The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-09-20 00:00:00

ANECDOTES CONNECTED WITH THE QUEEN'S
VISIT TO SCOTLAND,

(From the Glasgow Herald.)

During the Royal voyage to Scotland, his Royal Highness
Prince Albert having observed that the passengers of the
Monarch, one of the steamers that proceeded down the
Frith to meet Her Majesty, were amusing themselves with
dancing, directed the Queen's attention to the fact, when
Her Majesty instantly gave her gracious permission that the
crew of the Royal yacht might engage in similar amusements,
an act of condescension which the jolly tars very soon take
care to avail themselves of with infinite glee. One remark-
able circumstance may be mentioned in connexion with Her
•Majesty's voyage, and it is this—that neither. the Queen nor
the Prince were attended by any of the ladies or gentlemen
of the household, but merely the usual domestics ; and per-
haps a more handsome compliment could not have been paid
to the internal arrangements of the Royal yacht, with which,
upon all occasions, Her Majesty appeared highly satisfied.
- - - -

in Edinburgh, on Thursday, the day on which Her Ma-
jesty landed, some ludicrous scenes took place in consequence
of the incredulity of some of the parties who had purchased
tickets as to the intelligence that Her Majesty had passed
the spot in which they had taken up their positions. Hun-
dreds, who arrived long after the Royal carriage passed by,
took their seats on the scaffoldings with the most imperturb-
able gravity, and sat in the security of their ignorance, for
upwards of half an hour, amidst the laughter and coarse
gibes of the lower class of the struggling mob, who in vain
assured them they had arrived too late. One old gentleman,
who had come from some remote part of Scotland, was ac-
tually immovable.
- • --

When Her Majesty and Prince Albert were driving slowly
along the avenue from Dalkeith Palace on Friday, a collier,
with unwashed bands and unshaven chin, approached the
carriage, and extended his hand to Prince Albert, wha re-
ceived it with great frankness and shook it heartily. The.
collier did not attempt the same liberty with Her Majesty,
probably because he had never shaken hands with a lady in
his life, and was not quite sure of the propriety of beginning
with the Queen ; but he exclaimed " Ye re just the woman
we want." Her Majesty and the Prince laughed heartily at
the occurrence.
The anxiety to get a view of her Majesty was excessive.
At the Castle-gate an elderly woman sprung past the soldiers,
and pressing through the party who had been in attendance
on the Queen in the Castle, and exclaimed most convulsively,
" Oh, will you let me see the Queen ? " A military gentle-
man pushed her back, but she was not so easily put off ;
again pressing forward, she stood within a yard of the Royal
carriage, and, clasping her hands, cried out, " Hech, Sirs, is
that the Queen? Is that the Queen? Weel ? whit have Ino
seen this day ? Eh, but she's a bonnie leddie ! " The poor
woman gazed awhile in silent admiration, but was at last forced
to withdraw, much against her will, consoled, however, by
the reflection that she had seen the Queen, and that the
Queen had seen her. _ _

Decidedly the most conspicuous of all.the equipages was a
coach-and-four in flashing flaming scarlet livery, followed by
a chaise and two in the same. Up and down, up and down,
the main streets it drove incessantly on Wednesday and
Thursday. The crowds of pedestrians gazed. " See ! see ! "
cried one in every room, and there was a rush to the windows
to see. "Who is it? who is it ? " was the question? "It is
the Duke of Hamilton," cried some. But none could tell
surely, and all wished to know. Who is it? It must be
something great, with that red-hot kitchen furnace-coloured
livery. The thing grew to a mystery. We had seen the
equipage for the 'fifth or sixth time, when as it passed us once
again, we startled our companions by a burst of uncontrollable
laughter. There, in the carriage and four with the scarlet
livery, we saw, not the Duke of Hamilton, but—Provost
Blakie, in a blue coat and brass buttons. This mysterious
equipage was the equipage of the deputation from Aberdeen.