The Express.
London, England, 1851-12-18 00:00:00

Irbe (Court.

OSBORNE, WEDNESDAY.
The Queen and Prince, with tiw royul children,
walked and rode yesterday as usual.
The Marchioness of Ely arrived from Loudon, to succeed
the Marchiosess of Douro as Lady-in-suiting to her
Majesty. Lady Douro remains at Osborne on aYi it.
The party at diner included the Marchioness of Douro
and the lion. Colonel Phipps.

Mr.W. 11. Simms had an interview with Earl Grey yester-
day at the Colonial-office. Mr. Kennedy had also an hater-
view with the roffile Earl.

Sir George Grey left town yesterday, for Osborne, Isle of
Wight, on u visit to her Majesty.
The Oxford University Commission hod a meeting yester-
day, at the official residence of the First Lord of the Tree-
s:Wu Downing-street. Present: The Bishop of Nor-
the Dees of Carlisle, the Master of Pembroke, the
Rev. 11. G. Liddell, J. L. Dampier, Esq., the Rev. Pro-
' fewer rowel!, the Rev. G. 11. S. Johnson, and the ltev.
A. P. Stinky (secretary.)
The Cansbiidge University Commission had • meeting
yesterday, at the official residence of the First Lord of the
Treasury in Downing-street. Present: The Bishop of
Chester, the Dean of Ely. Sir John Herschel, the Rev.
Professor Sedgwick, and the Rev. W. H. llateson (secre-
The) Marquis of Lansdowne left the seat of Earl For-
teseue. in Devonshire, yesterday, for The Orange, Aires-
ford, Hants, on • visit to Lord Ashburton.
Despatches were received yesterday at the Colonial-office
from the Governor of the Manikins.

WYATT INDIA STGASIER9. The Medway, which
left Southampton yesterday, with the West India and
Pacific mails, took out above 120 passengers. Nearly half
of them were booked for Chartres, on their way to Cali-
fornia, and consisted of miners sent out by the new Califor-
nian Ovid Mining Companies. Many of the miners are
from Cornwall. The West India steamer, Amazon, ar-
rived in Southampton Uuck on Tuesday afternoon, from
London : she left London on Saturday last, but was obliged
to heave-too beyond Gravesend on account of a dense fog,
The Ammon is the first completed of the new Beet of
gigantic steamen which will shortly belong to the West
India Company. The Amazon is the largest steam-packet
afloat; she will, it is expected, take out the West India and
Mexican mail of the 2nd proximo, and in that case will re-
am to Southampton about the Sth of March. She will be
commanded by Captain Chapman, of the Brazilian packet
Tay. The Orinoco, another of the gigantic packets, will be
ready for sea in about a month's time.

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE IN LIVERPOOL: yesterday
morning (Wednesday), about three o'clock, a fire was dis-
covered in the extensive warehouses of Messrs. Verdun and
Cullen, general merchants, St. James's-street, Liverpool,
and before assistance could be rendered the whole of the
buildings with their contents, and a considerable portion of
the adjacent property, were enveloped in flames. Messrs.
V. and C. are also extensive cattle salesmen and corn mer-
, chants ; and the previous night no less than 1,000 barrels of
I Sour were taken into the upper warehouse. We have made
' inquiries on the spot, but are unable to ascertain any au-
thentic particulars as to the origin of the disaster. The
premiss s and merchandise were only partly insured.
NATIONAL PROVIDENT INSTIITTION.—A special
meeting of the members was held yesterday at the Louden
Tavern, Mr. Lucas in the chair. It was called in conserpience
of the passing of the act of parliament, 13th and lith N ic., c.
115. by which the members were deprived of the power of
appointing nominees in respect of any new investments, in
lieu of which the society acquired the power of granting
annuities, which it had not previously possessed. The
object was to bring the rules and regulations of the society
into conformity with the act. On tl.e motion of Mr. P. O.
Dodd, the rules were altered in the manner proposed by
the directors.

A COW IN A PASTRTCooo.—Yesterday morning
much alarm was created in the vicinity of Middlesex 110 a.
pital by the following mischievous career of a cow belong-
log to Mr. Shaw, of Wells-street, who had sent a man with
a horse and cart to his farm at Hendon to fetch up the 1 I
animal, which being young and very lively, he gave three-
tiaras should be brought by a halter to its neck and faa-
tamed to the tail board. This was done, and the cow hay-
ing behaved quietly throughout the journey, the rope was
untied on reaching the cow-shed door in Wells-street,
when, finding its head loose, it immediately scampered off
the same way it had come, butting at every out who at-
tempted to stop it. Having knocked down a boy and a
whet were thrown some yards, it went along Mortimer-
street at the same speed, till coming to Cheat Portland-
street, it turned sharply therein. A lady and gentleman,
wha were on the pavement a yard or two off, sought shelter
in the chop of Mr. James,astrecook, No. 13. The animal
holted in after them, sod before they could mska good
their retreat, the cousat,r-flsp being down, butt cl enel so
violently as to tear their dirsees to rihands, besides hiflict-
ing much personal injury. In Pa plunging it broke do* n
the counter, destroying the pastry and Rhin dishes, Wilt%
it saudenly slipped down, falling on its side. Some napes
were then thrown over its head, and being f incited, tie,i to
one of the hind ler, in which position, he the aid of a
per-ons, it was dragged into the street an I t Diu ato a
shed.