The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-03-26

ton of seeye y probably viii not be removed from
the international copyright treaty, which il stl In
the haads Of the Senates committee. A strong con-
stitutona objection has been raised against the
tradition treaty with Switzerland and, as q conse-
quence, il is supposed that it will not be ratified.
Washington letter writer says that Mr.. Kennedy,
the late Census Superintendent has been arrested on
charge of abstracting public documents.
The members of both branches of our State Legis-
lature again worked with great activity yesterday.
A large number of bills, mostly Of an unimportant
character, were passed, and much routine business
was transacted During the afternoon, Mr.. Van
Schoonhoven entertained the Senate with speech,
in opposition to Mr.. Beekman, the Union College
question.
As usual, we have a large number Of Geographic
dispatches to which we cannot afford room to refer
in detail. Among them are accounts Of three seri-
railroad accidents, murderous ARRAY in Boston,
the passage Of stringent amendments to the liquor
law in Maine, the falling Of warehouse in Pitts
burg, &c.
The Ladies' Home Mission celebrated their eighth
anniversary last evening, at the Madison street
church. Several interesting reports were read by
different missionaries, which showed that much good
other poverty stricken localities Of our metropolis
A collection was made, and large amount realized
We have to tender our thanks to the gentleman who
subscribed fifteen dollars for the purpose of constu
ting the reporters Of the press then present honorary
members.
Our inside pages to-day contain very interest
ing letter from Boston, giving biographical sketches
Of the different Massachusetts, United States sena-
tors from the adoption of the constitution to the
present day; the case Of Arthur Spring. convicted
of the double murder in Philadelphia; Communi-
cation from Lieut.. Schaumburg; Financial and Com
mercial Intelligence, &c.
The Central American Observation-Disclosures
Of Hon. John Slidel.
We are informed by telegraph from Washing
ton, that Hon. John Slidell of Louisiana has
been appointed Minister to Central America.
This Office, as extended by the law of the last
Congress- amounts to sort of rowing commits
sion with the powers of q full minister, over all
the States of Central America. The difficulty,
heretofore with man located in Nicaragua,
of coping with such wandering and active
British emissary, for example, as Chatfeld,
cy of covering the whole ground with the for
midable authority of an Envoy Extraordinary
and Minister Plenipotentiary, in full canonials.
Two other objects are gained by this proceed
ing. A high compliment, significant of our
practical guardianship, is paid to the little
States of Central America. and good fat Of
fce-one among the very best-has been added
to the limited number of the foreign schedule.
The questions which next recur are Who is
Hon. John Slidell and what were the influences
which secured his appointment? For the infor-
nation of the uninitiated Of our readers, we
shall briefly answer these questions, in their
order. The sequel will show, that in the divi-
CURED vast deal of mighty nice consideration,
so as to keep the scales evenly balanced be-
tween the various hungry members of the de-
mocratic party
John Slidell is native of New York, "a
brother of Captain Alexander Slidell Macken-
zie, deceased, late of the United States Nayy,)
and is now between ffty-five and sixty years of
age. He will carry, therefore, the saving
discretion of an old fogy into the very heart Of
Young America. His father was an old school
federalist-a school, by the way, in which many
of our most distinguished democrats appear to
have received the elementary principles Of
their political education. The old gentleman
was, for considerable time, President of the
Mechanics Bank, ofthis city; and the son was
for some years, notary and lawyer for the Union
Bank, prior to his departure to try his fortunes
in Louisiana. His first prominent advance in
that State was his election to Congress, in
1S43. At the expiration of his term he was APP
pointed by President Polk as Minister Plenipo-
tertiary and Envoy Extraordinary to Mexico
But the annexation of Texas, and the assump-
ton by our government of the boundary of the
Rio Grande, had created most serious diff
ficulty with the government Of Mexico. With
that difficulty pending, they would not
receive Mr.. Slidel as full minister, but
were willing to admit him in the charac-
ter of special envoy. to settle the paramount
misunderstanding. Upon this point of diploma
tic etiquette hinged the question of peace or
war. Mr.. Slidell returned home-the war fol-
lowed. and all its astonishing and most extra
ordinary results. Mr.. Slidell returned to
Louisiana, and has subsequently taken an ac-
tive part in the politics Of the State, as mem
Der of the Union branch of the democratic par
ty. he has. however, been defeated as can
didate for the United States Senate, in one or
two instances from want of harmony with
the State rights faction.
His present appointment to Central America
he owes to fortunate conjuncture of peculiar
circumstances. He had been brought forward
by some of the Union faction as their candidate
for seat in the cabinet. as Secretary of the
Navy. But the State rights wing of the demo-
cratic party being in the ascendancy in all the
cotton States of the South. that appointment
could not be made without their concurrence