The Express.
London, England, 1867-01-07 00:00:00

REMARKS.

There was a very heavy gale on our southern manta on Satur-
day. the wind veering from B.S. to S.W. Baronsetess have fallen
considerably, and in the north and west of the British Isles
they are now below PX inches. Temperatures have risen, but arc
still much lower in the north than in the south. Very strong
southwesterly winds prevail on our southern coasts this morn-
ing, and light variable winds on our isotherm coati. A large
amount of rain has fallen, and at Penzance and Plymouth the
quantity exceeds two Inches.

"A BANQUET TO MR. GLADSTONE."—Mr.
George Hadfield writes to the Manchester Ermniner :
"We are on the crisis of some great coming events,
and I wish to inquire where is our right hoe. member, W.
E. Gladstone, M.P. for South Lancashire, and what is our
duty to him. It was a striking, and an historical event
that he was rejected, at the general election, 1865, by
the owls and bats of the University of Oxford, and, at
the shortest notice and time for preparation, the electors
of South Lancashire (his native county), lovers of freedom,
civil, religions, and commercial, returned him to the House
of Commons, to represent a population of probablyl,soo,ooo
inhabitants of the largest commercial and manufacturing
district in the world. He has nobly vindicated our choice,
and proved himself to be faithful to the principles on
which we elected him. It is due to him and to ourselves
to have him amongst us, to hear what is his view of
the present state of public affairs, the proper course to be
taken, and how we can strengthen his hands, and uphold
his and our principles, at the present time. Let us, with
one heart and voice, invite him to a public banquet before
the parliament meets, that no doubt may be entertained in
the public mind of our unabated confidence in the man of
our choice. —I em, sir, your obedient servant, GroBGE
HADPIELD.—Victoria-park, Manchester, 4th January,
1867."

Mr. O'Beirne, the member for Cashel, proposes,
in the coining session, to ask parliament to sanction what
may be called an instalment of Mr. Bright's Irish land
schema He will ask for a loan of one million—to be fur-
nished from the deposits of the Irish savings banks—for
the purpose of purchasing estates offered for sale in the
Landed Estates Court. The land thus acquired will be re-
sold in lots of not less then 10 or more than 100 acres—
preference being given in the re-sale to the occupying ten-
ants. In the notice he has put on the paper the hon. gen-
tleman says his object is " to assist and encourage an inde-
pendent proprietary of small freehold estates in Ireland."

The Louden Review publishes, in a special sup-
plement to its number of Saturday last, a useful summary
of the books published in England, America, France, and
Germany during the year 1863. In most cases the cha-
racter of the works is specified. History, biography,
politics, travel, philosophy, fiction, poetry, and the sciences
have all a place, and the supplement is not only valuable
for purposes of reference, but is itself pleasant and instruc-
tive reading.

The Scotsman congratulates its readers on the
comparative ease with which Scotland has passed through
the crisis of 1866, and attributes the immunity experi-
enced to the fact of the banks having acted " with even
more than their wonted prudence." It is complained that
difficulty is experienced in arriving at the exact position
of the London banks, as they still, in many cases, " most
improperly mix up deposits with acceptances, although
the two kinds of liabilities are different in their nature
and essence.

On Saturday afternoon the fifth of the Christmas
juvenile lectures at the Royal Institution, on "Gases,"
was delivered by Professor Frankland, F.R.S.
One hundred persons, charged with election
rioting and assaulting vocals in tho interest of Mr. L.
Waldron, D.L., at the late election, have been bound over
to appear for trial at the spring assizes of Clonmel.
The ironmasters of South Staffordshire and East
Worcestershire gave notice on Saturday of their intention
to reduce the wages of the men in their employment. It
is stated that among the millmen and puddlers some
opposition will be offered to the reduction ; but the masters
appear to be confident that a strike will not be resorted to.
A Paris letter, dated Saturday, says :—" I have
this day received from Nice a basket containing ex-
quisitely-smelling orange bloseom, violets, and roses ;
beneath were green peas, oranges, and lemons. This now
wide empire of France contains lands which afford every
variety of European climate and vegetable production."

The General Omnibus Company of Paris will
increase the number of its vehicles by 58 from !the let of
April ; these will form part of the special service to be
established during the Exhibition. Additional cabs, to
the number of .300, will also be started during that period.
Since the abolition of the monopoly the number of those
vehicles in Paris, street cabs, or fits, is 5,000, and of om-
nibuses 700, including those belonging to the railway
companies and those which run to places in the environs of
Paris.

The Calcutta correspondent of the Times regrets
to say the government of India has declined to interfere
with the practice of taking dying Hindoce to the Ganges,
immersing them, and choking them with the holy mud.
Relying on the representations of an orthodox Ifindoo
authority, Sir John Lawrence has decided to leave the
matter to Hindoo opinion. The Bengal government, on
the other hand, urged that in all cases of taking tho sick
to the Ganges notice should first be given at the nearest
police-office.

The Italian government is one of the greatest
publishers in Europe, and this is the time of year when
volume after volume of imposing magnitude,ample margin,
and portly type issue from its press. Official persons,
senatois, deputies, and others to whom all these publica-
tions are sent, need a set of book-shelves on purpose for
their storage. The thing is done in a most liberal way,
with a great profusion of paper. It is said that about
6,000,000 fr. are annually expended in government printing
and publishing. _ _ _

According to the Independanee Beige, the
Emperor Napoleon made the following remarks on New
Year's-day to the President and members of the Legisla-
tive Corps:—" I thank you for the assistance which you
have given to me np to this day. It will not be wanting
to me in the future. Under present circumstances, I have
more need of it than ever."

A BRITISH SHIP SEIZED BY CHINESE PIRATES.—
The ship China, from Shanghai for Batavia, arrived
at Hong Kong on the 4th of October, with the chief mate
and seventeen of the crew of the ship Westminster,bound
to London, which they report at Prates Shoals. The
captain took • boat, and made for East End Island
for assistance, leaving the mate in charge of the ship,
which was soon after boarded by Chinamen, who advissd
all on board to leave. The mate and crew left the ship in
two boats. The captain and aix men returned to the
vessel, and are supposed to have been murdered by
the pirates, as the mate afterwards bailed the ship and
was told that the captain had left some time before.
The water-boats were soon after picked up by the
ship China. Commodore Jones hearing the particulars
is reported as having sent gunboats to the assistance of
the vessel. The Westminster had a large cargo from Cal-
cutta. Hong Kong dates to 6th October announce the
capture of the American brigantime Cuba by Chinese
pirates, near Pedro Branes. The captain was deliberately
shot, and the vessel pillaged and set on fire, and aban-
doned. Through the exertion/ of the survivors the fire
was extinguished, and the ship brought safely into port.
Iraost BOMBAY ro Csieurra.—There is reason
to believe that the entire journey from Bombay to Cal-
cutta will be able to be made in four days by the end of
the year.—Borabay Gazette, Dec. 13, 1866.