The Express.
London, England, 1848-03-08 00:00:00

SCOTLAND.

The students of Mariscbal College, Aberdeen, have
elected Lord Robertson as their lord rector; the other
candidate brought forward was Mr. Disraeli, M.P.,
but the learned poet had a majority over the novelist
legislator in all the nations. A good deal of interest
was excited by the contest, and so elated were the
supporters of Lord Robertson at their success, that
they procured the aid of the band of the regiment
stationed in the town, and, in true academic taste,
paraded the streets in triumph. Glasgow is the only
other Scotch university where universal suffrage pre-
vails in rectorial election. In Edinburgh the lord provost
is rector ex officio; and possibly the want of the

elective franchise in the metropolitan institute so im-
prisons the exuberance of the ingenious youths sport-
ing within its quadrangle, that snow-ball and other
extemporaneous kinds of rioting is resorted to far
letting off the pent-up steam.

Tex Br.a.miN's Acr.—Mesars. Macgregor and Heinle, the
members for Glasgow, have been solicited by their consti-
Weals to bring in a measure amending the law by which no
seaman is allowed to hare recourse to self-defence unless his
life is in danger, the object being to prevent the recurrence
of Puch cases as the late mutiny on board the James
Campbell.

PROVINCIAL.

LANCASHIRE.

-----.--
TIIE LIVERPOOL BANKING COMPANY.—Yesterday
the annual meeting of this company (which a few months
ago suspended payment) was held in Liverpool, Mr. George
Rsmsden in the chair. The liabilities declared at the meet.
ing held in November last were about 400,0001 ; and the re-
port now submitted showed that up to the 12th of lebreary
this amount had been brought down to rather less than
100,0001. On the motion of Mr. Ward, seconded by Mr.
Johnston, it was resolved to appoint two auditors to examine
the accounts and report on them to an adjourned meeting.
Mr. Edmund Ward and Mr. J. W. Coward were romt•
nated ; and the meeting was adjourned till Monday, the 3rd
of April next.

LITERATURE.
RIPIIATI:11 Prophetic Almanac for 1848.
The Times and Morning Chronicle have been pro-
pounding with most exquisite sell complacency the-
ories explanatory of the causes which have restored the
Comte de Neubly to the calm shades of private life.
With all due deference to these sages, we may be
allowed to remark that they are, like the Seotchman,
" wise &bin' ban'," while a philosopher, whose poll-
tical wisdom is about equal to theirs, foretold the
' event, besides detecting its causation. Yes, Raphael,
the astrologer of the nimteenth century, predicted in
October last the overthrow of the late King of the
French, and accounted for it by a theory at least as
tenable as that maintained byeitker of the authorities
we have named. According to Raphael, the stars
have done it all, and the Ulysses of the great modern
revolutionary epic may put in the same plea in miti-
gation of his errors, which the poet has assigned to
certain fair sinners—

When weak women go astray.
Their stare are more in fault Man they.

" The sun suffers eclipse," says the mystic sage,
" while joined with Saturn, and Jupiter halts in his
celestial career through Cancer, as if to ponder on
impending woes. These highly-fraught configura-
tions are tokens of the vacation of a throne, and, d
may be, the annihilation of power in a family." The
prophecy, it is true, indicates the month of March as
the time of these catastrophes ; but perhaps the stars,
like mortals, hare invented an electric telegraph for
communicating the decrees of destiny, and astrologers
have not yet learned to make allowance for the increased
celerity with which their celestial messages reach our
earth. The warning voice was repeated more than once.
What we have quoted relates to the month of March.
Among the vaticinations of the brumal quarter
(21st December to 20th March) we read : " There
are symptoms of an outburst of the general voice in
favour of some alteration or innovation, and an em-
broilment no-way beneficial to those classes whose
advantage lies in the maintenance of ' things as they
are." And in " the Nativity of Louis Philippe " we
are told that this year " Evil will manifest itself among
the family of Louis Philippe, and derangement in the
rich fortunes of the house of Orleans." Nay, more,
" The figure before me is of a martial cast, showing a
determined reliance upon armed forces for accom-
plishing his (Louis Philippe's) plane." And,
finally, " Paris, with its many citadels, may
witness struggles as violent as those that in
destroying the kingly office opened a vista wherein
we may trace successive phases and usurpations of
power, and of which Louis Philippe is the termi-
nating point or figure."
And all this the ex-King and his minister might
have known in October last " for the small charge of
half-a-crown," whereas ignorance of it has cost the
former a whole one. Let it not be said that the fore-
knowledge would have been of no avail against des-
tiny. The sage Raphael assures us, on the contrary,
that "The heavens invite or dispose to good or evil,
but do not compel to either." Surely since events
have set their seal of corroboration upon Raphael's

prescience, his Prophetic Messenger Will be Ordered
for every government office: bound up in the
Foreign-office with the Almanac de Gotha ; at the
Admiralty, with the Nautical Magazine ; and
at the board over which Mr. Strutt presides with
the Railway Guide. A propos of this latter de-
partment, we learn from Raphael with mingled
pleasure and regret that, in the autumn quarter,
" the moon applying to Jupiter" prognosticates that
" the prospects for the great interests involved in
railways are more favourable ; improved manage-
ment and fewer casualties are among the desiderata
which will become evider.t during the interval under
notice." Not to flatter Jupiter and the Moon, we
expect at least as much assistance in these matters
from their conjunction as from the conjunction of the
wise men in Whitehall.
To put Dawning-street on the alert, we need only
hint that in the month of June " Jupiter quartiles
Herschel," and " the Sun and Saturn bear the same
hostile relation," foreboding that " a great politician,
or magistrate, suffers in person, or vacates his
official seat." Our first fear was for Lord Palmerston :
in our mind's eye we saw him prostrate before Mr.
Chisholm Anstey. Bat, on second thoughts, the per-
sonal suffering appears to point to Lord John's influ-
enza ;:and this view is corroborated by the concluding
sentence of Sir Robert Peel's nativity :—" In my
judgment he will be found leading public opinion in
financial matters ; ahiaing forth when crime arrive,
which less experienced and far-seeing statesmen will
fail to combat successfully, and thus, in all probabi-
lity, again be called to assume the helm of state."
Our readers will believe us that our very first dip
into futurity, after our faith in Raphael had been
confirmed by the late events in France, was to inquire
after the prospects of financial reform. During
the summer quarter, we are happy to learn—
" unexpected propositions tending to a more
equal system of taxation will emanate from the
ruling powers:. The summer quarter does not com-
mence before Lad7.clay, but as the French revolution
broke out before it was due, so may this reform of
taxation. Mr. Bright had better be on the alert with
his motion about legacy and probate duties, or the
ministers, who so quickly gave up the main feature of
their budget, may forestal him, and grant his request
before he makes it.