The Sun.
London, England, 1870-06-24 00:00:00

PERSECUTION IN RUSSIA.

The Roman Catholics in the Russian dominions
are undergoing very harsh treatment just now. For
some time past sad stories have reached Rome of the
oppression practised in Poland ; and now the persecu-
tion has been extended to the Baltic provinces. Nor
are the Protestants spared. All public functionaries
belonging to the Reformed Church are compelled,
says the Memorial Diplonzatique, to attend all the
religious solemnities celebrated in the Russian churches
in honour of the Emperor or other members of the Im-
perial family. They have in vain represented that they
perform those religious duties in their own places of
worship. They have been informed that the
Greek faith being that of the State, they must attend
all solemn ceremonies the object of which is to im-
plore the Divine blessing in favour of the reigning
dynasty. When the Emperor's birthday was last
celebrated the Governor of Riga took pains to
ascertain whether all the Protestants had been pre-
sent at the Te Deum. Liberty of conscience is evi-
dently but little regarded in Russia.

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HER MAJESTY.

WINDSOR CASTLE, June 23.

The Queen drove out yesterday afternoon, accom-
panied by Princess Louise, and her Majesty went out in
the grounds this morning, accompanied by Princess Louise
and Princess Beatrice.

Her Majesty held a Council this afternoon at 3 o'clock,
Mr. John H. Briggs, late Chief Clerk of the Admiralty
and Mr. Antonio Brady, late Superintendent of Contracts
at the Admiralty, arrived at the Castle, and were severaly
introduced to her Majesty's presence, and received the
honour of Knighthood.

The Princess of Wales drove out yesterday.
The Prince of Wales, attended by Lieutenant-Colonel
Keppel, was present in the evening at a conversazione
given by Mr. Pender, at his residence in Arlington-
street.

FASHIONABLE ARRANGEMENTS TO-DAY.
The Royal Breakfast at Windsor Castle. - Special trains
will run between Paddington and Windsor as under for
the accommodation of her Majesty's guests :—Down
Trains.—Paddington, dep., 3 20 p.m., 3 35 p.m., 3 43 p.m.,
3 50 p.m. ; Windsor, arr., 3 55 p.m., 4 10 p.m., 4 20 p.m.,
428 p,m. Return Trains.—Windsor, dep., 725 p.m.,
7 45 p.m., 8 0 p.m., 8 20 p.m. ; Paddington, arr., 8 0 p.m.,
8 25 p.m., 8 40 p.m., 8 57 p.m.
Sir George Osborn's dance, instead of the 15th, at 25,
Chesham-place.
Lady St. Aubyn's dance, instead of the 28th inst., at 42,
Upper Grosvenor-street.
The Grand Caledonian fancy dress ball.
Mr. Charles Hall4's last Beethoven recital, in St. James's

Hall, at three o'clock ; vocalist, Herr Stockhausen.
Mr. F. A. Marshall's selections from Shakspere and the
Elizabethan dramatists. Morning, at three o'clock—
Hanover-square Rooms.
The Hurlingham Club—Second International Cup to b e
shot for in Hurlingham-park, at 25 yards rise.

* No Scientific Meetings to-day.

PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS OF CHARLES
DICKENS.

"It is a fine day." " Yes; but Schiller is dead."
These brief words expressed the popular sadness of Ger-
many at the loss of her great poet. A similar feeling has
prevailed among the masses throughout the British Em-
pire since the death of Charles Dickens. The first
time we saw Charles Dickens was soon after his arrival
in Boston on his first visit to America. On sending
in our card at the Tremont House, Mr. Dickens immedi-
ately received us in his breakfast-room. He was then
young, handsome, and in the first flush of his fame. His
manner was overwhelmingly cordial, the grasp of his
hand being emphasised by a blow. He wore a gorgeous
dressing-gown and a very gay scarf ; in fact, his
style, at that time, bordered on the flashy. The
pleasant radiance of his eye, the merry ring of his
voice, and the rich profusion of his light hair, are indelibly
impressed on our memory. Regretting exceedingly that
his arrangements would not allow him to stop at Provi-
dence on his way to New York, where the " Grand Boz
Ball " was in preparation, he begged us to say all manner
of kind things to our associates, and to express to
them his hopes of meeting them on some future
day. Of Mr. Dickens's first visit to America,
and the issue of his " American Notes," we
will say little here. Much of his satir a was just and
wholesome ; but he sometimes descended into cutting cari-
cature, and he has recently confessed to all the world his
regrets for having wounded the host who so generously
feasted and feted him. At the time of his first
appearance in America the " Pickwick" Papers
were in every hand, and "Boz" was the idol of
the hour. It was before the day of sun-portraits,
and so thousands of ladies, crazy for some personal
souvenir of Dickens, wrote letters begging for a lock of his
hair. To one of these innumerable admirers, a young
lady of Plymouth, Mr. Dickens wittily replied that, as
he was utterly unable to comply with all these compli-
mentary requests, he was compelled to comply with none.
—Cosmopolitan.

KNIGHTS.—The honour of knighthood is about to
be conferred on Mr. John Henry Briggs, Chief Clerk of
the Admiralty, and Mr. Antonio Brady, Superintendent
of Contracts.

THE GREEK BRIGANDS.—A fresh series of de-
spatches (the sixteenth) respecting the massacres in
Greece has been issued from the Foreign Office. The
report of the trial at Athens, on the 21st and 22nd
of May, of seven members of the Arvanitei band is
concluded in this series. With regard to the
chief, Takos, who escaped, nothing certain appears
to be known. Writing to Lord Clarendon on the
9th instant, Mr. Erskine mentions a report according
to which Takos had been joined by several other
brigands, and was at the head of a band of nineteen, who
had remained for ten days in the Turkish village of La-
kressi, although that village is a military station. On
the other hand, the Greek Minister, M. Valaority, Was
under the impression that he was concealed some-
where in the neighbourhood of Athens, and had in-
duced M. Zaimis to double the reward offered for his
apprehension. Lord Clarendon, in reply to this despatch,
states that he has communicated with the Porte on the
subject of the reported escape-of Takos to Ottoman ter-
ritory, and that the most stringent orders had been given
to the Turkish frontier authorities for his capture. " But
you will, if you have not already done so," adds Lord ,
Clarendon, press upon the Greek government not to
allow any formal question of frontier to interfere
with the capture of this brigand band either on
Turkish or Greek territory. The frontier convention be-
tween Turkey and Greece admits of mutual pursuit across
the respective borders ; and it concerns the honour of the
Greek Government that its frontier authorities should not
shew themselves careless or lukewarm in the measures
they may take for the suppression of this notorious band
of brigands."