The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-04-06
QUEENS VISIT TO IRELAND.
Why She Has Cold S~houldered Erin
for Forty Years

ireland with GOODNESS since the death
of the prince consort. forty years ago.
turning a leaf ear to the repeated pro-
posals Of her constitutional advisers
that she. should honor that particular
portion of her dominions with d visit.
yet there are comparatively few peo-
pie either at home or abroad who are
cognizant Of the true causes OF this
royal i'll will with regard TO the EmeT-
aid Isle.
II arose in connection with the lack
of sympathy manifested by certain
Irish municipalities. notably those of
Dublin an Cork, in connection with
the prince consort's death. Queen Vic
toria's passionate devotion to the
memory of her SO profoundly loved
husband is notorious. For it has exer-
cised an extraordinary influence over
the last four decades Of her reign. She
saw in him everything that was FER
feet and good, and the idea that towns
and cities to which he had manifested
a particular friendly feeling. such as,
for instance, Dublin, could go to the
length Of declining to grant any site
Tor statues of the prince which public
spirited citizens offered to erect: that
the municipalities of Dublin AID of
other Irish towns and cities could wen
go still further and actually refuse to
pass any vote of sympathy for the loss
which she and her children had sus-
tanned in his premature death, seemed
TO her something akin to q sacrilege,
and as such well-nigh objectionable.
1t is only fair to add thai at the
time the Irish people, especially the ma
tlonalist element were filled with par
tlcularly strong Sentiments of eXas-
peration against the government of the
day for harsh and unpopular measures
that had just been adopted by the cab
met with regard to the Emerald Isle.
AS usual, it was the crown which was
held responsible by the people for the
acts of the government, and the queen,
grief stricken though she was, had to
bear the brunt Of the i'll will excited
by her ministers, hurt and panied in
her tenderest feelings. It has taken
Queen Victoria many years to pardon
and forget this. For, in spite of her
many lOvable traits, she is not of a
forgiving turn of mine
That she has, however, now oblit-
Grated from her heart all unfriendly
feeling toward Ireland, thanks in a
great measure to the magnificent gal
lantry of the Irish troops in South At
RIGA, is shown by her sudden determi-
nation to visit Dublin once more, after
this long lapse Of forty years.
Previous to becoming a widow she
was a frequent visitor to Ireland, in
variably making her headquarters, not
at the castle in Dublin, but at the
viceregal lodge in Phoenix park, the
lord lieutenant taking up his abode for
the time at the castle. The last time
n was there was a few months be
fore her husbands death, and whereas
next month she will be welcomed oY
her younger son Arthur, Duke of
C~onnaught, who today the
entir military forces in the Emerald
Isle, in those days one of the purposes
of her trip was to see her eldest son,
the Prince of Wales, hen doing mill
tary duty as a subaltern of the Cold
stream Guards at the great permanent
camp of Curragh.
LOYALTY REMEMBERED.
The late Sir Robert Peel, as Irish
secretary, was in attendance on her
majesty, and in her diary the queen
repeatedly refers to the kindly enthu-
siasm and loyalty with which she was
greeted ty the people high and low.
The prince conSorts last birthday was
celebrated at Dublin by the royal fam
lily, a day which the queen describes
as the dearest of days, and one which
fills my heart with love, gratitude and
emotion"
After leaving Dublin the queen, the
prince and the royal children went or
to visit the Lakes of Killarney, and
stayed with Lord Castlerosse, whose
castle commands an exquisite view OF
h lake, the dinner party including a
brother OF the great Danie O'COnnell
the queen describing in her diary this
particular O'Connell as "a very good
mar with quite different political views
from his brother" A previous visit tc
Ireland had taken place about sever
previously, at the time of the
Dublin exhibition, and on her depart
ure the queen writes in lar story
W felt so sorry to go away having
spent such a pleasant, gay and inter
esting time in Ireland"
HOW QUEENSTOWN GOT ITS
NAME.
On yet another occasion the queer
landed at Cork, and it was in memoir.
thereof that the Cow of Cork received
the name of Queenstown, by which i
is known today. Talking of Cork, tn
queen remarks in her diary:
The beauty of the women is yer.
remarkable, and struck us much. Sucl
beautiful dark eyes and hair, and sue
fine teeth! Almost every. third wo
man was pretty, and remarkably so"
At another time, on making her en-
try into Dublin-it was a few monthe
before the birth of the Duke of Con
naught-one stout old woman scream
ed "Oh, queenie, darlin', make one o
them children Prince Patrick and a.
Oireland will die for you!"
The queen nodded, laughingly, an
when a few months later she a
birth to the Duke of Connaught she in
sisted that he should receive the nam
of Patrick.
BOXED THE PRINCES EARS.
Another thing which caused a goo
deal of amusement, not to the Quee
but to the people, as she was drivin
through the streets on that occasio
was the in which she discip
lined her son Prince Albert. now SOW
ereign Duke of Coburg, in the presenc
OF all the populace. Prince Albert wa
then, as he remains today, the leas
gracious and the least genial of all tn
queens children. He was seated opp
site to her in the carriage with tn
other children, and apparently di
not respond a. c~ourteously as sh
wished to the salutations of the cheer
ing crowds. She made some remarl
to him which had the effect of bring
ing a sulky frown to his handsom
features and to cause him to put hi