The Sun.
London, England, 1863-01-29 00:00:00

Foreign Courts.

VIENNA, Jan. 24.
The health of the Empress progresses in so satisfactory
a manner that her Majesty is enabled to take equestrian
exercise daily in the riding-school attached to the palace.
The Queen of Naples is expected at Venice in the course
of a few days, in order to meet her consort, who will pro-
ceed thither from Rome. They are expected to reside at
Venice for some time, and it is stated that the Empress
of Austria will visit her Royal relatives whilst they remain
there.

BERLIN', Jan. 26.
The celebration of the festival of the Coronation and
other orders commenced to-day by order of the King, when
those persons who had been nominated since the festival
of the preceding year, as well as those on whom orders
were to be conferred, assembled in the Royal palace. The
ceremony of decoration took place in the Hall of Knights,
where were present besides their Majesties, the Crown
Prince and Crown Princess, and most of the Princes of the
Royal house. A banquet took place in the evening, at
which the Crown Prince presided in the room of his Ma-
jesty, whose state of health, it is presumed, prevented his
attendance. About 800 persons received the insignia of
the various orders on the occasion; an unusually large
number.

PRINCE ALFRED and his brothers and sisters have
been brought up in the businesslike and simple way
which is usually supposed to belong to the strongest sort of
royalty. It is everywhere understood that there is more
formality and exclusiveness in the habits and manners of
constitutional sovereigns and their families and courts than
is seen where the monarch has such entire possession of
power as not to have to think of the appearance of it : but,
in the case of our royal family, while there is all possible
watchfulness over the dignities and claims of all its mem-
bers, there is none of the helplessness of grandeur, none of
the pernicious leisure for dreaming, and temptation to a
relaxing egotism—which are the worst liabilities of princes.
The Queen's children have done real work of head and
hands all their lives. After school hours, their play was
another sort of work—the boys building a dairy with their
own hands, and their sisters afterwards serving the dairy
as real milkmaids. They have set their butter and cream
before the Queen ; they have made the stirabout in High-
land cabins; and there is no member of the family who
does not know that the moon is not made of green cheese.
Thus, any one of them whom fortune addresses as she has
now greeted Prince Alfred is pretty safe from the dreamy
selfishness which would be found in a pampered and
spoiled boy of some Royal houses, and in our own—
some hundred years ago. Still, the thought recurs, that
our young Prince is at the very age when the offer of a
throne is most tempting, and when the prospect of diffi-
culty is least discouraging. So, if there has been some
struggle, nobody would think the worse of him for it.—
Chico a Week.

Lord Ribblesdale arrived at the Pavilion Hotel,
Folkestone, on Tuesday, from the Continent.
The Countess and Madlle. de L'lsle and the
Abbe Vanderville have left the Brunswick Hotel for Paris.

Sir Edmund and Lady Prideaux have arrived at
Howchin's Hotel from Essex.

Sir George and Lady Houstonn Boswell have
arrived at biowehin's Hotel.

MR. CHARLES DICKENS.—The announcement of
our eminent countryman Mr. Charles Dickens's
two additional soirees at the British Embassy has created
a universal sentiment of gratification throughout the read-
ing public of Paris—not at all confined to the English, for
it is a subject of general remark that many of the celebrated
writer's warmest admirers are to be found in French society,
who are one and all authentic in their opinions of his former
reading. The demand for tickets is, as might be expected,
very great, and the promised introduction of the renowned

" Sam Weller," with his mingled wit, wisdom, and quaint
philosophy, is certain to command the same success among
Parisians as has ever attended the unequalled humourist
wherever the immortal pages of "Pickwick" are known.—
We may 'remind our readers that the first reading is firmed
for to-morrow evening.—Galtgnani.
HORACE VERNET.—The Moniteur de l'Armee,

n an article on Horace Vernet, mentions the two

following anecdotes of that artist :—" The late painter was
eminently kind and hospitable. One day a stranger called
on him, and begged to be admitted among his pupils. The
applicant was a captain of the ex-Imperial Guard, placed
under the surveillance of the police in consequence of his
Bonapartist ideas. ' What can you do?' asked Horace
Vernet. `Nothing yet; but I tun determined to learn.'
`From the moment that you aro resolved,' returned the
painter, examining the firm countenance of the visitor, no-
thing more is to be said. My studio is henceforth open to
you.' In fact the officer laboured with such perseverance
that in a short time, by the aid of his master's counsels, he
became a distinguished painter, and later created for him-
self, in a special branch of the art, a position in which he is
without a rival. To him we owe the splendid panoramas
of Navarino, Moscow, the Pyramids, and Sebastopol, and
to him we shall soon be indebted for that of Solferino. We
refer to Col. Langlois. A cuirassier called upon Horace-Ver-
net crle morning at Versailles. The soldier wished to have
his portrait taken in full length to send home, but wished
first to know what it would cost. How much can you
give ?' asked Vernet. Thirty sous,' said the soldier.
Agreed,' replied the artist. With a few strokes of his pencil
the painter terminated a charming sketch of the cuirassiers
who carried it off delighted, remarking, however, to a com-
rade who was waiting for him in the street, I was wrong
not to bargain ; he would have perhaps let me have it for
a franc.' " We have heard the story told differently.
The cuirassier in question was one of the handsomest men
in the army, but not overstocked with brains. His com-
rades set him on to get his likeness taken, and sent him to
Vernet, with the purpose of laughing at him afterwards
for his folly. Vernet saw through the trick, and painting
for the handsome soldier a magnificent portrait, turned the
laugh against the plotters."
THE METROPOLITAN RAILWAY.—The success
which has attended the working of the traffic on
the Metropolitan Underground Railway has occasioned the
directors of that company to determine upon running ex-
press through trains in addition to the ordinary traffic which
has been carried on since the opening of the line. The trains
had hitherto called at each of the intermediate stations, but
the directors gave notice yesterday, that on and after Mon-
day next, the 2d of February, there would be a series of
express trains running daily—twelve each way—commenc-
ing at 8.40 "up," and 9.10 "down," and being continued
at about half-hour intervals (excepting from about noon to
4 o'clock) until 8.40 " up," in the evening at 7.10 "down."
The whole of the trains will be first and second class, and
will stop at the Edgware-road (or Chapel-street) Station.
The whole distance of these express trains will be run over
in 13 minutes, whereas the ordinary trains have averaged
about 24 minutes.

REPRESENTATION OF REIGATE.—The candidates,
Mr. Leveson Gower and Mr. W. A. Wilkinson, are
actively engaged in canvassing, and have each issued a
circular assuring the electors of their individual success.
Mr. Wilkinson has stated that he has received actual
promises of votes to the number of 390, and this, in a con-
stituency of only 735, of course shows a 'majority of pro-
mises. How far they are to be relied on remains to be
proved on the day of polling. On the other hand, Mr.
Gower has published the names of his committee, which
comprises those of 150 of the most influential gentlemen in
the borough, a great many of whom were supporters of the
late member. Although the fight will no doubt be severe
it is believed that Mr. Gower will be the successful candi-
date.

An ox was slaughtered in the isle of Purbeck
last week which stood upwards of six feet high, and
weighed 2,4081ba, avoirdupio.