The Express.
London, England, 1859-06-03 00:00:00

TO THE NDITOII OF THE lIITESTS.

Stn,—l see the name of the "Tuscan Minister,"
given in the official Court Circular as " among those
who had the honour of receiving invitations" to her
Majesty's concert on Wednesday. As I have not yet
read that the Tuscan Government has sent a Mi-
nister to the Court of St. James's—although it
would, doubtless, have been glad to do so if oppor-
tunity had been given—may I ask whether the per-
son referred to as " the Tuscan Minister" can be
the agent in England of the Austrian Archduke
Leopold, who is now at Vienna, having run away
from Florence rather than abdicate? Ido not
know what'functionary is charged with the duty of
verifying the pretensions of strangers who make
their appearance at Court, but I suppose that he
must be in communication with Lord Malmesbory.
If so, and if this agent of a vagrant Prince has been
permitted to appear as the representative of Tuscany
while we refuse to hold diplomatic intercourse with
Tuscany itself, I can only say that the English Court
has openly taken part with the oppressors against the
people of Italy.—l am, &c., L. A.

DREADFUL EXPLOSION ON BOARD A
TRABOIVET.--821110(18 LOBB OF LIFE.

(DT ELICTRIC TZLIGRAPH.)

(f/Oit OVA OWN 00111.1NPONDINT4
_ PORTSMOUTH, FRIDAY.
. .

An explosion occurred this morning on board the
ship Eastern Monarch, which had just arrived from
Bombay, with nearly 600 invalids on board.
The ship caught fire, and has burnt to the water's
edge. It is feared that nearly 30 persons have met
with a watery grave.
Through the exertions of a pilot boat, in connexion
with the boats of a ship of war, the rest of the
people were saved with great difficulty.

ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
PORTSMOUTH, FRIDAY.

The Eastern Monarch belonged to Messrs. Soamee
of Blackwell. She was a first-class ship, nearly
2,000 tons burthen. She was from Knrraehee bound
to London,and had about one hundred and forty troops
on board, invalids, besides several chief cabin passen-
gers. She arrived at Spithead at 1 o'clock this morn-
ing, and anchored. In about an hour and a half after-
wards a fire was discovered raging among the cargo,
in the main hold, evidently the result of sponta-
neous combustion, and, notwithstanding the
vigorous efforts of the crew and troops to prevent
it extending, the flames spread throughout the
ship with astounding rapidity. Captain Morris, the
master, had rockets fired, and other signals of distress
to attract the attention of the ships of war in the
harbour, which being seen, numbers of boats put off
to the burning ship. With difficulty Captain Morris
succeeded in getting the invalid soldiers and the
women and children into the ship boats, and they
were taken on board of the nearest of the ships.
At four a.m. all had left the ship, excepting five
or six of the crew, and a Cowes pilot, whom it is
believed perished in the hold in an attempt to get
at ;some of the cargo. By that hour all hoises
of saving the vessel were at an end. She
was on fire in every part, and her total destruction
was inevitable. At 6.30, her Majesty's steamer
Falcon commenced firing into the stern of the burn-
ing ship to sink her. She was then completely in
flames, both fure and aft, and her masts had fallen
loverhead.
Her loss is calculated at nearly 80,000/.