The Sun.
London, England, 1858-01-29 00:00:00

FRIDAY MVENING, JAINUARY 29, 1858.

FESTIVITIES AT BIRMINGHAM IN
HONOUR OF T.TIE•PRINOESS ROYAL.

The spirit and liberality of the Mayor of Bir-
mingham, John Ratcliff, Esq., have been evinced
in an unexampled form on the occasion of the re-
joicings in celebration of the marriage of tbe Princecs
Royal. The evening of Monday was celebrated by a
sumptuous:dinner at Bingley Hall, provided at the
expense of the worthy chief magistrate, at which
upwards of 1,200 poor persons were entertained, and
festivity and cheerfulness were the order of the
evening. Mr. Ratcliff, anxious to give pleasure
and happiness to the really indigent and deserving,
hit upon the novel and ingenious mode
of issuing tickets
to the entire, of the clergy and
ministers of religion in the town for distribution
according to their choice. This was productive
of the happiest results, and brought together in
one joyous meeting the most aged and deserving
of the poor of Birmingham. In the toasts given
and responded to, a hearty spirit of loyalty was
manifested ; all hearts appeared to be gladdened,
and the kindest expressions of mutual good-will
were universally prevalent, coupled with cordial
aspirations that Heaven would bless the union
of the happy pair.
In addition to this a grand banquet was given by
Mr. Ratcliff, at Dee's
Royal Hotel, to above two
hundred of the principal inhabitants of the town
and neighbourhood ; also a free concert of surpass-
ing excellence, at the Town-ball, to an assemblage
of nearly five thousand persons. Such munifi-
cent consideration for his fellow-citizens on the part
of the present Mayor will long be held in grateful
remembrance among the loyal inhabitants of Bir-
mingham, from whom Mr. Ratcliff has gained
"golden opinions," which cannot fail to be endur-
ing.
We have further to add that the intended pre-
sentation of articles to her Royal Highness the
Princess Frederick William of Prussia, from
the Birmingham naanufacturers, originated with
Mr.' Ratcliff, and has been met in the most
gratifying manner by the production of unequalled
specimens of art, which will be presented to-mor-
row at Buckingham Palace to the Royal Bride
in person, by an influential deputation, headed
by the Mayor. The value of the cadeau is
estimated at more than twc," thousand pounds.

J.IRPARTURE OF THE ROYAL C3UPLE
FROM GRAVESEND.

The following is the programme of the arrangements
which will be made at Gravesend for the reception and
embarkation of her Royal Highness the Princess Royal
and her Royal Consort Prince Frederick William of
Pi ussia.

The Royal party will leave London by the North Sent
Rail way in time to arrive at Gravesend by 2 o'clock p no.,
when they will be received at the railway station by a
gteird of la: flour of the East Kent Militia. They will
then pr 'coed in four of the royal carriages towards the
place of ernharkation—the Terrace Pier; the Cobham
troop of the West Kent Yeomanry Cavalry, under the
command of the Earl of Darnley, forming the escort.
A magnifioent triumphal arch will be erected on the
railway bridge, and the whole route will be decorated
with flags and banners, flowers, evergreens, &c. Atthe
corner of Parrock-street and the Milton-road two large
fir trees will be dressed out as Christmas trees, and on
an arch in King-street, formed of banners, &a., will be
prominently inscribed, " Farewell, fair Rose of
England," and " Wer geben s]is in Deinen Schulz."
(We give her to tby keeping.) The boys of the Free
School and Union children will be placed within the rail-
ings of the Free School and St. Thomas' almshouses. At
the entrance to the Terrace-pier will be erected a grand
arch, and the pier itself, which will be fitted up with
seats for the accommodation of 1,200 persons (leaving
a promenade 10 feet wide in the centre) is to be hand-
somely decorated with festoons, &c.; another arch is to
be erected at the south end of the pier. On arriviag
at the per, the party will he received by a guard of
honour formed by the Royal Marines, and on alighting
will be met by the Mayor of Gravesend, the members
of the corporation, and the county members of Parlia-
ment. The mayor will then present a written address,
and the party will proceed onto the pier, where a
bouquet of flo wars will be presented to her Royal High-
nees by Miss Troughton, the daughter of the mayor.
A procession will then be formed in the following order:
The High Constable of the Borough and assistants.
The Corporation Macre, borne by the Sergeant-at-Glace.
The Members of the Town Council, the Town-clerk,
and othor officials, walking three and three.
His Worship the Mayor.
Twenty-six THE Twenty-six

Young Ladies, ROYAL Young Ladies,
uniformly dressed. PARTY. uniformly dressed
As the Prince and Princess pass down the Pier, the
young ladies will strew their path with flowers.

Lie county representatives, the borough magistrates,
the military authorities of the district, Cpl. Edon, Com-
mandant of Chatham Garrison ; Colonel Kelly, Com-
mandant of Tilbn-y Fort and New Tavern Fort ; Col.
Sandharo. Commandant of the Royal Engineers ; Col
Park,r, Commandant of the Royal Marines; and Brigade
Major Gordon, will al-io take part in the procession.
On the embarkation (which will immediately take
place) salutes will be fired from the forts and the fieet
in the river.

The ground thnughout the line will be kept by the
borough and county police, and the men of the Royai
Engineers will be btationed at the caner of Parrook-
street. _ _

Immediately after the departure of their Royal High-
nesies, the esc,rt and other officials will partake of a
cldeuner at the Assembly-rooms, at the invitation of the
mayor. At seven o'clock a display of fireworks (under
the management of Dolby) will take place on Windmill-
hill, where also a monster bonfire will be lighted.
The whole management of the transit of the royal
party from London to Gravesend is in the hands of Lord
At
o her
fed Paget,M.P., Clerk Marshal and Chief Equerry
Majesty.

appears that the expenses incurred at the
months since, by
Pswiß, , l I
let
fiew:A: Tt 2t.h a
ELECTION ExPRITSES.—From the election auditor's
:turned without an opposition, although one
Young, M.P., and Mr. J. Mellor, M.P.,
Great Yarmouth, a few
tened in the first instance--amounted to 3751.
was three,
1. Bd. Of this eum 199/. 9s. 3d. was paid to and by
agents the other principal items are the fees paid to
the returning officer and the election auditor, the ex-
ricel who
election
A weren return,
SfiV't) .
nses of the hustings, stavesmen Ake.
ELEcTioN.—ltTesars. W. A.. 'Wilkinson, R.
and F. Doulton, hree of the liberal candidates
hof Rei e 1, w before nether ga.o, have issued a joint
notification
battle with the conservatives, and announce
forego their several personal claims in order to maintain
the unity of their party. They propose that the liberals
of the constitu,ncy shall choose by ballot which of them
Wadi nvited to concur in these proceedings, but
that their respective committees are preparing means to
carry this arrangement hit° effect.
The Hen. Mr.
WANT OF TEOOFE IN BENGAL—The Friend of India
Tart issue received by this mail :—" The
says, in its
Calcutta itself, reoently so full of troops,
troop-ships in Calcutta no longer continue
with their accustomed regularity- Since the departure
of the last mail not a single soldier has arrived from
ad:e
re°
is nl
vi Mures
ole
snd
of
Engle
d.
sir Colin Campbell urgently requires rein-
denuded. :Every available man has
been sent up to the North West. This exhaustive
process has indeed been continued until it would be
ifsorncoecowewnetsii annitgih
difficult now to spare a regiment for Eastern Bengal,
FATAL ACCIDENT DUBN* THE FOG.—Yesterday an
inquest was taken by Mr. W. Baker, coroner, at the
Black Horse Tavern, high Street, Poplar, respecting
the death of William Richards aged 31 years, who died
wer e it ever AO couch needed."
from drowning. It appeared ;rem the esidence that the
deceased was a watchman in the East India Docks, and
cm Monday night last he was seen on duty at his usual
os t, but at an early hour on the following
morning
(Tuesda3) he was missed by ODO of his c mipanions.
was made, when deem :zed was discovered in the
of the Import Basin. The deceased was quite
dSweaaatdrec,rhand had been immersed for several hours. The
night was very foggy and dark, i .
and it was generally
supposed he muss have
his round. Verdict, al Accidental' death."
THE TOLL REFORIS IN SCoTLAND.—There have been
lately some severe
c(altests in the Scottish counties, but
fallen into the water while going
reform has general]
goieg to the wan.
Lord Elcho's intended motion seems
to get o'intihuoua loprsort,
v and a proposition of his op-
ponent, Mr. Christopher Nisbett Hamilton, the ex-
protectionist M.P., was Y carried the day, the old turnpikes
negatived by 17 against 11 at
ton's p p tin
the Ilaodington county meeting last week. Mr. Loramiii.,
r°'
"n wa,4 a re-adjustment of tolls, The
Marquis of Tweeddsle's motion fora rate in aid on horses
in support of the local rates in the event of the abolition
of gates, has hcen ostponed. This extra horse tsx is
the millstone Which
of abolition, and • . .
horses
SINGULAR 00012::
it is impossible tolevy it on
g, nerally.
terday afternoon Is rAoNuDnd tLhoesnsecokrofLtulseDp.—rogyrees.
A great sensation was created in the
neighbourhood of the Camden Town Railway Dock, in
of one of the
the Hampstead road, in consequence of the sinking
captain,his ;
yin* and three children on board ; the
CJl__ren,
result of which was the loss of one the I Id
Susan Walker, a fine littlegirl three years of age : the
rest of the f,sintis being
J indegbteci for their pressrvation
fly boats upon the can ii, with the
appear: the boat, name I the Keziabs
to the ex-rtion a of themen who were loading their carts
It
a ish ice at the time the accident happened'
belongs to B:rk-
hampst,ad, in Herefordshire. Walser, the master, was
shipping a quantity of iron from the railway dock when,
in consequence of seam chairs giving way, the crane
came down with the greatest violence upon the gunnel
of the boat, causing it to heave deep into the water ;
while, at the same time, the whole of the iron broached
from the opposite side of the deck, and at once swamped
the boat. Walker his wife, and three children, were at
the time in the cabin at the after' part of the boat, and,
upon the first alarm, rushed upon deck, but only to find
men from all parts of the dock took
themselves immersed In the water. A general rush of
place, to save, if
psssible, the unfortunate family, in which they were stic-
useful, with the exoepticn of the little girl above-named
The - hole family were conveyed to the h m ouse of r.
Hsrbert, the L'scornotive, where Mr. Harley a turgeon,
attstrled them, and, after great' exertion, succeeded
in res: oring- the whole but the youngest daughter above
named.