The Express.
London, England, 1867-09-10 00:00:00

LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 10, 1867.

AMERICA.

By the arrival of the New York at Southampton,
yesterday evening, we have advice. from New
York to the 29th ult.

The New York Tribune, of the 29th, says that
there is a fear in the minds of some people that
President Johnson may remove Grant from the
head of the army. Congress foresaw the possi-
bility of such a thing, and prevented it at the last
session by adding to the Army Appropriation Bill
a clause providing that :-1. The headquarters of
the army shall be in the city of Washington. 2.
All orders and instructions relating to military
operations, issued by the President or Secretary
of War, shall be issued through the General of the
Army, and in case of his disability, through the
next in rank. 3. The General of the Army shall
not be removed, suspended, or relieved from
command or assigned to duty elsewhere than at
said headquarters, except at his own request, with-
out the previous approval of the Senate ; and " any
orders or instructions relating to military opera-
tions issued contrary to the requirements of this
section shall be null and void; and any *Bison Woe
shall issue orders or instructions contrary to the
provisions of this section shall be deemed guilty of
a misdemeanor in office; and any officer of the army
who shall transmit, convey, or obey, any orders or
instructions so issued, contrary to the provisions of
this section, knowing that such orders were so
issued, shall be liable to imprisonment for not less
than two nor more than 20 years, upon conviction
thereof in any court of competent jurisdiction."
This act (the Tribune says) was approved by the
President under protest, the section above quoted
being the one to which he objected. Mr. John-
son's war paper is not negotiable until it has the
indorsement of General Grant.

The correspondent of the New York Times,
writing on the 24th ult., gives the following ac
count of the final proceedings at the Chicago
Labour Congress :
The concluding session of the National Labour Congress
was held to-day. Ar • reprearntive body of the working
men of the country, the Congress may be said to be a
failure, both in numbers and in some other respects.
There were only about 60 present, and many of these were
not labouring men, except that they labour with pen and
tongue. Ne►rly all who took a prominent part in the
business of the convention, or congress, were of this de-
amiption. An attempt to designate a " national organ"
was made, and, after some discussion, indefinitely post-
poned. This result was reached on account of each of the
delegates favouring the " organ" of their respective
localities. The subject of finance seemed to be a most em-
barrassing one, and a want of the necessary funds to
meet expenses was apparent at every step. A resolution
was adopted that the National Labour Congress express its
sympathy sad co-operation with the labouring classes of Eu-
rope, in their struggles against political and social wrongs.
A resolution was passed protesting against the extension
of the Howe sewing-machine patent, and against the ex-
tension of the patent of all labour-saving machines when
the patentee had received a fair remuneration. Mr.
Cameron, of this city, in view of the utter failure of the
Eight-hour Law of this State, offered the following reso-
lution, which was adopted :—" Resolved,—That it is the
sense of this convention that it is inexpedient for any
State or locality, under existing circumstances, to attempt
to secure the adoption of the eight-hour system until the
same be recognised by the National Legislature." The
Congress adjourned sine die. In the evening • " ratifica-
tion meeting" was held in the Court-house-square, which
was addressed by several gentlemen. Their remarks were
generally upon the necessity of forming a national labour
political party.

THE WELSH EISTEDDFOD. —The national Eistedd-
fod of Wales closed on Friday. At the litimptia.ses the
morning the Order of Orate., Bards, and Oral& was con-
ferred upon a number of candidates with due ceremony.
At 10 o'clock there was a general meeting of members and
subscriber, at the Town-ball, when, among other business
that was transacted and discussed, the treasurer's report
of last year's Eisteddfod at Chester was presented. By
this it appeared that the total amount received in con-
nexion with that occasion was 1,945/. 18s., and that
2,3331. 6s. were expended, so that a balance of 3871. fts. re-
mains due to the treasurer. In the pavilion Mr. H. L.
Palley, of Cork, was installed as president of the day, and
he delivered the customary sddrese. A number of prism
were awarded, among the principal of which were—The
vocal scholarship, value 50/. ; second prize, 10/. Tho first
was awarded to Mr. Richard Cadwallader Williams, of
Carnarvon ; and the second to Mr. Phillips, of Aberdare.
The prize of 1001. for the best essay " On the Advantaf es
of Milford Haven as a Commercial Port of National Im-
portance," was divided between Mr. J. C. Fowler, stipen-
diary magistrate of Merthyr, 601. ; and Mr. W. J. Williams,
of Brecon, 401. A vote of thanks was paned to the pre-
sident, which closed the proceedings.
THE CHURCH INSTITUTION IN IRELAND. —A
meeting in defence of the Irish church, similar to that held
at Cavan, has been held at Longford. It was there stated
by the Archdeacon of Armagh that in very few Irish pa-
rishes is the income of the rector over 4001. a year, and
only one in every hundred of the 1,510 benefices is worth
that sum. One great injury if the church were removed,
ho contended, would be an increase of absenteeism, which
was one of the greatest grievances and injuries to Ireland.
In many parishes there were really no gentry but the
clergy. The Irish church had made great progress : in
1730 there were only 800 clergy, now there were 2,672. In
1730 the churches numbered 430, now they were 1,579.
In 1730 there were 141 glebe-houses, in 18eA there were 978.

CURIOUS PROPERTY CASE.—IL is now about 40
years since Mr. Blair, a wealthy gentleman residing in
Tranent, died, having first made • will bequeathing his
property, amounting to something like 25,000 f., in a parti-
cuLir manner. Mr. Blair had an only daughter, to whom,
after the demise of his widow, the property was left in
liferent— the jus ateriti of the daughters husband being
carefully excluded, so as to protect the interests of the
daughter's children, who, on the death of their mother,
came next in succession. It appears that the daughter
emigrated, along with her husband, to Canada, and there
brought up a pretty numerous family, four or five of whom
still survive--grandchildren of the late Mr. Blair, of
Tranent. Both father and mother have been dead some
years ; but the children, though young at the time of their
emigrating to Canada, had learned that they had some
claim to property in Scotland. To obtain a restitution of
such rights as they deem themselves possessed of, one of
the family has come over from Canada, and is at present
busily engaged in making an investigation on the spot into
the circumstances connected with the transfer of, the pro-
perty into other hands than those contemplated by the
grandfather's era —lladdington Courier.
EXTRAORDINARY ANGLING IN THE THAMES.—At
the commencement of the fishing season this year the
Thames puntmen were perplexed and dispirited at the
non-success that attended the anglers' efforts. Now, how-
ever, " takes " of • wonderful character are being made
in the tidal waters about Richmond, Twickenham, and
Teddington. One punt on Friday last took nearly 20
dozen of fine dace, and • day or two previously another
punt took 13 dozen at Rishmond. Two gentlemen fishing
for two entire days at Twickenham caught 42i dozen of
roach and dace, some of the former weighing over lib.
each. One of the Great Lake trout, which the Thames
Angling Preservation Society are propagating, was taken
in gudgeon fishing at Kingston last week, and measured 6
inches. This fact is nearly as interesting as would have
been a grilse taken at Sunbury-weir, and proves that fish
hatching is likely to be very successful. The persistent
efforts of Mr. Brougham, the secretary of the above men-
tioned society, to see its salutary rules carried into effect
have been attended with marked and gratifying success.

THE RECENT ACCIDENT AT THE MOUTH OF THE
TlEL—About six weeks ago an accident happened at the
mouth of the Tyne, six persons being drowned by the
capsizing of a boat. It will be recollected that a boat put
off to the rescue, manned by five pilots, and succeeded in
saving two men. One of the pilots—Stephenson—on
running down to the beach to launch the boat, stumbled
and fell, splitting one of his hands right up the middle.
Mr. Favell, coroner for Durham, who held an inquest on
the bodies of the drowned, having brought the gallant
conduct of the pilots under the attention of the National
Lifeboat Association writes as follows to Mr. Superinten-
dent Richardson, of the South Shields police force :—" I
have reeeivedaletter this morning health° secretary of the
National Lifeboat Institution, in reference to my applica-
tion to them in July last for some reward to Henry
Stephenson, and five men who saved the lives of the
persons capsized in a boat on the Herd Sands, in which
they inform me that the committee have granted a reward
of 21. to Stephenson, tho cozwsin, and 10s. each to the
other four men. The money will be paid by the officer of
the eoaatguard at Tynemouth."
PATENT-OFTICE MUSEUM, SOUTH KENSINGTON.—
Nnmber of visitors for the week ending Sept. 7, 2.2%9;
total number since the opening of the Museum free daily
(12th May, 1868),1,180,2.57.