The Sun.
London, England, 1863-06-24 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, JUNE 24, 1863

Captains Speke and Grant at the Royal

Institution.

An extra meeting of the Royal Society—the session
having recently terminated—was held yesterday evening in
the lecture-room of the institution, Albemarle-street. So
far from having been exhausted or perceptibly diminished
at the dense gathering at Burlington House on the prece-
ding evening, the curiosity of the scientific and fashionable
world seemed to have acquired increased intensity, and the
rush, though better regulated, was equ illy vehement with
that witnessed at the rooms of the Royal Geographical
Society. From half-past seven until nine, the hour at
which the proceedings of the society always commence,there
was a continuous arrival of carriages in Albemarle-street ,
by a quarter to 8 the entrance and staircase had become
completely blocked that the barrier, instead of being kept
up till the appointed hour of 8. was prudently lowered to
make way for fresh comers. The issue of tickets to non-
members, as well as the exercise of the privilege of members
had, as already intimated, been wisely limited to the actual
capacity of the room ; but long before 9 o'clock every avail-
able seat was occupied, the attendance of ladies at least
equalling that of gentlemen. The comfort of ventilation
was amply provided for. The two African boys brought
by the heroes of the Nile from the neighbourhood of the
great Lake Victoria Nyanza, the now ascertained source of
the Nile, were in the theatre an hour befOre the meeting
began, attired, the one in red, and the other in a blue
woollen suit, wearing a fez cap, and seemed to enjoy the
glances directed towards them, apparently regarding them-
selves no insignificant part of the evening's entertainment.
As an aid to the narrative of the discovery of the
Nile,large maps were suspended on the walls indicating the
route of the distinguished travellers and the general cha-
racter of the scenery along the banks of the river. Vivid
photographs of many of the scenes witnessed and places
visited in the various parts of the interior were provided ;
and Professor Faraday, in inviting attention to them after
the close of the meeting, shortly before the proceedings com-
menced, created some amusement by naively remarking that
the authorities hoped that, for the sake of the character of
the house, none of them would disappear during the process
of inspection.
In accordance with the announcement made by Sir
Roderick Murchison at Burlington House on Monday even-
ing, the Prince of Wales arrived about 9 o'clock, accom•
panied by the Count of Paris. His Royal Highness the
Prince of Wales, on entering the lecture-room, was en-
thusiastically greeted, the assembly rising to receive him.
Hia Royal Highness was at once conducted by several
members of the council to the chair, which he occupied as
president of the meeting.
Captain SPEKE, who was received with loud cheers, then
proceeded to deliver a lecture consisting mainly of a history
of the tribe called " The Wahuma," to which the two
African boys before alluded to belong, a tribe to whose as-
sistance he acknowledges himself to be mainly indebted for
having been enabled to discover the source of the Nile. He
traced the history of this nation as a part of the Ethiopic race
back to a very remote period, and followed it through its
various' phases down to the present day. Unlike the pure
negroes they had, he observed, a bridged instead of a bridge-
less nose, and were physically a very fine race. Their coun-
try had till recently been generally called Kattara—an ap-
pellation which was now comparatively disappearing. The
nation was, he believed, schemetic, though it was difficult
to track it through its successive changes. The lecturer, in
the course of his narrative, gave a number of genealogical
and traditionary details, which he enlivened by many ludi-
crous incidents and sayings derived from native records. On
the occasion of the accession of a new sovereign, all the sons
of some hundreds of royal wives were killed except two, who
were preserved to provide for cases of accident. (Great
laughter, in which the Prince of Wales joined.) The enu-
meration of the royal officers included first and second-class
executioners, and men who whistled on their fingers.
(Laughter.) The present salutations were, the lecturer re-
marked, most laborious, forming at court a great impedi-
ment to business. Women attended the sovereign with
lizards on their heads to keep away evil spirits, and messen-
gers who must never walk were in constant readiness.
There was a commander-in-chief and a high admiral to
carry out the royal orders ; and their duties consisted chiefly
in levying duties by war on neighbouring nations, The dis-
cipline of the exterior court was strict, but that of the inte-
rior court was far more severe. Should a wife be guilty of
any indiscretion she was instantly carried off' to execu-
tion; and strong naked women acted as servants. The king
sometimes spent a fortnight yachting on the Murchison
Frith ; but wherever he went the same ceremonies pre-
vailed. The coronation was a matter of great importance,
and when it was performed the king took leave of his
mother, and his brothers were burned to death. Captain
Speke then described the progress of himself and his fellow-
travellers through the equatorial regions, filling up with
interesting and amusing details his sketch of the previous
evening, which appeared at length in .7 he Sun of yesterday.
Having spoken about an hour, the gallant explorer concluded
amid loud cheers. _ _ _

Immediately after the Prince of Wales and the Count of
Paris inspected the photographs before referred to, and
having completed their examination, they retired.
the proceedings then terminated.
It should be added that Captain Grant was present, but
did not speak.

Naval and Military Intelligence.

THE NAVY.

A Russian corvette and two large Russian gun-
vessels (steamers), last from the Cape of Good
Hope, arrived on Sunday morning in Plymouth
Sound, and exchanged salutes with the citadel and
with Port-Admiral Sir Houston Stewart, at De-
vonport.
The following is a list of the naval cadets who
successfully passed their examinations for the
June quarter for seagoing service, and received
certificates accordingly, on board the cadet train-
ing ship Britannia, Capt. R. H. Powell, C. 8., at
Portland. Vice-Admiral Sir Michael Seymour,
G.C.8., naval commander-in-chief at Portsmouth,
presented the certificates and prizes to each
recipient, at the conclusion of his official
inspection of the ship, as noticed in 7he Sun
of yesterday. First Class, with rating of midship-
men and 12 months' sea time. Mr. A. F. St. Clair
(Admiralty prize for seamanship and good conduct
prize), W. Hailstone (Admiralty prize for mathe-
matics and navigation), J. Giles (prize for good con-
duct, and progress in study), H. B. Beresford (good
conduct prize), F. Haigh, W. Temple (Admiralty
prize for drawing), J. A. Baker (first prize for sea-
manship and second for drawing), W. N. Madan
(good conduct prize), R. F. Hoskyn (prize for pro-
gress in steam), A. M. Gardiner (good conduct prize),
C, E. Hutton, and P. G. Evans. Second-class, with
six months' sea time. E. J. Fellowes, IL W. Fawkes,
S. B. Kemble, F. S. Pelly (good conduct prize), J.
Pipon, W. Billing (good conduct prize), W. A.
Beckles (good conduct prize), J. L. Hammett, T. E.
Heathcote, J. Phelips, F. Maitland, H. H. Barnard,
E. Goldney, C. H. Buckle (good conduct prize) J.
D. Duane, C. J. Barlow, H. B. -VV ynyard, F. T.
Deane, R. D. Bruce, and R. 0. Carey. Third-class
certificates.—C. W. Dickenson, V. A. Bradshaw,
H. H. Davies (first prize for drawing), F. E. Lam-
bert, F. S. Knowles, E. J. Bawtree, H. T. Knight,
G. P. Freeman, Lord Lewis Gordon, C. H. Wright,
C. Royds, A. W. Ogilvy, and A. R. Harenc.

The following appointments were made at the Admiralty
yesterday :
W. E. Elmer, master's-assistant-supernumerary, to the
Victory.
F. H. Whitelock, ditto, ditto, to the Orlando.
Lieutenant Alfred A. S. Watts, to the Liverpool.

THE GUARDS' BALL.

Before the Princess of Wales gives her great
ball, which is already spoken of as to be the Royal
fete of the season, she will have taken part in so
many entertainments of the same kind as to learn
exactly the rules which gtide and govern the suc-
cess of these great assemblages in England. She has
honoured the gorgeous yet somewhat ponderous fes-
tivities of the city at Guildhall, the provincial
gaieties at Oxford, and on Friday evening next
will honour the ball given by the Brigade of
Guards to herself' and her Royal husband—a ball
which, from the rank and position of those invited
to take part in it, will be the most select and bril-

liant entertainment of the kind that has been wit-
nessed for many year& It is, we believe, the first
time that the Brigade of Guards have, as a brigade,
ever entertained Royalty at a ball; and it may
easily be imagined, therefore, that no pains and
no expense will be spared to make this ball
as brilliant as it can be made, by a carefully
chosen list of visitors, and by making the spacious
apartments which are to serve as supper, ball, and
ante-rooms, as rich and striking in appearance as
the most perfect good taste and the most ample
expenditure can render them.
The ball, as our readers are aware, is to be given
in the picture galleries of the Exhibition—that is
to say, in the eastern half of them ; the portion
which last year was -levoted to the display of
works of the British School. We need say nothing
more about the noble proportions of these galleries.
The most captious of the enemies of the Exhibition
never denied that they were the loftiest,. best pro-
portioned, and best lighted picture galleries in
Europe, and we believe the experience of Friday
next will show that they will appear to equal ad-
vantage in their new festive capacity. At all events,
when the Guards' officers charged to carry oat the
details of this fete cast about to find a suite of
apartments suitable for the purpose, which should
be at once very large, very lofty, very well venti-
lated, and completely under their own control, they
found there were none in the metropolis which
offered these facilities in such perfection as the
Exhibition picture galleries. Of course a good deal
has had to be done to make even these fine rooms
suitable to a great State festival such as this is, in
fact, to be; but by the combined exertions of some
200 or 300 soldiers, aided by various corps of deco-
rators, trophy fitters, and carpenters, the rooms are
at last emerging out of their chaos of dust and
chips, and assuming sufficiently the aspect of their
final decorated state to warrant us in giving some
outline of what they will be on Friday evening.
To begin at the very commencement, the entrance
for all visitors is to be in the Cromwell-road, where
the width of the approaches admits of such admi-
rable police arrangements that the whole of the
1,400 guests who are invited can set down in an
hour and a half, if they will only come within that
time. The wide, ample awning from Buckingham
Palace will make a sheltered porch over this

entrance—

" Where tender beauty, waiting for her coach,
Protrudes her gloveless band and feels the shower,"
and where, if the shower does really come to make
the porch useful, all, either on arriving or departing,
will be under its cover. From this porch the wide
entrance which used to give ingress to the main
body of the Exhibition building has been screened
off with hangings of red, white, and blue, the colours
of the brigade. On the left a beautifnl cloak-room
will be fitted up for the Duchess and Princess Mary
of Cambridge and the ladies of the late Royal family
of France, &c. The cloak-rooms for the general
visitors will be beyond this again, on the right and
left. From the porch lining the entrance on both
sides and up the stairs leading to the ballroom will
be stationed a picked detachment of the Guards—
the finest and most distinguished of the private sol-
diers in this magnificent brigade. The staircase
will be carpeted with the same red, white, and blue,
and the walls draped with festoons of similar tints.
Along the gallery where the stained glass used to
be shown during the Exhibition will be hung
screens of the same kind, and this outer gallery will
be used as a sort of cool promenade and a place for
such light refreshments as ices, tea, coffee, &c. On
the right, just before the entrance to the rooms, an
octagon boudoir, in the form of a pavilion tent, is
being erected for the Princess of Wales. This
apartment is, it is said, to be a perfect gem of de-
corative art, Mr, Nosotti, to whose hands it has
been committed, having been required only to suc-
ceed in making it supremely beautiful. The entrance
to the ballroom has been divided by lofty draped
screens which reach the roof into an apartment of
about 40 feet by 40, where the Duke of Cambridge
and all the chief officers of the Brigade will receive
the general company, their guests, before the arrival
of the guests of the evening. Their Royal High-
nesses the Prince and Princess of Wales will, of
course, be received upon their alighting at the
entrance, at 10 o'clock.
Passing beyond this reception room, which is to be
exquisitely decorated, the remaining long length of
apartment which ccnstitutes the gallery proper has
been divided into three portions; the first is called
the conservatory, the central portion is the ball-
room, and the last will be the supper-room. The
conservatory and the supper-room, the Alpha and
Omega of the fete, are to be the most charac-
teristic and the most beautiful salons, if we may
use such a term to a conservatory, ever seen of the
kind. In the first the walls, almost up to the very
ceiling, will be hidden with palms from Kew, with
banks of ferns, heaths, and rare exotics in full bloom,
and the background of wall, where it can be seen
between the tall stems, will be covered with mirrors
placed at opposite sides of the apartment so as to give
an endless perspective to the beautiful effect. Foun-
ttahiensp
laanedt teant ud airey, ,t
ht oeoe,
ewn illtte beef it" nh tee
roomr s p e r swe
llahme oenege
large fountain, with its margin surrounded by
flowers.

From this beautiful apartment, in which also re-
freshments will be served, a draped entrance leads to
the ballroom, a room having a dancing floor 200 feet
long by 38 wide. or rather more than double the size
of any known ballroom in London. Over the whole
extent, a pitch fine floor has been carefully laid,
smoothed down, and finely planed so as to make it
as level and as smooth as a sheet of satin wood. In
the centre of the room is a raised dais for the guests
of the evening and the members of the Royal family.
All round the room, except in the space fronting
this dais, there are raised seats for those who wish
to enjoy the brilliant scene without fatigue. The
background to these seats is scarlet drapery, the
walls above are tinted of a light maize colour with
the emblems of the brigade in wreaths and garlands.
The ceiling has simply been left as it used to be,
and immediately be!ow the glass lights a kind of
ceiling is formed by a stretched screen of maize-
coloured cloth, At the west end of the gallery, about
midway up the wall, a spacious orchestra has been
built, and will be beautifully decorated. The whole
apartment is lit from above with triple rows of cir-
cular butners, and every pains has been taken to
make the ventilation as perfect and as ample as pos-
sible. This ballroom will afford sufficient space for
800 guests to dance at the same time. Beyond the
ballroom is the supper room, the brilliant glories of
which have yet in a great measure to be arranged
and developed. Just now they are only prefigured
by groaps of colours or by awnings on the walls,
which mark the place of massive trophies, in some
of which weapons sufficient to equip a regiment
have been made into glittering stars, and arc care-
fully screened from the dust. Military accoutre-
ments of all kinds strew the floor as if a desperate
skirmish had just taken place, an idea which
is made more suggestive still by stiff-look-
ing human figures stitched up in blankets—figures
which must call up dismal memories to some of the
officers superintending the preparations. These
rather ghastly-looking objects, however, are only
the suits of armour from the Tower, which will, on

the night of the fête, shine forth cap-à-pie with
lance and halberd in hand. At the upper end of
the room, in the niche which all our readers will so•
well remember as occupied last year by Foley's
noble statue of Caractacus, is to be the great mili-
tary trophy of all, the background star of which
Fns already consumed some thousand ramroads in
its formation, and will absorb the martial equip-
ments of a respectable force of cavalry and infantry
before it is completed. The base of this, to a height
of about eight feet, si ill be one broad and magni-
ficent display of gold plate. The show of gold and
silver is likely to be es rich and as rare and as
massive as it was at the Guildhall, a large number
of the principal nobility having on this occasion
placed their stores, without reserve, at the disposal
of the officers of the brigade. For the first time the
Duke of Wellington lends the whole of his famous
service of gold plate, including the renowned Flax-
man shield, which is on thls evening to occupy the
place of honour in the centre of the buffet. What
with the plate, the military trophies, the brilliant
lighting, and the noble proportions of this supper
room, the scene during the
,banquet itself is likely
to be one of unprecedented splendour and magni-
ficence.

As some misapprehension seems to have arisen as
to whether gentlemen are to wear uniform or Court
dress on this occasion, we have been requested to
state that all gentlemen, whether in the service or
not, are expected to appear in plain evening dress.
The oily Exception to this rule will be the officers
of the Brigade of Guards, who as hosts and enter-
tainers, appear in uniform ; but all gueste, even his
Royal Highness, will, as we have said, wear even-
ing dress. Of course, all of the company who are
honoured with invitations are expected to assemble
in the ball-room to receive their Royal Highnesses,
who are to arrive at 10 o'clock. Not a single in-
vitation beyond the 1,400 originally invited has
been issued for this splendid /te.

PRICE .4d
STAMPED ....sd.

without being discovered, and such discovery would
lead to certain death. The king alone has the pri-
vilege of selecting any of these women for his
wives, which is rarely the case. As soldiers in an
African kingdom, and engaged solely in African
warfare, they are very formidable enemies. They
fully understand the use of the mu'ket, end load
and fire with remarkable rapidity. Their activity
is surprising—they would run with some of our
best performers in England. The captains' carry
the skulls of their enemies in their girdles, and an
occasional jaw is also seen."
The number of the army, including anoszons, is
set down by the commodore at 10,000, and the
population of ail the Dahomian territory at 180,000,
of whom three-fourths are women and children.

Dwellings for the Industrial Classes.

The 19th annual meeting of the shareholders of
the Association for Improving the Dwellings of the
Industrial Classes was held yesterday afternoon, at
the offices, in Coleman-street, City, Lord Claud
Hamilton, M.P., in the chair. The association has
for its object the erection of dwellings for single
men and families belonging to the working classes,
combining in their construction every possible com-
fort and sanitary improvement. The sets of rooms
are let out at rates as low as is consistent with a
moderate profit. The business was commenced by
the re-election of the retiring directors, after which
the chairman moved the adoption of the report. In
announcing to the meeting a dividend of 3 per cent.
he congratulated the society on being the pioneers
of the movement. Since their establishment in 1841
numerous other societies, having similar objects i❑
view, had been established in London and in dif-
ferent parts of the country. He was sure that he
spok the sentiments of the meeting when he wished
these societies the success they deserved. When
first their own association was established they had
great obstacles to contend against, in the form of
certain legal enactments then existing which com-
pelled them to obtain a royal charter at a very
great expense, not to mention the total want
of experience in such matters, all of which
difficulties had been made smooth to the new
societies. The dividend declared showed the
society to be in a prosperous condition. They had
414 families in occupation of their tenements, only
nine of which were then vacant. The loegings for
single men were not so successful ; in fact, a small
loss had been incurred in the Soho-chambers. They
had still £9,000 of unsubscribed capital, and he
trusted the shareholders would do all in their power
to assist them in getting out of this difficulty. He
begged to move that the report be confirmed. Mr.
Hill, in seconding the motion, gave an account of
the labour they had to create a taste for clean and
commodious dwellings among the working classes,
who were notoriously apathetic in this matter. In
supporting the motion, Mr. Baker, a shareholder,
said that, looking at the number of aristocratic
names among the shareholders who had taken up 10
shares and less, he thought that the £9,000 in ques-
tion might be easily raised if a deputation or even
the secretary were to call upon and properly repre-
sent to them the disadvantages the association lay
under by having so much unsubscribed capital. He
also called attention to the large mortality among
the Spitalfields tenants. He thought it might be
reduced considerably if a committee were formed to
inspect the premises. By taking such a step a few
years since, they had reduced the rate of mortality
at the Nelson-square houses to 14 per 1,000. The
mortality in the Spitalfields premises was 44 per
1,000, or 20 per 1,000 over the ordinary rate of the
district. Mr. Price, a shareholder, considered that
the association did not pay as well as it ought. A
private speculator in houses would think 3 per
cent very small profit on the capital invested. If
the property did not pay, he thought that, as busi-
ness men, it was their duty to get rid of it. Another
shareholder considered the expenses most dispropor-
tionate to the rent, being in several cases from one
to two-thirds of the amount received. He did not
think the shareholders should be content with 3 per
cent. on the capital. The Soho-chambers were a
yearly loss to them, and ought to be at once got rid
of. Mr. Scott,e a director, stated that they had
taken legal advice on the subject of the unsubscribed
capital, and it had been determined that they could
not raise any more capital except at par, and he
feared that, with so small a dividend, very few
persons would feel disposed to subscribe for it.
Lord Claud Hamilton reminded one of the speakers
who had mentioned a society with which Alderman
Waterlow was connected as having proposed to pay
a dividend of 10 per cent., that this sum was only
hypothetical, and had since been reduced by Mr.
Waterlow to five per cent. The secretary further
explained that insuperable obstacles stood in the
way of disposing of the Soho-chambers. They had
much to contend against in the way of heavy rates
and expenses of superintendence. After some
further discussion the motion was passed unani-
mously. A dividend of 3 per cent. was then agreed
to, and the meeting separated after the usual votes
of thanks to the chairman, directors, and officers.

STATE OF TRADE.

MANCHESTER, June 23.—There has been rather
more firmness in the yarn-market to-day, and some
few sales have been effected, chiefly in 16's to 24's
and 40's mule twist. There has been a much better
feeling experienced than prevailed last week, and
prices, so far as there is any change, are generally
rather stronger. Buyers still show a great amount
of timidity ; but spinners, in many cases, being still
under order, do not press sales. Where there are
sellers anxious to realise, prices have still a drooping
tendency. There are telegrams to hand from India
extending over about a week. The earliest are
dated the 29th of May. These report imports quiet ;
twist easy. An undated postscript says, " Sales of
twist at fair rates ; imports improving." Another
of the 29th says—" A little more doing for local
consumption at 2 annas (3d. advance on cloths, and
id. per lb. advance on yarns. Rather more busi-
ness." These telegrams have been delayed owing
to an interruption in the telegraph to Alexandria,
and there are later telegrams to the sth of June,
stating that there was still more business doing in
cloths, but at no further advance in price, and yarns
were lower aga,n. Another telegram from Calcutta
on the sth reports a more favourable market in
cloths than on the 30th ult., and that rather more
business was doing, at better prices. In the Man-
chester market we have had one of the dullest days
for business that have been known. There seems to be
no disposition on the part of buyers to operate,
but manufacturers generally,
having no stocks, are
unwilling to give way. There is no improvement
of demand for India arising out of the telegraphic
advice, and prices are irregular. In some cases
prices are lower than on this day week, but to what
extent it is difficult to report, as in reality buyers
hold so much aloof that there are no offers making
such as wcuid fully test the strength of the market.
The position of affairs in America has still a de-
-1 pressing influence on all classes of commei'ciallnet
connected with this market, and merchants nuppa,.
disinclined at present to enter upon any fresh
en-
gagements till they have further news as to the
probable issue of the conflict upon the Mississippi.
L EhEaDvSe,
b2e3edn. —The sa
riane
tt
ehre to-
dayLthloatnii-ifloarlissom
time past on a Tuesday. The improvement in the
demand noticed on Saturday has been continued
to-day, and at fair amount of eloth,including a good
bulk of pilots, witneys, and radians, has changed
hands. The purchases for autumn, both by the
home and the foreign houses, indicate a sound state
of trade, being made with care and firmness, and
in considerable quantities. The various depart-
ments of the woollen manufacture throughout the
district are reperted to be as acive as usual at this
period of the year, and are better than they were a
month ago. Wool maintains last week's prices.
ROCHDALE, 22d.—There W'S a good attendance