On Wednesday the King and Queen passed through Liver- pool,
where they were enthusiastically received, and arrived at Birmingham. The King's replies to the various addresses were uniformly happy, with just the right combination of dignified formality and intimate personal concern. In the Council House his Majesty spoke of the peculiar pride with which Birmingham is regarded by its citizens, and the industry and enterprise of its chief men, which have made it a notable model of municipal effort. At the University, where the King opened the new buildings, he alluded very sympa- thetically to the absence of Mr. Chamberlain, the Chancellor, an absence which was universally regretted, and said :— "Such institutions as this are of paramount importance in enabling the students to obtain in their native city instruction in science and technology, in art and mathematics, which in former days they were compelled to seek in places far distant from their homes at an expense which, in some instances, they could ill afford A man educated at this University will be a better citizen of Birmingham and a better subject of the Empire." At Birmingham, as at Manchester, the com- mercial community generously supports the University. The same evening the King and Queen returned to London.
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