I have to thank you for the compliment which has thus been paid to our Order; and I have further to express our sincere desire for the future happiness of your Honor, and the prosperity of this important Province."
The Superintendent receiving the plans from Mr. Stephen, presented them to the Order for preservation amongst the Masonic archives of the colony; and then spoke as follows:—
"I have now to declare the Prince's Bridge open for public use. In so doing I must express my acknowledgments to all parties concerned in its erection for the kindly feeling manifested during its progress. I must especially note the conduct of the operative masons and the mechanics employed in the work for their generous and manly conduct in continuing their labours during the period when the supplies voted were not forthcoming. Such a dilemma could not have occurred had this district possessed a Legislature of its own. I had anticipated the completion of the Bridge upon the third anniversary of its building, but was disappointed from the above cause; and a much further delay must have ensued but for the liberal conduct of the artisans employed in the undertaking. 1 should remark that the entire materials of this, the first Bridge of Victoria, (shall I say) are composed of colonial produce—Victorian granite, Victorian mortar, Victorian labour—and when your children's children may be crossing this bridge in after years they may probably have learnt that this very important structure was raised during the period of the government of a 'Superintendent.'" Upon the conclusion of these remarks a peal of stunning cheers burst from the assembled thousands; and the crash of the artillery from the opposite hill announced to the inhabitants that the Prince's Bridge was opened as a free bridge to the public of Victoria.
The procession then moved on in inverted order, his Honor preceding, and the Masons, Oddfellows, and other Societies following over the bridge.
After passing the Bridge the procession proceeded towards the site for the intended Vice-Regal residence, and here the several bodies falling into line, remained for about a quarter of an hour, with bands playing and colours flying. His Honor the Superintendent (who was dressed in the official uniform of a Lieutenant-Governor), was very warmly received, and loudly and vociferously cheered as he rode through the different Societies, and courteously acknowledged the ebullitions of public feeling with which he was everywhere greeted.
In reference to Prince's Bridge, it may be worth remarking that on the day of its foundation an item of the ceremony consisted of what is Masonically termed an Invocation offered by the Rev. A. C. Thomson who acted as Chaplain, as follows:— "May He, Whose mighty hand encompasseth Eternity, be the Guardian and Protector of this infant city and its inhabitants, and may this building which spanneth the waters be long His protection—long preserved from peril and decay." Judging from results it is not unreasonable to assume that the first half of this precation has not been without its effect on the then future; but the prayer for the preservation of the bridge has been as unavailing as many a prayer for rain since, for in little more than thirty years, the structure was removed to make way for a larger one, and the Yarra Yarra no longer (1888) knows the first stone bridge that spanned its once unpolluted waters.
That evening the Mayor entertained a sciect party at the Port Phillip Club Hotel, Flinders Street.
The Duke of York Order of Oddfellows enjoyed themselves at the Robert Burns Inn, in Lonsdale Street. The Brothers sat down to table in full regalia, the Lodge banner being displayed from the window, and a band playing in the room.
The members of the Fitzroy Lodge dined at the Cornwall Arms, Bourke Street, and did not separate until an early hour on Saturday morning.
The Grand United Order of Oddfellows held a Separation Ball at the Protestant Hall. Upwards of three hundred persons assembled-Brothers in full costume. Dancing commenced at ten o'clock, and was kept on with spirit until one o'clock, when about two hundred sat down to supper, or rather breakfast, which was laid out in the lower room under the superintendence of Mr. Hunter, confectioner, Collins Street.
In the city the banners of the different Societies, besides other flags bearing different devices, were hoisted from the windows, and music and revelry were again the order of the day.
