The Express.
London, England, 1863-05-18 00:00:00

'BESS, MONDAY EVENING, MAY 18, 1863.

- -
MOUSED VISIT r Till PRINCE AND
HE
PRINCESS OP
DAT. ALES ro EPSOM ON
T "DERBY"

It is rumoured to-day that their Royal High-
noses the Prince and Princess of Wales will be present at
Epsom Downs on Wednesday, and witness the running
for "The Derby." Oa the 3rd of Jane, 1840,
four months after their marriage, her Majesty the
Queen and the late Prince Cowart witnessed the race.
The day was very floe, and the concourse of penes'
of all ranks greater than was ever known before.
Her Majesty and the Prince arrived soon after one, in'
time to allow the Prince to ride round the course, and see
the preparations for the day's sport. The winner of the
Derby that year was Mr. Roberteou'a Little Wonder.
'moats'sly after the race, Mr. E. Anson entered the I
weighing place and delivered to Macdonald, the jockey, who
rode Little Wonder, an elegant riding whip as a testi-
monial from Prince Albert of hie admiration of Macdonald's
jockeyahip.
"The Queen and Prince Albert," says the Annual
Resister, " left the course after the second race, for Clare-
mont, amidst the acclamations of the mighty multitude."

THE DRAWING.ROOM ON SATURDAY.

An observer of what was passing in the west end
of London on Saturday last must have enjoyed a splendid
spectacle of the wealth and magnificence of the present age.
Towards St. James's Palace slowly converged two dreams
of carriages, the one from the south by way of the Mall
and St. James's Park, the other, larger and longer, extend-
ing back as far as Albert-gate, and fed iocerantly by new
recruits as fad as the admission of the leading carriages
brought forward the rear of the procession, the object
being to pay • tribute of respect and loyalty to the Queen,
and to the fair young Princess who did the honours of Eng-
land's court in the Queen's absence. The horses and bar-
sea were splendid, the carriages beautifully finished, and
the costume of their fair occupants as brilliant Si the most
exquisite materials and moat costly jewels could make it.
What a glorious spectacle, and how great most have been
the happiness of those favoured beings whom rank, whom
fortune and position, allowed to participate in it. " There
can be no greater mistake," says the Tuts. "The whole
affair was miserable, and there is no misery like splendid
miser/. To begin with the royal lady herself who so
worthily represented the Queen on the owadon. For four
mortal hours did the unceasing stream of feathers, dia-
monds, and trains flaunt and Butter put her. Courtesy
had to be rendered for courtesy, and bow for bow, till
exhausted nature could barely sprat • weariness that
almost amounted to torture, and at one time the doors were
closed in order to give the overtaaked Princes • few
momenta for repose and refreshment. It Is impossible to
doubt that, gratifying as such • display of good feeling
must have been to the Princess, she was obliged to purchase
it by an amount of patient endurance which it is cruel to
demand from any lady, and especially from one so young
and so fair. Let us turn from the Princess to the ladies
who pissed before her. They had not the reasonable
gratification of displayielaheir beauty and the splendour of
their dress and jewels before the eyes of that sex whom
they may not unreasonably wish to pleas. A notice, only
too well founded on the neoerity of the sae, forbad the
attendance of gentlemen at the Drawing-room, and the
ladies had only the poor consolation of showing their good
looks, their fine dresses, and their jewels to each other. !
Besides this mortification to a harmless vanity, the orna-
ments of the English court were subjected to more substan-
tial grievance.. Many ladies remained in their carriages for
six hours, being jerked along at the rate of two or three
yards at • time, until at last they attained, jaded, worn out,
and dispirited, the privilege of being admitted to a pen,
to wait under genteel coercion, perhaps, for an hour or two
longer. And yet this was no penance for the sins of the
nation, no crowding of youth and beauty for • public
sacrifice ; it was merely an old institution which has over-
grown its limits, and which nobody seems to have the wit
to reform."
There were at the Drawing-room some beautiful displays
of lace too costly almost for calculation, comparatively speak-
ing. Plain silks and silver tissues were decidedly the mode for
the trains ; the figured and brocaded silks wwe few and far
between, and decidedly old fashioned. Velvet studded
with jewels was much worn aa a bead drew by the matrons
of middle age, but fiowen were the favourite ooiffrre of the
younger ladies ; these wreaths are high and full over the
forehead, and are slight round the head. In colours,
mauve and magenta seem to have had their day, and the
present favourites appear to be • very light sod bright green
and • dark blue.

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

(sore=s rxxsoasita)
AMERICA.
DEFEAT OF GENERAL SEDGWICK.
GREAT LOSS OF LIFE.
LIVERPOOL, MAT lg. '
An extra edition of the New York Herold of the
6th inst., published just at the departure of the
Persia, has been received here. it contains the
following further intelligence :
" Advice. from Hooker's main army to the night
lof Monday, the 4th inst., announce that General
Hooker maintained his new line without impor-
' taut change.
4i Monday was a quiet day. No fighting I
whatever took place until late in the afternoon, when
General Hooker advanced a division, to feel the
enemy. A brisk action ensued, lasting half an
hour. The Federals afterwards retired to their
main line and rested. General Hooker is busily
entrenching.
"Advice. from General Sedgwick's forces are
to 2 o'clock on Tuesday morning, the sth instant.
1 General Sedgwick's division, 15,000 strong, was
I' hotly engaged throughout Monday. It was terri-
bly cut up, gave way, and finally recrossed the
. river during the night. The slaughter waa fright-
, ful on both sides."

ANOTHER, ACCOUNT.
LIVERPOOL, MONDAY Moornas.
The New York Herold of the 6th, in an extra
edition, gives news from Fredericksburg to 2 a.m.
on the morning of the sth, at which time Hooker
was entrenching himself.
On the afternoon of the 4th a severe engagement
took place, in which the Confederates were forced
back ; but the Federals retired to their main lice.
On the morning of the 4th General Longstreet
attacked General Secigwick's corps, and, after severe
fighting, the latter was driven across the Rappahan-
nook at 2 a.m. on the sth. I
At daybreak on the sth the Confederates had
obtained a position on the hills, on the south bank
of the Rappahannock, scarcely two miles below the
United States ford, and commenced a vigorous
shelling of the Federal trains, lying posted on the
north side of the river, close to the ford.