The Express.
London, England, 1860-05-26 00:00:00

BOARD OF TRADE RETURNS.

Thin morning were issued the Board of Trade
returns for the month and four months ending
April 30, 1860. We subjoin a statement of the
total declared value of the exports of Briiish and
Irish produce and manufactures during the month
and four months, including only the "enumerated"
&Aides :

For the month. Fur four month,.
1858
1859
1880
Including the •cuneuumerated articles," the aggro-
pte export. stand thus :
For the month. For tour mouthy.
1858
1859 11,330,730
1800

SOCIETY TOR THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF THE FINE
Arm —Lsat evening this society held its fourth conver-
maims for the season at the Bridgewater Gallery which
was thrown open for the purpose by the Earl of Ellesmere,
the president. The noble suite of vartmenta, whose walls
were covered with the splendid Bridgewater Collection,
were brilliantly lighted and filled with comminy, nearly SOO
being present, amongst whom was a large number of dn.
tieguished artiste and oonnoiseurs, y after eight
o'clock the Earl of Ellesmere took the chair, and
Mr. H. Ottley read en interesting paper, " Oa the Hann
sad Dutch Schools of Painting, illustrating his reworks
by occasional reference to some of the gems of the oallesdas.
A °Damrt followed, at which Mesdames Gilbert, Jeray
Meyer, and Nichol, and Herr Steger, Herr Her-
mann, and others, assisted, and which went off extremely
well, the applause being warmly and frequently expremed
H. Benedict, Mr. A. Gilbert, and Herr Schachner were the
coodiact

Sucou LAS CIPCUMRTANCI. —A remarkable eirenm-
dance in natural history has lately occurred in Miss Scar.
row's schools, in the village of Colwich. During the holidays
in Easter week, one of the windows of the boys'echool being
open, a robin Sew in and hulk her nest between two parcels
, of books on a shelf, which any of the boys could reach.
On the re-aseemldiug of the school, the nest was shown
to the boys, and it was put to their good feeling that
W bird should be allowed to lay her eggs and
hatch than in pesos ; and for this purpose the window by
which she intend was still left opet,so that she might come
and go as she pleased. There are more than one hundred
bags on the books, and nearly that number in daily attend-
ances, se that ths fate of the poor bird seemed to hang
apes a eery slender thread, as one mischievous hand would
have bees enough to destroy all her hopes. To the great
matt hammer, of the boys, not one has been found untrue
to which they ill virtually gave, and she has been
for Ave weeks to Sy in and out unmolested—to lay
her ege4a;ad hatch her young, and at last to take them all
aff . It has been throughout a very wholesome act
ci self discipline to the school, ands very interesting lesson
ie natural history. Whilst the boys have been at work or at
I play, or even when singing at morning prayers, the bird has
been going iu and out, apparently quite unconcerned, fetching
worms for her chinks, or sometimes sitting at the open
window watching the scholars, if not Joining in their song.
Her mate seldom, if ever, ventured into the room, but con-
! steady brought inures to the window, or to a neighbouring
tree, which she fetched away to her brood es fast as
be supplied them. Last Monday, being =
enough on the wing to be safely t
out (though not able to fly up to the high
window at which the dam entered), the young
birds were caught and allowed to Sy into the
esighhouring bonies. Till then it had not been observed
that there were more than four of them, but after four
had bees caught and sent out, the mother still kept
hying in and about the mom as if in march ci
something. At length • chi was heard on the
boor, and there • fifth thick was found which was
east& sad put through the window to the rest, to the
great and nmoisfakaWe delight of the mother, who dew to
welcome it with
parentapparenly toorim beyond a doubt
that the anxious could count her Boa and ado use
if &beset. Since then she has returned to the room no
more. It will be • matter of interest to see whether
another year she will seek again the quarters where she has
nest with such hospitable treatment.—Stqfordatire
AileseeWer.