The Sun.
London, England, 1851-03-13 00:00:00

FINE ARTS.

View of the Building in Hyde park for the Exhibition
qf 1851. View of the Interior of the Building in
Hyde-park for the Exhibition of 1851. Published
___ ___

by G.l3erier, Holywell-street.
These lithographic views of the exterior and the
interior of the Crystal Palace give a more accurate
idea of what the wonderful structure really is than
any that we have yet seen ; as works of art, also, they
possess great merit. At the foot of each engraving
we have fac similes of the signatures of Prince Albert,
the originator of the Exhibition, and of that of Mr.
Paituu, the architect of the Palace.

COURT CIRCULAR.
OSBORNE, WEDNESDLY.
_ _ .

The Queen and Prince were prevented, by the in-
clemency of the weather, from taking their usual early
walk this morning, and the younger members of the
Royal Family were kept at home for the same reason.
Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, attended
by her Lady in Waiting, is expected at Osborne this
afternoon, on a visit to her Majesty and his Royal
Highness.
There was no addition yesterday to the Royal dinner
party.

Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, attended
by Lady Fanny Howard and Colonel Sir George
Couper, left her residence, Frogmore, near Windsor, at
ten o'clock yesterday morning for Farnborough. Her
Royal Highness left the Farnborough station, attended
by Lady Fanny .Howard, for Osborne, Isle of Wight.
The Oxford University Commission met yesterday at
the official residence of the First Lord of the Treasury,
Downing•street. Present—the Bishop of Norwich, the
Dean of Carlisle, the Master of Pembroke, the Rev. H.
G. Liddell, J. L. Dampier, Esq., the Rev. Professor
Powell, the Rev. G. H. S. Johnson, and the Rev. A. P.
Stanley (Secretary).
The Earl of Harrowby had an interview with Eutl
Grey yesterday at the Colonial-office.
Mr. J. Morris, solicitor to the parish of All Saints,
Poplar, had an interview with the Commissioners of
Railways yester lay, at the office of the Board of Trade.
The Earl of Minto gave a dinner to the Cabinet Mi-
nisters yesterday evening, at his residence in Eaton-
square. . _

The Transatlantic. Packet•station Commission met
yesterday at the Board of Trade. Present—Earl Gran-
ville (Chairman), Hon. W. Cowper, M.P., Sir James
Gordon, K.C.8., Sir John F. Burgoyne, K.C.8., and
Captain Stephenson Ellerby. Lord Hobart, Secretary
to the Commision, was in attendance.

The late Dowager Count Pas of Sefton's funeral is
appointed tq take place on Friday, when she will be buried
by the side of the late Noble Lord, at the family vault,
Hanwell.

UNPRECEDENTED DISPATCH IN SHIPBUILDING.—
The screw steam-ship Arabian, of 830 tons and 130 -horse
power, now lying at the Bromielaw all ready for sea, was
laid down on the 12th of December, 1850, was launched on
the 3d of the following February, and was ready to start on
the 28th of the same month (Friday), making altogether
only ten weeks from the time the keel was laid till the com-
pletion of the whole contract. Such dispatch is, no doubt,
wonderful, and shows what management and the division of
labour can accomplish in these go-ahead times. The Ara-
bian is a particularly handsome vessel, her great length
giving her very fine lines, with a long floor. Her length is
200 feet; breadth, 26 feet; depth, 17 feet; screw, 11 feet
diameter, driven by spur gear, with engines on the im-
proved beam principle. She is intended for the Liverpool
and Constantinople trade, to run in connexion with the Gre-
cian, recently fitted out by the same eminent builder, Mr.
Robert Napier. The Arabian is owned by the Glasgow and
Liverpool Shipping Company. and will be commanded by
Captain Ewing, fate of the West India mail service.
Glasgow Citizen. The Arabian arrived in the Mersey on
Friday, and after a run from Greenock of only 16 hours.—
Liverpool Albion.
CAFE or GooD HOPE —Letters and papers have
been received direct from Port Elizabeth, Algoa Bay, which
confirm in all particulars the accounts provieus,_,
f) arrived re-
garding the commencement of war on the frontier, and the
entry of hordes of Kafirs into the colony. Although the
alarm of the colonists was very great, every available mea-
sure had been taken for their defence. The worst feature in
this intelligence is the confirmation of the report that four
thousand rounds of ammunition had fallen into the hands of
the Kafirs, and that several of the Cape Mounted Riles had
mutinied. The Katirs are stated to be well supplied with
arms and ammunition. The Eastern Province Telegraph
says, that during the last nine months no less than one hun-
dred thousand pounds weight of gun powder had passed
through Port Elizabeth, consigned to private parties in that
province, together with between two and three thousand
stand of arms. These supplies hd b
two sources, viz., coastwise and dira ect een receiv©d through
ARCHITECTS' BENEVOLENT SOCIETY.--Tbe first
annual meeting of the friends of this charity Wm held
yester-
day afternoon, at the Freemasons Tavern, Mr. Sidney Smirke
in the chair. The minutes having been read and confirmed,
the report of the committee was presorted. Although the
society, which had for its object the relief of decayed
members of the profession, had only been founded a few
months, it had received very considerable support, giving a
very favourable augury of its future success. At the close
of last year 170 gentlemen had become annual subscribers,
and 30 or 40 more had since joined. The amount received up
to the 31st December last was, altogether, 3901, of which
300/. had been invested, and the remainder left to be applied to
the ordinary purposes of the society. Some large donations
bad been received this year. The Royal Institute of British
Architects had kindly granted to the association the use of
their rooms for the meeting of the council, thus effecting a
considerable saving to the society, and adding greatly to' the
convenience of some of its members, The council had drawn
up a complete code of by-laws, which would be submitted to
the meeting for their confirmation. The report having been
agreed to, the by-laws were decided upon, and, after the elec-
tion of its officers, the meeting thanked the chairman and
separated.

LARGE IMPORTATION OF PEARL SIIELLE.—The
vessel Martha, which has just arrived in the docks from
Panama, has brought the extraordinary large number of
two millions and one hundred and four thousand pearl
shells, consigned to an eminent foreign house in London,
and comprising the entire cargo. We believe so large an
importation of this shell as on the preset./ occasion to be
entirely unprecedented.