The Sun.
London, England, 1848-01-13 00:00:00

THE AMERICAN CONGRESS.

In the sitting of the House of Representatives at
Washington on the 21st ult., Mr. Richardson, of
Illinois, moved the following resolutions:—
" Resolved, That the existing war with Mexico
was just and necessary on our part, and has been
prosecuted with the sole purpose of vindicating our
national rights and honour, and of securing an
honourable peace.
" Resolved, That the rejection of our repeated
overtures of peace leaves this Government no alter-
native but the vigorous prosecution of the war, in
such manner, consistent with the law of nations, as
will make the enemy feel all its calamities and bur-
dens, and until Mexico shall agree to a just and
honourable peace, providing satisfactory indemnity in
money or territory, for past injuries, including the
expenses of the war.
" Resolved, That the amount of indemnity must
necessarily depend upon the obstinacy of the enemy
and the duration of the war." _ _

Mr. Stephens gave notice that he would offer a
proposition as a substitute, in case the question
before the House is voted down.—(Loud cries of
" Read, read.")
It was read, prefaced by a preamble, and asserted
that the war with Mexico was not waged or prose-
cuted for the purpose of conquest, or for the subju-
gation or dismemberment of that empire ; and that it
is the desire of the United States that hostilities shall
terminate, on terms honouraWe to both parties, and
the establishment of a rightful boundary and proper
indemnity to our citizens for claims against that
country. The whole to be adjusted by negotiation,
according to the constitutional forms of each Govern-
ment respectively.
Mr. Botts—l have another—(Cries of "Read Bott's
resolution—read, read.")
The Speaker (after knocking to restore order)—
No gentleman can present resolutions at this time as
a matter of. right ; it is generally a matter of cour-
tesy.—(Renewed cries of " Read, read," and much
anxiety visible.)
The resolutions were twelve in number ; insisting,
among other things, that the war was not brought on
by the act of Mexico, but by the President's ordering
the march of our army into the territory then in the
possession of Mexico ; that we have no right to claim
indemnity for the expenses of a war brought on by
the act of a public functionary ; that our troops be
withdrawn to the borders of Texas, where they were
at the time of annexation ; that no territory of
Mexico can be annexed to this country without in-
volving agitation and sectional difficulties ; that the
assertion of the doctrine that might makes right, is
the freebooter's plea and the tyrant's song ; and that,
therefore, this Government cannot insist on the dis-
memberment of that empire as the price of peace;
that if, on the restoration of peace, necessity may
occur for gaining legal possession of a harbour in
California, we should pay for it; and that, if it be
determined by the people that this war shall be further
prosecuted, then it becomes the duty of all parties to
support our armies, and vote money to carry it on
with energy.
Mr. Thompson, of Indiana, had a very short re-
solution, and it was read—That, in the opinion of
Congress, the President of the United States should
forthwith communicate to the Government of Mexico,
that peace may be established on the following
terms :-1. The boundary between the United States
and Mexico should begin at the Gulf of Mexico,
striking the Nueces, &c. ; that the Government of
the United States will purchase to 36.30 to the Pa-
cific Ocean, to Monterey, &a., in California. [ln
consequence of the noise in the hall we could not
ascertain precisely what was meant.] And that, in
consideration of this, we should pay to Mexico such
sum of money as may be agreed on by Commis-
sioners ; that this Government shall ask no indemnity
for the expenses of the war; that as soon as a treaty
of peace shall be made our army shall be withdrawn
from Mexico, &c.
Mr. Toombs—Here is one I intend to offer.—
(Cries of " Read, read.")
It was read as follows :—" Resolved, That neither
the national honour, nor the interests of this Govern-
ment, demand the dismemberment of Mexico or its
annexation, as an indispensable condition to the
restoration of peace."— (Members were standing in
all parts of the hall.)
Mr. Van Dyke also sent up to the clerk's table a
proposition, which was read, to the effect that the
marching of our troops to the Rio Grande was an
aggression on the part of the United States, and
produced the conflict between the two countries ;
that our armies should be withdrawn from Mexico,
and afterwards commissioners sent there to treat for
peace.
Mr. Stephens—l give notice of my intention to
debate the resolution offered by the gentleman from
Illinois. (The original submitted by Mr. Rich-
ardson.)
Mr. Botts—l move that the several propositions be
printed, and made the order of the day.
The resolutions of Mr. Richardson lie over.

IRONMASTERS' QUARTERLY AIEETINGS.—WOLVER.
HAMPTON, WEDNESDAY.—The first of the usual_ quar-
terly meetings of the ironmasters of ,South Staffordshire
and Shropshire for the present year was at Walsall
yesterday; and to-day a second took place at she Swan
Hotel, iu this town. The attendance was far rilim
numerous, the great business being usually transacted
at the Birmingham meeting, which will be held in that
town to morrow. From the tone which pervaded the
discussions to-day, it may be asserted that in all proba-
bility prices will range during the next quartfr at a
reduction of about 2/. from the nominal prices fixed at
the quartz rly meetings held in October last. The exten-
sive turn-out of nhe colliers, and the consequent and
increaging suspension of iron works, may, however, have
the eff,ct of advancing the price of some, if not all,
descriptions of iron. Stocks are said to be low, and
there appears, even amongst the manufacturers of arti-
cles for domestic use, little disposition to give orders.
COURTS-MARTIAL AT CHATLIAM.—Thres private
soldiers, tried at this garrison by general courts-maitial,
were brought out of the prison of the main guard and
received their sentences in the presence of the troops.
Private Robert Carter, of the,lst Battalion Rifle Brigade,
for desertion, was sentenced to imprisonment for twelve
lunar months. Private Edward Carter, of the 89th Re-
giment, for having stolen, at Sheerness, from Ensign
Atkinson, of the 89th, a purse containing two 61 Bank
of England notes, and a quantity of wearing apparel, be-
longing to that officer, was sentenced to two years' Un-
prisonaient. Private bleorge Auld, of the 7th Dragoon
Guards, for desertion, was sentenced to two years' im-
Prisoninent, with hard labour. Tho prisoners wore
removed under a military escort to the military prison,
Fort Clarence, to undergo their sentences.
MANSLAUGIITER.—Yesterday an inquest was held
at Lea Bridge, on the body of William Ives, aged 37,
laboorar, whose death resulted from injuries inflicted by
Joshua getup and Daniel_ oradaington, in a violent and
unprovoked 4:tlault upon the deceased on Christina,
-
It was found, an a pat modem examination, that four
of the ribs of the unfortunate roan were fractured, which
had produced adhesion of the pleura, and caused death.
At the suggestion of the Coroner the inquest was ad-
journed.
HINT TO PURCHASERS OF HOUSES. The pur-
chaser, as remarked in Mr. Hosking's new "Guide,"
must necessarily pay more for a well-built and well.,
drained, than for an ill-built and undrained house, but,
buying the latter, he soon finds to his cost that he has
bought too cheaply;—the walls bulge,nittehrse, fblynrgs
wgiatpbe:
g
and creak; the lead on the flats' and
out drips, after puckering in summer, cracks in winter,
and as the snow thaws the ceilings fall; whilst the cess-
pool overflows or returns its filth to tho house- by the
drains which led it thither;—he suffers in health and in
purse, and thus the public b members suffers.—
Builder.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.
COURT OF EXCHEQUER, Jan. 12.
MAC FUN v. SOUTH-WESTERN RAILWAY.
This case was tried at Guildhall during the last
sittings, before the Lord Chief Baron, and a verdict
entered for plaintiff for the sum of 1261. 13s. 10d.
Mr. MARTIN now moved for a rule nisi to set aside
the verdict for plaintiff, and enter same for defendant
upon the last issue. The plaintiff, it appeared, for-
warded a bale of silk by the South-Western Railway
from Andover to London. The bale duly arrived at
the Nine Elms Station, and was then transferred to
Messrs. Chaplin and Horne, the carriers, to be by
them conveyed to its destination, but was alleged to
be stolen by one Johnson, in the employ of Messrs.
Chaplin and Horne. The question now raised was
whether the company were liable to make good to
the plaintiff the value of the bale, on the ground that
it was feloniously stolen by a servant of the company.
The Learned Counsel contended that he was a ser-
vant of Messrs. Chaplin and Horne, and not of the
company.
The COURT took time to considar.
IN RE WILLIAM CORBETT.

Mr. Cobbett appeared to show cause against the re-
turn to a writ of habeas corpus, granted on a former
day, calling upon Mr. lludson, the keeper of the
Queen's Prison, to say why he detained Air. Cobbett
in custody. The ground of Mr. Cobbett's applica-
tion was, that he was placed by the keeper of the
prison under an illegal restraint, having been removed
on the 24th December last from that portion of the
prison properly appropriated to prisoners confined for
debt, to another part of the prison where fraudulent
debtors, and others classed as No. 1, were confined.
It was submitted that the removal to a part of the
prison where the prisoner was subjected to increased
privation and restraint, without the authority of any
competent tribunal, amounted to an escape, and en-
titled the applicant to call upon the Court to order his
discharge.
Mr. UNTHANK appeared for Mr. Hudson, the
keeper of the Queen's Prison, who acted in this case
under the orders of the Secretary of State for the
Home Department, and alleged that he had no desire
or design to treat Mr. Cobbett harshly. The facts
were, that Mr. Cobbett was proceeded against by his
creditors under the;.compulsory clauses of the Insol-
vent Debtors' Act, 1 and 2 Vic., c. 110. He was
called upon to file his schedule in the Insolvent
Court, and having declined doing so, after an order
made to that effect, under the regulations made by
the Secretary of State for the government of the
prison, he was liable to be treated as a fraudulent
debtor, and placed amongst that class of prisoners.
The keeper of the prison had no discreticn, and was
bound to obey the orders of the Secretary of State,
and justified on this ground.
The Court was occupied for a considerable portion
of the day with the arguments in this matter, and
after some deliberation amongst themselves, the Barons
declared their opinions seriatim. The Barons were
unanimously of opinion that it was not shown there
had been an escape, and that Mr. Cobbett must be
remanded to the custody of the keeper of the Queen's
Prison. W hether he was kept in one part of the
prison or another was immaterial : he was still in
the proper custody. The Lord Chief Baron, how-
ever, doubted whether the Court had any authority to
interfere with the internal regulations of the prison,
as settled by the Secretary of State, and Mr. Baron
Platt expressed a very decided opinion that the appli-
cant ought not to be consigned to that part of the
prison appropriated to the class of fraudulent debtors,
as no fraud was established against him. The Court
declined at present pronouncing any opinion as to the
expediency or propriety of the regulations made by
the Secretary of State for the government of the
prison.
Mr. Cobbett was ordered to be remanded.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
MANSION-HOUSE.
William Death, warehouseman to Mr. Ormiston,
of 26, St. Martin's-lane, commission agent, was
brought up in the custody of Daniel Forrester, upon
the charge of having embezzled money to a consider-
able amount, the property of his employer.
The prosecutor, who deals in articles of brass,
stated that it was the duty of the prisoner to sell the
articles and receive the money and pay it over to him.
At the end of December, 1847, a considerable defi-
ciency was discovered in the stock, and the prisoner
could not give a satisfactory explanation of that defi-
ciency, and was placed in the custody of the officer.
The prisoner said he had no objection to be re-
manded for a week, if such was the wish of the
prosecutor.
Mr. Ormiston said he believed that he should by
next Wednesday be prepared with evidence of the
extent of the plunder.
The prisoner was remanded accordingly.
John Jacobs was charged with having robbed Mr.
Moses Juda, of Houndsditch, clothier.
David Hart, foreman to the prosecutor, stated that
the prisoner, on the 27th of December, was at the
warehouse, and that after a gooa deal hesitation on
the subject of credit, the prosecutor agreed to allow
the prisoner to take some goods upon the understand-
ing that they were to be paid for or returned on the
Monday. The prisoner went away upon receiving
the articles, but subsequently returned, and said he
had just seen " Mo " (meaning the prosecutor), and
made an arrangement that he was to have two coats,
two pairs of trousers, and three waistcoats more.
These clothes were accordingly delivered to him in
the belief that the application was sanctioned by Mr.
Juda, who, it afterwards appeared, had not given his
consent to such increased credit at all.
Mr. Buchanan, solicitor, who conducted the pro-
secution, asked the witness whether, if the prisoner
had not made the representation that Mr. Juda con-
sented, the clothes would have been given to him ?
The witness replied decidedly in the negative.
The prosecutor said he was in the habit of letting
the prisoner have goods upon terms called " sale or
return," and had supplied him with some on the 7th
of December, but the clothes which the foreman had
delivered to him were received from the stock without
the necessary authority.
The prisoner was remanded.
Mr. Wallis, a person of very respectable appearance
and address, was charged with having endeavoured to
extort the sum of 2d. from Mr. Trollope, tea-dealer and
grocer, of Eastcheap.
The case was rather a curious one, for there was no
doubt of the respectability of either party.
Mr. Trollope said—The prisoner entered my shop
to buy two pennyworth of liquorice, and I said to my
little boy, who was behind the counter—" Toni, give
the gentleman a piece of liquorice." Tom went to wrap
the liquorice in a piece of paper, but the defendant
took off the paper, and giving it to Tom, told him to
be careful of it, put down a fourpenny-piece, and
took the change from me-2d. He then left the
shop contented. Tom returned to the business he
had been at, and so did I, when in walked the pri-
soner again, and coming over to me, said, he had
received the wrong change, as he had put down six-
pence. lat once opened the drawer in which I had
deposited the fourpenny-piece, emptied it, and showed
it to him, and it happened that there was no sixpence
at all amongst the silver in it. He, however, per-
sisted in his statement, and I referred to Tom as to
the money the man had given me. " Oh," said the
prisoner to him, " you dog, you will swear to any-
thing your master will say." I then sent for a
policeman ; but in the policeman's presence he per-
sisted in his statement, and charged me with having
put the money out of sight, and I was determined to
bring him before your Lordship to know whether he
or I was the guilty person.
The policeman who took Mr. Wallis into custody
said, he had searched the defendant, and found upon
him Is. 3d., and had discharged him upon his own
bail.
Mr. isl,rallis said, the statement of Mr. Trollope
was remarkaNe for the number of falsehoods it con-
tained in a smal.l compass, and most willingly re-
ferred to the policeman, who was an unprejudiced
witness, to arbitrate between them as to the correct-
ness of their statements. He says he emptied the
till. He did nothing of the kind ; and it must be
very singular, indeed, if a man who does so much
business as he does, had not sixpence in the till. I
certainly gave him sixpence, but what he did with
It I do not know. He also commits himself to a
falsehood when he says I went away. I did not
quit the shop; but after I had received the change,
rt.
^inembering that I had given sixpence, I turned
and minentotiohnisedheathletofathetr
strong
tau. g
then took is
,I himself into an almost fighting
attitude. I appeal the officer as to the conduct
lraonugnuriage, p
of both, and I must repeat again that the truth is
nut in him. eaterinhaendcouinsep
The LC/RD MAYOR—This may be a mistake. There
are, at any tat, two to one in favour of Mr. Trol:
lope's version ; and it appears that Mr. hWallis
d was
going away under the impression that e
harge but lam of
his right change. I dismiss the c
opinion that the complainant is right. ,
o
d, I am satisfied.
Mr. Trollope—Very well, my
r
I assure your Lordship that there day great many
are a
experiments of this kind made every upon us, and
is necessary to protect us.
wallis—At all events you had the sixpence,
-quirrion you for the twopence.—

Mr.
and I shag
D"
(A laugh,)
The complainantGauaHLL.nd detel

lint then departed.

T -11 n

Elizabeth White was brought before Sir
Pixie, charged with assaulting Mr. Alderman Sidney,
M.P., merely because a prison is more comfortable
than a workhouse as now managed.
Mr. Alderman Sidney stated, that as he was going
up Ludgate-hill on the previous afternoon he felt a
slight blow on the hat, and on turning about he found
the prisoner was his assailant, and she gave him a
slap on the cheek. He asked her how he had given
her offence ? She said she was in great distress ; she

was discharged from prison on Monday and had no
place to go to, and she thought she had better com-
mit an assault on a magistrate than damage a shop-
keeper's window. He told her she must have a
parish, which was bound to sup port her if she waA
destitute, and he asked what pi irish she belonged to ?
She said she belonged to Exete r. He offered to pay
her fare down to Exeter. She said she would never
go back to the workhouse then e; they did not treat
poor people so kindly as in pris on, and she would live
in the prisons till she obtained some situation. She
had not assaulted him with the intention to injure
him, and therefore he did not wish to press hardly
upon her ; arid .with that observation he would leave
her in the hands of the sitting magistrate.
Sir J. PIRIE asked the prisoner what she had to
say to this charge ?—She replied, she had nothing to
say ; the Alderman had stated the case fairly.
Sir J. PIRIE remanded her. till Saturday to con-
sider how he would dispose of the matter.
BO IV- S TREE 7.
Emma Hall, a servant, was charged with having
attempted to commit suicide by drowning herself in
the reservoir of the Green Park.
Constable 89 C stated that he saw the young
woman jump into the reservoir opposite Piccadilly
about nine o'clock in the morning. He procured a
pole, and succeeded, after she had disappeared twice
from the surface of the water, in dragging her to
the bank and then taking her out of the water. He
conveyed her, in a very exhausted state, to the work-
house in Mount-street, where the usual restoratives
were effectually applied.
It appeared that the defendant, who had got into
bad company, having taken a situation in a house
in Curzon-street which turned out to be a bro-
thel, formed the resolution to destroy herself when-
ever she could get out upon an errand.
The mother of the young woman was sent for. She
appeared greatly distressed by the occurrence, and
implored the magistrate to procure her, if possible,
the shelter of some charitable asylum, as she was
herself, being 87 years of age, wholly unable to ren-
der her any assistance.
It transpired, out of the court, that the old woman
was, formerly, for twenty-five years, the laundress at
the Chambers of Mr. Twyford, the late magistrate at
this court, then a student and resident in the Middle
Temple.
By the recommendation of Mr. lIENna- the de-
fendant was received into an asylum for servants.
MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

The number of destitute persons who have received
temporary relief from the funds of the poor-box
between January and December last year is 800, and
the amount of money divided among these persons, in
sums varying from ls. to 11. or 21. is upwards of
2001. More than half the persons receiving relief
were Irish, and money has either been given to them
to help them on to their own country, or, if of good
character and resident here, to give them the means of
getting their own living at some industrious occupa-
tion. Another class who have experienced the season-
able relief afforded at this Court are female servants,
who, when their money has been spent and their
clothes pawned, and thus reduced to a state which
prevented them from taking another situation, have
had their clothes redeemed, or some trifle advanced to
enable them to engage in a new service with decent
clothing. The aged poor, as a matter of course, have
been liberal participators in the charitable donations
from this Court.