The Sun.
London, England, 1844-05-30 00:00:00

THE ETON MONTEM.

The celebration of this triennial festival of the scholars and
students of Eton College took place on Tuesday, under most
avourable auspices, her Majesty and her Royal Consort
having intimated their intention to encourage the Montem
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 space
of three long years, the world 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 a.m., 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-kill a pair of tall,
armed, feathered, and elegantly attired young masqueraders,
dropped, as it were, from some heaven-kissing bill 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 fbr 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 past 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 lucus a non
lucendo. 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 oppidans. 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 nave of Drake, being pecu-
liarly appropriate, however, to his present locality, which
consists of ponds, eyots, islands, and is surrounded—often
overflowed—by water. Being the senior scholar on the
foundation, and proceeding to finish his 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 ton through curiosity or business.
macoeudntth etooCo..ok
place according to the custom. Th
The waving of the flag being ,completed, a most ungrace-
ful exhibition of muscular exertion, partaking of something
like the broadsword exercise and the tricks of a juggler upon
a rural stage, followed—the Prince bowed, and the chapel, a tine
old Gothic building, nine times re-echoed the sincere and loud
acclamations of a crowd comprising as much of high rank,
gal
e .Prince soon after fol
lowed in two carriages to witness -
teovetrhegr
,asn the waving of the
litatsisotnryoaf las dp
monarch.eerless
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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;-
p
ing noblemen and gentlemen :—Lord Adolphus Fitzclarence,
Lord Lincoln, Lord Campbell, and Lady Stratheden • the
Duke and Duchess of Buckingham ; Earls Nelson, Fowls,
Sheffield, Camden ; Marquis Chandos ; the Duke of Lein-
desdale, Fielding, Ingestre, Howe, Northland, and Eliot;
ster ; Earl and Countess of Dartmouth ; Lords Se-aham, Re-
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 gave a
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 report of a single acci•
dent reached us.

MR. D'ISRAELI'S " CONINGSBY." —We are re..
quested to state that a new edition of this work will be
ready fur publication with the Magazines to-morrow,
May 31, and those who have been hitherto disappointed
in procuring it, may obtain it of any bookseller.
THE AUTHOR Or " STORIES OF WATERLOO." 4--•
Besides the poet Barry Cornwall, Horace Smith, Leman
Blanchard, -Titmarsh, Peter Priggins, and Mrs. Troll-
lope, we understand that Colburn's New Monthly Maga-
zine for June will number among its contributors the
popular author of " Stories of Waterloo," W. H. Max-
well, Esq., whose paper is entitled " Memoirs of' a Gen•
tieman on Half-pay,' a subject which will doubtless re-
ceive effective illustration from the pen of this favourite
writer.
BRIGHTON, MAY 28.—Lord Wm. Harvey arrived
here this evening by the General Steam Navigation Cora.
pang's steam-ship Fame.
A CHILD BURNT TO DEATH.—An accident of the
most frightful nature, owingto the carelessness of the pa-
rents, occurred on Tuesday in Westminster. A woThan named
Hill, who vends articles in the Broadway, and lives in Snow's-
rents, went out at about one o'clock to get some .oatmeal.
leaving an infant in bed, and a child, three years old,with
fire in the room, and on her return, in a few minutes, disco-
vered the room in flames, and the child, three years of age,
burnt in the most frightful manner. It was conveyed to the
Westminster Hospital, where it expired in a few minutes,