The Express.
London, England, 1858-01-18 00:00:00

THE UNITED STATES.

LIVERPOOL, SATURDAY.
The afternoon the Royal mail steamship Persia,
Captain Indians, arrived in the Mersey from New
York, which port she left at noon on the Bth inst.,
bringing the usual mails, 79 pusengers, and
1,930,793 dollars in specie.
At 8.30 a.m. on the 14th instant, in lat. 61.22 N.,
long. 22.10 W., the Persia passed the Royal Mail
ship Europa, hence, bound west ; and on the 16th,
in let 61.18 N., lon. 12.60 W., passed the Kangaroo,
screw steamer, bound west.

Mr. Cyrom W. Field, the chairman of the American
committee of the Atlantic Telegraph Company, is
amongst She passengers by the Persia. There are
also 16 of the crew of the British ship Dreadnought.
The excitement at New Orleans in regard to the
capture of General Walker found vent on the even-
ing of the 31st in an immense meeting, at which
veeches denouncing the conduct of Commodore
Paulding and expressing the liveliest sympathy with
the cause of the filibusters were delivered.

The Charleston Mercury of the 29thnit. states
that the steamer Faahion, which conveyed General
Walker and his force to Nicaragua, had put into
Havannah previous to the 22nd ult., from Aspin-
wall, in leek of provisions, and that the American
consul at Hivannah had seized the steamer for
alleged irregularity in her papers. A report was
prevalent at Key West on Christmas-day that a
barque had passed that point with 600 men on board,
who were proceeding to General Walker's aid.
Congress, after a recess of ten days, re-assembled
on the 4th. In both houses resolutions calling upon
the President for information respecting the capture
of General Walker, and embracing the entire
range of subects and circumstances bearing upon
relations with Nicaragua, were adopted. The Com-
mittee on Territories of the house was instructed to
report. as to the propriety of repealing the Utah
organic law and attaching that territory to con-
tiguous territories. A bill was also introduced to
punish the pradtice of polygamy.
The proceedings of Congress on the sth were also
=t. In the Senate a select committee was
on the claims for indemnity by the French
at Greytown. A strong effort will be made during
the present session to pass a bill for the payment of
these claims, which have so frequently, and at times
successfully, been pressed upon the attention of Con-
gress. A proposition providing for the appointment
of an ambassador extraordinary to Japan was intro-
duced. In executive session the Danish Sound Dues
Treaty was ratified. The House referred the sug-
gestions contained in the President's message to the
appropriate committees. Upon a motion of General
Quitman for a select committee on that part of the
message relative to the neutrality laws, an animated
debate took place, in which the capture of General
Walker's men, Commodore Paulding's conduct, fili-
bwiteriew, and Central American affairs generally,
were freely discussed.
Despatches have been received at Washington
from Commander Armstrong, of the United States
squadron in the Chinese seas. The expedition to
Formosa has established the fact that there are no
American or European captives on the island.
A rumour reaches us from Kansas, which may be
classed under the head of " Important if true." The
St. Louis Democrat states, on the authority of pier
&engem from the territory, that about Dec. 26 an
engagement took place at Sugar Mound, between
General Lane's militia and the dragoons sent to arrest
him, in which the latter were defeated with the loin
of three of their number. Reinforrments were im-
mediately sent for, and General Denver had ordered
four companies of dragoons to the scene of the diffi-
culty. Inan the meantime the free-state men, on hear-
ing of the engagement, had commenced organising,
and were hurrying to the assistance of Lane. Before
the dragoons could arrive it was thought that a force
of 2,500 men would be collected, and bloody work
was anticipated. At present, however, all this is a
rumour.