The Sun.
London, England, 1855-05-22 00:00:00

COURT CIRCULAR.

The Queen held a Privy Council at 3 o'clock yesterday
afternoon at Buckingham Palace. It was attended by
H.R.H. Prince Albert, Earl Granville, Lord President;
the Earl of Clarendon. Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs ; Viscount Canning, Postmaster-General ; the
Earl of Harrowby, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancas-
ter ; Earl Spencer, Lord Steward ; and the Marquis of
Breadalbane, Lord Chamberlain. The Hon.W. Bathurst
was the Clerk of the Council in waiting.

The Bail of Clarendon and Earl Granville had audi-
ences of her Majesty. The Queen was attended by Lord
E. Bruce, Vice-Chamberlain ; Lord Camoys, Lord in
waiting ; and Major-Gen. Berkeley Drummond, Groom
in waiting.

Her Majesty, attended by the Hon. Eleanor Stanley
and Major-General Buckley, visited her Royal Highness
the Duchess of Glocester in the forenoon, at Giocester-
house, Piccadilly.
His Royal Highness Prince Albert rode on horseback
with the Prince of Wales and Prince Alfred, attended
by Captain Du Plat.
The Queen had a dinner party in the evening. The
company included her Royal Highness the Duchess of
Kent, their Serene Highnesses the Princess of Hohen-
lohe-Langenburg and the Princess Adelaide, his Serene
Highness Prince Ernest of Leiningen, the Duke and
Duchess of Argyll, Lady Anna Maria Dawson, Vis-
count Torrington, Major-General the Hon. J. Scarlett,
and Sir George Couper.
Despatches were received at the Colonial-office yes-
terday from the Governors of the North American Pro-
vinces.

A Cabinet Council was held at 1 o'clock p.m. yes-
terday, at the Foreign-office, Downing•street, when the
following Ministers assembled :—Viscount Palmerston,
Earl Granville, the Marquis of Lansdowne, the Duke
of Argyll, Sir George Grey, the Earl of Clarendon, Lord
John Russell, Lord Panmure, the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer, Sir C. Wood, the Right Hon. R. Vernon Smith,
Sir W. Molesworth, Viscount Canning, and the Earl of
Harrowby. The Council sat two hours.
DEATH OF THE DUKE OF GENOA.—The Opinione of
Turin says that the Duke of Genoa, born on the 9th of
January last, is dead. This is another affliction for the
King, who has experienced many domestic losses of late.
Resolutions in favour of the ballot were adopted at a
public meeting at Northampton on Thursday.
The Western Times states that there has not been an
inmate in the lock-up at Ashburton for the last 7 years.
The Agnes Blaikie, from Malta to Balaklava, was run
down by her Majesty's ship Medina, about the sth of
May off the latter port.
FIRE IN LIVERPOOL.—On Sunday afternoon a fire
broke out in an old block of buildings in Lower Milk-
street, Liverpool, containing upwards of 3,000 bales of
cotton belonging to Mr. Schofield. Owing, however, to
the exertions of the police, it was subdued before materal
damage had been occasioned.
THE GOVERNOR OF BALAKLAVA.—Amongst the Rus-
sian prisoners brought home in the Simla last week was
the Governor of Balaklava, who was taken prisoner when
Balaklava was first seized by the English army. In the
confusion of the capture the governor lost his wife and
daughter, and has never heard of them since.
THE NEW LOAN ACT.—This day (Tuesday) the first
payment under the new act is to be made of 151. per
cent., and the last payment on or before the 18th of
December. Contributors may anticipate their payments.
All subscriptions paid in part, and not completed, are to
be forfeited to the public use.
INCREASE OF SALARIES TO THE POLICE MAGISTRATES.
—The salaries of the magistrates of the eleven metro-
politan police courts, 23 in number, have been increased
from 1,0001. to 1,2001. Formerly the allowance was
only 8001., it was then raised to 1,0001., and now 2001.
per annum is added to it.

THE ORGAN OF ST. GEORGE'S-HALL, LIVERPOOL.—
The great organ at St. George's-hall will be opened on
the evenings of the 29th and 30th inst., by Mr. Wesley,
who has superintended the construction of the instru-
ment. The proceeds of the two concerts will be added
to the fund being raised for the benefit of the only son of
the architect, the late Mr. Harvey Lonedale Elmes.
The letters from St. Petersburg, received yesterday,
reach to the 12th inst., and state that the Siberian
caravan, with about 18,000 casks of t?,1low, has been
left high and dry in the floating river, the water of which
went off before the ice. It is added that even if they
succeed in collecting water in the tanks to get the barks
off, which was very problematical, the delay will be
great. The rate of exchange remained at 351 d. to 36d.,
and, rain having fallen, the weather bad become warmer.
ATHE COAL TRADE.—The coal trade of South Wales is
at the present momentin a very flourishing state. There
is not any tendency to a reduction in prices, and all the
ports are full of shipping and vessels waiting their turn
to load. Coal is now forwarded per the Hereford line
to Liverpool, where it is shipped on board the ocean-
going steamers, and there is every promise of a large
amount of Welsh coal being ultimately sent to Liverpool
and the north.

CONVICTION OF A CRIMEAN I{EROE.—At the Devon
general sessions on 'Wednesday last, George Gilding
was charged with stealing, at Torquay, a 101. note and
five 51. notes, the moneys of William Henry Woodley.
The prosecutor is a poulterer, and the prisoner, who bad
been to the Crimea, was present at Alma, Balaklava,
and Inkerman, and was wounded, was in the prosecu-
tor's employ. The jury returned a verdict of guilty.
He was sentenced to 6 months' hard labour. For his
wound he had 10d. per day pension granted to him for
life, which will be forfeited by this conviction.
lIONGKONG.—Advices from Hongkong by the over-
land mail are four days later than those previously re-
ceived, but nothing new had occurred at Canton, and
there had been no later arrivals from Shanghai. The
country round Canton continued in a most disorganised
state, and the risk of transit effectually prevented all
speculation. There had been no fresh transactions in
imported goods, and no new supplies of teas. The vessels
loading—one for London and one for Liverpool—male
slow progress. Bullion was lower, Sycee silver being
quoted 7.4 premium, gold, 21-50. The emigration of
Chinese to Australia and California was active, and there
was an eager demand for tonnage for that purpose. Ad-
miral Stirling, with her Majesty's ships Winchester and
Sybille, and the steamers Styx and Hermes, remained at
Hongkong ; but the Styx was to proceed north on the
21st March, to be followed, probably, by the remaining
vessels. The French Admiral was expected shortly
from Shanghai.
RUSSIAN LOSSES.—Lord Lansdowne said the other
evening in the House of Peers that the Russian loss
since the commencement of the war had been 247,000
men. The following are further details. In the month
of January last a report was presented to the Emperor
Nicholas, stating the loss of the army at 187,000 men,
including those who died under the severity of the long
marches and of sickness. A new report was presented
to the Emperor Alexander in April, fixing the total loss'
of the army to March 31 at 250,000. In this report
especial stress was laid on the effect of the marches, and
some disastrous incidents were particularised. It was
stated that an entire company had perished under the
snows between Odessa and Perekop, and another between
St. Petersburg and the south. An entire battery bad
been lost in the same manner, with the men and horses.
The guns were found after the thaw, and are again in
use.

BULLION ROBBERY.—A robbery bas taken place on
the way from London to Paris, evidently perpetrated by
persons who were acquainted with the extent and the
mode of the consignments. The gold in bars and Ame-
rican coins amounted to between 13,0001. and 14,000/.
The property had been deposited in three boxes, which
were separately consigned to Paris, from the bullion-
brokers, Thomas, Bult, and Spielman ; and were taken
in the mail train of the South-Eastern Railway which set
off from London at half-past eight o'clock on the evening
of Tuesday, the 15th inst. to Folkestone, whence they
were to be taken via Boulogne and the Northern
Railway of France to Paris. It was found that
the 'three boxes, which were, when delivered in
London, hooped and sealed, had been •re-opened
and plundered, and then re-hooped and re-sealed.
It is rather remarkable that the depredators left in one
of the boxes between 6,0001. and 7,0001.'s worth of gold ;
but it is conjectured because they had not materials at
command to supply what might have been the deficiency
in weight. They had filled up that box•with sporting shot
Nos. 4 and 7, and the other two boxes were supplied
with a quantity of shot sufficient to represent in weight
the amount of gold abstracted from them. It is sup-
IRegittehciains?he'ial pllcr p"a"srisaWlicsy railway from London
to Folkestone. The French as well as the English
police are engaged in the investigation.
HORRIBLE DEATHS.—Yesterday, Mr. Bedford, coro-
ner for Westminster, received information of the death
of a young man, named John Beasely, a painter, aged
34 years, who resided in Great Earl-street, St. Giles's,
and who expired in Charing-cross Hospital under the
following circumstances :—lt appeared the deceased was
painting the outside of a house in Piccadilly, and his
attention being directed to something below, he fell
from the ladder, a depth of 70 feet, and stuck upon the
spikes of the area. He was speedily extricated by his
fellow-workmen, who conveyed him to the accident ward
of Charing-cross Hospital, where the medical staff ren-
dered every assistance, till death terminated his suffer-
ings. The second case is that of Mr. George Stevens,
aged 52 years, corn-dealer, who resided at 31, Queen's-
road, Bayswater, and who expired in the Oxford Ward
of St. George's Hospital on Sunday. It appears that
the deceased fell from a load of hay off a cart, in the
Wilton-road, Pimlico. He was picked up in a state of
insensibility, and removed to the above-named institu-
tion, when it was found his spine was fractured as well
as his head.

A RUSSIAN SWINDLER.—At the Middlesex sessions
yesterday, before Mr. Sergeant Adams, Henri Scherr
Those, described as a gentleman of seperior education,
was indicted for obtaining, by false and fraudulent pre-
tences, from James Baker Pyne, a picture of the value
of 60 guineas, with intent to defraud. He was further
• charged with obtaining, in like manner and with like
intent, two dressing-cases, value 461., from Thomas
Charles Hanniford ; one dressing-case, value 401., from
Francis Kennedy; one ditto, from William Gregg; and
a gold watch and gold chain, value 401., the property of
John Mitchell and another, front James Murray, their
servant. The case stool for trial at the last session,
but was postponed in consequence of the prisoner claim-
ing his right to be tried by a half foreign jury. A
mixed jury was accordingly empanelled to try him. It
appeared that the prisoner, who was stated to be a
nephew of General Rudiger, Commander of the Russian
Imperial Guard, had for some time been an accomplished
swindler, and, notwithstanding. that the indictment con-
tained five charges against him, a number of persons
were present to substantiate others, so successful had he
been in his course of knavery. The evidence as to each
charge was nearly identical, and showed that he had
carried on his plunder on a cunningly-devised plan. The
jury pronounced the prisoner guilty. The assistant-
judge then sentenced the
prisoner to be kept in penal
servitude for four years.

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