The Sun.
London, England, 1863-02-24 00:00:00

ARRIVAL AT WINDSOR.

Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess of Prussia,
Princess Royal, and attendants, arrived at the Windsor
Station of the South-Western Railway, precisely at 1.30
p.m. yesterday afternoon.
The preparations for receiving her Royal Highness in her
Majesty's waiting-room, under the supervision of Mr.
Mandy, were made as privately as possible, not even the
mayor or magistrates were present, but only her Royal
Highness the Princess of Hesse, who accompanied her illus-
tr ous sister in a close carriage through the town to the
Castle. The customary merry peals from the bells of St.
George and St. John's Churches to welcome her arrival
were also dispensed with in accordance with the wishes of
her Majesty.
This arangement was made in consequence of the fatigue
her Royal Highness must have experienced after so length-
ened a journey. The Princess Royal was accompanied from
London by the Prince Louis of Hesse.

Departure of the Princess Alexandra for
England.

COPENHAGEN, FEB. 23.
Her Royal Highness the Princess Alexandra will leave
this capital on Thursday next at 3 p.m., and will proceed
by railway to Korsor, whence her royal highness will de
part the next (Friday) morning in the royal steamer Slesvig
for Kiel.
Festive receptions are being prepared at all stations upon
the route.
Upon the wedding day a magnificent Court ball will take
place at Copenhagen, and the poor inhabitants of the city
will be feasted at the expense of the Crown.
On the 13th inst. H.R.H. Prince Christian of Denmark
gave a brilliant ball at Copenhagen to about 400 persons,
including not only the beau monde, but distinguished artists
and men of letters. It was a kind of farewell reunion, pre-
vious to the departure of the Princess Alexandra from the
shores of the country.
The Copenhagen journal (the Denmark) contains the fol-
lowing interesting article descriptive of a keepsake the
Danish King is about to present to the Princess Alexandra :
"Dagmar, the Darling Queen of Denmark, died in 1212,
and was buried in Ringsted Church. She was carried to
the grave adorned with a costly jewel, which lay on her
breast. In the time of Christian V., when her tomb was
opened, this cross was taken care of, and it is now one of
the most precious objects preserved in the Museum of
Northern Antiquity in this city. This golden cross, which
is about an inch and a half long and one inch broad, is
covered with figures of enamel on both sides, and is sup-
posed to be of Byzantine workmanship. On the front is
Christ on the Cross, and on the back five half-length figures
—Christ in the middle, St. Basilius above, St. John Chry-
sostomus below, St. Mary on the left, and St. John the
Evangelist on the right. Golden screws fasten the two sides
together, and the space within probably contains a splinter
of the Holy Cross or some other relic.
" This splendid ornament has great artistic value, it
being the only enamelled cross which is known to be older
than the year 1212. It is always beheld with veneration
by the crowds who visit the museum, for it speaks of a lady
beautiful beyond compare, who died in the bloom of youth,
and who demanded neither good, nor gold, broad acres nor
stones of pric- as her morning gift, but only asked Valde-
war the Glorious, her lord and master, to free the peasantry
from their ploughtax, and the poor prisoners from their
fetters. It was the same Queen who, according to tradition,
had never committed a greater sin than that on a Sunday
she once laced her silk-sleeves small,' and of whom the
old Danish ballad sings that though she lay dead on little
Kerstin's arm when the King rode up the street,' she woke
up at the sound of Valdemar's and her maiden's prayers, to
ask him 'Peace give to the outlawed men, free the prisoners
from their irons.' If ever there was a woman regarded for
centuries as holy, it was Queen Dagmar. Even down to the
beginning of the century, when the farmer went to his b-mch
in Ringsted Church, he first approached the three graves
where lie Valdemar and his two wives, and said, Dagmar,
hail 1 Bengerd, fie l'
" No one in this country has so long and so eagerly pur-
sued and protected antiquarian studies and our national
monuments as the King. And he has had the happy idea
to use the famous cross as a motive for a rich aiamond jewel,
which ho intends to give the Princess Alexandra on her
leaving the shores of her country. To lay hands on the
original cross was of course not be thought of. It is re-
garded by the people as a kind of palladium. But his Ma-
jesty has ordered an exact copy to be made by his Court
jewel
which Mr. Diderichsen, who is also at work on the
which accompanies it.
" May Dagmar's Cross be a happy symbol for her Royal
Highness of the love and respect with which she will be
received by the nation whose Queen she will one day be 1"

PRINCE ALFRED.—The telegraphic communi-
cations received at Windsor Castle respecting the state of
Prince Alfred continue to be favourable. The telegram of
this morning (Tuesday) reports the favourable progress
of Prince Alfred.
Princess Helena and Princess Louise, accom-
panied by Lady Caroline Barrington, honoured the per-
formances at the Lyceum Theatre with their presence
yesterday (-veiling.
Lady Westbury, the wife of the Lord Chancellor,
is seriously ill, her ladyship having ruptured a blood•vessel
a few days since. The injury was caused by a fall. In
answer to inquiries yesterday evening we were informed
that her ladyship was no better than on the preceding day.
The Marquis of Lansdowne, since his arrival i❑
town after the funeral of his father, has been confined by
indisposition at Lansdowne House. The noble marquis was
able to leave his room yesterday.
The Earl and Countess Grey returned to their
residence on Charltcn-house •terrace yesterday from passing
a few days with the Duchess Dowager of Sutherland at
Cliefden Park, near Maidenhead.
The Earl and Countess of Bessborough came to
town yesterday, from visiting the Earl and Countess
Spencer, at Althorp Hall.
The Earl and Countess of Mount Edgcumbe have
arrived at Claridge's Hotel, from Mount Edgcumbe,
The Right Hon. the Countess of Bradford and
Miss Moncreiffe are staying at Torquay.
Viscount and Viscountess Clitden arrived in town

last evening, from Althorp Hall, where they had been
taying during the visit of his Royal Highness the Prince
of Wales to the Earl and Countess Spencer.
Viscount and Viscountess Palmerston returned
to town on Sunday from a visit to her Majesty, at Windsor
Castle.
Lilly Emi y Peel is prolonging her residence et
Nice, and is not expected to return home until soon after
Easter. We are informed that the health of her ladyship
has materially improved by her residence in a more genial
climate during the winter months.
Some days ago (says the Court journal) as H.R.H.
the Duchess de Brabant was going to sit down to
dinner, she was seen to stop and count her guests. It was
13 1 Her Royal Highness could not disguise her repug-
Rance on this discovery. It was therefore necessary to find
a means to obviate the mischief. The Duchess sent to re-
quest the Lieutenant of the Guard to be so good as to ac-
cept, without ceremony, the unexpected invitation she gave
him. The Lieutenant could but obey; however, as he
came, he was very much embarrassed, having been sur-
prised in a very plain dress. But the welcome he received
soon made him forget the defects of his toilet, and, on her
part, the duchess was as soon relieved of the misgivings
which had at first disturbed her mind,