The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-18 00:00:00

The ex-Royal Family of France.

The whole of the Orleans branch of the House of
Bourbon have assembled at Claremont, for the
approaching nuptials of the Count de Paris to the
Infanta Marie Isabella, eldest daughter of their
Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess de Mont-
pcnsier.

The venerable ex• Queen Marie Amelie returned
to Claremont on Saturday, from a short residence
at St. Leonards, in order to meet the Duke and
Duchess de Montpensier and family, who arrived
at Claremont on Monday evening, from Spain.

The Duke de Nemours and the Prince and Prin-
cess de Joinville have returned to Claremont from
a visit to Belgium on family affairs.

The betrothal of the Count de Paris and his
cousin, the Infanta Marie Isabella, took place at the
Palace of St. Telme, in the early part of last month.
We understand that the marriage is fixed to take
place on the 31st instant, at the Roman Catholic
Chapel at Kingston,
The Duke and Duchess d'Aumale, the Duke
Augustus and the Duchess Clementine, and the
Duke and Duchess de Chartres, will assemble at
Claremont on the interesting event.
The day selected for the wedding is the anniver,
nary of the marriage of the late Duke of Orleans
with the Princess Helene of Mecklenburg-
Schwerin.

Mr. Walford has had the honour of an interview
with the Prince and Princess of Wales at Marlborough
House, and of presenting copies of the new edition of his
" County Families," which were graciously accepted. The
work will appear henceforth under the patronage of their
Royal Highnesses.

The Archbishop of Canterbury had a dinner
party last evening, at Lambeth Palace. Among
the guests of his grace were the Archbishop of Armagh
and Mrs. Beresford, the Bishop of Ripon and Mrs. Bicker-
steth, Lieut.-Gen. and Mrs. Knollys, Lady Radstcck and
Hon. Miss Waldegrave, the Bishop of Bangor and Mrs.
Campbell, and a large party. Covers were laid for 32.

Prince Leon Radzivil has arrived at Long's
Hotel. Prince Paskievitch has left the hotel.

Viscount Palmerston, in celebration of her Ma-
jesty's birthday, will give a grand full dress banquet to a
large circle of peers and supporters of the Government, on
Tuesday next, at Cambridge House, Piccadilly.

Lord and Lady Southampton are expected to
arrive in town at the end of the week from passing a few
weeks in Paris.

Lord Hotham entertained a select party at
dinner yesterday evening, at his residence in Grosvenor•
ctreet.

Sir George Grey, as Secretary of State for the
Home Department, will give a full dress banquet at the
Clarendon Hotel on Tuesday next, in celebration of her
Majesty's birthday,

The Right Hon. the Chancellor of the Exchequer
will give a full dress dinner on Tuesday next to the Gover-
nor of the Bank of England, the Chairman of the Board of
Customs, the Chairman of the Board of Inland Rwenue,
&c., at the right hon. gentleman's private residence on
Carlton-house-terrace.

Sir John and Lady Thorold have arrived at the
Palace Hotel, Buckingham-gate, from Paris.
Miss Burdett Coutts and Mrs. Brown have left
town for Torquay.

THE NEW STAMP DUTY ON VOTING PAPERS.—
A duty of one penny is to be paid on voting papers by proxy
in the United Kingdom at any meeting of shareholders or
society, or at any society exercising a public trust.
DEATH OF ADMIRAL ROBINSON.—We have to
record the death of Admiral Hercules Robinson, who ex-
pit ed on Sunday last at Southsea, near Portsmouth. The
gallant admiral, who was in his 76th year, served on board
the Euryalus as a midshipman at the battle of Trafalgar
under the immortal Nelson. He was commander of the
Prometheus when he captured three privateers in the face
of the enemy, supported by a large body of troops. His
commissions bore date as follows :---Lieutenant, April 27,
1807 ; commander, August 30, 1809 ; captain, June 7, 18.:4 ;
rear •admiral, October 9, 1849; vice•admiral, October 21,
1856 ; and admiral, January 15, 1862.

OCTuGENARIAN INTREPIDITY.—LateIy an old
woman, 82 years of age, paid a visit to Milstead to
bid adieu to some relations previous to her starting for Uta h.
She is nothing daunted at the task before her, being assur ed
by her chief that travelling by railway is so sweet on t te
other side of the water. She goes with a man about the
same age as herself, ant feels confident that she shall -yet
see three sons of hers who have been some time in the
Mormon colony.—iilaidstone Journal.

THE CROPS IN CALIFORNIA.—From almost every
section of California (with but few exceptions), we
have good news of the crops, since the late copious rains ;
in fact in several places it is reported that the crop s are
from four to six weeks earlier than for long, long years.
These facts preclude the possibility of any advance i a bread-
stuffs, and lucky are those farmers that sold when t he price
of wheat was at 2 cents. per lb. This prospect of a good
harvest gives life and animation to trade, both in the country
and the city.--San Francisco Paper.
MRS. MACREADY'S DRAMATIC RECITALS.--Yes-
terday evening Mrs. Macready repeated a s Dr'ies of
her dramatic recitals at the Queen's Concert Room. s, 'Hano-
ver-square. The programme included an extract from the
first scene of Sheridan Knowles's " Hunchback," the poem
of "The Boy and his Angel," by Caroline Sawyer, and the
ballad of " The Oysterman," by C. W. Holmes. To this
succeeded an extract from the works of Ed weal Poe, en-
titled "The Bells," in the recitation of which Mrs. mac-
ready essayed an imitation of the intonation of different
bells—a difficult task, truly, but one in which she accom-
plished a triumph of vocalisation, and obtained the warm
plaudits of her audience. The remaining part of the enter-
tainment comprised three scenes from the first act of
16 Hamlet," including the ghost scene, which was rendered
with considerable spirit and Effect, and wound up with
"The Charge of Balaklava ; or, The Fate of England's
brave Six Hundred," which was given with much taste and
pathos, The last of these entertainments is announced for
Saturday, June 11.

THE PLACE TO LIVE IN,—One may toil and grow
rich end die in London ; one may drag on an exist.
once at Vienna, vegetate at Brussels, prowl through tiro
year at Florence, be bored at Rome, hipped at Venice,
terrified at St. Petersburg, stupified at Berlin, excited. at
Now York, soothed at Boston, deluded et Dublin, intoxi-
cated at Edinburgh, astonished at Seville, amused at Milan,
occupied at Amsterdam, fatigued at Naples, absorbed at
Manchester, salted at Liverpool, cured at Brighton, anti
killed at New Orleans; but if one wants to live, to see life,
there is clearly no place in the world for man or woman but
Paris. This is an assertion scarcely worth arguing upon.
()pinions are unanimous. Of course thcro are no bonnets
in the world worth the Paris bonnow. The Boul,rards ar°
unequalled among streets. Nobody knows how to '001"
out of the Palais Royal. No pictures worth looking at aro
to be seen out of the Louvre, except indeed those of tiro
Luxembourg. Why pursue a theme so trite ? While I, 3
single Englishman, am duly sounding the praise of Pali'',
50,00 a Germans, Italians, Swedes, Russians, Poles, Czechs,
Moldo-Wallachs, Montenegrins, Magyars, and Mussul
mans, are crying out that Parisian life is the life of lives,
and that the only city worth living in is Paris.—Dickerrs
" All the Year Round."

VISTT OF THE GOVERNMENT SURVEYOR TO 'lllB
ROCHDALE RESERVOIRS.—Mr. Cobden has succeeded in
obtaining a promise from the Secretary of the Home De-
pertinent, that at the earliest opportunity a GovernmLnt
surveyor shall be sent down to inspect and report upon the
state of trte Rochdale reservoirs, including also the reservoir
of the Oldham Corporation at Piethorn, which is believed
to be in a very unsatisfactory condition,—Leas Alercto

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