The Express.
London, England, 1867-01-18 00:00:00

THE ENITED STATES.

It is observed by the Dail y New..., that of late President
Johnson has contrived to make it unmistakeably clear that
those who had put the worst construction on his motives
had moat wisely interpreted them. It is well known that
it is due to his encouragement that Southern legislatures
have so contemptuously rejected the proposed constitu-
tional amendment. In withdrawing some provisions of
the Civil Rights Bill he has practically permitted
the legislation of Congress to be nullified by the
hostile legislation of the excluded states, and it
is generally believed that he contemplates further action
against Congress in this direction. A case is in prepare-
Lion which will submit to the decision of the Supreme
Court, which is to a great extent a political body, the
question as to the legal status of Alabama, and therefore
of the other excluded states. Mr. Johnson hopes that the
Supreme Court will sustain him on this appeal by decid-
ing that all the states are in the union, and have the
rights of states. The effect of such a decision would be
to nullify the whole of the recent legislation of Congress.
and to justify Mr. Johnson's description of it as a " Con-
gress of only part of the states." What step be would
take to enforce the decision of the Supreme Court it is
impossible to say. Meanwhile, whether it may be need-
ful to remove him or not, the great interests of freedom
are in the bands and are involved in the action of Con-
gress, and Congress is quite secure in the iocressing sym-
pathy of an instructed and liberty-loving people.

UN Court.

OSBORNE, JAM. 17.

The Queen drove out yesterday afternoon, WPM-
ponied by Princess Louise and Prince Arthur, and her
Majesty walked in the grounds this morning, attended by
the Dowager Duchess of Athol.

Princess Louise and Prince Arthur skated in the
grounds this morning, her royal highness being attended
by the Hon. Emily Cathcart.
Prince Leopold, Princess Beatrice and Prince Henry of
Prussia went out walking.
The Duke of Buckingham arrived at Osborne yesterday,
and had the honour of dining with the Queen and the
Royal Family.
Sir Thomas and the Hon. Lady Biddulph had the honour
of being invited.
The Duke of Buckingham left for London to-day.
Mr. G. D. Engleheal t has also left.

A Committee of the Lords of her Majesty's Most Ho.
nourable Privy Council sat yesterday, at Whitehall, on the
subject of quarantine. The lords present were the Right
Hon. Spencer Walpole, the Right Hon. E Hammond, and
the Right Hon. H. Waddington. Mr. Harrison attended
the committee.

A Committee of the Lords 'of her Majesty's Most Ho-
nourable Privy Council sat on Wednesday at Whitehall,
on matters relating to the cattle plague. The lords pre-
sent were the Lord President and the Right Hon. H.
Corry. Mr. Harrison and Dr. Alexander Williams at-
tended the committee.

A deputation, consisting of the Hon. C. W. G. Howard,
M.P., Mr.W. N. Hodgson, M.P., and Mr. Edmund Potter,
had an interview with the Right Hon. Gathorne
Hardy, at the office of the Poor-law Board, Whitehall,
yesterday.

Yesterday the wedding of the Earl of Craven to
Miss Barrington, daughter of the Hon. George Barrington,
ALP. for Eye, was solemnised in Shrivenham Church,
Berkshire. The service, which was a choral one, was per-
formed by the Lord Bishop of Oxford, assisted by the
Rev. G. W. Murray, vicar of Shrivenham. The bride was
attended by five bridesmaids, and was dressed in white
corded silk, trimmed with Brussels lace. She wore
a Brussels veil and a wreath of orange blossoms. The
bridegroom is the third earl, who succeeded to the title on
the 2iith of August last. He was born in 1841.

On Wednesday night a fancy dress ball, given
on a scale of unusual splendour, took place at East-
hampstead Park, the seat of the Marquis and Marchioness
of Downshire. Invitations were sent to the principal
families in Berkshire and the neighbouring counties, and
although there was a heavy snow storm throughout the
evening the arrivals at the mansion numbered 300. Some
of the costumes worn were copied from those fashionable
several centuries ago, and the dresses of =ay foreign
countries were observable ; while the gay uniforms of the
British army were very conspicuous, there being a nume-
rous attendance of officers from Aldershot camp.
_ _

The Hon. Mrs. Poulett Somerset is progressing
favourably from the effects of the accident she met With
by a fall from her horse at Melton on Friday last.

_
Lady Constance Stanley gave birth yesterday to
a son, at 20, Lowndea-square.

Yesterday, at No.l, Hill-street, Berkeley-square,
the wife of Major-General SiziHenry Rawlineon, gays
birth to a ion.

The Treasurership of the Household, which Lord
Burghley will vacate on succeeding to the peerage, will, it
is rumoured, be offered by the Bari of Derby to a member
of the Adullamite section—viz., Major the Hon. Augustus
Anson, V.C., one of the members for Lichfield.

A correspondent of a contemporary asks if Sir
John Rolt, the Attorney-General, is the same person as
Mr. John Rolt, Q.C., who in 1847 contested the borough
of Stamford on the liberal aide against the nominees of the
Marquis of Exeter ; and if so, whether the piece of plate
given him by the liberals of Stamford in gratitude for his
effort to vindicate their electoral freedom is produced at
dinners given by the Attorney-General to his supporters
amongst the conservative squirearchy of West Gloucester.

A dinner under the auspices of the Bradford
Branch of the Reform League took place last night in
St. George's Hall, and subsequently • public meeting
was held at the same plats. Mr. A. fllingworth
presided, and • series of resolutions in favour of manhood
suffrage,urging the necessity of unity of action, and thank-
ing the leaders of the reform party for their labour, were
adopted. The second resolution was supported by Mr.
Goklwin Smith, who made • speech in favour of a wide ex-
tension of the franchise. The meeting was well attended,
and the resolutions were carried unanimously.

Mr. W. H. Le Feuvre, C.E., F.G.i., F.R.G.S.,
the President of the Society of Engineers, will deliver his
inaugural address on Monday evening, the 21st instant, at
Exeter-hall.

The Star understands that there is no intention
on the part of the authorities to try Lieutenant] Brand by
court-martial, so that " official displeasure will assume the
by no means unsubstantial form of retirement from active
service on a pension of 12.11. a year."

The first instalment of 5,000 of the converted
Seller breech-loading rifles, for naval service, has arrived
at the armoury, Chatham, from the Royal Small Arms
Factory, for issue to the ships in commission. About
20,000 stands of the Enfield rifles for land service are
undergoing the process of conversion to breech-loaders
on the Snider principle, the first supply of which will
shortly be shipped for issue to the troops at Chatham.
. _

The following appears in the obituary announce-
ments advertised in the Times :—" On Sunday, the 6th
inst , at his residence, Canonbury-park, Islington, Mr. B.
W. Hughes, in his 73rd ye►r ; and, on Wednesday, the
9th inst., Maria, for 49 years hts beloved and affectionate
wife, in her 79th year. Interred together in the (*Wombs
at Highgate Cemetery, on the 16th inst.^

The Exeter Flying Post says that some curious
remaios of the ancient inhabitants of Dartmoor. in Devon-
shire, have just been discovered there, consisting of hut
and sacred circles, &c. Near the river Yealm are the re-
mains of an aboriginal village, which consisted of nearly
50 huts. Along the banks of the river there is evidence
that the ground has been worked for tin. These disco-
veries have been made by Mr. Kelly, of Yealmpton.
Severe frost continues at Dublin, and the snow
is deep in the streets. Forty persons were brought up by
the police yesterday morning for snowballing. There is
great distress among the poor.