The Express.
London, England, 1863-02-27 00:00:00

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LONDON, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27.

WHILE every thoroughfare of the City by which
the Princess ALEXANDRA i 2 to pass to-morrow week
bears witness to the heartiness of the reception
which awaits the Royal Lady, a difficulty respect-
ing the order of the procession has arisen. Sir
GEOROR Gast has assigned to the Corporation of 1
London a part and a place in the ceremonial of
the day very different from that which they had
expected, or are inclined quietly to accept. The Cor-
poration had hoped to be permitted to receive the
PRINCE and PRINCESS and precede and conduct
them through the City, according to ancient
usage. Sir ilsosoit GRIT' proposes that the
PRINCE and PRINCIOR, with their suits,
shall go first, and the Corporation follow.
The reason given for this departure from custom
is the wish that the Royal party may have the
pace of the procession in their own power. It
seems to be considered that the Loan Maros and
Corporation in front would cause much the same
inconvenience as a traveller feels when a coal train
is descried a-head of the express. But surely
any difficulty of this kind might be avoided wjth
a little management. The Corporation, we pre-
sume, has no regulation speed from which it is im-
possible to depart, and would be only too happy
to carry out the wishes of the illustrious travellers.
We suspect that the exaggerated pretensions of the
Corporation have led to the proposition which
its members find so objectionable. It appears that
the Corporation wished to take part in the re-
ception at the Bricklayers' Arms station, and
accompany the procession all the way to
Paddington. That is a very different thing from
bringing the Parsee and Par/mess on their way
through the City, and it is plain that if these
wishes should be deferred to, the Corporation must
occupy a secondary place in the Royal es-
cort. What sensible citizens desire is, not to get
up a long trailing Lord Mayor's Show out of sea-
son, but to be permitted to pay customary and
appropriate honours to the Panms and PRINCESS.
It is plain that it cannot be necessary for this
purpose that the Corporation should encumber the
procession through a route of four or five miles.
Let the Corporation keep on their own territory,
and be content to receive the PRINCE and Pamcms,
say on this aide London-bridge, and bring them
on their way to Temple-bar, and the objections
of Sir Gsoaoz Gasr will cease to be formidable.

THE House of Commons was last night engaged
in a very delicate and perilous business--that of
" upholding its dignity." In time peat this baa
often meant no more than rushing needlessly into
a petty quarrel which not even the power of the
House to commit to custody oould make respectable.
Of late years we have heard little of " breach of pri-
" vilege," although there probably never was so
much of it as at this time. The Howie of Com-
mons has been content to rely more and more
upon the publicity which—by a breach of privilege
—is given to its proceedings for the vindication of
its character ; and few people, we imagine,
suppose that its dignity has suffered in conse-
quence.

The breach of privilege brought under the notice
of the House last night by Sir FREDERIC' Slum,
the member for Chatham, bad its origin in the
speech which he made on the Navy Estimates the
other evening, in the course of which he animad-
verted on the appointment of Mr. REED to be
Chief Constructor of the Navy. There can be no
doubt that, according to the now established prac-
tice of Parliament, an appointment to a post so
important as that of the Chief Constructor of the
British Navy has become, is a proper ob-
ject of criticism in Parliament. Sir F. Smrria's
censures were directed against the Admiralty far
more than against Mr. Run, whose qualifications
were canvassed severely indeed, but within the
limits of fairness. Mr. REED, being dissatisfied
with the estimate of his abilities which Sir F.
Sacs had expressed in the House, wrote and sent
a private letter to the hon. member, and this pro-
ceeding constituted the breach of privilege com-
plained of last night.

It would not be fair to pronounce any opinion
of Mr. RZED'II letter while it is before the House.
It will probably offer no difficulty to a single
reader. But why need the House have been
troubled with it It was not a notice of an action
for libel, or anything that could have caused the
least inconvenience to the Hon. Member after the
momentary unpleasantness of reading it. Sup-1
posing he had thrown it into the fire, would the
dignity of the House have suffered in consequence?
Or will the same dignity be raised by giving the
letter the importance of a discussion which
interrupts the business of the country We can
hardly doubt what would have been the con-
clusion of Sir F. Surra if he had been left to
obey his own natural and generous impulses.
From the manner in which Lord Cirsawcz
Pecrr's observations were received by the Opposi-
tion, we fear that feelings in which the dignity
of Parliament counted for very little have forced
on this proceeding. Most people who are engaged
in public life receive improper letters on subjects
connected with their duty, and dispose of them as
common sense dictates. It seems a pity that the
usages of the House of Commons should tempt
any member from the ordinary course, and enable
him to plungo the first deliberative assembly in
Europe into a squabble from which it cannot pos-
sibly come out without loss of respect,

The Duke of Rutland continues to recover from
the effects of hie recent serious accident.

THE ;

€be Court.

WINDSOR CASTLE, Fu. 26.

The Queen, accompanied by the Prineens Louis
of Hems, walked and drove in the grounds yederday after-
noon.
The prim. Of Wake, the Crown Princeas of Prom.
(Prince. Hoyal),fand Prince LOUIS of Hesse, attended by
the Counter Hotteuthsl, Major Teesdale, and Count
Funteastefo, rode on horseback this morning.
11 The Prussian Ambassador (Count Bemstortf) and the
Bight Hon. Sir Charles Wood arrived at the Castle yes-
terday.
The Prince of Wales and the Prince Louis of Hems re.
turned to the Cutts yesterday afternoon.
The Duke and Duch*. d'Aumale Mailed the Queen to-
day.

The day appointed for the hearing the petitioners against
the Aberdeen Bursary Ordinances is unavoidably postponed
from Wednesday, the llth of March, to Thursday, 12th
of March, on which day the Committee of the Loads of the
Council will it at the Council Chamber,"Whitehall, to hese
counsel on behalf of the petitioners.

A deputation from the Association of the Chambers of
Commerce had an interview yesterday with the Right Han.
T. Milner Gibson and the Right Hon. W. Hutt, at the office
of the Board of Trade, on the subject of Foreign Tariffs, Re.
'titration of Partnerships, Tribunals of Commerce, and the
Metrical System of Weights and Measures.
A deputation on behalf of the British Electric Telegraph
Company bad au interview with the Right Hon. T. Milner
Gibson and the Right Hon. W. Hutt yesterday at the °Moe
of the Baud of Trude.

The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council sat yerter-
day. An appeal from Bengal, " Wise v. 13hoobsin Moyle
1 (pert heard), was concluded.
Despatehea were received yesterday at the Colonialtdice
from the Governors of Malta and Heligoland. Despatches
were sent to the Governors of the Mauritius, Ceylon, Hoag
Kong, Labnan, the Australian Crannies, Gibraltar, and
Canada.