The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1851-01-28 00:00:00

THE tIVERPOOL STANDARD.

LATER FROM AMERICA.

ARRIVAL OF THE NIAGARA

By the arrival of the British and North American Royal
Mail steam-ship Niagara, Capt. Leitch, commander, we
have received advices from New York to the 14th instant,
and by telegraph, via Halifax, to the 16th instant inclu-
sive. The Niagara arrived in the river last night at five
o'clock, having left Boston on the 15th instant at noon,
and Halifax at 4 a.m. on the 17th. She has brought
£31,000 in specie, and 83 passengers, a list of whom we
append. The Niagara was telegraphed off Holyhead yes-
terday morning. During the voyage it will be seen that
though she encountered rather severe weather, she has
made an excellent passage.
Both houses of Congress were busily engaged with a
variety of business. In the Senate, the patent laws, the
slavery question, the tariff, military land warrants, French
spoliations, and the distribution of the public lands, were
all discussed ; and in the House, Whitney's railroad
scheme, Mr. Chandler's resolution respecting silver coin,
the repeal of the Fugitive Slave Bill, and other matters,
were touched upon. The most important subject of the
day was the motion of Mr. McLanahan, of Pennsylvania,
to suspend the rules in order to offer a resolution that it
is inexpedient and improper to repeal the Fugitive Slave
Law, passed at the last session. The vote to suspend the
rules wes taken amid a great deal of excitement ; and al-
though the result was that the rules were not suspended,
there Wi S a vote in favour of doing so, of one hundred
and twenty-three to eighty-four, which does not
augur well for the prospect of slavery abolition.
Three petitions. praying for the repeal of the same law,
were presented in the Senate by Mr. Cooper, of Pennsyl-
vania. In presenting them, that gentleman took
occasion to say, that while he considered it his duty to
bring them before that body, he believed the great mass
of the people of his State were satisfied with the settle-
ment made at last session, and desired to carry out the
compromise measures in good faith. _

A very flattering compliment has been paid, at Philadel-
phia, to Captain Matthews, of the steam propeller City of
Glasgow. About eight hundred gentlemen sat down to a
splendid banquet. A miniature steam-ship occupied the
centre table, and fired a salute of thirteen guns before the
company sat down. Governor Johnston and all the lead-
ing gentry of the city were present. Captain Matthews'
health was very warmly received ; and the most glowing
anticipations were held out of the glorious future for Phi-
ladelphia and Pennsylvania from the establishment of
this as a pioneer of a new line of steamers.

The steam-ship Ohio, which it was feared had been
almost wrecked, was raised on a berth in less than two
hours from •the time the pumps were started. When
raised, it was found that her hull had received little if any
injury.

The trial of General Henderson, for participation in the
Cuban invasion, had commenced at New Orleans. Con-
siderable difficulty was encountered in procuring a jury.
From the Philadelphia journals we learn that the annual
message of Governor Johnstone was delivered to the Penn-
sylvanian Legislature on the Bth inst. The message stated
that the actual indebtedness of the State on the 30th
of November last was 40,310,094 dots. It has been di-
minished a little more tl-an half a million since the 30th
of November, 1848. The treasury receipts during the
past year were 4,438,131 ; the payments were 4,558,193 d.
The message recommended a system of banking founded
on State Stocks. It also discussed the Fugitive Slave
Law, and came to the conclusion that it was the duty of
every citizen to obey its provisions. He objected, how-
ever, to some of its provisions, and maintained that they
ought to be amended.

Mr. Wm. Hughes, the gentleman who made himself so
conspicuous recently, in attempting to recover Crafts, the
fugitive slave, from Boston, was killed recently, by a bro-
ther of the owner of Crafts. We have no particulars of the
matter, further than that a quarrel occurred between the
parties on political matters, which resulted in the death of
Mr. Hughes.
A despatch from St. Louis states that there is yet some
probability of the re-election of Col. Benton to the
United States Senate.

By the arrival at New York of the brig Masardis, Capt.
Hampton, in 20 days from Balize, Honduras, we learn
that several passengers have come from California, through
San Salvador and Guatemala, from which states we have
dates respectively to the 15th and 22nd November. The
arrival of Californians from across the country, is noticed
in the Honduras Watchman.