The Express.
London, England, 1854-01-02 00:00:00

ITALY.

ROUE, Mg.
The harangue delivered by the Pope in the secret
eonsiatory of the 19th has Lot yet been published.
It principally refers to the state of ecclesiastical
'matters in Piedmont.

On the 22nd inst. his Holiness, in public consie-
tory, conferred the scarlet hat upon the new cardi-
nals, Brunetti and Pecci, who were duly embraced
by the supreme Pontiff himself and the whole Sacred
College, the lengthy ceremony being profitably em-
ployed meanwhile by the consuitorial advocate,Couut
Filipponi, in perorating the cause of a future saint,
Marianna degli Angell, of the order of barefooted
Carmelite nuns. After the mysterious shutting and
opening of the cardinals' mouths, which so much
surprises unitiated spectators, they were appointed
by his Holiness to divers sacred congregations.
Amongst the distinguished assistants at the cere-
mony was Prince Frederick Willium of Prussia, who
arrived in Rome on the evening of the 20th, and
paid his respects at the Vatican on the following
morning. The new cardinals had their hats brought
them by Monsignor Stella in the evening, and ap-
peered considerably moved whilst replying to his
complimentary address.
Two more additions are speedily to be made to the
Sacred College, in the persona of Monsignor Ma-
nus:4 whose career has hitherto been entirely a legal
0015 Mid Monsignor Medici, the Pope's major domo.
Olathe 21st inst., the somewhat novel ceremony of
Masaarating an English abbot was performed by
Curliest Wiseman, at the church of St. Gregory.
Cr. Birder, the abbot elect, abandoned the church of
Ragland about eight years ago, and entered the new
Trappist monastery of St. Bernard, in Leicestershire,
where he rendered himself so acceptable to his
brethren, that at the end of three years they
elected him their superior. The provincial-general
of the order, however, would not ratify the
election, on account of the short time the doctor
had served in the monkish ranks, and be
was therefore obliged to content himself for four
ra_is more with the secondary dignity of prior. On
‘Valmesday, Cardinal Wiseman installed him in his
llsll rank, and Dr. ,as abbot of St. Bernard's,
with shaven crown and rmelite gown, paraded up
and down the church between two Italian bishops,
all with their croziers before them, whilst a full
choir thundered out au impressive "Te
Another English Trappist monk took part in the
ceremony, acting as the cardinal's ceacon, his powtr-
fel frame and thoroughly Anglo-Saxon features, in
combination with the monkish garb, reminding one
irresistibly of the Friar Tuck class of anchorites who
in our early ballads and traditions. Dr. Mau-
g preached upon the occasion.
The republican poisoners arrested on the lath Au-
pet, and the fusionists subsequently imprisoned,
have by their reciprocal recriminations eff..ctually
served the cause of the government, and ruined each
other, their plans, persons, and proposed time of
action being all discovered by the police, wits are
delighted that the oedoubtable conspiracy should have
had such a result. His Holiness, on occasion of the
Christmas festivities, has ordered that some of the
least culpable individuals, that is to say those against
whom no shadow of accusation can be brought, be
set at liberty. A few persons have consequently
bees thrust out of the cells wherein they have passed
the last four months in undeserved and unrequited
suffering. Catenacci, the revealer of the whole con-
spiracy, who was set at liberty as the price of his
treachery, has not enjoyed it long, for he died of
asthma at his sister's house a few days ago, after an
ineffectual attempt to destroy himself.
The government has jur. taken a beneficial step by
prohibiting those sharks, the money changers, tram
speculating in copper money, and charging an in-
creasing per eentag3 upon it in exchange for paper.
The public will in future be accommodated with cop-
per, gratis, at the treasury. Exchange on London,
487.
The sbirri have succeeded in catching three well-
armed brigands who frequented the road between
Civita Vecchia and Rome. They had in their pos-
session some of the property abstracted from the
Misses Ireland's carriage some days ago, and are
supposed to have taken part in the stopping of a
Bolognese countess's equipage near Rome, at Attlee

NAPLES, Dec. 24.

NR. CHARLES DICKENS'S CHRISTMAS',
HEADINGS AT BIRMINGHAM.
-

(I KUM ov •.

Mr. Dickens coorledea the series of his reediap
at Iliraniagbas ea Friday sight, en w►ich evening there
'rambled sumo two thriven' I persons (chiefiy the working
classes) to heat die author vied :is Prat and pleasantest
Christnne took—' ;tee Carol." Mr. NAM Mid ailerell I
stipulated that one of the throe evenings should ►e sit sport
for the working people ; and probably the greatest samosa
of pleasure which he bas derived fres t►e seems" of his
efforts is this novel proeraraimi has been from witsrassiag
t►at appreciation of the peculiarities of excellence Ia the
Carol " by his deligtited anaemia of workingmen and
women, who with their families /UMW ball.
In the notice of Mr. Dicktos's first reading of his
Carol," on Tuesday atoning, it was noticed bow ►eenly
the audience caught up the spirit of the author; when
The Cricket," was read on Thursday evening, this
feeling was inert's( d rather thaw otherwise, defiant
though this work Is in dramatic effect (as the author him-
self remarked) as compared with the " Carol," so pleasantly
peopled wit► human affections.

Me Magas prefaced bis readies on soh evening by
salmi; his staple of thousand of auditors to Stasis, them-
helves seated with him ehatting round the firs ; and, neater
our as they were, his
• (anti y petty in frimuby communion with his. In truth
hie Diehess's readmits prevented • novelty which can
sesta ly be over-estimated. No former instant.s is ea record

of no aetlear burls's° powertul aeommand of his conjoined
to a fsculty of penonation and histrionic skill. The roost
interesting feature in the ezhibitioe was the novelty of see-
leg the author interpreting his owe work, and, without
effort, heightening its efUtt by touching his characters with
the vivid eolouriag of nosh changes of VOiCe and manner as
suds thesappsu to bre, inure, and have their being before
his auditors.

The Birmingham Journal notices in tits extract below
the readies of " Toe Cricket ea the Hearth:"
" The good roogh honest carrier, John Perrybiogle, who
was always very near it,' how strongly sod vividly hr
Ord b. tore everybody, till they could have shaken him by
the hand' And the cheery, delightful, delicious, dimpling
little Dot was a companion that you could have taken to
your heart on the spot, at the risk of committing bigamy,
aad a ith the moral certainty aiming tried for the °fence at
the neat anises There were sileut tears for poor blind Bertha,
eating alone in her dark world which she had lighted up
with beaming lore all round, and had extinguished by •
breath. Miserable Caleb Plummer, with his seckelots
coat, sad the heart that best so truly under it, and who
was always swindl imp himself; sinister Oral aad Tee-
kleten„ cold and hard as iron; the Deaf Old Otentlaman that
1 out to be the son, from the golden South Americas;
that pe, rich genteel chip of a lady, Mrs. }Wass, with her
cormal,ion in the Indigo trade; that wonderful baby,
"equal to the general run of children at five months eld;"
and that inimitable Tilly Slowboy, who handed round the
bat, afeeraid "as if it was something to drink"—why,
every one of them was standing before you in the Hall
that sight talking to you. Including Boxer and the
Kettle, sot to speak of the Cricket, or the Haymaker
on the Dutch clock, or the Cuckoo that came oat of the
trap der in the Meeriela palace fee Rotbing in the world
Out to hiccup—there they all were. And mat admirable
company they were, too, as ever you would wish to meet.
That marvellous power of personification which Mr. Dichene
patinae s;petting life and sympathy—which is always kindly
sad beneficent, into everything—made the long narrative
full of bustling active motion, that supplied the place of
npidity of action, and carried the attslition and the interest
triemphaatly t►reugh to the very end. Many of the scenes'
of court* provoked rest mirth; Noe of t►em tears; bat I
you would be putted to say which people liked best, as
they cheered both tremeadoualy ; and with no less pawed
and ofte: many parts which had neither wit not pathos in
them, but were genial touches of human nature, displayed
under ordinary eiromnstaneer, but so Untblay, povrerfoUy
spoken, that you were betrayed intros response hearty and
cordial as the foiling which elicited it before you were
Swart."

From the SINN paper we take the following with refer-
sacs to the" Christmas Carel," which misread Ant en Tues.
day eight to a select audience of some eighteen haadred of
the e4rer of Birsaiaghane, and seeondly, on Friday eight, to
the work people: " Tha laugh and the sob—fur there were
teas 61. o—followed the juke or the pathos, as sharply as
the track of the rifle follows the touch of the trigger. la-
thed, nobody could help it.. The strong, manly, of hand,
astareted elocution, artful for all that, though almost on-
distinguishable from utter spontaniety; the touching path..,
the tragic power, the genial, good. natured, honest feeling
of brotherhood and humanity—spokes so earnestly and

with so true as utterance, was quite contagions. There
waa nobody in tho ball that didn't feel it. Yon may be bound
that not a Scrooge, is bin primitive irate, left its walls.
Eno the bite of sanative when dramatic action flagged—
where ordinary readers would find litti moaning beyond
the surface, and which people would skip—that is to say, if
they mad skip anything of Dickens's—wen invested with
such gleams of light, and so ponsaillod and ladividualiesd,
that you saw a aew world in the word-pittures, mad eseskl
sym,nthiso even with Scrooge's door-lincekor. T The rich
tracery of quaint fan and subtle wit; of ratting earassnse
although spokes kindly ; and of coop fooling, was saver so
blau,:dully saes, and n looked so tasterul and tree as
when shown by the author himself. It is no slight thing to
.sy, we think, that for mars than throe boars, mao sun,
unaided, telling an old sal, kept nearly two thousand people
chsrated—spollihound by the fascinations of his pains aid
the witchery of his kindly sympathy—all the time. Kr.
Dickens did it ; we don't know that any other body add.
&fere Mr. Dickens proceeded with his reading on
Friday night, tho working people's night, ho delivered this
blowing addreas, which was frequently interrupted by
barmy of applaam:
" July good friends, when I first imparted to the nom.
mitten of the projected institute my particular wish that on
ono of the ereninpof my readings hare, the main body of
my audience should be composed of working mea and their
families. (Chests.) Iwu animated by two desires; Ant,
by the wish to have in. groat pleasant of alma', you Ease
to face at this Christmas time—(renewed applance)—and
accompany you aspielf through ono of my little Christmas
Wok.; and, semed, by this wish to have an oppertsaire of
wt apt publibly in your presence, and in the presence of the II
committee, way must hop* that the Militate will from
the Urinals, recognise one great principle—strong in

.
mama sal justice—whin I believe to he masatil to
the very Li!e of sash sa latitudes. It I. that the
main; sees nal, ben the lest saw the last. ban •
share is the mmagensat ef sa institatioa whW Y desissed
fw hi. Wadi, sad Welsh sale itself by his aims. (Chests.)
I have so hes We of hang niesadenteed—of beteg rip-
ened to amen in yawn is this. If there ever was • time
erns say ow due SOW of hail de sank for its ars
good, sal be the wager* of sesiety—whish I sweetly doubt
time is asesiestiesahly pan It is is the tuba of
diluent dames, without coofusioa ; the bangles toge-
ther of twoloyere sad employed; is the ereatiag of a
better column anderstasding asses theme whoa internee
an iteatical, who dined upon sash ether, who ars vitally
tweatial to each other, sad who sever eau be in 1311-
amend astagosine without deplorable results, that we
of the thief priaciplin of • mectmakte' latitudes should
asset. Is this world a great deal of the bitterness
Moog no arias& from an imperfect sadenteadies of sae
another. (Clain) Erect is Birosisgban • great wiser
weal al:mantles—properly *Mastless!, edscatiessi of the
fr. hare as weU sa of the roans, la whisk all onten of Bit-
sun I .ne men costribste ; is whisk all ordinal Birming-
ham men meet ; whereio all seine adirtainchsse waste
feretoUy reptenated, and yes will area • temple of an-
esti here whisk will be • model Wilco be the whole of lag-
laud. (Load .ben.) Contemplating as I do the nistean
of the Animas' Committee, whisk set nag ago ileSeilktred
the 'stab:infant of the neaten so mooing' and supported
i; w heartily, I earnestly *street the gestlemes—esesest I
hnow is the good work, sad who an now camas
ti—by all mesas tie avoid the gnat shore car
usg of Mailer limitations ; sad is asking the work-
in men for his matinee, to set kin the great eraseple,
sad Rive him theirs is rears. (Great cheering.) You will
join for yourselves if I promise too mach for the weeklies
man whoa I Lay that he will stead by gab an enterprise
*.th the utmost of his patinae, his persevering., sena
and support; that I an sure he will seed so charitable aid
nor continents, partner ; bat will readily sad show
telly pay for the adnatesse whisk it anifers; that he will
prepare himself in heirvidnal eons, when be bele that the
adven, ciresmeteasee sussed kin have resisted it now
vary, in • ward, that has will feel his respossibility like aa
knee teas, sad will non beastly sad gualally din:hare
it (Omit sneering.) I sow proceed, he cosended, to the
Pleasant task to which, I wan you, I have looked forward
ler a long time."
And then Mr. Dickens did proceed with his reading,
'h.eb occupied mealy three hosts; and it was arises to
wince hew the medium washed Is, every pent—bow SOF
rest was their appreciates of " The Carol's" nod tending
Plasm—how windy they attend tate the slide et the

wiliest of its Usable's, or how nob iadividaal soma le
take t s. Tsintsilf, as soinetitiag writ for bin esposiolly, t►e
Cbtistian lesson inculcated.

The ball rang with applause, seek as we sever lased W-
iser, w►ea Mr. llamas cease to the sad; again sod &Pio,
las U. spasms died away, Is was teltiodlrel. sad Mrs.
Maltese, w►o sat is the side gallery, was petted with
assay spatial made of elteeriag. Whoa at length there
was a kW, Captais Tindal, the chsirwaa of the hastiest*,
was to the frost of the gallery sad reeved a rote of thanks
to Mr. Date.:o i II“d we soy that it was earried by accla-
mation ?

Mr. Mecum; in responding seta, yell WI bard *0
much of my raise sine we met to sight, that I will only
my, in acksowledgmest of this affeetiog mark of your re-
prd, that I am truly and sisserely isterested is you; that
say little sinks I have bees able to render you I ham,
freel3 readend from my heart—(applause)—that I hope to
Weenie an bosomy member of your great institution—
(great applause)—and wall meet you often there when It
becomes practically awful; t►at I thank you most agar
elosately for this sew token of your sympathy sad ap
prowl; mad that I wish you many happy returas of this
peat birthday time, ad may prosperous years. ((fires
cheering.)
Nearly Ms thoas►ad pesos& have attended the three
resdisp; is the hall on the last erasing we observed
Lord Calthorpe and hoe family ; the Hon. Mr. Littelton,
Mr. Freak Base, Mr. Wilkie Collins, Mr. W. H. Wells,
and some other literary celebrities.

,The **dame inclaied the modulus sad workwonea
tom the auutateetaties of Wiaftelds, Zaaastaes, Gillet.
liattlatass, Tipping sad Lawdes, Martateauead Co., Jar

am and Beitritip, WC.tilam sad Heaviest, Pejtos
and Harlow, Timms and Son, Timothy Smith and Soo,
Willits Aston, Chalice sad Co., John and Henry Lows,
Osier sad Co., du. Os this occasion so loss than 2,600 per-

. . .
sou Wu) must, sad thus we» hundreds of applieents
who weld sot shuts ulatssios.

OBBAT FIRE IN THE CITY.

On Saturday night the most extensive fire that
has centred in the City for some years broke out, and at
Ave o'clock last evening it was far from being extingaished,
although a great number of engines had been actively en.
gsged daring the whole time. The scene of the disaster is
• large seem of ground is the busiest part of the City, coin-
prising Bread-street, Friday-street, Watling-arse, and
Cheeped', sad it was covered by some of the largest ware-
houses to be found is the metropolis. From the fact of each
►uilding being flied with goods of many thousands of
pounds is value, it will be semi that as enormous amount of
property has been destroyed.
The first diseovery was made at half-pest tea, by one of
the City police, who in patrolling his boat peroeived as un-
usual glue in the first floor of the premises belonging to
![.sees. Wm. sad Frederick Towassile bat manufactunr,
sad Mann. Hutchinson and Spinet, carpet warehousemen,

No. 6, Breed•street. These preinisia were of eonsidarable
satent, being Ave Boors high, and etzetehiag backwards
nearly 100 fest to the roar of the large warehouses in Fri•
day-street. The officer, without a atentat's delay, sprang
his rattle and sent of fur the engines at the Wetling•atrwt
station, :end from thence for a body of police. Although
the distance from the fire to the sagias•how was only a
few yards the work of devestatioa had been so great In the
interval that on NI firemen earning into the street they
found that the eases bad already planed the various Asses
of the building. Without lose of time the *nisei the m-
ean were set to work, bet the Are had new simmed wok

formidable appearance as to defy all thaiv tat/tins ; sad
it was seemed advisable te send sa the w►ele of the Bait,
Weer, sad Scan station fir additional aid. The distant*
Wan* the water ode and Use burning property was too
gnat ter the powerful steam that to be called into ope.
noose.

L lees than half as hoar after the alarm had first Mee
gins, this brigade swims from Jefrey-quan, Farrisg-
dos•etreet, Cbsedorstrest, the West et lliaglaad, Rooth:

work- bridge-road, liolbura, sad various other depots, had
arrived ; and by this time the appearance of the fire had
become read is the eatrente, for the flames ragtime
oat dell the windows, and warthog over the cerriage•rosd,
were attackieg the premises of Meson. Foster sad Co.,
limps warehousemen, end those of Mesas. Groutack and

Ce., warehousemen, numbered respeetively 60 and 61, on
the opposite side of the street. Them lest named premises
extended backwards ea far as Bow Churchyard, so th►t if
the Ire bad not been arrested in its progress in that dine.
tion, the church would unquestionably have been placed in
great danger. The brigade firemen, under the direction of
the aupstintendent, Mr. Braidwood, and of Mr. Fogo, the
foreman, at once turned their engines on those buildings,
and by a copious discharge of water, succeeded in besting
out the Santee, but not until nearly all the frost windows
bed bean learned out, end a great deal of damage done to
the sonly entente, especially by water. Meantime the
lames eontiseed to run aloes the beck warehouses, firing
in samenea the premien of Mews. Liddiard and Co.,
warebonsemem, 61, Friday-street; than of Mean. B.
Willett and Co., No. 83, is the same stmt; and three of
Mean. Moir and Bea, No. 60, both warehousemen. At
the same time they attacked the warehouses of Messrs.
M.Kerrow and Bees, manufacturets, No. 61, Breed-street,
and throe of MOM. Douglas and Co., likewise mansion
toren, Nu. 6, l• the same street. The Bremen of the bri-
gade sad West of linelacd dice (the latter being under
the direction of Mr. Coanorton), sew made • vigorous at-
tempt to cosine the ire within its present limits, but
without the least names, and it landed the extensive ware-
hawse of Mr. Wm. May. Jan., sUk sad mohair manufac-
turer, No. 4, Breed-street; Mr. Thee. Greenlee% ware-
bousman ; and Messrs. Broughton, Bon, sad Co., hard-
ware and button wutkoasemen.
At this period every one present expected it would take a,
dean sweep through Friday-street and Cheapsids, for the
back pectin of the premises beisaglag to Mesas. Fawns
Brothers, palest soma kid glove makers, 41, is Cheepoids,
was already alight, and the Eames tram the other bosses
were rising to • mmaidereble dist•aee, and bringing out in
bold relief inspire of Bow Church and *edam' of St.Paars.
The flumes, sables daunted, however, kept at their pats;
but all that could be done for hours was to cut of the Eames
whom they made say attempt to extend to the eestiseou
►ouses.

—la the remises of Ilseers. Tows ad wen, besides their
great stock el namsfeetsred gods, soca begs of gam
sheiks, whisk bland fariouily the nomeat they were
*sited, sad ousel the whole of the extensive glass roof of
the show•reens to fall ie. The Are nomated through the
apertures thee made, sad quickly emmennicated to the ad.
joinleg property. The sight was ezeosiliagly old, sad the
water, though almost bailing whoa it rem e/ the buildings.
II as beano frosea, sad greatly impeded the &emus is
r their labours. lecke, two er three Willa log, were to be
seta hanging from the becks ef their Woos ; sad although
the heat was as greet in Messrs. Tormatirs premises, icicles
inuly a yard leap hasp from the frost windows sad from
the Whet of the shop. The stabs of the other bosses
through whisk the leather pipes bed bees takes were also
emend with ice, which made it esesediegly diagnose On
the lino= to either mend er dossed by then.
By 1 o'clock is Dandy morals( the eselegratin was at
its height, sad such a body of lame has see boa sees
within the bonds:les el the City shoes the pest fro is
Nark-lase, KM pan siren. A crowd of nary thousands
was attracted to the spot, bat, owing to the Weibull,
arnageneots of the City pollee, a way was kept clear for
the Aremea, mad so sesidemts weaned.
Nollso ie at peens, ksowa as to the sense of Oil', the
fourth gnat Ire to the City, while the last fortmight. The
premises of Mses. Towessii west shod at 20 Wastes
past 10, sad the last pence who left had barely left Old
Change, whet he lewd the ay of •• Fire " prom. lie
mused back, mad lied the loess Its lad just locked up to
Isom It M however, wiry visatiesiable whether the fire
broke out to these premises or it the sAjoisiag. Previous
to Isaias up the wantons for the sight the plies was
carefully iespestel, the gee MB tamed off at the nat. sad
all the Ares is the establishment wen supposed Mbar:bees
properly extiogeithed.
The whole ogee of premises ef the Yours. Toresed
hare bees levelled with the (rowed, with the empties of
the hen frost wall, sad that is la a very dainerous wadi.
she.. The Meek is Mode was twist as bury as it was et
the seas time kit year, bet the whole has been corisumed.
The books sad etseehen belaying to the Ana were sand,
bane" bees dopoeliel is leo of Main's Impost safer
Poreentely, the sedierem wore Owed both is the Sea sad
is the Legal sad CO/Mania
The ponies et Yeses.. Brouglitea tad Soo, No. 4,
Bread-street, ass sloe deemed, end the emulate ..evened
—issereses .skaowa at prosest.
7be whole et the oluthie Nest is trade et tar. Ro-
bot Crooalaaa is also destroyed—lasatasee likewise ea-

kaoww.
The ashable stook of silks sad asitals goods thisis‘og
to Yr. W. May, Jos., No. 4, lirsoistsest, halo been to
Wltisst likswiss talisman.
The psoahrty of Mows. Hutchinson sad itoilka, wasp
lousomso, h Essisoyed ; it is sot koowo whether It was
Ward or am.