e item of news, "is a mandarin in China who has
beheaded a thousand people in a batch. I was quite shocked when I read of
it this morning. During the day I contrived to cut one of my fingers. I'm
ashamed to confess that I thought so much about the finger, that I quite
forgot the massacred Chinamen! That was Macaulay's illustration."

'As the dinner party was breaking up, I stood for a minute with him. He
had not been enjoying very good health. When I congratulated him on his
seeming revival in strength, he showed me his hand, which was puffy and
blown, and answered: "Oh, I'm not so well as you might think." Poor
fellow, the remark was too true, for he died within a fortnight from that
evening.'

To South Africa, soon after Sir George Grey had resumed duty there, came
a member of the Royal family. This was Prince Alfred, later the Duke of
Edinburgh, now the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Sir George suggested the
visit, and he believed it had excellent results. It delighted the
colonists to have a son of the Queen among them. Seeing him the natives
could exclaim, 'Again, the Queen loves us or she would not send us her
son!' The visit drew out the regard of South Africa towards England and
its Sovereign. Certainly the federal idea!

'Prince Alfred,' Sir George made an appreciation of him, 'was a nice,
frank, handsome boy; an excessively taking little boy. In his honour, we
had perhaps the largest hunt that ever took place in South Africa. It was
calculated that he shot more deer in fifteen minutes, than his father
would have shot in the Scottish Highlands in a season.

'The Prince had to face a different sort of experience at a town, Port
Elizabeth I think, which we reached on his birthday. He had to walk
between lines of girls, laden with bouquets, which they flung down before
him, to the words: "Many happy returns of the day." It was rather trying
for a midshipman.

'Everybody was delighted with Prince Alfred, and even the President of
the Transvaal Republic called him "Our Prince." For his progress through
the country, I had a beautiful wagon made. At the close of the tour
Prince Alfred gave it, a friendly gift, to the Transvaal President. You
can understand how it would be regarded by him, even be useful. Moreover
it was calculated, while only a wagon, to impress the burghers of the
Transvaal with the greatness of England. A simple pastoral people, they
could not themselves have begot such a vehicle and team.'

Princ