The Express.
London, England, 1868-07-17 00:00:00

THE LOADS AND COMMONS SHOOTING

MATCH.

IT was amusing at Wimbledon, yesterday, to
hear the reasons given for Lord BLato's absence
from the Lords and Commons shooting match.
His lordship is, it appears, a growing political
power. Wimbledon Common was well enough
when the statesmanship of the gallant member
for Haddingtortahire was budding ; but now
that it is full blown, the senate, not the
camp, is his sphere. So ran the story.
But his lordship was the only absentee,
and the two teams went to work with a
will. Lord DIIFFERIN'S shooting was unequal,
and the Marquis of Aszaconx's a little disap-
pointing when the scores came to be aggregated ;
while Lord SPENCER'S workmanlike blowings down
his rifle-tube and the " bull's-eyes" they were said
to bring about, only placed his lordship third upon
the list. This, however, was as much as the
highest score of the Commons, which Earl
DENBIGH and Earl DIXIE beat by four and three
respectively. The Marquis of LORNE, Mr. Msr.-
corm, Mr. FORDYCE, Mr. BASS, and Sir P.
Eozrrow, for the Commons, all made the same
score, 48 ; and there is little doubt but that the
substitution of the Hon. C. T. LTTriwrow for Lord
Er.cno lost them the match. This gentleman
was eleven points below the rest of his
party, only scoring 37, and as the Lords
only won by an aggregate of 278 against
277, (bra majority of ono, ;kll &maw, certain that Lord
ELato's presence would have turned the scale.
Many volunteers thought so, and deplored while
they exulted in the newly-discovered importance
of Lord ELcno's political life. The fine ladies and
great people who make such competitions as
that of yesterday so agreeably gay should be
told ,to leave their footmen at home, or
to keep them in their place. It is indecent that
huge figures in livery should be told off to stand
behind fine ladies' chairs in a reserved enclosure,
when by so doing they shut out the targets from
the public standing patiently behind. It is too
bad to see an enclosed seeing-place crammed as
the Lords and Commons one was yesterday with
every condition of menial, while those whose
duties compelled them to be present seemed to be
admitted upon sufferance, and had some difficulty
in obtaining a view.

On Monday Mr. Harvey Lewis will ask the
First Commissioner of Works what is the cause of the
delay in the completion of the works in the enclosure
in the Regent's-park, and when the same are likely to
be completed. And whether it is intended to cover
the bottom of the lake with cement.

On Monday Mr. Baillie Cochrane will ask the
First Commissioner of Works whether, considering that
three plans for the concentration of the public depart-
ments have been submitted to parliament which, owing to
the state of the public business, cannot be discussed this ses-
sion, and that by one of these plans, that of Sir Charles Tre-
velyan, the site of the Thames Embankment is made use of
for the Admiralty and War-office, the noble lord will delay,
until next session, proceeding with the building of the
new law courts in the Strand, seeing that by placing them
on the site of the Thames embankment between Somerset
House and the Temple they will combine with Sir Charles
Trevelyan's plan for the general improvement and em-
bellishment of the metropolis.

According to the report of the Schools Inquiry
Commission (London division), it appears that, after every
allowance has been made, the net income of the trusts for
educational purposes in London (including 40,0001. be-
longing to Christ's Hospital) exceeds 100,0001. per
annum.

Mr. Ernest Jones hew been adopted by the exe-
cutive committee of the liberal party as the third candi-
date for Manchester. Mr. Jones has been chosen as the
special representative of the working-class interests. There
is a rumour that Mr. Mitchell Henry is to be again asked
to offer himself as a candidate.

A letter from Vienna states that an inhabitant
of Perth, proposing to contract a civil marriage in the
Austrian capital in accordance with the laws of that
country, applied to the Hungarian Ministry to obtain an
authorisation. The latter decided that the matter was
not in his competence, and sent the affair to the civil
anthoritice, who have just declared that according to the
Hungarian laws there is no necessity for a special permis-
sion to contract a civil marriage.

The Theatre Nota at Turin has been burnt down.
The conflagration did not last an hour, and only the walls
are left standing. The flames broke out at 10 o'clock at
night during the performance ; the audience, however,
and the actors made their escape, and no personal casualty
is to be mentioned.

A Munich letter mentions that Count Chorinsky,
who has been deprived of his title of nobility, was lately
sent off under charge of two policemen to the fortress
of Rosenberg, near Hronach. The public became very
indignant at seeing the convict taking his coffee in a ffret
clam refreshment-saloon amongst respectable people.

The Levant Herald (Constantinople)aays :--" The
female visitor at Lapierre's is not after all Cora Pearl, but
a respectable lady, related to a French Consular function-
ary down South."

CorcFnensnons.—The following Confirmations
by the Bishop of London me announced :--July 19,
Sunday, 3 p.m., Bt. Tiowington-butts; July 22,
Wedges& , half-past 2, Mama: July 2; MoudaZ, 12,
Wanunner% 7; August 3, Monday, half-pest 2, ttrait
St