The Sun.
London, England, 1861-12-31 00:00:00

NING, D!?,CEM.BER 31, 1801.

Loq cm 100,
d

THE PRINCE 010 TVALES.

'ERSONAL 2LIITS OF THE PRINCE CONSORT.

A few personal traits may be added to our brief sketch of
the Prince who was on Monday laid in his splendid tomb.
Professor Goldstuker, a fellow-student with him at Bonn,
remembers him as the only prince who was a real reader
there. " I believe," says the professor, in a letter which
we are allowed to quote, he never missei a single lecture."
It was not the way with princes at Bonn. During the first
years of Prince Albert's residence in England, he gave much
time to a thorough study of English law and of our con-
stitutional history—reading the best authors, abstracting
their accounts, and, by help of good guides, discussing the
principles contested and established in our several civil
wars. Few English gentlemen know the statute book so
well as he knew it. It is no great secret that in the inter-
views between Prince Albert and the Emperor Napoleon
the former thought it his duty to Europe to endeavour by
argument drawn from the history of events in England to
engage the Emperor in a more constitutional course than
he has yet adopted in France. The Emperor bad, we be-
lieve, the highest respect for the intelligence of his illus-
trious adviser.

In thinking of what was most characteristic and indi-
vidual about the late Prince Consort, we feel in the same
difficulty as one who would point out the characteristic
features of a beautiful face and head, where every part is
perfect and all the parts are in equilibrium. That which
perhaps most characterised Prince Albert mentally was his
singular power in acquiring knowledge ; he was truly "wax
to receive and marble to retain" impressions. Though of
late he had not much time, he read the best books and
papers—knew the last literary and artistio gossip—could
chat about the lion of the season with the familiarity of a
club lounger. His knowledge of personality was very great ;
of portraits, of biography, of family history, and of all the
illustrations of such studies, engravings, memoirs, carica-
tures, ballads, and the small scraps of literature, he was
amazingly fond. The trait which personally distinguished
him from other men was his daily and hourly interest in the
education of his children ; not only the moral education,
which no English parent ever does or, under any circum-
stances, ought to neglect ; but the ordinary training of the
school-room. Of course the royal princes and princesses had
many masters and mistresses, but their chief instructor was
the Prince. He not only furnished a general plan for their
instruction, but superintended it himself—not only ap-
pointed to each one his and her teachers, but thought it
his duty to read every book which any of them was about
to read. Of how few English gentlemen could the same
be said.-44thenceum.

Baron Viethighoff has left Wallace's Hotel for
St Petersburg.

EXTRAORDINARY DEATH IN A RAILWAY CAR-
RIAGE.—On the arrival of the 5.45 mail train at Plymouth
on Monday morning James Nolan, a seaman on leave from
the Victory at Portsmouth to join the Royal Adelaide at
Devonport, was found dead in one of the compartments of
a second-class carriage from a severe fracture of his skull
There was no other person in the compartment, and hi
luggage, money, and watch were found with him.
ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.—An ordinary
general meeting of this society was held yesterday in the
council-room at the gardens, South Kensington—Mr C.
Wentworth Dilke, vice-president, in the chair—when about
50 candidates were elected Fellows, The chairman ad-
dressed the meeting on the great loss sustained by the
society in the lamented death of their president, his Royal
Highness the Prince Consort, and read the spontaneous
and grac,ous communication from her Majesty the Chen,
through Sir C. B. Phipps, which we have already laid be-
fore our readers. He also read an address of condolence to
her Majesty, which had been prepared by the Council and
forwarded in the usual way. The cordial thanks of the
meeting were, on the motion of Judge Des Barres, seconded
by the Rev. Joshua Dix, tendered to the Council for the
promptitude with which they had acted for the society on
this melancholy occasion. The ballot of Fellows was then
proceeded with, and among those elected were the follow-
ing :—The Earl Brownlow, the Countess of Shaftesbury,
the Dowager Viscountess Ashbrook, the Lady Claud
Hamilton, Lieutenant-General Sir G. Bowles, K.C.8.,
Major. General W. L. G. Williams, Captain S. Dawson
Darner, M.P., Captain Album Cuninghame, &o.
Twenty-five American trotters have just arrived
at Havre, w hich were purchased for the imperial stables.
Prince Napoleon has selected five of them for his stud, and
five for the King of Italy. Five splendid hunters purchased
in England have likewise arrived at the imperial stables in
'NI Baia

COMMISSION OF 14 LINACY.—(Trus DAY.)
(134 fore Commissioner S. Warren, Q.C.)
ELEVENTH DAY.
Dr. Forbes Winslow was this morning examined as to
the state of mind of Mr. Winiham. The learned gentle-
man was called and examined by Mr. Montague Chambers.
He entered at length into the results of two interviews he
had with Mr Windham, at which the subject of his con-
duct both before and after marriage was spoken of. The
cutting down of the timber at Fellbrigg. and his friendship
for Mr. Roberts was also alluded to. During the whole of
both interviews the doctor said Mr. Windham was very
erratic, and also gave signs of mental imbecility.
Mr. Chambers—Dr. Winslow, after those interviews, do
you consider Mr. Windham to be a person of sound or un-
sound mind ?
Dr. Winslow—Of unsound mind.
Mr. M. Chambers—Do you consider him capable of
managing his own affairs ?
Dr. Winslow--I ccnsidor him to be incapable of either
taking care of himself or his property.
Mr. Chambers—That being your opinion, is it confirmed
by the evidence you have heard giVen in this case ?
Sir H. Cairns—l object to that question being answered.
My learned friend has sot the right to put it.
Mr. Chambers pressed the question.
The Master—l think the question is one infringing the
province of the jury, and that the witness cannot be called
upon to answer it.

The cross-examination of the witness is to bo taken by
Sir IL Cairns.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.—(27tis Day

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.
A WATCHMAKER CHARGED WITH ILLEGALLY PAWN-
ING A GOLD WATCH.—William Bittner, watchmaker, of
Charles-street, Middlesex Hospital, was charged before Mr.
Tyrwhitt, with illegally pawning a gold watch, entrusted
to bim to repair, the property of Mr. Edward Villiers, 59,
Frith-street, Soho, who is a gold jeweller.
Mr. 'Villiers said that on the 20th of last November he
entrusted a gold watch and clock to the prisoner to repair.
The prisoner brought home the clock, but not the watch,
and when he sent to the house where he resided, he found
that he had removed. He (Mr. Villiers) had since found
that prisoner had pledged the watch, and on sending a
friend to the prisoner he gave him the duplicate.
Mr. Henry Burrige, a friend of Mr. Villiers, said the
prisoner gave him the duplicate relating to the watch,
which had been pledged in Cranbourn-street, Leicester-
square.

Inspector Hubbard asked for a remand, stating that there
were several other cases to be preferred, and it was granted.
Numerous complaints have from time to time been made
at this court by persons who have entrusted watches to
the prisoner for repair and been unable to get them back.

The extreme earnestness—we had almost said
vehemence—with which the !limes, for two or
three consecutive days after the death of the Prince
Consort, appealed to the Prince of Wales to decide
instantly and finally in favour of a life of honour
and usefulness in preference to a life of frivolity and
folly, has induced many persons to suppose that
his royal highness was hesitating as to the choice
he should make, and that his tastes and habits are
not such as his royal mother could wish, or the
nation approve of. Under other circumstances it
would have been gross impertinence in us to thrust
ourselves forwards as the defenders of his royal
highness; but, as most erroneous notions about his
life and conduct have been prevalent for the last
few days, and as our journal is published among a
community which has lately had the best means of
knowing what the tastes and habits of the Prince of
Wales really are, we are sure we shall be pardoned
if we give public expression to what we know is the
universal opinion in Cambridge on the subject.
During the time the Prince resided at Madingley
and Cambridge, his daily life was so completely
before the public ; there were so many ways of as-
certaining how he spent his time, and everything
connected with him was so completely free from
secrecy and seclusion, that if there had been anything
to find fault with in his conduct, it most certainly had
been known to ourselves and the Cambridge
public; and therefore, considering the unreserved
manner in which he lived among us, it is proof
positive that his conduct was irreproachable when
we are enabled to assert, in the most emphatic man-
ner, that we never once heard even a whisper, de..
preciatory of his royal highness's tastes and habits.
We declare, without fear of contradiction, that while
the Prince of Wales was at the University he proved
himself to be a good and amiable young man, a true
English gentleman, and It prince wholly free from
every thing approaching to a debasing tendency.
No parent could wish his son to behave better,
and now that his time of trial has come, we feel
confident that his royal highness will be found
neither unwilling nor unfit nor unable to console
and assist his bereaved mother, and to fulfil the
warmest hopes of the people.—Cambridge lndepen
den'

THE REPLY FROM AMERICA.

Lord Lyons had not received on the 18th inst.
the despatch sent out to him in the Europa—that
, is certain. The Africa, which should have left on
the 18th, was detained by his lordship until the
20th. It is scarcely possible, however, that that
steamer can bring the answer of the Federal Go-
vernment to the Europa's despatch. It is almost
certain that the despatch will reach Washington
by the 19th, and the following is a statement of
the names of the steamers which would leave the
United States for the next 20 days after the de-
spatch had arrived out; their dates of sailing, and
when their news will be due in England :
Names of When they When their
Steamers, leave the ' news is due
United States in England.
Africa
Anglo-Saxon
Glasgow
Hansa „ 21
)9 3
Europa
), 6
Jura
City of Washington.... ~ 28
) f 9
Teutonia
It 28
America
Nova Scotian
City of Edinburgh .... ~, 4 I) 16
Niagara
If 8
The Anglo Saxon, Jura, and Nova Scotian sail
from Portland, and their news will reach us from
Londonderry. The Europa and Niagara will sail
from Boston and Halifax. All the rest will sail
from New York.
The news brought by all the New York and Bos-

ton boats will reach us from Queenstown, except
that of the Hansa and Teutonia, which will reach
us from Southampton. Each of the above-named
steamers may bring from Cape Race three days'
later news than that which it brings from its port
of departure.

The news brought by the Bavaria from Cape
Race is nothing more than the effect produced in
America by the version of the English journals,
published between the 28th ult. and the sth inst.,
of the nature of the despatch, and their comments
on the Trent outrage. These journals were carried
out by the City of Washington and Jura steamers,
and the deliberations of the Federal Cabinet must
have been also on the news and opinions received
in this way. It is not probable that the Cabinet
will decide on their answer to the British Govern-

ment until they have received some farther intelli

gence as to the feeling of Europe generally on the
Trent affair, and of course Lord Lyots will give
Mr. Lincoln and his advisers a reasonable time to
decide on their answer to his demands. It will be
seen from the above dates as to the leaving of
steamers from America that the Europa will leave
Boston within six days of the reception of the
despatch, and the answer of the Federal Cabinet,
to be sent by that steamer, must be given in five
• days. The Europa's news, as has been already
stated, will not be due before next Monday.
News had reached New York that the Southern
steamer Vanderbilt had run the blockade, and
landed at Havannah Messrs. Hunter and Soule,
who were sent to Europe by the Confederates, in
the room of Messrs. Slidell and Mason. They
were about to be conveyed to St. Thomas in the

_ ...
Royal Mail steamer Clyde. If this is true those
two gentlemen may be expected to arrive in the

steamer which is now hourly due at Southampton