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 or their
Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess de Mont-
pvbsier.

The venerable ex• Queen Marie Amelia 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 So2,in.
The Duke de Nemours and the Prince and Prin-
cess de Joinville have returned to Claremont from
a visit to Belgium on family affairs.
Tae betrothal of the Count de Paris and his
cousin, the Infanta Marie Isabella, took place at the
Palace of St. Telme, in th© 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 Clementina, and the
Duke and Duchess de Chartres, will assemble at
Claremont on the interesting event.

The day selected for the wedding is the anniver-
sary of the marriage of the late Dake 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 ltsdzivil 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
lirge circle of peers and supporters of the GoTernment, 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 G rosvenor-
treet .

Sir George Grey, es 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, tho Chairman of the Board of
Customs, the Chairman of the Board of Inland Rwentue,
&c., at the right hon, gentleman's private residence on
Carlton-house-terrace.

Sir John and Lady Thorold have arrived at the
Palaco 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 b 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-
pired on Sunday last at Southsea, near Portsmouth. The
gallant admiral, who was in his 75th 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 ho 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, 1814 ;
rear 'admiral, October 9, 1849; vice-admiral, October 21,
1856 ; and admiral, January 15, 1862.

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

TIIE CROPS IN CALIFORNIA.—From almost every
section of California (with but few exceptions), wo
have good news of the crops, since the late copious rains ;
in fact in several places it is reported that the crops are
from four tc six weeks earlier than for long, lung years.
These facts preclude the possibility of any advance in bread-
stuffs, and lucky are those farmers that sold when the price
of wheat was at 2f 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,

AIRS. MACREADY'S DRAMATIC RECITALS.--Yes-
terday evening Mrs. Macready repeated a series of
her dramatic recitals at the Queen's Concert Rooms, liano-
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 Edward 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 az:com.
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
"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 and die in London ; one may drag on en exist.
ence at Vienna, vegetate at Brussels, prowl through the
year at Florence, be bored at Rome, hipped at Venice,
terrified at St. Petersburg, stupified at Berlin, excited at
New York, soothed at Boston, deluded at 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, awl
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.
Opinions are unanimous. Of course there are no bonnets
in the world worth the Paris bonnets. The Boulevards are
unequalled among streets. Nobody knows how to cook,
out of the Palais Royal. No pictures worth looking at are
to.bc seen out of the Louvre, except indeed those of the
Luxembourg. Why pursue a theme so trite ? While I, a
single Englishman, am duly sounding the praise of Paris,
50,003 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 Peris.—.Thekell?
"_All the Year Round."

VISTT OF THE GOVERNMENT SURVEYOR TO THE
ROCHDALE RESERNOTHS.—Mr. Cobden has succeeded ill
obtaining a promise from the Secretary of the Home De-
partment, that at the earliest opportunity a Government•
surveyor shall be sent down to inspect and report upon the
state of the Rochdale reservoirs, including also the reservoir
of the Oldham Corporation at Piethorn, which is believed
to ht a very unsatisfactory conditioni—Leeds ,31ereu7y,