The Express.
London, England, 1867-05-01 00:00:00

FIER MAJESTY'S LEFZE-(THIS DAY.)

By command of the Queen a ley& was held to-
day in St. James's Palace, by his Royal Highness the Prince
of Wale■, on behalf of her Msjeirty. Notwithstanding the
previous levies of the season, the number of cards left at
the Lord Chamberlain's office on the part of persona de-
sirous of presentation have been very numerous, in-
cluding officers of the army and navy, members
of the judicial, legal, and clerical professions, and
private gentlemen. The Prince of Wales was escorted
by a detachment of the Life Guards from Marlborough
House to the Palace, where he was received by the great
officers of state of the Queen's household. The date of
the next levee has not yet been publicly announced, bet
it is expected that it will be on one day in June, and
that it will be the last of the present season.

The Marquis and Marchioness of Westminster
and Lady Theodora Grosvenor are expected to remain at
Motoombe Park till the 10th or 12th inst., and then come
to Grosvenor House for the season.

His Excellency the Prussian Ambassador and
the Countess Bernstorif and the Countess Th6rese
Bernsorff returned to the Prussian Embassy on Monday,
from Brighton.

Lord Stanley, M.P., will give a grand dinner to
• large party of the leading members of the diplomatic
corps, this evening, at the Earl of Derby's official resi-
dence in Downing-street. There will be an assembly later
in the evening.

We read in the Owl :—" A marriage has been
arranged between Lord Gifford, eldest son of the Earl of
Clanwilliam, and Miss Kennedy, (laughter of Mr. Kennedy
governor of Vancouver's Island ; also, between Colonel
Wilbraham Lennox, son of the late Lord George Lennox,
and Miss Susan Sinclair, youngest daughter of the late Sir
John Gordon Sinclair, Bart. ; also, between the Neapoli-
tan Prince Teano and Miss Ada Wilbraham, daughter of
Colonel Hon. E. Wilbraham, and niece of Lady Derby ;
also, between Mr. Selwin, eldest son of Sir John Salvia,
and Lady Thbetson ; and between Arthur Gooch, Esq.
late captain in the 16th Lancers, and the eldest daughter
of James Whitaker, Esq., of Eremitism Lodge, near Tad-
caster."

We (Om° understand that the Duke of Beaufort
will be appointed lord-lieutenant of Monmouthshire, in the
place of the late Lord Llanover.
The mortal remains of the lamented Lnrd
Llanover will be removed to Wales for interment at the
end of the week.

Among the visitors already arrived in Paris to see
the Exhibition are the Duke of Edinburgh, the Duke of
Marlborough, the Duke of Sutherland, Lord Lyons, Lord
Cochrane, Lord Leigh, Lord Hill, the Duke of Gluck,-
berg, General Cabrera, &c.

Mr. William Law has been appointed an addi-
tional assistant-secretary to the Treasury. Mr. Law is one
of the principal clerks, and was private secretary to Lord
Russell for many years.

The supporters of ministers have been urgently
requested to be in their places to-morrow evening, when
Mr. Ayrton, the member for the Tower Hamlets, will sub-
mit an amendment on clause 3of the Reform Bill, to re-
duce the residential qualification for new voters from two
years, as proposed by government, to twelve months.

. -
During Easter recess the Ladies' Gallery of the
House of Commons, over the Speaker's chair, has been
rendered more comfortable, and by the removal of some
unwieldy benches eight-and-twenty additional visitors can
be secured accommodation. Neat softly-cushioned chain
of artistic design have been substituted for the primitive
oaken benches.

C&Tu♦Tai. Pecs. ONZ SEILLISNO Dxr.-
IrI'EMIIT, APRIL :M. —Admi,l6ooB on payment, 2,034; ditto
by sewn tickets, 1,604 ; total visitors, 3,638.

THE SOUTH LANCASHIRE LIBERALS AND
MR. GLADSTONE.

A public meeting of the liberal county electors
in support of the Right Hon. William Ewart Gladstone,
M.P., was held last night at Hengler's circus, Newington,
Liverpool, Mr. W. Rararimsg, jun., in the chair. The
building holds about 3,000 persons ; the admission was by
ticket, and was chiefly confined in the first instance to
county electors, of whom about 1,500 had signified their
intention to attend.

The CHAIRMAN read the following letter from the Right
lion. W. E. Gladstone, M.P.:
.. Hawarden Castle, April 29.

"My dear Mr. Itathbone,—l am deeply grateful to the
liberal elector. of the Hundred of West Derby for adding
to their previous acts a kindness the generous support
which they propose to afford me by the meeting about to
be held in Liverpool on the 30th instant. I am further
obliged by your giving me the opportunity of appearing
among them on that occasion ; but I am of opinion, on the
whole, that my taking part in the proceedings, associated
as they are with my personal position, would not be advan-
tageous to the common cause. Tothat cause I need hardly, I
trust, assure you and them of my continued devotion. Every
step I have taken since the commencement of the session
has been in strict fulfilment of the pledge given by me in
July last, after retiring from office, to resist every illusory
and every reactionary proposal, but cheerfully to pro-
mote, by all the means in my power, • liberal and
effectual settlement of the question of reform. The last
three months have been spent in the endeavour to redeem
the first portion of this engagement. By all such legiti-
mate means and opportunities sa may be afforded me I
shall continue the struggle, be it long or short, until the
end in view shall have been attained by the passing of •
measure based upon principles liberal, intelligible, durable,
and equal in their application to the various classes of
persons whom they may affect —I remain, my dear Mr.
Rathbone, very faithfully yours, W. E. GLADSTONE.
" To Mr. Rathbone, jun., Liverpool. "
The following resolutions were adopted :—" That the
liberal electors of the West Derby Hundred of South Lan-
cashire beg to express their continued confidence in their
representative, the Right Hon. William Ewart Gladstone,
M.P., whose zeal, earnestness, honesty of purpose, and
commanding eloquence, point him out as the true leader,
alike in the House of Commons and in the country, of the
great liberal party."—" That this meeting records its
condemnation of the Reform Bill proposed by the tory
government as • measure which, if carried, will not settle
the question, but will give rise to continued agitation."—
"That this meeting greatly deplores the divisions which
seem to exist among the liberal members of parliament,
and earnestly hopes that henceforth a united liberal
party will support Mr. Gladstone." —" That a copy of the
foregoing resolutions be forwarded to the Right Hon.
William Ewart Gladstone, M.P."

Letters regretting their inability to attend, and express-
ing their warm concurrence in the objects of the meeting,
were read from Mr. B. Heywood Jones, J.P., Mr. William
Halliwell, J.P., Lieutenant-Colonel McCorquodale, J.P.,
Lieutenant-Colonel Gamble, Mr. Henry Deacon, J.P.,
Mr. Henry Woods, 111. P. Wigan, Mr. R. A. Macke, sod
others. Sir Thomas B. M.P.,
But. wrote as follows :
" The Hazles, April 28, 1867. My dear Rathbone,-1 am
sorry it will not be in my power to attend the meeting of
the liberal electors of the West Derby Hundred of the
county, proposed to be held on Tuesday evening, to ex-
press oar continued confidence in our representative. Had
I been present it would have been a pleurae to ma to
have expressed my concurrence in the object of the meet-
ing.—Very truly yours, 'Norms B. Bincw." Mr. J. C.
Swart wrote :—" New Brighton, Birkenhead, April 28,
1867. My dear Rathbone,—l am very sorry it will be
quite impossible for me to attend the meeting on Tuesday
evening, as I must be in London. I believe we never had
a more sincere and honest minister than Mr. Gladstone,
and whatever temporary differences there may be among
some of the liberal members of the House of
Commons, I am sure, as a party, we have the
greatest confidence in him as our only true
leader. I hope he will not allow the conservatives to do
what they please with the bill, but will still endeavour to
make it as perfect sa he can.—Ever truly yours, J. C.
Ewaar. W. Rathbone, jun." Mr. J. P. Heywood wrote:—
" 15, Hyde-perk-place, London. Dear Rathbone,—As I
be unable to attend the meeting of our loath Lan-
cashire Registration Society, I must beg you to be good
enough to apologias for my abeencs, and to assure the
meeting of my cordial acquiescence in their proceedings.—
Ever yours faithfully, J. P. HEYWOOD." Mr. T. Weld
Blundell wrote :—" Ince Blundell-hall, April 29. Dear Sir,
—I regret exceedingly that I shall not be able to be pre-
sent to-morrow at the meeting called to express the con-
fidence of the liberal party in Mr. Gladstone. I hope
your meeting will go off well, and assist in encouraging
Mr. Gladstone. If you think it worth while, state to
every one an unavoidable engagement in London has pre.
vented me from attending, and that I fully concur in the
objects of the meeting. mrs sincerely, T. WELD
Btonnui.."

We (Advertiser) have much pleasure in being able
to announce that Mr. Graves last night intimated his in-
tention to various members, and other private gentlemen,
of withdrawing his bill relative to the licensing of public
houses, which stood for the second reading to-day.
On the 1 ith Serjeant Barry will bring under the
notice of the Henze of Commons the loss of life which took
place at Dungarvan during the late Waterford county
election, and to move the following resolution :—" That,
whereas it appears by the verdicts of coroners' juries, that
two persons were killed by a soldier or soldiers of the 12th
]cancers at Dungarvan during the late election for the
county of Waterford, under circumstances which led in
one case to a finding of manslaughter, and in the other of
wilful murder, it is not, in the opinion of the house, satis-
factory that the conduct of the military on that occasion
has not been made the subject of further inquiry before
any tribunal, either military or civil."
_ _

Mr. Moffatt intends on the motion for going
into committee on Factory Acta Extension Bill, to move
that the bill be referred to • *elect oommittee.

Mr. Chichester Forteecue, to-morrow, will ask
the Chief Secretary for Ireland what course the govern-
ment propose to take with respect to the Queen's Univer-
sity in Ireland, and whether they intend to bring in a bill
to remove doubts as to the validity of the acceptance by
the senate of the supplemental charter of last year, and to
place the graduates to be admitted to degrees under that
charter upon an equal footing as members of the corporate
body of the university with the other graduates.
Sir Frederick Heygate will ask the Chief Secre-
tary for Ireland, to-morrow, whether he intends to bring
in any measure this session on the subject of Irish rail-
ways.

In committee on Representation of the People
Bill, Mr. Candlish intends, at page 2, line 6, after "dwell-
ing-house," to move to inaert, "or part of a dwelling-
house." Mr. Biddulph will move for leave to insert a
clause repealing so much of the Act 41 Geo. 111., c. 63, as
relates to non-beneficed clergymen.

An examination of the Registrar-General's re-
turns shows that the last quarter of the year, classed as
the autumn quarter, is that in which there are most mar-
riages. There is no exception to this rule, and the diffe-
rence is very great indeed. The quarter least favourable
to marriages is the winter quarter, or that terminating on
the 31st of March, during which the marriages in all Eng-
land are about 36,000. The two following quarters are
tolerably near each other, with about 45,000 each, the
spring having rather an advantage over the summer. But
in the autumn quarter the numbers jump at once to
55,000 or 56,000, showing an increase of at least t 0 per
cent. over the totals of winter. Whatever may be the ex-
planation of this phenomenon, it is absolutely invariable.
The rate of the whole year may be high or low, but
whether it be high or low, or whether the marriages be
many or few, it is quite certain that in the last quarter
of the year there will be half as many again as there were
in the tint.

BRITISH AND FOREIGN FREEDMEN'S AID BAZAAR.
—A very interesting, rich, and varied collection of articles
has been furnished by the friends of the society in the
Hanover-square Rooms. Contributions have been sent
from different parts of the United Kingdom, America,
Africa, and Jamaica. The stag are well furnished with
useful and elegant articles of needlework and natural curi-
osities, and the friends of the object have a good oppor-
tunity to manifest their sympathy and support.

- •
His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury will
preside at a meeting to be held in St. James's-hall, Picca-
dilly, at half-put two, on Thursday, May 9, in behalf of
the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. The Right
Hon. W. E. Gladstone, M.P., the Lord Bishop of Oxford,
the Right Hon. the Earl of Devon, and others will address
the meeting. The society provides for the maintenanoe of
517 clergy and 700 lay agents in the colonies and among
the heathen.

A meeting of the Trades Unions Commissioners
was held yesterday (Tuesday), April 30, at No. 1,
Park-prospect, Great Queen-etreet, Westminster. Pre-
sent :—Right Honourable Sir William Erle, chairman ;
the Earl of Lichfield, Right Honourable Sir Edmund W.
Head, Bart., K.C.8., Sir Daniel Gooch, Bart., M.P., Mr.
Herman Merivale, 0.13., Mr. James Booth, C. 8., Mr. J.
A. Roebuck, Q.C., M.P., Mr. Thomas Hughes, M.P., and
Mr. William Mathews. Mr. J. H. Patteson, secretary to
the commission, was also pessent,

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)

ITALY AND THE LUXEMBURG QUESTION.

FLORENCE, Aram 30.

The Opinione of this evening says :—" The
Luxemburg question, which threatened to disturb
the peace of Europe, has now entered the phase of
pacific arrangement. The Italian government,
convinced that no deliberate intention of making
war existed either at Berlin or Paris, and
being informed that its good offices and disin-
terested counsels would not only be accepted, but
were desired on both sides, did not hesitate one
moment in coming to an understanding with Eng-
land, and uniting with her in order to propose a
settlement of the most impartial and equitable
nature which would fully satisfy the interests and
just susceptibilities of two great nations, having
equal claims upon our friendship and alliance."

THE PRUSSIAN CHAMBERS.
BERLIN. Aram 30.

In this evening's sitting of the Chamber of
Deputies Herr von Fortenbeck was re-elected Pre-
sident and General Stavenhagen first Vice-Presi-
dent of the Chamber. Three ballots took place for
the election of the Second Vice-President. The
conservative candidate, Count Eulenburg, obtained
a majority over Herr von Carlowitz, of the party
of the Left. The members of the Left Centre
party, and Dr. Simeon, the former President of the
North German Parliament, hitherto belonging to
the old liberal faction, have joined the national
liberal party. The latter has resolved to pro-
pose an immediate vote on the whole federal con-
stitution.