The Sun.
London, England, 1863-07-29 00:00:00

Death of General Lord Downes, G,C,B.

We have to record the demise of General Lord Downes,
G.C.8., Colonel of the 29th (the Worcestershire) Regiment
of Foot, intelligence of whose death was received in town
yesterday. The sad event took place at his lordship's resi-
dence, Bert House, county Kildare, Ireland, after a few
days' illness. Much sympathy is felt not only by the nume-
rous friends of his lordship, but by the tenantry and others
located in the immediate neighbourhood of the family estate,
during the several bereavements recently experienced by the
noble family of which his lordship was the head, The late
gallant Ulysses de Burgh, Baron Downes of Aghanville,
King's County, in the peerage of Ireland, or which peerage
his lordship was a representative in the House of Lords.
was the son of Mr. Thomas Burgb. He was born in Dublin
in 1788, and married on June 20, 1815, Maria, only
daughter of the late Mr. Walter Bagenal, who died in 1842;
and, secondly, in August, 1846, Christophena, widow of
Mr. John Willis Fleming, of Stoneham, Hants, who died in
October, 1860. By his first marriage he leaves surviving
issue Anne, wife of the Earl of Clonmel ; his other daugh-
ter, wife of the present Lord Seaton, having died only re-
cently. The late Lord Downes entered the army as en-
sign in May, 1804, and was appointed aide-de-camp to.
General Sir John Cradock, whom he accompanied io Por-
tugal in November, 1808, where Sir Jubn held the chief
command until May, 1809, when he (Sir J. Cradock) was
succeeded by the Duke of Wellington, with whom Lord
Downes remained as side-de-camp and assistant military
secretary, during the whole war, and was present at the
battles of Talavera (where he was slightly wounded), Bu-
saco, Fuentes a'Onor, and El Bodon ; sieges of Ciudad
Rodrigo and Badajoz ; battles of Salamanca, Vittoria, and
the Pyrenees ; siege of San Sebastian ; battles of the Ni•
velle (at which his horse was killed under him), Nive, and
Toulouse (where he was slightly wounded). His lordship
received the gold cross and one clasp for Vittoria, Pyrenees,
Nivelle, Nive, and Toulouse, and the silver war medal and
six clasps for Talavera, Busaco, Fu'sntes d'Onor, Ciudad
Rodrigo, Bad ajoz, and Salamanca. For his long and me-
ritorious services in the army he was, in 1860, made a
Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath. The gallant noble•
man had held the post of surveyor-general of the Ordnance
from 1820 to 1827, and several staff appointments in the
United Kingdom, and was much respected by all 01E1080
in the British army with whom he was brought in contact.
Among the honours bestowed upon him by foreign so-
vereigns he was a Knight of the Tower and Sword of For•
tugal, and of St Anne of Aussie. His commissions bore
date as follow :—E7sign, March 31, 1804 ; lieutenant, Nov.
12, 1804; captain, Sept. 4, 1806 ; major, March 31, 1811;
lieutenant-colonel, Sept, 5, 1812; colonel, May 27, 1826;
major-general, Jan. 10, 1817; lieutenant-general, Nov. gs
1846; general, June 20, 1854; and colonel of the .29th Re
giment, Aug. 15, 1850.

We are sorry to see that another edition of Re-
nan's "Vie de Jesus"—the fourth—has left the press.

The Royal Library at Copenhagen, founded by
Christian ICI., numbers at this moment no less than
400,000 volumes.

A curious invention is reported from FranCie,
namely, the decreasing of the scabbard of the bayonet by
one-halt when the bayonet is withdrawn.

Mr. Frith is said to be proceeding rapidly will).
his picture of the Itoyal Marriage. He has been constar tell
at work during the season; and most of the royal and a ris°
tocratie personages whose portraits are to be introduPed
therein have given him sittings.
DOLCE FAR .NIENTE.—A day or two ago a friend
of mine, says the Paris correspondent of a contem-
porary, having occasion to visit one of those kingdoms
(Austria and Prussia) on " urgent private affairs," went off
to the Legation of the country of whim he is a naturalised
subject. I would not mention its name for the world, as I
do not wish to bring down condign punishment on the
offender, but would rather give a word of advice and warn'
ing to youthful Attaches and other foreign officers who are
sent from Swell-street, let us say, to aid and protect their
Majesties' subjects abroad. Needless to say that at this
season " his Excellency" was aux _Eaux. The First Secre-
tary ?—not in ; the First Attaché ?—out. No chance, then,
to-day, so an appointment is made for the morrow. The
Sect etary—like the late lamented Charles Lamb, he begins
late, but " then see how early he leaves off'—will be in the
" Chancellerie" from 12 to 2. The naturalised one takes
the "mean time," and keep 3 his appointment at 1 o'cionki
He is to leave Paris that evening, and has much to do. Lie
waits 10 minutes, when an official-looking porter comes to
him to say that " the Secretary cannot see him because
he
is in his bath." To such a stern fact there was no reply, 87A
so the poor man has gone "passport-less" away.
FOUR AT A BIRTH.--The German journals state
that an event of rare eceurrence took place on the
23d inst. at Mulheim, on the Kuhr, when the wife of a dal
labourer gave birth to four infants, two boys and two girl's'
The mother and the children, adds the report, "are doing
NEW ZEALAND.—The ship Shalimar, CaPtairt.
Allen, from Lyttieton, New Zealand, April 16, has arrived
in the Channel: he lan :eel three of her passengers
aA
her letters at Penzance on Monday,