667717-1886-Colonial-and-Indian-Exhibition-Meeting-of-the-Royal-Commission-3rd-May-1886- — Page 2

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THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 17TH JULY, 1886.

George Walpole, Lieutenant-General Richard Strachey, Major-General James Michael, Colonel Arthu Edward Augustus Ellis, Mr. Robert Anstruther Dalyell, Mr. Arthur Hodgson, Captain Montagu Frederick Ommanney, Mr. Augustus John Adderley, Mr. James Francis Garrick, the President of the Royal Academy of Arts, the President of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Mr. Henry Coppinger Beeton, Mr. Julius de Reuter, Mr. William George Pedder, Mr. John Pender, also the Hon. Sir Ashley Eden, Mr. A. W. Gadesden, Mr. E. W. Hamilton, Sir Philip Cunliffe-Owen, Secretary, Mr. Edward Cunliffe-Owen, and Mr. J. R. Royle, Assistant-Secretaries.

The Prince of Wales addressed the meeting as follows:-

MY LORDS AND GENTLEMEN.

I have thought it right to call you together on this the eve of the Opening of the Exhibition by Her Majesty the Queen, in order that I may report to you the various steps that have been taken in th preparations for this Exhibition since the last time I had the honour of addressing you.

I would, in the first place, wish to say a few words with regard to the constitution of the Roya Commission. You are doubtless aware that Her Majesty, in requesting you to act on a Royal Com mission defined your duties to be for the purpose of advising upon the best mode by which the Pro ducts of Industry, Agriculture and the Fine Arts of Her Majesty's Colonial and Indian Dominic might be procured and sent to this Exhibition.

The appointment of this Commission was, I understand, framed upon the precedent of the Exhi bition of 1851, and following the example of that, Exhibition, it was thought desirable that a Charte should be applied for which should make the Royal Commission a body corporate, and which shoul give it power to organise and carry on such an Exhibition. This Charter was granted on the 15t September, 1885.

You will perhaps remember that, in my last address, I informed you of the initiative action which I, as your Executive President, had taken, and which you were kind enough then to confirm i order that the proposals for holding a Colonial and Indian Exhibition should be properly brought to the notice of the Governments of India and of the various Colonies.

I then stated that from the answers which had been received from the Colonies and from India it was clear that this Exhibition would receive the hearty co-operation of all concerned.

I need only ask you to make an inspection of the various sections of the Exhibition to-day before leaving the buildings for you to at once realise how cordially the Governments of India and of the various Colonies have acceded to the invitation which I, as your President, forwarded to them ir November, 1884, and I am sure that you will join with me in requesting the Executive Commissioners to take an early opportunity of conveying to their Governments the sincere thanks of the Royal Commission for having so thoroughly realised our views as to the form that this Exhibition shoul take.

To these gentlemen themselves are also due our own warmest acknowledgments.

I feel also convinced that you will consider it a pleasing duty to record the deep obligation w are under to His Excellency the Viceroy and the Supreme Government of India for the admirabl. organisation which, under the direction of Mr. Buck, has been displayed by the Revenue and Agricul- tural Department, and by the officers who have assisted it.

I further propose that we should request the Viceroy to express our acknowledgments to their Highnesses the Princes of India, who have, by their liberal contributions, so materially added to the beauty and interest of the Indian section.

With regard to the administration of the Royal Commission, I may state that the Finance Com mittee the appointment of which you confirmed at the last meeting is most carefully discharging the duties which you then confided to it.

I have to ask you to confirm the appointment of the following gentlemen, who were good enough to accept my invitation to be added to it-

The Right Hon. Sir LYON PLAYFAIR,

The Hon. Sir ASHLEY EDEN,

The Right Hon, Sir HENRY THURSTAN HOLLAND,

Mr. E. W. HAMILTON,

Mr. A. W. GADESDEN.

It is with much pleasure that I am able to report that the Guarantee Fund, which at the time the last meeting amounted to £128,600, has now reached a total of £218,430.

Of this amount the Corporation of the City of London has voted £10,000, and among the con butors are many of the great City Companies.

I am sure you will agree with me in cordially thanking these Corporations, and the gentlemen whose liberality this very satisfactory result is due. They may rest assured that no endeavour will be spared to prevent the necessity of having recourse to the contributions which they have so generousky placed at our disposal,

I have to ask you to confirm the appointment of a Committee which I have requested to act for the purpose of superintending the lighting by electricity of the buildings and grounds of the Exhibitior

The gentlemen composing this Committee are-

Sir FREDERICK ABEL, Chairman,

Colonel Sir FRANCIS BELTON and Mr. W. H. PREECE.