The Sun.
London, England, 1863-04-15 00:00:00

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from the data supplied bpi the magnificenteity neck-
lace which stands immedately beneath the diadem
The centre stone of the City necklace is valued at
£5,000, and one can count in the diadem above it
no less than 11 brilliants almost, if not
quite equal,
to it in size and purity of water. This almost
Queenly crown is so constructed as that it can be
taken to pieces and worn, if wanted, in separate
ornaments--:a convenience of which it is not likely
the Princess will ever avail herself, as it is almost
embarrassing to conjecture how she is to manage,
even by subdivisions of her time, to wear all the
separate ornaments that are here displayed. Most
of the presents given by the Royal family are the
work of Gerrard and Co., except one exquisitely
beautiful gold necklace, given by the Prince, the
Etruscan form of which shows it to be the work of
Mr. Phillips. The young Princes and Princesses
of our Royal family make a joint present of a noble
brooch of brilliants and sapphires; the Prince
and Princess Louis of Hesse a bracelet of tur-
quoises and brilliants ; the Duchess of Cam-
bridge a magnificent diamond and emerald brooch ;
and Princess Mary a diamond bracelet; and the
Duke of Cambridge also a diamond and enamel
bracelet. The Landgrave William of Hesse and
sisters give a most beautiful parure of solid gold,
of a fine old Danish design ; and the Chamberlain
Juel, another suite of the same richness ; while the
inhabitants of the two islands Laaland and Falster
also send a gold suite, of ancient Scandinavian de-
sign—such as the wives of the Vikings of old
might have worn in State—consisting of a massive
diadem, armlet, brooch, hairpin, button earrings,
and finger rings—all of massive gold, and of quaint
old Runic design.

One of the most interesting presents in this part
of the collection is that made by the bridesmaids—
a bracelet in eight compartments, each one contain-
ing a miniature of the fair young girls who fol-
lowed the Princess to the altar, with their initials
set in diamonds on the cover of the portrait. The
ladies of Liverpool give a cross composed of 11
and superb brilliants, suspended from a row of pearls;
the ladies of Manchester a very fine opal and bril-
liant bracelet ; the ladies of Leeds a fine diamond
bracelet in a white and gold casket. In ft case by
themselves are three bouquet holders, one from the
Maharajah Dhulep Sing, one from the Lady
Mayoress, one from the ladies of Gravesend. As the
Princess brought one with her, and Southampton is
about to give her another, her Highness will need
only one more to have one for every day in the week.
Of the three now at South Kensington, that made
by London and Ryder for Dhuleep Sing is incom-
parably the finest. It is a most massive and costly
ornament, of rock crystal and gold, jewelled over
with diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and pearls. The
Highland Companies of the Edinburgh Rifie Vo-
volunteers gave a beautiful and characteristic
plaid or shawl brooch, with a Gaelic inscription ;
and Lord Harris a massive, chased, gold Indian
bangle, set with rubies and emeralds. These, how-
ever, are only the chief or most interesting orna-
ments among the jewellery.
In the silver plate the most conspicuous ornament
is the noble silvergilt toilet service presented by the
royal household, to which we have already alluded,
It is certainly the most beautiful, and is said to be
the most costly, present of the kind ever made.
Near it is a magnificent silver-gilt and jewelled
vase, in the style of Holbein, the gift of the Duke of
Buccleuch.
Among the porcelain gifts there is a vase almost
large enough to bathe in, given by the King and
Queen of Prussia, from the royal factory at Meis-
sen. The middle portion contains a wonderful por-
trait of the King, so like, indeed, that everyone will
be able to understand the cause of his difficulties
with the Prussian Chambers, and his harsh dealing
with the Poles. Near this are an ewer and plateau
in the style of the 16th century, an imitation of the
exquisite Limoges enamels as only the Royal Wor-
cester Works can produce. These are the gift of
Lord Spencer. The Dowager Duchess of Suther-
land gives a china service and a beautiful pair of
beakers, made by Minton, which will bear favour-
able contrast with the Sevres clock and turquoise
porcelain candelabra presented by the members of
the household of the Prince. The textile fabrics
include all presents of this kind that have been
made, from the Indian shawls and pieces of satin
and velvet for dresses, given by the Queen and
the Prince, to the exquisite fairy-looking webs of
lace from Belgium, Norwich, and Ireland. The city
of Norwich sends quite a small outfit in this depart-
ment—Norwich crape shawls, opera cloaks, and
dresses. The three shawls from Norwich, made
by Messrs. Clabburn and Sons, are hung close by the
gold-woven tissues of Delhi which the Queen has
given—a perilous juxtaposition for any European
manufacturer. Yet the Norwich fabric does not
suffer by comparison, and more than this it would
be difficult to say. One shawl of Oriental pattern
on a crimson ground is the nearest approach, not to
the Cashmere shawl, for that is not to be imitated,
but to the shawls of Delhi, which we have ever seen
made in England. The laces given by the King of
the Belgians are, as might be expected, wonderful
triumphs of this species of art manufacture, though
not superior of their kind to the laces that have
been sent from Ireland. A Paisley shawl woven
of Cashmere wool and silk, the gift of the Queen,
and the manufacture of Romanes and Paterson,
of Edinburgh, is another illustration of the strides
with which this branch of native industry is
outstripping all competition. The Committee of
the British and Foreign Bible Society gave a very
magnificent and somehow a rather pompous look-
ing Bible, but which, nevertheless, will not be
looked on with the same interest as the very pretty
Bible and Prayer-book given by the children of
Windsor, or the Bible given from the children
at the ominously-named school of Whippingham.
Lord Hinchinbroke, the travelling companion of the
Prince during his American progress, gives the
Prince a cigar-box of Algerian onyx, richly
mounted ; this and the gold casket in which his
Royal Highness received the freedom of the Fish-
mongers' Company are the only gifts to the Prince
in the whole collection. In the centre of the cases
devoted to fabrics are the portraits of their Royal
Highnesses the Crown Prince and Princess of
Prussia. They are the most perfect likenesses of
both that we have ever seen, that of the Prince
especially being almost marvellous in its
like fidelity of feature and expression.
arures, and
It is singular that, though there atrheopid
era till one
bracelets, and brooches, and boucinue
repetition, not
gets almost tired of the glittering ;arts of England
mirro
one of the many donors.
the Princess with a
inwhich
• h manufacture we stand
have thought of
specimen of English a .we mean a thoroughly
supreme and
ylyyebtebtwe
ereenettifiheed
hours.
and their nature is
presents are still to
good English watch-
unrpivresAenstiniviganny
be forthcoming, undecided
of 8 and
To-night admission to• South Kensington will be
gll. After
on.v,etnhibsyornoiscisieiotns.lnoan.
this week visitors
will be admitted ac •
cording to the usual rules of the
museum—viz.,
three days a week free, and three days on payment
of 6d.

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