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

Aspect of London Early on Saturday.

When a new theatre or a new shop is opened for
first time, the earliest visitor—the man in the Van-
guard of the audience—always treads on the retir-
ing skirts of the last carpenter. Such was the case
with the vast and general preparations for the re-

ception of the Princess Alexandra. Although every
gasman, carpenter, decorator, and labourer worked
all Friday night by flaming lamps to get the miles
of balcony finished along the line of route, the clink
of hammers closing rivets up met the takers of the
first seats on Saturday morning. The streets were

alive with company at an early hour—ladies going
to their seats, roughs (who had evidently been up
_ _

_ .
all night) parading the footways, Punch and Judy
men, Ethiopian serenaders, jugglers, and tumblers
going to business in the side alleys, stray bands of
music, sellers of the only correct programmes, fruit
vendors,builders of frail platforms, and all the met:ey
assemHage which is generally seen on th) morning
of a holiday like the present. Hyde-park was it;
the hands of the costt rmongers all night, and day
break showed the erection of two miles of stands,
in which egg-chests, sugar casks, old kitchen chairs,
cracked planks, flower shelves, and a variety of
third or fourth hand lumber, was pressed into the

service of sight-seers. These structures more or
less valuable according to their position, were

guarded by fourth-rate prize-fighters, fish sellers,
and general costermongers, whose wives and chil-
dren, in very muddy garments were keeping them
company on the damp grass. Faithful dogs were
not wanting who watched over their master's pro-
perty, and we hope that so much energy was re-
warded by many honest pennies in the course of
the day.
The Surrey side of the water was astir equally
early, and workmen were putting the finishing
touches to triumphal arches and crimson erections
long before hot-roll time. The roads had had just
enough of rain to lay the dust—the wind was just
high enough to put life into the thousands of flags,
and when the sun came out about nine o'clock
every one thought that a fine day was certain.
Those who remembered the glories of old Bartlemy
Fair (and Bartlemy Fair had glories, though we
have now learned to despise them) were reminded
of the aspect of that once cheerful arena by the
appearance of the streets. The temporary bal-
conies at private houses and shops; the covered
seats round churches and in churchyards ; the
sloping seats in front of clubs, banks, and insurance
offices, were all more or less suggestive of old
Richardson's show. The flags that fluttered from a
thousand housetops all flapped a hearty welcome,
but many of them were raised regardless of their
meaning in the language of banners. The quaran-
tine flag seemed to be as popular as any, and an
old sailor might have fancied the City was stricken
with the plague. The streamers dipped down from
housetops before the noses of the more lofty spec-
tators, and hundreds of flag-lines were strung across
the streets, giving them the appearance of a varie-
gated laundry drying-ground. The ladies were
very generally decked out in the Danish colours—
scarlet and white—opera cloaks, bonnet ribbons,
and even dresses being made in the fashion. Some
of the gentlemen wore rosettes—though these orna-
ments were not common—and the scarlet necktie
with white stripes seemed to be the favorite sign
of loyalty.
The thousands who left their beds early, wished

to see the preparations along the line of route, and
cabs, carts, omnibuses, and carriages began a sight-
seeing procession as early as 8 o'clock. By 10 the
footway had become almost impassible for anyone
except the most patient or athletic travellers ; and
thousands darted down the side streets to reach the
most interesting points more quickly. The river and
steamboats were crowded with passengers, and that
neglected interest, the City watermen, also reaped
a little harvest for doing ferry work. The banks of
our dingy old river were decorated here and there—
but the great objects of attraction were London-
bridge and the lime-light apparatus erected on the
ball of St. Paul's. London-bridge, seen from the
river, was a sight worth a journey—the statues,
streamers, and triumphal arches being the grandest
show in the whole line of procession. The
churches came out nobly with seats and decora-
tions. St. George's and St. Saviour's in the
Borough, St. Mary Woolnoth, Bow Church, St.
Paul's, St. Bride's, and St. Dunstan's, in the City ;
and St. Clement's, St. Mary-le-Strand, St.
Martin's, and St. James's, at the west-end, never
looked so gay within the memory of the oldest in-
habitant. The Gresham Club, the Globe Fire-office,
the Bank of England, were filled with ladies—the
roof of the latter building being alive with visitors.
The more distant Royal Exchange also gave places
crowds. The Mansion-house—to
to sight-a:ming
use an advertising phrase—was a galaxy of splen-
dour, the old smoke-coloured columns being
covered with crimson cloth, and the balcony being
faced with a white and gold cornice. St. Paul's-
churchyard, though loaded with visitors, con-
tributed very little to the show, the church-
yard seats being the only gay structures in
that enclosure. The splendid fronts of the
large Manchester warehouses here were made

nothing of, and we hope their proprietors will atone
for this on the night of the wedding. Temple-bar
was completely built over with white and gold cor-
nices, which follow the lines of the building, and
crimson cloth. The taste of this was more than
questionable. The arch—comparatively modern as
it is—is an historical monument, and ought to be
above having its face painted by theatrical decora-
tors. Somerset-house had no decorations worth
speaking of, though great preparations are being
made for the illuminations. Several hugh stands—
particularly one at Hungerford-market—attracted
much attention ; and all the club houses along Pall-
mall and St. James's-street were covered with co-
loured drapery. By a singular chance, the Danish
colours are the colour of a barber's pole, and several
balcony decorators contrived to reproduce this fami-
liar sign in the columns of their woodwork. The
Reform Club—though it departed from the colours
—clung to the design, and several other buildings
followed its example.
Further on—at the entrance to Hyde•park—the
glistening sea of mud had been covered with gravel
—and the sele3ted pathway—taking a wide curve
nearly across the centre of the Park—had been
freshly gravelled. The houses in Park-lane were
half a mile from the show, and some of the poor
costermongers with their frail platforms were also
a long way from the procession. The marble arch,
with very good taste, was left in its natural
state, and the flags and colours began again in
right earnest in the Edgware-road. A triumphal
arch here, decorated with evergreens, amongst other
things, and another arch across the Grand Junction-
road, were points of attraction. Covered seats were
erected in the gardens of the last-named thorough-
fare, and the road along London-street, and the
station itself, including the Great Western Hotel,
was made as gay as possible. The whole decora
tions along the line of route from the Bricklayers'
Arms to Paddington were a great success, and even
where they failed a little, if judged by the severest
taste, the will atoned for the deed. The thorough-
fares off the line of procession were equally loyal,
and hundreds of little back streets and alleys in
the suburbs burst oat in holiday blossoms.

The south door of St. George's Chapel, Windsor
Castle, will be open at 10 o'clock a.m. on Tuesday next for
thea es
lleardimi,ssion of visitors having tickets for the nave and
g
and the door will be closed at 11 o'clock,
The eight and last volume of the " Histoire de
la Revolution de 1848," by M. Garnier-Pages, has
just appeared. We need not dwell upon the merits of this
important work ; the mere circumstance of the author'shav-
ing played so prominent apart in that eventful drama, and
devoted fourteen years of his life to the work in ques-
tion, being eulficient to recommend it to the attention of
the public, A. period like that of 1818, in which both
princes and peoples may find ample matter for reflection,
could not have found an historian better fitted for the task
of bringing its salient points before the public than one of
the principal actors, who, to a thorough knowledge of the
subject, adds considerable attraction of style.

INFAMOUS INSINUATION.—A story is told of a
shrewd but not over honest stock raiser in Canada,
who took the first prize, at an agricultural show' for a bull
on which he had fitted a handsome pair of horns taken from
a dead animal, besides artificially puffing out the skin in
various places to conceal defects, and numerous other de-
ceptive contrivances. He had learned these tricks, he said,
by watching his wife, from time to time, as she made her
toilette for a ball or party