The Express.
London, England, 1851-06-07 00:00:00

Kit, JUNE 7, 1851. 1....„4-s;. .

. -
with 2atf.table members, who have shown such anxiety
an do our.
The Mayomirhoon was present as a member of the
court, retitled et an 7 hour to do the honours at the con-
remissions at the House.

THE PROPOSED ENTERTAINMENT TO
PRINCE ALBERT, AND THE ROYAL COMMIS-
SIONERS AT BIRMINGHAM.

OnWethtemlay,at noon, meeting of the committee
ro of managemeat of the ppoied Matertammeist to his Royal
Highness Prince Albert, the Rayed Commissioners, and the
Executive Committee of the Exhibition of Industry of All
Nations, was held in the committee room of the Town
Hall, Birmingham, to receive a report from the mayor noon
the subject. There was a numerous attendance of gentle-
men who are not members of the committee. The mayor
presided, and stated that he enclosed to Colonel Grey,
Equerry to Prince Albert, • copy of the resolution; passed
at the former meeting, and requested that a deputation
might be permitted to wait upon his Royal Highness upon
the subject to which they related. In consequence of the
court going down to Otborne, some considerable delay took
place in the reply, which was in the following terms:
" Buckingham Palace, May 28, 1851.
Bm,—l have had the honour of receiving, andilf sub-
raining to his Royal Highness Prince Albert your letter
of the 24th instant, with the accompanying copy of resolu-
tions passed at the meeting of exhibitors, &c., held at Bir-
mingham on the 21st instant. No ono can rejoice more
sincerely than his royal highness at the success which
has so far attended the Exhibition, and he is much grati-
fied by the kind mention made by you of the part taken by
him in promoting that undertaking. It is, therefore,with
much regret that his royal highness finds himself unable
to accept an invitation conveyed to him in so gratifying
and flattering a manner; but the nature of his pre-
sent engagements, and the answer which he has
already given to other bodies who have proposed to
confer upon him a similar mark of attention, make it
impossible for his royal highness to avail himself of
it. Under these circumstances, his royal highness com-
mands me to add, that he will not give the proposed depu-
tation from Birmingham the trouble of leaving home, unless,
indeed, they should wish to see him on any other subject,
when his royal highness will be happy to receive them.
"I hare the honour to be, sir, your obedient servant,
" William Lucy, Esq. " C. Guts."
The Mayor proceeded to observe that he had seen members
of the royal commission and of the executive committee in
London, and had endeavoured to ascertain their sentiments as
to the manner in which the town could best manifest its sense
of their services, and also extend its hospitality, if possible,
to the illustrious and eminent foreigners who are now on a
visit to this country. The feeling of those whom he consulted
appeared to be that a studied and formal public dinner, at
which 100 or 150 foreigners might sit for four or five hours,
listening to speeches of which they were unable to understand
a word would be a very undesirable arrangement. Earl
Granville, who must be regarded as occupying the next
place to the prince in the royal commission, suggested that
the parties to whom it was intended to show a mark of re-
spect would much prefer coining to Birmingham, and seeing
some of the manufactories; and that they might be received
et the Town-hall, where votes of thanks in acknowledgment
of public services might be passed, and a hearty welcome be
tendered to the foreign visitors. Refreshments, it was added,
might be provided, and the Botanic Gardena visited by such
as were so disposed, but that no further expense need be in-
curred. A question ik AS at the same time raised as to the
parties who would be likely to come to Birmingham on such
an occasion as the one in question, and he was presented with
a list of the names of about MID persons, English and foreign,
all of whom were to be entertained at a conversazione

given by the Lord Mayor of London on that (NV ednesday)
evening. It was, however, probable, that not more than
half of them would accept the invitation. A number of the
Royal Commissioxers would conic, and Lord Granville
said that nothing but what was of a very urgent nature
should prevent his coming, and that others entertained
similar feelings upon the subject. In pursuance of these
suggested arrangements, should they be carried out, a
file might be arranged to take place at the gardens, or
if the weather was unfavourable Ilingley Hall would
be available, and the entertainments might then be par-
ticipated in, not only by the foreigners themselves but by
their wives or such other members of their families as they
had brought over with them. lie might observe further
that he had issued circulars to various manufacturers,
inquiring whether the proposed visit to their establishments
would be acceptable, and from eight or ten he had received
favourable answeis. Ile had also received a number of
letters approving generally of the object they had in view.
On the motion of Mr. Blows, seconded by Mr. John
Lowe, a committee was appointed to make the necessary
arrangements ; and in compliance with a suggestion that
the price of admission should be as low as possible, a sub-
scription towards a guarantee fund was entered into. It
was stated that in case the sale of tickets did not cover the
expenses, the subscribers would be called upon pro rata to
MAC up the deficiency. The sum tendered at the meet-
' lug amounted to 1821.