The Express.
London, England, 1867-06-05 00:00:00

THE 29,nicksos.

In reply to Mr. TATHAM, the PROLOCUTOR explained the
masons why the baptismal canon, passed by convocation
some yeah ago in substitution of the ?kb canon, had not
been confirmed by letters patent, the principal ones being
an objection taken by the late Lord Chancellor to the
wording of the canon, and a difference of opinion between
the convocations of York and Canterbury on the subject,
it being obviously undesirable that a canon which was in
force in the province of Canterbury should not take effect
in that of York.

The Nev. Mr. T %TN %/I suggested that it had been de-
cLired by high authority that • canon once passed and
proinulge4l by convocation was the law of the church, and
Canon SKTWOUR asked whether it was now to be under-
stood that the Prolocutor now authoritatively pronounced
the opinion that it was not the law of the church until
confirmed by the letters patent.
The Pluumccron—No, I give no opinion as to that, I am
only explaining why the letters patect have not been
issued.

Subsequent, Canon Scraouit gave totice for the
appointment eta committee on the subject.

CONVOCATION LIBRARY.

A committee, consisting of the Dean of Westiningter,
Canon Hawkins, Lord A. Compton, the Rev. Mr. Gibbs,
and Prebendary Kemp, was appointed to take measures for
the formation of a library for the Lower House.

THE. ADDITION TO CHURCH FUND CONMICRATION BILL.

A message having come down from his Grace the Pre-
sident, permitting the House to discuss this bill, as
requested yesterday,
Archdeacon DENISON, while admitting that the amend-
ments of which Lord Redesdale had given notice removed
some of the objections, took exception to the preamble,
which assumed that all additions to a church went on all
fixers in regard to consecration, whereas the principle
was that if the chancel and altar were changed
or added to, consecration of the land on which

the addition'al portion stood must be requisite.
Consecration, as he understood it, applied to the land on
which the church stood, and extended to the building
erected upon it, but if additions of land were afterwards
made to the land either of the church or churchyard such
additions should be consecrated. He fully approved of
the object of the bill, but complained that its introduction
into parliament before Convocation had been required to
express its opinion upon it was a violation of the principle
which the house yesterday affirmed.
[left aitting.]

PENINSULAR AND ORIENTAL STEAM NAVI-
GATION COMPANY.-( THIS DAY.)

The half-yearly meeting of the proprietors was
held at 1 o'clock, at the offices of the company, Leaden.
hall.atreet , • Mr. P. D. /LWOW in the chair.

The repo'rt, which was Maned and published last week,
having been read by the SzeRETARy (Mr. C. W. Howell),
The CHAIRMAN moved its adoption. After referring to
the absence of the chainmui from indisposition, he ob-
served that the report was a very disappointing one, par-
ticularly as dividends had been regularly received for many
years past. The causes of the deficiency were, however, very
clear ; they were the great rise in expenses, and the cessa-
tion of that freight which the company had so long possessed.
The receipts from specie which usually amounted toloo,ooo/.
in the half-year, were under 5,000/. The company had also
suffered greatly from the commercial depression in the
East. During this state of things the company bad been
compelled to perform its mail contract entered into at a
time when wages and other charges were mnch lower than at
present. As regarded the foreign competition, not only
did the French government pay a very large subsidy to the
French company, but they advanced part of the money
required to establish it. As to the difference of time be-
tween the service of the two companies, he remarked that
the Peninsular and Oriental Company was compelled to
call at more places than its rival. Wishing to state the
worst at once, he would mention that the English
government were about to put on transports for the con-
veyance of officers of the army and their
families to and from India ; that would to a certain extent
diminish the company's revenue. At present he could not
bold out much hope of improvement, but the company
must be patient, and look forward to better things. He
hoped the government would take a liberal view of this
contract question. He concluded by reading a letter from
the chairman of the board, Mr. Anderson, in which he
said he trusted that a careful perusal of the report had con-
vinced the shareholders that there had been no fault on the
part of the board, adding that he had ROO shares,
that hia remuneration, as managing director, was depen-
dent on the success of the company, that ho regarded the
present depression as only of a temporary character, and
that he hoped the lees on the freight of silk would he com-
pensated for by the increased traffic in raw cotton.
Mr. J. C. EWART seconded the motion.
Mr. WARD would like to know what steps the board had
taken in order to obtain a cheaper supply of coals in the
Ent. It had been stated that Australian coal was at least
equal to English coal, and he believed the time would
come when no other coal would be used in the Indian
ABM

Mr. JOHN FRANKS observed that the expenditure of coal
was a matter of vital importance, but the question was not
merely one of the cost per ton, but what a ton of coal would
produce. He would be glad to know whether the contracts
for provisions and everything else were thrown open to
public competition. He had been told that more was
paid by that company than by either the Royal Nail or
the Cunard Company. He knew some of the directors of
the klessageries Company, and he knew that that company
had done this one serious injury. (Hear, hear.)
Dr. ReArrtx said, at a meeting five years ago he pre-
dicted that this company would suffer from the French
Company ; but a director, who was absent, said he did
not share in his apprehension. He must confess
that he did not expect liberal treatment from
the English government, especially as the other night,
in reply to a question in the House of Commons with re-
gard to the postal service to the Hut, a hope was ex-
premed that the Menageries Company would tender for
the conveyance of the mails. He was astonished that any-
one could desire that the mails to English dependencies
and colonies should be carried by a company which was
under the influence of the French government. (How.)
A SHAREHOLDER remarked that there were steamboat
companies which made a good profit without having a
postal contract, and he did not attach much importance
to that branch of the company's work.
[The meeting was proceeding when our report left.]

When the Port Admiral last week inspected the
Phabe at Plymouth he observed some scratches on the
nose of a young midshipman, who, on being questioned,
answered it was the "government mark." Capt. Bythesea
was then requested to report, and, his letter having been
sent to Whitehall, two of Icen of the ship—viz., Mr. Bayn-
ham, master's assistant, and Mr. Meddle, midshipman,
were on Monday dismissed from her. In the afternoon
Captain needy made a second inquiryon board the Phoebe,
and his report is now under the consideration of the Lords
of the Admiralty. The father of one of the dismissed oM.
cell says that " scratching " means drawing a broad arrow
about the size of a horse-bean on the tip at the nose, and
rubbing in cayenne pepper, but the application of cayenne
pepper was omitted on this particular occasion. The mid-
shipman was a consenting party, and all looked upon the
affair as a " capital joke." The marks made on the nose
disappeared in a few dam sad not the slightest disfigure-
ment remains.

LATEST SPORTING INTELLIGENCE

(BY TILIGIAPH.)
ASCOT MEETING.-(THIS DAY.)

Bertie
Pintail
Rupert c

VISITORS' PLATE.

-0
t 2
0 I

3 ran.
TRIENNIAL STAKES.

-..—.. ..... —..—
Europa
...
lJneas ... ... ...
Formosa ... ... ...
12 ran.
BIENNIAL STAKES.
Hermit ... ... ...
...
Julius
... ...
Dragon ...
-

6 ran.

ROYAL RUNT CUP.

Jasper
Attack o . .
Wild Agnes ...

34 ran.

LATEST BETTING.
6to 1 agst Camellia (t freely)
9to I Mdlle. Cleopatre (t)
12 to 1 Bar two
FIFTEENTH TRIENNIAL. T.Y.O.
Michael de Basco. Restitution, Hatchment, Europa, For-
mosa, Banditto, Pearlfeather, Gondola, Parson, Vale Royal,
Helvellyn, and Warrington are here.

FERN HILL STAKES. Half a mile.
Lady Hester, Lady Elizabeth, Bismarck, Blue Gown,
Dulcet, Gunton, Hi Nyanza, Bounceaway, and
Corinne are here.
ASCOT DERBY. Swinley Course.
Hermit, Thornapple, Star of India, Master Willie,
The Palmer, Montgoubert, Priest, Mandrake, Cordell& o,
Beanstalk, and Leap Year are here.
ARRIVED.—Chelsea, Auguste, John Davis, and Lee.
turer.

THE NEW MEAT AND POULTRY MARKETS,
SMITHFIELD.-(THIS DAY.)

It is, we believe, over aux years since the City
obtained an act for the construction of a meat market on
the site of Smithfield, but now the work appears to be
progressing in earnest, and this afternoon the ceremony of
laying the chief corner atone will take place at the eastern
extremity of the works, Longlane. A temporary cover-
ing has been erected, but as • few persons only are ex-
pected to be present the dimensions of the inclosure have
been limited. The process of laying the 'tone will be
performed by Mr. H. L. Taylor, chairman of the Market
Improvement Committee. It is said that the contem-
plated improvement will cost the corporation nearly half
a million, 250,000 t. having been paid for the land
alone. The market is to be enclosed, and will
be 623 feet long, 420 feet wide, and 15 feet high, and
there is to be a roadway fifty feet wide through it from
north to south. It is thought the market will afford
accommodation to 200 shops ; and such will be the situa-
tion of the stations and depots of the several railways
underneath that by means of lifts the meat will be placed
at the doors of the salesmen. The members of the com-
mittee and those invited will dine at the Trafalgar,
Greenwich, this evening.