The Sun.
London, England, 1844-07-31 00:00:00

COURT CIRCULAR.

WINDSOR, TUESDAY.—The Queen and Prince Albert
walked as usual this forenoon in the pleasure-grounds of
the Castle. His Royal Highness Prince Albert, attended
by Colonel Bouverie, Equerry in Waiting, afterwards
went to inspect the Scots Fusilier Guards on duty here.
Their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales, the
Princess Royal, and the Princess Alice were taken air-
ings in the gardens and slopes of the Castle to-day.
The Earl of Aberdeen took his departure from the
Castle this morning for town.
The Countess of Mount-Edgcumbe left the Castle-in the
forenoon. Her Ladyship has been succeeded as the
Lady in Waiting on the Queen by the Countess of
Dunmore, who arrived in the afternoon. _ _

Lord Rivers took his departure, and has been suc-
ceeded by the Marquis of Ormonde as the Lord in
Waiting to her Majesty.
The Hon. Captain Duncombe also left today, and
Mr. R. Ormsby Gore arrived at the Castle, to relieve
Captain Duncombe in the duties of Groom in Waiting
on her Majesty.
The Queen and Prince Albert took an airing in the
afternoon, in a pony phaeton and pair, the Prince
driving. The Equerries in Waiting on her Majesty and
his Royal Highness, Colonels Buckley and Bouverie,
being on horseback. The Maids of Honour in Waiting,
the Hon. Misses Liddell and Paget followed in a pony
carriage and four.
The royal party returned to the Castle shortly before
six o'clock.

Sir Robert Peel arrived at the Castle this evening
front town on a visit to her Majesty.
The rnyal dinner party at the Castle this evening in-
cluded the Duke of Wellington, the Earl of Jersey,
Lieutenant-Colonel Turner (Scots Fusilier Guards), and
Lieutenant-Colonel Elrington (Scots Fusilier Guards).
The band of the Scots Fusilier Guards was in attend-
ance during dinner yesterday evening.
Her Majesty's private band afterwards attended, and
performed in the Castle the remainder of the evening.

The Duchess of Gloucester visited the Duke and
Duchess of Cambridge yesterday.
Sir Robert Peel left town yesterday for Windsor
Castle, on a visit to her Majesty.
A Deputation from the Chester and Holyhead Rail-
way Company, consisting of Mr. R. Collett, M.P., chair-
man; Mr. Glynn, Mr. Thompson, M.P., Mr. Robert
Stephenson, engineer, and Mr. King, secretary, had an
interview with Sir Robert Peel yesterday, at his official
residence in Downing-street. The Chancellor of the
Exchequer was also present.
Mr. K. Murray had an interview with the Chancellor
of the Exchequer yesterday.
Dispatches were received yesterday at the Colonial-
office from the Governor of Gibraltar. _

v.
The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council had
a meeting yesterday at the Privy Council-office, White-
hall. The Lords present were, Lord Brougham, Dr.
Lushington, Vice-Chancellor Knight Bruce, and Mr.
Pemberton Leigh. The Court met at ten o'clock. Two
cases were heard.
Cockcraft v. Rawles, from the Prerogative Court ; and
Arrisdell v. Retemeyer, from British Guiana. In the
latter case, Mr. Loftus Wigram appeared for the appel-
lant ; and Mr. Burge, Q. C., for the respondent ; and
their Lordships gave judgment, viz., that the sentence
of the Court below be reversed, but that certain liberties
be given as to the production of fresh evidence.

POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTION.
CAPTAIN WARNER'S INVENTION.
In consequence of the great curiosity on the
subject of explosive materials, excited in the minds of
the public, by the recent astounding and mysterious
destruction of the John o' Gaunt, the Managers of
this noble Institution have been induced to comply
with the wishes of their visitors, and on Monday
evening, Dr. Ryan commenced a series of lectures,
explanatory of the means of explosion and combus-
tion which might be available in war. The theatre
was last evening crowded to excess, and the lecturer
was listened to with the greatest interest. Inde-
pendently of the pleasing manner and elegant
though popular style and diction of the lecturer, the
subject proved to possess in itself an importance suf-
ficient to command attention, without the accidental
interest, with which Captain Warner's experiments
have invested it. Dr. Ryan explained, and illustrated
by experiment, a number of the most powerful fulmi-
nates, forcibly cautioning his hearers from attempting
to compound these dangerous materials for them-
selves. He explained the analysis of some ful-
minating compounds, which were so difficult to
regulate, and so dangerous to employ in
any way, even with the utmost caution,
that he dared not attempt to experiment upon them
in that theatre. Indeed, he related instances of terri-
ble injuries suffered by chemists in manipulating
those substances, even with the utmost care and skill.
He himself, on one occasion, had both his arms
broken by an unexpected explosion, and, only on
Monday morning, one of his assistants was severely in-
jured and placed in great danger, although protected
by a mask. But the experiments in the theatre were
free from danger. He would not pretend to conjec-
ture what was the nature of Captain Warner's inven-
tion. His chief object was to show that there were
known to chemists abundance of materials capable of
effecting all that had been done at Brighton, and that
the great difficulty was as to the means of their re-
gulation and application. The illustrations were, in
a high degree, curious and interesting, and the
learned lecturer was repeatedly and warmly ap-
plauded.
Dr. Ryan's lectures on Pott's pneumatic mode of
forming submarine foundations, are highly instructive
expositions of a most important and scientific appli-
cation of pneumatics, to obviate, by simple, inexpen-
sive, and infallible means, all the difficulties which
deep, loose, sandy, or shingle strata below deep water
—and which have been considered almost insu-
perable—present to the formation of founda-
tions. It would exceed our present limits to
detail the ingenious process, for which we must
refer to the lecturer himself, Of whom it is only bare
justice to say, that he renders this apparently tech-
nical and unpopular subject as agreeable and attrac-
tive as it is instructive.
The institution was very fully attended, and the
elevating and enlightening entertainments of this
grand school of practical science were most agreeably
varied by the lecture of Professor Backhoffner, the
diver and diving bell, and the two great wonders of
pandceinleec,traincadl
Lmoancghbiontehsa, Amtrmphitycoasgieo'ssHpe.ydro-
oEiteil ahcctaie
m

SURREY ZOOLOGICAL. GARDENS,
The excellence of this highly-favoured place of amuse-
ment is daily increasing in estimation. Since it has come
into the possession of Mr. Tyler, the present proprietor,
almost every evening's entertainment has been marked
with the presence and approbation of persons of distinc-
tion. We have already recorded the visits of Prince Al-
bert and his Majesty the King of Saxony, with their
suites, to this justly-celebrated establishment, and the
high terms of commendation which these illustrious
personages bestowed on the interesting display, and the
respectful attentions of the proprietors of the gardens.
On Monday evening, among the 4,000 spectators, of the
most respectable class, who witnessed the awfully grand
spectacle of the " Burning of London," were the Duke
and Duchess of Buceleuch, Earl Home, Lord and Lady
Thynne, the Hon. Mr. and Mrs. Talbot, and twenty-six
of the juvenile members of the Nobility, including the
Marquis of Bath, the Marquis of Lothian, the Earl of
Dalkeith, Lord Stanhope, only son of the Earl of Ches-
terfield, &c. Mr. Tyler was in attendance, and much
enhanced the enjoyment of his distinguished patrons by
apposite explanation, for which, and for the kind atten-
tion shown to them during their visit to the gardens, his
Grace and the Noble party warmly expressed their ac-
knowledgments on their departure, at ten o'clock.
The following are among the noble and distinguished
personages who have visited these gardens since the
commencement of the season :—His Royal Highness
Prince Albert, his Majesty the King of Saxony and
Grand Duke of Mecklenburgh Strelitz, the Duke of De-
vonshire, suite,on s ll ihris R
e, Dukeoyal highness the Duke of Cambridge and
of Brunswick, Duke of Portland, Du-
chess of Cleveland, Marquis of Sligo, Marquis of Salis-
bury, Marquis of Titehfield, Archbishop of Canterbury,
Bishop of Norwich, Earl Clare, Earl and Lady Radnor,
Countess of llopetoun, Earl and Lady Grenville, Earl
and Countess Brownlow, Earl and Countess Egmont,
Countess of Camperdown, Earl and Countess of Lucan,
Earl Galloway, Earl and Countess Wick-
low, Lord and
nd CountessLa
dy Gordn
Gordon, Lord Adolphus Fitzcla-
clarence, Lord and Lady Monteagle, Lady Wenlock,
Lord and Lady Montague,
a
Lady Caroline buncombe,
Lady Mary Campbell, Lady Byron, Lady Skelmersdale,
Lady Rolle, Lady Langton, Lord and Lady Orford,
Lord and Lady Gordon, Lord Ashley, Lord Fitzwilliam,
Lord Frankfort, Lord Minto, Lord Delawarr, the Right
Hon. the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Swe-
dish, Mexican, Brazilian, and Sardinian Ministers, Sir
A. Cormack, General Mercer, Sir M. Cholmondeley,
&c. &c.

Mr. Townsend has just published the second
volume, dedicated to Sir Robert Peel, of his valuable
" Memoirs of the House ofCommons The House of
Commons ! What spirit-stirrring recollections does not
that designation awaken! There the battles of social
and political freedom have been fought—there the
superiority of right to might has been established—
there the shackles of the slave have been broken—there
the destinies of empires have been decided—there that
pre-eminence which distinguishes ours above all the na-
tions of the earth has been achieved. What English-
man is there, indeed, who has not a more or less imme-
diate interest in all the transactions of this, the most
illustrious legislative body in the world, the classic
sanctuary of the intellectual greatness of Britain, the
palladium of her proudest attributes—freedom, elo•
quence, and power! At the present day, when reports
of the proceedings of the House of Commons constitute
by far the most important feature in our daily papers,
a popularrivdi history comprehending biogra-
phicallawyers, orators, and
statesmen,
its annals ; a review of
the p
ers, and of their hard-
leetgamosteilsse enjoyed
distinguished
o otyfe h tedha by
speakers,t House,i
e i?i .i
bn
hard-
won right to personal and deliberative freedom; a record
of the vindictive powers exercised by the House over
their own body and strangers; a description of the in-
ternal economy of St. Stephen's Chapel; of the changes
in the habits, manners, and character, of the constituency;
in the decorum and method of proceedings ; in the tone
and temper of discussion; and in the progress of intelli-
gence and refinement—such a history, presented in the
volumes here announced, and enlivened by anecdotes
and extracts from private correspondence, must form a
most acceptable, instructive, and amusing accession to
every library.