The Express.
London, England, 1848-03-17 00:00:00

SCOT LAND.

EDINBURGH. MARCH 15.
The special constables met last night, when the
sheriff explained that in future each polling district
would be expected to furnish from a hundred to two
hundred constables, who would be drilled and fur-
nished with batons and hedged. The proposition was
well received, and will be gone into immediately.
The only drawback to it is the limiting of the range
of selection to householders or their sons, which will
partially exclude the noble army of clerks, shopmen,
&c., who are neither householders nor the sons of
householders. . . - .

The town council, by a majority of 20 to 7, have
resolved not to fill up the vacant chair of Hebrew.
The majority are in hopes that a University test bill
may enable them to present a dissenter, but if the
Lord Advocate's former bill be adopted as a model for
the expected measure this will not be the case.
The exaggerated telegraphic communications re-
garding the riots in Edinburgh and Glasgow have
not been without commercial inconvenience. One
instance occurred in the ease of a Leith steamer,
which was to receive consignments from Hamburg to
the two places in question, but the telegraphic intelli-
gence having been conveyed before the Failing of the
vessel, she was despatched almost empty—the Ilam-
burg exporters being frightened at sending goods to
places in a state of tumult.

SHIPWRICK OF A WHALER.—The whale-trader Hanni-
bal, of Peterhead, wu lost on the shores of Norway, en
the lit February, and all on board drowned, with the excep-
tion of one of the crew, who Inched himself to the mizen-
mast, and there remained five days without food or drink.
The ill-fated ship wu in the latitude of the Orkneys on the
31st of January, and on the day following, during a *rumen.
dolts sea, the crew, fifteen in number, and five Germans,
whom they had picked off a wreck, were all washed off and
lost. The Germans belonged to the Lydia, of Embden, sad
were picked up in the North Sea to suffer another and fatal
shipwreck.

PROVINCIAL.
LANCAMIUM.

IRISH PROCESSIONS AT LIT ERPOOL.—The following
notice wee issued yesterday afternooa by the worshipful the
Mayor of Liverpool "Sessions House, March 16, 1848.
The mayor and magistrates are in possession of information
which induces them to call on all persons not already sworn
as special constables to attend at the Session-house this day,
as early as convenient. Two magistrates will be in constant
attendance at the Sessions-house, for the purpose of
administering the necessary oaths. Thomas B. Horstall,
mayor." We are sorry to hear that it is more than probable
that there will be • breach of the peace here to-day (St.
Patrick Day), on the occasion of the Irishmen walking in
procession. We understand that General Sir Wm. Wares,
the commander of the forces in this district, has been called
to town, and that the body of pensioners have had orders to
be under arms at an early hour in the morning.
THE UNUSUAL PREPARATIONS MAKING IN MAN.
CRISTIR by the Irish and chartists for the celebration of St.
Patrick's day has alarmed the catholic clergy, as well as the
authorities, lest there should be an outbreak, and the ea,
tholic clergy of Manchester put forth • public address yes-
terday. warning their flocks against participating in any acts
of an illegal and immoral tendency. The bill is signed by 13
priests resident in Manchester, 2 in Salford, and 1 in Barton.
I The military force in Manchester is 1,000 strong, and there axe
800 police ; and about 3,009 merchants, tradcao.tn, and
I others have been sworn in as special coortablee.
CHURCH REFORM IN MANcaesTeit.--Yesterday a
meeting of the Association for Promoting • Reform of the
Ecclesiastical Provisions for the perish of Manchester, wag
held at the Town-ball, being the annual meeting of the body.
Mr. R. Birley, manufacturer, presided; and from the report
read, end the addresses of the various speakers, it appear.
that the association is collecting information as to all the eir-
eurestances connected with the present ecelesiutical condition
and revenues of the parish (very difficult to be got at), before
they submit any definite scheme of reform. Their information,
ea far, however. appears to lead to the strong condemnation
by the association of the present system of the whole
I revenues of populous punches going to clergy who refuse to
do the work, whilst what are called the district clergy (or
the pastors of churches built by private reliscription), who
do all the work, live npon en inadequate and precarious in-
come. The opinions of Dr. Hooke and Dr. in
I favour of the subdivion of such parishes and their revenues,
were quoted, and met with approval; and the example of
the rector of Warwick, who, with the assistance of Lord
Stanley, divided his parish into three parts, and gave up
two-thirds of his income to the new churches, was parts-
rolarly applauded.—An opinion was expressed by the Chair-
man that the church-rates of a large parish like that of
Manchester ought not to be retained for the repair of the
pariah church alone, but ought to be divided with the dia•
trict churches. Regret was expressed that the church-
wardens had held out a threat to enforce the payment of
church-rates in Manchester, where for many years a com-
promise has existed with the dissenters, making the pay-
ment optional ; and it was stated, as another matter for re-
gret, that whilst the parishioners repaired and took great
pride in the preservation of the nave of the cathedral
church, for which only they were responsible, the chapter,
although deriving a large revenue from the parish (for whisk
they denied their liability to do duty), out of penuriousnem,
were suffering the beautiful choir of the edifice to go to
decay.