The Sun.
London, England, 1868-01-10 00:00:00

Lackground imaginable. Albert, said he felt.-Ere that
Acropolis could not be finer : and:l hear they sometimes
call Edinburgh ' the modern Ailens.' "
To this there is a painful contrast. Her Majesty
revisitecliTa,ymouth—under what different circumstances!
In a note dated in 1866 her Majesty says i—
" I revisited Tayrnouthlast autumn, on the 3rd October,
from Dunkeld (incognito), with Louise, the DoW;ger
Duchess of Athole,-and Miss MacGregor.
"We got out and looked from this height down upon
the hcuse below, the mist having cleared away sufficiently
to show us everything; and then,
_unknown, quite in pri-
vate, I gazed—not without deep emotion—on the scene of
our reception, 24 years ago, by dear Lord Breadal-
bane, in a princely style, not to be equalled in grandeur
and poetic effect.
"'Albert and I were then only 23, young and happy.
4,9 w many are gone that were with us then !
"I was very thankful to have seen it again.
It seemed unalto,Ted7-1866."
Returning to the happy scenes: oz 1842, the departure
,rom Taymouth, the row of 16 miles up' LOch Tay to
Auchmore, the view of Ben Voirlech, Drummond Castle,
the return home again, are all narrated in a vein of
simplicity and reality as creditable to her Majesty's style
as the occasional glow of affection which comes to the sur-
face Was honourable' to the feeling's 'of 'the young wife
in 1.842,

THE SECOND Tonn.
The second tour to the Highlands was made in Septem-
ber 1844. To go at once to the Highlands, here we liave
a sketch of Blair Athole :
No took a delightful walk of two hours. Immo-
tliatelY near the house the scenery is very wild, which is
host enjoyable. The moment you step out of the house
You see those splendid hills allround. We went to the left
ththrough some neglected pleasure-grounds, and then
rough the wood, along a steep winding path overhang:
the rapid stream. These Scotch streams , full of
bet
stones, and clear glass, are most beautifulpeeps
between the trees as
, the depths of the shadows, the
Maroosls:3;vely,
stones, mixed with slate, &c., which cover the hanks,
at every turn you have a picture. We were
IT high, but could not get to the top ; Albert in such
delight ; it is a happiness to see him, he is in such spirits.
We came back by a higher drive, and then went to the
factor's house, still higher up, where Lord and Lady Glen-
ly
on are living, having given Blair up to us. We
Walked on to a corn-field where a number of women were
eutting and reaping the oats (` shearing' as they call it in
Scotland), with a splendid view of the hills before us, so
rural and romantic, so unlike our daily Windsor walk
(delightful as that is) : and this change does such good ; as
Albert observes it refreshes one for a long time. We
then went into the kitchen garden, and toga walk from
Which there is a magnificent view. This mixture of great
wildness and art is perfection.
"Oh ! what can equal the beauties of nature ? What
het there is in them ! Albert enjoys it so much ;
is in ecstacies here. He has inherited this love for
nature from his dear father."
Another touch of nature :
"The evening was beautiful, and we feasted our eyes on
the ever-changing, splendid views of tLe hills and yaks as
We drove back. Albert said that the chief beauty of
mountain scenery consisted in its frequent changes. We
came home at six o'clock."
When the Royal party returned to England after this
,Naurn among the romantic hills, the Queen tells us " the
-rhiglish coast appeared terribly flat." " Our stay in the
highlands," she adds, "was so delightful. Independently
of the beautiful scenery, there was a quiet, .a retirement,
wildness, a liberty, and a solitude that had such a charm
:or us."
laln 1847 he liteMr her
arajy interest of this portion of the work ot-
is
nlilemented by some specimens of her Majesty's power
asauartist. The drawings are slight, being rough but
a.,.ecluAte sketches of striking coast lines, such as the Scilly
Islands, the Kyles of Bute, and the Dutchman's Cap, in
ofe Treshinish Isles. There is also a good representation
the masculine head-gear of the female peasantry of
...,,,Araoahedsso_...niG.laihsits,, tour i ncluded the Western Inlets, Isles, and
Cleel
oawnalS. taffeo, Duustaffnage Castle, and the
, .
The first visit to Balmoral was paid in 1848. It is de-
Beribed briefly thus :"It is a pretty little castle in the old cottish style. There is a picturesque tower and garden
In front, with a high wooded hill • at the back there is
Weed down to the Dee ; and the hills rise all around."
Queen 'Victoria has a heart for humanity as well as an
TYe for nature, and a special affection for those nearest to
She writes always generously of her attendants
not, and
' e'snends to particulars about their families. The e set
apart to John Brown will illustrate this :
"The same who, in 1858, became my regular attendan.
"t Of doors everywhere in the Highlands, who commenced
as; 011ie in 1849, and was selected by Albert and me to go
1,141thi.,111Y carriage. In 1851 he entered our service perma-
X,,Tl"V,anclbegan in that year leading my intelligencean
tpenntyionst,ep by his good
state conduct and His
care, and faithfulness cannot be exceeded, and the
of my health which of late years has been sorely tried
and weakened, renders such qualifications most valuable,
rand, indeed, most needful in a constant attendant upon all
etsi°4B. He has since, most deservedly, been promoted
tte) be art
ri upper servant, and my permanent personal at-
a Lant- (December 1865.) He has all the independence
?id elevated feelings peculiar to the Highland race, and is
iiinglllarlY straightforward, simple-minded, kind-hearted,
and disinterested always ready to oblige ; and of a dis-
Dcretion rarely to be met with. lie is now in his 40th
ar. his father was a small farmer who lived at the
u,41
the opposite side to Balmoral. He is the second
°.f nine brothursthree of whom have died—two are in 'Australia and New Zealand, two are living iu the neigh-
ho hood of Balmoral ; and the youngest, Archie (Archie-
,
t 1d) is
'alet to our son Leopold, and is an excellent,
rustworthy young man."
!eller Majesty had arelish for the Kirk services, with their
vere
simplicity and earnestness. She refers especially
r_ r kr. Lairds celebrated sermon which was published at
erequest, and that of Mr. 'AI Leod.
°I herllajesty's well-known sympathy for the Highl;mc
Poor we have one quaint instance.
86" I went into a small !abin of old Kitty Kear's, who is
great
Years old—quite ere :t, and who welcomed us with a
air of dignity. Sl e sat down and spun. I gave her
also ,
Lord
aJwarrn petticoat ; she said, May the Lord ever at-
le4,7-• bee and yours, here and hereafter ; and may the
ord be a •
was guide to ye, and keep ye from all harm.' She
taken uite surprised at Vicky's height ; great interest is
Goin her. We went on to a cottage (formerly Jean
t`l°ll's), to visit old widow Symons, who is past four-
she
with a nice rosy face, but was bent quite double ;
wh.y.fas most friendly, shaking hands with us all, asking
th which was I, and nveating many kind blessings : May
, e Lord attend ye with mirth and with joy ;may He ever
when n with ye in this world, and when ye leave it."ro Vicky, the Lord
old she was going to be married, she said, May
d be a guide to ye in your future, and may every
sPlii_linTess attend ye.' She was very talkative, and when
tiers hoped to see her acrain she expressed an expect°,
xenart.hat she should be caled'any day,' and so did Kitty
We
went into three other cottages—to Mrs. Symons's
":',,ngater-in-law to the old widow living next door), who
°idan unwell boy -' then across a little burn to another
fiddlw°l)lall's ; and 'afterwards peeped into Blair, the
er'S. We drove back, and got out again to visit old
to Mrs Grant (Grant's mother), who is so tidy and clean, and
-I,•Whom I gave a dress and handkerchief, and she said,
ttua, more every year,
enu're too kind to me, you're over kind to me, ye give
and I get older every year.' After
ofwith her some time, she said, lam happy to see
40i lvleltiktig, so nice.' She had tears in hereyes, and.seaking
so Vicky's going, said, I'm very sorry, and I think she is
8 "erset_;' and having said she feared she would not
that her (the Princess) again, said, lam very sorry I said
but I meant no harm ; I always say just what I
, not what is fut' (fit). Dear old lady, she is such a
naasant person.
!Really the affection of these good people, who are so
tieliagYft and so happy to see you, taking interest in eve-
JI, is very
ry touching and gratifying."
he
even became fond of the bagpipes
,l'
shere were nine pipers at the castle ;
sometimes one
iirpT ometimes three played. They always played about
„f_cskfast time, again during, the morning at luncheon, and
whenever we went in and out • again before dinner,
thuing most of dinner time. *e both have become
quite fond of the bagpipes."
Of the ins and outs of humble Scottish life the Queen
must be well informed. She has supped oatmeal por-
ridge and tasted "Athol brose," and passed a night
among the steep bills in something like a bothie." The
room was so small that the four-poster bed nearly filled it.
clearer It
defier
Majesty's Highland home seems to have grown
time passed away. On October 13, 1856, the
Queen thus wrote of it :
" Every year my heart becomes more fixed in this dear Paradise, and so much more so now, that all has become
My dearest Albert's own creation, own work, own build-
ing, own laying out, as at Osborne; and his great taste,
and the impress of his dear hand, have been stamped
everywhere. He was very busy to-day, settling and
arranging many things for next year."
The readers of this book will close it with regret that
there should be one shade of gloom over these bright
reminiscences.
-All the Queen's recollections of Ireland are grateful ; au
her associations with it held in kindly remembrance, ex-
cepting those connected with the weather, which in that
Particular month of August, 1861, was angry and ill-be-
,,aved. Concerning England the volume contains little ; but
the Queen is complimentary to our island when a turn in
the fragmentary narrative takes her near it. In 1846 her
Yacht was anchored for an hour in Babbicombe Bay,
°A the Devonshire coast. "Itis a beautiful spot,
which before we had only passed at a distance. Red cliffs
na,t`cl rocks, with wooded hills like Italy, and reminding
such of a ballet or play, where nymphs are to appear—
there rocks and grottoes with the deepest sea, on which
-ere Was not a ripple." And then " that beautiful Dart-
nacuth" " lovely with its wooded rocks, and church, and
castle at the entrance. It puts me much in mind of the
..eautiful Rhine and its noble ruined strongholds and the
;t4firlei." So at Mount Edgcumbe, over " the splendid
tiTtrbour of Plymouth,"
with its beautiful trees, inclu-
ng Pines, growing down inte, the water, and looking more
si• velY than ever." But the leisure of the Royal excur,
onist is interrupted, because she has here to " read hairt-
ill.. srable letters and despatches," and go on deck " to ?se the
46uthorities," after which, steaming up the Tamar' and St.
Castle river, she glances for the first time at Trematon
AtsVF, " which belongs to Bertie, as Duke of Cornwall."
doll„ lYmouth a few syllables of natural sentiment are set
; tlie Prince was necessarily absent at the time of her
aiestY's disembarkation, and she writes : " There were
wi°tllvds where we landed, and I feel so shy and put out
tri Albert." All through the Channel Island
wip we note the same characteristics, the same
the'l"gliess to be pleased, and anxiety to please,
thi seine outspoken ease of opinion concerning
2lgs or individuals—as, for instance, General Napier—
haN•vrY singular-looking old man, tall and thin, with an
wal,ne nose, piercing eyes, and white moustache and
c., The same heartfelt acknowledgment of the loyalty
d,,„,",_s.he usually designates as "kindness." Whether
Mount her reception on the summit of St. Michael's
b2unt, or in the depths of a Cornish mine, the lady who
11;1Peerfnitted the publication of this little book is equal to
lf in everyge.
Page.
The following extract we must give
1 " Falmouth, Monday, Sept. 7.
4„u visitrnediately after breakfast, Albert left me to land
ort' some mines. The corporation of Penryn were
WaP3rdi and very anxious to see ' the Duke of Corn-
aed ° ,
Costepped out of the pavilion on deck with Bertie,
of pipped
told them that that was the Duke
hope
ctrnwall, and the old Mayor of Penryn said that he
w°uld grow up A biefiang to , his parentuukl.to
coUtry,.ll!