The Sun.
London, England, 1832-08-21 00:00:00

t`

THE BRIDAL ROUTE.

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BRUSSELS, AUG. 19.
20 BRUSSELS,
has just completed his matrimonial ex-
pedition. He arrived last night at the Palace of
Lacken, after a pretty tedious journey, and as many
civic fetes as would have exhausted the bonhommie
of the best-humoured Prince in Christendom. After
the very moderate festivities at Compiegne, his Bel-
gic Majesty took his departure from that town on
Monday morning, having been a visitant there for
precisely one week. His turn-out was not by any
means extravagantly royal, his own equipage being
about on a par with those which generally perform
Your Gretna-green excursions—a plain close chariot,
with a team of the best post-horses of this country,
with its cart-harness and rope-tackle. The seve-
ral voitures which contained his suite were, of
course, accommodated in the same style. The
garrison and artillery of the National Guard
at Compiegne saluted him as he passed from
the town. Louis Philippe set out for Paris on
the evening of the same day. The weather, which
during the preceding week had been but too fine,
took a very sudden and violent change that after-
noon ; a cloudless sky became rapidly overcast, and
a most inclement night passed away "in thunder,
lightning, and in rain." Byron or Buonaparte
Might have drawn a presage from this freak of the
elements. 'We leave it for the speculations of the
augurs. Since then the weather has been unsettled,
but promises to clear up again in favour of one of
the most magnificent crops that ever waved over
the plains of the Pays Bas. Their Belgic Majes-
ties proceeded homewards through the northern
fastnesses of France, whose bastions and cause-
Ways, and curtains, and moats, and half-moons, and
What net, may have reminded them of 'Vauban,
but excite in the English traveller the much
more refreshing reminiscence of Corporal Trim
and the jack boots. In passing through the
luxuriant orchard-like country of Ham, they could
Perceive from the road the low, but vast, brick
round-towers of that fortress-prison, whose ancient
walls read so unpalatable a lesson to crowned heads
and their advisers. From thence their route conti-
nued through St. Quentin to Cambrai, at which
latter place they rested, after a day's stage. At
each they found the streets decorated with the tri-
coloured flags of France and Belgium, the whole po-
pulation en fete, to welcome them, and the Main's,
and
all the other provincial functionaries having the
of Privilege, prepared to bore them with homilies
congratulation.ill
On Thursday they advanced to
Lhe, where a similar reception awaited them, with
t e very aggravating addition of being compelled to
remain up all night at an entertainment given at
the Hotel de Ville. On the following day they
tcrossed the frontier, and found themselves on
heir own territories, and amongst their own
subjects ; nor had Leopold any reason to
be chagrined at the contrast between the two
.countries, nor the young Queen to feel that she had
been separated from La Belle France. No river,
nor forest, nor chain of mountains or hills, inter-
phpts the great Flemish lain; two small offices of
e Customs some quarter of a mile distant from
each other, on the high road, alone indicate a change
of region. The face of Belgium is precisely similar
to that of France for some time after you enter
on it, but it gradually undergoes a change. You
howhere meet in it with fields either overgrown or
skirted with pommiers; hedges begin partially to
make their appearance, and, at length, you perceive
a union of the richly-varied English landscape and
the grand simplicity of the fertile expanse of agri-
culture, which is only chequered by many-coloured
crops, laid out as neatly as the squares of a chess-
board. The inhabitants of the two soils seem at first
also of much the same race at each side of the se-
parating line, but in this respect a change also soon
occurs: French vivaciousness is subdued on this side
the Scheldt,and amongst the lowest classes the women
appear of coarser form, in which the neatly-turned
geisette is almost entirely lost. In the army there
is a palpable distinction, the observation of which
must be most useful to Leopold. The young Bel-
gian troops have much to acquire before they can be
compared in soldier-like air or manner to their half-
brethren of France. Their elite, however, is nearer
to Holland. The reception which his Majesty and
his young royal bride received from their subjects
was well calculated to make both very uncritical
for the time being, and to clear off from his counte-
nance that rather ungracious coldness of expression
Which it so habitually wears. Nothing could exceed
the animated display of affectionate loyalty with
which they were hailed at every step in their
progress to their capital. Tournay was the first
fortified town which they entered. It was de-
corated with a profusion of triumphal arches, and
ornaments of the most ingenious device, all ap-
propriately formed of a cotton cloth, which is
the staple manufacture of that part of the coun-
try, and which was dyed of the national colours.
They remained here for the night, to recover /14 rest
Which they hadlost at Lille. Yesterday they came on
through Ath, whose fortifications appear to be in
the most perfect condition of any on this route, and
from thence through the small towns of Gouengien,
Enghien, and Halle. The elegance with which
those latter places were dressed out surpassed all
that went before them, and was, in truth, quite
beautiful. Young fir-trees had been cut down in
the neighbouring plantations, and had been erected
about five yards distant from each other on both
sides of the narrow but clean streets through which
the Royal cortege had to pass ; these were con-
nected by palm-branches, interwoven with flowers,
while innumerable similar festoons were hung across
from house to house, each of which had, in addition,
its own particular decorations, while all hung out
little flags of the red, black, and yellow, which,
contrasted with their white walls and the green
foliage of the firs, had a most gay and
sparkling effect. Every little hamlet near the high
road emulated this display, and had its arch spanning
the road, its National Guard turned out, and its
Pavilion erected, beneath which were wine and
Other refreshments arranged, whereof it was hoped
their Majesties would condescend to partake; and
In every instance the Royal' chariot stopped at such
Points, and rewarded the zeal of the rustic assem-
blage with smiles and kind words. On the nearer
approach towards Brussels their testimonials became
more numerous gad expensive in their erection, and
ai_3 evening fell they were rendered more remarkable
°Y being illuminated. Crowds of persons from the
capital on foot, on horseback, and in elegant vehi-
j'es, lined the road which branched off to the Pe-
of Lacken, and conducted their Sovereigns to
e termination of their journey, amid one continued
cheer and waving of handkerchiefs, and, in fact,
vcry outward demonstration of enthusiastic loyalty.
i
4, 41 this Royal progress had no other result than to
,ifertain thp etate of feeling in 13elgium towards its
tan Sovereign, it would be most useful and impor-
srt. It has proved the moat ardent attachment of
'uepeople and of all classes to his person, and their
. Zeal to support him to every extremity against those
Awho would leave him but a maimed kingdom.
mongst the shouts of the bloused multitudes in the
toosso were mingled many cries, "To arms " and
n several bannere and inscriptions were displayed
such charitable sentiments •
roco/s intperht ifs f" 43--"" 44 usable lcs pro-

The feast of the Stewards of the Clergy did not take Sons of the
place this year, owing to the appre-
"e'l,ions entertained at the time that insult and violence
SiWould be offered to the Dignitaries of the Church who
glat he present, The feast je given at the expense of the
,a)tewards to the heads of the Church, the Lord Mayor and
dermen &c., and the collection made after dinner at
these usual annual meetings averaged 1,000/ per annum.
• .
he omission this year will be a serious loss to the charity,
Which is for the widows and orphans of clergymen.
t. CLERICAL APPOINTMENTS.—The Rev.
TRuaLow, Rector of Houghton-le-Spring, in the
,(41tity of Durham, has appointed the Rev. J. S. NicHoL,
(il,"rite of Wooler, to the ministry of the new church at
The Rev. G. TOWNSEND, M.A. vicar of Noah.
Orton, has been appointed by the Lord Bishop and the
ffa anti tid Chater of D Oicial f Allerton
f Allertonshipre, in theURHAM,
peculiarthe and sffiritualor jurisdiction
the diocese of Durham. p