The Express.
London, England, 1848-01-18 00:00:00

RAILWAY COMMUNICATION BET vr
GREAT BRITAIN AND THE EAST INDIES BY
WAY OF TRIESTE.
The regulations proposed at the conference on the
3rd Dee. last, of the deputies of several of the German rail-
ways and of the Austrian Lloyd's, respecting a regular cum •
munication between Great Britain and the East by German
railways, have now been confirmed. The two main points
are—the expediting of travellers and that of couriers of the
Austrian Lloyd's. According to the first, travellers from
Lonlon to any transmarine place, yid Trieste, or
vice versa, may pay the total coat of their journey
and luggage for the whole route. On making the payment
the traveller is furnished with a travelling book, valid for
themselves alone, which contains as many individual
coupons as there are railway administrations along the
route, and this travelling book is available for the term of
two months. The second point, the expediting of the
couriers of the Austrian Lloyd's between Trieste and London,
and vice verso, is effected by means of extra trains twice a
month, and which shall be ready to start, at latest, two
boon after the arrival of the telegraph, or written despatch,
announcing the approach of the courier, and shall lie kept
waiting in readiness, if necessary, 48 hours. These extra
mins are to consist of two carriages and one luggage
waggon, and, besides the courier, are to convey as many
passengers as the space of the carriages, aid the stipulated
--vddity, will admit of, na ely, one German mile in ten

rbt court.
WINDSOR. MONDAY. The Queen and Prince
Albert, accompanied by the Prince of Wales and the Prin-
cess Royal, arrived at the Castle in a carnage and four, at
eight minutes before five o'clock this afternoon, from Clare-
mont. Four carriages and four followed, conveying Prince
Alfred, the Princess Alice, and the Princeu Helena ; and
alio the Countess of Desert, the Earl of Morton, Mr. George
Edward Anson, Mejor-General Bowles, Major-General
Wemyss, and Captain the Hon. A. H. Gordon. A party of
the royal regiment of Hone Guards, commanded by Lord G.
Lennox, formed the escort of the august party. Her Ma-
jesty was remived at the royal entrance by the Hon. Miss
Paget, one of the maids of honour in waiting.

Mr. Matheson had an interview with Earl Grey
yesterday at the Colonist-office.
Sir Edward Codrington transacted business on
Saturday at the Board of Trade, with the Secretary to the
Royal Commission for inquiry into the Merchant Seamen's
Fund.
Despatches were received yesterdayat the Colonial-
ofßee from the Governor of Canada, and also from the gore r-
non of the other North American provinces.
Despatches for Sir Harry Smith, Governor of the
Cape of Good Hope, were sent off yesterday evening from
the Colonial.offlcc.
1 The Right l lon. Edward Strutt, chief commissioner
of railways, arrived in town yesterday front Kingston Hall,
Derby.

ACCOUCTIEMENT OF 11ER MAJEBTY.—We under-
stand that Protease,: Simpson, the discoverer of chloroform,
has received intimation that his services, in conjunction
with Dr. Locock, her Majesty's physician.accoucheur, will
be required at Buckingham Palace on an approaching inte•
resting occasion. Professor Simpson leaves Edinburgh for
London some time neat month, in order to be in attendance
on her Majesty.—Edinburgh IVitness.

MECHANICS' INSTITUTES.
A meeting of the society for the promotion of the
religious, moral, and intellectual improvement of the mea
employed in manufactories, was held yesterisy evening at
the Freemasons Tavern. Letters having been announced
from Lord Radnor, Lord Robert Grosvenor, and the Rev.
Mr. Christmas, excusing themselves from attendance, on the
ground of domestic calamities in their respective families,
Dr. LANIESTEE was called to the chair, who opened the
proceedings by an address, enlarging upon the advantage
which extended intellectual improvement would con-
fer upon the working classes—classes who were
at present practically excluded from the numerous
so-called Mechanics' Institute* that now existed—
institutes whose members almost entirely consisted
of persons in a superior condition of life to the mechanics,
whose benefit had been contemplated by Dr. Birkbeek, the
benevolent founder of ouch institution'. It was asserted by
many, that to enlighten the working classes was only to ren-
der them discontented with their condition. But this was a
fallacy. Hewers of wood and drawers of water there must
alwas be, but the hewer of wood would never be the more
ddiscontentedytented from the possession of a knowledge of the prin-
ciples of mechanics that should facilitate his labours; or the
drawer of water, from knowing something of hydraulics, that
should lighten his toil. The object of the society was to ex-
tend throughout the country, institutions really constituted
of working men, and the affording to them lectures en she
elements of knowledge, moral, religions, and intellectual,
and the use of museums, libraries, &c.
The secretary, Mr. AUSTIN, read a report exhibiting a
satisfactory progress on the part of the present society,
which, in the course of a twelve month, had established
' numerous auxiliary institutions, and had delivered lectures
and distributed books and publications with the happiest
effects. Several caries were adduced in which, by the efforts
of the society, drunken and dissipated mechanics had been
rendered worthy members of the community.
, Mr. W. D. OWEN, in moving that the report be printed
11 and publahed, earnestly called upon all present to exert ;
themselves in a lding members to the society.
The Rev. .1. A. &setae seconded the resolution. As an
encouragement to those who heard him not to be deterred
by any difficulties that might present themselves, he gave
them the example of Mr. Roscoe, in founding the Liverpool in-
stitution, now one of the most flourishing in the country. Mr.
Roscoe having determined upon his good work, and got seve-
ral noblemen and Ft4ntlemen to promise their attendance and
aid, advertised a public meeting at which to originate his
institution. The day came for the advertised meeting, and
the hour, and the hour after : Mr. Roscoe was present, but
no man came to aid nor even to hear him, so he voted him-
self into the chair, and moved his first resolution, and se-
conded it, and put it. and declared it unanimously carried;
and so with the second, and then he vacated the chair; and
next day his resolutions were advertised—" Agreed to at a
public meetiag," and the institute was declared to be formed,
and it was formed, and it grew and flourished. Let but all
those present exhibit similar determination of purpose, and
their great object would be attained. A minister of the
Christian gospel, he hailed these institutions as emi-
nently calculated to promote the extension of re-
l*ious feelings and conduct among the labouring population.
He had no fear for religion from the extension of enlighten-
ment ; be felt that the more enlightened men were, the
more deeply they inquired, the more they would be con-
vinced of the truths of that Christianity whose prevalence
was so calculated to elevate man in the social scale,—to ren-
der him a better citizen here, as well as to make him a citi-
zen of the world hereafter. The rev. gentleman eloquently
inculcated the example of Sarah Martin, the sempstrese of
Yarmouth, who by her firm singleness of Christian purpose,
and her untiring self sacrifices, had effected during twenty
years so much good among the prisoners in the gaol of Yar-
mouth.
The resolution was adopted unanimously.
Mr. Nisnarr moved the cordial thanks of the meeting to
the clergymen and others who had given the use of school-
rooms. &e., for the purpose of lectures, or who had them-
selves delivered lectures in promotion of the cause.
Mr. AUSTIN seconded the motion. As an illustration of
the fact that the existing mechanics institutes are of no prac-
tical benefit to mechanics, he mentioned the circumstance that
before he, with several others, set about the originating of
the present society, of 1,000 men employed, like himself, at
Messrs, Mandalay and Field's factory, only one was a mem-
ber of any mechanics' institute, though the Westminster
Institute was close at hand.
The motion was unanimously adopted, and the officers for
the ensuing year nominated ; the president being the Earl
of Radnor, and the vice-presidents, the Earl of Ducie, Lord
Robert Grosvenor the Bev. Baptist Noel,Sir Francis
Lswley, Bart, Viscount Ebrington, the Bishop of Norwich,
the Rev. Henry Hughes, M.A., and Colonel Buckley.
Mr. HOPKINS, a member of one of the auxiliary institu-
tions established by the society, moved the thanks of the
meeting to the chairman. The motion having been warmly
/ acceded to, the meeting separated.
the

PROVIDENT CLE
SOCR lAKS' MUTUAL BENEFIT
ASTION.
The annual meeting of this society took plate
yesterday evening at the London Tavern, Mr. R. H. Jones
in the chair. The (trot business taken was the reading of
the report, from which it appeared that the state of the
society had been one of gradual progresaion from its forma-
tion down to the present day. During the last year,
although one of heavy commercial pressure and epidemic
' disease, the number of policies effected was 417 for an amount
of 84,7401., contrasted with 374 for 69,2001. in the preceding
year. The rate of mortality had been unprecedently small,
for up to the end of 1846 five deaths only had occurred,
mains claims to the amount of 6001., and this,
too, in the face of the Registrar-General's heavy
returns; while, during the last year, the amount paid was
only 1 per cent. on the amount assured. The fiat division
of profits would take place in 1848, the necessary documents
being at present in the hands of the actuary. Depuations
had been sent from the society to the great provincial towns,
• and the most beneficial effects had resulted from these visits.
In Liverpool, Maechester, and Birmingham, many had
joined who, previously to the visit of the deputation, had
not been aware of the existence of the society. By toe
balance-sheet, it appeared that the funded property had in-
creased to 10,5001., independent of the guarantee fund; the
amount of income front premiums and interest on stock
being about 6,8001. The report concluded with recommending
the four outgoing managers for re-election. The question
that the report be adopted was put and unanimously agreed
to. A remuneration of 3001. to the managers for their
labours during the last year was also put and unanimously
agreed to. The next business taken was the election of
four managers, in the room of four going out in rotation.
The outgoing managers, Messrs. Isselin, Jordan, Maitland,
and Sawtell, were eligible, and offered themselves as candi-
dates for re-election. There were also two new candidates,
Messrs. Parry and Reid.
The first four candidates having been duly proposed and

seconded,
Mr. CoLEstAx and Mr. BELL earnestly suggested that, in
obedience to the evident feeling of the meeting, all other
' candidates should withdraw their pretensions. There was
not shadow of doubt as to how the election would go, and
a ballot would only result in much loss of time and incon-

lenience.
Mr. Rein, as one of the new candidates, wished to maks