The Sun.
London, England, 1857-06-24 00:00:00

ARRIVAL OF THE DUKE AND DUCHESS

DE MONTPENSIER.

PLYMOUTH, Tuesday Evening.—The Spanish frigate,
Isabel La Catholique, Brigadier Eugenio Salesdo, 48
hours from Gijon, arrived in the Sound this afternoon.
Port-Admiral Reynolds, in his barge, having boarded
the frigate, received the Duke and Duchess de Mont-
pensier and the four Princes, under a salute from the
citadel, and proceeded to the Royal William Victualling-
yard, where they were met by Major-General Eden,
commander in the West of England, and a guard of
honour composed of Royal Marine Artillery.
The Duke and Duchess, with their family and suite,
went immediately to the Royal Hotel, Plymouth, where
they will probably remain until Friday.
The frigate is appointed to leave the Sound at four
o'clock to-morrow for Southampton.

Her Majesty the Queen has signified her gracious in-
tention of honouring with her presence a ball to be given
by the Countess Bernstorff, at Prussia House, on Mon-
day, the 6th of July.
The Prince Frederick William of Prussia and the
Princess Royal will accompany her Majesty to the fete,
which it is understood is given in honour of the ap-
proaching marriage of the illustrious Prince and
Princess.

Ibis Royal Highness Prince Frederick William of
Prussia honoured the Prussian Minister and the Coun-
tess Bernstorft with his presenoe last evening, at Prus-
sia Rouse,
Sir Rdwar4 "ncstwer Lytton antartainari at dinner ass,
evening, the Duke and Duchess of Manchester, the
Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, the Marquis of
Salisbury, the Countess of Tankerville, the Earl and
Countess of Chesterfield, and Lady Evelyn Stanhope,
the Earl of Malmesbury, the Earl of Ellenborough,
Lord and Lady Manners, Lord and Lady Colchester/
the Dowager Lady Cowley, and Mr. Lytton.
RAILWAY AND JOINT STOCK COMPANIES BILLS IN
PARLIAMENT.—The preamble of the East Kent, Strood,
and St. Mary's Cray Bill was declared on Monday not
proved, and the bill was consequently thrown out. —The
preamble of a bill for a railway from the junction of the
North Kent and Greenwich lines to Dartford, and to
improve the Tonbridge Wells branch, was passed.—The
Stockport, Disley, and Whaley Bridge Bill was passed.
The Lancaster and Carlisle Bill, empowering the com-
pany to construct a rail from its own line near Kendal
to Singleton, and to raise 300,0001. by shares, and bor-
row 100,0001., was passed. The preamble of the Great
Southern and Western Was declared proved ; and the
preamble of the Midland Great Western Company's Bill
partly proved, so far as regards the line from Streams.
town to Clara.
HONG-KONG.—Some correspondence between Sir J.
Bowriog and the Home Government has been pub-
lished. It refers to an application made by Sir John
in Jan. last, for a grant of 10,0001. to provide for the ex-
pense entailed upon the colony by the measures of defence
required by the crisis in China, and in March his Excel-
lency solicited a further grant of 10,0001. to meet the
" extraordinary expenses of the colony. The Government
acceded to the first grant of 10,0001. (for Hongkong), but
declined to comply with the second application (for an-
other 10, 000/.) without some more satisfactory explanation
of the precise objects to which it was proposed that this
further aid should be applied. Sir John Bowring was
at the same time (the 9th of May) ordered "to bear
steadily in mind that any grant of money made to Hong
Kong on grounds arising out of the present hostilities
with China must be exclusively applied to that service,
and on no account diverted to colonial objects of an or-
dinary character."
Tun COMET.—Our letters from Malta mention that
at a few minutes after 5 p.m. on Sunday, the 14th of
June, a bright luminous band of • variegated hues was
observed to shoot across the heavens in a direction
from east to west, remaining visible merely for a few
minutes. The wind at the time blew fresh from the
W.N.W., and although the sky was serene, the sea was
rather agitated ; the barometer, at the level of the sea,
marked 20.37, and the thermometer stood at 70 of egs
Unusually cool weather prevailed, especially to
wards sunset and throughout the night. Many
consider this to have been the predicted comet, for
averting the consequences of a crash by a corn-
aion of our earth with which, prayers had been
Catholic
ephuubrleichly offered
es
oftheislabny thdoe
nth devouteni in g
htstohe Roman
fthel2th and
dl3ltihc
of June. Many timid old women had not bad a wink
of sleep for several nights preceding the 13th, being
unwilling to be caught napping during the anticipated
rash.

tvihheTicdahencaepWapsee: MUnDER AT STAFFORD.—Yesterday M.
C. C. Lewis, the coroner for Essex, held an inquest at
the Cart and Horse public house, Stratford, on view of
the body of Mary Crawley, aged 62, who was murdered
by her husband, Michel Crawley, some particulars of
rpedreisnenttheids jaovuerrnyalsyhensetkeirndaaya.ppeTrahneebe.odTynoef
top of the head was literally beaten in, while on different
parts of her body, arms, and legs were fractures, and
tee
floor, walls, and ceiling of the room were bespat-
red with blood. The jury returned a verdict of wilful
murder against Michael Crawley, the husband of the
deceased, who was then committed for trial.
THR CASE OF CARD-SHARPING ON THE WINDSOR RAIL
WAY.—The prisoner in the case of card•sharping, an ac-
count of which appeared in The Sun of Friday. was
brought before the Windsor magistrates yesterday. It
will be recollected that the victims were two foreign gen-
(lemon, whom the victimisers, three in number, joined in
a first-class carriage on the Windsor railway. The fo-
reigners were induced to play at cards, and after leaving
the train found that their pockets had been picked, one
having lost bank notes to the amount of 501., the other
to that of 301. One of " the three" was afterwards ap-
prehended at Hampton races. The magistrates sentenced
the prisoner to three months' hard labour. Notice of
appeal to the quarter sessions was given, and bail was
accepted
by
rtil3aineebench. The prisoner, upon being taken
into custody refused his name, but afterwards said it
was Joseph Gilbert,
PRICE OF GOLD.—The quotation of gold at Paris is
about 4 per
is 25.25 ppreermli/timst'erl
London On comparing these
rates with the English Mint price of Si. 17s. 100, per
ounce for standard gold, it appears that gold is about
anding.the short exchange on
l'll:Mi per cent, dearer in Paris than in London. By
advises from Hamburg the price of gold is 4231 per
mark, and the short exchange on Londcn is 13.4 per 11.
sterling, Standard gold at the English Mint price is,
therefore about 1-10th per cent. dearer in Hamburg than
in London. The course of exchange at New York on
London for bills at 60 days' sight is 109'4 per cent.
which, when compared with the Mint par between the
two countries, shows that the exchange is slightly in
favour .of &gland ; and, after reeking allowance for
charges of transport and diffevence of interest, the pre-
cent rate leaves a small profit 9 n the importation of gold
fron3 the United States.

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