INSTITUTION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS.
March 27th, 1886.
Not for the first, nor the second time, the Prince of Wales was entertained at the Annual Dinner of the Institution of Civil Engineers, on the 27th of March, 1886. The banquet was held on this occasion in the hall of Lincoln's Inn, the use of which was kindly granted by the Benchers. The Prince was accompanied by Prince Albert Victor and the Duke of Cambridge. A very large company of distinguished men in various walks of life, as well as the leading engineers of the day, were present, about two hundred in all.
The President, Sir Frederick Bramwell (the President of the British Association at Bath in 1888), in giving the usual loyal toasts, took occasion to mention that of the Royal guests, two, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge, were honorary members of the Institution of Civil Engineers, and he hoped that the third would before long be added to the list.
In responding to the toast of "The Prince and Princess of Wales and the rest of the Royal Family," after expressing his grateful thanks, the Prince said:—
"In coming here this evening among you I feel that I am not a stranger, as you have paid me the high compliment of enrolling me as an honorary member of your Institution. At the same time I consider it a high privilege, and I may say a high honour, to dine here at this your annual banquet, as I am sure no one will gainsay me when I assert that an Institution like this is one of the most important in this country, and one for which we have the highest respect. I do not know what we should do without the civil engineers. How could we cross rivers? How could we go under them? Where would be the roads? Where would be the railways? And, perhaps, most important of all, where would be those great works of sanitation, which are of such vital concern to all countries and to all towns? For all these things are left in your hands.
"Some years have elapsed since I last had the pleasure of dining here, and in the interval I well know that civil engineers have not been idle. I may just mention a few works which have come under my own observation, not only in this country but in India, works which have been carried out by civil engineers, though all may not, perhaps, be members of this Institution. The first that occurs to me is the new Eddystone Lighthouse, of which I myself had the pleasure to assist in placing the first stone. Then there are those great works which will be handed down to posterity and of which civil engineers will ever be proud—I refer to the Mersey and Severn Tunnels. The former work I had the great pleasure of opening two months ago. Then comes the Forth Bridge, not yet completed; I visited the works two years ago, and I hope in two, or at most three years we may see the great bridge in working order. While referring to these great works, which will always remain mementoes of the ability of the civil engineers of our time, I must not forget to allude to a more distant evidence of engineering skill—viz., the Alexandra Bridge in India, which was built over the River Chenab, and which I had the good fortune to open now ten years ago.
"I might speak for a long time if I detailed all the important works constructed by civil engineers that I have seen, and especially if I were to mention also a string of illustrious names familiar to every one. But I shall abstain from doing so now, first because, as you hear, my voice is not very good, and in the second place because it has been agreed upon that there are not to be any very long speeches. It is my satisfaction now before sitting down to propose a toast which I am sure will be most gratefully and sympathetically received by the company, and that is 'The Health of your President, Sir Frederick Bramwell.' I cannot allude to him in the manner I should like, or enumerate all the distinguished services which he has rendered to his country; but one thing I will venture to say, and that is that his name will always be honourably connected with the advancement of technical education. The interest he has taken in that great subject, and the labour he has bestowed on it, have gained for him the high honour, conferred by his Sovereign, of the order of knighthood, and I am sure he will still continue to devote his time and energies to a measure which is of the greatest importance to this country. For myself I may say that I also owe him a deep debt of gratitude for the services he has rendered as chairman of the executive committee of the recent Inventions Exhibition. I have now the great pleasure of proposing the toast of 'Prosperity to the Institution of Civil Engineers,' coupled with the name of your President Sir Frederick Bramwell."
Sir Frederick Bramwell made an amusing speech, in which he highly magnified the office of the Civil Engineer as contrasted with every other profession. The Duke of Cambridge spoke well, as usual, for the Army, and Lord Charles Beresford gave a supplementary speech, in response to loud calls, after Admiral Le Hunte Ward had responded for the Navy. The improvements in both military and naval armaments due to civil engineers were duly recognized by all the speakers.