The Express.
London, England, 1864-02-17 00:00:00

AUSTRIA.

VIENNA, FIB. 17.

The Austrian Provincial Diets, with the excep-
tion of Hungary, Croatia, Transylvania, and
Venetia, have been convoked for the 2nd of March.

SPAIN.

MADRID, FEB. 16.
A bill lima been brought into congress calling out
35,000 men.

Advice* received here from St. Domingo repre-
sent the insurgents to be much discouraged. Fresh
reinforcements were constantly arriving.

AMERICA.
SOUTHAMPTON, FEN. 17.
The Hamburg and American Company's steamer
Germania, from New York, on the 6th inst., has
arrived off Cowes.

She brings 38 bags of mails, 59 passengers for
this port, Havre, and Hamburg, 89,675 dole, in
specie for England, 125,200 doll. for France, and
2,000 dole, for Hamburg.

Off the Scilly Islands she spoke the ship Cer-
berus, bound West.
Her news has been anticipated.

The following telegram has been received at Mr.
Reuter's office from the Peninsular and Oriental
Steam Navigiation Company, this day.
BOMBAY AND MAURITIUS MAILS.

MALTA, Fn. 15.
The Vectis will leave Malta at 10 p.m, with
the Marseilles portion of the above mails.

14;7a.
1
14

Nairn.. 130 r.•
itberdes 10.02 361
Leith 10.07 37
Ardroman 30.14 41
Orveacastle Ski 40
°slimy talk
Valenti. lll.l
Cape Cle-r
Quitenetara 3O.
Liverpool lO. 40'
013 bead FI9 471
Pembroke IO.II
Pomona. . 1 44,
Brest
L'Oiient IO.OBU
Rochefort ...- .1 43
Plymouth .114 t
Weymouth
Portsmouth
Loadon
Dover ts
Yarmouth.-- 19.34 30
ice:borough-. I
Shields lBlll3Bl
aitilkotead

W.ii.W.
LW.
N.!.
N. N.L

N.W.
Z
N.L

N.W.
N.N.W.
N.W.
N.
N.N.L

x.ir.w.

------
x.
N.W.
N. N, W.

N.N.W.
N.N.W.
N.
N.W.

Planalll.ll
TiftIUIDAT. Of MOOTNEIa VILIDAT.
S.W. to N and beck, 00•121. N.L to N.W. and
strong to moderate, R. W., moderate to
some wow or rola tweak eons meow to
•heat
. to W., moderate to
trash, generelly tine.

N. W. to N.E. and back. Wiertalt.
fresh to moderate,
same rain In places.
W.N.W. to N.N.I. and Poalligoll. N. E. to N. W.. trtsh to
to E. In places, fresh, moderate, tine.
generally tine.
N.W. W &, strong, EMISZIN. k. to N. and W., treah,
squally to &takeouts generally tine.
mos in places.
Northern:Scotland- Wastornslreload. Wall, and ad-
jorateteo Soothsm=dinglish Chonosl and ilimay Boy. Sodom
lisotword England and liabgaisad.

M. Eugene Simon has returned to Paris from
Chine, after having accomplished a mlasion intrusted to him
by the Emperor. Be has brought with him • flock of
Chimes sheep, called °anti, consisting of two ram and 22
ewes, remarkable for their fecundity. This flock is •
present made by the French residents of Shanghai to the
Zoological Society in the Bois de Boulogne. Fifty per cont.
of thesis ewes produos lambs Orissa • year, and three at a
birth ; 20 per oe•t, produce two at • time twine • year.
These sheep are of the middle sire, and resemble the South-
down. Their wool, though lon, is very inferior to that of
the Merinos. It ill proposed to *end French sheep to Sues
to be exclaimed with masters of ships coming from China
for Chinese sheep.

A statement from Rome, comparing the increase
of the Jesuits, rys :—" At the end of the year 1863 it was
7,529, or 118 more than in 1862. They are distributed
among 19 establishments, of w►ich five are in Italy, five in
German♦ and Belgium, three in France, two in Spain, sod
four In England and America. The Italian Jesuits number
1,617, the Austrian 362, the Betties 576, the Dutch 236,
the German 584, the French 2,266, the Spanish, 868, the
English 270, the Irish 139, and the American 350; the rest
belonging to other salines. As may be seen, France has
the most. At Rome there are 344, and in the foreign
missions 1,362, of wham 560 are French, 296 Spanish, and
2io Italians, the remainder being natives at other countrisa.
English Jesuits number 270."

DIDOT'S "ANNCAIREDU COMMERCZ, 1864."—This
work will be found of the greatest service to all merchants
sad others who have immediate business relation with
France. It is much larger and more oonsprelteasive than
our own " Post Oflioe Directory," and abounds in informa-
tion and statistics only found hitherto in dictionaries and
almanacks. In these days of incessant and increasing com-
munication between Francs and England, the Paris Dine-
bey becomes most useful to us here ; and M. Didot's work
embraces all ordain, professions, and trades. The political,
official, diplomatic, and commerci►l parts of the " An-
nuaire " seem to be all done with equal care.
_ _

plant or Ma. W ILLI ja Dirc2, R.A. —We
regret to announce the death, at Streatham, on &today
Let, of this distinguished artist, in the 58th year of his
age. In 1844 the sample of freeoo manipulation seat by
him to Weetminater Hall—" Two Heads," part of a larger
composition, the " Consecration of Archbishop Parker in
Lambeth Chapel, A.D. 1559 "—obtained for him a commis-
sion for further specimens. During the summer of the
same year be was appointed by Primo Albert to take the
place of Etty, as one of the select decorators of the rummer-
house in Buckingham Palace-gardens. Is 1845 his cartoon,
fresco, and coloured sketch for the "Baptism of &bel-
lied " were approved and accepted. The subject was
soon afterwards executed on the walls of the House of
Lords. This fresco displayed a knowledge—historic, anti-
quarian, and technical—that has given him a decided pre-
ference over his brother artists in this branch of art.
Since that period Mr. Dyes continued to receive the
patronage of Prince Albert in private, and of the royal
commission in public. Is 1845 he waa eluded Associate
of the Academy, and in 1848, It. A. Mr. Dyoe, before
his death, had from his broken health relinqniabed
hie frescoes in the room assigned to him i• the Houses
of Parliament. He had made great progress is hie
aeries of designs—from the Mort cr Arthur—acid was hit
terly mortified by the complaints of delay made against
him by the committee of last session which reported on the
state of the decorations. _

STANDING MIMIC* IN EITKOPZ. —Russia's standing
army is 1,000,000 men, costing annually 26 millions ster-
ling, or 42 per smut.of the national bodpt ; France has
673,000 men, meting 34 million, or 33 per cent.; Austria.
467,600 men, meting 16 !millions, or 37 per cent.; Turkey,
434,000 w ; Italy, 314,000 men. costing 16 minims ;
England, 300.000 men, meting 73 millions, or 39 per omit.;
Prussia. 314.000 men, metier 74 millions, ce 30 per omit.
Sweden. 67,600 men, costing 40 per mat.; Denmark. 50.000,;
caseliag 37 per mat. The whole standing army of Europe
is 3,815,847 men, casting annually 170 sterling.—
American paper.