The Sun.
London, England, 1863-06-25 00:00:00

The Prince and Princess of Wales.

The Prince of Wales, attended by Lieut.-Colonel
Keppel, rode on horseback yesterday morning.
The Princess of Wt.les honoured Mr. Gibson with
a sitting for her bust.
The Prince and Princess of Wales went in the
afternoon to Slough, to be present at the opening of
the British Orphan Asylum. Their royal highnesses
were attended by Countess de Grey, Earl Spencer,
the Earl of Mount-Edgcnmbe, Lieut.• General
Knoflys, and Lieut.-Colonel Keppel. The prince
and princess travelled from town by a special train
on the Great Western Railway, and returned to
Paddington after the inauguration of the new
asylum by a special train.
Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Prin-
cess of Wales, attended by the Countess de Grey
and Lieut.-Colonel Keppel, honoured the Earl and
Countess of Derby with their company at dinner, at
their residence in St. James's square, last evening.

Visit of the Prince and Princess of Wales to
the Earl and Countess of Derby.
Following immediately on the visit paid by the
Prlnce and Princess of Wales to the Duke and
Duchess of Buccleuch, their royal highnesses yester-
day evening honoured the Earl and Countess of
Derby with their presence at a grand dinner and
ball, given in honour of the prince and princess by
the noble earl end countess at their mansion in
St. James's-square.
Their royal highnesses, who were accompanied by
the Countess do Grey and Lieut.-Colonel Keppel,
arriv:d shortly after eight o'clock, end were met on
alighting from their carriage by the Earl of Derby.
when the noble earl conducted their royal high-
nesses to the apartment in which the guests invited
to meet them had assembled. The band of the Gre-
nadier Guards played the National Anthem on the
arrival of the prince and princess.
The party invited to meet the prince and princess
comprised the Duke of Su' heriand, the Duke of
Manchester, the Duke of Hamilton, the Duke of St.
Albans, the Marquis and Marchioness of Bath, the
Marquis of Exettr, the Earl and Lady Constance
Grosvenor, the Earl and Countess of Malmesbury,
the Hon. Colonel and Lady Emma Talbot, and the
Hon. F. Stanley.
The tables and sideboards presented a handsome
display of ornamental plate, principally the gold
cups and racing prizes won by the present earl and
his grandfather. In the centre of the dining table,
conspicuously prominent, was the magnificent gold
candelabrum presented to the 12th Earl of Derby,
grandfather of the present peer, by the deputy.
lieutenants of Lancashire on the occasion of the 50th
anniversary of his lord-lieutenancy of the county.
Daring the dinner the military band in an ad-
joining room performed a varied selection of music.
Later in the evening the Countess of Derby had
a dance, at which a very selec► circle, not exceeding
150 members of the aristocracy, were present.
The company who had the honour to be invited
to the evening party were shown to the drawing
room at the end of the suite of saloons.
The north drawing-room, the most spacious apart-
ment in the suite, was arranged for dancing, Messrs.
Cooto and Tinney's band being engaged.
Their Royal Highnesses the Duchess of Cam-
bridge and Princess Mary, attended by Lady
Augusta Cadogan. and Captain P. Cust, came early.
His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge and
his Royal Highness the Count de Paris were among
her ladyship's visitors after dinner. Their Serene
Highnesses Prince and Princess Edward of Saxe-
M/ eimar were also among the company.
The following is the programme of the dance
music played on the occasion :-
1. Quadrille
2. Valse
3. Quadrille
4. Valse . . Pfingst Rosen.
5. Quadrille
6. Valse Faust.
7. Lancers
8. Valse Alexandra.
9 Quadrille
10 Valse
11. Quadrille
12. Ga10p.......

The Shakespere Monument Question.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SlR,—Seeing by the advertisements that there are two or
three committees for raising monuments to Shakespere, I
cannot help thinking that those gentlemen would do a
greater public service by attempting to raise the living re-
representatives of the poet to a better position than they
occupy at present. This they should do, rather than squan-
der a large sum of money on two or three inanimate stone
representatives, which are not wanted, because there is a
very good one in Westminster Abbey, another in the British
Museum, both by Roubiline, and a third on the top of the
Theatre Royal, Drury-lane, where it is about as inappro-
priate as a guard of honour to a twopenny omnibus,
although, in ono sense, it is inaicative of the
taste of the times, as it suggests to the ima
ginative inhabitants of Vinegar-yard the idea of the
British public having turned him out of the house to abide
the pelting of the pitiless storm in Brydges-street. Well,
next comes the question—How can the living representa-
tives be aided and the drama encouraged? Let us sea. Of
course, there must be a committee; and, as Mr. Macready
is president of one of the Statue Committees, perhaps he
would not object to identify himself with one for the benefit
of his professional brethren. Well, could a theatre devoted
to the legitimate drama be partially supported by subscrip
tion as the operas are ? The pulse of the public should be
felt on the subject, and I am inclined to think that the
liberal and enlightened nobility cf England, with the young
Prince and Princess of Wales at their head, would gladly
foster any well-developed plan calculated to uphold the
dramatic literature of the country, and elevate the character
of the British stage.--I have the honour to be, your obe-
dient servant, GEORGE ELLIS.
June, 1863,

STEAM SHIPBUILDING ON THE CLYDE.—Messrs.
Caird and Co. have received an order from the West
India Royal Mail Steamship Company for a screw of
2,434 tons burden and 500-horse power. The machinery
will embrace surface condensation, superheated steam, and
a steel shaft by Krupp, of Essen. The steamer will be
modelled generally after the America, lately fitted by Messrs.
Caird and Co. Satisfactory trial trips have been made
by the Lord Gough, built for the Dublin trade by Messrs.
Caird and Co., and the Mary Anne recently launched by
Messrs. Connell and Co. The Mary Anne proved herself the
fastest boat, having run the lights in 49m,, thus attaining
a speed of 19 miles per hour. She has been purchased at a
high price by the Government of the Confederates States
("America, and will leave the Clyde shortly in the wake
of two other steamers which proceeded to Nassau last
week. Agents of the Confederates have also been in nego-
tiation for the swift steamer, Rotheeay Castle, but no defi-
enuitni
jveeetc.o riarc. t
Ai s. yve
et
nkunyo, \se f
tDo
uhr
us.
bv
ue r bt
ne n,
hase o n c
au
ud
ne de
boend t
ahne
ire oe
anl
,p,na
dd del:ens
taimn g
t the e C; i
et yb
e ofi Ds
4u6n3e d
tonsi n , bbui
u lrtd feonr, tahned
is toZ
be fitted by Messrs. Denny and Co. with engines of 100-
horse power. Messrs. Scott and Son, of Cartsdyke, have
launched the Washington, a fine steamer, of 3,250 ton!,
builders' measurement, constructed for the Compagnie
Generale Transatlantique. The Washington is 346 ft. long
from bow to stern (her bow being a perpendicular one), and
her breadth of beam 44ft., while she has 31ft. depth of bold.
She is now being fitted with engines of 850-horse power
nominal, the diameter of her cylinders being 94in. Great
things are expected of this fine vessel. The Washington
is intended to ply between Havre and New York, being
one of a fleet of eleven steamers now building for the
same company—seven of the 11 are in course of construc-
tion by Messas. Scott and Co., who have several of them on
hand in France, and two others at their works at Cartsdyke.
Each of the boilers and sole plates will weigh 61 tons. .