The Express.
London, England, 1867-07-03 00:00:00

THE VISIT OF THE VICEROY OF EGYPT.

We are authorized to state that the Lord Mayor
(Mr. Alderman Gabriel) and the Lady Mayoress will en-
tertain his Highness the Viceroy of Egypt at a grand ban-
quet at the Mansion-house, on Thursday, the 11th inst.,
his Highness having accepted the invitation given to him
by the Lord Mayor at Paris.

THE LONDON C 911 CAM BINATION.—The
Cabmen's Trade Union Society, only recently established,
promises to be a formidable combination ; 1,1150 have
mined it within the last seven weeks, and meetings are
about to be held to enrol additional members. At a large
meeting of cabmen, recently held at Paddington, Mr.
Mann, the chairman, said that the movement was not for
a strike; were it so, they would be flying in the face of the
public, who were their only support. He hoped such a
thing as a cabmen's strike would never occur again, for
they had ample experience of the last to deter them from
another. They (the licensed cab-drivers of London) had
ability enough to settle theirown differences by arbitration
should any arise.

CRINOLINE —Last evening Mr. Bedford, the
Westminster coroner, held an ingtmst at St. George's Hos-
pital on the body of Stephanie Lenoir, a single woman,
223 years of age, who was roasted to death on Friday morn-
ing last. It appeared that the deceased bad been a lady's-
maid, but owing to the birth of an illegitimate child had
not for 12 months been in a situation. She resided with a
Mrs. Dye, of 27, Queen-street, Brompton, whom she left
shortly before 9 o'clock to go and see her baby, which was
at nurse at 9, Stewart's-road, Chelsea. Wben she ar-
rived there Mrs. Webb was washing the child in the
kitchen, and deceased ran round and kissed it on the cheek.
She then suddenly screamed out " I am on fire ; fetch
some blankets." Mrs. Webb ran upstairs and brought
down two blankets. She met deceased in the door-
way, enveloped in a sheet of flame. She tried to envelope
her in the blankets, but in vain, her own dress catching
fire in the attempt. A young man lodger, however,
assisted her, and by the aid of water the fire was extin-
guished. By medical advice the injured woman was con-
veyed to the hospital wrapped up in blankets, where she
expired two hours after admission. Mr. Sims, the house
surgeon, said she was so much injured that she was uncon-
scious she was burnt, although she could speak. She was
dying when admitted. The kitchen in which the unfortu-
nate occurrence took place was very email, with • fire in
the grate, and no guard before it. The dress of the young
woman was of muslin, with four light petticoats extended
with a large crinoline. After some remarks on the shock-
ing character of the use, a verdict of " Accidental Death"
was recorded.

A GxoLocilcAL LEGEND IN INDIA..—The following
somewhat interesting legend is, perhaps, more generally
current amongst the Mohammedan than amongst the Hindu
populace. It is, however, curious, inasmuch as it appears
to prove that the changes, which geology teaches us have
taken place on the earth's surface, have not escaped the
observation of people so comparatively ignorant and unre-
fined as the village sages of India. In the golden age,
when men spoke the truth, there was one sage so much
better than all other men, even as men then were that he
was an especial favourite of heaven. Tired of the petty
cares and follies of mankind, he retired from the great
city in which he had dwelt before, and lived alone, far
from other men, for ages, in the practice of oontempht-
tion and the study of God. Whoa ages had thus rolled
away, he bethought him once to return to his Dative city
and see what had become of it. He did so. When he
drew near the site of the great city, lo ! it was gone, and •
beautiful lake, calm, placid, clear, occupied its place.
Skiffs were sailing over d ; pleasure parties made its waters
musical with their songs and instruments; birds were
skimming over the waters, and dipping to them occa-
sionally ; while on the shore the bustle and animation of
the chase might be faintly heard in the distant jungles.
Drawing near an old boatman, the sage asked: "My
friend, what has become of the city that once stood here?"
" Yon mistake, reverend sir," said the boatman ; "then
never was any city here ; this has always been • lake. Rut
there are cities miles away to the south and west." The
sage knew, however, he was not mistaken. There bad been
• city there : it was gone. Musing as he went, how man
and the earth change, while God remains unchangeable,
the sage returned to his hermitage, and lived ages again in
contemplation. At length he bethought him of 'letting
again the site of his own city which had become • lake.
With that true intuitive knowledge that belonged to the
golden age in which he bad lived, he found out the site,
though all was changed, and now • mighty forest
stood where the city had been. He could hear the calls of
the monkeys, and the occasional roar of wild beasts
issuing from the depths of the wood, whilst the air was
alive with the songs of birds. A numerous cavalcade was
approaching, at the heed of which rode • young man who
was splendidly dressed. He seemed to be a prince, the
others *bowel him so much deference. As the prince drew
near the sage asked him—" Pray, sir, did you ever hear of
a city that stood here once—a great and populous city?
Though when I was last bees it had changed into a lake :
perhaps you have heard of that?" " Never," said the
young prince, condescendingly ; " this has always been a
forest, and has always been the chief hunting-ground of
my forefather', the kings of this country. Has it not, my
lord?" he asked, turning to an an old nobleman in his suite.
" Undoubtedly, your royal highness. The refuge of the
world speaks hut the truth," was the reply of the old
courtier. " When I was young," said the sage, still
addressing the prince, " I lived in,
a great and populous
city that stood where this forest DOW deeds. Some time after
I came here, and the city had become • lake,—see, here
are some shells ; perhaps they were left by the lake,—and
now it is • forest." " The man is, doubtless, mail," said
the young prince, as he rode on. " Undoubtedly. your
royal highness. The Asylum of the World always speaks
the truth," said the old courtier. Musing much on the
changeableness of earth and man, and the unchange-
ableness of God, the sage returned to his her-
mitage, and spent ages again in contemplation.
At length he thought he would revisit the site of the old
city, where he had seen the lake and the forest. He went,
and as he drew near, he saw • mighty river flowing along.
and a great city on i's banks, just where the old city had
been. Wondering he entered it, and said to an old man,
whom he found engaged in contemplation, "Do you know
when this city was built? or what has become of the forest
that stood here?" The old man laughed, and replied,
" There has never been any forest here. This has always
been n city. I and my forefathers have lived in this city
for ages." The sage turned muting away, and having
reached his hermitage, he threw himself on the ground,
exclaiming, " It is enough, it is enough, 0 God ; when the
world end man are constantly changing thus, why should
I only be left? lam weary of life.' And so saying,
he laid himself down, and died. Fruser's Maganee
for July.

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