The Express.
London, England, 1864-12-26 00:00:00

AMERICA.

We have news from General Sherman, through
the Richmond papers of the 13th, the substance of
which is communicated to Secretary Stanton by
General Grant. They state that General Sherman'.
army was on the 10th within fifteen miles of Sayan.
nab, and in their latest despatches announce that
he had arrived at a point within less than five mile,
of it, and was drawn up in line of battle, but hal
yet made no attack. They say that be was con-
fronted by a large Confederate force, and had yet
bad no communication with the coast. Sherman
has severed the telegraph running from Savannah
to Richmond, and the papers of the latter city b. 1%.,
to receive their intelligence of his movements front
Charleston. The Confederates profess to be in
doubt whether he would attack Savannah or move
around the city and strike the coast south-east of it.
The following are the official despatches respect.
ing Sbermau's movements referred to above

War Departanat, Waahiogioa, Dec. 1;.

To Major-Gomm' Dix, New York. —The Richmond pa.
pars of yesterday report General Sherman it Bloomiogdale,
fifteen miles from Savannah, on Saturday. He is reported
by this morning's, Richmond papers, as will be men by the
followiog telegram from General Grant, to be in like of
battle not five miles from Savannah :

City Point, Va., Dec. 1 s.

lion. E. M. Stanton, Secretary of War.—ltichmo: !
papers of to-day contain the following :—The ItichtcoL !
buipatch ears, "Sherman is near Savannah, probably
five miles distant. Ile has not yet made an atto,..k. ;: .3
still doubtful whether be will do so or make for the coa.t
southeast of the city. It is very certain be has not ya
opened communication with the coast. though he may do so
very soon. Later.—A telegraphic despatch from bclori
Charleston states that Sherman was in line of battle (se
will not say where), confronted by a strong Conlederde
force." Another paper stews, "There has been no .Ifivct
communication with Savannah for several days, but we op.
prebeod the wires have been cut between that place w.,1
Charleston."—V. S. GRANT.

The severity of the weather has prevented any importast
movements by either side at Nashville, Nothing of import-
&ace is reported to-day from the armies of the Potomac ci
of the Shenandosh.—Enwut M. 12/LINTON. Secretary of Wee.
The movement of General Warren, from the Arn.y
of the Potomac southward, has been couclud...l.
The expedition was for the purpose of destro)iu4.
the Weldon Railroad, and inflicting damage upon
Lee's line of communications to a point as far south
as was practicable. The force penetrated as far as
Hickaford, on the Meberrin River, 48 miles south
of Petersburg, completely destroying the railroad
the entire distance, burning bridges and ties, bend.
ing the rails by heat, dzc. The troops safely
returned to camp on the 11th and 12th.
" No movement of particular importance has vet
occurred in the vicinity of Nashville, the (Ad
weather interfering with operations on both sides"
(says the Herald of the 14th). "There was some
skirmishing yesterday, but apparently without re-
sults of consequence. The portion of Hood's rebel
army which, under General Lyon, crossed to the
north side of the Cumberland river, 20 miles above
Fort Douelson, a few days ago, is said to be moving
on Hopkinsville, Kentucky. This force is (.NU-
mated at from two to four thousand, and it is
said that if it attacks llopkinsville the
Union garrison there will be compelled to fall
back, as it is very small. The brigade of Union
soldiers under command of General Cooper, which
was cut off at Centreville when General Schofield
moved northward from Columbia, Tennessee, arrived
safely in Nashville on the Bth inst., having per-
formed a march of over 160 miles, moving com-
pletely around the enemy's lines, capturing a rebel
cavalry outpost, and losing in all only ten men, who
being tired out fell behind and were murdered by
guerillas. General Breckioridge is reported to be at
Sparta, Tenneasee,with 10,000 men, endeseooring to
form a junction with Hood, in which it is thought lie
will find more difficulty than he anticipates."
The St. Alban's raiders, for some time past
undergoing examination at Montreal, were on the
13th discharged by Judge Coursol, ou the ground
that his court had no jurisdiction.

The hew York Times of the 14th thus comments
on this occurrence :
There is an end to the St. Alban's burglar trial in Mont-
real. Mr. Justice Coursol has discharged the accused on
the technical ground that the court over which be preside,
has had, from the first, no jurisdiction in the Families. It
appears that on the re-uaembling of the court yesterday
at Montreal, the counsel for the primulas raised the
question of juriadictioo, and that, after deliberating
for some time, Judge Coursed summarily assented
to the arguments of the counsel, ►nd decided that,
as the case came uuder the Imperial Extradition Act,
by virtue of its involving a question of national policy, and
as the Provincial Act, intended to give effect to the Ash-
burton treaty in the colony, had never received the royal
sanction, he must allow the colonial set to give way before
that of the Imperial Legislature. The British act, accord-
ing to the judge's ruling, required that the warrant under
which the prisoners were arrested sLould be signed by the
Governor-General. The judge eves found it impossible to
hold the prisoners for trial before a higher tribunal, inns-
much as " the liberty of the subject" was involeed ; sad
the instant discharge of the prisoners, in spite of the
protest of one of the counsel acting for the United States.
was therefore ordered, amid the loud applause of a crowded
court. Not the least singular part of this Moisten is
that the counsel acting for the crown (Mr. Johnson), and
one of the counsel acting for the United States (Mr. Ross),
appear to have thrown up the prosecution without even the
semblance of a protest, both of these gentlemen apparently
giving an instant and unqueetiocieg assent to the correct.
nem of Judge Courson' siding. In the absence of a full
report of the arguments, we cannot, of course, un.
dertake to meet the points of municipal or inter-
national law which the case involved. The tele•
graphic abstract is altogether too meagre to pre•
sent the beads foe an intelligent opinion. But, on the
face of it, we can readily accept Judge Coursol's assurance
that "the case was a most exceptional one." We hare
greater difficulty in understanding how the judge, with six
separate indictments standing against the prisoners, found
it so absolutely incumbent upon him to discharge them shoo.
lately on the single count thus far embraced in the trial.
The matter, apart from its judicial bearings, is one alto-
gether of a dangerously unpleasant kind. It will be bard to
convince the people who are exposed to these border
robberies that there is not a species of connivance between
the robbers and those who so heartily applaud their reissue
in &Canadian court of justice.

. -
In au article referring to the discharge of the St.
Alban's raiders, the Herald of the 14th says :
"Curiously enough, just at the moment when we
received this news we also learned that one portion
of the legislative branch of our government at
Washington had adopted the measure of increas-
ing our squadron of armed vessels on the lakes,
and the other portion had agreed to a resolution
giving notice to Great Britain that the reciprocity
treaty with Canada should be terminated ; and
this, too, without any provision for the eubst,ruC•
Lion of a new treaty."
We learn from Washington that the Howe
adopted, by a vote of 85 to 57, the resolution re•
furred to above, giving notice of au intention to
terminate the reciprocity treaty.

INTEILISTING STATE DoccnENTS. Sir Julie
Remaly, at the recommendation of the amoorllor of the
Exchequer, has forwarded to the ordusece y acpart•
meat is Sc.athamptoss a collection of flatland documents, to
be copied by the photoznacographic proosu. This caller-
tarn contains the most iuterestiog semis of charters, treaties,
and letters, which it was possible to select out of the
Record-office. They illustrate the history of the country
from the oommeocement of the taiga of William the Con-
queror to the sod of the reign of queen Ana*, all of which
will be published in chronological order with translations, so
that we shall hare in this collectioa an illustration of the
gradual cheap in the leninage, sod is the mode of writing
during the last 800 years. The seals that are attached to
some of the documents ars also of great interest ; that which
is attached to the treaty of peace between Hoary the Eighth
of England and Fraacis the First of France is is gold, of
wards 31 four inches in diameter, and exquisitely carved is
relief by Beeeveouto Cobra. The gold seal attached to the
West of knighthood conferred on Prince Edward by the
King of Castile is also of great interest, and there is the
gold seal attached to the Pope's Bull conferriag the title of
Defeader of the Faith oa Henry the Eighth. Amongst the
docuaeata is so original copy of Magna atarta.--Swilii-
misprint rims.

The planters in Maryland offer to pay their dare.;
from GO dole. to 100 dole. per annum. it is said that go-
veremeot wilier. that no oregera will be permitted to truth
nohow they with to.—New York

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patches respect.
to above :
testes, Dec. 13.

Che Richmond pa.
I at Bloomingdale',
, He is reported
rill be seen by the
to be in line of