The Express.
London, England, 1868-05-05 00:00:00

Ells Cittrt.

OSBORNE, MAT 4.
The Queen welted =I drove in the grounds this
imentirsg, aosesspeoied by Princess Louise.
P•ises Leopold sad Prisons Beatrice also went out.
Pr.aoa Arthur, attended by Lieutenant-Colonel Elphhi-
stooe, has left Oeborait for Greesvieblisrk.
Sir William Joiner bas also left for Loudon.

The Prince of Wales rode out yesterday forenoon,
attended by Major Tt eadale.

The Princess of Wales drove out, attended by the Hon.
Mrs. Stoner.

The Prince of W►les was present at the debate in the
House of Common,.

The Duke of Cambridge honoured the Marquis of
Exeter and the Hon. Corps of Gentlemen•st-Arms by
dining at the mesa of the carps at St. James's Palace last
evening. The Prince of Teok, the Earl of Tankerville,
the Earl of Bradford, Lord William Panlet, General Sir
Hors Grant, General Forster, General Hastings Doyle,
Colonel the Hon. James Macdonald, and Mr. Spencer
Follett, g.C., also dined with the corps to meet his royal
highness.

A Cabinet Council was held yesterday at the
official residence of the First Lordof the Treasury,
in Downing-street. The ministers present were
the Right Hon. B. Disraeli, the Lord Chancellor,
the Duke of Marlborough, the Earl of Malmesbury,
the Hight Hon. GMborne Hardy, Lord Stanley,
the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, Sir John
Pakington, Sir S. Northcote, the Chancellor of
the Exchequer, the Hight Hon. H. T. L. Corry,
the Duke of Richmond, Lord J. Manners, and the
Eau] of Mayo.

THE ROYAL VISIT TO Lzens.—The Prince of
Wales has definitely fixed on Tuesday, the 19tb inst.,
to open the National Exhibition of Works of Art
at Leads. The Prince's will accompany his royal highness
should the state of her health permit. A grand ball, at
which the Prince is to be present, will be given in the
evening by the mayor, Mr. Andrew Fairbairn, in the
Town ball.

Mr. Oswald entertained his Excellency the
Prussian Autbaustlor and Countess Res:lst°' ff, the Duke
of Del onshire, the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, the
Mar lois of Waterford, Viscount Lascelles, Viscount and
Viscountess Barrington, Viscountess Hulmesdsh•, Lord
Richard Grosvenor, Lord and Lady Edward Cavendish, the
Lord Chief Justice Cockburn, Lc., at dinner but evening
at Hampden House.

Sir Roderick I. Murchison, President of the
Royal Geographical Society, bed a conversazione last night
at Willie's Rooms, King-street, St, James's, at which
above CM visitors assembled.

THE I:OVAL CoNFERMEXT oF

This morning a return was published of the
peerages and baronetcies which have been created or con-
ferred from the corinnencement of the session of 18.12 to
the prer mit time, and stating also the names of the
prime ministers in office when thaw honours were
granted. From this return we find that in 18.12,
durins the administration of the Esrl of Derby,
three per rages end three baronetcies were created ; in
18534, dining the government of Lord Aberdeen, the
honours conferred were confined to two baronetcies. In the
following administration, that of Lard Palmerston,
which began in 18-11 and ended in 18.18, there wai a con-
siderable accession to the upper ranks, consisting of twelve
peers and eleven baronets. Lord Derby, who succeeded
Lord Palmerston in the latter year, and remained in office
till the year following, also swelled the list during iliac
short term by the addition of eleven peers and thirteen
baronets. Lord Palmerston returned to office in Is-19, and
retained the premiership until D 36-1, during which period
fifteen peerages and nine baronetcies were created. The
year 1861 appears to have been a blank so far as regards the
royal conferment of dignities ; but this interregnum seems
to have been amply compensated for in the two following
years, for, during a part of 1866, while Earl Russell WiLS
in office, eleven peerages and twelve baronetcies were con-
ferred by the crown ; and during Eul Derby's administra-
tion, which began the same year and ended towards the
close of 1867, the titled ranks were further increased b)
the addition of twelve peers and twelve baronets. Dm.
ing the government of Mr. Disraeli no new honours have
been granted ; but it has remained for the present premier
to complete the last four patents granted by Lord Derby.
Summing up this return it appears that since 18.12,
sixty-four peerages and sixty-two baronetcies have been
conferred by the Queen on the recommendation of her
responsible advisers ; and of these, thirty-eight peerages
and thirty-four baronetcies were granted dozing liberal.
and twenty-six peerages and twenty-eight baronetcies
during conservative, administrations. Daring the period,
however, over which these returns extend, the conservative
government war only in office five years, whereas the
liberals held the administration for thirteen.

IRIS!! ELECTORAL Sransrtcs.—From a return
published this morning we learn that the total population
of the parliamentary boroughs, cities, and towns in Ire-
land in 1861 was 767,467, occupying a gross area of 191,078
statute acres, and the valuation, exclusive of pro-
perty exempt from assessment, was 191,0781. The
returns as to the number of electors at various dates given I
show rather a curious fluctuation. In 1832-3 the number
of electors was 29,471, which in 1850 had risen to
40,2:34. In 1852.3, however, they again fell to 29,634 ;
and last year bad only increased to 32,547.
The population of the county constituencies
in 1861 numbered 5,001,099, covering an area of over
twenty million statute acres, with a valuation, exclusive
of property exempt from assessment, of 11,422,1961. The
same fluctuations in the electoral lists seem, however, to
have taken place as in the case of the boroughs. For
while the return of 1832.33 shows the number
to have been 60,603, in 1850 it had fallen to 31,832. In
1651, however, the Act 13 and 14 Vict., c. 69, came Into
operation, and the number swelled in that year to
133,245. Since then there seems to have been a gradual
increase, and in 1867 the total number of electors on the
county register was 176,093.
The select committee on extradition is postponed
till Tuesday, the 12th.
Mr. Mill's bills to provide for the establish-
ment of municipal corporations within the metropolis, and
for the creation of a corporation of London, stand upon the
House of Commons p►per for this evening.