The Sun.
London, England, 1858-02-05 00:00:00

'ILYS.

turns of the paddlewheels, and they glide majesti-
cally into a scene of singular beauty. As far
as the eye can reach, the river, here as broad
and as deep as the Thames at Greenwich,
flows in a straight line, its bosom unvexed by
the stroke of a single oar. Along the left bank
is a green dike, so high that it almost con-
ceals the landscape behind it, terminating in
the fortified point known as the Tete de
Flandre. But on the right bank are seen a series
of magnificent quays, more than a mile in length,
planted with a double row of trees, and lined by
handsome edifices. They are crowded with people,
some of them wearing costumes of the most quaint
description, and from the windows of many of the
houses are flying the flags, of England, Prussia, and
Belgium. Only a few vessels, chiefly small river
steamers, are lying alongside the quays, but. the
basins at the bottom of the town are well filled with
shipping, gaily dressed in the brightest Colours.
The Victoria and Albert, with the Prussian flag at
the main and the Union Jack at the fore, and de-
corated in the most tasteful manner, moved slowly
up amid the shouts of the spectators. She an-
chored in the centre of the river, nearly opposite
the Porte de L'Escaut, and was sainted by the
guns of the citadel and by those of the Tete de
Flandre. The Fairy passed between the Victoria
and Albert and the quay, and dropped her anchor
a little further up the river. Her example was fol-
lowed by the Osborne and Vivid. The Curagoa
also steamed up in the same direction, but before
taking up her position by the side of her tiny con-
sorts she returned the salute of the citadel with two
broadsides, which seemed almost to shake the earth.
As soon as the firing had ceased the King pro-
ceeded on board the Victoria and Albert, and, after
exchanging affectionate greetings with the young
Prince and Princess, gave them a hearty welcome
to his dominions. Lord and Lady Howard de
Walden also went on board the yacht and offered
their congratulations to their Royal Highnesses.
A few mintttes were spent in receiving the parting
homage of the officers of the ship, and, the last word
having been spoken, the Princess Royal was con-
ducted by the King down the ladder to an elegant
12-oared boat, painted white and gold. Prince Fre-
derick followed, and the ladies and gentlemen in
attendance were landed in the boats belonging to
the Royal yacht. The moment that the Princess
left the side of the Victoria and Albert the crew—
officers and men—mounted the padclleboxes and
gave three such cheers as probably the good people
of Antwerp never heard before. The crew of the
Curagoa, too, who now manned the yards, as well
as those of the Fairy, the Osborne, and the Vivid,
sent forth repeated "hurrahs !"' in a style which
evidently astonished the amiable but somewhat
stolid Flemings. The Princess Royal was handed
on shore and conducted to the carriage by the
King, her august husband following between the
two Belgian Princes. The utmost anxiety was
manifested by the people to see her Royal High-
ness, in whom e they apparently' felt an unusual
interest, and she traversed the short distance be-
tween the river side and the carriage amid the most
enthusiastic applauso,accompanied by -the waving
of hats and handkerchiefs. She conversed with
the King in a cheerful; lively manner, and seemed
nothing the worse for the voyage from Gravesend.
She wore a dresiof light-coloured moire antique, a
black velvet pelisse, and a gray silk bonnets
irimine I with flowers and cherry-coloured ribands.
The Prince wore a Prussian uniform. All the
Royal party, with the exception Of the Comte do
Flandre, entered one carriage, drawn by four beau-
tiful bays. It was intended that the Royal car-
riages, of which there were two, should be followed
to the station by the coaches of the ambassadors,
consuls, and civil and military authorities in some-
thing like order. The result showed that the
arrangers of the ceremonial had reckoned without
their host. It is not tlle. practise in Antwerp to
line the streets with soldiers cr policemen on such
occa,ions as the present, and the consequence was,
that the moment the carriage containing the King
and the young Prire3 and Princess moved from
the quay, the crowd, disregarding' the military
escort, rushed in behind it and isolated it from the
others. Any attempt to rejoin the head to the
body would have been - perfectly hopeless ; the
distance' between them became greater every
minute ; common street cabs insinuated themselves
at different points along the rotate, and at last
not even the semblance of a procession remained.
but every one tried to get to the station as soon
after the Royal party as possible.
To reach the railway station from the Quai Van;
dyck the procession, if it may bo called such, had
to go a distance of about a mile and a-half, passing
through most of the principal streets and open
places of the city. There was much to attract the
notice and elicit the admiration of the august ViSi-
tom in their route. The streets are generally nal'
row and lined with lofty houses of a sombre,
antique appearance, presenting in many cases the
most grotesque architectural combinations. Sem°
of them are six or seven stories in height, their
fronts adorned with elaborate tracery, and terrtni
Dating at the top in those notchede and pointed
gables which are familiar to all acquainted with the
pictures of the Flemish school. Nothing could b°
more dissimilar to the tame uniformity of a modern
street than the Vieux Marche au BIS, with its irre"
gular but richly ornamented fronts, its projecting,
windows luxuriantly sculptured, and its sloping
roofs partly concealed by quaintly decorated tower;
and gables. In the short space of half-an-hour the
Prince and Princess saw samples of the different
styles of building which have been in vogue frl
the 11th and 12th century to the present time.
„a
do not know whether Mr. Gilbert Scott has visPev
Antwerp, but I am sure he would gaze with wonee",
and admiration at its exquisite examples of these
forms of architecture for which he pleads sa
quently in his recent work, proving as they do tb"
the Gothic, with. its various modifications, is
capable of being applied successfully to civil eu.'"
flees, and even to dwelling-houses, as to eccieeia;
tical buildings. But, after all, there is perhaps „
sight so interesting as that of human beings Cote
grega.ted together in largo masses, and when .
this is added an infinite variety, of strange cam"
tomes, the spectacle be comes at once impresnoo
and amusing. Such it was to-day. The male
dress seems to be nearly the same all over Y-412,
lope ; it is -not remarkable for either elegall,n;
or picturesqueness ; but, happily, in the 'tho
manse applauding crowds that welcomed
the
Prince and Princess to Ant werp this afternoon the
women far outnumbered the men, and their !111
black Spanish cloaks, their tiny caps worn with
cociuotti,h air, and adorned with ribands and st`eir
gles, and, in the case of the riper beauties, ttlit,
odd-looking straw bonnets, covering a pure I"the
lace Cap, with broad lappets hanging down,te
shoulders, had a peculiarly strkine effect. At
nous points on the lino of procession, at everyl
public buildings, at the different consulates, at
the principal hotels and cafes, and particularlYthile
the Hotel St. Antoine, and the Hotel du Pare, the
flags of England, Prussia, and Belgium floated in the
air. In passing along the Canal au Sucre
the
Royal party obtained an excellent view o', id,
cathedral tower, one of the loft;est in the svere
light and elegant in form, and celebrated for .th
beauty and delicacy of its Gothic ornamentettt of
0.
A little further on they caught a glimpse nf
of
Hotel de Ville in the Grande Place, the tree
the
liberty planted by the Belgians at the time °g
,se.
revolution, and the venerable and interesting wide
sing in which the Emperor Charles V. used to riesosor
when he visited Antwerp. They movecistei
through the Place Verte, a large open space plan te
with trees, having in its centre a colossal stattl ,1,6
Rubena, surrounded by the Palais de Justice, 1';
Post-office, and other public institutions. Travels
ing the Marche aux Souliers, in which are the all.,
shops in Antwerp, they entered the Place de geith
the vast area of which was completely filled visoci
people, who greeted the Royal cortege as it Pair9jog
along in the moat cordial manner. After 1e,3 the
the Place de Meir, as it was now getting dark, out
a
pace wag increased, and, cro=sing the ramParitot
trot, the Royal party arrived at the station %re
5 o'clock, and were received with military hot up,
by a regiment of Rifles, while the band struck
" God save the Queen." A special train w%
fof
readiness to convey them to Brussels, and ill it ' d
minutes it moved slowly out of the station, forrsee.
by the plaudits of those admitted to the phi" eople
In the evening the Fairy treated the town 6 I)Dient
to a display of fireworks, which had a very hr'
effect, and gave great delight to the crowds sud
bled on the quays. The Victoria and Albert 0000
the Vivid will, I believe, leave early toltridey.
morning for England, and the Fairy on
s'.heree
It is probable that the Curagoa and the vi
will remain for a few days longer.