The Sun.
London, England, 1852-08-14 00:00:00

THE QUEEN IN BELGIUM.
(From the Times.)
ANTWERP, WEDNESDAY EVENING.
At 4 o'clock a pigeon arrived at the pilotage on the
anai, with the news dated "Flushing, half-past 2 o'clock.
- The fleet is in sight—nine steamers—in the Channel."
The intelligence gradually was spread abroad, and
burghers, soldiers of all arms and grades, and all sorts
and conditions of men and women, hastened down with
increased masses to the broad quays which hem the bor-
ders of the lazy river, and wandered slowly about there
for hours.
The wind was high and the tide was against the
squadron. supposing it to be making for the mouth of the
river, and it needed all one's confidence in the knowledge
of the bluff hearty-looking master pilots to believe the
Queen could arrive at Antwerp before dark. An hour
or two proved the confidence well founded, and it was
announced that the Royal yacht and three steamers had
passed Flashing, and were forcing their way against
wiad and tide with great rapidity up towards the town.
At the same time orders were given to prepare to receive
the King.
At six o'clock the squadron was not more than ten
miles distant from Antwerp, the King had not yet ar-
rived. Generals, burgomasters, and echevins, looked
perplexed as they saw the prospect of a divided duty
before them, and the diatanco of the quay from the sta-
tion—precisely that of the full diameter of the city—
offered considerable obstacles to their evident wish to be
in two places at once. The perplexity of every one
increased as seven o'clock drew near; a rumour too
travelled from the river side that the steamers of the
squadron were fast rounding the point of land
which projects into the Scheldt, just below the town.
The troops stood to arms, and a general stir took place
among the people. A heavy thud of a cannon was heard
from the citadel. The report was followed in an instant
by another, and the full roar of the salute waking up
the echoes of the old town gave warning that the
Queen of England was before Antwerp. It was now
seven o'clock, and as the King was not in sight nor to
be heard of, the only thing that could be done was
to rush off to the river side for the arrival of the
Royal yacht. In a few minutes and the well-known
hull and rigeng of the Victoria and Albert was visible,
proudly beating through the waters of the river,
preceded by her usual avant courier, the Vivid, and
attended by the Fairy and the Black Eagle. The
royal standard of England flew out bravely from
the main, while " the foul anchor" at the fore told
that the Lord High Admiral was on board. The
last Lays of the sun, ere he set in a heavy bed of
clouds, from which the lightning at times blazed out
vividly, threw a fine mellow hue over the animated
picture. The river, which is here about the breadth
of the Thames at Greenwich, for once looked P
i el
lt u-
resqueledgay beneath such an unusual burden, and redo
freshly down between its oozy banks, which were.. left
uncovered by the reveling tide, bearing a number of un-
couth but well handled boats, which crowded at a respect-
ful distance round the yacht, and hoisted their largest
and newest streamers in honour of her illustrious mis-
tress. Towering above the whitewashed line of houses
which faces the stream, now brightened up by the light
from the west, rose the graceful turret of Notre Dame,
to the topmost
pinnacle of which some daring fellow
had attached the
English standard, surmounted by an
enormous streume
r , which flickered about in rapid un-
dulations in the breeze. All along the line of the quays,
in every window,
even on the house tops, the people
jostled as thickly as they could pack,
p
dense array by the lines of trees,
and
damfbelitned
edam :
which form a pleasing promenade and a relief from
the glare of the houses. They could scarcely be kept
back by the heavy hoofs of the horses of the Lancers
who kept the line, or by the strenuous advances of ,
gens-
darmerie, sapeurs-pompiers, echevins, and chasseura •
but though they pushed each other a good deal about,
and were not violently lively, they were by no
means ill-mannered, and thatis
oint
gained on such occesions. The Victoria great
d Albert
steamed steadily on about ria
an
midway in the river,
till she came opposite the Porte de l'Eau, when her
anchor splashed down and took hold of ground.' The
Queen could be distinguished on the deck, but she soon
retired when it was evident that the King had not ar-
rived. The young _Princes seemed in high spirits, and
were running about the deck in their tiny sailers' hats
and frocks and jackets, as lightly as the merriest
middies in the fleet, bat the closing shades of evening
prevented the features of the officers and gentlemen
on deck being distinctly visible from the shore.
The other vessels anchored a little higher up the
river, and as the King had not yet come a pause
of cearly thirty minutes took place, during which the
persons on shore gaged on the royal yacht in silence,
or turned their attention to a large war steamer, of
which the masts were visible above the land, as it ad-
vanced low down between the banks, just as one sees
vessels apparently take to the land in the winding pools
below Woolwich. As soon as the first gun was heard at the
station, Count Moerkerke drove off rapidly to the river-
side, and at once proceeded on board the yacht, and after
a stay of a few minutes returned to shore, and went
back to the station. Two of the royal equipages
: were drawn up near the landing-place, opposite to
which was stationed a couple of squadrons of the let
Lancers (a floe well-mounted regiment) flanked by 200
of the 2d Chasseurs a Pied, the whole forming a very
imposing body guard. Toe landing place, which is a
sloping causeway by the quay wall, now rendered of
considerable length by the telling of the tide, which was
nearly at low water, was covered with a carpeting in the
centre, and is the open space cleared before it to the
ground were the Count Gurowsky, the husband of the
Infanta Isabelle of Bsurbon, and a circle of officers,
gentlemen, and a few ladies. When Count Moer-
kerke returned to the station, King Leopold had not
arrived, and it was half-past seven o'clock when the
pilot eagles before the Royal train came whistling
fiercely to the terminus. The King, who left Laecken
at 6.45, followed in about ten minutes, and was well
received by the people. His Majesty, who wore a
tight well-fictirtg blue uniform, with large gold
epeulettes, cocked hat sad feather, orders of Leo-
pold, ter., blue trousers with broad gold stripes,
and large gilt spurs, seemed in very good health.
He was attended by two general officers and Lieu-
tenat-Colonel Van der Barght, and having hastily
but courteously acknowledged the reception of the
burgonaar.er and of Messrs. Mash], Director-General
of Railways, and Stress, Cieief Engineer of Railways,
and the cheers of the people, proceeded towards his car-
riage. Count Moerkerke, forward,steppinghim
" the Queen has arrived.". Whereupon- told
his Majesty
said, " Ah, vita donc, vite !" and was driven off rapidly to
the port. Shortly before eight o'clock King Leopold em-
barked on board the state barge--a very handsome boat,
white with gold mouldings_and went on hoard the yacht,
Where he was secaived by her Majesty. It was at first
expected the Qu,,,en would return with him to land,
but a boat was sent on eh
that the King would stay on board tho intelligence
to dine, and that se-
veral of his officers had been h
the royal table. This was honoured
an invitation
to
people, many of whom had a disappointment to the
S
quays; but there was nothing spent
7or it but t nearly all day on the
bright lights which flashed out of t to gaze at the
yacht till they wearied of it, and the saloon window of the
band of the Chasseurs w AS sent oatt"en to
go home. The
i!,a,a steamer to play
around the Victoria and Alhert,
there was very
little cemmuuicetion between
but there
and the
the
King returned* quietly to his
shore. At 10 o'clock Vat
Bair ny
palace at the Place de heir. Her rda
the King
shore about 9 tomorrow, and will aecoilstY will come on
delay in
to .Laecken without makingthats, h iet
is
ssg
oi:g
tEti)n,
Ant n erp. The rumour
varied by a report that she will visit Berlin. pa is now
As the progress of the fleet since they left En land
I may add that they weighed --
may be interaeaingh anchor
frcrm the Downs
mijesat 6.10 on W.ednesday morning; at
al o.:tend, at 1.43 they Stopped
11 they were 9
jedidehino,
to take in pilots at -,and anchored in the
Scheidt, at Antwerp, at 7.10. Only one of the large
steamers whieh seems to be the Barracouta, had
,
arrived at dusk, but two others were coming up the .
Prince Albert, the Priaca of ‘Valee, Prince Alfred,
Princess Royal, and Princess A accompany her lice, , Gaiusborout la
Ma-
jesty, who is attended by the Countess! of
in waiting, Lord Colville, Clerk liars" is
I, the Hon. M
Byng, Colonel Phipps, Sir Sir J. Clarke, and Mr. Gibbs.
The First Lord of the Admiralty, the flake of
Northumberland. is with the fleet.
BRUSSELS, THURSDAY AFTERNOON..
Last night was extremely wild and Astempestuous.
the gale howled and raved among the creaking vanes,
house tops, and old gables of Antwerp, it was agreeable
to think that Queen Victoria was lying snugly on board
her yacht in toe safe anchorage of Scheldt, with her
at war steamers to protect her, if any such guar-
dianship was necessary. The morning broke in the
. t unpromising way—murky clouds flying cling-
ing'', over the
Kal/ode ,a_, earth, and the violent gusts of the
e the Scheldt into foam, with frequent
day by Ro of rain whenever the wind abated, and the
wetter, Wittredieeans belied the-character of its dawn, for a
in England, rnastier sort of noontide never visited us
the morning evenmi ina the full height of our summer. As
with flags, towards
the three steam frigates dressed
poorer sort ofderwarda eight o'clock a crowd of the
of the squadron. persons gathered on the quay in front
of Lancers and About the same time a troop
four or live companies of the
Foot Artiller
• 3', or th
of the 2d Chasseurs e pist Light Infantry, and
band, marched down and ai:ed, preceded by a brass
wazosed themselves in front of
whichp men
were
busily
engeovaadreabat
Was
salleofft
the landing place. The
*ill:A on the turn, consequently was low, as the tide was
Oh from the boats to th tuhnec so lvoepr iendg,
° qu4Y Iv
Threandering fit for
widadog upon by the aid of a carpet_
so thatnatitl shook and
took a graat animosity to the carpet, wind, however,
eh they
au:stilt,.
t., in
eat the work-
tossed and beat it about violently,
men were obliged to wheel harrows of stones, Whi
goinasters,
disposed es a border along
resist tll e esdugeeh
aPeatry
order to enable it
their
curious to see amid each an assemblage of
b bribli t uni-
forms of general and inferiorofficeof bur
and chef's of all sorts of departments, these rough_
looking fellows in blouses, hobbling about in
sabots in the most unconcerned re :miler, while they
indulged in cenvorsation with Loch other in a dialect
of Flemish that sounded like a continuous stream
of profane ewe n.,. Then they were industrious
in llyin, dew, harr,ls of KIWI erne., the causeway,
which the wind would-n
-isuffer for any consideration;
and tie the inge - ' o • could rt cover each par-
ticlee !')1143 Bel,tanS he., ,
of sand with a ' - the result war, that the
wind whisked it awa big stydne,
sand like snipe
t the
dust inta the ears, Way' end stehn and nose of the in-
corporated people and army° . Th river sloops and
droggers wont ekimmina over e • in all direc-
tions, heeling over in spite the river
of their great weather
boards, till one could Fot a d v into the
Airwsp. iii..... is of tie cabins and eabooses• . ecle' few men-of-
-, -•. is tugged slowly about from' an
a • ill, ~.:. • • ship to ship of the
lidaßleeed ea‘ • . squesntng through the swell • times
, which at
I, , d., • eai4d• peehly un pie asau t. AS the razn
.._ r t.,- -a., . v---lt. • of-war la n;cely
~.ee ly equal di;:teuet3 frum each . Y. t in
k- ilk :e it -c. 7 : :11' ' • , otner, wan yards
aditeA,ddelee a fib; ' • loathe tind's eye, and all flags fly in...,
.g the river
, . eee ---.,..0
.i
-,:lt,

7.;