The Express.
London, England, 1864-12-23 00:00:00

CON6IGNMENT of PLANTS from Client, and FRUIT
TRW from Pram.,

l‘f R. J. C. STEi'ENii;ill-giLL by AUCTION
at hla Great Rooms, 38. Riettwtrert. Corenagartien. 70.810KROW, December 2t. at half-past It precisely, a choke col-
lection of CAMELLIA.% hardy and Indian anceas, rhod.nien•
drop., BIM& roma, gladioli, conifers, Ay., from Ghent, eel on
ae.e•rtment of year. peach. apricvt. cherry, and plum t rem. train
France. On view the nintniu; of isle, and catai•emea had.

D lINCH'S ALMANAC K for 1865,
Ellastrated by J. E. Ilnams, K A., J(.na TWINIJO., C.
KEENE, F. WALEaa, and (3. DEMAtilliE, is new ready.

IlliE COMPANIES ACT, 1862. The Forms
and Amount Boob required under the above Alt, &lee
eB ntletr 'Linda of gecoaut Bookh with every Stationery re-
quisite for Pabile Companies. the Comintingduelea. dd. lUD.
Ord on the beat tonna Printing of every description.
Shore Certilleates &graved sod Printed: Vadat Saila de-
signed and executed.
Alit and nat. 411: Olset-alreet: LC., as. London-W*o. 5.1.

MORE SOLDIERS FOR MFAleo.—The Monikur of
yesterday says :—" The fifth, and tat, departure for Melia,
of the corps of Austrian volunteers has taken place on board
the Eol;Ugh steamer Indiana, under the direction of Lieu-
tenant Detroyst, of the Imperial navy. This detachment
oumprising soldiers of various brooch..of the service, i,
composed of 1,185 men and :t5 officers."
WEATHER-I:01'ND VEMELS IS THE FIRTH OF
FORM—Tilers is at precut an unusually Ilfg• fleet of
merchant vessels in the Firth of Forth, both in the anchor-
age of Leith Roads and iu that of Si. Margaret's ,Hope.
Indeed it may be said that so great a number of wind-
bound ships has not been seen in the Firth for many years.
A great number of toe vessels have run into the Firth for
shelter during the severe weather which has pr.: vai led for le wee
weeks, while others which have waved out of harbour have
lain in the align for from ten days to a f•wt night waiting the
chances of a favourable state of wind and weather to enable
thew to go out. The Aberdeen steamer, which sailed from
Granton on Tuesday morning, found the sea running so high
at the Isle of May that she was compelled to put back to
port, and after beating about for rouse hours returned to
Crouton in the evening. Yesterday (Wedoeada)) there was
a pretty heavy sea 00, with a squally north-east wind, so
that very few vessels attempted to go down the Firth.—
ursid Courant.

butruts ACCIDENT TO TWO SOLDIERS.—At a late
hour on Wednesday evader • rather serious accident oc-
curred to Corporal Hodges and Private Bow, belooging to
the 20th Regiment, at Chatham, from falling iito the
trenches sunoucding Fort Pitt. The two men had been
sent to the hospital oa duty, when they appear to have
mistaken their way and walked into the trench near the
back of the lunatic hospital, falling a depth of shoot 30 feet,
the trench being entirely unprotected. W hen found Bow
was discovered to have sustained • serious fracture of the
left leg, besides other injuries, while those of Corporal
Hodges were of a lees serious character. Both men were at
once conveyed to the hospital for treat meat. It is hoped
that the authorities will at length be led to adopt
the necessary precautions to prevent a recurrence of these
accidents, which are by no means uncommon.
FATAL AcclDlLler THROrIiH THE INCACTIOrS
VAN or Figeaitus.—On Wednesday evening last an inocest
was held at Newnham (a district of Cambridge), on the
body of *youth named Thomas Preston, aged about Pi, who
met with hie death wider the following circumstances.
The deceased mid • number of other youths were in the
habit of indulging in the amusement of " hedge-popping" or
shooting small birds in the fields and closes in the neigh-
bourhood of Newnham, and on the afternoon of Tumday a
party of them were os Mill Piece, both deceased and • boy
named Ludlum, aged 16, carrying guns. There was a third
gun and a pistol amoogst the party. Ludnam as-
sisted
to charge Preston's gun with shot, and they
had set out to beat the hedges. Then, ac- 1
cording to Ludolun's account. which there was no'
reason to doubt, and was in fact corroborated, a boy named
Gray called out that there was a bird in the hedge.
Luduam raised his gun to his shoulder and pulled the •
hammer back, but it did not catch the spring, and the gun '
was discharged at the moment when deriamed, in the
"moiety to secure the bird for himself, stepped in front of
Luduson's gun, and the charge mitering his head, he fell and
died instaotaneonsly. It was proved that the matter w..s
• mere accident, and the jury returned a verdict of " Death
by misbitune," coupled with some severe observations as
to the danger of trusting such youths with firearms. The
deceased was one of twelve children, and what adds to the
regret to be entertained in the matter, his mother is near
her coofineutect, sod is a most delicate sate of health.
MCEDLIt AT DCDLSI.—OU Tuesday bight, a
man named Samuel alias Car Harrison, a miner, aged 41,
' expired in the Mamble, his death having been caused by a
stab and other injuries. From the information we have at
• present been enabled to glean, it appears that the doomed
' was well known in the town, and that be lived in the above
, disreputable locality in the house in which be died. At
about two o'clock on Tuesday morning, John Morris,
a collier residing is Dudley, and Samuel Sheldon,
• grinder, with others, went to the house of 'le-
ceased, where a quarrel arose. A tight ensued, and
various weapons, including the cram, of the kitchen
grate, . were used by the belligerents. It is stated
that the deceased was sabeequeatly challenged to fight, aed
that he went out of the house for the porpoise of fighting
with Morris. An meeounter did take place, and the we-
nnu with whom deceased lived, end a girl living in the came
hones, state that they saw deceased struck with a knife,
and that he then fell to the ground iniensitilo. Hs was
taken up immediately in an tumour:ions state, and the
services of Mr. Higgs, police surgeon, were speedily pro-
cured. Everything that human aid could do was done,
but the man never rallied. In fact, he never recovered
consciousness or spoke miter he fell, and he expired as
above stated: His body shows that he was stabbed
in the neck, sad • frightful wound on the eye showed
that the most savage violates must have bees used.
Morris and Sheldon are fa custody.—dtruningAces Post.

Tho Cortes were opened to-day.
The Queen's speech statet that the relations of
Spain with foreign powers remain satisfactory, ex-
cept with Peru, "the government of which State
will finally be convinced that justice is on our
aide." Her Majesty then expresses a hope that a
perfect understanding will be arrived at without
casting any stain upon the national honour. The
Queen proceeds to state that the official communi-
cation of the Archduke Maximilian's accession to the
Mexican throne, is the commencement of a
new 'era in the political relations between
Spain and Mexico, hitherto unfortunately in-
terrupted. " The South American republic'
will see that the sympathy of Spain has no admix-
ture of ambitions projects." The Queen continues:
"The Mien question is still pending, and the re-
volutionary movement whichquiii been- going on in
that country has given rise to fresh diplomatic
combination. As soon as affairs are finally settled,
my government will take this question into con-
sideration in the manner dictated by prudence,
without, however, failing in the respect and filial
love which Spain, as a Catholic nation, professes
for the common Father'of the Faithful." The speech,
in conclusion, announces the introduction of bills
relative to financial questions, and modifications in
the present legislation affecting credit societies.
A bill on the press law, in harmony with the consti-
tution, will also be brought forward.
No allusion is made to Santo Domingo.

The reactionist and moderate journals attack the
government on account of the nomination of
Marshal Concha as President of the Senate.

ELECTORAL HESSE.
CASSEL, Dec. -T.

To-day, after a long and animated debate, the
Diet resolved, by 25 against 17 votes, that a com-
mittee should report on the question whether the
ministry should be accused by the Diet of having
violated the constitution of the country.

THE BANK OF HOLLAND.
AMSTERDAM, Dre. 22.
The Bank of Holland has reduced ita rate of dis-
count from 6i to 6 per cent.