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

AIVIERICAN NEW S.

THE OREGON QUESTION.
THE NOTICE.
We hare received, via Havre, most important advices fron
Washington, to the IGth ult. inclusive. They bring the re
suit of the debate in the Senate upon the Oregon questicn.

IVASIIINGTON CITY (UNITBD STATES),
MONDAY, APRIL 13, 1846.
In the Senate this morning there was a conversational de-
bate between Mr. Aller, Mr. Crittenden, Mr. Morehead, Mr.
Clayton, and others, which resulted in an understandinf (in-
formally)s that the vote on the resolutions respecting the
twelve months',not ice 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 furth-a 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. MgDuffie, cf 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 title of Spain to the
territory in dispute. Mr. Wlluffie allowed, 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 speech 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 of any kind. He in-
timated in the course of his speech, however, that a treaty
which settled the matter on the 49th degree would receive
his vote.

THURSDAY, APRIL 16.—The Senate Chamber and gal-
leries were very much crowded this morning by persons
anxious to see and hear the closing scenes of this long-pro-
tracted debate, which has extended over nine weeks, and
also to see 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 resolutions
which he had offered, authorising the President to give the
notice at his discretion.

Mr. Reverdy Johnson, of Maryland, moved the adoption,
as a substitute, 'of the following preamble and resolution,
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."
" Whereas, 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 coast 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 hhould
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 understanding 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 counts his may be the
more earnestly and immediately directed to renewed efforts
for the amicable settlement of their ditrerences and disputes
in respect to the said territory;
"1. Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives
Thate the Unitedi d
eSntta toefs t
hoef
uAnmiteerdicsataitnesCboz garnedssh
ea si ss eitinehr
el ebdy,
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,,A3ni rd.wparei
enernex7tbraaiect
it,hefesrr,omnoeftthvvehPiereogreismniideae,tnhtthe'sednllnlteiossoaefg, eaaocidgnirsmeps
se
&inn!
some length in explanation of his reason for opposing
substitute.
The question being taken on the amendment proposed by
okethaet
Mr. Allen, it was decided in the negative by a vote of—
yeas '22, noes 32.
Mr. Allen moved to lay the resolution reported by the
Senate Committee on foreign affairs on the table, in order
that the resolutions adopted by the House of Representatives
might be taken up and and acted upon, which was agreed to.
Mr. Breese, of Illinois, then moved to amend the substi-
tute by striking out the words " at his discretion" in the
resoluCon. The question being taken, the motion was de-
cided in the negative by a vote of—yeas 22, noes 32. -
The question was then taken on the adoption of the sub-
stitute, and decided in the affirmative by a vote of—yeas 30,
noes 24.
Mr. Allen then spoke at some length in opposition to the
resolution as thus modified, declaring his intention to vote
against it even if he voted alone.
Mr. Crittenden replied to Mr. Allen, who rejoined, and Mr.
Crittenden sur-rejoined in a strain of great severity towards
Mr. Allen.
The Committee of the whole having reported the amend-
ment to the Senate, it was concurred in.
The question then recurred on 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 26 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.

ASHIN APRIL 16.
Mr. Slidell has returned from his missionGTON
toMexico 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 Matamoros, 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 to it 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 either.

__
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.
The Journal des Chemins de Fer announce that the
four companies which had united to form the company to
which the Chamber, of Deputies had conceded the railroad
from Bordeaux to Cette,
were respectively entitled to the
following nuber of sharesnamely, the Espeleta Company to
one out of two, or 50 per cent. ; that of Baron Sarget and
Mr. Mackenzie, to one out of four, or 25 per cent. ; and the
other two companies (Casalle and Schneider), 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 had 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 lit week, 13,196 f.
60c ; in the 2d, 23,484 f. 70c.; in the 3d, 41,416 f. ; and in the
)397L, or 20,000 f. a '
4th,. 43,957 f.—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 Orleano Railroad
during the week ending on the 28th ult. amounted to 170,407 f., exceeding by nearly 16,000 f. those of the con s
ponding week of 1845. Those of the Paris and Rouen roed
during the same interval, were 150
more
than last year.
MURDERS IN ENGLAND.—Mr. John O'Connell, Mem-
ber for Kilkenny, moved on the 12th of February for a returnf all
murders that have been committed in England since the
Ist
January, 1842; specifying the county, &e , where such murder hadof
Front the
been committed, with other particulars. It appears that the ordinary criminal returns received at the nome•office, having reference to
i
'et &c, Front
were 58 ;
mines, and not to the parties against whom offences are coinmitted do not in any instance state the condition in life, and not in all in_
stances the names of persons murdered or attempted to be murdered;
nor do these contain any record of murders or attempts to murder
further than in cases where accused paities have been apprehended,
utvohifec t c
oi en,
inquestsi ay,
There was therefore no direct means of furnishing the particular
in_
formation required by the address, A summary of the whole is
wftoohadded,irtals
manslaughter
2s2h given,N i nigt i thes
provedt number
cides. o
that inquests,tohreur
d
g5l ; for cenceahuent of birth, 27 ; and under the
was 440, of
numbere
r°
term " various," 4. There were 20 found insane ; self-destruction
of the accused, 2 ; accused died in prison, 4 ; no bill or acquitted, 99;
and cases not ascertained, 190: making the total stated. There
were of attempts to murder 65 attended with bodily injury, and 17
not attended with bodily injury, and 10 cases in which reward or
pardon was offered by Government and no results followed. There
were 29 convictions ;16 of the accused found insane ;36 , in
which there was no bill found, or the parties were acquitted, and one
which the trial was postponed. Of rewards offered there were 35;
28 in cases of murder, and 7in cases of attempts to murder. There
were 8 of the rewards paid, and in 12 cases convictions followed, of
which 11 were in cases of murder, and 1 in ease of attempt to mur-
der. In four cases where convictions took place the rewards offered
do not appear to have been claimed. In one ease of acquittal, the
reward was claimed, but not paid. In one case of Murder, and four
cases of attempt to murder, pardon was offered without pecuniary ro-
ward ou the part et Government.