The Express.
London, England, 1866-12-31 00:00:00

••daily.
News frost Use War islands was unimportant.

AMERICA.
ARRIVAL OF THE HECLA.
QUEFSSTOWN, Dtc. 31.
The Cunard steamship Reda, from New York,
arrived here at 4.25 a.m., with 105 passengers, and
115,437 dole. in specie, for England. She landed
14 passengers, and proceeded for Liverpool at 4.40

a.m. All well.
(BY ATLANTIC TELZGILAPIL)
NEW YOILIE, Die. 29.
Gold, 1331. Sterling exchange on London,
1091; Illinois, 118 ; Erie, 68 ; 5-20 United States
Bonds, 1051. Cotton, middling upland, U.
The royal mail steamer Australasian arrived out
yesterday.

REPLY OF THE EMPEROR OP RUSSIA TO TOE
UNITED STATES CONGRESS.

President Johnson has sent to Congress a mes-
sage containing the translation of s letter dated August
17 last, addressed to him by his Majesty Alexander, Em-
peror of Russia, in reply to a joint resolution of Congress,
approved on the 16th Mardi ,1866, relative to the attempted
assaasinationof the Emperor. a certified copy of which was,
in compliance with the request of Congress, forwarded to
his Majesty by the hands of Gustavo/ V. Fox, late As-
sistant Secretary of the Navy. The following is the letter
[Translation.]
" His Majesty the Emperor of Russia to the President of
the United States of America :

" Peterhof, Ang. 17.
" I have received from the hands of Mr. Fox the
resolution of the Congress of the United Steles of
America on the occasion of the providential grace of
which I have been the object. That mark of sym-
pathy has moved me sensibly. It is not alone personaL
It attests once more the sentiments that bind the
American nation to that of Russia. The two
peoples have no injuries to remember, but
good relations under all circumstances. Proofsl
of mutual benevolence are added. These cordia
relations are as conducive to their interests as to the
good of civilisation and humanity, and answer the designs
of Divine Providence, whose will is peace and concord
among all nations. It gives me a lively pleasure to see
these ties constantly strengthened more and more. I have
imparted my sentiments to Mr. Fox. I pray you to be my
interpreter to Congress and the American people whom it
represents. Tell them how much I appreciate, and with
me the whole of Russia, the testimonies of friendship they
have given me, and how happy I will be to see the Ame.
rican nation grow in strength and prosperity by the Union
and constant practice of the civil virtues that distinguish
it. Accept at the same time the assurance of the high
consideration with which I am your good friend,
" ALEXANDER."

LIFEBOAT SERVICES.

WEXFORD, IRELAND, DEC. N.
Information was brought here last evening
during a violent gale of wind (reports Wm. Goghlan,
Esq.) that nine workmen who had been employed on the
Dogger sandbank, for the Wexford Harbour Commis-
sioners, were endeavouring to reach the shore in their own
boat. As they thereby ran a great risk of losing their
lives, the lifeboat " Civil Service," of the National Lif
e-
boat
Institution, was launched to their assistance,w anho were
d w
fortunately the means of rescuing the men, '
much exhausted when taken into the lifeboat.
CAISTOR, NORFOLK, DEC. 29.
A vessel was seen to stop in her course last night near
the shoal of theßarberSand, and soon showed signal lights
of distress. The Birmingham No. 2 lifeboat, belonging to
the National Lifeboat Institution, was at once launched,
and on arriving alongside the vetwel she was found to be the
brig Kelpie, of London, laden with coals from Shields, and
it appeared that she was aground on the sand and was
very leaky. The lifeboat remained by her all night, and
ultimately succeeded in getting her off, and, with the
Assistance of a steam-tug, she and her crew were safely
taken this morning into Yarmouth Harbour.
FENARTH, SOUTH WALES, DEC. 29.
During heavy squalls last evening (says the Rev. Chas.
Parsons) several flash lights were shown from a vessel sp-
pirently in distress near the west end of Cardiff Sands.
The lifeboat of the National Lifeboat Institution was
thereupon launched, and proceeded in that direction
and again observed some dare up signals strongly
exhibited. On arriving alongside the vessel she was found
to he the barque Cedes, of Bremen, bound from that port
to Cardiff, in ballast, and that she was not in distress, but
was signalling for her own boat, which was on shore with
the master. After remonstrating with the crew for show-
ing distress signals unnecessarily, the lifeboat returned to
the shore.

L
EXTRAORDINARY DEATH P
KHO US ROM POISON IN
,ST. UKE'; WOR E.

INQITE'ST..-(TIIIS DAY.)
This morning Mr. John Humphreys, the Middle-
sex coroner, resumed an inquiry at r.he Green Gate
Tern, City-road, respecting the death, under very singu-
larav circumstances, of Henry Pepler, aged 55 years.
The deceased had been for several years an inmate of
St. Luke's Workhouse. He expired on the sth inst., and
was found dead in a water-closet.
Dr. Henry Letheby's report of the analysis of the
stomach and intestines of the deceased was read to the
court. It tated that on December 13 he received
from Dr. s
Edmunds a heart, two kidneys, and a
stomach. The heart was quite healthy. The kidneys
were large and much congested. The stomach was
unoened. It was of a deep violet colour, and
it copntained three drops of an alkaline liquid of a deep
colour having the odour of prussic-acid. The mucous coat
of the stomach was inflamed and was of a violet colour
it
from the action of poison. On analysis, he found that
contained nearly two grains of prussic-acid, and about ten
grains of carbonate of potash. There was no doubt, there-
fore,that the death was occasioned by cyanide of po. There
tassium,
of which about 12 grains remained in the stomach
was no other poison present.
Joseph Pepper, 31, Fleet-lane, Old Bailey, said that be
was a cheeeetnonger. The deceased was his brother, and
he had been a French polisher. His death was a very
sudden one, and witness had taken the matter up. because
he thought by so doing he might do good to others who
were in workhouses. If he had not done so his brother
would have been buried as a person dying a natural death.
The Coroner said that he should have known nothing
about the case only for the hro'her. He hoped that he
time would come when the officials of workhouses would
be compelled to give notice to the Coroner of every death
that took place in a workhouse. That course was
adopted with respect to deaths in lunatic asylums,
and from his experience it appeared to be very necessary
with regard to deaths in workhouses.
Dr. C. H. Harris, the medical officer at the workhouse,
said that the deceased had been ill since the 4th of 'No-
vember. Witness ordered him to the sick ward of the
workhouse. He asked for sick diet, but ho de-
clined to go into the infirmary of the work-
house. He was therefore granted permission to
go and see a doctor. He had, during the course of his
illness, been under the care of three doctors, at three
hospitals. Witness had made inquiries since the deceased's
death, aLd he had been informed that none of those
doctors' prescriptions included any medicine contain-
ing prussicaciiL The deceased bad permission to
leave the workhouse two days every week to see an hos-
pital oloctor, as lie preferred their treatment.
A juror asked whether there was any evidence as to how
the decaLsral became poisoned. Was there any suspicion
The Coroner said that it was not suspected that any per-
son had administered poison to the deceased for the pur-
pose of killing him. It was conjectured that the deceased
had cow:nitwit suicide in consequence of his illness, but
that was a mere supposition. The case was a very mys-
terious ono, for there was no evidence as to when ho was
piisoucd.
The jury, after some deliberation, returned the follow-
ing verdict, " That the deceasal was found dying in St.
Luke's workhouse, :rail did there die from the mortal
effects of haa takeu and swallowed down a certain
poison known as cyanide of potassium, and the jurors do
further say that under what circumstances he swallowed
down t'ae said poison there is no evidence to prove."

SOUTHAMPTON, DEC. 31.—The Peninsular and
Oriental Company's steamer I'era arrived off the Needles
at
TB.IS°Isa.inC.ONDEMN*I) AT NIRIEDALE.—The con- I _, Mm••=1............'.......".."•1,
andOrdillatite°
downed criminal, Robert Reid. who was sentenced to IHE CHRISTMAS ORDINATIO e
\ de. th at the late ruedze., for the murder of his wife in were held for 19 dioceses at Christmas,3l , resuiTo
Lower 'Ty-ale-street, four Ye*" ago, *mains in the Kirk- have been admitted into Holy Orders. Of 1!le.il 01,
dale Gaol, and has been visited by his DOD, his mister from were—From Cambridge, 116 • Oxfor,l, 101 ; . rut 7,,,,
Ireland, end two cousins reddent in Liverpool. He is at- lege, Dublin, 19 ; King's College, London, 11'; 11,t.!75e
tended by the protestant chaplain, the Rev. R. Appleton. Theologicaleollege. Birkenhead, 13 ; ht. Bees Ifin:i
We unl,..rstand that two petitions, praying for a commul College, Cumberland, 11;
tation of the sentence, have been forwarded to the Home- ' 7 QUeen's College. Birminglcon, 6: Llferi
otlice. One of the petitions was originated by the prisoner's I Lichfield Theological College, 4 ; University ef_ •
intimation which would lead them to believe that '
friends, and is stated to have been numerroasly signed. 14 ; University of Landon, 3 ; Chichester TD_., I.;
so fir, the authorities at the gaol lave received College, 2 : Church Missionary College, Igb!`grt: CO
SaiiSbUry Theological College, 1 ; London Diva% 7
nil:
iwnetvz.,
the extreme sentence of the law will not be carried into lege. 1 ; Cuddeadon Theological College 1. lt-10°1
euect. The criminal still seems to entertain a hope_ that i GREAT NORTHMAN HOSPITAL, C stRnoNIA ow
her Majesty's clemency will be extended towards him.— I Isuactret..—Numbey of Spot.tDien"tsia'favrCutilegeieekll7l
Lircrpool Album. Dec. 29, 857, of which 284 were new coats.

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