SHANKLIN THE NEW PIER.
This structure is now as completed as to admit steamboats alongside for passenger traffic. The first excursion from the pier was made on Monday by the Flying Falcon, of Portsmouth. Nearly 150 joined the vessel at this pier for a trip round the island and there were present the pier directors and Contractor (Mr. A Thorne), and the Engineer, (Mr. M. Noel Ridley). The present length of the pier is 1,180 feet, and it is intended to add more by way of expansion at the head, where it is proposed to erect a broad promenade with pavilions. The pier has already become a popular promenade.
VISIT OF THE PRINCESS OF WALES
It is such a rare thing for members of the Royal family to visit Shanklin that when it became known on Saturday afternoon that H. R. H. the Princess of Wales and the Princess Victoria and Maud of Wales, with ladies and gentlemen in attendance, were in Shanklin, and would leave by train between six and seven in the evening, a great crowd of people attended at the Railway Station. The Royal party came to visit Count Deym, the Austrian Ambassador, who has taken Rylstone for the season. They also passed through the Chine, which they greatly admired. On returning to the station they found they had about half an hour to wait, having arrived before the appointed time, and they were subjected to much annoyance by the obtrusive conduct of the people, who had crowded the platform and the station-yard to look at them. This overwhelming desire to inspect the Royal visitors seemed to give intense mortification to the gentlemen in attendance, but the Princess bore the infliction with evident good temper. The crowd was chiefly made up of the resident gentry and visitors. It is to be feared that the good impression the Princess must have had of the beauties of the town must have been counterbalanced by the rudeness of the people. While the Royal party were waiting in a carriage at the Sandown Station a lad who plays the concertina in the streets for his livelihood played a couple of tunes in front of the Royal carriage, and the Princess of Wales made the little fellow extremely happy by throwing out a sovereign to him. On Thursday the Duke and Duchess of Connaught and Prince and Princess Henry of Battenberg visited the Count and Countess Deym and took tea with them, but they left the town without being recognised by any great number of people.
