The Express.
London, England, 1868-08-27 00:00:00

Tan REFORM LRAM:TM—A meeting of the
council of the Reform League was held last night at the
offices, Adelphi-terrace. Mr. Joseph Guedalls, the chat-
man, said that a large number of the members of the
executive were engaged in connection with electoral
matters, and as their services in wresting seven] con-
stituencies from tory domination were very valuable, he
trusted their absence that evening would not be viewed
with any degree of severity by the council. At the pre-
sent juncture it was highly desirable that the league
should make itself felt, and therefore he thought its
ramifications should be extended to the provinces. The
borough of Marlborough, which had been hitherto under
the political sway of a certain duke, recently furnished an
instance of the good which was being effected by the re-
presentatives of the league in the country. In that place
a meeting convened under the auspices of the league at a
few hours' notice was very suocecsful, proving as it did
that there was a latent spirit which was required to be
aroused. Mr. Brisk moved a vote of censure on that por-
tion of the executive which was absent from London.
The motion, however, was withdrawn, on the understand-
ing that a special meeting of the council would be sum-
moned.

IMasTRATioN CLints HNDER THE NEW ACT.—
In Islington there are about 1,150 lodger claims, and 303
claims from former compound householders, 250 of whom
will most likely be disqualified. Three ladies claim as
householders. In Clerkenwell, 600 lodger claims have
been received, the majority having been sent in singly,
and a comparatively sinall proportion ha been su
plied in bulk by agents. In the liberty of
only 40 lodger claims have been filed. In St. Andrew
and St. George the Martyr, between 600 and 600 lodgers
Dave put in claims. Three lady lodgers are included in
this number, and four or five lady occupiers. In St.
Sepulchre, only 30 lodger claims have been received. In
St. Martin's-in-the-fields, between 200 and 300 lodger
claims have been received. One lady only claimed in this
district, and her claim was returned to her. The refusal
in this instance to send the application in to the revising
barrister is an exception to the rale, as in moat other
cases the claims have been accepted. The returns in
many districts have not as yet been made up accu-
rately, but the work is being pushed forward as rapidly
as possible, so as to publish the return by the required
time. Yesterday the vestry clerks of the three great
parishes of St. Marylehone, St. Paneraa, and Paddington,
which compose the metropolitan borough named after the
parish first mentioned, proceeded to cast up the number of
claims which had been made by lodger voters. Up to
Saturday the number of claims only amounted to some
few hundreds. On Monday they came in a little more
briskly, but on Tuesday the various offices were literally
besieged throughout the day, and even till a late hour at
night, by individual claimants, whilst the various organised
parties, conservative, liberal, and teetotal or Permoinve
Bill advocates, were bringing them in by hundreds. The
grow number of lodger claims which have been received
reach in the aggregate just 6,000, via., Marylebone, 2,614;
St. Pancias, 2,360 • and Paddington, a few over 1,000.
Amongst other claims raised there have been about 30
lady occupiers, and some few female lodger claimants,
whose claims Dave been accepted with a view of placing
them before the revising barrister.
TEE REAL ISSUE. The Stontiard of this
morning has a curious article, which looks very like
preparing the way for its party abandoning the
Iriqi church. Having first made the astounding as-
sertion that Mr. Gladstone in his speech had not
put the tame of the elections on the question of
the disestablishment of the Irish church, but on the ques-
tion of who should carry on the government, for which it
thanks him very heartily, the article proceeds :—" The
question whether the Irish church should be over-
thrown or maintained is one we readily allow is not free
from difficulty. It is, moreover, a question upon which
many men who now profess conservative opinions ftii
hampered by the opinions and the votes of their youth.
It is a question the solution of which m thi
sense of disestablishment may be advocated by seam
specious reasons, and there are a number of very good
protestants to whom the endowment of Maynooth is such
terribk suthibling-block that to got rid of it they would
be ready to disendow the Irish church. But no man who
hen not abandoned his conscience to the keeping of Mr.
Glyn or of Mr. Okdstonc's organs in the press can feel
any difficulty as to the way in which he should vote when
the issue Is 'presented to bun thus—a Gladstone or a con-
servative administration." The Irish church establishment
tatty go, but certainly not Mr. Disraeli cease to be premier!
--J6uardien.

•••••••••
GREAT WESTERN AND BRENTFORD RAILWAY.--:
The half-yearly general meeting of shareholders was held
in Westminster Chambers., Victoria-street, yesterday ; Mr.
Peter Davey, chairman of the board, presiding. The
chairman, m moving the adoption of the report, said that
it gave him great pleasure to announce that there had
been some increase in the traffic in general goods over the
railway during the past half-year, which it was hoped,
with the revival of trade. might be regarded as an indi-
cation of a return to the tannages carried in previous
years. Mr. Arthur S. Davey seconded the adoption of the
report. The chairman, in answer to questions, said the
line was leased for 99 years to the Great Western Com-
pany, who guaranteed them 100,0001. upon the general
good. traffic, and 5001. a year for paacengers. 3501. of the
9001. charged for management went to the five directors
for their services. Thev originally received 6901. a year,
hut they had voluntarily reduced Alm amount to 3;01., to
which he thought they wore entitled. A resolution was
then passed declaring the dividends recommended in the
report, and • vote of thanks to the chairman terminated
the preemdingt.