The Express.
London, England, 1866-02-01 00:00:00

the Court.

OSBORNE, J Lit 31.
The Queen drove out yeeteruay afternoon,
attended by the Dowager Duchene of Athole.

A Cabinet Council was held yesterday at the
official residence of the First Lord of the
Treasury in Downing-street. The ministers pre-
sent ware—Earl Russell, the Lord Chancellor,
Earl Granville, the Duke of Argyll, Sir George
Grey, the Earl of Clarendon, the Right Hon.
Edward Cardwell, Earl de Grey, Sir Charley, Wood,
the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Duke of
Somerset, the Right Hon. T. Milner Gibson, Lord
Stanley of Alderley, the Right Hon. G. J. Goschen,
and the Right Hon. C. P. Villiers.

A deputation of the Markets Committee, °malting of
Mr. Thos. Rudkin (chairma), Mr. Samuel Gibbins, end
Mr. John Bannister, accompanied by Mr. F. Brand (comp•
troller) bad an interview with the Right Hon. Sir George
Grey, at the Home-of6m, yesterday.

Her Majesty has been graciously pleased to
appoint the Right Hon. Lord Napier, K.T.,
Governor of Madras.

A telegram from her Majesty the Queen, ;1-
quiring "in her ILafeety's name how Mr. Gibson is. and to
*sprats her regret at beariog of his illness," was read to
him at Rome by Mr. Odo Russell last Friday morning, and
he perfectly understood its purport. The death of the
eminent sculptor took plane the following day.

Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge,
attended by Lady Geraldine Somerset and Colonel Home
Purvey, strived last evening at her residence in the Amine-
sadon' Court, St. James's Pekes, from Cambridge Cot-
tage, Kew, for the Lesson.

The Marquis of Ailesbury will arrive in town on
Monday, in order to attend her Majesty u Muter of the
Hone at the opening of Parliament on the following day.
The Countess Granville is confined to her house
by an attack of measles. Her ladyship is going on very
favourably, es the malady Is in a mild form.

Viacotint Sydney, the Lord Chamberlain of her
Majesty's household, who is selected for the honour of pre-
senting the King of the Belgians with the Order of the
Garter, leaves town for Brumels for that purpose a few days
after the opening of parliament.

The Right Hon. the Chancellor of the Exchequer
and Mrs Gladstone had a party last evening at their resi-
dence on Carlton-hones-terrace. His Royal Highness the
Duke d'Aumale honoured the rilht hon. gentleman and
Mrs. Gladstone by bit company at dinner. There were
present to meet his royal highness—The Earl and Countess
Russell, his Excellency the Austrian Ambassador, Lord
Eliot, Lord sad Lady Dufferin, Lord and Lady Taunton,
Mr. Arthur Peel, M.P., and Mrs. Peel, Mr. and Mrs. Gran-
ville Vernon, &c. A select party assembled after dinner.
Mrs. Gladstone has fulled cards for an evening party on
the sth inst.

Sir Ivor B. Guest, Bart., has been entertaining
• numerous circle at Danford Manor, near Wimborne, in
Dorset. The following were amongst the list of visitors
The Marquis Marquis sod Marchioness Townsend, Lady Violet
Greville, Lady Sandyr and the Misers Sandy., her Grace
, the Duchess of Cleveland, the Marquis and Marchlosew Of
Bristol, Mies Prim-ose, the Hon. Mr. Eliot, the Hon.
Captain Eliot, Mr. Loynd, I ,louel Overige, Vieeonnties
Powereooort, Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Smith, Mr. John Ark-
wng* ht, Ac.

On Tuesday night Mr. Lawrence Oliphant, the
representative of the Stirling district of burghs in parlia-
ment, delivered an address in the Mnsie-hall,.Dunterniline,
giving the impressions he bad formed in regard to the pre-
sent condition of the United States of America, which he
has been lately visiting. Whichever way he looked at it, be
said, the extermination of the negro seemed to him to be
the only possibly result of their emandpation. Ile believed
that even now the Union would be divided some day.
Rossini has paid a visit to bidlle. Patti, at her
residence, Villa Mario, near La Muette, In the Bois de
1 Boulogne.

The Siicie publishes a long article against the
consistory of the reformed church of Paris for its conduct
towards M. Coquerel, jun., and M. Martin-Paechoud. The
writer is particularly severe egiintt M. Geizot, to whose
icilueece is attributed the conduct which the emmistory
has permed.

A letter from St. Petersburg, dated yesterday
week, says :—"Everybody agrees that this is the most extra.
ordinary winter that has ever been known in St. Petersburg.
The weather is so mild and damp that we might almost
fancy ourselves in hoodoo. The frosts have been slight
and of short duration ; there has been a oonstant succes-
sion of rain and snow, frequently both together, and an
occasional storm by way of variety. On Saturday the
water in the Neva rare nearly four feet and • half, and
upwards of three feet on the following day. This unsea-
sonable weather is very iejurions to trade, and what is of
noises imperbmos to a great many of the residents of St.
Petsraburg,it is unfavourable to the pursuit of pleasure. The
11 interval between Christmas and Lent is the fashionable
season. At this period the theatres usually offer their
chief attractions, and there are fashionable gatherings in
the evening ; Troika drives, skating on the river, and
eliding down the Ise-hills is the afternoon. But this year
the skaters are in despair, and the Neva Skating Society
are afraid of ening their house, which is built cat the
Neva, disappear altogether, for the ice, which at this time
of the year is usually more then two feet thick, is now so
thin as to excite serious apprehension, that it may break
up altogether. The picturesque eostnmes ►nd the graceful
evolutioes of the ladies render the ground of the Neva
Skating Society a favourite oleos of rendezvaes on a fine
frosty afternoon. But such gatherings have, up to the
present time, been of rare occurrence this year."
The Gazette de Cambrai relates a sad accident
which had taken place at the theatre of that town. In I
pietas called La Vieillessede Brididi a pistol had to be fired,
and, as is usual on each occasions, two had been charged with
powder only for the purpose. At the end of the per-
formance one of the some shifters took up the weapon
which bad not been need to put it away, when a boy
between 13 and 14 years of age made a snatch at it,
causing it is go off in the direction of his own bead. Two of
the chill's fingers were broken by the wadding which had
been rammerd down very tight, and his hand was otherwise
so much isjared that amputation, the medical men thought,
would very probably be oeceessay.

A letter from Wiesbaden states that three days
bask Copte.'n Vogler killed is s duel Idiatessat Bass de
lisreeks/, mod eel, 70. The motive of the rasslbis was s
dispute at the last wart ball.