The Sun.
London, England, 1844-04-27 00:00:00

COURT CIRCULAR.

Her Majesty the Queen Dowager gave a grand dinner
yesterday evening, at her residence, Marlborough House,
to the Queen and Prince Albert,, and their Majesties the
Xing and Queen of the Belgians.
The company present to meet the Illustrious Guests
consisted of his Serene Highness Prince Edward of Saxe
Weimar, the Marchioness of Douro, Lady in Waiting.on
the Queen ; the Baroness d'Hoogvorst, Lady in Waiting
on the Queen of the Belgians ; the Archbishop of Can-
terbury and Mrs. Howley ; the Earl of Aberdeen, the
Earl and Countess of Haddington, Viscount and Vis-
countess Barrington, Earl Howe and Lady Georgiana
Curzon, Mr. Frederick Curzon, Lord and Lady Rad-
stock, Earl of Harkwicke, Lord in Waiting on the
Queen ; Count Mercy d'Argenteau and Major A.
d'Hanins de Moerkerke, in waiting on the King of the
Belgians • Hon. William and Mrs. Ashley, Hon. Miss
Boyle, Rev. J. R. Wood, Colonel Buckley, Equerry in
Waiting to the Queen ; and Colonel Bouverie, Equerry
in Waiting to Prince Albert.
His Royal Highness Prince Albert, attended by Colo-
nel Bouverie, honoured the Society of Water Colours
with a visit yesterday, to inspect their exhibition in
Pall-mall East.

Her Royal Highness the Princess Sophia Matilda
visited the Queen and their Majesties the King and
Queen of the Belgians, at Buckingham Palace, yes-
terday.
His Royal Highness Prince Albert, attended by Colo-
nel Bouverie, went yesterday afternoon to the office of
the Commission for promoting and encouraging the Fine
Arts in the rebuilding the Palace of Westminster.
The Royal Family were taken their accustomed air-
ings yesterday in the Royal Gardens of Buckingham
Palace.

THE QUEEN'S DRAWING• ROOM.--The Duchess of
Cleveland, Lady Dufferin, Lady Elizabeth Gore, the
Lady Leigh, the Hon. Lady Butler, the Hon. Emma
Leigh, the Hon. Mrs. Norton, and Miss Ruck Keene,
were among the company present at her Majesty's Draw-
ing-room on Thursday.
The Earl of Liverpool, Lord Steward of her Majesty's
Household, gave a State banquet on Thursday, at Fife
House, in honour of her Majesty's birthday, to which
the Noblemen and Gentlemen of the Board of Green
Cloth, with several other members of the Royal House-
hold, and about forty persons of high distinction and
fashion, were invited.
His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge paid visits
yesterday to her Majesty the Queen Dowager at Marl-
borough House, and her Royal Highness the Duchess of
Gloucester, at Gloucester House.
Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of
Cambridge honoured the performance of •the French
plays with their presence yesterday evening.
A Cabinet Council was held at three o'clock yesterday
afternoon at the Foreign-office. It was attended by. Sir
R. Peel, the Duke of Wellington, the Lord Chancellor,
Lord Wharncliffe, the Duke of Buccleuch, Earl of
Aberdeen, Lord Stanley, Sir J. Graham, Earl of Had-
dington, Earl of Ripon, Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone,
Sir H. Hardinge, and Sir E. Knatchbull. The Council
sat an hour and a half.

Mr. Cartwright had an interview with Lord Stanley
yesterday, at the Colonial-office.
Mr. John Wood, Chairman of the Excise, had an in-
terview with the Chancellor of the Exchequer yesterday,
at his official residence in Downing-street.
The Ecclesiastical Commissioners for England had a
meeting yesterday afternoon, at the office in Whitehall-
place. There were present the Bishop of Chester, ti e
Bishop of Lichfield, the Bishop of Ripon, and the Dean
of Westminster.

Baron Brunnow, the Russian Minister, and M. For-
tique, the Venezuelan Minister, transacted business yes-
terday at the Foreign-office.
The boys of the Royal Military Asylum, 300 in num.
ber, with their band and colours, and also the girls of
the establishment, visited the American dwarf, General
Tom Thumb, yesterday. Mr. Barnum, the General's
guardian, expressed the General's delight at the honour
conferred, and hoped they would repeat the visit.
Dispatches ware sent off yesterday from the Colonial-
office for the Governor of Van Diemen's Land.

Mr. and Mrs. Grote have arrived at their residence in
Eccleston-street, from the Continent.

STATE or TRADE.—We have had a very quiet week,
both buyers and sellers suspending operations until the
intentions of Government are made known. It is, however,
expected that no sooner will their plans be declared, than
a great demand will spring up for produce ; and it
is generally thought higher prices will be obtained.
Cotton this week barely supports its position, and
buyers operate with an advantage over last week ; specu-
lators are very shy. For Manchester goods large
orders have been received, but the English
agents purchase with • great caution. The corn
trade is again assuming a gloomy aspect, and
brices are now so surely on the wane, that it will
e a work of time to effect any material reduction
of the present rate of duty ; the consequence is,
that bonded stock can be purchased on terms equi-
valent, or nearly so, to the present duty-pail rates,
less the duty of 17s. per quarter for wheat. Ship-
ping business is active, chiefly owing to the enor-
mous demand for guano traffic. All low-priced vessels
have eagerly been taken for this business, and many
ships have been sold at rates nearly double the price de-
manded twelve months ago. Others have refused to sell
and their vessels have gone out on owners' account. The
ships now arriving are yielding very extravagant profits,
but it remains to be seen whether the fleet of vessels now
on their way to the African islands will afford the same
result. Surely, if the demand for this manure continues
to take off the supplies as they arrive, we shall, ere long,
feel its effects in the reduced prices of provisions.—
Liverpool Mercury.
HORRIBLE DEATH.—On Friday an inquest was
held at the Lye, on Jeremiah Morris, who came by his death
in the most extraordinary manner. The deceased had visited
the works of Mr. Evison, chain-manufacturer at the Lye, on
Wednesday, for the purpose of seeing the men. An appa-
ratus connected with the fire is used for the purpose of pre-
venting the immediate heat in contact with part of the work
from destroying the iron of which it is composed, a portion
of cold water being conducted through a pipe to an aperture
surrounding the part, which becoming warm from the office
it has to perform, is returned through another pipe in a
steaming hot state. The return pipe, from constant use, is
frequently obstructed, and it is a custom with the workmen
to blow down it to clear it. On the present occasion, the de-
ceased coming into the shop essayed to clear an obstruction
which had taken place in the pipe, after others had failed in
the attempt, and, having blown forcibly down the pipe, in
drawing his breath for another and more powerful attempt,
drew from the pipe the next inspiration, which, creating a
vacuum betwixt his mouth and the obstruction, the sub-
stance, whatever it might have been, assisted as it was by
the power of steam behind, rushed upwards towards his
mouth, and deluged him with steam and scalding water. The
unfortunate man died in great agony.— Wolverhampton Chron.
POOR-LAW AuntToßs.—(From a Correspondent.)

—lt is said that there is an intention of disposing of the pre--
sent auditors under the poor-law, and substituting district
auditors. A district auditor will audit for several unions,
attending, most probably, at the union houses periodically to
audit, and giving notice for parish officers when to meet him
with their accounts.
DISTRESSED NEEDLEWOMEN IN LONDON.—A vocal
and instrumental concert, in aid of the funds of this charity,
was given last night at Covent-garden, and if the number of
the audience be any index of the amount of funds given to
the Society, we regret to say, they must have had more to
pay than to receive, for a more wretched house we never
saw. Among the vocal and instrumental performers who
kindly gave their assistance, we may mention Miss Romer,
Miss Sara Flower, Mr. Leffler, Mr. Edney, Signor F. Lablache,
Madame Dulcken, M. Moscheles, and Signor Benedict, but.
with all this talent we cannot say much for their execution,
though on such an occasion we have no desire to be critical
—indeed we have no ground—for the emptiness of the house
is a sufficient excuse for the spiritless performances of the
evening.
Tun KING or Tun FRENCH.--We understand that
there no longer exist any doubts respecting the visit of the
King of the French to this country. The precise period of.
his Majesty's arrival has not yet been definitely decided, but
there is, we believe, every reason to suppose that he will land
at Portsmouth. His Majesty has selected Portsmouth in
preference to Southampton at the suggestion of some naval
officers, on account of there being a clear channel at all times
of the tide at the former place.—Post.
ROYAL BRITISH INSTITUTION, CITY. ROAD. A
public meeting of the friends and subscribers of this Institu-
that
there
hHunter
ere i n
were
above chair.
eight
Ti.
ght Challis,
hundred E s q
males , . D .Wire,
and
females
l
tion (established in 1813, for the education of 1,000 children
without reference to their religious opinions), was held last
night, at the school-room, Cowper-street, City-road ; Alder-
man
Rev. Dr. Campbell, Rev. T. Archer, Rev. P. Lorimer, and.,
many other friends of education were present. The report
nstoaw in the school, and that the sum in the hands of the
stated W.
Treasurer amounted to 1521.18 x. 2d.