The Sun.
London, England, 1848-09-18 00:00:00

[PRICE SD.

VISIT TO

HER MAJESTY'S
SCOTLAND
(From the Court Circular.)
BALMORAL, TIIIIRSDAY.—IIer MiiieSty and the
Prince, accompanied by her Royal Highness the
Princess Royal, the ,Prince .of Wales, and Prince
Alfred, went to the great Highland gathering at
Invercauld.
Her Majesty viewed the Highland games, includ-
ing,ruhning, dancing, throwing the hammer, &c., and
afterwards partook of luncheon with Mr. Farquhar-
son, of Invercauld.
Her Mjesty ws attended by the Countess of
Gainsborough, ViFcountess Carving, the Right Hon.
Sir George Grey, and the rest of the Royal suite.
Dr. Robertson will have the honour. of joining the
• Royal party at dinner this evening.
FRIDAY.—Her Majesty and the Prince walked out
this morning to the Forest.
The Royal dinner party this evening will include
Sir Benjamin Hall, Bart., and Colonel Challoner. ,
The Right Hon. Sir George Grey took his depar-
ture this morning from Balmoral, and Lord John
Russell is expected to arrive this evening.

THE BRAEMAR GATHERING.
CA STLETOWN BRAEM A E FRIDAY MORNING.—
Yesterday was a glorious one in the future annals of
the north of Scotland, from the auspicious presence
of the benevolent Queen and the illustrious Prince, her
consort, and the , members of their youthful family,
at the annual reunion of the Society of the Braemar
Highlanders, who hold their yearly " gathering" in
the ancestral domains of Mr. Farquharson, of Inver-
cauld. The Society, which has for its object the
preservation of the ancient national games, has existed
for a long series of years, the chief :,upporters and
promoters of these meetings being the Earl of Fife,
the Duke of Leeds, Sir Alexander Duff, and the
Invercauld. It is alinost needless to oheerve that on
no previous occasion have these gatherings been so
brilliantly attended as in the present instance, for it
was universally imagined that her Majesty and Prince
Albert, availing themselves of the close proximity of
Balmoral Castle to the scene of that national display,
would embrace the opportunity to be present at the
exhibition. The preparations were this year on a
far more extended scale than hitherto noticed—there
was much additional eclat imparted to the scene by
the attendance of several distinguished Scottish
Noblemen, accompanied by their clansmen and re-
tainers in full Highland array, and, indeed, no such
assemblage as that of yesterday was ever witnessed
in these parts.
The gathering was a scene of the most pleasing
description. At an early hour in the morning the
inhabitants of the adjacent districts, of all ranks, and
owning every description of conveyance, began to
congregate.
About noon the pibroch of the different clans were
heard in the distance. Lord Ogilvie, and the family
of the Earl of Airlie, were first to arrive at the ren-
dezvous, followed by above thirty of their clan. In
a short time was heard the bagpipes, in the direction
of Braemar Castle, of the men of Mar. The Fife
tenantry then made their appearance, accompanied
by General the Hon. Sir Alexander Duff, Mr. George
S. Duff, M.P., and Mr. Ricardo, M.P., and formed
in line in front of the house. The Athol men, num-
bering 130, with the Duke of Athol and the Hon.
Captain James Murray at their head, were next to
arrive. The band was admirably equipped in full
Highland costume ; one party were armed with
jedart" axes, another with true Highland armour,
of broad sword and target; and the third with those
formidable weapons of war the Lochabar axe. This
corps had a fine martial hearing, and excited general
admiration. The Duke of Leeds with about one
hundred retainers, all appropriately equipped, came on
the ground soon afterwards, from Wear Forest, and
with the Athol men formed round the inclosed arena,
in which the games were to take place. The re-
tainers of Invercauld and those of Braemar were
united to serve as a body guard to her Maj esty 'and
Royal Family.
Her Majesty and his Royal Elighness Prince Al-
bert, accompanied by the Prince of Wales, the
Princess Royal, and Prince Alfred, arrived in an
open carriage (the weather being remarkably fine),
at half-past two o'clock, attended by the Right Hon.
Sir George Grey, the Countess of Geinsborough,
Viscountess Canning, Sir James Clark, Lord Alfred
Paget, the Hon. Captain Alexander Gordon, Hon. G.
E. Anson, the Earl of Aberdeen, Lord Adolphus
Fitzclarence, in the royal suite.
The presence of the Qaeen, and the Prince Con-
sort, with the young Princes and Princess, was
hailed by the enthusiastic cheering of the host as-
;embled to enjoy the festivities. It was a truly
Highland demonstration of devoted loyalty, and the
excitement was prolonged somewhat beyond the cus•
tomsry bounds by the int nse pleasure of those rough
hut warm-hearted subjects of the Sovereign.
General the lion. Sir Alexander Duff and Mr.
Farquharson, of Invercauld, received her Majesty
and the Royal Family, the armed Highlanders at
the same time saluting the Queea with all the honours
lue to her exalted station.
As the Queen and royal --party were being con-
ducted to the seats specially prepared for them, from
which they were to visit the games, four handsome
youths, sons of Mr. Farquharson advanced, and kneel-
in?, presented her Majesty, the Princess Royal, and
the Ladies in waiting, the Countess of Gainsborough
and Viscountess Canning, each with a bouquet of
-flowers. The Queen evidently participated in the
feelings of her Ladies in waiting at that delightful
mark of consideration, and bestowed on the young
;entlemen her most gracious thanks.
Her Majesty and the party comprising the royal
circle having taken their seats, the games were imme-
diately commenced by a foot race for a mile. Another
race (a regular steeple-chase), up Craig Chlunie, on
the opposite side of the water, was stoutly contested,
the distance being 100 yards, up a steep wooded hill
Tossing the caber, throwing the putting-stone, and such
trials of strength, dexterous training and agility suc-
ceeded, and afforded much pleasure and amusement
to the royal and ennobled spectators. That portion of
-he sports having concluded, the Queen and Royal
Family, accompanied by a numerous body of the
noblemen and gentlemen present, proceeded to the
spacious marquee erected on the lawn, in which
the dancers were to exhibit their proficiency in the
more graceful arts of the national recreations. Se-
veral dances were performed in the Royal presence,
among others the favourite sword-dance peculiar to
Scotland. At the termination of the dancing his
Royal Highness Prince Albert called over the names
of the successful competitors to whom the prizes were
adjudged, and as they respectively stepped forward,
her Majesty, with a charming affability, conferred
the several prizes on the victorious candidates. Some
of the feats were very remarkable, and merited the
applause awarded ; but we have not space to give all
the names of those who gained prizes, and to particu-
larise one or two individuals, would be considered
invidious, as all contributed to render the sports as
interesting as possible.
In addition to the Queen and the Prince Consort,
and the Royal Family and personages in the royal
retinue, we observed among the elite of the com-
pany, the Duke and Duchess of Leeds and Miss
Lane Fox, the Duke and Duchess of Athol, the
Marquis of Huntley, the Earl and Countess of
Aboyne, Lord Adolphus Fitzclarence, the Earl of
Aberdeen, the Hon. Francis Charteris, M.P., and
Lady Anne Charteris, Hon. General Sir Alexander
and Lady Duff and Miss Duff, Sir Benjamin Hall,
Bart., M.P., Sir John Guest, Bart., MX , and Lady
Charlotte Guest, Sir Maxwell and Lady Wallace,
Mr. Duff, M.P., Mr. Ricardo, M.P., and Miss Ri-
cardo, Lord and Lady James Hay, Lord Henry
Bentinck, Lord Eccles, Lord Brooke, Mr. R. H.
Clive, Mr. and Mrs. Farquharson, Captain Hay,
Captain and Mrs. H. Ross, &c. &c.
Her Majesty and his oyal Highness Prince Al-
bert, after thanking Mr. Farquharson for his polite-
ness and hospitality, retired shortly after four o'clock,
with the Royal party, for Balmoral Castle, the air
ringing again with the cheers of the assembled com-
pany, as the Queen took her departure.
A grand banquet was. given in the evening,
in the marquee before alluded to, which was beauti-
fully decorated by evergreens and wreaths of foliage,
and round the room were festoons of small lamps, in-
termingled with green leaves. One half of the mar-
quee was appropriated for the banquet—a sumptuous
repast—and the other was, at a later period of the
evening, devoted to the dance.
BALMORAL, FRIDAY.
His Royal Highness Prince Albert bad excellent
sport on Wednesday morning while out deerstalking,
and succeeded in killing several head.
Yesterday morning the Queen and Prince took
their accustomed early promenade in t
e private
grounds of the castle, and as you will he informed in
the afternoon, after luncheon, went to Invercauld
House to witness the Braemar gathering, with the
l
whole of the members of the Court staying here.
In the evening the Itight Hon. Sir George Grey
left for Perth to meet the mail train, en route to his
sert in Northumberland.
Lord and Lady John Russell arrived in time to
join the royal dinner table, last evening, from Dublin,
after making brief sejourns at Glasgow and Perth on
the way. The Noble Lord has arrived to succeed Sir
George Grey, and it is expected will remain with her
Majesty up to the time of her departure, when the
Noble Lord will accompany her Majesty to Minte