The Sun.
London, England, 1853-10-19 00:00:00

COURT CIRCULAR.

WINDSOR, OCT. 18.

The following had the honour of dining' with her Ma-
jesty yesterday :—Lieut.-Colonel the Hon. N. and Lady
Mary Hood, and Mr. Gibbs.
The Queen's private band was in attendance in the
Castle after dinner, and played the following pieces :

Overture, " Si j'etais Roi" Adam.
Polonaise and Chorus, " Faust" Spohr.
Finale, " Le Pre aux Clercs" Herold.
Overture, " Marco Spada" Auber,
March, "Prometheus" Beethoven.
The Queen and the Prince walked in the Home•park
this morning. The royal children took their accustomed
exercise.

His Royal Highness Prince Albert rode out on horse-
back this afternoon, attended by Lieutenant-Colonel F.
Seymour.
Her Majesty and his Royal Highness the Prince
Albert drove out in an open carriage this afternoon.
Colonel the Hon. Charles Grey and Lieut.-Colonel F.
Seymour were in attendance on horseback.

The Earl of Aberdeen left town yesterday evening
:or Windsor Castle.

ROYAL DONATION.—Her Majesty the Queen has been
pleased to express her approbation of the object and
views of the " Scotish Ladies' Association for Promoting
Female Industrial Education in Scotland, especially in
the Highlands and Islands ; and has accompanied the
letter by a donation of 501. The object of this associa-
tion is to add other branches of industry besides needle-
work to schools for females in the labouring, manufac-
turing, and mining districts. The association intend to
open their first schools in Criefl and in Rothesay next
month.
THE GRAND DUCHESS MARIE OF RIISSIA.—Her
Imperial Highness the Grand Duchess Marie of Russia
came to town from Torquay last week, accompanied by
two of her children, the Prince Eugene and the Princess
Eugenie, for the purpose of visiting the various national
establishments and objects of interest now open for in-
spection in the metropolis. The Grand Duchess and the
Prince and Princesses, by whom her Imperial Highness
was accompanied, appear to have derived much benefit
from their residence at Torquay, to which place they re-
turned on Friday last, to join the other Princes and
Princess of the Imperial family. The season for sea-
bathing having now closed, her Imperial Highness in-
tends to leave Torquay on the 21st inst. for Dover, where
her Majesty's steam-packet Vivid, Capt. Smithett, has
been ordered to be in readiness on the following day, to
convey the Imperial party to Ostend, en route for St.
Petersburgh. Her Imperial Highness is stated to have
expended nearly 4,0001. in purchases among the trades-
men of Torquay alone.
ROYAL GALLERY OF ILLUSTRATION.—Her Royal
Highness the Duchess of Cambridge, accompanied by
his Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke
and Duchess of Mecklenburgh Strelitz, and the Princess
Mary, and attended by Baron Knesebeck, Baron Rauck,
&c., honoured (on Monday) with a visit the Diorama of
the Ocean Mail, at the Royal Gallery of Illustration, 14,
Regent-street.
POSTAGE STAMPS.—It appears that in the year ended
the sth of January last the poundage on the sale of
postage stamps amounted to 18,1421., and in the pre.
ceding year to 14,8961. By the New Stamp Act the
Postmaster-General can authorise the employes to sell
postage stamps without a license.
THE POOR LAWS.—Last year the expense of the
establishment for the administration of the Poor Laws
amounted to 203,2611.
STATIONERY FOR PUBLIC DEPARTMENTS.—In the
year ended the sth of January, the expense of providing
stationery for the public departments was 258,4101.,
against 166,916/. in the previous year.
THE OLYMPIC THEATRE.—The extraordinary success
of the performances here on Monday, brought another
large audience last night, and it was equally as
loud and enthusiastic in its praise, both of the extra-
vaganza and the drama of Plot and Passion,
the latter, in which Mr. Wigan, Mrs. Stirling,
and Mr. Emery display their characteristics in a
manner so striking and so effective as to astonish even
those who have frequently seen their performances.
That Mr. Robson, who has the only other principal
part, should enact, to the life, a base, cunning,
obsequious villian, may appear somewhat strange, when
he has just acquired a high reputation as an actor
of burlesque, but it is no less strange than true,
for a finer representative of such a character we would
not -wish to witness.
THE NEW VICTORIA AND ALBERT.—We understand
that the drawings of the new yacht for the Queen were
submitted to her Majesty at Windsor yesterday. It
must be gratifying to the Sovereign to find that even
against the Royal desire to incur expense in the con-
struction of a new yacht, her loyal and devoted sub-
jects are so unanimous in their determination to pro-
vide the Queen with a suitable floating palace. The
greatest interest is still felt as to the material of which
the yacht is to be constructed. As a matter of econo-
my, it is not questioned that iron is the cheapest. Ex-
prience has proved this with regard to the Fairy, screw
tender, which little vessel has weathered some rough
gales, and is as tight and clean as a bottle. Iron is
also unquestionably the most durable ; but, as we have
before stated, the greatest and most important advan-
tages consist in its immunity from the deadly fevers
which hang about wooden steamers, and its less liabi-
lity to take fire.—Morning Herald.
THE COMMAND OF THE ROYAL YACHT.—We under-
stand that Lord Adolphus Fitzclarence, G.C.H., will
not command the Royal yacht as a rear admiral. He
will strike his flag, and a captain, senior to Captain
Crispin, will be appointed We must confess we regret
the separation of Lord Adolphus from the command of
her Majesty's little Royal squadron. A stranger can-
not be so agreeable to the service as those who have
been accustomed to the Royal yacht manned. Several
names have been started for the first captaincy ; and
among others, Captain Sir Charles Hotham, K.C.8.,
Captain the Hon. H. Keppel, of the St. Jean d'Acre,
and Captain Sir Thomas Maitland, of the Agamemnon.
—lbid.
h FstLoioasnizred Neither Eloenn:Tly. BELLOT.—Theha correspondent of a contemporary
suggests that instead of a niche in St. Paul's or West-
minster Abbey to commemorate the heroic Frenchman
Bellot, it would be a more graceful compliment, and one
that would be deeply appreciated by his countrymen, to
raise a subscription for the purpose of erecting some
slight tablet to his memory in his native town. As a
tribute to French heroism from the people of England,
he adds, this would be esteemed as a flattering compli-
ment by the whole nation.
CAPTAIN M'CLIIRE.—The following letter has been
addressed to the Newry Tel by Mr. E. P. Morphy,
of Ballylech-house, Monaghan, brother of Captain
M'Clure :—" In an article published in your paper of
the 13th inst., headed `Discovery of the North-West
Passage,' I observe the following observation with refer-
ence to Captain M'Clure, viz. :—' He is a native of Ul-
ster, the brother of a medical gentleman who not long
since was resident in Belfast.' This statement, I beg to
say, is not correct. Captain M'Clure was born in the
county of Wexford. He has only been in Ulster twice
in his life, the first time in 1837, when the Terror, on
bo
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father, Captain IVl'Clure' formerly of the 89th Regiment.
This is my brother's third expedition to the North Pole,
where he has spent seven years of his life. He always
stated Sir John Franklin would not be discovered, his
conviction being his ships were crushed in the ice."
GENERAL SIR. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE, BART.,
G.C.H.—This veteran officer, who died on the 17th of
October, at his residence, Bath, in the 83d year of his
age, was the senior General in her Majesty's service.
Inheriting the estates of Fairbairn, Stratheonnau, and
Monar, which were granted to his ancestor by James
IV. of Scotland, he received the first rudiments of his
education at Edinburgh as an associate of Walter Scott,
andhis early military instruction with the Duke of Wel-
lington, at the Academy of Angers, in France. Serving
as a subaltern in the Ist Royals, and as a captain in the
42d Highlanders, he obtained at an early age the lieu-
twe
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Mediterranean, and, after the rupture of the peace of
Amiens,
'ic
was continually employed to the close of
.the
war. He received the Grand Cross of the Order of St.ili
Januarius from the King of the Two es, and the
Grand Cross of the Guelphic Order from George IV., by
whom, and by his Royal Highness the Duke of York,
1 he was much esteemed.