e of Wales,
who put himself at the head of the movement, held a conference at
Marlborough House, on the 15th of June, 1875.

The immediate object was to promote the establishment of free
scholarships, to be held in the National Training Schools for Music,
then being erected, close to the Royal Albert Hall, at Kensington Gore.
The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Christian and the Duke of Teck were
present; and representatives of many public bodies in Church and State,
including the Archbishops and several Bishops, the Lord Mayor of London
and the Mayors of many provincial towns, the Masters or Prime Wardens of
the City Companies, the head masters of public schools, the Chairman and
members of the London School Board, the Parliamentary representatives of
the Metropolitan boroughs, and a very numerous company, of the most
distinguished name and position.

The Prince of Wales, in opening the proceedings, expressed his
gratification at the large attendance, which augured well for the object
they all had in view. He then called on the Duke of Edinburgh to move
the first resolution, in introducing which he gave a lucid and
interesting statement of the history of the movement.

In 1854, the Royal Academy of Music made an application to the
Commissioners of the Exhibition of 1851 to grant a site upon their
estate for a building in which they could carry on their labours. The
negotiations were not successful, and matters remained in abeyance until
1865, when the Society of Arts appointed a Committee to consider and
report on the whole subject of musical education in this country. Of
this committee the Prince of Wales consented to act as chairman.
Inquiries were made as to the methods employed in the management of
musical academies in Paris, Berlin, Munich, Milan, and other Continental
schools. Reports were drawn up, one of the main points in which dealt
with the necessity for instituting scholarships to be competed for
openly, so as to draw out the best musical talent throughout the
country. Assistance should be given in cases where the scholars were
unable to provide education for themselves.

In 1872 negotiations were reopened with the Royal Academy, with the idea
of removing the head-quarters of the Academy from Tenderden Street to
South Kensington. It became more evident that the purposes contemplated
by the Committee of the Society of Arts could be better accomplished by
the establishment of a new and independent institution a