The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-04 00:00:00

THE FAMILY OF KINGS,

The following is a tabular list of the thirty-
nine reigning severelgns of Europe, divided
into three sections, namely, those of purely
German birth and education, those of German
descent, and those not German, but more or less
allied, to German familicB. The last, as the least
numerous, deserves precedence.

NON, GERMAN SOVEREIGNS.

France
Italy •

Portugal
Spain
d Norway.
ERMAN DESCENT.

Sweden a:
SOVEREIGNS OF (
Great Britain. .
Netherlands
SOVERIGNS BORN AND
Anhalt
Austria
Baden
Bavaria
Belgium
Brunswick
Denmark
Greece
Hanover
Hesse-Cassel
„ Darmstadt
, Homburg
Lichtenstein
Lippe-Detmold
Mecslenburg-Schwerin.

Portugal
Russia
IMITATED IN GERMANY.
Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Nassau
Oldenburg
Reuss- Greiz
„ Schleiz
Saxe-Altenburg
~ Coburg-Gotha
Meiningen
~ Weimar
Saxony
Schaumburg-Lippe
Sohwarzburg-Rudolstadt
Sondershausen

Waldeck
Wurtemberg

It is a not uninteresting fact in connection with
this list, that, while the actual number of reigning
Europea❑ sovereigns has decreased by six within
as many years, five of these eovereigns, of Modena,
Monaco, Naples, Parma, and Tuscany belonged to
the first of the above three classes. So that even
the Italian war of Independence has contributed to
the comparative increase of pure Teutonic blood
among the sovereign families of Europe.—spec•
tator.

We believe that Parliament will meet for the
despatch of business on Thursday, the 4th of February.—

Observer.

OFFICIAL APPOINTMENTS.—Mr. G. Bracken-
bury, her Majesty's Consul at Madrid, has been appointed
Consul at Charente. The consulship at Madrid will not be
filled up. Mr. Ricketts has been appointed Consul at
Sarawak.• The Rev. John Renwick is appointed assistant
and successor to the Rev. John Ramsay, minister of the,
church and parish of Gladsmuir.—Observer.

LORD PALMERSTON.—We regret to state that
the noble Premier's non-attendance at the Cabinet Council
on Saturday was owing to a somewhat sharp attack of
gout. His lordship remains at his seat, Broadlands, Hants.

The Chanctllor of the Exchequer arrived in
London on Saturday afternoon, from Hawarden Castle,
Chester.

The Right Hon. T. Milner Gibson arrived in
town on Saturday, from the seat of Viscount Palmerston,
Broadlands, Hants.

Vice-Admiral Sir M. Seymour, K.C.8., com-
mander-in-chief, and Major-General Lord Wm. Paulet,
C. 8., commt.nding the south-western district, embarked on.
board the Fire Queen, steam-yacht, Staff-Commander Paul,
on Saturday morning, and proceeded to Osborne, to yap
their respects to her Majesty.

The Right Hon. B. Disraeli and Mrs. Disraeli
have left Grosvenor-gate for Mentmore, Bucks, on a visit
to Baron and Baroness de Rothschild.

THE DUKE OF NEWCASTLE is ill, and rumours
that he will resign before the meeting of Parliament are
multiplying fast.

THE PALACE OF THEIR ROYAL HIGHNESSES
PRINCE AND PRINCESS LOUIS OF HESSE, DARM—
STADT.—A. palace is being built in Darmstadt, a descrip-
tion of which cannot fail to be of interest to our readers,
as it is destined to become the home of a member of
the royal family. It is the palace of their Royal High-
nesses Prince and Princess Louis of Hesse. The new
building will form a prominent feature in the town of
Darmstadt by its size and position. The site (a large
garden of 350 ft. by 1,500 ft.) is the property of the
Crown ; it was formerly used for botanical purposes, and
will now be laid out as a garden for the use of the prince
and princess. The east end of the site faces the Wilhel-
minenplatz, a handsome square, with the Catholic
church, a cupola-covered structure, designed by the late
esteemed architect Moller. To the west the garden ,ex-
tends to another square, called Marienplatz, while towards
the north and south it is bounded by two broad streets,
from which it is separated by rows of chestnut trees. Being,
moreover, situate in the highest part of the town, with a
gentle slope from east to west, this garden combines all the
advantages of a site at once healthy and beautiful. The
view from the first floor of the palace, over the garden and
the wide valley of the Rhine towards the hills of the Pala-

tinale, the hills near Mayence, and the Taunus mountains,
is truly charming. The building stands at a distance of 120
feet from the east end of the garden. It consists of a
principal or centre part, and two adjoining wings; the back
elevation, or garden•. front of the former, being enriched by
a projecting rotundit-j winged on both sides by terraces and
flights of steps leadin gto the garden. The principal front,
teeing the Wilhelmin en-square, has a projecting entrance-
porch, constructed fo.r carriages to drive under it, that
visitors may alight under cover. This porch forms a spa-
cious balcony, with a balustrade on the top. The wails of
the building are construct ed of brickwork. The rusticated
plinth, the columns, the auchivolts, the architraves, and cor-
nices are of red satuvistone from the quarries of the Oden-
wald and the banks of the .Main. The decorative parts of
the cornices, as dentils, &c., the capitals of the columns
and pilastres, the balustrades, the sculptured frieze, having
medallions with trophies and other suitable emblems, and

the festoons are executed in terracotta. Of the external
decorations, the rose, shamrock, and thistle, the Hessian
arms surrounded by the garter, awl. the English arms, will
form characteristic and ornatue.ntal parts. The style is
Italian, and more purely carried out than is usually the
case on the Continent. The building is being executed from
the design and under the superintendence of the architect of
their Royal Highnesses, Mr. Conrad Kraus, of Mayence,
and will be finished in the autumn of 1864.—Builder.
THE NATIONAL SHAKSPERE COMMITTEE.—EarI
Granville, Lord President of the Privy Council, and
the Right Hon. the Lord Mayor of London have accepted
office as Vice-Presidents. The following gentlemen have
joined the Committee—The Rev. Thomas Corser,. of Man-
chester, James Spence, Esq„ of Liverpool, Henry A.
Bright, Esq., of Liverpool, S. R. Solly, Esq., G. Vining,
Esq., Princess's Theatre, James Anderson, Esq., Surrey
Theatre, G B. Martin, Eeci , Exeter-hall, and J. A.
Aland, M B.
M. GOUNOD'S ccCECILIAN MASS" was performed
at the Protestant Church of St. Andrews, Wells-street, at
a Midnight Service on Christmas Eve!