The Portland daily press., 1866-02-02
From Was1.issgton.

,gtre9g5 WASHINGTON. Feb. /.
The bill introduced by Mr.. Morrill,, from the
Committee on Ways and Means, in the House
to-day, provides as follows: z Vrsfr fr1
1st.-That the act entitled an act to provide
ways and means to support the Government.
approved March Sd, 1865, shall be extended
and construed to authorize the Secretary OF
the Treasury at his discretion, to receive any
treasury notes or other obligations under any
accounts of Congress, whether bearing inter-
est or not, in exchange for any description Of
any bonds authorized by the act to which this
is an amendment, and also to dispose of any
description of bonds authorized by said act
either in the United States or elsewhere, to
such an amount, or in such manner, and at
such rates as he may think advisable for law
money for the United States or for any treas
ury notes, certificates of Indebtedness, or GER
tifcates of deposit, or other representations of
value which have been or may be issued nnder
any act of Congress, the proceeds therefor to
be used only for retiring treasury notes or 9TH
er obligations issued under any act of Con-
gress, but nothing herein contained shall be
construed to authorize any increase of the
public debt provided that the bonds which
may be disposed of elsewhere than in the
United States may be made payable, both prin-
cipal and interest, in the coin and currency of
the country in which they have been made
payable but shall not bear a rate of interest
exceeding 5 per cent. per annum and proyid-
ed further that the act to which this is an
amendment shall continue in full force all its
provisions, except as modified by this act. zee
The pardon brokerage case has been brought
to close. Gen. Baker, the well known chief
detective of the War Department, indicted for
the offence of having unlawfnlly restrained the
personal liberty of Mrs. T. Cobb, witness, of
prosecution, and to have so continued this
restraint of her liberty until he had extorted
from her two hundred dollars, which sum was
paid to her through Gen. Baker for procuring
pardon, based on false pretences, the lady
being engaged in such brokerage business, the
jury, after an absence from the court of an
hour and twenty minutes, returned verdict
of guilty of false imprisonment, and not gull
ty of extortion. .t
Official dispatches have been received here
up to the 9Th of January from Ell Paso, the
residence of the Mexican government.
Gen. Mejia has been appointed Secretary of
war In the President Juarez Cabinet.
Inc French he'd made another attempt to
attack I'll Paso. Gen. Ferragjo's division was
close by, and the place was looked upon as
News from the interior shows that tho
French are quite disguised with their endless
task of establishing Maximillian's authority
upon unwilling people.
Sencr Romero in October last addressed
letter to Secretary Seward saying, as a nroof of
the feelings of the Belgian people in regard to
the question now debating ON the Mexican
soil, have the honor of transmitting to YOU
for the information of the Government of the
United States, a copy of communication I
received from the Liberal Union of the civic
guard OF legee, dated the 18th of Aug. last, to-
gether with copy of the resolutions passed
| the day before by that association, protesting
| against the proposal of ST. Gen Pectincke,