The Express.
London, England, 1861-05-17 00:00:00

AMERICA.

We have received a batch of New York papers to
the 4th inst. The following is from the Herald of
that date :

Intelligence from Washington last night was to the effect
that the war will be vigorously opened in a few days by
demonstration. upon Alexandria and Norfolk. A move-
ment upon Havre de Grace was also ordered to take pima
yesterday from Perryville. Three or four companies of
Colonel Dare's command will cross the Susquehanna, with
• battery of artillery, and occupy Havre de Grace. Troops
will then be sent forward ten miles, to Bush river. The
last movement may not be made till Sunday. On Mon.
day • strong force of carpenters and builders will be
sent forward to Bash river with timber and tools, and
the bridge there will Le rebuilt. The bridges over
the Big and Little Gunpowder rivers will be re.
built as soon as a sufficient military force is sent forward to
protect the workmen. The three bridges will be completed
by Thursday next, and this road to Baltimore will then be
open. Troops will be sent forward from Philadelphia to
reinforce those at Perryville.

The President has issued a proclamation calling for
41,000 volunteers-23,000 regulars and 18,000 seamen.
The position of the New York troops in and about Wash.
legion yesterday was as follows :—The Seventh were in
tents at Meridian Hill, Georgetown ; Colonel Corcoran.
with a detachment of the Sixty-ninth, arrived in Washington
at 2 o'clock in the morning, and were quartered in the rear
of the Kirkwood House ; the Eighth were still at Annapolis,
and the Fifth (German regiment) were occupying the Naval
Academy.
Affairs rem►in quiet in Baltimore. Fort Madison, an
earthwork fortification commanding the city and harbour,
is in possession of government troops. The steamer Mary.
land landed a force of the Mauschniestte troops front
Annapolis and large quantities of stores at Fort M'ilenry
yesterday, and afterwards steamed up to the city with the
stars and stripes flying.
The intelligence from Richmond is important. Consi-
derable alarm is said to exist there in consequence of
the activity of the United States government, and the
unexpected unity of the North in supporting the consti-
tution and the fin dishonoured at Fort Sumter. It wag
believed in Richmond that Mr. Davis has just notified the
governors of the border States now acting in hostility to
the government to assemble at Montgomery, there to
confer with the rebel government upon the momentous
issues before them. The conservative portion of the
people in Richmond are in favour of an armistice, in order
that some peaceful settlement of the difficulty may be
arrived at, and several leading men from Virginia, Mary.
land, Kentucky, and Tennessee, it is said, are actively
exerting themselves to bring it about. The Virginia
Legislature adjourned on the let inst., until the 12th of
June, by which time it was expected that the returns of the
popular vote on the ordinance of secession would be received.
The government, mearlime, is authorised to call the legis-
lature together at any time during the recess.
It was stated upon reliable authority in Washington yea.
tsrday that there are only 1,500 Virginians at Harper's
Ferry, and that they are not half armed, and very short of
provisions.
A deputation of Kentucky gentlemen waited on the PrireL
dent yesterday, offering two volunteer regiments to the
government from the western part of that state, in despite
of Governor Magoffin's refusal to furnish any troops. Some
gentlemen from Baltimore are also in Washington, for the
purpose of tendering the service of one regiment from that
city to the United States government.
General Harney has prepared an address to the people of
Missouri, urging them to remain in the union, ►nd pointing
out to them that to join the secession movement would be
to bring destruction upon their state.
It bee been decided by the war department that no more
troops, except volunteer regiments, are to be concentrated
at Washington foe the present.

THE EARTHQUAKE AT MENDOZA.