01Jan1872, News of the Prince of Wales

ON BOARD THE "ARNO," January 1st, 1872.
—England has just passed (as we trust) safely through a great and touching crisis. The English packet, the Nile, brought us letters and papers up to the 16th ; all are full of the P. of Wales ; the feeling most deep and universal. In many places, before the very worst, the National Anthem and "God bless the P. of Wales" have been sung with immense fervour ; business and festivities have been suspended everywhere ; thousands have crowded to read the bulletins issued every few hours, and any reassuring ones have been received with cheers. The Archbp. of Canterbury sent very beautiful prayers by telegraph to all parts of the country on Saturday the 9th ; the first great alarm was felt on the 8th, and the Prince, the Queen, and Prss. were prayed for in all churches and nearly every meeting-house on Sunday : one most touching thing is that the Fire-worshippers in India had special prayers for him. The poor little Princess has been watching and nursing night and day, and the Queen and Prss. Alice have been constantly with him. On Sunday the 10th there was a slight improvement and the Prss. wrote to the Sandringham clergyman in these words : "My husband is better, and I am coming to church. I must watch with my husband, and therefore must leave before the end of the service. Cannot you say a few words for him in prayer early in the service, that I may join with you in prayer for him?" She just crept into church, stayed till the Litany began. Certain wretched Republican addresses have been summarily extinguished by the roughest means ; Odger has been pelted and bonneted, and disloyal speeches drowned by the National Anthem. But indeed the extreme Radicals have mostly shown good and respectful feeling, like the rest of the country. Ireland is full of sympathy. There was a superstitious fear about the 14th proving the fatal day, it being the anniversary of the P. Consort's death 10 years ago ; and the poor P. of Wales passed it in a struggle between life and death : bronchitis came on a day or two before and he was in constant imminent danger of choking. Towds. the morning of the 15th, however, sickness seems to have relieved him, he was able to sleep, and slow improvement set in. Thank God.