The Sun.
London, England, 1863-05-15 00:00:00

HER MAJESTY.

The Duchess of Somerset returned to town yes-
terday from Bulstrode Park, Bucks.
The Duke of Hamilton arrived at his mansion in
Arlington-street, on Wednesday, from Nice. The duchess
and Lady Mary Hamilton ara expected to arrive from Paris
during the present week.
The Marquis and Marchioness of Ailsa have
arrived at the Burlington Hotel, Cork-street, from Culzean
Castle, .Ayrshire, for the season.
The Earl of Lindsay and the Hon. Mr. and Mrs.
Bertie have arrived at 21, Chesham-place,
The Countess Dowager of Newburgh entertained
at dinner last evening, at her residence in Wilton Crescent,
the Earl and Countess of Dalkeith, Lord and Lady Foley,
Sir Edward and Lady Caroline Kerrison, Hon. Mr. and
Mrs. A. Egerton, Hon. Frederick Leveson Gower, and Mr.
Henry Grey ille.

Lord Brougham arrived in town on Wednesday
evening from Cannes. The noble and learned lord is in
excellent health.

Lord and Lady Dufferin have arrived at their
villa at Highgate, from their seat in Ireland.
Lord and Lady Lurgan have arrived at Love's
Hotel, Albemarla•street,
General Sir George Brown, G C 8., Colonel-in-
Chief of the Prince Consort's Own Rifle Brigade, attended
the levee on Wednesday.
Sir George and Lady Jenkinson have arrived at
27, Upper Harley-street, from Eastwood Park,Gloucester-
shire, for the season.

THE SPITHEAD FORTS.—While the Charleston
action has proved, what scarcely needed proof, that
if vessels can be detained under the fire of forts, they will
soon prefer to retreat, it gives us very little help towards
solving the problem how to keep an enemy's vessel out of
ranee of Portsmouth dockyard. What is successful for
once in a narrow, shallow channel, cannot be relied on for
a permanent security in a broad and deep estuary. Now the
fatal blot in the theory of the Spithead forts is this, that if
they cannot utterly exclude the enemy's vessels, they are
useless and delusive. If any ship can succeed in running
past them, it reaches at once an " area of invulnerability,"
in which, while practically safe itself, for such time as its
purpose requires, it can at easy range pitch shells into the
dockyard. It can only be stopped from this pastime by
being attacked and boarded or sunk by an equal or superior
naval force. If, then, we are to keep at Portsmouth a naval
force sufficient to keep us quite safe in the event of such an
encounter, it is clear that the forts are superfluous. If we
are not to keep such a sufficient naval force, the forts will
not supply its place; and if, confiding in them, we permit a
possible deficiency of naval strength, they are treacherous,
—the Mirror.
We understand that the Government have at last
made up their minds to purchase the " Exhibition
building" for national uses, in connection with the artistic
and scientific education of the country. This decision was
distinctly arrived at in the beginning of the present week,
and the Chancellor of the Exchequer is prepared to justify
the bargain which he has made, and by which the building
is virtually acquired for nothing, and the ground on which
it stands is purchase of the commissioners of '5l at less than
one-half of the value it could command in the public market
But the advantage to the public does not stop here. Tho
commissioners of '5l will expend the purchase-money in
the improvement of the remainder of the South Kensington
estate, at present occupied by the Royal Horticultural
Society. The roads and approaches and the ground on
either side will remain under the care of the commissioners,
and the design which was in the mind of the Prince Consort,
from the day when the surplus fund of the first Exhibition
was invested in the grounds of Gore House, to embellish
the public buildings devoted in this neighbourhood to
schools of art, museums, and galleries, with gardens, ter-
races, and arcades for sculpture and external decoration,
will be realised under the present transactions between the
Government and the commissioners of 'sl.—Herald,

BEATING THE BOUNDS.—Yesterday, Ascension
Day, the ancient ceremony of " beating the bounds"
was observed in most of the metropolitan parishes. Early
in the morning the rector, or vicar of the parish, habited in
his robes, and accompanied by his churchwardens, over-
seers, and beadles, sallied forth, and were followed by the
boys of the parish schools, armed with long switches, with
which they performed the ceremony of beating the boun-
daries. Formerly it was the custom to bump a boy at cer-
tain points so severely that he was never likely to forget
it, and that thus the remembrance of parish bounds might
be preserved. This piece of barbarity has long been dis-
pensed with, and it has not been found that any momen-
tous parochial differences have arisen in consequence. On
Ludgate-hill a curious circumstance was noticeable, namely,
that the parishes of St. Martin Ludgate and St. Andrew by
the Wardrobe divide in the middle of a shop, which the
whole of the clerical and parochial parties had to enter in
order to the due performance of their duties.

PLYMOUTH, Thursday (By Electric and Interna-
tional Telegraph).—Orders were received yesterday
at Devonport to put in commission the screw steam-sloop
Alert, 17, with a complement of 175 men. 8 p.m.—Strong
south-westerly gales, with occasional heavy showers, have
prevailed all the afternoon, and aro increasing as the night
advances. At 9 a.m., near the Eddystone Lighthouse,

Pilot Tucker spoke the ship Surrey, 105 days from Calcutta,

with troops for London. Apparently all well.
THE CONVICT KIftWAN.— On Saturday last eight
convicts arrived at Spike Island from Millbank
Penitentiary. They had been brought to Millbank from
Bermuda, the convict depot at that settlement having

been broken up. Amongst the convicts was Wlilidan

Burke Kirwan, who, our readers will remember, was
some years back, found guilty of having cruelly murdered
his wife at Ireland's Eye. He was sentenced to death, but
that sentenco was subsequently commuted to that of penal
servitude for life. Amongst the convicts also is a sergeant
who was sentenced to ten ',ears' penal servitude for having
struck his commanding officer while serving in the Crimes.
Cork Ilayinungi

er;44f,

OSBORNE, MAY 14.
Their Royal Highnesses Prince and Princess
Louis of Hesse took leave of her Majesty this morn-
ing, and left Osborne with the infant Princess
Victoria of Hesse for Marlborough-house, where
the Prince and Princess will remain some days o❑
a visit to the Prince and Princess of Wales, previ-
ous to their return to Germany.

Baroness von Schenck, Baroness de Grancy, and
Captain Westerweller attended the Prince and
Princess and Lieut.-Colonel Du Plat.

WINDSOR CASTLE, May 14.
The Queen, their Royal Highnesses Princess
Helena, Princess Louise, Princess Leopold, and
Princess Beatrice, attended by the Dowager Coun-
tess of Mount Edgcumbe, Lady in waiting, Lady
Augusta Bruce, Lcrd Charles Fitzroy, Colonel Hon.
Sir Charles Phipps, and Colonel Sir T. M. Biddulph,
left Osborne at a quarter before 3 o'clock, and ar-
rived at Windsor Castle at 20 minutes past 6 o'clock.
His Royal Highness Prince Arthur, attended by
Major Elphinstone, arrived at the Castle from the
Ranger's Lodge, Greenwich-park.
Viscount Torrington and Lieut.-General Sir
Henry Bentinck are the Lord and Groom in Wait-
ing.

The Prince of Wales aad Prince Alfred, attended
by Major Teesdale, rode on horseback yesterday
morning.

The Princess of Wales, attended by the Countess
of Macclesfield, took a carriage drive.
Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess
Louis of Hesse arrived at Marlborough-house on a
visit to the Prince of Wales.

Their Royal Highnesses the Duchess of Cam-
bridge and Princess Mary paid a visit to the Prins
and Princess of Wales.

The Princess of Wales and the Princess Louis
of Hesse took a carriage drive in the afternoon.
The Prince of Wales, Prince Alfred, and Prince
Louis of Hesse rode on horseback, attended by the
Equerry in Waiting.

The Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince Alfred,
and the Prince and Princess Louis of Hesse honoured the
Royal Italian OpEra, Covent-garden, last evening with
their presence. The suite comprised the Countess of Mac-
clesfield, Baroness von Schenck, Baroness von Granny,
Major Teesdale, Major Cowell, Captain Westerweller, and
Mr. Becker.
THE ROYAL VISIT TO THE CITY.—At the forth-
coming ball at Guildhall, which their Royal High-
nesses the Prince and Princess of Wales have signified an
intention to honour with their presence, the freedom of the
corporation of the City of London will be presented to his
Royal Highness the Prince. The ceremony of presenta-
tion will take place at 9 o'clock in the great hall in the pre-
sence of such of the company as shall have arrived by that
time. The Duke of Cambridge has accepted an invitation
to the entertainment, and other members of the Royal
family are expected to be present. A magnificent saloon,
with a spacious apartment above capable of accommodating
1,000 of the company at supper at one time, is being erected
in the open area in front of Guildhall for the reception of
the invited guests. The invitations, limited to 1,500, will
include all the Ministers of State, the foreign Ambassadors,
and many other distinguished persons. A special entertain-
ment committee, composed of members of the Courts of
Al.-ler/nen and Common Counoil, and nearly 50 in number,
sit daily at Guildhall for the purpose of maki❑g the neces-
sary arrangements.