The Express.
London, England, 1848-08-15 00:00:00

.h:bt aurt.

OnDONN, MONDAY.— The Queen and Prince Albert,
'he Prince and Princess of Hohenlohe Langenhurg, the
Princess Eiiza, and the Royal household, attended disuse
service y. sterday morning at Whippingham enur‘h.
The Duchesi of Kent attended divine service at
East Cowes Chunk.
The Royal dinner party yesterday included the
Duchess of Kent, Prince and Princess Hohenlohe, Prince
Victor and Princess Eliza, Lady A.. 1. Dawson, Viscount
Morpeth, and Sir G Ciuper.
Lord Morpeth left Osborn tor London this morning.

The Duke of Cambridge left town yesterday morn-
Ina on a trftit to the Duchess of Gloucester, at her residence
in Richmond•park.
A deputation, including Mr. Hodges, M.P. for
Kent, Mr. Pomfret, and Major Cortei., had an interviLw
with Lurd dorm Iturweil yeate-day, at hit residence,
in Downing-street.
The Marquis of Lansdowne returned to town yes-
terday from Nunehara-park.
Viscount Morpeth arrived in town yesterday morn-
ins from her Majesty's marine residence, Osborn, Isle
of Wight.

TfIE QUEEN DOWAGEtt'd BlRTllDAY.—Yeaterdny,
the anniversary of the bath of her hlejesty the Q n
wr-iter Adelaide, who completed her 56th year on Sun-
day the 13th in tent, was c lebreed with the customary re•
joicings in the m tr .polis, ant at the royal residence, Bushy-
park. The royal stauderd was displayed on the pithlic
inns, the tower and steeples of the churches of St. Martin's-
in-the-Fields and S. Marg., Vs, W.stasinster. In the
evening her Majesty's Theatre and the houses of the royal
tr 'people were alurninat Toe custsinary rural fkc
at Bushy was postponed in consequence of she state of the
weather.

DEATH OP MR. GEO. STEPTIENSON.—It is with
much concern that we announce the decease of Mr. George.
Stephenson, the celebrated engineer. He died at his esta-
blishment in Derbyshire on Saturday last, aged 67. Few
men hare obtained or deserved a higher reputation. He
rose from the humblest life from the elasticity of his native
talent overcoming the obstacles of narrow circumstances and
even confined education. No one could come in contact
with him without being struck by his superiority and origi-
nality of mind. In his profession he was as happy and inge-
nious in his discoveries as generous in imparting the benefit
of them to the coed. In the history of railroad interprite
and movement the name of George Stephenson will live.

UNI VERSITY REFORM.—The memorial praying for
a royal commission of inquiry into the beet methods of se-
curing the improvement of the Universities of Oxford an.;
Cambridge, which had been signed by nearly 300 graduate'
and former members of those universities, as well as by some
of the fellows of the Royal Society, was presented to Lord
John Russell, in Downing-street. on Monday, the 10th July,
by Mr. Lyell, F.R.S., accompanied by Sir C. Lemon, Bart.,
M.P., F.R.S., Sir D. Brewster, F.R.S., Mr. E. H. Banbury,
M.P., the Rev. Prof. lienslow, the Rev. Prof. B. Powell,
F.R S., Mr. Senior, Mr. T. J. Phillips, Mr. M. Thackeray,
Viscount Melgund, M.P., Mr. E. James, Mr. Robartes,
M.P., Mr. H. B. Adair, M.P., Hon. P. J. L. King, M.P.,
Mr. B. C. Tufnell, Mr. J. Heywood, M.P., F.R.S., Mr.
C. Fortescue, M.P., and Mr. Hearn/an, M.P. Mr. Lyell
observed that the study of many Important branches of
knowledge, both moral and physical, especially the mole
mnressive ones, now nominally taught at Oxford, had of late
been virtually abandoned ; ctrietly because, according to the
present system of examirsatious, no proficiency is those
sciences coul 1 lead to di.stinction in that univo.sity. The
classes of experimental philosophy, comparative ar,a-
tomy, chemistry, geology, botany, modern history, poll-

Heel economy, and many *then, were nearly or wholly
deserted. The colleges, by dividing the student, into many
distinct sections, were unable to furuish and support au ade-
quate staff of able and permanent teacherv, each devoted to
one department; and lastly, in times comparatively modern,
the clerical body had endroor d an increasing and undue
shore in the management of academical tuition.—Mr. E.
Banbury, atter adverting to the existence at Cambridge of
the same evils as those indicated by Mr. Lytll at Oxford,
pointed to the great disproportion between the funds of the
university and those of the cell. Ft II as one of the principal
causes of the undue preponderance of t..e latter, and drew
attention to the constitution of the academic holy itself, as
opposing great obraeles to the introduction of necessary re-
form., especially on account of the abatiute veto possessed
by every member of the caput, and the want of ail power of
discussion or amendment of graces in the senate. He stated
at the same time that the immediate object of the memorial-
ists was not to urge specific measures of reform, but to oh.
tabs a preliminary inquiry by means of a :opt' commission.
—Lord J. Russell, in reply, iated that he would take the
subject into his serious consideration, that his attention
had already been dr Iwo to it, anti that he found that •
great variety of opinions were entertaintd as to the best
method of effecting reforms; but that he agreed with the
memorialtsts u to the existence of defects in the present
system.