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To this the Council immediately replied, tliat under the 

 lamentable and afflicting circumstances in which the Council 

 were placed, by the irreparable loss which they, in common 

 mth the nation, had sustained by the decease of their late 

 President, the gracious offer of His Eoyal Highness the Prince 

 of Wales should be accepted ; but at the same time that 

 he should be assured that they contemplated the loss of Her 

 Majesty's Statue with very deep regret. 



A similar letter was addressed by His Eoyal Highness the 

 Prince of Wales to the members of the Memorial Committee, 

 who also at once expressed their acquiescence in His Eoyal 

 Highness's proposal. The steps taken to carry His Eoyal High- 

 ness's wishes into effect have been already related. 



Nor was even this all. A further and most touching 

 demonstration of the Queen's purposes in behalf of the Society 

 occurred when the Annual Meeting for the election of Council 

 and Office-bearers took place in February. At that Meeting 

 it falls upon the Fellows to elect their President and Office- 

 bearers. Had Providence not removed their late President, it 

 would have been the privilege of that Meeting again to elect 

 him. In consec|uence of his decease, however, it became the 

 duty of the CouncU to consider whom they should recommend 

 to the Society for election in his place ; and they deemed 

 it becoming to endeavour to ascertain Her Majesty's wishes 

 on the subject. With feelings of the deepest gratitude they 

 learned that, had it been compatible with her high position. 

 Her Majesty would herself have condescended to fiU the office. 

 This not being possible, Her Majesty was pleased to recommend 



the Duke of Buccleuch to the Council, as the person whom, 

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