The Sun.
London, England, 1856-12-24 00:00:00

ANGLO-GERMAN NOBILITY.

The " Annuaire Hist•Drique " of the " Imperial Alma-
nac for 1857," published at Vienna, has the following list
of British subjects who hold (relevent) of the ancient
German or Holy Roman Empire :
Francis Albert Augustus Charles Emanuel, Prince of
Saxe Cobourg and Gotha, naturalised in Great Britain,
1340.

William Basil Fielding, Earl of Denbigh, said to de-
scend from a branch of the Imperial House of Hapsburg,
a C rant cf the Holy Roman Empire ; neither date nor
patent extant.
Henri Benedict Arundell, Baron Arundell, of Wardour,
a Count of the Holy Roman Empire ; date of patent,
1601.

John, Count de la Feld, naturalised in Austria, de-
scends from the ancient Counts of that name in Alsace ;
his ancestor created a CANA of the Holy Roman Em-
pire after the battle of Zontha ; data of patent, 1697.
George Spencer, Duke of Marlborough ; his ancestor
created a Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, by the
title of Prince of Mindelheirn, in Suabia, after the Lattle
of Blenheim ; date of patent, 1708.
Jerome, Count de Salie, naturalised in England, de-
scends from the ancient Counts of that name in the Gri-
sons ; his ancestor created a Count of the Holy Roman
Empire ; date of patent, 1748.
Peter Leopold Louis Cowper, Earl Cowper; his an-
cestor created a Count of the Holy Roman Empire ; date
of patent, 1758.
Francis Taaffe, Viscount Taaffe, in the kingdom of
Ireland, naturalised in Austria, created a Count of the
Holy Roman Empira ; date of patent, 1784.
Horace St. Paul, (Baronettus), a Count of the Holy
Roman Empire ; date of patent, 1786.

REGENT GALLERY QUADRANT.-Mr. Okey closed his
" Paris" on Tuesday evening with the following I rief
address :—" Ladies and gentlemen,—This room is re
quired by the St. James's Hall Company for building
purposes. During nearly 500 representa ilns you have
patiently and attentively listened to my attempt to de
scribe our sister capital. Your kindness will never be
forgotten by me, and I trust at no distant period to again
appear before you. Ladies and gentlemen, I beg for the
present. reepeotfully to take my lave."
CoLossEnai.—Last evening a conversazione was given
by the directors of this institution, which is to be re-
opened on boxing-day, under the management of Dr.
Bachhoffner. Thera was a numerous attendance. All the
well-known attractions of the establishment have
been thoroughly renovated, and the programme of the
new regime includes, in addition, a series of concerts and
popular lectures on scientific subjects. Of the former a
specimen was given last night ; and if it may be taken
as a fair sample of what is to follow there will be little
difficulty in predicting the success of the enterprise. The
selection was remarkably well chosen, and the pieces
were performed in a manner that must be pronounced
perfectly satisfactory. The singing of Miss Clara Mac-
kenzie and Miss Susanna Cole, and the solos of Messrs.
Daubed and Sweneden, the one upon the violoncello and
the other on the flute, were ail loudly and deservedly
applauded. The same may be said of some excellent
glee singing by the Orpheus Union. . . .

PoLTincaNic.—The Christmas entertainments pro-
vided for the present season at this institution are liberal
and varied. Every day of the week and every hour of
the day will have its appropriate gratification at the
Polytechnic. From "grave to gay, from lively to severe,"
from scenic illusion to scientific illustration, the visitor
is conducted with unflagging interest. But at this
mirth-making time of the year Mr. Pepperhas judiciously
allowed ftin and fairy land to predominate over philo-
sophy and useful knowledge in his establishment, and
but few of his young visitors will Lager over a steam-
engine or a sewing-machine when they can behold the
story of "Blue Beard" set forth, as it was to be seen by
a private view last night, with such a profusion of
illustrative dissolving views, and such a viva voce com-
mentary. The little people will be delighted by the
exhibition of an ingenious juvenile mechanical model
theatre, in which the drama of "One o'clock ; or, the
Knight and the Wood Demon," will be represented with
appropriate scenery and music. The well-known ghost
scene in the " Corsican Brothers" is also to be shown.
Add to these pastimes a gratuitous distribution of orna-
ments from a gigantic Christmas tree, besides lectures
on " Optical Illusions and Fireworks," and it will be
allowed tliat the children are well taken care of.

THE ESCAPED CONVICTS.—WOOLWICH, Dec. 23.—One
of the convicts who escaped last night from the hospital
ship, moored off Woolwich Arsenal, was captured about
four hours subsequently by a police constable of the K
division, and immediately conveyed to his old quarters.
The boat in which the three convicts escaped has been
found on the Essex shore of the river, opposite Plum-
stead. It appears that the fugitives landed at this spot,
and proceeded towards Landon, as they were met at
Chit; well, in Essex, by the police constable referred to,
and as no assistance was immediately available two of
the men got away, and the third was apprehended after
a desperate resistance.
MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF A YOUNG LADY.--Great. ex-
citement has been caused in Banbury by the following
pair • ul circumstances :—.11.1r. John Garland is a timber
a
merchant, occupying premises in the vicinity of the
cereal and railway stations, but residing at the opposite
end of the town. On Friday last, his two daughters,
aged respectively 18 and 20, left their home for toe
than
pur-
pose of taking an airing. Returning honold earlier
go down
e
they expected, the elder proposed they s
to the timber yard, and return withtheirroed the
father to
dinner. When at the timber yard theynecd
by
their
bridge leading to the railway, e°lP
father's lare'e Newfoundland dog, forac tileapfurpose ofstehoe-
ing the train pass, due at that time. At the station
elder sister had occasion to leave the younger with the
dog, for the purpose of recalling vvttiring to the spot
oynoun younger brothers
''
who were going another road. Re
where she had left her sister a few minutes before, she
was much surprised to find her gone. Looking around,
and puzzled to know how her sister could have passed
without her seeing her, she started for home, and told
her friends how she had lost her sister all at once at the
station, and inquired if she had been home. A short
time after the dog returned besoddened with wet and
dirt, and, the sister not returning, the parents began to
grow uneasy. Inquiries were set on foot, with no result.
Not a word could be heard of the missing young lady.
The neighbourhood was searched with no better success.
Night came en, with no tidings. The whole town was
excited with the wildest and most stupid conjectures—
elopement, abduction, and so forth—without the least
foundation, and with it passed Saturday, and Sunday
forenoon ; at about 2 o'clock on Sunday the mystery
was partly solved. The young lady's body was 'found
in the river Cherwell, about a quarter of a mile from
where she was last seen, but how it came there the
coroner's inquest will endeavour to find out.
THE PACIFIC RAILROAD.--The Pacific Railroad is
the grandest enterprise of the age. Its influences can-
not be predicted ; but it is not too much to say that its
construction will not only bring Western America into
more intimate and kindly relations with both shores of
the Atlantic, but that San Francisco and New York
will thereby become stations on the quickest route from
both Australia and China to England and France. It
may seem too much to expect that our tea will reach us
overland rather than by sea, and from the west instead
of the east, yet that is by no means impossible. That
the completion of this road would quadruple the emigra-
tion from the Atlantic slope and the Mississippi Valley to
the shores of the Pacific will hardly be doubted. We be-
lieve it would render California the most desirable new
country, and San Francisco, or some other Pacific termi-
nus, one of the most populous and wealthy cities on the
globe. We estimate the total cost of the work at
sloo,ooo,ooo—that is, $lOO,OOO per mile for the 1,000
miles stretching from the eastern base of the Rocky
Mountains to the western base of the Sierra Nevada, cr
an equivalent to this if the northern route shall be
chosen. The rest of the road would easily build itself—
that is, companies would be found glad to undertake its
construction as a corporate enterprise, with no other
inducement than the profit of running it ; and these
roads would be a good investment, even though the
connecting link should never be formed. 'We do not
believe the construction of the entire road need cost the
nation anything like 100,100,000 dollars. Probably a
company could be found or got up that would undertone
it for half that amount, investing the residue as capital.
But even were it to cost 100,000,000 dollars, we say I€t
it be made. It would add more to the greatness of this
country and do more for the well-being of our peorl I
than a hundred Buena Vistas. Let us have the Pacific
within seven days of ,u, and by telegraeh within nee
minutes. We do not covet our late territorial acquise
tions ; but we have them, and should improve and bzne-
fit them to the utmost, —Yelp York Tribune.