The Express.
London, England, 1851-01-28 00:00:00

UNITED STATES.

ARRIVAL OF THE NIAGARA.
The arrival at Liverpool last night of the British
and North American Royal Mail stecm-ship Niagara,
Capt. Leitch, which sailed from Boston on the 151
inst., places us in possersion of seven days later intel-
ligence from the Ucited States and British North
America than that received by the Baltic on the 19th

inst., atd five days later than that brought by the
slip Revere on Sunday. By telegraph the &dykes
extend from New York to the 16. h inst. The Nis-

gars, which brings a heavy mail (31,000!. in specie)
and a large number of passengers, called at lislifax,
N.S., on the 17th inst., and there re ceivid the mails
from the British North American possessions.
The non-arrival of the Atlantic had naturally caused
considerable exci,emeut at New York.

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The circumstances attending the seizure of the
Niagara (referred to in yesterday's Expreu) are thus
detailed in the Barran Mail of the 10th :
As is customary, two or throe custom-house (Aeon wore
seat to Cunard whorl immediatey on the arrival of the

ataer,to :amain and ,uperintend to. dinharging of her

cargo. On Monday night two or tie of tn'ese—t.tHrem,
Patens. T. Wentworth and H. A. Cook, retired to the small

office on the wharf, and wi nt to sleep; a third, Mr. C. IL
Sturgte (custom-house watchman), had orders to watch on
the wharf. About eleven o'clock the attention of Mr.

Sturgis was attracted by a notse, as of sometbiog dragging
on toe wharf, and be followed in the direction of the sound,
when be disouvered a shore boat close elonpide the wharf.

wiiha man in it about shoving or Mr. 8. bailed, Whoi
there ?" Man in the boat returned the hail with, "Is that

Wer.tseorth?-;;- 6.71. h; continual,
"What have you in that boat ?" The reply was, " A pas-
senger and his baggage, who i ra to take to G iTertlOr'll la
land." The individual in the boat Mr. Sturgis recognised

by his voice to be Doßever' an East Boston boZmen, and he
ordered him at ones to thr..w him the painter, and allow
hint ,to etaniine the contents of certain bags which he
' discovered lyieg in the bottom of the boat. This,
titer wenaiderable oppoaitieu by I/Aline, was cum-
plied with, and the boat was again fastened along-
side the wharf. Diliver then cense ashore. Dulliver says
he does not koow the p.rson who employed him, only that
he was to row him and his baggage to Governor's isloLd.
The man, on the approach at Mr. dturgis, made a hasty re-
treat, end has not since been seen. Mews. Cook and
Wentworth then took possession of the boat, and locked them
in the offim Oa Tuesday forenoon they were opened, and
found to contain mine &red laces, t..tins, and 'ilk,. The
bags were tour in number. Oa Tuesday evening five °thee
bags were di e,,vered stowed away in the coal house. These
were also taken go: anion of by the officers, and were found.
to be filled with goods of a similar character to those haore
aria d. Tho value of t..e goods thus smuggled is about 12 008
dell. They ware peeked in dirty looking canvass bag,. The
bags and their contents were tat n to the custom house, sod
placed under lock and key. Close watch was maintained
about the steamer from that time until Thursday forenoon,
when Fletcher. Webati r, the surveyor of the port, accom-
panied by eighteen custem.tiouso nth .ern, visited the steamer,
and made a 11:04 inspos.tii.a, assisted by the officers ot the
steamer. Nothing more of a suspicious character wee, how-
ever, found.

A letter from Boston, of the 13tb, on the mune
subject, says:
By an agreement between George Lunt, United State"
District Attorney, and William Wilting, atterney for the
trustees of the Cunard steam-ship Nissan, the vessel was
appraised this afternoon, by Rote rt 0. Shaw, Samuel Pearce
and Jonathan P. It ibinson, merchant?, at 170,000 and
of Alf. Lunt, S. S. Lewis, agent iorJellate Berne,
ems Burns, William Cannel! mid Thomas Buchanan, of
Glasgow, and Charles* Myer, merchant, of Liverpool,
trustees of the British North American Royal Mail Steam-
Cacket Co., on their behalf, and in behalf of himself, with
apt. Leitch, of the Niagara, were received as bondsmen
nod the steamer was di iargod from custody. Jo. p 6

DuMeer, the E tit Easton biatman, in whose Isn't and poi.
assists 5,000 dole. wor:h of silk; satins, and laces, in fifty
packages each, were bond, wu arrested by Ids. Dorms,
United S'ates Marshal, this att. ruoon, and gave hail to
appear before Gco. S. Hillard, United States Commissioner,
I e examination on a charge or smuggline. It .bert 13town-
low, Ice ship's butcher, who is also, probably, •colpablis
arty, has at...waded, and has not yet bean trawl. He u anEnglishman.

A contest between Mr. Gwyn, of California, and
Mr. Benton, of Missouri, is now going on in the
United States Senate, upon California land titles. The
issue involves property to the =mutt of many mil-
lions of dollars, extending over the entire habitable
surface of California, as well as the uninhabitable
parts thereof. The wholo subject, after a warm dis-
cussion of several days' duration, was referred to the
Judiciary Committee.
In the Senate, on the 10tb,an animated debate took
place on a bill reported by the Land Committee. au-
thorising Wisconsin to select fifty thousand acres of
land for purpe see of internal improvement. The bill
was finally ordered to be engrossed. A resolution
was adopted, on the 12tb, directing the Committee of
Commerce to inquire into the expediency of reducing
the value of the slyer coins of the United States, by
diminishing their weight, or increasing their alloy.
By a vote of 123 to 81 the rules were suspended, so as
to allow the introduction of a resolution declaring it
inexpedient and improper to repeal the present Fugi-
tive Slave-law. Petitions, praying for the repeal of
the name law, were pro ented.
A Mr. Wise (an aeronaut) had petitioned Congress
for an appropriation of 20,000 dollars, to enable him
to make an aerial voyage round the globe. There
was much laughter when the petition was presented.
Mi. Wise has, it is stated, already made above 100
atcents more or leas successful.

In the state legislature at Albany, on the 10th, was
brcught in a b:11 entitled " A Law for the Protection
of Citizens of Now York." When its title was an-
nounced, Mr. Thompson, from New York, objected to
the reception of the bill, on the ground that he under-
stood it had reference to the Fugitive Slave Lsw.
Tte bill provide,' tLat any person who shall arrest,
or attempt to arrest, a free ',Walt of this rate, shall
be deemed guilty of kidnapping, and on conviction
shall be imprisoned for a term not exceeding ten
years; that any one who shall have openly and pub-
licly resided in the state for o. e year shall be deemed
a free citizen of this state until the contrary is
proved; that on the trial of any indictment found
under the act, no warrant, process, or certificate issued
by any court or r, and no ex parte affidavit, de-

PortiaOn or record, shall be admitted as evidence to
establish the right to arrest, or to prove that such
person was not a free citizen of this state within the
meaning of the act. The last section provides that
the proposed bill shall not refer to persons charged
with treason, felony, or other crime, or to persons
employed in the army or navy of the United States.
Henry Long, the fugitive slave, whose case has for
some time back caused much excitement in New York,
has been returned under the law. The two really
important questions, of the identity of the party, and
his owing service to the claimant, seem to have been
satisfactorily proved.
The accounts from the Copper Mines in the district
of Lake Superior are of the most gratifying descrip-
tion.

An anticipated insurrection of the slaves in the state
of Virginia, was causing some apprehension to the
citizens of that district. It is said that upwards
of six hundred slaves, belonging to different planta-
tions, are implicated.
The trial of General Henderson, for his connection
with the Cuban invasion, has commenced at New
Orleans.

There is nothing new from Canada.
Advice; from Bermuda to the Bth inst. report that
severe gales dad been experienced.
The Honduras Watchman, of Dec. 14, gives the
annexed documents:
To the Charges des Affairea of Great Britain and Franee,
and the Consul-General of the Hanmeatio Towne, Prussia,
and Hanover:

National Palace, Oustemals, Nov. IG, 1850.
Gentlemen,—lt is twelve o'clock in the morning, and the
government has just been informed by issue merchants who
have this day arrived from San Vincente, which place they
left about four days ago, that troop. fr.:ln Salvador and
Honduras have invc.ded Chiquimula, commencing hostilities
against this republic, under the specious pretext of the
blockade of the ports of Salvador by the naval forces of her
Britannic Majesty.
This act of eggression, u voluntary as it is unjust, and of
which this government bad beard through other channels,
verified when Gaatemala had used every favourable step to
the Interest of the state of Salvador, you will know how to
spprecia's as it merits. But, in the nventime, the govern-
ment believes that it ought toull your attention to thin per-
il:lila, as the consequences of it must injure the commerce
of the country in which the nation you represent are in-
terested; and farther desires that the official agents of the
friendly nations may know the true authors of it.
His excellency the president, in addressing this communf-
coition, has requested me to inform you, that on his part he
has taken, and will continue issuing the necessary pleasures
for the security of the persons and property of all natives and
strangers; and reckons that your influeace in as far as your
authority extends, will be favourable to the just causes
which ha sustains. I have the honour. &0., thr.,
PEDRO N. ARRIGA.,
REPLY OP HEE BILITANIIIC MAJESTY% CHAIM!
D'APPAIRIL

Old Guatemala, Nov. 19, 1850.
have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of
your note et yesterday's date, in which you communicato to
se the aggression intended to be made against this republic