The Express.
London, England, 1864-04-20 00:00:00

RUSSIA.

ItIGA. APRIL 19.

The Riga Zeitung, of to-day, in a letter from St.
Petersburg, dated the lith lust., announces that
the merchants of that city intend to propose to the
government the abolition of export dues, on the
ground that they impede the development of com-
merce, while the revenue derived from that source
is comparatively unimportant.

OUTWARD INDIA AND CHINA MAILS.
MARSEILLES, Aran. 19, 4 P.Y.

The Messageries imperial.* mail steamer Said
left here to-day with the above mails and 35 pas-
sengers, 452 packages, and 548,0001. specie for
India and Chiva ; and 48 passengers, 1,353 pack-
ages, and 229,4001. specie for Alexandria.

NATIONAL REFORM CONFERENCE AT MAN-
CHESTER.

The delegates, to the National Reform Confer-
et a assembled at the Auer:Oily Rooms, Manchester, yester-
day. moroieg. Amongst other towns there were delegates
from Loudon, Birmingham, Bristol, Leicester. Northamp-
ton, Norwich, Kele,ley, Burden, Leeds, Barnsley, Elmsley,
Bradford, Preston, Sheffield, and Liverpool. Mr. Ellis, of
Leeds, as chairman of the executive committee, took the
chair at the opening of the confereuce, and explained that
the objc,:t of the meeting, which bad Leen delayed owing
to the distr. as insanities in the manufacturing districts, waa
• - to consider sue presets' position of the reform party, and
what measures t hey ought to adopt with a view to forming
a rational lea, le to unite and cement the great body of re-
formers throughout the country in one common hoed of
norm. He and there were about 400 delegates present and
expected.
Mr. GEORGC WILSON was then voted to the chair u pre-
sident of the easteraw.v.
Mr. EuiSiart Coven read the report of the executive,
which museum] as a hue of reform such an extensioe of
. franchise as would confer the suffrage in counties as wall
a• boroughs ou every person rated, or halide to be rated. to
the poor, with a reckistributioo of seats, vote by ballot, sad
three years parliameeta. Mr. Cooper concluded by moving
the adoption of the report
Mr. W. H. Ponarrr, of Armley, Leeds. seconded the
motion. He believed there was a compact among members
cf uarliatueot not to move is this question, and be would
rather they were sot here than have them with • Wilt.
hearted assistance. One reams which would render it
necesaary to he mere energetic in thew agitation uuw than
they were iu MO was that though there were many abuses
to reform, those alums were not so flagrant as the first re-
formers Lad to deal with,
Mr. EILNEnT JuNia was of opinion that the programme
suggested it' the report was sot wide enough, and would not
Amused in bringing to their canoe a Isotherm," tiuzo.ber of the
working nausea to indurate government. All meow
rated or lial.le to be rated to the poor, was a proporitiou too
liable to all sorts of modificatiou in committee. Let them
go upon the principle of asking enough, and go for manhood
suffrage. Nothing lees would raise the masees of the
pecple, but if they succeeded in doing this they would get
all they wanted, l'arlistueat would be glad eirough to give
them Mr. Baiues's bill, or Mr. Locke King's Lill, or any
other moderate franabise, if they got the muses of the
people at their hack. He moved as an amendment, " That
the couteteuce, repuiliStrug all opposition to aoy iostalment
of reform, refuses to agitate or all upoe the people to
agitate for auything lees than registered ntsohood suffrage."
The original twkioe we. carried by a large majority. Tho
conforms. mijouroed to this day (Wedneml.9 i.

ev:SVOcATIoN OF THE PROVINVE OF CANTEitatRI.
—Yesterday morning both houses easeenbled for the brat
time this year at Westminster, fur the despatch of busiessa.
le the Upper House the Archbishop presided. Several
btitions were prepeuted, after which the Bishop of London
ought up the report of s committee .4 their lordships
appointed to ii quire whether it would be desirable by
authority to license lay teachers to assist iecumbeeta of
parishes in' house-to-house visitatioe, catechising, and
what should be the qualifications of such lay teachers.
The committee recommended that every iseumbent of a
parish should be empowered to recommend cue or two of
his parithiooere, lasing communicenta, to he lAy teaches. to
help him : that the bishop should beim by authority his
license to those piracies to eateud to December 31, those
licenses beteg necessarily terminable, if cwt asked to he re-
newed, is three mouths. They recommended that it should
be left to the discretion of the bishop to test the
tines of thus. proposed teachers by thamiestion, and that
the duties of these towhees should be, is additiou to those
usually performed by district visitors, to vied and pray with
the sick and littiflU, to eoadoot cottage and school-room
lectures. wad to hold short religious 'emcee io hamlets, awl
that thew should be entrusted with the management
et rerocand charities. It had been rthommended
by some who bad been consulted oo the point
that those lay teachers should assist their
ineumbeeta by reeding the infirm. and the litany in church,
hut the committee did not think it seoswary ti recommend
this measure, which would require the interferesce of the
legislature to give it effect. The committee thought it would
be right that the iscumbeets should have the power of SIM
signing a stipend to the new lay teachers when secesesry,
bet they Jul not consider it necessary to give soy ecocide
same to the new order. Considereble discussion took
place. but slier some verbal alterations, the report was re-
ceived and referred to the Lower Home for its eoesideration.
The Venciable Archdesoos Bockersteth, who has been
elected Prolocutor of the Lower Home, was introduced in •
Latin speech by the Be.. Canoe Wordsworth. The Arch.
bishop of Canterbury accepted the election is a Latin reply.
The Bishop of Oxford gave Donee that at the next session
11. would mare a resolution affirming the necessity of
• more eatiefectory court of appeal is ecclesiastical
causes. Their lordship, thee wijourned.

The Rev. John Charles Staid], M.A., has been
licensed to the cure of St. Andrew, Croydon, county of
Surrey, sad diocese of Canterbury ; and the Rev. John
Thomas Manley. IL A., Trinity College. Cambridge, has been
presented to the viesmge of Toabridge, in the comity of
Kent, sod dimes* of Canterbury.

NEW AND BRILLIANT PIANOFORTE PIRCES : WOl-
- ctinenne, 4a.; WollehhaspCs Marebe Hongrolse
dedicated to Mr. Pauer, as : Tows berapldoc, 4a. Three three
den compo.itions have been played with Iramenile eases. by
Mr. into /Wringer, at the Crystal ?Weer. Bent tram for 14
asuip.
Wistualwellt.seen. —arm, wed Co., e 7, aelteng-Wrw4i Concha—(A4'

IMPERIAL P.

HOUSE OF LORDS.—TUISDAY, Apsn.l9.
Th. LOAD °HAMILL= took Ida seat 011 the woolsack
at R (Nook.

TlLieirl of DUCIE presented a petition Irma a baptist
coal a rag►tion of Chipping.Sedbury against the male of intoxi-
cating liquors on Sundays.

BOMBARDMENT OF BONDERBORO.

The Earl of MALIABSBURY—Sesing the noble earl the
Secretary for Foreign Adair in his place I wish to ask him
whether he has received any reply from the Premiss autho-
rities with respect to the bombardment of Sonderborg.
Earl RUSSELL—In answer to the noble earl's question
I have to state that I have desired her Majesty's ambas-
sador at Berlin if possible to aeoertain the facia. He boa
communicated with one of the Prussian ministers, bat no
answer has been gives to his inquiry. The minister said
that he was not aware of the aircumatimese, and that it was

unusual to answer as to the prociesdiop of • bell*ermt
upon the demand of a neutral power, but if any ofLialoom-
munication were made to him on the subject he should then
give an answer. I suppose that answer would be merely
that it wad not the right of her Majesty's government to
inquire with respect to the proceedings of a belligerent, and
I have not directed any official communication to be made.
(Hear, bear.) The statement to which the noble earl has
referred was published in one of the semi-official papers of
Berlin, to the effect that three weeks before there had been
private and sufficieot ootiee of the bombardminst. Im-
oot be surprised at the language which the noble earl has
applied to the conduct of Prussia on this occasion. I can-
not apply any other terms to the conduct of the Premien
government than those which the Dobbs earl has made use
of. (Hear, beer.) It does seem to me that without inter-
fering at all with the object of the bombardment notice
might have been gives, and it does appear strange that in
the interest of humanity no unfree was given by
which women and children mu' ht have left the town.
(Hear, hear.) If the Peassians thought the bom-
bardment • necemary operation of the war, if
the reserve of the Danish army was placed there, if they
were induced to believe that there was • stove of arms and
ammunition kept there, it would not have interfered at all
with their right, or with the results of the bombardment, if
they had given 24 hours' notice that, for the future, Header-
berg would be considered pat of the fortifications of Den-
mark, and that they would avail themselves of their liberty
to bombard. The most lamentable part of the case is, that
the lives of non.coinbatante, women, and children, were
exposed from the conduct of the Prussian troops. If there
bad been any official communication on the subject I should
have been prepared to lay it upon the table, but as the
matter stands this act of the Prussian army must remain as
it is now, soder the reprobation of all civilised countries.
(Cheers.)