The Press.
London, England, 1853-08-27 00:00:00

fort* 10 Colonial l!nttlligtna.

THE MARRIAOE OF THE DUKE DE
BRAItANT.
[From our own Correspondent.]
BaussEr.s, August V.
Oun matrimonial solemnities are at an end. A dis-
play of fireworks, which the heavy rain prevented
from taking place yesterday, closed to-day the series
of popular festivities. I do not think proper to
send you a naked description of the flies, which most
of your subscribers may have read already in almost
all English newspapers, who had several of their
reporters in Brussels, together with those of the
German press. The French papers alone were but
poorly represented, and were content with abridging
the Belgian journals, omitting anything which would
mark the truly popular character of the solemnity.
This circumstance, coupled with the absence of any

French diplomatic representative at Brussels—the
former envoy, M. de Butenval, having presented to the
King his letters of recal, and his successor, M.
Adolphe Barrot, not having arrived yet—was the sub-
ject of diversified comments, and had even, for a
moment, an unfavourable influence on the Paris
Bourse. At the head of the foreign Sovereigns who
have sent a special envoy to compliment the young
married prince and archduchess is Queen Victoria,
who has entrusted Lord Elphinstone with that plea-

♦ __ w" .. -

SATURDAY,

sant duty. His lordship was present at all the
solemnities, together with Colonel Teymont, the
special envoy of Prince Albert ; Colonel Lowenstein,
for the reigning Prince of Saxe-Coburg; Colonel
Loren, for the King of Sweden; Count Gersdorff, for
the Grand Duchess Anna of Russia, sister to King
Leopold and the Duchess of Kent.

The Duchess of Brabant, Archduchess Mary
Henrietta of Austria, is a charming young woman, who
completed her seventeenth year on the day following
her marriage. She is less distinguished for striking
beauty than for her air of kindness, simplicity, and
modesty, which has already won the hearts of her
future subjects. According to the programme
adopted by the Court of Austria, she was accom-
panied to Brussels by a detachment of trabans and
garden-nobles in rich uniforms, who were present
at the official transfer of the young princess to the
Belgian Plenipotentiary. Belgium, having no guards,
deputed for the service some young officers, pupils of
the Military School. The King and Prince met her
Imperial Highness at Verviers, and brought her to
Brussels. The journey was a formal triumph, the
King and the betrothed pair being received by all
the local authorities, and by the enthusiastic cheer-
ing of the people at all the railway stations, which
were decorated with Belgian and Austrian banners,
with foliage and flowers. The marriage was to take
place the next day, but a litt e indisposition of the
royal bride led to its adjournment until Mt ndt y,
when the ceremony went off with truly royal eclat in
the midst of unprecedented popular enthusiasm, in
presence of an immense crowd of strangers, and
with regal pomp. The marriage, at the palace, was
performed by the burgomaster of Brua-els ; the reli-
gions ceremony, at the cathedral, by the Cardinal
Archbishop of Mechlin, assisted by all the Belgian
bishops, and some three hundred members of the
lower clergy. The church presented a brilliant
scene. The high altar had been placed in the centre
of the transept, before it the seats for the King and
the young bridegroom. Both of the aisles were
filled with rows of seats occupied by persons in court
costume, and the uniforms of almost all nations of
Europe—those of England in great number. After
the ceremony the cortige returned to the palace, tra-
versing streets adorned with flags, hangings, and
carpets of all colours, and occupied with an immense
and cheering crowd. The wedding dinner, which
took place in the evening, seems to have been some-
what disturbed by questions of etiquette, the Speaker
of the Chamber of Representatives having refused to
sit below the cardinal, and accordingly declined to be
present.
In the evening the whole town resembled an ocean
of fire, not an inhabitant having abstained from illu-
minating, and all having vied in their ardour. The
beautiful Gothic monument of the Hotel de Ville was
illuminated by 80,000 lampions, which showed all
the details of its rich architecture. The passage St.
Hubert was most tastefully adorned with luminous
flowers, and was traversed at ten o'clock by the two
royal princes, the foreign ladies and gentlemen of
the court in their costumes, borne on the arms of
several thousand people, accompanied by the accla-
mations of a thousand enthusiastic voices. I heard
l'arisians, whom pleasure trains had brought by
thousands, avow that their own capital had perhaps
produced grander things by spending more money,
but never gave the spectacle of such loyal and unani-
mous enthusiasm. The spectacle was, indeed, me-
morable.

The most curious part of the festivities, and which
had especially attracted the unprecedented mass of
strangers and foreigners of all nations, the so-called
Ommeyang, took place on Tuesday. The attempt to
revive this kind of mediaeval spectacle may be said to
have been completely successful, notwithstanding the
rain which fell at intervals. The procession, which
perambulated during five hours all the principal
streets of the town, was divided into two parts. First
came the historical detachment, preceded by the
Brussels giants, something in the style of your own
Oil and Magog, without the presence of which every
popular fête would be incomplete. Then came the
meditvval military corporations, the metiers, with
their banners and masterpieces, each class of indus-
trial art being symbolised by a tower-high chariot,
bearing its special emblems. All the costumes and
objects were of strict historical verity, and of a mag-
nificence without example. One could easily suppose
oneself transported for a moment into the presence
of some mediaeval procession, so true were all the
details reproduced, so much dignity was observable
in the demeanour of all the actors. Then came the
modern part of the show, the chariots of Belgium, of
the town, the constitution, the nobility, and of Royalty,
followed by specimens of all kinds of military cos-
tumes used in the present Belgian army. Every
object in the pageant, each evoking an historical
souvenir or striking some fibre of the national feeling,
was enthusiastically cheered by the crowd and was
equally approved by the strangers, for the beauty of
design and the harmony of the composition, as well
as for its historical truth and beauty of execution.

■

AUGUST 27, 1853.

The show will be repeated in September next, and
will probably attract a fresh influx of spectators.
Oae fact more before closing which may have
interest for your lady readers. The bridal dress of
the Duchess of Brabant, worn on going to church, is
a masterpiece of Belgian lace manufacture. It is of
moire antique, covered with lace of spun gold (tili-
grane), worked as point de Bruxelles. Her headdress
was the diadem of diamonds presented to her by her
cousin'the Emperor of Austria, resting on a crown of
orange flowers most tastefully arranged. The Prin-
cess Charlotte, daughter of King Leopold, wore a
gown of light blue moire, covered with %-olants of
Brussels lace. The royal bridegroom wore the uni-
form of a major of grenadiers, with the order of
Leopold, the Golden Fleece, just sent to him by the
Emperor of Austria, and the Prussian Black Eagle.

[From our otcm Correspondent.]
PAtets, August 't 5.
Paris, that queen of pleasure, has abdicated for a
moment. Her votaries have deserted her, lured
away by the syrens of the sea and the zephyrs of
the open country. Dieppe holds pre-eminence. The
Emperor and Empress continue to enjoy health and
as much retirement as is permitted by the all-
invading public to crowned heads at this delightful
Norman seaport. The Emperor invented a residence
here for himself. He took possession of the Town-
hall, and made himself at home. The authorities,
delighted, dreaming already of eclipsing Boulogne,
which, under the auspices of the English, has arrived
at so much importance and prosperity, offered the
Mite' de Ville, and all the ground sloping down to
the sea, to the Emperor, as a gift for ever ; and also
a separate bathing establishment for the Empress.
The "parvenu" declined with many thanks. The
civil list he declared did not per►►it of the expense
of more imperial residences. The Empress had no
occasion for any separate bithiug-place. Dieppe is
,;elebrated for its carved ivory. The Emperor takes
great interest in this industry of art. He visits the
workshops quite privately, and buys anything worthy
A notice. The Princess Mathilde has arrived there;
and the Duke de Bassano. M. de Persigny, Minis-
ter of the Interior, and Marshal Valliant, Grand
Marshal of the Palace, are expected. The Prince
Jerome is at Havre, and, accompanied by Queen
Christine, inspected the imperial yacht La Reim!
Hortense. It is thought that the Emperor may em-
bark on board this vessel and go by sea to Calais,
and thence to the camp at St. Omer; but he is not
a good seaman, and it is more likely that he will re-
turn to Paris, and go by the Northern Railway, leav-
ing the Empress at Dieppe. Major-General Steins,
Aide-de•Camp to the King of Holland, and Major
Kock, on the staff, have arrived in Paris to compli-
ment the Emperor, and to be present at the reviews
of Helfaut. Lieutenant Steinbergh, of the Artillery
of the Netherlands, has also arrived in Paris, to study
the improvements brought into that service by the
Emperor of the French. The Prince Jablonowski,
Field Marshal Lieutenant, and Colonel Baron
Leykam, brother•in-law of the Prince Metternich,
Colonel Baron Smola, and Colonel Aubin, are sent
by the Emperor of Austria to represent the Austrian
army at the camps of Satory and Helfant. Doubt-
less many English officers will avail themselves of
this proximity of St. Omer to our coast to visit the
scene of these military manteuvres, h ightened in
their interest by the presence of the Emperor, and
of so many distinguished foreigners.
Lord and Lady Cowley are at Dieppe, also the
Duke de Glucksberg, the Prince Galitzen, the Count
Basilewski, chamberlain to the Emperor of Russia,
and Doctor Conneau, the friend and fellow-captive at
Ham of Louis Napoleon.
The Minister of Public Instruction has published
a circular to the Archbishops and Bishops of France,
observing that sacred music had lost its former re-
ligious character, and had assumed the operatic
style, owing to the necessity of employing theatrical
singers and performers, because the Church had no
school of her own. The Minister institutes such an
establishment in Paris, the superintendence being
assigned to M. Niedermayer, under the patronage
of the Archbishop of Paris.
A circular of the Minister of the Interior, dated
the 17th of this ►month, announces to the Prefects
of the departments that the Government has re-
nounced for the future the cellular system in the
prisons, but insists the more on the classification and
separation of the different categories of criminals.
The Monittur continues silent on the Oriental
question. The acceptation of the note-of the four
powers by the Ottoman Porte is eagerly expected.
In the meantime the pulse of the Bourse beats very

feebly.
Your Belgian correspondent will have given you
the accounts of the ceremony and fetes attendant on
the marriage of the Duke and Duchess de Brabant.