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) Reginie't•
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 Kild,:tre, 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 t,NI 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 ...9.ghanville,
King's County, in the peerage of Ireland, of which peerage
his lordship was a representative in the House of Lords.
was the son of Mr. Thomas Burgh. 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 eft'
sign in May, 1804, and was appointed aide-de-camp to
General Sir John Cradock, whom he accompanied to Por-
tugal in November, 1808, where Sir John 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 aide-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 d'Onor, and El Bodon ; sieges of Eluded
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 Tatavera, Busaco, Fuentes d'Onor, Ciudad
RodrigO, Badajoz, and Salamanca. For his long and me-
ritorious services in the army he was, in 1860, made
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 classes
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 Per'
osfollow nsseipgt. , n
4, Mtugal, and of St Anne of Russia. His commissions bore
d
laBroc6h
;31m, laBj 00
r 4, ; lieutenant,areh 3181
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ue e
na4 ;
captain, :— E;
lieutenant-colonel, Sept. 5, 1812; colonel, May 27, 1825;
major-general, Jan. 10, 1817; lieutenant-generat, Nov. 9,
1846; general, June 20, 1854; and colonel of the 29th lie
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 Id., numbers at this moment no less than
400,000 volumes.

A curious invention is reported from Franco,
namely, the decreasing of the scabbard of the bayonet bY
one-halt when the bayonet is withdiawn.

Mr. Frith is said to be proceeding rapidly with
his picture of the Royal Marriage. He has been constantly
at work during the season; and most of the royal and aris-
tocratic personages whose portraits are to be introduced
therein have given him sittings.
DOLCE FAR INIENTE.—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 06
to the Legation of the country of which he is a naturalised
subject. I would not mention its name for the world, ee 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 Attached 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 Attache ?—out. No chance, theut
to-day, so an appointment is made for the morrow. The
Secretary—like the late lamented Charles Lamb, he begins
late, but "then see how early he leaves off"—will be in the
" Chaneellerie" from 12 to 2. The naturalised one takes
the "mean time," and keeps his appointment at 1 o'clock.
He is to leave Paris that evening, and has much to do.
waits 10 minutes, when an official-looking porter comes 10
him to say that " the Secretary cannot see him because be
is in his bath." To such a stern fact there was no reply, an
so the poor man has gone " passport-less" -away.
FOUR AT A BIRTH.—The German journals state
that an event of rare occurrence took place on the
23d inst. at Mulheim, on the Kuhr, when the wife of a del
labourer gave birth to four infants, two boys and two girls'
The mother and the children, adds the report, "are doing
well."
NEW ZEALAND.—The ship Shalimar, CaPt4ir!
Allen, from Lyttleton, New Zealand, April 16, has arrived
in the Channel. She landed three of her passengers an
her letters at Fenzanee:on Monday,