The Sun.
London, England, 1853-11-07 00:00:00

WINDSOR CASTLE THEATRICALS.

The first of the series of royal dramatic entertainments,
presented for some seasons past before her Majesty, Prince
Albert, and the royal family, at Windsor Castle, will be
given next Thursday evening, in the Rubens'-room, as
on former occasions. The arrangements will, as here-
tofore, be under the direction of Mr. Charles Kean.
Mr. Phelps, the distinguished actor, and lessee of Sadler's
Wells Theatre, has been complimented by being se-
lected by her Majesty to inaugurate the representations
this year by the performance of Shaksperc's historical
play of King Henry the Fifth, as revived by him at his
theatre. The play, we understand, will be cast in the
principal characters by the following artistes, selected
chiefly from the Sadler's Wells and Princess's com-
panies :
King Henry the Fifth Mr. Phelps.
Duke of Exeter Mr. John Cooper.
Duke of Bedford • Mr. Rousby.
Duke of Gloucester Mr. Younge.
Archbishop of Canterbury Mr. H. Marston.
Earl of Salisbury Mr. F. Cooke.
Earl of Cambridge
Earl of Westmoreland Mr. Belford.
Lord Scroop
Bishop of Ely Mr. Lacy.
Sir Thomas Grey Mr. Harris.
Sir Thomas Erpingham Mr. Addison.
Gower Mr. Cathcart.
Fluellin
Bates
Williams
Nym
Bardolph
Pistol Mr. Harley.
Boy Miss Kate Terry.
Charles VI. of France Mr. Lunt
Lewis, the Dauphin Mr. Leigh Murray.
Duke of Burgundy
The Constable of France Mr. Graham.
Governor of Harfleur
_ Montjoy Mr. Mortimer.
Isabel, Queen of France Mrs. Ternan.
• Katharine
Mrs. Quickly Mrs. H. Marston.

FRENCH ARCHIVES.—The Minister of the Interior,
says the Moniteur, who has given an active impulse to
the re-organisation and classification of our departmental
archives, recently ordered some researches to which we
shall be indebted for a series of documents valuable to
science and history. Having heen informed that the
greater part of the parchment employed by the Artillery
for making gun cartridges came from the old archives
dispersed at different periods, the minister requested his
colleague of the War Department to order these
parchments to be collected and submitted to the exami-
nation of a special inspector of archives. This in-
vestigation has been attended with favourable re-
sults. Out of 4,000 cartridges which have been un-
sewn and examined at the artillery depot in Paris, 3,000
produced very important documents connected with our
history. Among them were 1,200 pages of the old
manuscript accounts of the Kings of France, Charles VI.,
VII., and VIII., Louis XI. and XII., Francis 1., &c.,
These lists of expenses, by pointing out the employment
of the budgets of these different reigns, throw light on
many points of our national history. They interest at
the same time the annals of diplomacy by mentioning
the personnel of the envoys as well as the object and the
expense of each mission ; the history of the arts, by
stating the orders given to painters, musicians, statu-
aries, architects, &c. ; picturesque history of furniture,
costumes, &c., by giving the names and exact descrip-
tion of each object, with the price affixed ; and lastly,
the history of the habits of the court, and manners
in general, by the details of the gifts and alms granted
to the persons of the suite of the kings, or to those
who met the royal cortdge ; gentlemen, soldiers, and ad-
venturers wounded in war ; girls to marry ; pilgrims ;
hermits : poor persons affected with king's evil, waiting
for the king to touch them ; and others with all kinds of
diseases. Among these cartridges, so fortunately per-
PURITY OF THE CORPORATION OF LONDON.—Mr. James served we may also mention 1,200 documentsconnected
Acland, secretary of the City Reform Association, in a with the old chamber of accounts of Dauphiny, a
letter to the Times, says --" When I handed to the series which comprises some very important docu-
Royal Commissioners my list of paid employes who had ments, dating as far back as the thirteenth century,
been members of the Courts of Aldermen and Common of feudal investitures, dominal grants, accounts
Council, or who were related to or connected with mem- of expenses, and a number of maps emanating
bers of those courts, I observed that the list might be from the princes and seigneurs of Dauphiny
greatly extended, but had been hurriedly prepared. Mr. and Savoy ; seven hundred charters of the church
G. B. Childs, the surgeon to the city police force, must of Meaux; Papal Bulls ; letters patent of the Kings
be removed from that list ; and, by way of keeping 11P Saint Louis, Philippe-the-Bold, Philippe-le-Bel, &c. ;
the original number, the vacuum may be supplied thus 500 documents from the archives of Artois and Flan-
Henry Child, the partner of Alderman and
ders bud
Sheriff Wire, who has just been appointed Returning- centuries ;
; gets of cities in the fourteenth and fifteenth
accounts of the artillery of Duke Charles-the.
officer of the borough of Finsbury by the civic Sheriff
for Middlesex ; and this, too, pending the sitting of the by the communes, and other curious documentsste If to
Rash at the seige of Liege ; military subsidies furnishend.
Royal Commissioners. Allow me a few words touching nected with the history of the Tiers-Etat,
the corporate dealings with the press. There are hon- these documents, which are so intercisiti7tgar. various
charters,
'Durable men within the, civic ranks, and there are those ways, we add a certain numberof of
eon
who can substantiate against the governing clique, mai- bearing the autograph signatures
portance of the mea-
versations, misappropriations, and secret service money
Louis XIV., Colbert, rygIII. and IV.,
atcr developments in con- 1
abuses far more gross than are embodied in my evi- sure which has been carrrecd'inttteeffect will be understood,
dence. This is certain—the matter cannot be allowed and as it will acquire still groe
f archives created by the
to rest here. Honourable men must act honourably. sequence of the insp
At all events. I cannot afford to be their victim or their
w CeOs to science and to history."
ece.ti"nssider that it will render fur-
scapegoat, nor will I. they
Counta and
de
immense services
ervic.