The Express.
London, England, 1863-02-26 00:00:00

THE PROVIDENT CLERKS BENEVOLENT
FUND.

Last evening, the annual meeting of the members
of this' institution took place at the London Tavern ; Mr.
John Abel Smith in the eheir. The Secretary reed the
report, from which it appeared that the sum of 1791. 6s.
had been awarded in gratuities to those in immediate sod
17181&trews. Eight annuitant, had been elected in
leit, being two clerks to 321. a year each, three widows
at 901., and three at 151., making a total of 1651. per annum.
One anunity et 30i. and three of 151. per annum had fallen
in by death, leaving 66 annuitants upon the find, who are
receiving collectively 1,2201. per annum. It recommended
eight additional annuities to be granted in May next, via.,
two clerks and six widows of clerks. It concluded by men-
tioning the mull expenditure, in comparison to similar
institutions. 90 per sent. of gram income being
devoted to the objects for which it was provided.
The chairman, in moving the adoption of the report, ex-
pressed his regret at the absence of Mr. Baring, who was
engaged at the Speaker's dinner; of Baron Rothschild,
who wee ill ; Mr. flukey, who wee attending an anniver-
earyidianer ; and Mr. Prescott, wbo was on the continent;
they were thus unfortunately without their trustees.
While expressing the satisfaction he felt at the the
association had made, he could not help wishing it been
more eneciadul He alluded to the singularly small
amount of kr= on loans to members, it not having exceeded
1 j per out. on the amount lent ; showing with what ewe
the loans had been made, sod how faithfully
the borrowers bad kept their engagements. The
motion, !heeloogg boss iwoondsd, was carried unanimously.
The trsssmels baluieeeheet 'hewed toted receipts,
2,9531. 10a. 3d.; expenditure, 1,6971. 4a.; leaving a balanos
to be carried forward of 1,2561. tie. 3d. The capital account
showed a total of 24,6771. On. 2d.; and comirs, km by !OWN
to members, 211. 13s—leavieg a balance in hand of 24,6661.
7s. 2d. —On the motion of Mr. Jonee,i Mr. F. J. Sendamore,
receiver and accountaet-general of the Post-office. wu
elected an auditor, in the room of Mr. G. Pollock, who had
resigned.—Mr. Lloyd, having eodeavomed In vein to form •
school in connexion with this iostitotioe, male an offer of
2001. at startinx, and 3001. afterwards, or 1001. a yea: for
the first three years, in furtherance of such an object.—
The Chairman said he would assist him in every way, and
requested Mr. Lloyd to ass his farther on the subject. —A
vote of thanks he this shears's.% assoludid the proceedings.

OXFORD MID CAMBIUMS °BAND El° Err- Out
Reck, &c. Siam our last Boehm of this grand and forth-
coming event most important alterations have taken place
in the Oxford crew, that fine oarsman, Mr. H. B. Weediest*,
of Bramcoas College, the amateur champion of the Thames.
having resumed his old position in the boat in the place of
Mr. Parson ; and Mr. A. it. Poole, of Trinity, an old Cal-
versity oar, replacing lh. Seymour. Me premises
of the former gentleman in the Oxford boat has
oossidembly Monsen& the easitilmeos of the Oxooiana,
who now undoubtedly have become the favourites at six to
to four. The Cantata, we lean, are progressing favour-
ably under the able tuition of that great aquatic judge and
authority, Mr. T. A. Ptah, of Bele. Lift, who is leaving
no stone untamed to bring oat • mew worthy of the ani-
varsity of which he is • member. At present two crews
are to be seen from the basks of the Cam rowing alter-
netely to a meows which, while effeMin • sanng of time,
will enable the Oambrides Mentor to the hem oars-
men for the pest struggh. Although the day Ice set been
danieoly Axed, it is geossally understood Wednesday,
April 1, will be agreed to, the Oxonians, with that Iselin
of courtesy which has on previous coossioas characterised
the sister 13nivereity, having consented to give way.
CRYSTALPALACM-01111 SWILLING DAT.—WID-
!MOAT, NM. MS. —Mashie= en payment, gti7 ; ditto hp
seam tickets, 667 ; totel, 1,11/4.

As to the people of Be%ende, -although there
Inky eclat, sopeeklEY intheldwarelesues,ll4 inevi-
table autsominn between Christian and Illessubsan,
the sentiment which prevails is, that Belgrade can
never become a great, prosperous, peaceful, sod
trading city as long so the' Turks menace it. When
the Turks formerly held Ennis, and Belgrade coa-
lmisted of merelysome rows of hovels huddled under
the citadel, the latter was all is all. But now
Belgrade, like every other European capital, has
extended into a wide and well-built city. All other
countries have bees able to accompany their 'greet
movement of the population By flinging down for-
tifications, sad liberating their chief cities from the
menaces and danger of war. In Belgrade alone,
simultaneous with the erection of long lines of
merchants' aid of senators' mansion', the
citadel is allowed to extend its bastions and its
esplanades, not against any foes from the rivet or the
opposite frontier, but against the towns and towne-
people, which gird it. Since the last bombardment,
accordingly, many mercantile houses have left the
place. With tbe present reinforoementef the citadel
no new firms will come. They will prefer to settle at
Semlin or elsewhere, a result advantageous per-
haps to Austria, but] certainly not to the Sultan,
or to free-trading England.
Western Europe is possessed with the idea that
the Serbs are but instruments in the hands of
Russia, awaiting orders and an opportunity to attack
the Ottoman. Now I can answer for Serbs
and Roumans, who have, both of them, even
to a fault—a total indifference and want of
ambition with regird to the Ottoman empire and
its capital. They do not look eo far, have no
aim beyond that of being not interfered with at
home, and of developing their own large national
resources. Serra fully proved during the Crimean
war that it was neither Russian nor Turcophage.
The Serbs did not demand anything of the
Sultan, save the execution of his own MIMI Sheriff
of August, 1830. By that edict, the Sultan forbade
any Mussulman to hold lands in Servia, or to reside
in the country, =less within the walls of a
Turkish fortress, and of omen retained there as a
soldier. All that the Powers obtained for Servia
in the late conference at Constantinople was the
execution of this promise, made thirty years ago.
Why are the Sordoni to pay for its performance
by the sacrifice of • considerable portion of their
city

The gravamen against the Berrien government
is its having procured arms for its militia.
No one denies the right of the Prince to have an
armed force. A standing army is, however, a costly
thing, and Prince Michael and his Senate preferred
the system of a volunteer or militia force, to be
assembled and drilled, as they are with us, during
a certain brief portion of the year. The Servians
were already armed ; no one in that country travels
without his musket slung around him and pistols
at his girdle. To be so armed is considered not
only necessary for defence, but as the symbol of
personal freedom. The Serbs are neither serfs
or raps, and they like to show it.
But with such arms as the Serbs possessed, any-
thing like drill or discipline was impossible. How
fabricate cartonohes for fire-arms of forty different
calibres ? Prince Michael, in order to arm his
militia, sent to have the order executed
at Birmingham. An English weapon was the first
desire of the Serb. The Birmingham manufacturer,
however, applied to thegovernment for information,
and was told not to deliver the arms. The Serb Prince
thenapplied to France. The French were willing, but
in turn there came a hitch, perhaps caused by the
Turkish ambassador ; and the French government,
not to give umbrage to the Porte, declined. As
a last resource, the Berrien government applied to
Russia for somewhat lass than 40,000 stand
of arms ; which were duly sold, paid for, and
transmitted across the Wallachian territory.
Stopped by Prince Conza's government, lest they
should be destined for Bulgaria, or Montenegro, or
any province immediately subject to or at war
with Turkey, they were claimed by Prince Michael.
Now as Prince Coma could not question Prince
Michael's right to procure arms for his militia,
without invalidating the similar right of his own
government, he allowed them to pass. The
possession of them will allow the Berrien govern-
ment to drill its militia in line, and pre-
sent it with cartouches. But the arms thus
provided are not greater in number than the Serbs
were in the habit of procuring for themselves.
For, we repeat, no Serb exists without a gun.
All the difference is that the government has
furnished in the present instance what individuals
would in a few years have purchased.
If the Turks keep within their fortresses there
is no fear of collision between them and the Serbs.
But of what use these fortresses can be to the
Turks does not appear. They only keep up ani-
mosity between the creeds and races, and seriously
check that free commercial intercourse which ought
to take place up, down, and across the great rivers
of the Save and Danube. But the spirit and inten-
tion of the present Sultan are known to be warlike
and aggressive towards the Christian races. And
these, though they must in deference to the Powers
of Europe keep strictly on the defensive, will seek
to make that an armed defence, if they au, for
greater security.

"MADAXII Towinures."—A picture W now bating
ealtibitad fat the past plisly of this mowm mwereatist
the nuptial waremosv at the Priatie of Wales (*hamar&
George IV.) at fieckingbam aod cootaining par.
„its of Owegolll.. Queen ate, and all thoir
Alum. Hmiitoa, the well.ksom artist of the picture,
way paid three thousand gimes. tor Idn Mews.

LivicarooL, Fn. 2&—The steamer Glad iator has
arrived eve from Noma. Ilhe blimp fO3OOO dal& h
gm* sad 420 balls el sollsa.

INDIA.
B 7 the arrival of the overland mail we have
received advice. from Calcutta to Jan. 22 ; Madras
to Jan. 28. There is but little general news, only
three days having elapsedaince the departure of the
last mail. The treaty with the King of Burundi
recently entered into by Colonel Phayre, acting as
the representative of the Britiab government, is
understood to require some important modifica-
tions, and to that end Colonel Phayre has returned
to /Simnel. A bill has been submitted to the
Governor-General's council to legalise the treaty,
but no further steps will be taken, it is believed,
until the remit of Colonel Phsyre's secondmission is
known.
The Gazette of the 21st January contains some
supplementary rules for the sales of paste lane,
being a continuation of those published by the lieu-
tenant-governor on the lith of September last.
The Landholders' Association re resented that seve-
ral of the rules were inapplicable and calon/ated to
interfere materially with the seams of the arrears,
and we are glad to notice, says the Beirkaro, that
in every instance the gcrvernznent have so modified
the& as to meet the difficultiee suggested.
According to government telegrams the mailiary
are aelitelyengsged in svippreming tho resolute
Oomph awn
The Central Asian question remains much so it
was w we last wrote, says the Madras A the-
errs Dog ifahorned and Sultan Ahmed Jan con-
tanning their deSultory strife, without a present
prospect of either giving way. It is nevertheleur
observable that the defenders of Hesrat seem
to have grows rather more aggressive than of
late, which may either indicate that scarcity is
rendering them desperate, or that the old Amser's
appear less hopeful than they were.
flrul": certain can be gathered from the native
accounts which reach English ears through Affglaan-
istan.

An umeiry ordered by government into the cir-
cumstances of the loss ot the screw steamer Jason
has takes plass, and the evidence given has been
published, but the mincluaises at which the OINIK•
missioners may have arrived have not yet tran-
spired, no► Will they do so, probably, until govern-
ment send them forth in a record. Meanwhile,
however, an impression has grown up, that those, in
charge of the wrecked vessel were not altogether as
blameless as they had the credit of being in the
first instance.
Preparations are being made in Ceylon for what
is expected to be one of the meet profitable pearl
fisheries on record.

CHINA.

Our advice!' from Hong Kong are to Qua 15th et
January.

,
The English mail of the 26th of November arrived
at Hong Kong on the 7th of January.
Colonel Ward's suocessor, General Burgevine, had
been dismissed from his command. Having had a
dispute with the Chinese authorities respecting the
non-payment of his troops, he was provoked to
strike the Imperial banker. The authorities ad
Bhanghae at once issued a proclamation deposing
Burgevine from his commend • they also requested
the English commandant at Shanghse to appoint
a successor. Colonel Jebb accordingly ap,
pointed Capt. Holland to the temporary command.
Owing to this occurrence it is said that the siege of
Naillung has been abandoned, and that the forces
already gathered together there are being with-
drawn. The river is shortly expected to be swarm-
, ing with Taeping junks. This is likely to be an
exaggerated fear.
The excitement produced at Shanghae by these
events may be judged by the fact that nearly a
whole issue of one of the load newspapers is de-
voted to correspondence and comments on the sub-
ject. It is allowed that General Burgevine was
wrong in striking the Imperial banker, but that he
had great provocation.
The following general summary of news is from
the China Mail of the 15th January :
From Peking, the only istelligeoce refers to the highly
amicable, relations which 'deist between the foreign sad
native authotitite. A project has been conceived to have
• line of railway between Tientsin and Pekiog ; the ordi-
nary daily traffic is large ; coal is cheap and good if properly
wrought ; the country between Tientsin and the capital is
flat ; and the imperial authorities are ready to give their
consent to the *thaws

----
From the Northam Ports there is not much news of con.

eeeues'
From
llantow, we hear that a chamber of commerce u
being formed to regulate the prim of all gimlets ; the
authorities will support it. Two hawked war-teat. bare
been launched, god a number mare will follow, their desti-
nation isWoo•hoo.

Kin-Kiln( continues to be well repelled of ; the rapid
Morisse in its exports is • premising feature in this new
settlement.

--EetioTsirom Ningpo report all quiet in tits country, but
state that the taxes in the city are rather heavy ; as it was
only by much trouble sad expsoes that Niogpo was re-
gained for its people atter their Inwardly sermsdier of it to
the rebels, they have not much cams for complaint, so loos,
at least as the money is wanted to preserve order in the
district The gunboat Flamer is reported to have gone
on shore os one of her late trips up the river, sustaining
some injury.
From Amoy and Fubchan there is no news.
At Swatow, a daring piratical robbery had onearred. A
band of well armed men landed on Double Island and took
possession of the Chinese bank ; as no adequate resistance
was at hand, they proceeded to work, and removed all the
treasure they could lay their beads upon. The amount of
plunder is said to have exceeded 100,000 dollars. Various
persons, native and foreign, witnessed the whole proceed-
logs, but were powerless to Interfere. The money, or a
large part of it, is maid to have belonged to the imperial
customs.

JAPAN.

We read in the China Mail of Jan 15th :

From Japan, in addition to serape of political news that
have appeared in the Yokohama newspaper, ws are favoured
with ponderous reports of the proosedinp of a court at
inquiry into the salvage in the cue of the brig Guinea,
wrecked in Japan. The importance this wreck has as.
sumed in the eyes of our traders in Japan may be estimated
by the fact that an extra number of the Japan Herald
in frequently required to travel over the disputed
ground. It seems as if our people there
had had nothing to do until fate sant then
this wreck to pounce upon as a common sub.
jact of contention. Meanwhile. we are told that
Colonel Neale has been warned by the Mayor of Kanagawa
that some new danger is imminent. The Japanese authori-
ties are certainly indomitable as alarmirta, the periodical
recurrence of thane warnings being now set down at three
months, an assassination following every third warning. It
is perhaps to be feared that this policy an the part of the
Japanese may goad England into bold measures of hostility.
but so long as the determination of the native authorities
leans in its present direction, the old state of stain will be
resumed after any war we choose to make. Our ruler,
should give the subject their most serious attention.

Among the passengers brought by the Hansa
from Amenca, is Count liejan, the From* Consul at Now
Orisons.

A California company has secured a large tract
of land on the peolnanla of Lower Oalifersia upon which •
fair quality of upland cotton grows wild, They propose its
immediate cultivation, believing that cheap labour and no-
tive_ population will make cotton growing profitable.
Mlt. GROROZ MELLY, OP LIVERPOOL, ON Co-
oraaarrox.—Who amoript us has not heard and reed of
the aufferiap of our manufacturing population ; who
amospt us has sot deeply sympathised with those ender-
iop ; and which of us his not admired and reverenced the
noble attitude which that population has maintained in the
midst of their terrible trial ? Perhaps one of the Teases.
of their heroic resignatim is, that, not blinded by the
writing of diplomatists sod the speeches of ntatennent
with clear, straightforward gam, they see what is the reel
question at isms, and were and are prepared to bear their
share in the unparalieled mailloes which the solution of •
most
Luespotriaicionot aces o
f freedom
and independest
bearing in the midst of their enforced idleness has been the
great lacrosse of education during the last few years, sad
of all knowledge that learnt in co-operative stores ban
bees the most valuable and enduring. --Speaks Leyerpool.
theiren"ili reps. all. B" by far the
am

Vie erpreoo.

TO ODBILMIPONDINTS.
Merl Womb total:dad lw "no lapron• lasi= lowan
=woo to. at Ilse WA" 11‘ Downwfwairoob by Two
on the cloy of yobloodow

00i71241 6ULDI2I,

Ttini &Millie, THE /7110i1HE8 0-F NANTES. mews.
Weir, untie, B. Coat, and W. Harrison . ?dims L. Tine and
A. HBee. - Apa BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Concluding with
the lranatormation Scene.—Ccannaemos at 7.

.11.AlpfARIcZT,

TIM Ermeolo. OIIS AMILICAN COUSIN. Mown
Sottisen and Snekatone ; Ya S FttzwUIIam.—BASSRLAS
?LINOS OF ABYSSINIA. Mr. Compton and Mt. L. Keeley.
.—And MRS. WHITS Mr. Campton and Ulm liardeur.

PltplcP2BB.

Tins Ergs's°, THZ 11/111-11141 81712. Mesas. H. Marston.
Ver.* and Cathcart: Moo Alty liaderriek sad lira. H. Marston
And Will:lff WITH TIM TUFT ; or, Harlequin and Mother
lillpton. Kama Masao, Poses, sad Raiford; Mira OdUinson•

11.
THIS EVIIMNI, A SUDDITCII7EN ATTACK. Mews. Shore
and Wi,ldicomb Mau liairode ad Mrs. Lee. —And THE
DUBE'S MOTTO. Morn. lectitar. G. Vining, Brougham. and
Raymond . Mims C. liacicardi, I. Tarry, and laswortA.T.

16
nos Snows, NVOLTA DSVOTIO. Ws. Yarnold
and Min Sophie BOX HASSAN. Mn. 8. hoe
;
Mews. liana, lamb. Newham, And Mlle. C. Stephan ; Tow
Byers and Ma bribitoliw—Comanonn at halt-pant

EON WATS& AT WNDON 113.11)01.
TO DAT lialllkli. n• Om • •••Anirmook 76, 47k.
ToNoasow—Yonlms, AL 11m..... Abaft" AL 70.

LONDON, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26.

Wa are anxious to direct the attention of our
readers to a comparatively unpretending Associa-
tion recently founded for the special behoof of the
industrial classes throughout the country. This
is the Working Men's Club and Institute Union,
established for the purpose of promoting not only
the mental and moral improvement, but especially
the social intercourse and rational recreation of
the working classes. The general scheme of this
Union is so thoroughly sensible, its basis so broad,
its objects so definite and so practically useful,
and its plan of operations at once so simple and so
efficient, that it well deser►es to be widely known
and actively supported. It is formed for the pur-
pose of helping working men to establish clubs or
institutions where they can meet together for con-
versation, business, and mutual improvement, and
be at the same time supplied with various means of
recreation and simple but substantial refreshments.
The main object is thus to secure for the working
classes all, and more than all, that thedd Mechanics'
Institutions were originally intended to effect.
These institutions have, it is well known, so com-
pletely failed in their primary design, that, instead
of supplying the mechanics with cheap and avail•
able means of amusement and instruction, they
have either ceased to exist, or have fallen wholly
into the hands of the trading and middle classes.
This failure may be traced to a radical defeat in
their object and organization. Their design was
from the outset too exclusively educational. The
Institution usually included • library, which was
also a reading-room, a class-room, sad • lecture-
hall. If a mechanic was determined to devote his
leisure time to reading or learning, the Institution
offered him, no doubt, very seasonable assistance.
But for a workman to be willing to do this after
spending the whole day in continuous and exh►ust-
ing labour, argues an amount of previous mental
discipline and self-control which in any consider-
able body of mechanics would naturally be the ex-
ception rather than the rule. The great majority
would require to be gradually roused and
encouraged to an effort of this kind, not only by the
stimulus of example working through some esta-
blished means of social intercourse and enjoy-
ment, but by having this intercourse and enjoy-
ment directly associated with the opportunity and the
means of self-improvement. And even the highest
class of mechanics could not be expected to spend
all their leisure in reading and learning. To
continue their studies with success, they would
require now and than • little social recrea-
tion and amusement. This is exactly the
want which the broader aim of the " Club
" and Institute Union" proposes to supply. The
social element is connected with the educational
element, is in fact the basis of it, the working
men of a town or district being protided with a
genuine " Club" as well as an " Institute." An
Institution of this sort, while offering social attrac-
tions and healthy occupations to all, affords at
the same time ample means of self-improvement
to the increasing number who may come to desire
and to prize educational advantages. Aooord-
ing to the plan of the Union every such
working men's "Club and Institute" should include
a room easily aommalle for eonvers•tion, newspapers,
refreshments, and such games as chess, draughts,
bagatelle, dominoes, Ac. ; a room for periodical
and library book-reading, where talking should be
prohibited ; and a smoking-room. There should
if possible be in addition one or more rooms for
classes, committee meetings, and general business
purposes, such as meetings of friendly co-operative
societies, with provision for throwing two or three
of the rooms into one for lectures, concerts, social
entertainments, general meetings, and the like.
Whenever the funds admit, a piano is purchased
for occasional concerts, as well as the regular
social meetings of the Club. Regular provision is
also to be made not only for ocemerts, but for
readings from popular authors, recitations, sing-
ing, story-telling, exhibition of pictures, dissolving
views, and works of art. The place of regular
resort at all times would of course be the coffee-
room, with the papers and refreshments, and the
smoking-room. The refreshments are supplied
"as nearly as possible at cost price, great care
" being taken to have them thoroughly good
" of their kind." It would be difficult to overrate
the importance of this fundamental social feature
of the scheme. Where are the great body of
young and active working men to spend their
leisure hours after work t At present they can
only go to the public-house or the cheep mule-
halls. A well-appointed "Club" would offer to
them • far more rational end healthy alternative,
and one which we believe the great body of
working men would thankfully welcome. The
attempts hitherto made have been uniformly
successful, and the success is largely due
to the social features of the scheme. The
Hon. Secretary of the Southampton Working
Men's Halls well contrast' this feature with the
defective system of the older societies :—" Our
" fundamental principle is recreation and occupe-
" tion. On this we build the superstructure of
" classes for reading and writing, large elocution
" and singing classes, a harmonic club and benefit
" society, and • lending library to each hall.
" Everything we add is therefore on an ascending
"scale. But with literary institutes they aim too
" high to begin with, and then descending sink
"to the depths of comic lectures' and such
" like follies to catch more member."

The other main cause of the failure which has
attended Mechanics' Institutions is to be found in
their organisation and machinery. They were
largely vitiated from the first by a certain element
of patronage and air of condescension that marked
their operations, and was, it may almost be said,
wrought into their very constitution. They were'