A political interest has been given to the visit of
King Leopold, be a leader, of clever execution but sinister intent, in the Times of Thurs; day. It is delicately hinted that his Majesty—on account of bit pre. sumed Liberalism, as we understand it—was coolly received at Rams, gate ; while the Duke of Wellington, who had gone over from Weems to meet King Leopold, was rapturously cheered. This is the ammo of Leopold's reception, and the glorification of the Duke-
Such is the Tory account of the scenes at Ramsgate; we now give the Whig story of what passed, from a correspondent of the Om* put forth as a corrective of the above-
" I beg to inform you that I was at Ramsgate on Monday, and saw the leaches of the King and Queen of the Belgians. On that occasion there was no particular display of popular feeling. There certainly was a very little cheering, Led every wish to show a fair respect to the King and Queen, but nothing more. Al Rantsgate is at this time very full of respectable company, and as it was expected that the royal strangers would arrive some time between dime and five o'clock, no hour could be more favourable for promenading, and the pier was literal crowded front one end to the other. I am sure that the Duke of Wellington will be much surprised at the statement of the Times ; for he was in waiting at the picr.head from half, pasttwo until six o'clock, when the King and Queen arrived; and during that long time we did not bear any cheering at all for the Duke. It is true that many gentlemen and ladies walked up to have a sight of the Duke, whilst he and they were in waiting; but on these occasions there wat no cheering. Again, when the King and Queen drove along the pier to the Albion in an open landau, the Duke of Wellington walked behind arm-in arm with the Honourable Edward Cost; and although they walked up through the centre of the line of people, we must certainly say, with truth, that thine vu no political display whatever, and if there was a cheer it was only from a stray voice. You may with great truth and justice distinctly declare that no dual so nearly connected with our Queen and of such rank, could have been ee- c. with less political feeling ; and that no individual could have ken re. ceived with more col dial kindness, and with more calm respect thau was shown to Leopold and his Queen."
It happened to full under our personal observation, that there was no cheet ing for the Duke as he walked along the pier; and that when Leopold arrived, looking very sombre, there was only the slightest possible cheer as he moved through the file of spectators, lifting his white bat from time to time, and bowing solemnly. His Queen—a pretty and pleasant woman—chatted and laughed with Princess Sophia of Gloucester : the King sat vis.a-vis of the ladies, with his back to the horses. When the Royal visiters went to the Albion Hotel, a large portion of the crowd followed them. By and by, the Duke, with another gentleman, showed himself at one of the upper windows ; and there was a loud burst of cheering, with waving of hats. But the cheer might have been intended for the King of the Belgians. Indeed, one near-sighted gentleman, of the Radical persuasion, supposing that Leopold had appeared at the window, joined in the cheer ; but stopped as soon as his children, who were standing next to him, exclaimed- " Papa, are you cheering for the Duke of Wellington?" Others tnight have made the same mistake ; and it is surely quite as probable that the crowd waited till Leopold's arrival at the inn to cheer Mu, as that they should have allowed the Duke of Wellington to walk on the pier for an hour or two without exhibiting any sign of enthusiasm, and then all at once have displayed the vehemence of their joy, when he put his head out of the window at the Albion. " The pier and the adjoining streets of that watering place, which at proem is crowded with visiters conveying an average specimen of national fedi"; were thronged with an immense multitude of spectators. During his Majeleil short progress from the steamer to the Albion Hotel, he received many tokens of a respectful and highly decorous welcome. We do not mean to say that ilia total absence of any thing like popular entInniasm on the occasion was at In intended as any disparagement to the Royal corOge ; on the contrary, we beliaN that every other popular feeling was absorbed in that of a quiet, acrutinisiat, and complimentary curiosity. But the moment that his Grace the Duke Wellington was ascertained to be present, as Lord Warden of the Cinque Porta, the decorum of the well, dressed multitude gave place to the deafening shouts td exultation. Never was that illustrious Conservative more enthusiastica% hailed. It was a noble and spontaneous tribute. The air literally rung with acclamations; and though nothing could exceed the delicacy wherewith his Grace hastily withdrew himself in order to leave the King and Queen of Ed. glum in sole and undivided possession of the admiration of the public, enough was seen and heard to convince his Majesty that a high Conservative sentiment is at this moment proudly buoyant in all quarters of the kingdom. The bigas of the times are manifest on every side ; and King Leopold, if we mistake sot, is no bad judge of them."
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