ROYAL COLONIAL INSTITUTE.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5441, 4 September 1878, Page 3

ROYAL COLONIAL INSTITUTE.

(From the Home News 18th July.) Tho annual meeting of this society was held a few days ago at the rooms in the strand, the Duke of Manchester presiding. The report read by the honorary secretary, Mr. Frederick Young, called attention to the fact that the institute had now completed the tenth year of its existence. It had never entered into the sphere of local politics, although many important questions of this char ,cter had from time to time excited a considerable amount of interest and attention, oven beyond the limits of the particular colonies in which they had arisen. The objects to which it had always been devoted had been eseutially imperial. The Prince of Wales had graciously consented to accept the office of President of the Institute. The council considered this step on the part of his Royal Highness as one of tho highest importance, not alone as regarded the future success of the Royal Colonial Institute, but also as being fraught with the most valuable results in demonstrating the warm sympathy felt towards the colonies and India by his Royal Highness in thus identifying himself with an institution which was expressly founded for the purpose of showing such sympathy, and which was doing all in its power to bind together the whole of the British nation in the closest ties of friendship, brotherhood, and good will. Since the last annual meeting 97 Fellows had been elected, of whom 49 were resident and 48 non-resident. A financial statement made by the acting hon. treasurer, Mr, Molyneux, showed that the receipts for tho year amounted to £1834, and the disbursements to £1332, leaving a balance of £5Ol. The report was unanimously adopted, atql it was announced that a ballot had resulted in the unopposed' re-election of the members of council retiring by rotation or being nominated for office this year. Tho Duke of Manchester said ho had long sympathised moat warmly with all our colonies, and felt the deepest interest in their progress. He was proud of them, and thought that those men who had gone to spread tho English race in distant lands were deserving of the lasting honor and gratitude of tlieir fellow-countrymen. Wo honored the discoverers of new lands, and he thought we should much more honor those who settled those new lands and won them for the Empire. Ho hoped the society would continue to follow the course it had so usefully and successfully entered upon, and help still further to unite the colonies of tho Empire more closely with one another and with the old country. Some day ha trusted that we should see a really Imperial army and navy, not recruited merely from the United Kingdom, but formed and supported and, which would be only fair, in due proportion governed by tho colonies as well as by the United Kingdom. He felt proud that during the time ho had held tho office from which he had now retired tho, institute had grown into such

consideration as it now enjoyed— : a consideration, of which he could not give a stronger proof than by mentioning that when asked to become President his Royal Higuess the Prince of Wales had immediately acceeded to the request. His Grace added that he had reason to hope, moreover, that his Royal Highness would not bo merely an honorary president. A conversazione was given by the institute on June 27 in the South Kensington Museum. The guests, numbering about 800, were received in the audience chamber of Akbar Khan by the Duke of Manchester. As a gathering representative of all sections and interests in the British possessions this was one of the most successful yet held by the Royal Colonial Institute. There were Indian princes, colonial divines, lawyers, merchants, and officials, and among foreigners several members of the Chinese Embassy.