The Express.
London, England, 1866-10-19 00:00:00

iKe Orpregifs.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.
Advertisements Wended for "lb. inprew," London Evening
nnwi be at the Mee, 10, Bonweleotteet, by TWO
= on the day of yublkstlca.

DRURY LANE
THIS EVENDM, MACBETH. Mr. H. Talbot, Mews. Sinclair.
Mead, il'lntyre, and Henri Drayton ; Mimes Amy bedgarlck and
Reboooa Imam, and Madame Jenny Bauer.—To conclude with
SHE BEGOAR'S OPERA. Mr. W. Harrison.

x 1112,1 sBB.
Tins IVIHOIO, THZ THIPL& ALLIANCT..—After which THE
HIIGETINOT CLPTAIN. Mews. J.O. e
msor& G. Hooey ; Ward'
iilhoti, Moils Tbookson, and um Mag.—And QUIRT
LOWING&

14AYMARIC ET.
Tars Evorus, THE OVERLAND ROUTH Memo. C. Ma-
thews, Bueluitone, Chippendale. &c. ; Mesdamea C. Mathews,
Chippendale W —A Ballet Divertissement. the Miens
Halef•—
csmc.—And MY HUSBANDS GHOST.

LI CEUM.
nag EVENDKI, BRUTUS AND CLSAR. Mir Ilenzsde.—Atid
THE LONG WRIER Haire D. Booth:sulk Emery, Widdlcomb,
Cowper, he. ; Mrs. D. Bouctosult --Concluding with TW =DLit-
TON'S TAIL COAT. Mr. H. Widdicomb.—Commence at 7.

STRAND.
Ms ETWIO. THE MARRIED BACHELOR.—IN THE
WRONG -And WAITING
; oa, A GOOD CAST FOR
A PIEC E.—And WAITING FOR THE UNDERGROUND.

BRITANNIA.
THIS ZVI:NM THE OLD CHERRY TRYZ. Mrs. Lana—The
Wondrous Brothers Vitiated : The Great Vaulting Troupe ; The
Delavantl ; H. Wardlisi; The Louisville Mbistrols.—And ALLAY
QUIDIN OF SCOTS.

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE
IWO DAT —Wanting. 9h. 12m.. ..Aftireoom, 106. Was.
To-Kowtow—morning. 103 50saWawa, lib. I

LONDON, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19.

Tuz public banquets given out of London become
every year more numerous and important. The
Mayors of our towns and cities aim at greater
things in this way than formerly contented them ;
their annual dinners are planned upon a scale of
increasing liberality, and the attempt is made to
enhance their social utility by giving a higher
and wider range to the invitations. The Mayor of
OXFORD'S banquet on Wednesday was attended by
the Lord-Lieutenant and the Sheriff of the county,
by the Members of Parliament for the city and county,
with those for Banbury and Woodstock, by several
distinguished members of the University, and a
large number of the leading citizens. It is well
that once a year those who are connected
by local interests, but separated by di-
versities of classes and pursuits, should meet
. .

and be reminded of one another's exist-
ence, and have au opportunity of reciprocating
kindly feeling. This, we take it, is the real ad-
vantage of such meetings ; though if a county
member like Mr. HENLEY chooses to consider
that in dining in the Town•hall at Oxford he is
showing his affection for municipal institu-
tions, there can be no reason why his compli-
ment should not be accepted. If they fulfil their
primary end we ought to bo satisfied. Mr. HEN-
LEY, however, is inclined to ascribe to them a
further and disciplinary use. Nothing, he says,
is more important than the lesson which these as-
semblies teach of " the duty of respecting every
" man's opinions." Undoubtedly that is a
very valuable lesson, and we wish it were
more generally understood. But we are afraid
that it is not taught very practically at these
dinners, for, as Mr. HENLEY explained, the
respect spoken of is shown by foregoing all
expression of opinion on the subjects respect-
ing which men's convictions are strongest.
As Mr. CARDWELL observed, " Those who attend
" on occasions like the present agree to leave at
" the door the topics on which there is a recog-
" nisei.' difference of opinion." This is how the
Popes made the Thomiats respect the opinions of
the Scotists, imposing silence upon both. What
is wanted in England is such a habit of respect
for the opinion of others as may be displayed in
the enjoyment of a free interchange of ideas. The
rule of silence on disputed topics is, however,
most useful at a banquet, although it cannot
have the educational results hoped for by Mr.
HENLEY. _ -

Reflections upon political events, offered
under such restrictions, could not be very peculiar
or striking. Mr. HENLEY, however, managed to
express his opinion of the state of things in Ger-
many, and also to say a word about the treatment
of the question of Parliamentary Reform by the
House of Commons next session. He sees that
the King of PRUSSIA has assumed a heavy respon-
sibility by sweeping away so many old traditions
and hereditary titles, and that he " can have no
" security for the position he holds except by
" securing to the people over whom he rules
" those advantages which he held out as the jiusti-
" fication of the course he has taken." The
observation has already been made in Germany,
by two classes of persons who draw very opposite
conclusions from it. The " Union" party in Hano-
ver, Hesse, Saxony, Baden, and other non-Prus-
sian countries, assume that its truth must needs
be apparent to Count Btsmaaex, and they argue
that the King of Puussis must therefore have
resolved beforehand to satisfy the just expectations
of Germany. They are continually urging on their
less trustful countrymen that the Prussian Govern-
ment must give the country both union and liberty,
because, now that it has cut up the old doctrines of
legitimacy and divine right by the root, it will
have no other title than that which it derives from
its efficiency and readiness to advance the welfare
of the country. The old feudal party in Prussia
also see this, and are enraged against Count Bra-
Isaacs for thus shifting the basis of the Prussian
throne, and extending Mr. Lowa's terrible prin-
ciple of " payment for results" to royalty itself.
An old member of that party, named Gaaracts, a
Prussian country gentleman, accustomed to speak his
mind with inconvenient bluntness, has just given
expression to opinions much resembling Mr. Hatt-