YiliortIlantatto.

The wedding-day of the Pgincess Royal, the names of most conspicu- ous guests, and a programme of the after-festivities, have now been put forward in the official journal of the Court. "The marriage ceremony of her Royal Highness the Princess Royal and Prince Frederick William of Prussia will take place at the Chapel Royal, St. James's, on Monday the 25th of January. "There will be present on the occasion, besides the Royal Family, his Majesty the King of the Belgians, their Royal Highnesses the Duke of Bra- bant and the Count of Flanders, their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Prin- cess of Prussia, Prince Frederick Charles (nephew of the King, son of Prince Charles), Prince Albert (brother of the King), Prince Charles Albert (son of Prince Albert), Prince Adalbert (cousin of the King), and the Prince of Ho- henzollern Sigmaringen, their Royal Highnesses the Grand Duke and Duchess of Baden, and Prince William of Baden (brother of the Grand Duke), and their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Saxe-Coburg; the whole of whom will arrive in Loudon from the Continent on the 15th of January and the following days, and will be her Majesty's guests at Buck- ingham Palace, while apartments have been engaged for their respective suites at Farrance's and Fenton's Hotels. There will also be present on the occasion their Serene Highnesses Prints Edward of Saxe-Weimar, the Prince and Princess of Hohenlohe Langenburg, Princess Feodore, and Prince Victor of Hohenlohe, and the Prince of Leiningen.

"Her Majesty, his Royal Highness the Prince Consort, and the Royal Family, will arrive in town on Friday the 15th January. "A series of theatrical representations will take place at Her Majesty's Theatre on Tuesday the 19th, Thursday the 21st, and Saturday the 23d of January, at which her Majesty, the Royal Family, and foreign visitors will be present. " Her Majesty will give a state ball at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday January 20th. " His Royal Highness Prince Frederick William will arrive on the 23d. After the marriage ceremony on the 25th, the Prince and Princess Royal will leave Buckingham Palace for Windsor Castle, attended by a limited suite.

"Her Majesty will give that evening a state concert: at Buckingham Palace ; to which the persons present at the marriage ceremony, the Corps Diplomatique, the members of the Government, and a number of the aristo- cracy, will be invited.

"On the 26th, most of her Majesty's guests :will return to the Con- tinent.

"On the 27th, her Majesty and the Prince Consort, with the junior mem- bers of the Royal Family, will join the young married couple at Windsor Castle ; where, on the 28th, her Majesty will hold a Chapter of the Garter, for the purpose of investing Prince Frederick William with this dis- tinguished order. The Knights of the Garter attending the Chapter will be her Majesty's guests at the Castle, and will be present at a grand banquet to be given in honour of the occasion. "On Friday, January 29th, her Majesty, his Royal Highness the Prince Consort, and the Royal Family, with their Royal Highnesses Prince Frederick William and the Princess Royal, will return to town, and be present in state at a representation at Her Majesty's Theatre in the evening. On the following day, January 30th, her Majesty will hold a drawingroom at St. James's Palace, for the purpose of receiving congratulations on the happy event.

"The departure of their Royal Highnesses is fixed for Tuesday February 2d. Their Royal Highnesses will embark at Gravesend, in her Majesty's yacht Victoria and Albert, and cross over to Antwerp."

The selection of the Chapel Royal has necessitated considerable al- terations both in the Chapel and the Palace. The Times repeats the current question "Why not Westminster Abbey ? " In the Palace and Chapel, workmen are busy widening doorways, altering staircases, erecting a gallery in the court-yard, and gilding walls. But when all is done the body of the Chapel will only contain 200 persons, and a gallery 200 more. "The Chapel Royal will be almost exclusively filled by the suites of the Queen, the Princess Royal, and the Bridegroom and the Royal guests that have been invited to this great gathering.' There are to be "three distinct processions before the ceremony,—that of the Queen as Sovereign, that of the Bride, and that of the royal Bridegroom." about 1600 persons will be able to see the processions and ceremony. "Fifteen hundred !' says the Times; what a number ! And that only to see the bare externals of the scene! Fifteen hundred to be all that are even to have outside places ! Fifteen hundred out of all England ! As for the inside and kernel of the ceremonial !—that, as we have said, not a single Englishman who is not in one of the suites will see."

The Court Circular, while stating that no official proposal has been made by the Dutch &nit on behalf of the Prince of Orange for the hand of the Princess Alice, expresses a belief that the King of Holland does intend to make such a proposal. Should it be accepted by Queen Vic- teria, the Prince of Orange is to be sent to England "to complete his Siltdies, probably at Cambridge."

A alight change has been made in the composition of the Cabinet. The Earl of Harrowby is announced to have "resigned the office of Privy Seal, not from any political difference with his colleagues, but solely on account of the state of his health, which renders it necessary for him to abstain for some time from all business." He is to be suc- ceeded by the Marquis of Clamicarde.

The pension, for distinguished service, rendered vacant by the appoint- ment of Sir Henry Havelock to the Colonelcy of the Third Buffs, has been conferred by the Commander-in-chief on Colonel Inglis, of the Thirty-second Regiment, who so gallantly and successfully prolonged the defence of the Residency of Lucknow.

It is stated that "the title by which Mr. Charles Compton Cavendish will be called to the Upper House is Lord Chesham, and not Lord Lati- mer, as previously stated."

The following list of the preachers at the Sunday evening services in Westminster Abbey during the month of January has been published as " the correct list "— " The first sermon, on the 3d of January, will be preached by the Dean of Westminster; the second, on the 10th, by the Sub-Dean ; the third, on the 17th, by the Bishop of Oxford ; the fourth, on the 24th, by the Dean of Canterbury ; and the fifth, on the 31st, by the Reverend C. J. P. Eyre."

By an order issued from the Horse Guards, the future admission of students to the junior department of the Royal Military College at Sand- hurst will be regulated by competitive examination. "The age of admission to be from sixteen to eighteen years. The candi- date must apply through his parent or guardian to the General Command- ing-in-chief for permission to have his name entered on the list of com- petitors for the College. On receiving that permission, it will be open to the candidate to compete at any one of the half-yearly entrance exami- nations which may occur while he is within the prescribed limits of age. If unsuccessful, he will be allowed a second trial ; but if again unsuccessful, he will be debarred from further competition for entrance into the College. The unsuccessful candidate, however, will still be eligible to enter the Army by passing the examination for direct commissions. The period of study will be two years. It will be terminated by a competitive exami- nation; the most successful candidates hi which will be permitted to se- lect the corps of Royal Engineers or Royal Artillery, according to the num- ber of vacancies in those corps, or will receive commissions without purchase in the Cavalry, Guards, or Line. Those who select the Ordnance Corps, will be removed to the School of Application at Woolwich."

The payments for education vary from 100/. per annum for the sons of private gentlemen to 20/. and upwards as far as 801. for the sons of va- rious grades of officers. Twenty " Queen's cadets," the sons of officers who have fallen in action or who have died from the effects of active service, will be educated free of expense. The first competitive ex- amination will take place at Burlington House in the course of the pre- sent month. The subjects of examination include the classics, mathe- matics, the English and French languages, history, geography, science, and drawing. "The competitors will be reported to the Commander-in- chief in their order of merit, and those first on the list will succeed to the vacancies at the College."

The competitive examinations for admission to the Staff College will be held at Burlington House on the 1st of February.

The health of the Metropolis has greatly improved. The number of deaths last week was 1013, or 221 fewer than in the week preceding, and 300 below the calculated average. It is remarked in conjunction with this state of the mortality-tables, that the weather has been unusually fine and warm for the season.

Barely a month ago, Earl Spencer resigned the office of Lord Steward of the Household. He was then in excellent health, and continued to be so until last Saturday, when he went out shooting with some friends, at Al- thorp Hall. On Sunday he died suddenly, a few minutes after midnight.

Frederick, fourth Earl Spencer, was born in 1798, at the Admiralty, where his father the First Lord lived at the time of his birth. He entered the Navy before he had attained his fourteenth year, and served on the coast of Frame and Spain towards the close of the great war. He com- manded the Talbot, 28, at Navarino ; and for his services was made a Com- panion of the Bath, a Knight of St. Louis, and a Knight of St. Anne of Russia. Since 1828 he has not been afloat. On shore he was known as Captain Spencer, Member for Worcestershire in 1831, and afterwards for Midhurst until 1841. He became a Peer on the death of his brother, best- known as "honest Lord Althorp," in 1845. The late Peer was Lord Cham- berlain from 1846 to 1848, and Lord Steward from 1854 to the 28th Novem- ber last. He was also a Knight of the Garter. In politics lie was a Whig. He is succeeded by his eldest son, John Pointz, elected for South Northamp- tonshire at the general election.

Death has carried off another sailor of Nelson's day—Sir Alexander Dixie, who died recently at Bosworth Park, Hinchley, Leicestershire. In early life he was wrecked on the coast of France and taken prisoner ; but being released at the peace of 1803, he joined the Canopus, and afterwards the Victory. Nelson confirmed him to a Lieutenancy in 1804 in the Phcebe ; and he served with distinction at Trafalgar. During his naval career, he was once shipwrecked, twice captured, and twice wounded. His services ended with the peace of 1815. He became a baronet in 1850 by the death of a nephew.

Sir Frederick George j. Foster, who died at Westcombe Lodge, Wimbledon, on Christmas Day, had been for some years in the diplomatic service ; first under his father, Sir Augustus Foster, Minister at Turin from 1824 to 1840; and afterwards at other Continental Courts as paid attaché.

By an order of the Postmaster-General, issued on Saturday, "the British rate of postage upon letters despatched, on and after the 1st January, from any port of the United Kingdom by a private ship, whether steamer or sail- ing-vessel, will be reduced to 6d. the half-ounce, in all cases where it now exceeds that sum. The charge upon letters above half an ounce in weight will increase according to the scale for charging inland letters. Letters conveyed by private ship from this country to France or Belgium will con- tinue liable to a combined British and foreign rate of 4d. the half-ounce; and letters conveyed by private ship to Holland, Hamburg, or Bremen, will still be charged with a combined British and foreign rate of 8d. the half- ounce as heretofore."

The Duke of Portland is suffering from chronic rheumatism in his hip; to allay the pain, he inhales the vapour from a spirit-lamp ; while doing so in bed, on Wednesday morning, attended by Mr. Lewis, his house-steward, the lamp was upset, and the curtains and bedding were set on fire. Mr. Lewis acted with great promptitude : the Duke was removed to another room, engines sent for, the house-door kept closed, and buckets of water thrown on the fire, which was subdued before the engines arrived. When the Emperor of the French left Osborne in August last, Jacob Har- bour, a labourer, lost his arm by the explosion of a gun with which he was assisting in firing a salute. About 150/. was raised for his aid ; an applica- tion was also made to the Emperor, and on Christmas-eve arrived a check for 100/. for Harbour—a very welcome Christmas-box for the poor man.

The Abbe Faudon, cure of St. Roch, is to be the new Bishop of Ver- sailles, in the place of Monseigneur Gros, deceased.

M. Leon Falloux a few days ago communicated to the Academy of Inscrip- tions and Belles-Lettres some curious discoveries which he had made at Epinay-sur-Seine, near St. Denis, of vestiges of a Gallo-Roman village and burial-place on the estate called Slanoir du Mont, the property of M. ere- inieux. While some workmen were digging a ditch, 11 Falloux observed traces of sarcophagi in plaster. He immediately bid the men clear away the earth carefully, and thus succeeded in extricating eight of them entire, each of which contained a skeleton. Continuing his researches, he dis- covered ten yards below the surface of the soil a gallery eight yards in length by two in height and breadth. From this gallery doors led to two lateral passages, each in the form of a Greek cross. At another spot, near the principal street of Epinay, he found a crypt, composed of two galleries crossed by a third, the latter of which opens into a subterranean church, constructed, of masonry of great antiquity. At a distance of two kilometres from this, near the Chateau de la Bridle, a large number of ancient graves were found. All these crypts and relics appear to belong to the Merovin- gian period.

When at Balmoral, the Princess Royal has been wont to be a frequent visitor at many of the humble cottages around the Palace ; and her habits of acute and intelligent observation had rendered her quite familiar with the details of lowly life as seen in a Scottish peasant's home. Burns has sung the praises of " parritch," " Scotia's inanely food." Some of our readers may be surprised, while sager faces will relax into a genial smile, on being told that a Princess of royal blood has, in this nineteenth century, donned the housewife's apron, and in childish glee "tried her hand" at stir- ring the porridge-pot. One anecdote we have heard of the Princess Royal was this—Several years ago, when quite a young girl, a matron, 'for whom her Royal llighness had a special liking, had added one more to her husband's family. The baby, of course, was an object of super- lative interest ; and when the christening was about to take place, the Princess asked to be permitted to attend and act as godmother. This was freely agreed to. The day came, and so did his Presby- terian reverence ; but the expected godmother, from some cause, did not make her appearance, and after a little the ceremony went on in her ab- sence. It was barely concluded when the Princess came, breathless with haste and excitement. On being told how matters stood, her undisguised feelings found vent in a sorrowful " Oh ! but couldn't you do it over again ? " When the Court left Balmoral last summer, the dependants were invited up to the lawn to bid farewell to her Royal Highness. The feelings of the Princess so overcame her, however, that she was unable to make her appearance before them and the Prince Consort bade adieu on her behalf. It is a cherished hope them, they will yet see her at Balmoral, though her home must now be at a foreign court. Invitations to be in London at the Princess's marriage have, we hear, been sent, by her own special request, to Dr. Robertson, the Prince Consort's commissioner, and to Mr. Grant, the head gamekeeper at Balmoral.—Ertinburgh Express.

The Emperor of Austria has empowered the formation of a "Trieste Commercial Bank," with a capital of 1,000,000/.

The stock of bullion in the fortress of St. Petersburg and at Moscow is re- ported to be upwards of 20,000,000!.; but the paper circulation of Russia is estimated at 120,000,000/.

About 120 versts of the Warsaw Railway is in working order, goods-trains running over it.

The scheme for completing Clifton Suspension Bridge has not been ad- vanced with sufficient rapidity to permit of an application for an aet this year.

The portion of the East Kent Railway from Chatham to Faversham will be opened for traffic shortly.

The number of letters which passed through the post-offices of France last year was 251,997,700—double the number in 1847, %fore the postal reform. The treasury derived a profit of 19,494,130 francs. The employes numbered 2.5,815.

The actual strength of the regular United States Army is but 15,764. This body is required to garrison sixty-eight permanent forts and to occupy seventy- posts spread over 3,000,000 square miles.

From annual returns it appears that the benefits of savings-banks are yearly more and more appreciated by the people of the Eastern counties of England.

The French Government have received advises from the Marquesas Is- lands narrating an attempt of Admiral Lugeol to punish the cannibal tribe of the Taipi-Vahi for attempting to steal two young women from the French IlliSaitM territory, that they might be sacrificed and eaten. The Admiral burnt a number of villages, but did not succeed in killing any of the sa- vages. The Talpi-Vahi fired a volley at the Frenchmen from the bushes, but hit no one : American whalers had supplied the guns thus employed by the Marquesans.

Count George Brembati, of Bergamo, has been savagely attacked in the streets at night but not robbed ; and his life is in danger. He was connected with the police, and his assassin is supposed to have been a Liberal.

With a view not to encourage the very prevalent practice of duelling in France by giving publicity to "affairs of honour," the press has been "invited" to refrain from publishing the particulars of these combats. Suicides have been frequent in the French Army of late ; several Colonels have published orders of the day stigmatizing the "cowardice" of the practice ; and the Minister of War has thanked these officers.

Among the oaths administered to Governor Moore of Alabama at his in- auguration was the following—" Do you solemnly swear that you have not, directly or indirectly, given, accepted, or knowingly carried a challenge, in writing or otherwise, to any person being a citizen of this State, to fight with deadly weapons, either in or out of this State; or aided or abetted in the same since you have been a citizen thereof; and that you will not, di- rectly or indirectly, give, accept, or knowingly carry a challenge to any person, being a citizen of this State, to fight with deadly weapons, either in or out of the State, or in any manner aid or abet the same during your con- tinuance in office ?"—New _York Journal of Commerce.