The Express.
London, England, 1862-04-08 00:00:00

8, s 1862.

sively within the jurisdiction of the people of the
several States, yet that when any State determines
to emancipate its slaves the Federal government
shall pay a reasonable price for the slaves and the
cost of colonizing them. The subject was then laid
aside, and the bill to abolish slavery in the district
of Columbia was taken up. Mr. Davis's amend-
ment to colonize the slaves was rejected.
In the House of Representatives a resolution was
offered asking why the release of Colonel Corcoran
had been delayed, and urging that no further ex-
changes of prisoners of war be made until the
colonel was set at liberty. A bill providing for the
payment of the public debt was introduced. A
resolution appropriating 50,000 stollen for testing
plans for renderiug vessels invulnerable was re-
ferred. The Tax Bill was taken up, and several

amendments agreed to.
In the Senate, on the 26th, a. debate took place
upon the bill for the abolition of slavery in the
District of Columbia.
In the Rouse of Representatives the further
consideration of the Tax Bill occupied the major
portion of the sitting.

MCIAL INTELLIGENCE.
NEW YORK, MAscs 25,_EvisTme.

The stock market is weak and lower. The railroad shame
are to per cent, down. Michigan Central and Galena
are premed for sale, on account of their decreasing earnings.
Panama mod Pacific Mail continue firm at 1214 for the for-
mer, and 98 for the latter. Government securities are
scarcely so arm this afternoon ; the registered 94 to 944 ;
coupons, 941 to 944.
Gold is dill at 1014 for lota of 5,000d01a. and 10,000 dole.;
lots of 500 dole. and 1,000 dole. eau be had at 1014 dole.
Exchange on Europe is steady bid quiet. Sterlinglll3 to
112. Some attention is paid to the continued decline in
breadstuffo, and considerable influence will be exercised
over the rates of exchange by the state of the grain markets.
Breadstuff@ were quite depressed yesterday by the en-
favourable news per Nova Scotian at Portion& Prices
gesseally lower. Corn was in request at the reduced rates,
lint flour and wheat were insolive.
Oottou.—lnquiry ha. somewhat abated, and quotations
are lower.
Pork heavy and drooping. Bacon and lard animated and
buoyant. Beef quiet. - The mime may be maid of hay, hope,
iron, fruit, tin, nadir, spine, hemp, olio, naval storm,
rice, and tobacco.
Suers met a good sae.
Freight 'appoints Maybe.

THE NEW CUPOLA SNIPS.

The Victoria and Duke of Wellington, screw
thresdecken, at Portsmouth, are named ea the next ships I
for conversion to shield ships on Capt. Colee's principle; and
the work of ramming them to their middle decks will be
immediately taken in hand. The Duke was originally laid
down m a mailing three-decker, and was afterwards altered
and adapted to the mew. Her engines are of 900-bases
power, and her burden in tons is 3,771. The Victoria war
laid down as a steamship, from designs famished from the
ofiloe of Sit B. W. Walker, K.C.B. She has a much flatter
floor amidships than any of the converted three-deckers, and
has doubtless for this moon much greater stability than
they. She is, therefore, better adapted for conversion to
a cupola ship thee either the Royal Sovereign or the
Doke. She was launched some two years Mee
from Portsmouth Dockyard. She is of 4,127 tone burden,
and is fitted with engines of 1,000-hone power nominal, and
attained a speed on her light-draught trial in Stokes-bay of
nearly 131 knots. The cupolas for thine two ships, mead-
ing to present intentions, will be six in number, but the
number at guns they will oontain and their calibre is, of
come, entirely a matter dependent on future contingencies.
The make nature and thickness of the armour plating on
their sides from below the water-line upwards is also a
matter for future consideration. Them ships cut dowu and

eoeverted to awls ships whoa armed, stored, maimed, and
reedy for sea, will have to carry about 800 tons lees weight
than they would have under the same circumstances as 131-
gun screw steam ships, 'apposing that they are rigged when
cupola ships, and carry the same masts and yard., &orlon,
and cabled.

CslitCola writes :
ain
propose to build two distinct chines of mask ono to
replace our wooden frigates and liners for madaing pur-
poses, and the other, a totally different and smaller vessel
(or utmost raft) fer mad and local defence. I have already
stated what I would do with our meter three-deckers—
how I propose to bastard orpoise a omit flotilla of steamer
rafts. I now wish to date further what I wrote in a letter
lAA October to the Admiralty—viz., that I will undertake
to prove that, en my principle, a vessel shall be built
nearly 100 feet shorter than the Warrior, and io all respects
equal to her, with me exception • that I wlli guarantee
to disable sail imbue her in an 'hour she shall draw
four fed INS weft, require only half the crew, sod
asst thessersky gm building at least 100,0001. less. lam
ready te Yet abed en these assertions. I must again say
tbst my meepagiele with the Warrior are merely made to
demispe the at • new engine in warfare, but that
I mid every most be proud of the Warrior as
the firet•bere babe of our iron-clad family. The ship which
drawbar mask ei, an is about to be built by the p-
rimmest, mil have provisions for meats, but will not have
them shined whim neessiery to send her abroad ; she ia
dodged immendy for Channel service, and, although she is
on my plea" it to but just to my the dodges were made
by the Ossagiseim sad his department, and I have no
limited= in maybe that when launched she will be so for-
midable and ceosemisal a vessel that there will be enough
room for all embalmed in her to 'webs due merit."
Mr. Naamyth pushes forward the superior claims of
steam rams :
"No iron plater, however thick, as forming the aides
of an iron-plated war ship, could ever withstand the
crushing-in mike ot an encbon blow from a stems-Ism
possessed of the momentum due to 2,000 tons, moving
with even so moderate a velocity as 10 miles an heed
While such a crushing blow would be fatal whoa delivered
on to the side of the many, the result to the shremosin
would be prectically harmless. In the combustion el
such a ram as I oder to everything would be one to give
her ' end-way strength,' while at the lame time being
hampered with no interior fittings ensepli whet was
doe to the attainment of high speed. Usher such
favourable conditians a degree of speed might be oft to
her such as to enable her to overtake my more cumbrous
vessel, against the rudder and screw of which she .said
easily rush, and so, in the first place, utterly disable the
locomotive power of the enemy, and then sweep round to
gain due momentum and direction, and crush in the plated
Ades of the then comparatively helpless enemy. For such
purposes it would be well to lime a covey of smaller nimble
rams, to act es what I would is crippled—aamely, to
rush at the rudders and screws at the enemy's shim which
would render them an easy prey to the peat rams and
other spats of deibudiee. Vast as has been our expsedi-
tare on such mob as the Warrior and other vowels of
her elms, the steam ram principle in them Is so imperfectly
carried out, and overlaid and hampered with traditional
naval details, as to reader it more than donbthil if any of
them dare to sot as steam rams,' certainly not as such
against an iron-plated enemy."

THE CHAMBER OP OOtMERCE, NEW YORK,
AND MIL BRIGHT, M.P.

Mr. Bright, M.P., ban returned the following
reply to the address tom the New York Chamber of
Commerce:
" London, April 4.
" Dear Sir,—l have received through the hands of the
Ron. Mr. Adams, the Minister of the United States,
your letter of the Bth of March, and the resolution
umnimotaly adopted by the Chamber of Commerce of
the State of New York on the Bth of Mart*. I
wish you to convey to the eminent body of gentlemen
over whom you preside, the expression of my sense of the
honour they have conferred upon me, and of the pleasure
which it gives me to know that the course I have taken
in reference to the events whiz'', are now passing in your
country has met with the warm approval of those whom
they represent. I accept their most kind resolution, not
only as honourable to myself, but as a manifestation of
friendly feeling to the great majority of my countrymen,
whose true sentiments I believe I have not mis-
taken or misrepresented when I have spoken on the
aide of your government and people. I believe
there is no other country in which men have
bon so free and so prosperous u in yours, and that
there is no other political constitution now in existence
inthr=eareatioe of which the human race is so deeply
inie as in that under which yon live. This is true
beyond all doubt when applied to the Free States of your
Union. I trust the time is not distant when It will be true
over all your vast territory from from the St. LIMMINOID to the
Gulf of Mexico. Notwithstanding much misapprehensioo,
and some recent excitement, I am sure that an overwhelm.
1.4 majority of the people of the United Kingdom will
rejoice at the meows of your government, and at the com-
plete restoration of your Union. Whilst asking you to
convey the expression of ray grateful feelings to the mem.
bers of your chamber, I dears to tender to you my thanks
for the very kind letter from yourself which accompanied
the resolution.—l am, with vary great respect, very tguly
yours, " JOUS BRIGHT.
"To P. Perit, Esq., President of the Chamber of Com-
merce of the State of New York.*

The creditors of Spain are making another effort
to being the Spanish government to • settlement of their
dam. A manorial, backed by numerous igasturee, will
axe be promoted to the Corta, sullies them to wipe off the
reyreaa of bad faith which hew melon Mule to tbelr (Wonky.
An Miglish gentleman, himself largely intereeled, is ea his
way to Madrid for that object.