Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-01-10 00:00:00

Tuesday, January 10, lE6b:

LATEST FROM AMERICA.

ARRIVAL OF THE AMERICA.

The British and North American royal mail
'steamship America, arrived in Liverpool last
night; a few minutes before eleven- o'clock. She
had previously been announced as having called
at Cork, landed mails, and sailed for Liverpool
(all well), at two a.m. on the preceding morning.
The America, which sailed from Boston on the
28th, and from Halifax on the 30th ult., brings
intelligence from those places to the dates named.
She also brought thirty-seven passengers, and
besides the usual mails, a valuable cargo ; and
what has been looked for with great anxiety for
some time—the President's Message to Congress,
which was telegraphed in. a summarised form to
Boston, and which we were enabled to publish
yesterday, in a late edition, having received it
by telegraph from Queenstown. The America
has likewise brought $5,000 On freight for
Havre.

THE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE.
BosTorr,,Dec. 27th.
The President delivered his message to Congress,
although no Speaker is yet elected in the House of
Representatives. The following is a summary :
Alluding to late events at Harper's Ferry, he says:—
I firmly believe that the events at Harper's Ferry, by
causing the people to pause and reflect, will be the
meanseunder Divine Providence, of allaying the existing
excitement and preventing further outbreaks of a similar
character. For the suppression of slavery,. all lawful
means at 'my command have been employed, and shall
continue to be employed to execute the laws against the
African slave trade. Those engaged in this unlawful
enterprise have been vigorously prosecuted, but not with
as much success as the crimes have deserved. A number
of them are under prosecution.
The wisdom of the course pursued by Government
towards China has been vindicated by late events. Our
treaty of peace and commerce with that empire was
concluded at Tien Tsin on the 18th of June, 1858, and
was ratified by the President, and with the advice and
consent of the Senate, on December 21st following.
The ratifications of the Treaty were afterwards, on 16th
August, exchanged in proper form at Pietsang. As the
exchange did not take place till the day prescribed by
the treaty, it is deemed proper, before its publication,
again to submit it to the Senate. _ _

Ouerelations with the brieat empires of France and
Russia, as well as on the Continent of Europe, unless
we may except that of Spain, happily continue to be of
the most friendly character.

In my last annual message I presented a statement of
the unsatisfactory condition of our relations with Spain ;
and I regret this has not materially improved. 'With-
out special reference 'ta other claims, the payment of
which has been ably urged by our ministers, and in
'which more than one hundred of our citizens are directly
interested, 'remain unsatisfied, notwithstanding their
justice and their amount, $128,655 54c., having beep
ascertained by the Spanish Government.
I need not repeat the arguments which I urged in my
last message in favour of the acquisition of Cuba by fair
purchase. My . opinion on that measure remains un-
changed. I, therefore, again invite your serious atten-
tion to this important subject ; withnut a recognition of
this policy, on their past, it will be almost impossible to
institute negotiations with any reasonble prospect of
success.

Until a recent period there was good reason to believe
that I should be able to announce to you, on the present
occasion, that our difficulties with Great Britain, arising
out of the Clayton-Bulwer treaty, had been fully ad-
blated, in a manner alike honourable and satisfactory to
oth parties. From causes, however, 'which the British
Government had ,not anticipated, they have not com-
pleted treaty arrangements with the Republics of Hon-
duras and Nicaragna, in pursuance of the understanding
between the two Governments. It is, nevertheless, con=
fidently expected that this good work will, erelong, be
accomplished. Whilst indulging the hope that no
other subject remained. which could disturb the
good understanding between the two. countries, the
question arising out of the adverse claims of the
parties to the Island of San Juan, under the Oregon
Treaty of June 15th, 1846, suddenly assumed a threat-
ening prominence. In order to prevent unfortunate
collisions on that remote frontier, the Government was
instructed that the officers of the territory should abstain
from all acts on the disputed grounds, which are calcu-
lated to provoke any conflicts, so far as it can be done
without implying the concession to he authorities of
Great--Britain. The exclusive right over the territory
ought to be settled before either party should'attempt to
exclude the other- by force, or exercise complete and .
exclusive sovereign rights within the fairly disputed
limits. Much excitement prevailed for some time
throughout that region ; serious danger of collision was
apprehended. The British had a large fleet in the vicinity,
and it is an act of simple justice to the Admiral on that
station to state that he wisely and discreetly forbore to
commit any hostile acts, but determined to _refer the
whole affair to his Government and await -their instruc-
tions.' This aspect of the matter,' in my opinion, demands
serious attention. To prevent any act of hostility from
taking place, Lieut.-General Scott was despatched on ;
the 17th September last, to take command of the United
States forces; if necessary. Considering the distance
from the scene of action, and in ignorance of what
might have transpired on the spot before the GeneraPs
arrival, it was necessary to leave much to his dis-
cretion, and I am happy to state the event proved
that this discretion could not have been entrusted
to a more competent hand. General Scott has re-
cently returned from his mission, having. successfully
accomplished certain objects, and there is no longer
good reason to apprehend a collision between the forces
of the two countries during, the existing negotiations.
I regret to inform you that there has been no im-
provement in the affairs of Mexico since my last
message, and I am again obliged to ask the earnest
attention of Congress to the unhappy condition of that
Republic. Outrages of the worst description are com-
mitted on persons and property. There is scarcely any
form of injury which has not been suffered by our citi-
zens in Mexico during the last few years. We have
been nominally at peace with that Republic, but, so far
as the interests of our commerce, or of our citizens who
have visited the country as merchants, shipthasters, or
in other capacities, are concerned, we might as well
have been at war: I recommend to Congress to pass a
law authorising the President, under such restrictions as
they may deem necessary, to employ a military force
against Mexico for the purpose of obtaining indemnity
for the past and security for the future.
The clouds, says the New York Herald, are
beginning, to break away, and there are already
some bright gleams of a clear sky in the political.
horizon. The embittered, protracted, and dis-
astrous sectional agitation of the slavery question,
resulting from the repeal of the Missouri Com-
promise, has reached its culminating point. The
country has had enough of it. The people desire re-
pose—a change of musics a reconciliation—peace
harmony, and a return to the constitution, and to
the ark of that covenant, the Union. Ther; will
soon be a great revolution in this direction, for it
is already begun. Its manifestations are abundant
on every side, from the late Union demonstrations
in the imperial city of the North to the more
recent, and still more significant, Union speech of
Governor Wise in Virginia—a state which speaks
With an imperial voice to the South.

THE SLAVERY QUESTION THE TERRITORIAL

LEGISLATURES.

••-• •••••••,.......a
It appears that~ the question of slavery has
recently been made the subject of legislation,
somewhat prematurely, in two of our Territorial
Legislatures. A law prohibiting slavery in
the. Territory was passed in the lower branch
of the Nebraska Legislature the other day.
This is an assumption of squatter sovereignty
which
.the • Legislature had no right to make
until the Territory had adopted a constitution
and applied for admission into the Union
as a State. On the other hand, the Legislature
of New Mexieo, adopting the Southern idea, has
Passed a law for the protection of slavery within
that territory —a coarse of action which is, of
Course,
equally Merl. Neither of these Legisla-
tures are justified in passing any law governing
slavery wile the territories remain without a
Constitution, and Such laws will hate to be

declared null and void by the government if they
should- ever come to .be enforced. -
THE CONGRESSIONAL FRAME OF MIND.
The •Washington correspondent of the New
York Times, writing on the 26th ult., says :
The House, to-day, was a life-like daguerreotype of
Christmas. All was noise, uproar and confusion, though
the best feeling prevailed. Extra Billy Smith gave
gave notiee that he should speak all day. Some thbught
this would be unconstitutional, as it would be a cruel
and unusual punishment. Many motions to adjourn
were made and lost. Mr. Hill, of Georgia, moved that
the House adjourn to meet again when the speech was
finished. Much wit and good humour prevailed, but
without a vote the house, amid great confusion, adjourned.
Mr. Smith will probably consume all day to-morrow.