The Express.
London, England, 1853-03-31 00:00:00

AMERICA.

ARRIVAL OF THE PACIFIC.
(HT ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.)

LIVERPOOL, THURSDAY MORNING.
The United States Mail steamer Pacific, Captain
Nye, arrived in the Mersey this morning, at three
o'clock, from New York direct, and brings four days'
later news than that brought by the Cambria.
The Pacific left New York on the 19th inst., and
has brought about 93 passengers and the usual mails,
but no specie.
The Royal Mail steamer Canada arrived out at
Halifax on the 18th inst.

Since the sailing of the last steamer business had
been good. Discount stocks were in very moderate
demand, and prices weak.
The large provision house of Cesare, of Baltimore,
bad failed.
The discussion on the subject of British aggression
in Central America was still going on in the Senate.
No appointments have yet been made by the
President.

The New Orleans papers publish some corres-
pondence from Belize, dated the 24th of Febru-
ary, which confirms the previous conjecture, that the
Devastation had taken possession of Trnzillo. The
governor had submitted through fear of a bombard-
ment.

There are current rumours to the effect that the
government of the United States had demanded from
the English minister explanations respecting the
occurrences at Honduras.

Intelligence from Havannak to the 13th had been
received at New York. The British mail steamer
Dee was at that port, arrived from Mexico. The
Mexican Commission sent to invite Santa Anna to
return to Mexico, were waiting at Havannah, where
he was expected.
The 3,700,000 dears of gold reported by the last
steamer as on its way to the United States from Ca-
lifornia, had arrived.

GREAT EARTHQUAKE IN THE LNDIAN
ARCHIPELAGO.

The Singapore Pree Press, of the 4th of February
Let, quotes from the Java Bode :ke following account
of a terrible commotion of nature, which commenced
on the 16th, or probably the 26th, of November, and
lasted until the 22nd of December last : . .

On the 16th of November, about 20 minutes to 8 in the
morning, a heavy vertical oscillation of the grotind was felt
at Banda Nein', which soon changed into a rapidly in-
creasing undulation from the N.E. to the S.E., which
lasted for more than five minutes. Every one left his house,
to remain standing was impossible; people were obliged to
take a firm hold of something, or throw themselvce on the
ground. In the morning a slight shower of rain fell, but
otherwise the weather was not unfavourable.

At the first shack erarly all the houses were thrown
down or very much shattered. The government buildings,
the church, the officers' houses iu the encampment, and the
warehouses suffered the greatest injury; the Chinese quar-
ter was a heap of ruins—the native village on the Zonnegat
was laid waste. The Pupenberg fell partly in, Red two
bamboo houses upon it disappeared, and on Great Ihnda
the houses of the park-keepers, their out-houtes and smok-
ing-houses for the nutmegs underwent the same fate ;
everything there was also thrown down, or greatly injured ;
nothing is visible of the village Lonthoir but a heap of
ruins. Sera was terribly shattered, while detached pieces
of rock lay everywhere scattered around. There were no
deaths, however, to lament, end only some persons were
slightly bruised or wounded.
But the misfortune did ant stop here. About eight
o'clock a disturbance of the sea (Zee-boring) occurred,
which filled every heart with fear and dismay, and caused
every one to fly to the highest ground. In quick succes-
sion the bay filled and emptied, and at times it appeared to
be only a little river.
The ship Atiat-al-Rachman, laden with rice, lying in
the roads, twice touched the ground, after—like H.M.'s
brig De Haai, which had anchored the day previous—
having been driven backwards and forwards a number of
times ; but this sea quake increased in a frightful manner,
I and thrice overwhelmed Great Banda and Neira with the
largest rollers; on the last place they reached several feet
I high in the houses, and burst the doors open. These huge
waves formed in the Zounegat end in the channel of
Lonthoir, and ran so high that they beat over Fort Nassau,
and reached the foot of the hill on which Fort Belgica is
built, carrying everything with them in their rcfiux, but
at the same time leaving behind a quantity of fishes. The
graham in the roads were driven amongst and against each
other, and carried to and trom the shore. They foun-
dered, or drove in the Zonnegat, where they struck on
the shore; only a few could save themselves by flight.
These prahus belonged to the Saru and Key Islands and
Ceram, and a part of their crews finding themselves on
shore, sought shelter is one of the sheds ou the old pier,
but they could not withstand the force of the rollers, and iu
a moment they were torn out of their place of shelter and
driven seawards, there miserably to perish. It is estimated
that sixty men lost their lives in this way.
Miserable was the condition of the inhabitants, who saw
the waves twenty-six feet high, rolling so irresistably
towards them, threatening to engulf them ; the ground
continually rucking under their feet; the iitmophere
echoing with loud reports like cannon shots, filling their
hearts with fear, and this all-destructive, indescribable
state of things, lasted not merely for five minutes,
—an hour—a day—but fur successive days ; for these
frightful natural phenomena only ceased on the 22nd De-
cetuber, while all that time scarcely an hour passed that the
ground did not heave and shake, now in the heaviest man-
ner, and then lighter, but always so that distrust and fear
remained imprinted in the hearts of the inhabitants, who
partly or wholly ruined, without habitations, shelte ring in
light bamboo huts, look forward to the gloomiest future,
and will perhaps never be able to recover the blow which
they have received.
During these earth and sea quakes, which last, however,
did not extend beyond the north side of Neira and to the
south side of Great Bandits, Gunong Api was quiescent,
and no alteration was observed in the smoke proceeding
from it.

The accounts from the islands Itosengein and Ai were
even more tragical, and the destruction there no less great.
The spice parks Retie and Noorwegen on Great Banda,
the last which remained standing, also at length fell in,
and at present there are not more than two habitable houses
in Neira. The residency house has suffered much. Rock
and earth slips from the Papenberg occurred there for a
length of time.
Ihe same disastrous accounts had been received from
Ceram. An earth and sea quake bad also occurred there
on the 26th November, and caused great damage. The
heavy rollers of the sea had swept away the houses on the
beach, and thrown more than a hundred prahus on shore,
of which a number had been destroyed, while many per-
sons fell victim, to this terrible commotion of nature. _

From Amboyna we also learn that on the morning of the
26th November, about half-pest 8, the earthquake was felt
in a direction from N.M. to W.S.W., with a duration of
about five minutes. This was preceded or the 19th by
some slight shocks. The disturbance of the sea also took
place, but not to such a destructive and heavy extent as at
Banda, althouF hon the same day. Very little damage was
caused. The accounts from the islands near Amboy'sa are
not so favourable. Nearly all experiences the extraor-
dinary commotion bith o. sea and land. The houses at
&pants and many native bests were seriously injured, and
very heavy loss has been caused.
At Ternate as well as Bachian two heavy shocks of earth-
quake were felt on the 26th November ut 8 in the morning,
and at the last place they were repeated for some (lays
afterwards, but without doing any damage at either place.
The weather was generally calm, and although the moun-
tain of Teraate did not give out more smoke than usual, a
I subterranean noise was heard in it, but sot very loud.
The earthquake which occurred at Batavia and Buiten-
zorg on the night of the 20th December was also felt in the
residencies of Krawang, Magelang, Bantam Banyumaas,
Tagal, and Pekalongan, and in the Lampong districts.
Cholera had broken out at Padang, and a number of per-
sons had died.

THE BALL OF THE LEGISLATIVE BODY.

The grand fete offered by the members of the
Legistive body to the Emperor and the Empress took place
on Monday night with great magnificence. The per-
sona invited began to arrive at 9 o'clock, and from that hour
until half-put 12 o'clock, an uninterrupted stream of carri-
ages was to be seen advancing towards the scene of festi-
vity on each aide of the river.
Three entrances were opened for tho guests; the princi-
pal one, that by the Court of Honour of the palace from the
Place de Bourgogne, was reserved for the carriages of the
imperial party, of the ambassadors, and of a few privileged
personages; • second entrance was by the avenue of the
hotel of.the President of the Legislative body, and the third
on the other side of the pa'nee, was by the steps in front of
the Pout de la Concorde. To make this arrangement avail-
able, it was necessary to unite together the hotel of the
Presidenee with the Palace of the Legislative body, and
this was effected by means of • temporary construction
erected over the whole length of the garden lying between
the two buildings. The building thus raised, and which
formed the very centre of the fete, consisted first of a vast
jardit. d'Aieer ; next, of an immense ball-room; and lastly,
of • supper-room, capable of accommodating 250 persons at
• time. The first-named of these constructions was sepa-
rated throaghout its whole length, into three distinct galle-
ries communicating with each ether by means of wide ar-
cades, and all most tastefully arranged with flowers, ever-
greens, statues, fountains of falling water, mirrors, long
lines of chandeliers from the ceiling, and thousands of lights
along the walls.
At half-past ten the carriages of the imperial party en-
tered the courtyard of the Legislative Palace. Iheir Ma-
jesties were received at the foot of the steps by M. Billault,
the President, at the head of the members composing the
bureau of the Chamber, and the deputies appointed to act
as stewards of the fees. Their Majesties were then con-
ducted through the Salle des Armures, which they
stopped • moment to admire, to the Salle du
Trone, where the other members of the imperial family
and the ministers had already arrived. Almost im-
mediately after, their Majesties, accompanied by a most
numerous suite, proceeded to the Salle des Pas Perdu.,
and took their seats on the chain of state prepared for
them. The Princess Mathilde occupied the seat on the
right of the Emperor, whilst Prince Jerome and Prince
Napoleon were on the left of the Empress. The Emperor
was in the uniform of a general officer, with high boots and
white inexpressible., and wore the Grand Cordon of the
Legion of Honour. He appeared in excellent health and
spirits. The Empress excited as usual, universal admira-
tion, the male portion of the spectators exclaiming " How
lovely!" and the ladies crying out "What a charming
dress !" Her Majesty wore a pale pink satin robe, with
magnificent point lace, and trimmed with white roses, sur-
rounded with their green leaves. Her hair was worn off
the forehead, tho back of the head bearing a quantity of
flowers sprinkled with diamonds. On her neck was a neck-
lace of diamonds and emeralds of great value, and her Ma-
jesty wore, en sautok. the cordon of the order lately sent to
her by the Queen of Spain. After their Majesties had gra-
ciously saluted several persons whom they recognised in the
crowd before them, and had conversed with some of the am-
bassadors the imperial quadrille was formed to open the
ball. The. Empress danced with M. Billault, President
of the Legislative Body, and the Emperor with Mdlle.
Billault, daughter of that functionary. The other
persons in the quadrille were the Princess Mathilde,
who had M. Foald, the Minister of State, for her

most of the military services of Europe were to be seen
there, the scarlet of the English army being pretty nume-
rously represented. Some English court dresses were also
to be seen worn, it is said, by some of the gectlenten who
had in the morning presented the peace address to the
Emperor. The number of gentlemen in ordieary ball dress,
namely, the plain black c sat, amounted perhaps to about a'
fourth part of the male guests present. It is calculated that
about 0,000 persons passed through the rooms in the
coarse
of the night. About three o'clock the company
began to thin, but dancing was kept up
.with great sp:rit
until half-past four in the morning.—Ga!tyrivit.