The Express.
London, England, 1867-05-31 00:00:00

EARLY CLOSING ASSOCIATION.

The twenty-fifth ammo! meeting of the members
of this association took place last night at the London
Coffee-house, Ludgate-hill, Mr. James Harvey, of the firm
of Bertram, Harvey, and Co., Gresham-street, occupy-
ing the chair. Mr. Henry Walker, the secretary, read an
abstract of the report for the past year, which was of a
highly satisfactory character, showing that the object of
the association is making rapid strides, not only in the
metropolis but in most of the large towns of the provinces.
Both in the east and west of London there was a general
disposition amongst moat trades to adopt early closing and
the Saturday half-lioliday. The special operations commeoced
in July last for extending the latter boon to employes
were producing very good remits, having been greatly
assisted by the ladies' committee organised by the Duchess
of Sutherland, and a work written by the Rev. Newman
Hall under the title of " Arguments for a Saturday Half-
Holiday." No less than 100 illustrated placards inviting
the public to abstain from shopping after two o'clock on
Saturday had also been posted at different street-stations,
and the committee were well satisfied with the results this
appeal had already produced. Many additions had been
made to the number of wholesale City houses
that close at two on Saturdays and six on
other days, while the last Christmas holiday was
generally carried out through the exertions of the "Aso-
ciation to secure uniformity is the day selected
for that purpose. The income of the association proper
had been 1,4141. Is. 7d., and the expenditure left a
balance in favour of the association of 291, odd. The sub-
scriptions to the special Saturday hall-holiday fund had
amounted to 5901. I'2s., of which about 2001. remained in
hand; but there were outstanding liabilities on this ars
count of 175/. The chairman in his address said be could
hardly realise the change which had taken phos since the
commencement of the movement, 25 years ago, when the
association was first called into existence. Then the City
hours were nine, ten, and eleven o'clock, and en
Saturdays still later ; but now, thanks to the exertions
of the association, the custom was likel to become uni-
versal of closing at six, and adopting the Saturday half-
holiday. It seemed to him as if he were living in a diffe-
, sent age. Nor had this great revolution been attended
by any of the evil consequences at first predicted. Another
gratifying feature was this : formerly the association de-
pended for its funds upon the employers ; now the young
men were the principal contributors, having subscribed
something like 1,0091. of the last year's income. The re-
port was unanimously adopted, after which the retiring
members of the committee were reelected, and the pro-
ceedings closed with a cordial vote of thanks to the chair-
man.

Fo'minx-orrice, MAY 27.—The Secretary of
State for Foreign Affairs has received from her Majesty's
ambassador at St. Petersburg intelligence that a fine of
45 roubles is imposed by the Russian authorities on British
•euels which arrive this spring in Russian ports without
being supplied with bills of health certified by a Russian
oonsul.— Gazette.
The LATE LORD LLANOYZR AND HIS FUNERAL.
The following curious directions were left by the late
Lord LLanovor for his funeral. The manuscript is dated
November 13, 1861, and is as follows :—" My funeral is to
be as plain and inexpensive as possible. My body is to be
carried by such of my tenants and labourers as may be
selected for the purpose, and who may desire to bear it.
The pall-bearers to be agents and tenants. No hatbands
or scarfs to be used by anybody. No hired carriages ; no
hired people. No parade of volunteers. Welsh hymns to
be sung at intervals from the time the body is car-
ried out of the house until it is deposited
in its last resting-place. That then may not be
any misapprehension as to the conduct of those who sur-
vive me in regard tomy funeral, the above directions may
be fully known. Our good Queen gave to her subjects an
example which they will do well to follow. When her
aunt the Duchess of Gloucester, and when her excellent
mother the Duchess of Kent died, the funerals of thous
illustrious personages were conducted as privately as pos-
sible. Why should we her subjects contemplate funeral
splendour? The pomp of a funeral is an additional trial
to those who love the deceased ; it detracts from those
thoughts that should be directed to heaven, and not to t►e
vanities of the world."
A BOOR BY JE►rzRSON DAFIA—It is already
understood to be the purpose of Jeff. Davis to set to work
writing a book—giving a history of the secession move-
ment, the Southern struggle, and his own adventures from
December, 1860, to May, 1867. Davis will probably be
able to make out an excellent sass fee himself, showing
that he has been a political sage, a military hero, and a
patient martyr. If, without being pretentious or egotia-
he would make a clean breast of the whole matter,
and expose honestly all his experiences and knowledge,
his book would be a really valuable contribution to the
historyof the times. Rut it is already pretty generally
known that his administration wasextremely unpopular in
the South, and that • large portion of the Southern
people attribute the downfall of the Confederacy to his
looompstency,—Xew York Tema, May 15.