The Sun.
London, England, 1844-11-02 00:00:00

COURT CIRCULAR.

WINDSOR, FRIDAY.—The Queen and Prince Albert
took their accustomed early walk this morning. Af-
terwards the Prince went out shooting in the royal
preserves, attended by Lord Byron and Colonel

Bouverie.
Their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales and
the Princess Royal rode on their ponies in the
pleasure-grounds of the 'Castle. Her Royal Highness
the Princess Alice was also taken an airing to-day.
The Dowager Lady Lyttelton has returned to the
Castle, from a visit to Hagley, -Worcestershire.
The Earl of Liverpool took his departure from the
Castle to-day. The Right Hon Sir R. Peel also left
in the forenoon, for town.
Colonel Arbuthnot has relieved Major-General
Wemyss in the duties of Equerry in Waiting to the
Queen, and Lieut.-Col. Wylde has relieved Colonel
Bouverie from his duty as Equerry in Waiting to
Prince Albert. _ _ _

Her Majesty inspected the first sketch of the open-
ing of the Royal Exchange taken on the spot by
Louis Haghe, which was submitted by Mr. Moon.
The sketch embraces an entire and beautiful view of
the grand western portico, with a part of the south
side of the Bank of England, and represents the mo-
ment when her Majesty is stepping out of her car-
riage at the grand entrance, with a detachment of
Life Guards.

Mr. Robins, late High Sheriff of Worcestershire, I
Mr. B. W. Noble, and Mr. Charles Roberts (Stour-
bridge), a deputation from the Committee of the
Stourbridge Canal Company, had an interview with
the Earl of Dalhousie yesterday, at the office of the
Board of Trade on the Oxford, Worcester, and Wol
verhampton Railway.
His Grace the Archbishop of York, Lord High
Almoner to her Majesty, has appointed the Venerable
Samuel Wilberforce, Archdeacon of Surrey, and
Chaplain to his Royal Highness Prince Albert, to the
office of Sub-Almoner, in the room of the Very Re-
verend the Dean of Carlisle.

Count de St. Aulaire, the French Ambassador,
transacted business yesterday at the Foreign-office.
Sir Robert Peel arrived in town yesterday morning
from a visit to her Majesty at Windsor Castle. The
Earl of Lincoln and Sir James Graham had interviews
with the Right Hon. Baronet. In the afternoon Sir
R. Peel left his residence in 'Whitehall-gardens, for
Brighton.
Dispatches were sent off yesterday from the Colo-
nial-office for the Governor of New South Wales.

Dispatches were sent off last evening from the Co-
lonial-office for the Governor of Jamaica, and also for
the Governors of the other West India Colonies.

THE QUEEN'S VISIT to the CITY.
The Lord Mayor received the following communi-
cation from Sir James Graham :
" Whitehall, Oct. 30, 1844.
"MY LORD MAYOR,—I have received her Majesty's
commands to make known to your Lordship and the
Gresham Committee, and to the Civic authorities
charged with the arrangements for the reception of her
Majesty at the Royal Exchange on Monday last, the
gratification which her Majesty and the Prince, her
Royal Consort, experienced on that day.
" The loyalty of the assembled multitude, the splendid
hospitality of the City of London, the order and good
feeling which universally prevailed, have left on the
minds of her Majesty and of the Prince the most pleas.
ing impressions, and I am commanded to convey this
assurance to your Lordship in the name of the Queen
and of the Prince.—l have the honour to be, my Lord
Mayor, your faithful servant,

" J. R. G. GRAHAM.
'' To the Right Hon. Sir William Magnay, Bart., &c.,
Lord Mayor of London."

The Lord Mayor communicated the letter to the
Gresham Committee yesterday.

ORLEANS, TOURS, and BORDEAUX
RAILWAY.
(From the Railway Record of this day.)
The royal ordonnance ratifying the lease of the
railway to the successful competitors, the Mackenzie
Company, was signed by the King on Thursday, the
24th ult., and officially promulgated in the Moniteur
of Sunday last, the 27th.
Thus vanish all the doubts, fears, and apprehensions
of ultimate success entertained by the shareholders
and friends of this Company.
The Directors have already commenced their
" winter campaign" with the intelligence and activity
that have characterised all their previous proceedings.
We understand that measures are in progress for ob-
taining immediate possession of the greater portion of
the 72 miles between Orleans and Tours, in order to
proceed with the ballasting. Whole forests are pur-
chased to furnish sleepers of the best oak timber,
which will be prepared upon the best principle
hitherto known for preventing decomposition ; and the
necessary preparations are making for getting the
carrying stock together so as to insure the open-
ing of this section of the line in the autumn of next
year. The servßes of an English engineer-in-chief,
of high character and practical railway experience,
will be secured, having for his assistants some of the
ablest of the corps of French engineers. And, finally,
we have reason to believe that a contract will be made
with a well-known firm of first class contractors, for
the completion of the works and the stocking and
furnishing of the whole line to Bordeaux, and at a
figure which will be still considerably under
65,000,000 f., the capital of the Company.
This would be a splendid finale to the excellent
management of this Company throughout, in the face
of 70,000,000 f. of capital, estimated by the Govern-
ment engineers in the report of the commission on the
Bill, and of no less than 75,000,000 f. of capital
demanded by two of the late competing companies!
We have reason to believe that a report to the
English shareholders will be issued very shortly, in
which the Directors will give an account of their
stewardship, and such details as to the state and
prospects of the Company, as cannot fail to be satis-
factory to the shareholders. Hitherto, all the
statistics of traffic of this line have been witheld for
a
obvious reasons.

We are happy to find that several of Mr. Balfe's
friends and admirers have expressed their intention of
presenting him with a piece of plate, on the occasion of
the hundreth representation of The Bohemian Girl. A
subscription list has been opened for this purpose, in
which will be found the names of nearly all the leading
members of the musical profession, and several persons
of distinction. One hundred pounds was at once con-
tributed when the subscription was set on foot, and we
have no doubt that many persons will be happy to avail
themselves of this opportunity of testifying to Mr. Balfe
their admiration of his charming compositions, and their
just appreciation of those social qualities which have ren-
dered him so deservedly popular.
REDUCTION 01' POSTAGE ON LETTERS TO AND
FROM VENEZUELA.—Yesterday (Friday) morning the
following " Notice to the Public" was posted in the por-
tico of the General Post-office, and at the several branch
offices throughout the metropolis ;—" On and after the
sth of November (Tuesday next) the postage on all let-
ters posted in the United Kingdom and addressed to
Venezuela, and vice versa, when conveyed direct by
packet boat, will bo reduced to the uniform rate of one
shilling the half-ounce, two shillings the ounce, and so
on in proportion. The postage, however, on letters dis-
patched from the United Kingdom must be paid in ad-
vance. British newspapers, duly stamped, and posted
in the United Kingdom, addressed to Venezuela, and
Venezuelan newspapers printed in the language of Ve-
nezuela, and posted in that country, addressed to the
United Kingdom, when forwarded by packet direct, will
not be liable to postage. When such newspapers are
transmitted by private ship' they will be subject to a
postal rate of ono penny, which must be paid in the
United Kingdom, both on receipt and dispatch.
THE, ROYAL EXCIIANGE.—The influx of visitors
' yesterday far exceeded either of the preceding da) s,
which may be chiefly accounted for by its being the last
in which this edifice will be open to the public prior to
the removal of the banners, flags, armour, the effigy of
Queen Elizabeth, the State chair, and other_ qcprations,
as they appeared a her Majesty's visit.