The Sun.
London, England, 1868-03-26 00:00:00

MRS. DIS.RAELPS RECEPTION.

The new Foreign Office, which forms part of the group
of buildings in Downing-street, designed by Mr. George
Silbert Scott, was thrown open on Wednesday night
.;o the friends of the Premier ; this reception being the
first since Mrs. Disraeli's recovery from her severe
end dangerous illness, and since the accession of her
husband to the highest post of the Ministry. Though
hastened for the occasion, the work of the builder
shelved few signs of incompleteness. The term
decided for the giving up of the edifice will not
have expired till next month ; yet, by great exer-
tions on the part of Mr. Sheffield, Mr. Scott's clerk of
the works, and of all subordinates engaged in bringing
the palatial pile to completion, the rooms were in tolerable
readiness for the preliminary purpose to which they were
gracefully and splendidly applied. The number of ladies
and gentlemen who passed through the corridors and
chambers—none so spacious as to supply at any time a de-
mand for dancing-room—was, we believe, about 800, many
of whom must have felt their patience severely taxed by
the unavoidable slowness of their progress along White-
hall, in the midst of extremely inclement weather. The
sleet and snow gave dismal warrant to a fear that the
Princess of Wales might relinquish her intention of
honouring Mr. and Mrs. Disraeli with her presence ; but,
after a delay which looked more and more discouraging
with every minute of disappointed expectancy, their Royal
Highnesses the Prince and Princess arrived at the entrance
which was reserved for royalty, in the court-yard of the
official range of buildings. Other members of the Royal
Family had preceded them, the Duke of Cambridge
arriving shortly after eleven o'clock, accompanied by the
Prince of Teck. A little later, the Prince and Princess
Christian came in one of the Queen's semi-state or " dress"
carriages. It was half past eleven when the plainer equi-
page of the Prince and Princess of Wales drew up in front
of the portico. Never since her illness—and, it may per-
haps be said, never even before it—has the Princess looked
better than she looked last night. The rooms of
the new building were thronged with a brilliant crowd
of ladies and gentlemen in evening dress and in military
uniform. There were, by-the-bye, no Court suits, the
ordinary black attire for civilians being the rule adhered
to by male visitors.
The following is a list of the principal among those who
attended :—Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and
Princess of Wales, attended by the Marchioness of
Carmarthen and Captain Ellis ; their Royal Highnesses
the Prince and Princess Christian, attended by Colonel
Du Plat, Colonel Gordon, and Lady Susan Melville; his
Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge, attended by
Colonel the Hon. James Macdonald, and accompanied by
the Prince of Teck ; his Excellency the Austrian
Ambassador, his Excellency the Russian Ambassador and
Baroness Brunnow, his Excellency the Prussian
Ambassador and Countess Bernstorff and Countess Theresa
Bernstorff, his Excellency the French Ambassador, the
Swedish Minister and Baroness Hochschild, the Danish
Minister and Madame Bulow, the Portuguese Minister,
the Netherlands Minister and Baroness Dujardin, the Hon-
duras Minister and Madame Gutierrez, the Minister of
the Republic of Salvador (General P. R. Negrete), the
United States Minister and Mrs. and Miss Adams, the
Spanish Minister and Countess Vistahermosa, the Duke
of Richmond, the Duke of Montrose, the Duchess of
Sutherland, the Duchess of Somerset, the Earl of Shrews.
bury and Ladies Talbot, the Earl and Countess Stanhope.,
the Countess of Jersey and Lady Caroline Villiers, the
Earl Manvers, the Earl of Abingdon, the Earl of Bective
and Ladies Taylour, and a numerous assemblage of mem.
hers of the House of Commons, among whom were the
Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone, the Right Hon. R. Lowe,
the Right Hon. G. J. Goschen, and other prominent
members of the Opposition.