The Express.
London, England, 1858-06-15 00:00:00

SPOILT INJ INTELLIGENCE.

• "A P.

A SPECIAL RATION of the NEXPItESIL''
voootsiniog the results of the dsy's Reese, is pub-
lished every evet.eg daring the Sporting Season, at
vtix o'clock.

" We are casing on Tuesday," said a Dudley
tradesman to a Birmingham man the other day.
W'io are coning ?" "Why, all of as." " All of
" whom?" 'Why, South Staffordshire." As the
other counties which surround Birmingham probably
entertain tie same holiday intentions, and as the
townsmen declare that there will be room for every-
body, we may form some faint conception of the
sight the QUEEN is to we to-day. The seats in this
avenue alone at Aston Park will accommodate 6,000
persona. Add to thews the whole town of Birming-
ham, with all its fronts and roofs of churches and
houses, and the road to Aston, flanked with plat-
forms the whole way, and the Hall and Park, and
we may coma:sive that the holiday-makers of several
counties m►y be poured into scorner of one. It isnot
as a spectacle, however, that the celebration of this
day is the great event which we conceive it to be:
nor are the historical associations of the Aston Hall
Estate, though sufficiently remarkable, the deepest in-
terviste( the occasion. The QUEEN is less likely than an
elder generation to have grown up with a pleasant
picture of HLACEHRIDOE HALL in her memory; for
WasnINOTON lama became acquainted with
Aston—which is Bracebridge Hall—a few years be-
fore her Wintry was born ; and " The Sketch-
" book," by which it was made known to all Eng-
land and America, saw the light just at the same
time with the Princess Vicronic. The extreme
popularity of the book, and of its successor, " Brace-
" bridge Hall," was pretty well over before the pre-
sent middle-aged generation became readers ; but
there mast ever be a strong charm about a place
which has inspired a popular book ; and the
historical records of Aston Hall are of no mean
interest in themselves. Not only did the HOLTZ
family, who built it, arise early in our national
history, but some memorable things happened in
their ancestral house. The earliest that we can find
room to refer to here is the one other royal visit
which has honoured the estate; and we notice it
chiefly to point out the contrast between the two
occasions of royal guests passing the threshold of
Aston Hall.

On Sunday evening, October 16, 1612, King
Oust"-, 1. rode up the avenue in order to spend
that night and the next at the Hall, while his army
was marching from Shrewsbury to relieve Banbury
Castle ; and he left the house of his loyal old subject,
Sir THOMAS HOLTZ, to fight the battle of EdgehilL
He had done his beet, by stringent orders, to pre-
vent any offence being given to Parliamentarian
Birmingham, and bad two soldiers shot for helping
themselves from a baker's counter there ; but he
could not conciliate the townspeople. The popula-
tion was then 6,000, and of these 1,200 were sent to
besiege Aston Hall, which wu garrisoned from
Dudley Castle. There is some discrepancy between
local history and the family tradition of the Houma,
as to whether the siege was laid while the King
was in the house, or some months afterwards ; but
there is no doubt about the seizure of his carriage@
and plate by the townspeople, and their hostility to
his canoe and person. History will show to future
generations the significant contrast suggested by
the royal visit of 1660. To-day the Sovereign
goes up the avenue in broad noon—is welcomed
at the front entrance by cheering thousands, instead
of slinking out by a back door, and through the
gardens in the dusk, and in silence ; and Instead of
the 6,000 people of Birmingham sending 1,200
strong men to Lesiege the place, a Birmingham of
nearly 200,000 inhabitants sends out her thou-
sands of citizens, with arms of the strongest
but hearts of the tenderest, to welcome their Sove-
reign to their new playground—their own estate,
which their honest weekly earnings are rapidly
paying for.

hi;bringi us to the Point of supreme interest
which west first referred to There is something
remarkable in the decorations, as indicating the
ways sad tastes of the people—me, for instance, the
Garnishees' arch, SO feet high, cows:ed with designs
wrought in guns, relieved by stare of bayonets and
fringes of ramrods ; and, again, the gooci tuts with
which neighbours have combined to execute
designs for entire streets--paying well for designs
from good sources ; but all each manifestations may
be matched elsewhere—as may in all eases the loyal
reception of the Quers. The singularity of the
festival of this day is in the occasion which beings
the multitude together, and loads the Causes intothe
midst of them. The occasion is the pi:vvhaes of a
costly estate by working-men chiefly, for purposes of
icapeoet, meet and recreation for themselves and Drily
ehil,:mn_i.te object being carried out through a
cordial undersuriZting and equal co-operation of the
ph...red clams of the town.
employing and en)
the HOLTILS were passing
Just at the time when
away, and the BanosnarcOu who succeeded them
—the CHARLES HOLTZ BRACE:IIIIDGE9 of beneficent
fame, having been a resident on Ifototna pro-
perty—were letting, and desiring to eel; Aston Hall,
the Act passed which enabled Cor;wsratieed w 111.-
vide People's Parka, The Corp.:ltalica of Z 7141411111.. I
earl ether
la, raw that theAntenr•
zdato.
N~
the very plea. if they
it. for the etecintim of their hard-working bowie-
nort. •wg . Zell wed the lead ahem it weaki
w 0... P .
46.8014 :.el that wes aOM for above their
mmena if the Cerperstion weld Immo believed It
right te bonnie had epetelatmen, they maid hoe

IMlNimmill.