The Express.
London, England, 1851-05-05 00:00:00

UNITED STATES.

The royal mail steamer. Africa, Capt. Ityrie, ar-
rived at Liverpool. at 2 o'clock, yesterday- morning,
with the .‘ierican mails, and the large number of
187 passengers. She has also about 100,0001. specie
in gold, and 200.000 dollars in silver.
The Africa left New York on the 23rd ult. at noon,
and has, therefore, made the voyage, allowing for
difference in time, in ten days nine hours from port
to port.
The steamer, America, arrived out at Boston at
noon on the 17th ult., in 12 days, from Liverpool.
The American steamer, Pacific, reached New York
at 10 o'clock on the morning of the 19th, in nine
days twenty hours, or adding difference in time, in
ten days one hour, the shortest voyage ever made
from port to port. She being able to carry her
canvas the whole voyage made an average of 307
miler a day-.
The Asia (steamer) reached New York on the
23rd, in 10 days 22 hours, .or, adding difference of
time, 11 days 3 hours front port to port.
The news by this arrival is four days later than
that Jtveived at Southampton by the Washington
on Saturday.
The steam-ship Great Western, of the West India
line, was at Chagres on the Bth March, taking in
about half a million of specie sterling for England.
Business is reported to be improving. A terrible
example had been made of two horse thieves, de-
tected near Sacramento City, and who were imam-
diately hung, ac, ording to Lynch law.
Our correspondent writes as follows:
The principal topic here of late is the sudden adjourn-
ment of the State Legislature under extraordinary circum-
stances. They are so extraordinary, and so adiutrably il-
lustrate the scope and capabilities of a minority, that I may
venture to explain them. For many years the Erie Canal
has been deemed too small to meet the demands upon its
capacity. A plan of widening and deepening it, so as to
make it a river, has long been agreed upon. While the
whiga were in power, they succeeded in obtaining large ap-
prooriatious for the purpose, and the canal was, for about
one-half its length, perhaps more (at this moment I am un-
able to state it distinctly), enlarged. When the new consti-
tution was adopted, where democratic influences pre-
vailed, it was resolved to limit these expenditures
for enlargement to moderate sums, a million at a
time, and to allow no appropriation to be made
for a greater period in ads once than two years, unless tho
subject was first submitted to the people. It was also
deteriniued, that for every loan so created the means of
repayment of principal and interest should be provided by
law. This wholesome restriction put an end to the system
of borrowing and expendin4, our state stocks soou recovered
their tone and soon rote above par, where they remain. At
this session of the legislature the whigs of both houses, being
mostly Seward men, resolveu to enlarge the Erie canal
for the sake of giving themselves strength at the next
election. How to get the money to do so in the face and in
the teeth of the constitution puzzled them surely. A am-
trivance, however, was brought forward of this kind.
It was proposed to sell the future surplus revenues of
the canal to such persons as chose to deposit their
money in the state treasury, the state however refusing to
assure the parties loaning the money, that they would ever
get back their principal or even interest. Bat the constitu-
tion forbade positively any such appropriations in advance,
or fur any term of time beyond two years, and the plan was
clearly contrary to law, though somewhat ingenious. The
bill was " rushed" through the lower home by a constitu-
tional majority of three fifths. In the senate the whiga
had no such majority, and after the democrats had battled
the question to the last, and found they were about to be
overpowered, thirteen of them resigned their seats, so alto
render it impossible that a three-fifth majority could be ob-
tained. Enough, however, held their seats to enable a re-
gular quorum to transact and finish all the important busi-
ness of the senate. Here was a crisis, indeed. After is few
hours, the majority, finding themselves toiled in their loan
scheme, adjoined suss die.
The governor has called a special meeting of the legisla-
ture in June, and special elections in May are to be held to
fill the places of the thirteen democratic senators who re-
signed its order to defeat the bill.
i Mr. Webster, while on his wav to lilantfield, gave an
r opinion favourable to this bill, in the lope that certain core-
r plimentary resolutions before the legislature would have
t bean paned.