The Empire County argus., 1854-04-22

The P. Nj. Companys magnificent steamship
Golden Gate, J. B. e. lshnlan, Esq, commander,
arrived at San Francisco on the 14th inst. from
Panama with the mails, and which left New York
on the Goth of March, thus performing the whole
distance in twenty-five day.
The Golden Gate brought up nearly 1000 pas
sengers, among whom is DR.. a. j. Bowie Lcuts.
Cuyer and Kinnard Of the Coast Survey, are also
of the number.
There are but one or two items connected with
the proceedings of Congress, besides the Nebraska
bill, which worthy of note. One is the pas
sage by vote of lO7 to y of the Homestead bill.
The bill provides
First: That any free white person who is the
head of family, or who has arrived at the age of
81 years and is citizen Of the United States, shall
be entitled to enter, free of cost, quarter
tion of vacant and unapproprated public land,
which at the time of the application may be sub
ject to private entry at 81 25 per acre, quant
ty equal thereto, to be located in body, in confor
nifty with the legal subdivisions of the public lands
and after the same shall have been surveyed.
Another section of the bill provides that no GER
tifcate shall be g iven patent issued for land un
til the applicant or his or her heirs shall have been
in occupation of the same for five years.
Another matter is a message from President
Pierce respecting difficulty between the owners
of the steamer Black Warrior and the Cuban au-
thOrties. From the statement of the owners of
the steamer it appears that the Black Warrior ar
rived at Havana on the morning of Feb. 2S Capt.
Bullock reporting to the boarding officer, and CIV
ing his manifest, as usual, in which it stated,
it always has been, that she entered in ballast.
The agents, expecting her two days previously,
had entered and cleared her before she arrived,
which has uniformly been the course heretofore.
When the clerk went to the Custom House for the
permit to pass the Moro to depart from Havana,
he was informed that there informality in
the entry, and the ship could not leave. The Col
lector stated that note had been attached to the
captains manifest, saying 'the ship has entered in
ballast and brings 400 bales of cotton for New
York )" and he explained that the captain should
have entered his cargo in transit and not in ballast.
The agents then, without admitting that the mani
fest was incorrect, claimed the twelve hours allow
ed by law in which to correct or make additions to
the manifest. The collector shifted the RESPONSE
bty to the lntendante, and the agents being re-
ferred back to the Collector they formally demand
ed the right to twelve hours in which to correct
tho manifest, when that official decided that they
had lost the right to the twelve hours by having
cleared the vessel before her arrival The steamer
was then abandoned by the agents. they giving no.
tice to the authorities that they should hold the
government responsible. The authorities after
wards offered to let the ship CO. if the captain
would agree to present himself when called for,
which was refused.
The agents state that they supported in the
they have taken by the U. S. Consul, several
eminent American lawyers then in Havana, and by
the merchants generally. The owners laid the
matter before the President, and after q lengthy
cabinet consultation the following message was sent
to the House of Representatives:
To the House Of Representatives:
In compliance with the resolution of the House
OF Representatives, of the 10th inst, | herewith