The Sun.
London, England, 1849-05-08 00:00:00

COURT CIRCULAR.

His Royal Highness Prince Albert rode out on horse.
back yesterday, attended by Lieut.-Colonel the Hon.
Alexander Gordon.

The Royal dinner party yesterday at Buckingham
Palace included her Excellency Madame Van do Weyer,
their Excellencies the Chevalier and Madame Bunsen,
the Countess of Dunmore, the Right Hon. and Mrs. Fox
Mule. and the Right Hon. Sidney Herbert.
The band of the Coldstream Guards was in attendance
during dinner in the Palace, and performed the following
pieces:—

brand Selection from Figaro Mozart.
Caledonian Quadrilles
Fantasia from Masanielto
Kriegs March der Priester Mendelauohn.
Coldstream Guards Polka
Pas Redouble
Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent visited her
Majesty the Queen Dowager 3esterdsy at Marlborough
House.

THE KING OF HANOVER.—Dispatchea from Hanover
were received in town on Sunday, announcing that hia
Majesty the King of Hanover had recovered from hia
recent indilosition.
Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Gloucester visited
her Ruh al Highness the Duchess of Kent yesterday at
Clar,nce House, St. James's.

Tho Earl of Burlington had an interview . with Sir
George Grey yeaerduy. Alr. John Fielding kand slaw
an iottrvitw yestrulay with the Right ion. Baronet, at
the Ilome-othee.

THE GAS QUESTION.—The controversy ILS to the
reduction of the prico of gas in the metropolis, which
bas hitherto been confined to the city of London
proper, is now likely to extend itself to the whole
of the gas consuming districts of London. The
citizens have long demanded that the two companies,
which share between them the monopoly within tho
walls, should reduce their price from 6s. per 1;000,
cubic feet to 49., a demand which they strenuously re=
sisted, and this gave rise to the City Gas Consumers' Conk'
pany, which ()tiers to supply the whole City at the mast-
mum price of 4s. In order to stave off, if possible, tills
threatened opposition, the old companies have tardily an 4
reluctantly offered to reduce the price within the
City boundary to five shillings, and here for the present
they appear resolved to stop. However this reduction
might have satisfied the citizens some time back, it now
falls short of their expectations, whilst, as a natural con-
sequence, it is originating demands in other quarters
which will speedily press heavily on the attention of these
campanies. The City Company and the Chartered Com-
pany both supply gas beyond the City boundary, the
former in the vicinity of Hatton-garden, Saffron-hill, St.
John's, Cleikenwell, &c.; and the latter in the parishes
of 5:. James's, Cierkenwed, St. Luke's, and in the
Finsbury district. Some of the more active indi-
viduals in these districts arc already agitating the ques•
tion—why they should not also receive from these com•
panies the benefit of a similar reduction, as the difference
between them" and their neighbours is a mere
conventional line. The same demand- will also pro-
bably extend to the districts supplied by the Chartered
Company, from Park-lane on the west to the City
boundary on the east, and from Oxford•street
and Holborn on the north to the Thames and
Vauxhall-bridge on the south. The various other metro-
-1 p litan companies who have supported the two City
companies in the uniform price ut 6s. will also feel more
or hss the deft ction of the latter from the uniformity
compact. Be that as it may, it is impossible rot to foresee
that the concession of cheaper gas must ere long be ex•
tended by the existing companies considerably beyond
the limits to which it is at present proposed to confine it.
ST. GEORGE'S HOSPITAL.--The prises in the me-
dical school of St. George's Hospital for the past ses-
sion were distributed yesterday in the presence of •
numerous body of spectators by the Dean of West-
minster, who, in awarding the honours, made acme very-
interesting observations upon the importance of the
different departments of study in which they had been
won. The prize list is as follows:—Senior Scholarship
—Mr. Alfred Howse. Junior Scholarship—Mr. H. V.
Carter. Surgical Clinical Reports—Prize, Mr, J. Rouse.
Anatomy, Senior Class—Prise, Mr. T. K.. Hornridge ;
additional prise, Mr. H. Folkartl. Junior Class—Prise.,
Mr. J. Ewens; additional prizes, Mr. 0. S. Evans, and
Mr. W. B. Stephens • certificate, Mr.. 11. V. Carter.,
Botany—Prize, Mr. W. Lichfield. Chemistry—Prise,
Mr. h. V. Carter; certificates, Mr. J. Eweus and Mr.
W. B. Stephens. Materta Medica—Prize, Mr. J. Ewens;
additional prize, Mr. W. B. Stephens ; certificates, Mr.
J. S. Dodd and Mr. W. Lichfield. Medical Jurispru-
dence—Prize, Mr. J. Route; certificate, Mr. J. Parker.
Midwifery—Prize, Mr. 11. Dixon ; certificates, Mr. J.
Earle and Mr. J. Parker. Practice of Physic—Prize,
Mr. J. Parker. Surgery—Prize, Mr. C. J. Morris.
OFFICIAL RETIRESIESTS.—It is said to be in ccosia
templation to make retirement compulsory on all civil
servantsn above sixty years of age, the practice of al-
lowing
dr
ie persona
ers ohni
highly
htloyholddetrimental o ffi c e after o thisthe period
service
And pb
of life being
u
lio
interest.. There is no doubt the aversion that age has to
all change, and the chilling reception it gives even to
improvements suggested by junior officers, often pre.
vents the country from realising much good, to say no•
thing of the loss the country sustains in allowing men,
wholly unfit for their duties, to what is called "hold on''
until they have acquired a right to retire on full a110w...
ance.—Devonport I &graph.
ETON.---A vacancy in the appointment of an as•
sistant-master having been occasioned by the resignation
of Mr. H. Birch, M.A. t(who has had the high and dis-
tinguished honour conferred upon him of being ap-
pointed tutor to his Royal Highness the Prince of
Wales), it has been filled up by the appointment of the
Rev. R. Joynes, formerly a King's scholar of Eton, the
gentleman who obtained the Newcastle scholarship in
1843. Mr. Birch has now entered upon his responsible
duties as a tutor to the heir apparent, which,lwe under-
stand, were to commence the week after Easter. Mr.
Birch will reside with Royal establishment, and will of
course travel with his Royal and illustrious pupil from
place to place, as her Majesty may feel disposed to
change her residence.—Aylesbury News.
FATAL COALPIT ACCIDENT.—On
serious accident occurred at a coal mine, the S apt ruorptryt y 4"
the Duke of Beautort, situate at Fishponds, near Bristol.r,e
The colliery had been out of work for soemdedioenak,,
whob
had latterly been taken by a person
rented the property in the
worked veins. hope ot: disncaomvering some nu.
gaged in thework,
he ver • shortly died; and
Oa
aSamtuarndanya,mwehddle,usormneermwt.aus
swo.ermuch
affected by the foul air that y
a
souther dtha t his life is
de t,1t)1,1,
aareleryk'susßlyrisatflolene
Journal.
THE AUSTRALIAN MAILS, YIA INDIA.—The first
Australian mail, via Southampton, Egypt, and India.
ierre d man
of. waskelir so
F
and by steamers from Singapore, will, it u expected,tellt.
dispatched about Dext August,