The Express.
London, England, 1861-05-21 00:00:00

(Stamped, ld. Additional.) LTWOPE

JERUSALEM.

TO THE Ennui Or ke Hirst.
Sia,—For thu last three months we have hat
numerous military parties in the Holy City from the French
expeditionary force at Beyrout, and have duly admired the
wonderful fertility of invention manifested in their
uniforms. We are a grave people here, and the effect
upon us was somewhat startling of such kaleidoscopic
combinations of red, yellow, light blue, white, dark blue—
without the least idea of congruity of colour—and it was
the rarest thing in the world to see two men dressed alike.
The largest party was at Eitater, when wane of the navy
accompanied them—a far superior set of men. At the
same time a large caravan of French clergy sod laity were
here independent of them, including soma renuirkable cba-
ratters, such as the Jesuits (formerly Russian princes)
Ciagarin and Hatable, and the celebrated Ferdinand de
Lessem with two of his Egyptian company, who had
travelled from Suez to El A rish in a carriage drawn by camels.
Persona of a naughty, that is of a hostile, English ten.
perarnent, may ask slat was his object in coming to Jere.
mien'. He has himself published the motive—namely, to
render thanks at the Holy Sepulchre for the great success
that has attended the work of the Isthmus Canal, and to
place so important nu undertaking under the special pa-
tronage of the Divine Redeemer! Of course his compatriots
were edified by such suitable conduct.
That scene has shifted, and now we have in our AMU
companies of cleanly, well-behaved English officers of her
Majesty's line•of-battle ships Hannibal and Renown,
succeeding the visit of Rear-Admiral Mundy, of Neapolitan
and Garibaldbui reputation, who was here lately for a few
days, and paid a very stately visit to the local Fuchs, with
a train of Dewily thirty officer', he being the first British
admiral in command that had ever reached Jerusalem. The
city was much enlivened during his stay, and there can be
no doubt that, with the feelings of the native population
previously enlisted in our favour, the English name has got
a lift that was very much wanted. Throughout the country,
among all classes of Mohamed:4ns, the feeling is universal in
approbation of the office which they suppose the English
are come to assume, namely, "to defend the Sultan against
be French."

It has required an Oriental nature to enable the pea-
santry to endure without rebellion the famine which is
afflicting the southern districts, arising from failure of the
two last harvests. It may be that political intriguers may
yet be able to work upon the minds of the distressed
people, either for direct measures fo be taken, or for remain-
ing supine while others overthrow the Turkish government.
The local rulers ,lo nothing for relief of the sufferers, and
leagues of arable hual are unsown this year, for want of send
at the needful time. Many are the instances of land pro-
prietors between this and Oasa who till lately, with true
Arab hospitality, would not hesitate to kill sheep for guests
four time., in a day, now wandering around us in rugs, and
begging broid from house to house. In the winter there
was an excessive mortality among agrarian cattle. An
enormous emigration has taken place from districts south
. . _

of us into Egypt.
A good many robberies have taken place of late through-
out Palestine, including an unusual one, namely the
plunder of some baggage of English travellers going to the
Jordan ; these were ,onsiderably in advance of their bag-
gage, and the guides and muleteers in charge of it were Bud.
dealy attacked in a narrow pass by some vagabond Arabs
belonging to a remote territory, who happened to be pass-
ing along, but who are scarcely known to the regular
Arabs of the surrounding country. Stith events have mu
currod before to other people, especially if guided by
soldiers, but never to the English. The owners of the
baggage were meanwhile proceeding along very innocently
and happily, till at Jericho they found no baggage arrive.
On the Sunday immediately after their return wo had a
thanksgiving introduced into the church Liturgy, "by
some travellers, for deliverance from great perils by the
way?'

On account of the confessed inability of the Turkish go-
vernmant to protect traveller pawing the Jordan, the
English Consulate has for fifteen years volunteered to en-
sure that protection by means of contracts with the petty
Arabs in the intervening territory, who on their part make
contracts with the wilder Arabs beyond the river. And
such prompt measures were taken on this occasion that
near 500 men were in pursuit of the robbers within a few
hours, and they were overtakeo beyond Masa, on the Hadj
route, in the Desert. The Consulate, certain of recovering
the whole and more from the contructoes, advanced to
the travellers within two days the sung, which they de-
clared to have lost, and engaged to do the same on behalf of
the drisgontans and muleteers in a few days more. And
this is one of the multitude of ways in which our Consul's
enemy and influence prevent the Turkish Wane from sub-
siding to its real level of inefficiency. Ilad application
been male to the local government not a piastre would
have been recovered, as has been repeatedly proved.
The Greek and Russan pilgrims are crowding into Jen-
saken for their Easter in a few days, and it is expected that
the Creek patriarch will come from Constantinople fur the
occasion. There is no new Armenian patriirch yet arrived,
which is a loss to the sightseers, as his installation would
be a splendid spectacle.—l em, &c., S.
Jerusalem, May, 1861.

The examination of candidates for direct com-
missions commenced yeatertlay forenoon at the Royal Hos-
pital, Chelsea, before the Viim-Prt•sideut, MajticGenend
Knollya, and the nienibers of the tiaineil Military Edu-
cation. The examination will terminate on Saturday next,
the 25th lost. There were upwarda of llin mandates for
•tarnination. The examination of candidates for admission
$: the Royal Military Colleee, Sandhurst, will be held at
Oki Itoyal Huapital, Chelaea, on Monday, June the 17th.
DM/ will extend over the six days ending the VIM pro:.
The examination of candidates for appointment to the corn.
ainaanat will comments, on Monday. the 17th June, anti will
extend over the 18th, and 21st.
LAMINTAULE Act:WENT xtir. Stit.Tit WUCTESS
R.ULWAT. —laud evening a fearful aorident occurred to one
of the porters engaged at the Vauxhall Station, who was
proeschng down the Windsor line. it appoars that when
the train arrived at Twirl...Dhabi, at 25 minutes plat It, •
man wan observed to fall from the top of one of the car-
rages head foremost on to the up-line rails. When picked
tiji he was diarovered to he one of the 'airier' belonging to
X auxhall Station, sod Lis head wu completely split open.
The pone fellow was conveyed at once to the house of Mr.
Clark, a surgeon practising at Twickenham, and is under-
sto,d to be in a very precarious state.
_ _

.
FIRE. OIN THE PEN ROAD.—Ytstcrtlay afternoon
some alarm was occasioned in the Routhwark•bridgc-road,
owing to the following somewhat singular occurrence
van, containing shout three tons weight f saltpetre, wag
being drawn along the road, nod owing to the friction of the
axle of the wheel the box took lire, and some of the salt-
petre falling upon it, that became ignited, nod the Ere
spread to the hulk in the vehicle. The whole beret for
some time, and when the bottom of the van was consumed,
the remainder of the inflammable article fell through into
the road, where it continued to burn with a hissing noise
until the engines from the contiguous brigade station came
up. The firemen then went to work, and with the aid of a
good supply of water and the hand engines they managed to
get the fire extinguished, but very little of the stork was
saved. The property was going to the vitriol works at
Kennington-park.
Lutes OP THE SHIP JOHN, OP LIVERPOIPL..—
Report of the barque Actmon, of (lhogow. W. Denson,
master, from New Ihlenns fur Liverpool, 17th ultimo—
" Strong gales and squally, with heavy rain; running
under close-reefed topsails and formai:, At 6 p.m. oh-
served a barque ahem!, with signals or thing, and
also signals of the ship in a sinking state. Hall down 013 her,
and found her to be the John, of Liverpool, from Darien,
bound to Queenstown for orders. Hove to under her lee.
seaeating the crew off
.; to
the eight of her light..
thate
At 7 a.m. more modendc, obseived the 'simple shout 12
light. beingAtt'2.o a. heart/
miles to windwunl, with masts out, ; mule all piseible sail,
and beat to windward ; reached the wreck about 1.30p.m.,
sent our boat with the mate and four hands, as her brats
were all gone ; everything being swept off the decks. She
was waterlogged, and a total wreck. Got the crew off at
four different times, which consisted of the master and 15
hands. At 7 p.m., the gale Unceasing, wasobliged to run
under close-reefs 4 maintopmil and fore topnuist staysaiL
The gale lasted for three hours afterwards, with heavy sea
rUDUipli."
A /44 srocnoN RELIC.—The vine, originally struck
a few mouths before his death by the Emperor Napoleon I.
at St. Helena, was auleequently transplanted to the grounds
of Lieutenant Colonel Palmer, at Nearing, in Ease:, where
it throve perfectly. Last year that gentleman forwarded
the vine to MarOchal the Comte d'Ornatio, Governor of the
localities, at Paris. in order to its being placed in the
garden of the establishment ; and a recent communication
from the count to Lieutenant-Colonel Palmer conveys the
gratifyingtion. intelligence that the tree is in a most flourishing
condi