The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-07-01 00:00:00

ARRIVAL OF THE ROYAL MAIL STEAMER

COLUMBIA

(From our Second Edition of Tuesday.)
The Royal Mail Steam-ship Columbia came up the river
this morning in splendid style, having made the passage from
Halifax in nine days and twelve hours—the shortest run ever
yet made by these splendid steamers. A special train to Bir-
mingham left Liverpool at twelve to-day with the intelligence
brought by the Columbia, and will anticipate, we predict,
the news brought by the steamer Great Western, which
would leave New York for Bristol the same day that the
Columbia left Boston for Liverpool.

We have New York papers to the evening of the 15th,
Halifax to the 18th, and Boston to the 16th instant.

The steam-ship Britannia, which left Liverpool on the
afternoon of the 4th instant, arrived at Halifax at half-past
nine o'clock on the morning of the 16th instant. She was
detained outside of Halifax, by a thick fog, for fifteen hours ;
but, notwithstanding, this is a most excellent passage, being
accomplished in 111 days.
The notorious swindler and forger, Colonel Monroe Ed-
wards, had been tried before Judge Kent, on the 14th inst.,
upon a charge of forging a letter of credit in the name of
Maunsell, White, and Co., of New Orleans, for 30,000 dol.
lars, and defrauding thereby Messrs. Brown, Brothers,
anc
Co., of New York, of that amount. The learned judge en.
tered into a very lengthy charge to the jury, explaining fulll
the law of the case, and detailing the particulars of the frau•
dulent transaction—at the close of which, after some legs
exceptions had been taken by the prisoner's counsel, the
jury retired. On the morning of the 15th instant, at ten
o'clock, the court was opened, and the jurors, having an-
swered that they had agreed upon a verdict, rendered a ver-
dict of guilty as charged in the indictment. Edwards, who
had up to that moment felt confident that the jury would dis-
agree, turned as pale as marble, but not a muscle of his
countenance moved—taking a pinch of snuff, he resumed in
a few moments the air of impudent assurance which had
marked his conduct throughout the trial.
It will be remembered that the Rhadamanthus, govern-
ment steam-ship, sailed from Portsmouth a few days be-
fore the Britannia left this port, with a special messenger
from the foreign office carrying out despatches to Lord
Ashburton. The two vessels arrived at Halifax the same
day, on the morning of the 16th instant, as will be seen by a
paragraph above.
The special messenger for Washington who came out in
her sailed in the Britannia on the same day for Boston—to
proceed with the utmost expedition, with the despatches en-
trusted to his care fur Lord Ashburton.
The Rhadamanthus remains yet at this port, and until the
arrival of the' steamer to-day, it was very uncertain what
might be her destination.
It was not intended that the Rhadamanthus should pro-
ceed to New York, unless in case of the non-arrival of the
Cunard steamer, the measure of sending out a separate ves-
sel having been more for the certainty of transmission of
these important papers than from any expectation of superior

speed.
By the Caledonia, which sailed from this side of the Atlan-
tic in the middle of May, her Majesty's government were
apprised of the determination of the State of Maine to send
commissioners to Washington, to treat for a settlement of
the disputed territory question, and the same steamer carried
home a special messenger from Lord Ashburton, with de-
spatches laying all the facts of the case that had transpired
up to that period, before the government, and requiring im-
mediate and specific instructions as to how be should pro-
ceed. Duplicates of the answer to his lordship were put on
board of the Rhadamanthus and the Britannia, and we arc
assured by the Halifax Morning Post, who tells us that he
speaks upon the best available authority, that the instruc-
tions of her Majesty's government have been framed with a
most solicitous regard for the welfare of these colonies, and
with a determination to preserve their safety, by retaining
the whole of the disputed territory, if possible, but, at all
hazards, that portion of it lying north of Mars Hill, with
the entire and exclusive navigation of the St. John River and

all its tributaries.
The new tariff was, at the date of the last news from
Washington, in committee; as we ought rather to say. that
a bill of a temporary character, extending the operation of
the present scale of duties till the Ist of August, was under
consideration. By the bill of Mr. Clay, the duties will be
reduced to 20 per cent., ad valorem, on the 30th June. It
has appeared to the legislature hopeless to get through the
proposed new tariff before that time, and, therefore, this tem-
porary measure is proposed to allow more ample time for the
discussion of the present measure. From the temper of the
house, as evinced in a division upon an attempt to obstruct
the debate upon this proposition, it appears most likely that
it will be adopted.
The proposed temporary bill is as follows :
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives
of the United States of America in Congress assembled.
That all laws existing and in force on the first of June,
eighteen hundred and forty-two, regulating and fixing the
amount and rate of duties to be levied and collected on
goods, wares, and merchandise imported into the United
States, and prescribing the mode of collecting the same, and
all provisions relating thereto, shall continue and be in force
as they existed on that day, until the Ist day of August,
1842, and no longer, anything in the act entitled "An act
to modify an act of the fourteenth day of July, one thousand
eight hundred and thirty-two, and all other acts imposing
duties on imports," approved March second, eighteen hun-
dred and thirty-three, to the contrary in any wise notwith-

standing.
Provided, That nothing herein contained shall suspend
the distribution of the proceeds of the public lands, any
thing herein contained, and any thing contained in the pro.
viso to the sixth section of the act approved fourth SeptenF
ber, eighteen hundred and forty-one, entitled " An act to
appropriate the proceeds of the sales of the public lands,
and to grant pre-emption rights," to the contrary notwith-
standing.
General Jackson has addressed a letter to the Irish re-
pealers in America, in which he limits the propriety of all
efforts tending to affect other countries to such as shall
" not interfere offensively with the internal affairs of other
nations." He consequently declined attending a meeting
convened by the repealers.
Fia AMISTAD AFILICANS.—By the brig Wasp, Leavitt,
44 days from Sierra Leone, intelligence has been received
from the missionaries who accompanied the liberated Afri-
cans to their native land, to April 20th. Rev. W. Raymond,
with his wife and child, continued in good health ; but Rev.
James Steele had been dangerously sick with the fever.—
Mr. Steele had returned from his exploring visit down the
coast, with Cinque and a few of the other Mendians, (after
an absence of twenty days,) and found no location where
they could advantageously establish the mission. Soon after
his return he had a violent fever. which continued about
three weeks. By the last accounts he was convalescing, but
his physician had advised him to return, for some months,
to the United States, before the rain season should com-
mence, to recruit his health. Mr. Raymond has taken a
farm at York, near Sierra Leone, where part of the Mendi-
ans are occupied with study and agriculture.
The legislature of Pennsylvania assembled on the 10th
instant. The chief object of the extra session was to dis-
trict the state according to the new ratio of representation,
but the governor availed himself of the occasion to address to
them a message, in which, after alluding to the prostration
of the public credit, he states that all the taxes paid by the
people of Pennsylvania for all purposes amount to the sum
of four millions of dollars, as nearly as can be ascertained.
Of this vast sum only seven hundred thousand dollars is levied
and paid for the use of the state.
Three per cent. on the assessed value of the real and per-
sonal property in Pennsylvania—assessed as it necessarily is
far below its value, amounts to upwards of forty-two millions
of dollars ; a sum sufficient to pay off our entire national
debt, and leave a surplus of five or six millions in the trea-
sury. And yet such is the general apathy or aversion to en-
ter into an examination of a subject of the kind, that there
are some to be found who seem at times almost disposed to
doubt the ability of Pennsylvania to pay her debts.
" I can add little to the details of my former recommenda-
tions, or to the means of discharging these debts. It is for
the legislature now to act upon them ; I will however sug-
gest that the state possesses a fund which might be applied
to the payment of these debts, if other resources fail ; and
although it may.not be at present available, it may ultimately
become so, at least to a considerable extent. I refer to the
stock held by the commonwealth in the Bank of Philadel-
phia, the Philadelphia Bank, and the Farmers' and Mecha-
nics' Bank.
"For these stocks the state paid two millions one hundred
and eight thousand seven hundred dollars. What they may
be ultimately worth I know not. My opinion of this invest-
ment has been communicated to the legislature again and
again, and it would be useless to reiterate it now. But I
must be allowed, before closing the subject, to express my
opinion, formed on the most thorough conviction, that unless
the interest of individuals be enlisted in this matter, the state
will never realise a dollar from it. It seems to me, there-
fore, that it would he advisable to transfer these stocks to
trustees, or make some other disposition of them, to satisfy
the claims of the domestic creditors. If anything better can
be done, it will afford me great pleasure to co-operate with
you ; but if not, the provision suggested might possibly save
a remnant, which might be applied to the debts long due to a
class of just and meritorious creditors, who are most as-
suredly entitled, at the hands of the legislature, to the spee-
diest relief which its wisdom can devise, and the means of
the commonwealth will possibly afford.
" DAVID R. PORTER.
" Executive Changer, Harrisburg, June 10, 1842."

The Steam-ship Acadia brought to England the news of a
resumption of specie payments by the whole of the banks of
New Orleans. We have no,/ to announce that six of these
have already suspended payment.
The Citizens', State, Consolidated, Commercial, Canal
and City are the unsound banks ; while the Louisiana, Union,
Mechanics' and Traders', Carrolton and Gas Light, con-
tinued, at the last advices, the 4th of June, to redeem all
their obligation in coin.
A run for specie appears to have been made upon these
banks from the moment of their opening.
FROM TEXAS.—lntelligence was received at New Orleans,
on the 4th instant, that President Houston had called a spe-
cial session of the Texan Congress, to be held on the 27th
instant. This call is supposed to have been made with re-
ference to the proposed invasion of Mexico. It is said that
orders have been issued to concentrate the troops in the
eastern section of the republic.