The Press.
London, England, 1856-01-26 00:00:00

@Ma IMO fas4ion.

Her Majesty and the Court continue at Windsor.
The Queen, attended by the Lords and Ladies in
Waiting, has taken daily drives in the neighbourhood
of the castle.
Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent arrived
in town on Tuesday, on a visit to the Duchess of
Gloucester.
Their Royal Highnesses the Duchess and Princess
Mary of Cambridge arrived at St. James's Palace on
Tuesday, from Windsor Castle.
The Count of Flanders left Windsor Castle, en
route to Dover and Ostend, early on Monday.
His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge,
attended by Colonel Tyrwhitt, arrived at the castle
on Thursday, on a visit to the Queen.
A dramatic performance took place in the St.
George's-hall on Thursday evening, upon which
occasion the Merchant of Venice was performed
before the Queen and Court and a distinguished
company.

General de la Marmora, Admiral Sir Edmund
Lyons, and Captain Sherard Osborne, have been on a
visit to her Majesty dining the week.
The Earl and Countess of Erroll have arrived in
Eaton•place, at the residence of Mr. James Duff,
M.P., from Scotland.
The Earl of Munster has taken a mansion at
Rutland-gate.
The marriage of Sir Henry Meux, Bart., with
Miss Louisa Caroline Bruilenell Bruce, eldest
daughter of the Right Hon. Lord Ernest Bruce, M.P.,
took place at the British Embassy, at Paris, on
Saturday.
The Duke of Leeds has left the Clarendon for
Hornhy Castle, near Catterick, Yorkshire.
The Duke of Rutland remains for the present at
Belvoir Castle.
The Earl and Countess of Mountcharles have
arrived in town from visiting the Duke and Duchess
of Bedford, at Woburn Abbey.
Lord and Lady Edward Fitzalan Howard have ar-
rived in town from Arundel Castle.
Sir James Graham, Bart., M.P., and his three sons,
are at present staging at Bonnie, Windermere,

79

olitxcal.
COLONEL SMYTH, M.P., at the first state dinner of
the Lord Mayor of York, last week, in returning
thanks for the city mem bets, touched upon the great
question of the day, and expressed himself strongly
in favour of a vigorous prosecution of the war, until
we had securely gained the objects for which we went
to war. He sincerely trusted that the rumours of
peac3 might be true ; but we might have to endure
another year's war, which if vigorously pressed would
so cripple and damage Russia, as to obtain for
Europe that. peace which would alone justify the
sacrifices we have made :
In my humble opinion (continued the honourable mem-
ber), British skill and British bravery would alone accom-
plish this object, if properly directed ; but, in conjunction
with our brave allies—the French, the Turks, and Sar-
dinians—we cannot fail. Let us determine that the war
shall be prosecuted in earnest. Let my countrymen think
with me, that half measures and frequent negotiations for
peace—especially when those negotiations are conducted
through the medium of neutral States until lately notori
ously predisposed in favour of Russia—only tend to give
increased confidence to our enemy, to frustrate the objects
we have in view, and to prolong a contest which, for the
honour of England, can be concluded upon no terms ex-
cept such as will give a prospect of lasting peace and
future tranquillity, by securing the independence of Turkey,
the free navigation of the Black Sea and the Danube, and
the perfect liberation of those States which have equally
cause to dread Russian aggression and Russian protection.
Sir W. M. E. Milner, Bart., regarded the Austrian
proposals with suspicion, and looked forward with
confidence to the next campaign, when we should
bring Russia to such a position as would compel her
to accept the terms of honourable peace.
THE READJUSTMENT OF THE INCOME TAX WSS
the subject of a meeting at Birmingham last week,
at which Mr. Muntz, M.P., Mr. Scholefield, M.P.,
Mr. C. Sturge, and other influential persons, were
present. Mr. Muntz, in moving the first resolution,
descanted freely upon the peculiarly oppressive na-
ture of the tax, which compelled merchants and
tradesmen to show their books and expose the situa-
tion of their affairs, in order to prevent them being
overcharged. Mr. Scholefield, M.P., pointed out the
oppressive nature of the tax, which included all
property derived from different sources under one
head, and suggested the capitalisation of income as
the only means of arriving at a fair decision on the
subject, and of drawing a just distinction between
incomes derived from industry and from inheritance.
A resolution expressing an opinion that the present
mode of levying the tax was oppressive and unjust
and should be rectified, together with a memorial to
the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and a petition to
the House, were then adopted.
THE MANCHESTER COMMERCIAL ASSOCIATION held
their annual meeting on Monday at Manchester. Mr.
Aspinal Turner, the president, addressed the meeting
at some length, calling attention to the cheerful sub-
mission with which the Manchester people had borne
the sufferlngs entailed by the war, though he ad-
mitted that to operatives, employment having been
constant, the year had been tolerably prosperous.
With reference to the Peace, Mr. Turner expressed
a hope that we should not be deprived of the advan
tages of the Black Sea trade, now thrown open by
the war, and concluded his address by pointing oat
the signs of progress visible in India, though be
feared we had not the right men in authority to de-
velop the resources of that magnificent country.