h, 1869 was especially interesting from the eminent
men of all parties whom it brought together. The Prince of Wales
presided, in the absence of the Duke of Edinburgh, and the speakers
included Mr. Gladstone, Mr. Bright, Mr. Disraeli, Sir Stafford Northcote
and Sir John Burgoyne. He again attended and addressed the banquet of
Trinity House on June 24, 1871, and presided at that of June 27, 1874.
His speech upon the latter occasion contained various important facts
and opinions upon the improvement of navigation facilities. At the
dinner in 1877 the Prince again presided and in the proposing his health
the late Earl of Derby said: "His Royal Highness has not only now, but
for many years past done all that is in the power of man to do, by
genial courtesies towards men of every class and by his indefatigable
assiduity in the performance of every social duty, to secure at once
that public respect which is due to his exalted position and that social
sympathy and personal popularity which no position, however exalted, can
of itself be sufficient to secure." The most interesting event of this
occasion was the presence and very brief soldierly speech of General U.
S. Grant.

[Illustration: A NOTABLE GROUP OF ROYAL RELATIONS PHOTOGRAPHED IN KING
EDWARD'S HOME
King Edward Emperor of Germany Queen Alexandra
King of Spain Queen of Spain Empress of Germany
Queen of Portugal Queen of Norway]

[Illustration: KING EDWARD VII
In Highland Garb]

[Illustration: THREE GENERATIONS OF ENGLISH SOVEREIGNS
King Edward VII, seated between his son King George V and his
grandson Edward, heir apparent to the throne]

[Illustration: THE MAUSOLEUM FROGMORE, WINDSOR]

The encouragement of Musical education and the promotion of a public
taste for music was one of the subjects in which the Prince of Wales
took a deep and practical interest. He believed in the humanizing and
civilizing effects of music and felt that amongst a people who had made
a home for Haendel and who had in older days loved glees and madrigals
and choral compositions there was room, in a more hum-drum age, for the
encouragement of popular taste in this direction. The Royal Academy of
Music, founded in 1822, had done some good but limited service and, in
1875, he placed himself at the head of a movement to further the love
and practice of music amongst the people. A meeting was held at
Marlborough House on June 15th for the immediate purpose