The Press. — London, England, 1856-05-31 00:00:00

(Oda aM lasOon. Her Majesty the Queen, accompanied by Prince Frederick William of Prussia, Prince Albert, end the Royal Family and Court, arrived at Bucking ham Palace on Monday at six p.m. Previous to leaving Gosport her Majesty inspected the 4th and 13th Light Dragoons recently returned from the Crimea. His Royal Hignness the Prince Regent of Baden arrived on Tuesday morning, on a visit to the Queen. Her Nlalesty held a Court that afternoon, at thn e o'clock, and gave audience to Count d'Appony, who presented his credentials as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary from the Emperor of Austria. Her Majesty in the evening attended in state the ball given by the Turkish Ambassador. The Queen was accompanied by Prince Albert, Prince Frederick William of Prussia, and the Regent of Baden. His Royal Highness Prince Albert, accompanied by Prince Frederick of Prussia and Prince Frederick L iuis of Baden, inspected the household troops on Thursday morning on the parade at Whitehall. Her Majesty held a drawing-room on Thursday afternoon. The Court was very fully attended. Tha Turkish Ambassador gave a brilliant ball on Tuesday evening, at the residence of the embassy in Bryanston-square. Her Majesty the Queen and the leading nobility honoured M. Musurus with then company. Count Alexander Mendsdorff has arrived at Buck ingham Palace on a visit to the Queen. His Highness the Grand Vizier of Turkey con. templates taking his departure from England on Monday next. The funeral of the late Lord Adolphus Fitzclarence took place on Saturday. His lordship was butied in the family vault of the Wombwells in Yorkshire. The Duke of Cambridge and several relatives of the de ceased attended the obsequies. Accounts have been received from Vienna of the death of the daughter of Prince Nicholas Esterhazy, grand-daughter of the Countess of Jersey. Pttropolitan. THE FIREWORKS AND ILLUMINATIONS. Tux display of fireworks and the illuminations of Thursday evening have been already so fu:1) descanted on, explained, and paragraphed, that very little remains to be said. The weather was happily propitious—for anything short of a shower must be considered propitious in London- the people were good-tempered and orderly, the fireworks brilliant, and the illuminations, though far from being gene. ral, yet sufficiently so to set all the world and its cousins traversing London from the Poultry to Knightsbridge "to see everything." But the people tevaselves afforded the greatest sight, for never in the memory of that stereotyped arbiter, the "oldest inhabitant," were such masses of persons and vehi cles seen surging through the streets of London. Men, women, and children, cabs, carriages, luggage-vans, omnibuses, broughams, drays, and donkey-carts, crammed with sight seers inside, outside, and on the steps, and accompanie d by thousands ot pedestrians, threaded their way round the main streets, more or less all day, but especially from eight in the evening till daylight next morning. The illuminations of the public buildings were not remarkable for any very striking magnificence or much novelty of design ;. nor were some suc cessful in even displaying the mere brilliancy they could boast of, for the wind was fresh, and never permitted the glories of Somerset-house or the Man sion-house to be fairly displayed, and seriously inter fered with the effect of those of the Admiralty and other public buildings. The National Gallery, with its flags acd laurel branches, was rich and effective, without being brilliant. The Custom house, with crown and stars, and" Peace and Commerce" in large letters, was very brilliant and effective. The clubs, of course, were, as usual, very brilliant; but the Senior United Ser vice, with its stars, crown, thistle and shamrock, over " Peace ;" and the Guards, with the Royal initials sur mounting "Sebastopol," and surrounded with "Alma and Inkermann ;" and the Parthenon, were the best. But among the private houses of the leading nobility taste, novelty, and brilliancy were really to be found ; Lord Ward's house in Park lane had the entire front of the mansion covered with spiral jets ot gas, while the Dudley and Ward arms, surrounded by laurel wreaths, crowned all. Upwards of 20,000 gas jets were burning at once, and the effect was simple, beautiful, and brilliant . Lord Ellesmere's also wa s light and effective, and Stafford-house showed a gigantic " peace," which obstinately refused ever to appear complete, The houses of the Home ani Foreign Ministers sere also brilliantly illuminated ; crowns and Royal initials with wreaths of coloured lamps formed the principal devices. But the Turkish ambassador illu minated hta Mansion upon the raost splendid Beak, and fairly carried off the the palm from all illumina tors. Around the fifteen windows in front of the house ran a beading of variegated gas-lamps, red, green and white. In the centre of the building on a red gr 'und was the star and crescent, brilliantly lighted. On the right and left were the initials " V.R.," sur mounted by a crown on a green ground, and the cypher of the Sultan, on a green ground. Along the coping, above the second story, ran a continuous light of jets, reflected through small lamps of various colours. The balconies of the windows had transparencies Attached to them representing the arms of the different European powers engaged it, the late war. There was the representation of six urns over as many pilasters. From those imaginal, urns issued tongues of red flame, which gave at. outline to the whole picture, and brought forth wit) greater vividness the white light of the gas. It wa ttle most perfect and beautiful illumination in London. Among the tradesmen of the metropolis there was a fair variety in design, though crowns and stars an.' initials were the most prominent. Regent-street. Oxford-street, Piccadilly, Bond street, and the Hay market, made a fairly brilliant display. In Oxford street one illumination was remarkable. Two Haas flags hung from above, one bearing the word "Kars,' and another the word " Starvation." In one windos was a design representing a widow mourning for het husband, and in anothet a mother weeping for hot son. Nailed in front of the shop was a long strip o black cloth with the words " Mourn for the lost brave," and immediately over the door were sixteer tall black candle-ticks containing as many rushlights, and below them was inscribed, " Watch-lamps o the dead." A somewhat similar illumination was to be seen in Belgrave-square Of the fireworks there is nothing left to say, but that, though as brilliant they were not so varied, a people anticipated, and were felt to be rather tedious. An hour and a half of a constant repetition of small flights of pyrotechnic missiles of aerial tendencies. though certainly varied with a few very beautifu' and very novel fixed piece displays, was trying work on s cold night. The art of firework displays lays in a constant succession, not of similar, but of superior expositions, and had the time of displa3 been limited to an hour or less, and the many flights of a hundred rockets concentrated into tl.e few of a thousand or so, and everything else in proportion, Of effect would have been more striking and gratifying. The display began at half-past nine on all fout points, in Hyde, the Green, and Victoria Parks, and on Primrose-hill. A blue light burnt at Buckingham Palace was the signal agreed on, and to the minute in the Green-park coloured fires burst from the whole length of the inclosures, and the thunder of a flight of maroons cracked upon the ear; then followed in due order flights of rockets, of brilliant and varied colours, or throwing out showers of golden rain and clusters of corn-sheaves. Cascades, fountains, and trees, represented with wonderful exactness, blazed, threw out richly-coloured stars, and died away in dim light; and perhaps one of the most beautiful features of the display was the formation in the air of sheaves of yellow corn. But the great triumph of the night was that which concluded the exhibition. It consisted of five fixed pieces, including the mag nificent fountains on each side of the words " God Save the Queen," illuminated and in the centre. At the same moment there was a grand discharge of Roman candles, parachute shells, pearl streamers, tourbillons, and rockets in green, blue, red, and yellow. The effect was very fine, when just at the last moment 10,000 rockets with a clap like thunder shot into the air, and with the most magnificent gleam of white and coloured light concluded the display. From Hyde and the Green Parks the display of each, and that on Primrose hill, was distinctly visible. Earth place was crowded to an incredible extent. In fact the whole of London was out for the sight ; but the conduct of the crowd was very orderly, and, beyond a hard squeeze or two on achieving the exit after the con clusion of the fireworks, little inconvenience was felt by any one. There were a "few" roughs out of course. In Hyde-park they amused themselves with " turfing " an unfortunate "gent" in a white hat, and drove him under a carriage for refuge. In the Green-park, the roughs entertained the people with an amateur display of squibs and crackers. Unhappily, there were several cases of accident from the falling rocket-sticks. One man struck on the head died very shortly afterwards, and no less than soven or eight cases of blindness or fracture of the skull from the same cause are at present under treatment in St. George's and Charing-cross Hospi tals. Some children are said to have been killed, and three persons are also report :yd to have been run over and seriously injured. In the garrison towns, and throughout the pro vinces, as well as in Dublin, Edinburgh, and Glasgow, the day was kept as a holiday, and reviews, illumina tions, fireworks, or other amusements, carried out with considerable spirit. Birmingham, however, was an exception. Thera were no demonstrations of' any importance, and business was carried on as utRl4l. SATURDAY .......- I NM THE LORD MAYOR entertained the .lu and several members of the equity and common l aw b It dinner on Wednesday evening. The banquet was served in the Egyptian-hall. In proposing the health of the judges, the Lord Mayo r a ll u d e d to the late remarkable criminal trial as a proof of the excellence of the administration of justice in E ng l an d . Lord Campbell, in reply, said " that to hid f or popularity was not the province of a judge. In the late trial he lad endeavoured to do what he believed to be his luty, and he hoped he had succeeded. If the trial ' ta d taken place at Stafford it would have devolved Ilion Justioe Bramwell, wbo be (Lord Campbel ) vas persuaded would have well discharged his duty." Coward the conclusion of his speech Lord Campbell, ;peaking of the corporation, expressed a hope thst, "whatever reforms might be introduced into it, the measures would only tend to make it more vigorous more usecul. and more consistent with the pro gress of the ego." THE LITERARY ASSOCIATION OF THE FRIENDS 07 PoI.AND held their twenty-fourth anniversary at the rooms of the institution last Saturday. The Mar iuis of Breadalbane presided, and among the noble n n and gentlemen present were the Marquis of rownshend, Earl Fortescue, the Earl of Harrington, Earl Fitzwilliam, the Earl of Zetland, Viscount Rayuham, M.P., Mr. R. Monckton Milnes, M.P., &c. l'he noble chairman, in his address, urged patriotic Poles to be guided by prudence and moderation, though he must express his regret that the events of he last year afforded no ground of congratulation, as ie believed it might truly be said that the great Polish question had made no progress either in the war or ly the peace. Yet it might be that the restoration of Poland was destined to take place under peaceable rather than war influences. Earl Fortescue moved a resolution expressing a determination "to wait .vents, in the anxious hope that something may yet ice done for the Polish nation, if not commensurate with its wants and wishes, yet permanently condu cive to Its general prosperity, and not inconsistent with its national honour." The report was then read by Mr. Birkbeck, by which it appeared that the unds of the society last year derived a clear profit if 4851. 18s. Od. from the concert given last season by the Princes Marcelline Czartoryski at the house •,f the Marquis of Breadalbane. The total income ,f the association for the current year had amounted o 7391. 1-As. 6d., and the expenditure to 8901., of which 2181. Ils. only had been expended in relieving 535 cases of distress. The report concluded by asserting the determination of tne association to fulfil its primary duty of proclaiming the truth respecting Poland. THE SUNDAY BAND QuzSTION was practically tested last Sunday by the performance of private bands in Hyde and Victoria Parks, and on Primrose hill. In Hyde park the performance was quite a failure, for very few persons cared to listen to it. On Primrose-hill and in Victoria-park the perfor mances were more attended to. The conduct of the people was in general very orderly, except in Hyde park, which ground the "roughs" usually appear to consider their own especial property when any pub lic display is to be made. Three deputations hai waited upon Lord Palmerston on Saturday, to hear his lordship's opinion upon the question. Lord Pal merston, atter having listened to evelything the de putations had to urge, remarked that he entirely concurred with the playing of bands on Sunda2,s, but that on the representation of the head of the Church, and of the expressed feelings of a large !lumber of the community whose opinions were en titled to respect, he felt it. his duty to restore matters to the status quo ante ; and, as he did not think it right for the Government to issue an order this week, countermand it the next, and reorder it a fortnight after, he could hold out no expectations that the Government would under present circumstances re -.cind their recent decision upon the subject. The deputations then inquired if the police would inter fere with the performances of private Lands, but Lord Palmerston referred them for a reply to Sir George Grey, and concluded the interview. THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL'S RETURNS for the past week show 1,041 deaths, and 1,704 births. THE SANITARY STATE OF THE CITY, from Dr. Letheby's report, presented on Tuesday to the City Commission of Sewers, does not appear yrt to be quite " odeur de rose." On the south side of Hol born, extending from Shoe-lane to near Farringdon street lies Plumtree-court. It is (says Dr. Letbe b y ) about' 240 feet long and from Mt. to 12ft. 9in. wide. In this court are twenty-five houses, each house occu pied by many tenants. Dr. Letheby last week in spected the court at an early hour in the morning, and found as follows : _ _ . I At No. 2M, on the ground floor, there was a small fron t room having an area of about 700 cubic feet, in which there were two wretched beds, from which live adult s and four children had just arisen ; behind this was another dark den, of 640 cubic feet in aria, on the floor of which there were three heaps of rags. where two men, one woman, it 3.4 two children were than lying. They were huddled together without the suasnest regard to decency, and I was informed THE PRESS. ~--,