NEWS OF THE WEEK.
Witnsoit CASTLE is deserted by its fair lady, and Buckingham Pa- lace rejoices not in a present numen : for Queen VICTORIA, weary of the cares of state, hath pleased to visit one of her provinces ; and Scotland is the scene of her first progress out of England. Never did potentate since the days of Peery, travel with greater ease ;
• never perhaps under more agreeable circumstances. Thanks to the natural magic of our day, half of the journey from the castle to the ship was spent in a splendid flying chamber; the ship itself was a floating pavilion drawn by all but living monsters, with an attend- ant crowd of the same shapes. The voyage, vigilantly watched throughout its progress presented the admiring public with a glimpse at the Queen and her consort in the enjoyment of a half- privacy ; for though a ship is not home, yet its confinement and monotony compel a greater familiarity than any other mode of tra- velling. So, at one part of the voyage, the Royal 'pair were seen sitting together, reading. Of course it was known that VICTORie could read : it was no less notorious that the married couple must sometimes sit together : yet to see the husband and wife actually enjoying at once the sea-breeze, their books, and each other's society, was a sight precious in the eyes of John Bull, who so much ' admires conjugal respectabUes of all kinds. Indeed, John is
only too eager to be edified litth such charming sights, and to un- ravel each and every mystery ; and some of his prying family were obliged to be rebuked by the commander of the royal yacht for thrusting themselves and their boats too curiously and closely forward. John has a good heart, but his taste is none of the nicest ; and he finds it difficult to conceive the idea of a Monarch as any thing but the crowning glory of a pageant, that rejecteth no be- holder. His favourite aversion, in his own uncivic relaxations, whether in villa or picnic, is the being " overlooked "; but a Queen is so abstract an idea that he can hardly suppose her to resent being overlooked. Besides, he is fortified by the wisdom of nations in saying that "a cat may look at a king.' And look he does, with all his might and main. He was, however, the less to blame in this instance, since the Queen's own attendants gave to their prepara- tions very little the air of intended privacy : for days beforehand, the wharfs were in a bustle with the most notorious departure of royal carriages and stores, and an army was drawn up to witness the embarkation at Woolwich. In fact, the whole proceeding was, except the riots the most public event of the month ; and why should honest john Bull, of all people, be expected to assume that it was really meant to be private ?
Every thing is done that can be done to moderate the public and
ceremonious ardour of the North. All is in commotion at Edin- burgh: the hills are blazing with bonfires ; the ecstatic citizens are voting addresses "like mad "; the grave and wise Bailies, with the other ornaments of the Town-Council, ride in coaches curi- ously graduated in the accessory of horsing, and are clad in attire decorously regulated, from the "cocked hat" to the " white buckles" of the knees and shoes. Glasgow also claimed a share of the Royal presence ; but Sir JAMES GRAHAM informed the Chief Magistrate, by letters-missive from the Home Office, that the Queen's tour was only to be for pleasure. The exquisite reason why that should prevent a visit to Glasgow is not apparent ; for surely the quondam Lord Rector of Glasgow University must know that it is a very pleasant place! . Had Sir JAMES replied to the Pressing invitation by asking if the inviters had a house wherein to receive so august a guest, there would have been more point in the answer : the Queen, of course, cannot, like the Judges, put up at
an hotel in George's Square or, like commercial travellers, at the Tontine or the Buck's Head. Glasgow, however, determined to invade the Sovereign, in the person of the gallant knight its Pro- vost, with an address. The only escape from these importunities was to draw a sacred circle round the Queen : the Secretary of State is to bear the brunt of all the strictly public invasion, in the shape of addresses and the like ; and the Queen is to be rescued for her fortnight's holydays from all state cares except the receiving of crowds of sightseers, in half-court dresses, at Holyrood House. Some enterprising souls, however, have evident hopes of dashing past the watchful Secretary.
