The Express.
London, England, 1861-06-04 00:00:00

AMERICA.

ARRIVAL OF THE GREAT EASTERN.
LIVERPOOL, Tomas.

The steamship Great Eastern, Captain J. B.
Thompson, which left New York on the morning
of the 25th ult., arrived at the bar of the Mersey
at 9 o'clock yesterday (Monday) evening, and her
despatches reached Liverpool about 1 o'clock this
morning.

The steamship Etna, from Liverpool for New
York, was intercepted off Cape Race by the news-
boat of the Associated Press on the afternoon of the
23rd ult., and her advioes were telegraphed to the
States, and somewhat modified the angry feeling
caused by the European sdvices of, the jprevious
arrival.

An advance was made by the Federal tromiyon
the night of the 23rd ult., into Virginia. ITZ
New York 2nd, 7th, 12th, 139th, 71st, and Ells-
worth's Zouaves, the New Jersey and Michigan bri-
gades, and some of the Washington troops, consti-
tuted the force, which numbered about 13,000,
besides those sent down the Potomac to act in con-
junction with the troops at Fortress Monroe. This
force has been disposed at various important
points Alexandria, Arlington Heights, and
Fairfax Court-house the movement on the
latter point being made for the purpose of
taking possession of the junction of the
Orange and Alexandria and Manassas Gap
railroads. The advance into Virginia was made
from three points—over the Long Bridge at the
mouth of the Potomac aqueduct, at Georgetown,
and at Alexandria. The first troops which
passed over the bridge, constituting the advance
guard, were the Washington City National
Rifles, and they were followed by other
District Volunteers acting in a similar capacity,
who drove in the Virginia pickets.
The Federal troops bad possession of all the
points for which they were destined by 2 o'clock
on the morning of the 24th, and immediately
commenced the necessary operations to insure
their positions. The occupation of Alex-
andria was the most important movement
accomplished, and this duty was gallantly per-
formed, iu part by the New York Fire Zouaves,
but not without a loss, which must be deeply
deplored. Their dashing young commander,
Colonel Ellsworth, was basely assassinated in
the Marshall House by the landlord, named
Jackson, while descending the stairs of the hotel,
with a secession flag in his band, which he had
taken frown a flagstaff on the roof. Retribution
for the base act was swift, however, as the murderer
was immediately shot and run through the body
by a bayonet by one of Colonel Ellsworth's men.
Aa the regiment entered the town (Alexandria)
the rebel force fired upon them without effect
and then fled. Almost simultaneously with
the entry of the Zouaves into the city, the Ist
Michigan Regiment arrived by the road from the
Long Bridge, and took possession of the railroad
depot, when they succeeded in surprising and cap-
turing a troop of rebel cavalry with their horses,
arms, and equipments.
It was expected at last accounts that a decided
demonstration would be made on the rebels at
Sewall's point, on or about the 24th. General
Butler left Fortress Monroe on that date for
Sewall's Point, with 4,000 men ou propellers, fur
the purpose of demolishing the fortifications there,
and landed at Lynnhaven. Commodore Stringham,
with the frigates Minnesota and Cumberland, was
to conduct the attack from the waterside.

It had been ascertained with certainty that addi-
tional batteries were being erected by the rebels
near Norfolk, and that there were 15,000 troops
located between that city and Sewall's Point, so that
General Butler might expect a sharp brush with
the enemy.
On the 24th there were 12,000 rebel troops
reported to be in Richmond, and additional forces
wore arriving every hour.
From Charleston we learn that there were, be-
yond doubt, 9,500 rebel troops between Point of
Rocks and Williamsport, being the outposts of the
force at Harper's Ferry. They were compowl of
7,000 Virginians, and the reserve corps from Ala-
bama, Mississippi, Georgia, and the Carolinas,
including 300 Cherokee Indians from North Caro-
lina, in full war costume, with tomahawks and
scalping knives.
The news from Missouri is important, and may be
considered as a final disposition 'of that state to the
Union. By a compact entered into between General
Harney and General Price, commanding the State
Militia, the latter forces, comprising 4,000 men,
have been disbanded and sent to their homes. All
trouble iu Missouri may thus be considered at an
end.

The Postmaster-General had completed the
isolation of the seceding states by forbidding the
transmission of all snail matters, either coastwise,
by river or by land route, to each and every one of
the rebellious states. Maryland, Delaware, Ken-
tucky, Missouri, and Tennessee, are exempt from
thin prescription.
The British barque Hiawatha, with a cargo of
tobacco, had been seized, she having attempted to
run the blockade.
COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.
NEW YORK, Mar ZS.
Stocks weak and lower. Erie, 204 ; Now York
Centrals, 71 ; Illinois, 651. Exchange steady,
104 to 1061.
The cotton market is firm, with middling
Uplands at 13c.
NEW ORLEANS, Mal: 24.
Cotton unchanged. &helot the week, 2,600
bales. Freights for British ships advanced to 10.

Yesterday's Moniteur announces that Prince
Napoleon and the Princess Clothilde left Paris on Sunday
for Marseilles, where they were to embark in the Jerome
Napokon for a pleasure voyage in the Mediterracean..

The Emperor and Empress of Austria have taken
up their twitters for the summer at the Pekoe of
Larenbourg.

The price of oysters continues to increase in
Paris, but it is hoped that before long the new plan of
breeding, introduced by M. Coot., and now practised on
different parts of the coast, will cause a reduction. A few
days back that gentleman, accompanied by some public
functionaries, visited the bay of Areachon, near Toile, de-
partment of the Gironde, in which hie apparatus had been
placed some time ago. Although the oyster beds in that
bay had beat previously quite exhausted, be had the atie.
faction of learning that the success of his oreatiossa bad
best so via; that in the space of nine days the enormous
quantity of about 5,500,000 oysters had been taken, and
yet that about one-half of the space on which he operated
still remains to be dredged.