The Express.
London, England, 1855-04-26 00:00:00

%TIN Court.

The Queen, accompanied by the Princess Boyd
sad the Prineemes Alice, Helena, and Louisa, and sites*
by the Hon. Caroline Cavendish, the Hon. Flora Has.
dJoald, and Lord Charles Fitzroy, went to Glottos.ter-haus
yesterday morning, and paid a visit of oosgratulstioa to Ms
Dachas of Gloucester oa the auspicious return of kat
birthday.

Prises Albert, with the Prince of Wales and P •
Alfred, rods on horseback, attended by Colonel Beywww,
and also paid a congratulatory visit to the royal dictum M
Gloucester-house.

The Duchess of Heat "kited the Queen, and afterwards.
sorempanied by the Primes of liohealohe-Lingenhergeng
the Prince's Adelaide, and the Prince of Leiniegeo, vent
to pay a congratulatory visit to the Dueling of filoneestal
in the forenoon.

Her Majesty and Prince Albert took a drive in an ape
landau end four in the afternoon, accompanied by tbs
Princess of Hohenlohe•Lengeobarg and the Prhteft Ada.
laide of liokenlohe. The Equerries in Waiting attended
on horseback.
Mr. Daniell, of Bond-street, bad the honour of submittial
"the Imperial Dessert Service," manufactured for the
'French Exhibition, to the inspection of her Majesty sag
Prince Albert.

The Earl of Clarendon had an audience of her Majesty,
The Queen and Prince Albert visited the Duchess of
Gloucester in the evening, accompanied by the Prinean
Royal, the Princess Alice, the Princess of Rubenlobe•ly,
genburg, and the Princesses Adelaide and Feodore of th,
henlobe, the Prince of Loiniugen, aad Prince Victor of
liohealohe. The royal suite caulked of the Count* of
Desert, Lord Charles Fitzroy, and Colonel Beyrooar.
The Dashes, of Kent, attended by Lady Anna Rads
Dawson and Lady Fanny Howard, /lilted the Dachas ce
Gloucester at Gloucester House last evecios,
The Duchess of Cambridge and the Princess Rory am
the Duke of Cambridge paid visits of cougratalatioa to the
Doottooo of Gloucester yesterday.

The Hon. Arthur Kinnaird, M.P., Sir Culling Nucl.
and Mr. Whestisy, had an Interview with Sir George Om
yesterday, at the Home•office, on the subject of Smug
catholic primate demanding acceu to all Roman cat's:dim la
confinement at Brixton gaol.

A meeting of the Ost,rd University Commission was bell
on Tuesday, at No. 18, Great Quesa.strett, wawa's*.
The rommissionen present were the Earl of Ellesmere, Ma
Earl of Harrowby, the Bishop of Ripon, Mr. Junes Celt*
rids*, the Dean of Wells, and Sir John Awdry, with the
secretaries.

Despatches were sent yesterday from the Colonial-ernes ta
the governors of Hong Kong, Ceylon, and the Yetwitirn

THE APARTMENTS OF THE EMPEROR AND
EMPRESS OF THE FRENCH AT WINDSOR
CASTLE.

WINDSOR, WEDNESDAY.
Her Majesty the Queen having been graciouly
pleased to command that the ►uite of &penitents unpin',
by hie Imperial Msjesty Napoleon the Third sad it.
Empress Eugenia during their late suspicious visit Anil
be shown to the public under the saute restrictions sad me.
ladies as the privets apartments of the Csatle, it =it be
metal to state that no person can ol.tain admission wittuld
an order from the Lord Chamberlain, which order en Its
obtained only at the office of his lordship, in Landon, eat
in every instance a written application must be made. Up
to the present time, no day has been named for the band
the Lord Chamberlain's orders, nor is it known owe lbw
long a period such issue will extend. The state &penitent
will remain closed against ordinary orders until due en*
of their opening has appeared in the London Casette.

_ .
Both lines of railway, on Monday monsiog, brought on
immense cumber of respectable visitors. who were under the
impression that they could procure tickets for admiesion
the state and imperial apartmen,s, by making application
at the Winchester Tower. Laterday and tte.Cay the arrivals,
for the same purpose, have been equally numerous, sad tbe
greatest eagerness is evinced to vise the apartment/06.14nd
by the Emperor and Empress. The propootd arrangement,
with respect to the issue of tickets, is looked upon as being
too exclusive.

The Earl Fitzhardinge has arrived at Berkeley
Howe, from Berkeley Castle.

The Duke and Duchess of Norfolk and Lady
Adelina Fitzalan Howard have arrived in St. James-
square from ArundeL Castle. Ltrd and Lady Edward
Fi,zalan Howard hate arrived at their residence at Rader&
gate, Hyde park.

Her Grace the Duchess of Sutherland paid a vWt
yesterday on board the Bellerophon at Portsmouth, la
Captain Lord George Panlet.

A report of the death of the Duke of Marlborough
reached Oxford yesterday afternoon.

To-morrow the Earl of Shaftesbury presides ova
the fourth annual meting of the Protestant Alliance, sad
Sir R. Inglis ever the annual meeting of the Church id
England Young Men's Society for Aiding Missions st
home and abroad.

The committee of the Kiog's College Hospital hate
obtained Lord Palmerston as chairman at their dianerte
►e held on Wedn:sday, in celebration of the openias of the
new building. His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge
presides over the aaniversary dinner of the Lock Halpin!
and Asylum on Saturday.

The Royal Botanic Society's exhibitions of plan*
Aware, and fruit, this seaesn, will take place on Weds*
dye, May 9, June 13, and July 4; and of American Pleats.
June 18.

On Monday the directors of the Crystal Palos
intend issuing guinea season tickets, available to the 30th
April, 1836. These tickets wi►l entitle the holders to the
esclusive privilege of admission to the Palace end park at
the Horticultural and Floricultural Ft tee, is be bold*
Saturday, the tail June, and on the occasion of playiog the
whole of the grand fountains and cascades fur the first tiara
It is intended to hold a'• Grand Bazaar" in Lon•
dos next month, to promote the movement now making la
eztead the use of free labour in cotton goods, with a viell
to the discouragement of slavery in the American Stale'.

Deputations from the Wholesale spirit trade it
Edinburgh and Glasgow, are about to wait upon the Chsa•
cello? of the Baths quer to endeavour to prevent Owing*
salon of the increased duties upon stocks in hand. _ . .

A plant of the new and beautiful species of ?bode.
deadron, the rhododendron Edgewnrtbi, ii now &raid(

in the Experimental Osrd.li at-Edinburgh, being the find
of the kiad which baa flowered in Scotlaud. It is a 'sties
of the Sikkim, Himalaya mountains, whence seeds were
sent to this country by Dr. Joseph Hooker in 1850, and di r.
tribated by the government.
There is a decrease of 52 in the number of sppli•
Mises for licences under the Public-house Act in the telf
of Edinburgh, this year as compared with last.
Important freehold property belonging to the
Marquis of Easter, and situated in the Bused, liseterelrsete
Wellington-street North, Catherine-street, and Endow
,Mtge,—was sold at auction yesterday, by Aldstass
Farebrother, for 51,8001. It is said to be worth curb
3,0001. a year.
Captain Soobell has given notice that he intesk
calling the attention of the House of Commons, to-mortei
evening, to the " count-out " of Tuesday last.
A Bath journal earnestly contesting the me..
resumes of an article in a local contemporary, is whisk the
decline of the city is avowed, mentions a ciresessekees
which it thinks is not a little eloquent on the hopeful side--
it is that ono milliner, of Milsom-strset, last week sold noir
throe new bonnets /
The Cheltenham Examiner mentions the departs"
from that town on Monday, of numerous Mormon es re*
for Liverpool, there to take ship for " the great Salt Leh
City." Among them were several persons of respects
the
character. The vessel in which they are to sail will be the
fourth which the "Sainte " have chartered from Limped
since Christmas, easb vessel taking out from 600 to 70
passengers. The Mormons boast that not one of them shlie
bas ever ben lost, or even disabied in a sues.
The solicitors for the defendant in the late digs
ma. cue of Evans v. Robinson, state that, although the
difindant and Mrs. Evans were ready and willing to be"
made an affidavit, denying that they had ever bad
criminal intercourse together, yet, " looking at the WNW
state of the criminal law, and the power of any persee•
of revenge, to prefer an indictment at the Old Bag b.'
bind the back of another, and also, considering the chit*
ter of the witnesses called on the trial, and the unsettle
lons means used by the plaintiff to obtain them' we eavla
Mr. Robinson and Mrs. Evans not to asks the seldavit, sad
if the blame is to be attached to any one for the to
sot being made, it must be thrown upon us."

THE WAR.

THE SIEGE OF

We have official reports from Sebastopol, both
French and Russian, to the 19th lost. The Moni-
ker states that the Asaiodee, which left the Crimea
on that day, brings word that on the night of the
18th the Russians made a sortie from Sebastopol, but
were immediately driven back. The siege works
wen steadily pushed forward, and the besiegers grew
stronger in their positions.
A letter from before Sebastopol of the 10th says :
" I write to you under the effect of deep emotion.
At five yesterday
.morning the whole line opened its
fire with great vigour, and, curiously enough, the
enemy did not reply at first. That delay enabled oar
gunners to obtain the range most accurately. The
weather unfortunately has not been favourable, as
raia fell heavily all day, but the wind blew from us,
and carried the smoke into the town. Nobody, the
evening before, was certain that the fire was to open
the next morning ; all that was known was that •
sortie of the Russians was expected, and that the
allied troops were ordered to be on the alert. The
effect of the allied artillery has been most satisfactory,
considerable damage being almost immediately dose
to the Russian works. The naval squadron had been
ordered to take up a position near the town, and to
aid the land forces in their attacks, but the state of
the sea prevented their approaching close enough,
and the wild was so violent as to render the vessels
being driven on shore almost a certainty. Admiral
Brunt has anchored in front of the Bay de Strelesks,
and should the weather improve he will stand in and
act. As it is, the wind is falling. sod a movement is
perceptible in the fleet. The French opened with
300 guns, independently of those of the English. The
fire was continued during the whole of last night, in
order to prevent the Russians from repairing the
damage done to their works. Their ere has not been
by any means equal to that on the 17th October,when
the first attack took place. Yesterday, the French
naval batteries had five men killed and twenty-two
wounded, three officers being amongst the latter.
I cannot say what loss has been sustained by the
land batteries. We all hope that eventual success
will crown our attack. The wet weather, though
most disagreeable, has this advantage that it prevents
any attack being made on our lines at least for some
days. Were the Russians to attempt anything on the
land side, they would be certainly repulsed."
Another letter of the above date says:
"For some days before, the last arrangements bad
been made, sod the troops awaited with impatience
the signal of the general attack. The firing of the
allies may be considered excellent, and in the
nurse of the morning some decisive results were
clearly visible. On the right, the Malakhoff tower
bad been considerably dialoged, sod the fire from
the Ores Mamelon was almost silenced. Boas
Raman vessels, which had taken up a position,
were obliged to retire. Oa the left, the fire of the
Rawilans was weak throughout the 9th; they were
silent dental; the night, but began pretty weevily
in the morning of the 10th. The fiataff bestial'
was very much damaged, sad for a abort time was
thought to have been silenced. The central bastion
kept firing constantly, but slowly. The Qausatine
battery kept firing steadily, although moth damaged ;
28 mortars from the Genoese fort and a Preach bat-
tery kept sending a heavy shown of large shot at it.
The battery No. 28, which is mounted with 18 guns
and is 180 metres in length. is the one that suffered
most of those belonging to the French ; seven of the
embrasures were destroyed on the 9th, and the glum
could no longer act, but on the 10th they wen re-
paired. A lieutenant was killed in this battery. The
marine battery No. 4 suffered rather severely, bat it
kept up a brilliant fire. It had one sailor killed and
12 wounded—one of the latter is a lieutenant who
retoroed to the battery after having his wound
dressed. The losses of the allies have not been by
any means considerable, and the fiat results have
been satisfactory."

(MOO TIM

FRANCE.

IFONDIUIT OF YRS DAILY NIFIFF.)
PARIS, WIIMISIDLT 11111111110.

The delusion that peace was likely to grow out of
the Vienna Conference being now pretty nearly ex-
ploded—l say pretty nearly, ►ecause some people
cling to it still—the question '• What is Austria going
to do?" cannot much longer rentals unanswered. I
have little doubt that by this very post a great deal
of intellig, nce will reach England, tending to show
that all goes swimmingly on at Vienna. You will
learn that a protocol has been signed, setting forth
is the most satisfactory m possible the reasons

why the Conferences came to a barren conclusion.
It will be shown that no act of Austria has hitherto
manifested any disinclination to act up to the
treaty of December 2, and it will be proved tri-
umphantly that she is bound in honour to declare
war upon Ru•aia at once. Now, I venture to assure
you positiveay—so far as it is possible to speak posi-
tively of any future event—that Austria will not
draw the sword against Russia. How her excites will
be framed I cannot divine ; but that no effective assist-
ance is to be expected from her in this grand struggle
I feel certain, and, moreover, I know very well that
the French Government has not in reality the
slightest expectation of her support. The Conegitu-
gionnel to-day professes to believe the contrary, and
says that Austria must join us, because if she do not
she will break her word. This very inconclusive

_ .
argument is merely put forth to Lay a found►tion to
reproach Austria with perfidy when the crisis comes.
The following highly important telegraphic despatch
has been received to-day

WRDNISDRY, APRIL 25.
Th• Corrsepondence Autrichtstitts, tae esmi•oillsial organ
of the Austrian cominment, says tam. sontrary to w►at the
Ost. Dwduhe Post has esztoensed, the Vises& Cadences*
ite not IMAM up, bat that they wilt be tiontlaued without
taterruption (sic). Oa this occasion the Correspoosiarocs

Atifriciierms agita 'sprouts hopes of Discs.
This, if the despatch be correct, represents tha
semi•oelcial Austrian organ as giving a direct con-
tradiction to the statements of Lords Clarenda• and
Palmerston in the houses of Lords and Conmaami
That the Conterenoe is not broken up Medially b
true; bat it is suspended 81111 die, and sespisibal
cause tho purpose for which it assembled has altar►
they failed to produce a result.
Turning from the abortive Conferences, I

happy to be able to express a confident hope that
the siege of Sebastopol is really going on well. The
government has received despatches, from which it
results that the Allies hold commanding palliate;
that our artillery is very efftctive I that peat d►
• structiori has been wrought on the Russian works, asi
that an assault might be made with OIIOOe4IO at ossn
is, however, judged better, in order to spare unne-
cessary lose of life, to prolong the bombardment. I
cannot say that an assault will be made after all, bat
I sincerely believe that when the whole truth comes
oat it will be found that the progress of the siege is
mach more satisfactory than might be inferred from
the unwise pains taken by the government to sap-
prees sews.
Apropos of the enppriesioo dams, the Cambia-
slaapla letters, which ought to have been delivered
early this morning, are all detained at the poet.
cake.

The following despatch, of doubtful authority, I.
important, if true :
Tzturn, WIDIIISDAT.
TM Owens li Triage revs that the Saila& ANpuf-tb►
Has the Dalai Albert had rya snowed is attespelag to
Sores tbe fatly el tho port of Sebastopol. mad bad beam soak
lsi the Itosstoss.
It le to be observed that the Marseilles doepatelme,
which give news down to a date a day later, my not
a word of this event. It is probably as
There ham been so striking feature at the Bower.
The Bente ram We., dates at 60. 30s.

AUSTRIA.

On the 18th &battery of field-pierce, the sixth with
which gen-cotton only us to be need, left Visalia for
Gallia.. Other batteries of the same kind are being
prepared in the arsenal of the capital.

SPAIN.