The Sun.
London, England, 1860-10-30 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, OCTOBER- 30, 1860.

ladders and hose waggons were similarly decorated.
Every man, marching in ranks and hollow squares,
wore his red tunic and helmet, each had a lighted
torch in his hand, and each brigade was preceded

by a fine band. The effect of the whole turn out,
therefore, as can be easily imagined, was remark-
ably fine. They mustered soon after six o'clock,
but the arrangement of the cortege, spread out so
as to cover some miles of ground, took a long time

to perfect. It was nearly nine o'clock, therefore,
before it began moving down upon the Fifth
Avenue Hotel, from the balcony of which

splendid building the Prince and his suite were to
witness it. Vety few spectacles appear to delight.
New York more than one of these grand displays,
and, accordingly, the whole population of the town
was out in throngs as dense almost as those which

lined the Broadway on the night of the Prince's

arrival. Round the Fifth Avenue Hotel—on the
spot where the interest was concentrated, and where
there was ample space for thousands to assemble,

,he crowds were immense. Every window, every

housetop was swarming with tiers of faces. Ye'
the same quiet good order reigned here among al
as prevailed through the streets on Thursday last

As the procession came down the Fifth Avenue
seemed, looking along the countless mass of lights
like a river of flame—a kind of narrow 'variegated
Prairie fire, which lit up the buildings far and near
with its bright glare, turning the sea of faces to a
dusky red that gave the whole scene a tremendous
and indescribable aspect. Most of the engines had
beautiful lime lights in front of powerful reflectors,
which concentrated the rays into one long pencil of
brightness that was visible above everything. As the
head of the column approached the Royal balcony a
long deafening cheer rent the air, and the companies
simultaneously lit the Roman candles which each
man carried, and thousands of variegated balls of
fire went whirling up in all directions. The effect of
this was really wonderful. The cloud of coloured
fires in the air—the bright dancing mass of torches
below, lighting up the trees and houses—the lively
music of the bands, the cheering of the whole con-
course, and the interminable column of flame
which now seemed to surround the hotel like
a belt, dying away among the trees in the
far distance in a dull, foggy glare—the crowds of
faces thronging out of windows and peering over
lofty roofs, the waving of handkerchiefs and clap-
ping of hands as the scene grew more brilliant and
exciting every minute—all made up such a grand
picture as only New York can show on those occa-
sions. For an hour and a half the huge procession
continued to file past, the Prince acknowledging
with the utmost courtesy the cheers of each bri-
gade. Second only to the anxiety with which all
looked for the Prince was the interest with which
the Duke cf Newcastle was regarded. His firm-
ness and decision in the Orange affair have raised
him immensely in popular estimation, as in truth
any one rises here who makes a firm and success-
ful stand against the dictation of mob law. When
the procession had passed the Fifth Avenue Hotel
its labours were by no means terminated. It had
to show itself in nearly all the chief thoroughfares
of New York, so that it was nearly 1 a.m. before
this march was over. Immense crowds marched
out to see the last of it, and though, as a rule,
New York of a night is far from being an orderly,
or, worse still, even a safe city to be out in late,
yet everything went off as quietly as possible. This
morning the Royal party went to the Trinity, or
the mother church. There was, of course, a most
crowded congregation inside the building, and a
still more crowded one outside. This is the church
(or rather one rebuilt on its site) from which I
mentioned in my last letter that Dr. Irving was
expelled for reading the prayers for King George.
I was misinformed, however, as to the name of the
divine, which was Inglis, and not Irving. During
the service this morning prayers were offered u
for her Majesty, the Prince Consort, and Albert
Edward Prince of Wales, the first time that such
a petition has ever been made for English Royalty
in that building since Dr. Inglis lost his living for
persisting in making it.
WEST POINT ON THE HUDSON, OCT. 16.
His Royal Highness has arrived at this most
picturesque centre of all the grand scenery of the
Hudson—the last but two of the place he has to
visit before this long and triumphant tour comes to
a close. Great crowds assembled to witness his
departure from New York in spite of the earliness
of the hour and the cold damp gloom of the day.
There was the same respectful enthusiasm, the same
warm cordiality of demeanour that distinguished
the reception here—that in fact has marked every
occasion when the Prince has been among the
people of New York. The Royal party went at
once on board the Harriet Lane steamer, and amid
the most heart-stirring cheers of farewell the
Prince quitted New York—a city which must ever
have a fresh and pleasant place in his memory and
the memories of all who were with him on this occa-
sion. Taken throughout, his welcome there was one
of the most brilliant, cordial, and affectionate that
ever was spontaneously offered by a people to any
passing visitor, no matter how illustrious. The
voyage up the Hudson was like floating through a
gorgeous vision of fairy land. It seemed at first as
if the approach of winter, which has been making
rapid strides of late, had rather dimmed the glory
of the scene, for the coloured garments of the trees
hung thinly over their brown gnarled boughs, and
the ground was thickly strewn with the autumn
leaves, which at a distance shone out among the
grass like piles of fallen fruit. Higher up, however,
as the river wound in between the lofty chain of
hills at either side, details were lost in the grand
magnificence of the whole, and each mountain be-
came a huge glory of crimson and gold. The day
was dull and the clouds lay low, often topping the
hills with a misty fleece, like smoke from a fire,
for the whole scene was burning and glowing in its
ardent colours. The water was calm as a mirror,
and reflected back the piles of gorgeous tints—the
great trees of gold glittered and trembled with every
breath, and such a glorious background of ruby-
coloured foliage spread out on every side in long
purple vistas as only autumn on the Hudson shows.
The party reached West Point soon after 1 o'clock,
and were met at the landing-place by Colonel Dela-
field, the commandant, and the chief officers of the
institution. Accompanied by them his Royal High-
ness rode up to the summit, and after a short stay
proceeded to inspect the cadets of the school and
witness them go through their evolutions.
West Point, both from the almost unequalled
charms of its scenery and it being the seat of the
great military school of the United States, is perhaps
one of the best known of all the places on the
Hudson, always excepting the Empire City itself. It
is replete with interest, too, as having been the '
key to the first great position of the young Repub-
licans in the War of Independence, a key which
Arnold held and would have betrayed into the
hands of the English but for the discovery of the
plot by the arrest and execution of Major Andre at
Tarrytown, a little below it. The remains of the
old forts which were thrown up at the time are still
to be seen, though ruined now and almost undis-
cernible. The military academy was established in
1802 by the Government, by which it is entirely
supported. The education of the cadets is entirely
gratuitous and extends over a period of five years,
during which time they are completely grounded in
all the more minute practical and theoretical details
of their future profession. In return for their educa-
tion each one is required to spend eight years in the
public service, unless sooner excused for some great
and meritorious action. Nine-tenths, however, lam
told, of those who are educated here remain for life
in the small regular army of the United States,
always on frontier duty in the uttermost wilds of
the far 'West—the hardest duty, perhaps, that is
exacted from any officer in the world. I have heard
it said by many who ought to be well acquainted
with the subject, that the School at West Point
was reforming—that it is not what it used to be,
and does not now, at least, accomplish such results
as might fairly be anticipated. How far this may
or may not be true I cannot venture to say in such
a hurried visit. It certainly appears to be all that
could be wished. The cadets now here are perfect
in their drill, and equally an fait, it is said, in the
learning belonging to the more theoretical duties
of their future profession. I learn also that the
present officers of the United States army were cdu-