The Sun.
London, England, 1857-05-05 00:00:00

QUICK LEGISLATION. - .
(From the Times' Correspondent.)
NEW YORK, APRIL 21.
The State Legislature of New York adjourned
on the 18th, having pasSed 650 bills; jeutnic and
private, in a session of 100 days. The moat im-
portant are the Acts by which the municipal char-
ter of the city of New York is amended and the
system of police remodelled. Old New York is
as unwilling to be reformed as the Corporation of
London, and threatens to resist the innovations as
" unconstitutional." The Republican plerty predo-
minates in the Legislature of the State, while the
city is still under the sway of the democracy; the
ceuntry has carried the new bills aglifist the influ-
ence of the city, which protests against provincial
interference, with its abuses. It is said the vali-
dity of the new Acts will be tested in'the courts of
law, which wo ild be equivalent to throwing the
government of the city in o Chancery, and leave it
for somee tigee without any leeriLer. constituted
authorit es- It WI, or plunge it into a conflict be-
tween tie new system and the old. The placid
public, tliateloes nothing in these coetests but look
on and pa the costs, is, in its sluggish way, favour-
abie* sges, on the ground that no possible
change could e for the worse, and some tifth them
appear to be real improvements. But the profes-
si nal' rulers, who take all the work aif self-govern-
ment
out of the hands of the community, are more
active, and from them come the threats of resist-
ance. The State Senate devoted the last moments
before, the adjournment to parsing a series of
resolutions, founded on the decision of the
Supreme Court in the case of Dred Scott.,
and intended ,as a protest against it. It
resolved that the State of New York " will not allow
slavery witlen it, borders, in any form or.under any
pretence, or for any time, however short.;" it also
declares that the Supreme Court of the Uni•ed
States his, by its decision, identified itself with a
"sectional and aggress ye party," and "impaired
the reap.-et and confidence toe people? of the
Stakes." felt in it.
At the meeting of the Town Council and Board
of Aldermen yesterday the threats of resistance to
•he new order of things took a more definite shape ;
;he aldermen empowered the men to retain pos-
session. of all proper-y belonging to the present
Police Department, and to refu,e obedience to any
orders of the new police commissioners crested by
the Act. Tile councilmen directed rite 1-gal adviser
of the corporation to examine the new Acts at .d
to make a report on them, end obtain if 'necessary
other professional opinions upon their validity ; all
the municipal officers, till such report is received,
are instructed to do nothing ttiat can be construed
into an acceptance Of the new charter, and if any
attempt is mide to enforce it, o any part of it,
resistance is to be male in the courts of law, which
will, at all events, secure delay. A sum of money
is to 11 voted from the city funds to defray the first
expenses of eensiastions and readings, and at tins
point toe matter rests. The ift?ct movement will
probably take all parties into the regions of quo
warranto and mandamus, into which the courage
to follow them, even in anticipation, utterly fails.
Nothing further has transpired with regard to
the Chinese mission. Mr. Reed is preparing for
his departure, or rather the dockyards are prepar
iug the frigate in which he is to sail, which will be
one of the finest in the American Navy. Mr.
Reed wilt leave about the beginning of June.
The case of the persons arrested here on the
charge of defrauding the French Northern Railroad
Company is not yet decided. The question pending
is whether their offence renders them liable to extra-
ditiou under the treaty. It c +me on again a fewdays
since, and may be considered near its termination,
as Carpentie, one of the accused, pleaded guilty,
and is to be admitted States' evidence by the prose-
cution against his fellow-prisoners.
Tne rumours of two brilliant victories gained by
Walker over the Costa Ricans at Rivas have not
been confirmed by the arrival of the Tennessee.
Nothing is known the movements of the force on
the Pacific side of the isthmus. But, as has been
the case after all reports Of victories in that quar-
ter, the Tennessee brought a perfect budget of
disasters that have occurred to the detachment of
Walker's men which has been confined to the At-
lantic side by the occupation of the river San Juan.
When the previous accounts left Lockridge with his
recruits, was preparing to ascend the river and to.
force a passaete by taking Castillo, an attempt in
which CoL Titus so sign illy failed. The expedition
left Punta Arenas in. the Joirn Sc •tt steamer, but on
arriving at the fort they found the Costa Ricans
had.so strengthened it by outworks and barricades
that any atra± on it with such a force was impos-
sible. Lockridge retired, and, despairing of the sue-
' cess of any further efforts on the Atlan.ic side, re-
solved to attempt to retch Walker by way of Pana-
ma. He called on the men, aft r ;hey were re-em-
' barked, to deseend the river, to volunteer for the
enterprise; about 100 offered to go with him, but
200 refused, considering the case deperate. Those
who refused were, luckily for themselves, put on
hoard a small iron steamer that accompanied the
John Scott, and followed her down the river. They
were approaching Serabique on the 2d April, wh,.n
the John Scott, with the Walker volunteers on
board, ran on a sandbank, and in a few minutes
afterwards her -boil,r expl,,ded. Thirty men were
instautly killed, and 50 others wounded and scalded.
The s‘ cruller became a week and sank iu 8 feet of
Water. The iron boat to ,k the survivo:s oil board
—the wounded were placed iu a la, ge hunch and
towed down to Punta Arenas, s 'venal dying on
the wey. Lockridge escaped by being in the fore-
part of the boat at the time; his second officer,
General Wheat, "an old Mississippi traveller,"
wi.h a practisedearforexploaionstheiefore, jumped
overboard at the first suspicious crack, and saved
himself; others were blown into the water and
escaped, but eight officers and the engineer are
among the killed. The latest return gives the num-
b sr of those killed and missing at 60, and the total
of the casualties at 85. Ou the arrival of the boat
at Punta. AI eliae the surgeons of the English squa-
dron were sent pu shore with proper appliances,
and did their utelost to 1 sseu the sufferings of the
scalded men, an act of humanity which the local
reports gratefully record. Those of the sick and,
wounded who were in a condition to be moved were
put on beard the Tennessee and brought on to
New York, where they lauded in a m serable state
of deetitu; ion. They were relieved by a promptly
raised subscription, and those who have no friends
or New. York will be sent to their homes by fres
passes on the rail Ways. As the "army" thu.4 mel
away by failure, desertion, starvati,,n, fever, and
steamboat explosions, the quarrels of the officers
about rank and precedence increase, and there ape
pear to be colonels and generals enough left on the
Isthmus to furnish a full division, though the num-
ber of men remaining ou the Atlantic side cannot
exceed 150.

The Nia _ara frigate, which has been detained for
some da) a by an aecidebt to her engine, and sine
the damage wag repaired by bad weather will sail
to-morrow tor Ettgtaud to take on board la pOrtiots
of the Ocean Telegraph cable.

AQUATICS.

TRADESMEN'S FOUR-OARED RACE.

The u3einbers of the Pin-.lien and Onelee& Unity Bow.
ing Club cpeneu their season yesterday with a very
spirited four-oared race, from Haminhrsmith-bridge to
Battersea. bridge, for five silver cups for the first boat.
Toe weather was boisterous, and taking that into con.
sideration, the rowing altogether was very good. The
following was the result :
Messrs. G. Blythe Messrs. H. LidyardW.
W. Allen J. Rsgbes
W. Fennell, coxswain ................. (White) 1
Messrs. W. Belcher I Messrs. A Cole
• A. Batts Hallday
A. Fox, coxswain ....................... (Pink) 0
Messrs. F. Lidyard I Messrs. C. Watts
W. Cusack C. F. North
E. Ague, coxswain
William Blake was umpire. The start was n very
capital one. All went off together, and went over a mile
of ground, with scarcely any difference between them.
Just below the Crab Tree, the nose of Pink's boat be.
gan to show in front, both the others being still close.
In this wanner they got tireraven Cottage, when White
gradually left the'rear gudrd, and led the van in another
minute by a length, which they had increased to
lengths at Putney-bridge. After passing the Crab Tree,
Blue began to fall off in pace, owing, it was said, to one
of the crew being taken ill, and the race afterwards Jay
entirely between the other two. White steadily increased
their lead after going through Pitney-bridge, and won
by four lengths.

THE AMERICAN MAILS.--The British and North
American Royal Mail Steam-ship Company's steamer
Asia, Captain Edward Lott, lift the Mersey on Satur-
day afternoon for New York with the usual malls, a
full cargo, and 60 passengers.
LETTER FROM MAZZINI.—The treasurer of the Ha;rick
Italian Committee has received the following letter from
Mazzini, accompanied wi h an acknowledgement of a
talm of money collected in Hawick in aid of the fund ftr
the emancipation of Italy :—" My dear sir,—win you.
be so kind as to forward the enclosed to the committee,
and with it my most sincere thanks for your noble exer-
tions in a noble cause. There hAs been a great deal of
misgiving spread io the hearts of my countrymen since
1848 by the ever "donbtful. and sometimes hostile, col.
duct of your Government in Italian affairs; but such a
warm, liberal, efficient sympathy as evinced by your own
and some other Scotch towns will dispel the cloud.
Through long sojourn and affections, I look upon Great
Britain as upon my own second country ; and so far as
my influence on the Italian people allows, no seed of
the future alliance now sown by you will be lost or no-
g
2leoted-7-Yours faithfully, Joss=:Mazztal. April
9' an.

NEWS PAPE

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