The Express. — London, England, 1867-03-12 00:00:00

, 41111.VV00 •--"Mt 31APPIN BROTHERS.—Esi thed A. D. 1810. CHESTSof SILVNAPLATE for theOOLONIES. CUTLERY and SILVER PLATE foi 71711NL911124141. M.111:PIN BROTHERS, LONDON-BRIDGE. MAPPIN BROTH:KM, 222, REGSN'i: ermr. B ROWN and POLSON'B CORN FLOUR for CRILDILBNII DICT. To obtain ertra profit by the sale other kinds sr* 1101111.1b1011 offered instead et BROWN and NABOB'S. John Brown," "John Pelson," la eigoed by the makers as each packet. zhe •xlrPiso. TO COLRESPONDaNTIL Adverthements intended for "The Fspreah" Landes Evening roper, mod be at the Ogee, 10 , boaverle-greek, b Two o'clock on the Jar of publicattea. DRURY LANK Tlll4 EVENUM, FAUST. Mr. Phelps, Messrs. E. Phelps, ►. Iknsby. Fit:lames, Harcourt. Slntyre. Warner, and W. Harri son . Mra Herman Veils. Mrs. H. Vanienhoff, d Isabel Adams. —And WAN rED HUSBANDS FOR MIX. Mho L. Thompson. ItAlriowassr. THIS EVIN7/10, DAVID G %MUCK. Mem. Solberg Dock stone, chippendale, Korn, Clerk, de ; Me.lsebee Moore, latfp pendale. be —DI 4, MON DS AND WARTS. Moore Chippendale, ranee, Ac. ; Mesdames Burke, Moore, de.—And M. WHITE. Tim Brims, HIS LOT LEOS. Mears. Verner& Fenton: Mra White and Mir Wentworth . —And StIADoW MSS SHAM Messrs. Vining, Shore, Verrnr, V. Villiers, Yorreeter, Mellon, end Cathcart Misses Montagu, Edmunds, and Rodgers. LICIT/IL Tins Emma, SIMPSONriIIco. Marra Raw/rya Moe Mb El/worthy. —DON C.4SAR DE HAZAN. Messrs. Yachter, Jordan. aIA A. St. alnyn : Kral. Murray, and Minna Hotrods and C. Led/reg.—ADO THE TWO AMTS. Mr. Widdloomb. Trim EVENING, M ARAI EDDAU(7IITER.9 AND YOUNG HUS- R A KIS —KAM K ItA LIM PR. THE StENs tTIONHAAT. Mews. Thorne, James, Rbson, and TOMO( : Mesdames teaabornwah, liughat, Newton, Weatheraby, tc.—•md A SUIT OS EVIRIHM. HOLBORN. THIS LIIVIRIO, MY TURN rrirat Mr. B• 111610; Mime Foote and Unto.: —And FLYING SCUD. Mews. Novllla, more, Blake, VAlstre, &c.: Mesdames F. Josepba, C. Saandrars, Meads Foote. Mddes , Lembo; Itapacmd, &e. BATTV."!IA. Tan Itemires, MR CORSICAN DRUMMERS—After which the Opening of the PANTOMIME, ending with the Grand Trans formation Scow. Mn.s fAne & Meta Jacob& —To couchette with Till LAST LINK OF LOVE. Uha S. Miles. RION WAS= AT LONDON DRUMM TM DAT —WM& RI. Ms Afteneoca. ft Igo. 111-110iuMi—Ilarsia& elk. 44111 Aftersoce, 71. U. LONDON, TUESDAY, MARCH 12. THERE is a great deal of amateur discussion about " cumulative voting" going on just now. It is doubtless invited by the professed wish of the Government to please everybody with their Reform Bill, a disposition which naturally invites everyone to say what would please himself. There is therefore an opportunity, which we are far from saying is objectionable, for every doctrinaire to advance his pet theory, filled with enthusiasm at the possibility that perhaps some one may agree with him, and that Mr. Dimmer,' may find in it a constitutional principle unknown before. In the case of cumulative voting a little preliminary dis cussion is doubly useful, because it unfortunately is a word capable of a good many different mean ings. Some who use it apply it only to consti tuencies with three members, or " three-cornered " constituencies." Sonic in these cases would give to every man three votes, and some would give to each only two votes, and some only one; hut others would extend it to constituencies withonly two mem bera, allowing every voter to giveboth his votes to the same candidate. Now, these ideas are so different in their operation that it is very inconvenient to class them all under the one phrase " cumulative " voting," and it is desirable to spend a little time in examining the distinctive peculiarities of each. There may, indeed, be laid down ono principle which applies to all, and which will help us to exclude some without further investigation. The object of cumulative voting is to give a fair repre sentation to minorities. This may bo very reason able, but it must not he perverted into giving an unfair representation to minorities. Any system which would enable a minority to return more than its legitimate share of representation would bo manifestly and monstrously unjust. The worst that can be said of the representation of the majority only is that it prevents discussion within the House by the minority, for it still leaves the minority power to discuss outside the House, and it only subjects the minority, in the final vote, to the authority of numbers, which must and ought to be the ultimate arbiter. But if we were by any contrivance to give to a minority a representation beyond its proportion, we might in many cases have the final vote carried by an actual minority of the whole electors in the nation. For if the minority in the nation should chance to he so distributed that it neutralized the majority in a number of constituencies in which separately it was the minority, while in the rest it chanced to be the local majority, the result would be that the real majority of the nation would be outvoted—a result which it is plain the real majority would submit to, in a new institution, only until it was found out, and which, as soon as found out, would be rectified by a rough and rapid method. The majority may be very willing to give the minority a hearing, but it certainly will never consent to give it a new predominance, or even suffer it to have an equality. These suggestions will enable us at once to dis pose of any plea for cumulative voting in consti tuencies with only two members. Applied in them, it would enable a fraction just exceeding one-third of the constituency to neutralize the opinions of the other two-thirds. For one-third, by giving all their votes to one candidate, would accumulate on him as many as the remaining two thirds could give to either of their two, and con sequently but one man over the one-third would enable the minority to secure one representative out of the two. The consequence might be that in a hundred constituencies, having perhaps three hundred thousand electors, the opinions of two hundred thousand would be deprived of their effect upon a division in the House of Com mons by the opinions of one hundred thou sand ; and if the one hundred thousand hap pened to have the barest majority in other consti tuencies, the policy of the country would be de cided in a way adverse to the wishes of the real majority of the electors in it. No doubt this is an extreme case. But, in a less degree, the same result would follow in all instancys in which the minority happened to range between one third and one-half. And in every such case the majority of the constituency would have to endure the mortification of being practically blotted out of the division list in the House of Commons when ever its op' . ns were at issue with those of the local minority. But if it is hard fora minority to be unrepresented at all in deliberation, it is very much harder for a majority to be deprived of effectual representation in voting ; and though our existing system may bo full of anomalies leading to the practical disfranchisement of majo rities, we shall do ill to augment and exacerbate the dissatisfaction by constructing new ones. The only case, then, in which the principle is admissible is where the number of representatives THE EXPRESS, TUESDAY EVENING, MARCH 12, 1867. is above two. But even here we must be on our guard against a like objection. It we ' were to adopt the principle, in a three-cornered 'constitu ency, of giving every voter three votes, with liberty to accumulate, we should find that (MC fourth could return one member out of the three, seeing that one-fourth, multiplied by three, is equal to throe-fourths. But fur the reasons given above, it would never do to let one-fourth possess a third of the representation. Again, the suggestion that each voter should be allowed only one vote, is equally hostile to fairness, for in this case also one man above a fourth would be able to secure a third of the re presentation to his party, since the remainder being barely three-fourths, could not divide them selves into three majorities for three candidates. Earl RUSSELL'S Bill of 1860 avowed this difficulty by allowing each elector in such circumstances to give only two votes, in which case the minority would need to be slightly over one-third to secure one member out of the three. No other method than this, then, appears to be tolerable as a system of cumulative voting. But when we examine its alleged advantages of a practical nature we shall find no very great reason to anticipate benefit from its adoption. Some of its advocates allege that it would diminish the frequency of contests, and the tendency to bribery, because contests and bribery only are to be found where numbers run close. They forget that there will, in the new circumstances, be quite as many fights for the third seat, since till the polling no one can be sure whether the minority is or is not quite up to the mark that would enable it to secure one scat out of three. The real advantage seems to be in the system rather extending than limiting the uncer tainty of the result, and so leading to the healthy interest of a contest, even in cases where at pre sent the majority is so decided that it reigns un disputed. But we must be careful again that in &ming at this result we insist on the system being applied on so large a scale as to have no plain in fluence on party politica. If Mr. DISRAELI dis franchises a cumber of small boroughs in which Whig and Tory interest is pretty equally balanced, in order, by giving a third member to large boroughs, to enable his party to secure a repre sentative where they cannot do so at present, a party use will be made of an alleged constitutional improvement. If constituencies are equalised all over the country, the principle will probably work fairly enough. But, applied on only a small scale, it will open an arithmetical door for a great deal of party jobbery', in which no one but the jobbers will have the smallest idea of what is really being done. _ OUR CONTEMPORARIES. (THIS DAY.) owns to be regarded. The bill is construoted upon • distinct plan, sitsich admits at expansion or restriction speoraing tq invariance; aid it is to be hoped it will now pass without ►ny material alteration. POLIT jL MEETING'S. It is said that yi portant meeting of thsaup- Porten of the be of Derby will take place el l'riday next at his lordship's official residence in Downing street. It is also expected that a meeting of the liberal party will take place at Mr. Gladstone's residence on Carlton-house-terrace, on Tuesday or Wednesday next. Mr. A. J. Herestord Hope, M.P., writes respecting the meeting at the Carlton during the week before last:— " Whether household suffrage be or be not the best solu tion of the reform problem, it is undoubtedly certain that the meeting came to no conclusion whatever upon that or any other question. Some M.P.'e spoke in favour of it, othersegainst it ; motions and counter-motions approving or disapproving household suffrage were suggested and withdrawn. At length, by universal consent, the meeting broke up, with no other resolution than one proposed and seconded by M.P.'s who had respectively made themselves prominent on the two sides, and carried by acclamation, of cordial thanks to the excellent baronet who had acted as chairman. This plain statement of what took place suffi ciently disproves the impression th►t the feeling of the meeting was in favour of household suffrage. I could not detect any predominant feeling either way." LIEUTENANT BRAND AND THE ADMIRALTY. The following is a copy of recent correspondence between the Board el Admiralty sat Lieutenant Brand, it. N. : " Lieutenant Brand, R.N., to the Secretary of the Admiralty. " 9, Bedfonl.place, Feb. 2, 1067. . . "My Lord,—l have the honour to report my arrival in England by the mail steamer Seine, the passengers from which were released from quarantine this day. This being the first opportunity of doing so, I beg to offer a few re marks upon the causes which led to my supersession in the command of her Majesty's ship Delight. " I. I regret exceedingly that by writing in a moment of great excitement, and under circumstances to which I ought to have been superior, because I could afford to be so, a letter to Mr. Buxton, M.P., I should so far have committed myself as to have fallen under the displeasure of their lordships. I feel this the more acutely that their lonlehipe were pleased, no further back than the 6th July, 1866, to exprera their approval of my conduct, under those circumstances in which Mr. Buxton aspersed it, and by their approval confirming that of the naval and military officers under whose immediate command I served in Ja maica, and notably of the commander-in-thief, who fully rewarded me for the exertions I was called upon to make. In the unfortunate position in which I find myself, it is some satisfaction to know that it was not in the direct course of duty, but in a matter apart from the service, that I have offended. " 2. The circumstances under which I wrote to Mr. Buxton were these :—Being in the Delight, at Annette Bay, in August last, the mail from England brought re ports of the debates, and Mr. Buxton's motions on Jamaica.. In the report of Mr. Buxton's speech, I read statements respecting myself which stung me to the quick, accusa tions of inhumanity, want of personal honour, and sug gestions of levity and unfairness in my conduct as presi dent of the court martial, which, woken in the most pub lic place in the world, where I could not answer him, in my absence, and under circumstances of great popular excitement, wounded and irritated me to such an extent, as to make me overstep the bounds of propriety, and to resent what I should have left unnoticed. It might be said that conscious of not having deserved these strictures, and strong in the approval of my superiors, of the commander-in-chief, of their lordship', and of all the authorities, civil and otherwise, in Ja maica, I might have allowed time to do me jus tice, and could have afforded to wait until an undeserved storm had blown over. But these very facts drove the statements, with a deep sense of the injustice of them, home, and I smarted under a sense of injury which I could not stills). In defence of the letters themselves, I cannot offer a word. lam very sorry that I wrote them, and I frankly admit they were improper both in tone arid substance. Let me, however, mention, by way, not of justification, but of extenuation, that I was ill and suffer ing at the time I wrote, that I was alone without anyone to ask for a disinterested view of the position, or toadvise me what course to take. ":1. Under all the eircumatances of the case, I trust their lonlships will see that, though I have admittedly acted with indiscretion, it has not been without great pro• vocation, and that, in considering their attitude towards me at the present time, they will not forget my past services, and th►t the point in which I have erred is one outside the service, which I have ever sought to further and uphold to the very utmost of my ability, and with the approval of officers like Sir H. Seymour and Sir James Hope. "4. With these remarks I venture to appeal to their lordships' consideration, and to hope they will be pleased to consider my heavy punishment in being superseded, as sufficient to meet the exigencies of the case, which I shall ever remember with regret.—l have, &c. (signed), "H. BRAND, Lieutenant, R.N. _ _ " Lord H. Lennox, M.P., Admiralty, London." " The Secretary of the Admiralty to Lieutenant Brand, " Admiralty, Feb. 5, 1867. " Sir,—l am commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 2nd instant, repotting your arrival in England on being superseded from the Albacore ; and I am to acquaint you that this letter, written in the becoming terms in which it is couched, has been received by their lordships with satisfaction.—l am, &c., (Signed) " W. G. Rowan:. " Lieutenant 11. C. A. Brand, R.N., 9, Bedfonl•place." Leave of absence is to be asked in the House of Commons this afternoon, to Lord Eustace Cecil for three weeks, on account of ill-health, and to Mr. Laing fur a week, for the same cause. Mr. Akroyd, on Thursday, will ask the Secretary of the Treasury if his attention has been called to the very incomplete state in which the British portion of the Paris Exhibition is now placed ; and whether he intends to have it completed in " a manner worthy of the commercial dig nity and importanoe of this country." On Thursday Colonel Sykes will ask the Chan cellor of the Exchequer whether it is the purpose of the government to bring before the house this session a reform bill for the representation of Scotland ; if so, whether the principles of representation to be adopted in the Reform Bill for England and Wales will be applied to Scotland ; and whether any attempt will he made, to a grestei or less extent, to adjust the number of representatives in Scotland to the present wealth and population of the country. _ On the consideration of Metropolitan Poor Bill, as amended, Mr. Mill will more the following clause : " That the Poor-law Board may, if it shall see fit, direct a central committee to be appointed, in part composed of members elected or delegated by each local or district board, or any two or more of them. as may he prescribed by the Poor-law Boani, and in part of members, not ex ceeding a third of the whole, nominated by the said board; which central committee may he charged with the super vision, or the executive direction, of any rule or measure applicable to the administration of relief in the whole of the metropolis." Mr. Lowe intends to move, on the 6th of next month, " That this house dissents from so much of the minute of the Committee of Council on Education se pm vides for an increase of the grant. now made to primary schools." Mr. Candlish intends, in committee on Offices and Oaths Bill, to move the omission of those portions of the bill which relate to the office of Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. THE GOVERNMENT.—The changes in the govern ment, necessitated by the secession of three Secretaries of State from the ministry, are now complete, the Earl of Tankerville having been appointed Lord High Steward in the room of the Duke of Marlborough. now President of the Council. The Right Hon. H. T. L. Corry took his seat at the Board of Admiralty on Saturday, for the first time since his appointment as First Lord of the Admiralty. THE IRISH LORD CHANCELLOR. —We regret to say that the Lord Chancellor has been in a feeble state of health fur some time past. On making inquiries at a late Lour last (Sunday) night, we were informed that there was no change in his lordship's eondition.—Thrtlia Express. A deputation from the guardians of the East London Union, consisting of Mr. O. Cuthbert (chairman), Mr. Hudson, Mr. D. Smith, Mr. Buildrueic, Mr. Barber, Mr. Find, Mr. Woodley, Mr. Wanton', Mr. Peake, Mr. Phillips, Mr. Brunton, Mr. laybourne, and Mr. Baylis (clerk), had an interview with the Hight lion. Gathome Hardy, at the office of the Poor-law Board, Whitehall, yesterday. :" LATEST INVOLLIGENCE. • r:RIIIMA AND'_ EASTERN QUESTION. "e following is the text of the last of the four despatches from Prince Gortchakoff to Baron Brunnow, ambassador of Russia to the English court, relative to Eastern affairs, published by tho Journal de St. Petersboury, as announced by tele gram : St. Petersburg, Dee. 5. We do not think that the simple desire of adjourning and appeasing, the desire of the English cabinet which we share, is sufficient to dispel the actual complications. The dispositions, I will say even the =excitation, among the Christian population, menace too pres singly the tranquillity of the East. By content ing themselves with the platonic and sterile ex pression of a wish, the cabinets which have at heart the general peace do not dissipate the dangers which may menace that peace. Like the English ministers, we also wish that complications from without should not aggravate the internal difficulties. Like them, we wish for Russia the peaceful development of the great reforms put in action by the Emperor ; but we think that an absolute abstention, a philosophical indiffereatismc (sic), are far from answering the present exigencies. The ground we always took, and upon which the cabinet of Vienna seems disposed to-day to rejoin us—the development of the internal well-being of the Christian population under the sultan's rule, and even their autonomy with a vasedage bond, that autonomy being the only guarantee which would impart confidence to those populations, has been always deemed by us the better practical mcins of solving the Eastern problem without any hosttile conflict, without any general conflagration, and meantime on a basis of humanity and equity. If I study the actual physiognomy of Europe, I believe I may venture to say that that order of ideas seems to me to enter into the general disposition of the thought ful, and especially of those who hold that shortsightedness in politics is the most dangerous of shortcomings and that the perils of the f uture can only be avoided by the more largely embracing the horizon of the present. But should it be the ease, a theoretical adhesion would not suffice. The great cabinets ought resolutely to set themselves to work, and ought to find in their accord the strength of realising without violent shocks the views of practical justice and wisdom which cannot fail them, asd the success of which would contribute to prolong the only form of political ex istence left to the Muuulmen power in Europe. We ask that accord with all our wishes, and our august master would lend to it his most loyal assistance. This day I have touched but slightly that grave question. But I think I have said enough to indicate the principle around which we invite the great powers to rally themselves. It will depend upon them to develop that idea, and most cer tainly we shall not refuse to bring oar quota. EARL RERRELL AND THE REFORM QL ESTION. The Times deals with Earl Runic speech with Its usual severity when his lordship is concerned. It was irritating ; it carped at trifles ; it was mean, paltry, and in a very email way egotistic ; but the gravest objection of all is—that it showed an incurable unwillingness to review the preconceptions of another generation ; a clinging to old schemes of reform, the utility of which has passed away ; a hesitation to acknowledge that new circumstances must be dealt with and new difficulties faced by new prin ciples of action. In another article, treating humorously of the ad dresses to their constituents of Sir J. fitskington and Sir Stafford Northcote, the Times assures the constituents of these gentlemen that the Reform Bill, which has in fluenced the Addresses so much, will not be stunted or mitigated by delay. It has grown year by year. It has theivat by the rejected bills, and emerged with bigger proportions from its long submergence under Lord Pal merston. It has made a monstrous growth upon last year, throwing out loaders and lateral shoots. It will be taller and larger next year if not now finally disposed of, and the longer the conservatives wait the more agonising will be Sir Stafford Northcote's confessions and exculpa tion,. While ministers keep the secret as to the nature of their bill, the country, the Daily Hews remarks, is unanimous in insisting that the question be settled, and that it is a subject which will not brook say further delay. The sug gestion of another adjournment on Monday next cannot for a moment be admitted. The session is already too far gone for permitting it. As it is, if a reform bill is not carried this session by the conservatives, it will be too late for a new government to take office and mature and exe cute a reform policy. The House of Commons will then fall still lower in public estimation, the existing general want of confidence will increase, and diffuse itself, extend ing to all our public relations at home, and impairing our confidence in dealing with foreign states, and in the fer ment of opinion that may succeed there is scarcely a political evil that may not be apprehended, The Herald protests against Lord Ruciell's criticisms as premature, unjustifiable, and unfair. It further de nounces the cumulative principle and urges with much emphasis the superiority of plural voting, which it states is to be proposed in the government scheme. The Standard compares Lord Russell to Justice Shallow. If the middle classes are swamped by household suffrage no one will be so responsible for it as Lord Russell him self. But household suffrage with the checks and cor rectives with which Lord Derby guards and supplements it may preserve to those classes their preponderating in- Huenee. The Star would be sorry if it should prove that Earl Russell has inadvertently encouraged the utterly false sup position that any of the liberal leaders are inclined to falter in the course of enfranchisement to which they have committed, not only themselves, but happily also their opponents. /8 TOPIC& The Titan taunts some of the writers who have been so eager that martial law should be proclaimed in Ireland, with the fact that they were among the must constant denouncers of the government in Jamaica. The Times then shows that what is known as martial law is simply illegal, and that if a government, for the safety of the country, violates the laws, and does not obtain an act of indemnity, every member of it, and all those who have obeyed it, will be legally as much liable for what they have done as if they were private persona. There is no such case of extreme danger in Ireland. The ordinary processes of law may not be rapid enough to satisfy the impatience of some hasty partisans, but the convictions obtained and the punishments inflicted will have a far better moral effect than if several scores of half-starved vagabonds were tried and sentenced by military officers. In the latter awe there would most certainly be some frightful mistakes, such SI are made whenever soldiers, heated with conflict, are called upon to decide judicially on the guilt of their prisoners. The kandard insists that what is taking place in Ire land is an invasion by a foreign enemy, and not n civil war, and that the punishment to be inflicted upon the leaders in this audacious outrage must be of a kind to di.courage American citizens for further asap in this kind of ambition. They are pirates, robbers, and mur• derers, and it would be a blind and cruel mercy which should hesitate to visit them with the punishment due to the worst sort of criminals. The weakness of western policy in the East, says the Doily News, is in leaving to Russia the sole protectorate over the Christian populations, and a consequent com manding influence in the Levant, after waging a two years' war to paralyse Russian power in the Black Sea. Russian statesmanship has probably taken the measure of the courage and consistency of the Western Powers. After the memorable experience of the moral intervention of France and England on behalf of Poland, Prince Gortcha koti can hardly be expected to abandon Russian policy in deference to powers that have the will but not the pur pose to arrest it. The Time, aces in the facility with which the Metro politan Poor Bill bee palmed through committee, both a tribute to Mr. Rudy, and striking evidence of the pro. found diasatisfaction with which the present system has THE LATE DEAN OF HEREFORD. The late Dean was born in the North Riding of Yorkshire in 1797, and educated at the school of Mr. Rolfe, near Kendal, which in its day enjoyed a merited reputation. It was here that Mr. Dawes first met Whewell, who was three years his senior—a difference of age which per mated the former companions at school to stand in the relations of tutor and pupil at Trinity College, Cambridge. Some of our readers may remember a lecture delivered by the late Master of Trinity about eleven years ago at St. Martin's-hall, in which, referring to the pupils he had had, he advanced a stop or two and said, " and none that does me greater credit than my dear friend here, the Dean of Hereford"—laying his hand on the Dean's shoulder as he spoke. The valuable services rendered by the Dean to the cause of education were then fresh in public memory, and the tribute thus gracefully paid to him was received with warm cheers. Mr. Dawes was fourth wrangler of his year (13. A., 1817 ; M.A., 1820), and was shortly afterwards elected fellow and mathe matical tutor of Downing !College. In 1838 he accepted the living of King's Somborne, in Hants, which he found one of the worst, and which his conscientious diligence made one of the best parishes in the county. When he went, there was no school there, no squire to help found one, no farmer who was not opposed to the work of popular education ; but Mr. Dawes' zeal and industry sup plied every want, and in a few years the King's Somborne school was pointed to far and wide as a model, and eulogized by school inspectors. When he accepted the deanery of Hereford, in 1850, the bishop and clergy of the diocese united to present him with a testimonial ; but what pleased him even more than this mark of kindness was, that the very farmers, who in the first instance strenu ously opposed him, came to thank him for the good he had done. His exertions in the same cause were not slackened in his new position, as the condition of the Bluecoat School in Hereford and others testifies. ThefDean was not satisfied with merely educating the poor, he never lost an op portunity of helping on a deserving boy or girl, and there are hundreds living who owe their first start in life to his discerning benevolence. tin Covrt. WINDSOR CASTLE, MARCH 11. The Queen and the Royal Family received this evening the sorrowful, although not unexpected, intelli gence of the death of Prince Christiar.'s mother, the Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein Auguatenburg. The Queen and the Princess Louise walked and rode on ponies in the grounds this morning. Princess Christian, attended by the Duchess of Rex. burgbe, went out walking. Princess Beatrice rode in the Home-park, and Prince Leopold drove, attended by Mr. Legg. Prince Arthur has left the Castle for Greenwich-park, attended by Major Elphinstone. Lady Begot and the Rev. C. Kingsley have also left the Castle. The Prince of Wales, attended by Licut.-Coloncl Keppel, rode out on horseback yesterday. A committee of the Lords of her Majesty's Most Honour. able Privy Council sat yesterday at the Privy Council office, Whitehall, on the subject of the cattle plague. The lords present were the Lord President, the Duke of Richmond, and the Right Hon. Stephen Cave. Mr. Harrison and Dr. Alexander Williams attended the com mittee. Dr. Burrow, President of the General Medical Council, had an interview with the Right Hon. Spencer H. Walpole, at the Home-office, yesterday, in reference to the amendment of the Medical Act, HISS. THE HEALTH OF THE PRINCESS OF WALKS. VISIT OF THE QIIEENT TO THE METROPOLIS. (THIS DAY.) This afternoon, according to the latest arrange ments, her Majesty the Queen, accompanied by several members of the royal family, will leave Windsor Castle at • quarter past 3 o'clock, en route for the metropolis, to visit her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales. We be. have her Majesty will return to Windsor Castle this evening. The Queen of Denmark is expected in London on a visit to her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales. It is said that the rheumatic affection was caused by cold taken by the Princess, who, being fond of sketching, had incautiously sat too long in the open air during her stay at Sandringham. CABINET COUNCIL.—There will be a cabinet council to-day at twelve o'clock, at the First Lord of the Treasury's official residence in Downing street. We are authorised to state that in consequence of the death of the Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein- Augustenburg, mother of his Royal Highness the Prince Christian, the Queen's Court, appointed to be held on Thursday nest, the 14th inst., has been postponed. Viscount and Viscountess Doneraile have left town for Donernile, Ireland, in consequence of the Fenian disturbances there. Mrs. Gladstone will have an evening party to morrow at the family residence on Carlton-house-terrace. Lord and Ludy Fitzwilliam have left Wentworth Woodhouse for their seat in Ireland. We (Times) trust this departure may be followed by those of some other large Irish proprietors who habitually reside in England or France. Lord and Lady Cowley have returned to Paris from Enghind, with Lady Royston and her children. A letter from Rome, dated Ash-Wednesday, says : "The young Duke of Norfolk is expected this week in Rome. Mr. Philip Howard, of Corby, Mm. Theodore Galion, Lord Boyle. Lady Castleresse, and Lady Alice Kerr are among the last English arrivals." Major Frederic Brine, Royal Engineers, has been selected by the Secretary of State for India to pro ceed overland to Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta in charge of the telegraphic staff. The Tiny; is authorised to contradict the state ment made by the Berkshire Chronicle, that "Mr. Walter has given up his right of presentation to the vacant in cumbency of St. Paul's, Wokingliam, and has placed the nomination of the new incumbent absolutely in the hands of the Bishop of Oxford." The Rev. Dr. Foley, the protestant rector of a parish in Tipperary, sends to the Times some advice as to the best way of suppressing the Fenians. The latter, be says, " have no army, and never will have an army, and will never stand up against the Queen's troops or police anywhere ; but they can go about the country as midnight marauders, and carry terror to scattered families. The police stations are admirably placed to meet this danger. If need be, they should be increased and strengthened, and there would remain no place for the gatherings of the disaffected from which they could not be dislodged and hunted with the return of the light of day." _ _ _ On the let of March the taco nd hall at the Opera House, Berlin, took place, and was again attended by at least 2,000 persona. The King wore the uniform of the lit Regiment of Dragoon Guards, and the drew became him exceedingly well. He conducted the Crown Princess, who wore a robe of light grey silk, garnished with very broad lace and a diadem of pearls and diamonds. Rich pearl strings adorned her neck. This couple was followed by the Crown Prince, in the uniform of the 2nd Regiment of Landwehr Guards. He conducted his mother, queen Augusta, who was dressed in a lilac coloured velvet robe, richly trimmed with white blonde lace, and lilac•blossoms, and rich diamond ornaments in her hair. Then followed the whole court. The pleasures of dancing were limited fur want of space. GARIBALDI AT TREVISO. In his address to the citizens of Treviso, Gari baldi said : I thank you for your affectionate address. The whole life of a man who may have done much more than I have would not be enough to merit such a reception. lam happy to be in the midst of a free people who have been so long separated from Italy, disgracefully bought and disgracefully sold by treaties. Italy should certainly rejoice that she has been reconstituted, and every one should help in bringing back Rome to us. (Yes.) I hope that Italy need not have recourse to arms. We shall all be ready ; but for the present our brave army, the volunteers, the people—all of us are reserved for far more difficult tasks. That of Rome will likewise be decided. If any eagle should design to fix his talons there, then—(" Yes, we will have Rome") — yes, that is a question which must occupy us, and which I recommend to the people. The papacy, that apple of discord to Italy—cast into her midst in order to sell her to the stranger—is a plague which must cease. If there be any captivated by priests, cardinals, and etoesignuri, by all means let them keep them for themselves. but in tho interest of Italy we must send deputies to parliament who will not enter into compact with a sect which has been the liberticide enemy of Italy. The bishops who are to get so many millions into their hands ought to live on fourpence day like the poor and honest workman. (Applause.) The state wants these millions to assist the suffering class of the population. Let us therefore send to the parliament the anticlerical deputies. (" travo," "We will.") (REVIEWS TELEGRAIIS.) AUSTRIA. VIENNA, MARCH 12. The Emperor has left for Pesth. The imperial patent, formally convoking the Reichsrath, is expected immediately. CANDIA. (VM Marseilles.) ATHENS, Ktacii 7. The Greek steamer Arcadia has conveyed to Sphakhia arms, ammunition, and clothing for the insurgents without meeting any Turkish cruiser. She brought back to Syra 100 women and children, and some insurgents wounded. EGYPT AND THE PORTE. (Via Marseilles.) CONSTANTINOPLE, MARCIi 6. Advices received here announce that the Egyptian Constitutional Assembly have proposed to the Viceroy to withhold the payment of a por tion of the tribute to the Porte as compensation for the expense of the Egyptian army in Crete. AUSTRALIA. MELBOURNE, JAN. 28. The following gold ships have sailed for England (luring the month : Echinuga, with 26,500 oz. ; Red Jacket, with 16,500 oz. ; Pride of the Ocean, with 8,000 oz. ; Royal Standard, with 9,500 oz. ; Lincolnshire, with 5,625 oz. ; and the screw steamer Great Britain, with 59,000 oz. AMERICA. (BY ATLANTIC TILIORAPH.) KEW YORK, 31Asc9t 11, 5 r.w. The House of Representatives has passed a supplement to the Reconstruction Bill, empower ing the military commanders of the south to take • census and register the votes of the population, call a convention, and form a constitution under the military Government Bill. Congress will not adjourn until the question of further proposed guarantees for the reconstruction of the south is settled. Mr. Sumner proposes to guarantee the home stead* of the freemen. COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE. Closing prices :—Gold, 1341. Sterling exchange on London, 1081. 5-20 United States Bonds, 1091. Illinois, 1151 ; Erie, 61. Cotton, mid dling Upland, 30 The North German Lloyd's steamship America arrived out yesterday, and the Lunen steamer City of Boston, to-day. MEXICO. NEW YORK, MARCH 11. Advice. received from Matamoros to the 4th inst. announce that the Emperor Maximilian was at Quretaro on the 21st February with 10,000 men. Esoobedo was eighteen leagues distant from the imperialists waiting to be reinforced in order to give them battle. Porfirio Dias was also awaiting reinforcements in order to attack the capital. Notwithstanding the severity of the weather the nidigcation of bird■ has not been retarded in the south of of England. At Woodlands, in the New Forest, a noted place for blackbird■, there are a number of nests of those warblers with eggs in them. It is curious that blackbirds and thrushes sing near their nests, but they readily for sake them if molested. EXPRESS FROM PARIS. (ram ous OWN CONEWSPONDILWT.) PARIS, MONDAY EVENING. The Emperor and Empress had intended to bo present at the first representation of M. Ponsard's Galileo at the Thtatre Francais, but changed their minds in consequence of a rumour that the clerical party had got up a conspiracy to hiss the piece. As it was, there were some hisses, but so slight, and so soon put down by the general feeling of the audience, that they passed almost unper ceived. It has been remarked that neither the Mon d,,, r nor the semi-official journals have said anything for some days about the Prince Imperial, and that he has not lately taken his usual carriage airings. The fact is that the youthful heir-apparent has been for some days confined to his bed. Dr. Bar. thez performed an operation upon him last week for a tumour in the thigh, from which a great deal of pus was extracted. The name given by the court doctors to the disease from which the Prince Imperial suffers is ca.ralyie. The malady is not immediately serious, and there is little doubt that the public will shortly be informed simultaneously both of his convalesence and illness. I believe it has been already mentioned that the Spanish Ambassador lately asked the French ministry to prosecute the Liberte for a libel upon his immaculate government. The request was refused. The ambassador thought it a hard case that any fault should be found with the wise administration of Spain by a paper two of whose editors, M. Emile de Girardin and M. Viraudtre, wear the Spanish order of Isabella the Catholic. M. Virmaitre has sent beck to Madrid the insignia f his order, and probably M. de Girardin will do the same. The mysterious Roman committee, which con trives to publiah regularly a clandestine paper in the teeth of the Pope's police, has, I understand, given notice to the Italian committees with which it is in correspondence that the Roman people are tired of inaction, and that the Italian government must soon do something decisive for them if it would prevent a rising. An article in to-day's Cometitutionnef, by M. Paulin Limayrac, exhorting the Italian nation to be "moderate"—i.e., not to do anything to discredit the promises which the Emperor chose to make to the catholic party in France when he evacuated Rome—show that anxiety is felt here about the state of affairs in Italy. THE REPORTED DEATH OF DR. LIVINGSTONE. A large number of ladies and gentlemen attended the meeting of the Royal Geographical Society last even. ing, at lturlington•houae, expecting to hear some further tidings of the fate of Dr. Livingstone. Sir Roderick Mur- chison, the president, was prevented from occupying his usual post by an attack of bronchitis, and the chair was accordingly filled by Sir C. ii. RAY/UNMAN, one of the vice-presidents. This gentleman explained the cause of the president's absence, and stated that Sir Roderick had particularly wished to preside Pat the meeting to make some remarks as to the news from Africa respecting Dr. Livingstone. After stating that the letters that had been referred to in the published communications as coming vii St. Helena had not yet arrived, the chairman read the following communication from Sir R. Murchison : " Regretting particularly that. owing to indisposition, am unable to attend the meeting this .lay, I beg the fel. lows of the society to recollect that in announcing the reported death of my dear and valued friend, Dr. Livin& stone, I spoke of it as an event which required to be su stantiated by better evidence than that of the nine men el Johanna, in the Comoro Islands, who brought the sail in. telligence. I am informed by travellers who know these people well that they are Mahommedans, who, if they became disgusted with, or intimidated by the ferocious pagan natives on the borders of the 'Ake Nyasa, may have abandoned their chief, and having agreed upon the story they were to tell, would hold test , they thinly in maintaining its truth. There are also several parts of their narrative which seem to me to be dillicult to understand—for instance, their being bidden in a wood, and yet their observation of the attack on Living. stone being so accurately described. Again, if, as the Johanna men stated, they buried their leader, is it likely that they would in such cue not have brought away wit h them some relic to vouch for the truth of their story! Presuming that if hostile natives had killed Living. stone, they would have cared little for his note books : one of these alone, or even a lock of his hair, would have been good auxiliary evidence. Further, when I recollect that many an African traveller who has returned safely to England has been reported to have been killed (usually by runaway natives who bed deserted him), I shall not shin dun all hope until Dr. Kirk, the former devoted com panion of Livingstone, and who has gone towards the scene of the alleged disaster, shall have satisfied himself that the calamity really occurred, and that philanthropists and geographers have lost the great traveller who had already won for himself imperishable renown. I have only to add that the name detailed account which Dr. Kirk bad sent to me before the letter which appeared was written will, I apprehend, throw little new light upon the alleged murder, us it can be nothing more than a detailed account of the story as related by the Johanna men. The search into the truthfulness or otherwise of the account received must occupy some time." (Cheers.) Sir H. itawidesnit said be agreed fully with Sir Rode. rick's views upon this anxious subject. The account of Dr. Li ' 's fate certainly did seem a very lame story as it stood at present, and ought not to he accepted with. out further verification. At the Sallie time the wont part of the CAW was that eight or nine months had now passed since the disaster was said to have occurred. If it had been untrue lie could not he thinking that some Wive phis message by the way of pt contradicting the ongi nal narrative ought to have . received by this time, This might be said to be the dark side of the picture to be placed against the bright side revealed in the president's letter. In the meantime all that could be done was to wait the result with patience. If poor Livingstone had perished, all present would feel that not only had science sustained an irreparable disaster, but that each fellow of the Geographical Society bail lost a personal friend. (Cheers.) The ordinary needed with. of the society were then pro. THE MALT-TAX REPEALERS. —lt seems that the entice of motion with reference to the malt-tax, which Mr. Read, the member for East Norfolk, put upon the books on the first day of the session, is to be withdrawn is favour of a motion for • committee of inquiry to tis brought forward by Colonel Barttelot towards the end of the present month. This arrangement is said ti have been arrived at at a meeting of some thirty-five members of parliament convened in the tea-moo of the House of Commons about a fortnight ago. This step, be it observed, was not in connexion with, tier in any way promoted by, the Central Anti-Malt Tax Association. On the contrary, it was at the express in• stance of that body that Mr. Read put on the book. hi/ notice of motion, and the course adopted by the "Tea. room " meeting of members of parliament was in threes antagonism to the wish of the Council of the Anti-Malt Tax Association. It is with sincere regret that we make this statement, since it is impossible not to coMe to the conclusion that the cause of the Malt Tax repea'ers has been deliberately and purposely sacrificed on this ooei.ion to the influence of patty. —Sasses Adrrei* r. ONE SHOPEAN SHOOTING ANOTHER. 011 Sunday evening a young man named William Mot was shot at the house of Mr. G. Edwards, an Italian warehouseman, in Mil ton-mad, Gravesend. The premises are partly used for boob OM purpose., and the remainder isoccupied by the ahopmen and a housekeeper. On Sunday afternoon, between 4 and 5 o'clock, one of the assistants, Eiger, was in the kitchen, engaged in writing a letter for the housekeeper, and at a quarter before ii o'clock he was sent %Tattle. IT her to call the other assistants to tea. Not more than three minutes bad elapsed before she heard • report of tire' arms in one of the upper rooms, and on proceeding to that occupied by J. H. Holmes, one of the runustants, ,he saw Eiger lying on the floor , apparently insensible. Hoboes, who was present, rushed out of the room exclaiming, "Oh: I have shot Eiger. I think I have killed him." He after. wards returned to the room and knelt claw to the injured youth and prayed, or pretended to do so. Mr. E.:woola was sent for, and on arriving at the house, ilespitebed a messenger for medical assistance. Mr. Whiteoinhe, sur geon, attended, and found lager bleeding from a wound on the left temple and unconscious. He perceived at once that the case was hopeless, had the sufferer removed to a lad ill the room, and remained with him until he expired, about an hour afterwards. Holmes continued in the room until Eiger died, and admitted to the surgeon that be had shot him with a pistol which he bad loaded with powder and ball on the previous Monday. He was taken before the borough magistrates yesterday and charged with felo niously killing and slaying Elgar. The magistrates. baying heard the evidence of Mr. Whitooinhe, remanded the pri soner until to-morrow. The coroner's inquest on the body of Eiger will take place this day.— Timm } : I i V Li Ra lin tin em tb4 th 4 tel cel