Queen Victoria's stables
--A recent letter, describing
Windsor Castle, says:
‘
Before going into the interior of the
Castle, we were shown the
Queen's stables-- "Mews," as they call them there.
These, as may be imagined, are on a scale corresponding with the extravagance of royalty.
She keeps three hundred horses, part of which are now in
London, as she is sojourning for the present at Buckingham Palace.
All of these here were greys except the fancy ponies.
One of the latter is a beautiful milk-white animal, as clean and nice as soap, water, and currying can make him. He is a pet of the
Queen's, and she has a small carriage in which she drives him herself around the gardens.
There were also four of the tiniest bay ponies, which the Princess Alice herself drives, four-in-hand, in a small carriage.
These, with six others, were a present from the
King of
Sardinia.
The name of each is inscribed on a plate of marble in his stall, on one of which "Victor," and on another "Emanuel," in honor of the illustrious donor.
’