The Express.
London, England, 1848-08-10 00:00:00

electoral law—one totally in opposition to the spirit of
the times.
GERA.—According to the Cologne Gazette of the'
Sth inst. 2,000 Prussian troops bad entered the town
of Gera, where tranquillity had not, up to the latest
accounts, been restored.
BRUNSWICK, AUG. 6.—This day the troops
solemnly acknowledged the Vicar of the Empire,
giving him three cheers.

HOLLAND.—THE HAGUE, AUG. 6.—M. Donker
Conine has decided to retain his portfolio of J ustioe and his
office of President of the Cabinet.

trio court.
0511010 r, WEDNESDAY.—Prinee Albert, attended
by Lieut.-Colonel Wylde, went et nine o'clock this morning
to Appuldercome, the seat of the Earl of Yarborough, to
view the funning stock.
The Duchess of Kent visited the Queen Dowager
yesterday.
The Duchess of Cambridge, accompanied by the
Princess Mary, proceeded from her residence at Kew yester-
day morning to the terminus at Waterloo-bridge, and took
her departure by the London and South Western Railway
for Cowes, Isle of Wight.
Prince Edward of Same Weimar visited the
Duchess of K. nt yesterdey at her residence, Clarence-
house, St. James's.
The Duchess of Kent dined with the Queen
Dowager yesterday evening, at Ma.lborough-house.

Prince Castticicala, the Neapolitan minister, had
an interview with Viscount PalsnenCon on Tuesday. His
excellency had another interview with his lordship yes-
tetday.
Lady Cowley and family left London, yesterday
morning, by the General Steam Navigation Company's
steam-ship Triton, for Ostend.

LORD HARDINGE AND TUE IRI9II COMMAND.—
The projected rebellion has been eo promptly crushed, that
it is very probab'e his lordship will return to England in
the course of next month.

DUBLIN ELECTION COMMITTEE, YESTERDAY.—The
committee decided that the ripe water was not a municipal
rate. This decision will have a very tavourable influence on
the inttirests of the sitting member.
ELECTION OF SHERlFFB.—Yesterday, the livery
assembled in the Guil.hall, when the Reorder pre'ented to
them Thomas Quested Finnis, Eaq., Alderman and Bowyer,
and Jacob Emanuel Goodhart, E.q , citizen and grocer, the
new sheriffs.—After the Common-hall was dissolved, a
Court of Aldermen was held, at which the result of the
shrievalty election was declared. The City Solicitor gave in
the following certific de i—tt I have to certify that, in
pursuance of the direction of this court, I made application
to J. R. Mills, Esq , far the payment of 6001., the amount et
the fine imposed by the by-law of the court, for omitting
to give bond to take upon himself the office of sheriff, and,
in consequence of such application, I yesterday received the
amount, which I shall pay into the hands of the Chamber.
lain to the account of the City's cash."—The court, after
granting several freedoms, adjourned.
THE EXPLOSION IN ALBANY-STREET.—The scene
of the explosion and loss of life was throughout the whole of
yesterday visited by thousands of IotTSOOI, including a num-
ber of the aristocracy. During the morning the rains of the
house, No. 60, Albany street, where the explosion took place,
was visited by a number of scientific gentlemen, and a minute
investigation was instituted, in order to ascertain how such
vast destruction could have been caused from an explosion of
gas. On examining the metre which was placed under Mr.
Loteu's shop front, the cause of the explosion was at once
manifest. Its structure was found to be so fragile, that the
slightest kick would cause an indentation, the metal of
which it was 'nide scarcely being thicker than a sheet of
ordinary cartridge-paper. At the back there was found an
opening of at least two inches, caused by the separation of
the soldering of the upper portion and that of the side. From
this opening the gas, doubtless, escaped. Mr. Loten, the
occupier of the house, declares that about a month
ago he sent to the office of the London Gas
Company, to complain that there was an escape of
gas; the superintendent called, and he subsequently sent
a man who examined the place and did something to one of
the pipes, hut on Saturday evening the emell of the gas was
as strong as ever. It is remarkable that a serious loss of life
has not resulted limn this sad calamity, for from inquiries it
appears that a gentleman named Smith, residing in the
Albert-road, was in his carriage, together with his lady and
other members of his family, proceeding homeward down
Albany-street. They had arrived within about 10 yarilsof the
house, No. 60, when the explosion took place. The coach-
man was knocked backward on to the roof of the carriage,
but managed to retain the reins in his hands. A man with
a cart was also, together with his vehicle, overturned in the
vicinity, and one of the Waterloo omnibueses, filled with
passengers, was also within forty or fifty yards of the house
at the moment of the explosion. On inquiry at the Univer-
sity College Hospital last evening, it was found, we are
happy to state, that Capt. Loten and Miss Boyd are going on
as favourably as could well be expected, considering the
severity of their injuries, but the poor boy James Stanlake,
who was wounded in the head, is stated to be in a very pre-
carious condition. The inquest on the body of Mary Bentley
will be held to-day.
BATHS ♦ND WASH-110116ES FOR THE LABOURING
CLIO-M.—Yesterday a meeting of the subscribers and sup-
porters of the above institution, founded for the benefit of
the labouring classes in the north-west districts of the me-
tropolis, was held in the committee-room of the institution,
George-street, Euston-square, T. Harris, E.g., in the chair.
The report congratulated the subscribers on the results which
had attended the operations of the society, since its formation
in Aug., 1846. During the last month. ending the 6th
inst. the number of bathers had been 16,143 ; and 16,196,
poor women have washed, dryi d, ironed, and mangled the
clothes of themselves and families —representing on an
ge near 300,000 cases annually, deriving the benefit
of the institution, the total number who have
participated in its benefits since its foundation,
up to the 2nd instant, being 227,717 bathers;
and washers, &c., 79,786. The present building being totally
inadequate for its purposes, hundreds are daily turned
away for want of accommodation. The institution itself has
been self-supporting since its establishment. The subscrip
tion towards its extension ranks amongst its members her
Majesty and Prince Albert, the Archbishop of Canterbury,
and a number of highly distineuished individuals.
A BALLOON RACE.—Lieut. Gale, R.N., and Mr.
°naval, who with their companions in the Royal Cremorne
and Royal Albert balloons ascended from Cremorne.gardens
on Monday, effected a safe descent within a short distance
of each other—the former in Wanstead-park, the seat tattle
Earl of Morninaton, and the latter at Abury Hatch, near
Romford, and about 16 miles from town. The lieutenant
descended within a few yards of the spot where he b' came
entangled in the trees of the park en the occasion of his last
aocturnal ascent from Cremorne. The start took place from
the gardens at about hall-past seven o'clock. Tne balloons
took a north-easterly direction. Mr. Gypson at first at-
tained the greatest altitude (about • mile and a half), but
the lieutenant subsequently soared higher. Over the Strand,
St. Paul's, and Cheapade the balloons were stationary for
some time, and it was only on descending into an under-
current that they bore away into the suburban districts. They
descended at the place above mentioned at about half past
eight o'clock. Mr. Gypson arrived in town at half past one
o'clock on the following morning. The lieutenant describes
his trip in glowing terms and ■s one of the finest he has ever
made. At one period the balloon was in cne current of air
and the car in another. The lieutenant returned to town
at about half-past twelve.
INQUEST, YESTERDAY.— A WOMAN KILLED DT
arta HIIIIIAND.—Beiore Mr. Baker, at the Old George,
Old-street, St. Luke's, touching the death of Amelia Mer-
rick, aged 45, whose husband was accused of having mur-
dered her.—Mr. M. Park, surgeon, of 100, Old-street, and
Mr. Courtney gave evidence to prove that the deceased died
through the rupture of blood-vessels in the head, which
might have been caused by such violence as that described
to have been inflicted on deceased.—The jury, after a short
consultation. returned a verdict of " Manslaughter against
William Merrick."

IRELAND.
A portion of the following appeared in a second
edition of last evening's Express.
DUBLIN, AVOVIST 8.
If Young and Confederate Ireland were desirous of
experiencing how utterly it has lost interest and
prestige in this country, how prostrate is its whole
organisation, and, in fine, how broken, bankrupt it has
become, this day would have proved it to the convic- I
tion of the most obtuse. There was no parading of
crowds,no marching or congregation of clubs., no knots
of noisy confederates, not even groups of gobe-
mooches, drinking in all manner of absurdities at
street-corners. All was quiet, and not even
the ordinary amount of spectators appeared, either
in the court or its precincts. The police were
manifestly not prepared for this, but were present in
large numbers at an early hour. Their orders were
to offer no obstruction to the access of the public
to the court, but not to permit such num-
bers to accumulate in the precincts and pas-
sages as should obstruct the thoroughfare. They
might have saved themselves the trouble
those arrangements imposed, as not even the " stal-
wart" clubmen attempted to evince their sympathy.
The general public have established, by their sensible
stay-at-home determination to-day, that the time of