The Sun.
London, England, 1865-12-04 00:00:00

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4411143.

HER MAJESTY•
-

WINDSOR CASTLE, Saturday.

The Queen, with their Royal Highnesses the
Crown Prince and Princess of Prussia, Princess
Helena, Princess Louise, and his Serene Highness
Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, walked in
the grounds this morning.
His Royal Highness Prince Arthur, attended by
Major Elphinstone, arrived at the Castle from
Greenwich -park.

Their Royal Highnesses the Crown Prince and
the Princess of Prussia, with Prince William,
Princess Charlotte, Prince Henry, and Prince
Sigismund, left the Castle at ten minutes before one
o'clock, and drove to the South-Western Railway
Station, where a special train was in readiness to
convey their royal highnesses to Gravesend on their
return to the Continent.

The suite consisted of Countess Hohenthal, Ba-
roness Dobeneck, Count Eulenburg, and Captain
von Normann.

Her Majesty, with their Royal Highnesses
Princess Helena, Princess Louise, Prince Arthur,
and Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, at-
tended by the Countess of Caledon, Major-General
Hon. A. N. Hood, Major Elphinstone, and
the Count de Rantzau, accompanied the Crown
Prince and Princess to the railway station, and took
leave of them.

Lieutenant-Colonel Du Plat attended their royal
highnesses to Gravesend.
During the past fortnight their Royal Highnesses
Prince William, Princess Charlotte, Prince Henry,
and Prince Sigismund of Prussia have honoured
Mr. G. Koberwein with sittings for their portraits.

SUNDAY.

The Queen, accompanied by their Royal High-
nesses the Princesses Helena and Louise, drove in
the grounds yesterday morning.
His Royal Highness Prince Arthur and Prince
Christian of Schleswig-Holstein went out riding,
attended by Major •General the Hon. A. N. Hood.
The Queen, with their Royal Hignesses Princess
Helena, Princess Louise, Prince Arthur, their
Serene Highnesses Princess Hohenlohe, and Prince
Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, and the ladies and
gentlemen in waiting, attended Divine service this
morning in the private chapel.
The Rev. Stopford A. Brookes, M.A., late chap-
lain to the Embassy at Berlin, preached the sermon.

DEPARTURE OF THE CROWN PRINCE AND PRIN-
CESS OF PRUSSIA.—On Saturday afternoon, at one o'clock,
their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Prussia,
with their infant family, the three Princes and one Prin-
cess, took their departure from the Castle on their return
to their country residence, Potsdam, in Prussia.

The Marquis and Marchioness of Salisbury will
entertain a distinguished circle at Hatfield House, Herts,
during the week. The marchioness will give a grand county
ball on Thursday night.

The Marquis of Hartington, M.P., will join the
family circle staying with the Duke of Devonshire at Chats-
worth.

The Earl and Countess of Cardigan have arrived
at Deene Park, Northamptonshire, where they will receive
a succession of distinguished visitors until the meeting of
Parliament.

The Earl and Countess Spencer leave Althorp
Hall, Northamptonshire, to-day, for Gunton Park, Lord
and Lady Suffield's seat in Norfolk, having been invited to
meet their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of
Wales.

Proposed Restoration of the Westminster
Chapter-House.

On Saturday a meeting was held in the old
Chapter-house at Westminster Abbey, to consider •
what steps should be taken for obtaining the resto-
ration of this memorial of early English civilisation.
The chair was occupied by the Very Rev. the Dean
of Westminster, and among those present were Earl
Stanhope, Lord Lyttelton, the Right Hon. F. W.
Cowper, the First Commissioner of her Majesty's
Office of Works; Mr. Beresford Hope, M.P., Right
Hon. Sir Page Wood, the Rev. the Sub-Dean (Lord
John Thynne), the Very Rev. Canon Bickersteth, the
Deans of Chichester and St. Paul's, Mr. Tite, M.P.,
Mr. Goodwin, and Mr.pe Morgan. The chairman
opened the proceedings by giving the history of the
Chapter-house. It was a remarkable coincidence,
he said, that the original Chapter-house was erected
just 800 years ago this year, the date of its erection
being given as 1065, and for three centuries it was
used by the mcmks as a Chapter-house. In 1365 it
was first adapted as a meeting-house for Parliament,
so that it was, in fact, the cradle of our constitutional
government and liberties. The house remained the
meeting place of Parliament until the reign of the
eighth Henry, namely, until the time of the Great
Reformation, when it became the Record-office of
the kingdom, and so remained until the removal of
the records a few years since to the new Record-
office in Fetter-lane. The very rev. gentleman
pointed to the desolate condition of the house now,
it being left with all the dusty fittings of the Record-
office, and said that a place of this historical and
archaeological interest should not be neglected; and
the Antiquarian Society had convened this meeting
with a view of adopting some measures whereby the
neglect of former times might be remedied. Mr. G.
G. Scott was then called upon by the chairman, and
he at once proceeded to give some account of the
house. The date of the present structure was not
a matter of doubt or mystery, for it was recorded
by Matthew Paris and other authorities that in 1845
Henry 111. undertook, at his own cost, the re-erec-
tion of a portion of St. Edward the Confessor's
structure. The building being one marking the
epoch of a great transition, the perfection of the
fully developed window tracery, and one of the
earliest specimens in this country, it was important
to know when it was first commenced, and by the
records it was shown that in 1253, eight years
after the commencement of the work, certain ma-
terial was bought to fill up the windows, so it ap-
peared to be coeval with La Sainte Chapelle, at
Paris, with which it accords perfectly in style. He
pointed to the present condition of these beauti-
ful windows—decayed, mutilated, and blocked up
with brick. The building had exquisite vestibules,
and these were as much disfigured as the win-
dows. He then proceeded to give a detailed account
of the architecture of the building, which he described
as very beautiful, and then said that if those present
wanted to know how decay, mutilation, misuse, and
squalor continued over a period of three centuries,
had reduced what was once one of the noblest of in-
teriors to a disfigured wreck, they had only to look
around. He went on to show that a perfect and
faithful restoration could be effected, and resumed
his seat amidst loud cheers. Earl Stanhope proposed
" That this meeting shares the regret experienced
by the meeting convened by the Society of Anti-
quaries in May, 1862, that nothing had been done
to repair the noble Chapter-house, Westminster,
which is rich in archaeological and historical interest.''
The Very Rev. the Dean of St. Paul's seconded the
resolution, which was carried unanimously. Mr. 13.
Hope, M.P., said he addressed the meeting as the
mouthpiece of the architects of England, and he could
say that they were as enthusiastic for the restoration
of this noble building as the antiquarians. 0°
had been asked to propose this resolution, " That
this meeting anxiously desire to impress upon her,
Majesty's Government, and upon both Houses 01
Parliament, the propriety of restoring the Chapter:
house, without delay, to its original architecturebeauty." He said that foreigners reproached us with
allowing—what was not allowed in a despoticalll-
- country—our national monuments t:
decay, and he urged that we should take speedy steps
to show that we were quite equal to any kingdom
or empire in the world in our love for our memorial!
of bygone times. This restoration would cost son?e
£20,000 or £30,000, let them say £30,000, and th
tor..
House of Commons, which had spent many
this sum on people's parks, would not grudge t.°.;
sum. Sir E. Head seconded the resolution, Wood
was also carried. The Right Hon. Sir Page °_`".l
then proposed a third resolution (which was a.groe;;
to), reappointing the committee with some addition
with power to form a deputation to wait upon
at;
Chancellor of the Exchequer. The meeting was
addressed addressed by Mr. Tite, M.P., the Dean of Cill
ter, and Lord Lyttelton.