The Express.
London, England, 1848-04-05 00:00:00

THE REVENUE.

We have reason to believe that the statement of
the Quarter's Revenue, to be made up this evening,
will exhibit, on the whole, a satisfactory return.
As compared with the corresponding quarter of
last year, there will be a slight increase in Excise.
The Property.tax will be much as before ; but the
Customs will show a (tiling off, for which the public
must have been prepared. On the whole, we believe,
there will be an increase on the quarter of between
3.10,000/. and 400,0001.

ErouCeMet or Cann:ale: Poon.—Yesterday, a
public meeting in rid of the efforts of the Cathode 'Poor
School Committee, was held at the district echoed-house,
Grad Wirdmill-street, Haymarket, Dr. \Vi-eman pre-
hided, and opened the proceediegs by pointing out the bene-
fits which were likely to result from tie formation vet the
committee, whose (hay it would be to procure funds for the
assistance art the per schools, to communiimse with govern-
ment on such matters relating to their object u might
be required, end also to Advocate the claims of the schools
upon public assistance. lle had received returns of the
numbers of catholic childr. n who were instructed or in
course of instruction, compared with those who were en-
tirely destitute of such ad ventage s. In the Virginia•street
district there were about 1,200 receiving education, and shout
SOO without it. In the Lincoln's-inn district there were
300 of tin former and 2,600 of the latter class. In
many of the districts the proportion of educated and un-
educated were about equal. In the Rosoman,street district
for instance there .vere about 600 of each chum; and in the
St. Petrillo street district the numbers were 420 and 450.
In the Spanish-place district there were 4P5 receiving in-
struction, and 2,000 destitute of it; to which a contrast was
shown by the state of the St. John's-wood district,
where the whole of the catholic children were
receiving education in schools. In Pepler there
were 383 educated and 354 uneducated ; and in 11-renondsey
the numbers were respectively 310 and 1,000. The returns
received showed a total of 11,00 or 12,000 catholic children
wanting education in the nietropolii; but there were several
large streets fur which the returns had not been received,
which would raise the number, be believed, to about 15,000
lie urged upon all friends 11 the Catholic cause the necessity
of coining forward with elueietet assistance towards the re-
mora, of so vast an amount of ignorance.—The Rev. Dr.
hors iv moved the first resolution :
That the bishops basting entrusted to the catholic poor *shoots men-
mete, the important aial sacred duty of providing aid f, the educa-
tion of the poor, it is incumbent on all who have this object at heart
to cooperate to the utmost with that body in carrying it out as
effi dually as possible; and that an no place in Englund stands so
much ins need of educational aid and efforts fur promoting education
arming the poor as this metrupotis, in which it aopeirs from the
returns collected and preeented be the right rev. chaimian, that there
are at present many thou-ands i.f children of both s. xew wantiog
tholk education, it behoves the catholic" of London morn than others
to ex. rt themselves in this holy CAM', and to organise as quickly as
possible the mi.t effective plans fur collecting funds to be placed at
the disposal of the committee for that purpose.
Mr. 'Venial seconded the resolution, which wad adopted
unanimously. Resolutions were alio arsed by which it was
agreed immediately to open a subscription for the above ob-
.' eta, mod to establish training or normal schools for teachers,
without which the cause could not derive bent fit from go-
vernment aid. The Him. Petre, the Rev. Mr. Moore,
the Rev. Mr. Neale, and Mr. Paliaeno, spoke in support of '
the propositions; and several contributions were announced
as having been received for promoting the objects of the
meeting.
'TIE CESSATION OF TILE 81-MONTIILY MAIL, eiei
Southampton, after next month, will be of considerable im-
portance to the public. Letters and newspepers for India
and the Mediterranean after that period cannot be forwarded
by the beginning of the month read except through Mar-
seilles, which will subject them to a heavy postage. The
postage en every newspaper for India via hlarsoil.cs is 3d.,
while via Southampton it is sent free. The postage on
every letter welching no more than half an ounce, era
Southampton, is Is. ; while via Marseilles it is 2s. Bd., nearly
three times as much. " For all ordinary pur7oses, there-
fore," says a correspondent, "the communication between
the United Kingdom and India is reduced from twice a
; month to once. Independently of the expense of postage,
however, by the Marseilles route, no ore, at present at
least, would think of sending valuable enclosures through
France unless absolutely compelled to do so, while that
country is in a disturbed state. Much surprise has been ex-
cited why the Peninsular Company have been so anxious
to give up the contract to convey the mails at the begin
ping of the month, since their vessels must run from South-
ampton into the Mediterranean even after their contract ex-
pires; and between 15,0001. and 16.0001. a year is
considered to be no trifling remuneration for running a vessel
between Malta and Alexandria, especially when the amount
of passenger traffic on that line is considered. The tact, how-
ever, appears to be, that the Mediterranean steamers which
leave Southampton at the beginning of the month are bound
for Constantinople, and the it being obliged to call at Malta
out and home on mail service prevents them from making
an extra and very remunerative trip to the Black Sea. It
has been suggested that tho Constantinople steamers should
drop the Trails at Gibraltar, and that her Majesty's steamers
could run between Gibraltar and Malta with the mails, as
they used to do some few years ago. The only objection to
thin plan is the repeated transhipment of the mails. Besides
the 15,000!. a year which the government pays for the snails
between Southampton and Alexandria, it cogs the East
India Company and government about 150,0001. a year more
to convey the hi-monthly mail between Alexandria and India.
The Oriental company made an offer some time since to do
this for little more than half that sum. The Peninsular
Company have for some time past been anxious to convey the
India mail from Marseilles to Alexandria. Previous to the
disturbances in France the passenger traffic to India vid
Marseilles was increasing rapidly, and this valuable traffic
was thrown into the hands of the French steam-packet com-
panies, owing to her Majesty's steamers being appointed to
convey the India mails to and from Marseilles.
FIRE AT 311TCHANI.—AR extensive fire broke out
last night, between the hours of eight and nine o'clock, in the
large manufacturing premises belonging to Messrs. Robins
and Co., weavers of patent hosiery, situate at Phipps-
bridge, Mitcham, Surrey. The premises in which the des-
aster occurred were nearly 300 feet long, and were fitted up
with costly machinery, &e. In a very brief period the
greater portion of the factory became wrapped in Hamel.
Information was sent by a mounted police constable to
Londun, with intelligence of the calamity, and a number of
engines, with a proportionate force of firemen, were des-
petalled to the spot; but, notwithstanding the moil
strenuous exertions, before midoieht the immense pile of
premises was burned to the ground. The whole of the
stock in trade of goods, finished and partially so, have
likew se been reduced to ashes, and the costly
machinery has been spoiled. The lose on this property
alone will amount to several thourand pounds.
Independent of this loss, the contents of Messrs.
Taylor' the hot-pressers and silk-dressers, have been
totally destroyed, and some compartments in Messrs. Welch,
Margetaon, and Co.'s silk-printing premises have sus-
tained serious damage—viz., the madder-rooms, tool-houses,
carpenters' shops, and copper-houses, some of which are
—teed down.