The Sun. — London, England, 1846-12-30 00:00:00

MARKET NEWS.-(THIS DAY.) CORN-EXCHANGE.—WEDNESDA Y We have again to report the arrival of a very moderate supply of English Wheat, fresh up to our market since Mon day, hence the show of samples to-day was small. Selected qualities of both red and white were held at a further im provement of fully Is per quarter; but the demand was by no means so active as on Monday. There was A limited quantity of free Foreign Wheat on offer, while a steady busi ness was transacted in it at extreme rates.' Bonded Corn was in good request, and higher prices were generally de manded by the importers. The demand for Ireland still con tinues. Malting Barley was in good request, and the turn higher, while grinding and distilling sorts readily supported previous currencies. Malt moved off steadily at full prices. 7. he supply of Oats being 3mall, the dematifl was steady, at ' the late advance. ARRIVALS. I W heat. Barley. Oata i Flour. English •• .. •• 2,260 qrs. 3,810 qrs. 1,330 qrs. I 2,320 slo , Irish ........ _ 2,700 I Foreign ...... - ,370 ---- 1,260 . 4.040 Malt. 5,510 ono. WHITECRAPZIG. The anpplies of eacrchriac7iiefrtOn sale being small, there was an evident improvement in the trade, and prices had, in some instances, an upward tendency :—Beef, from 2a 10d to 3s 10d; Mutton, 3s to 43 8d; Veal, 3s 10d to 44 8d; and Pork, 3s 8d to 4s 10d per 81bs., by the carcase. BANKRUPTCY.-(THIS DAY.) IN RE SMITH, HOLT, AND ?MALL To-day was appointed for the application of these bankrupts (who were proprietors of the Iron T i mes news- Paper), for their certificates. Messrs. Holt and Neale attended, but Mr. Smith had not been able to pay the fees. Mr. Berry, a creditor, opposed the bankrupts on the ground of extravagance whilst in a hopeless state of in solvency, and other grounds, the principal being against Mr. Holt, for receiving large sums of money. and not duly accounting for them, and also for incurring debts on false representations. The answers of Mr. Holt, however, appeared FO satis factory to the Learned Commissioner, that he said the objections fell to the ground. Mr. Berry said that as Mr. Holt had given the expla nations, he did not desire to examine Mr. Neale. The certificates were then granted, and protection to Mr. Holt (as he was threatened with arrest) until the certificate had been allowed by the Court of Review. Protection was extended for Mr. Smith to come up on a future day. SECONDARIES'.-(THIS DAY.) FESEMEYER V. DUTTON. The plaintiff in this action is a solicitor in Bedford row, and the defendant a brewer in Dutton. street, Cr omer -street, Gray's Inn-lane. The action was brought to recover the sum of 61. 3s. 2d. for law charges in e ndeavouring to raise money on mortgage. Dir. THOMAS stated the case. The facts were these:— During the last year the defendant had caused extensive alterations to be made at his brewery, and had employed a Mr. Styles to do a great portion of the work, and being unable to pay him cr to get money advanced on the pro perty he requested Mr. Styles to endeavour to do so, and the - latter introduced defendant to plaintiff, and the de fendant gave the necessary instructions. The plaintiff then placed himself in communication with a Mr. Whit taker, a solicitor, and the money would hnve been ad vanced if on the survey of the plant, &c., it had been of the value described by defendant ; as it was not, the ne gotiation was put an end to, and the plaintiff now sought to recover bis bill of costs for the services rendered. Mr. Styles was called, and proved distinctly that he !Ins deputed to act as te agent for defendant, and tha he 'lad introduced the latt h er, who had himself given the in struction& Mr. Whittaker proved that he had had several in terviews with, and received several letters from the Plaintiff, on the subject of the mortgage, and the nego tiation was broken off solely in consequence of the survey of the property not being satisfactory. • On the part of the defendant, a notice was put in, In which the plaintiff was called upon to prove the re tainer. It was submitted that there ought to have been a retainer in writing. , The Learned SECONDARY held that that was not abso rately necessary, although it was a great security' to a ttornies. The defendant's attorney then contended that it was evident that the very object of Mr. Styles to raise the roney was to obt a i n p aymen t of his d e bt, an d that he ad employed the plaintiff, who in the usual course Would have deducted his costs. .Mr. TnomAs said, if it was admitted that the plaintiff Inlght have deducted the amount, it was clear that de fendant considered himself liable. The Learned SECONDARY said the first question was, had def en d ant reta i ned the p l a i nt iff ? an d t h e next t h e value of the services? The Jury gave a verdict for the amount claimed. _ CLEItKEN WELL.—(THIS DAY.) respectable-looking middle aged man, who stated Aim ir B CII to be a watch-movement manufacturer, residing at 6, Compton•street, Clerkenwell, was charged before far. Combe with having obtained, by means of fraudu lent representations, a gold watch, of the value of 20/. Mr, Thomas Frederick Cooper said he was a watch - ta Sk er, carryin g o n business in Calthorpe-street, Clerken w ell, and had known the prisoner for some time. The Prisoner came to him about a month ago, and told him th at he knew a gentleman named Webb who was en gaged in the erection of Nicholson's distillery, and re quested the witness to let him have a gold watch to allow to Mr. Webb, as he thought he should be enabled to sell it to hint. The witness.; let him have the watch, tellin g him, at the same, time, that he was on no account to part with it without being paid the full price for it. Witness had since called several times at the prisonees house to make inquiries, but the only answer he could get from the prisoner's family was, that Mr. Webb was out of town, and they were not aware when he would return. Ha endeavoured to find out Mr. Webb, but al though he had reason to believe there was such a person, still he (Mr. Cooper) could obtain no information re specting him. He went to the prisoner's residence this morning, when, being told that necessity had compelled the family to raise a little money upon the watch, he gave him into custody. A pawnbroker produced the watch, which was idea by Mr. Cooper, and stated that it had been pledged .1' a woman whom he believed to be the prisoner's wife. The prisoner said his representation about Mr. Webb buyingthe watch a wa t c h w as b o nd fide. He denied having pawned watch himself, and said it was done by his wife without his cognizance. Mr. COOMBE ordered the case to be remanded, in order lam the prisoner's wife might be in attendance. A watchmaker, named Hickman, who had committed violent and unprovoked assault upon Mr. James Mown 't& of the D u k e o f B r id gewater T avern, Macclesfield aitrlt oetti w h o se e house h e h a d entere d i n a state o f intoxi ca s ordered t 5, find sureties to keep the peace. SOU T lINVAR K - William Spiers, a stoutv—( THIS DAY.) „ °Lin g lad, was charged with creating a disturbance in the gallery of the Victoria Theatre. Murray, the constable of the tth:atre, stated that When the performance concluded on preceding night to the gallery, the'defendant, with about twenty th e rs the(he con commenced hooting and making a noise. stable) went up and told the disturbers that ehouse Would be in darkness, as the servants were xlin guishi ng th e li g hts. The defendant, however, who wa s Prominent in the affair, refused to quit, saying he should have a smoke before he loft the gallery, and he wa s pro ceeding to carry out his purpose when he was ejected, In accomplishing which much difficulty was experienced, it_Eid his s u b sequen t conduct was of such a violent natur e Mat it Was found necos3ary to take him to the station house. The defendant, who was crying all the time he stood the bar, was fined 55., the magistrate remarking that Is being locked up all night was a su ffi cient punishment. WORSHIP Si REET.—(T HIS DAY.) This morning Corporal Stephens, in the service of the B arracks, Indi a C ompany , an d belonging to the Walley tarraeks, B rentwoo d, a pplied to the sitting magistrate, ratroughton, as follows :—He said, that on the 11th of T t No vember his w if e l e ft London by the Eastern Counties 4i lwaY, for the purpose of joining him at the Walley Barracks. Sh e h a d w i t h h e r, previous to her departure, _▪ n infant and bundle valued at about 51. The latter 'he lai d a f are by her side, at the station whilst paying her tali; but before that was completed, her parcel was as she away by one of,the company's servants, and placed, in - " e was given to understand, for better security, a t One ,of the luggage trucks. On arriving aw her destination, however, to her chagrin 4 , 11 _ great loss; the parcel was altogether gone, and could p u tti wnere be found. Applicant had applied to the corn but Y reePecting the loss himself and wife had sustained, in the only answer he could obtain was, that they had 40 4 , 46 every inquiry touching the missing parcel, but had been enabled, as yet, to gain any clue to it ; it was doubt taken away by some dishonest passenger, and 10, it was a circumstance over which the company bad An control." tel r • BROUGHTON desired Fitzgerald, an active and in . gent officer of the Court, to accompany the appli 11int, and make the necessary inquiries respecting the alleged loss or robbery. SPORTING IN (RECEIVED BETTING AT MANI TELLIGENCE. THIS DAY.) DIIESTE R.-TIIESDAT. CHESTER CUP. to I agst Crim Con—offd 1000 to 15 apt Burgundy—t 50 to 1 agst Fitz-Allen and afterwards offered 1000 to 16 agst Antler —taken 1000 to 15 agst Morpeth—off DERBY. Bto I agst VaR Tromp —t to 100 25 to 1 agst Cobweb colt —olfd 14 to 1 agst Epirote—t to 25 33 to 1 agst Lunedale—offd 500 to 30 sgst Planet —taken :33 to 1 agst Old Port—offd 25 to 1 agst Glentilt—t to 50 33 to 1 agst Wanota—offd Nothing else named. DARING HIGHWAY ROEDZRY.—On Tuesday even ing last, as Mr. Fauchon, of Wrotham , was returing fr om Maidstone market, when he had proceeded about tw o miles on the Llndon road he was suddenly as sailed by five men, who stopped his cart, and with great im k pr cations demanded his money. They drew the cart to the side of the road, struck Mr. Fauchon on the back of his head, dragged him out of the cart, In d Succeeded i n ro bbi ng him of a cheque for 341., one , I c4 :ereign, and a silver watch. He immediately re -IYrotcl to Maidsto ne Rn d gave information to the po- I r but the ru ffi ans have rot yet been apprehended. enr. Fau - chon's purse a n d a fire-o ffi ce receipt have been 1 ee found in the wood near the spot.—Maidstone Ga- Paovis John lONS FROM THE U NITED STATES.—The 1111 G. Coster, from New York, arrived atLiverpool, re orted at the Custom house on the 26th inst., brings 7,195 I larrels of flour, and 553 boxes of c h eese . T he Mason, front New York, which arrived at Liverpool on the 28th Mat, brings 17,000 bushels of Indian corn. COURT CIRCULAR. WINDSOR, TUESDAY.-The Queen and Prince Albert walked this morning on the Eastern Terrace of the Castle and slopes. The Royal family took their accustomed walking and pony exercise. _ _ great body of our people have thrown no such obstacles in the way of the Government in prosecuting the war successfully, but have shown themselves to be eminently patriotic, and ready to rind cate their country's honour and interest at any sacrifice. The alacrity and prompt ness with which our volunteer forces rushed to the field ,on their country's call, prove not only their patriotism, but their deep conviction that our cause is just. The wrongs which we hate suffered from Mexico al most ever since she became an independent power, and the patient endurance with which we have borne them, are without a parallel in the history of modern civilised nations. There is reason to believe that if these wrongs bad been resented and resisted in the first instance, the present war might have been avoided. One outrage, however, permitted to pass with impunity, almost neces sarily encouraged the perpetration of another, until at last Mexico seemed to attribute to weakness and inde cision on our part a forbearance which was the offspring of magnanimity, and of a sincere desire to preserve friendly religions with a sister republic.- Scarcely had Mexico achieved her independence, which the United States were first among the nations to acknowledge, when she commenced the system of insult and spoliation which she has ever since pursued. Our citizens engaged in lawful commerce were imprisoned, their vessels seized, and our flee insulted in her ports. If money was wanted, the lawless seizure and confisca tion of our merchant vessels and their csrgoes was a ready resource, and if to accomplish their purposes it became necessary to imprison the owners, captains, and crews, it was done. Rulers superseded rulers in Mexico in rapid succession, but still there was no change in this system of depredation. The Government of the United States made repeated reelemations on behal: of its citi zens, but these were answered by the perpetration of new outrages. Promises of redress made by Mexico in the most solemn forms were postponed or evaded. The files and records of the department of State contain con clusive proofs of numerous lawless acts perpetrated upon the property and persons of our citizens by Mexico, and of wanton insults to our national flag. The interposi tion of our Government to obtain redress was again and again invoked, under circumstances which no nation cught to disregard. It was hoped that these outrages would cease, and that Mexico would be restrained by the laws which regulate the conduct of civilised nations in their inter course with each other, after the treaty of amity, com merce, and navigati on , o f the sth of Apr i l, 1831, was concluded between the two republics, but this hope soon proved to be vain. The course of seizure and confisca tion of the property of our citizens, the violation of their persons, and the insults to our flag pursued by Mexico previous to that time were scarcely suspended for even a brief period, although the treaty so clearly defined the rights and duties of the respective parties, that it is impossible to misunderstand or mistake them. In less then seven years after the conclusion of that treaty, our grievances had become so intolerable that, in the opinion of President Jackson, they should no longer be endured. In his message to Congress in February, 1837, he presented them to the consideration of that body, and declared that " The length of time since some of the injuries have been committed, the repeated and unavailing applications for redress, the wanton character of some of the outrages upon the property and persons of our citizens, upon the officers and flag of the United States, independent of recent insults to this Govern meat and people by the late extraordinary Mexican Minister, would justify in the eyes of all nations imme diate war." In a spirit of kindness and forbearance, however, he recommended reprisals as a milder mode of redress. He declared that war should not be used as a remedy "by just and generous nations, confiding in their strength for injuries committed, if it can be ho nourably avoided," and added, "it has occurred to me that, considering the present embarrassed condition of that country, we should act with both wisdom and mode ration by giving to Mexico one more opportunity to atone for the past before we take redress into our hands. To avoid all misconception on the part of Mexico, as well as to protect our own national character from reproach, this opportunity should be given with the avowed design and full preparation to take imme diate satisfaction, if it should not be obtained on a repe tition of the demand for it. To this end I recommend that an Act be passed authorising reprisals, and the use of the naval force of the United States by the Executire against Mexico to enforce them, in the event of a refusal by the Mexican Government to come to an amicable ad justment of the matters in controversy between .us, upon another demand thereof, made from on board one of our vessels of war on the coast of Mexico." Committees of both houses of Congress, to which this message of this President was referred, fully sustained his views of the character of the wrongs which we had suffered ,from Mexico, and recommended that another demand for redress should be made before authorising war or reprisals. The Committee on foreign relations of the Senate, in their report say-.." After such a de mand, should prompt justice be refused by the Mexican Government, we may appeal to all nations, not only for the equity and moderation with which we shall have acted towards a sister republic, but for the necessity which will then compel us to seek redress for our wrongs, either by actual war or by reprisals. The subject will then be presented before Congress, at the commencement of the next session, in a clear and distinct form, and the Comm itte cannot doubt but that such measures will be immediately adopted as may be necessary to vindicate the honour of the country, and insure ample reparation to our injured citizens." The Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives made a similar recommendation. In their report they say that they " fully concur with the President that ample cause exists for taking redress into ,a.ir own hands, and believe that we should be justified in the opinion of other nations for taking such a step. But they are willing to try the experiment of another demand, made in the most solemn form, unpon the jus- tice of the Mexican Government, before any further proceedings are adopted." No difference of opinion upon the subject is believed to have existed in Congress at that time ; the Executive a d Legislative departments concurred; and yet such nave been our forbearance and desire to preserve peace with Mexico, that the wrongs of which we then com plained, and which gave rise to these solemn proceed ings, not only remain utile dressed to this day, but addi tional causes of complaint, of an aggravated character, have ever since been accumulating. Shortly after these proceedings a special messenger was dispatched to Mexico, to make a final demand for redress, and on the 22d of July, 1837, the demand was made. The reply of the Mexican Government bears date on the 29Lh of the same month, and contains assurances of the " anxious wish" of the Mexican Government not to delay the moment of that final and equitable adjustment which is to terminate the existing difficulties between the two Governments ;" that " nothing should be left undone which may contribute to the most speedy and equitable determination of the subjects which have so seriously engaged the attention of the American Go vernment;" that the " Mexican Government would adopt, as the only guides for its conduct, the plainest principles of public right, the sacred obligations imposed by the international law, and the religious faith of treaties;" and that " whatever reason and justice may dictate respecting each case will be done." The assur ance was further given that the decision of the Mexican Government upon each cause of complaint, for which re dress had been demanded, should be communicated to the Government of the United States by the Mexican Minister at Washington. These solemn assurances, in answer to our demand for redress, were disregarded. By making them, how ever, Mexico obtained further delay. President Van Buren, in his annual message to Congress of the sth of December, 1837, states that "although the large number of our demands for redress, and many of them aggra vated cases of personal wrongs, have been now for years before the Mexican Government, and some of the causes of national complaint, and those of the most offensive character, admitted of immediate, simple, and satisfactory replies, it is only within a few days past that any specific communication in answer to our last demand, made five months ago, has been received from the Mexican Minister," and that " fur not one of our public complaints has satisfaction been given or offered; that but one of the cases of public wrong has been fa vourably considered, and that but four cases of both de scriptions, out of all those formally presented and earnestly pressed, have as yet been decided upon by the Mexican Government." President Van Buren, believing that it would be vain to make any further attempt to obtain redress by the ordinary means within the power of the Executive, communicated this opinion to Con gress, in the message referred to, in which he said— "On a careful and deliberate examination of the contents" (of the correspondence with the Mexican Government), "and considering the spirit manifested by the Mexican Government, it has become my painful duty to return the subject as it now stands to Congress, to whom it belongs, to decide upon the time, the mode, and the measure of redress." Had the United States at that time adopted compulsory measures, and taken re dress into their own hands, all our difficulties with Mexico would probably have been long since adjusted, and the existing war have been averted. Magnanimity and moderation on our part only had the effect to complicate these difficultie, and render an amicable settlement of them the more embarrassing. That such measures of redress, under similar provocations, committed by any of the powerful nations of Europe, would have been promptly resorted to by the United States, cannot be doubted. The nation a l h onour, and the preservation * of the national character throughout the world, as well as our own self-respect and the protection due to our own citizens, would have rendered such a retort indispensable. The history of no civilised nation in modern times has presented within so brief a period so many wanton attacks upon the hono ur of its flag and upon the pro perty and persons of its citizens as had at that time been borne by the United States from the Mexican authorities and people; But Mexico was a sister republic on the North American continent, occupying a territory con tiguus to our own, and was i n a feeble hnd distracted condition ; and these con s id erat i ons, it is presumed, in duced Congress to forbear st i ll l onger, e lnstead of taking redress into our own hands, a new negotiation was entered upon with fair promises on the part of Mexico, but with the real purpose, as the event has proved, of indefinitely postponing the reparation which we demanded, and which was so justly due. This negotiation, after more than a year's delay, resulted in the convention of the 11 th of April, 1839, "for the ad justment of claims of citizens of th e U n i ted States o f America upon the Government of the Mexican Republic." The joint board of commissioners created by this con vention to examine and decide upon these claims was not organized until the month of August, 1840, a nd under the terms of the convention they were to termi nate their duties within eighteen months fr om th at t i me . Four of the eighteen months were consumed in prelimi nary discussions on frivolous and dilatory points raised by the Mexican commissioners ; and it was not until the month of December, 1840, that they commenced the examination of the claims of our citizens upon Mexico. Fourteen months only remained to examine and decide NI TED STATES. • THE His Royal Highness; Prince Albert, accompanied by his Serene Highness Prince Lowenstein and Sir G orge Grey, and attended by the Earl of Listowel and Colonel Bouverie, enjoyed the sport of shooting this morning. Lord Edward Howard is expected to arrive at the Castle to-day, on a visit to her Majesty. The royal dinner party at the Castle this evening will include her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, his Excellency the Chevalier Bunsen, his Serene Highness Prince Lowenstein, the Lady in Waitinz of the Duchess of Kent, the Baroness de Speth, Lord Edward Howard, Sir George Grey, Mr. G. E. and the Hon. Mrs. Anson, and Capt. Francis Seymour. The band of the Ist Life Guards attended during dinner. Her Majesty's private band afterwards attend in the Castle. PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE LIVERPOOL, TUESDAY NIGHT, HALF. PAST EIGHT. The New York packet-ship Ashburton, Captain Howland, entered the river at a late hour to-night, bringing New York papers of the 10th, and with them the Mesage of Mr. President Polk, which, as usual, is a very lengthy document, occupying nearly nine columns. The news from the army is to the effect that the American forces had taken Monclova and Chihua hun, without bloodshed ; the taking of the latter place, however, has since been doubted. An expedition had set out against Victoria. General Wool was under orders for Saltillo. It was reported that Santa Anna had collected up wards of 30,000, with whom he intended to march against the American forces. A letter from Camargo, Mexico, dated November His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge visited her Royal Highness the Duchess of Gloucester, yester day, at Gloucester House. Mr. Samuel Palmer, of Great. Yarmouth, had an in terview, yesterday, with the Right Hon. Thomas M. Gib ion, at the Board of Trade. Dispatches were received yesterday, at the Colonial office, from the Governors of Hong-Kong and Gibraltar. Dispatches were sent off yesterday evening, from the Colomal-office, for the Governor of the Mauritius. The Earl of Elgin, Governor-General of Coriadi, and the Countess of Elgin, arrived at Farrance'a Hotel, Upper Belgrave-street, yesterday, from Lambton Castle. 7, says— •` There is a rumour (which Ido not vouch for, but which is not only possible but probable) that another revolution has broken out in Mexico. The Santa Anna party de clared him Dictator—anti Santa Anna (headed by Va lencia) demurred, turned their' arms against the Dic tator, and drove him and his party from San Luis Potosi; and that the Dictator was falling back in the direction of the city of Mexico. This was a very na tural route for him to take, were he driven from his lines at San Luis, considering the position of affairs in this section. " American settlers are already commencing to locate on the Texas side of the Rio Grande. Several tracts of land below Camargo have been purchased from Mexican claimants, and the new owners have commenced itn- proving. " The steamer Major Brown, which went up the Rio Grande on an exploring expedition, has arrived at Loredo, from which Lieutenant Ti!den, 2d Infantry, in charge of expedition, makes report. He reports favour ably generally of the depth of water for boats drawing four or five feet ; but the channel in many places crooked, in others filled with limestone rocks which stick right straight up' (easily removed), and frequent rapids—all (f which the Brown passed over, and arrived safe at Loredo." The sickness along the whole line of the Rio Grande this summer and fall has been represented as very severe. Not less than 1,500 men has it made its victims. Colonel Gates, who commands at Tampico, keeps the place under strict martial law. Reports had reached Monterey that G enera l Am- pudia had been arrested by the Mexican authorities, for having made the capitulation at Monterey, and is in gaol at Hadalagara. It is now declared that Santa Anna, Almonte, and the other Mexican officers who were passed through our squadron gave their parole not to engage in the war against the United States—which was the cause and condition of their being passed. Ac counts from Santa tj state, that great fears were entertained that the stock of provisions would be altogether inadequate to supply the army during the winter. The American soldiers were in a state of insubordination, and were daily committing out rages upon the Mexicans. The consequence was that assassinations were becoming very frequent. General Kearney had left Santa Fe for California, but it is doubted if he will reach it. The last accounts stated that he was at Fra Cristo, 205 miles south of Santa Fe, having abandoned his waggons, and packed his provisions and baggage on mules. The Mormons, under Captain Cook, had also left for California. The Royal mail steamer Caledonia had arrived at Boston. Another steam-boat explosion had taken place; a number of the crew were killed. COMMERCIAL MARKETS, DEC. 8. The Stock-market opened to-day rather heavy, but improved before the adjournment of the first board; between the boards a further advance in prices was realised, but at the second board a slight decline was experienced, caused partially by the reception of the President's Message. Among the exports to Great Britain for the month, there were 296,713 bushels of wheat, 78,962 barrels of flour, 330,528 bushels of corn, 6,351 barrels of corn meal, and 4,148,394 lbs. of cheese. The value of the single article of cheese exported for the month was more than 300,000 dolls. The shipments of produce from this country to Great Britain comprise a very large portion of our export trade, and the demand for our breadstuffs and provisions in Europe will, no doubt, continue sufficiently large to give us annually a very large trade in them. The demand fir corn, cheese, and provisions of all kinds, will, doubt less, steadily increase, while that for flour and wheat will fluctuate according to the harvests of the various countries. The price of flour had declined at all the corn depots is consequence of the news per Caledonia. Our advices from Washington of the 7th state that the second session of the Twenty-eighth Congress opened this day at noon. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. In the House of Representatives the Speaker took :he chair at twelve o'clock, and called the House to THE SUN, I,ONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, DECEMBEIt 30, 1 • ;13 - uron these numerous and complicated cases. In the month of February, 1842, the term of the commission expired, leaving many claims undisposed of for want of time. The claims which were allowed by the board, and by the umpire authorised by the convention to decide in case of disagreement between the Mexican and American commissioners, amounted to two million twenty- s i x t h ousan d one hundredC and thirty nine dollars and sixty-eight cents. There were pending ! before the empire, when the commission expired, addi tional claims which had been examined and awarded by the American commissioners, and had not been allowed by the Mexican commissioners, amounting to nine hundred and twenty-eight thousand six hundred and twenty-seven dollars and eighty-eight cents, upon which he did not decide, alleging that his authority had ceased with the termination of the joint commission. Besides these claims, there were others of American citizens, amounting to three million three hundred and thirty six thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven dollars and five cents, which had been submitted to the board, and upon which they had not time to decide before their final a ijeurnaient. The sum of two million twenty-six thousand one hundred and thirty-nine dollars and sixty-eight cents, which had been awarded to the claimants, was a liqui dated and ascertained debt due by Mexico, about which there could be no dispute, and which she was bound to pay according to the terms of the convention. Soon after the finer awards for this amount had been made, the Mexican Government asked for a postponement of the time of making payment, alleging that it would be inconvenient to make the payment at the time stipu lated. In the spirit of forbearing kindness towards a sister republic, which Mexico has so long abused, the United States promptly complied with her request. A second convention was accordingly concluded between the two Governments on the 30th of January, 1843, which upon its face declares that " this new arrangement is entered into for the accommoda. tion of Mexico." By the terms of this convention, all the interest due on the awards which have been made in favour of the claimants under the convention of the 11th of April, 1839, was to be paid to them on the 30th of April, 1843, and " the principal of the said awards, and the interest accruing thereon," was stipulated Le "be paid in five years, in .equal instalments every three mouths." Notwithstanding this new convention was en tered into at the request of Mexico, and for the purpose of relieving her from embarrassment, the claimants have only received the interest due on the 30th of April,lB43 and three of the 20 instalments. Although the pay ment of the sum thus liquidated and confessedly due by Mexico to our citizens as indemnity for acknowledged acts of outrage and wrong was secured by treaty, the obligations of which are ever held sacred by all just na tions, yet Mexico has violated this solemn engagement by failing and refusing to make the payment. The two instalments due in April and July, 1844, under the pe culiar circumstances connected with them, have been assumed by the United States and discharged to the claimants, but they are still due by Mexico. But this is not all of which we have just cause for complaint. To provide a remedy for the claimants whose cases were not decided by the joint commission under the conven tion of April the 11th, 1839, it was expressly stipulated by the sixth article of the convention of the 30th of January, 1843, that a " ne w conven ti on shall be entered into for the settlement of all claims of the Government and citizens of the United States against the Republic of Mexico, which were not finally decided by the late com mission, which met in the city of Washington, and of all claims of the Government and citizens of Mexico against the United States.' In conformity with this stipulation a third convention was concluded and signed at the city of Mexico on the 20th of November, 1843, by the plenipotentiaries of the two Governments, by which provision was made for ascertaining and paying these claims. In January, 1844, this convention was ratified by the Senate of the United States with two amendments, which were manifestly reasonable in their character. Upon a reference of the amendments proposed to the Government of Mexico, the same evasions, difficulties, and delays were inter posed which have so long marked the policy of that Government towards the United States. It has not even yet decided whether it , would or would not accede to them, although the subject has been repeatedly pressed upon its consideration. Mexico has thus violated a second time the faith of treaties, by failing or refusing to carry into effect the sixth article of the convention of January, 1843. Such is the history of the wrongs which we have suf fered and patiently endured from Mexico through a long series of years. So far from affording reasonable satis faction for the injuries and insults we have borne, a great aggravation of them consists in the fact, that while the United States, anxious to preserve a good understanding with Mexico, have been constantly, but vainly, employed in seeking redress for past wrongs, new outrages were constantly occurring, which have continued to increase our causes of complaint, and to swell the amount of our demands. While the citizens of the United States were conducting a lawful commerce with Mexico under the guaranty of a treaty of " amity, commerce, and navigation," many of them have su ff ere d a ll t h e i n j ur i es whic would have resulted from open war. This treaty, instead of affording protection to our citizens, has been the means of inviting them into the ports of Mexico, that they might be, as they have been in numerous in stances, plundered of their property and deprived of their personal liberty, if they dared insist on their rights. Had the unlawful seizures of American property, and the violation of personal liberty of our citizens, to say nothing of the insults to our flag which have occurred in the ports of Mexico, taken place on the high seas, they would themselves long since have constituted a state of actual war between the two countries. In so long suf fering Mexico to violate her most solemn treaty obliga tions, plunder our citizens of their property, and impri son their persons without offering there any redress, we have failed to perform one of the first and highest duties which (very government owes to its citizens; and the consequence has been, that many of them have been re duced from a state of affluence to bankruptcy. The proud name of American cit.zen, which ought to protect all who bear it from insult and injury throughout the world, has afforded no such protection to our citizens in Mexico. We had ample cause of war against Mexico long before the breaking out of hostilities. But even then we forebore to take redress into our own hands, until Mexico herself became the aggressor by invading our soil in hostile array and shedding the blood of our citizens. Such are the grave causes of complaint cn the part of the United States against Mexico —causes which existed long before the annexation of Texas to the American Union, and yet, animated by the love of peace and a magnanimous moderation, we did not adopt those mea sures of redress which, under such circumstances, are the justified resort of injured nations. The annexation of Texas to the United States consti tuted no just cause of offence to Mexico. The pretext that it did so is wholly inconsistent and irreconcilable with well-authenticated facts connected with the revolu tion by which Texas became independent of Mexico. That this may be the more manifest it may be proper to advert to the causes and to . the history of the principal events of that revolution. Texas constituted a portion of the ancient province of Louisiana, ceded to the United States by France in the year 1803. In the year 1819 the United States by the Florida treaty ceded to `-ipain all that part of Louisiana within the present limits of Texas, and Mexico, by the revolution which separated her from Spain, and rendered her an independent nation, succeeded to the rights of the mother country over this territory. In the year 1824 Mexico established a federal constitution, under which the Mexican republic was composed of a number of sovereign states, confederated together in a federal union similar to our own. Each of these states had its own executive, legislature, and judiciary, and, for all except federal purposes, was as independent of the general go vernment, and that of the other states, as is Pennsylvania or Virginia under our constitution. Texas and Coahuila united and formed one of these Mexican states. The state constitution which they adopted, and which was approved by the Mexican confederacy, asserted that they were "free and independent of the other Mexican United States, and of every other power and dominion what soever;" and proclaimed the preat principle of human liberty, that " the sovereignty of the state resides on ginally and essentially in the general mass of the indivi duals who compose it." To the government under this constitution, as well as to that under the federal consti tution, the people of Texas owed allegiance. Emigrants from foreign countries, including the United States, were invited by the colonization laws of the state and of the federal government to settle i❑ Texas. Advantageous terms were offered to induce them to leave their own country and become Mexican citizens. This invitation was accepted by many of our citizens, in thg full faith that in their new home they would be governed' by laws enacted by representatives elected by themselves, and that their lives, liberty, and property would be pro tected by constitutional guarantees similar to those which existed in the republic they had left. Under a Government thus organized they continued until the year 1835, when a military revolution broke out in the city of Mexico, which entirely subverted the Federal and state constitutions, and placed a military dictator at the head of the Government. By a sweeping decree of a congress subservient to the will of the dictator, the several state constitutions were abolished, and the states themselves converted into mere departments of the central Government. The people of Texas were unwilling to submit to this usurpation. Re sistance to such tyranny became a high duty. Texas was fully absolved from all allegiance to the central Government of Mexico from the moment the Govern ment had abolished her state constitution, and in its place substituted an arbitrary and despotic central Go vernment. Such were the principal causes of the Texan revo lution. The people of Texas at once determined upon resistance, and flew to arms. In the midst of these im portant and exciting events, however, they did not omit to place their liberties upon a secure and...permanent foundation. They elected members to a convention, who, in the month of March, 1836, issued a formal de claration that their " political connexion with the Mexican nation had for ever ended, and that the people of Texas do now constitute a free, sovereign, and inde pendent republic, and sire fully invested - with all the rights and attributes which properly belong to inde pendent nations." They also adopted for their govern ment a liberal republican constitution. About the came time Santa Anna, then the dictator of Mexico, invaded Texas with a numerous army, for the purpose of sub duing her people, and enforcing obedience to his arbi trary and despotic government. On the 21st of April„ 1836, he was met by the Texan citizen soldiers, and on that day was achieved by them the memorable victory of San 'Jacinto, by which they conquered their inde pendence. Considering the numbers engage d on t h e respective sides, history does not record a more brilliant achievement. Santa Anna himself was among the captives. In the month of May, 1836, Santa Anna acknow ledged, by a treaty With the Texan authorities, in the most solemn form, " the full, entire, and perfect izde pendence of the republic of Texas." It is true he was 1 -then a prisoner of war, but it is equally ttue that he ' had failed to reconquer Texas, and had met with signal defeat; that his authority had cot been revoked, and that by virtue of this treaty he obtained his personal release. By it hostilities were - suspended, and the army which had invaded Texas under his command, re turned, in pursuance of this arrangement, unmolested to Mexico. From the day that the battle of San Jacinto was fought till the present hour, Mexico has never possessed the power to reconquer Texas. In the language of the Secretary of State of the United States, in a dispatch to our Minister in Mexico, under date of the Bth of July, 1842, "Mexico may have chosen to consider, and may still choose to consider, Texas as having been at all times since 1835, and as still continuing, a rebellious province, but the world has been obliged to take a very different view of the matter. From the time of the battle of Sal Jacinto, in April, 1836, to the present moment, Texas has exhibited the same external signs of national independence as Mexico herself, and with quite as much stability of government. Practically' free and independent, acknowledged as a .political sove reignty by the principal Power.; of the world, no hostile foot finding rest wiehin her territory for six or seven years, and Mexico herself refraining for all that pet iod from any further attempt to re-establish her own-autho rity over that territory, it cannot but be surprising to find Mr. do Boc megra" (the Secretary of Foreign Af fairs of Mexico) " complaining that for that whole period citizens of the United States, or its Gee( rnme: t, have been favouring the rebels of Texas, and supplying them with vessels, ammunition, and money, as if the war for the reduction of the province of Texas had been con stantly prosecuted by Mexico, and her success pre vented by these influences from abroad." In the same di.petch the Secretary of State affirms that since 1837 the United States have regarded Texas as an in dependent sovereignty as much as ielexico ; and that trade and commerce with citizens of a Government at war with Mexico cannot, on that account, be regarded as an intercourse by which assistance and succour ere given to Mexican rebels. The whole current of Mr. de Bocanegra's remarks runs in the same di rection as if the independence of Texas had not been acknowledged. It has been acknowledged —it was acknowledged in 1837, against the remon strance and protest of Mexico; and most of the acts of any importance, of which Mr. de Bocanegra complains, flow necessarily from that recognition. He speaks of Texas as still being an • integral part of the territory of the Mexican Republic;' but he cannot but understand that the United States do not so regard it. The real complaint of Mexico, therefore, is, in substance, neither more nor less than a complaint against the recognition of Texan independence. It may be thought rather late -to o repeat that c om pl a i nt , an d not quite just to confine it to the United States, to the exemption of England, France and Belgium, unless the United States, having been the first to acknowledge the independence of Mexico herself, are to be blamed for setting an example for the recognition of that of Texas." And he' added, that " the constitution, public treaties, and the laws oblige the President to regard Texas as an independent state, and its territory as no part of the territory of Mexico." Texas had been an independent state, with an organised government, defying the power of Mexico to overthrow or reconquer her, for more than ten years before Mexico commenced the present war against the United States. Texas had given such evidence to the world of her ability to main tau' her separate existence as an independent nation, that she had been formally recognised as such, not only by the United States, but by several of the principal Powers of Europe. These Powers had entered into treaties of amity, commerce, and- navigation with her. They had received and accredited her Ministers and other diplomatic agents at their respective tour's, and they had commit-stoned Ministers and diplomatic agents on their part to the Government of Texas. If Mexico', notwithstanding all this, and her utter inability to sub due or reconquer Texas, still stubbornly refused to re cognise her as an independent nation, she was none the le-s so on that account. Mexico herself had been recog nised as an independent nation by the United States and by other Powers many years before Spain, 'of which, before her revolution, she had been a colony, would agree to recognise her as such ; and yet Mexico was at that time, in the estimation of the civilised world, and in fact, none the less an independent Power because Spain still claimed her as a colony. If Spain had continued until the present period to assert that Mexico was one of her colonies in rebellion against her, this would not have made her so, or changed the fact of her independent existence. Texas, at the period of her annexation to the United States, bore the same relation to Mexico that Mexico had borne to Spain for many years before Spain acknowledged her inele pendenee, with this important difference, that before the annexation of Texas to the United States was consum mated, Mexico herself, by a formal act of her Govern ment, had acknowledged the independence of Texas as a nation. It is true that, in the act of recognition, she prescribed a condition, which she had no power or authority to impose, that Texas should not annex herself to any other power; but this could not detract in any de gree from the recognition which Mexico then made of her actual independence. Upon this plain statement of facts, it is absurd for Mexico to allege, as a pretext for commencing hostilities against the United States, thet Texas is still a part of her territoi y. But there are those who, conceding all this to be true, assume the ground that the true western boundary of Texas is the Nueces, instead of the Rio Grande; and th it, therefore, in marching our army to the east bank of the latter river, we passed the Texan line, and invaded the territories of Mexico. A simple statement of facts, known to exist, will conclusively refute such an assumption. Texas, as ceded to the United States by France in 1803 has been always claimed as extending west to the Rio Grande, or Rio Bravo. This fact is established by the authority of our most eminent statesmen at a period Is hen the question was as well, if not better, understood than it is at present. During Mr. Jefferson's adminis tration, Messrs. Monroe and Pinkney, who had been sent on a special mission to Madrid, charged, among other things, with the adjustment of boundary between the two countries, in a note addressed to the Spanish Minis ter of Foreign Affairs, under date of the 28th ofJanuary, 1805, assert that the boundaries of Louisiana, as escled to the United States by France, "are the river Perdido on the east, and the river Bravo on the west ;" and they add, that " the facts and principles which justify this conclusion are so satisfactory to our Government as to convince it that the United States have not a better right to the island of New Orleans, under the cession referred to, than they have to the whole district of terri tory which is above described." Down to the conclusion of the Florida treaty, in February, 1819, by which this territory was ceded to Spain, the United States asserted and maintained their territorial rights to this extent. In the month of June, 1818, during Mr. Monroe's administration, information having been;received that a number of foreign adventurers had landed at Galveston, with the avowed purpose of form ing a settlement in that vicinity, a special messenger was dispatched by the Government of the United States, with instructions from the Secretary of State to warn them to desist should they be found there " or any other place north of the Rio Bravo, and within the territory claimed by the United States." He was instructed, should they be found in the country north of that river, to make known to them " the surprise with which the President had seen possession thus taken, without authority from the United States, of a place within their territorial limits, and upon which no lawful settlement can be made without their sanction." He was instructed to call upon them to " avow under what national authority they pro fess to act," and to give them due warning "that the place is within the United States, who will suffer no per manent settlement to be made there, under any authority other than their own." As late as the Bth of July, 1842, the Secretary of State of the United States, in a note addressed to our Minister in Mexico, maintains that, by the Florida treaty of 1819, the territory as far west as the Rio Grande, was confirmed to Spain. In that note he states that " by the Treaty of the 22d of February, 1819, between the United States and Spain, the Sabine was adopted as the line of boundary between the two Powers. Up to that period, no considerable colonization had been effected in Texas ; but the territory between the Sabine and the Rio Grande being confirmed to Spain by the treaty, applications were made to that power for grants of land, and such grants, or permissions of settle ment were in fact made by the authorities of citizens of the United States, proposing to emigrate to Texas in numerous families before the declaration of independence by Mexico." The Texas, which was ceded to Spain by the Florida treaty of 1819, embraced all the country now claimed by the state of Texas between the Nueces and the Rio Grande. The republic of Texas always claimed the river as her western boundary, and in her treaty made with Santa Anna, in May, 1836, he recognised it as such. By the constitution which Texas adopted in March, 1836, senatorial and representative districts were organised, extending west of the Nueces. The Congress of Texas, on the 19th of December, 1836, passed " An Act to define the boundaries of the Re public of Texas," in which they declared the Rio Grande from its mouth to its source to be their boundary, and by the said Act they extended their "civil and political jurisdiction" over the country up to that boundary. During a period of more than nine years, which intervened be tween the adoption of her constitution and her annexe• tion as one of the United States of our Union, Texas asserted and exercised many acts of sovereignty and ju risdiction over the territory and inhabitants west of the Nueces. She organised and defended the limits of coun tries extending to the Rio Grande. She established courts of justice, and extended her judicial system over the territory. She established a custom-house, and col lected duties, and also post-offices and post-roads in it. She established a land office, and issued numerous grants for land, within its limits. A senator and a representa tive residing in it were elected to the Congress of the re public, and served as such before the Act of annexation took place. In both the Congress and Convention of Texas, which gave their assent to the terms of annexation to the United States, proposed by our Congress, were re presentatives residing west of the Nueces, who took part in the act of annexation itself. This was the Texas which, by the act of our Congress of the 29th of Decem ber, 1845, was admitted as one of the States of our Union. That the Congress of the United States under stood the state of Texas which they admitted into the union to extend beyond the Nueces, is apparent from the fact that on the 31st of a cember, 1845, only two days after the act of admission, they passed a law "to establish a collection district in the state of Texas," by which they created a port of delivery at Corpus Christi, situated west of the Nueces, and being the same point at which the Texas custom-house, under the laws of that republic, had been located, and directed that a sur veyor to collect the revenue should be appointed for that port - by the President, by and with the advie, And consent of the Senate. A surveyor was accord ingly nominated, and confirmed by the Senate, and has been ever since in the performance of his duties. All these acts of the republic of Texas and of our order. The following Message was then delivered : THE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE. Fellow-Citizens of the Senate and of the House of Representatives,—ln resuming your labours in the ser vice of the people, it is a subject of congratulation that there has been no period in our past history when all the elements of national prosperity have been so fully developed. Since your last session no afflicting dispen sation has visited our country; general good health has prevailed; abundance has crowned the toil of the hus- bandman; and labour in all its branches is receiving an ample reward, while education, science, and the arts are rapidly enlarging the means of social happiness. The progress of our country in her career of greatness, not only in the vast extension of our territorial limits, and the rapid increase of our population, but in resources and wealth, and in the happy condition of our people, is without example in the history of nations. As the wisdom, strength, and beneficence of our free' institutions are unfolded, every day adds fresh motives to contentment and fresh incentives to patriotism. Our devout and sincere acknowledgments are due to the gracious Giver of all good for the numberless bless ings which our beloved country enjoys. It is a source of high satisfaction to know that the relations of the United States with all other nations, with a single exception, are, of the most amicable cha racter. Sincerely attached to the policy of peace, early adopted and steadily pursued by this Government, I have anxiously desired to cultivate and cherish friend. s hip and commerce with every foreign Power. The such international to the maintenance of harmony. In s piri t and habits of the American people are favourable to this wise policy, a preliminary and para mount duty obviously consists in the protection of our nationali nteres ts from encroachment or sacrifice, and adhering moot ourn a i nati onal honour hazard. They admit of no compromiseor ne glect, honour from reproach. These must be main tainedglect, and must be scrupulously iiszlconsiantly with arded.ln their v i g il an t v indication, collision and - conflict fo reign Pow e rs may sometimes become unavoidable. Such has been our scrupulous adherence to the dictates of justice, i n a ll our f ore i gn intercourse, that, though stea dily and rapidly ad . va ming in prosperity and power, we have of complaint to any nation, given no j ust cause and h ave enjoyed the blessings of peace for more than thirty years. From a policy so sacred to humanity, and so salutary in its effects upon our political system, we should never be induced voluntarily to depart. The existing war with Mexico wa3 neither desired nor provoked by the United States. On the contrary, all honourable means were resorted to to avert it. After years of endurance of aggravated and unredressed wrongs on our part, Mexico, in violation of solemn treaty stipulations, and of every principle of justice re cognised by civilised nations, commenced hostilities ; and thus by her own act forced the war upon us. Long before the advance of our army to the left bank of the Rio Grande we had ample cause of war against Mexico; and had the United States resorted to this extremity, we might have appealed to the whole civilised world for the justice of our course. I deem it to be my duty to present to you on the pre sent occasion a condensed review of the injuries we have sustained, of the causes which led to the war, and of its progress since its commencement. This is ren dered the more necessary because of the misapprehen sions which have to some extent prevailed as to its origin and true character. The war has been repre sented as unjust and unnecessary, and as one of aggres sion on our part upon a weak and injured enemy. Such erroneous views, though entertained by but few, have been widely and extensively circulated, not only at home, but have been spread throughout Mexico and the whole world. A more effectual means could not have been devised to encourage the enemy and protract the war than to advocate and adhere to their cause, and thus give them "aid and comfort." It is a source of national pride and exultation that the THE IRON 'IRADE During the past fortnight great activity has prevailed, several large contracts have been taken, and others as extensive are now in the market. For pig iron, espe cially of good quality, the inqui les have been abut.duit, and it becomes every day more evident that the stocks of pigs in South Staffordshire are growing very small, the consumption considerably exceeding the make. Iron stone is also unusually scarce, and under the unprece dented demand higher prices are easily obtained ; while coals are procured with still more difficulty, and many works and furnaces are producing little above half their regular make, for want of this requisite— nor are we at all aware from what quarter the deficiency may to any extent be supplied. The question of prices, as far as relates to manufac tured iron, remains yet undecided. On the one hand, it is stated that many influential parties stand so committed in railway speculations, that it would be advantageous to them to sacrifice the interests of their legitimate trade in the critical attempt to realize a sudden fortune, and that it becomes of more consequence to them, either as ultimate holders of scrip, or as looking to a high rate of premium, to afford opportunities for the undertakings with which they are connected to contract for their sup plies at moderato rates, than to obtain any immediate benefit from an advance in the price of iron. A very considerable amount also of orders previously accepted at low rates remains yet uncompleted. On the other hand, there are many who have escaped the contagion, and, unencumbered by such undertakings, by no means coincide with this suicidal disposition. With overflowing orders, a scarcity of materials, excessive rates of labour, and an utter destitution to meet the prospective demand for home consumption, and with the exorbitant prices now offered on the continent for rails, they justly feel that an opportenity offers at the present moment which, if thrown away, in all probability will be lost for ever—at least so far as the present generation is concerned. Much ,urprise has been expressed that among the tenders for rails to the South Staffordshire directors, one should have been given in by a Welsh house at 101. 2s. 6d., de livered at a station on the Grand Junction Railway. To accomplish this, some sacrifice must certainly be sub mitted to in the deliver; but it should be borne in mind that this is not to be avoided when the market for any article is situated almost exclusively at a distance, and in a producing district. A much more natural ground for remark may be found in the fact that a Staffordshire house of standing should so readily and needlessly violate the rates agreed upon at the previous quarterly meeting, and supply rails :at 91. 18s. 6., and chairs at 6i. 18s. 6d. The circumstance that good cold blast pigs were at the time worth .51. 10s. in the market may have suggested the extraordinary stipulations lately inserted in such contracts, that an in spector shall attend the works to report upon the iron stuffs used in their manufacture.—Aris's Birmingham Gazette. STORM AT GENOA.—A letter from Genoa states, ;hat on the 12th instant a violent storm seddenly rose in hat neighbourhood, and caused considerable damage. About four in the afternoon the commandant of the port, perceiving the mercury to fall suddenly, and the wind to change from north to south-west, sent word to the various vessels to make all snug for a storm. Scarcely had the intimation been given, when the tempest com menced, and raged for some time with dreadful fury. The waves broke over the two moles and the quays, and even sent their spray into the neighbouring streets. The vessels lying in the harbour were driven violently against each other, and in several cases injured. Three were driven from their moorings and lost. One was a Greek Merchant brig, which was dashed against the coast, and in five minutes was in pieces. The other two were Sardinian craft, one a three-master and the other a brig. The crews of the three vessels were saved, with the exception of the three men belonging to the Greek brig. Prince de Carignan, who exercises at Genoa the functions of admiral, was busied for some hours on the quays organising means of conveying help. Thirteen men perished at Genoa, and the accounts from the coast are terrible. The Dante steamer was at one time in great danger, but fortunately escaped. WooLwIca.—SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION TN WOOL.. wrest DOCK TAlM.—Betw een seven and eight o'clock on the evening of Christmas-day, one of the police con stables on duty in the dockyard, when near the great chimney of the foundry, thought he perceived a spark ascend from a place where about 300 tons of coals were stored for the use of the foundry and boiler-makers' department. On proceeding to the spot, to ascertain whether there was any fire or not, he diseovvred that a large quantity of the coals were in a state of combustion, and from the quantity converted into coke it was evident they had been burning some time. An immediate alarm was given, and the crews of the vessels in the basin and harbour were brought on shore to assist in quenching the burning coals. A number of convicts were also brought on shore from the Warrior hulk, and continued at work until three o'clock on Saturday morn ing in removing the coals from the place where the fire originated. It is not known by what means the com bustion began, but it was evident that it must have been spontaneous. Some imagine the tire took place from the coals having been placed on the wooden blocks of the floor of the shed when in a damp state, and became he , ated; others are of opinion that the spontaneous com bustion originated from the water of the coals passing betwixt the blocks to the concrete, as that substance was quite hot, and the outer sides of the wood deeply charred, as if the fire had ascended from the concrete betwixt the blocks. A full report of the circumstances has been forwarded to the Admiralty, to be investigated. STOPPAGE OF DISTILLERIES AND BREWERIES IN IRELAND,--A meeting of the inhabitants of Belfast was held in the Town Hall, on Thursday, to consider the propriety of memorialising Government to suspend the use of grain in distilleries and breweries while the exist ing scarcity of food continues in the country, when the following resolutions were agreed to : " That the present high price of provisions, and the amount o f di s tress prevailing in this country, requi t - e every a ttention to the economisi n g of food, and that fo r t hi s purpose measures of an extreme nature should be adopted." " That with this view the meeting is of opinion that all distillation from grain in these kingdom s the opinion of thismeeting that brewing from grain in should be forthwith susended. " That it is these kingdom s to the Lord should Lieutenant, It was then agreed Government, and bepresented that a memorial should . wait on the Irish also forthwith be suspended." Prison the immediate adopti v o ernment, and urge the necessity of a deputation appointed to n of the measure. DEATH IN TH E M ita, ISON.—SUICIDE FROM SORROW.—An inqu est LlNK PR after noon in the Millbank coroner, on the body ofJames'the was held yesterday Richard Groves, governor M i lls3/4zTfore Mr. Bedford, of theH aged 45. Mr. John deceased, described as a labourer , prison, said that the Chichester Quarter Sessions, 22d Octob er w" —stealing a shirt and sundry other a convicted at the articles —and last, of felony sen tenced to seven years' transportation. On an , d s f aid the he was found hanging in his cell, and quite dead, morning Francis, a prisoner, confined in the sam e ceeld. John deceased fretted a great deal about his wife He said that his wife and children were thrown upon the world, and that he knew the parish would not allow n enough to support them. He had a letter written to his wife, and after receivicg an answer seemed much more depressed than before. Witness had heard him expres s a great wish to see one of his brothers, who wa s i n prison for the same offence, and also heard him say that an elder brother, who was at large, was the cause of all his misfortunes. Verdict—Temporary insanity. The Nuremberg Correspondent states that Austria and Prussia had positively refused to refer the question of the suppression of Cracow to the examination and decision of an European Congress. REFUSAL TO BURT A SUlClDE.—Yesterday, appli cation was made to Mr. Baker, the Coroner, for his interference in a case where a clergyman refused to perform the funeral service over the body of a girl, aho it was supposed, had drowned herself in the London Docks. The clergyman complained of is the Rev. Bryan King, of St. George's-in-the-East. The Coroner said, his power ended when the jury were discharged, and he could not interfere in the matter. It appeared that the refusal to read the funeral service was not made known till the body was taken to the burial ground, and that one of the relatives afterwards read some prayers over the grave, and the cornse was buried. „ THE PRIVY PURSE.—The salary attached to the appointment of keeper of her Majesty's privy purse is 2,0001. par annum. Major-General Sir Henry Wheatley, who is on the eve of retiring from that office in the Queen's household, to be succeeded by Mr. G. E. Anson, was keeper of the privy purse to his late Majesty William the Fourth. BATHS AND WASH-HOUSES FOR THE POOR.—Yes terday the committee of the baths and wash-houses made a report of the numbers of persons who had availed themselves of the benefits of the institution, situate in George-street, Euston-square, since its opening on the 3d of August last, during which period, up to the 27th December inst., 34,634 males and 4,394 women have bathed; 7,961 poor women have washed the wearing apparel of themselves and families, amounting to 30,764. Her Majesty has been pleased to direct that the fancy sale, which is to take place in the new building of the Orphan Working School, at Haverstock- hill, shall be under her royal patronage. Congress preceded 'the orders for the advance of our army to the east bank of the Rio Grande. Sub sequently Congress passed an Act " establishing certain post routes," extending -west of theNueces. The country west of that river now constitutes a part of one of the congressional districts of Texas, and is represented in the House of Representatives. The Senators from that state, were chosen by a Legislature in which the country west of that river was represented. In view of all these facts, it is difficult to conceive upon what ground it can be maintained that, in occupying the country west of the Nueces with our army, with a view solely to its security and defence, we invaded the territory of Mexico. But it would have been still more difficult to justify the Executive, whose duty it is-to see that the laws be faith fully executed, if, in the face of all these proceedings, both of the Congress of Texas and of the United States, he had assumed the responsibility of yielding up the ter ritory west of Nueces to Mexico, or of refusing to pro tect and defend this territory and its inhabitants, includ ing Corpus Chrie.ti, as well as the remainder of Texas, against the threatened Mexican invasion. But Mexico herself has never placed the war which she has waged upon the ground that our army occupied the intermediate territory between the Nueces and the Rio Grande. Her refuted pretension that Texas was nut in fact an independent state, but a rebellious pro vince, was oiiatinately persevered in ; and her avowed purpose in commencing a war with the United States was to reconquer Texas, and to restore Mexican authority over the whole territory —not to the Nueces only, but to the Sabine. In view of the proclaimed menaces of Mexico to :his effect, I deemed it my duty, as a measure of precaution and defence, to order our army to occupy a position_ on our frontier as a military post, from which our troops could best resist and repel any attempted in vasion which Mexico might make. Ournrmy had occupied a position at Corpus Christi, west of the Nueces, as early as August, 1845, without complaint from any quarter. Had the Nueces been re garded as the` true western boundary of Texas, that boundary had been pissed by our army many months before it advanced to the eastern bank of the Rio Grande. In my annual messege of December lest, I informed Congress that, upon the invitation of both the Congress and Convention of Texas, I had deemed it proper to order a strong squadron to the coasts of-Mexico, and to concentrate an efficient military force on the western frontier of Texas to protect and defend the inhabitants against the menaced invasion of Mexico. In that mes sage I infcrmed Congress that the moment the terms of annexation offered by the United States were ac cepted by Texas, the latter became so far a part of our own country as to make it our duty to afford to such pro kction and defence; and that for that purpose our squadron had been ordered to the Gulf, and our army to " take a position between the Nueces and the Del Norte," or the Rio Grande, and " to repel any invasion of the Texan territory which might be attempted by the Mexican forces." It was deemed proper to issue this order, because, soon after the President of Texas, in April, 1845, had issued his proclaimation, convening the Congress of that republic, for the purpose of submitting to that body the terms of annexation proposed by the United States, the Government of Mexico made serious threats of invading the Texan territory. These threats became more imposing as it became more apparent, in the progress of the question, that the people of Texas would decide in favour of accepting the terms of annexation; and, finally, they had a ssume d such a formidabl e caracter, as induced both the Con gress and Convention of Texas to requeit that a military force should be sent by the United States into her tern tory for the purpose of protecting and defending her against the threatened invasion. It would have been a violation of good faith towards the people of Texas to have refused to afford the aid which they desired against a threatened invasion to which they had been exposed by atm free determinat'on to annex themselves to our Union, in compliance with the overture made to them by the joint resolution cf our Congress. Accordingly, a portion of the army was ordered to ad vance into Texas. Corpus Christi was the position se lected by General Taylor. He encamped at that place in August, 1845, and the army remained in that position until the 11th of March, 1846, when it moved west ward. and on the. 28th day of that month reached the east bank of the Rio Grande opposite to Matamoras. This movement was made in pursuance of orders from the War Department; issued on the 13th of January, 1846. Before these orders were issued, the dispatch of our Minister in Mexico, transmitting the decision of the Council of Government of Mexico, advising that he should not be received, and also the dispatch of our Consul residing in the city of Mexico—the former bear ing date on the 17th, and the latter_on the 18th of De cember, 1845, copies of both of which accompanied my message to Congress of the 11th of May last—were re ceived at the Department of State. These communica tions rendered it highly probable, if not absolutely cer tain, that our Minister would not be received by the Government of General Herrera. It was also well known that but little hope could be entertained of a different result from General Paredes, in case the revo lutionary movement which he was prosecuting should prove successful, as was highly probable. The partisans of Paredes, as our Minister, in the dispatch referred to, states, breathed the fiercest hostility against the United States, denounced the proposed negotiation as treason, and openly called upon the troops and the people to put • down the government of Herrera by force. The re conquest of Texas and war with the United States were openly threatened. These were the circumstances ex isti.eg, when it was deemed proper to order the army under the command of General Taylor to a•;vunee to the western frontier of Texas, and occupy a on or Hear the Rio Grande. The apprehensions of a contemplated Mexican invasion have been since fully justified by the event. The deter mination of Mexico to rush into hostilities with the United States was afterwards manifested from the whole ten , ur of the note of the Mexican Minister of Foreign Affairs to our Minister, bearing date on the 12th of \larch, 1846. Paredes had then revolutionised the Go vernment., and his Mini+ter, after referring to the reso lution fur the annexation of Texas, which had been adopted by our Congress in March, 1845, proceeds to declare that " a fact such as this, or, to speak with greater exactness, so notable an act of usurpation,' created an imperious necessity that Mexico, for her own honour, should repel it with proper firmness and dignity. The Supreme Government had beforehand declared that it would look upon such an act as a cases belli ; and, as a consequence of this declaration, negotiation was, by its very nature, at an end, and war was the only resource of the Mexican Government." It appeals, also, that on the 4th of April following, General .Paredes, through his Minister of War, issued orders to the Mexican general in command on the Texan frontier to " attack" our army " by every means which war permits." To this General Paredes had been pledged to the army and people of Mexico during the military revolution which had brought him into power. On the 18th of April, 1846, General Paredes addressed a letter to the commander on that frontier, in which he stated to him, " at the present date I suppose you at the head of that valiant army, either fighting already, or preparing for the operations of a campaign ;" and " supposipg you already on the theatre of operations, aid with all the forces assembled, it is indispensable that hostilities be commenced, yourself taking the initia tive against the enemy." The movement of our army to the Rio Grande was made by the commanding general under positive orders to abstain from all aggressive acts towards Mexico, or Mexican citizens, and to regard the relations between the two countries as peaceful, unless Mexico should de clare war, or commit acts of hostility indicative of a state of war ; and these orders he faithfully executed. Whilst occupying his position on_ the east bank of the Rio Grande, within the limits of Texas, then recently admitted as one of the states of our Union, the com manding general of the Mexican forces, who, in pursuance of the orders of his Government, had col lected a large army on the opposite shore of the Rio Grande, crossed the river, invaded'our territory, and commenced hostilities by attacking our forces. Thus, after all the injuries which we-had received and borno from Mexico, and after she had insultingly re jected a minister sent to her on a mission of peace, and whom she had solemnly agreed to receive, she consum mated her long course of outrage against our country by commencing an offensive war and shedding the blood of our citizens on our own soil. The United States never attempted to acquire Texas by conquest. On the contrary, at an early period after tha people of Texas had achieued their independence, they sought to be annexed to the United States. At a general election in September, 1836, they decided with great unanimity in favour of " annexation ;" and in November following the Congress of the republic autho rised the appointment of a minister to bear their request to this Government. This Government, how ever, having remained neutral between Texas and Mexico during the war between them, and considering it due to the honour of our country, and our fair fame among the nations of the earth, that we should not at this early period c , nsent to annexation, nor until it should be manifest to the whole world that the re-con quest of Texas by Mexico was impossible, refused to accede to the overtures made by Texas. On the 12th of April, 1844, and after more than seven years had elapsed since Texas had established her independence, a treaty was concluded for the annexation of that republic to the United States, which was rejected by th e S enate. Finally, on the Ist of March, 1845, Congress passed a joint resolution for annexing her to the United States, upon certain preliminary conditions to which her assent was required. The solemnities which characterised the deliberations and conduct of the Government and people of Texas, on the deeply interesting questions presented by these resolutions, are known to the world. The Congress, the Executive, and the people of Texas, in a convention elected for that purp ose , accepte d with great unanimity the proposed terms of annexation; and thus consummated on her part the great act of restoring to our federal Union a vast territory which had been ceded to Spain by the Florida treaty more than a quarter of a century before. After the joint resolution for the annexation of Texas to the United States had been passed by our Congress, the Mexican Minister at Washington addressed a note to the Secretary of State, bearing date on the 6th of March, 1845, protesting against it as " an act of aggres sion, th e most unusual which can be found recorded in the annals of modern history; namely, that of despoiling a friendly nation, like Mexico, of a considerable portion of her territory;" and protestingagainst of annexation, a s b e i ng an act whereby h the eprovince r e s n l ti resolution Texas, an integral portion of the Mexican territory, is agreed and admitted into the American Union;" and he announced that, as a consequence, his mission to the United States had terminated, and demanded his pass port, whiCh were granted. It was upon the absurd pre text, made by Mexico (herself indebted for her inde pendence to a successful revolution), that the republic of Texas still continued to be, notwithstanding all that had. p , .sst , cl, a province of Mexico, that this step was taken by the Mexican Minister. Every honourable effort bael?ee4 used by Me to Avoid