GREAT BRITAIN.

Southland Times, 2 March 1864, Page 5

GREAT BRITAIN.

THE COTTER AND PERSONAL. T&e Queen is in the enjoyment of excellent health, dad,, with the royal family, -takes daily walks sb 4 drives in the vicinity of Osborne. . December I being tire anniversary of the birth of her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales, the bells of the various churches rang: a merry peal. The troops of the Household: Brigade paraded in the court-house opposite Marlborough-house, with their state bandsThe royal standards were hoisted on the Government offices, and the vessels in the river presented a. gay and animated appearance. In the evening her royal highness's tradesmen illuminated their houses. On December 8, at the Court at Windsor, his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales was by her Majesty's command, introduced into the Privy Council, where iris royal highness took his place at the upper end of the board. On December 14, the second anniversary of the death of the Me Prince Consort, the Queen, accompanied by all the members of the royal family, proceeded in the morning to the Royal Mausoleum (where her Majesty is in the habit of going constantly), and permission was given to all the members of the household, including the servants, to go there, and pay a tribute of love and respect to the memory of their beloved, aud revered, and c ver- to"-be • regretted master. The Crown Prince and Princess of Prussia left England in return to the Continent on December 15. Their royal highnesses availed themselves in their journey of the lines of the Charing Cross Railway, which are finished from the South -Western Railway in the Waterloo-road to the South Eastern at London-bridge.

The Palmerston scandal has dwindled from its threatening proportions into so. unformidable a scarecrow, that even high officials crack jokes on it. One of Lord Palmerston' s chief colleagues in the Ministry the other day facetiously proposed to designate the Premier as " as our own co-respondent." Colonel Crawley has been fully and honourably acquitted by the court-martial at Aldershott. The following are the terms of the decision :—" The Court having duly considered the evidence in behalf of the prosecution, the evidence the prisoner has adduced and what he has stated in his defence, and the prosecutor's reply, is of opinion, with regard to the first charge, that he, the prisoner, Lieut. -Colonel Thomas R. Crawley, of the Gth Dragoons, is Not Guilty. With, regard to the second charge the Court is of opTnion that he, the prisoner, Lieut.-Colonel Thomas R. Crawley, is Not Guilty. The Court does, therefore, fully and honourably acquit him, Lieut. -Colonel Thomas B. Crawley, of both the chargas preferred against him." . . Colonel Crawley's expences from the late court-martial have been variously estimated at L3OOO and LSOOO. Mr Vernon Harcourt's retainer was LSOO, and LSO each day he was employed. There is a rumour that a subscription has already been commenced for the purpose of protecting him from loss.^ Lord Cardigan, it is said, has headed the list with LSOO. There is no doubt, however, that the news of Colonel Crawley's acquittal will be the signal for the immediate openiug of a subscription, the contributors being of every class, sex, and rank, but chiefly military men. . ,-,/-, Lord Wodehouse has proceeded to Copenhagen to congratulate King Christian IX. oa his accession to the throne. He is furnished with instructions from the British Government relating to the affairs of the Danish monarchy at the present time. Sir Rutherford Alcock, our Minister to Japan, leaves for his post on December 28.