The Sun.
London, England, 1855-04-19 00:00:00

SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING,APRIti t 9, 186 h.

INDISPUTABLE LIFE POLICY COMPANY, r of annuities, lie will make ample allowance for
Lord Viscount TORRINGTON, Chairman.
A REDUCTIOg of 25 per Cent. has been made on the PRE.
these contingencies. He knows that he will have
MUMS of POLICIES of Five Years' standing. to pay a heavy impost not only on profit, but on
ALEX. ROBERTSO , Chairman.
capital, and will therefore guard his own pocket
I to so great an extent as to cast a heavy loss on
the Exchequer. This, however, will be but one of
the many injurious consequences flowing from the
1 unjust and inequitable enactment, a modification
whereof we should earnestly demand if we saw
the slightest chance of obtaining any statesman-
like reform at the hands of Sir GEORGE CORNEWALL

72, Lombard-street.

:HEATHS ROYAL HAYUAttKET.

Under the mana4ement of Mr. Bucket:me;

THIS EVENING,

win be presented THE SECRET AGENT. Principal characters
by Mr. Backstene and Miss E. Chaplin.

To be followed by a new Ballet, in which the Spanish Dancers
will appear, entitled TliE EVENING FESTIVAL.

After which. a new Extravaganza, called THE NEW HAY-
MARKET SPRING MEETING. 1853.
TO cerolnde with THE GALICIAN FETE.

ROYAL PRINCE39'S CHEATRE, OXFO D-ST ttE ET.
Under the Management of Mr. COAIiI.E3

THIS EIV EKES 41.
Will be performed the Comedy of HZ LAICCETIA. Principal
characters by Mess:s. Meadows, Ryder, felon. Evrett, and .avid
Fisher; Mrs, Winstanley, Mrs. W. Lacy, Misses Daly, and C.
Leclercq.
To conclude with (9th time)' a romance, in two acts, entitled
THE MULETEER OF TOI.r.DO ; or, lung, Queen, and Knave.

TYLEATRE ROYAL ADELPIII.
Proprietor, Mr. B. Vrebeter.—TXreetrem Madame Celeste.
TILTS EVENIXCIr,

Will be performed the Drama entitled THE MYSTERIOUS
STRANGER.
hide wAh A NET EDITION' OF THE FAIRY TALES
To e =
or MOTIIER GOOSE, with numerous highly-coloured Illustrations.

We believe that " trial by jury" is worth
keeping, and we therefore most emphatically pro-
test against the new resolutions by which jour-
nalists are to be handed over to the tender
mercies of a single Stipendiary Magistrate,
nominated and paid by the Crown, who may at
their will and pleasure inflict a penalty of not less
thou 51., and possibly of 301., on any newspaper
proprietor. It will be seen that the Magistrate
is to be not merely the judge of the law, but also
of the facts, and who may be desirous of earning
promotion by crushing any independent jour-
nalist who may dare to comment too sharply on
the sayings and doings of the Minister of the day.
Should this most improvident and ill-advised pro-
vision receive the Legislative sanction, there will
be an end to the " liberty of the Press"—that
which has long been justly regarded as one of the
Palladia of national freedom. Any person who
fancies that he is aggrieved may bring the mat-
ter before one stipendiary magistrate, who holds
his office, not dram se bene gesserit, or during good
behaviour, as it is usually termed, but at the
mere will and pleasure of the Crown, or two of
the "Great Unpaid," profoundly ignorant of the
principles of common law, and not very remark-
Ale for common sense. To the tender mercies
of such persons must all connected with the pub-
lic press be delivered bound hand and foot, sub-
jected at any time to a summary conviction in the
sum of 301. sterling at two days' notice. The
summons, too, may be served at the usual place
of abode of the party, and may be adjudicated
on during his absence, before he has even
heard of the vexatious proceeding. And eel
bon to ? -What is the end awl object of
of this most vexatious enactment? It is, indeed,
hard to tell ; unless it.be the introduction of the
sharp end of the wedge, intended merely as the
precursor of further attacks, to bo continued until
"the Fourth Estate" is completely muzzled, and
Ministers have nothing to fear from its common.

tames.

Under the existing law the public Prss has,
with few and insignificant exceptions, rises to a
high state of efficiency. It may, indeed, challenge
comparison with the journal; of any other land.
What, then, is the pretext for interference, which
may materially deteriorate, but cannot improve,
the quality of the article supplied ? Can it with
truth be asserted that there is any necessity for
" protection " —that valuable, communications
are rejected because they may subse-
quently be inserted in another j.)urnal ? The
Tiiaes gives a valuable article, and finds its
account in so doing. It will not dismiss its valu-
able correspondent in the Crimea, because others
may avail themselves of his graphic communica-
tions. No ; it has achieved a high position by
its own merit, and without seeking to injure or
persecute others. 'When its diminutive rival, the
Daily News (or Daily Nuisance, as it has been
more appropriately termed) gives equal value, it
will find that it may have a fair share of public
patronage, and be enabled to taste the sweets of
prosperity, of which as yet it is wholly ignorant.
And yet it is this insignificant and paltry publica-
tion, no more fit to be compared to its great rival
than a Satyr to Hyperion, that raises blatant bel-
lowings, calling out for " protection," where there
is indeed but little to protect. It wants, forsooth,
to be protected from piracy. GOD save the mark !
There is but little prospect of any one of ordinary
taste plundering its petty details, when the ample
and really valuable stores of the Times were acces-
sible. It fancies, however, that it achievesa spurious
importance by howling against what it untruly
alleges to be a piratical invasion of its rights.
" How we apples swim," was the remark of a
rather unsavoury article floating in the torrent
with others of a very different description—and
the exclamation has frequently been parodied from
that time to this. An individual is said to have
slunk along the street as if afraid of bailiffs, in
order that the passers-by might think "he had credit
once," and the Daily " nuisance," we beg pardon,
" News," seems to think it may gammon the
community into supposing that it has at times
something worth purloining.
This day it declares that " The Sum of last
evening, according to its daily practice, published
in its largest type, and without the least indica-
tion of its source, a communication from our cor-
respondent at Eupatoria." This Ise unhesitat-
ingly declare to he a monstrous falsehood ; and
we regret to be obliged to add our belief that it

its correspondent at Eupatoria, not one lino of
which was inserted in our journal. Having thus
thrust the v,ilful falsehood down its throat, wo
leave it to its reflections, which cannot be very
agreeable if it has the slightest particle of gentle-
man-like or honourable feeling.

Our readers will have been interested yesterday
with the description we gave of the two floating
batteries, the Thunder and Meteor, launched
from the yard of Messrs. MARE. Nothing appa-
rently more perfect of its kind has ever floated on
water. The only thing to test is the effect of shot
striking, repeatedly on the massive iron plates.
Penetrated they probably never can be by any
shot on earth; but it may be found that the con-
cussion has unexpected effects even on the mas-
sive timbers. We hardly anticipate, however,
anything but perfect success, and we only
hope they may not frighten Russia out of giving
them the chance of a fair trial on her granite.
What struck us most, however, is the grow-
ingly manifest uselessness of Government
ship-yards. When Mr. SCOTT RUSSELL
can furnish unexampled size, and when
Messrs. MARS can turn out a perfect novelty
of unheard-of power, at a notice of about four
months, why give the least scope for jobbery ?
Government could never have manufactured on
the spur of the moment iron plates of such thick-
ness and form, or have turned out the vessels with
such speed and in such complete condition as
Messrs. MARE have done. Why go on sinking
national capital in Government yards when con-
tractors can be found ready to do anything what-
ever—quicker, cheaper, better—from the con-
struction of an invulnerable ship to the feeding of
an army with comfortable meals every day. Go-
vernment manufactories are very imposing, but
very costly. They confer patronage and seats in
Parliament, it is true, but they cannot manufac-
ture the article wanted like our princely private
firms.

HIGHLAND DESTITUTION.

TO THE EDITOR. OF THE SUN.

HULL, APRIL 13, 1855.

Stn,—From time to time we have appeals teem some
society or other for the relief of distressed Highlanders.
We ere reminded that these people are cousins, or uncles,
or aunts of those brave Highlanders who have performo
prodigies of valour for their Queen a..d country. This
is a sort of stereotyped form—which one might oa'l " '
form adapted for the Crimea "-like Syd, trens,ri
and patea i;gll,-lights ; but, aft.r all what dGes thin
begging-leLter irepesture ratan ? 1;o these Highiaed
proprietors want us to keep their poor as well as our
own ? Has property in Scotland no duties ? But, Sir,
the thing is a complete farce. If these people were in
the distress. d state in which they are said to be (and in
which they have no right to be if Highland propri,±tori
did their duty), would they not join the militia, instead
of starvirez, as they are said to be ? They do not do so.
Every Highland militia regiment is lamentably low in
numbers, and why ? Because the people say they are
too well paid to join it. Look at the Recenee3 Cctteier.
A'k the adjutant of any Highland regimen`. What,
then, do these Highland proprietors want? That we
should subscribe money which shall be expended in
labour on Highlan'l properties. The fact is that English-
men and Irishmen pay so liberally fur these lairds' deer
forests, moors, &c. (in which we are most abominably
robbed), that they fully expect. us to keep their poor also.
We do pay poor-rates for our shootings even, and still
they beg What should we get from these lairds if we
sent the begging-box round to them, told them that our
potatoes had failed (they always do in these Highland
"farms"), and that we were cousins of somebody or
other in the Crimea ? I should like to see it tried.
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
A TENANT OF A MOOR IN
- INVERNESS-SHIRE.

The Earl and Countess of Fingall and the Lady Hen-
rietta Plunkett have left Edwards's Private Hotel, in
George-street, for St. Leonards•on-Sca.
The Earl and Countess of Elgin have arrived at the
Clarendon from Scotland.
Viscount Wellesley has arrived at the Clarendon
Draycott House, near Chippenham.
Sir Frederick Arthur, Bart., has arrived at his resi-
dence in Gloucester-square, Hyde-park, from Paris.
Mn and Mrs. Berkeley Noel have left the Clarendon
for Paris.

The Emperor and Empreqs of the French honoured
Mr. C. F. Hancock, of Bruton•street (the celebrated
jeweller), with a personal interview yesterday evening.
Their Imperial Majesties were graciously pleased to
honour Mr. 'Hancock with their further commands.

The next series of colonial wool sales are appointed
to commence on Thursday, the 3d of May. The quan-
tity of wool already arrived is about 35,000 bales.
The markets for Russian produce yesterday gave fur-
ther indications of the disbelief of the dealers in the
probability of an early peace, and tallow' experienced a
fresh advance of ls. per cwt.
The Peninsular and Oriental steamer Madrid takes
eut 29,3001., of which 20,0001 is for Lisbon and 9,3001.
for Cadiz, The shipments by the Royal Will steamer
'Dino for the West Indies amount only to 6,5001.
The directors of the Bombay and Baroda Railway
have notißeil that the India Company having given them
a guarantee of 5 per cent., limited at present to 50,0001.,
they have resolved to reduce their capital to that amount
and to give one share of IS/. in exchange for every 5
shares of 201. for which scrip has been already issued.

ROYAL ASYLUM OF ST. ANN'S SOCIETY.-Sir Robert
Peel will preside at the anniversary festival of this an-
cit nt and universal charity, c n Tue,day next, when, in
addition to many of our nobility and the sheriffs, he will,
it is believed, be supported by the Envoy 4 of Denmark
and Turkey.
THE MACKEREL FISHERY. —The season has commenced
on the western coasts, and the appearances inclica e that
it will he succes3fol. A few nights since some bna+s on
the drift at St. Ive's captured from 1.500 to 2,000 fine
ninc`;erel, which sold at from 161. to 18s. per 100 of six
score.

A special meeting of the Town Council of Birming-
ham was held yesterday, when an address was voted to his
Imperial Majesty the Emperor of the French, on the
occasion of the n tr.p cinus visit of himself and his impe-
rial consort to Eng'aod ; and a deputa,ion VMS appointed
to accompany the mayor on the presentation of the
ad d re=s.

was a piece of wilful and de!iberate mendacity.
We have never indulged in attacks on any of our
1
contemporaries, but courtesy is utterly thrown '
away in such a• case, and we hurl the lie in its
teeth. Nay, more, not many days have elapsed
since it put forward an equally unfounded com-
plaint against ourselves and our evening contem-
porary, the Globe. It then asserted in substance--
we have not the paper before us—that it was
an unusual practice with "The Sun," but con-
stantly adopted by the Globe. Ho'w can it recon-
cile these contradictory statements within less
than a single week? - One or the other must be
false. There is no alternative, and we leave the
Nuisance to select which of the horns of the
dilemma it pleases.
These complaints come with a peculiarly bad
grace from the Daily _News. its antecedents are
not, and cannot easily be forgotten. It started
with the professed object of taking the place of
the Times. It was loudly vaunted as the "Jour-
nal of all the talents," but unfortunately " the
talents " as they: were styled, proved as total a
failure in journalism as a similar party in Admin-
istration. It languished in its intrinsic insignifi-
cance, meeting only with well-merited contempt.
Then it tried the cheap dodge—was sold for 2d.
—far more than i t was really worth—though at much
less than it could be produced. This not very
honest attempt to injure its contemporaries, and
the entire body on which it intruded, also proved
a total failure. A large amount of money was
sunk, which there is not the most remote prospect
of being ever recovered, and several successive
''ets of proprietors have had serious causo to de-
Pl°r° their unfortunate intermeddliug with the
daily press. Nor was its conduct in other respects
more creditable •
journals from
it seduced the contributors to
j
other
sent many of
them their employments, and
termination of their adrift long before the
engagements,
if our recollection serves for which,
pretty • smart datavyes. s.right, it
,bad to pay
ow it has taken to
toadying the incompetent
Minister
who has been
pitchforked into the Financial deptinoit.
'a/We give the Daily News fail Portman{'
to
this article, if it dare. We trust; at least, efawpiyii
have the grave to withdraw the infamous liejitt
prt
forward as to our copying a ooLuttLimicatio- ii.frota

EXTRAORDINARY ACCIDENT IN R EGENT,ITREET.—
Yesterday morning a beautiful sheet of plate glass, occu-
pying the whole of the principal front of Mr. Mechi's
new e tal-di-hnient in Reg,eni-i.tr et, was broken in a
most mysterious manner, not the slightest round being
heard at the time by any of the employes ‘,l Mr. Mecin.
The glass is valued at upwards of 100 guineas. -
FIRE AT SIIADWELL —A fire took place yestereay
morning on the premises of Mr. H. Poland, a chemist,
No. 238, High-street, Shad well, but owing to the timely
afrival of the engines, and a good supply of the East
London Company's water, the fire was confined to the
destruction only of the lower part of the house. The
loss will fall on the Globe Office. The origin of this fire
is unknown.
A Paris letter; in the Slut Public, of Lyons, says :
—" A very warm discussion has taken place here rela-
tive to the Universal Exhibition. The company of the
Exhibition Palace proposed to the Imperial Commis-
sion that every person admitted on the day of inaugu-
ration should be compelled to pay for his place ; but
Prince Napoleon 'energetically opposed the proposition,
and the commission rejected it. The company also
wanted to make each of the exhibitors pay for a season
ticket 50 francs, but that motion the Prince opposed
likewise, and caused it to be rejected."
THE CHURCH AND STATE STRUGGLE IN PIEDMONT.
--The generals of the religious orders still existing in
Piedmont have addressed a letter, dated Rome, 31st
ult., to the archbishop and bishops of that kingdom,
congratulatino, them on the resistance they have made
to the Convents Suppression Bill, now before the Senate
at Turin, and thanking them for the protection they
have thus granted to the establishments, menaced with
destruction. The document is signed by 19 generals, in-
cluding the Bishop of Porphyra, general of the Augus-
tin monks.
MORE FORTIFICATIONS IN BELGIUM.--A project is on
foot at Brussels to increase the fortifications of Ant-
werp, by establishing a new fort at the Tete de Grue,
near that city. The inhabitants of Antwerp consider
the new fort unnecessary, and the Chamber of Com-
merce has sent an address to the King, praying that it
may not be executed. The address says that, as all the
Powers have guaranteed the independence of Belgium,
and as she entertains the most friendly relations with all
of them, the increase of the fortifications of the great,
commercial port of the country would appear an unjus-
tifiable act of distrust.
THE CONSERVATIVE LAND SOCIETY.—This society will
break ground in the county of Worcester on the 25th
inst., by the allotment of their beautiful purchase at
West Malvern, on the slope of the Malvern hills adjoin-
ing St. James's church and parsonage house. Tile
stretchingf Co und n the
mpreaslypeercot irsaoengee.of
Tthhee
wood
-oveipepwesd tohiibi be
outline of the Black
the west are backed by the grandeAsltoautentiasiadsiviindeßdaiinlntoor6shlirleo,ta:o.uart
rdicisetafnrotm.
The
oty3d-1 hg o wthpeeveoro,etb eoi
of
gconof-
vt7hesevatpoorei3ceell3oli 57;l.e4asc.h6;d.Cieeacinit,211:erl
THE
groundCONSERVATIVEbreiIE
i
o
societyETYrrnh:2s th
close
i nv
ti
is
the
of Lincoln
tboy
tthhee
fiar l ot-tonliaeenet
sOtafttihoneiro
tl fhoei dE
apsrto
PLciity, which
nco'lnshirw.ebirnansci:
centre of the improving market town, and is
th
of the Great Northern Railway. The land in the
miles of the sea coast and the bathing places of Mahle.
thorpe and Sutton. The property is divided into about
thirty lots, varying in price from 2(1. 2s. 6d. to
621. 13s. d. each ; the majority, howt ver, being of
the price of 52/. 4r. 6.1. each, including de cost of Con-
veyance.

A 4,'• ,
1-4

SUN OFFICE, Seven

VISIT

OF THE
EMPEROR AND EMPRESS

TO Tli E CITY.

dolls manner, thus silently returning his thanks to
this journal, which has advocated his cause, and
defended him when assailed by the en:ire press of
the metropolis.
As the Emperor and Empress passed through
Temple-bar a tremendous cheer was given by those
within the City, which was taken up and re-echoed
by the thousands assembled in the Strand.

FLEE U-STREET.
Perhaps in no past of the route was more inte-
rest manifest than in Fleet-street; from nearly every
window floated the flag of England, and ensigns of
the red, white, and blue were hoisted one above the
other without the slightest regard to superio-
rity, but the effect produced was of the most
exciting description. At nearly every house that
" showed its colours" the tricolor of France was
to be seen, and the balconies and windows were
crowded with elegantly-dressed ladies, each vieing
with the other in the display of female loveliness.
The upper parts of the different houses were also
crowded, and if ever the entente cordiale was mani-
fested towards this country by any past dynasty of
France, it seemed, from the welcome the present
Emperor this day received, to have suffered no
alloy during the period that has elapsed since that
much-desired state of things was declared to be the
guiding course of France, but which has remained
to be fully consummated by the Emperor
Louis Napoleon. Perhaps no period could more
happily have been chosen for this long-desired
consummation than the present occasion, when,
after a struggle with the great enemy of the world
of a most deadly character—when after the armies
of the two great nations of Europe had joined to-
gether hand in hand in the same fight, and had
mingled together their best blood in one common
strain—when tho energies•of both nations, animat-
ed by fresh feelings of patriotism to their country,
and in the common defence of mankind, were about.
to renew a great, and, it is to be hoped, triumphant
struggle against the barbarous hordes of Russia.

(THIS DAY.)

This clay, Thursday, April the 19th, will hence-
forth be remembered as one on which an event took
place without parallel on the pages of history—
namely, the day on which the Corporation of the
City of London presented the freedom of the first
mercantile city in the world to Louis Napoleon
Bonaparte, Emperor of the French. To us the
circumstance is particularly gratifying, from
the fact that we have, through good and
evil report, stood firm, alone and unaided,
iii maintaining the cause of Napoleon 111. -With
break of day the preparations, which had been car-
ried en throughout the line of streets through
which the Imperial cortege was to pass till an ad-
vanced hour of the night, were resumed. The
clank of the hammers of the workmen, busily en-
gaged in erecting stages, was to he heard. As the
morning wore on immense loads of timber, and
men with their eyes but half open, were to be met
with, all hurrying towards the scene of action. At
nearly every step we took in Fleet-street during
thelittle hoursof themorning our foot was quickened
by a stentorian voice from above crying out
" Below," and on casting our eyes upward we dis-
covered the friendly caution proceeded from parties
busily engaged in fixing long poles from top storeys
of the houses to enable them to display the brave
old "Jack" of England and the gay tri-colour of
la belle France to the best advantage. The next
class that seemed to be most industrious were three
who had "seats to let" conspicuously placarded
on their doors, and although the sums asked for
them were in sone° situations enormous, the last
positions were eagerly seized, "regardless of ex-
pense." In order to give eclat to the whole
proceedings, the Lord Mayor caused a no-
tice to the effect, that as their Imperial Ma-
jesties the Emperor ;Ind Empress of Vie
French had been ple.esed 4o intimate their
inteution of visiting the City of London, he recom-
mended his feliow-citizens, as far as practicaiile,
to abstain from ln;iness to-day, for the 1)111--
peso of showing due reTect to t!leir Me,jestiee en
the auspicious eccaeieu, and also tha, those per-
sons in the lino of procession who intended to
erect galleries in or on their houses would take
particular care that everything was made secure,
in order to prevent any accident occurring to mar
the pleasures of the day. As the hour of nine
o'clock approached, the time fixed for closing the
thoroughfares leading to Guildhall, the excitement
considerably increased ; and now, those who had
been fortunate enough to obtain tickets to view
the procession, were to be seen hurrying towards
their destination, and little groups of per-
sons were to be found at the corners of the
different streets leading to Guildhall, debating upon
the best place from which a view was to be se-
cured. Large bodies of police now made their ap-
pearance, and the order to " move on" became
general. Between 11 and 12 o'clock the immense
body of persons who had flocked into the City be-
gan to form into line, and the nearer the approach
to Guildhall the denser became the crowd.

The scene along this great thoroughfare was ex-
ceedingly picturesque. The populace were
loud in their cheering, and evinced a desirt
to comply with the demands of a large
placard, viz., to give a hearty welcome to the
Ally of our Queen, to an unbounded extent. The
EnToror and Expre,s Eugenie appeared to be
highly gratified at this cordial greeting, and both
gracefully acknowledged the compliment by re-
peatedly bowing to the assembled thousands.

LUDGATE HILL. •
The appearance of the Cathedral on the top had
a picturesque effect to day by the immense number
of tri-colour flags hung from the house of Messrs.
Dakin, and Griffith and Grant. They were so ar-
ranged as to form an arch, and the eifter productci
was not outrivalled by any other display.
CHEAPSIDE.
Here the crowd was tremendous, both sides of
the road being lined with people, who stood from
6to 8 deep. The cheering was here louder, if that.
were pcs-sibl, than in any other part of the City,
cries of " Vive l'Empereur " being exceedingly
frequent.
THE APPROACH TO GUILDHALL.
At the top of King-street the eye was struck with
the appearance of an enormous pavilion, which
was erected by Mr. B. Edgington. The dimen-
sions of this monster marquee is 97 feet in length
and about 90 feet in width. It accommodated
with sittings upwards of 1,200 visitors, and afforded
each a perfectly uninterrupted view. It is
composed of alternate white and scarlet,
canvas of the finest texture, and although if
afforded full protection to those seated beneath
admitted the light to show up the brightness of the
colours. In front of tiis immense pavilion an
awning, 140 feet long, extended to Gresham-street,
which was surmounted by the flags of every na-
tion, with one exception. --
Passing through the pavilion we entered

ARRIVAL OF THE QUEEN AND PRINCE
ALBERT, W 11 THEIR ILLUSTRIOUS
VISITORS THE EMPEROR AND EMPRESS
OF THE FRENGh IN LONDON.

Shortly before 12 the Queen, Prince Albert, the
Emperor Napoleon, and the Empress Eugenie arriv-
ed frOm Windsor via, the South-Western Railway.
The, station had been xery tastefully arranged, and
the effect prodUced by the varied colours of the flags
and draperies had a very imposing effect. Having
entered the Royal carriage the Royal party drove
off amidst she loud and enthusiastic cheers of
several thousands of persons, who had assembled
outside the wall to give a truly British welcome to
the Imperial pair.

Along the whole line through which the Royal
cortege passed the people stood in lines six or seven
deep, and the cordiality of the reception appeared
to make a deep impression on the Emperor and
Empress.

.GUILDHALL,
and here a scene presented itself that we almost
despair of describing. The first thing that attracts
attention is the throne, which is situated at di,-
east end of the hall. It was erected on a raise,
dais, surmounted by a canopy of a cream colour,
richly picked out with gold. The draperies are of
ruby silk velvet, very tastefully arranged, and or-
namented with massive gold fringe and bees, ane
lined with white satin.
Upon the dais, which was also covered witl
velvet, are placed two magnificent carved and gil
chairs of state, covered with ruby coloured velvet
On the back of one was the letter N, •embroiilere.
in gold, encircled with a wreath of olive branche
of the same precious metal, mixed with silver. 0.
the other chair the letter E, the initial of the Eire
pi 49, was displayed in a precisely similar manmi
This part of the hall exhibited a coup d'ceil tip.
have never seen surpassed, and reflected the higher
credit on the taste and skill of the Messrs. Herrini
of Fleet-street, the upholsterers to the Hon. Cur
pora,tion.
On each side of the grand entrance to the thrift!.
are eight rows of raised seats, whilst, a little more t.
the east are six raised, apparently standing places
At the western end of the hall is a spacious caller}'
divided into three classes. In order to provid,
this amount of accommodation it was found neces
sary to raise the figures representing Gog and Ma
gog some eight or niue feet, although each figurt
weighed about a ton. The whole of the menu
ments have been cleaned, and not fewer than 14
trophies, 30 feet high, are being placed in th.
hall—viz., sevin on each side. They are exceed'
ingly chaste, and may be thus described :—Affixed
to the top of a pole is a wreath of Peace, in god('
and white, encircling the French eagle, under whiel.
is a large circular piece of work, bearing an admir
able medallion of the Emperor. Following this
downwards is a splendid circle, after which is au
entablature bearing the name "Napoleon" in gold
letters. Seven of these, in honour of France, are
matched by an equal number representing Eng-
land. At the top is a similar wreath of Peace en-
circling the British lion ; underneath it a circular
piece of work bearing a medallion of her Majesty
the Queen. A little below is an entablature bear-
ing the mule " Victoria."
Between the wreaths of Peace immense gilded
Turkish crescents, and three beautiful flags, repre-
senting the colours of England, France., and Tur-
key, have been placed. The City, and also the
French arms, have been emblazoned in bright
colours upon the circular shields upon the trophies.
A beautiful ornamental device in cream colour,
bearing the followin-g-7" Alma, Balaktva, and.
Inkerman "—has been placed in front of the upper
windows, which, being surmounted,by the French
and City Arms, has a most magnificent effect. The
tops of the flag-staffs attached to the trophies have
splendidly gilt eagles and spears attached, and the
light shining from behind the devices gives them
an appearance of solid burnished gold.
The whole of the seats in the hall have been
covered with an expensive drab-coloured cloth,
which had a much greater effect in showing
off the other decorations than would have been the
case if the colour had been either crimson orsear.
let. These seats have been classified into three
divisions ; the two first departments were set apart
respectively for ladies having tickets of certain
colours ; the other portion, it is under Stood, was
set apart for gentlemen having the privilege of
entree.

The Royal party were received at the Windsor
station by the Hon. Mr. Dillon, Mr. Sergt. Gaze-
ke, the Count Eyre, H. C. Lacy, Esq., Captain
Johnston, Director of the Company ; Mr. Crombie,
the Secretary, and other officers. They left ht 25
minutes past 11, and arrived at the Royal Station,
Wandsworth-roal, at 12 o'clock, and were received
there by W. J. Chaplin, Esq., M.P., Chairman
of the Company, Col. Luard, Capt. Mangles, Mr.
Hutchins, M.P., and Mr. Mortimer.

The space on either side of the entrance to the
dais is fitted up so as to afford standing room only,
the right hand space being set apart for the use of
the Corps Diploraatique ; the left for the accommoda-
ti, in of her Majesty's Ministers. It had been arranged
that their Imperial Majesties should enter at the
nlrth side of the hall, where they were to be con-
ducted to their respective seats facing the dais. This
was to prevent much confusion which might pos-
sibly have arisen had their Majesties passed along
the grand foot-path that runs between the seats in
front of the west end, where the ceremony was to
take place. Immediately over the entrance of the
hall in Guildhall had been erected a double orches-
tra, in which two military bands were stationed,
who, as the Royal and distinguished visitors en-
tered the ball, struck up " Partant pour la Syrie."
The boudoir for her imperial Majesty was
sumptuously supplied with richly gilded furni-
niture. Tho sofa and chairs had a most brilliant.