The Sun.
London, England, 1865-07-26 00:00:00

HER MAJESTY.

OSBORNE, July 25.

The Queen, Princess Louise, and Princess
Beatrice drove out yesterday afternoon, attended by
the Hon. Emma Lascelles.

The Prince and Princess of Wales.
PLYMOUTH, July 25,

The Prince and Princess of Wales landed at
Penzance on Monday. A loyal address was pre-
sented to them previously from the corporation on
board the yacht.
At the landing-place a battalion of the Duke of
Cornwall's Rifle Volunteers, over 800 strong, lined
the way, and festive demonstrations were made all
along the line the Royal party passed. The Prince
and Princess proceeded to the Land's End, return-
ing in the evening. To- day they are expected to
remain on board the yacht ; on Wednesday they
will visit Falmouth, Penryn, and Truro, but it is
not expected they will land at either place.

PENZANCE, July 24.

The Osborne, with the Prince and Princess of
Wales on board, left Fowey yesterday morning at
3 o'clock, and arrived, after a very favourable voy-
age, at 8 o'clock, in Mount's Bay. The coast at
this point forms an irregular amphitheatre, the two
extremes of which, the Lizard and the Land's-end,
are 20 miles apart. Towards its apex the Bay,
which runs far inland, becomes very considerably
narrowed, having at its north-western bend the
town of Penzance, and at its north-eastern the vil-
lage of Marazion, the distance between both being
about two-and-a-half miles. On all sides the land
slopes gradually down to the Bay, but then, at a dis-
tance of some three or four miles inland, it rises to
an elevation, which causes it to form a well-defined
back ground. For these three or four miles it is for
the most part gently undulating, and is upon the
whole well wooded, presenting from the Bay a pleas-
ingly diversified appearance. About 400 or 500 yards
outside Marazion is the singular conical rock, or
rather series of rocks, known as St. Michael's Mount,
from which the Bay takes its name. This rock, which
is about a mile in circumference, and which for six
hours out of every 12 is completely surrounded by
the sea, is one of the chief attractions of the place.
It was famous at a time at which, as in the case of
the common law of England, " the memory of man
runneth not to the contrary." But it is as pictur-
esque as it is famous. It stands proudly out of the
sea as if defying all that the billows can do against
it, and it has defied them for many a long day suc-
cessfully, looking little the worse, as far as one can
judge, for the contest. It is partially clothed with
verdure—that is to say, there are some'green slopes
at its base, and the fern finds its way among the
rocks, but these are only soft places in its stern
nature. Solid grey stone frowning upon the waters
and rugged acclivities form its characteristic features.
It is crowned at the top as with a diadem by an
old castle only less ancient than itself. When this
castle was built no one can tell ; but this much
is certain, that it was a building originally de-
dicated to religious purposes, and that it is pro-
bably coeval with the existence of Christianity in
Cornwall. In those early times the monks would
seem to have had an exquisite eye for the beautful,
and they could not have pitched upon many spots
at once so capable of gratifying their taste and so
secluded as this wild rock, a residence, on which,
however, it must be confessed, at the first blush, is
very suggestive of the history of St. Simon Stylites.
How it came to be called Mount St. Michael is not
very clear. There is a tradition that the monks en-
tertained the notion that the Archangel Michael
was wont to perch upon the spots which they had
chosen for their abode, generally selecting the most
steep and dangerous point on which to alight. If
he selected the particular spot known as St. Michael's
chair on the Cornish Mount (St. Michael's Mount
was not an uncommon designation for religious abodes
in those days), the choice was no doubt perfectly in
accordance with the principle on which he usually
acted, for it is a stone projecting from the summit
of the tower by which the Mount is topped, and
overhanging a not very inviting-looking mass of
rock below. It was the vulgar belief that any woman
who was courageous enough to sit on this stone or
chair—for it assumes the form of one—would secure
to herself dominion over her husband for life, upon
the same principle, probably, that kissing the Blar-
ney stone in Ireland was supposed to result in the
possession of an unlimited power of persuasive elo-
quence. But be that as it may, the history of St.
Michael's Mount is very remarkable. As early asthe
sth century St. Kryna, a holy virgin of British
Royal blood, is said to have taken refuge there.
Later there were many other eventful circumstances
connected with it. After the conquest, Robert, Earl
of Mortain, became its patron, but he attached it to
the Abbey of St. Michael, situated on a similar
mount on the coast of Normandy. When the alien
Priories were seized upon in the time of Edward 111.
it was again restored to its original independence,
but it soon after passed from under the rule of the
monks into secular hands, and was eventually sold
at the time of the restoration to Sir J. St. Aubyn,
by whose representatives it is now possessed.
The summit is still occupied by the ancient monastic
buildings, but they have, with a religious hand, how-
ever, been adapted to modern requirements. The
chapel is Gothic, and from it a narrow staircase
communicates with the tower, in which the whole
structure, natural and artificial combined, cul-
minates. A spacious apartment near the chapel,
now called the Chevy-chase room, constituted in
former times the refectory of the monastery. At
the upper end of the room are the Royal arms, with
the date 1644, and at the opposite end the arms of
the St. Aubyns. On the small piece of level ground
from which the Mount springs on the north side
there are several houses, containing about 200 in-
habitants, and just by them is a tiny churchyard,
in which is the burial-place of the St.Aubyn family.
To this side, also, there is a small artificial harbour
attached, with an entrance about 100 ft. wide ; and
into this harbour, while a Royal salute was being
fired from the St. Aubyn Battery, the Prince and
Princess, who had passed all the morning on board
the Osborne, were rowed yesterday, shortly after 2
o'clock, in a boat of Mr. St. Aubyn's, pulled by six
men, arrayed in scarlet coats turned up with orange,
having white petticoats underneath extending below
their knees, a large brass badge, with the St. Aubyn
arms, on their shoulders, and black leather jockey
shaped caps—the whole constituting a uniform which
is quaintly picturesque, and which has long been
used by the family as the livery of their boatmen.
The Prince and Princess landed just inside the
harbour at the same staircase—laid with crimson
cloth—at which her Majesty and the late Prince
Consort landed in 1846. At the top of the stair-
case a small brass plate, cut into the form of a shoe,
and having inscribed upon it the letters " V.R.,"
marks the spot where the Queen on that occasion
first set her foot. Accompanying the Prince and
Princess yesterday were the Earl of Mount-Edg-
cumbe, General Knollys, Lady de Grey, and the
Duke and Duchess of Sutherland, who reached
the Bay in the Undino shortly after the arrival
of the Osborne. The Royal party were con-
ducted by Mr. St. Aubyn up the steep way which
leads to the castle through an archway of ever-
greens with which the gateway was decorated.
Shortly after gaining the castle, the entrance to
which was tastefully ornamented with flowers and
some beautiful specimens of fern, their Royal High-
nesses partook of luncheon, and then ascended the
tower, where they stood for some time admiring the
magnificent prospect around. The Princess simply
glanced at St. Michael's chair. The royal party
were then shown over the principal rooms of the
castle, in one of which there are some fine pieces of
ancient armour, breastplates, and helmets, of no
doubtful strength, thus pleasantly wandering about
the storied chambers and romantic crags of Mount
St. Michael, stopping at different points to gaze upon
the varied and most lovely scenery in which it is
itself the foremost object.

The Prince and Princess were soon after 6 rowed
back to the Osborne in the same boat in Which they