The Press. — London, England, 1856-09-06 00:00:00

SEPT. 6, 1856. accompanied by an equerry, occupied a compartmen . to themselves, and when all had arrived an intima tion was made that the Queen was near at hand. Her Majesty was in the terminus tor some time before it was decided how she could be best got out of her carriage and conveyed to the railway carriage without being seen. It MIS at first intended to carry her in a palanquin, but this idea was abandoned. Long and earnest conversations took place between the eunuchs and other natives outside the carriage, and her Majesty within, evidently about the difficulty of preventing her from being seen. Her Majesty talked very volubly upon the matter. Great dis putes, in Hindostanee, took place also between Mr. Brandon, the interpreter, the eunuchs, and other native servants, apparently about the same subject. Full half an hour was wasted in this way. The Queen's carriage wag drawn up to a doorway of the platform diff rent to that where the Princes and others entered, and there was a distance of twenty feet from the carriage where the Queen was to the railway train. At length it was determined to con teal her by bolding up pieces of cloth, linen, or shawls, so as to form a screened passage for her Majesty to walk through. But the screens could not be got long or wide enough, nor were there sufficient number of eunuchs to hold them up. If the screens touched the ground persons could look over them, and would be able to see the Queen's head ; and if they did not touch the ground persons could look under, and would be able to see the Queen's feet. At length, with the assistance of Mr. Watkins, the station-master, who helped to hold up the screens, and of Mr. Brandon, who stood in a gapway. caused by the shortness of the screens, an imperfectly con cealed passage was formed; and soon afterwards the door of the carriage opened. Every one's breath was now suspended. Mr. Brandon twisted round, to present his back to her Majesty, so that he might not be guilty of the profanation of looking at her, when presently a stout figure, completely shrouded in a white dress, emerged from the carriage. This was the Begnm, or Queen Dowager of Oude. She was followed by a lady attired similarly to herself. The curiosity of the spectators was now almost boundless, but the eunuchs, still holding up the screens, closed up behind her Majesty until she en• tered a darkened compartment of a railway carriage, the door of which was immediately closed. Her Majesty soon uncovered a portion of her face, and looked through the window of the carriage at the crowd ; but no one outside could ells ting,ui--lt her features. However, with all this cau. tion, her Majesty had not entered the compartment entirely unperceived, for one or two persons, availing themselves of the opportunity afforded owing to the attention of the officials being directed to the impor tance of the proceeding, climbed to the roof of the royal carriage, and by that means witnessed the Queen's progress between :he two lines of drapery placed to secure privacy. The Queen was closely veiled, but dressed in a silver-grey train, and wore gold anklets about her fee:. Shortly after, the train left, and arrived safely at the Waterloo station about eleven p.m., when the whole party were carefully conveyed to Harley•house, New road, the late residence of the Duke of Bruns wick. Since their arrival in town the royal family have maintained a strict seclusion, but their attend ants and suite are frequently seen in the grounds round the house. Mr. Brandon, who has been connected with the family for several years in the kingdom of Oude, and accompanied them on their voyage to this coun try, acts as their interpreter and general agent. The Prince, who recently attained his twentieth year, and Is about the middle height, is described by Mr. Brandon as exceedingly frank and kindhearted in his manners, but bashful in the presence of strangers. Though unable to speak English, he has been well educated after the fashion of his country. The uncle of the Prince, "the General," as be is called among themselves, is stout, above the average size, with • good presence, and about thirty-three years of age. The Queen Mother is between fifty and sixty, and of a somewhat corpulent figure, of a light copper coloured complexion, like that of her son and grandson. ftletrapolitan. A Hot - SE in Little Swan.alley, Tokenhouse-yard, fell in on Tuesday morning, burying in the ruins some filteen persons, of whom four were killed. Swan-all e y, In th e rear o f th e fi ne Ci t y b u ildings, is one of those squalid spots full of dilapidated houses tenanted by poor workinv-people. The house in question was in a wretched condition, and for some time had given significant symptoms of decay, but no repairs appear to have been made. Three fami lies—Palmer, his wife and five children ; King, wife and three children ; and Sibert and wife, with an other lodger—occupied two floors of the house. A little after midnight on Tuesday morning the house fell in with a tzemendons crash. Polies and passers- THE PRESS. by were quickly on the spot, and with prodigious efforts soon dug all out of the debris, but Palmer and three of his children. In about two hours their bodies were discovered, warm but dead. Mrs. Pal mer, who was providentially saved, gives the follow ing account of the accident. She said : We occupied the back room on the first floor of the house, for which I paid Mr. Crane 2a. a week rent. There were my husband and myself, the baby in my arms, my boy, who was out in a situation, and my other children— Elizabeth, James, and Thomas Pullen—by a former mar riage. We lived in the one room. My husband is a dock labourer, and I am is the habit of going out washing and earning a trifle. I was out washing on Tuesday, and received Is. fid., and was very tired. My poor boy was kept later at work at his situation than usual, and so his life was saved. About nine o'clock I was preparing my hus band's supper, when I heard a noise as if the walls were cracking, and saw dust falling from the ceiling. I said to my husband. " Oh, I am sure the house is falling." He replied that I was always thinking so, and that it was the man in the next room sharpening his knife. 1 said that would not cause the walls to crack or the dust to fall, and I was sure the house must be falling. Nothing further was said, however ; we had our supper, and shortly after ten o'clock we went to bed. lam weaning the boy in my arms, and, in consequence of his crying, I got op about five minutes to twelve o'clock and gave him some milk. He fell asleep in my arms, ',Fen I felt the boards of the floor shaking under me. This was a few minutes after twelve o'cl , ck. I felt the shaking of the floor more and more, and called out to my poor husband, " Oh, good God ! the house is falling ; save my poor children " He got up, put on his trousers, and was going to the corner of the room where my three children lay on the floor, to save them, no doubt. That is the last I saw of them. I ran to the stairs, screaming for Mrs. King to escape with her family. As I got towards the bottom of the stairs they gave way under me, and as the house fell I was thrown out, with my boy in my arms. on to the pavement in the court. I can recollect little more than that I and my baby were saved, and that we were nearly suffocated by the clouds of dust. My child was hurt by the fall. I have lately had strong doubts about the security of the house, and had talked to my husband about leaving. Last Saturday night week Mr. Crane called upon me for 25., the week's rent. I told him he had better have something done to the fireplace, for it was not safe, and the children would fall into the cellar some of these days. There was a large crack by the side of the fireplace. He said he would call in a few days and look to it. He went away, but nothing has been done to the place or the house. I paid my rent last Sunday, and I am now in the most destitute circum stances. I earned ls. 641. by going out washing on the Tuesday, which I put under my bed, and 1 am in hopes I shall find it The other persons saved give a similar account of the accident. The house would seem to have fallen in from the sheer rotteness of the tatters. A house immediately adjoining the fallen one, and which it had left in a dangerous state, wag pulled down on Wednesday, with a view to prevent any further casualty of a similar kind. THE NEW HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT, according to the propo-al of Lord Lyndhurst as to the employ ment of the solution for stopping incipient decay of the stone, to the efficiency of which Sir C. Barry had certified, are to be once washed externally with the solution, in tinier to stop all future decay. THE PARISHIONERS OF ST. hxzs'n, CLEREENWELL, are in a position of considerable difficulty in refe rence to the appointment of an incumbent in the room of the late Bev. W. E. L. Faulkner, who died a few weeks since. The living, which has always been in the gift of the parishioners, was to be con tended for in the usual manner, when it was sug gested that by Sir Benjamin Hall's new act the election was taken out of the hands of the parish. ioners as a body, and confided to the recently-elected vestry. There are two candidates, namely, Mr. Ho race Roberts, M.A., of Magdalene College, Cam bridge, who has been three or four months curate of the parish, and Mr. Robert Maguire, of Islington, who is well known as a lecturer against Romanism. The circumstances have been submitted to Sir Fitz roy Kelly, who has been requested to state whether the election is vested in the ratepayers or in the Local Management Board. The living is worth about 300/. a year. THE Boni. Bairns BANK stopped payment on Wednesday morning. This is the first joint stock bank which has failed. Its stoppage has caused an immense sensation among the smt.ller tradesmen of London and the suburbs, who sere the principal de positors. It is anticipated that its affairs will have to be wound up. A Sanctus Accrnsirr happened at the Wellington Barracks last Wednesday. A new wing to the bar racks is being erected. The beerman shout ten a.m. ascended the ladder to the roof to serve the men. Just as he reached the top, several men ru.hed at him to be served first. The stone coping gave way and siz cf the men fell to the ground. One was killed on the spot, and the rest suffered frightful fractures, but it is hoped that their lives will be saved THE NEW SHERIFFS OF LONDON AND MIDDLESEX, Mr. J. J. Mechi and Mr. F. Keats, will enter upon their duties on Monday, the 29th init., on which day also the election of Lord Mayor will take place. 849 THE PUBLIC LIBRARIES ACT for St. George's, lisnover-square, was put to the vote at a meeting of ratepaer, on Thursday, and the adoption rejected with scarcely one dissentient. THE ROYAL NATIONAL LIFEBOAT INSTITUTION held a meeting on Thursday, to distribute medals for the preservati , n of life from shipwreck and drowning. It was reported that the forthcoming number of the Lifeboat Journal would contain a detailed description, with several illustrations, of the life boat now adopted with so much success by the in stitution. THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON held its monthly general meeting on thur,lay in Hanover square. The report of the council containe a long list of donations to the library as well a-, to the me nagerie. Among the latter gifts are a collection of animals presented by the Chief Justice of Honduras, who has r, cently arrived in this country. The re port also recorded the most important and beautiful accession which has been made for a long time, in three adult Honduras turkeys, which, having been offered to her Majesty the Queen by Mrs. Stevenson, wife of the British superintendent at Belize, have been graciously presented by her Majesty to the Zoological Society. The number of visitors to the gardens up to the present time had amounted to 286,492, being an increase of nearly 20,000 over the preceding year. THE REGISTRAR GESIF.RA.L'S returns for the last week show an improvement in the public health. Deaths have decreased some 50 in the last week. 1,081 deaths and 1,778 births were registered. Among the deaths were three women of 90, 96, and 98 years of age. Vrobincial. THE MANCHESTER ART TREASURES EXHIBITION, to be opened in May next, promises to be well sup ported. The executive committee continue to receive from noblemen and gentlemen possessing valuable collections of pictures in various parts of the United Kingdom the most gratifying offers to place the gems of their collection at the disposal of the committee. Among others, the Duke of Manchester, Lord Feversham, the Duke of New castle, the Earl of Carlisle, and the Earl of Ellesmere, shave placed their collections at the service of the committee. The Duke of Rich mond has also expressed his readiness to pre mote the exhibition, end Lord Henry Gordon Lennox is taking a warm interest in its success. Lord Talbot de Malahide places all his pictures at the dis posal of the executive committee. The collection of art-treasures will not, however, be a mere picture exhibition. It will include almost every variety of articles of antiquarian and archte 'logical interest, statuary and sculpture, bronzes, china, and por celain (a magnificent collection of Sevres being lent by the Emperor of the French), and all articles of vertu, such as formed the attrac tions of the collections at Stowe and as were dis persed at the recent sales of Mr. Bernal and Mr. Rogers. Among recent promises in these classes of art-treasures is one of the oily two pieces of sculpture executed by Raphael ; the design —a dolphin carrying ashore a wound.d child—is founded on the story of the dolphin and the child Jesus, who one day sporting with the dolphin wounded himself mortally with one of Cue dorsal spines of the fish. The faithful dolphin carried the body on shore, and expired at its side. It was purchased in Italy, about a century since, for a very large sum, by the Earl of Bristol, Bishop of Derry, and is now the property of Sir H. Hervey Bruce, of Coleraine. It has never been seen iu England, and must attract general attention. THE WELLINGTON STATUE AT MANCHESTE R, erected in front of the Royal Infirmary, was inau gurated on Saturday. The statue of Wellington is a full length bronze figure, thirteen feet high, de signed by Mr. Noble, the sculptor, standing upon * square granite pedestal, nineteen feet high, with subordinate figures at each of the four angles —one representing Valour, and the others Wisdom. Victory, and Peace. The figure represents the noble Duke in the character of a senator, and the likeness is a very truthful one. The ceremony of inauguration drew together an immense concourse of people. The mayor and corporation walked in procession from the Town-hell to the Infirmary, accompanied by the Bishop of 31arebester and the principal sub• scribers to the statue, which has cost about 7,0001. Lieutenant-General Sir Harry Smith and his staff were also present, with troops lot the 7th Dragoen Guards arid 25th Infantry, to aid the police in keep ing the lines. After the usual formal addresses had been delivered the statue was unveiled amid hearty c h e ers. The Bi-hep of Manchester made a few spirited remarks, in which be paid a high compli. ment to Sir Harry Smith, as "one who has shown that he was no unworthy pupil of Wellington —one who fought that battle in which he acknowledged the God of Victory was with the forces of Victoria—