VICTORIA.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume XII, Issue 521, 28 October 1867, Page 1

VICTORIA.

PROPOSF.D RECEPTION OF XIIE : DUKE OF EDINBURGH i — : ] (From the Melbourne Argus, stb October.) | Royal Commissions, like crocodiles, arc' unwieldy in their movements, and like con's are much addicted (o a process of rumin-i ation. They are probably thoughtful, but) they are slow. Beyond the consumption oft a considerable quantity of stationery, we believe that the Reception Commission notwithstanding the flourishing report in another column—baa done very little as yet toward the real work ot preparation, although there is plenty to do, and not too much time to do it in. The Prince was at i lie Cape in A ugn>t, it is said, and even if hc 'bo aid have subsequently paid a visit to Mauritius, we may soon expect to hear of his arrival at Adelaide. We ought not,! I therefor- 1 , to delay cur preparations for! offering him a Royal welcome to the colony. which bears his mother's name. The first! point to be considered is (he manner of his I reception; and in this particular we can-j not do better than adopt the plan which is, proposed to be followed in Sydney, and! meet his Royal Highness with a flotilla at! tiie Heads. As members of a great marl-! Dine empire, with the largest sea-borne! ' commerce in the world, there will be some [ thing peculiarly appropriate in otiering tbej Sailor Prince his first greeting upon tlint| element with which our national greatness j and glory are so inseparably a-soeiuted.j Arrived at Ssundridge, Ihe landing should j

take place at the Town Tier—not at the| Railway' Pier, as proposed by the commission— where the duty of receiving our distinguished visitor would devolve of right! on the mayor of the boron'h. Thence the corl.'ye should proceed by road to Mil bourne, wit Is a halt at Emerald-hill, to enable the Prince to accept the congratulations of that municipality. Upon entering the city boundaries, which will no doubt be defined by a triumphal arch, the iiiiimr and Corporation of Melbourne would have an opportunity of tendering their address ; ami, this ceremonial having been disposed of, His Roy .al Highness would make his public entry into the me 1 ropolis of A ietoria under circumstances much better calculat 'd to give him a favorable impression ol the place and people than if he were smuggled into it in a railw ,y carriage, and through a dingy terminus

opening upon a back street. Assuming that our visitor’s stay amongst us will extend to three weeks, which we deem to be much more probable than thej shorter period oil! daily announced, it j would be expedient for those who direct| the arrangements to make such a division} lof his time as will admit of his sc. lug as} much as possible of the colony, without taxing his patience or encroaching niton; his good nature. One week might he allotted to Melbourne festivities, another, to provincial progresses, w u!e a third might bo reserved for such rc-t or re-; creation as the Prince himself might determine on. So far as this city H con | corned, we trust that- intermittent Jhles and desultory rejoicings, a determination will lie arrived at to concentrate the whole in a week of uninterrupted carnival—a burst; of ga'ety, in which all classes might combine to make holiday, and there an end. Thus, while the ‘‘upper ten tli.nisaud” might be engaged in dancing at Pie New Extiihition building, a Citiz -ns’ Hall might fe held in the edifice in William-street,' }ihe cntrance-lce to which should bo so moderate as to exclude no reputable people, land the gross proceeds bo handed over to tlac city charities ; and the theatres, thrown, open free on the same night, would receive what English politicians call “the red-} iluum” of the population. It would be quite practicable Ihf has Royal Highness to gratiiv the assemblages at all these places by visiting each of them in succession on the sane evening. Rut whatever} is done, we tiu-t thrg i-ie funds at the; disposition of the .vtuinUsion will not he; expended in providing f->r the exclusive entertainment of what are irreverently designated as the white-choker and kidglove classes of soci -ty. A truly popular character must b • given to the demons:ra lion, it ought to oe representative of mi classes, and we should he especially caretuT to furni-h as much enjoyment as wo cm. to working men and their families. To this end, a! fresco amusements on a large scale —a voianteer review, athletic sports, . a gigantic picnic in Richmond paddock, trades processions of a picturesque character, and displays of fireworks in the ■ evening, should be organised. Practice, i effect, wo are glad to observe, is likely to * be given to the suggestions of some of our cm respondents, that a public dinner for : the poorer classes should take place ; and loose w,t-.a are uhl enougn to i-enioa, 1,,-. : how admirably banquets wf this kind wetv 1 m .nagect in some o! '.tie principal towns in England, when the passing of tile Reform Rill was celebrated in 1833, will no doubt i give the committee the benefit of their assistance and advice. It is one of the ; pleasantest features of these carousals that all the cooking was pci formed by the; 1 upper and middle class-s, and that met--} chants, the members of the Earned protciiionr, the gentry end the !r ■ ! wmed upon the poor p-eop'c who sat at table with - an activity and zeal unknown to hireling service. It would enhance Use value oi ' the proposed dinner in the eyes of the ‘ guests, and promote the amalgamation ol ■ all classes, if similar duties should be i undertaken in a similar spirit by persons similarly circumstanced here.

i s.-j.j,, i 0 * ne f V7hfthi?r [the Parliamentary Banquet, which has I been the subject of so much discussion, will be given at ail; but, if if should take j place, we earnestly trust that those who | parlifi 'ale xu ii will uol bt , j up tu ilie contemptible meanness of eating a dinner at nlir, nub'in evnense. to the diminution o? Sand tin; lasting discredit of the convices .1 themselves. Let loose who cannot afford no )lay for a dinner ticket invite their constituents to do so for them, and we do not suppose Pie anneal will be made in vain f while, if it is u iderstood that every guest defrays Ins o.vn proportion of the expenditure, there will be less ditScuity in determining vvtio shall and woo shall not be considered eligible to attend; and the compliment, o fnv 1 to the Prince will be , hig'ier Plan if it were known that all present were the recipients of a grat ait ms )“ feed.” Th* illumination, by hugs beacon ill res, of eminences like Mount MiCcdoi;, j Station Peak, Mount ii irtha, Mount hiliza, and the Anukies, is a matter which jmay be safely left to the public spirit of ithe inhabitants of the neighbouring districts ; and it is to be hoped that in lightjiug up the public edifices of tins city, we j shad study continental models and pr.ieitiee, and not imitate the tawdriaess of old Vaushall, or the meretriciousuess of moIdem Cremurne.