The Express.
London, England, 1866-07-10 00:00:00

friTt Court.

The Queen will hold a council this day (Tuesday)
at Osborne, at 1 o'clock.

The Prince of Wales went to the House of Lords yes-
terday afternoon.
The Princess of Wales took a carriage drive, attended
by the Countess of Morton.

Despatches were sent yesterday from the Colonial-office
to the Governors of the Cape of Good Hope, Natal, and
St. Helena.

STATE CONCERT.

By command of the Queen a State Concert was
given last evening at Buckingham Palace, to which a party
of nearly 800 was invited.
Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Primes' of
Wales, attended by the Countess of Morton, the Hon.
Mrs. K Coke, Earl Spencer, Lord Harris, Viscount Ha-
milton, Major Grey, and the Hon. C. L. Wood, and es-
corted by a detachment of the 2nd Life Guards, arrived
at the garden entrance of the Palace, from Marlborough-
house, about 10 o'clock.
His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh arrived
from Clarence-house, attended by the Hon. E. Yorke.
His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge arrived from
Gloucester-house, attended by Colonel Clifton.
Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge arrived
from St. James's Palace, attended by the Hon. Geraldine
Somerset and Colonel Home Purves.

Her Majesty Queen Emma of the Sandwich Islands was
to have been present at the concert, but was prevented by
indisposition from attending.
The Royal Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard was
on duty in the interior of the Palace, under the oommand
of Colonel 0. P. Bourke, the Eaon-in-Waiting. Lieut.-
Colonel Cooke, the lieutenant of the corps, also attended.
A guard of honour of the Scots Fusilier Guards was
mounted in the court of the Palace.

The Prince and Princess of Wales, accompanied by the
members of the royal family, conducted by Viscount Syd-
ney (the Lord Chamberlain), and attended by their ladies
and gentlemen in waiting, entered the saloon at a quarter
past ten o'clock, when the concert immediately
commenced.

The perfonnen, exceeding 160 in number, consisted of
her Majesty's private band, aided by several instrumen-
talists of the Philharmonic Society, Her Majesty's Theatre,
and the Royal Italian Opera; the chorus being selected
from the Operas and the Sacred Harmonic Society,
Exeter-hall.

The performance was conducted by Mr. Anderson, the
director of her Majesty's private band.

NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION MEETING.
(THIS DAY.)

WIMBLEDON, Tue-mAT MownNG.

It, is truly a pleasing and a grand sight to see
the camp this morning. The weather is all that could
be desired ; the Hags are flying from all parts of the camp,
and present a very unique appearance. The " Club," as
it is called, is very well patronised, and presents all the
conveniences of a well-appointed drawing-room.
The presence of the Belgian visitors is still the great
feature of the business, and after the report of last night
was despatched, there was quite a competition amongst
the different corps on the ground to do them honour,
They, however, prudently declined many of the kindly
offers, and before the " last post" they had all retired to
their tents to spend not only their first night under canvas,
but on English ground.
The programme of business for this day contains no less
than 15 items, a mass of work in itself almost sufficient
for an ordinary meeting, consisting of 11.1t.H. the Prince
of Wales's prize—a cup value 1001. or 1001. in money,
with 1001. added, by the National Rifle Association,
to be divided into 20 prizes—five shots each at
200, 500, and 600 yards. The next is the St.
George's Challenge Vase, value 2501., for volunteer bat.
talking of Great Britaiu. The re are various prizes
to be obtained absolutely be sides the honour of possessing
the St. George's Vas, until some other competitors are
able to take it from them. The third prize is one given by
the Duke of Cambridge, being 501. in money, or a cup of
the value of 50/. to b•! shot for by breech-losalbig rides,
seven shots each at MO yards.
Another contest is the Enfield Association ('up, to be
competed for by life members of the National Rifle Asso-
ciation, 5 shots each, at 200 and 500 yards.
The contest for the Alexandra prize was also commenced
in its first stage this day, and is divided into 90 prizes,
viz., 45 prizes of the aggregate value of 250'., for competi-
tars at 200 yards ; and 4•i prizes of the same aggregate
value of 2501.

The Secretary of State for War's prize of .101., divided
into 13 prizes, live shots each, at Rio yar ls.
The Belgians also commenced this morning shooting for
the special prize given by the National Rifle issociatioa.

PRIVv COI•NCIL.—(THIS DAY. ) Her Majesty
held a Privy Council this day at 1 o'clock, at
Osborne, which was attended by the Lord Presi-
dent (the Duke of Buckingham), the Earl of
Malmesbury, the Earl of Devon, &c. The out-
going ministers of the household had audiences
with her Majesty, as also the present ministers
belonging to the household.
The Princess of Wales took a carriage drive yes-
terday afternoon, attended by the Countess of Morton.

The Duke and Duchess of Argyll and family
will probably proceed ti Inverary C.uule in a few days.
In August the coming of age of the Marquis of Lorne will
be celebrated with great rejoicings on the ducal estate, and
preparations fur the event have already been made.

Lord Stanley, as Minister of Foreign Affairs,
had a diplomatic levee yesterday afternoon from 2 to
4 o'clock, at the Foreign-office, in 'Whitehall-gardens.
There were present his Excellency M. Musurus, the
Turkish ambassador ; his Excellency Count Apponyi, the
Austrian ambassador ; his Excellency Baron de Brunnow,
the Russian ambassador; his Excellency Count de Bern-
storff, the Prussian ambassador ; his Excellency Prince de
la Tour d'Auvergne, the French ambassador ; his Excel-
lency Baron de Cetto, the Bavarian minister ; his Excel-
lency the Marquis d'Azeglio, the Italian minister; his
Excellency Count de Las-radio, the Portuguese minister;
hie Excellency Mr. Adams, the United States
Minister; his Excellency General Negrete, the Salvador
Minister ; his Excellency Lieutenant-general Bulow, the
Danish Minister; his Excellency the Marquisde Molina, the
Spanish Minister; his Excellency Baron de Penedo, the
Brazilian Minister ; his Excellency M. Duran, the Mexican
Minister ; his Excellency Baron Biome, the Hanoverian
Minister ; hia Excellency M. Schleiden, the Hanse Towns
Minister ; his Excellency DI. Adam, the Haytian Minister ;
General M. Ali Khan, the Persian Charge-d'Affaires ;
Baron Beekfrins, the Swedish Charge-d'Affaires; M. Martin,
the United States of Columbia Charge-d'Affaires, &c.
Their Excellencies the Belgian Minister and Saxon Mi-
nister were unavoidably absent.

The following members of the House of Com-
mons will shortly be elevated to the peerage :—Sir Balwer
Lytton, M.P. for Hertfordshire ; Sir W. H. Jolliffe,
for Petersfield ; and Colonel Douglas Pennant, M.P. for
Carnarvon shire.

The Times has " much pleasure " in announcing
that Lord Henry Lennox has been appointed Secretary to
the Admiralty.