The Sun.
London, England, 1864-07-14 00:00:00

SOUTH KENSINGTON.

Last night their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Prin-
cess of Wales wore entertained by the Duke of Buccleuch,
as President of the Horticultural Society, at one of those
beautiful conservatory soirees which attracted such deserved
admiration when the first was given a few weeks ago.
Great pains were taken on this occasion to make the gar-
dens look as beautiful as circumstances would allow, and it
is only fair to say that, night favouring the delusion, they
were made to wear an aspect which was really strikingly
effective. The new orchard houses were just sufficiently
lit to show the perfection to which the fruit trees have
been brought in a short time in these most attractive
new entrances. The arcades, as ornaments to the
grounds, which they have now really become, were fully
illuminated, and though there was less of horticul-
ture in the nay of little nooks of flowers and ferns
such as were so conspicuously beautiful on the last occasion,
still they were amply decorated with vases, and statues, and
the remains of the show of flower-holders, which enabled
some handsome ranges of ornaments to be exhibited. The
little band houses in the grounds, the promenade in front
the conservatory, and the first row of terraces were well
lighted, and, if it is fair to say so, it only required the addi-
tion of coloured lamps to bring forcibly to mind the later
of that once famous "royal property" which is now being
built upon at Vauxhall.

'With the conservatory, which, as the reception room of
the evening, was made the great centre of decoration and
attraction, it was impossible for the most fastidious to find
fault. The decorations were, of course, only flowers hang-
ing in massive wreaths and tendrils covered with bloom
from baskets suspended from the middle of the light arches
of the building, and made to fill up with a continuous line
of flower and foliage the side galleries which overlooked the
central hall. It is almost heatless to say that none of these
were artificial, but were simply true best specimens which
the grounds in Chiswick could afford of splendid flowers
pressed into temporary sr4vice on this occasion to aid the
effect of the fine stape.ard plants which make this conserve••
tory one of the prre'ctiest and best kept, certainly in London,
if not in Eneand. Every part of this conservatory was bril-
liantly liglated up, though not fully till the royal visitors
arrived, when the jets, minute in size, but in such numbers
as to shed more than the light of day, were turned on fully,
and brought out in the most glowing beauty every detail of
the variegated foliage and flowers which filled the building.
All visitors honoured with invitations were requested to
be in their places before half-past 10, the hour at which it
was stated their Royal Highnesses would arrive. The Prince
and Princess, however, did not come till after 11, by which
time every part of the conservatory was filled with one of
the most distinguished assemblages which even South
Kensington has ever drawn together.
Their Royal Highnesses were received at the entrance by
the Duke of Buceleuch, Earl Granville, Sir W. Dilke, Mr
Cole, &c. The Royal visitors proceeded at once into the
conservatory, the Duke of Buccleuch conducting the Prin-
cess, followed by the Prince with the Duchess of Bueeleuch.
All the Royal party were in plain evening costume, her
Royal Highness wearing half mourning, with a very simple
wreath of flowers in her hair—just, in fact, in such a dress
as the most popular of her likenesses have made us familiar
with, No stay was made in the conservatory on their
arrival, and the party simply passed through, amid the pro-
found reverences of the visitors, to partake of refreshment
in the gallery, where an extemporised salle- 11. manger had
been fitted up and beautifully decorated with flowers for the
occas on. At 12 o'clock the Royal guests returned, and
passed dew's, the arcades, where the Princess made a care-
ful inspection of the flower vases and porcelain flower holders
sent by Mr Minton, and went regularly through the best of
the, collection which had been exhibited on that day. Re-
turning to the conservatory, their Royal Highnesses passed
down the centre walk to a teat, where they witnessed an
illumination by means of Bengal lights of the little cascade
which flows from under the base of the Prince Consort's
Memorial. The effect of this was pretty for its diminutive
size, but it would be absurd to give the feeble attempt higher
praise. It was impossible for many present to avoid remem-
bering that the last cascade which the Prince of 'Wales saw
illuminated was Niagara, when the Canadians went to such
an enormous cost, and laid their plans so well, that for the
first time man's agency did succeed in influencing the ma-
jesty of that eternal catraet, and lit it up till it came thun-
dering down like an avalanche of fire. The attempt of last
night suggested no comparison, of course, though it did
suggest to many that the Horticultural Society might have
been more happy in their efforts to astonish their Royal
visitors—might have shown them flowers, for instance.
The illumination of the cascade over, their Royal High-
nesses returned to the conservatory, in the locality of which
they beheld something which it is really difficult to witness
elsewhere. The Prince and Princess quitted the grounds
at about 1 o'clock, but notwithstanding the etiquette usual
on such occasions, very many of the visitors had taken their
departure previously.