The Express.
London, England, 1861-02-12 00:00:00

SW Court.

The Queen and the Prince Consort, accompanied
by the Prineesses Alice, Helena, sad Louise, visited the
Photographic Exhibition, in Pall-mall East, yesterday
morning. In attendance were the Viscountess Jocelyn, the
Hon. Caroline Cavendish, Lord Alfred Paget, and Lieu-

tenant-Colonel the Hon. 1). de Roe. The Prince Consort
afterwards rode on horseback, attended by his equerry in
waiting.
The Princess Beatrice visited the Princess Mary of Cam-
bridge yesterday.
The Queen and Prince Consort, accompanied by the
Princess Alice, honoured the performance at the Hay-
market Theatre last evening with their presence. The
royal suite consisted of the Viscountess Jocelyn, Hon.
Caroline Cavendish, Lord De Tabley, Lord Alfred Paget,
and Lieutenant-Colonel the HOll. 1). de Roe.

The Belgian. Minister had an interview with the Duke of
Newcastle yesterday, at the Colonial-oehne.
A deputation from Dartford, for the abolition of the
London coal dues, had an interview with Sir George C.
Lewis yesterday, at the Home-office. The deputation con-
sisted of Lord Hohnesdale, M.P. ; Mr. George &send,
churchwarden of Dartford ; Mr. T. H. Saunders, Ph(enix
Paper Mills ; Mr. John Tether, brewer ; Mr. It. R. Herds,
Royal Flour Mills ; Mr. Robert Merchant, Howley Paper
Mills ; Mr. Henry Hall, paper maker ; Mr. Charles Seals-
land, calico printer ; Mr. 'Waller, Mr. Reeves, Mr. Beadle,
and Mr. Archibald Kintner., parliamentary agent.
The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council at yester-
day. An appeal from the Court of Arches, " Poole v. the
Bishop of London" (part heard), was concluded.
Despatches were received yesterday at the Colonial-office,
from the Lord High Con,musioner of the lonian Islands,
and from the Governors of Bahamas and Canada. De-
Mtehes were sent to the Governors of Malta, Ceylon, Hong
eg, Labuan, and Gibraltar.

THE PRINCE OF WALES.

His Royal Highness tho Prince of Wales,
attended by Major-General the Hon. R. Bruce, sod Major
Teesdale, arrived, on Saturday, on a visit to the Earl and
Count es of Hardwicke, at Wimpole Hall, near Royston,
from Cambridge. A small circle were invited to meet his
royal highness, including the Duke of St. Albans, Mr.
Adeane, M.P., and Lady Elizabeth Adeline, Lord Royston,
lady Agneta Yorke, &c. On Sunday the Prince of Wales
attended divine service at the village church adjacent to
the hall. Yesterday the Cambridgeshire hounds met at
Hardwicke, when there was a large assemblage of lovers of
the chase. The Prince of Wales, the Earl of Hardwicke,
Major-General the lion. R. Bruce, Lord Royston, Major
Teesdale, &c., were present at the "meet." The prince
was to leave Wimpole Hall yesterday afternoon on his
return to the University.

THEATRE ROYAL HAYMARKEL —Her Majesty, the
Prince Consort, and the Princess Alice, honoured the per-
formances at this theatre by their presence last evening.
Prince Tour and Taxis, who arrived at Ports-
mouth on Saturday morning from Madeira, where he has
been in attendance on the Empress of Austria, left the same
evening for Paris, on his way rid Mucich for Vienna.
When the prince left Madeira her Imperial Majesty was in
the enjoyment of excellent health.
The funeral of Francis sixth Earl of Guilford took
plaee on Saturday, his remains being deposited in the
mausoleum, in Waldeeshare•park.

Lord Courtenay arrived iu town on Friday from
Powderham Castle, near Exeter, and left on Saturday for
Paris, to assist at the nuptials of the Earl of Lincoln and
Mies Hope yesterday.

Mr. and Lady Emily Hesketh and Miss Hesketh
have arrived in Portland-place from ()wry& Castle, North
Wales, for the season.

Sir Elkanah Armitage and Lady Armitage have
arrived at the Queen's Hotel, Upper Norwood.

Mr. and Mrs. William Paynter and family have
arrived at their residence in Belgrave-square for the season.

Lord William Graham on Thursday will ask the
trader Secretary of State for the Colonies, whether it is
true that a petition has been forwarded to the government,
signed by 1,900 inhabitants of the state of Maine, praying
for annexation to the British dominions ; and, if so,
whether there is any objection to lay a copy of the petition
upon the table of the house.

The Bishop of Exeter has addressed a letter on
church-rates to one of the archdeacons in his diocese. His
gm* would retain church-rates as the legal instrument of
providing for the maintenance of the edifices and church-
yards, "even if the support of the special services of the
church were no longer insisted upon." This concession he
thinks would meet the "most specious" argument of con-
scientious objection. The necessary charges for public wor-
ship are not of a formidable amount, and "those which are
unnecessary—euch as for organs, for lighting, warming, and
the like—may be (shall I be afraid of saying ought to be)
no longer demanded of those who cannot enjoy the use of
them." The element at the Holyeoramunion ought to be ex-
clusively provided by three who actually communicate, and
cost should be taken out of the offertory. In conclusion, the
bishop adds the expression of an earnest hope that "in any
modification of the existing law on church-rates, which shall
now be adopted, the enforcement of them would be trans-
ferred from the ecclesiastical to the temporal courts."
. _ _

A pastoral from Cardinal Wiseman, dictated
from his sick-room, was read on Sunday in the several
Roman catholic chapels in Westminster. The faithful are
exhcrted to remember often before God "the spoliation of
His sanctuaries, the banishment of His pious prelates ; the
imprisonment of His zealous priest', the cruel dispersion
from the houses in which they had vowed to live for ever
as His spouses," &c., and they ere urged to subscribe to the
temporal necessities of the Pope. A collection is also to be
mode in support of the movement for obtaining greater foci•
lilies for the Roman catholic inmates of workhouses. The
cardinal, in conclusion, requests "an occasional prayer for
ourselves, that God's will be done in all things regarding
us ; only, that whether in sickness or in health, whether it
be His holy will that we should continue still to languish in
infirmity or to be restored once more to full vigour, we may
devote ourselves exclusively to the promotion of His glory
by the faithful administration of our ecclesiastical office."

The Sussex Advertiser of to•dny reports; the pro-
ceedings at tha interview on Friday between a deputation
on Hop Duty Repeal and the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
The right hon. gentleman dealt with the various matters in
the memorial, point by point, during ita reading, eliciting
the views of the several members of the deputation upon
them, and discussing the general subject freely and unre-
servedly. The questions of bonding and an acreage duty
were also referred to, the latter in reference to its tendency
to relie►e the inequality of the incidence of the duty in
different districts. The deputation strongly repudiated
any views in that direction, and objected to any course
that would have the effect of permanently saddling a duty,
even in the most modified form, upon the English grower.