The Express.
London, England, 1848-01-06 00:00:00

INCOMIL

To Cosh brolight to this Amos.% being the Phial Tastabeeat ell
Low of Light Millions

FESTIVAL OF LAMB AND FLAG RAGGED SCHOOLS.
—On Tuisday, 200 children of these schools were regaled at
the School-house, Clerkenwell-green, with a substantial
entertainment of roast beef, plum puddling, bread, and
potatoes. The school-rooms had been tastefully decorated
for the occasion with evergreens, banners, and festoons of
drapery. Grace having been chaunted by the children with
much elect the work of mastication began, and the edibles
quickly disappeared, but with a total absenze of e.tise and
confusion. Dinner having been concluded, the children
daunted with admirable effect the blessing, and were then
dismissed to re-ea...ethic at 5 o'clock for the examination.
This lasted nearly au hour and a half, and it is gratifying to
say that the children acquitted themselves with the greatest
success. Among these who hail Ar undergo an individual
examination was a sharp, good-looking little boy, who bas
been fortunate enough to attract the notice and care of the
daughter of a n hlensan, eminently distinguislud for his
wsevering exertions in the cause of education. This poor
boy's talc is a melancholy one, but through the instru-
mentality or the Limb and Flag Ragged Schools it is hoped
in time he and many others will furnish living examples of
the efficacy of ragged schools. The examination having
been concluded the children were entertained with the
magic lantern, but though quiet and orderly in the morning
they were sufficiently uproarious in the evening. II aviog
given three cheers fur the superintendents and teachera of
the Sabbath school, they separated to resume school en
Thursday morning. The whole of the children presented a
clean, tidy, and in many instances smart appearance

WESTERN JEWS' FREE SCOWL, FOR BOTS.—A
ball Iles given last evening, at Rooms, St. Jemeet's,
in aid of the funds of this instkution, witch we believe to
be one we!' deserving of support. Every arrangement ap-
peared to have been made by the stewards to render the
entertainment as agreeable in its character as it
wu useful in design, and their exertions may
be considered as met succasful. There was a very
fair assemblage in point of numbers ; and among the
visitors were included Twiny distinguished persona of the
Hebrew nation. Jallien's quadrille band lent snit:kid mu-
sical as-istance•, ana Mr. Cotrie was no less useful in the ca-
pacity of master of the ceremonies. Among the stewards
present we noticed Lord Hobert Grosvenor, Lord Marcos
ill, Mr. A.derman &demons, and Mr. A. Cluksmid.
NATTONAL DEFENCES. The Commissioners of
Customs have directed their superior officers, heads of depart-
ments, to transmit, with the least possible delay, an nccuunt ac-
cording to a form sent, shewing the numberuf porters sod per-
eons boiding subordinate s it uati .ns in the stations departments
of the customs, in the receipt of nut mote than 3a, per diem ;
sod how many of tit. m are pensioners of the army and navy.
These returns have. it is said, souse reference to putting our
east* in a state of defence.

POST-OFFICE SALtnIES.—The following is a copy
of the official reply to all applications on the part of Put- i
dace subardieuites fur an iecrease of salary : " I beg to ac-
knowledge the receipt cf your application, and to acquaint
you that your case will receive due consideration when a
general revision which the postmaster-g•neral contemplates
making of the salaries of thewa belonging to the postutlice ,
department throughout the kingdom shell be carried into !
effect. This revision has been promised on account of the
innumerable applicoti•ns for increase of salary- s from post
men, receivers of litters el! rho, and postmasters, in eoose-
quence of Swig increased dunes arising from double and
treble deliveries of letters, double and treble commuuios- !
tines daily from one town to another, increase in the number I
of letters, money order-', and every portion of post-eau
duty. The wages of some letter carriers are es low as Ts.
a week, and the salaries of letter receivers do not amount to
more, in some instances, than 2/. a year. A searching in-
quiry
is now in progress by Mr. Itowland Hill into the
salaries and perquisites of country postmasters.
THE FIATS .IN BANE RUPTCY.—The distribution of i
the fiats in these courts of late has been productive of great I
dissatisfutiou to parties evens:led with them. The public •
may not be aware that the authorised mode of distribution
is through the ballot- bOI, and . machine of this description,
upon a beer and improved principle, has been procured fur
the purpose, at the cost of visceral hundred pounds. Oer ow-
respondent is informed that the administration of this box is
placed under tne charge of Mr. Serj. Lewes. It is ruluound,
whether truly or uutruly, that the learned serjeant is nut al-
ways present at the ballotting ; but whether or no this he so,
one thing at all events is certain, that some of the courts
do not receive anything ,like their fair or proportionate
share of the " heavy" fiats. To the commissioners set course
this is no object whatever, hut to the official assignees and
messengers it is quite a different matter. The only mode et
remuneration attached to the OffiCe of these funcuourits is
'certain per centage on tho amount of assets. Both official
soignee' and messengers are obliged to maintain heavy and
1 expensive establishments of clerks, accountants, &c. and
! the trouble and coat to them is often greater when they du I
not receive 101. than in others where their share might !
amount to tan times that sum. The absence of those fiats in 1
the courts of Cornotissionent Holroyd and Shepherd is a .
matter of notoriety, and it is ereatly to be desired that a i
more equitable arrangement could be made, so that diligent
and trustworthy public officers might be remunerated ac-
cording to their services.—Globe.
i
FItAUDS ON THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT.—Luc'
!
evening the grand jury at the Central Criminal Court re- '
turned as "true" five bills of Indictment preferred jointly
and individually against Solomon Muscovite, Jacob I. nide-
burg,Raphael Kauffman, and Leybe Aaronson, for having i
been in po.ousion, without coy lawful excu•e, of some piece. 1
of paper for the payment of money of the Emperor of .
Buena; such pieces of paper being to their knowledge forged.
These indictments run to an immense length. Their united
measure is nearly one hundred and arty yards: our being
40 yards lung, another 34, another 30, and two about 20
yards each. It wu stated that en application would be
made for the postponement of the trial until the neat session.
THE NAIL SEA MuanKa.—bir,—ln the Express, re-
(lived to-day, under the Somersetehire head, there is an ac-
count of an attack, with fire-arms, on a man named Wall,
residing at the time in Backwell, an adjoining parish to this.
The supposed murderers (for the poor man has died of his
wound) are parishioners of mine—both young—one a mere
boy, and an occasional attendant at the Sunday school.
They are cousins, sod, I amsorry to say, have been long no-
torious for general bad conduct. My object, however, in
troubling you now is to inquire what course you, as 010 01
the " best possible instructors," would have country gentle-
men
and others pursue with juvenile offenders ; for Cha.les '
Manfield, the elder of the boys in question, and now welt-
ing to be tried for his life, was convicted, a few weeks ago,
at my instance, of stealing pears and sentenced for so doted
to imprismtnent and hard labour ,• tut [Jawing to mercy iii
part, and unwilling to have it said that I punished a boy for ,
taking a few pears without leave, did not press the
matter, and he was allowed to go at large. Now,'
sir, if this Charles Manfield had been sent to
Shepton gaol for stealing pears, in all probability he
would not now be a prisoner charged with a deliberate and foul
murder; and pet if the press, or a certain portion of it, bad
get hold of the fact, that I, a minister of religion, a man of
peace, &c., did not scruple to send a young lad to prison for
threepennyworth of pears, I should doubtless have been
held up to public execration. I therefore beg to repeat my
question—what are we to do with juvenile offenders? Edu-
cate them you will say ; but I must be permitted to reply,
sine will not be taught. This has been the case with these
%infields about whom I write.—Fitss a HEWSON, minister
of Christchurch, Naihea, Somerset—Jan. 3.
INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT.—Under this heading
the following paragraph appeared in the limning Chronicle
if yesterday :
A paragraph has gone the round of the English journals, that at
Evfa two Gentian translations of Bulwer's "Lucretia' bad la ea
.... ...

triad, and an action corzmence.d iii,ainet the publiihers: The :Moe-
sow Zeibery, of the 30th Decemix r, pays this is evidently a mis-
. i
take it ought to be two English editions of the work published
reerromy.
Thi Alornihg Chronicle and its authority are both mis-
taken. The Royal Criminal Court of Magdeburg on the 7th
December declared " ' Lucretia, or the Children of the
Bight,',. a romance, by E. L. Bulwer. From the English, by
ewsder Oelher /nos dery Englischen con T. O.)" and
'Lucretia, or the Children of the Night,' by E. L. Bulwer,
Mbar of sic. From the English, by A. Knetseb-
Imam (nor dens Englischen von A. K.) piracies (Nach-
drinisl, and caused public notice to be given that
aiay person selling them will be prosecuted and pu-
,Med an application to that end being made by the
'OM of Duncter and Humblet, in Berlin, which is ex-
clearly entitled to publish a German translation of the
Inflinh, work in question." This judicial decision rests upon I
,na regulations of the treaty between Prussia and Great
4ettian of July 1816, and upon the patent of 29th Nevem-
bet, l8:17, which gives the decree promulgated by the German
DM of that year the authority of law in the Prussian demi-
• 1. The announcement of the judgment pronounced by
't watt at Magdeburg was published in theAllgemeine