The Express.
London, England, 1858-01-05 00:00:00

MUTH OF THE EARL OP ILOHEBTER.

(From the Dame Comely Egress of this day.)

We have to announce with extreme regret that
to the griefs and losses which society has sustained by the
hand of death, and which overshadow with unusual gloom
this SWUM of the year, is to be added the demise of the
Right Hon. the Earl of Ikhester, which melancholy event
took place at Melbury House, at ten minutes past
seven o'clock on Sunday morning last. The sable
earl was seised with what unhappily proved to be
a mortal sickness so recently as Monday weak.
Much anxiety was felt for his lordship from the earliest
manifestations of his malady, and the beat radial
assistance was speedily at hand, including the able profes-
sional services of Dr. Bence lona, of London, and Dr.
Cowden, of Dorchester. As the week advanced, however,
the fears of hie lordship's friends became more and mon in-
tare; and, for many hours previously to the closing soave,
all hops of a favourable lane seems to hare fled. As a
politicises, Lord llamas was steadily attached to the old
whig pasty, wee the personal friend of the Marquis of
Lanalowne, and co-operated with the noble marquis in all
those manures which brought out and testified to the
well-understood and broadly-marked character of the
whip. The deceased nobleman mealy, if ever, spoke in the
House of Lords, but was studiously watchful of the progress
of public afar', and was rarely absent from his piece what
the policy of his party stood in need of vindication by the
votes and speeches of its adherents. The late earl held very
extensive possessions in this county ; and his country seats
at Melbury House, near Shabome ; Redlynch, Somerset;
and Abbotsbury Castle, are well known to most persons in
the West of England. As a landlord, his lordship filled a
high and most honourable position. It is in this relation of
life, in which be was so worthily distinguished, that the
passing tribute of our humble admiration of Lord Ilchester's
high character is due, and may be rendered with the utmost
sincerity and truth. Our own personal knowledge of the sen-
timents of many of his lordship's tenantry justifies no
in speaking with equal earnestness and gratification on this
point, and assures us of the hearty and general concurrence
"In speaking his praise now" on the part of a vary numerous
body, who only peahen. most loved and admired him because
tthhy knew him beet. Kind-hearted, considerate, and just—
affable, accessible, and condescending—his lordship has left
behind him a memory dear to many an honest heart, and an
example which rosy be followed by landowners of this and
other counties with a welcome addition to the lustre of their
' reputation and the geniality and usefulness of their career.
Many local and other institutions felt the benefit of his
lordship's benevolent impulses, and our County Hos-
pital found in him a generous patron and a mu-
nificent contributor to the revenues of that cha-
ritable asylum. The deceased nobleman was the
third Earl of Ilchaster, created 1766; Baron Delmar
and Strangeways, 1741; Baron Ilchester and Stavordals,
1747; Baron of Redlynch, 1747; Privy Councillor, 1837.
The family name of the late earl was Henry Stephen Fox
Btrangeways, D.C.L., son of the second earl by his first
wife, daughter of Standish Grady, Esq. He was born in
1787, and was therefore in the seventy-first year of his age
when he died. lie married, in 1812, the second daughter
of Lord George Murray, Bishop of St. David's, niece of
the fourth Duke of Atboll, who died in 1818 ; and he
succeeded his father in 1802. He was appointed Lisa.-
Colonel Commandant of the Dorset Yeomanry Cavalry
in 1846, and was patron to seventeen livings.
The heir presumptive of the wealth and honours of the de-
ceased earl is the Hon. William Thomas Horner Strange-
ways, born 1796, who, having held vari distinguished
sppointenente since 1820, filled the post of envoy extraor-
dinary sad minister plenipotentiary at i'rankfort from Augnst,
1840, to January, 149. The deceased nobleman, as we have
said, was widely and most deservedly esteemed among us in
this part of England ; and In consequence of his lamented
death several festivities in which many leading countyj
families were prepared to take a part about this period,
have ban necessarily postponed. In this oetegucy are the
aunty ball, the great gathering in our town in honour of
.1. J. Parmiluirson, Esq. (on which occasion the noble earl
was to have taken tie chair), and the dinner of the Military
troop of Yeomanry Cavalry. The earl had four ehildrea,
two of whom are living, namely. Lady Dishy, and lady
Caroline Harrison, married to Sir Edward Kerrison, Hart.;
and two eons, namely, Henry Thomas and Steven Savor-
dale, both of whom are dead.

DEATH or MR. HACKBLOCK, M.P.—We re-
gret to announce the death of this gentleman, member for
the borough of Reigate, and much esteemed and respected in
the county of Surrey. Mr. Rackbluck has long beet in
indifferent health, and at one period had some intention of
resigning his seat In psrltament on that account. Hie death
took place on Saturday last, at the residence of his brother,
Brockhers Warren, Betchwortb. The deceased was formerly
a merchant in the city of London, and retired in 1866. He
was returned on the liberal intermit for Reigate,: in April,
1867. At the time of his death he was in his 63rd year. In
connexion with the vacancy in the representation of Reigate,
an eddies. hoe already appeared from Mr. J. Monsen a
liberal, but other names are mentioned, and it Is understood
that the conservatives intend starting a osailidate.
PURCHMIE OF PICTURES FOR THE. NATION.—A
correspondent of the Morniag Past at Florence makes kaoline
the fact that Sir Charlie Eastlake has purchased a collation
of paintings of the early Tassan masters, for the NaSonal
Gallery. "In purchasing the moat valuable portion of the
Lombardi collection," writes the correspondent, " our go-
vernment has profited by an opportunity which might lever
again present itself of furnishing artists and amateurs with
the materiels for an unbroken and continuous history of art,
ti exhibited in the productions of the Florentine school,
from its glorious dawn with Ciambue, to its naeridima splen-
dour under Maseccio and Fillpptno Lippi." The purehese
consists of 22 pictures, by Ciambue, Giotto, Demi*,
Segna di Duodo. the priest Emanuel (a great satin),
Taddeo Gaddi, Sefton° Aritino, Jacopo di Cosentino, An-
drea Orgagna, Fra Angelico, Gentile de Fabt nu°, Pietro
della Francesca, Andrea del Cutest°, Filippo Lippi, Mesa_
lino da Penicalle, Filippino Lippi, Paolo Condo, Andrea
Mantegna, and Margheritone d'Arezzo. If we take into
account the separate compartments into which the pictures
are divided, the number would ha smelt greater. That of
Andrea Orgasms cohabits of 10 separate *or, the Jacopo
di Cosentino of 9, the Taddeo Gaddi of 7, dm. The entire
collection has been bought for 7,0001."

•
THE BISHOP OP OXFORD o. TER VICAR OF
BYNSIIAII —ls ooneequence of the &pats between the
Bishop of Oxford and the Bev. William 8. BrioltneU,
M.A., Vicar of Bynames, Oxon,relatlvo to the removal of the
communion-table in the perish church, the following notice
wee pieced on the church door, Eyeshot's, revious to
Claristmea-day The Bishop of Oxford having directed
the removal of the oonitounion-table in the pariah church of
itynsharn. by riokeos if necessary, in the event of ita being
placed in the pcwition required by the rubrics and canine of
the Church of England when the holy commotion is ad-
ministered (canon 82), and It having been made known to
me that several persons are likely to be deterred horn at-
tendance at the communion upon the approaching hided
through fear of witnessing the unseemly which
might ensue from an aucopt to earry out eorA a di:trona'
from his lordship, 1 hal it my duty to give this public nabs
that no opp opportunity will be afforded on Christmas-day for
any each dwention of the auwAsary.—W. 8. Balcunitt.t.,
vicar."

•—•
NEW YEAR'S DAT IN THE METROPOLITAN
PIIIIIONO.-0a New Year's-day the whole of the inmates of
the feversl metropolitan poisons, 810 persons in ell, partook
of a dinner coesisting of rowed of beef, bread and potatoes,
sad one pint of porter each, being the gift of Aldeemen
Lawrence and William Ferneley Allen, Esq., Sherds of
Landau and Middlesex. The numbers who dined were es
follows :—Whitecrose-street debtors' prison, 260 primmer@
sad 30 omen ; Holloway criminal prism. 400 primers and
16 climes ; Newgate. 100 prisoners and 15 Akers.
• PltlßCE3e'S.—The revival of Hamlet, which has
not been repreeented at the Prince...ea far two years, vie
announced for last night, but Mr. Hese was oompolied to
succumb to a severe attack of infIUBLES and licereseme, and
Mr. o:milord's Came of CoNseintee, with Mr. Trenettee's
Levine Too host, and the paalomune, formed the lowish-
mews.