Far the most entertaining volume of personal gossip we have had this year is the late Sir William Gregory’s Autobio graphy edited by his wife, and just pub lished by John Murray. This amusing veteran must not be confused with Sir Charles Gregory, the venerable civil engineer wbo recently espoused the octogenarian Mrs Stirling. Sir William was a much more important and distin guished individual. LORD PALMERSTON’S MOT. A Palmerstonian jest is among the political reminiscences:— “ I remember a charming mot of Lord Palmerston one evening at a party at his own house. The Princess of Servia was going out, and her dress caught in the doorway. Lord Palmerston stooped and loosened it, and then, bowing and laugh ing, said, ‘Vous voyez, Princesso, cost toujours la Porte qui vous incommode.’" THE QUEEN S BAL POUDRE. Hero is a description of the Bal Poudre in 1845 :

“ It was in this year, on June 6fch, that her Majesty gave her' celebrated Bal Poudr4, to which I had the honour of receiving an invitation. The costume was limited to the pei’iod between 1730 and 1750. My dress cost between L7O and LBO, so I may as well describe it. High red-heeled shoes with diamond buckles; white silk stockings with gold clock; cherry-coloured velvet breeches; a deep waistcoat with flaps of white satin, embroidered with arabesques ; a turquoise coloured velvet coat with gold buttons, from whence emerged a sword; and on my head a small three-cornered hat trimmed with ostrich feathers. The cos tume of the time required a small bob-wig with a couple of side curls. Most of the guests cut off their hair and invested in a horse-hair wig. I allowed mine to grow, and had it well curled and pomatumed and powdered just before starting. The dances of the evening were minuets, Sir

Roger de Coverley, and country dances. After her Majesty had danced her minuet the other minuet parties came forward and danced before her. I never saw so striking a sight as this ball. Besides our own national attire, civil and military, we had Hungarians, Venetians, Russians in short, the inhabitants of all Europe in the dress of the period ; and the ladies looked superb in powder, rouge, and patches, especially ladies in -the autumn of life, who, for that night at all events, com. 