The Express.
London, England, 1847-05-22 00:00:00

travelling secretary, who, with a view to making the inati-
tutiosgeuerally known,has visited 61 honorary agencies. In
obtaining the sum of 2501. 10e. due by the late sub-treasurer,
every effort had failed, and that sum was therekre no longer
kept ma an item on thew:count It in proposed, partly in con-
sequence of the recent bequest of 5001. by the late A. Macklew,
Eq., to extend the operation of the tamely, by applying such
portion of the funds at may be consistent with the other
objects of the institution. for the purpose of affording further
relief, independent of that granted et the time of aocident,
to the wi lows of tisOsomen acid mariuen, whose hominoids
may have lost their lives in pursuit of their calling, or in
the attempt to preserve the lives of others. The accounts
were as follows: —':o balance in hand at the close of last
year, 823/. Be, 4d. ; More received from contributions, dona-
tions, interest on exchequer bills, &c , 6,5401. 14s" 11d.,
making a total of 6,3141. 3s. 3d. Disbursements given in
relief, 2.006/. 4s. 3.1. ; office and other expensive, salaries, &e.,
1,4761. se. 11d.; invested, 2.088/. 17e , leaving a balance in
haud of 7921. 16'. Id.—The Hon. Capt. Mande, RN.,
moved the adoption of the report, and observed that the
crowning point hot now been put to the benefits offered to
seamen, by the erection, at an expenditure of 10,0001., of the
seamen's chattel, where the saitir could first be educated;
there was the omen, society, in case of shipwreck ; there
was the Dreadnought, in case of sicknees ; and finally, there
was Greenwich Hospital. With the adoption of the report
and various voice of thanks, including one to the railway
and steam-boat camisole", sod one to the ladies who had
assisted the society, the meeting separated.
SOCIETY POE TILE PROPAGATION OP THE GOSPEL
IN FOREION PAKTS.—A public meeting of the friends and
supporters of the above society was held on Thursday, at
Willis's Rooms, fir the purpose of affordiug the iuhabitanti
of the parish of S. Jamie an opportunity of further- I
ing its objects. The Bishop of London in the chair,
supported by the Earl of Dartmouth, Lord John Man-
ner., M.P.' the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone, 51 P., the
Bishop of Tasmania, Dr. Short, the bishop designate of
Adelaide, and • large number of clergymen. Tne
Chairman, in a lengthy and eloquent address, impressed
upon his hi arers the necessity of giving support to the
moiety, which had been in existence tor nearly 150 years.
Lord J. Manners moved the first resolution, to the effect I
that, as Christians, having the means of grace and the know-
ledge of salvation in Engiand, they were bound to use their
best endeavours, by m sus of this society, to give the name to
their fellow-countrymen and heathen tellowaubjeos in all
parts of the British empire. The Bishop of Tasmania, in a
long address, in which be showed most forcibly the wretched
condition of the convicts in his diocese, acconded the resolu-
tion, which was carried. The meeting was subsequently ad-
deemed by the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone, the Earl of
Dartmouth, the Rev. J. Jackson, Dr. Short, &c. ; and other
resolutions carried. A liberal subscription was entered into,
and the meeting separated.
THE POLISH BALL—The annual ball of the
Literary Association of the Friends of Poland, took place
last evening at Rooms. The company included
nastily the whole list of the ladies' patronesses, and a large
number of distinguished and noble persons, both English
and foreign, among the !aster of whom was Prince Louis
Napoleon. nitre were, in all, about • thousand
persons present, so that it may be seppaireel that
the rooms were crowded to an almost insupport-
I sole extent, so much so, that it was an imposii-
bill.; for one-tenth part of the company to dance.
Arrangements were, however, made for giving due
effect to the principal dances of the evening, which
I were a sines of " Fancy Quadrilles," the Ca at Ilia,
I the Eitrawbi r. y, the Polish colour, and the Mazurka.
I These were executed by ladies in appropriate costumes,
sod excited considerable admiration. There was a tolerable
I sprinkling of fancy dresses, consisting principally of regi-
mentals sod highland costumes. These gave variety to the
scene, which, however, irrespective of such aids, wanted no.
I thing in animation and brilliancy. Indeed, the whole ar-
rangements were moat excellent, and will, doubting, be pro-
ductive of considerable benefit to the abject in view.
ENGINEERING.—A correspondent says,—"There is
a new code of laws and regulations coming out immediately,
with regard to engineers in the government service, that
will demand a much more respectable knowledge of the
principle of engineering than is generally at present ae
quired, the salary being augmented to 161., 181., and 201.
per month, thirteon months in the year, with a grade rill
higher, at 251. per month, so as to induce the best talent to
enter the service."— The Builder.

MORBID EFFECTS OP IIE;iCIENCY OF VEGETABLE
Poop. In the usual weekly report of the registrar of
Inrths and deaths, reference is made to an apprehension ex.
pressed in a note to the quarterly returns, that in come.
qeence of the scarcity of vegetable food, the scurvy would,
in all probability, be prevalent amongst the poor. This ap-
prehension having been since in some measure borne ou',
the necessity for precautionary measures is strain pointed oat.
Dr. Baty, the physician to the Idillbank Penitentiary,
showed same time ago that scurvy was very prevalent in
prisons from the dietaries of which potatoes were ex-
cluded, and did not exist where potatoes were used.—
The potato contains a small quantity of a vegetable acid,
in combination with
.potash (bitartrate of potash, or
cream of tartar). It is certain that scurvy, which was
formerly common, has almost disappeared since the po-
tato entered largely into the foal of the population. If,
now that the potato has grown scarce, this disease,
oharaoterieed among other symptoms by swollen bleeding
gums, again became prevalent, its simple prophylactics
shou'd be had recourse to. Although no deaths have yet
been directly ascribed to ,curvy in London, the disease, it is
now ascertained, has appeared in many parts of the country.
Several eases. too, have shown themselves at the London
I hospitals. Under these circumstances the following practical
euggestions of Dr. Buy deserve the attention of the public.
The poorer classes particularly should be properly infcrmed
on the subject. Where green vegetables' and lime juice can-
not be procured, • weak acidulated drink of cream of tartar
, and sugar may be tried ; for it is the presence of the former
I salt which probably renders the potato antisourbutic.
o It cannot be diuntes"," says Dr. lily, " that the preva-
lence of scurvy at the present time amongst the peor in
Scotland, some parts of England, and even in London, is
owing to the scanty of vegetables, and especially of that
kind of vegetable which alone the poor can usually obtain
in quantity adequate fur the preservation of health—namely,
potatoes. The want of potatoes, as I have shown elsewhere.
was the cause of the appearance of scurvy in many prisons
and other public institutions at former periods. The
potato being now so scarce, other articles of diet have
been auhetituted for it. The article substituted has been,
for the most part, some cheap kind of grain, as Indian corn,
rise, oats, barley, peas, or beans. But the farinaceous
food mime from grain has no antiscorbutic property. It has
Leen necessary, therefore, to supply this defect by flavourieg
the farinaceous food with lime juice, the great prophylactic
against scurvy in the navy ; or to combine with the food
some fresh vegetables, such as turnips (Swedes), carrots,
cabbages, onions, crew, and mustard. Both these measures,
when tried, have been successful. A email quantity of lime
juice would be sufficient to give antiacurbutic properties to
the rice, meal, or Indian cora, food used by the poor, or
as acidulous drink might be made with it. In either way
it would be an efficacious, and, I think, an economical pre
ventive of the disease. Its use might be introduced with
great advantage into workhouses and amongst the out-door
poor. The fresh vegetables I have named could seldom be
procured by the pour themselves is sufficient quantity, but
sometimes, perhaps, they might use plants which grow wild,
such as the common watercress and scurvy-grans'. These
are powerful antiseorbuties, and most edible green vege-
stablea, especially throe which have an acid taste, possess the
same properties. The important point, however, seems to
be, that the poor and the guardians of the poor, should be
instructed that farinaceous foods, made of grain or meal of
any kind, will not alone serve as substitutes for potatoes,
that either some green vegetable or auceuleut root must be
eaten with them; or the deficient antiscorbutic property
supplied with lime juice."
FIRE, YESTERDAY.—FIRE NEAR THE POST-OYPICE.
—Last night, shortly after eleven o'clock, a fire broke out
upon the premises of Mr. Falshaw, fancy box manufacturer,
at No. 8, Staining-lane, St. Martin's-le-Grand. The flames
originated from some unknown cause in the front shop, and,
before perceived, they had obtained complete pOssesston of
the whole of the stock therein. Information of the outbreak
having been neeptteheS to the fire stations, several engin..
arrived. Whilst the firemen were engaged in extinuiahing
the Rama, a report was raised that an elderly female was at
the top of the house, and unable to make her escape. The
escape of the Royal Society fur Protection of Life from Fire ,
was immediately raised in front of the building, the con-
ductor ascended, and rushed through the smoke, and in- !
sported every room not on fire wEhout finding any one, for
is afterwards turned out that all the residents were from
home when the outbreak occurred. The fire was condo d
to the lower portion of the premises; but before it was ex-
tinguished nearly the whole of the stock in trade was de-
stroyed. It could not be learned whether or not the pro-
perty was insured.

- -
INQUEST, YESTERDAY.—FATAL COLLISTON.—Re-
fore Mr. C. J. Canter, at the Mitre Tavern, Woolwich, en
the body of Alexandir Tnomption, aged 60, whose death, it
was alleged. was caused by his being ran down by the brig
Amason, of Hartlepocl. John Booker and George Phillips,
two watermen who witces-ed the accident, deposed that on
Wednesday night, the deceased, who sold purl to the easels
in the river, WAa, in his boat off Woolwich, being in tow of a
brig, when mother brig, supposed to be the Amazon, was
ntern. The deceased suddenly cast off his painter, and be-
fore he could get his sculls out to row out of the way, the
other brig came upon him, and cut the boat down, and the
deceased was drowned. Four or five of the crew oked over
the stern of the vesfel in the direction where the deceased
was floating. It was proved that though the deemed flowed
for some time, and in fact, that a boat which was put out
from Charlton pier got within 150 yards of him before he
soak, the brig's crew rendered no ansiscsnoe, although they
had a boat astern. The jury, after some deliberation, re-
turned a verdict of " Foutid drowned," at the same time
censuring the conduct of the crew.

IRELAND.
DUBLIN, lisy 20.
At 3 o'clock, to-dav—a Queen's letter having arrived
this morning—a privy council was held at the Castle
of Dublin, when the Duke of Leinater, the Lord
Chancellor, and Sir H. Blakeney, Commander of the
Forces, were sworn Lords Justices.
The funeral procession of the late Lord Lieutenant
will leave the Castle-yard precisely at half-past two
o'clock to-morrow. It is unnecessary to say that the
-smains of the good earl will be accompanied to the
end of the first stage by all classes of citizens. From
the Cashel terminus, the funeral will be strictly
private.
The Freeman of to-day contains an elaborate article
on the progress of fever. There is little general no-

3

velty in so melancholy a aabject, for dearth of health
is sure to follow dearth of food; but the &semen 'n-
troduces a new element, which, if well founded, and
the generalization from only a few ascertained canes
prove correct, invests the present state of the country
with a new and startling character. The disease is
said to be incurable when it once sets in—medicine
and nutriment are equally unavailing—and to pre-
vent its occurrence nothing will be sufficient but
wholesome and abundant food. The data on which
this alarming intelligence is founded are two letters
from the north and south—one by a chairman of a
board of guardians, the other by a distinguished
physician, both writing without the possibility of
concert or communication. The northern and non-
professional says be is so well accustomed to this form
of distress, that he knows it the moment he sees the
people. Their swollen legs are the inevitable pre-
cursors of death, of which they are themselves
wholly unconscious. " When I say to them prepare
for the other world, they appear surprised. In a few
days I hear of their death."
fhe physician is more professional in the deasrip-
tion and diagnosis ; but there is no difference in sub-
stance with the observation of the layman. The
disease at first is ditto-hem ; the appetite is good,
with a burning thirst. The next stage is dropsy in
the face and feet : the eyes become bright and glassy ;
lips and cheeks bloodless. The intellect remains
clear, but all energy is gone. The third stage is the
hospital or hovel ; and the last—death. "Once he
becomes bloatedand sallow—and he rarely applies till
he is so—his doom is sealed. Medicine and nutrimeht
palliate—may for a while suspend, but at last with
terrible certainty he dies," The writer has met with
no instance of this disease among the wealthy. lie
calls it a " Famine disease."

Appendant to this subject is the rate of mortality
which has taken place in the union workhouses of
Ireland from April 1846 to April 1847. For the week
ending the 4th of April, 1846, the deaths amounted to
159; for the corresponding week in this year, 2,706.
In April, 1846, the weekly rate of mortality
was three in 1.000; in April, 1847, 25 in 1,000.
Since last November the increase has been gradual.
In the four weeks of Dect mber, it ascended film 7.4
to 8.6, 10.3 and 11. In January it was 12.2 the first,
and 13.3 the last week. In February, 17 the first, and
19.6 the last week. In March, it ranged between
22 and 20; and in the first week of April it reached
the highest point, 25 in a thousand. Another fact of
painful interest is this : that while in the first week
lof last April, compared with the corresponding week
in the preceding year, the number of pauper inmates
had little more than doubled, or from 60.861 to
106.888, the sickness had increased from 8,121 to
28,239, and in the fever hospitals from 864 to 8,931.
Many relief committees have taken advantage of
the absence of definite instructions from the chief
commissioners, and refused rations to all occupiers of
land whatsoever. Such, they said, is the law, and if
there be blame, it is in the law and not in its adminis-
trators. The doubt, however, has been solved by
Mr. Itedi”gton. In reply to a query by a Mr. Ex-
ford, clergyman, the under-secretary states that the
possession of land, per does not disentitle the
occupier to relief, but that the power of
refusal is vested in the committee, who will
grant or reject, according to the circumstances
of the applicant. The weight is, at least, transferred
from the more remote to the nearer; and com-
mittees will not abuse a relieving act to the same
extent when they are directly responsible for the
execution. What is to be done with Bantry? The
Cork papers are full of it, and a Mr. Shea Lalor, who
ia held in the " bonds of peace " to the member for
Kilkenny, does excellent service, in exposing the
conduct of the landlords, at the head of whom stands
the Earl of Bantry, and his son Lord Berehaven. The
Relief Act has been three months in operation, and
yet in Bantry it is a lifeless letter. In six
months more it will have expired altogether.
Were it not for the benevolent spirit of the
Friends, two of whose members visited Bantry
on the 6th instant, and placid food at the dia.-
Inconel of the old committee, the consequences would
have been fearful.
Mr. 'fenny Sheehan, for many years proprietor and
editor of the Ereninq Mill, lately died in England.
He was a man of taste and accomplishments, and in
the furious party warfare in which he was engaged
never forgot the gentleman. With the members of
his profession he was always exceedingly popular,
and in promoting its interests equally liberal.

STATE OF THE COUNTRY.
An evidence of the essodition of this country, which all
sohjects of this realm will learn with regret, is presented in
the statements of some Belfast journals respecting the ecru.
tins of industrial employment in that important town. Not
fewer than four mil's, employing 1,300 hands, have entirely
ceased working; two, which are working full time, have dis-
employed a great number of hands; and others, are, I
understand, working short time. Business was never so dull
in this centre of the little manufacturing activity we possess.
The unhappy gentleman, Mr. Watson, who was so savagely
attacked, on Monday last, it sr K illaloc, yet lingers on, but
the surgeons have very little h•le a that he can recover.
now appears that he was not Seed at, but attacked with
heavy bludgeons. Mr. Watson has a family of six children.
There is a very decided rise in the price of grain throughout
the south of Ireland. The west must also, perforce, follow
in the same track. In Cork, the price of Indian corn, which
had fallen, some two moiths back, to 111. per ton and under,
with Indian corn meal at 121., the former is now held fur
161. 10.. per ton, and calls freely at 161. to 151. 10s.
In Limerick, in the face of large arrivals from America,
es well as other quarters, the price of Indian meal advaneed
2/. per ton, between Sa•urdBe and yesterday. Wheat and
flour have advanced proportionally. The accounts of the
growing crops from the country to-day corroborate to the
fullest extent the gratifsing prospects di picted in my recent
letters. I see no bad account of them from say quarter.
Crime—and particularly directed against property, is de.
cidedly on the increase in all the south, west, and midland.
countiss. Crime of this nature inavitahly produces reckless.
nese, and Inds to diserganifetion end the perpetration of
crimes of still great. r enormits. A question has ultimo in
the Ferns Union (county Wexford), which serves to indicate
the ri Ad exactitude with which the Poor law guardians will ~
in future enforce the claws introduced into the Irish Poor. ;
law by Mr. Gregory, namely that which excludes from re-
lief any person who shall occupy a cleaner of an sere of land,
or upwards. The relief committee of Ferns acted ia.
the spirit of this Galls., without enquiring whether..
or not they had legal sanctum for it, and refused ,
to
.give relief to any polies holding land ix the.
Um in. A Roman Catholic clergyman of the district wrote to .
the executive to know whetlit r this rule was according to
law ; and Mr. Redisgtou's ensure " that it is not required .
that a man should give up possession or his laud in order to,
be entitled to relief," will, it is hrpeal, teach the relief com-
mittees more consideration. In the workhouse of Kilmal
-
Lek, Co. Limerick, there are over 1,000 paupers, yet the
deaths in this house for the last week amounted oily to
three. The soup-kitchens in the south appear still to be a. :
great object of the violence of the people, more especially in
Clare, where they have demolished three at repeats slat one,
within the last few days. In the same district- the slaughter
of sheep and male In very much uo the inertial.

SCOTLAND.
EDINBUROFI, MAT 20.
Referring to the threstentd contest in Kincar-
dineshire, the Aberriren Inirrial says:—' We have
peen a requisition to General Arbuthnott, already
signed by an overwhelming majority of the consti-
tuency ; and we are much mistaken if the unknown
candidate will poll even one-fourth part of the voters, • :
if he makes his appearance on the day of election." •
Mr. Macneill is regarded as being sure of Arabs J
shire, should he think proper to remain in parliament"
—and that he will do SG is likely, als the custom now
seems established of ea-lord-advocates retaining their
seats. Opposition, frost a quarts'. yet unknown, is
spoken of for the town of Aberdeen, but it will be' :
difficult to shake Mr. Bannerman. A meeting ot
clergymen and laymen connected with the unittif,.
Presbyterian Church was held here last night, admit
it was resolved to organise a committee to sit a filar e
gow, for the purpose of giving effect to disasktiatt
principles at the ensuing election. Co-operation with
other diameters, and the merging of political dif-
&Tenors, so es to lend common aid to the disseating
system, weastrongly inculcated.
The weather continues cold and bleak, in caner-
game of the easterly winds. In Dumbarton, Argyll,
and Perth shires, the bills were, on Sunday, covered
with snow. The great progress made by the crops •
dining the few _days of good weather which we had
lately, gives promise that When spring heat does come
vegetation will advance at a rapid rate.

AILDSO•TH • BONDING • POILT.— The lords of the
Treasury having beam 'Armed by their ILTder to approts or
the port ef Arbroath for the &pork, under bor d, d whom°
reosived coastwise for home consulaptMe, the Coessaimionees
of the Caroms have, by • special order, approved of sips- .
arises for that purpose, of widch privilege notice his biota ,
given to the menus departments at the several pits
throughout the kindest fer their greerrnenewt.
Tea DOW•Olit Dociw OP AIOTLL be. bees snllpMtg
from severs indispoaition, and ha. nut left her teem sirtmolhe
decease of her noble husband. The. Duke sad Dotheiletof
Argyll luta Lady Mauna Csmpball are with her imailat •
loverary Castle.

Plllll AT Oka, AND Lou or Ecrenn Lures.-4a
Tuesday, a party of threw seamen and one woman came iato
lama % has WirA. Iwu 01 We toner war to a de.