The Sun.
London, England, 1853-02-19 00:00:00

COURT CIRCULAR.

Her Majesty and his Royal Highness the Prince Albert
honoured the performance at the Princess's Theatre with
their presence yesterday evening. The Royal suite consisted
of the Marchioness of Ely, the Hon. Flora Macdonald,
Lord Rivers, Lord Alfred'Pa,get, and Lieutenant Colonel
the Hon. A. Gordon.
The band of the Coldstream Guards attended in Buck-
ingham Palace during dinner on Thursday, and performed
the following music : _

Lindpainter.
Jullien.
Verdi.
... Koenig.

Overture—" Fest"
Valse—" Paul and Virginia"
Grand scena ed aria
Polka—" The Juno"
Pas Redouble " Zerbine, ou la Corbeille
d'Oranges" Auber.
Her Majesty's private band afterwards attended in the
evening, and played the following compositions :
Overture—" La Gaieto"

Chorus of soldiers—'

." Falkner's Brant",

Marschner.

Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, accompanied
by her Serene Highness the Princess Adelaide of Hohen-
lohe, and attended by Lady Fanny Howard, arrived at her
residence, Clarence House, St. James's, at four o'clock,
from Erogmore. The Royal Duchess, with the Princess
Adelaide of Hohenlohe, attended by Lady Fanny Howard,
visited her Royal Highness the Duchess of Gloucester last
evening at her residence, Gloucester House, Piccadilly.
Lord Cowley had an interview with the Chancellor of
the Exchequer yesterday, at his official residence in Down.
ing-street. •
A deputation, consisting of Mr. James Truscott, Mr.
Stone, Mr. Boresford, and Mr. F. Braithwaite, had an in-
terview with the Duke of Newcastle yesterday, at the
Colonial-office.
Colonel Steinbach had an interview with the Duke of
Newcastle yesterday.
Sir Alexander Spearman had an interview with the
Chancellor of the Exchequer yesterday. •
Dispatches were sent yesterday•from• the Colonial-office
to the Governor-General of Canada and the Governors of
the other North American provinces.
Dispatches were received yesterday from the Governor
of Gibraltar.

ORDER OF THE THISTLE—LORb EQLINTOV

(From the Morning Herald. ).

We have looked, we cannot say with anxiety, but cer-
tainly with a confident expectation, to some of the mi-
nisterial journals for a contradiction of the statment that
Lord Aberdeen had conferred upon the Earl of E.glin-
ton the vacant ribbon of the Order of the Thistle. Emi-
nently popular. as such an act would be, especially in
Ireland, we have naturally looked to the journals sup-
posed to-possess the confidence of Lord' Aberdeen, for a
disclaimer of the Merit, to which the noble Premier has

no claim.
When, however, we see that credit is actually taken
by those journals for this aci, it is necessary that the
real truth should be told. _

With the conferring of the Order of the Thistle on the
late Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Lord Aberdeen had
nothing whatever to do. Before the resignation of the
late Ministry, Lord Derby had recommended this ap-
pointment to the Queen.• tier Majesty, we understand,
unhesitatingly and most graciously assented to the re-
commendation, and, according to the invariable etiquette
on such occasions, the royal favour once conferred was
not to be revoked by any change in the advisers of the
Crown.
It happened, indeed, that before the actual installa-
tion of Lord Eglinton as a brother of the illustrious
order which he is so well qualified to adorn, the friend
who recommended him had ceased to be First Minister
of the Crown. If there was any interference of the pre-
sent Ministers in the matter, it was the purely mini-
sterial duty of carrying out the commands of the Sove-
reign, to give effect to the favour which she had already
irrevocably conferred.

GREAT FIRE IN THE BOROUGH.—At a late hour last
night, a most tremendous fire broke out in King-street,
Borough, in the premises of Mr. Mansell, letterpress
printer. Being one of the best parts of the metropolis
for ready assistance on such unfortunate occasions, in a
short time about twelve brigade and the West of Eng-
land engines reached the spot, and were in due time
supplied with water, no less than 180 auxiliaries being
employed. Notwithstanding this powerful aid, the
flames spread so furiously that the exertions of the fire-
men tended to little advantage till the premises, stock,
furniture, &c., of Mr. Mansell had been destroyed, and
also the next houses partly consumed. Most valuable
assistance was afforded by the M division of police,
who saved much property, and continued a dread to the
Kent-street "gang,' who mustered in formidable num-
bers. Mr. Mansell is believed to be insured.
DEATH IN THE SNOW ON DARTMOOR.—PLYMOUTH,
FEB. 17.—The missing body of Corporal Panton, 7th
Fusiliers, was found on Tuesday forenoon, about two
hundred yards from the the Duch Hotel, Prince Town,
almost within sight of his destination. In consequence
of the inclemency of the weather, and, the road being
covered with snow, the Convicts have been put on half
rations. From 500 to 700 of them have been employed
to clear the approaches to the prisons, and they have
been obliged, at considerable risk, to bring in the sup-
plies upon their backs.
SOUTHAMPTON, FRIDAY.—Some commotion has been
caused in the docks to-day by a strike for wages of the
seamen on board the Peninsular and Oriental Company's
ship Bengal. This steamer is appointed to leave South-
ampton on Sunday for Alexandria, with the India mail,
and on Thursday the whole crew, when called upon to
sign articles, demanded an increaseof
wages. This
being reported to the superintendent of the company
(Captain Engledue), that gentleman refused to ac-
2/. los. had e
to the demand of the men, stating that the com-
panysguniform
money,
apdwa
eral
equal to 555.
a month, at even periods when wages of seamen gene-
rally were lower than that rate, and immediately pro-
ceeded to London to engage a fresh crew. This was
speedily. done, and about 30 able seamen were brought
month, with paid
with a 5
down to man the Bengal. Some of these, it appears,
deterred by the threats of fhe old crew, have hesitated
to go on board the ship. while others have been put on
board under an escort of policemen. The men com-
posing the former crew of the ship are greatly exaspe-
rated against the new-comers, and having threatened to
assault and even murder them, a strong detachment of
the town police force has been to-day on duty alongside
the Bengal and the company's office, to prevent these
'threats from being carried into effect, and to protect the
well-disposed seamen from insult and injury.
THE GOLD COMPANIES.—SoLIie impetus has been given
to the operations of the gold companies by the decision
of the Commission Court of San Francisco, in favour of
the claim of the Hon. J. C. Fremont, as reported in the
San Francisco Ilercild of the 23th December last, which
likewise confirms the exclusive right to the minerals on
the part of the landholders in fee in California—no new
law, by the by—of the United States. We likewise
get at the authenticity, or otherwise, of many gold com-
panies. " The Albion Gold Company's territory is at
the upper portion of the county of Mariposa, and con-
sists of a little more than one thousand acres of land, in
the highest degree auriferous, within seven miles of the
Nouveau Mondo Gold Works, with a title in fee simple,
and possess
ion indisputed." In a few weeks the re-
cently-appointed manager and his staff will proceed, via
Panama, to Burns Ranche, to take possession of the
estate. The direction is purely English, and has the
chairman of the Agua Fria at its head ; and it will be
seen by a notice in our advertising columns that Sir
Charles' Nightingale, Bart., has accepted the office of
director, in the place of Sir John Shelly, retired.—Morn-
ing Rerald.