The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-15 00:00:00

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HER MAJESTY.

WINDSOR CASTLE, Dec. 14.
Her Majesty has passed this most sad anniversary
and the preceding day in complete seclusion.
The Queen, accompanied by all the members of
the Royal Family, proceeded early this morning to
the Royal Mausoleum (where her Mejesty is i❑ the
habit of going constantly), and permission was given
to all the members of the household, including the
servants, to go there and pay a tribute of love and
respect to the memory of their beloved and revered
and ever to-be-regretted master.

THE COURT.—IIex Majesty and the princes and
princesses will leave Windsor Castla on Thursday nest.
The Prince and Princess of Wales will leave Frogalore
Lodge for Osborne on the 22d inst., where they will
remain 14 days on a visit to her Majesty, and afterwards
return to Windsor. The servants will go out of mourning,
and resume their scarlet liveries on Monday, the 28th
instant

To-morrow, the 16th, will be the birthday cf the
King of the Belgians, who will be 73 on that day. Great
family rejoicings will take place, as great joy is felt at
the happy state of health of the King after his recent
dangerous and most trying illness. Numerous promo-
tions and nominations in the Order of Leopold are spoken
of.
His Excellency the Austrian Ambassador and
the Countess Apponyi lef c Chandos House yesterday for
Longleat, Wilts, on a visit to the Marquis and Marchioness
of Bath, to meet his Royal Highness the Duke of Cam'
bridge. _ _

The Duchess of St. Albans and Lady Diana'
Beauclerk have arrived at Redbourne Hall, Lincolnshire►
on a visit to the Duke of St. Albans.

His Excellency the Earl of Carlisle left to` 0
yesterday morning for Dublin, to resutne his duties as Lord
Lieutenant of Ireland.

The Countess of Elgin, as we understand frail
the last telegram received by the family from India, is 011
her way home from Lahoro. The day after the interment
of the late earl's rem tins the countess and suite left for
Bombay, whence they return home. It is expected that
the countess and family will arrive in England towards
the latter end of January or in February.
Lord Huntingfield will entertain a large shootivg
party at his seat in Suff ilk during the present week.
Lord Broughton is entertaining a select party" ot
Tedworth, Hants.
The Countess Blucher has arrived at Maurie°
Hotel from Paris, on her way to visit her Majesty at
sor Castle.
Lady Mary Craven has left Thomas's Notel
Berkeley-square, for Moleoomb House, Chichester, 03 5
visit to the Prince and Princess Edward of Saxe-Weil:3°.
Mr. Craven has returned to Melton Mowbray.
The Hon. Admiral Rota and Mrs. ROSS hal
arrived at Dean Park, on a visit to the Earl and Countess °'
Cardigan.

SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH OF TIISi
PRINCE CONSORT.—Yesterday being the secant'
anniversary of the death of the lamented Prince Consort,
her Majesty and the members of the royal family attended
a religious service which took place about half-past tent
within the walls of the royal mausoleum at Frogmore. 11;
the afternoon the whole of the servants of the Queen's
Prince of Wales's households were allowed to visit the
mausoleum, between 12 and four o'clock, by permission ef
her Majesty, when some hundreds of the servants and their
families availed themselves of the opportunity of inspecting
the Prince's tomb. The interior of the mausoleum, whit!
is octagon in shape and still in an unfinished condition,
portion of the work being boarded, was beautifully deco-
rated with choice exotics, while the recumbent effigy of t,ilo
Prince Consort beneath a canopy of carvel wood, and a's;
the tomb, were ornamented with wreaths of evergreens and
immortelles, placed there by the hands of the Queen
the princes and princesses. During the time the man°l9;
let= was open there was a constant stream of the royal
servants to and from the Frogmore grounds, all wearing
mourning, while many of the public, attracted by °l°
scene, applied in vain for admission at the gates of the Pri-
vate road leading from the Long. walk to the roausolesinl•
Those of the servants who had brought friends with tb
had to leave them behind at the gates, the police having
strict orders to admit none but persone employed in the
Castle and the domestics of the royal households. It I°
hoped that her Majesty will, on the completion of the m an-
solemn, allow the general public an opportunity of seeing
the resting-place of the Prince Consort.
THE GREAT EASTERN.—PROPOSED LOTTE NT
DISTRIBUTION.—The Liverpool creditors met again yesi er-
day to consider the two schemes of the formation of a x ew
company, in which the creditors shall stand as paid up
shareholders, and the disposal of the ship by lottery. lia°
opinion was decidedly in favour of the latter project, p ora-
cularly as it was ascertained that counsel in London 118c1
reported in favour of its practicability. The arrangeros.o
for the lottery would be carried out at Frankfort-on-1 !e
-
Maine, though the shares would all be held in Englii
It is proposed to have 200 prizes, ranging from £20,00C ' t°
£250.
1'13.E CHARING-CROSS RAILWAY. Yester IBY
Captain Tyler, the Government inspector, in CO In:
pany with Mr. Hawkshaw, renewed his inquiry into t's
condition of this line, and proceeded to test the nume/ 011,,
iron road bridges that carry it from the Charing-crl
bridge to the London-bridge terminus. The structt 'ter
were severally tested with weights equivalent to a ton- 130er,
foot on each line of rails, the general average &flee
etio
being only half an inch on the centres and a quarter "
inch on the cross girders, the result being considered
satisfactory. The iron plate girder bridge at the Lou ( i°ja
bridge end is the largest structure of its kind, ester ri I
over a total span of 18611 and weighing upwards of 300 t s
The bow and string bridge over outhwark-streethatsbo
span of 132 ft in the clear. There is no other line 111 lraa
kingdom that, within the short spaco of three Wiles'. re,
such massive and masterly engineering works. This 1-:3;lio
noon the important process of testing the strength of
cylinders and piers took place, when the structure was 0,700
jected to the severe dead weight-over all the 16 piers of I'-r,
tons, and this terminated the Government inspector's

perimental testing.
AMERICAN MAIL STEAMERS DUE AT LEYERP°I4
i 8
Tilts WEEK.—There are three mails due at Liverpool 1-
week from the United States, viz.—The City of Bal titl,2rei;
from New York on the sth, may be expected at Queer tstlo
late to-night or early to-morrow morning ; the Alz e,r.r-r;
from Portland on the bth, may be looked for at Londcw `')h.
in the course of to-morrow ; the Cunard steamer .101
from Boston on the 9th, and Halifax early in the nor' a the
of the 11th, may be expected to reach Queenstown snpall
course of Saturday next. Should the City of Baltimore °)
off Cape Race, we will have (should she receive despate4
a week's later news from the United States.
THE HORSE CHESTNUT TURNED TO ACCOUNT
A correspondent of the Queen throws out the '°-e
lowing suggestions in regard to the present idle wastiSro
the crop of horse chestnuts :—When we see scattered ant
alleys and avenues and parks the fruit of the horse ellehsr to'
we are all astonished that science has not yet beer, s"zeetae
turn it to some use. But we are not long in suspectif`'tifol
cause, if by chance we taste one of these large and be-,(11
chestnuts with which the children amuse theniselle-ni.
strong, an intense bitterness assails our tongues ill it°-„°tne
disagreeable manner. Is this defect sufficient the calls- tra•
cultivation of the horse chestnuts to be abandoned as nti
tive substance ? We do not think so. No one is ignart'ea
of the repulsive taste of the olive when plucked all go r
from the tree; and yet every one knows the excellent .1)14,
poses to which the olive can be turned. The means by
avl/I',
we render eatable the fruit of the olive tree suffice to vsil,
quish what is offensive in the horse chestnut. If
in offs;
we take the trouble to grate the horse chestnuts, to ays:o,
them sufficiently to obtain the toacula; if, afterwardta
steep this fwcula in water fur 10 or 12 hours, then ifs,tory
we wash it, and finally,
if we piece the last residue in a `pry
fine sieve, so that the water alone escapes, we obtain a st
water, and so that there may be 13°
free from bitterness and possessing all the qualities of vr
This process for obtaining the lwcula of the horse chest° ot
•Many learned men have devoted a sP 0
cial study thereto from the year 1615, the epoch what t131,i
horse chestnut was brought from Constantino le;tor4rit:,, 0
bay
Bochelier, and when the first of these trees introduced `-ot
tbays twe ,a isshivnegr;:joilild
France was planted in one of the tours of the Saubise 3111;
Bio,. The attention devoted to the subject by M. 1303, P-;*
sident of the Court of Accounts at Montpellier, goes 9'3
back as 1720, At a later period, the celebrated Parvic
3ji;
tier, and the learned and illustrious Batune, made Pi,1330
experiments on this fruit, which all were crowned
complete success. The freaula of th.e horse chestnut ita
ployed with advantage in Germany as starch for the 111 s
er..
facture of paste, to be employed by binders and Pla
is
makers. In the departments of Eure and Isere thp fail 0
obtained by particular preparations, the basis of will° 0
always water. The starch can be made as white and lioe_ll
that tarnished by grain. Thus prepared, it can, for evv`ery
purpose, take the place of the potato, and affords a tJsa
wholesome food. In 1757 M. 111areandin reconarnendeu_va
water in which the grated horse-chestnuts had been w`
as suitable for bleaching linen, and for Mulling woollen
This same water which has been employed to wail). 70'1_ too
pare the possesses also the property of takligio
stains out of silk without destroying the colours. 11,0 aro
not all. The pulp forms a food which various anirund
fond of. At Constantinople the horse-chestnut, g ufveat
powder, and mixed with bran, is given to horses to
Flanders, at Auchin, an oil is extracted froiti,t.a or to cure certain diseases to which they are sub.:l'7.'oo,-
chestnut suitable for burning and also for food. s! this
bark of the tree is useful for tanning. As way be s.e'c'ol3.
fruit, so much despised, has much more value than 15
tinnily supposed.