The Express.
London, England, 1851-12-29 00:00:00

THE LATE tirt ItonizT PEEL END THE AORI- ;
CULTIALkI. I)ISTUICTS.-1110 'noun of this morning pub- ,
lashes the following letter from the late Sir Robert Peel to
lar.James C.tird, who, we are told will, with the consent of ,
Sir R. Peel's literary executors, print it in a forthcoming
agricultural work. It is in answer to one asking his opinion
as to the in cessity.and effect of an inquiry ipto the state of the
agricultural di.tnets, the prosecution of which had bees
offered to Mr. Caird: "Drayton Manor, Faseley, Jan. 6,
18.14. Dear Sir,-1 am inclined to advise the acceptance of ",
the offer conveyed in the enclosed. There is so little
intercommunion between • agriculturists in differeit
parts of the country, and such a general nawil-
Blamer on the part of ordinary farmers to travel beyond
the bounds of their own parish, that much good might, I
think, hr el air by presenting to them in an attractive term
the ohiervations of practical mention the different systems
of tanning, and the difLeent usages which prevail in various
parts of the country. You will find iiumense tracts of
good land in certain counties (L ineashire and Cheshire, fur
example), with goad roods, good markets, and a moist
thht remain pretty nearly in a state of nature, un-
drained, badly fenced, and wretehediy farmed. Nothing has
hitherto been effectual in awakening the proprietors to
a sense of their own interest. I cannot help thinking that
*dispassionate and temperate contrast between the pro.
dacuvenera of their properties end that of others in less
favoured positions, and the conclusive proof that might
he exhibited that protection had in their cases not stimu-
lated improvement, but Lad probably been the parent of
mesa, might reconcile them to the withdrawal of it, and
fudges them to look out for more certain aid in 'good farm.
lag under liberal covenants.' Faithfully yours, RoBERT
PEAL. James Caird, Esq."
Tux TROOPS IJNDER ORDERS FOR TUE CAPE.—
The terries companies of the It Battalion Rifle Brigade,
%oder the command of Colonel Buller, are to embark at
Dover in the Mt lucre, screw steamer, on the 2nd of Jen.,
for the Cape of flood Hope. Drafts from the depots 2nd,
• 43n1, 4.5 th, 2nd battalion 60th. 73rd, and 74th, and
from the bit battalions 12th and 91st Infantry, as well
as a small dee:torment from the depot of the 12th Lancers,
are to embark for that colony about the same date, on
board the Birkenhead, war steamer. These reinforcements
for service at the Cape will altogether amount to about
1,200 men of all ranks. There is no foundation for the re-
wt that the filth Regiment may proceed to the Cape. In
fact, this corps is now under orders to proceed next year to
Malta.

Rik MAJESTY% Slap errLors.—Tho Port smout..
Thom says: " We have been informed that on this vessel
Netting into soundings on her voyage from the Cape a
dlimete arose among the junior ofilorrs as to her exact posi-
tion. A serious fracas was the consequence—a regular
Mend-up tight took plate on the quarter-deck, end on her
ceasing into port here (Sheerness) one of the officers was
mat to hospital on account of the injuries he received.
Strange as it may appear, yet it is nevertheless true, that no
notice was taken of, nee any inquiries instituted, by the
commanding officer, into such a breach of discipline, on the
part of the lelligerente. In a word, they were allowed to
ilght it out without any interference whatever. The
Cyclops went on shore oil the Isle of Wight on Saturday,
the 19th, and was not got off until two a.m. the next day,
and subsequently again in Prince's Channel. With these
facts before us—the truth of which we defy any one to con-
tradict—we ask, were the officers who had the navigation
of the ship under their charge on these occasions competent
to discharge their duty ? and if not, as we believe to be the
case, from circumstances which have come to our know-
ledge, what was the real cause thereof ? This question we
could satisfactorily answer, but refrain doing so from mo-
tives of delicacy to those concerned."
THE St7PPUE.IION OF CHRISTMAS BOXES.—The
general custom of bribing servants by means of Christ-
mas boxes and other presents has become an evil of
such magnitude in the manufacturing districts, that it has
been thought desirable to establish a society among the
calico-printers of Manchester and neighbourhood, for the
purposc of exposing and putting an and to this system. The
prospectuses are already before the public in the form of
resolutions, adopted at a meeting of the trade, when the
officers of the society wore appointed, and other means
arranged for currying their objects into effect. Besides the
expense and annoyance to which many firms have long
been subjected by the levying of this kind of black mail,
which it is thought may be got rid of, the society aims at
suppressing a good deal of moral evil attendant upon the
system among the working classes themselves, whose in-
tegrity and self-respect is to a great extent destroyed by
bribes and treats, either in money, drink, or dinners, for
which some real or supposed advantage is to be given by
such servants at the expense of other of their employers'
customers. One phase of the evil is exposed in a letter
which has been published. In this instance the servants of
a printer went to an engraver, who having refused to give
the usual Christmas box, was threatened that the rollers he
supplied " should not have fair play." It turned out that
these men were discarded bands, but still the ease is en
illustration of the way in which the system works.
AN ILLICIT STILL DISCOVERED DT A FIRE.—On
flaturda_y a fire broke out at No. 6, Duke-street, Rosemary-
lane. The premises were let out in tenements, and the
back room on the ground door was used as an illicit distill-
ery. Whilst the parties wore engaged in their clandestine
business the still boiled over, end the floor of the room was
covered with a sheet of tire. The lodgers up stairs had
great difficulty in saving their lives. The brigade engine
from Welk:lose-square promptly attended, and the flames
were at length subdued, but not until considerable damage
was done to the premises and their contents. During the
confusion which prevailed at the commencement of the fire,
the parties who hail thus been defrauding the revenue ma-
naged to get clear off.
ROYAL INSTITUTION.-06 Saturday last Protestor
Faraday delivered the first of a series of six lectures, in the
lees:rare room of the Royal Institution, on the subject of M.
tractive forces. Although them lectures and the mode of
dealing with them are designedly adapted fora juvmdke
auditory, the majority of tie andienee on Satnrhg
tilted of persons who had advaseed considerably.Mmad
their teens. The two front soals appeeite the lecturer mkt
reserved for juveniles, and wen asiellalek Wed. Wool
the entire theatre was crowded, cad It the learned mew
nor's modesty permitted it. be MOS ham derived a earr
forcible illustration of steasthe power hem the nienhme
who came to listen to his iatemethe katmereos themes's&
After a few remarks ea the Waft aliditLaideall Wad
yes* the learned rehear olidtbstbe bunkmate,
premed morsies " duos boy," NM would beks mid
Mir estios intsmos with whim they were all mil as
(painted, bat whelk in their soda applicably& wad Fah
of inmost end welder. Re dm yrsseekri to aphis and
illustrate the Moue of atkostias end of speedo parilvm. ism
showed haw the earth was a pant imam of athenhill
I SIMI
tta selamodas was equally gnat pang
all bodies. whilawas
their might ; that the ainamiters slam was the mess
, • *MP sipper did met te the semi equally seas
with • peony: that this deoserbore was heel[ saluset to
the rum kw of attraction as all other WM. say. that but
he this me law of attraction this meth INN would
sway Gem its centre of attradies, the ma, end
• lab cold rvgious of melee whore neither
bat, me light, nor life could slat. The bawd
in this way led his youthful beaten W Maid end am
steps from examples of attractive facet bib
Soma to others which illustrated the stedeva d dr mot
Mimi bodies, and showed how the sass law Midi made
a might tall to the earth kept, when oreediatel with a
it.sa circulating motion, the earth, sun, sagintirets in
Mk respective orbits. The easy fusilier ,of Pro-
f/sem Faraday ea this mei" aced the of his
illeibed s
k they pm e.neklemily pkg.& bis yore seditese me a level
his Phh
• bim% he oefill
made Wend in agreed " ~Mend stundos which
seassly asp oder Cleweass steadies in the soetropolia
oda ism skied.