The Sun.
London, England, 1846-04-10 00:00:00

ALLEGED RETIREMENT OF MR. BUCHANAN.
(From the New I ork Herold, March 14.)
WASHINGTON, MARCH 12, 1846.—The developments
made in my communication in Tuesday's Herald, con-
cerning the "letter-carrying " of the Hon. Senator from
North Carolina, from the •• White House" to the only
pose 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 performed 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 he may be interested,
whilst others arrogate to themselves the right to contrel
it, and assume the exeicise of its proper departments,
without befog 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-
tified with the purest and most patriotic feelings of the
country. Mr. Bancroft too, goes out about the Ist 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 a Cabinet
appointment upon the seme 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.
Me. 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. George Bancroft came near stif-
f ring 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 exhibitedbefore as this?
ft 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 ficst, and
the first last ;" for it is now will 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 no
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 Unit( d 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, having 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 bo 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 Sear, 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 OP PROPERTY ON THE MERRIMAC.—
The Boston Advertiser of the 17th of March contains a
letter, dated Haverhill, March 1.5, 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 stories of the buildings on the river's
bank. So sudden and rapid was its rise as to render it
almost impossible to save any of the various property
deposited there. While I write, all the cellars cn the
river side of the Water and Merrimac-streets, for
the distance of nearly a mile, are completely
filled, and the basement stories of many stores,
and the kitchens of many dwelling-houses aro en-
tirely flooded. One man saved his children, who
were quietly asleep, only by wading through water up
to his waist, then taking them to a chamber, thence
through a window, and so upon the roof of an adjoining
building, escaped. Some families have been driven from
their parlours without having time to take a single ar-
ticle of furniture. The firm of Montgomery and Co. is
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. Everybody 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, if 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 Newburyport, 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

66 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
we dare not conjecture how great it may be. Little
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 principal business
streets, for nearly half a mile are literally piled tap with
huge masses of ioe and the ruins of buildings."

(nFdruo rir ii
in the
e Hera
past
:e Yorkfew yHeear
rasldb,
id Marchfair :0 7.)
NEW DIVISION OF PARTIES.
cauldro he political
The great issues which have been cast in the
like
some chemical agent, and precipitate to the bottom that
which has heretofore 1
predominated. In 1844 a great
mass of the men who, in 1840,supplrted Harrison, votep
for Polk, while many who had stuck to Van Buren t:.;
the last, indisposed with the Texas agitation, and too
timid fbr bold movements, sided with the Conservative
principle, as exemplified in its embodiment, Clay.
Ilrell, 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-
tisfactory 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 compromise
but at the cannon's mouth"—while the northern Polk-
men go for 49, even if war be necessary, and as much
more as can be peacefully secured. Out of the conflict
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 mutt have a breaking-up, and a new or-
ganisation ofparties, . Tlistre
..a,re aumbersiadissatisfied
men 6t fati en ce 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.
uate and elsewhere, who are preparing to lead it on
Democrat and Whig ere likely to become obsolete terms,
and most probably the net divisions of our political
world will be classified, like those in England, as Con-
servative and Radical, or some such terms.