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

JAPAN.

The China Mail says :
Affairs in Japan are at last turning into the right than-
nel. We are glad to see it openly avowed that there is
only one emperor in Japan, and that there sever existed
two. The utter callousness of those whose duty it was to
listen to better information on Japanese affairs made us
eft* believe that there must be a determination on the
part of the treaty powers to overthrow the ancient
law of Japan and to establish a new order of things.
We regret, however, to see in one of our
Nortehern contemporaries an attempt at placing the
Tycoon on a level with the rest of the Donnie.. It
may just as well say that the Prince of Wales has no
more power than Prince Leopold. The Tycoon is a Daimio
who holds a hereditary office and rank which is now for
200 years vested in his family. This power no Daimio dare
touch or assume. The Tycoon is almost always the son-
in-law to his Imperial Majesty the Mikado—a distinction
of which only a few is Japan can beast. But he
is not the, nor an, emperor of Japan ; and we are sure
that tho confusion has arisen from the ignorance
of the native interpreters, they being inoompeteet
to distinguish between his royal lighnese end
his Majesty. These facts which we have es often
placed before the responsible parties in Chios have
no doubt been urged upon the British government by Sir
Rutherford Alcock. To bring this before the public neces-
sarily involved the exposure of the Tycoon. It required,
therefore, both the wisdom and the energy of Sir Harry
Parkes to being about this important change without fur-
ther quarrel or bloodshed. Being now able to negotiate on
a clear basis, and having approached so near to the capital
of Japan. greater stability in trade, as well as general ad-
vancement, may be expected for the future.

THE Jsmafor. PacKwr.—Our Southampton cor-
respondent, writing yesterday, says :—" The pilot has gene
down to meet the Jamaica packet Shannon, which is oz.
pected during the night or early to-morrow (Holiday) morn-
int. Her news is anxiously looked for, because she will
bring an account of the reception of Sir Beery Storks is
Jamaica, and intelligence, it is hoped, of the Atrato, which
ship took out the Jamaica commissioners. The home-
ward packet doss not often meet the outward, be-
cause the former generally leaves St. Thome a day
before the latter arrives there, bet Captain Jellicoe, of the
Atrato, having pushed on through the great storm at the
beginning of this month, it is hoped he will reach St.
Thomas just in time to be reported by the Shannon."
ROYAL SCHOOL OF NAVAL ARCHITICTIIIIF AND
MARINE ENOINIZRENG.—At the examination recently held
at South Kensington for free studentships in this school,
the successful eaodidates were Thomas Turelsall, Whitby,
Yorkshire, and Adrian Viestelly, Larks.
THE LATIGALE IN TORBAY.—TOII44IIAY, SUNDAY.
The Occidentale, a French ship from Havre, was among
the vessels that took shelter in Torbay during the late gale,
and as nothing had been since heard respecting her, it
was hoped that she was among those which got out of the
bay during the storm. Three bodies were picked up on
Fnday; one had a gold ring on the finger, and on its being
taken off it was foond to bear the names of Pierre Le Se-
vouroux and Sophie Godfrey. By this it is discovered
that the body was that of the master of the French
ship Occidentale, from Havre to Nartimuge. with forty-
five passengers and a crew of fifteen men on board,
all of whom are supposed to have perished in
the frightful gale. The name of Sophie Godfrey is
discovered to be the maiden name of the wife of the
unfortunate master. This makes the ascertained number
of lives lost 130. Brigham still continues to be visited by
strangers anxious to see the scene of the late devastation.
The relief committee have received aid from all quarters.
Up to this time only 14 bodies have been discovered, and it
is proposed to erect a memorisd stone over their graves. It
is proposed to construct a breakwater across the mouth of
the bay, and the inhabitants of Torquay, Paignton, and
Brigham will meet to-morrow (Monday) to consider the
propriety of memorialising government for pecuniary
assistance.
THE STATE OF IRKLAND.-4. meeting of some
country gentlemen, with the Earl of Erne in the chair, was
held on Thursday evening, in Reynolds's Hotel, Dublin,
at which the existing alarm in the provinces was consi-
dered, with a view to the devising of some measure for
allaying it. It was resolved to send circulars to magistrates
and others interested in maintaining the public peace. re-
questing them to meet at 44, Sackville-street, on Thursday
next, the Ist of February, in order to further consider the
subject. As an instance of the sort of apprehension that
prevails, we may mention that reports are current among
the peasantry on the north-western coast to the effect that
pilots have gone out for the purpose of bringing in the
Fenian fleet.—Datlin Renting Mail.
FREE BRIDGER FOE THE the various
bills to be laid before parliament for new lines and metro-
politan extensions of railways are several for lines designed
to cross the Thames by new bridges. Now as it is estimated
that theee schemes, if curled out, would cause the destruc-
tion of one-sixtieth of the number of houses in and near
London, would it be too much to ask on behalf of the
labouring classes thus ejected, many of whom are driven
to a distance for honse room, that each of the new railway
bridges shall hays a tree footway like that at Charing-cress
attached to it, so that working men is the sisdiiity may
not have to go out of their way to crass the river daily ? It
is to be hoped that the present parliament will not, like
too many of its predecessors, suffer the rights of the public
to be sacrificed to the interest of the compaaies.—Exa-
sister.