The Express.
London, England, 1858-08-05 00:00:00

THE QUEEN'S DEPARTURE FOR CHER.

BOURO.

(PROM OVA OWR REPORTER.)

COWES, WEDNESDAY EVENING.

Wonderful u the present age proverbially is, pro.
lino as it is in manta of which past generations never dreamt,
there is, perhapr, hardly anything more astonishing than the
almost total lack of public intermit observable in this locality
in so important an event as her Majesty's departure ex
Cherbourg. An occtirranoe the prediction of which half •
century ago would have excited derision and contempt hag
been viewed here quite as a matter of course, and aroused as
little curiosity as would a royal trip to the coast of Cornwall
or to the &silly Islands. There is, indeed, one mode of so-
oounting for this which ought not to to overlooked ; I refer
to the fact that it was absolutely imposeible to ascertain with
anything like an approach to certainty the precise period
when her Majesty would quit the English coast. This was
to the last Lept a profound secret to all who were not in
confidential communiostion with the (lama, as if for the

expense purpose of preventing anything like a demonstration;
and if that ware the real object of such an unusual degree of
matey, the royal wish has certainly been gratified. At
Portsmouth there wee a moral impression yesterday morn-
ing that her Majesty would not leave Osborne till this evening;
at Cowes, even so late as Bor 9 o'clock this morning, the
kind of persons who are usually well informed on such
matters cmjectured that she would embark about 3 o'clock
in the afternoon ; and up to half-paet 11 this morning,
when the Queen was just about to embark, the signalling,
officer of the Royal Yacht Squadron, whose duty it would
become in a few minutes to make a mooed of the passage of
the Victoria end Albert, was manifestly wrong in his con-
jecture* to the extent of several hours. In fact, it was clear
throughout that her Majesty had determined that her em-
barkation for Cherbourg should not be the occasion of •
great public demonstration, and wished the event, memorable
sa it was in itself, to be among the most quiet ones of her
career as sovereign of Great Britain.

At moves o'cionliyeigurday (Tuesday) evening I saw the

Victoria and Albert: the Fairy, and dine other vessels of the
royal squadron, lying idly at anchor in Osborne Bay, iw
inediately opposite the grounds of the Queen's residence;
and the moat significant fact at that period indicative of the
approaching emberketion wee the shipping of a favourite
row, which her Majesty is accustomed, it appears, to have
on board when engaged in any long marine excursice.
Shortly after this little event the Fairy steamed
over to West Cowes, and having remised there a fee
minutes, she returned to the anchorage near Osborne. I
afterwards learnt that the same vessel wee employed during
the afternoon in procuring supplies in the commissariat
department, and as there included the perishable article
of fruit, it wee a natural inference, and it turned out
a correct one, that, In spite of many rumours to the contrary,
the Queen would really leave Osborne for France on the
following morning. The Fairy, I may observe in passing,
appears to be the manager-yacht of the squadron, sa Offille

it which her light draught ;tad general structure admirably
adept her.

The naval escort—for Inch K will be, at all events, into
Cherbourg—left Spithead, as was anticipated, very early this
morning, steering for the WARD extremity of the Wand, and
has, I presume, before this, effected a jotted= with the
Victoria and Albert, and her consorts.

The tthoertaiaty which I have mentioned es to the precise
time of her Majesty's embarkation still prevailed, as I have
already intimated, at least so far as the public were concerned,
this morning, and continued up to the very moment when the
event occurred. Having, however, been favoured at an earls
boar with some reliable teformatiou on the subject, I was ha
by it to the conclusion that her Majesty would embark abed
moo, sad that all the maerli, except that occupied by the
QOOll, sad the Trinity yacht, would eat off about halt-pad
10. This expectation was mottled by the event. The came
at the great difference In the time of departure of the emend
meals was, I may remark, the superior velocity of the
Queen's favourite yacht and of the Trinity boat—a supe-
riority so Immense that, though the four other vessels in-
cluded to the royal equedroo started more than an hour and
a half In advance, they would probably be overtaken long be-
fore sighting Cherbourg. The route selected, unlike that of the
men-of-war, wee westward, as being the moat favourable use
as regarded tide; sad base, while the ishatattants of Ports-
mouth meld only derive leformetion from others, the red-
dest' and visitors et Cows who happened to line the shore
might obtain aa emeilmt and complies view for themselves.
At Cowes, however, there happened to be a yacht regatta,
end as the led vessels pissed, the mirth of the Alarm ea
the Iffisek, the inside, melds la the may red speenlailoas
as to the lune, mimed a loge there of the pablie attendee.'
Wiest hall-pest 10 the Otherne, royal steam yacht,
Math, Commooder Bawer, wee mess keen Wed Cowes,
and is three or four ecleuthe the passed the Castle Paid,
sad pmeeeded through the violent tweeds the Needles. Her
applanass embed little Worse moss the spectators ca
shore, every use Mug swam that the Queen wee not on
board. She was oddly and semmathely followed by the
Black lees, the Palsy, red the Banshee, which appeared
to be dome equal with regard to "peed.
. _

Her Ksjoat; went ea bard the Victoria and Albert a few
minutes before twelve, Wag moompasied by the Prince
Coneest, the Prisms of Wales, the Dale of Cambridge, the
Countess of Desert, lady in waiting, the Hon. May Bulled,
mall of broom, the Earl Delaware, lord obansberlain, the
Earl of Malmesbury, Sir John Pakington, Sir C. Phipps,
and Mr. Gibbs.
The remaining members of the royal party had preceded
the royal family, having embarked on board the Black Bees,
and consisted of the following : Viscount Valletort, In attend-
ance on the Prince of Wales; Colonel the HOG. A. Hood,
equerry la waiting; Captain Du Plat, equerry to the Priam
Consort; Colonel Tyerwhit and Colonel Chapman, aidee.de-
mop to the Doke of Cambridge.
Immedletely after her Majesty embarked, the two leading
reins In the regatta, the Alarm sad the Bbark (the mos
watcher Ilejasty's Cup), parsed Osborne plea in rapid
staassios, sad on getting abreast of the Queen's reseal they
appal their legs.
Thk alight and customary salut►tion was almost the
Ede public demonstration attending the commencement of the