The Express.
London, England, 1849-02-08 00:00:00

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the estuary.

Ine Court

WINDSOR, WZDNEBDAY.—The Right Roo, W. L Lasosua, comperogee of the Queen's Honwhold, had la
aud ones of her Majesty this morning in the Castle and pre.
seated the Address from the House of Commons to the gem.
The But of Listowel was the Lord in Waiting.
Her Majesty, aosevapaniad by Prince Albert, rods egg ce,
bombe& this hrusees Into the Great Park. lard Alfred
Paset sad Galena Wylde attended the Queen sad die 4,
Lord and Lady Ashley are etryeeted to arrive this at
at the Cud.), en a visit to her Majesty. •
The Queen's private band played the following lien pa.
terday evening :
OTertare. " Zaziette

Seleetke. "Les latlissuall"
Osnwinetta
Tea
Owlebader Walser
" Der Gnus kis Alyilnlande" Manch nurser.
This evening the royal dinner circle will include Lord awl
Lady Ashley, and the ladies and gentlemen of the raysi
household in waiting. The Duchess of Kent, attended by
her ladies, is expected to visit the Queen this evening. get
Majesty's private band will attond in the Castle after '•

-dinner.

The Bishop of London had an interview with Load
John Russell, at his official residence in Downing-Yreet.
Capt. Maxwell, R.N., from New Zealand, had in
interview with Bari Grey yesterday, at the Colonial office.
The School of Design had a meeting yesterday, at
the Olee of the Board of Trade.

Some of the cabinet minister. dined yesterday
evening with the corporation of the Trinity-house.
Deapatcbee were sent off last evening from the
Colonial-office for the Governors of Cey ion and Hoeg Kong.

THE 'TRINITY ROOM—INITIATION OF LORD JOHN
RUSSELL.—Last evenieg, the Muter, Deputy, and Elder
Brethren of the Corporation of the Trinity House assembled
at Oe Trinity House, Towephill, to initiate Lord John
Russell u an elder brother, in the room of the late Viscount
Melbourne. The Duke of Wellington, the muter, crrived :
at twenty minutes to seven o'clock, and the Litfir rat guests
assembled soon afterwards in the court-room, when Lord '
John Rusell went through the customary ceremonies, Nevi-
owl to his becoming one of the corporate body. As usual Ce
all such occasions, a grand banquet was given under the pre-
sidency of the muter. the Duke of Wellington, and the ds.
puty, Sir John Henry Petty, hart., in the vice chair. There
wu, among the elder brethren present, the Earl of Miuto,
the Rtg t Hon. Sir R. Peel, Bart., M.P., the Right Hon.
Sir J. Graham, Bart., M.P., Capt. A. Chapman, Capt. A.
Timbre% Capt. R. Wellbank, Capt. J. Hayman, Cent. J.
Rees, Capt. H. Nelson, Adm. Sir T. B. Martin, G.C.8.,
Capt.C.Weller, Copt. F. Madan, Adm. Sir C.Adam (Governor
of Greenwich Hospital), Cant. S. Ellerby, Capt. G. Probyn,
Capt. W. Pixley, Capt. C. Farquharson, Capt. R. Gordon,
R.N., Capt. W. E. Ferrer, Capt. H. B. Boa, Capt. J. Shep.
herd, Capt. E. Foord, and Capt. G. J. Redman. The
visitors who availed themselves of dining with the mas-
hers of the corporation were : The Marquis of Lau-
downs, the Right Hon. Sir J. C. Hobhouee, But,
M.P., the Right Hon. H. Labouchere, the Right Hon,
the Speaker of tho House of Commons, Capt. Lord J.
Hay, Capt. the Hon. M. F. Berkeley, the lion. Wm.
Cowper, and Capt. A. Milne (Lords of the Almiralq);
Rear. Adm. Sir F. Beaufort, F.R S. ; Capt. W. A.
Baillie Hamilton, R.N., and Mr. H. G. War I, 31 P. (Secre-
taries of the Admiralty); Dr. Lushington, Capt. R Pelly,
dte. Viscount Palmerston, the Earl Grey, and the Earl of
Granville were prevented dining with the honourable as.
from prior engagements. The customary loyal
toasts of " The Queen," " The Queen Dowager and the
Royal Family," " Prince Albert (an elder brother),"
" The Master (the Duke of Wellington)," " The Deputy
(Sir J. Pally)," " Lord John Russell (the newly elected
brother)," were given among the leading touts, and at 11
o'clock the circle broke up.

RESIGNATION OP MA. RALLANTINE, TEE
MAOISTRATIL—Thie gentleman, one of the oldest stipen-
diary msgistrates of the metropolis, having officiated at the
Thames Police Court for more thin 27 years, and he,
for some time put, has been suffering fr•im ill health, has
tendered his resignation, which was yesterday accepted in
complimentary letter from Sir George Grey.

REPEAL OF THE MALT TAX.

A special general meeting of the committee and
subscribers of the Total Repeal Malt Tax Association was
held yesterday, at 1 o'clock, at the York Hotel, Bridge.
street, Blackfriars. On the motion of Mr. Lamb, Mr. 3.
Neme, of &ling Court, Kent, was called to the chair.
Amongst those present were the following : C. 11. Frewen,
' Esg , member for Sussex ; W. Fisher Hobbs, Esq., of
Hosted Lodge, Essex ; W. Shaw, EA., of the Strand ;
Hems. H. Selmer, J. Smith, J. Milder, W P. Lamb, from
Sussex ; 8. Cheetham, from Rutland ; C. H. Lattimore,
from Hertfordshire; W. Smith and W. P. Taunton, from
Hampshire ; W. Edwards and C. Pocock. from Berkshire;
A. Campion and Dewy, from Devonshire ; T. W. Grainger,
from Cambridgeshire ; J. H. Raider, from Oloumaterslure ;
F. K. Elves, from Kent ; M. Claydon, from Essex.
The Secretary (Mr. Cosner) read the minutes of the two
preceding meetings, held respectively on May 15 and Nov.
7, 1848.
Before the business of the meeting commenced,
Mr. C. H. FREWEN, M.P. for East Sussex, entered
into soma explanations with regard to a petition entrusted
to him for presentation in the House of Commons in the last
session, from which it appeared that the standing orders pre-
cluded him from securing a discussion at the period when
the petition was presented. Some good had, he observed,
been done by the mere presentation of the petition, inas-
much as it bad since been reprinted and extensively circu-
lated by the society. The hon. gentleman further went on
to say, that his brother had empowered him to present on his
behalf the sum of 2W. in favour of the object. (Cheers.)
On the motion of Mr. CHEICTRAY, seconded by Mr.
SELMES, a vote of thanks was given to Mr. Frewen for his
exertions in the cause.

Mr. FRBWEN said that in the course which he had pur-
sued he had merely endeavoured to carry out his honest
convictions. Previous to the last election he was asked, is
a meet's" held at Hayward's Heath, if he would support the
repeal of the malt tax. He replied that the first meeting
held in Sussex in favour of the object was attended by him-
self, and that be moved the first resolution. That took place
long before he bad any idea of obtaining a seat iniparliument.
(Hear.) It was his opinion that under the existing state
of things the farmer could not go on. (Hear, hear.) Such
was the pressure of local burdens in Best Sussex that the
land was in danger of ;sing out of cultivation. There were
many instances bath in that div*sion of Sussex and in the
Weald of Kent, of farms becoming vacant and no one being
found willing to enter upon them. (Hear, hear.) It was
quite clear, therefore, that something mat be done to pro-
dues an alteration.
• The Seater/ay then read a copy of the resolution which
had been forwarded to the Central Protection Society and
the local protection societies in different parts of the king-
dom, calling upon them to aid the movement, and the
replies which had been received.—The first reply of the
central society was a simple acknowledgment of the receipt
of the resolution ; a second reply from the same society,
dated Dec. 9, 1848, stated that Mr. Cheetham had given
notice of a motion in favour of immediate repeal, and that
the whole subject would stand over until that motion was
discussed. The replies from the local societies were nearly
all in favour of the object.
The question of malt-tax repeal haying been brought
under the consideration of the member. of the Central Pro-
Valor Society on the previous day, it was here suggested
that Mr. Cheetham, of Oakham, should report to the associa-
tion the substance of what had passed.
Mr. CHEETHAM said it was, perhaps, generally known
by those present that he had on the peen ms day proposed a
resolution at a meeting of the Central Protection Society,
pledging that society to use its beet efforts to obtain the re-
peal of the malt-tax. The motion was ably seconded by Mr.
John Elliman. Mr. Ellmaa and himself wers.met in a very
friendly spirit by Mr. William Bennett, in a series of resolu-
tions, not only embracing his (Mr. Cheethanis) own views
en the subject, but also a recommendation in favour of a
general revision of such taxation as pressed most heavily
upon the agricultural portion of the community. Mr. Ben-
nett went so far as to say that the society would not
accept melt tax repeal as a compensation for the loss of
protection ; and this view apes/amber much snore agreeable
then the original resolution that the latter was withdrawn
by himself, in concurrence with Mr. Ellman, in order to se-
cure harmony the more readily, as in Mr. Bennett's reside-
lions were comprehended all their views with regard to the
malt tax. He was bound to say that never in his life had he
heard the tenantry of this country express their opinions
more fearlessly or more uprightly than on the previous day.
(Chun.) As regarded numbers, he felt quite sure that
these who were in favour of repeal were as ten to one. But
they were unfortunately met by another class of persons,
who unequivocally told them that they could not support
them in the House of Commons. (Hear, hear.) Sir
John Trial then observed that he considered this
question of too much importance to be disposed of
summarily by a committee; and he proposed an
adjournment until the first Tuesday in March, in the
hope that by that time a decisive demonstration would have
been made, either for repeal or against it. The Duke of
Richmond coincided in this view ; but at the same time un-
equivocally declared that he would not on any account
abandon the project of malt-tax repeal. This declaration
having been made by the duke, Mr. Bennett, Mr. Menu,
, and himself, felt almost bound, from courtesy to his Grace,
to agree to the suggestion of postponemert, believing that
they would thus aid the cause. The meeting of this protec-
tion society stood adjourned therefore until one o'clock on
the first Tuesday in Marsh, when a general meeting of all
the members who chose to attend would take place. Hs
had thus stated all that had occurred on the previous day,
with regard to the repealer the malt tax.
Mr. W. SHAW said he had heard with a great
deal of disappointment in one sense though not in
another, the report which had been made by Mr. Cheetham
of the previous day's meeting. The result was that which
be had anticipated. He had narrowly watched the proceed-
ings of the Central Protection Society ; and be must confem
that the more he bad done so the more convinced bad be
become that there was nothing to be hoped for as the result
of its exertions. (Hear.) The committee of that society
well knew the position in which this question stood; sad
they were also aware that the farmers, as a body, were dis-
posed, on all great and important questitns, to look for
leaders. On many occasions, when mooting any particular
quution amongst farmers in their own localities, he
kid been met by the observation, a Why, we don't