The Express.
London, England, 1866-01-22 00:00:00

THE OXFORD.—The MARKET GIRLS, by
Offsets°ls 11 Trontore, end the Schiller Centenary Can-
tata. by ileyerbeer, will be performed by the whole of the
c Company. The Hungarians will also Introduce tbeir
Operatic Company. fle Hungarians wili al.o Intro4uc. tbeir
l(st&oual Entertalnmeat THIS EVENING. Private boxes,
10e. 61; Ma!hand balcony, la ; area, ed.

§lO DA RE.—T he HOLIDAYS.—THEATRE
of MYSTERY, Egyptian-hon.—MARVELS In MAGIC and
RILOQUISM, u performed by cornmand before her
Majesty the Queen and the Royal Family at Windsor, Tuesday
Evening, Nov. 21, MOW. The marvellous SPHINX, the birth of
Flower Trees, and itiodare's celebrated Indian Basket Feat, as
only performed by him—EVERY EVENING, at S; Wednesday
Saturday, at A—Stalls at Mitchell's, Old Bond street, and
EgyptiambalL—Admiadon, Is and Ss. ; Stalls, 3a.
" Almost miraculous."—Vide " The Timsa," April IS, ISO.

THE PANTHEON TURKISH BATHS,
Ldlee.tendsYs.tri :baireau&r.,ata rti2er days.

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" ONCE A WEEK."-NEW SERIES.

FIRST MONTHLY PART, Jan. 21th. L.

EXTRA ILLUSTRATIONS by Eminent
Artists.

" THE VAGRANTS," drawn by F. WALKER.
An extra full-page Illustration on Toned raper. In
ONCE A WEEK."

" THE RACE FOR WEALTH." By the
JL Author of "George Geith." le "ONCE A WEEK."

" SANS MERCI." By the Author of "Guy
Livingstone." In "ONCE A WEEK."

"ONCE A WEEK." ILLUSTRATED.

THE SUNDAY GAZETTE, containing all the
latest Telegrams and Expresses of Saturday, exclusive and
early political information, and comprehensive City Intelli-
gence, the professional news and epitome of public opinion
of Saturday, Is published every SUNDAY MORNING in time
for distribution In the neighbourhood of London by 9 o'clock.

THE PAT OF LETTER CARRIERS.—At a recent
meeting of the letter carriers, sorters, stamper., and
messengers of the London district, it was resolved to
petition the Postmaster• General for an increase of pay, on
the ground of the dearness of provisions cod the high rate
of rent. A meeting was held at the school-room, Alders-
gate-street, on Saturday night, for the purpose of receiving
the answer which had been made to the deputation. The
reply was :—" I think it is very doubtful whether it can
be established that the costs of provisions and other
articled of necessary consumption has increased of late
years, with perhaps the exception of butcher's meat, at
the present moment. Bread, tea, coffee, anger, and other
groceries, and many articles from which Excise and
Customs duties have been removed, can be obtained even
at a lower rate. Ido not think, therefore, there are just
grounds for asserting that the cost of living has materially
increased, and lam not prepared to entertain this applica-
tion. It is probable that house rent is higher, sad I shall
be glad to find that railway companies are disposed to give
the proposed accommodation of early trains, which will tend
to remove the ground of complaint. I therefore entirely
approve the proposed arrangements, which on every ammunt
are desirable, and will, I hope, prove advantageous to the
officers of this department." This epistle was received with
loud hisses and other expressions of contempt, that part
relating to early trains exciting much laughter. A dis-
cussion afterwards took place to consider whether any
other steps could be adopted for obtaining their wishes.
DARTHOOII..—The fall of snow has been un-
usually heavy on Dartmoor lately. At Priocetown on the
night of the storm it was from 12ft. to 16ft. deep, and it
so blocked up the prison officers' quarters that they were
obliged to be dug out before they could go to their duty.
The convicts were engaged in making paths from the gaol
to the houses during the day after the storm—a work
accomplished with great difficulty. It has been reported
that the Fenian prisoners had arrived at Dartmoor Prison,
but this is not correct. They are at Pentonville.
THE EMPEROR NAPOLEON AND MR. COBDEN.—
One evening, on his return home, he asked a friend whom
he found awaiting him whether he could guess in whose
company he had spent the last hour. " You must keep it
a secret," he said, laughing ; "by which I mean that you
must really tell nobody; for although, as you know, I
hate mysteries, it would make me very uncomfortable if
the thing were talked of." Hie companion guessed in
vain, and was at last told that the volunteer envoy had
had an interview with the Emperor. Strange to 'ay, a
rumour of the fact ran through the clubs and eaft's the
game night ; and his confidant being questioned on the
point, could hit upon no more innocent way of throwing
public curiosity off the scent than by suggesting gravely
that the blunderer who had watched at the gate of St.
Cloud might have mistaken Lord Brougham for Mr. Cob-
den. It is not, perhaps, surprisiug that he was not proof
against the fascination of manner and of calm indomitable
will that has contributed so much to the creation, and
still more to the consolidation, of all hut unlimited power
in the present ruler of France. The interview had been
desired by his Majesty, end it was valued at the moment
by the ardent free trader not as a compliment to the
reputation he hail already earned, but as the expression of
a ugecions wish to be further informed by competent
authority how the revenue of a county might be secured
with lightened taxation, and how the wages of labour might
be enhanced while invested capital, long used to the arti-
ficial shelter and forcing beds of protection, was exposed to
the all-penetratiog breath of free competition. Beside the
political hazard attendant on any failure of a financial
experimsut, Napoleon 111. had, by the necessity of his
position, to incur the greatest amount of personal reopen.
sibility—we had almost said peril—in the matter. No
one believed, and no one could be made to believe, that
the idea of revolutionising the commercial system of France
originated with any minister or any party in or out of
doors. What Turgot had so memorably tried and failed to
do in the days of legitimate absolutism, there was no man
who would venture officially to recommend under the new
order of things. Republicans and constitutionalists had
always been divided in opinion about the theory of trade,
and the traditions of the first empire all seemed to oar the
way. The compact weigh tof vested interests lay heavily in one
scale, and there was little of any weight in the other but
a conviction of truth and right and policy in the mind of
the taciturn and nedemonstiative sovereign. What must
have been the incisive foice, unaided and self-adequate,
that wrought io such a mind as that of the Emperor's such
a conviction! Whet would we not give for a snatch of that
first conversation, to be followed up in due time by others
of like import, between two men so utterly end intensely
opposite in their ways of thought and action ! On more
than one occasion invitations to the imperial table were
proffered, and a wish was intimated through the proper
quarter that Mr. Cobden might be included among the au-
tumnal guests at Compiegne. But the repugnance to court
ceremony and state of every kind was too inveterate to be
overcome. He had
such honour in his own country, he said, and how could he
ecoopt it therefore in another.—British Quarterly Review,
January number.
Rossi OWE-N'S SONS.—Robert Owen left two
sons in America, both of whom have had somewhat distin-
guished careen. David Dale Owen was, perhaps, the most
serviceable practical geologist that the country ever had,
Educated in good Swiss colleges, he returned and made •
valuable reconnoissance of the geological features of
Indiana, of which be became state geologist. His ability
being recognised be was employed to make surveys of their
mineral wealth and geological structure by the states of
lowa, Wisconsin, bits:moots, and Kentucky. His reports
were invaluable, and will form the basis of all subsequent
explorations of this vast region. His work on the geology
of Indiana is especially valuable. He was a few years ago
elected the state geologist of Arkansas, and he had nearly
completed his surveys of that region when the exposures to
which he had been subjected in the prosecution of his work
brought on the dimmers of which he died at the age of 50.
Robert Dale Owen, his brother, entered upon the career
of a denuscratio politician, and was elected to the Congress
of the United States, where he served in the term from
1843 to 1847. For some reason, probably because of the
extreme pro-slavery tendencies of the democracy, he turned
his attention to other things, and wrote two books—" New
Views of Society" and " Nista up Public Architecture"—
both of which have considerable merit. He partook of the
spiritistie excitement, and produced the work which has
bums • text-book of the "cirelee•—" Footfalls oa the
Bentedarks of Another World.' Sines the late civil war
Degas be bee devoted his athletics to polities esggautnn.. and
written influsetial arguments In favour of a osoclamation
of sesancirtlee before one was ironed by Mr. Lincoln, and,
reently, se favour of negro sarage.—Preser'sMOCKLlißC
for JAMMU,.
Ltranroox, JAN. 2L—Tbe extra Cunard steamer
Marathon, Omesia M'Mlcksa, from New York en the 6th
tart., salved bore at 1 p.m. to-day. Mar news has brae
anticipate&