The Sun.
London, England, 1844-10-16 00:00:00

DEPARTURE OF THE KING OF
THE FRENCH.

Mon 'ay morning the visit of the King of the French
to her Majesty at Windsor terminated with his departure
for France, accompanied by her Majesty and Frince Al-
bert, on their way to the Isle of Wight.
At 12 o'clock the carriages of her Majesty and of the
King of the French, and of their immediate suite, were
drawn up to the door of the great entrance of Windsor
Castle, and in a few minutes after, having taken leave
of the Duchess of Kent, who accompanied them down to
the bottom of the great staircase, their Majesties, the
Duke de Montpensier, and Prince Albert, took their
departure, attended by M. Guizot, Count de St. Aulaire,
Count de Jarnac, the Baron Athalin, General de Itu-
migny, the Earl of Liverpool, General Wemyss, Colonel
Bouverie, the Countess of Gainsborough, and, the whole
of their respective suites. An escort of Horse Guards
accompanied the royal party down the Long Walk and
through the Park to Blackness. The royal cortege pro-
ceeded to Farnborough by the. same route as that by
which they came to Windsor, and there were parties of
Lancers and Guards to estcort them to the station.
At Farnborough every preparation had been made to
receive 'their Majesties. The fittings-up-at the station
were most elegant. A private carriage-road leading to
the chief entrance-door, at the back of the station, had
been set apart for their Majesties' sole use, and from the
entrance-door to the door which leads to the platform a
costly and beautiful carpet of crimson damask, with an
elegant border of gold colour, was laid down. On either
side of the passage-way were reception-rooms, the one
on the left as you enter being for the use of the four
royal personages, the Queen, the King, the Duke de
Montpensier, and Prince Albert, while the opposite room
was for the use of their suites. The room
_prepared for
her Majesty was fitted up in a style of remarkable ele-
gance and taste. The gold fillagree work traced on the
ceiling was particularly beautiful, and the furniture of the
room was also unostentatiously and appropriately rich
and splendid. It is evident that no expense had been
spared by the directors in the preparation of this place.
The designs were by Mr. Tait.
At the station the directors and officers of the railway
were assembled to receive their Majesties. There were
present Messrs. Chaplin, Humphreys, Boothby, Smith,
and Vincent Eyre ; and Sir John Easthope, Bart., M.P.
Mr. Locke, the engineer of the line, Mr. Martin, and
other officers of the company, were there also. A few
ladies were admitted within the station -to witness the
departure, and outside and around there were assembled
a vast number of people, notwithstanding- the heavy rain
that was falling at the time. The tricolour flag waved
from the station, as well as the royal standard.
Owing to some slight delays on the road, the royal
carriages did not reach the station till a quarter to two
o'clock, the special train having been ordered in readiness
at one o'clock. Arrived at the door of the station, her
Majesty alighted, and was escorted by the King of the
French into her reception-room, followed by the Prince
and the Duke de Montpensier. The directors were at
the entrance and received Her Majesty. The Earl of
Liverpool, the Countess of Gainsborough, M. Guizot,
Count de St. Aulaire, and the rest of the suite of their
Majesties went to the opposite room. The people around
the station cheered their Majesties as they alighted.
During the interval that elapsed while the train was
being finally prepared for starting, the royal party re-
mained in the reception-room. At a few minutes to two
o'clock they came out, and entered the state carriage
amidst the loud cheers of the people. It was still raining
heavily when the train started, at five minutes to two
o'clock. The engine was driven by Mr. Locke. Upon
the engine there was the tricolour flag, and on the
tender the royal standard.
The train proceeded at a very rapid pace towards
Gosport. Owing to the state of the weather, there were
not so many persons assembled at the different places
on the wayside as there would have been had the
day been fine. Still, there was a considerable number.
At several places on the line the tri-colour flag
was set up on the wayside. At Basingstoke the
tri-colour flag waved' from the station, where a con-
siderable number of people were assembled, who
cheered lustily as the train came up. There was also
a rustic band, and the National Anthem was played right
loyally. A delay of a minute or two took place here
while the wheels of the carriages were attended to, so
that the people had a good opportunity of seeing their
Majesties and cheering them, which they did to the top
of their voices. At Andover-road there were some per-
sons, and at Winchester a considerable number, includ-
ing many soldiers, but not under arms. At Bishop-
stoe, where the rail branches off to Gosport, there
was a considerable number of people, who cheered
loudly as the train passed ; and at Botley, a small in-
termediate station, there was much preparation. Besides
the tri-colour flag there was a band of music, and a great
crowd of persons. As the train shot by the band played
the National Anthem, and the people cheered, but it
was, of course, only the work of an instant. At Farn-
ham, the last station before you reach Gosport, there
were also many people. There was also a party of
foot soldiers, who presented arms as the royal carriages
passed.

At Gosport the station presented a most animated
appearance as the train came up. The decorations were
nearly the same as those which were prepared for the
reception of the King of the French. On the triumphal
arch at the place of exit, however, there was a fresh in-
.

scription, " Welcome Louis Philippe, Victoria and Al-
bert." The station was filled with well-dressed persons,
chiefly ladies ; and there was a party of foot soldiers,
who presented arms as the royal carriages came up, the
band playing the National Anthem. The directors had
come on in the train, and were ready to receive their
Majesties as they alighted. It is needless to say that
the spectators cheered most enthusiastically. The train
entered the station at thirty-five minutes past three
o'clock, having left Farnborough at five minutes to two.
Their Majesties, with the Prince and the Duke de
Montpensier, alighted immediately after their arrival at
the station, and proceeded at once to the carriage, fol-
lowed by their respective suites. They drove off towards
the Victualling-yard (the place of the intended embark.
ation) amidst the cheers of the multitudes of people, who
notwithstanding the rain, had assembled on the wayside.
The road was lined on either side with foot soldiers from
the station to the yard.
As the royal cortege passed along, the bands of the
different regiments, struck up " God save the Queen,"
and at a quarter to four o'clock the Admiralty flag was
lowered from its staff in the centre of the yard, and the
royal standard substituted, as the carriages entered the
yard. The Victory and the other vessels in the harbour
were at this time dressed out in their gayest colours,
and the yards manned.
As the day advanced preparations had been made for
the reception of the royal party in the Clarence Vic-
tuallinz-yard, which, it will be recollected, was the place
where his Majesty the King of the French first landed
on the shores of England, and which had also been
selected for the embarkation on his return to his domi-
nions, as being the spot most conveniently situated for
that purpose. At the end of the Victualling-yard, on
the side of the water, was a wooden pier of considerable
length, and, as her Majesty and her Royal visitor would
have to pass along this pier in order to reach the boat
which would convey them to the Queen's yacht, care
had been taken to ornament it on each side with bunt-

ing, the footway, which was damp from the rain, being
also covered over, as the time when the royal
party were expected, drew near, with a kind
of sailcloth. At the extreme point of this
pier a great number of boats, filled with per-
sons anxious to obtain a view of the embarkation, had
collected, and in spite of the inclemency of the weather
the occupants of these boats maintained their position
until nearly the close of the day. From this part of the
pier the view was of an interesting character, during the
brief intervals of fine weather. It affords a very exten-
sive view of the harbour of Portsmouth, and from it all
the principal objects worth seeing are visible. The
water in the harbour itself was very rough, and it was
not an uninteresting sight to witness the tossing about
of the different boats, as they frequently crossed from
one side to the other, while the flags flying from the
various vessels and buildings gave an appearance of con-
siderable gaiety to the harbour.
Shortly after one o'clock some detachments of infantry
arrived and took up their assigned position in the Vic-
tualling-yard. The guard of honour was composed of
men belonging to the 87th, 59th, and 76th Regiments,
having with them the band and colours of the 76th.

The guard of honour, amounting in number to about
two hundred men, was drawn up in a line from the
water-side towards the offices of the Superintendent,
situated in the centre of the yard, and from this point
to the gates a line was formed by another portion of
the 37th Regiment, while from the outside of the gate
the line was continued to the railway station by other
bodies of infantry belonging to the regiments above-
mentioned.

It was understood that the royal party would arrive at
the Clarence Victualling-yard at three o'clock, and at
half-past two o'clock Sir G. Cockburn, Sir W. Gage,
Lords of the Admiralty, Rear-Admiral Parker, Captain
Hamilton, &c., came across the water from the dock-

yard, and landed at the pier, in order to be in readiness
to receive their Majesties. The Commander-in-Chief of
the port, Sir C. Rowley, notwithstanding his indisposi-
tion, was also in attendance, as was likewise Sir H. Pa-
kenham, Lieutenant-Governor of Portsmouth garrison.
Upon the landing of the Lords of the Admi-
ralty, the union flag, which had been previously floating
in the centre of the Victualling-yard, was hauled down,
and the Admiralty flag hoisted in its place.
It was arranged that several men-of-war's. boats fully
manned, and commanded by their respective captains or
commanders, should accompany the royal barge from
the Victualling-yard steps, as an escort of honour, to the
royal yacht, which was lying off the dockyard ; and, as
a matter of course, the officers selected for this duty wore
among the number waiting in the Clarence Victualling-
' yard. All the naval officers were in the fullest costume.
The royal party not arriving at Gosport at three
o'clock, tke period when it was understood they might
be expected, there were some who, notwithstanding they
saw all the preparations which had been made, and the
attendance of so many official characters, still seemed
to think that the journey would be postponed on account
of the unfavourable state of the weather, the wind being
gusty and violent, and adverse to the passage to Tre-
port ; but all doubt on this head was soon dispelled,f or
in a very short time the call "Attention "passed quickly
along the line of soldiers from the railway-station to the
extreme end of the Clarence Victualling yard ; and the
cheers of the multitude outside becoming louder and
louder every minute, at last convinced the favoured few
who had obtained admission to the Victualling-yard
that the Queen, accompanied by Prince Albert and the
royal guests, were rapidly approaching. Almost imme-
diately afterwards a salute, fired from the King's bastion,
gave notice to all within hearing of the arrival of the
royal party at the •Clarenee Victualling tstablishment,
when the ships at Spithead gave their gayest colours to
the breeze, and a roar from the guns announced further
the arrival of the illustrious Sovereigns. All was now
bustle and commotion, every one rushing to the ramparts
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