The Sun.
London, England, 1855-04-17 00:00:00

VISIT OF THE EMPEROR

AND
EMPRESS TO ENGLAND.

This remarkable event is at length an accom-
plished fact, and the Emperor Napoleon 111. and
the Empress Eugenie are guests at Windsor Castle.
So has come to pass one of those extraordinary oc-
currences which constitute the romance cf history,
and which divide the interest of mankind with the
more useful philosophic generalisations to which,
indeed, they often give the chief direction and clue.
How in after times the visit of such illustrious per-
sonages may be regarded will depend upon the pro-
portion which it occupies in that more extensive
scope of vision then presented to the view. But
iu the meantime it is impossible to resist the (:Ion:
elusion that this event is of the highest importance
to, the two countries whose Sovereigns thus ce-
ment, by the observances of privato friendship,
the more formal ties of a great State alliance. The
inevitable predilections for peace of a nation like
ours, the very life of which is industry, must be
consoled, and even reassured, by that magnetic in-
fluence which, at this serious crisis in the affairs of
the world, directs the steps of the Emperor west-
ward, across the Channel, instead of hurrying him
towards the seat of war in the East. If, indeed, it
be true that the family of which he is the second
great representative is guided by its star, surely we
may read in the present act the confidence still re-
posed by Napoleon 111. in the short, but characte-
ristic announcement made by him at the commence-
ment of his reign—" L'Empire, c'est la paix."
This visit will surely be long looked back to as a
most auspicious incident in the history of the two
countries, whatever interpretation their future re-
lations may attach to it. But to the judgment of
contemporaries there is something grand in that
self-reliance of two mighty Sovereigns which enables
them, amid the clash of arms, to roll back men's
thoughts and feelings to occurrences and objects of
less terrible interest than those which have recently
engaged them.
Of the crowds belonging to all classes who as-
sembled at Dover yesterday morning there were
few whose minds were not busied in some form or
other with speculations on the extraordinary nature
of the event which they had come to witness. Yet,
however varied the current of their emotions, it
was not for a moment doubtful that they were
firmly resolved to give the august visitor a hearty
English welcome. Not that there was much show
or formal preparation, for the site of the landing
was not favourable to scenic display. But one can
always know when our countrymen are in earnest.
The municipal authorities are early a-foot and swell
with importance ; the Militia and Yeomanry
muster in great force, and, though the number of
flags hung out may be scanty, and nearly all the ar-
rangements defective in mere display, there is that
in the general impression produced by the spec-
tacle which is far beyond any pageant. Let us note
one illustration of this at Dover. The pier at
which the illustrious strangers were to land is an
unfinished work, and had been left with very slight
alterations from the appearance which it ordina-
rily presents while from day to day the labours of
its architects carry it further into the ';'ea. Yet
surely this was good taste. Here is an enterprise
such as the country has reason to feel proud of,
destined in the course of years to substitute for the
filthy tidal harbour and dangerous open ro'adstead
of the point of England nearest to France a magni-
ficent and well-sheltered anchoring ground, where
the mercantile marines of the two countries may in
safety ride out the roughest storms of the Channel,
and where unbounded facilities may be given for the
development of those commercial interests which
constitute, after all, the strongest ties of amity be-
tween nations. Prince Albert, who seems to take a
peculiar pleasure in examining such works, inspected
the pier at an early hour in the morning, and rather
astonished the engineer and contractors by his
familiarity with the details of their plans. It would
not have been difficult to bring the Imperial steam
yacht into the inner harbour, owing to the state of
the tide, and that arrangement would certainly
have afforded the inhabitants of Dover a better
opportunity than they possessed of giving the
august strangers a hearty welcome ; hut, on the
whole, it was probably considered best—and rightly,
too—that a Sovereign who has distinguished his
short reign by so many public works should have
at his landing some opportunity of observing what
we are doing in that way in our own country.
The mighty breastwork of Portland cement faced
with huge blocks of granite now in course of con-
struction at Dover has not yet been projected
more than 800 feet into the sea, but when com-
pleted it will be more than twci miles long, and
inolose an immense area of the now exposed road-
Thus far .oven years have passed away of
stead,