The Express.
London, England, 1866-12-18 00:00:00

cabal ant ittiiitarg.

PORTSMOL'TH, DSc. 17.
A court-martial was held this morning on board
the Victory, to try Captain C. L T. Usher, of the Marines,
serving on board the Lion, charged with being drunk on
board the said vessel on the 2Sth of November. Captain
the Hon. F. Egerton, Captains W. C. Chamberlain, C.
Fellowes, H. T. Burgoyne, DI. B. Dunn, and J. G. Good-
enough, were the officers composing the court. Mr. E.
Hoskins officiated as judge-advocate, and Lieutenant G.
E. Barnes prosecuted. It appeared from his evidenoe that
on the afternoon in question, while in
going out found
the prisoner lying on the stern sofa drunk and insensible.
He at once sent Mr. Bradley Gregory, assistant-surgeon,
and Lieutenant Ross to him, and both were of opinion
that the prisoner was drunk. The Rev. Dr. Ring, the
chaplain, was called, but he was usable to say
whether the prisoner was drunk or sober. In
his defence, the prisoner alleged that for a week
previously he bad been suffering from a disordered stomach
accompanied by diarrhast, and that he had been taking
chloridine as a medicine, an extra dose of which bad pro-
duced the insensibility which had been mistaken for
drunkenness. He had been a captain in thy Marines 19
years, 13 of which he bad served afloat, and this was the
first time he had had a complaint made against him. The
court considered the charge proved, but in consideration
of the prisoner's lengthened service they only adjudged
him to lose two years seniority as captain, and to be dis-
missed the ship.
The Merms, iron screw troopship, arrived at Spithead
during the night from the Mediterranean.
The Orontes, 2, iron screw troopship, Captain H. W.
Hire, arrived at Portsmouth this afternoon from Kings-
town, Dublin.

THE ICEBLE MEMORIAL.—We hear that the clio-
cese of Torcnto has unanimously decided to combine their
contributions with those of the College schema. Various
plans for raising a local memorial to Mr. Keble had been
discussed, but the Oxford College was considered the beet.
The amount of this fund already reaches the sum of

31,000/.
RAILWAY BENEVOLENT INSTITETION.—The 17th
half-yearly general meeting of the members of this
institution was held yesterday afternoon at the
Great Northern Rahway Company's °feces, King's-
cross ; Mr. 11. Oakley in the chair. The report of
the board of management, after congratulating the sub-
scribers on the progress of the institution, stated that a
further addition of 1,1001. had been made to the amount
invested, which now stood at 13,7001. The subscriptions
for the half-year ending Oct. 31 were 2301. more than in
the corresponding period of last year ; but there was a
diminution in the donations, attributable, it was feared,
to the depression in railway and mercantile affairs. The
claims upon the funds of the institution were rapidly in-
creasing, and 458/. had been distributed in the last six
months against 2451. in the half-year ending Oct. 1865.
There were four applications for the admission of children.
The interest on the share of the funds appropriated for
the pension of widows had not sufficiently increased to en-
able the board to admit any applicants at present, but
each bad been relieved with a gratuity, and it was hoped
that the fund would be sufficiently augmented before the
neat general meeting to enable 'further annuities to be
granted. The advantages of the Casualty Fund had been
very conspicuous, 162 subscribers of la. each having re-
ceived assistance, and in every instance the families of
those wko were killed by accident bad obtained 51. The
chairman moved the adoption of the report, which was
seconded by Mr. Brookes, and unanimously adopted. Four
children having been elected to the benefits of the institu-
tion, **proceedings terminated.
PATENT OFFICE MUSEUM, SOUTH KENSINOTOL
Number of visitors for the week ending Deo. 15 , 1,185 ;
total number since the opening of the Museum free daily
(12th May, 18681, 1,007,539-
Omni. PLACE. Owl fisizzixo y.—
MOODlLY,4l4mistioas en m Daeans% 453 ;
ditto by arm tido* 1,015. Total ebtbas, 1.444.