The Express.
London, England, 1849-08-13 00:00:00

THE IRISH PORTION OP TIM UNITED CHURCH OP lINO-

" I accept with heartfelt utisfection your congratulation,
on my arnval in this country aszd your assurances of attach-
ment and respect. I have everywhere witnessed the most
gratifring proofs that the sentiments which you have es-
pressed are fully 'hared by your flocks. I have deeply sym-
pathised with that large portion of my people who have
borne with exemplary patience severe sufferings and priva-
tions, and it is my earnest prayer that the brighter prospects,
which I trait are opening, may, by God's blessing, be fully
realised, and that with the return of pleey Is Ireland all
classes of my subjects will unite with mutual charity and
concord in promoting. the promotive and peetoment pro-
patty of the ouzel,. "

BELFAST, SATVILDAY.
The enthusiasm of the people MCMII only to increase
ss the royal object of so much loyal dorcticn pro-
gresses on her journey. Even the " canny "
inha-
bitants of the blink north hare caught the frenzy,
and are, and have been, all the week straining every
nerve and exercising every ingenuity to give their
royal mistress a suitable reception. • When I arrived
here yesterday evenieg, I fourid the whole popunittni
in the streets disrmising, with the greatest eagerness
and interest, the probable incidents of the all-ins-
portant morrow. In Belfast her Majesty cannot
fail to be struck with the decidedly English appear-
ance of the place, and the indications of wealth which
the industry of the iuhabitacts and the presence of
commerce and extensive textile manufactures have
accumulated in rich profusion. The streets are as
regular, the houses are as good, and the slips are as
magnificent and prosperous (although perpetually
making " enormous ascrifiers "), as in ei'her Man-
chester or Liverpool ; and even in the decoraions
put on for the present joyous occasion there is • cer-
tain solid magnificence which betokens the great
commercial city. The platform on wnich her Ma-
jesty is to land, at the bottom of High-street, is spa-
cious and elegant, and the triumphal arch with
which it terminates, and from whence the
royal procession will pass into the town, is quite
up to its Dublin predecessors in architectural elegance.
Many of the balconies are of scsriet cloth, ornamented
with the royal arms and other oreameets, in bur-
nished gold, and have quite a magnificent appearance.
The profusion of loyal bunting is worthy of the town
that boasts 60,000 tons of its own shipping, and it
flaunts and flutters in every possible corner and di-
rection. The bank, commercial buildings, and various
other public edifices, are most tastefully draped with
the flags of all rations, that one which has " braved
the battle and the breeze " for such a very lengthened
period having, of course, the place of honour. The
influx of visitors is tremendous. The train by which
I came down was tilled to overflowing, and at that
portion where the line is interrupted,—and a portion
must be got over by horse-power, we had a battle of
the omnibuses quite worthy of an epic. The excellent
forethought of the Belfast Junction Railway Com-
pany had provided these vehicles in the proportion of
one to every one hundred aid fifty passengers, and the
consequence was, such vigorous esc laths, such sum-
mary tumbles-dawn, such swearing, screaming, and
contusion as it has seldom in all my travels been my
lot to witness. The inns are doing a roaring trade.
At the Donegal Arms, where the Marquis and Mar-
chioness of Londonderry, the Earl of Roden, Marquis
of I)ownshirc, and other persons of distinction have
' put up, five guineas has been refused fur a be I, and
even in my more humble hostelrie, the Plough, the
minimum price is twea'y shillings. The landlady,
heretofore a joyous and portly dame, is now the very
impersonation of awful responsibility. The cry is
"still they come," and it is only by the exercise of a
woundrous ingenuity that she ooutinues to stow them
away. Lsst night we retired to rest after the mar.r.cr
of various nations. Those who came early got beds,
Ind snored comfor•ably in the English fashion ; their
successors had couches in the sitting-rooms, alter the
manner of the ancients; and, later still, some tried
• sitting posture on the stairs, an invention which
may, I believe, be dated from the present exciting
period. But every one must see the Queen, and
neither inconvenience nor expense is thought of for a
moment. There is but one drawbar k to all this joyoes
preparation. The rain, for which Belfast is prover-
bial (the local proverb being, "that it rains fourteen
months out of the twelve), defies even ter Majesty's
chartered right to fine weather. It has poured down
all night, and the streets, which have been crowded
since four o'clock this morning, present to the eye
only a vast surface of convex calico. The sun of
Victoria may yet shine out with its wonted reful-
gence, but at present all is damp, doubt, and dirty
weather. The programme, as regulated by the mayor,
sets out that her Majesty, on lauding at the bottom of
High-street, will be received by the mayor and corpo-
ration, and, a procession having been formed as in
Dublin, will proceed through the principal streets and
squares, visiting the Town Hall, the Deaf and Dumb
School, and as many other of the public institutions
is time will permit. Then, the people having had
fall opportunity of seeing their sovereign and bidding
her welcome, her Majesty will return to the royal
yacht, and proceed to Scotland. Two steamers have
started at five this morning, fuller passengers, to meet
the royal squadron in the loch, and accompany it up
to town.

HER MAJESTY'S ARRIVAL AND PROGRESS,
BELFAST, SATURDAY ETINIXO.
At about seven o'clock this morning the royal
squadron rounded Gray Head, and shortly afterwards I
cast anchor in Carrickfergus roads. Here the Queen
and Prince were much cheered by the passengers on
board the steamers which had come down the loch
early in the morning. H.R.H. the Price° of \Vales
attracted especial attention as he stood on deck in
nautical costume, and took off his hat in acknowledge-
ment of the cheers of the people. The squadion
made no further progress fix • considerable time,
partly in consequence of the state of the tide, and
partly because, as understood, her Majesty felt rather
indisposed after her voyage. In the meantime, the
streets of Belfast had been crowded since seven in
the morning, and the people waited with the most
exemplary patience until two o'clock, the period of
her Majesty's landing. The ground wet; kept by the
pensioners, constabulary, and 13th Foot, who lined
the streets throughout the intended route of the royal
party, while the 13th Light Dragoons were in atten-
dance in the cleared space between the plat-
form and the triumphal arch, to form a guard
of honour for her Majesty. The weather, which
was most unpropitious in the morning, cleared up
later in the day, and proved that even in Belfast her
Majesty's luck in having fine weather for her journey
wan not to be interrupted. On the Fairy coming
alongside the quay her Majesty received the various
deputations and addressee, the principal being that c
the corporation, which was as follows :