HC Deb 16 December 1878 vol 243 cc859-62
THE CHANOELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER

Sir, since we last met a great sorrow has fallen on the Queen and on the country, and I am sure I express the universal sentiment of this House when I propose that we should join in an Address of Condolence to Her Majesty on the lamented death of the Grand Duchess of Hesse—our Princess Alice. Sir, it has been, and is, the habit of this House to sympathize and to express sympathy with Her Majesty on all occasions of domestic joy or sorrow. There are, I do not doubt, many here—I know there are some—who can remember the Address of Congratulation on the birth of Princess Alice, and the Address of Congratulation on her happy marriage. Now, alas! it falls to me to ask for an Address of Condolence on her decease. I feel it would be superfluous—indeed, presumptuous—on my part to speak of one so well known to us all, and so highly appreciated for the nobleness, tenderness, and true womanliness of her character. At the same time, one can hardly avoid lingering for a moment on the recollection of one whose life has been cut short so early, and, looking at human considerations, one would say so prematurely. Apart altogether from her Royal birth and her exalted station, Princess Alice had qualities to command love and admiration—whether we think of her as a daughter ministering at the dying bed of her father, as a sister exerting herself as a careful, affectionate, and skilful nurse to her brother when he lay almost at the point of death, as a tender mother who may be said to have sacrificed her life in her affectionate care of her own children, or whether we recall the time when she came forward to alleviate the sufferings of the sick and wounded of her adopted country. We remember how every English heart throbbed to know that these noble deeds were done by a daughter of England. Whatever may be the capacity in which we recognize that combination of qualities—that combination of warmth of heart, soundness of judgment, and practical energy which go to make up the type of a perfect woman—we feel that she is to be lamented for the sake of the se she has left behind, especially in her own family, where we see that strong instinct of domestic affection which endears them so much to the people of this country. Most of all do we lament her death because of the blow that has fallen on the Queen. This is the first great domestic sorrow that has come upon Her Majesty since, 17 years ago, and on the same day, that one great blow of her life was given. We feel that before such a sorrow it is almost impossible to speak; and yet we know that words of sympathy are most valuable, and that by no one is the power of sympathy more valued than by Her Majesty, for we have her own example to show that no calamity falls upon any portion of her people but she is the first, by kindly words and kindly message, to manifest her own sympathy. I feel convinced the House will unanimously agree to an Address which will testify at once our personal affection for the Sovereign, our deep sorrow for her loss, and our earnest prayer that God may support her in her affliction. I beg to move— That an humble Address he presented to Her Majesty, to express the deep concern of this House at the great loss which Her Majesty has sustained by the death of Her Royal Highness the Grand Duchess of Hesse, Princess Alice of Great Britain and Ireland, second daughter of Her Majesty the Queen, and to condole with Her Majesty on this melancholy occasion; to assure Her Majesty that this House will ever feel the warmest interest in whatever concerns Her Majesty's domestic Relations; and to declare the ardent wishes of this House for the happiness of Her Majesty and of Her Family.

THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTON

Sir, I rise to second the Address which has been proposed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and to say I feel that every man in this House will agree with every word that has fallen from the right hon. Gentleman. There is no need of many words on such an occasion as this. The English people, I believe, feel deeply; but they are not prone to express their emotions loudly. There is something very grand and touching when an emotion either of joy or sorrow spreads itself over a whole people—when the se deep and tender feelings which are excited by the events of human life, but which are generally and necessarily restricted within a narrow circle, extend to the utmost limits of a great Empire. Her Majesty and her children may be assured that when they rejoice, or when they mourn, the people of this country rejoice and mourn with them. The Chancellor of the Exchequer has referred to that time, 17 years ago, when the first great calamity afflicted the Royal Family. Most of us can remember how at that time every man felt that he had suffered, not only a public, but a private sorrow. A few years later, as the Chancellor of the Exchequer has also reminded us, the whole nation watched, as it were, by the sick bed of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. The memory of Her Royal Highness Princess Alice will always be associated with the recollection of these periods of mourning and suspense; and the devotion she showed as a daughter and a sister will never be forgotten by the people of this country. Sir, we do not desire to intrude on the grief of Her Majesty and the Royal Family; but if sympathy under such circumstances as the present be any consolation, Her Majesty may rest assured that the sentiments which are expressed in this Address are but the faithful reflection of the feelings which exist throughout the country. Resolved, Nemine Contradicente, That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, to express the deep concern of this House at the great loss which Her Majesty has sustained by the death of Her Royal Highness the Grand Duchess of Hesse, Princess Alice of Great Britain and Ireland, second daughter of Her Majesty the Queen, and to condole with Her Majesty on this melancholy occasion. To assure Her Majesty that this House will ever feel the warmest interest in whatever concerns Her Majesty's domestic Relations; and to declare the ardent wishes of this House for the happiness of Her Majesty and of Her Family.

To be presented by Privy Councillors.