The Express.
London, England, 1864-03-02 00:00:00

CHALN-CABLEB AND ANCHORS BILL.

On the order aI the day for going into committee on
this till,
Mr. IL GIBBON moved that the bill be referred to •
select committee, observing that private interests required
that coarse.

Mr. B. W. Ckawroui and Mr. W. J Accsos concurred
iathe =Am

Mr. LAIRD, who had charp of the bill, useotad to the
proposed mode of dealing with it.
After • few words from Mr. Bzwriteck,
Sir J. ELPHINSTONE, u chairman of the former com-
mittee, knew that private interests were well considered by
it, bat thought the position the question had assumed jos.
tified the present motion.
The motion for refening the bill to a select committee
was then agreed to.
Two or three bills barns been read a first thee.
The hose. rose at 25 agitates to I.

Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Prinoeaa
of Wale' and household are likely to remove from Marl-
borough House to Sandringham Hall about the 22nd hut.,
to remain there eutil after the Eater holidays.
. .

The Duke of Newcastle, by the urgent advice of
his medical attendants, is still induced to absent himself,
not only from attendance at the cabinet councils, but almo
from the House of Lords. His grace, however, constantly
attends to his official duties.

The Earl and Countess of Zetland have arrived
at their residence in Arlingtou-street from Aplestham Hall,
near Guist:moues.
The Countess Russell will continue her select
"receptions" on Fridays till Easter.

The Marquis and Marchioness of Salisbury will
not dive their customary series of parties until that the
Paster realm

Sir Walter and Lady James entertained the right
bon. the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Nis. and Mien Glad.
stone and a select party last evening, at their mansion,
is Whitehall-gardees.

Mr. Gamboa, M.P., has taken a residence in
Mount-street, Ofoevenor•poue, late the realdenoe of the
late General Wyndham.

Mr. Hopwood to-morrow will ask the Secretary
of State for the Home Department if there would be any
objection to allow letters posted at the General Poscofce
on Sunday to be despatched on that day, "on account of
the great pririlate it would afford to the public, and the
small amount of labour it would entail."

Mr. Horsfall intends to ask the Secretary of
State for the Home Department, to-morrow, whether her
Majesty's government are prepared to take any steps to
prevent the wearing of sheath or dagger-knives, from the
use of which so many murders have been committed.

Mr. Masaey proposes to nominate the select
committee oa railway ampules' powers u follows :—Mr.
Hutt, Lord Stanley, Mr. Algernon Egerton, Mr. Richard
Hodgeoo, Mr. Clay, Sir Francis Goklamid, Mr. Adair, Sir
James Forgueon, Mr. Lygon, Mr. Kissaird, Mr. Pollard-
Urquhart, and Mr. Mammy.

On the 11th Sir James Fergusson will oak the
First Commissioner of Works why a large number of the
elm trees in the St. James's-park have been cut or de-
formed, what quantity of timber so procured has been sold,
what was its condition, and what sum was realised by the
proceeds ; and also call his attention to the mismanagement
of the grass in the rams perk.
_ _

Mr. Arthur Mills, on army estimates, will call
the attention of the bowie to the war now going on in New
Zealand ; and move au address for copies of all correspon-
dence that has taken place between Governor Sir George
Grey and the Colonial-office relating to the policy of con-
fiscation which has been adopted by the New Zealand
legialature.

On Army Estimates, Vote 6 (Martial Law), Lord
Hallam Wien& to make observations on the mums adopted
in the ease of Lientenaat-Colonel Crawley and the In.
aiskiUen Dragoons, and its effect on the discipline and
good order of the army.

LETTER FROM MR. COBDEN, M.P., ON THE
MALT Tax.—Writing to Mr. E. T. Simplon, of Wake-
field, Mr. Cobden rya that the House of Commons will
never vote any =Wirt, for the malt tax. The reason
why he should hail • bond fide movement of the coming
coestituencies for the repeal of the tax is that he believes it
must be accompanied by • reduction of oar present " waste-
ful government expenditure." The country members and
the farmen do not, in their hearts (says the hon. gentle-
man), seem to pull very cordially together in this business.
"The moment the repeal of the malt tax is mentioned,
hints are thrown out by the minister of the day, that if
repealed the amount must be made good from • tax on
property, and the question is dropped." Mr. Cobden adds,
that should the movement assume the character of an
honest and earnest effort to abolish an unjust tax, and not
"a mere plaything for politicians," it shall have hie sym-
pathy sod support

Madame Ruderatiorir esuig in the oratorio of the
Creattun in the great Hartley Hall at Southampton, on
Monday night, by permission of the Hartley council. The
hall, which has 1,100 sittings, was crowded to suffocation ;
hundreds were obliged to stand. The instrumental intro-
ductioo, representing Chace, and Raphael's recitative, " In
the beginning God created the Heaveu and the Earth," by
Mr. l'atey, were performed and sung in serni-darkness.
While the chorus of "God said Let there be light,' sad
there wu light," wu singing, the magnifieent hall wee
suddenly flooded with a blase of light, which bad • fun
effect. Mr. Moats= Smith then came forward as I.7riel,
and sung " And God am the light that it was good ; and
God divided the light from the darkness."

Test COMMIIIIIION ON CLERICAL STANACRIPTION.
The first meeting of the newly-appointed Commission was
held yesterday week. After the transaction of memo pre-
liminary business the commission adjourned for two mouths.
Tats DESPATCH THAT NEVER Cate.—On the
day of the battle of SoUeda* the Austrian envoy at Rome
dined with the Cardinal Antonelli. It was • very
joyous little dinner, each in the highest spirits—satisfied
with the present, and full of hope for the future. The
telegram which arrived at midday told that the troops were
in motion, and that the artillery tire bad already opened.
The position was • noble one—the army full of spirit, and
all confident that before the sun shock' set the tide of vie-
Wry would have turned, and the whole legions of the
Danube be iu hot pursuit of their dying enemy. Indeed,
the envoy came to dinner fortified with a mass of letters
' from men high in command, all of which assumed as indis-
' potable that the French must be beat's. Of the Italians
they never spoke at all. As the two friends sat over the
dessert, they discussed what at that precise inmost might
' be going on over the battle-field. Was the coafiict still
continuing! Had the French reserves been brought up!
Had they. too, been thrown beck, beaten tad disordered!
sad where was the fourth corps under the Prince Napoleon
They were forty thousand strong—could they have arrived
in time from the Po! All these casualties, and many
others. did they talk over, but never once launching • doubt
as to the issue, or ever dreaming that the day was not to
reverse all the late past, and bring back the Austrians in
triumph to Milan. An they sat, the prefect of polies MY
announced and introduced. He came with the list of the
persons who were to be arrested and sent to prisoo—they
were one hundred and eighteen, some of them amen the
first families of Rome—so soon as certain tidings of the
victory arrived, and the game of reaction might be safe to
begin. " Nooses yet, Signor Prefetta! come back at ten,"
said the cardinal. At ten he presented himself once more.
The cardinal and his friend were taking coffee, tut less
joyous, it seemed, than before. At least they looked anxious
for news, and started at every noise in the street that might
announce new-come tidings. "We have heard nothing
since you were here," said the cardinal. "Hu excellency
thinks that, at • moment of immense exigency. they may
not have immediately bethought them of seeding off a de-
spatch." "There can be no doubt what the news will be
when it comes." said the savoy, "sod I'd say, lathe the
arrest at once." " I don't know ; I'm not sure. I think
Pd rather counsel a little more patience," said the cardinal.
W hat if you were to come back at, let us say midnight."
The prefect bowed, and withdrew. At midnight it was the
same scene, only that the acton were more agitated ; the
envoy, at leant, worked up to a degree of impatience that
bordered on fever ; for while he persisted in declaring that
the result was certain, he continued to censure, in very
severe term., the culpable carelessness of those chrged with
the triursraisrioa of Dews. "Ala ! " cried he, 'there it
comes at last ! " and a loud summons at the bell resounded
through the house. "A telegram, eminence," said the w-
rest, entering with the despatch. The envoy tore it ors° :
there were but three words—" Beaten—nano/ante thiroute."
The cardinal took the paper from the hands of the over-
whelmed and peak-area minister, end read it. He stood
fora few seconds (sing oe the words, Dateline or lineament
in his hoe betraying the slightest emotion ; then, turning
to the envoy, he said, "800 nods ; Ohms dormir ;," and
snored awa with his usual quick little step, and retired.
a s llopener for