20 OCTOBER 1860, Page 4

THE PRINCE OV WALES'S TOUR.

The Prince has paid his visit to Washington, arriving on the evening of the 3d. He passed through Harrisburg and .Altona ; at the latter place, Governor Parker made a characteristic address to the Prince-

" Lord Renfrew—It affords me infinite pleasure to welcome your lordship to the capital of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, one of the old thirteen colonies that originally acknowledged allegiance to the crown of Great Britain ; and, notwithstanding that allegiance has been severed, your lord- ship will perceive by a glance at that long line of colonial and state gover- nors (pointing to the portraits which adorn the executive chambers) that we shall have a very, a very great veneration and regard for our ancient rulers. That line of portraits is almost a perfect typo of our American families. We cannot follow our ancestry more than a few generations back without tracing the line to a British red coat."

Lord Renfrew modestly expressed his high sense of the honour done him in the Capital of the State of Pennsylvania.

Washington was reached about four o'clock. General Cass, Mr. James Buchanan, and Mr. James Buchanan Henry, the two latter being nephews of the President, met him at " the deptit." Entering the Pre-

sident's carriages, there was some difficulty in

_ _ - quence of the crowd, but a lane was opened, along;' in conae- Prince showed the cordiality of the welcans-;aae 411,f president and l'theg cheering swo re: sinned along the line to the White House. within the door, and shook his young guest heartily -dent stnna

was said was not known, but the warmth of the manaaa hand.

Room, Miss Lane awaited her guest, and tlritab,,la 4Blue Drawing hour was spent in conversation until six o'clbter, swehourkt, There, an Next morning, the Prince visited the capital, where he wanner. of the committee rooms. A crowd collected, and the Prince mint° : At noon, there was a " reception" in honour of the Prince, who stood at the right hand of the President. Several ladies were successful in shaking the Prince's hand. The Prince got tired of this in half an hour, and the reception closed. The Prince then went to inspect the Public 'Buildings, and saw the clothes worn by Washington, and the printing-press of Franklin. Wearied with receptions, the Prince seemed inspired with new life in the society of Miss Lane. Miss Lane and the Priace as partners conquered Mrs. Secretary Thompson and the Duke of Newcastle at the game of ten pins, and then Miss Lane "outrolled" the Prince with but little effort.

Miss Lane had a reception of 600 persons on the 4th ; the elite of Washington was there, and, on this occasion, the Prince was not tired, but escorted his fair hostess to the fireworks, accompanied by the Presi- dent. A crowd of 8000 persons received the trio with hearty cheers. Next morning the Prince, Miss Lane, the President, the Duke of New- castle, and Lord Lyons, embarked on board the Harriet Lane, for Mount Vernon, the residence of Washington. Carefully inspecting the grounds, and the whole of the house, the Prince came to the room in which Washington died ; at once he uncovered, and reverently examined the relics of the room—the piano given by the patriot to Mrs. Lewis and the key of the Bastille. Next the Prince went on a pilgrimage to the tomb of the man whom his great grandfather, but ninety years ago, regarded as a rebel and a traitor. The scene was most impressive, and all present felt its touching influence, as the eldest son of England stood bareheaded near the sarcophagus of George Washington. ",Tears came into the eyes as the Englishmen stood contemplating the last resting-place of him, who, after being one of the greatest subjects monarch ever had, himself became a ruler of a country unparalleled for the stridei of advance and the strength it has achieved." There stood, too, in the person of the Pre- sident, one who had borne arms against England, and was yet proud to be the host of England's heir. The scene was a fact to be recorded; and so the Mount Vernon Association asked the Prince to plant a young horse-chestnut tree on a mound hard by. It was done, without for- mality, but hereafter, visitors to the tomb must connect the tree with the dead, and see in it an acknowledgment, from the hands of the nation which sent its Prince across the Atlantic, of Washington's justification and England's error. Slowly and silently, the party traced their way back to the Harriet Lane. A dinner given by Lord Lyons filled up the evening. The Pre- sident, Miss Lane, the members of the Cabinet and the diplomatic corps were there.

The Prince was to go on to Richmond on the 6th, accompanied by Secretaries Cass and Floyd, and Mr. Black, the Attorney-General. The Prince was to attend a ball. The Harriet Lane will again meet the party at South Amboy, New Jersey, on their way to New York from Philadelphia, and the Prince will arrive at New York in the President's cutter.

The Duke of Newcastle, in writing to the Mayor of Boston, em- phatically and gracefully acknowledges the cordiality of the Prince's reception-

" I cannot say with what kindness the Prince has been received in those cities which he has yet visited in the United States. If each individual had been instructed what to do, the whole people could not have shown greater delicacy of feeling and consideration for the position he occupies in England, though without the slightest surrender of their own claims to independence of action. They have all looked upon him as a guest, and resolved to treat him as such, but without overdoing the character of host. " In return, of course, every effort has been made, and shall continue to be made elsewhere, to gratify the amiable curiosity of our good cousins to see the son of a Queen whom they love and respect almost as much as we do."

The journey has not been without its points of humour. At one place the Irishmen turned out in large numbers; one of them could not control his enthusiasm, so he threw his hat into the air, and shouted to the Prince, " Bedad, come back four years after this, and we'll run you for President." The Duke of Newcastle could not preserve his gravity, and the Prince seemed to be irresistably amused by the offer.