The Express.
London, England, 1847-02-02 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, TUESDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 2, 1847.

what is the consequence ? That when he afterwards pro-
tests against what he calls the violation of the engagements
of Eu, A is on the King personally that his accusation falls.
Thus an inexact citation beoc;ines the origin and pre-
text of a proceeding moat contrary to constitutional prin.
eiples and customs. 2. Lord Palmerston says again, in
his devyritch of 31st of October, " The objections expressed
by the King of M. French, u regards Irince Leopold of
Coburg, however unreasonable, unjust, and unsustainable
they may be in public right might nevertheless, in case that
price should become the husband of the Queen, make e
rr ervtable alteration in t':.e relation of Spain with France."
I do not think that any remark* are necessary to point out
the ,trangeness and unconstitutional tore of this language :
nor need I quota other example, to justify the reclamation
I made in concluding my despatch of 224 November last,
a'id which I now formally renew. I request you to com-
noinicate and give a copy of this despatch to Lord
l'alinetston. (Sigurd) Oeizot.

ROME, Jaw. 21.

Our new governor, ornzzel;ni, has addressed him-
self in earnest to the work of social reform. His
first effort is arduous enough, 1:o less than an attempt
to extirpate the old cancer cf mendicity which has
lung disfigured Rome. FioreLce had shown, early in
this century, what could be effected by an intelligent
government to discourage and ultimately uproot the
mendicant sys..cm from the midst of an industrious
and thrifty population ; but the difficulties to encounter
in tit's city arc far wore formidable; and therchwe
success will be, if achieved a paramount triumph of
administrative capacity. The process is &Bening of
attentive study, for obvious reasons just now. For
some days the active agents of Roman police were
constituted into an army of observation, and the
various haunts of eleemosynary practitioners were
accurately mapped out. No alarm was given; but
at the close of the last week several simultaneous

and well-directed rozzias were made on the
astonished natives of beggardom, and near 400 of
the more prominent male and female characters car-
ried off to the several de:rOta prepared for their recep-
tion. Church-door corners and favourite thoroughfares
were sudenly bereft of their immemorial sentinels;
and the vested interest of each .egged incumbent set
at nought. Rigid inquiry at each depot quickly
brought out the long suspected fact, that not one-
twentieth of them were natives of the city, but had
been attracted hither from all quarters by the alms-
giving renown of this capitaL In return for alms so
given, an immense amount of vice was shown to be
imported among the native loor, with inveterate
habits of the vilest hypocrisy. Means of conveyance
forthwith were found for these unbidden guests, and
some hundreds of them are now on their road home-
wards, specially recommended to the village or muni-
cipal authorities, who are made responsible for their
non-return. Accompanied with a land-tax on the
great estates of the Roman nobles for their support or
employment, this measure will greatly relieve the
city ; though it may not be so palatable to the Piom-
binos, Rospigliosi, Rnslroli,Chigi, Borghese and other
leviathan landholders, who would much prefer the
practice of ostentatious almsgiving in Rome to the
compulsory and inglorious payment of extra labourers
on their farms.

To one accustomed here, a walk through the lead-
ing streets of this town yesterday, without having to
" run the gauntlet " of the usual professionals, was a
real novelty. New Rome might be described in the
graphic words of Scott's " Andrew Fairservice," when
eulogising Glasgow cathedral ; whick appeared to
him "all the better for being cleansed of popish
(Trials," and trade by John Knox "as dowse as a cat
when the flees are kempt off her."" Tastes differ as to
picturesque effect, not merely with reference to the
aforesaid eedolo, but with regardto the flxt attendance
of a goodly row of mendicants at the porch of Christ-
ian churches. Long ago CI- rysoetom hoarded that
Pagan palaces and temples might bedeck their porti-
coes with graceful statuary, but the maimed, the
lame, and the blind, were the proper ornaments,
metopes and triglyphs of an orthodox peristyle.
This Byzantine standard of art may not be quite in-
fallible, though Raphael, in his cartoon of the
" beautiful gate," has introduced the lame beggar of
Scripture with a skilful eye to contrast. But as the
business of a journalist is merely with social amelio-
, ration, the picturesque and archaeological part of this
subject may be safely left to Mr. Pugin.
The annual ceremony of blessing the cattle at the
porch of St. Antonio, on the Esquiline, which during.
the present week keeps all the ostlers and retturara
of Rome alive with excitement, as well as the blessing
of two milk-white lambs at the church of St. Agues,
which interests all the young ladies from England,
and took place this morning, are topics which the
rude pen of worldly-minded journalism had, perhaps,
better eschew also. The former of these yearly trans-
actions may, however, be looked at, not alone in a
sentimental or asthctic point of view, but as an exhi-
bition of the native breed of horses, a kind of Roman
Tattersall's. Very little has been done, and very much
might be accomplished, for the improvement of what
Frenchmen call la race cheralMe in these parts. A
few of the nobility attend to their studs, having no-
thing else to do ; but the great mass of the working
quadrupeds are miserably underbred, though the vast
estates into which this territory is divided afford pe-
culiar facilities for rearing a superior stock of cavalry.
The introduction of the Chesterfield fox-hounds has
given some impulse to the breeding of saddle horses
in the Campagna; and the now facility afforded by
the Peninsular Company's steam communication
direct between Cinta-Vecchia and Southampton may
bring more English blood into the breed. The good
friars' blessing can do the beasts no harm, nay, may
tend to humanise the ferocity. of their masters, who
can scarcely ill-treat the recipient of St. Antonio's
benison; as such, this ceremony ought to be pa-
tronised by the " Animal's Friend Society," who
might possibly get up a branch establishment for the
benefit of London cabmen, or prevail on some benevo-
lent rector (say your editorial fellow-labourer, George
Croly) to give the metropolitan cattle a benefit at the
Elephant and Castle.
A beggar on horseback is considered in England a
rare combination : but a centaur of this kind was to
be seen here on the Pincian hill, in the shape of a
robust cripple, who rode in daily from his country
seat, and, dismounting , took up his position on the
great stairs of the Moils, nding off graria a're
&mum at eve. I see him now from my window, his
donkey being tethered to the accustomed tree. His
is a torso as finely developed na that in the Vatican,
with a voice to match. I rejoice to find he has escaped
the razor, being a fellow of infinite drollery : he is in
eooth the mighty P(query D)an of our Roman
beggars. He has given his daughter 1,000 crowns
dowry.

'Ube court.
WINDSOR, MONDAT.—Her Majesty and Prince
Albert walked this morning in the slopes. The Royal family
took walking and pony exercise to-day in the grounds around
the Castle. H. R. H. Prince Albert, accompanied by Count
Alexander Mensdorff, enjoyed the sport of shooting this
moraine. His Royal Highness was attended by Lord
Camoys, Lord A. Paget, Col. the Hon. C. B. Phipps, and
Capt. the Hon. A. Gordon.
Capt. F. Seymour is expected to arrive at the Castle
do-day, on a visit to her Majesty. Sir Hamilton and Lady
Seymour took their departure from the Castle to-day.
The Queen will hold a Privy Council on Thursday
afternoon, the 4th instant, at Windior Castle. The Council
is appointed at half-past two o'clock.
H.R.H. the Duchess of Kent gave an evening
party yesterday at Frognsore House. The Duchess was
honoured with the presence of her Majesty, H.R.H. Prince
Albert, and several distinguished personages. Her Majesty's
private band was in attendance, and performed in the
grand corridor. There was a carpet dance in the course of
the evening, in which her Majesty joined.

Lord John Russell has returned to town from
Windsor Castle.
Mr. Cunard had an interview with the Earl of Cla-
rendon, yesterday, at the office of the Board of Trade. Lord
Clements had an interview with Eorl Grey yesterday, at the
Colonial-office. Dr. Jemrd had an interview with the
Right Hon. T. Milner Gibson yesterday, at the Board of
Trade.
Despatches from the Governor of the Mauritius
were received yesterday at the Colonial-office. Despatches
were sent off last evening from the Colonial-office, for fhe
Governors of the West India Colonies.

llE.tTii OP LIECT.-GEN. SIR E. GIBBS.—This dis-
tinguished officer, who retired from the °aloe of Lieut.
Governor, at Jersey, a fortnight since, on being promoted to
the rank of Lieut -General, died on the 24th ult. at his tem.
porary residence in that island, in the 70th year of his age.
Though suffering f r some time from gout, Sir Edward's
death was somewhat unexpected ; having given up posses-
sion of the governor's house, he proceeded on a visit to a
fritnd in the interior of the island, and while there sustained
an attack of paralysis, which terminated fatally.

OVERCHARGE BY NEWSMEN.—SIR,—OR Tuesday
last I was charged fourpenee for your paper at the Euston
station, while the newsmen at the other stations dune only
threepence. The same imposition was attempted there on
" Punch," but a rap from his truncheon has set matters
right.—A. B.

THE ACCIDENT ON THE GREAT WESTEILN

RAILWAY.-ADJOURNED INQUEST.

- --
The adjourned inquest on the bodies—of H. Bishop
and H. Halt, who were killed on the Great Western Railway
on Monday last, was resumed yesterday morning, before Mr.
Wakley, and his deputy, Mr. Mills. It will he recollect-it
that the inquiry was adjourned in order that evidence might
be heard with regard to the manufacture of the tires of the
wheels. There were now several engineers present to give
the requisite information.
The first witness called was J. Faucit. He stated that he
was a smith in the employment of the company, at the
Swindon station. It wee his duty to are the tire: put on
the wheels. If there was any external flaw he should dis-
cover it, but any other he could not. He had strict orders
not to put on any that had a flaw. The tire in question
appeared to have been weidad with one V (a kind of wedge
of the form of that letter) ; it was not welded at Swindon ;
it came to him in a hoop. He believed it had broken at the
weld.

J. Almond, the driver of the "Queen," was then called.
He said that he had been misunderstood at his List examina-
tion. He did not mean to say that a similar accident had
n,ver happened to the " Queen ; " he remembered its taking
place once, hut then no person was hurt ; the accident did
not occur to the same wheel as on the last occasion. The
tire of that wheel was examined, and believed to be sound.
If a tie: conies off it is liable to come through the bottom of
the carriage; but he had known an instance when it had
Slot done so.

b -
u itt, engineer, lived at New Cross, Deptford. He
had had considerable experience, and had examined the
tire of the " Queen." Ile believed the principal cause of its
breaking was the unsound welding. He did not consider
that the last mode of welding had been adopted, as in his
opinion the single wedge was not so secure as two or three
which were generally used. He was locomotive engineer
to the Great Northern Railway, where he always rivetted
with three pieces. He was quite satisfied that the the In
question was unsoundly welded; besides being itself in •
great degree unsound—so unsound in fact that had its con-
dition been known it would never have been put on the
wheel

•aucit was then recalled, and asked by Mr. Waklcy if,
during the time he was at Swindon, any tire had ever been
put on a wheel without having been previously tested by
the stretcher.—The witness answered : Yes, when a tire
was sent there is was considered to be ready for the wheel.
Ile did not know if the tire in question had been so tested,
but thought it had. lie was satiafied that every mre was
taken that no tire should be used if any flaw woo to be seen.
Mr. Cubitt's examination continued. If the tire had been
riveted it would have been likely to have held on the
wheel, but he could not say for certain. He knew but of one
way to guard against such an accident in future, and that was
not certain . it was to put on screw rivets front the inside ;
the screws.to be inch screws, or a little larger, and placed
about IS inches apart, and to be screwed quite up to the
steel ; that was the cause he should pursue himself.
Mr. J. Macconnell was an engineer in the employ of the
Bristol and Birmingham Company. This evidence corres-
ponded with that given by Mr. Cubitt, whose remarks were
also confirmed by the statements of Mr. Braithwaite, engi-
neer to the Hastert' Counties, and several other railways.
The Coroner here said that it would be a satisfaction if
they should hear that the plan recommender] by Mr. Cubitt
and Mr. Braithwaite would be adopted on the Oreat Western
line.—Mr. Gooch answered that the plan should be adopted:
the screws should be used.

The Coroner asked Mr. Braithwaite what proportion the
unsound parts of the tire bore to the mound ? Ihe witness
answered that there was at least GO per cent. unsound. It
was for that reason that he thought that the screws would
not weaken the metal ; because if the tire had run 25,000
miles with so great a proportion of it unsound, the mere
drilling of a few holes could not diminish the strength so
much as to prevent its running 2.5,000 mile* more.
The Coroner here read a letter which had been received
by the Great Western from the Haigh Foundry Company,
expressing their regret at the accident which had occurred in
consequence of their tire.
Mr. Gooch then entered into an explanation of the means
which he took to weld the tires, illustrating by means of
a diagram, without which his information would be scarcely
intelligible.
The Coroner said that there was no more evidence; and
from what had been adduced, be thought it quite clear that
no blame whatever was to be attached either to the railway,
the engineer, or the driver; it also appeared th ot even with
a careful examination of the tires, the defect which ex-
isted might have been overlooked. lie believed that the
witnesses had given concurrent testiminy on that point, and
all agreed that the tire gave way in cons, quenoe of had weld-
ing; therefore it was quite evident that those parts of the metal
where the fracture took place were unsound. Under the
circumstances it was impossible to come to any other conclu-
sion than that the deaths were accidental.

The jury then retired; and, after an absence of about 20
minutes, returned with a verdict that " The deceased acci-
dentally came by their death," accompanied by a recom-
mendation that the tires should in future be secured in the
manner recommended by the engineers who had beeu exa-
mined. This terminated the proceedings.

WrtrrriNcroN CLUB.—A quarterly general meet.
ing of the members of this club was held last evening at the
London Tavern for the purpose of receiving the report of the
council. Mr. Jenkin Jones in the chair. The report stated
that the council had partly agreed for premises in Gresham-
street, built upon the Whittington estate at a rental of 1001.
a year, for the purposes of the city branch of the club, to
which for the present the council thought it judicious to
confine themselves, leaving the west e.,01 branch for future
consideration ; but the negotiation for this building, which
was quite a new one, was still pending. 900 members had al-
ready joined the club, 400 of whom joined since the last gene-
ral meeting, and Mr. Douglas Jerrold had consented to become
president of the chib,and numbers of other distinguished male
and female literary characters had agreed also to join the club
as vice presidents, amonest whom were Mrs. Mary Howitt
and Mr. W. Howitt, Miss Cushman, Dr. Southwood Smith,
&c. To defray the expense of opening the club, it was in-
tended to raise a mum of 10001. on loan .totes, bearing interest
at live per cent., and a considerable amount had already
been advanced by members of the council towards that sum.
It was intended in the course of the present month to hold a
aoire'e of the members of the club, at the London Tavern,
for which purpose Meson. Bathe and Breach, the
proprietors, had handsomely offered an elegant suite of
apartments free of all expense. (Cheers.) Mr. Douglas
Jerrold would preside on that occasion, and several eminent
vocalists had offered their services for that night. The
Mears. Aahurst had been appointed solicitors to the club,
and Mr. Barnes, on whose recommendation the premises in
Gresham-street had been selected, had agreed to act as their
honorary architect. The report, after some short discussion,
was agreed to, after which auditors were appointed, and the
members of the council as named in the report re-elected,
and thanks having been voted to the chairman, the meeting
I separated.
- -

•
ACCELERATION OP TILE MAlLB.—AMlngements
have been concluded between the Post-office authorities and
the directors of the South-Western Railway Company for
the conveyance et the mail bags to and frogs Southampton,
(Jetport, Portsmouth, and the towns upon and adjacent to
that line, three times a-day.
THE POST-OFFICE PACKET LISTS--Compliunts are
unceasingly made by commercial men abaut the loose and
groasly incorrect way in 1k hich the daily packet list, prepared
in the pod-office, is made up.
- -

INQUESTu, YESTERDAY.--SUICIDE.—By Mr. T.
Payne, at the Bast India Arms, Fenchurch-street, on view
of the body of Mr. Thomas Greenwood, aged 40, surgeon,
No. 2, Fencburch-buildings, who committed self-destruc-
tion with essential oil of bitter almonds. It appeared that
the deceased had been in practice for many years. On Sun-
day night previous, about eight o'clock, he returned home,
having been professionally engaged throughout the day.
lie was informed that he was required to attend the child of
Mr. Jordan, a neighbour, for which he prescribed, and
again went home, and proceeded to the surgery, his tea
having been prepared by his servant. He was in a state of
inebriation, and ordered the servant to bring him a tumbler,
into which he poured some tea, and in which the servant
saw him put some powder. About nine o'clock deceased's
son called up the servants, who found deceased in a state of
insensibility. Mr. Ballard, surgeon, was called in,
who discovered that there was in the tumbler a smell of
essential oil of bitter almonds. lie administered antidotes
for that poison, and sent for Dr. Fox, physician, Bmul-
street, but life was extinct before his arrival. Deceased,
who, a few years ago, injured his head by a fall from an
omnibus, and who had on two other occasions attempted
self-destruction with opium, stated to Mr. Ballard he was
involved in pecuniary difficulties, which led him to the com-
mission of the melancholy act. Several of the jury
had seen deceased suffering at times under men-
tal alienation. Verdict, " Temporary insanity."