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THE Queen and Prince Albert returned to Windsor to leave it again almost directly. They took leave of the Duke of Buckingham, at Stowe, on Saturday morning, and proceeded, in the same order as they arrived, under an escort of Yeomanry, to Wolverton ; whence they came, in a special train of the Birmingham Railway, to Easton Square; so, by Paddington and the Great Western Railway, straight to Windsor; and they arrived about eight o'clock in the evening.
The Marquis of Downshire and the Reverend Dr. Richards were visiters at the Castle. The Marquis had arrived with the Earl of Erne as a depu- tation from the Agricultural Improvement Society of Ireland, to present Prince Albert with a gold medal. The Earl of Erne was prevented from accepting the Queen's invitation to remain as a visiter.
The Queen and Prince Albert again set out at half-past two o'clock on Monday afternoon, for Strathfieldsaye, on a visit to the Duke of Welling- ton ; attended by a small suite, and escorted by a party of the Seventeenth Lancers. The route lay across the country, by Ascot Heath, Bracknell, and other villages, to Wokin' gham. Although the road passed through such obscure and rustic spots, the inhabitants had learned the usual arts of wel- coming the Royal travellers,—with triumphal arches and other devices of evergreens, loyal inscriptions, banners, flags, displays of charity children, and in short, all the commonplaces of a royal progress at the present day. Wokingham signalized itself on the occasion. It is a corporate town, with an Alderman and burgesses; and it had taken some pains to obtain the Queen's consent to a passing ceremonial. It exhibited a redundancy of evergreens in arches and on almost every house, from the Town-hall to the poorest cottage • it displayed six hundred charity children ; the Woking- ham Royal Agricultural Society on horseback, and several benefit societies, with bands and banners, escorted the cortege into the town; opposite the Town-hall the Alderman presented addresses and tendered his mace; the Queen graciously receiving the addresses and returning the emblem of au- thority. No particular incident occurred in the road through Barkham, Arborfield, and Swallowfield; if we except the fact that the escort of Yeo- Maury from Swallowfield was commanded by no less a person than the Speaker of the House of Commons, Colonel the Right Honourable John Shaw Lefevre. Strathfieldsaye was reached at five o'clock. The Duke met his visitors at the hall-door; conducting them first into the library. The queen retired to the apartment, comprising five rooms, which had been prepared for her use during the visit. Dinner was served at eight o'clock.
A band of Grenadier Guards, stationed in the conservatory, contributed music throughout the evening. The Queen and Prince retired to rest at eleven o'clock.
The visit was of a much more private kind than those which the Queen lies before paid. The party invited by the Duke comprised the Duke of Devonshire, the Duke and Dutchess of Bedford, the Speaker and Mrs. Shaw Lefevre, Lord and Lady Ashburton, the Honourable Bingham Baring and the Honourable Miss Baring, Mr. and Mrs. Assheton Smith, Sir W. treatheote, Mr. Compton, MT., the Honourable Mr. Pierrepont, and a few of the gentry of the neighbourhood. In the immediate suite of her Majesty and the Prince were the Earl of Jersey, the Honourable Miss Murray, Colonel Bouverie, and Mr. Anson. The members of his Grace's family staying at the mansion were the Marquis and Marchioness of Douro, Lord and Lady Charles Wellesley, and the Honourable and Reverend Gerard Wellesley,
The estate is known- by little more than name, as belonging to the Duke of Wellington • and some of our readers may like to know whither their Sovereign has been. The following particulars will suffice--
Strathfieldsaye is rather an "out of the way" place, situated about six miles and a half to the North-west of the Winchfield station of the South-western Rallway, about the same distance to the North-east of Basingstoke stag and about ten-miles-from the Reading station of the Great Western, The town of Silehester (where there axe soma very perfect remains of a Roman station) is about three miles and a half from it to the East. Strathfieldsaye is but a humble place compared to. Stowe; but it is nevertheless a pleasant, fort- able-looking spot, giving one the idea of a family-mansion without much preten- sion,. but with a great deal of unassuming comfort. The house is a long low fabric= built somewhat in the Elizabethan fashion, with numerous turreted chim- nies; its general outline somewhat rigid and angular. Around it extends a con- siderable expanse of close-shaven lawn, intersected by avenues and clumps of trees, and watered by the river Loddon, which passes through the ground—some- times contracting its narrow channel into a willow-bordered brook, and then spread- ing out into broad lakes, in which whole legions of wild-fowl find refuge. Close to the house stands the church and churchyard of Strathfieldsaye; and, a little in the rear, the rectory, occupied by the Honourable and Reverend Gerard Welles- ley, a nephew of the Duke. The church is an unpretending building, crowned by a little dome; and around it lies the churchyard, crowded with humble memorials of the departed of the village and neighbourhood of Strathfieldsaye. The Queen and Prince Albert rose at seven o'clock on Tuesday morn- ing; and, having breakfasted alone, walked on the lawn in front of the house. At half-past ten o'clock, the Prince, accompanied by the Duke of Wellington, the Duke of Bedford, Mr. Shaw Lefevre, (the Speaker,) Sir Robert Peel, the Earl of Jersey, and Colonel Bouverie, went out to the Lower Pitham cover to shoot; riding to the ground, which is about a mile and a half from the house. The party had " some fine wild " sport, which the Prince seemed much to enjoy. His Royal Highness killed forty-'five head of game, including two woodcocks. The Duke of Wellington walked well through it all. The sportsmen returned to luncheon at two o'clock. About three o'clock, the Queen and the Prince drove over to Bramshill, Sir John Cope's ancient mansion, and a fine specimen of the Elizabethan style of architecture, situated about five miles from Strathfieldsaye.
Wednesday was much like the previous day; except that the bad weather kept the Queen within doors in the morning. In the afternoon, the principal guests went to the tennis-court, to see a match at tennis played by Lord Charles Wellesley and three professed players. Prince Albert played in the court on Thursday morning, with Lord Charles Wellesley and one of the tennis-players; the Queen looking on for some time.
At half-past eleven o'clock, the Queen and Prince Albert took their de- parture, attended by the suite. The Duke of Wellington accompanied them on horseback for the first stage, and Lord Charles Wellesley all the way. The" escort of Yeomanry to Swallowfield was again commanded by Mr. Shaw Lefevre; " whose fine manly form admirably displayed the very handsome uniform of his corps." The Queen gave him a special token of recognition on driving up the avenue. The incidents of the homeward-journey offered little variety; the indifferent weather somewhat marring the exhibition of loyalty. The Royal party reached Windsor at half-past one o'clock.
The Queen and Prince Albert dined with the Dutchess of Kent, at Frogmore House, yesterday evening.
The last bulletin from Cambridge House was issued on Saturday, an- nouncing that the recovery of the Hereditary Grand Dutchess of Mecklen- burg-Strelitz proceeded without interruption. The Dutchess of Gloucester has paid frequent visits to her niece. The Duke of Cambridge left town on Thursday, by the Birmingham Railway, on a visit to the Marquis of Exeter, at Burghley; the Marquis re- turning home on the same day from Windsor.
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