The Sun.
London, England, 1868-06-10 00:00:00

HER MAJESTY.

BALMORAL CASTLE, June 7.
The Queen and Princess Louise attended Di-
vine service at the parish church, Crathie.
The Duchess of Athole, the Hon. Miss Cathcart,
and Colonel Ponsonby were in attendance.

There will be an interesting llandel revival at
the Crystal Palace on Saturday next, it having
been decided to perform the great master's " Fire-
work music " in connection with a pyrotechnic
display. As the work is rarely heard, and but
very little is known concerning it, a few particulars
may not be unacceptable. On the 27th of April,
1749, the Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle was celebrated
by a firework exhibition in the Green Park. The
" machine," or stand, " represented a magnificent
Gothic temple, from which extended two wings,
terminated by pavilions 114 feet in height to the
top of his Majesty's arms, 410 feet long." Pre-
ceded by a salute from " 101 brass ordnance " the
affair ended by the Gothic Temple taking fire, and
very nearly burning down the King's library which
stood close at hand. But some music Mr. Handel
had written for the occasion was duly played out,
and seems to have gratified the crowd immensely.
The greatest curiosity had been felt about it. A
contemporary print records how, when the music
was rehearsed at the Spring Gardens, Vauxhall,
12,000 persons attended and " occasioned such a
stoppage on Loudon Bridge that no carriage could
pa=s for three hours." This excitement probably
irom tne peculiar character of the
music as from the popularity of its composer. The
overture, for example, truly described as "a grand
overture of warlike instruments," was written for
twenty-four hautboys, twelve bassoons, nine
trumpets, nine horns, three pairs of kettle-drums,
a serpent, and a double bass. So remarkable an
orchestra would account of itself for any degree of
curiosity. The other pieces, intended to illustrate
various pyrotechnic designs, were two allegros—
the second called "La Rejouissance " one
Bour6e, one Siciliana, entitled "La Paix," and
two minuets, in all of which the " warlike
instruments " were joined by others more peace-
ful. Handel must have been gratified by the
success of his novel effort. " Firework music "
had a place in concert programmes for a long
time, and when the composer directed its perform-
ance on behalf of the Foundling Hospital it brought
1,000 half-guineas to the funds. In return Handel
was enrolled a governor and guardian of the
hospital.
A correspondent of the Atlas forwards a local
paper, which describes the attractions held forth
by the booths at some races recently held at Wye.
In several instances these consisted of skeletons ;
and, in one case, the interest was heightened by
the announcement that the remains were those of
One of the victims of the Clerkenwell explosion.

A correspondent of the Scotsman calls attention
to what he calls an act of Vandalism. He says
that the shaft of a cross, which for centuries
marked the point whence Robert Bruce and his
followers left Arran, has lately been removed, and
used in the construction, in the neighbourhood, of
a dry stone dyke.
IGNORANCE OF DIVINITY STUDENTS.—In the
General Assembly, last week, at Edinburgh, there
was an interesting debate upon a proposition for
establishing a more satisfactory mode of examining
students by the presbyteries of the Church. The
contemplated improvement was warmly advocated
by Mr. Douglas Maclagan, who gave, from his own
experience, an amusing example of its necessity.
He said :—ln the medical faculty, with which he
was connected, they required the students to pass
a preliminary examination in literature and mathe-
matics. At a late examination there were fif cy-
five candidates, and in English twenty-seven
passed and twenty-eight were rejected. If the
Assembly were to hear all the details of the
examination, they would be astonished. One of
the questions—not a very profound one—was as to
the meaning of the word "hypothesis." One of
the candidates said that it meant " a machine for
raising water."—(Laughter.) Another candidate
said that it meant " something that happened to a
man after his death."—(Laughter.) One of the
historical questions put was as follows :—" Give
some account of Galileo and Copernicus ;" to
which one of the students replied that Galileo was
a man that had committed five murders—(laugh-
ter),—another that Galileo and Copernicus were
two gentlemen who had fallen together in some
battle—(laughter),—and a third student said that
Copernicus was " a compound of two metals."---'
(Laughter. )
M. Vivien De Saint Martin has in the press a
new Universal Dictionary of Geography, which is
to contain a description of all the countries and
peoples of the world, after official documents, and
the results of the latest investigations of topo-
graphers, archwologists, natural historians, hydro-
graphers, and statisticians.
At a meeting of the Dublin corporation on Mon-
day, Mr. A. M. Sullivan, of the Nation and Weekly
News, appeared for the first time since he had been
liberated from prison, where he had been incarce-
rated on conviction for publishing seditious libels,
in his place in the council chamber. He received
a warm ovation from both sides of the house.
He claimed indulgence while he thanked the
members for their kindness, and as to the pro-
position that he should be nominated as lord
mayor for the ensuing year, he took the first op-
portunity to come there, and in the strongest but
most respectful manner to refuse and disclaim any
such compliment. He would place no limit to
to the kindness of the house in its desire to
compliment him, but he could not allow the
public to believe that he intended to ask or ac-
cept such a compliment. He would ask the
town clerk to replace in the books a notice given
by him last year, that he would nominate the
Lord Mayor for the ensuing year from amongst the
gentlemen comprising the minority (Conservatives)
of the council. Nothing that could happen to him
would withdraw him from the direct line of prin-
ciple on which he acted in giving that notice--
namely, that all sides should be admitted in their
turn to such representative positions in the coun-
try as could be conferred on them—(hear, hear)--'
and if ever there was a time at which, more than
another, he would like that that wholesome prin-
ciple should be most strictly asserted, it was now,
when some of their fellow-citizens throughout the
country might be agitated by fears as to whether
they might apprehend injustice from the majority
of their fellow-countrymen in case they were 10
power. It would afford him much gratification to
move that some gentleman of the minority should
be nominated for the mayoralty for the ensuing

year.
The Northern Whig reports that some rioting in
Banbridge on Friday and Saturday, occasioned by
some persons who took offence at the prolonged
visits to that Orange locality of three members of
the order of St. Vincent de Paul, who morning and
evening conduct religious services in the Roman
Catholic chapel. In spite of the efforts of the
police they came into the town from the surround'
ing neighbourhood in a state of great excittnaen
and smashed the windows of several Roman Ca-
tholic inhabitants. The police assembled near 00
chapel to prevent the mob from attacking it, and
were assailed with showers of stones. On Sundlf
comparative quietness prevailed, but fears were Co'
tcrtained that that the rioting would be renowej
upon a more formidable scale.
FORCER"! OF TICKETS TO A. LIBERAL AIEETISG.---.
We are informed that summonses will be applied for to-
day, the Liverpool Police-court, against the person!
supposed to have been the principals in the recent forge'a
of tickets for the Liberal meeting. The parties implicated
are believed to be Orangemen.
THE TEA DUTY IS REDUCED —fforniman's Pure Tea 14
sold Bd. per pound Cheaper. This interesting fact will,
fully known, even further increase the demand for
thus
Choice, long-approved Teas. They are 7wt sold loose, but
only in Packets, signed " London.