Year: 1870

left Windsor yesterday for Osborne, her marine
on the Isle Of Wight.


THE PRINCEss OF WALES.


This lady is now in Denmark on q visit to her
father and mother. She left England week ago.
And thus the Prince of Wales and his sister, the
mother.


The portion Of the Thames embankment which
was opened yesterday extends from the Houses
OF Parliament at Westminster to Blackriars
distance of about two miles. 1t is, or rather it
will be, when the trees grow up, really hand
some boulevard or quay or Level by the sde OF tne
river. Those among your readers who nave WIS.,
tied Paris must remember the magnificent quays
that extend along both sides Of the Seine, from
Notre Dame to far down on the river. l cannot
better describe the instalment of the Thames en-
bankment that was opened yesterday than slice OF
such quays as Paris has at present aud has indeed
had for years. In any other city, either OF Europe
or America, nothing would be thought of such
small tribute to public taste as that which now
record. But in London we are only just COM
mencng to understand the meaning OF the words
Public Works" and we thankfully receive even
this trifing instalment as an earnest OF what is
yet to come The preparations for the ceremonial
were on quite grand scale. For q week past
2 500 men have been working, by gangs, night as
well as day, to have everything ready. me
whole way from Blackfriars Bridge to Whitehall
wooden seats and standing places We're erected,
and-in imitation of the French-a series OF flag
-
at some twenty feet or less the one from the
other. But in one thing-let my national vanity
record the factwe really did better than it would
have been possible for the French to-day. All
along this new road or boulevard there were
placed, and really with considerable taste,
regular banks of costly flowers and of variegated
shrubs, forming in this feariully hot weather
about as pleasant relief to the eye it is p0ssi
BILE to imagine.


THE SCENE AS 1T WAS.


AS early as nine O'Clock yesterday morning two
battalions of the foot guards, headed by their
magnificent bands, marched to the scene of the
days ceremony. The men were placed two and
two, at a distance of ten yards apart, so as to
keep the crowds OF people from intruding upon
the roadway through which the procession had to
pass. The roadway, must tell you, is some one
hundred feet wide, with foot paths of granite on
either side each twelve feet wide. But the foot
guards were not the first upon the scene. Pre-
ceding them came about five HUNDRED Of the Me-
r pubic OCCASION sion the hEdssous us new helmet which
has just been given them. To say that thousands
and tens of thousands, nay, hundreds of thou
sands of persons were present would be much
more fact than figure Of speech. Misery kept
the multitude well dressed and anxious for
holiday. Before the business of the day COM
menced there was the ordinary amount OF "chah,"
without which London assembly would not
came in for more than fair share OF this wordy
fight. / don't know what their new helmets were
not compared to. But with all there was nothing
but good humor displayed.


be, the Prince of Wales and his sister left Marl-
borough House in a state carriage, drawn by four
magnificent horses, and escorted by q squadron OF
of those mounted 'sons of Anak," the Horse
Guards. There were in all five Of these anti
quated but still splendid vehicles each drawn by
four horses, each driven by c0achmen in the
gorgeous scarlet and gold laced livery of the
Court, and each attended by three footmen in the
same attire.


In the first carriage were Major Grey, Equerry
in Waiting to his Royal Highness the Prince of
Wales; Colonel the Hon. Dudley de Ros,
who is what is called "Silver Stick ia Waiting"
and Colonel de Hovrey, who was Field Officer
in Brigade Waiting. In the second. the Queens
Equerry in Waiting, Lord BridpOrt; the Groom in
Waiting, General Seymour, and the Groom of the
the Hon. c.. l.; Wood. In the
Lord Alfred Harvey, Lord of the Bedchamber, and
Lord Sufield, Lord in Waiting. In the fourth
Yscount Sidney, Lord Chambermaid the Earl of
Lord Steward, and the Lady in
Marquis Of Ailesbury, Master of the House; her
Royal Highness Princess Louise and her Royal
Highness the Princess of Wales.


Preceding this cortege Of royal carriages were
members of the Board of Works. The Secretary
of State for the Home Department met the pro
cession at the entrance to the embarkment and
proceeded with it from Whitehall all the way to





OPENED


The actual ceremony of opening the causeway
or embankment was simply the movement of the
procession from one end to the other, then turn.
ng round and coming back again. There was
none of the mystic Free Masonic tapping of a
stone by the chief. person present; no PRAYER or
blessing; no speeches or thanking of great men
for doing nothing. Still the whole affair was not
the less worth witnessing on that account. The
sight worth seeing was the many thousand well
dressed people anxious for an excuse to make an
outing" To these may add the banners the
troops in their full uniform, the procession, the
cheering, and, though last not least, the bright,
happy face OF the Princess Louise. The new
boulevard or roadway is to be called the Vic
toria Embankment, and may It prove but the
first instament of the many other improvements
in building, in roadmaking, in drainage, in en-
bankments, and in every possible way, which are
very urgently needed at present in London.
Looking to-day at the scene from Westminster
bridge and the houses of Parliament. down
away as far as Backfriars, really felt quite
hopeful for this ugly old town and began to be-
lieve, in spite of myself. that day may come
when perhaps a hundred years hence--London
will not be the most hideous city in either the
Old World or the New.