The Sun.
London, England, 1867-01-03 00:00:00

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HER MAJESTY, &c.

OSBORNE, Jan. 2.
The Queen, accompanied by Princess Christian
and Princess Beatrice, drove out yesterday after-
noon, and the other members of the royal family
wolked in the grounds.

Prince Leopold walked out this morning, attended
by Mr. Legg.

Yesterday being New Year's-day a Christmas
tree was prepared, by her Majesty's cAumand, for
the upper servants of the establishment at Osborne,
and another for those attending the servants' hall.
The upper servants assembled at six o'clock, and
shortly afterwards the Queen and the royal family
entered the room, when her Majesty handed. a pre-
sent to each.

Tier Majesty and the royal family then proceeded
to the servants' hall, where her Majesty distributed
gifts in like manner to those present, numbering
about 130, and in the evening they were entertained
with a supper.

Her Majesty was attended by the Dowager
Duchess of Athole.

NEW YEAR'S DAY IN PARIS.

According to the graphic description of the
Paris correspondent of the Times, the weather on
the Jour de /'...1n did not in the least prevent the
streets from assuming the animated appearance
they usually present as the approach of New Year's
Day. They are encumbered with vehicles and foot
passengers, and the leading thoroughfares are at
certain hours so thronged that it is with difficulty
one can make his way through them. The shops,
particularly those for toys, articles de Paris, and
confectionery, display all their magnificence to at-
tract purchasers, who, to say the truLli, do nut seem
to require any great pressing. The Boulevards are,
as usual at this season, covered with booths, in which
the dealers in less costly curiosities are accustomed
to establish themselves. At the well known
confectioners of the Rue de la Paix there
are some precious novelties which keep
groups of people stationed the whole day
long before the windows, and attest the inventive
faculties of the Parisian artists. These are two dolls,
one representing the city of Paris in festive costume,
the other the Universal Exhibition. The latter
wears as a head dress the tower of Babel, with a
robe of white satin of immense amplitude, orna-
mented with the emblazonments of all nations, the
waist encircled with numerous oriflammes, falling to
the feet, inscribed with the emblems of art and
manufactures, and with gold and silver medals pro-
fusely scattered over it. In other shops the dolls
represent certain famous historical personages,
chiefly, if not all, of the female sex, such as
Isabella de Bavaria, the wife of the unfortunate
Charles VI., and the paramour, if history does not
belie her, of the Duke of Orleans, who was assas-
sinated by his rival the Duke of Burgundy, the
widow of the buffoon Scarron, better known as
Madame de Maintenon, wife of Louis XIV.; Diana
de Poitiers, mistress of the Duke of Orleans, son of
Francis 1., and afterwards Duchess of Valentinois ;
Henriette of France, daughter of Henri IV., wife of
Charles I. of England, and over whose re/pains
Bossuet preached one of his great funeral orations ;
Madlle. de la Valliere, who from being the daughter
of the Maitre d'Hotel of the Duke of Orleans, be-
came the mistress of Louis XIV., and Duchess de
la Valliere. Madame de Sevigne, whose charming
letters have become classical, also figures among
them, and all—queens, princesses, beauties, favou-
rites, dressed in the fashion of the time—the tower-
ing head-dresses, the endless train, necklaces and
jewelled bracelets, and silks and velvets overcharged
with golden flowers. Had Dupin able been spared
he would probably have completed his denunciation
against the extravagance of women's dress with a
no less bitter satire on that of dolls.
There is iu the Boulevards des Capucines a newly
opened bazaar round which groups assemble during
the few hours of daylight we still enjoy, and again
when the lamps are lighted. There are stores of
joucts for children of all ages ; but of the wealth of
curiosities exposed in its windows the greatest at-
traction of all is the needle-gun. The inventor of
this plaything will have cleared a handsome profit
at the end of the season, for the miniature—though
it is hardly a miniature—is in great request. A
whole landwehr of young gentlemen from six to ten
years old have already supplied themselves with
this plaything complete in all its parts. They form
the fourth Ban already armed ; and the Military
Commission who are engaged in the reorganisation
of the army must be struck with the fact that they
may reinforce the army without any additional
charge on the War Estimates.

What seems to be the favourite New Year's play-
thing for little girls is the poupee Benoiton, dressed
exactly as those two young ladies of the Varie'tes
—frock, ribands, hat, eye-glass, and with the air
which distinguishes the ladies of the demi-7/10)1de-
There are, however, dolls for every taste—one i 5
walking with a poodle on her arm, or under her
arm ; and another is on her knees before a Pre-Dieu,
holding a richly-bound prayer-book in one band,
or a gold embroidered velvet bag to receive the
offerings of the charitable.

These, howaver, are not the only attractions of
the season. In the long line of booths from the
Madelaine to the Bastille there is a multitude of ob.

jects wonderfully varied, and, it must be said, won'
derfully cheap, for the children of those who must

not think of looking at the gorgeous articles in the

shops in the Rue de la Paix, or the Boulevard da
Capucines. The greater part are said to come fro'
Saxony and Nuremberg. There are fabricated the

little printing-presses with all their appliances,
magic lanterns, magnetic playthings, such as ducks
and fishes, in iving mice, and numberless °ther
marvels of the same kind. The articles made of
glass come from Bohemia ; and from the Black
Forest the tiny furniture in white or painted wood,
grocery shops, tobacco shops, kitchens in which
nothing is wanting. The household utensils in

pottery and porcelain ; dolls' heads of porcelain, bed-
steads, toilet tables, jugs and basins, Zouaves and
Imperial Guard in tin or lead ; lotoes, dominoes,
humming-tops, wheelbarrows, shovels and rakes,
are the produce of the French departments. '-r°
Paris as well as to England and Germany the rising
generation are indebted for figures in pasteboard of
lambskin stuffed out with sawdust, dancing pUpPetsl
in pasteboard or wood ; theatres, swords, mu,ketst
pistols, drums, trumpets, horns, bows and arrows,
carriages and vehicles of all sorts, in tin or sheet'
iron ; horses, riding-whips, &c. In this sort of ill'
dustry the Germans have the advantage of producing
much chthper than the French, though in dressing
and arrangement they are inferior. It is said that
in Paris alone there are over 400 persons whose trade
is in these cheap toys for children ; that they empld,
not less than 2,000 workmen ; and that in the course
of the year they produce articles of the aggregate
value of 10 million of francs. Under these eircul°'
stances, it is hardly necessary to say that certai°
branches of the Paris trade are flourishing at till°
moment.

' BRIGHTON RACES, 1867.—A meeting of the
Brighton Rae e Committee was held at the Town-hall 0.13
Tuesday, upon which occasion the principal sil Versmiths°
London and Brighton submitted by desire numerous deslS°
for the silver cup, value £4OO, to be run for at the ILO°
races this yeah The successful competitors were MOO'
C. F. Hancock, Son, and Co., Bruton-street, Bond-street'
LETTER FROM LORD BROUGHAM TO M. BERRYO.
—Lord Brougham has addressed the following letter (1
French) to M. Berryer :—" Cannes, Dec. 28.—My dear L'l%
illustrious confrere,—l send you the report of the discours,i
which I delivered at the Manchester Congress ; and, 0 it
was in my 89th year, it is almost certain that I shall a
deliver another. On taking leave of the public I thotifilt
it lie
111
t ull lOU to express my sentiments against Orr
and against those great murderers, of whom the EroPehr°3
Napoleon I. was the most guilty. But I have added tui.",
his nephew, Napoleon 111., has great merit for his deet
rations against war. My indignation against those intifo
(Toren was accompanied by my scorn for the folly of th°:,
who encouraged them by their applause.—Accept the c'
81111441G0 of soy oiocoro frioadphip.—U. 131tovoLum."