(ct 'r Cunt.
Ora Court record is more than usually eventful this week. On Tuesday, the Queen held a drawingroom, at St. James's Palace. There was a numerous attendance of distinguished persons, including the Duke of Saxe Coburg Gotha and the Duke of Genoa ; and General Ougareff, and Count Dimitri Nesselrode, who were introduced by the Russian Minister. Her Majesty gave a state ball on Wednesday night, at Buckingham Palace. The whole suite of apartments and the grand staircase had been tastefully adorned with shrubs and flowers, which shed fragrance as well as brilliancy ; and the grand hall, newly decorated since the Queen gave her last entertainment, was seen for the first time in the freshness of its pictorial and heraldic splendours.
" The ceiling has been painted in oil, and panelled with a great variety of geometrical forms, and adorned with shields of arms, heraldic badges, the insignia of the national orders of chivalry of the Three Kingdoms, the badge of the Prince of Wales, and the monogram of the Queen and Prince, with wreaths of flowers and the various mottoes interspersed—all con- tributing to the general and very beautiful effect. A large oval occupies the centre of the ceiling, in which are the shields of her Majesty and his Royal Highness Prince Albert, surrounded by a wreath of flowers. On the one side is the golden harp of Ireland in a circle of deep blue, and on the other the lion M Scotland. The stars of the orders of the Garter and St. Andrew, with the rose, shamrock, and thistle, on squares of vermilion, are arranged so as to form the points of the geometrical forms into which the ceiling is panelled by colour. The architectural ornaments of the architrave, frieze, and cornioe, are also picked out with vermilion and white, blue, gold, and white, and green and white."
Dancing was confined to the throne-room and ball-room : in both, raised seats were prepared for the Queen, Prince Albert, and the royal guests, backed by draperies of white silk embroidered with flowers. The Duchess of Kent, the Duchess of Cambridge, the Duke of Cambridge, the Grand Duke and Graud Duchess of Mecklenburg Strelitz, and the Duke and Duchess of Saxe Coburg Gotha, were present ; altogether, there were one thousand nine hundred guests. The ball was opened by the Queen and the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg Strelitz ; and was con- tinued from ten until half-past twelve o'clock ; then supper was served in the dinner-room. After supper, her Majesty returned to the ball- room, dancing was resumed, and continued until two o'clock. The Queen then quitted the state-rooms, and the company departed.
The King and Queen of Hanover arrived at Woolwich on Thursday, in the Black Eagle ; and were received by the Duke of Cambridge and Count Kielmansegge, who both assisted the King up the landing-steps,
under a royal salute from the battery. The Queen of Hanover was handed up by Commodore Eden. They are accompanied by the Crown Prince and the Princesses Frederica and Maria. Having stopped at the Hanoverian Legation, they speedily set out for Buckingham Palace to visit the Queen ; but they had not proceeded far when they met her Ma- jesty and Prince Albert coming to welcome them. Upon this the whole party returned to the Legation.
The King of Hanover, the Duke and Duchess de Nemours, and the Duke and Duchess of Saxe Coburg Gotha, visited and dined with the Queen yesterday. The Queen of Hanover was prevented by a slight in- disposition from dining at Buckingham Palace.
Her Majesty and Prince Albert visited the Duke and Duchess d'Au- male on Saturday. On Tuesday and Thursday they went to the Italian Opera.
Prince Albert visited the camp at Chobham on Wednesday ; and on Thursday he laid the foundation-stone of a new asylum for idiots, at Earlswood Common, Reigate.
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