The Express.
London, England, 1853-09-20 00:00:00

tie Court.

BALMORAL, SECT. 19.
Tier Majesty, Prince Albert, the Princess Alice,
and Count Alexander Mensdorff went yesterday to the t pp
of Lacban-y-ger. The lieu. Mary Butted was in attend-
ance upon her Majesty.
Mr. and Mrs. Farquharson, of Invercauld, had the honour
of dining with her Majesty yesterday.

Despatches were received at the Colonial-offize )esferday
from the Governors of the AVest India Uands, the Gover-
nor of Canada, and the Goveraor of Labuan.

FLUE AT BALMORAL.—On Friday afternoon one of
the cottages occupied by the masons engaged at the new
Palace at Balmoral was discovered to be on fire, and
being contiguous to the royal residence, the utmost
alarm for a time prevailed. In a short time a number of
men were on the spot, the royal family being not only
present, but actively engaged in eftirts to extinguish
the flames. We are assured by a spectator (says the
Aberdeen Herald) that when a line of men was formed
to convey water to the burning pile from the river,
Prince Albert at ones took a position, and continued
working steadily throughout shoulder to shoulder with a
sturdy Highlandmsn. The Prince of Wales and Prince
Alfred were also actively engaged, while her Majesty stood
by the whole time, and gave such directions u she thought
would tend to assuage the fire, seemingly deeply interested
by the efforts of the men to save their clothes chests, in
which many of them bad considerable 611033 of money."
The fire is supposed to have originated by a spark getting
among some brushwood in one of the cottages where a
woman was baking, and as they were all five composed of
timber the flames were speedily beyond the power of con-
trol. No damage has been done to the new buildings.

MODEL LODGING 110 USE AT WINDSOR.

Yesterday the directors of the Windsor Royal
Society (of which his Royal Highness Prince Albert is the
president) opened a lodging-houso for unmarried workmen
and labourers. The model lodging.house formed a part of
the wiginal scheme of the society, but the difficulties expe-
rienced is procuring suitable premises and adapting them
to the purpose bays delayed until now the carrying out of
the praiseworthy intention. The directors very judiciously
took on lease one of the large houses in Church-street, the
residence formerly of noble families attached to the court,
but in latter days used for the most ignoble purposes, and
suffered to fall into the last stage of dilapidation. This
house they thoroughly repaired, drained, and ventilated,
provided with every convenience, and fitted up with sleep-
ing accommodation for 50 single men. Side by side with
_ .

this new and commodious lodgiog.house is another house
of similar dimensions, licensed under the Public Health
Act, and open for the reception of tramps, so that the two
establishments, when in full operation, will present much
the same startling contrast as Ilogarth's celebrated paint-
ings of Beer-street" and " Gin-lane." The lodgers are
to be admitted by the week, on payment at the rate of 2s.
per week, in advance, or, in case of admission after Mon-
day, until the following Monday, when the occupation is to
bosoms weekly. This in a town like Windsor, where
lodgings for single men are not only very scarce, but exor-
bitantly high, will be n o slight boon to the working classes.