The Express.
London, England, 1850-03-07 00:00:00

Vbe Court.

THE LEVEE.
His Royal Highness Princes Albert (by the desire
of the Queen) held &levee at St. James's Palace ow behalf of
her Majesty yesterday afternoon. His royal highness arrived
from Buckingham Pokes shortly before two o'clock, and was
received by the Lord Chamberlain and the Muter of the
Home. The Treasurer of the Houesh.ld, the Vico-Cam-
berlain, and the Comptroller of the Household, were also In
attendance to receive the Prince. His royal highness was
attended by Lord George Lennox, lord in waiting ; Captain
Francis Seymour (in waiting) and Colonel Wylde, grooms
of the bedchamber; Colonel the Hon. Charles Grey, private
secretary; and Colonel Bounds, equerry in waiting. Lord
Dufferin, lord in waiting to the Queen ; Sir Edward
Bowater, groom in waiting ; Lord Alfred Paget (Clerk Mar-
shal), equerry in waiting; and Messrs. Forbes and Gordon,
page of honour to the Queen, also attended the Prince.
His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge (attended by
Kr. Edmond Mildmay) and his Serene Hie/knees Prince
Frederick of HON mended the imp e.
Her Majesty's honourable corps of GentlemerPatArms
was on duty is the state rooms. Hcr Majesty's body guard,
under the command of Capt. Phibbe, Eton in Waiting, was
on duty in the palace as usual.
Mr. Miles presented • humble address to her Majesty
from the gentry, clerg yeomanry, and others residing in
the polling district of Wincanton, in the MUM division of
the county of Somerset, complaining of agricultural distrem,
and praying her gracious Majesty in the exercise of her royal
prerogative, to take such effectual measures with the govern-
s meet and parliament as may speedily retirees their
grievances.

Mr. Mundy, M.P., presented a memorial from Aston, in
the acuity of Derby, praying that her Majesty will he
pleurd to enforce the cessation of labour in the Post•effice
department on the Lord's day.
After the Levee, his Royal Highness Prince Albert, at-
tended by his suite, returned to Buckingham Palace.
The Queen held a court yesterday morning, at Bucking-
ham Palace. Lord Campbell had en audience of her Ma•
jery, and delivered his seals of office as Chancellor of the
Duchy of Lancaster. His lordship had the honour to kin
bards on being appointed Lord Chief J ustice of England.
Mr. Danvers, Clerk of the Council of the Duchy, was in
attendance.

The E al of Carlisle had an audience of the Queen, to kin
hands on being appointed Chancellor of the Ducky of Lan-
caste•.

ROYAL GENERAL ANNUITY SOCIETY.

Last evening the anniversary festival of this so-
ciety took place at the London Tavern, Bishopagate street,
the Hon. R. 11. Stanley, M.P., in the chair, supported by
the Earl Pawls, the Hon. W. T. Campbell, M.P., Sir M.
R. Shaw Stewart, Bart., Sir R. Jodrell, Bart., Sir J. 11.
Maxwell, Bart., C. N Newdegate, Esq., M.P. the High
Sheriff or Surrey, T. Greene, q., M.P., J. I:ocke, Esq.,
M.P., W. Cuhitt, Esq., M.P., R. Btemridge Esq., M.
i 1 S. Gurney, E, , jun., W. Left, E-q., G. guiders, Esq.,
M.P., ace. About 300 gentlemen sat down to dinner, and
the galleries were graced by a goodly assembly of ladies.
It should be stated that the object of the institution is to
'third relief to "decayed merchants, bankers, clergymen,
solicitors, medical men, master manufacturers, and trades.
men," who, Otos. passing their former years in comparative
prosperity, are, from misfortunes which no prudence on their
part could either anticipate or avert, too frequently reduced
in 'hair old age to abject penury, towed d .wn beneath an
accumulation of difficuleies, and staring under the keenest
privatinns of unmitigated poverty.
The CHAIRMAN, in proposers, the toast of the evening—
" The Royal General Anaui'y Society," mid he remem-
bered to have heard it stated by a distinguished foreigner,
after a long residence in this country, when called upon to
soy what particular object bail most strongly impressed his
mind, that it was not the we .Ith of the island, nor the 'plea-
dour of its cities, nor the comfort of its towns, nor the fer-
ribty of its soil, nor the extent of i.s commerce—
I which hat struck him with the fer,atest admi-
ration ; but the variety and the opulence of its
'heritable institutions. He thouget this observation—true
as it undoubtedly was—came ben:, from a foreiricr than it
would from an Engliehmao, end he believed it was not too
much to soy that of all these ins itutions—many as there
were—there wes rot one which, in proportion to the amount
of moils placed at its diva.). had diffused a much happi-
nevi or r. li. ved eo much suffering. This society had Shed a
void which, until its establishment, remained unfilled ; and
it must not he forgotten that tee objects of its bounty were
those who in mom prosperous Si: in had been themselves
coati ibutors to charitable institutiore—people whose early
lives hod b,ien passed is comparative luxury, and
who, were it not for the benefits conferred upon them by
this society, might go down to their graves in misery.
He need not dilate upon this jrct. It was only neces-
sary for him to rate, in proof of the claims which entitled
the institution to public support, that its management was
Mno respect inferior to the merit of its ol.jacis. He would
call upon the company to tiri .k the toast with every po ,ibla
demonstration of enthusiasm.

The toast having been responded to, the secretary read a
list .f subscriptions, hem which it appeared that the total
amounted collected on. upwards of 3:2001.
The Earl of POW'S prop-.rd the health of the chairman.
staiirg that th's was the first time the hon. gen.lewan had
presided at a public festival, and it was much to his honour
that he Lad harried home from the summit of the 'lodes—
the shores of the Pacific—ia order to be pres,nt on the

The CHAIRMAN, in returning thanks, said ho feu,d
he had very inadequately lu:tiled the duties of chairman,
but he hoped his excuse would be found in the fact, that he
had been little more than 49 hours in Enelsnd. There
were, doubtless, many p. nuns who could render more • du.
able assistance to the charity, but there were nom, more
311.0t1111 in its c :use. (Cheers.)

. -
The next tout propued vas that of " Mr. N:wdegate
and till members of the Mum of Commoas who had
honoured the company with their presence." TMs and
various other toasts having been drunk with the usual en.
thulium, tae company (which coneiited of a greater num,
her of persons than have been assembled in the same room
for a considerable length of time) separated at a late hour,
end the hunourahlo chairman was much cheered on his
departure.

PARLIAMENTARY AND FMANCIAL

REFORM.

MEETING AT WEST HACKNEY.
Yesterday evening a public meeting was held at the
School-rooto4Kingsland, for the purpose of adopting
a petition to parliament for a reform of the House of
Commas*' to embrace—lat. Such au extension of the Iron-
chisel as wsald confer the right to be registered as an elvetor
coon every MU of fun age, not P ui,ject to any legal disa-
bai,y, who for 12 months should have occupied any tene-
ment, or portion of a tenement, for which he should be
rated.or should have claimed to be rated, to the relief of the
poor. 2sd. The adoption of the system of voting by billed.
3rd. The limitation of the duration of parliament to three
years. 4th. Such a change in the arrangements of the
electoral districts, iu should produce a more equal apportion-
ment of representatives to constituents. 13th. The abolition
of the property qualification for members of parliament.
th., meeting was very fully attended, particularly by
jfemale!.-

Mr. MATSON, president of the reform association of this
neighbourhood, took the chair.
Mr. 11. SMITH moved the first resolution—" That, in
the opinion of this meeting, the House of Commons, as at
present constituted, does not fairlf represent the peopk. It
is, therefore, desirable that a petition for a rzforin of that
house be presented from this meeting." Ile alluded to the
constitution of the House of Commons, which he de,cribed
as being completely in the hands a the aristocracy, and saw
no remedy but a marther reform, made by the people and
not by the house.
Mr. R. SMITH seconded the resolution.
The resolution was put and carried unanimously.
Mr. WOLTEHTON p,. posed a petition founded on the
resolution, stating that the petitioners had seen with great
anxiety and alarm the deep distress and privations or the
poor, which were caused by the heavy and unnrccuary
amount of taxation, that in the opinion of the petitioners it
was exceedingly cruel and injudicious to tax the necessaries
of lire instead of the capital of the country, and that they
were opinion that such taxation would never have been
imposed had they been, roperly represented.
Mr. FILED. CLARKE seonded the resolution, which
wet carried unanimously.
Mr. W. J. HALL and Mr. Steiger %tau also supported
the resolution., which were carried unanimously, and the
meeting terminated by a vote of thanks to the chairman.

MEETING AT STEPNEY.
The first public meeting for the precept year in
support of the objects of this emaciation was held on Tues.lay
cronies at the Green Dragon Tavern, near Stepney Church.
The chair was occupied by Mr. WlLLinsatt, the Lite hI.P.
for C-sentry, who made a short address, iu which he went
through the principal pints contained in !dr. Home's
motion, and, referring to its recent reception in the House
of Commons, congratulated them upon the certain, if not
very speedy progress which the cause was making.
Several other gentlemen addressed the meeting. which
was densely crowded, and resolutions in furtheraua of its
objects wtro adopted.

EMlcitaTloS.—By the Overland Mail we have
dates from Adelaide to the ith November. The ship Con.
stases, Capt. Godfrey, arrived out on the 5:12 November,
having mails the passage in 77 days. This is by far the
shortest passage on record. She is one of Messrs. Marshall
end Etindge's ships, and sailed from this port with govern-
ment emigrants. The Navarino arrived out on the sth
November, titer 99 days' panne ; and the Abberton on the
22nd October, LOS dap' passage. These ships also b. long to
the same parties, and took out passengers,qlling at this port
to embark part of their complement. The Benjamin Elkin
male a very quick passage to Adelaide ; she was out on the
4th November, in 8.5 days. This vessel called at P:ymouth
for paseengers for Adelaide, and was loaded by Messrs. Mar-
shall and lidridge, who have the following passenger ships at
present on the berth: British Sovereign, 700 tons, J.
cam., be Adelaide, will sail from Plymouth 11th March;
Ceylon, 1,000 toes, W. B. Caelard, corn., for Adelaide and
Port Phillip, will sail from Plymouth 25th March ; Bengal,
800 tons, C. Cunningham', com., for Adelaide and Port Phil-
lip, will sail from Plymouth 11th April; Oipsoi Queen,
1,100 tons, T. Mutton, corn., for Port Phillip and Sydney,
will sail from Plymouth 25th April; Lysander, 750 tone.
0. A. Lulhans, coin., fur Fart Phillip, will sail from I'iy.-
nteath 11th May. All these ships are despatched from this
port under the agency of our townsman, Mr. J. B. %.Pilcocks,
the agent iOll. the Colonial and Bmigration Carntanuoners.—
Plymouth Journal, Feb, 28.