The Sun.
London, England, 1868-04-20 00:00:00

INS iLLATION OF T.g E Vara, OF
WALES.

-
The gorgeous ceremonial which attended the Oinitallation
of the Prince of Wales as a Knight of St. .Pate ,the
on
Saturday last, is vividly described by Dr. Russ ell ,
special correspondent of the Times. The following , extracts
give some idea of one of the grandest, opectao lea ever
witnessed in the history of Ireland :
THE STREETS.

Although it was widely announced that the procession
,c,ould not leave the Castle for the Cathedral until about
thrt, e o'clock, the whole population of the city' ,began to
prepere for the grand event some hours before:, At one
o'clock the contingents of military who had been told off
for the moose began to line the streets, and the multi-
tude who co,uld not find accommodation within the houses
along the route thronged the footways and extended to the
depth of many files towards the centre of the thorough-
fares, until stopp ed by the close red rampart which pre-
sented an effectual barrier on each side. Each regiment
had its band at its head, and throughout the
day the sound of merry music filled the air.
All the gay festoon and brilliant flags which were
displayed on Wednesday decorated the streets, and
in some instances were retouched and rendered more
attractive. Innumerable balconies were constructed along
the line through which the pageant was to pass. Some of
them were extemporised for the day ; others were more
permanent structures, and were elaborately embellished
with evergreens and flowers ; all were filled with specta-
tors, arrayed in all the brilliant colours of the loom. Every
window was crowded, and the roofs of the houses in com-
manding places were fringed with double lines of people,
who were content to view the spectacle from that dizzy
lieigkt. The scene in the vicinity of Ihe-Castle and along
Drone-street and College-green was singular and exciting.
Every available inch of ground was covered. The statue
of King William 111. was surrounded with a clustering
throng, who hung in strange positions from every limb of
the clumsy horse, and threatened to force him into shape.
The lamp-posts along the route bore groups of adventurous
youth, who spewed by their gesticulations and their shouts
that they entered heartily into the enjoyment of the
scene. At half-past two o'clock all traffic between the
lines of soldiers was intercepted, and no vehicle of any
description was allowed to pass, save the royal and vice-
regal carriages and those furnished with " carriage passes"
issued by the Installation Committee. After waiting
patiently for more than two hours the spectators were
at length rewarded for their endurance by seeing the
head of the procession emerge from the Castle-gate. A
load riuging cheer proclaimed the fact to those in the dis-
tance, and was gradually caught up and passed along the
dense mass of- people. Every eye was- strained in flu
direction of Castle-hill, and presently a detachment c:6
Lancers made its appearance, followed by an escort o)
Carbineers, who were in attendance upori the Lord-Lieu-
ttnant. As soon as his Excellency was recognised the
cheering was taken up vehemently. In the carriage with
his Excellency were the Marchioness of Abercorn, Captain
Stewart, and Sir H. Pelly. Next camethe state coach of
the Prince of Wales, containing his Royal Highness and
the Princess of Wales. The royal carriage was escorted
by a detachment of the 10th (Prince of Wales's Own)
russars. Other carriages followed.
A detachment of the 12th Lancers brought up the rear
of the procession. The Prince and the Princess of Wales
were loudly and cordially cheered along the entire route.
The ladies occupying the windows and platforms waved a
loyal welcome. Her Royal Highness seemed to enjoy
large measure of this favour, and returned the friendly
salutations of the multitude with a kindly and unaffectee
grace. The procession took the prescribed route to th,
west door of the cathedral. The splendour of the royal
equipages and the glittering uniforms of the cavalry, the
-many-tinted costumes of the civic and military authorities
and the fanciful dresses of the fair spectators—thrown into
relief by the dark masses of the multitude—the music of
the bands and the voices of the people, combined to give
singular beauty and life to the pageant, as it moved on
between the lines of soldiers, under waving festoons and
arches decked with banners. As it approached the cathe-
dral, where it became more concentrated, and the impos-
ing structure, whose architectural outlines were fully
revealed, added a new feature to the scene, 41,(.
highly picturesque.