The Express.
London, England, 1868-02-07 00:00:00

l'ass muffins in committee of supply,
And " buttered toast" amend by adding " dry."
His idea of rest is not so much repose as
change of labour. Among the trifles of his
hours of idleness has been a theological disqui-
sition on the work called " Ecce Homo ;" and now
we find him, on the eve of the Session,
lecturing OH the tales and poems of
Sir \\-ALTER ScOTT. So TAILLEYEIt ad-
vanced to the combat, singing and throwing up
his sword. We should have thought that Mr.
GLA LsT4 N E would have been busy training
for the encounter which is presently to come
Of between himself and eight Trades Unionists,
one up and one down. The preliminaries
have long since been arranged ; the day is
fixed. lint instead of burying himself in Blue-
books, we find him inuitereed in the Waverloy
Novels, conversing with Oilcan' Durward, and
Monkbanis, and Caleb lialderstone, instead of
with ADAM SMITH, and MeCt:bbovii, and MILL.
In Mr.l; LA DSToN E'S moral eulogy of SvoTT every
one will coincide. His estimate of his rank in the
literature of the world will fill almost everyone with
amazement. In Mr. (ILansrosee view SCOTT occu-
pies the third place in imaginative literature, being
only inferior to SHAKESPEARE and HOMER. This
praise is as extravagant as Mr. CARLYLE'S dispa-
ragement of " the pretty tale-telling Sir WALTER."
T.. mention the names of DANTE, CERVANTES, MIL-
TON, fIOuTHE, of the men who have summed up in
themselves the character of their age, who have
been the bright consummate flower in which the
intellect of their nation has blossomed, is to refute
this astonishing criticism. The perpetuity of an
influence is the best proof of its force and range.
Who can rank ticorr among the mighty dead who
rule men's spirits from their urns ? Mr. GLAD-
STONE confesses and complains that he is not now
read. In Scotland itself half-a-dozen songs of
BI lINS have had and still have an influence out-
weighing all the poetry and prose of Sewn. The
innocent, though not very exalted, ambition of his
life, to fount a family and transmit a landed
estate, unlocks the secret of his genius, which
WAS in strict unison with his character. He was a
worshipper of feudalism; but feudalism surely
cannot supply the highest inspiration of modern
genius. His extraordinary power of reviving an-
tiquity, and even of drawing character, was seldom
exercised with brilliant success outside the feudal
limit. The arts of Caleb Balderstone represent
its side of faithful servitude, as the chivalry of
Ivanhoe and the pride of the Master of Ravens-
wood represent its side of authority. Mr. I
GLADSTONE throws himself so completely into the
cause for which he is at the moment pleading that
it might be unfair to pin him down to his declara-
tion that Se orr alone, or almost alone, among
imaginative writers, has succeeded in placing broad
humour side by aide with the intense darkness
of calamity, without any disturbance of MISCELLANEOUS TOPICS.
artistic effect, Sit AN usrRARE's broad humour The conservative journals are greatly pleased with the
being chiefly found in his historic plays, and speech of Mr. Bright on the province of the government in
hardly at all in his deepest tragedies. What respect of national education. The Herald says it is the
does Mr. GLADSTONE say to the porters' scene in most valuable contribution that has
such pram
made to the di%
3feebe as, to the scene with the grave-diggers in hnies sasin"donMert.lll4, country fra;es it
se Moen' which itspeech tralmost
/lam Id, to the scenes with the nurse in Rome() am/
impossible to over value. The question of education ought
J.•'; et, to the scenes with the fool in Lear ? It is not to have been made a party one ; hut it was being ex-
to do an injustice to SCOTT to claim for him' plotted for party purposes. Mr. Bright has knocked that
audience from all the ages, or the highest i pretty little scheme en the head, and for that service
place in tho interpretation of human nature. I future generations, however they may differ in their judg-
Hv sang for boys and virgins, and meats of his political career, will thank him heartily, and
forgive him much. But Mr. Bright has done more. He
country gentlemen, whose tastes and admiralions
ter,
; has not only deprived the controversy of its party charm-
were his. The healthy animal life of the Middle but has expressed the principles upon which it should
Ages, deeds of physical prowess in war and the be settled,
chase, knightly chivalry, and feminine devotion, I The Standard describes the honourable member as
are his themes. His mastery of theta makes him throwing off the slough of mere noisy radicalism, and
a healthy, as well as • brilliant and fascinating ,abnnd°lling the arts of the demagogue. He looks at
writer, and justifies Mr. GLADSTONE'S appeal great questions from the statesman's point of view, aims
against the mutations of fashion which have to deal with them in the mode which he deems possible,
rather than in chat which he considers desirable, and
eclipsed his fame. But with the greatest names, states his views with a degree of eximness and moderation
fashion has nothing to do. which leaves little room for improvement.
Another praise belongs to him. Lord Macau- The Star sees in the late meeting at the Dublin
LAY has said that a better knowledge of Puritanism Rotunda the old spirit of ascendancy which has been so
may be gained front " Old Morality" than from disastrous to Ireland. The plan there advanced amid
tort includes as daring
NEAL, and of the reign of JAMES I. from "The only endanger the union.
" Fortunes of Nigel" than from Wits. SCOTT'S theorYdof or religions
peruses y
r. follower of Tor-
in ever
novels are, in some respects, a good introduction 'lumen:4 Neve speaks sreagly of the defects of female
to history. In another respect, they are education is Emu's& Per the most rare girls' sassy
treason to it. As Mr. GLADSTONE confesses, the vary only in the degree el perfection with which they
picture drawn by him in " Kenilworth " of MART teach what, if not offensive, is as useless in after life as
Queen of Scots is historically false. A very bad the making of Latin verses. Music which drives every
and profligate woman was depicted as a heroine good ear out of the room ; French which no
to body in Frames
and martyr. But he says Soon did this in ignu-
seesebiectee‘theete thedn; drawing wiVe.' weeds e"e the
p tea to he written under it—these are the
ranee. He was nut aware of the truth. He was .. accomplishments" in th! soeuidtios of which the isms
so far aware of it that he declined to write the of girlhood are parsed, and which, as esea es an seiskilsk-

OITION.
ICE.
, contempora-
ries from Abyssinia reaches to the 20th ult. The
Italy News has communications from a " special "
correspondent at Annesley Bay and another from
" our own correspondent " at the headquarters at
Zonis. The road to Senafd has been greatly im-
proved, so much so that it was said that wheeled
artillery would soon be able to make the ascent. At
Annesley Bay almost everything is done for the soldier
by camp followers and others, but as the troops
ascend towards the plateau they have to dispense
with many luxuries and conveniences. Three hos-
pital ships were off the shore, to which all officers
and men who become seriously ill are transferred.
Some little anxiety had been caused by the break-
ing out of typhus fever amongst a party of
Dhooly bearers from Bengal. The death rate
among the latter was seven per day. Captain
Pattinger had been stopped while exploring some
thirty miles from Senafd, and obliged to return.
Twenty-four elephants had been landed, and
had rather added to the forage difficulties.
_ _----.
_—_—_____ In appears that Magdala had been all but in the
THE QUEEN'S HEALTH. —Although her Majesty, hands of Theodorus once more ; and the hope that
yielding to the wishes of her subjects, has consented to a part of the expeditionary force would reach there
face the fatigue of personally holding a limited number of before him was almost extinguished. The road
drawing-rooms during the ensuing sewn, and is,we Suet, between . b..enat _o ,
and Ategerat presented no serious
justified in making the effort by the state of her health,
yet we understand that the Queen is still far from having obstacles. The next station of importance beyond
entirely recovered her strength. The effort which the ' that is Antal°. The strength of all the departments
Queen has made to renewalse extended personal relations, was being expended on the provisioning of the
with her people will la.mredlybegratefully acknowledged ; various depots, particularly Senafd.
and, if her strength should not be equal to the complete The following general order hail been issued by
fulfilment of these laborious ceremonials, • just and TO-
the Commander-in-Cluef on assuming personal
spectful appreciation will not be wanting of the gracious-
command of the forces :
ness with which the sovereign has endeavoured to re-enter
upon the task.—British Medical Journal. Lieutenant-General Sir Robert Napier sesames personal
THE PRINCE OF WaLas.—The visit of his Royal command of the troops in Abyssinia this day. Sir Robert
Highness the Prince • of Wales to the Duke and Duchess Napier congratulates the advanoed force on the progress
made in the expedition, by the establishment, in spite of
of Manchester, at Kimbolton Castle, is expected to ter-
great difficulties, of a firm footing at Senate, on the high
there to-morrow (Saturday). This (Friday) evening
land of Abyssinia. The Commander-in-Chief has already
the Duke and Duchess give a volunteer ball—that is •
acknowledged the services of the reconnoitering party,
ball in which the volunteers of the district will take part•
which have been marked by the greatest energy and Intel-
The ball announced forWedneeday evening was a brilliant
ligence. Two years' experience of the command of the
entertainment, the circle at the castle comprising, in
Bombay army, and of the high military spirit which
addition to county families invited on the occasion, the Sir Robert Napier to ex-
Duke of Sutherland, the Marquis of Fiartington, M.P., altimaas° is, prepared
peck the excellent example set by the advanced
Mr. Chaplin, of Blankney, the Earl and Countess of West -
force under Colonel Field. From the moment of
morland, the Earl and Countess of Listowil, Colonel and
their landing they have been indefatigable in promoting
Lady Emily Kingseote, several members of the House of
the operations, by their good conduct and zealous labour in
Montagu, &c. The Prince has had two good days with
the Oakley and Fitzwilliam hounds, and must have opening roads and preparing the way for the army. Sir
Robert Napier is confident that every soldier in the force
experienced much gratification from his reception gene-
appreciates the honour of having been selected to carry
rally. out the commands of her Majesty the Queen of England,
PRINCE LEOPOLD.—His Royal Highness Prince
and that neither hardship nor dangers will arrest him in
Leopold, who had previously been in full health and se- the pursuit of the objects of the expedition—the release
tivity, hasbeen suffering during the last week from severe
of our countrymen detained In a painful captivity, and
accidental hemorrhage. The prince was reduced to a state the vindication
of the dignity
of her Majesty'sempire.
of extreme and dangerous exhaustion by the loss of blood,
but has since greatly recovered, and has regained strength The labours of individual officers, who have
so far that Dr. Jenner and Mr. Paget, who were sum- worked hard and successfully against great obstacles
moned to Osborne, and remained for some days in per- ever since the pioneer force landed, aro well
manent attendance, have returned to town.—Britisit Me- deserving of the following special recognition :
dical Journal. Camp, Zonis, Jan. 6.
The Marquis of Lansdowne is gradually recover- Sir Robert Napier, after • personal inspection of the
ing from the effects of his severe accident in the hunting work carried out at Zoula, performs a very grateful duty
field. in recording publicly the credit due to the Engineer De-
The Earl and Countess of Bradford and family partment, under Lieutenant-Colonel Wilkins, chief engi-
are expected at their residence in Belgrave-square early in neer ; Captain Goodfellow, field engineer ; and the com-
the ensuing week from Castle Bromwich. penis of Bombay Sappers, for the progress made in eon-
The Earl and Countess of Wilton intend to siting a desert shore, at first view utterly de. old of
remain at Egerton Lodge, Melton Mowbray, till the first resources, into • very convenient port and depot, by the
week in April. construction of an excellent stone pier, store-sheds, and
Lord Raglan has returned home from Vienna, other works which would have been creditable under very
after attending the funeral of the Emperor Maximilian as favourable circumstances. In these labours the most vale.
in Waiting to the Queen. able assistance has been afforded by the senior naval officer,
Lord
Lady John Manners and infant son are pro- Captain Edye, and the officers and men of her Majesty's ships
under his command, in maintaining a supply of condensed
greasing favourably. water from the shipping under great difficulties, the erection
Lord Amberley is to address his constituents on
of condensers on shore, and aiding all departments to the
Friday, Feb. 21, at the Exchange Hall.
utmost extent of their resources. The laboursof the sanitary ,
The Herald puts out the following feeler : officer, Dr. Lurasdaine, and of the commissariat officer
"We have reason to believe that if Mr. Forsyth's candi- Major Mignon, have been equally important and praise- I
datum for the representation of the University of Cam- worthy. The Commander-in-Chief feels greatly indebted I
bridge were likely to prove acceptable to the members of to llajor•General Sir Charles Staveley, second in coin-'
convocation, that gentleman would resign the appoint- wand, for having combined and directed the energies of all
went of standing counsel to the Secretary of Trade for departments so as to produce the present condition of
India, and thus free himself from any disqualification for well-regulated order. The general progress made could
the vacant seat." only have been accomplished by the hearty and unanimous
The newly-appointed Lord Justice (Sir Charles devotion of all officers and their departments, for which
Jasper Selwyn) will take his seat on the bench next Mon- his excellency desires to express his warm approbation.
day. The " special" correspondent of the Daily News
Poor persons, we (Times) are informed, have a writes of Theodore :
very extraordinary idea of this department of the Post- He knows now that he has the coveted captives virtually
office, popularly known as the " dead letter office." Letters in his hands once more ; knowing that, why should he
are continually being received begging the Secretary not to long to re-enter Magdala! At present he is feasting his
return any more dead letters, as they bring death into the army and followers on the fruits of the fairest provinces
house. One person, after complaining that 24 persons of Abysainia—fruits, too, which cost him nothing ; in Magi
have died in her immediate neighbourhood since a dead data he cannot maintain an army for any length of time,
letter had been returned to her from the Poet-office, begs and without en army his life in the hands of the info-
the Secretary that, if any more of those dead letters for rated peasantry would not be worth an hour's purchase.
her should come back, he should " barn them and never His game is to seize the prisoners just in time to play his
send them back to heave to me after that. Our letters get trump card, as previous determination or the impulse of
carried, and offered, and done I cannot tell what with, and the moment may influence him.
murders is the end of it. I think this shall even be my Dr. Krapf is engaged as interpreter at Sew& ;
last. Your obedient —." The idea seems to be that Mr Dufton, another Abyssinian traveller and mis-
the heed of this department is in actual communication .
with the King of Terrors, and forwards letters for andfrom sionary, has been employed opening up roads direct
him, and they fear lest by chance they may contain as an from Zoula to Hadoda and Waa, places of some
enclosure one of his fatal darts. importance strategically. They are reached at
The irregular numbering of streets in London is present by a roundabout road via' Koomaylee.
a great cause of delay in delivering the letters. In some The Times correspondent dwells on the marvel-
eases the four corner houses are sometimes called No. 1. lons good humour and alacrity with which the men,
Indeed, in some of the new streets there is no sequence at in spite of great hardships, have worked. An
all in the numbers. The inspector of letter-carriers gives
• very singular case in point. He says—" On arriving at a -
English envoy, Major Grant, the well-known
house in the middle of • street lobeerved a brass number— African traveller, had been despatched to Kassa,
95—on the door, the houses on each side being numbered the Tigrd Chief, who has been taking it rather to
respectively 14 and 16. A woman came to the door, when heart that this compliment has not been paid him,
I requested to be informed why 95 should appear between fearing that he will lose cute in the eyes of his
14 and 16 ; she said it was the number of • house she
bar-
formerly lived at in another street, and it (meaning the barians but has not any envoy sent him in return.
subjects if he sends envoys to the British
bels§ plate) being a very good one, she thought it would
do for her present residence as well as any other." After receiving this embassy, the Tigrd "Chief of
The rehearsals of the opera Hamlet at the Opera the Chiefs of Abyssinia" will so far derogate from
at Paris take place every Tuesday, Thursday, and War his dignity as to advance to meet Sir Robert
day. Napier.
A meeting of proprietors of oonstabulary barracks The elephants greatly astonished the natives,
was bald at Dublin yesterday, Lard Castlemaine in the
chair, and, after a discussion, it was resolved to co-operate but were wholly eclipsed by the locomotive,
cover instalment with government in providing suitable defences ; the Land which left the elephants nowhere in the esti-
Improvement Let being extended, and the government
leasing barracks at rent malaise* to ts of motion of the Shoho. It was startling enough,
even to an Englishman, to hear suddenly within a
few yards of his tent, on this African waste, the
loan.
The Royal Mail steamers now atop at Jamaica shriek of the railway whistle. It was hoped that 11
to Koomaylee would
instead of St. Thomas. They only jest call at the latter . the railway to Annesley Bay 1
island to drop their inter-colonial mails and fill up with I
Coach. one of the Virgin islands, will pro- Ibe completed in the course of two or three weeks.
coal. Virgin
1 The telegraph had been carried about 20 miles, but
bably be made the rendezvous of the steamers. In the i some of the wire had been stolen. A letter was
first instance the steam were made to call at Made' to
ooal up, and then go OD to Grenada, one of the safest I carried from Annesley Bay to Senafd in one day.
Isla
from storms and convulsion ; then they were made I The correspondent of the Post says :
to go to Bermuda, because the British admiral was ate- Sins the advent of his Excellency the Commander-in-
titnne there. This was • disastrous route, on account Chief • little more II•tontlo• aPPottu to WPM!. to &Atom%
of the weather experienced on it. At length the and the uncouthly clad figures whirl "Mailhed us on
Increased demand for speed compelled the building landing no longer greet the eye ; still, there is no
of monster steamers, to run to St. Thomas, • distance attempt at " pipeclay," sad, indeed, if Carlyle's
of nearly 4,000 miles, without stopping to coal. St. Thorns 1 " Frederick" himself true to assume command of
Is the nearest island to Europe, and is the extreme point 1 the •expedition, I doubt his ability to enforce slu-
t° which to which any steamer can run, at full speed, from 1 thiag like parade uniform in this climate, and in this at.
Southampton without coaling. All spot where gnat aseeptsers of dirt and dust. Every officer appears to have
deposits of coal are made are unhealthy, because the de. . a" werfiedne suit of hie torsi varying according to hie
11 posits are never clamed off. Rain percolates through the 1 teSiar Orr MN" Probably. TelOnrOSSo for here we have to
I seal heaps, the foundation of which stand in • poisonous 1 wor Willing efe eon get; but the prevailing drams is
, ixture of fluids aad pce., which Genus the surround. . black or buff. beets. breeches, or trousers made to do
lagn atmosphere. The last Royal Mail steamer took out a 1 duty im•Msdr •
• light dash wawa Janis with • little braid
large number of wealthy Autipodeans returning to Kerr I and the reghnentel button, and the weal Indian sun la.
Zealand sad Eastern Australia. They will get home ! sass. Swards are never seen ;it is impossible for the
nearly a fortnight quicker by the Proems route, than if WHOt bweginntioe to realise that we are esmp•aptef In
. an enemy's semsky. It is simply Aldershot with • little
they had gene by way of the Red Sea :
Tits LOCIDOIIN ENlATE.—Pesiding negotiations mom um, • little men desk • geed end hr
rumours have hem Masai let soma months that this Ills ailleiPline, and oonaldetabli lan to do. Worn.
esimia. Weeds. to the Wards cd Meetings, Lad pawed Use whole harass and haat of the day fall
tiiCa••• a" the babas se the Marquis of Bete. We upon the Oesualseariai sad Lead Transport Train.
we may now my that them time have been These an. hem the highest te the boweak ar• Uri at week
onseladed and that the Bute estelsenriathfs county ham
mow get this ism and very vslaside extession.—.lyr WOO sad eff ; the arlswills, toe. hillier Gad atiltill%
Achierliesr. . with their Saimaa, Mal, ban *skim& in* K.