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In reply to the Madras address presented to the King Emperor by the Presidency of Madras, His Majesty said :-
Thank you heartily for your loyal and dutiful address of welcome to the Queen Empress and myself on behalf of the people of the Presidency of Madras. We are deeply moved by the loyal feelings which have inspired the inhabitants of the oldest Province in our Indian dominions, numbering over forty million people, to unite in givng so cordial a demonstration of their attachment to our throne and persons. The great volume containing signatures of repesentatives of all the different races, castes, and creeds of Southern India will ever be treasured by us as precious testimony of your loving welcome.
We appreciate highly the terms in which you have referred to the occasion of our present visit to India and your affectionate remembrance of our stay in Madras in 1906. We have not forgotten the hearty greeting which was then extended to us, and it is a source of deep regret that the limited time available has not permitted us to accede to your wishes and to include a visit to your famous city.
I have heard with profound gratification your kindly allusions to the sympathetic interest which the great Queen Victoria and my beloved father and mother displayed in the prosperity of their Indian Empire. I need not assure you that I share those feelings and that the welfare and prosperity of my Indian subjects will ever be objects of my earnest solicitude.
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