The Express.
London, England, 1859-12-21 00:00:00

The Court.

OSBORNE, Dec. 20.
Her Majesty and the Prince Consort walked in
the rounds yesterday.
The Prince of Wales, Princess Alice, and the Royal
Family also took their usual exercise.
The Queen's dinner party inchided the Prince of Wales,
Princes* Alice, Major-General the Hon. R. Bence, Lieute-
nant-Colonel Keppel, and the Ladies and Gentlemen in
Waiting.

Colonel Smythe had en interview with the D uke of New-
°Retie yesterday, at the Colosiel-ofilee.
Despatches were received at the Colonial-office yesterday,
from the Lord High Commiesioner of the lonian Islands and
the Governor of British Columbia.
Despatches were sent to the Governors of the Australian
Colonies and the Idacuitime.

The Countess Dowager of Macclesfield hu arrived
at Howetticie Hotel, from the family seat, Sherburne Coale,
Oxfordshire.

The Earl of Orkney arrived at the Pavilion Hotel,
Folkestone, on Saturday last, and left on the following day
for the Comical,.

We regret to bear that Lord Paomure is suffering
to Edinburg!' from as attack of gout unusually severe and
protracted.

On Monday the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland re-
ceived at the Vice-regal Lodge a deputation from Ulster,
comprising the Load Bishop of Down, the Via-President of
the Chamber of COIII2IWCIN Belfast, several of the professors
of the Belf.at College, and other gentlemen, who presented
• memorial setting forth the advantages of a national system
of education muitAble to the middle chases, and praying his
exeellevicy's support. Mr. Cardwell we, ales present, and
took part in the conversation elicited by the memorial. His
Excellency alluded to the diffi^ulties which surrounded the
question, and after some explanations, he said it should have
his beet consideration. The deputation then withdrew.

The Bishop of London directs attention to the Asso-
ciation for promoting the Reiirtof Destitution in theMetropohs,
No. 4, St. Martin's-pi**. Its mode of administering relief
is through district viaiting societies, under the parochial cler •
gymee, and it makes no distinction as to creed or sect. It
has expended 1,3001. during the last six weeks, and its re-
sources we newly exhausted, soterithwanding the inunitlcont

eubsermtion from the Marquis of Westminster of 1,0001.
Dr. R. B. Todd has resigned his appointment as
physiden to King's C.tiese Hospitsd,with which be Lad been
connected for the teat twenty years, and in the formation of
which he took an active pert.

We (Brighton Guardian) oan state upon reliable
authority that John 131encowa, Req., of Chailey, will offer
!simnel( is the liberal interest, to fill up the vaustrzy nem-
sinned by the drab of the Hon. Henry Fitzroy, one of the
numbers for the borough of Lowe..

A copy of the editioo of Boccaccio's "Bet:amerce

printed in 1493, at the printing press of the mins of Sipa!,
which woo bought by Molini for the Palatine Library at the
sale of the collcution of Profane Libri, prevents a singular
monument oft vraordinary skill and diligence in caligraphy,
Fifteen leaves were wanting, which Professor Libel caused
to be copied in fsc•simile from the complete copy in the
Spencer Library, by Mr. Hems, who imitated the
original character, to rich perfection, that the most
practised eye might be chalkuged to distinguish be-
tween the hilts pixel and the trus, if the artist Ind
not tithed his name in microscopic chsraetem at the foot of
each page. To have this restoration made cost the possessor
of the voluzus almost the same amount that he derived from
the isle. We (4 ararrairt) believe it hi now generally ac-
knowleded by the beet bibliographers of France and Italy
that no artist of his kind in either country ever equalled the
excellence of an English artist dill living, but, alai! no
longer practising him art. The exercise of hid skill drew after
it a heavy peoalt), and a ottbecription was recently set on
foot to provide for the support of Mr. Ramis, the matchless
restorer, in a condition of total blindness.

THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY.—We have been re.
quieted to add the rtllowing to our list of persons who
purpose closing their establishments on Mond .T, the 2f th

inst., in order to afford those in their employment • holiday,
which iseo eagerly looked foe and eo much enjoyed at this
fertive seam:—Mr. R. H. Hughes, Atlas Work,, Hatton-
garden; Mr. W. Barton, 30, Oxford-street; hitsiwa. Part-
ridge end Cozens, Chancery-lane and Fleet-street; Osborne
House, 30, Lags's-hill. Yesterday (Toads') a petition
requesting hb Worship the Mayor of Liverpool to suggest
that Monday next should be kept as a general holiday, in
coinequance of Ctirleimesday felling ow • Sunday, was
placed in the Exchange News Room, and was moat
numeruiply steroid by the principal commercial' gentlemen of
the town.

OX►ORD MIDDLE-CLAM EXAMINATIONS.— On
.)landay evening a crowded meeting or the inhabitants of
Greenwich end neighbourhood .rambled in the ball of the
Greenwich Li•every Institution to witness the dietribution of
prime to the pupils belonging to the Greenwich Proprietary
School, formed in connexion with the above tamitution.
The chair wit. occupied by W. Angerelein, Eaq., M.l'.; and
the Hey. Dr. Goodwin, toe head-muter of the ocbool, having
addreseed the mooting on the progress made among the
pupils during the peat had-year, observed that in addition to
toe pram initially awarded at that weenier 11~011 of the
yea., he !H in his hand moves entifleetas awarded to pupils
at the late Oxford mildle-class examinatione. it had been,
be mod, the intention to hold a public meeting in London, at
which such certific►tee were to have leen distributed, bat for
. •me reason or other Ibis intention bad not been myriad one.
Ile bed therefore thought that a di...treble opportunity for
making the primentatiour, sod in doing no he might camerae
the extraordinary fact, that one of the pupas who had thus
n mcceamol iu obtaining senior honours, and by which
be beam. an Amoebae of Arta of Oxford, was the youngeat
among the list of competitors, Master Edward Yorke, only
14 years of age. Thu. pupil had pissed an examination
which he (the It-v. Dr. Goodwin) had no hesitation in *eying
would do honour to many persona poseeming degrees trout
the univereity. 'the oeeti6cares were then awarded by the
chairman, amid the appl■use of the whole meeting, to the
followine pupils:—Edward Morfee Alford, Plummer, New-
comb. Peppercorn, Howard, and Weile.
THE IfEFRE.../ENTATION OF PONTEFRACT. Mr.
Overfed, Q C., to cow...qui-nos of the decision of Sir John
Coleridge on the diepute in reference to the last election for
Paatetract, hoe accepted the Cailtern Hundreds, and Inte
I leaned an adds.. to the electors, in whfcloafter reespitulating
the well-known fact. leading to it, he announces his retire-
: tont from the borough, and ilmaka his friend. far the kind-
' urea they had Imatowed on him.
THE BALLOT SOCILTY.—Tne weekly meeting of
the Executive Committee wee held on Tuesday at the °Mom
in Guildhsal-chambers; Mr. Sydeuharo Node. In the char.
A donation of it. from Mr. Thomm lie ey, M.P., was an-
notioced. It waa repented that a public meeting on the
ballot qu.rition would be held is Lawea oa January 6, mad
th.t Fir J. V. Shelley, Hart., M.P., had consented to take
the chair, and that Mr. Whitekuret and Mr. 9. L.
Banks were expected to address the meeting. Report. re-
apecting peediog electime were received, and direutictoe
given respecting the agitation of the ballot in each of these 11