The Sun.
London, England, 1859-12-17 00:00:00

[T.IBT.

PFRINCE ALRED AT CORFU.

A letter from Corfu of the Bth says :—" It having
been reported here that H.M.S. frigate Euryalus,
then at Athens, with Prince Alfred on board, was
to pay us a visit about the beginning of the month,
it was at last ascertained he was expected on the
sth. Shortly after eight o'clock a.m., it being a
beautifully clear and bright day, the signal was
hoisted from the signal station of the citadel
that the vessel was in sight. At ten, as the
frigate approached the Hannibal, bearing the flag
of Rear-Admiral Mundy, she fired a salute, which
was immediately returned. When the frigate had
anchored, boats in all directions, with different
officials, were seen pulling towards her. It was
then ascertained that his Royal Highness would
land at two o'clock. On his leaving the Euryalus,
in the Lord High Commissioner's barge, a royal
salute was fired from her Majesty's ships in port,
beginning with the flagship Hannibal, followed
immediately by the Euryalus, Louden, St. Jean
d'Acre, and the Assurance, the yards all manned by
their different crews. The sight at this moment was
magnificent, added to which the weather was beau-
tifully clear, and the Albanian mountains, with their
caps of snow, for miles along the coast, were seen
glittering in the sun. On his Royal Highness
landing at St. Nicolo, a royal salute was fired
from the battery, and the bells from all the
Greek churches rang merrily. His Royal. Hig-
hness was received by Major-General Sir G. Buller,
commanding her Majesty's troops in the lonian
Islands, Rear-Admiral Mundy, the Regent and
Municipality of Corfu, the Lord High Com-
missioner's Secretary, the Director-General of
Police, the colonels of regiments, and all heads of
departments; a guard of honour from her Mtgesty's
14th Regiment with their excellent band playing
the national anthem. At this moment the whole
of the inhabitants of the town turned out to wel-
come his Royal Highness's arrival. The cortege
then proceeded to the palace amidst the cheering
of the whole population, English and natives all
joining. A guard of honour from the 2d battalion
of the 9th Regiment was in attendance with the
Philharmonic Band of the island. On entering the
hall of the palace St. Michael and St. George, his
Royal Highness was met by the President of the
Senate and senators, who accompanied him to
the throne-room, where the Lord High Com-
missioner, Major-General Sir Henry Storks, .the
President of the Assembly, the legislators, and
judges, with all the other officials, received his
Royal Highness, and after the usual introductions
they retired, leaving the prince to enjoy the beau-
tiful scenery around him from the palace. His
Royal Highness, accompanied by his Excellency
Sir Henry Storks, Major Cowell, Major Peel, and
a young midshipman, Lord Jocelyn, took a short
drive into the country; and after their return they
walked through the town, followed by thousands of
people. He dinel with the Lord High Commisioner
that evening, when the General, Admiral, and all
the officials were present. Most of the houses,
English and natives of the town, and public build-
ings were illuminated. One stack of building, in
particular, on the esplanade, belonging to an Eng-
lishman, with the magazine, well known to
every one who may have resided at or visited
Corfu, was beautifully illuminated, and worthy
of notice ; all the arcades were covered with ever-
greens, Chinese lanterns, and four large transpa-
rencies were put in four of the most conspicuous
windows of the house, with the following inscrip-
tions :—Loyal arms, with God save Victoria, our
gracious Queen !' Welcome to the Sailor Prince
The Philharmonic Band played under the palace
until eleven o'clock, and fireworks were let off on
the esplanade. The next day his Royal Highness,
accompanied by Sir H. Storks and Count Dusmani,
visited the Church of St. Spiridone, where most
of the ecclesiastics of the Greek Church were ready
to receive him. On his leaving the chur ch he pro-
ceeded to pay a visit to General Sir G. Buller, the
crowd following to the citadel gate. His Royal
Highness was shown over the fortifications and the
citadel by the general. His Royal Highness then
joined the admiral and the officers of the garrison,
and rode out to the meet, as the officers, with the
assistance of their excellent president, got up a gar-
rison paper hunt, which went off exceedingly well.
Yesterday, the 7th, his Royal Highness was not
seen, being all day with the Lord High Commis
sioner, Admiral, and a large party at Butrinto, on
the Albanian coast, viewing all the places of inte-
rest, returning last evening at six. He dined with
Sir G. Buller, where a large party was assembled to
meet him. This morning he drove to Paleocastrizza,

the back of the island, from whence I am sure his
Royal Highness will be much pleased with the view.
He dines this evening with his highness the Presi-
dent of the Senate, and goes afterwards to a ball
at the palace, given by the Lord High Commissioner,
who has invited, a large party to meet him. To-
morrow is fixed for his Royal Highness's departure
for Malta, and I can only add that it is the univer-
sal regret his stay has been so short. His Excel-
lency Sir H. Storks, the Major-General, and Ad-
miral have done all in their power to make his
short stay here as pleasant as possible. On the
10th, the lonian Parliament, which was prorogued
on the 10th March last, will be opened in state by
the Lord High Commissioner and all the authori-
ties. With best wishes for the prosperity of the

lonian Islands, I conclude with the - mot-to of the
Order of St. Michael and St. George—' Auspicium
melioris revi.'"

THE WEATHER AND THE PARKS.

The severe frost, which has now continued three
days without intermission, this morning enabled
those having the time and inclination to recreate
themselves on the various waters and canals in the
neighbourhood of the metropolis. A little before
11 a.m. yesterday the glass had fallen to 25 degrees,
being seven degrees below freezing point, and, of
course, during the previous night it must have been
much, lower. Such an intense degree of cold is
seldom experienced in this comparatively temperate
climate, and of late years our winters have passed
almost without making a sign. Last year we had
a few 'days' frost during the month of November,
since which there has been none till the present
time.

The evolutions and misfortunes of the sliders and
skaters during the day were sources of considerable
amusement to the hundreds of persons who lined
the shores of the respective waters, and who were
not venturesome enough to trust themselves on the
ice, which, in spite of the sharp frost, was in any-
thing but a safe condition, and bent and cracked in
a fearful manner under the weight of the persons
passing over its surface. The water in St. James's
Park was that most freely ventured on during the
day, as, since Sir Benjamin Halls improvement, by
causing the lake to be payed with a firm concrete,
and reducing the water to an uniform depth of be-
tween three and four feet, no immediate danger was
to be apprehended.
Two skaters were plunged into a hole up to the
neck and shoulders. A peripatetic vender of skates,
having perhaps an interest as proprietor of either or
both of the immersed gentlemen's skates, and fear-
ing their loss in the struggle to get out, incau-
tiously advanced too near, and was himself uncere-
moniously admitted to the conference, accompanied
by his chair, which he had brought with him.
Their endeavours to escape were for a long time
futile, the edges of the ice round the hole in which
they were not being strong enough to support
their weight when they attempted to get out. A
rope having been procured, one of the victims was
enabled to seize it, and by this means he was pulled
out to his own length on the i▪
ce, when it again
broke and let him in a second ti▪
me. After this pro-
cess had been repeated several times they were all
three extricated, with no other i▪
nj▪
ury than lacerated
hands and cut knees, and their clothes completely
saturated. The Royal Humane Society had not
completed the erection of their usual building, and
they had to find their way home in the best man-
ner possible. Several accidents of the same nature
occurred, chiefly to boys, who, their weight being
less, were more easily rescued, till the ice was almost
deserted. In Hyde Park, on the more dangerous
water of the Serpentine, no one ventured, except a
few boys round the edges, that place having been
the scene of so many unfortunate deaths from going
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ferent localities with " dangerous" in large charac-
ters painted on them, several immersions took place
-- four in all although, happily, unattended
with fatal results. One of them was a narrow
escape. A boy, who had been repeatedly
warned by the men, persisted in going on, and
when at a distance of some thirty yards from the
shore, the depth being eight or ten feet, the ice
gave way and precipitated him into the water.
He luckily had a large basket with him,
which materially assisted him in maintaining his
position above water till he was rescued from his
perilous situation by one of the Humane Society's
men, who skilfully threw him one end of a coil of
rope, and hauled him out.
If another night's frost continue, as in all proba-
bility it will, this piece of water will be ill a fine
condition for skating and sliding, as it has not been
broken like the ice in St. James's Park, and will
present a smooth glassy face—the real pride of the
true skater. Thus, as far as we can learn, no acci-
dent attended with fatal effects has as yet occurred.