The Sun.
London, England, 1861-08-24 00:00:00

HER MAJESTY'S VISIT TO IR,ELZ-,7b.

-4--

DUBLIN, AUGUST 21.

The arrival of the Victoria and Albert in Kings-
town Harbour at 11 o'clock this evening, under a
weeping sky, and in a misty atmosphere, which
gave the royal vessel almost a spectral appearance,
dissipated a host of hopes, fears, and uncertainties
with which the Irish metropolis had been fille4 for
the whole of the previous week.
After some short delay, the vessels dropped their
anchors, and the royal yacht made herself con-
spicuous by taking up a position different from that
which any other vessel would be permitted to take,
namely, broadside on to the shore, thus enabling
the crowd to see the royal saloon brilliantly lighted,
and persons passing to and fro, amongst whom
many professed to recognise her Majesty. There
was a good deal of conversation, but no cheering,
the national enthusiasm being reserved for the
landing, which is to take place at 11 o'clock in the
morning. The last incident connected with the
arrival of the royal squadron was a general rush
for the last train, which has seldom had so numer-
ous a freight as it carried on this occasion to town.

The Victoria and Albert started at 7.17 p.m..
English time; and arrived at 11.5, Dublin time.
The Scotia started at 6.30, and arrived at 11.25.
DUBLIN, AUGUST 22.

It was quite clear, from the deportment of the
people on the occasion of her Majesty's landing
this morning, that they had " accepted the situa-
tion,"had determined magnanimously to relinquish
all their expectations of outward pomp and pagean-
try, and were prepared to respect and to sympathise
with the motives which had induced her Majesty
to bespeak as much privacy as possible at the
various stages of her Irish tour. '1 here was a
crowd of well-dressed people in the platform gal-
lery, and a much greater crowd, not so uniformly
costumed, everywhere outside, but from all there
was the most deferential deportment, and but one
stifled burst of cheering, after which the royal
cortege was allowed to pass on.
It transpired that the landing was not to take
place until the following morning, and, with this
assurance, the crowd gradually dropped away, and
the harbour was left to its usual nocturnal still-
ness. Early this morning there was, however, a
considerable change in the aspect of affairs. The
royal yacht, the men-of-war, and a whole fleet of
pleasure boats, were dressed in their signal colours.
and the harbour was dotted with row boats, the
occupants of which exhibited the usual loyal
curiosity of her Majesty's subjects whenever her
Majesty is out on one of her royal progresses.
Some alarm was created amongst the fortunate
platform ticket-holders, who had made up their
books to leave the pier at half-past 10, by a thun-
dering cannonade, which commenced at 8 in the
morning. Persons came rushing and pouring down
to the pier in hundreds, but it turned out to be a
false alarm—merely the royal salute by which her
Majesty should have been received on the previous
evening, but which was postponed by the Queen,
out of consideration for the invalds who are known
to throng Kingstown at. this season of the year.
Punctually at 11, the guns boomed once more,- and
the preparations for landing commenced. The
Board of Worki had, on very short notice, impro-
vised a handsome landing-stage, covered with
scarlet bunting, from which a smart and tasteful
archway opened to the vessel, which was now
moored close to the pier. His Excellency the
Lord-Lieutenant came down by the. quarter-past
10 o'clock train, and was rowed on board the
royal yacht from the St. George's Club battery in
one of the barges of the Ajax. Her Majesty gra-
ciously received his excellency in the deck saloon,
and the greeting of the Prince Consort was also par-
ticularly cordial and courteous. Immediately after
the arrival on deck of the Lord-Lieutenant the royal
vessel made slowly for the landing-place, and a few
privileged persons were admitted on board. Amongst
those present on the platform were the Kingstown
Harbour Commissioners, including Mr. Chambers,
Colonel M'Kernie, and Mr. Barry Gibbons, the har-
bour engineer. Mr. Chambers had the honour of
of presenting an address to her Majesty on the deck
of the Victoria and Albert, and had a most gracious
reception. It is understood that her Majesty, in the
few btief observations she addressed to Mr. Cham-
bers, expressed how much pleasure she felt in find-
ing herself once more in Ireland. The other occu-
pants of the platform who awaited her Majesty's
landing were Field-Marshal Lord Gough, Sir
George Brown, commander of the forces in Ireland,
and staff, Colonel Lake, Colonel Brownrigg, &e.,
and the board of the railway company, including the
Hon. Geo. Hancock, chairman ; William Dargan,
Esq., deputy chairman ; Jos. Howe, Esq., Wal-
dron, Esq., M.P., and Sir J. Power, directors ; Ar-
thur Moore, Esq., secretary ; and Mortimore
Harris, Esq., general manager. The platform gal-
leries A and B, which would hold about 1,500
persons, were well filled, principally with ladies.
A rather late arrival on the platform was Sir
Robert Peel, the right honourable baronet having
missed the train, but on his arrival he was imme-
diately honoured with the royal recognition.
The Queen could be seen giving a direction to Earl
Granville, his lordship immediately communicated
with his Excellency the Earl of Carlisle, and the
latter nobleman came on shore and brought back
Sir Robert, who was presented to her Majesty, and
had a peculiarly gracious reception. The Prince
Consort was also especially frank and friendly in his
recognition of the right hon. baronet. I think that
the Lord-Lieutenant and the Chief Secretary were
the only two persons who went on board, and im-
mediately after the presentation of the latter the
landing took place. The royal train consisted of
four carriages and a break van, her Majesty's car-
riage being placed in the centre.
It would be impossible exactly to describe the
sensation that pervaded the crowd of spectators as
the Queen and her family walked slowly on shore.
Her Majesty, who was clad in the deepest and
plainest mourning, leant on the arm of the Prince
Consort, similarly attired. The royal children—the
Princesses Alice and Helena and Prince Arthur
Patrick, attended by Miss Hilliard—followed, also
in mourning, as was, in fact, every one in the pro-
cession, so that the whole had a most singular and
solemn effect. A cheer, faint and timid, was set
up, but it was stifled in a moment, evidently in re-
spectful sympathy with the illustrious mourner ; a
few handkerchiefs were slowly waved, but no de-
monstration took place inconsistent with a greeting
of the most solemn and sympathising character.
Her Majesty seemed fully to appreciate the deport-
ment of the people, and to be pleased. She
raised her head sadly, bowed round very
gravely, but very courteously, and at once
stepped into the carriage. The royal family
alone occupied the royal carriage, his Excellency
the Lord Lieutenant following in the next. One
carriage was occupied by the directors and two by
the viceregal household and the staff, and when all
had taken their places, the train proceeded rapidly
to town. As it emerged into the open space from
the covered landing stage, an immense crowd was
observable, packed densely over the open, and
although composed as it was of all classes of people,
and of course having the humbler in the great
majority, the same delicacy of deportment 'was
observable as on the platform amongst the elite.
The people cheered in a subdued manner, and her
Majesty stood up in her carriage, and, bowing on
both sides, permitted them to see how real was the
sorrow which rendered this royal visit so exceptional
in all its arrangements. All the discontent of the
day before had disappeared, a sorrowing Queen- pre-
sented herself to a loyal and sympathising people.
and the meeting was far more interesting than could
have been the most gorgeous and festive pageant.
At the Westland-row platform another delicate
attention was in readiness for her Majesty. I be-
lieve that on the occasion of the previous royal
visit her Majesty was rather incommoded and an-
noyed by the platform crowd at this particular
station; and this time the most stringent precau-
tions were taken, and were carried out with much
efficiency by Mr. Hill, superintendent of the line.
Not a soul was to be seen in the whole interior
except Mr. Hill himself and the five policemen—
the most stalwart of the pre-eminently stalwart
Dublin brigade—whose duty it was to guard
every entrance, not only from intruders, but even'
from peepers. Her Majesty was much gratified at