The Sun.
London, England, 1864-07-22 00:00:00

The Prince and Princess of Wales.

The Prince and Princess of Wales cam© to
Marlborough House yesterday forenoon from the
White Lodge, Richmond Park.
The Prince of Wales presided at a meeting of
the Council of his Royal Highness, he,d at the
Office of the Duchy of Cornwall, Buckingham-gate,
St. James's Park.
There were present Sir W. Dunbar, Keeper of
the Privy Seal ; Sir W. J. Alexander, AttorneY
General; Lieut. General Knollys, Comptroller of
the Household of his Royal Highness; and the
Lord Portman.

Arrival of the Grand Duchess Mary of Russia

Her Imperial Highness the Grand Duchess Marl
of Russia, accompanied by his Excellency Os
Count Strogonoff and a numerous suite, arrived at
Dover by the half-past three boat yesterday after%
noon from Calais.

His Excellency the Russian Ambassador, who
left town early in the morning for Dover, was is
waiting on the pier to receive the duchess.
Shortly before four o'clock his excellency eo"
ducted Der Imperial Highness and suite to the train
her Imperial Highness and suite occupying Royal
saloon carriages, and being attended by the sups'
rintendent Mr. Knight. The train arrived at the
Charing-cross station about six o'clock, from
whence her Imperial Highness, accompanied by
Baron Brunnow, proceeded to Claridge's Hotel,
Brook-street, where her Imperial Highness will
stay for a few days previous to her departure for
Torquay, where it is expected her Imperial High'
ness will stay for a few months.

His Excellency the Ambassador of France will
leave Albert Gate House on or about Thursday next, for
Paris.
His Excellency the Minister for the Netherlands
and Madame Van de Weyer and family left Grosvenor..
square yesterday for New Lodge, Windsor Forest.
The Marquis and Marchioness of CArmerthen
have left town for the season. _ _

The Earl and Countess of Dartmouth have
arrived at their residence in Grosvenor-square from the
Continent.
The Countess Cowper is entertaining a select
party at Panshanger, Herts.

The Eirl and Countess of Fife and Lady Anne
Duff have left town for their seat in Scotland.

The Earl and Countess of Morley will
torn early next week for their seat, North Molton, Devon.
The Countess of Cadedon has left town for the
season. leave

Viscount and Viscountess Ingestre have loft town
for their seat, Ingestre Hall, Staffordshire.
Viscount and Viscountess Somerton have left
town for their seat, Madehurst Lodge, Arundel, Sussex.
Lord and Lady Foley will leave town today ou
a continental tour.
Lord Willoughby de Broke and family have left
town for the season.

DEATH OF CHERUBINI'S WIDOW AT NINETY'
oxe I—Madame Cherubini, widow of the great compeer,
has just died in Neuilly. She was in her ninety-first year.
The small body of friends which accompanied her reraait°l
to the grave was headed by M. Auber.
LAUNCH OF A CUNARD STEAMER.—On Wedneo`
day afternoon an iron screw steamer, intended Or
the Cunard North American service, was launched from
the building yard of Messrs Tod and Macgregor, Glasgow.-
The new vessel, which has been named the Cuba, presence
the following dimensions :—Length of keel and foreralete
32; ft ; breadth of beam, moulded, 42ft ; depth moulded to
spar deck, 29ft. The tonnage it 2,382 by builder's measrtree
went, The Cuba will be propelled by oscillating engi neg
of 650-horse power nominal, fitted with surface condent
and all the latest improvements. She will possess ace. one
modation for 300 first-class passengers, and if it should at
any time be deemed desirable to employ her as a troops
she would be found capable of transporting 1,500 men. The
rig will be similar to that usually adopted in the tee card
ships, Cunningham's patent reefing topsails being, Or
played, and the masts being furnished with Sir Snow
Harris's lightning conductor as applied to iron shire.
duplicate ship to the Cuba, to be named the Java, is Si
present being built for the Cunard Company by Messrs.
Thompson, of Govan, and is expected to be launched
February, 1865.
THE FORTIFICATIONS OF SPITHEAD.—It; TOO
originally proposed by the Defence Commissioners
that five forts should be constructed for the defence of Spit'
_head, and the positions chosen for these Were the Horse
Sand, No Man's Land, the Spit Point, at a point inter-
mediate between the fort on the Horso Sand and Porta°.
Island, and on the Sturbridge. It was, however, die-
covered that a proper foundat ion could not be obtained 0n
the last-named shoal, and a select committee, consisting of
Admiral Milne, Captain B. S. Hewlett, R.N., Colonel J.
W. Gorden, 31,E.,- Colonel C. V, Cockburn, R.A., Colonel
H. D. Harness, R.E., Captain J. Bythesea,
James Ferguseon, Esq., was appointed to recommend erbat
alteration should be made in the original plan of the cone-
missioners consequent upon the abandonment of the work
on the Sturbridge. The committee made their Import Yea:
terday. They unanimously recommend that a work should
be constructed on the Spitbank, in a position about 600
yards to the south-West of the point on which it was err'
gisally proposed by the Defence Commission to erect a fort.
such a work, the committee consider, would, in conjunction
with the batteries at Fort Morickton, bear immediately up 'll
the anchorage of .Spithead, and would also co-operate with
the works on the Horse Sand. and No Man's Land, and
with the Blockhouse Point and Southsea batteries in the
defence respectively at the outer channel to Spithead told
of the inner channel to Ports,elouth harbour,
FATAL BOAT ACCIDENT: ON THE TAltime.—A Bad
accident occurred on Wednesday on the Tamar, hi
which a mother and her child was drowned. The Volutateer
steamer went up the river to the Weir Head with the
children and friends of the Wycliff:-. Sunday school. S."
had, unknown it is said to the eaptoin, one of her boats
following astern. A boat containing e% yOung man named
Coombes, his wife and child, and a ferna2e friend, was peas'
ing up the river, and Coombes, in spite of a warning from
a boy connected with the steamer, who was in her boat,
fastened his craft to that of the steamer. When near Me"
wellham Rock, the river being narrow aria tortuous, the
steamer made a sharp turn, and Coombes's b. )at, net being
steered exactly in her wake, received tho swell on ttte
broadside, shipped a wave, filled and sank. Th.' steamer ett
soon as possible stopped and backed; and, after some difli'
young man Coombes and his female friene refer"
red
dlty to, theviere
get on board the steamer's boat. All efforts t 0
discover the poor man's wife and child, however, were
unavailing—they had sunk to rise no more. Several ,beats
were soon on the spot, and the body of Mrs Coombes
recovered during the evening.— licstern Norniv IVoz's*
FIVE CHILDREN BURIED ALIVE.—In Paris sa
accident occurred on Monday in the Rue Chatillons
near the Barrier du Combat. During the thunderstorm
which burst over Paris some children took shelter from the
hail and rain against a wall which enclosed a piece of vacant
ground. The wall, behind which a quantity of stones and
s
material had been piled up, suddenly gave way and burt,d.!
five of the children beneath the ruins. Three were dead
when got out, and the two others, though still alive, were
dangerously iLjured.