The Express.
London, England, 1851-12-26 00:00:00

"10, Half Moon-street, Picadilly, Dec. 19,18.51. i
" Sir,-1 have received your kind letter of yesterday, in-
viting me, in the name of the Mayor of Southampton and a
numerous body of the merchants and others connected with
your port, to a public dinner there, on such a day as may '
suit my convenience. In consequence of my short stay in
England, and accumulated business, I have been compelled
to decline similar requests from other points in your country,
prior in date to yours. It is with extreme regret that I feel
constrained to forego the pleasitre of dining with the mayor ,
and merchants of Southampton. There is no one in Eng-
land for whom I entertain more respect and esteem than the
Mayor of Southampton. This feeling is (general in America,
' and embraces your worthy, intelligent, liberal, and patriotic
citizens, from whom we have received so many marks of
kindness and regard. It is quite true, as referred to by you,
that, as a member of this American cabinet, I was an advo-
cate of that great steam communication which now so hap-
pily unites various points of your country with my own. It
was a most beneficial system, and I hope it is destined to
great and successful enlargwenta„ I thank you also for the
kind and cordial esiatobi sett have been pleased
to express in regard to my country. It is most
clearly the interest and duty of England and America to
encourage and maintain the most friendly relations. In some
remarks, heretofore made by me at your city, I took occa-
sion to express the opinion that a neighbouring republic, so
called, based upon half a million of bayonets, and a state of
siege, would soon be merged in absolute or imperial power.
Those pre lictions ore already fulfilled ; and 1. ranee is now
passing into a government more military and despotic than
any that prevails in Europe, because it is purely the govern-
ment of the army, and of a single chief. Already this fear-
ful change is hailed with delight by all the despotic powers,
and especially by Russia, Austria, and Naples. The conti-
nent has become deep. tic, except a few remaining point*,
which arc already menaced, and where the light of liberty,
it is feared, will soon be extinguished. These islands alone
remain to breast the fury of despotic power, uud already it
is intimated that it may Income) necessary to re establish
against England the continental system of the first Napoleon.
The principle of the despots powers will be this, that Eng-
land must refuse 411 asylum to the exiled victims of conti-
nental oppression, and that she must abandon the liberty of
speech and of the press. The question I fear, will soon be
pronotindeil to England—Will you relinquish all the prin-
ciples of free government, and sink quietly into the abyss
of despotism? Or will you manfully resist, and if so,
when, and how, and where, are you willing to begin the
resistance ? Will you wait until every free government
is overthrown on the Continent ? Or, when the principle
of armed intervention from abroad announces its determi-
nation to subvert these governments, will you then interfere
for your own security, and whilst yet you may have friends
nail allies upon the continent? Should the latter be your
wise and patriotic resolve, and should you, in that event,
desire the co-operation of my country, it will be given by
the government, and sustained by the people, with zeal and
unanimity. I know nothing, since the days of the Cru•
miles, that could excite in America a feeling so deep, uni-
versal, and enthusi retie, or which would call out so many
millions, if necessary, of my countrymen, as an invitation
from you, to your children in America, to tight together
the last great triumphant battle for the liberties of man.
It would be a certain and an easy victory, achieved chiefly
by the naval forces of Englond and America; and, succeed-
ing this victory, there would then be enduring peace and
extended commerce. Indeed, I doubt not, that if England
and America would inform the continental despots that
they must not intervene beyond their own limits to over-
throw other governments, merely because they were free,
that such an annunciation would arrest their march in ISM
as it did in 1820, and accomplish the same result without
the necessity of war or bloodshed. Be pleased to present to
the mayor and to the worthy merchants and citizens of
Southumpton, who have united in this invitation, my most
sincere thanks, and accept for yourself, my dear sir, re-
newed assuranc^s of my regard and esteem.—Yours most
faithfully, R. J. WALKett.--Charles E. Deacon, Esq., &c.,
Town Clerk."

REPRESENTATION OF PLYMOUTII.—Mr. G. T.
Braille, deputy-chairman of the Eastern Steam Navigation
Company, and director of the Plymouth Great Western
Dovis, has issued an address to the electors of this borough,
offering himself as a candidate for its representation. He
states that he is, by education and conviction, en advocate
of free trade, while in matters of general policy his views
arc in accordance with those of the Liberal party ; that he
is warmly attached to the Church of England, and opposed
to any concession of spiritual or temporal power to the
Church of Rome.

MELANCHOLY DEATH OF A SPECIAL PLEADER.-
Ye,tmlay morning Mr. J. Douglas, a special pleader, who
resided at No. 3, Garden-court, Temple, was found dead in
his chamber, having a deep wound in his head. It appears
that the deceased was a bachelor, and on his return home
on Christmas eve, he remained in his sitting-room for sonic
time, and it is supposed that on retiring to his bedroom ho
war seised with vertigo, and fat against the key in the door
lock ;when the key intlictcd:the wound. On the laundress ar-
riving in the morning she called Mr. Hutchinson, surgeon,of
Chancery. lane, but life had heeu extinct above li.df an hour.
The deceased was about sixty year of age. Ilad there been
a bell with which the unfortunate gentleman could have
alarmed the watchman, Lis life might have been saved, as
it is conjectured that he must have had sufficient power
when the wound walreceived to have dune so; such means
of communication are much required in these chambers.

ISTIIIICS OF PANAMA.—WC yesterday stated
that Dr. Cullen, who has recently made a new survey of the
Isthmus of Darien, has returned home in the Avon. The
more recent inve,tigations, made on the isthmus by Dr.
Cullen, have brought to light the very important fact that
• wide tract of entirely low and level land extends from
Port Escoces, ou the Atlantic coast of the isthmus, to the
river Savona. This river, which falls into the Gulf of
San Miguel on the Pacific, is navigable for 16 miles and
upwards frum its mouth for vessels of the greatest draught
of water, and there would ri main only to deepen eight miles
of its upper course, and to cut nine miles from the river to
Port Escoces, over low and level land, in order to form a
canal communication between the Atlantic and Pacific
oceans. This projected canal route, front the excellence of
the harbours on each side, its shortnes, and the low eleva-
tion of the country, presents facilities which no route
hitherto proposed can offer. The amount of work to bo
done is considerably less than that which yet remains to be
done on the repaint' railroad.
Tug. ISCO3IE-Tax IN TUE CITY OF LONDON.—\o-'
lice was issued yesterday at the different churches through-
' out the City that the Commissioners for General Purposes
hate appointed Wednesday next, the 31st inst., at 11
o'clock in the forenoon, to hear and decide appeals at their
office, 26, Ilatinghall-street, from parties belonging to the
different wards within the a,s4 city who consider themselves
aggrieved by an over-assessment under schedule 1) of the
Property and Income Tax Act, ath and 6th Victoria, cap.
3.5, for the year ending the pith day of April 1832 with re-
spect to profits arising from trades, otlice., sc., chargeable
under the above act.
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How TO PROCURE RAIN.—A letter from ileyroUt,
in the 09seroatore Triestilw' states that the Ottoman go-
vernment has ordered every Slussulnian to pray ter rain on
account of the great drought, and gives the tut:owing des-
cription of the ceremony: Every good Muhometan procured
a vine branch w ith 10 leaves upon it ; he then recites a verse
of the Koran over each leaf. The vine branch is then rolled
up, secured to a packthre aad cast into the sea, to be
drawn out when it shall have rained sufficiently.
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EXTRAORDINARY CREDULITY.—On TROMIIIy, Win.
Manning Jay and Mary Anne Mears were brought before the
borough magistrates at Weymouth, on several charges of
baring obtained money from Mary Palmer, Mary Randall,
and :we other females, named Goff (sisters), ou false pre•
tences, by means of telling fortunes. It appeared that they
hadconjointly received, at different times, moneys to a very
large araJunt, iz., from Palmer, money and other property
upwards of 601. in value • of Randall, upwards of 40/. ;
and from the sisters doff, from one 20, and the
other, the youngest, 141., promising the parties
the acquision of hundred pounds in return. A
lengthened investigation took place, occupying the whole
of Tuesday and Wednesday. The Guildhall was crowded
on both days. A more extensive system of low cunning,
accompanied by tile most spacious promises of im-
mense remuneration by large fortunes was never practised
on credulity. Jay personated various characters, at dif-
ferent times, according to circumstances, sometimes a
lawyer, thr a the lawyer's clerk ; working on misguided fe-
males, they (Jay and Mears) have carried on their system
most prosperously, it appears, for the last three or four
years. We regret to add that there arc numerous parties
in this town and in Voriland who have been victims to their
inveigling plans of procedure to an enormous extent, but
who are now ashamed to come forward, for fear of exposing
the ease with which they have been duped by the gloxing
wiles of the old Sybil and her paramour. They were bath
committed to the county gaol for trial at the ensuing ses-
sions.—Sherborne Journal.
ALARMING FlRE.—Lnat night, at a quarter past
10 o'clock, a fire broke out in the premises belonging to Mr.
Risen, un engineer, at No. 20, Waterloo-road, Luulx.th. The
flames originated from, it is supposed, a spark flying from a
lighted candle and settling upon a bed in the first floor
back. Mr. Elson and Mason rushed into the blazing apart-
ment for the pupate of rescuing a little girl from the
flames and subduing the fire. Iu so doing, however, both
tho father and sun were severely scorched, rind the girl was
much burnt. The West of England engine promptly at-
tended, and plenty of water having been procured, the in-
mates succeed,. A sulatuiog the llama, but not until con-
aiderable damage was done.