The Sun.
London, England, 1863-08-05 00:00:00

HALIFAX, August 4.
The arrival of his Royal Highness at Halifax on
Monday afternoon was marked by no particular
event, unless, indeed, we count as such the want of
proper arrangements by tee railway authorities at
the station itself, which resulted in some little con-
fusion and amusing disorder. The excursion trains
were coming in faster than their passengers could
be got out, or faster than the trains could draw up
at the limited extent of platform, and, deceived by
highly decorated engines, the Volunteers (the 4th
-West York) were betrayed into presenting arms to
a "cheap trip" train full of highly anxious and ex-
cited excursionists, who took the compliment au
serieux, and waved their hats and handkerchiefs
enthusiastically. Similarly deceived, the battery
of Volunteer Artillery on the lofty steep rEge known
as Beacon Hiii, where in old times the beacon fires
were kindled and their alarm sent inland, began their
Royal salute of 21 guns. It had an exceedingly
pretty effect from this point, its only drawback be-
ing that the solute was entirely finished a long time
before the Royal train arrived, and the p.eiple out-
side who knew nothing about the mistake were
puzzling themselves to account for the attractions
which kept his Royal Highness so long within the
dreary precincts of a station where not even a flag
wis hung in honour of his visit. At last, however,
the roya train made its appearance, but, instead
of coming fully alongside the platform, stopped so
far short of where the benches of seats had been
erected to accommodate the ladies that the Prince
had alighted, passed out, and entered his carriage
before they could convince their minds that he had
actually arrived at all. On alighting the Prince
was received by his host during this visit, the
Mayor of Halifax, Mr. John Crossley, attended
by the various members of the municipality
in their robes of office. Oueside the station an ex-
ceedingly well-looking force of the Heokmondwike
Artillery was drawn up, with two really fine
squadrons of the 2d West York Yeomanry Cavalry,
under the command of Colonel Edwards, M.P.
Escorted by the latter corps, the cortege passed at
once into the crowded streets, and, turning off away
from the town, drove to Manor-heath, the seat of
Mr. Crossley. There was a good deal of enthu-
siasm shown, but not a tithe of what would cer-
tainly have been manifested had the Prince been
accompanied by his young bride. Up to the very
last moment the crowd in Halifax persisted in the
belief that she would certainly come, and it was not
till the carriage containing the Prince, Lord Mount
Edgcumbe, Earl de Grey, and Sir Charles Wood
turned into the streets that the truth of the non-
arrival of the Princess was at last believed in, and
as the fact was realised the enthusiasm diminished
in proportion. After a short stay at the Mayor's,
the Prince visited the carpet manufactories of
Messrs. Crossley and Sons, where 4,500 hands were
busily engaged ; the worsted mills of Messrs.
Akroyd, where an even larger number was em-
ployed, and afterwards the factory of Mr. Whiteley,
Clem the wonderful series of most ingenious
machines by which the cards for woolcombing are
produced were carefully inspected. These visits
were made so privately that the wide-spread
crowds in all directions were for once fairly eluded,
though when his Royal Highness's carriage was
caught sight of it was impossible to prevent their
rushing after it pell-men, with cheers which gra-
dually diminished in volume and energy as the pace
became faster and more fast, till even the most en-
thusiastic and persevering dropped off one by one.
On their return to Manor-heath the Prince drove
round and inspected the very fine Orphanage which
Mr. Crossley is building, and this concluded the
Royal events of the day.
It was far, however, from bringing to a close the
gaities of Halifax, where the country people
thronged the streets till midnight, gazing upon the
very barriers with reverence, as conclusive evidences
of the greatness and importance of the occasion, and
admiring the decorations, which were, truth to say,
not only poor in character, but exceedingly inter-
mittent in continuity, breaking out into a thicket
of tinselled poles in one art of the route, to subside
into a mere semi-occasional flag in another. Only
one arch was erected, and this stood precisely in the
very spot which it should never have been allowed
to occupy,—namely, in front of the New Town-
hall, which it almost hid. Some of the decorations
had the merit of striking novelty at least, and were
composite in character, such as the flaring inscrip-
tion, " Vivat Princess," or the unintentional tra-
vestie of the town motto into "Nisi Dominoes." In
the evening the Town-hall was illuminated in a
way that set off its really fine proportions to great
advantage. Still later in the evening the members
of the Yorkshire Glee Union went down to Manor-
heath to serenade the Prince, and, as this was the
first of the fetes offered to his Royal Highness by
the town, the rain at once took part in it, and set in
with a miserable, dull, pertinacity of drizzle that
showed it meant to do its work slowly, but do it
well. From that time forth rain and mud were
masters of the situation at Halifax, and exercised
their sway with remorseless severity.
It would be almost needless iteration to parti-
cularize how events went on yesterday after this.
The first great change in the programme, the ab-
sence of the Princess, had been bad enough indeed,
but the rain finished it.

The Prince left the Mayor's house soon after 11
in a procession formed by private carriages, filled
by municipal officers, who, under the best of cir-
cumstances, could never have constituted a pageant,
but who, seen in the drizzling, merciless rain, pre-
sented a picture that was almost enough to move
any well-regulated spectator to tears, The Prince
alone would not be damped out, but sat upright in
his carriage, as genial and as courteous to the
slightest salutation as if seated quietly in St.
James's receiving the respectful homage of the best
and greatest of the land. The long avenues of
seats were almost bare of visitors, some entirely so,
and between such empty benches the procession
wound through the outskirts of the town to the
People's Park, which we have already described.
No one appeared to feel much interest in seeing this
park, which has been opened to the people of Hali-
ttfor months past, all the excitement being con-
rated on the Piece-hall, where the children were
'Lc)
sing. Their hour for mustering here had been
Gm—
h`"adly fixed for 9 o'clock, but owing to the state
or the weather some grace was given, and it was
altered to
was
as
ile4lo. At this hour, then, though the rain
not children, as ever, long, wet, draggled troops of,
filed frombut for the most part grown adults,
hall, which,
in the asProperswe e have already said, is not a hall
of the term, bat a huge square
enclosed by blur
plain
itsrf, and as open to the weather as
Salisbury
the weather must have It is to be presumed that
told with serious effect upon
the number of singersurr: l pected, or that some mis-
take mast have
estimating that 17,000
would attend, for thouglli
t
was he immense orchestra,
it we may so term it,filled, there were certainl
at the very most not
mgr©
But all those who were there than
10,000 in it.
appeared to be,
without exception, most admirably
vocal duties, and sang, for such drilled in their
perfect time and tune. It was curious multitude in
ou
huge bank of umbrellas which this vast ata see
the
presented, as they sat for a long time in ther driving
rain—the little gilt banners which mark,a
schools being washed out of all their originals theme
blance and meaning, like the dreary groups of
Prince's feathers, carried on poles, which fell into
all shapes, and became mere wrecks of poraps and
vanities. When a little pause in the rain came,
which was very seldom, there was a wonderful
furling of a great number of umbrellas, and cheers
arose as the crowd emerged, all damp and steaming
from beneath their doubtful shelter. But these
glimpses of hope were unhappily of rare occur-
rence and short duration, so that on the whole um-
brellas and silence reigned supreme, till one or two
preparatory hymns were tried before the arrival of
the Prince. His Royal Highness came into the
enclosure of the hall soon after 12. By that time
the rain had done its worst, so that the cortege
was only ushered in by a complimentary kind of
drizzle, just to keep up the wet traditions of the
day. As the Prince entered the whole assemblage
unmasked themselves from their umbrellas, and ris-

ing greeted him with one of the most tremoodous,

PRINCE OF WALES AT HALIFAX. hearty, and prolonged cheers that has been heard
among the Yorkshire hills since Halifax was built.
It was in vain for the Prince to bow hi eknow-
ledgments, as he did most deeply. Ta more he
bowed the more they cheered, and for s o or three
minutes there was such a scene o ving hats,
handkerchiefs, wet umbrellas, and dea ening cheer-
ing as we have seldom seen at any welcome to
Royalty for some time past. When quiet was
at last restored the notional anthem was sung
with that wonderful power and effect which only
multitudes singing can ever produce, when the great
volume of sound rose and fell, and seemed to vibrate
and almost flicker in the air in great undulations of
melody that made the hearers almost thrill with an
emotion which can neither be forgotten nor de-
scribed. During the whole time that this was
sung the Prince remained, like ail the rest, standing
and bareheaded in the rain. At the conclusion the
Hallelujah Chorus, with the same power, the same
unity and harmony of effect, was sung, and then the
Rev. Mr. Morrison, the curate of St. James's, pre-
sented his Royal Highness with an address from the
Sunday scholars, which the Prince accepted with a
simple expression of his thanks to the reverend
donor. The cortege then quitted the hall, amid the
same wonderful enthusiasm which had greeted its
arrival, and emerged at once from the crowds and
welcome into the wet and half-deserted muddy
streets, where the lofty rows of benches on either
side were almost empty or at best hurriedly filled
by admitting the populace free, and where the mss
sive barriers erected to keepofftuthetheexptehcitn rows
swdusf
only served as leaning posts
spectators.Atsomaet
u points
was
sththereere
acrowd. might be
an called
assemblage, but
amid muddy streets and always cheering people, the
town was traversed in its outskirts to Haley-hill,
where the beautiful Gothic church, founded by Mr.
Edward Akroyd, but built by Mr. Gilbert Scott,
was visited. This exquisite Gothic building is
placed on the summit of a high commanding site,
which overlooks not only Halifax, but the country
for miles around. For a modern church, anything
more beautifully perfect than this, both internally
and externally, it would be difficult to imagine. It
is, in fact, a miniature cathedral, with its lofty spire,
its clerestory of traceried windows, beautifully
carved capitals, and moulded doorways. The period
selected by the architect is that of the latter quarter
of the 13th century, the period when the early de-
corated or middle pointed style was at its zenith.
The ground plan is cruciform, comprising a nave
with aisles, terminated by transepts and a chancel,
with chapels on the north and south sides. The
nave is separated from the chancel by a low wall of
alabaster, and on each side of the sacrarium is a rich
wall arcade, supported on Italian marble shafts
carrying foliated arches. The windows of the
church are all filled in with richly-stained glass
memorials given by various benevolent individuals
and friends of the founder. Externally the church
is equally beautiful, and the spire, which, is nearly
250 feet high, is especially graceful.
The Prince was received here by Col. Akroyd and
the incumbent, the Rev. Mr. Holmes, and by the
architect, Mr. Scott. Accompanied by these gentle-
men his Royal Highness and suite passed some time
inspecting the interior, with which they, of course,
like all who have ever seen it, were deeply pleased.
A longer stay was made here than was at first con-
templated, but the church really presents so many
and such varied beauties that the longer the visitor
stays in it the more he finds he has to see and ad-
mire. It was nearly half-past 1 before his Royal
Highness and suite quitted it and resumed the route
to the Town-hall, the opening of which was the
great object of the visit. This really fine and ex-
ceedingly commodious building was yesterday dis-
figured along its handsome front by a temporary
balcony, to which the Prince was to come and pro-
claim the opening, and the effect of this was simply
to ruin and deface the whole effect of the fine en-
trance beneath the tower. The entrance, however,
though only temporarily decorated, was all that
could be desired, and the fine proportions of the
rooms, their admirable lighting, and moulded cor-
nices and carved ceilings were admired by one and
all. The saloon, where the dejeuner was laid for
the Prince, and where the decorations were entirely
completed, was justly regarded as a model of what
the rich, though antique looking splendour of such
municipal saloons should be.
The Town-hall of Halifax is in the Italian style of
architecture, especially designed for the position it
occupies. It is a parallelogram, about 140 ft, by
90ft., and at the corner opposite Princes-street (the
principal approach) there is a tower 35ft. square,
surmounted by a spire, the top of which is 170 ft.
from the ground. The exterior contains two orders
of columns and arched windows, the whole being
placed upon a rusticated basement. The upper
storey terminates with a high roof, decorated with
ornamental ironwork, partially gilded. The tower
contains bells and a clock with four faces, which are
to be illuminated at night. The interior does not
contain any large ball for concerts or assemblies,
the intention being to use the hall only for business
purposes. The council-room, mayor's parlour,
treasurer's and other offices, are entered from a
central hall (52 feet by 41), and adjoining these is
the Borough Court and other accommodation for
the magistrates. The basement is occupied by
workshops for the use of the corporation, which
needs such premises in consequence of its acting as
purveyor of gas and water to the inhabitants of
Halifax, instead of allowing these duties to be per-
formed by independent companies. The design of
the Town-hall was originally prepared by tne late
Sir Charles Barry, whose death occurred soon after
the commencement of the works. Since that time
the building has been carried on under his son, Mr.
Edward Barry, A.R.A., who, while supplying
designs for those portions of the works which were
left incomplete by his father, has carefully carried
out as far as possible the original conception. As
may be imagined from the dimensions above given,
the building does not attempt to compete with the
larger and far more important structures at Leeds,
Liverpool, elsewhere, which are called by the same
name, but it may justly lay claim to harmony of
proportion, beauty and refinement of details, and
fitness for the purposes for which it had been
erected. It is built of fine sandstone from the
neighbourhood of Halifax, and which appears to be
adapted for the execution of elaborate details. The
windows are all arch-headed, and in the spandrils
of the arches are carved groups of boys, symbolical
of the staple industry of Halifax and its neighbour-
hood. These groups have been executed, for the
most part, by the late Mr. Thomas, the well-known
architectural sculptor, who, like the original archi-
tect of the building, did not live to see the comple-
tion of his work. The cost of the building is expected
to be something over £30,000, which cannot be
considered as otherwise than a small sum when the
very elaborate character of the design is taken into
consideration, or when the expense incurred by other
towns for similar purposes is borne in mind. It is
much to be regretted that such a building should be
surrounded by narrow streets, and it is to be
hoped that, as Halifax daily increases in wealth
and importance, some well considered plans may
soon be carried oat to improve and throw open the
neighbourhood and form public places surrounding
the Town-hall. Unfortunately for the effect of the
public show, all the huge scaffoldings of seats erected
in the neighbourhood of the hall were empty; even
those leading from the triumphal arch, which were
considered as the very creme de la creme of reserved
places, were blank and void, only showing by the
numbers nailed to each the amount of absenteeism
that the Weather and perhaps, also, the absence of
the Princess had effected. It was wisely thought
prudent to avoid taking the Prince by three long
rows of empty
justrush before," ashheis time
benchfed, so at the last moment, and
peoyodeiodi atr.hrei vsat lr,e
ets there
werew a was
let a
subsequent credit to withth the utmost alacrity and
nin"tougfillyl
them, which the
cheering when the Princen'idB.
ble f
oat last pass by.
themselves in the matter of
It was nearly 2 o'clock
Edwa dWBA
hi
theg
ness alighted at the entrance
s
High-
was received by the Mayor and `lre
t e h i
Royal
r Htnahrti gnh
Hall, where he
the architect.
In the Hall itself, which was crowded i
elite of the country gentry, the National
was sung, and a prayer having been offered upeam,
the Bishop of Ripon, an address was read by the
Town Clerk. To this the Prince replied briefly,