The Express.
London, England, 1863-09-07 00:00:00

THE PROPOSED STATUE TO THE LATE

PRINCE CONSORT AT ABINGDON.

The following letters, the one written by the
Miyor to her Majesty, and her gracious reply to the same,
will be read with interest :

Council Chamber, Abingdoo, Berke, August 13,1863.
To her Majesty the gamma

Moat Gracious Madiun,A2 the Mayon of Abingdoo 1 was
requested by the subscribers to the proposed Prince Coastal
memorial for this town, at a meetiog held by them in our
Council Chamber on the 11th of this month, to offer for
your Majesty's acceptance ■ photographed and appropri-
ately framed copy of the design, and to hope in their name,
as Ido in my own, that the style and character of the mime
wM be found worthy of your Majesty's appreciation. Ac.
oordingly 1 hare taken the liberty of sending the design to
Windsor Castle, that it may be re-directed and forwarded
to your Majesty. The grand object of the subscribers is to
perpetuate to future generations in and around this locality
the peculiarly noble name which his late Royal Highness
the Prince Consort won as the patron Prince of science,
art, literature, commerce, agriculture, and peace, aad true
harmooy in the social, domestic, and politind circles of your
Majesty's vast dominions, but especially en, and in the
most dignified manner, in this exalted, peaceful, and happy
country; beloved, too, as the wise father of England's
future kings, and therefore to be held by us in our hearts
and memories with sacred veneration.—l have the honour to
be, Most Gracious Madam, your Majesty's most humble and
obedient Servant, _ _ _

RICHARD BADCOCK, Mayor of Abingdon.

Rosman, August 20. 1863.

Sir,—l have received the commands of berMajeety to beg
of you to convey to the subscribers to the memorial which
it is intended to erect in the town of Abingdon to the
Prince Consort, sod to accept for yourself, the expression of
her Majesty's best thanks for the kind wish to send for her
Majesty's acceptance a photograph of the intended, de•
sign. The photograph has not yet arrived, bat it is not
necessary to wait for its coming to assure you of the grati-
fication with which her Majesty hared your letter.—l
have the honour to be, dr, your roost obedient servant,

G. 011 Y.

Richard Badcock, Esq., Mayor of Abingdon.

THE MINISTRY.—Lord Palmerston arrived in
town from North Wales on Friday, and is staying at Cam-
bridgrhonse. Lord Grenville is expected to arrive in
Loudon in the coarse of next week from attending the
Queen in Germany. The Duke of Newcastle is at his seat.
Clamber-perk, from whence his grace will shortly proceed
to Sootland. The Lord Chancellor, the Duke of Argyll,
Earl Russell, Mr. Gladstone, Earl de Grey sad Ripon, Sir
G. Grey, Sir Charlet Wood, and Mr. Milner Gibson, continue
absent from the metropolis.—Observer.
The Earl and Countess of Zetland left tbeir
residence in Arlington-street, Piccadilly, on Friday, for
Upleatham Hall, MS( Gainsboroagb.

Lord Londesboroagh has returned to Thomas's
Hotel, Berkeley-square, from Scotland.

Major the Hon. Augustus H. Anson, V.C., has
returned to London from a tour in Switzerland. The
precise day is not yet fixed for the marriage of the hon. and
pliant major and Miss Claughton, niece of the Earl of
Dudley.

The Right Hon. Sir Robert Peel, Bart, M.P..
has felt his house in Whitehall-gardens, for Draytoe
Manor, Stafford bus, for partridge shooting.
. .

His Majesty the King of Hanover is expected in
London in • few dam from Haoover, for a short stay.
Her Royal Highness the Priuoess George of
fienany will arrive at Fartence's Hotel, to morrow, from •
tour in Scotland.

His Excellency the Ambassador of France is
expected at Albert-pte thaw on or about the 15th instant
from Paris.

Viscount Palmerston arrived at his residence in
Piccadilly on Friday scenic& from Carnervon. fist lady.
ship has returned to town from Bracket Ball. The noble
premier and her ladyship will leave Cambridge House in a
few days, for Broadlanda.

Viscount and Viscountess Stratford de Radcliffe
Lave strived at Sidon, Devonshire, on a visit to Lady

Daring his recent passage through Pane, on his
way from Frankfort to England, Lord Clarendon had an
audience of the Emperor.

Lord Henry Gordon Lennox, M.P., has sailed
far the Scilly Islands in the Lulworth yacht. Hie lordship
is sooornpanied by the Earl of Mount Edgctunbe and the
Hon. Captain Edgcumbe.

The review season at Aldershott for 1863 may be
eeesidered as closed, the lut grand diyiskeel field-day has-
leg takes place on Thursday.
The Aldershott Mission Hall and Soldiers' Insti-
tute, the first atone of which was laid on the 11th of Feb.
by the Earl of Shaftesbury, will be formally opened on the
4th proximo. The building, a very hundsome one in the
early Anglo-Oothic style, is furnished with a reading-room
smoking-room. library, coffee-bar, and other offices, together
with a spacious lecture ball, capable of accommodating 500
piteous.

A letter from Beale states that the sudden change
of weather in Switzerland from intense heat to great cold
has caused many accident', aed that several travellers have
been surprised by snowstorms in the mountains. A great
number of avalanches have been observed in the canton of
Appeasell and io the chain of the Alps on the side of the
Valley of the Rhine. A terrific avalanche precipitated
Wolf from the top of the Falknisa into the valley. The
inhabitants of the neighbourhood do not recollect to have
seen anything similar in the month of August.
A letter from Altona says :—" Last Thursday,
August 27, the first Roman catholic eonfirmation took place
in this city (at least since 1664) by Dr. Paulus Melchan, the
Roman catholic bishop of Osnabruck, at the same time
pro•vicar for the northern mission. No catholic bishop has
been allowed hitherto to have may doings whatever in the
duchy, with the exception of the installation of catholic
clergymen, and ell confirmations have, therefore, hitherto
taken place at Hamburg. You may imagine that the
church had not spared soy mean. to make this act no splen-
did as possible, and it has all the week been the only topic
of most of our families."
In a letter from Baden Baden, " Argus " of
the POBl writes:—" Baden was Dom fuller than at the
present moment; and atemben of strangers who had
written for apartments from Ems, Wiesbaden, and other
spas is the neighbourhood, hare been compelled to aban-
don their intention, and 'seek fresh fields and pastures
new.' Still, there is a very fair show of famish:ambles
in the place, as may be gathered from the subioined list,
which has been forwarded to me, and headed as it is
by the King of Holland sod the future Emperor of
Mexico, it is clear that Baden has last none of its
attraction for visitors. To thine who wish well to the
place, however, it ia to be regretted that the demimonde
should have no seized upon it as a theatre for their opera.
tions. as they drive many away who would like to do good
here for • longer period than they are in the habit of doing
pow. Bat Baden hes bees for years the ' Promised Land'
of the actresses of the Nish Royal, and the increased in-
Mimics they have unfortunately acquired over the mind of
Young Preece is i emapicuously mimed than
here. Th►t trade benefits by their lavish expenditure can-
not be denied ; but, in a moral point of view, the system
cannot be deemed a healthy one."