The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-05-10 00:00:00

HER MAJESTY'S STATE BALL

The Queen gave a grand State Ball on Thursday evening
at Buckingham Palace, to which a party of 1,900 were
invited, comprising the royal family, the whole of the
diplomatic corps, foreigners of distinction at present stay-
ing in this country, the ministers and officers of state, the
ladies and gentlemen of the royal household, together
with a numerous party of the nobility and gentry.
On this occasion the new state rooms lately added to
the Palace were opened, in addition to the ordinary state
apartments. The Grand Hall, Staircase, Picture Gallery,
and Drawing-rooms were illuminated and decorated in
the usual manner. _ _ .

A. branch of the Grand Staircase of the Palace leads to I ,
the first apartment, called the Promenade Gallery ; a ,
room of 95 feet in length and 31 in height, with a covered
roof from which the apartment receives its light. The
lower part represents an open gallery, with vases filled
with flowers under its arches ; above these a series of
panels has been introduced, with chiaro—oscuro paintings
of children. Eight colossal classical busts by Mr. W.
Theed, are placed along the walls on marble columns. ,
This gallery admits on one side to a new ante room
to the state apartments, and on the other to the Ban-
quetting Room. The principal exit, however, is by f ;
a large and richly-gilt folding door into the ball
and concert room, opposite the staircase entrance.
The ball and concert room itself is an oblong square,
measuring 112 feet by GO without the two recesses at the
east and west ends ; the height is 48 feet. At the end
towards the west a bold arch, supported by Corinthian
columns and surmounted by emblematical figures of Fame
holding a medallion, upon which are the profiles of the
Queen and Prince, rises above her Majesty's seat. The
lunette formed by this arch will ultimately be filled with
a copy from Raphael's Parnassus. For the present
occasion, however, it hos been decorated by an allegorical
11 composition representing " Britannia sanctioning Peace,"
exemplified by children with branches of olive, while a
rising lion indicates the watchfulness and sttength of the
nation. At the opposite end, another arch, but without
enrichments, confines a similar recess, containing the
orchestra and a richly decorated organ; at the foot of
this, and along the two sides of the room, a triple row
of seats covered with red silk extends. The roof of this
apartment rests on a wide cove, enriched with stuccoes
Below the cove, a cornice and frieze, richly ornamented
in stucco, separate the walls from the ceiling. The
upper part of each of the two side walls is divided into
thirteen compartments, seven of which are the windows,
which at night are filled with gas light, and six are sur-
rounded with large borders, and represent figures of
the Hours, taken from sketches by Raphael, and exe-
cuted above life size, by Professor N. Canzoni, at Rome,
where the originals are existing; within similar spaces on
the sides of the arches the arms of Great Britain are sus-
pended from flower and fruit knots; arabesques on gold
ground and marble panels fill the other spaces in the
corners, while the four spandrils formed by the arches
contain four cupids from Raphael's frescoes in the Far-
nesina Palace. The whole of the length of the lower part
of the two side walls is covered with a rich silk, decorated
with the national devices in flowers, and executed from
Mr. Gruner's designs by Messrs Jackson and Graham.
On the north side of this apartment are two large doors
with sculptures by Mr. Theed, of which the one is that
leading from the promenade gallery, and the other open-
ing into a similar room, called the approach gallery, and
through which the state dining-room of the palace is
reached. Opposite to each of these doors is the ball and
concert room. A mirror of the largest size, viz., 10 feet
by 15, has been placed to correspond with the doors. The
ten candelabra of gilt bronze which are placed at the two
sides of the seats of her Majesty and the royal family,
and at the sides of each of the doors and mirrors, as also
the two lustres in the recess on the west end, have been
executed by Messrs. Barbadienne and Co., from Mr.
Gruner's design. Each of these candelabra supports
forty-three wax candles. Thus for the upper part of the
room the soft clear gaslight is used, and for the lower
part the mellow tone of the wax.
The Approach Gallery has its walls painted in imita-
tion of tapestry, divided by pilasters with scrolls, in the
style of Raphael; and the two ends, with hemi-cireles
arising from the curve of the roof, have been adorned
by Mr. Theed with large reliefs, representing the " Birth
of Venus." and " Venus Descending with the Armour for
Achilles," in life size. Round these high reliefs are
suspended knots of flowers and fruit, which descend to
the base of the doors. . _ _

The last of the five new apartments is the Banquetting
Room, which forms nearly a regular square of 66 feet, with
a dome in the centre, and measuring, from the floor to
the middle of the dome, 42 feet. A large blue tent,
sown with golden stars, and bordered by cords and
arabesques, extends over the whole of the doom. The
walls of the upper part of the room are divided into
panels alternately painted with Raphael arabesques in
colour upon a red ground, and with the Royal Arms in
chiaro-oscuro on a gold ground, each panel being sur-
rounded by a rich frame. The north and south -sides
contain a frieze in relief, each divided into one large and
two small compositions, of which the principal o
taken from Raphael's history of Psyche, to which Mr.
Gibson, the Royal Academician, has made some additions ;
the whole having been modelled and executed by Mr.
Theed. In the lower part, Mr. Moxon has executed a
variety of panels of various coloured marbles, as he has
also executed all the other marbles and guilding in the
whole building. This room is lighted by a gas lustre
descending from the dome, and four other smaller ones in
the corners of the roof. The most effective illumination,
however, is produced by the many candelabra on the
buffets and tables.
The general company began to arrive soon after nine
o'clock, and were ushered through the Grand Hall, which
was lined by the Yeomen of the Guard, commanded by
the E.xon in Waiting, to the State Saloons.
Shortly before ten o'clock the Queen and the Prince

Consort, with the Princess Royal, Duchess of Kent,
Duchess anti Princess Mary of Cambridge, and the Duke

of Cambridge, quitted the White Drawing Room, and
were conducted by the Marquis of Breadalbane (Lord
Chamberlain) through the Saloon or Music Room, Yellow
Drawing Room, Dinner Room, and Approach Gallery, to
the new Ball and Concert Room. The assembled com-
pany followed her Majesty and the royal circle into the
Ball and Concert Room.

A quadrille band of 34 performers, led by Mr. Laurent,
was stationed in the orchestra. The performers appeared
in new and handsome unifbrms of scarlet richly laced with
gold. After the National Anthem a quadrille was formed,
in which her Majesty opened the ball.
The Queen wore a dress of blue tulle over blue silk,
with three flounces, trimmed with ruches of alternate blue
and white tulle and broad white blonde, with branches of
blush roses, leaves, and stems, the whole dress ornamented
with diamonds. Her Majesty wore round her head a
circlet of diamonds.
The Vrincess Royal wore a skirt of ruches and bullions
of tulle over rich glace silk, tastefully trimmed with pink
roses. The body and sleeved to correspond. Tha princess
wore on her heada wreath of roses.

The Princess Vary of Gambridge wore a dress with
three skirts of white, tulle over a rich glace silk petticoat,
each skirt ornamented with satin ribbon and rich blonde.
The front of the dress was looped up with white and pink
moss roses and buds. A bouquet of torquoise, and a
diamond stomacher, and the sleeve ornaments to match.
A magnificent diamond necklace. The princess wore
round her head a wreath of pink and white roses and
buds, studded with diamonds.
His Royal Highness the Grand, Vizier appeared in a
very handsome Turkish uniform,: and Meer Jafeer Alee
appeared in an Eastern costume.
A succession of dances followed the opening quadrille,
which included
,

WALTZE

Les Vepres Sieiliennes
Russian Melodies

IL Laurent,
.Gungi.

POLKA,

Les Zouaves

H. Laurent

GALOP,

Malakhoff IL Laurent. --
V Shortly after midnight; the Queen and Royal Family
withdrew, and soon after the company broke up.

The garrison of Fermoy was thrown into iniescribable
horror and excitement at the dinner hour (one o'clock) en
Tuesday, by the cold-blooded murder of Sergeant Owen
Guinea, of the 68th Light Infantry, by Private Charles
Nl‘Cready of the same corps. The following particulars
are authentic :—M'Cready was confined on Sunday last for
some misdemeanour, an I, in a spirit of revenge, is said
to have ithen declared that he would " mark" the ser-
sergeant (Guinea) who had placed him under arrest. This
morning he was awarded the slight punishment of six
days' confinement to barracks for the offence referred to.
Nothing was said by him at the time, but between his
liberation from the guard-room and the arrival of the
customary dinner hour he contrived, unperceived, to load
his rifle. A short time before the hour for mess, Guinea
was combing his hair in front of the barrack window, pre-
paratory to joining his comrades at table, when M'Cready,
standing at the opposite window, raised his rifle to the hip,
and shot the sergeant in the left side, the ball passing
through the lower part of the abdomen, and lodging in the
wall immediately below the window sill. Medical aid was
promptly afforded, but the wound was mortal, and Guinea
expired in about twenty minutes, after enduring the greatest
agony. On being shot, the sergeant turned round and
exclaimed, " Oh ! oh ! ' and immediately fell. He became sud-
denly insensible, and remained so until death terminated his
sufferings. M'Cready was instantly seized. He remained

for some time near the dying man, and witnessed, unmoved,
his expiring struggles. At one moment, seeing a sergeant
who had perceived the escort to be unarmed, hand a
bayonet to one of them, the morderer exclaimed, "You
needn't fear, sergeant, if there were no one in the room I
wouldn't stir. I shot him, and I'm ready to swing for it !"
Not the least expression of sorrow or contrition for the
awful crime he bad committed was pereeptib!e in the pri-
soner's mariner. Sergeant Guinea was a most worthy non-
commissioned officer, had been nineteen years in the service,
and was highly esteemed by all ranks. M'Cready has been
handed over to the civil power.

ATTEMPT TO DESTROY SIX PERSONS

SUICIDE OF THE PERPETRATOR,

On Thursday morning, the inhabitants of Rochdale were
surprised by the intelligence of a deliberate attempt, by
Mr. James Taylor, landlord of the Boar's Head Inn, Baillie -
street, to destroy his wife's life, the life of his own babe,
and the lives of four other persons who visited his house
on Wednesday evening. Taylor is the natural son of the
late John Holland, formerly a magistrate of Rochdale, and
by trade a tallow chandler, who at his death left consider-
able sums of money to Taylor and his other brother and
sister, both of whom reside in Rochdale. It appears that
James Taylor, probably from a fondness for drink, chose
the trade of a publican, and fur some time past has kept the
Boar's Head Inn, opposite the Tweedale Hotel. For the
last two or three weeks he has been drinking to excess,
and it is supposed that he was suddenly seized
with delirium tremens on Wednesday morning last,
when he began to show a strangeness of conduct
to wards his wife, which caused her to feel great
alarm. She left home in dread, having no doubt seen
him in a similar state before, and went to her sister's named
Garnish, who keeps a beerhouse in Toad Lane, and there
she stayed till evening, when Taylor followed her and
asked her to go home with him. She hesitated, but Mr.
Barnish persuaded her to go, and she went with him, but
her fear of him caused her to get two men to stay with her
during the night, because, as far as we can learn, in such
fits he has been accastomed to ramble about more in the
night than in the day time. One of these men was called
Thomas Blomley, and when he went to the house it was
about half-past ten o'clock. Taylor filled him a pint of ale.
At the same time there was a man there called Thos. Healey,
and another called Brierley, to each of which he filled a
half pint of ale. Healey and Brierley complained of the
taste of the ale, and the former immediately began to vomit
and fell upon the floor. Blomley assisted in raising him,
after which he was taken home. Brierley then became
dizzy, and also went home; a few minutes after Blomley
became so affected that he immediately left and went to the
house of Mr. Burnish, in Toad Lane, where his wife was
staying. When he got there, he was unable to give any
account of what was amiss with him, and showed
a disposition to go out to the potty. The Burnishes
were astounded, and assistance was rendered to him,
while his wife went to the Boar's Head, to ask
what had been done to her husband. Site shortly afterwards
came back saying that Taylor had poisoned them all Mr.
Peter Johnson, who happened to he present, immediately
ran for a surgeon, and after a little delay Mr. Cheethum's
assistant arrived. This gentleman, for some hours, paid
unremitting attention to his patient, who began to show
signs of consciousness, and yesterday afternoon he was
rapidly improving. Mr. Collingwood was called into tile
of the others, and he and the third man are out of danger.
When Blomley left, Taylor was left in the house with his
wife, his b the, sev, n weeks old, and a man called John
Chadwick alias " Whisky." Taylor entered into converse
time with him about Chester races, and whilst doing so h
went to the fireplace, picked up the poker, a dangerous heavy
weapon, and began to stir the fire. At that time his wife
was sitting within two yards of him. Suddenly he twisted
the poker round and firmly grasped it in his hands, lifted it
upon his shoulder, and dealt his wife a most powerful blow
upon the top of her head and felled her to the ground,
her head being laid open with a frightful gash.
He then attempted to deal a blow at the child, but Chad-
wick succeeded in preventing him by springing forward
and wrenching the poker from his hands. Taylor then turned
round upon Chadwick, who did all he could to save his life.
In the meantime, Mrs. Taylor, on being struck, screamed
out, and her cries bringing the police to the house, the mad-
man was secured and taken to the police office. While on
the way to the station, the policeman observed Taylor put
something to his mouth; the officer struck his arm, and a
bottle fell to the ground. At that time he was within a few
yards of the station, and, on arriving there, the officer left
Taylor and went for the bottle, on which appeared a label
with the inscriptior, " Whitehead, drugeist. Essential oil
of almonds." Dr. Collingwood was sent for, but Taylor died
at the police office in about an hour and a half, in spite of
all that could be done for him. The wound upon his wife's
head turns out not to be so dangerous as was anticipated.
The other parties are recovering, and Mr. Blomley is
expected to be well in a day or two.