The Express.
London, England, 1865-04-05 00:00:00

TELEGRAPHIC INTELLIGENCE.

(euress's Islasams4.)
THE EPIDEMIC IN RUSSIA.
BT. pariumatato, An 4.
_ __ _

The semi-official Northam Post oonizaclieta the
rumours that have lately appeared in foreign papers
in reference to the Siberian plague having made its
appearance in St. Petersburg. It says that the rate
of mortality caused by typhus fever is greatly de-
creasing, and that the illness prevailing has no
epidemic character, nor has it become necessity to
open fresh establishments as hospitals. Up to the
present only the indigent classes, who live poorly
and are neglectful of sanitary regulations, have
been attacked by the disease.

THE PARIS BOURSE.
PARIS. Aram 4, 310 rim.
The Bourse continues Aria. Rental elated at
67.80, or oc. higher than yesterday.

THE MNTHOPINUTAN MAIN DRAINAGE

WORKS.

The great engine-bouii at Crossness in which
the'company assembled yesterday is by no means
the least wonderful of the southern main drainage
works, To look at its gay handsome Italian
exterior, and the well-harmonised appear-
ance of the lesser lesfiditip by which it is sur-
rounded, not forgetting. its airy campanile at the
end, one would hardly imagine that d wag merely
a pumping station to be employed in the rather
ignoble work of raising, and then discharging the
metropolitan sewage into the Thames. Oil a
Previous visit, paid at a not very long interval of
time, we found the site a chaos of bricks and
mortar, and the epproaches such as the south side
of the Thames alone can furnish in particularly
wet weather. Now all was changed ; one walked
over a clean freshly gravelled esplanade, and stepped
into • magnificent structure, in which the beautiful
was most artistically reconciled with the useful, and
the various huge appliances of the steam machinery
were so arranged as to bear • strong resemblance to
the arrangements of a Byzantine church. The iron
grating ou which we walked was pierced in a
manresque pattern. The iron uprights to which
the machinery was attached became light and
highly ornamental pillars, and the four huge shafts
of the steam-engines did duty for church galleries,
and the pulpit was supplied by the cylinder, which
stood upright nearly in the centre of the building.
The whole was decorated in the colours which Mr.
Owen Jones has rendered so popular amongst us,
and in more than one conspicuous place the name
of Mr. Webster, the contractor, was worthily pre-
served to posterity.
Shortly after twelve o'clock the Oread, with her
illustrious freight, drew up alongside the landing-
stage, and the Prince and his royal highness's party
were received by the directors of the Board of
Works. A tremendous cheer was raised for his
royal highness ou landing, and the band of the
Royal Marine Light Infantry, under the skilful
lea-ler/drip of Mr. Winterbottom, struck up the
National Anthem. His royal highness, after •
I hasty glance at the subterranean works, proceeded
to the engine-house, when Mr. Baudgette gave a
heist detail of the nature, object, and extent of the
works, at the same time expressing his firm conviction
that they would go a great way in preventing the
recurrence of epidemics such as at no very remote
periods had severely visited the metropolis. Both
the Prince of Wales and Prince Alfred listened
with great attention to Mr. Bazalgette's statement,
and at its termination proceeded formally to turn
the handle which was to let loose the contents of
the great reservoir. No perceptible. results of this
operation took place above ground, but it was taken
for granted that the long vistas which had so re-
cently been traversed dry-footed by the company
were gradually becoming filled with a fetid and
ever rolling current. The whole company then
adjourned to an adjoining building, where
a magnificent luncheon had been prepared by
Massed. Ring and Brymer, and which bed
been most tastefully, although hastily, de-
corated for the occasion. A round table had
been set apart for the Prince of Wales and his
royal highness's immediate party, and at it were
seated the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke
of Sutherland, the Archbishop of York, and
Lord Alfred Paget, Mr. Thwaites and Mr.
Bazalgette, Prince Alfred sat on the right hand
of the Prince of Wales, and-the rest of the company
got places how they could at the remaining tables.
The band of the /Engineers occupied the gallery,
and Mr. Harker efficiently discharged the duties of
toastmaster. A rather long list of toasts bad
been submitted to his royal highness, but be
judiciously ran his pen through all but two,
one of which he gave himself, and the other
was proposed by the Chairman of the Board
of Work*. The first was, of course, the
health of the Queen, proposed in brief but
appropriate terms by Mr. Thwaites, and most
enthusiastically responded to ; and the second was,
"Success to the undertaking," which his Royal
Highness gave in the following terms :
Your royal highness, my lords sad gentlemen,—
Although from the worts you have heard from the
chair you were led to suppose that there would be
no further toasts, still I think there is one toast which
on this occasion ought sot to be omitted, sad it is •
feast which it gives me the greatest pleasure to propose,
viz., "Success to the groat Rational undertaking the comple-
tion of which we have this day witnessed." (Loud cheers.)
It certainly appears to me that we ought not to separate
without drinkisg that toast. (fleas.) And I may, perhaps,
be allowed, in the name of all these who are present, to
congratulate Mr. Thweites, the chairman of the Metropo-
litan Board of Works, sad the eminent and skilful miaow
of the board, Mr. Bazalgette—(cheers)—upon the great
encore which they have achieved—a moans which will be
of material use to Leedom ; not so much sow, perhaps, as is
future years, when the Thames will have been completely
purified, and Loaders will have become what it ought to be,
ens of the healthiest akin in Emu (Cheers.) Gentlemen,
I propose as a toast, " Success to the great national under-
taking, the completion of which we have now witameed."
(Great cheering.)
This brief but appropriate address, delivered in
a clear voice, elicited loud and universal cheering.
His royal bighnees and party left immediately after
this toast, when the general company also broke up,
and returned to town by the special train. During
the course of the proceedings instantaneous photo-
graphs of the scene were taken very successfully by
Messrs. Negretti and Zauffira, who were specially
engaged for that purpose.

MODEL HOUSES INDUSTRIAL EXHIBITION.

Following the fashion of encouraging, by means
of competitive exhibitions, the development of isdoetrial
art in the humbler ranks of society, the Association for ha.
proving the Condition of the Labouring Chilli have estab-
lished an industrial exhibition for the products of...ilte
sensate of their model lodgiog.horiees, which 'was 'Wings-
mind yesterday by Lord Shaftesbury, is the lower room of
St. Martin's-hall, Lorstor.re. The amber of works exhl•
bited is by so means aamacea, 142 entries itompriehm
the astir* oonteute of the eatalogee, the number of exits-
biton being fib; bat numerical ddiciasey is amply made up
by rim ietr. and in many it:Mance@ by the ingenuity sad
artistic merit displayed by the exhibitors. As a matter of
course the articles entered for competitsos are for the most
part directly ecerseeted with the several trades which
the exhibitors respectively live by. Hines there are
specimens of eon roosutootaro, ol wood serving,
modelling. bookbinding. wobooory. ooddlory, smiths' work,
artificial Sower making embroidery, khoo work, ke.

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