The Sun.
London, England, 1846-04-09 00:00:00

for Polk, while many who had stuck to Vaa Buren to
the last, indisposed with the Texas agitation, and .too
timid for bold movements, sided with the Conservative
'principle, as exemplified in its embodiment, Clay.
Well, the Polk party succeeded—they selected their
President, a majority of the United States Senate, and a
majority of the House of Representatives. The Presi-
dent has administered the government in a manner sa-
tistactory to all moderate, sound-thinking, no-party men,
but his originally warmest supporters are now breaking
up rapidly into factions. The southern Polk-men go for
a "masterly inactivity" on the Oregon question—the
western Polk-men go for 54 50, and "no compromis,,
but at the cannon's mouth"—while the northern Polk-
Then go for 49, even if war be necessary, and as much
more as can be peacefully secured. Out of the confiict
which is thus going on among the various sections, a
new party, or perhaps new parties, must inevitably
spring. However the question may be decided, all can-
not and will not be pleased.
The Whigs are equally distracted on this question ;
one section of their phalanx is somewhat disposed to go
to war for 54 deg. 41 min., while the other would rather
lose the whole than fire a gun.
No matter how the question is decided as between
the nations, we must have a breaking-up, and a new or-
ganisation of parties. There are numbers of dissatisfied
men of influence in each of the present parties who would
gladly participate in such a movement, and there are
two or three of the great minds of the nation, in the Se-
nate and elsewhere, who are preparing to lead it on.
Democrat and Whig are likely to become obsolete terms.
and most probably the new divisions of our political
world will be classified, like those in England, as Con-
servative and Radical, or some such terms.
- • --

ALLEGED RETIREMENT OF MR. BUCHANAN.
(From the New I ork Herdel, March 14.)
WASHINGTON, MARCH 12, 1846.—The, developments
made in my communication in Tuesdays Herald, cone
cerning the "letter. carrying " of the Hon.
,Senator from
North Carolina, from the '- White House 'to the only
post. office, on the night of Thursday, previous to the
closing of the mail for the Cambria, I have reason to be-
lieve have caused a commotion in the Cabinet, the conse-
quence of which will be the almost immediate retire-
ment of Mr. Buchanan from the post of Secretary of
State. Indeed, Ido not see how he could remain in his
present position, whilst the duties of his office seem to
be performe._ by the President himself, without a degree
of self-abasement, to which I know he never would sub-
mit. No, Mr. Buchanan is made of sterner stuff than to
remain in any position in which be may be interested,
whilst others arrogate to themselves the right to control
it, and assume the exercise of its proper departments,
without being willing to share its responsibilities.
The Secretary of State being the only 54 40 member
of the Cabinet, has also taken umbrage at the private
consultation of the President with the 49 men of the
Senate who have, up to this time, so strongly opposed
both the letter and spirit of his declarations on the
Oregon question, as contained in his inaugural address
and message. Mr. Buchanan's retirement, therefore,
from public life will be a sort of triumph for him, as
the causes that have led to it will be those that are iden-
tifiel with the purest and most patriotic feelings of the
country. Mr. Bancroft too, goes out about the let of
April. Whether any others leave or not, I have not yet
ascertained ; or who will succeed those it is difficult to
say. Ido not believe there is one public or private man
of any character that would be willing to accept aCabinet
appointment upon the same terms that those at the
various departments now hold theirs. No, Sir, not one
—unless, indeed, they be willing to act the part of mere
clerks—machines, without any volition of their own in
the appointment of their subordinates, as well as in other
things.
When Mr. Polk first came here, the following Cabinet
arrangement was agreed upon by him ; but, owing to
Mr. Walker declining the subordinate station of Attor-
ney-General, which was assigned him, the plan was dis-
ordered, and the present Cabinet agreed upon. Here is
the first cast of that curious concern, which I shall now
put upon record, for the first time, for the benefit of the
curious in such matters:—

Mr. Buchanan, Secretary of State.
Mr. Bancroft, Secretary of the Treasury.
Mr. Butler, Secretary of War.
Mr. Fairfield, Secretary of the Navy.
Mr. Johnson, Postmaster-General.
Mr. Walker, Attorney-General.
Mr. Walker kicked the beam, and Messrs. Butler and
Fairfield were floored. Georp,e Bancroft came near suf-
fering the same fate by the opposition of Levi Wood-
bury, who kept him two or three days hanging by the
eyelids, when before the Senate for confirmation. Was
there ever such a state of things exhibited before as this?
It has, however, this merit in it, that it fulfils to the
letter, in a political point of view, what the Scriptures
say in a moral, which is, " The last shall be first, and
the first last ;" for it is now well understood that Mr.
Walker, who was then at the tail of the list, is now at
the head of the list, and means to keep himself there,
too, no matter who may hereafter become his associates

in office.
I understand Mr. Mason is to succeed Mr. Buchanan ;
but whether as an ad interim Secretary of State or not
I cannot affirm.

The House is still engaged in debating the Harbour
Bill, which has been considerably lengthened by the
opposition of some Members to a clause in it relating to
the purchase, by the United States, of the stock of the
Louisville and Portland Canal. It is difficult to account
for such opposition, when the advantages resulting to the
Government and people are at all understood. The Go-
vernment own virtually 5,353 shares, leaving only 4,647
owned by individuals. The Government originally
owned 2,903, and the balance of 5,353—viz., 2,4 so—has
been purchased by the company, with the net proceeds
of the tolls, during the last four years. The 4,647
shares owned by individuals can be purchased now for
about 570,000 dolls., which, if they be purchased by the
collection of tolls from the public, as provided for_by the
charter, they will cost about 1,200,000 dolls. This
amount, by that course, will have to be levied on the
commerce of the western states, in the space of about
eight years to come. At the end of that time, free navi-
gation is to be the result, which, if the Government
make the purchase now, may be brought about in less
than a y ear, by the course proposed by the Committee
on Commerce. In the event of Government purchasing
the remainder of the stock, in which it is already the
largest shareholder, a saving of 630,000 dolls. would be
the result, in eight years or less. I hope the House will
give the matters their mature reflection, before coming to
a vote on it on Tuesday next.

THE BREAKING UP OF WINTER—TREMEN-
DOUS FRESHETS.
DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY ON THE MERRIMAC.
The Boston Advertiser of the 17th of March contains a
letter, dated Haverhill, March 15, nine o'clock, P.M.,
which says :
" Our usually quiet village is in the greatest con-
sternation imaginable, on account of the sudden and un-
precedented rise of the Merrimac. About half-past
seven o'clock this evening, the ice started and moved for
some
time quite freely; it then choked up the island
below, when the water above began to rise rapidly. Ere
we were aware it was flowing full tide into the cellars
and basement storiesi of the buildings on the river's
abank.lm o
a t
impossible
p osasuddentolatd a
a rapid was its rise as to render it
any of the various property
deposited there. Whilevle write, all the cellars en the
river side of the Water anda Merrimac-streets, for
distancethe of nearly
filled, and the basement stomriiele, are
many stores,
and the kitchens of many dwellsinh7o:houses are en-
tirely flooded. One man
swaavdeidng throughchiiren, who
water up
were quietly asleep, only by
to his waist, then taking them to a chamber, the
through a window, and so upon the roof of an adjoining' thence
building, escaped. Some famines have been driven
their parlours without having time to take a singleroar-
ticle of furniture. The firm of Montgomery and Co.
said to have 20,000 dolls. worth of shoes and leather
now under water. In many places on these streets men
are at this moment paddling from door to door in boats,
or on pieces of ice, trying to secure floating property, or
transport females from the furious flood. One man in
the last stage of consumption is in one of the aforesaid
houses, too far gone to be moved away. He has been
removed, however, to an upper room, where he will pro-
bably before morning embark on his last long voyage.
The water still rises, though it is now higher by two feet
than in the great flood of 1818. Every body is out, in.
valids, as well as many who will become so by their
exposure. Lanterns, over shoes, arks, life-preservers,
boats, and Bangor boots, are in great demand.
"10 o'clock.—The water is reported as at a stand.
If so, we have hope it will drain off gradually, without
sweeping away buildings and bridges that must go, it' the
ice starts at this high pitch. Should we find ourselves
at the mouth of the Merrimac to-morrow morning, we
will add you a P. P., dated at Newbury port, describing
as drily as the nature of the case will permit, the pro-
gress of the flood.
"11 o'clock.—We are all here still. The ice• dam
below has just given way, to the great relief of the ac-
cumulated waters and the affrighted people hereabouts.
For a few minutes our two bridges were in extreme
danger ; but all that is now past, and we breathe freely
again.
" Monday Morning.—Our relief last night was only
temporary. This morning we find the water as high as
ever, and still rising. The amount of damage done is
much greater than we last night supposed. At present
N 1: dare not conjecture how great it may be. Little
n River Bridge is gone clear, and many small wooden
buildings standing along on the banks of the river were
entirely crushed by the ice, and many others moved
from their foundation. Two of our 1
principal business
• e
stre s, for nearly half a mile are literally riled up with
huge masses of ice and the rains of buildings."

IPSWICH TMEATRICALS.—We perceive by the Suf-
folk Chronicle that Mr. Walter Shelley, who recently made a
successful dcbilt at the Pavilion Theatre, has been creating
a great sensation at Ipswich, in the characters of Shylock,
Macbeth, and Richard. The critic of the Suffolk Chronicle
speaks of him as an actor of great promise, possessing pliv-
sical and mental attributes of a high order. Let Mr. W.
Shelley cultivate his talent, let him learn his art by an
apprenticeship in the provinces, before he ventures a rhbut
in the metropolis, and fame and fortune will be his; for at
the present moment we have no first-rate finished tragedian,
nor have we had such since the death of Edmund Kean. and
the retirement of Kemble and Young.
TUE ARMY.—The 17th Lancers, whose destination
for Ireland was announced some weeks since in our columns,
will embark at Liverpool, for Dundalk, which will be occu-
pied as head-quarters; one troop, however, if not more, will
proceed farther north, and be stationed at Belfast. The 3d
or Prince of Wales's Dragoon Guards, now in Ireland, is
under orders for Scotland. The Ist Royal Dragoons, from
Dundalk, move to Cork. The sth Dragoons have relieved
the 10th Hussars at York, and the latter regiment has ar-
rived at Canterbury, prior to embarkation at Gravesend for
tho East. The 11th Hussars will arrive from Newbridze,
county of Kildare, on the 30th and 31st. In answer to in-
quiries made yesterday, it was stated that Sir George Murray
was better.
The Earl of Dalhousie had an interview with Sir R.
Peel yesterday.