e, and for the
warm welcome with which we were greeted on our return. You were good
enough, my Lord Mayor, to refer to his Majesty having marked our
home-coming by creating me Prince of Wales. I only hope that I may be
worthy to hold that ancient and historic title, which was borne by my
dear father for upward of fifty-nine years.

My Lord Mayor, you have attributed to us more credit than I think we
deserve. For I feel that the debt of gratitude is not the nation's to
us, but ours to the King and Government for having made it possible for
us to carry out, with every consideration for our comfort and
convenience, a voyage unique in its character, rich in the experience
gained and in memories of warm and affectionate greetings from the many
races of his Majesty's subjects in his great dominions beyond the seas.
And here in the capital of our great Empire I would repeat how
profoundly touched and gratified we have been by the loyalty, affection
and enthusiasm which invariably characterized the welcome extended to us
throughout our long and memorable tour. It may interest you to know
that we travelled over 45,000 miles, of which 33,000 were by sea, and I
think it is a matter of which all may feel proud that, with the
exception of Port Said, we never set foot on any land where the Union
Jack did not fly. Leaving England in the middle of March, we first
touched at Gibraltar and Malta, where, as a sailor, I was proud to meet
the two great fleets of the Channel and Mediterranean. Passing through
the Suez Canal--a monument of the genius and courage of a gifted son of
the great friendly nation across the Channel--we entered at Aden the
gateway of the East. We stayed for a short time to enjoy the unrivaled
scenery of Ceylon and the Malay Peninsula, the gorgeous displays of
their native races, and to see in what happy contentment these various
peoples live and prosper under British rule. Perhaps there was something
still more striking in the fact that the Government, the commerce, and
every form of enterprise in these countries are under the leadership and
direction of but a handful of our countrymen, and to realize the high
qualities of the men who have won and kept for us that splendid
condition. Australia saw the consummation of the great mission which was
the more immediate object of our journey, and you can imagine the
feelings of pride with which I presided over the inauguration of the
first representative Assembly of the new