The Sun.
London, England, 1859-05-17 00:00:00

LADY PAKINGTON'S ASSEMBLE

Lady Pakington had an assembly last evening at the
official residence of the First Lord of the Admiralty.
There were present—His Excellency the Swedish Minis-
ter and the Countess Von Platen, his Excellency the Minis-
ter for the Hans Towns and Madame Rucker, his Excel-
lency the American Minister and Mrs. Dallas and Miss
Dallas, his Excellencylthe Danish Minister, the Duke and
Duchess of Manchester, the Countess of Delawarr and Lady
Arabella Sackville West, the Countess Dowager of Glas-
gow and Miss Sinclair, the Countess of Powis and Lady
Harriet Herbert and Miss Clive, the Earl of Bective, Vis-
count and Viscountess Barrington and the Hon. Miss
Barrington, Viscount Ingestre, Viscount Ranelagh, Vis-
count Eversley, and the Hon. Miss Shaw Lefevre, Lord
Lovaine, Lord and Lady Claud Hamilton, Lord and
Lady Willoughby de Broke, Lord Hatherton, Lady Col-
chester, Lord Wensleydale, Lady Seymour and Miss L.
Seymour, the Ladies Pratt (2), Lord Ravensworth
and the Hon. Misses Liddell (2), Count Strzelecki,
Lady Milford, Dowager Lady Shelley, Mr. and Lady
Mary Stanley, Count Louis Corti, M. Carvalho, M. C.
Tricoupi, Hon. Charles Hanbury, Hon. Mr. and Mrs.
Boyle, Hon. G. Noel, the Right Hon. Frederick Peel, the
Right Hon. C. B. Adderley and Mrs. Adderley, Sir Rode-
rick Murchison, Sir Adam Hay and the Misses Hay, Admi-
ral Sir Richard Dundas, Sir Stafford and Lady Northcote,
Sir Francis and Lady Scott, Colonel the Right Hon. C.
W. Forester, Sir Henry Willoughby, Sir Edward Cust,
Admiral Martin and Miss Martin, Colonel Oust and Miss
Cust, Colonel Wilson Patten and the Misses Patten (2),
Colonel and Mrs. Howard Vyse, Captain Davies, Captain
Glyn, Captain R. Stopford, Admiral Meynell, Captain Fel-
lows, Captain. Jones, Captain Macdonald, Captain Keane,
Mr. and Mrs. Nugent Bankes, Mr. Martin, Mr. Romain,
Mr. Farquhar, Miss Thelluson, Mr. H. Domvile, Miss
Pitt, Mr. Sumner, Mr. and Mrs. Dugdale and Miss Dug-
dale, Mr. Edward Drummond, Mrs. Capel Cure, Mrs. Geo.
Bankes, Mr. Jermain Pratt, Mr. Challoner, Mr. Murray,
Mr. Anderson, Mr. George Farquharson, Mr. Crispin, Mr.
Spalding, Mr. Douglas, Mrs. Lane Fox, Mr. Henry Foley,
Mr. and Mrs. Cavendish. Bentinck, Mr. Geo. Drummond,
Mr. Graham Vivian, Mr. James Scott, Mr. and Mrs. Whit-
more, Mr. Whitmore, jun., Miss Hunter, &c.

Previous to the assembly, Sir John and Lady Pakington
entertained at dinner his Excellency the Minister for the
Netherlands, the Marquis and Marchioness of Salisbury,
the Earl of Carnarvon, Viscount and Viscountess Comber-
mere, Lord Stanley, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and
Mrs. Disraeli, Sir William and Lady Middleton, Sir John
tear a_may uochrane, Sfr
Henry Leeke, Admiral Bruce, Mrs. Windham, Miss Thel-
luson, Major Probyn, &c.
The party broke up at midnight.

Sir Charles and Lady Mary Wood and Miss Wood
arrived in Belgrave-square last evening from Hickleton
Hall, Yorkshire.
We regret to learn that Mrs. Labouchere, mother
of the Right Hon. Henry Labouchere, M.P., died on Sun-
day last, at her residence in Upper Grosvenor-street, in her
89th year.
Sir A. Smith, late director of the Army Medical
Department, not forgetful of the days passed by him when
a student in the University of Edinburgh, and still ani-
mated by a love for his old Alma Mater, has just presented
to the Natural History Museum his magnificent collection
of reptilia. It embraces nearly 2,000 specimens, obtained
from all parts of the world, and among them are many of
great rarity and beauty.
Mr. Henry Drummond Woolf, private secretary
to Sir E. Lytton, is named as Government Secretary at
Corfu, in succession to Sir T. Bowen, who is appointed
Governor of the new colony of Queensland (Moreton Bay),
in Australia.
Since the departure of the last Australian mail
the following gold-ships have sailed for England :
Shooting Star, February 28, with 16,788 ounces, and Ellen
Stuart, with 7,103 ounces; March 1, Monarch, 42,848
ounces ; 9th, Chili, 15,029 ounces ; 12th, Indian Queen,
2,507 ounces, and Essex, 14,080 ; and, 14th, Owen Glen-
dower, with 35,411 ounces. The:aggregate value of these
shipments is about £535,000.
The rates of exchange quoted by the Indian
telegram yesterday show at Calcutta a movement of about
a half per cent. in favour of this country. In China there
has been an adverse turn, equal to about 2 per cent. at
Hong Kong, and 21 per cent. at Shanghai.
The new Minister, Count de Rechberg-Rothen-
loeven, who quits the presidency of the Frankfort Diet to
take the office, was ad latus to Marshal Radetski in 1848
as civil governor of Lombardy, a post analogous to that now
held under General Gyulia by Baron de Bulberg. There is
a rumour that General Gyulai has already been superseded
in his command by General de Hess, but possibly there is
no authority for the report beyond a Vienna letter in the
National Gazette of Berlin, which spoke of the nomination
as being hourly expected. M. de Hubner will, it is ex-
pected, be the new Austrian Minister at Frankfort.
DISASTROUS FIRE IN MINCING -LANE, CITY.—
Last night a fire, which was not -subdued until a serious
amount of property was destroyed, broke out in the pre-
mises belonging to Messrs. James Cook and Co., colonial
brokers, in Dunster-court and Mincing -lane. The two
upper floors of the premises were burnt out, the valuable
stock of samples consumed, and serious damage done to the
lower floors by water, &c.
THE IRON TRADE. —Birmingham, May 16.—The
failure of Messrs. Cresswell,ronmasters, of Tipton, scarcely
known until midday, has excited a good deal of anxiety
and fears lest it should lead to other casualties. The amount
of indebtedness of the firm is not at present known, but it
is believed that by far the greatest proportion of it is owing
to the Dudley and West Bromwich Bank, at whose in-
stance the stoppage has taken place. The firm of Cress-
well and Sons is a very old one in South Staffordshire, and
formerly it occupied a good position, but for some time past
(indeed so far back as 1855) there were rumours that the
house owed a large amount to the Dudley and West Brom-
wich Bank, and a stoppage was at that time spoken of.
This fact has given rise to the supposition that the new
liabilities are not considerable

A SHIP ON FIRE.—A fire broke out yesterday on
board the Thames, Captain Callender, lying in Brunswick
Dock. .This vessel had arrived the previous day from
Savannah, laden with about 1,800 bales of cotton and 230
pieces of pitch pine. She was .partially discharged, when,
about 5 o'clock in the morning of the day named, smoke was
seen to issuo from the after hatch. Information being given
to the authorities, Mr. Hewitt was soon on the spot, with
his engine and fire-brigade, followed by Mr. Barrett, with
the West of England, and a number of branches of hose
were soon laid down, communicating with the vessel. Some
difficulty, however, was experienced in reaching the fire,
and part of the deck was therefore cut away. She was then
hauled out of the dock into the basin, to prevent the fire
spreading among the other shipping, and for greater facility
in. conducting operations. A copious stream of water was
poured in, the leading officials connected with the police
force and fire-brigade being present during the greater part
of the day, and the fire was subdued with the utmost pos-
sible despatch. About 5 o'clock in the afternoon all danger
had passed, the cargo being then covered with water, and
the engines accordingly left. The only gunpowder on board
consisted of a small canister full, which was speedily re-
moved on the alarm having been raised. The ship was con-
signed to Messrs. Coubrough, Boyd, and Co., of this town.
Liverpool Albion.

THE WROXETER EXCAVATIONS.—The work of
excavating is now going 071 very successfully. In the part
of the buildings lying towards what has no doubt been the
street (the Watling-street-road), three very small chambers
have been uncovered, with the walls, of excellent masonry,
and adjoining each other, but without any traces of door-
ways or entrances of any kind, so that at present it is quite
impossible to say what purpose they have served. Among
the first objects met with on the renewal of the explorations
on the old spot was a very handsome and Well-sculptured
capital of a column, 3 feet high by 21 wide, formed of two
blocks of stone. This would seem to show that the excava•
tors are approaching parts of the building which was dis
tinguished by more elaboriVie architectural ornamentation.
A considerable number of different articles in bronze and
other materials have also been found, and have been sent
in to the Museum at Shrewsbury. Among these is a
square block of lead, with two vertical strokes on it, as
though intended to represent the number " 1i.," and
curiously enough it weighs just two ounces, so that it
might very probably have been a weight.