deepest sympathy and instructed the Foreign
Office to keep him informed as to the President's condition. He was at
the time spending a week with the King of Denmark at Copenhagen and to
that place the bulletins were duly cabled from Washington.

On September 11th His Majesty telegraphed to the American Ambassador at
London: "I rejoice to hear the favourable accounts of the President's
health. God grant that his life may be spared." After Mr. McKinley's
death, three days later, the King immediately cabled the Ambassador:
"Most truly do I sympathize with you and the whole American nation in
the loss of your distinguished and ever-to-be-regretted President." In
his reply Mr. Choate declared that "Your Majesty's constant solicitude
and interest in these trying days have deeply touched the hearts of my
countrymen." The King ordered a week's mourning at Court and soon
afterwards received a message from Mr. Choate voicing Mrs. McKinley's
personal gratitude for the sympathy expressed. In replying, the King
declared that the Queen and himself "feel most deeply for her in the
hour of her great affliction and pray that God may give her strength to
bear her heavy cross." On September 27th the American Ambassador was
granted a special audience by His Majesty in London and presented the
formal thanks of Mrs. McKinley and of the people of the United States
for "the constant sympathy which you have manifested through the darkest
hours of their distress and bereavement."

During these months the King had not forgotten to show his continued
appreciation of many of the interests to which, as Heir Apparent, he had
given so much aid. At a General Council meeting of the Prince of Wales'
Hospital Fund on May 11th, presided over by the Duke of Fife and
attended by Lord Rothschild, Lord Farquhar, Lord Iveagh, Lord Reay, Mr.
Sydney Buxton and others the chairman stated that it was held by His
Majesty's wish in order to announce his resignation of the Presidency
and consent to take the position of Patron. The King's place was to be
taken by the Duke of Cornwall and York. Lord Rothschild spoke at some
length upon the importance of the work initiated in this connection by
the King and of the valuable aid which they had consequently been able
to give the hospitals and suffering poor of London. On June 10th a
letter was made public, written by Sir Dighton Probyn on behalf of the
King, expressing to the Royal Agricultural Society of England his
earn