The Express.
London, England, 1849-12-06 00:00:00

THE LATE QUEEN DOWAGER.

We have reason to believe that the usual ceremony
of " lying in state" will be dispensed with for the first time
during many centuries in the cue of her late Majesty the
Queen Dowager. It appears that an objection exists to the
ceremony taking place at Bentley Priory, in consequence of
that mansion not being royal property. The removal of the
late Queen's remains to Llndon for the purpose is also
thought undesirab'e on many accounts, not the least of
which ie said to he the great ri,k of accident from the rush
of spectators who we aid inevitably endeavour to obtain ad-
mission to the ceremony. Another deviation from the usual
custom with deceased members of the royal family is the
omission of the process of embalming the body, which has
been dispensed with by express desire of her late lamented
Majesty. The second coffin, which is lined throughout
with lead, was sent down to S:anmore yesterday. The fu-
neral, it is generally supposed, will take place at Windsor on
&dual, the 15in instant.

CHURCH OF ENGLAND SELF-SUPPORTING
VILLAGE SOCIETY.

Yesterday evening an assembly was convened at
Exeter Hall to witness the distribution of the prizes offered
oy a member of the committee of the oboes society for the I
three bent essays by the sork'nri_classes on the objects of the ,
society. The Rev. litod HIMHZB, D.D., Rector of
St. John, Clerkenwell, preside!. The proceedings were
opened with prayer.
The R:v. CHAIRMAN, after a few prefatory observe-
dons, said the subject of the essays for which prizes had
been offered was the practicability of self-supporting villages,
established on the basis of love to God and love to man, as
adequate motive' to exertion, without the aids of competi
Lion. It was indubirabe that competition was attended
with many evils, and that while it enriched a few it left
a large mass of the community in poverty and misery.
This state of things had awakened the anxiety of Christian
and patriotic hearts. The iefiu,ntial erring of the pre*.
displayed an excellent spirit in pleading the cause of the
toiling and suffering poor. But many reflecting men
thought that the writers dealt only with the outward
symptoms, and did not go to the root of the disease ;
and they were of opinion that Christianity was intended to
introduce, not a system of anxious comj.etition, but one of
mutual cooperation. He would not express himself strongly
in reference to a system which had the approval of so many
wise men; but he must declare his belief that there was
something essentially wrong in our social system. And
when they saw matters getting worse and worse, the consti-
tution in danger, and the ministers of religion impeded in
their efforts by the sufferings of the poor, it was high time
to think o: something beyond the construction of railroads,
the production of manufactures, the iturzsvement in agri-
culture, or even the extension of church s. (Hear, hear.)
These considerations led to the formation of a society, the
of of which was to combine the physical improvement
with the moral el, vation of the working classes. Christianity
was intended to benefit the human race on earth as well as
to prepare it for heaven—(hear, hear)—and the design of
the society was to bring that holy religion to bear on the
present as well as the future condition of man, to
direct the head, to guide the hand, and to cul-
tivate tt e heart of the industrious classes. With this
view it had been proposed to form self-supporting accieties,
subject to certain laws, in which the co-operative should be
substituted for the competing principle, and the moving
principle of which should be " glory to God and good will
to man." Berne months ago Mr. Morgan offered three
priors one of 251., one of 151, and one of 101., for prises to
be written by members of the working chases en this into-
resting subiect, and they were assembled that evening to
witness the result of that muntficent offer. (Cheers.)
Letters were then read from Lord Ashley, Lord R. Gros-
venor, the Bishop of Oxford, and the Rev. T. Dale, in which
was expressed, in general terms, approval of the society's
object.
The following letter had, it was stated, been received in
reply to a communication which had been forwarded to the
President of the French Republin ;
" Sir,—Through the publication of your plan for self-sup-
porting villages, on Christian principles, you have thrown
fresh light on one of those questions which most ebeerve to
be seriously entertained. The President of the Republic,
• accordingly, accepts with pleasure the handsome copy of your
I work, which you have been kind enough to present to him.
Your b-ok is deserving. in all respects, of his most particular
• attention, and as the President feels fur.her your gcodncss
in placing a work of his side by side with your own, he has
commissioned me to assure you of his most ample scknow-

lodgments." •
This letter was signed by the chief secretary.
• A report woe then read, in which it was stated that the
three prizes had been thus awarded : —251. to Mr. Hallam, a
working cutler ; 151. to Mrs. El'ztbeth Jacket, the wife of a
sawyer at Devoe port ; and 101. to Mr. Waller, a working
man near York. It was further stated that Mr. Morgan had
offered to the clergy three prizes-501., 301., and 201., for
essays on the same subject, and that several had been for
warded to the committee ; and in allusion to the declaration
of an eminent statesman in the Huse of Commons that it
was not to be expected that the strong would join the weak
for such purposes as that contemplated, it was observed that
811 persons bad, within a few days, expremd their willing-
ness to enter seltsupporting salves
On the motion of the Res. Mr. LARKEN, rector of
Burton, near Lincoln, the report was unanimously adopted.