The Express.
London, England, 1858-05-13 00:00:00

ROTAL ACADEMY Or NUM.

The Royal Academy has returned to its old cus-
tom of giving its concerts at the Hanover-square Reom•,
instead of the conflaed and ieconveniest room in Tangoed's-
street, where they have boa given for several years past.
At the concert yesterday reoraing there wee a crowded end
most fashionable meemblere, 'winding an unusual number
of the nobility. We observed the Duchesses of Beaufort and
Inverness, the Marchioness of Aylesbury, the Counted's@ of
Desert and 13easboroagh, Viscountess Forbes, Lady
Burghersh, the Dowager Lady Raglan, Ladies Stan-
ley of Alderley, William Peskin, Clark, lend Peking.
ton ; the Earl of Wilton, Lord Howe, and the Mimes
Somerset. In regard to the concert Welt, we moat
observe that It was much inferior in quality to many
Academy concerts that we have heard. The programme,
with slight exceptions, was confined to vocal pieces from
modern Italian operas—things by no means calculated to he
models of classical music, or to form • plus vocal style.
Moreover, there were no specimens of the attainments oldie
pupils in the art of composition, which the public are entitled
to expect in every exhibition of the students of our English
musical Conservatory. Several of the young vocalism never-
thelesa—particularly Miss Loci► Foal:yoke, bliss Louise
' Van Noorden, Mims Whyte, and Miss Kate Shepherd—gave
istialactory proofs of proficiency. No solos were sung by
any of the male students. The vocal pieces were of a well-
known and familiar kind the only things new to us were a
very pretty poison from Lord Westmoreland's opera, Lo
3rompiglio Tratrale, and a Terxetto from his has. The
only specimen of instrumental performance was Mandeheohn's
Serenade for the pianoforte, played by Mies Caroline Wal-
lace, • pupil of Mr. Cipriani Potter. In short this conont
did not display either the solidity or variety which we are
entitled to expect from these specimen' performaocee of the
Royal Academy of Music.

CONGREGATIONAL BOARD 07 IDUCATION.
Last evening a very largely attended meeting of
ladies and gentlemen favourable to the above was held in
Crosby-hall, for the purpose of promoting the came of
voluntary and religious education.
8. MosLer, Esq., preelded, and upon the platform 11111*
the Rene. J. Unwin, Penns, J. Wilson, G. B. Johnson,
J. autumn, J. Hoene, and F. Roden; Messrs. 8. Morley,
B. ilia, B. Bahia, J. Morley he. kc.
From the report read by the ken. Mr. tswirr, the
College at Homerton was declared to be in a most laded
and anaconda' condition. There were at present 44 stedasts
therein, and daring the year the average number of resident
students had &lentil. Upwards of 300 bad already pews*
through the training institution. The whole gave MMUS
of great sucoma, sad showed that ralietcm °emblem& with
education was highly advantageous and highly primed.
During the peat year the receipt., on account of the modal
and practising schools, had been alt. 6s. 7d. From wheels
conducted by teachers In connexion with the hosed 160
reports had been received, showing an average attendance, in
schools conducted by female teachers, of 77; in schools under
male teachers, of 81. Allowing for schools which have made no
returns, the nntaberof children under instruction has been about
15,000. It was to be regretted that the system of Govern-
ment Education was extending its intluenoA and was likely
still farther to extend, increasing thereby taxation to an
extent which could hardly be contemplated, and would, as
shown by Mr. Disraeli, be likely to increase in ten years to
three or four millions a year. After some further remarks,
the report observed that the system in Holland, and even
Prussia, was, that now the bible and nll religious teaching
was excluded from schools. It concluded by urgently ap-
pealing for the preservation and promotion of truly
Christian schools. The balance sheet showed that
with previous balance of 151. ile. 6d., manual sub-
scriptions of 4901. 17s. 61, dottaticas of 4361. es. 6d., the
total receipts of the year bad been 1,7931. 18a. 11d., while
the expenditure had so far exceeded the receipts as to leave a
balance doe to the treasurer of 1691. 14a. 9d.

The Ray. J. H. Witscs moved the sdoption of the report,
and in the coarse of his address reward the great pleasure
be bit la Mating that her Most Gracious Majesty had ho-
noured than with the several donations of 201., 251., sad
lastly ISM
The motion was seconded by the Rev. G. B. JOHNSON, of
the Weigh House Chapel, end carried unanimously.
Mr. Mall, the Her. 1. G. Hughes, Mr. E. Baines, sad
others, sddreesed the meeting in support of the various sego-
lathese calculated to promote the objects of the Congrega-
tional Board, all speakers strongly condemning the govern-
ment system of secular education, the proceedings closing
with the customary thinks to the chairman.