The Sun.
London, England, 1863-03-09 00:00:00

TH E ARRIVAL OF THE PRINCESS
ALEXANDRA IN LONDON.

We were enabled in The Sun. of Saturday to
publish an account of the magnificent reception of
her Royal Highness from Gravesend to the Pad-
dington Station. We now give the concluding part
of the days proceedings.
THE GREAT WESTERN TERMINUS.
The reception of the Royal party at this point was, if
possible, more enthusiastic than that given to it at the
Bricklayers' Aims Station of the South. Eastern Company.
The peculiar structure of the station does not admit of any-
thing like an extensive display of loyalty such as could be
manifested at the London and North-Western, the Great
Northern, the Eastern Counties, or at the London-bridge
terminus, and the only external decorations were slips of
pink and white cloth pendant from the series of angular
coots of the covered way in front of the down entrance of the
line. The inability, however, of the Great Western authori-
ties to elaborate any outward ornamentation was amply
compensated for by the admirable preparation they had
made on their splendid and spacious station, both for the
reception of the Royal travellers and the accommodation of
the very large numbers of their loyal friends who were for-
tunate enough to receive tickets for the numerous and ex-
tensive galleries which had been erected for them.
At an early hour a very large number of persons had as-
sembled in the neighbourhood of the station, the whole of
the railed frontage in Eastbourne-terrace being densely
crowded; and a more orderly assemblage, considering that
they kept their ground for several hours, we do not recol-
lect having seen on a similar occasion. They understood
that the Royal personages would arrive about half Test 4
o'clock, and they waited like loyal citizens with good-
tempered patience for their appearance. The large and
fashionable party within the station had an exciting and
pleasurable advantage over the outsiders, as telegraphic
communications were received and communicated with re-
spect to the progress of the procession at various points of
the route.
The Great Western authorities have a high character
for their diplomacy in railway matters, and the policy they
carried out yesterday will not in any degree lessen the
admiration which has been so frequently expressed at the
able manner in which they carry out everything they desire
to accomplish. The Great Western has been designated
the Royal Railway, from the frequency of the journeys of
her Majesty and the deeply lamented Prince Consort over
it, and certainly on Saturday the reception was such as to
entitle the line to such a name, and for this the directors
deserve a large amount of credit. The desire of the board
was to let the portion of the public in attendance see as
much of the royal party as could be reasonably expected,
and in order to effect this the ordinary mode of
dispatching a down train was departed from. From the
royal reception room, which leads to the down platform,
a temporary bridge was thrown across the down rails, and
another from the up platform across the up line; and the
consequence was that the railway authorities were enabled
to erect galleries on each side of the Royal reception-room
and on each side of the up and down lines of rails.
The Royal train was stationed on the up line, so that the
illustrious party had to cross both the down and up lines of
rails and turn to the north-west and walk down the up
platform and enter the carriages on the arrival side, and,
therefore, the whole of the spectators had an excellent view
of all that took place.
When we state that the platform, which is an exceedingly
wide one, was covered, not with the common drugget which
is usually put down on Royal visits to railway stations, but
with rich figured Brussels carpet, it will be readily under.
stood that the company were not niggardly in their expen-
diture. The entrance to the Royal reception room was one
mass of evergreens and flowers, and pendant was the Eng-
lish Union Jack with the Danish colours.
_ _

The guard of honour consisted of two companies'of Gre-
nadier Guards, under the command of Sir R. Russell. They
were stationed on the down side of the platform, and were
accompanied by their splendid band, which played some
soul-stirring marches and other excellent pieces of music,
including " Quick March on Danish airs," the "Wedding
>larch," by Mendelssohn, the "Danish Quadrille," &c.
A few minutes after 5 o'clock the Home Secretary (Sir G.
Grey), with a distinguished party, came on the platform, and
almost immediately afterwards the cheering outside the sta-
tion intimated that the Royal party was approaching the
spot, It was expected that the arrival would take place
about 40 minutes past four, but it was at ten minutes past
five by the station clock that the Prince of Wales and
the Princess Alexandra appeared on the platform from
the reception room, and such an enthusiastic burst of
cheers was given as will, we venture to say, never be
forgotten by the Royal bride and bridegroom. The
band of the Grenadier Guards struck up the National
Anthem, the ladies waved their handkerchiefs, and as the
Prince and Princess passed over the two lines of rail and
down the up platform the manifestation of feeling was of a
character that can be described only by saying that it came
from loyal English hearts throbbing with intense pleasure
at the exalted future which it is to be fervently hoped both
Prince and Princess will realise. The Prince and Princess
were evidently much gratified with the reception, and as
they walked arm in arm to the train the Prince, who was
uncovered, frequently bowed his acknowledgments with a
smile which no one could misunderstand—he felt what it
is to have the good opinion of a great nation, and the high
honour which the citizens of London desired to confer upon
him and the Princess. We should observe that the Royal
party were received by the Hon. Spencer Percival, the
chairman of the Great Western Railway Company; Lord
Barrington, the deputy chairman ; the Hon. Mr. Pon-
~onby, Sir W. Hayter, Mr. Dillwyn, M.P., and other

L:irectors of the company. In a few minutes the Royal

party entered the carriage, when the Grenadier band struck
up the Danish National Anthem, and at the quarter of the
hour the Lord of the Isles engine, decorated with flags, and
which the Earl of Caithness undertook to drive, assisted by
3lr. Daniel Gooch, the locomotive superintendent, sent
forth its shrill whistle, and the train left the terminus amidst
enthusiastic cheering, which was pzolonged as long as the
carriages could be seen. The chairman, deputy chairman,
the Hon. Mr. Ponsonby, and Dlr. C. A. Saunders, the sec-
retary of the company, accompanied the train to Slough.