The Express.
London, England, 1868-05-04 00:00:00

THE CHANNEL FLEET.

This morning was published a copy of Admiral
Warden's reports of the trials of the Channel fleet in 1867,
with the remarks of Vice-Admiral Robinson, the Controller
of tho Navy, thereon.

The observations of the Controller consist of a critical
analysis of the performances of the several ships in the
squadron as recorded by Rear-Admiral Warden ; but in
the detailed reports there are very great discrepancies
which further tri►ls alone can clear away.

After the most careful consideration Admiral Robinson
can see no encouragement whatever in these reports to re-
turn to the construction of unhandy, long, and compara-
tively slightly-armoured ships ; on the contrary, so far as
they go, they thoroughly confirm the propriety of the
changes that have been made in the forms of ships re-
cently constructed—lees length and greater fighting power,
combined with handiness, having been secured to them.
The engines of the new type alone give cause for dissatis-
faction, and they only in some instanoes, the peculiarities of
which are now undergoing the most careful inquiry.

Hia Ex cellency the Prussian Ambassador and
the Countess Bernstorff entertained Prince Adalbert of
Pillage, Admiral of the North German Fleet, at dinner on
Saturday evening, at Prussia House. After dinner the
Countess Bernstorff threw open her saloons for the recep-
tion of a distinguished company.

Sir William Knollye, in consequence of the
number of addressee of loyalty sent to the Prince of
Wales, has been obliged to return the same reply to 20
of them at once. In this document he states that " the
confidence reposed in him by the Irish people is cordially
reciprocated by his royal highness, and that the remem-
brance of the reception which was given to the Prince
and Princess of Wales will ever be grateful to them."

The operas announced for the present week at
Drury-lane are La tar=o Ladra, with McKie. Kellogg
Ninetta—first time (to-night) ; La Trariata (to-morrow) ;
La Gaza Ladra (Thursday) ; and Marta, with Mlle.
NOmon as the heroine—first time (Saturday).

The operas for the week at Covent-garden are
Guillaume Tell—last time (to-night) ; 11 Barbieri di
3iriplio- foe the return of Mdlle. Adelina Patti (to-
morrow) ; Yea Diavolo—for the return of Mdlle. Pauline
Lucca (Thursday) ; and Marta—for Mdlle. Patti, Signor
Mario, and Mdlle. Gross', a contralto who two years ago
was at Her Majesty's Theatre (Saturday).
The construction of the Pacific Railway has pro-
gressed so far that on the 18th of April the rails were laid
on the highest grade of the Rocky Mountains, 8,242 feet
above the sea level, said to be the highest point attained
by any railway in the world. The construction parties are'
new working or. the western slope of the mountains.

The Marquis Pepoli is shortly about to give in
marriage his daughter Letiti► to Count Galli de Forli,
nephew of Pope Pius IX., and brought up by his Holiness.
It seems that the future husband will do little honour to
his venerable preceptor, for he is said to be favourable to
the unity of Italy, and devoted to the oonstitutional throne
of Victor Emmanuel.

Captain Wooleott, for many years a well-known
commander in the Royal Mail Company's service, died at
Southampton on Saturday.

The correspondent of a New York paper says
that Juarez, the President of Mexico, celebrated his birth-
day on the 24th of March, at Chapultopeo, a suburb of
the city of Mexico, under the shadow of a grove of
cypress trees, the favourite sleeping-plum of Montezuma.
One of these cypresses was an old tree in Montezuma's
tits,. Chepultepee was a favourite spot also of the Em-
peror Maximilian. _ _ _

The Hon. W. Lyttelton, nephew of Mr. Glad-
done, le spoken of as a candidate for the representation
of But Woreeetershire, rendered meant by the elevation
of the Hon. F. Calthorpe to the peerage. .

Ma. Joint Bmonr, M.l"..—k meeting of the
Edinburgh Independent Liberal Committee was held co
Thursday visaing, at which it was agreed to invite Mr.
Briiiht to visit Edinburgh at the does of the parliamentary
semsoo. with the view of receiving the freedom of the
City, which the Town Oeusoll last year resolved to present
to him ; and also that the executive committee should
take by the premonition of addresses or Wilisrwiset
to &ford clams of the community an oppertunit7 of
" testifying their high appreciation of his dkistensted
swims in the mum of the people."
ROYAL 0010tENNON ON PIMA= EDUCATION
flistaxo).—The Rerd Omerekeien ea Primary Education
Mad ca , et the ethos of the eormeite,
Dublin. Thera wse prese—
Qs lUot the of Math, Kuhr &oohs,
Day. Dr. ROT. K. Cowie, Kr. Deem. Kr.
Ohara, Kr. Profane fiallivia, end Mr. Waldron.
ONIAT NoTrIELOSPITAL, OALIDONUNAIOAD,
X.—Wheber et he he week edict Key 2,
1,109 ;of Aka 8 won sex alma

FOREIGN NEWS.

(THIS DAY.)

(Horn's TIL801•118.)
TRANCE.

PARIS, .MAY 4.
Tho Marquis Laborde has been made a Senator.
On the occasion of the marriage of Prince Hum-
bert the King of Italy conferred upon Baron de
Malaret, the Brench Minister at Florence, the
Grand Cordon of the Order of the Crown of Italy,
M. Corneille, the government candidate, Las
beon elected at Rouen by 16,7J0 voter agai a;
8,700 polled for the Opposition candidate.

AMEIUOA.

THE IMPEACHMENT OF PRESIDENT

JOHNSON.

The North German Lloya's steamer Weser, from
New York on the 23rd ult., arrived at Southamp-
ton to-day. She brings 255 passengers for this
port, Havre, and Bremen, 42 sacks of mails for
England, 417,392 dots. for London, 467,585 dots.
for Paris, and 1,500 dots. and 1,000 tons of cargo
for Bromen. On the 29th ult. the Weser spoke
the English barque Osprey.

NEW YORK, Aram 23, Noes..
Mr. Boutwell opened the argument for the pro-
secution, and declared the Tenure Law to be con-
stitutional, and that President Johnson bad no
right to violate the law in order to obtain a judicial
decision on its constitutionality. The President
was bound to enforce, but bad no right to question
the acts of Congress. Mr. Johnson had violated
the Tenure Law and thereby the Constitution.
The assertion that he bad sought legal aid
was a pretext, his object was to obtain
despotic control of the government °Ricca
for corrupt purpcses and to re-construct
the Union in the interest of the rebels. The advice
of the Cabinet could not justify the Pesident in
defying or violating of the laws of the land. The
evidence regarding Mr. Johnson's speeches went
to show that a man capable of making
such speeches was unfit to hold the 'Alice
of President. The senators in their verdict
had no right to be governed by their private
opinions of the expediency ur constitutionality
the Tenure Law. The charge had been sustained
by the evidence, and a verdict of guilty would
bring peace to the country.
The Senate agreed that all the couniel and
managers should deliver or tile argument'.
It is announced that Attorney-General Stan-
berry's continued illness will probably prevent hii
further participation in the defence.

General Logan read a printed argument dec:ar:ll;
that the object of Mr. Johnson was the
control of the public officers, and the rimo..!:
Mr. Stanton was a clear violation of the Team.,
Law and the Constitution. The President pret,nde,t
good intentions, but any criminal might make thj
same pretence.

There are indications that the new coustitur-a
has been adopted in South Carolina by a majority
of 30,000 votes.
It is reported that the Canadian authorities hall
discovered a witness who saw Whelan shoot Mr.
M'Ghee.

OUR PARIS LETTER.

(room °us oww cowacorobrourr.)

PARIS. SUNDAY EVENING.

A despatch from Bucharest, stating that the
Russian government is opening negotiations with
Prince Charles on the subject of the suppression
of the consular jurisdictioa is noticed by thy
France in the following paragraph, which has a
certain importance :
A similar question has already been raised in Servia
and Egypt. A mixed commission, c anposed of the
representatives of various powers interested in the
maintenance of the unanimity accorded to European
populations by capitulations with the Levat, has
already pronounced its opinion on the subject. If we
are well informed the French government is disposed
make certain concessions in Jervis and Egypt by allowing
the participation to a certain extent of the indigenous
jurisdiction. But the recent events in Roumania havi!;
proved the incapacity of the local authorities to resist the
fanaticism of the populations, have naturally cooled the
French government, and we do not believe it is disposed
to follow the cabinet of St. Petersburg in the negotiations
which it intends to open at Bucharest.

This tallies rattier ominously with the rumour
that a oomminatory note has lately been sent from
Paris to St. Petersburg, the answer to which is
anxiously expected.
The Moniteur, for the first time, notices the mas-
micro in Japan of several members of the crew of
the Dupleix, and repeats the news already given
that the Japanese government has granted all the
satisfaction demanded. One statement is that no
less than twenty Japanese who took part in the
massacre have been beheaded, and that a sum
750,000 fr. damages has been paid. I think, how-
' ever, that there must be exaggeration in this state-
ment as to the number of executions. One evening
paper speaks of " three" of the malefactors having
been not executed but identified. Considerable
anxiety is felt lest it should turn out that the
French agents in Japan, not content with protect-
ing French subjects, should have taken up
" party" in the country, and thus perhaps com-
mitted France to a costly and fruitless war.

The court journals say the Empress has " deigned
to decide" that all the children in France born on
March 16, 1856 (the Prince Imperial's natal day),
shall receive their first communion on the same day
as her son, and that a sum of money shall
be given to everyone of them. The language
of this paragraph, which reads as if com-
posed by the minister of a Haroun
Raschid is a little too absolute. The Empress has
no power to "decide " anything of the kind. A
good many of the children in qpestion have run
through the initiatory ceremony of their catholic
profession already. There cannot fail to be a
oertain proportion whose parents will deliberately,
choose another day than the one "decreed.
However, as the great majority of children born in
any given day are poor, the money proffered will
in most cases be gratefully accepted.

BOMBAY MAILS.—ALILTANDRIA, MAY 3.—Th
Pent left at 6 p.m. and the Ripon at 4.30 p.m. rotate*
The former may be expected at Marseilles on the Bth, ev!
the latter at Southampton about the 15th init.
OUTWARD INDIA, CHINA, AND AUSTRALIAN
MAILS Of APRIL 18.—ALZIANDRIS, MAT a—Tbo De
ltl
arrived at 4 p.m. yesterday.
INDIA AND CHINA MAILS.—MARSEILL/IS, MAY 4.
—The Menageries Imperislee steamer Peluse, with the
above mails, arrived here at 4 a.m. to-day.
FATAL GUN ACCIDENT AT PRESTON.—Yeaterday
resid
morning,ar a few minutes before 9 o'clock, an old man
i named
Orestoa, 73 years of age, and ing in Hill
street, Premise, met with his death in a very unexpectea
manner. The deeessed, who was a joiner, had an Old Yon
barrel, about two feet long, in his hones, and being de'
sinus of extraeting the breech, bad placed the piece by
Iles ire to warm. He then eat down close by to breakfast
Fsbiwith his wife, when is few ande
pee gen exploded,
erwteets lodging in his seek etrating the
larder vein. Death earned hreealeaseasiy. The wife
1110 • eery sum, Nape, bit epee nee is the lead Wesel

'he language
as if corn-
Haroun Al
Empress has
the kind. A
on have gone
heir catholic
fail to be a
deliberately
" decreed."
ldren born in
proffered will
KAY 3.—The
yesterdAl•
on the Stb, sal
oat.
AUSTRALIAN
3.—The Delia
• MAY 4.
use, with the
.—Yesterday
old man named
siding in Hig
• uses
hid an WI
4 and being de*
ed the piece hr
by to breakfast
Ong the %
Lily. TM wife
to boat 1140101