The Express.
London, England, 1864-09-06 00:00:00

TILE =PRESS, TUESDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER. 6, 'IS 64.

How many of such dreadful inpacestei bar.
barons cruelty exist in &Oland taco can The
Deputy Commissioner telk us ant only 1 in 15
of the insane in private dwellings are under super-
vision ; the rest of the 3,628, or about half thei
insane in Scotland, are at the mercy of cruel rale-
tives or guardians, who laugh at the Sheriff, while
Parochial Boards hug themselves upon getting out
of the expense. The Commissioners "can only
" regret these abuses, not in their power to cor-
" rect ; the cases do not come under the power
"of the Board of Lunacy until they
" have obtained the order of the Sheriff.
" Yet no means have been provided for
" bringing the existence of such cases to
" his knowledge. The obtaining of his order
" involves trouble, expense, and publicity." The
only sort of protection, miserable as it is, in
operation in Scotland, appears to be that a lunatic
requiring coercion and restraint must not be kept
more than a year without being reported to the
Board of Lunacy. Imagine the iniquity that
might be perpetrated on some troublesome in-
heritor, or wife of incompatible temperament, in
• year ! Scotch law is, we suppose, about as
abstruse and crab-like in its ways as it is pos-
sible to conoeive ; but we might ask, at leant, to
have something like sure legislation upon matters
like these, where not only mere humanity is con-
cerned, but which cannot but involve crime and
immorality of every degree. There is no peculi-
arity in Scotch lunacy that we know of, and no
reason, except it be in the national aversion
to "expense," why Scotch lunatics should be
allowed to beltept for a year without any reporting
to the Commissioners, while in England heavy
penalties are incurred for keeping a lunatic four-
teen days without a license. if this stringent law
was necessary in the interests of humanity and
justice for England, it is equally so for Scotland,
and surely the expense should be considered an
obstacle not altogether insurmountable.

THE LAST HOURS OF PRINCE ALBERT.

There has reached us (Northern Whig) from
abroad a most interesting extract from a letter
which was written by a member of the Queen's
household, shortly after the death of Prince
Albert. The extremely confidential position which
the writer held at the time not only gives the assu-
rance of perfect reliability, but invests the following
lines with a very special interest After describ-
ing the grief and fears of the whole household for
the Queen, the writer speaks of the personal loss
sustained in the death of Prince Albert:

How I shall miss his conversation shout the children
He seed often to come into the school-room to speak about
the education of the children, and he left me without
my feeling that he had strengthened my hands, and raised
the standard I was aiming at. Nothing mean or frivo-
lous could exist in the atmosphere that surrounded him ;
the conversation could not be trifling if he was in the
room. I dread the return of spring for my dear Lady.
It was his favourite time of the year—the (inning
leave*, the early flowers, and fresh grain were such
a delight to him; and he so loved to point oat
their beauties to hie children, that it will be ter-
rible to see them without him. The children kept hi
table supplied with primroses, which he especially loved,
The last Sunday he passed on earth was a vary blessed
one for the Primus Alice to look beck ape. He was very
ill and very weak, and she spent the afternoon aloes with
him, whilst the citron were in church. He begged to have
his sofa drawn to the window, that he might see the sky sad
the clouds sailing past. He then asked her to play to him,
and she went through several of his favourite hymns and
chorale. After she had played some time, she looked round
and Now him lying back, his hands folded aa if in prayer,
and his eyes shut. He lay so long without moving that she
thought be had fallen asleep. Presently, he looked up and
smiled. She said, " Were you asleep, dear papa!" "Oh
no," he answered ; "only I have such sweet thoughts."
During his illness, his hands were often folded in
prayer ; and, when he did not speak, his serene face showed
that the " happy thoughts " were with him to the sad.
The Princess Alice's fortitude has amazed us aIL She
saw from the first that both her father sad mother's firm-
ness depended on bar firmons, and she set herself to the
duty. He loved to speak openly of his condition, and had
many wishes to express. He loved to bear hymns and
prayers. He could not speak to the Queen of himself, for
she could not bear to listen, and shut her eyes to the
danger. His daughter saw that she must act differently,
and she never let her voice falter, or shed a single tear in
his presence. She sat by him—listened to all he said—re-
peated hymns ; sad then, when she could bear it no longer,
would walk calmly to the door, and thee rush away to her
room, returning soon with the same calm and pale face,
without any appearance of the agitation she bad gone
through.
1 have had several interview' with the poor Queen state.
The Ent time she said, " Yon can feel for me, for you have
gone through this trial." Another time she said bow
strange it seemed, when she looked back, to see bow much
for the last six months the Prince's mind had dwelt upon
death and the future state ; their conversation had so often
turned upon these subject', and they had read together a ,
book called " Heaven our Home," which had interested I
him very much. He once said to her, "We don't
know in what 'tat* we shall meet again; but that
we shall recognise each other and be together
in eternity I am perfectly certain." It seemed
as if it had been iatended to prepare her mind and comfort
her—though, of course, it did not strike her then. She
said she was a wonder to herself, and she was sure it was in
answer to the prayers of her people that she was so sus.
twined. She feared it would not last and that times of
agony were before her. She said, " There's not the
bitterness in this trial that I felt when I lost my mother ;
I was so rebellious then ; but tow I can see the mercy and
love that are mixed in my trial." Her whole thought is
now to walk worthy of him, and her greatest comfort to
think that his spirit is always near her, and knows all that
she is doing.

The Earl and Countess of Egmont left town
within the last few days con a ►isit to the family estates in
Inland.

The Earl and Counteee of ahafteebury and
Ladies Ashley are M present residing in Switzerland.

Viscountess Jocelyn and don. Misses Jocelyn
will leave Switzerland next week on a tour in Italy. Front
Switzerland her ladyship and daughters go to Turin.

The Hon. Captain and Lady Constance Stanley
will leave the Earl of Derby's residence, in St. James's-
square, for Saadgate, about the middle of the month, and
will stay there whilst the gallant captain's regiment is
stationed at Shorncliffe.

His Royal Highness Prince Humbert of Italy is
expected to arrive is England oa the 11th met. Daring
his stay he will reside with the Marquis d'iseglio, the
Italian minister in London, who arrived • few days ago
from Spa in order to receive his royal highnesa.
The next examination for direct commissions will
commence on the 7th November, 1864.
The Chairman and Committee of the Licensed
Victuellers' Protection Society announce that Charles
Booth, Esq., the well-known distiller, has commuted to
take the chair at the next aneiversary dinner, which will
take place in November.

Captain C. W. Eborall, general manager of the
South Eastern Railway, bas been created a utterance of the
Order of Leopold of Belgium, for many courtesies rendered
by him to his Majesty and royal family ea their visits to
England.

The marriage is announced ai about to take place
of M. d'Erlanger, banker aed consul-general for Greece at
Frankfort, with Mime Slidell. youngest daughter of the re-
presentative at Paris of the Confederate States of America.

The King of the Belgians and family have re-
turned from °stood to Lasko..

A Geneva letter in the Temps says :—" The
socialist agitator M. Lamella has just lint his rib a dust
with a Moldo-Wallachiae. lie was oely 40 years of age.
The adversaries fought with pistols at fifteen pow, Lod
had the pwer of firing while the signal, one, two, three,
was being pronounced. Limane was an excellent marks-
man, but the Moldo-Wallachiao fired at the word oar, &a
his hall traveroed the intestines of the other."

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.
GERMANY AND AND THE DUCHIES.

The commission appointed to settle the boun-
dary line between Jutland and Sleswig will pro-
ceed to the scene of their labours in a few days.
Austria will be represented by Lieutenant-Colonel
Schonfeld, Prussia by Colonel von Thile, and Den-
mark by Colonel Kauffman. The latter officer is
at present at Vienna, acting as negotiator for Den-
mark in the arrangements for the settlement of the
terms of peace.

GREECE •
THE LATE INSULTING LETTER TO THE

KING.

The following is the text of the insulting letter
sent to the King of Greece, and lately mentioned
by telegram. It is addressed to his Majesty by a
member of the National Assembly :

Atlasos, Ausmt 23.

Bite,—To expel Otho, • sovereign, who as an fedividnal,
we acknowledged to be • worthy man, we Helen as did sot
hesitate to stake the fate of our country, because the
royalty under Otho had become a centre of intrigue.
Sire, the whole of the capital of the kingdom is con-
vinoed, and within two days all Greece will be so llkowioto
that your oourt has de wended in • LOMB into the political
area, and made nee of your name in a scandalous manner
an the occasion of the election for President of the National
Assembly. Sire, the object of the outset far the presi-
dewy war evidsatly the correction of your court, which
bee for some time past bees conspirir4 against the oath
made by the omatitutioaal King towards the nation
—a court which • great national majority is en-
deavouring by peaceful measures to replace in its
proper sphere. Corruption has, however, pined the
day, and the victory of the courtiers la both prejudicial to
the King and • misfortune to the lobo' a. Sire, the policy
now pursued alienates the King from the love of the people
—a love on which you have based your strength and your
authority. Greece cannot possibly tolerate such • course,
and myself, the meet bumble of your subjects, moved by
the grief which I feel, from my attachwent to my King
and to my country, supplicate your Majesty to sue from
further embarramment the land in which you have declared
you wish to live and die as • Helene. Your Majesty's very
sincere asel very obedient subject.

_
Etrrenao Pr mas.%
Representative of Lopata°.

The sitting of the National Assembly of the
27th ult., at which the above letter was discussed,
was of a very stormy character. The ministry
demanded a vote of censure against the deputy
Pia/dere*. The colleagues of the latter, who
belong to the Bulgarian party, demanded that
M. Plaster's should be sent before the tribunals,
reckoning on a certain acquittal in the present
state of the public mind in Greece. The opposition
has naturally profited by this occasion to define and
develop the accusations which were only vaguely
indicated in the letter of the incriminated deputy,
and which were directed especially against Count
Sponnek and M. Dietaxes, aides-de-camp of the King.
It will be conceived what violence this war of per-
sonalities gave to the discussion. Upon some
of the benches some of the members almost got to
fisticuffs. The opposition at length withdrew, and
at the close of the sitting there was not a sufficient
number present to admit of a vote. The Assembly
adjourned till the following Monday, when, as the
telegraph has already informed us, the vote pro-
posed by the government was carried.
The National Assembly, in revising the consti-
tution, has voted a series of articles, the second of
which decrees " that the bishops and priests of
the catholic church must be Greek citizens," and
the fifth " that titles of nobility and distinction
shall neither be recognised nor conferred."

AUSTRIAN-ITALY.
THE LATE ALLEGED CONSPIRACY.

"We begin to get some light," bays the Incl -
pencianee Belge, " upon the conspiracy which the
Austrian police has discovered in the Italian Tyrol
and Venetia. It appears that the party of action
in Italy had in reality planned, some months ago,
a general rising in arms. It had its arms and its
soldiers all ready, and its ramifications and projects
extended beyond the frontiers of Italy. The first
blows were to be struck in the Austrian possessions.
This plan was postponed or abandoned during the
stay of Garibaldi at Ischia ; but the plans and
the depots of arms existed, and the Austrian
police, put on their track, has begun to arrest the
persons moat compromised. After arrests upon
arrests, it has proceeded to make a complete razz*
not only among the adherents of the party of action,
but even in the ranks of the moderate party, which
naturally desires the reunion of the country to Italy,
but without looking to conspiracies for the realisa-
tion of its hopes. A crowd of young men of the
best families, who can only be accused of holding
patriotic opinions, have been taken beyond the Alps
to the fortress of Innapruck, where there awaits
them a monstrous trial, the result of which, what-
ever it may be, will add nothing to the moral force
or the security of the Austrian government."

NEW ZEALAND.
DEFEAT OF THE MAORIS.
(B) Tgegraph Iran Baez)
MELBOURNE, JULY IL

The Maories were attacked and defeated by the
British troops on the 25th ult. The enemy lost
900 men.
The chief wbo commanded the Maories at Ga-
tepa was among the killed.

CALCUTTA, CHINA, AND AUSTRALIAN
MAILS.

SUEZ, SM. &
The Rangoon, with the above mails, reached
Sues at 1 a.m. this day.

AMERICA.

(asurzes TZLIGA4II. )
ARREST OF MULLER

MR. BRIGGS'S HAT AND WATCH
IN HIS POSSESSION.

NEW YORK, Auourr 26.

The Victoria has arrived at New York, and
Muller has been arrested. The hat and watch of
Mr. Briggs were found in his possession.
Muller protested his innocence, and the legal
proceedings in reference to his extradition are
progressing.