. But I shall not be eager to
credit these imputations, and if they prove true, I shall
not gloat over them, but lament that a nature which,
from what I saw when the Prince was at Oxford, I firmly
believe to have been originally good has yielded to evil
influences against which charity Liust vuMew
natures would have been Proof!" f
•

The graduates of London University complain
that they are not being allotted a fair share of accommo-
dation in the preparations for the visit of the queen,
which is to take place in May.
We are informed that Captain Chamlos S. S.
Stanhope, the officer in command of H.M.S. Ocean, flag.
ship on the China station, will in all probability be offered
the post of private secretary to the First Lord of the
A.diniralty., vacant by the advancement to flag rank of the
present private secretary; Rear-Admiral F. B. Seymour.
_pall Mall Gazette.

ROYAL NATIONAL LIFEBOAT INSTITUTION.— it
a meeting of this institution, rewards amounting to £237
have been granted to the crews of the society's lifeboats
for various services rendered during the past month. The
boats thus honoured and rewarded are the Paketield
lifeboat Sisters ; the Old George Triam, of Liverpool;
at Droghed-a, Ireland; the Cromer lifeboat, Benjamin
Bond Cabbeli ; the Raniagate lifeboat, Bradford ; and the
Samuel. Morrison Collins, of Broadetairs ; the Wexford
lifeboat, St. Patrick ; the Albert Victor lifeboat of Berwick-
on-Tweed; and the North Deal lifeboat, Van Cook. Rewards
were also given to the crews of various shore boats for
saving life from wrecks on one coasts. Her Majesty the
Quail sent her usual donation of £5O to the institution,
and numerous donations from ladies and gentlemen
throughout the country were announced,
S urrosEn FOUNDEBINif ey LAIME STEAMEn.—
From adyku i,e66ived in Liverpool from New York, it
appears that the captain of the steamer Merrimac, which
had reached Now York. from Bio Janeiro, reports that on
the 21st March, when in lat. 36.10, long. 75.04, his vessel
passed through an inuncas quant4y ot floating wreckage,
c9,3isiltin; Joiaer:4' work., sailors' chests, &c., and also
what appeared to be the upper works of some large
steamer. For seNtral days before the captain states that
he encountered very heavy easterlyaecutxpraitq at
times with fearful hurricane squalls; i i.v sea was running
very on the 214 shat no portion of the wreck
Could "miAcured by which some clue might have been ob-
tained as to the name or nationality of the vessel; co iiq
doubt had one of the chests been picked up 0-4 of
the §hip wciAld hwirQ 14cell eisccttr:S'44l

Tillft D EDITION.

The Third Edition of The Sun of last Evening was published
in tim3 for delivery in town at 7.15 p.m.

SUN OFFICE, 7 o'CLocK.

IMPERIAL PAU LIA \I EN I%

HOUSE OF COMMONS—Tins DAY.
The Speaker took the chair at two o'clock.
THIRD READINGS.

The following bills were read a third time and passed :
Bath Corporation Bill, Chesterfield and Brompton
rail-
K Bill, Newport (Isle of Wight) Gas Bill [Lords],
tad Penicuick Railway Bill.
THE EDUCATION BILL.

Mr. Mum, presente 1 a petition signed by 5,171 Non-
!onforming ministers, praying the House not to pass the
3overnment Education Bill without amendment, and
dso against the power proposed to be given to local
loards.