The Sun.
London, England, 1869-03-11 00:00:00

The news from the neighbourhood through which the
Prince of Wales is travelling is that all is right. The nines
publishes nearly a page of correspondenceabout their tour.
The correspondent, describing their course up the Nile,
says : " The telegraph wires are stretched (with the
exception of one break in the Desert, hundreds of miles
from this) away to distant Dongola. The finger-posts are
visible now and then as we follow the course of the river,
on the banks of which plod for ever the reluctant and
impatient camel and the patient peasantry. Pharaoh
is bent to-day on swift intercourse with all parts of his
far-reaching viceroyalty. The water-wheel in use
thousands of years ago still works creakingly by
the side of the ancient river, along which now stretch
the silent wires through which the message is travelling
inaudibly to relate how the Prince and the Princess of
Wales reached such a place at such an hour on such a day.
Before the smoke of the little fleet has been lost to the
view of the half-scared labourers who stare at the pageant,
Cairo knows how the guests of the Viceroy are speeding
and faring on their way, and the news travels faster than
the steamers which stem the current towards that mystic
South where, hid in the mountains of an unknown conti-
nent, 1;- - the source of the great river whiel, ever
changi •,ea the same, has been a wonder to us
through all the centuries that man can count in his history)
What good, then, to come lame and halting, like a broken-
down, footsore dromedary, with the details of a story
which is recorded at every stage as it is made ? The
details of such a voyage, interesting as they must be to all
who are concerned in the well-being of the Prince and
Princess, are necessarily, if given in full, beyond the
limits of a newspaper ; for every day has its own work,
and the post only goes once a week. The `fleet' placed at
their disposal consists, first, of the steamer in which the
Prince and Princess and their suite spend the day, which
tows a diabyah, or Nile boat, in which they sleep, both
being fitted up most comfortably and richly. Then
there is a steamer in which all the cooking is
carried on, which is called the kitchen,' having
in tow a diabyah, with provisions, and ponies,
and asses, needed for the personal use of the Prince
and Princess. There is also a steamer to act as a tug in
case of grounding on the banks. In another steamer there
are embarked Colonel Stanton, C. 8., her Majesty's
Consul-General for Egypt, in attendance on the Prince
and Princess ; Mourad Pasha and his aide-de-camp,
Abd-el•Kader, Professor Owen, Major Alison, Mr.
Fowler, Mr. George, telegrspher, &c.; and a fifth is
assigned to the Duke of Sutherland and his party. For
six weeks past parties of men have been waiting and
watching Jay and night for the arrival of the flotilla, to
pilot them through the channels of the river. They have
been sitting along the banks or in Loats at every
dangerous shallow and bend, and the course is marked
c.ft as far as the Second Cataract by stakes and
branches, while parties of rm n en horseback or on
camels patrol the banks to render assistance in case of
need, and to direct the helmsmen. The crocodiles do not
know what to make of it, and as yet are asserting their
right to act as fishes if they please, for the noise and
shouting have so scared them that not one has been seen
as yet. In addition to the fixed establishment of the
navy, there is generally a steamer belonging to some
local Governor or 111udir, who comes to wait on
the Prince and Princess as long as they are
travelling through the jurisdiction of each ; and
the Inspector-General of the Nile' himself has
been in attendance to do them honour ; in fact, no
care and no expense have been spared to render the
excursion agreeable ; and, generally speaking, the weather
has played the courtier too, and has contributed materially
to the pleasure of a very delightful tour. Within the last
few minutes there has occurred the only contretemps— a
very slight one—to break the charming monotony of the
Journey. A mosquito curtain caught fire on board the
Prince's boat, in a cabin close to which there was a consi-
derable stock of gunpowder. The Prince was the first
to pert'''-' it, and with the aid of the Duke of Suther-
land others the fire soon extinguished, and
would not be worth mentioning were it not for the con-
sequences which might have ensued had it not been
seen in time, and for the momentary alarm it created
among those in attendance on the Prince and Princess."

The Earl of Wilton has met with a severe
accident while out hunting at Melton. It appears that
his horse stumbled and threw him, and afterwards tread-
ing on him, broke two of his ribs and a small bone in his
arm. His lordship is, however, progressing favourably.

Henry Ward Beecher says he classes among
"rational amusements" ten pins, base ball, billiards,
horseback, and velocipede riding. On one occasion he
said, in a sermon, that he and gas arrived in Brooklyn
together, which was interpreted so as to provoke a general
titter.

THE LEIGH HUNT MEMORIAL.—Among tho
subscribers to the Leigh Hunt memorial are Earl Russell,
K.G., £5 ; Mr. Alfred Tennyson, D.C.L., ; Mr.
Robert Browning, .£1 ls. ; Mr. W. H. Russell, LL.D.,
El ls. ; Mr. W. M. Rossetti, 10s. ; Sir Tho►r,.is
Bart., 103. 6d. ; Mr. J. Camden Hotten, ls.

A ROYAL SPoNsoß.—Jt is expected that Princess
Louise will chriiten her Majesty's ship Druid, to be
launched on Saturday afternoon next at Deptford Dock-
yard. Her Royal Highness will be accompanied by
Lieutenant Prince Arthur, and possibly other members
of the Royal Family. Immediately after the launch the
dockyard will be closed for shipbuilding purposes.
FINE SHOWER OF SNOW-CRYSTALS.—On Wednes-
day morning a remarkably fine fall of snow-stars took
place over many parts of London. The crystals were
larger and more perfectly formed than is commonly the
case in our laditudes, where the conditions requisite for
the formation of these beautiful objects are less perfectly
fulfilled than in more northerly regions. Many forms
were to be nDticed which the researches of Scoresby,
Glashier, and Lowe have shown to be somewhat
uncommon. —Daily News.

THE LORD CHANCELLOR'S LIVINGS.—SinCe tllO
passing, in 1863, of the Act relating to the Lord Chan-
cellor's benef c,!s, the advowsons of 87 of the poorer livings
hive been sold; 11 of the living; of more than £2OO a year
realising £38,550, of which nearly the whole has been ap-
plied in augmentation of poorer livings and grants for par-
sonage houses. The total amount of the purchase money
of advowsons sold is £195,509. The sales now are few ;
there have been only six in the last fifteen months, and
one of these was rendered void by the living becoming
vacant by death before the purchase money had been paid.

ROYAL LITERARY FUND.—The annual meeting
of this association for the election of officers and other
business, has just been held at the chambers of the-cor-
poration, Earl Stanhope, the president, in the chair. The
accounts sheaved receipts from the Newton estate,
£363 14s. ; from dividends, £1,034 Os. Bd. ; from subscrip-
tions and donations, £370145. ; and from the anniversary
dinners, £1,195 7s. 6d. ; which, together with the balance
on the Ist of January,lB6B, made a total income of
£3,026 16s. 3d. The disbursements amounted to
£1,884 2s. Bd. ; and the purchase of stock, £664 2s. 6d. ;
leaving a balance on the Ist of January last of £478 11s. ld.
During the year,'2l,3s'.; has been distributed in grants to
3;) pcmo,,ofplyllo.p4B lycre mgvii ailslAfemales.