The Express.
London, England, 1867-01-04 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, FRIDAY EVENING, JANUARY 4, 1867.

as soon as the war was over, were sent forth to
cruise in every sea. This is the real symbol of the
naval greatness of the United States, and it is
only a symbol. The whole force employed in
squadron service consists of 69 ships only, mount-
ing but 694 guns. These are partly in European
waters, in the North and South Atlantic, in the
Gulf of Mexico, and in the North and South
Pacific. There is also an Asiatic squadron. The
officers in command are instructed to protect and
further the interests of commerce, and to show
activity and energy in ocean surveying. They
are not to avoid doubtful and ill-defined
dangers, but to ascertain by actual observation
the exact state of the facts, so that errors
may be corrected and ocean charts more accu-
rately laid down. It is pleasing to remark that
our cousins, on emerging from their tremendous
conflict, are really delighted with the welcome
which has met them everywhere ; and it would be
ungracious to suspect that in too many cases
this welcome is the result of a painful perception
of the great Power which has been so strikingly
called into existence on the other aide of the
great Western Ocean.

WE fail to see why Mr. JOAEPH GUEDALLA
should have written the letter to Mr. LOWE which
the latter gentleman published yesterday in the
Times. The Tory journals are describing Mr.
GUZDALLA'S letters as impertinent, and the word,
if severe, is not altogether without warrant. Mr.
G zDA LLA is &member of the executive of the Reform
Lesgue,which has been holding Mr. Lowe account-
able on every platform it could command for the
foolish judgment he pronounced on his countrymen
in Parliament. This it had a perfect right to do ;
but its members cannot in decency after that
address themselves to Mr. Lows, hoping he will
"kindly pardon the liberty" of asking him
whether he has modified his "unjust and un-
" fortunate opinions." Mr. Lowe replies, that
with the Reform League and its leaders ho has
"no courtesies to interchange." It does not
appear that Mr. GUEDALLA has any but very
equivocal courtesies to offer, and certainly Mr.
Lowe is not a gentleman with whom we should
expect them to originate. Did Mr. GUEDALLA
imagine he was likely to convert Mr. Lowe I
And did it occur to him to ask himself
what the Reform League could do with such a
convert ? Mr. Lowe has changed his opinions too
often to make his political judgment of any value
to any cause. It is not by his judgment, but by
his willingness to say, in well-rounded periods,
that which men of inferior ability find too bad
to ho said at all, that Mr. Lows wins cheers.
Reformers should leave him alone. Before he is
six months older many of those who cheered him
last session will wish he had been in Australia last
year instead of making mischievous speeches in
England. Mr. Lowe naturally refuses to retract
his opinions at the summons of Mr. GUEDALLA,
but he gives an explanation of his memorable
speech, which, like others which have preceded it,
shows that he has neither been misunderstood nor
misrepresented. It is astonishing that a man
of his perspicuity should insist on distinc-
tions which are utterly futile and irrelevant. I
No human being ever supposed that in making
his rash speech Mr. Lows meant to characterise
the " entire working class " of this country with
venality and drunkenness, because this is not
the way we characterise any class of men. The
existence of exceptions is always admitted. Classes
are described by their distinguishing and general
features, and no one reading Mr. Lows's speech
could doubt that in this sense he meant to impute
drunkenness and venality to the working classes.

tares and preference shares have fallen in estimation as a
desirable security. The extent of the shook through
which for one sufferer on former occasions there have now
probably been fifty, explains the wide-spread character of
the existing distrust. However, the Times thinks that
there is a glimpse of encouragement, and that people will
recur to those methods of employing money by which trade
is quickened and industry recompensed.
The Daily Newi hears with great regret of the illness of
the present Miuister of Italian Finance, because it believes
that Signor Scialoj a lure the courage and the firmness not only
to insist on retrenchment, but to resist insidious proposals
in that sense which would irretrievably destroy the credit
of the country. He will need all the strength of his cha-
racter to preserve the honour of his country pure, if we
are to judge from the tone of certain of the Italian jour-
nals, which for the last month have been actually pro-
posing the reduction of the interest of the public debt
from sto 3 per cent., of course without option of reim-
bursement, upon ten millions sterling annual interest
now paid by the government. By this incredibly shame-
less and dishonest transaction, it is suggested by these
ingenious financiers, a saving of not lea.; than four millions
sterling per annum might be effected. It would be au
act of bankruptcy, and of fr►udulent bankruptcy, it is
true, but this consideration does not disturb the con-
sciences of these thoroughgoing economists.

the !Court.

OSBORNE, JAN. 3.

The Queen walked and drovo yesterday after-
noon, accompanied by Princes, Louise, and her Majesty
drove out this morning with Princess Christian.
Princess Louise, Prince Leopold, Princess Beatrice, and
Prince Henry of Prussia walked in the grounds this
morning.

Prince Christian went out shooting, attended by Major-
General F. H. Seymour. Captain Von Schroetter had the
honour of accompanying his royal highness.
The Wight Hon. Gathorne Hardy arrived at Osborne
yesterday, and had the honour of dining with the Queen
and the royal family.
Miss M'Gregor has arrived at Osborne on a visit to her
Majesty.

Lientensat-Colonel Henry Ponsonby has succeeded as
Equerry in Waiting.

Desp►tches were received yesterday at the Colonial•
office from the governors of the settlements on the West
Coast of Africa.

Despatches were sent to the governors of Gibraltar,
Malta, Ceylon, Hong Kong, Lbuan, and Canada.

The Duke of Buckingham will return to town on
Monday next from Stowe, Bucks, for the season.
Viscount Halifax and the Hon. Mr. Wood have
arrived at Thomas's Hotel, Berkeley-square.
The Viscountess Berthier has just died in child-
birth, at the age of only 21. The doomed lady was •
Creole of great beauty and distinction.

We have to announce the death of Lady Robert
Tottenham, aged $4. Her ladyship was daughter of Corn.
walls, second Viscount Hawarden, and relict of the late
Lord Robert Ponsonby Tottenham, Lord Bishop of Clogher,
only brother of the second Marquis of Ely.
_ _

Thu condition of the Marquis of Exeter is (says
the Sioniford Mercury) not much changed since last week.
His lordship has passed two or three good nighta, and has
been compar►tively free from pain, but he has experienced
no increase of strength ; indeed it is believed that he is
gradually getting weaker. Nearly all the members of
his lordship's family are still Burghley House.

MR. BRIGHT, M.P., AND MR. H. D.
SEYMOUR, M.P.

Yesterday Mr. H. D. Seymour (M.P. for Poole)
wrote a second letter to Mr. Bright, which is as follows :
" Atheneum Club, Jan. 3.
" My dear Brigbt,—l am sorry to be obliged to trouble
you with another letter, but as it is your speeches, and not
your brother's, which I Lave written about and for which
lam called to account, I prefer to communicate directly
with you. I never saw Mr. Morley's letters to your
brother till I read them yesterday in the Times, and I
was surprimed to find that the a:planarian which I had
sent to Mr. Morley near the beginning of the correspon-
dence had, doubtless from an extreme press of business.
never been communicated to Mr. Jacob Bright, hut an
erroneous impression was conveyed in Mr. Morley's second
letter. In the Times of the 17th of October, page 7, column 5,
from the left, line 14, I find these words :—' But I deny
altogether that the rich alone are qualified to legislate for
the poor, and more than that, the poor alone would be
qua to legislate for the rich.' A man can hardly be
called poor who has an independence, however small ; the
poor man, as I understand the term, is he who lives from
hand to mouth, who has been either unable or unwilling
to save, and who has generally received an education far
inferior to what I think he ought to have. Now, I repeat
that if you put legislation entirely into the hands of these
persons, as you are represented to have expressed a willing-
ness to do, they would fell into the hands of designing
men, or enthusiasts ; measures would be proposed inimi-
cal to the propertied classes, who would resist by force
if necessary, and • civil war, such as we saw in
France, would be the
.consequence. I think lam per-
fectly justified in drawing these conclusions, if you really
said what has been attributed to you. Mr. Jacob Bright
says you did not, and gives an entirely different version,
in the spirit of which I cordially agree, and which I at
once accept as correct. I conclude that the Tines' re-
porter mistook your words. I am glad that Mr. Jacob
Bright has raised the question, as it bas cleared up a
point on which many others like myself, may have had
misconceptions, and about which I should be sorry that
your real views should be misunderstood. With regard
to the other point to which Mr. Jacob Bright has alluded,
I admit that he convicted me of an error, although a very
small one. It was • mistake of • single word, for which
I have never reseed apologising. All' was printed
instead of ' half ; but this did not in the least affect
my argument. The statement that half the land of
England is in the hands of 150 proprietors, I humbly sub.
mit, deserves the epithet I applied to it, and I respectfully
beg to say that much statements appear to me blemishes in
your matchless oratory, because the object of eloquence is
to persuade, and men hesitate to believe if they cannot
depend upon the facts on which the conclusions of the
speaker are based. In some minds- also, though not in
mine, it throws • doubt on the lona fides of the orator, be-
cause the greater portion of the audience cannot inquire
for themselves, and accept whatever you tell them on your
high authority. You are presumed to know this, and there.
fore, if you mialeadthem,you are naturally held responsible.
I have endeavoured now to justify myself where I think
I was right, and frankly to apologise for my error where
I was wrong. I think I have given an explanation which
will appear satisfactory in the eyes of all just and fair men,
and as for those who are not just and feir, I think it my
duty to regard them with the indifference they deserve.—
I inain,rtire truly, HENRY D. SEYMOUR.

____---
" J. it—right, Esq.'.
" P.S.—As your brother has attacked me, and sent his
letter direct to the newspapers, without previously furnish-
ing me with a copy. I am compelled to adopt the same
line in my defence."
[The mistake in the Times report, which Mr. Seymour
quotes, is so very apparent that it seems surprising the
hon. gentleman did not discover it. Of course the word
" and" should have been " any."]

Yesterday afternoon, at the Royal Institution,
Professor Frankland, F.R.S., delivered the fourth of the
Christmas juvenile lectures on " Gases" to a large
audience.

The east window of the new church at Stock-
bridge, in Hants, is of rich stained glass, and cost 120
guineas. It was given by Mr. John Day, of Danebury,
the famous horse trainer. The font in the new church is
1,000 years old. It is formed of granite, the outer surface
of which has perished with age.

At Hurst, opposite Yarmouth, in the Isle of
Wight, green peas were picked during the last month.
THE ALBERT MEMORIAL IN HYDE-PARK.—This
canopy-roof, with its tower and spire, is not only a very
great and a very important work, but, in all probability, it
is the greatest and the moat important artistic work in metal
in existence in the world. The magnitude of their under-
taking was thoroughly appreciated by the artiste.
Wrought iron was employed for the whole of the frame-
work, and cast-iron for the structural parte that were to be
built upon this framework. All the more distinguished
visible portions of the work, the bases and capitals of
columns, the cornices, crestings, finials, and other similar
details, and with them the cross that was to crown
the entire edifice, were to be of a fine bronze. Mr.
Skidmore has covered with lead the whole of the iron-
work that otherwise would be visible, and consequently
would be exposed to atmospheric action. This same lead
work is wrought into an elaborate series of exquisite Bur-
face-designs, of which the leading motive is to form set-
tings for innumerable pieces of polished agate, onyx,
jasper, carnelian, crystal, marble, granite, and other richly-
coloured bard substances, together with inlays of enamels
of various hues. The cross that forms the finial of the
memorial is a work of great dignity, executed in bronze,
with inlays of stones and rich gilding. Sixteen bronze
statues of various heights, the four principal ones being
eight feet high, are grouped about the several stages of the
spire, and and greatly to the dignified beauty of the whole
compoeition.—Art Jourital.

necessity sustain the market to a certain extent.
Rents rose 10c. for Gash and sc. for account,
closing at 69fr. 80c., and 69fr. 75c. ; Mobilier rose
2fr. 50c. ; and Italian, 30c. ; Credit Foncier rose
37fr. 30c.