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

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Sin,—For 35 years this hospital has been devoted to the
work of relieving the maladies of the sick and destitute poor
of London, the provinces, and also foreigners, its original
principle of "free" admissions excluding none from its
charities. In common with other unendowed institutions,
its funds have materially suffered during the last two years
from the diversion of public sympathy into other channels.
Its average number of in and out patients exceeds 3,000
weekly. Situate amid a large population, consisting chiefly
of the operative class, numbers apply daily for admission
whom the limited means at the disposal of the Weekly
Board reluctantly compel them to decline. Winter, though
mercifully delayed, must be shortly increasing in severity,
and meteorological data indicate the probability of a season
of unusual rigour and duration.
Under these circumstances, the "Weekly Board entreat,
through through your influential columns, some participationwhb. al ,‘ ays
those munificent outflows of public charfitiyte own,
an Eng-
helbgelrlyisfha,ewesi2thm a,
ft moralrpkocmneiout:lohiifaenri:iedwkwnh.
lish Uhristmas. Other claims, fore obviuu,
ay their heads, almost
P,rievseering rags and white
poverty,
shapes of pitiable distress, in su
theyui n e
e type
carat
of
itno
obscure from public view ugnobteeerisurisi.esniNtg.vviseillbceohym.
the dispensary.
who seldom stir
the unavoidable result
employments
following the On
braebeanitfs°ll,ythwishigcehn
the aid of public benevolence is earnestly
able Bathos
thol have
honour to be, Sir, your obedient servant,
J. B. OWEN, IV doein9kdaebealpeidsnatgih.l
ylvviafsrliiotd
Chairman of the Weekly Board.

The Sacred Itlirtnanic Society, Exeter-hall, re•
pea; their performances of the " Messiah" on Frida} even-
ing next, the 181 h, when Mr. Sims Reeves will again ap-
pear, together with Mdlle. Parepa, Madame Sainton-DolbY.
Mr. Renwick, and Mr. Paley,

6,4
EDIT
wqr'4v,

TIER MAJESTY.

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

THE COUP.T.—Her Majesty and the princes and
princesses will leave Windsor Castle on Thursday next•
The Prince and Princess of Wales will leave Frogmore
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 left Chandos llouse 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
Beauclork have arrived at Redbourne Hall, Lincolnshire,
on a visit to the Duke of St. Albans.

His Excellency the EArl of Carlisle left town
yesterday morning for Dublin, to resume his duties as Lord
Lieutenant of Ireland.

The Countess of Elgin, as we understand from
the last telegram received by the family from India, is on
her way home from Lahore. 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 Hun tingfield will entertain a large shooting
party at his seat in Suffilk during the present week.

Lord Broughton is entertaining a select party at
Tedworth, Hants.

The Countess Blucher has arrived at MaurigY's
Hotel from Paris, on her way to visit her Majesty at Wind"
sor Castle.

Lady Mary Craven has left Thomas's Hotel
Berkeley-square, for Moleoomb House, Chichester, on a
visit to the Prince and Princess Ed ward of Saxe - Weiniar.
Mr. Craven has returned to Melton Mowbray.
The Hon. Admiral Eons and Mrs. Eons have
arrived at Dean Park, on a visit to the Earl and Countess of
Cardigan.

SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH OF THE
PRINCE CONSORT.—Yesterday being the second
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. In
the afternoon the whole of the servants of the Queen's and
Prince of Wales's households were allowed to visit the
mausoleum, between 12 and four o'clock, by permission of
her Majesty, when some hundreds of the servants and their
families availed themselves of the opportunity of inspecting
the Ptince's tomb. The interior of the mausoleum, which
is octagon in shape and still in an unfinished condition, a
portion of the work being boarded, was beautifully deco'
ra'ed with choice exotics, while the recumbent effigy of the
Prince Consort beneath a canopy of carved wood, and iliac'
the tomb, were ornamented with wreaths of evergreens and
immortelles, placed there by the hands of the Queen and
the princes and princesses. During the time the mauso-
leum 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 the
scene, applied in vain for admission at the gates of the pri-
vate road leading from the Long. walk to the mausoleum.
Those of the servants who had brought friends with them
had to leave them behind at the gates, the police having
strict orders to admit none but personc employed in the
Castle and the domestics of the royal households. It is
hoped that her Majesty will, on the completion of the mau-
soleum, allow the general public an opportunity of seeing
the resting-place of the Prince Consort.
THE GREAT EASTERN.—PROPOSED LOTTERY
DISTRIBUTION.—The Liverpool creditors met again yester-
day to consider the two schemes of the formation of a new
company, in which the creditors shall stand as paid up
shareholders, and the disposal of the ship by lottery. The
opinion was decidedly in favour of the latter project, parti-
cularly as it was ascertained that counsel in London had
reported in favour of its practicability. The arrangements
for the lottery would be carried out at Frankfort-on-the-
Maine, though the shares would all be held in England.
It is proposed to have 200 prizes, ranging from £20,000 to
£2,50.

THE CHARING-CROSS RAILWAY. Yesterday
Captain Tyler, the Government inspector, in cora-
pany with. Mr. Hawkshaw, renewed his inquiry into the
condition of this line, and proceeded to test the numerous
iron road bridges that carry it from the Charing-cross-
bridge to the London-bridge terminus. The structures
were severally tested with weights equivalent to a ton .Per
foot on each line of rails, the general average deflection
being only half an inch on the centres and a quarter of en
inch on the cross girders, the result being considered ble"
satisfactory. The iron plate girder bridge at the Lend°7l-
- end is the largest structure of its kind, extending.
over a total span of 186 it and weighing upwards of 300 tons-
The bow and string bridge over outhwark-street has a
span of 132 ft in the clear. There is no other line in the
kingdom that, within the short space of three miles, 1I
such massive and masterly engineering works. This fore-
noon the important process of testing the strength of the
cylinders and piers took place, when the structure was sub-
jected to the severe dead weight over all the 16 piers of 1,200
tons, and this terminated the Government inspector's ex-
perimental testing.
AMERICAN MAIL STEAMERS DUE AT LIVERPOOL
THIS WEEK.—There are three mails due at Liverpool this
week from the United States, viz—The City of Baltimore,
from New York on the sth, may be expected at Queenstown
late to-night or early to-morrow morning; the America,
from Portland on the sth, may be looked for at Londonderry
in the course of to-morrow; the Cunard steamer lorab`a,'
from Boston on the 9th, and Halifax early in the mort:inb
of the 11th, may ba expected to reach Queenstown in 01
course of Saturday next. Should the City of Baltimore cs.'`
off Cape Race, we will have (should she receive despatches)
a week's later news from the United States.

THE HORSE CHESTNUT TURNED TO ACCOI7NT.'
A currespundent of the Queen throws out the foi"
lowing suggestions iu regard to the present idle wasting' of
the crop of horse chestnuts :—When we see scattered alot4
alleys and avenues and parks the fruit of the horse chestnut?
we are all astonished that science has not yet been able t°
turn it to some use. But we are not long in suspecting t':"
cause, if by chance we taste one of these large and teautif ,
chestnuts with which the children amuse themselves. A\
strong, an intense bitterness assails our tongues in the most
disagreeable manner. Is this detect sufficient the cause the
cultivation of the horse chestnuts to be abandoned as nutri'
tive substance? We do not think so. No one is ignorant
of the repulsive taste of the olive when plucked all green
from the tree; and yet every one knows the excellent pur-
poses to which the olive can be turned. The means by which
we render eatable the fruit of the olive tree suffice to van'
quish what is offensive in the horse chestnut. 14 iee effect,
we take the trouble to grate the horse chestnuts, to wash
them sufficiently to obtain the feecula;
if, afterwards, we
steep this fatcula in water for 10 or 12 hours, then if sinew
we washit, and finally, if we place the last residue in a ver)r
fine sieve, so that the water alone escapes, we obtain a starch
free from bitterness and possessing all the qualities of wheat.
This process for obtaining the isacula of the horse chestnut
by washing with water, and so that there may be no bad
many learned men have devoted a spe-
taste, is very old.
and when the first of these trees introduced Llt()
planted in one of the tours of the Saubise
cial study thereto from the year 1615, the epoch wheel the
theß
Court of Accounts at .Mo
horse chestnut was brought from Constantinople;to 109
attention devoted to ' •
tier, and the learned and illustrious
the subject by M. Bon, pre-'
Francaodonec
nh. et
'1 he
vrh
back as 1729. At a later period, the celebrated Parnien-
ußtpauelwhee,mgaodees au:al:yr
experiments on tine fruit, which all were crowned with a
complete success. The ltocula of the horse chestnut is oul"
ployed with advantage in tiermany as starch for the fauna-
tacture of paste, to be employed by binders and paper'lu
aaers. In the departments of Eure and Isere the Iteoula to
obtained by particular preparations, the basis of which i 4
al ways water. The starch can be made as white and Sine as
that furnished by grain. Thus prepared, it can, for every
purpose, take the place of the .potato, and affords a vcrY
wholesome food. In 17.57 M. :Alurcandinrecemtnended
the
water iu which the grated horse-chestnuts had been wash"'
as suitable for bleecking linen, and ler fulling woollen stuffs'
This same water which has been employed to wash and pre-
pare the posseeses also the property of taking 1,11.5
stains out of silk without destroying the colours. This
1_
not all, The pulp forms a food which various animals:lr:
fond of. At Constantinople the horse-chestnut, ground
powder, and mixed with bran, is given to horses to pro In
or to cure certain diseases to which they are subject. 11_
lu
Flanders, at Auchin, an oil is extracted from the heite.eo
cstuut suitable fur butning and also for food. Finally,
bark of the tree is useful for tanning. As ,nay be se.en,i:
fruit; so welch despised, has much more value than is cn
mostly supposed. •