The Express.
London, England, 1862-11-17 00:00:00

THE PRINCE OP WALES KEEPING HIS

MAJORITY AT NAPLES.

A letter from the Times' correspondent at Naples,
dated the 9th, says :—" On Sunday the Prince of Wales
attained his majority, and at 8 o'clock le the morning all I
the British vessels of war dressed, except the Osborne,
each meat of which, however, was surmounted by a cron a
of evergreen'. No salutes were fired, the incognito of the
prince being preserved, and an obvious respect being paid
to the wishes and feelings of her Majesty. At 12 o'clock the
princes and the Princess of Prussia honoured the London
sad the Doris with a visit, and the usual pretty spectacle
was presented of manning yards. A 'ter the retr -n of the
prince to the Osborne salutes were fir: I as • matter of
course. On Sunday afternoons our great promenade, the
Villa Reale, is always crowded with a mixed company of
persons whose occupations prevent them from enjoying
themselves during the week, and it used to be the
rule of the aristocratic • ignehile tralgua ' to ►b-
stain from breathing the same air with them. Our royal
family must have other jdeas of infection, for in the after-
noon they mingled in the crowd, and walked up to the
jetty, returning afterwards to the spot where the band
plays, and occupying some of the many hundrod chi's
which are placed there at two or three grani a head. An
English lady who sat near, on seeing the princes, gave the
master of the band a hint, and the Royal Anthem was
struck up, but, unaccustomed cod unprepared, the per-
formers only got half way through it. Meantime the crowd
formed in a half circle *round to gaze at royal princes who
actually could condescend to walk and sit among them,
and even pay for their sesta. In the evening there was
• dinner on board the Osborne, which was given by
the Prince of Preside, covers being kid for 2i. Be-
sides the Prince and Princess of Leiningen and the royal
suite, Captain Chad', of the London, Captain Sir L.
M'Clintock, of the Doris, General La Marmon, and Mr.
Bonham and Mr. Stolti, the British sod Prussian consuls,
had the honour of being invited. At the close of the dinner
the health of her Majesty was given, and was received with
much enthusiasm, and then General Koollys, ell the
guests rising, proposed the health of the Prince of Wales.
Briefly, but in a very feeling manner, he intimated that
but for the great lam which the royal family and the
nation bad sustained the prince would not have been here
that evening, and then alluding to the great future which
Jay before him, he pointed to and eulogised the bright ex-
ample of the deeply to be regretted Prince Albert. The
princesses were much effected, and, as the guests raised
their glasses to drink the toast, the Princess of Prase* who
stood next to his royal highness, turned towards and kissed
her brother. I fear to have committed an indelicacy in thus
violating the privacy of the royal party, yet I am much
mistaken in the character of the sons and daughters of
old Engl►nd if they will not love their princes ell the
more for those little touches of affection which unite them
to us by the bonds of • common humanity. A rocket an-
nounced that the toast of the even,ng had been eraok,
sod in a moment the London, the Doris, and the Magi-
cienne were blazing with blue lights ; they ran along the
yards and peered out of the portholes, while rockets were
sent up from each vessel, and the silence of the evening
was broken by the cheers of the crews as they drank the
health of the Prince of Wales."