Newbern weekly progress., 1860-12-11
THE PRINCE I'M RICHMOND.
A British view-Our vulgarity-Brutai
Crowds, &c.


The London Times correspondent, who visited
this city with the Prince of Wales and received
a variety of friendly attentions from members OF
the press and others, has written the following
cheerful views of our city:
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, Oct S.-The Prince has
paid flying visit of some forty hours to TINS leg
isatve capita of the Old Dominion as it is called,
for Virginia the fist English colony IN North
America. Here the first saves were imported IN
1920 and at this hour Virginia remains one OF the
most uncompromisng supporters OF pro-savery IN
ali the U. S. The Royal party left the hlte House
on the morning of the 9th. The leave. taxing De-
tween the Prince and the President and his neice,
Miss Harriet Lane, was marked by the most warm
expressions of regret both sides that the visit
had been of so short duration. The carnage OF
the Prince, followed by those OF the chlef mem
hers of the Cabinet left the mansion at iu
o'clock. There was large crowd collected in the
avenue leading up to the house, who cheered the
Prince most heartily as he drove OF AT the Ar
senal a salute of twenty guns w hIed as the
cortege entered, and similar compliment was
paid from the Navy Yard when his Royal High
ness went on board the little steam cutter Har-
riet Lane The instant the Royal party were on
board the hawsers were cast off, and the quick
little steamer sped down the broad quiet waters
of the Potomac like bird. Passing Mopnt Yer
non the speed was slackened. and the bell toled
An empty honor paid to the poor, rulnous,
neglected house of Washington by every steamer
or vessel of any kind that passes up or down the
stream
At2 o'clock the boat reached the little landing
Mace at Acquia Creek, where the special train
was m waiting to convey the party to Richmond.
The first part of the journey was over what Is
termed strap road" of the most unsafe
varieties of railway used even in this coun-
trv of bad tramways of all kinds. The scenery
through which the route lay was not attractive
The land in Virginia has been exhausted by con
slant reckless farming. Very little is grown here
now but tobacco, and, the climate being unusual
fhao of
breeding forms almost the whole business OF the
State. A few plantations were however, passed,
and few negro huts. the best worse than the
worst Irish cabins. The train crossed the Rap
pahannock river, and stopped for few minutes
at Fredericksburg At this latter city Washing
was born, and here his mother is buried. But
the house in which the Eather OF his Country
first saw light has, of course keen pulled down,
and the monument over the.grave of his mother,
the first stone of which was laid by President
Jackson in great state nearly thirty years ago,
has been left unfnshPsi since that time. Truly.
the Americans. q people, lack Veneration or
gratitude perhaps both.
The train reached The fair grounds, some two
miles distant, srom Richmond, at 6 in the even
ing. The Mayor and a committee OF citizens
were in y-siting to welcome his Royal Highness
to the capital of old Virginia. There was an i'm
mene{: concnursc of reople who blocked up all
the'avenues leading to the Ballard Hotel. so that
..Ie carriages could scarcely force passage. The
! cheering, rather bowling, was villainous -
There was to have been ball in the evening,
but that greatest of all dificulties-fnancal Off
ficulties-stood in the way of its being carried
ont on proper scale, SO the idea was aban-
doned.
Richmond is not little altered from the time
when Madame Eslnand reared her young Eir-
cinians here. Seen from distance it looks very
handsome town. both for grandeur and far lar
ger than it really is. Its population is only about
| 4OOOO, of which nearly one-haf blacks and
slaves. The capitol is bizarre Greco-American
!
generally the case with all the pnblc buildings
of this continent In the hall of this building IS
the noble statue Of Washington, the first erected
to that great patriot, with a simple dignified In
scription, worthy of the hero it commentaries.
The sculptors legend in the corner reads, "Fait
par Houdon, Ctoyen Franc0iS, l7S8." Like all
other slave State capitals, there slave pens
for the public auction of these miserable beings
in this city.
During all the night of the arrival, every room
and stairway in the ballard Hotel was crammed
with low wretched mob, each striving and hus-
ting to get some look into the apartments where
his Royal Highness was staying There were
catcalls, shouts and whoopings, with cries for
him to show Observation-Disclosures with which.
need scarcely say, his Royal Highness did not
comply, for the rough. bowling, brutal mob that
had swarmed round his carriage on arriving at
tho hotel, had given him a pretty good insight
into the general tendencies OF a Richmond
crowd.
Mex day (Sun6ay) he attended divine scr
vice at St. Pauls Church. nearly the whole
gregation rising TO cape and stare at him when
he entered. After service contrary to the prac-
tice which the whole party have rigidly adhered
to of resting Sunday. the Prince, with the
Duke and y few members of his suite, walked
out to see the Capital. While here rough, dir
t., crowd collected, who crowded in upon the
par ty most unceremoniously, making all sorts of
coar' e, vulgar remarks upon the personal ap-
pearal zee Of its members in loud conversational
tone. al 'dible to every one. While the Prince
stood 10, king at the statue of Washington. to
which I I'VE already alluded. some called out.
Guess he 'hipped you Brtishers;' On, You
like him don't YOU? Sartain:" with other insulting
observations OF still coarser nature. The Prince
took not the leas. notice of this rufianly itaste,
but, after a while, went to the Senate Chamber.
and then quilted the, building. In the street, of
course, they were al followed by still larger
crowd, which at last 2 rev so great that to avoid
it the whole party turne into the house of Gov
ernor Letcher, where tl'ey remained for some
time, escaping at last by private door to their
carriages, in which they drL've out to Hollywood
Cemetery, returning to their hotel in the even
ing.