The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1858-06-22 00:00:00

°Now pray we or our oountry,
That ngland long may be,
The holy and the happy,
And the glorlotudy free."

The Royal cavalcade proceeded along the Aston-road
to the boundary of the borough, and from there wee con-
ducted by the Lord-Lieutenant and High Sheriff of War-
wiekshire, attended by a numerous body of county
magistrates, to Aston.
Among the dietinguished painters whose works orna-
ment the various rooms of the house are—hfulise, Web-
ster, West, Etty, Leslie, Goodall, Roberts, Stansfield,
Lawrence, Collins, Mulready, Caloott, I). Cox, Rengaile,
Landseer, and the principal artists of the present
and preceding centuries. Various pieces of sculpture,
contributed by Mr. P. Hollins, and bronzes from the
Coalbrookdale Company stand prominently forward.
But not the least intereeting part of the proceedings
oonneoted with the view of the fine aria is derived from
the situations in which they are placed. Here we have
the bedroom once °coupled by Charles I. converted into
a boudoir for the private use of Queen Victoria. On
the grand staircase, with ita fractured balustrane. owe-
sioned by a cannon shot during the attack of the Perlis-
mentary army, led by Cromwell, we have portraito of
Prince Rupert, by Vandyke, Bunyan, Sir Walter
Raleigh, allegorical picture of Charles 1., and three
female figures—England, Ireland, and Scotland—bewail-
ing his loss.
On arriving at the entrance to Aston-hall Her Ma-
jesty was received by Sir Francis Scott, Bart., chairmen
of the Interim Managers of the Park, and conducted,
with the Prince Consort, to the diningroom, attended by
their suite, where luncheon was served. Subsequently
the Royal party inspected some of the more interesting
objects of art and antiquity contained within the build-
ing, and then repaired to the Great Gallery, where Sir
Franois Scott presented an address to Her Majesty.
Her Majesty read the following gracious reply 1—
"1 sincerely thank you for your loyal amurencee of devoted
attachment to my throne and person. The improvement of
the moral, intellectual. and social condition of my people will
always command my earnest attention ; and in opening this
hall and park to-day I rejoice to have another opportunity of
promoting their comfort and innocent recreation."
The 'egad visitors then appeared upon the terrace,
when Her Majesty, who was greeted with the most
vociferous cheers from the people assembled in the
grounds below, formally inaugurated the park. Return-
ing into the hall, the Queen and the Prince Consort,
attended as before, took their departure from the hall
at half-past 3 o'clock for Stoneleigh Abbey. The Royal
party travelled by a special train, which they entered at
a temporary station at Aston, on the London and
North-Western Railway, erected expressly for Her
Majesty's accommodation, to save her the necessity of re-
turning through the town of Birmingham.
Lord Leigh has invited a distinguished party of the
nobility and gentry in the neighbourhood to meet Her
Majesty and the Prince Consort at dinner on Tuesday.
The august visitors will pus the night at Stoneleigh
Abbey, and return to Buckingham Palace to-morrow,
calling at Warwick Castle on the way.
The Mayor of Birmingham, now Sir John Ratoliff,
entertained about 500 of the principal inhabitants at a
banquet at the Town-hall on Wednesday evening.

Stoneleigh

FALL OF ROOK AT LLANDZIne. —On Tuesday night
last a heavy thunderstorm 000urred in the viwnity of
Snowdon, and it is supposed that the lightning must
have cleft one of the mountain meows in the Pars of
Llanberis, as about three miles up the pees Immense
beeps of rook block up the road and render it completely
impewable. The disjointed rooks, riven from the
heights above, must amount to many hundreds of toss.