The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-17 00:00:00

was ever foolish enough to ask whether it was
best to wear a night-cap or not. This comes of
being a little wrong-headed." Echo nowadays—
to Mr. HORSMAN and not to Mr BOSWELL—" This
comes of being a little wrong-headed." Night-cap
or no night-cap, flannel or no flannel—we are con•
tented to leave the youthful veteran dancing
(attendance upon the EMPEROR) at Compeigne, or
leaping the fence in Hampshire, while another
Premier, occasionally afflicted with the gout, like
CHATHAM, is prepared, like CHATHAM, to vindi-
cate, at all hazards and at all times what Lord
GEORGE BENTINCK finely called the chastity of
the national honour of England.

A Cabinet Council was held on Saturday at the
official residence of the Chancellor of the Exchequer in
Downing-street. The Ministers present were—the Earl of
Derby, the Right Hon. B. Disraeli, the Lord Chancellor,
the Marquis of Salisbury, the Earl of Hardwicke, Mr. Se-
cretary Walpole, the Earl of Malmesbury, Sir E. Bulwer
Lytton, General Peel, Lord Stanley, Sir John Pakington,
the Right Hon. J. W. Henley, and Lord John Manners.

It is expected that her Majesty will return to
town the latter end of this month in time to open the ses-
sion of Parliament in person, though no orders have as yet
been officially given en the subject.—Court 'Journal.

The Prince of Wales, it is expected, will return
to England in July. Next year, of course, we may expect
the young Prince to take an important place in all the prin .
cipal proceedings of Court and fashion. After his next
birthday the young Prince will be entitled to take his seat
in the House of Peers.—Court Journal.

The Earl of Mornington•has left the Clarendon
for Draycot House, Chippenhara.
The Earl of Warwick has arrived in town from
visiting her Majesty at Windsor Castle.
Lord and Lady Norreys and Mr. and Lady Caro-
line Townley are passing the season at Rome, and will not
return to town for some months.

The Right Hon. Sidney and Mrs. Herbert are
expected at their residence in Belgrave-square, in a few
days, from Wilton House.
Mr. Estcourt, M.P., and Mrs. Estcourt have left
Farrance's Hotel for St. Leonard's-on-Sea.

A Berlin letter of the 11th says :—" Yesterday the
Prince Regent had a conversation of about three hours with
Baron de Halzfeldt, the Prussian ambassador at Paris. We
are assured that the relations of our cabinet with the French
GOvernment are of the most satisfactory kind."

A letter from Jassy, in a Vienna j ournal, states that
the deputies of Moldavia were to meet on the 7th to elect
the Hospodar, and in the event of no election being made
before the 16th, the candidate who at twelve o'clock on that
day should have the majority should be declared Hospodar
for life of Moldavia.

A valuable piece of patronage has just fallen to
Lord Derby in the shape of the Green Riband vacant by
the death of the Earl of Haddington. It would be prema-
ture to speculate on whom the Premier's choice is likely to
fall just now, but the bestowal of this Order is always
watched with great interest by the nobility of Scotland, and
the selection will doubtless fall on one of high rank, and be
calculated to strengthen the hands of the Government.—
Court Journal.

vv
CONFIRMATION OF THE PRINCESS VICTORIA OF
COORG.—Her Majesty having expressed a wish that her
god-daughter the Princess Victoria Gowiamma of Coorg,
should be confirmed, the ceremony took place on Monday
last at Kew Church, and was performed by the Lord Bishop
of Winchester. The Princess was accompanied by her
father, the Rajah of Coorg, the Dowager Lady Hardinge,
and her guardian Sir James Weir Hogg, Baronet ; also by
Sir John and Lady Logan (under whose care her Majesty
has now placed the Princess), and a numerous circle of
friends. After the ceremony the party returned to the resi-
dence of the Princess, Church House, Kew, and partook of
luncheon.—Homeward Mail.
DEATH OF SIR JAMES PITCAIRN.—This
distin-
guised military surgeon died last week, at his residence in
Haddington-road, Dublin, aged 83. Sir James served at
the Helder in 1799, and the whole of the campaign in
Egypt, in 1801. The deceased was a fellow of the Royal
College of Surgeons of England, having passed his exami-
nation June 7, 1798. He was also a fellow of the Royal
College of Surgeons in Ireland, and an Inspector-General
of the Army.
ACCIDENT TO THE LORD-LIEUTENANT OF SlTF-
roLx.—The Earl of Stradbroke has met with an accident
while shooting with Sir Edward Bowater, at Sotterley,
Suffolk. The contents of Sir Edward's gun were acci-
dentally lodged in his lordship's legs; he is going on
avourably. .
AMERICAN MAIL DESPATCH.—The British and
North American Royal Mail steamer Arabia sailed from
Liverpool for Boston on Saturday last ; besides the Ameri-
can mails, she also took out 55 passengers and a full cargo.
The steamship Kangaroo will be despatched en Wednesday
next for New York with. the United States and North
American mails. Letters will be received" at the Post-office,
Liverpool, up to 9 a.m., with a late fee, till 10 a.m., and
finally at the landing stage at 11 a.m. Telegraphic de-
spatches to the United States and British North American
Provinces can be sent through the office of the New York
Press, 10, Exchange-street East.
MAILS FOR AUSTRALIA.—The Peninsular and
Oriental Steam Navigation Company being about to de-
spatch their steam-ship Malta; to Sydney (touching :at St.
Vincent's, Cape Verd), to take up her station between Aus-
tralia and Suez, under the company's new contract with
her Majesty's overnment, the Postmaster-General intends
to avail himself of the departure of this steamer for the trans-
mission of additional mails to St. Vincent's and to Austra-
lia. The Malta is appointed to leave Southampton on the
20th inst., after the arrival of the day mail from London, and
will convey ship-letter mails far St. 'Vincent's and the Aus-
tralian Colonies, Tasmania, and New Zealand. All letters,
newspapers, &c., intended for transmission by this steamer
must be specially addressed" By steamer Malta." By com-
mand of the Postmaster-General, RoWLAND HILL, Secre-
tary.—General Post-office, Jan. 15.
The Peninsular and Oriental Company have an-
nounced that the mail packets, which heretofore have run
between Southampton and Gibraltar, calling at Vigo, off
commencingOporto, Lisbon, and Cadiz, will, commencing with the
packet of the 27th inst., terminate their outward voyages
at Lisbon. The mails to and from Gibraltar will be con-
veyed direct by the weekly Mediterranean packets, leaving
Southampton for Gibraltaron. the 4th, 12th, 20th, and 27th,
and Gibraltar for Southampton about the sth, 13th, 20th, -
and 27th of every month. The Cadiz mails will also be
conveyed between England and Gibraltar by these steamers.
The Peninsular line of steamers will leave Southampton for
Lisbon, calling at Vigo and off Oporto, on the 7th, 17th,
and 27th, and at Vigo, on the 17th, 27th, and 7th of every
month. By these arrangements the course of post between
London and Lisbon will, be reduced from 18 to 15 days.
_ _

The Southampton portion of the Australian mail
has been delivered during the week. Great complaints are
justly. made by merchants and others of the extreme irre-
gularity of transmission of newspapers, as it constantly
occurs that those marked and paid for "via Marseilles"
come home " via Southampton,', • and consequently do not
reach the respective persons until the intelligence con-
veyed has been made known many days previously through
other:channels. The blame is said to rest with the colonial
Post-offices, and the irregularity complained of is more
frequent and noticeable with papers from South Australia ;
therefore, it is hoped, that the authorities at Adelaide will
secure better attention on the part of the Post-office subor-
dinates for the future.---Mining Journal. •
We have before alluded to the great punctuality
which is a characteristic of Lord Derby's Government.
Another instance has just occurred. The Earl of Hard-
wicke had signified his intention of being present at the
Privy Council on Tuesday at Windsor Castle ; but the
Lord Privy Seal had rim it so fine in endeavouring to make
an ordinary train from Wimpole serve his purpose on the
some morning, that he arrived at Paddington five minutes
after the time specified, and lo I the train had gone. After
allowing a little grace, and a very little, Lord Derby gave
the word to start, leaving the Lord Privy Seal behind.
Lord Hardwicke's official presence not being necessary on
this occasion, he contentedly ordered his carriage round
and drove home again, not caring to emulate the vigour of
Lord Palmerston, who, in a similar instance, gave chase to
the special -train on a railway engine.—Court Journal.
JUDICIAL AND LEGAL CHANGES.—Mr. Justice
Wiles is about to retire from his position of one of the
judges of the Court of Common Pleas, and the present is,
in all probability, the last term in which he will take his
seat on the bench of that court. Since the establishment of
the Court of Probate and Divorce, the business has gra-
dually accumulated, until it has at length completely out-
stripped the powers of the Judge Ordinary (Sir Cresswell
Cresswell) to deal with it. It is intended, at the commence -
meat of next term, to appoint a second judge of the Pro-
bate and Divorce Court, so that two courts may sit at the
same time, and this office Mr. Justice Wiles has accepted.
The judgeship of the Court of Common Pleas, which will
become vacant by the transference of Mr. Justice Willes to
the Court of Probate and Divorce, will, ft is expected, be
conferred upon Mr. Kenneth Macaulay, Q.C., member for
the borough of Cambridge.
ILLNESS OF MR. SELFE.—Mr. Selfe, one of the
magistrates of the Thames police court, and Chairman of the
late commission of inquiry relating to military stores and
clothing, has been confined to his room by severe illness
during the last four weeks, and it is feared that some time
will elapse before he will be able to resume his magisterial
duties. This gentleman presided in the Thames police
court for one day only after the commission of inquiry had
terminated its labours, and complained in the course of the
day of indisposition. Ile hash en unable to attend
relati to any
business since. Anxious inqes have been made ng
to the health of Mr. Selfe by persons of every rank and con-
dition. On Saturday it was aruaouneed at the Thames police
court that he was a little better.
RESIGNATION OF MR. W. BROWN, M.P.—The
Liverpool Mercury of Saturdays says :—" The public will
learn with regret that Mr. William Brown, one of the mem-
bers for the southern division of this country has intimated
his intention to resign his seat in the House of Commons
after the dissolution of the present Parliament. Mr. Brown
announced this determination at a banquet given by the
Mayor on Tlprsday in celebration of the 150th anniversary
of the foundation of the Blue-coat Hospital. The honour-
able member was first elected for this division, without op-
position, in 1845, and on each recurring election . since his
return has been unopposed. Both on public and on private
grounds
,hnbdiseercraeiuttirement is a matter for regret ; publicly,
because of the loss of services %Veil have been[alike honour,
ahbriealvelattroirhiyemself and advantageous to the community; and
privately, because
prudentis increasing
that
he
should years andavaigintehrEadasrtdanteanoaf
dudistirchens,rsOoslfaEpteroarhlioEaurilseTnwEthiaNrycshldotuNilteieesoffinrCeciepllTstvanE andconscientious
te involve.
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meetingthborrowonszoSaot,oroodao
fyo, r
D o CKS. —The new DiverpooltthaDe ock Board resolved, at a
special
evidencetionwoafsteharrie satisfactory
apparpplyasteoafPim. arpliroamvienngt
and
powersextending the Liverpool Docks. £here was a lengthy dis-
cussion,eainnhan and the
theasparn
proposition
of the estate, that the receipts of the Board for 1858 had
exceeded thew of 1857 by £5OO, bfairctlosryto condition
diTtiohne
though the ronrns in 1857
were greater than had Previously been experiwed.