The Express.
London, England, 1848-01-03 00:00:00

be (Biwa.

WINDSOR, SUNDAY.—Yealettifty (New Year's Day)
a distribution of the Queen's Bounty of food, coals, and
clothing, to the aged, infirm, and necessitous poor of
Windsor and its vicinity, took place in her Majesty's Riding-
school. Several hundred families had been selected as de-
serving objects of the royal charity by the Hon. and Rev.
C. L. Courtenay, assisted by the clergy of Windsor and
Clewer ; and a member of each family was in attendance in
the riding school. The Queen and Prince Albert entered
shortly before 10 o'clock, accompanied by the Prince of
Wales, Prince Alfred, the Princess Royal, and the Princess
Alice. The Duchess of Kent, the royal visitors at the Castle,
together with the ladies and gentlemen of the royal house-
hold, were present at this interesting proceeding. Her
Majesty and her royal consort, together with their illustrious
circle, having inspected the different articles, the distribution
commenced.—The Hon. and Rev. C. Leslie Courtenay was
present, and officers of the Lord Steward of her Majesty's
Household attended to arrange the distribution, which con-
sisted of the following articles 0f1,684 lb. of meat,
2,094 lb. of bread, 228 pecks of potatoes, 478 lb. of plum-
pudding; there were also given away 4.56 cwt. of coals;
blankets, winter cloaks, and calico were also bestowed on
the recipients.—The ceremony occupied an hour, and on
its conclusion her Majesty and Prince Albert with the royal
family, followed by the royal suite, returned to the Castle ;
and the Duchess of Kent returned to Frogmore-lodge.
The Duchess of Kent visited the Quern and Prince
Albert yesterday morning.
The royal sinner party yesterday included the
Duchess of Kent, Prince Lowenstein, the Marquis and Mar-
chioness of Abercorn, Dowager-Lady Lyttelton, the Lady in
Waiting of the Duchess of Kent, Lady Mary Howard, Ba-
roness de Speth, Mr. G. E. and the Hon. Mrs. Anson, Col.
the Hoe. C. B. and Mr. Phipps, Capt. Francis Seymour,
Capt. the Hon. A. Gordon, and Dr. Meyer. The band of
the Royal Horse Guards performed during dinner. After
dinner the Queen had an evening partl. The company ar-
rived at the Castle soon after nine o'clock. The following
had the honour of being present :—The Marquis and Mar-
chioness of Downshire, Lord Marcus Hill, Hon. Henry and
Mrs. Ashley, Hon. Miss Lvtteltoa, Miss C. Pole Csrew, Sir
G. orge and Lady Couper, 'Miss and Mr. Couper, the Dean
of Windsor and Lady Charlotte Neville Grenville, (2) Misses
Neville Grenville, the Provost of Eton and the Hon. Mrs.
Hodgson, the Rev. Dr. and Mrs. Hawtrey, Rev. William
and Mrs. Canning, the commanding officer of the Royal
Horse Guards (Co,. Bouvene) and Mrs. Bouverie, the com-
manding officer of the Grenadier Guards (Lieut.-Col. Crau-
ford), Mr. and Mrs. Challoner, Mr. Glover, and Lieut.-Col.
Charles Begot. Her Majesty and Prince Albert gratified
their noble visitors with the choral ode of "Sophocles," and
the harmonies of Mendelssohn, by the performance of an
abridgment of the dialogue ofthe " Antigone," which was
Most expressively and effectively read by Mr. Bartley, aided by

Mr. Bartholomew, the author of the English version, who
assisted him u the speaker for a large chorus of the best se-
lected professional and amateur vocalists. Her Majesty's
private band, most ably conducted by Mr. Anderson, and
increased by the chief performer. of the Philharmonic orches-
tra, completed the admirable ensemble. The beautiful
"Ode to Eros," as originally written by Mendelsohn, was
for the first time (in this country) charmingly rendered by
Messrs. Oenge, Peck, Beale, and Smithson. At the conclu-
sion of the performance her Majesty and Prince Albert ex-
pressed their approbation to Mr. Bartley, and were gra•
ciously pleased to pay a similar compliment to Mr. Bartho-
lomew. The performance of the Antigone " was preceded
by a monody to the memory of the departed Mendelseohe,
expressly written for the occasion, and printed by command
of the Queen for the company assembled, to whom it was re-
cited by its author, Mr. Bartholomew, who in it alluded to
the principal compositions of the great lyrist ;

MONODY.
Come, modest:taking Pan, from thine Arcadian meads :
Come with a cluster of thy deep-toned reeds,
Cull'd on the rouge of Easton'. limpid stream
0 bring them hither, —hind them side by ride,
And breathe in them thy sweetest, saddest theme :
Methinks it should be that which Echo
Pl:doing responsively
ihy Maw of melody
When ithe, consenting thus, beeline thy bride.
Or, let me rather hear the mournful lay
Attuned by thee on that unhappy day,
When Death changed Syrinx to the sweet pipe, that Burgs
When Zephyr breathes, or fans it with his wings.
Itepeat again that lovelorn dirge to me
And I will sing with tbee,
A melancholy song fur ONE who died,—
Died in the splendour of his manhood), pride,—
Died, unticesy'd by Time,—
Died in his prime'
Tell Oberon, Titania, Puck, the sprite,
And all the Faye who dane'd that summer-night
Upon the Mower-embroidered green,
Where Theseus wooed 11.111 Queen;
Tell great Apollo, Bacchus, and hie choir ;
Rennet restruag the dopkoclean lyre
Of tEdigua, wad sad Antigone ;
Who beautified the solemn pomp of Attune;
Ile' who resting thy Druid'a minstrelsy
To charm the theme of their Waltan.rs night—is dead!
Yes; TIE who blooded Ida 11.01unitAlmi 'ups
In wordleaa songs, and Zion's hymn or praise
Togreot Jehovah.
Pegs. Pan bath fled,—
He bath vanlsh'd, like a vision of the night!
Thus Fable fades in Revelation's light;
Thus Briars priests on Baal vainly call ;
They rum their fled before Jehovah fall!
Alas, the bard who sang these themes, is gone!
Ilia lyre remains, but vacant is his throne :
Who now ran strike its chords like Mendelssohu
Oh, Minstrel of Elijah and St. Paul;
Where shall we tool a geri,os to entwine
Cecilnin harmonies profound us thine!
Where is thy mantle ! dal,t dam let it fall
Upon that fatal day
When thou vase anatch'd away
Or didat thou only kayo behiud
The mighty cnwwtlone of thy mind!
Such as we sing this night by lIER command,
Who away* the Er-tamed .oeptre of our land:
Whose laceuom here,
Attended by the fair, the brave and great,
(Blaze thew halls of her ancesn al state,
Tu greet the new-burn yea.

The Queen and Prince Albert, the ladies and gen-
tlemen ut the coin t, and the domestic household, attended
divine service this morning in the private chapel of the
Castle. The lion. and Rev. C. L. Courtenay officiated.
The Duchess el Kent also attended the service attended by
her lady in waiting.

Yesterday Mr. Moon was honoured by submitting
to her Majesty and Prince Albert the engravmg by Samuel
Cousins, Alt.A., of kis Royal Highne,s Albert Prince of
Wales, in the driss of a sailor, after the original picture by
Winterhalter.

TILE LORD CIIANCELLOR.—The health of the Lord
Chancellor is gradually improving, and the noble and
learned lord is satislactordy regaining his strength. It is,
however, doubtful whether his lordship will be sufficiently
recovered to preside in the Court of Chancery by tho com-
mencement of next term.

IHE CHARTER-HOUSE.—We understand that the
Archbishop of York will be the new Governor of the
Charter-house, in the room of the late Berl of Harrowby.
THE FRENCH EMBASSY.—(bunt and Countess de
Jarnae returned to Hertford-house on Saturday, from visit-
ing Mr. Foley, at that gentleman's seat in Worcestershire.
M. Felix Cotter has left the French embassy for Paris. We
hear that M. Cotter is de,tined shortly to vacate his appoint-
ment as attache to the embassy for a high diplomatic post at
the Belgian court.
THE LISBON EximssY.—Mr. Fletcher Norton.
eldest son of the lion. George Chappell Norton, has been,
appointed unpaid nliacht: to the British Embassy at Lisbon
LIEUT.-GOVERNOR OF LAlWAN.—William Napier
Esq. has been appointed Lieut.-Governor of the Island of
Labuan. Mr. Napier's experience in the public service at
Singapore, of a people not quite dissimilar to the population
of Labuan and Borneo, will render him a useful assistant to
Mr. Brooke, and a proper subetitute is the government of
the British settlement in the occasional necessary absence of
the rajah in the neighbouring territory.—Obsereer.
WESTMINSTER SCHOOL.—PriaCe Albert, on the
occasion of his visit to the play, was pleased to desire
that an extra week's holidays should he granted. The school
will, therefuto, meet again on Wednesday evening, the 2nd
of February.
LORD WILLIAM PAGET.—We stated a few days
since that a letter had been forwarded to Captain Lord W.
Paget, requiring an explanation regarding a reward being
offered fur his apprehension on a charge of obtaining money
by false pretences. We observe by the official navy list for
January that the name of Lord ti'. Paget is omitted from
the list of captains.