The Sun.
London, England, 1857-06-01 00:00:00

THE GRAND DUKE CONSTANTINE.

His imperial Highness the Grand Duke Con-
stantine of Russia arrived at Osborne on a visit to
her Majesty on Saturday afternoon. As antici-
pated by our Friday:6 report no public ceremony
or display of any kind took place on this occasion,
as the visa was of a strictly private character, and
so very brief in its duration that long ere this notice
is in the hands of our readers his Highness will
have quitted England and be far on his way to
Calais.

The Grand Duke arrived at Cherbourg in the
French Emperor's yacht, Reine Horttnise, at seven
o'clock on Friday morning last. The weather at
that port was most unfavourable for a visit of in-
spection—a keen wind blew, and the rain fell
heavily throughout the day.
Nevertheless his Highness disembarked at the
dockyard at 10 o'clock, and remained till 1, mi-
nutely inspecting its various dep.irtinents, when he
rode through the town, and again returning to the
dockyard embarked in a small screw brig of war,
anti visited the breakwater at the mouth of the har-
bour. Ou this he remained upwards of an hour, exa-
mining the forts, atc„ and returned again to the
dockyard at 4 o'clock to witness the hauling up of a
40-gun frigate by means of the hydraulic heaving-
up slip. This was, we believe, the first time the
experiment of hauling up so large a vessel had been
tried, and the result was perfectly successful.
In the evening the Prefect gave a splendid en-
tertainment at his official residence, to which all
the heads of departments at Cherbourg, with Capt.
Seymour, of th 3 Admiralty yacht Osborne, were
invited to meet the Imperial visitor. Soon after 10
o'clock the Grand Duke embarked from the shore
in the French Admiral's barge, and returned on
board the Reine Hortense. Here his Highness to )k
a formal leave of the officers of the Imperial yacht,
which he quitted soon after, and at once proceeded
on board the Osborne. A discharge of rockets was
fired from the Reine Hortense as the Grand Duke
went down the side, and on board the Osborne he
was received wish gunwales manned and " long
lights" burning. The Russian frigate Aurora, which
during the late War led our cruisers such a weary
dance and so adroitly escaped them all, had been
staying in the harbour at Cherbourg, but sailed
thence before the Grand Duke arrived. His High-
, ness slept on hoard the Osb.srne on Friday night,
and quitted Cherbourg at 6 on Saturday morning
with a light wind, clear, fine weather, and the sea
as calm as a millpond. No salutes were fired, either
by the garrison or ships in port as the Osborne
steamed out. The yacht made a remarkably fine
and quick passage across. While en route, after break-
fast, his Highness expressed a wish that the officers
of the Osborne should be presented to him, and
Captain Seymour accordingly presented Mr. G. H.
K. Bower, R.N., commaudir:g the Osborne (who
was Master of the Agamemnon, under Admiral
Lyons, when she " went in" at Sebastopol, at the
lbombardment), and whom the Grand Duke asked if
he did not find himself in a very " hot berth ;" Mr.
Pym, additional master ; Mr. Gow, chief engineer;
and Lieut. Robinson, of she Victory, who accom-
panied Captain Seymour. The Osborne art ived off
Hurst Castle at half-past 12 o'clock, and was sa-
luted by the garrison with the usual 21 guns. The
only man-of-war at this place was the little Alban
steam-vessel, Lieut. De Blaquiere, which manned
yards as the yacht approached, but did not salute,
as no vessel under 15 guns is allowed the honour of
paying gunpowder compliments.

A look-out man was stationed at Hurst Castle,
by whom the approach of the yacht was signalled to
Osborne, and her Majesty was thus informed of the
arrival of her Imperial visitor almost as soon as the
Osborne came in sight.
Near Cowes was lying the United States' paddle-
wheel frigate Susquehanna, recently arrived re order
to assist in laying down the Atlantic submarine
telegraph cable. This was the first vessel to salute
the Grand Duke on his arrival in England. The
Osborne neared her at 1.15, when Captain Sands
immediately beat to `quarters, manned yards, and
saluted with 21 guns in splendid style. In order to
give the Grand Duke an opportunity of seeing this
fine frigate, the Osborne steamed very slowly past
her, so that his Highness had then a good view of
one of the best and heaviest armed paddle war
steamers afloat. The Susquehanna is 2,436 tons
burden, with a nominal horse-power of 950, and a
crew of 320 men. Her extreme length over all is
280 ft. 9in. ; breadth, 45ft. ; depth, 26ft. 6in., and
draught of water when fully laden with stores, am-
munition, Stc., nearly 19ft. Her armament is, for
a vessel of her class and size, unusually heavy.
She carries 12 8-inch broadside shell guns, each 9
feet long, and weighing 63 cwt. In addition to
this metal she has three pivot guns, two forward
and one aft, each 10ft. 15in. long, weighing 105 cwt.
and throwing an 8-inch solid shot. She is barque
rigged, and has a noble fighting deck with roomy
quarters for her guns and ample space fur stowage
below. Her only drawback seems her height from
the water, the forward ports being 15 feet 6 inches,
and the aft ditto 14 feet. To counterbalance this
defect in her construction, which makes her heavy
aloft and imparts a hideous wall-sided look, she has
no bulwarks, or at least what are equivalent to
none—merely, canvas bulwarks. While saluting
on Saturday the Russian flag was run up at the
main, and the band on deck played the Russian
National Anthem. The Royal yacht squadron bat-
tery at Cowes also saluted as the Osborne passed,
and soon after her Majesty's ship Eurydice, anchored
near Osborne, paid the same compliment, with
manned yards and ship dressed. The yacht arrived
off Osborne at 1.25. Capt. the Hon. Joseph Den-
man immediately put off in the Queen's barge,
and landed his Highness on the beach,
where a guard of honour of the 93d High-
landers, under Capt. Middleton, was drawn up. His
Highness looked at the Highlanders with an ex-
pression that plainly betokoned considerable inte-
rest and admiration. M. Sabouroff, M. Golovniue,
M. Haurowiz, Col, De Greig, aide. de-camp, Prince
Ouchtomsky, and 11 inferior attendants, lauded
with the Duke. Carriages were in waiting upon the
beach to convey the party to Osborne-house.
Yesterday afternoon, at 4.30, her Majesty his
Royal Highness Prince Albert, the Grand Duke
Constantine, and his Royal Highness the Duke of
Cambridge, embarked on board the Victoria
and Albert yacht, which at once stood away
towards Spithead. The keen look-out kept
on board the squadron detected the Royal yacht
before she had moved two lengths from Os-
borne. The ships were moored in two
lines, and the Colossus, Exmouth, Archer,
Malacca, and Brisk, beat to quarters, and
got ready to salute, while the crews of the Vesuvius,
Devastat'on, Volcano, Rolla, and Sealark stool
ready to man yards. As the royal yacht approached,
with the Russian ensign at the fore and the ro.y al
standard at the main, the salute was thundered out
from the chequered sides of the squadron in beauti-
ful order, both large an d small ships manning yards,
with the stan4ards of Russia and England at the
fore and main. The unwonted sound of a royal sa-
lute from the squadron on a Sunday afternoon
brought all the loungers of Portsmouth to the beach.
The garrison should have saluted from the King's
bastion, but were prevented by the rapid progress
of the royal party, who were scarcely reported as
abreast of the town ere the yacht had flown to Spit-
head. The men of the Artillery were mustered in
hot haste and brought down to the harbour at a
hard gallop, but by that time the Victoria and
Albert was past the Nab Ligh, and for all the at-
tention the salute would have commanded it might
as well have been fired at the Tower.
The yacht then stood well out to sea. We be-
lieve it had been intended that the Royal party
should have made a trip round the island, but a
st,ff breeze blew outside, with a heavy swell, so that
after steaming out about 20 miles the yacht's head
was put about, and she returned through Spithead,
the same ceremonies being observed as she repassed
the squadron. Immediately after landing his High-
ness the yacht came into harbour to replenish coals.
She then again returned to Osborne, where the
Grand Duke and suite, we believe, re-embarked
last evening, and atept on board. She was to leave
at sunrise this (Monday) morning, so as to save the
tide into Calais Harbour at 7 the same evening.
From Calais a special train will be in waiting to
convey his Highness towards Hanover, where, ac-
cording to present arrangements, he is to meet the
Grand Duchess to-morrow.