The Sun.
London, England, 1865-12-22 00:00:00

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HER MAJESTY•

OSBORNE, Dec. 21.
The Queen, accompanied by Princess Louise,
walked and drove yesterday.
Her Serene Highness Princess Leiningen dined
with her Majesty in the evening.

THE PRINCE AND PRINCESS OF WALES.
His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, accom-
panied by his Majesty the King of Portugal, left
Marlborough House at one o'clock yesterday, far
Osborne, on a visit to the Queen.
Lieut.-Col. Keppel, the Marquis de Ficaiho, and
the Viscount Adolphe de Paiva were in attendance.

SANDRINGHAM, Dec. 21.
The Prince of Wales is expected to return to
Sandringham to-morrow from the continent.
During the past week the Princess of Wales, the
Marchioness of Carmarthen, and Lieut.-General
Knollys, in attendance, have remained in compara-
tive retirement, only making short walking and
driving excursions in the neighbourhood. There
have been no visitors in the house since the death of.
the King of the Belgians.
It is understood that the poor of Sandringham and
the adjacent villages will, through the princely libe-
rality of their royal highnesses, have their usual
Christmas good cheer, and that notwithstanding the
liberal presents of game, &c., they have received,
each cottager will receive a present on Christmas
Day, and the hearts of the children of the poor will
be gladdened by a good Christmas dinner, which
will probably be attended by their royal highnesses.
The promised visit of the Prince and Princess of
Wales to the Earl and Countess of Leicester, at
Holkham has been postponed, and will not take
place till the Bth of Januar3% The excellent pre-
serves of Holkham are said to be well stocked with
game, and will afford his royal highness and the
distinguished guests who will be invited to meet
their royal highnesses excellent sport. The visit
will of course be private, but a grand ball will take
place on one of the evenings.

THE LATE KING OF THE BELGIANS.
On Sunday last a funeral sermon on the death of
the King of the Belgians was preached by the curate,
the Rev. W. R. S. Williams, in the church at Esher,
the parish in which his late Majesty's domain of
Claremont was situate. The church was draped
in
black on the occasion, and the congregation (a more
than commonly numerous one) was attired in all
the usual emblems of mourning. Delivered upon
the spot where the memory of the older inhabitants
still fondly clings to the Leopold of nearly 50 years
ago, newly wedded to the •young bride whom all
England so deeply loved and reverenced, and in
the midst of those towards whom his well-consi-
dered charities have since never ceased to flow, the
words of the preacher, as they recalled, in the chaste
language of sober truth, the many virtues of the
King, and the many advantages and blessings which
his benevolence had conferred upon the neighbour-
hood, fell with touching and irresistible Qffect, and
produced an impression that will not easily be effaced
from the mind of any who heard them.
It is announced that the late King of the Belgians
has divided his fortune, estimated at something
about 80,000,000 f., into four parts. The first
three are reserved for the three children, the Duke
de Brabant, the Empress Charlotte, and the Count
de Flandre. Out of the fourth part will be paid
the legacies and pensions which the King grants to
all the members of his household, from the highest
to the lowest. The surplus will revert to the Count
de Flandre, who has already a pension from the
nation of 150,000 f., and which will probably be
augmented before long.

Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge
came to town from Cambridge Cottage, Kew, yesterday
and paid visits to the Countess (Dowager) of Jersey at her
residence in Berkeley-square, and to Lady Emily Walsh.
The Duke and Duchess of Grafton left town a
few days ago for Wakefield Lodge, Northamptonshire.
The Duchess (Dowager) of Grafton left her resi-
dence in Grosvenor-crescent, yesterday, for Wakefield
Lodge, to pass the Christmas with the Duke and Duchess
of Grafton.
The Earl of Wemyss left town yesterday for his
seat, near Coldstream.
The Earl of Warwick has returned to his town
residence from entertaining a large party of gentlemen for
shooting at Warwick Castle.
The Earl Somers will come to town to-day from
Eastnor Castle. The Countess and family are staying at
Brighton.
The Right Hon. Edward Cardwell, M.P., left
town yesterday for his seat, near Godstone, to pass the
Christmas.
The Grand Duke Michael, accompanied by the
Grand Duchess Olga Feodorovna, and his children, have
arrived at Georgia, in Georgia.
The Prussian journals state that it is not lq.
Bockum-Dolffs, Vice-President of the Prussian Chamber
of Deputies, who has just died at Berlin, but M. Dolffs
Councillor of the Government, at Breslau.
Jenny Lind is announced as suffering from
serious indisposition, and is compelled to seek a milder
climate, among other valetudinarians at Nice.

NEW LIFEBOATS.—The National Lifeboat Usti'
tution has just forwarded two fine self-righting life"
boats to the coast. One of them is intended for Courtovnif
on the Irish coast. She is 36ft. long, Bft. wide, rows 12
oars, and is indeed a very fine boat. The cost of this beat
was contributed by the citizens of Manchester, and is the
fifth boat presented by them to the National Lifeboat
Institution. The boat is called the Alfred and Earnest/
after the sons of Mr. B. Whitworth, M.P., whose brother,
Mr. Robert Whitworth, in connection with the Rev. V•
Hewlett and Mr. J. G. Bell, has been indefatigable in leis
exertions in collecting the cost of the lifeboats. Lord
Courtown, Mr. James S. Scott, and other gentlemen ill,
Courtown, have also contributed towards the erection 01
the lifeboat house. The second lifeboat, which is 32ft.
long, 7ft. wide, and rows 10 oars, was sent by the institu-
tion yesterday by railway to Arbroath on the Scotch coast.
This is the second boat presented to the society by the
subscribers to the People's Journal, published at Dundee,
through the editor, Mr. W. D. Latto. The boat is to be
exhibited at Dundee on the 30th inst., on the way to its
station. The first lifeboat contributed by the subscribers
of that papal is stationed at Peterhead.
PONTYPOOL SAVINGS-BANK. —During the Year,
ending the 20th November last the total deposits receive"
at this bank amounted to £2,974 4s. Id., and the repai;
ments, including interest for the same period, rette,b6"
£3,645 19s. 10c1. The funds of the bank on the 20th -0°-
vember, 1864, amounted to £21,431 19s. 9d., and on the
2Cth November, 1865, to £21,355 9s. 10d., being a decrease
of £76. There were no transfers to the Post-office Se;f:
ings-bank during the year, but the decrease in the dePos'"
no doubt arose from the operations of that institution.
ROMANCING BY AN ENGLISH LETTER-WRITER----.
The London Threes, of Nov. 23, contains a letter
from Winchester, Va., from the pen of "our own corre°'
pondent." The utter desolation of the Shenandoah Valle 1;
and the wretchedness and misery of its inhabitants,
ar
vividly and powerfully discribed ; but the writer has Pete'
mitted himself to be betrayed into statements regardin
events of the war which would better suit the pages '
fiery Southern romance than the columns of the Load°
Times. In his description of the last great battle of ill„;
VI
chester he informs his readers that a rebel army, consist;o
of only 8,500 infantry and 2,500 cavalry, engaged a
force of 40,000 and 12,000 cavalry from sunrise to silaseof
almost winning the day, and inflicting on them a 1°55,.0-6
more than 12,000 men ! As if conscious that these flga',,,
are rather startling, and can hardly be kept in face bl
th`i,
statistics of ordinary battles, he kindly tells us how tci
b
great feat of arms was accomplished. A line of re'lfil,
skirmishers charged a division of Union cavalry 111!ry
and drove them back in disorder! The redoubtable inisr,
Gilmore, single-handed, surprised and captured a berlY:Ato.
Union cavalry ! But the most astounding event of thou
was the surrender of a whole Connecticut regiment, utireo,
bering 800 men (" Our Own" is very precise in his figto A
as it is well to be in narrating such wonderful deeds),
single orderly, who rode unexpectedly among theolll,,,
actually bamboozled their colonel into the belief th
was surrounded by a large force of ferocious rebels, est 800
waiting the signal to go in and " chaw them up. tbiO
men were thereupon unconditionally surrendered 00.
smart young orderly and marched off to the rebel
oill'res,
Is it possible that the sensible and accomplished
stories
pondent of the London Times believes the absurd
ust.',..ose
he was serving up, or was it only necessary to hispurpose
he was serving up, or was it only necessary to hi tbo
that they should be believed in England ? sss,ouat-
valley is full of stories such as these, and that in rica'roor
ing them the people half forget their disasters. We, u_se silly
this is true, but we should scarcely expect to find tßv
in .tbe
exaggerations detailed as veritable facts pf histe),l6o Tot
columns of the leading newspaper of Europe.
Times, Dec. 8,