The Sun.
London, England, 1853-03-21 00:00:00

COURT CIRCULAR.

The Queen held a Court on Saturday afternoon at
Buckingham Palace.
The Count Colloredo, Austrian Minister, had an audi-
ence of the Queen, and delivered to her Majesty an
autograph letter from the Emperor of Austria. His
Excellency was introduced by the Earl of Clarendon,
K. G ~ the Queen's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs, and conducted by her Majesty's Master of the
Ceremonies.

The Queen was attended by Lord Camoys, lord-in-
waiting, and Major-General Berkeley Drummond,
groom-in-waiting.

Her Majesty and his Royal Highness Prince Albert,
accompanied by their Royal Highnesses the Prince of
Wales, the Princess Royal, Prince Alfred, the Princesses
Alice, Helena, and Louisa, and Prince Arthur, left
Buckingham Palace at twenty-five minutes before four
o'clock on Saturday afternoon for Windsor Castle.
The royal suite consisted of the Duchess of Welling-
ton, Lady Caroline Barrington, the Hon. Eleanor
Stanley, the Hon. Beatrice Byng, Lord Camoys, Col.
the Hon. Charles Grey, Major-General Berkeley Drum-
mond, Colonel Bouverie, the Hon. Captain de Ros, and
Mr. Gibbs.

Her Majesty and the Prince were conducted to their
carriage by the Duke of Norfolk, Lord Steward, the
Marquis of Breadalbane, Lord Chamberlain, the Duke
of Wellington, Master of the Horse, and Lord Ernest
Bruce, Vice-Chamberlain.

A detachment of light dragoons escorted her Majesty
from Buckingham Palace to the terminus of the Great
Western Railway at Paddington, where a special train
was in readiness, which conveyed the august party to
Windsor.

Her Majesty's private band attended in Buckingham•
Palace on Friday evening, and performed the following
compositions :

Overture, " La Medicine sans Medicin" Harold.
Aris, " Le Cheval de Bronze" Auber.
Marche de la Caravane, la Fantaisie Arabe,
Danse des Alines, " Le Desert" David.

WINDSOR CASTLE, MARCH 20.
The Royal party arrived at the Castle at half-past four
o'clock yesterday.
There was no addition to the Royal dinner party.
A fire broke out at Windsor Castle about half-past
nine o'clock last night in the Prince of Wales's Tower,
at the north-eastern angle of the Castle, which threat-
ened very serious consequences, and was not extin-
guished until past four o'clock this morning.
Owing to the exertions of the servants of the house-
hold and others, directed by Mr. Turnbull, the clerk of
the works, and the military, consisting of the Ist batta-
lion Scots Fusilier Guards, and a detachment of the 2d
Life Guards, who were quickly on the spot with the
barrack engines, the damage was ultimately confined to
the tower where the fire began ; but in consequence of
the complicated arrangements of the apartments and the
nature of the building, it appeared for some time doubt-
ful whether the eastern and northern sides of the Castle
could be saved.

The ceiling of the Queen's dining room and the rooms
in the story above were completely destroyed.
A telegraphic message was dispatched to summon Mr.
Superintendent Braidwood, and a party of the London
Fire Brigade, who arrived about two o'clock this morn-
ing with two engines by special train, and have since
remained in charge of the building.
The engines from Windsor and Eton likewise rendered
assistance shortly after the fire broke out.
Her Majesty remained during the whole time in the
adjoining rooms, and, we are happy to say, has sustained
no inconvenience from the alarm which such an event
was likely to cause.
The origin of the fire has not been as yet satisfactorily
explained.

The Queen and Prince, the Prince of Wales, the
Princess Royal and Princess Alice, the Duchess of
Kent, and the Princess Adelaide of Hohenlohe, with
the ladies and gentlemen of the Court, and the domestic
household, attended divine service this morning in the
private chapel of the Castle. The Hon. and Rev. G.
Wellesley officiated. _ _ _

The Duchess of Wellington has succeeded the Conn.
tess of Charlemont as Lady in Waiting to her Majesty

Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, accompa-
nied by the Princess Adelaide of Hohenlohe, and
attended by Lady Fanny Howard, left her residence,
Clarence House, St. James's, at eleven o'clock on Satur-
day morning for Frogmore.
A deputation on behalf of the parties interested in the
cultivation of flax, and for the granting of a Royal
Charter of incorporation to "The Farmers' Flax Com-
pany," had an interview on Saturday with the Right
E. Cardwell and Lord Stanley of Alderley at the Board
of Trade. The deputation consisted of the Earl of
Essex, Lord de Mauley, Sir Ralph Howard, Mr. Pusey,
Mr. Cripps, Lieut.-Colonel Alcock, Mr. Burroughes,
Mr. John Towneley, and Sir Montague Cholmondeley,
Bart.

The Liverpool Pilot deputation, consisting of Mr. J.
Nelson Wood (chairman), Mr. R. W. Houghton (deputy-
chairman), Messrs. Henry Jenkins, Richard Kershaw,
Wm. Mann, John Bigham, David Rowland (secretary),
Joseph Cooke (superintendent), and M. D. Lowndes
(solicitor), had also an interview with the Right Hon.
E. Cardwell and Lord Stanley of Alderley on Saturday.
The deputation was accompanied by Mr. Chas. Turner,
M.P. for Liverpool.
The Turkish Minister transacted business on Saturday
at the Foreign-office, Downing-street.

A deputation from the Liverpool Master Pilots, on
the subject of the Pilotage Bill, had also an intervtfiw
with the Right Hon. E. Cardwell and Lord Stanley of
Alderley on Saturday, at the Board of Trade. The
deputation consisted of Messrs. W. Hudson, John
Shepherd, W. Hughes, and W. Rowlands (master pilots).
The deputation were accompanied by Mr. Turner, M.P.
for Liverpool, and Mr. Browne, M.P. for Lancashire.

GREAT FIRE AND Loss OF LIFE.—(THIS DAT.)—
This (Monday) morning, between the hours of three and
four, a fire of a very fearful character, and attended with
a loss of life, happened in the premises of Mr. Winslow,
a licensed victualler, known as the Crown Inn, 119,
Long-acre. At the time of the disaster the inmates
were in their beds asleep, and it was with considerable
difficulty that they could be made sensible of their
impending danger, and not before the staircase was so
filled with smoke that those parties who were able to
descend by the regular means were nearly suffocated
with hot air. Some of the others were obliged to be
lowered by means of sheets and blankets, and thereby
escaped a horrible death ; but we regret to state that a
young man named Thomas, who acted as bar and cellar-
man, perished in the flames. His body was found about
eight o'clock in the ruins, burned almost as black as a
cinder. The engines of the brewery, two from Chandos-
street, that of the West of England Office and five more
of the Brigade, promptly attended, and plenty of water
being obtained, the firemen went to work in an admirable
manner ; but in spite of the torrents of water thrown on
the flames, the work of destruction continued, and for
hours the western portion of the metropolis was
brilliantly illuminated. At length, however, the confla-
gration was subdued, but not until the premises were
extensively burned and the adjoining houses greatly
damaged. The origin of the fire is unknown. The
Royal Society fire escape was soon in attendance, but
the poor fellow had by that period breathed his last.
The body has been removed to the workhouse to await
an inquest.

AFFAIR OF HONOUR.—It was very generally rumoured
yesterday, in the clubs, that the preliminaries of a hostile
meeting had been arranged between two gallant colonels,
who have lately figured before the select committee of
the House of Commons to inquire into the petition from
Norwich borough, and its unauthorised withdrawal.
At the eleventh hour the matter was fortunately ad-
justed by the friendly intervention of an hon. member
who sits on the opposite side of the house.—Observer.
The two gallant " colonels " referred to might as well
have been named as Colonel the Right Hon. Cecil
Forester and Mr. Dickson, who was concerned in the
late Norwich election petition. Mr. Culpepper repre-
sented the latter gentleman, and Mr. Craven Berkeley,
M.P., was the friend of Colonel Forester. The affair
was amicably settled, as stated by our contemporary,
and a document was signed which was doubtless satis-
factory to principals and friends.—Herald.
MORE CLOSING OF GRAVEYARDS.—From the follow-
ing communication, which has been received by the
parochial authorities of St. Mary, Islington, it will be
seen that two graveyards in that parish are among the
many burial-grounds designated for closing by the Home
Secretary of State :—".Whitehall, March 17.—Sir,—In
compliance with the provisions of an act made and passed
in the 15th and 16th year of her Majesty's reign, entitled
`An Act to amend the laws concerning the burial of the
dead in the metropolis,' I hereby give you notice, by
direction of Viscount Palmerston, one of her Majesty's
Principal Secretaries of State, that it is his intention to
represent to her Majesty in Council that, for the protec-
tion of the public health, burials in the Roman Catholic
Burial-ground of St. John the Evangelist, and in the
New Bunhill-fields Burying-ground, in the parish of St.
Mary, Islington, should be discontinued after the 31st
of December next.—l am, &c., H. WADDINGTON.—J.
Layton, Esq., Vestry-clerk of St. Mary, Islington.
THE NEW STEAM DOCKYARD AT KEYHAM.—It is said
that the works of this great national establishment is so
far advanced that the contractor will be prepared to de-
liver up the whole of the southern portion to the Govern-
ment completed by Midsummer, and that the sh•ps and
smithery will be put in operation immediately afterwards.
THE CONSERVATIVE LAND SOCIETY.—The seventh
purchase of land for allotment amongst the members of
this society has just been made in the West Riding of
Yorkshire, at Leeds, close to the railroad, on the River
Aire, on the Kirkstall and Bradford road.