The Press. — London, England, 1857-06-06 00:00:00

554 Court nb lastion. THE GRAND DUKE CONSTANTINE. His IMPERIAL HIGHNESS paid a brief visit to her Majesty the Queen at Osborne on Saturday last, returning to the Continent at daylight on the Monday following. The Admiralty yacht had been despatched to Cherbourg to bring over the Prince, who slept on board on Friday night, the yacht, putting to sea at six a.m. on Saturday morning. No salutes were fired either by the garrison or ships in port as the Osborne steamed out. While en route, after breakfast, his Highness expressed a wish that the officers of the Osborne should be presented to him, and Captain Seymour accordingly presented the different officers of the ship, among them Mr. G. H. K. Bower, Master, R.N., commanding the Osborne (who was toaster of the Agamemnon, under Admiral Lyons, when she " went in " at Sebastopol, at the bombardment), and whom the Grand Duke asked if be did not find himself in a very "hot berth." The reply of the gallant officer is not recorded. The yacht, making a remarkably quick passage across, arrived off Hurst Castle by half-past twelve, and was saluted by the garrison with twentyone guns. A look-out man was stationed at Hurst Castle, by whom the approach of the yacht was signalled to Osborne, and her Majesty was thus informed of the arrival of her Imperial visitor almost as soon as the Osborne came in sight. Near Cowes was lying the United States' paddle wheel frigate Susquehanna, recently arrived in order to assist in laying down the Atlantic submarine telegraph cable. This was the first vessel to salute the Grand Duke on his arrival in England. The Osborne neared her at 12.55, when Captain Sands immediately beat to quarters, manned yards, and saluted with twenty-one guns in good style. The royal yacht squadron battery at Cowes also saluted as the Osborne passed, and soon after her Majesty's ship Eurydice anchored near Osborne, paid the same cimpliment, with manned yards and ship dressed. The yacht arrived off Osborne at 1.25. Captain the Hon. Joseph Denman immediately put off in the Queen's barge, and landed his Highness at Osborne pier, where is Royal Highness Prince Albert, accompanied by the Prince of Wales and Prince Alfred, received the Grand Duke. The guard of honour was from the 93rd Highlanders, and his Highness looked at them with an expression of con siderable interest and admiration. M. de Sabouroff, M. de Golovnine, M. de Haurowitz, Colonel de Greig, aide-de-camp, Prince Ouchtomsky, and eleven inferior attendants, landed with the Duke. The royal party and the suite immediately got into her Majesty's carriages in waiting, and drove to the house, the Grand Duke, the Prince, the Prince of Wales, and Prince Alfred occupying the first carriage. The Queen, accompanied by the Princesses, the Duchess of Kent, and the Duke of Cambridge, aid attended by the Earl of Clarendon and by the Ladies and Gentlemen in Waiting, received the Grand Duke at the hall door. After the %twat introductions the royal party lunched, and in the afternoon the Queen and Prince, accom psnied by the Grand Duke and the Duke of Cambridge, walked and drove in the grounds. In the evening the royal dinner party included his Imperial Highness the Grand Duke Constantine, their Royal Highnesses the Duchess of Kent, the Princess Royal, and the Duke of Cambridge, his Serene Highness Prince Leiningen, the Russian Minister and Countess Chreptowitch, the Earl of Clarendon, Viscount Palmerston, Lady A. Bruce, Captain J. H. Seymour, R.N., M. de Sabouroff, M. de Golovnine, M. de Haurowitz, Colonel Greig, and Prince Ouchtomsky, in waiting to the Grand Duke, and Colonel Tyrwhitt. On Sunday, his Imperial Highness spent the morning in his own apartments, and gave audiences to Viscount Palmerston and to Lord Clarendon. In the afternoon, her Majesty, accompanied by Prince Albert, the Grand Duke, and the Duke of Cambridge, embarked on board the royal yacht, which at once stood away towards Spithead. The keen look-out kept on board the squadron de tected the royal yacht before she had moved two lengths from Osborne. The ships were moored in two lines, and the Colossus, Exmouth, Archer, Malacca, and Brisk, beat to quarters, and got ready to salute, while the crews of the Vesuvius, Devasta tion, Volcano, Rolla, and Sealark stood ready to man yards. As the royal yacht approached, with the Russian ensign at the fore and the Royal standard at the main, the salute was thundered out from the squadron with manned yards, and with the standards of Russia and England at the fore and main. The unwonted sound of a royal salute from the squadron on a Sunday afternoon brought all the loungers of Portsmouth to the beach. The yacht then stood well out to tea. It had been intended that the royal party should have {node it trip round the islt►nd, but a stiff breeze THE PRESS. blew outside, with a heavy swell, so that after steam ing out about twenty wiles the yacht's head was put about, and she returned through Spithead, the same ceremonies being observed as she repassed the squadron. The royal party were landed at Osborne pier at seven p.m. The dinner party included the same names as on the previous day, and at eleven that evening his Imperial Highness the Grand Duke took leave of the Queen, and, accompanied by Prince Albert, embarked on board the Osborne for the night. His Royal High ness Prince Albert returned to Osborne, and at five a.m. on Monday the yacht weighed and left, under a salute of twenty one guns from the "R. Y. S." battery at Cowes. As she approached Spithead, with the Grand Duke's standard at the main, the Exmouth, 90 gun ship, led off a general royal salute from the squadron at Spithead, all with mastheads dressed. By a quarter to six the Osborne was out of sight from Port,mouth, and steaming away at full speed for Calais, where she arrived safely at seven p.m., and landed his Imperial Highness, who on Tuesday morning proceeded by rail to Antwerp, en route to the Hague and Hanover. Her Majesty and the Court returned to town on Thursday from Osborne. The Queen holds her first drawing-room this season to-day (Saturday) et St. James's Palace. It is expected that the Queen will proceed on Tuesday, the 9th of June, to Windsor Castle, where her Majesty will dispense the usual royal hosp►tali ties during the Ascot races. The following Court receptions have also been appointed :—Thursday, June 18, Queen's levee at St. James's ; Friday, June 19, concert at Bucking ham Palace; Tuesday, June 23, Queen's second drawing room at St. James's; Wednesday, June 24, Queen's state ball at Buckingham Palace ; Friday, July 3, concert at Buckingham Palace ; Thursday, July 9, Queen's state ball at Buckingham Palace. Viscount and Viscountess Palmerston arrived in town on Thursday from Broadlands. Viscount Stratford de Bedeliffe and the Hon. Miss Canning have arrived in town from Constantinople, with the intention of passing a few months in this country. Miss Burdett Coutta has arrived in town for the season. Earl Fitzbardinge is dying. The noble earl bas been reconciled to Mr. Grantley Berkeley. Volittral. MR. WILLIAM BLANSHARD, of the Northern Circuit, has been appointed Recorder of Doncaster, in the room of the late Mr. Robert Hall, M.P. THE ELECTION COMMITTEE CH kIRMEN have been chosen as follow :—Sir J. Y. Buller, Mr. J. M. Cobbett, Mr. Deasy, Mr. E. C. Egerton, Mr. E. Ellice, junior, Mr. Milnes Gaskell, Mr. G. A. Hamil ton, Mr. Gathorne Hardy, Mr. T. E. Headlam, Mr. Ingham, Mr. Scholefield, Mr. tier Seymer. The five panels from which the members to serve on committees are chosen have been drawn as follows : No. 1, E ; No. 2, D ; No. 3, C ; No. 4, B ; No. 5, A. THE CONFIRMATION OF THE HON. J. T. PELH.AM as Bishop of Norwich, was celebrated at Bow Church, Cheapside, on Thursday. The proceedings were only formal. Her Majesty's writ for the election, the record of the election by the dean and chapter, and the decree of the Archbishop of Canterbury, were read and subscribed by the vicar-general. The bishop elect then took and subscribed the oaths of supremacy, abjuration, simony, and canonical obedience. There remain two other ceremonies— viz., the consecration and enthronement of the new prelate. A PUBLIC MEETING OF BEERSF.LLERS wag held on Tuesday at the London Tavern, to concert measures for securing the rejection of Mr. Hardy's Beer Bill. The principal arguments adduced by the different speakers against the bill were—first, it was not re quired, as it was an incontestable fact that drunken ness was on the decrease ; and, secondly, that it would ruin the prospects and confiscate the property of the 40,000 persons now engaged in the beer trade. Several speakers addressed the meeting, urging the utmost resistance to the bill, but Mr. Bishop, the secretary, said that having recently corresponded on this sub ject with the trade in several large towns, he was sorry to find that great indifference prevailed among them with regard to Mr. Hardy's bill, and that the general feeling was that it would not dolthebeerseller much injury. Resolutions in accordance with the object of the meeting were then carried, and the proceedings terminated. THE ENFIELD SMALL-ARMS FACTORY, it appears from an official report, cost in the gross total amount of money expended from the Ist day of January, 1854, to the 31st day of March, 1837 (31 years), 240,5931., including 75,9801. for buildings, 64,667/. for machinery, 27,2701. for Moro ; 4,7161. for salaries ? and 67,9521, for wades, SATURDAY, THE CIVIL SERVICE ESTIMATES (NOS. 1 and 2) have been published. No. 1 is the estimate for public works and buildings, which amounts in toto to 919,4521., equivalent to an increase of 21,882/. 43 compared with 1856. The items run thus—viz., 196,1461. for public buildings and royal palaces (Great Britain), 116,3451. for royal parks and gardens, Ste., 162,861/. for the new Houses of Parini. ment, 120,0001. for Holyhead Harbour, 224.0001. for harbours of refuge, 443/. for Port Patrick H ar b our, 77,557/. for public buildings in Ireland, and 22,1001. fur Kingstown Harbour. No. 2 includes the salaries and expenses of public departments, which form a grand total amount of 1,509,1161., against 1,514,•203/. tor the year 1850. THE BALLOT SOCIETY met on Tuesday, and passed the following resolutions in reference to the parliamentary proceedings of the session : That this committee desire to record their conviction that the motion to be made by Lord R. Cecil on Thursday next, for a committee to inquire into the expediency of collecting the votes at elections in counties and univet. sines by way of voting•papers, ought to be opposed by every member of Parliament favourable to the ballot. That Mr. Berkeley, M.P., be requested to bring on motion for the ballot it possible on Tuesday, June 30th, tirorolitan. THE FIRST YACHT MATCH of the season of any importance came off on Tuesday, and was well con tested by all the crack yachts of the Thames Club. A fine day brought but light, variable winds. At 1112, Lord Clarence Paget having reached Erith, the signal gun was fired, and the eight contesting yachts were under way in a moment. From Erith to the Nore the lead was held now by one, then by another, till at length the famous Mosquito (Thomas Groves, Jun., Esq.) overhauled the Emmett, gave chase and passed the Extravaganza, and, rounding the Nore Light first by 50 secs., held her lead the whole way home, coming in the winner by Din. 385., the Extrava ganza, Thought, and Emmett following at short intervals. Lord Clarence Paget then presented the prizes,—a 100• guinea tankard for the first prize, and a 50. guinea claret-jug for the second—when the pro ceedings of the day terminated. THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE DWELLINGS OF THE LABOURING CLASSES has been taken up by an asso ciation, under the Labourers' Dwelling Act, 1855, which is about to erect " The Strand-buildings," a model lodging-house, in Eagle-court, Angel-court, Strand. The object of the company is to prove that investments in the erection of improved labourers' dwellings can be made profitable when the neigh bourhood and site are judiciously selected. A more fit and appropriate site than Eagle•court for the experiment it would be difficult to find in the metro• polis. The neighbourhood is densely populated, and the rents paid for inadequate accommodation extremely high. The site has been granted by the Duke of Bedford to Viscount Ingestre, M.P., the chairman and promoter of the company, upon highly advantageous terms. THE ASSOCIATION IN Am OF THE DEAF AND DUMB held their annual meeting on Saturday after noon, at Willis's-rooms. Lord R. Grosvenor pre sided. The report was highly satisfactory. An address prepared by Mr. Bather, a deaf mute gen tleman, who holds a responsible situation in the Admiralty, was afterwards read to the meeting, and was justly applauded for the soundness of its rea soning and the force and propriety of its diction. This address, and all the speeches on the occasion, were interpreted with the fingers for the benefit of the deaf and dumb present in the room. THE RIVER last Monday presented the most ani mated appearance, from the large arrival of grain and timber vessels from various ports in the north of Europe. About 150 came up, all under canvas. The larger portion of these vessels were from the Baltic ports, and had been frozen in during the winter. They have brought some thousand quarters of grain. Such a large importation, almost in one tide, has not been known for some time. Most of the fleet went into the West India Docks to discharge. A FANCY SALE is now holding at Willis's-rooms, under very distinguished patronage, in aid of the funds for carrying on the objects of the Refuge for Homeless Boys and the Ragged Schools m St. George's, Southwark. There can be no question as to the good done by institutions which teach 2,000 children and adults not only reading and writing, but shoemaking, tailoring, knitting, and sewing. It is proposed, we believe, to build a new school-room, and we trust that the receipts of the sale will be sufficient to meet the wants of the charity. SOME UNFORTUNATE RAILWAY ACCIDENTS have happened in and about London within this week. At the Eastern Counties station on Sunday nigh one passenger, in his foolish haste to jump out be fore the train stopped, tripped and fell in between the carriage•steps and the platform, and of course was so horribly crushed that he died soon after. On Tuesday a guard, named rage, of tilo Islewort4