ide at the opening of this
important institution, the first pillar of which, in company
with her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales, I set nearly
three years since. I thank you for your very feeling reference
to the severe loss which the Queen, and each member of Her
Majesty's family, has sustained by the untimely death of my late
brother. His interest in every movement calculated to humanize
and to elevate the people of this country will, I am quite sure,
cause his loss to be felt far beyond the circle of his immediate
friends.

"I have been gratified that the City and the Livery Companies of
London have so generously responded to the letter which, as
President of the Institute, I addressed some few months since to
the Lord Mayor and to the Worshipful Masters of the Livery
Companies of London. This Institute, which owes its origin to
the liberality of the City and of the Guilds of London, is an
illustration of the excellent work that may be done by united
action, which could not possibly be accomplished by individual
efforts. Conformably with the traditions of these ancient
Guilds, there is, perhaps, no purpose to which they could more
appropriately devote their surplus funds, and none which would
be of more practical advantage to the country at large than the
promotion of technical education. The altered conditions of
apprenticeship, and the almost general substitution of machine
for hand labour have made the teaching of science, in its
application to productive industry, a necessary part of the
training of all classes of persons engaged in manufacturing
pursuits.

"There never was a time, perhaps, when the importance of
technical education was more generally recognized than now, and
I am gratified to learn from the report of the Royal
Commissioners appointed to inquire into the subject to which
your lordship has referred, that, although we are still behind
many of our foreign neighbours in the provision of technical
schools of different grades, the encouragement afforded by the
State to the teaching of science and of art, supplemented as it
now is by the Institute's assistance to the teaching of
technology, has placed within reach of our artizan population
facilities for technical instruction which have already
influenced, and which promise to influence stil