The Express.
London, England, 1860-09-22 00:00:00

FUNERAL OF THE DUCHESS OF ALBA.

The funeral of the Duchess of Alba, sinter of the
Empreee, took place on Thursday, at 1 o'clock, at the Made.
leine, with all the pomp due to her rank. There were pre.
sent at the ceremony all the ministers, several of the grand
officers of the households of their Majesties ; members of
the Senate, legislative Body, and Council of State; the mem.
hers of the Spanish embassy, and several of the representa-
tives of foreign powers. The church was hung with black
drapery, fringed with silver, and having, at intervals,
acettcheone with the initials of the deceased. A f.ch
catafalque was erected in the middle of the nave. The
corl4m started from the Hotel d'Alba, in the Champs
Elysiss. The hearse, which wee driwn by n't horses
richly caparisoned, was followed by fourteen mooning
coaches and by leveret court carriages. The Duke d'Albs
was present, and officiated as chief mourner. The cm* of
the Madeleine, at tivo head of Ws clergf, received the body
at the door of the char**, and preceded it, with the usual
ceremonial, to the catafalque, where it WAS depositcd during
the service. At the conclusion of the mass the coffin was
placed in one of the vaults of the cherch, where it will
remain o -ail taken to Spaio.

The lifoniteur pays the following tribute to the
deceased sister of the &wry= :—" The Duchess d'Alba has
pieced away at an early age. Her beauty, grace, and al
made her the arbiter of elegance, and the soul of all the
Mee at Madrid, where she was called the Queen of the
Salons. She made use of her empire to alleviate misfortune,
to protect talent, and sometimes to excite noble and
patriotic enthusiasm in that portion of the Spanish
existomacy in whom luxury had not yet obliterated
the chivalrous s irtues at their ancestors. The fatigue
entailed on the duchess by the illness of one of
her children made the first inroad on her health.
She was brought to Paris to have the best medical
advice, but the malady bad already gone so far as to defy
all the resources of science. The lady, loaded with all the
gifts of fortune, a happy mother, an adored daughter, the
✓ider and intimate friend of sovereigns, o.'wed in her last
momenta a strength of mind and • resignation worthy of
her race. In the midst of the most acute seofer'oags she
never lost her serenity nor even that meek sprightl'neu for
wb4ch she was so remarkable. Her aim appeared to be to
animate the hopes or rather the i"usions of her mother,
while the latter found the courage to conceal from her
daughter the agony of her rneas'less. The duche s expire I
with • smi.e on her Fps ,1 the arms of her mother at the
moment when the Empress her sister was just approach,ng
the capital of the French Afi:can possessions."

The Atletturunt remarks : " Mr. Davis, who, for
four years past, Iran been employed, by order of the English
government, in excavating the remains of Carthage, has
returned to this country. The results of his toil, which are
of great antiquarian and historical interest, will be i-nme.
diatel► published. Mr. Davis has made arrangement*, we
understend, with Mr. Bentley for hit work, ' Cartka!,,,, and
her Remains: being an Account of the Excavations and
Researches on the Site of the Phcenician Metropolis in
Africa and other Adjutant Places.' "

- - -
Though not an author of books, or a painter of
pictures (soya the Aihnururn), Joseph Locke claims a parting
word of peace and remembrance from tn. As president of
the Institution of Civil Engineers his name has
been prominent for the hat two or three years in
these pages. The creators of the railway system
are rapidly pluming away : Stephenson is gone,
Bernal is gone, and now Locke is gone. All
thew men have gone comparatively green iu years.
Locke was only fiftydive. Dying in middle life, these cop.
nears have, nevertheless, left the world more changed in
appearance—its inhabitants more changed in manners and
customs by their individual labour than they have been by
all the kings and statesmen during 500 years. This Is the
bait monument. The death of Mr. Looks has left the
Presidency of the Institution of Civil Engineers vacant.
COUNTY COURTIL—A return to an address of the
Home of Loris, dated July 30, 1800, gives the following
summary of the laminate of these courts in the years 1858
and 1859 :—The number of plaint. entered in 1848 was
738,854 ; in 1889. 714,562 ; the amount of sums sued for in
1858 was 1,908,2191.; in 1859, 1,754,9711.; the number el
judgments entered in 1888, for plaintiffs, was 375,852 ; in
424,550 ; the number for defendants,in 1859. was
13,992 ; in 1859, 17,950 ; the amount for which verdicts for
plaintiffs were entered in 1858 was 965,533/. • in 1850,
551,7321. ; and the Ruralise of judgments entered for sums
above 20/., and not exceeding 60!.,
in 1853 was 4,998; and
in 1852, 3,631.
THE Nzw ALT ON FORTIFICATIONS.—TIIO act
for defraying the expenses conne:ted with the new fortifi-
cations, and for creating a central arsenal received the royal
assent on the day of the prorogation. The sum of two
millions is to he raised by annuities to he terminated within
thirty year*, and guardians and trustees may sub.cribe for
infanta. Contributors may anticipate their payments. The
annuities created under this act are to be payable and tuna.
friable at the Bank ef England. In the schedule annexed
to the act, the manner in which the money is tube expended,
between August 1. 18110, and August 1, 1861, is set forth.
At Portsmouth 580,00/. is to he expended; 450,00/.
at Plymouth, 60,000/. at Pembroke, and a like sum
on the Thames. On the Medway 100,0001. is to be ex-
pende.l.l7o,oool. atChatham, 60,000!. at Dover, and 30,000/.
at Cork. On the central arsenal 150,0(10/. is to be spent,
making 1,650,000/. ; for works in progresa already MiDen
tiOtlo,l by parliament, 3.50,000/., making the total of
4000,C301. 'rho several sums meutioned include the expense
of purchase of land and other incidental expenses. The
money is to be issued out of the oonsolidated fund, and to
apply the mine to making the fortific.itions mentioned do
the art and in providing a central arsenal. The Tonality
is to fix the terms and amount of anunitiee to be grained
under the act for every contribution of 1001.
INDIAN PRIZE MONEY.—WO have already stated
the determination come to by the commission appointed to
settle the question of the Indian prize money, with respect
to the distribution of the funds. In round numbers (be.
aides the Kirwee and Banda prise money, which should be
by far the largest of all) the sums available for
the respective forms will be, for Delhi, 355,0001.,,
Liicknow, 148,0001.; Oreatbed's column, 5001.; Maleedm's
1,400/.; Major Emus's, 10,00014 General Roberta's, 17,0001.;
Sir Hugh Rose's 77,0001. for Mar, and 60,0001. for Jhansi.
—Ana, and Nary Gazette.
NATIONAL SCOTCH CHURCH, REOENT-SgrARZ.—.
The Gothic pile, which was erected about 30 pees once
for the well.known Mr. Irving, from the design of Mr. W.
Tito the architect, and which has never yet been appro.
plainly fitted or arranged in the interiors, as to accord with
the general design, him just undergone au entire renovation
sad a aeries of improvements, both externally and internally,
by Moen. Alderman Lawrence and Sous of Lambeth, the
builders. The galleries have been re.arrau;ed, restated, and
strengthened, and the ceiling appropriately &worsted ; and
1.140 sew sunlight style of lighting introduced by Mr. Strode
and improved ventilation by Mr. M'Kenoell, and tbesyst.m
of hotting by Hayden's process. Ou the bewares% there has
bleu no entire reamtiug, consisting of open benches in oak.
with most elaborately earned ends, pew...leeks, sod horning,
executed by Messrs. Lawrence, who have also erected a
handsome lecture hell in the rear (having a noble open
timber roof), as well as vestry, minister non he. The
lamed edifice will be opened for public worship in the course
of • few days.
LlvitrOoL WOOL Est.za.—The fourth series of
oar public sales commenced yesterday, and the catalogues
osmerieed-755 sheets English skin, lea. ; 1,876 bags sundry
I foreign wools; and 101 East India, and to-day 2,021 ditto.
There was a good attendance of both home and foreign
buyers. The English went on the average a little lower
than at the last sale in July. For East India there is •
fair competition, and prima have opened about on • par
with our last sale's rates, except for greys of all kinds.
which show an mbranes of frees id. to H. per lb.—From
B. W. Ronald and Son's circular.