The Sun.
London, England, 1846-05-08 00:00:00

AMERICAN NEAVS.

THE OREGON QUESTION.
THE NOTICE.

We have received, rid Havre, most important advices from
Washington, to the 16th ult. inclusive. They bring the re-
sult of the debate in the Senate upon the Oregon questicn.
WASHINGTON CITY (UNITED STATES),
MONDAY, APRIL 13, 1846.

In the Senate this morning there was a conversational de-
bate between Mr. Allen, Mr. Crittenden, Mr. Morehead, Mr.
Clayton, and others, which resulted in an understanding (in-
formally) that the vote on the resolutions respecting the
twelve months' notice to terminate the joint convention rela-
tive to the Oregon territory should be taken on Thursday.

Mr. Huntington, of Connecticut, addressed the Senate
to-day at length in favour of a settlement of the Oregon
controversy by a compromise on the 49th degree.
A message was also received from the President, in reply
to Mr. Clayton's resolution of inquiry, which stated that
no furth2r correspondence on the subject of Oregon had
passed between the Governments of the United States and
Great Britain since the 4th of February (the arbitration
correspondence).

TUESDAY, APRIL 14.
Mr. Westcott, of Florida, addressed the Senate in support
of the title of the United States up to 54 deg. 40 min., but
in opposition to notice, which, he believed, if it did not
bring on a war immediately, would at the expiration of
twelve months; and as the United States were not prepared
for war, he should vote against the notice in all its shapes
and forms.

Mr. M'Duffie, of South Carolina, said a few words by
way of addenda to Mr. Westcott's speech, as that gentle-
man had attempted by appealing to " Hansard'' to show
that Great Britain had admitted the tide of Spain to the
territory in dispute. Mr. M'Duffie showed, by quotations
from the following page of the same volume from which
Mr. Westcott has been quoting, that Great Britain had al-
ways denied the right of Spain to exclusive jurisdiction in
Oregon.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15.—Mr. Samuel Houston, of Texas,
addressed the Senate to day in a spa ech in favour of the
American title to 54 degrees 40, and advocating the " naked
notice" as it is called, or a simple resolution giving the no-
tice without preamble or qualification it any kind. He in •
timated in the course of his speech, however, th.:t a treats
which settled the matter on the 49th degree would receive
his vote.

THURSDAY, APRIL 16.—The Senate Chamber and gal-
lerie., were very much crowded this morning by persons
anxious to see and hear the cLising scenes of this long pro-
tracted debate, which has extended over nine weeks, and
sho to s: 'e to what results it would lead.

Mr. Crittenden, of Kentucky, led off in a very able and
eloquent speech, in support of the preamble and res:ilutions
which he had offered, authorising the President to give the
notice at his discretion.

Reverdy Johnson. of Maryland, moved the adoption,
as a substitute, of the foil--wing preamble and reo...luti .n,
which is the same as that offered by Mr. Crittenden, with
the insertion of the word " amicable" before the word " set-
tlement" at the conclusion of the preamble, and the omission
of the following proviso at the end of the resolution ;--." Pro-
vided, however, that in order to afford ampler time and op-
portunity for the amicable settlement and adjustment of all
their differences and disputes in respect to the said territory,
said notice ought not to be given until after the close of the
present session of Congress."
" W hereas, by the convention concluded the 20th day of
October, 1818, between the United States of America and
the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ire-
land, for the period of ten years, and afterwards indefinitely
extended and continued in force by another convention of
the same parties concluded the 6th day of—August, in the
year of our Lord 1827, it was agreed that any country that
may be claimed by either party on the north-west ceast of
America westward of the Stony or Rocky Mountains, now
commonly called the Oregon territory, should, together with
its harbours, bays, and creeks, and the navigation of all ri-
vers within the same, be 'free and open' to the vessels, citi-
zens, and subjects of the two powers, but without prejudice
to any claim which either of the parties might have to any
part of the said country; and with this further provision, in .
the second article of the said convention of the 6th of August,
1827, that either party .might abrogate and annul said con-
vention on giving due.notice of twelve months to the other•
contracting party. •
" And whereas it has now 'become desirable that the re•-•
spective claims of the United States and Great Britain 'should
be definitely settled, and that said territory may no longer.
than need be remain subject to the evil consequences of the
divided allegiance• of its -American and British population,
and of the confusion and conflict of national jurisdictions,
dangerous to the cherished peace and good naderstanding of
the two countries:

" With a view, therefore, that steps be taken for the abro-
gation of the said convention of. the 6th of August, 1827, in
the mode` prescribed in its second article, and that the at-
tention of the Governments of both countries may be the
more earnestly and imatediataly directed to renewed efforts
for the Amicable settlement of their. differences and disputes
in respect to the said territory;
"1. Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives
of the United States of . America in Congress assembled,
• That the President of the United States be, and he is hereby.
authorised, at his discretion, to give to the British Govern-
ment the notice required by its said article for the abrogation
of the 6th of August, 1827."
Mr. Allen moved to amend this substitute by striking out
the second and third paragraphs of the preamble, and in-
serting an extract from the President's Message, commencing
"And whereas it has now become the duty of Congress," &C.
Mr. Pennybacker, of Virginia, then
rose, and. spoke at
some length in explanation of his 'reason for opposing the
substitute.
The question being taken on'the amondment proposed by
Mr. Allen, it was decided in the negative:, by a vote of—
yeas noes 32.
Mr. Allen moved to lay • the resolutionreported by the
Senate Committee on foreign affairs 'on th v table, in order
that the resolutions adopted by the House of •
Representatives
might be taken up and and a2ted upon, whict:
I was agreed to.
' Mr. Breese, of Illinois, then noved to ame vd the substi-
tute by striking out the words " at his discr, Ilion" in the
resolut on. fhe question being taken, the mot ion was de-
cided in the negative by a vote, of—yeas 22, noes 12.
The question was then taken on the adoption o.r the sub-
stitute, and decided in the affixtuative by a vote of— •.±7e" 30,
noes 24.
Mr. Allen then spoke at some length in opprsition
solution as thus modified, declaring his intention t, 1 vote
Agsinst it even if he voted aleme. ,to the
r
M. Gitte,deri replied to Me. Allen who rejoined, and • Mr.
Crittenden sur-rejoined in a straits of great severity Uwe 'ells
Mr. Allen.
The Committee of the whole having reported the amend •
mont to the Senate, it was concurred in.
The question then recurred (At ordering the joint resolution
to be engrossed and read a third time, which was decided in
the affirmative by a vote of—yeas 40, noes 14.
So the Senate agreed by a majority of 2G out of 54 votes
to adopt the resolution as amended, which will now have
to be sent back to the House of Representatives for its con
currence.

WASHINGTON, APRIL 16.
Mr. Slidell has returned from his mission to Mexico with-
out having accomplished anything whatever, Paretes posi •
tively refusing to receive him as a Minister Plenipotentiary,
though, it is said, they are willing to receive a special com-
missioner to settle pending difficulties.
Simultaneous as it would appear with the orders for Mr.
Slidell to return to the United States, General Taylor re-
ceived orders to march the troops under his command from
Corpus Christie to the Rio Grande, and they are now oppo-
site the city of Al atamoras, having put the-Mexicans into a
tremendous fright, so that the Government official there set
fire to the Custom-house, and ran off as fast as he could.
It is said that the Senate will not act upon any measures
of importance sent toit by the House until that body has
acted definitely upon the resolutions of notice, which the
Senate passed yesterday.
The Tariff Bill, which has been reported by the Committee
of Ways and Means, is hardly expected to pass Congress this
session, nor perhaps the next eithe►.

MADRID AND . VALENCIA RAILWAY.—Mr. James
Stovold, Engineer, left London on Saturday last for Spain,
to make a practical survey of the first section of the line,
between the towns of Valencia and San Felipe.
aante
to
The Journal des Chemins de Fera
tnnii,luene
four companies which had united to form company that
which the Chamber of Deputies had conceded the railroad
from Bordeaux to Cette, were respectively entitled to the
the Espeleta Company to
ytlat of Baron Sarget and
one followingon t
of Hubertwo, oafr s hsoa r es—
per
cent.am e;l
Mr. Mackenzie, to one uut of four, or 25 per cent. ; and the
other two companies (Casalle and Schnt•ider), having only
issued the number of shares allocated to them in the fusion,
will effect no reduction in their promises. According to the
same journal, the Prefect of the Lower Seine bad sent engi-
neers to survey the country between Dieppe and Abbeville to
establish a railroad between those two towns. The receipts
of the first section of the Paris and Bordeaux line, between
Orleans and Tours, had been during the Ist week, 13196 f.
60c. • in the 2d,. 23,484 E i
70c.; in the 3d, 41,416 f. ; and n the
4th:43,957E—in all, 122,054 f. 30c. From the Ist of May,
all the stage coaches proceeding to and from the south of
France will employ that conveyance, and the administration
calculated on a daily receipt, for travellers alone, of B,ooof.
or 9,000 f. The receipts of the Paris and Orleans Railroad
during the week ending on the 28th ult. amounted to
170,407 f., exceeding by nearty 16,000 f. those of the corres-
ponding week of 1845. ThoTse of the Paris and Rouen road,
during the same interval, 'were 150,397 f,, or 20,000£ more
than last year.
MURDERS IN ENGLA'ND,—Mr. John O'Connell, Metn.
her for Kilkenny, moved on the 12th of February for a return of all
murders that have been 'committed in England since the Ist of
January, 1842; specifying the county, Bte , where such murder had
been committed, with Other particulars. It appears that the ordinary
criminal returns received at the Home.oftice, having reference to cri-
minals, and not to 'ate parties against whom offences are committed
do not in any Ir,stance state the condition in life, and not in at:, ht.
to murder
stances the to,:ines of persons mnrdered or attempted to he .:
uv.eraered
nor do these., contain any record of murders or attempt,,
apprehended.
further t
There was therefore no direct means of famishing t
!den in cases where accused parties have beer.
tut particular In-
forrrattion required by the address, A stimMary
of the whole is
at! lied, showing the number of inquests, convictio .
116, etc. From the
totals given, it Is proved. that the number of ir 'quests was 440, of which 228 were infanticides. For murder the convictions were 58 ; fdr manslaughter, 51 ; for concealment of tof rth, 27 ; and under the term "various," 4. There were 20 fount%
g tin t total stated. There
',insane self-destruction
of the accused, 2 ; accused died in prison, 4 ; no bill or acquitted, 99;
and cases not ascertained, 190 : match]
o followed. There
were of attempts to murder 65 attended with bodily injury, and 17
IG6ovoefrnthmeeant atisndedhlortu
linsane;
36
eases
in
not attended with bodily injury, and 10 Nu ultn which reward or
bill found,, r the parties: Ivel re acquitted,
wwpardehriecohn2;9wh
eacrsoenwvia
sct offered
ines iso l )
and one
which the trial was postponed. Of rewardsi, ofroe,ed there were 35;
28 in cases of murder, and 7in cases of at*iempts 41 marder. There
were 8 of the rewards paid, and in 12 CA, • 0,5
. eenviek .011.1 followed, of
whch 11 were in cases of murder, and I . In C 455 of as `tempt to mur-
I
' der. In four ca es
where coal
beenvictions t,
,s,k Placee the 4 'wards offered
med, bat not paid. Ir , One case of Mud% r, and four
do not appear to have claimed.
,
In one cue „fa, acquittal, the
reward was clot
oases of attempt to murder, pardon IT, $ offered with put •uniitry re-
Irani 04 the part fil Quyttrumen. 9ti pea, ,