The Express.
London, England, 1867-11-04 00:00:00

THE BOMBAY MAIL

DEPARTURE OF THE ADVANCED GUARD
OF THE ABYSSINIAN EXPEDITION.

By the arrival of the above mail we have advice.
from Bombay to October 14, and from Calcutta to
October S.

The advanced guard of the Abyssinian expedition
left Bombay harbour on Monday and Tuesday,
October 7th and Bth.

The Times of India says that the arrangements
Ifor the despatch of the troops were so complete
that, in spite of the haste which the advance of the
season rendered necessary, not a single mishap or
hitch of any kind occurred. "It was, indeed,
never expected for a moment, in India at least,
that any hitch would occur." It adds, "The effi-
ciency, the zeal, and foresight of the various de-
partments, and, above all, the complete harmony
which exists—and under a chief like Sir Robert
Napier, must always exist—between the,depart-
manta, rendered this unlikely in the extreme. At
the same time this total absence of anything ap-
proaching the nature of a mishap is deserving of
mention, as some of our readers may be able to
contrast it with the bungling that is always looked
fenrand the results of which are often apparent
when preparations of even a more limited nature
have to be hurriedly made by corresponding de-
partments in Pall-mall. Everything that has been
done hitherto in connexion with the expedition
shows 'conclusively the wisdom displayed by the
home government in entrusting Sir Robert Napier
with the organisation and equipment or tforce.
Tie meddling already attempted by the govdnment
of India, but which Sir Robert firmly Protested
against and would not brook, would to'a certainty
have been carried to excess and been produc-
tive of much harm and delay, had they' potatesed
the shadow of a right to interfere. And this, we
believe, the Viceroy and the other members of the
supreme government themselves now quite under-
stand • for, since finding that Sir Robert had carte
blanche from the Foreign-office at home, they have
joined heartily in aiding him in whatever way they
could. Though the final arrangements for the de-
spatch of the advance brigade were left by Sir Ro-
bert to Brigadier-General Russell, commanding the
Bombay garrison, his excellency was in Bombay
during the greater part of the past fortnight, when
he inspected all the ships then chartered as trans-
ports, and reviewed the arrangements made for
embarkation."

An order having been issued by the native
government of Baroda compelling all widows to
shave their heads, the government of India, to
whose not ice this barbarous regulation was brought,
has interfered, and notified to the Baroda govern-
ment that no such measure must be carried out in
that State.

A great flood has inundated the districts on
either side of the Ganges from Rajsbaye to within
forty miles of Calcutta. Vast damage has been
done, but the silt will, it is said, fertilise lied'
seldom or never enriched by manure.
T)e Bassoon General Hospital at Poona, founded
by the late Mr. David Bassoon, was opened on the
7th Oct. by his Excellency the Right Hon. the
Governor. Mr. Bassoon contributed over 21,0001.
towards the cost of the hospital.
. . • . . . .

Cholera, of the most virulent type, is reported
to have broken out at Teheran. In three days 150
deaths took place, and the cases averaged 80 per
diem.

DESPATCH OF THE FRENCH GOVERN-

MENT.

PARIS, Nov. 3.
The Moniteur of yesterday publishes the follow-
ing despatch, which has been addressed to the
French Charge d'Affaires at Florence by the
Marquis de Moustier, French Minister for Foreign
Affairs :

"Paris, Nov. 1.
"By energetically enjoining upon all citizens
respect for international engagements, and by
declaring himself ready to repress disturbances
and to maintain the authority of the government
and the inviolability of the laws, King Victor
Emmanuel had led us to hope that the new ministry,
proceeding firmly in the course that hsd been
traced out for them, would have been able by
efficacious measures to discourage all revolutionary
intrigues, and to re-establish moral and material
order. Such a policy carried out unhesitatingly and
without imprudent concessions to the passions of
parties whom one had undertaken to combat
%%wild at once have allayed the dangerous crisis
through which Italy is passing, and would have
placed us towards her in a position conformable to
our intimate sentiments, and thus have facilitated
' the reciprocal task of the two governments. It is
not without painful surprise, therefore, that we
learn the resolution of the Italian Ministers to oc-
cupy certain points of the Papal territory. We do
not wish to discuss to-day the reasons by which
endeavour is made to justify an act so con-
trary to international law, but wo desire to
manifest without delay the impressions which
the determination of the Florence cabinet
has caused us to experience. However re-
stricted Italian intervention in the States of the
Holy See may be, however soon it may cease, or
however circumspectly it may be conducted, the
French government, which as an adviser has always
blamed such a step, could not now in any way
invest it with its approval. If the government of
the King of Italy believes that it may expect from
us even a tacit adhesion, such a belief is an illusion
which we must not hesitate to dispel, and you will
testify with what lively and sincere regret we see it
deviate from the line of conduct which, according
to our view, is the only one in conformity with the
interests of Italy. MOUSTIEB.."

WORKING OF THR METROPOLIS STEAMS ACT.—
The clause in the new Streets Act relating to the exposure
of goods on the footway in front of shops promises to
create a greater public obstruction and evil than that it
was intended to remove. In most of the numerous roads
and thoroughfares leading from the heart of London to the
suburban districts the right of using a portion of the foot-
way in front of their shops, that portion varying in depth
from four to twelve feet, is vested in the occupier of the
premises, and tradesmen and shopkeepers whose goods are
rendered more saleable by a public exposure have gene-
rally exercised their right of using this portion of the
footway by placing their goods thereon. By the new act,
however, the right of using this portion of the footway is
prohibited unless it is permanently enclosed. The conse-
quence has been that all along the roads and leading
thoroughfares above-mentioned there have been erected
rows of unsightly wooden poles, heardinp, or palings, pre-
senting the appearance of lines of temporary booths, or as if
the whole of the shops were under repair. But thisis not the
worst of the evil. A large number of the shopkeepers,
desiring their enclosures to be as neat as possible, have
erected au iron bar and lost at each side of their shop,
and extending the full length of the footway over
which they have control. The public obstruction, there-
fore, which occurred during business hours in the day is
now continued throughout the day and night, by the erec-
tion of these iron barriers and hoardings. These iron bars
and posts, however, are more than an obstruction—they
are vary dangerous to the foot passenger hurrying along
after dark, or walking with an umbrella up on a rainy night,
intaniuch as they are not to be seen until the pedestrian
i gets close to them. Several persons were seriously injured
on Saturday night, by coming in contact with these iron
' harriers in the Blackfriars-road and New-cut, where they
have already obtained the name of " Mantraps." If these
erections are to remain it will become necessary to compel
those who put them up to place lights there also, or some
serious accidents will, in all probability, occur during the
coining dark winter nights.
CRYSTAL PALACE. HALF-A-CROWN DAY.—
SATURDAY, Nov. 2. Admissions on payment, 838 ;
ditto by season tickets, 5,482 ; total visitors, 6,320.
GRZAT NORTHRRN HOSPITAL, CALIDONIAN-ROAD,
N. Number of patients for the week ending Nov. 2,
1,024, of which 296 • were sew awes.
METROPOLITAN FRKR HOSPITAL, DEVONSWIRE.
sarAos, CITT.—The aggrecate number of patients relieved
during the week ending Nov. 2 was—Medical, 872 ; mr.
aka, 647 ; total, 1,519 ; of which 683 wore sow owl.

[STAMPED, U.