The Sun.
London, England, 1857-12-18 00:00:00

COURT CIRCULAR.

OSBORNE, DEC. 16.

Prince Alfred visited the Quee❑ yesterday, and
returned to Alverbank in the afternoon.
There was no addition to the royal dinner party.
The Countess of Gainsborough has succeeded the
Duchess of Athol as Lady in Waiting to the Queen.

A Cabinet Council was held yesterday at the official
residence of the First Lord of the Treasury in Downing-
street. The ministers present were : Viscount Palmer-
ston, the Lord Chancellor, Earl Granville, the Mar-
quis of Lansdowne, the Earl of Harrowby, Sir George
Grey, the Earl of Clarendon, Mr. Secretary Labouchere,
Lord Pann3ure, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sir
Charles Wood, the Right Hon. R, Vernon Smith, Lord
Stanley of Alderley, the Duke of Argyll, and the Right
Hon. M. T. Baines.

The War Committee of the Cabinet had a meeting
yesterday at the office in Pall-mall of the Secretary of
State for War. Present : Lord Panmure, the Duke of
Cambridge, Viscount Palmerston, Sir George Grey,
Sir Charles Wood, and Sir Charles Yorke.

SOUTHAMPTON, DEO. 17.

The Prince of Wales accompanied by the Prince
Consort, and attended by Captain Du Pratt, Equerry
to the Prince Consort, and by Mr. Gibbs, his royal
highness's tutor, landed here this morning from the
royal yacht Fairy, for the purpose of inspecting the
Ordnance Map-office in this town, where the operations
for completing the Trigonometrical survey of the
United Kingdom are carried op. A splendid fire proof
building has j ust been erected at a cost of 8,0001., and
now forms one of the Ordnance Map-office buildings.
This place has been erected for the purpose of preserv-
ing the engraved plates of the maps, and the maps
themselves ; and also for the purpose of providing
additional accommodation for the officials employed in
the survey. Until very recently nearly 400 persons were
employed in the Southampton establishment, comprising
engravers and computers of the sides and areas of
triangles. The computations are of the most rigorous
character, their accuracy being proved by a variety of
methods. One of the officials is distinguished for
remarkable powers of mental arithmetic, and can detect
numerical errors at a.glance. The triangulation is per-
formed by the Sappers and Miners, who travel all over
the country. Latterly the official staff at Southampton
has been somewhat reduced, in consequence of a parlia-
mentary decision respecting the scale of maps of the
survey. Prince Alfred inspected the Ordnance-office a
few days since. The royal barge from which the Prince
of Wales and the Prince Consort landed at the docks
was steered by a boyelooking naval officer in full uniform.
This was Lieutenant Hewitt, who distinguished himself
in the Crimea. When the Turks, who were stationed in
an advanced position, retreated before the Russian
cavalry at the battle of Balaklava, a 64-pounder from
one of her Majesty's ships, in charge of Mr. Hewitt,
quite a yduth, was in danger of being captured. A
military order was received by him to spike the gun and
make good his retreat. He declined to obey the order,
because it was not sent by the captain of his ship.
Instead of spiking the gun, he loaded it to the muzzle,
slowed it round, and fired it at the Russians, amongst
whom it caused fearful havoc. Although so young, he
has the Victoria Cross and other honorary distinctions.
The Prince courteously acknowledged the attentions of
Mr. Levy on the part of the dock authorities as his
Royal Highness left the docks, in company with the
Prince Consort, to proceed to Osborne.

HER MAJESTY'S THEATRR.—Our favourite Giuglini
returns to us on Tuesday, December 29, in the
" Trovatore," one of his favourite characters. The verdict
of the London public, which has been so amply confirmed
by the critical Germans will be again appealed to. Re-
port says his voice and style are more beautiful than
ever.

The command of the 3d Buff, vacant by the death of
Lieut.-General Wodehouse, has been conferred on Ma-
jor-General Sir Henry Havelock.
SOUTHAMPTON DOCK COMPANY.—The directors have
we understand, decided on declaring a dividend for the
etarrent half-year at the rate of 4 per cent. per annum.

THE OUTWARD PENINSULAR MAIL.—The Peninsular
and Orsental Company's steamship Tagus, Captain
Christian, left Southampton yesterday, with the usual
Peninsular mail, 24 passengers, a small cargo, and
6,3841. in specie on freight.
THE OUTWARD WESI INDIA MAILS.—The Royal Mail
Company's steam-ship Magdalena, Captain Abbott, left
Southampton yesterday, with the usual West India and
Pacific mail, 111 passengers, a full cargo, specia of the
value of 10,4001., and jewellery 3,5181. Among the
passengers are Dr. Lyall, Captains Miller, Margesson,
and Barachievet, and Ensigns Currie and Eyre.
THE ELGIN BURGHS. —The Hon. George S. Duff bay.
ing resigned the representation of the Elgin Burghs on
account on continued bad health, Mr. Grant Daff,
Younger of Eden, a local proprietor and barrister-at-
law, has himself as a candidate in the Liberal
interest. Sir James Weir Hogg, late M.P. for Honiton,
is also in the field. The nomination takes place at Elgin
on Saturday ; the contest is likely to be a keen one.
EMIGRATION.— Her Majesty's emigration commission
ers chartered four ships yesterday afternoon (17th inst.)
wiz., the Northern Star, 1,283 tons, to sail from Liver-
pool for Sydney, New South Wales, at 14f. 9s. ld. for
statute adults ; the Storm Cloud, 907 tens, from Ply•
mouth for Adelaide, South Australia, at 141. 155.; the
Parsee, 1,170 tons, from Southampton for .Melbourne,
Victoria, at 141. 19s. sd. ; and the Emma Eugenia, 383
tons, from Plymouth for Perth, Western Australia, at
151. 19s.
TRADE IN AMERICA,—The advioes from New York

yesterday were again very favourable. Although the
present steamer has brought 340,0001., it was expected
that the Africa, which will be due at Liverpool on Mon-
day, would have a larger sum. The two leading houses
would ❑ot draw on England except at 111 to 1111, and
every one, therefore, preferred to send gold. The pros-
pects of recovery among the various suspended houses
were rapidly improving, and it is said the losses will
prove infinitely less than could have been believed in
October last. The stock market was without much
alteration. Erie was quoted 16, Reading 52, New York
Central 72, Panama 93, Michigan Southern 19], Michi-
gan Central 55, and Illinois Central 931.
FUNERAL OF MR. DANIEL GOODALL.—This veteran,
who was drowned in Dunsappie Loch, near Edinburgh,
on Friday last, was intemd on Wednesday afternoon,
at the Grange Cemetery, the ground having been
purchaSed by the Caledonian Youths' Friendly Society.
He was clerk to the society for the long 'period of 30
years ; and the funeral was attended by upwards of 300
of the members. The society purpose erecting a suit-
able monument to his memory. The deceased, who
was severely wounded and lost a leg in an engagement
with an American frigate, during the last war with that
country, had a large circle of acquaintances, and was
much respected. _ _

ANOTHER EXPERIMENT BY THE CORK MATTEABS
COMPANY.--An experiment with Ritchie's Patent Cork
Mattrass took place at Greenock a few days since, and
oas, as that at Woolwich Dockyard some little time
ago, eminently successful. But on the present occa-
sion the eucce-sful result was considerablymore marked.
0:1 the former occasion the experimenter was merely
launched for a month, on the present, ho was
rather suddenly and forcibly thrown from a large
teamer, the Ruby. The exp-rite enter, Edward
Smith, was in the water nearly three-quarters of an
hour, and upon his being taken on board so
tar way he fresh al to have expressed a wish to further try
the powers of the mattrase. The attention of ebipowners
generally throughout the kingdom is at length being, as
it should be, drawn to this valuable patent. If anything
could be suggested to further try the powers of the
patent, it would be at once adopted, but nothing has
been left undone, and the mattress is without doubt the
one thing needful for all seafaring folk. At all events,
whatever suggestions have been made, even against the
powers of the mattress, have been carried out by the
patentee with marked success. A !ergo factory is in
course of erection on the other side of the water.
THE LATE SIR GEO. CAYLEY.—The death of Sir Geo.
Cayley took place on the 15th inst., at the advanced age
of 84. As a scientific man ho held a very distinguished
reition. His inventive genius first displayed itself in
the successful analysis of the mechanical properties of
air under chemical and physical aetion. His papers on
this sutject were published in the philosophical journals
of toe day, and gave rise to a number of experiments both
in this country and abroad on the navigation of balloons,
which then took up much of the public attention. He
pointed out the fallacy of any hopes of success in the
absence of a given power within a given weight ; and,
being well acquainted with the steam engine, on which
he had made experiments with a view to the construction
of the disc and rotatory engine, he showed that there was
little chance of obtaining sufficient power from steam.
These inquiries led to his invention of the air-engine--a
masterpiece of original conception, which proved the great
advantage of using expanded air instead of steam, where
a eight was an important consideration—a discovery that
the Americans are now endeavouring to apply, and one
that engaged his attention up to the period of his death.
Lately he made some discoveries in optics, which were
followed by the construction of an instrument for test-
ing the purity of water by the abstraction of light—an
instrument which has been lately used with success in
investigating the waters of the Thames. Another of his
contributions to scientific knowledge was a remarkably
ingenious arrangement for obtaining and applying elec-
tric power to machinery. He was one of the original
promoters and chairman of the Polytechnic Institution.
He also originated and carried out, nearly 60 years ago,
an extensive system of arterial drainage, embracing
40,000 acres on the neighbourhood of his Yorkshire
estates, on a principle previously unknown in this coun-
try. He was, we believe, between 40 and 50 years since,
one of the first, if not the very first, promoters of the
drainage and improvements in husbandry which now
much distinguish Lincolnshire, where one of his estates
was situated. He was also the first promoter and
adopter of the cottage allotment system for the purpose
of improving the condition of the poor on his property.
As a pelitican he exercised an important influ nce as
chairman of the Whig Club at York. Through his in-
strumentality while in that positioa Mr. Wyvil was re-
turned as an independent member for York, which had
up to that period been a close borough in the hands of
one or two noble houses. He also took an active part
in favour of the Liberal candidate during the celebrated
election of Wilberforce, Milton, and Lascelles, and, sub-
sequently in the election of Lord Brougham. Upon the
passing of the Reform Bill he was himself returned to
Parliament for Scarborough, but he was then at too ad-
%teemed an age to assume a leading position in public
pursuits titter occupying
retired to philosophical
his seat for a single Parliament. The late baronet was
the father-in-law of Mr. E. S. Cayley, one of the mem.
bees for the North Riding of Yorkshire, and he is
succeeded in his title and estates by his son, Sir Digby
Cayley.