The Express.
London, England, 1867-05-03 00:00:00

LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING}, MAY 3, 1867.

TELEGRAPHIC INTELLIGENCE.

(=mat mioaAms.) .
THE PROPOSED CONFERENCE.
BERLIN, PLur 2, Eviariva.

The formal invitation of Prussia to the Confer-
ence from the Grand Ducal Government of Luxem-
burg arrived here to-day.

The semi-official Nwth German Gazette of this
evening denies the statements of the Paris Pram
respecting alleged conditions made by Prussia be-
fore accepting the invitation to a conference. The
same paper says :—" Besides the pacific declara-
tions of the Moniteur, it appears that further re-
assuring explanations have arrived here from
Paris, and were taken into consideration at a re-
cent council of *blisters. The proposed prohibi-
tion of the export of horses from Prussia appears
to have been thereupon abandoned. Commercial
reports received here from England announce,
however, that the purchase of oats, wheat, and
horaea for the account of the French Government
still continues."

THE PRUSSIAN CHAMBER.
BERLIN, MAT 2.

In to•day'a sitting of the Chamber of Deputies
Herr Tweaten, the reporter of the committee
on the constitution for North Germany, presented
the report of the committee to the President.
The report recommends the unaltered adoption of
the constitution.

RUSSIA.
ST. PETERSBURG, MAY 2.

The Journal de Si. Petersbourg of to-day says that
the London conference affords a hope of a success-
ful issue ; but should the conference result in war,
the responsibility of such a step would rest, upon
that power who should first disturb peace.
The Inralide does not entertain too great confi-
dence in the successful issue of the conference, since
similar conferences have in former times been
unsuccessful.

The Emperor and the Czarewitch and h:a wife
have left here to-day for Moscow.

REVOLUTIONARY AGITATION IN SPAIN.
BARCELONA, MAY 1, EVENING.

Great agitation prevails throughout Catalonia
Hostile manifestations have been made against
the Captain-General in this city at the bull-lights.
Troops have been hastily despatched into the
province of Tarragona and the mountains of Fi-
gueras, where armed bands are stated to be in the
field. The watchword of the insurgents is said to
be, " Prim and the republic for ever! Dos.*
with the Queen ! Down with Narvaez !"

The Duchess of Montpenaier has given birth to-
day to a son.
The amount of the Spanish floating debt at this
date is 105,000,000 realm.
MADRID, MAT 2.
The Marquis de Miraflores, President of the
Senate, has resigned.

Senor Corradi has withdrawn his amendment to
the Bill of Indemnity.

The Fate of the 2nd of May hae passed off
quietly.

ITALY.

FLORENCE, MAT 2, EVMING.

The government has appointed a commission to
examine into the state of the naval service and
into the conduct of all the officers, and to propose
to the ministry any necessary reforms in the staff
of the navy. The commission will be presided over
by the Vice-President of tho Senate, Signor Cu-
telli, and will consist chiefly of members of parlia-
ment

Baron von Kubeck, the Austrian Minister, has
been received by the King.

THE BANK OF FRANCE.
PARIS, MAY 2.

The Bank of France return for the week
ending to-day shows the following changes as com_
pared with the previous account :

INCREASE.

Cash . . . .
Bills discounted

. . . fr. 13,000,000
. . . 10,000,000

Advances . . .

333,000

Notes
Current accounts . .
Dacnsasn
Treasury balance . .

COTTON FAMINE SURPLUS FUND.—In reference
to this subject • meeting of the subscribers was held at
Birmingham yesterday, Mr. Alderman Manton in the
chair. The mayor (Mr. George Dixon), who acted as
hon. secretary to the local committee, moved the first
resolution :—"That in the event of the central executive
committee of the fund for the relief of distress in the msn ufac-
Wring districts selecting some suitable charitable object of
wide, general, and paramount importance, to which they
would recommend the subscribers to devote the entire
balance now in hand, this committee would approve such
a course rather than exercise any influence over their por-
tion of the surplus." His worship, with much earnest.
ness, and in generous sentiments commended the resolu-
tion to the meeting. He alluded with much feeling to the
sufferings and privations which in some districts
of the Southern States the inhabitants have
had to endure ; he reminded the meeting of the
ready aid which the citizens of the United States had on
occasions rendered to this country ; and expressed a hope
that the spirit of the resolutions to be proposed at this
meeting would be adopted throughout the country. The
resolution was adopted ; as were also the following,
moved and supported by Mr. Thomas Lloyd, Mr. Council-
lor Avery, and other gentlemen :—" That, in the opinion
of this committee, the distressed and destitute condition
both of the freedmen and white people of all classes, in
the southern part of the United States of America, pre-
sents a strong claim on the justice and compassion of this
country ; and that considering its great extent and seve-
rity, and its close alliance with, and near resemblance to,
the distress in Lancashire and Cheshire, for which the
original fund was raised, the surplus now remaining could
not be better devoted." " That a memorial, embodying
the views of the foregoing resolutions, be signed by the
chairman of the committee, and forwarded to the secretary
of the central executive committee at Manchester."

THE ANTI-TRAcrAni.or MOVRMENT.—Last night
a numerously-attended meeting, convened by the National
Protestant Institute, was held in the great room of St.
James's-ball, to consider the subject of Tractarianisin in
the church of England. Mr. Edward Harper, who filled
the chair, confined his remarks to the personal part of the
question, and mentioned the name* of seven clergymen of
the establishment holding benefices, or officiating within
the diocese of London, whom he accused of having
preached and published sermons at variance with the
articles of the church, and °Detaining sentiments that
were a violation of their ordination vows. The Rev.
Sir W. It. Mason-Marsh, Bart., M.A., who also ■poke,
strongly condemned the religious teaching of the " Tracts
for the Times," particularly alluding to number 90. He
did not for a moment impeach the sincerity of the author,
or that of the clergy who shared in his views, but he ques-
tioned their honesty in clinging to the emoluments which
they derived from the church. Far better would it have
been for them, as men of honour, had they followed the
example of Dr. Manning, and quitted her fold when their
opinions underwent so serious a change. But he was afraid
this was the last effort of the Papacy to retain its waning
power, and he agreed with the Edinburgh Review that the
time was approaching when all sections of protestant"
must, and would, unite to uphold the principles of the
Reformation. The Rev. Dr. K. F. Spencer followed in a
similar strain, but no resolution was proposed or adopted
beyond that of thanking the reverend speakers, and the
chairman for presiding.