Through his affiliation with the New York Herald, the young English-born writer Kinahan Cornwallis (1839-1917), was afforded the opportunity to witness the nineteen-year-old Prince of Wales's 1860 highly successful tour of Canada and America more closely than any other individual outside the royal party. He chronicled his observations and depicted the progress of the first visit of a member of the British royal family to the Americas, and the resulting book was quickly published in New York. Cornwallis wrote that his great aim in recounting the travels of His Royal Highness was to provide the most accurate account of the tour, a task for which he considered himself uniquely qualified. He expected his volume to be received with equal enthusiasm, and the events to be accorded equal historical significance, in both England and America, perhaps even strengthening the deeply rooted bonds between the people of both nations.
Preface; 1. Introductory; 2. Enthusiastic reception; 3. Arrival at Halifax; 4. The feeling of the people; 5. The river St. John; 6. General holiday and rejoicing; 7. Incidents on a journey; 8. Excursion to meet the Prince; 9. Pictorial glimpses of the Prince's travels; 10. Proposed federation of the province; 11. Closing scenes in Quebec; 12. The first day in Montreal; 13. The cricket-ground; 14. Enthusiasm and warmth of the people; 15. The landing at Toronto; 16. The London of America; 17. The Falls; 18. Departure from Niagara Falls; 19. The grandeur of the Prince's reception at Detroit; 20. Trip from Dwight to St. Louis; 21. From Pittsburg to Harrisburg; 22. The Prince's visit to Mount Vernon; 23. The departure from Baltimore; 24. New York's glorious welcome to the Prince; 25. The run up the river; The departure from Albany; 26. The review; 27. Concluding reflections; 28. Summary of the Prince's tour; 29. The historical Prince of Wales; 30. The royal party; 31. Poetry; 32. The return home; 33. Synoptical view.