The Express.
London, England, 1849-09-20 00:00:00

NEW YORK, thirr.S.
General Taylor has proceeded north as fee as E.
Pennsylvania. on Lake Erie. Everywhere he has
been well received, and has sustained his leputathet
as a man of ability. I confess at one time I beget
to fear we had over-rated the hero of Buena 'yid.,
and that in some way or other we had been deceived
in our estimate of him as a writer and speaker. pf
.bie generalship and bravery we were sure; of hi,
modesty, his integrity, his spotless name, we IF"
equally sure. My misgivings in one reepeet
are over. I perceive by his off-band replies to the
various addresses made him, that he piano= nee
only a pure and natural elcquence, but a sound heed
and heart, and that he himself has no desire or inten-
tion to depart from his pledgee. I it el more user*
therefore, than ever, that the miserable plan of par_
abasing support in congress by the bestowal of office
on enemies or doubtful friends, will be Jitterly di..
oonntenanoed by him. Some of General Tayketd
speeches would dlo credit even to Daniel Webster.
With regard to Cuba and the abduction case, it le
given out that several vessels of the home equedna:
have been ordered to Havannah to make a pers..,
tory demand of Senor Rey. How true this is I lame
not. lam at present inclined to believe it from the
fact that General Taylor's cabinet axe looking out fie
a good chance to glorify themselve-, and because the
act itself is sufficiently proved. If we were to permit
foreign officials to plot and kidnip for political pot.
poses, and with impunity, we should deserve the son
of the world. The whole affair reveals a pretty
piece of Spanish intrigue that would make a chapter
m " Gil Blas." _

Two state criminals in Cuba prevailed on Rey to
let them out of prison and escape with them to the
United States. One of them was suspected of being
a patriot acting in concert with Spaniards is New
York, and being an agent of a liberal paper in that
language published in New York, and surreptitiously
circulated in Cuba. Presently that agent is found
dead in his apartment,hie throat cut, and without any
adequate cause. Rey is then cautiously approached,
requested to,eturn to Havannah, and giveinformatioa
as to what he knew about conspirators and traitors.
The Spanish consul, a protegé of Munoz, is desirous of
promotion, and seeks to gin his advance.
ment by preserving Cabe. An agent who
figures in the abduction, committed a murder
some years ago, has some property in Cabe,
and wishes to go back. His evirtions, seconding
those of the consul, are to secure his safe return. The
man Rey is dragged, carried on board a schooner,
and sent to Havannah. There he is made to appear
as if returning of his own volition, but finally, gather-
ing courage, appeals to the consul for protection. U
three or four frigetesare emit to the Havannah I have
no doubt that Rey, if alive, will be delivered up. If
put to death while under the demand of our consul
there will be trouble.
Somewhat in imitation of the British Association
we have just had a convention of scientific men,
foreigners and natives, at Cambridge, Harvard
University. Several new ideas were tin:Rested in
the comae of the proceedings, and resolutits.s fa the
preparation of a manual of scientific observation end
research by the Smithamian Institute, to be placed is
the hands of travellers, and our navy and army
officers, were offered and adop'ed. This ir, no doubt,
the result of Sir John Herrchel's excellent effort.

The cholera is evidently leaving us. The deaths
are now few, and the reports of the number of cases
are discontinued. As soon as this fact was evident,
our principal merchants united in aiidres-iing a card
to their customers in the country, assuring them of
their entire safety if they visited the city. They also
took the pains to inform them that but t pro dry goods
dealers had died of the cholera! Of courier., there wu
considerable comfort in this statemi nt, and its pro-
bable effect is perhaps not overrated.
Our city papers, or rather a portion of them, un-
dertake to show that the European import trade is
exclusively in the hands of the foreign houses. Oar
warehousing. system has rendered capital quits
unneceasary in the foreign trade. Certainly we have
a very large proportion of foreign merchants in this
' city, and they are generally very successful. They
not only succeed in business, but they are very pro-
minent in the fashionable world. Til‘y live in very
handsome style, they are generally mu'icul amateurs,
they marry our most distinguished females, and their
broken English is quite a passport to public favour.
In matters of business they are close, &ten mean, and
will dispute about a sixpence with an earnestness
that quite disgusts an American.
Our Custom-house receipts are large. The imports-
tient; for the year 1849 will exceed the estimates and
leave quite a balance in the treasury over and above
all its expenditure.
The United States mail steamer }Veen sailed
yesterday for Cnagres with about 70 paccei gere and
a full freight. There is evidently a strong conviction
in the public mind that El Dorado is fou ad. All cur
private accounts go to prove that the gold is Liz-
haustible, and while the rivers are high, is 'o be ob-
tained in the miuntains only by severe labour. At
San Francisco money is abunciant, and labour is dear.
Millions of gold circulate freely among its singular
population. I adverted to the China trade as likely
to become direct with this country. I will suggest
something to your capitalist., first premising
that with all our enterprise and scheming
it is extremely difficult to get up any pro-
ject in the United States which requires a heavy
capital. Oar largest fortunes are at the best,
comparatively speaking, but moderate in their dimen-
sions. A person worth 300,000 dolt., which here is
equal to every rational expenditure, and eneitrec most
of the elegancies of life, would not be likely to risk
one-half of it in any venture, howefer plausible. Oar
first railways and steamers have been affected by this
circumstance. Howland, and Aspinwall, and E. L
Collins, are quite remarkable for their rick of capital
in their respective enterprises. Bat no American
hewn or company seems ready to navigate the Pacific
Ocean between China and North America. But what
a route for a line of steamers is there now opened
between the 15th and 30th degrees of north latitude!
How numerous the islands, how vast the products,
bow convenient the stopping places! We estimate
the time between England and China rid the isthmus
route not more than 50 days by steam! If we call
it sixty, it is short enough. Why, then, should not
some of your companies send round a lice of steamers
to ply between Hang Kong and Panama!
There seems to be nothing in the way of a success-
ful adventure in that quarter. We have no eteamers
ready, or that can be made ready for such a trade in
a year and a half. You have large v.•-eels running
upon comparatively short routes, that might be trans-
ferred at once to this servioo. It is cat tainly worthy
of consideration.

DBIITRUCTION OP TEN PiMUM-SHIP Barran CLAY IT
Flee.—l hats jut returned from a melancholy scee•—the
destruction of the New York and Liverpool liner, He.,
Clay, 1,400 tons burden, and her outward b nand cargo on
board, by fire. The Henry Clay was nvortd at the foot of
Maiden-lane, in the E tat River, and about two o'clock this
morning limes burst forth from the irrtween.decks and up
the main hatchway. The alarm was instantly given,but
such was the combustible nature of her canto—chiefly
turpentine, resin, flour, and cotten (230 balte)—that although
the fire companiee and their engines were on the pier along-
side in the course of a few minutes, yet it was impossible to
save the noble ship. Is about an hour the flames
enveloped the rigging in their destructive told:, mutating
mut high with a thousand tongues of roarine tory, throwing
their red and lurid glare 'Ph a fearful reflection over the
city Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, and a perfect forest of
masts, while in Broadway it appeared as it the ceep and
roseate twilight of dawn illumined the eastern humus. The
confusion and sublimity of the scene were appalling, eau-
daily as the bile-fires flashed upon busy groups • f men and
boats hauling ut the neighbouring ships, witch were ex-
posed to the utmost danger. Soon after 4 o'clock the main
and eniaen masts fell, each with a tremendous crash, and amid
cries and shouts of " Clear away ! r God's sake stead
from under!" One man only was injured, far es yet
known, by the falling spars ; hut it is feared that hie wounds
are morsel. The foremast did not go by the ts.ard until
nearly seven o'clock, and at that hour the ship had heeled
over against the pier; allies of fire and dense Talbot vo-
lumes of black smoke bursting through her entire deck, and
many holes on her larboard side—the last sad scene in the
conflagration of the Henry Clay. The Henry Clay was one
of the finest vessels of the line of Orion Minton, end
Co., and was worth about 100,000 dollars. Tne cause of the
are is not known. The packet Waterloo, and another very
large v.ssol had a narrow escape. Much credit is due to the
New York firemen for their prompt and well- lirected ear,
lions—for they alone saved a whole fleet from the destroying
element. But a few timbers of the Henry Clay remain. The
loss may as well be called total. The ship wan inured
by
Messrs. Grinnell and Dilatant by the year. The cargo, g
owned by British merchants, is probably insured.

PARLIAMENTARY AND FINANCIAL REFORM.—YeS'
terday event°, a preliminary public amain,- was h"
the Duke of York T.vern, Wenlook.soreet, Citymsd, when
it was resolved to forma district society in svput of the
objects and principles of the National Parthmeattry and
I Financial ft for Amociation. A committee wet appointed
to adeanos tits objects id%