The Sun.
London, England, 1859-03-09 00:00:00

COURT CIRCULAR.

Her Majesty the Queen and his Royal Highness the
Prince Consort honoured the performance at the Adelphi
Theatre with their presence last evening. The Royal suite
consisted of Lady Macdonald, Hon. Lucy Kerr, Hon.
Mary Butteel, the Earl of Sheffield, Lieut.-Colonel H.
Ponsonby, and Colonel the Hon. A. Hardinge.
His Royal Highness the Prince Consort, attended by
Colonel the Hon. A. Hardinge, visited the British Museum
yesterday morning.
Lady Macdonald has succeeded the Countess of Caledon
as the Lady in Waiting to the Queen; and the. Earl of
Sheffield and Mr. R. Ormsby Gore have succeeded Viscount
Strathallan and General Sir Edward Bowater as the Lord
and Groom in Waiting.
The Right Hon. W. Gladstone had an interview with
Sir E. Bulwer Lytton yesterday at the Colonial-office.

REDUCTION OF POSTAGE TO THE
ARGENTINE CONFEDERATION.

On the Ist April next, and thenceforward, the following
alterations will take place in the British rates of Postage,
chargeable upon letters, book packets, and newspapers
conveyed by packet between the United Kingdom and,
Buenos Ayres, or any other part of the Agentine Con-
federation.

The postage will be reduced to the uniform British rate
of sixpence the half ounce, and so on, according to the
usual scale.

This postage must, as heretofore, be in all cases prepaid.
The British postage of book packets will also be reduced,
and the following will be the rates, which must be paid in
advance, viz. :—Not exceeding four ounces, 3d. ; abovefour
ounces, and not exceeding eight ounces, 6d. ; above eight
ounces, and not exceeding 11b., Is. •, above 11b., and not
exceeding lZlb., la. 6d. ; above and not exceeding
21bs., 2s. ; and so on, adding 6d. for each additional half
poud, or fraction of half a pound.
-A book packet may contain any number of separate books
or other publications, prints, or maps, and any quantity of
paper, parchment, or vellum ; and the books or other pub-
lications, prints, maps, &c., may be either printed, written,
or plain, or any mixture of the three. Further--all legiti-
mate binding, mounting, or covering of a book, publication,
&c., or of a portion thereof, will be allowed, whether such
binding, &c., be loose or attached ; as also rollers, in the
case of prints or maps ; markers (whether of paper or other-
wise) in the ease of books, and, in short, whatever is neces-
sary for the safe transmission of literary or artistic matter,
or usually appertains thareto ; but no patterns or books of
itatterns (unless consisting merely of paper) will be allowed.
The following regulations must be observed :-
1. Every packet must be sent either without a cover, or
in a cover open at the ends or sides.
2. A book packet must not contain any written letter
closed or open, nor any enclosure sealed or otherwise closed
against inspection ; nor must there be any letter, or any
communication of the nature of a letter written in any such
packet, or in or upon its cover.
3. No book packet must exceed 2 feet in length, width,
or depth.
The British charge upon a newspaper, not exceeding
four ounces in weight, will be one penny, and a like sum of
one penny will be charged for each additional four ounces
or fraction of four ounces. This postage must also be 'Aid
in advance.

By command of the Postmaster-General,
ROWLAND HILL, Secretary.
General Post-office, March 8, 1859.