SPEECHES AT ROYAL ACADEMY BANQUETS.

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SPEECHES AT ROYAL ACADEMY BANQUETS.

The first appearance of the Prince of Wales at the annual dinner of the
Royal Academy, with the short speech made on the occasion, has been
given under the date, May 4th, 1863. In many subsequent years the Prince
has been a welcome and honoured guest, and has been called to address
the company. Instead of giving these speeches in the years when they
were delivered, it seems better to group them together. The guests at
the banquet are in the main the same year by year. After the Royal and
official personages, and notable public men always present, and the
Academicians and their friends, there remains not much room for variety
in the invitations. If any very distinguished stranger is in London at
the time, or some hero of the day, he is pretty certain to be invited,
and the speech of such a guest is a distinctive feature in the yearly
record of the banquets. There is also effort made to secure some
eloquent speakers to reply to some of the toasts given from the Chair.
But on the whole there is considerable sameness in the reports, the same
toasts being always given, and often the same speakers responding. The
Prince of Wales has been more than once complimented for his being able
to find fresh material for his speeches at these dinners. The simple art
in effecting this is that he takes some topic which is before the public
at the time, or refers to his own public acts, which interest the
audience on account of his personal popularity. We cannot give all the
speeches on these occasions, but the following show the general spirit
of them, and the variety of subjects touched by him.

_1866._

At the banquet of 1866, on the 5th of May, the President, Sir Francis
Grant, then recently elected, for the first time occupied the chair. In
proposing the health of the Prince of Wales, Sir Francis wished to his
Royal guest, "amidst the cares and labours of his exalted station, all
the soothing influences of a love of art. He inherits the enlightened
appreciation of art, which had distinguished both his illustrious
parents. But the title of artist is not confined to the subjects which
occupy the Royal Academicians. In England, especially in the Midland
counties, a gentleman who particularly distinguishes himself in riding
across country after hounds is popularly called an artist. Gentlemen,"
continued the President, himself an a