The Express.
London, England, 1866-04-30 00:00:00

PROBABLE
TI: F-9DAY. 01 NORTIIIIII WEDNESDAY.
Varying winds, mode- COABTS. Chiefly northerly and
rate to strong, westerly, but varying,
showers. fresh to strong.
Chiefly easterly, strong, WEBTERE. E.N.E. to B.A.E. fresh
squally,with showers to strung, squally.
As next above. Sourinnui. As next above.
Similar to above. Fri/rims. Similar to above.
Northern—Scotland. Western—lreland, Wales, and adia-
eeneles. Southern—Eng,lsh Channel and Bay of Biscay.
Eastern—Eastward England and North Sea.

A meeting of her Majesty's Commissioners for
tto Paris Exhibition of 1867 for Group VI. was held on
Saturday afternoon at the South Kensington Museum.
There were present the Duke of Sutherland, K.G., the
Marquis of Salisbury, K.G., Mr. John Fowler, P.T.C.E.,
Mr. W. Hawes, Mr. Henry Thrum, Mr. Warrington
Smyth ; and the secretaries of the group, Mac Leod of
Mac Leod, Lieutenant Colonel Ewart, R.E., Major Mal-
colm, WE., Captain Beaumont, R.E., Captain Hichene,
R.E., Captain Webber, R.K, Mr. Henry Sandham. The
committee appointed associate commissioners for certain
of the classes comprised in the group, and decided that the
precedents of the exhibitions of 1851, 1855, and 1862 should
be followed in asking the Institute of Civil Engineers to
' Undertake the duty of allotting apace to all exhibitors of
machinery. . . " •

THE ROYAL SoctETY.—General Sabine, president
of the Royal Society, gave his second con rersazume this
season on Saturday evening at Burlington-house, on which
occasion the Prince of Wales honoured the president and
fellows by his company. His royal highness, attended
by the Earl Spencer, Major Grey, General Knollys, and
Dr. Hohmann, arrived shortly before 10 o'clock, by
which time the apartments were thronged by a large num-
ber of visitors. In the entrance saloon, lower library, and
meeting-room, and the Linnean Library, and other apart-
ments, were exhibited numerous scientific apparatus, spe-
cimens of natural history, and some interesting works of
art. The different rooms were relieved by numerous trees,
plants, and flowers lent by the Royal Botanic Society.
ARTISTS' BENEVOLENT FUND SOCIETY.—On Satur-
day evening the Stith anniversary festival, dating from the
foundation of this excellent charity, was held at the
Freemasons' Tavern. About 100 gentlemen sat down to
dinner, under the presidency of Lord Henry G. Lennox,
M.P., who was supported by Sir Walter Stirling, Mr.
Thomas D. Dighton, the President of the Fund, Mr. George
Godwin, F.R.S., Mr. W. 0. Brierly, Mr. Lewis Haghe, Mr.
T. S. Wyon, Dr. Godwin, Mr. Henry Tring, and manyother
gentlemen interested in the success of the association. The
financial report showed that the total receipts for the past
year amounted to 1,5271., while the expenditure fell short
of this by 3471. which remained as a balance in the hands '
of the bankers. At the close of his lordship's speech
nearly 5007. was subscribed in the room.
BURIED UNDER A THOUSAND POLES.—A singular
and serious accident occurred at Huntmoneeux recently.
It appears that some men were engaged in removing hop
poles at Buckle Farm, when the stack fell, knocking one of
the parties down and burying him beneath about 1.000
poles. He was extricated as soon as possible, taken to his
home, and medical assistance sent for. Mr. A. Simmons,
of Boreham, was soon in attendance, and found the poor
fellow to be very severely injured. A fellow workman,
who was near the centre of the stack at the time it fell,
fortunately escaped unhurt.—Surrey Standard.
DENOMINATIONAL EDUCATION IN IRELAND.—
And now the extreme church educationist joins hands
with the ultramontane catholic in demanding the destruc-
tion of that system which was at once the most equitable
in its basis, and the moat beneficial in its influences upon
Irish society, that they may establish upon its ruins the
system of denominational instruction, which will only
strengthen and perpetuate the sectarian animosities of the
country and mar the sense of common citizenship and
equal patriotism. But the Irish clergy are now so blind
and infatuated that, with the view of recovering their
lost influence over education, they are prepared to accept
• system which will make the catholic priest supreme and
absolute in the catholic school—in other words, hand over
to the hierarchy the secular as well as the religious in-
struction of more than two-thirds of the Irish people. No
measure, not even the endowment of the catholic priest-
hood—an idea so abhorrent to their prejudices—could do
so much to confirm sacerdotal authority. The protestant
clergy do not see that they can never maintain, under
a denominational system, separate protestant schools in
many districts of the south and west, where their adhe-
rents do not number half a dozen families. We trust that
the government will strongly resist the demand of the
two extreme parties in the interests of education itself,
as well as of common citizenship, for the multiplication of
separate schools in districts that are now amply supplied
under the mixed system, can hardly be carried out without
risk of deterioration. Churchmen may affirm, as they
have often done, that the three leading denominations are
at present as thoroughly isolated as they can be. The
fact is far otherwise. The attendance in the national
schools is fairly mixed where then is a mixed population.
In Tyrone, Londonderry,
of and Fermanagh, in which the
po "on is mixed, between 84 and 96 per cent. the
•c ools have • mixed attendance, and from 84 to 90 per
cent. of all the children in attendance on national schools
are in mixed schools.—Zdinburgli Review, new number.