The Express.
London, England, 1851-04-17 00:00:00

Cbe Court.

The Queen and l'rinee Albert left town yesterday
afternoon for Windsor Castle. Her Majesty and his royal
higlini quitted Buckingham Palace at 2tl minutes before
four o'clock, accompanied by the Prince of Wales, the
Princess Royal, and the Pnneess Alice. Prince Alfred,
Prince Arthur, and the Primmer, Helena and Louisa fol-
lowed in another carriage. The royal suite occupied three
carriages, and consisted of the Marchioness of Douro. Hon.
Miss Macdonald, lion. Miss Seymour, Lord Byron, Lieut.-
Colonel Hon. C. B. Phippa, Major-General Bowles, Captain
Hun. Jrsa ph li. union, R.N., Colonel Buckley, and Mr.
Birch. Her Maji,ty and Prince Albert were conducted to
their carriage by the Lord Chamberlain, Lord George
Lennox, and Colonel Wyble. A detachment of the 16th
Lancers formed the escort from Buckingham Palace to the
Paddington terminus of the Great Wrdern Railway, where
a special train was in readiness. Her Majesty and the
Prince and the royal party took their departure by the
train fur Windsor.

Lord and Lady John Rue-ell left town yesterday morn-
ing for Pembroke Lodge, Hielimmid-park.
Mr. Herbert, ELI'., had an interview with the Commis-
sioners of Hallways yestenlay, at the office of the Board of
Trade.
Sir George Grey loft town for his scat, FaPalen, Nor-
thumberland, yesterday.
Mr. fl. A. Herbert, M.P., had an interview with the
Chancellor of the Ertespeer yesterday, at his official resi-
dence, Downiii4.strett.
The Earl and Countess Grey left town for llowick Ifni],
Northumberland, yesterday morning.
The Right lion. Henry -Labouehere left town yesterday
for Chia !hunt, Kent.
Despatches wane received yesterday at the Colonial-
office from the Governors of the Nlauntius and of Lemon.
Despatches were also received from the Governor of Gib-
raltar,
Despatches were sent off yesterday from the Colonial
office to the Governuni of the West India Islands.

WINDSOR, WRI/NY..DAY, APRIL 16.
Her .Ifairsty and Prince Albert, accompanied by the
Prince of Prince Alfred, the Prinvss Royal, the
Print e,4.• Alice, Helena, and Louisa, and I'rince Arthur,
and attended by the I.llarcbionews of Douro, Lady-in-Wait-
ing, the Him.. Nliieoltinahl and Seymour, Maids of
Honour in Waiting, laird Byron, Captain Hun. J. Heilman,
Lieut.-Colonel Hon. C. B. the Master of the House-
hohl, Colonel Bat kley and Mr. birch, arrived by a special
train at the station of the Great Western Railway this after-
noon from town.
A guard of honour of the bat guard. was on duty in the
railway station, and received her 31ajcsty with tke usual
honour,
. . .

'fhr Queen and Prince Albert and the augu.t party pro-
ceeded in of the royal carriages to the Castle, 'where
tln Y arrived at half-peat 4 o'clock.
Ihe royal dinner curt this evening included the I)uchen*
of Kent, the I.■dv-in-Waiting on the Duchess of Kent, and
the Baruni ss de gpeth.

NATIONAL REFORM ASSOCIATION.

A public meeting took place at the Edinburgh
Castle, Rhodeswell-road,Liraehousc, on Tuesday, to give the
members of the association who reside in this locality an
opportunity of stimulating the government to make their
promised bill for the extension of the suffrage a complete
measure for the representation of the people. Mr. T. J.
Santa in the chair. In opening the proceedings,
' The CHAIRMAN observed that those who occupied the
platform had come amongst the humbler dames as fellow-
, citizens, and with the same object in view, although it had
been most absurdly stated that they were " paid fur 'peak-
ing" on these occasion.. Their present position was one of
considerable interest, and they required only time to work
out tho principles they advocated. It must be their endea-
vour to impress upon the government of the country the
itimalute necessity of making that which they had promised
Ite them a real performance. They wished, in fact, to point
out to the legislature that it was their duty to strike the
nets of their reform deep into the soil, that the tree may
pew. In this important movement the middle clauses
irtmld not be content with any advantages of their own
but would fight earnestly with the people to make the re-
form strung and universal. Mr. Seale then explained the
objects and primacies of the avociation, observing that
they sought the extension of the suffrage to every man who
was at the head of a family, and occupied what might be
called a home of his own. This boon they must endeavour
to accomplish in the face of an oligarchy which he would
never fail to denounce as mean and selfish. The reform
they desired to obtaiu would tend to the benefit of the ,
people, and in order to effect their purpose they must
begin by gaining a certain amount of power. They must
secure, in the hest instance, household suffrage in its in-
tended sense, and this would eventually lead to universal
suffrage. The extension they desired would add three
millions to the constituency of the country, and even if they
did not succeed in obtaining the suffrage ler those who occu-
pied apartments as well as the inhabitents of houses, they
should still enfranchise a very large portion of the
community who wen. now unrepresented. Next to the ex-
tension of the suffrage, they demanded a more equal divi-
sion of the electoral districts—a state of things which would
prevent the occurrence of such scenes as had lately taken
plata: at Aylesbury and St. Albans, where some few voters
had been brought from the county to sutc for the borough.
In addition to the objects he had numed, they also advo-
cated the system of outing by ballot, a, the very best means
of securing honour and purity at elections. They desired,
moreover, an alteration in the duration of parliaments.
Annual parliaments had been claimed, but the members of
this association would IN, content with triennial parliaments,
because experience had taught them that the business tit
the country rendered it necessary that more than one year
should be giveu to a specific measure. There were other
questions whit h entire el into their consideration, and amongst
them was that of the abolition of the qualification which
was required to tit a man to take his place as a member of
the Menthe of Commets. The present mode of qualification
was an idle, silly, insulting farce. It was well known that
there were many person- in the house who derived the ne-
arer/ 3001, from their friend., but who could not produce
WS pence of their own it they were called upon to do so. A
man who was really independent could be honest with very
little, and the pecuniary qualification, therefore, should be
abandoned altogether a, a premium to that which was false.
laird John Russell lead promised them reform in the repre-
sentation, toad they must not mese to agitate until they had
compelled him to keep his word. Mr Serle concluded by
an earnest appeal on behalf of the Association, and by de-
trouncing the present electoral system.
Mr. NEWTON preretwal the first resolution, stating that
the fact of the Reform Bill has ing failed to render the
House of CO111(11011% a reflex of the opinions of the people,
was now admitted by the government in their promised
measure for the extension of the suffrage. The meeting,
therefore, desired to record its opinion that representation'
should at least he commensurate with the expanded intellisl
genes of the eperative classes. Ile observeal that ;19 the dif-
ferences between the two faction, in the hullsr had induced
the government to say that reform was necessary, the people
must take advantage of these differences and turn thou to
their ow.. account.
Mr. A1.1.0al seconded the resolution, and Sir FRANCIS
K NOW I.F.S supported it, stating that if the people could
once obtain a recognition of their principle, they would not
long fail to achieve the objects for which they were agitat-
ing. Attending to the present representative system, the
privilege of voting was limited to the few who held pro-
perty in towns and counties, and the finance. of the' public,
ate:moiled to e'leetions, were used in such a manner that
instead of being devoted to the government of the country
they we re cauployeel ins eupportiog a power which was taken
from the people at large.
The motion was carried unanimously, and was followed
by another resolution, deelaring that the objects of the
National Reform Association were calculated to create such
a moral union of the middle and working classes as would
stimulate the wove rune tat to me et the constitutional de-
mands of the people.
This resolution was also passed, and the meeting sepa-
rated.

ST. PANCRM, NiARTI.EItoNE, AND PADDINGTON
FitErnout LAND Sot-terv.--A public meeting of this so-
ciety took place at the Carlisle literary Institution, Great
Carlisle-strest, Edgware-road; Mr. A. Michie, of Muryle-
bone, in the chair. It was stated that the memo. of the
society, from the commencement, had been most encourag-
ing : 1,300 member., holding 100 shares, were enrolled,
and two e.t.a., in Middlesex had been already purchased—
one, the Gospel Oak Field, at Kentish Town, had been
allotted to the senior members in .51 allotments of fret-hold
building land at the average price of 2W. each ; the other
estate was known as " Lung Lands," in the Seven Sisters-
mid, Holloway, and was capable of supplying upwards of
23.4 building plots, which would be shortly ballotted fur'
amongst the senior members at the cost price. On the pre
sent occasion various mw members were enrolled, and
arrangements were made to promote the interests of the
working classes, morally and politically, by enabling them
to obtain a lect bold qualification for a county vote. Rest.
lotions in accordance with the principles of the society were
passed, alai the business terminated.
i•I lo‘ToN RAGGED Se hoot the fourth
anniversary of the establishment of these schools was cele-
brated by a meeting in the school-room, Ilamond-square,
High-street, Boston. Mr. S. A. Ilankey, in the absence of
Lord Ashley, occupied the chair, and observed that the ob-
ject of these institutions was to seek out the refuse of so-
ciety and convert it into a product of utility and value.
I The success of the schools was no longer a matter of doubt,
! as would be found by many encouraging details in the re-
port. They had moreover been greatly extended of lute,
and very eon-iderable benefit to the public had :druidy been
derived from them. Ile thought that ragged-schools might
be compared to a diving-bell—their purpose being to des-
cend to the very depth of society, and there to lay a (nun•
dAtioll whereon a super-structure might be raised which
should lie useful to the world. Twelve months had elapsed
since the opening of the present school-room, and the
result had fully realised the expectations of the committee.
The report, which was read by the secretary, gave a very
' satisfactory account of the pm-tress of the schools; and also
related some interesting nartieulars respecting the Success
which had attended the boys who had emigrated at the ex-
pense of the establishments. One boy had written from
America to lord Ashley and Lady C. Start, stating that
whilst in England he was seven times convicted as a thief;
hut in his present position he was respected, and was hap-
pier than ever he was in his life. In England, he was " six
weeks in prison and one out." Now he had an abundance
of all he wished for, and had been enabled to place thirty •
dollars out at interest, atter spending 2:I dollar. in clothing.
The report went on to state that daily instruction was im- '
parted to 12.1 infants; whilst 20 boys and 30 girls were
taught writing and arithmetic four nights in the week ;
and about 2tin received instruction upon the Sabbath-
day. A London City missionary had been appointed in
connexion with the schools, Mr. H. C. Start and his lady'
contributing 2.1/. a year towards his support. A peons. '
bank had been opened to receive from the children their
little sums, to which interest would be ....WA. The annual
expenditure of the institution did not exceed lOU., and this
sum was found sufficient to provide for day and evening in-
struction, emigration, school requisites, dc. There was,
however, a debt upon the school amounting to 2181. 12s ,
the expense of th.• building, and the committee desired to
make an earnest appeal to the public for their assistance to-
wards
the liquidation of this claim.—The Rev. Dr. A.
Fletcher, the Rev. Hugh Allen, the Rev. J. Soong, the
Rev. E. Muskett, and other gentlemen addressed the 'meet-
ing with a view to the promotion and encouragement of
ragged schools, and the report having having been adopted.
the proceeding. terminated. The friends and patrons 14
the schools then sat down to tea, and in the evening a sub-
scription was made.

CHINESE PIRATES.—The following intortsting
paragraph is from the Friend tf China :—.. About 9 o'clock
this morning, February 20, information was given at the
police-station, that mane in ndarin beam, having chased a
fleet of pirates into the Bay of Aberdeen (Shek pai-wan)
were holding a desperate engagement, and that the govern.
ment officers were likely to have the worst of it. Mr.
Superintendent May, without a moment's delay, marshalled i
a company of policemen, rind within an hour arris.d close
on the field of action. 'll,lr. Deputy Superintendent Cala. I
well, in the meantime, proceeded on board the war steamer !
Heyman', and that vessel's course was turned in the dire- 1
tion of the combatants. The town was nuked all alive; but i
the steamer, the polite-boat, the superintendent, his deputy,
3 inspectors, and tile very cream of the force were all too late.
Mr. Ma-hang-eng, a mandarin of the fifth class, with eight 1
vessels and 300 men, had won all the honours, and hail sue- :
reviled in capturing four boats and nine out of the aggre- i
gate of their crews of a hundred. It appears that yester- i
day, about 4 p.m., a boat proceeding front !tong Kong was
boarded off Chung-chow by three piratical eessels and plun-
dried, not only of the sum of 200 dots., but of clothes and 1
sundries to the value of 100 dolt. more. There happened I
to be two Chinese officers ou board the plundered boat, who,
when left to pursue their course, hastened to lay their hard
case before the officer Ma, who chanced to be lying with two I
fast-sailing yessy Is under the Island of Tung-cluing, not far
from Castle Peak Bay. That functionary immediately got
1 under weigh, picking up other vessels on his way towards the
delinquents, who were descried this morning about 4 o'clock. i
A little before 6 a.m. they entered Shek-pai-wan. The
pirates then anchored abreast of the town, and opened tire,
which Commodore ma gallantly returmal, the shots, how-
ever, committing more mischief on shore than on the ob-
' jecta to which they were directed. It was at this stage that
the messenger left for Victoria. Shortly afterwards the
pirates left their vessels in a body, hotly pursued for a short
diAance, and of the whole hundred only nine were taken.
, Nve are wronu, six others were afterwards captured by her
1 Britannic Majesty's police force, who with the others will,
in the course of the evening, be safely lodged in Vic-
' toria Gaol."