The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-04-20 00:00:00

COURT AND FASHION,

The Court remains at Buckingham Palace.
On Tuesday the Queen and Prince Albert attended the
perforip_ances at the Italian Opera.
Heajesty and Prince Albert visited the new House
of Lords on Wednesday. The elegant apartments were
used by their Lordships for the first time last week.
In the evening, the royal dinner party included the
Duchess of Sutherland, the Earl and Countess Spencer,
and Viscount Morpeth.
On Thurgday afternoon, the Queen held a drawing
room in St. James's Palace.

The Queen gives a Bal Costume in the month of June,
to represent the Elizabethan period.
The Countess of Elgin, daughter of the late Earl of
Durham, took leave of the domestics of the household
and other dependents assembled at Lambton Castle on
Thursday evening, previous to her ladyship's departure
for Canada to join her husband, the Governor-General.
The christening of the infant heir to the Rufford estate,
the seat of Sir Thomas Hesketh, was solemnised with
great splendour at the picturesque church in the village on
Thursday. A fashionable party dined at the Hall, a
dinner was given to the tenantry, and a grand ball took
place in the evening.
MARRIAGE IN HIGH LIFE.—The marriage of the Rev.
H. G. Bunsen, son of the Chevalier Bunsen, his Prus-
sian Majesty's minister at the Court of St. James's, to
Miss Battersby, daughter of Mr. Abraham Gray Harford
Battersby, the wealthy banker of Bristol, took place on
Tuesday at the parish church, Westbury-upon-Trim. The
nuptial ceremony was performed by the Right Rev. the
Lord Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol. After the mar-
riage the happy pair set out for Barley-wood, Wrington.

FOREIGN 6- COLONIAL INTELLIGENCE.

AMERICA

The steam-ship Hibernia arrived on Thursday from
Boston and Halifax, bringing the usual mails of the Ist
instant, and important accounts of a severe engagement
between the American force, under General Taylor, and
that of Mexico, under Santa Anna.
The scene of the action was at Buena Vista, a hacienda
about six miles west of Saltillo. The fightinc, commenced
on the 22nd of February, and ended on the 23rd. Santa
Anna retired to Agua Neva, a distance of ten miles. The
American accounts state the Mexican loss to have been
4,000 killed and wounded ; that on their own side at 700.
The numbers of the respective combatants are given as
15,000 Mexicans against 5,000 Americans, the latter being
chiefly volunteers. General Taylor engaged Santa Anna,
it is stated, contrary to the orders of General Scott, the
commander-in-chief. .

The account of the battle only reached New York on
the evening of the 30th ultimo. Up to that moment the
rumours of victory and defeat were generally current,
General Taylor had advanced as far as Agua Neva, and
had subsequently taken up " a less advanced position."
Other reports represented him as cut off from Saltillo,
and his insulated position was said to account for the
absence of official or authentic intelligence from the seat
of war. It now appears, however, that he did retire for
the purpose of choosing his ground, and, according to
Santa Anna's despatch, he selected his position with skill
and judgment. He drew the enemy into a place where
they could not use very well their artillery, where there
was no water, and where they wanted food.
Reports had been received from Santa Fe that the New
Mexicans bad risen and massacred the Americans in the
city, together with the American Governor, Bent, and his
officers.

Accounts from Alexandria of the 29th ult., announce
that on the 22nd upwards of 40 vessels laden with corn
sailed from that port, mostly bound for England.
A letter from St. Petersburgh, dated the 2nd, announces
that the Emperor of Russia is seriously ill, and that his
journey to Warsaw is indefinitely postponed.
In 1846, 1010 slaves were emancipated at Martinique,
1115 at Guadaloupe,* 177 in French Guiana, and about
300 at Bourbon.
A man named Daniel Aitken, lately. died in Wexford,
Canada, at the age of 120 years. During his life he had
contracted seven marriages, and he left five hundred and
seventy grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Private letters state that no uneasiness about the sup-
ply of corn existed in Paris. The orders given for foreign
grain were more than adequate to the wants that will be
felt before the arrival of the growing crops in the market.
They add that " never in the memory of man was a
spring more propitious in France than is the present."
MR. COBDEN.—Mr. Cobden, at the date of the latest
advices, had returned to Rome from Naples, and was in
" the eternal city" on the 23d ult. A house at Pompeii
had been excavated in the hon. gentleman's presence and
in his honour; but we learn that nothing particular was
found during the excavation or clearing of the long-en-
tombed residence of some ancient Pompeian.
DEMOCRACY IN NEW YORK.—The " Democratic City
Government of New York, it is said, let out of the city
prison on Blackwell's Island, sixty convicts, on election
day, in order that they might vote against giving coloured
people the right of suffrage ! Thirteen of these worthies
were arrested by Alderman Benson and Justice Merritt
on their way to the poll."
EXECUTION OF CORN-RIOTERS.—The three individuals
condemned to death for their participation in the corn-
riots at Buzangais, were executed on the public square of
that town on the 12th inst., amidst an immense concourse
of people. A great display of military was made, troops
having been sent to Buzansais from Bourges, Nevers,
and Chateauroux.

There is a perfect glut of wheat in the markets of the
Russian capital. There was on hand a superfluity of
supply sufficient to load 900 to 1,000 vessels. In the mar-
kets of Russia foreign orders to the extent of 3,000,000

Lord J. RUSSELL, in moving for leave to bring in a bill lof hectolitres had been executed. Navigation, was still
for the punishment of vagrancy in Ireland, observed that I impeded by the presence of the ice, and the utmost
his object was to have vagrants in that country punished anxiety for its break up was expressed.
as in England. His bill would also apply to such per- Mr. O'Connell arrived on the 11th at Lyons, where he
sons as deserted their wives and families. He declined was likely to remain some days before he can resume his
to enter further into the particulars of his bill at present, journey to Rome. The Journal des Debats is authorised
as it might lead to discussion, which had better be de- to state that, during his stay at Paris, Dr. Chomel never
ferred to a future occasion, was desired by Louis Philippe, or any member of the
Leave was given to bring in the bill ; and it was sub- royal family, to express to the honourable and learned
sequently brought in and read a first time. gentleman the interest they felt in the prompt recovery of
Mr.,HINDLEY moved for a select committee to inquire his health.
into Sunday trading in the metropolis. He had been de- THE JESUITS IN SWITZERLAND.—The Augburq Ga-
sired by the parochial authorities to bring this subject zette states that letters from Rome, of the 31st of March,
forward, and his object was rather to check Sunday trad- say there had been an expectation that the Pope would
ing than to promote the better observance of the Lord's recall the Jesuits from Switzerland, in order to restore
Day, for he had no notion of making persons religious by tranquility to that country, but that no decision had been
act of Parliament. He wished to ascertain what could be come to on that point, notwithstanding the continued
done with propriety on this subject before he ventured to efforts of Count Rossi, the French Ambassador. But
legislate upon it. there would be nothing extraordinary in his Holiness
After some objections to the motion from Mr. Hume, taking a sudden decision leading to happy results for both
Mr. Escott, and one or two others, the committee was the Catholics and Protestants of Switzerland.
carried by a majority of 51 to 19. The Spanish Government is at issue with the Bishops
On the motion of Mr. HUME, after a short conversa- on the thorny question of University Education. A de-
tion with Mr. Ward, a copy of the instructions from the funct Administration (we do not remember which) pro-
Board of Admiralty to the Committee of Naval Construe- posed to revise the lists of books in use in all the princi-
tion, appointed to inquire into the state of naval archi- pal colleges, with a professed intention of' giving a stimu-
tecturer was ordered to be laid upon the table. Mr. lus to the study' of divinity, and "preserving the purity of
Hume had placed on the paper a number of other returns Catholic doctrine." The bishops were invited to draw up
relative to the construction of the ships built according a theological course, and after some difference of opinion,
to the plans of Sir W. Symonds; but, in consequence of they agreed in recommending the list adopted in the Se-
a desire intimated to him by Mr. Ward, he postponed minary at Rome, as comprehending a more extensive
his motion for their production till Thursday fortnight, range of subjects than any other with which they were
when he threatened to prove that £20,000,000 of public acquainted. Since Pacheco came into office, however, a
money, which had been voted for the building of ships in list has appeared under the Queen's sign-mannual, which
the time during which Sir W. Symonds had been surveyor not
illy differs widely from that suggested, but contains
of the navy,_had been completely wasted. He did not
blame W. Symonds for s but the different Boards
i several worksprohibited as unsound in France, as well as
of Adm Sir
iralty under which hethi had served. n Italy. The Bishops have presented a remonstrance,
Mr. F. 141AuLE then moved that the Army Service Bill with what success we have not heard.
OPENING OF THE FIRST PRUSSIAN Thmbe read a third time. hers of the palace of Frederick the Great have never wit-
Sir H. DOUGLAS persevered in his opposition to this nessed a more imposing scene or a more memorable event
than the solemn inauguration of the United Diet of Prus-
measure, repeated the objections which he had formerly.
urged against it, and moved that it be read a third time sia by King Frederick William IV. on Sunday the 11th of
that day six months. April. The ceremony, which had been purposely ap-
After several members bad spoken, the House di- pointed for that day of the week which is usually set apart
vided, and the amendment was lost; there being 42 for for the service of God, was preceded by the religious rites
it, and 91 against it. of both Churches destined to consecrate and, we had al-
The bill was then read a third time, and subsequently most said, to sanctify this new compact between the So-
divided into two parts, as Mr. F. Meade had previously vereign and the Prussian nation. The King, on his way
proposed. The first bill, relating to limited enlistment, from church to the castle, was greeted by the acclama-
was then passed. The other is dropped fora time. tions of the assembled multitude, and was received with

the same enthusiasm in the saloon by the members of the,
Diet. The royal speech was delivered in the great cham-
ber of the old ,palace, in presence of the'iihole Diet, the
royal family, the diplomatic body, and of all that is most
illustrious in the ,kingdom. The King has spontaneously
promulgated, justr before the assembly of the Diet, seve-
ral of the most important laws which had been under the
consideration a the Government. He has in his ',speech,
,proclaimed the principle of complete religious freedom to
all sects ; he has granted the publicity of the proceedings
in the civil and criminal courts of justice; and the Prus-
sian Envoy at'Frankfort has been instructed to bring be-
fore the Federal Diet the question of the liberty of the
,press, with a,view to the complete execution of the pledge
contained in the 18th article of the federal compact of
Germany. At the same time the regulations forthe con-
duct of public business by the United Diet of Prussia are
conceived in a .liberal spirit, more akin to the practice of
'Parliament in this country than to that of the French
Chambers ; and complete freedom has been secured to
the publication of the debates, with the names ,of the
speakers. The king went from the castle to church on
foot, and,returned the same way, his subjects lining the
road the whole distance.