[ILN 11 Feb 1882]

THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH IN THE ISLE OF MAN.

On Tuesday week, his Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, Admiral Superintendent of Naval Reserves, in the performance of his tour of official inspection, on his way from the Clyde to the Mersey, visited the Isle of Man, and stayed there till yesterday morning. We have recently put before our readers, upon several occasions in the past twelvemonth, views of the most interesting scenes, natural objects, and historical monuments, in that small island of the Irish Sea, which proves yearly more attractive to visitors from England, and. which is not difficult of access from Liverpool, Fleetwood, or Barrow on the Lancashire Coast. The places shown in our Illustrations this week are Douglas Bay, with the pleasant town of that name, the social capital and the Lieutenant-Governor's residence ; Castletown, where the insular Legislature, the house of Keys, still holds its sessions, and where Castle Rushen, now the common prison, recalls the feudal rule of bygone ages ; Port St. Mary, the rendezvous of the herring fishery, to protect which the first stone of a projected breakwater, the "Alfred Pier", was laid by his Royal Highness ; and the picturesque ruins of Peel Castle, with those of the ancient Cathedral , on a rocky islet close to the harbour of Peel, on the western shore of the Island. All these places were so lately described in this Journal, that it will only be needful to observe the manner in which the Prince was enabled to visit them list week, unfortunately with so little time to spare, having but a few hours at his disposal, that he could add but little to his former impressions, having been there before in July, 1863. The inhabitants of Douglas and Port St. Mary, who saw most of his Royal Highness, though not so much as they wished, and likewise those of Castletown and Peel, and the deputation from Ramsey next morning who waited upon him at Douglas, showed a cordial feeling of loyalty and public spirit in their manifestations of welcome to the Prince

The arrival of the Admiralty despatch-boat Lively, with his Royal Highness on board, about ten o'clock on Thursday morning, was greeted with the firing of a salute from the guns. As the steamer rounded the Battery Pier, and came to anchor between that and the Victoria Pier. the harbour-master went on board, and brought him into the harbour, where she was moored in "the Double Corner". A guard of honour, formed of the 1st Isle of Man Volunteers, the Rocket Brigade, the Life-Boat Crews, and the Fire Brigade, was drawn up on shore. The Lieutenant-Governor, Sir H. B. Loch, K.C.B., with the Right Rev. Dr. Rowley, Bishop of Sodor and Man, went on board the Lively and breakfasted with the Prince. Other island officials, Deemster Drinkwater(Judge), Major Goldie-Taubman, Speaker of the house of Keys, Mr. S. Harris, High Bailiff of Douglas, and Mr. W. A. Brearey, Chairman of the Town Commissioners, with members of the Reception Committee, were introduced to his Royal Highness. He received an address from the town, with one or two special presents ; and then landed at eleven o'clock. Entering a carriage drawn by four greys, accompanied by the Lieutenant-Governor, the Bishop, and Captain Le Strange, RN., Commander of the Lively, his Royal Highness drove through the town, followed by three other carriages, with the local notables, and by the military and naval guard of honour. Along Parade-street, the Loch Promenade, Victoria street, and Athol street, there was a great display of flags and other decorations, with triumphal arches, and thousands of people cheered the Prince as he went past. Leaving Douglas, the two foremost carriages, with his Royal Highness and the chief official personages of the island, drove on to Castletown, within less than an hour's journey, on the south shore. Alighting there at the Court-House, the Prince received an address from the high Bailiff of Castletown, Mr. J. M. Jeffcott, and thence proceeded along the shore road to Port St. Mary. Here another address was presented,by Mr. Clucas, the Captain of Rushen, and the Rev. F. Tracy, the Vicar of the parish. At the spot where the new pier and breakwater is to be constructed, the Lieutenant-Governor, with the Receiver-General, Mr. Ridgway Harrison, and other Commissioners of the Harbour Board, invited his Royal Highness to lay the first stone. this ceremony was duly performed with a silver trowel, the Prince being assisted by Mr. C. R. Walker, resident engineer of the work. On the way back to Castletown, the whole party lunched with Mrs. Gawne, at Kentraugh. They returned. from Castletown to Douglas by the railway, and immediately started by another line of rail-road to Peel. across the island, getting there soon after four o'clock. At Peel, staying less than an hour, the Duke of Edinburgh received an address from a third local High Bailiff, Mr. R. J. Moore, on behalf of that division or "sheading" of the island ; then went over the ruins of Peel Castle, and finally inspected the Rocket Brigade. The Peelites, if the townspeople of Peel may be so called, gave him an enthusiastic welcome ; they had put up triumphal arches, with Manx mottoes, and a variety of tasteful decorations ; and they had six hundred school-children to sing "Rule Britannia " and "God Save the Queen." At Douglas, in the evening, there were splendid illuminations, which his Royal Highness failed to see. A dinner and a ball were given in honour of the Prince, by Sir H. B. Loch and Lady Loch, at Government House. Next morning, at ten o'clock, the High Bailiff of Ramsey, Mr. J. C. La Mothe, with the Ramsey Town Commissioners, brought an address to the Duke of Edinburgh, who regretted that he could not go to that place. The Lively, an hour afterwards, left the Isle of Man for the Mersey. Our Illustrations are from Sketches by our local artist, Mr. J. M. Nicholson, forwarded by the Reception Committee.