The Sun. — London, England, 1866-12-17 00:00:00

AMERICA. THE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE. The following is the full text of President John son's Message to Congress : Fellow-citizens of the Senate and House of Repre- sentatives,— After a brief interval the Congress of the United States resumes its annual legislative labours. An all-wise and merciful Providence has abated the pestilence which visited our shores, leaving its ca lamitous traces upon some portions of our country. Peace, order, tranquillity, and civil authority have been formally declared to exist throughout the whole of the United States. In all the States civil authority has superseded the coercion of arms, and the people, by their voluntary action, are maintain ing their governments in full activity and complete operation. The enforcement of the laws is no longer "obstructed in any Stateby combinations too power ful to be suppressed by the ordinary course of judi cial proceedings ;" and the animosities engendered by the war are rapidly yielding to the beneficent influences of our free institutions, and to the kindly effects of unrestricted social and commercial inter course. An entire restoration of fraternal feeling must be the earnest wish of every patriotic heart ; and we will have accomplished our grandest na tional achievement when, forgetting the sad events of the past, and remembering only their instructive lessons, we resume our onward career as a free, prosperous, and united people. PROGRESS OF RESTORATION. In my Message of the 4th of December, 1865, Congress was informed of the measures which had been instituted by the Executive with a view to the gradual restoration of the States in which the in surrection occurred to their relations with the General Government. Provisional governors had been appointed, Conventions called, Governors elected, Legislatures assembled, and Senators and Representatives chosen to the Congress of the United States. Courts bad been opened for the enforce ment of laws long in abeyance. The blockade had been removed, custom-houses re-established, and the internal revenue laws put in force, in order that the people might contribute to the national income. Postal operations had been renewed, and efforts were being made to restore them to their former condition of efficiency. The States themselves had been asked to take part in the high function of amending the Constitution, and of thus sanctioning the extinction of African slavery as one of the legi timate results of our internecine struggle. Having progressed thus far, the Executive Department found that it had accomplished nearly all that was within the scope of its Constitutional authority. One thing, however, yet remained to be done before the work of restoration could be completed, and that was the admission to Congress of loyal Senators and Representatives from the States whose people bad rebelled against the lawful authority of the General Government. This question devolved upon the respective Houses, which, by the Constitution, are made the judges of the elections, returns, and qualifications of their own members ; and its con sideration at once engaged the attention of Congress. In the meantime the Executive Department--no other plan having been proposed by Congress —con tinued its efforts to perfect, as far as was practic able, the restoration of the proper relations between the citizens of the respective States, and the Federal Government, extending, from time to time, as the public interests seemed to require, the judicial, revenue, and postal systems of the coun try. With the advice and consent of the Senate, the necessary officers were appointed, and appro priations made by Congress for the payment of their salaries. The proposition to amend the Federal Constitution, so as to prevent the existence of slavery within the United States or any place subject to their jurisdiction, was ratified by the re quisite number of States ; and on the 18th day of December, 1865, it was officially declared to have become valid as a part of the Constitution of the United States. All of the states in which the in surrection had existed promptly amended their Con stitutions, so as to make them conform to the great change thus effected in the organic law of the land ; declared null and void all ordinances and laws of secession, repudiated all pretended debts and obli gations created for the revolutionary purposes of the insurrection ; and proceeded, in good faith, to the enactment of measures for the protection and amelioration of the condition of the coloured race. Congress, however, ytt hesitated to admit any of these States to representation ; and it was not until towards the close of the eighth month of the session that an exception was made in favour of Tennessee by the admission of her senators and representatives. THE COURSE OF CONGRESS DEPRECATED. I deem it a subject of profound regret that Con gress has thus far failed to admit to seats loyal sena tors and representatives from the other States, whose inhabitants, with those of Tennessee, had engaged in the rebellion. Ten States—more than one-fourth of the whole number —remain without representation. The seats of fifty members in the House of Representatives and of twenty members in the Senate are yet vacant—not by their own con sent, not by a failure of election, but by the refusal of Congress to accept their credentials. Their ad mission, it is believed, would have ac comp li shed much toward the renewal and strengthening ~. of our and removed serious cause relations as one people, for discontent on the part o f the inhabitants of those States. It would have accorded with the g reat principle enunciated in the Declaration of American Independence, that no people ought to bear the burden of taxation, and yet be denied the right of representation. It would have been in consonance with the express provisions of the Constitution that " each State shall have at least one representative, and " that no State, without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate." These provisions were intended to secure to every State, and to the people of every State, the right of repre sentation in each House of Congress ; and so im portant was it deemed by the framers of the Con stitution that the equality of the States in the Senate should be preserved, that not even by the amendment of the Constitution can any State, with out its consent, be denied a voice in that branch of the National Legislature. INCONSISTENCY OF CONGRESS. It is true, it has been assumed that the existence of the States was terminated by the rebellious acts of their inhabitants, and that the insurrection hav ing been suppressed they were thenceforward to be considered merely as conquered territories. The Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Departments of the Government have, however, with great dis tinctness and uniform consistency, refused to sanc tion an assumption so incompatible with the na ture of our republican system, and with the pro fessed objects of the war. Throughout the recent legislation of Congress, the undeniable fact makes itself apparent that these ten political communi ties are nothing less than States of the Union. At the very commencement of the rebellion, each House declared, with a unanimity as remarkable as it was significant, that the war was not " waged, upon our part, in any spirit of opposition, nor for any purpose of conquest or subjugation, nor pur poseerthrowing or interfering w ith the r i g ht s estab lishe dorofv institutions of those States, but to defend and maintain the supremacy of the Constitution and all laws made in pursuance thereof, and to preserve the Union with all the di, nity, equality, and 0 rightsss n of the several States un impaired ; and that soon tonas these objects we r e accomplished the war ought cease." In some in stances senators w ere p er mitted to continue their legislative functions, while i n other instances their seats repre sentativesst were elected and a d m i tted to the after their States had formally decl are d their rights to withdraw from the Union, and were endeavour ing to maintain that right by force of arms. All of the States whose people were in insurrection, a s States, were included in the apportionment of the direct tax of twenty millions of dollars annually laid upon the United States by the act approved sth August, 18G1. Congress, by the act of March 4, 1852, and by the apportionment of representation thereunder, also recognised their presence as states in the Union ; and they have, for judicial purposes, been divided into districts, as States alone can be divided. The same recognition appears in the re cent legislation in reference to Tennepee, which evidently rests upon the facts that the functions of the State were not destroyed by the rebellion, but merely suspended ; and that principle is of course applicableto States which, like Tennessee, attempted to renounce their places in the Union. The action of the Executive Department of the Government upon this subject has been equally de finite and uniform, and the purpose of the war was specifically stated in the proclamation issued by my predecessor on the 22d day of September, 1862. It was then solemnly proclaimed and de clared that " hereafter, as heretofore, the war will be prosecuted for the object of practically restoring the constitutional relation between the United States and each of the States and the people thereof, in which States that relation is or may be suspended or disturbed." The recognition of the States by the Judicial Department of the Government has also been clear and conclusive in all proceedings affect ing them as States, had in the Supreme, Circuit, and District Court. THE PRESIDENT FIRM IN HIS POSITION. In the admission of senators and representatives from any and all of the States there can be no just ground of apprehension that persons who are dis loyal will be clothed with the powers of legislation, for this could not happen when the Constitution and the laws are enforced by a vigilant and faithful Congress. Each house is made the " judge of the elections, returns, and qualifications of its own members," and may, " with the concurrence of two-thirds expel a member." When a senator or representative presents his certificate of election, he may at once be admitted or rejected ; or, should there be any question as to his eligibility, his cre dentials may be referred for investigation to the appropriate committee. If admitted to a seat, it must be upon evidence satisfactory to the house of which he thus becomes a member, that he possesses the requisite constitutional and legal qualifications. If refused admission as a member for want of due allegiance to the Government, and returned to his constituents, they are admonished that none but persons loyal to the United States will be allowed a voice in the Legislative Councils of the nation, and the political power and moral influence of Congress are thus effectively exerted in the interests of loyalty to the Government and fidelity to the Union. Upon this question, so vitally affecting the restoration of the Union and permanency of our present form of Government, my convictions, heretofore expressed, have undergone no change ; but, on the contrary, their correctness has been confirmed by reflection and time. If the ad mission of loyal members to seats in the respec tive Houses of Congress was wise and expe dient a year ago, it is no less wise and expedient now. If this anomalous condition is right now— if in the exact condition of these States at the pre sent time it is lawful to exclude them from repre sentation, I do not see that the question will be changed by the efflux of time. Ten years hence, if these States remain as they are, the right of repre sentation will be no stronger—the right of exclusion will be no weaker. RESTORATION A NECESSITY.-REASONS FOR DIME- DIATE REUNION. The Constitution of the United States makes it the duty of the President to recommend to the con sideration of Congress " such measures as he shall judge necessary or expedient." I know of no mea sure more imperatively demanded by every consi deration of national interest, sound policy, and equal justice than the admission of loyal members from the now unrepresented States. This would con summate the work of restoration, and exert a most salutary influence in the re-establishment of peace, harmony, and fraternal feeling. It would tend greatly to renew the confidence of the American people in the vigor and stability of their institutions. It would bind us more closely together as a nation, and enable us to show to the world the interest and recuperative power of a Government founded upon the will of the people, and established upon the principles of liberty, justice, and intelligence. Our increased strength and enhanced prosperity would irrefragably demonstrate the fallacy of the ar guments against free institutions drawn from our recent national disorders by the enemies of Repub lican government. The admission of loyal mem bers from the States now excluded from Congress, by allaying doubt and apprehension, would turn capital now awaiting an opportunity for invest ment into the channels of trade and industry. It would alleviate the present troubled condition of those States, and, by inducing emigration, aid in the settlement of fertile regions now uncultivated, and lead to an increased production of those staples which have added so greatly to the wealth of the nation and the commerce of the world. New fields of enterprise would be opened to our progressive people, and soon the devastations of war would be repaired, and all traces of our domestic differences effaced from the minds of our countrymen. DANGER OF C ONSOLIDATI 0 N.-ABS 0 LUTE D ESP OTIS3I A PPP.EHENDED. In our efforts to preserve " the unity of govern ment which constitutes us one people," by restoring the States to the condition which they held prior to the rebellion, we should be cautious, lest, having rescued our nation from perils of threatened disin tegration, we resort to consolidation, and in the end absolute despotism, as a remedy for the recurrence of similar troubles. The war having terminated, and with it all occasion for the exercise of powers of doubtful constitutionality, we should hasten to bring legislation within the boundaries prescribed by the Constitution, and to return to the ancient land marks e s t a bli s h e d b y our f at h ers f or t h e gu id ance o f t any ti me succeedi ng g enera ti ons . " Th e C ons tit u ti on w hi c h l iine actof exists, theh w until o whole people, changed by an sacredly a explicitn an authentic d li obli gatory up on all." i m n od th i . fi e ca o ti p o i n ni o o f n the ef con stitutional people, the distribution or , powers be, i n e, any particular, wrong, let it be corrected by an amendment in the way in which the Constitution designates. But let there be no change by usurpation ; for" "it is the cus tomary weapon by which free Governments are destroyed." Washington Poke these words to his countrymen, when, followed by their love and gratitude, he voluntarily retired from the cares of public life. "To keep in all things within the pale of our constitutional powers and cherish the Fede ral Union as the only rock of safety,,, were prescribed byJefferson as rules of action to endear to his "coun trymen the true principles of their Constitution, and promote a union sentiment and act i on equally auspicious to their happiness and safety." Jackson held that the action of the General Governme n t should always be strictly confined to the sphere of its appropriate duties, and justly and forcibly urged that our Government is not to be maintained nor our Union preserved " by invasions of the rights and powers of the several States. In thus attempting to make our General Government strong, we make it weak. Its true strength consists in leaving indivi duals and States as much as possible to themselves ; in making itself felt, not in its power, but in its beneficence ; not in its control, but in its protection ; not in binding the States more closely to the centre ; but leaving each to move unobstructed in its consti tutional orbit." These are the teachings of men whose deeds and services have made them illustrious, and who, long since withdrawn from the scenes of life, have left to their country the rich legacy of their example, their wisdom, and their patriotism. Drawing fresh inspiration from their lessons, let us emulate them in love of country and respect for the Constitution and the laws. THE NATIONAL FINANCES. The report of the Secretary of the Treaspry affords much information respecting the revenue and com merce of the country. his views upon the cur rency, and with reference to a proper adjustment of our revenue system, internal as well as impost, are commended to the careful consideration of Con gress. In my last annual message I expressed my general views upon these subjects. I need now only call attention to the necessity of carrying into every department of the Government a system of rigid ac countability, through retrenchment and wise eco nomy. With no exceptional nor unusual expendi tures, the oppressive burdens of taxation can be lessened by such a modification of our revenue laws as will be consistent with the public faith and the legitimate and neces sary wants of the Government. LEDUCTION OF TILE DEBT. The report presents a much more satisfactory con- THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 17, 1866. dition of cur finances than one year ago the most sanguine could have anticipated. During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1865, the last year of the war, the public debt was increased to $941,902,537, and on Oct. 31, 1865, it amounted to $2,740,854,750. On the 31st day of October, 1866, it had been re duced to $2,551,310,006, the diminution, during a period of 14 months, commencing Sept. 1, 1865, and ending Oct. 31, 1866, having been $206,379,565. In the last annual report on the state of the finances, it was estimated that during the three-quarters of the fiscal year ending June 30 last the debt would be increased to $112,194,947. During that period, however, it was reduced to $31,196,387, the receipts of the year having been $89,905,905 more, and the expenditures $200,529,235 less than the estimates. Nothing could more clearly indicate than these state ments the extent and availability of the national resources, and the rapidity and safety with which, under our form of government, great military and naval establishments can be disbanded, and expenses reduced from a war to a peace footing. cable to the inhabitants of the country providing the means of transmission. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR. The report of the Secretary of the Interior exhibits the condition of those branches of the public service which are committed to his supervision, During the last fiscal year, four million six hundred and twenty-nine thousand three hundred and twelve acres of public land were disposed of, one million eight hundred and ninety-two thousand five hun dred and sixteen acres of which were entered under the Homestead act. The policy originally adopted reltive to the public lands has undergone essential modifications. Immediate revenue, and not their rapid settlement, was the cardinal feature of our land system. Long experience and earnest discus sion have resulted in the conviction that the early development of our agricultural resources, and the diffusion of an energetic population over our vast territory, are objects of far greater importance to the national growth and prosperity than the pro ceeds of the sale of the land to the highest bidder in open market. The pre-emption laws confer upon the pioneer who complies with the terms they im pose the privilege of purchasing a limited portion of unoffered lands at the minimum price. The home stead enactments relieve the settler from the pay ment of purchase money, and secure him a perma nent home, upon the condition of residence for a term of years. This liberal policy invites emigra tion from the old and from the more crowded por tions of the new world. Its propitious results are undoubted, and will be more signally manifested when time shall have given it a wider development. OUR POLICY TOWARDS MEXICO. It was reasonably expected that the proceedings thus contemplated would produce a crisis of great political in terest in the Republic of Mexico. The newly-appointed Minister of the United States, Mr. Cairphell, was there fore sent forward, on the 9th day of November last, to assume his proper functions as Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States to that Republic. It was also thought expedient that he should be attended in the vicinity of Mexico by the Lieutenant-General of the Army of the United States, with the view of obtaining such informa tion as might be important to determine the course to be pursued by the United States in re-establishing and main taining necessary and proper intercourse with the Re public of Mexico. Deeply interested in the cause of liberty and humanity, it seemed an obvious duty on our part to exercise whatever influence we possessed for the restoration and permanent establishment in that country of a domestic and republican form of government. HOW TO EXTINGUISH THE DEBT. During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1866, the receipts were $558,032,620, and the expenditures $520,750,940, leaving an available surplus of $37,281,680. It is estimated that the receipts for the fiscalyear ending June 30,1867, will be $475,061,386, and that the expenditures will reach the sum of $316,428,078, leaving in the Treasury a surplus of $158,633,308. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1868, it is estimated that the receipts will amount to $436,000,000 and that the expendi tures will be $350,247,641—5h0wing an excess of $85,752,359 in favor of Government. These esti mated receipts may be diminished by a reduction of excise and import duties ; but after all necessary re ductions shall have been made, the revenue of the present and of following years will doubtless be suf ficient to;coyer all legitimate charges upon the Trea sury, and leave a large annual surplus to be applied to the payment of the principal of the debt. There seems now to be no good reason why taxes may not be reduced as the country advances in population and wealth, and yet the debt be extinguished within the next quarter of a century. THE WAR DEPARTMENT. The Report of the Secretary of War furnishes valuable and important information in reference to the operations of his Department during the past year. Few volunteers now remain in the service, and they are being discharged as rapidly as they can be replaced by volunteer troops. The army has been promptly paid, carefully provided with medical treatment, well sheltered and subsisted, and is to be furnished with breech-loading small arms. The military strength of the nation has been unimpaired by the discharge of volunteers, the disposition of unserviceable or perishable stores, and the retrench ment of expenditure. Sufficient war material to meet any emergency has been retained, and, from the disbanded volunteers standing ready to respond to the national call, large armies can be rapidly organised, equipped, and concentrated. Fortifica tions on the coast and frontier have received, or are being prepared for more powerful a'rmanients ; lake surveys and harbour and river improvements are in course of energetic prosecution. Preparations have been made for the payment of the additional bounties authorised during the recent session of Congress, under such regulations as will protect the Government from fraud, and secure to the honourably-discharged soldier the well-earned re ward of his faithfulness and gallantry. More than six thousand maimed soldiers have received artificial limbs or other surgical apparatus ; and forty-one national cemeteries, containing the remains of 104,526 Union soldiers, have already been esta blished. The total estimate of military appropria tions is $25,205,669. TIIE NAVY It is stated in the report of the Secretary of the Navy that the naval force at this time consists of two hundred and seventy-eight vessels, armed with two thousand three hundred and fifty-one guns. Of these, one hundred and fifteen vessela, carrying one thousand and twenty-nine guns, are in commission, distributed chiefly among seven squadrons. The number of men in the service is thirteen thousand six hundred. Great activity and vigilance have been displayed by all the squadrons, and their movements have been judiciously and efficiently arranged in such a manner as would best promote American commerce, and protect the rights and in terests of our countrymen abroad. The vessels un employed are undergoing repairs, or arelaid up until their services may be required. Most of the iron clad fleet is at League Island, in the vicinity of Phila delphia, a place which, until decisive action should be taken by Congress, was selected by the Secretary of the Navy as the most eligible location for that class of vessels. It is important that a suitable public station should be provided for the iron-clad fleet. It is intended that these vessels shall be in proper condition for any emergency, and it is de sirable that the bill accepting League Island for naval purposes, which passed the House of Repre sentatives at its last session, should receive final action at an early period, in order that there may be a suitable public station for this class of vessels, as well as a navy-yard of area sufficient for the wants of the service, on the Delaware River. The Naval Pension fund amounts to $11,750,000, having been increased $2,750,009 during the year. The expen ditures of the Department for the fiscal year ending 30th June were $43,324,526, and the estimates for the coming year amount to $23,568,436. Attention is invited to the condition of our seamen, and the importance of legislative measures for their relief and improvement. The suggestions in behalf of this deserving class of our fellow-citizens are earn estly recommended to the favourable attention of Congress. THE POSTAL SERVICE. The report of the Postmaster-General presents a most satisfactory condition of the postal service, and submits recommendations which deserve the consideration of Congress. The revenues of the Department for the year ending June 30, 1866, were $14,386,986, and the expenditures $15,352,079, showing an excess of the latter of $965,093. In anticipation of this deficiency, however, a special appropriation was made by Congress in the act approved July 28, 1866. Including the standing appropriation of $700,000 for free mail matter as a legitimate portion of the revenues yet remaining unexpended, the actual deficiency for the past year is only $265,093—a sum within $51,141 of the amount estimated in the annual report of 1864. The decrease of revenue compared with the previous year was one and one-fifth per cent., and the in crease of expenditure, owing principally to the en largement of the mail service in the South, was 12 per cent. On the 30th of June last there were in operation 6,930 mail routes, with an aggregate length of 180,921 miles, an aggregate annual trans portation of 7 1,837,914 miles, and an aggregate annual cast, including expenditures, of $8,410,184. The length of railroad routes is 32,092 miles, and the annual transportation thirty million six hundred and nine thousand four hundred and sixty-seven miles. The length of steamboat routes is fourteen thousand three hundred and forty six miles, and the annual transportation three mil lion four hundred and eleven thousand nine hun dred and sixty-two miles. The mail service is rapidly increasing throughout the whole country, and its steady extension in. the Southern States indicates their constantly improving condition. The growing importance of the foreign service also merits atten tion. INTERNATIONAL POSTAL CONVENTION. The Post-office Department cf Great Britain and our own have agreed upon a preliminary basis for a new Postal Convention, which it is believed will prove eminently beneficial to the commercial in terests of the United States, inasmuch as it contem plates a reduction of the. international letter postage to one-half the existing ;rates ; a reduction of post age with all other countotes to and from which cor respondence is transmitt ed in the British mail or in closed mails through the United Kingdom ; the establishment of uniform and reasonable charges for the sea and territorial tr ansit of correspondence in closed mails, and an allo vrance to each Post Office Department of the right to use all mail communi cations established under the authority of the other 94; for the despatch of corr espondence, either in open or closed mails, on the s.e terms as those appli- GRANTS OF PUBLIC LANDS. Congress has made liberal grants of public land to corporations in aid of the construction of rail roads and other internal improvements. Should this policy hereafter prevail, more stringent provi sions will be required to secure a faithful applica tion of the fund. The title to the lands should not pass, by patent or otherwise, but remain in the Go vernment and subject to its control, until some por tion of the road has been actually built. Portions of them might then, from time to time, be conveyed to the corporation, but never in greater ratio to the whole quantity embraced by the grant than its com pleted parts bear to the entire length of the pro jected :improvement. This restriction would not operate to the prejudice of undertakings conceived in good faith and executed with reasonable energy, as it is the settled practice to withdraw from market the lands falling within the operation of such grants, and thus to exclude the inception of a subsequent adverse right. A breach of the conditions which Congress may deem proper to impose should work a forfeiture of claim to the lands so withdrawn but unconveyed, and of title to the lands conveyed which remain unsold. TILE PACIFIC RAILROAD. Operations on the several lines of the Pacific Rail road have been prosecuted with unexampled vigour and success. Should no unforeseen causes of delay occur, it is confidently anticipated that this great thoroughfare will be completed before the expiration of the period designated by the Congress. PENS [ONERS. Daring the last fiscal year the amount paid to pensioners, including the expenses of disbursement, was $13,459,996, and 50,177 names were added to the pension rolls. The entire number of pensioners, June 30, 1866, was 126,722. This fact furnishes melancholy and striking proof of the sacrifices made to vindicate the constitutional authoritty of the Federal Government, and to maintain inviolate the integrity of the Union. They impose upon us cor responding obligations. It is estimated that $33,000,000 will be required to meet the exigen cies of this branch of the service during the next fiscal year. THE INDIANS. Treaties have been concluded with the Indians who, enticed into armed opposition to our Govern ment at the outbreak of the rebellion, have uncon ditionally submitted to our authority, and mani fested an earnest desire for a renewal of friendly relations. PATENTS. During the year ending September 30, 1866, eight thou sand seven hundred and sixteen patents for useful inven tions and designs were issued, and at that date the balance in the Treasury to the Patent fund was two hundred and twenty-eight thousand two hundred and ninety-seven dollars. THE LEVEES OE THE MISSISSIPPI. As a subject upon which depends an immense amount of the production and commerce of the country, I recom mend to Congress such legislation as may be necessary for the preservation of the levees of the Mississippi River. It is a matter of national importance that early steps should be taken not only to add to the efficiency of these barriers against destructive inundations, but for the re moval of all obstructions to the free and safe navigation of that great channel of trade and commerce. THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA-.-WRY IS IT NOT REPRESENTED IN CONGRESS ? The district of Columbia, under existing laws, is not entitled tc that representation in the National Councils which, from our earliest history, has been uniformly ac corded to each territory established from time Ito time within our limits. It maintains peculiar relations to Con gress, to whom the Constitution has granted the power of exercising exclusive legislation over the seat of go vernment. Our fellow-citizens residing in the district, whose interests are thus confided to the special guardian ship of Congress, exceed in number the population of several of our territories, and no just reason is perceived why a delegate of their choice should not be admitted to a seat in the House of Bopresentatives. No mode seems so appropriate and effectual of enabling them to make known their peculiar conditions and wants, and of secur ing the local legislation adapted to them. I therefore re commend the passage of a law authorising the electors' of the District of Columbia to choose a delegate, to be allowed the same rights and privileges as a delegate representinea territory. Tho increasing enterprise and rapid progress of improvement in the district are highly gratifying, and I trust the efforts of the municipal authorities to promote the prosperity of the national metropolis will receive the efficient and generous co-operation of Congress. THE AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT. The report of the Commissioner of Agriculture reviews the operations of his department during the past year, and asks those States which, scourged by war, are now ear nestly engaged in the reorganisation of domestic industry. FOREIGN RELATIONS. It is a subject of congratulation that no foreign com binations against our domestic pease and safety, or our legitimate influence among the nations, have been formed or attemped. While sentiments of roconcilation, loyalty, and patriotism have increased at home, a more just consi deration of our national character and rights has been manifested by foreign nations. THE ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH. The entire success of the Atlantic telegraph between the coast of Ireland and the Province of Newfoundland is au achievement which has been justly celebrated in both hemispheres as the opening of an era in the progress of civilisation. There is reason to expect that equal success will attend, and even greater results follow, the enterprise for connecting the two continents through the Pacific Ocean by the projected line of telegraph between Kam-. schatka and the Russian possessions in America. EXPORTATION OP FOREIGN CRIMINALS TO THE UNITED STATES. The resolution of Congress protesting against pardons by foreign Governments of persons convicted of infamous offences, on condition of emigration to our country, has been communicated to the States with which we maintain intercourse, and the practice, so justly the subject of com plaint on our part, has not been renewed. CONGRATULATIONS TO THE EMPEROR Or RUSSIA. The congratulations of Congress to the Emperor of Russia, upon his escape from attempted assassination, have been presented to that humane and enlightened ruler, and received by him with expressions of grateful appreciation. nue PLAN FOR THE EMIGRATION OF FREEDMEN. The Executive, warned of an attempt by Spanish-Amc rican adventurers to induce the emigration of freedmen of the United States to a foreign country, protested against the project as one which, if consummated, would reduce them to a bondage even more oppressive than that from which they have just been relieved. Assurance has been received from the Government of the State in which the plan was matured, that the proceeding will meet neither its encouragement nor approval. It is a question worthy of your consideration whether our laws upon this subject are adequate to the prevention or punishment of the crime thus meditated. THE MEXICAN QUESTION. In the month of April last, as Congress is aware, a friendly arrangement was made between the Emperor of Franco and the President of the United States for the with drawal from Mexico of the French expeditionary military forces. This withdrawal was to be effected in three de tachments, the first of which, it was understood, would leave Mexico in November, now past, the second in March next, and the third and last in November, 1867. Imme diately upon the completion of the evacuation, the French Government was to assume the attitude of non-interven tion, in regard to Mexico, as is held by the Government of the United States. Repeated assurances have been given by the Emperor, since that agreement, that he would com plete the promised evacuation within the period men tioned, or sooner. NON-WITHDRAWAL OF THE FRENCH TROOPS. Such was the condition of affairs in regard to Mexico when, on the 22d of November last, official information was received from Paris that the Emperor of France had some time before decided not to withdraw a detachment of his forces in the mouth of November past, according to engagement; but that this decision was made with the purpose of withdrawing the whole of those forces in the ensuing spring. Of this determination, however, the United States had not received any notice or intimation`; and as soon as the information was received by the Go vernment, care was taken to make known its dissent to the Emperor of France. THE UNITED STATES, FRANCE, AND MEXICO. I cannot forego the hope that France will reconsider the subject, and adopt some resolution in regard to the evacua tion of Mexico, which will conform as nearly as practicable with the existing engagement, and thus meet the just ex pectations of Ihe United States. The papers relating to the subject will be laid before you. It is believed that, with the evacuation of Mexico by the expeditionary forces no subject for serious differences between France and the United States would remain. The expressions of the Emperor and the people of France warrant a hope that the traditionary friendship between the two countries might in that case be renewed and permanently restored. INDEMNITY FOR SPOLIATION ON THE HIGH SEAS. A claim of a citizen of the United States for indemnity for spoliations committed on the high seas by the French authorities, in the exercise of a belligerent power against Mexico, has been met by the Government of France with a proposition to defer settlement until a mutual convention for the adjustment of all claims of citizens and subjects of both countries, arising out of the recent wars on this con tinent, shall be agreed upon by the two:countries. The suggestion is not deemed unreasonable, but it belongs to Congress to direct the manner in which claims for indem nity by foreigners, as well as by citizens of the United States, arising out of the late civil war, shall be adjudi cated and determined. I have no doubt that the subject of all such claims will engage your attention at a conve nient and proper time. OUR RELATIONS WITH GREAT BRITAIN. It is a matter of regret that no considerable advance has been made towards an adjustment of the differences be tween the United States and Great Britain, arising out of the depredations upon our national commerce and other trespasses committed during our civil war by British sub jects, in violation of international law and treaty obliga tions. The delay, however, may be believed to have re sulted in no small degree from the domestic situation of Great Britain. An entire . change of Ministry occurred in that country during the last session of Parliament. The attention of the new Ministry was called to the subject at an early day, and there is some reason to expect that it will now be considered in a becoming and friendly spirit. The importance of an early disposition of the question cannot be exaggerated. Whatever might be the wishes of the two Governments, it is manifest that good-will and friendship between the two countries cannot be established until a reciprocity, in the practice of good faith and neu trality, shall be restored between the respective nations. THE FENIAN INVASION OF CANADA. On the 6th of June last, in violation of our neutrality laws, a military expedition and enterprise against the Bri tish North American colonies was projected and attempted to be carried on within the territory and jurisdiction of the United States. In obedience to the obligation imposed upon the Executive by the Constitution, to see that the laws are faithfully executed, all citizens were warned, by proclamation, against taking part in or aiding such unlawful proceedings, and the proper civil, military, and naval officers were directed to take all necessary mea sures for the enforcement of the laws. The expedition failed, but it has not been 'without its painful consequences: Some of our citizens who, it was alleged, were engaged in the expedition, were captured and have been brought to trial, as for a capital offence, in the province of Canada. Judgment and sentence of death have been pronounced against some, while others have been acquitted. Fully believing in the maxim of Government, that severity of civil punishment for misguided persons who have engaged in revolutionary attempts which have disastrously failed, is unsound and unwise, such representations have been been made to the British Covernment, in behalf of the con victed persons, as, being sustained by an enlightened and humane judgment, will, it is hoped, induce in their cases an exercise of clemency and a judicious amnesty to all who were engaged in the movement. Counsel has been em ployed by the Government to defend citizens of the United States on trial for capital offences in Canada ; and a dis continuance of the prosecutions which were instituted in the courts of the United States against those who took part in the expedition has been directed. I have regarded the expedition as not only political in its nature, but as also in a groat measure foreign from the United States in its causes, character, and objects. The attempt was under stood to be made in sympathy with an insurgent party in Ireland, and, by striking at a British province on this Continent, was designed to aid in obtaining redress for political grievances which, it was assumed, the people of Ireland had suffered at the hands of the British Go vernment during a - period of several centuries. The persons engaged in it were chiefly natives of that coun try, some of whom had, while others had not, become citizens of the United States under our general laws of naturalisation. Complaints of misgovernment in Ireland continually engage the attention of the British nation, and so great an agitation is now prevailing in Ireland that the British Government have deemed it necessary to suspend the writ of habeas corpus in that country. These circum stances must necessarily modify the opinion which we might otherwise have maintained in regard to an expedi tion expressly prohibited by our neutrality laws. So long as these laws remain upon our statute-books they should be faithfully executed, and if they operate harshly, un justly, or oppressively, Congress alone can apply the remedy, by their modification or repeal. DIPLOMATIC REPRESENTATION IN GREECE. Political and commercial interests of tho United States aro not unlikely to be affected in some degree by events which are transpiring in the eastern regions of Europe, and the time seems to have come when our Government ought to have a proper diplomatic representation in Greece. THE RIGHT OF EXPATRIATION. This Government has claimed for all persons not con victed, or accused, or suspected of crime, an absolute poli tical right of self-expatriation, and a choice of new national allegiance. Most of the European States have dissented from this principle, and have claimed a right to hold such of their subjects as have immigrated to and been naturalised in the United States, and afterwards returned on transient visits to their native countries to the perform ance of military service in like manner as resident subjects. Complaints arising from the claim in this respect made by foreign States have heretofore been matters of controversy between the United States and some of the European Powers, and the irritation consequent upon the failure to settle this question increased during the war in which Prussia, Italy, and Austria were recently engaged. While Great Britain has never acknowledged the right of expa triation, she has not practically insisted upon it. France has been equally forbearing ; and Prussia has proposed a compromise, which, although evincing increased liberality, has not been accepted by the United States. Peace is now prevailing everywhere in Europe, and the present seems to be a favourable time for an assertion by Congress of the principle, so long maintained by the Executive De partment, that naturalisation by one State fully exempts the native-born subject of any other State from the performance of military service under any foreign Go vernment, so long as he does not voluntarily renounce its rights and benefits. THE DUTY OF THE FUTURE. In the performance of a duty imposed upon me by the Constitution, I have thus submitted to the repre sentatives of the States and of the people such infor mation of our domestic and foreign affairs as the public interests seem to require. Our Government is now undergoing its most trying ordeal, and my earnest prayer is that the peril may be successfully and finally passed, without impairing its original strength and symmetry. The interests of the nation are best to be promoted by the revival of fraternal relations, the complete obliteration of our past dif ferences, and the re-inauguration of all the pursuits of peace. Directing our efforts to the early accom plishment of these great ends, let us endeavour to preserve harmony between the co-ordinate Depart ments of the Government4that each in its proper sphere may cordially co-operate with the other in securing the maintenance of the Constitution, the preservation of the Union, and the perpetuity of our free institutions. ANDREW JOHNSON. Washington, Dec. 3, 1866. It is reported in Paris that the Shah of Persia is about to follow the example of the King of Prussia in bringing an action for libel against a French writer. The writer in question is M. de Gobineau, late Charge d'Affaires at Teheran, and the libel com plained of occurs in a book he has lately published, entitled " Les religions et les philosophies de l'Asie Centrale." The Late Commercial Crisis. A writer in a contemporary says : SiR,---I was much pleased on Tuesday last with a letter I read in the Times, signed "Justitia." The prominence given by the leading organ to this epistle shows that the Times is not inclined to evade the clear duty of great journalists to bring the authors of the calamities which have overwhelmed this land to the bar of public opinion. I agree with you, sir, in what you have so ably stated, that if the laws of England be so defective that these cul prits can escape their just punishment, it is more than ever incumbent on the press, to see that they do not go wholly free. " Justitia's" letter throws generalities aside and cuts in straight to the core. The press has gone to a certain length, but when they stood on the threshold of the infamy, they turned aside as if appalled at the task they had undertaken. I hold with "Justitia " that this must not be. The shortcomings of the nation were fear lessly and at all hazards exposed, in its war with Russia, and I feel confident that our true course is to adopt the same principle in dealing with the men who have swindled the English public, and at whatever ex pense to our national character bring forth and show in their true light the great criminals who have ruined thousands of innocent and trusting families. The two most prominent examples of the commer cial immorality which has caused all the ruin, are undoubtedly Overend, Gurney, and Co., and the London, Dover, and Chatham Railway. " Justitia" has dealt with the former case, and we are promised from his able pen the exposé of the criminals to whom we owe the latter disaster. Yet, sir, these are but the most prominent two. The names of the other swindles are legion, and we must see that the culprits of the lesser swindles do not escape by directing national attention on the greater. It is in the highest degree satisfactory that the Times is beginning to throw its great weight into the scale, and we predict that the storm which will probably rage round the authors of the ruin will yet clear society from the presence of the unscrupulous gang. Is it to be said of the English people, that a child is to be sentenced to three months imprisonment with hard labour for stealing three-halfpence, while those who have stolen millions are to drive in their car riages about this city and to retain their seats in Parliament. What just laws are likely to be passed, when the promoters of numberless villanies have seats on the benches of the House of Commons? These people gain their seats by bare-faced bribery, using the money of which they have defrauded the public to attain the position—then using that in fluential position as a means of extracting more, and legislating so as to shelter themselVes. If Parlia ment wishes to escape the stigma which must always attach to those associated with persons convicted of gross frauds, it must clear the House of the un worthy members. When the iniquities of the Lon don Joint-Stock Discount Company were first ex posed there was a universal cry of indignation, and its board of directors were expelled from the direc tion of respectable concerns. Since then the nation has been stupified witil the horrors revealed, and a general notion has settled over the country that all men are, more or less, liars. This the nation thinks in its haste, but if it boldly grapples with the subject, and drags from among the flock the tainted sheep, it will be found that the flock is still sound, although those affected are numerous. The best means of making a cure and of restoring confidence is to cut out the cancer, no matter at what cost. As the case now stands every thing is condemned, and the good suffer with the bad. As the case will then stand, the good will be restored and the bad expunged. I trust that the press universally will work for such a result, and that English commercial morality will recover from the fearful blows it has sustained, and the authors of the calamity meet the fate they so richly deserve. —Your obedient servant, A VICTIM. EXTINCTION OF THE UNITED STATES WAR DEBT. If the American people have displayed a mar vellous power in war—they have shown since the close of their gigantic contest a still more marvel lous power in bearing the burdens with which war saddles nations. The ease with which the young giant has thrown on his shoulders the enormous load, has more astonished Europeans than the rise of the nation in arms to maintain the Union, and the determination and pertinacity with which the diffi culties and dangers were met and overcome. There was a grim smile over the face of Europe when Americans talked boastingly, and with what on this side was held to be a contemptuous indifference of the way in which the financial perplexities would be solved by their people. We here thought the giant would faint under his load•--they replied that the giant would dance, and toss the burden from shoulder to shoulder in the mere wantonness of play and of exuberant strength. If he will not faint, European financiers replied, he will weary of the continued strain, his limbs will be trammelled, his freedom and energy gone. You don't know the American people, was the retort ; the burden will sit lightly on such broad shoulders, and once under taken will never for a moment be dropped till the task be completed. A question such as this can only be solved by the test—the test has been tried, and even the Americans are surprised at the result. The great fact stands prominent among the items of the PRESIDENT'S Message telegraphed to Europe, that the estimated surplus for the year closing on the 31st May next will amount to the gigan tic sum of £31,600,000 sterling. It is not easy fully to realise the magnitude of these figures and the facts they convey. We are accustomed to consider the national expenditure of the United Kingdom as unequalled, absorbing sums which are raised here with difficulty, and which could not be supplied by any other nation. Over an empire, on which it is proudly said that the sun never sets, are scattered military and naval stations kept up by a lavish outlay. At every capital we have an Embassy, at every port a Consul. Our missions traverse the earth, and the oceans are swept by our fleets. Colonies clamour for defences ; and, in spite of a vigorous opposition, draw largely on the mother country. Great national arsenals employ hands by the thousand, and in great camps are gathered regiments which are the most costly in the world. A royal court is maintained in a way that befits the greatest of Queens, and Government measures are debated in the halls of a building suit able for an assembly allowed to be the greatest of Parliaments. Government establishments on an imperial scale are grouped in its neighbourhood, and lesser establishments are maintained in other cities over the vast empire. Englishmen know the cost, and groan over the ceaseless taxes, but though they continue an endless fight against the imposts, they consider themselves born to bear the burden, and they rejoice with a natural pride at the magnificent result. Yet all the costs of this display, added up into one sum, will hardly equal the mere surplus revenue of the United States for the current year. It must be borne in mind that the United States is a young nation. But a few years ago the Americans boasted that not only were their resources unequalled, but that they were untrammelled and free from debt. It was their delight to depict England as a decrepid old country sinking under its weary load, and to contrast their own youth and unshackled vigour, backed by the untold wealth of their unoccupied soil. Since then a" change " has come o'er the spirit of their dream." The people and the resources of the country are still there, but with the great exports crippled, and the nation weighted with a debt little short of England's national burden. The change of circumstances is met by a change of sentiment. " We have piled " up," say our American cousins, " the biggest " burden in the shortest time ;" and now, they con tinue, " We will show you European nations who " profess to teach us, how honestly to liquidate " these liabilities." It is a maxim of Europe that democracies will not be honest; that national honour will not weigh in the scale against the personal in convenience of endless imposts ; that the masses who have the power to shake off the burden will never voluntarily carry the load. The action of the American people is the grandest and most con founding refutation of such assumptions. These assumptions, may be pretended by those who wish to vilify Republican institutions, to be axioms, but they are in truth untrue. A nation which intends to be dishonest will be dishonest under any form Of government. A nation firmly bent on meeting its commitments, will meet them, whether ruled by an absolute sovereign, or ruled by an elected PRESIDENT; and we believe, there are no people who bold the honour of their country in greater esteem than the citizens of the United States, and who are more fully sensible, not only of the wickedness, but of the folly, of defrauding their creditors. Thus, then, they are bound by two strong sentiments--nationa l pride and national expediency. The true question was the power of liquidating such vast debts, so suddenly contracted. Their financiers were compelled to bring into force at once, a complicated system of taxation, and no one could positively predict the results until so novel a method had been tested by actual experience. It is difficult for Englishmen to free themselves from prejudices, and they have held too strongly to the idea that a ruling population would not put the collar round its own necks easily to be moved. Even if it could be coaxed into submission, none, it was thought, would dare to make the strain heavier than that, which would meet a greatly reduced expen diture, and pay the interest only on the debt con tracted. There are many in England who would have been surprised even at this result, and that such opinions were generally held furnishes conclu sive evidence of English ignorance of the American character. The grandeur of American conception is shown in the speech and imagery of the peopl e ' but there is a wide difference between talk and acts* The most sceptical, however, must be undeceived by American performances, and if the war bas raised the national character for gallantry in the field, the process by which the debt is being extinguishe d will raise to even a greater height the reputation of the nation. Liberals throughout Europe may wel l rejoice, for the enemies of human liberty are being i confounded. A people are now successfully engage" in a task which history has never yet recorded ; 3 task, which was supposed to be opposed to the ln stincts of a Democracy—and that people is the great Republic of America.—Anglo-American 2 lines. COUNTRY MARKETS. NORWICH— SATURDAY. of At this market to-day there was a limited supply wheat, and prices ruled about is per qr. higher than iss " week A large supply of barley, and a general dulness per vading the trade, prices for malting qualities gave Wa / about is per quarter, while to dispose of other qualities* still further decline was acceded to. White wheat (weighing 631 b), 68s to 70s ; old red altt ° ' (weighing 631 b), Ms to 63s ; new red ditto (weighing 521 b to 631 b), —s to —s; bast malting barley (vreig“ a ro.' 521 b to 531 b), 50s to 52s ; runs ditto (weighing 511 b to 54 `"1,, 46s to 48s • distilling ditto (weighing 501 b to 521 b), 363 40s ; oats, ' 24s to 26s ; beans, b7s to 39s ; peas (maple), to 38s per qr. Flour, 44s Od per sack. NO T TINGIIAM—SATURDAY. There was a moderato show of wheat to-clan tti a condition of which was not first-rate. There 1,0 1,i tolerable demand, and all dry sorts were is per qua the dearer There was a pretty good supply of barley, but " demand ruled slow, and prices, except for the finest cl o u e l ; lities, were rather lower. The quantity of oats ou off was middling, and there was a steady demand at Pri c „;., equal to those of last week. Beans declined is per ' 3 Peas dull and receding. eor Old white wheat, 68s to 73s ; old red, GOs to 67s ;, 1 ' white, 66s to 74s ; new red, 58s to 63s per 36 stone. u a d , old, 32s to 38s ; new, '24s to 32s per 24 stone. Beaus' °i 54s to 58s ; new, 44s to 52s per 38 stone. Fine flour, 450 to 9Gs per sack. LEICES TER SATURDAY. At to-day's market the show of wheat was hard l y large as usual. A fair share of business was trans act, , and prices 2s per qr. higher than last week. Superior sorr of barley in moderate demand at late prices. Rather 101 doing in oats, at last week's prices. Beans a dull trade, Is per qr. less money. New white wheat, 68s to 70s ; new red, 60s to 685; white, 70s to 76s ; old red, 66s to 70s per 36 stone. li g ley, for malting, 42s to 50s per qr.; grinding, 3 2 s to „,.1 per 30 stone. Oats, old, 32s to 40s ; new, 24s to 30s per stone. Beans, old, 56s to 60s ; new, 46s to 50s per 38 st°ll Fine flour, 48s ; seconds, 44s to 46s per 20 stone. . ket There was a Iimited YORK—SATURDAY supply of wheat at this rusr to-day, and the demand was steady, at an impioverflell. on late rates. In barl.y a limited business was la t 0 i t _ t ; reduction of is per qr. A healthy inquiry for oats , prices. The supply of beans was fair, at rather to sire' rate N s. 3 6 New white wheat, 56s to 64s ; new rod, 48s to 58s p er stone. Barley, for malting, 36s to 40s per qr. ; grindiur,f 33s to 34s per 30 stone. Oats, new, 24s to 28s per 24 stue• Beans, new, 50s to 54s per 38 stone. Malt, 68s to 71* Flour, 45s to 47s per sack of 2801bs. Foreign Mail Packet List. -4- MAILS DUE. Australla and New Zealand, via Southampton Deo. '2°' I*. c• Ditto, via Marseilles De c' Brazil and Capa Verde. by British packet. ..... .• • -- a* 0 . 2 Ditto, by French packet Cape of Good Hope, Ascension, and St. Helena Deo. 2 8. China, Penang, and Singapore, via Southampton—Dec 2° ," Ditto, via Marseilles . .....P ea Falkland Islands Gibraltar, via Southampton India (Calcutta), and Ceylon, via Southampton D ec, 2 Ditto, via Marseilles India (Bombay), via Southampton. • Ditto, via Marseilles .. Malta, Egypt, and Aden, via Southampton . 2 . 1 : 34 ; Ditto, via Marseilles Dee. ' Mauritius, via Southampton ec. Ditto, via Marseille 3. D Dee' 1 , 9. Newfoundland JAIL Portugal Ditto, by private ship to Lisbon United btates and British North America, by Bri- 40 tish packet Ditto, by United States packet, via Southamp ton Ditto, xia Cork ..... 14, Ditto, by Canadian packet, via L on do n d err y ..Dec. %Teat Coast of Africa, Iladeira, and Teneriffe ....Dec" West Indies and Paciflo (except Bahamas and 0 Honduras) PO' 10e Baham'..4, via New York. Jan' ,2 9 Cuba and Mexioo . Dee. ill Dee' Bermuda, via Halifax ... Slat e The QUESTION SETTLED.—The Illinois Journal says : —" There has been some quest i°ll to to which city in this State should rank n e% ; ;; o o, Chicago in size. Quincy has claimed the Pesi„ oo il and so also has Peoria. Springfield is the se: ii'r ee city of Illinois, and the votes polled in the ',t43 cities named, at the last election, deroonsvi-.'n-g, Ting the fact. The vote was as follows :--- - SE r niti• field, 3,119 ; Quincy, 3,080; Peoria, "I; eit cl It thus appears that Springfield is thirty-nin e of of Quincy, and one hundred and three all i e " t o 0 Peoria. In addition to this, it may be stat e ' is' over four hundred persons whose names were r e gd. tered on the poll books did not vote last Tu es , i de' These figures settle the mooted question, au dare Springfield the second city in Illinois. The Nation, in oneof its articles, remarks t',; - st ial "As a rule no person should overtax his ,7010' average strength. To this rule, however, th e 0 - ro oS mon sense of mankind admits very nur ° , - 0 1 exceptions. Physicians in times of g, " r oof sickness, nurses, watchmen, and night wor i . o in soldiers in battle or on forced marches, sa"" ge s , " storms, firemen, lawyers trying important 0 11 ;00 3 these are only a few cases out of many ln . L o t° duty, frequently and imperiously requires ' . " - t beir exert themselves beyond what a due regard t° A s,l6 ° best physical condition would admit. There at' get, other cases in which there may be no especial cw - re o f of overtaxing the strength, but where the nato,bet the occupation absolutely requires a greater n'fiTcjet of hours' labour than would be desirable. e iri 0 . 0 80 0 this head may be included ordinary dom e ployments. A woman, for example, must ts5DO,OO of her family, often without much regard t ° o lr.ea of labour, for a man's breakfast must be e° before he can eat it." Births. ngoon, the wif° Of Capprrelf COLLIER—On the 14th inst., at Cedar Villa Sutton,tiale, } i b i a L r D r E i s i t t s e — r - a o t -n1 the , o l f s t a u d i t au , g a h t t e R r a . the wife of C. F. Collier, Esq., of the ' w - Middle c °- , E. Childers, of a son. • Marriages. „, i rCbc BARTON—COLLIS — On the 13th inst., at FortuoY . c .,," of N. C. Barton, Esq., R.N., son Ropohill, Lymington, a of C. C. Lloyd , e of _ .iits, to Jane __. rec tor daughter of the Rev. Al A. C. Collis, D.v., Dee, Queenstown. ... LEWER—SHAW—On the 13th inst. S if. rgaretll rif, ,att. 1 3 r td e Kent, Alfred Leaver, Esq., M.D., Royal Horse ,orset, son of E. Lower, Esq., lerl Hall,-.Wiinbora,„. Pella to Bessie, mildest (laughter of Y Col. H. J. Shawl ' °ll 1 of the Herbert Hospital, Woolwich. Deaths. 0 li• C. BOWDEN—On the 13th inst., at Clapham-NOMII' Bowden, Esq., aged 68. t D er, , BLACKFORD—Oa the 11th inst at 33, Charles-strls. keley-square, the Lady Isabella Blackford, aV d , sto lo BRADLEY.—On the 7th inst., at Wollesoy-ronaiirajleif Newington, of consumption, Thomas Earnsbaw P,oolli aged 46. He has left a wife and seven children ' unprovided for. R.I.P. llil lii CuEsirAm—On the 14th inst., at the Hoe, dye Dowager Lady Chesham, aged 74. boll' LUCENA—On the 12th inst., at Barbaro, near Canter Lonloa . J. L. Lucena, Esq., of the Middle Temple, --- ___ ~ , T)itl'i" London: Printed and Pubiiahed by %V IL LIAM A. , -- - ~ it. of No. 112, Strand, Punter at Tan SUN Otr'° e „,.. ..,, a ty Strand, in the Precinct of the Savoy, in the Co Bliddleem—blonday, December 17, 18e6. , R'7! is, a Pi race SRI r e f tau r ot , br4 Also Ine r for] and sni den, bel t] qua' T that Vi i Z. EllOu she tiv ler)