This Thursday, the 15th of September, was in every respect beautiful. Those who were early astir walked about congratulating each other on the loveliness of the morning, because on this day the Queen was to embark on that element which has been placed by Providence! more particularly under her control. But yet the sunshine threw no reflection of joy upon the loyal hearts of Her Majesty’s Scottish subjects, gloomy as they were from the heavy thought that she was about to leave the Caledonian soil. The national pride of the people is well-known to be sufficiently strong. What could have so much flattered this feeling as the actual possession of their own Queen, within the territorial confines of their own ancient kingdom? But now this glory was about to be removed from them, the Sun of Royalty was about to depart from their hemisphere, and they who for a brief space had been enabled to talk of the Queen and of the Prince, as if the Queen and the Prince had exclusively belonged to them, and who, instead of hearing of the doings of the Court at second hand from their friends in London, had for a time enjoyed the proud privilege of transmitting similar intelligence thither, were now, alas! about to be brought back to their former humble state, and to take their place collectively as one of those rods in the great bundle, upon the adherence of the integral parts of which together and God grant that they may for ever be united! must depend the strength of the realm which Her Majesty governs. But one last look they were determined to have; and accordingly, from a very early hour in the morning, the whole population was agog, and eagerly rushing each to that point which appeared to the individual to be most favourable for the attainment of the object. The following intimation had appeared on the previous evening:—

“Council Chambers, Edinburgh, Wednesday 14tli September, 5 o’clock, p.m.

“The Lord Provost and Magistrates have to announce to their fellow-citizens, that Her Majesty intends to leave Dalkeith Palace to-morrow morning at eight o’clock, and to enter the city by Nicolson-street, passing down to Granton-pier by the South and North-bridges, Princes-street, Hanover-street, and Canonmills bridge. To prevent accidents, no person will be permitted to stand on the North-bridge, or Canonmills bridge until Her Majesty has passed; and it is particularly requested that the carriage-way along the whole route shall be kept perfectly clear.”

To give effect to this announcement, all the cross streets leading into the great line through which the Queen was to pass, were barricaded off, and strong bodies of constables, of infantry, and of dragoons, were posted at the more important points. The necessity of these precautions for the preservation of order was sufficiently proved by the immense multitudes which everywhere crowded the streets. From the Dalkeith road at Newington, all the way to Granton, a distance of four miles, there was one continued mass of human heads on both sides of the way, with the exception of the bridges cleared by the military. One mistake only was committed, and how that arose it is difficult to conceive. The dragoons who kept the North-bridge were posted in the centre of it, and consequently the carriages, after being allowed to drive some four or five hundred yards unnecessarily, as far as the middle of the bridge, were compelled to turn there in an extremely narrow space, so that, if several had chanced to come at the same time, they must have produced that very confusion which the troopers were placed there to prevent. Every window, balcony, or place of vantage along the line was tenanted by eager occupants at an early hour, and no position was yielded up even for a moment, lest the holder of it might thereby be prevented from giving one last enthusiastic greeting to the Queen, ere she should commit her sacred and beloved person to the waves, aud showering blessings on her head.

The Queen and Prince Albert arose at their usual early hour, and having had breakfast in their private apartments, they descended to the marble hall, where they were received by the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch, and the other persons of distinction then in the palace. Her Majesty conversed with her wonted animation and condescension with those present, and especially expressed, in the strongest terms, the great gratification which her visit to Scotland had afforded her, and her high satisfaction with the kind reception she had experienced from all ranks during her sojourn among her Scottish subjects.

A large detachment of the 53d regiment were drawn up, with the band, in front of the palace, and the Royal carriage, quite open, stood ready at the door. At ten minutes past eight o’clock, the Queen appeared, and having taken her seat with the aid of the Duke of Buccleuch and Lord Liverpool, she was followed by Prince Albert, with the Duchess of Buccleuch, who was especially invited by Her Majesty to accompany her in the Royal carriage. The Queen was dressed in a pink crape bonnet, and a beautiful new woollen tartan shawl, manufactured by Messrs. David Sime and Son, South Bridge, and named “The Queensberry,” in honour of the Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry. The 53d regiment presented arms, the band playing “God Save the Queen,” and the Royal carriage, escorted by a party of the Inniskilling dragoons, then proceeded along the approach to Sheriffhall gate, now called the Queen’s gate, from its being that by which Her Majesty first entered the ducal grounds, and by which she left them. Lord and Lady John Scott, and Lord and Lady Emlyn, followed in another carriage. The Duke of Buccleuch, Mr. Anson, and several other gentlemen, accompanied the carriage on horseback. The moment the party had left Dalkeith Park, the royal standard, which had been floating from the highest pinnacle of the palace, ever since Her Majesty’s arrival in Scotland, was immediately lowered.

The royal cortege proceeded towards Edinburgh by the Edmonstone road, the Queen being everywhere cheered by the people collected in numerous knots by the wayside, and followed by the wrarmest and most affectionate aspirations of “God bless Her Majesty!” “God bless our bonny Queen!” The Royal carriage entered the city at a rapid rate, by East Preston-street and Clerk-street, exactly at half-past eight o’clock, whence it gradually went more gently till it reached St. Patrick-square, from which it proceeded at a very slow pace, for the evident purpose of allowing to all a full opportunity of seeing Her Majesty ; and well did all respond to this their Sovereign’s most kind consideration—for louder or more prolonged cheers, or more incessant waving of hats, handkerchiefs, and shawls, were never heard or seen on any similar occasion. One station in Nicolson-street was occupied by the girls of the Trades Maiden Hospital, who were drawn up along the pavement; but the most interesting spectacle was produced by the inmates of the Blind Asylum in that street, who were ranked up in front of the institution, with their own instrumental band, playing “God Save the Queen.” Her Majesty, who was continually occupied in making gracious acknowledgments to the compliments paid her from both sides of the way, seemed to be particularly struck with this most moving site. Passing on towards the front of the University, and so by South Bridge-street across the High-street, and by North Bridge-street, there was one continued acclamation of cheering, wThieh was deafening to the ears. Flags and banners were displayed in various places along the Queen’s route, and there were some very beautiful floral decorations.

No sooner did the Royal carriage appear upon the North Bridge, than the old castle began to pour forth its thunder over the city, in a royal salute, and whilst this was going on, the people in the southern half of the town, trusting to the slow pace at which the Royal carriage moved down the North Bridge, rushed up the High-street, and so down Bank-street and the Mound, like some mighty mountain river or terrific flood, in order to gain one last view of the Queen, from the neighbourhood of the Royal Institution. The Theatre, at the east end of Princes-street, was covered with flags, presenting a very gay appearance; and as the Royal carriage proceeded along that street, the crowds of people, with their arms, hats, and handkerchiefs, all in motion, and the bright sun, gleaming from the golden helmets of the dragoons, the shouts of the thousands, and the roar of the guns, produced an effect that would have been most animating, had it not been that it was the farewell to their joy, and that their hearts were saddened by the thought.

On turning up South Hanover-street, the crowds were so dense as to produce considerable inconvenience. At the crossing in George-street, a party of the Royal Archers, under Sir John Hope, were stationed at the statue of George IV., to receive Her Majesty. The Queen, having stopped the carriage, conversed with their leader for a few minutes, after which the Archers took their places by the carriage. The various cross ways that come in between this point and Fettes-row, acting as feeders to the immense multitude around, and in the rear of the Royal carriage, made it necessary that the horses should go extremely gently down this long series of steep streets. The number of women was immense, and many of them had children in their arms. One man was thrown down, and both the wheels on one side of the carriage passed over his back. He got up with the wheel marks on his shoulders—gave himself one shake—picked up his hat—and then followed the procession, cheering as if nothing had happened. Having passed down North Hanover-street, across Queen-street, and between the Queen-street gardens to Dundas-street,—the spectacle, as seen from Queen-street was extremely striking, the spectator looking throughout the whole length of vista produced by Dundas-street, Pitt-street, and Brandon-street, all filled with one dark moving mass of heads, only relieved by the red uniform of the dragoons, and their glistering golden helmets, whilst the whole windows in the fronts of the houses, on either side, were in motion from the active waving of handkerchiefs by those who filled them. The multitude here was greatly augmented by the stoppage of the people at the bridge of Canonmills, till the Royal carriage should pass. The crowd being thus forced back, whilst the pressure was continually accumulating from the rear, and receiving great additional accessions from the Broughton road, the efforts of the dragoons to keep the bridge clear, were at last rendered quite ineffectual. Impelled hy the fearful crush from behind, the crowd involuntarily burst through all restraint, and filled the bridge with so dense a mass, that the Queen, with that humane consideration for the safety of her people uniformly manifested by her upon all occasions, ordered the procession to halt till the way was perfectly opened up. This was effected by the delay of a few minutes, and the carriage then proceeded along Inverleith-row into the Granton-road, amidst the enthusiastic and reiterated acclamations of the immense multitude, whose feelings of devoted attachment to their Sovereign were more than ever aroused by this striking act of considerate regard for their safety and comfort, which so many of them witnessed, and which was soon circulated throughout the whole mass, until every grateful heart gave vent to its feelings by uniting in loud and deafening cheers.

Her Majesty’s Ministers then in Scotland, having taken into consideration the lateness of the season, and the delay which had been occasioned in the Royal voyage from Woolwich to Granton, by the tedious and unpleasant process of tugging the yacht, had thought it their duty to recommend that the General Steam Navigation Company’s steamer, the Trident, should he employed for the return to London. The Queen would have doubtless been happy to have again sailed, as before, with Lord Adolphus Fitzclarence, and his officers and crew, who had so well served her on her way down; but Her Majesty was so perfectly aware of the wisdom of the recommendation made to her, that she determined to adopt it. Orders were dispatched to engage the vessel, and the Directors of the Company immediately instructed Mr. Taylor, upholsterer in Great Sloane-street, Borough, to spare no expense in fitting her up in the most splendid manner; and, accordingly, the decorations were in a style so grand as even to eclipse those of the Royal George yacht. The Trident is 1200 tons burden, and she measures 200 feet in length. The saloon, which is an elegant apartment, of about 38 by 33 feet, was provided with gilt chairs, covered with crimson velvet, relieved with silver—sofas and ottomans of crimson damask—and the floor was covered with a Brussels carpet of the finest possible description. The passage-cloth was of figured velvet. The mast, which rises through the saloon, and presents the appearance of a pillar, was veneered with satinwood and inlaid with rosewood, with the arms of the Company introduced in the middle. All the other fittings of the room were in the same style, so that the whole coup il'ceil of this apartment and its decorations was quite splendid. The library, situated immediately at the stern of the vessel, contained a choice collection of books. A passage leads from the saloon to that apartment prepared as the royal stateroom, measuring 15 feet by 12, and 7 feet in height. It was furnished with two French beds, fitted up with pale blue silk damask, and cambric muslin curtains, the coverlet being of rich white satin edged with gold. The Queen, however, gave orders that these beds should be taken down, and her own removed thither from the Royal George yacht, and put up in their stead. The room wras furnished with handsome dressing-tables, and a very elegant chair covered with figured satin, two crimson velvet footstools, and a Japanese table of rosewood, beautifully inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The dressing-rooms, immediately adjoining the royal stateroom, were equally superb. The ladies’ saloon was elegantly fitted up and carpeted for the suite, with twenty staterooms attached to it. But it was afterwards used for the admiral’s mess-room; for in addition to the medical staff, including Dr. Reid, the royal household on board the Trident consisted only of three dressers, two pages, three cooks, and four footmen. Lord Liverpool went on board the Trident on the previous day to satisfy himself that all the arrangements necessary for the voyage were complete. Whilst Sir Edward Brace, Vice Admiral of the White, was appointed to the chief command of the squadron, Lord Adolphus Fitzclarence was continued as Commodore; and whilst Captain Sharpe of the General Steam Navigation Company took charge of the Trident, Captain Bullock, royal navy, acted as pilot-in-chief. The other officers were, Commander Crouch, Lieutenant Cannon, Mr. Inglefield, and Dr. Greenish. The remainder of the royal squadron consisted of the Royal George yacht; the Daphne, corvette; Jaseur, 16 gun brig; the Salamander, Rhadamanthus, Black Eagle, Lightning, Shearwater, and Fearless, steamships; and the Trinity yacht, with the Deputy-master and Elder Brethren on board.

The Trident had come alongside the Granton pier at five o’clock on the previous evening, with the Admiral’s flag flying at the fore. Sir Edward himself was on board; and Captain Bain, the active and intelligent superintendent of the pier, having previously made all necessary preparations for her reception, she was moored on the eastern side, where the Queen had disembarked on her arrival. No other vessel was allowed to come there. In the course of the morning the heavy baggage, with seventeen horses, and several carriages, were shipped on board the Monarch, which was lying on the west side of the pier. From the excellence of the arrangements, the Government steamers touched at the pier in rotation, and received the Royal carriages in the most perfect order. Many of the lighter articles were put on board the Trident, and amongst these were the antlers of one of the stags shot by Prince Albert in the forest of Glenartney. A superb crown, composed of the finest dahlias,—and a splendid collection of green-house exotics, including a very fine specimen of lisimthm russelinus, with an hundred and fifty blossoms on it, arrived from the extensive nurseries of Messrs. Dickson and Son, besides several select bouquets, composed of the loveliest and most fragrant flowers of the season. When the flowing tide bad raised the Trident to a sufficient degree of elevation, Mr. Howkins, the engineer on the Granton works, threw a gangway of a new and ingenious principle of construction, from the pier to the main-deck, at the entrance to the state-cabin beneath the poop; and a platform having been laid across the pier, from the place where the Royal carriage was to stop to the gangway, the whole was covered with crimson cloth.

A division of the Royal Archers, in full field uniform, arrived a little before eight o’clock, preceded by their band. This body was under the command of Lord Elcho, and Major Pringle—and the other officers present with this division were, Lord Dalhousie, Sir John Forbes, and Sir George Mackenzie. Mr. Claud Russell, and Mr. Alexander Thomson were the standard-bearers. The archers formed in two lines, on each side of the platform. At about half-past eight o’clock, a detachment of the 53d regiment marched down to the pier as a guard of honour, lined the side of the wharf, and formed across part of the pier, leaving room for the Royal carriage to drive up. The Inniskilling band was in attendance, and continued to play from time to time. The company collected upon the pier were those to whom the Duke of Buccleuch had kindly allowed tickets to be issued, and consequently they were more respectable than numerous. Sir Neil Douglas, and the officers of the North British Staff' were there, in full uniform; and amongst others present were, the Lord Justice-Clerk, the Lord Provost, Lord Robert Kerr, Sir Thomas Dick Lauder, Baronet, Sir William Allan, Sir William Drysdale, and the Magistrates of Edinburgh, the Provost and Magistrates of Leith, and some others, together with several naval officers in uniform, and a great concourse of elegantly dressed ladies adding very much to the beauty and effect of the scene. It is striking to remark the numerous deaths which have occurred among those who bore prominent parts in the stirring passages described in these pages. To this melancholy list must be added the name of Lord Robert Kerr, whose recent loss is deeply and generally regretted in Edinburgh, where he so long officially resided.

The whole of the high ground sloping down towards Granton was covered by an early hour with well-dressed people, the square was filled, and every window and balcony was crammed, so that not a spot was left unoccupied. The Castle guns were heard—all were upon the tiptoe of expectation,—and in due time the cheers of the people on the hill announced the approach of the Royal carriage, and it was soon afterwards recognised by the glittering helmets of its escort, as it slowly descended the declivity of the eastern approach to Granton; the whole extensive face of the hill, both above and below the road, being thrown into active motion by its appearance, every arm waving a hat, or a handkerchief, or a shawl—and the shouts coming softened by the distance. The carriage drove on through the square amidst the loudest cheering, and the moment it entered the pier gate the Royal standard was hoisted on the flag-staff. The whole effect was exceedingly fine. On came the Royal carriage along the pier, and drew up opposite to the end of the platform, within the open space kept by the military and the archers, exactly at twenty minutes past nine o’clock, to the very minute of time appointed. The Queen was received by the most enthusiastic shouts from all assembled, whilst every scrap of bunting was run up to the mast-head of every vessel at or near the pier—and the yards were manned with seamen in their best attire, all combining to produce a most animating scene, full of extraordinary excitement, where joyous loyalty was strangely mingled with an uncontrolable sadness of heart. The Royal carriage was preceded by the Duke of Buccleuch, who sprang from his horse, threw the reins to a groom, and stood ready, with his hat off, to attend the embarkation of his Sovereign, as he had received her on her landing. The Duke; assisted Her Majesty to alight from the carriage,—the military presented arms,—the archers saluted,— the bands played “God Save the Queen,”—the gentlemen and ladies around cheered and waved their hats and handkerchiefs,—and whilst hoarse hurrahs came down from the manned yards in the sky above, the continued cheering of the people on the far off hill and about Granton added to the volume of sound. Amidst all this, the Duke led the Queen along the platform, whilst she bowed gracefully, and apparently with great feeling, to right and left as she passed, and, followed by Prince Albert and the Duchess of Buccleuch, Her Majesty was safely placed on the deck of the Trident, where the Royal standard was hoisted, amidst the discharge of guns fired in salute by the Daphne and Jaseur ships of war, then lying in the roads, whilst a battery placed on the intended site of the new pier at Burntisland, on the Fife shore of the Firth of Forth, discoursed sweet music, yet more mellowed bv the greater distance the sound travelled across the water. Admiral Sir Edward Brace received the Queen at the foot of the gangway, with Captain Bullock and Commander Crouch on his right and left hand, and the other officers of the vessel stationed on the larboard side of the deck, all saluted Her Majesty in the usual form.

Lord Adolphus Fitzclarence was on the main-deck, and there Her Majesty stood for some time with the Prince, conversing with those who had accompanied her on board, and several ladies were presented by the Duchess of Buccleuch, whilst the Duke presented a number of the officers in attendance. The Queen and Prince Albert were then conducted into the saloon, and in a few minutes they re-appeared on deck, Her Majesty having expressed herself highly gratified with the accommodation provided for her. After inspecting the vessel, the Prince accosted Mr. Hamilton, the manager of the Steam Navigation Company, and graciously assured him of the satisfaction which both the Queen and himself felt with the exertions made for their comfort. The Duke of Buccleuch also received Her Majesty’s instructions to inform Captain Bain of her approbation of all he had so well done to facilitate her embarkation.

The time having now come when old Caledonia was to be deprived of the sunshine of her Queen’s presence, Her Majesty kissed the Duchess of Buccleuch, and some of the other ladies, and shook hands with the Duke; and the Prince having shaken hands with the Duke and Duchess, and the other distinguished personages, he gave his arm to the Queen, and led her up to the poop. The Duke’s party then came on shore, and the gangway was removed. Whilst the vessel was preparing to get under weigh, the Queen and the Prince stood on the poop alone, surveying the scene with the most lively expression of interest and emotion, occasionally acknowledging the cheers of those assembled on the pier. And certainly the scene at that moment was one of extreme beauty and touching interest; the sea, smooth as a lake, reflecting the chastened sunshine, mellowed by some hazy films that now hung over the Firth, which was covered with steamers, vessels, and boats of all sizes, decorated with innumerable flags. But the chief point of attraction to those on the pier, was that group on the deck of the vessel, composed of Victoria, Queen of Great Britain, and her illustrious consort, who were now about to bid farewell to the Scottish land.

At three minutes before ten o’clock exactly, the moorings were cast off, and the Trident, with her steam on, moved majestically from the pier, whilst the Inniskilling band struck up “God Save the Queen,” amidst the loud cheers of those assembled on the pier, from the sailors on the yards and rigging of the vessels, as well as from the thousands on the face of the hill, and about Granton.

The gallant craft kept her course slowly but steadily along in a line with the pier, whilst the Queen, coming to the larboard quarter, acknowledged with great earnestness of manner the parting greetings of her subjects. Heavy were the hearts of those who poured forth united acclamations, mingled with loudly repeated aspirations of “God bless your Majesty!” — “God bless you both!”— “God grant you a safe and happy voyage!” And as the vessel gradually bore off from the pier, the waving of the handkerchiefs of the ladies, was ever and anon interrupted by the necessity which arose for applying them to clear the moisture from their eyes, whilst even some of the hardiest of the men felt their powers of cheering impeded by a strange choking in the throat, which they could not well account for; and after the vessel was beyond the reach of catching the sound of their cheers, and that their outstretched eyes could no longer detect that beloved figure to which all their affectionate regard had been so long directed, they slowly left the pier in little family knots—sunk in spirits—silently wrapped up in their own thoughts — and but little disposed to notice passing salutations.

As the Trident was gallantly pushing her way out into the open Firth, she was surrounded by boats containing the fisherwomen from Newhaven, who came in their quaint looking caps and kerchiefs, and brilliant coloured costumes, to give their Queen one cheer more. Her Majesty had been frequently struck with the picturesque dress and appearance of these women, and the attachment which they showed to her Royal person was perfectly enthusiastic. Whether it was written by some Sappho of their own number cannot now be discovered, but the following song, in their native dialect, was said to have been sung by them on this occasion, to the tune of “The Laird of Coekpen,” as a last greeting to Her Majesty.

Shine forth with effulgence bright monarch of (lay—
Depart noo ye clouds, obstruct not a ray;
For muckle we’ve hoard o’, but noo we shall ace,
Our dainty young Queen, wi’ the bonny blue e’e.
See subjects in thousands hae come from afar,
A’ loyal in peace, as they’re dauntless in war—
Wi’ sound o’ their war pipes, a welcome to gi’e Their
dainty young Queen, wi’ the bonny blue e’e.
Hark ! cannons are booming a Royal salute ;
The bells are a’ ringin’, nae tongue can be mute,—
Noo calm and majestic, ’mid thunderin’ glee,
Approaches onr Queen, wTi’ the bonny blue e’e.
All hail, august Sov’reign, Victoria the Fair!
All hail, Princely Consort! how lovely a pair!—
But wha can divide their allegiance to thee,
Thou peerless young Queen, wi’ the honny blue e’e !
May blessin’s the richest attend thee and thine!
To counsels the safest assent and incline.
Rule meekly a people, wise, powerfu’, aud free,
Thou clement young Queen, wi’ the bonny blue e’e.
Still shield thy dominions frae wars aud alarms,
Enlarged be thy bounty, resistless thine arms!
Quell each aggression on land and on sea,
Thou potent young Queen, wi’ the bonny blue e’e.
When loaded wi’ honours, and fu’ness of age,
Thy fair fame inscribed upon Victory’s page,
A crown everlasting thy heritage be,
Thou pious young Queen, wi’ the honny blue e’e.
And when thou art gane to a happier sphere,
Long reign thy descendants illustrious here,
Each pointing wi’ pride to the root o’ their tree,
Thou fruitfu’ young Queen, wi’ the bonny blue e’e.
God bless your dear bairnies, the Princess and Prince!
Alexander the Great was as wee as them aince,
But may they just e.ipial in worth and degree,
Our dainty young Queen, wi’ the bonny blue o’e.
Your Majesty’s visit we’ll never forget,
Our hearts hob aboon like the floats on our net,
And sailors unborn will yet dance on our knee,
When tell’d o’ our Queen wi’ the bonny blue e’e.
Farewell, august Sovereign, Victoria the Fair!
Farewell Royal Consort, our prayers you will share ;
But heart, head, and hand, we’re devoted to thee,
Thou matchless young Queen, wi’ the bonny blue e’e.
Now, hear this, ye millions, and ponder it weel!
As long as we live by the fish and the creel;
Onr husbands may gloom,—but subject we’ll be
To nane but our Queen, wi’ the bonny blue e’e.

The Queen and her Royal Consort could not catch the words of this song, which, though it savours little of the courtly style of versification and phrase, wont to be employed by a poet laureate, is yet sufficiently replete with honest warmth of feeling; but Her Majesty and the Prince were much gratified by the appearance of these sea-nymphs, and by their hearty parting cheers.

The wind being a leading one, the whole squadron got under weigh, presenting a beautiful moving picture; but passing proudly through them, as if conscious of the precious Royal freight she carried, the Trident shot a-head of them all. The Queen and the Prince kept the deck, Her Majesty in full admiration of the beautiful scenery of the Firth, and satiating her eyes with the last views of the distant city. She was extremely interested in every thing that was done for the navigation of the ship, and put many questions to the officers regarding the coast and the islands. The Queen expressed a great wish to run as near to the Bass as possible, provided it could be done with safety, and looked at the helm, and then at the bows of the vessel, to mark the course; and she admired the bold beetling rock with its ancient fortress, so long the stronghold of the Lauders. She expressed her surprise that she had seen so little of the land on her way down to Scotland, and was informed that the North-sea pilots keep much farther to sea than those of the merchantmen, to whom the coast is so well known. The Queen remarked the different course that the naval steamers took as compared with the Trident. She expressed her wish that the Duchess of Norfolk had been with her, and gave orders to slacken speed that the Black Eagle might come up. Owing to her anxiety on this point, the vessel was for some time checked, until the suggestion that bad weather might come on, induced Her Majesty to allow the speed to be quickened. Of all the vessels that tugged and toiled after the Trident, with steam and canvass, the Monarch was the only one which could in the least degree keep pace with her.

As the Royal Steamer passed Dunbar, Provost Middlemass was ready with his battery at the old castle, and gave the Queen a royal salute with great precision, in return for which compliment the Royal standard was lowered from the main of the Trident, and again hoisted. At three o’clock in the afternoon they rounded St. Abb’s Head very closely. Soon after this the Trident was met by the Majestic steamer, with a large party of ladies and gentlemen, who had come out from Berwick to see the Queen. On nearing the vessel they cheered, and the compliment thus paid was returned both by the Trident and the Monarch. After this they encountered what sailors call a short sea, one of the least agreeable conditions ever assumed by the changeful element; and no one acquainted with the rolling motion it produces, will be surprised to learn that it made the Queen and the Prince a little uncomfortable. The haze by this time thickened considerably, so much so, that when they caught sight of the Fern Islands, it became rather doubtful whether it would not be prudent to abandon the intention of going inside of them. Her Majesty was extremely desirous to do this, and as they perceived that the Trinity yacht had stationed herself as a mark for the very purpose of enabling the Trident the more readily to effect it, they proceeded to take the channel. This was done by Sir John Pelly, the deputv-master of the Trinity House, who was aboard of her, who thus showed a British seaman’s foresight and decision. After the Trident had passed inwards, the yacht resumed her place astern, and although she gradually lost ground, she kept her position for a very long time. The Queen was pleased favourably to notice this piece of attention on the part of the yacht.

A rumour had arisen of the death of poor Grace Darling, the heroine of the Longstone Lighthouse, who so nobly aided her father in saving the people from the wreck of the Forfarshire steamer, and Captain Bullock mentioned it to the Queen, which drew from Her Majesty and the Prince strong expressions of regret. The report was premature, though she was then so hopelessly ill, that her death really did occur very soon afterwards at Bamborough. Notwithstanding the noble example of the active courage of a woman’s heart, which Grace Darling showed, there was a modesty, and a feminine delicacy, both of person and mind, about her, that were calculated very much to surprise any one who had the good fortune to see her. The writer of this visited her, in the month of June of last year, when living in that pillar of a lighthouse, which rises from amidst the wild breakers of the rocky shoal. He found the little circular apartment where she nestled high up like a sea-mew, furnished with the utmost good taste, and filled with elegantly bound books, handsomely framed prints, plants in pots, and bouquets in china jars,—whilst she herself was seated, like a lady of the olden time, in her bower, “sewing her seam,” with a calm and contented expression of countenance. She received him and his small party with easy unaffected manners. But alas! it was manifest that fell disease had already taken deep root in her constitution, and in a very few months she was laid in her peaceful grave in the simple village churchyard of Bamborough.

In the narrows between the Fern Islands the Trident was met by the Vesta steamer, with a large party from Newcastle and Blyth, who no sooner recognised Her Majesty and the Prince on the quarterdeck than they cheered, and their band struck up “God Save the Queen.” Her Majesty acknowledged the compliment, and the Prince took off his cap and bowed repeatedly. The Vesta accompanied the Trident for some time, and then parted from her with loud cheers. In passing through these narrows, the royal steamer was saluted by the old castle of Bamborough, of which some account has already been given in the earlier part of this work, and soon afterwards, by Earl Grey’s guns from the sea terrace at Hawick. This salute was supposed by the officers on board to have come from Alnwick, which drew from the Queen the observation, that the Duke of Northumberland’s castle was not visible from the steamer. The Prince was of an opposite opinion, and the appeal made to the admiral having been afterwards referred to Captain Bullock, he explained that higher grounds nearer to the coast, intercepted the view of Alnwick castle, which indeed is some six or seven miles inland. But a salute was fired also from the Duke of Northumberland’s guns at Batcheuob about two miles inland. At ten o’clock the Queen retired for the night, and the engines were slowed, to afford Her Majesty a better chance of repose.

At about -half-past five o’clock, on Friday morning, the 16th September, the Trident was off Flamborough Head, the wind being moderate from the S.S.E. The steamer signalized “All is well" and pursuing their onward course, they passed the Dudgeon light-vessel about one o’clock in the afternoon. The danger of this sand, and the great utility of the light on it, were explained to the Queen by Captain Sharpe. As the various light-vessels appeared in succession, Her Majesty put questions regarding all of them, trying the progress of the Trident by her watch, and commending her steadiness as she continued to pursue her way with a giant’s stride. At five in the evening they passed the Bhadamanthus, which started from Granton ten hours before the Trident. The whole coast teemed with steamers and craft of every description all on the qui vlve to see the Queen; and swarms of boats came out from the land. The immense number of women they contained, drew forth frequent expressions of astonishment from the Prince, who being himself rather unused to the sea, could not comprehend how loyalty, mingled as it might be with curiosity, could tempt the fair sex to go so far afloat in frail boats. But His Royal Highness was not aware how much an English woman would brave, when stimulated by the hope of having it in her power to tell her children and neighbours that she had seen their Queen.

The gallant vessel rounded the Cockle-Craig about six o’clock in the evening, and they passed into Yarmouth Roads by the Cockle Gut. At Yarmouth, the downs were covered with crowds, and the Trident was so near the shore, that they not only saw the black mass of the people assembled, but they heard the bells ringing merrily amid the cheers of the multitude. The)' made the usual signals, and then passed outwards through St. Nicholas, and pursued their way; and as they rounded the land, they set the sails for the first time, and fired rockets and burned blue lights, in answer to signals of the same kind from Lowestoffe.

So far as the voyage had yet gone the Queen kept well. Sir James Clark was never called in his capacity of medical adviser, and Her Majesty gave very little trouble indeed to her dressers, who were her only personal attendants on board. The Queen and the Prince took their meals chiefly on deck, and had only two squires to wait on them, each of whom took his turn of sleeping at the door of the royal state-room. In the course of this day the Queen requested Captain Bullock to calculate the distance from Woolwich to Dublin, and when Her Majesty was made aware that the sum total of the course was 720 miles, she remarked to the Prince, that the voyage was too long, and that it would be preferable to cross from Holyhead or Liverpool. Finding towards evening that the Trident would reach the Nore too soon to proceed up the Thames, the admiral ordered the engine to be eased, thus diminishing its action, and tranquillizing the vessel’s motion, so that whilst the attainment of this object was secured, a more quiet and undisturbed repose was likewise ensured to Her Majesty. By twelve o’clock at night they passed the Sunk light-vessel, and proceeded up Swin. Captain Bullock and Captain Sharpe never left the deck during the voyage, except to snatch a hasty meal.

A little before four o’clock on the morning of Saturday the 17th of September, the gallant Trident passed the Nore light-vessel, and, by the Admiral’s order, an attempt was made to steal unnoticed by the Camperdown, which was anchored near the light, lest the saluting should alarm and disturb the Queen. With this intention they resisted all the allurements thrown out to induce them to show their real colours, or to draw them into communication. But the guard boat, in which were Captains Brace and Fisher, soon detected them, and making the signal, the Camperdown immediately saluted, and illuminated with blue lights, displaying with the fullest effect the formidable battery and beautiful form of the hull, and the masts, spars, and rigging. However much these proofs of his people being on the alert might have been satisfactory to the gallant Admiral on any other occasion, they annoyed him considerably at this time, from the apprehension that the firing would break the Queen’s slumbers, and give Her Majesty displeasure. But this last was far from being the case, for when the Queen came on deck, she very kindly noticed the salutes, and said that she had got up to look at her watch to note the time of arrival, and that she had seen, and very much admired the illumination of the vessel. There cannot indeed be the smallest doubt, that our beloved Monarch possesses in the highest degree those predilections in favour of every thing maritime or naval, which ought to belong to every native of Great Britain, and which it is so especially desirable and important that its Sovereign should possess. Her Majesty took the greatest possible interest in every thing regarding the management of the vessel, and in the routine of its various duties, both during this and her former voyage. She showed herself particularly pleased with the zealous care manifested by those on board. When the Admiral reported, in the usual way, “twelve o’clock,” the Queen, profiting by the experience gained during her voyage to Edinburgh, and her consequent knowledge that the sun could not pass the meridian without her royal permission, immediately replied, “Make it so, Admiral" and again, when the brave old seaman begged permission for his officers to dine, the Queen kindly replied, “Yes, yes—let them all go down—I and the Prince will look out.” These may be considered by landsmen as light and trivial circumstances, but any one who knows the composition of a British sailor, will be fully aware how trifles such as these would gain the hearts of the whole British navy; and no one can think for one moment of the nature of our country, and still more of the nature of the defence it requires, without feeling that it is of immense importance that the Sovereign should succeed, as our Queen has already so effectually done, in making herself the idol of the sailors.

The Prince suffered a good deal from nausea, both in going to Scotland and in returning thence; and notwithstanding the practice which the Queen had had in her earlier years, when she was much attached to the amusement of sailing about, she was considerably affected at different times during both her voyages. But, in this respect, Her Majesty was in no worse condition than the immortal Nelson, and many other brave and hardy British sailors, who have continued to be occasionally so affected, even after spending a lifetime at sea; and she bore up under it with all that resolution which so distinguishes her character.

Having anchored, in order to allow the Squadron to come up with them, the Queen amused herself in reading and in playing the pianoforte with the Prince. And now her gentle spirit, disdaining the confinement of the vessel, girt about as it was with the waves, turned homewards, and flying in fancy on the wings of a mother’s affection towards her beloved infants, she hovered over them in thought.

Having learned that one of the London steamers had passed them in the night, her eyes glistened, and she expressed her regret that she had not known of it, as she would have inquired for her children, adding with intense feeling, that “she longed to see the little darlings.”

The Queen had breakfasted on deck this morning, after which, as the Trident made her slow and majestic way up the Thames, Her Majesty employed herself in writing notes. The Queen was saluted from Tilbury Fort; and from every tower, and house, and individual on either bank of the river, Her Majesty received the warmest expressions of joy, and of congratulation of every description, on the happy event of her safe return. Whilst they were running up the river, Captain Bullock’s recent hydrographical survey of it was exhibited, on a scale so large as partially to cover the quarter-deck, where it was laid. It was inspected by Her Majesty and the Prince with great interest.

A few minutes before ten o’clock this morning, it had been announced at Woolwich that the Trident steam-vessel, having the Queen and Prince Albert on board, was within sight, which intelligence produced the greatest possible excitement amongst the crowds of all ranks and descriptions that had assembled to give Her Majesty and her illustrious consort a hearty welcome on their return to the metropolis.

On the Royal squadron being descried, the standard of England was hoisted at the Dock-yard, and on the tower of Woolwich church the bells rang a peal of welcome, and the people flocked in thousands to the wharfs and tops of houses, to get a sight of the vessels as they passed. All the ships in the river were dressed with flags, and when their yards were manned, the spectacle became every moment more and more interesting. The sun shone bright and beautiful—the sailors loudly and heartily cheered their beloved Queen on her safe and happy return to the English shore,—and myriads of small boats came swarming around the Royal steamer, filling the air with the loyal shouts of those aboard of them. The Trident was preceded by the Black Eagle and the Rhadamanthus war steamers. The splendid vessel, containing the precious freight, eame to anchor off the Dock-yard steps, exactly at ten o’clock, with the Royal standard hoisted at the mainmast, Vice-Admiral Brace’s flag flying at the fore, and the Union-Jack at the mizzen-mast.

The Earl of Haddington, First Lord of the Admiralty, and Admiral Sir William Hall Gage, both in full uniform, immediately went on board the Trident, to offer their congratulations to the Queen and her illustrious consort on their safe arrival, when Admiral Brace’s flag was struck, and that of the Admiralty hoisted in its place. The noble lord then received Her Majesty’s commands as to the arrangements for coming on shore, which created a delay of some minutes.

Their Lordships then returned to the pier, and despatched the Admiralty barge alongside the Trident,—Sir Edward Brace handed the Queen down the accommodation-ladder,—Prince Albert followed, —and Sir Francis Collier again had the honour of steering Her Majesty and the Prince from the steamer to the landing-stairs.

The Queen, who wore a rich satin Stuart tartan dress, very deeply flounced, and the Queensberry shawl, fastened by a Scottish brooch, and a white silk bonnet, was handed out of the barge by the Earl of Haddington and Sir William Gage, and so up the steps of the landing-place, which were covered with green baize, as was also that portion of the pier which led to the carriage. The Royal standard was struck on board the Trident, and hoisted in the Dock-vard. Prince Albert, who wore a coloured surtout and dark trowsers, followed. The Queen and the Prince both looked remarkably well, and were loudly and enthusiastically cheered. Her Majesty most graciously acknowledged the greetings of the naval and military officers there assembled, as well as those of the crowds who had congregated around to give her a hearty welcome.

Exactly at twenty-five minutes past ten o’clock, the Queen was conducted to her carriage by Lord Haddington, Sir William Gage, and Earl Jersey, and Prince Albert took his seat beside Her Majesty. The Royal cortege consisted of two carriages and four, preceded by outriders in scarlet livery, and escorted by a detachment of the 8th Hussars, and as the Queen quitted the Yard, the troops which were drawn up presented arms, their band playing “God Save the Queen,” and a Royal salute was fired from four pieces of artillery, brought from the arsenal, and stationed in the Dock-vard under Major Sanderling. The second carriage contained the Duchess of Buccleuch and the Duchess of Norfolk, and soon afterwards several others followed, with the officers and domestics connected with Her Majesty’s household.

On passing the Royal Hospital of Greenwich, the veterans of that institution hoisted the Royal standard, and about 1000 of them being drawn up on the lawn with their officers, they cheered with all the heartiness of old sailors, whilst 800 of the boys of the Naval School opposite, seemed to be vying with those ancient heroes in their enthusiastic demonstrations of loyalty. The Royal carriages proceeded by Deptford, Peckham, and over Vauxhall Bridge, through Hyde Park, to the terminus of the Great Western Railway at Paddington, where Her Majesty arrived at a quarter past eleven o’clock. There the Queen was received by Mr. Russell, M.P., chairman of the Company; Mr. Saunders, the secretary; and Mr. Clerk, the superintendent of the line, by whom Her Majesty was conducted to the royal saloon carriage, which with two other carriages of the same description, and one of the second class, formed the special train. At eleven minutes to twelve o’clock the engine was set in motion, and the Royal train, accompanied by the above-mentioned officers of the Company, proceeded on its rapid course to Slough, amidst the cheering of the persons assembled.

The Queen and Prince Albert having reached the Slough station, at ten minutes past twelve o’clock, got immediately into an open carriage and four, and escorted by a detachment of the 2d Regiment of Life Guards, under the command of Viscount Drumlanrig, they arrived at Windsor Castle at half-past twelve o’clock precisely.

Let those who know what an Englishman’s own fireside is—let those who know all the sweet sensations awakened by a return to home after an absence of some endurance—and above all, let those who have been so far blessed as to be parents, conceive what were the joys of the Queen and the Prince on their safe arrival under their own royal roof—and especially when they pressed the young Prince and Princess to their bosoms.

Immediately after the Queen’s arrival, a messenger was despatched to Frogmore to apprise the Duchess of Kent of her illustrious daughter’s safe return from Scotland, and in a very short time Her Royal Highness, attended by Lady Charlotte Dundas, arrived at the Castle.

The best proof that the Queen and Prince had suffered nothing from their journey, existed, in the fact, that Her Majesty was driven out in the afternoon, by His Royal Highness, in the Great Park, in an open pony-phaeton and pair, attended by Major-General Wemyss and Colonel Bouverie on horseback—and it is probable that the grandeur and massiveness of the woods and groves, and the exquisite richness and beauty of the grassy glades, pregnant as these must be to the Royal pair with the happiest associations, came not the less fresh and warmly to their hearts, from the contrast which they offered to those pictures of the wilder mountain scenery of Scotland, which still floated in their Royal recollection.