The Sun.
London, England, 1861-12-23 00:00:00

THE _ROYAL TA ULT AT WINDSOR.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SlR,—Since the death of the late lamented Prince,;,
Consort, whom all England so deeply deplores, an
erroneous report has been going the round of all the:
daily papers, which had its origin in one of them,-
that the Royal Vault at Windsor had never been
opened since the death of the late King William
IV., with the exception of the occasion of the death°
of the Queen Dowager, who was buried by the side
of her Royal husband. This, however, is not the
fact, as it was opened on the occasion of the death
of the late Princess Augusta, eldest surviving sister
of our two late Kings, George IV. and William
; and this was in 1840, three years after the
decease of her Royal brother, William IV., and
many years prior to the death of the late Queen;
Dowager, which was not until quite the latter end
of the year 1849. Also, neither was William IV.'s
the last funeral by torchlight. Both the late
Princess Augusta, befere referred to, as likewise her
cousin, the late Princess Sophia Matilda, of Glou-
cester, were buried by torchlight, and both lay in
state ; the former was buried in the Royal Vault,
and the latter in the Royal Gloucester Vault, both
in St. George's Chapel, Windsor. The late Duke
of Sussex lay in state likewise at Kensington
Palace, where he died, although he was buried, not
in the Royal Vault, but Keosal-green Cemetery.
The late Princess Sophia of Gloucester, who died
subsequently to the Duke of Sussex, was the last
Royal personage who lay in state, which she did at
ber residence at Blackheath, where she died in
November, 1844, and was buried at night.
I remain, Sit, your obedient servant,
A LOVER OF HISTORICAL DATES
AND FACTS.
South-square, Gray's-inn,
Saturday, December 21, 1861.

THE PERU.—The Pacific Steam Navigation Com-
pony's new iron mail steamship Peru arrived in the Mersey,
from the Clyde, at 9 o'clock on Friday morning, having .
run the distance from the Cloch Lighthouse in 14 hours,
exclusive of stoppage for water to cross the bar. The ves-
sel during the run round attained a speed of 15 knots, with
331 b. pressure of steam, 23} revolutions of engines per:
minute, and at a consumption of 30cwt. of Scotch coal per:.
hour. Immediately on the Peru's arrival the Government
inspectors proceeded on board, and the vessel started on
trial to the Bell-buoy, when she attained a speed at the rate
of 141 miles per hour, with 351 b. pressure of steam and 241-
-_
per minute revolutions of engines. The vessel was built .'+
by Messrs. Jam Reid and Co., of Port Glasgow, the con-
structors of the Valparaiso, Callao, &c., for the same service. -
The machinery is on the double cylinder principle of
Messrs. Randolph, Elder, and Co., of Glasgow, and is the
tenth pair of engines supplied to the company by that firm.
The Peru will start for Valparaiso on Saturday next, the
28th inst., and, besides a number of first. class passengers,
will convey Government stores, 10 officers, and 100 seamen
and Marines, to join the British fleet now stationed on the;
west coast. The latter are fully armed by her Majesty's
Government, and the ship is provided with patent rifled
cannon for her own defence. She also takes out rifled guns,
small arms, and ammunition, and a number of trained men
from the British Naval Reserve, for the protection of the
company's other steamships. The Peru is fitted with every
appliance suggested by the company's long experience on
the west coast for the comfort and convenience of passen-
gers, and for the efficient performance of the mail service.
Her increased speed,the elegance of her upholstery through-
out, and the care expended on her general equipment will, •
no doubt, render her the queen of the company's fleet in
the Pacific waters. Mr. Thomas Blissett, of this town, is,
we understand, furnishing the armament of the Peru, and •
also for all the steamer' belonging to the Pacific Steamship
Company. This includes the Clay's guns and also the small -
arms.—Liverpoal
THE PARRICIDE AT BIRMINGHAM.—An inquest
was held on Saturday evening on the body of James Mill-
we:. a, the stamper, shot by his son under the circumstances
detailed in The Sun of Saturday. The widow of the de-
ceased stated that on the evening when the offence was
committed her husband had returned from his work and was:
sitting by the fire smoking his pipe: Her son came in, and,
sitting down to supper, pulled from his pocket a pistol,
which he placed upon the table. She wished him to put it
it way, and asked her husband to tell him to do so, but the
latter, instead of doing so, said twice, Shoot me, Johnny
Attaching no importance to this, she went to the garden.
She there heard the report of the pistol, returned to the
house, and finding that her husband had been shot, became
insensible. Mr. Wilders, house surgeon to the Queen's
Hospital, stated that on Thursday morning, out o
about
o'clock, the deceased was brought to the hospital with al
very serious pistol-shot wound close to the external
meatus of the left ear. He died at the same hour on;
the Friday following. The deceased, it appears, was very
fond of his son. In his pocket was found a paper in his,
hand-writing, bearing these words :—" Birmingham, Dec.
15, 1861. I leave all my goods and chattels to my son, John
Millward, after my decease." The prisoner, after being
duly cautioned, said :—" My father told me to shoot hire.,
I pulled the trigger up, and took the cap off, and the pistol
wet off and killed my poor father." The jury returned a
verdict of wilful murder.