The Express.
London, England, 1851-07-14 00:00:00

THE ROYAL AND FOREIGN COMMIS-

SIONERS AT LIVERPOOL

On Saturday morning the Royal Commissioners
and Executive Committee of the Great Exhibition, with
many distinguished foreigners, arrived in Liverpool, on the
invitation of William Brown, Esq., the member for South
Lancashire, for the purpose of accepting that gentleman's
hospitality on board the steam-ship Atlantic. Besides the
noblemen and gentlemen more immediately connected with
the Exhibition, including the representatives of all na-
tions, all the distinguished foreigners in England holding
official situations were invited, together with the lord-lieu-
tenant and high sheriff, the mayors of the various towns of
Lancashire, and select personal friends. The several toast'
drunk during the evening of course included " The health
of the Royal Commissioners," in responding to which Lord
GranviUe observed that it was most appropriate that men
who were assembled to promote the arts and industry, and
to forward the comforts of mankind, should meet on a ves-
sel of this sort. The idea was most happy, and showed
how absurd it is to prophesy that anything is im-
possible at the present day. His lordship next re-
ferred to the various matters connected specially
with the town and trade of Liverpool that had come
before him as a member of the Board of Trade. He
bad been one of a committee to see whether a line of packets
trading from the United States to this port, in friendly com-
petition with this line, should be removed from Liverpool or
not, and he and his colleagues had reported that it should
not be removed. lie did not claim any thanks for the com-
mittee from the people of Liverpool for coming to this deci-
sion, for, if they had found it would have done any good for
Ireland, they knew Liverpool could take care of herself, and
that might have great weight in altering the conclusion at
which they had arrived. His lordship next referred to the
Gunpowder Bill. It was not for him, he said, to complain
that the people of Liverpool had an objection to being
blown up ;' but he would not say too much, lest he should
alarm their southern neighbours as to the removal of the
magazines to their vicinity. (Laughter and cheers.) Re-
ferring to the progress made by the port of Liverpool, the
noble speaker said that in the reign of George 111. the ex-
retent of docks was not mo than some few hundred yards,
while now they extend over four miles, and will soon reach
five ; at the former period the population was only 86,000,
now it is over half a million.

amiss other toasts having been given and responded to,
the company returned ashore to partake of the mayor's hos-
piolity. Upwards of 900 'guests had assembled at the Town
Hall, where the evening was terminated apparently with
universal satisfaction.

TEIE LATE COLONEL ROBERTS, R.A. Colonel
W. Roberts, who bad been on the retired full-pay 16tsome
years, died on the 9th ichtant at an advanced age. Ile
entered the Royal Artillery as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1793,
served in the Peninsular from May, 1810 to October, 1812 ;
again from Mar, 1813, to the end of the war in 1814, and
was present at the defence of Cadiz, the Battle of Barruss4
and the capture of Seville. The late Colonel Roberts had
received the Gold Medal for Barron, in which battle he
commanded a battery.