The Sun.
London, England, 1850-01-14 00:00:00

dent to offer s fresh insult to an American citizen,
who read the Protestant service to twelve of his
countrymen, at his residence in Via Bastianello, and
who received an express prohibition to repeat the
offence on pain of expulsion, notice having been given
to Mr. Cass, the American Minister, that his coun-
tryman would be sent away if he repeated
the offence of worshipping God according to the dic-
tates of his conscience. The Americans have long
wanted a port in the Mediterranean, and the present
Government must possess but little of the proverbial
American " cuteness" if it does not take advantage
of this lapses on the part of the Cardinals, to take
possession of, some port in the Mediterranean. No
European power could or would risk a war to prevent
them.

Letters from Rome of the sth inst. state that the
French army of occupation is to be reduced to 18,000
men. The cold was intense, and the roads were
covered with snow. Other letters of a private kind
state that the Very Rev. Dr. CULLEN, many years
President of.the Irish C'dlege at Rome, has been
appointed by the POPE Primate of all Ireland. Dr.
CULLEN'S name was not on the list of prelates whose
names were sent from Ireland, and the unusual fact of
choosing out of the list will, it is believed, excite
discontent amongst the Irish bishops. Dr. CULLEN is
shortly expected at Paris on his way to Ireland.

COURT CIRCULAR.
WINDSOR, SATURDAY.

The Queen and his Royal Highness Prince Albert,
with the Royal Family, and attended by the Mar-
chioness of Douro, the Earl of Listowel, Colonel
Hon. R. Buie, Colonel Hon. Charles Grey, Lord
Charles Fitzroy, and Colonel Seymour, drove to
Frogmore this morning. His Royal Highness Prince
Albert, with the gentlemen in attendance, enjoyed
the diversion of skating in the ornamental water in
Frogmore grounds. The Queen and her Royal
Highness the Duchess of Kent were present.
The Marquis of Breadalbane and the Earl of
Liverpool left the Castle to-day.
There was no addition to the royal dinner party
this evening.

SUNDAY.

The Queen and his Royal Highness Prince
Albert, her Royal Highness the Princess Royal, the
ladies and gentlemen of the Court, and the domestic
household, attended Divine service this morning in
the private chapel of the Castle. The Hon. and
Rev. G. Wellesley officiated.
There was no addition to the royal dinner party
this evening.

His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge
visited her Royal Highness the Duchess of Gloucester
on Friday at Gloucester House.
Sir George Grey returned to town on Saturday,
from a visit to the Duke of Bedford, at Woburn
Abbey.

BALLOONS FOR CONVEYING
INTELLIGENCE.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
Sort,—As in common with others, I feel greatly
interested in the success of the expedition now about
to proceed to the Arctic regions in search of Sir John
Franklin and his companions, I was much pleased
with the result of the experiment, on Wednesday last,
of balloon agency for the conveying of intelligence to
great distances.
Though the project of sending off dispatches by
balloons dates back some years, there may be fresh
conditions affecting its application. Since paper
balloons were first used for such a purpose we have
improved in the manufacturing of calico ; we can now
obtain thin calico at about 2d. per square yard, admi-
rably suited for balloons ; the varnishing per square
yard would be about 2d. more, together 4d.. Taking
into account the making, a balloon of such material,
of about fifty cubic feet contents, requiring nearly
eight yards material, would certainly cost less than
five shillings, and if a large number were made the
cost would probably not much exceed half-a-crown
per balloon, with an available buoyancy of about
eleven ounces, supposing the inflating gas to be about
one-sixth the weight of atmospheric air.
A calico balloon admits of rough handling, which a
paper one does not; and though the calico balloon
must, to hare a certain available buoyancy, be larger
than a paper one and would require more gas for its
inflation,:still, considering the nature and object of its
employment and the facility of supplying gas, the
calico balloon, I have not a doubt, would be found
preferable; for when it descends it might be held to
the place of its descent by a small grapnel with a
line of some twenty yards length, and it would en-
dure in its captive state hard thumping upon an ice-
berg, the gas not immediately escaping, its size would
not for some time diminish, and there would be a
better chance of its being seen at a distance.
The plan of dropping papers by means of a slow
match does not, I think, admit of a long suspension ;
if so, the ranges must necessarily be short. Surely
it would be better to secure the papers, so as to de-
scend with the balloon, which would probably take a
flight of some twenty-four hours before it alighted,
and it might he seen for some hours upon the wing,
hich might lend to its discovery.
With respect to the inflation, would it not be better
to obtain hydrogen gas by the decomposition of steam
than by the chemical action of sulphuric acid upon
zinc filings ?
In conclusion, I would observe that balloons may
not only to a means of salvation to voyagers, but a
means also of furnishing interesting information as
to the currents of air at high elevations in.the Arctic
regions. NAUTICUS.
Jan. 12, 1850.