The Express.
London, England, 1848-08-24 00:00:00

PORTUGAL.

The Oriental Company's steam packet Montrose,
Captain John Bowen' arrived at Southampton this
morning, and landed her mails under the charge of
Lieut. W. P. Newenham, R.N., admiralty agent.
Her dates are Gibraltar, August 15th ; Cadiz, 16th ;
Lisbon, 19:h; Oporto, 20th; Vigo, 20th. She had
on freight 51 packages of specie. On the 15th the
Queen closed the Cortes in person. At Gibraltar a
London brig had been burned, by spontaneous corn
bustion of her cargo (flax). Another brig had been
or lered out of the bay. She was towed to esa by
H.M.S. Polypt.emns. She had arms on board.
of which Sir Robert Wilson apprised the governor of
Algesiras, who sent a email craft to watch her move-
nts. Some movements were looked for on the
Spanish coast towards Seville.
The foLowing are the movements of her Majesty's
ships.—The Comet was at Oporto on the 10th ; Mer-
lin. Lisbon, on the 12th and 13th; Polyphemus (et.),
at Gibraltar on the 15th.
Discount on the Bank of Lisbon, 37.
The following is the letter of our correspondent
LISBON, AVOUS T 19.
The Cortes were formally closed on Tuesday last,
the 15th instant. The ceremony wan performed by Donna
Maria in person; and her husband, recovered from his Cintra
stumble, was also present. At an early hour the strong garri
son of the capital were under arms; the palace itself pre, voted
the asp. et of a fortress heleapiered, the hall of the Cortes,
too, being surrouoded with troops, while every spproseh to
the building, as well as the entire line of route taken by the
palace coral," was scrupulously guarded by soldiery, both
infantry and cavalry, while parks of artillery, in prominent
positions, d to awe the people, end had the effect of in-
suring public tranquillity. Her majesty and suite were re-
ceived, upon alighting, with the usual state forms, and being
accompanied to the sala of the Cortes, read the following
address from the throne :
Why Peers and Deputies of the Portuguese Nation,—The time
having arrived for closing the present session, I tome amongst you
to give public teatimony of your having joatiged the confidence re-
posed in you by ciur sovereign and by the nation.
I felt the greatest satiefactlon upon the opening of the Cortes, and
in viewing myeelf surrounded by the representative of the Portuguese
nation, anaious and earin&t to consolidate and pacify the ciountry,
arid to heal the wound. of our fattier-land by means of bind and
.alatary measures, sad I come now to the midst of this rues 1310,
congratulating myself with you, on the zeal and energy you ham dis-
played in the exercise of your august funcuons, and in realizing an
noble and exalted a mission.
Grave, without doubt, were the difficulties with whirls the *Ma-
dre body had to
netion wUltracrikedge the solicited@ 'hewn by their repre-
sentatives, In the of many and diverse mows
In favour of the cow, sad more sapesiay in the witlngatittre

budget, and in the granting of the ways and meow to meet the ex- •
pews of the present economical year (anne reoweralre).
Other important measure. haw been laid you by my pwern-
men t, *bleb I trtont will, in the ensuing seeska, meet trom you the
consideration required by the necessities of the country.
Worthy Peers end Deputies of the Portuguese Nation,!—l bore the
greatest esaisfaction in Announcing to you that in the midst of the
extrsoreutary political mete that burr occurred le Europe durier
your parliamentary labour., ereligy with us has Hither been dlaturbed
nor hoe the alighting alteration ul public order taken place, and MU
without my government luring bad recourse to any extraordinary
measures, or the infringement in the slightest degree of constitutions.
forms, thanks to the good *erne of the Portuguese people, and to your
tithing co-operation.
If your p aliamentary labour. hare ceasedefor some Maths. the
batmen( of • grave duty is still incumbent upon you, and which I
am confident you will pertdm with the greittem seal and efficacy.
Dunng the rent from your legishitive labours, It devolves upon you
to Inspire the people with that love for the institutions of the country
which will be the mat powerful means of preset wing us from the per-
nicious influence of exonerated ideas—with them sentiments of obe-
dience to the lows and authorities, with a love for labour, and habits
of virtue and morality, which alone can emirs real felicity to the
people—no seadon is now closed.
Her majraty then reign ni, in the same state as upon entry,
anti has le7Cll a ith the court returned to Cintra. Beyond
the attendsrce of foreign ministers, and some mew official
people, there was scarcely a person of note present ; the
nols.lity and the gentry of Portugal, as a body, keep aloof
from Donna friaria's court.
. _
- -

Criticisms upon lid fl7ent II from the throne is barely ad.
missible, and at all times ungracious, but one paragraph in
the above address must not escape without comment, via., the
assertion ,hat the government have neither had recourse to
" extraordinary measures " nor infringed in the slightest de.
gree upon " constitutional forms !" And t'is, too, with the
very fact before . our eyes of the domicile of the citiz.n
having been invaded in every direction by the armed force,
arrest and incarceration of military chiefs upon false and
frivolous pretext., editors and contributors to the liberal
jo.irnalkbeing flung into gaol, and there detained months
withou, even a charge being preferred against them.
I say here mention that Colonel Horta, dragged from his
bed months ago, and thrown into jail, has idiot been brought
to trial; the palace faction se. re unable to substantiate one
single shadow of a charge against him. His trial was at the
Enlace°, a tribunal comp sod ofjodges, something resembling
an English bench of magistrates The judges were unanimous
for acquittal. Colonel Horta is now at liberty ; in the mean-
time the government press ate furious, and declare that the
judges themselves ought to be proceeded against by the
court.

Poor Mr. Coelho, the editor of the Patriota, has not been
so fortunate as his fellow-victim Herta ; he has not yet had
notice of trial, and remains in close custody, in dell ince of all
justice and of law. The government of Donna Maria have
ackowledged the French republic.
A fresh onslaught upon the opposition press has been made
by ministers ; a determined attempt to crush the liberal and
national parties, it is evident, will be persevered in; fresh
criminal indictments are every day being preferred. The
Miguelite organ, the Nrigao, is particularly the object of
government persecution and hatred; the Nagao, however, in
the present instance, is likely to bid defisnce to all attempts'
to crush its existence, as most powerful support has suddenly
taken the held in its defence. Local committees of the
friends of the ex-king (these ecnaprise some five-sizths of the
1 entire naton), are being formed all over the country, for the
object of raising funds to meet every exto-rase or sentence
this particular journal may be involved in. Ri ports of
these meetings are published from all parts of the country, to
the tenor of the define court, as scarcely a hamlet of half-a-
dozen houses mt sends in its mite to the general fund, and its
expression of sympathy with the muse of the prince in
exile. List week a report found its way about Lisbon that
the queen had been fired at in the neighbourhood of Cintra;
but I can trace it to no foundation. Every precaution is
taken against surprise. The country is in a wretched state.
By the cluing of the Cortes the greater number of the
t. deputies of the ration" may literally be said to be thrown
out of work. Fs w amongst them have a single sixpence to
depend upon, or means of livlihood, beyond their daily
wage as a member of Parliament. This will explain to you
the interminable spinning out of their sittings.
The English government brig Racer came in here on
the evening of the 10th, bearer of orders for the steamer
Merlin, and this latter started next morning for Malta.
Excnange on London, 30 days, 521 ; 90 days, 521 I. Bo-
vertigo' are at 4490; dollar, 'Spanish and Brazilian, 920.
Discount upon Lisbon Bank, cash, 37 per cent.

STATISTICS OF JAVA.—It appears Irom the statistics
of this island for the year 1847 that the import trade of the
Want for the year, including specie and merchandise, was
•alued at 29,435,402 srine, against 36,120,68.5 florins in
1846, slowing a decrease of 6,685,283 florins. Compared
with 1845, the decrease is still larger, the import trade in
that year being valued at 1,221,956 florins. The principal
articles of merchandise coninituting this branch of trade
have been received from Europe, America, and the
Cape of Good Hope, the returns for these places giving
an aggregate of 17,501,768 florins.. the Eastern Archi-
pelago figures for the neat important sum, the produce re-
ceived these* being estimated at 8 167.640 thrice. England
has, it is stated, supplied merchandise valued at 3,917,200
florin', against 6,440,800 florins in 1846 ; Holland,
12 538,200 florins, sgainst 11,073.100 florins in 1846;
and France, 638,100 florins, against 444,093 8-rim in 1846
The exportations for 1847 are estimated at 60,286,700 florins,
being a little in excess of 1846, when thee amounted to
60,157,300 thrills, but considerably below 1845, for which
year they were valued at 68,083,000 florins. The chief pro-
dads of the year 1847 contrasted with the returns for 1846,
show the annexed results: _

—____________.
1847. 1846.
Rice
Coffee
Sugar .....,.».....«...... 18,411,000. .... 18,123.000
Indigo . - 4,444,000 4 378,000
lin 3,072,000 3,331,000
Tobacco 1,980,000 2,140,000
POOR REMOVAL BILL—A bill "To am nd the
proceedings required Ay law in the removal of poor peraona
from England and Scotland, and in appeals against the
same," hes been prepared and brought in by Mr. Clement,
and Sir R. F..rgurin. It enact that in every warrant to be
issued under the act 9th Vietivia, for the removal of any
person horn in Ireland from England, shall be inserted the
name and apparent age of each child to be removed ureter
ouch warrant. A copy of the warrant is to be sent to the
guardians of the poor of the parish to which the pauper is to
be removed. The poor law commisaioners in Ireland are
empow, red to appeal against orders of removal. The act is
to commence from the 2n.1 of Octuber next.
_

THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT.—The act of parlia-
ment to reps I the law relating to the use of the English
language in instruments regarding the Legirfative Council
and Legitleave Assembly came into force on the 14th inst.,
when it received the royal assent. For a number of years,
applications had been made to repeal the statute, and it was
only recently that Lord Or y, as colonial secretary, yielded
to the wishes of the applicants. By this act (11 and 12 Vic-
toria, cap .56) so much of the statute as required the use of
the English language in the documents mentioned is repealed.
PRECAUTIONS 10AINST CHOLERA.—The council of
the borough of Leeds have set an example to the sutherities
of other towns, by taking precautionary measures against
the expected visitati m of the dud. TA, the following revolu-
tions Laving been passed at a mewing of the council of the
horaugh of 1..-eals, on the Rd, of August, respecting the
burial of the dead:
Resolved -That considering ample provision is made for the inter-
ment or the dead in the out kirta of the town, it is not necessary that
interments shout. tote place in the town. That whakiver difference
of opinion may exist as to the amount of injury to the public health
arising from the print as of intermural interments, it is desirable
during the next twelve months, when the cinders is likely to visit our
shores, to avoid anything that may in any degree contribute to its
severity. That In accordance with th'is opinion it is not, at prevent,
expedient to open the parish burial grounds, but it in highly derirable
that a memorsl should be presented to the Bishop of Ripon, re-
questing him to consent to an nr, er of reused, that no further inter-
ments shall ta►e place in the burial ground or burial place mulched or
belonging to the church of Saint Paul, within the township ul Leeds,
after the 51st day of Oct, 1818, That the council should order and
direct, in pursuance of the 75th archon of the Burial Orminds Act,
that no further interments shall take place in the burial graunds re-
spectively :tangled to the different chapels in Leeds.
THE DRPR I. CI TION OP iLATLWAY PROPERTY.
Sir,—ln your City article you from time to time draw the
attention of the pantie to the great disparity which exists
between the rate of interest for money invested which rail-
ways pay as comp fired to that of the funds. You show that
moat of the leading lines in the kingdom are paying, at the
present price of t-, it al.arrs, even with the reduction of
their disidends, front 64 to 74 par cent., whereas the funds
are nA p .ying more than 31. The least retileii"ln will s..ow
that this disparity will at long i list. The public are now
as much panie.strieken an regards railway property es they
were elwed in 1845-6. It is true that many of the leading
lie, s pay lower dividends ; but no one could exp. et that they
would maintain the Fame rate of dividend on their branch
lines that they did on their trunk; hut it would appear that
the pub.ic in those days h ught railways at a price tat pay
them little mare than 4 in r cent on their investment, and
that now they cease to invest when the ordeal of the branch
lines has been gone through, and railway dividends are in
conseepience reduced to their minimum. The question is,
what interest ought a railway to pay to those who embark in
it ? If we may judge fr un the price of the guaranteed shares,
the public would he ern en' to receive live per cent., and it
is calculated that hail v .ys will settle down a• a price to pay
the public that rate; if so there will be a considemlde
amelioration in railway property, for there is nut, an cstah.
fished railway that does not pay. at the present prints, 61 or
74 per cent. Mott of the rai.ways cannot be otherwise than
a pacing property their traffic must, is the natu•al order
of things, go on increasing; whereas • very year's experience
and improvement in machinery will t nil to lessen their
working expenses. Railways are not likely to be aupersedad
by any other mode of 'nation, and they are the only inven-
tion which has hitherto combined the carrying of pssaengere
and goods, and there is ',tithing that would tend to shake
their security which would not equally duke the security of
the funds and all proptriy. If the traffics fall. off in rants-
quence of the depressed state of trade, so likewise will the
revenue on which the security of the fundhsldsr is hired.
It is impossible fully to calculate the extent to which r ilway
traffic has suffered from the depreasim of the times. Those
who in prosperous times were wont to ride in first-class car-
ringes now ride in second clay.; and second-class ride in
third. Those who travelled for pleasure are obliged to stay
at home ; travelling is reduced to its minimum. As trade I
revive, so will railway' 'raffle ; and the public will then per-
ceive the fully of sacrificing their property at the present
ruinous prices; it is as much toe low now as it was too high
in the time of the mania.-1 am, am, It—London, August
22, 1848.

MONEY ORDERS.—The talnwing notice has been
issued by the authorities at the Post-office 1. The advice/
of money orders granted on the chief office must hereafter be
transtnicted to that officeseparate from all other 'deices, and,
in order to insure this, care must be taken to tie them up
securely in a distinct packet. 2. In granting money orders,
and in advising the same, one Christian name in full for
either the pyre or the remitter wid henceforward be suffi-
cient. instead of ell the Christian names being furnished in
full as hitherto nguired.
THE POST-OFFICE SERVICE BETWEEN DOVER AND
08T1ND, DOVISIL AND CALAIS, AND DOVES. AND Bou.
LOON n.—The number of her Majesty's mail steam packets
engaged In this service during the twelve months from the
Ist of April, 1847, to the 31st of March, 1848, wu 7; ton-
nage, 1,767 ; and the hone power 760. The gross expenses
incurred within the same period were 18,5661. Os. 6d. ; the
net expense■, 6,2241. 7s. 11d. The number of passengers
carried was 18,139, v.n , to and horn Ostend, 11,659; Calais,
4.961 ; Boulogne, 1.919. The average length of time em-
ployed in the voyages was—Ostend, four hours forty six
minutes; Calais, two hours; Boulogne, two hours thirty
minutes.

FlRF..—Shortly after two o'clock this morning a
fire happened at the Charlton tunnel of the West Kent rail-
way. The quantity of timber united showed the destruction
fur miles round. Messengers were sent to London for the
engines, which arrived shortly before three. Water could
nut be procured for the necessary purpose in a SUffiCilnt
quantity. By five, all danger ceased, but the loss win be at
least 1,0001. Nu cause eould be assigned fur the calamity.