The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-09-19 00:00:00

THE COURT.

HER MAJESTY'S VISIT TO THE KING AND
QUEEN OF THE BELGIANS.

Tr ^enerally urn.i.::;;;.(ma in Brighton that her Ma-
jesty and Prince Albert would leave on Tuesday morning
last for Ostend, the avenues to the palace and cliffs were
crowded from an early hour, and the steam got up on
board the roial yacht and the various war steamers in
attendance.

At half-past eight the gates of the Pavilion were thrown
open for the royal cortege. The first carriage was drawn
by four horses, and contained her Majesty, Prince Albert,
Viscountess Canning, and the Hon. Miss Hamilton. In
the other carriages were the Earl of Aberdeen, the Earl
of Liverpool, Lord Charles Wellesley. and several of the
royal suite. The royal party, on arriving opposite Penny's
library, on the esplanade of the Chain Pier, alighted from
the carriages, and proceeded to the head of the pier. The
grenadier guards lined the head of the pier, and presented
arms on the approach of her Majesty. The barge belong-
ing to the royal yacht, manned by twelve seamen in white,
and steered by Lord Adolphus Fitzclarence, was at the
bottom of the steps. The steps of the pier were covered
with crimson cloth, and Sir Samuel Brown had the honour
of assisting her Majesty into the barge. At ten minutes
before nine her Majesty and Prince Albert and their at-
tendants had safely embarked on board the royal yacht,
and about nine o'clock she got under weigh and proceed-
ed on her voyage, attended by the armed steamers, the
Fearless, the Prometheus, the Tartarus, and the Cyclops,
and the Warspite and the Euridice men-of-war. The
scene at this time was most animated; the cliffs were
crowded with company, and every window commanding a
view occupied. The beach was also covered with thou-
sands of spectators, and the pier and various vessels gaily
decked with colours, the guns firing from the men-of-war,
the battery, and the Chain Pier.
At three o'clock in the afternoon the royal yacht passed
Dover in gallant style. The vessel passed about a mile
off the shore. It was blowing a fresh breeze from the
eastward at the time ; but such seemed the powers of the
" Victoria and Albert," that even with this head wind
she walked the waters with a rapidity that nothing could
exceed, leaving the other vessels in the royal squadron far
behind. At twenty-five minutes past three the yacht had
arrived nearly off Walmer Castle. The Duke of Wel-
lington proceeded from the shore in a gig to visit her Ma-
jesty on board the royal yacht. It was expected that her
Majesty would have landed, and honoured the Duke of
Wellington by again visiting Walmer Castle; but his
grace accepted an invitation to dice with her Majesty on
board. The Duke remained about two hours on board,
and afterwards returned on shore. Her Majesty remained
on board the royal yacht during the night, and on the fol-
lowing morning at seven o'clock the squadron stood out
for sea on their way to Ostend.

On Wednesday, at half-past two o'clock, p.m., her Ma-
jesty and Prince Albert arrived safely at Ostend. As soon
as the Royal yacht was descried in the Roads (which is
rather earlier than had been expected) the King and Qucen
of the Belgians drove down to the landing place to receive
their illustrious visitors. As soon as the yacht came to
quay-side, King Leopold and his Royal Consort went on
board, when they were most affectionately received by her
Majesty and Prince Albert, the Queen kissing her uncle
and aunt several times. The Royal party then entered
his Majesty's carriage, in which they all four drove off to
the Palace. The Queen looked extremely well, Prince
Albert a little pale, having probably suffered slightly from
sea-sickness, the breeze a-head having been rather fresh
in the evening.
A grand banquet took place at the Hotel de Ville.
King Leopold sat in the middle seat opposite the windows ;
on his right hand was Queen Victoria, next to her the
Queen of the Belgians, and next to her Prince Albert ;
on the left hand of King Leopold was a lady who we be-
lieve was the Countess d'Aerschot, and next to her Lord
Liverpool. The rest of the company were arranged ac-
cording to their ranks. King Leopold was dressed in plain
clothes, but wore the riband of the Garter, as did also
Lord Aberdeen. Prince Albert was in plain dress, and
wore the riband and cross of the Bath. Several others of
the company wore ribands, and most of them were in
splendid uniforms, decorated with stars and orders.
Queen Victoria, who looked remarkably well, was
dressed in a white lace and muslin dress; she wore her
hair in bands, ornamented with flowers and bound with a
ferronier of brilliants. Her Majesty had on a brilliant
necklace, and across her shoulder the blue riband of the
Garter. The Queen of the Belgians was in a pale blue
silk dress, with a stomacher of brilliants, and had on her
head a dress bonnet of white lace with feathers. The ap-
pearance of the whole party, from the brilliancy of uni-
forms and stars, was magnificent. At nine coffee was
served up, and about half an hour afterwards the royal
party returned to the palace of the King of the Belgians.

On Thursday the King of the Belgians visited the royal
yacht, and in the afternoon, after the royal party had been
present at a review of the troops at Ostend, another mag-
nificent banquet was given in the Hotel de Ville, and the r
Majesties and Prince Albert then repaired to the opera.
In the evening a brilliant illumination took place. Every
demonstration of joy and respect were manifested at the
opera. The entertainment consisted of the second act of
Guillaume Tell, a one act vaudeville entitled 1' Heriliere,
with (introduced between both) " Oh, Richard ! Oh, nion
Roi," from Richard Oeur de Lion, and a song from
Madame Laborde.

On Saturday the royal party paid a visit to the ancient
city of Ghent. The entry and the reception given them
by the inhabitants, will long live in the recollections of the
illustrious personages themselves, and in the memory of
those who received them, and will be a matter for poste-
rity to moralize upon and admire.
The royal party entered the city about twelve o'clock,
from the railroad station, to which they were conveyed by
a special train, amidst the noisy. but loyal and hearty con-
gratulations of thousands of voices. The streets, as at
Bruges, were decorated with triumphal arches, flags, ban-
ners, devices, interminable lengths of coloured cotton,
and white cotton cloth—the manufacture of the place, and
branches of trees and young fits stuck in the pavement.
The royal cortege, on leaving the railroad, proceeded
through the principal streets, all of which were crowded
with people, and at the windows of every house of which
were to be seen heads innumerable of spectators, the cor-
poration of tne city and the various public societies, with
their banners and ensigns, falling into rank, and a regi-
ment of cuirassiers and the band of the regiment of the
guides also forming in the procession ; the cannon firing
a salute of welcome, and the bells of the celebrated belfry,
as well as those of all the churches in the city, pealing
ing forth harmonious sounds. In the first of the royal
carriages, of which, as far as we could judge from the im-
mense pressure of the mob, there were four, were her
Majesty Queen Victoria, and, on her left hand, the Queen
of the Belgians—both dressed in the same manner as when
they entered Bruges ; and, on the opposite seat of the
carriage were King Leopold, in a military uniform, and
Prince Albert, in English regimentals.
The cortege first stopped at the hotel of the provincial
government, where their Majesties and the whole party
alighted, and were conducted into the apartment prepared
for their reception, and in which refreshments were pre-
pared with the proper ceremonial, and whence, after hav-
ing remained some time, they were driven to the celebrated
Cathedral Church of St. Bavon.

Their Majesties were received by the bishop and clergy
of the cathedral, and surveyed the stately monuments
and rare specimens of carving and sculpture. The cele-
brated font in which the Emperor Charles V. was
christened is in the transept of this cathedaal. It was
particularly pointed out to the observation of Queen
Victoria, who admired it for some minutes. The candle-
sticks brought from the old palace at Whitehall, which
are also here, attracted her Majesty's attention. They
are very fine specimens of workmanship, and recall many
historical recollections.
From the Cathedral of St. Bavon the illustrious visitors
went to the university, where they were received by the
persons in authority there ; and, having examined every-
thing that was curious, proceeded to the " Beguinage,"
or convent of Beguin nuns, a very curious building. Here
also the authorities of the place were in attendance, and
everything that could make the reception such as it should
be was attended to.

It would not he an easy task to describe the Place
d'Armes, as the Royal party were afterwards proceeding
to the theatre, where a morning concert was prepared for
their amusement. At this time, half-past three o'clock,
a regiment of infantry was drawn up around the square ;
squadrons of cavalry were employed to keep clear the
avenues and approaches ; thousands of people on foot
thronged the side pavements. At the windows and bal-
conies were crowds of elegant and beautiful women, both
natives and foreigners. A string of carriages, some of
them of very elegant construction, and such as would be
no disgrace to Regent-street, and scores of hired equi-
pages, were conveying, in an endless line, those who had
procured tickets for the theatre. The scene was as full
of spirit as could be imagined, and was increased by the
ringing of bells, end every now and then the shouts of the
mob.

At length the Royal corterge appeared at one end of the
!square, preceded by a guard of cavalry, and defiled to-
wards the strect leading to the theatre. As the Queen of
England and the Queen of the Belgians, and King Leo-
pold and Prince Albert passed, the acclamations in-
creased, and on their alighting at the theatre a universal
shout rent the air. Their Majesties bowed and acknow-
ledged their gratification in the most affable and con-
descending manner.
The reception in the theatre was a counterpart to what
took place without. The air of " God save the Queen,"
was, as at Ostend, played by the musicians, the whole
company standing.

The Royal party, on leaving the theatre, went again to
the Government-house, where their stay was but short.
The Corte-ye then made for the station of the railroad in
the same order in which it had left in the earlier part of
the day, and their Majesties, Prince Albert. and their
suite, &c., having entered th, carriages of the special
train, took their departure for Ostend. _ _

This visit to the birthplace of the Emperor Charles V,
and of

" Time honoured Lancaster, great John of Gaunt,"
though it will not obliterate the memory of those worthies;
will rank in the page of history as an event equally ho-
nourable, and of which it is to be hoped the results will
be equally advantageous.

It was reported in Paris that the question of the mar-
riage of Queen Isabel 11. had been settled at the Chateau
d'En, between the governments of England and France,
in favour of the son of the Infant don Francisco de Paula.
The Princess Royal and Princess Alice will, we believe,
take their departure from the Palace for Windsor Castle
next Tuesday ; but, according to the present arrange-
ments, the Prince of Wales is to remain here, no time
being fixed for his royal highness's departure.—Brighton
Gazette.