The Sun.
London, England, 1842-05-09 00:00:00

THE ROYAL MASQUE.

HER ➢IAJESTY AND PRINCE ALBERT'S
SPITALFIELDS' DRESSES.

The industrious citizens of the metropolis have already
some cause for thankfulness to her Majesty. In Spital-
fields alone her Majesty's fete has already operated some
change. The tissue of her Majesty's magnificent costume
is made in that distressed quarter of the town, and' it is
an exquisite piece of handicraft, in which the clever
weavers have surpassed themselves. The ground is
gold, over which appear flowers, partly mattes, partly
brilliant ; but description cannot convey an idea of the
exquisite nature of the tissue, the beauty of the design,
and its striking effwct—and we can only add that it is
worthy of enshrining her who is—" The
,cynosure of
every eye."
The chivalric costume of his Royal Highness Prince
Albert has issued from the looms of the same native ar-
tisans, and when set off by the manly form and hand-
some person of so fit a representative of the great Ed-
ward, he will be Ay ! every inch a king !"
This splendid fete is rivetting the attention of the
higher circles of society beyond any other festivities we
ever remember at home or abroad—whether galas or
even coronations. The young nobility, with more than
their habitual flow of buoyant spirits, first began, at the
bidding of the gracious Sovereign, this joyous race after
slegant pleasure, and have now involved in their im•
pulse many of our oldest and gravest senators.
As a foretaste of what is to come, we will now pro-
duce the personages of one of the most romantic and
gorgeous of the historical quadrilles:—
LE QUADRILLE DE FRANCE.
Louis XII

Anne de Bretagne l
S H. R. H. the Duchess of Cam_
bridge.
Comte d'Angouleme
Pr incessClaude

Gaston de Foix

Duchesse de Ferrare Lady Ailesbury.
Jean d'Albert de Navarre Lord Granby.
Germance de Foix Lady Clanricarde.
Bayard
Jeanne de Conflans... Lady Exeter.
Le Connetable de Bourbon
Duchesse de Bourbon Lady A. Somerset.
Louis de Talremonille .....
Charlotte de la Tremouille Lady Wilton.
Comtede Chateaubriand Lord Claud Hamilton.
__..

Anne de Villeroi Lady Lincoln.
Chevalier d'Aligre Count E,terhazy..
Clemence d'Armagnac Mrs. Stanley.
Guy de la Matte Hon. F. Villiers.
Claire d'Aubigne
Comte de Montpensier Lord Ward.
Blanche de St. Paul
Comte de Dunois

Clemence Je-nne.. Lady Hillsborough.

Robert Stuart d'Aubigne ...... Lord Ernbn.

Louise dc Renoux v Mrs.-Sandi.
Mareehal de Chabann.!s Lord Malmesbury.-
Madame de Lvalisse
Charles d'Amboisa • i‘lr.:Frzrov,
M. de Chateaubriand • - Mr. de-..Burgh
PitEss of THE QuEENt.=—Her Majesty - will wear •
robe of magniti,ent gold and silver brocade, over which,
from the shoulders, will hang a splendid mantle of the
same material as that of which Prince Albert's robe
(more minutely described below) is to be composed.
Her Majesty's display of jewels will be of immense,
vane. From the upper part of
.the-robe va.! hear Ler
Majesty will have 'Suspended a 'doscriPtion. of pendant •
stomacher of the intrinsic worth of 60,0001. - -
DRESS or PitiNcil'ALßE-His Royal HighneSs's
cloak will • be composed Of the richest scarlet velvet,
which (as well as every other external: part of the attire
of His Royal Highness and of her Majesty) has: been
expressly manufactured in Spitalfields, lined throughout
with ermine of the first quality. Round the entire ex-
tremity runs a splendid gold lace, three inches in width,
bearing upon it a raiserl pattern of oak-leaves and
ac:,rns. This lace is edged top and bottom with two
rows of pearls of an unusual size, amounting in number
to no less than 1,200.

The Earl of Pembroke, who will personate the Count
D'Angouleme, afterwards Francis the First, it is said
will wear a brilliant in his cap of tile costly value
of 10,0001.

The Duchess of Sutherland is expected to display
jewels to the enormous worth of 100,0001
The Duchess of Gloucester and the Duchess of Saxe-
Weimar, who has just arrived in England, will join this
brilliant group, dressed iu the costumes of noble ladies of
the Court of Louis XII. Her Majesty the Queen Dow-
ger and the Duchess of Kent have already chosen the
costumes of their Illustrious relatives. It is to the Duke
of Beaufort, as Louis Douze, that devolves the honour of
chaperoning her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cam-
bridge as Anne de Bretagne, whilst Lord Cardigan, as
Chevalier Bayard,will follow in the train ofthe resuscitated
Queen. The Princess Augusta, as Claude de France,
confers on the Earl of Pembroke—who enacts the part
of the Count D'Angouleme, afterwards Francis the First
—the honour of her hand, to lead off the quadrille, de la
belle France. Lady Augusta Somerset will be Anne de
Bourbon. Mdlle. D'Este will bear the costume of the royal
and beautiful poetess, " La Marguerite des Princesses,
Refine de Navarre." Another Noble Lady proposes to
wear the costume of Marguerite d'Autriche. In the
Spanish quadrille the Earl of Chesterfield, as King
Philip the Second, will lead off with the Duchess of
Beaufort. In the quadrille of the Crusaders the Mar-
chioness of Londonderry's eldest daughter will enact the
Queen Berengaria; her fair sister will be Rowena. The
Greek quadrille has unfortunately disappeared for the
moment from the programme, owing to the decease of
that deeply-lamented officer Lord H. Russell. Another
new quadrille is forming of Noble Ladies of the age of
Louis XIV.