The Sun.
London, England, 1865-12-02 00:00:00

HAY:

SMITIIFIELD.—Meadow hay, £4 4s to £5 108; clover'
£5 5s to £6 lOs Od ; and straw, £1 18s to £2 5s per load.
A fair supply.

CUMBERLAND.—Meadow hay, £4 4s to £5 15s; clover,
£5 5s to £6 10s Od ; and straw, £2 Os to £2 5s per load.
Demand inactive.

WHITECHAPEL.—Meadow hay £4 4s to £5 10s; clover,
£5 5s to £6 15s Od; and straw, £1 18s to £2 5s per load.
Trade slow.

COAL MARKET.
Price per ton at the close of the market.

s. d. s. d.
Hastings Hartley l9 9 Walls End Haswell... 21 0
Tunstall
Hetton 2l 0 Malting 24 0
South Hetton
Braddyell's Hetton.... 20 3 Cowpen Hartley
Hartlepool
East Hartlepool
South Kelloe
Eden Main
Walls End Gosforth 19 3 Tees
Heugh Hall 2O 0 Cassop ' 2O 3

cugn -
Tanfield Moor Butes 16 3 Kell(); -20 0
New Belmont l9 6 PensherWest Hartley 18 0
Pensher Primrose ... 19 9 Pittington lB 6
Ships at market, 86 ; sold, 81.

Liverpool Cotton Market—This I:ay.

Market steady. Sales probably 15,000 bales.

Railway Traffic Returns for the Week,

Miles Opened. Receipts.

Railways. ~_______.....____„--__./....:._
1865. 1864. 1865 1864
£ z
Belfast and N. Counties 9ll 99t 2,151 I.B'l
Belfast and Comity Down l4i 4+ 521 672
Blyth and Tyne 2B 28 2,333 1.966
Brecon and Merthyr
Bristol and Exeter l2ll 121} 6,871 5,669
Caledonian, Scottish Central 403 408 25,090 24,311
Cambrian

Cool< ermoutta K & Penrlth .. 314 371
Cockermouth and Worain .. 9 9
408 314
___

Cork and Bandon 2O 20

375 332

Cork, Blackrock, & Passage 6i P 345 123
Cork and Youghal
Cornwall

Deeside l7 17
Do Extension
_ _

Dublin & IlettastJ unction 63- 63 1,5 J 7 1.376
Dublin and Drogheda 75 75 1,698 1.534
Dublin and Meath - 35 35 306 2.1
Dub. & Wicklow and Wextd. 106 911 2,301 2,104
Forth and Clyde Junction
Farness, &c 5O Si, 3,33:3 3, 194
Glasgow & South-Western
Gt.Eastern,Nxik.,&E.Union 7211 663 3 .149 3 ,907
Great Northern 404 865 36,8;9 35,6;6

Great North of Scotland 5B 54 1,695 1:791
Do Branches 42 1! 1,385 1,247
Gt. iNorthn. & Westn. (Irel.) 7ll 711 506 116
qt. Sou thn. & Westn.(lrlud.) 387% 387% 9,062 8 253
Great Western l2BO 1270 66.290 64,185
II uB & Hornsea
Highland ... 246 246 3,03 2,607
Irish North-Western 145 145 1,727 1,887
Lancashire & Yorkshire 403 403 38.66) 31,133
Limerick and Ennis... 241 241 173 166
T.l ,crick and Poynes 261 26% 187 82
Llalelly
Llya Ivi Valley
Lon lon & North-Western
Lon 'Oll and Blackwall 5l 51 1,841 1,754
Loud ,n & South-Western
Lend, Brighton, &S. Coast 2931 2671 17,059 15.954
Ltudo ', Chatham, & Dover; J 134 12/ 1 7,286 6.104
aillif tropolitan Extension 112 114 I 1,750 1,100
Do. Ke it t oast
Lon , T tbury, & Southend
Edam.,Bl), Afield, & Lincolnsh
Rane,i, S.Jun.& A ltrincham 9% 91 1,321 1,238
Maryport and Carlisle
Metropolitan
Midland (incl. N.-Western) 6774 6511 49,146 46.48
Midland Gt. Westn. of I rind 2OOl 2601 4,571 4, i 73
Monmouthsh. Rail. & Canal 44 44 2,553 3,191
North British, Edin., Perth .

and Dundee '
7021 6561. 23,1'84 21,910
&-Eastern and Stock. & Darl 12061 11601 , 70,265 67 17.;
North London 9 9 4,199 5.081
North Staffordshire 258 258 8,182 8.353
Pembroke and Tenby lll 116 84 49
Rhymney l9l 191 8)2 176
Scottish North-Eastern l3B 138 5,54 i 4,898
Somerset and Dorset 66 68 976 814
South Devon PB 791 3.570 3,394
South-Eastern - 315 308 19,016 18,970
Taff Vale 6l 61 5,296 5,9'
.6
Ulster lO5l 1051 2,450 2,531
Vale of Clwyd
Waterford and Kilkenny 3l 31 352 302
Waterford and Limerick 77 77 1,109 1,020
W'haven,Cleator,& Egrmnt lO 10 611 675
Whitchaven Junction l3 13
Whitehaven & Furness Jun 35 35 --
FOREIGN AND COLONIAL.

Austrian B2B 826 46,301 41,8 2
Bahia and San Francisco
Belgian Eastern J unction 264 261 4 8 331
Bombay, Barodaot Cen. India 306 1851 r,488 1,873
Detroit and Milwaukic lB9 189 8,291 6,796
Dutch Rhenish lost it 81 6,181 6,809
__ . _ ....

Eastern 01 I.- 'ranee - - 1551 - 14 tz 3 71,563 68,306
Eastern Bengal .. 110 110 2,125 1,4. 2
East Indian
Grand Trunk of Canada 1477 1335 30,830 21,826
Great Central of Belgium 285 261 6,702 6,503
Great Indian Peninsula 590 553 18,572 10,2 . i
Great Luxembourg 134 134 5,857 4.762
Great Southern of India
Great Western of Canada 345 315 16,651 11,247
Madras
Madrid, Saragossa itAlicant, 7lB 713 13,784 14,769
Northern of Canada ... 94 94 2,414 1,211
Northern of France 724 724 64,769 59,283
Norwegian Trunk
Ottoman
Paris, Lyons, & Mediterrn 2006 19 0 153,279 133,856
Paris and Orleans lB2l 1018 76,391 70.263
Recife and San Francisco. &c 774 774 891 705
Sc.nde 125 105 1,820 1,5=8
Do. Punjab, &c 253 45 1,005 252
South Austrian, &c .. . 1651 1527 65.. 63 58,039
Southern of France 863 823 27,7.19 2+,622
Victoria
Welland.
West & N-Wn. of France

AUTHENTICITY OF THE PASTON LETTERS.--The
authenticity of these famous letters, recently impugned by
Mr. Hermann Merivale, has now been established beyond
all reasonable doubt by the production at the meeting of
the Society of Antiquaries last evening of the original
MSS. recently discovered by Mr. Philip Frere, under cir-
cumstances already narrated in The Sun. Earl Stanhope,
the president, occupied the chair, and the attendance of
Fellows was unusually large, a number of strangers being
also present, including Mr. Merivale and Mr. Frere. The
noble chairman, in opening the proceedings, said it had
always appeared to him a great advantage that writers of
reputation whose theories or statements were assailed
at the meetings of the society were at liberty to
attend in order to hear what might be said against
them, and to expound their own views. As a memo-
rable instance of this ho might mention the case of the
late Sir G. C. Lewis, who, though not a Fellow of the
Society, had nevertheless personally attended their meet-
ings, and answered the objections which were raised to his
views on Egyptology. The secretary (Mr. Watson) then
read a communication from Mr. Almack relative to certain
external proofs of the authenticity of the Pas ton letters, after
which Mr. Bruce road a most elaborate and able paper on
the internal evidence they presented, concluding by ex-
pressing his firm opinion that the documents under exhi-
bition were genuine. Mr. Fere, the owner of the MSS.,
expressed his willingness to allow them to remain for a
time in the library with a view to their being inspected by
a committee to be appointed for that purpose, and by such
other gontlexnen as might take an interest in the sub_
ject. Mr. Hermann Merivale then delivered some brief
remarks, in the course of which he congratulated the
Society and the country at large on the result of the
doubts he had raised a short time ago. The appearance of
the originals of the fifth volume from custody beyond all
suspicion virtually ended the controversy. Of course, the
documents would be subjected to further examination, but
no one could doubt the genuineness_ of the whole of the
published letters after the authenticity of the MSS. now so
singularly brought to light had been established. All the
doubts he had put forward would then vanish into air. In
conclusion he might mention that he had recently ascer-
tained that several Paston letters had been discovered in
the Bodleian Library at Oxford, and it was supposed that
they had found their way there from the possession of the
late Mr. Francis Dover.

GREAT FIRE AT LIVERPOOL.—LIVERPOOL,
FRI-
DAY.—A terrible fire broke out at about ten o'clock to-
night, at Compton House, belonging to Mr. Jeffrey, the
largest drapery business in Liverpool. The premises will
be entirely destroyed, and it ie estimated that the liabili-
ties will be enormous.

*ll-4
court . •
ttilithr
- ,0-

HER MAJESTY.

WINDSOR CASTLE, Dec. 1,

Their Highnesses the Maharajah Duleep Singh
and the Maharanee arrived at the Castle yesterday
on a visit, and dined with her Majesty and the
Royal Family.
After dinner the private band played the follow-
ing selection of music in the drawing-room, before
their Royal Highnesses the Crown Prince and Prin-
cess of Prussia, the Maharajah and Maharanee, and
the Ladies and Gentlemen in Waiting :

Overture, "Promethee" Beethoven.
Selection, "Dinorah" Meyerbeer.
Marsch ... Weber.
Adagio and Allegro ... Auber.
To-day is the birthday of her Royal Highness
the Princess of Wales.

The Queen, with the Crown Prince and Princess
of Prussia, drove in the grounds yesterday after-
noon, and walked and drove this morning, accom-
panied by the Crown Prince and Princess Helena.
The Crown Prince went out shooting.
His Serene Highness the Prince Christian of
Schleswig-Holstein arrived at thg Castle this after-
noon from the Continent.

The Crown Prince of Prussia drove to the South-
Western station, and accompanied Prince Christian
to the Castle.

Count von Rantzan is in attendance on Prince
Christian.

The Countess of Caledon has succeeded Lady
Waterpark as Lady in Waiting.
_ _

Major-General the Hon. A. N. Hood and Lieut.-
Colonel Du Platt have succeeded Lord Charles
Fitzroy and Colonel H. Ponsonby as Equerries in
Waiting to her Majesty.

Messrs. Hills and Saunders have had the honour
of photographing at Windsor Castle the Crown
Prince and Crown Princess of Prussia and Prince
and Princess Louis of Hesse, with their children,
and other members of the Royal family.

o
The Prince and Princess of Wales.
SANDRINGHAM, Friday, Dec. 1.
On Thursday his Royal Highness the Prince of
Wales, with Lord Newry, Lord Dunmore, Captain
Park Lane, Mr. A. Hamond, jun., and Mr. S. a
Gurney, shot through Wolferton Carr and White
Hill cover. The Royal and distinguished party were
joined at luncheon by the Princess of Wales, Lady
Royston, and the Hon. Mrs. E. Coke, and the day's
sport was concluded in Wolferton-wood.

Prince de Taek returned to Sandringham yester-
day.

The whole of the new cottages that have been
erected at West .Newton are completed and occu-
pied by the most deserving of the Prince's labourers,
and a few days since his Royal Highness the Prince
of Wales inspected them. During the present week
her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales, accom-
panied by the Hon. Mrs. E. Coke and Mrs. W.
Carmichael, went over all the cottages and inspected
them, and expressed herself as highly gratified, not
only with the accommodation they afforded, but
also with the satisfactory state in which they were
kept by the occupants. By the express wish of his
Royal Highness the Prince of Wales these cottages
are henceforth to be named after the Princess, and
are to be called the Alexandra Cottages. It is
understood that the wing of the new mansion will be
commenced early in the forthcoming year.
The 21st anniversary of the birthday of the Prin-
cess of Wales is being celebrated at their Royal
Highnesses' Norfolk seat with even greater festivities
than on the recent occasion of the Prince of Wales's
birthday. The birthday presents which her Royal
Highness has received are understood to be very
valuable, one of the. Queen's messengers having
arrived at the Hall last evening with the presents
from her Majesty the Queen and the Royal family.

-~

Ball in Honour of her Royal Highness the

Princess of Wales.

The 21st birthday of her Royal Highness the
Prince of }gales was celebrated with great and
appropriate loyalty, last evening, by some 300 of
the tradesmen appointed to their Royal High-
nesses the Prince and Princess of Wales, who
gave a grand ball at the Hanover-square Rooms,
the entrance to which had a very imposing effect by
a chastely painted illuminated portrait of her royal
highness, executed by Mr. Burnard, of Regent-
street, placed over the portico, the hall and stair-
case being decorated with a profusion of choice
plants.

The company danced right merrily to the far-
famed band of Cook and Tinney, who, sitting in a
beautiful shrubbery, arranged as though by some
fairy hand, but really by the floral taste of Mr.
Williams, of Holloway, gave a novel and most
pleasing improvement to the usually unsightly
appearance of the orchestra.
Great care was bestowed on the various details of
the entertainment, the programmes and badges of
the stewards being of the most tasteful design, and
beautifully executed by Messrs. Webster and Stock-
ley of Piccadily.
The supper was provided by Mr. Donald, of the
St. James's Hall, in the best possible manner, the
tables being charmingly decorated with an endless
variety a flowers, kindly lent for the occasion by.
Messrs. Veitch and Son, the Royal nurserymen, of
the King's-road, Chelsea, mingled with a superb
collection of bronzes and magnificent plate, also
gratuitously lent by Mr. Benson, of 25, Old Bond-
street, clockmaker and jeweller, who, occupying the
chair, did justice to the loyal toasts in short and
appropriate speeches.

The festivities were kept up to a late hour, and
passed off with much eclat, and must have ampll
recompensed the untiring hon. secretary, Mr. Mel-
ton, of Regent-street, who originated the ball, as
well as his strong regiment of eighteen courteous
Court tradesmen—Stewards, Messrs. C. Asprey,
166, New Bond-street; J. W. Benson, 25, Old
Bond-street ; W. C. Brown, 14, New Bond-street ;
W. C. Cater, 56, Pall-mall ; W. Davis, 12, Regent-
street ; J. Gould, 9, Shepherd's-market ; R. Hay-
man, 131, New Bond-street ; J. Inderwich,
Princes-street ; W. C. Jay, Regent-street ;
Leadbeater, 19, Brewer-street ; Lobb, Regent'
street ; G. Mayo, Great Marlborough-street ;
,(1.•
Marsh, 175, Piccadilly ; H. Melton, 194, Regent"
street ; J. Nicholay, 82, Oxford-street ; C. Nurse,
200, Regent-street ; W. T. Sandford, 6, Lower
Brook-street; W. Thornhill, 144, New Bond'
street.

A Cabinet Council was held yesterday at the
official residence of the First Lord of the Treaseri
in Downing-street. The Ministers present were
Earl Russell, the Lord Chancellor, Sir George
Grey, the Earl of Clarendon, the Right Hoe-
Edward Cardwell, Earl De Grey, the Chancellor
of the Exchequer, the Duke of Somerset, the Right
Hon. T. Milner Gibson, Lord Stanley of Alderley,
and the Right Hon. C. P. Villiers.

A BIRTHDAY PRESENT.—Yesterday being the
anniversary of the Princess Alexandra's birthdan
the Prince of Wales had prepared a surprise for the Prin-
cess in the shape of a beautiful pair of bay ponies, wit',
carriage and harness complete, the whole forming a hand"
some birthday present. The carriage, which is by a cele-
brated London maker, is of an exceedingly novel wake'
there being a front seat, as usual, the hind part of the
vehicle being provided with a couple of seats something
in the dog-cart fashion, the seat behind being intended Or
the groom. The colour of the carriage is a chocolate.
The ponies, which are a little over 14 hands high, ere
splendid steppers, and, with the carriage and harness, have
been forwarded to Sandringham.
MARHAM, NORFOLK.—His Royal Highness the
Prince of Wales honoured Mr. Villebois with his
company on Monday last for two days' shooting. 'file
first day the Contract Cover at Narborough was shot. line
following is the amount of game killed there :—Pheasants,
639 ; partridges, 17 ; hares, 309 ; rabbits, 89 ; woodcock,
1; wood-pigeon, 1. Tuesday, Nov. 28, the home beat at
Marham. Pheasants, 792 ; partridges, 7 ; woodcocks, '*;l
hares , 105 ; rabbits, 47 ; wood pigeon, 1. 11,11:0
Highness dined and slept at Marham on Monday.
party who had the honour of meeting and shooting 1"of
his Royal Highness were Major Teesdale, the MarclelL.
Bowmont, the Hon. T. De Grey, M.P., General the 11.(::
A. N. Hood, Mr. W. Bagge, M.P., the Rev. Johns AtilK6141,e..
thwaite, and the Rev. Henry Dugmcre.; His Roy
nose shot remarkably well.—Lynn Advertiser.
11.

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having
Presents
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ss the

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Sat and
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PUT, and
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Ir. Mel-
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George
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[ng the

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Prin-
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al 111611-