The Express.
London, England, 1865-12-29 00:00:00

MISCELLANEOUS TOPICS.

The dearth of candidates for medical service experi-
mud in the navy is treated by the Daily New:
with some detail. It seems that surgeons are liter-
ally not forthcoming for the appointments in the
navy. The few candidates who do present themselves are
inferior evm t) those who seek to enter the army, and the
latter are declared to be only third -clue men. A large pro-
portion of our smaller vessels carry but one medical officer.
The evident solution of the difficulty is that the service
shall be made so attractive that a superior class of men will
be glad to enter it, and it is the business of the commission

to secure this end.
The Times returns to the financial position of America,
and Mr. M'Culloch's report. It appears to the Times that
the pinch most inevitably be so felt as to produce success-
ful proposals for the reduction of taxation before Mr.
M'Culloch's grand extreme for paying off the National Debt
in a single generation can ever be realised ; but that such a
scheme should ever be entertained, or that we should now
be discussing it mast appear not a little surprising to those
who considered repudiation as among the "proclivities" of
American character.
The Herald attributes all the difficulties in Greece to
Earl Russell, who is the author of the constitution and the
new dynasty. It only hopes that in substance the report
of a joist interference by the three protecting powers may
prove to be true, though the other powers might well
decline, and say that as we have been the cause of getting
Greece into the scrape we must take the trouble of getting
her out again.

ebe Court.

OSBORNE, Dm. 28.

The Princess Leiningen visited her Majesty yes-
terday morning, and drove out with her Majesty, and re-
mained to luncheon. _ .

The Princess Lou4e, attended by Lilly Churchill, drove
out.

The Earl and Conntem Cowley arrived at Osborne, and
had the honour of dining with the Queen and Royal family.

The Queen held s Couocil to-day, which was attended by
Sir George Grey, Mr. T. Milner Gibson, end Mr. C. P.
_ .

Sir George Grey bad au audience of the Queen.
Mr. Helps ma clerk of the CousciL

The Duke of Wellington has been among the
guests of the Marquis and Mirada's= of Salisbury at
Hatfield House during Christmas.
The Earl and Colntess of Chesterfield are enter-
taining a select party at Bretby Park.
The Curate de Paris and the Duke (le Chartres,
attended by the Comte de Beauvoir and Captain Morhain,
have been on a brief visit to the Chief Secretary of Ireland
and Countess Waldegrava, at the Secretary's Lodge,
Phoenix Park. _ . .

. _
It is stated that the Earl of Cork will succeed
the Earl of Besaborougb as Master of the Rockbound'. i
At the State dinner given at the Tuileries on
Monday the Queee of Portugal was seated at the right of
the Emperor, and the Princess Clothilde at his left ; at the
right of the Empress was the nag of Portugal, and at
ber lets Prince Napalm". After diners the artists of ►he
Theitre-Fraimais played two *ION : Le Legs, of Mari-
sa= ; and Ii fast Deese Porte soil Oiterrte os Ferrate, of
Alfred de Mumma
Yesterday afternoon Professor Tyndal delivered
his elloood lecture on "Bona," at the Royal Institution,
to a crowded sadism.