The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1852-10-19 00:00:00

AT CHESTER.

..o.
THE QUEEN'S VISIT

A VISIT to the ancient city of Chester must be at all times
an object of interest to those who feel a veneration for the
thing of former years; but it was rendered far more so on
Wednesday last, when the good citizens were honoured
with a passing visit by our Sovereign Lady Queen Victoria,
wi.h her Royal Consort and the Prince of \Vales, whose
title of Earl of Chester gave him a double attraction in
I left Birkenhead by the train at half-past

their e

:ourtesy of the railway compan

being furnished with a ticket for the Chester platform, I

felt at ease aq

)us of seeing. Oa my arrival at Chester, after a plea-

sant ride, I took the opportunity of the intervening time

to have a look at the old city. Entering it at the East_
gate, T mounted the city walls, and enjoyed, what 1 be-

;ye can be found nowhere else,

at least in England, a

continuous walk on the top of a time-honoured fortifi-

cation, making the complete circuit. This walk presents
many objects of interest. Oa the south was the river Dee,
crossed by three bridges, and commanded by the Castle,
in which, through the frowning portholes, could be seen

the bright accoutrements of the soldiers, who are quar-
tered there. A little further on is the celebrated Chester
race-course, bearing the local title of the Roodee, and,
certainly, for the object to which it is devoted, T should
suppose it to be unequalled. Here is a course about a

mile in circuit, in the centre of a natural amphitheatre,

from every point of which a race must be visible. No
wonder that, despite the distance from the great metro-
polis, the Chester races are becoming as important as any
in the kingdom. Continuing my circuit on the wall, I
reached a tower devoted to the Museum of the Mechanics'
Institution ; and farther on, another ancient tower, from
which, as 1 was informed by a tablet, Charles 11. wit-
nessed the destruction of his army at Rowton Moor, which
here lay open to the view ; while beneath was a canal
cut in the solid, and forming an apparently frightful
chasm in the foundations of the city. Returning into
the streets, I could not fail to be struck with the
general busy stir of anxious preparation, and the ar-
rival of a carriage and four at the Royal Hotel,
with the Marquis of Westminster and two of his family,
to pay their respects to Her Majesty. Although the time
fixed for the arrival of Her Majesty was not until five mi
nutes after four o'clock, it was announced that the doors
leading to the platform at the station would be opened at
two o'clock ; but long before that hour the spacious area
in front of the really handsome building was ornamented
with numbers of well-dressed people, and the greatest ex-
citement was shown in the constant arrival of carriages o
all descriptions, bringing hundreds more. So dense was
the crowd, that before the gates were opened shrieks were
heard from tender females, excited by the unwonted pres-
sure, and everything betokened that the dulness of the
ordinary quiet locality had been for ouce roused into ex-
cessive activity. Great credit is due to the managers of
the railway for the consideration which they paid to the
loyal desires of the public, and the precautions which
they took to ensure the safety and comfort of all. That
portion of the platform near the principal entrance was
covered with scarlet baize, the walls were decorated with
laurels and silk flags, while throughout the long station,
which I was told extended for a quarter of a mile, every
pillar bore a flag, and made the coup d'wil really beauti-
ful. While waiting for the coming train, the attention
of the assembled thousands was excited by the arrival
of a guard of honour, consisting of a hundred of the
Twenty-third Regiment, Royal Welsh Fusileers, un-
der the command of Major Lysons, and preceded by
their band of regimental colours. They were followed
shortly afterwards by a detachment of Royal Artillery,
and the station was still further guarded by a troop at
each end of the Cheshire Yomanry Cavalry under the
command of Lieut.-Col. Lord de Tabley, Lieut.-Col. Sir
Philip Egerton, Bart., Capt. Hill, Lieuts. Hill, Palin,
and Potts, and Cornet Antrobus. I said before that the
time for the arrival of the royal train was five minutes
past four, and, true to the character of Her Majesty for
strict punctuality, precisely as the hand of the station
clock pointed to that time and all were on the tip-toe of
expectation, the steam from the royal engine was visible
within the station. On the train being brought to a stand
Her Hajesty declined to alight, when the worshipful the
Mayor of Chester (P. S. Humberston, Esq.,) the Sheriff
(13. Eaton Esq.,) and the members of the Corpora-
tion, presented her with a loyal address, followed by a
similar one from the Bishop and Clergy of the diocese.
A few minutes sufficed for these little ceremonies, and the
train slowly moved on for the completion of the journey
to Bangor, giving the thousands on the platform an
opportunity of beholding Her Majesty as she stood at the
open window of the royal carriage surrounded by her
consort and children. I remarked that, though she was
certainly greeted with cheers, they were not of that up-
roarious character which sometimes accompany a Royal
progress. The citizens of Chester paid their Queen the
far hither compliment of showing that their excess of
anxiety to see her, their enthusiastic loyalty transcended
all other ideas, and the majority forgot to'cheEr until it
was too late for them to be heard. Her Majesty looked
somewhat flushed as though from exposure to a keen
wind, but in common with most others I did not notice
either the Prince or the children, the Queen being the
cynosure of all eyes, and no time was afforded for the sight
to wander.

The pageant being over, the crowd, which I judge
must have numbered nearly twenty thousand, quietly dis-
persed, and I we ded my way back to Chester, in com-
pany with two or three friends from Birkenhead. We
traversed that extraordinary relic of antiquity, the East-
gate row, where the footpath is through the centre of the
houses on the first floor, and admired some curious old
sculptures on the front of somo of the houses. We also
visited the Cathedral, where, owing to the unwonted ex-
citement of the day, there was no afternoon service, and

havingrefreshed ourselves at that curious hostelry adjoining
the Eastgate and known as " the Kitchen," we once more
proceeded to the station, and were conveyed, with praise-
worthy punctuality, to Bi-kenhead. I cannot conclude
this brief sketch of a day at Chester without exprt,ssing

my great satisfaction at the treat which such a visit affords,
and a recommendation to 411 who have not yet been to
Chester to seize the first opportunity of revelling in such

a comprehensive specimen of archeological interest

VIATOR