The Sun.
London, England, 1849-06-20 00:00:00

ROYAL VISIT TO NORFOLK

H OUSE.
Her Majesty and tb a Prince Consort last night
dined with tho Duke and Duchess of Norfolk, at their
residence in St. James 'ls-square, the birth: place of
George 111.
The company invited toy the Duke and Duchess to
meet her Majesty at the banquet arrived in the follow-
ing order:—
_ _ _

The Marchioness of W e,stminster, accompanied by her
son, tho Earl Grosvenor, Lord and Lady John Russell,
the Marquis of Granby, t si.r Robert and Lady Peel, the
Duke and Duchess of B uncleuch, Sir Eamund Lyons,
Bart., G.C.B , the C run te‘ss of Ellesmere, Lord Foley,
and the Duke of Wellingt on.
Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent arrived
precisely at eight o'clock, n.ttended by the Lady Augusta
Bruce and Sir George Clouirr. Her Royal Highness
was received in the err ;re nce hall by the Duke and
Duchess of Norfolk and tbe Ladies Mary and Adeliza
Fitzalan Howard.

The formal reception of her Royal Highness was
scarcely completed when the Queen's carriages drove
up to the mansion. To, s Duke and Duchess of Nor-
folk, with the Lady Adelina and Lord El ward Fitzalan
Howard, were immediate] y in attendance, and on her
Majesty and the Prince a lighting they were received by
the noble host and hoste al with the most profound de-
monstrations of affection and respect. The Queen took
the arm of the Duko of .N orfolk, and proceeded to the
drawing-room, followed by,, her Royal Consort, on whose
arm leant the Duchess, t he Lady Adeliz a following in
the rear with the member a of the royal suite.
As the Queen entered the mansion, the fine band of
the Royal Horse Guard a Blue, under the direction of
Mr. Tuttou, played a few bars of the National Anthem.
At a quarter-past eig ht o'clock her Majesty, resting
on the arm of the Duke of Norfolk, entered the ban-
quetting-room, Prince A Mort leading the Duchess of
Norfolk, the other guests following in succession.
At the table her Maj .ty the Queen sat upon the
right hand of the Duke of Norfolk, the Duchess of Kent
sitting upon his Grace's loft. On the right of the Queen
sat, in the order named, tl to Prince Consort, the Duchess
of Norfolk, Lord John R ussell, and the Countess of El-
lesmere. Upon the left of the Duchess of Kent sat the
Duke of Wellington, the (Countess of Desart, the Duke
of l3uccleuch, and Sir R. )l►ert Peel. The Marquis of
Granby faced the noble la, ist, having the Duchess of Buc-
cleuch and the Marchioni isa of Westminster respectively
upon his right and left.
During the banquet the band performed the following
selection of music, specially chosen by Mr. Tutton, with
immediate reference to t he well-known appreciation of
the royal guests for the c o►npositions of the great com-
posers whose names are appended in the annexed pro-

gramme :
Overture, " Camp of Sile sia" lsleyerbeer.
Introduction and Chorus, ." Antigone" Mendelssohn.
Waltzes, " Anglesey" . Tutton.
War March of the Priest: I, " Athalie"... Mendelssohn.
Chorus, " Armide" --- Gluck.
___

Scherzy from the Septett..
Immediately after the eiressert had been placed on the
table, the Duke of Norfolk rose and proposed " The
gieen.'' The Noble Dttße simply, but emphatically,
pronounced the two word s, without preface or addition,
and the company, rising, drank the toast in silence. Iler
Majesty having bowed he r acknowl-dgments, the Duke
ruse again, and proposed " Prince Albert," in like man-
ner, and his Royal Highr.ess having made a similar ac-
knowledgment, the Duchess of Norfolk conducted ,the
Queen, accompanied by the Duchess of Kent and the
rest of the lady guests, into the noble rooms forming the
saloons of Norfolk House.
The banquet was succet ;tied by a grand ball, for which
invitations were issued to about two hundred leading
members of the aristocravy. These later visitors began
to arrive shortly before Leo o'clock.
Her Royal Highness tile Duchess of Gloucester ar-
rived about ten o'clock, attended by Lady Georgians
Bathurst and Colonel the Jaen. H. T. Liddell.
. .

Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge and
her Royal Highness the Ilereditary Grand Duchess of
Mecklenburg-Strelitz came shortly afterwards, at-
tended by Lady Augusta Qadogan and Mr. E. St John
Mildmay.
At ten o'clock her Majciy, the Prince, and the guests
proceeded to the ball-room, an apartment of compare.
tively limited dimensions, on the ground floor of the
mansion, but the apparent extent of which was greatly
increased by the erection of an orchestra (or Strauss's
band, at the upper end, in the garden, the musicians
being skilfully disposed a triongst the shrubs and flower-
ing plants, a species of ;Lianpromptu conservatory; and
through this vista again was to be seen all the remains
of the orginal old Norfolk. House, in which George 111.
was born, and otherwise historically memorable. It is
tow disused, or used only as an auxiliary for domestic
purposes to the mansion in St. James's-square, and which
is about some few hundred. yards in advance of it. The
whole frontage of the old building was splendidly illu-
minated in coloured ramps.
The ball was opened with a quadrille, her Majesty
leading off with Lord Edveard Fitzalan Howard, and the
Prince Consort dancing with the Lady Mary Fitzalan
Howard.

This quadrille was followed by a waltz, in which hEr
Majesty danced with Prince Albert, the Lady Emily De
Burgh with the Hon. Percy Herbert.
Tne Almacks quadrille followed, in which the Queen
again danced, on this occasion honouring the Marquis
of Granby with her hand, the Prince Consort dancing
with Mdlle. de Flabault.

Her Majesty subsequently danced in the Stradella
quadrille with the Marquis of Kildare, the Prince Con-
sort taking the hand of the Hereditary Grand Duchess
of Mechlenburg Strelitz, and Prince Richard Metternich
that of Mdlle. Olga de Lechner.
In the " Gubar quadrille, her Majesty honoured Lord
Alfred Paget with her hand. The Queen afterwards
danced with the Earl Grosvenor, and from the moment
her Majesty entered the ball-room until midnight, the
period at which she took her departure, the Queen
omitted to dance but once, and that when a polka was
played.
The Queen and the Prince, accompanied by their royal
relatives, left the ball room at five minutes after mid-
night; and very shortly afterwards her Majesty and her
Royal Consort, having taken an affectionate leave of
their noble host and hostess, left Norfolk House for
Buckingham Palace.
The other royal visitors left shortly after the Queen,
but the festivities were kept up by the general company
until a much later hour.
LORD :Jonti RIISSELL..—We regret exceedingly, in
concluding our notice of this brilliant festivity, to be
obliged to state that Lord John Russell was seized with
a fainting fit in the ball room, about eleven o'clock, and
carried out insensible. His Lordship speedily revived
when brought into the open air, and shortly afterwards
left, in company with Lady John Russell, for his man-
sion in Chesham-place. The Noble Lord, it will be re-
collected, some eight or ten years since, suffered from a
similar attack in the House of Commons. Wo sincerely
hope, therefore, that nothing serious need to be appre-
hended (rein the present affection. His Lordship, at the
moment he was seized last evening, was engaged in an
animated conversation with the Countess of Wilton.