The Qourt. THE remarkable events at Court this week have
been the baptism of the Princess Royal in the throne-room of Buckingham Palace, and the immersion of Prince Albert in the pond of the Palace-gardens. The former event, as of most national importance, takes precedence in the order of narration.
The christening was on Wednesday last, the anniversary of the Queen's marriage, The King of the Belgians arrived on Monday from Belgium, for the purpose of being present at the ceremony ; and the Queen Dowager came to London from Sudbury, for the same object. Prince Albert's father was also expected, but was prevented ; and the Duke of Wellington, who was sufficiently recovered to be present, officiated as sponsor on the part of the Duke of Saxe Coburg and Gotha. The other sponsors were the Queen Dowager, the Dutchess of Gloucester, the Dutchess of Kent, the King of the Belgians, and the Duke of Sussex.
The following account of the ceremony is abridged from the Times. It is more descriptive than the report of the Court Circular, which is occupied with details of etiquette rather than of what occurred.
" The ceremony was in every respect what in Court parlance is called state, that is to say, all the splendour and resources of the Royal Household were put in requisition, and the same forms and etiquette were observed as when the Queen performs any public act as Sovereign. The christening took place in the Throne-room, the throne being removed and an altar erected in its stead, covered with crimson velvet, and having the sacred insignia of the Christian faith embroidered in gold. On it were placed the massive gilt communion- service of the Chapel Royal, lighted with gold candelabra. The railing en- closing the altar was covered with crimson velvet trimmed with gold lace, and in front, and spread over the richly and costly carpet of the room, was a large square of crimson velvet, beautifully embroidered in the centre and at the four corners in gold, and trimmed all round with gold lace. On this was the font, and round it were assembled the Queen, Prince Albert, the sponsors, and the officiating prelates and clergymen. In front of the altar stood the Archbishop of Canterburyhaving on one side the Archbishop of York, and on the other the Bishop of 'London ; the Bishop of Norwich and the Dean of Carlisle being a little behind. The Queen and Prince Albert took their stations on the let of the Archbishop. The Queen Dowager, the King of the Belgians, the Dutchess of Kent, and the Dutchess of Gloucester, were seated in front of the Archbishop, and facing the altar • the Duke of Sussex and the Duke of Wel- lington being opposite to the Ciueen and Prince Albert, and thus the whole group formed a square, of which the font was the centre. The Duke of Cam- bridge, Prince George of Cambridge, and Prince Edward of Saxe Weimar, stood behind the Queen Dowager, and the rest of the guests ranged themselves around. The Queen was dressed in white, and looked cheerful and in excel- lent health. Her Majesty wore a deep and splendid tiara of diamonds, of which the Maltese cross and the fleur de lis were the principal ornaments, large dia- mond ear-rings, and a diamond stomacher, and the riband and star of the Order of the Garter. Prince Albert wore a Field-Marshal's uniform, with the collar and star of the Order of the Garter; as did the Duke of Wellington, and also his Waterloo medaL The Duke of Sussex appeared in the uniform of Cap- tain-General of the Honourable Artillery Company, and wore the insignia of the Order of the Garter. The Duke of Cambridge wore the uniform of Field- Marshal, and the Order of the Garter. Prince George wore the uniform of his regiment, with the Order of the Garter. The Queen Dowager, the Dutch- eta of Gloucester, and the Dutchess of Kent wore white satin and diamonds. Her Majesty the Queen Dowager, who has suffered lately from the severity of the weather, enveloped herself in a magnificent mantle of ermine. The ap= pearance of the Duke of Wellington excited the greatest interest in the illus- trious circle. His Grace appeared to have recovered completely from his late indisposition, and looked tolerably well; but it is useless to conceal, that age and infirmity have made fearful inroads upon his constitution. " The font, which was made expressly for the occasion, showed a great deal of elegant fancy in the design, and the most consummate skill in the execution. First, there was a triangular plinth, on the aides of which were the arms of the Queen, Prince Albert, and the infant Princess, embossed; the latter borne on a lozenge, and surmounted by a coronet. On the plinth were three cherubs, who united in supporting a large water-lily, which contained the water. The whole of this was of silver gilt, and had a very beautiful effect. It was placed on a marble table, on which were the Royal arms of England in mosaic. The water in the font, and wherewith the Royal child was christened, came from the River Jordan, having been sent to her Majesty as a present for this especial purpose. " Every thing was in readiness, and waited only the appearance of the Queen Dowager, who arrived at twenty minutes to seven o'clock. The sacred rite then commenced, the Archbishop receiving the infant Princess from the hands of her nurse, and held her during the whole of the ceremony. Whether the ample and flowing robes of the Archbishop deceived the child, or whether the kind tenderness of manner of the excellent prelate prevented the infant from discovering any difference, certain it is, that her Royal Highness reposed in the arms of the spiritual head of the Church with as much contentment as though she had been in the arms of her own nurse. At the appointed place, the Queen Dowager named the Royal child—' Victoria Adelaide Mary Louisa '; and she received the baptismal sign ; and what is more, the caresses of her illus- trious godfathers and godmothers without even a whimper. Her Royal High- neass was then handed over to the care of her nurse, and retired to her own apartments. The ceremony being concluded, the illustrious and noble assembly pro- ceeded to the banquet, which was laid out in the Picture-Gallery. The King of the Belgians led in the Queen, Prince Albert the Queen Dowager, the Duke of Sussex the Dutchess of Gloucester, the Duke of Cambridge the Dutchess of Kent, and Prince George of dambridge the Dutchess of Sutherland.
" The number of guests who sat down to dinner were seventy-one, and, with the exception of a few of the Foreign Ministers, consisted only of the prelates who performed the ceremony, the Cabinet Ministers, the Great Officers of State, the Hereditary Great Officers of State, the Officers of her Maje 's Household, the Commanding Officers of the Regiment of Household Ca on duty, the Queen's suite, the Queen Dowager's suite, Prince Albert's suite, and the attendants on the Royal personages present at the ceremony. The only exceptions to this list were the Duke of Wellington and Prince Edward of Saxe Weimar ; the one, however, was a proxy of a sponsor, and the other nephew to the Queen Dowager. Her Majesty took her seat in the middle of the table, and the only difference in her seat from any of the others was a low ottoman for the feet."
So far the Times carries the proceedings ; for what occurred after dinner we take the Court Circular's authority.
" After dinner the following toasts were given by the Earl of Erroll, K.T., Lord Steward of her Majesty's Household- " Her Royal Highness the Princess. Royal."
" Her Ma;esty the Queen Adelaide." " His Majesty the King of the Belgians." " Her Majezty the Queen." " His Royal Highness Prince Albert."
" In the evening, the entire suite of state-rooms were opened, and were bril- liantly illuminated. Her Majesty's chamber band occupied the grand saloon, and performed a number of favoutlke pieces in the course of the night."
The second remarkable event—the immersion of Prince Albert— occurred on Tuesday morning. The particulars of it are thus stated by a correspondent of the Morning Chronicle, who gives the satisfactory assurance that they may be relied on-
" It appears that his Royal Highness was walking in the royal gardens, in the company of her Majesty, the only attendant present being the Honourable Miss Murray, one of the Maids of Honour in waiting upon the Queen. It not being understood by Colonel Bouverie and Lieutenant F. Seymour, the Equerry and Groom of the Bedchamber in waiting upon the Prince, that his Royal Highness intended to skate that morning, they were not, as usual, in attend- ance upon the Prince, who had left the Palace with her Majesty without their knowledge. After walking for a short time with the Queen on the margin of the lake, his Royal Highness put on his skates and left her Majesty, who re- mained watching the movements of the Prince from the gardens. He had not been on the ice more than two or three minutes, when, as he was proceeding at a rapid rate towards the spot where the Queen was standing, and had reached within about three or four feet of the water's edge, the ice suddenly broke, and, instantaneously, he was immersed is the water. His Royal Highness imme- diately rose to the surface, when her Majesty, with great presence of mind, joined her hand to that of the Honourable Miss Murray, (telling her to stand firm and to betray no fear,) and, extending her right hand to the Prince, dragged him to the shore. Her Majesty manifested the greatest courage upon the occasion, and acted with the most intrepid coolness. As soon as the Prince was safe on dry ground, the Queen gave way to the natural emotions of joy and thankfulness at his providential escape. The Prince then lost no time in proceeding to the Palace, where a warm bath was immediately prepared, and his Royal Highness, within an hour afterwards, was sufficiently well to receive the King of the Belgians upon his Majesty's arrival from Claremont. The ice in the centre of the lake being nearly a foot in thickness, some surprise has been created that the accident should have occurred ; but it appears that the keepers appointed to attend to the numerous and various aquatic birds which are pre- served in the gardens of the Palace, had broken the ice all along the irides of the lake, to enable them to take the water during the frost. These portions had again become slightly frozen over since they were broken at an early part of the morning. This was unknown to the Prince or the Queen, and hence the accident occurred. There were no persons present at the time, connected with the gardens, to point out the danger to his Royal Highness. Next morning the Prince was suffering from the effects of a slight cold; but beyond this, his Royal Highness has sustained no inconvenience.'
The Queen held a Court and Privy Council on Thursday, at Buck- ingham Palace. The Privy Council was attended by Prince Albert, the Lord Privy Seal, the First Lord of the Treasury, the Secretaries of State for the Home and Foreign Departments, the First Lord of the Admiralty, the Secretary-at-War, the Lord Steward, the Lord Cham- berlain, and the Master of the Horse. Some Colonial matters were submitted to her Majesty in Council, and were approved a
The dinner-party at Buckingham Palace on Thursday evening in- cluded the King of the Belgians, the Dutchess of Kent, M. Van de Weyer the Belgian Minister, Marquis of Anglesea and Lady Adelaide Paget, Marquis and Marchioness of Douro, Earl of Uxbridge, Lady Fanny Howard, Viscount Melbourne, Viscount and Viscountess Pal- merston, Lady Fanny Cowper, Lord and Lady Ashley, General Goblet, and M. Van Prat.
The Queen had another-dinner party yesterday evening. It is not the intention of her Majesty and Court to remove to Windsor Castle from Buckingham Palace for several weeks, although statements Stave appeared to the contrary.—Morning Post, Feb. 13. The King of the Belgians paid visits on Wednesday to the Queen Dowager at Marlborough House and the Duke of Cambridge at Cam- bridge House. His Majesty visited the Dutchess of Kent on Thursday at Ingestre House, Belgrave Square.
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