Cheshire Observer

I DISTRICT REFERENCES. I a NESTON. During the morning and evening services ati I the parish church special prayer was offered for the Queen, and previous to his sermon in the morning, Canon Turner said:—We have j prayed to-day, and I am sure very earnestly, 1 for our beloved Queen that she may be speedily j restored to her accustomed health. Let us also] remember her in our private prayers, and pray? |God that a life so valuable to the nation may ?be still further prolonged, if it be His gracious!I Swill. I MALPAS. R Un Sunday, at the pansh cnurch, special prayers? ?were offered for the recovery of her Majesty, and I Ithe National Anthem was sung at the close of thei service. I CHOLMONDELEY. I I Special prayers were offered on Sunday at St. 3 IWenefrede's Church, Bickley, and at Cholmon- ] deley Chapel, on behalf of her Majesty the Queen. 1 SAUGHALL.  The services at All Saints' Church on Sunday? were of an especially solemn nature. The? prayers of the congregation were asked for the' ?recovery of Her Gracious Majesty Queenj II Victoria from her present illness, and thej National Anthem was played as an act of thej same devotion. 3 MID-CHESHIRE. I Northwich, Winsford, Middlewich, and the whole of Mid Cheshire have been plunged into j 'gloom' by the death of her Majesty. The Northwich Urban Council were sitting, having [commenced the meeting with God Save the Queen," when the news was received. The | chairman made most touching references, and the meeting was immediately adjourned. The! Middlewich Charity Ball, Hartford Volunteers' Dinner, and the Marston Soiree have been | postponed indefinitely. Each Mid-Cheshire|i town has forwarded messages of condolence.

LOCAL REMINISCENCES-J I RED-LETTER DAYS. I I The Chester Courant" says :-Although Cheshire and the northern part of the Principality have been singularly honoured in j the matter of Royal visits during the past century, the citizens of Chester had com- paratively few opportunities of according a oyal welcome to their Sovereign in person. The first visit of the kind was in October, 1832, when as Princess Victoria she was the guest of the Marquis of Westminster at Eaton and formally opened the Grosvenor Bridge over the Dee. On searching our files we find that the | Queen was twice at Chester in the Fifties. In October, 1852, her Majesty, with the Prince Consort and the youthful members of the Royal Family, who had been residing at Balmoral, honoured Chester with a visit on their home- 1 ward route from Scotland to Windsor, and in October, 1859, she again visited Chester and | North Wales. Her Majesty's next appearance in | this part of the country was in August, 1899, on j the occasion of her journey to Pale Hall, Bala, as the guest of Sir Henry B. Robertson. It will ever be » matter of satisfaction that &he made [a brief stay at Chester General Railway.station* on her return from her Irish tour in A^ril of X e last year.

I ROYAL VISITS TO CHESTER I IN BYE-GONE DAYS. 1 ) The following is a chronological list of Royal visits to Chester from the year 635 up to 1832, reproduced from the "Courant" of October 23rd, 1832, and October 6th, 1852:— ■ 635.-Cadwal, the son of Cadwan, was crowned King of Britain in the city of Chester; he | S reigned sixty-one years. -.839.-Ethelwolf was crowned here "in the most MS I royal manner." tI895.-Alfred the Great, it is to be presumed, was fi I here in this year, the Danes being driven from the city by him after being "constrained to | eat up horses." M ^908.—It is more than probable that Queen Ethel- I fleda was here in this year, and gave her I | instructions upon the repair and extension offfl J the City Walls. « 973.-Klng Edgar was here, and was rowed from I his Palace to St. John's in his barge upon the y Dee by eight tributary kings. (1066.-Harold, after the Battle of Hastings, which I happened on the 14th of October in this year, is ■ said to have taken up his abode in an 3 anchorite's cell in this city, where, it is tra- f f di tionally alleged, he spent the remainder of his I days. j I 1069.-Witliam the Conqueror was here. S-v ,1110.-Henry the First at Chester. 41156.-Henry the Second passed through this city' Oc with his army on their way to Wales. 1157.-Henry the Second at Chester with his army |* i on his march for the conquest of Wales, and encamped at Saltney. ift .1159.-Henry the Second had an interview here !with King Malcolm of Scotland, who made a ? considerable cession of territory to the English? Monarch on the occasion. ?! ? ?1211.—King John was at Chester. gj 1256.-Prinee Edward was here. He stayed three?" I days, and received the homage of the Cheshire J and Welsh nobility. ? ?1257.—Henry III. summoned his nobility to attend' him with their vassals at Chester.  £ | 1276.—Edward I. was here on his way againstj?$: 3 Llewellyn Prince of Wales. f 1277.-Edward 1. again here on his way tok, Rhuddan, and he ordered that all in Cheshire j | who could spend £ 20 a year should be made!# Knights! !| 1282.—Edward 1. again here, remained from 6th June to the 4th July. f 1283.-Edward and his Queen here, they heardjj mass in the Cathedral and presented the monks'? with an altar-cloth upon the occasion. ? 1284.-Edward I. again here four days in Sep-^ tember. ? !1294.-Edward I. passed through Chester toqueU? Madoc's rebellion. j 1300.—Edward of Carnarvon, the first Prince of. I Wales, received the homage of the Welsh to I the sovereignty of England in the Castle ofthist city. R ;1312.-King Edward II. came to Chester to meet, li I his favourite, Piers Gaveston, on his return ) from banishment to Ireland. 1353.—Edward the Black Prince appeared here at^ the head of an armed force, to protect the Justices, who were obstructed in the per a formance of their duties, on account of the dearness of provisions. i ?1394.-Richard II. came here on his way to Ire-?- land. fi !1397.-Ricbard II. visited Chester. EP il399.—Richard II. brought here a prisoner*? t from Flint Castle. R ?1455.-Margaret, Queen of Henry VI., visited 1 Chester "upon progresse with many lordes and? ladyes, and was most graciously received by the Maior and citizens." Bf 1459.—Henry VI. wi* the Queen and her son? I Edward paid a visit to this city, and as a? tribute of respect to those gentlemen of the? county who were attached to tier cause, she« presented them with small silver swans. w 1475.-Edward, Prince of Wales, son of Edward? IV., being only four years old, was brought here^ and conveyed to the Castle in great pomp, for jg the gratification of the citizens. t? 1493.-Henr? VII. and his Queen came here. fji 1494.-Henry VII. at Chester and Hawar?ienl Castle for the amusement of stag-hunting. & 1498.-Prince Arthur, eldest son of Henry VII.? visited this city by desire of his father. In his 3! presence was performed at the Abbey Gate, the'§: "Assumption of our Ladye." The Prince mado? the Mayor, Richard Goodman, an Esquire. His? Royal Highness came on the 4th of August, and? left on the 19th of September. 1616.—James I. here. He was received with the greatest magnificence. The Mayor, Edward Button, presented his Majesty with a double- gilt silver cup, in which were 100 jacobins of gold. Mr. Button declined the honour of knighthood.. j 1617.-James 1. visited Chester, with great pomp heard an anthem sung at the Cathedral," and dined at a sumptuous banquet prepared by the' citizens, the order of Knighthood being offered to the Mayor, but was refused by the same." 1642.-Charles 1st entered Chester, Wrexham, and Shrewsbury in state. ) 1645.—Charles 1st beheld the disastrous Battle of Rowton Moor from the Walls of Chester, and fled into North Wales. 1687.—James II. held a court at Shrewsbury, visited Chester, and afterwards went to "heal and dine" at Holywell. 1819.—Prince Leopold, afterwards King of; Belgium, visited Chester and North Wales. i 1832.-The Princess Victoria (afterwards Queen of England) visited Shrewsbury and North Wales,! and returned home by way of Chester, where' she opened the Grosvenor Bridge amid generali rejoicings and every possible demonstration of loyalty. t I HER FIRST VISIT. p B There is probably only a small band oi SCestrians still alive who have lived throughout the Queen's record reign and can remember) even dimly the great doings on the occasion of j the visit of the young Princess Victoria to this neighbourhood. The Courant" file of Tuesday,7 October 25rd, 1832, devotes a page to the story of jubilation. Accompanying the I-Iriincers., Victoria was the Duchess of Kent, and theid Royal Highnesses were the guests of the). Marquis of Westminster from Monday tillj j Friday morning. The Royal party hadj previously stayed at Plas Newydd, and atj various points of their journey to Chester they a were accorded a most loyal welcome. They were escorted by a troop of Denbjghshire Cavalry to Kinmel Park, where they were enter- tained at luncheon by the Earl of Dinorben, ,,4 and they were welcomed on the borders of Flintshire by Sir John Williams, Bart., of? Boddelwyddan. At St. Asaph and Holywell the Royal party were accorded public recep tions, and at Hawarden Castle their Royal!? Highnesses were received by the Rev. and Hon.? George Neville and Lady Charlotte Neville, in? the absence of Sir Stephen Glynne. The "Courant" describes the arrival at Eaton as I follow:A few minutes before six in the evening, the Royal cortege approached the splendid residence of the Noble Marquis through"* the long avenue, and advanced into the lawn, amid the salute of the cavalry and the enthu.a siastic plaudits of a multitude of the tenantry and the inhabitants of the surrounding villages, who assembled on the occasion. The noble hostf and hostess met the royal visitors at the portal; the military band struck up God Save the Queen' as they alighted from the carriages,?! and the Royal Standard of England was hoisted4 at the top of the mansion in the room of the Union Jack which usually floats in the1 breeze during the residence of the family at Eaton." The report goes on to state that a select party of eighteen sat down | to dinner at seven o'clock. The Royal party consisted of H.R.H. the Duchess of Kent, Lady? Catherine Jenkinson and Sir John Conroy, Lord'? IBagot, the Hon. Mr. Bagot, Sir Philip and Lady? Grey-Egerton, Mr. G. Brooke, and the Rev. Mr.» Aychbown. The members of the family present? were the Marquis and Marchioness, the Countess | of Wilton, Earl and Countess Grosvenor aad? Lord Robert Grosvenor. The young Princess? was too much fatigued by her journey to joinjj the dinner party, and she therefore dined in a separate apartment with the Baroness Litaen. '| When it became known that their Royal Highnesses would visit Chester, a meeting of 3 influential ditizens was convened at the Pentice ? [Court to determine upon the best mode of anifesting the attachment of this ancient and l loyal city to the House of Brunswick and l particularly to the Royal visitors. The Mayor l (presided and took occasion to inform thE- [meeting that, although contrary to the wish of the inhabitants of this ancient city, who ari- l ever anxious to pay becoming homage to the members of the Royal family, it was the expre-s wish and desire of the Duchess and her lovel3 0 Ward to visit Chester, view its antiquities and! other attractive objects in as great privacy as ossible. The meeting received this announce- i ent with feelings of regret, but agreed toÅ xpress their sentiments in a dutiful and loyal | address, which was adopted." Accordingly on i. the Tuesday at eleven in the forenoon fitteen carriages containing the civic body proceededl down Bridge-street on their way to where they arrived about noon. On the Mayor entering the great Hall, the Yeomanry on duty as a Guard of Honour, under the command of Captain Lord Robert j Grosvenor, in full uniform, presented arms and did not 'recover' until the whole body had' passed into the ante-room. Here they were; et by aldermen, the Marquis of Westminster, 1 and Earl Grosvenor in their Civic Robes, by? hom they were conducted into the presence of ? the Duchess, the Princess and attendants, and the ladies of the family in the state drawing-? room." Her Royal Highness," says the? ^observant reporter, was plainly attired and 10@k6d in remarkably good health. The young? Prince8s stood by her side clad in white, ber hair combed back and plainly adjusted be?ind?? ears." The Recorder read to their Royal? Higbnesses the following address:- |j To Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent. May it please your Royal Highness,—We, the' Mayor, Reorder, Aldermen, Sheriffs, aud Common 'Council of the city of Chester, most humbly beg' leave to approach your Royal Highness, and your l 'illustrious daughter, the Princess Victoria, to offer .? 'our dutiful congratulations upon the arrival o? your Royal Highnesses in the vicinity of our ancient 'city and to express our anxious wish for the long? continued enjoyment by your Royal Highnesses of$ (health, and every blessing that Heaven can bestow.|] !We beg to assure your Royal Highnesses of our' | doyalty and devoted attachment to the House of? ?Brunswick, and to express the pride and satis- j| faction we feel in the opportunity now afforded us? of making tha.t assurance, in person, to member ä! !of that illustrious family so distinguished as your? Royal Highness and the Presumptive Heiress to the j| throne of these realms." fij | Her Royal Highness delivered the gracious reply:— Mr. Mayor and Gentlemen,-The Princess and|| myself are extremely sensible of the attention th.t.. leads you to come here, to convey to us, with so ?; much good feeling, your congratulations on our a arrival in the vicinity of your ancient city. It? shews your loyal attachment to the King, receivingi us, as members of his family, in this manner. Wei hope to be able to visit your ancient city to-morrow. I am naturally anxious to seize every opportunity? to bring under the Princess' observation those things that may tend to make her acquainted witha all that is interesting—your city is peculiarly so—? and to connect her with the country, by mixing with all classes in it, so as to identify herself with J| their interests. || The Marquis of Westminster having intro-? duced the Mayor, Mr. Alderman Larden, andP several others of the corporate body to Duchess of Kent, Lord Robert Grosvenor andj| Mr. Finchett Maddock presented the appended address from the citizens of Chester. The address was read by Lord Robert Grosvenor j| and read || To Her Royal Highness the D?c?e? of Kent.. May it please your Royal Highness,—We, inhabitants of the ancient and loyal City of Chester, gladly avail ourselves of your arrival in its vicinity, to offer to your Royal Highness and you illustrious daughter our dutiful homage and? respectful coagratulationa, and to t?&ttfy our d"ep sense of the amiable virtues and the shining excellencies by which you ha.ve always been dis-? tinguished as a wife and a mother. We beg also to ]f express our devoted attachment to the illustrious ft House of Brunswick; and if in the progress of time, and by permission of Divine Providence, your B Royal daughter should be called to the government s of these realms, we indulge the hope that, treading? in the steps of her ancestors, she will sustain p abroad the high destinies of this great nation, and || preserve at home, inviolate, those institutions^ which have been the admiration and example of k. surrounding countries. j? Her Royal Highness and the young Princess^ repeatedly bowed during the delivery of this& address, and her Royal Highness, "with con-? fsiderable emotion," delivered the following very fgracious reply :— ? Gentlemen,-I cannot sufficiently express to ?you how much the Princess and myself feel the ? sentiments conveyed to us from the inhabitants of the City of Cheater; we are deeply &live to them. ?Tbe inhabitants of Cheater, distinguished always ?for their loyalty to their king, seize this occasion ?to evince it, by this attention to us as members of ?his family. To-morrow, I trust, we shall be able to ?visit your city, the inhabitants of which have ?already a claim upon our warm feelings, which will ?tend to connrm my most anxious desire, that the ?Princess should be so brought up as to identify £ herself with aH classes in this great and free country; for the usefulness and happiness of her ? ? future life, if it be spared, must depend upon her doing so." I THE OPENING OF THE BRIDGE. a Wednesday was a red-letter day in the annals jfof the city, for then their Royal Highnesses drove into Chester, and Princess Victoria opened; the Grosvenor Bridge. The "Courant" des-I cribing the occasion says:—"Nothing could: texceed the ardour with which the inhabitants' Swelcomed the event. Many of the tradesmen closed their shops entirely, and most of the! chouses were decorated with some emblem of; 61oyalty. The bells rang merrily, the cannon; "roarod lustily, and hundreds of colours and flags ( awitb appropriate devices were to be seen floating; in the air. The exterior of the Castlo • wasj iprettily embellished, and over the centre of the; new bridge was erected a magnificent triumphal jiarch surmounted by a crown and the royal arms- ÂMr. Trubshaw, the builder, had taken care to; render the passage over the bridge as easy as, ppossible in its present unfinished state and the! |battlements were secured in such a manner as' ito prevent the possibility of accidents. At 12 o'clock, the garrison, part of the 18th Royal jjlrish, were drawn up in the Castle-yard, and at, one o'clock the cavalcade approached under a, Royal salute of 21 guns. Earl Grosvenor and '¡Lord Robert Grosvenor led the way on horse-j back, followed by Mr. Wilbraham, M.P., and' Lady Anne Wilbraham, in one carriage; Lord! Bagot and family in another Sir John Conroy, the Baroness Litzen, Lady Catherine Jenkinson, members of the Royal suite, in a third carriage;, Countess Grosvenor and the Countess of Wilton ?in a fourth; and last came a coach and six, containing the illustrious visitors, and the | Marq uie and Marchioness of Westminster? 4ldrivon by Mr. Robert Roberts, the State coacb- I man at Eaton. When the carriage of the Royal v isitors bad arrived at the triumphal arch, the| Royal standard was raised on its summit; and the right Worshipful the Mayor presented him- | ,self to the visitors to know their pleasure as to;i the naming of the bridge. The Princess replied by reading a paper which she held in her band, containing the following words:— U 5 I seise the occasion of our being the first persons l ,to pass over this magnificent Bridge to lend myself., to the feeling that prevails, and to name it í k" Grosvenor Bridge." 1 fi The cavalcade then passed over, and entered ] the Castle Yard amid the salute of the military, and enthusiastic plaudits of a most repectablej 'and perhaps the most numerous assemblage of j persons ever congregated within the city walls. ,.rho Royal party alighted, and entered the !magnificent Court of Justice in the Shire Hall,! [through the Grand Jury Room. They nextj ivisited the County Gaol, and were shewn over! ithe principal parts of this well-regulated establishment by Mr. Dunstan, the Constable iwitli whom the Duchess was pleased tol ileave X25, for the benefit of the poor | debtors." Afterwards the royal cortege pro- :ceeded via Nicholas-street and W terga.testreet) ito the Cathedral. The Lord Bishop, the Rev. iprebendary Blomfield, the Rev. Chaucellor, jRaikes, the Rev. Jos. Eaton, precentor, and l several other dignitaries met them at the western door. In the Chapter House the Lord Bishop read an address on behalf of the Dean and Chapter and the clergy of the city and neighbourhood. Her Royal Highness read a| gracious reply, after which the Marquis of Westminster presented several of the clergy to their Royal Highnesses. Before the Duchess; left the city she was graciously pleased tos! present the Chester Infirmary with the muni- ficient donation of 1100. On returning to Eaton, the Royal visitors^ attended the christening of the infant daughter of Lord and Lady Robert Grosvenor, who was|| christened Victoria Charlotte-Victoria after? the Princess Victoria and Charlotte after the family name of the noble mother. Her Royalgjj Highness the Duchess of Kent," reads the? report, with great condescension and OOd' nature took from her own neck a superb gold? chain and locket and placed them on that of. Lady Robert, as a baptismal present for the young Christian." An address, expressing ardent and devoted regard was transmitted? from the Cambrian Society to Lord Roberta Grosvenor, who returned her Royal Highness'? gracious acknowledgment. There was a? picturesque scene at Eaton on Thursday, || owing to the presence of the members of the Society of Royal British Bowmen, who hold?* their meeting upon the lawn. In the evening? the Royal visitors attended a dinner in tbe? Hall, the guests at which numbered 250 The? distinguished party left Eaton on Friday morning, and proceeded to Chatsworth, where they were the guests of the Duke of Devon- shire. They were escorted from Eaton into thea .city by the Yeomanry Cavalry, under the? ?command of Earl Grosvenor, Lord Pobert?? Grosvenor, and Lieutenant Brooks. They were received opposite the R?yal Hotel by aj guard of honour of the 18rb Royal Irish, and a? large concourse of the citizens who bad | assembled to give the iHustrious visitors a fare- well cheer. The Hawarden troop of yeomanry | conducted the Royal party to Tarvin, where they were met by Sir Philip Grey Egerton and part 09 the Cheshire Yeomanry, and escorted thence^ through Nortbwich and Tabley to Knutsford where their Royal Highnesses alighted at the; George Inn and partook of luncheon. Under an. Jescort of the Knutsford troop of yeomanry the "ROyal party proceeded onwards, demonstrations of respect and loyalty being witnessed along the route. 6 I CHESTER AND THE CORONATION. R j, 5 Six years later Chester celebrated the oorona- S ftion of the little Princess as Queen of England. 'Salutes from the various small batteries in the vicinity of the city aroused the inhabitants to (prepare for the joyous event. From the city is belfries throughout the day merry peals clanged ■; forth, and from spire and tower flags fluttered) tin the breeze. Political and worldly differences were sunk, and a festival of jubilation was' observed. It was befittingly opened with a religious service at an early hour in St. Peter's Church, where loyal inhabitants of all shades of opinion offered fervent prayers that the reign of 5 Victoria might be one of mercy, peace and equity. This dutiful act over, merry-making was the order-, rof the day. Old Chester was transformed by 1 Plavish decorations, and the occasion was honoured J f as befitted the loyalty and patriotism of our!i ancient city. There was a great procession marshalled in the Castle Yard at eight o'clock Hn the morning, and the spectacle of schoolv children, members of various public bodies, $ citizens generally all congregated together to join f: ,in the national rejoicing was one that lived for); many years in the memories of the participants.") The processionists were estimated to number J 10,000 persons, and there were more than that i number of spectators. The remaining festivities lof the day included dinners and tea-parties, fire- tworks display and other forms of jubilation. The acme of attraction of the second day's carnival !| j was a regatta on the Dee, witnessed by somej :12,000 persons. There was a public dinner at the ?Exchange Assembly-rooms, at which the mani-k festations of loyalty were continued under very? happy circumstances. The great event con- f ,cluded with a Coronation Ball. The celebrations JS <in the county were not less enthusiastic than inJj ,the city. Every town and village marked the oc-? .casion by a series of fetes and the observance of? fa holiday. Nor were the inhabitants of North $?j {Wales one whit behind their Cheshire neighbours?, in their patriotic demonstrations on the historic I occasion. I TWICE HERE IN THE FIFTIES. 1 I The Queen made a brief stay at Chester in October, 1852, on her homeward journey from Balmoral to Windsor. Her Majesty was accom-§i ? panted by Prince Albert and those youthful mem-l !bers of the Royal family who had been sojouning at the Queen's Highland palace. The railway station was beautifully decorated and was? crowded with citizens. A guard of honour, con- jf sisting of 100 men of the 23rd Royal Welsh ?Fusiliers, with the regimental drums and fifes, ,and a detachment of Artillery, was placed on the? jline opposite the station offices, under the com- f [mand of Major Lysons. At each end of the? ?station a mounted troop of the Earl of Chester's •& Yeomanry Cavalry was in attendance, the oiffcers" ?on duty being Lieut.-Colonel Lord de Tabley, ?commandant; Lieut.-Colonel Sir Philip Egerton,? ibart Captain Hill, and Lieutenants Hill. Paling :and Potts, and Cornet Antrobus. As soon as the« [train had stopped and her Majesty appeared at 38 ¡the window, the Marchioness of Westminster? 'presented to the Queen a beautiful bouquet and a?j [basket of fruit; and the Marquis of Westminster (Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire) presented a copy of Hicklin's Illustrated Hand-Book of North Wales," which had been elegantly bound in? 'morocco. The Right Worshipful the Mayor of? Chester (Mr. P. S. Humberston), wearing his 'robes and chain of office, was then formally intro- 'duced by the Right Hon. S. Walpole, Secretary of. State, and proceeded to address her Majesty, ex- |a pressing the high gratification of the citizens at her Majesty's visit. The Mayor then presented j an address from her loyal and dutiful subjects, in Chester. The Lord Bishop of Chester then advanced to the Royal carriage and read" the humble address of the Bishop, the Dean, and the clergy of the Cathedral and the city of Chester." Among the company assembled near the Royal. carriage were the Marquis and Marchioness of Westminster, Marquis and Marchioness of Chol- mondeley, Viscount and Viscountess Combermere M Lady Agnes Grosvenor, Major-General the Hon. $ | Sir Edward and Lady Cust, Sir Stephen R. Glynn, the Hon. W. O. Stanley M.P., Mr. G Cornwall: Legh, M.P., Colonel M. Biddulph, M.P. the Rev. Canon Thurlow, Sir Edward and Lady Walker, Mr. H. Raikes and party, Mr. H. R. m Hughes, of Kinmel; Mrs. W. E. Gladstone, Mrs. Graham and family, Mr. John Townshend, ofil Trevalyn; Mr. John Fielden, of Mollington, and if Miss Anson. The Queen continued her journey?j to Bangor through Queen's Ferry, Flint, Rhyl, Abergele, Colwyn, and Conway and Aber. There was another ceremony at Bangor, where? the Queen viewed the tubular bridge, then a new? achievement of science. She returned to WindsorS?? via Shrewsbury. I Seven years later-in October, 1859-her Majesty honoured our old city with another stay flon her way to Bangor. In front of the platform, on the line of rails, was ranged the guard of l'honour, composed in the centre of the Fermanagh Militia, Ensign Sir Richard Gethin carrying the colours. On each wing of the Militia were ranged two companies of the Wirral Rifle Companies. On the platform on this occasion '> were the Marquis of Westminster, K.G., Lord de Tabley, the Earl of Enniskillen, Earl Gros- jf venor, M.P., Sir Stephen Glynn Mr. Robert Barbour, and Mr. C. Townshend. There were., also present the Mayor, city magistrates and) councillors, the Mayoress and party, Lady'? S Combermere, the Hon. Mrs. Hunter, etc. Accom- j5 ?panying her Majsety were the Prince Consort? f'and the Princesses Alice and Louisa. The  Marquis congratulated her Majesty on her safe? |arrival and introduced the Mayor, who presented ?? ?an address on behalf of the citizens. Afterwards? the Marquis of Westminster led forward Mrs.? Gladstone, who had the honour of presenting her J Majesty with a large bouquet. The Lord Bishops t, then presented an address from the clergy. 5 Her Majesty," says the "Courant" report? ? ??caught a sight of a choice bouquet of Howerst which the Mayoress held in her hand. Imme- t j^diately the Marquis led Mrs. Frost forward, and ? ithe Queen, graciously anxious, we presume, to? I accept the flowers, as the train was then m? ,motion, put her hand out of the window. and so? received them from the Marquis. The Queen ? then continued her journey to Bangor." &! I THE QUEEN IN NORTH WALES. I /Next in chronological order comes the Queen's j6 visit to NorthWales in August, 1889, when the resi- jjf dents in thef Principality accorded her a welcomed j|worthy of the Welsh people. Her Majesty's! visit was to Pale Hall, the picturesque seat of Sira -Henry Robertson. The Queen was aecompanied g by Princess Beatrice, Princess Alice of Hesse, p and Prince Henry of Battenberg. During her: stay at Pale her Majesty visited Bala, Wrexham, giRuabon, Llangollen and Corwen, being every- |.where acclaimed with Celtic enthusiasm. The inscriptions of welcome were without end. The, Queen was told that The heart of Wales is glad to-day," and she also had the assurance that,4, H" Gallant little Wales is true to thee." ? I THE JUBILEES. -1 a ±ne local rejoicings attendant upon the royals jubilees are too recent to require detailed repro-S duction. We need record here only that they were on a scale worthy of the occasions. Theij glad day of 1887 was ushered in with bell-ringing. ?|j The city was gaily bedecked. There was a reviews of Regulars and Volunteers, representing a strength of 3,200 men, on the Roodee, a salute ofs fifty guns was fired from the Castle Square by-q the 1st Cheshire and Carnarvonshire Volunteers, and one of the principal features of the celebra-S tion was the laying of the foundation-stone of the enlargement of the Free Library. A great pro- cession, a luncheon, a thanksgiving service at the j | Cathedral attended by the schoolchildren, treats w to the aged poor and Workhouse inmates, etc., took place. The Diamond Jubilee was celebrated a on an even more magnificent scale. First of all there was the impressive service in the Cathedral on the Sunday, followed on the Tuesday by a? ?procession of public bodies, the bestowal of the] E honorary freemanship upon several prominent a public men, and in the evening by a beautiful Iillumination display on the river. There were! |also a children's thanksgiving service in the|lf ?Cathedral and a treat to the aged poor. j S I THE QUEEN'S LAST VISIT. I ISo recently as April of last year her Majesty8  honoured Chester with a brief stay on her riturn t from a memorable tour in Ireland, and the details M ?are so well-known that a few lines will suffice  here. A splendid demonstration of loyalty was  witnessed at the General Railway Station, and it was regarded as an act of gracious favour on the part of her Majesty to make a brief stay at our old city after & fatiguing journey by land and sea l at her advanced age. The Queen received the ? Mayor (Alderman H. T. Brown) and Corporation, and the children of the city schools were ravaged ? along the platforms of t?be station, along with citizens of every rank. K

THE i I ■QUEEN'S LIFE.* I r I —♦— I 1-. F j SPECIAL .6 MEMOIR. | I SPECIAL .MBMOIRo' I It is not too much to piy that the death | of the Queen is a m of world-wide I importance. The con i of international f history may be vitall by it, just | as the course of British history was changed 3 by her accession to the Throne in 1837. I Queen Victoria claim 1 kinship with all 8 the most powerful I 1 in Europo. In ? 8 some matters s he con 1,1 hold them in check. | However much they (F liked or envied 3 Great Britain itself, Ki'wy< and Emperors !• scrupled to make war on the country over y | I which the aged Queen had reigned so long n and so brilliantly. They reverenced her | as a relative, and as a singularly charming a Sovereign. It was the common talk of one f | great nation in particular that their ruler ? ;1 would never make war ei conspire against Great Britain in the councils of Europe so i long as Queen Victo'ia survived. Now | that the strong bond binding together the 7. S Royal families of Europe has been broken, .1 family envyings and quarrels are pretty ? sure to be more freqwnt and more bitter. F ? We have reached a 'critica and an anxious '? 8 period in our national l history. In after *.t | years, when the annals of the Court are ? more explicitly revealed, they will confirm ? in the fullest degree all that has been said p in regard to the personal wœth of the '■ ? Queen. To have worn the white flower of ? a blameless life in the erce light that beats ?. upon a Throne" isanacnevene?t attained gi; | by few monarchs; but not n'y has her ? Majesty done this she has in a v ?st number  ? of ways shewn that her peop'e s rrowa and ? trials were her own she h? g ve i evidence  that she regarded her sup,<m- position in j;; | the land as one she was fillmg not for ?;  her own pleasure, but for the good and & | comfort of her subjects. The late Prince ? Leopold, who was understood to possess ? the Queen's confidence co?ttinly not less  p than any of the Royal Family, in a public "M j address compared life to that most serious .:(' ? of games—chess. He pointed out how J! ? much depended on the early disposition of -? | the forces, and how the whole after-career :1 | in life was frequently indicated by the '•& | lines of conduct followed in events which || | at first sight might seem only preliminary. || J It is in this aspect that readers will be led | to look at the manner in which, on June :,)t | 20th, 1837, the youthful monarch received 3. I the announcement of her accession to the E 5 Throne. |f I AN HISTORIC SCENE. fig Daughter of the Duke of Kent (brother of William the Fourth), the Princess was t trained with great care by her mother, the | Duke having died some eighteen months | after her birth, and she was possessed, | even in childhood, of singular self-control and prudence. The details of her reception j | of the news of the King's death have been i recorded graphically by Miss Wynn, and | though they have already been reproduced ) in several histories, they will bear repeti- j a tion. "On Tuesday morning, shortly after two o'clock, the Archbishop of Canterbury » and the Lord Chamberlain (Marquis of | Conygham, left Windsor for Kensington | Palace-where the Princess Victoria was ? ? residing with her mother-to inform her j ? Royal Highness of the demise. They ? reached Kensington Palace at about five ] jj o'clock; they knocked, they rang, they j ? thumped, for a considerable time before they j ? could rouse the porter at the gate; they | were again kept waiting in the courtyard, 3 ? then turned into one of the lower rooms, j ? where they seemed to be forgotten by ? ? everybody. They rang the bell, and desired j !i that the attendant of the Princess Victoria j | might be sent to inform her Royal Highness 1 ) that they requested an audience on bus i- j ness of importance. After another delay j I and another ringing to inquire the cause, the attendant was summoned. She stated j that the Princess was in such a sweet sleepi that she could not venture to disturb her. j Then they said: We are come to the Queen on business of State, and even her j sleep must give way to that! It did; and to prove that she did not keep them i waiting, in a few minutes she came into j the room in a loose white nightgown and: shawl, her night-cap thrown off, and her Î hair falling upon her shoulders, her feet jj in slippers, but perfectly collected and i dignified. Mr. Irving, in his Annals of Our Time," completes the picture by j stating that the Privy Council was sum- f moned to meet at Westminster at eleven i o'clock. At that hour the Queen, with the Duchess of Kent, entered the Council I Chamber, attended by her officers of State, and took her seat on a throne erected for i the occasion. The Lord Chancellor adminis- tered the usual oaths. The Queen after- sj wards received the oaths of her uncles, the | Dukes of Cumberland and Sussex, her f Majesty, with admirable grace, standing up J and preventing the latter from kneeling. & Thus it was that the reign auspiciously opened, the Queen, by numerous acts of < Royal courtesy and tact, winning the l hearts of counsellors whose experience at S such a period was invaluable to her. | CORONATION DAY. 8 It was soon apparent that the old order of things must change, giving place to, | new, both at Court and in the lives of the people. Queen Victoria set herself to work | to cleanse the Court. The atmosphere r there during the reigns of the Georges and I William IV. had certainly not been suit- able for refined or delicate-minded women. 1 As soon as the youthful monarch. took 1 possession a cleaner way of living was | inaugurated. The Court of St. JAmes's £ became a model of purity and Christian £ influence, for all the nations of Europe to | take pattern by. This good example I speedily affected society at large. An era. 4 of mental and physical development set in. The dandiacal manner," as Carlyle calls it, which had been one of the decadent f features of British life in the three, preceding reigns, began to give place to the '4! earnest action of a race of men bent upon ? the discovery and accomplishment of useful things. Queen Victoria's first years after her | accession to the throne were coincident with ?.' a vigorous intellectual impulse, which would have been well nigh fruitless, or which might j? never have declared itself at all, had the | corner-stone of the nation been rotten. I Her Majesty was crowned with great pomp | on Thursday, June 28th, 1838. GreviOe's J description of that long bygone scene is 1 well worth preservation: ? There never was | anything seen like the state of this town; | it is as if the population had been on a I sudden quintupled; the uproar, the con- | fusion, the crowd, are indescribable. | Horsemen, footmen, carriages squeezed, ey? jammed, intermingled; the pavement | j blocked up with timbers; hammering and 1 knocking and falling fragments stunning the ears and threatening the head; not a | mob here and there, but the town all mob | -thronging, bustling, gaing, and gaing I at everything, at anything, at nothmg; S? j the Park one vast encampment, with | banners floating on the tops of the tents, | and still the roads are covered and the 1 railways are loaded with arriving multi- 1 tudes. From one end of the route of the | Royal procession to the other, from the | top of Piccadilly to Westminster Abbey, a there is a vast line of scaffolding; the | noise, the movement, and the restlessness I are incessant and universal; in short, it is | very curious, but uncommonly tiresome,. | and the sooner it is over the better." On i the same authority we learn that "The | Coronation went off very well. The day I was fine, without heat or rain-tbe inau- | merabie inuiutuue wmcn wuongea the if streets orderly and satisfied. The | appearance of the Abbey was beatiful. particulady the benches of the peeresses, | who were blazing with diamonds. The | Queen looked very diminutive, and the | effect of the procession itself was spoilt by 1 being too crowded. There was not space I enough between the Qusea an<J the Lords | and others going before her. The Bishop 1 of London (Blomfield) preached a very | good sermon." There were one or two | j hitches in the ceremony, due to imperfect | rehearsal. Lord John Thynne, who officiated | for the Dean of Westminster, told Greville 1 | I that nobody knew what was going to be | done except the Archbishop a!d himself, Lord Willoughby and the Duke of Welliug- ton. With this state of aFairs there was {¡: naturally a of (' at the critical moments. The Queen said to liord John Tliynne "Pray tell me what I am to do, for they don't know"; amcl at the end, when the orb was put into her hand, she said to him What am I to do with it P Your Majesty is to carry it, if yom please, in your hand." Am I ?" sh. said; it is very heavy." The ruby ring was made for her little finger instead of th. fourth, on which the rubric prescribes that it should be put. When the Archbishop was to put it on she extended the former, but he said it must be on the latter. She said it was too small, and she could not get it on. He said it was right to put it there, and as he insisted she yielded, and had first to take off her other rings, and then this was forced on. But it hurt her very much, and as soon as the ceremony was over she was obliged to bathe her finger in iced water in order to get it off. THE ROYAL BETROTHAL. There are many occasions upon which the heart of the nation has gone out to the Queen to share her gladness and her sorrow, but there were three events in her life when this spontaneous sympathetic union between Sovereign and people was more distinctly marked than usual. The first was at her marriage, the second at her widowhood, the third at the great national festivity which celebrated her sixty years of Sovereignty. The Queen's betrothal was one of those incidents which never fail to arouse the warm sympathies of an impressionable people. Dynastic considera- tions make it impossible for most crowned heads to marry for affection. They have to sacrifice inclination for the good of their subjects. Happily, in the case of her Majesty, love and duty both pointed in the same direction, and her people were unfeignedly glad to know that it had not been necessary for the youthful Sovereign to sacrifice her most precious instinct for their sakes. The union between her and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg, the second son of her mother's brother, had been a family dream. The Prince came to England in October, 1839. The Queen danced with him, gave him flowers, and proposed to him. The Prince has told the story in his own way. "The Queen sent for me alone to her room a few days ago, and declared to me, in a genuine outburst of love and affec- tion, that I had gained her whole heart, and would make her intensely happy if I would make the sacrifice of sharing her life with her, for she said she looked on it as a sacrifice. The only thing that troubled her was that she did not think she was worthy of me. The joyous openness of manner in which she told me this quite enchanted me, and I was quite carried away by it. She is really most good and amiable, and I am quite sure Heaven has not given me into evil hands, and that we shall be happy together. Since that moment Victoria does whatever she fancies I should wish or like, and we talk together a great deal about our future life, which sh,) premises me to make as happy as possible. A THE QUEEN'S MARBIAGB. $The betrothal took place on October ? 19th, 1839. A fortnight afterwards there ? was a Royal review in Windsor Park, and ? the Queen thus described it in her diary: $| "I set off in my Windsor uniform and cap g on my old charger ? Leopold,' with my m beloved Albert, looking so handsome in his ? uniform, on my right. I rode ? alone down the ranks, and then took my j| place, as usual, with dearest Albert on my ? right. It was piercingly cold, and ? I had my cape on, which dearest Albert H settled comfortably for me." And so. on I in joy and love, just as a thousand other girls wrote in their diaries. Announcing  the event to Baron Stockmar, the Prince g wrote on November 6th: An individu ality, a character, which shall win the respect, the love, and the confidence of the Queen and of the nation, must be the ? keystone of my position." On January ? 16th, 1840, the Queen drove in State to s the House of Lords to open Parliament, a and to make a formal announcement of ? her intended marriage. In the following ? week Prince Albert was made a naturalised ';4 subject; then came a sharp discussion on | the proposal to grant him an annual aHow- $j ance of £ 50,000. An amendment, pro- ? posed by Colonel Sibthorpe, reducing the ? sum to ?30,000, was carried by 262 votes ? to 158. The result greatly chagrined the | Queen, who had fully counted upon the | larger sum being voted without demur. ? By patent from the Queen Prince Albert ? received the title of "His Royal Highness" ? on the day he embarked at Calais. He was ? very sick on the way, but revived on meeting with a hearty reception. Next day ? he reached Buckingham Palace. On the ? Sunday following the Archbishop of Canter- ? bury dined with the Royal party; and in | the course of his visit asked the Queen ? whether—she being above all other person- ? ages in the realm, and her word & com- ? mand to any person whatsoever-it would | not be desirable to omit the word ? obey ? from the marriage service. "My lord," was ? her answer, "omit nothing. I. wish to be ? married as a woman, and not as a, Queen. ? And married as a woman she was. I IMPRESSIONS OF THE PRINCE. | Prhaps it may e well here to sum- ? marise what there is to say about Prince ? Albert. No better picture has been drawn ? of the Queen's choice than that limned ? by the sympathetic pen of Mr. Justin | McCarthy: "Prince Albert was a young ? man to win the heart of any girl. He g was singularly handsome, graceful and ? gifted. In Princes, as we know, a small ? measure of beauty and accomplishments I suffices to throw courtiers and Court ladies ? into transports of admiration; but had ? Prince Albert been the son of a farmer, or a ? butler, he must have been admired for his singular personal attractions. He seems to have had from his youth an all-pervading | sense of duty. So far as we can judge, he ? was absolutely free from the ordinary £ follies, not to say sins, of youth. He gave Jj up every habit, however familiar and dear, ? every predilection, no matter how sweet, ? that in any way threatened to interfere ? with the steadfast performance he had ? assigned himself." He did much for ? England. He succeeded in abolishing | duelling in the army. The Great Exhibition ? of 1851, which has been so widely imitated | down to present times by all nations, was ? due entirely to his initiative. He exercised ? a profound innuence upon Sate matters, ? and did much to form the inexperienced ? mind of the Queen; and all for good. His foreign policy, which led to the | | Crimean War,, may be called a mistake; |« but it was a bona-fifle mistake, and j due neither to ambition nor self- i interest. The wedded pair lived together I for twenty-two years, and had nine f children. Their domestic life was touch- 'i ingly simple. It was divided between the four residences of Buckingham Pal ace, Windsor Castle, Osborne, and Balmoral, the | building of which was one of the chief private delights of the young couple. At J Balmoral the home life was exceedingly natural, and charmingly simple. "The [ Queen, says Mr. Greville, "Irunnipg in j and out of the house all the day, goes cottages and chats with the old. | women." The Queen's own diaries com- f plete the picture of this cheery existence,. ? broken by State pageants, visits to or fromj ? Continental potentates like Louis Philippe, ? Czar Nicholas, or Napoleon III., naval' ? reviews at Spithead, yachting trip?, inspec- tions of soldiers and children's hospitals, i and the routine of State business, of which ?he Queen was a faithful ?server I HER FIRST SORROW. But the Queen's happiness was too com, plete to last. In December, 1861, Prince Albert manifested symptoms of low fever. The people did not appeal' to think the illness dangerous. Perhaps, had he taken the advice of his physicians earlier, the Prince might have pnllo l crouch. At I midnight of Saturday, Uecember 141in,. tne E great bell of St. Paul's began to toll I announcing the Queen's bereavement, the I Prince having died; at ten minutes to eleven o'clock. Her Majesty had already had | some prevision 01 the end. On the Sunday 1 preceding the Prince's death the Queen | was at church, when suddenly, as she 1 tells us, a prevision.of what was about I to happen came upon her, and in | that agony of haunting fear she heard I scarcely a word of the hopeful sermon, | preached by Charles Kingsley. At home | the Princess Alice sat playing and singing S hymns to 1 er dying father, who on that S memorable ?fte noon said to her: "I have ? such sweet thoughts, my dear." On the ? next Saturday, December Hth, 1861, at f eleven o'clock at i.- I i t, the end came. HDear little wife," were the Pi ince Con- sert'r. lust words in German, -,I,- he lovingly W'ii.ii..i.2"-mW: E N M

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