The Sun.
London, England, 1848-01-06 00:00:00

COURT CIRCULAR.

WINDSOR, WEDNESDAY.—The Queen and Prince
Albert walked this morning on the Eastern Terrace
and slopes.
The Royal Family took ‘valking snd pony exercise.
His Royal Highness Prince Albert enjoyed the
sport of shooting this morning, accompanied by the
Duke of Cambridge and Prince George, and Earl
Delawarr, and attended by the Right Hon. W. S.
Lascelles, and Colonel Seymour.
The Earl of Aberdeen and the Earl of Auckland
are expected to arrive at the Castle this evening, cn
a visit to her Majesty.
The royal dinner party at the Castle this evening
will include her Royal Highness the Duchess
of Kent, their Royal Highnesses the Duke and
Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George and the
Princess Mary, his Serene Highness Prince Fre-
of Hesse, the Earl of Aberdeen, the Earl and
Countess of Delawarr, the Earl of Auckland, the Lady
in Waiting on the Duchess of Kent, the Lady in
Waiting on the Duchess of Cambridge, Baroness de
Speth, the Right Hon. William S. and Lady Caro-
line Lascelles, and Mr. Edmond Mildmay.
The band of the Genadier Guards will attend
during dinner. The Queen's private band will after-
wards attend in the Castle.

Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent arrived
at her residence, Clarence House, St. James's, at
twelve o'clock, yesterday, attended by Sir George
Couper, from Frogmore House, near Windsor. Her
Royal Highness left town at two o'clock in the after-
noon, on her return to Frogmore House.
Lady John Russell has been indisposed at Woburn.
Abbey, but is better. ,

THE CAUSE OF THE DEFEAT OF
THE SONDERBUND.
The National publishes the following story of the
Jesuits of Lucerne :—The Reverend Fathers, it ap-
peared, possessed a Gothic reliquiary of most exquisite
workmanship. In order to provide against the hard-
ness of the times which the war might bring on them,
they bethought them that they would turn this
reliquiary into money, and a Hebrew dealer in
curiosities, residing at Geneva, purchased it of them,
and paid them in Napoleons. Whether it was that
the sight of the. gold dazzled the eyes of the Reverend
Fathers, or whether it was that they cared nothing
for the relic shut up in the reliquiary, certain it is
that the purchaser was permitted to carry away with
his purchase a little phial, sealed with several seals,
which was shut up therein. Some time after, the
Genevese dealer sold to a Parisian dealer the reliquiary,
but whether with or without its precious contents
does not appear, in consequence of the little interest
which either vendor or purchaser attached to the
matter. But the Genevese dealer was much asto-
nished a few months afterwards, when matters were
going badly at Lucerne, at receiving a letter
from the Reverend Father, Superior of the Jesuits of
Lucerne, demanding from him " a little bottle con- •
taining something of a black colour, a relic to which
the inhabitants of Lucerne appeared to attach the
highest value, but which was of no value to the ppm''
chaser, and had not been included in the bargain.
The dealer replied that the reliquiary. bad been again
sold by him, and that it was actually in the possession
of an amateur in Paris. lie now received another
letter much more pressing than the first, in which
he was informed that the bottle contained the blood.'
of St. Francois d'Assises—that the inhabitants of
Lucerne attached the utmost importance to its pos.
session, and that it must be restored. The civil war
interrupted this correspondence, and the misfortunes
of the arms of the Sonderbund must be attributed to
the absence from Lucerne of the blood of St
Francois d'Assises. The Geneva curiosity-dealer,
who is an Israelite, offers the correspondence of the
worthy father's for sale.

SUICIDE OF A NEWSMAN:-...:Yesterday Mr. Bed+
ford held an inquest, at the Bedford Head, Maiden-lane.
on the body of William Hancock, aged 67, a newstuan.
residing at No. 14, Maiden-le.r.e. The deceased had for
the last year been suffering from cataract, which par
tially incapacitated him for business ; and not long ago
he attempted to drown himself by leaping from a,
Gravesend steam-boat ; but after recovering, expressed
his sorrow fopwhat he had done, and it was not deemed
necessary to place him under restraint. On Wednesday
week he was found in bed with his throat cut, and a com•.
' mon table-knife by his side. He died on Sunday last.
Mr. Tompson, surgeon, said the deceased appeared to bro
recovering from the wound, which in itself might nek
have caused death. He could not state positively what
was the cause of death without a post mortem examine.
tion. The inquest was adjourned until Friday, in order
that the body might be opened.