The Sun.
London, England, 1844-05-29 00:00:00

THE ETON MONTEM.

The celebration of this triennial festival of the scholars and
students of Eton College took place yesterday, under most:
avourable auspices, her Majesty and her Royal Consort
having intimated their intention to encourage the Montein
by their presence, in imitation of her grandsire, who used
to enter heartily. into the amusements peculiar to this
day. Under the influence of Royal example, and prompted
by a curiosity necessarily repressed for the whole apace
of three long years, the wodd of fashion exchanged at an
early and irksome hour their quiet downy couches for the
rude grating and unaccommodating railway, in order to
reach this festive spot by ten o'clock naa., military time,
when, according to the announcement in the order of the day,
her Majesty's Foot Guurds were to beleaguer these ancient
seats of learning, and possess themselves of the Court-yard
and approaches to the College. So great was the demand
upon the capabilities of the company, that it was found ne-
cessary to start at very short intervals throughout the whole
of the morning special trains to assist the ordinary ones in
transporting such an unusually great number of travellers to
their destination. Upon arriving at Salt-hill a pair of tall,
armed, feathered, and elegantly attired young masqueraders,
dropped, as it were, from some heaven-kissing hill in the
midst of the motley group descending from the carriages,
and with calm, aristocratic effrontery, demanded our money.
The ladies appeared to be peculiarly the objects of 'their
importunity, and whether it was through the force of costume
or custom, the fair capitulated, the fools followed, and the
handsome brigands retreated without hue or cry, with kid
purses as large as nose-bags, filled with our notes, gold, and
silver. Several foreigners, we perceived, looked unutterable
things. Our national character for integrity and observance
of the law obviously suffered a depreciation.
The Prince Consort, descending from the castle, was stopped
on Windsor-bridge, and, though surrounded by the Royal
guards, surrenders a purse of thirty sovereigns, together with
one of one hundred on the part of the Queen, to the captain
of the runners. His Royal Highness, having thus purchased
his preferment to office, rode to Eton College, in the inner
quadrangle of which he called "Absence," as Etonian
term it, that is, ascertained who were present, ut /mous a nom
luccndo. The youths then formed their procession, the
captain taking the lead of the whole school, consisting of,
it is said, 739 boys, including foundation scholars
and oppidaus. The bands of the Fusilier Guards, second
battalion, and of the Horse Guards, fell into the procession,
and played alternately martial music until they had
thrice gone round the square, when the Prince appeared
at the window of the Election Chamber, and was re-
ceived with every demonstration•of respect and regard.
The captain in this instance is a fine well-looking youth,
rejoicing in the homely name of Drake, being pecu-
liarly_ appropriate, however, to his present locality, whick
consists of ponds, eyots, islands, and is surrounded—often
overflowed—by water. Being the senior scholar on the
foundation, and proceeding to finish Isis education at King's
College, Cambridge, he was emphatically the hero of the day;
and the performance may, in theatrical phrase, be truly said
to be got up for his benefit ; and a bumper we may imagine
it proved, from the intrepidity and cool arrogance with which".
his armed followers stopped her Majesty's lieges on her Ma-
jesty's highway and under the windows of her Royal palace,
and levied contributions, as in days past did the Highland.
freebooters, upon all her Majesty's subjects that happened to
be led to Eton through curiosity or business.
The waving of the flag being ,completed, a most ungrace-
ful exhibition of muscular exertion, partaking of something
like the broadsword exercise and ie tricks of a juggler upon
a rural stage, followed—the Prince bowed, and the chapel, a fine
old Gothic building, nine times re-echoed the sincere and loin].
acclamations of a crowd comprising as much of high rank,
gallantry and peerless beauty as perhaps ever graced the co-
ronation of a monarch. The procession to the Mount took:
place according to the custom. The Prince soon after fol-
lowed in two carriages to witness again the waving of. the
flag. He did not descend from his carriage, but, after being
loudly cheered, proceeded to London by a special train at
half-past two.
There were present on the interesting occasion the follow..
ing noblemen and gentlemen :—Lord Adolphus Fitzclarence,
Lord Lincoln, Lord Campbell, and Lady Stratheden ; thee
Duke and Duchess of Buckingham ; Earls Nelson, Powis,
Sheffield, Camden ; Marquis Chandos ; the Duke of Lein-.
ster • Earl and Countess of Dartmouth ; Lords Seaham, Re-.
desdale, Fielding, Ingestre, Howe, Northland, and Eliot;
the Rev. Mr. Peel and lady, Sir Geo. Wombwell, the Re-
corder of London and his lady, and the Judges Coleridge
and Patteson.
The festivities in the eyot, in which the captain gare
dinner to his fellow-students, did not close till a late hour;
and the public were admitted indiscriminately to the play-,
field, in which the Coldstream band performed throughout
the evening a variety of the choicest operatic and national
airs.

We are happy to record that not a repot of a single acci,
dent reached us.

CALEDONIAN BALL.—This annual fancy dress WI
took place last night at Willis's Rooms. It was more nume-
rously attended than on any former occasion. Some of the
Royal Family, and all the elite of the haut ton, were present.
The costumes were chiefly Highland and military. Dancing,
which commenced shortly after ten, was kept up with un-
tiring vigour till an early hour. The band was relieved by
the Duke of Sutherland's, Captain Charles Forbes's, and Cal'"
taro H. Stewart's pipers playing strathspeys and reels.
COTENT-GARDEN THEATRE.—TDE MASQUERADIU
—The second masquerade given this season at this theatres
came off on Monday night and the following morning.
numbers were not so great, perhaps, as at the first oneie_at
least upon the platform, but the boxes and other p a_.sadvartiv.
theatre were completely filled. It was perhaps o
tags that the platform was not so crowded, and the. more
especially by a class of persons who only confuse the
sued
dancing
and roll about in a semi-state of intoxication, to annoy
interrupt. On Monday evening there was nothing of this
numerous,
without The company on the platform was very um
without being a mob, and the dancing and the other arrango-
ments were exceedingly wall sustained and conducted. The
supper was such as is generally seen at public occasions, the
and the of the creature comforts were not, as usual,
'Se
thei l Ms' anorst to be obtained. The baud, under the direction of
Mr. Weippert, who presided, and appeared with his harp
high above the rest of the numerous musicians, was exceed-
ingly effective, and executed its task in the best manner.
Ono great feature of the evening was, at least up to the late
hour at which we quitted the theatre, that decency and de•
corum were observed. At things of this sort some allowance
must be made for exuberance of spirits and the excitement
of the scene, but we saw little to be blamed, and for such an
amusement a good deal to be spoken well of. There was a
vast number of persons in character, as it is called ; and it
would be much more amusing on these ossasions if every
body came in domino, or in some costume different from the
dress of every day: The decorations of the theatre were
very splindid, and in good taste. There
,were chandeliers,
banners, flags, looking-glasses, and everything to give the
appearance of a joyous scene. Altogether,lte affair was well
got up and well conducted ; and if all masquerades be con.
ducted with similar good taste, good judgment, and decency.
none but very fastidious persons can object to their occasional
introduction amongst the amusements of the town. Dullness
is the worst that is to be feared.

Tim OLD BANK.—We are glad to be able to state
that the creditors of the Old Bank, Dudley, received *
dividend of ss. in the pound on Wednesday last. This
is the second dividend, which, with the first, amounting
to 6s. Bd. in the pound, settles better than half the de-
mands upon the estate, which it is now confidently as-
serted will pay ful 20s. in the pound. That there must
be something substantially wrong in our monetary and
commercial matters, when such an establishment as this
Old Bank, possessing ample resources, was compelled to
stop payment, is obvious. It is said, and we believe
truly-, that •if Mr. Dixon had retired from busi.
nets • only a very short time ago, be could
have done so upon 300,0001. ; with that spirit, however,
of continuous enterprise which characterises the nation,
1 and has raised it to its present commercial superiority, he
continued extending accommodation to all around him
until overtaken by one of those periodical-convulsions is
trade incident to our defective monetary arrangements
' he was obliged to submit to the ordeal of the bankruptcy
laws, and to which no man possessed of such ample means
of meeting all ordinary demands upon him ought to hay 9
been subjected. —B irmingham Journal.
DIE NATIONAL GALLERY.—Nnw PICTURER.—.
The National Gallery has, within the last few days, illative*
new pictures added to its collection of intrinsic worth. They
consist of " A Jewish Rabbi," by Rembrandt, formerly in
_ the collection of the Duke of Argyle, but purchased .at- the
sale of the late Kr:.llarniants pictures, for 400 guineas, by
Mr.-Farrer. The " Infant Christ embracing John the Bap-,
tist," by Guido, sold to Mr. Seguier, at the same, sale, for 390
Iguineas ; and a- beautifullittla.portrait- of " Gerard D.)w a
painted by himself, also formerly in Mr. Harman's colleetioils
.Tl,lin little gem was bought for 121 guineas.