The Express.
London, England, 1861-03-18 00:00:00

AMERICA.

QUEENSTOWN, &Tut
The Royal Mail steam-ship America, Captain
M'Cauley, from Boston on the 6th, and Halifax
on the Bth inst.., arrived here at 11 p.m. yesterday.
The America brings 29 passengers. She landed
all mails except those for Liverpool, and proceeded
at 11.46 p.m., all well.
PRESIDENT LINCOLN'S INAUGURAL
SPEECH.

NEW YORK, bloke 5.
The ceremony of Mr. Lincoln's inauguration as
President took place yesterday at Washington. The
following is a summary of the speech delivered by
President Lincoln on the occasion. After a few
preliminary remarks Mr. Lincoln said :

Apprehension seems to exist among the people of the
Southern States that by the accession of a republican ed.
ministration their property, peace, and personal security are
endangered. There has never been any reasonable cause foe
such an apprehension. I quote one of my former speeches
in which I declared that " I have no purposes
directly or indirectly, to interfere with the in.
stitution of slavery in states where it exists."
I believe I have no lawful right, as I have no inclination, to
do so. Those who nominated and elected me placed on the
platform for my acceptance and as a law for themselves and
me the following resolutions:
"It is resolved that the maintenance inviolate of the right.
of the states, and especially the rights of each state to order
and control its own domestic institutions according to itsown
judgment, is exclusively essential to that balance of powee
on which the perfection and endurance of our political fabric
depend. We denounce lawless invasion by armed force of
any state or territory, no matter under what pretext, as the
gravest of crimes."
I now reiterate thin* sentiments, and press it upon public
attention, that the property, peace, and security of no sec.
tion are endangered by the incoming administration.
There is much controversy respecting the delivering up of
fugitives from service or labour. The following clause is,
however, plainly written in the constitution:
"No person held to service or labour in one state under
the laws thereof escaping into another shall in consequence
of any law or regulation therein be discharged from such
' service or labour, but shall be delivered up on the claim of
the party to whom such service or labour may be due."
To the proposition that slaves whose cases come within
the terms of this clause shall be delivered up, all members
of Congress are bound by oath.

I take the official oath today with no mental reservatinis,
and with no purpose of construing the constitution or laws
by any exceptional rules.
I enter upon my task under great and peculiar difficul.
ties. The constitution of our liberal Union, heretofore
menaced, is now formidably attacked. I bold that in con.
temptation of our universal state and of its constitution the
union of these states is perpetual, and shall continue to
execute all its express provisions. Our national conatitn.
tion and our Union endure for ever. No state upon its own
mere motion can get out of the Union. Resolutions and
ordinances to that effect are legally void, and acts of vin.
knee within any state or states against the authority of the
United States are insurrectionary or revolutionary accord.
jog to circumstances. I therefore consider the Union un.

broken, and to the extent of my ability I shall take are
that the laws of the Union are fully executed in all the
states. I trust this will not be regarded as a menace, but
only as a declared purpose of union. That it will be con.
stitutionally defended maintains itself.
In doing this there shall be no bloodshed nor violence
unless forced upon national authority. The power confided
in me shall be used to hold, occupy, and to poetess property
and places belonging to the government, and to collect the
duties imposed. Beyond what is necessary for these ob.
jects there will be no invasion or force. Where the hosti-
lity to the United States is so great and universal as to
prevent citizens from holding offices there will be no attempt
to force obnoxious stranger among people that object. The
mails, unless repelled, will continue to be furnished to all
parts of the Union.

I understood that • proposed amendmeot to the coma.
tution has passed Congress to the effect that the federal
government shall never interfere with the domestic institu-
tions of states, including that of persons held to service. I
will say that I have no objection to this amendment being
made express sod irrevocable.

After an appeal to all parties to consider the
subject well and calmly, Mr. Lincoln concluded as
follows:

In your hands, dissatisfied fellow countrymen, and not in
mine, is the momentous issue of civil war. Government
will not assail you, so that you can have no conflict with.
out being yourselves the aggressors. You have no oath
registered in heaven to destroy the government, while I
shall have most solemnly to protect and defend it. lam
loth to close thus. We are not enemies, but friends, and
we must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained
it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic cords
of memory, stretching from every battle field and patriot
grave to every living heart in this broad land, will yet swell
chords of union when again touched, as surely they will be
by the better angels of our nature.

Much cheering took place when, during the deli-
very of hie speech, President Lincoln made any
allusion to union.

Thirty thousand people were present ; no noise,
confusion, or disturbances of any kind took place.
Everything passed off peacefully.
The New York Herald says that not a single
pledge or proposition with regard to the future is
contained in the inaugural message from beginning
to end, and that it abounds with threats and curl.
ning.
The New York Times praises the inaugural speech
warmly.
In the Senate the Corvin resolution had been re-
jected by 22 to 19 votes.
The Tariff Bill was signed on the 2nd instant,
anal will come into operation on the Ist of April.
Lord Lyons had notified to the Washington
government that the British government will not
recognise the blockade of the southern ports, unless
such blockade be complete and effectual.
It was stated that the French government would
shortly give a similar notice, and that this course
would be followed by the leading European powers
interested.

Advice§ from Mexico state that the confiscation
of church property continued. Thirteen nunne-
ries were suppressed on the 13th of February.