The Press. — London, England, 1858-08-14 00:00:00

Court Anb lastion. DEPARTURE OF HER GRAVESEND. MAJESTY FROM Os Tuesday morning her Majesty and his Royal Highness the Prince Consort embarked from Gravesend on board the royal yacht, on their visit to their daughter and Prince Frederick William of Prusaia. This, the first visit of her Majesty to Gravesend, was supposed to be a strictly private one, yet, from the peculiar circumstances in which it originated, as we ll as owing to the warm manifestations of loyalty which always attend the progress of her Majesty t h r ough any part of the United King dom, the visit could not be entirely divested of a certain character of iete and pageant, which, though the Gravesend people thought little of it, would have appeared a handsome demonstration in any other toivn. It is said that the visit was supposed to be private, for in truth the town, we believe, had no official inti mation that her Majesty was coming there privately at all. It. was known, of course, that she would embsrk from the Terrace-pier, and as the time ap proached an official letter was sent to the Secretary of State, asking if her Majesty would permit any public demonstration of welcome to be given by the townspeople. In the ordinary course of business this l e tter was transmitted to Lieut.-Colonel Sir Charles Phipps, K.C.8., who replied to the secretary, after a decent interval of delay, in a letter containing some P • acket of clover seed, but nothing more. As, after s this extraordinary despatch had been received, Sir Charles Phipps was at Cherbourg, nothing further could be done towards solving the enigmatical letter, and the borough officials were obliged to take public rumour as an authority that her Majesty wished to travel as quiet.) , and privately as possible, and govern their demonstration accordingly. To a certain extent, therefore, it was understood that her Majesty was to be received privately. But nothing could entirely suppress the decorative loyalty of the Gravesenders, and so it broke forth in such a display of ciphers, banners, wreaths, and garlands as must have given her Majesty a good idea of what the town would do if ever she came in state. Altogether, it was a most beautiful and cre ditable display, and, apart from the fact that the Home Secretary was not applied to for the decora tions or the police called upon to do the cheering, it was in all other respects equal to the show so lately made so n.uch of in the streets of Cherbourg. The main avenues from the railway station were covered with banners of all kinds, and even the streets branching off from the line of route were more or less gay with coloured drapery. In Harmer street the inhabitants had the good taste to combine in their decorations, and ali the balconies in the fronts of the houses, throughout their entire length, were festooned with garlands and coloured ribands with the prettiest effect imaginable. Across the toed, near the entrance to the Terme-pier, a beau tiful triumphal arch of flowers and evergreens was erected, while the pier itself was lined with scarlet cloth and draped with flags and banners from the roof. Perhaps the only, though partial, drawback which occurred throughout the day was the rain, for from seven i n th e morn i ng t ill a f ew m i nu t es before her Majesty's arrival it poured with such a drenching vigour as we have seldom seen surpassed even on the occasion of the most interesting public cere monies. Yet even this downpour bad no effect upon the attendance of spectators. They thronged the streets and crowded to the pier as if it was regular Queen's weather. Nine o'clock was the latest hour at which visitors were admitted to the inclosure by tickets. A guard of honour, with the fine band of the Royal Marines, was stationed outside the pier, and the streets were kept by patrols of the 15th Hussars. Before nine o'clock all the plates were taken, and everything was supposed to be in readiness for the arrival of her Majesty at ten o'clock or thereabouts ; but at nine a messenger arrived to say that the royal train had started, and would reach Gravesend at 94(1 This was alarming news, si n c e it w as almost certain that the royal yacht would not find sufficient water to float her to the pier by that time. However, an effort was necessary, and an effort was made, and not ten minutes before the arrival of the cortege the royal yacht was got alongside, with just enough Water to float her, and no more. At all events, she was there, and so t h e m i n d s of the corporat i on were relieved of an intense anxiety respecting what could, Would, or should be done if the Queen had to wait for half an hour among the crowd on the pier. The royal party arrived at her Majesty's private station at the Bricklayers' Arms at about halt-past eight, where they were received by the chairman of the company, the Hon. J. Byng, Captain Warren, Mr. S. Toulon, and Mr. C. W. liborall, manager. Th e royal train, la charge of Mr. Knight, superintendent of the 1 THE PRESS, AUGUST 14, 1858. traffic, started at a quarter to nine. All the stations I through which it passed were crowded, and the station at Gravesend was thronged with ladies and gentlemen. The route to the pier was densely thronged, and her Majesty was everywhere received with the most enthusiastic demonstrations of wel come, which appeared to gratify her extremely. At the pier, in deference to what is generally understood to be the wish of her Majesty when within walls, there was only one great cheer given on her alighting outside. After that, and while inside the pier, the greeting was strictly limited to waving hats and handkerchiefs and profound obeisances. Her Majesty was received by the troops with the usual royal honours as she alighted—precisely at half-past nine o'clock. Mr. Troughton, the mayor, at the head of the corporation of the borough, ad vanced and respectfully welcomed her, while Mr. Sharland, the town-clerk, presented her with the following address : TO TIIE QUEEN'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY. May it please your Majesty,—We, the mayor, aldermen, and councillors of the borough of Gravesend, respectfully tender our thanks to your Majesty for selecting this borough as the point of your embarkation. We gladly availed ourselves of the opportunity afforded to us in Februry last, on the embarkation of her Royal Highness the Princess Frederick William of Prussia, with her illustrious husband, of evincing our loyalty to your Majesty and our attachment to your excellent Consort. We trust that your Majesty will, on your arrival in Prussia, find all your most ardent expectations for the happiness and comfort of your daughter fully realized, and that in each succeeding year continued proofs of the loyalty and devoted attachment of all your Majesty's subjects will be afforded to you, and the blessing of health will, under Divine Providence, be vouchsafed to your Majesty, your Royal Consort, and children. Her Majesty accepted this address with a smile, and then, accompanied by the corporation, pro ceeded down the pier, and went at once on board the royal yacht, under a salute from Tilbury Fort. While on board the yacht a most graceful and affectionate souvenir was handed to her Majesty —an offering to the Princess Frederick William from the fifty-eight young ladies who, it will be remem bered, strewed flowers under the young bride's feet on the occasion of her departure from Gravesend. This consisted of a sheet of vellum, on which was exquisitely painted a large true-lover's knot, with the mottoes " England's fairest rose, may every happiness attend thee," and in German, "We trust our treasure to thee with the greatest confidence." This was inclosed in a beautiful wreath of roses entwined with the Prussian cornflower, the fillets which bound them together being inscribed with the names of the young ladies who presented it. The whole was richly framed and inclosed in a vety large morocco case, mounted and enriched with chased silver. On the whole, it was certainly one of the most graceful and best executed souvenirs we have yet seen. There was some doubt as to whether her Majesty could be asked to take charge of this to her daughter, but whatever doubts existed were set at rest the instant the case came on board. Her Majesty examined it with evident gratification, showed it to the Prince Consort, and then took charge of it herself by locking the case and putting the key in her pocket. A few minutes' delay was caused while the sailors got the luggage—an almost endless succession of carpet-bags, umbrellas, and hat-boxes, ttc., without which common necessaries, it seems, even Roy ally itself cannot travel—on board the yacht. All was ready, however, by ten o'clock, and at that hour, amid the most deafening cheers, the Victoria and Albert moved from the pier, and began to fly down the river at her usual pace. The vessels in attendance, and which followed in the wake at some distance, were the Osborne, the Vivid, and the Banshee—the latter as slovenly in appearance and in fact as when she was at Cherbourg. Boat 'races and public amusements followed the departure of her Majesty, and during the evening there was a brilliant display of fireworks on the water. The police arrangements throughout the day in the borough were most excellent. It was inti mated in a semi-official manner to Mr. Troughton, the mayor, that her Majesty was much pleased with her reception, and that she would most probably on her return to England disembark from the yacht et Gravesend. Immediately before the vessel started, Sir Charles Phipps came on shore, and requested Colonel Eyre to telegraph the time of the Queen's departure to the Princess Alice, at Osborne ; the Duchess of Kent, at Abergeldie; the Prince of Wales, at Richmond ; and the Princess Frederick William. A CABINET Colmar was held on Monday at the official residence of the Chancellor of the Exchequer in Downing street. The Ministers present were The Earl of Derby, the Right Hon. B. Disraeli, the Lord Chancellor, the Marquis of Salisbury, the Earl of Hardwicke, Mr. Secretary Walpole, the Earl of Malrnesbury, Sir E. Bulwer Lytton, General Peel, Sir John Pakington, Lord Stanley, and Lord John Manners. Valitltal. 783 -1 EAST INDIA COMPANY. ON Wednesday a Special General Court of the East India Company was held for the purpose of laying before the proprietors of East India Stock an Act of Parliament passed on the 2nd instant, entitled " An Act for the Better Government of India (21st and 22nd Vic., c. 100)." Sir F. CURRIE, the Chairman of the Board of Directors, presided. The CHAIRMAN said that before proceeding to the business of the day, as this would be the last oppor tunity of doing so, he begged to lay before the court a letter addressed to the Court of Directors by Sir John Inglis, acknowledging the vote of thanks passed to him by the Court of Proprietors. The letter was accordingly read. . . . The CHAIRMAN said he . had now to acquaint the court that the proprietors were summoned specially to lay before them the act which had recently passed for the better government of India. He did not think that he had anything to say on that subjeq, further than to state that at the last meeting of the court a petition in reference to the bill in question was adopted, and placed in the hands of the directors to be presented to Parliament. It had been pre sented and laid on the table of the House of Lords. The Court of Directors had also been requested to refer to the opinion of counsel, and to take measures to get inserted in the bill such clauses as were necessary for the protection of the proprietors as a body. The papers had been put into the hands of the law officers of the company and of Sir Richard Bethel!, and, on the part of the Court of Proprietors, Mr. Helps was requested to co-operate with them, and to point out the matters which required special attention. Clauses were drawn up and placed in the hands of a member of the House of Lords, and sub mitted to the Government. Those clauses were placed in the hands of the legal advisers of the Government, and the result was that two clauses founded on those proposed were brought forward by the Ministry, and they now comprised clauses 69 and 70 of the Act of Parliament. That was all that had taken place since the court last met. Those clauses did provide for the future position of the proprietors. They were as follows : MIX. After the commencement of this act, such of the directors as have been elected by the general court of the said company, or who shall from time to time be so elected, shall be the directors of the said company, and the major part of such directors for the time being shall form a Court of Directors ; and where the presence, signature, consent, or concurrence of ten directors is now requisite, the presence, signature, consent, or concurrence of the major part of the directors for the time being shall be sufficient; and to the intent that the number of directors may be reduced to six, two directors only shall be elected by the general court of the said company at each biennial election to fill the vacancies occasioned by the expiration of the term of office of directors, and so much of the said act of the sixteenth and seventeenth years of her Majesty as requires any of the directors to be persons who have resided ten years in India shall be repealed; and in the oath to be taken by a director of the said company, under sec. 13 of the said act, the words " in the administration of the Government of India in trust for the Crown " shall be omitted. LXX. It shall no longer be obligatory on the directors to summon four general quarterly courts in every year as heretofore. He was told that clause 71 was also introduced at the suggestion of the advisers of the company. It was as follows : ',XXI. Except claims of mortgagees of the security fund hereinbefore mentioned, the said company shall not, after the passing of this act, be liable in respect of any claim, demand, or liability which has arisen or may here after arise out of any treaty. covenant, contract, grant, en gagement, or fiduciary obligation made, incurred, or entered into by the said company before the passing of this act, whether the said company would, but for this sat, have been bound to satisfy such claim, demand, or liability out of the revenues of India, or in any other manner whatsoever. It was now for the Court of Proprietors to take such steps as were necessary with reference to the future. Mr. LEWIN begged to asked what would the posi tion of the Court of Proprietors be under the act ? Sir H. Wiu.ounmix wished, before the chairman answered, to ask another question. Ho assumed that the corporate rights of the company as a trading company were still untouched. He should like to hear what would be the position of the company for the future ; what was to be its governing body, and how was it to act, and would the proprietors have the power of meeting if they thought it necessary? He should like to hear the views of the directors on that subject. It was quite clear that till 1984, when the stock of the company might be redeemed, they must have au interest in the good government of India. He should like to know to what extent the powers of the company would continue, and what exactlt the; I position would be ?