The Express.
London, England, 1861-01-02 00:00:00

The pent of newspaper correspondent, besides
being responsible, bas become dangerous. Is their published
letters these gentlemee are modestly sparing of allusion to
any personal mishap, but their hiir-eedth escapee and
adventures all over the world would fill • volume. One
ready writer was all bet shot as • spy don* the Carlist
war. It required strong int/romans to save the life of an-
other who was taker', note-book in hand, when the Bases
and Schleswig-Holsteisers were at loggerheads. In the
Russian war the letters of • third, who was at Shards with
Omar Pseha, were nearly brought to • close by halfei.dosen
Bashi-Bnouks—these gentry smiling him with hatchets
sod muskets for his unwarrantable 'interference when they
were stealing his straw. Special eorrespondente of the
Times were cooped up in Silistria and in Kars, and endured
all theprivations and perils of those memorable sieges. At
Sabin a troop of Cossacks made • swoop upon the cone-
spoodest of the Daily Note,, who escaped only by his free
use of whip and spur. The correspondent of the Morning
Chronicle was nearly frozen to death in travelling from
Erzeroum to Kars. Mr. Woods was saved by a miracle I
from going to the bottom during that fearful November
storm in the Black Sea, but happily survived to sketch the
Atlantic cruise of the Agamemnon, and to describe I
in brilliant word-panning a great internatimeal visit. I
Mr. W. H. Knoell must bear a charmed lila, fori
after bronchial attacks and dysentery, induced by
Crimean cold and exposure—after being nearly sabred by
mutineer lowan in Jodi, lamed by the kick of a hone,
and struck down by a coup de aoleil—he still wields every
week in the midst of us his graceful, genial pen. Later
'till, Count Arrivabene, the Italian correspondent of the
Daily News, who could not resist the temptation of joining
in a cavalry charge, was taken prisoner by the Neapolitans,
and only restored to his friends when they had given him
up for dead. Praderderum periculorunt dulcis est memoria,
as in the Latin grammar it is written.
But other writers at the seat of war have not been so for.
innate. Poor Mr. Tucker, on the staff et the Rlustreded
London News, carried by his ardour into the thickest of the
fight, wasshot through the head before Capra. The last and
saddest episode in this eventful chronicle is the fate of Mr.
Bowlby, the special correspondent of the Times in China. The
loss of such a man at such a time, and in such • way, is
irreparable. Through his eyes all England hoped to see the
battles that were fought and the heroism that was displayed
by her Does in the Feat : through him we hoped to get our
first photograph of Pekin, our first impressions of its palaces
and people, our find glimpse. of the Imperial Court, with its
throameg niandarins and princes. How eaprty imidd we
have read his description of the Summer Palace, with its
glittering fountains, its miles of terraces, its wondrous
gardens, and the more than barbaric luxury and glitter
within. How vigorously he would have recounted the sack
and burning of this fanciful sod costly structure. What •
life-picture we should have had of the ratification scene at
the Boards of Ceremonies. But this was not to be ; and
just as his tale was awaited here with the
greatest expectation, and had aroused the greatest
interest, the narrator was struck cruelly down.
We hope that no considerations of red-tape will
prevent his bereaved family from sharing in the " compen-
satios money" OD properly demanded from the Chinese go-
vernment. Mr. Hewn), was in China on the people's bem-
oan, and lost his life emphatically in the public service ;
and the nation for whose information he wrote, and the
army whose gallantry he recorded, manly owe some fitting
tribute to hi memory. However this may be, Mr. Punch,
whose love of fun is ever leas than his empathy with misfor-
tune, and whose laughter is sometimes close akin toners, on
his own and the public behalf deplores this public low, and
calls on his myriad readers to hold in kindly and In sorrow-
ing remembrance the unhappy historian of the last Chinese
war.

SPURGEON'S METROPOLITAN TABERNACLR.—Latt
evening a meeting was held at the Metropolitan Tabernacle,
Newington, to promote a new-year's offering to the build-
in fund. Mr. W. Roupell, M.P., took the chair, and after
a hymn had been sung, and player offered, the Rev. C. H.
Spurgeon declared the balance of the funds to be 1,275/.,
which would leave about 5,000/. to be raised out of the
30,0001. required. Mr. Reaps'', who was received with
, deafening cheers, said that he addressed them as hie true
friends as they had all proved themselves to
be. He relied upon the meeting to support him,
and reminded them that they met to give their
New Year's gift unto the Lord, in • house a credit to
the architect and the artisan, and to the committee, who
bad worked so nobly to obtain the sinews of war, which
would enable them to work all things together for good.
He could not but applaud the feelings which led the
originators of the building to seek to do so without the
pollution of debt, and be was sure that if they worked
well together, South London was strong enough to do
that, as he (Mr. Roupell) hoped and believed they
would. As a churchman be had the heartiest wishes
for the Rev. Mr. Spurgeon and his success. He had ever
been foremost in advancing the interest of various
charitable and benevolent institutions of all creeds and
sect.. He (Mr. Roupell) was justified in calling on all who
had any feeling of well-being towards South London
to assist in the good work and on the true voluntary prin-
ciple, by which they would do without church-rates, to
bring their influence to bear on opening that splendid build-
ing in which they were met, and of which it was a niagni-
fleent embodiment. As the local representative of Lam-
beth, and as one of themselves, free from the narrow
restrictions of parish separations, ho hoped tney would, as
he intended, commence the new year with adding their sup-
port to a good work. The honourable member resumed his
seat sand loud cheers. '.the Rev. Mr. Spurgeon then an-
winced that 9101. had already been collected towards the
present LOOM asked for. Numerous ministers and gentle-
men addressed the meeting ; and a vote of thanks to the
chairman closed the proceedi
ST. GEOROER'S-IN-THE-SAST. —The Rev. Septimus
Hansard, who wan appointed curate in sole charge of this
parish when Mr. Bryan King, the rector, left, having re-
signed in consequence of the clearance ordered to be made
by his lordship of all the ecclesiastical deoorations which
gave offence to the parishioners, the service, have been takes
during the last few weeks by his lordship's chaplains and
other gentlemen who offered their assistance. At length,
however, a permanent appointment ham been made—an ap-
pointment, that is, which is to last until the rector returns
to his pariah. The clergyman appointed by the bishop to
take the sole charge of the pariah is the Rev. Alfred Ow,
Theological Associate of Ring's College, London, who was
ordained by the Bishop of Winchester in 1857 to the en-
racy of Christ Church, Brixton, of which the Rev. J. Wean.
eel Homey, M.A. is the incumbent. More recently Mr.
Cay bur peen officiating as curate of St. John's Church,
Deptford,under the Rev. C. F. Money, M.A. He is as
Eomplical in his theological views, and very strongly
to the extreme ritualistic observance; to which Mr.
log we. attached. Some apprehensions prevail in the pa-
riah that the rector on his return will insist on a restoration
of some portions of the old discipline of his church, he
having stated in his recent letter to the Bishop of London
that he cannot be expected to comply with his lordship's
, orders. Mr. King left this parish on 'Wednesday, the 25th
of July hat, so that next July his twelve months' leave of
absence will expire.
BLOCKED PP tt4 TRIG Show.—A letter from
Boulogne, dated 31st December, states that on account of
the vast accumulations of snow, several of the trains from
Paris had been detained thirty hours beyond the appointed
time on the route, and that two due on the evening of the
29th were blocked up the whole night near Etaplea, se
also the express train which left Boulogne at 5.30 'p.m. OR
the 29th, with sixty-nine passengers, drawn by three loco-
motives. Provisions were sent to the snow-bound tie'
vellere from Boulogne. On the .13th the thaw set in, and
the next day communications were reopened se usual.. '