The Sun.
London, England, 1851-07-03 00:00:00

DEATH OF 111 R. DYCE SOMBRE.

The lovers of the marvellous and the lovers of the
scandalous will regret lo learn the death, which took
place on Tuesday evening, at his apartments in Davies-
street, of Mr. Dyne Somhro, a gentleman whose strange
career in Europe, with his not less marvellous antece-
dents in the East, have furnished so many a piquant
subject of conversation and conjecture. He appeared in
this country, we think, about a dozen years ago, bring
ing with him a reputation, not ill-founded, of almost fa-
bulous wealth, and said to be—although of European
blood by the father's side—thoroughly an Oriental in
education, customs of life, and manners of thought.
His arrival attracted much notice. He became one of
the feted lions of the season, and ultimately married, in
1840, Mary Anne, daughter of the Earl St. Vincent.
A separation soon took place, and the legal proceedings
consequent upon this ill-starred marriage—followed by
those adopted for the purpose of establishing Mr. Dyne
Sombre's lunacy—were long matters of public talk and
universal notoriety. Into either branch of the multitu-
dinous details in question this is certainly not the time
to enter ; suffice it to say that the deceased gentle-
man, even laying aside his alleged lunacy, was
not—whatever were his feelings and opinions, and
whatever were his actions—fairly amenable to the
standard of European judgment. Born and educated—or
rather not educated—in a state of false and depraved
Oriental semi-civilization, into which entered, in no in-
considerable degree, the worst vices of the Western
world, Mr. Sombre was unhappily induced to change
the moral and physical atmosphere in which he had
been brought up for a new sphere, to which he had
neither the mental vigour nor the mental flexibility to
adapt himself. A man of stronger mind might proba-
bly have worked himself clear of the barbarisms and
pollutions with which he had been surrounded. Mr.
Sombre, however, was not so gifted, and his life in Eng-
land was such as to afford abundant matter for the gra-
tification of the strongest appetite for the raciest species
of gossip. liis attempt to enter public life was seconded
by the worthy and enlightened electors of Sudbury,
who sent him to Parliament, from whence, however, ho
was speedily ejected on petition—the borough being
soon afterwards, mainly in consequence of proceedings
at that election, disfranchised. For the last few years
Mr. Sombre has resided on the Continent, to escape the
effects of the decision of the Court of Chancery in his
case—a decision which he had come over to petition
against when he was seized with his fatal illness.
The deceased was understood to be the son of a Ger-
man adventurer in India, of the name of Summer, who
espoused the late Brgum ()ewe°. All manner of wild
and scandalous stories are afloat as to the life of this
woman and the death of her husband. It seems not to
be quite certain whether Mr. Dyce Sombre was the real
or only the adopted child; but, be that as it may, upon
the death of his father, the Begum transferred her ma-
ternal affections, such as they were, to the son of the
German, who was educated, it is said, by a Protestant
clergyman, although the old lady herself by turns pro-
fessed herself a Catholics and a Mahometan—having
actually built a cathedral and a mosque, with the inten-
tion of having two strings to her bow. After her demise
Mr. Dyce Sombre came to Europe, and first made him-
self remarkable, in Italy, by the extraordinary black
marble monument which he caused to be executed and
sent to India in memory of his benefactress. His subse-
quent life in England has already been noticed. In
consequence of his death in a state of lunacy his money
in the funds, railway shares, and other property, of the
annual value of 11,000/., will become divisible between
Captain Troup and General Soldroli, the husbands of his
two sisters, who are next of kin. An additional sum,
producing 4,0001. a year, will also fall to their families
on the death of Mrs. Dyce Sombre.—Chronicle.

THE GREAT EXHIBITION.
Yesterday by the police returns 49,399 people entered
the building, and the receipts amounted to 2,3631. 18s.
Every day the assemblage wears a more countryfied
aspect, and is more popular in its character, so that the
failing off in the attendance is less easy to account for.
Until now the weather might have been pointed to as
the cause, but the decline is so steady that even this ex-
planation ceases to be satisfactory. Perhaps, after all,
the multitude have found out that there aro limits to
the numbers which the Crystal Palace can accommodate
with comfort, so as to see properly its varied wonders.
The presence of charity children still continues to form
an agreeable feature of each day's incidents. Yester-
day the girls of St. Olave's school were enabled to go
there by the liberality of. Mr. ex-Sheriff Filcher, and the
trustees of the Broad-street Ward School also treated
their scholars to an inspection of the interior.
Her Majesty the Queen, accompanied by his Royal
Highness Prince Albert, the King of the Belgians, and
their respective suites, visited the Exhibition yesterday
morning, at their usual early hour. They first inspected
the Zallverein compartment, the most attractive fea-
tures of which were pointed out to them by M. von
Viebahn. Thence they passed into the division of
Northern Germany, . and thence again into that of
Russia, where they were received by M. Kamensky and
M. Nottbeck. The illustrious party were attended
during their stay by Mr. Cole. Not the slightest incon-
venience or crowding arose from the admission of the
public before their departure.

POIMMOUTII, WEDNESDAY.—Major-General his
Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge inspected the 12th
Lancers at Winchester, prior to their embarcation at this
port in hired freight-ships for the Cape. His Royal High-
Less afterwards honoured the Major-General commanding
the South-Western District (Lord F. FitzOarence) by ac-
companying him to Portsmouth, and inspecting the 7th Fusi-
lee-s, 48th, and 95th Regiments, separately in drill order on
Southsea-common, which troops his Royal Highness will re-
view on the same ground to-morrow morning. This evening
the Duke dined at the Government-house, where the follow-
g guests were invited to meet him :—Admiral the Hon. Sir
Bladen Capel, K.C.8., Commander-in-Chief of Portsmouth;
Rear-Admiral Prescott, C.B. Superintendent of the Dock-
yard; Colonel Menzies, Commandant of Royal Ma-
rines; Colonel Gibsone, Commandant of Royal Marine
Artillery; Lord Dufferin ; Colonel Sir John Mark Frederick
Smith, K.H., Commandant of Royal Engineers; Sir George
Wombwell, Bart. ; Colonel Campbell, 95th Regiment; Lieu-
tenant-Colonels Yea, of the 7th Fusiliers; Thultain, of the
Royal Artillery ; the lion. A. Dalzsll, of the 48th Regiment;
Captain IL D. Chads, C. 8., of her Majesty's ship Excellent;
Captain Lord E. Russell, of her Majesty's ship Vengeance;
the staff of the Lieutecant-Governor, the lion. W. Mouck,
Acting. Brigade-Major; Paymaster Gilley, of the 7th; the
Hon. 31r. Russell, and other guests.
EAST INDIA 110USE.—`The warrants for the divi-
dends on East India Stock will be payable on Monday next,
the 7th inst. (under the 11th section of the Act 3d and 4th of
William IV., cap. 85), and the transfer-books for the said
1 stock will be opened on Tuesday, the 15th inst.