The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-12-29 00:00:00

NORTH-EASTERN BOUNDARY.

THE HIGHLANDS.—The Spectator, published at Gardner,
Me., contains the following extract of a letter from Professor
Renwick, one of the engineers in the boundary survey :
" 1 am happy to be able to communicate to you that the
result of my operations will probably leave no other basis
for the British claim than the quibble whether the Bay of
Fundy be the Atlantic Ocean. I have discovered and ex-
plored a range of mountains extending from the Bay of Cha-
leurs, around the heads of the branches of the St. John's to
the Terviscouta portage, so that even on the British ground
that the Highlands are necessarily mountains they can be
met to advantage. The height of these mountains I can
only guess at until I make up the calculations."
The St. John Courier states that the British commissioners
appointed to run the boundary line between the American
possessions of Great Britain and the United States, have
finished their labours for the present season, having com-
pleted the survey of the due north line from the river St.
John to the Beaver Stream, on the Metis. From thence the
commissioners proceeded up the St. Lawrence to river
Ouelle, with the intention of passing up that river, and exa-
mining the highlands at its source. They started the last
week in October for that purpose, but heavy and continued
snow storms forced them to relinquish their operations.
From the river Ouelle, the commissioners proceeded to Que-
bec, from thence Lieutenant Broughton, R.E., one of the
commissioners, went to New York, on his way to England.
Mr. Featherstonhaugh, the younger, remains at Quebec for
the present, making up the returns and completing the plans.
It appears from the Woodstock Times, that the American
commissioners have also been active in prosecuting their re-
searches. They have explored nearly the whole extent of
country between Woodstock and the St. Lawrence, which
is represented as a most desolate and barren region. Nothing
but bogs, lakes, and marshes, with soncie broken and irregu-
lar ridges of highlands, covered with a stunted growth of
moth-clad trees, meet the eye after leaving the St. John some
15 or 20 miles. The parties that went up the Kennebeck
and Penobscot have likewise reported, thus completing the
whole American survey, with the exception of running the
meridian by lunar observations, now going on under the di..
rection of Major Graham.

SAILING OF THE GREAT WESTERN.—The Great Western
carries out sixty passengers, principally British officers and
civilians from Canada. Mr. Holford, of the eminent bank-
ing-house of Holford and Co., London, also returns in her
to England. Already about 60,000 dols. in specie is on the
manifest, but it is expected that 200,000 dols. will go in all.
She is full of freight. This is the last steamer from this
port in 1810, and generally considered the most successful.
Captain Hoskin enjoys a high reputation as a nautical man
and a gentleman.—N. Y. Morning Herald, Dec. 8.
THE PUBLIC DEBT.—The total amount of treasury notes
issued under this hard-money administration since Oct. 12,
1837, has been 24,739,473 89, nearly 25,000,000 dollars. Of
this amount there has been redeemed 23,302,650 dollars 51
cents., leaving unredeemed at this present time 4,433,823
dollars 38 cents.—Madisonian:

T SALE OF A WHITE MAN.—The Louisville Journal states,
that on the 2d of last month a white man was sold at public
auction, for four years, before the court-house door, in Cam-
den, S. C.

NEwFondomANn.--A. joint-stock company has been
sormed in Newfoundland, for establishing a steam-boat line
between St. John's, in that island, and Halifax. It is to
have a capital of £25,000, of which three-tenths are to be
reserved for Nova Scotia: two-tenths for England ; and the
rest lo be taken in the island.—Boston Daily Advertiser.
DIVORCE EXTRAORDINARY.--The Montieello (V.)
Watchman gives an account of the manner in which a jus-
tice of the peace lately dissolved the hymeneal union of an
unhappy pair, whom he had united but a short time before
till death should part tnem. Upon the request of the parties
to be unmarried, he placed a live cat on the block, and di-
recting one to pull at the head and the other at the tail,
while he with an axe cut puss in two, at the same time ex-
claiming, " Death separates you !" The couple went away
satisfied that they were legally unmarried, and have not lived
together since. •

INDIAN
REMAINS.—During the progress of some exca-
vations making by the Marine Railway Company, on Mis-
sissagua-point, the remains of from 15 to 20 Indians, with
beads, knives, &c., have been found imbedded about ten
inches below the original surface of the site of the battery.
The bodies appeared to have been severally wrapped in bark,
the remains of which were found in close proximity to the
undecayed portions of each skeleton.—Kingston Upper Ca-
nada Chronicle of Nov. 11.

TEXAS.
The steam-ship Havannah, arrived in this port last night,
has furnished us with papers from Houston, Texas, up to
the 21st instant, from which we extract the following items
of news :—The Houston Telegraph contains the official re-
port of Colonel Moore's expedition on the river Colorado,
which confirms the report of the total rout of the Indians in
that quarter. The Houston -Miming Star contains the
following narrative of the first capture at sea by the Texian
navy

NOVEMBER 19.—PRIZE VESSEL.—Yesterday morning the
90 tons
serbuArdnenial,Aar
came
a
e,
intoM port
taun tmndmeerrcchomanmanadn,
ooff
parbiozue.t
Charlescomm Fuller,an d e
rwoift ht
hoer
nd
ae
vr salt
sot
artei
op
no rats t
ah
la
wv efsusi epl r
zned.
ken on her voyage from Vera Cruz to Tampico,
esmaharesg towe rat os the
ta
by the Texian schooner San Antonio, Lieut. A. Moore com-
manding. The cause of this seizure is as follows :—About
the 25th of October last, while Commodore Moore was lying
at a little island called Lobez, a severe norther came on, by
which a Mexican brig was driven ashore and wrecked. The
commodore sent his boats promptly to their assistance, and
saved the crew and passengers, 26 in number, and a part of
the vessel's cargo. Some conception may be formed as to
the violence of the gale, when it is stated that all the anchors
of the commodore's ship were barely sufficient to keep her
from dragging, and also that it took the first boat that he
sent to the relief of the brig, well manned as she was, from
nine o'clock in the morning until five in the evening to reach
the wreck. The commodore sailed for Tampico immediately,
and landed the passengers and crew in safety. Next day,
however, being short of water, he sent one of his boats ashore
for the purpose of getting a supply. When the boat had got
within reach of the guns of the fort at Tampico, it was fired
upoh three several times, the last shot striking a few yards
short of the boat, and then glancing directly over it.
The commodore, very properly, we think, conceived this
to be an• act of indignity and aggression on the part of
Mexico, which called for retaliation. He immediately issued
orders to the squadron to make seizures of Mexican property

wherever it could be found upon the high seas. The cargo
of the wrecked veesel, which he had intended to have landed
that day, consisting of flour and coffee, he retained as lawful
spoil. It may be mentioned here, also, that Mr. Treat, our
agent at Mexico, has abandoned all hope of treating with
that Government, and returned to Vera Cruz, ou his way
home.

A few days after this the San Antonio parted company
with the sloop of war, and went on a cruise. On the 2d
inst., in the afternoon, she came in sight of the above-men-
tioned prize. She set a flag of the United States as signal,
which the Anna Maria answered by running up Mexican
colours. The San Antonio then lowered the United States
colours, and fired a gun to bring the Anna Maria to, at the
same time running up a Texian flag. The schooner imme-
diately lowered her colours, made all sail, and bore away.
The San Antonio gave her another gun, allotted, across her
stern, when she hove to, and waited for the man-of-war.
The San Antonio came alongside, and ordered the captain to
come on board with his papers. On finding from the ves-
sel's manifest and register that she was Mexican property,
he declared her a prize, and sent her into port, under Prize-
master Fuller, as stated above.
Yesterday evening the case was brought before the Court
of Admiralty, the lion. A. B. Shelby presiding, and all the
necessary testimony taken ; but we understand the judge has
determined to hold the matter under advisement until after
his return from the circuit, which will not be until February
or March next, when the final decree will be given. In the
meantime it is understood that he will issue a commission
this morning to have the vessel and cargo appraised and sold
as perishable property, the schooner being at present in a
leaky condition. Her cargo consists of 124 bags of coffee,
297 bags of flour, 21 boxes of dry goods, and 2 barrels of
spirits of turpentine. There is no question, we think, that
she is a lawful prize.
N.B. It is the opinion of Prize-master Fuller and Mid-
shipman Slaughter, who came up with the prize, that the
report of the steam-ship Zavalla having met with an accident
on the bar at Tobasco is without foundation, and that the
Mexican steam-ship Argyle, which resembles the Zavalla
somewhat in size and appearance, is probably the one that
has sustained the injury, if any vessel has, in that vicinity.