The Express.
London, England, 1847-04-08 00:00:00

What seems oertain, however, Is, that he will not be able for
some time to come to mite any new attacks on Alget is.
GERMANY. KONIGSBERG, MARCH 30. All
the Russian students at the University of Konigsberg
(Prussia) have been ordered to return to Russia. It is said
that the Emperor intends prohibiting his subjects from fre-
quenting the universities of other countries.
SAXE-COBURG GOTHA, MARCH 30.—This day the
veteran of German philologists, Frederic Jacobs, died in his
eighty-third year. —Allgerneine Preuu. Zeitung.

AMERICA AND MEXICO.
We yesterday alluded briefly to Mr. Benton's retire-
ment from the command of the United States forces in
Mexico. Mr. Benton has sent a copy of the correspond-
ence between himself and the executive department to
every member of the late congress. The circular
enclosing the correspondence simply states that, " as a
mark of respect," he transmits the letters which ex-
plain his reasons for declining the appointment of major-
general in the army. On the 6th of March Mr. Ben-
ton wrote to the President : " Without waiting for the
formality of being presented with the commission of
major-general in the army of the United States, I
think it right to inform you at once "—that he could
not accept the office unless with "the powers which I
deem necessary to success; and these will be both
military and diplomatic—the command of the army
and authority to sign preliminaries of peace based
upon terms previously approved by you." In support
of these stipulations Mr. Benton urges " with a sub-
ordinate command, I could do no good in the army
on the contrary, my presence there would be impro-
per and mischievous, for I am known to disapprove
the plans both of the late and present commander ;"
and authority to conclude a peace he maintains to be
necessary " to enable the commander-in-chief to take
instant advantage of all passing events, military or
political, to close the war." The President replied on
the 9th of March that after a careful examination of
the question whether he had power to designate Mr.
Benton, a junior major-geners4 to the chief command
of the army is the field, the result was, " a settled
conviction on my mind that such a power has not
been conferred upon me by existing laws." As the
President anticipated, Mr. Benton immediately, on
receipt of this letter, wrote to him and the adju-
tant-general intimating that he could not accept of
the appointment. Here the matter rested at the time
of the latest despatches. The quidnunc. were cir-
culating rumours as usual on such occasions. Among
other pieces of gossip, it is stated in the New York
Horning Express that the cabinet had divided three
to two on Mr. Benton's stipulations. Messrs. Bucha-
nan, Walker, and Mason negatived ; Messrs. Johnson
and Clifford were for conceding them. The President,
it is said, was also inclined to grant Mr. Benton's
demands if the cabinet would have supported him.
A New York correspondent attributes Mr. Benton's
conduct to the game he is playing for the Presidency,
and proceeds on this hint to dilate on the intrigues
now afoot in favour of various candidates :
" The fact is, that Mr. Benton aimed at the Presidency,
staking everything on the chances of either treating success-
fully with Santa Anna, or beating his army, and marching
directly to Mexico :—the one or the other would secure the
election to any man. Failing in his object Mr. Beaton
prefers holding his influential position in the Senate,
to accepting the rank offered to him. With re-
gard to that Name high flight if ambition, the
prasidency—oo less than eight friends of the present
administration—seven of them actually in office—are at
present pluming their wings to soar after it. These are—
Della, Cam, Calhoun, Breton, Buchanan, Wright,
Walker, and, u the uying gore, though last, by no
means least, Mr. President Polk himself, who, I believe,
even now, !els firmly assured that the war with Mexico is
not only politic but popular, and that the event of it will be
his own re-election. General Cara, during the whole of
the session, kept almost open house at Washington, and is
inlefatigable in working to obtain influence. His chinos,
however, n not great. Mr. Walker is more likely to suc-
ceed in bringing in his relative, Mr. Dallas, than to obtain
the presidency for himself.
" Mr. Benton's hope., as I have above said, were Kind-
, pally based upon the chances of his success in Mexico, in the
event of his appointment to the chief command. Now I
fancy they are down to Zero. Mr. Calhoun—the Distance-
of-power senator—holds a very commanding position, as far
as influence with members of Congress goes, but his popu-
larity with the " sovereign people" is not so well assured.
Still I look upon hiv prospects as being quits as good as any
of those named. Of Messrs. Buchanan and Wright, but little
clan be said. If Mexican matters be brought to a very satis-
factory termination, without any brilliant display of military
or diplomatic talents on the part of General Scott's, M.
Polk's expectations of a re-electien may be realised, but
should the general obtain a decisive triumph over the fee,
either by force of arms sr negotiation, he may have the pre-
sidency if be will."
The New York Herald of the 13th ult. contains a
list of the United States naval forces in the Gulf of
Mexico at the latest dates. There were :—One ship
of the line rated at 74 guns • two frigates at 44 each ;
three sloops of war at 20 each, and one at 16 ; two
brigs at 10 each; five schooners at 1 each; two
steamers at 10 each, one at 9, one at 6, one at 4, three
at 3 each, and three at 1 each ; one stare-ship at 6,
land two at 2 each ; one bomb ketch at 2, and four
at 1 each; a sloop with 1 gun, and a cutter with
6: in all, 324 guns. Most of these vessels
however are pierced for more guns, and actually carry
more guns than their rating. According to the
Herald the probability is that the American navy in
the Gulf carries from 373 to 400 guns.
The gossip of the New Orleans papers represents
General Taylor as in a most unamtable mood, on
account of the whole regular force under his coin-
mend having been withdrawn for the operations
against Vera Cruz, and nothing but volunteers left
with him. The volunteer corps elect their own
officers, and this is not found to render them more
efficient or more amenable to discipline.
Ravenna papers contain accounts from Vera Cruz
to the 7th of February. The intelligence from the
capital, thus supplied, is not exactly new but
more full and coherent than had previously been
received. Rejon had been finally appointed
Minister of Foreign Affairs; Camilla° remained
in the war.office; and Babied°, ex-governor of
Guanajuato, had been appointed to the judiciary.
The protests against the hypothecation or sale of the
property of the church continued to increase. Con-
gress were said to be contemplating some lees ob-
noxious measure; and a proposition had actually been
presented to repeal the hypothecation law, and sub-
stitute a loan from the clergy of 435,000 dollars
monthly. On the 2nd of February a resolution was
under consideration which would give the executive
carte blanche to raise supplies by whatever means it
could. Santa Anna wrote on the 26th of January,
that "he had found it necessary to seize 98
bars of silver, mostly belonging to Spanish mer-
chants in San Luis." He adds, " I have
again given my own individual security for
this, u far as I can." He describes the wants of the
army in strong terms; expressed a wish to retire
into private life ; but intimated hie readiness to
lurch against the enemy if required. The date
o this letter, it will be observed, is one day earlier
than the order of the day intimating his intention to
march, of which we had notice by the Havre arrivals.
The New York Horning Express of March 13
states (on the authority of a letter from Panama,
dated January 22) that Col. Mason, of the U. S.
Navy, " appointedgovernor of California, bad arrived
there, but could not find any means of conveyance to
his government, and was going as far south as Callao
in search of some." The same letter tells the following
tale:
FLAX. novsylarship Herald, and belgrandora, arrived
bees het week him the Straits of Sm Jima de Fun having
lambed at Na. reargers, Sea Diego, Ifeentlaa, sad all the
galailleihselmens ea the Maclean coast. At Oulsqweelo, a I
psi* of cisme of the =told sad Psalms, erndselog of the
two ce time misznevinseheiring some
elgglit's the pthelpsisilisraemalt Wrztiwith
two beats' crews, west mem se mei le ons.
On going ashore they were ompdsei wile* leg • party of
some 400 Mexicans, sad talon phloem as Ancedeses. It
was in vain they dosiared 6911111011111 to be Ms@ IA (Meets,
and it weed swell" yak Mr them to ese their royal
ca MMI• lb. likenfaimmenmmailer that it was
a trick of the Yankees: *ey the mate Wow as the
Americans, and um& they eleallhens *NV Me ordered
a large hole to be dug under • tins, end @clingy requested
the officers to go with him to view Mgr dial resting-
place, together with the tree on which they were to be hung.
The poor tams wire also made to medomemel that their alstb
was alsam ark elgtoes, walla they
WITS to gem Mega_ ns the timers- TM
however, Asa* oememiedi in esling • derail in the In
the Maxisemeomil WOO pmemdeloil deepielt ems at their
seeds to Amok*. to tie general la stommad of*. pro-
vince ; sad on return they were rams& It was useless
for them to allemyt to wane, as they were informed that
the Wet diemnodied leadem mods ea shipAseril la their favour,
wail la the Ar owl mesa aka iv
est WWI [let ths maim Ai end l the
ots es leis Be I
des
not does
not snow wadi tsemenihms to pain Is Maas. 'lids affair
indicates whet Ameniseme awn, disald it be *sir fate
to fall into the heads of the as their comet. Mazat-
lan is blockaded by two United States vends. mamas not
given. The Milted States ship Dale wield ream on es
about the 18th (Se the Stoiss, end bound firm liesiewej.
Toe arrival by the W emalebe am Ammisee
domestic news of morel Wow* eenagetimelihe RAW