The Sun.
London, England, 1844-10-29 00:00:00

COURT CIRCULAR.

The Ladies and Gentlemen of the Royal House-
hold appointed to form the royal procession to the
new Royal Exchange began to arrive at Buckingham
Palace soon after ten o'clock yesterday morning, and
were ushered into the Library.
The Yeomen of the Guard were on duty in the
Grand Hall, under the command of Mr. Leo, the
Lieutenant, and Mr. Ellerthorp, the Adjutant.
At five minutes past eleven the state procession was
formed, the Queen and Prince Albert being con-
ducted by the Great Officers of the Household to the
state coach, the Master of the Horse handing her
Majesty and his Royal Highness to their seats in the
carriage.
The Hon. Colonel Cavendish, commanding the Life
Guards on duty, was on horseback at the door of the
state coach, having in attendance a trumpeter in
state uniform, who gave, the signal with his trumpet,
on her Majesty's entering the carriage.
The state procession (which will be found in
another column) left. the Palace at ten minutes past
eleven o'clock.

Her Majesty's dress was of white satin silver tissue,
of the richest and most elegant design, portions of the
pattern representing leaves and foliage, being of dif-
ferent textures, and some having the effect of bur-
nished silver. It was open in front from the girdle,
increasing in width as it approached the bottom, and
displaying a petticoat of the most valuable old point
lace.

The sleeves were short, and at the top of each was
a very brilliant diamond ornament.
The dress had a most chaste and magnificent ap-
pearance, the silver brocaded satin of which it was
composed being ornamented with valuable diamonds
down each side of -the frcint, placed at intervals on
white satin bows. It was of Spitalfields' manufacture.

Her Majesty had a most splendid diamond
stomacher, some ofthe brilliants in it being of extra-
ordinary size and, lustre, and on the left side the
Queen wore the Star of the Order of the Garter,
having the cross in the centre formed of rubies, and
the rest of the star composed of diamonds.
Her Majesty wore at the back of her head a minia-
ture crown entirely formed of brilliants, and a
diamond tiara surmounting the forehead.
The necklace, ear-rings, and bracelets, were of
brilliants.

Over the left shoulder was the Riband of the Gar.
tar, looped with diamonds, and having a most magni-
ficent " George" suspended, composed of large and
valuable brilliants ; and on the left arm was the
" Garter" of purple velvet, edged with diamonds, and
having the motto " Hoai soit qui mai y pense" set in
diamonds. _

His Royal Highness Prince Albert wore the uni-
form of Captain. General and Colonel of the Honour-
able Artillery Company, with the insignia of the most
noble Order of the Garter and the Golden Fleece.
The Lord Steward, the Lord Chamberlain, and
the Officers of the Royal Household, wore the full
dress household costume, and the Earl of Jersey his
uniform as Master of the Horse, with the insignia of
the Royal llanoverian Guelphic Order. The Duke
of Norfolk carried his gold baton, as Earl Marshal of
England. The Captain of 'the Gentleman at Arms,
and the Captain of the Yeoman Guard, wore the uni-
forms of their respective corps. The Marquis of
Anglesey appeared in the uniform of his regiment, the
Royal Horse Guards, with the insignia of the Garter
4nd of two foreign orders. The Earl of Rosslyn wore
his uniform as Master of the Buck Hounds.

The procession quitted the Palace by the marble
arch.

Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent left her
residence, Clarence House, St. James's, with her
suite, in two carriages, escorted by a party of Life
Guards, at a quarter before eleven o'clock yesterday
morning, for the new Royal Exchange. Her Royal
Highness was attended by Lady Charlotte Dundas,
Lady in Waiting ; the Countess Wratislaw, and
Colonel Sir George, Couper, Bart., First Equerry
and Comptroller of her Royal Highness's household.
The dress of the Royal Duchess was of white satin
and silver, of Spitalfields' manufacture. The head-
dress of feathers and diamonds.

The Duke of Cambridge arrived in town from
Tottenham-park, Wilts, the seat of the Marquis of
Ailesbury, to attend the opening of the Exchange.
His Royal Highness left Cambridge House, attended
by Baron Knesebeck, Equerry in Waiting, and es-
corted by a party of Life Guards.
The Royal Duke was habited in the uniform of a
Field Marshal, and wore a star set in diamonds of the
Order of the Garter, and the Riband and Badge.
His Royal. Highness also wore the Stars of the Most
Hon. Military Order of the Bath, and of the most
distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George.
The Queen and Prince Albert, attended by the
Royal Suite, returned to Buckingham Palace at three
o'clock.

Her Majesty and Prince Albert left Buckingham
Palace at half-past four, attended by Lady Portman,
Lady in Waiting, for the Paddington terminus of the
Great Western Railway. Her Majesty and his
Royal Highness were conducted to their carriage by
the Lord Chamberlain and Lord George Lennox, Lord
in Waiting to Prince Albert.
The Maids of Honour in Waiting, the Honourable
Misses Liddell and Paget, and the Equerries in Wait-
ing, Major General. Wemyss and Colonel Bouverie,
followed in a carriage and four. Lord Byron, Lord
in Waiting and the Honourable Captain Duncombe,
Groom in Waiting, were in another carriage and four.
A party of Lancers formed the escort from the
Palace to the Paddington terminus. The royal party
left by a special train for Windsor Castle.
Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, attended
by Lady Charlotte Dundas, the Countess Wratislaw,
and Sir George Couper, left Clarence House, St.
James's, at half-past three o'clock, yesterday after-
noon, for Frogmore Lodge, Windsor.
The Right Hon. W. E. Gladitone, President of the
Board of Trade, arrived in town yesterday from
Fasque, Kincardineshire and attended the opening of
the new Royal Exchange.

THE NEW .ROYAL EXCHANGE.
(Prom the Times.)
The visit of her. Majesty, to open the New Royal
Exchange, renders it incumbent upon us to take the
present opportunity of offering a few descriptive and
critical remarks upon that building; more especially
as the subject has never been anticipated by us in any
previous examination of the structure from its com-
mencement. A notice of the progress of such a work,
from time to time, is all that can be expected from the
press until its completion ;-,,it is then only that the in-
telligent observer can, in most instances, form a just
opinion of the merits of a public building, either on
the ground of its adaptation to its avowed purposes,
or of its vigour and coherency as a production of de-
corative art. Exceptions there are to this remark, it
is true; and we should find no difficulty in naming
some living architect, eminent, it may be, for the
extent of his practice, whose mode of procedure is
so:unvarying that a critical opinion may as safely be
pronounced upon the first day of one of his under-
takings as upon the last. But this facility of decision
on the part of the spectator must necessarily be in
the inverse ratio to the possession of genius on the
side of the architect, who, if animated by any feeling
higher than the talent of the mechanic, will be soli-
citous that his design shall, if possible, e undergoing
improvement up to the very day of completion. On
the opposite principle of judgment, we should have
been led to entertain a very erroneous notion of the
character of Mr. Tite's Exchange, had we de-
rived our impressions solely from the first hints of the
design which found circulation, and from which we con-
tinue a to find engravings everywhere offered for sale to
discerning public, .as exhibiting the vera imago of a
structure essentially differing from and superior to
such a representation.
We proceed, therefore, to the proper authority for
information—the building as it stands ; and shall best
illustrate its peculiarities by noticing, in succession,
its site, its accommodation, and its decoration.
The site is remarkable for its commanding im-
portance in one aspect, the western, and for its irregu-
larity on the other three sides, having, as is well
known; a wedge-like form, produced by the con-
vergence of Cornhill and Threadneedle-street towards
the Mansion-house The munificence of Parliament
having facilitated .the purchase of the isolated pro-
perty to the west of the late Exchange, an oppor-
tunity was obtained for turning the most important
facade of the new structure in that direction, instead
of placing it to the south, as formerly. By this
means the space unintercepted by buildings in ad-
vance from the centre of the present portico becomes
extended to the unusual length of between 500 an
600 feet. On the. other hand, the large and still in-