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 do Paris to the
Infanta Marie Isabella, eldest daughter of their
Royal Highnesses the Dike and Duchess do Mont-
pensier.

The venerable ex Queen Mario 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
coasin, 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 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•
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
llrge 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-
treet.

Sir George Grey, as SQcretary 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 Rovenue,
&c., at the right hon. gentleman's private residence on
Carlton-hours-turracc.

Sir John and Lady There'd 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 ono 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 j.OBINSON.—We have to
record the death of Admiral Havenles Robinson, who el:-
piled on Sunday last at Southsea, near Portsmouth. The
gallant admiral, who was in his 75ti, year, served on board
the Enryalus as a midshipman at that 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. Hia
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, 1802.

OCTuGENARIAN INTREPIDITY.—LateIy an old
woman, 82 years o 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 t.b.,a
Mormon colony.—Maidstone 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 crops are
from four to six weeks earlier than ler long, long 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 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 REClTALS.—Yes-
terday evening Mrs. Macready repeated a series of:
her dramatic recitals at the Queen's Concert Rooms, 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, anal 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 a;,.cora-
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
6, The Charge of Balaklava ; or, Tho Fate of England 'f;
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 an exist.
ence at Vienna, vegetate at Brussels, prowl through the
year at PTerence, be bored at Rome, hipped at Venice'
terrified at St. Petersburg, stupified at Berlin, excited 0
New York, soothed at Boston, deluded at Dublin, intexi"
cated at Edinburgh, astonished at Seville, amused at Milan,
occupied at ,Amsterdam, fatigued at Naples, absorbed 0
Manchester, salted at Live pool, cured at Brighton, 026-
killed at New Orleans; but if one wants to live, to see lifet
there is clearly no place iu the world for man or woman but
Paris. This is an assertion scarcely worth arguing 111,()".
Opinions aro unanimous. Of course there are no 1)01311,t3
in the world worth the Paris bonnets. The Boulevards ar°
unequalled among streets. Nobody knows how to cook,
out of the Palais Royal. No pictures worth looking at are
to be seen out of the Louvre, except indeed those of the
Luxembourg. Why pursue a theme so trite ? While I,*
single Englishman, am duly sounding the praise of PB66'
50,003 Germans, Italians, Swedes, Russians, Poles, Czechs'
Moldo-Wallachs, Montenegrins, Magyars, and I'd"'sul.
mans, are crying out that Parisian life is the life of livess
and that the only city worth living in is Paris.—Dtekois
"All the Year Round."
VISIT OF THE GOVERNMENT SURVEYOR TO ritis
ROCHDALE RESERVOIRS.--N 1,% Cobden has succeeded 1n
..
obtaining a promise from the Secretary of the Fiume 1)3,.
pertinent, that at; the earliest opportunity a Government
surveyor shall be sent down to inspect awl report upon t
state of the Rochdale reservoirs, incluling also the reserv,ei_
of the Oldham Corporation at Piethorn, which is believed
to be in a very unsatisfactory condition,--Leeds lliereut

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