The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-30 00:00:00

State Ball at Buckingham Palace.

B}. command of the Queen a State BA! was given
last evening at Buckingham Palace, to which a
party of between 1,700 and 1,800 was invited.
The Royal Body Guard of the Yeomen of the
Guard, with their officers, Lieut.-Col. Cooke, the
Easign, and Lieut.-Col. Patterson, the Exon is
Waiting, were on duty in the interior of the Palace.
A Guard of 1-I,nour of the Foot Guards was
mounted in. front of the Palace.

Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess
of Wales, escorted by a squadron of the Royal
Horse Guards, and attended by the Marchioness of
Carmarthen, the Hon. Mrs. Stonor, Elrl Spencer,
the Eirl of Mount Edgeumbe, Lord Harris, Lieut.-
Col. Koppel, and Mr. C. L. Wood, arrived at the
Palace from Marlborough House at 10 o'clock.
'l•heir Royal Highnesses the Duchess -of Cam-
bridge and Princess Mary arrived from St. James's
Palace, uttended by the Countess Spencer and Capt.
Ellis.

His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge
arrived, attended by his equerries.
The Prirce and Princes, of Wales, accompanied
by their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess
Louis of Hesse, her Royal Highness the Princess
Helena, their Royal Highnesses the Duchess of
Cambridge and Princess Mary, and his Royal
Highnets the Duke of Cambrioge, conducted by
Viscount Sydney, the Lord Chamberlaic, and
Attended by thu 14 idles and Gentlemen in Waiting,
entered the ball-room soon after 10 o'clock.
Her R ,ya, Highness the Princess of Wales wore
a dress of black sidr, covered with black and white
tulle, band omely d with rich Brussels lace;
flowers of mountain ash and liiieo; tiara of
monds; necklace, brooch, at.d earrings of diamonds,
Her Royai Highness the Princess Louis of Hesse
wore a lilac tulle skirt over a lilac silk petticoat,
with ruches of white and lilac tulle; a top Skirt of
wnrie tulle with silver embroidery, and trimmed
with passion Had dress, a net of dia•
monds and passion flowers; broach and earrings,
emeralds and diamonds; necklace, pearls, with
emerald and diamond ornaments.

Her Royal Highness the Princess Helena wore a
dress of green to le and crape over ghee si:k,
trimmed with pink roses and Aides of the valley.
tietzd.,dress of roses and fillies of the valley, and
ditimond ornaments and orders.

Her Royal Highness the .Duchess of Cambridge
wore a dress of violet satin with Houitou lace.
Diadem of pearls and diamonds; stomacher, neck•
lace, and earrings of pearls and diamonds.

Her Royal Highness the Princess Mary wore a
blue tulle dress over blue glace sills, trimmed with
bouquets of pink roses and silver wheatears, covered
with a silver hind veil. Head dress, a diadem of
diamonds, with silver wheatears and pink roses ;
stomacher, necklace, and earrings of diamonds.

Prim and Princess Gargarine have arrived in
London from the Hotel Mirabeau, Paris.
'The Archbishop of York and Mrs Thomson en-

tertained at dinner, yesterday evening, at their residence in
Belgrave-square, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Earl
and Lady Constance Grosvetor, Viscount and Viscountess
Stratford do aedoliffe, Viscount and Viscountess Nevin,

the Bishop of Oxford, Lord and Lady Wenlock, Sir John
and Lady B. Johnstone, Sir William and Lady Payne Gall-
wey, Mr Christopher Sykes and Miss Sykes.
The Marquis and Marchioness of Normanbyt
Earl Musgrave, Lady Catherine Phippe, and Lady Laura
Phipps have left the Queen's Hotel, Upper Norwood, for
Mu'grave Castle, Whitby.

Gros
1 The Marquis Aligliorati, Italian Ambassador to
F South America, has left the Hotel Mirabeau, Paris, for
Lima, by way of Southampton.
Miss Kate Gordon's second morning concert took
as pianofortedon done,
an
d solo
at by
vpains Core.
street,
reesette, yesterday
attracteda t C o Collard's aarvde'ray Ceroonwcdeerdt
fashionableßoom s,
eMorflttehnewirickb,eastndsnli;BB. EaillViGl;
audi-
ence. The concert nommen:cit.:lit:l.e
was
.hiss Gordon, to which amp
cklititlsseonM rcoGnet
the greatest satistac(ion. Toe principal
which gave
just rum ntal performances were the " Trio in E Flat" (0p.14)
clarionet, and viola—Mozart—by Miss Kate
G
Koiu,ill de:r
Gen eo'r ua
odne
aCnUdnuet-er:
Mr. LIZ true, and Mr. H. Webb ; and Mozart's
tor pianoforte,
roirtiguetePderrs7nl
for two pianos, from " Juan"—Miss
88
they
ci,:i.r,"Lede,litnthreyerlo.udle'hstesetwooanpositions
applause, and we
cel'ineint°edt'Clo,e our brie! nonce of the pleasant performance
wit bout awarding great praise to Miss Guidon. Her touch
was good ow her taste unexceptionable,
111'2 CITY COMPANIES, —Non-citizens have very
,
time ktiowleoge of ;here companies : they hear occa-
•,ionally that the Prince of Wales dines with one company.
Garibaldi with a second, some other c• lebrgted personage
with a third, and so on ; and that the companies c,ntl 'but°
iiberally to various benevolent institutions, besides main-
taining almshouses for decayed poisons. But b.,yond these
timits, little is popularly known of the companies. The

tiuth is, there is little to know. The companies have out-
oved the purposes for which they were originally chartered.
Each was intended to regulate some particular trade at a
time when unfettered commerce was little thought about.
It was believed in the days of the Edwards and Henrys
that there ought be some central authority in each trade, to
determine wages, prices, quality of goods, quantity of work
done in a part cular time, number of persons free of the
craft, number et apprentices, and other such matters. We noW
know that these things are Lest left to manage themselves;
but it was a well-meant and perhaps b(m.ficial system in
those days. Wealthy citizens lett estates to the companies
to which they belonged, for appropriation generally to the
needs of the poorer members of the craft. These estates
nave now become enormously valuable; and as the com-
panies have very few trade privileges to exercise, or trade
duties to fulfil, the annual revenues are mainly spent in
charities and in feastings. Parliament has sometimes talked
of interfering in the matter but without effect, for the

states are really and legally vested in the companies.

VlSany readers be surprised to heat that there are 80
city Companies, establistle4 to coatrul us Wow cittforen t
trades,— Owe a ifieek,