The Express.
London, England, 1847-03-01 00:00:00

TEbt eroun,

The Queen held a Privy Council at three o'clock on
Saturday afternoon at Buckingham Palace. It was attended
Phis R.H. Prince Albert, the Marquis of Lansdowne, Lord
esident ; Lord Cottenham, Lord Chancellor; the Earl of
Minto , Lord Privy Seal ; Lord J. Russell, First Lord of
the Treasury ; Sir G. Grey, Secretary of State for the Home
Department ; Viscount Palmerston, Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs; Earl Grey, Secretary of State for the
Colonies; the Earl of Auckland, First Lord of the
Admiralty ; Sir J. Hobhousc, President of the Board of
Controul ; Lord Campbell, Chancellor of the duchy of Lan.
caster ; the Earl of Clarendon, President of the Board of
Trade ; the Marquis of C.anricarde, Postmaster-General ;
the Earl Forteacue, Lord Steward ; and the Duke of Nor-
folk, Master of the Horse. Her Majesty having been pleased
to appoint the Right Hon. Henry Earl Grey to be lord-
lieutenant of the county of Northumberland, his lordship
! took the customary oaths. Mr. C. Greville was the clerk of
the council in waiting. The Queen gave audiences to Lord
J. Russell, the Marquis of Lansdowne, and Earl Grey. Her
Majesty was attended by the Earl of Listowel, Lord-in-wait-
ing; the Marquis of Londonderry, Gold Stick-in-waiting;
Lord E. Howard, Vice Chamberlain; Lord M. Hill, Comp-
troller of the Household ; and Admiral Sir E. Codrington,
Groom- i n-waiting.
The royal dinner party at Buckingham Palace on
Saturday evening included the Duchess of Kent,
their Excellencies Chevalier and Madame Bunsen, Prince
Loewenstein, Lady Fanny Howard, Baroness de Speth,
kla•l Delawarr, Viscount and Viscountess Folkestone, Lord
and Lady Dalmeny, the Right Hon. Sir Charles and Lady
Mary Wood, and Lieut.-Col. the Hon. C. B. Phipps. In
the evening the following had the honour of joining the royal
circle: Tne Earl and Countess of Rosebery, and the Ladies
Primrose, Lord Alfred Paget, the MiousCodrington, Lieut.-
Col. Seymour, and Capt. Francis Seymour.
Yesterday morning her Majesty and her royal con-
sort tuck their usual early walk. the Queen and Prince
Albert, the Ditches' of Kent, the ladies and gentlemen of
the court, and the domestic household, attended divine ser-
vice yesterday in the private chapel in Buckingham Palace.
The sermon was preached by the Bishop of London. The
Hon. and Rev, C. Leslie Courtenay assisted in the service.
The Prince of Wales, Prince Alfred, the Princiu Royal,
and the Princess Alice, took their accustomed airings
yesterday.
H.R.H. the Duchess of Cambridge attended divine
service yesterday in St. Nichael's Church.
H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge attended divine
service yesterday in St. Paul's Church.
H.R.H. the Duchess of Cambridge, and H.S.H.
Prince Frederick of Hesse, honoured the Italian opera with
their presenee on Saturday evening.
Mr. Bright, the chairman of the Royal South
London Floricultural Society, had an interview with H.R.H.
the Duke of Cambridge, at Camhridge House, on Saturday,
to present the report of the Hailstone Committee, which
his royal highness was graciously pleased to accept and to
"WI:H. the Duke of Cambridge honoured the
Marquis of Northampton with his company on Saturday
evening, and afterwards honoured Viscount and Viscountees
Palmerston with his company, at their residence, in Carlton-
house-terrace.

A cabinet council was held at half-past four o'clock
on Saturday afternoon, M the Foreign-office. The ministers
present were Lord John Russell, the Lord Chancellor, the
Marquis of Lansdowne, the Earl of Minto, Sir George
Gre, Viscount Palmerston, Earl Grey, Earl of Auckland,
Sir John Hobhouse, Lord Campbell, Karla' Clarendon, Mar-
quis of Clanricarde, the Right Hon. T. B. Macaulay, and
the Right Hon. H. Lebouchere. Viscount Morpeth after-
wards joined his colleagues. The council sat en hour and a
half.
Mr. Hindley, M.P., and Mr. Bardwell had an in-
terview with Sir George Grey, on Saturday, at the Home-
office. The Solicitor-General for Ireland had an interview

with the Right Hon. 1' Milner Gibson on Saturday, at the
office of the Ikard of Trade.
THE SPEAKER'S LEVEL.—The Right Hon. the
Speaker of the Hann of Commons held hts second and last

levee on Saturday night, at his mansion in Rateneepain
previous to which he had a parhamentaryattertaineanst.
Sir Robert and Lady Peel entertained his Excel-
lency Count de St. Aulaire, his Ezeelleney Prioce Casteki„
cala, the Countess of Jersey and Indy Clementine Vlllina,
Viscount and Viscountess Mahon, Viscountess Villiers, Via.
counter Hardinge and Hon. Mies Herdinge, and a idea
party to dinner on Saturday last at the family residence is
Whitehall-gardens.
THE MARQUIS OP NORTHAMPTON'S CONVERSA-
ziONE.—The President of the Royal Society, the Marquis
of Northampton, bad his second soiree on Saturday evening
at his mansion on the Terrace, Piccadilly. An unusually
numerous meeting of the member. of the different scientific
and learned societies took place, besides many distinguished
individuals connected with the literary world and the fine
arts. The noble marquis opened his saloons for the reception
of company at nine o cock, and on this occasion not less than
500 persons availed themselves of his lordship's invitation.
ISCOUNTESS PALMERSTON's ASSEMSLY.—ViSCOMH
and Viscountess 'Palmerston received a select party to dinner
on Saturday last. Her ladyship subsequently had an as-
sembly, at which a brilliant circle of the diplomatic corm
including his Excellency Count de St. Aulaire, the French
ambassador, were meat.

ELECTION OF CHANCELLOR TO THE
UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE.
CAM BRIDGE, SATURDAY.—Thin morning the poll
was resumed at nine o'clock and finally closed at twelve, 713
votes having been given for Prince Albert and 5O fur Earl
Pelvis. At twelve o'clock, Henry Gunning, Esq., the senior
Esquire I3edell, said " Cessatum est a scrutinu ;" then the
Vier-Chancellor unlocked the vote-boa and counted the
votes, when there appeared for
Earl Powis
Prince Albert

Majority for ILR.II. Prince Albert .... 116 . .
Then the two proctors took their places in front of
table, and the senior proctor (the 'ter. Ed. Brumell, o, , a
John's), having read the name of each voter aloud s. E/4
senate, and having done the same as to the votes fo. Lord
Powis, he said " Ego E. 8., Senior procurator hujia aca-
demia, electum a yolks, pronuneio Celei•siuum sncipem
Albertum in Cancellerium hujun academia'."
The announcement of the numbers was receive 1 with tre-
mendous cheering. Amongst the voters to-do' for Prince
Albert, we observed the Bishop of Worcester, the Speaker
of the House of Commons, the Dean of Bri .01, the Masters
of Jesus and Sidney Colleges, and the Regiatxary of the
Uninrsity. Lord Godolphin voted for Earl I'eas.
We understand that the number }galled on this occasion
(1,790 votes) is the largest on record At the last contest for
the High Stewardship, in 1840, the numbers were, for Lord
Lyndhurst, 923 ; Lord Lytielr 457; total, 1,380: and at
the last contest for the CBosatllorship, as we have before
stated, the numbers were, for the Duke of Gloucester, 466
the Duke of Rutland, 331; total, 819.
THE ROYAL SOCIETY.
Our scientific readers, who are not fellows of the
Royal Society, have perhaps heard that very important
changes have been made in the statutes of the Royal Society
with regard to the election of fellows, though, at the game
time, they may be ignorant of the exact nature of than
changes. Formerly, the course was for a candidate to be
recommended by six or more fellows ; to be proposed at an
ordinary meeting; and, at the expiration of six weeks, to ha
hallottea for, when, if there was a majority of two-thirds of
the votes in his favour, he was elected. This plan of proceed-
ing has not been found sufficiently restrictive with regard to
the elecions, which have been more numerous than the
council conceive desirable for the reputation of the society.
After long deliberation, the council have enacted new sta.
totes, with the view of limiting the number of annual
elections, and of more closely examining the qualifications of
the candidates. The following extract trim the first chap-
ter of the statutes will best explain the course which it is in-
tended to pursue.
At the first ordinary meeting of the society in March, 1844, the
names of all seauedidates du v propieed after the first day of March,
1817, and in subsequent years at the fiat ordinary meeting in March,
the names of all candidates proposed etubsequently to the first meeting
in March of the preoeding year, shall be annourued by the secretary
from • list arranged In alphabetic.' order, without reference to ths
dates of the certificates of the candidata ; arid these eatificates
shall be suspended in the meeting-room until the day of election.
In the first week in April a bet shall be painted, containing
the amines of all the candidates to announced at the first meeting is
March, arranged iu alphabetical order without reference to the Odes
of the oertificatea, together with the names of the fellow. by whom
each caniklate is proposed and recommended; and a copy of much
hat shall immediately thereafter be sent to every ordinary
The council shall select by ballot from each primed hot
of candtdeta a number net exceeding fifteen, to be recommended
to the society for election; but no such election by the panned
shall be valid unless eleven members at least be present and vote, •
maim ity deciding, or, in the event of equality, the president or his
deputy having a meting vote. At the find ordinary meeting of the
society in May, the president, or hie deputy, shall read from the chair
the names of the candidates whom the council have selected as mat
eligible, arranged In alphabetical order; and after such meeting, a
circular letter shall be forthwith rent to every fellow, naming the
day and hour of election, and incloning a punted list of the selected
candidates, with spice for such alterations as any fellow may deter.

The elections are to take place the first Thursday in Jane,
and to be effected by lists, fellows having the power of nib-
stituting the name of any candidate or candidates in lieu of
those in the priuted list. A majority of two-thirds of those
voting to elect. Thus, no candid ste will undergo the painful
ordeal of being black-balled, which has not untreguently
happened ; and he may, if he think proper, continue sus-
pended as a candidate.