The Sun.
London, England, 1859-06-07 00:00:00

THE PRINCE OF GONZAGO.

We are requested to insert the following letter,
which has been addressed to the editor of the
Globe:—

44 SIR,—I have observed in your paper of the 25th of
April last that your Paris correspondent has renewed his
attacks upon me, in such a manner as even to surpass the
calumnies of the French police.
" I should have thought that a minister of religion might
have found some more legitimate employment for his pen,
and have possessed more Christian feeling and respect for
truth than to have insulted an exiled Prince. That he
should persist in repeating his perverse mis-statements is
derogating to his profession, and cowardly in the support
given to a degraded police, and seemingly in favour of the
objects of the existing war.
!' I shall content myself with stating that neither ho nor
his employers (be they whom they may) can make me of
any other nation or rank than it has pleased God to make
me. lam ready to testify that lam all I represent myself
to be in any English court of law, where my genealogy can
be shown and my personal identity fully established.
"Despite my political enemies, my birth, parentage, and
antecedents can be proved beyond a doubt.
"I hold all the documents necessary to establish my legi-
timate and hereditary right to the dukedoms of Mantua,
Guastalla, and Castiglione, &c. ; whilst in my quality of
Prince I have been recognised by almost all the Courts of
Europe. I have never been in Berlin, but as regards
Vienna and Warsaw, the documents I have but recently
received, both from the Austrian and Russian Governments,
suffice to prove the calumny of your correspondent.
" Since you, Sir, are responsible for the articles which
appear in your journal, I claim a right to the insertion of
this letter, in answer to your anonymous correspondent.
Accept, Sir, the assurance of my high consideration,
44 ALEXANDRE,
Prince of Gonzago, Duke of Mantua.
"London, May 31, 1859."

LIVERPOOL, Monday.—The ship Shooting Star,
from Melbourne for this port, passed Queenstown on the
afternoon of the 4th inst. She sailed from Melbourne on
the 28th of February, and has on board 16,788 ounces of
gold on freight.
CHIPPENHAM.—One of the Most terrific thunder
storms with which this town has been visited for upwards
of 50 years took place this (Sunday) afternoon. For the
space of nearly two hours the flashes of lightning were of a
fearful description, and the extraordinary claps of thunder
excited the terror of even the most stout hearted. At about
three o'clock a heavy hail storm descended, and many of
the stones were as large as a common hazel nut. The rain
also fell in torrents, and the Bath and Bristol roads were
rendered in some places almost impassable, Many of the
fields and houses near the banks of the Avon were entirely
flooded. There can be no doubt that considerable damage
has been done in some parts of the country.
EXCISE LICENSES TO THEATRES.—The Lords of
the Treasury have, in conformity with a memorial presented
to them, signed by the lessees of the London theatres, issued
directions to the Commissioners of Inland Revenue tQ grant
licenses for the sale of wines, spirits, &c., to the managers of
the London theatres who choose to apply for them. The
memorial was signed by the proprietors and lessees of the
Haymarket, Adelphi, Olympic, Sadler's Wells, Surrey, Ast-
ley's, Victoria, Standard, Pavilion, Marylebone, and City of
London Theatres, and prayed that the right granted under
ttie act sth and 6th William IV., cap. 69 (suspended for a
period of nearly twenty-three years) might be restored. The
reasons urged for this were that there were now a large
number of theatres and saloons holding the Lord Chamber-
lain's license for selling wines, under their tavern limns?,
while prohi-
bited the managers of all the regular theatres were
from doing so. The reply to the memorial is signed
by Mr. G. A. Hamilton, one of the secretaries to the Trea-
sury, and dated the 30th of May, 1859. It states that the
Lords (Commissioners of her Majesty's Treasuryohaving
had the memorial of the proprietors of metropolitan theatres
praying that they may be able to obtain retail licenses for
the sale of spirits, &e., under consideration, had authorised
the Commissionereof Inland Revenue to issue licenses of
this nature upon piper application being made to them in
conformity With the regulations of their department.