The Sun.
London, England, 1863-08-04 00:00:00

THE PRINCE OF WALES AT HALIFAX.

HALIFAX, August 3.
In the midst of the festivity and rejoicing at the
near advent of the long expected, long prepared for
visit of the Prince and Princess of Wales, the good
people of Halifax have been smitten with a disap-
pointment more irremediable than bad weather—a
disappointment which came on the town yesterday
afternoon like a heavy misfortune—in the official
announcement that the Princess of Wales was not
well enough to undertake the journey, and that con-
sequently the Prince would visit the town alone. It
is difficult to describe the effect which this commu-
nication produced; it was more than a disappoint-
ment—the depressing influence amounted almost
to a gloom. It was true that the Prince was coming,
but, without disparaging his Royal Highness's
known popularity, it was felt that on this occasion
the Prince was only a bridegroom without his bride,
and, above all, the bride whom all in and near
Halifax for miles around had for months made up
their minds to welcome and behold. The official
communication which the Mayor, Mr. John Cross-
ley, received yesterday afternoon simply stated that
her Royal Highness was not well enough to travel,
that the Prince therefore would visit Halifax and
open the fine town-hall alone, and that on to-morrow
(Tuesday) he would return from Halifax to Osborne.
Our readers will recollect that up to Saturday the
programme arranged for the progress of their Royal
Highnesses was that, after visiting this picturesque
and busy town, they would proceed to the seat of
Earl de Grey and Ripon, and remain the guests of
the Earl and Countess till Thursday, when they
were to journey to Edinburgh, remaining at Holy-
rood till Saturday morning, when they were again
to continue their progress tu Abergeldie Castle, near
Balmoral, there to remain for the shooting season
in Scotland. As, therefore, the whole of this pro-
gramme has been abandoned, and the Prince returns
to-morrow to Osborne, some uneasiness is felt here
lest the indisposition of the Princess should be more
severe than the mere wording of the letter of apology
expresses. No other ground, however, exists for this
feeling beyond that the visit to Earl de Grey and
journey to Scotland has been suddenly postponed
sine die. Between the announcement, therefore, of
the indisposition of the Princess, and the consequent
knowledge that her appearance in Halifax on this
occasion is not to be hoped, the whole of the in-
tended festivities are likely to be of the tamest and
most routine character. As far as Halifax is con-
cerned, and the warm, enthusiastic feeling of loyal
gladness with which its people looked forward to this
event, the partial disappointment is much to be re-
gretted. Halifax is just now at its heat and busiest,
and, apart from the magnificent scenery around the
town, which makes its situation second to none
other in the kingdom, save Edinburgh, while it is
second to no other town at all in the magnificence
of the public gifts with which the munificence of its
great manufacturers—Crossleys and Ackroyds—
have adorned it,—all these the Prince and Princess
were to be shown, and all these the Prince will have
to visit, the programme offered to Royalty being, as
usual on these occasions, a long and rather fatiguing
one. His Royal Highness is not expected to arrive
till half past three this afternoon,—too late an hour,
according to the time fixed ,for the departure of
parcels, to attempt even an outline of his reception
here. That it will, however, be one of the most en-
thusiastic welcomes he has ever got, everything
seems to promise. Trains from all parts of the coun-
try have been arranged to arrive here every five
minutes, and, as the performance has kept tolerably
well near the promise, the result has been a dense
crowded stream of country people into the town
since as early as five o'clock this morning. The
problem offered for solution to the police and the
railway authorities is how to get these people back
to-night with as little discomfort and even as little
injury as possible, and every hour adds to what will
evidently be the greatest difficulty of the task. For-
tunately all connected with the police arrangements
is under the sole control of Mr. Superintendent
Walker, who has more experience in these Rua_
progresses than any other man in the king
dozen
a od,
who has brought with him from London a
oen
of
his best inspectors and a picked body of 20 m
the A division. Under such efficient guidance theua
most rigid precautions have been takeanlatonggthrde
against danger from overcrowding•
whole line of the procession, on either saisde, powerful
timber barriers have been ereetedits_oin
the
the concourse on both sidfes
somew h
seven or eight
com-
paratively harmless limits o
feet deep. At all the cross streets,feet ap art
to, ot,o break double bar-
riersany have been erected, ten
all, the members of
wave of the crowd,
numbering some 7,000 or 8,000,
the trades' unions,dwanth,
distinguishing badges and
have been provided with Bioguishing badges and
their services secured
to
keep the front line within
their services syeeet,
in spite of all precautions, it is
the barriers.
easy to foresee that even the skill of the London
be tasked to prevent overcrowding on
police will
Halifax is scarcely adapted to such
many points.
great popular displays, being deficient, as a general
rule, in
what Londoners would call streets. Houses
there
are plenty and to spare, and there is no lack
of what the Scotch very properly call wynds—nar-
row tortuous passages, 'which, except in Halifax or
Quebec, no one would think of calling streets.
These are already pretty densely filled ; but not so
the miles of raised benches which have been more
extensively erected here than in any town we ever
saw. They rise in all sorts of situations, and some
near the town-hall are carried to a height that
makes one tremble at the thought of any accident
occurring. Since the announcement that the Prin-
cess was not coming the spirited erectors of these
have been plunged in a despondency which is likely
to be justified to-morrow.
The programme which is offered to the Prince to-
day is 2
not ror royalty on these occasions unusually
fatiguing, though quite enough for any one who has
been dozed and worried by a nearly seven hours'
railway journey. On his arrival he will drive at
once to Manor-heath, the mayor's residence, which,
always a costly and magnificently decorated villa,
has for this occasion been in most parts re-embel-
lished in the most exquisite style. It would be
difficult to overpraise the richness and good taste
of the splendid suite of rooms which were here pre-
pared for the Princess, and which throw into the
shade even those fairylike structures of lace and gold