HER MAJESTY'S PROGRESS FROM DUBLIN TO PERTH. [From the Spectator, August 8.]

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VI, Issue 460, 29 December 1849, Page 3

HER MAJESTY'S PROGRESS FROM DUBLIN TO PERTH. [From the Spectator, August B.]

The voyage to Belfast was a rough, one. Heavy rain begau to fall socn after seven o'clock, and as nigh l drew on the gathering clouds and foam-tipped waves indicated a stormy night. We again extract from the graphic narrative of the passenger ? reporter who writes for the Times : — ■ " Towards midnight, the Vivid; which b«d been detained at Kingstown to receive loggage, joined. the squadron, and took up a j>'o•ition in advance of the royal yacht, where

•fc* vrts "Stationed iti a iatt t)f post of obser-▼«io«7'--notr dashiag along to warn off some strange «all, and now taking a turn towards laati to find "out some light, or to ascertain the exact position of the fleet. Standing across the bay of Dundrum, wherein the Great Britain passed such a boisterous winter on the hard beach, the squadron through freshening wind and rising sea pressed oawtrds, till the South Rock Light was visible on their port-beam ,about one o'clock. A thick fog ■with rain dragged over the vessels, and obscured every view of sea 6t sky ; the lights of the ships as they rolled in the swelling waves shone with a lurid uncertain glare ; and the shrill whistle of the wind became higher every moment. Away on the verge of a stormy rock-bound coast — in a night obscured by a s ky — no joyous cheers to be heard — not a sound audible but the hoarse voice of the waves or the shriek of a wandering seagull as he flashed athwart the gleam of the lanterns — it was hard indeed to bring home to one's mind the full fact that, tossing about in file little fleet which swept on in darkness and wind, was the Queen of the greatest empire in the world. At three o'clock the wind came up in stronger, steadier blasts ; and, as the lights on the Copelands — islands which lie off the entrance to Belfast Lough — were sot to be seen, the squadron lay to till the .Vivid ran in and made them out. On her <ifeturn the squadron again proceeded, and ran in to Ccrrickfergus Roads, about five o'clock >in the morning, in a breeze which amounted /to half a gale. " The Roads just mentioned are situate off > the town of Carrickfergus, about seven miles < below Belfast, and between the arms of land which almost enclose the Lough. An arm of tbe sea, gradually contracting as it runs about j ten mile* up towards the town till it narrows into a river crossed by a handsome stone , bridge, constitutes the lough and harbour of that important town, which boasts as large a commerce as any port in Ireland, and is the Liverpool of the sister kingdom. The scenery on the- coast is picturesque. On the north or Antrim- side, a series of bold tumulary hills rise in a regular range till they blend with the horizon, and slope gradually away in a succession oi fine meadows and linen-fields, with tneir showy fabrics bleaching in the sun, with here and there some handsome villa embosomed in trees down to fhe sbore, which is studded with white houses or clean little villages. On the south pr Down side, a similar landscape is stretphed out; above which in fine weather, are seen the lpfty peaks of Morne and Iveagh. But with the dawn all tlie land was veiled with a thick gauze of driving storm. The scud rflew rapidly on the wings i of a strong south wiqd. The Lough presen- ■ ted a seething mass of foam ; and the squadron, riding head to wind, tried to their bent the iron cables. V\ hen the morning advanced, a number of fine steamers laden with passengers came down from the town and saluted the royal yacht with loud cheers and firing of cannon ; boats put off from the shore with crews oa board, and dashed through i -sheets ofspray to welcome their Sovereign ; ! and numerous yachts and small craft kept , dancing about her with wonderful perseverance. .Little puffs of smoke along the water's .edge, with an occasional sound of infant . esnnop, announced that the enterprising proprietors of various mansions -were intent on signifying their loyalty in spite. of the weather. .But the morning passed away, and day wore on in perfect inactivity. Thewicd rose higher and higher ; and but for the secure roadstead under the lee of the JDownsbire hills, the squadron would have made but bad weaifoer of it. It rushed down with fury, sweeping away the cheers of the people and drown.ing the roar of their tiny artillery, now and then permitting a gust ofimusic from the bands on board the steamers to be heard, and then crushing it beneath its own shrill voice. At dbc o'clock the royal yacht Signalled the Vi4>id to run down to the Slack Eagle, and take iier boat in tow ; and in a few minutes more the tittle boat was dragging a fine stout gig from the Admiralty yacht towards the royal -vessel. The boat having been left alongside, in a few minutes more a party of ladies and .gentlemen, well muffled, were observed to descend the sides of the Victoria and Albert, «md push off in two boats towards the Fairy ; 'While the striking of the royal itandard on board the former showed that one of those -* who took so kindly to the water,' as the sailors observed, was indeed her Majesty. A «hort pull through stumpy little ill-behaved i waves brought the royal party on board the Fairy ; and at half-past one o'clock the little < tender, followed by the Vivid, steamed away i towards Belfast, accompanied by a number of : steam-vessels', and greeted by the shouts of i their living cargoes. -On reaching the piers, i which compress the channel into a narrow ' compass, about half a mile below the town, a ; gay bordering of shipping along both sides of < the passage, with flags streaming in the air, 1 and a dense orowdof persons, were to be seen, i who ran along with loud shouts, of joy as the i

Fairy passed onwards. Pateraro'es, musket*, blunderbusses, and every sort of vehicle for the noisy ignition of gunpowder, were discharged with picturesque irregularity ; the decks, the shrouds, the yards, the very topmasts of the steam-vessels and merchantmen alongside the quays, swarmed with people. Ou arriving at the landing-place, a very handsome and substantial edifice, built expressly for the honorable reception of her Majesty, came in sight, decked out with wreaths, festoons of laurel, crowns, and mottoes, while on the top were stationed four lads in naval dresses to take charge of the standard. Beyond this was one of the handsomest triumphal arches we have ts yet seen ; and at either side of the^ space, which was preserved by the guard of honor and by the constabulary, were gaily decorated platforms with their vaiious occupants, all in high excitement, with waving handkerchiefs and hats ; outside the wooden barricades and lines of soldiery was one compact mass of people. As far as the eye could strain over the house-tops and up the distant streets, a sea of heads was visible ; and when the Fairy drew alongside, a cheer as hearty and enthusiastic as her Majesty ever yet heard burst from the people." Among the gentlemen who awaited the Queen in the pavilion, where the Marquises of Londonderry, Downshire and Donegal, the Earls of Roden, Antrim, Erne, Enniskillen, and Belfast, Lords de Hos, Dungannon, Massareene, and Ferrard, Lord John Chich ester, Sir William Verner, Sir Hercules Pakenham, Sir Robert Bateson, Mr. Sharman Crawford, and many other gentlemen locally connected. The Fairy came alongside the pier at about two o'clock ; and numerous deputations from local bodies, religious and lay, immediately stepped on board and presented their addresses to her Majesty. Fitting replies were given ; and the Mayor of Belfast like the Mayor of Cork, received the houour of knighthood^ rising from his knees 4t Sir William Johnson." The ceiemonies having been performed, the Queen and Prince Albert debarked, and drove in procession through Belfast, to visit the institutions worthy of Royal patronage or attractive to the visitor. Foremost was the exhibition of the products of Irish industry, arranged by the Royal Flax Society in the rooms of Messrs Sadler and Fenton. Her Majesty saw flax in all the stages, from tbatr of the freshly-gathered fibre, to the woven, bleached, and dressed fabric fit for use. The Queen and <Pricce Albert, exceedingly interested, spent a lung time in the inspection, and ordered liberal purchases of what had most pleased them. They walked for sometime in the cloisters of Queen's College, and entered the Examination Hall. The Queen made an offer of her autograph in the College album, when it shall be ready for the houour. The miin streets of the town where theu traversed at a gentle pace ; and the general effect is thus described — " The preparations were effective, the people were enthusiastic, the Queen was deI lighted, and everything passed off without the ! slightest accident or anything to mar the eclat of a most gratifying reception. " At half-past five, her Majesty returned, and with her countenance radiant with joy and good-humour remained .on deck, acknowledging with empressment the marks of respectful attachment she received on every side, till the yacht was fairly steaming back to her anchorage, where she arrived at six o'clock. The gale, for such it now was, grew furious ; and it soon was evident from the state of the sky and the water that the squadron would not leave Belfast for the night. Soon after dusk, the mountains gleampd with bonfires, which blazed through the mist and storm like meteors. A few daring boats put 1 off, but soon retired again to safe harbours ; and the royal squadron was left riding, through the storm when darkness came on." Through Saturday night the stonafeoritinued without abatement, and for some hours of Sunday morning the ships breasted nearly a gale of wind ; but towards noon there was a partial lull. The Queen attended prayers, to which all hands were piped. At a quarter past one the Vivid was ordered to Belfast with a message, and on her return at halfpast two the squadron had disappeared—advantage had been taken of the lull to run for the opposite coast, and reach some Scotch port for anchorage during the night. The Vivid followed ; and on getting out of the shelter of Belfast Lough, found « formidable sea. " As she met the long swell," it pitched up on bar quarter in a seething mass of foam, or slipping away from beneath, let down her hall into the yawning trough of waters, gulping as though it would swajlow her at once. In advance and nearly hull down, were the se- 1 veral vessels of the. squadron, .far separated, j according to their rates of speed and power ' of endurance, tilting up their sterns, rolling to leeward and thumping their bows through ; the waves. The further from land the higher rose the sea, and the louder roared the wind.. '

The Mall of Galloway was in all its glory. The south wind, coming up the Channel, tore up the downward tide into rugged hills of water, topped with crisping froth, and dashed them against the quivering vessels, which squashed through and into them with a hissing noise, making a thousand rainbows of the spray. Thus up and down those green hill-sides the squadron sped ou its way, the lazy vessels going fast astern ; poor Lucifer, with all such sail as be could carry, lagging hopelessly ia the rear ; Trident next, bowling along more steadily ; and then, in various order, the Sphynx, Black Eagle, Stromboli, Vivid, Fairy, and Victoria and Albert. The little tender made excellent progress, at times even the trucks of her masts were invisible in the hollow of the sea. Towards four o'clock it was evident the squadron did not intend to make for the mouth of the Clyde, for their course was too much to the southward ; and about five o'clock they were visible passing the Cprsjl Light,' at the entrance of Lough Ryan ; into which they ran, and where they anchored off Cairn, , at twenty minutes after five o'clock. • " A little bott put off from tba royal yacht soon after her arrival, to a small landing place, ou the south side of the Lough : and it was said the Prince was one of her passengers ; but of this fact we lay all the onus upon ru- I mour solely, merely venturing to affirm that j the boat put off, and after a short stay, during : which several gentlemen landed and walked along the beach, returned to the vessel. At midnight all the vessels settled into gloom and profound darkness ; the lights were extinguished in the yacht; and no sound was heard over the dreary waste but the roaring of the wind, still rude and strong as ever, the scream of (be gaunet as he flew to his rocky nest, or the bells which marked the slow course of time on board the vessels." At dawn the Black Eagle and Vivid weighed anchor, and stood away for the Frith of Clyde ; and soon the rest of the fleet followed their lead. A little revenue cutter came off from the lee of Arran, and put Captain Robinson on board the' Queen's yacht, to act as pilot up the magnificent estuary of Loch Long, one of the wildest and most romantic of the many arms of the sea which so deeply indent the west of Scotland. At Gourick the Frith of Clyde tends suddenly to the eastward and Loch Long is a narrow prolongation of it in the northerly directon which it takes up to that point. The locli has a dark and gloomy aspect from the .deep and massive shadows which are thrown upon its waters by the ranges of lofty and heath-covered mountains flanking it on either side. The neighbouring hilts are all overtopped by the bold aud serrated rangeknownasthe Duke of Argyll's Bowling green, which breaks into a wild succession of conical eminences and splintered peaks, at an elevation of about 3,000 feet above the level of the sea. Unfortunately, however, these beauties were wrapped in storm-cloud or obscured by the mist and rain. "At times a whiff of wind forced up the curling vapour, and disclosed a sheet of water compressed into narrow straits between towering mountains, whose tops were lost in the clouds, or expanding in bold bays locked in on every side by the steep sides of cliffs, down whose precipitous descent rolled the foaming torrent of many a burn swelled into foaming cascades by the heavy rains. Again the dense curtain fell and enveloped the whole scene. At some sudden turn a giant mountain — with a thousand white rivulets furrowing its sides — a few scattered sheep holding on, as it were, to the scant herbage — a shepherd's lone sheeling, barely distinguishable from the surrounding heather, and an odd stray sportsman toiling after some wild pack of grouse up the cliffs — stood revealed for one moment in all its grandeur, to be lost in an instant." It had been intended that the Queen should debark at the head of Loch Long ; cross Arroquhair to T&rbet on Loch Lomond, atJistance of only four or five miles ; descend Loch Lomond to Balloch, and proceed thence along the Leven bank to Dumbarton and the Clyde. Great preparations were made at Balloch and Dumbarton, but the inclemeucy" of the weather deranged the plan. Prince Albert proceeded by this route alone, in courtesy to the expecting people. The Queen, in her yacht, redescended Loch Long, and ascended Loch Goyl, a small and beautiful bay somewhat nearer to Glasgow^ she anchored therefor the night, and despatched the Fairy to Dumbarton for -Prince Albert. The Prince followed the route by Balloch and Dumbarton, endeavouring by his courtesies, to alleviate the .disappointment caused by the Queen's absence £ and he reached Locb Goyl ear|; in the afternoon. . . On Tuesday morning, the weather was still , miserable. " Every rope of the taut rigging ] of the men-of-war at anchor off the bank distilled a stream of rain ; the lugubrious-look- j ing officers, in oilskin hats and pea-coats, paced the, wet decks like so many Noahs, However, ppite of rain and cold and wind, the ■ trains that began to leave Greeaock soon af- i

, ter three o'oloek. in the morning we're will , filled,- and a large body of spectators lined the i banks of the broad river." About eight, the 1 two yachts and the Vivid weighed anchor from , Loch Gare, and descended to the Cljde. . steamed rapidly upwards to Glasgow ; the wjfr I steamers manning their yards and firing royal . salutes as they passed. The landing place, i close to Glasgow Bridge, was reached a few minutes before noon. As at Cork, here also occurred a notable meteorological incident — of cpurse in honour of the Queen. The rain ceased falling nearly at the moment the .Fairy was moored to the pier; and the "awful weather" which had pravailed for so many days cleared up ; the sun shone forth from a beautiful sky; " and from the moment the Queen arrived till her departure, not a drop of rain fell !M! M The form of receiving deputations with addresses was goae -through onboard the Fairy; and the honor of knighthood was conferred on Mr. James Anderson tb,e Lord Provost. The Queen, and Prince Albert then landed, th* Queen leading the Princess Royal and Prince Albert leading the Prince of Wales.; and, seated in carriages, t they drove in procesfiqp through the main streets . of. Glasgow. Th» spectacle of triumphal • arches, festooned houses, and decorated balconies, is described as very magnificent; ' her Majesty's Scotch subjects having exerted tbemselv.es to surpass the receptions given by the Irish towns. The shops were all closed, for the holiday, and the whole population crowded the streets. A distinctive feature is mentioned — " The whole line of the procession, for three miles, was, railed by thick wooden barriers;' and the streets, instead of being protected by military and police, were kept chiefly by the gentlemen, who, to the'number of between two and three thousaud, were sworn in as special constables, and appeared on the inner side of the barriers, dressed with white rosettes, and having two white staves of office in their hands." The Queen visited the old Cathedral ; which was examined in every part. She then went to the College; and received in the Faculty Hall addresses from the principal and professors. The route ended at the terminus of the Edinburgh and Glasgow railway; where refreshments were laid out in the ladies' waiting-room. Shortly after two o'clock, her Majesty entered a railway carriage built for the occasion, and ,was soon out of sight on J-he way to Perth. The splendid stttjop at Perth, was elabo- ' rately decorated with festoons of drapery and wreaths of flowers apd evergreens ; and the magistrates of the town were in waiting to receive her Majesty. A double line of gentlemen enrolled as special constables extended themselves the whole way from the railway station to the George Hotel. The Queen's train ran into the station with great swiftness, and her Majesty alighted very suddenly ; but everything was so well ordered that she specially signified her pleasure at all the arrangements. Soon after arriving at the hotel, --i Prince Albert and Sir George Grey visited the Penitentiary — " one of the great government prisons erected with the view of reforming as well as punishing,, certain classes of criminals, by carrying out entire separation and constant employment." In the afternoon the Queen and Prince Albert surprised and delighted the townsmen by driving, with- * ~i out ceremony, over the celebrated Inch grounds, and other points of view in (he [ beautiful vicinity. Perth was made the rest-ing-place for Tuesday night. The Queen was early astir on Wednesday morning ; and her carriages were entered at eight o'clock to post the remainder of tha journey to Balmoral. The magistrates stationed themselves at the boundary of their jurisdiction on the north bank of the Tay j* i and " a respectful recognition from the Queen I and Prince as they passed amply repaid them ' for this parting mark of attes&nr:" Tfr,% j route followed last year, by the coast «J«i through Aberdeen, was this year exchanged for the direct Highland route, by Cupar Angus, Blairgowtie, and the Spital of Glenshee. At Blairgowrie there was a , loyal .preparation of arches, with an assemblage of gentry; and at K each stppping point there were numerous and demonstrative groups of spectators. However, on the understanding that the Queeq's journey lost ita character of a public progress with her departure from Glasgow, the reporters of the London papers f there terminated their accounts, and left the Queen to pursue in private her route to th« ' quiet retreat of Balmoral. .