The Express.
London, England, 1866-01-19 00:00:00

OPEN SPACES ROUND THE METEOPOLIEL

Mr. Doerrog, M.P., called the attention of the board to
the report of the committee of the House of Commons on
open spaces, and moved that it be referred to the streets
committee to obtain an interview with the Home Secretary
for the purpose of ascertaining the views of her Majesty's
government in reference to that question, and in doing so he
said that when the question was before that oommitt,ee
there were two classes of persons who put forward their
views before it. One thought that the subject of open
spaces around the metropolis should be placed in the hands
of a special commission, while the others thought that it
ought to be oonfided to the Board of Works as the natural
guardians of the rights of the metropolis. The latter class
were sanguine enough to believe that the lords of the manors
would give up their rights to the Board of Works without
compensation, but he did not believe that they would give
up any of their rights without receiving compensation for
what they surrendered. The time had arrived when some
step moat be taken to obtain parliamentary powers to secure
those open spaces, or in a few years they would be
entirely enclosed, and become private property. The
board in obtaining such powers might purchase
the whole of the open spaces, and after securing a
sufficient quantity for the recreation of the public, sell the
remainder for building purposes, by which the absolute cost
of the land would be greatly reduced.
Mr. CkItIIINLEL emended the motion, and concurred in
the views of Mr. Doulton. .

A discussion followed of a very unanimous character, and
ultimately the motion was unanimously agreed to.

PRESENTATION TO Mica. COBDEN.—A large and
beautiful needlework portrait of the late Richard Cobden
by Miss Roach, of Wakefield, which was exhibited hi the
Industrial and Fine Arts Exhibition in that town during
the past autumn, has been purchased by subscription,
and presented to Mrs. Cobden. The portrait is worked
on a white ground with black silk. The resemblance is
perfect, the lines of the face are minute and delicate, and
altogether the portrait, which is valued at 701., is a work
bespeaking oonsiderable taste and skill. In acknow-
ledging the gift, Mrs. Cobden says :—" The presentation
of dear Mr. Cobden's purtrait, which you kindly announced
to me on the 30th of last mouth, has been safely received
here, and it is, as regards needlework, the most beautiful
piece of art I have ever seen. By me and my children it is
regarded as a precious ornament to the memory of one who
wu to our hearts above all price ; and I am sure the names
of all the subscribers will for ever be remembered with
affection in our family. I beg most kindly to present my
thanks to Miss Roach for her devotion to soy beloved
husband's memory."
A ROUGH VOYAGE ACROSS TEE ATLANTIC.—
The steamship Atlanta, Captain Archer, which arrived on
Wednesday night from London, reports having experienced
a succession of terrific gales throughout the passage.
Dec. 22, lat. 48.38, long. 39.44, encountered a tremendous
gale from the south-west, accompanied with rain, during
which Mr. Watson, a seaman, was thrown from the wheel,
breaking two °Mix ribs. William Dunn, quartermaster,
was also struck by the wheel, breaking one rib. Dec. 23,
the gale still increasieg with very heavy sea ; 10 a.m.,
main topsail blew away, shipped a heavy sea, smashing
skids and unshipping davits of the starboard lifeboat,
letting it down on the deck immediately ; after shipped
another sea, smashing lifeboat, washing away after-hatch
companion, breaking engiaeroom skylight and knocking in
the fore part of afterhouse, destroying books, papers, &c.
Several attempts were made to get the after hatch battened
down, men being washed away repeatedly, with hammers,
nails, ire. It was nearly an hour before the hatch
was secured, the boatswain receiving injuries in the
back which incanacitated him. 1 p.m.—Gale furious,
all hands t adeathariag to secure foretrysail, which
was blowing away, wren a tremendous sea struck the ship
on the starboard bow, sweeping decks fore and aft, washing
overboard Charles Dymn, fourth officer, William Collins,
quartermaster, John Munday, ordinary seaman ; washing
sway all bulwarks on port side and part on starboard,
water casks, oil casks, port bow lifeboat, and davits ;
smashing skids and unshipping the davits of all the
other hosts ; stove in front of tore deck home. carrying
away mess room, carpenter's berth, baker's room,
lamp room, and water-closet, destroying lamps and oil
tanks, carrying away rail from buckets, binnacle, and com-
pass of the bridge, starting anchor, which wee lashed on
deck, breaking foretopsail boom, which struck Mr. Mitchell,
first officer, on the shoulder, breaking his collarbone, besides
severely injuring several others. The same sea carried
away brace of foreyard, which was afterwards secured with
great difficulty ; started the whole of the fore house, and
caused a leak in transom locker, which keeps one man cm-
tinually bailing ; washed overboard everything movable,
such as ladders, harness-casks, tackle, ropes, night glasses,
&c. The remainder of the passage experienced strong
gales and disagreeable weather generally.— New Yon(
Times. Jan. 6.

SECRETARY SEWARD'S LITTLE TRIP.—Secretary
Seward Ins gone away in a steamer, and the purposes of
his trip and his destination are alike shrouded in profound,
solemn and almost awful mystery. Whither can he be
gone? What is he to ? Curiosity stands on tiptoe
everywhere. The newspapers guess in a vague, wild
way at what may be in the wind, and pass before
the public eye • panorama of possibilities in which
Mexico and Maximilian do tremendous duty. The
telegraph contradicts itself every half boor. Every
one wonders just as men did at Balkier's, just
as they did when Marlborough, the prince of commanders,
had gone to the war in Flanders ; just as they always do
when an occurrence of the grandest importance may be
snnounesd at any moment, sod a stroke of vast statesman-
ship may dazzle us like • comet. Meanwhile the secretary
goes on quietly in his little trip, hold his tongue very hard,
and will enjoy the amazement with which the country
watches his movements. His little triple a success already.
Mr. Seward has not had any good opportunity lately
to figure very largely before the people. His occupa-
tion is not absolutely gone, bat the end of the war has
belittled it sadly. He felt that he was playing • minor
part. He was overslaughed in the great topic of recon-
struction between Congress and the President. People
were no longer willing to read his ten column letter, and
he saw that ID the Senate there were other ideas on foreign
affairs beside the Seward ideas. He resolved, like the boy
in the thunder storm, that something must be done. But
what? That was the grand question ; and while
his brain laboured at the programme for a
sensation why should he not take • little rest?
And how could he take it better than in a govern-
ment steamer on a voyage to the tropical slimmer? That
would do, and the steamer was made reedy, and, behold,
this little trip answers the very purpose. It awakens curi-
osity, it excites interest, it keeps the secretary's name in
every mouth, and the papers are fall of Seward, Seward,
Seward. There is • great sensation and the Secretary is once
more the great man of the hour. Reconstruction is for-
gotten, Grant passes out of sight. Does any one vadat:*
an attempt to draw from the secretary the secret of his
voyage, how wisely he will shake his bead and abut hie
month, as if to put a double guard on his tongue. How
oracularly he will give out scraps of wise nonsense and
shrug hie shoulders ! For even secretaries can sometimes
be of that Dort of men.th.at •

entertain
With purpose to be dressed In en opinion
Of wisdom, gravity, profound conceit.
He can be s,s wise es anyone when saying nothing is a
satisfactory evidence of wisdom. The secretary will sip
hie sherry here and there in the Gulf —msyhap at Van
Cruz. perbepe even at St. Thomas with Santa Anna. And
he will enjoy that sherry all the more when he considers the
vast surmise that his little trip has had before the Ameri-
cas people. Bat he will still be " roosted wise," foe be
will soy nothing.—llets York Herald.