The Express.
London, England, 1859-02-17 00:00:00

SOCIETY OF ARM.

A meeting of this society was held last evening
at their rooms, John-street, Adelphi, at which Mr. HAM
CRIS'S& road a paper, " On the Society of Arts Union of
Institutes, sod the examinations coonacted therewith." It
appeared from the paper that this union of Institutes was
founded In 1852, and was regarded by Tfr. Chester as one of
the resells of the Exhibition of 1851. Its object wu to
utilise, develop and improve the existing means of instruction,
sad establish new ones. In the latter object it bad been
eminently @nonmetal; upwards of 300 mechanise and lite-
eery 'imitates, Atheaseeme, sod chambers of commerce,
both to this employ and the colonies, being now affiliated
with the *witty. The various results of this union were
referred to, amongst which were the pawing of the Literary
and Scientific Institutions Act, and the setting on foot a
system of examinations which bad now be.° is successful
or ration for gouts years, and which were intended to
one of Um great educational wants of the presennt
Those examinations were open to all members of the
numerous institutions In union with the soctety, end
oweilloates of three grades, according to the limit of the
candidates in each subtext, were awarded, and money prises
to those moat distinguished, as well as in some ewe to the
Institutions of which they were members. Her Majesty's
government bad encouraged this important schwas by plac-
ing at the appeal of the moiety nominations to ocespete for
appointment@ In the public =rex*, is etrestrdwg which the
society's nominees had in every cue been quay suoceseftd.
To show boverteneively the system had already betn canted
ent,Mr. Chester, mentioned that in the three year. durft
which it had been in operatics no leas than 394 candidates had
been meneMed, and Sdiarlidentes, either et the first, second,
ce third-slam had been awarded. In conclusion Mr. Chester
snarl ant how haportaati h eat far thhopas of edam.
Um that this union should be warmly su end extended
as widely as poadble. Already much been done, but be
wee mdem honer upon an friends of education that mete
bed yet to Magmata towards making the Inttitutions what
they really ought to be, the era's of industrial instroetica in
every town end large village throughout the country, mad the
esergetic and enlightened promoters of social progress sad
hoprovemeet.
A diseases ensued, In which Sir Thomas Phillips, Mr. B.
Messy, Vice-Chancellor Ste W. Page Wood, Sir James
libuttleworth, Bart., Lord John Russell, M.P., and tho
chairman, took part.

The Publishers' Circular says t.-0 Free America
1 we hear That there is pneral expectation of ea early vhdt
from Clarks Dickens; tho generation who experienced his
abate have pures away, and the seraessent hapresekm of
his first =Et is faced. nutmeats= en being made, as
the stmeglk of the espeetatice, for a profitable aeries of lee-
tares; and sow a hearty welcome is promised, with the
guarantee of somebody's special =humidor, who bee bees
dispatched to London." _

We hear," mays the Publishers' Circular,
"from rather too good a mums to be dircredited, that an
effort has bra made by aortal* influential booksellers is the
Malted ewes, during the revis'on of the tariff now before
the trailed Stem government, ta raise the duty as the ha-
-1 proration of linglish booka, from 8 pee meth, as at present.
to 30 pee cent.; if this is true, It is too bads ray it
empltaticaldy, it would be adding insult to hiriartion The
last two years a great impulse hes been given to the demand
for good EagUeh edition@ ; the proposed al,tratirm would be
tantamount to prohibiting the rale altogether of Unlink
books. There is only or eonzahlion, that so manihstiy
unjust • measure would bs likely to enlist the tourist of the
Amorken people in favour of ea in•ernational copyright ; yet,
whoa we he snob books reprinted as Buckle's • likary of
the new • Herodotue,' WherreWs • Woody*
Brienors,' Mrs. Jameoca's Pine Art works, and others ha
Wisdom of Ertglieh sty* k h trident that, in addition 03
Asap mein* a strong tart is being made to aloes to as
the American demand be good workmanalifp. The rubitot
referred to is deterring the bet! and immediate attention of
our govorsomaß"

Herr Held, one of the German democratic orators
of 1848, is pabllsbiag a Hyper-democratic Roryckpredia "
as the backs of paper alpr-owes, so that they who smoke
may read.
Herr Deemer, whose conversion from atheism to
Roman catholicism has been lately mentioned, has come
li mewed bade% hie Papal mantrestocs7publicationo whme•

with be laterals to eonaert all the bustle' in Germany sad
ebewhers. The titles of thus productions are, " The
Threefold Crown of Rome," "A Rehm of the Romeo
Priesthood end Clterch," end "Maria Legends sad Poems.'
" Evecything," ear Herr Musser, in the prefers to we of
these pnblicetkose, "everything has its time; the petty me
sults of enormous exertion; the impossibility of hirthir pro.
gun, end the dreadful Internal death of society combed lab
I wu on the point of despairing, when, to! I beheld ha tits
dukes, of night that grand pima/cosmos, the threefold
crown el Rene, that evergreen minis* and than I oak
down sad worshipped." la the muse of all this twaddle
Herr Gunnar meadow the man who " PM drew hls attn.
don r the woadarful fabric of the Roman catholitt
bissontly"—lt Is Lord Macaulay ! Herr Dimmer ventures IC
swore his radars that Lord Macaulay, to his " Essay cm
Rasks's History of the Popes," terms the Roman catholic
church " a masterpiece of divlae wisdom which must endure
he ever."

A Turin correepondent, writing on Monday, says :
—"An event to which the frequ•ntea of 'he Theatre Royal,
the drat and newt fashionable theatre in Teeth have for eons
time be looking forward with much interest is expected to
come of in the coons el this week. I re'er to
the debut of Klee Victoria Safe in the Sonivanbiviao
The heaths of that charming open sill, It is expected,
and a no imam ebenang representative la our lineal' sight.
fags* who amens a favourite by auticipstion. la the coma
of her engsgennot, which extends, I Wien, to the end of
Meech, Woe Baife will sl•o slag the pert of Zetiina, in the
ever-tistightfallAns Giovanni. Modem Meted commences
in • Ara days a short wheel perfonnancat at the Carignano
Theatre."

In one of the barged theatres at Florence, the opera
at Nessonielio is now being performed, and the people
applaud vehemently, so that In some of the revolutionvy
scenes the shouts end gesticulations are &dossing. Every-
thing is at the present time taken hold of and tiet,l es a pee-
Mat for a demonstration against the foreigners.

The Theatre du Cirque at St. Petersburg has been
destroyed by fire. Nothing remains of this splendid bail&
lag but the tore walls. The theatre wee originally intended
Ise essestrien prformances, but soon beams devoted to the
Rosslea opera end OClernsan comedies. There had been
is, Naffed ta the building, es on the matelots of the tire et
Covens Gerdes, bat when the masqueraders left at 1 o'clock
in the se arsine, no sigas of fire or smoke were visible. As
hoar afterwards the roof fell is,—one body of flame. AU tbi
oostamea the *core' of the operas, and the instruments NI
the musicians ware destroyed.

TICE INFANT PRINCE AT BERLIN. •••• GERMAN
Euro ustssm.—The birth of an heir to the Prussian throne
is atoll the peat event in oar home politics. Thep diariese
who dente themselves to the discussion al this went are re-
markable L,r titer seal rather than for their modesty and
discretion; our ladies talk all like mon•hly nurses, and oar
serespapere read like clinical Intern on the obstetric art.
The tot le, Pelmets' Vic•orla is the chief lioness of the day;
all her draws and sayings an repeated, lest tad, e..mmented
up a, and whatever dress she may happen to wear upon bee
list apprentice In path", will most artmndly set the
fashion foe next summer. As it is, our ladies robs
doir dainty lints from top to toe d Princess
Royal. The colours of her ribtoss end the pat-
teens of her collars are espied in the most cone pen.
Moue manner, and with • touching t erseveranee. Her litW
son Is to be named Priedrieb, sad not Frederick Willis,2
like the generality of Prussian kings. It ha. Gen re
that he was born on the rune day as Weed. the composer,
&belling, the philosopher, and Chartism the poet. The
&thews are In rep tun with General Wrangel (Father
Wrong.' they mild him In 11118, when be proclaimed mar•
ILI law), who, taking a milimy view of all things, 10111
limed his new. born royal highest.. as " the new rerrult."'
It i. understood shot the "mew Tenn," bas been made Use
subject of some of ohs wont poetry that ever iris written.
Aswan thew verse makers most c inpicuousle absurd see
Het r beharfent erg, who calls epos hi. royal highces.—`• Do
not &lay, UM plane at once" the crows of the °mown em-
pire epos' your Infant bead ;" and one Herr Krug, at Mbar.
frit, wines effusion Is takes up with the lot of a royal babe.
and weary very tenetting relleetkne on imparts and Imports,
With jut a tiers of tilfferentfal dating. The Moat
of litre peedumions is a lullaby, whose merits will popular
shown by a quotation. I select the Mossu devoted to
_your
Quote, but do not athwspt tombola' !n, which they defy

Groani;ma Oat fe
eroe
HU 1111Marhisair
ralreblekUej• .
Prows`s=aalli 'mist
This wag Is fashloathis; It hal bees pat Vo =nee br Herr
Laskin, who, I Musts, is tbs amplest of Truly Trak"
sad tallisows sass sad woman actually do dug It:—Ca`
t•tlAA~f AS, ColtidedNl Brrinr.