Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-09-07

long for the columns of the Star; so we must
content ourself with quoting its material state
ments as follows, viz:
''It is true that the Nuncio was
the first person who told me of this appoint
ment, and that this took place before the or
ganization of the Cabinet was generality known
at Madrid. But it is not true that the CONVEX
sation occurred before the 4th OF March, or
before the Cabinet was formed, or before in
tell renee of this fact had been received at
Madrid. information Of tho formation of
the Cabinet had been received at Madrid
on that very day, but it had not yet
reached the public mind, nor had it then
reached me, until informed by the Nuncio
You ask in your letter, how is this possible?
The answer is plain, and may solve the doubt IS
which you seem to have, and remove the error
into which you have, unintentionally, fallen
on the subject. There is telegraph from Pa
ris to Madrid, and from the French and Span
ism frontier which is some ESQ miles, more or
less, from Madrid. This telegraph (Which is
not electric, but Of signals, or was them is
owned by, and is under the direction of the
Spanish Government, as we'll at the c0rre0,
or mail express, from Dayonne to Madrid. In
this way the Government often, and in fact
generally, obtains information of important
events one, two, or even several days, before
intelligence is received in the usual and regu-
lar mode of convey ance by the mail. 1 re-
member a striking instance OF this in the cir
cumstance that the death of Gen Taylor was
made known to the Government by telegraph,
and that the then Minister Of Foreign Affairs,
in an unofficial note, communicated the mel
anchOly event to me the day preceding its
public announcement by the press of Madrid,
and several days before it was finally con-
frmed by the regular arrival of American pa
pers and letters at the legation. So, in the
case of the conversation referred to with tho
Nuncio, the Government had doubtless re-
ceived information of the formation of the
Cabinet ut Washington, either by telegraph or
express, in advance Of the Intelligence made
public by the ordinary means, and some per-
son connected with the Government or with
that department of it having control of the
dispatches and the mail, believing that it
would be agreeable to the Nuncio to have this
information, eSpc ciaily as n member OF the
Cabinet was reported % be Catholic, men
toned il to him and it so happened that
saw him soon afterwards, when he mentioned
the fact TO me, before it was known to the pub
lie generally, who were still in ignorance and
doubt as 10 the matter.
"The whole amount Of ii is simply this :
That he happened to receive this information
as to the formation Of the cabinet a short time
before did, and before it was generally known
at Madrid who constituted its members.
"The reason why remember the circum-
stance at all Ia, that he expressed bis pleasure
at the appointment Of Catholic to cfiice, AID
his admiration OF that feature Of our repub-
lican government which excludes no one from
Office on account OF his religious opinions. He
did not, as you misunderstood me to say, &C
cording to your letter, express qualification
that bis church was so strong and Influential
in the United States as to obtain such an
honor, but he more than once, on subsequent
occasions. alluded to the principle of religious
liberation as ore of the fundamental bases of
cur political institutions There ara other
misapprehensiOns, certainly inadYertent. in
your letter, TO which L do not here deem it i'm
portant to allude. L have referred 10 this con-
versati0n with the Nuncio when in social in
tcrcouTse with others SIS well as yourself, sure
ly not for the purpose of proving political
bargain with Arch bishOp Hughes, or with any
other Catholic person In the last PresiJen
election of the United States; for, rs you prop
erly remark, L had been for years out OF the
country, and was not thoroughly conversant
with the charges and issues ard undcr-cur-
rents OF the Presidential election 1 had
nothing TO do with it but as n representative
abroad endcavored to serve the interests of my
country without reference TO party distinctions
Of any kind whatsoever.
But / have mentioned this conversation
for the purpose of showing the interest taken
in Cur country by the higher order of the
Catholic clergy in Europe and as an i,lnstra-
ton of what 1 have had several occasions to
observe, as l did to your,elf on this subject
and in this very connexicn, that the leading
members of that caurch are aS familiar, OF
more so perhaps, with the character Of our in
stitutiOns and peOpis--Our resources-our geo
graphy-Our general history and progress
th an many of the wisest statesmen OF Europe.
/ repeat, have never connected ii in my OWE
mind, or otherwise, for tho purpose OF proving
the charge Of Political corruption TO which you
refer, but for a1Otaiy different object, rs lust
stated. And herein lies your great mistake,
but one into which, with your views on the
subject OF that charge, aud without the knOWi
edge Of the facts connected with the conversa-
ton which possess, you might naturally fall
l mentioned 1t for one purpose-yOu employ it
cor another, without, Us l think, any Just
ground for doing 50. You are N staltcn in
suppOsing that ever mentioned it TO you at
any time as cOnfrmatOry of the political charge
ID which you refer. l could not have done so,
for l never believed so. l do not now believe
so. 1t would have been absurd in NE to be-
lieye so, unless had imagined, as you seem
to think, but which the acts DO not sustain,
that the EunciO had previous knowledge that
the appointment was 10 be made, and before it
really was made"
Mr.. Barringer hes certainly driven the last
nail into the coffin of this roorback which
made so much Know Nothing hair stand on end,
at KalOrama, on the 4th of July last.
Tho Effect Of Ui5Iaism. The Pennsylvania
Republican Know Nothing Convention, in ses-
sion at PittSburg, yesterday, actually nOmi-
naied Passmore Williamson for Comptroller Of
the State! lie is half-crazed member of the
Society Of Friends, making not the slightest
pretensiOns to qualifications for aught but car
rying out the ultraisms of his tpersuasions, u
and is as VIGOROUSLY unfit for the discharge Of
the heavy responsibilities of the Pennsylvania
Canal CoBmissionership, as it is possible fol
an individual to be. His present imprison.
mcnt must be according to the dictatiOn Of
Judge Zane, unless he will expiate his con.
tempt Of Court, which he says he will not do
Or, otherwise, he must lie injail as long as the
man who was imprisoned for 60 years for 9
contempt, by Lord Mansfield, Is he Obstinately
r.f,soI 70 admit tLat ho nol