Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-04-21
The queen az AIdeshOtt.

II was a horrid, windy, grey, cold, Bit
ter morning on Tuesday, and we were
little inclined to be Jolly when we psraded;
but l declare to you, ny dear Tom, when
l heard the general and his staff were
ordered to meet "the Queen" who was
coming with detachments of the LIST Life
Guards from Windsor to visit the Camp
once more, I could have taken q header
into a freezing maelstrom, and would have
been followed by the whole battalion, we
were so pleased at the news. l was abroad
when she was last here, and not a ray of
the royal smile had ever lighted on our
ranks since the long time ago when We
saw Queen Victoria, after we return
ed from the Crimea. There was an
immense animation in the camp. 1
have no hesitation in saying that the visit
did immense good, and that repetition
frequent enough would render Aldershott
popular, though it was so cold and windy.
Now that the Queen has come among us,
we look for q few royal field days and a
residence in the Pavilion, and in no court
Queen Victoria can hold can she ever be
surrounded by a more devoted, II was
about to say more brilliant, but oh Tom,
our uniforms are atrocious } throng than
on the Surrey Common nigh Marlborough.
There's no doubt about it; loyalty is fed
by the sight of royalty, "De non ezistcnti-
bus ct G~PParentibus," says the axiom,
'eGdenl est ratio" Did you ever hear of
a sun w~orshiper in Cimmeria? As we
we're drawn up in line, red in the nose and
cold in the toes, suddenly there came on
us a pleasant warmth of the quickening
pulse, vs. the tnuds of the guns told
us the Queen was really coming to
see her soldiers once more; and when
the open carriage came in sight it was
as much as the men could do to keep
from cheering like-the deuce. Her Ma
jesty passed us in an open carriage, with
the fair Helena-dear Tom, Augusten-
burg is a lucky fellow, and 1 hope is
Drawer than Menelaus and handsomer
than Psris-en face, and a Hohenlohe,
who seemed a jolly old girl enough. She
was followed by an open carriage with
two ladies of the court. Her Majesty
looked as well as could be, and there was
a smile on her lip and in her eye, which
made US all happy, and which Grey told
our colonel he had not seen her wear for
five long years. Este perpetual 1t was
very bitter in the wind, but she drove up
and down the ranks; and waited for the
march past, and looked at us as if to
shame any stray rascal who might have
promised to be a Fenian under the infu-
ence of drink, and a desire of lucre out of
his treason or thirst.
The troops looked pretty we'll; the
Queen looked we'll the Princess well and
pretty. My manly face could not have
had much effect, though 1 tried my best
to look devoted, for 1 had a good deal of
dust in my eyes, and my nasal %promontory
had an air of q" old port" which was quite
unwarranted by anything but the east
wind. At last Her Majesty went off to
the cavalry, and we marched back as
happy as possible in thinking she was
often to come again. There were SEINE
who said the Queen came down to count
eract Fenianism. 1 wish she would try
the effect of the cure at the source of the
disease, and go over to Ireland, or en-
courage the Prince of Wales to do so, and
stay there as a prince of the blood might
we'll do, just as Prince John did once on q
time before II Major Bradys Letter
tn the army and Nary Gazette.