The Press.
London, England, 1853-05-14 00:00:00

e:ourt anb lasbion.

I ler Majesty remains still at ',shortie. house
taking daily &hes and walks when the weather tier
wits. The noble Secretary for Foreign Atlairs paid
a brief vist to his royal mistress early in the week,
returning to town on Wednesday last.
The Countess of Clarendon gave a grand ball tin
Monday evening at the official residence of the Fo-
reign Secretary. in Downing-street.
The Earl of Roast., as President of the fltt
Soeiety, gave his second saiKe this season at his
lordship's residence, Connaught-platy, on Saturday.
A very numerous party of the leading scientific and
literary men of the day honoured his lordship with
their prestinee. Many of the leading peers and a
few of the beau morale were likewise among the etan
patty. The third and usually the last soiree takes
place on Saturday, the 21st.
Workmen have been engaged during the week in
renovating the ornamental work and easing of that.
portion of the front of Buckingham Palace immedi
ately over and atUoining the principal variative. This
operation has been considenill necessary in
quenee of it having been ascertained that much of
the stonework was in the first stage of decay.
We are sorry to learn that the Puke of Devon.
shire has been obliged, trout a slight illness, to sus
pent) the hospitalities at Doonshire.house fur the
present. It is said that his grace intends to give a
magnificent fife in the course of next month, to
celebrate the MHO of Lady Louisa Cavendish, eldest
(laughter of the Earl of Burlington (the heir pre
sumptive to the dukedom 1, who is to he presented at
her Majesty's first drawing-nsaa.

THE LATE I►t•lu: or Wm.itNoroN's WILL has been
proved and letters of tultitinistration taken out in the
Canterbury Prerogative Court, by hilt eldest. son, the
present duke, the executors originally appointed,
namely, Lent I►erby, the Speaker, and Mr. I►israeli,
having renounced that. office. 'L'he will was written
under very peeuliar eiretunstanism, upwards of :15 years
ago, and displays evident h'at'es of the agitation
under which it was drawn mi. It is dated February
17, Isis, and wits wtitteu in fans by the duke him
self, who accounts for that circumstance in the follow
ing remark which forms the preamble :—" An attempt
hit% ing been made to assassinate tile on the eight of the
1(1th inst. t Feb. 10, 1M1s), whit.), may be repeated
with meccas, and being desirous of settling my
worldly affairs, and there being no proftissional person
in Paris to whom I can entrust. the task of drawing
my will, I now draw it myself in my own handwriting."
Ilia grace then direets that an annuity of 1,000/. shall
be paid to his aeismil son, I.ttnl Charles Wellesley.
who, however, has the option of claiming a smn of
20,000/. as an equivalent. Apsley house, and the
furniture therein, noney invested in the funds and
Exchequer Hills, are thins to he disposed of
The money is directed to be laid out in the purch►tse
of an estate, which, together with Apsley-house and
its contents, are given to the present duke for life.
with remainders over to his issue, and, in default of
issue, to Lord Charles Wellesley, and his issue in
like manner. In ease of the death of both sons,
without. heirs male, the property passes over tAI the
descendants of the brothers of the late duke. Cer-
tain perminal property, which his grace designates as
" money given nai by the nation," or any estates
which may be purchased with melt money, are
directed to pass under trusts very similar to those of
the foregoing. The wording of the will is very
involved, and the residue, which, owing to the lapse
of time, must have greatly aecumulated, is un•

disposed of.
fu.. UHATitottNi: and Mom*: were released front
Warwick gaol on Wednesday la.st,without the pay went
of costs, by order of the Master of the Rolls, the two
rev. defendants having given up all the property they.
were possessed of, amounting to about 2001.
THE former Australian mail packet contract having
been anulled, the Post-office authorities have an•
nounced their readiness to receive tenders for the
performance of the postal service between England
and Australia. The contract is open to steamers Or
sailing vessels, voyaging by any route, and making
either London, Liverpool, Plymouth, or Southampton
the pert of departure. A thonsand pounds will be
!laid for each voyage out, and the candidate who
molertakes to perfortn it in the shortest time will be
accepted, other requisites being fulfilled. Penalties
for non-perfonnance of contrail as to time, itc., will
be strictly enforced.

1

32

THE NUMBER 4)b' HALYPENNY STAMI'I issued to all
newspapers in the United Kingdom during the year
1M52 is shown by a return just issued to be 10,59m,tar2.
lif these, England absorbed 10,217,041; Scotland,
235 710 ; Ireland, 135,410; and Wales, 11,41 m. The
lota profit to the Exchequer amounted to 314:0421.
Ills. 2d.
Fon BOOKS imported into the 1-nit:.d
Kingdom during last year the duty paid wits 7,:r2:d.

ls. 7d.
T►►r: Lord Mayor and Court of Aldermen have
decided on declining the invitation received from the
Dublin industrial Exhibition committee to visit the

Irish metropolis.
Tile recent improvement in the public health,
weorling to the Registrar I; eneral'a report, seems to
have been arrested by the return of unfavourable
weather. The deaths in London, which liad fallen
in the previous week to 1,081, rose again hi the week
ending lust Saturday to 1,159. lu the ten corm
spending weeks of the years 1.843-52 the number, if
raised in proportion to increase of population, was
1,010. Hence it appears that the actual mortality
exceeds by 119 the estimated average.
THE Morning Chronicle "understands" that an
energetic movement is in silent but effective progress
among those friends of civil and religious liberty who
feel indignant at the course pursued by the House
of Lords in rejecting, for the sevedth time, the pro-
posal affirmed by nineteen majorities of the House of
Common's for the removal of Jewish disabilities. An
olive has been opened, necording to our contempo-
rary, where communications and suggestion' front
persons " interested in the promotion of this great
object" will be thankfully received.
THE FEES paid in the County Courts, according to
a return just issued by the House of Lords, amounted
to 1,200,8011., on account of summonses to recover
claims whose gross aggregate was no more than
(1,777,3721.
A mu:strict:Yr and unique present has just been
forwarded by the Hope, front Bristol, to rut African
Prince, the prime minister of the King of Dahomey,
with a view to induce that monarch to encourage a
legitimate trade with this country in palm oil, &e.,
instead of pursuing, as at present, the infamous and
debasing slave trade. The present, which has been
forwarded by Mr. John Wood, an Af:ican no reliant,
of Bristol, consists of a silver hip and shower bath,
weighing 1,330 ounces, standing nearly eight f...0t in
height, and valued at nearly I,oolii.
ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHS have been laid down from
the House of Commons to various clubs at. the West-
end by the European and American Telegraph Com-
pany, and were put in operation for the first time on
Nlondny evening. They are also to be extended to
the office of the company in Conthill, and subse-
quently to other clubs. Each institution is to pay lid.
per message, and also a fixed annual sum.
lr is understood that the scat on the bench of the
Scotch Court of Session vacated by the resignation
of Lord Cuninghame is to be b.:stowed upon Mr. Dens.
This gentleman was called to the bar in 1628, was
appointed Sheriff of Ross-shire in 1850, and held the
office of her Majesty's Solicitor-General for Scotland
from April, 1851, till the fall of Lord John Russell's
Government, in February, 1852.
Is onumt to " further diminish the expenses of
elections," Mr. C. Berkeley has introduced a bill
which has just been printed by order of the House
of Commons. It provides that no band is to be
engaged to play—no flag exhibited—or the candidates
are to be disqualified. A person playing in such a
i,und, or mounting Nag, is to be liable to 101. Any
agent of a candidate employed in getting up a band
or flag to forfeit 50!. The fees of returning officers
are not to exceed 101. besides the stamp duty, an]
in
future special constables aro only to be paid 3s. (Id.

a day. -
THE BAVARIAN Government has announced that the
privilege accorded to English travellers by the minis-
tetial ordinance of April, 1140, is withdrawn, and that
itt future they must, tf they would travel in Bavaria,
have their pa:)ers rich like other strangers.
A DE ITTATION in support of a bill for medical re•
form, prepared by a committee of the Association
represented by the deputation, hail an interview with
the Earl of Aberdeen on Thumlay at his official
residence in Downing-street.
Tut: REv. Da. SAUNDERS, WllO has just been ap-
pointed to the Deanery of Peterborough, was private
tutor to the present Chancellor of the Exchequer,
Mr. tiladstone, and to the Secretary for the Colonies,
the Duke of Newcastle, whilst they were resident at
Oxford, and irepared them for the schools. They
read with hint together in the long vacations.
Ax °mei AL NoTtrievrios from the Post Ake states
that the " Postmastet- ieneral is taltin,.: measurea for es•
tabli4hing x money-order stem between this country and
the eol,mi.'S. do flit' it" M 0..: to the receipt and p:iyment
of money in the rubrics. HIM tlt its transnik,,ioo to and
frail the United Kingdom. his lordship intends to avail
hi.nself of the alettey of ItraiitAry 11::iilts. except in :17iy came
where the colonial postal 11111111V1111.11114 are ma under his
direction. and where the antliorilies of the INtiony laity pre.
fer t I Lindens:iv this business thrushes. •rhe receipt
and payment of money iu the inotlwr c 'luau will form a