The Express.
London, England, 1866-01-29 00:00:00

NAVAL AND MILITARY.

ADMIRALS?, JAIL 27. —APPOINTMEMIR—Fiette
class asnatant engineer John Dows, to the Star, 4, screw
gnu vessel, at Shetraess.
filidabiputen the Hon. Edward J. Weedbam and Cecil M.
G. Cooper, to the Narcissus, 35, screw frigate, on the
south-sast coast of America ; E. H. M. Davis, Henry J. G.
Tipping, Jamas T. S. Sims, William J. Nome*, and
Arthur H. Stone, to the Dons, 30, at Devonport ; Burgess
Watson, Charles H. Adair, Jobn Edward &torero% and
Claude Henry Millett, to the Dunosn ; Francis William
Cobb, Alfred A. Taylor, John E. Blaxland, Lewis E.
Wiotz, Cecil H. Whisb, and George K. Cherry, to the
Victoria ; S. Decree, J. H. Simpkins, F. E. Walker, and
J. E. F. Kerr, to the Topase.
Naval cadet. George K. Gordon, el. P. O'Callaghan,
Lionel B. C. Boyle, and Edward U. Berridge, to the Doris.

posism9uyn, JAN. 28.

His Royal Highness Prince Christian came over
to Portsmouth yesterday, in the steam yacht Alberts. on •
visit to the dockyard. Oa landing at the Rios's-stairs he
was received by Admiral Sir Michael Seymour, G.C.8.,
Rear-Admiral George Greville Wellesley, C. 8., sod Captain
F. Scott, C.B. of the Victory, and Captain R. Caldwell,
C. 8., of the Asia. His royal highness lunched with the
Commander-in-Chief, and after inspecting various objects
of interest in the dockyard, and the Royal Albert and
Royal talfred, hoe-plated ships, be returned to Osborne.

GLotrcEnza, Jur. 26.—Last night a public '
meeting wee held in the Corn Exchange in this city for the
purpose of raising the cost of • lifeboat. to be oiled the
City of Gloucester. The mayor presided on the occasion,
and the attendance was one of the largest seen here for
some years plat. Mr. Lewis, the secretary of the National
Lifeboat Institution, attended, and delivered an able and
lengthened address, in which he reviewd briefly the history
of the institution and its present extensive sphere of ope-
rations. After some other addresses had been deivered
br some of the influential residents, a motion was una-
nimously carried that the oast of • lifboat should be col-
lected is Gloucester.
THE IRISH RAILWAY QUISTION.-A meeting of
noblemen and gentlemen connected with the railway inte-
rest in Ireland was held on Friday at the Imperial Hotel,
Dublin, for the purpose of conferring on the subject of
government aid to Irish railways. The Marquis of Mori-
carde presided. Nearly every railway company in the
country was represented. A series of resolutions were
adopted declaring that sufficient capital for the develop-
ment of railway communication in Ireland could not be
provided unless by the aid of government loans or guaran-
tees, and defining the objects for which government aid
was required, and the nature of the arraietanoe solicited.
The first object is to relieve existing companies from
the heavy incubus on their resources caused by
exorbitant interest on bonds and floating debts
which they had been obliged to blear to comolele
their undertakings. This relief, it is stated, could be
obtained without loss to the public Treasury, by a public
I general act, empowering the goveroment to lend, and the
companies to borrow, at a reasonable rate of interest, say
341 percent. in perpetuity, or 4 per cent, sinking fond for
a term of years sufficiently long to repay principal and in-
terest, a sum adequate to pay off the existing redeemable
bonds, mortgages, floating debts, sad preferential or gua-
ranteed sham. 2nd—To plant the taxation of Irish rail-
way property on a more equitable basis. 3rd. To enable
mating eompanies„ by government loans, on the
name principle, to complete their now authorised
undertakings. 4th. To foster the further extension
of the railway system by government loans er guarantees,
with or without local or county guarantees. A committee
was eppoisted to draw up a memorial to government am-
bodying the foregoing views, and praying for a legislative
messure to carry them interdict. Another meeting of the
I contemn°s will be held for the purpose of croasidering this
! i memorial ; and it was also deridedthat • deputatioa should
be appointed to meet and ooafer with the Irish represents-
tine in both homes of parliament, to ask their influence in
favour of the prayer of the memorial, such meeting to be
held in London on an early day after the meeting of perils-
' I meat, sad the result reported to stature meeting of the
wraferesee.