ALEXANDRIA. 



15 



England, in company with Leopold, the king 

 of Belgium, and spent some time, at the court 

 of Queen Victoria. In November, 1839, she 

 formally announced to the Privy Council her 

 intention to form a matrimonial alliance -with 

 Prince Albert. The marriage was solemnized 

 Feb. 10, 1840. He was a man of refined taste, 

 and ail accomplished musician and draughts- 

 man. The progress of the arts and sciences, 

 and general philanthropic subjects, such as the 

 "dwellings of the working classes," sanitary 

 arrangements, &c., engaged his attention. He 

 was also a patron and president of numerous 

 charitable institutions. As President of the 

 Society of Arts, he was the chief promoter of 

 the Great Exhibition of 1851. With a single 

 exception, for a brief space of time, he enjoyed 

 great popularity with all classes. 



The Prince was taken ill about the 1st of 

 December. Symptoms of fever, accompanied 

 by a general indisposition, made their appear- 

 ance. For some days the complaint was not 

 considered to be serious, but from the 7th the 

 medical men in attendance and the persons 

 about the court began to feel anxious. It was 

 not until the llth, when the fever gained head 

 and the patient was much weakened, that the 

 first bulletin was issued. Even then it was 

 stated that the symptoms were not unfavor- 

 able. It is said that the death of the king of 

 Portugal had an unfortunate influence over 

 him during his illness, and possibly assisted 

 the progress of the malady. On the llth he is 

 said to have expressed a belief that he should 

 not recover. No material change took place 

 on the 12th, and on the 13th the Queen took 

 a drive, with no idea of danger. When she re- 

 turned the patient's extremities were already 

 cold, and from that time he was in the greatest 

 danger. On that evening he was not expected 

 to survive the night. On Saturday forenoon, 

 the 14th, there was a rally, which so often 

 precedes dissolution, but it gave great hopes to 

 the physicians. At 4 p. M. a relapse took 

 place, and the Prince, who, from the previous 

 Friday, had been sustained by stimulants, be- 

 gan to sink gradually. Congestion of the lungs, 

 the result of complete exhaustion, set in. The 

 Prince's breathing became continually shorter 

 and feebler, and he expired without pain at a 

 few minutes before 11 o'clock. He was sen- 

 sible to the last moment. Deep sympathy for 

 the Queen and regret for the death of one so 

 universally respected, was the only sentiment 

 apparent throughout England. The warmest 

 eulogiums were passed on the deceased Prince 

 by the press and the public. 



ALEXANDRIA is a city in Alexandria Coun- 

 ty. Virginia ; it is on the right bank of the Po- 

 tomac, and 8 miles below Washington. The 

 river is here one mile wide, and forms a com- 

 modious harbor for the largest ships. The 

 streets cross each other at right angles and are 

 generally well paved. The Alexandria, Loudon, 

 and Hampshire Railroad terminates here. This 

 road extends to Leesburg, passing through the 



following places : to Arlington Heights, 6 mile* ; 

 Carlinville, 7 miles; Falls Church, 11 miles; 

 Vienna, 15 miles; Hunter's Mill, 18 miles; 

 Thornton, 21 miles ; Herndon, 23 miles ; Guil- 

 ford, 27 miles; Farmwell, 31 miles; Leesburg, 

 38 miles. The Orange and Alexandria Railroad 

 also terminates here. It extends from Alexan- 

 dria through Manassas Junction to Gordons- 

 ville, 88 miles, where it unites with the Virginia 

 Central. The distance to Springfield is 9 miles ; 

 Burke's, 14 miles; Fairfax, 18 miles; Union 

 Mills, 23 miles ; Manassas Junction, 27 miles 

 from Alexandria. When the District of Colum- 

 bia was ceded to the United States by Virginia 

 and Maryland, Alexandria was in the part con- 

 veyed by the former. It was subsequently re- 

 troceded to Virginia by an act of Congress, 

 passed July 2d, 1846. The city was occupied by 

 Ellsworth's Zouave Regiment and a Michigan 

 Regiment, on the morning of the 24th of May, 

 1861, and continued in the possession of the 

 Federal troops through the year. 



The effect of its military occupation is thus 

 described : " Its trade was almost broken up. 

 The Corn Exchange room was entirely deserted. 

 The counters where the merchant exposed his 

 samples of flour and grain, the little sample 

 boxes lying here and there, the desk with 

 the books of sales on it and the newspaper 

 stand, all remained as they used to be ; but 

 there was no grain scattered around or in the 

 boxes, no entry on the books of the Exchange 

 since May, and the last newspapers bore date 

 on May 23d, 1861. Of all the merchants who 

 were accustomed to do business there only.a 

 few remained." 



Six months previous to its military occupa- 

 tion, Alexandria was a thrifty, growing city, 

 with an energetic, prosperous, and happy pop- 

 ulation It occupied an enviable position, and 

 in a social point of view stood preeminently 

 high. Soon after its occupation a large 

 number of the oldest and most respected 

 families no longer remained, having left 

 their homes at the beginning of the war; 

 their houses were closed or occupied by 

 others, and their wonted life and cheerful- 

 ness departed. The wharves, too, where 

 once were crowded vessels from foreign and 

 domestic ports, and where all was bustle and 

 activity, were now, save when a transport or 

 pungy arrived, almost bare, and on the river no 

 ships appeared, save those used in the service 

 of the Federal Government. But very few 

 warehouses on the wharves were open or occu- 

 pied, and Union street, next to Xing the prin- 

 cipal business street of the city, was now, ex- 

 cept as a burden train passed, as quiet as on 

 Sundays. Prince, Duke, Cameron, and Queen 

 streets lost their vitality, and King alone re- 

 sembled what it was wont to be. The city Gov- 

 ernment was no longer administered upon its 

 chartered basis, the Mayor and night and day 

 police having been deposed ; and the sound of 

 the watchman's horn heard in the town at 10 

 o'clock at night "since time whereof the 



