The Sun.
London, England, 1855-10-09 00:00:00

These words of his Majesty made a deep impres-
sion on all who heard them. The other personages
who had signed their names to the document hav-
ing each in due succession administered three blows
with the hammer, the president of the railway
spoke as underneath :
"While depositing the first stone of the bridge let us,
from the bottom of our hearts, give) a ' hock' (hurrah)
which may sound far and wide through fatherland, for
the King, the Queen, and all their house, upon whom,
during all time, may the blessing of God descend.
Hoch—drei anal hock!"
To this admonition the thousands assembled on
the quay, on the roofs and at the windows of
houses, on the towers of churches, on walls, on
steamers, and even clinging to the masts of ves-
sels, raised an approving shout, and reiterated the
words of the President. The air rang with accla-
mations. The King then conferred decorations and
titles of honour upon the President of the Govern-
ment
.of Cologne (Herr von Muller), the Burgo-
master (Herr Stupp), and the chiefs of the direc-
tion and administration of the railway. After this
labour his Majesty retired, the chorus singing
" Heil dir im Siegerkranz" (" Hail to thee in the
crown of victory"), accompanied by a military band
to the air of " God Save the Queen," which, since
1815, has been wedded to the Prussian national
anthem.

From the quay the King advanced to the north
door of the cathedral, where he was received by
the " Cardinal" Archbishop of Cologne, who, in a
lengthy and eloquent address, alluded to the bene-
fits which his Majesty at different epochs had eon-
ferrea upon the sacred edifice, expressing a hope
that he (the King) might live long enough to lay
the last stone on its completion, as he had laid the
first on its continuation. To this the King re-
plied :—" May God grant to both of us what you,
at this present moment, ask for me, as the desire
of your heart." _ _ _

The King then entered the cathedral, where a
ilarge crowd had already assembled, and, after exa-
mining Herr Overbeck's new picture of the Ascen-
sion of the Virgin, with other objects of interest
previously unknown to him, quitted the build-
ing through the south door. This door had been
erected entirely at his Majesty's expense, and he
was now about to inaugurate the ceremony of de-
positing the last stone. The arrangements, how-
ever, and the details of the ceremony were so simi-
lar for the most part to those just described that
they may be passed over without loss. Herr
Zwirner, the celebrated architect, who superin-
tends the work of continuation, spoke a few words
apropos of what had been done and of what re-
mained to be done—intimating his belief that the
cathedral (except the great towers) could be finished
in seven or eight years ; but that, if the funds were
augmented, two or three years at the most would
suffice. The ceremony was then performed in due
order. The document of commemoration, signed
by the King and the rest, was attached to the claws
of an eagle, which was drawn up to the top of the
south portal (a height of 226 feet) in 15 seconds.
When the stone had been sunk by the workmen
stationed above the cheers and huzzas were voci-
ferous. The King next inspected the new cotton
manufactory near the Bayenthurm—one of the
largest industrial establishments in Germany—and
went directly thence to lay the first stone of a now
museum in the Minoriten-platz. The. contents of
the old museum (which will be transferred to the
other when it is finished) were the gift of the late
Herr Wallraff to the city of Cologne, while the
funds (300,000 thalers) to erect the building now in
contemplation were contributed by Herr Richartz,
a merchant. For these reasons it has been resolved
that the museum shall be called the Wallraff-Ri-
chartz Museum. What was chiefly interesting in
this ceremony, and distinguished it in a marked
manner from the rest, was its simplicity. There
was, in fact, an air of bourgeoisie about the whole,
which was even noticeable in the King's familiar
manner towards Herr Richartz. These proceedings,
like the others, were public ; and in the Minoriten-
platz, as elsewhere, his Majesty was welcomed with
enthusiasm. Thefetes terminated with a magnificent
banquet in the Casino, offered to the King by the
city of Cologne. About 300 were present. The
incident of most interest at this convivial meeting
was the Royal speech in answer to that of the Bur-
gomaster, who proposed the health of his Majesty.
The King spoke as subjoined.:--
" More than one of you must certainly remember the
joyful feast we celebrated 22 years ago at Rolands-
werth. I then proposed a toast—' The prosperity of
Cologne ;' for the greatness of Cologne was in every
heart. I wished Cologne to make steam and iron its
slaves, and by their means to regain its ancient grandeur.
I had always hoped this ; but at that time I could only
hope it. What we see to-day is more than anything I
could have anticipated, Cologne has risen to be one of
the first cities in Germany through the extent of its com-
mercial and its just appreciation of industry. And that
crown is not wanting without which a great city is either
nothing—or a danger. In the heart of its inhabitants
lives the true fidelity, with solid German sense. All who
heard the words of the Burgomaster must share his opi-
nions and own that he is right. Gentlemen, it is a ge-
neral rule not t) repeat the same thing over and over ;
but here, where everything speaks in praise of Cologne,
repetition becomes a necessity. I ask you, therefore, as
I did 22 years since, to drink to Cologne in the ancient
manner—'Alauf "
The speech and toast of " The King" were re-
ceived, as might have been anticipated, with ex-
traordinary enthusiasm.
In the evening his Majesty and suite made the
tour of Cologne on the Rhine in a steam-boat, with
military music, amid a general illumination, fire-
works, coups de canon, and other signals of un-
usual festivity. Both sides of the river were re-
sorted to by thousands of people ; the long bridge
of boats was literally covered, the quays densely
thronged, and the windows of the hotels and
private houses, from one end of the town to the
other, alive with delighted spectators. The feux
d'artifice, it is true, were more liberal and
grotesque than ingenious and fanciful, and the
same may bo said of the illuminations which in-
vaded, among other monuments • all the churches.
It was, nevertheless, a scene ofgreat excitement,
especially on the banks of the river, where most
could be perceived and heard. The military band
in the King's boat, which was accompanied by
several smaller steamers, played, at his Majesty's
desire, a number of popular tunes composed ex-
pressly for the Cologne Carnival. The only draw-
back to the general rejoicing was the absence of
her Majesty the Queen, who, being indisposed, was
obliged to remain at Bruhl. The King left this
morning for Dusseldorf, whence he will proceed to
Munster.

The birthday of her Royal Highness the Princess
of Prussia (Sept. 30) was the day selected for the
betrothal of the Princess Louise, daughter of the
Prince of Prussia, to the Prince Regent of Baden.
After the ceremony, which took place in the pri-
vacy of the Royal family (at Coblentz, the resi-
dence of the Prince of Prussia), in presence of the
King and Queen, the event was made known, and
the felicitations of the Court and the high function-
aries were received. The Prince Regent of Baden
celebrated the occasion by donations to charities
and pardons to various public delinquents. The
Princess Louise is highly spoken of. Her appear.
ance is said to be remarkably prepossessing. In
spite of her great youth, she speaks several lan-
guages fluently, and is an excellent musician. Still
better, if report speaks truly, she is extremely
amiable and unaffeeted.—Times.