The Sun. — 1863-01-09 (London, England)

WALES.—Her Majesty's yacht Victoria and Albeit is about to be redecorated, internally and externally, by the Portsmouth Dockyard authorities, preparatory to the conveyance from the continent to England of her Royal Highness the Princess Alexandra of D nmark, the future partner of his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.  " Mrs. Katharine Thomson, who died at Dover of gastric fever on the 191 h ult , was the widow of the late eminent physician, Dr. A. Todd Thompson, and daughter of Mr. Thos. Beyerley, of Etruria, in Staffordshire. She was known to the public as the author of many works of biography and fiction, the first of which, a Life of Wolsey,' was written for the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. Her first novel, called Constance,' was published anonymously, and met with success—an animated picture of country life some forty it also paints the character of Dr. Parr, with wellnaaracqauwaienrtee dl.easTplanepnaleaxrt, andtwo novels thepublishedago authoress with was her bars. Thompson turned to biography. The Life of Raleigh," The Memoirs of the Court of Henry the Eighth,' were followed by ' Memoirs of Sarah, Duchess of Sia.rlborough.' The research and reading requisite for these works gave her material for a series of his- 1 torical novels,--' Anne Boleyn,' Raglan Castle,' The White Mask,' The Chevalier.' In addition to these works she published Lives of the Jacobites,' and two novels, Tracy, or the Apparition,' and ' Widows and Widowers,' The death of Dr. Thomson, in 1849, put a stop ior a time to her literary pursuits. On Mrs. Thomson's return to England, after some years' residence abroad, she published a novel, ' Court Secret,' founded on the well-known story of Kaspar Hauser, Faults on both Sides,' and Memoirs of Villiers, Duke of Buckingham.' Her later works were written conjointly with her son, and published under the nems d 5 plume of Grace and Philip Wharton, The Queens of Society,' and ' Wits and Beaux.' The ' Literature of Society,' only just given to the world, was Mrs. Thomson's last production. ller fellow worker, J. C. Thomson, was , accidentally drowned at Tenby whilst bathing."—Allte, naum, Jan. 3, 1863.  s1;':lt d Court PUBLICof QuarterE X E e usTelsos Sessions the this wee Worcestershirektheehair. man, the Earl of Dudley, made some observations in reference to the execution of William Ockold, at Worcester, for murder, reported in The Sun of Saturday last. A great effort, he said, had been made in Worcester to save Ockold, not from any doubt that he was guilty, or that the sentence of death should hAve followed his crime, but because there was a strong feeling that as the convict was years old, if he had been shut up for the remainder 70 of his days justice w if a uld have been luny vindicated. It guarantee were given to the public generally that sentences p seemed to him that asse passed upon persons would be duly carried out every one woulc I feel pleasure at the discontinuance of such painful scenes as the one that had been wit named last Frida Mr. Curtler, deputy-chairman, coincided y. with his lordship. Ho moved that the matter be referred to a committee, to consider whether a mor : convenient and less dangercus mode could not be found for carryingw out public executions at the gaol. This - cis seconded by Mr. Pakington, who, however, wished it to be distinctly understood that he did not touch at all upon the question of low the law was to be carried into effect in such cases--e question which he considered was ono more for the discussion of Parliament and the nation than of that Court, 'The motion of :lr, Ctirtler was then carried,