The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-03-10 00:00:00

THE COURT

BUCKINGHAM PALACE, FRIDAY.—The Queen and
Prince Albert, with the Princess Royal and the Princess
Alice, attended by Major-general Buckley, and Captain
the Hon. D. de Ros, honoured the Baron Marochetti with
a visit yesterday afternoon, at his studio, in Onstow-
square, Brompton. Prince Albert rode on horseback in
the morning, with the Prince of Wales and Prince Alfred.
Her Majesty and Prince Albert, accompanied by Prince
Arthur and the Princess Helena and Louisa, honoured
the Pr'ncess's Theatre with their presence in the

evening.

SATURDAY.—Her Majesty and his Royal Highness
Prince Albert, accompanied by Prince Alfred and the
Princess Helena, left the Palace at a quarter before four

o'clock in the afternoon, in an open carriage and four,
attended by two equerries on horseback, and drove to the
Botanical Gardens in the Regent's Park, and after a
promenade through the grounds returned to the palace.
having been absent about an hour. His Royal Highness
Prince Albert afterwards rode out on horseback till two

Her Hi

the Prine

ss Gauromma, of

Coorg, (to whom her Majesty was pleased to stand
sponsor on her arrival in this country,) arrived in the
afternoon, attended by Mrs. Drummond, to pay a visit
to the elder members of the Royal Family. In the after-
noon the Princess Royal and the Princess Alice accom-
panied by the Princess Gauromma, walked in the gardens
of the palace, Prince Arthur and the Princess Louisa
were also out in the grounds. Her Majesty received a
distinguished party at dinner in the evening. On Wed-
nesday next the third levee of the season will be held at
St. James's Palace; and on Monday week the court will
leave town for Windsor Castle.

CABINET COUNCIL.—On Saturday, the whole of the
Ministers met in Cabinet Council at the Foreign Office
including Earl Granville, who was sufficiently recovered
from his late serious indisposition to be present. Lord
Granville, was confined to his bed for some days, but his
recovery has been very rapid.

FIRE AT DRURY-LANE THEATRE.—This splendid estab
lishment was last night, between nine and ten o'clock, and
during the performance, discovered to be on fire; but timely
aid checked its career before any particular damage was
done. Mr. Braidwood, the Superintendent of the Fire
Brigade, was afterwards sent for by the lessee, Mr. Smith,
aad a strict inquiry instituted into the origin. The result,
however, has not been permitted to transpire. Neither the
theatre, nor its contents, are insured.—Shipping Gazette of
Saturday.

ATTEMPT To Comurr SexclDE•--On Saturday a woman,
named Margaret Thomas, was brought before the count

magistrates by Mr. Gough, governor- of the West Derby
workhouse, charged with attempting to commit suicide by
throwing herself into the canal on Wednesday evening
last. Several of the woman's friends offered to take charge
of her for the future if she were given up to their care, and
Mr. Gough was accordingly ordered to deliver her up to
them. It appeared that the woman has a husband in
Australia, and had been a long time expecting a letter from
him. Not receiving it her mind became so affected that
she resolved on drowning herself. She threw herself into
the canal near Vauxhall-road, but the water being very
shallow she was easily rescued. She is about 38 years of
age.
SOIREE AT TIIE FREE LIBRARY.—On Saturday evening
Mr. Picton, T. C., and chairman of the Free Library Com-
mittee, gave a soiree at the library, Duke Street, to some
thirty or forty literary, professional, scientific, and other
gentlemen. All the splendid works, illustrated volumes.
and literary treasures of the library, were laid out in the
most profuse manner for inspection. The extent and
value, the beauty and variety, of the works belonging to
this admirable institution are hardly known to the public.
We were, we imagined, pretty well aware of the contents
of the library, but until Saturday evening we had no con
ception of the splendour of the works of art, literary merit,
MSS;, and other rare productions, both of pen and pencil,
contained in the library. When we consider all these
things, and that the general public have free access to
this invaluable collection, for reference or reading, and also
the value of two free lending libraries attached, we
cannot exaggerate the praise due to all concerned in the
diffusion of such benefits to the people of the town. There
are MSS. of Roscoe and Burns—the latter are raro and
interesting. The volumes of works of art are treasures not
to be met with every day. After tea and coffee had teen
served at seven o'clock, an interesting conversation took
place, during which Mr. Picton entered into some satisfac-
tory details of the working of the library. The company
then inspected the whole building, and the different apart-
ments were deservedly admired, aq was also the model of
Rome. An agreeable and instructive evening was spent,

and soon after nine o'clock the company began"to separate,
thanking Mr. Picton for the intellectual treat they had
enjoyed.

THE WONDERFUL TRAVELS OF A LADY'S SILK APRON!—
arcs of a lady's fan have been poetised, and
mething in plain prose hae appeared aLeut a " bustle ;"
cart bonnets have been immortalised by our friend Punch,
id petticaats by Lord Byron. Garters have attracted the
..3tice of kings, and " high-heeled shoes" had their days of
veneration: Every schoolboy knows the little incident that
led to the Honi sot/ Ssc., and the order of the garter, and it
is just possible that the following small affair may lead to
results, in time to come, as astonishing. Should such be
the case, Pat Gallagher and John Donald will have the
honour of being the means of introducing an entirely new
order of knighthood—and why should they not ? The name
of that order, however, must be kept aitogether in the
bands of the ladies—as, properly, it should. A lady's silk
apron is the subject of the present theme, the following
being the history. It would be impossible to say if the
worms were hallowed that did breed the silk of which the
apron was composed ; but, on the undoubted authority of
policeman 650, of the Liverpool force, the apron certainly
bred a fight between John Donald and Pat Gallagher.
John is a fine looking Scotchman, with an accent as broad
as his face; and Pat Gallagher might be descended from a
female relation of Brian Born, by the nsother;s side, and, in
his own way, Pat's accent smacked of as fine a brogue as
could have been worn by his ancestor Brian. Pat had been
out spending the evening with Peggy Shea, who, sometime
after Lent, is destined to change her name ; and Mr.
Donald was perambulating the streets on his own account,
when, what should he see lying on the footway but a little
black apron. He picked it up, and examined it. It was a
curiouslyamewco
osrrtoduriegnmhg
ltoytce. o nue!
voeitr,inDo,no
naoanfi
di a
phhpeeri
noapgt
roai
anntcihenagcna
emt
shtee
mt o a
na, cho
and-
" article"
to his own use and benefit, although, had he done so, it
might have saved him a black eye, and 5s into the bargain.
Man is very short-sighted in his speculations, and what he
may intend for the best, often turns to the worst account.
Looking about him, he saw a group of three persons standing
at a corner of Tithebarn-street. This trio consisted of Pat
Gallagher, Peggy Shea, and " another lady." Ile stepped
up to Miss Shea, and holding out the little black apron—
like afl ,g of truce—politely asked her if the commodity
belonged to her ? This was by no means an impertinent
nor unreasonable query, nor did Miss Peggy think it was.
She curtesyed to the gentleman, and thanking him, said it
was not her property. " Then," replied M'Donald, " will
you please to accept it, as I gathered it up hard by." Now
this was good nature, and so thought Peggy, but she
declined the proferred gift. The " other lady" took the
affair in a different light, and declared it was an insult, and
that Pat was "no man" to stand it. Pat was not very
pugnacious, but being put on his metal, he used some
unbecoming language towards the Scotchman, who instantly
knocked him down. Whether he " sarved him right" or
not, must be left to another tribunal. Pat, on regaining
his feet, gave the poor Scotchman a polthouge in the eye,
which shut out daylight in that quarter, and put it into
mourning—blacker than the little black apron—for at least
ten days to come. Some " amusement"—according to
Pat's declaration—followed, and goodness knows how lone
the " amusement" might have lasted, had not officer 650
come up, and by impertinent interference put an end to the
"sport," by hustling both gentlemen into the main
bridewell, where they liy without " bail or mainprize" until
brought before Mr. Mansfield next morning. The Scotch-
man frankly admitted that he struck the first blow, and
Pat was equally sincere in his acknowledgment of having
closed the Scotchman's " peeper." The latter was fined
five shillings, and Pat was discharged. Some of the
detectives went in search of the unlucky little black apron,
but all their sagacity could not detect it. They say if it
can be found, that they will subscribe and get a frame made
into which they will put it, with full length portraits of
Messrs. Donald and Gallagher, with a suitable poetic
inscription, which they have employed " General Kennedy,"
one of their body, to write for the " memorial l"

Fhe advent