The Prince of Wales has offered a suggestion for the
celebra- tion of her Majesty's Jubilee year. He wishes an Institute to be founded, by subscription, of course, to be devoted to India and the Colonies, which shall be at once a museum, an exhibi- tion, and a debating-hall for Indian and colonial subjects. He therefore asks the Lord Mayor to open a fund with this object. The Lord Mayor, of course, has complied eagerly ; and as subscriptions started by the Prince rarely fail, we may presume that the funds will speedily be forthcoming. The proposal, which we have described at some length elsewhere, is an exceedingly good one ; but it is curious to see how the Imperial idea grows upon the imaginations of the Royal Family. The Queen obviously feels her headship over so many countries in all continents, and so does the Heir-Apparent. We can only hope that neither will forget how completely their position within the world is based upon their position within the little country of which nowadays one scarcely hears the name. Ireland we always have with us, and Scotland on most days ; but England, which mastered them, and leading them all built the Empire, is losing even its name in the ugly phrase, "Great Britain." We could find it in our hearts sometimes to wish that "the Empire" and its rulers had to get along without England, say, for a week. How the empty sack would collapse !
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