The Sun.
London, England, 1858-12-25 00:00:00

MR. CHARLES DICKENS.

Mr. Dickens reads again on Monday and on
Twelfth-night.

COURT CIRCULAR.

WIND, Y.
There was no addition to her Majesty's SORdinnerFRIDA
party
yesterday.
The Queen, with Prince Arthur and Princess Louisa,
walked in the Home Park this morning, and visited the
Princess of Leiningen at Frogmore.
His Royal Highness the Prince Consort and the Prince
of Wales went out shooting.
Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar and the Prince of
Leiningen, accompanied his Royal Highness.

Lord Chamberlain's-office, Dec. 24.
Notice is hereby given that the State apartments of
Windsor Castle will be closed to the public after this day,
until further orders.

A deputation, consisting of Dr. Babington, P.R.S., Pre-
sident of the Epidemological Society ; ''Dr. M‘Williara,
C. 8., P.R.S., Hon. Secretary of the Society; Dr. Seaton,
Hon. Secretary of the Small-pox and Vaccination Com-
mittee ; Dr. W. Camps, and Mr. Marsons, had an inter-
view with the Lord President of the Council, yesterday, at
the Privy Council-office.

The marriage of the Hon. Miss Byng, eldest
daughter of Viscount :Enfield, with Captain H. Hylton
Jolliffe, M.P., son of Sir Wm. G. Hylton Jolliffe, M.P., is
appointed to be solemnised on Thursday next.
'A marriage is announced to take place shortly
between Capt. Charles George Tottenham, Scots Fusilier
Guards, eldest son of Mr. Charles Tottenham, M.P., of
Ballycurry House, county of Wicklow, and of New Ross,
county of Wexford, and Miss Catherine E. Stapleton, eldest
daughter of the Hon. and Rev. Sir Francis J. Stapleton,
Bart., of Mereworth Rectory, Kent.
His Excellency the Baron Bentinck has returned
to town from a visit to the Marquis and Marchioness of
Salisbury, at Hatfield House.
The Duchess (Dow.) of Cleveland, we are in-
formed, continues in a weak state of health at Newton
House, Yorkshire.
The Earl, and Countess of Jersey have removed
from Middleton Park, Bicester, to Selby Hall, the seat of
the Hon. Frederick and Lady Elizabeth Villiers, in North-
amptonshire, to pass a few weeks in retirement.
The Earl of Carnarvon left town yesterday for
Highclere, his seat in Wilts, for the Christmas holidays.
The Earl and Countess of Norbury have left
Claridge's Hotel for Valence, Westerham, Kent.
The Countess Castellac and family have left the
Brunswick Hotel for Paris; Count d'Alton Shee has re.
turned to the same establishment.
Gen. Sir Harry and Lady Jones have arrived at
Farrance's Hotel, Belgravia, from Sandhurst:
The Right Hon. Frederick and Mrs. Peel passed
through town yesterday, from Hampton Park, Warwick-
shire, for Avington, on a visit to Mr. and Mrs. Shelley.
Col. Edward A. Somerset, C. 8., who retired from
the Rifle Brigade last week, is about to enter on the duties
of Assistant Quartermaster-General of the South-Western
Distric

Great excitement was produced at the convent
to which Mercadante has retired for the last three years by
the arrival of the telegraphic message from Calzado, which
announced the succes of "Il Giuramento " in Paris. The
holy brothers, roused from their slumbers by the event,
deemed that nothing short of the death of the Pope could
have occasioned anxiety great enough to warrant a special
messenger, and already was the whole convent repairing to
the chapel, when the real fact was announced, creative of
disgust and pity, rather than awe and sorrow.—Court
Journal.

An English girl, of good fortune, who has long
lived in Paris, was about to be married to a young French
advocate of great renown and immense popularity at the
present moment. The young man, being rather nervous
about the qu'en diia-t-on, imposed, however, as condition,
that the mother of the bride elect, an English lady well
known in Paris and London, should bind herself to the
adoption of one single colour in her dress, leaving the same
to her own choice, scarlet and yellow excepted. The lady,
however, being of independent character, and addicted to
all the colours, has peremptorily refused the terms pro-
posed, and the marriage is broken off in consequence.
The gaily-attired matron hto just left Paris for Heidelbert,
where she intends to reside for the future.—Court Journal.

After a three months' provincial tour of the most
unparalleled success, succeeded by a short respite,
Mr. Dickens last night again addressed a metropo-
litan audience at St. Martin's-hall. The building,
which has been thoroughly renovated and refitted,
and now presents a most comfortable appearance,
was crowded in every corner. Independently of
the ordinary attraction of hearing one of the most
beautiful prose poems in the language; "The Christ-
mas Carol," from the mouth of its author the
" seasonableness" of the date of reading (Christmai
Eve), on which the action of the story is supposed
to take place, lent an additional charm to the
entertainment. The second part of the reading,
" The Trial from ' PickWick,' ". was a novelty in
London, although it had proved one of Mr.
Dickens's greafest successes in the provinces, but
it assuredly will take rank among Mr. Dickens's
happiest efforts. It is difficult to which impersona•
tion to awardthepalm, whether to the stammering,
lisping, idea-bereft, mind-wrecked Winkle, to the
Loquacious, Lindley Murray-defying Mrs. Cluppins,
or to the imperturbable, good-humoured, opposition-
counsel-badgering Sam Weller. One and all are
perfect in their way, and the entire reading was
greeted with applause which rendered it a personal
ovation.