The Express.
London, England, 1866-01-01 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, MONDAY EVENING, JANUARY 1, 1866.

that man, or body of men, but in the state of our
public thoroughfares ; and that these have hell
fewer homeless outcasts than have been seen for
many winters past any observegban testify whose
business or pleasure takes him alid at night.
In proof of the usefulness of fflosely examining
into parish administration we may again quote the
curious perversity of the wandering paupers of St.
Olave's and Bermondsey, which a short time back
resulted in upwards of a hundred males obtaining
admission at the latter workhouse in a week, while
but three or four took shelter in the former one in
the same period. It was freely stated that this
discrepancy was to be accounted for by the awkward
fact that admission was illegally refused at St.
Olive's to all male applicants. This wail stoutly
denied, but on our asking to see the wards at the
hour when they were supposed to be ready for bl-
oomers permission was refused, on the ground of its
being " inconvenient "to show them. Upon a
subsequent occasion we were more fortunate,
and on presenting the official order we bad taken
the precaution to procure, the sleeping
cellars appropriated to casuals at St. Olave's were
thrown open to us. This second visit was made
within half an hour of midnight, and the majority
of the beds were empty. The alleged refusals to
admit were again formally denied, and half a dozen
men in the week, against a hundred in the work-
house a few streets off, was declared to be due to
the small size of the parish we were in. Last week
the subject was referred to at the board
of guardians, and the statements in "the
public prints " again denounced as untrue,
the master, it was said, not having re-
fused admission to any one for a very long time.
Concurrently with the publication of this speech is
the return of casuals admitted, showing that 38
men were sheltered at St. Olave's in the preceding
seven days. Is it unreasonable to conclude that,
although wayfarers and wanderers are not habitual
readers of the daily press, there may be some
mysterious connection between this increase of
more than a thousand per cent, and the questions
we publicly asked as to the cause of the singular
discrepancy between the numbers relieved at St.
Olave's and Bermondsey I

OUR CONTEMPORARIES.
(THIS DAY.)

1 nine mouths of 2,833,5004 lostead of this, the actual de.
crease far those nine nreetke is but 1,116,8484, or not very
much mete a third of what spa anticipated. Upon
the quarter result is even more remarkable, the actual
decrease but 62,18*, against an avenge estimated
decrease 0444,5001. Imily, taking lita whole year 1863
as compared with 1864, the decrease is lee than • million.
If the next quarter be but proportionately favourable, we
ean hardly fail to find ourselves in the receipt of two mil.
lions more than we anticipated. It will be an easy task to
reduce taxation, and when we consider what an immense
Moreau in the comforts of the poor must be represented by
the additional ten million pounds of tee consumed, we may
well rejoice at any further opportunity of pursuing the
same beneficent policy. Yet, perhaps, the Times adds.
with this continual advance in our income it would be at
once just and prudent to pay more attention than we have
done of late to the reduction of oar enormous debt. Every
reduction of debt is a reduction of taxation, and a perm-
neat one ; and only less appreciable because spread over •
larger number of years. If we could get rid of the whole
debt, our taxation would be at once reduced by 25,000,0004
a year. In fact, when we spply the whole of a surplus to
the immediate relief of taxation we are simply appropriat-
ing the whole benefit of our prosperity to ourselves, and
denying any of it to our utoosesors.

gig erOUTI.

OSBORNE, Dir. 30.
Her jesty the Queen drove out yesterday
afternoon, sastespenisd by the Princess Louie*.
The Hereditary Prince and Princess of Hohenzollern,
Infanta of Portugal, arrived yesterday on a visit to her
Majesty, attended by Countess Renaud and Baron de
Branchitsch.

The Princess Helena and Prince Arthur, attended by
Lady Churchill, the Hon. Major-General Hood. sad Major
Elphinstone, drove down to East Cowes to meet the Prince
and Princess, who =aged o►er in the royal yacht Alberta,
from Southampton, and acoompanied them to Osborne, where
they were received by the Queen,
The Prince and Princess dined with her Majesty and the
royal family in the evening.

Dec. 31.

The Queen and Princess Helena, with the Hereditary
Prince and Princes, of Hohenzollern, drove out yesterday
afternoon, attended by Major-General the Hon. A. Hood.
In the evening the Hereditary Prince and Princess, and
Prince and Princess Leiningen dined with her Majesty and
the royal family.
The ladies and gentlemen in attendasoe bad the honour
of joining the royal circle after dinner.
Hass Majesty, Printer Helena, Princess Louise, and
Prince Arthur attended Divine service at Whippingluun
Church this morning, where the Rev. G. Prather°
of6ciated.

Despatches were received on Saturday at the Colonial•
office from the Governors of the West India Islands.
Despatches were sent to the Governor of Canada.

PRESENT FROM THE QUEEN TO HER

GRANDSON.

Her Majesty has just presented to her royal
grandson, Prince Victor, a splendid baptismal gift. This
work of art has been nearly two years in hand ; it was in-
tended to have been presented on the first anniversary of
the young prince's birth—the 10th of March last—but the
great amount of artistic labour required for its completion
caused the presentation to be delayed until now. The
work consists of a statuette of the late Prinoe Consort in
silver, and stands 3 feet 2i inches in height. His royal high-
nese is in a standing position with gilt armour, copied from
the figure upon the tomb of the Earl of Warwick in War-
wick Cathedral. He is represented as Christian in the " Pil-
grim's Progress," and around the plinth on which the figure
stands is the verse from Timothy, " I have fought a good
fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith."
Behind the figure, and resting upon the stump of an oak,
is the helmet of Christian. The shield of the prince rests
against the stem, and near the tree are the white lilies of
Purity, which are usually introduced into the picture of the
Pilgrim. Immediately beneath the plinth, and in front of
the entablature of the pedestal, is the inscription :—" Given
to Albert Victor Christian Edward, on the occasion of his
baptism, by Victoria R., his grandmother and godmother,
in memory of Albert, his beloved grandfather." In the
panel below, and over the royal arms, is the verse :

My Bose of Love with jean I laid In earth,
My Lily ! Purity, bath soared to Heaven :
tint Faith still lives, and Benin this new birth,
How both once more to cheer my soul are given.
On the panel on the aide, over the Queen and Prince
Consort's arms, is the verse—

Fight the good fight He fought, and still like him—
Cherish the How ers of Purity and Love :
So shall He when thy earthly joys grow dim,
lint greet them in our' aviour's home above.
On • third panel, and over the arms of the Prince and
Prisons of Wales, is the verso—
Walk as He walked in faith and righteousness :
btrtve as He strove, the weak and poor to aid.
Seek not thyself but other men to bless :
So win like Him a wreath that will 00i fade.

Beneath the front panel, over the figures "1864," are in-
' scribed in large rim letters the prince's names, Albert
Victor Christian Edward : and in an oblong panel, " Born
January the Bth, baptised March 10th." Looking to the
front of the work a figure of Hope stands at the right aide,
one of Faith on the left ; and behind, or in the third niche,
is a group of Charity each of oxydised silver. At the aide
of each figure and group there are lilies in enamel. Upon
the frieze over the figure of Faith are the words, "Walk
as he walked—in Faith," the last word being inscribed be-
neath the figure. In the same manner, in connexion with
the figure of Hope, are the words, "Strive as he strove in
Hope ;" and ever the group of Charity, also in enamel,
are the words, " Think as he thought in—Charity." Over
Faith there is a lily of purity ; over Hope the water lilly,
having appropriate reference to the baptism of the young
prince ; and over the group of Charity, and resting upon
the top of the niche, there is the lilly of the valley. The
front panel contains in the centre the royal arms of Eng-
land, surmounted by the crown. The left side, as you look
at the panel, has the arms of the late Prince Consort,
and at the other side the arms of the Prince of Wales. The
mottoes of each shield are thrown into flowing ribbons.
The entire treatment of this group is in a fanciful and
allegorical style. Jost beneath the royal shield is • white
lily bending down over a broken rose, with, upon the back-
ground (of the rose) the word "Frogmare." To the right
of the Prince of Wales's shield there is • figure of an infant
boy looking up at a full-blown rose, which stands erect
upon a perfect stem, with beside it a white lily, and imme-
diately over the baby figures a bunch of snowdrops, em-
blematic of youth or spring. The entire group is enriched
by the rose, thistle, and shamrock, tastefully introduced
to form a background. The ebony (or black) moulding
points to the death of the prince, and the white stars
symbolise the heaven in which the Primie Consort now
dwells. The arms of the Queen in one shield, dex-
ter ; and in a second shield, sinister, are the arms of the late
prince. The panel is filled as the front one with • tasteful
arrangement of the rose, thistle, and shamrock. The re-
manna; panel is filled in the same manner, but with, dexter,
the Pnnce of Wales's arms, and those of Denmark sinister.
The design throughout is medieval in character, and as•
work of art reflects the highest credit upon Mr. E. H.
Corbould, by whom it was designed. The figures have been
beautifully modelled by Mr. W. need ; and the work has
been executed in the highest style of art by Messrs.
Ellnegton and Co. Additional and melancholy interest is
imparted to the work from the circumstance of the inscrip-
tions having been written by the Queen herself, who has
watched with mingled feelings of joy and sadness the pro-
gress towards completion of this interesting gift to her
grandson. The verses were written by Mrs. Prothero, the
wife of the rector at Whippiugham, near Osborne, in the
Isle of Wight. —o:zerver.

A new residence for the Prince of Wales will be
immediately commenced in the Windsor Great-park, near
Cumberland Lodge. It is thought that the new lodge
will be ready to receive the Prince and Princess with their
suite at the end of the summer, when it is expected the
piety of Windsor, so long dormant, will once more be re-
sumed.

His Excellency Count Lavradio is expected to
arrive at the Portuguese L,gation about the middle of the
mouth from Lisbon, in order to resume his diplomatic
duties.

The Duke and Duchess of Argyll and family will
shortly leave luverary Castle, N. 8., for their residenoe
et Campdeo-hill, Kensington. His grace will be in town
for the Cabinet Council on the 9th instant.

The Duchess Dowager of Sutherland, since her
return to Stafford House, St. James's, from Inverary
Castle, the Duke and Duchies of Argyll's neat in Scotland,
has been slightly indisposed and unable to receive any
visitors.

The Earl and Countess of Derby have bad a
select family circle staying with them at Knowsley, in-
eluding the lion. Frederick Arthur Stanley, M.P., Lady
Constance Stanley, and Colonel the Hon. P. W. and Lady
Emma Talbot. The Earl and Countess of Derby are ex.
pected to leave Knowsley for London about the third week
in the month.

The Right Hon. B. Disraeli and Mrs. Disraeli
have returned to Hagheaden Menor from Hatfield House.

Sir Charles Wood will attend, it is, expected, the
Cabinet Council summoned for the 9th inst.

It is stated that Mr. Edward Buller, the member
for North Northamptonshire, is to be created a baronet.

Mrs. Longworth-Yelverton has commenced an
action for libel against the proprietors of the Glasgow
North British Daily Mail, on account of an article which
appeared in their paper commenting favourably oe the
verdict in " Longworth v. Saturday Review." A similar
action will be brought on the same grounds against the
Pall-Mall Gazette.

Sir Fitzroy Kelly concludes a letter to the Times
on the subject of the malt tax with saying, " Your own
polished allusions to myself and my sincerity towards the
farmers I pass by. You may say what you will of me to
them. Be assured they'll never come to you for my cha-
racter."

It is generally thought that Sir Edwin Landseer
wilt be elected president of the Royal Academy ea encoemor
to the late Sir Charles Eastlake.

The Comte de Paris and the Due de Chartres
are spending the Chriatmu holidays with a shooting party
at the seat of the Comte de Jarnu, near Thomastowo,
county of Kilkenny.

The Prince imperial has received as a Christmas
gift from the Emperor of Austria, through Prises de Met-
ternich, the Grand Cross of the Order of St. Stephea, so.
oempsaied by as autograph letter.