The Sun.
London, England, 1854-04-21 00:00:00

COURT CIRCULAR.

WINDSOR, APRIL 20.
The dinner party at the Castle yesterday included her
Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, the Belgian Min-
ister and Madame Van de Weyer, Lady Anna Maria
Dawson, Colonel the Hon. Charles and Mrs. Grey, the
Baroness de Speth, and Colonel the Right Hon. C.
Forester (commanding officer, Royal Horse Guards).
The band of the 97th Regiment attended during din-
ner, and played the following selection :
Overture, " Haydee" • .' Auber.
Aria. " Inveir col gesso" (L'Ajo) Donizetti.
Daetto, " Deh conte" (Norma) Bellini.
Waltz Summer Flo wen Tinney.
Introduziene, " Il Barbiere" Rossini.
Galop, L'Eclair ..... , D'Albere.
•

Her Majesty's private band was in'attendance in the
evening, and performed the following music :
Overture, "Egmont" Beethoven.
Priere, Barcarolle, Air, and Chceur (L'Etoile •
du Nord) Meyerbeer.

The Queen and Prince, accompanied by the Prince
of Wales and Prince Alfred, rode out on horseback yes-
terday afternoon, attended by the Countess of Desart,
Lord Charles Fitzroy, and Lieutenant• Colonel F. H.
Seymour.
The Princess Royal and Princess Alice took a carriage
drive.

The Duke and Duchess of Wellington, on their return
from the French capital, will take possession of Apsley
House for the season, which celebrated mansion will not,
however, be complete in its embellishments until the
end of the year.

The Eirlof Cawdor has left South Audley-street for
Paris. The countess has left town on a visit to the
venerable Lady Grenville, at Dropmore.
The Earl and Countess of Harrowby return to Gros-
venor-square at the end of next week, from Sandon Hall,
Staffordshire, for the season.
Toe Earl and Countess of Malmesbury, who have
been passing the holidays in Paris, are expected to arrive
in Whitehall-gardens at the close of the ensuing week
for the season.

•The Viscount and Viscountess Canning have left
Grosvenor-square, on a visit to Mr. Henry and the Lady
Harriet Drummond, at Albury Park, where the hon.
member for Surrey is entertaining a select party during
the recess.

BANQUET TO TEX: ptral ol.lp4uPoia.—The Society
of Merchants of B.List;Orintend.gi,iing a grand banquet
to his Grace the Duke':Of Beaufort, who has recently
succeeded to the title and estates, on Wednesday, the
7th of June.

DEATEI or COLONEL ACTON, LATE M.P.—We have
to record the demise of this high-minded gentleman, who
for so many years represented the county of Wicklow on
Conservative principles. He died at his beautiful seat,
West Aston, on the 10th inst. Colonel Acton's olipo-
nentgenerally was the Right lion. dames Grattan, son
of the celebrated statesman of that name. The contests
in Wicklow involving so many petitions cost him up-
wards of 30,0001.

THE DAY OF RUMILIATION.-7Owing to a want of
precision in the proclamation issued for the observance
of Wednesday next as a holyday, the merchants and
bankers throughout the United Kingdom are in a state
of complete uncertainty whether that day can legally be
regarded in the same light as Sundays, Christmas-day,
and Good Friday, with respect to the payment of bills
of exchange. According to the act of the 7th and Bth
of George IV., the occasions on which public holydays
can be declared by proclamation are limited to "solemn
fasts, or days of thanksgiving," while, in the present
instance, the proclamation is worded for."a day of
general humiliation and prayer." It is therefore evi-
dent that, under a literal interpretation of the law, no
exemption will exist on Wednesday next from any of
the common legal liabilities of ordinary days. In this
state of affairs application has been made to the Govern.
ment, in order that the matter ' may be immediately
cleared up.
PROHIBITION OF THE EXPORT OF IRON TO THE CON-
TINENT.—Sudden inconvenience, of a serious character,
has just been experienced by, the, London firms, in the
iron trade from a resolution conveyed to them through
the Customs the day before yesterday, prohibiting the
exportation of all kinds of iron to the Continent of
Europe. Many shipments have thus been stopped to
Hamburg and Rostock, and other ports in the Baltic,
which, inasmuch as they were in execution of orders,
cannot be suspended without loss or difficulty. It is
to
presumedfauiii tattehtahtes
continuanceomeregnlatioonfs wtheilrl
ebge
ulart forthwithtrade,
issued
such restrictions and securities as may be deemed suffi-
cient ; but unless these are of a simple nature, and are
issued pi omptly, great damage will be inflicted iu many
quarters.
TuE COLONY OF VICTORIA.—Tbe revenue of the
colony of Victoria in the year 1853 amounted to
3,302,249/., being more than double the revenue of the
previous year. The proceeds of the gold licenses rose
frGm'399sl3B/ , in 1852, to (60,8331. in 1853 ; the Cus-
toms (bity on spirits imported, from 186,4911. to
561,3171. ; the proceeds. of the sal of land, from
703,355/. to 1,396,713/. The population at the close of
the year was estimated at 233,000.