The Sun.
London, England, 1868-07-04 00:00:00

THE QUEEN AT ALDERSHOT.

The Queen, accompanied by several members of her
family, visited the camp at Aldershot on Friday, for the
third time this year, and reviewed the troops. Her
' Majesty left Windsor Castle in the afternoon, and pro-
' ceeded by special South-Eastern train from the Great
Western terminus of the royal borough. Travelling over
the narrow gauge line vicl, Reading, the train reached the
North Camp station about half-past four o'clock. The
announcement of the review in the papers, and the promise
held out in some quarters that the Duke of Edinburgh and
Sir Robert Napier would be of the party, caused an unusual
number of visitors to travel from London to the camp.
For an hour or two previous to the arrival of the Queen
the road from the camp presented a very picturesque
appearance as the horse and foot soldiers followed its
bends and ascents. They could be seen for miles distant
slowly progressing amidst clouds of Aldershot dust.
The Queen had to traverse a portion of this highway in
coming from the north to the south camp, and the
royal carriages and their inmates were not exempt
from the universal whitening of dust which was
experienced by everybody else. The stragglers
along the road, the spectators who were lying under the
hedges, amidst the furze and upon the heath, with purple
bloom for their pillows, were roused into activity by the
appearance of the Queen and the Princesses, and the cus-
tomary cordial reception greeted them then and during
the remainder of their stay. The same remark will apply
to the Duke of Cambridge, the Prince of Wales, the Prince
Teck, Prince Louis of Hesse, and Prince Christian, the
first three of whom came by express train from Waterloo.
They mounted as usual outside the station, were met by
Lieutenant-General Sir J. Yorke Searlett and his staff, and
rode off at once to the scene of action. There the troops were
drawn up ready to receive them, the artillery to the right,
the infantry to the left, the cavalry in the rear ranks.
About five o'clock a royal salute was fired from the
distant camp limits, and the dragoon escort soon after-
wards appeared, heralding the three carriages containing
the royal party. The first was occupied by the Queen,
Princess. Helena, and Princess Alice, the second by
Princess Louise and Princess Leiningen, and the
third by the ladies-in-waiting. The Duke of Edin-
burg and the hero of the Abyssinian war were not
present, much to the disappointment of those
who had, without sufficient reason, built upon their
coming. The Queen, who, as on other recent public
appearances, delighted the spectators by her evident good
health and spirits, at once drove in front and rear of the
troops, and, returning, took up a position for the march
past. The band of the Life Guards was stationed opposite,
and a troop of the same regiment was the guard of honour.
It is unnecessary to say that the marching was superb,
that the horses and guns, the officers and men, were such
As people might with justifiable pride refer to as "ours*
The scene was imposing, as only military displays in which
all branches of the service are blended can be, and was
enjoyed in the glorious summer day by some thousands
of persons. The bayonets sparkled, the helmets and
cuirasses shone dazzlingly; the flags, although torn and
tattered, could not but look bright under so golden a sun-
shine, and the ever-changing colours that went by the
saluting flag had a groundwork of blossoming heath, and
a background of taint blue haze simmering between
them and the hills. After the march past a few
movements were gone through, but they were hardly
worthy of being considered a sham fight, as none
of the infantry were engaged. The cavalry were thrown
out, and the horse artillery were pushed forward towards
the Long Valley. The guns fired a few rounds, and the
cavalry wheeling to the left charged up the valley in
splendid style. The troops that remained then returned
to camp, some of the heavier regiments having left as soon
as the march past was over, Ihe Queen and the Prin-
cesses went to the pavilion, and after resting for about
half an hour drove to Windsor by the usual route. Both
in the camp, along the road, and in the villages through
which they passed, crowds of persons were waiting to we.
come them.