The State guard., 1848-04-18
Correspondence State Guar d |.
WAsn1eToN CIry, April l, ls4s.

WAsHIGToN CITY, April l, lS4S. For the last six hours the sergeant-at- arms of the Senate has had in custody MT. Nugent, correspondent of the N. York Herald, who transmitted to that journal the copy of the treaty as amended. He is SO held for refusing to reply to questions propounded to him by the Senate's com- lnittec to investigate as to the develop nents of its members, also relative to the manner in which the Herald obtained the version of the treaty first published in its columns. He has answered, exonerating the Senate, its officers and printers, and the Secretary of State, from all suspicion of connection however remote, with the publication in his paper.
 My brethren of the letter. writing frater- nity are in terrible stew over the mat ter. Some of them talk of rescuing MT. Nugent by virtue of writ of habes cor pus. ] am no lawyer, and therefore know not how far the authority of the Senate goes in this connection. Mir. Nugent has answered so far as to exonenate those tone and all, whom the Senate have the right to enjoin to secrecy. The question now is, can it proceed further in its efforts to compel disclosures. It strikes me that the right to compel the attendance of persons and papers, would be without avail unless the Senate can permit contumacy in wit ness.
 l Though Mir. Nugent has exonerated the Secretary of State, the federal press is still harping on the roorback saying that that officer furnished him with copy.
 This cannot possibly be so, for the fol- lowing reasons. The publication having been made in the Herald of Monday mor- ming, the letter must have left Washing ton by the train of the preceding Saturday morning, at 6 a. m., no extra express trains having left either Washington or Balti- more for the North, on that day. Now the copies of the amended treaty to which the State Department was entitled were not delivered until II a. m., of Saturday, five hours after the departure of the train bearing the copy to the Herald. These copies were twenty-five in number, of which twenty.one are now in the State Department, four having been sealed up and sent to Mexico by Mir. Clifford, accor- ding to the testimony of those whose busi- ness it was to prepare the papers which Mir. Clifford took out. Besides, together i with the amended treaty, there appeared in the Herald correct list of the yeas and nays on the question of it's ratification. It not being customary to send any such in- formation to the State Department, this list has not reached there to this day. How ever, men of common sense will under stand this plan to arraign the Secretary of State, which has for it's object to screen the federal Senator or Senators who re- vealed to the Philadelphia North Ameri- can the proceedings in debating the trea- ty.
 Letters have reached Washington from the city of Mexico of very recent date, which give desponding accounts of the prospect of the ratification. When the instrument was first signed there were for ty members of the Mexican Congress at Queratora. This number dwindled down to twenty soon after the armistice was sign. cd; and in the opinion of the writers, if a quorum should again assemble, it will only be to reject the treaty. They however en- tertain little hopes that quorum will come together. This is gloomy picture of things.
 Messrs. Taylor and Edwards of Ohio, J. R. Ingersoll and Butler of Pa. Cran- ston of R. l., Enforce and Thompson of Indiana, and Get of New York, ilre just now being calculated on by the expedien- cy men as certain to vote against the pro.