The Sun.
London, England, 1855-04-13 00:00:00

THE VISIT TO THE CRYSTAL PALACE.

Sir Joseph Paxton, accompanied by Sir Charles Fox,
arrived at the Castle yesterday, and had the honour of
an interview with his Royal Highness Prince Albert, to
concert plans for receiving the Emperor and Empress of
the French, with her Majesty and the Royal family, at
the Crystal Palace on Thursday next.

THE ARMY AND NAVY CLUB.
The members of the Army and Navy Club have de-
termined to invite the Emperor of the French to a public
ente►tainment at their splendid club-house in Pall-mall,
on any day most convenient to his Majesty during his
stay in London. Four hundred officers of the two ser-
vices have put down their names.
ADDRESSES OF CONGRATULATION.-SOUTHAMPTON.

The Mayor and corporation of Southampton, in coun-
cil-assembled, have adopted an address of congratulation.
to the Emperor and Empress of the French, on the occa-
sion of their approaching visit to this country, and nomi-
nated a deputation to present the same. It has also been
determined to request the imperial visitors to honour the
corp.oration with their presence at a banquet at the
ltoy al Victoria Roflms. A deputation has been despatched
t i Iftvre "..o co-operate with the authorities in carrying
out the foregoing resolution. The mayor, and some
other gentlemen of the council, will also await upon the
Fre.neli ambassador, to make known the intentions of the
comic'', and to express a hope that the Emp-ror and
Empress, when returning to France, may be pleased to
make Soutliamptort the port of embarkation,

PORTSMOUTH.
A requisition has been presented to the Mayor of
Portsmouth, to call a special meeting of the town
"to take into c,nsideration the mo..t desirable means
to be adopted to do honour to her Majesty's Ally his
Imperial 11i,jesty the Emperor Napoleon 111., on his
intended visit to this country."

TEE BoY A L PANOPTICON.

VISIT OF THE BOYS OF CHRIST'S HOSPITAL.

The Easter holidays have been marked at the Royal
Panopticoo, Leicester-square, by the admission of the
Blue-coat boys to the scientific attractions of this mag-
nificent structure. The event took place on Thursday,
when some eight hundred and twenty of the Christ's
Hospital scholars arrived at the doors, in full procession,
and p kssed into the building, where a large number of
public visitors had already assembled. The arrange-
ments for the reception and comfort of the boys had
been made under the superintendence of the Rev. Dr.
Biber, director of the instituti m.; and shortly after the
procession entered the spacious rotunda, the fountain
was put into operation, throwing up its transparent co-
lumn to the full height of ninety seven feet. Tnis dis-
play, always a favourite feature in the entertainment,
was received with the greatest delight by the juvenile
visitors. It was succeeded by a scientific demonstration,
illustrative of the improved helmet-diving apparatus and
the inventions connected with its use. Mr. Partington
explained the various points in this curious exhibition,
the diver remaining meanwhile about twenty minutes
under water.

The force employed in cutting steel was next demon-
strated by Mr. Partington, who then introduced a
number of beautiful experiments with the gigantic elec-
trical machine. The phenomena of the aurora borealis
was illustrated in a most brilliant manner, and the elec-
trical properties of our atmosphere were explained by the
lecturer in the course of his remarks on various other
experiments.
A series of botanical lectures, commenced on Easter
ISLanlay by Dr. Brown, was continued on Thursday,
the address on this occasion being peculiarly adapted to
the age of the great majority of the hearers. The
examples of the construction, growth, and functions of
plants were selected with admirable judgment, and were
of a kind to be readily appreciated and long remem-
bered.

The series of views in the Crimea followed, and were
carefully explained in passing by Mr. Buckingham. His
allusion to the Duke of Cambridge was received by all
presept with the most enthusiastic cheering. The after-
noon a entertainment:;, which were enlivened at inter-
vals by the tones of the grand organ, concluded with the
chromatic display of the fountain, an exhibition which,
we need not say, afforded iicreased pleasure to those
who hail only seen it in its natural power and beauty.
The advantage of the architectural symmetry of the
building is that its decorative features are made to at-
tend completely on the uses for which it was designed.
Thus, while the Panopticon never looks so we.l as when
it is filled with company—an opinion which the Council
will join with us i❑ holding—it is not to the inconveni-
ence of visitors that their number may occasionally be
doabled. With the exception, perhaps, of Easter Mon-
day, Thursday must have been the day when the greatest
number of the general public entered the Panopticon
during the past week. We arrive at this conclusion from
the facts that the weather was eminently delightful, and
that many friends of the Blue-coat boys were tempted
to meet their young relations and to witness their en-
joyment, We have, then, an unusual influx of visitors,
besides eight hundred or more of boys from Christ's
Hospital ; and yet, while the scene was most enlivening
from the c, instant movement about the area and in the
gracefully ornamented galleries, we do not think that
the smalles t Blue-coat present lost his share in the sights
before him..
We must not omit to mention that a new series of
views has, been added to the dioramic entertainments
here. Pompeii, an inexhaustible subject, furnishes Mr.
Bucking-jam with material for a lecture elucidative of
ntnean 1 ifs in the days that Pliny saw and wrote about.

POST-0 PFICIC NOTICE.—MAILS FOR SWEDEN.—GENE-
RAL POST )141cE, April.—The mail steam-packets, un.
der contra° ; with the Swedish Government, bein about
to re-coma) ence running between Grimsby and Gotten-
burg, mails for conveyance by those packets will be made
up at this o Tice on the evening of Friday, the 13th inst.,
and on the evening of every subsequent Friday until
fut ther.notii :e. All letters and newspapers addressed to
Gottenbung and Uddewalla will be forwarded by these
packets, unl ass directed to be sent otherwise; but letters
and newspapers for other parts of Sweden intended to be
forwarded bi packet must be specially addressed " via
Grimsby," of • " by Swedish packet " Those postmasters
whose ingtru etions direct them to send their letters for
Grimsby post will, of course, forward in the
same' nianxier any correspondence posted at their offices
forthe cross
S ish packet.