25 APRIL 1840, Page 2

e Qrourt.

TEE Royal party at Windsor enjoy the fine weather which has con. tinned during the week, in frequent rides and walks in the neighbour- hood of the Castle.

On 3Iondly, there was a brilliant assemblage at Ascot Heath to view the turn-out of a royal stag. Prince Albert met with an accident whilst riding a spirited horse towards the Heath ; the horse took fright, ran away with the Prince, down the Home Park, and his Itny,11 Highness was thrown : fortunately, however, he was so little hurt that he mounted another horse immediately, and proceeded to the place of meeting, be. fbre the Queen was aware of the occurrence. The Prince arrived at the Kennel, on Ascot Heath, in time to join Lord Kinnaird, Master of the Buckboards, the Earl of Erroll, and other noblemen awl gentle- men, at the residence of Mr. Davis, the Queen's huntsman ; -who, as• cording to his custom, had prepared a splendid breakfast for the refec- tion of the royal and noble sportsmen preparatory to the chase. After sundry beans and acknowledgments had passed, the Prince proceeded on horseback to the grand stand, where the Queen and her attendants were assembled.

" At this time," says the recorder of the day's sport in the Morning Herald, "the field consisted of not less than five hundred horsemen ; which caused the scene to be most interesting and animating. The number of pedestrians who were non' CoogrepiLed fn the immediate neighbourhood of the grand stand could not be calculated at less than between four a.d live thousand, many from London, and the remainder from the surrounding towns and villages. The roof was also densely crowded tvith spectators. "The Prince alighted from his horse and joined her Majesty,wlrawasii the balcony. The whole of the first floor of the grand st,ind v Ain exclusively appropriated to the Queen and attendants, the nude portion of whom wore the 'Windsor uniform.

"'Tire Master of the Hounds, accompanied by the huntsman and the whippers-

in, then brougl.t the pack within the enclosure hi:math the balent,y tire in- spection 1.11. her Majesty. The cart having arrived with the deer, a aide space was cleared in front of the stand, in order to enable 1.cr Majesty to witness the turn-out. The wish of her Majesty hating been intimated to the throngs of pedestrians alio had crowded around the stand, they very good-Intmouredly gave way, and the Queen had an excellent view of thi, part of the ceremony, " The dote, at starting, made in the directiun of Wink field, and it Ivan some time before the hounds were out of sight. tier 310jist v having expressed a wish to Ale luv is to he enabled to witness as much of the chase as possible, a deer was s.-lect eel sAll-h it was expected would di.uble,' and sot l'1111 straight ahead ; ' hut in this, however, all parties were dini:ppointed, for the deer went nearly direct arrow the country, and gave it 14■1ti11 11111 for upward, a twenty through Wild:field, on to Holyport, and theme to Bray ; where it took to the Thames and swam to the opposite shore. The hounds, tel bya field at that time of upwards of two hundred, then crossed the bridge at Maidenhead ; and, being soon afterwards laid on, they had a splendid burst ; and the stag was taken, after a gallant chase of two hours, at Dropniore, near the residence of Lord Grenville.

" Sonic few accidents and mishaps occurred (luring the run. One gentle. man, in attempting a wide and deep brook near Bray, was thrown, and fell into the centre; and, had it not been for the prompt aid rendered him by Mr, Cooper, of Notting Hill, Ile must inevitably have been drowned. lie could

not swim ; and Mr. Cooper, witnessing his struggles, plunged into the water, and extricated him. This Mr. Cooper, a short time afterwards, was knocked off his horse, his steed likewise knocked down, by a clumsy-looking sportsman, in taking a low style. Mr. Cooper was picked up insensible, with his head seriously lacerated, and several very awkward bruises about his Ince. Ile was shortly able to mount his horse, (both of whose knees were broken,) and to ride to Windsor, where his wounds were dressed by Mr. Holdentess. " As soon as the hounds were out of sight, the Queen and her attendants retired from the grand stand and entered their respective carriages. tier Majesty returned to the Castle iu the pony phaeton driven by Prince Ernest. " Ifer Majesty's huntsman and the whippers-in sported entirely new dresses upon this occasion.

" I should not omit to observe, that, upon Prince Albert taking leave of the Queen, at the balcony, to mount his nag, her Mfijcsly turned pale, and ap- peared sonteo.lod alarmed, as if she prmjnoslieuled some misehilf to Me Prince, His Royal Highness, however, although a less daring rider than his brother Ernest, maintained his seat throughout the hunt, although some of the leapt were rat her ' nasty' ones.

" Jo the course of the morning I went over the kennel ; and the order and cleanliness observed throughout this extensive butaing-establislinu nt deserve the highest praise. At the close of the regular hunting season, tins day, tier Majesty's hounds consist of fifty-two efficient couple. There is an old ser- vant at She kconel, well known (as one of the feeders) to 011 who attended the hunt some thirty or forty years ago, named Paul Presto, now in his ninety- second year. lie inns been engaged upon the Royal establishment, 'loan and boy,' (luring a period of upwards of eighty years. I need not ()keree that he

is now supernenuated. Ile is paid the same salary he received alien is his prime. 111111 his Ward 1.0111111 111111, us well as a cionliirtable little domicile close to the keniael, in considendion of the length of his services. Ills hag is perfectly white, and lie enjoys excellent health. " The Queen and her attendants had scarcely left the !tenth, when a volume of smoke was observed to ascend from that portion that lies beta VCII the house of Mr. Davis and the Grand stand, a little towards the left, at the 1:01tnin of the common. In a few neconds the flames burst forth; and in less than quarter of Ain hour the furze, covering It s ace of two or three-and-twenty acres was in a blaze. The wind was then b owing from the westward; and the flames were rapidly extending without the ionsibility (from the few persons who were present on the Heath) of staying tlacir progress. It amiss supposed, when I left, that the whole of that portion of the common to the edges of the rural and carriage-way width divides it limn the remainder must be consumed. How it occurred is unknown. It is supposed to have been wilfully tired."

The Queen Dowager has returned to town ; but the Dutehess of Kent remains on a visit to her daughter. Among the distinguished

fines te at Windsor, are Lord Melbourne, Lord Kinnaird, Lord and Lady Ilowiek, Baron Stockmar, Lady Anna Maria Dawson, Lord John Rus- sell, Lord Byron, and several members of the Paget family.

The Duke of Cambridge returned to town on Thursday, from a visit to the Duke of Wellington, at Strathfieldsaye.