The Express.
London, England, 1867-09-12 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, THURSDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER I%

ruffianism. The demeanour of Mr. Overeud's and of Mr.
Pickering's witnesses corresponds as clomly as the sub-
stance of their confessions. The same shamelessness of
avowal is united with the same blundering attempts at
evasion. To confess everything that' they must sad to
conceal all that they can is the idea of making a clean
breast of it common to both the incriminated trades.
But to estimate the character of Trade Societies generally
by the facts brought out in these inquiries is as absurd as
it would be to judge of the prevalence of crime in a com-
munity by the proportion of prisoners acquitted to pri-
soners convicted after gaol delivery. The appeals
which some journals are making to middle and
upper class prejudices can answer no good pur-
pose, and the labour and eloquence thus spent
would be more rationally employed in pointing out to arti-
sans themselves the special dangers and temptations to
which trades' unions are liable. If such a law as seems
to be desired—prohibiting free association and joint action
within the limit. of the law, could pass the legislature, its
only effect would be to make combinations secret, and to
multiply their violence and excesses.

Ertl, Court.

EALSIORAL, Sir. 10.

The Queen went yesterday to Loch Muick, ac-
cump►nied by Princess Louise and Princess Beatrice, and
attended by Lady Churchill.
Princess Christian, attended by Lady Susan Melville,
went out riding.
Prince Christian, attended by Lieutenant-Colonel Gor-
don, went deer stalking.
Lady Napier left the Castle yesterday.

A Committee of the Lords of her Majesty's Most Hon.
Privy Council sat yesterday at the Privy Council-office,
Whitehall, on the subject of the cattle plague. The lords
present were the Right Hon. Gathorne Hardy and Lthe
Right Hon. E. Hammond.
Despatches were received yesterday at the Colonial-
office from the Governor-General of Canada.

Despatches were sent to the Governors of Gibraltar and
Malta.

BANK OF ENGLAND.-(THIS DAY.)

A half-yearly general court was held at noon at
the Bank ; the Governor, Mr. THOMAS NEWMAN HUNT,
presiding.
The minutes of the list court having bean read and
confirmed,

The CHAIRMAN stated that he bed to inform the court
that this was one of the quarterly general courts ap-
pointed by the charter, and also one of the half-
yearly general courts appointed by the 12th bye-law for
snaking a dividend. The net profits of the half-year end-
ing 31st August last were 628,072/. 16a. 10d.; making the
amount of the rest on that day 3,637,003/. 14s. 11d.:
and, after providing • dividend of 4j per cent, the
rest would be 3,002,118/. 14s. 11d. The court of
directors, therefore, proposed that a half-yearly dividend
of interest and profits be made on the 10th of October
next of 4i per cent., without deduction on account of the
income tax.

The CHAIRMAN then put the question that the above
dividend be made, which wu carried nem. eon.
The CHAIRMAN next announced that the dividend war-
rants would be delivered and paid on Friday, the 11th of
October.

The minutes of this meeting having been read,
On the motion of ➢fr. SEBAo, seconded by Mr. LAW-
RENCE LEVY, a cordial vote of thanks was given to the
court of directors.

The CHAIRMAN, in reply, thanked the proprietors for
this renewed expression of their confidence. They might
regret that the dividend was not larger, but the cause was
quite evident, namely, the diminished value of the deposits
in the bank ; and he did not think that anyone would de-
sire to return to what they saw last year even for the sake
of getting a larger dividend.
The court then separated.

The Right Hon. H. T. L. Corry, First Lord of
the Admiralty, is to visit Liverpool to-day to distribute the
prizea on board the school frigate Conway. He will also
inspect Messrs. Laird's shipbuilding works, and view the
general resources of the port. _ _

The Right Hon. Gathorne Hardy arrived at the
Home•oifee yesterday morning from his seat in Kent.
The authorities at the War-office have issued an
order for an inereaae of 2d. per day to the pay of all ranks
of the militia.

It is announced that Mr. Sothern will appear at
the Haymarket as Lord Dandreary on the 14th of next
month.

The new graving and floating docks in Belfast
are to be opened with great Eclat on the 2nd October.

Among the well:known persona who have been
elected to the parliament of Northern Germany may be
mentioned Count Schwerin and M. Michaelis in Pomerania,
and M. Pleasing at Lubeck.

A curious work has been published at Breslau
lately by a Dr. Hermann Cohn, giving the result of an
examination of the eyes of 10,060 school children. The
proportion of short-sighted children was 17'1 per cent.,
or 1,730 among 10,060. No village children were found to
be short-sighted until they had been some time at school—
at least half a year. Dr. Cohn attributes the evil in •
great measure to the bad construction of school benches,
which force the children to read with their books close
before their eyes and with their heads held downwards.
The obstinate adherence to the ancient Gothic character in
printing and writing, to which Englishmen are generally
inclined to attribute the prevailing near-sightedness of
Germans, is not alluded to by Dr. Cohn.
Prince de Metternich has left for Johannisberg,
whence he will proceed to his estates in Bohemia. and
there spend his holiday, remaining probably until the Bth
October, when the Emperor and Empress of Austria are
expected to oome to Paris. It is proposed that some 'plea-
did fetes shall then take place there. Besides the usual
dinners and special entertainments, a ball will most likely
be given by the denies de la Halle, who have not for a
long time made • public appearance in the evening.

The Ammo/ de Paris ia of opinion that it would
be wrong to despise the forces of which the Abyssinian
King disposes :—" His organised army includes 2,000
Europeans, deserters and banditti from all countries—all
energetic people,who have drilled andezereised Theodore's
soldiers, all pretty well equipped and armed with mus-
kets. It is said even th►t Theodore has a small park of
field artillery."

The Grand Duchess Helen of Russia was present
on Saturday evening, is the Imperial box, at the Thefitre
Italian, Paris, to witness the performance of Sonnambufa.
General de Ls Martnora has arrived in Paris
from Germany, where he visited the battle-field of Sadowa
and other remarkable plasma of the late war.

The Figaro, in mentioning some particulars of
Dr. Veron's long career, relates the following :—Count
Molt one day met the celebrated actress Rachel at the
doctor's : It was after her brilliant triumph in Phldre.
" Madame," said the minister with that exquisite grace
which characterised him, " You have saved the French
language !" Rachel made a low curtsey, and, turning to-
wards the doctor, said :—" It is so much the mote fortu-
nate that I learnt it."

Mgr. Labmtida, Archbishop of Mexico, who
formed part of the deputation which went to Miramar to
offer the mown to Maximilian, has arrived in Paris,

Count de Munster, Hereditary Marshal of the
former kingdom of Hanover, had addressed a letter to
King George recommending his Majesty to renounce his
throne. Receiving no reply, the count recently renewed
his advice in a letter to the Prince Royal- According to
the Sticking organs, the King will send no answer to this
communication either, and he will even send back un-
opened any future letters that the count may forward.
This means that his Majesty will not renounce hie rights,
u some journals stated.

A letter from Cane• says :—" Omar Pacha may
be seen at Cane• sitting at his window smoking his long
Turkish pipe ; he looks • good deal pulled down lately,
and has • nasty cough."
_ _ _

A rare animal in the south of Europe, the lynx,
has been captured in the department of the Maritime Alpe,
with her family of young one,.

A letter from Melbourne says :—" Our new poet-
office, which has been about nine years in building, is
finished et last. It is a really magnificent structure, and
would be an ornament to any capital in Europe. It was
opened for the first time for the reception of the last Euro-
pean mails."