The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-02-11

slVe spirit OIL the age.
The SCARLET LETTER AGAIN-MR. GAL
BRArrH's SrATEMENT.-We publish elsewhere in
this paper the statement Of Mr. Benjamin Gal
braith, in reply to the last publication Of Mr..
John Cochrane upon the free soil Scarlet letter
of General Pierce of 1s4e. The memory of Mr..
Cochrane, we suspect, will be much refreshed
by the reading OF this statement. 1t is perfect
ly conclusive. Mr. Galbraith adheres to the
original facts of his conversations with the Sur
veyor Of the Port. He re-aflirms that Mr. Coch-
rane did admit that he had seen the letter mot
great while since that he would look it up,
and that it did sympathise with the Van Buren,
free sellers of lS4e If il were necessary we
could produce two other witnesses to sustain
the testimony of Mr.. Galbraith; but we con-
slider his statement complete settler of the
matter at issue. But to satisfy the public Gu
riosity, and to settle the question beyond all
caviliing, why does not the President per-
NIT Mr.. Cochrane to put his hand in his breeches
pocket and bring out that letter-that mystic
rious letter-that Scarlet letter-to.thc light of
day Till that is done the public Judgment
must be that it is free soil Van Bu-
| rem Buffalo platform letter which, if brought
| out, would establish the nomination and the
| election of General Pierce as fraud upon his
| party, and fraud upon the country. The nom
| appearance Of the letter, or it's sudden disap-
pearance, is enough. and betrays those free soil
| proclivities and associations, on the part Of
| General Pierce, which may yet result in treach-
| cry from the White House on the Nebraska
question, unless the South and the friends of
Douglas are shrewd and vigilant. Let the
South look to the White House and the Cabi-
net with Jealous eye till this Scarlet letter il
! brought out. Why not give us the letter?
TIE lsTnNus or DARIEN-IMPoRTAN News
| We publish to-day an interesting letter from
Robert Nelson, OF the British surveying expe-
| difon, detailed from the ship OF WEI Virago,
| on the Pacific side, to make an exploration
across the Isthmus of Darien, with the view of
| ascertaining the advantages or disadvantages
Of that isthmus for the excavation of q ship ca
nal between The two oceans. The report goes
| very far to sustain the representations of DR..
Black, which resulted in the despatch few
weeks since of the sloop of war Cyane by cur
| government, for an official survey of the route
| indicated between the bay Of San Miguel CT the
| Pacific, and the bay Of New Caledonia on the
Atlantic side. From the reports of the British
surveying party, it appears that the party
crossed the country until they got within about
eight miles of the Atlantic. of which ocean they
had an excellent view. They encountered a
plain OF some twenty-five miles in length, and
in no part of it did they find the elevation
greater than fifty feet above the level of the
sea.
Iftbis report is confirmed by Lieut.. Strain,
of the Cyanc surveying corps, and by the
French expedition detailed for the same DUR
pose to the same quarter, then is the question
of the route for the great interoceanc canal
between the Atlantic and Pacific fixed fact"
That il will be confirmed We have no reason to
doubt We shall wait, however, with great in
terest the more thorough exploration which will
unquestionably be made of the whole route.
from end to end, by our own expedition
Work FOR DEcAYED PoIrTICrAgs.-Wel learn that