Year: 1860

SENAIE-


WASHINGTON, April 27.-The Senate was not in


HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,


Mr.. CURTIS asked leave to offer a resolution
directing the Secretary of the Navy to communi-
cate to the Military Committee the full plan and
schedule of the floating battery in the course
OF construction in the vicinity of New York har-
Dor, the amount of money expended thereon and the
estimated cost of completing the same; and that
the Military Committee report such changes as
may be consistent with the public interests
Mr. CURTIS said that it was time the country
knew something about the battery, the peculiar
construction Of which has been kept perfect
secret.-Mr. HOUSTON said it was unusual to
direct an Executive officer to report to a commit
tee.-Mr. CURTIS explained that the reason for
this was that the Committee may examine and
determine the propriety of the construction of the
Stevens battery. If proper the work would go on.
If anything was necessary to be kept secret this
could be done.-Mr. HOUSTON thought that it
better for him to object to the resolution this
morning The House then went into Committee
of the Whole the State of the Union.-
Mr. CAREY spoke in favor of the immediate re-
organization of the Agricultural Bureau, and ad-
vocated the interests of the farmers of the country
opposed slavery extension, but said there was no
constitutional power to interfere with slavery in
the States. Instead of an exhibition of ''puck,"
which some men seemed to think necessary, they
should discuss this subject like sensible men In
the course of his remarks he said he went to the
Western country when there were not more than
five thousand souls. Now his heart swelIed
with gratitude to see five millions of happy thrv
ing and industrious people.-Mr. LANDRUM, of
Louisiana, referred to the harmony which existed
in earlier times, and contrast it with the preva-
lent discOrd. A great sectional party had been
formed and searches made for terms of accommodation
on one part of the country against the citizens of the
other. There now mutual denunciation instead
of harmony. Gentlemen met here, not to
strengthen the Union, but to sap its foundation,
fal as this can be done by human ingenuity
H. oI.Ik T.. -, n
party have not departed from the lessons of wis
dom of the fathers of the Republic and that the
Republican or anti Slavery party are the cause of
all the evils with which the country is afflicted
Mr.. NANDOVER, of Iowa, referred to past politi-
cal history, to show that the Democratic party in
1854 declared for on-intervention on the subject
of slavery, but have since ignored this doctrine
and put themselves on single plank and become
single idea party.-Mr. YERREE made protec-
tive tariff speech.-Mr. ROBINSON, of Rhode
Island entered into defence of Republican prin-
ciples.-The House then adjourned till Monday.





TRIAL OF THE REV. JAMES S. HARDEN FOR THE
MURDER HIS WIFE-His Account.-The following
is the testimony of Mr.. Frank Weymouth, in the
case of Harden, the wife murderer, now in pro-
gress:


| went with Harden to bis fathers on the Sun
day after the death of his wife, he said TO me- "if
you had friend or brother in whom you could





ask you to keep secret which he would reveal,
would you take such oath?" told him that
thought would; he then said that he could un-
ravel the mystery of his wife's death; that the
night of his wfes death he went to his wife's room
and asked Der some questions, between and 8
o'clock; she replied by asking him if he loved her;
he said that he did, with all his heart; she then
asked him if he would take an oath not to reveal
what she should relate to him save at the peril of
his life or his honor; he then said that she admins
tered an oath to him in this form: "Do you swear
before God and the holy angels witnesses in
presence of your wife, not to reveal what | am
about to relate to you?" that she then told him
that she had taken poison; that on the day she left
home she went to the back of the woods, to obtain
poisonous root, and could not find it; that after
coming to Mr.. Ramsey's she saw upon the shelf il
the kitchen vial containing arsenic, and thai
after tea she took it from the shelf-took some o
the arsenic from the vial put it in the tumbler anC
swallowed it down in the water-that she had filled
it up again with wheat -four, and that she haC
taken of this arsenic which she removed at differ
ent times.


Miss Lander, the famous sculptor, is the siste
of Col. Lander, who figured so extensively in the